FarmWeek February 15 2010 edition

ILLINOIS FARM BUREAU scored big in getting its state legislative priorities introduced in bill form before last week’s General Assembly filing deadline. ...............2

THE ILLINOIS SOYBEAN Association and the U.S. Soybean Board have developed a program dubbed “The Bean Team” to help teach students about ag. ................3

CHAMPAIGN-BASED Illinois Fire Service Institute is placing special emphasis on grain safety in responder training sessions this year. .........................................7

Monday, February 15, 2010

Two sections Volume 38, No. 7

Specialist: Antibiotics use on farms no major human threat

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek The use of antibiotics on livestock farms does not present a major health risk to humans, according to Scott Hurd, senior epidemiologist at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Hurd, who previously served as the USDA deputy undersecretary for food safety, last week during a teleconference countered numerous claims made by a CBS Evening News two-part special that focused on the use of antibiotics on farms.

The news segments, which can be viewed online at {www.cbsnews.com} suggested there are strong ties between the use of antibiotics on farm animals and the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans.

CBS Evening News host Katie

Couric also encouraged consumers to pay a premium if need be to purchase “antibiotic-free” meats.

“If you look at the actual risk assessment, it says there virtually is no risk at all (associated with consuming meat and developing resistance to antibiotics from that meat),” Hurd said.

Epidemiology is the study of disease and factors affecting

FarmWeekNow.com For additional information about legislation banning antibiotics in livestock, go to FarmWeekNow.com.

health and illness in populations of humans and animals.

All antibiotics used in animal agriculture are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and are subject to surveillance, said Richard Carnevale, a veteri-

narian and vice president of regulatory, scientific, and international affairs for the Animal Health Institute, who also participated in the teleconference.

But if preventive antibiotics are banned from use on livestock, as proposed by legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that is opposed by Farm Bureau, humans could face additional health risks.

More sick animals may make it to market in that scenario, according to Hurd, which could increase the pathogens to which humans are exposed.

“If you ban all antibiotics, there won’t be any improvement to public health,” Hurd said.

“What you actually could end up with are more human-illness days. That’s a piece of the puzzle many people don’t look at at all.”

The website {www.FactsAboutPork.com}

claims Denmark, which banned the use of most antibiotics in livestock production, has experienced an uptick in humanantibiotic resistance — including a tenfold increase in Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infections — since the ban and recently had one of the worst salmonella outbreaks in Danish history.

“It’s ironic when Denmark

initiated the (antibiotic) ban (more than a decade ago) the stated goal was to improve human health,” Carnevale said.

“Yet they readily admit they can’t document a change to public health. It makes you wonder why they put the (livestock) industry through all this.”

Overall, Carnevale characterized the CBS report as “short on facts and long on speculation.”

NORWEGIAN LEGACY

Producers advised to check tax statements, payments

Periodicals: Time Valued

BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek Illinois Farm Service Agency (FSA) officials are working to make tax time a little less vexing for producers caught up in a change in USDA program procedures.

Illinois producers currently are receiving federal 1099 tax statements for direct, average crop revenue election, Conservation Reserve Program, and dairy pro-

gram benefits received as income in 2009.

FSA Illinois program specialist Stan Wilson stressed the majority of 1099s will be accurate — concerns focus on producers who received a 22 percent advance on 2009 direct payments.

Last year, FSA moved to a centralized payment distribution system based at its Kansas City regional office. Payment advances were distributed or deposited in producer accounts before the change in systems.

That means current 1099s may not reflect “offsets” from final payments but instead erroneously list the amount of the advance plus the full amount of direct payments unadjusted for the advance.

That could lead to producers paying taxes on that extra amount.

Because advance offsets can be applied “globally” to commodity or conservation payments on multiple farms owned or operated by an individual, Illinois FSA program specialist Rick Graden urged producers to check all documentation to ensure information is correct on all 1099s they receive.

Producers who find or suspect an error in their 1099s should contact their county FSA office

for payment verification or to seek a correction.

“Those producers who are doing a great job of keeping track of the payments they’ve received, comparing them to their deposits or U.S. Treasury checks they’ve received, are going to know if their 1099s are right or incorrect,” Graden told FarmWeek.

“The first thing they should do is determine if the amount of money they’ve received matches their 1099s.

“We’re concerned there will be some (farm) landlords out there who may not understand what they have in their hands when they get it.”

As a result of the transition in payment distribution procedures, producers last fall reported problems ranging from deposit of some payments in wrong accounts to letters informing program recipients they owed USDA money.

Graden noted USDA has conducted a comprehensive review of system problems, and his agency has briefed county FSAs on 1099 verification and correction.

Wilson stressed the centralized system likely will remain in place.

“It’s getting better, and it will get better, but it’s probably here to stay,” he said.

FarmWeek on the web: FarmWeekNow.com

This “Norwegian” totem pole was welded by the late Norman Larsen about 20 years ago, according to his son, Jeff, and stands as his legacy on the family farm near Leland in De Kalb County. Larsen said his father constructed all sorts of items from agricultural equipment parts.

(Photo by Ken Kashian)

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

FarmWeek Page 2 Monday, February 15, 2010

Quick Takes RENT-A-RENEWABLE — Airport travel should be a breath of fresher air for Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and National Car Rental customers as biodiesel gets them to and from their destinations.

Enterprise Holdings last week launched efforts for its entire fleet of more than 600 airport shuttle buses across 50 North American markets to begin using at least 5 percent biodiesel (B5).

The company formally unveiled its latest clean energy measure at the 2010 National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Grapevine, Texas. Enterprise Holdings will immediately convert buses in nine markets — including Chicago — to 20 percent biodiesel (B20) as a first step toward its goal of converting its entire fleet to B20 over the next five years.

The company expects to complete the conversion to B5 by spring of this year, with at least 50 percent converted to B20 by the end of next year.

ASIAN CARP CONTROVERSY CONTINUES — Congress last week said “no” to a plan to disconnect the waterways between Lake Michigan and the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, according to Illinois Statehouse News.

Michigan officials have called for closure of the main shipping channels running into the lake to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.

Speaking against the plan during a Chicago news conference, U.S. Reps. Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete), Judy Biggert (R-Hinsdale), and Danny Davis (D-Chicago) cited concerns about the economic effects and potential flooding issues.

President Barack Obama has pledged $78.5 million to the Great Lakes states to prevent the carp from spreading.

FREIGHT MOVEMENT SIGNALING STRONGER ECONOMY? — Freight is starting to move again, indicating the economy is improving. “The global recession had a massive impact on our economy, and the transportation industry was hit tremendously hard, but we are starting to see some movement that is promising,” said Steve Jaeger with the Heart of Illinois Regional Port District, based in Peoria.

October 2009 cargo statistics broke a 25-month string of year-to-year declines in movement of industrial and consumer goods. Forecasts for 2010 show a 10 percent increase in transportation of finished goods and a nearly 14 percent hike in movement of imported products.

The largest problem for transportation providers is the depressed level of freight rates brought about by the recession. “The trucking companies with terminals in Central Illinois have idled much of their equipment during the downturn but are beginning to see demand pick up,” Jaeger said.

Freight railroads are the healthiest in the transportation sector and largely remained profitable even as traffic levels fell by 20 percent or more in early 2009, Jaeger noted.

GOVERNMENT

State lawmakers add IFB priorities to mix

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Illinois Farm Bureau saw its state legislative priorities introduced in bill form before last week’s deadline for a shortened General Assembly spring session.

“This week starts the onslaught of committee work,” said Kevin Semlow, IFB director of state legislation.

Semlow noted legislative leaders have encouraged their members to be selective about

FarmWeekNow.com To learn more about IFB’s state legislative priorities for 2010, go to FarmWeekNow.com.

issues. Feb. 11 was the deadline for bill introduction in the House.

One IFB legislative priority — SB 2566 sponsored by Sen. John Sullivan (D-Rushville) — was assigned to the Senate Transportation Committee.

Meanwhile a similar House bill, HB 4904, sponsored by Rep. Rich Myers (R-Colchester), remained in the House Rules Committee. Semlow said the legislation has drawn concerns from independent insurance agents.

Both bills would restore farmers’ ability to drive all-terrain and utility-terrain vehicles on roads for farming purposes and also to cross roads with the vehicles, he said.

Livestock producers are the focus of HB 6142 — also sponsored by Myers — that addresses nuisance lawsuits filed against farms.

The bill would prohibit civil lawsuits filed in anticipation of a nuisance that might be caused by a proposed livestock facility or expansion of an existing facility that complies

Quinn gets budget delay — with strings

with the state Livestock Management Facility Act (LMFA), said Bart Bittner, IFB associate director of state legislation.

The bill also would allow a defendant who wins in a nuisance case against a farm to be paid for legal costs to defend the case and reasonable attorney fees, Bittner added.

A recent ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the rights of Sangamon County pork producer Bob Young to seek damages from a residents’ group that had sued him.

The group obtained a preliminary injunction that temporarily stopped construction, but the injunction later was reversed and Young successfully pursued legal action to seek damages for the construction delay.

Liability and recreation are the main thrust of HB 5895, sponsored by Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville). The bill would restore limited liability to landowners who allow invited guests to use their property at no charge for a variety of recreational activities.

