FARM
Preparing for a bumpy ride
n Farm machinery sales take a hit, but the industry is working to keep the balance sheet tipped in its favor
By RHIANNON BRANCH FarmWeek
Ag machinery sales are taking a hit as farmers’ balance sheets tighten, but the equipment industry has been preparing for the downturn.
“Over the course of history, the price of corn and the sale of tractors over 40 horsepower tend to track one to one,” Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Senior Vice President Curt Blades told FarmWeek. “And we know corn prices are down right now, so it is to be expected.”
AEM’s August equipment sales report showed total sales of ag tractors in the U.S. dropped 19.4% and combine sales fell 19.6% from a year ago.
Blades said the industry learned some hard lessons from the most recent economic downturn and is better prepared for this next phase in the cycle.
“Manufacturers have been working closely with the dealers to understand what the supply chain needs are and what the market demand is,” he said. “The last thing you want is too much inventory at the
dealer lot because that has a negative impact on the dealer, used prices, and the rural economy.”
A report by Moody’s Ratings suggests the three largest agricultural equipment manufacturers (AGCO Corp., CNH Industrial and Deere & Company) are better positioned to deal with weakening demand compared to the 2014-16 downturn.
“We expect that, even in the face of significant declines in revenue, EBITA (earnings before interest, taxes and amortization) margins in 2024 will remain in the 9-20% range for all three companies, thanks in part to key operational changes, good cost management and more flexible manufacturing processes,” the report said.
The report showed the top three manufacturers are cutting back sharply on production in 2024 to decrease inventory levels in preparation for 2025.
Blades said the manufacturing industry is also focusing on options that farmers want and the variety of advantages they look at when considering equipment.
For example, Blades said this generation of machines is 20% more fuel efficient than the previous generation, allowing farmers to reduce diesel costs.
“Farmers see these as business decisions, not just emotional decisions, and they are investing in technology to make sure that they are as operationally
efficient as they possibly can be to survive those downturns,” Blades said.
Seth Crawford is the general manager of PTx, a business unit of AGCO. He told FarmWeek that investing in companies like Precision Planting and Trimble has helped them remain innovative and focus on farmers’ needs.
“They’re the innovators that feed that dedicated channel which helps us gain traction with those innovations, so it’s a nice reinforcing cycle,” he told FarmWeek. “We’ve been able to operate (PTx) independently, and it’s helped our growth.”
Crawford said the Precision Planting division allows the company to bring technologies to market that help farmers enhance their existing fleet of equipment.
“So they don’t need to make that big capital investment. They can make a small investment with a fast payback that can bring them an almost instant return in one operating cycle,” Crawford said. “And we do that in a scalable way to help the farmers achieve profitability even in the most difficult times.”
This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visitFarmWeekNow.com.
FARM
Illinois ag history speaks volumes
Milestone farms invited to be part of new book
By RUSTY SCHRADER Shaw Local Media
Farm families with deep roots in Illinois aren’t the only ones who have something to be proud of. The program that celebrates them has a milestone to be proud of too, and the people it’s honored through the years are invited to join the celebration.
To commemorate 50 years of the Illinois Centennial Farm program, the Illinois Dept. of Agriculture is working on a new book that will honor the history and heritage of Illinois farms.
Work is underway on “Illinois Historic Farms: Volume II,” a new and expanded edition of the first volume of Illinois farm history that will include both new and updated content, and the team putting it together is looking for input and information from the farmers whose stories will be told in the pages of the upcoming book.
The Dept. of Agriculture is inviting Centennial, Sesquicentennial and Bicentennial farms to submit a profile — up to 300 words — and photo of their farm for free inclusion in the book. Extra photos and longer profiles can be submitted for a fee (see “More info” at right for details on submitting information and buying the book).
According to Acclaim Press, the book’s publisher, Centennial Farm owners have already been mailed information telling them how to be included in the book, but it’s also spreading the word through media outlets and the ag community to make sure no one is overlooked.
The book is a follow-up to 2015’s “Illinois Historic Farms: Volume I,” which featured nearly 1,000 farms. Farms from that book won’t be automatically included in the new publication, so families will need to submit an updated farm profile and photo to be included in the second volume.
The deadline for submissions is Nov. 15, 2024.
The book will feature not only a comprehensive history of the Illinois Centennial Farm program, but a special section showcasing hundreds of award-winning farms in the state, the history of the state’s agriculture by region, an overview of how farm technology has evolved, a complete list of all Illinois Heritage Farms, and more. It’s being written by a team of state historians.
