FarmWeek March 15 2010 edition

Per

iod

ical

s: T

ime

Val

ued

Monday, March 15, 2010 Two sections Volume 38, No. 11

FarmWeek on the web: FarmWeekNow.com Illinois Farm

“CAP AND TRADE” may becapped for the time being, but oth-er regulatory threats to agriculturelinger in Washington, leading to aFarm Bureau-sponsored rally. .......2

USDA HAS ABANDONEDthe National Animal IdentificationSystem (NAIS) and announced itwill promote a flexible frameworkfor animal disease traceability. .......4

THE U.S . SENATE hasapproved long-awaited restorationof an expired tax credit seen ascrucial to the biodiesel industry’sfuture. ...........................................3

Quinn: Cut ed funding or hike income taxwhich would increase tax rev-enues by about $3 billion — willit be possible to preserve educa-tion funding and “keep thou-sands of committed teachersfrom getting layoff notices inthe next few weeks,” Quinn said.

“I think it is wrong — andshort-sighted — to cut educa-tion funding,” said Quinn as heannounced the cuts.

The governor’s budget con-tained two other major ele-ments: A $1.1 billion appropri-ation for a capital program thatwould be leveraged with federaland local dollars to fund $6 bil-lion in construction projectsand creation of a Small Busi-

ness Job Creation Tax Creditthat would provide a $2,500 taxcredit for each full-time jobcreated by employers with 50or fewer employees.

AGRICULTURE FUND-ING is proposed to be cut by$6.9 million as Quinnannounced proposed cuts of$214 million in overall stateoperations. Most operating pro-grams within the IllinoisDepartment of Agriculture, aswell as pass-through programssuch as Extension, Soil andWater Conservation Districts,and county fairs, would see cuts.

Some programs would havetheir appropriation eliminated.Those include Agrability, theAg Leadership Foundation, theFarm Resources Center, andthe Council on Food and Agri-cultural Research (C-FAR).

See Quinn, page 3

BY DAVE MCCLELLANDFarmWeek

In what amounted to anultimatum to the GeneralAssembly, Gov. Pat Quinn lastweek said he was proposing a$1.3 billion cut in the state’seducation funding unless legis-lators approve a hike in theincome tax.

Calling his proposed reduc-tion in education funding “themost painful cut of all” in abudget address that proposedseveral cuts, including some inthe ag department, Quinn saidslashing state funding acrossthe board to address a $13 bil-lion budget deficit would be“both heartless and naïve.”

He said the cut in education

funding, in lieu of a hike in theincome tax increase from 3percent to 4 percent, was need-ed because $1 billion in federalstimulus funding that had pro-tected education from fundingcuts comes to an end July 1.

The 17 percent cut in statefunding for education wouldamount to a $1 billion cutfrom elementary and sec-ondary education funding; theremainder would come fromhigher education.

It is estimated the reductionin elementary and secondaryeducation would reduce thegeneral state aid per pupil fromthe current $6,119 to $5,600.

Only by approving anincrease in the income tax —

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat, discusses issues rangingfrom the estate tax to climate change policies with Illinois Farm BureauLeaders to Washington last week. Leaders made the rounds of congres-sional offices and attended briefings with American Farm BureauFederation policy experts and USDA officials. For more details of the lob-bying tour, see stories inside. (Photo by Martin Ross)

Prospects appear good for estate tax fixBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Prospects appear good forsome form of ramped-upestate tax relief this year, ifSenate support gels and bud-get-deficit concerns don’tobscure concerns from thecountryside.

Under a 2001 tax bill loop-hole, the estate tax expiredJan. 1 but is set to return atpre-2002 levels in 2011.

Lawmakers must quicklyaddress 2011 tax concerns, or“come Jan. 1, we will haveestate taxes back on thebooks with a very low exemp-tion level of $1 million perperson and a very high (tax)rate of 55 percent,” Ameri-can Farm Bureau Federationpolicy analyst Pat Wolff toldFarmWeek during last week’sIllinois Farm Bureau Leadersto Washington tour.

Wolff sees “the will in Con-gress to provide more relief,”but argues a House plan torestore 2009’s $3.5 millionexemption, with no considera-tion for inflationary impactson estate values, is inadequateto protect heirs from potential-ly liquidating assets to covertheir taxes.

Farm Bureau is pinning itshopes on a proposal fromHouse Ag Chairman BlancheLincoln (D-Ark.) and SenateRepublican Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) to reinstate the tax witha $5 million individual, $10million per couple exemption,adjustable for inflation.

The Lincoln-Kyl bill pro-poses a 35 percent maximumestate tax rate and full“stepped-up basis,” a FarmBureau-supported provision.

The bill would enable heirsto take the fair market value ofan estate for capital gains pur-poses and pay capital gains taxon the difference between thenet sales price and thatstepped-up basis — if andwhen they sell assets.

Wolff reported Lincolnand Kyl are working on a wayto make their plan “revenue-neutral” — a key factor ingarnering support from bud-get-conscious colleagues.

Rep. John Shimkus, aCollinsville Republican, fears law-makers may be tempted to letestate tax reform “lapse,” sug-

gesting that amid 10-year deficitprojections, they may feel therevenues the high rates and lowexemptions would generate areneeded.

Shimkus stressed that if theSenate acts first to providerelief, “we’ll pass it in theHouse.”

However, he noted Sen.Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), alead advocate for estate taxrelief, is not seeking re-elec-tion this fall, while Lincolnfaces a tough race to keep herseat next fall.

Wolff nonetheless believesinfluential Senate MajorityWhip Dick Durbin, a Spring-field Democrat, will supportrelief: “He wants to get thisissue off the (Senate) plate.”

Durbin told the FarmBureau leaders he wouldback changes that “respectappreciation in (estate) val-ue,” and was optimisticaction would be taken thissession.

“This has to be done, andit has to be done this year,”he said.

FarmWeekNow.comFor more reaction and detailson the proposed budget, goto FarmWeekNow.com.

IDOA sees $6.9 millionin operating program cuts

CF TO BUY TERRA — A bidding war in thefertilizer industry that dragged on for monthscame to an end last week.

U.S. fertilizer manufacturer CF Industries, ofwhich GROWMARK is a shareholder, reportedFriday it agreed to purchase Terra Industries forroughly $4.7 billion. Terra is a leadingNorthAmerican manufacturer of nitrogen.

The deal, which has been approved by bothcompanies’ boards, came together after Canadianfertilizer maker Agrium Inc. dropped its $5.4-bil-lion bid to take over CF Industries.

Terra announced on its website that it had offi-cially ended its previously announced deal withNorway’s Yara International. That offer was val-ued at $4.1 billion.

NEW CME WEBSITE — The CME Grouprecently launched a new website/blog that focuseson financial markets.

The new site, Open Markets, is intended tocommunicate CME Group’s views and help sparkdialogue on a broad range of issues that affectfinancial markets.

Content will include testimonies and speeches,white papers and features from CME Group Maga-zine, and news coverage on related issues.

Open Marke t s c an be v i ewed on l i n e a t{www.cmegroup.com/openmarkets}.

FLORIDA ORANGE CROP REVISED —The Florida orange crop, the world’s second-largest, will be 1.6 percent bigger than estimatedlast month, according to a USDA assessment ofdamage from a January freeze.

The U.S. all-orange forecast for the 2009-10 sea-son is 8.10 million tons, up 2 percent from theFeb. 1 forecast but down 12 percent from the2008-09 final usage, according to a report releasedlast week by USDA’s National Agricultural Statis-tics Service.

Production will total 131 million boxes for theharvest ending in July, more than analysts expectedand up from the February forecast of 129 million,according to USDA.

About 162.4 million boxes were collected lastseason. Dry weather and a cold spell in the firsthalf of 2009 resulted in fewer and smaller orangesand a January freeze killed some crops.

FarmWeek Page 2 Monday, March 15, 2010

(ISSN0197-6680)

Vol. 38 No. 11 March 15, 2010

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 indi-vidual 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.

© 2010 Illinois Agricultural Association

STAFFEditor

Dave McClelland ([email protected])Legislative Affairs Editor

Kay Shipman ([email protected])Agricultural Affairs Editor

Martin Ross ([email protected])Senior Commodities Editor

Daniel Grant ([email protected])Editorial Assistant

Linda Goltz ([email protected])Business Production Manager

Bob StandardAdvertising Sales Manager

Richard VerderyClassified sales coordinator

Nan FanninDirector of News and Communications

Dennis VerclerAdvertising 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 IllinoisEditorial phone number: 309-557-2239Classified advertising: 309-557-3155Display advertising: 1-800-676-2353

Quick TakesGOVERNMENT

Inhofe: Cap and trade no-go;suits may stall EPA movesBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

“Cap and trade” may becapped for the time being, butamid continued federal leg-islative and regulatory threatsto agriculture, key lawmakersjoined Farm Bureau in rally-ing against policies that “capour future.”

The American FarmBureau Federation sponsoreda Capitol Hill “Don’t Cap OurFuture” rally last week, dis-playing 100,000-plus post-cards, signatures, and other“calls to action” against cli-mate/greenhouse gas (GHG)restrictions proposed by Con-gress and the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency(EPA).

Rally participants includedSenate Ag Committee rankingmember Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.).

Efforts to revive stalledmeasures to regulate utilityand industrial GHG emis-sions are “not going to goanywhere,” participant Sen.Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) toldFarmWeek.

Inhofe challenges the sci-ence EPA used to justify arecent greenhouse gas“endangerment finding”and prospective new GHGrules for a variety of sec-tors.

That position sparkeddebate at a recent climatesummit in Copenhagen,where Inhofe and Sens. JohnKerry (D-Mass.) and LindsayGramm (R-S.C.), sponsors ofrevised climate proposals,voiced their different philoso-phies.

“They both (Kerry andGramm) got in a positionover in Copen-hagen of mak-ing broad state-ments — ‘Youcan depend onus; we’re goingto pass cap andtrade,’” Inhofesaid.

