Farmweek july 14, 2014

IFB Resolutions Committee members discussed many issues, such as grain moisture standards. page 3

USDA’s latest crop report delivered more bearish news for corn and soybean markets. page 14

YouTube star Greg Peterson will advocate for ag with Commodities Conference attendees. page 4

EPA: Some ‘waters of the U.S.’ concerns ‘ludicrous’ Monday, July 14, 2014

BY DEANA STROISCH FarmWeek

Two sections Volume 42, No. 28

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy last week defended the agency’s proposed rule defining “waters of the U.S.,” calling some concerns “ludicrous.”

McCarthy trekked to Kansas City, Mo., meeting with farmers and speaking before the Agricultural Business Council.

Speaking to reporters beforehand, she said the goal of the visit was to “help us ditch the myths and misinformation, and instead help us focus on facts.”

“While there are some legitimate concerns out there with the rule ... we’re hearing some concerns that really are, to put frankly, they’re ludicrous,” she said. ”And I want to dismiss some of those myths about the proposal.”

Among them: • EPA plans to regulate small, unconnected waters, including puddles on lawns, driveways and playgrounds.

“Now that’s just silly,” she said.

“This proposal is all about protecting

waters that science tells us can have a significant impact on downstream water quality. That’s what it is. No more.”

• EPA plans to regulate every ditch.

“For the first time ever, we make it clear that we don’t regulate all ditches,” she said.

• EPA plans to regulate groundwater. Also false, McCarthy said.

“All normal farming practices are exempt. Period,” she said. “We don’t shrink current exemptions; we actually expand them. Bottom line is with this proposal, if you weren’t supposed to get a permit before, you don’t need to get one now. That is the reality.”

Illinois Farm Bureau stands by its objections to the proposed rule, said Lauren Lurkins, IFB’s director of natural and environmental resources.

“Our objections are based in fact and law, and the proposal constitutes an unreasonable increase in federal regulation over land and water, which is contrary to the intent of the Clean Water Act and Supreme Court cases,” Lurkins said.

The proposed rule, issued by the

EPA and Army Corps of Engineers, states that the following are federally protected under the Clean Water Act: • Most seasonal and rain-dependent streams.

• Wetlands near rivers and streams.

Action request issued Illinois Farm Bureau wants members to call the White House this week to urge President Barack Obama to “ditch the rule” defining “waters of the U.S.” “If the drains and ditches that cross between, among and within farm fields and pastures are regulated as ‘navigable waters,’ the implications for farmers and ranchers will be disastrous,” the action request states.

Calls to the White House, 202456-1111, should be made between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. CST Tuesday through Thursday.

• Other types of waters may be protected, if a case-specific analysis shows that they have a “significant nexus” — either alone or in combination with similarly situated “other waters” — to a traditional navigable

water, interstate water or territorial seas.

EPA says the rule merely clarifies which wetlands and streams are “waters of the U.S.” IFB and other agricultural groups disagree, saying the rule would expand EPA’s jurisdiction beyond what Congress intended.

McCarthy said the proposed rule is “getting a lot of support from farmers and ranchers across the U.S.” “Their voices are being a little bit drowned out by those who sort of enjoy the anxiety that’s created,” she said. “It gives more visibility to certain groups.”

Adam Nielsen, IFB director of national legislation and policy development, said, “EPA’s public relations campaign to minimize the concerns of farmers and defuse this issue is evidence that we are making progress in our effort to defeat this proposal.

“We will continue to factually explain how EPA’s proposal would negatively impact farmers, and encourage as many farmers as possible to speak out against this example of regulatory overreach,” he said.

UAVs prove useful to first-time farm fliers

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

Periodicals: Time Valued

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, offers much more than military applications or a thrill for technology enthusiasts.

Farmers last week at the Precision Aerial Ag Show in Decatur demonstrated and dis-

cussed the value of taking crop scouting methods to new heights with various models of remotely operated aircraft.

“We bought (a UAV) primarily for scouting purposes — my knees aren’t what they used to be — and it’s lived up to that,” said Matt Hughes, a farmer from Shirley, who purchased his first drone in January.

Hughes said he now can scout a field with mile-long rows in a matter of minutes with his UAV. “The data is what it’s all about,” Hughes said. “(The drone) costs a lot less than a four-wheeler and it fits in my backseat.”

UAVs range in price from a few thousand dollars to well into five figures.

But most farmers can get started with a UAV that provides quality images of their fields for $2,000 to $4,000.

“The cost is not terribly expensive and you can do a lot of things (with a UAV),” said

Chad Colby, ag consultant and drone expert, discusses the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for farm purposes during the Precision Aerial Ag Show in Decatur. Colby holds a quad-copter ship, which weighs about 5 pounds, next to a fixed-wing machine. Colby said there are a number of different UAV models on the market that serve various purposes. (Photo by Cyndi Cook)

Chad Colby, an ag consultant who spoke at the show. “This technology is very user-friendly.

Anybody can do this.”

FarmWeek on the web: FarmWeekNow.com

Judy Graff, a farmer from Middletown, purchased a UAV this year for crop scouting.

She said a $15 investment

for propeller guards protected the craft from any rookie mistakes during her first flights with it.

“We used it this spring,” Graff said. “We had some heavy rains, and we wanted to see how some new waterways and terraces held up.”

Matt Boucher, a farmer from Dwight, also purchased his first UAV this year and already gained tremendous value with a bird’s-eye view of his fields.

“We used it to assess winter damage to our wheat fields and, because of the use of our UAV, we decided to tear it (wheat) up and put in corn,” Boucher said.

“We recently had a windstorm that knocked corn down,” he continued. “Instead of walking the fields for hours and hours, within minutes we got a really good handle on how much damage we had (via UAV images).”

See UAVs, page 3

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

Quick Takes

AROUND ILLINOIS

FarmWeek Page 2 Monday, July 14, 2014

GROUPS CALL FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM — American Farm Bureau Federation and Illinois Farm Bureau participated in a “day of action” last week with other business groups to draw attention to the need for immigration reform.

Events were held in more than 60 congressional districts across 25 states, including Illinois.

A panel discussion in Naperville focused on immigration reform and featured McHenry County Farm Bureau member Christopher Dahm, owner of Dahm Enterprises.

Other groups participating in the nationwide event included the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Partnership for a New American Economy, Business Roundtable, AmericanHort, Western Growers and the National Association of Manufacturers.

GRAIN CO-OPS WIN CERES AWARD — Four Illinois GROWMARK Inc. grain cooperatives recently earned Ceres Awards for achieving business excellence.

Winners included: • Grant Park Cooperative Grain Company of Grant Park; Daniel Stadt, manager, and Richard Riechers, president; • Kasbeer Farms Elevator Co. Cooperative of Kasbeer; Joe Louis, manager, and Kenneth Bohm, president; • McNabb Grain Company of McNabb; Bart Ericson, manager, and Ben Day, president; and • Minier Cooperative Grain Company of Minier; Keith Swigart, manager, and Duane Haning, president.

Award-winning grain cooperatives must meet at least three of the four following criteria — earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization per storage capacity; return on invested capital; bushel retention and GROWMARK’s capital guideline ratio.

VETTER’S NOMINATION HAILED — American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman hailed U.S. Senate approval of Darci Vetter as chief agricultural trade negotiator.

“Senate approval of the nomination is a win for American agriculture. She brings a wealth of well-rounded expertise in the trade arena to the position, including tenures with the Agriculture Department, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Senate Finance Committee,” Stallman said.

American Soybean Association President Ray Gaesser also applauded Vetter’s nomination. Gaesser, an Iowa farmer, noted soybean farmers have a critical stake in the progress and development of agricultural trade.

Vetter grew up on a Nebraska farm. She has been serving as USDA’s undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services. Prior to that, she advised Senate Finance Committee Democratic staff on international trade issues.

CORN CRIB SITE CORRECTION — A patriotic corn crib featured on the June 30 cover of FarmWeek sits proudly in Winnebago County just north of Seward.

We incorrectly listed the corn crib’s location with the photo.

It’s tradition Bryan Temple of Serena in LaSalle County feeds his Montadale ewes during afternoon chores. Caring for sheep comprises one of many daily tasks on the Temple family farm.

(Photo by Courtney Gerstenecker)

Farming builds a way of life for young farmer

A regular afternoon of livestock chores can change in an instant for 19-year-old Bryan Temple.

Recently, while feeding his Montadale ewes during chores, a loud, screeching noise started blaring from a fire pager he wore on his hip — for the fifth time that day. In an instant, he dropped what he was doing and ran to the truck, boots to the ground, to reach the fire station as quickly as possible.

Temple, a grain and livestock farmer from Serena in LaSalle County, offers a unique view of life and pride for his community and those around him.

The Temple family farmed in Illinois before it became a state. Temple has no doubt he will return to the family farm by working hard.

Someday, he hopes to run the farm. He strongly believes, “It’s God’s country that I live in, and I’m blessed to be a part of Illinois.”

Temple has an unbelievable amount of pride for his family tradition and community. “For me being the sixth generation farmer, it’s important to me to keep the tradition and heritage of our family going,” he said.

Farming has always been the biggest part of Temple’s life. He sees himself as the “shepherd, livestock manager and labor source for the crops” in their operation. Currently, he studies agriculture production at Joliet Junior College and plans to transfer to a university before returning to the family farming operation.

Temple’s father, Brad, has played a huge role

BY COURTNEY GERSTENECKER

U of I Agronomy Day next month

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

(ISSN0197-6680) Vol. 42 No. 28 July 14, 2014 Dedicated to improving the profitability of farming, and a higher quality of life for Illinois farmers.

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in his passion and love for the agriculture industry. Brad serves as Illinois Farm Bureau District 4 director representing Bureau, Lee and LaSalle counties. Those duties require him to travel and be away from the farm, but his two sons have no problem pitching in to keep the farm operating.

Temple, and his younger brother, Ben, 16, believe helping run the farm provides a great opportunity for their futures. Temple feels it has put him in a good position.

Gaining hands-on experiences running the farm has shaped him into who he is today. He sees Ben as his “right-hand man when Dad’s not around” and is grateful for their dynamic friendship and teamwork.

The boys’ mother, Kara, is the driving force behind their family and the support system, according to Temple. He considers teamwork as key when running a family farm. Nothing can be accomplished without everyone playing a part.

The future of agriculture sits in good hands with young agriculturalists like Temple helping lead the way.

“We are stewards of the land,” he said.

“That’s what farmers are. We are meant to take care of it, and that’s what we ought to do.”

The family farm will continue to be Temple’s driving force and passion in which farming is not just a job but a way of life.

Courtney Gerstenecker serves as an Illinois Farm Bureau News and Communications intern.

Farmers and ag industry representatives will find the University of Illinois crop research fields filled with information Aug. 14 during Agronomy Day. Researchers and exhibitors will offer new research and cover agricultural issues and practices, said Bob Dunker, Agronomy Day chairman and superintendent of the Crop Sciences Research and Education Center.

Four field tours, starting at 7 a.m. and continuing every half hour until noon, will be offered at the center located south of the main Urbana campus off St. Mary’s Road on South Wright Street Extended. Dunker joked that he guaranteed perfect weather for the event.

A noon program will include remarks from Dean Bob Hauser of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and Germán Bollero, head of the Crop Sciences Department.

Speakers on several tours will focus on production and management issues. Pest and disease topics will include western corn rootworm, soybean cyst nematodes, soybean aphids and sudden death syndrome.

Crop production research topics will cover different hybrids’ responses to nitrogen, yield impacts of fertigation and potential corn yields with banded phosphorous applications.

Policy related topics include farm programs under the new farm bill, fuel and forage opportunities from tallgrass prairie and the future of cover crops.

The exhibit tent will feature a variety of displays and presentations. U of I Plant Clinic specialists plan to offer services for Agronomy Day visitors.

More information and a schedule can be found by visiting {agronomyday.cropsci.illi nois.edu} or liking the U of I Agronomy Day on Facebook.

