IFB members will debate a number of annual meeting policies, including one concerning data collection...............................7
Nineteen Young Leaders saw a record soybean crop growing in Brazil on a recent ag industry tour.........................8
Illinois’ bee industry is buzzing with a 38 percent increase in beekeeper numbers this year........................12
A service of
Illinois Farm Bureau mission: Improve the economic well-being of agriculture and enrich the quality of farm family life. Monday, November 25, 2013
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Two sections Volume 41, No. 47
TORNADOES LEAVE SWATH OF DESTRUCTION Farm communities hit hard by historic November outbreak BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek
Pekin, Washington, Dana, Coal City and Frankfort. The largest was an EF-4 (with winds speeds of 190 mph) that devastated parts of Washington and left a trail of destruction 46 miles long. It was the strongest twister on record statewide in November since 1950.
Kent Hodel of Metamora holds a steering wheel torn from a tractor by a powerful tornado that struck Woodford County Nov. 17. While Hodel’s home was not severely damaged, rubble from a home belonging to his son, Kevin, lies in the background. The Illinois Farm Bureau Board of Directors Friday approved a $10,000 donation to the American Red Cross of the Heartland for tornado relief efforts. (Photo by Cyndi Cook)
The end of a productive harvest season took a violent turn at numerous locations Sunday (Nov. 17) as a rare outbreak of tornadoes, powerful winds, hail and heavy rain battered Illinois and surrounding states. The National Weather Service (NWS) late last week reported approximately 23 tornadoes struck the state in a matter of hours. Illinois prior to the outbreak recorded a total of 62 tornadoes in the month of November from 1950 to 2012. “This one outbreak on Sunday (Nov. 17) increased the count from 62 to 85 for November tornadoes, a 37 percent increase,” said Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey state climatologist. One supercell produced four tornadoes that impacted
“It took countless farmsteads completely down and scattered machine sheds, machinery and houses,” Bill Christ, a Woodford County farmer who also is a COUNTRY Financial agent and member of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, told the RFD Radio Network®. “Farmsteads you can remember as a kid are completely gone,” he continued. See Historic, page 3
greenhouse gas emissions and drop corn prices below the cost of production,” said Nelson. “EPA’s decision to reduce the level of total renewable fuels for 2014 is unwarranted and disappointing. EPA’s action is not about the inability of oil companies to blend more ethanol into unleaded gasoline. Instead, it appears to be a response to the industry’s well-financed public relations and lobbying efforts and reflects the administration’s capitulation to the oil companies’ unwillingness to blend any more lower-cost ethanol.” EPA officials said the decision was based on the fact that nearly all gasoline sold in the U.S. contains up to 10 percent ethanol. Increased renewable fuel production coupled with advances in vehicle fuel economy has decreased gasoline consumption far below 2007 levels
when Congress passed the RFS, they noted. EPA officials further stated the nation has reached an “E10 blend wall,” the point at which the E10 fuel pool is saturated with ethanol. That means continued growth in ethanol use will require higher blends, they concluded. Matt Erickson, American Farm Bureau Federation economist, agreed the energy situation no longer mimics the 2007 marketplace. However, he noted current market structure includes E15 and E85 blends. “We have more than 11 million flex-fuel vehicles in this country, and it’s growing,” Erickson said. “We need to realize that potential and move forward, not backward.” Corn and soybean growers expressed outrage at the EPA proposal announcement. They
are gearing up for a concerted effort to defeat the proposal. “I think we can convince EPA they are wrong,” said Martin Barbre, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president. “We have a plan in place to fire up people during the comment period.” Barbre, a Carmi farmer, said farmers can provide a consistent message to EPA. Corn growers met national biofuel needs last year despite a serious drought, he noted. They have produced a near-record crop this year. “The other message is that agriculture has been the bright spot in America’s rural economy. The benefits are far-reaching – to the machinery dealer, to the local car dealer, to the schools. This proposal is a step backwards,” said Barbre. In January, NCGA plans to See Campaign, page 4
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More tornado coverage on page 3
Ag groups plan aggressive RFS campaign BY CHRIS ANDERSON FarmWeek
Farmers and biofuel groups plan to race into overdrive to prevent the national Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) from stalling. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials proposed a nearly 3 billion gallon reduction last week in the required amount of cornbased ethanol and soybeanbased biodiesel to be blended in motor fuels next year. Farm and biofuels representatives vowed they would strongly oppose the move. Philip Nelson, Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) president, said members will be asked to submit comments once the EPA proposal gets published in the Federal Register. “This proposal has the potential to drive up gasoline prices for consumers, increase
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