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Monday, January 31, 2011 Two sections Volume 39, No. 5

FarmWeek on the web: FarmWeekNow.com Illinois Farm Bureau®on the web: www.ilfb.org

ILLINOIS IS HARNESSINGa private-public partnership to buildfreight and passenger rail projectsand reduce delays and congestion. ..5

DA I RY FA R M E R S A R Epreparing for another challengingyear with higher input costs, pricedrops, and lower demand. ............13

FARMLAND SALES HAVEdeclined as prices for farmland realestate have increased as much as$10,000 an acre. .............................12

Can U.S. rebuilding jibe with tight fiscal agenda? BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Last week’s State of theUnion Address charted arenewed course toward eco-nomic recovery and competi-tiveness, emphasizing linksbetween trade, infrastructure,and jobs and the need forpolitical “civility” in themonths ahead.

The annual address wasmarked by an unprecedentedmingling of Republican andDemocrat lawmakers and Pres-ident Obama’s willingness toconsider such traditional GOPpillars as medical malpracticereform and unequivocal sup-port for pending free tradeagreements (see page 3).

But the speech raised funda-mental questions about how twoof the president’s key themes —rebuilding and retooling of thenation and a fiscal commitment“to cut excessive spending wher-ever we find it” — can co-existin the current Capitol Hill envi-ronment.

Obama proposed sweep-ing efforts to deliver broad-band Internet access acrossthe U.S. and bolster domesticroad, rail, and air resourcesto better compete with Chi-

measures for two years, hetold Congress “we simply can-not afford a permanent exten-sion of the tax cuts for thewealthiest 2 percent of Ameri-cans.”

Durbin argued nearly$1.1 trillion in annualincome tax deductions andcredits also “goes right outthe door.”

na, Russia, and Europe. He sought advances in

“clean energy” and green tech-nology, with funding forregional energy development, apush to “break our dependenceon oil with biofuels,” andefforts to put 1 million electriccars on the road by 2015.

At the same time, Obamacalled for a five-year freeze onannual domestic spending andwidespread cuts extending todefense and Medicare/Medicaidspending and “spendingthrough tax breaks and loop-holes.”

He took aim at “the billionsin taxpayer dollars we currentlygive to oil companies,” in theform of longstanding subsi-dies.

Peoria Republican U.S. Rep.Aaron Schock, responding toObama’s address, argued“everything needs to be on thetable when you’re trying toreduce the size of our deficit.”

That includes not onlypetroleum subsidies and taxbreaks for corporations thatship jobs overseas but alsofuture farm subsidies, Schocksaid.

American Farm Bureau Fed-eration economist John Ander-

son said lawmakers now arefocused on the U.S.’ impending“debt crisis.”

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, aSpringfield Democrat andmember of a recent federal“deficit commission,” acknowl-edged the possibly “painful”measures need to address “therisk of defaulting on our coun-try’s credit reputation.”

“The signal is, nobody ridesfor free in this environment,”Anderson told FarmWeek.“That’s a reflection of how thepolitical climate has changed. Idon’t know that there were anysurprises here.

“I think everyone expected alot of talk about the budget andcuts to the budget.

“In agriculture, we’reexpecting to engage in thosekinds of conversations as wehead into this year. The pointabout agriculture being a smallpart of discretionary spending(in turn, about 12 percent ofthe total budget, according toObama) is certainly a validpoint, but you could almostmake that point about all dis-cretionary spending.”

While Obama signed recentlegislation extending Bush-eratax credits and estate tax relief

La Nina may continue to impact weatherBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

La Nina, cooler-than-nor-mal sea surface temperatures inthe Pacific Ocean, has played apart in adverse weather condi-tions around the globe.

And if the situation contin-ues into the spring and sum-mer, it could have a “bigimpact” on the growing season,according to Mike McClellan,meteorologist and president ofWashington-based MobileWeather Team Inc.

La Nina already has con-tributed to recent dryness inArgentina and flooding in Aus-tralia, according to McClellan,who was a featured speaker lastweek at the MID-CO Com-modities winter outlook meet-

into fall,” he said. “If we stay inLa Nina into summer, it willimpact our weather big time.”

Specifically, if La Ninaremains intact through thesummer, McClellan predicted itcould be a drier-than-normalseason in Illinois and otherparts of the Midwest.

It also could intensify cur-rent dryness/drought issues inparts of the southern U.S. andthe western Plains.

McClellan last week placedodds of a drier-than-normalsummer at 60 percent, althoughthat projection could changebased on how the jetstream setsup this spring.

For more weather informa-tion, visit the website{www.mobileweather.com/ag}.

ing in Bloomington. It also has had a large impact

on the Arctic Oscillation, whichcurrently is a high pressure areaover the North Pole that is dri-ving cold air into North Ameri-ca and Europe.

The Arctic Oscillation hasbeen a key driver of a very coldand active winter weather pat-tern in much of the Midwest,East Coast, and Europe — apattern that likely will hold forthe rest of winter, according tothe meteorologist.

“All the weather systemskeep regenerating,” McClellansaid. The current Arctic Oscilla-tion “is a huge weather-makerfor the Northern Hemisphere.”

McClellan reported that asof last week 71 percent of the

U.S. was covered with snowwhile the temperature in someparts of Russia plunged to ascold as 60 degrees below zero.

He predicted the weatherpattern in the Midwest willremain active this spring withsevere storms and large temper-ature swings. The situationcould create planting delays andearly-season crop damage.

“We’re in a pretty strong LaNina situation,” McClellan said.“It’s having a huge impact onweather in North and SouthAmerica.”

Computer models predict LaNina will fade away by earlyJune. But McClellan is not con-vinced that will be the case.

“I think La Nina will lastthrough the summer and maybe

A LOT OF LEARNING AT ALOT

Five of the 27 participants of the 2011 Agricultural Leaders of To-morrow (ALOT) class try out their team leadership, management,and design skills in the “Great Egg Drop” exercise during theirleadership styles course at the class session last week in Spring-field. The object was to develop a safe haven for an egg to protectit from breaking once it was dropped to the floor from an elevatedheight. Team members shown here are Carla Mudd, manager ofHancock County Farm Bureau; Brad Schmidgall, Livingston Coun-ty; Brad Zwilling, Champaign County; Christopher Otten, St. ClairCounty; and Carol Jerred, Hancock County. Their egg survived thefall. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

See Rebuilding page 4

80,000-POUND PROVISION IN JEOPARDY —An appeals court last week ruled the 2009 state capital billwas unconstitutional.

If upheld by the state Supreme Court, the ruling wouldimpact a variety of fee increases, increased sales taxes onsome products, and a provision authorizing uniform truckweights up to 80,000 pounds. The uniform truck weightprovision has been in effect since Jan. 1, 2010.

“The administration intends to appeal the AppellateCourt’s decision and to seek an immediate stay from theIllinois Supreme Court,” Gov. Pat Quinn said in a state-ment. “We would expect the Supreme Court to rule on therequest for a stay in the very near future.”

DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR 23 COUNTIES —The I l l inois Depar tment of Ag r icul ture (IDOA)announced federal disaster assistance is available to helpIllinois farmers in 23 counties who suffered crop lossesfrom drought.

Last week, USDA granted the state’s request to designate16 Illinois counties as disaster areas. The designation quali-fies farmers in those counties and seven contiguous onesfor assistance.

“This declaration will provide much needed assistance toproducers in Southern and Eastern Illinois that experiencedsignificant losses, particularly with forage crops, due todrought late last summer and fall,” said Illinois AgricultureDirector Tom Jennings.

The 16 primary counties are Alexander, Edwards,Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson,Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, Wayne, White andWilliamson. The seven contiguous counties are Clay, Jeffer-son, Marion, Perry, Randolph, Richland, and Wabash.

Farmers who believe they may qualify for disaster assis-tance should contact their local Farm Service Agency office.

REGULATOR SCRUTINY — After President Oba-ma last week announced a review of government regula-tions “to reduce barriers to growth and investment,” Illi-nois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson suggested theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) be placed atthe top of the list.

In his State of the Union Address, Obama told Con-gress that “when we find rules that put an unnecessary bur-den on businesses, we will fix them.”

“By our count, there are more than two dozen separateEPA regulations and proposals that would hurt farmers,”Nelson responded. “EPA is overstepping its authority, andwe urge Congress to pursue a vigorous program of over-sight of the regulatory agenda of EPA.”

But the administration may proceed cautiously: Thepresident stressed, “I will not hesitate to create or enforcecommonsense safeguards to protect the American people.”He specifically cited air and water “safety” measures — twokey areas of EPA jurisdiction that have generated concernsabout regulatory overreach in farming.

FarmWeek Page 2 Monday, January 31, 2011

(ISSN0197-6680)

Vol. 39 No. 5 January 31, 2011

Dedicated to improving the profitability of farm-ing, and a higher quality of life for Illinois farmers.FarmWeek is produced by the Illinois FarmBureau.

FarmWeek is published each week, except theMondays following Thanksgiving and Christmas, by theIllinois Agricultural Association, 1701 Towanda Avenue, P.O.Box 2901, Bloomington, IL 61701. Illinois AgriculturalAssociation assumes no responsibility for statements byadvertisers or for products or services advertised inFarmWeek.

FarmWeek is published by the Illinois AgriculturalAssociation for farm operator members. $3 from the indi-vidual membership fee of each of those members go towardthe production of FarmWeek.

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© 2011 Illinois Agricultural Association

STAFFEditor

Dave McClelland (dmcclelland@ilfb.org)Legislative Affairs Editor

Kay Shipman (kayship@ilfb.org)Agricultural Affairs Editor

Martin Ross (mross@ilfb.org)Senior Commodities Editor

Daniel Grant (dgrant@ilfb.org)Editorial Assistant

Linda Goltz (Lgoltz@ilfb.org)Business Production Manager

Bob StandardAdvertising Sales Manager

Richard VerderyClassified sales coordinator

Nan FanninDirector of News and Communications

Dennis VerclerAdvertising Sales RepresentativesHurst and Associates, Inc.P.O. Box 6011, Vernon Hills, IL 600611-800-397-8908 (advertising inquiries only)

Gary White - Northern IllinoisDoug McDaniel - Southern IllinoisEditorial phone number: 309-557-2239Classified advertising: 309-557-3155Display advertising: 1-800-676-2353

Quick TakesSAFETY

Labor Department fines elevators$1.35 million after three deaths

The U.S. Department ofLabor last week fined twoIllinois grain elevators $1.35million for numerous safetyand child labor violationsafter three workers, includingtwo teenagers, died in sepa-rate accidents last year.

Haasbach LLC, MountCarroll, and Hillsdale Eleva-tor Co. in Geneseo andAnnawan, were fined a totalof $1,352,125, Labor Depart-ment officials announced lastweek.

Haasbach was issued 24citations from the Occupa-tional Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA) fol-lowing an investigation intothe deaths of Wyatt White-bread, 14, and Alex Pacas, 19,at the company’s elevator inMount Carroll.

A 20-year-old man alsowas seriously injured in theJuly 2010 incident when allthree became engulfed incorn more than 30 feet deep.At the time, the workers were“walking down the corn” to

make it flow while augerswere running.

“The tragic deaths ofthree people could have beenprevented had the grain binowners and operators fol-lowed the occupational safetystandards and child laborlaws,” Secretary of LaborHilda Solis said in a state-ment.

The Labor Department’swage and hour division alsofined Haasbach for violatingchild labor laws by employingan individual younger than 18to perform hazardous work.

Haasbach was fined a totalof $623,125.

In a separate case, OSHAissued 22 citations to theHillsdale Elevator after thedeath of employee RaymondNowland, 49, who wasengulfed in a grain bin at thecompany’s Geneseo facility.

OSHA also discoveredadditional violations duringa later inspection of thecompany’s Annawan facili-ty. Consequently, OSHA

State coalition to address safety on farms, commercial facilitiesBY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

A grain handling safety coalition hopes not only to raiseawareness of safety issues in the farm community but in thecommercial grain industry as well, according to Jeff Adkisson,executive vice president of the Grain and Feed Association ofIllinois (GFAI).

“We need to heighten awareness and make people stop andthink before they go into a grain bin and become a victim,”

Adkisson told FarmWeek. The Grain Handling Safety

Coalition (GHSC) is working toprevent accidents, injuries, andfatalities through safety educa-tion, prevention, and outreachefforts across the grain industry.

