Forty-three cyclists took to the road last week for the 16th annual Agriculture in the Classroom bike ride. Twenty-seven schools were visited along the way. ..............2
the personAl and economic ramifications of a farm accident can be monumental. National Farm Safety Week is a good time to reflect on being safe. ......................4
WhIle southern Illinois floodwaters have subsided, the flood of 2011 has left many reminders that it is not to be easily forgotten. ......................................12
Monday, September 12, 2011
Two sections Volume 39, No. 37
Illinois grower at rollout for $450B ‘Jobs Act’ BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek
Being personally in the presence of the president is at best a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most Americans. Henry County farmer Rock Katschnig beat the odds last week as President Obama took the podium to tout job creation/tax relief proposals. Katschnig was one of 12 “job creators” invited by U.S. House Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam, a Wheaton Republican, to attend Obama’s Thursday address before a joint session of Congress. The group represented congressional Republicans’ focus on employers hampered by excessive regulation. Obama took his “American Jobs Act” directly to Congress, proposing to significantly cut or temporarily suspend payroll taxes and extend 100 percent business expensing into 2012 to stimulate jobs growth. Springfield Democrat U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin deemed selective business tax relief crucial “if we want to get this economy moving,” arguing a resulting increase in worker disposable income would boost overall consumer spending. Obama’s $450-billion plan, reportedly funded through his
long-term deficit reduction plan, aims to modernize 35,000-plus rural and urban schools while expanding high-speed Internet access and funding Internetready classrooms. He proposes “immediate investments” in transportation through a bipartisan National Infrastructure Bank. And his plan proposes “reforms and regulatory reductions to help entrepreneurs and small businesses access capital.” Katschnig captured headlines during Obama’s recent Illinois stop in Atkinson, asking the president not to “challenge us with more rules and regulations from Washington, D.C., that hinder us.” “Sometimes, the best approach is common sense,” the corn/soybean grower said. Katschnig is featured on House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (R-Va.) “Top 10 JobDestroying Regulations” (visit {majorityleader.gov/blog/2011 /08/memo-on-upcoming-jobsagenda.html}). The farmer is especially concerned about potential new federal dust and water quality regulations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to issue revised standards for airborne particulate matter (PM). Tougher “coarse” particulate (dust) standards “will significantly impact economic growth and jobs for businesses and people throughout rural America that create dust, like the farmer in
Atkinson, Illinois,” Cantor warns. The congressman expects the House to approve a proposed one-year prohibition against any revision of coarse PM standards, “limiting federal regulation of dust where it is already regulated under state and local laws.” Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), meanwhile, continues to push Senate passage of regulatory relief legislation that would head off new EPA pesticide permits set to kick in this fall. Infrastructure improvement also is a key goal for a growing
group of lawmakers, though differing House and Senate priorities may spark heated debate. Durbin called a House plan that proposes to cut nearly a third from the last five years’ federal highway spending commitment “really awful.” “This would be the first time in more than 50 years that we’ve moved backward instead of forward in funding,” he told FarmWeek. “China (is) making massive investments in infrastructure so (the Chinese will) have the economy of the 21st century. They want to replace America. If we follow the House
Republican plan, it’s going to make that easier for them.” Obama is slated to drop the other shoe this week with his blueprint for overall spending cuts and revenue generation (i.e., tax increases). House Republicans have held firm to keeping tax hikes off the table as lawmakers seek to cut $2.5 trillion in long-term spending. American Farm Bureau Federation policy analyst Pat Wolff thus suggested “Congress is inclined to do nothing” to advance either the president’s spending or tax agendas.
GETTING STARTED
Robert Lucas, left, of rural Tremont in Tazewell County, and his son, Chad, of Morton last week were just beginning this year’s corn harvest. They said the field was averaging 180 bushels per acre at 22 percent moisture. The Lucases farm 600 acres of corn and soybeans. (Photo by Ken Kashian)
Periodicals: Time Valued
IDOA employees among those targeted for layoffs BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek
Gov. Pat Quinn last week outlined plans to close seven state facilities and lay off 1,900 state employees, including workers at the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA). Quinn blamed the state budget, which he said wasn’t large enough to fund state government. The governor challenged legislators to approve the reallocation of $316 million when they return for the fall veto session. “It’s time for a rendezvous with reality,” Quinn said during a Chicago news conference. The fiscal year 2012 budget approved
for IDOA payroll and operations will not sustain the department for the entire year, according to IDOA. To cope with a $1.7 million shortfall, a total of 23 positions across IDOA divisions will be Gov. Pat Quinn eliminated. The types of positions include electricians, painters, security officers, investigators of animals and animal products, plant and pesticide specialists, seed analysts, product and standards inspectors, and warehouse examiners. An exact number
FarmWeek on the web: FarmWeekNow.com
of the positions to be eliminated within each category was not available. The state facilities targeted for closure are the Logan Correctional Center, Lincoln; Illinois Youth Center, Murphysboro; Chester Mental Health Center, Randolph County; Mabley Developmental Center, Dixon; Tinley Park Mental Health Center, Tinley Park; and Singer Mental Health Center, Rockford. Unless the General Assembly takes action, the governor anticipated some of the layoffs will take effect in early November. The union representing employees who may lose their jobs is expected to sue to block Quinn’s plan.
Illinois Farm Bureau®on the web: www.ilfb.org