2012 spring farm tab

THE PAPERof Wabash County, Inc.

www.thepaperofwabash.com

March 28, 2012

Farm Service Agencyannounces deadlinesDCP sign-up deadline is June 1. Producers want-

ing to participate in the 2012 DCP program shouldcall our office at 260-563-3145 and set up an appoint-ment. If you have made any changes to farms youfarmed in 2011, we will need to make those correc-tions in farm records before running new contracts.There will be no advance payments this year. Allpayments will be issued in October 2012. Farms notsigned up by the June 1 deadline will not be eligiblefor benefits.April 6 is the deadline to offer acreage into a new

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup. If you have marginal cropland or farmland nearbodies of water, this is your opportunity to offer thisland for 10-15 year contracts with the government.The land will be placed in conservation cover ofyour choosing and will earn annual rental pay-ments. Cost share will also be available to helpestablish the conservation cover. Call 260-563-3145 toset up an appointment.Continuous CRP, the creation of waterways and

filter strips is eligible for sign up year round. Landthat is experiencing gulley erosion and land next tobodies of water where runoff from the field can con-taminate the water are excellent candidates for thisprogram. NRCS will work with you to develop a planthat meets the needs of the land and still allows youto farm the remaining acreage. Annual rental pay-ments and cost share are available to assist in theestablishment of these conservation practices.We are often asked about the disaster programs in

place for the 2011 crop losses that occurred inWabash County in 2011. When you certified yourcrops last summer, we had you complete eligibilityforms reporting your prevented planted or lowyields due to the heavy spring rains and later hotdry summer. Later this fall, we will begin workingon potential SURE payments for producers thatqualify. Wabash County was declared a disastercounty and producers will be eligible for a potential

(continued on page 11)

one string at a timeLocal residenthandcrafts a variety of wool items

Local resident handcrafts a variety ofwool items, one string at a time

by Brent SwanRural Lagro residents Phil and Peggy Siders have

four sheep roaming in front of their house. To most peo-ple that drive through the area, the sheep are nothingout of the ordinary, just random farm animals you seethroughout the rural countryside. To the Siders, howev-

er, the sheep are just the beginning step to a passion ofPeggy’s.The Siders have three crossbred, mixes of Corriedale

and Romney, and a purebred Romney, all of which fea-ture a wool that is desirable to a select group of hobby-ists – handspinners.The wool the Siders’ sheep provides is a longer, softer

and finer wool than the wools associated with the sheepseen at a local 4-H fair. That type of wool allows Peggyto create items such as sweaters and blankets, where asofter feel is preferable.“With the standard meat breed type wool you might

make a quilt batt or use it for felting.” Peggy explained. Phil and Peggy raise the sheep and shears them

annually to collect their wool. Peggy then cleans andcards the wool, which she then spins into yarn andmakes into various projects – all by hand.

“I started spinning and weaving about 18 years ago,”Peggy said. “Over time as I learned more about it, I’vegotten to the point where I am now.”What started as a simple hobby 18 years ago has

evolved to where Peggy has at least 13 different looms,although some are more ornamental, and a vast inven-tory of different types of wools she can choose from atany point.After selecting a project to begin, Peggy then picks

the type of wool she wants to work with. Then, afterselecting thewool, Peggyspins the woolinto yarn alsoby hand usingone of twos p i n n i n gwheels; a footoperated spin-ning wheel, oran electric onePhil engi-neered by uti-lizing themotor from as e w i n gmachine.“Phil has

been able tomake some ofthe tools I use,”Peggy said.“The electricspinning wheelsaves me a lotof time.”“She can sit

on the couchfor hours doingthat,” Phil saidof the spin-ning. “Justabout everynight, she’s

working on something. It’s something you get used to.”After spinning the yarn, Peggy is then ready to start

putting it all together using one of her looms. Againdependent upon the type of the project, Peggy choosesa loom and sets it up according the pattern she designsusing a computer program.The largest loom, a counter marche loom imported

from Sweden and assembled by Phil, was utilized forone of Peggy’s most difficult projects to date, an intri-cate alpaca blanket. “The alpaca blanket was so difficult because it was

wider than the loom itself,” Peggy explained. “I actual-ly wove the blanket while it was folded in half. Also,using the alpaca fiber is a little tougher due to thenature of the material itself. Their hair is slicker andcan be challenging to spin.”After originally joining a few Weaving Guilds from as

far away as Indianapolis, with the intent to learn moreabout the craft, Peggy has now reached the point whereshe can be seen as the teacher to many. Although reluc-tant to admit it, Peggy has competed at a variety ofevents including the Indiana State Fair.“I won Best of Show at the State Fair with one of my

sweaters,” Peggy explained. “I got a blue with my coat,and I got the Grand Champion for the SkeinCompetition award at the Greencastle Fiber Event lastyear and two of my fleeces won a blue and a red”


PEGGY SIDERS works to complete a blanket on one of her looms, which she purchased fromSweden. Siders raises sheep, and buys wools from other sources, to create sweaters, rugs, and manyother items – all by hand. (photo by Brent Swan)

2 www.thepaperofwabash.com March 28, 20122012 SPRING FARM EDITION

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Webinar delves into USDA plantings, grain reportsPurdue University

agricultural econo-mists will break downthe numbers from apair of highly antici-pated U.S.Department ofAgriculture reportsduring a free webinaron March 30.Corinne Alexander

and Chris Hurt willdiscuss what theUSDA ProspectivePlantings and GrainStocks reports say,how the projectionscould affect grainprices and which mar-keting strategiesfarmers can employto get the most profitfrom their crops. Thewebinar takes placefrom noon to 1:30 p.m.EST (11 a.m. to 12:30p.m. CST). Farmerscan view the webinaron any computer withInternet access or at12 county sites hostedor co-hosted byPurdue Extension.The webinar comes

just hours after USDAissues the reports.Prospective Plantingsestimates the typesand acres of cropsU.S. farmers intend toplant this spring,based on a USDA sur-vey of growers. TheGrain Stocks reportdetails how manybushels of the 2011crop remain.If the USDA num-

bers hold true to com-modities markettrends, corn will dom-inate farmers’ plant-ing decisions,Alexander said.“While our invento-

ries for soybeans andwheat at this time area little comfortable,corn inventories from

the most recent USDAWorld AgriculturalSupply and DemandEstimates reportshowed ending stocksfor this marketingyear to be 801 millionbushels,” Alexandersaid. “Those arerecord tight stocks,given our corn usageis above 12 billionbushels a year.”Already, grain mar-

kets are sending sig-nals that more cornwill need to be plant-ed in 2012 to meetglobal demand.“Right now the

grain trade is expect-ing U.S. farmers inthe coming year willplant an additional 2million acres of corn,for roughly a total of94 million acres,”Alexander said.“Since 2007 what

we’ve seen with theProspective Plantingsreport is the marketwill go into a periodwhere it will ‘buy’acres. That is, it willdrive up the price ofcorn or soybeans rela-tive to the other, in

order to convincefarmers to plant moreof one or the other.Then, by the June 30USDA report of whatfarmers do plant,there could be a swingof as much as 5 mil-lion acres from theMarch report.”Fertilizer and pro-

duction costs also willfactor into farmers’acreage decisions,Alexander said.To view the Purdue

webinar live, log ontohttps://gomeet.itap.purdue.edu/march_30_outlook/ just beforethe program starts,provide a name in the“Enter as a Guest”box and click “EnterRoom.”The webinar uti-

lizes Adobe Connecttechnology, whichallows viewers to sub-mit questions via amessage box.Alexander and Hurtwill answer as manyquestions as time per-mits.Counties with webi-

nar viewing sitesinclude Adams,

B l a c k f o r d ,Bartholomew, Greene,H e n d r i c k s ,Huntington, LaPorte,Madison, Pike,Spencer, Vigo andWarrick. For site loca-tions, additionalinformation about thewebinar and howAdobe Connectworks, visithttp://www.agecon.purdue.edu/cab/March30Outlook/. After the webinar

the page will containa link to the archivedrecording of the pro-gram.The webinar is

sponsored by thePurdue Center forC o m m e r c i a lAgriculture. CCA isdedicated to provid-ing management edu-cation and informa-tion for farmers andagricultural business-es.

Farm safety expert: Know what’s in proposed child labor lawParents of children

who work on the fami-ly farm or are in agri-culture education pro-grams should thor-oughly review pro-posed changes tochild labor laws sothey fully understandhow the new rulescould affect them, aPurdue farm safetyspecialist advises.“Because the pro-

posed rule changesare 51 pages long, Idon’t know that manypeople understandexactly what’s beingpresented,” Bill Fieldsaid. “The changesnot only hold thepotential for positivebut also significantnegative effects toyouth less than 16years old who seekemployment or are

currently employedin agriculture.”While the

A g r i c u l t u r a lH a z a r d o u sOccupations Orderwas written in aneffort to protect chil-dren from dangeroussituations, it couldprevent many youngpeople from workingon family farms orparticipating in agri-culture-related educa-tional programs.The U.S.

Department of Laboron Feb. 1 temporarilyshelved the legisla-tion after complaintsthat it would erodethe tradition of chil-dren working on theirfamily-owned farm.Although it agreed toreinstate a “parentalexemption” that

would allow parentsto assign on-farmduties to their chil-dren, Field said manyother proposed rulechanges could furtherrestrict young peoplefrom working in agri-culture.Under the proposed

changes, the“parental exemption”itself would not applyto incorporated fami-ly farms, Field noted.“Many small, fami-

ly farms are incorpo-rated because of thetax advantages,” hesaid. “But when afarm is incorporated,parents are consid-ered a corporate enti-ty and they would notbe covered by theparental exemption.”Field said that due

to negative feedback

from producergroups, the U.S.Department of Laborhas appeared to backoff of this provisionas it relates to incor-porated farms.However, he saidthere has yet to be apublished revision.Educational pro-

grams such 4-H andthe FFA’s SupervisedA g r i c u l t u r a lExperience program,in which some stu-dents work on a farmor in some other agri-cultural business,also could be affectedby the proposedchanges, Field said.While Field doesn’t

believe the rules areready to be passed intheir current form, hesaid it’s time toupdate farm youth

labor legislation.Current rules havenot been updatedsince the 1960s.“Even though there

are significant con-cerns with many ofthe proposed rulechanges, there is aneed to review andrevise the currentrules to reflectchanges in agricultur-al production prac-tices and technologysince the originalrules were adoptedmore than 45 yearsago,” Field said.The public com-

ment period haspassed, but those infavor of and opposedto the new legislationstill have time tomake their voicesheard. Field encour-aged those in agricul-

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ture to read aboutwhat’s being proposedand contact legisla-tors with theirthoughts.

The proposed regu-lations can be readh e r e :http://tinyurl.com/3ohycak

4 www.thepaperofwabash.com March 28, 2012

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Prevent calf loss by stopping the cycle of Scoursby Ann KopeckyWhat causes calf

loss?....Scours, according

to the United StatesDepartment ofAgriculture. As theleading cause of pre-weaned heifer calfdeaths, calf scoursaccount for 36 percentof all death lossesbetween birth and 30days of age. Losing a

Holstein heifer calfcan cost approximate-ly $300, which duringthis current economicclimate can leavesome serious implica-tions on the profitabil-ity of any dairy oper-ation. As cold winter tem-

peratures set in, thesecosts and working toprevent calf scoursare at the top of everydairy producer’smind.Scours can be

caused by viruses,bacteria and para-sites. Disease condi-tions are createdwhen these agentsdamage the villi thatline the intestinaltract. This damageprevents normalabsorption of fluidsand nutrients.Weather is one thebiggest outside influ-encers to newborncalves, along with dif-ficult births, poor san-itation, and thereduced health statusof the mother. When these condi-

tions are present andthe calf ’s resistanceto disease is lowered,the induction and

overload of e-coli andsalmonella are morelikely to cause low-ered production, andpossibly death.What can producers

do to help prevent thisproblem from contin-ually creeping intocalving season? Thequick answer is: Stopthe cycle! These aresome general controlmeasures producerscan follow:

Minimize the accu-mulation of drainagewater mixing withdry manure, whichcreates a haven forbacterial growth.

Clean watertroughs regularly andprotect them frommanure contamina-tion.

Reduce chances offeed contaminationfrom rodents andbirds.

Avoid hauling deadanimals or manure infront end loaders usedfor feeds.

Minimize visitorentry to the barns toprevent cross contam-ination.

Utilize herd healthprograms set by theveterinarian.

Keep healthy cowsout of hospital pens.

Do not use calving

pens as sick pens.Insure proper feed

preparation to pre-vent contaminationfrom manure.

Pay attention tocleanliness of drylots, holding areas,calving facilities andfeeding areas.

Use iodine onnavels.

Minimize exposureto pathogens at birthby using productsthat help to clean thegastrointestinal tractof the cow prior tocalving.

Keep the calf dryand away frommanure and urineaccumulation.

Utilize a colostrummanagement pro-gram set by your vet-erinarian and/ornutritionistPracticing good

management hasbeen a key factor tothe success at GredenDairy in Altura, MN.According to RossGreden, co-owner of a240 heifer calf opera-tion, he has alwaysbelieved in goodsupervision, cleanli-ness, consistency, pre-ventative measuresand free choice waterto ensure optimumreturn on investment. However, Greden

also knows nutritioncan play an importantpart in calf health.After discussing

Alltech’s DairyAdvantage Programwith his Famo Feedsr e p r e s e n t a t i v e ,Greden decided toincorporate one ofthe program’s prod-ucts, Bio-Mos(r), intohis nutrition pro-gram. Besides seeinga decreased need forantibiotics and areduced number ofdays sick, Greden wasalso able to measure asignificant reductionin calf death.“Bio-Mos is a cost-

effective product forus because it is a toolthat has helped usdecrease calf mortali-ty and we have savedmoney in antibioticcosts,” Greden said.

The Alltech DairyAdvantage series ofnatural solutions isaimed directly at opti-mizing rumen effi-ciency and maintain-ing animal health aswell as reducing mas-titis, lameness andfertility issues. Formore information,contact your localAlltech sales repre-sentative or [email protected].