IFB resolutions debated

BY DEANA STROISCH AND KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Illinois Farm Bureau Resolutions Committee members set the course for organization policy debate last week, poring over nearly four dozen resolutions.

State elections and ethics dominated the list of proposed resolutions submitted by county Farm Bureaus. Also of concern: wind energy, grain and hay grading, dairy marketing and private property rights.

Franklin County Farm Bureau President Leon McClerren, chairman of the State and Local Government Subcommittee, noted the grassroots membership’s concerns mirror those shared by

others.

“This (policy discussion) speaks to the fact that our system of governing is broken and not functioning,” McClerren said.

The committee approved several election and ethics resolutions, including: • supporting elected and appointed government officials being held to ethical standards; and • maximizing efficiency and eliminating waste in all units of government.

Delegates will debate the

What’s next

Aug. 4: Look for an indepth policy discussion supplement in FarmWeek Oct. 16: Deadline for counties to submit resolutions Nov. 5-6: Resolutions Committee fall meeting Dec. 7-10: Annual IFB meeting in St. Louis

UAVs

Continued from page 1 Farmers can fly UAVs over their fields as a hobby and not above 400 feet per Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

UAVs currently can’t be used for professional scouting recommendations or any other farm use which requires an exchange of money.

“It’s a g ood example of how our regulations hold us back, not the technolog y,” Hughes said. “We have the technolog y (to expand crop scouting

approved resolutions during December’s IFB annual meeting.

Several policy submittals dealt with issues related to energy and utility development and landowners’ rights. Currently, several transmission line and pipeline projects remain in various stages in different regions of the state.

Agricultural production/ national issues This subcommittee agreed that IFB needs to “make it a high priority” to encourage grain moisture and drying schedules be based on onetenth increments of actual moisture recorded over the allowable moisture content.

No industry standard on grain moisture exists. Elevators typically round up to the nearest one-half point.

“There is no policy, there’s no law, there’s no standards for grain moisture and how you discount,” said Mercer County’s Jeff Kirwan, who served as the subcommittee’s chairman.

“I think all of a sudden we’re starting to see people lowering standards as far as moisture goes, which is more expense to us to get it dried out.”

Other approved policy changes included: • allowing, without either a swampbuster or sodbuster violation, participation in farm programs even if landowners farm a tract that was an illegally converted wetland under previous ownership.

• changes to policy to reflect the 2014 farm bill.

Natural resources Wind energy dominated debate in the natural resources subcommittee, but committee members ultimately decided to keep IFB’s current policy. Ford and Iroquois counties suggested county governments be given authority to impose stricter wind energy standards, including noise levels.

ser vices with UAVs).”

The drones run on batteries and have the ability to fly for 20 to 30-plus minutes at a time. Battery

FarmWeekNow.com

Go to FarmWeekNow.com for interviews and more details on the Precision Aerial Ag Show in Decatur.

life typically isn’t an issue as far m hobbyist fliers establish flight plans and can scout an 80-acre field in about 10 minutes,

The full committee approved a resolution that would encourage local Soil and Water Conservation District offices be maintained “to provide technological assistance and protect certification.” If necessary, the resolution states, technological assistance and project certification should “be a priority over cost-sharing programs.” State budget cuts required reductions in staff and conservation programs.

“We felt it was a good improvement to our policy and that it ought to be considered by the full body at the annual meeting,” said Wayne Blunier, chairman of the natural resources subcommittee.

Why is the resolutions process vital?

David Erickson, IFB Vice President: “It truly is an opportunity for every member to have input. “ Wayne Blunier, Woodford County: “We are a grassroots organization, which means all the proposals we consider at the annual meeting started at the grassroots level. We encourage counties to submit policy changes, and we give them due consideration. Some we turn down. Some we keep.

We want them to come from the local membership.”

Jeff Kirwan, Mercer County: “It causes us to go through our policy book, to try to be reactionary or proactive, uncovering things that happen in our industry, and gives us a chance to be part of the process of how things go in Illinois.”

Leon McClerren, Franklin County: “With what’s going on across the state, these are hot topics with our members.”

according to Boucher.

“If (a UAV) runs out (of power), it slowly lands itself,” Boucher said. “It doesn’t just stop and fall from the sky.”

Farmers who lose a ship in a field simply can dial a cellphone number to get a fix on the position.

Some farmers insure their UAVs while others do not, typically depending on the level of investment for each craft, according to members of the farmer panel at the Precision Aerial Ag Show.

EMERGING ISSUES

Page 3 Monday, July 14, 2014 FarmWeek

Matt Boucher, a farmer from Dwight, discusses the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) he acquired for his farm late last year. (Photo by Cyndi Cook)

Farmers urged to comment on FAA model aircraft rule

BY CHRIS ANDERSON FarmWeek

Dark clouds loom over the future of agricultural model aircraft use given a recent special rule announced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

But farmers can change that forecast by climbing into the pilot’s seat and sending a clear signal to FAA about the need to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to gather data and make crop and livestock management decisions.

That’s the advice of Brendan Schulman, a New York attorney who represents UAV operators regarding their rights to use low-altitude air space.

Schulman urged farmers to comment on the FAA’s special rule for model aircraft by July 25.

Visit {www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=FAA-20140396}.

“General comments are OK, but the government should hear from people who want to use the technology in one of the most important industries in the country,” said Schulman, who spoke last week at the Precision Aerial Ag Show in Decatur.

“Be specific about what you want to do and how the regulations impact you. Personalize your comments.”

The FAA’s special rule states model aircraft can be used to view a field to determine if crops need water “when they are grown for personal enjoyment.” They cannot be used to decide whether crops “need to be watered that are grown as part of commercial farming operations.”

“The interpretation basically means farmers can’t use UAVs to make decisions since their crops are grown as part of a

commercial operation,” said Doug Yoder, Illinois Farm Bureau senior director of affiliate and risk management.

Schulman currently represents an agricultural UAV operator, but noted he could not discuss details of the pending case. He also defends Raphael Pirker, who was asked by the University of Virginia to shoot a promotional video for its medical center.

FAA officials fined Pirker $10,000 for violating a 2007 FAA policy banning commercial drone flights, citing Pirker for recklessly flying a 5-pound Styrofoam UAV near buildings and people.

Schulman successfully argued the 2007 policy contained no regulations regarding reckless operation of UAVs. The attorney further noted no definition of a model aircraft existed in the policy. An administrative judge agreed with Schulman, but FAA officials filed an appeal.

Schulman said he’s not certain what final model aircraft rules FAA will issue. He noted FAA officials said they may consider exemptions for agricultural use.

“I’m skeptical. And even if an exemption was granted, there will be lots of regulations to meet in order to qualify for the exemption,” said Schulman, a 20-year hobby aircraft operator. “Could pilots be required to be certified for agricultural drones? Maybe, but I think the regulations would be onerous.

“The question is: Who controls the airspace above private property. Congress and the Supreme Court have said landowners can control a minimum safe altitude above their land — generally 500 feet.

Agricultural UAVs operate at less than 400 feet.”

COMMODITIES

FarmWeek Page 4 Monday, July 14, 2014

Popular farm video creator to speak at IFB conference

The Petersons raise beef cattle and grow alfalfa, corn, Fifth-generation farmer Greg soybeans, milo and wheat.

Peterson, 23, and his brothers, “We wanted the videos to Nathan (20) and Kendal (17), be about farming. We wanted always wanted to entertain and to show our friends from the educate people about ag. city how cool farming is,” So, about three years ago the Peterson said. “Our intended Peterson brothers of Assaria, audience was just our friends.”

Kan., came up with the unique But once the Peterson’s idea of creating music video par- uploaded their videos to odies of popular songs that feaYouTube, a popular videotured farming as the theme. sharing website launched in Their younger 2005, they sister, Laura FarmWeekNow.com became Inter(13), even got in Listen to Daniel Grant’s interview net sensations on the act as a practically with Greg Peterson by visiting camera operator. FarmWeekNow.com. overnight.

“It started as The video for a home video “I’m Farming and I experiment,” Greg Peterson told Grow It” went viral and received FarmWeek. “We always wanted more than 6 million views from to do some sort of music video, more than 200 countries in less and we came up with the idea of than three weeks. The video for doing a parody.”

“Fresh Breath of Farm Air” as of The Peterson Farm Bros. last week reached nearly 1 million performed the song “I’m views and counting.

Farming and I Grow It,” a par“It blew up way bigger than ody of the song “I’m Sexy and we thought it would,” Peterson I Know It” by LMFAO, and said. “It’s led to a whole bunch starred in a video for the track. of different things (such as an More recently the Petersons appearance on Fox News). We performed and starred in a video definitely never expected this.” for the song “A Fresh Breath of The Petersons’ unique farm Farm Air,” a parody of the theme marketing skills and newfound song for the television show fame on YouTube also generat“Fresh Prince of Bel Air” origied numerous requests to speak nally performed by Will Smith. at events around the country.

The lyrics for those two songs One such stop will be in cenand other parodies performed by tral Illinois. Greg Peterson will the Petersons focus on everyday discuss advocating for agriculfarm living. The videos were ture July 30 at the Illinois Farm shot on their farm between daily Bureau Commodities Conferchores and seasonal work, such ence in Normal. The theme of as winter wheat harvest. the annual event will focus on

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

Greg, Kendal and Nathan Peterson (left to right) pose by their truck on their farm in Assaria, Kan. The brothers, who describe their fifth-generation family farm as a pretty typical operation, burst onto the ag advocacy stage in recent years by posting entertaining and educational music video parodies that went viral on YouTube. The eldest brother, Greg, 23, will discuss being an advocate for agriculture during a presentation at the Illinois Farm Bureau Commodities Conference July 30 in Normal. (Photo courtesy of the Peterson Farm Bros.)

“Modern Agriculture: Connecting to the Digital Future.”

Peterson will discuss how accessible technology, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, allows anyone to reach a large number of people with a message.

Along with their success on YouTube, the Peterson Farm Bros. Facebook page {face book.com/petersonfarmbros} as of last week received more than 161,000 “likes.” They also have a website {petersonfarm bros.com}, which they use to entertain and inform others about farming and market their own merchandise.

“The presentation (at Commodities Conference) mainly will focus on motivating others by what we’ve done and also to talk about the need for education,” Peterson said. “A lot of people are misinformed or not informed at all about the importance of farming and agriculture.”

Farming remains the top priority for the Peterson brothers.

But they hope to capitalize on their fame and continue making music videos as long as possible.

“We’re hoping to continue to build on what we have,” Peterson added. “We’re going to enjoy it while it lasts.”

IFB members and other

farmers and ag industry professionals who would enjoy Peterson’s presentation can preregister for the Commodities Conference online until July 21 at {www.ilfb.org/commodities conference} or by contacting their local Farm Bureau.

The event will feature two general sessions and multiple breakout sessions focusing on digital communications and tools, farm policy, market and weather trends, drone technology, trade and infrastructure priorities, farmland, crop prices and much more. It will be held at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Normal.

Latest farm bill info available at Commodities Conference

BY DEANA STROISCH FarmWeek

USDA may not finish implementing the 2014 farm bill until the beginning of the year, according to Illinois Farm Bureau’s Doug Yoder.

Yoder, senior director of affiliate and risk management, pointed to the “sheer workload of writing all the new rules.”

USDA must write the rules — which could amount to as many as 20,000 pages — then publish them, allow public comment and finalize them, he said. Software also has to be created.

“I know it’s frustrating for a lot of our members to wait, but I’d rather USDA get this right before they roll it out,” Yoder said.

Yoder will provide an update on the 2014 farm bill, called the Agricultural Act of 2014, during the IFB Commodities Conference. The conference will be July 30 at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Normal.

Yoder also will provide an

‘I know it’s frustrating for a lot of our members to wait, but I’d rather USDA get this right before they roll it out.’

