Ag Magazine Fall 2014 by Shaw Media

agmag

DeKalb County

Fall 2014

Multi-Generational Farm Family See Page 27 A Publication of

2 | DeKalb County AG MAG | Fall 2014

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DeKalb County

Table of Contents

The Rotating World of Soybeans

Cool wet weather

New or aspiring farmers invited to apply for educational program

puts end to drought

The Sycamore Steam Show

Springﬁeld

Multi-Generational Farm Family

What does the future hold for

Agricultural News

Drought-Proof Farming

Anderson Awarded Ag Scholarship

Calendar of Events

Farmers’ Market

Farmers can help local nonproﬁts

Thrill of the Till

agmag

DeKalb County

Published by Shaw Media Publisher: Karen Pletsch Project Manager: Lisa Angel Design & Layout: Allison LaPorta

Articles and advertisements are property of Shaw Media. No portion of DeKalb County Ag Mag may be produced without written consent of the publisher.

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4 | DeKalb County AG MAG | Fall 2014

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The rotating

World oF SoyBeAnS BY Katrina J. E. Milton kmilton@shawmedia.com

Photos By : Danielle Guerra

Paul Butler and his son, Aaron, have been farmers in Malta their entire lives. Together, they farm 1,900 acres. For over 20 years, the Butlers have been organic farmers, eschewing synthetic pesticides and herbicides in favor of machine and hand labor and crop rotation.

The number of acres of soybeans the Butlers plant changes each year depending on a three-year rotation. Rotations are used to help increase the nitrogen levels of the soil. Plants absorb nitrogen as they grow, and in order for a crop to achieve its maximum yield potential, large amounts of nitrogen are needed. For their three-year rotation, the Butlers first plant corn. The next year, they plant soybeans. The third year, they do double planting, which is planting one crop early, harvesting it, and then planting another different crop during the same year. When double planting, they usually plant oats with or right after a cover crop like alfalfa, clover, and rye grass. “Our program is dependent on rotation,” Aaron Butler said. “Rotation stays the same each year to help with pest, weed, and fertility management.” Ed Arndt of Malta also grows soybeans. As a conventional non-organic farmer, Arndt uses anhydrous ammonia, an efficient and widely used source of nitrogen fertilizer, along with crop rotation. Continuing on page 6

6 | DeKalb County AG MAG | Fall 2014 “It is a good idea to do a corn and bean rotation,” Arndt said. “Growing four or five years of corn and then a year of soybeans is a real boost and provides a better yield.” Growing year after year of corn leaves residue on the ground. The residue insulates the ground, keeping it cooler and slowing the germination of new corn seed. Arndt said that the residue makes it more of a challenge to corn to grow continuously. “Corn has a better, easier chance to grow on soybean stubble,” Arndt said. “Growing corn on top of corn makes the soil hold together. Soybeans help loosen the soil and are better for soil erosion. Bacterial nodes in soybeans leave the nitrogen needed for growing corn.” When choosing whether to plant corn or soybeans, Arndt and the Butlers agreed that rotation is their main consideration. Other factors include the price of seeds, soil type and slope of the land, the demand and market price of their harvest, and infrastructure, including the need for machinery and storage. Arndt said some of the corn he grows and 20 percent of his soybean crop goes to feed his livestock.

record yields predicted According to the DeKalb County Farm Bureau website, soybeans are produced on one-fourth of the farmland of DeKalb County, which is 90,000 acres. The annual value of soybean production is $73 million. With a high demand for soybeans, local farmers, including Arndt, have planted their highest-ever acreage of soybeans this year. “We’ve had a good crop this year,” Berkeley Boehne, a member of the DeKalb County Corn and Soybean Growers Association, said. “But good yields come with bad prices. Commodity prices have gone down, but input prices haven’t yet.” Darrel Good, an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois, said current crop and weather conditions have the nation on track for record corn and soybean yields, perhaps resulting in surpluses that could send prices plummeting in the 2014-15 market year. “The sharp decline in corn prices following the release of the USDA reports put December corn futures about 35 cents [7.6 percent] below the spring crop insurance price,” Good said. “Crop revenue insurance will provide some revenue protection for those with high levels of coverage if prices continue to decline.” Soybeans could see a steeper drop than corn, Good said. “Soybean prices also declined sharply following the reports, with November futures moving within about 20 cents of the spring crop insurance price,” Good said. “There appears to be more downside potential for soybean prices.” Good said soybean stockpiles could exceed 400 million bushels by Sept. 1, 2015. That kind of surplus could mean a substantial yearover-year decline in the average price of soybeans, from more than $13 a bushel this year to $10.50 next year.

Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 7

demand remains strong Corn and soybean demand should hold steady, as fewer farmers feed the world. Good said soybean demand in China continues to grow. “Nationwide, we export about half of the soybeans we produce, and about 60 percent of that is exported to China,” Good said. The U.S. ranks third in soybean meal exports, behind Brazil and Argentina. Brazil is ranked first in soybean oil exports, followed by the U.S. and Argentina. American soybean producers keep a close eye on South American production, especially since the U.S. has become an importer of their crops. “In 2012, South America had some production problems, but they rebounded with very large crops the last 2 years,” Good said. “Historically, you’ll see about 10 [million] to 15 million bushels from them, but this year 90 million bushels are projected from South America.” Alternative energy continues to boost demand for corn and soybeans, but profitability still is the main consideration. “Ethanol and biodiesel definitely help keep prices strong,” said Emerson Nafziger, professor of crop sciences at the University of Illinois. “We’ve always had more corn in Illinois, and I really don’t see any big shifts between corn and soybeans.” Nationally, biodiesel production was up 37 percent from 2012 to 2013, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Industry estimates show that biodiesel demand has increased soybean value by 74 cents per bushel between 2006 and 2012. Despite the rapid growth, biodiesel still has a long way to go to catch up with the ethanol industry. Infrastructure and geography still largely determine how much alternative energy factors into farmers’ marketing plans. The ethanol market is more readily accessible than biodiesel, serving as another push toward corn. While there are ethanol plants in Clinton, Iowa, Rochelle, Lena, Hennepin and Annawan, biodiesel infrastructure is still in its infancy. Adkins Energy in Lena and Annawan’s Patriot Renewable Fuels have biodiesel projects planned. “Biodiesel has come in fits and starts,” Good said. “We’ve seen a fairly significant increase in ethanol growth since 2006. The ethanol market is peaking now, and we no longer need to expand corn production for that. I expect slow growth in the ethanol market going forward, and biodiesel may start to catch up.” Nafziger agrees that demand for soybeans is growing on the world markets. Unlike ethanol, the biodiesel industry has been relatively unscathed by the argument that using grains for fuel causes food inflation. “An overall strong world economy is important in demand for all commodities,” Nafziger said. “It helps soybeans that there is a demand for high-protein diets. Also, the food versus fuel argument hasn’t touched biodiesel like ethanol.” • Donna Barker and Pam Eggemeier contributed to this article.

8 | DeKalb County AG MAG | Fall 2014

COOl wET wEAThEr

puts end to drought BY Katrina J. E. Milton kmilton@shawmedia.com

Good news for farmers the drought of the past two years is finally over. Although the growing season started with a wet and cool spring, rainfall totals so far this year have been ideal for growing crops in Illinois. “For the past couple of years, the drought hurt crop production and yields,” Gilbert Sebenste, a meteorologist at Northern Illinois University, said. “But despite an unseasonably cool start to the growing season, the rainfall is exactly where it should be.” Sebenste said that the entire state has had adequate rainfall totals this year, which has ended the drought that started two years ago. In 2012, DeKalb County received only 60 percent of its normal rainfall, and the summer of 2013 was unusually dry. This year, the growing season had a slow start, with April and May being cooler than average. Only four days in April had temperatures at or above 70 degrees. The first two days of May had lows of 40 degrees, and don’t forget the late-season snow. “All areas of DeKalb County had snow in May,” Sebenste said. “On May 16, DeKalb had a dusting of snow. Snow in some parts of the county saw up to 2 to 3 inches of snow, particularly in the southwest of the county.”

Ed Arndt, a farmer in Malta, said that the snow and cool weather during the spring had minimal impact on his planting. DeKalb County had 8.75 inches of rain during the month of June, more than double the average of 4.2 inches. July was one of the 10 coldest Julys on record for the county, Sebenste said. The month failed to have a 90-degree day, with the month’s hottest day being July 22 at 89 degrees. The 30-year average temperature for July is 73 degrees compared with this year’s average of 68 degrees. There were 16 heating degree days in July compared to the normal number of 5. A heating degree day is when the average temperature of the day is lower than 65 degree. “Even though the spring and July were cool and we had some flooding and heavy rains in June, we will have a good number of bushels and an above average crop,” Arndt said. Sebenste’s long range computer models show that the temperature will be cooler than average through October. “There is a lot of uncertainty in the forecast, but there is the possibility for heavier rainfall late in the season during September and October,” Sebenste said. “The mid- to late-fall period could be wet, particularly in the south of the county.”

Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 9

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Springﬁeld

AgriculturAl News BY Katrina J. E. Milton kmilton@shawmedia.com

In the most recent legislative session, state lawmakers were too busy worrying about money to take on many agricultural issues.

