FarmWeek February 4 2013

Per

iod

ical

s: T

ime

Val

ued

FarmWeek on the web: FarmWeekNow.com Illinois Farm Bureau®on the web: www.ilfb.org

oNe oF ILLINoIs FArmBureau’s national legislative prior-ities is to build demand for renew-able fuels and defend their place inthe domestic energy portfolio. ...11

ILLINoIs FArm bureAuYoung Leaders often are looking toimprove the farmland they haverather than expand at today’s highland prices. ...................................6,7

buyers From Schnucksand Walmart will attend a Meetthe Buyers event at HeartlandCommunity College in Normal inlate February. .................................2

Monday, February 4, 2013 Two sections Volume 41, No. 5

January rains soak Illinois; forecast encouragingBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

The soil moisture situationin Illinois improved signifi-cantly last month as above-average rainfall soaked muchof the state.

Illinois in January receivedan average of 3.8 inches ofprecipitation, which is abouttwice as much as the state typ-ically receives for the month,according to Jim Angel, stateclimatologist with the IllinoisState Water Survey.

In fact, precipitation lastmonth totaled more than

what Illinois received last June(1.6 inches) and July (1.5 inch-es) combined.

“We had below-averagesnowfall but, actually, above-average precipitation. Mostfell as rain,” Angel toldFarmWeek. “The end resultis this is good news as far assoil moisture, stream flows,and lake levels. We’re chippingaway at the drought condi-tions.”

Precipitation last monthranged from 4 to 6-plus inch-

of wet weather the rest ofthis winter and into spring.”

Apel’s forecast was basedin part on neutral El Nino/LaNina readings in the PacificOcean he said he believes willextend into summer.

“As long as El Nino/LaNina is neutral, I look for amore normal weather pattern

(this year),” he said. “We’llstill have hot and dry periods,but not 16 straight days above95 degrees like we saw lastyear.”

La Nina often is associatedwith below-average precipita-tion in the Midwest. A LaNina was in effect last yearand in 1988.

es in Southern Illinois, 3 to 5inches in Central Illinois, and2 to 3 inches in Northern Illi-nois. Minor flooding even wasreported along the Kaskaskiaand Little Wabash Rivers.

“We welcome this rain,”Eric Apel, ag meteorologistwith Mobile Weather Team,said last week during a rainyday at the MID-CO Com-modities winter outlook meet-ing in Bloomington. “Centraland Southern Illinois, in par-ticular, made up quite a bit ofmoisture since last fall.”

Snowfall totals last monthranged from 10 inches inNorthwestern Illinois and 3 to6 inches across Central Illinoisto nothing measurable in partsof Southern Illinois.

The temperature averagedabout 4 degrees above normalfor January, despite a blast ofartic air last week thatdropped temperatures by 60degrees or more in just twodays.

Apel predicted tempera-tures will average below nor-mal in much of the Midwestfor the rest of winter.

“It can still snow in Febru-ary and March,” he reminded.

Apel also predicted moreprecipitation this winter andspring with an increasedchance of more severe weath-er this spring.

“These pressure patternsthat develop in winter tend tostick around into spring,”Apel said. “I look for periods

BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

The president was expected to sign offon short-term suspension of the federaldebt ceiling, according to Illinois FarmBureau Vice President Rich Guebert Jr.,addressing a potentially crucial economicconcern.

The Senate Thursday voted to raise the$16.4-trillion debt limit to continue payingthe nation’s bills through May. The meas-ure passed after Republican senators failedto sell amendments that would tie majorfederal spending cuts to any increase inthe debt limit.

The next budget step is debate overefforts to head off budget “sequestration”— deep, automatic spending cuts that kickin beginning March 1 unless Congressintervenes.

Guebert argued debtceiling action is “veryimportant,” impactingnot only the U.S.’ globalcredit rating but alsodomestic markets andpossibly even monetarypolicy.

“This could be prettyserious — we have neverbeen there,” he said. “If

you want to compare this to the states,there have been serious ramifications whentheir credit ratings have been lowered.

“If the federal credit rating is lowered,what impact would that have with othercountries, relative to the U.S. dollar? TheU.S. dollar is pretty important to trade andto our exports.”

Last week, U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, a

Peoria Republican, lamented Illinois’downgrade from an A to an A-minuscredit rating by Standard and Poor’s Rat-ings Service. S & P cited the state’s inabili-ty to tackle looming fiscal challenges.

Schock maintained the latest down-grade will result in “more of Illinoisans’tax dollars being spent on higher interestrates instead of in our classrooms, forhealth care, or building infrastructure.”

AgriVisor analyst Bridget Chinowthnoted a “strong correlation anymorebetween the commodity markets and allthese external factors” such as debt limitdebate.

“On a daily basis, we look at the valueof the dollar, as the direction of the dollarhas a strong significance for our exports,”Chinowth said in a FarmWeek/RFDRadio interview.

Congress approves increase in federal debt ceiling

Rich Guebert Jr.

FarmWeekNow.comListen to Jim Angel’s commentsabout recent weather acrossIllinois at FarmWeekNow.com.

‘This is good news as far assoil moisture, stream flows,and lake levels. We’re chip-ping away at the droughtconditions

..’

— Jim AngelState climatologist

POTASH LAWSUITS SETTLED — Threeof the world’s largest producers of potash lastweek agreed to pay $97.5 million to settle lawsuitsthat alleged pricing violations.

Potash Corp, Mosaic Co., and Agrium Inc. alldenied the i r pr ic ing of potash v io la ted U.S.antitrust laws, but they agreed to settle and payfines to avoid the costs of fighting the suits.

The lawsuits were filed by chemical suppliersand ag sales firms against the potash producers.They alleged that large potash producers since2003 conspired to fix the price of potash sold inthe U.S.

The three companies involved in the lawsuits,along with two others, account for two-thirds ofthe world’s potash production.

MILC PAYMENTS COMING — USDA lastweek announced it will begin issuing paymentsTuesday to dairy farmers enrolled in the MilkIncome Loss Contract (MILC) program.

MILC payments are triggered when the BostonClass I milk price, after adjustment for the cost ofdairy feed, falls below $16.94 per hundredweight.MILC payments are calculated each month usingthe latest milk price and feed costs.

The 2008 farm bill extension provides the con-tinuation of the MILC program through Sept. 30.All dairy producers’ MILC contracts were auto-matically extended to that date so eligible produc-ers do not need to re-enroll in the program.

STATE TO BUY MORE PORK — The Stateof Illinois plans to purchase about 400,000 addi-tional pounds of pork for fiscal year 2013.

The pork will be purchased from local produc-ers and processors. The jump in pork purchases isaimed at assisting the pork industry, which washurt by drought and high input costs last year.

The state, which feeds about 55,000 people(mostly inmates and senior veterans) each day, hasa goal to purchase all of its food from Illinoisfarmers and processors by 2020.

Central Management Services will put out bidsfor the pork in the next two months, according toa spokeswoman with the Illinois Department ofAgriculture.

For more information, visit the Illinois Procure-ment Bulletin website at {purchase.state.il.us}.

FarmWeek Page 2 Monday, February 4, 2013

(ISSN0197-6680)

Vol. 41 No. 5 February 4, 2013

Dedicated to improving the profitability of farm-ing, and a higher quality of life for Illinois farmers.FarmWeek is produced by the Illinois FarmBureau.

FarmWeek is published each week, except theMondays following Thanksgiving and Christmas, by theIllinois Agricultural Association, 1701 Towanda Avenue, P.O.Box 2901, Bloomington, IL 61701. Illinois AgriculturalAssociation assumes no responsibility for statements byadvertisers or for products or services advertised inFarmWeek.

FarmWeek is published by the Illinois AgriculturalAssociation for farm operator members. $3 from the individ-ual membership fee of each of those members go towardthe production of FarmWeek.

Address subscription and advertisingquestions to FarmWeek, P.O. Box 2901,Bloomington, IL 61702-2901. Periodicalspostage paid at Bloomington, Illinois, andat an additional mailing office.

POSTMASTER: Send change of address notices onForm 3579 to FarmWeek, P.O. Box 2901, Bloomington, IL61702-2901. Farm Bureau members should sendchange of addresses to their local county Farm Bureau.

© 2013 Illinois Agricultural Association

STAFFEditorDave McClelland ([email protected])

Legislative Affairs EditorKay Shipman ([email protected])

Agricultural Affairs EditorMartin Ross ([email protected])

Senior Commodities EditorDaniel Grant ([email protected])

Editorial AssistantMargie Fraley ([email protected])

Business Production ManagerBob Standard ([email protected])

Advertising Sales ManagerRichard Verdery ([email protected])Classified sales coordinatorNan Fannin ([email protected])

Director of News and CommunicationsMichael L. Orso

Advertising Sales RepresentativesHurst and Associates, Inc.P.O. Box 6011, Vernon Hills, IL 600611-800-397-8908 (advertising inquiries only)

Gary White - Northern IllinoisDoug McDaniel - Southern Illinois

Editorial phone number: 309-557-2239Classified advertising: 309-557-3155Display advertising: 1-800-676-2353

Quick takesSpecialty cropS

Tuesday: • Bryce Anderson, DTN chief ag

meteorologist • Michelle Damico, Michelle

Damico Communications• Steve Meyer, Paragon EconomicsWednesday:• Tim Schweizer, Illinois

Department of NaturalResources

• Kevin Daugherty, educationdirector, Ag in the Classroom,Illinois Farm Bureau

• Rita Frazer, live from the PorkExpo

• Liz Hobart, associate director ofnational legislation and policydevelopment

Thursday:• Representative from Illinois Corn

Growers Association• Bonnie McDonald, president of

Landmarks IllinoisFriday: • Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse publisher• Kevin Rund, IFB senior director of

local government • Howard Buffett, The Howard

Buffett Foundation

To find a radio station near you thatcarries the RFD Radio Network, go toFarmWeeknow.com, click on “Radio,”then click on “Affiliates.”

Feb. 26 event

Local growers sought-after commodity

University of IllinoisExtension is offering theGood Agricultural Practices(GAPs) workshop at four loca-tions in February and Marchand a webinar series in April.

The workshops and webina-rs are designed to teach fruitand vegetable growers aboutfood safety practices that willhelp them be competitive inthe marketplace, according toEllen Phillips, Extension edu-cator for local food systemsand small farms.

Recent produce-associatedfoodborne illness outbreakshave heightened public aware-ness of produce food safetyand increased produce buyers’demand for third-party auditsto verify farm food safetypractices.

“More and more, the retailand food service industry areidentifying growers who haveimplemented GAPs and have averified farm food safetyplan,” Phillips said.

Workshop dates and loca-tions are: Feb. 19, Oregon;Feb. 27, Joliet; March 4,Urbana; and March 12, Spring-field. Each workshop will runfrom 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Farmers who attend theworkshops may become GAPscertified. A grant from the Illi-nois Department of Agricul-ture’s specialty crop grant pro-gram will provide cost-shareassistance to farmers whowould like to pursue GAPscertification.

“For fresh fruit and veg-etable producers, food safety isparticularly important because

some of the fresh producethey grow is eaten raw,” saidPhillips. “It’s critical to beaware of and implement foodsafety practices so that micro-bial risks can be minimized.”

Workshop topics willinclude: developing a foodsafety plan, safety risk fac-tors and impacts, and GAPand food safety farm audits,soil and manure manage-ment, and worker health andhygiene.

The cost is $10 per personand includes lunch and a man-ual. Pre-registration is requiredone week in advance for eachworkshop.

To register, go online to{http://web.extension.illi-nois.edu/state/calendar.cfm}.For more information on loca-tions and any other questions,call 815-732-2191.

A GAPs webinar series alsowill be offered for farmersunable to attend one of thefour workshops.

