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fields and farmsA look at agriculture in West Central Illinois
A special supplement to:Calhoun News-Herald • Greene Prairie Press • Jersey County Journal
Pike Press • Scott County Times • The Weekly Messenger
Spring 2015
farmcreditIL.com
Lending Support to Generations of Farm Familes Stewards of the Land
You can count on Farm Credit Illinois to deliver competitive and flexible farm financing and crop insurance expertise. Contact FCI to join other rural landowners as member-owners of a cooperative focused on helping farm families succeed.
Jacksonville Regional Office 217.243.1851 • [email protected] 2250 S. Main Street • Jacksonville, IL 62650
Jerseyville Regional Office 618.498.5583 • [email protected] 27049 State Highway 16 • Jerseyville, IL 62052
Index of AdvertisersFarm Credit .................. Inside front coverNeal Tire ..................... Inside back coverFarmers State Bank ................ Back coverPeters Heating & Air ............................. 3Tom Wombles Dozing ........................... 4People’s Bank and Trust ........................ 5Passavant Hospital ............................... 6Stine Seed ........................................... 7Sloan Implement .................................. 8CNB Bank & Trust, N.A. ........................ 9Blessing Physician Services ................. 11ADI Ag Drainage, Inc. ......................... 12Morton Buildings ................................ 12Tri-County FS ..................................... 13United Community Bank ..................... 14Illinois Soybean Association ................ 15
John Wood Community College ........... 16Farmers National Bank ........................ 16Hurley Dodge ..................................... 17Pike County Lumber ........................... 17Countryside Builders ........................... 18Sievers Equipment .............................. 19Hannibal Tractor ............................ 20-21Curless Auction .................................. 22Scheffel Boyle .................................... 22Jersey Farmers Elevator ...................... 22Mid USA Landscaping ......................... 23Prairieland FS ..................................... 241st MidAmerica Credit Union ............... 26Sievers Equipment .............................. 27The First National Bank ....................... 281st Farm Credit, Quincy ...................... 29
Pfister Seeds ...................................... 30Chris Comer ....................................... 31Logan Agri-Service, Inc. ...................... 31J&J Electric ........................................ 32Cass Communications ......................... 32Prairieland Power ............................... 32Jefferson Trailers ................................ 32MTS .................................................. 33Heetco .............................................. 34State Farm ......................................... 34Rammelkamp Bradney ........................ 34Jerseyville Estates .............................. 35Carrollton, Jerseyville Bank ................. 36Kevin Eberlin Enterprises .................... 36Peak Insurance Agency ....................... 36
Master of the ring ............................................................... 2Where higher yields take root .............................................. 6Staying injury free on the farm .......................................... 10McCully Heritage Project .................................................... 12Low fuel costs not impacting local grain prices .................... 16
Women in farming............................................................. 23It’s always gardening season ............................................. 25Corn growers have stake in class action suit ....................... 26Mild winter has pluses ....................................................... 28
Innovations in farming technology and agribusiness have created more efficient farms. It’s the hard work and dedication of our family farmers and the people behind the technology that are the heart and soul of our nation’s agriculture industry. Their efforts plant the seed for prosperity, nourishing our bodies as well as our economy.
Campbell Publications recognizes the challenges and changes fac-ing today’s farmers and gratefully acknowledges the important impact of their continued successes – on our lives and our futures.
This Spring 2015 agriculture magazine is available for free to all of our readers. To keep updated on continuing farm and community news, visit our four newspaper websites:
• www.calhounnewsherald.com • www.greeneprairiepress.com • www.jerseycountyjournal.com • www.pikepress.com
For a subscription to any one of our six newspapers, call 618-498-1234.
Julie Boren,Publisher
Welcome to Farms & Fields
Index of Articles
If you ate today...Thank a farmer
2 farms and fields
BY CARMEN ENSINGERCampbell Publications
Brady Schnelten may only be 12, but he has a unique talent for showing cattle which has brought him more ribbons and trophies in the past two years than most of his peers.
Schnelten, a seventh grader at Carrollton Middle School, first stepped into the show ring in 2013 at the age of 10 showing a steer through 4-H at the Greene County Fair.
“It was my first time showing steer and we ended up winning a couple of classes,” Brady Schnelten said. “From there we went to some other county fairs and we just kept winning.”
In 2013, he took home the Greene and Brown County Junior Showmanship Champion ribbons along with the Macoupin County Junior Reserve Champion, the DuQuoin State Fair Class Win and his cow Gumdrop took the Angus Champion ribbon at Sangamon, Brown and Christian county fairs. He also received the honor of being named Illinois Beef Association Junior Show Point Overall Heifer Champion.
For those not familiar with the art of showing steer, Schnelten said there is more to it than just walking out into the ring with a cow in tow.
“You don’t just walk out there like you would with a dog you were show-ing and just stand there with it,” he said. “You have to get your cow into position with the show stick. The judges will tell you where to go and you have to set up your cow to where the back two feet are set and the front two feet are set.”
Schnelten’s stepmoth-er, Andrea Schnelten, said it is not as easy as it sounds.