Currently, landowners have limited liability only for hunting. In the past, similar bills have faced stiff opposition

Gov. Pat Quinn last week signed legislation that allows him to submit his state budget plan on March 10 instead of Wednesday.

However by Feb. 24, Quinn must file a report on revenues, expenditures, and financial liabilities with the General Assembly. The bill also allows the public and state lawmakers to submit budget recommendations.

Quinn sought a similar delay last October, but didn’t secure enough votes in the House to pass the measure.

The Illinois Constitution requires the governor to deliver his budget message in mid-February. Last year, Quinn was permitted to present his budget in March because he had been in office only a few weeks after succeeding Rod Blagojevich. –Kay Shipman from trial attorneys.

Another IFB priority, the restoration of equine harvest, would reverse a change enacted three years ago. HB 4812, sponsored by Rep. Jim Sacia (R-Pecatonica), would allow equine harvesting in the state.

“IFB supports the bill to improve the end-of-life experiences for many equine that have become worse and (to correct) an unintended consequence of earlier legislation,” Bittner said.

Illinois now faces problems of abandoned horses in state parks and other public areas as some horse owners struggle to feed and care for the animals during a bad economy, a dismal horse market, and the high cost of euthanasia, Bittner

University presidents seek budget answers (ISSN0197-6680) Vol. 38 No. 7

February 15, 2010

Dedicated to improving the profitability of farming, and a higher quality of life for Illinois farmers.

FarmWeek is produced by the Illinois Farm Bureau.

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STAFF Editor Dave McClelland (dmcclelland@ilfb.org) Legislative Affairs Editor Kay Shipman (kayship@ilfb.org) Agricultural Affairs Editor Martin Ross (mross@ilfb.org) Senior Commodities Editor Daniel Grant (dgrant@ilfb.org) Editorial Assistant Linda Goltz (Lgoltz@ilfb.org) Business Production Manager Bob Standard Advertising Sales Manager

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Presidents and chancellors of 14 state universities last week asked Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes for a reliable schedule of state payments to their institutions and offered to help with a solution.

“The (financial) hole Illinois has managed to dig for itself is so deep that it’s not going to be able to cut its way or tax its way out — it’s going to take combination of both,” said Stanley Ikenberry, president of the University of Illinois. Ikenberry joined several fellow presidents at a Chicago press conference.

Across Illinois, the state owes the universities more than three-quarters of a billion dollars, the presidents wrote.

John Peters, president of Northern Illinois University, said he worries every two weeks if he will be able to make his payroll. “We’re basically living on tuition,” Peters said.

The presidents noted they have cut costs, enacted hiring freezes, and drawn on financial reserves. However, those actions can’t compensate for “the absence of hundreds of millions of dollars in state appropriation payments,” they said.

Ikenberry put the situation in perspective: “We’re going to see a crisis of a dimension that we have not seen in our lifetimes,” without a change in strategy.

The presidents admitted a solution will not be easy and offered their support in helping resolve the matter and helping the public understand the current situation.

“The longer we wait, the deeper the hole; the deeper the hole, the larger the tax increase and the larger the cuts,” Ikenberry said. “The quicker we get at this, the less the pain.” — Kay Shipman

FarmWeek Page 3 Monday, February 15, 2010

EDUCATION

IAITC adding nutrition, ag facts to after-school program

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) is applying its successful classroom materials to after-school programs in the hope of filling an educational niche and imparting nutritional information.

“This (after-school program) was a niche we wanted to get into. There’s not a lot of ag information” provided to those in after-school programs, said Carrie Schreiber, Illinois Farm

‘This (after-school program) was a niche we wanted to get into.’

— Carrie Schreiber IFB education specialist

Bureau education specialist.

It’s a niche that could reach many children. Last year, 16 percent of Illinois children participated in after-school programs, according to a survey by the Afterschool Alliance.

Schreiber and Jackie Jones, IFB education manager, discussed the new “After School Agriculture” materials with educators and ag literacy coordinators at the IAITC Awareness Conference last week in Bloomington.

In August, the Walmart Foundation donated $50,000 to IAITC, which used the grant to develop the After School Agriculture program.

The lessons and activities are

available to park districts, YMCAs, YWCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, and other groups that offer after-school programs. The program recently was presented during a state meeting of park district staff.

The materials are geared toward two groups: students in kindergarten through third grade and those in fourth through sixth grades.

After School Agriculture offers one week of 30-minute lessons and activities that each focuses on a single agricultural topic. There is enough material for five weeks.

Those topics are dairy, beef, pork, specialty crops, and pizza. The pizza lessons cover all the ingredients used to make pizza and those ingredients’ link to agriculture.

Nutritional information is an important component of many lessons, and several activities include either student-made healthy snacks, such as pumpkin pie made in a bag, or snacks provided by the adults.

“We don’t focus on obesity.

We focus on nutrition. But by understanding about right choices and the importance of activity, we hope that we have an impact (on children’s health),” Schreiber said.

Another healthy IAITC tool is a Nutrition Ag Mag that is being reprinted and should be available later this year. The topics covered include the food pyramid, food label information, and the importance of exercise. In the magazine, a dietician talks about his career and the importance of foodportion sizes.

State plans nutrition, obesity hearings The Illinois Department of Public Health has scheduled several public hearings on the issues of nutrition and obesity.

The purpose is to highlight problems linked to obesity, to identify existing state and local initiatives and opportunities for action, and to identify stakeholders.

Hearing dates and locations are: Feb. 26, 1 to 4 p.m., Michael A. Bilandic Building, 160 N. LaSalle St., Chicago; March 8, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield; and March 15, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Carbondale City Hall-Civic Center, 200 S. Illinois Ave., Carbondale.

Anyone wishing to speak may sign in to testify at each location. Testimony should be limited to three minutes, and a written copy should be provided.

Information will be sought on the following points: • Examples of effective programs to address obesity; • Existing policies, programs, and coordination solutions to address the obesity issue; and • Ideas on how Illinois can work more effectively to address obesity.

Written comments may be submitted by March 15. E-mail comments to: DPH.MAILUS@illinois.gov with “Obesity Initiative” in the subject line.

For additional information, go online to {www.idph.state.il.us} or contact the Illinois Department of Public Health at 217-557-0496.

Sue Yarnell, left, ag literacy coordinator with the Moultrie County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Haley Loy, ag literacy director for Cook County Farm Bureau, make miniature wind turbines during a workshop at last week’s Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom awareness conference in Bloomington. New renewable energy teaching materials and class projects were among several workshop topics. (Photo by Kay Shipman)

Careers, ed materials energizing IAITC Renewable energy offers educational subjects as well as potential careers across Illinois, ag literacy coordinators and educators heard last week.

“The great thing about energy is even if we talked about everything — you couldn’t touch it all,” Kelly Murphy, Illinois Farm Bureau education specialist, told participants in her renewable energy workshop.

Teachers, ag literacy coordinators, and Farm Bureau leaders learned about the growing renewable energy industry and related educational materials for students in kindergarten through 12th grade at the Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) Awareness Conference in Bloomington.

Through IAITC, students can learn about an industry in which they may wish to pursue a career, according to John Caupert, director of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

Case-in-point, four NCERC trainees recently were hired at John Caupert Abengoa, a new 88-million-gallon ethanol plant at Granite City, Caupert noted.

“The No. 1 thing we (NCERC) heard was a need ... for qualified applicants to go to work (in renewable fuel plants,)” Caupert said. “Training leads to biofuel jobs.”

In 2008, 500,000 people were employed

nationwide in the biofuels industry.

Industry growth resulted in the creation of 29,000 new biofuels jobs that year, he added.

Biofuel is one of the topics discussed in new IAITC educational materials, including a new renewable energy “Ag Mag,” displayed last week.

Murphy outlined possible lesson topics that ranged from the history of energy development to specific types of energy and their impact in Illinois.

To demonstrate wind energy, each workshop participant made a miniature wind turbine from construction paper and a plastic straw. Another demonstration project was a small solar-heating device made from a cardboard pizza box.

Materials and information are available online at {www.agintheclassroom.org}.

Caupert speculated the biofuels industry will continue growing even as NCERC works with clients on cellulosic ethanol. However, the cellulosic ethanol process needs to become more cost efficient, and many unanswered questions remain about harvesting, storing, and handling biomass crops, he said.

NCERC started an initiative a year ago to optimize starch-based ethanol production to use as little water as possible and make it more cost efficient, Caupert said.

Caupert added economic recovery is trickling into the ethanol industry. “We’re starting to see an (ethanol) energy comeback,” he said.

“And that’s a good thing.” — Kay Shipman

Wealth of educational materials available Educators and volunteers involved with ag literacy found a variety of new educational programs at the Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) Awareness Conference last week in Bloomington.

The Illinois Soybean Association and the U.S. Soybean Board developed a comprehensive program dubbed “The Bean Team.”

Geared to fourth graders, the Bean Team covers a variety of subjects from a plant’s lifecycle to foods and products made from soybeans to biofuels.

The materials include a DVD with five 10-minute video segments about two students who learn about soybeans. Accompanying worksheets reinforce topics from the DVD.

IAITC has developed an additional packet of lessons to complement the Bean Team material, said Kevin Daugherty, IAITC education director.

The Illinois material covers science, social studies, math,

health and nutrition, reading, writing, and art. The lessons are correlated to Illinois learning standards.