“I stood upin front of thesame crowdand said, ‘Whatthey’re sayingisn’t true — it’snot going tohappen in the United States.

“They’re going to continueto try, and they’re going tocall it something besides capand trade. But it’s still cap andtrade, and it’s not going topass.

“I can’t think of very manymembers of the United StatesSenate who want to go backto their people and say, ‘Aren’t

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), left, an outspoken critic of climate changeand cap and trade legislation, and American Farm Bureau FederationPresident Bob Stallman, right, were among those touting concernsabout potential greenhouse gas policies at a “rally” last week on Capi-tol Hill. In the foreground are Farm Bureau-generated postcards andletters against cap and trade from across the U.S. (Photo by MartinRoss)

you proud of me? I passedthe largest ‘tax’ increase inAmerica.’ ”

Cap and trade wouldimpact ag energy and input

costs; EPA rules could direct-ly affect livestock operations.Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alas-ka) is sponsoring a “disap-proval” resolution that wouldknock down EPA authority toregulate GHGs.

Reps. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) support separate simi-

lar measures in an effort tocourt support from both par-ties.

The bills could moveunder streamlined “govern-

ment review”proceduresallowing law-makers tonullifyagency regu-lations with amere 51-votemajority.

In addi-tion, Inhofesaid nearly adozen law-suits chal-lenging EPAgreenhouse

regs are in the works,potentially stalling newrules at least until fall elec-tions and a potentialchange in Congress.

Next week’s FarmWeekwill examine threats toagriculture posed by vari-ous EPA and congression-al environmental propos-als.

‘They’re going to continue totry, and they’re going to calli t something besides capand trade. But it’s stil l capand trade, and it’s not goingto pass.’

— Sen. James InhofeOklahoma Republican

GOVERNMENT


Continued from page 1“This was the first shot over the

bow in the process of developing astate spending plan,” said KevinSemlow, Illinois Farm Bureau’sdirector of state legislation.

“It was clear that there wasnot outright support for theapproach the governor took inplacing an ultimatum to either cuteducation funding or raise theincome tax.

“We will continue to workwith legislators to develop abudget that does not hinderprograms crucial to agriculturein light of a budget with agrowing debt and shrinkingrevenue,” said Semlow.

Quinn

Final approval near?

Senate OKs biodiesel credit restorationBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

As Illinois producers lastweek lobbied for market-friendly policies on Capitol

the biodiesel industry in ourstate and others.”

“We are thankful to see thiskind of support for thebiodiesel industry,” said ISAVice Chairman Mike Cunning-ham of Bismarck. “Now weurge Congress to move swiftlyto come together on a final billthat can be passed and signedinto law as soon as possible.”

Earlier House extenderslegislation also offered a one-year, retroactive extension.The National Biodiesel Boardwarned 23,000 jobs supportedby the U.S. biodiesel industry“are in jeopardy if the incen-tive continues to lapse.”

“It’s like Nero — we’re fid-dling as Rome is burning,” U.S.Rep. John Shimkus, aCollinsville Republican andbiofuels advocate on the House

Energy and Commerce Com-mittee, warned Illinois FarmBureau Leaders to Washingtontouring Capitol Hill last week.

USDA also has been push-ing lawmakers to ensure contin-uation of a “vibrant biodieselindustry,” a department repre-sentative told the leaders.

The Senate jobs bill alsoextends tax breaks for short-line and regional railroads andseeks $1.5 billion in ag disasteraid sought by Senate Ag Chair-man Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.).

California senators secureda tentative $150 million alonefor largely West Coast special-ty growers, but an aide toSpringfield Democrat Sen.Dick Durbin told the leadersthat “there should be someassistance available” for Mid-west growers as well.

Hill, the U.S. Senate approvedlong-awaited restoration ofan expired tax credit seen ascrucial to the biodiesel indus-try’s future.

The Senate OK’d a massive$138 billion second “jobs”package that includes a rangeof federal tax “extenders” andprospective disaster assistancefor producers affected byrecent weather extremes.

The bill included a one-yearextension of a $1-per-gallonbiodiesel blenders credit thatexpired Jan. 1, resulting inindustry layoffs and shutdowns.The extension, which must bereconciled with House propos-als before a final vote, would beretroactive to January — animportant factor for fuel sup-pliers who have been purchas-ing biofuels on faith over thepast two months.

The Illinois Soybean Asso-ciation (ISA) applauded law-makers “for taking action onthis very important issue for

MARCHING FOR CONCEALED CARRY

A group of Southern Illinois Farm Bureau members and staffers journeyed to Springfield last week toparticipate in the Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day in support of allowing concealed carry of weaponsin Illinois. About 10,000 participated in the rally. Participating were Randy Anderson, Saline Coun-ty Farm Bureau treasurer; Sam DeNeal, Saline vice president; Jim Patterson, Saline board member;Garry Jenkins, Williamson County Farm Bureau manager; Bob Hall, Jackson-Union manager; andDavid Meeker, Saline-Gallatin manager. The group met with state Sens. Gary Forby (D-Benton) andWilliam Delgado (D-Chicago) and Reps. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg), John Bradley (D-Marion),Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago), Cynthia Soto (D-Chicago), and Ed Sullivan Jr. (R-Mundelein). In addition toconcealed carry, the group also discussed budget issues, the deficit, Dixon Springs Agricultural Cen-ter funding, tax issues, and the now-withdrawn horse harvest bill. (Photo by David Meeker)

State Rep. Jim Sacia (R-Freeport) last weekpulled his legislation that would legalize horseslaughter in Illinois from the legislative agendafor this session of the General Assembly.

In an impassioned speech to his colleagues,Sacia said he would not pursue a vote on HB4812 this session based on his knowledge thatthe Illinois Senate leadership would not allowthe measure to be called for a vote and thatGov. Pat Quinn had promised a veto shouldthe bill reach his desk.

Sacia’s district includes DeKalb, where thenation’s last horse-slaughter plant shut down a fewyears ago. Illinois banned horse slaughter in 2007.

In other action, Sen. John Sullivan (D-Rushville) successfully passed SB 2566 that wouldreinstate the ability of farmers to drive ATVs andUTVs on rural roadways for farm purposes.

The bill was approved in a 56-0 vote. Rep.Bob Flider (D-Decatur) is now a sponsor ofthe bill in the House and is working to gainpassage there.

Horse slaughter legislation pulled

High speed to help freight lines?

Transportation bill‘most multimodal’?

Freight carriers — and theirag customers — should benefitfrom high-speed rail, accordingto U.S. Transportation Secre-tary Ray LaHood.

A portion of the $8 billionin 2009 stimulus funds allocat-ed for high-speed rail servicenationwide will be spent “incooperation with the freightrail system,” LaHood toldFarmWeek and RFD Radio.Some $1.2 billion of that hasbeen allocated for a Chicago toSt. Louis high-speed corridor.

“Freight rail systems will beutilized, and we’ll be usingsome of this money to fix upthe infrastructure on freighttracks so that these passengertrains can go faster,” the for-mer Peoria congressman said.

“Where we have infrastruc-ture — like Amtrak lines, likefreight rail lines — there will beopportunities to use some ofthis money. This is a real part-nership between the high-speed rail enthusiasts, freightrail companies, and Amtrak.”

LaHood noted the “lion’sshare” of $1.5 billion in 2009U.S. Department of Transporta-tion (USDOT) TransportationInvestment Generating Eco-nomic Recovery (TIGER)grants went to freight railimprovements that should help“get trucks off the road andunclog some of our highways.”

A $100 million TIGERgrant was awarded to CRE-ATE (Chicago Region Envi-ronmental and Transportation

Efficiency), a partnershipbetween USDOT, the State ofIllinois, the City of Chicago,the Metra public rail system,Amtrak, and freight carriers.

CREATE projects includecrossing, signaling, rail yard,and related improvementsalong five key rail corridors.

Chicago freight rail demandis expected to nearly doublewithin 20 years. Sen. DickDurbin, a Springfield Democ-rat, deemed CREATE crucialto helping relieve “huge bottle-necks that restrict the flow offreight and passengers at a costto the United States of an esti-mated $200 billion a year.“

Carload freight volume onU.S. rails reached its highestlevel in more than a year overthe week ending Feb. 27,according to the Association ofAmerican Railroads (AAR).

AAR reported intermodaltraffic — truck/rail delivery offreight containers to and fromports — reached its highestlevel this year, up 17.5 percentfrom 2009, and rail containervolume increased 23.2 percentover the same week in 2009.

LaHood predicts Congress’next highway/transportationbill will prove “the most multi-modal bill people have everseen.” USDOT has consultedwith U.S. House Transporta-tion Chairman James Oberstar(D-Minn.) over the past year,and will develop basic “princi-ples” for project prioritizationand funding.

LaHood sees “many, manygood provisions” in Oberstar’sdraft proposals, and maintainsCongress already has set the stagefor intermodal improvements.

“When the $48 billion (intransportation recovery funds)came to us a year ago, we brokedown the kind of insular waytransportation has worked andwe put together a team thatworked for 13 months to makesure the money was getting outthe door, was being spent cor-rectly,” the secretary said.

“We now have a good teamthat’s working together acrossmodes. We’re sharing resources,and we’re also working veryclosely with other Cabinetagencies on the agricultural endof things, to make sure we’renot ignoring rural America.” —Martin Ross

LIVESTOCK


USDA seeks input on animal disease traceabilityBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

USDA this month will begingathering input from the live-stock industry to help in devel-oping the framework for itsnew approach to animal diseasetraceability.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack atthe Commodity Classic in Ana-heim, Calif., told FarmWeekhe hopes the industry comesup with a “consensus positionon what the standards will befor interstate commerce.”

USDA last month aban-

doned the National AnimalIdentification System (NAIS)and announced it will promotea flexible framework for animaldisease traceability in the U.S.

The new system will applyonly to animals moved in inter-state commerce, it will encouragethe use of lower-cost technology,and it will be implemented trans-parently through federal regula-tions and the full rule-makingprocess, according to USDA.