Coalition members includefarm groups, including IllinoisFarm Bureau, the commercialgrain industry, educational insti-tutions, state agencies, the Occu-pation Safety and HealthAdministration, the NationalInstitute for Occupational Safetyand Health, rescue personnel,and family members of accidentvictims.

The importance of GHSC’sannouncement was reinforced

by U.S. Department of Labor findings last week that led to finesin two separate grain bin accidents that caused the deaths ofthree Illinois people.

GHSC is developing public service announcements and work-ing on educational projects to raise awareness within the farmcommunity. Adkisson pointed out GHSC’s efforts will be multi-faceted, working both with farm families and commercial grainoperations.

For example, GFAI has a safety specialist who provides train-ing to commercial operations. After the three deaths this year,the grain industry worked to increase participation in safety pro-grams.

issued the company$729,000 in fines.

A company has 15 busi-ness days after receivingOSHA citations and penaltiesto comply, request a confer-ence with the area OSHAdirector, or contest the find-ings before the OccupationalSafety and Health ReviewCommission.

At least 25 U.S. workerswere killed in grain entrap-ments last year, and the num-bers of such accidents areincreasing, according to Pur-due University researchers.

In 2010, there were moregrain entrapments than inany year since Purdueresearchers started collectingentrapment data in 1978.

OSHA’s Region V, whichincludes Illinois, Ohio, andWisconsin, initiated a grainsafety local emphasis pro-gram last August and hasconducted 61 inspections andissued 163 violations to grainoperators/facilities.

The violations cover haz-ards associated with grainengulfment, machine guard-ing, lockout/tagout of dan-gerous equipment to preventaccidental start-up, electrici-ty, falls, employee training,and combustible dust haz-ards.

‘ W e n e e d t oheighten aware-ness and makepeople stop andthink before theygo in to a gra inbin and becomea victim.’

— Jeff AdkissonGrain and Feed

Association of Illinois

GOVERNMENT

Page 3 Monday, January 31, 2011 FarmWeek

Obama backs FTA passage for job stimulusBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

President Obama’s clear sig-nal supporting Latin Americanfree trade agreements (FTA)last week offered bipartisanhope for improved commercewith Panama and Colombia.

On the heels of heightenedsupport for a U.S.-South Kore-an FTA among key labor andmanufacturing interests, thepresident in his State of theUnion Address told Congressthe Korean and pendingColombian and Panama agree-ments “keep faith with Ameri-can workers and promoteAmerican jobs.” He sought con-gressional passage of the Kore-an FTA “as soon as possible.”

Obama pledged administra-tion efforts “to continue ourAsia-Pacific and global tradetalks.” As part of an emphasison job growth, especially inmanufacturing, he reiterated his

approval of the Korean FTA is“a good first step,” but arguedPanama and Colombia dealsalso are “part and parcel” ofany export-doubling strategy.

Under the Korean agree-ment, nearly two-thirds of U.S.ag exports to South Koreawould become duty-free imme-diately, including corn, wheat,soybeans for crushing, hidesand skins, and high-val-ue/processed products such aspistachios, almonds, bourbon,wine, raisins, grape juice, freshcherries, frozen french fries, andfrozen orange juice concentrate.

More than 80 percent of U.S.exports to Colombia would begranted immediate duty-free sta-

tus under the Colombian FTA,including wheat, beans, soymeal, high-quality beef, apples,pears, peaches, cherries, andsome processed food products.

The U.S. enjoys a roughly 53percent share of the Panaman-ian ag import market; Stallmansaid an FTA would protectthose markets from other LatinAmerican suppliers.

“Those three agreements aregoing to be extremely impor-tant for the large agriculturalcommunity in Central Illinois,as well as for those high-wageunion manufacturing jobs inIllinois that depend on newmarkets and new customersaround the world,” Schock said.

2010 State of the Union com-mitment to double U.S. exportsby 2014, “to help businesses sellmore products abroad.”

“The more we export, themore jobs we create at home,”Obama stated, noting new agree-ments with India and China willsupport 250,000-plus jobs andciting estimates the Korean FTAwould support at least 70,000.

“I think the president waspretty clear,” Senate MajorityWhip Dick Durbin, a Spring-field Democrat, toldFarmWeek following Obama’sspeech. “He worked hard onthe Korean trade agreementand noted that business andlabor support it. I think he’sgoing to push for its passage.

“And he didn’t leave Panamaand Colombia behind, either.He specifically mentioned thatwe needed to expand tradeagreements there and in thePacific, also. That, I think, is a

sensible approach. It’s one I’mgoing to work with him on.”

Association of EquipmentManufacturers President Den-nis Slater told House Ways andMeans Committee membersfailure to move FTAs “has putAmerica’s manufacturers andfarmers at a competitive disad-vantage in a fiercely globaleconomy.”

American Farm Bureau Fed-eration President Bob Stallmantestified FTA debate “is nolonger simply about generatingpotential export gains butabout how to prevent the lossof existing export markets.”

U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, aPeoria Republican, agreed

Lock funding possibleamid ‘earmark’ stigma?

Advocates for improved river transportation face several keychallenges, including outmoded and crumbling locks, otherbudget priorities, and the potential “stigma of ‘earmarks.’”

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama pro-posed a major infrastructure overhaul, promising to “put moreAmericans to work repairing crumbling roads and bridges.”

“We will make sure this is fully paid for, attract privateinvestment, and pick projects based on what’s best for the econ-omy, not politicians,” Obama told Congress.

American Farm Bureau Federation economist John Ander-son sees a growing recognition in Washington that failure toinvest in domestic infrastructure “could have fairly serious eco-nomic consequences down the line.”

With Panama and Colombian trade agreements potentiallyon a fast track to approval, Anderson argues delays in updatingUpper Mississippi locks — work Congress approved in 2007but failed to fund — “really hinders us” in terms of efficient,economic U.S. export flow.

However, Obama’s pledge to veto any spending measure thatincludes “earmarks” (appropriations seen as particularly benefi-cial to certain congressional districts or regions) could posechallenges to approval of lock funding in 2011.

“Exactly how it escapes the budget knife remains to beseen,” Anderson said. “I don’t know that anything escapes theearmark stigma in this environment, but maybe we can findsome different way of directing funds.

“There are infrastructure projects out there that I think willbe viewed pretty favorably. There is concern that maybe we’recompromising our long-run competitiveness if we don’t get ontop of some of this infrastructure degradation.

“If we don’t take care of our transportation and handlinginfrastructure, we’re leaving money on the table in other areas.There’s a lot of bang for our buck if we do it.”

Union support for the U.S.-South Korean trade agreementhas helped nudge previously resistant lawmakers toward passageof the accord. Midwest unions have joined with ag interests topush lock construction, and their emphasis on constructionjobs could prove effective in securing funding.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee mem-ber Aaron Schock, a Peoria Republican, is a proponent forupgrades to the locks “as well as all our nation’s infrastructure— airports, ports, highways, what-have-you.” However, hequestions whether administration zeal for infrastructureimprovements will translate into river dollars.

“We’ve had a highway bill, an infrastructure bill, that’s beenexpired for the greater part of three years,” Schock toldFarmWeek. “I’m hopeful we can get some movement, but thedevil’s in the details.” — Martin Ross

Health care debate may becomefirst test of new bipartisan spirit

In a show of bipartisan spir-it, Springfield Democrat Sen.Dick Durbin and HighlandPark Republican Sen. MarkKirk, past proponents of diver-gent health care proposals, satside-by-side for the president’sannual congressional address.

On a similar note, PresidentObama suggested lawmakersconsider medical malpracticereform — a key Republican pri-ority absent from last year’slandmark health care law — “torein in frivolous lawsuits” andreduce health costs.

Health debate nonethelessmay prove the acid test forbipartisan cooperation as newHouse members seek to repealexisting law and its original pro-ponents battle to stay thecourse with new health insur-ance requirements and reforms.

Obama stressed the need tocut health costs, including thosefor Medicare and Medicaid, call-ing those costs “the singlebiggest contributor(s) to ourlong-term deficit.” He arguedinsurance reforms in the newlaw will slow rising health costsand that repealing the law wouldadd $250 billion to the deficit.

Rep. Aaron Schock, a PeoriaRepublican, called the law “oneof the most harmful pieces oflegislation in terms of taxes,fees, and harming job growththat has been passed in the lasttwo years.” He suggested aRepublican “replacement” billwill elicit “not only broad bipar-tisan support but also, moreimportantly, the support of theAmerican people.”

Schock challenged predic-tions that the House’s recentrepeal of the current law wouldbe dead on arrival in the Senate,noting the Senate’s mere four-seat Democrat majority.

“As more and more Ameri-cans find out what is in thehealth care bill ... more and

more Americans are unhappywith it,” he told FarmWeek.“They realize it’s going to doaway with health insurance asthey know it, and it’s causingpremiums to skyrocket.

“The idea repeal is dead orthat the Senate invariably isn’tgoing to take it up is a bit of adefeatist mentality,” said Schock.

Durbin supports Obama’spast opposition to proposed capson malpractice awards, especiallywith regard to “pain and suffer-ing,” arguing that when plaintiffsreceive such awards, “the jurybelieves they’ve truly beeninjured.” But, he said he is willingto “hear a little more” aboutObama’s new position.

Rockford-area doctor CarrieSharkey Asner notes the effectIllinois’ malpractice environ-ment has had on physician

retention and patient servicesstatewide.

Prior to approval of statemalpractice reforms in 2005, noneurosurgeons were practicingsouth of Springfield, saidAsner, herself the wife of aneurosurgeon. In the northerncounties, fear of major plaintiffawards had spurred some doc-tors to abandon “higher-risk”specialties such as trauma, fill-ing intensive care beds in othercommunities, she said.

Asner said the situation “gota little better” following reformpassage, but with a subsequentIllinois Supreme Court decisionruling against award caps, shewarned “it’s not holding.” Fed-eral reform “would be great,”but “I don’t know that that’sgoing to happen,” Asner toldFarmWeek.

Obama advises 1099 fixThe president last week signaled Congress to correct provi-

sions in new health care law that “placed an unnecessary book-keeping burden on small businesses.”

While President Obama was cautiously open to tweaks in thesweeping new law, he told lawmakers “we can start right now”by correcting what he called “a flaw in the legislation” — forth-coming changes in U.S. Internal Revenue Service 1099 reportingrules.

Under new health care law, farmers and other business own-ers must issue a federal Form 1099 to unincorporated serviceand goods providers to whom they pay more than $600 during atax year.

Starting in 2012, producers also will have to issue 1099s toincorporated businesses and providers, covering virtually everyag “vendor” transaction.

Repeal of 1099 measures failed during December food safetydebate. In a Jan. 21 letter to lawmakers, Illinois Farm BureauPresident Philip Nelson hailed introduction of the House SmallBusiness Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011, whichspecifically targets 1099 provisions.

“This paperwork mandate would require a tremendousamount of burdensome and counterproductive busywork for aself-employed farmer or any small business owner with limitedresources,” Nelson warned.

“With virtually every member of Congress, the NationalTaxpayer Advocate of the United States, and even PresidentObama now questioning the wisdom of this provision, the timehas come for its quick repeal,” he said. — Martin Ross

RISK MANAGEMENT

FarmWeek Page 4 Monday, January 31, 2011

Continued from page 1“Some of it is just not justi-

fiable,” the senator said.He nonetheless argued “the

research and innovation weneed for businesses to succeedmany times requires govern-ment help,” and defended agand biomedical research andeducation funding.

How that translates tofuture incentives for ethanol,

biodiesel, and prospective bio-mass fuel sources will dependon “what gets called cleanenergy,” Anderson said.

Obama highlighted poten-tial solar, nuclear, wind, “cleancoal,” and natural gas use tosupply 80 percent of electricalneeds by 2035, making no spe-cific mention of biomass as apotential power source. Theaddress included only a single

reference to biofuels use. “Will there be preference

for the development ofemerging technologies, or willexisting biofuels continue toreceive the forbearance we’veseen?” Anderson posed.

“Even those things thatare considered clean energymay have a hard time holdingonto support in this environ-ment.”

