SAM-2-21-2014 by Shaw Media

AG Mag Northern Illinois

Advances in technology are providing new tools for cattlemen in Northern Illinois

Wait and see: More local farmers are holding on to their harvest in hopes that corn prices rebound.

Finally, a bill: It took Congress 5 years to come up with a new Farm Bill. Was it worth the wait?

Spring 2014

A Publication of Shaw Media

Farmers Forum: Five locals tell us when and why they knew they would have a career in agriculture.

AG Mag

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Index

AG Mag Northern Illinois

Publisher Trevis Mayfield Advertising Director Jennifer Baratta Editor Larry Lough Magazine Editors Larry Lough, Jeff Rogers

Page Design Jeff Rogers

COVER STORY

Reporters & Photographers Kath Clark, Goldie Currie, Pam Eggemeier, Bob Eschliman, Dave Fox, David Giuliani, Becky Kramer, Philip Marruffo, Matt Mencarini, Alex T. Paschal, Terri Simon, Jake Waddingham, and Christi Warren Published by Sauk Valley Media 3200 E. Lincolnway Sterling, IL 61081 815-625-3600 Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media. No portion of the Northern Illinois Ag Mag may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Sauk Valley Media cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

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Virtual reality Technology is connecting sellers and buyers of cattle more than ever before. A look to the sky El Nino or La Nina? The answer might tell the weather story of 2014, a local meteorologist says.

Money saving member benefits for farm, family and home. Advocating for legislation on a state and federal level that works for farmers. Escalating issues that farmers identify as important to agriculture. Making farmers aware of important issues. Educating consumers about modern farming practices.

4 Spring 2014

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Bringing urban legislators to farms for firsthand experiences with Illinois agriculture. Educating youth about the vital role agriculture plays in Illinois. Educating and training farmers to tell their stories. Keeping you informed through RFD Radio Network, FarmWeek, websites, smart phone apps & more. Providing a place for farmers and their families to collaborate, share ideas and learn together.

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Index An education that never ends

Lenny Bryson of The Auction Shed in Polo says that auctioneering is a job that requires continued learning.

Two cities, one cookbook Residents and leaders of Sterling and Rock Falls have collaborated on a book of their favorite recipes.

CENTERPIECE STORY

Heart and soul of ag program At Blackhawk College East Campus, Dan Hoge of Walnut is a legend in the school’s animal science program.

Corn concerns The dropping price of corn is a worry for farmers that might not go away for a while, an expert says.

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Index 44

What’s up in Springfield? The budget, taxes and renewable fuels are key state issues that farmers are watching in 2014.

Forum with local farmers

FARM POLICY

Wait is over

We asked five area farmers when and why they knew they wanted to be a farmer. Read what they said.

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There’s a new farm bill for the first time since 2008. Is it good for Illinois farmers?

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Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Cheryl Dewaele and Lenny Bryson handle the bids and sales receipts at Walnut Auction Sales. Improving technology impacts almost every aspect of farming. Online auctions, including online exclusive auctions or bidding in a live auction on the Internet, has led to a more competitive market and put more eyes on cattle, said Marshall Ruble, an agriculture research station manager at Iowa State University.

Where cattle meet computers Technology gives cattlemen new tools in production, sales BY MATT MENCARINI For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

here’s a silo on Brent and Bruce Scholl’s farm that was built in 1919 by their grandfather. It’s not in use anymore, but it serves as a relic and landmark to a different era of 10 Spring 2014

farming as it stands near half of their cattle and nearly 3,300 pigs. The Scholl farm is about 6 miles south of Polo. Like many cattlemen and farmers in 2014, Brent Scholl, 54, and Bruce Scholl, 52, have more information about the market and their livestock than ever before.

nnn The pigs that the Scholls were expecting to arrive in late January will come with a tattoo, so they can be tracked and information recorded about how lean the pigs are or how much they weigh – a history, of sorts, about the Scholls’ livestock. continued on 114

4Continued from 10 “We’re inundated with technology and information,” Brent Scholl said. “And sometimes it can be too much. ... You have to pick out what works for you.” Technology, as in other areas of life and farming, is giving cattlemen newer tools to raise, track, market and sell their animals. From climate-controlled hog buildings to computerized sale barns to online auctions, cattlemen have new ways to do things that have been done for generations. The growing popularity of online auctions, for example, means that livestock can be bought and sold nearly every day, from anywhere, said Marshall Ruble, who specializes in livestock as an agriculture research station manager at Iowa State University. Online auctions, including online exclusive auctions or bidding in a live auction on the Internet, has led to a more competitive market and put more eyes on cattle, he said. “Even 5 years ago, I go out and look at a lot of cattle, you could find a diamond in the rough,” Ruble said. “But they’re not hidden anymore. They’re all out there.” Even sale barns can take advantage of an online auction, Ruble said, when inclement weather may keep buyers away. If they can access an auction 5, 20 or even 100 miles away, there are more eyes and bids possible.

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Scott Cuvelier watches as a herd of cattle circles the auction floor in Walnut. Cuvelier runs live barn sales in Walnut and Cascade, Iowa. “As far as sale barns go,” Cuvelier said, “we’re one of the more technologically advanced – fully computerized from the auction block to the office.” About 3 years ago, Ruble and his students started posting pictures and videos of livestock on Facebook and YouTube. They’d get calls from California and south Texas, he said, adding that the

19- and 20-year-old students are used to buying and selling online, while it took him some time to get comfortable with it. Continued on 124

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Brent Scholl walks through a climate-controlled hog building on the family farm in Polo. Even when temperatures dipped below zero in January, the pigs were kept in ideal conditions. AG Mag 11

4Continued from 11 But each morning when he’d look, the number of YouTube views constantly increased, Ruble said. A year ago, he sold some cattle to someone on the East Coast, he said, and met the buyer face-to-face only when he came to pick up the cattle. Dan Shike, an associate professor of animal science at the University of Illinois, said during the history of livestock sales, numerous developments have taken the industry from private sales to live auctions to online auctions. At each step, he said, the market opened wider to where it is now. “You basically have a national market rather than a local market,” Shike said. That’s great for sellers, and that’s great for buyers, too.” Some online auctions are set up similar to eBay, with the cattle being purchased online only. Some auctions end at a specific time, Ruble said, but others add time – up to a point – with each new bid. Selling online brings with it new risks, such as Internet connection and infrastructure issues, and unfamiliarity between buyer and seller. Those are some reasons that Scott Cuvelier, 58, who runs live barn sales in Walnut, Ill., and Cascade, Iowa, has been hesitant

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Auctioneer Lenny Bryson waits for the next head of cattle to come up for auction at Walnut Auction Sales. A profile of Bryson is on page 22. to fully embrace online auctions. Like most things on the Internet, there are positives and negatives to online auctions, he said, adding that those auctions are another tool, “a two-edged sword, so to speak.” But Cuvelier isn’t opposed to using technology in his business. It’s a tool,

he said, and like any tool, it’s useful only if there’s a need. “As far as sale barns go, we’re one of the more technologically advanced – fully computerized from the auction block to the office,” he said. Continued on 144

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4Continued from 12 The Walnut sale barn went computerized in 1991, Cuvelier said, streamlining the process, eliminating some errors, and speeding up the time it takes to print checks. “We went from these huge Texas Instruments DOS machines, with little tiny monitors with shades of green, to where we are now, to the windowsbased LCD flat screen monitors,” Cuvelier said. “They still do the same thing. To tell you the truth, the old DOS machines we’re more reliable. They were a little more bullet-proof.” The newer computers can do more, he said, but have a tendency to crash or require a reboot more often. Not every advancement is perfect. But while Cuvelier might be a strong supporter of computerized auctions, he said there still are risks – like power outages or computerized scales failing. Still, the benefits of the technology seem to outweigh the occasional risks, he said, emphasizing that the mishaps were only occasional. Cuvelier bought the Cascade sale barn about 5 years ago, he said, when it had a few computers in the office and a sign that said, “Please wait 20 minutes for your check,” A week later, the sale barn was fully computerized without missing an auc-

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Cattle are held in a holding area at the Scholl farm in Polo. tion, he said. Now, most checks are printed and ready to be picked up by the time a cattleman walks from the stands to the office window. Both Walnut and Cascade allow bids to be placed by phone, but not online. “I can hear the people’s voice on the phone, and I know who they are,” Cuvelier said.

It’s not just how livestock is sold Technology hasn’t affected just the way livestock is marketed or sold. The ability to track and analyze information, to put more precise economic values on livestock, also has developed, Shike said. Continued on 164

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4Continued from 14 “Now, if you were to go to a pure feed stock sale, there would be so much information that you would be given, besides just looking at the bull,” he said. “How the bull looks will make an impact, but there are tremendous amounts of info now available.” What started with tracking weights at different ages and comparing to the rest of the herd, Shike said, has evolved to looking back at an animal’s ancestors to get a sense of how the animal should produce. “It’s pretty amazing how technology [is playing a role],” Shike said. “And certainly, we’re in a time period of rapid increase in that area. And I think there will be time when we will be able to take a blood sample of an animal and really be able to understand the genetic potential of that animal.” The hog buildings on Brent Scholl’s farm are climate controlled. So even as the temperature dipped into single digits and below zero in January, the pigs were kept in ideal conditions. Most

‘‘

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We went from these huge Texas Instruments DOS machines, with little tiny monitors with shades of green, to where we are now, to the windows-based LCD flat screen monitors. They still do the same thing. To tell you the truth, the old DOS machines we’re more reliable. They were a little more bullet-proof. Scott Cuvelier, operates Walnut Auction Sales

of the corn grown on the farm goes to feed pigs and cattle, Scholl said, and the manure is collected in a 500,000-gallon tank to be used to fertilize the field. It’s just more technology – more tools – at work. “There’s is still labor involved in farming,” Brent Scholl said just days before he and his brother power-washed a facility to prepare it for pigs they were expecting. About 5 months after the Scholls get the pigs, the animals will be ready to be sold. They’ll weigh about 280 pounds, with about four-tenths of an inch of back fat, Scholl said, opposed to 220

It’s pretty amazing how technology [is playing a role]. And certainly, we’re in a time period of rapid increase in that area. Dan Shike, associate professor of animal science at the University of Illinois

’’

pounds and more than an inch of fat as was common years ago. The leaner pigs meet a new market demand, he said, and are made possible by various technological advancements. Those advancements are becoming more essential in the livestock business, Shike said. “The only way we’ll be able to increase our food production to keep up with demand is technology,” he said. Even for researchers and early-adopting cattlemen, predicting where technology in the industry is heading can be difficult, Ruble said from his office at Iowa State. But knowing the direction it’s going can put a farmer “in the driver’s seat.” “I know where the hockey puck is at this exact second,” he said. “But I’d like to know where it’s going to be in 5 minutes.”