“We’ll allow the states todecide themselves” where to gofrom there, said Vilsack, who not-

ed the traceability program will beadministered by states and tribalnations to provide more flexibility.

The livestock industry begin-ning this month will hold meet-ings around the country toestablish the framework for ani-mal disease traceability.

The National Institute forAnimal Agriculture (NIAA)recently announced it will dedi-cate a portion of its annualmeeting, which will be heldMonday (March 15) throughWednesday in Kansas City, to

offer input on the new program.“Given the new direction (of

the animal disease traceabilityprogram), there are many ques-tions as to what producers,marketers, and processors oflivestock in the U.S. shouldexpect as a result of the shift inpolicy” said Michael Coe, co-chairman of the NIAA AnimalIdentification and InformationSystems Committee.

A panel of animal agriculturerepresentatives from each ofthe major food animal sectors,

livestock auctions, and proces-sors will be part of the discus-sion at the NIAA meeting.Information on that event isavailable online at{www.animalagriculture.org}.

“I’m hopeful we’ll get a sys-tem that contains disease out-breaks and allows us to contin-ue to aggressively market ourproducts,” Vilsack said.

More information about thenew framework for animal dis-ease traceability is online at{www.aphis.usda.gov/traceability}.

An animal disease outbreak “tabletop” exercise sponsored by the Tri-state Agro Emergency Committee was conducted last week at HighlandCommunity College in Freeport. Personnel from Iowa, Wisconsin, andIllinois spent the day working through a simulated animal disease eventon a livestock farm located in the corner of the tri-state area. Shownhere, from left, are Bruce Johnson, manager of Stephenson CountyFarm Bureau; Jill Frueh, manager of Bureau County Farm Bureau; andAnnette McLane, manager of Jo Daviess County Farm Bureau. (Photoby Jim Fraley, Illinois Farm Bureau livestock program director)

BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Livestock producers must arm themselveswith “truth” as animal rights activists mobilizefor a second round of Midwest consumer-courting and a push to involve Congress in thedebate over best animal practices.

So says American Farm Bureau Federation poli-cy analyst Kelli Ludlum, who warned Illinois FarmBureau Leaders to Washington last week of an ani-mal care “agenda” that potentially ties into “agricul-tural policy, food policy, and even obesity.”

The debate has reached Capitol Hill: South-ern California congressmen have unveiled ameasure that would force federal agencies tobuy meat, milk, and egg from sources that raiseanimals “free from cruelty and abuse.”

The bill, which covers school, military, andother feeding programs, requires procuring prod-ucts from animals given room to stand, lie down,turn, or extend their limbs in any direction with-out touching an enclosure or another animal.

Effectively, the plan, adapted from HumaneSociety of the United States (HSUS) proposals,requires suppliers to move to “open productionsystems,” Ludlum warned.

“There are a number of animal rights groupsout there that really seek to limit producers’ abili-ty to be proper stewards of their livestock,” Lud-lum told FarmWeek.

“Fighting those off at both the federal andstate levels is going to be something we’re going

to continue to deal with for some time to come.Groups like (HSUS), with 10 million membersstrong, aren’t going to go anywhere soon.”

Moving from controlled indoor productionraises concerns about environmental complianceat a time of already heavy regulation, leaderswarned Capitol Hill lawmakers.

Carroll County’s Edwin Livengood stressed,“We already raise our animals humanely,” andmaintained that if animals are forced outdoors,“our production’s going to go way down” andultimately, “costs are going to go up.”

Meanwhile, HSUS hasn’t given up its push torestrict Ohio livestock practices. Ohio votersrejected HSUS proposals last fall, approving aballot initiative that created a diverse Ohio Live-stock Care Standards Board.

But HSUS has launched a petition drive forsignatures to place a new initiative on thisNovember’s ballot, which, according to Ludlow,would “outlaw use of most modern productionsystems for pork and poultry.”

She suggests HSUS likely will hit its June 30target for signatures, and said she fears “Ohio’sgoing to have another battle on its hands witheducating consumers.”

HSUS has been accused of misleading con-sumers, drawing support by focusing on animal res-cue issues despite a meager funding share for com-panion animal/shelter-rescue programs. Inresponse, it recently established a mobile emergencyshelter and equine rescue facilities, Ludlum reported.

Lawmakers, activist groupsramp up livestock concerns

Lawmakers concerned aboutlivestock antibiotics use andpotential public health shouldconsider the potential consumerconsequences of removing cru-cial veterinary tools from theproducer’s arsenal, AmericanFarm Bureau Federation policyanalyst Kelli Ludlum warns.

The proposed nationalPreservation of Antibiotics forMedical Treatment Act (PAM-TA) would require U.S. Food andDrug Administration re-reviewunder new criteria of seven class-es of antibiotics that are used inboth veterinary and human care.

The bill, originally champi-oned by the late U.S. Sen.Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.),aims to restrict “sub-therapeu-tic” or preventative use ofantibiotics in farm animals.

Ludlum noted provisions

already are in place for FDAreview of all antibiotics, andemphasized “there’s never beena correlation (of animal antibi-otics use) to human health inpeer-reviewed research.”

“Even if PAMTA were topass, there’s no evidence itwould have any effect on thelegitimate issue of antibioticresistance in humans,” Ludlumtold FarmWeek during lastweek’s Illinois Farm BureauLeaders to Washington visit.“There’s just no data that linksantibiotic usage in livestock toresistance in humans, she said.

“The upshot of this legislationis that livestock producers wouldessentially lose important tools tokeep animals healthy and providesafe food, and there’d be no pub-lic benefit in terms of the antibi-otic resistance issue — we’d be no

further ahead than we are today.”Ludlum noted antibiotic use

can be crucial in stemming thespread of microbial pathogensthan cause livestock diseasesand that, ultimately, may“linger into the food supply.”Preventative use of antibioticscan help reduce the need forafter-the-fact treatment oflivestock diseases, she argued.

There are no truly effectivevet-use-only replacements forsome key antibiotics targetedby PAMTA, she claimed.

“The upshot is there’s noway these products would stillbe on the market for livestockproduction if PAMTA passes,”Ludlum said. “The criteria areso specific and the timelinesare so short. We think this is anextremely short-sighted bill.”— Martin Ross

Antibiotics measure threat to consumers

PRODUCTION


Analysts: USDA crop revisions have little impact on markets

Will weather pattern continue this season?

Farmers this growing season could see a “continuation ofthe wet and cool (weather) pattern” in Illinois, according toEric Luebehusen, meteorologist with the USDA World Ag Out-look Board.

Weather indicators, including an active El Nino pattern inthe Pacific Ocean, point toward normal to wetter-than-normalconditions this spring and summer, Luebehusen told IFB Lead-ers to Washington participants last week.

The forecast, if realized,could create planting delaysthis spring and possibly morecrop disease issues later in theseason.

On the bright side, thechances of reverting back todry or drought conditions atthis point appear minimal.

“The central Corn Belt stillis stuck in a wet weather pat-tern,” Luebehusen said. Infact, since 2003 “2005 was theonly season in Illinois wheredryness was a concern. Other than that year, it’s been normal orwetter than normal.”

Precipitation levels in the central Corn Belt for the past yearrange from 8 to 20-plus inches above normal, Luebehusen said.

Farmers at least could see some relief from the soggy condi-tions this week.

Amy Jankowski, meteorologist with the National WeatherService office in Lincoln, said the weather forecast for the nexttwo weeks is fairly dry with the exception of a chance for rainthis weekend.

“Then, it could be dry again toward the end of the month,”Jankowski said.

If the near-term forecast is realized, farmers the rest of thismonth may be able to catch up on fieldwork that wasn’t com-pleted last fall or begin preparations for planting.

There were reports last week of farmers applying spring fer-tilizer in Southern Illinois. — Daniel Grant

‘ T h e c e n t r a lCorn Belt still iss t u c k i n a w e tweather pattern.’

— Eric LuebehusenUSDA meteorologist

BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

USDA last week revised itsfinal corn and soybean produc-tion numbers — originallyreleased in January — toinclude updates after a late har-vest.

But the markets hardlyblinked as additional farmersurveys prompted USDA tomake only slight adjustments.

U.S. corn production lastweek was trimmed by 20 mil-lion bushels to 13.1 billionbushels, and soybean produc-tion was trimmed by 2 millionbushels to 3.36 billion bushels.Both production totals remainwell above record levels.

In Illinois, the statewidecorn yield estimate wastrimmed by 1 bushel to 174bushels per acre.

Market analysts last weeksaid the production revisionswill have little effect on a mar-ket that instead will focus morein coming weeks on the South

American harvest and plantingintentions in the U.S.

“You can almost ask thequestion — was it even worthit?” said Darin Newsom, Tel-vent DTN senior analyst.

When asked how muchimpact on the market a 20-mil-lion-bushel reduction in cornproduction will have on a 13.1-billion-bushel crop, AgriVisoranalyst Dale Durchholz toldthe RFD Radio Network, “It’schicken feed. It’s not impor-tant.”

What may have more of animpact on the market is thefact that USDA in its WorldAgricultural Supply andDemand Estimates (WASDE)report last week cut cornexports by 100 million bushels.

USDA in the WASDEreport, meanwhile, increasedsoy exports by 20 millionbushels to a record 1.42 billionbushels and increased endingstocks of wheat by 20 millionbushels.

“The corn estimates were alittle negative,” Durchholzsaid.

USDA lowered its market-ing year price estimate for cornby 20 cents on the top end to arange of $3.45 to $3.75 perbushel.

The U.S. soybean market,which is expected to comeunder pressure because ofcompetition from a recordcrop in Brazil, was projected toaverage $8.95 to $9.95 perbushel, while the marketingyear average price for wheatwas estimated at $4.80 to $5per bushel.

“I think it’s going to be atight year (for farm margins),”Newsom said. “But that does-n’t mean we won’t see seasonalrallies.”

He recommended farmerstake advantage of rallies toprice a portion of their newcrops.