Daugherty highlighted a transportation lesson that helps students study how farm products are transported from the field to their final destination.

Other workshops presented information about available materials on dairy, farm safety, natural resources, and biotechnology.

For more information or to find materials, go online to {www.agintheclassroom.org}.

— Kay Shipman

FarmWeek Page 4 Monday, February 15, 2010

GOVERNMENT No more NAIS?

USDA’s new plan has ‘many unanswered questions’

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

USDA this month seemed to respond to many producers’ concerns about the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) when it announced plans to develop a new, flexible framework for animal disease traceability.

“After concluding our listening tour on the National Animal Identification system ... it is apparent that a new strategy for animal disease traceability is needed,” said Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.

But, at least for the time being, the direction USDA will take to ensure animal disease traceability nationwide is unclear.

In fact, the latest announcement may have created more questions than it provided answers to the ongoing animal ID debate.

“There are so many unanswered questions, we’re not exactly sure what it all means right now,” said Jim Kunkle, animal ID administrator with the Illinois Department of Agriculture. “It sounds like a

lot of it will be worked out down the road.”

USDA essentially will start over with its animal ID program as it announced it will convene a forum with animal health leaders to initiate a dialogue about the possible ways to achieve a flexible, coordinated approach to animal disease traceability.

The federal government spent about $120 million on NAIS, but only 36 percent of livestock producers nationwide participated in the program.

USDA also announced it will revamp the secretary’s Advisory Committee on Animal Health to address specific issues, such as confidentiality and liability.

There will be “ample opportunity for farmers, ranchers, and the public to provide us with continued input on the process,” Vilsack said.

In the end, USDA’s efforts reportedly will apply only to animals moved in interstate commerce; be administered by the states and Tribal Nations to provide more flexibility; encourage the use of lower-

President’s budget plan appears to scrap lock ‘tax’

BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek

The administration appears willing to back off from a new lock “tax” that could slow or even halt commercial traffic on the Upper Mississippi River, according to national Waterways Council Inc. (WCI) Vice President Paul Rohde.

WCI applauded support for river improvements in the president’s fiscal 2011 budget proposal while pushing recommendations aimed at “ensuring the continued vitality of the U.S. inland navigation system for the next 20 years.”

The budget proposes $350 million for improvements at Lock and Dam 27 at Granite City and $136 million to complete work at Olmsted Lock and Dam on the Ohio River.

The plan also seeks a specific timeline for construction of new 1,200-foot locks on the Illinois and Upper Mississippi rivers approved by Congress in 2007, beginning as early as 2011.

The administration last year floated a proposed per-barge, per-lock fee to replace existing barge fuel taxes that feed the Inland Waterway Trust Fund. The trust fund was created to share costs of navigation improvements along the rivers, but revenues have waned while demand for lock upkeep has grown.

The Inland Marine Transportation System Investment (IMTS) Strategy Team, comprised of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel and members of the congressionally authorized Inland Waterways Users Board, proposes an alternative plan that would redirect trust fund use toward navigation and seek lock funding on a per-project basis rather than on a more unreliable, bit-by-bit annual basis.

“We’ve interpreted that the administration is willing to see progress with something all (river) stakeholders can get on board with,” Rohde told FarmWeek. “For the most part, that should take the lockage ‘tax’ off the table, though if you talked to someone with the administration, he probably wouldn’t give you the same interpretation.

“Certainly, this Inland Waterway User Board/IMTS joint effort is a much better approach than the punitive per-lock/perbarge fee, which would have killed traffic on the Upper Mississippi,” he said.

To direct available trust fund revenues to navigation improvements, the IMTS proposes ending their use for dam maintenance. Rohde stressed “there are a lot more beneficiaries of the dams than of navigation,” noting funding for dam maintenance was not included as a dedicated use under original trust fund authorization in 1986.

cost technology; and be implemented transparently through federal regulations and the full rulemaking process.

Kunkle said IDOA will continue to promote premises registration but “after that, I’m not sure where it’s going.”

USDA’s announcement last week received mixed reviews from livestock groups.

The National Pork Board stated the elimination of NAIS does not change its objective, which is for pork producers to have time-

ly disease surveillance and protection for the U.S. swine herd.

The U.S. swine industry already has more than 90 percent of its farms identified through premises ID, according to USDA. Meanwhile, Steve Foglesong, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and a Fulton County producer, encouraged USDA to work closely with producers to develop the new traceability system.

“The plan appears to lay the

foundation for a flexible approach to animal disease traceability, including greater state involvement and choices in the use of technology,” Foglesong said.

Illinois Farm Bureau policy supports a voluntary national animal identification program administered by USDA that is confidential, cost effective, and not economically burdensome to producers.

A question-and-answer sheet about plans for the new animal traceability system is available at {www.aphis.usda.gov}.

Renewable energy standard preferable to cap and trade A federal renewable electricity standard (RES) would greatly ramp up wind, biomass, and other next-generation power sources at a lower longterm cost to consumers, alternative energy advocates maintained last week.

The administration is facing Senate and widespread industry resistance to House “cap-andtrade” proposals and thus appears to be shifting its focus to sustainable energy incentives rather than a carrot-and-stick climate approach.

Illinois Farm Bureau National Legislative Director Adam Nielsen thus questions support by selected renewable energy advocates for new greenhouse regulations.

Solar, hydropower, geothermal, wind, and biomass organizations joined to push a congressional energy agenda featuring an RES. Such a standard, which would require a percentage of domestic electricity be generated through renewable sources, would help assure demand necessary to sustain alternative energy development and investment, the groups maintained.

Amid uncertainty over short-term renewable tax incentives (or, in the case of biodiesel, extension of an expired federal blenders credit) and energy sector willingness to embrace renewable energy generation, “we’re on a roller coaster every day,” American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode told reporters.

Solar Energy Industries Association CEO Rhone Resch touted carbon credits potentially available to non-fossil sources through cap and trade. But Nielsen warned the renewables industry does not need greenhouse gas emissions caps for

utilities that would raise overall energy costs.

“We’ve been talking about ideas like a renewable electricity standard for some time, and we believe we can cut emissions without a complex cap-and-trade system that could damage the economy,” Nielsen said.

With cap and trade on the ropes, he sees senators leaning toward an “all-energy” approach aimed at boosting renewables demand, nuclear power development, clean coal, and even new domestic oil exploration.

Farm Bureau supports a “renewable portfolio standard” to stimulate electricity generation from wind, biomass, solar, tidal, hydroelectric sources, livestock or landfill methane, with standardization of associated tax incentives regardless of source.

President Obama has addressed proposals to set a 25 percent renewable energy goal for 2025.

Bode urged approval of at least a 12 percent RES beginning as early as 2011 or 2012 to power “a real explosion of new jobs and manufacturing and growth” in wind and other sectors.

Renewable energy interests acknowledged resistance to an RES among some utilities that have substantial investments in coal or other assets and are reluctant to diversify power sources amid uncertainty over cost recovery, Bode said.

“A utility will not change that pattern unless the determination as to what’s in the public interest changes,” the former Oklahoma utility regulator said. “A renewable electrical standard basically determines what’s in the public interest for a utility.” — Martin Ross

AGI consent forms no reason for alarm Producers will be asked to handle yet one more piece of paper this tax season, but the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) return address shouldn’t be cause for alarm or concerns about financial confidentiality.

As part of a new partnership between the IRS and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), farm program recipients are required to submit a CCC927 individual or CCC-928 farm entity consent form for disclosure of tax information.

Under a revised average adjusted gross income (AGI) review process, the IRS will review tax data for potential use in identifying producers who may exceed commodity/conservation program income eligibility thresholds.

IRS will provide names and taxpayer identification numbers to FSA for further inquiry without supplying tax records or specific income figures.

The 927/928 form acknowledges USDA can use that information to ensure compliance with 2009 payment eligibility (based on three-year average AGI calculated over the 2005-2007 tax years) and 2010 eligibility (based on 2006-2008 tax years).

“When this all first came out, people did not fully

understand what was going to be happening,” Illinois FSA program specialist Stan Wilson told FarmWeek. “Now, I think they’re more comfortable with what’s happening and understand that we’re not going to be looking at IRS documents to find out what their income is at the county level.

“Anyone chosen for spot checks or who fails to respond (to FSA notification) will be handled at the state level. Even at that point, they’ll still have an opportunity to provide us with a (certified public accountant) or attorney certification.”

Forms will not be mailed to farmers, who instead can find them at their county FSA or online at {forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/eForms/welcomeAction.d o?Home}. AGI compliance fact sheets and background information are available on the FSA website at {www.fsa.usda.gov}.

Completed consent forms must be mailed to the address specified on the form — those submitted to county FSA offices will be returned to the producer. Consent is required: Producers who do not submit a 927 or 928 will be notified of non-compliance after June 1. — Martin Ross

FarmWeek Page 5 Monday, February 15, 2010

ENERGY

RFS2 rules lift corn ethanol to (rigid) ceiling

BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek

New rules under the revised renewable fuels standard (RFS2) should help the corn ethanol industry reach the federal ceiling for future “conventional biofuels” use, energy industry analyst John Urbanchuk suggests.

Corn ethanol did not meet EPA’s far higher standard for “advanced biofuels” expected to provide much of an additional 21 billion gallons in renewable fuels use by 2022.