The webinars will takeoccur on Mondays, April 8through April 29, from 6 to 8p.m. The registration deadlineis April 1.

The fee is $10 per partici-pant; pre-registration, alongwith pre-payment, is requiredby April 1.

Call 815-933-8337 to regis-ter by credit card or registeronline at {http://web.exten-sion.illinois.edu/gkw}.Recently, the U.S. Food andDrug Administration pro-posed two new food safetyrules.

The first would require

makers of food to be sold inthe United States to develop aformal plan for preventingtheir food products from caus-ing foodborne illness.

The second eventuallywould affect small farmers andproposes enforceable, science-and risk-based standards forthe safe production and har-vesting of fruits and vegeta-bles.

The proposed rules are onlineat {www.fda.gov/Food/Food-Safety/FSMA/}. Public com-ment is being accepted until May16.

U of I Extension offering food safety workshops, webinar

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Consumers prefer locally grown fruits andvegetables, which makes the farmers who growthat produce in high demand.

The opportunity to meet Illinois growers isdrawing Mike O’Brien of Schnucks MarketsInc. and Mike Meyers of Walmart Stores Inc. toNormal on Feb. 26.

Both buyers will join others attending a Meetthe Buyers event at Heartland Community Col-lege, Normal. The registration deadline is Feb.22.

O’Brien, Schnucks’ vice president of pro-duce and floral, told FarmWeek he is interest-ed in meeting local growers who could supplynearby Schnucks stores. His company is strug-gling to locate Central Illinois growers, he not-ed.

“We are looking for quality local produce,”O’Brien said. “We want the best quality for ourcustomers.”

Meyers, a Walmart local procurement manag-er based in Texas, said, “I’ll hopefully get somemore resources in Illinois to provide more localitems to be sold in state.

“We like to have multiple sources in a state,”said Meyers, who buys salad vegetables for Wal-mart stores nationwide.

Both buyers said they are interested intalking with growers who have small or largeoperations.

Currently, Schnucks is developing a localgrower program. O’Brien said he will discussthe importance of food safety with the grow-ers he meets.

Information about Walmart’s grower crite-ria is available online at {walmartstores.com}.Click on the “supplier” link. Those require-ments include third-party food safety auditsand product liability insurance.

On Feb. 26, growers will have an opportu-nity to meet not only with O’Brien and Mey-ers but buyers for a variety of businesses,such as Illinois State University, Edible Econ-omy, Naturally Yours, and others. In addition,education sessions will be offered on com-mercial business practices and for recom-mended food safety practices.

The event is open and free for farmers. Itis being hosted by McLean County FarmBureau and surrounding area Farm Bureaus,Illinois Farm Bureau, University of IllinoisExtension, Illinois Department of Agricul-ture, and Illinois Specialty Growers Associa-tion.

To register, call the McLean County FarmBureau at 309-663-6497.

government

Page 3 Monday, February 4, 2013 FarmWeek

Immigration debate rolling; ag groups hopefulBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

A seemingly unlikely bipar-tisan Senate coalition set thestage early last week forrenewed immigration debate.By Wednesday, the WhiteHouse had rolled out its ownblueprint.

By Friday, a half-dozenRepublican and DemocratHouse members were negoti-ating a potential “pathway” tolegal status for an estimated 11million undocumented immi-grants currently in the U.S.

Eight senators reached adeal on an immigration“framework” package prior toPresident Obama’s last Tues-day announcement of his ownimmigration reform propos-als.

The coalition includedChuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), for-mer presidential candidateJohn McCain (R-Ariz.),Springfield Democrat DickDurbin, and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a prominent LatinoRepublican popular with con-servatives.

Farm Bureau has joined a

enables crop producers tobring in seasonal workers,does not meet the needs of asector where “cows have to bemilked every day, two or threetimes a day, every day of theyear,” Galen stressed.

Galen said he is encouragedby support for immigrationreform among senators fromdairy states such as New York,Arizona, and Florida. Rubioand Gang of Eight memberJeff Flake (R-Ariz.) shouldhelp influence conservativecongressional interests, whileDurbin and Schumer may helpbring more liberal Democratsto the table, he suggested.

Rubio could help swayRepublicans “who probablyagree something needs to bedone but have felt uncomfortablestepping out,” Gasperini said.

“For this group to stand uptogether and say, ‘Here are thebasic principles, here’s whatwe’re going to work for,’ well,that’s exciting,” he toldFarmWeek.

number of other groups in anAgriculture Workforce Coali-tion (AWC) seeking a two-tiered approach to ensuring

that — as National Council ofAgricultural Employers/AWCspokesman Frank Gasperiniput it — “we’ll have willingworkers when and where weneed them.”

While the “Gang of Eight”framework took a broad-brushapproach to immigrationreform, Gasperini said he wasencouraged by a brief refer-ence to “seasonal work anddairy” needs and the supportof Rubio, who has met withAWC members.

“We’re going to get to worktrying to make sure agricultureis covered in any immigrationreform,” Illinois Farm BureauNational Legislative DirectorAdam Nielsen said.

“We’ll be meeting soonwith members of our (con-gressional) delegation to helpthem understand the issue

from agriculture’s perspective.Meanwhile, it’s nice to see wehave senators representing allpolitical stripes involved inthis issue. Both parties appearmotivated to work on it.”

National Milk ProducersFederation (NMPF)spokesman Chris Galen seesthe Senate proposal as a“starting point” for thedebate. Dairy “has someunique needs that need to beaddressed,” Galen toldFarmWeek.

He cited a lack of native-born people “who want to dothe work that needs to bedone on dairy farms,” even atabove-market pay. The federalH-2A visa program, which

Illinois Farm Bureau is sending a letter tothe state’s congressional delegation ad-dressing the organization’s immigration/la-bor concerns.

Immigrant debateU.S. security issue?

Roughly a month ago, lawmakers extended 2008 farm billprovisions reportedly amid public fears of possible $6-a-gallonmilk under a reversion to 1940s-era ag policies should 2008provisions expire.

Consider this: A 2008 National Milk Producers Federation(NMPF) survey of 2,000 farms found U.S. dairies employed atleast 138,000-plus full-time equivalent workers. About 57,000,or 41 percent of those workers, were foreign-born.

A 2012 Texas A & M University study concluded farmsusing immigrant labor account for more than three-fifths ofthe milk produced in the U.S. Without those employees, eco-nomic output would decline by $22 billion and 133,000 work-ers would lose their jobs, according to the study.

It thus may not be surprising that National Council of Agri-cultural Employers Executive Vice President Frank Gasperinisees immigration reform as “a national security issue” for theeconomy and especially for consumers.

The type of labor-intensive farming that demands seasonal-migrant labor “actually produces the food we (directly) eat,”Gasperini noted. He warned in an interview with FarmWeekthat continued labor shortages could result in “a patchwork ofsmall bits and pockets of food production.”

The 2012 drought underlined the shortcomings of currentag labor policies. Amid anticipation of reduced produce har-vests due to drought — combined with “aggressive” immigra-tion enforcement practices in pass-through states such as Ala-bama, Arizona, and Georgia — many perennial migrant work-ers simply “didn’t show up” this fall to pick Upper Midwestcrops, Gasperini related.

“We had less to harvest, but what was there was worth a lotmore,” he noted. “If you lost something because it rottedbecause you didn’t have workers or your workers were late, youlost a lot more money.”

In 2008, Texas A & M reported 77 percent of vegetablefarmers reported scaling back operations. More than 80,000acres of fresh produce once grown in California have beenmoved to other countries, researchers reported.

According to a 2012 California Farm Bureau Federation(CFBF) survey, 71 percent of tree fruit growers statewide andnearly 80 percent of raisin and berry growers have been unableto find enough employees to prune trees or vines or pick crops.

CFBF suggests thousands of West Coast farms could failand farm income could drop by $5 billion to $9 billion as aresult of heightened labor shortages. — Martin Ross

1.5 millionHired workers employed in

U.S. agriculture each year.Nearly 75 percent are foreign-born. (Source: UnitedFresh/University of California)

32,000Until recently, the estimated

number of farmworkersemployed annually in Illinoisfruit, vegetable, grain, dairy,sod, and nursery sectors. Sea-sonal workers plant, harvest,hoe, detassle, weed, cultivate,bunch, pick, prune, pack, andload. (Illinois Migrant Council)

40.3 millionThe estimated number of

foreign-born immigrants in theU.S. Roughly 37 percent werenaturalized citizens, 31 per-cent had legal permanent resi-dent status, and 11.1 millionwere unauthorized. (Pew His-panic Center)

Republican Ray LaHood’s2009 appointment as theDemocrat Obama administra-tion’s transportation secretarywas viewed as a key gesturetoward political bridge-building.

As head of the Departmentof Transportation (DOT), theformer Peoria congressmanplayed a key role in focusingfederal stimulus funds on majorinfrastructure initiatives andaddressing Illinois farmer con-cerns about evolving truck regu-lations.

And as LaHood prepares toleave his Cabinet post, Ameri-ca’s Central Port ExecutiveDirector Dennis Wilmsmeyerrecalls him as “a true gentle-man” with a broad knowledgeof road, rail, air, and watertransportation.

LaHood last weekannounced he would leave theadministration as soon as a suc-cessor could be confirmed. Hepreviously served in Congressfrom 1995 to 2009.

While DOT has little juris-diction over U.S. waterways perse, Wilmsmeyer creditedLaHood with helping deliverroughly $14.5 million in federalTIGER (Transportation Invest-ment Generating EconomicRecovery) grant program fundsfor the Granite City port facilityand promoting intermodalcapabilities crucial to movinggoods from farms to ports andmarkets.

TIGER funding for the portdistrict “probably wouldn’t havehappened” under past trans-

portation secretaries,Wilmsmeyer maintained.

“Ray has brought morefocus to river transportationthan any other secretary oftransportation I can recall,” hetold FarmWeek. “He’s been atrue champion for us, focusingmore projects on the river sys-tem, through the TIGER andother programs.”

House Transportation andInfrastructure Committee mem-ber Rodney Davis, a TaylorvilleRepublican who recently metwith the transportation chief,noted “the way SecretaryLaHood was able to workacross the (political) aisle to getthings done for this country.”

Under LaHood, Illinoisreceived more than $44 millionin TIGER grants, including $13million for a multimodal trans-portation center in conjunctionwith a new high-speed intercity

passenger rail station in Alton.LaHood is an avid proponent ofhigh-speed rail.

Further, Illinois Farm Bureauraised concerns with LaHoodregarding interpretation ofmotor carrier safety rules.DOT’s Federal Motor CarrierSafety Administration subse-quently announced it would notpropose new safety require-ments or changes to transporta-tion rules for ag products orequipment or supplies movingto or from a farm.

That decision relieved farm-ers under crop share leases whowere concerned about beingconsidered “for-hire carriers”subject to commercial driver’slicense requirements.

“Secretary LaHood wasinstrumental in getting it done,”IFB National Legislative Direc-tor Adam Nielsen maintained.— Martin Ross

LaHood credited with waterways awareness

In this February 2009 FarmWeek photo, U.S. Transportation SecretaryRay LaHood answers questions at the 46th annual Mid-West Truck Showin Peoria. LaHood then outlined efforts to put “ready-to-go” transporta-tion-infrastructure projects on the ground as quickly as possible afterCongress approved necessary funding. (File photo by Al Hasty)

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Illinois farmers and their U.S. counterpartsface major challenges as the EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) seeks to implementwater quality rules.

Last week, members of Illinois FarmBureau’s Strength With Advisory Teams(SWAT) received an overview of several issuesand the possible impacts.

