farmweek november 23 2009

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Monday, November 23, 2009 Two sections Volume 37, No. 47

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

“BANKS ARE OPEN, andcredit is available,” according tobankers at an ag banking confer-ence. But getting credit may not beas easy as in the past. .......................2

THE WET WEATHER thatis causing so much trouble withcorn and bean harvest did a num-ber on the pumpkin crop in Illi-nois this year. ................................8

OFFICIALS WITH USDA andthe U.S. Department of Commerceplan to announce federal funding forbroadband projects in mid-Decem-ber. More to come. ............................5

No FarmWeeknext week

There wil l be no Farm-Week pub lished next week.

FarmWeek is published 50times a year, with no issueson the Mondays fol lowingThanksgiving and Christmas.

The next issue you receivewill be dated Dec. 7.

Propane availability remains tight

Similar situation could occur with nitrogen next springBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Harvest delays created bysteady rains last week did littleto ease challenges associatedwith the distribution ofpropane statewide.

In fact, the additional delayscould make things worse asfarmers attempt to harvest anddry the rest of a wet corn crop,according to Chris Salrin, direc-tor of propane operations forGROWMARK.

Salrin discussed the situationlast week during a meeting withthe Illinois Farm Bureau boardin Bloomington.

“What we’re seeing is thepipeline simply cannot keep upwith demand (for propane todry grain) given the late harvestand high moisture (of thegrain),” Salrin said.

“Looking forward, we stillhave a lot of grain to be har-vested,” he continued. “As it(harvest) moves into December,we’ll have home heatingdemand” compete for propanesupplies as well, he said.

Many local retailers in Illinoiswere unable to stock up onpropane last week during theharvest delays because availablesupplies were being diverted toother areas of the Corn Belt

spring-priced nitrogen,” Dilliersaid. “Now that spring nitrogenis moving up, fall ammonia pricesare even a more attractive value.”

Retail prices for anhydrous

ammonia, as of Nov. 17, aver-aged $395 to $460 per tonacross the state, according to anIllinois Department of Agricul-ture survey.

where farmers still were har-vesting and there was immedi-ate demand, according to Salrin.

The distribution challengeslikely will continue for at leastthe next few weeks — Illinoisfarmers as of the first of lastweek still had 48 percent of thecorn crop left to harvest.

“Things are very tight. It’llcontinue to be touch and go,”Salrin said. “Prices at hubshaven’t moved a whole lot, but intime I think they’ll inch higher.”

Meanwhile, a similar situa-tion is brewing in the fertilizersector. Spring prices for nitro-gen recently pushed higher,indicating demand for fertilizercould outstrip the ability to sup-ply it next spring, according toJoe Dillier, director of plantfood at GROWMARK.

“We had some pretty goodactivity (with fall fertilizer appli-cations) up until last week. Butwe’re still way, way behind,” Dil-lier told FarmWeek. As a result,“We’re already seeing substantialincreases in the price of nitro-gen for the spring of 2010.”

Farmers are running out oftime to apply anhydrousammonia this fall, but getting

their anhydrous applied likelywill be worth their time — ifthey get a chance.

“Fall ammonia prices havebeen a good value relative to

WAITING OUT THE WEATHER

This wait, then hurry up, then wait harvest season has led to many a scene such as this in the officeof the Niantic elevator as farmers and others gather around coffee pots to commiserate over the rainyweather. Sharing stories of weather woes last week were, from lower left, John Dunn, a farmer; TylerLyon, an Evergreen FS propane salesman; Richard Eckhart, whose wife owns farm ground; DanMiller, a farmer; Steve Stahl, a farmer; Dennis Hartwig, a farm worker; Dan Carr, a farm worker; BobMoore, a local resident; Mike Stacey, a farmer; and Jim Waddell, a farmer and secretary of the Ma-con County Farm Bureau Board of Directors. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Simultaneous changes in feder-al farm program procedures, rules,and technology have createdheadaches for some Illinois pro-ducers and state and county FarmService Agency (FSA) officials.

Illinois Farm Bureau risk man-agement specialist Doug Yoderreported harvest-stressed growersare encountering “multi-facetedproblems” including electronicdeposit of some program pay-ments in wrong accounts, singlelump-sum payments for separateprogram farms, and thousands ofFSA letters informing programrecipients nationwide — manyerroneously — that they oweUSDA money.

“I got five (letters),” IFBboard member Chuck Cawleyinformed other state directors

last week. Board colleague DaleHadden said he fears the notifi-cation letters are “confusinglandlords.”

Yoder is concerned aboutcurrent glitches in program pay-ments and paperwork emanatingfrom FSA’s Kansas City regionaloffices as USDA prepares tomail 1099 tax forms to programparticipants.

Further confusion could resultin producer tax issues that couldaffect individual farm credit forthe season ahead, Yoder said.

FSA Illinois program man-ager Stan Wilson noted ongo-ing efforts to correct the prob-lem(s), and urged producers orfarm landlords who believethey have erroneously receivedFSA “collection” letters orhave experienced paymenterrors to immediately contact

their county FSA office.“Our Kansas City folks who

deal with software programmingissues and our fiscal people andthe people who work with themin Washington have been work-ing diligently to address theseissues and resolve them as fast asthey can,” Wilson toldFarmWeek.

FSA reportedly was to issuenew letters to program partici-pants who received erroneousdebt notifications and re-notifyrecipients with “legitimate debts.”

Current problems are relatedin large part to delays in imple-menting 2008 farm bill provi-sions that were not effectiveuntil the 2009 program year,resulting in FSA distributing2009 advance program paymentsunder previous rules and proce-dures before switching mid-year

to a revised system and relatednew USDA computer software.

Under the old system, Wilsonnoted, county FSAs “had a greatdeal of control” in signing anddistributing farmers’ checks.Now, Illinois payments areprocessed through the U.S. Trea-sury via FSA’s Kansas City officeand, frequently, are directly

See FSA, page 4

FSA changeover blamed for ‘multi-faceted’ problems

NAMED OUTSTANDING FARM FAMILY — Illi-nois Farm Bureau Director Dale Hadden of Jack-sonville and his entire family were honored recentlyby being named Illinois Farm Family of the Year.

The award, sponsored by Burrus Hybrids and Illi-nois AgriNews, honors an outstanding Illinois farmfamily for its farming efforts and community involve-ment. The presentation was made prior to the Illinois-Northwestern football game.

Hadden, his parents, and brother raise about 5,000acres of corn, soybeans, wheat, and alfalfa and grasshay and have a 250-head beef cattle operation. Theyalso operate Hadden Seed Corp., which sells Pioneerseed, and the family sells cattle-handling equipment.

The Haddens were presented a plaque and yardsign and other gifts from the award sponsors.

Hadden was nominated for the award by IFB Presi-dent Philip Nelson.

CLIMATE BILL STALLED — American FarmBureau Federation President Bob Stallman applaudedthe decision by Senate leaders to delay considerationof climate change legislation until the spring of 2010.

The move “offers a great opportunity for lawmak-ers to go back to the drawing board and reassess theneed for this legislation and the impact it will have onall Americans,” Stallman said.

“Legislation previously approved by the House, anda similar bill approved on a party-line vote by a Senatecommittee, would impose higher energy and food costson consumers,” Stallman said. “The bills also wouldcreate an energy deficit due to limited alternatives.

“Farmers and ranchers would see higher fuel, fertiliz-er, and energy costs. And the cap-and-trade provisionswould do little more than downsize American agricul-ture and our ability to produce food in this nation.

“None of those is acceptable results to us, and wewill continue to tell our members of Congress, ‘Don’tcap our future.’”

SMART ENERGY FUTURE — Standards for ener-gy conservation technology would offer the U.S. long-term benefits, the chairman of GE Energy told stateutility regulators last week in Chicago.

“I think standards will have a bigger impact overtime,” John Krenicki said. “The U.S. is making goodprogress now, but I think the European Union’s (EU)smart (technology) standard will have a biggerimpact.”

The EU’s goal is to have smart meters in 80 percentof the homes by 2022, Krenicki noted. Smart meterscan track energy use and send that data to power com-panies. The meters also reduce the companies’ costsbecause they would not need meter readers and couldfix outages more efficiently.

He said the power industry and its customers are“information starved.” Companies could addressenergy losses if they learned at what point those occur,and customers could lower their energy costs withmore information about their energy usage.

FarmWeek Monday, November 23, 2009

(ISSN0197-6680)

Vol. 37 No. 47 November 23, 2009

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

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Quick TakesFINANCE

Bankers: Ag credit availablebut not necessarily ‘easy’BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

The farm lending game has changed, thanksin large part to players outside the ag arena. Butproducers willing and able to “up their game”should be able to stay in play.

That’s according to American Bankers Associ-ation (ABA) Chairman Arthur Johnson, whoreported “banks really do have ample funds tomake farm loans in 2010 and into the future.”

“Banks are open, and credit is available,” ABAAg and Rural Bankers Association ChairmanCurt Covington told FarmWeek during ABA’sag banking conference last week in San Antonio.

Further, banking consultant David Sandlersees reduced interest rates continuing into Sep-tember 2010 as the Federal Reserve seeks tobolster the “top 19” U.S. banks.