More info
To be included in the book …
The Illinois Centennial Farm Program, launched in 1972, is part of the Illinois Heritage Farms Programs, which honors generations of farmers who’ve maintained family farms (see the “More info” at right for how to qualify for the program).
The Sauk Valley is home to hundreds of Centennial Farms. According to the Dept, of Agriculture’s website, Ogle County has the most, with 164, followed by Lee County with 133, Whiteside with 111, and Carroll County with 87.
To submit farm information and photos, go to acclaimpress.com/ books/illinois-historic-farms-volume-ii/. Brochures with sample farm profiles may be obtained by contacting Acclaim Press at 573-472-9800, illinoisfarmsbook2@acclaimpress.com, or at the website above To order the book … Go to acclaimpress. com/books/illinois-historic-farms-volume-ii/ Centennial Farm Program
To qualify for Centennial Farm status, an agricultural property must have been owned by the same family of lineal (child, grandchild, etc.) or collateral (sibling, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, cousin) descendants for at least 100 years. Go to agr.illinois.gov/ assistance/illinoisfarmprograms/centennialsesquicentennial.html for more info.
Grit. Passion. Support. We understand what it takes to make big dreams a reality. Let’s talk about the protection your farm deserves.
There’s always room to grow
By RHIANNON BRANCH | FarmWeek
High interest rates, elevated input costs and falling commodity prices create barriers for farmers to adopt innovation, but some Illinois producers said you can still dream big with a small budget, including an Ogle County farmer who found a way to overcome and adapt.
McLean County farmer Reid Thompson suggested the phrase “tight margins” is an understatement this year.
“We started looking at 2025 numbers and there is some margin in corn and zero to negative margin for soybeans, depending on rent costs,” he said. “And that just covers operating costs and overhead, not debt service.”
Thompson said while the budget is almost nonexistent, he still looks for ways to innovate.
Innovation doesn’t always mean the latest and greatest in farm equipment. Ogle County farmer Ryan Reeverts climbs aboard his first equipment purchase, a 1981 combine, to begin harvesting his fields. “With these tighter margins it just gets to a position where we’ve got to ... look for new ways to adapt and overcome,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Reeverts
TODAY’S FARM
GROW cont’d from page 19
“Our thought process going into next year is that we’re not going to rule anything out, but any technology we add has to also accompany an efficiency savings,” he said. “Maybe we don’t reduce the costper-acre number in inputs, but we can be more efficient with our nitrogen and our timing.”
Thompson said there is always room for improvement, but with smaller margins, farmers must look at where they can spend a little bit of money and get a large return.
“Instead of spending $1 and get $2 back, where can I spend $1 and get $10 back?” he asked. “That’s the mindset you have to go into this year with. You can’t stop (innovating) because once you stop, the gap to catch back up is going to cost you even more.”
Corn and soybean farmer Scott Harris has also continued to innovate despite tighter margins.
The Johnson County farmer told FarmWeek that rain early in the growing season hindered yields this year, so Harris is thinking of ways to minimize that impact in the future.
“We ask ourselves: Is there something we can do to benefit the crop in a way that would produce more yield?” he said. “We need all the yield we can get when we’re dealing with prices as low as they are.”
The Harris family added technology to their planters this year and are considering the purchase of a spray drone.
“Anything that makes the planting or chemical
applications faster, we’re always interested in,” Harris said. “As long as we can find out for ourselves that it’s worth the money that we’re going to spend on it.”
Harris said while farmers often must rein in big dreams during tight margins, innovation is still possible if you manage your budget correctly.
“If you’re not trying to improve your innovation, bring something new to your operation, look into the future and be a bit more prepared, then you are falling behind,” Harris said.
A spray drone is one investment that has paid off in recent years for Marion County farmer Andy Headley, who raises corn, soybeans and cattle with his dad and brother.
“We saved a lot of money by applying our own fungicide rather than hiring a plane, and it’s easier to do it and more timely,” he said.
He said that while they generally stick to what is “tried and true” when income is down, they don’t rule out new ideas.
“You just have to watch and make sure you’re going to get a decent return on your investment if you’re going to spend money during these times.”
That’s a point that fifth-generation Ogle County farmer Ryan Reeverts considered recently when he purchased his first piece of equipment; a 1981 International axial flow combine with 4,100 hours on it.