Under original federal criteria, corn ethanol came in with a GHGs reduction of only 16 percent, but using new data

‘ Corn ethanol’s pretty much capped at 15 billion gallons.’

— John Urbanchuk Energy industry analyst

However, whether corn ethanol will be able to move beyond that ceiling into longterm market growth remains uncertain under questionable federal “land use change” criteria, advised Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) Technology and Business Development Director Dave Loos.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) RFS2 rules provide “everything we need to get us to the 15 billion gallons” prescribed for annual corn ethanol use by 2022, Urbanchuk said.

Current ethanol plants are “grandfathered” under RFS2, but new cornstarch-based sources must deliver a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs) below 2005 gasoline emissions to qualify as conventional biofuels.

projecting higher corn yields and reduced inputs and reanalysis of potential global land use changes and subsequent GHG impacts related to corn or ethanol production, EPA rescored ethanol from newer plants as offering a 21 percent average greenhouse reduction.

“This removes obstructions to getting us up to the 15 billion gallons, and I think it allows us even to expand further than that,” Urbanchuk told FarmWeek.

“Corn ethanol’s pretty much capped at 15 billion gallons.

The real issue is how we get there from where we are today — about 11 billion (online production) or a little less.

“The issue is how (RFS2) would have affected plants that are being built. We have (production) capacity of about 13 billion gallons, and there’s

about another 1 billion-plus currently under construction.

Anything newer, that additional 1 billion and change, should be able to qualify under RFS2.”

But ICGA is unhappy about continued “penalties” against corn ethanol as an expanded fuel source based on EPA “being adamant about including international land use change,” Loos said. While 2007 energy legislation required EPA to consider “significant” indirect impacts, he questioned whether highly theoretical land use projections meet Congress’ intent.

New satellite data and information on actual global land use changes prompted EPA to revise corn ethanol’s GHG footprint. However, EPA simultaneously compressed its timetable for biofuels-related land use change from an original 100 years to 30 years, ignoring ethanol’s net long-term greenhouse benefits.

“If they’d kept it at 100 years, we would have shown (cumulative) performance equal to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by about 50 percent compared to gasoline,” Loos said. “By performance, corn ethanol would have been equivalent to an advanced biofuel.”

Sugar cane-based ethanol scores at a 61 percent GHG reduction and thus qualifies as an advanced biofuel, further opening the door to competition from South American ethanol, Loos warned.

Could corn-based cellulosics raise greenhouse curve?

As more of the corn plant makes it into the domestic fuel mix, corn ethanol plants could score higher marks for greenhouse gas benefits under federal standards, industry observers suggest.

John Urbanchuk, an energy industry consultant, doesn’t preclude the possibility that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) eventually could rescore corn ethanol’s impact as the industry matures, raising the demand ceiling under the revised renewable fuels standard (RFS2) (see accompanying story).

Amid new technologies and improved plant efficiencies, “the ability to improve carbon footprint and emissions is pretty significant,” he said.

But Dave Loos, technology and business development director with the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA), noted EPA’s current greenhouse gas calculations for corn ethanol hinge on advancements such as “fractionation,” which allows plants to remove value-added co-products from corn prior to ethanol processing. However, Loos stressed fractionation currently is an “expensive technology.”

Further, EPA assumes newer plants will generate twice as much dry distillers grains (DDGs) as wet DDGs. According to Loos, that is a “stretch” considering current livestock industry trends on demand for wet DDGs. One factor that could offer expanded corn ethanol market potential is the anticipated development of cellulosic biofuels from crop residues and other sources.

Loos noted EPA has pegged potential GHG reductions from ethanol made from corn stover and cobs at 130 percent below cumulative emissions from conventional gasoline, compared with corn ethanol’s roughly 21 percent estimated reduction.

That theoretically could mean a more favorable federal view of prospective integrated plants that combine starch and cellulosic production. Loos notes ICGA’s interest in developing technologies to extract further ethanol from corn kernel fiber already available to processors.

“That would be, by definition, an ‘advanced’ biofuel (open to higher RFS2 use thresholds),” he told FarmWeek. “EPA would have to figure how to assign credits to the cellulosebased ethanol vs. cornstarch-based ethanol.” — Martin Ross

EPA affirms biodiesel as an ‘advanced biofuel’ The appearance of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials of late has sparked anxieties among biofuels producers and promoters.

However, EPA was a welcome presence at last week’s

annual National Biodiesel Conference in Texas. Agency staff outlined how, according to National Biodiesel Board (NBB) CEO Joe Jobe, revised renewable fuels standard (RFS2) rules will require 1.15 billion gallons of biodiesel “to be entered into

commerce” in 2010.

That will aid in “further advancing the important role of biodiesel in diversifying our nation’s energy portfolio while creating much needed, new ‘green collar jobs,’” Jobe suggested.

Biodiesel jobs at risk through credit rejection Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) last week stripped extension of the recently expired biodiesel blenders tax credit from a nowpared-down jobs package. That, according to Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson, endangers even more jobs in a promising industry.

The plan now omits several energy provisions, including the $1-per-gallon credit that has been linked to expansion in the still-young soy biodiesel industry.

National Biodiesel Board (NBB) Washington spokesman Michael Frohlich said the credit “really is an immediate need to this industry,” admonishing Senate leaders that “saving 23,000 jobs that are in immediate jeopardy is inextricably linked to a true job-saving and creation agenda.”

The credit expired Jan. 1 along with other tax “extender” measures bumped from December consideration by health care and other congressional hot buttons.

The Senate Finance Committee pushed the

biodiesel measure’s inclusion in jobs legislation, and a spokesman for committee member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) criticized Reid’s action, arguing expiration of the credit “has meant lost jobs in biodiesel production in Iowa” and, potentially, 43 other states, including Illinois.

“We have a number of biodiesel plants in this country that are shutting down because those tax incentives went away at year’s end,” Nelson told FarmWeek Friday.

NBB will seek to have the Senate add extension of the credit to the current package before a final vote or attach it to another measure.

Language stricken by Reid also would have extended important tax relief for flood recovery and rebuilding, Grassley’s aide noted.

The majority leader (Reid) “pulled the rug out from work to build broad-based support for tax relief and other efforts to help the private sector recover from the economic crisis,” the Grassley spokesman maintained. — Martin Ross

Under RFS2 rules, which score biofuels according to their greenhouse gas (GHG) impact, biodiesel, including soy-based biodiesel, is the “only advanced biofuel that has reached commercialization in the U.S.,” he noted.

EPA Senior Policy Adviser Paul Argyropoulos acknowledged “the significant efforts of the NBB in working closely with us throughout this process.”

“There was a great deal of concern that biodiesel from soy oil would not have qualified under the original RFS2,” energy industry analyst John Urbanchuk told FarmWeek.

“Now, it’s been deemed in compliance — it’s in good shape. The industry was really successful in getting EPA to accept it.”

RFS2 required use of 500 million gallons of “biomassbased diesel” in 2009, increasing to 1 billion gallons in 2012.

From 2012 through 2022, a minimum of 1 billion gallons

must be used domestically, and EPA has the authority to increase minimum volume requirements.

To qualify as biomass-based diesel, the fuel must reduce GHG emissions by 50 percent compared to petroleum-based diesel fuel. As with corn-based ethanol, EPA revised analysis of soy biodiesel and concluded it fits the criteria.

NBB had noted flaws in EPA’s initial biodiesel “lifecycle” methodology, including inaccuracies about soybean nitrogen fixing, biodiesel coproduct potential, the fuel’s overall energy balance, and increasing soybean production efficiencies.

The industry also contested early EPA global land use assumptions regarding soybean-biodiesel production.

The agency subsequently concluded biodiesel from domestic soy oil would reduce GHG emissions by an average 57 percent and, potentially, even as much as 85 percent.

— Martin Ross

FarmWeek Page 6 Monday, February 15, 2010

YOUNG PEOPLE

Anderson: Young Leaders must ‘put face’ on the ag industry

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

Some veteran farmers in recent years may have been blindsided by what seems to be an increasing number of attacks on production agriculture by activist groups.

But it’s the next generation of farmers, such as the Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders, who will have to meet those challenges head-on to ensure the U.S. continues to have a healthy livestock sector in the future, according to Nic Anderson, business developer for the Illinois Livestock Development Group.

Anderson spoke to IFB Young Leaders (who range in age from 18 to 35 years) at their recent annual conference in Springfield. His presentation was titled “Animal Welfare Issues — Identifying, Preparing, and Responding.”

Activist groups have various agendas, he warned, and some have discovered that animal care is a pressure point for elected officials while others have a defined motive to “stop animal production and meat consumption around the world.”

“You’re the generation that’s going to speak (to Nic Anderson the challenge) and live with it,” Anderson told Young Leaders. “It’s a huge responsibility.”

A key to neutralizing attacks on the ag industry, according to Anderson, is to do a better job educating consumers about food production practices.

“Does the consumer who eats our product understand our practices?” Anderson questioned.

“Our job in agriculture is to be transparent,” he continued.

“And there’s no better message a consumer can hear than one from an actual producer.”

Producers, therefore, should be prepared to speak in public and embrace opportunities to provide accurate information to consumers about food production and to “put a face on the industry,” said Anderson.

Farmers not comfortable with public speaking should consider some type of training such as the National Pork Board’s Operation Main Street program, the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Conversations on Animal Care, and/or Masters of Beef Advocacy offered by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Anderson said.