There is a difference between agriculture’sand EPA’s perceptions of life and the environ-ment, according to Don Parrish, senior direc-tor of regulatory relations with the AmericanFarm Bureau Federation. Parrish addressed theSWAT members and later worked with theconservation and natural resources team.

He challenged SWAT members to work so“people’s perception of agriculture is that agri-culture is part of the solution.”

The Farm Bureau leaders took a crashcourse on the implications of environmental

lawsuits, water quality permits, and numericalwater quality standards for nutrients.

“The (rule) process is exceedingly compli-cated,” Parrish warned. “It will impact yourability to operate and how you produce foodand fiber.”

He encouraged the farmers to becomefamiliar with the program details and to applythat knowledge, such as locations of anyephemeral streams, to their own farmland.

“You need to be able to identify (thesepoints) on your farm and to help our member-ship understand these issues,” Parrish said.

As EPA moves forward with various rules,the potential for conflict among different agri-cultural sectors exists, he noted.

Parrish recommended the leaders seek com-mon ground with other stakeholders and sup-port targeting of conservation practices toachieve the most benefit.

“We need people like you to focus on thesethings,” Parrish said.

Parrish: Water issues pose challenges

The next few months willbe key for a future farm bill,given pending deadlines andthe political landscape, accord-ing to P. Scott Shearer, an agpolicy expert with The Bock-orny Group, based in Wash-ington, D.C.

Shearer’s deadline listincludes a March 1 deadlinefor sequestration across-the-board budget cuts, the March27 expiration of the fiscal yearappropriation, and an April 15budget deadline.

“All of these items willhave a great impact on thefarm bill,” Shearer toldFarmWeek. “The next fewmonths will determine thelikelihood of a (new) farm billor not.”

Shearer, an Illinois native,will share his political insightsduring Illinois Farm Bureau’sGovernmental Affairs Leader-ship Conference Feb. 20-21 atthe Crowne Plaza, Springfield.The conference pre-registra-tion deadline is Feb. 11.

Shearer, a University of Illi-nois graduate whose familyfarms in Douglas County, willparticipate on a political panelduring the Feb. 20 general ses-sion.

In addition to the loomingdeadlines, Shearer said he willdiscuss the implications ofchanges in Congress and thelarge turnover on the HouseAgriculture Committee (Illi-nois has three new members).

Along with the conference’sgeneral sessions, participantsmay select from two dozenworkshop topics, includingtransportation, legislation,

local government, and naturalresources.

Farm Bureau leaders willhave an opportunity to talkwith lawmakers during astatewide legislative receptionon Wednesday evening.

A new activity this year willbe a food drive for area foodpantries. Conference partici-pants are asked to bring non-perishable food items to “Stuffa Ford with food.” The goalwill be to fill a Ford truck. Allitems will be donated to theCentral Illinois Foodbank.

The donated food and/or

any money donations willcount toward the IFB YoungLeaders’ participation in theHarvest for All program.

Registration is being offeredfor either or both days. Thecost is $50 for Wednesday, Feb.20, only, $30 for Thursdayonly, or $70 for both days.

To register or receive moreinformation, contact yourcounty Farm Bureau office orgo online to {ilfb.org}. — KayShipman

Leadership conference session

Fiscal decisions, politicsto impact agriculture

Farm Bureau leaders receive charge as SWAT membersMembers of Illinois Farm

Bureau’s newest teamreceived a big assignment lastweek — become specialistscapable of leading the debateon specific issues.

The inaugural Strengthen-ing With Advisory Teams(SWAT) met for the first timeand learned they have a bigjob.

“We need people on theground today who are up tospeed on certain issues,” IFBPresident Philip Nelson toldthe group. “We have to havemore voices on the groundtrained to respond on issues.”

Each of the three 14-member teams is to identifyshort- and long-term issuesin their field of expertise.

The teams are: conserva-tion and natural resources,farming production and mar-keting, and local and stategovernment.

In addition, other FarmBureau members are servingon ad hoc advisory groups on

specific issues. The teamsmay seek additional input orexpertise about specificissues from the ad hocgroups.

As a group, team membersreceived briefings on waterquality issues, food produc-tion challenges, and thestate’s political climate.

SWAT members wereencouraged to immerse them-selves in the details andparameters of their team’sissues. They were asked toshare information and seekinput from other FarmBureau members in theircounties. — Kay Shipman

WoRKinG to REcRUit VEtERinaRianS

farmWeeknow.com

Check out Kay Shipman’s videointerviews with new SWAT mem-bers at FarmWeekNow.com.

Troy Uphoff, left, an Illinois Farm Bureau director and chairman of IFB’s Illinois Veterinary Educationand Training (IVET) program, chats with University of Illinois veterinary medicine students, left to right,Ben Blair of Sparta, Justin Fehr of Eureka, and Chelsea Ballinger of Stewardson last week. Uphoff andJim Fraley, IFB’s livestock program director, met with about 15 first-year College of Veterinary Medicinestudents to discuss the IVET loan program. IFB will loan $20,000 to a vet med student. The money is tobe repaid at a low interest rate after graduation. To be eligible, the student must be part of a food ani-mal practice and serve Illinois livestock farmers. IVET also is available to students in other veterinarycolleges who will come to Illinois to practice. (Photo by Jim Fraley)

Day: KIC efforts important to state’s drainage districts

The Keep it for the Crop (KIC) program will provide neededinformation that is important to members of the Illinois Associ-ation of Drainage Districts (IADD), according to Cheryl Day,IADD executive director.

KIC was established by the Illinois Council on Best Manage-ment Practices (CBMP) to promote nutrient stewardship in six

priority watersheds.A 75-cent-per-ton assessment

on fertilizer recently was estab-lished to fund research and edu-cation on nutrient management.The assessment was the result ofstate legislation that created the

Nutrient Research & Education Council (NREC).During the recent IADD annual meeting, none of the mem-

bers expressed concerns about the new assessment to Day, shesaid. She said she encouraged her members to participate inNREC-funded research if they are asked to allow research ontheir farms.

“We need the good data,” Day said. Last fall, a nitrogen monitoring project sponsored by the

CBMP measured soil nitrogen levels in the top two feet of soil infields around the state. — Kay Shipman

‘ T h e n ex t f ewmonths will deter-mine the l ike l i -hood of a (new)farm bill or not.’

— P. Scott ShearerAg policy expert

The Bockorny Group

ifb in action


RISK MANAGEMENT


Insurance insights 2013: It’s about the optionsBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Last year’s roller coasterride — from early springplanting to heavy late-seasonlosses — has left farmersseeking options and federalrisk management officialslooking to minimize springcrop risks.

In the latter category,USDA’s Risk ManagementAgency (RMA) has “tweaked”statewide initial spring plantdates for corn and soybeans(see accompanying map),Country Financial crop insur-ance coordinator Bob Deweynoted.

The initial plant date is theearliest a policyholder mayplant an insured commodityand qualify for a replantingpayment under federal cropinsurance.

“If they plant before thoseinitial plant dates, they’re ontheir own for replant costs,”Dewey told FarmWeek.

Backing the “trend.”Dewey alerted growers to theTrend Adjustment-Actual Pro-duction History (TA-APH)Option, which allows producersto increase yields used in calcu-lating crop insurance guaran-tees. That option benefitedmany Illinois growers hit by

most counties.Dewey predicts growers

will be drawn to the new HighRisk-Alternative CoverageEndorsement (HR-ACE),which enables growers todivide coverage effectivelyinto dual policies for high-risk

and non-high-risk ground.Under HR-ACE, high-risk

acres can be segregated bycrop and county under basicor optional units. Groundunder the non-high-risk policymay be covered as basic,optional, or enterprise units.

drought last season, he noted.“If they didn’t take the

trend adjustment for last year,they’ll want to take it thisyear,” Dewey maintained.

Add-ons and expecta-tions. A number of insurersoffer their own coverageendorsements or other add-on“products” beyond basic fed-eral crop policies. For exam-ple, Country sells a replantendorsement to supplementfederal policies.

RMA has ruled farmersmay attach a private endorse-ment to supplement any feder-al crop policy. Individual com-panies cannot require a farmerto take out a federal policywith them in order to purchaseone of their add-ons.

“If someone’s happy withthe company that’s writingtheir federal crop policy, theydon’t have to switch to anoth-er company to take that pri-vate add-on,” Dewey stressed.

Optimizing the options.Over the past few years, theenterprise coverage unit — allof an individual crop within acounty — has been popularbecause of accompanying pre-mium discounts. Deweynonetheless anticipates somegrowers shifting to basic oroptional units that allow them

to “split out” their acres andthus better control risk.

In the event a produceropts “to stand more risk”under enterprise coverage, herecommends raising coveragelevels by at least 5 percent,given reduced 2013 rates in

Coverage after cover:Crop-specific rules apply

Timing is crucial for Illinois growers whohope both to reap the benefits of covercrops and maximize commercial crop pro-tection.

USDA’s Risk Management Agency setsstrict insurability requirements to reduce riskssuch as soil moisture depletion or a shortenedgrowing season associated with growing aspring-planted crop following another cropor cover crop. “This is a biggie,” Country Financial cropinsurance coordinator Bob Dewey empha-sizes.

Criteria for coverage of plantings follow-ing cover crops vary according to the crop:

• Corn, sweet corn, popcorn, hybridseed corn, and processing pumpkins areinsurable if the cover crop is terminated atleast seven days prior to the spring crop’sfinal planting date — June 5 in most of thestate and May 31 in Alexander, Pope,Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pulaski, andUnion counties — and the cover crop is nothayed, grazed, or otherwise harvested afterMay 10.

• Soybeans, processing beans, andgrain sorghum. A cover crop can changehow soybean farming practices are classi-fied.

To ensure the cover crop will not cause achange in practice especially with beans, thegrower must not hay, graze, or harvest thecover crop after May 10 and must terminatethe cover crop at least seven days before the

June 15 or 20 regional soybean final plantingdate.

If those requirements aren’t met, soybeansfollowing cover crops will be considered dou-ble-cropped.

If the double cropping practice isn’t avail-able in a county, soybeans may not be insur-able. Consult a crop insurance agent forcounty double-crop status.

Further, double-crop soybeans carry ahigher premium.

Separate criteria apply to crops planted fol-lowing non-cover crops raised specifically forharvest.

• Corn, sweet corn, popcorn, hybridseed corn, and processing pumpkins areinsurable if the other crop is terminatedbefore it reaches the headed/budded stageand is not hayed, grazed, or harvested afterMay 10.

“A lot of the time, this applies to a dairyor beef cow producer who makes a cut ofalfalfa and plants corn afterward,” Deweyrelated.

“Sometimes, a dairy guy may wait to makea cutting of hay possibly until late May. Bythen, it’s too late to harvest hay and insuretheir subsequent crop.”

• Soybeans, processing beans, andgrain sorghum are insurable if the othercrop is terminated before it reaches theheaded/budded stage and is not hayed,grazed or harvested after May 10. — MartinRoss

New protectionpilot covers bluecorn growers

USDA’s Risk Management Agency has approved a blue cornpilot insurance program for growers in 25 Illinois counties.

Beginning this year, eligible farmers can cover the distinc-tively hued crop — which is raised under contract to producetortilla chips and other snack foods — under a Yield Productpolicy.

“The policy does not work like a traditional corn RevenueProduct policy,” Country Financial crop insurance coordinatorBob Dewey stressed.

To establish insurable yield, a producer must contract bluecorn. The contract must specifically contain either a fixedprice for contracted production or a premium amount over aprice determined on the date chosen by the producer or on thedate of delivery.

The pilot is aimed in part at determining blue corn’s con-tract price differential and added value relative to commoditycorn, to adjust projected price, harvest price, and price elec-tions under future policies.