Rebuilding

Risky business: new angles in producer protectionBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Amid cost volatility, policyuncertainty, and a heighteneddegree of farmer market-savviness, a variety of newand innovative protectionoptions continues to emergeacross the production spec-trum.

Integrating farm risk andmarket management strategiesis a key emphasis for new cropand livestock programs andproducts. That concept isexemplified by Growers Edge,a web-based grain risk/marketanalysis site.

Though not involved in itsdevelopment or operation,crop insurer Country MutualInsurance Co. has signed onas the exclusive insuranceadvertiser on the site in Illi-nois for the next year.

Growers Edge is an inde-

Profit Manager: This tooluses individual farm or pre-loaded National Ag StatisticsServices figures to gauge fer-tilizer, seed, and relatedexpenses. University of IllinoisExtension {farmdoc.com}regional plug-ins soon may beavailable. Growers plug in thevalue of existing sales andunsold grain to establish abreakeven or profit “goal” thatcan be tracked on a daily basis.

Profit Analyzer. Farmerscan review strategies to inte-grate their marketing goalswith prospective crop insur-ance coverage using this tool.The program allows producersto chart potential outcomesfrom combining various cov-erage levels with conservative,moderate, or “aggressive”marketing plans.

Through an agreementbetween Country and GrowersEdge’s affiliated company,Crop Pro Inc., Country cropclients who sign up withGrowers Edge can have their

policy data automaticallyloaded into Profit Analyzerwhen they log on to theirGrowers Edge account. Allinformation is processed byCountry, which will not pro-vide Growers Edge any directaccess to policy data.

Market Commentary.AgriVisor is one of severallead sources of market obser-vation/analysis for the site,and producers can receivecommentary texts at any pointduring the marketing day.

Quote Edge. Farmers canaccess detailed market priceson a 10-minute delay or, for$30 per month, get real-timequotes.

Trading Edge. Producersalso can register for a futuresand options brokerageaccount, at $14 per round-triptrade.

For more on GrowersEdge, visit {www.growers-edge.com} on the web or callthe toll-free number, 866-678-3343.

pendent, third-party web ser-vice that provides a range ofmarketing tools, includingCashMax, which enables Illi-nois producers to access cashgrain bids within a maximum200-mile radius; Profit Manag-er, which uses individual orpreloaded farm expense fig-ures to help growers managemargins; and Profit Analyzer, a“What if ?” tool that simulatesthe impact of various revenueinsurance/marketing strategycombinations.

In addition, a Market Com-mentary feature draws from avariety of sources to alloweven producers in the field totrack opening, mid-day, andclosing quotes.

Grower’s Edge’s basic ser-vices — including mobile textsof updated prices, weatherforecasts, market alerts, andcommentaries — are available

free to producers who registerat the site {www.growers-edge.com}.

“I am very happy with thetools this can bring to farmers,”Illinois Farm Bureau risk man-agement specialist Doug Yodersaid. “Will it be for everybody?Probably not. But it does do avery good job of linking grainmarketing tools with cropinsurance information and deci-sion-making tools.”

The offerings in detail:CashMax: By plugging in

their ZIP code, producers canview cash grain bids within aspecified range, adjusted for esti-mated trucking costs. Thatenables farmers to maximizeprofit from a shipment based onfacility and timing of delivery.

An accompanying CashMaxmap compares a buying facili-ty’s current grain price basiswith a one- to five-year aver-age basis. “It’s a very quickand easy way to look for thebest cash bid out there everysingle day,” Yoder added.

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Farmers and livestock producers who partici-pate in free agroterrorism workshops will learnabout steps they can take to protect their farmsfrom a variety of emergencies, according to JimKunkle with the Illinois Department of Agri-culture’s (IDOA) bureau of animal health.

IDOA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’sSpringfield division are sponsoring two agroterror-ism workshops. Both workshops will run from 8:30a.m. to 3 p.m. One will be Feb. 22 at the CarlyleMariner’s Village, Carlyle. The other will be Feb. 23at the Pike County Farm Bureau office, Pittsfield.

Advance registration is encouragedbecause seating is limited to 100 partici-

pants Feb. 22 and 50 participants Feb. 23.Potential terrorism threats and existing ones

will be covered during the discussion, accordingto Kunkle.

IDOA officials also will discuss the emer-gency response program for animal disease out-breaks, Kunkle said. Using a table-top model,workshop participants will work through a dis-ease-outbreak scenario, including the types ofaction that will be taken.

In addition to farmers, veterinarians, emer-gency responders, firefighters, and law enforce-ment officers are being encouraged to attend.

To register online, go to{www.Illinoisworkshop.org}. Questions may bedirected via e-mail to Steffan.Nass@ic.fbi.gov.

Agroterrorism topic for workshopsSwine risk managementweighs dual volatility

Livestock operators today move in “a volatile world,” andthose who don’t watch the shifting bottom line may struggle tokeep their footing.

So says Shane Johnson of Minnesota-based Hurley and Asso-ciates Agri-Marketing, who helped develop CIMPLE, a hog riskmanagement program that enables operations to track cash con-tracts, futures options, and the portion of their animal and feedneeds not currently covered under their marketing programs.

The swine software package was named as a play on an obser-vation by one of the company’s founders that often “‘Simple’ ishard.” Amid high corn prices and recent hog market volatility,producers are “walking a fine line” in managing cost and profitrisks, Johnson told FarmWeek.

According to the livestock consultant, CIMPLE operates on asimple premise: helping ensure users “a good purchase on theinput side and a good sale on the hog side.”

“At any point, they can look at their bottom line as the marketsare moving and know where they’re at,” Johnson related. “I liketo tell our grain guys that grain is easy compared to hogs, becauseyou have more inputs every day.

“Corn, soybean meal, (distillers dried grains) are all moving upand down in price, as well as the hog market. It becomes a lotmore difficult to keep track of on a real-time basis.

“It’s such a volatile world — if you don’t know where yourbottom line is, you can’t make good decisions as far as lockingthose inputs up.”

Livestock risk management traditionally has been a sort ofstepchild to crop protections. USDA has seen spotty response toLivestock Risk Protection (LRP) and Livestock Gross Margin(LGM) policies aimed at helping mitigate the impact of marketvolatility.

LRP insurance covers price decline risks for feeder or fed cat-tle and swine, providing an indemnity if a regional or nationalcash price index falls below an insured coverage price.

LGM offers protection against declines in cattle and swinefeeding margins: An indemnity is paid if an insured gross marginis greater than the total actual gross margin at the end of theinsurance period.

While he sees further “room for innovation” in helping man-age swine risk, Johnson believes the essentials already are in placefor educated operators. Possible avenues for riding out cost/pricevolatility include futures and options and/or cash contracts frompackers, elevators, or feed mills.

“What’s out there is very workable, if they’re using it as a truehedging tool,” Johnson said.

For information on CIMPLE, visit {www.leanhog.net}. Infor-mation on LRP and LGM policies is available at{www.rma.usda.gov}. — Martin Ross

Rabid bull reported in Central IllinoisA Central Illinois bull has tested positive for

rabies, according to the state departments of publichealth and agriculture.

The bull was pastured in east Macon County anddeveloped signs of rabies on Jan. 24. The animal’sowner was unaware of any exposure to odd-actingwild animals, but he reported having seen manywild animals on his property.

Rabies is a virus that affects the central nervoussystem. Of all wild animals, rabies is most commonin bats. When the skunk rabies virus is circulating,skunks, raccoons, foxes, and other wild animals canbecome infected. Cats, dogs, and livestock also mayget rabies if they are not vaccinated.

Anyone who sees wild or domestic animals withsigns of rabies should not approach them butinstead report the animals to the local control officer.

The first symptom of rabies usually is a changein the animal’s behavior. Animals don’t have tofoam at the mouth to have rabies.

Other symptoms include difficulty walking, ageneral appearance of sickness, or a change in theanimal’s normal behavior. Animal control shouldsafely capture and euthanize the animal and submitit for rabies testing.

The last domestic bovine with rabies in Illinoiswas reported in 2005. The rabid cow had been pas-tured in both Bureau and LaSalle counties.

FB IN ACTION

Page 5 Monday, January 31, 2011 FarmWeek

Illinois private-public rail initiative national model BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Illinois is harnessing a private-publicpartnership to build freight and passen-ger rail projects and is reducing delaysand congestionin the Chicagoarea.

The successof CREATE(ChicagoRegion Envi-ronmental andTransportationEfficiency) pro-gram has thefederal government looking to the stateas a model, state agriculture leaderslearned last week.

“We’ve built up a head of steam,”Bill Thompson, an engineer and theCREATE railroad program manager,

told the Vision for Illinois Agriculture,which met in Bloomington.

To date, CREATE has finished 11rail projects and has another 10 pro-jects under construction. Seven pro-

jects are in the final design phase and15 more are being reviewed for envi-ronmental impacts. That leaves only 27out of 70 projects on the drawingboard.

Vision members focused on state

and regional transportation and infra-structure as ways to improve the state’seconomy.

Vision members represent agricul-tural businesses, research organiza-tions, government, and trade associa-tions.

“No loans have been involved inany CREATE (project),” Thompsonsaid. He explained the railroads con-tributed the initial funding, which wasused to obtain city, state, and federalfunds, including $133 million in high-speed rail funding.

The projects may make a substantialdifference.

For example, trains around the Chica-go “beltway” travel an average speed of5 to 12 mph with delays up to 122 hours.Once certain projects are complete, thetrains could travel 22 mph, and delayswould be reduced to 23 hours.

Thompson noted the projects’benefits range from improving theability to move freight fasterthrough the Chicago area to creatingand retaining jobs to improving airquality by reducing amount of timetrains and vehicles must run whilesitting idle.

One byproduct has been animproved relationship between stateand city transportation officials whowork together frequently, Thompsonadded.

The U.S. Department of Trans-portation is adopting CREATE as amodel for using federal transportationfunds on projects and is borrowing aCREATE staff member to train otherstates, Thompson said.

More information about CREATEis available at {www.createpro-gram.org}.

GrassRoots Issue Teamsdelve into several issues

Illinois Farm BureauGrassRoots Issue Teams(GRITs) recently forwardedtheir reports to the IllinoisFarm Bureau Board ofDirectors, which consideredthe reports at itsJanuary meeting.

Since December,eight teams ofFarm Bureau lead-ers from across thestate have studiedcurrent issues andpolicy.

The teams willmeet individually inFebruary or Marchand will presenttheir final reports to the IFBboard in April.

The following are high-lights from recent teammeetings:

• The Conservation andNatural Resources Team hasstudied farming on govern-ment-owned land and plansfurther study about lawsgoverning recreational landand water uses.

• The Crop Productionand Trade Team has dis-cussed biotechnology stew-ardship, especially the impor-tance of crop refuge compli-ance.

• The Equine Team isworking on potential out-comes, distribution, andcosts of a state equine cen-sus. It is planning additional

Producers named to IFB’s Panama-Colombia Market Study TourTwelve at-large producers

plus two Illinois FarmBureau directors have beenselected as participants inIFB’s 2011 Panama-ColombiaMarket Study Tour.

The March 8-15 tour“Exploring Panama andColombia: Infrastructure,Transshipment, and Trade”includes visits to the nationsof Panama — the gateway to

Asia for Illinois exports —and Colombia which, alongwith Panama, is an importantstrategic economic and trad-ing partner in the region.

The trip will feature visits

to U.S. river export terminalsand consultations withexporters and shippers, atour of the Panama Canal,visits with local customersand shippers in Panama andColombia, and discussionson export market opportuni-ties in those nations.

The pending free tradeagreements with both coun-tries also will be examinedand discussed.

The at-large producersnamed to the trip and theirhome counties are: Randy

Anderson, Saline; Ken Cripe,Fayette; Gene Feldott, Kane;Jay Hageman, Vermilion;David Headley, Fulton, RayKrausz, Clinton; David Myer,LaSalle; Kevin Miller, Effing-ham; Deb Moore, Warren;Mark Reichert, Sangamon;Ron Schoenholz, Lee; andNorbert Soltwedel, Effing-ham.

IFB directors David Meissfrom McLean County andTerry Pope from HancockCounty also will take part inthe tour.

study of equine beingdefined legally as livestockinstead of companion ani-mals.

