AGRICULTURE:
Sustaining Future Generations Celebrate National Agriculture Day
March 18, 2015
CLARION PRINCETON DAILY
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National Ag Day celebrates abundance of American agriculture March 18th is National Ag Day, a time when producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across America gather to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by American agriculture. As the world population soars, there is even greater demand for the food, fiber and renewable resources produced in the United States. The National Ag Day program believes that every American should: • understand how food, fiber and renewable resource products are produced. • value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy. • appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products. • acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food, fiber and renewable resource industries. Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use and wear on a daily
basis, and is increasingly contributing to fuel and other bio-products. Each year, members of the agricultural industry gather together to promote American agriculture. This effort helps educate millions of consumers. A few generations ago, most Americans were directly involved in—or had relatives or friends involved in—agricultural-related endeavors. Today, that is no longer the case. That is why it is so important that we join together at the community level.. our voices, in concert, become a shout that carries our message a great deal further than any one of us can do alone! Americans need to understand the value of agriculture in their daily lives. Here are just some of the key reasons why it’s important to recognize—and celebrate—Ag Day each year: • Increased knowledge of agriculture and nutrition allows individuals to make informed personal choices about diet and health. • Informed citizens will be able to participate in establishing the policies that
will support a competitive agricultural industry in this country and abroad. • Employment opportunities exist across the board in agriculture. Career choices include: • farm production • agribusiness management and marketing • agricultural research and
engineering • food science • processing and retailing • banking • education • landscape architecture • urban planning • energy • and other fields. • Beginning in kindergarten and continuing through 12th grade, all students should receive some systematic instruction about agriculture. • Agriculture is too important a topic to be taught only to the small percentage of students considering careers in agriculture and pursuing vocational agricultural studies. • Agricultural literacy includes an understanding of agriculture’s history and current economic, social and environmental significance to all Americans. This understanding includes some knowledge of food, fiber and renewable resource production, processing and domestic and international marketing.
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Daily Clarion/Quiche Matchen
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Joe Hurst and David Lutz serve breakfast at the Gibson County Farm Bureau Farmers Day breakfast at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Princeton March 14. The $1 meal is a traditional spring event.
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Farmers adapting to weather conditions
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hat a set of weeks! The major snowstorm of the sean son shuts down schools and businesses one week, and the next has flooding concerns while temperatures warm enough to lose the jacket and sweater altogether. These kind of swings in temperature e are common in Indiana, certainly. y The conditions do remind one of the kinds of adaptations that farmers have - to make to these conditions during the growing season. In fact, there is a major study in the Midwest to address g five major management strategies that the weather greatly influences. The first strategy is drainage water management. As the city of Toledo can attest, phosphorus that ends up in the wrong place can cause drinking water concerns. To keep nutrients on farmer fields and out of surface water, the study is trying to address the feasibility of tile drainage systems that contain boxes near outlets. Inside these boxes are wooden boards that serve to prevent water from flowing out of drains in
PURDUE EXTENSION HANS SCHMITZ GIBSON COUNTY CES
the winter time, when a crop is either absent or dormant and nutrients are more likely to flow into waters. The second strategy is cover crops. For those unfamiliar with the term, a cover crop is planted to provide cover, rather than cash, and will not be harvested. Instead, the crop naturally dies with cold temperatures or has to be killed in the spring. To find a cover crop that is adapted to the entire Midwest, the study chose cereal rye, a very commonly planted cover crop in Gibson County. The study of this cover crop revolves around its use in a corn and soybean system, serving as an actively growing crop for much of the winter when the field would otherwise remain bare. The third strategy is nitrogen management. A broad area of research, indeed, and this study particularly is evaluating the use of canopy sensors on
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equipment for more precise nitrogen fertilizer application rates. The theory is that the corn plant itself can tell a sensor how much nitrogen it needs, rather than applying a set rate and hoping the weather cooperates to keep that nutrient in the right spot for the plant. The canopy sensors are not yet widely adopted, however, perhaps due to uncertainty in their accuracy. The fourth strategy is tillage management. Of course, the idea that no till methods are preferential is established, but the study admits that some fields in some areas have unique problems that tillage, and perhaps only tillage, can solve. Therefore, the study is evaluating the different tillage methods on various soil types and evaluated their greenhouse gas emissions to the air as a result.The fifth strategy is extending the crop rotation. This strategy means looking at other cash crops to add to the rotation, or extending the rotation beyond corn after corn or corn after soybean. To do so, alfalfa is looked at as a potential crop, as is winter wheat and oats. Perhaps a more self-serving
system can be created diversifying the cropping system. The name of the study is the Corn Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project, but the focus is on sustainable corn. Therefore, one can go to sustainablecorn.org to see more information on the practices, farming in variable weather, and farmer opinions on a variety of topics. This study is in its fifth year of operation, and exciting results can be expected soon. For more information on these or other agricultural topics, please contact the Purdue Extension office in Gibson County via hschmitz@ purdue.edu or 385-3491. UPCOMING DATES: March 31 – Youth Pork Quality Assurance Plus training at the Gibson County Purdue Extension office. Beginning at 7 p.m., this is the first of two opportunities to receive face-to-face certification this year in Gibson County. March 31 – Farm Service Agency Yield Update, Base Acre Reallocation, and Farm Program Election deadline.