The weather in comingweeks could trigger rallies —USDA projected U.S. farmersthis spring will plant 89 mil-lion acres of corn (up 2.5 mil-lion from last year) and 77 mil-lion acres of soybeans (down ahalf million acres from lastyear).

USDA on March 31 willrelease its first official estimateof prospective plantings forthe upcoming season.

Soy yield challenge deadline extended until April 15

Farmers now have until tax day, April 15, to sign up for the 2010Soybean Yield Challenge.

The unique new program coordinated by the Illinois SoybeanAssociation (ISA) and funded by the soybean checkoff is designedto give soybean growers and soy industry leaders an opportunity tocollaborate on the best ways to maximize yields in each of Illinois’

nine crop reporting districts.“This is going to give us a tremendous amount

of data to increase yields on their (Yield Challengeparticipants’) farms and overall in Illinois,” RonMoore, ISA chairman, told FarmWeek during theSoy Research Forum last week in Champaign.

The deadline was extended due in part to aninflux of last-minute inquiries, according toMoore. It also will give farmers and teams moretime to determine what varieties they want toplant, plot locations, and other factors.

Early indications suggest the first-ever Yield Challenge couldinclude at least 500 to 600 plots for study and there is “a lot moreinterest out there,” said Moore, who hopes the number of plotentries could reach as high as 800.

Participants who have questions about the Yield Challenge mayvisit the website {www.soyyieldchallenge.com}, call the ISA office at309-663-7692, or contact Jim Nelson, Yield Challenge coordinator,at 309-825-7542.

A series of training sessions also has been scheduled for later thismonth. The sessions, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, will be held March 29at Heartland Community College in Normal; March 30 at the Holi-day Inn in Mt. Vernon; and March 31 at Kishwaukee College inMalta.

“There’s no other effort created to unify farmer research likethis,” Nelson said. “We’re looking forward to meeting and network-ing with everyone who attends (the training sessions) and givingthem the tools they need to get the most out of this endeavor.” —Daniel Grant

Ron Moore

MARKETS


INSPECTING GADGETS

Steve Hosselton, left, IFB District 14 director from Clay County, andJ.C. Pool, IFB District 17 director from Hamilton County, check outsome of the new farm technology on display at a trade show at therecent Commodity Classic. The annual event, which many ag com-panies use to unveil new products and services, drew more than4,000 people to Anaheim, Calif. (Photo by Daniel Grant)

USDA sets sights on international marketsBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

USDA will place moreemphasis on overseas marketsto help domestic farmers andrural economies.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsackearlier this month at the Com-modity Classic in Anaheim,Calif., discussed specificstrategies aimed at increasingU.S. ag exports.

“We have to think differ-ently about trade,” Vilsacksaid. “We’ve had a one-size-fits-all approach.”

USDA will continue to focuson trade expansion throughmeasures such as free tradeagreements and multilateral dis-cussions, Vilsack assured farmleaders at the event.

But it also will implementtrade-enhancing strategies thatare specific to each market.

“We have to recognize thereare different markets,” Vilsacksaid. “It’s important to tailortrade to individual market con-ditions.”

USDA, for example, willsend technical teams to coun-tries with a growing middle classto ensure market access. The

U.S. earlier this month reachedan agreement with Russia toreopen the Russian market toU.S. pork and pork products.

Meanwhile, USDA willwork to build the Americanbrand in mature markets topromote sales of high-valueproducts, said Vilsack. It alsowill focus on teaching con-sumers about the quality ofU.S. products in countries withtremendous growth potentialsuch as South Africa, and ithas specific strategies torebuild fragile states such asAfghanistan, he said.

The emphasis on ag trade ispart of the Obama administra-tion’s new National ExportInitiative. The goal of the ini-tiative is to double U.S. exportswithin the next five years.

“It’s important that we fig-ure out strategies to bringprosperity back to the farmand rural America,” Vilsacksaid. “The surplus in ag trade(which this year is estimated at$22.5 billion) helps createwealth in rural communities.”

Rob Joslin, president of theAmerican Soybean Associa-tion, noted infrastructure

improvements will be vital tomeet the lofty export goals.

Meanwhile, Vilsack saidUSDA also will place moreemphasis on educating con-sumers about the benefits ofbiotechnology to help meetincreasing demand for food.

“As the population contin-ues to grow, and the amountof land for ag continues toshrink, we’ve got to use sci-

ence to increase productivity,”said Vilsack, who will deliverthe keynote address nextmonth at the U.S. GrainsCouncil’s Global Food Securi-ty Symposium in Tokyo,Japan.

Karl Scronce, president ofthe National Association ofWheat Growers, said biotech-nology could be critical toimproving wheat yields.

“We’re losing acreage toother commodities,” Scroncesaid. “We desperately need toincrease yields, and the way todo that is through biotechnol-ogy and advanced breedingtechniques.”

Wheat scab resistance anddrought tolerance are amongthe traits that could provideimmediate results for wheatgrowers, Scronce added.

Small, mid-sized exporters focus of export planBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

The administration will sup-port new technical and finan-cial resources intended specifi-cally for the novice ag exporterwhile stepping up efforts tobeat down global trade viola-tions that hinder market access,a USDA official assured Illinoisfarmers last week.

During a USDA briefing forIllinois Farm Bureau Leaders toWashington, Michael Scuse,USDA deputy under secretaryfor Farm and Foreign Services(FFAS), hailed last week’srelease of specifics of PresidentObama’s new U.S. export initia-tive intended to double U.S.

exports over the next five years.The plan calls for a new

“mini-cabinet” includingUSDA; Commerce, State,Treasury, and Labor depart-ments; the U.S. Trade Repre-sentative’s office; and otherkey federal officials, to focuson increased internationalsales and access. Obamaargued “we need to up ourgame” amid foreign growthand trade competition.

The initiative would expandfederal trade advocacy, “espe-cially for small to mid-sizedcompanies,” with an emphasison promoting potential exportopportunities and educatingproducers and others on for-eign market entry and an addi-tional $2 billion in addedannual credit for farmers andother prospective exporters,Scuse said. He deemed smallto medium-sized entrepre-neur-marketers “key to thesuccess of our initiative.”

At the same time, Obamapledged more rigorous U.S.efforts to endorse existingtrade policies and practices. Inparticular, “non-science-basedbarriers are a hindrance to get-ting our products into thesemarkets,” Scuse argued.

But barriers created by highforeign import tariffs also willnot be ignored under theadministration’s new trade

regime, he stressed. Obamaurged passage of stalled tradeagreements.

“Make no mistake — ifthere are new deals out thereto be had, we’re looking atthem,” Scuse told the Illinoisfarmers.

The plan proposes $53 mil-lion for USDA in 2011 toenhance export promotionactivities, with $18 million intotal technical assistance fundsfor specialty crop and othergrowers — double the currentbudget.

In addition, new fundingwould help USDA and itsoffices in 97 countries promoteU.S. commodities, Scuse said.

The plan would doublespending under the ForeignMarket Development Pro-grams “cooperator” program,to help producers grow marketpotential.

Scuse acknowledged theadministration push to reducespending under the popularMarket Access Program(MAP) by $40 million, butargued the reduction would be“more than offset” by exportinitiative funding and wouldbetter serve producers.

“How many trade showscan you have?” he posed, cit-ing MAP’s major emphasis onpromotions through interna-tional exhibitions.

TRADE


Stallman: Cuba policy not way ‘business is done’BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

As the U.S. looks to capturenew international market share,Cuba is low-hanging fruit — a“market right at our backdoor,” according to AmericanFarm Bureau Federation(AFBF) President Bob Stall-man.

“There’s no reason weshouldn’t own that market,”Stallman told FarmWeek asIllinois Farm Bureau Leaders toWashington prepared for aCapitol Hill sweep last week.However, federal policies root-

“Basically, exporters have tohave (Cuban) money in handbefore the product ever leavesour ports,” Stallman noted.“That’s not the way commercialbusiness is done. Cuba’s theonly country for which theTreasury Department says thoserules have to apply.

“We also want to removetravel restrictions. We think it’svery important that individualsfrom this country have theopportunity, if they desire, to goto Cuba. Once again, there areno other countries the U.S. pro-hibits citizens from traveling to.”

Supporters have “a verysmall window of time” thisyear to convince congressionalleaders of the need for Cubantrade liberalization, Garzaadvised. Last year, the admin-istration allowed U.S. telecom-munications companies toexpand into Cuba under stan-dard business practices, and hequestioned “why agricultureshould be any different.”

Open travel between theU.S. and Cuba would spur keyeconomic interactions andhelp the Cuban people see theU.S. “as something more thanthe enemy the Castro brothershave always characterized usas,” Stallman maintained. Theability to freely conduct busi-ness on Cuban ground alsowould provide the U.S. accessto the island’s value-added,tourist-driven markets, Garzasaid.

Further, Garza suggests“exportation” of cash-readyU.S. tourists would inject much-needed dollars into Cuba.

“It’s going to open the doorfor us to be able to providethem more agricultural prod-uct,” he said.

ed in the Cold War have keptCuban export potential out ofU.S. reach.

Stallman testified last weekbefore the U.S. House Ag Com-mittee on behalf of proposalsto remove existing Cuba travellimits and allow Cuban buyersto operate under what hetermed “typical transactionrules” that apply to other tradepartners.

In 2000, Congress approvedthe flow of U.S. ag and medicalgoods into Castro’s Cuba, butthe U.S. Treasury Departmenthas imposed stringent “cash-in-

advance” requirements for andnecessitated costly use of third-party foreign go-betweens in

Cuban purchases. Because Cuban trade policies

may change “at the whim ofour government,” Cuba doesnot view the U.S. as a “reliablesupplier,” AFBF trade specialistChris Garza argued.

FarmWeekNow.comTo listen to AFBF President BobStallman’s comments on the needto change Cuba trade policy, goto FarmWeekNow.com.

‘Distorted’ trade perspective behind delays in FTA approval?a seat at the table in this adminis-tration.”