• The Livestock and DairyTeam will review potential

impacts of new federalfood safety laws on thelivestock and dairyindustries.

• The RenewableResources and EnergyTeam is exploring sev-eral issues, including anational energy policyand energy issueswithin the farm bill.

• The Risk Manage-ment and Farm Pro-

grams Team is evaluatingcorrespondence that USDAcurrently provides to recipi-

ents of Farm Service Agencypayments.

• The Rural Life Team iscompiling information aboutroad laws, especially relatedto road damage. The groupalso is exploring variousoptions of health awarenessinitiatives for rural people.

• The Specialty Crops andLabor Team is delving intoopportunities for young peo-ple to job shadow individualswith agricultural careers andopportunities for spokesmantraining for those who par-ticipate in farmers’ markets.

For more informationabout GRITs, contact yourcounty Farm Bureau or goonline to {www.ilfb.org}. —Kay Shipman

BIOTECHNOLOGY

FarmWeek Page 6 Monday, January 31, 2011

Consumers to see more benefits from crop researchBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Crop technologies may gainbroader acceptance worldwidein the future as new traits couldprovide everything from nutri-tional benefits to a reduction ingreenhouse gas emissions.

Crop industry leaders dis-cussed new products in thepipeline this month at theFarm Profitability 2011 work-shop in Champaign. Theevent was sponsored by theIllinois Corn Growers and

Viptera can control 14 above-and below-ground corn pests.

Agrisure Viperta can boostcorn yields by more than sevenbushels per acre in areas withinsect pressure, according toBruce Battles, agronomy mar-keting manager for SyngentaSeeds.

And boosting yields will ben-efit more than just farmers whogrow the crops. Increasing theoutput per acre is vital to feed agrowing world population on ashrinking land base, accordingto Thomas Redick, principal ofthe Global EnvironmentalEthics Counsel.

“Increasing the yield curve isvery important to feed theworld,” he said.

Meanwhile, crops of thefuture likely will provide more

nutritional benefits.Plenish high oleic soybeans,

for example, contain no transfat and a fraction of saturatedfat compared to commodity soyoil, Schnebly said.

Monsanto, which investsabout $1 billion annually incrop research and develop-ment, also has produced soy-beans, such as Vistive Goldwith reduced saturated fat,that provide nutritional bene-fits.

“If we can bring moreproducts to the marketplacewith consumer benefits, hope-fully there will be better accep-tance and ease the path ofresistance for future prod-ucts,” said Jennifer Ralston,U.S. oilseeds product manage-ment lead for Monsanto.

Soybean Associations.“We’re kind of in the next

wave of the green revolution interms of the technology we seecoming forward,” said SteveSchnebly, senior research man-ager of crop genetics researchand development at Pioneer Hi-Bred.

One focus for researchers isidentifying genotypes in cornthat exhibit high nutrient useefficiency (NUE). NUE cornhybrids could help farmersincrease yields and decrease fer-

tilizer use and losses, whichwould benefit the environment.

Nitrogen fertilizer lost fromthe soil prior to crop absorp-tion can volatize and formnitrous oxide — a greenhousegas.

One industry estimate sug-gested U.S. farmers in 2008 lostabout 460 million bushels ofpotential corn yield due tonitrogen deficiency.

“High input costs probablyare not going to go away orbecome less expensive in thefuture,” Schnebly said. “Nitro-gen-use efficiency (technology)will help maintain yields with 20to 30 percent less N.”

Elsewhere, the developmentof Agrisure Artesian will allowcorn plants to use water moreefficiently while Agrisure

USDA clears wayfor GMO alfalfa

USDA announced last week it would fully “deregulate”Roundup Ready alfalfa, addressing anxieties that have ariseneven after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling reaffirming fed-eral approval for its production.

Last spring, the high court overturned a lower court rulingthat effectively had banned production of the herbicide-resis-tant GMO alfalfa since 2007. The justices stated the NinthDistrict Court abused its authority when it prohibited plantingat the behest of organic producers.

The opinion was issued after federal agencies had signed offon its safety and 220,000-plus acres had been planted. The rul-ing allowed USDA to permit planting pending a final environ-mental impact statement (EIS) — a statement that concludedthe product is safe and does not represent a risk to other non-GMO plants.

“Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s decision is basedon sound science and two decades of regulatory precedent,”Biotechnology Industry Organization CEO Jim Greenwoodresponded.

“Most importantly, this announcement restores the princi-ple of farmer choice and allows growers to move forward withdecisions about spring planting.

“This action also supports President Obama’s pledge tosupport science-based decision-making and to steer away frompolicies that create barriers to economic growth.

“In order to increase jobs, grow the industry and bring newproducts to market, the U.S. government’s regulatory review ofbiotech products needs to be more efficient,” Greenwood said.

Drought tolerance focus of new hybrids BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Amid concerns over possible long-term climat-ic shifts, commercial and residential competitionfor resources, and future global food needs, watermore than ever is one of agriculture’s most pre-cious commodities.

No surprise, then, that major crop develop-ment companies have focused on producingdrought-hardy varieties that wring more grainfrom each drop.

One of the newer developments is Pioneer’sOptimum AQUAmax corn, designed to bolsteryields in “water-limited environments.”

Pioneer senior marketing manager Monica Pat-terson reported new hybrids have shown an aver-age 5 percent yield advantage over commerciallyavailable competing products and other Pioneerhybrids.

The non-GMO product, which includes vari-ous native corn traits that improve water accessand use, was developed to address drought condi-tions particularly in the western Corn Belt.

But although limited 2011 introduction isfocused on the western region, varieties will be

available nationwide and eventually adapted to oth-er producing areas.

Patterson told FarmWeek new traits also offeryield protection “for those in areas less prone tochronic drought stress,” such as Illinois.

“We feel the hybrids will have a place in thecentral or eastern Corn Belt, as well,” Pioneersenior researcher Jeff Schussler said. “While theseenvironments may not be as severe or chronic asthe western Corn Belt, many fields throughout theMidwest will have transient drought stress.“

Because AQUAMax was derived from conven-tional corn lines, using advanced genetics solely toaccelerate manipulation of genes, current hybridsrequire no biotech regulatory approvals.

Pioneer hopes by “mid- to late decade” to addoutside traits to hybrids, necessitating U.S. and for-eign market approvals, Schussler said.

Because drought tolerance is “such a complextrait,” Schussler reported “multiple genes and multi-ple approaches” are involved in plant improvement.

“We don’t believe there’s any single silver bul-let,” he said. “Herbicide tolerance, insect controltend to be simpler, single-gene traits. Such is notthe case with drought.”

ENVIRONMENT

Page 7 Monday, January 31, 2011 FarmWeek

Illinois website links growers and applicators

Warren Goetsch, left, bureau chief of environmental programs for the Illinois Department of Agriculture, de-scribes a new online registry for pesticide applicators and specialty crop growers to Randy Zorn, a customapplicator with Evergreen FS in Metamora. Dubbed Driftwatch, the program provides geographic informa-tion about pesticide-sensitive crops. (Photo by Kay Shipman)

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Illinois farmers with special-ty or organic crops and pesti-cide applicators are able tolocate pesticide-sensitive fieldsvia Driftwatch, a new website.

The goal is to protect pesti-cide-sensitive crops and pre-vent pesticide drift from occur-ring, said Warren Goetsch,head of the Illinois Depart-ment of Agriculture’s (IDOA)bureau of environmental pro-grams.

The website is {www-.drift-watch.org}.

The voluntary program

allows farmers and beekeepersto register and map pesticide-sensitive locations and to pro-vide contact information. Thesite is geared for commercialoperations, not small gardens,Goetsch added.

In addition to specialtycrops and beehives, Driftwatchinformation may identify thelocations of organic crops andlivestock, fish farms, green-

houses, Christmas tree farms,and nursery crops.

“You can take a proactivestep that let’s your corn-and-soybean-growing neighborsknow you have a sensitivecrop,” Goetsch advised special-ty growers.

Likewise, pesticide applica-tors may check the site for sen-

sitive crops and beehives orthey may register their serviceareas. Registered applicatorswill be notified electronicallywhenever a new sensitive loca-tion is registered within their

service area, Goetschexplained.

Goetsch envisioned Drift-watch serving as a tool toincrease communicationbetween growers and applica-

tors. For example, an applicatorwith a question about a special-ty crop field or beehive loca-tion could contact the regis-tered grower or beekeeperdirectly, he noted.

Each registrant is given apassword, and only those withthat password will be able tochange the information.

To ensure online informa-tion remains current, growersand others will be asked toupdate their data annually,Goetsch said.

In addition to registeringonline, growers also may buyDriftwatch signs with websiteinformation to mark registeredlocations.

Goetsch encouraged grow-ers to check out the websiteand the map — even if they’renot sure they will register.

Farm Bureau members willhave an opportunity to learnmore about Driftwatch at theIllinois Farm Bureau Govern-mental Affairs LeadershipConference Feb. 23-24 inSpringfield. A booth aboutthe program will be in theexhibit hall.

FarmWeekNow.com

Feb. 2-3Illinois Crop Management conference, Northfield Inn &Conference Center, Springfield. 618-692-9434, ext. 13

Feb. 9-10Illinois Crop Management conference, I-Hotel and Confer-ence Center, Champaign. 217-333-4901.

Feb. 9Wind farm siting, zoning, taxing conference, 7:30 a.m. to4:30 p.m. Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, Normal.Registration deadline Feb. 1. Register online at{www.RenewableEnergy.ilstu.edu}.

Livestock manager certification workshop, 9:30 a.m.,Stephenson County Farm Bureau building, Freeport.Dairy-beef emphasis.

DATEBOOK

Workshop to focus on uses for few acres

Alternative uses for a few acres will be the focus of aFeb. 12 workshop at John Wood Community College, Quincy.

The program will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration deadline is Feb. 10. Rules and regulations for direct marketing will be dis-

cussed in the general session. Breakout topics will include:hoop houses, brambles, integrated pest management, goats,tractors and equipment, and nut trees.

Local farmers will offer three concurrent sessions eachhour.

The registration cost is $30 per person or $40 for couples.The fee includes lunch and a copy of the proceedings. Anystudent may attend for $10.

The workshop is sponsored by the University of IllinoisExtension, John Woods Community College local foods pro-gram, and the Western Illinois Sustainable Ag Society.

Register online at {www.extension.uiuc.edu/adams} or callthe Extension office at 217-223-8380.

Visit the Illinois Driftwatch web-site at FarmWeekNow.com.

EDUCATION

FarmWeek Page 8 Monday, January 31, 2011

. . . .

com

Joliet Junior College part of new online swine ed programBY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

New online classes not onlyare educating college studentsabout the swine industry butalso are offering a solution tofewer available swine produc-tion courses, according to BillJohnson, an agriculture pro-fessor at Joliet Junior College(JJC).

Three JJC students wereamong the 27 studentsenrolled in the first online sowmanagement class that is part

of a new national professionalswine manager education pro-gram.

The plan is to offer sevenonline courses that preparestudents to pass a professionalswine manager or swine tech-nician certification exam, saidJohnson, who also is coordina-tor of JJC’s agriculture produc-tion and swine managementprograms.

Apparently, the JJC studentsare the only Illinois studentsenrolled in the online program,Johnson said.

The educational and certifi-cation programs were the cre-ation of a national committeewhose “members were awarefewer schools are teaching

swine production,” he said.“We decided to put an educa-tional system together thatwould allow people anywhereto take the classes.”

A third of the studentsenrolled currently areemployed in the swine indus-try, Johnson noted.

The students enroll in thecollege where the class istaught and then transfer thecredits to their respective col-leges. A South Central Com-munity College professor inNorth Mankato, Minn., taughtlast fall’s sow course and isteaching this semester’semployer-employee relationscourse.

In addition to a two-hour

weekly online class, students inthe sow course also had tocomplete laboratory and activi-ty assignments, such as detect-ing sows in heat and then arti-ficially inseminating them. TheJJC students worked with a JJCanimal science professor tofulfill those requirements.

The national committee willdevelop the certification examsfor professional swine man-agers and professional swinetechnicians based on thecourse materials, Johnson said.

While college students arethe focus, they aren’t the onlyones who would benefit fromthe courses.

“These classes could bevaluable for a producer, too,”

Johnson added. An individualmay enroll in a single class andis not required to complete theentire course series or to pur-sue a degree, he explained.

