MANY AG TEACHERS and future ag teachers at the Illinois State FFA Convention were contemplative about the uncertainty of state education funding. .................3
AN IOWA VETERINARIAN has seen no solid evidence that links the use of antibiotics in livestock to antibiotic resistance in humans. ............................................9
Monday, June 14, 2010
IT COULD TAKE residents of Central and Nor ther n Illinois months to clean up what recently was destroyed by tornadoes in a matter of seconds. ........................11
Two sections Volume 38, No. 24
Flooded fields still a problem in some parts of state BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek
The planting pace and crop development as of the first of last week remained ahead of schedule in the state. Soybean planting last week was 82 percent complete compared to 55 percent last year and the five-year average of 81 percent.
FarmWeekNow.com Wet weather has meant lots of replanting across Illinois. Check CropWatchers reports by going to FarmWeekNow.com.
Periodicals: Time Valued
Meanwhile, 97 percent of the corn crop last week had emerged compared to just 70 percent at the same time last year, the National Agricultural Statistics Service Illinois field office reported. However, while the planting season in general went smoother this year compared to last year, some farmers in Illinois last week still were waiting for fields to dry out so they could complete planting. Dan Meinhart, a FarmWeek Cropwatcher from Jasper County, told FarmWeek he was able to plant only four days in April and was out of the fields most of May due to saturated soils and field ponding.
The situation was similar in parts of Western Illinois, particularly near the Iowa border. “We were ready to go to the field April 18 and we got three to four inches of rain here” and as much as six inches in the area, Meinhart said. “That got us about a week to 10 days behind everybody else.” Unfortunately, the rain continued to fall in parts of Southeastern Illinois, particularly in parts of Clark, Clay Crawford, Cumberland, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence, Marion, and Richland counties, Meinhart reported. “We only had four days to plant in April and we were rained out for four to five weeks after that,” said Meinhart, who said he finally got back in the field three days before Memorial Day weekend. Last week, Meinhart finished replanting corn, one field for the third time this season. The weather has been a challenge again this spring but it could be worse, he admitted. “Most people are going to get all their corn planted,”
he said. “Last year half the corn didn’t get planted and thousands of acres didn’t get planted at all.”
Meinhart last week was sidedressing nitrogen and spraying corn before he switched to planting beans.
But he’s still ahead of last year’s pace — he finished planting soybeans on July 5 last year.
Dan Meinhart, a farmer from Jasper County, stands near part of a cornfield he replanted on May 26. The corn in the background at right was planted April 18 and survived flooding. Meinhart last week finished planting corn after being rained out for nearly five weeks. He recently planted one field for the third time this season. (Photo by Ken Kashian)
Effort to override EPA greenhouse rules fails BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek
A Senate attempt to override Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation of greenhouse gases (GHG) failed last week after the White House came out against the measure. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-Alaska) longawaited EPA “disapproval” resolution, failed 47-53 along party lines. That disappointed groups including Illinois Farm Bureau and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the latter of whose legislative director, Colin Woodall, sees EPA GHG rules posing a “fairly significant hit” for livestock producers. Operating under a U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming its authority to regulate GHGs under the Clean Air Act, EPA recently drafted new rules for vehicular “mobile sources.” That’s seen as a first step toward new controls on so-called “stationary” sources including livestock and poultry operations.
“Our members are deeply concerned But legislative confusion and misinforabout climate change policies that would mation also muddied the debate, he short energy markets, drive up agricultural reported, noting some opponents production costs, and leave American attempted to tie EPA greenhouse authorifarmers unable to maximize agricultural ty to the Gulf oil spill while others argued production to feed a growing world popu- it was “against the science.” lation,” IFB President Philip Nelson said. “What it actually was doing was asking A few Democrats to go back and look at all the scisupported Murkowsence, instead of just a handful of FarmWeekNow.com ki’s amendment, To l i s t e n t o C o l i n Wo o d a l l ’s science,” Woodall stressed. including Senate Ag “If you really boil it down, it comments on the Senate vote on Chairman Blanche the Murkowski resolution, go to wasn’t a matter of having to Lincoln (D-Ark.) and FarmWeekNow.com. choose whether you’re supportSens. Mark Pryor (Dive of climate theory or not. It Ark.), Mary Landrieu was really about saying, ‘Wait a (D-La.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Jay Rocke- minute — let’s make sure we’re looking at feller (D-W.Va.), and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.). all the science and making informed deciWoodall told FarmWeek NCBA had sions.’” been close to wooing a few more DemocEfforts to block EPA greenhouse rules rats over, “but they disappointed us in the reportedly will continue on a bipartisan end.” basis in the House. Rep. Rick Boucher (DHe suggested President Obama’s Va.), co-sponsor of a bill that would preannouncement opposing the measure may vent EPA from regulating stationary have dissuaded some party fence-straddlers from backing Murkowski. See Greenhouse, page 5
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