Top Farmer Crop Workshopset for July 9-11 at PurdueFarmers looking to

improve their opera-tions will learn howto better evaluatetheir economic, agro-nomic and technologi-cal opportunities andchallenges at theannual Top FarmerCrop Workshop inJuly at PurdueUniversity. The July 9-11 work-

shop, in its 45th year,for the first time willbe held in partnershipwith the University ofIllinois. Presenters from

diverse viewpoints ofacademics, agribusi-

ness and farmers willhelp participantsexplore strategies forgrowing their busi-ness, develop newways to manage pro-duction costs andrisk, and learn aboutnew crop productiontechnology. They alsowill have the opportu-nity to meet otherfarmers and shareideas.“Discussion among

attendees and presen-ters occurs after, andoften during, eachpresentation. It’s theinteraction that ourattendees say they

benefit from themost,” said BrentGloy, director of theCenter forC o m m e r c i a lAgriculture, based atPurdue, and one ofthe presenters.“People really valuethe networking thatoccurs in the hallwaysbetween and after ses-sions.”Gloy and Purdue

agricultural econom-ics colleague MichaelBoehlje will lead asession titled“Positioning YourFarm for Growth,”(Continued on Page 5)



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Top Farmer Crop...Continued from Page 4focusing on ways toevaluate growthoptions and alterna-tive business modelsto optimize success.

Another session,“Using SpreadsheetTools to Make BetterDecisions,” will be ledby agricultural eco-nomics experts fromthe University ofIllinois farmdoc team.

“The spreadsheet isa powerful manage-ment tool, if youknow how to use it,”said Scott Irwin,University of Illinoisagricultural econo-mist and leader of thefarmdoc project.

“Most of us only use afraction of the poten-tial that the technolo-gy has to offer. Thesession on spread-sheet tools will pro-vide instruction onhow to use the free,spreadsheet -baseddecision tools for youthat are posted on thefarmdoc website.”For complete infor-

mation including theagenda, list of speak-ers and registration,visit http://www.age-con.purdue.edu/com-m e r c i a l a g / p r o g -events/topfarmer.html.

Warm winter could bringearly insects; growersencouraged to scout fields

While the near-record warm winterwill cause someinsects to appear ear-lier than normal,whether the bugs neg-atively impact fieldcrops will depend onspring weather, insectvariety and plantingdates, says an OhioState UniversityExtension entomolo-gist.

Insects such as thebean leaf beetle, cornflea beetle and alfalfaweevil will likely beseen earlier than nor-mal this year, saidRon Hammond, whoalso has an appoint-ment with the OhioA g r i c u l t u r a lResearch andDevelopment Center.

This winter is thewarmest winter expe-rienced nationwidesince 2000 and thefourth-warmest win-ter on record, accord-ing to the NationalOceanic andA t m o s p h e r i cAdministration.

This was causedwhen the jet stream,which divides the coldair to the north from

the warm air to thesouth, settled at amuch higher latitudethis year, the federalagency said.

The warmer weath-er will cause insectsto come out earlier tofeed and become moreactive in the monthsbefore spring,Hammond said.

In addition, manyinsects migrate fromsouthern areas, suchas black cutworm,true armyworm andpotato leafhopper, hesaid, noting that theirdevelopment is affect-ed by weather condi-tions farther south.Whether they migrateinto the Eastern CornBelt earlier willdepend on the weath-er conditions laterthis spring, he said.

The impact thesebugs can have on fieldcrops depends moreon the stage of cropdevelopment andgrowth, Hammondsaid.

“If insects arrive infields early but nocrop is even planted,this could lead togreater mortality if

they cannot find alter-native hosts,” he said.“However, if theinsect arrives orbegins feeding earlierwhen crops are small-er in size, a greaterpotential for injuryexists.”

However, corn fleabeetles in particular,and their ability tovector Stewart’s bac(Continued on Page 6)

GREG FRECK, E-mail: [email protected]

SEBASTIAN WEBER, E-mail: [email protected] Freck

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Warm winter could ... Continued from Page 5t e m p e r a t u r e s ,Hammond said. In fact,more corn flea beetlesare expected this year,significantly increas-ing the potential forStewart’s bacterial wilt.Farmers can miti-

gate the damage if they

scout their fields earlierand with more tenacity,he said.“We recommend that

growers scout, scout,scout,” Hammond said.“Growers need to beout in their fields to beaware of the insects

they’re dealing withand pay more attentionthis year, especially inthe crop rows, becausemore insects may bewaiting for crops tocome out of theground.”

terial wilt, is of con-cern this year becauseof the warmer winter

Wabash resident wins Beck’s Hybrids’ Orange County Choppers motorcycle raffle

Midwest, visitingmore than 15events andtradeshows. Today,Beck’s Hybrids ispleased toannounce the win-ner of the We Carefor OrphansAdoption FundSweepstakes isGreg Lundquistfrom Wabash, Ind.“We couldn’t be

more excited toaward Greg withone of the mostunique customchoppers,” saidScott Beck, vicepresident of Beck’sHybrids. “With thehelp of farmers,bike enthusiastsand the agricultur-al community,we’ve raised a totalof $80,043. Fromthe beginning ofthe sweepstakes, ithas been our desireto help provide asmany families withthe resources theyneed to make theiradoption a reality.More than 20 fami-lies will benefitfrom the fundsraised.”Lundquist has

been in sales atAgro-Chem, a dis-tributor in agricul-tural chemicals, inWabash, Ind., for 37years. He regis-tered for the OCCchopper at the IN-

IL Farm andOutdoor PowerEquipment Showon December 15,2011. The chopperLundquist willreceive features aunique, custompaint job. AnAmerican flag withthe saying “GodBless the AmericanFarmer,” flies onthe gas tank, alongwith an image of atwo-row horsedrawn planter,which is how thefirst Beck’sSuperior Hybridsseed corn wasplanted. “When I received

the call saying Iwon the bike, Ithought it was aprank,” saidLundquist. “Ientered the sweep-stakes mainly forthe charity, neverthinking I had achance to win. Ijust wanted todonate $20 to a goodcause that helpsorphaned childrenin need. And eventhough I’ve neverdriven a motorcy-cle, I think I’mgoing to have tolearn!” There are 143 mil-

lion orphaned chil-dren worldwide.

The We Care forOrphans AdoptionFund helps uniteorphaned childrenwith loving fami-lies. The averagecost to adopt isaround $30,000. Thebikes wereunveiled on July 28,2011 in front ofnearly 1,000 cus-tomers, dealers andemployees. Thecommemorativereverse trike wasfeatured on the hitDiscovery ChannelTV show, AmericanChopper last falland will remain atthe Beck’s head-quarters

For the past six-and-a half months,Beck’s Hybrids twocustom OrangeCounty Choppers(OCC) motorcycleshave toured the

GREG LUNDQUIST recently received a custom-built Orange CountyChoppers (OCC) motorcycle after winning the Beck’s Hybrids We Care forOrphans Adoption Fund Sweepstakes raffle. Beck’s raised a total of$80,043 through the raffle, which is set to benefit more than 20 familiesfrom the funds raised. (photo provided)


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FARMERS have been able to get out in the fields earlier this year as thetemperatures have been well above normal and dry. Many Ag experts cau-tion against planting this early in the season, but farmers such as this onespotted off of Dora Road on March 20 have capitalized on the chance towork ground early. (photo by Brent Swan)

New field guide helps farmerschoose, manage cover cropsFarmers interested

in planting covercrops to improve soilhealth can now findinformation and tipsin a new pocket guideproduced by theMidwest Cover CropsCouncil and PurdueUniversity.Written by Eileen

Kladivko and CoreyGerber of Purdue’sA g r o n o m yDepartment and col-leagues fromMichigan, Ohio, Iowa,Wisconsin andOntario, Canada, thegoal of the MidwestCover Crops FieldGuide is to provideinformation to farm-ers that will helpthem choose theappropriate covercrops for their needsand learn how to bestmanage them toreceive the most bene-fits.“Interest in cover

crops has beenincreasing across theMidwest over the last

2-3 years, especially inthe eastern Corn Beltof Indiana, Ohio andMichigan,” saidKladivko, a professorof agronomy.“Planting cover cropscan help with weedsuppression, break-ing up compactedsoils, erosion control,and, over the longterm, improving cropyields and profitabili-ty. So demand forinformation aboutcover crops has beenincreasing as interestincreases.”The guide is avail-

able through thePurdue ExtensionEducation Store athttp://www.the-edu-cation-store.com or bycalling 888-EXT-INFO(398-4636). Individualcopies of the guidecost $5 each, andboxes of 25 are avail-able at a 10 percentdiscount, $112.50.The guide is divided

into two sections. Thefirst contains general

information aboutcover crops, includingselection and plantingmethods, killingmethods, concernsabout insects, andways to keep the cropfrom becoming aweed. The secondcontains photos, seed-ing dates, depth,planting and killingmethods, benefits andcautions for specificcrops, each given aranking according totheir benefit type andamount.Cover crops are

planted after harvest-ing a cash crop, suchas corn or soybeans,or sometimes shortlybefore harvest to con-serve soil nutrientsand prevent erosionduring the winter.Each cover crop iscultivated for a specif-ic benefit: grassessuch as annual rye-grass and wheat, forexample, break upcompacted soil, whilelegumes such as alfal-

fa and clover “fix”atmospheric nitrogenand convert it into aform plants use. Types of cover

crops are selectedaccording to the needsof the soil and crop-ping system, and theyare either killed off orallowed to die natural-ly to release nutrientsinto the soil before orduring the maingrowing season.Farmers faced with

high fertilizer andpesticide prices wantto be efficient andconserve as manynutrients in the soilas possible, Kladivkosaid.“Cover crops trap

nitrogen that wouldotherwise leach awayin the fall, winter andspring,” she said. “Byplanting cover crops,farmers can save 20 or30 pounds of nitrogenthat would otherwisehave been lost. Thiswill help build soilorganic matter, and in

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Study shows potentialfor $16.8 billion annu-al increase in U.S. con-sumers’ food bills

Paying more forfood may not be out ofthe question for con-sumers if regulationson the U.S. poultryand livestock sectorsincrease. In fact, con-sumers could pay upto $16.8 billion moreannually for meat,milk and eggs if regu-lations are imposedon U.S. poultry andlivestock farmers thatraise input costs by 25percent.The Consumer and

Food Safety Costs ofOffshoring AnimalAgriculture, a recentsoy-checkoff-fundedstudy, evaluated cur-rent U.S. supply anddemand for poultryand livestock prod-ucts and the impact ofregulations on retailprice. The study indi-cates that potentialregulations could

raise consumer costs.For example, requir-ing cage-free housingfor laying hens wouldincrease the cost ofeggs from $1.68 to$2.10 per dozen, a totalcost of $2.66 billionper year to U.S. con-sumers.“This could have a

big impact on every-one - it’s not just thatdozen eggs you and Ibuy at the grocerystore,” explainsVanessa Kummer, asoybean farmer fromColfax, N.D., andchair of the UnitedSoybean Board (USB).“As Americans, wehave abundant, nutri-tious and affordablefood choices that relyheavily on proteinfrom animals, and, asfarmers, we continueto work hard oni m p r o v e m e n t sbecause we share con-sumers’ concerns forour country’s landand resources, andthe quality of

America’s food.”The report cites

increased regulationsthat could drive upcosts of productionmeat, milk and eggsby anywhere from 10percent to 25 percent.It shows that a 25 per-cent increase in coststo animal agriculturewould reduce U.S.exports by $1.1 billionand cause nearly 9,000Americans to losetheir jobs.“U.S. agriculture

leads the world as aglobal producer andexporter of animalproducts, and we needthat to continue,”adds Kummer. “Thepoultry and livestocksectors not only sup-port the U.S. exportmarket, but also makeour economy strongerhere at home by creat-ing jobs and tax rev-enue.”The most recent sta-

tistics compiled bythe soy checkoff showthe poultry and live-

stock sectors support1.8 million jobs andgenerate more than$283 billion for theU.S. economy.USB is made up of

69 farmer-directorswho oversee theinvestments of thesoybean checkoff onbehalf of all U.S. soy-bean farmers.Checkoff funds areinvested in the areasof animal utilization,human utilization,industrial utilization,industry relations,market access andsupply. As stipulatedin the SoybeanPromotion, Researchand ConsumerInformation Act,USDA’s AgriculturalMarketing Servicehas oversight respon-sibilities for USB andthe soybean checkoff.For more informa-

tion on the UnitedSoybean Board, visitwww.unitedsoybean.org.

Food costs could rise with U.S. poultryand livestock relocation, reduction

The U.S.Department ofAgriculture recentlyrevised its PlantHardiness Zone Mapnorthward, meaningthat the extreme lowtemperatures duringthe winter in Kansasand most of the rest ofthe country aren’tquite as cold now asthey were about 20 to30 years ago, saidMary Knapp, K-StateResearch andExtension climatolo-gist.

Warm winters may affect cropmanagement decisions

“There is a lot ofvariability, of course,from year to year. Butthe USDA has deter-mined that there isenough evidence of atrend for warmer win-ters that it made thischange in the PlantHardiness Zone Map.Certainly that was thecase during the earlypart of the winter thisyear, with Kansasrecording one of thewarmest Januarys onrecord,” Knapp said.Agricultural pro-

ducers in the statemay see some benefitsfrom this trend of lessextreme cold in thewinter, but it may alsoresult in the need fora few managementchanges in their crop-ping practices,according to K-State

Research andExtension scientists.Here are a few of

the potential factorsthey say to consider:

Insect overwinter-ing survival.