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Snowfall amounts could help; weather cycle could hurt By Terri Simon For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

WQAD News 8 Chief Meteorologist James Zahara isn’t pulling any punches about the winter of 2013-14. “What an interesting winter it has been so far,” Zahara said from his weather room in Moline. “Numerous rounds of decent snowfall combined with a couple of polar outbreaks this winter, resulted in some of the coldest air in years.” While Zahara predicted a couple of more polar outbreaks this winter – though not as brutal as the one that hit the Midwest early in January – he does believe the winter of 2013-14 will be a bit longer than normal. “Fortunately, snowfall amounts this winter have been leaning about or just above normal,” Zahara said. “If we keep this rate going through the rest of the winter season, then we could easily reach over 40 inches, which would be well above the norm of 36 inches.” No farmer in the area will be disappointed with the precipitation, Zahara predicts, especially since the discussion throughout the agricultural world last summer was all about the widespread

drought that covered not only most of the state but much of the Plains and the Midwest. “By the summer of 2013, it was more dryness that challenged the farmers in the fields than any James Zahara drought,” Zahara Meteorologist said. “The key to a for WQAD News good planting season 8 said this very this year will be the well could be amount of the subsoil another of the moisture. I would say La Nina years, about all of our counwhich “usually ties are showing subproduce problems for soil moisture reserves farmers” are nearly up to normal. The exception could be around west central Illinois, where reserves are a bit lower due to the limited rainfall in 2013.” While predicting the weather this far ahead of the planting season is difficult, Zahara relies on past indicators that have been historically analyzed, like El Nino and La Nina weather cycles, which are tracked by scientists during any given year. El Nino is when surface water temperatures are warmer than

normal along the equator in the Pacific Ocean. In La Nina years, the water temperatures are cooler, and the weather becomes a bit drier. “El Nino years produce better growing season weather for Illinois as well as most of the Midwest,” Zahara said. “La Nina years usually produce problems for farmers. We had six years in a row dominated by an El Nino weather pattern and very good corn yields. Recently, we had three years of La Nina, and we continue to lean toward that even today.” Zahara said climatologists use a Southern Oscillation Index and indicator for upcoming weather clues. “The SOI is still hanging toward the La Nina side of neutral now and acting like it wants to remain so for the next couple of months,” Zahara said. “There may be an El Nino event during the growing season, but we could return quickly to a La Nina trend for weather patterns the rest of the year.” So what will 2014 really hold for the world of Midwest agriculture? “Obviously, it’s hard to say, unless you like to rely on your trusted Farmer’s Almanac,” he said.

AG Mag

Crowdfunding the farm Fquare a site where farmers, investors can form new partnership By Bob Eschliman For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

In the business world, crowdfunding is the new buzzword for aspiring entrepreneurs who have struggled to find capital from conventional financial sources for their bright ideas. With the advent of websites such as IndieGoGo.com, KickStarter.com and GoFundMe.com, crowdfunding has provided new opportunities for small investors and small business owners. But, until recently, that hasn’t directly applied to agribusiness. Enter Fquare, where a farmer agrees to pay a “crowd” of investors a percentage interest in his operation in exchange for taking up ownership of the land. In essence, the farmer becomes the tenant and the investors the landowners.

Fquare collects rent from the farmer, distributing the rent payments to investors based on their individual levels of investment. Secondary trading, whereby investors sell their shares to other investors, was added in July. Fquare is the brainchild of New York investor Charles Polanco, the company’s CEO. He said Fquare’s mission is to “make farmland investments accessible to everyone through the web.” Two of his top advisers aren’t found in the trading pits or brokerages of Wall Street, but rather at Iowa State University. They are Dermot J. Hayes, the Pioneer Hi-Bred International Chair in Agribusiness, and Michael D. Duffy, Ph.D., director of Graduate Education in Sustainable Agriculture. Dr. Duffy joined the ISU staff as an Extension area farm management specialist in 1984 before he took up his current job at ISU in 1985. Before he joined Iowa State, he was an economic researcher for the USDA in Washington, D.C.

He is currently responsible for the annual land value survey, cost of crop production estimates, and Iowa farm costs and returns publication, and he is state leader for the Extension Farm Financial Planning Program. His research activities include determinants of farm profitability, small farms, soil conservation, integrated pest management, and sustainable agriculture. “Dr. Duffy’s deep understanding of the agricultural markets will help pave this future,” Polanco said when Duffy joined Fquare last November. “We are excited that he shares this vision and look forward to his advice now and into the future.” Hayes heads the Trade and Agricultural Policy Division at CARD, a position he also held from 1990 through 1998. He is co-director, with Jacinto Fabiosa, of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, a research center dually administered through CARD at Iowa State and at the University of Missouri at Columbia. He is also a leader of the Policy Task Force of the Plant Science Institute at Iowa State.

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Learning on the job Continuing education needed to stay in auction business By DAVE FOX For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Dave Fox/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Lenny Bryson has been auctioneering in some manner since the early 1980s. He still maintains a number of long-term associations in the auction business, but his home site is The Auction Shed, located a few blocks south of downtown Polo. “It’s really nice to be able to have estate sales indoors like this,” Bryson said. “Weather is never a factor.”

A pickup truck rambled into the parking lot at 1 o’clock sharp and came to a stop in front of the office. Lenny Bryson climbed out and introduced himself almost before his feet hit the ground. A man with a lot of irons in the fire, he didn’t stop moving, thinking, or sharing the entire time during a recent interview at his namesake auction shed several blocks south of downtown Polo. “I’ve been in agriculture pretty much all my life,” he said with a grin, “in one way or another.” After moving into his office, he made a quick check of voice mail, then a couple of quick phone calls as he settled comfortably behind a desk surrounded by auction-related items. Continued on 244

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4Continued from 22 Growing up on his parents’ farm just outside of town, he recalled attending auctions often as a child. “My father has been in the livestock business pretty much all his life,” Bryson said. “I used to ride with him to auctions as a lad, and that’s how I got interested in auctioneering.” A self-described hometown boy, Bryson graduated from Polo High School in 1975 after doing all 12 years of school in the same system. “I never went to college,” he said with a laugh. “I guess you could say I graduated from the school of hard knocks.” After high school, he hadn’t made a solid career choice yet, “and an opportunity opened up, and I worked in construction for a while.” Auctioneering was always something that interested him, though. “In 1979 I planned on going to an auctioneer school in Texas, but I got snowed out,” he said. “I never made it. I just keep learning as I go.” Eventually he met up with Frances and Lucille Vock. “They were very nice people,” he continued, “and I started working with them from time to time auctioneering estate sales.” He eventually became good friends with Eldon Wiemken, owner of Walnut

About The Auction Shed Where: 900 S. Division Avenue, Polo, IL 61064 Phone/Fax: 815-964-4120 Online: lennybrysonauctioneer.com What: Located 9 blocks south of downtown Polo, The Auction Shed specializes in agriculture, livestock, farm equipment, and estate sales.

Dave Fox/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Lenny Bryson takes a call from a client in his office concerning a possible auction, while checking his smartphone for available dates and other information. Auction Sales. “And I started working there doing livestock auctions in 1982 or ‘83,” he

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said. “I’m still going down there on a regular basis after all these years.” Within a couple of years, “business was really picking up with auctions,” he said, “and I became associated with Elery and Ruth Shank and their Public Auction Service, located in Polo. “I wasn’t actually a partner, but I auctioneered while they clerked and cashiered,” he explained. Continued on 264

Our Current Home

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201 Lincoln Statue Drive, Dixon

Palmyra Township

Beginning---Chartered in 1865 by a special act of the Illinois General Assembly to write farm property throughout the state, PLN Mutual Insurance Company was founded by area farmers because the eastern insurance companies of the day would not provide affordable insurance to the area. Benjamin Franklin’s model---The company was founded as a mutual insurance company modeled on the original mutual founded by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia in 1752. The first board of directors of the company were farmers from Palmyra Township, Lee County, and business began under the name of Farmers’ Mutual of Palmyra Township. Historic farm mutuals---Since 1990, the company has combined with four other historic farm mutuals in the area. Lincoln Mutual of Mt. Morris (founded in 1860), Nashua Mutual of Oregon (founded in 1877), Buffalo Mutual of Polo (founded in 1874), and Lanark Mutual of Lanark (founded in 1874) along with Farmers’ Mutual of Palmyra now comprise the company. Home Office---Dixon is home to the company. The staff of four employees underwrites and issues the policies, and services the needs of the policyholders and their agents. Owners---The policyholders are the owners of the company and elect the directors who govern it, keeping the control of the company in our local communities. Products---Farmowners and homeowners products are written for policyholders in the northern half of Illinois by 27 independent agencies. The company’s mission: to provide insurance coverages at the lowest possible cost, while providing superior personal service to policyholders. Long tradition---The company takes great pride in its tradition of service and stability to the communities of this area. Dixon has been its headquarters since the presidency of Abraham Lincoln through the presidency of native son Ronald Reagan, and remains the headquarters today.

2002

The company (then known as Palmyra Lincoln Mutual) combined with Nashua Mutual of nearby Oregon to become PLN MUTUAL.

2003

In 2003, PLN Mutual merged with Buffalo Mutual of Polo. The mergers with these two historic farm mutuals (Nashua was founded in 1877 & Buffalo in 1874) added financial strength and writing territory.

2005

In 2005, the company moved into its new home office at 201 Lincoln Statue Drive, Dixon, in our 140th year in business. This building was built in 1955 to house the Dixon branch of USF&G, which later outgrew the space.