Johnson nonetheless anticipates “available butnot easy” credit. Financial sector fallout hasspurred regulatory scrutiny of bank books,sweeping financial reforms proposals, and a pushfor wider bank margins and capital reserves.

Meanwhile, recent Pilgrim’s Pride and Vera-Sun defaults and their impact on producers,along with sagging dairy, pork, and biofuels prof-its, have ag lenders focusing more intently on thefine print of contracts and cash flows.

“This may have been the ‘Golden Age ofAgriculture’ we just exited,” Covington lamented.“Among both bankers and producers, providingquality financial information and solid businessand expansion plans tended to become a back-burner issue. Everyone got very comfortablewith what was going on in their specific

industries and the economy.“Things have changed: There’s kind of a para-

digm shift out there. We’ve had shocks in a couple ofindustries: Obviously, we’ve had some unprecedentedlosses in the dairy business, and the swine businesshas been in the doldrums for at least 18 months. No.1, without a doubt, the quality of (farmer) financialstatements is going to be important.”

Covington thus advises producers to workmore closely with financial consultants andfarmers and bankers to keep mutual lines ofcommunication open.

Despite recent events, he believes “venturecapital will still have a good relationship withbanks.” But in the wake of VeraSun, lenders willseek to ensure prospective producer contractsare airtight and farmers have analyzed the mar-keting risks of a new venture, Covington said.

As financial challenges sort out, Sandler antic-ipates larger and smaller banks will survive butthere will be a loss of mid-sized institutions.That should result in a return to more communi-ty-based banking, he said.

At the same time, Covington suggests inter-est rates will remain at “fairly historic lows” intofall 2010 as the Fed moves to protect majorlenders from a “double-dip recession.”

“I wouldn’t tell you the cost of ‘renting’ mon-ey is going to be the same as it used to be,” headvised, nonetheless.

“You can’t go through cycles of low interestrates and high credit demand and not eventuallysee the cost of borrowing go up. Banks’ cost ofrenting money continues to go up. We can’tabsorb all of it.”

As commercial bankers pro-pose moving home mortgagesand Farm Credit Services(FCS) loans under a single reg-ulatory roof, a spokesman forthe nation’s largest Farm Cred-it bank suggests “they shouldbe worrying about their ownhouse.”

At last week’s AmericanBankers Association (ABA) agbankers conference, financialindustry consultant Bert Elyurged Congress to considermerging the Federal HousingFinance Agency (FHFA) andthe Farm Credit Administra-tion (FCA), which overseesFCS operations and practices.

Ely called FCA a “captivecheerleader” served by formerFarm Credit lenders more con-cerned about agriculture’slong-term welfare than about“the broad public interest.”

In 2010, the administrationis expected to propose a planfor restructuring the FederalNational Mortgage Associa-tion, known as “Fannie Mae,”a congressionally charteredgovernment sponsored enter-prise (GSE) placed underFHFA conservatorship rough-ly a year ago.

Ely suggested the proposalwould raise questions abouthow other GSEs such as FarmCredit should be regulated.

Because GSEs have “onefoot in the private sector andthe other in the public sector,”FCS can “borrow cheaply” rel-ative to commercial banks andis exempt from income taxeson real estate lending profits,said Ely.

Ely favors a single GSE reg-ulatory director rather than anFCA-style board, arguing thelatter allows regulators to“plug in” ag industry advo-cates.

Critics who see FCA as acaptive regulator “aren’t therewhen (FCA) examiners cometo the associations or institu-tions,” countered David Ladd,government affairs managerwith AgriBank, which providesfunding for Farm Credit Ser-vices of Illinois, Illinois’ 1stFarm Credit Services, andassociations in 14 other states.

Ladd fears a single GSEregulator would have littleregard for the “safety andsoundness” of productionagriculture. Under FCS’ co-op-based system, farmer-owners

would bear the costs of likelynew GSE regulations, he said.

“We have a strong, indepen-dent, arms-length regulator theway it is,” Ladd told Farm-Week. “We’re under the juris-diction of the AgricultureCommittees — they put somevery good borrower’s rightsprovisions in the Farm CreditAct that commercial banksdon’t necessarily adhere to.

“The FCA, the House andSenate Ag Committees knowhow agriculture operates.”

While Ely conceded FarmCredit continues to be finan-cially healthy, he said non-per-forming loans are on the rise,and charged FCA is “droppingthe ball.” He warned of newsystem consolidation as “weak-er associations” merge toregain financial footing.

Ladd anticipates ferventresistance to the single-regula-tor concept particularly byHouse Ag Chairman CollinPeterson (D-Minn.). Petersonlast week blasted proposedregulatory reforms that couldgive the Federal Reserve finalword in regulating commodi-ties futures markets and FCS.— Martin Ross

Bankers challenge Farm Credit Administration

FCS policy specialist:FCA ‘strong’ regulator

IFB ELECTIONS


Candidates for president of Illinois Farm Bureau

Candidate for vice president of Illinois Farm Bureau

Candidates are listed alphabetically

Phi l ip Nelson and hiswife, Carmen, operate afourth-generation grain andlivestock farm near Seneca.They have a son, Kendall,and a daughter, Rachel.

The grain farm producescorn, soybeans, and alfalfa.The l ivestock operat ionincludes a wean-to-finishhog operation and a cattlefeeding operation. Nelsonis 52 years old.

Philip Nelson Statement of candidacyIn addressing the question

of why I am seeking re-elec-tion as president of IllinoisFarm Bureau, my purpose isto lead, serve, and representthe membership of this orga-nization.

Six years ago, I was fortu-nate to be elected as yourleader to head up this organi-zation. Over the last six years,we have restored credibility inSpringfield and Washington,pushed back two major initia-tives by a previous governor,taken an active role in the lastfarm bill, launched the Visionfor Illinois Agriculture,pushed back animal activistsproposals, and we have always

stood up for Illinois andAmerican agriculture.

At the same time, we havegrown our organization to anall-time record of 421,919members. I am proud of thisgrassroots strength. We needto continue to energize ourbase as we tackle pressingissues facing agriculture.

As we look at the horizonof issues to address: climatechange, health care reform,death taxes, animal care initia-tives, and state budget chal-lenges, we need to take leader-ship roles, but we must alsoflex our membership musclein tackling these challenges.

I have had the opportunity

to be involved in this organi-zation for nearly 30 years. Asa past Young Leader, countypresident, vice president, andnow president, I bring theseskill sets of leadership andknowledge of IFB to work foryou.

I believe IFB is one of thepremier farm organizations inthe country.

By working together to tellour story, implement theVision for Illinois Agriculture,and lead agriculture forward, Ihave no doubt we will have abright future. I would appre-ciate your support in continu-ing to lead this organizationforward.

Doug Wilson, 52, is afour th-generation farmerwho owns and operates acorn and soybean farm insouthwestern LivingstonCounty. Doug and his wife,Darla, have two college agesons, Joshua and Noah.He is a long-time memberof Farm Bureau, a graduateof ALOT, and a member ofthe Illinois Corn Growersand Illinois Soybean Asso-ciations. Wilson recentlyserved as director of USDARural Development in Illi-nois.

Doug Wilson Statement of candidacyI am running to become the

next Illinois Farm Bureau presi-dent. During the last 20 years,I’ve worked to improve agricul-ture and rural life.

My diversity of experience,the many organizations I’vebeen involved with, and thecountless contacts I have devel-oped make me well equipped tolead the organization at this crit-ical time.

I’ve been a member of FarmBureau for almost 30 years. Istarted working on behalf ofagriculture at the local level andworked my way up, doing every-thing from organizing local pro-motions to offering testimonybefore Congress. I’ve been anelected township official and

received two U.S. presidentialappointments.

I’ve been interviewed bynational and internationalmedia, including CNN, CBS,London Financial Times, andthe BBC, on many topics. I’veworked with legislators for over15 years and am known as aneffective and creditable leader.

Administratively, I led a mul-ti-billion dollar federal agencythat more than doubled its pro-ductivity and invested billions ofdollars into rural Illinois.

IFB needs to be looking for-ward to meet the many chal-lenges that agriculture and ruralIllinois are facing. Just as wehave adapted our farming oper-ations, we need to ensure that

IFB is well positioned to repre-sent us in an ever-growing andcomplex world. Agricultureneeds to come together andovercome the countless issuesbefore us.

I pledge to the members ofIFB and Illinois agriculture todo everything I can to improveour standing. Working together,we can move forward and riseto meet the challenges, capturethe opportunities, and live up tothe standards this great organi-zation was founded on. I’m notafraid to ask hard questions orstand fast in adversity. I offerfresh eyes and ideas to an orga-nization that needs to play aleading role now more thanever.

Richard Guebert Jr. andhis wife, Nancy, live in EllisGrove. Gueber t and hisson, Kyle, operate a farmwhere they grow corn, soy-beans, and wheat. Guebertis 58 years old.

Richard Guebert Jr. Statement of candidacyHaving served as your Illi-

nois Farm Bureau vice presi-dent for the past six years, Iam seeking re-election and askfor your continued support.

Member involvement inour policy developmentprocess is what makes IFBtruly a premier grassrootsorganization.

The vice president is chair-man of the Resolutions Com-mittee (RC). It is in this com-mittee that your ideas andconcerns are developed intopolicies which are passed atthe IFB annual meeting, giv-ing direction to leadership, theboard, and staff for imple-mentation.