During winterswith extreme lowsthat are not as cold, itis possible that somewheat pests may sur-vive the winter a bitmore easily, andbecome a problemearlier and in a largerscale than in more“average” winters,said Jeff Whitworth,K-State Research andExtension entomolo-gist.“Of particular con-

cern would be green-bugs and bird cherryoat aphids. Althoughthese insects probablydo not overwinter in

Kansas, they may doso during warmerwinters. If they over-winter in Kansas,they would be avail-able to start feedingand reproducing ear-lier, as soon as thewheat breaks dor-mancy,” he said.Also, flea beetles,

army cutworms andwinter grain mitesmay be more of aproblem earlier in theyear if their popula-tions are not limitedby the “normal”extreme lows in thewinter we had in thepast, Whitworthadded. Dry conditionsalso add to the stressthese pests have onthe wheat and make itjust that much morecritical to start scout-(continued on page 9)


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ing wheat fields assoon as the first newgrowth is evident, theK-State entomologistsaid.Plant disease over-wintering survival.Leaf rust can at

times get started onwheat in the fall inKansas. These fallinfections do not usu-ally cause a signifi-cant problem becausethe leaf rust fungusdoes do not normallysurvive the winter inKansas, said ErickDeWolf, K-StateResearch and

Extension plantpathologist.“But if the extreme

lows during the win-ter are not as cold nowas in the past, whichis what the recentchange in plant hardi-ness zones implies,then leaf rust maysuccessfully overwin-ter on wheat moreoften,” DeWolf said.As a result, it would

be a good idea forwheat farmers andconsultants in Kansasto inspect their wheatfields more closelyand frequently in late

winter and earlyspring for signs ofleaf rust, as well asother early-seasondiseases such as pow-dery mildew, tan spot,and septoria leafblotch, DeWolfexplained.Another disease

that may increase infrequency is barleyyellow dwarf virus onwheat, DeWolf added. This disease is

spread by greenbugsand oat bird cherryaphids, and theseinsects could becomemore of a problem in

Warm winters... continued from page 8Kansas if wintertimelows are not as cold.Wheat producers maywant to put moreemphasis on selectingvarieties with betterresistance to barleyyellow dwarf, andplant later to helpavoid fall infestationsof the aphids, DeWolfsaid.

by Stu EllisHow much corn do

you have planted?How about yourneighbors? Are youleading the pack ortrying to keep up withthe neighbors? Thereis a good possibilitythat over half of thecounties in the CornBelt have corn in theground, thanks to theunusually warm endto winter and finally,warm start to spring.And if you have rent-ed additional groundfor 2012, you mightalready be feelingbehind schedule. Butwith 10 days still onthe March calendar, isit too early to reallyfeel pressed to putseed in the ground?The central part of

the Corn Belt has ben-efited from warmtemperatures, thanksto the jet stream thathas resulted from thetransition from LaNina to El Nino. Inthe weather, nothingis ever normal oraverage, but thatdescription is reachedas a passing fancy.

And while 2012 tem-peratures will cer-tainly raise the aver-age, another year willbring something onthe other end of thespectrum. But fornow, many Corn Beltfarmers have beenworking fields for sev-eral weeks and manyhave also been plant-ing mid-March corn. Why? Because they

can._University ofIllinois crop produc-tion specialistEmerson Nafzigersays with a continua-tion of the warm tem-peratures, the cropwould be expected toget off to a fast start.Calculating GrowingDegree Days, Nafzigersays about 15 to 18 arebeing collected everyday, and that means itwould take about aweek to accumulateenough to provide the115 needed for germi-nation. At this time ofyear, there would typi-cally not be any col-lected, or only a hand-ful per week at themost. And in mostother years, overnight

temperatures inMarch and early Aprilwould provide suffi-cient amount of frostto stun young cornplants back to groundlevel.Based on soil tem-

peratures beingreported around theCorn Belt, (IL forexample) many soiltemperatures areabove typical cornplanting, and thetrend has been forincreasing tempera-tures. Nafziger says,“If it stays warm anddoesn’t get wet, wenormally wouldexpect planting to getgoing in late March,with April 1 being the“go” date for many inthe southern two-thirds of Illinois.”(Equate that latitudeto your state.)Nafziger says his

many years ofresearch have neverplanted corn in mid-March. However, hesays there is plenty ofresearch on cornplanted in late Marchand compared to earlyApril for yield advan-

tages. “Of 12 trialsconducted over thepast three years, cornplanted in late Aprilhas yielded more thancorn planted in lateMarch or early Aprilnine times, and theearlier planting hasyielded more threetimes. The averageadvantage from plant-ing later was about 4bushels per acre.”Because planting

date responses areu n p r e d i c t a b l e ,Nafziger says there isno certainty that cornplanted in late Marchwill yield any more orless than corn plantedin late April. But hesays consider the soilmoisture and thegrowing degree days.With more time forroot development,early corn may beable to take up morewater than laterplanted corn. But forGrowing DegreeDays, the typicalamount is minimal inMarch and April andthere may not beenough heat units tohelp the corn plants,

Do you have corn in the ground, or just about?and “early plantingmay not mean earlypollination, maturity,and harvest.”Nafziger expresses

concern about areturn to low andeven sub-freezingtemperatures, whichwould not only trumpthe early planting

opportunity, but farm-ers may find replace-ment seed difficult toobtain either thehybrid numbers theywant or quantity theywant. Crop insurancefor much of the cen-tral Corn Belt has anearly April date forplanting with cover-

age for replacementseed. He says, “Unlesstemperatures remainfar above normal overthe next month ormore, the risk ofplanting now maywell outweigh thelikely return.”


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Are we really exporting ethanol so it willnot compete with imported gasoline?

by Stu EllisEvery day super-

tankers full of $100 perbarrel oil are dockingat US ports whereother supertankers fullof $1 per gallon ethanolhave just departed foroverseas markets.While some folks havetrouble understandingthe economics of theexchange, others arehappy there is a thriv-ing ethanol industry inthe US and a globalmarket for it. It addsvalue to corn, andsomewhere around theworld, motorists wouldrather have the lesserexpensive motor fueland let the US motor-ing public pay for themore expensive com-modity. Maybe, there issomeone, somewherewho can make sense ofthis. But in the mean-time, ethanol has amarket.The “blend wall” is

that sky high objectthat ethanol ran headlong into some monthsback when the 10%limit was reached inthe nation’s motor fuelsupply. Currently, therecession has reduceddemand to about 135billion gallons per year,and 13.5 billion gallonsof ethanol is the maxi-mum that can be blend-ed into regular gaso-line. We are there, butthat is less than the14.75 billion galloncapacity of the USethanol industry, sowhat can be done withthe excess?Iowa State

University economistBob Wisner saysexports are the waythat ethanol can scalethe blend wall andescape the chains ofthe Renewable FuelStandard (RFS.)

Wisner’s latestrenewable energynewsletter says there isa glut of ethanol: stor-age facilities are full,gasoline use is down,ethanol returns arenegative, and someplants have begun toclose. One safety valvewould be E-15 or 15%ethanol blends, or E-85,an 85% blend, but mer-chandisers have notbeen anxious to installthose pumps. One ofthe problems is therestrictions on EPA’slatest approval for E-15,and another isDetroit’s reluctance tobuild cars for higherlevels of ethanol fuel.Wisner says with E-85mileage about 24% to28% less than gasoline,it needs to be priced25% less than regular,but with the loss of theblenders’ credit, it willbe difficult to achievethat savings at thepump.Lower pricing of

ethanol would unlockthe price of corn fromthe price of crude oil,but Wisner says thatlower price would haveto be shared by corngrowers, land owners,and ethanol plant oper-ators. Subsequently,the export market hasbeen a good alternativeto get around the blendwall. For the 12-monthperiod ending lastNovember, the USexported 1.094 billiongallons of ethanol,equal to 400 millionbushels of corn. He says after adjust-

ing for DDGS replace-ment that added 25¢ to30¢ to a bushel of corn.With that level ofexports, the USreplaced Brazil as thelargest exporter andthat tenure will depend

on Brazil’s use of sug-arcane to make sugaror ethanol, the rela-tionship between thedollar and theBrazilian real, foreignmandates for ethanoluse, and the relation-ship between ethanoland gasoline prices.With 6% of ethanol

production beingexported, that is onegallon of every 16refined, which is a sig-nificant market.Canada has been theleading market andpurchased 239 milliongals in 2011. The EUwas second, followedby Jamaica and Brazil. A group of 57 other

nations came in 5thplace indicating abroad demand for somevolume of ethanol.Canadian ethanol pro-duction was about 357mil. gal. and its totaldemand is increasingannually, with suppliesalso coming fromwaste product refiner-ies. Canada has a man-

date for E-5 in themotor fuel, but differ-ent provinces have var-ious internal levelsmandated. To meet thedemand, Canada wouldneed 525 million gal-lons per year, with partof that to be filled byimported US ethanol,before it meets a blendwall also.The European

Union’s importsincreased sharply in2011 to 227 million gal-lons in an effort tomeet its internal 10%blend mandate. TheUnited Arab Emiratesbecame a significantmarket in 2011, andMexico has beenincreasing its imports.Brazil is the wild

card, since its once

large exports wereexchanged for importswhen sugar priceswere higher and it wasmore profitable toexport sugar and buyethanol. That is chang-ing and in recent daysBrazil has indicated itsintention to reducesugar production,increase ethanol pro-duction, and return toexporting it.Jamaica has been

the Caribbean ethanolbroker, since it couldexport ethanol to theUS without a duty andhad been resale pointfor Brazilian ethanolbefore the tariffexpired at the end of2011. Corn and sugareconomics were work-ing against theJamaican ethanolrefineries and itsplants have recentlyclosed and its future isuncertain at best.Wisner says US

ethanol exports are asmall share of the totalmarket, but havegrown rapidly andhelping an industrywith a saturated mar-ket. The exports areprimarily to neighbor-ing countries, and tomarkets with man-dates for ethanol use.But in the longer term,US ethanol exports willcompete at times withBrazil. However, he says the

rising price of gasolinewill likely spur manynations to come to theUS for ethanol, sincewe may have plenty tosell.


11www.thepaperofwabash.comMarch 28 , 2012

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Farm Service Agency...continued from the front pagepayment if they suf-fered at least a 10 per-cent loss in one crop.Crop insurance cover-age is a requirement tobe eligible for 2011SURE benefits.July 15 will be the

final date to report thefollowing:- Crops planted in

2012- Certification of the

existence of CRP prac-tices- 2011 yields for

farms enrolled in theACRE programThe Farm Service

Agency continues tooffer loans to produc-ers needing money foroperating expenses,land purchases, grainbin storage and forbeginning farmers try-ing to get established.We will be glad to pro-vide you with addition-al information if youhave a need in thisarea. Please call 260-

563-3145 for assistance.Landowners in

Waltz, Liberty andLagro townships willbe electing an individ-ual this fall to repre-sent them on theWabash CountyCommittee. Mr. DanBowman has repre-sented you for the pastnine years and will notbe eligible to serveonce his current termexpires in December. Ifyou are interested inserving in this impor-tant position please letus know. We want toextend a big thanks toMr. Bowman for a jobwell done these pastnine years.The United States

Department ofAgriculture (USDA)prohibits discrimina-tion in all its programsand activities on thebasis of race, color,national origin, age,disability, and where

applicable, sex, maritalstatus, familial status,parental status, reli-gion, sexual orienta-tion, genetic informa-tion, political beliefs,reprisal, or because allor part of an individ-ual’s income is derivedfrom any public assis-tance programs. (Notall prohibited basesapply to all programs.) Persons with dis-

abilities who requirealternative means forcommunication of pro-gram information(Braille, large print,audiotape, etc.) shouldcontact USDA’s TAR-GET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).To file a complaint ofdiscrimination, writeUSDA, Director, Officeof Adjudication andCompliance, 1400Independence Avenue,SW, Washington, DC20250-9410 or call 800-795-3272 (voice) or 202-

720-6382 (TDD). USDAis an equal opportuni-ty provider andemployer.

PHIL AND PEGGY SIDERS work on another of the many looms theyhave inside their residence outside of Lagro. Dependent upon the nature ofthe project, Peggy then chooses the appropriate loom to finish the product.(photo by Brent Swan)

One string at a time...continued from the front pageEven though she

has begun to accumu-late awards, Peggyinsists she simplyenjoys the process asa whole. This pastyear, her granddaugh-ter, Evelynn Gray, cre-ated a 4-H projectwhere she wove ascarf from scratch,earning a possiblestate ribbon.“There is not a

whole lot of peoplearound that do this,but I think there’s alot of people thatwould enjoy it if theyknew how to do it,”Peggy said of thehobby. “It’s a relaxingtype of hobby that Itruly enjoy. It’d benice to see a group ofpeople that are inter-ested in it start up agroup or a guild.”The main ingredi-

ent to the hobby,according to both Philand Peggy, is time.

“People might notknow that you don’tjust sit down and startspinning yarn,”Peggy said. “Whenyou start spinning,you already knowwhat you want your

end product to looklike. You’re alwayslooking three or foursteps ahead.“People come up to

me and ask how I havethe time to do this,”Peggy said. “I tell

them I’m just stealingminutes – minuteseveryone hasthroughout their day.I just take those min-utes and make theminto something.”

Successfully control-ling yield-limiting cropdiseases comes down toanalyzing field historyand making the rightmanagement decisionsfor individual fields,says a PurdueExtension plant pathol-ogist. Once soil-borne crop

diseases are present in afield, they rarely disap-pear. When the rightweather conditionspresent themselves, dis-eases such as suddendeath syndrome, rootrot, white mold andseedling blight can sub-stantially decrease cropyields.“Managing diseases

starts with knowingwhat is present in thefields,” Kiersten Wisesaid. “Growers need to

know what diseaseshave shown up in theirfields in the past, andthey need to plan forthose diseases even ifthey haven’t seen themin a few years.”Disease development

is mostly dictated byenvironment, plantingdate and seed variety.Wise said there could bemore problems after avery warm, wet winterbecause soil-borne dis-eases are there andwaiting for the rightconditions to flourish.“Soil diseases don’t go

away, so growers need toplan to manage them,”she said. “Knowing thefield history can helpgrowers choose vari-eties that are resistantto previous disease pres-sures.”

With soybeans, grow-ers have a few more seedtreatment options. Butwith no treatments toeffectively fight suddendeath syndrome, Wisesaid variety selectionand planting date areextremely important infields with a history ofthis disease.Fields with disease

history should be plant-ed as late in the seasonas possible.Corn growers also

have a variety of dis-ease management choic-es, including hybridselection and fungicideapplications.“Foliar disease organ-

isms won’t be as affect-ed by the mild winter.Instead, they willdepend more on theweather during the

reproductive stages,probably in July,” Wisesaid. “At that point, ifgrowers are seeingfoliar diseases, they canconsider fungicidetreatments.”Many fungicide pur-

chases have rebates ifthe orders are placedbefore the crop is plant-ed. Wise said corn pro-ducers should considera few factors in decidingwhether they mightneed to consider fungi-cide application.“If farmers are plant-

ing into fields with a lotof residue, if they’replanting susceptiblevarieties and if theirfields are continuouscorn, they could possi-bly benefit from a fungi-cide later in the seasonif the environment is

Field history should play important role in grower decisionsfavorable for diseasedevelopment,” she said.Purdue Extension’s

Corn and Soybean FieldGuide offers more infor-mation and helps pro-ducers identify crop dis-eases throughout thegrowing season.