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Careers in Agriculture: Not just on the farm The most obvious careers are directly related to the farm or ranch. But only 10 percent of Americans are involved in traditional farming. There are approximately 22 million people who work in agriculture related fields. Today’s agriculture offers over 200 rewarding and challenging careers. Agricultural careers may be divided into various categories. These include: Agribusiness Management, Agricultural and Natural Resources Communications, Building Construction Management, Agriscience, Resource Development and Management, Parks, Recreations, and Tourism Resources, Packaging, Horticulture, Forestry, Food Science, and Fisheries/Wildlife. According to the Farm Bureau News, “Food Scientists and engineers will be in the greatest demand in the agriculutural job market over the next four years, according to a new Purdue University study. Annual job openings for U.S. food and agricultural sciences graduates are projected to be around 58,000, while the number of graduates for those jobs will be slightly more than 57,000.”
Agribusiness Management: focuses on managerial functions performed by organizations throughout the food system. Sample job titles: Commodity Trader, Agricultural Production Specialist, Purchasing Manager, Financial Manager, Farm Owner and Manager, and Wholesale/Retail Buyer Manufacturing Manager. Agricultural and Natural Resources Communications: focuses on careers in journalism, public relations, and advertising/marketing. Sample job titles: Marketing Communications Manager, District Sales Representatives, Advertising Manager, Reporter, Editor, and Account Manager. Building Construction Management: focuses on land development and structural buildings. Sample job titles: Project Manager, Estimator, Construction Scheduler, Controller, Purchasing Agent, Site Manager, Field Engineer, Land Developer, and Real Estate Appraiser. Companies that hire for these positions: Perini Building Co., and General Motors Corporation. Agriscience: provides a foundation for careers in agricultural and natural
resources industries. Sample job titles: Agriscience Educator, Extension Educator, Farmer, and Human Resource Director. Resource Development and Management: focuses on policy analysis, planning, evaluation, budgeting, and program management. Sample job titles: Environmental Analyst, Environmental Planner, Solid Waste Coordinator, Water Resource Specialist, and Economic Development Specialist. Parks, Recreation and Tourism Resources: focuses on planning and managing programs, areas, and facilities that are designed to meet people’s leisure needs and enhance quality of life. Sample job titles: Park Ranger, Interpreter/Naturalist, Environmental Educator, Travel and Convention Planner, Youth Program Director, Camp Counselor, Park and Recreation Director, and Tourism Consultant. Packaging: focusing on food packaging, health care and pharmaceutical packaging, and industrial packaging. Sample job titles: Packaging Engineer, Quality Control Coordinator, Laboratory Manager, and Package Designer.
Horticulture: focuses on the science and art concerned with culture, marketing, and utilization of high value, intensively cultivated fruits, flowers, vegetables, and ornamental plants. Sample job titles: Retail Manager, Landscape Designer, Entrepreneur, Florist, Contractor, Nursery Grower, and Nursery Stock Buyer. Forestry: focuses on the science and art of managing natural resources that occur on forest lands. Sample job titles: Forester, Forest Ranger, Consulting Forester, District Ranger, Arborist, Naturalist, Timber Buyer, and Forest Nursery Manager. Food Science focuses on the development of new foods, investigation of new production and processing methods, and research ways to insure a safe, nutritious and economical food supply. Sample job titles: Food Technician, Laboratory Technician, Food Chemist, and Quality Control Manager. Fisheries and Wildlife on environmental management, conservation, and wildlife ecology and management. Sample job titles: Land Management Specialist, Water Quality Specialist.