“It’s important for them to be able to control the animal because a cow doesn’t always do what it is supposed to do,” she said. “They must work its feet into a certain position so that it is stand-ing correctly for the judges to judge it appropriately to look for the things they want to look for such as how the body looks – whether it is too fat or too thin, how it walks, its coat and the back feet
have to hit almost exactly where the front ones do.”
Schnelten went from showing two steer that first year to six last year, and five of those ended up winning ribbons.
He also graduated from the county fairs to the more prestigious national events like the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Ky., and the World Beef Expo in Wisconsin.
The key to being good in the show ring is selecting the right cow.
“We get some of them from the peo-ple we meet at the shows and go around to their sales and buy some,” Brady
Schnelten said. “Or, I might pick one off of our farm.”
Brady keeps and works with his cattle at Rocklin Farms in Rockbridge, which is the family farm. Here, an old shed
has been turned into a show shed complete with a washing area and drying stations to allow for the work-ing of the cow’s hair. Brady is responsible for feeding, watering and grooming the ani-mals until it is time to show them.
“His goal for this year is to pick a couple calves off the farm in addition to the ones we pur-chased and work with
them to get them ready for the county fairs this summer,” Andrea Schnelten said. “Each one is in a different age class. He had a real nice lineup last year and is hoping to do the same this year.”
Last year, two of his cows, Ellie and Jude, took top spots at the Illinois State Fair. Ellie was named Illinois State Fair Angus Junior Show Reserve Champion
(See, RING, page 3)
Submitted photoBrady Schnelten shows Ellie in Denver at the National Western Stock Show where she won Angus Junior Show and Brady was given the use of a free trailer for a year as a result of this win.
MASTERof the ring
3 farms and fields
RING, continued from page 2and Jude took the Illinois State Fair Red Angus Junior Show Reserve Land of Lincoln Champion.
The Illinois State Fair is probably the most competitive Angus competition in the country so when Brady decided to tap a young calf named Ellie for reserve, the family wondered about his choice.
“The calf he chose wasn’t very old and a lot of times they tend to pick the bigger cows to win, so we were really wondering what he was thinking,” Andrea Schnelten said. “So for him to walk away with a winner with her was a really big deal. Even he didn’t real-ize what a big win it was until the next morning when he woke up and said ‘I won.’ ”
So what is it that gives Brady the edge over his competitors? Andrea Schnelten said it is his temperament.
“He is really quiet and I think that is what makes him really good because animals feed off our emotions,” she said. “Brady is really good at remaining very calm. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion and even when a cow might have an attitude with us adults if we are work-ing with them, he can show them just fine. He always remains very calm and doesn’t let too much get to him.”
It was after the success at the Illinois State Fair that they decided to travel to Denver for the National Western Stock Show, often referred to as the Super Bowl of cattle shows.
“It is sort of a progression of, if you do good at your county show and then do good at the state show, then you try your hand at these national shows,” Andrea Peterson said. “It’s a lot of money to get into these shows and you are competing against people from all over the United States.”
The level of intensity is far more seri-ous at the national level than it is with the county fairs.
“There are so many more people involved at this level,” Andrea Schnelten said. “For example, we do a lot of the work on our own like feeding and grooming for the county fairs, but when you reach this level, the people we bought the cows from would rather be responsible for them so they can make sure they are fed and groomed right. So, for these past two shows, they take them there and take care of them and Brady just comes in and shows them.”
So far it has been pretty profitable for the young man. For his win in Denver, Brady will get the use of a trailer for a year and then have the opportunity
to buy it at a discounted rate. For his Showmanship win in Brown County, he was presented with the show stick. At other shows he has won cash prizes anywhere from $100 to $750.
“I definitely want to continue to do this as I get older,” Brady Schnelten said. “It’s something I really enjoy doing.”
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4 farms and fields
Tom Wombles Dozing and Tiling217-242-3375
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Tom Wombles 217.242.3375
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Jayson Heavner 217.248.4760
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Celebrating 25 Years in Business
Customers have reported up to 25 bushel better yield to the acre on ground we have tiled this year!
5 farms and fields
6 farms and fields
Stine Seed – Where higher yields take rootImagine a day when corn fields consistent-
ly average 300 — or even 400 — bushels per acre. Stine, the largest independent seed com-pany in America and one of the industry’s largest corn-breeding companies, is develop-ing the hybrids to turn that idea into a reality.
Over the last 80 years, corn planting populations have increased more than four-fold. During that same period, average corn yields have also increased significantly. While there are several factors that have led to the increase in corn yields, it’s clear that a correlation exists between increased planting populations and increases in yield. Stine is using this correlation to help growers reach their acres’ full potential.
Advances in machinery and the growing understanding of how populations and yield are connected have spurred more U.S. corn growers to explore how increasing popula-tions can maximize per acre profits. But, it’s not as simple as planting more seeds per acre. Those seeds must contain genetics specifically designed to thrive in high-popu-lations environments, and that’s where Stine’s research is leading the industry.