2011 PLN merged with Lanark Mutual, which was founded in Carroll County in 1874.

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4Continued from 24 That service has since changed hands, with the Shanks’ daughter, Sheryl Hopkins, and her husband, Lyle, running the business now. “We’re still associates,” Bryson said. “Even though I’m not officially connected to the business I still really enjoy working with them.” Another of his long-term associations in the auction business is located west of Polo, at Hazelhurst, where farm equipment auctions started back in 1984. “I auctioneered that first sale there,” he said, “and I’m still a part of that, too.” In addition to livestock and farm equipment sales, Bryson said, he conducts a lot of farm land and estate sales. “I probably sold over 2,000 acres, give or take, at auction in 2013,” he said. “Land is always a great investment,” he claimed. “Banks and the stock market aren’t really paying anything, and haven’t been for a while, but land has always increased in value with time.” A couple of more phone calls came in, and then he seamlessly turned back to the interview. Attention turned to estate sales, always enjoyable for Bryson as well. “We can still do those sales in the front yard,” he said, “and that’s always

‘‘

Land is always a great investment. Banks and the stock market aren’t really paying anything, and haven’t been for a while, but land has always increased in value with time. Lenny Bryson

fun, but now we can also do multiple estate sales at one time, all under one roof, right here at the Auction Shed.” Bryson attributes the ability to hold multiple sales at once to the building at his current location in Polo, where he has 20,000 square feet of space under one roof. “I bought this place back in the ’90’s,” he said. “It’s really nice to be able to have estate sales indoors like this. Weather is never a factor, and for buyers it’s great because they can come and see several estates all at one time. “We can get between three and four hundred people at a time in here,” he said as he waved an arm across the shed’s expanse. Licensed to conduct auctions in Illinois and Wisconsin, he also plies his trade in Iowa, which has no licensing requirement. Keeping up with trends and laws pertaining to auctions is something most people don’t give much thought to. “I’m actually required to take a certain

’’

amount of continuing education every two years,” he said. “There are all kinds of things I have to keep up on; the education is something I have to do to stay in business.” Nearing the end of the interview, Bryson toured the Auction Shed, plus another adjacent building he uses for storage. Talking, thinking out loud the entire time, he was a study in motion. Back at his truck where things had started earlier, Bryson shared what makes auctioneering enjoyable enough for him to make it a life-long vocation. “I love the farming community,” he said with a smile. “It’s a great way of life and a great bunch of people that I really enjoy working with.” There was a brief pause while he thought for a moment. “It’s a great feeling when you sell a tractor that a guy bought new in 1970,” he said, “and it sells for way more than he paid for it back then because he’s taken good care of it. “It’s just a great feeling.”

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AG Mag

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Recipes for change Rock Falls, Sterling residents collaborate on cookbook BY CHRISTI WARREN For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

The Sterling Kiwanis Club published “Two Cities Connected by a River” in December. The cookbook, which includes “recipes for change” contributed by members of both the Sterling and Rock Falls communities, can be purchased for $15.

The Sterling Kiwanis Club is out to change the world, one recipe at a time. Together, club members produced a cookbook, published in December, called “Two Cities Connected by a River.” The book includes “recipes for change” contributed by members of both the Rock Falls and Sterling communties, including Mayors Skip Lee and Bill Wescott, Whiteside County State’s Attorney Trish Joyce, CGH Medical Center, and Twin City Farmers Market. Continued on 304

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AG Mag

Want one? Each book costs $15. To buy one, contact any Kiwanis Club member, or call Donna Ripley at 815-626-0201. It also is available at Sterling at Air Play Sports & Espresso, 115 E. Third St.; A Cooks Corner, 2501 Avenue E; and Golden Key Gifts, 702 W. Fourth St. 4Continued from 29 By using contributions from both communities, its creators hope to foster friendship and continued cooperation between the towns. The book starts off with a a brief history of Sterling and Rock Falls, written by Donna Ripley, one of the people who helped to put the book together. She spent countless hours at the Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society to research the history of the two communities, she said. A true labor of love. The rest of the book is scattered with old photographs of the community and random facts culled from Ripley’s research. The Kiwanis Club’s motto is, “Changing the world, one child and one community at a time,” and the Sterling club hopes to do just that with the profits from the book. “The word Kiwanis is an Indian word that means, literally, ‘We make noise; we get things done,’” Ripley said.

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Rock Falls Mayor Bill Wescott (left) and Sterling Mayor Skip Lee (right) talk while state Sen. Mike Jacobs and Gov. Pat Quinn listen in Sept. 21 in Sterling. The governor paid a visit to the city to announce a state grant for riverfront development and to add green infrastructure in Sterling. Club members are involved with the community in several ways, including bell ringing for the Salvation Army, cleaning roadsides and parks, painting furniture at Self Help, collecting coats for kids, making blankets, reading to children in preschool, and providing

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scholarships for Sterling, Newman and Rock Falls high school graduates. Of the 250 recipe books originally ordered, Ripley estimates only about 100 are still available. Continued on 314

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‘Nanny’s Ginger Cookies’ This recipe is one of three submitted to the Kiwanis cookbook by Sterling Mayor Skip Lee and his wife, Susan. 3 eggs 1 2/3 cups molasses 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 cup shortening 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1 cup milk 2 tsp. ginger 1 tbsp. cinnamon 4 cups flour Mix ingredients together; add flour to achieve stiffness desired. Big spoonful of batter per cookie on Teflon or sprayed cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Roast Beef Stew

Submitted by Rock Falls Mayor Bill Wescott 1 roast beef or round steak cubed 2 to 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut up fresh carrots, cut up

green peppers, cut up several onions, cut up 2 tbsp minute tapioca 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1 1/4 cup tomato juice (V-8) Put in heavy pot and cover. Bake in oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce heat and bake at 225 degrees for 4 to 5 hours.

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AG Mag

BY DAVID GIULIANI For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

or years, corn farmers have seen prices of $6 or $7 a bushel. In recent months, though, the price has fallen to just above $4. This situation could last awhile, an expert says. “Over the years, there tend to be periods of relatively ‘low’ prices that last longer than periods when prices are relatively ‘high,’” Daryll Ray, director of the University of Tennessee’s Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, said in an email. That’s because more acreage is brought into production relatively quickly – both domestically and internationally – during times of high prices, as has been the case in recent years and, earlier, in the 1970s, Ray said. “Once the acreage is brought into major crop agriculture, farmers tend to farm it even when the prices have declined considerably,” he wrote. “So it can take a number of years for farmers to move it back out of production and into more extensive use such as pasture or hay land.” nnn What could break that trend? If climate changes cause big reductions in annual crop yields or water for irrigation becomes increasingly tight, Ray said, prices might not follow the historical pattern but would allow corn to remain at relatively profitable levels. Many farmers, he said, switched to corn when its price jumped so fast, moving away from soybeans. “Many of those farmers went back to, or are going back to, their previous rotations, for a variety of reasons, including pest control,” Ray said. 32 Spring 2014

‘Price is t greatest

Expert says sagging mar

Faced with the lowest corn prices in more than three years, grain farmers nationally incre jump from five years ago. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates farmers will have

the st fertilizer’

market could last awhile

Jake Waddingham/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

ally increased their storage capacity to almost 13 billion bushels in 2013, a 10 percent will have more than double the amount of corn in storage this summer compared to 2013.

In recent years, planted soybean acreage in Illinois and Iowa has generally declined, according to numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Corn acreage, meanwhile, has risen since the Daryll Ray 1990s in Illinois, but Director of has stayed about the University of same in Iowa, with Tennessee’s some exceptions. Agricultural Policy Rock Katschnig, a Analysis Center fourth-generation says times of low prices tend to last farmer near Prophlonger than times etstown, said that of higher prices years ago, his farm did a 50-50 rotation between corn and soybeans. In recent times, though, that ratio is two-thirds corn, one-third soybeans. That change, he said, hasn’t affected the land’s conservation. Katschnig said one of the major drivers for corn is ethanol, which gives farmers more opportunities to sell their crops. “Ethanol has changed the landscape of farming communities around the United States,” he said. “You see new machinery and new buildings. We went through many years where we sold corn for under the price of production.” Kevin Urick, who has a sesquicentennial farm near Prophetstown, said he will stick with the traditional 50-50 rotation. It’s better for the land, he said. “A lot of guys have two-thirds corn, one-third beans,” Urick said. “Right or wrong, I’m in 50-50 rotation. I’m not going to change any.” Brian Duncan, who farms north of Polo, is not letting the falling price change his strategy for the coming season. He plans to devote 90 percent of his acreage to corn. Continued on 344 AG Mag

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Brian Duncan of Polo is not letting the falling price change his strategy for the coming season. He plans to devote 90 percent of his acreage to corn. 4Continued from 33

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“We’ll plant as many corn acres as we did last year,” said Duncan, who is also the president of the Ogle County Farm Bureau, “We’re set up to grow corn.” Asked whether he expected the low prices to continue for a long time, Duncan said: “It depends on Mother Nature. We have the capability to produce bumper crops. Ultimately, it boils down to the temperature and rain in July. It’s tough to have good growing seasons. We had one last year. That’s one in a row.” He said farmers will need somehow to stimulate demand to see prices like the last couple of years. “The old saying is that price is the greatest fertilizer,” Duncan said. “We’ve seen a lot of areas respond to the higher prices. We’ve got worldwide production increases.” The lowering of the renewable fuel standard is bad for agriculture, he said. “We seem to be backing away from our commitment to renewable fuels,” he said. Lee County farmer Leonard Sheaffer said he plans to

What’s planted Planted corn acreage (in 1,000 acres) Year Illinois Iowa 1996 11,000 12,700 1998 10,600 11,200 2000 11,200 12,300 2002 11,600 12,200 2004 11,700 12,600 2006 11,300 12,600 2008 13,200 12,300 2010 12,600 13,400 2012 12,800 12,200 Planted soybean acreage (in 1,000 acres) Year Illinois Iowa 1996 9,900 9,500 1998 10,000 10,500 2000 10,500 10,700 2002 10,300 10,700 2004 10,300 10,600 2006 10,100 10,100 2008 9,100 9,400 2010 9,300 10,200 2012 8,600 9,500

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

plant two-thirds corn, onethird soybeans. “That works well for me,” he said. “I know that for farmers who have a lot of acres, price is a big issue on what’s planted. I don’t farm many acres.”