While a 43-year-old combine isn’t what comes to most people’s mind when they think of innovation, Reeverts said it was the next logical step for growth
in his second year of cash renting ground on his own.
“It’s gotten to a point where I needed to justify that custom harvest payment versus trying to purchase my own machine to cover my own acres,” he said.
While he wanted to look for something newer with the capability to add GPS and in-cab yield monitors, he said he went in with a mindset that he can always upgrade when money allows.
“With these tighter margins it just gets to a position where we’ve got to hold off on those opportunities and look for new ways to adapt and overcome,” Reeverts said.
One way he’s done that is by securing an Environmental Quality Incentives Program contract with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“That’s going to provide us with the ability to innovate the way we rotationally graze our cattle on our pasture,” he said. “And that’s going to improve our harvest efficiency when it comes to running those cows on smaller tracts of land.”
Knowing that the ag economy is cyclical, Reeverts said he continues to think ahead.
“I think it’s important to always look for opportunities to innovate and change the mindset toward what we’re trying to accomplish on our operations,” he said.
This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.
TODAY’S FARM
IFB has a Vision for annual meeting
n Registration open for December event; IFB president/Polo farmer Brian Duncan, country singer Drew Baldridge among those in lineup
SHAW MEDIA AGRINEWS STAFF REPORT editorial@agrinews-pubs.com
CHICAGO — Country singer and Illinois native Drew Baldridge will be this year’s musical talent during the Illinois Farm Bureau’s 110th annual meeting in Chicago.
Registration for the event, which will take place Dec. 7-10 at the Palmer House, is $30 and is now open. To register, contact your local Farm Bureau (see the “Local Farm Bureau” listing at right for contact information).
This year’s meeting theme is “Planting a Vision” and will feature micro talks, charitable auctions, an ice cream fundraiser, IFB Young Leader competitions and various award programs.
The annual meeting is also a time for IFB members to participate in the organization’s traditional grassroots process and discuss agriculture policy initiatives and priorities for the upcoming year.
“The grassroots policy development process is fundamental to IFB,” said IFB President and Polo farmer Brian Duncan in a news release. “It allows our members to discuss and debate issues and then vote on policies they feel are best for the organization and Illinois agriculture.”
IFB’s annual meeting will kick off at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 with an opening address from Duncan. An IFB membership reception and musical entertainment featuring Baldridge will follow the opening session.
About Baldridge
Baldridge is a country music singer based in Nashville who draws inspiration from growing up and working on his family farm in Patoka in south-central Illinois.
His time spent growing up there is at the heart of many of Baldridge’s songs, which he hopes will connect with IFB members.
“Growing up on a farm just really shapes you, just the hard work aspect
Local Farm Bureaus
Whiteside County Farm Bureau
100 E. Knox St., Morrison 815-772-2165
Online: whitesidecfb.org/ and on Facebook
Lee County Farm Bureau
37 S. East Ave., Amboy 815-857-3531
Email: leecfb@comcast.net
Online: leecfb.org/ and on Facebook
Ogle County Farm Bureau
421 W. Pines Road, Suite. 8, Oregon 815-732-2231
Online: oglefb.org and on Facebook
Bureau County Farm Bureau
1407 N. Main St., Princeton 815-875-6468
Online: bureaucountyfarmbureau.org/ and on Facebook
Go to ilfb.org/ for more information on the Illinois Farm Bureau
of life and the not giving up,” Baldridge recently told FarmWeek and RFD Radio.
“Now I translate that to music — sometimes you just don’t know what you’re going to get out of it. [With farming], sometimes it doesn’t rain, sometimes the yield is not good. That’s what kind of always has driven me in country music, knowing all the hard work that we had to put in on our farm.”
He wrote his 2019 hit song, “She’s Somebody’s Daughter,”after meeting his wife’s father, mostly as a message to himself to never forget that if he broke her heart, he’d also be breaking her parents’ hearts.
About performing at the annual meeting, he said, “It really excites me because those are my people; that’s where I come from. They can really expect a high-energy show.”
Read more farm news at Shaw Media’s AgriNews, at agrinews-pubs.com
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TODAY’S FARM
FFA: Planting seeds and helping them grow
Members give organization high marks for helping them get comfortable
By TOM C. DORAN tdoran@shawmedia.com
SPRINGFIELD — Among FFA’s goals are “growing the next generation of leaders who will change the world” — and for two of those leaders, it’s also helped change their lives.
