FarmWeek May 16 2011

HARTSBURG-EMDEN FFA members are lear ning teaching skills through their supervised agricultural experience projects. ..........3

IT IS CRITICAL that farmers and their contractors notify JULIE before beginning any digging project on the farm. It’s also the law. .........10

FARM BUREAU MEMBERS can now use Facebook and Twitter to stay infor med about Illinois Farm Bureau. ................................11

Monday, May 16, 2011

Two sections Volume 39, No. 20

Farmers catching up after slow start to planting

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

The rainy pattern finally subsided in portions of Illinois and the Corn Belt, and farmers last week wasted no time catching up with corn planting.

Farmers from May 2 to May 9 planted 27 percent of the corn crop nationwide. Twenty-

corn in Illinois and 13 percent of the crop nationwide as cold, wet conditions prevailed in the Corn Belt.

Corn planting in Illinois on May 9 was 34 percent complete, compared to the five-year average of 62 percent, and nationwide it was 40 percent complete, compared to the average of 59 percent.

But many farmers have become more efficient, due in part to larger planters, and don’t need as large of planting window as they required in the past, according to Reed.

He estimated a farmer with a 24-row planter can cover 300-plus acres a day.

And many farm operations run multiple planters or

some that are even larger.

“We had some wet springs in the last decade and, because of that, many guys upsized equipment so they can cover more ground,” Reed said.

Reed finished planting corn last week but was replanting about 2 percent of his acres where cold, wet soils killed the crop.

The bright side of the abnormally cool spring is that nitrogen losses should be minimal, despite the planting delays, according to Fabian Fernandez, University of Illinois Extension specialist in soil fertility/plant nutrition.

See Planting, page 5

FarmWeekNow.com Check out the latest weather outlooks and Cropwatcher repor ts by going to FarmWeekNow.com.

Periodicals: Time Valued

four percent of the corn crop in Illinois was planted in the same week. Farmers last week likely planted an even higher percentage in areas where the rains held off.

The all-time record for the percentage of acres planted in one week nationwide is 43 percent in 1992, followed by 34 percent in the spring of 2009.

“In our area, from what I’ve seen, guys are catching up and, actually, a lot of guys finished up” or will be done planting corn by the first of this week, said Jim Reed, a Piatt County farmer and president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association.

Farmers in April managed to plant just 10 percent of

Pete Pistorius, left, who farms land near Blue Mound owned by the Bauer family of Christian County, and Steve Myers, a Busey Ag Services farm manager in LeRoy, check out planter boxes on a 36-row planter Pistorius was using last week to plant 120-acres — part of which is a research plot — on the farm managed by Busey Ag Services. Illinois farmers as last week began had planted 34 percent of the corn crop. That figure is expected to be much higher when new estimates are released today (Monday). Farmers with much larger equipment, including planters such as this, can plant many more areas in a day than was the case just a few years ago. (Photo by Tom Courson, Busey Ag Services farm manager in Decatur)

Costello: River ravages likely to spur floodplain review

BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek

Tough congressional decisions now could alleviate the need for tougher choices within the floodplain tomorrow.

That’s the belief of U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, a Belleville Democrat.

Costello defended U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh’s recent decision to intentionally breach the Bird’s Point Levee to relieve pressure on downstream levees and protect the small Southern Illinois community of Cairo.

The move, which resulted in flooding of some 130,000 Missouri acres, “wasn’t just an arbitrary decision” but was based on Corps guidelines that kick in when the Ohio River reaches 61 feet in the Bird’s Point area, Costello stressed.

At the same time, he believes comprehensive Mis-

sissippi River basin flood management strategy could help reduce future need for such crisis-borne decisions.

As a result Rep. Jerry of flood damCostello age extending from Illinois to Memphis and into Louisiana, Costello anticipates “a new review of the entire floodplain and current (flood management) policy and what, if anything else, needs to be done in the future.”

He noted residents in the area around the MississippiOhio River confluence hadn’t seen a flood threat as severe as this spring’s since 1937, but acknowledged reports indicating major flood events are becoming more frequent.

In the near term, he sees

FarmWeek on the web: FarmWeekNow.com

Congress drafting emergency supplemental funding to address both flood damage and recent tornado destruction in the deep South.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) was expected to conclude damage assessments around Cairo, Metropolis, and other areas late last week, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was to join IEMA in further regional evaluation this week.

Last week, Gov. Pat Quinn requested a federal disaster declaration. Costello was hopeful some “immediate assistance” would be on the way to the state once FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and others complete their assessments.

Costello is less certain how quickly lawmakers might address long-term flood-prevention-control needs, given

the current Capitol Hill budget environment.

“We have many members of Congress, freshmen in particular, who have signed a ‘no tax increase/no user fee increase’ pledge,” Costello told FarmWeek.

“The new majority in Congress (proposes reducing) spending back to 2008 levels.

“This is not ‘discretionary’ spending; this is something that was unforeseen and something we could not control. I’d hope those members would see this in a different category.

“We’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars building infrastructure in Iraq — hospitals and roads and schools.

We ought to be able to take care of the people who are paying the bills over there, and that’s the American people.

This is something we have a responsibility to do — to help them.”

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

FarmWeek Page 2 Monday, May 16, 2011

STATE

Quick Takes FLOOD ISSUES INTENSIFY — The mandatory evacuation order in Cairo last week was lifted as floodwaters receded.

However, flood issues simply moved south as the rising water brought misery to farms and waterfront communities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

In Louisiana, water poured over a century-old levee and flooded 12,000 acres of corn and soybeans, the Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as of Friday was considering opening the Morganza spillway, which reportedly would flood thousands of homes and acres of farmland along a 100-mile stretch in Louisiana but take pressure off levees around Baton Rouge.

Elsewhere, the Port of New Orleans reported the Coast Guard could close the Mississippi River to ships there early this week.

About the only bright side to the situation is the floodwaters in Mississippi have forced wild pigs, which can destroy 40 acres of crops per day, out into the open. Farmers reportedly were shooting the wild swine like fish in a barrel late last week.

QUINN GETS ROADKILL BILL — The Illinois Senate last week passed and sent to Gov. Pat Quinn legislation that would allow people with specific permits to gather road-kill animals.

Under the bill, individuals with the proper license, stamp, or permit may pick up the animals “unintentionally killed” by a vehicle or found along a road during open season. The carcasses could be skinned or used for food.

The bill’s supporters projected it would reduce the state’s cost for road cleanup.

WEEDOLYMPICS COMING — Before athletes compete in the London summer games, the U.S. will boast its first National WeedOlympics this summer in Knoxville, Tenn.

Student teams from universities across the nation will gather for the event sponsored by the Northeastern, North Central, Southern, and Western Weed Science Societies.

The students will compete for bragging rights as the nation’s best student weed scientists.

“We hope to provide an educational experience that will help students broaden their applied skills in weed science,” said Greg Armel, a professor with the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture.

Competitors will be judged on their performances in weed identification, sprayer calibration, herbicide identification — and problem-solving by working with volunteers posing as farmers or land managers who will present a weed control issue. Students must recommend an effective solution based on accepted best practices.

WeedOlympics is open to undergraduate and graduate students who will compete in three- and four-person t e a m s . F o r i n f o r m a t i o n , g o o n l i n e t o { w w w. weedolympics2011.org}.

(ISSN0197-6680) Vol. 39 No. 20

May 16, 2011

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Illinois House applies scalpel to ed funding Senate passes IDOA budget

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Illinois House cuts to state aid for schools emerged as another piece of the budget puzzle last week in the General Assembly.

Late Friday, the Senate tackled appropriation bills and passed a budget for the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) on a 33-24 vote. Details were not available by FarmWeek presstime Friday.

On a 102-12 vote, representatives approved cutting funding for early childhood education by about 5 percent while maintaining the perpupil amount of state aid at $6,119.

The House’s proposed education budget is less than the amount proposed by Gov. Pat Quinn. Quinn proposed to increase per-student funding to $6,267 and to increase early childhood funding by $38 million.

Unlike the governor, the House did not eliminate $14 million for regional superintendents of education or cut $95 million from school transportation funding.

The House proposed to increase districts’ transportation funding to $294 million.

This year’s budget development process has involved more members of the legislature compared to previous years when legislative leaders negotiated spending levels and sent members completed budgets for up-or-down votes.

“The next step will be to see what the Senate and House Appropriation Committees will do in their negotiations to finalize the state’s spending plan,” said Kevin Semlow, director of state legislation for Illinois Farm Bureau.

“With the deadline of May 31 for simple majority vote coming over the horizon, the pressure to finalize the state budget will continue to rise.”

On the legislation front, several House members criticized SB 1853, which proposes to change controversial cemetery oversight regulations.

IFB supports SB 1853 as amended because it would reduce the regulatory

burden on many cemeteries, including those operated by municipalities, townships, and religious and fraternal organizations.

During a Statehouse news conference, Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) accused legislative supporters of “ginning up the small cemeteries to complain to my colleagues.”

One of the most controversial aspects of the measure has been regulations applied to small, rural cemeteries because they had money in care funds.

Brady and Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) said amendments to the current law are sufficient to address unintended consequences.

Two House bills, one sponsored by Brady and another sponsored by Democrat Speaker Michael Madigan, would deal with those problems, the representatives said.

“We want to tie up loopholes ... We don’t want to harm small cemeteries,” Davis said.

Page 3 Monday, May 16, 2011 FarmWeek

STATE

State moving forward on education proposals

Danielle Hill, left, and Mary Rankin, both members of the Hartsburg-Emden FFA Chapter, compile materials for participants of the Summer Agriculture Institutes last week. The two juniors, neither from a farm background, are completing a second year of agriculture teaching as a supervised agricultural experience project. (Photo by Cyndi Cook)

Teaching lessons in the bag for Hartsburg-Emden FFA’ers the plant cycle and how things work,” Hill said during a short break last week. “I’m still trying Teaching requires preparation, materials, and to decide what I want to do (as a career), but it organization. It’s a lesson learned by four Harts- (the SAE) gives you a better understanding of burg-Emden FFA members through their super- teaching and agriculture.” vised agricultural experience (SAE) projects of “It’s fun to teach fourth graders where food teaching elementary students about agriculture. comes from,” added Mary Rankin.

Last week, Danielle Hill, Mary Rankin, and The FFA members’ experience and their Sydney Zamora, all juniors, and Rankin’s sister, exposure to potential careers fit well with proErin, a sophomore, helped Kevin Daugherty, posals recommended by Illinois education education director with Illinois reformers. The state’s “Race-toAgriculture in the Classroom the-Top” proposal targeted agri(IAITC), prepare materials for 40 ‘ I f s o m e b o d y culture as one of the priority upcoming Summer Agricultural w a n t s t o b e a industries and sought to involve Institutes. industry to provide work experit e a c h e r , t h i s ence. (See accompanying story) Ironically, the high school stuwould be a good dents helped prepare teaching Through Summer Institutes, materials for an estimated 600 the agriculture industry also idea.’ teachers who will earn college exposes teachers of preschool credit by participating in instithrough high school students to — Danielle Hill industry practices, technology, tutes across Illinois. The stuFFA member with agriculture dents, along with Daugherty and and potential careers for their teaching project several IFB staff members, filled students.

600 plastic bags with ag-related This year, 12 Summer Instiinformation at the Illinois Farm Bureau Building tutes will focus on special topics, Daugherty in Bloomington. noted. For more information about the instiHill and Mary Rankin are completing their tutes, contact the local county Farm Bureau second year of teaching ag-based lessons each office or go online to {www.aginthemonth to fourth graders. Neither lives on a farm classroom.org} and look under “Conferences nor has an agricultural background, but both and Teacher Training.” said they enjoy learning — and then teaching — Hill has advice for any students considering agricultural information to younger students. teaching as a profession: “If somebody wants to “It’s a great experience ... It’s fun to explain be a teacher, this (SAE) would be a good idea.”