Dan Hoge: ‘Father and foundation’ Black Hawk East professor walks the walk, talks the talk By Terri Simon For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Photo contributed

Dan Hoge of Walnut is a fixture at Black Hawk College’s East Campus. He soon will be inducted into the Black Hawk College Wall of Fame with a scholarship in his name.

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Dan Hoge lives in Walnut in northern Bureau County, but his path to Henry County’s Black Hawk College East Campus is a well-traveled one. Hoge has been a professor of animal science and the livestock judging coach at the Galva junior college for the past 44 years. Humble and soft-spoken, Hoge speaks fondly of his position, his students, and his time at his beloved Black Hawk East, where many recognize his role in the school’s animal science program. Continued on 384

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AG Mag

From political science to agricultural science Hands-on research opportunites at U of I changed student’s future BY CHRISTI WARREN For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

When Vince Filicetti headed off to college at the University of Illinois, he had no idea it would lead to a career in agriculture. A political science major, Filicetti grew up in Shabbona, a town of 918 people, and spent his spare time working on farms. “That was just the thing to do if you needed money,” he said. “So I started working with livestock, and I really liked doing that, and I came down here [to college] and needed a job my sophomore year, and rather than sit around and swipe cards at the dining hall, I fig-

‘‘

I started working with livestock, and I really liked doing that, and I came down here [to college] and needed a job my sophomore year, and rather than sit around and swipe cards at the dining hall, I figured maybe I could do something with research. Vince Filicetti

ured maybe I could do something with research.” So, while he was looking for a job during the fall of his sophomore year at U of I, he saw a posting from Adam Davis, an associate professor with the Department of Crop Research, looking for help with a weed research project. Filicetti decided to apply, although he figured it was a long shot. “ I just thought, you know, whatever,

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’’

I probably won’t get it because I’m not an agronomy student or whatever,” Filicetti said. “But I went and talked to him, and out of the 40-something applicants, he chose me and two other people.” The project was meant to assess the role climate change has on the spread of palmer amaranth and shattercane. Continued on 374

4Continued from 36 Arid, southern-types of weeds – especially palmer amaranth – have been in headlines recently for making their way into the Midwest from the South. The team that Filicetti worked with monitored them in three different latitudes across Illinois (Dixon Springs, Urbana, and DeKalb) to see how the different climates would affect the weeds’ competition. What the team discovered, in the words of Filicetti, was that as the world heats up, weeds that were once a problem only in the South will become a problem farther north. “They’re not a problem in places like DeKalb so much right now,” Filicetti said. “I mean, there’s some establishment in some of the southern suburban counties, but it isn’t as bad as, say, down in Southern Illinois yet. Down in Southern Illinois, the yield losses due to some of these weeds

is just phenomenal. I mean, it could put someone out of business if it got bad enough.” The experiment, which ended in 2012, was closely monitored, Filicetti explained. People inspected the fields and weeds multiple times each week to ensure that no palmer amaranth or shattercane were newly introduced to the areas. But what started out as a part-time job opened him up to a potential career path. Filicetti, after graduating last May with a political science degree, now works for Adam Davis full time as a research technician and sees himself continuing a career in agriculture – a career path he likely wouldn’t have chosen had he not had the opportunity to work for Davis at the University of Illinois. “If you want experience in the field, it is here,” Filicetti said. “Because we are a research institution, there’s always something going on.”

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AG Mag

4Continued from 35 “Dan Hoge is the father and foundation of the East Campus animal science program,” said Chanda Dowell, vice president for Black Hawk College East Campus. “His career dedication to both the livestock industry and Black Hawk College is evidenced by the new students who come to study with Dan Hoge, as well as by the thousands of alumni and friends who continue to support East Campus programs by hosting lab classes or judging team workouts, speaking to students, hosting work experience [internship] students, hiring graduates, providing student scholarships, or supporting programs financially.” Hoge said he’s proud of the way Black Hawk College prepares its students for the future. “We really believe in developing students outside of the classroom,” Hoge said. “You can feel it in the hallways. ... We have a strong rural culture here.” Hoge also said the school’s extracurricular activities are unmatched, as well as the numerous teams that compete at national levels. “Our disciplines have changed with the times, but we still have a very high commitment,” Hoge added. Hoge’s words translate to a Black

Kath Clark/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Black Hawk College, East Campus, in rural Galva is home to several agriculture teams that compete on a national level. Hawk East curriculum filled with a variety of opportunities for agriculture students. The school boasts opportunities in an outstanding equine program, production or nutrition feed industry, animal health, online marketing, purebred livestock, harvesting of livestock, food science, and more. Hoge said the school offers several associate of applied science degrees, along with two internships that are not designed, nec-

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essarily, to transfer. While some students leave the college after two years ready to go into their future endeavors, Hoge said many students will transfer to a university in Illinois or throughout the nation for extended learning/degrees. The school also has a pre-veterinarian medicine curriculum. Continued on 394

4Continued from 38 While more males than females still go into the ag programs, Hoge said through his career he’s seen more females opting for the agriculture curriculum. He’s also seen the numbers, in general, increase. “We need as many quality people in agriculture as we can,” Hoge said from his campus office. “We know the demographics have changed, but these students, who prepare themselves correctly, are finding great careers.” While Black Hawk East has a large population from Illinois, Hoge said, there are many, many students from all over the Midwest who come to the junior college because they know the quality of the Black Hawk agriculture program. Hoge said the biggest change he’s seen in his career at the college is probably the technology, but he also noted a large change in where livestock is produced, and an increasing interest in youth projects, primarily in cattle, swine, sheep and goats. He said Black Hawk East has stood the test of time. Its campus was established in 1967, and the Quad Cities campus is one of the oldest in Illinois. Hoge’s accomplishments are many, but he admits talking about those awards “is embarrassing.” Among his

Kath Clark/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

The Black Hawk College East Campus in rural Galva is home to several students studying a variety of agricultural programs.

awards are the National Barrow Show Hall of Fame in Austin, Minn., and he will soon be inducted into the Wall of Fame at Black Hawk East, sponsored by the school’s foundation with a scholarship in his name. And the school’s livestock judging team, for which Hoge is a co-coach? The team has set several records for its winning reputation. Hoge’s co-coach for the livestock judging team, Jared Boyert, is a former student who sings Hoge’s praises. “I have had the experience to be coached by Dan when I attended

BHE, and now I work alongside of him coaching the livestock judging team,” Boyert said.Still to this day, I find myself learning from Dan in the classroom on how to relate to students.” Dowell agrees with that commitment to Black Hawk students. “The culture Dan has helped create at the East Campus has supported thousands of students to pursue their passions in an environment one student described by saying, ‘You never have to worry about being too far from home because this is home,” Dowell said. And while Hoge is clearly a model for students, the standards he has set for others at the college is clear. “Dan has set a standard for all faculty to achieve in and out of the classroom,” said Andrew Larson, professor of agronomy and Black Hawk Agriculture Department co-chairman. “He leads by example and has mentored all current ag faculty in some capacity. Dan has been instrumental in developing a successful template for all program areas within the department to follow.” Hoge, along with his wife, Deanna, and his brother-in-law and sister-inlaw, Randy and Jan Walters, raise hogs in Walnut. His nephews, William and Bryce Walters continue to show hogs in the area, and his son, Mark Hoge, has a doctorate and teaches agriculture at Western Illinois University in Macomb.

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AG Mag

Agriculture Education School Directory

SAUK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 173 Illinois Route 2 Dixon, IL 61021 815-288-5511 Courses offered through University of Illinois Extension: Five (agricultural economics, soil science, animal science, principles of ornamental horticulture, plant science)

KISHWAUKEE COLLEGE 21193 Malta Road Malta, IL 60150 815-825-2086, ext. 2960 Courses offered: Six

40 Spring 2014

(orientation to agricultural careers, introduction to animal science, introduction to agricultural econ, introduction to agricultural mechanization, introduction to crop science, introduction to soils and fertilizers) Degrees offered: Associate of Science with an emphasis in agriculture

HIGHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE 2998 W. Pearl City Road Freeport, IL 61032 815-235-6121 Majors: Agricultural Management, Agriculture, Agriculture Production (certificate program) Degrees offered: Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, certificate program

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA-CHAMPAIGN College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Educational Sciences 128 Mumford Hall 1301 W. Gregory Drive Urbana, IL 61801 217-333-3380 cacesoap@illinois.edu Departments: Agricultural & Biological Engineering; Agricultural & Consumer Economics; Animal Sciences; Crop Sciences; Food Science & Human Nutrition; Human & Community Development; Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences; Division of Nutritional Sciences; Agricultural Communications Program; Agricultural Education Program Majors: 11

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, CARBONDALE College of Agricultural Sciences Agriculture Building 1205 Lincoln Drive Carbondale, IL 62901 618-453-2469 collagri@siu.edu Departments: Agribusiness Economics; Animal Science, Food, & Nutrition; Forestry; Plant, Soil, & Agricultural Systems Majors: 8 Degrees offered: Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY School of Agriculture Knoblauch Hall 145 1 University Circle Macomb, IL 61455 309-298-1080 AJ-Baker@wiu.edu Majors: 3 Degrees offered: Bachelor of Science

Worth the wait?

IFB: Top 3 priorities addressed in new farm bill BY PAM EGGEMEIER For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

resident Barack Obama signed a nearly $1 trillion farm bill Feb. 7, finally removing the uncertainty hanging over the heads of American farmers. Members of Congress had been at odds for years over proposed cuts to the nation’s food stamps program that provides assistance to one of every seven Americans. Last fall, House Republicans had fought to approve a plan to cut $40 billion from SNAP, but it was shot down in the Senate.

This farm bill will cut the program by $8 billion over 10 years – about a 1 percent reduction. Some of the eligibility requirements also will be raised.

nnn Much of the savings in the food stamps program will come from the closure of what is known as the “heat and eat” loophole. This loophole allowed some states to artificially increase benefit levels when heating assistance is provided through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Illinois is not among the 17 states that are targeted by this reform. Continued on 424

AG Mag

4Continued from 41 The most significant piece of the $956 billion Agriculture Act of 2014 for farmers is the transformation of the agricultural safety net from one based on direct payments to a strengthened crop insurance system. The heavily criticized $5 billion direct payments program that gave subsidies to farmers whether they grew crops or not was eliminated. In return, $7 billion will be added to the crop insurance program, now the key to farmers’ financial security. The crop insurance gains were clearly the biggest win for farmers, said Adam Nielsen, director of national legislation and policy development for Illinois Farm Bureau. “Crop insurance was targeted by many groups on both sides of the aisle, and it survived intact,” Nielsen said. However, given the timing of the bill’s passage, insurance changes will not be implemented until 2015. Two new insurance programs are included: agriculture risk coverage, which will cover some losses before more extensive crop insurance begins; and price loss coverage, which sets specific target prices for different crops. If actual prices fall below those targets, farmers will be covered. Emily Pratt, crop insurance specialist for 1st Farm Credit Services and a representative on the new Agriculture Advisory Com-

What’s in the farm bill?