Earlier this month, the RC

met and acted on the submit-tals presented by memberssuch as redistricting, term lim-its for lawmakers, animal wel-fare, conceal and carry, andanimal ID, to name a few.

The IFB vice president isalso chairman of the FinanceCommittee, which is chargedto present the board with abalanced budget providingprograms, staff, and servicesfor members while maintain-ing the financial strength ofIFB.

In today’s world, multipleissues have a direct or indirecteffect on Illinois agriculture.One such issue is the passageof Proposition 2 in California,and similar laws in other states,

dealing with animal welfare. IFB has been working with

agribusiness and commoditygroups to design and fund acampaign telling agriculture’sstory.

Illinois’ No. 1 industry willcontinue to prosper with mem-ber involvement in the policydevelopment process and withall sectors of agriculture work-ing together on commonissues.

As vice president, I will con-tinue to support the president,the board of directors, andyou, the members of IFB. Ithank you for supporting mein the past and ask for yourcontinued support as I seek re-election for IFB vice president.

EMERGING ISSUES


Economist: Rising protectionism defines need for WTOBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

With prospects rising for moreglobal protectionism under the guise offood safety, public health, and dubiouscharges of commodities “dumping,” aCanadian economist last week told agbankers “we need to get the WTO(World Trade Organization) back ontrack.”

Larry Martin, senior fellow withOntario’s George Morris Centre, seespressure to continue protectionistactions motivated by economic orpolitical concerns.

Martin noted a near doubling ofnew “anti-dumping” complaints andcases in which countries have moreimposed anti-dumping duties.

WTO and North American FreeTrade Agreement provisions approvedin the 1990s have proven effective inreining in import tariffs and quotas,said Martin.

Consequently, some nations havefocused on using non-tariff barrierssuch as food safety or disease concernsor charges of dumping to limit importsand protect domestic production.

“Every time we have a recession,people start protecting their localindustries with all sorts of tradeactions,” he told FarmWeek. “As

we’ve had this recession, we’ve seen anupswing. I don’t see anything right nowthat says it’s going to stop.”

Canada itself has joined with Mexi-co to challenge U.S. country of originlabeling regulationsthose countries deemunfair to cattle and hogcompetition. Australiaand New Zealand havelodged complaintsagainst Canadian andU.S. dairy, and SouthKorea continues to banCanadian beef, citingBSE concerns.

The flurry of anti-dumping charges underlines the needfor expanded trade negotiations, Mar-tin said. He noted “dumping” wasintended to refer to imports pricedbelow the seller’s domestic marketprice.

But through a loophole in currentWTO provisions, the term has come toapply as well to subsidized goodsallegedly sold below production costs.

Meanwhile, China has been “over-compensating for its own bad recordon consumer safety” — domesticscares involving products ranging frompesticide-treated ham to melamine-laced baby formula — by blocking

North American and European goodson questionable health or safetygrounds, he argued.

China recently agreed to lift a banit imposed on U.S. pork following last

spring’s H1N1 outbreak. However, inorder to “make it look like they’reprotecting consumers” (and possiblydomestic canola growers), Chineseofficials have placed tough restric-tions on Canadian canola susceptibleto blackleg disease, although the com-mon disease reportedly has no impacton product safety, Martin reported.

Martin sees bilateral trade talks asthe best approach to economic orpolitical pressures.

Canada “has not spent the time weshould have to make sure we had guar-anteed market access,” and as a result,trade attacks have been “hitting us left,

right, and center,” he said.Martin fears high U.S. unemploy-

ment could feed resistance to ratherthan a push toward approval of freetrade agreements with Panama,

Colombia, and Korea. Bilateralagreements currently are theU.S.’ “best tool” for combatingnon-tariff trade challenges, hesaid.

Martin’s hopes for revivingWTO talks fluctuate “depend-ing on what I read which day.”WTO Director General PascalLamy warns 2010 U.S. mid-termelections could prove a chal-lenge in finalizing talks.

At the same time, Canada’s relation-ship with the Cairns Group — a keyWTO negotiating bloc which includesCanada, Australia, and New Zealand— has become strained amid internaldisputes over dairy, poultry, and othergoods.

“We need to get the WTO backon track,” Martin said. “And, some-how, we really need to start expand-ing the whole set of (WTO) disci-plines around technical (health andsafety) regulations. It’s very clearthey’re going to be used more andmore as we have fewer traditionaltariff barriers.”

Annual meeting offers chance to sound off on cap and tradeBureaus have indicated theyplan to conduct a similar

signing campaign at thecounty level, Simms said.

Those attending the Illi-nois Farm Bureau annualmeeting Dec. 5-8 in Chicagowill have an opportunity toexpress their displeasure overcap-and-trade legislationmaking its way through Con-gress.

A table will be set up inthe hospitality area of theHyatt Regency Hotel atwhich annual meeting atten-dees may sign either a postcard or a letter stating oppo-

sition to the legislation.IFB staff will collect the

cards and letters and deliverthem to the American FarmBureau Federation (AFBF) bythe end of December. AFBFstaff will then deliver them tomembers of Congress on Jan.5.

The hope is to have 1,760cards or letters signed, saidSteve Simms, IFB promotionand graphic arts director.

That represents about 2

percent of the voting mem-bership of IFB — the goalAFBF has established forstate Farm Bureaus.

Farm Bureau has stead-fastly maintained the pro-posed legislation would cre-ate an energy shortage,reduce food production, andhit agriculture particularlyhard while having minimalimpact on changes in the cli-mate.

Several county Farm

Look for this poster in the hospitality area during the annual meeting in Chicago to locate where you can signa card or letter showing your displeasure over proposed cap-and-trade legislation.

Continued from page 1deposited in producer accounts.

At the same time, Wilson said, “complex”changes in farm program eligibility and paymentlimits under the new farm bill necessitated majorrevisions in agency software, coupled with a deci-sion to institute a new national payment system.

Amid this “perfect storm,” as he called it, somefall payments have been delayed, overpayment

notices have been sent to producers, and in somecases, payments have been deposited in accountsother than those specified by the recipient.

“This hasn’t occurred in the majority of cases,but if you’re one of those individuals who got thenotification letter, it would upset you to get a lettersaying you owe the government money when youreally don’t, especially if you’re not familiar withfarm programs.”

FSA

‘ I don’t see anything r ight now thatsays it’s (protectionism) going to stop.’

— Larry MartinEconomist

Certified livestock, manure managementtraining to be offered for producers

University of Illinois Extension is offering certified livestockmanager and manure management workshops to provide newinformation and help producers comply with state livestockrules.

The workshops start Dec. 15 and continue into early 2010.Advance registration is encouraged to allow participants toreceive a manual in advance, which is especially important forthose planning to take a written Illinois Department of Agricul-ture (IDOA) test following the workshop.

The state Livestock Management Facilities Act (LMFA)requires producers with operations designed for more than 300animal units to have manure management certification and torenew the certificate every three years.

Producers with more than 300 animal units must attend anapproved training session or pass a written IDOA test. Produc-ers with more than 1,000 animal units must attend an approvedtraining session and pass a test.

The U of I also offers a series of five online quizzes at nocharge. If a producer passes all five quizzes, he or she will meetthe state requirement of attending a certified livestock managerworkshop.

To register for a workshop or buy a training manual or CDwith a credit card, call 800-345-6087. Participants do not need anew manual if they have a 2003 or newer one.

Advance workshop registration is $30 per person and $20 foreach additional registrant from the same farm if registered at thesame time. The walk-in registration fee is $92. Manual and CDprices, including shipping, are $62 for a manual, $32 for a CD,and $87 for a manual and CD.

For more information, contact Randy Fonner, U of I Exten-sion coordinator, at 217-333-2611, e-mail him [email protected], or go online to {www.livestocktraining.com}.

Workshops that begin at 8:15 a.m. will end at 12:30 p.m. andthe IDOA exam will be administered afterward. The 9:15 a.m.workshops will end at 2 p.m., followed by the IDOA exam.

The December workshop will be Dec. 15, 8:15 a.m., McLeanCounty Farm Bureau Building, Bloomington.

BROADBAND


Federal broadband announcements expected next monthState supported16 proposalsBY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Christmas will come earlyfor broadband projects thatwill be receiving federal stim-ulus funds in a nationwidecompetition.

Last week in Chicago, offi-cials with USDA and the U.S.Department of Commercesaid the first round of win-ners will be announced inmid-December with moreawards to be released in Janu-ary and February.

The federal agenciesreceived more than 2,200applications for seven timesthe amount of money avail-able in the first round. A totalof $7.2 billion will be award-ed as broadband stimulusfunding.

“We can’t afford to let rur-al areas fall behind. We’ve gotto get broadband out there.USDA is committed to get-ting it done,” said JonathanAdelstein, administrator ofUSDA’s Rural Utilities Ser-vice, which will award $2.5billion. Adelstein spoke at thenational meeting of state util-ity regulatory commissioners.

Illinois has committed upto 10 percent state matchingfunds for 16 broadband pro-jects should they be selectedin the first round, accordingto Ryan Croke, the governor’sdeputy chief of staff. Stateand university grant-writingexperts also helped applicantswith proposal writing at nocharge.