It’s available for $7 inPurdue Extension’s TheEducation Store athttps://mdc.itap.pur-due.edu/item.asp?itemID=20394. Growers who are

uncertain about theidentification of a dis-

ease also can send sam-ples to the Purdue Plantand Pest DiagnosticLaboratory for diagno-sis within a few days.More information isavailable athttp://www.ppdl.pur-due.edu/PPDL/


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Research completedduring the last threeyears shows that anew systemsapproach to high-yield corn productionmanagement signifi-cantly out-producedconventional produc-tion systems. In 2011,researchers saw anaverage 30-bushels-per-acre yield advan-tage and as much as92 bushels per acre inone location despitetemperature andmoisture stress. Topyields reached 300bushels in one loca-tion where growing-season moisture wascloser to normal, andseveral other loca-tions nearly reachedthat goal.“To optimize pro-

duction and move tothe 300-bushel-per-acre corn yield goaltargeted for 2030, wehave to identify newand more efficientways to optimize theyield potential of rap-idly advancing cropgenetics,” explainsDan Froehlich, Ph.D.and manager of NewProduct Developmentwith The MosaicCompany. “Thismeans investigatinginnovative approach-es to crop production,which is why we’reworking in conjunc-tion with theUniversity of Illinoisto evaluate this sys-tems approach.” The innovative sys-

tems approach to highyields being investi-gated by Mosaic andthe University ofIllinois incorporatesfive technologies oragronomic approach-es. Results show thebeneficial synergiesof combining them.The advanced agro-nomic system

Research pushes for300-bushel corn yields

includes additionalphosphorus, providedby MicroEssentials(r)SZ(tm), and addition-al nitrogen, providedby SuperU(r) stabi-lized nitrogen toensure adequatenitrogen (N) is avail-able later in the sea-son. A triple-stackhybrid with both cornborer and corn root-worm insect protec-tion is used, plantedat 45,000 plants peracre in 30-inch rows,with a strobilurinfungicide applied atflowering. The tradi-tional systemincludes universitynitrogen, phosphorusand potassium recom-mendation levels,double-stack hybrids,32,000 plants per acre,and no fungicide use.Results of research

from 2009 and 2010over 11 comparisonsshowed an averageyield benefit of 62bushels per acre com-pared to the conven-tional managementapproach. The yieldadvantage across alllocations ranged from40 to 114 bushels peracre.Researchers at the

University of Illinoisalso have studied thenutrient uptake ofcorn hybrids protect-ed by insect-resistanttraits, and found thatthe per-acre removalrates of nutrients (N,P, K, S, Zn) are from 14

to 27 percent greaterfor hybrids with therootworm-resistantgene. These hybridshave more intactroots and developgreater root massthan their nonresis-tant counterparts.This enables them totake up more nutri-ents from the soil,resulting in higheryields. Ensuring ade-quate and balancedlevels of crop nutri-ents is crucial in max-imizing the high-yieldpotential of thesecorn hybrids. “We’ve learned that

a key component tothe success of thistype of program is toprovide the crop withnot only a higher levelof nutrition, but alsoa balanced nutritionprogram,” saysFroehlich. “Mostgrowers understandcrops need nitrogen,phosphorus andpotassium, but theyalso must rememberthat sulfur, zinc andother micronutrientsare needed in theright ratio for opti-mum performanceand to push yields to ahigher level. We knowthat phosphorus andsulfur increase nitro-gen uptake efficiencyand zinc improvesphosphorus uptake,”he adds. MicroEssentials SZ

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as a fertilizer sourcethat provides a bal-anced approach tocrop nutrition.Created using patent-ed Fusion(tm) tech-nology to combinefour key crop nutri-ents in one granule,MicroEssentials con-tains nitrogen, phos-phorus, sulfur andzinc in the ratio bestsuited to crop needs.“As farmers experi-

ment with differentways to capitalize onthe yield potential oftoday’s hybrids andbenefit from theattractive price ofcorn, they may wantto take a closer look attheir fertility pro-grams and considerwhat they may be ableto achieve with thehigh-yield systemsapproach,” concludesFroehlich. A regular program

of soil tests, in con-junction with cropremoval rates, cropyield history andfuture yield goals, canhelp growers zero inon the right fertilizerrates needed to con-sistently drive higheryields.To listen to Dan

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China purchases U.S.corn and soybeansChina bought

110,000 metric tons ofcorn and 285,000 met-ric tons of soybeansearly March 1, gener-ating more talk thatthe Chinese are waryof weather and sup-ply disruptions inSouth America andwill turn more heavi-ly toward U.S. grains.The sale helped soy-

beans gain 8 cents perbushel March 1 on theChicago Board of

Trade, closing at$13.13.Soybean prices

have rallied almost 15percent since Jan. 1,boosted by news ofheat and drought inBrazil and increasedacres for corn plant-ing in the UnitedStates this spring.“Of that soybean

purchase, 175,000 met-ric tons were from theold 2011 crop in stor-age,” said Don Roose

of US Commodities inWest Des Moines. “Asfor corn, China’sdomestic price is upto around $9.75 perbushel, which is justoff their all-timehighs. So that wouldtell you they might berunning into supplyshortages.”Even before the pur-

chase, China hadbecome a bigger fac-tor in U.S. corn pur-

chases, with 2.6 mil-lion metric tons pur-chased since the mar-keting year beganSept. 1, comparedwith 313,000 metrictons this week lastyear.China also has

picked up the pace ofits soybean purchas-es, which now standat 16.2 million metrictons since Sept. 1 vs.19.5 million metric

tons this time lastyear.The recent visit of a

Chinese trade delega-tion to Iowa and thesigning of new soy-bean sales agree-ments have firmedconfidence that Chinawill continue to be astrong customer. Inrecent years, it hasbought 60 to 70 per-cent of U.S. soybeanexports.

Pork exportsmaintain hot pace;beef ahead slightlyU.S. red meat

exports have a toughact to follow after arecord-setting yearin 2011, but the earlyindications for 2012are good. Januarypork exports jumped28 percent in volumeand 43 percent invalue while beefexports were even involume but rose 14percent in value,according to statis-tics released by theUSDA and compiledby the U.S. MeatExport Federation.“There is a chal-

lenge to follow avery successful yearlike 2011 and sustainthe momentum,”said Philip Seng,USMEF presidentand CEO. “The goodnews is that thereare opportunities toexpand the presenceof U.S. red meat byexploring new mar-ket niches as well asincreasing accesswith several keytrading partners.”Several key meas-

urements alsoshowed continuedgrowth: export valueper head and per-centage of total pro-duction exported.For pork, January’sexport value equat-ed to $59.44 per headof commercialslaughter comparedto $43.59 a year ago,and 29.6 percent oftotal production(including varietymeat) was exportedin January versus24.2 percent lastyear. For just muscle

cuts, 25 percent ofproduction wasexported thisJanuary compared

to 20 percent lastyear.Beef exports

equated to $197.95per head of fedslaughter in valuecompared to $170.10last year. The per-centage of produc-tion exported—12.3percent for beef andvariety meats and 9percent for just mus-cle cuts—remainedthe same.Sales jumped in

double or triple fig-ures with the top keypork trading part-ners, surging 21 per-cent and 27 percentrespectively in vol-ume and value toMexico; 88 percentand 158 percent toChina; and 17 per-cent and 28 percentto Japan.For the month, the

U.S. exported 211,457metric tons of porkvalued at $566.9 mil-lion, increases of 28percent in volumeand 43 percent invalue. While it’searly in the year, it isencouraging thatthese increases arecoming on the heelsof a year that saw2011 pork exportstop 2.25 million met-ric tons valued atmore than $6.1 bil-lion.And positive news

continued for U.S.lamb exports inJanuary. Top desti-nation Mexico(accounting for 74.5percent of totallamb exports by vol-ume and 54.6 percentby value) raised itspurchases 31 percentin volume to 1,021metric tons and 25percent in value to$1.1 million.


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U.S. farm officialsrecently signaledexpectations thatcorn prices willreturn below $5 abushel as they fore-cast a doubling indomestic inventoriesof the grain, boostedby a record harvest.Largest corn acres

planted since 1944 and164 bushels per acreyields could lead togreater corn supplies.The US Department

of Agriculture, updat-ing outline estimatesunveiled last week,forecast the US corncrop soaring 15% totop 14bn bushels forthe first time thisyear, backed by

growth in yields aswell as sowings.Consumption will

hit a record high too,supported by expan-sion at US pork andpoultry farms, bygrowing exports, andthe end of a long-termdecline in the use ofcorn-based sweeten-ers by domesticdrinks groups.Even so, the harvest

will cover use withsome 800m bushels tospare, allowing a“sharp recovery” ininventories.Stocks will end

2012-13 at 1.62mbushels, more thandoubling year on year,

USDA Outlook: Cornprices could fallbelow $5 per bushel

by FrankWardynski,

Michigan StateUniversityExtension

Fed dairy steersmake up about 15-20%of all fed cattle sent tomarket for beef pro-duction. Dairy steeror bull calf sales onlyaccount for about 1-2% of gross salesfrom typical dairyfarm operations.Given current beefand milk prices, ifdairy steers are fed tofinish on the farm,they would accountfor about 15% of dairyfarm revenues. Dairy steers are a

significant contribu-tor to the US beef sup-ply and can be a rev-enue generating cen-ter for dairy farms orother farming opera-tions.Since the sale of

newborn bull calvesare a small percent-age of revenue thereis little financialincentive to offerthem the same highquality care that thefemale counterpartsreceive. However, thefuture profitability ofbull calves is greatlyimpacted by the carethey receive duringthe first hours anddays of life. Calves that do not

receive adequateimmun o g l o b u l i ntransfer within thefirst few hours of lifeare at greater risk ofdiseases such asscours and pneumo-nia and exhibit mor-tality rates twice

those of calves receiv-ing adequateimmun o g l o b u l i ntransfer. Managementrecommendations forsteer calves need to bethe same as theheifers if they are tobe healthy and vigor-ous.Raising steer calves

to 300 pounds frombirth requires anintensive allocation offeed, labor and facili-ty resources.Comparatively, as thedairy steer growsolder labor and facili-ty costs decrease on aper head basis andfeed costs per poundof gain also decreas-es. Calculatingbreakeven analysis atvarious death lossrates indicate that thesimple loss of the pur-chase price is only asmall portion of loss-es. Utilizing this analy-

sis indicates that calffeeding programs canbe reasonably prof-itable if sickness anddeath loss are low.However, if mortalityis high due to inade-quate immunoglobu-lin transfer on a highpercentage of calves,high morbidity ratesand decreased animalperformance result infinancial losses.Accelerated calf

feeding programs aregaining popularity inan effort to raiseheifers at a faster rateso they are ready forbreeding at an earlierage. Accelerated calf

feeding programs

require uniquely dif-ferent milk replacersand calf starter feedsincreasing the totalcost of raising calves.If rate of gain and fedefficiency are at rec-ommended levels thecost of gain will notincrease whileimproving overall calfhealth and theimmunological sys-tem. Dairy managers

must be aware thataccelerated programsrequire top qualitycalf management andare not for everyone.Cost of gain while

feeding dairy steers to300 pounds is consid-erably more expen-sive than at heavierweights because milkand concentrate feedsgreatly increaseration cost as com-pared to rations withhigher roughage con-tent. Unfortunatelyyoung calves do nothave a fully developedrumen and do not uti-lize roughages nearlyas efficiently as con-centrate feeds as anenergy source.Calves from 300-500

pounds are utilizingforages more effi-ciently than duringthe birth to 300 poundrange. However, therumen is not fullydeveloped and calvesless than 500 poundswill exhibit decreasedperformance if fedhigh roughage diets.Grazing steers inMichigan significant-ly lowers the cost ofgain on steers that aresix months of age and

older. However, younger

lighter calves cannotdigest high foragediets and exhibitdecreased perform-ance. Feeding grainrations to steers whileon pasture allowslight calves to growefficiently while low-ering cost of gain ascompared to steers fedgrain diets with highquality stored hay orsilage.Using Dairy Calf

and HeiferAssociation GoldStandards, dairycalves should weighapproximately 425pounds at six monthsof age. Calves of thisage and weight shouldhave fully developedrumens and be able tofully utilize foragebased rations.Grazing steers at 425pounds and greaterweight decreases thecost of gain as com-pared to rations withstored feed.Dairy steers are an

important part of theUS beef supply.Holstein steers havethe genetic ability toproduce carcasseswith quality compara-ble or better thanmany beef breeds.Ensuring steersreceive high qualitycare is a critical firststep in raisinghealthy calves thatcan grow rapidly andefficiently. Feedingthe dairy steers canbe an excellent profitcenter for the dairyfarm or feeding opera-tions.

Raising dairy steer calves forprofitable beef production



www.thepaperofwabash.comMarch 28, 2012 152012 SPRING FARM EDITION


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and ending a two-sea-son spell when histor-ically low inventorieshave supportedprices.

‘Sharply lowerprices’

Indeed, the recov-ery in supplies willput “substantialdownward pressureon futures and cashcorn prices” in 2012-13, with values set todrop “sharply lowerby fall harvest”.While restating a

forecast that farmerswill receive an aver-age of $5.00 a bushelfor this year’s produc-tion, down 19.4% yearon year, the USDAsaid that even gaininga result at this levelrequires selling aheadof harvest, while val-ues are still high.

“Prices received byproducers are expect-ed to reflect substan-tial forward pricing atvalues well above $5 abushel,” the depart-ment said, implyingmany sales beingundertaken at below$5 a bushel.The forecasts fac-

tored in the softer out-look for corn use byethanol plants out-lined on Thursday byJoseph Glauber, theUSDA chief econo-mist, thanks to expec-tations of smallerexports to Brazil,whose production ofcane-based biofuels isexpected to recover,and of US use hittingthe “blend wall”.However, the esti-

mates also assumed arise in demand for

corn starch by paperand constructionindustries.