The five-year farm bill sets policy for SNAP (food stamps) and farm programs.

Where the money goes Costs in billions, over 10 years SNAP (food stamps), nutrition

$756.4 Crop insurance

89.8

Philip Marruffo/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Pigs gather around their feed on a cold winter day at a farm in Whiteside County. mittee of Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, said she was happy with the bill’s focus on strengthening the crop insurance system. “We survived the worst drought in our nation’s history because farmers took it upon themselves to insure their crops,” said Pratt, based in Rock Falls. “We were able to avoid a lot of turbulence in the economy without the help of ad hoc programs.” Pratt said she was relieved to learn that the changes will not be put in until next year. “We were getting anxious, wondering how quickly we could set up the crop insurance programs,” she said. The deadline for corn and soybean enrollment usually is March 15, but because that is a Saturday this year, it will be extended until March 17.

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It is estimated that the bill will bring $23 billion in federal spending cuts. The three biggest priorities the Illinois Farm Bureau had set for the bill came to fruition, Nielsen said. “We wanted to protect and enhance crop insurance, have choice in commodities programs, and see the conservation programs streamlined but maintained,” he said. “We got all of those things, so we’re very happy with this bill.” The direct payments for better crop insurance was a trade-off most farmers supported. “I think most farmers are in agreement that the direct payments could go,” said Donna Jeschke, a Grundy County farmer who is a former president of Illinois Corn Producers and now serves on Kinzinger’s ag

Other*

8.1 Total $956 billion

Conservation

57.6 Commodity programs

44.5

Highlights • Cuts SNAP by $8 billion, commodities by $14.3 billion • Increases crop insurance by $5.7 billion • Ends $4.5 billion a year in direct payments to farmers whether they farmed or not • Limits how much an individual farmer can receive in loans, payments • Ends dairy price supports; farmers can buy insurance that pays out when milk price gets too close to feed costs *Includes forestry programs, rural development, farmers markets promotion, organic agriculture research Source: Congressional Budget Office, AP Graphic: Judy Treible © 2014 MCT

committee. “We feel that having a strong crop insurance program gives us a good risk management program.” Continued on 434

4Continued from 42 Nielsen said that everything except dairy and regulatory issues were a done deal before the holiday break in December. Without a deal by the end of January, decades-old milk support laws could have kicked in that farmers warned could cause milk prices to spike to $8 a gallon. A compromise sets up a dairy insurance program that offers protection against the huge fluctuations in feed prices that have challenged dairy farmers. Small dairy farms will catch a break on premiums. The government is authorized to address oversupply problems by purchasing dairy products for local food banks. Renee Sheaffer, a Lee County dairy farmer, sells raw milk privately. She would have been one of the few dairy farmers to benefit from $8 milk. “My milk sells for about $5 a gallon, so that probably would have helped me,” Sheaffer said. “At that price, though, demand for milk would really go down, and I’m not sure that’s good for anybody.” Nielsen said the bill offered several benefits. “Farmers needed a bill that is updated for today’s needs versus a farm bill that was developed in 2006 and 2007,” he said. “This bill will result in a deficit

reduction that all taxpayers can benefit from.” One disappointment came in the area of federal regulatory policies. The Illinois Pork Producers Association and other livestock groups had urged Congress to change its mandatory countryof-origin labeling (COOL) law to avoid tariffs that could be imposed on U.S. pork by Canada and Mexico. The labeling law could still be dealt with, but many hoped it would be part of the farm bill. “There was no appetite for regulatory reform,” Nielsen said. “We were hoping COOL would be resolved, but it didn’t surprise me that Congress left it out.” The most significant regulatory win could be the creation of a permanent subcommittee within the EPA Science Advisory Board. The panel will conduct reviews of agency actions considered to have a negative impact on agriculture. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program will for the first time receive mandatory funding. The voluntary conservation program provides financial and technical assistance to producers who sign contracts of up to 10 years. The Livestock Disaster Assistance Program was made permanent in this farm bill. Its benefits also were made retroactive to 2012. The farm bill includes an amendment

sponsored by U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, to track the impact on agriculture of upgrades to river transportation infrastructure, including the aging locks and dams along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. “Waterway infrastructure is a vital component in our agriculture markets, and this amendment will strengthen the case for investments in river transportation improvement projects,” said Bustos, a member of the House Agriculture Committee. A bill that ends the business uncertainty for farmers is long overdue, the 17th district congresswoman said. “While not perfect, I’m encouraged that Democrats and Republicans have finally come together to pass a farm bill that will protect our region’s economy and critical nutrition programs,” Bustos said. Kinzinger, R-Channahon, realizes that farmers must have parameters for running their businesses, and they need a strong arsenal for fighting the unknowns. “Ask any farmer, and he will tell you that being able to plan ahead to future harvests is crucial to his business,” Kinzinger said. This bill gives Illinois farmers the certainty they need to do that, while strengthening our farm safety net, and helping protect farmers against natural disasters.”

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Ag community keeping an eye on Springfield Budget, taxes, ethanol top farmers’ list of concerns BY PAM EGGEMEIER For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Budgetary constraints, income taxes, and renewable fuels are key state issues that farmers are eyeing in 2014. Ag producers are anxious to see the fiscal year 2015 budget plan that was expected from Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn in late February. Preliminary numbers show a budget shortfall of about $2 billion for 2015. That deficit could approach $4 billion by fiscal year 2016 if the Legislature does not extend a temporary income tax increase that is set to expire at the end of this year. In January 2011, a bill was passed to raise the income tax on individuals to 5 percent, up from 3 percent. The rationale for the tax was that it was needed in the short term to pay down a backlog of state bills. The tax has padded the state’s general fund to the tune of about $7.2 billion a year. Lawmakers would have to vote to extend the tax, not something they would prefer to do with elections looming in November. Making things more difficult for Quinn is that although the tax increase sunsets at the beginning of 2015, the new fiscal year begins this coming July 1. “The government must by law build the budget on current legislation,” said Kevin Semlow, director of state legislation for Illinois Farm Bureau. “If this sunsets in January 2015, the governor won’t have that money for half of a fiscal year.”

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Gov. Pat Quinn speaks during a visit to Sterling on Sept. 22, 2013. Farmers fear that a larger budget deficit could bring the governor’s ax to a variety of ag programs. “We’re still looking at broader issues such as pensions, school funding, budget and the temporary tax,” Bureau County Farm Bureau Manager Jill Frueh said. “Less money could bring cuts to inspection programs, Extension programs, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts, as well as fee increases.” In November, the EPA proposed to lower the amount of renewable fuels in gasoline, setting off a whirlwind of lobbying activity at the local level and in Washington. Included would be ethanol, biodiesel, and cellulosic biofuels. The proposed rule has sent fear into grain and energy markets, and threatened the stability of investments with

biofuels producers. “We’ve really been gearing up for our efforts against the EPA proposal,” Frueh said. Those efforts include an Illinois Farm Bureau petition drive that warns of the damage the EPA cutbacks could do to ethanol and biodiesel industries. Jim Rapp, who raises corn north of Princeton, is District IV director of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. He also is an investor in Patriot Renewable Fuels in Annawan. He has been heavily involved in efforts to defeat the EPA proposal. “We’ve sent out emails, news releases, and encouraged people to contact EPA to tell them how important ethanol is to the American farmers,” Rapp said. Robocalls from the Illinois Petroleum Institute are circulating that tell people that ethanol is bad for their cars and it is responsible for rising food prices, Rapp said. “These guys have a lot of money, and they are known to tell some tall tales,” Rapp said. “Ethanol has enabled me and my two sons to sell crop for a profit. We need to keep that market strong.” Some other issues fall into the category of private property rights, Semlow said. “Farmers want some consistency with the regulations for energy-related property rights, especially gas pipelines and wind farms,” Semlow said. Uniformity is also sought in how commissioners set weight limits for roads.

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Whiteside County cougar examined by wildlife pathologists By Northern Illinois Ag Mag staff

After a cougar was discovered on a Whiteside County farm on Nov. 20 and euthanized by a state conservation police officer, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) sent the animal to wildlife pathologists seeking some answers. Was it a healthy animal? What had it been eating? And just what was it doing so far from its typical territory? Experts at the Chicago-based University of Illinois Zoological Pathology Program (ZPP), which is part of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in Urbana and its Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, were called in because they had performed a similar examination on a cougar shot in Chicago in April 2008. “The opportunity to examine this individual allows us to learn as much as we can about the health status of cougars in our region,” said Dr. Karen Terio, a veterinary pathologist on faculty in the ZPP. Terio works on a wide variety of wild

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A conservation officer shot a cougar near Lyndon Road southeast of Morrison on Nov. 20. It was the first time an Illinois Department of Natural Resources officer has killed a cougar. species but has particular expertise in wild cats. She conducted a necropsy – the animal equivalent of an autopsy – on the cougar. “Part of what we do as wildlife pathologists contributes directly to wildlife conservation and ecosystem health,” she said. “By investigating how disease

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impacts individual animals, threats to populations can be mitigated or better managed.” Officials at IDNR have released some details of Terio’s report on the Whiteside County cougar. The animal was a male, weighing 123 pounds and estimated to be 2 to 3 years old. His recent diet consisted of native wildlife. Additional test results, including a genetic analysis that could identify where he originated, are pending. According to IDNR, cougars, also known as mountain lions, were extirpated from Illinois before 1870 and are not protected by the Illinois Wildlife Code. While there is no evidence that a resident breeding population exists in Illinois, occasional transient cougars have been found in the state in recent years. “Cougars are becoming more common in this part of the country,” Terio said. “This individual may have been part of the normal dispersal of freeranging wildlife. As the population in the West grows, more individuals are migrating to the East.”