Similar state support willbe offered for the next roundof broadband project fund-ing, Croke told the IllinoisBroadband DeploymentCouncil.

Lawrence Strickling, assis-tant secretary for communica-tions and information withthe Commerce Department,described the overall criteriaused to select proposals.

The government wants “toget the most bang for thebuck,” is interested in sustain-able projects that will stillexist in five years, and seeksproposals that are cost effec-tive, offer high-speed technol-ogy, and don’t duplicate exist-ing services, said Strickling.He also is director of theCommerce Department’sNational Telecommunicationsand Information Administra-tion (NTIA). NTIA will award

Jonathan Adelstein, left, administrator of USDA’s Rural Utilities Service, gave an update on federal stimulusfunding for broadband last week in Chicago. Joining Adelstein on the panel were: Anne Neville, nationalbroadband mapping program director with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunica-tions and Information Administration (NTIA), and Lawrence Strickling, assistant secretary for communicationsand information and NTIA director. (Photo by Kay Shipman)

broadband services isn’tenough; projects also musthelp people learn how to usethe Internet, according toStrickling.

“The key for a grant (award)

is, can we spend funding andmake an impact on adoption(of Internet use)? If we can’tmeasure that (increased use),we’re not going to fund it,” hesaid.

$4.7 billion for broadband.Recently, NTIA announced

$28 million for 15 projects tomap and plan broadband ser-vices. Anne Neville, NTIAdirector of broadband map-ping, said another round ofmapping projects will beannounced soon.

However, simply offering

Illinois broadband proponents are movingforward with projects while others await wordof possible federal stimulus dollars, membersof the Illinois Broadband Deployment Councillearned last week.

Council members received an update onpending federal decisions directly from USDAand Department of Commerce officials whowill help select projects. Most of the $7.5 bil-lion — 88 percent — will be awarded to buildbroadband infrastructure.

“We are totally committed to seeing (broad-band) projects in every part of the state suc-ceed,” said Ryan Croke, the governor’s deputychief of staff, who chaired the council meet-ing.

A new partner in the state’s broadbanddevelopment is the Partnership for a Connect-ed Illinois, also known as Connect Illinois, anon-profit organization.

The Illinois Department of Commerce andEconomic Opportunity (DCEO) has contract-ed with Connect Illinois to develop a map ofthe state’s broadband ability and to help quali-fied Illinois applicants apply for federal stimu-lus funding.

Rex Duncan of Connect Illinois reported

the work has started on the broadband map,and the first generation of the map will comeout in December. Duncan said he wants mapinformation available for Illinois proposals forthe second round of federal funding applica-tions.

To date, Connect Illinois identified 350 pos-sible Internet service providers in the state andis seeking information from them. Of thattotal, 63 no longer are in business, Duncannoted.

A state project for electronic prescriptionsand electronic health records also is progress-ing. Illinois is expecting to receive $18.8 mil-lion in federal funds for the project, accordingto officials with the state Department ofHealthcare and Family Services.

Starting in 2011, health care providers withhigh numbers of Medicare and Medicaidpatients will receive incentives to use electron-ic records.

Illinois Rural HealthNet, a consortium of12 universities and health care providers,hopes to start construction on its fiber opticnetwork next year, according to state officials.The network will link 85 locations from Chica-go to Carbondale. — Kay Shipman

Illinois moving on broadband initiatives

A research consortium ledby the Illinois Institute ofTechnology (IIT) recently wasselected to receive up to $8 mil-lion in federal stimulus moneyfor wind turbine research.

The Chicago-based consor-tium was one of three universi-ty-led wind energy researchgroups picked by the U.S.Department of Energy.

The IIT consortiumincludes partners from privateindustry, state and local gov-ernments, and other universi-ties.

The research effort willfocus on wind technology, gridsystem integration, and work-force challenges. IIT has awind energy turbine in Mar-seilles near an existing wind

farm that will provide scien-tists an opportunity to studywind farm interaction andwind energy efficiencies.

IIT also will develop andoffer wind energy courses thatwill address the technical,operational, social, and envi-ronmental aspects of windenergy in consultation withindustry.

Illinois researchers to study wind turbine issues

Bernie Walsh, Durand, Winnebago County: TypicalNovember weather last week,with cold, gray, rainy weatherWednesday and Thursday. Wehad three good harvest days tostart the week and started pick-ing again Thursday afternoon.The corn hasn’t dried down verymuch, but harvest continues

anyway. The LP shortage has added onemore problem to this difficult harvest. Wehave been lucky to only have waited for LP,two different days. Depending on the weath-er this winter, there may still be harvestinggoing on when we start our Cropwatcherreports next spring. Stay safe.

Leroy Getz, Savanna, Carroll County: A very different yearfor Cropwatcher reporting. Themost expensive crop ever plant-ed and still more expense to har-vest and dry. Beans are all har-vested with average yields. Cornhas a long, slow road to the fin-ish line. Some of us who aredone have reported yields 10 to

20 percent above anything we have everhad. Low milk prices add to the losses for theyear. The year 2009 was too wet, too cool,too late.

Ron Frieders, Waterman, DeKalb County: The latest har-vest delay is a shortage of LP todry this year’s high-moisturecorn. For more than a week,there have been little to no deliv-eries of dryer gas. We filled a binwith high-moisture corn just tokeep rolling. Some varieties havecome down in moisture to the low

to mid-20s, but there is still lots of corn wet-ter than that. Rain also delayed us a day anda half last week. To sum up this year, yieldsare down, test weight is light, and moisture ishigh. Please stay safe.

Larry Hummel, Dixon, Lee County: We missed the bigrains that hit Central Illinois butalso had to park the combine fora couple of days while lightshowers and mist stuck around.Thanksgiving is just around thecorner with very few farmers fin-ished with harvest. Here in LeeCounty, we have plenty of things

to be thankful for: a safe harvest, bountifulyields, and corn moisture finally under 30percent.

Joe Zumwalt, Warsaw, Hancock County: Four and ahalf days of rain brought from 2to 5 inches of rain to WesternIllinois and that certainlybrought any harvest progressto a complete halt. Nearly90 percent of the soybeansand 60 percent of the cornhave been harvested. Yields

have been quite good for the early-plantedcrops, but yields drop off on thelater-planted fields. Elevators have beenkeeping their doors open and this round ofrain let them catch up with all of the wetcorn. Very little tillage has been done andvery little fertilizer has been applied. Nowwe can just hope for a perfect March.What a year it continues to be. With anyluck at all, we should be finishing aroundthe time you are reading this. Good luck toeveryone with crop left and thanks forreading another year.

Ken Reinhardt, Seaton, Mercer County: I hoped to resumeharvest Friday after a wet week.It’s been a tough year start to fin-ish with rain delays. Over half thecorn is left to harvest here.Moisture is still high and testweights are low. There arepropane and natural gas supplyconcerns. It looks like harvest will

be drug into the next year here.

Jacob Streitmatter, Princeville, Peoria County: A wetweek again. It is reminding me ofspring all over again. Work a dayand rest and worry while watch-ing it rain for a week. Hopefully,we will be able to get rollingstrong during the weekend. Thereis a lot of corn yet standing and adry field is not in existence. I do

not know what the corn moisture is, but I betit did not dry any in the rain the past week.Until next time, I hope the harvest has pro-gressed.

Ron Moore, Roseville, Warren County: We received 1 inchof rain last week. Some areas tothe south of here got up to 2.5inches. There are only a fewfields of soybeans left in this areato harvest, but a lot of corn yet toharvest. We started harvestingcorn again on Thursday and theconditions were very muddy. We

can get through the worst areas with thecombine, but I am not taking the grain cartthrough the worst areas of the field. Themoisture has not dropped below 20 percenton what we have left to harvest. This will bethe most expensive crop I have ever harvest-ed. Yields are still good and the corn is stand-ing very well despite the late harvest.

Mark Kerber, Chatsworth, Livingston County: Rain all lastweek limited fieldwork, so manyof us farmers hunted deer thispast weekend. I am calling thisreport in from my tree stand.Hopefully, the next rain event willmiss us and we can continueharvest. Beans are above $10again.

Ron Haase, Gilman, Iroquois County: The only harvestingdone since my last report was onNov. 13 and 14. We received 1.3to 1.4 of an inch of rain during theweek. We planned to return toharvesting Friday. My neighborjust entered the field with hiscombine as I write this report. Wehave 67 percent of our corn yet to

go. How long will that take? It could beJanuary before we get done the way thingsare going. As for tillage, we are not too farbehind the combine. We have 25 percentdone. We are not sure how much moreopportunity we will have to do any tillage. Intalking with another farmer, we were dis-cussing the fact that with the high moistureand the low test weight corn we are not get-ting as many salable bushels with each loadas we normally do. So in addition to the greatincrease in drying charges, we also havemore expense in hauling the corn crop, too.The local closing prices for Nov. 19 were$3.63 for nearby corn, $3.82 for Januarycorn, $3.97 for fall 2010 corn, $10.15 fornearby soybeans, and $9.80 for fall 2010 soy-beans. To summarize the year, it was difficultplanting the crop due to the weather and nowit has become more difficult to remove thecrop due to the weather. I guess I just need tomake sure I get the crop out before I startplanting next April.