For years, Stine’s industry-leading corn breeding program has been using its own line of genetically unique inbreds to custom build Stine HP corn hybrids. These hybrids are ideally suited for planting in narrower rows and at higher populations, producing plants that are shorter and narrower than traditional hybrids, with leaves that grow upright to catch more sunlight. Most importantly, these plants have superior standability and disease resistance to ensure they won’t lodge or break down prematurely under increased pressures and feature less biomass for more efficient water utilization, making them suitable for high populations.
In the past two seasons, Stine experi-mented with these specially developed HP corn hybrids planted at high populations. The ultra-narrow row spacing allowed us to push populations beyond 60,000 plants per acre while still maintaining the equidistant spacing needed for good corn development. The results were impressive. In areas with optimum growing conditions, our corn yields exceeded more than 300 bushels per acre.
While today most corn is planted in
30-inch rows at populations up to 35,000 plants per acre and average yields around 200 bushels per acre, Stine’s research is demonstrating tomorrow’s possibilities. As we explore how to combine advanced genet-ics with efficient use of space, we’re sharing our knowledge with growers who are eager to implement higher populations and unlock their fields’ true potential.
The next evoluation in narrow row con-figurations that will make higher yields pos-sible and HP corn more accessible to growers.
The HP Twin 20s system employs twin rows based on 20-inch centers, with 12 inches of spacing between rows and eight inches separating each pair of twin rows. This plant-ing configuration provides two key benefits. First, Stine is able to make even more effi-cient use of each acre. Our 60-foot planter bars now hold 72 rows in the space where there were 24 30” rows. Second, this system is designed to make the concept of HP corn even more accessible to the average grower by allowing the twin-row crop to be harvested using more commonly available 20-inch row corn heads.
Trustees of Passavant Area Hospital are grateful to visionary donors whose generous gifts of farmland and provisions through trusts enable Passavant Area Hospital to provide quality healthcare.
To discuss your desire to establish a family legacy, please contact Pam Martin, Executive Director.
217.479.5575 • [email protected] • www.passavanthospital.com
FOUNDATION Passavant Area Hospital
Charles A. Rowe - 1928 Thomas Tissington - 1928
Nellie Rice - 1959 Robert Shekelton - 1972
Frances W. Corrington - 1973Frank C. Dinwiddie - 1981
Mildred J. Dinwiddie - 1982 Emma Lucille Hembrough - 1982
Edward P. Hostman - 1982Irma Fox Barsnes - 1985
William and Oley Beilschmidt - 1999 Lloyd Gordon - 1999
Hobart and Marian Hinderliter - 2013 Howard and Vera Million - 2014
7 farms and fields
Cody Hanold
Gary Niemeier
District Sales Manager
Regional Sales Manager
19698 Deer Run Ln.Brighton, IL 62012
Cell: (618) 781-9810
Email: [email protected]
Cell: (618) 781-3814 Email: [email protected]
8 farms and fields
Illinois Assumption – Atwood – Carlinville – Effingham
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Wisconsin Bloomington – Cuba City – Monfort
Monroe – Mount Horeb
Sloan Implement 425 South Main ٠ White Hall, Illinois
800-644-2138 217-374-2138
Sales: Chad Schnettgoecke – Larry Derricks – Bryan Legg Sales: Chad Schnettgoecke – Larry Derricks – Bryan Legg
Parts Manager – Wes Bradford Service Manager – David Cressy Parts Manager - Bud Davidson Service Manager - David Cressy
9 farms and fields
10 farms and fields
By JUSTIN A. COBBCampbell Publications
Spring is planting season for area farmers, but if you are not careful, the only thing you will be planting is yourself in a local ER—or worse!
One risk factor is temperature, especially in early spring, where outdoor temperatures can fluctuate from below freezing in early morning to quite balmy by noon.
“As a general rule, with large temperature swings, you should dress in layers,” Dr. Jason Sharp, a family physician with sports emphasis at Blessing Physician Services in Quincy, said. “You need to be able to shed layers to decrease the amount you perspire, which could make you more likely to get cold,” as wet clothing loses its ability to insulate.
Staying hydrated is also important, regardless of the temperature, since a well-hydrated body can regulate its temperature more easily, whether through perspiration when hot or maintaining good circulation when cold, according to Sharp.
Having spent much of winter indoors or covered up, it is important to protect the skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays by applying sunscreen of at least SPF 15 or wearing long sleeves and wide-brimmed hats, Sharp said.
The eyes should also be protected from UV, and many prescription eyeglasses or protective eyewear have a UV coating offering some protection, according to Sharp.
Likewise, proper eye protection is important when working with certain equipment or materials if there is any chance of flying debris, chips, dust, or other fragments or particles that may damage the eye, Sharp said, noting if prescription eyewear is worn for this purpose, be sure it is safety rated.
Hearing protection is a must if performing tasks or working with equipment creating high volume noise, whether continuously or intermittently, according to Sharp.
“If you have long-term exposure to moderate to high volume (noise), you can start to lose the high range of hearing,” Sharp said. “Even short-term loud noises like gunshot. Noise 100 decibels or more can cause permanent damage pretty quickly.”
Whether to wear earplugs or muffs to muzzle loud noise is a matter of personal
preference, but both should be warn where there is prolonged exposure to especially loud noise, according to Sharp.