But there were some changes made in growing medical marijuana and industrial hemp, controlling livestock diseases, and recycling soybean oil, among other topics. “It was a quiet year on the agriculture front,” said Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon. “Most of the session was focused on budgets and taxes. Because of that, there has been a pretty minor impact in most cases for farmers and the agriculture industry.” One of the most popular issues in Illinois government is allowing the limited use of medical marijuana. Rules governing the production, distribution and sale of medical marijuana were approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. The Department of Agriculture will grant permits for secure, guarded facilities to grow and transport cannabis intended for medical use. Demmer said that legislature also included a pilot program to allow public universities in Illinois that have agricultural programs to research industrial hemp, a variety of marijuana grown for its fiber for use in making products such as rope. Hemp was previously banned and labeled a controlled substance in the 1970s because it contains a small amount of THC, the psychoactive drug found in marijuana. A bill that did go to the governor involved the restructuring of the Swine and Cattle Disease Control Committee to be better able to prevent, manage,

Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 11

and following good farming practices.”

and control diseases such as the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus, or PEDv, which killed millions of hogs across the country, including in DeKalb County.

A bill that did not pass was a repeal of the sales tax exemption on business purchases, meaning farmers will remain protected from cumulative taxation.

“In the fall of 2013 and the spring of 2014, there was a swine virus with no known cure that killed only piglets,” Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Hinckley said. “Swine prices are higher because of the reduction of pork. The virus was enough to reduce production significantly, about 10 percent.”

“Agriculture is among our state’s strongest resources that generates economic activity, jobs, and revenue,” Pritchard said. “There is an exemption for purchases of inputs into agricultural production such as fertilizer, tractors, chemicals, combines, and seeds. Sales taxes apply only to the finished product. There would be sales tax on a pickup truck a farmer buys, but not on items directly related to the production of food and fiber.”

Another bill that passed legislature allows for the recycling and remanufacture of once-used soybean oil, such as the oil used in deep-frying and cooking, into biodiesel fuel for engines.

A bill that would require food labeling on genetically modified food products also was defeated.

Current laws under the Livestock Facilities Management Act relating to the location and operation of large livestock farms have been approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.

“The labeling would feed to the fear that people have of genetically modified food,” Pritchard said. Pritchard said that during committee, they discussed how close windmills can be to houses and other buildings. Regulations on wind turbine construction did not pass.

“New rules were adopted in regards to animal waste from large animal production facilities, primarily beef, hogs, and dairy.” Pritchard said. “There were concerns that animal waste could find its way into streams and lakes during large rain events or after surface applying animal waste to farm fields. Everyone was concerned with maintaining the quality of water in streams and lakes,

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Drought-Proof Farming BY Katrina J. E. Milton kmilton@shawmedia.com

his year, all the talk is about the fact that the drought of the past two years has finally come to an end. Even though rainfall totals in DeKalb County reveal that the drought is over, farmers are still looking for a way to use water more efficiently. Jamie Walter, a farmer and seed dealer from DeKalb, said that when he chooses which seeds to buy, he often selects hybrids that have both good genetics and technology traits, such as resistance against drought, pests, and weeds.

Discussing the weather may seem like small talk to most people, but to farmers, it’s the start of a serious discussion.

“Selecting a seed to use is a series of choices,” Walter said. “As a farmer, it’s all about the value proposition. Do I have to give something up? And if so, what is it? … My first priority is choosing a good corn for my farm. If it happens to have a drought gene, all the better.” Companies, including Pioneer, Syngenta, and Monsanto, are creating hybrids with drought tolerance traits. Traits include having better ability to extract water from the soil and the rolling of leaves to prevent water loss. “We cross inbreds with certain traits to create a hybrid with the strengths of both and the weaknesses of neither,” Harold Armstrong, a registered seed technologist at the Monsanto Seed Technology Center in Waterman, said. “DroughtGard hybrids we are creating save water loss by controlling stomata, which regulates water being lost to the environment. …There are currently research trials with hybrids in Kansas and the western corn belt area as an effort to solve constant drought problems there.” Walter said that farmers in drier areas, suchas

Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 13 Kansas, might value drought resistant genes more than farmers in DeKalb County. “A farmer in dry land Kansas, might value a drought-resistant gene because they might have a drought,” Walter said. “It is an issue much more frequent than it is here. For those farmars, there are different tradeoffs.” Conserving and efficiently using water are certainly topics on the minds of DeKalb County farmers, even though drought is not constant problem. “We don’t have issues with drought very often, but we certainly did in 2012,” Walter said. “And if you look around DeKalb County, you can see some irrigation systems, but not many.” Drought or, using hybrids can reduce the operation costs of irrigation systems. A hybrid that better conserves water will require less energy, time, and water, which ultimately will keep the expense of owning an irrigation system down. In the end, it is a question of value when farmers decide if they will plant hybrids. Raising yields is always important. Adding extra traits, suchas drought resistance, to a variety that is already used is an added bonus. “Farmers are always looking forward to the future,” Armstrong said. “We need to make better use of all our resources, especially better water use efficiency. … Part of our mission statement at Monsanto is to produce more using less to help and feed all of the people in the world. Hybrids will help with our effort to solve that problem.”