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Illinois education reformers are working to put in place some of the ideas the state submitted in its Race-to-the-Top application for federal education dollars.

Because Illinois wasn’t selected in either of two rounds for federal money, the changes must be implemented as funding permits, said educators, state officials, and others who spoke recently during a state education reform meeting in Chicago.

Jason Tyszko, deputy chief of staff for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), highlighted four targeted results.

One will be an understanding of the labor market demand and projected growth in specific jobs within career fields.

The agriculture, food, and natural resource industry is one of nine priority fields identified in Illinois.

A second result will be an assessment of the institutions that offer education and training programs for the priority fields. Industry sectors are to help compile the work experiences, certifications, credentials, and any other requirements needed for jobs in those fields.

The third result will be a list of course sequences to prepare students for careers in the identified fields.

And the fourth will be an assessment and inventory of the public and private industry partners in the priority fields.

Some work on the four outcomes started late last year and continues, according to Tyszko.

Another part of the Race-to-the-Top proposal was development of statewide information technology to share innovations and data among all students and educators across the state.

“This (information system) would not be scaleable if districts had to pay for it on their own,” said Jonathan Furr, a Chicago attorney who coordinated the state’s Race-to-theTop application.

Furr reported work to develop such a system is being shepherded by a partnership involving the Illinois State Board of Education, DCEO, and the University of Illinois’ National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

“Illinois understands it has (education) needs that need addressing,” Tyszko said. — Kay Shipman

Illinois to receive money for high-speed rail trains Illinois will receive $268 million in high-speed rail funding to buy 48 new passenger cars and seven locomotives equipped for high-speed rail travel, Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat, and Mark Kirk, a Highland Park Republican, announced last week.

The federal money was part of $2 billion that was rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The latest announcement comes on the heels of an earlier announcement of $186 million for track improvements between Dwight and Joliet.

Durbin expressed hope the new passenger rail cars would be built in Illinois.

The new rail cars and locomotives will replace obsolete Amtrak equipment.

Illinois receives $186 million more for high-speed rail route Florida refusal benefits Illinois Illinois will receive an additional $186 million for a high-speed rail corridor between Chicago and St. Louis, Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat, and Mark Kirk, a Highland Park Republican, announced recently.

The U.S. Department of Trans-

portation is providing additional highspeed rail funding that was rejected by Gov. Rick Scott of Florida.

The money will be spent on tracks and other improvements between Dwight and Joliet.

“Illinois will be able to use this funding to upgrade an important segment of the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor,” Durbin said in a prepared statement.

“This project will create nearly 6,000

direct and indirect jobs, decrease delays, and improve performance,” Kirk said.

Illinois’ application for Floridarejected funding included two other high-speed rail projects that are still eligible.

Those projects are: a multi-state, $806.8-million application for new train cars and locomotive equipment that includes $262.8 million for new train cars to operate along several Illi-

nois corridors, and $1 million for preliminary engineering and environmental work on a new station in East St. Louis.

Last December, Illinois received $42.3 million in high-speed rail funding that was rejected by the governors of Ohio and Wisconsin.

The various governors rejected the federal funding over concerns that the projects could result in too great a cost to their taxpayers.

Page 5 Monday, May 16, 2011 FarmWeek

PRODUCTION

USDA sees record U.S. corn crop Lower crop yields, record based on current acreage estimate prices forecast for 2011

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

USDA last week projected domestic corn production this year will reach an all-time high despite the late start to planting.

U.S. farmers currently are projected to plant 92.2 million corn acres and harvest 85.1 million of those acres, with an average yield of 158.7 bushels per acre.

If realized, corn production this year would total a record 13.5 billion bushels.

“American farmers appear poised to once again respond to market signals and increase their productivity without needing to convert non-agricultural land to cropland,” said Geoff Cooper, vice president of research for the Renewable Fuels Association.

Darrel Good, University of Illinois Extension economist, recently noted the most

important factor for corn production once the crop is in the ground is summer weather, particularly during pollination.

“Obviously, a lot can change between now and the fall that could make the crop larger or smaller,” Cooper said. “Nevertheless, it appears farmers are prepared to supply enough corn to meet demand and add to surplus levels.”

Strong corn demand, bolstered by increased ethanol production, and tight grain supplies in recent months have been blamed for higher food prices.

But USDA last week increased its ending stocks estimate for corn by 170 million bushels and decreased corn exports by 100 million bushels, which loosened an otherwise tight supply outlook.

The question now is whether U.S. farmers will be

able to plant 92-plus million acres of corn, which USDA initially forecast in March.

At least some market analysts believe the acreage projection is unattainable given the late start. Corn planting nationwide the first of last week was only 40 percent complete compared to 80 percent a year ago and the fiveyear average of 59 percent.

“If the weather straightens out, we’ll be fortunate to get 90 million acres of corn planted,” said Al Kluis of Kluis Commodities.

Kluis predicted the amount of corn and spring wheat planted this spring will decline from previous projections while soybean acreage likely will increase by 1 to 2 million acres.

USDA will shed more light on the situation with its June 30 acreage report.

CME Group revises corn daily price limit proposal CME Group the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, last week revised its recent proposal to increase daily price limits for corn futures and options.

Daily limits on Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) corn futures and options, pending approval by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), would increase to 40 cents per bushel from the current 30 cents per bushel.

CME Group in late April proposed increasing daily limits to 50 cents per bushel. These contracts are listed with, and subject to, the rules and regulations of CBOT. “In response to significant increases in prices and volatility in the market, we recently proposed daily price limit increases in corn futures,” said Tim Andriesen, CME Group managing director of agricultural commodities and alternative investments.

“It’s important that markets trade allowing for price transparency and risk transfer and that limit moves are infrequent so as not to

prevent price discovery.

“At the same time, we recognize wider limits have an impact on many of our commercial customers,” he continued. “After significant discussion with customers and representative trade groups, we’ve reduced the proposed increase to 40 cents per bushel, which is a level we believe balances those two concerns.”

The current price limit is 30 cents per bushel per day for corn futures and option contracts, expandable to 45 cents and then to 70 cents when at least two contracts close at limit bid or limit offer on the previous trading day.

Under the new proposal, price limits would be 40 cents per bushel per day with a maximum of one increase to 60 cents per bushel.

Corn futures prices and volatility have increased significantly in recent months. In the first quarter of 2011 alone, 36 corn contract months settled at limit bid or limit offer, which is equal to the amount of corn contracts that settled at limit bid or limit offer all of last year.

The late start to planting this year and extreme weather conditions in the U.S. (saturated soils in parts of the North and dryness/drought in the deep South) could cut into crop yields.

USDA last week in its May crop production report projected national average yields this year of 158.7 bushels per acre for corn (3 bushels below the 1990-2010 trend), 43.4 bushels for soybeans (down a tenth of a bushel from last year), and 44.5 bushels for winter wheat (down 2.3 bushels from a year ago).

“When you look at surprises of the report, the projected drop in corn yield reflects the fact that we (as of last week) are about 20 to 25 percent behind normal planting,” said Al Kluis, market analyst with Kluis Commodities, during a teleconference hosted by the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. “With late planting, you just about always end up with below trend-line yields.”

Overall, USDA projected winter wheat production this year will total 1.42 billion bushels, which would be down 4 percent compared to last year.

In Illinois, however, winter wheat production is expected to climb as farmers this year are expected to harvest 730,000 acres with an average yield of 61 bushels per acre compared to last year when farmers in the state harvested a record-low 295,000 wheat acres that averaged 56 bushels per acre.

USDA projected the season-average price for all wheat will be a record $6.80 to $8.20 per bushel.

The season average price for corn also was projected to set a record — $5.50 to $6.50 per bushel — despite some bearish projections in the latest report.

USDA last week cut its projection for 2011/12 corn exports by 100 million bushels and subsequently raised ending stocks by 170 million bushels to a total of 900 million bushels.

“That could be pretty negative for July corn futures,” Kluis said.

Ending stocks for 2011/12 were lowered 172 million bushels for wheat to a total of 702 million bushels and projected at 160 million bushels for soybeans, up 10 million bushels from 2010/11.

The season average price for beans was projected at $12 to $14 per bushel compared to an average of $11.40 in 2010/11.— Daniel Grant

Management needed to control biennial thistles As the weather warms, biennial thistles will become more evident along roadsides, rights-of-way, and pastures, according to Robert Bellm, University of Illinois Extension crop systems educator.

“Successful management of thistles requires an integrated and systematic approach to prevent seed production and spread,” Bellm said.

Many biennial thistles grow in Illinois, including plumeless thistle, bull thistle, Flodman thistle, and tall thistle. The most common one is the musk thistle, also known as nodding thistle because of the way its flowers often bend over or nod toward the ground.

“All thistles, because of their aggressive spread and spiny nature, are detrimental to forage production as well as

animal and human well-being,” Bellm said. The Illinois Department of Agriculture lists musk thistle as a noxious weed.

Biennial thistles live for two years and only propagate through seed production. The seeds germinate during late spring to early summer, and the plants form a prostrate rosette of leaves during the first growing season and through winter.

During the second growing season, beginning in late April to early May, the plant will grow more upright. Flowering and seed production occur during late May through June.

Bellm recommended early infestations of small patches be eliminated as quickly as possible to reduce seed production.

Herbicides are most effective when applied during the rosette growth stage, either in

late fall or early spring. Once the plant has begun to bolt and flower, it is capable of producing viable seed even after a herbicide application.

Herbicides used to control thistles in pastures may have haying or grazing restrictions, or animal withdrawal restrictions prior to slaughter.

“Remember to always read and follow all herbicide label directions,” Bellm said.

Mowing may be beneficial, but must be done at least monthly with the mower run as close to the ground as possible.

If mowing is done only once during the season, basal and root buds will often break dormancy and produce new flowering stalks. A combination of mowing followed by a herbicide application works better than mowing alone, he added.

Planting Continued from page 1 “I suspect that for N applied correctly last fall there was very little chance for nitrification,” said Fernandez, who noted bacteria need warm temperatures and aerobic conditions to transform ammonium to nitrate.

Meanwhile, farmers still dealing with wet soils last week were advised to maintain their current planting plans. Some farmers have inquired about switching to early-maturing corn hybrids, according to Kevin Black, GROWMARK insect/plant disease technical manager. (See Black’s column on page 7) “Most adapted hybrids can be planted into the first week of June without large loss of yield potential, or at least until the end of May in northern areas,” Black said. “More yield potential will be lost by switching to earlier hybrids than by staying with adapted full-season varieties.”

FarmWeek Page 4 Monday, May 16, 2011

GOVERNMENT

July 1 FTA target closer to reality?

BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek

With some progress being made toward July enactment of key free trade agreements (FTAs), U.S. House Ag trade subcommittee chairman Tim Johnson is “guardedly optimistic” Illinois producers soon may see new Asian/Latin American market opportunities.

During House Ag Committee hearings on pending South Korea, Colombia, and Panama FTAs, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack reported progress in prepping the agreements for a long-awaited congressional vote.

Kirk last week was finetuning FTA language for House Ways and Means/Senate Finance Committee consideration. Once the administration formally submits legislation, Congress has 90 days to act upon it, but supporters are pushing a July 1 deadline for agreements to reach the president’s desk.