When working with equipment, especially when making repairs, make use of all safeguards, Sharp said. “Don’t bypass them to save time.”
Augers, PTOs, flywheels, and other moving parts should be fully stopped and the machine turned off before attempting any repairs or adjustments, Sharp said.
Conventional agriculture calls for judicious use of an array of chemicals and other potentially hazardous material on fields, including fertilizers, pesticides, soil amendments such as lime, and manure.
Anhydrous ammonia, a source of nitrogen, can cause irritation to mucous membranes in lower doses and may result in toxicity at higher doses, according to Sharp.
“Anhydrous is heavier than the usual air so in a low valley it can concentrate over time,” Sharp said. “If you’re in a basin, try to maintain good cross-movement, not spending a lot of time in one place.”
Signs of anhydrous ammonia exposure include coughing, shortness of breath, and mucus production, according to Sharp.
Pesticides vary chemically and so will each have their own unique set of exposure symptoms, Sharp said.
For example, glyphosate, known commercially as Roundup, can cause eye and throat irritation, tingling of the mouth, or an unpleasant bitter taste, according to Sharp.
Pesticides of the organophosphate class are chemically similar to some nerve agents so exposure can result in increased salivation, difficulty with speech or vision, and confusion, according to Sharp.
Those applying pesticide chemicals should follow the dilution and application procedures indicated for that specific product, Sharp said.
Non-latex gloves such as nitrile should be worn, as some of the chemical compounds in the pesticide may degrade latex, according to Sharp.
If the chemical is in powder form, a dust mask or half-face respirator with HEPA cartridges should be worn, Sharp said.
Masks should also be worn if applying lime, as breathing it in can result in silicosis, a form of lung damage, according to Sharp.
All potentially hazardous chemicals should come with a material safety data sheet, or MSDS, or one should be available
from the manufacturer.The MSDS will contain detailed
information on the risks a compound poses to the user or others and precautions that should be taken to prevent or minimize exposure.
Sharp recommends those who need help interpreting the MSDS should contact the local University of Illinois Extension office.
When working with or around manure, either nitrile or latex gloves may be worn, according to Sharp.
“It is important to make sure you follow good personal hygiene,” Sharp said.
Toxic gases can accumulate in the tanks of liquid manure spreaders so farmers should be sure to avoid working on them in confined spaces or without adequate ventilation, according to Sharp.
Livestock and other animals can pose risks to farmers, according to Sharp.
Farmers should be careful around “any wild animal not acting normally,” Sharp said. “Typically, a wild animal will run from a human,” and if it does not, “you should be suspicious for something being wrong.”
Insects can pose hazards, both as disease vectors and via allergies, according to Sharp.
Those with allergies should have an epinephrine autoinjector, commonly known by the brand name EpiPen, and seek immediate emergency care upon using it, Sharp said.
“It’s usually not treat it and forget it. It’s got a 30- to 90-minute half-life per shot and should be used while calling 911,” Sharp said. “Anaphylaxis definitely needs to be treated. It can last longer than the EpiPen.”
Farmers should take care to prevent repetitive injuries while working.
The hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders may be injured by repetitive motion, according to Sharp.
Farmers should take special care to avoid a crash when operating farm equipment on the public roads.
Anytime farm equipment is operated on the public roadway, hazard flashers should be illuminated and a triangular slow moving vehicle emblem should be prominently displayed on the back of the vehicle or on the rearmost trailer or implement in tow, Sharp said.
This will help reduce the risk for collision with other drivers, who may not be paying close attention to the road, according to Sharp.
Staying injury-free on the farm
11 farms and fields
FACT: 7 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE WITH COLON CANCER HAVE NO SYMPTOMS
HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT YOUR COLON
Colonoscopy is the best way to be screened for colon and rectal cancer. Early diagnosis and treatment of colon and rectal cancer saves lives. Dr. Harsha performs routine screening colonoscopy and necessary surgical treatment. Board certified by the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Harsha has also completed advanced training in the treatment of colon and rectal conditions and offers the latest in diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Harsha is now seeing patients at the Illini Community Hospital Consulting Physicians Clinic. To make anappointment call (217) 285-2113 ext. 244 today.
Harsha Polavarapu, MD • Colorectal & General SurgeryBlessingPhysicianServices.org/Colon
12 farms and fields
LITCHFIELD (217) 324-2002822 Morton Ct, 62056
JACKSONVILLE (217) 243-3349#6 Eastgate Dr., 62650
McCully Heritage Project site for biochar study
BY BOB CROSSENCampbell Publications
The McCully Heritage Project in Calhoun County is the site for a study of material that has the potential to improve soil conditions for agricultural purposes.
Started in 2012, Duane Friend, energy and environmental stewardship educator for the University of Illinois Extension, set up plots at the 940-acre space in Kampsville to study biochar.
“It’s actually just a form of charcoal, but it’s usually made through low oxygen combustion. That’s kind of what makes it a different type of charcoal,” Friend said. “It’s been noted that in some soils in the world, particularly down in the Amazon jungle, they have found these areas where the ground is incredibly rich.”