President Obama has stated agoal of doubling U.S. exports,but AFBF President Bob Stall-man told FarmWeek “we haveyet to see words put into action.”

Illinois Farm Bureau Presi-dent Philip Nelson, chairman ofAFBF’s Trade Advisory Com-mittee, noted delays in lawmak-ers confirming new ag trade andWorld Trade Organizationambassadors.

At the same time, Nelsonreported 600 FTAs currently arein some stage of developmentworldwide, and “we’re only apart of 25 of them.”

Without U.S. movement onFTAs, “we do begin to seewhat’s left of our market shareslipping away,” Garza warned.

“Colombia already has (duty-free) access to our market — it’sridiculous that we can’t have thatkind of access to their market,”Stallman said. — Martin Ross

Meeting with Illinois FarmBureau Leaders to Washingtonlast week, Collinsville RepublicanU.S. House Energy and Com-merce member John Shimkusacknowledged that with rapidlygrowing farm yields, Illinois pro-ducers need access to expandedinternational markets.

Congressional approval ofbilateral free trade agreements(FTAs) with Panama, Colombia,and South Korea is crucial toachieving that export growth,Shimkus stressed.

He called the Colombia FTA“the best argument for trade” —“it’s all gain for us in this envi-ronment of great job loss.”

FTA approval in this Con-gress nonetheless will require“the vast majority of Republicanvotes and some Democratvotes,” Shimkus maintained.“The obstacles in the House arepurely political at this point,”American Farm Bureau Federa-tion (AFBF) trade specialistChris Garza told FarmWeek.

Shimkus maintained keyDemocrat critics share “a dis-torted view of what trade does,”tying agreements to “environ-mental issues and workersrights” in destination markets

rather than foreign import tariffreductions that will spur U.S.export flow.

FTA opposition has beenfueled heavily by U.S. labor inter-ests amid the perception that“we’ve lost our manufacturingbase because of trade,” Shimkussaid.

In fact, he argued, the cost ofexporting under current tariff/taxregimes is a major impediment tosales of manufactured goods. U.S.heavy equipment producers oftensell machines for South Americanuse through Canada to remain inthe competitive “ballpark,” herelated.

“If they’re going to build anew Panama Canal, which they’reproposing, what earthmovingequipment will they use?”Shimkus asked. “If we don’t havea Panama trade agreement, it’snot going to be Caterpillar. Thatwould be big, heavy equipmentand good paying jobs.”

Unions remained concernedabout Korean restrictions onimported cars and appliances,and have voiced concerns aboutColombian workers’ rights. U.S.Trade Representative Ron Kirktold Senate lawmakers “labordoes have a necessary voice and

SIU HONOREES

Illinois Farm Bureau Vice President Rich Guebert Jr. and IFB Presi-dent Philip Nelson were honored at the recent Southern Illinois Uni-versity (SIU) All-Ag Banquet for their service to agriculture. A por-trait of each leader will be hung in the seminar room in the dean’soffice along with pictures of other ag leaders who in the past weresimilarly honored. Pictured, from left, are Todd Winters, actingdean of the SIU College of Agriculture, Guebert, Nelson, and GaryMinish, former dean of the college. (Photo by Steve Buhman, SIU)

AG WEEK


Saturday is National Ag Day, andNational Ag Week is being observedthis week. Following are some of themany ways county Farm Bureau mem-bers plan to celebrate the week:

BUREAU — The Women’sCommittee will sponsor an

Ag Fair involving approximately415 fourth grade students, 22teachers, and 66 volunteers. Theday-long event will highlight dairy,wheat, safety, pork, corn, research,conservation, beef, soybeans,embryology, technology, equip-ment, and large and small animals.

CUMBERLAND — Anopen house will be from

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at theFarm Bureau office. Come checkout the remodeling, visit withfriends and vendors, or help scrap-book old pictures.

• There will be a coloringcontest for youth ages 3-11.Pick up sheets at the postoffices, banks, or the FarmBureau office. There will be aphoto contest for adults. Enter a4 x 6 photo taken in Cumber-land County within the last threeyears for your chance to win.For details, call 217-849-3031.

• Informational table tents and“Ag in the Eyes of Kids” place-mats will be used at restaurants inthe county. The placemats werecolored by Cumberland GradeSchool students.

DEWITT — DeWittCounty will be donating

Ag in the Classroom materialsto all the elementary schools inthe county.

• The Young Leaders willconduct a Harvest for All fooddrive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sat-urday at Save-A-Lot and IGAstores in Clinton and NiemannMarket in Farmer City.

EDWARDS — FarmBureau will sponsor Ag

in the Classroom contests forstudents in kindergarten throughfifth grade. Entries will be ondisplay at four local banks.

• The Women’s Committeewill have a display in a local gro-cery store.

• Farm Bureau will sponsor a“Farmer’s Share of the Food Dol-lar Breakfast” on Saturday at theSenior Center, Albion. Cost is 25cents for pancakes and sausage.

EFFINGHAM — FarmBureau will sponsor agri-

cultural quizzes on local radiostations. Ag-related multiplechoice questions will air Mondaythrough Friday on radio stationsWXEF, WKJT, and WCRC.Winners of the quizzes willreceive a $25 gift certificate to alocal grocery store or gas station.

FULTON — The Women’sCommittee will present a

Baby Bundle of ag-based prod-ucts to the family of the firstbaby born during Ag Week atGraham Hospital in Canton.

• The Women’s Committeeconducted a drawing contest forall fourth grade students in thecounty with the theme “Agricul-ture — Everyday in Everyway.”Four entries were chosen to beprinted on an ag fact placemat inarea restaurants during the week.

• The Ag in the Classroom

Committee gave the book “Soy-beans, A to Z” to eight commu-nity libraries.

• The AITC Committee gavethe “Bean Team” educational setand book “Soybeans in the Storyof Agriculture” to fourth gradeclassrooms in the county.

• The Young Farmer Commit-tee and board of directors willhost the Farmer’s Share Breakfastat 7 a.m. Saturday at the FarmBureau Building.

• The Women’s Committee willpresent special Ag Week aprons toarea high school cafeterias and theGraham Hospital cafeteria.

HANCOCK — HancockCounty churches

received an ag day prayer andNational Ag Week information touse in their bulletins.

• Merlin Tobias, a local Bascofarmer, and Farm Bureau manag-er Carla Mudd will make Ag Daypresentations Monday (today) tosecond grade classes in the county.Farm Bureau will be donate fivenew ag-related story books to eachof the school’s libraries.

• Farm Bureau members andmanager Carla Mudd will meetwith local legislators Tuesday onAg Day at the Capitol.

• The Carthage Kiwanis Clubwill sponsor an Ag Day Break-fast at 7 a.m. Wednesday at theExtension Center.

• An E85 promotion will befrom 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdayat Roger Law’s Service Station,Carthage. Up to 10 gallons ofE85 may be purchased for 85cents per gallon. Free Irish potatosoup, Irish crème coffee, andshamrock cookies will be served tocustomers. The promotion will besponsored by Hancock CountyFarm Bureau, WestCentral FS, andIllinois Corn Marketing Board.

• Farm Bureau will pass outfortune cookies with an ag-relat-ed message from noon to 1 p.m.Friday at the four-way stop inCarthage.

HENRY — The YoungLeaders Committee will

visit county fourth grade class-rooms. They will show a video, doa project with the students, anddiscuss their farming operations.In conjunction with the visits, the“Great American Farm T-Shirt”contest will be held. Fourthgraders may submit a posterdepicting agriculture in HenryCounty, and the winning entry willbe transferred to T-shirts for allthe students and the teacher in theclass.

• The Women’s Committeewill provide church bulletininserts to area churches.

• The Women’s Committee willsponsor a poster contest “WhereDoes All that Corn Go?” for first,second, and third grade students.

• Table tents featuring agfacts will be placed on restau-rant tables throughout the coun-ty to celebrate Ag Week.

• Area businesses will beasked to help celebrate NationalAg Week by placing a messageon their marquees.

• Young Leaders will sponsor acountywide food drive, “Sharingthe Harvest,” through March 26.

Non-perishable food items may bedropped off at the Farm Bureauoffice or at any Country Financialoffice in Henry County. YoungLeaders will deliver the collecteditems to food pantries throughoutthe county. Contact the FarmBureau for more information.

KANE — Farm Bureau willsponsor its 26th annual Ag

Days at Mooseheart FieldhouseTuesday through Thursday. Morethan 1,600 fourth graders will heara series of presentations from areafarmers, agribusinesses represen-tatives, and Farm Bureau volun-teers on agricultural topics. FarmBureau members interested in see-ing or volunteering for Ag Daysmay contact the Farm Bureau at630-584-8660 for additional infor-mation.

KNOX — The Women’sCommittee will donate a

baby basket filled with agriculturalitems to the first baby born inKnox County during National AgWeek. The Women’s Committeewill provide churches in KnoxCounty with an agricultural prayerto include in their weekly bulletinor newsletter during the week.

LASALLE — The YoungLeaders Committee will

sponsor a coloring contest forfourth grade students. Each partic-ipant will receive a Wendy’s kidshamburger meal certificate, andthe winner of the contest willreceive a “Farming our AmericanHeritage” sweatshirt.

• The Membership Committeewill work with local businesses thatoffer a LaSalle County FarmBureau discount to offer a specialAgriculture Week discount. Mem-bers should check the last issue ofAgri-Source or check the website forparticipating businesses.

• The Legislative Committee iscosponsoring with our adoptedlegislator, Linda Chapa LaVia (D-Aurora), an agriculture essay con-test for fourth grade teachers andtheir students in the Aurora area.The winning classroom willreceive a free trip to the LaSalleCounty 4-H and Junior Fair in July.

• The Membership Committeewill donate agriculture books tolibraries in the county.

LEE — The Public Rela-tions Committee will

Sponsor the annual Farmer’sShare Breakfast from 8 to 11a.m. Saturday at the LovelandCommunity Building, Dixon.The cost for a sausage and pan-cake breakfast will be 50 centsper plate, representing the actualincome a farmer receives fromthe breakfast.