Blue corn coverage is available this season in Bond,Boone, Brown, Cass, Champaign, Christian, DeWitt, Dou-glas, Fayette, Logan, Macoupin, Macon, Madison, Mason,McHenry, McLean, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Moul-trie, Piatt, Sangamon, Shelby, Schuyler, and Winnebagocounties.

Blue corn is especially high in anthocyanin antioxidantsassociated with various health benefits and offers higher levelsof the amino acid lysine than standard yellow or white chips.As a result, blue corn products are gaining increased consumerattention, market share, and processor contracts. — MartinRoss

Young Leaders


CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO

New FS InVISION™ seed corn is a game changer, engineered with genetic muscle to outperform expectations. Make no mistake: We’re here to un-cede the top seed. See your local FS member company when you’re ready to get serious.

©2012 GROWMARK, Inc. S13265

www.fsinvision.com

New FS InVISION™ seed corn is a game changerengineered with genetic muscle to outperform expectations. Make no mistake: Wun-cede the top seed. See your local FS member company when you’re ready to get serious.

, seed corn is a game changerengineered with genetic muscle to outperform

e’re here to expectations. Make no mistake: Wun-cede the top seed. See your local FS member company when you’re ready to get serious.

Lehr: ‘Golden age’ presents opportunities for young farmersBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Farmers who long for the“good ole days” likely aren’treferring to $2 corn and those12-plus-hour days of hardlabor.

Those days are in the past,and it is unlike-ly corn priceswill return to$2 per bushelany time in thenear future,according to JayLehr, econo-mist and sci-ence director ofThe HeartlandInstitute inChicago.

Lehr, duringhis keynoteaddress at the Illinois FarmBureau Young Leader StateConference, told young farm-ers agriculture is in a “goldenage” that is attracting talentback to the industry.

“You (young farmers) arestarting out in the best time in

the history of agriculture,”Lehr said. “This is a goldenage for agriculture.”

Strong demand for ag prod-ucts and corresponding highcommodity prices are beingdriven by a growing populationwith a more diverse appetite.

The averagemeat intakearound theworld hasincreased byabout 50 per-cent since1990, accord-ing to Lehr.

“While (theU.S.) has beenin a recessionthe last fewyears, the worldis becoming

more affluent,” he said. “Thedemand for better and morefood has been huge.”

The middle class in Chinaand India will add about 230million people and 60 millionpeople, respectively, thisdecade.

Demand and prices forfood, therefore, are expectedto remain strong for years tocome.

“I’m confident grain priceswill stay up,” Lehr said. “Theywill not go where they were adecade ago.”

The crop markets, though,likely will be more volatile thanin the past.

Farmers in the future alsowill have to adjust to legislativeand regulatory changes, hesaid.

“We will not need price sup-ports. We will not have directpayments in the next farm

bill,” Lehr told the young lead-ers. “What you will have (for asafety net) is crop insurance.”

Farmers increasingly willrely on technology and machin-ery improvements, which willreduce the amount of physicallabor and man-hours it takes toproduce food.

Farmers, particularly thosejust starting out, likely will needto incorporate more physicalexercise into their lifestyles to stayhealthy and productive over theirlifetimes, said Lehr, 76, who is anavid runner and outdoorsman.

“Farming is a much less rig-orous profession than it wasfor your granddad, who worehimself out,” he told the youngleaders. “That’s a double-edgedsword.

“You need to recognize that,for most of you, work (on amodern farm) is not enough tostay healthy,” he added. “Youneed to watch your diet andexercise.”

Pollard, Nelson urge Young Leaders to be proactiveUsually it is considered rude

to use a cell phone during ameeting or conference.

But Brent Pollard, chair-man of the Illinois Farm

Bureau Young Leader StateCommittee, used his phonerecently to make a point dur-ing his address to more than400 attendees at the YoungLeader Conference in Nor-mal.

Pollard, a dairy farmer fromRockford, demonstrated to fel-low young farmers how simpleit is to place a call to a legisla-tor as part of the FB Act Pro-gram.

“When an issue is reallyimportant tous, IFB movesforward withan actionrequest,” Pol-lard said. “Weneed to (acton the requestand) reachout to legisla-

tors.”Pollard urged Young

Leaders and others at theconference to sign up andparticipate in the FB ActProgram.

He also urged YoungLeaders to proactivelyengage consumers aboutissues affecting food andagriculture.

“Have a 20-second pitchready for when you run into aconsumer,” Pollard said.“That’s about the time youhave to make an impression onthem.

“Let them know that a seedcorn sign doesn’t mean Mon-santo owns your field,” he con-tinued. “Or, let them know youtake good care of you ani-mals.”

Philip Nelson, IFB presi-dent and a farmer fromSeneca, who 36 years agoattended his first YoungLeader/Young Farmer confer-

ence, said Young Leaders arecritical to the future of the agindustry and IFB.

“You will play an active role(shaping the future of theorganization),” said Nelson,who won the national YoungLeader/Farmer Achievement

Award andwas the run-ner-up in thenational Dis-cussion Meetwhen he wasa YoungFarmer (thename of theorganization

before it became Young Lead-ers). “We’re depending onyou.”

He also urged Young Lead-ers to proactively engage con-sumers.

“We’ve got to get more peo-ple engaged and tell (con-sumers) what we do and howwe do it,” Nelson noted.

Jay Lehr, economist andscience director of TheHeartland Institute in Chica-go, told Young Leaders vari-ous activist groups have paint-ed a target on the backs offarmers.

“You have to undo that,”Lehr told the gathering. “Ichallenge you to commit twohours per month to promoteagriculture to people who arenot in ag.”

Lehr’s key messages to con-sumers include the fact thatplants can’t live without nutri-ents, which are included infertilizer, farmers conserveland and are environmentalstewards, and farmers mustcontinue to grow yieldsthrough conventional ag tofeed a growing world popula-tion. — Daniel Grant

Jay Lehr, left, economist and science director for The Heartland Institutein Chicago, discusses the future of farming with Landon Frye, an IllinoisFarm Bureau Young Leader from Edgar County, during the recent StateYoung Leader Conference in Normal. (Photo by Daniel Grant)

‘ I ’ m c o n f i d e n tgrain prices willstay up.’

— Jay LehrScience director,

The Heartland Institute

Brent Pollard

Philip Nelson

young leaders


1st Farm Credit Services is an equal opportunity provider.

W e a

ar re

for Your YYou

W e a

S tora rag ag r F I S S T R R RST Ch

ar are re

g e LoaoananT C hoic

ns.ce

®®®

1

st es is an equal opporviceredit Srm Car F

. videroy prtunites is an equal oppor

Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders plan, invest for future BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

The recent economics ofproduction agriculture havebeen a blessing and a cursefor some young farmers andothers interested in the pro-fession.

High commodity prices areencouraging more young peo-ple to stay on the farm andpursue careers in agriculture.But high land prices and cashrents and limited availabilityof farmland have hinderedsome from starting orexpanding operations.

Young Leaders discussedthe situation recently at theIllinois Farm Bureau Young

worked as a crop consultantthe past eight years, said shehas seen an influx of youngfarmers as her customers.

And more seem to beinvesting in their farms withan eye on long-term profitabil-ity, she said.

“The younger generation isstarting to show back up onthe farm,” Buchheit said. “Alot of farmers in my agegroup (30 to 40 years of age)are purchasing more specialtyservices (such as crop scoutingand soil testing).”

Farmers also are usingmore technology, such as fieldguidance systems, to improvetheir output and overall prof-

itability, according to GregChandler, a farmer and YoungLeader from Onarga in Iro-

quois county.“I think the

future foryoung farmersis real bright,”he said. “Withall theresources andtechnology,we have a bet-ter chance to

survive.”The increasing value of

farms and farm productsmake it even more impor-tant for young farmers toestablish estate plans, JimHughes, financial securityconsultant with CountryFinancial, told the YoungLeaders.

“Have a plan in place toallow for the efficient transi-tion of the estate to helpachieve financial security andto protect what you have witha desire to build in the future,”Hughes said.

Farm families who do notestablish proper estate plansoften are forced to sell assetsduring transitional timesbecause the estate needs liq-uidity, he noted.

Hughes encouraged theyoung farmers to contact aCountry agent to set up ameeting with a financial secu-rity consultant.

Leader State Conference inNormal.

“There are a lot of oppor-tunities in agriculture and a lotof risk,” said Matthew Starr, a

crop and hogfarmer fromNauvoo(HancockCounty) whois serving onthe YoungLeader StateCommittee.“I’d like toexpand, par-

ticularly on the crop side.”However, Starr is cautious

about expanding his operationdue to record-high land prices

in his area.He recently

chose insteadto invest inimprovementson some ofhis currentfarmland.

“Land isworth somuch, we’re

trying to improve what wehave (through tiling and fertili-ty improvements),” he said.“That dollar may be betterspent than it would on newland (at current prices).”

Teresa Buchheit, a YoungLeader from Ellis Grove inRandolph County, who has

Matthew Starr

Teresa Buchheit

Greg Chandler

Young couple finds great value in CMF programBrad and Carrie Gates of

Carmi (White County), likemany farm families, don’thave a lot of free time.

The Gateses have two chil-dren, Joseph, 7, and Alexus,4, and they farm in a partner-ship with Brad’s parents,Richard and Janice, and growcorn, soybeans, and wheat onabout 2,000 acres.

So when Richard encour-aged the young couple to sign-up for the Cultivating MasterFarmers (CMF) program twoyears ago, Brad and Carrieadmitted they were hesitant atfirst to commit the time.

“We were reluctant at firstbut excited once we got in,”Brad told FarmWeek at therecent Illinois Farm BureauYoung Leader State Confer-ence in Normal.

The two-year CMF programjoins a class of young farmerswith Prairie Farmer MasterFarmers for an exchange ofknowledge and ideas.

The unique programunites different generationsof farmers through theexchange of personal ideas,

knowledge, and productionexperience.

“What we probablyenjoyed most about it is youcan ask (the Master Farmers)questions you probablywouldn’t ask someone inyour own area (due to priva-cy or competitive issues),”Carrie said. “And it’s couple-

friendly. The younger womencould ask the experiencedwomen about their role onthe farm.”

The program also offersgood opportunities for net-working.

“We made some goodfriends,” Carrie said. “I’d rec-ommend (the CMF program)to Young Leaders.”

Registration currently isopen for farmers interestedin the CMF program. Appli-cations are available onlineat {1stfarmcredit.com} andat the IFB Young Leaderswebsite {youngleaders.yola-site.com}.

Questions about the pro-gram may be directed toKaren Blatter at 309-268-0254 or by emailing her [email protected].

To be eligible for the pro-gram farmers must be betweenthe ages of 21 and 35 years, beactively engaged in productionag, and be willing to commit toa two-year program. Couplesare encouraged to apply.

The program is sponsoredby 1st Farm Credit Services,Farm Credit Services of Illi-nois, GROWMARK, IllinoisFarm Bureau, Monsanto, andPrairie Farmer. — DanielGrant

Brad and Carrie Gates

‘We made somegood friends. I’drecommend (theCMF p rogram)to Young Lead-ers.’