According to information on the Illinois Biochar Group website, biochar is formed “as a result of vegetation fires and from particular soil management practices, especially in the Amazon region.” The material is carbon-enriched from biomass waste like manure, crop residues or residues from timber.
Friend said his particular study deals with biochar’s impact on low organic soil, which was reason for choosing the site at
(See, PROJECT, page 13)
13 farms and fields
PROJECT, continued from page 12MHP, along with the project’s cooperation with the Extension office. Plots have differing amounts of wood pellet biochar introduced to them while the control group has no changes.
In the three years since the study began, he has noted a small increase in organic matter in the biochar soil – about 0.5 percent – when compared to the control group.
“I’ve just been looking at the soil over the last few years, trying to look at yields, and see if any changes are taking place,” Friend said. “I only applied it the one year. I haven’t been applying it every year. … There seems to be a trend toward higher yields with the biochar amended plots, but I can’t say that with statistical validity at this point yet.”
Although the increase in organic matter is not a tremendous one, Friend said the concept of refreshing soil with organic matter seems to be possible.
Studies have found that the rich soil areas in the Amazon – referred to as dark earths – date back hundreds of years, and are highly productive for crops. Whether civilizations intentionally created these areas or whether their formation was
inadvertent remains to be seen, but the rich soil areas have a commonality in biochar, Friend said.
The Extension educator said tropical areas generally are not conducive to farming crops, making the sites in South America a point of interest for agricultural study.
“Normally, tropical soils are very poor and usually don’t grow crops at all,” Friend said. “But in these areas where these dark earths are, which were from build up of biochar in these areas, that built up the soil and made it very productive.”
That productivity in the soil generated a research desire for those in the agriculture industry because of biochar’s potential for bio energy use, and that biochar application to fields could return higher yields. Using the material on a large scale may not be the most efficient use of biochar, Friend added, but smaller farms could feel the benefits.
“Where you’re really going to see the benefit is low organic mater soil,” Friend said. “From the research I’ve seen in other places, there’s more of a benefit to specialty crops, like vegetable production.
“The mass produced corn and soybeans, I just don’t think you’re going to see a huge change in yields to the point that
it’s economically feasible to do that. Plus, when you’re talking on that large of a scale, there’s just not enough biomass to make that happen yet.”
To learn more about the McCully Heritage project, visit mccullyheritage.org, and for information about the University of Illinois Extension offices in the area, visit web.extension.illinois.edu/state/findoffice.cfm.
Soybeans are an important ingredient for the production ofcrayons. In fact,
one acre of soybeans can produce 82,368 crayons.
14 farms and fields
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DOWNSTATE’S LEADINGAGRICULTURAL LENDER
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15 farms and fields
Source: Goldsmith and Wang, 2001. The Economic Impact of Illinois’s Livestock Industry.
Raising livestock and poultry adds $75.6 million to the local economy. That’s no bull.
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16 farms and fields
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©VJ
Serving AgricultureIs Our Business
Serving AgricultureIs Our Business
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©VJ
Serving AgricultureIs Our Business
Serving AgricultureIs Our Business
Foryears, area farmershave
reliedonus for their ag loans. Weknowagricultureandwework
hard tounderstandeachcustomer’s specificneeds.
Wemake loans foroperatingexpenses,machinery, livestock,
and real estate. Andbecausewe’rea locally-owned, independent
bank, all loandecisionsaremade righthere. Ifwecanbeofhelp
toyou,giveusacall or stop inandseeus.
We offer long term fi xed rate mortgages for agricultural land and can customize any fi nancing program to fi t your needs.
Contact Doug for
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108 Quincy St. Griggsville 217.833.2329
411 W. Pittsfi eld Milton 217.723.4341
201 W. Washington Pittsfi eld 217.285.1943
220 Pittsfi eld Road Mt Sterling 217.773.9123
Contact Doug or Grant for
more information
By Robert LyonsCampbell Publications
In mid-January, as oil prices began hitting a low-point not seen since the 1990s, there was fear in the farming industry that the price of corn and soybeans would fall proportionally, which was evidenced by the USDA’s release of the world agricultural supply and demand estimates (WASDE) and quarterly grain stock report.
Jersey Farmers Elevator Manager Ben Wegener said he does not think there is a direct correlation between grain prices and fuel cost, at least on the local level. He said the river being a primary mode of transporting grain from the area negates any effect the cost of oil might have on grain prices in other parts of the nation.
“I don’t see [fuel prices] making a big impact on us,” he said. “I think the river is our friend here. We keep a decent price.”
Northern states that rely on rail to transport grain have more po-tential to be hurt by cheap gas, the Jersey Farmers Elevator manager said.
“Their prices don’t stay as good,” Wegener said, noting oil produc-ers in those states also rely on rail, which increases the cost for both
(See, PRICES, page 17)
Low fuel costs not impacting local grain prices
17 farms and fields
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PRICES, continued from page 16industries to use the transportation method. “Right now, our market is benefitting from being by the river.”
In fact, a reduction in fuel cost could be a benefit for local farmers. “Definitely lower fuel costs are going to help out on their input
costs,” Wegener said. “But, there’s a lot more input cost in farming. Fertilizer, it’s not going down and neither is seed cost.”
