WITH BECK’S ROUNDUP READY 2 XTEND ® SOYBEANS, YOU JUST GET MORE. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® is the number one trait platform planted by farmers*. With the weed control provided by a low volatility dicamba formulation and a best-in-class disease package, there’s no doubt in this soybean’s ability to yield.
September 6, 2019
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*Traited acres based on Bayer internal estimates. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW, IRM, WHERE APPLICABLE, GRAIN MARKETING, STEWARDSHIP PRACTICES AND PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS Glyphosate herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Dicamba herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® is a trademark of Bayer Group. Performance may vary.
Farm values stable
Drawing top talent to ag jobs By Martha Blum
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
CHICAGO — Attracting employees from beyond traditional boundaries is important to grow food and agricultural companies. “I think as we go forward one of our biggest challenges is going to be expanding the scope of where we are looking for talent,” said Beth Fannin, Growmark Inc. senior manager of talent acquisition. “We know people with a food and agricultural background. While vital to the success of our indust r y, t here’s not enough of them for the opportunities we have,” Fannin Fannin said during the “Where’s the Workforce? Attracting Talent in a Changing Agri-Food Landscape” event organized by the Illinois AgriFood Alliance. “So, we have to look outside what we typically thought of who belongs in the food and agricultural sector to make sure we’re bringing in the top talent.” Fannin, who was born and raised in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, has lived in the Bloomington area for about the past 10 years. “I am a city girl in a more rural area working in the agricultural industry,” she said. “I manage the recruiting function for Growmark.” The agricultural and food industry needs to do a better job of promoting the opportunities that exist within the sector, Fannin said. “We do not talk enough about the opportunities we have within the tech space,” she said. When people think about working in the food and agricultural industry, they typically focus on farming. “They don’t think about all the other amazing things we’re doing and where their place might be,” Fannin said. In addition, those involved with agriculture should talk about the purpose of the industry. “Millennials want to work for a purpose, and they want to work where they feel like they’re making a difference,” Fannin said. See JOBS, Page A4
SEE SECTION B
INSIDE
Preparing for federal farm inspection A5 Control root nodules to hike soybean yields B8 Raber Packing rises from ashes D7 AgriTrucker D1 Auction Calendar B1
From The Fields A8 Harvest Guide B8
Business D7
Lifestyle C6
Calendar B7
Livestock D2
Classifieds C2
Opinion D6
Farms For Sale C1
Weather A6
Vol. 42 No. 28
CONTACT AGRINEWS: 800-426-9438
Illinois land prices mostly unchanged By Tom C. Doran
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
AGRINEWS PHOTOS/TOM C. DORAN
Tractors and corn pickers of all kinds took turns harvesting during the Half Century of Progress Aug. 22-25 at Rantoul, Illinois. This classic McCormick-Deering one-row tank corn picker was pulled by a Farmall H.
Harvest Brigade Vintage farm show draws huge crowds
“The streak of yearover-year declines in real farmland values was extended to five full years.”
By Tom C. Doran
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
RANTOUL, Ill. — Billed as the “largest vintage farm show,” the Half Century of Progress exceeded expectations when it was held Aug. 22-25 at the Rantoul National Aviation Center. Show co-chair Russell Buhr has been involved with the event since it was initially part of the Farm Progress Show in 2003 at Henning and then moved permanently two years later to the former Chanute Air Force Base where it is held biennially just prior to when the Farm Progress Show is in Decatur. “Everything went well. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and everything went very smoothly,” Buhr said. This year’s theme was the “Harvest Brigade,” and the airport’s 1,192 acres buzzed with farm equipment dating back to the early 20th century through the 1960s. A large contingent of vintage steam engines, tractors, wagons, combines and pickers harvested corn and soybeans on the grounds, tilled and shelled corn. The class of 1969 tractors and equipment also were highlighted during the show and led the Parade of Power on Saturday afternoon.
CHICAGO — There was minimal year-over-year or quarter-to-quarter movement in farmland values in the upper two-thirds of Illinois and Indiana, according to a Seventh Federal Reserve District survey. Overall “good” farmland values were unchanged from April 1 to July 1 and from July 1, 2018, to July 1, 2019, the quarterly report noted. The southeast portion of the Seventh District’s area in Illinois did see a 2% increase in value from the first to the second quarter of this year and a 1% increase compared to a year ago. Illinois’ northwest portion of the district was unchanged year-over-year on average, but had a 2% decline from the first quarter.
David Oppedahl, senor business economist FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF CHICAGO
Once the corn was picked by vintage equipment at the Half Century of Progress Show, it was delivered to nearby classic shelling equipment to be processed for shipping. The corn was planted on the Rantoul airport grounds on May 16.
It took some manpower to get the horsepower cranked up on this 1913 Hart-Parr Model 60. This steam engine was part of about a dozen turnof-the-century tractors that gave plowing demonstrations during the Half See HARVEST, Page A4 Century of Progress.
On average, Iowa’s farmland values declined 2% compared to July 1, 2018, and increased 1% from April 1 to July 1. Farmland values for the district overall, that also includes all of Iowa and Michigan and most of Wisconsin, were down 1% in the second quarter of 2019 from a year earlier. However, values for “good” agricultural land in the district were unchanged from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2019. “After being adjusted for inflation with the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, district farmland values were down 2% in the second quarter of 2019 from the second quarter of 2018; the streak of year-over-year declines in real farmland values was extended to five full years,” said David Oppedahl, Federal Reser ve Bank of Chicago senor business economist. The district second-quarter summary also addressed farm conditions and expectations. See VALUES, Page A4
Connecting points at Becknology Days By Erica Quinlan
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
ATLANTA, Ind. — A large crowd of farmers attended Becknology Days Aug 22-24 in Atlanta to learn about new products and practical farm research. Scott Beck, president of Beck’s Hybrids, said the company’s focus this year revolves around connections. He addressed attendees during the President’s Message each day. “I’ve heard my dad say, ‘You’ll be the same today as you were yesterday except for the books you read and the people you meet,’” Beck said. “We weren’t meant to live in isolation. We’re meant to live in a community. “So, our connections with others are what help us determine our future. It’s not only meet-
ing someone, but it’s the decisions you make based on those connections.” Beck’s has formed strateg ic pa r tAGRINEWS PHOTO/ERICA QUINLAN nerships in several areas, Practical Field Research plots were on display during Becknology Days. Scott Beck especially in seeds a nd products with a 90- to 105-day pany. It’s very significant. The traits. maturity — mostly for the north- work we’ve been doing is now “We have our own breeding ern geography.” going to be incorporated and program in corn germplasm Another important connec- crossed with the work they’ve development,” Beck said. “The tion being enhanced is with been doing. company we partnered with a Bayer Crop Science. “All the details aren’t ironed few years ago is out of France, “With Bayer buying Mon- out yet, but there’s a lot of potencalled RAGT. We cross our ger- santo, it created one of the lar- tial in this relationship.” mplasm with their germplasm. gest corn and soybean germSonny Beck, CEO of Beck’s We’re going deeper within that plasm programs in the world,” Hybrids, said that Beck’s has relationship now. Beck said. had a 9.3% market share growth “We opened up a corn breed“We’re announcing this over the past 10 years. ing station in Olivia, Minnesota. month a long-term germplasm That will be for developing collaboration with that comSee BECK’S, Page A4