— Doug Yoder IFB senior director of affiliate and risk management

overview of farmers’ options.

He said farmers should wait until USDA publishes the final rules and regulations before making any decisions. But it’s not too soon to learn.

“These choices are complicated enough, and important enough since they stick with the land for at least the next five years, it is a good idea to start digesting and dissecting the information,” he said.

The 2014 farm bill, signed into law in February, sets agricultural and nutrition policy for the next five years.

The bill is expected to cost $956 billion over 10 years.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) expenses account for nearly

80 percent of the bill’s cost.

The bill eliminates direct payments and modifies the target price program, replacing the Counter-Cyclical Payment (CCP) program with Price Loss Coverage (PLC).

The bill also changes the revenue safety nets, replacing the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) with two Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) options — County ARC and Individual Farm ARC. Farmers will have a chance to update yield and base acres sooner than expected. Yoder said those decisions — onetime, irrevocable choices — could be made this fall instead of winter.

All programs make pay-

ments on base acres. A farm’s total base acres cannot be increased, but farmers can keep the current base acreage or reallocate base acres across program crops based on a pro-

portion of planted acres in 2009 to 2012 years.

Farmers also can update payment yields to 90 percent of the average yields from 2008 through 2012 or keep their current payment yields at levels used in 2008 farm bill countercyclical payments. Payment yields are only used to calculate PLC. Participants also will learn how IFB plans to tell members about the farm bill implementation this winter — from webinars to face-to-face meetings.

Acre Challenge nears $100,000

Soybean growers have donated more than $85,000 through the World Soy Foundation’s (WSF) Acre Challenge.

Funds help WSF develop communities, educate people about nutrition and distribute soy products to help improve protein deficient diets. WSF plans to raise $100,000 by the end of September.

Illinois soybean growers rank second to Iowa in donations.

Sixty Iowa farmers have contributed $16,000, while 49 Illinois growers raised $13,450.

Farmers interested in donating can calculate the value of an acre of soybeans in their operations and contribute that amount. Visit the website at {worldsoyfoundation.org} or send a check to: World Soy Foundation, 12125 Woodcrest Executive Drive, Suite 100, St. Louis, Mo. 63141.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Page 5 Monday, July 14, 2014 FarmWeek

IDNR considers county data in managing deer statewide

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Illinois’ deer population statewide causes fewer vehicle accidents, one measurement of effective herd management, Illinois Farm Bureau leaders learned last week.

Paul Shelton, manager of the the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ (IDNR) forest wildlife program, shared data and discussed deer management with IFB’s Conservation and Natural Resources Strength with Advisory Team (SWAT) that met in Bloomington.

Recently, questions surfaced about IDNR deer management after hunters reported a 28 percent reduction in the deer hunted during the 2013-14 firearm season.

Shelton attributed the decrease to several factors, especially horrible winter weather during that season.

An overall smaller deer herd also played a role.

“It’s no surprise (deer) harvest is going down because a smaller deer population will not support as big a harvest as a bigger population,” Shelton explained.

“The more we look at our data, the more we see it (management) working for us. We use science and scientific data.”

The state not only considers the statewide deer population, but IDNR also assesses and analyzes deer herds on a county-by-county basis, according to Shelton.

“The heavy lifting of deer

management is done in the (county hunting) quota process,” he said.

IDNR wildlife specialists constantly analyze incoming data and consider circumstances, such as deer disease outbreaks and population trends in contiguous counties. Hunting quotas are adjusted accordingly, Shelton noted.

He cautioned landowners against thinking their circumstances, such as deer deaths due to contagious Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) on their land, apply throughout a county.

EHD, which is spread by aquatic gnats, may devastate one area’s deer herd, but cause no deaths only half a mile away, according to Shelton.

Since 2009, IDNR worked toward a goal to decrease deer-vehicle collisions statewide by 14 percent, which was first achieved in 2012. Shelton explained deer herd management statewide takes time and progresses slowly.

“Managing a deer herd is like driving a battleship. You don’t rush up to a dock and throw out a line,” he said.

Through management tools, IDNR works to achieve “a healthy, balanced deer herd” for hunting, viewing and photography, while balancing the herd’s negative impacts, including crop and property damage and deervehicle collisions, Shelton said.

“It’s a social issue more than a biological one and represents a compromise,” Shelton summarized.

House passes bonus depreciation

The U.S. House of Representatives Friday passed legislation making permanent the 50 percent bonus depreciation of new capital purchases.

The House voted 258-160 to approve HR 4718.

“Passage of this bill on a strong bipartisan vote highlights the importance Congress places on tax provisions that drive capital investment and helps keep momentum moving toward at least a temporary extension of key tax provisions before the end of the year,” said Adam Nielsen, IFB’s national legislative director.

The tax extender was one of dozens that expired at the end of 2013.

In June, the House passed another handful of tax extenders, including Section 179 expensing provisions for small businesses.

Illinois Farm Bureau supports continuing both Section 179 expensing at the $500,000 level and 50 percent bonus depreciation.

Tax extenders remain on hold in the Senate.

Feral hog eradication effort a success

Feral swine no longer pose a serious problem in Illinois thanks to an elimination program by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and USDA Wildlife Services. (FarmWeek file photo)

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Chalk feral hogs off Illinois’ problem list.

An Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) official reported a state-federal partnership with farmers’ help effectively controlled the damaging wildlife. Illinois Farm Bureau’s Conservation and Natural Resources Strength with Advisory Team (SWAT) discussed wildlife with IDNR officials last week in Bloomington.

Since 2009, IDNR has worked with USDA Wildlife Services program to eradicate the wild animals from Clay, Effingham, Fayette and Marion counties, according to Mark Alessi, IDNR’s assistant chief of wildlife resources.

Fulton County’s feral hog population now totals about 10 animals down from a peak of

400 to 500, Alessi reported.

He praised farmers and landowners for working with the agencies. “We truly rely on their help with this species,” Alessi said.

Along with eliminating feral hog populations, IDNR also worked to thwart feral hog hunting for sport, which has expanded feral hog problems elsewhere. “I think we nipped it in the bud,” Alessi said of wild swine hunting.

New state rules established in March helped by giving IDNR legal authority over feral swine production, release, transportation or general hunting — all of which are illegal in the state. “Prior to the rules, there could have been legal hunting, which could have resulted in trespassing,” Alessi told Farm Bureau leaders.

Under the rules, feral swine

may be hunted legally only during gun deer season. Landowners must apply for a nuisance wildlife permit to shoot a feral hog outside deer season.

Illinois wildlife specialists remain vigilant about feral hogs, and urge landowners and farmers to report suspected populations or damage to IDNR district wildlife biologists. The IDNR-USDA partnership offers free help to bait, trap and remove the animals, Alessi noted.

By taking action and working with farmers and landowners, IDNR and USDA successfully dealt with problem wildlife that cause serious damage in other states, according to Alessi. “If we didn’t make a big deal and they (feral hogs) became established, their population would be out of control and they’d be a huge problem,” he said.

FarmWeek Page 6 Monday, July 14, 2014 Bernie Walsh, Durand, Winnebago County: We have had a drier week with .5 to .75 of an inch of rain on Sunday (July 6). The rest of the week has been dry enough to make hay and spray soybeans. The tassels are beginning to show on the earliest varieties of corn. Some of the soybeans are turning dark green, but there are still many yellow leaves because of wet ground. The wheat harvest is still a week away. Japanese beetles have begun to appear in soybean fields.

Pete Tekampe, Grayslake, Lake County: It was a mild week in Lake County. We received 1.2 inches of rain in three rain events. Early corn is starting to tassel and late corn is shoulder high. Beans are greening up, but still need sun and heat. Winter wheat is turning fast and still 10 days to two weeks off.

It will only be a fair crop. Oats are starting to turn and looking great. I will finally bale the last of my first-cutting hay Friday. I hope to start my second-cutting Monday (July 14). We have a four-day window without the word “showers” in it. Be safe.

Leroy Getz, Savanna, Carroll County: Rain for the week totaled .3 of an inch. Corn is starting to tassel, and those fields that were blown flat have stood back up with only minor goosenecking. Soybeans are starting to flower. Wheat and rye harvest has started. Hay making has made good progress.

Growing degree units now total 1,354, which is about 125 below the five-year average.

Ryan Frieders, Waterman, DeKalb County: Last week brought another inch of rain and some sunny days to the area.

Japanese beetles have emerged and have started feeding on crops, especially soybeans.

Early-planted corn has started pollination. We will be monitoring silk clipping from insects.

Looking ahead to this week’s weather. It may be interesting if the polar vortex returns. Ugh! Larry Hummel, Dixon, Lee County: It’s amazing how resilient the corn plant can be. In just one week, fields that were flattened in last week’s storm have uprighted themselves with little more to show for it than a gooseneck stalk at the base of the plant. Just in time as some of the corn is starting to shoot tassels. With the plants standing tall and a cool forecast ahead, pollination should happen without a hitch. Japanese beetles have arrived and they only have two things on their minds — eating and breeding.

Soybeans are starting to look better. With the drier weather this week, saturated soils have dried enough that the plants have started to green back up and sprayers have been able to catch up. There was beginning to be a lot of ugly/weedy fields, including ours, but by next week they should be looking good.

Ken Reinhardt, Seaton, Mercer County: It was a dry week. This allowed for the final pass of soybean herbicide to be finished. Much of the corn to the north that had been flattened the week before has come back.

Fungicide application has begun.

For the first time in several years, we are not having to add insecticide. Last winter’s cold almost seems worth it now to eliminate the hordes of Japanese beetles. It is fair week here.

Thanks go out to individuals who make it happen.

Ron Moore, Roseville, Warren County: We received 3 inches of rain last week. We have had 12 inches since June 1. The corn is just about all tasseled and most of it is pollinated. Fungicide applications have started as well.

The soybeans have closed in the rows on the later-planted beans.

Weed control so far is very good.

No insect pressure to report. Hopefully, the Japanese beetles have moved on and won’t be an issue this year. Pasture conditions are excellent for the middle of July.

So far, enough grass to keep the cattle happy.

Mark Kerber, Chatsworth, Livingston County: Summer is upon us and crops are progressing nicely. Early-planted corn is pollinating, and soybeans are flowering.

It will be another six weeks until we can start to estimate the size of this crop. My neighbor reminded me that in a poor year, like 2013, the crop was better than expected. But in a good year it is usually not as good as one thinks. We’ll see. Fungicide spraying in corn and soybeans will be taking place soon.

Corn, at $3.75, isn’t quite as attractive to spray. The Livingston County Fair is this week with many fun events on its schedule. Come out and support the fair and the young 4H’ers who have worked so hard.

Ron Haase, Gilman, Iroquois County: We only received .3 of an inch of rain on Tuesday last week, so we were able to finish herbicide applications in our soybean fields. Most corn in the local area is in the VT growth stage with tassels emerging, or the R1 growth stage, which is the silking stage.

That means fungicide applications have begun on a few cornfields thus far. The range in soybean development in the local area is between the R1 growth stage, beginning bloom, and the R2 growth stage, which is full bloom. The local closing prices for July 10 were nearby corn, $3.67; new-crop corn, $3.59; nearby soybeans, $12.98; and newcrop soybeans, $10.62.

Brian Schaumburg, Chenoa, McLean County: The crop continues to progress well, and we have ears to make preliminary guesstimates. Adding two to four rows of girth and four rows of length looks to be the norm.

Populations are exceptionally good. Fungicides are being aerially applied. No insect problems as of yet. Markets continue to fall under the weight of a potential record crop. Corn, $3.81, fall, $3.68; soybeans, $13.20, fall, $10.70; wheat, $5.16.

Steve Ayers, Champaign, Champaign County: A quiet, mostly pleasant week, which was IDEAL for corn pollination! Last weekend’s (July 5-6) rain totaled .25 of an inch and Tuesday’s rain was .47 of an inch. Then temperatures cooled with highs in upper 70s for a couple of delightful days.