He said in areas where low fuel prices might have a negative im-pact on grain prices the world market is taking its toll.
Grain entering the world market in South America is more like-ly to drive U.S. grain prices down than fuel, Wegener said. Several South American nations are looking to record very strong corn yields, which comes on the heels of a successful year for U.S. growers. That means the market will be saturated with grain, and grain prices could fall as a result.
On Jan. 30, corn prices were hovering at $3.65 per bushel, down from just under $4 at the start of the month. Soybeans fell from around $10.20 per bushel at the beginning of January to just more than $9.55 by the end of the month.
“Supply and demand; that makes a big difference in what grain markets do,” Wegener said. “It’s always a changing thing, and there’s always new information out there.”
Competing with other major grain exporting nations, including Russia, can also have an impact on U.S. prices. Then the importing nations often can swing the market up or down. When China rejected all corn with Syngenta’s MIR 162 trait for a two-year period a surplus of the grain accumulated and prices fell.
“The world influences the market big time,” Wegener said. “More than it ever used to.”
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By Carmen EnsingerGreene Prairie Press
Now well into the 21st century, more and more women are taking active and leading roles in the farming industry.
Maria Cox, 30, of Carrollton, continues a long family tradition of farming in Greene County heading up Cox Farm, located between Belltown and White Hall.
“I’m the sixth generation on both my mother and father’s side that farms,” Cox said. “My dad started farming full time in 1968, so I guess you could say farming is my destiny.”
Cox graduated from Routt Catholic High School in 2002 and from the University of Illinois with a B.S. degree in agribusiness in 2006. She continued her education at Purdue University with an M.S. in agricultural economics in 2008.
From 2006 through 2012, she worked in the agricultural field in other states, working in grain marketing and primarily crop insurance. She returned to the Greene County area in 2012 to join her father in operating Cox Farms.
Cox said when it comes down to it there really isn’t that much difference between women who runs farms and their male counterparts.
“Men and women face a lot of the same
challenges when it comes to farm management,” she said. “The idea of a woman farming isn’t really taboo anymore. Every now and then I run into someone who might think farming is not really my place, but that gets less and less every day.”
Cox Farms grows corn, soybeans, grass hay and alfalfa hay in addition to raising a cow-calf herd and cattle in feed lots.
“Farming has many pieces and I see it much like a working puzzle,” Cox said. “There are some easy puzzle pieces and some really difficult ones. The most challenging parts of farming are the management, financial and marketing pieces.”
“Driving the equipment is really one of the easier parts of farming now,” Cox said. “Technology and better equipment have made planting, harvesting, baling hay, etc., more efficient and less of a concern.”
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and for Cox is it the mechanical side of farming that presents the most challenges.
“I don’t know if it is for all women farmers, but for me the mechanical side is the most challenging,” she said. “I didn’t know much about tools and equipment when I started farming. However, I’m learning more and more each day. We have great help here on the farm so I don’t have to focus on repairing and
working on equipment that much.”Cox said it is her father who inspired her to
enter farming as a way of life.“My dad is really my inspiration because he
is so generous with his time and belongings,” she said. “If a neighbor needs to borrow something he will tell them to just take it and he won’t take anything in return. He is a risk taker. He has invested in various ventures over the years. Some have lost money and some have proven profitable. You could say that he ‘knows when to hold them and knows when to fold them’ when it comes to business.”
It is his unwavering commitment she hopes to mirror in the future.
“I hope to, at most, have the perseverance of my dad because he has gone through droughts, low prices and down times and still stuck with it,” Cox said. “He and my mom have made a good life for our family and a good farming business.”
Cox had one piece of advice to offer both women and men who have a goal of working in a family business.
“My advice to them would be to work outside of the family business for some time before returning home,” she said. “I learned a lot by working in the business world and living out of state, and it helps me to bring a different perspective to the farming business.”
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By BETH ZUMWALTCampbell Publications
For Greg and Dawn Bores, first year owners of Eastside Gardens in Pittsfield, it is always gardening season.
“It’s always time to plant, time to order, time to start moving plants and shifting things around,” Greg Bores said. “ It never ends.”
The Bores have already starting preparing for the 2015 gardening season.
As of Jan. 29, the greenhouse held a variety of plants – including ferns, ivy starts, geraniums and others.
“The ferns were started in December,” Bores said. “We start everything from seed or take cuttings. And we do everything by hand. It is very labor intensive but we think buyers get a better plant,”
As is expected, Bores starts with the seed.“We germinate it in a heated, climate controlled environment,”
he said. “Once it pops a sprout, we move it to the seed house until it roots, then transplant it into a pot.”
The seeds are kept in trays of 288 plants, at 78 ˚, in a humidity of 100 percent and must be checked every two hours.
The seeds are dropped into the trays using a vacuum method and care must be taken to get a seed in each of the 288 individual spots. Once sprouted, many of the plants are put into the pots they will be sold in, especially the ferns, and set on heated coils to maintain the warmth in the soil.