That reportedly would help head off competition under a new Korean-European Union agreement set to kick in in July and provide improved market access for 2011 crops.

Johnson, an Urbana Repub-

Rep. Tim Johnson

lican and chairman of the House Ag Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee, sees “no problem” with House FTA approval. Senate Finance

Chairman Max Baucus (DMont.) announced last week the Senate is poised to approve the three FTAs. Johnson noted projections that the U.S. could boost annual ag exports to the three markets from a current roughly $6.5 billion to as much as $9.6 billion under FTA import tariff reduction/elimination schedules.

According to Johnson, U.S. producers have lost out on nearly $10 billion in sales over four years of “dithering” over the three agreements.

“A couple of years ago, when (then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) put the quietus on our Colombian agreement, I got to be very hesitant and very skeptical about the ability of the process to work,” Johnson told FarmWeek last week.

“As of this morning (May 12), in my questions to Mr. Kirk and Mr. Vilsack, both seemed to be pretty optimistic and very positive about moving forward on all three.”

He sees the FTAs offering especially significant potential for Illinois — the sixth largest state in terms of overall merchandise exports — and his own Eastern Illinois district, a

leading U.S. grain-producing region.

As part of a pledge to ensure Baucus’ support, the administration will attempt to resolve remaining challenges to South Korean beef access following FTA approval. Johnson said he was “pretty optimistic we can iron things out.”

“Likewise, if we’re able to consummate these agreements, what this would mean for pork producers on a per-animal basis is pretty dramatic,” Johnson added. “We have a lot of markets out there, and these three (FTAs) specifically will do a whole lot to help our farmers.”

Immigration reform deemed a major consumer cost issue “Labor intensive” agriculture is lodged between a rock and a hard place — required to employ “legal” workers but prevented from investigating or challenging suspect workers. Consumers soon could feel their share of that pressure.

So warns Frank Gasperini Jr., National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) vice president. He sees dim prospects for comprehensive immigration reform as Congress heads into a new election cycle, despite President Obama’s recognition of ag labor needs.

At the same time, summer approval of employer “E-Verify” requirements is “extremely likely,” he told FarmWeek. U.S. House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) strongly favors mandatory E-Verify.

E-Verify is an Internet-based system designed to allow employers to determine the eligibility of their workers.

NCAE participated in a Washington immigration summit last week focusing on the challenges of electronic worker Social Security verification and the need for some form of EVerify relief for ag employers. NCAE labels E-Verify a “looming train wreck for labor-intensive agriculture,” which includes vegetable growers, dairies, and meat packers.

Ag worker verification already is difficult, and based on U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) estimates of falsely documented workers, Gasperini fears temporary laborers could be “failing E-Verify in droves as soon as it’s implemented.”

Producers who receive a tentative E-Verify “non-confirmation” notice must ask suspect workers to resolve problems within a specified deadline.

But employers can’t investigate documents or even “steer” workers toward producing specific identification such as a driver’s license for fear of federal discrimination charges or lawsuits, Gasperini said.

Obama recently told an El Paso crowd, “We need to provide farms a legal way to hire the workers they rely on, and a path for those workers to earn legal status.” Gasperini found that emphasis “very encouraging” but sees Obama lacking “political power” to move legislation through a Republican House.

He was disappointed the president failed to acknowledge the importance of ag labor to food production and prices.

“The direction we’re driving is going to encourage domestic food production to move offshore,” Gasperini said. “People are pretty upset about $4.20 gasoline. How will they feel if instead of spending about 10 percent of their income on food, they went to 20 percent, like people in most other countries?”

He called the federal H2A visa program, a source of fully verified workers, “so badly broken it currently provides less than 2 percent of our ag workers.” Gasperini sees “no way” the DOL could boost a 100,000-person annual H2A workforce to 800,000 or 1 million workers to fill gaps caused by E-Verify. — Martin Ross

EPA ‘out of control,’ lawmakers target $$ There’s an outlaw in Washington, and U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello feels Congress must police it. The villain is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Costello, a Belleville Democrat, recognizes the need for a vigilant environmental watchdog. But the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee member fears EPA’s new “draft guidance” push could significantly expand regulatory control over U.S. waters and lands around them and thus “make it more difficult to farm and do commerce.”

“EPA is an agency that’s out of control, and it’s an agency that’s not following the law,” Costello told FarmWeek. “It’s using discretion in going above and beyond in many areas. That’s one of the reasons why I voted with the (House) majority to take away funding from the enforcement side of EPA, in order to send the EPA a message.

“We have to rein them in. We also have to make certain the laws are clear and that (EPA doesn’t) go above and beyond the law in its discretion. That hurts farmers, it hurts our economy, and it hurts the creation of jobs.” — Martin Ross

FarmWeek Page 6 Monday, May 16, 2011

CROPWATCHERS Bernie Walsh, Durand, Winnebago County: Summer-like temperatures last week made for lots of catch-up planting in almost every field, even ones that had been too wet. Most farmers are finishing their corn and getting a good start on soybean planting. The early-planted corn is just starting to spike through, and lots of herbicide application is a high priority right now. We missed all the rain for the second week in a row and now are hoping for some rain to help get things started.

Pete Tekampe, Grayslake, Lake County: We had summer last week in Lake County.

We went from the low 30s two weeks ago to the 90s last week. Great for farming until we had a storm that dumped 0.5 of an inch of rain on Wednesday afternoon. Corn is about half planted in Lake County. I finished corn Tuesday and planned to start beans Friday. Most of the winter wheat looks good and is finally greening up with the heat. We are seeing which tiles are working because we still have a lot of wet spots. Most of the farmers are just working around them this year because of how late it is. I don’t know if they are going to come back and fill them in or not. They were calling for rain the next three days. I hope they are wrong.

Leroy Getz, Savanna, Carroll County: A little shower of 0.15 of an inch on Saturday morning, May 7, allowed planters a few hours of rest. The corn crop is 95 percent or better planted, and soybeans are close behind. Very few fields are left to be planted to anything. Sprayers are trying to keep up with the pace. Three days of record-high temperatures at 90 degrees brought growing degree units to 166. Corn is emerging, and it will all be up about the same time.

Ryan Frieders, Waterman, DeKalb County: What a difference a week can make.

Corn planting has progressed rapidly in our area to 75 percent complete, and some farmers are done. There have been a few scattered showers, but for the most part fieldwork has continued. The early-planted corn has finally emerged, though some fields are uneven. Soybeans are being planted at this time as well. We had record-high temperatures earlier in the week. We need more sunshine and continued warm temperatures to promote emergence.

Larry Hummel, Dixon, Lee County: Since we started planting corn, it seems like we have had a chance for rain almost every day of the week. Luckily, we have missed every one except for a few dust-settlers.

Corn planting is wrapping up and the majority of soybeans are in the ground. As planting winds down, it is time to shift gears and start praying for some nice showers to make sure all the seeds germinate and get this crop on its way.

Joe Zumwalt, Warsaw, Hancock County: There has been equipment moving in every direction. As of Friday morning, I had received only 0.1 of an inch of rainfall. The week of dry weather allowed many producers in Western Illinois to replant the necessary cornfields and start on soybeans. I would guess that perhaps 20 percent of the corn in my immediate area will be replanted. Those fields planted from April 10 through 14 just weren’t able to withstand the cold weather we experienced. Several in the area are finished with soybeans, but some have not begun. While we have had some hot days, cool temperatures continue to plague us. I hate to say it, but we are in need of a rain. A nice inch would be appreciated, and luckily there are several chances in the forecast. Some of the fields that I planted in the past week will need rain to germinate.

Ken Reinhardt, Seaton, Mercer County: The hit-and-miss rains have all missed so far, but more was predicted through the weekend. Most here are ready for a nice rain. Everyone, including me, is really tired, but thankful for the non-stop planting weather. I can now say I planted in 27-degree weather and a week later in 93-degree temperatures. Corn is in, for the most part, and soybeans are rapidly going in. There is some replanting of corn that was planted mid-April on lighter soil. Corn planted the first week in May is up and running.

Ron Moore, Roseville, Warren County: We received 0.7 of an inch of rain on Wednesday. We really needed a rain to soften the crust on some of the early-planted corn.

There were a lot of rotary hoes being used last week to help the corn emerge. Some fields were replanted and many seed dealers were scrambling to find seed corn that was in short supply. It took 25 days for corn to emerge that was planted April 11 and seven days for corn to emerge that was planted on May 4. Thank goodness for the improved genetics that we use today. Corn planting is almost finished in this area now and soybeans are just getting started. We have a few days left to finish soybeans. The forecast was for more rain over the weekend so we should finish this week.

Jacob Streitmatter, Princeville, Peoria County: A lot of corn was planted in a week. The corn I planted a week ago is now up and enjoying the warm weather. My April corn has been replanted, along with many others in the area. A nice rain shower would be great, just not a gullywasher. A few guys started planting soybeans last week. We shall see what another week brings.

Mark Kerber, Chatsworth, Livingston County: A lot of corn was planted in a short amount of time last week.

Some afternoon thunderstorms did dampen a few, but they were very spotty. Ground conditions are the best I have seen in a few years. We bought a harrow to pull behind the cultivator but never had to use it. I also have a new rotary hoe sitting in the shed that I hope we will never have to use. Rain and cooler temperatures were in the forecast over the weekend, so we will see how wet it gets to delay planting.

Ron Haase, Gilman, Iroquois County: Saturday, May 7, we received 0.2 of an inch of rain and that was the only rain we received to prevent planting being done last week. We made a lot of planting progress, as we were in the field five of the seven days. We went from having 0 percent of our corn planted on May 5 to 60 percent done as of May 12. Friday was the 13th, but Thursday was my day for bad luck. I had five minor breakdowns to keep me from getting more planted. If we can avoid breakdowns, we need another three big days of planting to finish all of our acres.

The hot weather sure helped dry the soil and get the corn that is planted off to a good start. The corn we planted two weeks ago is emerged after 6.5 days. The corn planted the first week of April is now at the V2 growth stage. Some fields planted that week were replanted last week. Local closing bids for May 12: nearby corn, $6.62; new-crop corn, $5.97; nearby soybeans, $13.36; new-crop soybeans, $12.93.

Brian Schaumburg, Chenoa, McLean County: Corn planting is wrapping up in this area and a few soybeans are in the ground. Corn planted on May 5-7 was up in seven days due to the record-high temperatures in the 90s. GDUs jumped up to 199, still 60 behind the five-year average. Most corn planted April 14-15 came up just fine.

Pomp, circumstance, and wedding bells occupy weekends when it is too wet to plant. Corn, $6.53; $5.88 fall; soybeans, $13.28; $12.81 fall; wheat, $6.60.

Steve Ayers, Champaign, Champaign County: Dust is flying everywhere as corn and beans are being planted at a rapid pace. I noticed Thursday that the hedge leaves are as big as a squirrel’s ear, so its time plant. Soil temperatures and soil conditions are nearly perfect for planting. Saturday, May 7, storms rumbled through the area with heavy rain and hail, but we received only 0.1 of an inch. Rain was in the forecast for the next three days along with temperatures into the 60s. Corn planted in mid-April finally emerging after it warmed up. Let’s be careful out there!

Wilfred Dittmer, Quincy, Adams County: There still were some clouds Friday morning, but no rain since Wednesday when we picked up about 0.4 of an inch of rain.

Some received an inch or more and hail, but we just got wet. We are actually on the dry side and could use a gentle soaking rain. As for corn planting, I think most is in the ground for the first time and even some for the second time. Most real early corn has emerged, but some of the later planted had problems. A few have started on soybeans as temperatures really warmed up last week and soils are working well. What wheat is in the area looks good also.