• The Young Farmer Commit-tee will donating agriculture chil-dren’s books to the local libraries.

LIVINGSTON — TheYoung Leaders’ Committee

will sponsor a “Harvest for All”shopping cart race at 10 a.m.Thursday at the County Market,Pontiac. Bill Fairfield, LivingstonCounty Board chairman, will chal-lenge Pontiac Mayor Bob Russellto a two-minute shopping cartrace. The winner’s food will bedonated to Livingston Countyfood pantries. A grant from theIllinois Corn Marketing Board is

helping fund the shopping spree. • The Young Leaders and Mar-

lon Eilts, Country Financial, willpromote how agriculture touchesa baby’s life every day by provid-ing “Baby Bundles” to the first 25babies born at OSF St. James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center,Pontiac, during the month ofMarch. Some items each bundlecontains are baby powder withcorn starch, oatmeal cereal withoatmeal and soy oil, and chickenand turkey baby food.

• The Women’s Committee willdonate two agricultural-relatedchildren’s book to the 20 gradeschool libraries in the county.

• More than 2,500 parishionerswill find an agricultural insert intheir church bulletins on Sunday.

• More than 200 children par-ticipated in a poster contest tofind a design for a placemat withthe theme, “From the Farm toYou.” The winning posters weremade into 12,500 placemats, andwill be used in restaurants dur-ing Ag Week.

MARION — Farm Bureauwill sponsor a 35-cent

breakfast from 6 to 9 a.m.Wednesday at the Farm Bureauoffice, Salem. Tickets are availableat the Farm Bureau office or froma director. No carryouts. The Illi-nois Farm Bureau RFD Networkwill have a broadcast live duringthe breakfast.

MASON — The board ofdirectors, Young Ag

Leaders and Women’s Committeewill present an Ag in the Class-room lesson to all the second andthird grade students in the county.

MASSAC — The YoungFarmer’s Committee

will be team up with the MassacFFA Chapter to visit local sec-ond grade classrooms with spe-cial guest Captain Cornelius.Visits are scheduled throughoutthe week to emphasize theimportance of agriculture.

MERCER — The Market-ing Committee will spon-

sor an Agriculture Week Ag Triviacontest on local radio stationWRMJ-FM with 20 winners beingawarded red meat certificates tolocal grocery stores.

• Copies of the coloring book“ABC’s of Agriculture” will be giv-en to each student participating inthe school-year-long Agriculture inthe Classroom program.

MONROE — About 275agriculture table tents

were distributed to area restaurantsand businesses in the county.

• First grade students will par-ticipate in a coloring contest.

• High school students in the“Introduction to Agriculture”classes will participate in an essaycontest.

• Displays will be set up at threelocal banks asking consumers toidentify which products in a basketare made from corn. This projectis in cooperation with the IllinoisCorn Marketing Board.

• Fourth grade students willreceive copies of the Corn Agmagazine and Soybean Ag mag-azine.

PEORIA — The 10th annualFarmers Share of the Food

Dollar Breakfast will be from 7 to10 a.m. Saturday at the ExpositionGardens, Peoria. The cost of 60cents is based on the farm value ofmenu items. A display of farmphotos and educational exhibitswill be featured. “ABC’s of Agri-culture” coloring books and AgMags will be available for the chil-dren. A silent auction to raise fundsfor the the Peoria County FarmBureau Foundation will be held.Soybean candles, Soy Smooth handlotion, and a glass and surfacecleaner made from corn will beavailable for purchase.

PIATT — Farm Bureauand the Monticello FFA

Chapter will sponsor the firstannual Piatt County National AgDay breakfast from 7:30 to 8:15a.m. Friday at the MonticelloCommunity Building. Guestspeakers are Tim Berry from thePiatt County Farm ServiceAgency office and Robert Reese,meteorologist from WCIA Chan-nel 3. Call the Farm Bureau officeat 217-762-2128 for reservations.

SHELBY — The YoungFarmers will host a Farm

to City breakfast from 6:30 to8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Shel-by County 4-H Center, Rt. 128North, Shelbyville. The cost ofthe breakfast is 20 cents — thefarmer’s share of the fooddollar. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 217-774-2151 for reser-vations or more information.

VERMILION — FarmBureau will distribute

32,000 placemats to area restau-rants for Ag Week. “The Magic ofAgriculture” placemats will focuson the changes in farming prac-tices and the ability of agricultureto meet the food needs of agrowing world. The placematproject is sponsored by 19 Ver-milion County agribusinesses.

WILL — Farm Bureau willbe host approximately

1,500 fourth grade students at its15th annual Ag Expo from Tues-day, March 23, through Thursday,March 25, at the Joliet Junior Col-lege Weitendorf Ag Center onLaraway Road in Joliet. All chil-dren will be treated to a slice ofpizza and small can of pop (con-taining ingredients from corn) atthe end of the program.

• The Young Farmers Commit-tee sponsored a coloring contestfor all youth ages 3-11. All entrieswill be on display at the FarmBureau Hall of Presidents duringthe latter part of March. Winnersof the contest will be chosen onThursday at the Young FarmersCommittee meeting.

• Church bulletin materials weremailed out to all county churches.

• The Ag in the ClassroomCommittee will speak to variousgroups and schools in the countyfrom March to May.

• The Young Farmers Com-mittee will sponsor an FFAexchange March 30 with WillCounty area FFA programstouring ag industries as well asexploring careers in agriculture.

• Farm Bureau provided ag sci-ence kits to the Peotone FFAChapter to present to fourth gradeclassrooms in Peotone.

FROM THE COUNTIES


BU R E AU — A mar-keting dinner meet-

ing will be at 6:30 p.m.Wednesday, March 24, atthe Farm Bureau office.Scott Stoller, Michlig Ag,and Dan Aubry, Consoli-dated Grain and Barge, willbe the speakers. Call theFarm Bureau office forreservations or more infor-mation.

• The Young LeadersCommittee will sponsor afarm labor pool listing forBureau County residents.The committee has com-piled a list of people whoare looking for ag-relatedwork. The list is availableat the Farm Bureau office.Deadline to sign up for thelabor pool is Friday. Callthe Farm Bureau office at815-875-6468 or e-mail [email protected] more information.

CA L H O U N —Duane Kolbus,

Country Financial certifiedfinancial planner, will bethe speaker at an estateplanning seminar at 10 a.m.

cussed include unified car-rier registration and 80,000pound roads. Call theFarm Bureau office at 544-3792 for reservations ormore information.

KA N K A K E E —Scott Stewart,

Kankakee Community Col-lege director of horticul-ture and agriculture pro-grams, will be the speakerat the ag breakfast at 8 a.m.Thursday at the KankakeeCounty Fairgrounds. Costis $9. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 815-933-8337 forreservations or more infor-mation.

ME RC E R — TheWomen’s Commit-

tee and the Mercer CountyHealth Department willsponsor a free healthscreening program Wednes-day at the First BaptistChurch, Aledo. A freebreakfast will start at 7 a.m.followed by a variety ofhealth screenings from 7:30to 10 a.m. Screenings areprostate cancer blood test,oral cancer, blood pressure,

skin cancer, and a hearingtest from 9 to 10 a.m. Freetetanus shots will be given.Call the Farm Bureau officeat 309-582-5116 for moreinformation.

• The Prime Timers willmeet at noon Thursday,March 25, at the FarmBureau office for a potlucklunch and a presentationabout the American RedCross organization. Callthe Farm Bureau office at582-5116 for reservationsor more information.

• Rob Huston, AgriVisorLLC, will be the speaker atthe spring market outlookmeeting at 7 p.m. Thursday,March 25, at the FarmBureau office. Call theFarm Bureau office at 582-5116 for more information.

PE O R I A — A View-point meeting will be

at 8 a.m. Tuesday at theHeritage Bank, Hanna City.Topics will include farmcredit and crop sprayingregulations.

• A Stroke DetectionPlus health screening willbe from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.Tuesday at the FarmBureau auditorium. Cost is$90 for four screenings.Call 877-732-8258 forreservations.

PI A T T — ShannonCarroll and Jake Lieb

will present a program ontheir recent Young LeaderIndustry trip to Florida atnoon Thursday at the FarmBureau office. Call theFarm Bureau office at 762-2128 for reservations ormore information.

• Brenda Midendorf,Access Illinois Outdoorscoordinator, will be thespeaker at a meeting at 6p.m. Tuesday, March 23, atthe Farm Bureau office.She will discuss a programthat matches privatelandowners with wildlifeand outdoor enthusiasts.Call the Farm Bureau officeat 762-2128 for reserva-tions or more information.

• The Piatt County FarmBureau Foundation is tak-ing applications for schol-arships. Applicants mustbe high school seniors orcollege students majoringin an ag-related field ofstudy. Applications areavailable at the FarmBureau office or by e-mail-ing a request for an elec-tronic copy at [email protected]. Deadlineto return applications is at4 p.m. Friday, April 9.

“From the counties” itemsare submitted by county FarmBureau managers. If you havean event or activity open to allmembers, contact your countymanager.

Friday at the RiverdockRestaurant, Hardin. Theevent is sponsored by FarmBureau and Dan Eberlin,Country Financial. Call theFarm Bureau office at 618-576-2233 by Thursday forreservations or more infor-mation.

CH A M PA I G N —Kevin Rund, Illinois

Farm Bureau senior direc-tor of local government,will be the speaker at an“On the Road” seminar at 7p.m. Wednesday at theFarm Bureau auditorium.Topics will include unifiedcarrier registration, ATVuse on public roads, thefederal bridge formula, andmedical card changes. Callthe Farm Bureau office at217-352-5235 for moreinformation.

CO O K — Profes-sional income tax

preparation from the Illi-nois Agricultural AuditingAssociation is available atthe Farm Bureau office andCountry Financial inSchaumburg and South

Holland. Call Peggy at theFarm Bureau office at 708-354-3276 for an appoint-ment.