— Carrie GatesCarmi


Rachel Green / Cumberland COunty If Barns could talk MEMBERS CHOICE award /

Connie Hieronymus / De Witt CountyGRAND PRIZE AWARD / Brenda Fesser / Montgomery County

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS

Illinois Farm Bureau

Photo Contest for Members

CONGRA

THE WINNERS

TNGRAATULA

THE WINNERS

TI TULAATIONS TO

THE WINNERS

TIONS TO

THE WINNERS

arm Bureau TIONS TO

THE WINNERSF

Illinois arm Bureau

Illinois

arm Bureau

GRAND PRIZE A

THE WINNERS

WGRAND PRIZE A

THE WINNERS

ch Ra

ARD /W

THE WINNERS

hel Green / Cumberland ou

THE WINNERS

Photo Contest

COunty

MEMBERS CHOICE a

THE WINNERS for Members

Photo Contest

ard / wMEMBERS CHOICE a

for Members

Photo Contest

ard /

for Members

GRAND PRIZE Aa Fesser / MontgomerBrend

WGRAND PRIZE Aa Fesser / Montgomer

ARD /Wy Countya Fesser / Montgomer

ou

y County

MEMBERS CHOICE aConnie Hieronymus / De Witt County

ard / wMEMBERS CHOICE aConnie Hieronymus / De Witt County

ard / Connie Hieronymus / De Witt County


2ND PLACE WINNERS

Sheryl Slightom / Macoupin CountyCountry Roads

1ST PLACE WINNERS

Chri

stin

e Bla

ir /

Jo Da

vies

s COu

nty

Coun

try R

oads

Jess

ica D

oub /

Mac

on CO

unty

Fa

rm Fr

iends

Paul

Riew

erts

/ Ro

ck Is

land

COun

ty

Grow

ing P

lace

s

F

P

Diane Singler/ Montgomery CountyGrowing Places

Joshua Feldhaus / OGLE CountyFarm Friends

1ST PLA

CE WINNERS1ST PLA

CE WINNERS

CE WINNERS2ND PLA

CE WINNERS

CE WINNERS

vies

s COu

nty

aCh

rist

ine B

lair

/ Jo

D

Chri

stin

e Bla

ir /

Jo D

ads

y Ro

Coun

tr

ads

y Ro

Coun

tr

Diane Singler/ Montgomer

y CountyDiane Singler/ Montgomer

y County

con

COun

ty

Diane Singler/ MontgomercesGrowing Pla

y CountyDiane Singler/ Montgomerces

y County

con

COun

tyJe

ssic

a Dou

b / M

aar

m Fr

iends

F

arm

Frien

dsF

yl Slightom / MaSher

coupin Countyyl Slightom / Ma

coupin County

aul R

iewer

ts /

Rock

Isla

nd CO

unty

yl Slightom / MaSheradsy RoCountr

coupin Countyyl Slightom / Maads

coupin County

aul R

iewer

ts /

Rock

Isla

nd CO

unty

Pce

sGr

owin

g Pla

ces

Grow

ing P

la

Joshua Feldhaus / OGLE Countyarm FriendsF

Joshua Feldhaus / OGLE County

o TTo view all entries from this year’

o view all entries from this year’

s cont om this year’ ’s contest, visit Ken Kashian’

s contest, visit Ken Kashian’

y s Photo Galler ry at www hian’ ’s Photo Galler

arm FriendsF

.ilfbphotoy at www w.ilfbphotos.org ry at www

.ilfbphotos.org

Q829D2

production


Farmers, don’t spread the flu to your hogsBY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Farmers and their employ-ees who have the flu shouldlet someone healthy feed andcare for their hogs.

With a widespread flu out-break continuing in Illinoisand 46 other states, Dr. GailScherba, professor of veteri-nary virology at the Universityof Illinois College of Veteri-nary Medicine, answeredFarmWeek questions relatedto flu.

FarmWeek: Is the flu viruscurrently infecting humanstransmissible to swine?

But if there is no one elseto care for the animals, defi-nitely wear a mask and gloves.They should wash their handswith soap and water beforeentering the animal rooms,and if they have to blow theirnose. Think high levels of per-sonal hygiene.

FarmWeek: What kinds ofprecautions should hog farm-ers and their employees take?Should they get flu shots?

Scherba: Definitely get aflu vaccination. However, get-ting a flu vaccine will not 100percent protect someone fromgetting infected with influenza

virus, which is true for justabout all virus vaccines.

Then why get vaccinated?It minimizes the amount ofvirus that can infect the vacci-nated person to hopefullykeep the infection subclinical(without signs of disease, suchas fever) and will reduce theamount of virus that vaccinat-ed persons will shed as well asthe length of time that theyare shedding.

Additional information forswine producers is availableonline at {aphis.usda.gov/ani-mal_health/animal_dis_spec/swine}.

Scherba: Yes, we can giveour influenza virus to pigs.You may remember that in2009 that we were giving thatvirus (H1N1v) to the pigs;they weren’t giving it to us.

Pigs are unique in that theycan be infected with humanand avian influenza viruses.Because of this, pigs are con-sidered a “mixing vessel” — ifinfected at the same time withhuman, avian, and swineinfluenza viruses, the threeviruses can mix their geneticinformation and result in dif-ferent influenza viruses (calledreassortants).

This is how several pan-demics (global influenza out-breaks) have occurred, such asAsian flu (1957), Hong Kongflu (1968), Russian flu (1977)and a more recent strain (in2007).

FarmWeek: If someonewho cares for swine thinks heor she has the flu, should heor she stay home? Wear masksand gloves?

Scherba: People with flushould stay home — they areshedding virus to thosearound them and their pigs bytheir coughs, sneezing, andvirus-contaminated hands.

Milk prices slip againThe Class III price for milk adjusted to 3.5 percent but-

terfat for the month of January was $18.14 per hundred-weight, 52 cents lower than the previous month. Thismarks two straight months of lower prices.

Yesterday’s “Big Game” is the single largest consumptionday for cheese of the year. Now that this high-demand dayis behind us, cheese prices are expected to remain soft.

Milk production has been edging higher each month, andthat has led to some lower prices the past couple ofmonths.

Tri-state forest stewardship conference planned for March 9University of Illinois and

Iowa State University willhost the Tri-State ForestStewardship ConferenceMarch 9 at Sinsinawa MoundCenter in Sinsinawa, Wis. Theearly registration deadline isFriday.

The conference drawsmore than 500 woodlandlandowners, forest and treeenthusiasts, and natural

workshops on fly tying andfruit tree grafting each will belimited to the first 25 regis-trants and require an addition-al fee. Registered participantswill receive an introductoryfly-tying kit and five graftedapple trees on certified root-stock.

Participants also may talkwith state agency, federal, anduniversity forestry and naturalresource specialists. Exhibitorswill offer a variety of productsand services.

To register online, go to{http://extension.illinois.edu/

go/tristateforest} for a down-loadable agenda, conferencelocation details, and mail-inregistration form.

The registration fee is $40per person by Feb. 8 and $50after that deadline. Registra-tion ends Feb. 22, and nowalk-in registration will beallowed.

The fee includes a break-fast, lunch, refreshments,resource packet, handouts, anda coffee mug.

For more information, con-tact Hayek at 217-244-0534 [email protected].

resource specialists from Illi-nois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.Registration regularly fills tocapacity, so interested individ-uals are encouraged to registerearly.

“We have a great lineup ofexpert speakers covering awide variety of topics onwoodland management,wildlife, conservation, andoutdoor recreation,” said Jay

Hayek, U of I Extensionforestry specialist.

Seminar topics include tim-ber sale contracts and market-ing, woodland erosion, forestvegetation management, tim-ber harvesting techniques,crop-tree management, treeplanting tips, invasive species,chainsaw sharpening, andfarm ponds.

Two special two-hour

energy


Auction CalendarWed., Feb. 6. 7 p.m. Northern ILOnline Only Ag Auction. espeauc-

tions.comThurs., Feb. 7. 10 a.m. Farm

machinery and misc. Ronald JankeEstate, STREATOR, IL. Bradleys’and Immke Auction Service.

www.bradleyauctionsinc.comSat., Feb. 9. 9:30 a.m. ConsignmentAuc. GREENFIELD, IL. Jerry Joyce,Mark Pennell and Larry Derricks,

Auctioneers.www.joyceauctions.com

Sat., Feb. 9. 9:30 a.m. RetirementAuction. John R. and Shelia

Hathaway, HARRISBURG, I L. JamieScherrer Auction. www.jamiescher-

rerauction.comTues., Feb. 12. 8:30 a.m. MachineryConsignment Auc. HAMILTON, IL.Sullivan Auctioneers, LLC. www.sul-

livanauctioneers.comWed., Feb. 13. 10 a.m. Online Only.

www.bigiron.comSat., Feb. 16. 10 a.m. Jackson and

Union Co.’s Land Auc. JACOB, IL.www.buyafarm.com

Tues., Feb. 19. 11 a.m. Farm Eq.Closing Out Auc. Donnie and LindaHoeft, DELAVAN, IL. NehmelmanAuction Co. and Ron Sanert,Auctioneers. topauctions24-

7.com/nehmelman or auctionzip.comThurs., Feb. 21. 10 a.m. Farmmachinery. Mike and Susan

Seitzinger, LAWRENCEVILLE, IL.Parrott Auctions. www.parrottauc-tions.com or www.auctionzip.com

id 4851Fri., Feb. 22. 7 p.m. Farmland Auc.Benjamin Howard Tull Est., SHEL-BYVILE, IL. Gordon Price AuctionService. www.priceauction.comFri., Feb. 22. 9 a.m. ConsignmentAuction. MORRIS, IL. Richard A.

Olson and Assoc. www.richardaol-son.com

Fri., Feb. 22. 6 p.m. Edwards Co.Farmland Auction. The Melvin W.

Crackel Trust and Nadine M. CrackelTrust, ALBION, IL. Barnard Auctions.

www.auctionzip.com id 2008

Pollution dilution biofuels solution?BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

The petroleum industry’slatest attack on E15 reported-ly relies on data based on useof higher-polluting gasolineslikely to be targeted by theU.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA).

Last week, the AmericanPetroleum Institute (API)touted a “new” report chal-lenging use of the mid-level15 percent ethanol gasolineblend in conventional vehicles.

According to Illinois CornGrowers Association Tech-nology and Business Develop-ment Director Dave Loos, thestudy is a rehash of a report

fuels,” ALA Senior Vice Presi-dent Paul Billings toldFarmWeek. “If you blend azero-sulfur fuel with a base fuel,that would dilute and reduce thepercentage of sulfur in the fuel.

“We have some concernsabout mid-level blends in old-er vehicles, but EPA hasmoved forward with allowingE15 for newer (2001 and later)vehicles. I’d expect the pro-posal EPA puts forward willhave more detail with respectto how E15 and other mid-level ethanol blends may beaddressed.”

EPA’s “Tier 3” pollutionproposal, which covers sulfurlevels and tailpipe standards

for smog-forming pollutantssuch as nitrogen oxide, isbeing reviewed by the WhiteHouse Office of Managementand Budget (OMB). Once therule clears OMB, possibly inMarch, it will be open to pub-lic comment.

Billings reported ALA ide-ally would prefer to see “zerosulfur at the refinery gate” butapplauded proposals to reducethe average gasoline sulfurconcentration from 30 partsper million (ppm) to 10 ppm.

ALA links vehicle pollutionto asthma, chronic obstructivepulmonary disease, heartattacks, strokes, and possiblycancer.

released last year and rejectedby the U.S. Energy

Department. The biofu-

els groupGrowth Ener-

gy charged APIwith using

“cherry-picked”data in an effort to

block use of higher renewablefuel blends.

Loos noted the narrowsampling of vehicles used instudy testing and argued thespecific blends used in testswere “not the fuels that wouldnormally be seen in conven-tional E15 that consumerswould be purchasing.”

The gasoline used for thestudy was far higher in sulfurcontent than standard com-mercial fuel, said Loos, whoadded that sulfur can impactboth engine corrosion and airemissions.

In the wake of API’s latestvolley, the American LungAssociation (ALA) hailedanticipated EPA proposals forreducing vehicle tailpipe emis-sions linked to public respira-tory problems.

ALA spotlighted the healthimpact of sulfur emissions inparticular, and Loos main-tained “dilution’s the solutionto the pollution.”