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Dana Anderson, daughter of wes and Susan Anderson and a recent graduate of Indian Creek high School, was awarded a $1,500 scholarship from the hintzsche Companies headquartered in Maple Park. hintzsche Scholarship for Agriculture applicants are evaluated by an independent panel of agri-business professionals and educators. Evaluations are based on scholastic achievement, leadership activities and a written essay. Anderson was one of six recipients to receive this award in 2014. Anderson was involved in many different activities throughout high school, including: FFA, 4-h, Academic Bowl (numerous offices), drama cub (president her junior and senior years), band, creative writing club (editor), cheerleading and dance. She was raised on a swine and grain farm and began helping out at an early age. She also enjoyed showing pigs. Anderson is interested in many different avenues in the field of agriculture and aspires to be ag teacher one day. Influenced by her high school ag teacher, Anderson hopes to be able to spark other’s interest in what agriculture is all about and has to offer. Anderson will attend the University of wisconsinPlatteville in the fall, majoring in agriculture education. hintzsche is a full-service ag retailer covering a multiplecounty area in north central and northeastern Illinois. The company markets a diversified line of fertilizer, seed, crop protection as well as precision ag and agronomic consulting services.

14 | DeKalb County AG MAG | Fall 2014

Farmers’ MarketS BY Katrina J. E. Milton kmilton@shawmedia.com

armers’ markets started as a way for farmers to bring their homegrown produce, such as tomatoes, heads of lettuce, and ears of corn, into town to sell.

Today, these markets offer much more than fresh produce. Many now host vendors selling a variety of items, including jams, jellies, honey, wine, and fresh flowers. Vendors even sell items such as eggs, meat, cheese, and homemade dog treats. Live entertainment, including music and dance groups, have become popular attractions at farmers markets as well. Robert Pondelick, whose grandfather started Theis Farm Market near Maple Park in 1981, sells fresh-picked seasonal vegetables and fruits grown on the farm at the DeKalb and Sycamore farmers’ markets.

Photos By : Danielle Guerra

“The vegetables that we sell are meant to be grown in home gardens,” Pondelick said. “There is a night-and-day difference between store-bought vegetables and those bought at a farmers’ market when picked ripe. The freshness is second to none and the taste is incredible. …Buying from farmers markets is also important because it puts money back into the local economy.”

Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 15 According to the Illinois Farmers Market Association, the number of farmers markets in Illinois has tripled in the past 20 years. With more than 300 farmers’ markets statewide, Illinois has the third-most in the country behind California and New York. Rose Treml, the executive director of the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce, said the Sycamore Farmers’ Market was first created as a way to bring people back to the city’s downtown area. She said that there are plans to expand the market into a street market by next year.

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“Our vendors used to sell strictly produce,” Treml said. “By introducing more variety, we hope that people will come more often and shop.” Jessica Antonacci, the events manager at the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, said that the DeKalb Farmers’ Market has also recently grown as purchasing homemade items from vendors has become more popular. “The market has grown to meet the needs of the people,” Antonacci said. “We have added vendors that sell jewelry, honey, and baked goods. We even have a taco stand. Our goal is to be a one-stop shop for people.” Nancy Proesel, a co-owner of Tapa La Luna restaurant in DeKalb, said she visits multiple farmers’ markets to shop for items for her restaurant, including decorative flowers as well as for herbs such as dill and basil. “I love farmers’ markets,” Proesel said. “At farmers’ markets, I can find fresh produce that was grown locally. I can also find flowers that were picked fresh out of the garden this morning. “… I love coming to farmers markets because it allows me to support local farmers and businesses while buying a variety of the freshest, highest quality available.”

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Deep in the heart of Bureau County, past Princeton and near Cherry, just across the tracks from Zearing, is the town of Malden. It’s surrounded by farmland, far as the eye can see. Just outside Malden is Calvin Standley’s grain farm. This is where the only known grain tillage cart in existence was invented by Standley, with help from his son, John. The cart is actually a grain wagon, with a disc on the front and uneven tires on the back that separate it from an attached chisel plow. It’s pulled by a separate tractor alongside the combine that harvests the grain.

thrill of the till By DAVE FOX

Neither Standley nor his patent attorney could find any other such contraption on file, so a patent application has been filed. Once the design was perfected by Standley, the cart was built last summer by John Williams at McHenry Machine Shop in Princeton, and was put to its first test during the fall harvest last year. Standley’s wife, Beth, operated the cart, “and the entire harvest went without a hitch,” Standley said. “The way it performed far exceeded our expectations.” Benefits are numerous, he said. “There’s much less soil compaction, for one thing,” he said, “since we’re making only one pass over the field instead of two or three. That means more water is going down into the ground instead of running off and causing erosion.” Fuel savings are expected to be a big plus for the same reason, Standley said. “The tractor pulling this thing uses more fuel than just a tractor pulling a standard grain cart, but still less than running equipment over the same field several times,” he said. Actual statistics and figures will be combined and analyzed this fall. Additionally, this method redeposits more nitrogen into the soil. The longer nitrogen sits on top of soil, the more of it is lost in the environment and through water run-off. With this process, though, much of it is put back into the soil immediately, effectively reducing fertilizer costs, too. Microbial degradation – the breakdown of corn stalks and other plant material back into the soil – needs to be done within two weeks of harvest for maximum effectiveness, and that process also is greatly aided here. “The benefits just keep piling up for us,” Standley said, “and so far we haven’t found any negatives at all.”

Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 17

Increased quality of life is a plus, too, he said. “Obviously, there will be less time spent in the field,” he said, “and that allows more family time and time spent on other things.” This fall he also plans to run a farrow and fertilizer application on the same piece of equipment, to test their effectiveness. He expects good results. “The patent is very broad-based,” he said, “so we’re going to try lots of things with it.” Two companies already have shown interest in the new implement, he said. Woods Brothers in nearby Oregon, “came out and looked,” Standley said, “but they deal more with short-term equipment like mowers and things, so it didn’t really fit with what they do.” Case-IH also gave consideration to the cart, he said, “but their contract had way too many clauses in their favor to suit me.” So what does the future hold? “We’re taking it one day at a time,” Standley said with a smile, “but so far it’s all been good, and we’ve had no drawbacks at all. We’re excited and hopeful for the future.”

18 | DeKalb County AG MAG | Fall 2014

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New or aspiriNg Farmers

invited to apply for educational program BY Katrina J. E. Milton kmilton@shawmedia.com

spiring Illinois farmers, new growers with less than ﬁve years’ experience, commodity farmers interested in diversifying to include fruit or vegetable production, and high school and community college agriculture teachers are invited to apply for the next session of a free training program offered through the University of Illinois crop sciences department. “Preparing a New Generation of Illinois Fruit and Vegetable Farmers” will accept applications for its third session through Oct. 24 or until capacity is reached. Participants can apply for the program online at www. newillinoisfarmers.org. There is no fee for participants who complete the program. The program, which features classroom, hands-on, and in-field instruction, is offered at three locations in Illinois: the UIUC campus in Urbana, U of I’s Dixon Springs Agricultural Center in Simpson, and at the Kane County U of I Extension office in St. Charles. Classes

will be held one Saturday a month at each location from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., running December 2014 through November 2015. A Spanish-language program is also offered through a partnership with the Illinois Migrant Council. Mary Hosier, project manager for the program, said that the format of the Spanish program will be tailored to the needs of the participants at each location, which will likely include four months of instruction from start to finish with shorter meetings on weeknights and a few extended “hands-on” field trips, she said. Sites will be determined based on enrollment. Sites last year for the Spanish language program included Harvard, Kankakee, and Anna. U of I crop sciences professor Rick Weinzierl and coworkers received a grant from the Beginning FarmerRancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, to implement the three-year project to provide education to aspiring Illinois farmers. The first session started in fall of 2012. Hosier said because the program has become more

Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 21 popular, enrollment has become more competitive. There are a limited number of spaces in the program, and Hosier added that applicants are encouraged to provide as much information about themselves and their interest in the program on the additional comments section of their online application. There is no fee for the program if the participant attends at least 10 of the 12 sessions, however those who enroll but do not complete the program are asked to donate their deposit to a local food bank, Hosier said. Topics to be covered in the program include land acquisition and transfer, business planning, legal issues, marketing, farm safety, food safety, farm to school, high tunnel construction and operation, soils and soil testing, pest and disease scouting, harvest practices, conventional and organic production methods, and more.

Kishwaukee College began as an idea planted and nurtured by local farmers and is still the best choice for area young people who want a career in the many fields of agriculture:

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The Sycamore Steam Show BY Katrina J. E. Milton kmilton@shawmedia.com

Photos By : Danielle Guerra

The Sycamore Steam Show and Threshing Bee is more than a way for members of The Northern Illinois Steam Power Club to blow off steam and socialize. During the four-day event, club members bring history to life by demonstrating the old-fashioned way of harvesting wheat. The show, held at the Taylor Marshall Farm in Sycamore from Thursday until Sunday the second full weekend of August, is not just a static display. “Like Civil War reenactments, we are recreating the way farming was done, and we show people how it was done back in the day,” said Dave Stevens, a member of the club since 1976 and one of the club’s directors. “People come from all over, from Wisconsin, Iowa, and Indiana. Some people even

came from England and planned their vacation around the show.” This year, the 58th annual steam show off Plank Road north of Sycamore drew more than 9,400 people and featured 20 steam-powered engines and more than 300 gasoline-powered tractors. “A lot of people don’t understand how farming used to be done,” Phil Blanchard, a club member said. “All agricultural work was done by muscle, either human or animal. …Today, harvesting is done by one person in a combine. It wasn’t always like that.” Phil Blanchard and his wife Betty joined the Northern Illinois Steam Power Club in 1967 and are honorary lifetime members. Phil Blanchard worked on the last threshing ring in Lake County between 1950 and 1955. When he saw a poster advertising the event, the couple attended the event together and have been coming back ever since. Continuing on page 24