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photo provided
FFA Week Princeton FFA wrapped up FFA week with their annual petting zoo on Friday Feb. 27. The petting zoo included a miniature horse, miniature donkey, calf, goats, lambs, chickens, rabbits, ducks, and a pig. Students from the Princeton Community Primary School, PCHS Tiger Tots Pre-school and the PCHS Childcare came to see the animals. FFA members talked about the different animals while letting the children pet and view each animal.
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Daily Clarion archive/Andrea Howe
Grain bin rescue Princeton FFA Chapter President Justin Clark and Princeton Fire Territory Chief Mike Pflug discuss how much more efficiently the department can respond to grain bin rescue calls with a new rescue tube donated by the FFA last year, and an additional $850 donation from the chapter last spring for an auger to remove the grain from the tube. The chapter made the donation with revenue from the crops the chapter members farm.
Code Red document will help families in crisis WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue Extension’s Women in Agriculture team has developed a resource to help farm families and owners of other small businesses keep important information handy in the event they need it in an emergency. Called Code Red, the spreadsheet has two main sections - one for personal information and the other for business information. In the event of an emergency, the business would be able to continue in a timely fashion and with minimal disruption because of the resource of Code Red, said Kelly Heckaman, Women in Agriculture committee co-chair. “The crisis may be only for a short time, or it may be a longterm change in the operation, but the need for timely information about the people in the operation and their contacts are very important,� Heckaman said. “We hope this resource will help farm families turn a code red situation into a code green and the business can continue to operate.� The spreadsheet keeps important information such as passwords, bank account information, rental agreements, insurance papers and power-of-attorney documents in one location. Women in Agriculture has set up training sessions across the state to introduce Code Red. Presenters will go over security controls, such as where to store the document and the option of protecting access to it with a password. Attorneys will be at some of the programs to discuss the importance of wills, trusts and power-of-attorney documents
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Gudgel farm celebrates 200 years QUICHE MATCHEN Staff writer
OWENSVILLE—The Gudgel farm has been in the same family for 200 years, from 1814 to 2014. They’ll receive the Hoosier Homestead Award in spring 2015. The 65 acre farm was bought by Andrew Godshall in 1814, and acquired 10 more acres. The Godshall name is of German origin. Other owners of the farm were William, Abraham, Arthur and Robert Gudgel. The change of the Godshall last name to Gudgel was gradual, by word of mouth, from Gottchalk to Godshalk and changed four more times and stayed Gudgel. Today there are 50 acres due to a relative selling their third of the farm land. Half of the farmground, 25 acres, is owned by Weed and Ronnie Denning and the other 25 acres are owned by Linda (Gudgel) Presnell, Mary (Gudgel) Julian and Christy Gudgel. Six generations have been on the
farm. Presnell said her dad has farmed since she was born. Her dad farmed the Gudgel farm and moved there and grew up there and lived there most of his life. She said for most farmers, farming is “in their blood� “It’s a family trait,� she said. She said with farming now-a-days you have to keep it up-to-date. “You can do everything right, just do everything you can, and hope for the best,� Presnell said.
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AGRICULTURE: Sustaining Future Generations
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NATIONAL AG DAY: MARCH 18, 2015 AG DAY PARTNERS:
America’s farmers share a commitment to protecting
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the land and meeting the demands of a burgeoning population. Farm families are up before the sun, day in and day out, to put food on the table for us.
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Our farmers are sustaining future generations by feeding, fueling and clothing the world. Help us share
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Gibson Southern High School ag teacher Richard Ritter has been teaching and farming for almost 30 years. On Tuesdays, FFA members work on a tractor engine overhaul project.