“Biofuels can be zero-sulfur

Will court RFS ruling limit cellulosic growth?A January federal court rul-

ing upheld federal “advancedbiofuel” requirements butraised questions about futuredemand for and investment inbiomass-based ethanol.

A Washington, D.C., circuitcourt vacated U.S. Environmen-tal Protection Agency (EPA)2012 cellulosic biofuel require-ments under the federal Renew-able Fuel Standard (RFS2) butaffirmed last year’s RFS2advanced biofuel standard.

RFS2 sets annual biofuelsrequirements for fuel blendersand suppliers. The court ruledEPA set a cellulosic target withthe goal of promoting growth inthe industry rather than project-ing likely production capacity.

The ruling sparked concernsabout future demand for fuelsproduced from crop residuesor energy crops. Biodieselinterests, whose product is theonly major federally definedadvanced biofuel on the mar-ket, hailed the decision.

EPA subsequently releaseda long-awaited proposed rulefor 2013 RFS2 requirements,reducing its cellulosic biofuelrequirement from 1 billion gal-

create development for invest-ment. If we look back to cornethanol investment in 2007-2008, that was the boom,because we had to meetrequirements under RFS2. Ifwe have to get 21 billion gal-lons by 2022, we have to pro-mote the investment.”

DuPont is building a 30-mil-lion-gallon-per-year plant atNevada, Iowa, that reportedlywill collect more than 375,000tons of corn stover annually.South Dakota ethanol produc-er Poet is building a corn cob-based plant in Emmetsburg,Iowa. — Martin Ross

lons to 14 million gallons in2013 but retaining overalladvanced biofuel/renewablefuel requirements.

American Farm Bureau Fed-eration economist MatthewErickson argues cellulosicethanol is an important nextstep in moving beyond cornethanol to advanced biofuelsand a “pathway to the overar-ching (RFS2) goal” of buildingto 21 billion gallons of next-generation biofuels by 2022.

Cellulosic ethanol is “becom-ing more mainstream because ithas to” under federal mandates,he maintained. Major companiesincluding Poet, Abengoa Bioen-ergy, and DuPont are involved incellulosic-based production, andseveral startups are expected by2014.

However, Erickson noted anumber of existing challengesto widespread biomass ethanolproduction, including logisticsof cellulosic materials harvest,transportation, and pricing andstartup capitalization. Forfarmers to generate energy bio-mass, “there has to be a mar-ket,” he said, concerned by thecourt’s position regarding

RFS2 objectives.“The biggest concern with

cellulosic ethanol, most defi-nitely, is getting the invest-ments in place for plants toactually take cellulosic materi-als,” Erickson told FarmWeek.

“To me, the Renewable FuelStandard is a policy that has to

FB AT WORK


*Price per person, based on double occupancy. Airfare is extra.

For reservations & details call 7 days a week:

1-800-736-7300

Travel with other Farmers!

Best of Ireland Tour

12 Days from $1598*Depart June 13, July 25 & August 22, 2013

Start in Dublin with a city tour including St. Patrick’s Cathedral (the largest church in Ireland). Travel to Cork, stopping at the Rock of Cashel and Cobh along the way. Then visit Blarney Castle, Woollen Mill and Muckross House & Gardens en route to Killarney. Drive the “Ring of Kerry” o�ering spectacular scenery, tour Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, built in 1425. Visit the Cli�s of Moher, Galway, the Connemara region, Kylemore Abbey and the Bundoran area. Enjoy a guided tour of Belleek Pottery, visit Ulster American Folk Park, & explore “The Giant’s Causeway.” Finally take a sightseeing tour of Belfast that includes the impressive Parliament buildings plus you will visit the newly opened “Titanic Belfast.” Tour includes 16 meals. *Add $50 for July 25 & August 22 departures.

LEADERSHIP STYLES

SEEKING DONATIONS

Diane Murray, Miss Jersey Coun-ty Fair queen, passed out snacksand Combine for a Cause fliersat an elevator to promote the

Jersey County Farm Bureau’s charitable program. Diane’s mother,Kim, is chair of the Combine for a Cause Committee. The programprovided an opportunity for farmers in the county to help those inneed by pledging bushels of grain during harvest. The monetaryvalue of the bushels — $2,679.37 — was donated to the Salva-tion Army Food Pantry in Jersey County in December. The pro-gram was a collaborative effort of the Farm Bureau, Jersey CountyGrain, and Jersey Farmers Elevator. (Photo courtesy of JerseyCounty Farm Bureau)

Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT), left to right, Janet McCabe, Orland Park, Cook County;Wendy Erbsen, Lanark, Carroll County; Dennis Groezinger, Lena, Stephenson County; and CherylWalsh, Dunlap, Peoria County, work on a group project during last week’s ALOT session in Rockford.The teams depicted human behavior and communication styles. Over the nine weeks of classes, 29leaders from 13 counties will participate in 80 hours of class instruction. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

Illinois Horse Fair to offer expanded hoursTop national instructors

and equine educators will joinvendors offering everythingequestrian March 1-3 at the24th annual Illinois Horse

exhibitors will be housed in theExposition Hall, a new locationthis year.

Sponsored by Illinois FarmBureau and Purina Mills, theevent will feature award-win-ning instructor and Australianstockman Guy McLean alongwith Jason and Rose Goodmanand their Percheron Thundersix-horse team.

Friday and Saturday will fea-ture a ranch rodeo at 7:30 p.m.in the Coliseum.

Training demonstrationsalong with clinics and demon-stration sessions will be offeredin the Coliseum and the Live-stock Center.

Popular features will includethe Horses-for-Sale aisles,breed and sport demonstra-tions, stallion row and parade,

the all-youth horse judging tri-als, future riders activity area,and a queen contest.

Daily admission tickets cost$10 each; weekend passes cost$25. Children younger than 8enter free with an adult withpaid admission. General admis-sion tickets provide access toall exhibits, clinics, and educa-tional presentations.

Separate tickets are requiredfor the ranch rodeo and GuyMcLean evening performances.General admission eveningtickets to those events cost $10each, and reserved seatingevening tickets cost $15.

Tickets for the eventsmay be purchased online at{horsemenscouncil.org/Horse-Fair} or by calling 217-529-6503.

Fair at the Illinois State Fair-grounds in Springfield.

The fair hours will be 9a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Sat-urday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday. Fair hours have beenexpanded this year, with thefair starting at 9 a.m. Fridayinstead of 1 p.m.

More than 140 commercial

from the counties


CHAMPAIGN — TheFarm Bureau Equine

Committee will host a Cham-paign equine adventure from 8a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday,Feb. 23, at the Tony NoelBuilding at Parkland College.Cost is $5. The event willinclude speakers, a vendorarea, and information fromriding clubs and animal rescueagencies.

CLAY — Farm Bureauwill sponsor a bus trip

from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.Thursday, Feb. 14, to theNational Farm MachineryShow in Louisville, Ky. Cost isfree for Farm Bureau mem-bers and $25 for non-mem-bers or the purchase of aFarm Bureau membership.The trip will include dinner atthe Logg Inn in Haubstadt,Ind. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 665-3300 or [email protected] forreservations or more informa-tion.

• Farm Bureau will host amarket outlook meeting at6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, atthe Farm Bureau office. DaleDurchholz, AgriVisor marketanalyst, will be the speaker.Call the Farm Bureau office at665-3300 or [email protected] forreservations or more informa-tion.

• Farm Bureau and CountryFinancial will sponsor anestate planning seminar atnoon Friday, Feb. 22, at theFarm Bureau office. JimHughes, financial security con-sultant for Country Financial,and a local attorney who spe-cializes in estate planning willbe the speakers. Call the FarmBureau office at 665-3300 oremail [email protected] reservations or more infor-mation.

COOK — The FarmBureau Commodi-

ties/Marketing Team willsponsor up to five $300 Cook-fresh grants for garden sup-plies. Contact the FarmBureau office at 354-3276 forapplications or more informa-tion. Application deadline isFeb. 28.

• Farm Bureau scholarshipsare available. Contact theFarm Bureau office at 354-3276 or at{cookcfb.org/cook-cfb-foun-dation/scholarships} for anapplication or more informa-tion. Application deadline isFeb. 20.

• Farm Bureau and theRonald McDonald HouseCharities of Chicagoland andnorthwest Indiana will cele-brate Food Check-Out DayFeb. 21. Non-perishable fooditems may be dropped off atthe Farm Bureau office. Callthe Farm Bureau office at 354-3276 for more information.

office at 532-6171 for moreinformation or to register.Registration deadline is Friday.

• Farm Bureau will sponsora Saturday, April 16 trip to seethe Passion Play at the Bloom-ington Center for PerformingArts. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 532-6171 for moreinformation or if you areinterested in attending.

PEORIA — PrimeTimers will meet at 10

a.m. Wednesday at the newCaterpillar Museum in Peoria.Call the Farm Bureau office at686-7070 for reservations.

• Farm Bureau will sponsora family fun day at 11:15 a.m.Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Mt.Hawley Bowl. Cost for threegames will be $5 for adultsand free for children 6 to 12years. Reservations are notrequired.

• Young Leaders will tourthe Sauder Dairy Farm inrural Tremont on Monday,Feb. 11. The tour is availableto members 18 to 35 yearsold. There is no cost. Call theFarm Bureau office at 686-7070 for reservations.

• The annual meeting ofthe Peoria Soil and Water Dis-trict will be at 8 a.m. Saturday,Feb. 16, at the Brimfield HighSchool. Call 671-7040 for tick-ets.

PERRY — FarmBureau will sponsor a

bus trip leaving at 5:30 a.m.Wednesday, Feb. 13, to theLouisville Farm Show. Cost is$55. Reservation deadline isWednesday.

PIKE — Farm Bureau’sannual meeting will be

at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13,in the Farm Bureau auditori-um.

SANGAMON — FarmBureau will host a mar-

ket and weather outlook meet-ing at 2 p.m. Thursday, at theFarm Bureau office. JimAngel, Illinois state climatolo-gist, and Cory Winstead,MaxVisor representative forAgriVisor LLC, will be thespeakers. Call the FarmBureau office at 753-5200 forreservations or more informa-tion.

• Farm Bureau YoungLeaders will sponsor a FutureFarmers of America acquain-tance day Friday in Macomb.Lunch and a tour of the West-ern Illinois University farmwill be included.

STEPHENSON —Farm Bureau has a sum-

mer program assistant posi-tion available for a college stu-dent for June 3 through mid-August. Priority is given tostudents with an ag back-ground, but that is not arequirement. Applications areavailable at the Farm Bureauoffice or at{stephensoncfb.org}. Call the

Farm Bureau office at 232-3186 for more information.Application deadline is Feb.28.

• Farm Bureau will sponsora second trip to Michigan andOntario, Canada, August 12through 18. Call the FarmBureau office for more infor-mation or go to {stephenson-cfb.org}.

• Farm Bureau will sponsoran Internet basics class onMonday, March 11, and abasic Word and Excel class onTuesday, March 12. Classesare free for members, $10 perclass for non-members or $15for both classes for non-mem-bers. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 232-3186 to register.

• Farm Bureau will sponsora 2013 “Stephenson Scenes”photo contest. Details areavailable at the Farm Bureauoffice or at{stephensoncfb.org}.

UNION — A truckregulation and crop

insurance seminar will befrom 8 to 10 a.m. and 10:30a.m. to noon Tuesday, Feb. 26,at John A Logan College.Kevin Rund, Illinois FarmBureau transportation expert,and Doug Yoder, IllinoisFarm Bureau risk manage-ment specialist, will be thespeakers. Call the FarmBureau office at 833-2125 formore information or to regis-ter.