For more information, con-tact Johnson at 815-280-2273or e-mail at bjohnson@jjc.edu.

Agriculturescholarshipdigest

IAA Foundation Scholar-ships — The IAA Foundationoffers a variety of scholarships.Completed applications andsupporting documents must bereceived at the IAA Foundationoffice postmarked by Feb. 1.

Applications, guidelines, andan activities template are avail-able as Word and PDF docu-ments on the IAA Foundationwebsite {www.iaa-foundation.org}. For moreinformation, contact charms-garman@ilfb.org, or call thefoundation office at 309-557-2230.

Monsanto/National Asso-ciation of Farm Broadcast-ers — The Monsanto Co. andthe National Association ofFarm Broadcasters are offeringa $1,500 Commitment of Agri-culture scholarship. The appli-cation deadline is Feb. 15.

Eligible applicants must behigh school seniors from afarm family who are planningto enroll full-time in an ag-related program at an accredit-ed school in pursuit of an agri-cultural career. A recipient willbe selected based his or heracademic record, leadershipskills, and a personal essay.

Applications are availableonline at {www.monsanto.com/scholarships}.

Farm Credit of Illinois — Farm Credit Services (FCS)

of Illinois is offering 25 schol-arships of $1,000 each to cur-rent high school seniors whoare college-bound and pursuingagriculture-related curriculumand careers. The applicationdeadline is Feb. 28.

Applicants must reside inone of the 60 southern coun-ties in Illinois served by FCS ofIllinois.

Applications are available atthe 20 Farm Credit Services ofIllinois branch offices andonline at {www.fcsillinois.com/scholarships.html}.

In addition, the Universityof Illinois College of Agricul-tural, Consumer, and Environ-mental Sciences (ACES) isoffering a $1,000 scholarshipmatch to any 2011 “We Under-stand Agriculture” scholarshiprecipient who enrolls in ACESthis fall.

FROM THE COUNTIES

Page 9 Monday, January 31, 2011 FarmWeek

BUREAU — The BureauCounty Farm Bureau

Foundation is offering scholar-ships to area students majoring inagriculture. Applications areavailable by contacting the FarmBureau office. Application dead-line is Feb. 25.

CARROLL — Carroll, JoDaviess, and Stephenson

county Farm Bureaus are spon-soring a Northwest Illinois WineTrail Saturday, March 19. Ticketscan be purchased for $25 untilFeb. 15. Contact the FarmBureau office at 815-244-3001 or{www.carrollcfb.org} for moreinformation.

• Stroke Detection Plus will beholding four screenings from 9a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb.15, in the Naaman Diehl audito-rium. Appointments can bemade by calling 877-732-8258.

• The Farm Bureau Founda-tion will be awarding five $1,000general ag scholarships and one$1,000 Harold Schmidt MemorialScholarship. Applications areavailable on the Farm Bureauwebsite at {www.carrollcfb.org}or at the Farm Bureau office.Application deadline is March 24.

COOK — Farm Bureau iscelebrating Food Check

Out Day Thursday, Feb. 24, bycollecting food items, pop tabs,and donations to help supportRonald McDonald House Chari-ties of Chicagoland and north-west Indiana. Donations arebeing accepted at Country Finan-cial offices in Cook County andat the Farm Bureau office inCountryside. Call 708-354-3276for more information.

• The Cook County FarmBureau has Chicago Wolves tick-ets available at a discounted pricefor Feb. 19, March 20, and April9 games. Call the Member Ser-vice Center at 708-354-3276 formore information.

EDGAR — A breakfastMarket Outlook Seminar

will be held at 7 a.m. Thursday atthe Farm Bureau office. DanZwicker of ADM will be theguest speaker. Reservations canbe made by calling 217-465-8511.

• The annual meeting will beheld Saturday, Feb. 5. A cateredmeal will be held at noon fol-lowed by a business meeting andentertainment by the CoonHoller Kids.

• The third session of the2011 marketing series will be at10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 10, at theFarm Bureau Building. ScottJones, Jones Marketing, will bethe guest speaker. Call the FarmBureau office for reservations.

FORD-IROQUOIS — AViewpoint breakfast meet-

ing will be held at 7 a.m. Tuesday,Feb. 8, at Happy Days Diner,Roberts. Call 1-800-424-0756 formore information.

FULTON — TheWomen’s Committee and

Davis Buick GMC and DavisFord will hold a free car careseminar for women from 6:30-8p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, at DavisFord in Canton. There in no costfor the seminar, but registrationmust be made by Friday by call-ing the Farm Bureau office at547-3011.

financial security consultant. Callthe MerRoc Agency at 736-0955to register and to guarantee mealreservations.

• Farm Bureau Foundationscholarships are available onlineat {www.ricofarmbureau.org}.Deadline is 4 p.m. March 31.

ST. CLAIR — The Mon-Clair Corn Growers annual

meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m.Wednesday, Feb. 9. John Phippswill be the guest speaker. RSVPat 939-6800 by Tuesday.

• The Viewpoint meeting willbe held at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 5,at The Ridge. Breakfast will beserved. RSVP at 939-6197.

SALINE — Feb. 21-25 isFood Check Out Week

promotion and Kroger gift cardgiveaways on WEBQ 1240,WEBQ 102.3, Z100, and WCILradio stations. Members are wel-come to call in during the desig-nated times to answer questionsto try to win a gift card.

• The Gallatin and SalineCounty Hunter Safety Course willbe held Feb. 25-26 at EldoradoHigh School. Registration beginsat 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 with class at 6p.m. Registration for the secondday will be at 8:30 a.m. with classat 9 a.m. Participants must bepresent both days to be certified.Call 618-272-3531 by Feb. 17 toregister.

STARK — The Spoon RiverAgricultural Museum and

the Central Illinois Farm HeritageTractor Club are sponsoring a dayto celebrate American Heritagefrom 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday,Feb. 12, in the ag arena at BlackHawk College East Campus,Kewanee. For more information,contact Don St. John at 309-361-7415.

STEPHENSON — A bustour to the John Deere

Tractor Works and Engine Worksin Waterloo, Iowa, will be March24. Details are available at{www.stephensoncfb.org} or bycalling 815-232-3186.

• A bus trip to Conklin’s BarnII Dinner Theatre to see the mati-nee performance of “Run ForYour Wife” will be Sunday, April10. Details are available at{www.stephensoncfb.org} or bycalling 815-232-3186.

• A preview of the Jan. 8-17,2012, Hawaii trip will be held at 7p.m. Feb. 24 at the Farm BureauBuilding. The trip will coincidewith the American Farm BureauFederation annual meeting inHonolulu.

UNION — An “On theRoad“ seminar will be

held at 6 p.m. today (Monday) atShawnee College. A meal will beprovided.

• A Stroke Detection Plusscreening will be held from 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9,at the Farm Bureau Building,Jonesboro. Call 1-877-732-8258for an appointment.

VERMILION — TheYoung Leaders Commit-

tee will hold a meeting to discussag advocacy and social media at 7p.m. Monday, Feb. 14, in theFarm Bureau board room. Themeeting is open to all FarmBureau members. Mary EllenFricke, Illinois Farm Bureau pro-

motion manager, will discuss theIllinois farmer image campaignand telling ag’s story throughsocial media.

WARREN-HENDER-SON — Farm Bureau is

sponsoring a oil and fuel on-farmstorage informational meeting at1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7. NancyErickson, Illinois Farm Bureaudirector of natural and environ-mental resources, and Jeff Man-thei, Riverland FS energy special-ist, will be the guest speakers.Registration can be made by call-ing 309-734-9401 or e-mailwhfb@whfarmbureau.org.

• Farm Bureau Foundation isaccepting applications for agscholarships for Farm Bureaumembers majoring in agricultureor agribusiness. Applicationsmust be typed and into the FarmBureau office by Feb. 25.

• Warren-Henderson, Knox,and McDonough county FarmBureaus and Country Financialare sponsoring financial securityseminars Wednesday, Feb. 9. Theseminars will be held at 9 a.m. atthe Knox Agri Center, Galesburg;noon at the Warren-HendersonFarm Bureau Building; and at5:30 p.m. in Macomb. DickVivian, Country Financial securityconsultant, will be the speaker.There is no cost but reservationsare encouraged. Call the FarmBureau at 309-734-9401 or aCountry Financial agent for infor-mation.

WASHINGTON — DaleDurchholz, AgriVisor

LLC senior market analyst, andKeith Maschhoff, Country Finan-cial agent, will speak at a marketoutlook meeting at 8 a.m.Wednesday, Feb. 16, at the LittleNashville Restaurant, Nashville.RSVP to the Farm Bureau officeby Friday, Feb. 11.

• The Washington and PerryFarm Bureaus will sponsor a bustrip to the Louisville Farm ShowThursday, Feb. 17. A $50 fee willcover the trip, snacks, and onemeal. Reservations are due byWednesday, Feb. 9.

WAYNE — A long-termcare seminar will be held

at 6 p.m. Thursday in the FarmBureau meeting room. JimHughes, Country Financial, willbe the speaker. A meal will becatered by Big Boy Barbecue.Seating is limited. Call 618-842-2185 to register.

• Farm Bureau is hosting“Crop Insurance 2011 — TheYear of Change“ at 7 p.m. Tues-day, March 1, in the FoundationHall of Frontier Community Col-lege, Fairfield. Doug Yoder willbe the featured speaker. Call 618-842-3342 to register or go to{www.waynecfb.com} for moreinformation.

• The Young Leader Commit-tee is raffling an Echo CS-360chainsaw to raise funds for theircollegiate scholarship and safetyday. Tickets are $5 each and canbe purchased at the Farm Bureauoffice or from a Young LeaderCommittee member. The draw-ing will take place during theannual meeting on March 11. Goto {www.waynecfb.com} andclick on the chainsaw picture formore information.

• The Young Farmer Commit-tee will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednes-day at the Farm Bureau Building.

GALLATIN — Feb. 21-25is the Food Check Out

Week promotion and Kroger giftcard giveaways on WEBQ 1240,WEBQ 102.3, Z100, and WCILradio stations. Members are wel-come to call in during the desig-nated times to answer questionsto try to win gift cards.

• The Gallatin and SalineCounty Hunter Safety Course willbe held Feb. 25-26 at EldoradoHigh School. Registration beginsat 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 with class at 6p.m. Registration for the secondday will be at 8:30 a.m. with classat 9 a.m. Participants must be pre-sent both days to be certified.Call 618-272-3531 by Feb. 17 toregister.

HANCOCK — “TheBeauty of Our Rural

Life” is the focus of the FarmBureau’s photo contest. The fourcategories are: rural scenery, kidsand critters, life on the farm, andgenerations. Digital photos mustbe submitted by March 1. Photoscan be e-mailed to Carla Mudd athcfbmanager@frontier.com ormailed to the Farm Bureau office.For more information, contactthe office at 217-357-3141.

JACKSON — An “On theRoad” seminar will be held

at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the SouthernFS, Marion. A meal will be pro-vided.

• A Stroke Detection Plusscreening will be held from 9a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8 atthe Walnut St. Baptist Church,Carbondale. Call 1-877-732-8258for an appointment.

KANKAKEE — The annu-al meeting will be Tuesday,

Feb. 22, at the Hilton Garden InnConference Center in Kankakee.Social hour will begin at 5:30 p.m.followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.Republican U.S. Rep. AdamKinzinger will be the guest speak-er. Tickets are available at theFarm Bureau office. The costis $10 each for members and $30each for non-members. Call 815-932-7471 to register and for moreinformation.

LEE — The MarketingCommittee will tour the

Clinton, Iowa, ADM facilityTuesday, Feb. 22. Transportationis not provided. Members wish-ing to attend or wanting moreinformation may contact theFarm Bureau office at 857-3531or e-mail leecfb@comcast.net.

• The application deadline forthe Lee County Farm BureauFoundation “Books by theBushel” is Feb. 1. Applications areavailable at the Farm Bureau web-site {www.leecfb.org}. Contactthe Farm Bureau office at 815-857-3531 or leecfb@comcast.netfor information.

• The application deadlinefor the Lee County FarmBureau Foundation scholar-ships is Feb. 1. High schoolseniors and undergraduatestudents pursuing a degree inagriculture or an agriculture-related field are eligible.Applications are available onthe Farm Bureau website{www.leecfb.org}.