Carrie Winkelmann, Tallula, Menard County: We received no measurable rain last week, which has led to a great deal of fieldwork being done in the area. We finished planting corn and beans with both crops emerging in the fields planted at the start of the month. There also is a lot of early-planted corn up in the area that looks to be doing well from the road, I’m guessing around V2.

There also is a lot of spraying going on, trying to catch up on the weeds that got such a head start with the wet weather. I would estimate that 85-90 percent of corn is planted in the area and 50 percent of the soybeans. The pesky buffalo gnats are back again making it impossible to work outside without dosing yourself in a liberal amount of Buggins.

Tom Ritter, Blue Mound, Macon County: A week of dry weather allowed a tremendous advance in the number of acres of corn planted. By Thursday evening, more than 80 percent of the corn in the area had been planted. Several people have finished. The last rain was spotty, so different people were able to go before others. Some fields are finally drying out. There have been just a few soybeans planted — definitely less than 5 percent. Overall, for the late start, farmers have caught up. Not sure whether there will be much yield drag due to the lateness.

Some years we seem to have that and some we don’t. A lot of fields that will be going to soybeans have some major weed problems that will have to be dealt with before planting.

Todd Easton, Charleston, Coles County: What a difference a week can make when conditions are finally right and everyone has been waiting for so long. Monday morning (May 9), the ground was dry enough to start working and in the four days since, it looks like producers went from 5 percent of the corn in the ground to well above 50 percent. Going into the weekend the forecast was for a strong chance of rain, which may have slowed progress, but hopefully with the warmer weather not for long. There also have been a handful of soybean fields planted in the last couple days, but not a significant amount. Corn planted in early-April is just at the V2 stage. Unfortunately, by appearance, it shows that it has had a very tough first month. It will be interesting to see how that corn will compare in yield to what we planted last week. I can’t remember in my short farming career everyone putting in such long, hard hours as we have this spring.

Along with that comes a much higher chance for accidents, so we must always remember safety first.

Page 7 Monday, May 16, 2011 FarmWeek

CROPWATCHERS Jimmy Ayers, Rochester, Sangamon County: No rain at our place this past week, although there were scattered showers in the area and some received up to 0.6 of an inch. The corn and bean planters were really rolling last week. A large portion of the corn was planted.

Corn planted earlier is looking a lot better after getting some warmth. A few guys went right from corn to beans and some have the ability to plant both at the same time. We finally got down in the river bottoms and worked some of those up. Markets are still riding the roller coster. I haven’t seen any hay cut. The wheat is coming around slowly.

Doug Uphoff, Shelbyville, Shelby County: We planted a lot of corn last week in less than ideal conditions. We are still planting around ponds, but we are getting a lot of corn planted. We are probably two-thirds done and should finish up the beginning of this week. Some farmers with less acreage have started planting soybeans. We are going to keep our nose to the grindstone and keep plugging away. Weed pressure has been a problem in some of the fields and we are having to work them twice. I know everybody is tired. Be safe out there.

David Schaal, St. Peter, Fayette County: Some field activity started in the area. A lot of spreading of fertilizer along with burndown spraying. Tuesday some showers came through leaving 0.1 to 0.7 of an inch of rain. I received 0.3 of an inch, but the fields were not too dry to start with. Some tillage along with a little planting going on in the county, but not right in my immediate area. If rains hold off, producers will hit the fields hot and heavy here soon.

Ted Kuebrich, Jerseyville, Jersey County: It was a good week for getting fieldwork done, putting on nitrogen, and planting corn. Farmers who have their corn planting done have started planting beans. With all the rain we have had, there are still parts of Jersey County waiting to dry out. On Wednesday, we received a couple of showers that put a short stop to planting. Most of the goldenrod in the untilled fields has been sprayed and is starting to dry up. The wheat is starting to head out. There has been some hay cut, but it has been hard to get it to dry in between showers. The Illinois River is going down, but it is still above flood stage of 425 (sea level). Friday, it was at 428.8. Prices at Jersey County Grain, Hardin: cash corn, $6.73; fall delivery corn, $5.92; cash beans, $13.43; fall delivery beans, $12.78; June/July wheat, $7.12.

Dan Meinhart, Montrose, Jasper County: A little planting was done last week where conditions permitted. Quite a bit of burndown spraying was done to hold the weeds back. Some preplant anhydrous application is being done where ground allows. The wheat is still struggling with all of the wet weather.

Some wheat is being chopped for silage. An isolated shower moved through the area Thursday afternoon leaving more than an inch in its path. Rain was in the forecast for every day during the weekend with predications of 1.5 to 2 inches of accumulation. That would take us out of the field for another week.

Dave Hankammer, Millstadt, St. Clair County: Sunshine returned May 9 with temperatures steadily increasing from lows in the mid-60s in the early-morning hours to daytime highs in the low 90s by mid-week. Farmers started performing numerous tasks ranging from applying fertilizer and crop protectant to tilling and planting corn. Fungicide application was applied to the wheat crop with the seed head being fully elongated and pollinating. I did see a small load of what appeared to be first-cutting alfalfa hay being delivered to a stable.

Somewhere an alfalfa grower made hay.

Local produce farmers have been busy planting various vegetable crops. Thunderstorms and showers with cooler temperatures were predicted for the weekend. Have a safe week.

Rick Corners, Centralia, Jefferson County: We are just about to get dry enough to go.

We have been tiptoeing around a little on a few of the high spots.

People are just venturing out, but guess what — rain is on its way.

Radar Friday showed it in St. Louis, so here we go again.

Wheat looks good. Airplanes and helicopters have been running, even a few ground rigs.

Kevin Raber, Browns, Wabash County: Field activities were able to resume last week until a thunderstorm blew through late Thursday afternoon.

More rain was forecast for Friday through Sunday. The wheat crop looks good for the conditions it has endured, but the wet conditions will take their toll if the wheat doesn’t get its feet dry soon. The big Wabash is supposed to go below flood stage this week.

Dean

Shields,

Murphysboro, Jackson County: Weather cooperated a little bit more last week. It dried out some, and people were able to get in the field and start planting some corn and possibly some beans, too. The water in the river bottom area that I farm is still very high and the locks are still holding the water on us. That water won’t leave until the Mississippi gets low enough that the locks or the gates can be opened. It actually is still coming up a little bit. The rest of Jackson County seems to be breaking loose with farming, and there was quite a bit done this past week. At least we are doing something.

Wheat is headed out. So far, it looks fairly good for all of the rain we’ve had, but only time will tell to see if there are any diseases. I woke up Friday morning and it had rained another 0.2 of an inch. Hope everybody else is having a little better luck.

Randy Anderson, Galatia, Saline County: Not much fieldwork last week. Sorry, I must sound like a broken record. A few planters in the county ran on Wednesday and Thursday in spots. I was able to get my April corn side dressed and posted. Sprayed some more bean ground, and I have never seen it so wet in so many places that normally are drier this time of year. I don’t see any way that we can have trendline yields at this point. The Chicago Board of Trade must think Iowa and Nebraska are going to grow all the corn for the U.S. the way markets have been the past two weeks. I am putting my order in for two weeks of sunshine and 85 degrees and 10 mph wind.

Ken Taake, Ullin, Pulaski County: Last week, we finally had a dry, sunny week. We had some sunshine with temperatures up in the 80s, and it has really made it feel like summer.

By picking our spots, we did get started planting corn. We started on Monday (May 9) and planted through Thursday. As I called this in on Friday morning, we had some showers, and they were calling for more through the weekend, so planting probably will be halted again for awhile.

We had a good three days, and I’m sure there was a lot of corn that went in the ground in the area. Please remember to be careful during this busy season.

Reports received Friday morning. Expanded crop and weather information available at {www.farmweeknow.com}.

Has the time come to shift hybrid maturities?

BY KEVIN BLACK

Corn planting delays in many parts of the GROWMARK trade area have resulted in the inevitable question: Is it time to shift away from full-season hybrids?

The short answer is: No! Most adapted hybrids can be planted into the first week of June without large loss of yield potential, or at least until the end of May in northern areas.

More yield potential will be lost Kevin Black by switching to earlier hybrids than by staying with adapted full-season hybrids.

Switching to soybeans also would be considered premature and could upset crop rotation plans, run afoul of herbicide applications

already made, and essentially waste nitrogen fertilizer that was applied to the affected acres.

For those individuals who initially intended

‘More yield potential will b e l o s t b y sw i t c h i n g t o e a r l i e r hy b r i d s t h a n by staying with adapted fullseason hybrids.’ to plant very full season hybrids, backing off to adapted full-season hybrids may be prudent.

However, it is important to remember that hybrids tend to shorten up their maturity with later planting. Most adapted hybrids should

have adequate time to complete development, even with planting in mid- to late May. Conversely, late planting of early-maturing hybrids frequently leads to disappointing results due to pest and disease issues or problems related to timing of pollination.

The old “rule of thumb” in this case is that early hybrids should be planted early.

Another practical concern associated with trying to change to early-maturing hybrids is that the supply of choice genetics or seed sizes already may be sold out.

This could leave you with second-choice hybrids. So, stay with the adapted full-season hybrids for now.

Kevin Black is GROWMARK’s insect and plant disease technical manager. His e-mail address is kblack@growmark.com.

FarmWeek Page 8 Monday, May 16, 2011

CROP INSURANCE

Spring concerns spur replant/prevent plant

BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek

A wet, unpredictable spring has — or should have — Midwest growers mulling potential crop insurance replant or, in the ultimate worst case, “prevent plant” options.

According to Country Financial crop claims supervisor Steve Worthington, the Bloomington-based insurer already is fielding Illinois replant claims. Prompt communication — “a simple phone call” — is crucial to ensure growers suffer only minimal financial impact, he told FarmWeek.

June 5 is final planting date for Illinois corn — the last day farmers can plant a crop and receive 100 percent of their insurance guarantee. The guarantee drops 1 percent per day through June 25; after that, planted crops do not qualify for protection, and prevent plant provisions may kick in.

“If the crop is damaged prior to the final plant date, and it’s practical to replant the crop, insureds essentially are

required to replant the crop,” Worthington stressed.

“We’d like them to get in contact with their insurance representative, submit the claim, and notify (Country) Crop Claims as soon as possible. Our goal is to take care of them immediately — to make sure they qualify. We want our claims adjuster with the insured as soon as possible.”

Growers should call their insurance representative before removing damaged crops to avoid jeopardizing a claim. To qualify for replant payments, they must experience new crop damage on at least 20 acres or 20 percent of an insured unit, and crop potential must fall below 90 percent of their guaranteed yield.

Worthington notes a key change in replant provisions for corn, soybean, and grain sorghum growers this year.

Payments will be based solely on a claimant’s share in the affected crop without regard to actual crop replacement costs.

For example, if a grower

has a 100 percent share in his corn crop and replants 100 acres, the insurer would calculate payments multiplying that 100 acres by a maximum allowable 8 bushels, times a $6.01per-bushel projected price.

Soybean payments are based on 3 bushels per acre and a $13.49 price.

Currently, there is no limitation on consecutive annual prevent plant claims, but insured “cause of loss” must occur within a grower’s insurance period. Growers with continuous-“carryover” cover-

age thus must have experienced a peril after the insurance sales closing date for the prior crop year.

“If they have a prevent plant claim this year, the peril must have occurred after March 15, 2010,” Worthington explained. “These circumstances are kind of rare, but we have situations where ground flooded out in 2009 and there’s still water on parts of it. We do have some of that in Illinois.

“That’s not going to be covered, basically. If producers

have an opportunity at any time during the year, they should work that ground and try to get it back in shape.”