USDA ProjectedCorn YieldsChallenged.

However, some ana-lysts raised questionsover the 164-bushels-per acre yield figure,after two seasonswhen lofty yield esti-mates havefoundered.The impact of slow-

er economic growthmeans less use oftransport than USstatisticians expectedwhen setting outethanol forecasts in2007, and means thatless of the biofuel isneeded to meet therequirements of so-called E10 - in which itis mixed to a level of10% with gasoline.

USDA Outlook: Corn prices...continued from page 14

Mark York, a porkproducer from Roann,and Randy Curless, apork producer fromWabash, served as del-egates at the Pork ActDelegate AssemblyMarch 1-3 in Denver,Colo. York was nameda delegate bySecretary ofAgriculture TomVilsack.York and Curless

were two of the dele-gates who represent-ed producers fromacross the countryand importers whosell pork product sinthe United States. Thedelegates are chargedwith helping to pro-vide direction to thepork promotion,research and con-sumer informationprograms that arefunded by the PorkCheckoff through theNational Pork Board.Producers contribute40 cents of every $100of sales to theCheckoff, and

Wabash area porkproducers provide inputon Checkoff Programs

importers use a salesformula to contributea similar amount.That money helpsproducers support theWe Care initiative,promoting pork toconsumers andresearch into animalwelfare, food safety,swine health, environ-ment and other topics.“From managing

issues to promotingour product at homeand internationally,Pork CheckoffPrograms are contin-ually working towardthe end results ofyielding positiveresults for pork pro-ducers,” said York.The National Pork

Board approved a 2012budget for nationalspending of $69.3 mil-lion for programs ofpromotion, researchand education to pro-tect the ability offarms to producepork, to repositionpork’s image and toenable producers toremain highly com-petitive on a globalbasis.Included in that

amount was about$37.7 million focusedon increasing domes-tic consumer porkexpenditures.“The Pork Be

inspired brand cam-

paign is showingmany signs of earlysuccess,” saidCurless. “Despiterecord retail prices,consumers are buyingmore pork.”The Checkoff also

is at work in ongoingprograms thatinclude efforts to pro-vide science-basedanswers and educa-tional opportunitiesincluding:- We Care, a respon-

sible pork initiative,which is a coordinat-ed effort of theNational Pork Boardand National PorkProducers Council toearn the trust of thepork industry’s cus-tomers and con-sumers.- Pork Quality

Assurance Plus (PQAPlus), which is athree-part processthat includes attend-ing an educationaland training sessionand then having anon-farm site evalua-tion to achieve PWAPlus site status. Theprogram alsoincludes a third com-ponent of random,statistically valid,third-party evalua-tion of programimp l em en t a t i o n .Results of those eval-uations will show if

the industry isimproving its overallanimal-care practices.- The Pork Checkoff

is continuingresearch into the fourpillars of environ-mental sustainabilityfocusing on the waterfootprint in 2012.The National Pork

Board has responsi-bility for Checkoff-funded research, pro-motion and consumerinformation projectsand for communicat-ing with pork produc-ers and the public.Through a legislativenational PorkCheckoff, pork pro-ducers invest $.40 foreach $100 value ofhogs sold. The PorkCheckoff fundsnational and stateprograms in advertis-ing, consumer infor-mation, retail andfood service market-ing, export marketpromotion, produc-tion improvement,technology, swinehealth, pork safetyand environmentalmanagement. Forinformation onCheckoff-funded pro-grams, pork produc-ers can call the PorkCheckoff ServiceCenter at 800-456-7675or check the Internetat www.pork.org.

17www.thepaperofwabash.comMarch 28, 2012 2012 SPRING FARM EDITION

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THE BIGGEST MALL-

by Jerry May andDale RozeboomMichigan State

UniversityExtension

Hydrogen sulfideand methane are thetwo main gases ofconcern when agitat-ing manure.Methane is a productof anaerobic diges-tion in the lower lev-els of deep pits and

Safety precautions foragitating and pumping manure

is continuallyreleased into the airabove the manure. Itis removed from thisair space by pit ven-tilation. In foamingpits, methane accu-mulates in the foambubbles. During manure

agitation and pump-ing the foam is dis-turbed releasing alarge amount ofmethane in the pit,below the slats. Thishigh concentrationof methane is at riskof escaping into theair space above theslats and with a sim-ple ignition source,such as a heater oran electrical spark, aflash fire and/orbarn explosion ispossible. For more informa-

tion on methane andfoaming pits see theMichigan StateU n i v e r s i t yExtension News arti-cle, “Use cautionwhen dealing withfoaming manurepits.”Hydrogen sulfide

gas accumulates inmanure foam as welland in the manureitself. Much likemethane, it isreleased withmanure agitationand pumping. Incases of rapidrelease or inade-quate ventilation, ittoo, may escape intothe animal areaabove the slats andreach concentrationlevels that are lethal

to both humans andpigs.Manure pit gases

are believed to beresponsible for anumber of growing-finishing pig deathsin spring of 2011.These pigs were inbarns where manurewas being removedfrom the deep pitsbeneath the pens.MSU Extension edu-cators were able tovisit with thesefarmers about theproblems theyencountered.What do we know

about last spring’sincidences? The onec o m m o n a l i t ybetween these farmsis between 20 and 100pigs were found deadin barns where thefarmer thought theyhad adequate venti-lation to prevent piglosses.In one case, the

farmer used maxi-mum pit ventilationbut only three of thefour fans were pro-viding ventilation.One pit fan was alsothe cover for thepump-out port, sowas not available tobe used. This open port was

acting as an air inletallowing incomingair to short circuitthe barns normal airinlets and enterdirectly into the pitarea below the slats.Less air was beingpulled downwardacross the slattedfloor surface. In cer-tain areas of thebarn, gases were ris-ing above the floorinto the pig space. It appeared to the

farmer the pigssleeping or lying onthe floor succumbedto the hydrogen sul-fide first.Preventative prac-

tice: Prevent thepump-out port frombecoming an air

inlet by covering theopening around theagitator and thepump or hose with atarp.Is it correct to

think that if youmaximize pit venti-lation fresh air willbe pulled into the pitevenly across theslatted floor surface?No, there are toomany openings inslatted surface tocreate an even downdraft throughout thebuilding. The downdraft caused by pitfans is a local effect,meaning that thereis more air pulleddown closer to thefans than other areasof the barn. Fartherfrom the fan less airwill be pulled downinto the pit area. The“localizing” effect ofthe pit fans can cre-ate dead zones in thebarn where pit gasescan build up in theanimal area.Preventative prac-

tices: Maximum pitventilation should besupplemented bywall fans. The airexchange rate in abarn while agitatingand pumping shouldbe three times theminimum ventila-tion rate or set nolower than 25 to 30CFM per pig. In tun-nel-ventilated barnsmake sure all airinlets are function-ing but partiallyclosed. Compensatefor the reduced airflow through theinlets by opening thetunnel curtain anadditional 6 - 12 inch-es. In naturally-venti-

lated barns duringcold weather, maxi-mize pit ventilationand open all ceilingvents and slightlyopen the curtain.During warm weath-er open the curtainalong with setting

pit ventilation atmaximum levels.Run stir fans, if theyare available, toensure good distri-bution of fresh airthroughout the barn.Another farmer

lowered the curtainsof a naturally-venti-lated barn on a calmspring day. Themanure was beingreturned on the sur-face of a foaming pit.The pig deaths werecaused by a combina-tion of disturbingthe manure foamand on a day withlimited wind move-ment.Preventative prac-

tices: Agitatemanure in naturally-ventilated barnswith curtains openon days when windspeeds are above 5mph. Methane flashfires and explosionsare the main con-cerns with foamingmanure but the bub-bles contain a mix-ture of all manuregases. Breaking down the

foam causes a sud-den increase inhydrogen sulfide aswell as the othergases. Be particular-ly careful with foam-ing pits. Similar topractices used inmechanically-venti-lated barns, run stirfans if they are avail-able.What role did agi-

tation play in theselosses? The farmersfollowed the recom-mended practice ofdrawing down themanure about twofeet before beginningto agitate. In onecase, rooster-tailingoccurred from theagitation and thespraying of manureback into the pitallowed forincreased release ofgases. The pens ofpigs just above therooster-tail ofmanure were theones overcome bythe gases.Preventative prac-

tice: Avoid roostertailing and sprayingmanure against pitwalls and pillars.Use only the bottomagitator nozzle andstop agitation whenthe manure has beenlowered to the pointwhere its surface isbeing disturbed.Safety of People:

While everyoneneeds to be cautious



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and avoid pig losses,one needs to be par-ticularly mindful ofall animal caretak-ers. Remind allemployees and fami-ly members to stayout of buildings dur-ing manure agitationand removal. Instruct workers

and contract manurehaulers to make sureall employees are outof the building priorto starting agitationequipment. As anextra precautionconsider the use oflock-out tags, similarto the one picturedon the right, as a sys-tem of alerting everyone to the dangers ofentering a buildingduring manure agi-

Safety precautions...continued from page 18

tation and removal. Lock-out tags are

available free to allpork producers fromthe National Pork

Board at their onlinePork Store. Click on“Pork ProductionResources” and thenselect “Safety.”

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NEED GRADUATION INVITATIONS?

Deere announcesrecord firstquarter earningsof $533 millionNet income attributable to Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) was $532.9

million, or $1.30 per share, for the first quarter ended January 31,compared with $513.7 million, or $1.20 per share, for the same periodlast year.Worldwide net sales and revenues for the first quarter increased 11

percent, to $6.767 billion, compared with $6.119 billion last year. Netsales of the equipment operations were $6.119 billion for the quartercompared with $5.514 billion a year ago.“By completing another quarter of record performance, John

Deere has started 2012 on a strong note,” said Samuel R. Allen, chair-man and chief executive officer. “These results are evidence of theskillful execution of our operating and marketing plans. They alsoreflect an enthusiastic response by customers worldwide to ouradvanced lines of equipment. Maintaining such a high level of execu-tion is especially noteworthy as we move ahead with major new-prod-uct launches and significantly expand our global market presence.” Over the last year, Allen pointed out, Deere introduced a record

number of products and announced plans to build seven new facto-ries throughout the world. The company also expanded or modern-ized additional locations in the U.S. and other countries.

Butter pricesreceived for 25 kilo-gram and 68 poundboxes meeting UnitedStates Department ofAgriculture (USDA)Grade AA standardsaveraged $1.42 perpound for the weekending March 10. The United States

(US) price per pounddecreased 0.8 centfrom the previousweek.

Cheddar Cheeseprices received forU.S. 40 pound blocksaveraged $1.49 perpound for the weekending March 10. Theprice per poundincreased 0.5 centfrom the previousweek. The price for U.S.

500-pound barrelsadjusted to 38 percentmoisture averaged$1.51 per pound, up 0.8

cent from the previ-ous week. Dry Wheyprices received forbag, tote, and tankersales meeting USDAExtra Grade stan-dards averaged 61.9cents per pound forthe week endingMarch 10. The US price per

pound increased 1.3cents from the previ-ous week. Nonfat DryMilk prices received

for bag, tote, andtanker sales meetingUSDA Extra Grade orUnited States PublicHealth Service(USPHS) Grade Astandards averaged$1.34 per pound forthe week endingMarch 10. The USprice per pounddecreased 2.3 centsfrom the previousweek.

Dairy Products pricesreleased for weekending March 10


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Corn and soybeanprofitability willremain strong for U.S.producers over thenext decade, thanks tosteady demand andhigh prices, accordingto USDA’s 2012 - 2021L o n g - T e r mAgricultural OutlookProjections. The

Corn and soybean profitability toremain strong according to USDA

report also projectslong-run gains in pro-ducer returns thatwill be favorable forU.S. rice acres in thelatter part of the pro-jection period and adecline in U.S. cottonplantings over thenext 10 years.The U.S. crops sec-

tor will respond in theshort term to relative-ly high prices in 2011-12, the report said.Planted area for eightmajor field crops in2012 is projected to

reach 251 millionacres, the second-largest acreage levelof the past 10 years.Over the longer

run, corn-basedethanol production inthe United States isprojected to slow,although the largeexpansion in recentyears will keep cornuse for ethanol high.Prices are expected

to fall from currenthigh levels, but willremain historicallyhigh for many crops,

USDA says. Strongdemand and highprices will provideeconomic incentivesto hold projectedplantings near 245million acres overmuch of the rest ofthe projection period.Here is the link to

the USDA Report.http://www.usda.go

v/oce/commodity/archive_projections/USDAAgriculturalProjections2021.pdf

TWO FARMERS look over their equipment while taking a break from working ground March22 next to Northfield High School. With the weather expected to remain close ideal for the nearfuture, farmers have had to deliberate as to whether they should start planting or wait for thatone last frost. (photo by Brent Swan)

More farmersaround the worldadopted geneticallyengineered (GE)crops, with some ofthe highest adoptionrates in developingcountries, accordingto a report released bythe InternationalService for theAcquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications(ISAAA).The ISAAA report,

Global Status of

C omm e r c i a l i z e dBiotech/GM Crops:2011, says a record16.7 million farmersin 29 countries aregrowing biotech cropson 395 million acres.According to thereport, “such adop-tion represents a 94-fold increase inhectares plantedsince 1996, makingbiotech crops thefastest adopted croptechnology in recent

history.”Ninety percent

(more than 15 million)of the growers utiliz-ing biotech varietiesare resource-poorfarmers in developingcountries,” says Dr.Cathleen Enright,Executive VicePresident, Food andAgriculture for theB i o t e c h n o l o g yI n d u s t r yOrganization (BIO).“The growth rate for

More growers around the globe adopt biotech cropsbiotech crops in devel-oping countries at 11percent (on more than170 million acres) dur-ing 2011 was twice asfast and twice as largeas that in industrialcountries at 5 percent

(on more than 9 mil-lion acres).“This year’s ISAAA

report further con-firms what we haveknown all along: thatagricultural biotech-nology is a key com-

ponent in sustainablecrop production,”explains Enright.“Biotechnology pro-vides solutions fortoday’s farmers in theform of plants thatyield more per acre,

resist diseases andinsect pests, andreduce farmers’ pro-duction costs, pesti-cide applications andon-farm fuel use.”In a statement



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Indiana Pork recognizes Meritorious Service Award winners

Indiana Pork recog-nized two MeritoriousService Award winnersat its annual meetingheld Feb. 27 during theLivestock, Forage andGrain Forum inIndianapolis. Eachyear, the Indiana PorkBoard of Directorschooses one producerand one allied industryindividual whose long-term efforts on behalfof the pork industryare exemplary.Receiving the allied

industry award wasKathy Lucas, a partnerin the Environmentaland AdministrativeLaw Group of Bose,McKinney & EvansLLP. Lucas is a stal-wart advocate for pork

farmers earning a rep-utation in the industryas being one of themost trusted, well-respected go-to peopleto help protect therights and freedoms ofproducers to operate.Kathy Lucas receives

the MeritoriousService Award fromSam Moffitt of IndianaPork.Receiving the pro-

ducer award wasRandy Curless ofLiberty Swine Farmsin Wabash. Curless is apioneer in the use ofsocial media by a live-stock producer withmore than 1,600 peopleconnected to his farmFacebook page. Heactively engages con-

sumers on a daily basiswith messages abouttoday’s pork farming.Curless served sixyears on the IndianaPork Board ofDirectors.The Meritorious

Service Award hashonored outstandingcontributors to theindustry since 1950.Past recipients includeJohn Baugh of PurdueUniversity, JohnSwisher of JBS United,Representative BillFriend, MikeVeenhuizen ofLivestock Engineering,and last year’s recipi-ent Indiana GovernorMitch Daniels.