LIVINGSTON — TheFarm Bureau and Prairie

Central Co-op will host “PutSafety First on Your Farm”breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Thursday,Feb. 10. John Lee, Illinois Feedand Grain Association safetyspecialist, will give an overviewof the dangers associated withfarming. There will be hands-ondemonstrations on grain drown-ing, PTO entrapment, and trac-tor rollover by members of thePontiac FFA chapter. Call theFarm Bureau office at 815-842-1103 or Prairie Central Co-op at815-945-7866 or e-mail tvl-cfb@frontier.com by Monday,Feb. 7, for reservations.

MACON — Studentsseeking a major in an ag-

related field may apply for FarmBureau scholarships by down-loading an application at{www.MaconCFB.org}.

MONROE — The Mon-Clair Corn Growers

annual meeting will be held at6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9.John Phipps will be the guestspeaker. RSVP at 939-6800 byTuesday.

• The Viewpoint meeting willbe held at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 5,at The Ridge. Breakfast will beserved. RSVP at 939-6197.

MONTGOMERY —Prime Timer members

will hold their monthly luncheonand meeting Wednesday, Feb. 16.Rita Frazer, WSMI radio ag direc-tor, will be the speaker. A friedchicken luncheon will be served.Cost is $8. For more informa-tion, contact the Farm Bureauoffice at 217-532-6171.

PEORIA — A FarmBureau Family Fun Day

will be held Saturday, Feb. 5. Reg-istration will begin at 11:30 a.m.with bowling at noon. Cost is $5for adults, and children ages 6-12are free. Reservations are notrequired.

PERRY — Dale Durch-holz, AgriVisor LLC

senior market analyst, and KeithMaschhoff, Country Financialagent, will speak at a market out-look meeting at 8 a.m. Wednes-day, Feb. 16, at the LittleNashville Restaurant, Nashville.RSVP to the Farm Bureau officeby Friday, Feb. 11.

• The Perry and WashingtonFarm Bureaus will sponsor a bustrip to the Louisville Farm ShowThursday, Feb. 17. A $50 fee willcover the trip, snacks, and onemeal. Reservations are due byWednesday, Feb. 9.

ROCK ISLAND — ACrop Marketing Seminar

will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday,Feb. 15, at the Milan CommunityCenter. Doug Yoder, IllinoisFarm Bureau director of affiliateand risk management, is the fea-tured speaker. Call Steve Sim at309-764-3116 by Feb. 8 for reser-vations.

• Farm/business estate andtransfer planning seminars arebeing offered by the MerRocAgency and Rock Island and Mer-cer county Farm Bureaus at 9a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, and at 6p.m. Feb. 23 at the Welcome Inn,Milan. The speaker will be RickMorgan, Country Financial senior

FarmWeek Page 10 Monday, January 31, 2011

Page 11 Monday, January 31, 2011 FarmWeek

Auction CalendarTues., Feb. 1. 10 a.m. McDonough CoLand Auction. Bruce Irish, Peri Switzer,

Carl Anderson and Karen Ford,BLANDINSVILLE, IL. Sullivan

Auctioneers, LLC.www.sullivanauctioneers.com

Wed., Feb. 2. 11 a.m. Farm Auction.David and Erin Hayden, TRIVOLI, IL.Van Adkisson Auction Service, LLC.

www.biddersandbuyers.comWed., Feb. 2. 10 a.m. Real Estate.

Furry Heirs, CHARLESTON, IL.Stanfield Auction Co.

www.stanfieldauction.comWed., Feb. 2. 10 a.m. Farm machinery.James Ribordy Estate, KINSMAN, IL.Immke and Bradleys’ Auction Service.

biddersandbuyers.com/immkeWed., Feb. 2. 10 a.m. Land Auction.

Richard Stahl Trust, PRINCEVILLE, IL.Col. John H. Bliss and Col. Gail

Cowser, Auctioneers.www.illinoisauctioneers.org

Thurs., Feb. 3. 10 a.m. 200 AcresFarmland, Bldg. Sites, Hunting.

Marjorie Carrell Estate, TOLEDO, IL.Auctions/Realty By Schackmann, Inc.

www.schackmann.comSat,. Feb. 5. 10 a.m. Farm machinery.David Pearcy Estate, CHARLESTON,

IL. Stanfield Auction Co.www.stanfieldauction.com

Sat., Feb. 5. 10 a.m. Farm machineryand miscellaneous. Largent Farms,

VANDALIA, IL. Langham Auctioneers,Inc. www.auctionzip.com

Sat., Feb. 5. 9 a.m. Kendall Co. FairAssoc. Consignment Auction.

YORKVILLE, IL. DeBolt AuctionService.

Tues., Feb. 8. 10 a.m. Land AuctionWarren Co. AgriBank, FCB, MON-MOUTH, IL. Van Adkisson Auction

Service, LLC.www.biddersandbuyers.com

Wed., Feb. 9. 10 a.m. Peoria Co. Land

Auction. Joseph G. Abraham, Jr. andCheryl L. Abraham, FARMINGTON, IL.Col. Gail Cowser and Col. John Bliss,

Auctioneers.www.illinoisauctioneers.com

Wed., Feb. 9. 10 a.m. Livingston Co.Farmland. Lloyd C Borngasser and

Harvey S Traub, FAIRBURY, IL. Immkeand Bradleys’ Auction Service.

www.biddersandbuyers.com/immkeWed., Feb. 9. 10 a.m. Woodford Co.Land Auction. Mary Ellen ScheirerEstate, METAMORA, IL. Sullivan

Auctioneers, LLC.www.sullivanauctioneers.comThurs., Feb. 10. 10 a.m. Farm

Machinery Auction. Thomas L. Huber,HILLSBORO, IL. Aumann Auctions.

www.aumannauctions.comThurs., Feb. 10. 10 a.m. Land AuctionMcDonough Co. Beulah Bacon Trust,MACOMB, IL. Van Adkission Auction

Service, LLC.www.biddersandbuyers.com

Sat., Feb. 12. 10 a.m. Real EstateKnox Co. Floyd Gustafson Farms,GALESBURG, IL. Van Adkisson

Auction Service, LLC.www.biddersandbuyers.com

Tues., Feb. 15. 10 a.m. Sloan AtenEstate, MACOMB, IL. Sullivan & Son

Auction.www.sullivansonauction.com

Sat., Feb. 19. 11 a.m. Hamilton Co.Farmland Auction. Buehler Heirs,

MCLEANSBORO, IL. BarnardAuctions. www.auctionzip.com

id#2008 or biddersandbuy-ers.com/barnard

Mon., Feb. 21. 7 p.m. Montgomery Co.Land Auction. Ken & Janet Easterday,

RAYMOND, IL. Glenn E. Karrick,Auctioneer. www.auctionzip.comTues., Feb. 22. 6:30 p.m. Auction.

Warren and Ronnie Cole, SULLIVAN,IN. Halderman Real Estate Services.

www.halderman.comTues., Feb. 22. 1 p.m. Farmland

Auction. Kirby Farms, FARMER CITY,IL. Martin Auction Services, LLC..

www.martinauction.comThurs., Feb. 24. 6 pm.. Cass, Menard

& Mason Co. Land Auction. MultipleSellers, OAKFORD, IL. Sullivan

Auctioneers.Thurs., Feb. 24. 7 p.m. Land Auction.Gruen and Sara Vonbehrens, STEW-ARDSON, IL. Krile Auction Service.www.krileauction.blogspot.com or

www.auctionzip.com ID#6524Fri., Feb. 25. 11 a.m. Land Auction.Arthur Frank Cook Exemption Trustand the Marjorie M. Cook Survivors

Trust, EARLVILLE, IL. EspeAuctioneering.

www.espeauctions.comFri., Feb. 25. 9 a.m. Consignment

Auction. MORRIS, IL. Richard A. Olsonand Assoc. www.richardaolson.comSat., Feb. 26. 11 a.m. Kane Co. Land

Auction. Edward and CatherineZimmer, ELBURN, IL. Espe

Auctioneering.www.espeauctions.com

Fri., Mar. 4. 10:30 a.m. DeKalb Co.Farmland. Benjamin L Benson TrustNo. 1010, Helen E. Benson Trust No.102, Wayne Benson Co-Trustee and

David Benson Co-Trustee, EARLVILLE,IL. Jim Elliott and Craig Elliott,

Auctioneers. www.elliottauctions.net.or www.auctionzip.com (id #2927)Sat., Mar. 5. 10 a.m. Land Auction

LaSalle Co. Trust #6512, OTTAWA, IL.Richard A. Olson. richardaolson.comTues., Mar. 8. Ag Eq. ConsignmentAuction. DECATUR, IL. Taylor andMartin Real Estate/Ag Sales, LLC.

www.tmras.comThurs., Mar. 10. Consignment Auction.

RAYMOND, IL. Agri-Tech, Inc.Sat., Mar. 19. 9 a.m. Consignment

Auction. Leland Lions Club.www.lelandlionsclub.com

LAND PRICES

FarmWeek Page 12 Monday, January 31, 2011

Farmland sales decline as values continue to riseBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Farm managers andappraisers have noticed twodistinct trends in the farmlandmarket in recent months.

First is the well-publicizedrise in farmland prices fueledin part by historically highcommodity prices and stronginterest from investors.

“Even while some residen-tial and commercial real estatevalues have been falling, thathas not been the case for farmreal estate,” said Mike Boehlje,Purdue University ag econo-mist. “Instead, we’ve seensome high prices for farmlandin recent months, even exceed-ing $10,000 an acre in someextreme cases.”

The higher prices, however,

have not spurred a rush offarmland sales but instead maybe a reflection of the secondtrend: a tight supply of farm-land on the market.

Demand for U.S. farmlandin 2010 jumped to a five-year

high but the supply of avail-able land slipped to historicallylow levels, according to theFarmers National Co.

Tom Hertz of Hertz FarmManagement reported thepace of farmland sales in thepast 18 months has declined

by about one-third. Hertz wasa featured speaker during theFarm Profitability 2011 con-ference in Champaign spon-sored by the Illinois CornGrowers and Soybean Associ-ations.

“Land sales have beendown dramatically,” he said.“Everybody is holding on asprices go up.”

The Loranda Group, an agreal estate firm in Blooming-ton, reported land prices thepast year increased by an aver-age of 5 to 15 percent. But italso witnessed a trend towardfewer sales.

“In general, there have beensubstantially fewer farms avail-able for sale,” the group statedin its “Year in Review.”

The strong farmland mar-

ket, which has put pressure oncash rental rates, could losemomentum if crop pricesdecline, interest rates rise, orthere are changes to the farmprogram.

Hertz estimated the averageprice of farmland coulddecline by $400 to $500 peracre if the federal governmentceased direct payments tofarmers and landowners.

However, he does notbelieve the farmland markethas entered a bubble, whichwould make it susceptible to acrash similar to what hap-

pened in the U.S. housing mar-ket.

“I don’t think we’re in abubble,” Hertz said. “Farmershave low debt, which meansthey can be very aggressive(bidding for farmland).”

Farmland investors havebeen attracted to the marketdue in part to higher pricesand returns and because farm-land provides a hedge againstinflation.

Overall, however, 85 per-cent of buyers last year stillwere farm operators, accord-ing to Farmers National Co.

Seminar to address cattle feeding strategiestension beef specialist andprofessor in the U of I depart-ment of animal sciences.

The conference will start at9:45 a.m. with Mike Baroni,ADM vice president of eco-nomic policy, discussing “Cat-tle Feeding and the New Vi-sion of Agriculture.”

Other speakers includeMike Cecava of ADM’s re-search division with an updateon co-products and agresidues; Maralee Johnson ofIBA presenting an associationupdate; Dan Loy of Iowa StateUniversity discussing feedingstrategies for coping with highcommodity prices; Galen Eric-son of the University of Ne-

braska on corn replacementfeed co-products and agresidues; and Faulkner on beefcattle feed efficiency, geneticselection, and feed manage-ment.

The conference will con-clude at 3 p.m.

Registration will begin at9:30 a.m. Pre-registration isnot required, and there is nofee to attend.