Concerns over producers who claim “continuing peril over a considerable amount of time” have prompted USDA’s Risk Management Agency to consider requiring individual proof of harvest in at least one of the previous three years prior to approving prevent plant claims, Worthington reported.

That change could take effect next year.

Illinois Wheat Association seeks new members

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

Membership in the Illinois Wheat Association (IWA) in the past has been stable.

But in order to achieve strength in numbers, IWA President Steve Stallman believes it is important to try to expand the association’s membership base.

“Our membership has been reasonably stable,” Stallman told FarmWeek. “But it seems

to fluctuate slightly from year to year with the price of wheat.”

Interest in wheat has been strong the past year due in large part to historically high prices.

Illinois growers last fall responded by planting 740,000 acres compared to a record-low 330,000 acres the previous year.

Wheat seedings in the state from 2005 to 2009 averaged 778,000 acres and peaked at 1.2 million acres in the fall of 2007.

IWA membership “is indirectly tied to wheat acres,” Stallman said. “When the price is favorable, more acres are planted” and more growers typically join IWA. “But for me in Southern Illinois, it doesn’t matter too much what the price of wheat is,” he continued. “We grow wheat as a soil management strategy.”

Stallman hopes increasing membership in IWA long-term — he also believes a wheat checkoff could be beneficial to growers — could help increase wheat research to make the crop more profitable.

IWA members currently can take advantage of two wheat forums each year, field tours in Southern and Northern Illinois, four quarterly newsletters, wheat variety performance

reports, and a voice on the Illinois Ag Roundtable. IWA hosts foreign wheat buyers as well.

“IWA is a great information source,” Stallman said. “It keeps members abreast of the newest technology and information.”

Wheat growers, millers, and others who are interested in more information or membership in IWA can call 309-5573662 or visit the website {www.illinoiswheat.org}.

Annual membership dues are $50 for each producer and $100 for each commercial entity. Special three-year dues are available.

“My dues come back to me several times over,” said Fred Naber, a wheat grower from Shelby County.

Stallman, who previously was president of IWA and served on the IWA board for three different terms, in February was re-elected president of the association.

The fifth-generation producer began farming in 1973 and currently grows corn, soybeans, and wheat on about 1,300 acres near Chester in Randolph County.

“I enjoy the work, and I believe in the organization,” Stallman added.

Page 9 Monday, May 16, 2011 FarmWeek

ENERGY

Renewable energy interests unite to grow ‘pie’

BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek

Amid concerns about shifting energy debate and bipartisan resistance, diverse interests are uniting to push renewable energy — whether for cars, toasters, or furnaces; whether produced from corn, trees, soybeans, or algae.

Last week, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) stressed the need to boost use of all biofuels, from ethanol and biodiesel to “drop-in” fuels that could be pumped without being blended with gasoline.

RFA’s Matt Hartwig argued “we ought not to be fighting about dividing up the existing pie,” but instead working together “to make that pie bigger.“ Collinsville Republican U.S. Rep. John Shimkus proposes requiring that 50 percent of model-year 2014 vehicles be able to run on biofuels, coal-to-liquid fuel, or other alternate sources.

Shimkus has introduced a measure that will “empower consumers to make the choice that is best for them,” RFA President Bob Dinneen suggested.

At a recent St. Louis roundtable, heads of several renewable energy groups noted an attitudinal shift from a similar 2010 panel. Advanced Biofuels Association (ABA) President Michael McAdams, who champions drop-in fuels, suggested he and his bioener-

gy cohorts are no longer competing for and bickering over congressional support.

Both RFA and ABA are looking to corn and biomass fuel development and incentives. RFA, the National Biodiesel Board and the Algal Biomass Organization see opportunities to jointly improve production-market efficiencies.

And Richard Newell, U.S. Energy Information Administration administrator, predicts growing coordination between biofuels producers and renewable power generators.

Further, the groups acknowledge continued clout behind fossil energy, citing a focus on alternative natural gas use from oil executive T. Boone Pickens, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (DMont.), and other opinion leaders.

Pickens touts bipartisan House-proposed tax credits and regulatory changes to encourage production and purchase of natural gas vehicles.

“All of us on this stage are not spending $83 million this year to promote our industry — the natural gas industry is,” McAdams told the roundtable audience. “...

I don’t think you should be surprised in this political environment if, all of a sudden, natural gas is moved to the forefront.”

The American Biogas Council estimates U.S. dairy and swine

Algae growing on industry?

Before the green energy revolution took hold, the idea of partnering to raise algae might have seemed insane.

But what once might have been viewed as pond scum now is growing rapidly on renewable energy advocates. And Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) Executive Director Mary Rosenthal sees algal biomass/energy production as a potentially ideal fit for Corn Belt ethanol and livestock operations seeking to grow co-product profits or shrink their “footprint.”

Algal microorganisms produce biomass that can be converted into “green crude” — a pump-ready “drop-in” fuel that can be easily blended with diesel, biodiesel, or jet fuels. Algae production is geographically neutral — it can be raised on non-arable land using marginal water supplies.

More than 100 companies and 60 research institutions currently are involved with algae, and Rosenthal sees potential for at least 6 billion gallons of algal biomass fuel production by 2022. Rhode Island-based BioProcess Algae has partnered with ethanol producer Green Plains Renewable Energy to “feed” algae using waste carbon dioxide from Green Plain’s Shenandoah, Iowa, biofuels plant.

“They’re helping to reduce the environmental footprint of the ethanol facility and then grow another fuelstock,” Rosenthal told FarmWeek. “(Bioenergy) co-location is really important, particularly for the rural Midwestern area.

“There are other facilities that are actually looking at large animal feeding systems, taking nutrients from those systems and growing algae. We have sites for that in Wisconsin, in Maryland, and in Phoenix (Arizona), where we have large, 8,000head dairy farms. Those are other areas where rural development is being enhanced by algae growth.”

But despite industry interest and algae’s environmental popularity, Rosenthal noted ABO is fighting for policy “parity.” Algae was “a new industry” when Congress approved the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS2) in 2007, and algal fuels aren’t included in a special 16-billion-gallon cellulosic “carve-out” within the RFS2’s biofuels mandate.

Further, algal fuels do not receive a current $1.01 per gallon cellulosic biofuels tax credit.

Just as tax credits have helped promote ethanol and biodiesel development, Rosenthal sees policy “certainty” as vital to algae investment. “It’s important that we treat all feedstocks fairly — that we don’t pick winners and losers,” she said. — Martin Ross

farms could generate 13 millionplus megawatt-hours of annual renewable electricity. Biogas can compete with natural gas “at a number of price points,” especially in meeting localized needs, Council Vice Chairman Norma McDonald said.

National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe sees ample room for diverse biodiesel feedstocks, citing his industry’s

increased investment in fuel produced from algae.

While algae has gained national buzz as a non-food energy source, RFA’s Dinneen warns algal fuel producers the so-called “food vs. fuel” debate actually “is about land” and its competing uses.

“While you’re not in the crosshairs of the food vs. fuel debate today, as soon as land’s

being used to produce algae that could be used to produce a food crop, the enviros and the other food Nazis are going to be throwing stones at you,” he told his Algal Biomass Organization counterpart.

“I think we all have a responsibility, right now, to make sure this debate doesn’t undermine the continued growth of our industry.”

Bioenergy synergies: a laundry list • Credit security. Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen acknowledges the time has come for “fairly significant and meaningful reform” of the federal volumetric ethanol excise tax credit (VEETC). The 45 cent-per-gallon fuel blenders incentive expires Dec. 31.

But while he recognizes current “fiscal realities,” Dinneen stressed need for a “fiscally responsible approach that will allow the industry to continue to grow and evolve.”

“With more than a hundred new members of Congress that only know about biofuels from the Wall Street Journal, one of my charges is to make sure they’re getting better information, a better appreciation for the debates that have been going on in Congress the past several years,” he said.

Biodiesel producers languished in 2010 following expiration of their $1-per-gallon credit.

Today, with the credit and investor security restored, National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe sees his industry meeting an 800-million-gallon biodiesel target for 2011 under the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS2).

• Consistent standards. Amid industry efforts to deploy new technologies, Advanced Biofuels Association President Michael McAdams calls RFS2 “the single most important policy” for next-generation fuels.

The RFS2 requires 15 billion gallons of annual corn ethanol use by 2022 while setting

an ambitious goal of 21 billion gallons of added cellulosic and other fledgling biofuels use within the next 11 years. That mandate will drive industry startups and scale-ups, McAdams said.

“We will say to Congress, ‘Please don’t touch (RFS2) for at least two years,’” he said.

• “A safe BCAP.” Biomass Power Association CEO Robert Cleaves sees the farm bill’s Biomass Crop Assistance Program as “the only game in town” in terms of fostering new energy crops. BCAP, directed at helping coordinate area bioenergy crop production and processing, took a $134 million hit in Congress’ recent fiscal 2011 continuing resolution.

• A broad portfolio. The Algal Biomass Organization’s Mary Rosenthal urges regulators and Congress to recognize algae as “part of the biofuels community” (see accompanying story). Meanwhile, Biomass Thermal Energy Council Chairman Charlie Niebling noted that while heating accounts for a third of U.S. energy use, liquid fuels and power generation remain federal bioenergy “policy priorities.”

Niebling admits the heating industry is “decentralized and deregulated,” making it difficult to collect data needed to develop biomass incentives or mandates. However, any new federal clean energy standard demands “incorporation of thermal” on a straight BTU (heat unit) basis, he held. — Martin Ross

New miscanthus development possible biomass game-changer?

A new seeded miscanthus nearing commercialization could help clear major hurdles to a promising biomass crop.

Mendel BioEnergy Seeds CEO Donald Panter reports his company is on a track to offering a seeded version of the towering perennial grass, which today is raised on a demonstration scale with rhizomes (rootstock) from cloned, sterile Miscanthus giganteus specimens.

That method requires modified equipment to retrieve and replant rhizomes and poses “a real problem in scaling up” acreages, Panter said. He suggests rhizome establishment alone could cost $800 per acre.

Pesotum grower Eric Rund has conducted extensive research into miscanthus production economics aimed “either to replace corn or to supplement corn and beans.”

He toured Europe to study foreign production, brainstorming with a German farmer who uses a potato digger to gather

and a “homemade” planter to drop the rhizomes.

With giant miscanthus development at a relatively early stage, the Champaign County grower notes the likely need “to replant this stuff as new varieties come out.”

“If (seeded miscanthus) yields the same as the cloned variety, it would be a great deal, as long as they sell seed at a reasonable price,” he told FarmWeek. “The drawback now is getting it established with a rhizome.

“Not only that, but this would allow you to change out and use better varieties as you go down the line. That’s going to be important. If we planted the ‘Illinois clone’ all over North America and some fungus came in, it could all go down at once. We need to have different varieties going.”

Panter said per-ton yields from seeded lines have been nearly equivalent to the Illinois clone in Midwest trials.

Shaving major costs could move producers closer to what Rund views as “a profit-maker that will match corn.” He suggests a $75-per-ton miscanthus crop could match $5-per-bushel corn even at 200 bushels per acre.

Panter recognizes challenges in moving from rhizomes to reproducible seeded plants: “We can’t be in the business of creating invasive products.”

Miscanthus germination is difficult without “disturbance” (cultivation to expose seed to moisture) and the crop is “highly sensitive” to most grass herbicides, he said.

Mendel nonetheless is developing a “product stewardship” plan and testing stand eradication protocols necessary to raise miscanthus in row-crop rotations.