Emma Dinges of Sublette and Owen Torrance of Good Hope each entered high school — Amboy and West Prairie, respectively — as shy freshmen, but FFA helped change that. Today, the two are state officers in the FFA, out of their shells and on the road, promoting the group and helping it grow that next generation of leaders.
“FFA has brought me out of my comfort zone,” said Torrance, the organization’s state secretary. “I was the shy, quiet kid who really didn’t want to talk to anybody, didn’t like talking to anybody, didn’t like putting myself out there, didn’t like doing anything like that,” Torrance said during the Agriculture Day media event at the Illinois State Fair in August.
“Then I joined FFA and I really kind of found my stride and hit my stride. Now I’m a state officer. I go around and work with members, I work with other state officers, I work with corporate friends and legislators all of the time.
“I’m talking to a lot of people and that is something that a few years ago when I first joined I never would have dreamed of doing. For me, FFA has brought me out of my shell and opened a lot of opportunities and a lot of doors for me.”
Dinges, FFA’s state treasurer, echoed Torrance’s enthusiasm for FFA.
“I was also very shy and quiet my freshman year of high school and didn’t really think I’d do much in the FFA, but my adviser really pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and I was able to achieve so many of my goals and dreams through this organization,” the Amboy High School graduate said.
“I’m just here to show students what they can do, even when they say that they can’t, to show them that they can achieve their goals and dreams in the FFA.”
Dinges’ and Torrance’s résumés exemplify their successes.
Dinges, daughter of Nick and Stacey Dinges, began competing in career developments events as a freshman that expanded her confidence in competitions and led her to try leadership development events. Some of her favorites included parliamentary procedure and livestock judging.
Her Supervised Agricultural Experiences were in goat production, food service placement and sheep production, and she raises, shows and sells pygmy and myotonic goats in her goat production SAE.
For her food service SAE, she works at Woodhaven Lakes Campgrounds Recreation Complex as a shift supervisor and scoops ice cream. In her sheep production book, she raises and shows market lambs throughout the summer.
After her year of service as a state FFA officer, she will attend Iowa State University to study animal science. Upon graduation, Dinges plans to become a veterinarian for large animals.
Torrance, son of Corey and Michelle Torrance, held several leadership positions during high school, including 2021-23 West Prairie FFA Chapter reporter, 2023-24 West Prairie Chapter president, 2021-22 Section 11 sentinel, 2022-23 Section 11 reporter and 2023-24 Section 11 president.
FFA cont’d to page 23
Dinges
TODAY’S FARM
Ag leader: Fields aren’t the only thing we need to cultivate
n New president of National Corn Growers Association wants to expand group’s reach, develop relationships to get things done
By TOM C. DORAN tdoran@shawmedia.com
WATERLOO — A fifth-generation Illinois farmer has taken the helm as president of the National Corn Growers Association.
Kenneth Hartman Jr., who served on Illinois Corn boards for 19 years prior to joining the NCGA leadership team, operates his Monroe County family farm along with his wife, Anita; daughter, Amanda; and mother, Joann. Their two other daughters, Alexis and Ashley, have careers in other fields.
Hartman
“My theme as president is ‘Building Bridges,’ Hartman said when he assumed the post Oct. 1.
“We need to build on our ties with existing allies while cultivating new relationships with other organizations inside and outside agriculture,” he said.
“We also need to continue to reach out to policymakers and other leaders who may not represent rural communities but who benefit indirectly from the work of farmers. I strongly believe that coalition building is one of the most effective ways to get things done.”
Hartman served on the Illinois Corn Marketing Board for nine years, followed by 10 years on the Illinois Corn Growers Association board, including as ICMB chairman and ICGA president, and six years on the NCGA board in a variety of leadership roles. He’s also a member of the Illinois Leadership Council for Ag Education.
In a recent interview with Shaw Media’s AgriNews, Hartman spoke of his Monroe County roots, the challenges corn farmers face, and his new role as NCGA president ...
On family farming
“We used to milk cows until the 1990s. We bred registered Holsteins and sold a lot of breeding stock. We had a bull that we leased to Select Sires and was one of the top bulls in the country.