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AG Mag

Farmers Forum with matt mencarini/Northern illinois Ag Mag

Just like farmers have different approaches to agriculture and different equipment and different crops, they’ve found themselves as farmers for different reasons. We asked five local farmers when and why they knew they wanted to be a farmer.

Reid Johnson

Doug Keuhl.

Kyle Sheaffer

Jim Sheaffer

Cliff Pfundstein

Reid Johnson

with tractors as a little kid, it’s what I always wanted to do. I rode in tractors with dad as a kid and always liked it.”

“I believe I just decided my first year of college [at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville]. I had kind of decided to go into the agriculture field. And in college, I for sure decided that’s what I wanted to do.”

Jim Sheaffer

40, farms 2,500 acres southwest of Prophetstown

Doug Kuehl

59, farms 550 acres to the west of Morrison “I probably knew all along. When I got out of high school, that’s pretty much what I wanted to do. I went to college for 4 years and came back and tried to start farming right way.”

Kyle Sheaffer

35, farms 2,600 acres between Dixon and Polo with his father, Jim Sheaffer “I guess because I grew up on a farm and I played

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67, farms 2,600 acres between Dixon and Polo with his son, Kyle Sheaffer “I always tell people that I was still crawling when I decided that. I always wanted to be a farmer – it was no question. As a kid, I liked to farm because I could drive a tractor.”

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AG Mag

Pork promoter Philip Marruffo/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Todd Dail looks over piglets at a nursery on his hog farm in Erie. Dail has been named the new president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association. Dail, who has served 2 years as president-elect of the organization, was elected to a 1-year term at this year’s Illinois Park Expo, Feb. 4-5 in Peoria.

Erie farmer rises to president of state pork producers By KATHLEEN A. SCHULTZ For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

He has a passion for pigs and the people who raise them. Erie pork producer Todd Dail is the new president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association. After serving 2 years as presidentelect, Dail was elected to the 1-year term at this year’s Illinois Pork Expo,

held Feb. 4 and 5 in Peoria. “I want to be accessible to all pork producers in Illinois, if they have any concerns or suggestions for their association,” Dail said in an IPPA news release announcing his new position. “I joined IPPA to help further promote pork and educate people about pork production. Consumers have become

farther and farther removed from the farm and understand less and less about what happens on a modern-day hog farm. I like telling my story and having conversations with consumers, to help answer their questions about where their food comes from,” he said. Dail’s just the man for the job. Continued on 494

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4Continued from 48 “He’s very passionate about the pork industry, he’s very dedicated to what he’s doing, and he’s very sincere,” said Tim Maiers, IPPA’s director of public relations. “I think that comes through.” As president, Dail has the usual slate of issues to ride herd on, among them making sure, in these tough economic times, that legislators remember how important the pork industry is to the state and national economy; and lobbying to make sure regulations governing how animals are raised and processed are rooted in sound science, and not based on emotion or misinformation, he said. “We have the animals’ best care in mind,” he said. “We want to take care of them the best way we can.” Speaking of animal care, for about year now, state pig farmers have been dealing with a devastating new strain of porcine epidemic diarrhea, or PED, a virus that causes acute and severe outbreaks of diarrhea and deadly dehydration. It spreads rapidly to pigs of all ages, although suckling piglets are especially susceptible, and their mortality rate is high. People and other animals are not affected. So far, there’s no vaccine, it’s worse in cold weather, and researchers have no idea how the virus, found in pig feces, is spreading from farm to farm.

Philip Marruffo/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Todd Dail looks over hogs at his farm outside Erie. “Consumers have become farther and farther removed from the farm and understand less and less about what happens on a modern-day hog farm,” said Dail, who says he joined the Illinois Pork Producers Association to promote the industry and educate people about it. Dail said the IPPA, in conjunction with the National Pork Producers Board, will work hard to promote research into the disease, and to keep

pork producers up to date on the best ways to protect their herd. Continued on 504

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4Continued from 49 He has his work cut out for him, but Dail is no stranger to the IPPA. This is the beginning of his third term on the board, on which he has served 6 years as an atlarge director. He has also been chairman of its marketing committee and its industry services committee. Todd Dail He has has been a delegate to the National Pork Forum and has made several legislative trips to Washington, D.C. He’s also a 2008 graduate of the National Pork Board Pork Leadership Academy. Dail also serves on the Prophetstown Mutual Farmers Insurance board of directors and is the representative for the Sauk Valley Co-op on the MidWest Co-op board of directors. All that, and he actively farms with his dad, Max Dail, and his brother-inlaw, Alberto Olvera; their hog operation is Dail Farms Inc. They have a 1,000-sow farrow-to-finish farm, with a site in Sterling and one in Erie. They also raise 850 acres of corn, and the family does all of their own feed milling and trucking. Dail, 45, grew up on the farm in Erie, raising pigs as one of his FFA projects, which contributed to his receiving his state FFA degree. After graduating

Todd Dail steps out of a feed truck at his farm outside Erie.

About the IPPA Illinois Pork Producers Association President Todd Dail is eager to hear comments, ideas and concerns from his constituency; email him at todddail@icloud.com or reach him through the IPPA website, www.ilpork.com. The IPPA represents more than 2,900 pork producers throughout Illinois and the Illinois pork industry, which contributes more than $1.8 billion and more than 10,500 jobs to the state’s economy. It is comprised of county pork producer groups in about 20 counties throughout the state, and is an affiliate of the National Pork Producers Council and the National Pork Board. In addition to Dail, the 2014 IPPA officers are President-Elect Curt Zehr of Washington; Vice President and Treasurer Bob Frase of Fairbury; and Secretary Jason Propst of Toledo. from Erie High School in 1986, Dail served in the Navy for 5 years before he got an ag economics degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in 1996. After graduation, he worked for DeKalb Swine

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Breeders in DeKalb and then was an ag loan officer at Sauk Valley Bank in Sterling. But the pull of the pigs was just too strong, and he returned to the family farm in 2003. That, and “My dad wanted

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Philip Marruffo/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

to semi retire, and he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Dail said. Now he and his wife, Rebecca, and 15-year-old daughter, Andrea, live close to his parents on the Erie farm. Rebecca is Dail Farms’ office manager. “Pork production has provided me an opportunity to be a viable partner in my family’s farm and raise my daughter in the community where I grew up,” Dail said. “I have enjoyed my time on the IPPA board. I have met so many pork producers who are just as passionate as I am about farming. “We love what we do and we want to make sure the family farm legacy continues for future family farmers. I look forward to the opportunity to serve Illinois pork producers.”

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New Year’s resolutions for pets? For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

It wasn’t that long ago when many of us were thinking about New Year’s resolutions, especially those relating to diet and exercise. But while you were thinking about changing some habits for yourself, did you remember to think about changing your pet’s lifestyle, too? Though Fido and Felix won’t have to fit into bikinis in a few months, it is important for their health that those extra pounds come off. Pet obesity is an alltoo-common problem that contributes to life-threatening and life-shortening conditions such as cancer, heart disease, joint problems and more. Kim Knap, a certified veterinary technician and a certified canine rehabilitation practitioner at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana, offers these guidelines on determining whether your pet should trim down and implementing an exercise regimen that could help. “To test whether your pet may have a weight problem, look down at your pet from above. You should be able to see a waistline where the body goes in between the rib cage and the hips. When you look from the side, you

should see a tucked abdomen,” she said. “If your pet has lots of fur that makes this visual test difficult, run your hands through the fur. You should easily feel the ribs without a layer of fat.” If your pet failed this test and you think extra weight may be a problem, call this to the attention of your veterinarian before embarking on an exercise program or change in diet. “A routine veterinary check-up before beginning an exercise regimen is very important,” Knap advises. “Your veterinarian can run basic blood work and hormone levels and can ensure that your pet doesn’t have any underlying medical, musculoskeletal or neurologic issues that could limit exercise.” After obtaining a clean bill of health from your veterinarian, you are ready to decide what activity you’ll begin. In addition to running and walking, there are a variety of games you can play with your pet. “Fetch, Frisbee, chase, and hide and seek are all great games to engage your dog in,” Knap recommends. Making games like these high-energy can keep your dog interested and make onceboring exercise into something fun for

both of you. And we can’t forget our feline friends – some cats are extremely playful, and might be just as interested in a game of fetch or chase as dogs. Finding a few toys that are particularly interesting to your cat could be the key to get him moving in between cat naps. But remember to take it easy when introducing an exercise regimen. “Start off with just five minutes of exercise daily, increasing gradually based on how well you and your pet tolerate the activity,” Knap advises. If your pet has special health conditions, or you need help integrating exercise into your dog’s routine, there are plenty of options and people who can help. Knap runs a program called “Shape up, Pup!” to help owners develop practical, individualized plans to safely achieve and maintain ideal body weight for their pets. This program and others like it have special equipment, such as doggy treadmills, that make exercise more fun for your pet. For further information about your pet’s ideal weight and exercising with your animals, talk to your local veterinarian.

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‘Meat’-ing the challenge Becky Kramer/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Members of the Marshall-Putnam counties 4-H Meats Judging Team practice their judging skills prior to their next competition. Pictured are (from left) Samantha Bessler, Caroline Downey, coach Debbie Leigh, and Samantha Rediger. The team placed first in the state in last year’s contest.