“This is going to be a political or environmental issue, trying to show this isn’t going to be invasive, say, to wild areas,” Rund advised. — Martin Ross

FarmWeek Page 10 Monday, May 16, 2011

SAFETY

Remember to call JULIE before digging on the farm

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Farmers, and any contractors working for them, may not be aware of the locations of all underground utility lines

FarmWeekNow.com Learn more about when to call JULIE when digging on the farm at FarmWeekNow.com.

that cross farm fields. That’s why it is critical to notify JULIE before beginning any digging project. It’s also the law.

JULIE (Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators) provides free information about the location of underground utility equipment in Illinois.

“We’ve had a lot of close calls,” said Gina Meehan, a public awareness specialist with Ameren Illinois.

In 2010, four separate accidents involved farm tile projects that hit natural gas pipelines, according to Meehan. Fortunately, no one was

injured; however, a fine of more than $300,000 was charged in the case of damage to a major pipeline in Western Illinois.

State law does not require farmers to call before doing routine tillage, but notification is required for some farm-related projects, such as installing field tiles, building waterways, and setting posts.

Dale Kuhn, damage prevention manager with JULIE Inc., noted 811 is a national telephone number that will reach a one-call center in any state. In addition, Illinois’

JULIE has a toll-free number — 800-892-0123. Call center representatives are available to process requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Under the law, an individual must call no more than 14 days in advance but at least 48 hours, excluding Saturdays,

Sundays, and holidays, before digging. JULIE representatives then notify the appropriate utility companies that send technicians to the project site to mark underground line locations.

For example, an individual must call by 4 p.m. on a Wednesday if he is planning to

dig on Saturday, Kuhn explained.

Individuals also may submit a request online at {www.illinois1call.com}, but online requests are designed only for single-address excavations.

The individual filing an online request must have a valid e-mail address and understand the online request is not valid until he or she has received an e-mail confirmation with a start date and time from JULIE. For more information, go online to {www.illinois1call.com}.

Workshops designed to assist aspiring farmers To encourage continued growth of entrepreneurial farm enterprises and address the needs of aspiring farmers, the University of Illinois Extension and The Land Connection are collaborating to host entrepreneurial farming workshops at three Central Illinois locations in late June and early July.

The three-and-a-half-hour workshops are designed to help people who want to learn what is involved to start and manage a farm-based business and to determine if they should start such an enterprise, according to Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, Extension small farm and sustainable agriculture specialist.

Workshop presentations will cover resource assessment, goal-setting, financial planning, and marketing options.

Each workshop will be held at U of I Extension offices from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

They will be June 30 at the Sangamon County office, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Building 30, Springfield; July 7, McLean County office, 402 N. Hershey Road, Bloomington; and July 14, Peoria County office, 4810 N. Sheridan, Peoria.

Cavanaugh-Grant and Micah Bornstein, farmer programs coordinator with The Land Connection, will facilitate the workshops.

The registration fee is $30 and includes a light meal.

Payment may be processed online at {http://central.illinoisfarmbeg innings.org} or by contacting The Land Connection at 217688-2570.

For more information, go online to {http://web.extension.uiuc. edu/state/}.

Auction Calendar

Leezer and Jim Maloof/Realtor, Agents and Brokers. www.illinoisfarms4sale.com Thurs., May 26. 10 a.m.

Champaign and Piatt Counties Land Auction. MONTICELLO, IL. Hertz Farm Mgmt., Inc. www.hfmgt.com Tues., May 31. 6:30 p.m. McLean Co. Land Auction. Soy Capital Ag Services. www.soycapitalag.com Fri., June 3. 9:30 a.m. Farmland Auction. Drakken Properties LLC, TOLUCA, IL. Lauf Auction Service.

Fri., June 3. 10 a.m. 110.55 Ac. Champaign Co. Soy Capital Ag Services. www.soycapitalag.com Tues., June 7. 10 a.m. 77.26 Ac. McLean Co. Soy Capital Ag Services. www.soycapitalag.com Sat., June 11. 10 a.m. LaSalle Co. Land Auction. NEWARK, IL. Richard A. Olson, Auctioneer. richardaolson.com

Mon., May 16. 7 p.m. Land Auction. Terstriep Farms.

Cornerstone Auction Co. www.cornerstoneauctionco.com Sat., May 21. 10 a.m. Real Estate Auction. ANNA, IL. Joe Ollis Auction Service, LLC. www.ollisauction.com Sat., May 21. 10 a.m. Real Estate, Farm and Office Eq., Personal Property. Gary Edwards, Strild Cattle Farms, LLC, ABINGDON, IL Van Adkisson Auction Service LLC. www.biddersandbuyers.com Sat., May 21. 8 a.m. Consignment Auction. CANTON, IL. Rt. 9 Auction. www.laffertyauction.com Wed., May 25. 10 a.m. 40 Ac. Woodford Co. Estate of John C. Burdon Farm, ROANOKA, IL. John

Page 11 Monday, May 16, 2011 FarmWeek

IFB IN ACTION

FB members use social media for information, online chat

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Farm Bureau members are using Facebook and Twitter to stay informed about Illinois Farm Bureau.

IFB provides general information, especially about orga-

nization programs, online at {www.facebook.com/ilfarmbu reau and www.twitter.com/IL FarmBureau}, said Mary Ellen Fricke, IFB promotion manager.

Another Facebook site {www.facebook.com/ilfbyl} is geared toward Young Leaders and their activities, Fricke said.

The Young Leaders Facebook page offers information about various contests, and photos of their industry tour and other activities.

Members should be aware that time is needed for photos to be displayed on computers

with slower Internet speeds.

Another Twitter site {twitter.com/Julie_RFDRadio} covers agriculture and Illinois news along with updates from Julie Root, RFD Radio news manager.

Farm Bureau members need to have a Facebook account to view information on the Facebook site. An individual may read the Twitter posts with a Twitter account; however, he cannot add or respond to the information without a Twitter account.

connect with each other and with consumers, lawmakers, and a variety of people, Fricke noted.

Farm Bureau Facebook pages are updated about once a day, while the Farm Bureau Twitter page receives 10 to 30 posts daily, primarily about

agriculture-related news and Farm Bureau programs, Fricke said.

Fricke encouraged Farm Bureau members who are new to social media to consider starting with Facebook. She compared Twitter to citizens band radio because “it has its

own language.”

Farm Bureau members seeking advice about use of social media may go online to {www.ilfb.org/social}. The site offers videos and downloads with how-to guides and other suggestions for using social media to communicate.

GETTING SAFETY TIPS

Accounts on both programs can be established free of charge.

To view the Twitter posts, go online to {www.twitter. com} and type the Farm Bureau or RFD address into the search area.

Websites such as Facebook help Farm Bureau members

GROWMARK names 2011 FFA essay contest winners Keirra DeCamp, Pleasant Hill, was named the winner of the 2011 GROWMARK essay contest for Illinois FFA members.

DeCamp, a student at Pleasant Hill High School, is a member of the Pleasant Hill FFA chapter. Her FFA adviser is Beth Arnold.

She will receive a $500 scholarship and her FFA chapter will receive a $300 award in her honor. (Her essay appears on page 16.)

Four state runners-up each will receive a $125 scholarship. In alphabetical order, the runners-up and their FFA chapters are: Jacob Day, Lincoln FFA, Lawndale; Jonathan Drover, Technology Center of DuPage FFA, Westmont; Lucas Frye, Illini Central FFA, Easton; and Sarah Higgins, Mercer County FFA, Joy. This is the 18th year for the contest, sponsored by the GROWMARK System and FS member cooperatives, in conjunction with state FFA leaders. The theme of this year’s contest was “The Importance of Agriculture in Everyday Life.”

Approximately 400 children from Brown County Elementary School and St. Mary’s School preschool to fourth grade attended an Ag safety Day event sponsored earlier this month by the Brown County Farm Bureau, Country Financial, and the University of Illinois Extension Adams/Brown Unit. The event was held at the Brown County Fairgrounds in Mt.Sterling. Brown County High School FFA students also helped with the event. Students here listen closely as an Adams County AIR EVAC nurse explains the procedures taken in an emergency situation.

Also, local emergency medical technicians demonstrated a small child being removed from a PTO shaft behind a tractor. (Photo by Glenna Dormire, Brown County Farm Bureau manager)

FarmWeek Page 12 Monday, May 16, 2011

IFB IN ACTION

GrassRoots Issue Teams study challenges, issues

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

The eight Illinois Farm Bureau GrassRoots Issue Teams (GRITs) have forwarded their recommendations to the IFB board and will send proposed resolutions to the 2011 Resolutions Committee (RC) for consideration. The IFB board recently approved the report from the GRITs meetings.

The eight teams are Conservation and Natural Resources; Crop Production and Trade; Equine; Livestock and Dairy; Renewable Resources and Energy; Risk Management and Farm Programs; Rural Life; and Specialty Crops and Labor.

The Conservation and Natural Resources Team forwarded several ideas for consideration to the RC, including policy related to rivers, levees, and floodplains.

The Crop Production and Trade Team outlined opportunities to educate members about biotech crop refuge requirements and the importance of compliance to protect the technology.

The Equine Team discussed the need for a state equine census, and team members supported creation and distrib-

ution of such a census.

The Livestock and Dairy Team members will continue to work with IFB to ensure governmental entities address environmental issues with a common-sense approach.

The Renewable Resources and Energy Team submitted an idea about the development of a carbon credit program for biomass crops. That idea will be forwarded to the 2010-2011 IFB Farm Policy Task Force for its consideration.

The Risk Management and Farm Programs Team discussed government farm policy related to the farm bill and crop insurance. Those ideas will be forwarded to the RC for its consideration.

The Rural Life Team developed ideas related to health screening and education of farm-related illnesses. A policy idea will be forwarded to the RC for its consideration.

The Specialty Crops and Labor Team discussed the potential for educational farm experiences for students who want to learn more about the agricultural industry or want to gain information about specific agriculture sectors.

The GRITs ideas forwarded to the RC will be considered in July.

The application process for the 2012 GRITs will begin in the summer. To learn how to become part of the process, contact your county Farm Bureau.

DATEBOOK May 26 Illinois Wheat Association tour. For meal reservations and information, call 309-557-3619.

May 31 – June 2 Midwest Composting School, Illinois State University, Normal.

June 14-16 Illinois State FFA Convention, Prairie Capitol Convention Center, Springfield.

June 15 Illinois Agricultural Legislative Roundtable.

June 16 IAA Foundation Golf Outing, Elks Country Club and Wolf Creek Country Club, Pontiac.

Aug. 12-21 Illinois State Fair, Springfield.

Aug. 18 University of Illinois Agronomy Day, South Farms, Urbana.

Aug. 26 – Sept. 5 Du Quoin State Fair, Du Quoin.

Aug. 30-31 Farm Progress Show, Decatur.

Sept. 5-7 IAA Bike Ride, across Christian, Logan, Macoupin, Menard, Montgomery, and Sangamon counties.

State Rep. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), right, and his children, Tyler and Susanna, get a close-up view of a Holstein cow during Cook County Farm Bureau’s Ag Day activity at Wagner Farm. Looking on is a volunteer with Wagner Farm, Glenview. During his visit, Biss chatted with students and teachers from Jane Stenson Elementary School, Skokie. (Photo by Bona Heinsohn, public policy director, Cook County Farm Bureau)

Cook County third graders celebrate agriculture

BY HALEY SIERGIEJ

Where can students get the chance to sit in a tractor, touch an animal, and learn about a cow’s sandpapery tongue? At an event hosted recently by the Cook County Farm Bureau and the historic Wagner Farm.