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Purdue study yields insights into how plant cells grow A study by Purdue University plant scientists and University of NebraskaLincoln engineers advances understanding of how plants control their shape and development at the cellular level. Their findings could help researchers engineer better cotton fibers, improve plant defense against insects, alter plant architecture and toughen root response to drought. “This collaboration enabled us to learn more about what really controls plant cell shape in one year than we had in the previous 10,” said Daniel Szymanski, Purdue professor of botany and plant pathology and leader of the research team. “The degree to which our discoveries linked interacting systems and provided clear explanations for cell shape control was great. The opportunities to apply this knowledge are limitless.” The team used a combination of experimental data from live plant cells and computational modeling to gain new insights into how plant cytoskeletons - intricate networks of protein
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fibers and tubes within cells - cooperate to produce complex cell shapes. Unlike mammalian cells, plant cells are rigid, constrained by a thick wall of fibers that have the tensile strength of steel. Plant cells can also come in complicated shapes, such as the pointed, three-branched Arabidopsis trichomes that served as cell models in Szymanski’s study. Previous research had shown that two intracellular fiber systems control plant cell shape: the microtubule cytoskeleton and the actin cytoskeleton. A protein complex moves along the microtubules - tiny tubes in the cell leaving behind fibers that are patterned into the cell wall. These fibers act like hoops around a barrel, holding the cell in a cylindrical shape as it expands. Actin, a type of protein, is also essential for plant shape and development, but its role has not been well understood. Szymanski and his fellow researchers found that actin fibers run throughout the cell, forming a network of long-distance “roadways” along which additional materials for the cell wall
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are transported. A protein complex known as ARP2/3 controls the production and distribution of actin in the cell and directs traffic along these roadways from its position at the tip of the trichome. It also forms a meshwork of actin that can influence the behavior and organization of the rest of the cell. “How this protein complex influences the actin network of the cell was a major discovery,” Szymanski said. “If we can learn more about the interactions between the actin and microtubule systems, we could translate this knowledge into improved cotton fibers and trichome plant defense systems in crop species. Engineering these is lowhanging fruit.” Two-color live-cell imaging showed that traffic along the actin network flows in two directions - toward the tip and toward the base. New material is delivered via this network to maintain new wall synthesis during cell growth, though further research is needed to reveal what types of cell wall cargo are being delivered on the actin tracks, Szymanski said.
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Taking a look at the Census of Agriculture HANS SCHMITZ GIBSON COUNTY CES
Every five years, the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) takes a full census of agriculture as it exists at that point in time. Due to the time required to compile and analyze all the data, NASS announced the 2012 dataset for public use last spring. Looking through the data, there are some interesting points to highlight. In Gibson County, 589 farms exist, with an average size of 455 acre. An acre being equivalent to a football field including the end zones, this average size is
considerable. To compare with some of our neighbors, Posey has 408 farms with an average size of 561 acres, Warrick County has 379 farms with an average size of 263 acres, and Knox County has 496 farms with a 664 acre average size. Of the 589 farms in Gibson County, a full 50 consist of less than 10 acres, while 88 consist of greater than 1000 acres. Only 39 farms in Gibson County utilize irrigation, with less than 5,000 acres irrigated. In Gibson County, corn is king, with 9.4 million bushels of corn for grain produced in 2012. On the animal side, pigs and hogs are most sold, with 26 farms selling over 59,400 head. Gibson County data equates well with the state of Indiana,
where the number one ag product is the grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas market. Hogs and pigs ranks number two in the state, with the poultry and egg market rounding out the top three. Some other notable state data includes cover crops, where Indiana ranks second in the nation in total acres planted to cover crops. For the uninitiated, cover crops are plantings done without an expectations of harvest, as opposed to cash crops. Other good, green news lies in the renewable energy sector, where Indiana ranks fifth in the nation in number of farms with renewable energy producing systems. Other common statewide concerns to be found in the
Census include the decrease in number of farms and land in farms from 2007 to 2012, and the increase in average age of farm principle operator from 55 in 2007 to 55.8 in 2012. The Census is rather comprehensive, which allows us to look at some odd or unique county statistics. Somewhere in Gibson County, a farm exists that sells more than 1000 dollars in potatoes each year. Two orchards exist with greater than $1,000 in sales, $1000 in sales being the minimum definition of a farm by NASS. The data show a possibility of a market for local organic goods, as there are only 3 farms with certified or certificationexempt organic land in all
Indiana counties contiguous to Gibson, and no organic land in Gibson County. In 2012, only two Gibson County farms kept bees, with statewide statistics showing a nearly 50 per cent decline in bee farms. Luckily, those farms that do keep bees are increasing the number of colonies kept and pounds of production per farm. To look at the data yourself, check out www.agcensus.usda. gov. The full report contains links to state and county data. If you have any questions about agriculture in Gibson County, please contact Hans at the Purdue Extension office in Gibson County via hschmitz@ purdue.edu or 385-3491.