• Stroke Detection Pluswill offer ultrasound screen-ings for detection of stroke,abdominal aortic aneurysm,peripheral arterial disease,and osteoporosis from 9a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday,Feb. 27, in the Farm Bureaubasement. Cost is discountedto $100 for Farm Bureaumembers. Call 1-877-732-8258 to schedule an appoint-ment.

VERMILION — FarmBureau will host a crop

insurance and truck regulationseminar from 8 a.m. to 12:30p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, at theDanville Area CommunityCollege Bremer Center audi-torium. Kevin Rund, IllinoisFarm Bureau transportationexpert, and Doug Yoder, Illi-nois Farm Bureau risk man-agement specialist, will be thespeakers. Register at{vcfb.info} or call 557-3207.

WASHINGTON —Farm Bureau will

sponsor a bus trip to theLouisville Farm Show leavingat 6 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13.Cost is $55. Registration dead-line is Wednesday.

“From the counties” items aresubmitted by county Farm Bureaumanagers. If you have an event oractivity open to all members, con-tact your county Farm Bureaumanager.

JACKSON — A truckregulation and crop

insurance seminar will be from8 to 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. tonoon Tuesday, Feb. 26, at JohnA. Logan College. KevinRund, Illinois Farm Bureautransportation expert, andDoug Yoder, Illinois FarmBureau risk management spe-cialist, will be the speakers.Call the Farm Bureau office at684-3129 for more informa-tion or to register.

• Stroke Detection Plus willoffer ultrasound screeningsfor detection of stroke,abdominal aortic aneurysm,peripheral arterial disease, andosteoporosis from 9 a.m. to4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, atthe University of IllinoisExtension office in Murphys-boro. Cost is discounted to$100 for Farm Bureau mem-bers. Call 1-877-732-8258 toschedule an appointment.

KANKAKEE — FarmBureau will cosponsor

a congressional candidatesforum for the 2nd Congres-sional District at 6 p.m. Tues-day, Feb. 12, at the KankakeePublic Library. This forumwas originally scheduled forFeb. 7. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 932-7471 for moreinformation.

KENDALL — YoungLeaders will sponsor an

estate/succession planningmeeting at 10 a.m. Thursday,Feb. 28 at the Kendall CountyExtension office, Yorkville.Denny Prentice and DanHowes, Country agents withthe DeKalb/Kendall agency,will be the speakers. Call theFarm Bureau office at 553-7403 for reservations or moreinformation. Reservationdeadline is Feb. 25.

• Farm Bureau will sponsora Future Farmers of Americaacquaintance program forNewark High School membersat 6 p.m. Tuesday at NewarkHigh School.

• The Farm Bureau Foun-dation annual meeting will beheld at 7 p.m. Monday, March11. A regular foundationboard meeting will follow theannual meeting.

• Farm Bureau Foundationscholarship applications areavailable. This includes theDobbins Family scholarshipswhich are available to LaSalleCounty High School seniorsor college students majoring inan ag-related field of study.Call the Farm Bureau office at553-7403 for applications ormore information. Applicationdeadline is July 1.

• The Farm Bureau, Willand Grundy County FarmBureaus and Joliet Junior Col-lege are sponsoring the Tri-County Summer Ag InstituteJuly 17 to 19 and 22 to 23.Registration is through the

Professional DevelopmentAlliance office in Joliet. Grad-uate credit from Aurora Uni-versity will be available. Callthe Farm Bureau office at553-7403 for more informa-tion.

• Prime Timers will sponsora bus trip to the ChicagoFlower Show at 8:45 a.m.Tuesday, March 12. Cost is$38 for members. Call theFarm Bureau office for reser-vations or more information.

MERCER — A truckregulation and crop

insurance seminar will befrom 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Wednesday at the Carl Sand-burg College gymnasium inGalesburg. Kevin Rund, Illi-nois Farm Bureau transporta-tion expert, and Doug Yoder,Illinois Farm Bureau riskmanagement specialist, will bethe speakers. Call the FarmBureau office at 582-5116 formore information.

• Farm Bureau will form apublic relations team that willsponsor events in the commu-nity to educate friends andneighbors on the origin oftheir food, fiber, and fuel. Callthe Farm Bureau office at582-5116 or email [email protected] to join theteam or for more information.

MONROE — FarmBureau Foundation

scholarships are available toMonroe County High Schoolseniors who will further theireducation in an agriculture-related field of study. Contactthe Farm Bureau office at939-6197 or [email protected] to request anapplication. Application dead-line is Feb. 15.

• Farm Bureau’s annualmeeting will be at 6:30 Satur-day, Feb. 23, at St. Mary’sParish Center, Valmeyer. TheBrass Ensemble will perform.Contact the Farm Bureauoffice to purchase tickets byFeb. 15.

MONTGOMERY —Farm Bureau Foun-

dation scholarships are avail-able to students entering col-lege during the 2013-2014school year who are FarmBureau members or childrenof a Farm Bureau memberand pursuing an agricultural-related field of study. Six$1,500 scholarships will beawarded. Applications areavailable at {mont-gomerycountyfb.com}. Appli-cation deadline is noon Mon-day, March 11.

• Farm Bureau PrimeTimers will sponsor a lunch-eon and meeting at noonWednesday, Feb. 20, at theFarm Bureau office. Cost is$8. David Strowmatt from theoffice of Veterans AssistanceCommission will be the speak-er. Call the Farm Bureau

profitability


Export inspections(Million bushels)

Week ending Soybeans Wheat Corn1/24/2013 40.7 22.3 21.11/17/2013 49.0 22.5 11.6Last year 41.8 18.8 22.8Season total 950.4 584.6 305.5Previous season total 718.4 657.6 671.6USDA projected total 1345 1050 950Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

Feeder pig prices reported to USDA*Weight Range Per Head Weighted Ave. Price10 lbs. $32.25-$54.06 $43.1640 lbs. $63.26-$63.78 $63.47

Receipts This Week Last Week 100,905 79,976*Eastern Corn Belt prices picked up at seller’s farm

MARKET FACTS

Eastern Corn Belt direct hogs (plant delivered)(Prices $ per hundredweight)

This week Prev. week ChangeCarcass $85.91 $82.19 $3.72 Live $63.57 $60.82 $2.75

(Thursday’s price)This week Prev. week Change

Steers $124.89 $122.13 $2.76 Heifers $125.00 $122.88 $2.12

USDA five-state area slaughter cattle price

This is a composite price of feeder cattle transactions in 27 states.(Prices $ per hundredweight)

This week Prev. week Change $146.27 $145.17 $1.10

CME feeder cattle index — 600-800 Lbs.

Lamb prices

(Thursday’s price)

NA

The easing of beef import restrictions inJapan, which took effect Friday, is expected toprovide a significant boost to the U.S. cattleindustry.

Japan on Friday began accepting shipmentsof U.S. beef from cattle that are less than 30months of age.

The previous restriction in Japan limitedimports of U.S. beef to cattle that were lessthan 20 months of age. The restrictions wereput in place as a precaution against BSE.

“American ranchers and beef companiescan now increase their exports of U.S. beef totheir largest market for beef in Asia,” said RonKirk, U.S. Trade Representative.

The easing of trade restrictions in Japanalso is expected to help the U.S. export arecord amount of ag products this year,according to Tom Vilsack, ag secretary.

Japan, even with the tighter restrictions lastyear, was the second-largest export market forU.S. beef with purchases through Novemberthat totaled $849 million.

Japan, prior to its ban on U.S. beef in 2003imported $1.3 billion worth of U.S. beef annu-ally.

“This is great news for cattlemen and is asignificant milestone in our trading relation-ship with Japan,” said J.D. Alexander, presi-dent of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Associ-ation. “This move is an important step for-ward in paving the way toward greater exportopportunities to one of our largest exportmarkets.”

The U.S. Meat Export Federation recentlyprojected U.S. beef exports will increase from2.49 billion pounds in 2012 to a record-high2.73 billion pounds this year. — Daniel Grant

U.S. beef exports to Japan poised to grow

Weed challenges put pressure on pesticide suppliesBY JEFF BUNTING

With the 2012 growingseason in the rear-view mir-ror, it’s time to think aboutthe growing season of 2013.It appears we will plant arecord number of corn andsoybean acres across the U.S.,but in Illinois there doesn’tappear to be a major acreageshift.

Concerns about lack ofsoil moisture from whatappears to be a “dry” wintercontinue to escalate. This issomething to keep a close eye

on as you plan for this year’scrop.

Today’s crop protectionproducts face a challenge interms of having enough sup-ply to manage pests over thecourse of the growing sea-son.

Many of these challengescome from a global focus onweed management by control-ling herbicide-resistant weedsto insect pest outbreaks tothe regulation of certainchemistries that increasesdemand on other chemistries.

We have seen what a com-mon herbicide such asglyphosate has been through

from thehigh pricesback in 2007to the lows in2011, and theimpact onsupply andprice world-wide. Sincethe adoption

of glyphosate-resistant soy-beans, the price ofglyphosate has changed sig-

nificantly over the last 15years.

Today, we continue to seetight supplies of glyphosateas we have increased the rateapplied per acre to increaseweed control.

The glyphosate market isglobal, and in the next fewyears, many of the majormanufacturers will be launch-ing new technologies that useglyphosate as the base ingre-dient while adding newchemistries either as a premixor a standalone product.

The supply/demand situa-tion is not just withglyphosate but also with oth-er chemistries such as dicam-ba, 2,4-D, atrazine, andmore.

This response is a productof the global demand for pes-ticides needed to deal with theweed challenges that we facetoday.

Jeff Bunting is GROW-MARK’s crop protection market-ing manager. His email address [email protected].

Jeff Bunting

Expectations of large crops could weigh on commodity marketsBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

The current combination oftight crop supplies and strongprices could transition toample supplies and lowerprices in coming months.

A record soybean crop inSouth America and historicallyhigh corn plantings in the U.S.

this spring could boost sup-plies and weigh on the mar-kets, according to Aaron Curtisand Bob Trimpe, commodityrisk consultants with MID-COCommodities, a subsidiary ofGROWMARK.

“(Soybean) prices likely arerange-bound for now,” Curtissaid last week at MID-CO’s

winter outlook meeting inBloomington. “If the weathercooperates, prices will trendlower.”

Trimpe said he also believescorn prices also could trendlower in coming months.

“We’ll plant a lot of acres(Informa recently projectedU.S. farmers this spring willplant close to 99 million acresof corn),” he said. “If we haveaverage to above-averageweather and a big crop, itcould take prices down to $5(per bushel).”

Soybean prices currently arebeing supported by tight sup-plies and strong exportdemand.

Soybean exports to China are70 million bushels ahead of lastyear’s pace, despite some recentcancellations, Curtis noted.

Meanwhile, ending stocksof corn for 2012/13 are just602 million bushels, down 387million bushels from a yearago. It’s the lowest endingstocks estimate for corn in Jan-uary since at least 1974,according to MID-CO.

“Demand (for beans) is stilloutpacing production,” Curtissaid. “If you still have beans,continue to get those moved.”

Corn exports continue to bedismal and are expected tototal less than 1 billion bushelsfor the first time since 1971-

72, Trimpe noted.But barge transportation

issues caused by low water levelson the Mississippi River don’tappear to be the main culprit ofslow corn exports or recent can-cellations of bean orders.

Corn simply was cheaper tobuy from other countries whileBrazilian soybean productioncould be starting to replace U.S.supplies in the world market.

“Are we missing potentialbecause we can’t get beans tothe Gulf ?” Curtis questioned.“It’s hard to tell. There was alittle slow-down at the end of(December), but things mostlystayed on course (in January).The heavy rains should contin-ue to help” shippers movecrops on the river. The weath-er not only will impact riverlevels, but also the overall cropoutlook and prices.