Beans are blooming and farmers are finishing spraying, plus mowing or baling.

Some wheat was cut July 4 and midweek was another window for wheat harvest. Heard of some gray leaf spot in corn and aircraft are continuing to spray corn. Let’s be careful out there.

Wilfred Dittmer, Quincy, Adams County: Greetings from our Green Acres to yours on this second week of July where we normally have put away the mowers and take in our county fairs. But with all the rain we have been getting this year, everything is green. Since last report, we measured 1.3 inches of rain plus some strong winds, which didn’t help some fields at all. As we prepared this report, farmers were busy moving equipment and grain to higher ground along the river. Hopefully, the crest predicted for Thursday night passed, and everyone can return to normal. A few started on wheat, and hay machines were running where possible.

Even though we have gotten some nice showers, subsoil is still dry and this crop is not in the bin yet. Have a safe week.

Jeff Guilander, Jerseyville, Jersey County: With the Jersey County Fair, baseball season and wheat harvest behind us, I think we are officially at the halfway point.

Other than a very cold, wet May, things have gone very well. Planes are flying fungicide every day, ground spraying is wrapping up, and with more and more weeds showing up in the soybean fields, it is turning out to be a pretty normal summer. Should have some yield checks in a few weeks.

Todd Easton, Charleston, Coles County: It has been another very good week in the Coles County cornfields with pollination approaching the end in near perfect conditions. A nice .1 of an inch of rain soaked in on July 3, which I considered a very nice birthday present. It was followed by another .05 on Monday (July 7) that has kept fields moist enough to keep plants going for now. The near perfect conditions for the corn crop seem to be a bit cool for the beans as fields are developing in a sluggish state. At this point, the bean crop is far from made by any means, but if just a little more heat shows up with some moisture in the next couple of weeks, we can have big potential in that crop, too. I highly encourage anyone in the area to come by the fairgrounds in Charleston to help celebrate the simpler but harder times in agriculture that brought us to where we are today.

Jimmy Ayers, New City, Sangamon County: We received .4 to .5 of an inch of rain in a pretty general area. Corn is tasseling and looking good. I found some plants with three ears on them. I don’t know what that does to production. Mowing roadsides is probably the biggest activity as well as relaxing. Soybeans are really enjoying the moisture and the summer as it has gone so far. It has rained fairly regularly and not too much damage has been received from storms. We harvested some wheat at 77.5 to 96 bushles per acre, but haven’t quite finished. We were also double-cropping a few beans. Markets just keep going down, so there should be a bottom in there somewhere.

Remember your county fairs if you have one in your area.

Doug Uphoff, Shelbyville, Shelby County: Corn is in full tassel here, and looks as good as I’ve ever seen it. The markets obviously are showing us that. Some fungicide is being applied to cornfields, but I have seen no signs of disease as of yet. Soybeans have made it to R1-2, which is the beginning of the reproductive stage. We haven’t received much rain this month, although we did pick up around .1 to .3 of an inch of rain.

We completed our second cutting of alfalfa cut. My son and I attended a marketing meeting at Tate & Lyle, and there wasn’t much good news for the market. Our highlight was touring the office of the late A. E. Staley. What made it more interesting was A. E. Staley Jr. owned the farm I lived on until 1998 when I bought part of it. Read “The Kernel and the Bean” if you are interested in the Staley history.

David Schaal, St. Peter, Fayette County: On Monday afternoon (July 7), storms came across the area, which again left total rain amounts all over the board — 2 inches down to a trace. I received somewhere around 1 inch. The northern part of the county is where things were short this go around. Had board meeting on Thursday evening. The consensus is things are looking considerably good at this time, but with heat and no rain, things can still deteriorate quite quickly. A decision producers are trying to make at this point is whether to apply fungicide to any part of this year’s crop. With grain prices going down every day, it seems to be making the application process decision a lot easier. It’s Fayette County Fair week, and 80 to 90 percent of the time rains or storms come along with the fair. So, we will see.

Dave Hankammer, Millstadt, St. Clair County: We received 1 inch of rain along with high winds as storms moved through the area last week. Lodging of corn plants in some fields occurred due to the storms.

Most of the plants have stood up, leaving a few tangled rows and sleigh runner plants as evidence of the storm. A few older trees and branches were also knocked down. The earliest-planted corn has completed pollination. Corn planted in late April to early May is now in the pollinating stage. Weather conditions have been favorable for this stage of growth with daytime temperature highs reaching the 90-degree mark. Most of the soybean fields have developed a canopy over the row and are starting to bloom. A few early-planted fields are setting pods on the plants. The emergence of the recently planted double-cropped soybeans has been spotty due to lack of soil moisture. The recent rain is helping the seedlings push to the surface. Several hay fields were cut and baled due to favorable opportunity for hay making. Local grain bids are corn, $3.99, soybeans, $13.23; wheat, $5.14.

Have a good week.

Page 7 Monday, July 14, 2014 FarmWeek Kevin Raber, Browns, Wabash County: Rain has been a little on the light side the last two weeks.

No extreme temperatures have kept crop conditions good, but we are going to need a good soaking rain soon. Fungicides are being applied to the early corn. It looks like most double-cropped bean fields have a good stand even with the drier weather.

Randy Anderson, Galatia, Saline County: Finished planting double-crops last week, but still very wet in the drains. Now moving on to cutting hay that needed to be cut a month ago and spraying beans where it’s dry enough. Planes starting to fly fungicide on corn. Hard to make the call when to spray on some of our fields because of uneven corn.

Headed out to the fairs this week, and Massac and Saline next week. Come to the fairs and support your local youth, and let them know they’re doing a good job because they’re our future in agriculture.

Dean Shields, Murphysboro, Jackson County: We dried out last week, and we were able to plant where the beans were flooded out. Because we ran the pumps, we are able to get back into the fields to plant.

Some of the beans planted early were getting sprayed the second time. Most of the corn looks good and has been pollinating. Wheat has been a disaster this year with lots of disease. The question at the coffee shop is, “What will be the price of corn and beans this fall?”

Ken Taake, Ullin, Pulaski County: We finally had better weather for fieldwork with only one day of rain since my last report. We finally gave up and quit trying to plant soybeans. We planted our last beans July 1. Actually, we replanted some soybeans Thursday. I think everybody across the county that was going to plant beans has them planted. I think all of the double-crop beans are planted.

Wheat harvest is finally over. The soybeans kind of look like corn with a lot of variation across the fields in sizes. Our main activity right now is mowing roads and trying to get our beans sprayed. There has been some aerial application of fungicide on corn in the area. Our corn is just too uneven across the fields to do aerial fungicide application this year. Please be careful this week.

Cover crops’ nitrogen contributions to soil vary

Q: W hen cover crops decompose, what amounts of nitrogen do they contribute back into the soil?

Dave Bishop, PrairieErth Far m: That’s an important question and the subject of ongoing research. We really need more reliable quantitative data on the relative contributions of individual species, not only in terms of nitrogen, but also for general soil health.

P e t e Fa n d e l , I l l i n o i s Central College: The nitrogen release is dependent upon several factors. Was the cover crop a legume? How much residual nitrogen was left in the field? What cover crop species was planted?

How long was the cover crop allowed to grow? What stage of growth did the cover crop reach when it was controlled? Some species may contribute as much as 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre.

Russ Higgins, University of Illinois Extension Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center: This will be dependent upon the cover crop species and the

stag e of g rowth when the cover crop was terminated.

Keep in mind that approximately 40 to 70 percent of nutrients assimilated by cover crops will be available for the succeeding year’s crop.

Dean Oswald, Illinois Council on Best Management Practices: Legumes, s u ch a s c l ove r s, p e a s a n d vetch, actually can add nitrogen to a cropping system through fixation with the help of soil rhizobia bacteria.

Other species scavenge nitrogen and return it later.

The breakdown depends upon the stage of growth at ter mination for cereals and annual r yegrass. Vegetative growth returns nitrogen quicker than mature plants.

M i ke P l u m e r, I l l i n o i s Council on Best Management Practices: Nitrog en levels depend on cover crop,

age, stage of growth, when they were planted and when they were killed.

Legumes produce and

addresses “the real inherent flaw in how we finance our transportation system.”

labor, machiner y — all of those inputs go up,” he said.

“Yet we have this system ...

Reports received Friday morning. Expanded crop and weather information available at FarmWeekNow.com.

return the most when allowed to grow to bud-bloom stage.

With hair y vetch, a r ule of thumb is to cut a 4-foot-by-4foot area and weigh it. Then multiply the weight by 25 to calculate total nitrogen produced. Figure half of that is available to the crop in the next 60 days. If the vetch is tilled into soil, more nitrogen is available sooner.

To view previous questions and answers, visit { f a r m w e e k n o w. c o m / c u s tomPage.aspx?p=544}.

Questions may be emailed to kayship@ilfb.org; add “Discover Cover Crops” in the subject line or mail to Discover Cover C r o p s, K a y S h i p m a n , 1 7 0 1 Towanda Ave., Bloomington, Ill. 61701.

Tax proposal could help pay for transportation repairs

BY DEANA STROISCH FarmWeek

Lowering the gasoline and diesel fuel tax by 1 cent and tying it to inf lation could pay for needed repairs to the country’s surface transportation system, according to an analysis released last week by the Soy Transportation Coalition (STC).

W hile state and federal coffers would take an initial hit by lowering the tax rate, the study found that the lost revenue could be made up in a matter of years — and eventually, g enerate additional money for states and the federal government.

Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the STC, said indexing the tax on gasoline and diesel fuel to inflation

Indexing the tax on gasoline and diesel fuel to inflation addresses ‘the real inherent flaw in how we finance our transportation system.’

— Mike Steenhoek Soy Transportation Coalition executive director

“Everyone would concede that the cost of constructing a stretch of road, and maintaining roads and bridges increases over time — the cost of concrete g oes up, the cost of steel g oes up,

where you’re trying to have a fixed source of revenue, ‘x’ many cents per gallon, trying to meet the needs of an escalating cost. Under that kind of structure, the unavoidable consequence is

you’re going to have funding shortfalls.”

The STC contracted with Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs to conduct the study. Among the findings: • Illinois would initially lose $58.2 million in revenue by reducing the gas tax by 1 cent.

Nationally, the tax cut would cost the federal government $1.737 billion in revenue.

• Indexing the tax rate to inflation in 2014 would generate an additional $70.6 million a year between 2014 and 2025. Additional real estate revenue could reach $195.1 million a year by 2025.

• Annual fuel tax revenue in Illinois would match the status quo in 2017. Cumulative losses to the fuel tax

because of the 1 cent reduction would be recovered in 2019. Every year after, the financing approach would generate extra money. Illinois consumers would pay $7 less in fuel taxes after the first year, but by 2025 the average motorist would pay $21 more a year in fuel taxes.

Steenhoek said the group plans to promote and recommend the financing approach to elected leaders on the state and federal level.

“The elephant in the room on the issue on surface transportation is ... how do y o u p a y f o r i t ,” h e s a i d .

“That really is the big source of headwind on this issue, both on a national level and on a state level.”

SWINE

FarmWeek Page 8 Monday, July 14, 2014

Hog farmers reluctant to expand despite record prices

BY DANIEL GRANT Farm Week

Hog farmers appear to be in no hurry to grow their herds despite the fact prices are at all-time highs.

Hogs prices the first half of this year averaged a record of about $80 per hundredweight on a live basis, according to Chris Hurt, Purdue University Extension economist.

And the market could remain hot through the third quarter with average live prices racing to the mid-$90s before moderating to the mid- to high-$70s in the fourth quarter, Hurt predicted.

“Producer profits were record high in the second quarter this year, near $70 per head,” Hurt said. “Continued record hog prices and now lower feed prices mean that record will fall this summer as third quarter profits are expected to be over $100 per head.”

Most hog farmers haven’t responded to high hog prices by expanding herd numbers or building new facilities, though.