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Entrenpreneurial egg man: Matthew Hoffer QUICHE MATCHEN Staff Writer
OAKLAND CITY—Entrepreneur Matthew Hoffer, Oakland City, started his own business at 15. The Tecumseh Junior/ Senior High School student took over the family egg business when his mom Cheryl and step-dad Darrell Seikman got married. His step-dad asked him if he wanted to continue his egg business and Hoffer agreed. From 2010 to 2011, he sold eggs to people in the community. Before he could expand his business he had to be certified by the state to sell his eggs. After filling out the paper work and all his requirements he was approved and could sell his eggs to any hospital, restaurant or farmer’s market in the
state. For the certificate he has to pay a $50 fee every six months, they want a report of how many eggs were sold every month. Sometimes a representative comes to make sure everything is in order. He extended his business to Berry’s Produce and Country Market in Princeton. He said the hardest thing for him would be trying to keep up with everything and bring his customers what they need, which is “farm fresh (eggs) they can’t get in the big city.� Balancing school, the farm and his business can be tough. “With Mom, I always get it done,� he said. He said his mom and stepdad have been a huge help to him and his business. “I couldn’t have done this without them,� he said. They supply the feed for him because feed can get expensive.
He gets a new flock of chickens every spring from 100 to 200 chickens each year. When his older chickens die, they’re replaced with the younger or new chickens. It’s all a process for him because the smaller the chicken, the smaller the egg, but as they grow so do the eggs. He delivers 10 to 15-dozen eggs once a week throughout Gibson County. He’s saving his business income for his business, and for college later on. He plans to keep the business until he graduates as a optometrist at the University of Southern Indiana. Then he’ll hand the business to his mom. “Everything I do is for the Lord and without Him nothing is possible,� he said.
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A SUPPLEMENT TO THE PRINCETON DAILY CLARION & OAKLAND CITY JOURNAL WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 & 19, 2015
Harris helps others, misses the old days of farming QUICHE MATCHEN Staff Writer
PATOKA—Farming today can be big business with big equipment and many acres. Eddie Harris, Patoka, doesn’t see it that way. Harris farms 160 acres. “If you don’t have 1,000 acres, you’re not hardly considered a farmer,” he said. “It’s so competitive.” Harris said farmers spread themselves thin when they try to do it all on a farm. Harris has been farming all his life, first with his grandfather and then his father. His father was a pastor for 29 years at Bunker Hill General Baptist Church. Harris teaches Bible study there on Wednesday nights when he’s not busy. One thing his dad always taught him was to be honest. “What you say you do, you do,” he said. “Being honest is the best thing.” His mother, Frances, said she used to drive the grain truck, get parts and
more on the farm back in the day. She said they had cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens and more. She canned jellies and jams, raised big gardens and slaughtered livestock for meat when all her children were home. “It was a good life,” she said. She said her children and her grandchildren help out on the farm and house when they can. “You have to manage it (farming) very well because it’s not a weekly pay,” she said. Her husband farmed, but had other jobs and encouraged Harris to have other jobs besides just farming, but
Harris always found himself going back to farming. Harris raises soybeans, 15 head of cattle, hay and custom bails hay. He said hay can be challenging, especially working with the weather. “You have to be on top of the weather,” he said. “You have to have the right moisture content.” Harris said he’s learned your first instinct is usually right. If he’s out cutting hay and his instincts say it’ll be a good three days then he’ll go with it, but he said if you watch the weather, you’ll wait too long and get rained on. “Your first instinct is best,” he said. On average, he works 12 hours a day, six days a week if weather permits. He doesn’t work on Sundays, unless he has to. The hardest part for Harris is being a single farmer and not having enough help, but he believes it also makes a single farmer more resourceful. Harris knows all about hard work especially working on the farm when he was younger he always wanted to
finish in a hurry, but his father told him they have the next day to finish it. “There were a lot of late nights,” he said. Now he has a lot of help from his neighbors, the Hudsons, “They’re real good neighbors,” he said. Tommy Bryant helps him out with a square bailer and Harris has a box bailer Tom round bails for him. “We have to bail what the customer wants,” he said. Bryant has been bailing hay for 70 years. Harris said he never looks to get rich, just to make enough money to help someone else. In the next few years he wants to expand in more hay and cattle. “If you like to do it, help someone else, don’t do it to get rich,” he said. “I want to help as much as I can.” He said farmers used to rally together to help each other not as much now. Out of seven siblings, he’s the only boy and the only one born at home on his grandfather’s farm.