• The Commodities andMarketing Team will spon-sor a “Farming on YourBalcony” seminar at 9 a.m.Saturday, April 10, at theFarm Bureau office. Callthe Farm Bureau office at708-354-3276 for reserva-tions or more information.

• The Member RelationsTeam and the University ofIllinois Extension willsponsor a workshop onpreparing wills and trustsand transferring non-titledproperty at 7 p.m. Tuesday,April 13, at the FarmBureau office. Call theFarm Bureau office at 708-354-3276 for reservationsor more information.

CR A W F O R D —Kevin Rund, Illinois

Farm Bureau, will be thespeaker at an “On theRoad” meeting at 9 a.m.Thursday, March 25, at theFirst Christian Church,Oblong. Topics to be dis-

PROFITABILITY


Feeder pig prices reported to USDA*

Weight Range Per Head Weighted Ave. Price10 lbs. $34.90-$48.50 $40.7240 lbs. $60.00-$66.00 $65.5050 lbs. n/a n/aReceipts This Week Last Week

22,533 25,404*Eastern Corn Belt prices picked up at seller’s farm

MARKET FACTS

Confirmed lamb and sheep salesThis week 409 Last week 373 Last year 633Wooled Slaughter Lambs: Choice and prime 2-3: 90-110 lb., $132. Good andchoice 1-2: 60-90 lbs., $150.Slaughter Ewes: Utility and good 1-3: $54-$56. Cull and utility 1-2: $45-$54.

Lamb prices

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

This week Prev. week ChangeCarcass $70.74 $69.39 1.35Live $52.35 $51.35 1.00

Export inspections

(Million bushels)Week ending Soybeans Wheat Corn03-04-10 30.9 20.4 34.102-25-10 40.5 19.1 42.4Last year 31.0 14.7 43.9Season total 1137.9 641 841.4Previous season total 854.5 792.1 821.8USDA projected total 1400 825 2000Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

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

Steers N/A $90.00 N/A Heifers $91.00 $90.00 1.00

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 Change102.09 102.08 0.01

CME feeder cattle index — 600-800 Lbs.

Visit to Washington, D.C., an eye-openerBY ROD WELLS

I am not what would beconsidered a real political ani-mal. In fact, the first time I

had been toWashington,D.C., was inlate Februaryas a memberof the Agri-culturalRetailersAssociation.

My generalperception of

the political process prior to thetrip was that “things can’t bechanged” and “someone elsecan fight the political fight.”

After spending those fewdays in Washington, I havecome to believe I was wrongon both counts.

You see, I always felt that ifa person kept his head downand did his job the right way,people would come to respecthim and his opinions. As mycolleague, Chuck Spencer,would say, I was only part right.

In today’s environment,our industry must tell thestory of the way we workhard and do the right things.This became even moreapparent to me after my weekin Washington, where somefolks are underinformed or,

worse yet, misinformed.One of the sessions

involved the USDA chiefeconomist discussing a studythat projected the potentialimpacts of greenhouse gasregulation on our industry.

According to this particularstudy, the ability to provideoffsets by planting trees onfarmland could lead to somedramatic changes in landusage. Projections showalmost a 30 percent reductionin soybean production andmore than a 20 percent reduc-tion in corn production by2050 under this scenario.

As I listened to this mes-

sage, I couldn’t help but thinkof the numerous presentationsI have given, and several arti-cles I have written, discussingthe need for increased produc-tion to feed a growing worldpopulation.

Finding a way to doubleyields by 2030 to feed theworld is a huge challenge initself.

How will we double yieldsand make up for a 20 percentor greater reduction in cornproductivity in the U.S.? Howcould anyone overlook some-thing so basic?

It began to come togetherfor me at that moment. If we

don’t step up as individuals tochange this type of thinking,who will?

I will say that in visitingwith the staff of several mem-bers of Congress, all of themwere eager to hear from thoseof us with grassroots experi-ence. They listened and agreedwith our positions on keyissues.

But be assured, they alsocertainly hear from those whowould oppose our views.

Rod Wells is GROWMARK’sdirector of agronomy sales andoperations. His e-mail address [email protected].

Rod Wells

High input costs continue to challenge farmers BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

The price to plant this year’scrops keeps going up for farm-ers who haven’t locked in theirinput purchases.

The Illinois Department ofAgriculture’s most recentstatewide production costreport showed an increase inthe price for all seven inputs(anhydrous ammonia, urea, liq-uid nitrogen 28 percent spread,diammonium phosphate,potash, lime, and diesel fuel) it

tracks each month.The average price of anhy-

drous ammonia in the state asof March 4 ($527.82 per ton)was up $4.14 from the previousmonth while the average pricesof potash ($484.56 per ton)and liquid nitrogen ($256.12per ton) inched up $4.32 and$6.61, respectively.

Meanwhile, retail gasolineand diesel fuel prices last weeksurged to new highs for theyear. The national average pricefor regular gasoline was $2.75per gallon, up 81 cents from lastyear, while the average dieselprice was $2.90 per gallon, up86 cents from last year, accord-ing to the Energy InformationAdministration (EIA).

“Input costs are still a hugefactor that affect profitability,”said Ron Moore, chairman ofthe Illinois Soybean Associa-tion. “Fertilizer prices havecome down (from 2008 and2009 highs) but chemical costs,capital costs, land prices, andcash rents aren’t coming down.”

Moore said this year hepurchased a tractor that costthree times as much as the onehe replaced on his WarrenCounty farm.

Fuel prices are expected toremain high for the foreseeablefuture based on oil prices EIAprojected would average $81 perbarrel the second half of thisyear and $84 per barrel in 2011.

The average price of gaso-line was projected to increasefrom $2.35 per gallon last yearto $2.97 this year. EIA project-ed fuel prices likely will tip the$3 mark this spring or summer.

The price of diesel wasprojected to average $2.95 per

gallon this year and $3.16 pergallon in 2011.

Overall, USDA recentlyestimated U.S. farmers thisyear will experience a $700million increase in productionexpenses. If realized, produc-tion expenses would reach$281.4 billion, which would bethe second-highest on record.

In light of the pressure

from input costs, DarrinIhnen, president of theNational Corn Growers Asso-ciation, recently called on law-makers and regulators to avoidpassing new legislation or reg-ulations that would add to thecost of production.

“In tight economic times,we can’t stand to add costs,”he said.

Research projects highlighted last week at theIllinois Soybean Research Forum in Champaignoffered hope for farmers not only to increaseyields but to produce better beans as well.

Lila Vodkin, professor of crop sciences atthe University of Illinois, reported more than12 million gene sequences of soybeans in thepost-flowering stage have been profiled andcould be used to improve the quality of seeds.

“We’re trying to correlate them to traits thatare important in seed development,” Vodkin said.

The two key traits that could be improvedthrough research are the protein and oil con-tent of soybeans.

Meanwhile, advancements in nanotechnolo-gy — the study of controlling matter on anatomic or molecular scale — could yieldadvancements in crop research, human/medicalapplications, and animal health.

In fact, American Soybean Association dele-gates this month at their annual meeting addedsupport for the science of nanotechnology totheir resolutions.

Researchers also have mapped the genes ofthe pesky waterhemp plant in Illinois, accord-ing to Bryan Young, weed scientist at SouthernIllinois University in Carbondale.

“Now we have the major herbicide targetsite genes,” he said. “It could lead to a morerapid response to resistance in the future.”

Farmers at least for the time being will haveto shift their focus from simple glyphosate pro-grams to a broader approach to manage weedssuch as waterhemp and marestail that havedeveloped resistance to Roundup and otherherbicides.

“We have to get back to a (weed manage-ment) strategy and not just how many applica-tions of Roundup you use,” Young told farmers.

Farmers also should consider managementpractices such as soil testing and identifyingparticular types of soybean cyst nematodes(SCN) in fields to better control that pest,according to Terry Niblack, professor at the Uof I department of crop sciences.

SCN “costs us at least 150 million (bushels)a year in lost soybean yields,” Niblack said.

There are different types of SCN and vari-ous soy varieties with different levels of resis-tance to each. Farmers who match resistantvarieties to the particular type of SCN in theirfields could increase their yields by as much as15 to 24 percent, according to Niblack. —Daniel Grant

Soy research could yield better beans

FarmWeekNow.comVisit FarmWeekNow.com tocheck out the latest reportson crop input prices.

PROFITABILITY


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 any pro-jections, recommendations, or advice or anyother act of omission.

CASH STRATEGISTCorn Strategy

�2009 crop: The minortrend has turned softer. How-ever, downside risk should belimited with the 20-week cyclebottoming just last month. IfM ay f u t u r e s m ove a b ove$3.89, it would open the doorfor a test of $3.94-$3.97 resis-tance. Increase sales to 60percent if May rallies to $3.92.We may boost sales even more;check the Cash Strategist Hotlinefrequently. Basis may noti m p r o ve m u c h u n t i l l a t eApril/early May when farmersturn their focus to planting.

� 2010 crop: Decemberfutures hit our $4.10 target tomake a 20 percent new-cropsale. Given the depth of thebreak, wait for a move to $4for catch-up sales. Check theCash Strategist Hotline daily; wecould add to sales at any time.However, we believe there willbe more oppor tun i t i e s inMarch and April.

� Fundamentals: TheMarch supply/demand reportoffered little surprise. Fornow, weather and the March31 USDA reports are the mostimportant features on whichtraders focus on. Soybean Strategy

�2009 crop: The apparentturn lower in the dollar shouldhelp put a floor under soybeanprices. The depth of thisbreak has turned the largertrend sideways but not lower.We’d still leave orders to sellsoybeans if May futures hit$9.90, but would boost sales to60 percent. Keep in touch, aswe want to boost sales evenmore relatively soon. Checkthe Cash Strategist Hotline fre-quently.

�2010 crop: Leave an orderto make a 20 percent sale ifNovember futures reach $9.49.Check the Cash Strategist Hotlineoccasionally for changes. Planto have 50 percent sold by theend of planting.

