--Balancing the company books—down to the last cent—can not only be done, it can be fun.

--You can be raised in the urban jungle and not only learn to understand agriculture, you can become a staunch advocate of it.

--Don’t just tell someone about something—show them about it.

"It’s always been my goal to help all students understand that Agriculture is everywhere, everyday. As we teach that idea, the AITC program continues to grow and evolve. The teamwork of a very dedicated staff of certified teachers—who have a passion for sharing the importance of agriculture, along with the generous contributions and resources (from the Illinois Agriculture Association Foundation, the Facilitating Coordination in Agricultural Education program and many commodity groups) have greatly contributed to the success of AITC. I have been very fortunate to have been a part of the program."

Destined to teach
Raised on Chicago’s northwest side, Gail later moved to Des Plaines in the fourth grade. The oldest of three children, Gail’s father thought it important for her and her younger siblings to earn a degree in education "as an insurance policy," she says.

Growing up, Gail says that there was not a lot of exposure to agriculture, but while living in Des Plaines, "we had cows that came up to the back fence from time to time." Her first true exposure to farming occurred when Gail was a sophomore at the University of Illinois.

"One of my closest friends, Linda McKown, was raised on a farm in central Illinois," she says. Since Gail grew up in the big city, she was intrigued by farm life and spent as much time as possible visiting her friend. "I’ve always been interested in other people’s way of living," says Gail. "When I visited Linda’s farm I found it fascinating to understand the cycle of raising and breeding beef cattle and pigs."

After college, Gail taught high school mathematics in Arlington Heights School District 25 and lived with her parents in Des Plaines. In 1970, she married Bill Petersdorff, and the couple became immersed in the bakery trade: They owned a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise in Wheeling and later operated a wholesale bakery, where they serviced 26 area high schools among other clientele.

The bakery was sold after Bill’s unfortunate passing in 1988, and in 1989 long-time friends of Gail’s, the Horchers, who were involved closely with Farm Bureau, encouraged her to use her educational background and apply it to a career in agriculture. Former Farm Bureau Manager Alden Kilian had been seeking an educator to drive Cook County Farm Bureau’s newly-formed AITC program, which had been launched in 1987. Mr. Kilian hired Gail as a part-time Ag in the Classroom presenter in 1989 and in 1990 she was offered the full-time position as the AITC coordinator and office manager.

Presenting the program at the fourth-grade level, Gail found that the younger she could plant seeds of agriculture in their consciousness, the more it would shape young childrens’ impressions going forward. "I found that at this level, I could be a guest speaker on the topics teachers were covering in the classroom," explains Gail. "By showing a jar of vegetable oil, which comes from soybeans, an important Illinois crop, we are able, in a short period of time, to plant seeds of curiosity."

Program expanded
Over time, the AITC program began to resonate with more schools, but Gail also realized that she couldn’t possibly conduct all the presentations alone. Fortuitously—for Farm Bureau that is—many teachers had been taking early retirement, as perhaps mandated by the Illinois School Board. The state’s loss was the AITC’s gain as Gail recruited many very competent and suddenly-available teachers to join the AITC team.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the AITC program, says Gail, was traveling to a school in the inner city to conduct a presentation and turning looks of apprehension among some students into a look of fulfillment and anticipation about agriculture. "We were able to break down the wall."

Another rewarding aspect Gail relishes was the way she and the team were able to convince some skeptical school superintendents about the rationale of incorporating AITC into their school curriculums. "My first question to superintendents would be, "Do you eat? Do you have shelter? Do you drive a car? Because it’s all brought about thanks to agriculture," she explains. "I would try to get them to buy into it, and we eventually changed a lot of minds."

After wearing two (or even more) hats for 15 years—AITC coordinator and office manager—Gail in 2005 came to the conclusion that the AITC position needed "new blood" (which came with the hiring of current AITC coordinator Haley Loy). I opted to concentrate solely on the office management responsibilities."

As she looks back on 18 years with Farm Bureau and even more as a certified teacher, Gail says: "I enjoyed teaching, and always looked for ways to help children better understands math and use practical applications to get a feel for ‘the theoretical.’ That’s why in the Ag in the Classroom presentations I tried to emphasize a ‘show and tell’ format.

"But the most important aspect was being able to have the chance to give something back—all under the mission to spread the word that Agriculture is everywhere, everyday," Gail concluded.

Gail Petersdorff Bio Box

Hometown: Long Grove
Profession: Newly-retired from a fruitful 18-year career with Farm Bureau, serving as office manager and Ag in the Classroom (AITC) coordinator.
Hobbies: Travel, canoeing and being in the outdoors.
Ag philosophy: "Agriculture is everywhere, everyday."