He also encouraged Young Leaders and all farmers to put together a one-page fact sheet about their operations and distribute them to local leaders so people know how to contact them when there is an ag or food-related issue.

Rich Guebert Jr. vice president of the Illinois Farm Bureau who also spoke at the Young Leader Conference, promoted a new farmer image campaign in Illinois spearheaded by IFB that will target consumers.

“Each one of you has to be part of that,” Guebert told Young Leaders.

University of Illinois dairy science professor Mike Hutjens, second from left, provides hands-on lab experience for community college students from across Illinois. The students were enrolled in the first animal science introductory course offered by the U of I through participating community colleges. (Photo by Heather Miller, U of I office of continuing education)

Community college students accessing U of I ag classes

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Their classrooms are computers around the state. But for one class, they’re all taught by a University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) professor.

Welcome to ACES Access, a program that offers students an online introductory ag course through participating community colleges.

Last fall, the program started with an introductory animal science course taught by Mike Hutjens, U of I animal science professor.

This semester, Howard Brown, an assistant adjunct professor in crop sciences, is teaching an introductory plant science course to 18 students from six community colleges.

Students participate in online lectures and then come to the Urbana campus for laboratory instruction on two Saturdays.

“The virtual campus has no borders, only differences in time zones,” Brown said.

“I’m excited about the future of higher education using the online classroom tools,” he continued. “Just think, a student who is working full-time and attending a local community college can now consider a career in an agricultural field even though the local campus does not

offer the basic courses in crop or soil science.”

Participating community colleges offer ACES Access courses through regular semester registration.

Students pay their community college’s tuition rate and earn course credit from their community college.

Those wanting to pursue bachelor’s degrees may transfer ACES Access credits later to the U of I or another four-year college.

Brown noted ACES Access courses allow community college students to complete required basic courses so they are eligible to enroll in higher level courses at a university.

Additional introductory courses are planned in soil science and horticulture. ACES Access was developed to expand the range of agriculture courses that community colleges can offer students.

Participating community colleges either have no ag program or have small programs and need a few courses to supplement their ag programs, according to Heather Miller, program director U of I office of continuing education.

For more information, contact Miller at hmiller1@uiuc.edu or 217-265-6568.

IALF seeks members for class of 2012 Agriculture needs leaders.

Since 1982, the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation (IALF) has been instrumental in providing leadership development for Illinois agribusiness professionals and producers ages 25 to 49.

Those accepted into the program are the automatic recipients of a $27,000 scholarship and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Over the course of two years, the IALF delivers 14 different seminars designed to

promote leadership development specific to agriculture.

Many seminars are skill- or

knowledge-based.

These seminars take place at a variety of locations within Illinois.

Also included in the curriculum are national and international travel seminars. Later this month, the class of 2010

will be heading to Brazil and Argentina to learn more about those two farm economies, governments, and cultures.

To date, the IALF has sponsored trips to nearly 40 different countries as part of its programming.

Applications for the class of 2012 are being accepted until March 31. Interested persons should call Mark Bloom at 309-837-7711.

More about the IALF can be found by visiting {www.agleadership.org}.

FarmWeek Page 7 Monday, February 15, 2010

FARM SAFETY

Late harvest problems pose post-harvest risks

BY MARTIN ROSS FarmWeek

The grain bin is always a potentially lethal environment. But a wet fall and late harvest have heightened imminent and unseen risks for producers and rural rescuers.

That’s according to the Champaign-based Illinois Fire Service Institute, (IFSI), which trains fire and medical responders statewide in handling farm and other specialized emergencies.

This season, IFSI is placing special emphasis on grain safety in 2010 responder training sessions both at the University of Illinois campus and in rural locales.

Noting a fatal late-January grain bin entrapment in Shelby County, IFSI’s retiring ag program director Duane Bales suggests grain “bridging” — formation of a fragile and deceptive surface in higher-moisture stored grain — could lead to more producer grain entrapments this year.

Bales cited a higher-thanusual incidence of winter bindryer fires on-farm and at commercial facilities, likely related to extended grain drying. Dave Newcomb, Bales’ soon-to-be-successor, reported an elevator to which he recently delivered grain was in its “11th week of drying 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

In addition, storage of high-moisture corn poses a

greater danger of fungal mycotoxin development and inhalation. Mycotoxins are potential carcinogens that resist decomposition in the body and imperil the longterm health both of producers and exposed rescue workers.

“It’s going to be hard to convince the farming community that you need to have some sort of a respirator when you’re in cleaning that grain bin,” Bales told FarmWeek.

“We can’t do things the way we did growing up. It’s amazing I’m still alive, from all the things I did on the farm growing up.

“Now, we’re more aware.

We have an unbelievable number of grain bin/ag rescue classes already scheduled for March, April — just about every weekend, somewhere.”

Newcomb stressed the relatively low cost of preventing mycotoxin inhalation. A box of 20 N95 respiratory masks is available at most farm, drug, or general retail outlets for less than $15 and should provide adequate protection, he said.

The more repeated a producer’s unprotected exposure to mycotoxins, the greater the long-term threat of disease. Newcomb said growers who work regularly in grain may develop a tolerance, and symptoms of lifethreatening conditions thus may not be diagnosed while

Snow on the roof:

Spotting the hot spots A little snow on the roof — or a lack thereof — can help producers avoid a dangerous, costly bin blaze, according to Grain and Feed Association of Illinois Executive Vice President Jeffrey Adkisson.

Beyond fire risks related to extended grain drying (see accompanying story), Adkisson notes “hot spots” can form in higher-moisture stored corn. Deteriorating grain may spontaneously combust, sparking a bin fire.

Commercial facilities avoid formation of hot spots by using temperature cables to monitor potential heat buildup, removing or circulating suspect grain, or even running corn back through the dryer. Adkisson suggests various strategies for determining whether bin grain should be recirculated.

One is to open the bin hatch and smell the grain: A musty, sour, or fermented odor indicates corn may be beginning to go or has gone out of condition, raising odds of heat accumulation.

Producers can use a long, slender rod to safely probe corn for hard, compacted or moist areas, or use a grain thermometer attached to the rod and submerged at an eight-foot depth to gauge daily temperature (as little as a 3 to 4 degree Fahrenheit increase can indicate problems).

“Another little trick of the trade, at this time of the year, is to make sure that if that bin normally gets snow on the roof that it has snow on the roof — that it’s not heated inside and the snow’s melting off,” Adkisson told FarmWeek.

“If the roof on one bin has snow and the snow on the next one is melting or dripping off, that may be a sign you need to check your bin.” — Martin Ross

simple treatment is possible.

Meanwhile, entrapment remains an imminent threat.

Newcomb noted producers often work long hours alone, and cited even higher grain injury rates among those under 16 and over 60.

Once a person is submerged in stored grain, immobility and subsequent suffocation can occur in seconds. While participating as the “victim” in an entrapment training exercise, Bales related that “The only thing I could do was wiggle my toes in my steel-toed shoes.“ While a variety of grain bin rescue devices have emerged, including rescue tubes that contain the grain surrounding the victim and aid in extrication, they are costly. Some emergency departments have fabricated their own versions of the tube, while other regional departments are pooling more expensive equipment.

But timing remains a crucial and difficult challenge: Newcomb reported the average bin rescue may take three to five hours after an entrapment is reported, responders alerted, and rescue resources marshaled.

And too often, he added, “farm accidents are reported when somebody doesn’t come home for lunch or supper.“

A firefighter releases grain from a miniature storage bin during a class at the Illinois Fire Service Institute’s (IFSI) Champaign training facility.

For information on IFSI and upcoming ag-related safety courses, visit the institute on the web at {www.fsi.illinois.edu}. (Photo courtesy of the Illinois Fire Service Institute)

FarmWeek Page 8 Monday, February 15, 2010

PRODUCTION LEARNING CREATIVITY

USDA trims corn, bean stocks

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

The 2010 Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT) class recently attended a day of creativity training with David Williamson, artist and poet, leading members through activities designed to enhance their creative problem-solving abilities. Pictured from left kneeling are Paul Burrs, Dixon; Ruth Zeldenrust, Chicago Heights; Williamson; and Brad Shippert, Amboy. Standing from left are Bona Heinsohn, Har vard; Matthew Kellogg, Yorkville; and Kevin Faivre, Clare.

Twenty-two participants from 11 counties are attending weekly sessions at the De Kalb County Farm Bureau in Sycamore. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

The USDA crop report released last week was “somewhat friendly” to the corn and soybean markets, according to market analyst Brian Rydlund of Country Hedging.

But a large supply of wheat likely will continue to weigh that market down as USDA last week increased ending stocks of wheat by 5 million bushels to a total of 981 million bushels.

“We continue to have plentiful supplies of wheat,” Rydlund said during a teleconference hosted by the Minneapolis Grain Exchange.

The jump in wheat stocks was due to imports of feed wheat from Europe and South America into the Southeastern U.S., USDA reported.

“It’s purely economical,” Rydlund said of the imports of feed wheat into the U.S. despite a large, domestic supply. “That tells us wheat is too high priced in the U.S. and we’ve missed out on a lot of export opportunities.”

The outlook last week was

more positive for corn and soybeans.