Geraniums, Eastside Garden’s former owners Bill and Eileen’s Schiewe’s signature plant, starts with a cutting that eventually grows baby roots. They are kept at a constant 71˚ and need very little sun those first few weeks. The Bores must constantly maintain vigil over the plants for fear of mechanical failure and a plant not getting its misting or losing heat. A generator is used for backup in power failures.
“Once they start, they are misted every six minutes for six seconds,” Dawn Bores said. “You have to keep the foliage wet or they will die.”
After a few days, the misting is adjusted to every 12 minutes for six seconds and continues to be adjusted until the plant is sturdy.
Bores said he has started planting seeds in December for hanging baskets and will continue to plant though Mother’s Day.
“Different plants are used for different things and it must be done in stages,” he said. “Our hanging basket plants will be used first, then one for our different planters.”
The Bores pride themselves that their plants are homegrown. The Bores say everything is a process and each step takes time.“I know people want plants but they will try a fungicide, a
fertilizer or any other number of products,” he said. “If not applied at the right time, you can kill your plant.”
The Bores say they are experimenting with some new plants but are reassuring that they will have the favorites that regular Eastside Garden customers have come to expect.
“Bill and Eileen experimented with plants and for every one that was a success they had that many failures,” Dawn Bores said. “This year we are going to have velour petunias. Their texture is so velvety it is almost like velour. They will come in colors but Marella is a deep burgundy color that is going to be popular this year. We will also have deep red one. Deep reds are hard to achieve.”
Also on the list of new trends is a canna.“We are trying to grow it from seed,” Dawn
Bores said. “We hope it will be a crop this year.” The Bores say gardeners should pay close attention to the area they want to plant flowers.
If a person lives in an apartment or rents property, they may want containers while a homeowner may want to have a flower garden.
“It is sunny or is it shady?” Bores said. “We love it when people stop by to ask questions. We will have the staff back – Tom Sheppard, Rhonda Houchins, Debbie Barton– and they will be here to answer any questions anyone might have.”
Dawn Bores also said “recipe” cards will be available.“If someone comes in and explains to us the size and shape of the
area they wish to plant, they will make a card that explains what plant should go where,” Bores said. “Then when they get home, they can follow the instructions on the card.’
Eastside will also offer classes this year – spheres, general tours of the facilities and other educational tools to help gardeners
“I hope our customers realize that small garden centers like this are a thing of the past,” Greg Bores said. “We are a very unique place and we want to be based on customer service and have a staff that knows our product.”
The Bores said many gardeners don’t understand how their plants are started from seed on the premises and not shipped in from around the country.
“We have 40,000 square feet of under cover space,” he said. “ We will grow 90-95 percent of our own product, not only because it is more economical but because it gives a better product.”
The Bores will also offer vegetables this season – eight different types of tomatoes, about the same number of peppers, eggplant, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.
“We are old school, old fashions,” Greg Bores said. “ We believe in what Heather Hayden always said: ‘Plant people are happy people.’”
It’s always gardening season
Greg Bores of Eastside Gardens has been in the greenhouse for nearly two months getting ready for the upcoming gardening season. Seeds are planted in trays and once they show even signs of sprouting, as some have, they are transferred to the next step in the growing process.
26 farms and fields
By Robert LyonsCampbell Publications
Almost any farmer who grew corn in the past two years could benefit from a class action lawsuit filed on their behalf.
Syngenta AG, a Swiss-based company, is being sued in several states for marketing seed corn with a GMO that had not been approved for sale in China. Because farmers grew the corn not knowing it could not be sold to one of the largest buyers of U.S. corn, the market was “crippled” for all farmers, according to a lawsuit filed in October 2014.
The GMO in question – Syngenta’s MIR 162, or Agrisure Viptera and Agrisure Duracade – was approved by the U.S. in 2010. Several major corn importing nations, according to a response from Syngenta, had also given the OK for MIR 162 to be imported. However, shipments to China that contained even a trace of the GMO were rejected. The negative effect on prices is estimated by plaintiffs to be more than $1 billion.
The GMO was eventually accepted by China, but not until December 2014, months after a slew of lawsuits were filed against
Syngenta.Washington D.C. law firm Hausfeld
LLP has coordinated the class action suits in federal courts in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska on behalf farmers who grew corn other than MIR 162 in 2013 and 2014.
If the class action suits are decided in favor of the farmers, damages could be assessed by acre or per bushel, according to Jerseyville attorney Josh Evans, of Wittman and Lorton P.C. In either situation, he said, the amount each farmer is entitled to would be easy to calculate.
“What would have been the value of corn if this hadn’t happened, and what was the value of corn today? You just measure that difference,” Evans said.
But, the class action is not the only legal recourse available to growers. Evans said personal injury attorneys are reaching out to farmers across the nation – some in the Jersey, Greene and Calhoun counties area – encouraging them to opt out of the class action suit, and file against Syngenta individually. He said farmers with the most acres planted seem to be the target of lawyers seeking to file individually. However, he said Wittman
and Lorton is not recruiting plaintiffs to file against Syngenta.
Farmers who choose to opt out of the class action suit would see no portion of a settlement or judgment, should the case be decided in favor of the plaintiffs. Overall, Evans said it is hard to say whether there is more potential benefit in filing individually over being part of the class action suit.