RANDY CURLESS receives the Meritorious Service Award from Sam Moffit of Indiana Pork.(photo provided)


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released this am,Enright also made thef o l l o w i n gpoints:_”When youlook at the risingnumber of acres ofbiotech crops plantedeach year (395 millionin 2011 compared with366 million in 2010),and the increasingnumber of farmerswho have chosen thistechnology (16.7 mil-lion in 2011 comparedwith 15 million in2010), it’s obvious thatbiotech crops are

delivering value tomore and more grow-ers around the world.“The increase in

biotech adoption notonly benefits farmers,but also provides con-sumers with a safe,affordable food supplywith a reduced envi-ronmental impact.“The productivity

gains from biotech-nology are enablingus to better feed aglobal population at atime when food inse-curity is becoming a

global concern.“In the United

States more than 170million acres ofbiotech crops wereplanted in 2011, andthe United Statesremains the top coun-try in terms ofbiotech acreage. Theprimary biotech cropsgrown in the UnitedStates are corn, cot-ton and soybeans, butalso grown are sugarbeets, alfalfa, canola,papaya and squash.“Over the past two

decades, we have seenhow biotechnologycan improve crop pro-duction throughinsect resistance andherbicide toleranttraits.But biotechnol-ogy can also helpcrops thrive indrought-prone areas,can improve thenutrition content offoods and can growalternative energysources.

More growers...continued from page 20

Grain farmersshould take extra pre-caution this spring toscout their fields asthe near-record warmwinter is expected tocause a severe infesta-tion of corn flea bee-tle, says an Ohio StateUniversity Extensionentomologist.

Insects such as thecorn flea beetle willlikely be seen earlierthan normal this year,said Ron Hammond,who also has anappointment with theOhio AgriculturalResearch andDevelopment Center.Corn flea beetle tar-

gets both sweet andfield corn and spreadsthe bacterium thatcauses Stewart’s bac-terial wilt and leafblight. Adult beetles that

overwinter becomeactive in the springwhen the soil temper-ature reaches 65

Warm winter brings threat of corn fleabeetle, increased risk of Stewart’s Wilt

degrees and are mostactive on sunny,warm, windless days,H a m m o n dsaid._”Those adultsthat fed on cornplants with Stewart’sdisease in the previ-ous late summer orfall may acquire andcarry the bacteriumfrom one growing sea-son to another,”Hammond said. By feeding on

young plants in thespring, they mayspread the bacterium,which in turn causesseedling wilt and leafblight.“The occurrence of

Stewart’s bacterialdisease is totallydependent on thelevel of bacteria-car-rying flea beetle sur-vival over the winter.”Higher populations

of the flea beetle sur-vive during mild win-ters than during coldwinters, he said.This winter is the

warmest experiencednationwide since 2000and the fourth-warmest on record,according to theNational Oceanic andA t m o s p h e r i cAdministration.

This was becausethe jet stream, whichdivides the cold air tothe north from thewarm air to the south,settled at a muchhigher latitude thisyear._Using a “flea beetle

index” that calculatesthe average sum tem-perature ofDecember, Januaryand February to pre-dict the likelihood ofthe disease threat,OSU Extensionresearchers havefound that all areas ofthe state have indexesabove 100, suggestingthat risk is severe forthe pest this year. As a result, crop

growers should scouttheir fields for fleabeetles, especially ifthey have planted ahybrid that is suscep-tible to Stewart’s dis-ease, Hammond said.Farmers can mitigatethe damage if theyscout their fields ear-lier and with moretenacity, he said. “We recommend

that growers scout,scout, scout,”Hammond said.“Growers need to beout in their fields to

be aware of theinsects they’re deal-ing with and pay moreattention this year,especially in the croprows, because moreinsects may be wait-ing for crops to comeout of the ground.”_N o r m a l l y ,

Hammond would rec-ommend that growerswanting to take pre-ventive action againstflea beetles use a com-mercially appliedinsecticide seed treat-ment labeled for theinsect, but most fieldcorn planted thesedays, including alltransgenic hybrids,already comes withan insecticide seedtreatment applied._“Thus, it is mostly

non-transgenic cornthat might need to betreated specificallyfor this concern,” hesaid. “Also, most fieldcorn hybrids aremore resistant to wiltthan sweet corn, withdent corn hybridsvarying greatly intheir resistance to theleaf blight stagephase of the disease.“All sweet corn vari-

eties are susceptibleto wilt in the first leaf

stage. A few are resist-ant by the second leafstage and many areresistant in the thirdand fourth leaf stage.Consult your seedsupplier for informa-tion on resistant vari-eties and hybrids.” But while the

warmer temperaturesthis winter mightallow for an increasein corn flea beetlenumbers, that doesn’tautomatically resultin higher incidence ofStewart’s, OSUE x t e n s i o nresearchers caution.The surviving flea

beetles need to be car-rying the bacteriumin order to infectplants in the spring.In order for them toacquire the bacteri-um, they needed tofeed on diseasedplants last season. So with the level of

Stewart’s diseasebeing low during 2011,it is quite possiblethat beetles, even ifthey survived due tothe mild winter, mightnot be carrying theb a c t e r i u m ,researchers said.

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Beef supplies short in 2012; producers look to expand herdU.S. beef produc-

ers have started theearly stages of herdexpansion as beefsupplies remainvery short, saysPurdue Extensionagricultural econo-mist Chris Hurt.Beef cow num-

bers have droppedby 9 percent, or 3million head, since2007. They droppedby 3 percent in 2011alone, meaning asmaller calf crop in2012 and lowerslaughter numbersthrough 2014. Butstrong finished cat-tle prices and mod-erating feed costshave driven someproducers to startthe expansion.Producers have

reduced their herdsin recent years pri-marily because ofescalating feed costssince 2007 and adrought in thesouthern Plainsthat dried up pas-tures and forages.According to a

January U.S.Department ofAgriculture cattlereport, the mostrecent available,beef heifer reten-tion has increased 1percent - a sign thatproducers are start-ing to expand. IfU.S. crop yieldsreturn closer to nor-mal during the 2012crop year, Hurt saidfeed prices couldcome down evenmore, which wouldencourage furtherherd expansion.“This is the first

increase in heiferretention since feedprices beganincreasing,” hesaid.While higher

retention rateswould seem to sug-gest lower finishedcattle prices in 2012,Hurt said the oppo-site is likely true.Beef producersretaining heifersresults in lowerslaughter suppliesand, ultimately,lower beef supplies.With a reduction

in cow numbers, thecalf crop could bedown more than 2percent in 2012, andif heifer retentioncontinues in 2012and 2013, Hurt saidbeef supplies mightnot increase until2015.“The modest

heifer retentionnow is actually aprice-enhancing fac-tor in the shortrun,” he said. “Lookfor finished cattleprices to push intothe higher $120s inthe spring, moder-ate to the mid-$120sthis summer, andfinish the year near$130. Spring highsin 2013 could climbto the low $130s.”Despite the high

finished cattle priceprojections, Hurtsaid producers needto keep an eye onthe weather and2012 crop yieldsbefore they makefurther expansionplans. Producers inthe southern Plainsshould watch

drought conditions,while producersnationwide need towatch cropprogress.The National

Oceanic andA t m o s p h e r i cAdministration isforecasting that aregion of the west-ern Corn Belt willcontinue to be verydry into the spring.“That raises con-

cerns for corn andsoybean mealprices,” Hurt said.“Higher feed priceswould depress cattleprices.”



Unusually warm spring may cause stored grain problemsThe warm spring

temperatures follow-ing a warm wintermay lead to storedgrain problems, par-ticularly for grainthat exceeds the rec-ommended storagemoisture content ordid not stay cool dur-ing the winter.The storability of

grain depends on thegrain quality, mois-ture content and tem-perature, says KenHellevang, the NorthDakota StateUniversity ExtensionService’s grain dryingexpert.Grain moisture con-

tent must decrease asthe grain temperatureincreases to storegrain safely. Forexample, the allow-able storage time of17 percent moisturecorn is about 280 daysat 40 degrees, 75 days

at 60 degrees and only20 days at 80 degrees.Even 15 percent mois-ture corn has anallowable storagetime of only about 70days at 80 degrees.Allowable storage

time (AST) is cumula-tive, so because someof it was used last falland during the winter,only a portion of theAST still remains.The goal should be tokeep the grain as coolas possible, preferablybelow 40 degrees.Due to the nice 2011

harvest season, somefarmers only reliedon field drying, andsome corn was placedin the bin at moisturecontents slightlyabove the recom-mended level for long-term storage. Theyeither used or plan touse natural air-dryingrather than drying

the corn in a high-temperature dryer.“This corn should

be monitored andkept cool by runningaeration fans at nightor during times whenoutdoor temperaturesare cooler than 40degrees until the cornis dried,” Hellevangadvises. “Becausegrain spoils faster atwarm temperatures,air-drying when aver-age air temperaturesexceed 70 degrees mayresult in spoiled grainbefore it gets dry.Unfortunately, therate of spoilageincreases faster thanthe rate of drying atwarmer tempera-tures.”If fans were operat-

ed during the abnor-mally warm tempera-tures, continue tooperate them to coolthe grain. Averagetemperatures in the50s or 60s are betterwhen air-drying cornin the spring. Therequired airflow rateincreases withwarmer temperaturesand moisture con-tents.Stored grain tem-

perature increases inthe spring due to ris-ing outdoor tempera-tures and solar heatgain on the bin. Solarenergy produces morethan twice as muchheat gain on the southwall of a bin in earlyspring as it does dur-ing the summer. Airtemperatures in thebin head space will bemuch warmer thanthe outdoor air tem-perature, which willheat the grain nearthe top surface.Grain should be

kept cool duringspring and summerstorage, Hellevangsays. Periodically runaeration fans to keepthe grain temperaturebelow 40 degrees dur-ing the spring.

He also recom-mends monitoringstored grain closely todetect any storageproblems early. Graintemperature andmoisture contentshould be checkedevery two weeks dur-ing the spring andsummer. Grainshould be examinedfor insect infestationsas well.Corn needs to be

dried to 13 to 14 per-cent moisture forsummer storage toprevent spoilage.Soybeans should bedried to 11 percent,wheat to 13 percent,barley to 12 percentand oil sunflowers to 8percent for summerstorage.Check the moisture

content of storedgrain to determine ifit needs to be dried.Verify that the mois-ture content meas-ured by the meter hasbeen adjusted forgrain temperature. Inaddition, rememberthat moisture meas-urements of grain attemperatures belowabout 40 degrees maynot be accurate.Verify the accuracy ofthe measurement bywarming the grainsample to room tem-perature in a sealedplastic bag beforemeasuring the mois-ture content.Grain storage

molds will grow andgrain spoilage willoccur in grain bagsunless the grain isdry. Grain in themajority of the bagwill be near averageoutdoor tempera-tures, so grain willdeteriorate rapidly asoutdoor temperaturesincrease unless it is atrecommended sum-mer storage moisturecontents.Corn at moisture

contents exceeding 21 (Continued on Page 25)


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Unusually warm spring...Continued from Page 24percent should be

dried in a high-tem-perature dryer. Fornatural air-drying,assure that the air-flow rate supplied bythe fan is at least 1cubic foot per minuteper bushel (cfm/bu)or the recommendedairflow rate for yourclimate. Also makesure the initial cornmoisture does notexceed 21 percent.Start drying when

the outside air tem-perature averagesabout 40 degrees.Below that tempera-ture, the moisture-holding capacity of

the air is so small thatvery little dryingoccurs. Hellevang rec-ommends an airflowrate of at least 1cfm/bu to natural air-dry up to 16 percentmoisture soybeans.The expected dryingtime with this airflowrate will be about 50days.He doesn’t recom-

mend operating thedrying fan just duringthe day when the airis warm and shuttingit off at night becausethe warm daytime airnormally dries thegrain to moisture con-tents lower than

desired. For example,air at 70 degrees and40 percent relativehumidity will drycorn to about 10 per-cent moisture. The grain above the

drying zone will bewarmer if the fan isrun just during thewarm portion of theday, which will causethe grain to deterio-rate faster. And eventhough the warm airmay hold more mois-ture, the drying timeis still almost twice aslong because the fanis operating only halfof the day.