USDA trimmed ending stocks of beans from 245 million to 210 million bushels due to a 10-million-bushel increase in crush and a 25-millionbushel increase in exports.

U.S. soy exports currently are projected at a record-high 1.4 billion bushels.

“We’ve been on a great pace for crush, and exports have been phenomenal,” Rydlund said.

Meanwhile, USDA last week nudged ending stocks of corn from 1.764 billion to 1.719 billion bushels. Corn used for ethanol production increased by 100 million bushels.

“The increased ethanol usage was not a surprise,” the

analyst said. “Margins in the ethanol industry are decent, and more plants are coming on line.”

However, Rydlund believes corn exports will trend down in coming months due to ongoing quality issues and competition from Argentina.

He estimated there still is as much as 100 million bushels of corn in the fields in the Dakotas, not to mention scattered fields in other states including Illinois.

“That probably won’t get taken out until late spring or early summer,” he said.

USDA’s season average price estimates last week were $3.45 to $3.95 per bushel for corn, $8.70 to $10.20 for beans, and $4.75 to $4.95 for wheat.

Pearson: Population growth key to fostering ag demand The recession in the U.S. and other parts of the world has cut into demand for ag products.

But, long-term, the outlook for ag markets remains positive, according to Mark Pearson, host of the nationally syndicated public television program “Market to Market.”

Pearson, who previously served as Iowa’s assistant secretary of agriculture, provided an insightful and entertaining look into the future of ag during his keynote address at the recent Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leader Conference in Springfield.

“The thing that underpins (demand potential) is population growth,” Pearson told Young Leaders.

Pearson reported the world’s urban popMark Pearson ulation by 2015 is expected to outnumber the rural population for the first time in history and, by 2050, the overall world population is projected to increase by 50 percent.

“That’s a positive for us in the food production business,” he said.

The spike in commodity prices in 2008 was rare, but it served as an example of what can happen when demand growth pressures food production capabilities. About 100,000 people joined the middle class each day in 2008, according to Pearson.

“Demand for our products exploded,” he said. “I think this is a snapshot of what we’ll see down the road.”

Pearson also envisions a number of challenges for the ag industry in the near-term and more distant future.

He believes there will be greater competition for energy products (he reported oil consumption in China in recent years has increased from 6 million barrels per day to 9 million barrels per day); proposed cap-and-trade legislation, if enacted could increase farm expenses; and pressure on the ag industry from activist groups likely will intensify in the future.

Pearson said his outlook for ag this year is pretty friendly.

“Consumer confidence has popped back up fairly strong,” he said. “I expect that to continue in 2010.”

He predicted between now and planting time corn prices could bounce back by as much as 30 cents per bushel and soybean futures prices could climb back above $10.

Meanwhile, the livestock markets are projected to improve this year compared to last year with cattle prices possibly reaching $92 to $94 per hundredweight at some point this year, Pearson said.

The market Pearson was the least optimistic about for this year is wheat. “With excessive supplies of wheat, we’ll see continued pressure on that market this year,” he speculated. — Daniel Grant

FarmWeek Page 9 Monday, February 15, 2010

FROM THE COUNTIES

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UREAU — Kevin Gale, AgriGold Hybrids regional agronomist, will be the speaker at an agronomy update meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 1, at the Farm Bureau office. Dinner will be served. Call the Farm Bureau office at 815875-6468 by Monday, Feb. 22, for reservations or more information.

• An informational meeting for the spring Farm Bureau task force groups will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, at the Wine Cellar. Members may choose from four main task forces on which to serve.

Those include Education, Member Relations, Farm Business, and Government and Policy. There are only two meetings a year to attend.

Call the Farm Bureau office at 815-875-6468 by Monday, Feb. 22, for reservations or more information.

ARROLL — An information meeting for a trip to Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Michigan will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, at the Naaman Diehl auditorium. The trip will be from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2. Call the Farm Bureau office at 815244-3001 for reservations or more information.

ASS-MORGAN — Applications for the Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau Foundation scholarships are available at the Farm Bureau office, Cass and Morgan County Extension Service offices, high school agriculture departments, and guidance counselors’ offices. Call the Farm Bureau office at 245-6833 for more information.

HAMPAIGN — Viewpoint meetings will be held at the following dates and locations: 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Hideaway at the Woods, Mahomet; 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Sadorus Pub; 7:30 a.m. Friday, Stanton Township Building; and 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, Philo Tavern. Breakfast or lunch will be served accordingly.

Topics to be discussed will be biofuels, climate change, and an update on the proposed 1 percent sales tax for education. Call the Farm Bureau office at 217-352-5235 for more information.

OLES — Coles County Farm Bureau Foundation, Robert M. and Virginia C. Moore Memorial, Jim Shrader Memorial, and James Metzger Memorial scholarships are available for students who are or will be studying an agriculture-related course.

Students must be Farm Bureau members or a dependent of a Farm Bureau member in good standing. Appli-

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cations are available from high school guidance counselors, Lake Land College, or the Farm Bureau office. An email copy is available from colescfb@consolidated.net.

Deadline to return applications is 4 p.m. March 15. Call the Farm Bureau office at 345-3276 or 234-2125 for more information.

DGAR — Larry Acker, 3-F Forecasts, will be the speaker at a weather outlook meeting at 10 a.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 24, at the Farm Bureau office. Call the Farm Bureau office at 217465-8511 for reservations or more information.

• Dan Zwicker, ADM marketing, will be the speaker at a breakfast outlook meeting at 7 a.m. Wednesday, March 10, at the Crossroads Restaurant, Chrisman. Call the Farm Bureau office at 217-465-8511 for reservations or more information.

ORD-IROQUOIS — Farm Bureau will sponsor three Viewpoint breakfast meetings: Thursday, Percfection Coffee House, Gibson City; Thursday, March 4, Donovan Co-op Elevator, Martinton; and Monday, March 8, Happy Days Diner, Roberts. All meetings will begin at 7 a.m. Call the Farm Bureau office at 800-424-9756 for more information.

ANCOCK — Farm Bureau will sponsor a promotion as part of Food Check-Out Week at 10 a.m.

Friday at the Farm Bureau office. Farm Bureau will donate $150 and an additional $800 worth of soy foods, compliments of the Illinois Soybean Association and Illinois Soybean Checkoff program, to local food pantries.

ANE — Farm Bureau has two events planned for Food Check-Out Week.

Volunteers from Kane and DuPage County Farm Bureaus and Kane County Corn Growers will deliver boxed lunches, farm facts, and Farm Bureau policy resolutions to nine local legislators’ offices.

The annual “Food Check-Out Challenge” will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at the Batavia Jewel-Osco. State Rep. Randy Ramey Jr. (R-Carol Stream) and Farm Bureau’s adopted state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) will race to gather food for the Northern Illinois Food Bank and Lakeview Pantry, Chicago.

ANKAKEE — The annual meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Kankakee Elks Lodge.

Dave Magers, Country Financial chief financial officer, will be the speaker. Cost is $10 for members and $30 for nonmembers. Call the Farm

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Bureau office at 815-932-7471 for tickets or more information.

IVINGSTON — The Women’s Committee will sponsor a WJEZ 98.9 radio quiz contest daily for $40 worth of groceries during Food Check-Out Week, which will be Sunday through Saturday. Free reusable grocery bags will be distributed to area grocery stores.

ENARD — Kevin Rund, Illinois Farm Bureau, will be the speaker at an On the Road seminar at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Farm Bureau office. Call the Farm Bureau office at 6322217 by Monday, Feb. 22, for reservations or more information.

ONROE — The Monroe County Farm Bureau Foundation has scholarships available for high school seniors who will continue their education in an agrelated field. Deadline to return applications is Friday, Feb. 26. Call the Farm Bureau office at 618-939-6197 for an application or more information.

EORIA — The Peoria County Soil and Water

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Conservation District’s (SWCD) annual meeting will be at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Brimfield Grade School. Call the SWCD office at 671-7040 for reservations or more information.

IKE — The Pike and Scott County Farm Bureaus will sponsor a meeting on wind energy leases at 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, at the Farm Bureau office, 1301 E. Washington, Pittsfield. Rae Payne, Illinois Farm Bureau senior director of legislative and regulatory affairs, and Ryan Gammelgard, Illinois Farm Bureau attorney, will be the speakers. Topics will include construction mitigation, crop damage payments, property tax payments, and liability issues. Call the Farm Bureau office for more information.

CHUYLER — Farm Bureau will celebrate Food Check-Out Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Rushville County Market.

This is the day the average person has earned enough income to pay for groceries for the year. A Farm Bureau recyclable grocery bag will be given to customers. Six $21

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gift certificates will be given.

That represents the amount a farmer receives out of every $100 spent on groceries.

COTT — The Scott and Pike County Farm Bureaus will sponsor a meeting on wind energy leases at 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, at the Farm Bureau office, 1301 E. Washington, Pittsfield. Rae Payne, Illinois Farm Bureau senior director of legislative and regulatory affairs, and Ryan Gammelgard, Illinois Farm Bureau attorney, will be the speakers. Topics will include construction mitigation, crop damage payments, property tax payments, and liability issues. Call the Farm Bureau office for more information.

ARREN-HENDERSON — The Education Focus Group and Young Farmers Committee will sponsor a trucking compliance seminar at 10 a.m.