Brian Schaumburg, Chenoa, McLean County: Another 2inches of rain stopped all worklast week. Half the corn is har-vested for the area. Elevators willtake corn only a few hours a day.Tillage plans and anhydrousapplications are being aban-doned. Despite all that has hap-pened this season, give thanks

for our blessings. Corn, $3.70; January, $3.85;fall 2010, $3.98; soybeans, $10.14; January,$10.19; fall 2010, $9.81; wheat, $5.06.

Steve Ayers, Champaign, Champaign County: Another 3inches of rain fell mainly on thegrain standing on the plain!Another “Mary Poppins” week withmy umbrella up nearly every day.No fieldwork for another week withour crop reporting district at 47 per-cent corn harvested and 98 per-cent soybeans harvested. The only

good news is the grain handlers will be caughtup with drying and ready to go whenever theweather cooperates. Turkey Day looks sunnywith a high of 45 degrees. Enjoy Thanksgiving!

Wilfred Dittmer, Quincy, Adams County: Hello again from ourlittle corner of the state where thetemperature Friday morning stoodat 34 degrees with some fog. Buthurray! No rain for a whole day. Wedefinitely need to dry out againafter another 2.7 inches of rain fellsince Sunday (Nov 15). I think allmachines were parked for the

week and an end to this year’s harvest hasbeen pushed back yet another week or two, atleast. I think corn harvest probably still is onlyabout 40 percent complete and soybeansprobably around 90 percent, so machines willbe running into the December calendar. Stilltime to be extra careful and we look forward tovisiting with you all again next year. MerryChristmas and Happy New Year to all.

Harry Schirding, Petersburg, Menard County: Rainfalllast week, 3.88 inches. Total forNovember, 3.99 inches. Normalfor November, 2.87 inches.Fields had just begun to supportharvesting equipment withoutleaving ruts before the rainsreturned. Corn harvest is about60 percent complete with little

progress made in the past week. Stalk qual-ity and standability remain good, but timewill continue to work against us. Yields havebeen above average, except for the areasthat were adversely affected by the excessrain during the growing season. Diplodiadamage has been a problem in some fieldsand with certain hybrids. Well more than90 percent of the soybeans have been har-vested. Areas that flooded again last weekmay not ever get harvested. Producers wereable to get some anhydrous and broadcastfertilizer applied over the past severalweeks. Herbicide applications mostly willhave to be applied next spring. Many fieldsare rutted from harvest so getting ready forplanting next spring will be a challenge.Corn nearby, $3.65, up 4 cents; soybeansnearby, $10.16, up 53 cents; January corn,$3.75, up 11 cents; January soybeans,$10.20, up 47 cents.

Tom Ritter, Blue Mound, Macon County: Rains a weekago Sunday (Nov. 15) set in at8 a.m. and there has been nofieldwork done since. A com-plete washout with more than 5inches of rain fell in theDecatur and Macon Countyarea. Harvest, tillage, every-thing has come to a halt. The

ground is as saturated as we have seen itat any point during this year, and it hasbeen saturated numerous times. Soybeanharvest, however, is fairly well completedwith more than 90 percent in the bin or theelevator. Corn is only 60 percent harvestedat this point. Stalks are getting weaker anddefinitely did not need anymore wind.Overall, farmers are just trying to bepatient. There will be quite a bit of cornpicked in December, if not later.

Todd Easton, Charleston, Coles County: Well, we havereached the end of theCropwatcher reporting year.With the exception of a fewlucky producers, harvest is notfinished for most of us and atthis point it is uncertain whenwe will get a chance to com-plete the job. What an interest-

ing year it has been. When the reportsstarted in May, very little corn had beenplanted and it stayed that way until late inthe month. For the months following, plant-ing during abnormally wet and cool condi-tions persisted and weather made for thelatest and wettest harvest many of us haveever seen. In spite of this, the corn yieldsturned out pretty respectable in manyfields and we may have something leftafter the bills and drying charges are paid.Preparations for next year’s crop, such astillage and fertilizer applications are rough-ly only a fourth completed, putting usbehind the eightball already for next year’scrop. But I remain confident that we willfind a window to complete these jobs andkick off a good crop year in 2010. Untilnext year, best wishes to everyone andhopefully, we can enjoy the later holidaysat home instead of in the field.

Jimmy Ayers, Rochester, Sangamon County: Sunday(Nov. 15) through Thursday wereceived 3.5 inches of rain atour place. The area receivedanywhere from 2.5 to 4.25inches. The rivers have over-flowed their banks again, butnot quite as bad as they were aweek and half ago or so. We

are down to 13 percent of our beans leftand most of those are in the river bottom.There are a few farmers in the area donewith corn. I talked to one who has beendone for a week and a half. We still have aconsiderable amount of acreage left. A lotof people are 40, 50, 60 percent done.Moisture is still holding in the 20s. Heardof some corn that came in under 16 lastSaturday (Nov. 14). It was a wet week withnot much activity whatsoever. Very littleanhydrous has been put on. We havenumerous ruts to deal with for next year’scrop.

CROPWATCHERS


Final report o

Bob Biehl, Belleville, St. Clair County: After 15 straightdays of harvest, things came toa halt last Sunday night (Nov.15). We received 3 inches of rain— a real soaker. Bean harvest isvirtually complete in the area.We have about 70 acres ofwheat stubble beans, but theyare in five fields. Corn harvest is

a different story. Some folks are donebecause they did not plant any, but mosthave a significant acreage yet to go.Moisture I have heard generally falls at 26percent or less, unless the corn froze beforeit was black layered. Hopefully, the weatherwill cooperate over the next two to threeweeks so we do get done before Christmas.Many of the late fall activities will take placeon frozen or snowy ground or just wait untilnext spring, which will create a backlog. Thebean market has been real supportive, how-ever. January beans are bidding at $10.61and corn at $4.12.

Dean Shields, Murphysboro, Jackson County: We had acouple of days we were able toget back in the field and dosome harvesting and then alongcome 1.5 inches of rain and thatput a stop to everything. By theMississippi River being up highand the locks closed, we havelow ground flooded again. A lot

of that flooded ground has still not been har-vested, so water is over the soybeans for thesecond time this fall. A lot of the farmers aregetting close to being done, but not quitethere. Most agree that the yields have beenpretty decent. Nothing super, but good yieldsthis year on both corn and soybeans, soeverybody is happy about that. The farmersthat have stuff left are all looking around andtrying to see what their options are. A lot ofthem are trading combine tires for somethingdifferent that they can get through the mud.We are creating a lot of deep ruts, andeverybody is wondering how we are going toget those filled back in. The biggest thing oneverybody’s mind is how to finish up and getit in the bin. We will keep at it and we will seewhat next week brings.

Ted Kuebrich, Jerseyville, Jersey County: We received4.7 inches of rain last week, sono harvesting. There is waterstanding in just about all thefields as you drive down theroad. The Illinois River is 5 feetabove flood stage and thatmeans the water is out on thecrops in the low lands. The

Mississippi River in southern CalhounCounty at Brussels also is out in the lowlands and in the beans. Prices at JerseyCounty Grain, Hardin: November corn,$3.85; January corn, $3.89; fall corn for2010, $4.05; fall beans, $10.29; Januarybeans, $10.42; fall beans for 2010, $9.83.

Rick Corners, Centralia, Jefferson County: This pastweek was kind of nasty, but theprevious two weeks were justwhat the HMO ordered. After itrained almost every day inOctober, this was unbelievable.There are still a few beans andquite a few cornfields to bemowed down, but far fewer

than we thought there would be a monthago. I think everyone was pleased withtheir corn yields, but the beans sure werea disappointment. Took a day’s drive yes-terday through areas that normally sow alot of wheat, and you could count the num-ber of fields we saw on one hand.

Kevin Raber, Browns, Wabash County: We had 1 inch ofrain this past week. This stoppedany field activities. There are afew fields left to be harvested,but not many. This will be a sea-son that will be hard to forget.But as always, the Lord hasblessed us with a safe and boun-tiful harvest. For everyone that

has crops left in the field, just remember tocount your blessings and stay safe.

Doug Uphoff, Shelbyville, Shelby County: Fully saturated.That is the weather and soil con-ditions here in Central Illinois.We had 4 inches of rain lastweek. Seventy percent of thecorn and I would say 100 percentof the beans are out up in ourarea, but I don’t know about thesouthern part of the county. Corn

moisture levels were down to 16-17 percentwhen we quit. It’s going to be awhile beforewe are back in. A neighbor bought a set oftracks for his combine, so he will be in thefield before most of the rest of us. There won’tbe any activity in the fields for at least a week.Before the rain, there was anhydrous and fallfertilization and dry fertilizer being appliedand some chiseled plowing. Right now that isall on hold. We have water standing every-where. Have a safe week and a happyThanksgiving.

David Schaal, St. Peter, Fayette County: We had 0.4 of aninch of rain on Monday night(Nov. 16). Drizzling light rain onTuesday, Wednesday, andThursday with fog here on Fridaymorning. For the most part, thesoybean harvest is complete andseveral producers are complete-ly done with the 2009 harvest.