� Fundamentals : Thispast week, the Chinese soy-bean cancellation capturedtraders attention. Traders did-n’t respond to talk that somenearby shipments were beingshifted to the U.S. because ofloading delays in Brazil. Talkof larger production continues

to prevail, but at the samet ime, there are cont inuedrepor ts of scat tered cropproblems.Wheat Strategy

� 2009 crop: The short-term trend remains negativewith prices slipping below the20 day moving average. Pricesstill could test the early Febru-ary low of $4.80, a violationof which would open thedoor to additional weakness.Wait to see if the May con-tract can recover back to $5.26to wrap up old-crop sales.

�2010 crop: Use a rally to$5.40 on Chicago July futuresto make an initial 25 percentsale. Check Cash Strategist Hot-line daily as this target could beadjusted at any time.

� F u n d a m e n t a l s : T h eMarch supply/demand reportconfirmed supplies are largewith U.S. ending stocks peggedat 1 bil l ion bushels. Worldstocks of 196.8 million metrictons remain large, too. Thetime when wheat crops aroundthe world become most vulner-ab l e to p rob l ems s t i l l l i e sahead.

At least from a sentimentalperspective, the strength inthe dollar since the beginningof the year has been a drag oncommodity prices, grainprices in particular.

The dollar has moved high-er with investors movingmoney out of the Eurobecause of Greece’s fiscalproblems and the difficultythe Europeans were havingresolving them.

Over the past two to threeweeks, they have made head-way on the problem, at least

Basis charts

for the foreseeable future.Long term, however, themoves may bring only a tem-porary resolution to fiscalproblems in a few Europeancountries, Greece included.They are likely to surfaceagain.

Amid the mix of features, it’salso interesting to note that theContinuous Commodity Index(CCI) put in its semi-annualbottom in early February.From a technical perspective,the rally out of the Februarylow may be the first leg of acorrection of the decline into it.

There eventually should beanother push higher, testingJanuary’s high, before the cor-rection is complete. With anumber of key commodities —crude oil and grains in particu-lar — having positive seasonalforces through spring, we’dexpect the next move up tooccur over the next few weeks.

Even with the grain marketsstill having difficulty recover-ing from the implications ofthe January USDA reports, theCCI, and potential for a weak-er dollar suggest there shouldbe better marketing opportuni-ties in the weeks ahead.

Still, the CCI’s Januarydecline may have set in motionthe long-term decline in com-modity prices, grains included,that we addressed last week.

Cents per bu.

Dollar, index changes ahead

“Lawmakers aren’t going to give up power withouta fight. There are proposals in the General Assemblythat revise the way political maps are drawn. Howev-er, we don’t trust anything they might come up with.We think the Fair Map Amendment is the best chancefor political reform in Illinois.”

Rockford Register“Everyone who’s tired of accepting less from

Springfield ought to give this(the Illinois Fair Map Amend-ment) their support. Of allthe reforms that have beenproposed over the last year, wedon’t believe any would haveas much impact as this one.”

Peoria Journal Star“...We’ve been to Spring-

field, where self-preservation isthe first rule of the road. Ourbet is on the Illinois Fair MapAmendment. Its backers call it a ‘citizens’ movementto take back Illinois.’ That sounds about right.”

Chicago Sun TimesI couldn’t say it better. The League of Women Voters of Illinois was an

early supporter of amending the Illinois Constitutionvia citizen initiative and is pleased to be part of thegrowing list of partners devoting time and resourcesto ensuring that we garner enough signatures to putthe amendment on the November ballot.

IFB is among those partners, and we are gratefulfor its support. But we need the support of its mem-bers as well. There are about 80,000 voting FarmBureau members spread throughout Illinois. If only

half of you downloaded one Fair Map Amendmentpetition (at www.ilfairmap.com), circulated it and got10 signatures, we could easily reach our signaturegoal.

If only 20,000 of you did likewise, we’d be halfwayto our goal. Lots is riding on our ability to get thenearly 500,000 signatures we need to make sure thismeasure gets on the November ballot.

Farm Bureau has been incredi-bly generous with its resources,its ideas, and its willingness tomake the petition available at itscounty offices throughout thestate.

Members of the League ofWomen Voters of Illinois arereturning dozens of signatureseach day and repor t that i t ’spretty easy to get signatures ofregistered voters with the sim-

ple message, “If you want to help make sure thatIllinois voters choose their representatives andnot the other way around, then sign this peti-tion.”

Please help us to achieve our goal. Your involve-ment in this project can materially affect the way inwhich “politics as usual” in Illinois can be trans-formed to politics “of the people, by the people andfor the people.”

On behalf of all Illinois Fair Map Amendment ini-tiative partners, thank you.

Nancy Marcus is president of League of Women Votersof Illinois. She can be contacted at [email protected].

PERSPECTIVES


Farm Bureau members key to improving state government It’s our pleasure at the League of Women Voters

of Illinois to be working with the Illinois FarmBureau on a citizen initiative — the Illinois Fair Map

Amendment — to reform the way weelect members of the Illinois GeneralAssembly.

As you all know, our state facesextremely ser ious problems andissues that our General Assembly hasfailed to address.

Despite this lack of leadership andresponsiveness to the people of Illi-nois, many members of the General

Assembly will be able to guarantee their re-electionsfor the next decade. They can do this by drawing thedistricts from which they will run for office for thenext 10 years after this year’s census is taken.

In the next few weeks, we have the opportunity toplace on the November ballot an amendment to ourstate Constitution that will ensure these districts willbe drawn in a fair and bipartisan way that representsthe public interest.

Newspaper editorial boards across Illinois are writ-ing in favor of the Illinois Fair Map Amendment.

Some examples:“If the people don’t act now, Illinois likely will be

stuck with a system that almost always ensures victo-ry for incumbents regardless of their record. It’s asystem that breeds corruption and prevents account-ability ... . Sign the petition. Pass the petition. Today.”

Daily Herald“We’re tired of lawmakers choosing their con-

stituents. It’s time for us to choose them.” Southtown Star

NANCYMARCUS

Reaching beyond the farm gateEmily Webel shares with the world her stories about life

on a livestock farm in Western Illinois.From her computer, she writes insightful-ly about farming on her blog, “Confes-sions of a Farm Wife,” found online at{www.webelfamilyfarm.blogspot.com}.

“We have a way of life not a lot ofpeople understand — even some ofour city friends,” says Emily, themother of three young daughters,ages 5, 3, and 8 months. She and her

husband, Joe, live on her family’s farmstead inFarmington.

Emily’s readers probably can identify with theWebels’ hectic lifestyle even if they don’t live alonga gravel road. Emily can identify with her readerswho also didn’t grow up on a farm. She jokinglyrefers to her blog dispatches as “Farming 101.”

She explains farming activities in layman’s termsand notes situations that are unique to country life.Her entry on the “farmer wave” (in which evenstrangers get a salutation) rings true to anyone whohas had a rural route address.

While Emily demonstrates that farm familiesaren’t that different than families who make theirhomes in cities and suburbs, she also shares specialheart-felt concerns held by farm wives.

“Although farm wives are all different types,most of us speak the same lingo: We wish the plant-ing season would end, but don’t want our husbandsto hurry and get hurt,” she writes. “We hope for nobreakdowns — mechanical or mental — during try-ing seasons. We pray for more rain or less, depend-ing on the year.”

Along the way, she also reveals the care farmersgive their animals and how the entire farm family,even the youngest members, become involved.

“On these cold days, Joe is like a good parent tohis (cattle) herd, continually checking them, espe-cially the heifers who are nearing their due dates ...My little livestock girls will know so much about thelife cycle of our animals.”

She continues on about farming lore passeddown from her father-in-law to her husband andnow to her own girls. Sharing such stories makesfarming less of a job and more of a way to connectfamily members, she notes.

Emily began putting a face on the average farmfamily after her experience of commenting onlineabout Michael Pollan’s appearance on Oprah Win-frey’s show. Author and food activist Pollan spokeagainst government aid to farmers and corn-fedbeef production.

“I dreaded the show giving farmers a bad reputa-tion for no reason,” Emily remembers.

She was surprised by the reaction to her setting-the-record-straight comments. Quite a few werenegative, but she also heard from a California grapegrower who praised her effort.

Emily credits her cousin and McDonough Coun-ty Farm Bureau manager Sarah Grant with plantingthe idea for a blog. “I used to be a teacher,” Emilyexplains. “I have a niche; I like to explain.”

Emily launched her blog on Jan. 29. Since then,nearly 480 readers have visited her site.

Emily and others like her are using technology topromote agriculture, much as farm wives have donefor generations.

The Porkettes and Cowbelles passed out samplesat grocery stores and fairs. Farm Bureau Women’sCommittees educated children and adults abouthow crops are grown and their many uses.

Those earlier efforts involved many face-to-faceconversations and only reached people in theimmediate vicinity. Today anyone anywhere poten-tially may be contacted via blogs, Facebook, andother social media — and it can happen around theclock.

Agriculture needs thoughtful farm people toexplain the reality of farming to consumers whomthey may never meet and who may never step ontoa farm.

Technology offers farm wives, especially thosewho work off the farm, an opportunity to provide

the truth about country life and their husbands’work.

They can share stories about farm family life witha husband who checks calves in the early morningand children who think the moon is magical becauseit helps calves be born.

Kay Shipman is legislative affairs editor for FarmWeek.Her e-mail is [email protected].

KAYSHIPMAN

Emily Webel squeezes in a few minutes to update her blog,“Confessions of a Farm Wife,” about life on a Western Illi-nois livestock farm. Daughters, left to right, Anna, 5;Amelia, 8 months; and Josie, 3; provide their mom withplenty of material for her writings. (Photo by Joe Webel)

FarmWeek March 15 2010 edition

Documents

ed funding

stateseducation funding

federalstimulus funding

education funding

estate tax

painful cut

theincome tax increase

expired tax credit