Friday at the Farm Bureau office, Monmouth. Jeffrey Alexander, Illinois Department of Transportation compliance officer, will be the speaker. Call the Farm Bureau office at 309-7349401 for more information.

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FarmWeek Page 10 Monday, February 15, 2010

PROFITABILITY

Bankruptcy trends demand producer awareness

BY PETE TROTTER

Given the recent economic disturbances, these numbers may not surprise you: More than one million bankruptcies were filed in 2008; nearly 1.5 million bankruptcies were filed in 2009.

Beyond increases in overall numbers, recent Pete Trotter bankruptcy trends also include more employed individuals, more high-wage earners, and more complete liquidations.

In 2008, volatility in the commodity markets created financial instability, with widespread ramifications for the agricultural industry evidenced in the alarming developments in the early days of the VeraSun Energy Corp. bankruptcy.

In 2009, perhaps more astounding than the fact that General Motors and Chrysler filed bankruptcy was the extensive government intervention and the precedent-setting deviation from the ordinary bankruptcy process in these cases.

So what does this mean for you? Increased bankruptcy filings and changes in bankruptcy processes mean that bankruptcy may be more likely for those you do business with and may be more unpredictable

and costly for you. You may want to act to reduce your exposure.

Some try to contractually eliminate these exposures.

You might require access to records of those with whom you do business, require them to give you notice of certain business problems, or require certain insurance coverage.

You also might include language which automatically terminates your contracts if the counterparty files bankruptcy, or you might use forward contracts to take advantage of certain bankruptcy rights.

However, contractual measures yield limited results.

Insurance, notice, and access may not be sufficient. Automatic termination provisions may be void in bankruptcy.

You may have difficulty qualifying for the forward contract exemption. Also, executory contracts — those with something left to be performed — lose many contractual advantages because the bankruptcy debtor is free to retain or reject these agreements.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to maintain or increase your awareness.

Awareness of bankruptcy trends and other developments allows you to appropriately respond to a bankruptcy filing.

Awareness of the bankruptcy process can be crucial: On one hand, preference chal-

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 $33.00-$49.00 $40.40 $63.00-$65.22 $64.72 n/a n/a This Week Last Week 23,589 18,140 *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 $62.82 $61.82 $46.49 $45.75

Change 1.00 0.74

(Thursday’s price) This week $87.92 $87.90

Prv. week $84.00 $85.00

Change 3.92 2.90

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

(Prices $ per hundredweight) This week Prev. week Change 99.52 98.43 1.09

Lamb prices Confirmed lamb and sheep sales This week 396 Last week 534 Last year 495 Wooled Slaughter Lambs: Choice and prime 2-3: 90-110 lb., $106.50-$115.

Good and choice 1-2: 60-90 lbs., $135.

Slaughter Ewes: Utility and good 1-3: $56-$60. Cull and utility 1-2: $56.

Export inspections (Million bushels)

Week ending Soybeans Wheat 02-04-10 39.6 16.9 01-28-10 43.6 17.9 Last year 30.5 19.3 Season total 978.3 564.5 Previous season total 715.9 745.5 USDA projected total 1400 825 Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

condition of those you do business with, before and after a bankruptcy filing, can be key to preventing or minimizing the damage.

Instead of leaving awareness of such issues for a bank-

ruptcy crisis, a preventive and proactive approach can help you reduce your exposure.

Pete Trotter is GROWMARK’s assistant general counsel. His e-mail address is ptrotter@growmark.com.

USMEF leader: Exports key to prosperity in livestock sector

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

Phil Seng, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), believes some countries will come out of the recession quicker than the U.S. That’s good news for U.S. livestock producers as U.S. meat exports are projected to increase and possibly help restore profitability to the beef and pork sectors.

“Exports have been one of the bright spots for the pork industry,” Seng said at the recent Illinois Pork Expo. “We export about one out of every four hogs (produced in the Phil Seng U.S.). That’s very critical to profitability.”

Exports of pork and beef the first 11 months of 2009 were down 10 percent. However, the tide appeared to turn in November as pork exports for the month (373.8 million pounds) reached 2008 levels for the first time since March 2009 while beef exports for the month increased 4 percent.

“We’re seeing a lot of countries, particularly in Asia, already coming out of this recession,” Seng said.

“This is very positive for the pork industry and other exports.”

USMEF projected meat exports from 2010 through 2015 will post an annual growth rate of 3 to 5 percent.

In the near-term, Seng said meat exports to Mexico have bounced back since the H1N1 fiasco last summer, the markets in China and Russia may be reopened to U.S. pork, and a pending free trade agreement with South Korea would reduce duties on U.S. pork bellies from 20 percent to zero.

“The international marketplace looks very promising for the U.S. pork industry,” he said.

And meat exports could become even more critical to U.S. livestock producers. U.S. pork consumption the past

two years declined by 1.3 pounds per person in 2008 and 0.4 of a pound in 2009 with another decrease projected this year, Seng reported.

“I think the export market is the avenue to prosperity,” he said. “As we see population and per capita (incomes) increase, we’ll continue to see more demand as people switch from cereals to protein (diets).”

The U.S. from January through November last year exported 1.8 billion pounds of beef valued at more than $2.8 billion and 3.7 billion pounds of pork valued at about $4 billion, according to USMEF. In fact, even though U.S. pork exports last year slipped for the first time in 17 years, pork exports since 2004 have doubled, Seng said.

Contaminated corn poses feed issues

USDA five-state area slaughter cattle price Steers Heifers

lenges can cost you payments made before the bankruptcy; on the other, certain product deliveries may be eligible for priority as administrative claims.

Awareness of the financial

Corn 27.1 39.4 30.5 693.6 680.1 2000

It is possible to feed some moldy corn to livestock if the grain is properly cleaned and/or blended down, according to University of Illinois Extension livestock specialists.

However, farmers this year should take extra precautions with grain in on-farm storage to make sure contaminated corn doesn’t sicken their animals.

“We have a lot of vomitoxin-infected grain sitting in bins right now,” Hans Stein, U of I Extension swine nutritionist, said recently at the Illinois Pork Expo.

In fact, recent laboratory tests of 485 suspected grain samples taken from the Midwest confirmed some level of mycotoxin, including vomitoxin, in 77 percent of the samples, according to Mike Hutjens, U of I Extension dairy specialist.

“We’re seeing plenty of vomitoxin in corn all over the Midwest,” Hutjens said.

Farmers with corn in on-farm storage should monitor it regularly to make sure it

doesn’t go out of condition, Hutjens said.

Farmers also should attempt to keep the grain stored at temperatures of less than 50 degrees and try to mix and feed some of the contaminated grain before temperatures begin to warm up this spring.

“Try to use the infected grain first,” Stein advised. “We could see some mycotoxin growth this spring and summer.”

Some toxins, such as Diplodia, are not toxic to pigs but feeding contaminated corn can lower feed intake.

“Watch for signs such as lower feed intake and loose manure,” Hutjens told farmers.

Cattle and poultry are less sensitive to contaminated corn, but if producers plan to feed it to swine, they at least should avoid feeding it to the breeding herd, Stein said.

Farmers also were advised to monitor distillers corn by-products and silage as both can carry toxins from contaminated corn into feed rations. — Daniel Grant

FarmWeek Page 11 Monday, February 15, 2010

PROFITABILITY Corn Strategy

C A S H S T R AT E G I S T South American crop update USDA last week raised its forecast for the Brazilian soybean crop 1 million metric tons (36.7 million bushels) to a total of 66 million metric tons (2.42 billion bushels). It left the Argentine soybean estimate unchanged at 53 million metric tons (1.95 billion bushels). The Brazilian government forecast a 66.7-million-metric-ton (2.44-billionbushel) crop at the beginning of the week as well.

Even with the upward adjustments for Brazil, there are many in the trade who think both it and Argentina’s crop could be larger yet. We have heard some use a 68 million to 70 million number for Brazil and a 55 million to 56 million number for Argentina.

We are not in that camp.

The trade seemingly has been focused mostly on weather in Mato Grosso the last month, and even then mostly in the better areas. Rainfall has been significantly less plentiful to the east in Minas Gerais and Goias. Last year, those two states accounted for nearly 11 million metric tons of Brazil’s 57-million-metric-ton crop.

Even though the weather hasn’t been devastating in the latter two states, moisture has been short enough to be a drag on yield potential.

In Mato Grosso itself, yield

Basis charts

on early-harvested soybeans in eastern parts of that state have been running about 60 percent of normal. One analyst expects the state’s output to come in 1 million tons under their government’s estimate of 18.96 million tons.

The southern states have been too wet through much of the growing season. Last week’s weather contained some intense heat, but conditions are expected to moderate for the foreseeable future. Even though conditions have been relatively good, last week’s heat may have impacted crops enough to cap potential.

The Argentine government has yet to issue an official crop forecast for this year. However, the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange is issuing weekly crop updates, along with production forecasts.

Last week, the exchange forecast this year’s soybean crop at 52 million metric tons, and the corn crop at 18.4 million (725 million bushels).

USDA forecast Brazil’s corn crop at 51 million metric tons (2.01 billion bushels), slightly above the Brazilian government’s estimate. However, that government in new updates last week lowered its corn estimate slightly.

Traders believe that last week’s rains, along with previous good soil moisture, kept recent heat from having a significant negative impact on yield potential.