Most elevators have been able to stay openfor the corn harvest, but they have donesome things like putting wet corn where theyhave never put wet corn before and there hasbeen a lot of shuffling grain around to stayopen. On the other hand, corn moisture in theimmediate area is running in the upper teensto low 20s. Hope to finish corn during theweekend. Not a lot of wheat has been sowed.Have a safe and happy holiday.

Dan Meinhart, Montrose, Jasper County: A wet, rainy, andcool week. It rained almost everyday. Our gauge showed 1.75inches. Some received more;others less. No harvest wasdone except on Monday (Nov.16). Very few bean fields are leftstanding. There is quite a bit ofcorn in the field yet. The weather

looks better for the first part of this week.

CROPWATCHERS


Reports received Friday morning.

Rains bring widespread harvest delays to IllinoisBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Major harvest delaysreturned last week after farmersthe first two weeks of thismonth enjoyed their best har-vest window of the season.

Harvest in Illinois as of thefirst of last week was 52 percentcomplete for corn (43 percentbehind the five-year average) whilemost of the soybean crop (90 per-cent) was in the bin, the NationalAgricultural Statistics Service stateoffice reported.

with reports of as much as 3 to4-plus inches, were the result ofa front that parked over thestate, according to AmyJankowski, meteorologist withthe National Weather Service(NWS).

“The last few days were wet,but compared to October, it’sbeen pretty normal so far thismonth,” Jankowski said on Fri-day.

Farmers should get someopportunities for fieldwork thisweek, although they may have

to dodge a few isolated showers.As of Friday, the NWS pre-

dicted there are chances oflight showers today (Monday)into Tuesday with anotherpossibility of light rainWednesday night into Thanks-giving morning.

“It doesn’t look like it willbe too much,” said Jankowski,who expects a cold front toarrive in Illinois early thisweek. “Conditions (this week)should dry out, but it will bekind of chilly.”

Meanwhile, very little wheatwas seeded last week as plantingprogress increased by just 14percent (from 63 to 77 percentcomplete) compared to theaverage of 98 percent.

“Nothing much happened(last) week except for rain,” saidJim Drew, manager of theLogan County Farm Bureau inLincoln where there werereports of flash floods. “It’sgoing to be a few days beforefarmers can get back in thefields.”

But even if farmers in hisarea get back in the fields thisweek, corn harvest likely willdrag, according to Drew.

There were more reports lastweek of early elevator closingsdue to limited dryer capacityand spot shortages of propane.

“It’s just going to be a slowharvest,” Drew said. “The cornis so wet most elevators don’thave the capacity to dry it downthat quickly.”

Heavy rains that saturatedmuch of the state last week,

HELPING A FALLEN COMRADE

Fortunately, it happens every year. Unfortunately, it has to. Every year when a farmer falls ill or dies,friends and neighbors come forward to harvest his crops. That’s what 53 people using nine combines,nine tractors and grain carts, and 23 trucks, two of which are shown here, did recently when they har-vested the crops of Terry Steinhour, who died Oct. 7 from injuries sustained in a tractor rollover accident.Steinhour served the Menard County Farm Bureau as its president from 1992-1997, and at the time ofhis death was serving his third “stint” on the board. Bill and Judy Graff of Middletown coordinated theharvest effort, which included farmers from Menard, Logan, Mason, and Sangamon counties. (Photo byDee Dee Gellerman, manager of Menard County Farm Bureau)

of the season

WEATHER


BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

The weather in comingmonths could continue tochallenge farmers in Northand South America.

Bryce Anderson and MikePalmerino, DTN ag meteorol-ogists, last week provided awinter weather outlook duringa DTN webinar.

In North America, the wetweather pattern may continueto hover over much of theCorn Belt through this winterand into next spring, the mete-orologists predicted.

“The vast majority of theCorn Belt (with the possibleexception of the northwestportion) could remain wet withthis pattern right on throughwinter,” Palmerino said.

Anderson agreed the wetpattern could continue in Illi-nois and surrounding states.

“This could be the third wet

winter in a row in the CornBelt,” he said. “It could meanproblems for fieldwork nextspring.”

In South America, wherefarmers currently are plantingsoybeans, excessive moisturecould lead to planting delays orforce some farmers to replantsome of their crops.

The greatest potential forincreased rainfall exists insouthern Brazil and easternArgentina, according toPalmerino.

Elsewhere, dryness couldcontinue to be a challenge inwestern Argentina.

Farmers in large portions ofArgentina last year enduredone of the worst droughts inthe past 50 years and crop pro-duction subsequently declined,Palmerino said.

Argentina “appears to bethe major swing area in SouthAmerica (this upcoming sea-

son) in terms of productionpotential going either waydepending on how the weatherpattern shapes up in theSouthern Hemisphere,”Palmerino said.

One phenomenon thatcould be a major influence onthe weather in coming monthsis El Nino.

El Nino, a warming of thewater in the Pacific Ocean, inthe past month strengthenedin status from weak (withwater at 1 to 2 degrees abovenormal) to a moderate aswater as of last week was asmuch as 4 degrees above nor-mal.

In the U.S., a strong El

Nino could lead to moderatetemperatures this winter whilea weak El Nino suggests itcould be a “rather chilly” win-ter, Palmerino said.

A strong El Nino alsowould increase the chances ofmore precipitation in comingmonths for crops in SouthAmerica.

Weather outlook: Wet pattern may continue into 2010

Farmers receive tips for dealing with wet cornFarmers have a lot to consider when it

comes to handling high-moisture corn.If the wet crop is not handled properly, it

could spoil in the bin and/or it could sickenlivestock, according to a number of Universityof Illinois Extension specialists who last weekhosted a webinar to discuss strategies for deal-ing with wet corn.

“You just can’t dry it (corn) down fastenough” this season, said Mike Hutjens, U ofI extension dairy specialist. “We’re hearing ofbig discounts for mold,” long lines at eleva-tors, and early closing times at grain storagefacilities.

“And certainly this rain (last week) didn’thelp at this stage of the game.”

Producers who store high-moisture cornshould shoot for a range of 25 to 30 percentdry matter for shelled corn and 30 to 34 per-cent dry matter for ear corn, Hutjens said.

The moisture content for corn going intostorage for a year should be below 15 percent,according to Ted Funk, U of I Extension spe-cialist in bioenvironmental engineering.

Corn stored over the winter should be driedto at least 18 percent and, if it’s not fed tolivestock, dried down to 15 percent in thespring.

“Storage at 20 percent (moisture) or aboveis really risky,” said Funk, who noted that 20percent moisture corn at 50 degrees should bestored no longer than two months. “And Idon’t recommend mixing wet and dry corn(for storage). The wet corn will spoil thewhole load,” he said.

Meanwhile, high moisture isn’t the only issueassociated with wet corn. A large number offields with ear rot, ranging from diplodia andfusarium to gibberella, have been reported,according to Carl Bradley, U of I plant pathol-ogist.

And some of the fungal growth, such asfusarium and gibberella ear rots, producemycotoxins that can sicken livestock.

Farmers can feed small portions of moldycorn to livestock, but they first should mix itwith better-quality corn, according to HansStein, U of I associate professor of swine nutri-tion. Farmers who mix moldy corn into feedshould monitor animals closely for any signs ofsickness.

Producers who want more information aboutwet corn strategies or who want to sign up for aDec. 3 webinar on the subject may do so onlineat {http://events.idtg.uiuc.edu/wet_corn}. —Daniel Grant

Pumpkin pie lovers shouldenjoy the tasty dessert whilethey can this holiday season.

The cool, wet growingseason followed by poor har-vest weather this fall appar-ently took a big slice out ofpumpkin production this sea-son.

John Ackerman, whogrows field and ornamentalpumpkins near Morton —where 80 to 90 percent of allcommercial pumpkins arecanned at the Nestle-ownedLibby’s plant — said hisentire crop of field pump-kins likely will not be har-vested this season andinstead will be plowed back

into the soil for fertility pur-poses.

“My pumpkins have notbeen touched and there is apretty good chance theywon’t be harvested this year,”Ackerman told FarmWeek.“It’s mostly due to the inabil-ity to physically get them outof the field.”

Ackerman this year grewcommercial pumpkins onabout 33 acres. He expectedan average yield of 22 to 23tons per acre, so the totalloss could be more than 700tons of pumpkins.

A spokesperson for Nestleestimated canned pumpkinproduction could shrink by a

third this year compared towhat was estimated prior toharvest.

“There should be plenty ofsupply to get through the hol-idays, but whether there’s ashortage after that remains tobe seen,” Ackerman said.

Ackerman, who will keepthe gift shop on his farmopen through Christmas, saidornamental production on hisfarm actually was “very good”this year.

But he said he knows offellow producers who lost halfof their ornamental pumpkincrops and one farmer report-edly lost 90 percent of hiscrop. — Daniel Grant

Rain wreaks havoc on pumpkin production

The U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA)awarded the University of Illi-nois an $897,225 grant for athree-year research project onthe environmental impacts ofinjecting carbon dioxide under-ground.

Researchers will study injec-tion of carbon dioxide from asource such as a coal-fired elec-tricity generating power plantinto Illinois’ deep undergroundwater reservoirs for long-term

storage. They will use fieldworkand computer models to deter-mine the effects of carbondioxide sequestration onaquifers.