In fact, the inventory of all

hogs and pigs in Illinois on June 1 totaled just 4.35 million head, down 6 percent from last year.

The breeding inventory in Illinois totaled 490,000 head, down 2 percent from the previous quarter and last year.

So, why are swine inventory numbers declining at a time of record prices?

Economic and herd losses caused by the outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and fear of the unknown with the virus moving forward have many farmers on the defensive, according to industry leaders and hog farmers last week at the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) visioning session held in Bloomington.

“We’re just trying to protect the money we have coming in and pay down debt,” said Mike Haag, a hog farmer and IPPA member from Emington. “I think there could be some (expansion) out there (the second half of 2014), but it may be more of a shuffling of numbers between producers.”

PEDV devastated a number

of swine herds in Illinois since it was discovered in the U.S. more than a year ago. An estimated 60 percent of swine herds nationwide have been infected by the virus.

The March-May pig crop in Illinois subsequently declined 4 percent this year compared to 2013. The average number of pigs saved per litter also declined from 10.3 a year ago to 9.9 last quarter.

“The PED virus apparently continued to inflict higher death losses in the spring than

had been anticipated,” Hurt said.

And no vaccines or biosecurity measures currently exist to eliminate the virus.

“We expect to repeat this (outbreak of PEDV) again.

You almost have to plan for that,” said Tim Maiers, IPPA director of industry and public relations. “It’s hard to be building (facilities or herd numbers) with that uncertainty.”

Hog producers offset some of the PEDV losses by finish-

ing market hogs to larger weights.

And demand has remained strong as record pork prices, which reached $4.10 per pound in May, still are nearly $2 less than beef prices, which averaged a record $5.91 per pound in May. Hurt predicted retail pork prices could level off from record highs in the fall and possibly contract the second half of 2015 if pork supplies rebound from current levels.

Outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) slowed in many parts of the state so far this summer.

But with no surefire way to eliminate the virus from herds, weary hog farmers remain on guard for more possible flareups in the months ahead.

Pork producers discussed the situation last week at a

visioning session meeting hosted by the Illinois Pork Producers Association in Bloomington.

“I’ve never seen anything move through the barn that fast,” Roger Walk, a pork producer from Neoga, said of the virus that’s particularly deadly to Roger Walk piglets. “For two weeks, we didn’t wean a pig.”

PEDV affected about 60 percent of swine herds nationwide since it was confirmed in the U.S. in April 2013. A variant strain of the virus also affected a number of herds, although findings of the variant declined in recent months, according to Aaron Lower, veterinarian with Carthage Vet Services.

And there’s just one conditional license vaccine on the market that so far produced mixed results with PEDV control on farms.

“I wouldn’t declare victory yet with the vaccines that are out there,” Walk said. “If we have another cold, wet winter, I don’t see any reason we won’t have a replay of last winter.”

Baby pig losses from PEDV peaked at about 8 percent during some of the coldest months last winter, January through March, according to Chris Hurt, Purdue University Extension economist.

Death losses declined to 5 percent by May. PEDV was confirmed on Bob Keller’s farm near West Liberty in January after a 10inch snowstorm was followed by rainy conditions that created a mess on his operation.

“Water was running everywhere,” Keller said. “(Once

PEDV was confirmed) there are a lot of gut-wrenching things you have to do in the first few days.”

Keller instructed employees to wean pigs as quickly as Bob Keller possible.

Some baby pigs had to be euthanized. Keller and his employees began backfeeding on the sow farm as a means to build immunity within the herd.

Lower said farmers should continue to increase biosecurity efforts, which include sanitizing barns as much as possible, using frequent foot baths for employees and sanitizing trailers and feed trucks that enter each operation.

“Transportation is the most important risk,” Lower said.

“We have a lot of traffic on the farm. We’re fairly certain we brought (PEDV) home on a semitrailer,” Walk said. “We have a lot of feed ingredient trucks come in.

That’s the part that scares me the most.”

A recent study found about 10 percent of trucks entering or leaving hog farms test positive for the virus, Lower noted.

Meanwhile, the current vaccine on the market provides “marginal improvement” of PEDV-infected herds, according to Lower, who predicted the development and availability of a modified live vaccine could be another two years away.

“At least we had a herd go through it and come out of it, so you learn from those experiences,” Keller added. “We’re now back up to farrowing pretty much normal numbers.” — Daniel Grant

Pork producers prepare for additional rounds of PEDV

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PRODUCTION

Page 9 Monday, July 14, 2014 FarmWeek

Wheat harvest, bean planting wind down in southern Illinois

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

A surge of fieldwork between rain showers and the July Fourth holiday last week put the finishing touches on wheat harvest and soybean planting in much of southern Illinois.

Illinois farmers the last week of June and the first week of July cut 62 percent of the wheat crop. That brought wheat harvest, as of the first of last week, to 82 percent complete — well ahead of last year’s pace (65 percent) and three points ahead of the fiveyear average pace.

“Most wheat har vest is done in southern Illinois,” said Gerald Cox, a far mer from Baldwin (Randolph County) and member of the Illinois Wheat Association.

Ken Taake, a FarmWeek CropWatcher from Ullin (Pulaski County), said many farmers in his area scrambled to finish wheat harvest and soybean planting prior to a half-inch downpour the first of last week.

“I think everybody pushed their wheat through by now,” Taake said. “We got in the field and finished replanting beans. I think we’re done.”

Taake reported a number of quality issues with wheat in his area.

Cox noted wheat yields and quality were highly variable in

his part of the state as well.

“Fungicide applications made a big difference this year,” Cox said. “I sprayed all mine.

“I think the wheat was better than most people anticipated after all the cloudy days and wet weather,” he noted.

The recent moisture certainly was beneficial for double-crop soybeans.

“I think almost everybody wrapped up (double-crop planting),” Cox said. “The moisture was almost perfect this year to get things off to a good start.”

Wheat harvest activity should begin in the next week or two in northern Illinois.

Pete Tekampe, a CropWatcher from Grayslake (Lake County), expects a dip in wheat yields this year in his area.

“It’s not as good as usual due to winterkill,” Tekampe said. “We had some really tough winds up here (last winter). We had a lot of snow, but it all ended up in the ditches.

So, we didn’t get enough cover (for the wheat crop).”

Elsewhere, sorghum planting in the state last week reached 93 percent complete, four points ahead of the fiveyear average pace. Ninety percent of the oat crop headed, six points behind the average pace, the National Agricultural Statistics Service Illinois field office reported.

Tyler Walk, left, and his brother, Austin, check the combine header while harvesting wheat in Cumberland County. Yields averaged about 85 bushels per acre in the 30-acre field. (Photo by Cyndi Cook)

Cool savings during the hottest months.

Farm Service Agency

Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee nominations — Nominations of eligible farmers for their FSA county committees are due Aug. 1. The nomination form is available at USDA Service Centers and online.

For information, contact your local FSA office.

It is crucial every eligible farmer participate in these elections because FSA county committees serve as a link between the agricultural community and USDA. Acreage reporting dates — Illinois farmers need to comply with the following acreage reporting dates: • Tuesday (July 15), corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, oats and other spring-seeded crops, cabbage planted between March 15 and May 31, and perennial forage intended for use of cover only, green manure, left standing or seed; • Aug. 15, cabbage planted between June 1 and July 20; • Sept. 15, cucumbers planted between June 1 and Aug. 15 in Gallatin, Lawrence and White counties.

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) policyholders note the acreage reporting date for NAP-covered crops is the earlier of the above dates or 15 calendar days before grazing or harvesting of the crop begins.

For questions, contact your local County FSA office.

If filing for prevented planting, an acreage report and CCC576 form must be filed within 15 calendar days of the crop’s final planting date.

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TRANSPORTATION

FarmWeek Page 10 Monday, July 14, 2014

CFV rules offer exemptions for qualified farmers

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

[Editor’s note: In a third installment, Kevin Rund, Illinois Farm Bureau director of local government, explains Covered Farm Vehicle provisions and exceptions for qualified farmers.]

Qualified Illinois farmers may take advantage of some exemptions from certain trucking regulations, but must wait for the state to implement others, according to Kevin Rund, Illinois Farm Bureau director of local government.

In mid-2012, Congress approved Covered Farm Vehicle (CFV) provisions that offer qualified farmers significant exemptions from certain Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (MCSR). However, the State of Illinois has only partially implemented CFV and may take up to a year to implement the remainder, according to Rund.

Rund stressed farmers must be certain they first meet CFV qualifications. “To take full advantage of all the excep-

implementation of parts pertions, then find that you don’t taining to drug testing and qualify could be a costly misCDL requirements. take,” he said.

The legislature passed a bill The CFV provision lists allowing small truck-trailer five separate parts of the combinations to qualify for MCSR from which farmers CVF exceptions when pulling generally may be excused. a farm-plated trailer; however, Those include drug and alcohol screening (382), Commer- the governor has not signed that bill, which would take cial Driver’s License (CDL) effect Jan. 1. requirements and penalties As to the provisions in 391 (383), driver physical qualificaSubpart E, farmers who qualitions and exams under Subfy under CFV no longer must part E (391), hours of service have a Department of Trans(395), and inspection, repair and maintenance (396). Farm- portation (DOT) physical or carry a medical card, Rund ers shouldn’t anticipate other said. Under the long-standing impacts (See insert).

Farm Vehicle Illinois drivers find USDOT number, UCR still apply Driver (FVD) a phased-in The new Covered Farm Vehicle provisions, farmers drivstart on (CFV) exceptions do not impact the above U.S. Department of Transportation ing only CFV pro- (USDOT) number or Unified Carri- straight trucks er Registration (UCR) requirehave had that visions.

Parts 391, ments. That means the CFV provi- exemption, sions do not excuse farmers from but the new 395 and those two registration requireCFV excep396 are in ments. tion covers place in the state, Rund noted. Meanwhile, drivers of both straight trucks the General Assembly has not and combination vehicles, he added. passed legislation allowing

Rund pointed out authorities aren’t clear how they may apply other 391 provisions, including some linked with Subpart E provisions.

For decades, Illinois farmers have qualified for seasonal exemptions from hours of service and still do.

The new CFV provision makes few additions, “although it provides a safety net under any holes that might otherwise have existed in the seasonal provision,” Rund said.

Finally, the inspection, repair and maintenance part 396 provides qualified farmers relief from MCSR equipment requirements, Rund noted.

That relief includes requirements for annual inspections, pre-trip and post-trip inspections, along with repair and maintenance recordkeeping.

However, those exemptions may be narrowed by pre-existing laws in the Illinois Vehicle Code (IVC), Rund added.

Equipment requirements in IVC will fill some of the gaps left by the CFV exceptions.

Both IVC and MCSR contain general provisions requiring vehicles to be safe before they are operated on public roads, he said.

Rund cautioned the CFV provisions are loaded with exceptions, further confusing the situation.

“It’s not just farmers, but also law enforcement who will be struggling to understand the ins and outs of these new provisions in the months ahead,” he said.

Patience and safety will be the watchwords as the new laws are interpreted.

“There will be a break-in period when formal interpretations might be needed to sort out confusion and any

contradiction within the rules,” Rund said.

“As a farmer, you are welcome to take full advantage of the exceptions from the rules that Congress intended,” he continued. “But where there is uncertainty, I encourage you to lean sharply to the side of safety.

It’s not only a good idea to help prevent injuries or property damage, but it would also serve you well to avoid what could be stiff fines and penalties associated with aiming for compliance but missing the mark.”

FarmWeek will provide additional information when state legislators address implementation of CDL and drug testing exemptions.

The matter may surface as soon as the November veto session or later during next year’s spring session.

Rund reminded farmers the older Farm Vehicle Driver (FVD) exemptions remain in place and are the ones farmers must rely upon for the time being when it comes to the CDL. Some farmers might be more comfortable in continuing to operate under the older FVD provisions for other exemptions, too — at least until the bugs get worked out of the CFV provisions, Rund said. That’s an option, he added.