Marshall-Putnam 4-H team has state title By Terri Simon For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

The meat counter at your local grocery store might seem a bit overwhelming to the untrained eye. Which steak looks the best? Which roast has the perfect amount of marbling? Which pork chop will produce that savory homestyle meal that your family will enjoy? But three Putnam and Marshall

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county youths might be the go-to girls if you need an answer to one of those questions. Samantha Bessler, Samantha Rediger and Caroline Downey make up the Marshall-Putnam counties 4-H Meats Judging Team, and the three young ladies hold the title as the No. 1 meats judging team in the state of Illinois. Debbie Leigh of rural Minonk in Mar-

shall County is the team’s coach, and her experience has helped her youthful team members excel. Under the leadership of Dr. Tom Carr, Leigh competed as a member of the University of Illinois 1980 Meats Judging Team, which traveled around the country to collegiate meats-judging events. Continued on 544

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large risk lurking in the market… covering the high cost of inputs. It’s no secret that the AG boom has resulted in increases to the cost of seed, fertilizer, and especially land. We are now near or below breakeven levels for many producers across the Midwest. That doesn’t mean we are at rock bottom yet though, these price shakedowns can last through an entire growing season if the weather is favorable. This squeeze on margins has forced many farmers to rely on their insurance guarantee to ensure a profit. With December corn and November soybean prices trading near contract lows, it’s hard to get excited about a strong revenue guarantee. At AgYield we believe the spring insurance price and policy coverage is the first and most important choice for your marketing plan, it gives certainty and flexibility to selling your crop. With that there are many questions to ask during this time. Does my insurance policy truly protect my profitability? Do I need to increase my policy coverage? Do I need to make more cash sales on top of my insurance policy? Are puts a better decision? The truth is no one strategy fits all and what your neighbor does may not be in your best interest. For example, take a farmer who goes with a 70% insurance policy with the harvest exclusion. He may be a better candidate to supplement his insurance with put options since he needs more downside price protection but can’t count on that harvest readjustment to kick in if he has a yield loss and prices skyrocket as we saw in 2012. He also might be better off buying a better level of insurance protection. A farmer who buys a Cadillac policy may take a totally opposite approach and with more certainty of achieving a profit. The fact is the easy money appears to be over and it’s time to go back to work marketing. The next few years will likely separate the active farm marketers from the inattentive. Putting together a strategy without knowing how it will affect your operation can have severe consequences in today’s markets. AgYield combines your insurance, cash sales, futures/options, and unsold bushels to show how all of these pieces affect your bottom line at multiple yield and price scenarios.

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CONTINUED FROM 52 “About 12 years ago, my boys became involved in Marshall-Putnam 4-H,” Leigh said. “Our 4-H club leader, Dick Hahn, asked me if I would coach a county meats judging team.” The rest is history. The county meats judging team began in 2003. Members attend practice sessions to learn how to judge meats and identify retail (grocery store) cuts of meat. From there, those team members are eligible to compete at the Illinois State 4-H Meats Judging Contest. Leigh said the skills learned and the competition afford 4-H members a host of perks, including gaining life skills such as making choices based on their own observations; learning how to choose the best cuts of meat at the grocery; having fun as they test their knowledge at the state contest; as well as possible scholarship offers for team members. The girls have a good mentor in Leigh. She said she uses the skills she learned at the University of Illinois to further their knowledge. Team practice begins in mid-January. The team tries to practice once a week to prepare for the state 4-H contest, which is held the first Saturday in March. So, how difficult could it be? Most of

us can identify a good steak, pork chop or other cut of meat, can’t we? Well, it’s not that simple. “Practices ... consist of a retail cut identification portion, judging and beef quality, and yield grading,” Leigh said. “For ID, we look at flashcards, CDs and websites with photos of the cuts. There is quite a bit of memorization for this. “For judging, we look at websites with meat judging classes and discuss how to rank each class. For quality grading, we look at photos of the marbling (flecks of fat in the meat), which is one of the factors that determines the grade of the top cuts of beef. Yield grading involves math and estimating the leanto-fat ratio.” Once the state competition arrives, Leigh said, the contest is more difficult than it sounds. “There are three main sections of the contest: Judging, retail cut identification and beef yield and quality grading,” she said. “The judging portion of the contest involves placing classes of four of one kind of cut from most desirable to least desirable. “The retail cut ID part of the contest requires the 4-Her to identify the retail name, the species of animal and wholesale cut, and the type of cut, such as steak, chop, roast or slice for each retail cut. The yield and quality grading portion requires that the

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4-Hers calculate a value for the lean meat percentage of the carcass and determine whether the carcass grades prime, choice or select. The grading portion of the contest was added to the Illinois State 4-H contest a few years ago when it was first held in conjunction with the state FFA contest, and follows state FFA rules.” The Marshall-Putnam 4-H Meats Judging Team competes alongside high school FFA teams from across the state – all of them vying for the state FFA title. The event is held at the Meat Science Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus in the cold meat cooler, which, Leigh said, gets “quite crowded.” In 2013, the year the MarshallPutnam team brought home the title, there were 30 retail cuts to identify, six beef carcasses to yield and quality grade, and five classes to judge, which consisted of beef carcasses, pork carcasses, beef ribs, pork hams and rib eye steaks. Leigh said it’s really been a pleasure to work with the youthful team. Bessler placed fourth individually in the state contest; Rediger placed seventh; and Downey placed second. “They are a fun group,” Leigh said. “I’m grateful to their parents for sending me such awesome kids! They deserve every success they achieve.”

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New study: Corn ethanol reduces carbon emissions By Northern Illinois Ag Mag staff

Corn ethanol is emitting fewer greenhouse gases at a time that crude oil and fracking are creating a greater carbon intensity. That’s the finding of a new study conducted by Life Cycle Associates, an independent business and environmental consulting company with experience in alternative fuels, fuel production processes, fuel certification, delivery logistics, and environmental impacts. The study compared greenhouse gas emission reductions of corn ethanol, crude oil production and fracking. It found that carbon impacts associated with crude oil production continue to worsen as more marginal sources of fuel are introduced into the fuel supply. According to the report, “As the average carbon intensity of petroleum is gradually increasing, the carbon intensity of corn ethanol is declining. Corn ethanol producers are motivated by

economics to reduce the energy inputs and improve product yields.” The study, commissioned by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), found that average corn ethanol reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 32 percent compared to average petroleum in 2012. This estimate includes prospective emissions from indirect land use change (ILUC) for corn ethanol. When compared to marginal petroleum sources like tight oil from fracking and oil sands, average corn ethanol reduces GHG emissions by 37percent to 40 percent. As more unconventional crude oil sources enter the U.S. oil supply, and as corn ethanol production processes become even more efficient, the carbon impacts of ethanol and crude oil will continue to diverge. The study predicts that by 2022, average corn ethanol reduces GHG emissions by 43 percent to 60 percent compared to petroleum. “The majority of unconventional fuel

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sources emit significantly more GHG emissions than both biofuels and conventional fossil fuel sources,” according to the study. “The biggest future impacts on the U.S. oil slate are expected to come from oil sands and fracking production.” In the absence of biofuels, “… significant quantities of marginal oil would be fed into U.S. refineries, generating corresponding emissions penalties that would be further aggravated in the absence of renewable fuel alternatives.” The study also reveals several fundamental flaws with the GHG analysis conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the expanded Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) regulations. Just one example: corn ethanol was already determined to reduce GHG emissions by 21 percent compared to gasoline in 2005, according to the analysis. Yet, the EPA’s analysis for the RFS2 assumes corn ethanol GHG reductions won’t reach 21 percent until 2022.

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Farm girls with a dream

have been asked from time to time throughout my 15 years as a Farm Bureau manager to comment on women’s roles in agriculture. Most often, the questions are pretty general about the subject matter. But as I survey the industry, the real change I have seen is the number of women in professional fields and promoting agricultural in general. As I see it, the change has been coming for quite some time. Like so many other farm girls, I was the girl who farmed with toy tractors and Barbies and who earned spending money walking beans for my dad. My most fond memories of growing up almost always encompass agriculture. From my sisters and I racing our horses across the hay field to riding along with my dad as he shipped pigs to the Peoria Stockyards, I always had the same goal: I wanted to be involved in agriculture. My sisters and I were very involved in 4-H and FFA. These organizations have prepared so many kids for the real world. Of course, we learned how to plan, prepare and exhibit our projects through record keeping and with

JILL FRUEH Manager of the Bureau County Farm Bureau

a lot of help from our parents. And we polished our communication skills through speech contests and demonstrations. We also learned the value of hard work and determination, and we discovered true satisfaction when we saw a project through to the end and achieved success. These youth organizations surely had a role in the change of women’s roles in agriculture. Looking back, there were just as many girls in my 4-H club as boys. And the girls serving as FFA officers outnumbered the boys. Empowerment of youth saw no gender boundaries as girls and boys competed on the same level. We were 4-H members and FFA members all with the same goal: To stay involved in agriculture. Fast forward to today. Farm Bureau,

along with many other agricultural organizations, are still working hard to educate their members and to enhance the quality of life on the farm. These organizations also have taken steps to further ensure that women are part of agriculture production while being armed with valuable information. For the past three years, the county Farm Bureaus in the northwestern part of Illinois have teamed up with other sponsors in Iowa and Illinois to host the Women in Agriculture conference. Again this year, the conference will be held at Jumer’s Casino and Hotel in Rock Island on March 21. Women who are actively farming, working in the industry or married to a farmer will benefit from this educational conference. New this year is a bonus Thursday evening where husbands and other guests are invited to hear our keynote speaker, Dr. Ron Hanson, agribusiness professor from the University of Nebraska. Dr. Hanson will be on hand to discuss farm continuation and the legacy of the family farm. CONTINUED ON 57

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CONTINUED FROM 56 Dr. Hanson will be on-site Friday, too, in addition to numerous breakout sessions for women offering information on subjects important to the farming operation. For more information or to register for the conference, please visit the website (www.womeninagricultureconference.com). New this year, a group of Bureau County agencies, organizations and businesses have begun to team up to offer educational seminars to women involved in agriculture on a local level. The new Lady Landowner group is still in the planning phases while they survey a list of Bureau County ladies, but it is the hope of the group that locally-supported seminars will take place at least once a year to help educate women landowners about the land they own and the industry of which they are so much a part. Women interested in participating in the group are asked to contact the Bureau County Farm Bureau. As consumers continue to look for information about where and how their food is grown and raised, Illinois Farm Families, supported by many of the agricultural commodity groups in Illinois, have created a new program helping urban moms get their questions about food answered. Known as “Field Moms,” participants — all Chicago-area moms with young children — visit different Illi-

Goldie Currie/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Bureau County Farm Bureau Manager Jill Frueh (standing) leads a Bureau County Lady Landowners meeting in Princeton. nois farms throughout the year to learn more about real farm families and what farmers do on their farms, first hand. As part of the program they are asked questions about food and farming topics they see on the news. In nearly every case, the Field Moms are greeted by Farm Moms — farm women and agricultural professionals, who ride along with the Field Moms on the bus or even offer tours of their own farms. To learn more about Illinois Farm Families’ Field Moms, check out their website at www.watchusgrow.org to visit

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their blogs, where they share what they see and hear on Illinois farms. Today, more than ever, women are playing key roles on farms. From managing the books to advocating for agriculture and even making the main decisions on their farms, they’re playing leading roles. But this really is nothing new. The fact is that women have always had a role in agriculture. But because of the great work from many organizations and the determination of those farm girls with a dream, those roles continue to change and adapt to current needs over time.