More than 650 third grade students visited Wagner Farm, Glenview, April 28 and 29 to learn about and experience Illinois agriculture.

This marked the fourth annual Ag Day event sponsored by the Cook County Farm Bureau (CCFB) Foundation.

“Agriculture is a leading industry in Illinois, and it’s an industry that employs one in four Illinois residents,” said Mike Rauch, chairman of the CCFB Ag Literacy Team.

“It’s important to give students an under-

standing of the word agriculture, introduce them to careers available, and to let them know at a young age that agriculture is more than farming. It’s an industry with more than 300 careers that includes engineering, science, communications, and so much more.”

Participating schools included Plainfield School, Des Plaines; Lake Louise, Lincoln Elementary, and Pleasant Hill Elementary, Palatine; Jane Stenson, Skokie; Norwood Park School, Chicago; and Park View School, Morton Grove.

At the farm, students rotated through six stations learning about corn, soybeans, pork, bovine, the farm-to-table process, and farm machinery.

The CCFB Foundation decided to celebrate Agriculture Day by having an Ag Day that would teach students about different areas of agriculture and some of Illinois’ top commodities.

Haley Siergiej is director of ag literacy and public relations at the Cook County Farm Bureau. She can be reached at aitc@cookcfb.org.

TAKING A BREAK Jean Barron and Kelly Westlake from the Schuyler County Farm Bureau recently conducted the county Farm Bureau’s annual safety promotion, “Take a Break.” Pictured here are Jack Martin, center, and Chris Clayton receiving their snack and drink from Farm Bureau manager Westlake. This

year the Farm Bureau added a drawing for three fire extinguishers from the names of the visited farmers and their employees.

Winners of the extinguishers were Toby White, Larry Egbert, and Mike Dyche Jr. During the promotion, Barron and Westlake traveled across the county and stopped when they saw someone working in a field.

(Photo by Schuyler County Farm Bureau’s ag literacy coordinator Jean Barron).

Page 13 Monday, May 16, 2011 FarmWeek

FROM THE COUNTIES

B

UREAU — Farm Bureau, Bureau County Pork Producers Association, and the Bureau County Cattlemen’s Association are seeking nominees for the Agricultural Service Award.

The award will honor individuals who have given leadership and service to agriculture and farmers. Call the Farm Bureau office at 815875-6468 for a nomination form or more information.

Deadline to return nominations is Friday, June 3.

• Bureau and Lee County Farm Bureaus will sponsor their annual golf outing at 9 a.m. Friday, July 8, at Hunter’s Ridge Golf Course, Princeton. Proceeds will benefit the Bureau and Lee County Agriculture in the Classroom programs. Call the Farm Bureau office at 815-875-6468 for a registration form or more information.

ARROLL — Carroll, Ogle, and Winnebago County Farm Bureaus will sponsor a bus trip Monday, June 27, to the Chicago Board of Trade and Federal Reserve Bank. Cost is $25.

Call the Farm Bureau office at 815-244-3001 for more information.

DGAR — Farm Bureau will sponsor a class “Cooking for One or Two and Lightening Up Your Recipes” at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 26, at the Farm Bureau office. Barbara Dick and Mary Liz Wright will be the instructors. Cost is $5, which will include a meal.

Call the Farm Bureau office at 217-465-8511 for reservations or suggestions on what to make for lunch.

• The Travel Committee will sponsor a four-day trip June 7-10 to Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Call the Far m Bureau office at 217-4658511 for reser vations or more infor mation.

C

E

• Farm Bureau will sponsor a bus trip Sunday, July 31, to see the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium, St. Louis.

Cost is $90, which includes tickets, bus, and driver gratuity. Call the Farm Bureau office for reservations or more information.

• Farm Bureau will sponsor the local farmers’ market from 7:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 18, through Saturday, Sept. 17. Call the Farm Bureau office for more information or if you are interested in being a vendor.

ULTON — The Young Farmer Committee will sponsor a livestock show clinic from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at the Farm Bureau office.

Showmanship techniques on showing swine, cattle, sheep, and poultry will be taught.

Call the Farm Bureau office at 547-3011 for more information.

EE — Bureau and Lee County Farm Bureaus will sponsor their annual golf outing at 9 a.m.

Friday, July 8, at Hunter’s Ridge Golf Course, Princeton. Proceeds will benefit the Bureau and Lee County Agriculture in the Classroom programs. Team registration is $35 per person for Farm Bureau members and $55 per person for non-members.

Registration includes golf, cart, and lunch. Call the Farm Bureau office at 815857-3531 or e-mail leecfb@comcast.net for more information.

• Lee and Whiteside County Farm Bureaus will sponsor a bus trip Wednesday, July 20, to see the Chicago Cubs vs. the Philadelphia Phillies game at Wrigley Field, Chicago. The game is at 1:20 p.m.

Cost is $60 for members and $65 for non-members. Registration and money are due to

F

L

the Farm Bureau office by Wednesday, June 15. Registration will be on a firstcome, first-served basis. Call the Farm Bureau office at 815-857-3531 for more information.

• Lee County plat books are available for $30 at the Farm Bureau office. Call the Farm Bureau office at 8573531 or e-mail leecfb@comcast.net for more information.

• Become a fan of the Lee County Farm Bureau on Facebook {www.facebook.com/LeeCounty FarmBureau} to keep up to date on the latest news and events.

OCK ISLAND — A market outlook meeting will be at 6:15 p.m.

Thursday, June 16, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Orion. A buffet dinner will be served. Steve Johnson, Iowa State University Extension farm and ag business management specialist will be the speaker. Mike Schaver, Gold Star FS grain merchandiser, will provide an update.

Cost is $18, unless paid for the series. Call the Farm

R

Bureau office at 309-7367432 for reservations or more information.

TEPHENSON — The Central Illinois Heritage and Agriculture tour will be June 27-29 and will include tours of Springfield historical sites, an Amish cultural site, Caterpillar, the USDA research lab in Peoria. Overnight stays will be in Springfield and Peoria.

Complete details are at {www.stephensoncfb.org}.

Call the Farm Bureau office at 815-232-3186 by May 27 for reservations or more information.

• Farm Bureau will sponsor a bus trip Friday, July 22, to Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana. Call the Farm Bureau office at 815-232-3186 for more information.

• The third annual “Stephenson Scenes” photo contest deadline is June 17.

Public voting at the ag breakfast and county fair will determine the 12 winners. Contest details are at {www.stephenson cfb.org} or at the Farm Bureau office. Call the Farm Bureau office at 815-232-

S

3186 for more information.

• Six tickets for the Chicago Cubs vs. the Milwaukee Brewers night game July 26 in Milwaukee are available.

Cost is $60 for Farm Bureau members and $65 for nonmembers. Call the Farm Bureau office at 815-2323186 for more information.

• Deadline for scholarship applications for students with at least 30 credit hours is June 30. Applications are available at {www.stephensoncfb.org} or at the Farm Bureau office.

ERMILION — Farm Bureau will sponsor a bus trip Saturday, July 30, to see the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Chicago Cubs game at Busch Stadium, St. Louis.

Cost is $82 for members and $95 for non-members. Payment with reservations is required. Call the Farm Bureau office at 217-442-8713 for more information.

V

“From the counties” items are submitted by county Farm Bureau managers. If you have an event or activity open to all members, contact your county Farm Bureau manager.

FarmWeek Page 14 Monday, May 16, 2011

PROFITABILITY

Fertilizer market finds its own equilibrium

BY JOE DILLIER

It’s been a frustrating spring thus far in fertilizer markets — wet weather being the biggest frustration, but river flooding and logistical nightmares are a close second.

Drought in the Southern Plains stuntJoe Dillier ing earlyspring demand is third. The “sweet spot” has been hard to find.

What’s been happening recently in fertilizer markets has been a noticeable discon-

nect between fertilizer and grain prices.

Starting last summer with the Russian drought, shortened U.S. crop, and rising grain markets, fertilizer markets marched in lock-step with rising grain prices.

Late last winter that relationship changed, especially for nitrogen and phosphate.

Grain markets kept moving higher (basis, the March grain stocks report, rising energy prices, falling dollar, etc.) but fertilizer prices stopped rising as the depleted inventories of last fall ran into surging imports.

Potash, following its own drummer, continued to move

up in response to continued tightness in the North American market.

Where things go from here into fall depends largely on what happens in India and in China (sounds like lots of other commodities, right?).

Specifically, the questions are how much China will export this summer, in the case of nitrogen and phosphates, and how much India will import, in the case of nitrogen, phosphates, and potash.

China’s been an exporter of nitrogen and phosphates in recent years, as it ramped up domestic production and overshot its local demand.

Even in potash, China’s imports are not the factor they used to be. India, on the other hand, needs to ramp up imports of all nutrients. The trade-off, importing more grains, which looks great to an Illinois farmer, but is not considered a good option to India in light of its large rural population and sensitivity to fertilizer availability.

Best guess? Expect fall Nh3 prices to be firm, near spring levels. If this summer China turns out to have less nitrogen to export, then Nh3 could go higher and possibly by a significant amount.

If, alternatively, India buys less (and/or China is a big

exporter) prices could roll back, and depending on circumstances, the rollback could prove significant.

The same applies to phosphates, with the most likely scenario being prices for fall at about today’s levels. For potash, some modest retail increases are probably most likely with any downside risk tied to lower grain prices.

With so much volatility and uncertainty, the best-practice strategy is still to tie fertilizer purchases for the fall to grain sales.

Joe Dillier is GROWMARK’s director of plant food. His e-mail address is jdillier@growmark.com.

Fuel prices projected to rise

Floodwater could curtail production at oil refineries barrels per day and that total could jump to 2.5 million barrels per day depending on the severity of the flood in the southern U.S., McKinnis noted.

In Illinois, the price of regular gasoline last Tuesday (May 10) averaged $4.26 per gallon, which was the fifth-highest price nationwide behind Alaska, California, Connecticut, and

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

U.S. consumers likely won’t get any relief from high gasoline and diesel fuel prices any time soon.

In fact, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) last week in its short-term energy outlook projected the national average gasoline price this summer could surpass $4 per gallon.

National average fuel prices the first of last week were $3.97 per gallon for gasoline (up $1.06 from last year) and $4.10 per gallon for diesel (up

97 cents from a year ago).

Oil prices the first week of

M A R K E T FA C T S Feeder pig prices reported to USDA* Weight 10 lbs.

40 lbs.

50 lbs.

Receipts

Range Per Head Weighted Ave. Price $29.64-$44.00 $35.39 n/a n/a $50.00 $50.00 This Week Last Week 15,398 29,774 *Eastern Corn Belt prices picked up at seller’s farm

Eastern Corn Belt direct hogs (plant delivered) Carcass Live

(Prices $ per hundredweight) This week Prev. week $88.50 $86.42 $65.49 $63.95

Change 2.08 1.54

USDA five-state area slaughter cattle price Steers Heifers

This week 112.58 112.16

(Thursday’s price) Prv. week Change 113.95 -1.37 113.93 -1.77

CME feeder cattle index — 600-800 Lbs. This is a composite price of feeder cattle transactions in 27 states.

(Prices $ per hundredweight) Prev. week Change 129.35 0

This week 129.35

Lamb prices Slaughter Prices - Negotiated, Live, wooled and shorn 130-185 lbs. for 159.45-200 $/cwt.(wtd. ave. 181.16); dressed, no sales reported.