When CFV provisions are fully implemented, they will be the preferred option for farmers because those offer greater relief from CDL and other requirements than do the FVD exemptions.

“Be careful to not confuse the covered farm vehicle exceptions with the farm vehicle driver exemptions,” he warned. “A misstep could be costly.”

Cattlemen may submit entries for Western Illinois University School of Agriculture’s Bull Test Program through Aug. 31.

The 112-day test is open to any breed, according to Samantha Cunningham, assistant professor in the School of Ag. But bulls must be weaned and started on a preconditioning program no later than Aug. 15.

“The WIU Bull Test Program offers breeders the opportunity to compare their bulls against bulls from other breeders when fed and managed in the same environment,” said Cunningham.

The last six sales posted record averages and totals. Many bulls sell to repeat buyers.

The WIU Bull Test Program evaluates the performance of bulls in a common environment and provides information on scrotal circumference, pelvic area, rib eye area, fat depth and marbling. The bulls also are indexed, providing a breeder a substantial amount of information from an unbiased comparison.

A sale of the top bulls will be held March 13.

For more information, call Cunningham at 309-298-1288 or 979-220-5681 or the WIU School of Agriculture office at 309-298-1080. More information is also available at {wiu.edu/bulltest/}.

WIU Bull Test taking entries through Aug. 31

PRODUCTION

Page 11 Monday, July 14, 2014 FarmWeek

Rain boosts some hay yields, but bogs down balers

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

Hay baling kicked into high gear in recent weeks as farmers worked around raindrops to harvest a fairly lush crop.

The second cutting of alfalfa hay the first of last week was 37 percent complete, 16 percent behind the five-year average pace, but 13 points ahead of last year, the National Agricultural Statistics Service Illinois field office reported.

“We’ve had a lot of rain,” said Harold Watson, a hay producer from Glen Carbon (Madison County). “I’m about 15 to 20 days behind.

“But the crop is nice because of the rain, and quality is good,” he noted.

Watson hopes to complete his second cutting of hay soon.

New U of I swine research unit will benefit infants

Thanks to a $945,000 gift from Mead Johnson Nutrition, the University of Illinois plans to build a new biomedical swine research unit.

The new facility will increase capability for research regarding learning and memory in young pigs with the goal of understanding how nutrition affects brain development in human infants.

Mead Johnson Nutrition makes Enfamil infant formula.

Ryan Dilger, a U of I assistant professor of nutrition in the Department of Animal Sciences, received the contribution. He said the new unit will be ready in early 2015.

“In the past, we have looked at such things as iron deficiency and its effects on learning and memory, and this gift will allow us to develop next-generation tools to test how early-life nutrition relates to brain function in an animal model that closely approximates developmental processes in humans,” said Dilger.

In coordination with other U of I researchers, including Sharon Donovan and Rod Johnson, Dilger has used animal models for studying human brain development in his research over the last several years.

Current facilities have allowed Dilger and his lab to raise and monitor 24 pigs at a time from birth. The new facility will provide space and technology to work with 48 pigs at a time and greater control over nutrient delivery and video monitoring of piglet behavior.

For more information on research from Dilger’s lab, visit {ansci.illinois.edu/labs/com parative-animal-nutrition}.

Heavy rains jump-started grass growth along with weed pressure.

“It’s getting to the point where it’s going to start getting awfully weedy if it’s not cut soon,” he said.

Pete Tekampe, FarmWeek CropWatcher from Grayslake (Lake County) also watched the weather last week in hopes of making hay.

“I’ve got 15 acres of hay baled, all without rain,” Tekampe said. “Half of the first-cut fields now are big enough for a second cutting, but (weather forecasters) were talking rain (again last week).”

Jeff Guilander, a CropWatcher from Jerseyville (Jersey County) said the rainy start to the season slowed hay

Roger Walk bales straw in a field near Neoga in Cumberland County.

The Walk family, owners of Walk Stock Farm Inc., raises corn, soybeans, wheat and hogs. (Photo by Cyndi Cook)

cutting and hurt quality in his area.

“The hay has been wet all

year, so quality is not the greatest,” he said. “I think everybody’s about a cutting behind.”

Straw baling also has been sporadic around the state.

Some livestock farmers grow wheat specifically for the straw, while some wheat growers bypass straw baling after harvest in order to plant doublecrop beans in a timely manner.

“There’s not much straw baled in our area,” said Ken Taake, a CropWatcher from Ullin (Pulaski County). “Most farmers around here plant double-crop beans” behind the combine after wheat harvest.

Meanwhile, rainy conditions in recent weeks aided grazing areas for livestock. Pasture conditions statewide last week rated 71 percent good to excellent, 26 percent fair and just 3 percent poor or very poor.

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FarmWeek Page 12 Monday, July 14, 2014

Gail Apel-Sasse, right, and her mother-in-law, Lorrain Sasse, offer local food samples. David and Gail Sasse own and operate Gail’s Pumpkin Patch, a specialty farm and agritourism business in Beason. (Photos

by Jim Drew, Logan County Farm Bureau manager)

Logan County Farm Bureau and farmers serve up local flavors

Logan County farmers Pam Schreiner, far left in green shirt; Matt Schreiner, center; and Katrina Schreiner, all with Schreiner Farms of Broadwell, serve visitors lamb meatball samples. The Schreiners raise sheep.

Logan County residents and others munched on food from local farmers at the recent first Taste of Logan County Agriculture sponsored by the Logan County Farm Bureau.

About 10 local livestock and specialty crop farmers offered samples and showcased their products during the event in downtown Lincoln. Displays of farm

machinery and educational ag exhibits provided information.

Participating farms included Schreiner Farms, Broadwell; Sasse’s Apiary, Chestnut; Voyles Family Farms of Logan

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District & State Discussion Topics:

Additional State Topics:

The farm bill crop insurance provisions offer a safety net for crop lost due to natural disaster and/or price risk. Should a safety net for livestock producers be developed and what provisions might it include?

How would the conditions of government managed public lands change if they were managed privately? What are the pros and cons of government ownership of land versus private ownership?

+RZ VKRXOG RXU QDWLRQ¡V SROLFLHV EDODQFH FRQFHUQV DERXW food insecurity against concerns about the safety or environmental impact of modern agricultural technologies?

What role should farmers have in discussing and debating these issues in our society and with our lawmakers?

Should farmers and ranchers be held liable for possible food borne illnesses when the food item of concern can be traced back to their farms or ranches? Why or why not?

How can young farmers and ranchers work to encourage membership growth and member engagement for the county, state and national Farm Bureau organizations?

Entry Deadline July 23 (to Illinois Farm Bureau) IAA District

Date

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11 & 12 13 & 17 14 15 & 16 18

July 31 August 14 August 25 August 18 August 5 August 19 $XJXVW August 26 August 19 August 4 August 19 August 14

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6:30 p.m.

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Winnebago-Boone FB, Rockford Wyffels Hybrids Research Center, Geneseo Mendota Civic Center, Mendota Pioneer Seed Facility, Mazon 1st Farm Credit, Morton Adams County FB, Quincy 6DQJDPRQ &RXQW\ )% 6SULQJĂ€HOG Piatt County FB, Monticello Edwards County FB, Albion Montgomery County FB, Hillsboro St. Clair County FB, Belleville Jackson County FB, Murphysboro

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County; and Huelskoetter Pork, Gail’s Pumpkin Patch and Irwindale Holsteins, all of Beason.

The Lincoln Area YMCA and Logan County 4-H provided educational activities and information to young visitors.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) again encourages the state’s residents to buy local food products.

The goal remains spending $10 of an existing weekly grocery budget on Illinois-made products.

IDOA estimates more than $2.4 billion a year would be reinvested in the state’s economy.

IDOA continues working with food companies and grocery stores to brand Illinois-made items with an Illinois product logo, making them more identifiable. Any entity that produces, processes, packages, manufactures or promotes a food or agribusiness product in the state may participate free of charge. “Use of this trademarked

logo not only will simplify identification of Illinois foods for the consumer, but also increase the visibility of participating companies in the marketplace,� said Illinois Agriculture Director Bob Flider.

With funding from a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant, television advertising, billboards and social media outlets across the state began promoting the “Illinois: Where Fresh Is� campaign in late May. The campaign highlights Illinois-grown produce at more than 300 locations, including roadside farm stands. Each location displays an “Illinois: Where Fresh Is� logo. This is the second year for the program. Several of last year’s participants reported up to a 50 percent increase in sales thanks to the campaign.

Tuesday: • Far mWeek: “The Early Wordâ€? • Eric Schmidt, EJS Weather • Stone Seed Representative • Cathleen Enright, Council for Biotechnolog y Infor mation: myths about GMOs • Adam Nielsen, Illinois Far m Bureau: “waters of the U.S.â€? call to action Wednesday: • Illinois Department of Agriculture representative

• Jim Bower, Bower Trading • David Erickson, Illinois Far m Bureau vice president: policy process Thursday: • Illinois Soybean Association representative • Charlyn Fargo, registered dietician: consumer communications • Jason Webster, Beck’s Hybrids: agronomy update Friday: • Bob Beck, WinField agronomist • Rep. Tom Cross, ROswego: candidate for state treasurer

IDOA urging Illinoisans to buy local

FROM THE COUNTIES

Page 13 Monday, July 14, 2014 FarmWeek

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UREAU — Farm Bureau will sponsor a bus trip to Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana at 8 a.m. Aug. 1. Cost is $60. Call the Farm Bureau office at 875-6468 to register

by Friday.

• Farm Bureau will host an energy meeting at 9 a.m. July 24 at the Farm Bureau office.

Don Taylor, Corn Belt Energy; Jackie McKinnis, GROWMARK; and Adam Nielsen, Illinois Farm Bureau, will speak. Call the Farm Bureau office at 875-6468 for reservations.

• Farm Bureau will co-sponsor Celebrate Agriculture Night with the River Bandits at 7 p.m. Friday at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa. Members will receive discounted tickets by showing their Farm Bureau membership card at the box office.

• Farm Bureau will sponsor Ag Olympics during the 4-H fair at 3 p.m. July 24 at the Bureau County Fairgrounds.

There will be team events and prizes. Late entries are not guaranteed participation. Call the Farm Bureau office at 8756468 to register.

ASS-MORGAN — The Foundation will sponsor a play day at 8 a.m.

July 28 at The Links and Jacksonville Sportsmans Club. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m.

Cost is $120 for sponsors and $40 for individuals. Call the Farm Bureau office at 2456833 to register by July 23.

Proceeds will benefit the scholarship program.

OOK — Farm Bureau will host a food drive to support Ronald McDonald Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Aug. 8-10 at Schaumburg Boomers’ games. Nonperishable food items may be dropped off at the Farm Bureau kiosk prior to the start of the games. Visit {boomersbaseball.com} for tickets and game times.

FFINGHAM — Farm Bureau and COUNTRY Financial will co-host a member appreciation picnic and swim from 6 to 8 p.m.

Sunday at Evergreen Hollow Park. Sweet Tea, Aaron Goeckner and MacKensie Grimsley will perform. Call the Farm Bureau office at 342-2103 to register.

RUNDY — Farm Bureau will co-sponsor an agriculture safety and education golf benefit from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 1 at Nettle Creek Country Club, Morris.

Cost is $75 per person or $300 for a team of four. Call 9416758 for reservations by July 25. Proceeds will benefit Youth Leaders health and safety projects and the William J. Rodosky and William B. Norton scholarship programs.

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ANCOCK — Farm Bureau will co-host a market outlook meeting at 6 p.m. July 21 at Lake Hill Winery, Carthage. Rich Morrison and Mike Toohill from Diversified Services, will speak. Call the Farm Bureau office at 3573141 or email hcfbmanager @gmail.com for reservations

by Friday.

ENRY — Farm Bureau will sponsor a bus trip to Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana Aug. 1. Bus will pick up in Geneseo and Princeton.