“My father passed away 15 years ago. My mother, who’s in her 80s, is still involved doing some paperwork for the farm. My wife and I have three daugh-
ters. Our oldest daughter graduated from Kansas State and came home and she’s been on the farm the last few years. Hopefully, she’ll eventually take over the farm. Another daughter lives in California and works for Waste Management as an analyst. Our youngest daughter graduated last year from Kansas State and she is in the marketing department of John Deere in Des Moines, Iowa.
“We farm some in the Mississippi River bottoms and some of that’s pretty tough. It had a lot of water on it [this year] and we lost some there, but when we get what we call ‘up on the hills’ we’ve got some really good looking crops there. It’s much better than last year when we were in a drought situation.”
On being involved
“My dad was on the local co-op board and served on the Monroe County Fair Board for over 50 years. My grandfather was one of the first ones to start the Soil and Water Conservation District in Monroe County and really involved in that, and was on the first Monroe County Farm Bureau board many years ago.
“My mother was on the National Holstein Association board for 10 years and she’s the only woman ever to be president of the National Holstein Association. She was named Dairy Woman of the Year at the 1997 World Dairy Expo.
“My family has always been the type that believes it’s important to volunteer. It’s important for the next generation to keep things going and advocate for agriculture.
“When we sold the cows years ago, I got involved with Corn Growers and kept working at it.
“I’ve been involved with the Monroe County Farm Bureau for many years and been on the board.
“I was involved with the Corn Growers and then got on some national committees. I then ran for the national board and got elected. I’ve been involved with the NCGA ever since.”
On NCGA issues
“NCGA just did a strategic plan and the main part of that plan is creating demand. We’ve got a lot of corn out here, so obviously our number one priority is ethanol and we’d like to get the Next Generation Fuel Act passed as soon as we can. In the short term, we hope we can get year-round E15.
“We also are very strongly concerned with trade. We’ve had some frustrations the last two years. We hav-
en’t had a lot of trade agreements and we want to get something going there.
“Sustainable aviation fuel is very important. I recently attended an SAF conference. They’re talking about a 50 billion gallon market there, but it’s probably more long-term. We definitely have to get things set up policy-wise in Washington, D.C., to make that happen.
“One of our concerns that we’re working on is the Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production tax credit for SAF. They group no-till, cover crops and green fertilizer together, and right now there’s probably only a small percentage that actually do all three. We think it’s something that’s going to grow, but we need to have a credit for each individual one and not all or nothing.
“We’re all about working to have lower carbon intensity scores, sustainability, those are the things we need to do as farmers, but, at the same time, it takes time to get to that point. We’ve done a lot of that in the past when you look at all that we’ve done with precision agriculture and some of the things we’ve done with plant breeding.
“We’re producing more corn, so we need to find places where we can sell it and go with it.”
On his new post
“I’m excited to be president. We have a lot of challenges right now in agriculture, but challenges bring opportunities and hopefully we can get something done in the next year or so.
“I know we’ve got a big crop, so I hope we can create some demand and get some opportunities for farmers in the countryside.”
Read more farm news at Shaw Media’s AgriNews, at agrinews-pubs.com
FFA cont’d from page 22
His SAE was on sheep production. He won State Star Discovery Farmer in 2020. He then competed in sheep production in high school, winning in state sheep production in 2022.
Torrance
Torrance’s SAEs then expanded to include forage production, ag sales placement and diversified agricultural production.
After his year of service as a state officer, he will attend Oklahoma State University to study agribusiness with a pre-law concentration and minor in politics and policy.
After graduating, Torrance plans to become either a lawyer, lobbyist, or hold elected office.
On the road
There are about 43,000 FFA members in Illinois, and the state officers will be spending time meeting with chapters.
“Some of the cool things were working our conferences and chapter visits. Chapter visits are coming up this fall. Each state officer will visit six sections and we have 372 chapters in the state. So, we’re going to try and visit as many as possible,” Dinges said.
Both officers showed livestock at the State Fair and enjoyed their new roles representing FFA.
“I’ve been here a couple of times with my 4-H club when I competed at state. I was also here last year as a section president with Illinois FFA and it’s been such an amazing experience. I love it. It’s a cool experience seeing all of the different kinds of agriculture represented here,” Dinges said.
“I’ve been coming to the fair basically my entire life. I raise show sheep. I very familiar with the fairgrounds and the fair and I’m really enjoying it,” Torrance added.
Read more farm news at Shaw Media’s AgriNews, at agrinews-pubs.com/