Still, over a 10-day span a couple of weeks ago, daily highs were in the 95- to 100degree range, a level that stresses crops to some degree.

We also have been told fertilizer usage was a little lower in Brazil and Argentina this year, which may limit yield potential for the corn and soybean crops.

While we expect to see good crops in both countries this year, current private expectations may be a bit exaggerated.

While those estimates aren’t likely to give the market the energy to get back to recent highs, they could be enough of a force to help prices recover a significant portion of recent losses.

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Cents per bu.

2009 crop: Corn acts as though it’s trying to turn up out of a 20-week low. March futures need to close above $3.68 to confirm the shortterm trend again has turned up. Increase old-crop sales to 60 percent if March rallies to $3.85. We may boost sales even more; check the Cash Strategist Hotline frequently.

You should consider locking up the basis on any bushels to be moved over the next month. Higher prices will spark increased farmer selling.

2010 crop: If December futures rebound to $4.10, make a 20 percent new-crop sale.

Check the Cash Strategist Hotline daily; we could adjust the target or amount at any time.

Fundamentals: The recent rally was fueled by a friendly USDA supply/demand report.

2009/2010 ending stocks were lowered to 1 .719 billion bushels, a shift the trade didn’t anticipate. Export projections were cut by 50 million bushels, but that was counterbalanced by a 100-million bushel increase in ethanol processing.

Soybean Strategy 2009 crop: There were forecasts for a larger Brazilian crop last week, but there also was news that hinted forecasters may be overreaching reality. Technical features are turning more positive for the short term. Boost sales to 50 percent if March futures rebound to $9.75. The price or amount could change at any time; check the Cash Strategist Hotline frequently.

2010 crop: Leave an order to make a 20 percent sale if November futures reach $9.59.

Check the Cash Strategist Hotline occasionally for changes.

Fundamentals: Conflicting news about the Brazilian crop last week subdued interest in pressing the short side of soybean prices. At the same time cash basis levels and reduced deliverable supplies suggested pipeline inventories are getting tight. This comes at a time when the export pace remains robust and processor demand remains high. In essence, prices need to rise to

pull soybeans out of producers’ hands. And, with prices below cost of production, the same can be said for South America.

Wheat Strategy 2009 crop: Wheat futures closing above the 20-day moving average hinted prices may be poised to turn higher. We need to see the Chicago March contact move above $5.20 to confirm the 20-week cycle has bottomed, turning the shortterm trend up. Make a 10 percent sale if Chicago March futures hit $5.44, bringing the total to 90 percent.

2010 crop: Use a rally to $5.65 on Chicago July futures to make an initial 25 percent sale. Check the Cash Strategist Hotline daily as this target could be adjusted at any time.

Fundamentals: Export activity continues the more robust pace that surfaced about a month ago. In the short term, that is helping counter the negative aspects of the overall supply/demand balance.

The small increase in ending stocks to 981 million bushels was a result of a small boost in imports, a factor that already had been built into prices.

FarmWeek Page 12 Monday, February 15, 2010

PERSPECTIVES

Rural Development offers help to rural libraries “It takes a village to raise a child” ... but today it takes more than the village. And USDA Rural Development can be that support to help rural communities stay viable and grow.

Our community programs can offer financing in areas that COLLEEN CALLAHAN are critical to keeping a community relevant.

Public libraries can provide the cultural and technological resources for the communities they serve. Libraries have the resources to help us bridge the digital divide and boost the economic vitality of our rural communities.

Libraries

can help you find information on jobs, colleges, and school projects. They are

the best and least expensive source of entertainment. They also offer computer access, an amazing array of reference books, and best of all — librarians know where to find absolutely everything.

And if you have a library card at one library in Illinois, you have one for virtually all of them thanks to the state’s highly touted inter-library loan program.

Illinois has 641 public libraries, and 78 percent of them recently responded to an assessment survey that identified capital needs amounting to $805 million. They reported needing funds for new buildings, additions to existing buildings, and general repairs and renovations.

Funds are needed for technology upgrades and modifications to make libraries accessible. Seventy-five libraries are more than 100 years old, and another 141 are more than 50 years old. All this is happening at a time when the number of cardholders and library attendance is up.

Make an assessment of your hometown library. Does your town (of 20,000 or fewer population) need a

new library? A library renovation?

New library tables? New library technology? A library bookmobile?

Illinois USDA Rural Development, alone, has more than $3 million in loan money available and $500,000 in grants specifically allocated for libraries in rural communities.

Eligible applicants are municipalities, counties, special-purpose districts, and non-profit corporations. The terms for the loan include a current 4 percent fixed-interest rate for up to 40 years in length. Security is required, of course, but the funding is available only through Sept. 30 of this year.

If you are on a library board, volunteer at your library, use your library, or would use your library if ... USDA Rural Development can help your village raise your children.

Colleen Callahan is the director of USDA Rural Development in Illinois. Her family raises purebred Angus cattle on their Kickapoo farm. Her e-mail address is Colleen.

Callahan@il.usda.gov. She will discuss other programs and potential funding opportunities for rural communities in future issues of FarmWeek.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Longwall mining could affect farmer generosity Editor: After reading about the Kane County Farm Bureau program of donations to local food pantries in the Jan. 18 edition, I had a distressing thought. In the article, a relief agency coordinator spoke of a “growing cycle of hunger and poverty” across America.

It was disturbing to think of what is to become of the generous contributions by Illinois farmers to these causes when their ability to produce crops is diminished by the harmful effects of longwall mining.

The impact of the irresponsible permitting of this mining method on the flat farmland of Illinois will soon be felt by others as well as the farmer whose cropland has subsided.

As I see it, the logical progression will be: loss of cropland, which leads to loss of crops and income, which results in the inability of the producers to share their harvest with the needy.

This is just one reason that our Farm Bureau and elected officials in government need to devote a lot more attention to the effects of longwall mining under Illinois’ prairieland farms.

The introduction of longwall mining to Midwest farmland will be just as disastrous here as mountain-top removal is in Appalachia.

It is hard to imagine a more irresponsible burden to

place on the agricultural industry.

I suggest that Farm Bureau send a message to Congress of not only “Don’t Cap Our Future” but “Our Future Is Our Land. Don’t Sink It.” WILLIAM C. SCHROEDER, Hillsboro *****

Solution to antibiotics use is not that clear Editor: In response to Terra Brockman and her column about injecting common sense into the use of antibiotics in livestock, I applaud her attitude.

Like Will Rodgers used to say, “Common sense ain’t all that common.”

It is clear that she is correct in being concerned about the change of reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics by overuse. But let’s not throw agriculture under the bus just yet for how and why producers use non-therapeutic methods.

Let’s examine Terra’s statement that eliminating nontherapeutic use of antibiotics “will yield cost savings from money not spent on unnecessary pharmaceuticals, thus increasing farmers’ profits and productivity, while keeping meat prices reasonable.”

I don’t know about Terra, but I spent 25 years raising confinement livestock. Economics and meatpackers for years have slowly forced small producers out of business to the point that most of our meat is produced by large confinement operations. I person-

ally hate this, but it is the reality of providing reliable and cheap meat, which everyone is more than glad to take advantage of.

The reality of many animals confined in a small area is that disease risks are much higher, almost a dead certainty. The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” applies.

When no prevention is used, largescale outbreaks occur. These outbreaks are much more difficult to control, and it takes a lot of antibiotics to treat them. Sick animals take more time to market and thus cost more to produce, just the opposite of Terra’s theory of cost savings and productivity.

The antibiotic problem is a real concern, but the solutions are not as clear as some would like them to be. The producers provide cheap meat that people want but are vilified for doing it.

MARK LOUNSBERRY, Oakford *****

Can’t curry favor then slap EPA Editor: A front-page article in FarmWeek (Jan. 25, 2010) reports that Illinois Farm Bureau (and 49 other ag groups) urged Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson to “use science” in EPA’s ongoing atrazine study.

In the other front-page article, the author quotes Illinois

Corn Growers Association President Tim Lenz as saying: “But even without congressional action, ‘you still have to deal with EPA’ and other ‘unleashed activists’ within the administration.”

It seems unwise for Illinois Farm Bureau to attempt to cultivate a productive relationship with the EPA on the one hand (concerning the study of atrazine) and on the other hand brand the EPA as ”unleashed activists.”

I also find it peculiar and inconsistent that Illinois Farm Bureau urges the EPA to use science in its atrazine study but criticizes the use of science (the peer-reviewed literature by the world’s most qualified climate scientists) in article after article of FarmWeek.

I often find in these articles comments on climate change by people who appear to me to not be climate change scientists.

An outstanding example is that (according to the Union of

Concerned Scientists and Grist) the only scheduled speaker on climate at the recent annual meeting of the American Farm Bureau Federation was Christopher Horner, an attorney with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, an industry-funded, anti-regulation think tank. Mr. Horner’s title?

“Global Warming: A Red Hot Lie?” In a letter (Jan. 7, 2010) to American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman, 47 scientists with expertise in climate, agriculture, and other sciences attempted to educate Mr. Stallman about “ ... the grave risks that climate change poses to the world and U.S. agriculture.”

I urge FarmWeek to publish this letter to Mr. Stallman.

Furthermore, I hope that some of these scientists will be consulted in future articles on climate change in FarmWeek.

HERMAN BROCKMAN, Congerville

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