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Farmland remains a solid investment Even though agricultural property taxes in Indiana have risen by 33 percent since 2007, farmland continues to be one of the best investments a producer can make. Agricultural property taxes fluctuate in Indiana since they are based on a number of factors that contribute to the estimated income from farming that land. Crop prices soared in recent years, then 2014 set a state record for corn and soybean yields, sending prices tumbling downward. Meanwhile, land rent prices have continued to rise, and those figures, combined with crop prices, are used to estimate the income earned from farming an average acre, Purdue University Agricultural Economics professor Larry Deboer said. Further, the nation hit the beginning of a deep recession in 2007, causing the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates to unprecedented lows. When farmers’ incomes are up and interest rates dip, the base rate for those property taxes rises. The base rate for 2015 has been slotted at $2,050,
a 16 percent increase from the 2014 base rate of $1,760. “Real estate taxes are going up because land values are going up,” said Pat Karst, vice president of Halderman Farm Management and Real Estate Services, which manages the needs of farms in 19 states. “The new formula takes into account recent land sales, and it’s trying to get more towards a market value rather than an assigned value. As land values have risen, the assessed value goes up, and therefore your taxes that you actually pay have gone up.” Despite the skyrocketing prices, farmers’ pockets haven’t seemed to be put under catastrophic strain because interest rates remain so low that it’s created an insulation of sorts. In fact, Halderman president F. Howard Halderman said farmland remains the best investment in a farmer’s portfolio. Halderman said there are three main drivers of farmland values. The most significant is farm income, which is crop yield multiplied by price.
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Next, interest rates affect value from the cost in dollars to buy farmland, as well as the return to other investments, such as CDs and bonds. “Right now when CDs are at 0.5 percent and farmland makes you 3 percent, farmland is on the plus side of that,” Halderman said. “But, if interest rates go up to where CDs are all of the sudden 5 percent, and farmland is making 3, you will have some people who choose to keep their money in CDs as opposed to farmland.” Higher farm incomes combined with low interest rates have benefited Indiana in recent years, causing farmland prices to increase. Then there’s supply and demand. Little farmland has been for sale lately. This climate led to farm income records in 2007, ’08, ’11 and ’12. As a result, farmland values reached an all-time high in March of 2014. Going into 2015, long-term world demand remains optimistic for agriculture. “We still have a growing demand,” Halderman said. “I was at a
presentation last week, and Dr. Jay Lehr said that 230 million people in China are [set] to move to the middle class. He probably provided the best definition I’d ever heard for middle class. Middle class means they have the ability to feed, clothe and house themselves with a little discretionary income left over above that.” In theory, members of the middle class tend to buy better food, which includes more protein. “If 230 million people in China are going to move to the middle class in the next 10 years, that’s the population of the United States moving to the middle class. That’s a lot of people. … All of that still remains bullish for agriculture long-term,” Halderman added. Simply put, basic economics is what’s keeping farmers from panicking over the skyrocketing increases in tax rates and farmland prices. The U.S. makes up 3 percent of the world’s population, but in modern times, produces 30 percent of the world’s agricultural output. “Literally, farmers in the United States feed the world,” Halderman said.
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A SUPPLEMENT TO THE PRINCETON DAILY CLARION & OAKLAND CITY JOURNAL WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 & 19, 2015
Planting season driving tips
Archive submitted photo
A crop duster plan flies over Gibson County farmland.
EVANSVILLE—Indiana State Police reported that with farm planting season under way, motorists are sharing roadways with large farm machinery. Motorists should be prepared to slow or stop to avoid a collision with a farm machine turning into a field or driveway, according to the Evansville District post. Tips for farmers and rural drivers: •Farm machinery can unexpectedly turn onto a public road from a field or driveway. Have patience and share the road. •Farm machinery travels slower than normal traffic, often at speeds of 25 mph or less. Automobile drivers must quickly identify farm equipment and slow down immediately to avoid rear end crashes. •Slow moving farm machinery, traveling at less than 25 mph, are required to display a slow moving vehicle emblem on the back of the equipment. All lighting should be working properly and be highly visible. •Slow moving vehicles are
required to pull off to the right when three or more vehicles are blocked and cannot pass on the left. •Machinery that is half on the road and half on the shoulder may suddenly move completely onto the road. Machinery may take up more than one lane to avoid obstacles such as road signs. Before passing farm machinery: •Check to be sure that machinery is not turning left. Look for left turn lights or hand signals. If the machinery slows and pulls toward the right side of the road, the operator is likely preparing to make a wide left turn. Likewise, sometimes to make a right turn with wide equipment, the driver must fade to the left. •Determine if the road is wide enough for you and the machinery to safely share. •Look for roadside obstacles such as mailboxes, bridges, or road signs that may cause the machinery to move to the center of the road. •Be sure there is adequate distance for you to safely pass.
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