For more information, con-tact Faulkner at 217-333-1781,Cecava at 217-451-6817, orJohnson at 217-787-4280.

A complimentary lunchwill be prepared by theDeKalb-Kane Cattlemen’sAssociation.

The future of Midwest cat-tle feeding will be discussed atthe 2011 Cattle Feeders DayFeb. 16 at the DeKalb CountyFarm Bureau in Sycamore.

The seminar, sponsored byArcher Daniels Midland Co.(ADM), the Illinois Beef As-sociation (IBA), and the Uni-versity of Illinois Extension,will highlight new cattle feed-ing strategies, feedstuff avail-ability in the future, and newresearch on feedlot feed effi-ciency.

“We want to help cattle pro-ducers develop strategies thatwill allow them to feed cattlecompetitively in the future,”said Dan Faulkner, U of I Ex-

FarmWeekNow.com

View Purdue University’s latestwebinar on Midwest land val-ues at FarmWeekNow.com.

Illinois Horse Fairto offer workshopswith top clinicians

Horsemen and horse enthusiasts may participate in a varietyof workshops, contests, and activities at the Illinois Horse FairMarch 4-6 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield. The all-breed expo annually attracts more than 10,000 horse owners.

Workshop presenters will include clinician Craig Cameron,the 2010 Road to the Horse Colt-Starting World Champion;Charles Wilhelm, a West Coast trainer; Tim Boyer, an Illinoistrainer; Larry Whitesell, a gaited horses riding clinic host; andDonna Irvin, a barrel racing riding clinic host.

The event is produced by the Horsemen’s Council of Illinoisand sponsored by Purina Mills, Midway Trailer Sales, and the Illi-nois Farm Bureau.

A new activity will be the Craig Cameron’s Extreme CowboyRace on Friday and Saturday nights in the Coliseum. The racerequires contestants and their horses to demonstrate both speedand horsemanship.

The fair also will feature an exhibit hall with 140 vendorsoffering a variety of equestrian equipment, clothing, and ser-vices.

Admission to the fair provides access to Horses-For-Saleareas, breed and sport demonstrations, stallion row and parade,and the all-youth horse judging trials.

The fair opens March 4 with a reduced $5 admission charge.March 5 or 6 tickets are $12 for adults and $6 children andseniors. Weekend passes are $20 for adults and $10 for childrenand seniors.

General admission tickets for the Extreme Cowboy Race at7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday are separate and $9 for adults and$6 for children and seniors.

Advance tickets may be purchased online with a credit cardat {www.HorsemensCouncil.org/HorseFair} or by calling theHorsemen’s Council office at 217-529-6503.

DAIRY SUMMIT

Page 13 Monday, January 31, 2011 FarmWeek

Illinois dairy farmers cope with higher input costsBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Mike Hutjens, Universityof Illinois Extension dairyeducator, last week didn’tmince words about his out-look for the dairy industrythis year.

“2011 willbe anotherchallengingyear,” he saidat the 2011Dairy Summithosted by theIllinois MilkProducersAssociation

(IMPA) at the Illinois FarmBureau Building in Blooming-ton.

The average Class III pricefor milk in December, at lessthan $14 per hundredweight,was more than $3 below theOctober high. Domesticdemand for butter and cheesewas lighter than expected dur-

ing the year-end holidays.The drop in milk prices

came at an unfortunate timefor dairy farmers as historical-ly high crop prices in recentmonths combined with $90-plus-per-barrel oil prices haveincreased input and trans-portation costs.

“All costs (including sup-plies, fuel, and taxes) are ris-ing, not just feed,” said Kap-py Koch, adairy farmerfromTremont whois vice presi-dent ofIMPA and aboard mem-ber of PrairieFarms Dairy.“We (dairy farmers) need tohave a plan where we want tobe. We need to look at every-thing we do, look for ways tosave money, and get moreefficient.”

Koch suggested dairy farm-ers buy feed and supplies involume and negotiate prices,buy input products directlyfrom suppliers to reduce pricemark-ups, evaluate their laborsituation to see if family mem-bers can carry more of theload, and consider cullingcows that are marginal milkproducers.

He also urged dairy farmersto strive for quality premiums.

“If you’re not getting $1(per hundredweight) qualitypremium, you’re leaving mon-ey on the table,” Koch toldfellow farmers.

Dairy producers also canlower their feed bill by alteringrations to include morebyproducts.

“2009 was the toughestyear we ever had, so we start-ed feeding wet gluten,” Kochsaid. “It lowered our feedcosts and production stayedthe same or increased.”

Hutjens said recent per-ton prices of $174 for soyhulls, $240 for cottonseed,$150 for corn gluten, and$180 to $195 for distillersgrain all were below hiscalculated breakeven price.

Distillers grain in particularcurrently represents a “very

good deal” as a feed ingredi-ent, Hutjens said.

The portion of byprod-ucts dairy farmers caninclude in feed rationsranges from 10 percent forsoy hulls and cottonseed toas high as 20 percent fordistillers grain and 25 per-

cent for corn gluten.But while changes to the

ration mix can lower feed bills,Hutjens urged farmers to notcut back too much.

“Never give up milk,” headded. “Make good decisionswhich are the same with $14milk or $18 milk.”

Don Mackinson, left, board member of the Illinois Milk Producers Asso-ciation (IMPA), Midwest Dairy Association, and Prairie Farms Dairyand a Livingston County Farm Bureau member from Pontiac, discussesthe state of the dairy industry with Marla Behrends, right, of Carlockduring the 2011 Dairy Summit hosted by IMPA last week at the IllinoisFarm Bureau Building in Bloomington. (Photo by Al Hasty)

Mike Hutjens

Kappy Koch

Dairy calf management pays long-term dividends

The first several hours after birth not only are critical to thesurvival of dairy calves but also help determine the future capa-bility of each animal.

Dairy farmers, therefore, can improve the efficiency and out-put on their farms by emphasizing calf care management,according to Dave Fischer, retired University of Illinois Exten-sion dairy educator.

“Excellent colostrum management and feeding practices areessential for increasing the survival rate from birth to wean-ing,” Fischer said last week at the 2011 Dairy Summit inBloomington. The event was hosted by the Illinois Milk Pro-ducers Association.

The pre-weaning death loss of heifers born alive averagesabout 7.8 percent in the U.S.

Fischer urged Illinois dairy farmers to focus on reducing themortality rate on their farms toless than 5 percent.

Feeding high-qualitycolostrum — a form of milkproduced in late pregnancy — tonewborn calves as soon as possi-ble is the key starting point toimprove survival rates, he said.

Colostrum contains antibod-ies that protect newborn calvesfrom disease. It also is lower infat and higher in protein thanordinary milk.

“You’ve got to build immunityin that calf quickly,” said Fischer,who noted the top two causes ofcalf fatalities are scours/diarrheaand respiratory problems. “They

have no reserves to put into energy.”Once calves make it past the crucial first 24 hours of their

lives, Fischer suggested farmers consider an accelerated calfnutrition program.

An accelerated program focuses on feeding more milk solidswith composition closer to cows’ milk. Water is critical toencourage starter intake and to keep the calves hydrated, accord-ing to the dairy educator.

Fischer suggested dairy farmers “capitalize on early growthpotential” of calves and increase the average daily gain of theyoung animals.

An accelerated nutrition program obviously will increase feedbills, but Fischer said such a program could pay long-term divi-dends in the form of increased milk production from thosecows. — Daniel Grant

‘ Yo u ’ v e g o t t obu i ld immun i tyi n t h a t c a l fq u i c k l y. T h e yh a v e n o r e -s e r v e s t o p u tinto energy.’

— Dave FischerRetired U of I dairy educator

PROFITABILITY

FarmWeek Page 14 Monday, January 31, 2011

Feeder pig prices reported to USDA*Weight Range Per Head Weighted Ave. Price10 lbs. $32.23-61.00 $47.7340 lbs. $73.75-79.00 $76.9350 lbs. n/a n/aReceipts This Week Last Week

31,272 21,683*Eastern Corn Belt prices picked up at seller’s farm

MARKET FACTS

Eastern Corn Belt direct hogs (plant delivered)(Prices $ per hundredweight)

This week Prev. week ChangeCarcass $78.33 $74.55 3.78Live $50.48 $50.48 0.00

Export inspections

(Million bushels)Week ending Soybeans Wheat Corn1-13-11 42.1 23.1 25.91-6-11 46.6 23.5 23.2Last year 51.8 17.1 26.0Season total 933.6 727.2 649.5Previous season total 901.7 532.4 633.6USDA projected total 1570 1300 1950Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

(Thursday’s price)This week Prv. week Change

Steers $104.00 $105.88 -1.88Heifers $104.00 $104.19 -0.19

USDA five-state area slaughter cattle price

This is a composite price of feeder cattle transactions in 27 states.(Prices $ per hundredweight)

This week Prev. week Change125.65 127.27 -1.62

CME feeder cattle index — 600-800 Lbs.

Slaughter Prices - NA

Lamb prices

Spring cleaning tips for your fuel storage systemBY JOE KIRKPATRICK

Soon it will be time to thinkabout spring fieldwork.

Before youhook up tothe tillagetools, takesome time tothink aboutyour fuel stor-age systemand how itcan impact

your operation’s efficiency. Ihave prepared a checklist ofthings to consider:

Storage tanks — Are tanksset properly, slightly tilted sothat the pump is on the elevat-

ed end to allow moisture andsediment to settle in the lowend, away from the pump suc-tion tube?

Is a properly operating,vented fill cap installed on thetank? A properly workingvent cap helps reduce mois-ture and contamination.

Should the inside of thetank be cleaned? If the tankhas been in service for morethan five years, the bottom ofthe tank should be sampled todetermine if cleaning is need-ed.

Pump — Does your pumpwork as well as it used to? Ifit is pumping slower than its

rated performance, mostpumps can be overhauled. Ifthat is not an option, high-speed pumps are available toreduce time spent pumpingfuel. Meters can be calibratedfor better accuracy, too.

Hoses — Are hoses longenough to safely fill largemachinery? Has the hosebeen run over and flattened?Flat spots can reduce flowrates and weaken the hose,causing it to burst. Is the hosesoft or cracked from age? Itshould be replaced if there areany concerns.

Automatic shut-off noz-zle — Have you been using

the same rock for years tohold the nozzle open? Canyou afford to risk running thetank over because you gotbusy with something else?Automatic shut-off nozzleshelp prevent spills. However,the best practice is to stayclose and monitor the level offuel in the tank.

Filter — Is there a filter onyour tank? Is it the rightkind? If it never plugs, is thefilter really catching anything?Storage tank filters shouldclean the fuel to at least thesame micron level as the fil-ters on your equipment.Again, check with your suppli-

er to make sure you have theRIGHT filter, not just onethat doesn’t plug up. Filtersshould be changed twiceannually.

Fuel — Use only high-qual-ity fuel, such as Dieselex Gold,for maximum power, efficien-cy, and protection.

Your local FS energy spe-cialist is an excellent resourcefor additional information andrecommendations.

Joe Kirkpatrick is GROW-MARK’s refined and renewablefuels sales manager. His e-mailaddress is jkirk-patrick@growmark.com.

Joe Kirkpatrick

MID-CO Commodities outlook

Corn, soy acres in demand; prices to remain volatileBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Crop prices seasonallywane in February, but MID-CO Commodities Inc. mar-ket analysts don’t look formuch regression in themonths leading up to plant-ing season this year.

There currently is recordworld demand for corn andsoybeans, which means themarket must try to buy addi-tional acres of both crops inthe U.S. this spring, accord-ing MID-CO market analystsAaron Curtis, Bryce Strem-ming, and Bob Trimpe, whospoke last week at MID-CO’s

winter outlook meeting inBloomington.

Demand for U.S. wheatalso is up (about 458 millionbushels compared to lastyear) due in part to drought-related crop losses in Russia.Elsewhere, much of Aus-tralia’s crop may be sold asfeed wheat due to qualityissues that developed afterexcessive rainfall.

“The weather is going tobe the key for all crops,”Stremming said. “We’regoing to have a lot of volatil-ity in prices.”

Recent rainfall providedsome relief to parched crop-

producing areas of Argenti-na, but Mike McClellan,president of Mobile WeatherTeam Inc. in Washington,predicted the overall dry pat-tern in Argentina will persistthe rest of the growing sea-son due to a strong La Nina.