24 | DeKalb County AG MAG | Fall 2014 “Anything that you would see at a huge garage sale can also be found at the flea market,” Betty Blanchard said. “There are also vendors selling tractor parts and tires, as well as tools.” When the club recently purchased a steam engine manufactured by the Illinois Thresher Co. in Sycamore, Stevens, a mechanic by trade, showed interest in helping restore it. He became the operator of the restoration project, which took over two years to complete. “This particular engine was manufactured here in Sycamore in 1916,” Stevens said. “The plant shut down in the mid-to-late 1920s having produced only 63 engines. Only six are known to have survived and only four still run. We were able to bring the engine back to where it originated and exhibit it at this year’s show. les Petersen, 70, of hampshire, shovels coal into the furnace of his 1925 Baker 21-75 horsepower on Thursday, August 14, 2014, at the Northern Illinois Steam Power Club’s Steam Show and Threshing Bee at Taylor Marshall Farm in Sycamore. Petersen was getting ready for the parade where he was pulling a thresher. he said he’s been to every Steam Show and Threshing Bee except in 1966 when he was in the army.

“My dad grew up on a farm, and I visited the farm on summer vacations,” Betty Blanchard said. “Being involved in the show each year reminds me of all the good memories of visiting relatives on the farm. …Many shows of this type are called reunions. The shows have threshers that come back year after year, as well as the community and spectators.” The club started with a meeting at Halverson’s Implement Co. in DeKalb on Feb. 16, 1957. The show has been held at the Taylor Marshall Farm in Sycamore since 1967. Admission costs $7; children 12 and younger get in free. One day each year, there is a discount day when seniors pay $4. The steam show’s main attraction is the threshing bee, which reenacts and commemorates a grain harvest from the 1920s and 1930s. During the bee, the growing wheat is first cut and bundled. Then it is loaded onto wagons and hauled to the threshing machine. The bundles are fed into the machine, which separates the wheat seeds from the stalk. The seeds then become grain and the stalks are baled into straw bales. At the event, visitors can buy flour ground daily at the Petersen family’s tent. The event also includes numerous other activities, such as a large five-acre flea market, sawmill, bake sale, rug making, basket weaving, and food vendors.

“…We are constantly preserving the past by restoring and working on the equipment. We are always planning.” Planning has already begun for next year’s steam show – organizers say it takes an entire year to plan the event’s four-day weekend. The club is also involved in advertisement parades throughout the year. “As soon as one show is over, we are already planning for next year’s show,” Stevens said. “There are over 500 members of the group, and we’re all volunteers. … Membership is open to all. All you have to be is interested.”

Matt Berry, 16, of Sycamore, pulls a charred hot dog out of the coal powered furnace of a 1923 Type A Erie Steam Shovel, operated by liam Dancey, 18, of Sycamore, on Thursday, August 14, 2014, at the Northern Illinois Steam Power Club’s Steam Show and Threshing Bee at Taylor Marshall Farm in Sycamore. The machine belongs to the Fruit family of Kirkland. Berry, who was on a lunch break, said the furnace cooks a hot dog perfectly.

Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 25

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Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 27

Multi-Generational Farm Family BY Katrina J. E. Milton kmilton@shawmedia.com

ike Schweitzer of Malta always hoped to be a farmer growing up.

Schweitzer, the youngest of seven children and a sixthgeneration farmer, grew up working on the family farm alongside his father, brothers, uncles, and grandfather. He attended the University of Illinois and studied technical systems management in the College of Agriculture, pursing a degree that would one day be beneficial for the family farm. Schweitzer’s family came to DeKalb County in the 1860s, and he said that his heritage has made him who he is today. “I appreciate my family’s history and heritage,” Schweitzer said. “It’s always been a desire of mine to run the farm fulltime and raise my kids the way I was raised. … My dad is still involved in running the farm, and it’s nice to have someone to help counsel and be a mentor.” Schweitzer and his family have worked hard to keep their farm a full-time business. But keeping farms in the family has become more difficult for multiple-generation farming families.

at Castle Bank in DeKalb. “Every situation is unique,” Faivre, a fourth-generation farmer, said. “Some transitions can be very difficult, depending on how many children the farm family has and whether or not their children continue to operate the farm. “A challenging situation could be when the older generation has five children they love equally, but only one child stuck around to handle the operation,” Faivre said. “How do you have the transition? Who do you give what to without tearing apart the family or the farming operation? ... To solve that issue, there must be open and clear communication between all the parties involved, even those not involved with the farm.” Continuing on page 28

Planning a family’s succession and transitioning the farm and its assets between generations often can be problematic, said Landon Faivre, the lead director of agribusiness banking

Photos By : Danielle Guerra

28 | DeKalb County AG MAG | Fall 2014 a value on the family farm as a business can be a difficult conversation to have with a lawyer or accountant, it probably will be no more difficult than family discussions about the family’s history on the farm, the family investment, and desires for the future. But those discussions are important to ensure that the next generation doesn’t run into the “curse of wealth” when l they that they are not interested in farming or a large amount of money is realized from the assets of the farm business. Faivre advises farmers to talk with their families about succession and transitions earlier rather than later to help prepare the entire family.