They also will explorewhether the sequestrationcould cause changes in reser-voir pressure and possiblyresult in salt water migratingfrom deeper ground water andcontaminating fresh water nearthe surface.

Although underground

injection of carbon dioxide is along-standing practice for oiland gas recovery, its use specif-ically for geologic sequestrationinvolves different issues andpotentially larger volumes ofcarbon dioxide than in the past.

EPA is working with theDepartment of Energy on car-bon sequestration research anddevelopment and also is coor-dinating efforts to evaluatepotential impacts on health,safety, and the environment.

U of I receives grant to study carbon dioxide injection

CLIMATE


Auction CalendarMon., Nov. 23. 10:30 a.m. Land Auction. Mary H.

Shaw Rev. Trust, SEYMOUR, IL. Gordon HannaganAuction Co.

Mon., Nov. 23. 7 p.m. 230 Ac. Montgomery andFayette County. Anita and Ottis Crowe Trust,

NOKOMIS, IL. Cory Craig, Auctioneer.Tues., Nov. 24. 10 a.m. Farmland Auction. A.

Renee Extell & C.U. Calvert/Rieckert, SUBLETTE,IL. Dick McConville and Joe McConville,

Auctioneers.Fri., Nov. 27. 9:30 a.m. Consignment Auction.

MANITO, IL. Palmer Auction Service.Sat., Nov. 28. 10 a.m. 79 Ac. Wayne Co. Estate ofKen Johnson, ORCHARDVILLE, IL. Daggs Auction

Co.Sat., Nov. 28. 10 a.m. Farm Auction. Mr. JimThompson, JACKSON, TN. James R. Cash,

Auctioneer.Sat., Nov. 28. 10 a.m. 245 +/- Ac. Henderson Co.

Ray L. Myers Farm, LAHARPE, IL. SullivanAuctioneers.

Mon., Nov. 30. 10 a.m. 98.9 Ac. Coles Co. LouiseBrockjones Ltd. Partnership, CHARLESTON, IL.

Stanfield Auction Co.Tues., Dec. 1. 6 p.m. 240+/- Ac. Adams Co.Richard E. Perry, Jean M. Staats, Matthew L.

Levins, Jane M. Williams, Bernard F. Perry, JamesE. Perry, Julie A. Gieselman, MENDON, IL. Sullivan

Auctioneers.Tues., Dec. 1. 10 a.m. McDonough Land Auction.Heirs of the Forothy McClure Fox Trust, MACOMB,

IL. Lowderman Auction Co.Tues., Dec. 1. 10 a.m. 446.44 Ac. Knox Co. Dan

and Barb Dexter, GALESBURG, IL. Van AdkissonAuction Service, LLC.

Wed., Dec. 2. 4 p.m. Farmland Auction. Helen Kirk,HOPEDALE, IL. Anderson and Boston Auctioneers.Wed., Dec. 2. 10 a.m. 78.58 Ac. McDonough Co.Donald C. Swartzbaugh, BUSHNELL, IL. Roberts

Auction Service.Wed., Dec. 2. 10 a.m. Estate Auction. Robert O.

Annett, Estate, Rose Ostby, Exec., CORNELL, IL.Immke and Bradleys’ Auction Service.

Thurs., Dec. 3. 11 a.m. 40 Ac. Hancock Co. DeborahEccles and Dorinda Winget, BLANDINSVILLE, IL.

Van Adkisson Auction Service, LLC.Thurs., Dec. 3. 7 p.m. Quality Grain Farm Auction.

Darlene Jayroe and Reba Henson, FLORA, IL.Carson Auction Realty & Appraisal Co.

Thurs., Dec. 3. 249.9 Ac. Marshall Co. RalphFrench Trust. Soy Capital Ag Services.

Fri., Dec. 4. 1 p.m. 150 Ac. Stephenson Co.Stammich Family Let. Partnership, ORANGEVILLE,

IL. Barker Auction & Appraisals.Fri., Dec. 4. 10:30 a.m. 122.343 Ac. LaSalle Co.Phyllis Bevington, SENECA, IL. Marty McConville

and Dick McConville, Auctioneers.Fri., Dec. 4. 10:30 a.m. 163.42 Ac. McDonough Co.

M. Luan Crawford Estate, BUSHNELL, IL. VanAdkisson Auction Service, LLC.

Fri., Dec. 4. 10 a.m. 83.54 Acres Warren Co.Galusha Family Farm, BUSHNELL, IL. Van

Adkisson Auction Service, LLC.Sat., Dec. 5. 10 a.m. Farm machinery, livestock

eq., hay. Marvin J. Eberle Estate, BRIMFIELD, IL.Col. Gail Cowser and Col. John H. Bliss,

Auctioneers.Sat., Dec. 5. 10 a.m. 160 Ac. Warren Co. FlorenceP. Marshall Estate, ROSEVILLE, IL. Van Adkisson

Auction Service, LLC.Sat., Dec. 5. 9 a.m. Consignment Auction.

LAWRENCEVILLE, IL. Max Groff, Auctioneer.Tues., Dec. 8. 10 a.m. 80 Ac. Edgar Co. First Bank

and Trust-Land Trust #893-031, CHRISMAN, IL.Moss Auction Team, LLC.

Tues., Dec. 8. 10 a.m. 152.70 Ac. Warren Co. RuthM. Russell Estate, MONMOUTH, IL. Van Adkisson

Auction Service, LLC.

Economy could slow post-Copenhagen climate momentumBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

The U.S. and China lastweek announced a deal to pro-mote “clean energy” — and,ideally, greenhouse emissionsreductions — across the coal-dependent Chinese subconti-nent.

But as December’s UnitedNations Climate Conferencein Copenhagen approaches,observers question China’sresolve in following the U.S.’lead and the Third World’swillingness to follow Chinainto a brave and potentiallycostly new world.

Congressional cap-and-trade debate, seemingly stalleduntil early 2010, effectively is“putting the (U.S.) agriculturecommunity on hold,” said Vir-ginia Tech professor emeritusof ag finance David Kohl.

Beyond prospects for high-er input/energy costs thathave held up operationalchanges and investments, cap-and-trade critics fear unilateral

guys on the block.”Larger emerging nations

such as Brazil, Russia, India,and China — referred to col-lectively as “the BRIC” —thus “are going to have to playthe game, as well,” he said.

U.S. negotiators in Copen-hagen will seek major emis-sions reductions aimed atreaching “a level that is safefor humanity,” among devel-oping and developed nations,reported Illinois Farm BureauNational Legislative DirectorAdam Nielsen, who attended arecent U.S. State DepartmentOffice of Climate briefing inWashington.

The department’s climateenvoy accompanied Secretaryof State Hillary Clinton on her

recent trip to China. Under anew agreement, PresidentObama and Chinese PresidentHu Jintao announced plans forjoint clean energy technologyresearch, a sweeping Chinese“clean vehicles” initiative, andcoal carbon sequestration andgasification projects.

But a Climate Officespokesman reported China’smajor climate focus was onevaluating building energy effi-ciency, Nielsen noted.

Given the U.S.’ dicey traderelationship with China,Nielsen is concerned Americacould end up at a competitivedisadvantage if it cannot holdChina and the rest of thedeveloping world’s “feet to thefire.”

climate regulation could putU.S. agriculture at a “strategicdisadvantage,” Kohl toldFarmWeek during a Texas agbankers conference last week.

“If we have cap and tradehere in the United States, willChina (and) some of the othermajor producing areas con-form to some of the specificsoutlined in cap and trade?”Kohl asked. “One of thethings that will dictate whetherwe see action or we don’t seeaction is the health of theworld economy.

“The priority for (climate)actions is probably more inmid-2010, late 2010. If we seethe world economy make arapid rebound, then some ofthese various agendas are

going to be pushed forwarddramatically.

“But if we should seeanother economic catastrophe,those things will be post-poned. World economic healthand U.S. economic health willdictate that.”

The developing nationshave exerted a key influenceon currently stalled WorldTrade Organization talks, andKohl believes the concerns ofthe world’s poorer regions alsowill shape policy the directiontaken in Copenhagen.

Kohl reported the U.S.,Europe, and other “richnations” have begun amajor pushback againstcharges they are exclusivelyor even primarily “the bad

volume compared to last year,according to the U.S. MeatExport Federation.

But beef exports to Japanduring that same time increasedby 22 percent in volume com-pared to last year, beef exportsto Hong Kong were up 110percent, and exports to Viet-nam were up 23 percent com-pared to last year.

“The weak dollar has helpedthat out,” Durchholz said of arecent increase in U.S. red meatexports.

Cattle prices also could be

supported by the fact that theaverage slaughter weight inrecent months declined from870 pounds to 847 pounds.

Durchholz believes the dipin slaughter weights is due inpart to inclement fall weatherthat reduced gains and a pricerally in October that promptedmore cattle sales.

Overall, the number of cattleon feed (11.18 million) reportedby USDA as of Nov. 1 was a lit-tle higher than expected due toheavier placements (2.47 mil-lion). Both estimates were up 1percent compared to last year.

Meanwhile, marketings offed cattle during Octobertotaled 1.76 million head, whichwas 3 percent below a year ago.

“Seasonally, the (cattle)market ought to stay firm intospring,” the analyst added.“The big question is how willthe economic picture unfoldover the long haul.”