Export inspections (Million bushels)

Week ending Soybeans Wheat Corn 5-05-11 6.0 34.6 27.8 4-28-11 8.1 36.7 37.4 Last year 6.9 23.3 39.1 Season total 1364.2 1164.3 1187.9 Previous season total 1319.6 802.4 1210.2 USDA projected total 1580 1275 1950 Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

May dropped $17 per barrel and briefly dipped below $100 at $97 per barrel. Prices rallied early last week and then dropped below $100 for a second time. EIA projected the price of oil for the year will average $103 per barrel and then $107 per barrel by 2012.

“The last couple weeks we’ve had huge swings in the market” triggered in large part by a sell-off from investors, said Jackie McKinnis, GROWMARK energy analyst.

But fundamentals still suggest high prices for oil and fuel, according to the analyst.

Two refineries in the Chicago area in recent weeks reportedly reduced output due to planned maintenance at a BP facility and unplanned problems at an Exxon Mobil facility in Joliet. Fuel stocks on the East Coast also have tightened due to reduced imports from Europe.

“We do have tight gas stocks overall in the U.S.,” McKinnis said. “Unfortunately, that should keep gas prices higher for the time being.”

Meanwhile, floodwater could threaten production at 11 oil refineries along the Mississippi River.

The flood as of last week had reduced production at oil refineries by about 1 million

Hawaii, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. The price of diesel in Illinois that day averaged $4.18 per gallon.

McKinnis predicted gasoline prices likely will remain above $4 per gallon at least through Memorial Day. “Usually, (fuel prices) start to come down between July and October,” she added.

FarmWeek Page 15 Monday, May 16, 2011

PROFITABILITY Corn Strategy

C A S H S T R AT E G I S T

Cents per bu.

2010 crop: The recent close below $7 in the July contract solidifies a significant top has been seen. Use rallies to wrap up sales, even “gambling bushels.” Hedge-to-arrive (HTA) contracts for summer delivery are the best tool, especially with the flood weighing on interior basis levels.

2011 crop: The penetration of the critical $6.25 support in the December contract confirms a significant top has been traced out. New-crop sales should stand at 40 percent complete. Use rallies to get caught up. Once we feel more secure planting is accelerating, plan to increase sales to 50 percent. Use HTAs for fall/early winter delivery for making sales.

Fundamentals: The USDA pegged 2011/2012 U.S. corn ending stocks at 900 million bushels, above trade expectations of 808 million.

The increase was due to weakening demand and lower feed use. Short-term attention remains focused on weather throughout the Midwest.

Soybean Strategy

Corn demand shows signs of easing Corn sales continue to lag, which is evidence the recent surge in U.S. corn prices likely has limited demand. The slowing of corn sales was apparent in the May USDA report that pegged 2011/2012 ending stocks at 900 million bushels vs. trade expectations of 808 million. This occurred despite USDA lowering yield expectations for the 2011 corn crop to

158.7 vs. estimates of 162.

Soybean exports are showing signs of slipping, but they are still outpacing USDA projections. However, strength in the dollar and the recent completion of harvest in South America has the potential to tamper demand for U.S. soybeans.

Wheat sales are running below expectations, but since the first of the year have shown a strong pickup in demand. Supplies of U.S. wheat currently are comfortable, but pockets of weather issues remain a concern and have the potential to cut into inventories.

AgriVisor endorses crop insurance by

AgriVisor LLC 1701 N. Towanda Avenue PO Box 2500 Bloomington IL 61702-2901 309-557-3147 AgriVisor LLC is not liable for any damages which anyone may sustain by reason of inaccuracy or inadequacy of information provided herein, any error of judgment involving any projections, recommendations, or advice or any other act of omission.

Policies issued by COUNTRY Mutual Insurance Company®, Bloomington, Illinois AgriVisor Hotline Number

309-557-2274

2010 crop: The break following the May USDA report effectively closed the door on higher prices, unless summer weather becomes an issue. Use any rally to get oldcrop sales wrapped up.

2011 crop: The November contract closing below $13.22 opens the door for it to decline to $12.20-$12.38. A close significantly below that would reinforce the picture that November had built a major double top at $14, positioning it to eventually drop to the next support just below $11. Increase your new-crop sales to 50 percent on a conservative yield now. We continue to prefer fall/early winter HTA contracts.

Fundamentals: The recent USDA report projected higher inventories both domestically and internationally. U.S. 2010/2011 soybean ending stocks were pegged at 170 million bushels, up 30 million from USDA’s estimate in April. In addition, the government raised its estimate of 2010/2011 world

soybean stocks by 2.9 million tons (107 million bushels).

Wheat Strategy 2011 crop: A significant short-term top has been put in place in the wheat market.

Technical damage was done when Chicago July futures closed below key short-term support at $7.83 (200-day moving average). This opens the door for it to test $7. Check the Hotline frequently; we could recommend additional new-crop sales at any time. We anticipate a rebound once this liquidation break ends. We prefer HTA contracts, especially for winter

delivery if you have the capability to store wheat.

Fundamentals: The May USDA report provided the first official estimate for winter wheat production. It was pegged at 1.424 billion bushels, which was higher than trade expectations of 1.395 billion bushels. The number was slightly surprising considering the deteriorating conditions in the South Plains. However, an abnormally large portion of the winter wheat crop is made up of soft wheat this year, as it is expected to expand 42 percent from last year.

FarmWeek Page 16 Monday, May 16, 2011

PERSPECTIVES

Seeds of Success

Katherine McLachlan, Mendota, worked as a crop scout at Pioneer’s Utica production plant as part of her internship. (Photo courtesy Katherine McLachlan)

Agronomy internships plant future plans

A

college student’s academic life revolves around hours of studying, taking tests, and finding the perfect career. An internship is an important step for students to help gain practical skills to excel in the job market.

Through internships, four University of Illinois students had the opportunity to explore several areas of the agronomy industry and gain a glimpse into some of the largest seed companies in the United States.

Katherine McLachlan, Mendota, worked as a crop scout at Pioneer’s Utica production plant. She was responsible for the health of seed corn in nearly 60 fields and tracked the stages of corn production.

“I really liked that I had certain jobs to do each day, but that it was up to me to decide when they got done,” McLachJILL lan said. “I was indepenJOHNSON dent, but I also had big responsibilities to fulfill.”

McLachlan, a sophomore in crop sciences, said her Pioneer internship not only taught her what is needed to produce seed corn, but it also taught her the importance of teamwork and how a large company operates.

“The internship showed me that I like working outside and being in the fields handling the plants day to day,” she said.

She also enjoyed working alongside Pioneer employees: “I really loved working with the people at Pioneer in Utica, we were like one big happy family.”

Brett McClelland, Greenfield, worked as a research and development intern for Monsanto in Jerseyville.

McClelland coordinated a field research project that involved studying water-use efficiency from the soil through the corn plant.

“This was extremely rewarding because it was something I was actively involved in. I was able to witness the progress and results of the trial,” McClelland said.

McClelland, also a sophomore in crop sciences, said his internship prepared him in several ways for a career. “The most obvious benefit was the exposure to agriculture in general, but I believe the most important aspect of my internship was

seeing seed research in action,” he said.

“By exploring the seed research field, I now know more about agriculture and I am better informed to make a career choice upon graduation.”

Ross Recker, Okawville, worked as a research and development intern for Dow AgroSciences in Davenport, Iowa.

Recker, a junior in crop sciences, traveled to research plots in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

His research involved corn and soybeans, but Recker said he quickly learned Dow AgroSciences is a diverse company that does research on a vast array of products. The internship gave him the opportunity to do many new things, Recker said.

“I inoculated corn with numerous insect pests, sprayed herbicides on corn and soybean plots to look at weed control and crop tolerance, and took ratings and notes on corn and soybean plots according to the protocols,” he said. “I was also involved in large tasks, such as root digs and pollination, through cooperation with other interns.”

Sara Navis, Heyworth, worked as an AgReliant production research intern at the LG Seeds Plant in Decatur. Navis said her unique internship exposed her to the production and research aspects of the agronomy industry. She even had the opportunity to job shadow a seed salesman.

“The internship was unique because it combined production, research, and sales,” Navis said.

A senior in crop sciences, Navis said her main responsibility was collecting pollination notes on the inbred lines. She also worked on a special internship project on herbicides.

The internship provided Navis with many new learning experiences, she said.

“From working in the plots to creating data sheets on the computer and working on research projects, I learned many skills that will be vital to my future career,” she said.

The students credited their U of I coursework for giving them the skill sets and scientific background they needed for real-world experiences and helping them determine where their future will lead.

Jill Johnson of Cambridge is a junior in agricultural communications at the University of Illinois.

Where would you be without agriculture?

Even before your feet hit the floor in the morning, an industry we all take for granted becomes part of your day.

The sheets on your bed, the eggs on your plate, the milk in your glass, and the clothes on your back are all made possible through agriculture.

As you make your way down the hall to the shower, even the floor you walk on and the doors you open are part of an agricultural process.

You turn on the water and get in. Did you know that your soap, shampoo, conditioner, and even the towels and washcloths you use are pieces of agriculKEIRRA ture? By DECAMP the time you (women) style your hair, brush your teeth, apply your makeup, and start your car, you already have used hundreds of modern agricultural products.

As you drive down the freeway to your destination, you rush past crowded shopping centers, restaurants, bus stops, subway stations, small businesses, and crowded streets.

Suddenly as you enter the dreaded traffic jam, you realize the American population is growing at an excessive rate compared to when you first started your job a few years ago.

In fact, the United States Census Bureau estimates the world population will grow between 50 million and 80 million people every year for the next 40

years (www.census.gov).

Scientists already are working to provide the ever-growing population with enough food, clothing, and modern agricultural products without having to take up more land.

Through genetic engineering, scientists are able to chemically and physically enhance plant seeds to produce higher yields and prevent insect damage. This process is intended to increase crop production on existing farmland and to provide more food for the large American population.

I’ll bet you have even seen agricultural businesses close to your community. Some of these are agricultural cooperatives. If you use these cooperatives, you not only have a say in the products, prices, and leadership, but you also give back to your community.

In return, agricultural cooperatives give back to the community, too. The business they receive draws consumers to your town, which also can benefit other businesses in your community. In Pleasant Hill, our local agricultural cooperative is FS. FS gives back to our community by hosting an annual field day with our FFA members. They inform us about new farming methods, growing processes, and agricultural threats and influences in Pleasant Hill.

We use this information to help us not only with agricultural assignments, but also with FFA events and fundraisers.

So, the real question here is: “Where would you be without agriculture?”

Without agriculture

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you would be inconvenienced, naked, malnourished, unprotected, and most importantly, hungry. The cotton that provided your sheets, your clothes, your towels, and your washcloths wouldn’t be processed into these everyday items.

The eggs and milk you had for breakfast wouldn’t be available without the chickens that produced the eggs and the dairy cattle that produced the milk.

The floorboards under your carpet and the doors made of wood in your home wouldn’t be accessible without the agricultural process of forestry.

The consumables, such as your soap, shampoo, conditioner, hair products, toothpaste, and makeup also would be diminished because they are byproducts of plants, another important agricultural process.

And finally, the fuel used to operate your car very likely is made possible by distilling corn and soybeans into biofuels.

As you can see, if agriculture weren’t available, life would be greatly affected.

Everyday tasks wouldn’t be possible.

So the next time you wake up, eat breakfast, walk down the hallway in your house, shower, get ready for work, and head out into the ever-growing world, remember what it takes to give the necessities you need to live life to its fullest.

Keirra DeCamp, a student at Pleasant Hill High School and a member of the Pleasant Hill FFA Chapter, won first place in the GROWMARK essay contest. Her adviser is Beth Arnold. DeCamp will receive a $500 scholarship at the Illinois FFA State Convention in June.

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