Weed scientist: Scout nowfor weeds in winter wheatWinter wheat grow-

ers need to startscouting their fieldsand planning to con-trol weeds that havesurvived the mildMidwest winter, saytwo Purdue Extensionweed scientists.If not controlled

early, commonbroadleaf weeds, suchas dandelion, purpledeadnettle, henbit,chickweed, Canadathistle and wild garliccan cause problemsfor the wheat crop asit comes out of winterdormancy.“These winter

annual species thatemerge in the fall canremain relativelyi n c o n s p i c u o u sthrough the winterbut become competi-tive and troublesomeduring spring, if theyare not controlledearly,” Bill Johnsonsaid.The severity of

infestation will deter-mine whether herbi-cide application isnecessary and, if so,

what type of herbi-cide should be used.Johnson and TravisLegleiter said produc-ers need to scoutentire fields and iden-tify problem areasbefore making thosedecisions.“Wheat fields that

contain uniforminfestations of at leastone broadleaf weed orthree grass weeds persquare foot should betaken into considera-tion for a herbicideapplication, to avoidyield loss and harvestinterference prob-lems,” Legleiter said.“Some fields that haveless uniform infesta-tions but, rather,pockets of severeinfestation, should bemanaged to reduceweed seed productionand future infesta-tions.”The stage of the

wheat crop alsoshould be consideredin herbicide programdecisions. Nearly allwheat herbicides arelabeled for applica-

tion at certain growthstages.Some commonly

used herbicides havea very short applica-tion window.“The popular

broadleaf herbicides,2, 4-D and MCPA, areefficient and economi-cal, but can only beapplied for a shortperiod of timebetween tillering andprior to jointing,”Johnson said. “This isa short window thatoccurs early in thespring, and mightoccur even earlierthis year if currentweather conditionshold.”One option for

wheat farmers to con-sider is the use of liq-uid nitrogen fertilizersolution as a carrierfor herbicides. Thecombination allowsproducers to topdressthe crop in a singlepass over a field.However, Johnson

said this techniquerequires cautionbecause it can cause

moderate to severecrop injury - especial-ly in saturated condi-tions.“Many post-applied

wheat herbicidelabels allow for liquidnitrogen carriers, butrequire differentrates and types of sur-factants than if theherbicide was appliedwith water as the car-rier,” he said.Growers who plan

to plant double-cropsoybeans also need toconsider plant backrestrictions. Manyherbicides, especiallythose that control rye-grass and brome, havesoybean plant backrestrictions longerthan the usual threemonths.“Soybean plant

back restrictionsgreatly reduce thenumber of optionsavailable to wheatproducers who dou-ble-crop soybeansafter wheat,”Legleiter said.For more informa-

tion and the latestweed science updates,visit the Purdue WeedScience home page athttp://www.ag.pur-due.edu/btny/weed-science/Pages/default.aspx

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of the Obama adminis-tration’s commitmentto using existing feder-al resources to fosterregional innovation,create sustainable jobsand help ensure long-term prosperity,”Vilsack said. “Thefunding will speed upjob creation and newbusiness start-ups andexpansions by buildingregional economic sys-tems in rural areas.USDA Rural

Development plans toaward up to $8.6 mil-lion through the RuralC o m m u n i t y

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funds to be awardedmay be used for proj-ects associated withthe Rural Jobs andInnovation AcceleratorChallenge, which wasannounced on March 8. This initiative was

designed by theTaskforce for theAdvancement ofRegional InnovationClusters and the WhiteHouse Rural Council.Secretary Vilsackchairs the Council. TheJobs Accelerator isbeing funded by USDA,the U.S. Department ofCommerce’s EconomicD e v e l o p m e n tAdministration, theDelta RegionalAuthority and theAppalachian RegionalCommission.

The deadline for sub-mitting RCDI applica-tions is May 9.Applications must besubmitted to the USDARural Developmentstate office where theapplicant’s headquar-ters are located. A list of these offices

is available on theUSDA RuralDevelopment website.For more information,see the March 21Federal Register.The deadline to

apply for RCDI fundingfor Rural Jobs andInnovation Acceleratorprojects is May 9. For more informa-

tion on how to apply,please visit Grants.gov.Applications for JobsAccelerator projects

must be submitted toboth USDA and theEDA.__ USDA, throughits Rural Developmentmission area, adminis-ters and manages hous-ing, business and com-munity infrastructureand facility programsthrough a national net-work of state and localoffices. Rural Development

has an active portfolioof more than $165 bil-lion in affordable loansand loan guarantees.These programs aredesigned to improvethe economic stabilityof rural communities,businesses, residents,farmers and ranchersand improve the quali-ty of life in ruralAmerica.

As some U.S. farm-ers enter the fieldsthis spring, their cen-ter of attention likelywon’t be on proteinand oil. Meanwhile,that’s exactly thefocus of U.S. soy cus-tomers when decidingwhat to buy.According to a recentsoy checkoff survey,nearly 70 percent ofU.S. soybean farmersfeel no need to worryabout protein and oilcontent because theyhave no problem - atpresent - selling theirsoybeans. “Most farmers see a

price per bushel andsee soy for the sum ofits parts,” says MarcCurtis, immediatepast chair for theUnited SoybeanBoard (USB) and soy-bean farmer fromLeland, Miss. “Thatvalue actually is cal-culated based on thevalue of meal and oil,

minus the processingcosts, but we don’t getthat sort of trans-parency.” The survey also

helped measure soyfarmers’ receptive-ness to a componentvalue system, beingfairly reimbursedbased on the value ofprotein and oil intheir harvested soy-beans. Nearly 66 per-cent of U.S. soybeanfarmers respondedfavorably to this idea,and 35 percentbelieved it wouldimpact their pricepositively. “Farmers already

get docked on pricefor lack of quality,they just aren’t seeingit easily,” adds Curtis.“We may have anopportunity to changethe way the entireindustry looks at soyand its components,and that includes U.S.soybean farmers.”

Curtis leads a newlyformed USB farmer-driven task force toidentify ways toincrease the valueU.S. soybean farmersreceive for soy’s com-ponents. In addition to dis-

cussing protein andoil with U.S. soy farm-ers, the survey alsoresearched farmers’opinions on prof-itability and the soycheckoff in general. Itfound that 78 percentof farmers supportthe soy checkoff. Forthe first time ever, theUSB survey asked,“Do you feel thecheckoff program hasbeen a good deal forsoybean farmers?”Eighty-two percent ofthe soybean farmerssurveyed said “yes.”For more informa-

tion on the UnitedSoybean Board, visitwww.unitedsoybean.org

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220

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A survey indicating thatfarmland values are ex-pected to continue increas-ing is more good news forlandowners but could alsosignal caution for buyers,an agricultural economistsays. The survey was con-

ducted Feb. 15 at the wintermeeting of the IndianaChapter of Farm Managersand Rural Appraisers. Theresults come on the heelsof a February 2012 issue ofAgLetter in which the Fed-eral Reserve Bank ofChicago indicated farm-land values in Iowa, andparts of Indiana, Michigan,Wisconsin and Illinois haveincreased by 22 percentsince early 2011. That is thelargest annual increasesince 1976.“These numbers tell us

that the farmland market isvery competitive. There arefar more buyers than sell-ers,” said Craig Dobbins,Purdue Extension agricul-tural economist. “People inthe market to buy farmlandhave a very optimistic out-look about the future, andthey are willing to pay un-thinkable prices.”According to the survey

of 32 farm managers andrural appraisers from 25 In-diana counties, the averageestimated price of farm-land was $7,533 per acre,and all of the respondentsindicated their estimatedprice was higher than thevalue in February 2011.While the increases are

good news for landowners,Dobbins said there are dan-gers associated with payingexceptionally high pricesto own farmland.“One of the dangers is

that buyers’ expectationsabout the future of themarket could be wrong,” hesaid. “If land values orcommodity prices de-

crease, that can reallychange profit margins. Andit doesn’t have to be a dras-tic decrease.”More severe problems

can occur if buyers borrowa substantial amount ofmoney to finance land pur-chases.“Buyers need to be care-

ful because farm debt levelswill affect how hard the fallcould be if commodity orfarmland values decrease,”Dobbins said.With the strong market,

rental prices for farmlandalso have been on the rise.Survey respondents indi-cated the average 2012 cashrent was $253 per acre. Amajority reported that ratewas higher than it was in2011, and only two reportedtheir rental rates to havestayed the same. None haddecreased.According to Dobbins,

the increasing cash rentshave led some landlordsand tenants to get creativein lease agreements. While42 percent of respondentssaid lease agreements weretraditional fixed cash, oth-ers were using flexiblelease agreements and cropshare leases.In a flexible lease agree-

ment, or variable cash, thelandlord and tenant agreeon a minimum amount ofrent and share a portion ofthe profits. In a crop-shar-ing agreement, the tenantand landlord both invest inthe production costs andshare the crop yields afterharvest. Both types ofagreements help tenantsand landlords share therisk associated with cropfarming.While all of the survey

participants agreed thatfarmland valueswere on the rise,they did not agreeabout the change

Farm managers and rural appraisers:Farmland prices expected to keep rising

Just a farmer“Just a Farmer,” you said,And I laughed cause I knewAll the things a FarmerMust be able to do.

They must study the land,Then watch the skyAnd figure just whenIs the right time and why

To sow and to plantTo buy and to sellTo go to the marketWith cattle and well

You know the booksThat farmers must keepTo pay all those taxesAnd be able to sleep.

And you know the fixinThat farmers must doWhen machines like mad monstersBlow a gasket or two.

I guess when God neededFolks to care for His earthHe chose “just farmers”Cause he knew their true worth.

9935

in land values over the next five years.Forty-eight percent of the respon-dents indicated farmland valueswould be higher, 31 percent thoughtthere would be no change, and 21 per-cent expected them to decrease.“These results indicate that, in the

short term, Indiana’s farmland mar-ket is expected to remain strong,”Dobbins said. “No one expects farm-land values to decline for the year. Butrelative to the past few years, respon-dents expect the rate of increase to bemuch less.“Longer term, there is less certainty

in how farmland values will change.Most respondents expect farmlandvalues to be steady or higher, butsound risk management suggests thatbuyers need to explore the effect of a15-20 percent decline in farmland val-ues on the business.”


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United States netfarm income is pro-jected at $95 billionfor 2012, down from$98 billion in 2011, bya report to Congressrecently from theFood and

Agricultural PolicyResearch Institute(FAPRI).“While net farm

income may fall a lit-tle short of last year,we expect 2012 to beanother good year for

most producers,” saidPat Westhoff, directorof FAPRI at theUniversity ofMissouri-Columbia.Corn yields

dropped below trendline the last two years,

Normal corn yields in 2012 could lower returnsreducing carryoverstocks and pushing upprices. “With normalweather, a bigger cropin 2012 may lead tolower prices this fall,”Westhoff said. “Othercrop prices tend to fol-low corn.”The annual MU

FAPRI baseline waspresented on March 5to the U.S. Congress.The baseline, extend-ing 10 years, providesa measure for analyz-ing proposed changesin farm policy.Trend-line yield for

2011 season was 160bushels per acre; how-ever, actual produc-tion was 148 bushels.“Crop prices would

be a lot lower today ifwe had not had back-to-back years ofbelow-trend cornyields,” Westhoffsaid.FAPRI projects

planted corn acresthis year at 93.5 mil-lion acres, up from91.9 million last year.An assumed normalyield in 2012 reducesper-bushel price to$4.81, down from $5.96for 2011-12 marketyear.Ethanol production

is projected to remainat 2011-12 levels afteryears of rapidgrowth. An end of the45 cents per gallon taxcredit, high cornprices and con-straints on ethanolused in conventional10-percent blends con-tribute to slowergrowth.Soybean prices for

2012 remain over $11per bushel, after aver-aging an estimated$11.61 for 2011-12.“Soybeans mustremain strong to becompetitive with corn

for acreage,” Westhoffsaid.“Given current

tight corn supplies,markets will be sensi-tive to news about2012 supply-and-demand prospects,”Westhoff said.“Prices could fall iffavorable weatherincreases crop pro-duction.”Even with good

weather and higheryields, demandshould stay strongenough to keep cropprices above pre-2007levels, Westhoff said.“Weather remains themajor variable, affect-ing grain productionand livestock graz-ing.”Volatility can be

expected. “Many ofthe factors thatcaused recent priceswings remain influx,” Westhoff said.Crop insurance

accounts for a largershare of public sup-port to farms than inthe past, Westhoffsaid. High crop pricesreduced expenditureson traditional farmprograms.The consumer price

index for food rose 3.7percent in 2011 andcould grow a similarrate in 2012. However,in the following yearsof the baseline, foodprice growth followsgeneral inflationrates.Meats will show the

highest inflation in2012, as they did in2011.Beef cow numbers

fell sharply in 2011,despite the highestcow-calf net return

since 2005. Drought inmajor beef states keptranchers fromresponding to demandsignals.Beef exports

remain strong, partic-ularly for high-quali-ty beef, helping sus-tain prices.The 2012 price of

feeder steers, the mostcommon productfrom Missouri herds,rises to $154 per hun-dredweight for 600- to650-pound calves atOklahoma City. That’sup from an average of$139 for 2011 and $102in the recession yearof 2009.“While beef export

growth since 2005gained much mediaattention, the drop inimports in that periodalmost matched theexport gains,”Westhoff said. “Therelatively weak dollarand tight beef sup-plies worldwide placethe U.S. in position togain markets for thenext decade.”Corn and feedstuffs

prices will affect feed-lot profitability asthey bid for a shrink-ing supply of calves.Domestic meat supplydropped an unprece-dented 22 pounds perperson between 2005and 2011.If feed prices mod-

erate as projected, percapita meat availabili-ty should stabilizeand then grow after2013.While farm income

increased, productioncosts grew $36 billion,almost 12 percent, in2011. Feed, fertilizerand fuel led increases.Feed should drop;however, fertilizerand fuel remain high.The MU FAPRI

baseline assumes nor-mal weather and con-tinuation of currentfarm polices. Whilethe 2008 farm billexpires this year, ana-lysts assume currentlaw prevails throughthe 10 years, for com-parison of policyalternatives.Macroeconomics on

interest rates andinflation are providedFAPRI by IHS GlobalInsight. Economistsat the Agriculturaland Food PolicyCenter, Texas A&M,provide the economicimpact of the baselineon representativefarms across thecountry.The MU College of

Agriculture, Food andNatural Resourcessupports MU FAPRI.