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A Case of family history Local tractor, family featured in Classic Farm Tractor Calendar By Goldie Currie For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Photo contributed

After many years of work, the finished 1935 Case Model CC tractor is picture perfect â&#x20AC;&#x201C; perfect enough to be included in the Classic Tractor Calendar for 2014.

58 Spring 2014

When local tractor enthusiasts flip through their 2014 edition of the Classic Farm Tractors calendar, they might recognize the stunning 1935 Case Model CC on the June page. The tractor belongs to Gerald and Joyce Linker of Malden in Bureau County, who were among 12 families chosen to showcase their pride and joy in the 25th edition of the calendar. The Linkers say their son, Steve, deserves most of the credit for this notable opportunity: He is the one who took the challenge to restore the tractor from its once-despairing state. Continued on 594

CONTINUED FROM 58 While it took several years and much dedication to complete the daunting project, Steve says it was worth every dime spent, every short-cut avoided, and every minute drained. “It means an awful lot. I couldn’t be happier and more proud for my family,” he said. “My dad is really the one who kept me in it all these years.” While the farm machine is considered a unique and attractive piece, especially with its rare original orange color, it was the story behind the tractor that prompted John Harvey to call the Linker family to ask that the tractor be a part of his well-known calendar. The Case tractor was bought brand new by Gerald’s father, Bill, in 1935. He sold the tractor in 1955 to a Roscoe couple, Harold and Marion Lines. The family farmed with the tractor in Illinois and Wisconsin until they retired it years later. The tractor sat on their farm until 1998, when Marion’s brother, Harold Steele of Dover, discovered the tractor had once belonged to Gerald’s father. Steele just happens to also be a distant cousin of Joyce Linker. Meaning, the tractor unknowingly stayed in the Linker family through the marriage of Joyce and Gerald. When the restoration was complete, the Linkers invited Marion to visit their farm to see the tractor. Marion, who was 97 years old, was hesitant because

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This 1988 photo shows how the 1935 Case Model CC tractor looked before it was refurbished. of her poor health at the time. With the help of her family, however, she made the trip from Rockford. When she saw the tractor, she jumped out of her wheelchair and walked right up to get a better look. It was the first time her family had seen her walk in a long time. The Linkers were also interviewed and filmed for a documentary that shares the story of each tractor on the 2014 calendar. The documentary is to be aired on TV. “There’s a million antique tractors in the country, and to be one in 12 selected – to me it’s a pretty big deal,” Steve said.

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He says his biggest motivation to keep the restoration going was his father. He said when Gerald was battling health issues, he moved back home and figured he could do something to allow one more ride for his father. “All I could do was try,” he said. “Dad taught me what I know, and I told him I guess what you taught me is what you’re going to get. It’s turned out awesome. He’s pretty happy; we couldn’t be any happier.” The Linkers’ tractor was restored in memory of Betty Linker and Margie Steele, Harold’s late wife.

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Specialty crops granted For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Illinois will receive nearly $540,000 through the federal Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. The funds will be split between 12 projects that are intended to expand the availability of fresh, locally-grown produce and strengthen the state’s specialty crop industry. “Illinois’ fertile soil and favorable climate are good for growing a wide variety of crops,” Illinois Agriculture Director Bob Flider said. “These grants will help encourage additional production and expand access to nutritious, locally-grown fruits and vegetables.” While best known for growing corn and soybeans, Illinois is the largest producer of pumpkins and horseradish in the nation and ranks among the Top 10 states in the production of other specialty crops such as asparagus, cauliflower, green peas and lima beans.

Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. The state devotes more than 117,000 acres of farmland to growing specialty crops, which produce nearly $137 million in sales for Illinois farmers. A list of the grant recipients and a brief description of their projects are: • Partner with the Illinois Specialty Growers Association to increase training opportunities for Illinois specialty crop growers. The training will emphasize food safety requirements. • Increase local specialty crop sales at designated grocery stores and farmers’ markets by implementing the “Illinois Where Fresh is ...” marketing campaign. CONTINUED ON 61

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4Continued from 60 • Partner with WBBM-TV, a subsidiary of CBS Inc. (CBS Community Partnership Division), to provide a targeted, multimedia campaign that focuses on the importance and availability of locally-grown specialty crops. • Partner with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance to obtain commitments from chefs to make at least 10 percent of their food purchases from local specialty crop growers. This will be accomplished, in part, by developing a pilot project that allows restaurants to procure local food online and by organizing chef-farmer networking events. • Partner with the Land Connection to develop a marketing plan for specialty crop growers that utilizes social media and provide monthly social media starter kits during the growing season that offer specific content that farmers can use as-is to market their produce. • Partner with the Ag in Progress Partnership to create an educational program that teaches FFA members about the importance of honeybees to specialty crop pollination. • Partner with Experimental Station to teach lowincome, urban residents how to grow, prepare and enjoy Illinois specialty crops. The program will include in-school, after-school and summer educational programming through the 61st Street Farmers Market.

• Partner with the Gary Comer Youth Center to educate urban children about the nutritional value of specialty crops and provide these children an opportunity to participate in urban agriculture through the development of a roof-top farm. • Partner with the IAA Foundation to help students make a connection between the foods they eat and the farmers who grow them by creating a new Pumpkins Ag Mag and distributing it for use in the classroom. • Partner with the University of Illinois to identify optimum varieties and planting dates for the vertical production of hydroponic strawberries in high tunnels. Results of the study will be shared through presentations, field days and newsletters. • Partner with the Horseradish Growers of Illinois to improve the size, color, root rot and taste of horseradish through the use of newlyobtained germplasm materials from Eastern Europe. • Partner with Southern Illinois University, the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association and Shawnee Hills Wine-Grape Association to improve the sustainability of vineyard floor management. The project will research new cultural and biological under-vine management tools, such as various mulches, compost, and fertilization; grower reluctance to adopt new soil management methods; and the value consumers place on sustainability of vineyard cultural practices.

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AG Mag

Index of Advertisers Ace Hardware & Outdoor CTR... 37

First State Bank of Shannon....... 24

Pioneer Hi-Bred Int’l ...................... 48

Ag Yield ...................................... 53

Forreston Mutual Insurance........ 46

PLN Mutual Insurance Company.. 25

Ag View FS, Inc .......................... 54

Galena State Bank ..................... 38

Princeton Insurance Group......... 54

AgriEnergy Resources................ 61

Gold Star FS............................... 31

Prophets Riverview..................... 43

Beck Hybrids .............................. 58

Harry’s Farm Tires ...................... 61

Ray Farm Management.............. 48

Birkey’s Farm Store ...................... 2

Hotsy Equipment Co................... 47

Rediger ....................................... 56

Bocker Excavating...................... 42

Johnson Precision ...................... 36

Rollo Construction ...................... 55

Bogott Plumbing, Inc.................... 50

Kelner Communications ............. 38

Rosengren, John .......................... 6

Bos Farm Repair.......................... 44

Knie Appliance & T.V., Inc........... 14

Rosquist...................................... 44

Bradford Victor Adams Mutual Ins.. 64

Krum Kreations........................... 22

Sauk Valley Bank & Trust ........... 20

Burkardt’s LP Gas ...................... 49

KSB Hospital .............................. 16

Sawicki Motor Company............. 35

Carroll Service Company............ 34

Lee County Tourism Council....... 50

Schmitt Plumbing & Heating....... 49

Bushman’s Service..................... 51

Leffelman & Assoc Inc ................ 40

Schoff Farm Service ................... 57

Central Bank Illinois.................... 55

Leffelman & Sons ....................... 29

S.I. Distributing ........................... 47

CGH Medical Center .................... 7

Leffelman & Sons ....................... 39

Sloan Implement......................... 15

Community State Bank................. 5

M&M Aviation.............................. 46

Sterling Federal Bank................. 63

Cornerstone Agency..................... 8

Michlig Energy, LTD.................... 52

Sterling Futures .......................... 51

Countryside Marketing................ 37

Midwest Bio-Tech ....................... 24

Tipton Auction Service................ 23

Custom Wash One ..................... 59

Milledgeville Farmers Elevator ... 18

V&C Construction....................... 56

Diversified Services.................... 36

Milledgeville State Bank ............. 18

Vaessen Brothers Chevrolet....... 27

Douglas & Frye........................... 52

Milledgeville Vet Clinic ................ 30

Verns Farm Supply, Inc. ............. 26

Eastland Fabrication LLC ........... 34

Moore Tires, Inc.......................... 42

Whiteside Co. Farm Bureau ......... 4

Eastland Feed & Grain ................. 3

Morrison Auto Supply ................. 45

Wick Buildings ............................ 21

Ehrmann, Gelbach, Badger, Lee

NAPA .......................................... 12

Wilcox Construction.................... 17

& Considine, LLC.................... 45

Nutra Flo..................................... 13

Witmer Precision ........................ 19

Elmore Electric, Inc..................... 57

Peabudy’s..................................... 9

Z Best Enterprises, Inc. .............. 30

First Farm Credit Services.......... 48

Peoples National Bank/Kewanee . 60

Zoeller Ag Services..................... 27

First National Bank of Rochelle.... 31

Pinecrest Manor ............................ 28

62 Spring 2014

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Query Insurance Agency, Inc. 330 May Mart Drive, Rochelle 815-562-4152 mail@queryinsurance.com

BRADFORD VICTOR-ADAMS

MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY Member Owned and Operated

Baylor Insurance Agency Lee Center 815-857-2716 rbaylor1@gmail.com

Cornerstone Insurance Agency 102 W. Main, Morrison 815-772-7782 lsandrock@2cornerstone.com

Mel Saad Agency 928 8th Avenue, Erie 309-659-2470 saad@mchsi.com

VanderVinne Agency 127 E. Main St. Morrison 815-772-8900 angievandervinne@yahoo.com

Our Contact Information www.bradfordmutual.com 120 W. South Street Franklin Grove 815-456-2334