“It would depend if you ask the class action attorney or the personal injury attorney,” he said. “I think you would get a different answer.”
Though he refrained from offering legal advice, Evans said by not opting out of the suit farmers could benefit without taking part in any facet of the legal process.
“You don’t provide discovery, you don’t have to go to court or file documents,” he said. “But you could still see some sort of settlement from the class action.”
Evans said the lawsuit could take years to reach an end, as Syngenta has denied any wrongdoing, stating the lawsuits are “without merit.” Syngenta also contends the seed’s ability to protect against several insects actually increases growers’ productivity and profitability.
Corn growers have stake in class action suit
27 farms and fields
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By Justin A. CobbCampbell Publications
We have been blessed with a rather mild winter this year, especially compared to last winter’s brutal cold and copious snow and ice.
According to two farmers in Scott County, there are both pluses and minuses in terms of how it affects their late winter and early spring operations.
“Sometimes a harsh winter is good for breaking the soil down and helping with compaction problems,” H. Wayne Brown, Scott County Farm Bureau president and a corn and soybean farmer in Winchester, said by phone Feb. 4.
On the other hand, if the weather remains mild, it could allow farmers to get into the fields earlier to catch up on work from the fall that was left undone due to the fall season having been quite wet, Brown said.
Winter rains generally have come at welcome times and have been able to soak into the soil since it has not been deeply frozen, according to Brown.
“We had an inch and three-tenths of rain in January. It’s all come pretty good, and it’s been able to soak in,” he said. “Sometimes if you have frozen ground, it runs off. All the rain (this winter) has been beneficial.”
Will Andras, a cattle farmer in Manchester and Scott County Farm Bureau board member, on the other hand, would prefer the ground to be a bit harder.
“One thing is we’re not afraid of a little cold. It makes for what we call ‘poor man’s concrete,’” he said by phone Jan. 4. “We’re able to get a little more done” when the ground is frozen “and not fight mud all winter long.”
The mud can be hard on equipment, making it difficult to traverse a field to deliver feed without the risk of getting stuck, for example, according to Andras.
A solid ground is also better for calving, as it makes it easier for the calf to “find a place to lay where it’s dry,” Andras said. “I prefer good frozen ground as long as I can keep it. Twenty degrees and freezing is better than 35 plus rain” in terms of the calf “keeping a comfortable body temperature.”
At the same time, Andras applies research on feeding times in order to improve the chances of calving during the day, when it is sunny and warmer than at night.
“Feeding at a late hour helps us manage when the calves come,” he said, citing research indicating 80 percent of cows will calve in daylight if fed as late as 6-9 p.m. “Sunshine has a way of warming us up, makes us all feel better.”
Andras tries to take his cows and calves out to (See, WINTER, page 31)
Mild winter has pluses, minuses for Scott farmers
29 farms and fields
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Winter, continued from page 28pasture whenever he can, taking them to a place where they can find cover but also have the open space.
They are resilient animals, but if they must be kept inside a structure due to the sort of cold weather experienced through much of last winter, they can be more susceptible to communicable disease outbreaks, according to Andras.
“People who keep their cattle under a roof will see more outbreaks, especially scours,” a diarrheal disease in calves, which like prolonged or severe diarrhea in human infants can result in dehydration and other complications, Andras said.
For healthy animals, milder winter weather makes it easier to put on and keep on weight, since less energy must be devoted to maintaining body temperature, which in turn allows the farmer’s feed stores
to last longer, according to Andras.
“It looks like we’ll come through winter with plenty of hay,” Andras said. “It’s always better to plan for the worst and be pleasantly surprised.”
Just as with Brown’s corn and beans, the plentiful moisture received this winter will benefit the pastures where Andras’s cattle forage.
“The last real mild winter in 2012 was far more mild than this,” Andras said. “I (would have been) worried about the drought we saw then” if it were not for the precipitation we have received.
With the mild temperatures, however, weeds are more likely to be a problem in corn and bean fields than in harsher winters, according to Brown.
“Winter annuals didn’t survive” last year’s bone-chilling winter, whereas “some winters, they look green all
winter long,” Brown said.Harsh winters are more
desirable in terms of reducing populations of insect pests, too, Brown noted, in terms of both ravenous crop pests and vectors for livestock disease.
“If you don’t have a heated shop or you can get out on a 40 to 50 degree day, you can get ahead of the game,” Brown said.
Heating the shop is less expensive with milder temperatures, too, as is grain
drying, Brown said in light of the fall harvest’s bumper corn crop.
Whether wet, dry, hot, or cold, farming is never easy, each condition just one of countless variables, some inside the farmer’s control and others not, acting together as if by an occult hand to determine each year’s outcome.
“We have challenges every year, whether we have a hard winter or a mild winter,” Andras said.
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“Customers tell me our Plot Results helped increase their yields up to 25 bushels/acre.”
Willie Rees - Ag Lender & Certified Crop Advisor
Pittsfield,IL Pittsfield,IL Hull,IL Winchester,IL WhiteHall,IL Jerseyville,IL 217-285-5000 217-285-1149 217-432-8311 217-742-9505 217-374-2200 618-498-2299