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A new smartphoneapplication, or “app,”is available as a freedownload for bothiPhone and Androidusers to access soilsurvey information.The app, SoilWeb,combines online soilsurvey informationwith the GPS capabil-ities of smartphones.The SoilWeb app is

a portable version ofthe UC DavisCalifornia SoilResource Lab’s Web-based interface todigital soil surveydata from USDA’sNatural ResourcesConservation Service(NRCS). Because theapp provides soil sur-vey information in amobile form, it is par-ticularly useful forthose working in thefield.NRCS introduced

the Web Soil Survey(WSS), an online toolfor accessing soilsinformation, a fewyears ago. This was awonderful develop-ment for users ofsoils information-engineers, develop-ers, farmers and

many others-becauseWSS provides quickaccess to the mostcurrent data pro-duced by theNational CooperativeSoil Survey.Until recently, a

disadvantage of Web-based soil survey for-mats was that useraccess was limited todesktop computerswith an Internet con-nection. That’s onereason that NRCSsoil scientist Dr.Dylan Beaudette,while still a graduatestudent at UC Davis,developed theSoilWeb app in col-laboration withNRCS and the UCDavis California SoilResource Lab.SoilWeb can

retrieve a graphicsummary of soiltypes in response to auser inquiry in theform of soil profilesketches. Each pro-file sketch shows soilhorizons, often com-pared to a vertical icecream sandwichmade up of layers ofsoil. Soil names, loca-tions and taxonomic

categories are alsoshown.Clicking on soil

sketches sends theuser to the corre-sponding OfficialSeries Description, auser-friendly narra-tive of commonlyused soil propertiessuch as horizondepths, colors, tex-ture and rock frag-ment content.Clicking on a soilname (listed aboveeach sketch) providesthe user with a moredetailed description,including: physicaland chemical proper-ties, definitions andlinks to a variety ofenvironmental data-bases.This means that a

farmer, rancher oreven a backyard gar-dener could use asmartphone to gainan understanding ofthe soil type in thesurrounding land-scape. Soil health is akey factor in the suc-cess of plants-thetype of soil deter-mines what nutrientsare needed, as well ashow much water

�� 260-563-8326

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to access soil survey informationshould be applied.SoilWeb is useful

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February milkproduction up8.3 percentMilk production

in the 23 majorstates duringFebruary totaled15.2 billion pounds,up 8.3 percent fromFebruary 2011.However, adjustingproduction for theadditional day dueto leap year causesFebruary milk pro-duction to be up 4.6percent on a per daybasis. Januaryrevised productionat 15.8 billionpounds, was up 3.9percent fromJanuary 2011. TheJanuary revisionrepresented an

increase of 24 mil-lion pounds or 0.2percent from lastmonth’s prelimi-nary productionestimate.Production per

cow in the 23 majorstates averaged1,782 pounds forFebruary, 117pounds aboveFebruary 2011.The number of milkcows on farms inthe 23 major Stateswas 8.51 millionhead, 102,000 headmore thanFebruary 2011, and8,000 head morethan January 2012.


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Farmers, specialist:Early herbicide appli-cations could failAlthough the calen-

dar shows it’s March,many Midwest farm-ers are preparingtheir fields for springplanting like it’s themiddle of April.That’s not necessarilya good thing, saysPurdue Extensionweed specialist BillJohnson.Producers taking

advantage of unsea-sonably warm tem-peratures to apply aninitial round of herbi-cides could find thoseapplications wearingoff well before weedsreach peak growth,Johnson said.“We normally start

our planting opera-tions in the middle ofApril, but with all thefieldwork being doneright now we’re run-ning 2-4 weeks aheadof schedule,” he said.“That means thatwe’re potentiallyadding one monthonto the growing sea-son. And for produc-ers using what we callreduced or setup her-bicide rates, they mayfind their herbicideprograms runningout 2-4 weeks early aswell.”A setup herbicide

treatment is notintended to eliminateweed problems. Thereduced rate applica-tion deals weeds ablow until they areknocked out with apost-emergence herbi-cide later in the cropseason. A setup rateusually is one-half totwo-thirds the amountof a full-rate residualherbicide application.Most farmers

bought herbicide orcontracted to haveapplications made forthem months ago, sosimply buying moreweed-killing productsor services might notbe an option. But theycan adjust how muchherbicide they use intheir first applicationto avoid setup ratefailure, Johnson said.“If you’re using

setup rates with aplanned post-emergetreatment, I wouldstrongly considerusing full ratesinstead,” he said. “Or,when you make yourpost-emerge treat-ment, use some ofyour residual herbi-cide with your post-emerge treatment.”For corn and soy-

beans, Johnson rec-ommended herbicideswith multiple modesof action to controlboth grasses andbroadleaf weeds.“You want products

that are pretty robustin what they control,”Johnson said.Additional informa-

tion about herbicideuse and strategies isavailable on thePurdue Weed Sciencehome page athttp://www.ag.pur-due.edu/btny/weed-science.

Pesticide additives cause drifting droplets, but can be controlledChemical additives

that help agriculturalpesticides adhere totheir targets duringspraying can lead toformation of smaller“satellite” dropletsthat cause those pesti-cides to drift intounwanted areas,Purdue Universityresearchers havefound.Carlos Corvalan, an

associate professor offood science, saidunderstanding howthe additives worktogether means theycould be designed todecrease the health,environmental andproperty damagerisks caused by drift.Corvalan; OsvaldoCampanella, a Purdueprofessor of agricul-tural and biologicalengineering; and PaulE. Sojka, a Purdueprofessor of mechani-cal engineering, pub-lished their results ina February issue ofthe journal ChemicalEngineering Science.

“When we spray liq-uids, we have what wecall main drops,which are drops ofthe desired size, andwe can also havesmaller satellitedrops. The smallerdrops move easily bywind and travel longdistances,” Corvalansaid. “Now that weknow better how addi-tives influence the for-mation of satellitedroplets, we can con-trol their formation.”The research will

also have applicationsin food processingand rocket propul-sion, where drop sizesare important.When liquids are

sprayed, they start ina stream and eventu-ally form drops. Asthe liquids move far-ther in the air, dropsconnected by a thinfilament start to pullapart. That filamenteventually detachesand becomes part ofthe drops that wereforming on either sideof it.Satellite droplets

form in the middle offilaments of pesti-cides containing sur-factants and polymer-ic additives, whichhelp the pesticideswet and adhere toplant surfaces. Thesurfactants reducesurface tension andforce round drops to

flatten, helping themcover more surfacearea on a sprayedplant’s leaves. Thepolymeric additivesreduce viscosity - liq-uid resistance - mak-ing the pesticide floweasier. Polymericadditives also keepthe drops from bounc-ing off plant surfaces.“Each additive is

designed to improvethe characteristics ofthe main drops,”Corvalan said. “Butthere is a side effect.”When both addi-

tives are present in apesticide, the surfac-tant pushes more liq-uid toward the fila-ment. The reducedviscosity allows liq-uid to flow more easi-ly in that direction,resulting in a well-defined satellite dropforming in the fila-ment.“When you put both

additives together,there is a synergisticeffect. The forceinduced by the surfac-tant that was opposedby viscosity is nolonger so stronglyopposed, and thiscombined effect canresult in the forma-tion of satellitedroplets,” Corvalansaid.Drifting of agricul-

tural pesticides notonly increases wasteand cost for farmers

but also can causehealth, environmen-tal and property dam-age, according to theU.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency.The results show

that carefully modu-lating the strength,concentration or ratioof surfactants to poly-mer additives can mit-igate or eliminate theformation of unwant-ed satellite droplets.Corvalan is now

transferring theresults obtained fromagricultural research

into food processingand rocket propulsionwork. He said dropsize uniformity is asimportant for fuelssprayed into rocketcombustion chambersas for the productionof food emulsions.The U.S.

Department ofAgriculture NationalInstitute of Food andAgriculture, AirQuality Program, andthe Army ResearchOffice funded thework.



0% for 72months

ATTENTION AG PRODUCERS:HIGH CALCIUM SCREENED

LIME AND GYPSUM

�� ##!!""�� $$��

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9660

SELLECK SHOE REPAIR &

WESTERN WEAR

We Repair • Shoes • Boots • Ball Mitts • Purses • Chaps • Luggage • School Bags • Jackets • Zippers • Shorten Belts • Shorten Purse Straps • Some Saddle Work • Specialty Items • Lower Women’s Heels

We Sell • Double-H Boots

• Nocona Boots

• Tony Lama Boots

• Wolverine

• Rocky Boots

• Georgia

• Lacrosse Rubber

Boots

• Cowboy Hats

• Western Shirts - Men’s

• Belts, Buckles, Bolos

• Wallets, Pouches

• Boot Socks Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. 8-5; Sat. 9-1; Closed Thurs. & Sun.

DOWNTOWN NORTH MANCHESTER

260-982-27696862

According to theAssociation ofE q u i p m e n tM a n u f a c t u r e r s ’monthly “FlashReport,” the sales ofall tractors in the U.S.for February 2012were up 7 percentcompared to the samemonth last year.For the year 2012, a

total of 18,600 tractorswere sold, which com-pares to 17,780 soldthrough February2011.For the month, two-

wheel-drive smallertractor (under 40 HP)were down 2 percentfrom last year, and 40& under 100 HP wereup 15 percent. Sales oftwo-wheel-drive 100+HP were up 14 percent

from last year, andfour-wheel-drive trac-tors were up 12 per-cent for the month.For the first two

months, two-wheeldrive smaller tractors(Under 40 HP) are up 2percent from last year,while 40 & under 100HP are up 9 percent.Sales of 2-wheel drive100+ HP are up 6 per-cent, while 4-WheelDrive tractors aredown 11 percent forthe year.Combine sales were

down 54 percent forthe month. Sales ofcombines for the firsttwo months totaled756, a decrease of 52percent over the sameperiod in 2011.

United States eggproduction totaled7.83 billion duringJanuary 2012, downslightly from last year.Production included6.78 billion table eggs,and 1.05 billion hatch-ing eggs, of which 972million were broiler-type and 73 millionwere egg-type. Thetotal number of lay-ers during January2012 averaged 338 mil-lion, down 1 percentfrom last year.

January egg produc-tion per 100 layerswas 2,319 eggs, up 1percent from January2011.All layers in the

United States on Feb.1 totaled 337 million,down 1 percent fromlast year. The 337 mil-lion layers consistedof 284 million layersproducing table ormarket type eggs, 50.5million layers produc-ing broiler-typehatching eggs, and

USDA releases January poultry numbers2.97 million layersproducing egg-typehatching eggs. Rate oflay per day on Feb. 1,averaged 73.4 eggs per100 layers, downslightly from Feb. 1,2011. Egg-type chicks

hatched duringJanuary 2012 totaled40.3 million, down 3percent from January2011. Eggs in incuba-tors totaled 39.4 mil-lion on Feb. 1, down 1percent from a yearago.

Domestic place-ments of egg-type pul-let chicks for futurehatchery supplyflocks by leadingbreeders totaled 263thousand duringJanuary 2012, up 20percent from January2011. Broiler-type chicks

hatched duringJanuary 2012 totaled752 million, down 4percent from January2011. Eggs in incuba-tors totaled 602 mil-lion on Feb. 1, down 5

USDA lowerspork cookingtemperatures

The U.S.Department ofAgriculture is low-ering its tempera-ture recommenda-tion for cookingpork to 145 degrees.That’s a drop of

15 degrees and achange from theagency’s long-standing guideline.It means whole cutsof pork will be heldto the same stan-dard as whole cutsof beef, veal andlamb.With its lower

temperature rec-ommendation, theUSDA also calledfor letting the porkrest for three min-utes after removingit from the grill oroven.The USDA made

the change afterseveral years of

research and talkswith producers andfood-safety experts.Producers pro-posed the new stan-dard in 2008, basedin part on new pro-duction methodsthat reduced therisk of pathogens.U S D A

Undersecre taryElisabeth Hagensays a single tem-perature for all cutsof meat should helpconsumers remem-ber the recommen-dations.Despite the new

recommendation,the USDA saysground beef andground pork muststill be cooked to160 degrees and allpoultry productsmust be cooked to165 degrees.

Reach 16,225 households with your advertising message-Call one of our account executives today!

260-563-8326www.thepaperofwabash.comOF WABASH COUNTY, INC.

THE PAPER

Tractor sales up 7percent, combinesales down 54percent in February

percent from a yearearlier. Leading breeders

placed 6.71 million

broiler-type pulletchicks for futuredomestic hatcherysupply flocks during

January 2012, down 4percent from January2011.


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Directions:2.5 miles east of Wabash,IN on US 24 then south on 524 ½ mile Thursday, April 5, 2012 • 9:00 A.M.

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AUCTION NOTE: This is only a partial listing, much more will be added by sale day. Consignments taken throughsale day. New low commission rates. Pefley’s Farm Equipment is not responsible for lost or stolen property, accidents,or no- shows. All items subject to prior sale through Sat. March 31, 2012. Lunch will be available at auction sight.We will be selling the majority of equipment through our new drive through facility, but with 2 trucks some of the day,so bring a friend. All items must be removed within 30 days! All items purchased via online bidding will havea 2.5% buyers premium added to their winning bid with a $750 Maximum. Next Auction Thursday June 7,2012. There will be absolutely no loading after the drive through starts, until the conclusion of the auction! NEXT AUCTION THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012

Financing options from: SCI Leasing 800-435-4700Agnition “Steve Kreider”

574-551-6691

Knights INN:PFE Rates260-563-745Holiday INN:260-569-1189

Charley Creek INN:PFE Rates260-563-0111

Airports: Wabash Municipal or Fort Wayne International

Lodging: AUCTIONEERS: CAL KAUFMAN #AU01051620 • PERRY WILKINSON #AU10900084Auction House: #9104231 • Phone: 260-782-2222 • Fax: 260-782-2224e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] • web address: www.pefleys.com

NEW COMMISSION RATES AS OF APRIL 5, 2012��"6968>8�%3;��=38��A��)04��9��33�%3;�)6;3�:9��77�)6;3<��A��)6=73��33�:9��77�)6=732�+356173<�� :;��"0@68>8� ��

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2012 spring farm tab

Documents

type of wool

siders sheep

peggy siders havefour

softerand finer wool

standard meat breed

farm records

year contracts

random farm animals