Cost is $60. Call the Farm Bureau office at 937-2411 to register by Friday.

• Farm Bureau will sponsor Celebrate Agriculture Night at the Quad City River Bandits game at 7 p.m. Friday at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa. Members will receive discounted tickets by showing their Farm Bureau membership card at the box office. Call the Farm Bureau office at 937-2411 for more information.

EE — The Young Leaders Committee will host a cookout at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday at Aaron and Jillian Wolf ’s, 1002 Illinois Route 38, Dixon. The event is open to members 18 to 35 years old.

Bring a dish to pass and lawn chairs. Call the Farm Bureau office at 857-3531 or email leecfb@comcast.net for more information.

ACON — The Foundation will sponsor the Emmett Sefton Memorial Tractor Drive leaving at 9 a.m.

Sunday from the Mount Zion Lions Club. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. Cost is $50. Visit {maconcfb.org} or call the Farm Bureau office at 8772436 to register by Friday. Proceeds will benefit the Emmett Sefton Memorial Scholarship fund.

• The Foundation golf outing will be at 8 a.m. Aug. 4 at the Moweaqua Golf Course. Visit {maconcfb.org} to register. Proceeds will benefit the Foundation scholarship fund.

CDONOUGH — The Foundation will co-host a golf outing at 8:30 a.m. July 26 at Gold Hills Golf Course, Macomb. Cost is $200 per team. Visit {mcdo noughcountyfarmbureau.org/ golf-outing/} for reservations

by July 23. Proceeds will benefit Agriculture in the Classroom and scholarship programs.

ERCER — Farm Bureau will sponsor Celebrate Agriculture night with the River Bandits at 7 p.m. Friday at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport. Members will receive discounted tickets by showing their Farm Bureau membership card at

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the ticket box. Call the Farm Bureau office at 582-5116 for more information.

• The Foundation will sponsor a dinner and bake sale from 4 to 7:30 p.m. July 24 at Aledo’s Central Park. Suggested donation is $4/sandwich and $6/dinner. Proceeds will benefit scholarships and AITC programs.

ONROE — Farm Bureau will co-sponsor grain safety training from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 31 at Southwestern Illinois College Red Bud campus. Call the Farm Bureau office at 939-6197 or email mcfarm@htc.net for reservations by July 25.

ONTGOMERY — Prime Timers will sponsor a Christmas bus trip to St. Louis Dec. 13. Members 55 and older are invited to attend. Cost is $65. Call Pegasus Travel Agency at 532-6906

by Nov. 13 for reservations and more information.

EORIA — Farm Bureau will co-sponsor an informational meeting on the proposed Spoon River Transmission Line between Galesburg and Peoria at 6 p.m.

July 22 at the Brimfield American Legion. Laura Harmon,

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Illinois Farm Bureau Office of the General Counsel, will speak. Call the Farm Bureau office at 686-7070 for more information.

ANDOLPH — Farm Bureau will co-sponsor grain safety training from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 31 at Southwestern Illinois College Red Bud campus. Call the Farm Bureau office at 443-4511 or email randolph@rcfb.org for reservations by July 25.

ERMILION — Farm Bureau will provide free tickets to a Danville Dans/ Champion City Kings game at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Danville Stadium. Tickets were printed on the back of the summer Booster. Additional tickets are available at the Farm Bureau office.

ARREN-HENDERSON — Farm Bureau will co-sponsor a golf outing at 8 a.m. July 26 at Golden Hills Golf Course, Macomb.

Cost is $50. Visit {mcdonough countyfarmbureau.org/golfouting} to register by Friday.

Proceeds will benefit AITC and scholarship programs.

• The Foundation will sell southern Illinois peaches. Cost is $25 for a 25-pound box.

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Delivery will be mid- to lateAugust. Order forms are available at the Farm Bureau office.

Deadline to order is Aug. 1.

For more information, call the Farm Bureau office at 7349401. Proceeds will benefit AITC and scholarship programs.

AYNE — Farm Bureau will host a member appreciation dinner at 5 p.m. Aug. 1 at Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Fairfield.

Cost is $2. Tickets may be purchased at the Farm Bureau office by July 25.

INNEBAGOBOONE — Farm Bureau will host a bus trip to John Deere Harvester Works, John Deere Pavilion and Kinzie Manufacturing on July 22. Cost is $40 for members and $45 for nonmembers. Call the Farm Bureau office at 9620653 for departure times and locations. Must be over 14 to attend.

• Farm Bureau will host grain bin safety and rescue training for farm families from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 26 at the Farm Bureau building. Call the Farm Bureau office at 9620653 to register by Friday.

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PROFITABILITY

FarmWeek Page 14 Monday, July 14, 2014

An ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure

You may think the title of this article refers to the state of your personal health, but instead, we want you to think about your tractor’s health.

Just like blood is necessary to keep your body working, Universal Tractor Fluid (UTF) is the “blood” of your transmission, final Chris Salrin drives, power takeoff, oil immersed brakes and hydraulic system.

When it comes to the health

BY CHRIS SALRIN

of your tractor’s “blood,” heat, wear and viscosity loss are the deadly three. Modern tractors have more horsepower and are equipped to pull larger equipment. Both contribute to the stresses placed on the tractor’s fluid. Older UTF products are just not formulated to work under those conditions.

Greater internal heat causes fluids to thin (lose viscosity) and allows increased wear.

Increased wear produces heat and causes fluids to shear (lose viscosity). Viscosity loss means thinner oil, which allows more wear. It becomes a vicious circle of fluid destruction.

Fluid performance deteriorates, resulting in shorter fluid life, premature wear and ultimately mechanical failure. To combat the deadly three, advanced chemistry comes to the rescue. Newly reformulated tractor fluids contain an optimum balance of cleaners, protectors and stabilizers that work to: • emulsify water but not rust, • accommodate various frictional needs, • flow in cold weather and protect in hot, • balance gear protection and anti-wear needs,

• maintain seal compatibility, • manage foaming, • protect against corrosion and • mitigate oxidation.

Traditional tractor fluids are inadequate as they lack the additive chemistry to protect against shearing. They have a much shorter life as oxidation and degradation reduces their performance, leading to insufficient protection against mechanical stress, wear and corrosion.

In the long run, that can be costly considering transmission replacement costs can exceed $25,000. That doesn’t even account for the down-

time and loss of productivity when equipment is sitting idle.

For an ounce, quart or gallon of protection, or a little more information about the newly reformulated FS Power Fluid that meets or exceeds equipment manufacturers’ specifications, see your local FS energy specialists. They have been trained about the latest in fuels, lubricants and handling practices so you won’t need that proverbial pound of cure.

75 million and 86 million bushels, respectively.

“It’s a sobering report,” Jim Bower, of Bower Trading, said during a teleconference hosted by the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. “It’s created new lows across the board.

We’ve seen a tremendous amount of liquidation.”

USDA lowered its seasonaverage price forecasts by 25 cents per bushel for beans (to a range of $9.50 to $11.50 per bushel), 20 cents for corn (to a range of $3.65 to $4.35) and 40 cents for wheat (to a range of $6 to $7.20).

“The psychology adapted (by traders) right now is sup-

plies and the weather are benign enough that it warrants a move lower,” Bower said. “Producers probably are going to have to tighten their

optimism for crop production.

USDA Friday raised its soybean production estimate 165 million bushels from a month ago to a record 3.8 billion bushels. All wheat production grew 50 million bushels from a month ago to 1.992 billion bushels, while corn production was pegged at 13.86 billion bushels, just 65 million fewer bushels than last year’s record crop.

National yield estimates were left unchanged at a record 165.3 bushels per acre for corn and 45.2 bushels for beans.

“There’s no doubt we’re enjoying some very good weather,” Jack Scoville, of Price Futures Group, said during a webinar hosted by CME

Group. “We’ve had a lot of areas that also had quite a bit of rain, excessive rain,” which created drowned spots and yellow corn in some fields.

Overall, though, crop conditions remained mostly good to excellent last week.

In Illinois, 28 percent of corn was silking and 29 percent of beans were blooming the first of last week, well ahead of last year’s averages at that time of 7 and 8 percent, respectively.

USDA, in its crop production report, also raised its wheat yield estimate for Illinois by a bushel to 67 bushels per acre. If realized, this year’s wheat yield would tie the state record of a year a go.

Chris Salrin serves as GROWMARK’s energy sales and marketing director. His email address is csalrin@growmark.com.

USDA releases another bearish crop report; markets respond

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

Crop markets took a beating Friday as USDA released a pair of reports bullish for crop production and bearish for prices.

USDA, in its world ag supply and demand report, raised ending stocks for old-crop soybeans by 15 million bushels to 140 million and new-crop beans by 90 million bushels to 415 million.

If realized, 2014-15 ending stocks of beans would be the largest since 2006-07.

Ending stocks of corn and wheat for 2014-15 also increased in Friday’s report by

M A R K E T FA C T S Feeder pig prices reported to USDA* Total Composite Weighted Average Receipts and Price (Formula and Cash): Weight Range Per Head Weighted Ave. Price 10-12 lbs. (formula) $37.50-$57.37 $46.45 40 lbs. (cash) $105.00-$122.00 $119.13 Receipts

This Week 88,244 *Eastern Corn Belt prices picked up at seller’s farm

Last Week 83,399

Eastern Corn Belt direct hogs (plant delivered) Carcass Live

(Prices $ per hundredweight) This week Prev. week Change $129.01 $128.14 $0.87 $95.47 $94.82 $0.64

USDA five-state area slaughter cattle price (Thursday’s price)

Steers Heifers

This week $155.89 $155.89

Prev. week $157.96 $157.82

Change -$2.07 -$1.93

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

(Prices $ per hundredweight) Prev. week Change This week $214.58 $216.43 $1.85

Lamb prices Negotiated, wooled and shorn, 123-169 lbs. for 139-160 $/cwt. (wtd. ave. 150.44

Export inspections (Million bushels) Week ending Soybeans Wheat Corn 7/3/2014 2.2 15.3 42.5 6/26/2014 2.7 12.8 34.9 Last year 2.5 28.8 8.2 Season total 1567.4 83.3 1532.9 Previous season total 1289.3 113.3 589.9 USDA projected total 1600 925 1900 Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

FarmWeekNow.com

See details of the July USDA crop production and supply-demand reports at FarmWeekNow.com.

belts a bit. There may be tough times in the next six months to a year.”

Bower recommended farmers sell crops on rallies and consider placing protection on their moves.

The huge jump in ending stocks and subsequent nosedive in crop prices developed due to

Master Farmers see farm-to-city connections

Chicago’s Daley Plaza has been home to a farmers’ market for 35 years, marking it as the oldest in the city.

Members of the 2015 Cultivating Master Farmers class experienced the weekly market last week, and got the inside story from farmer Carl Smits of Chicago Heights.

Cultivating Master Farmers links young farmers with Prairie Farmer Master Farmers. Sponsors include 1st Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit Services of Illinois, GROWMARK, Illinois Farm Bureau, Monsanto and Prairie Farmer.

Smits, who owns and operates Smits Farms, had no farming background when he started his operation in 1991. Yet, he has become highly successful.

Smits noted transportation comprises one of his biggest challenges as a producer wanting to sell in the city. In order to get produce to the market location, Smits and other family members park several blocks away and haul their produce to the plaza on carts. This activity takes place before the sun rises

BY JENNY JACKSON

Rachael Smits of Chicago Heights keeps track of inventory during rush hour sales at the Chicago Daley Plaza Farmers’ Market last week.

Smits and her family shared their story with the 2015 Cultivating Master Farmers class, who visited the market. (Photo by Jenny Jackson)

to get ahead of city traffic.

Despite the challenges, Smits sees the benefit and demand from the community. The family sells produce at nine Chicago markets every week.

When customers ask Smits about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and organic farming, the farmer said he

always asks the customer about their knowledge on the topic before he explains it in detail.