One of the biggest problems with succession planning is estate or inheritance taxes, especially or farms worth $5 million or more. Faivre said that trying to reduce and minimize tax implications and not bury the younger generation in debt is one of the greatest difficulties in succession planning. Marc Lovell, the assistant director of the University of Illinois Tax School, said establishing objectives of the succession plan and the children is a good starting point. “When it comes to children, there is some sense of fairness,” he said. “But that can be a really tough thing for farmers. There isn’t a lot of liquidity to split up.” The planning process should include consideration of current tax structures, Lovell said, to ensure the maximum amount can be passed to the descendants. Gifting can be a way to do that. Generally, an individual can give a tax-exempt gift of up to $14,000 a year to someone else, Lovell said, and a couple can give $28,000. And it isn’t just cash, but there must be valuation to a gifted asset, he said. Descendants also are entitled to a tax exemption on inheritances, this year in the amount of $5.34 million or less, Lovell said. Passing down assets through spouses also can help ease the tax burden on the next generation. Without some sort of estate planning, the state’s default rules will be used when a farmer dies. “You generally don’t want that with a farm, because it can get messy,” Lovell said. Although understanding tax structures and putting

The average age of a principal farm operator in the U.S. is 58, according to the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture, which is the most current data. In Illinois, the average is 57.8, up from 56.2 in 2007 and 53.2 in 1997. “Planning is very important,” Faivre said. “Every family should have a team of trusted advisers, including an attorney, an accountant, and potentially a lender. … Nobody likes to talk about their own death, but not talking about it ends up hurting the next generation. It can lead to family squabbles and the breakup of a farming operation.” Most farmers view farming as a family business. They have pride in their farm because the family has been involved for multiple generations. There is a sense of duty to continue to keep the traditions. Farmers also live at their place of work, which is another layer of engagement that farming has over a regular business. The family works and lives on the farm, surrounded by their fields. Schweitzer estimated that 95 percent of his time is dedicated to his family farm. The intense time demands may deter people from choosing to become farmers, but both Schweitzer and Faivre agreed that having farmers in the family make it a little easier. “The best way to get into farming is to inherit or marry into it, rather than a city kid who wakes up one day and wants to be a farmer,” Faivre said. “You would be competing against many other established farmers. Farming is a very difficult business to get into because of the capital requirements: equipment, land, and inputs. Generational farmers have a leg up on being a farmer because they have established relationships, the machinery, and a land base.” According to Faivre, owning land is one of the biggest barriers of entry for somebody interested in becoming a farmer.

Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 29 “It’s a pretty big barrier when land sells for $12,000 an acre depending on its quality, location, and proximity,” Faivre said. “Most farmland sells from 40 acres up to several hundred acres at a time.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture tracks the average price of farmland. For several years, the price in Illinois has risen about 3 percent a year. In most years since 2005, however, the rate of increase has been much higher, with appreciation rates ranging from 12 percent to 25 percent. Farmland that sold for $2,560 an acre in 2004 sold in 2013 for $7,800 ñ more than triple the original value. Over the years, the prices of land have changed, as well as what is grown in fields and the machinery used for planting and harvesting. But land prices, hard work, and difficult decisions have not daunted the Schweitzer family. Schweitzer looks forward to the next generation, his two young sons, helping out on the family farm one day if they choose. “Working on the farm isn’t just a career, it’s a lifestyle choice,” Schweitzer said. “I couldn’t imagine a better way to raise my family, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.” • Goldie Currie, Ken Schroeder, and Matt Mencarini contributed to this article.

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What does the FUtUre hold for

aNNIe GlIDDeNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FarMhoUSe

By BARRY SCHRADER For DeKalb County Ag Mag

the somewhat dilapidated farmhouse and nearby carriage house standing empty on the Northern Illinois University campus face an uncertain future.

The house is the original farm home of John Glidden and his sister Annie, who built it in 1901. Five years later, John moved to the Joseph Glidden homestead on West Lincoln Highway after his uncle Joseph died, and Annie acquired the house and surrounding farmland. Over the next 20 years, she operated the farm and became involved in the DeKalb communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social and cultural life. Although she never married, she did become a single parent when her sister Cora died during childbirth and Annie stepped in to raise her nephew, Glidden Switzer. Annie had graduated from Cornell University with a degree in agriculture, something unusual for young women in the late 19th century. Her uncle Joseph Glidden had paid for her education. She used her knowledge of agriculture to become a successful farmer, planting alfalfa, corn, fancy asparagus, and raspberries. She even was recognized by the State of Illinois for the quality of the corn crop she raised one year. Continuing on page 32