“I think the weather willdictate the flat price (ofcorn),” Trimpe said. “It maystruggle unless they really havesome problems” in SouthAmerica.

Eric Apel, ag meteorologistwith Mobile Weather Team,told those at the MID-COmeeting that the forecast forSouth American weather wasmostly favorable for crop pro-duction.

‘ I f the weatherc o o p e r a t e s ,prices will trendlower.’

— Aaron CurtisCommodity risk consultant

MID-CO Commodities

AgriVisor Hotline Number

309-557-2274

AgriVisor endorsescrop insurance by

Policies issued by COUNTRYMutual Insurance Company®,

Bloomington, Illinois

AgriVisor LLC1701 N. Towanda Avenue

PO Box 2500Bloomington IL 61702-2901

309-557-3147

AgriVisor LLC is not liable for any damageswhich anyone may sustain by reason of inac-curacy or inadequacy of information providedherein, any error of judgment involving anyprojections, recommendations, or advice orany other act of omission.

CASH STRATEGISTCorn Strategy

ü2012 crop: Even thoughthe rally in corn prices maytemporarily stall, it looks asthough there should be moreupside potential. Use a rallyabove $7.50 to make catch-upsales. Plan to add a sale ifMarch reaches $7.70. Checkthe Hotline.

ü2013 crop: New-cropprices are struggling, butthere’s still potential to moveslightly higher. Use ralliesnear $6 for catch-up sales.Plan to add to sales if Decem-ber moves to $6.15. Check theHotline.

vFundamentals: Funda-mentally, corn continues tostruggle, even though the sup-ply/demand projections pointto an extremely tight situationcome summer. In the shortterm, news has a negative biasto it with both exports and thegrind for ethanol remainingsmaller than the necessarypaces. Potential feed demand isthe biggest positive, but that isnot a consistent “market mak-ing” news feature. Weather iscutting into the potentialArgentine crop, but not enoughto have a significant impact.

Soybean Strategyü2012 crop: Argentine

weather has been the guidingfeature carrying prices upward.Even though prices brokeafter pushing to a new high,further upside potential is pos-sible. Price another 10 percentif March futures hit $15.

ü2013 crop: Increase new-crop sales to 30 percent withNovember futures above$13.25.

vFundamentals: Asmuch as anything, the actionin the soybean market is afunction of South Americanweather, specifically Argentineweather. A three-week warm,dry pattern lifted prices onfears it could lead to a signifi-cant drop in output. But thelatest forecasts tend to suggestthat pattern is poised to shift,limiting the possibility that thecrop there might drop below50 million metric tons. Brazil-ian potential still looks good,even though early harvestprogress has been slow, limit-ing movement into the worldpipeline.

ûFail-safe: If March soy-beans close below $14.40, makethe old-and new-crop sales.

Wheat Strategyü2012 crop: Wheat prices

have shifted into a choppy,sideways pattern. If ChicagoMarch can penetrate the $7.90resistance, it could move up tothe $8-$8.14 level. Wait for abounce back to the $7.87region before making anyneeded catch-up sales.

ü2013 crop: If you failedto pull the trigger on the lastsale, wait for a bounce back to$8 on the Chicago July con-tract. New-crop sales stand at

35 percent complete.

vFundamentals: Wheatexperienced brief upsidemomentum on spillover supportfrom other commodity markets.The recent monthly conditionratings indicated the hard redwinter crop deteriorated further.The most recent USDA reportindicated only 20 percent ofKansas’s winter wheat crop wasin good to excellent condition.The region has picked up onlyminimal rainfall this winter, andthe current weather maps arenot looking promising for anysignificant moisture, at least inthe near-term.

Cents per bu.

Watch K.C. July wheat futuresMidwestern corn and wheat

farmers need to note the activi-ty in the Kansas City July 2013wheat futures. As the price ofhard red wheat raised in theGreat Plains goes, so goes theprices of soft red wheat andcorn to a lesser extent.

In the wake of the Jan. 11USDA reports, one thoughtthat surfaced concerned the1995-96 market features andprice action. Both wheat andcorn prices reached new recordhighs in the summer of 1996,the only two commodities todo so at that time.

The wheat crop had goneinto dormancy that winter inpoor to mediocre condition.The 1995 corn crop was abelow trend crop but notenough to call it a droughtcrop. China was a steady buyerof corn from the U.S. from late1995 into early 1996.

Feed buyers knew that cornsupplies were going to be tight inthe summer of 1996. But theywere counting on a good wheatcrop to extend old-crop cornsupplies to the 1996 corn harvest.

The March 1996 quarterlycorn stocks were a little tighterthan expected. But it was theemergence of a Southern Plainsdrought in April 1996 that set in

motion the move to new all-time highs for wheat and corn.

K.C. July wheat futures rose40 percent to a $6.95 high dur-ing April 1996. That forcedfeed users to scramble to coverneeds, carrying July corn pricesto a $5.54 high in July.

This year, corn fundamentalsare nearly as tight as they werein 1996. The wheat crop in theSouthern Plains is in signifi-cantly worse condition. Feed-ers may need wheat to helpextend a tight supply of cornuntil new-crop harvest begins.

While feeding doesn’t cap-ture trader’s attention on aweek-to-week basis, it shouldbe an underlying positive forcefor corn prices. Until signifi-cant moisture arrives in theSouthern Plains, one could saythe same for wheat.

But just because the potentialfor a poor wheat crop exists, itis not guaranteed. Spring con-ditions and crop ratings aremore closely related to wheatyields than the winter ratings.

If spring rains come to theGreat Plains, wheat pricescould stall. They might eventurn down. That would weighon corn prices. But if rainsdon’t come, K.C. July couldmove to a new contract high,carrying soft red wheat andcorn prices with it.

Like 1996, K.C. July wheatfutures may offer insight intowhat lies ahead for soft wheatand corn as trading actionunfolds the next few months.

PROFITABILITY


perspectives


It would probably come asno surprise that vanilla is themost popular flavoring in theworld. The subtleness of itsflavor causes some people tonot really think of it as a flavorat all but rather as the basictaste of such foods as cup-cakes, cookies, ice cream, andother confections.

Anyone who has bakedcookies andcakes is famil-iar with vanillaflavoring.

It hasn’talways beenthat way,though.

When vanil-la was firstused alone as aflavoring bythe British

apothecary to Queen Elizabethof England, she was so takenby its flavor that she had itadded to everything she ate ordrank. The French soon beganadding it to other items, suchas ices, tobacco, and perfumes.

The American connectionto vanilla occurred back in1789 when Thomas Jeffersontasted it in France. He wantedsome after he had returned toPhiladelphia, only to discoverthat no one knew what it was.

After ordering some fromFrance, Jefferson enlightenedhis friends and acquaintancesabout it. It eventually found its

way into ice cream, pharmacies(as a stomach sedative), and asan extract.

But, like so many now com-mon pantry spices and flavor-ings, vanilla didn’t originate inEurope. It was brought therefrom Mexico by Cortes, alongwith cacao, indigo, andcochineal dyes.

Vanilla flavoring comesfrom the pod-like fruit that hascome to be known as a vanilla“bean.” The Spanish word“vainilla” means “little pod.”

The plant itself is a viningtype of orchid with large, thickwaxy leaves. Like manyorchids, it grows on trees inshaded places, with thick,fleshy roots grasping the barkrather than growing in soil likemost plants do.

The orchid is large andshowy, creamy greenish-yellowin color, and about two tothree inches high and wide.

In order for a fruit to form,the flower must be pollinated.But this is no small feat, giventhat only one species of thesmall melipona bee, some ants,and hummingbirds pollinatethe flower in the wild.

Natural pollination pro-duces too few pods for com-mercial production. Thus, peo-ple are required to perform thetask in order to ensure fruitset. The Totonacs of ancientMexico discovered a methodby which to accomplish this,

but they kept it secret, thusallowing themselves a monop-oly on vanilla beans for severalhundred years.

The Totonacs not only usedvanilla to flavor their food anddrinks, they also considered it tobe an effective medicine, andaphrodisiac (as did Europeans ofrenaissance times), and an insectrepellent.

The process required to turna vanilla bean into vanilla flavor-ing is so complex it is a wonderanyone ever figured it out. Butthe Totonacs did — at least athousand years ago.

The method was kept secretfor a long time, and involvedbrief scalding, “sweating,” sundrying, and fire-drying. The podsthemselves had to be picked atthe proper time — not toogreen, but before splitting openand releasing the thousands oftiny seeds contained inside.

The French taste for vanillaled to plantations in manyFrench-held tropical colonies.But it wasn’t until a couple ofscientists were able to learn whatthe Totonacs had long knownabout pollination and cultivationof this curious orchid that worldproduction outside of Mexicocould flourish.

Nowadays, there is vanillaextract and artificial vanilla fla-voring. But you can still flavorfoods with vanilla the “old-fash-ioned” way — by stewing thevanilla bean in milk for custard

or ice cream, or kneading thesplit bean with dough for sweetbread.

This is really the way to go ifyou want to enjoy all the aromasand flavors that vanilla has tooffer. Once you’ve tasted it,you’ll agree. There is nothing

plain about vanilla.

Mari Loehrlein is a professor ofhorticulture and landscaping atWestern Illinois University’s Schoolof Agriculture, Macomb. Heremail address is [email protected].

MARILOEHRLEIN

Undoubtedly, America’s food supplyis one of the greatest in the world. Ourfood production couples the best ofconventional farming with historicaland organic practices to give con-

sumers an infinite vari-ety of safe, high-quali-ty food.

So why are therestill modern agricultureskeptics?

Some blame socialmedia.

Critics say that any-one with a computerand an opinion canspread misinformation

about agriculture. But bloggers should-n’t so easily be dismissed. That’s wheremany consumers get their informationand form their opinions — on the blo-gosphere.

Just as importantly, more and morereporters are following blogs, Face-book, and Twitter for story leads andbackground information.

So the important question really is,what can farmers do to foster relation-ships with skeptics that result in pro-ductive dialogue about modern agricul-ture?

Many farmers and ranchers areheaded in the right direction. They arereaching out to consumers through

social media to advocate past the farmgate. They are designing business plansbased on consumer demand. And, theyare meeting the skeptics head on withtransparency into their farms andsound reasoning behind their businessdecisions.

And guess what? These farmers are coming out on

top, finding new customers, and pro-viding useful information to the nextgeneration of buyers.

They understand that consumershave questions about their food —and rightfully so! And they are doingtheir best to address those questions.

Because of the tech-savvy worldwe live in, farmers know that peopleget their information online in realtime. And if you can’t beat them,join them!

In just a few short years, farmershave seen the beginning of a shift inconsumer opinion about agriculture.And while there are still some skeptics,at least meaningful dialogue is takingplace.

Farmers are being innovative,reaching out to opinion leaders andshapers through social media and oth-er means — whether it’s in a news-room or a classroom, at a local busi-ness meeting, or in the blogosphere.

We can no longer play the blame

TRACYGRONDINE

There’s nothing plain about vanilla or its historical significance

Catching flies with honey

game when it comes to agriculturecritics. Either people like the way wedo things or they don’t. But theyshould at least have the opportunityto know the facts and reasoningbehind modern farming practicesinstead of being dismissed or criti-cized.

And while we can’t win everyoneover, we sure can try. But, as the oldadage goes, it’s easier to catch flieswith honey than with vinegar.

Tracy Grondine is director of media relationsfor the American Farm Bureau Federation.Her email address is [email protected].

FarmWeek February 4 2013

Documents

thanwhat illinois

inches innorthwestern

partsof southern illinois

centraland southern

illinois farm bureauon

average precipitation

to6 inches

inches ofprecipitation