“Some people listen, and some don’t care; nothing you can say will change their mind.

Sometimes you have to let it go,” he said. Smits Farms is Food Alliance Certified, meaning food gets produced and processed in a sustainable and safe way.

On the other hand, few people ask Smits about where he grows the food he sells. If a person asks, family members willingly tell the customer the produce was grown on their family farm just a few miles out of town. Family members also invite customers to stop by the farm and visit.

“Hardly anyone is worried enough that they actually come to the farm, though,” Smits added.

Yescenia Mota, coordinator of the city’s 40 farmers’ markets, said she has seen an increasing demand for fresh food. She added she’s happy to see consumers shifting toward locally grown foods.

Jenny Jackson serves as Illinois Farm Bureau youth ambassador.

PROFITABILITY

Page 15 Monday, July 14, 2014 FarmWeek

Big crops keep getting bigger?

CASH STRATEGIST

A lot of people in the trade were looking for USDA to raise its corn yield and production numbers in the July supply/demand forecasts. Instead, USDA still used the 165.3 bushel it has been using since its February Outlook Forum.

What is being lost on the trade is the fact the 165.3 bushel corn yield represents a record yield, eclipsing 2009’s 164.7 bushel yield. There’s much talk in the trade about the potential for this year’s crop to have a yield as high as 170 to 172 bushels given recent moisture and good temperatures for pollination.

In 2009, USDA used a 153.4 bushel yield in its early supply/demand forecasts. In the August crop report, the agency forecast a 159.5 bushel yield, still under 2004’s 160.4 bushel record. It was raised slightly in the September report, but increased sharply to 164.2 in October. The final estimate was 164.7 bushels.

But this year, unlike 2009, USDA has been looking for a big yield all along. While we think a new record is likely, the crop still has to clear some hurdles to get to the low 170s.

Planting and emergence were a little faster in 2009 than they were this year, but not markedly so. Summer weather was relatively cool and damp much like this year has been, and looks to continue.

Denting and maturity was a little behind normal in 2009.

The first frosts were only about one week later than normal.

But you’ll remember the 2009 crop for one that had light test weight. In the end, that caused

more bushels to be ground for ethanol and more to be fed to livestock to get the same gallons and pounds of gain.

Even though this year’s crop was planted relatively timely, it was a little late in the northwestern Corn Belt. So far, pollination is about on time, and interestingly enough, comparable to 2009.

Ahead lies unusually cold temperatures for July, temperatures that will limit accumulation of growing degree days, slowing maturity. Some forecasters are comparing the current weather set up to the one we had this winter. If so, it means more cool weather ahead.

The impact the weather will have on yield is not easy to quantify. Moisture is a positive, but cool temps not necessarily so, especially if cool conditions persist for an expanded period like the cold did this past winter. Yields could still be good, but it could suggest test weights might again be light.

Still, it may take some time to see the resulting demand boost.

What we do know is that the collapse in prices during the last month has taken any risk premium out of prices.

The common belief is that once past pollination, you can’t hurt yields. To a degree, that is true.

But if maturity is slow and frost is “on time,” yield gains could be offset by test weight loss. A 165.3 bushel yield at 56 pounds equates to 9,257 pounds of corn per acre. A 170 bushel yield at 54 pounds only equates to 9,180 pounds.

And we haven’t even addressed the implications of a slightly early frost. There’s more to a good crop than just getting it planted and pollinated. We think the trade will start to take note if cool

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Corn Strategy

ü2013 crop: Just like attitudes are too positive at the top of a bull market, it seems to us we are seeing a similar negative attitude, hinting this market may not have much downside risk at least for the short term. Still, supplies are comfortable enough that rallies may not be that strong either. Downside risk is small. Wait for a December rebound to $4.10 to $4.20 to make sales. Get basis locked up on hedge-to-arrive contracts and other unpriced inventory. ü2014 crop: New-crop prices look overdone to the downside for now, too. Early conditions point to a good crop, but the decline has removed all risk premium. Wait for December futures to rally to $4.20 to make sales. vFundamentals: Corn supplies are comfortable, but USDA continues to be relatively aggressive, projecting a 165.3 bushel yield, which would be a new record. The 170-plus yields being discussed are possible, but not yet assured. Meanwhile, these low prices should begin to invigorate demand.

Cents per bu.

Soybean Strategy

ü2013 crop: Given the extent of the decline, we wouldn’t be making sales. Wait for August futures to rebound to $12.25 to wrap them up. ü2014 crop: New-crop prices should eventually go lower, but the current break should be nearly exhausted. Wait for November to rally to $11.40 to $11.50 to make catch-up sales. ü2015 crop: The first 15 percent of the 2015 crop was priced at $12.07 basis November 2015 futures. vFundamentals: The 15 million bushel increase in the oldcrop ending stocks was the surprise on the latest USDA supply/demand estimates. On the new-crop forecasts, USDA might have been somewhat aggressive in raising the usage, although lower prices always tend to increase consumption. But given the current big crop talk, there may be more risk the crop isn’t as big as currently hoped, allowing for some short-term price appreciation. Nevertheless, soybeans are still somewhat overpriced relative to the other grains.

Wheat Strategy

ü2014 crop: Chicago wheat futures have tumbled nearly $2 in two months. The selloff looks well overdone, but a general bearishness has suffocated the grains, and corn has provided zero support. Look for the cycle to turn up before pricing additional bushels if you are not selling wheat off the combine. ü2015 crop: Better opportunities are likely for marketing the 2015 crop. vFundamentals: Conditions are more than favorable for a big spring wheat

crop, tempering concerns over quality issues that burden the winter wheat harvest. Friday’s crop production report surprised the trade with a larger than expected spring wheat production forecast. Current inventories are comfortable and demand for U.S. from abroad has slipped, despite softer prices. Still, there are signs users are starting to find value at these lower levels. The big importers have been active buyers early in the marketing year and will turn to the U.S. for wheat if problems develop with crops overseas.

PERSPECTIVES

FarmWeek Page 16 Monday, July 14, 2014

Mothers want a single and Food claims fueling sensible labeling standard consumer confusion

I have a big family and we’re spread out across America. We live in Florida, California, Illinois, North Carolina and Texas. We’re constantly traveling back and forth.

As we visit each other, we’re also preparing and sharing meals. Sometimes it feels like I spend as much time making trips to grocery stores as I do relaxing in homes!

Should food labels look different everywhere we go? Of course not. Americans need easy-to-read labels and understand standards that reveal pertinent information no matter CAROL where we buy our food.

KEISER I’m a label reader. When my grandchildren are grocery shopping with me — whether it is 21-year-old Kellee or 4-year-old Faith — I’m often asked, “Why are you reading the label,” or “What does this label mean?”

I depend on accurate and reliable labels for nutritional information, and assume that labeled food products are safe and in compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. I don’t want labels to push me or my family away from safe and healthy food.

Unfortunately, a step in the wrong direction was taken when Vermont became the first state to demand special labeling on food packages that contain genetically modified ingredients. The rules are due to take effect in two years.

If other states decide to go down that path, we’re on the verge of a confusing and dysfunctional food labeling system with 50 sets of rules in our 50 states.

That’s 49 too many.

Food labels already approved by the FDA are pretty good. Soon, they may become even better. In February, the FDA announced plans to fine-tune them.

The last thing we need is a bunch of legislators striking out on their own, thinking they can fix a system that isn’t broken.

Patchwork looks good on a quilt, but it doesn’t make sense for a regulatory regime.

When it comes to food labels, we should expect consistency across state lines. My grandchildren in Houston should be able to understand food labels when they go to my local grocery store near Tampa Bay. Their shopping experience should not demand an act of decipherment.

Vermont’s action undermines the clear, national standards we need. Other states may

Apply critical thinking to climate change

Editor: I am in complete agreement with Daniel Harm’s letter to the editor in the June 30 issue of FarmWeek.

Once referred to as “global warming” until data was overwhelming inclusive in support of this theory, the issue is now called “climate change.”

If Deana Stroisch’s report is to be featured on

Today, we have more uncertainty and questions about our food supply than ever before.

Is it safe? Will it make you fat? Where did it come from?

How were the animals cared for on the farm? Is our food system sustainable?

All of this debate has encouraged companies to make claims to sell more at a higher price. States and the federal government see a chance to get into the act by creating new laws and regulations. All the while, the consumer is more confused than ever.

Every five years since 1980, the federal government publishes “Dietary Guidelines for JOHN Americans.” When I was secretary of agriculBLOCK ture, we published the guidelines.

The law requires the report to “contain nutritional and dietary information and guidelines for the general public.” That’s it — “dietary guidelines.”

But this year, Health and Human Services and USDA have added a new dimension — “Food Sustainability and Safety.” What does this mean? What is the government going to dictate to us now?

Maybe our government could make an effort to ensure that consumers have the facts when they buy food.

Recently, a long article in the Washington Post exposed all of the misinformation out there when choosing which food to buy.

The example was “gluten-free” food. Is it safer? A lot of the people think it is! But it isn’t, except for the less than 1 percent who can’t tolerate gluten.

Never mind. Hollywood celebrities began beating the gluten-free drums. You can even buy gluten-free dog food.

There are other examples where food companies and the uninformed are ignoring science and the facts. When you buy “organic,” the product can still be as much as 5 percent nonorganic. There are 200 nonorganic substances that can be added.

How pure is that?

Trans fat-free labels can be found on milk. Does that make it safer? No. Food companies are able to capitalize on uninformed customers. Just put an eye-catching label on the product to suggest it is safer, more healthy, more sustainable and charge twice the price. Call it — “all natural,” “low fat,” “organic,” “nonGMO,” and “gluten free.”

We are just starting to see responsible reporters, scientists, ag research institutions and some food industry companies step up to set the record straight. It’s about time.

add to the chaos. The National Conference of State Legislatures counted 84 bills in 29 states involving genetically modified (GM) food labels. Although voters in California, Oregon and Washington state rejected ballot initiatives to require special labels, more referendums may be on the way. At some point, one may succeed.

This is a recipe for bewilderment among consumers.

Moreover, these laws are bad on the merits.

GM foods are safe and healthy. They don’t need warning labels, as organizations ranging from the American Medical Association (AMA) to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) have said.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather entrust my food labels to the experts who work at the FDA and listen to the advice of the AMA and the NAS — and not to a few politicians in Vermont.

Perhaps the legislators who passed Vermont’s law have good intentions. Just as likely, they’re responding to special interests.

Vermont has more organic farmers per capita than any other state, according to The Economist. If consumers come to fear GM food because of special warning labels, organic farmers are hoping to sell more of what they grow for a premium.

Labels should educate, conveying reliable information rather than propaganda. We must honor their basic purpose, not let them become marketing devices for favored groups.

Food labels should serve consumers, not ideological agendas and special interests.

Let’s keep labels simple, clear and understandable to all age groups and generations, regardless of where they shop for their food.

We need a single standard that makes sense for everyone.

Carol Keiser is a wife, mother and grandmother who owns and operates cattle feeding operations in Illinois, Kansas and Nebraska. She volunteers as a Truth About Trade & Technology board member.

the front page of FarmWeek, shouldn’t she also include mention of one of the co-chairs of the Risky Business Project ...

Tom Steyer?

Check out John Hinderaker’s blog, “The Epic Hypocrisy of Tom Steyer.”

Steyer tops the list of 2014 campaign contributors pledging $100 million to help Democratic candidates who oppose Keystone pipeline, favoring his “green” energy investments.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR It comes with no surprise to read that university researchers would back “global change,” since considerable amounts of federal funds and grants are issued for their research projects.

Having taught science in a private high school the past 25 years, I always want my students to be critical thinkers ... and readers.

They are young Americans and future voters.

JACQUELYN BENNETT Plainfield

John Block, former U.S. agriculture secretary and a hog farmer from Knox County, serves as a senior policy adviser with the Washington, D.C., firm of Olsson, Frank, Weeda and Terman.

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