32 | DeKalb County AG MAG | Fall 2014

Annie Gliddenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farmhouse has three stories, a living room with fireplace, dining room and kitchen on the first floor with a mudroom attached to the back, three bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor, then another stairway to the attic, which was finished off as a sleeping room for guests and visiting relatives. Around 1930, the Burt Oderkirk family purchased the house, and Annie retired and moved to California to live with a niece. The Oderkirks lived there until it was sold to the NIU Foundation in 1977 as part of a 5.6-acre parcel along Annie Glidden Road. The university has leased the property from the Foundation ever since, using it for various departmental and special program offices, while the carriage house, which had been converted into a two-story apartment by the Oderkirks, was used as a journalism classroom. About 10 years ago, university officials decided they no longer needed the two buildings. Utilities were shut off and the structures have stood empty since. Two local historians, Steve Bigolin and me, Barry Schrader, noticed the deteriorating condition of the structures late last year and contacted the NIU Foundation to see if the house and carriage house could be preserved as the original home of the iconic Annie Glidden.

After months of corresponding, they finally arranged a meeting with NIU President Douglas Baker, Michael Malone vice president of university advancement, and NIU Vice President of Operations Bill Nicklas, along with DeKalb Mayor John Rey, in mid-August. They learned there are no plans for the site, except the continued operation of the nearby Milan Township oneroom school used by the College of Education. Baker asked them to come up with one specific proposal for operating and maintaining the buildings and how it could be supported financially. So Bigolin and I have created a website displaying photos of the current condition of the buildings. We are also seeking ideas and input from area farmers and other residents, and plan to prepare a proposal by mid-September. The website is www.anniehouse.org and we welcome suggestions for its renovation, possible uses, and how to help NIU finance repairs and improvements. We can also be reached by phone at 815-508-0068. A non-profit organization may have to be formed at a later date if the university and its foundation approve their recommendation on how to preserve and utilize the home and carriage house.

Calendar of events September 3-7 Sandwich Fair Sandwich Fairgrounds

September 13 “Farm to Food & You” Day Church & North Grove Rds., Sycamore 8-10 a.m. Farmer’s Breakfast & Plot Tour 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Grain Bin Rescue Demonstration 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Farm Field Day for the Public Contact: 815-757-3641 for more information

Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 33

Dont Miss out on the Fall eDition oF

DeKalb County

agmag This Shaw Media publication will be direct mailed to farmers in DeKalb & Ogle County.

Limited Availability ... reserve your space today. Contact your sales representive. Lisa Angel at 815-756-4841 ext: 2236 OR email to: langel@shawmedia.com

Bill Braksick at 815-756-4841 ext: 2216 OR email to: bbraksick@shawmedia.com

Rob Dancey

September 21-27 National Farm Safety Week

at 815-756-4841 ext: 2251 OR email to: rdancey@shawmedia.com

Dustin Davis at 815-756-4841 ext: 2263 OR email to: dudavis@shawmedia.com

Shawn Lowe at 815-756-4841 ext: 2225 OR email to: slowe@shawmedia.com

All meetings held at the Center for Agriculture unless otherwise noted. For most meeting reservations contact the DeKalb County Farm Bureau ofﬁce, 815/756-6361

Deadline Date: october October 16th Deadline 16th Mail Date: Date: november November 2013 Mail 2014

34 | DeKalb County AG MAG | Fall 2014

farmers

can help

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Farmers now have the opportunity to contribute $3.3 million to organizations in their communities. To honor and support the tradition of service organizations in rural America, the Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farmers Grow Communities program is partnering with farmers to direct $2,500 donations to individual nonprofit organizations. The program, which kicked off its fifth year on Aug. 1, benefits 1,324 counties across 40 states. Organizations that received funding in the past include fire departments, food pantries, community groups, and youth service programs like FFA and 4-h. In the smaller, rural communities where this program operates, a donation like this can make the difference in dozens of lives. The results include better-equipped volunteer fire departments, food pantries stocked with more fresh produce, improved meeting halls and fair grounds, and opportunities for youth leadership development. last spring, the hiawatha Education Foundation in Kirkland received a $2,500 grant through the application of farmer Allan Aves, and the Maple Park Family Fund received $2,500 through the application of Kane County farmer John Biddle. In 2013, the Malta Fire Department and Malta Township Public library benefited from Grow Communities grants. Since its inception in 2010, Grow Communities has invested more than $16 million in 6,000 nonprofit organizations across rural America. In Illinois alone, Grow Communities has provided $1,232,500 to nonprofit organizations over the past five years. Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farmers Grow Communities is part of the Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farmers initiative. These programs, supported by the Monsanto Fund, have awarded over $22 million to rural communities since 2010. To enroll or learn more, visit www.AmericasFarmers. com, or call toll-free 877-267-3332.

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Fall 2014 | DeKalb County AG MAG | 35

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