Trimpe believes Argentinecorn exports this year coulddecline by 100 millionbushels. U.S. farmers as aresult need to plant morecorn than last year’s total(88.2 million acres) to keep

up with demand.World corn demand is up

2.8 percent and at a recordhigh while the stocks-to-useratio is down to its lowestlevel (5.5 percent) since1995.

“If we plant 91 million to92 million acres, we’re goingto need a 160-plus (average)yield to keep carryout closeto one billion bushels,”Trimpe said.

Meanwhile, the stocks-to-use ratio (4.2 percent) is at a

historic low for soybeans(see graphic).

And China, which boughtabout 950 million bushels ofbeans from the U.S. lastyear, likely will remain anactive buyer to help feed its600-million-head swineherd.

“Record world demandcontinues to put pressure onfarmers to produce moresoybeans moving forward,”Curtis said. “The perceptionin the futures market is weneed to ration demand orattract more acres.”

Basis levels for all threecrops were projected to hov-er around normal levels thisspring, barring extremeweather conditions in theU.S.

“I don’t think we’ll seewhat we saw in 2008” whenwheat futures prices shotup to nearly $2 above thecash market, Stremmingsaid. “But, if we get into adrought this spring andsummer, all bets are off.”

PROFITABILITY

FarmWeek Page 15 Monday, January 31, 2011

AgriVisor Hotline Number

309-557-2274

AgriVisor endorsescrop insurance by

Policies issued by COUNTRYMutual Insurance Company®,

Bloomington, Illinois

AgriVisor LLC1701 N. Towanda Avenue

PO Box 2500Bloomington IL 61702-2901

309-557-3147

AgriVisor LLC is not liable for any damageswhich anyone may sustain by reason of inac-curacy or inadequacy of information providedherein, any error of judgment involving any pro-jections, recommendations, or advice or anyother act of omission.

CASH STRATEGISTCorn Strategy

�2010 crop: Corn strengthis coming in part from thesurge in wheat prices. Whilethere’s still a chance for a newhigh, buying seems “thinner.”A close below $6.39 on Marchwould open the door for a test$5.77. You already shouldhave priced all bushels, otherthan “gambling bushels.”Hedge-to-arrive (HTA) con-tracts for winter/spring deliv-ery still look like the best mar-keting tool, but check returnsagainst storage costs.

�2011 crop: You shouldhave added another 10 percentnew-crop sale last week. Userallies to make catch-up sales.Good risk management andcurrent gross income levelsindicate it’s a mistake not tohave some corn priced.

�Fundamentals: Rainmay not boost the size of theArgentine crop, but it shouldstabilize it. New-crop acreageconcerns are a part of themarket, but they won’t be sig-nificant until spring. Old-cropexport sales have improved alittle, but feed wheat is a sig-nificant competitor.Soybean Strategy

�2010 crop: The weatherpattern in Argentina has shift-ed to something more benefi-cial for the crop there. Thatwill undermine the interest inchasing soybean prices atthese levels. Prices should befirm again during spring plant-ing, but we’d only carry “gam-bling” inventories until then.

�2011 crop: The shift inArgentine weather will removesupport for new-crop prices,but acreage concerns will limitdownside risk more than inold crop. Nevertheless,income levels are too high,and risks too great to notprice another 10 percent.

�Fundamentals: Weatherforecasters increasinglyacknowledge the pattern inArgentina has turned to some-thing better, enough toimprove crop prospects.Brazil’s crop continues to lookgood, with some analysts rais-ing their output forecasts.There’s a port strike inArgentina, but such stoppagesrarely last long. Our export

shipments are slowly slippingback to last year’s pace.Wheat Strategy

�2010 crop: The wheatmarket has continued to surgeon emotional concern aboutwheat supplies. If the Marchcontract can penetrate theprevious high at $8.64, itwould open the door forprices potentially to push topsychological resistance at $9.Complete sales if you stillhave inventory. Because ofthe big futures carry, HTAcontracts for winter/springdelivery remain the mostattractive marketing tool.

�2011 crop: Use ralliesabove $9 on Chicago July 2011futures to make catch-up sales.We’ve even considered adding tothem because of price, but don’twant to price any more until thecrop starts to break dormancy.If basis is wide on cash con-tracts, use a HTA contract.

�Fundamentals: Therecent surge in prices has comefrom emotional buying tied topolitical factors in northernAfrica and the Middle East.Demand for U.S. wheat hasbeen very good. Weekly exportsales have surged, totalingmore than 1 million metrictons last week.

In early January there weresubtle hints the dry weatherpattern that had dominatedArgentina in December wasstarting to break down. At thiswriting, weather forecasters areincreasingly talking about ashift into a more normal,maybe even better, patternduring the remainder of thegrowing season. And becauseit’s the equivalent of July 28 inArgentina, there’s ample timefor the crop to recover.

The low side of recent esti-mates was 45 million metrictons (mmt.) (1.7 millionbushels), well below USDA’s50.5 mmt. estimate, and lastyear’s 54.5 mmt. output. Still, ifrains are good through theremainder of their growing sea-son, there’s reason to expectoutput could rebound to 47-49mmt., with an outside chance itcould get back to 50 mmt.

Other than the early-seasondryness in the northern areas,and recent dry pockets in thefar south, Brazil’s crop gener-

Basis charts

ally has looked good this year.Rainfall has been very good inmost areas. Rust incidents arerising with the high humiditylevels, but the number doesn’tappear abnormally large. Andintermittent dry periods haveallowed fungicides to beapplied in most cases.

USDA still is projecting a67.5 mmt. (2.5 billion bushels)crop, but a private analystforecast a 70.3 mmt. crop thispast week. That would be anew record. And, quietly, afew analysts talk of seeingoutput as high as 71-72 mmt.

If weather remains good,there’s reason to expect a com-bined output of 120 mmt. (4.4billion bushels). And Paraguayand Uruguay crops should addanother 10-12 mmt. (350-400million bushels).

There’s still risk outputcould fall short of those num-bers, but, clearly, supplies fromthat part of the world aregoing to dominate the marketthe next few months. AlreadyChinese customers have occa-sionally requested delays onsome shipments from the U.S.Port stocks are relatively large,although no one is saying theyare burdensome.

Our export shipping pace thelast six weeks has steadily slippedback toward last year, with ship-ments through Jan. 13 only 25million bushels ahead of lastyear. That could end up beingsignificant with USDA project-ing this year’s exports to exceedlast year’s by 90 million bushels.

Sales are still 100 millionbushels ahead of last year, butsales can be canceled or car-ried over into the new-cropmarketing year. And if theSouth American crop is large,that easily could occur.

Cents per bu.

S. American bean prospects improve

PERSPECTIVES

FarmWeek Page 16 Monday, January 31, 2011

LETTERS TO THE EDITORYes, ‘death tax’ is the proper termEditor:

In response to the letterfrom Joan E. Wiff of Prophets-town in regard to her opinionof “death taxes” as being anincorrect statement — I dis-agree.

When a person has workedto get something — a businessor a piece of property — theyhave paid taxes already, thenthey pay property tax everyyear for the privilege of usingtheir property.

When it is left after yourdeath — whoever receives itwill pay for the privilege ofusing it or any income it gener-

ates. They must pay for thevalue of the item received,which already was paid forduring your lifetime but mustbe paid for again. So it is a“death tax.”

In my opinion that is dou-ble taxation. Illinois has decid-ed not to follow federal guide-lines and disconnected itselffrom the federal estate tax so itcan go with a $2 millionexemption instead of $5 mil-lion, which can cause 1/3 ofproperty to be sold off just topay for the taxes.

Is that right? No! It is like“Obama Care,” which is gov-ernment interference in free-dom of choice, forcing the

administration’s insurance onall and making the public payfor those who can’t afford itand forcing private insurancecompanies to raise their premi-ums to accommodate the newrequirements.

If the plan is so good, whyare congressmen eliminatingthemselves from it? Theyshould be forced to acceptwhat they are forcing on thegeneral public.VIRGINIA DARE,Hindsboro

‘Death tax’ appliesfollowing deathEditor:

I am writing in response to a

letter in the Jan. 17 FarmWeekfrom Joan Wiff.

A person can give part or allof his or her money/estate toanyone while living. It is calleda gift and has gift tax.

The money that is given

when a person dies is no longera gift and is subject to a deathtax.

This has nothing to do withliberal or conservative agendas.SHARON K. DUNBAR,Princeville

Letters are limited to 300words and must include a nameand address.

FarmWeek reserves theright to reject any letter andwill not publish political en-dorsements will be published.

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cepted. A daytime telephonenumber is required for verifica-tion, but will not be published.

Only one letter per writerwill be accepted in a 30-day pe-riod. Typewritten letters arepreferred.

Please send letters to:FarmWeek Letters1701 Towanda Ave.

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Letter policy

Afuture energy source inIllinois is being squan-dered. Illinois has invest-ed millions into the

study of grasses to run vehicles andheat buildings. In these days of statebudget cuts and a struggling econo-

my, Illinois cannotafford to fritter away areturn on its financialinvestment or a braindrain of talented sci-entists going out ofstate to other universi-ties or agribusinesses.

“We have thisunique resource. Iwould like to see thestate exploit it,” said

Stephen Long, deputy director ofthe University of Illinois EnergyBiosciences Institute (EBI).

During a recent bioenergy sym-posium, Long noted Illinois ishome to the nation’s largestresearch farm for energy grasses inUrbana. More than 110 U of I sci-entists are studying these crops.

Long and others in biomass energywant Illinois to capitalize on its invest-ment — and resources. Granted, thoseresources, including the perennialgrasses, took a few years to becomeestablished, but now they have strongroots.

For example, the bioenergy sympo-sium started with 15 U of I scientistswho met one afternoon to talk aboutbiomass research. Now, researchersfrom across the United States and fivecountries share research data, debategovernment policies, and discuss a vari-ety of issues.

This national — and even interna-tional — attention is focused on thenation’s largest biomass feedstockresearch farm that covers 320 acressouth of the South Farms near Urbana.

“In the U.S., it makes us the biggestplace for second-generation feedstock,”Long said.

The U of I also has become a train-ing ground for researchers who havetaken their expertise elsewhere. Twobioenergy graduates joined Iowa StateUniversity faculty, and a third now

works for a Missouri agribusiness cor-poration, Long pointed out.

Long envisions more industryinvolvement and the energy researchfarm evolving into a research park. “I’dlike to see that (farm) become a one-stop shop for bioenergy,” he said.

Monticello farmer John Caveny has avision for biomass energy: “I’d like tosee grass turn into a cash crop for peo-ple who are in it and those who want toget into it.

“There’s a lot of work to be done,”he added.

Caveny speaks from experience. Inaddition to growing miscanthus, he alsodeveloped a bioenergy company, BlueFlame Biomass LLC, and is involvedwith Tall Grass Growers, a cooperativedeveloped for “like-minded growers togrow biomass crops.”

An early farmer supporter, Cavenyspoke at two of the early bioenergysymposiums.

While cutting-edge researchremains a symposium focus, Peso-tum farmer Eric Rund envisionsfarmers receiving practical advice

for nuts-and-bolts concerns. “It has been my experience that the

academics find good solid informationfrom those who are successfully apply-ing their theories to be refreshing,”Rund said.

Rund pictures the day when the sym-posium offers presentations fromfarmer-growers and biomass proces-sors. And he’d also like more informa-tion about machinery for harvestingand planting.

“They’re working on it, but thesecrops don’t match traditional Midwestcrops,” Rund said.

The grass crops may be an economicalternative in parts of the state that lackthe more fertile soil. “These plantscould be grown on poor land,” Longadded.

Having nurtured this potential pow-erhouse, the state needs to startingreaping dividends from what it hassown.

Kay Shipman is the legislative affairs editorfor FarmWeek . Her e-mail address is kay-ship@ilfb.org.

KAYSHIPMAN

Above: University of Illinois biomass researcher D.K. Lee, right, describes switchgrass research trials at the U of I’s Energy Biosciences Insti-tute Farm near Urbana. At left: Erik Sacks, a U of I plant breeder, shows a new miscanthus variety tested on the farm. (FarmWeek file photos)

Illinois needs to harvest its future energy investment

A TIME TO REAP