MARKETS


FarmWeekNow.comVisit FarmWeekNow.com toview the full details of thecattle-on-feed report.

Illinois gains first FSA-approved biomass facility

Cattle prices could firm up after holiday

Management and Budget) hasnot yet approved funds for fis-cal year 2010,” King explained.“Now we’re waiting on theprocess to get funds autho-rized so we can approve partic-ipant applications.”

For the fiscal year that end-

ed Sept. 30, FSA allocated $25million nationwide for BCAP.Fiscal year 2010 started Oct. 1.

One other Illinois entity iscompleting the application tobecome an approved BCAP facil-ity, and two others are exploringthe program, according to King.

He recommended interestedproducers contact FSA or goonline to {www.fsa.usda.gov}and click on Energy Programs.Producers who signup for elec-tronic updates will receiveinformation once it becomesavailable.

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

The Farm Service Agency(FSA) recently approved thestate’s first biomass crop con-version facility, but farmersand other suppliers must applyfor the new biomass cropassistance program (BCAP)and be approved before theycan participate.

Don King, Illinois FSAconservation chief, toldFarmWeek the ArcherDaniels Midland (ADM) co-generation plant in Decatur isthe only approved Illinoisfacility among 247 nationwide.

BCAP will provide match-ing payments, up to $45 perton, to farmers and other par-ticipants for eligible biomass

material delivered to FSA-approved biomass facilities.The biomass must be used forheat, power, biobased prod-ucts, or biofuels.

Farmers and other supplierswho deliver eligible biomassmaterial to the ADM plant willbe eligible for matching pay-ments from FSA.

However, King emphasizedfarmers and other suppliersmust first apply for BCAP, beapproved, and check to be surematching funds have been allo-cated — before delivering eli-gible material to ADM or anyother approved facility. Anapplication must be filed in thelocal FSA office in the countywhere the material is grown.

“OMB (the U.S. Office of

BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Cattle prices may begin tostrengthen after Thanksgivingdue in part to improved domes-tic demand for beef andincreased exports.

Dale Durchholz, AgriVisormarket analyst, projected cattleprices could improve from thelow- to mid-$80 range last

week on up to the high $80sby December.

“Prices have gotten to apoint where beef should movethrough the domestic market alittle better,” Durchholz said.“And red meat exports havebeen improving.”

Overall, U.S. beef exportsfrom January through Septem-ber were down 12 percent in

EMERGING ISSUES


Animal care initiativein Ohio sets precedentBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

The passage of “Issue 2”earlier this month in Ohio,which approved the formationof the Livestock Care Stan-dards Board, set a precedentfor farmers and ag groups inOhio and possibly across thenation.

Ohio voters overwhelmingapproved the measure — by avote of 64 percent to 36 per-cent — which will allow farm-ers, veterinarians, and con-sumers to play a role in estab-lishing standards for the care,treatment, and welfare of live-stock.

Previous changes to animalcare standards in other states,such as Arizona and California,were implemented throughvoter referendums.

“It’s about validating ourpractices in livestock produc-tion,” said Jack Fisher, execu-tive director of the Ohio FarmBureau Federation, during arecent RFD radio interview.“We need to elevate this wholeconcept of animal care.”

The 13-member board willinclude Ohio’s ag director,family farmers, veterinarians, a

representative from a localhumane society, and con-sumers.

Creation of the board wasintended in part to block liber-al animal care reforms in Ohioadvocated by the HumaneSociety of the United States.

“We tried to put together a

plan that can be reviewed andlooked at across the country,”Fisher said.

“I believe the challengesbeing brought forth by theanimal rights’ folks are anAmerican ag challenge,” hecontinued. “We need to builda critical mass” to establishguidelines for animal carethat are workable for farmers

and consumers.Illinois Farm Bureau sup-

ported the effort in Ohio tocreate the board.

“We looked at this as anopportunity to influence theanimal care issue in Ohio in apositive way,” said TamaraWhite, IFB senior director ofcommodities. Proponents ofthe Ohio Livestock Care Board“took a common senseapproach that may work inother states,” she said.

Jim Fraley, IFB livestockprogram director, said he iseager to learn from the suc-cesses of the board. But theeffort may not be a blueprintfor future action in Illinois.

“We are not a ballot-initia-tive state,” Fraley said. “So far,we’ve been able to meet leg-islative challenges (from ani-mal activists) head on.”

However, it is imperative forag supporters to unite and takea proactive approach, such asthe Ohio effort, in order tofend off future attacks on pro-duction practices, according toFraley and White.

“The key is to stay togetherand present a united front,”Fraley added.

GREEN TOUR FOR SENATOR’S STAFF

Cook County Farm Bureau member Dan Biernacki, left, discussestransplanting techniques used in his Tinley Park greenhouse dur-ing an agriculture tour for U.S. Sen. Roland Burris’ staff mem-bers. Looking on are Janet McCabe, Cook County Farm Bureaupublic policy team member; Grant Whiting, an intern with Burris;and Scott Kagawa, the senator’s outreach coordinator. (Photo byBona Heinsohn, Cook County Farm Bureau public policy director)

The University of Illinois’Board of Trustees named cur-rent interim provost RobertEaster to also serve as interimchancellor. The trustees select-ed Easter to fill temporarilythe top position for theUrbana-Champaign campus attheir recent meeting.

Easter, dean of the Collegeof Agricultural, Consumer,and Environment Sciences(ACES), has served as interimprovost since July. He replaced

former Chancellor RichardHerman, who resigned follow-ing an admissions scandal atthe university.

The university and thetrustees also are searching fora new president to replaceJoseph White, whose resigna-tion takes effect Jan. 1. FormerU of I President Stan Ikenber-ry will serve as interim presi-dent. Ikenberry and Easterwere to take on many of thechancellor’s duties.

Easter named interim chancellor-provost

‘We tr ied to puttogether a plantha t can be re -viewed and look-ed at across thecountry.’

— Jack FisherOhio Farm Bureau Federation

EDUCATION


WIU librarian links food, farmers, GISMap projectposted onlineBY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

A Western Illinois Universi-ty (WIU) librarian is showingAmericans they can thankfarmers from many states fortheir Thanksgiving meal.

Linda Zellmer, governmentinformation and data services

librarian at WIU, used U.S.Agriculture Census data andgeographic information sys-tems (GIS) to create maps

showing the states in whichThanksgiving foods are pro-duced.

Maps of individual foodsand a poster showing all them a p s a r e o n l i n e a t{http://faculty.wiu.edu/LR-Zellmer/thanksgiving.html}.

Zellmer told FarmWeekshe developed the food-mapproject to mark geographyawareness week (Nov. 16-20)and to interest students, espe-cially young ones, in geogra-phy.

“I was looking for data tomap and to challenge l itt lekids,” she said. Her sister, aW i s c o n s i n t e a c h e r , t o l dZellmer it can be tough to cap-ture students’ attention beforetheir Thanksgiving break.

Zellmer offered a couple ofideas to help students in ele-mentar y, middle, and high

school classes connect geogra-phy with Thanksgiving.

These include determiningthe states that produce themost pumpkins, turkey, andother foods; and using weath-er, climate, and growing condi-tions to determine why somecrops grow only in southernstates and while others growonly in some northern states.

The existing maps are herthird edition.

Zellmer said she uses onlineCensus of Agriculture dataand updates the maps withnew census data. She has useddata from the 1997, 2002, and2007 censuses.

Zellmer noted other enti-t i e s o n t h e W I U c a m p u salso use GIS and offer GISservices.

For example, the IllinoisInstitute for Rural Affairshas developed the I l l inoiss i te select ion tool to helpcompan ie s f ind po ten t i a llocations for businesses orindustrial development.

FarmWeekNow.comYou can view the GIS-basedproduction maps of yourThanksgiving Day meal atFarmWeekNow.com.

GROWMARK’s FS Seed Division last weekpresented a check for nearly $59,000 to IAAFoundation Chairman Philip Nelson for IllinoisAg in the Classroom (IAITC) programs.

“Although agriculture is constantly advanc-ing and continues to be an integral part of ourlives, today’s youth are becoming less and lessexposed to it,” said Steve Barwick, GROW-MARK senior vice president of marketing andoperations.

“In the past, it was common to have somelink to agriculture in every family, either directly

or indirectly. Kids today are becoming less con-scious of the importance of agriculture and arenot making the connection between how it isvital to their everyday lives.”

IAITC strives to educate youngsters on therole agriculture plays in their lives.

The FS Seed Division has made annual con-tributions to IAITC since 2003. Half of thedonation goes toward direct grants administeredby FS member cooperatives at the local level.This year’s contribution brings the six-year totalto nearly $349,000.

Illinois Farm Bureau President Philip Nelson, right, chats with Steve Barwick, GROWMARK senior vice presi-dent of marketing and operations, about the FS Seed Division’s latest contribution for ag literacy programs.(Photo by Ken Kashian)

FS Seed Division renews Illinois IAITC commitment

Clearinghouse for beginningfarmers a collaborationbetween AFBF, Ag Library

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is partner-ing with USDA’s National Agricultural Library to create anational curriculum and training clearinghouse for beginningfarmers.

The information-sharing program will help those whohave decided to pursue careers in agriculture.

The clearinghouse is part of the Beginning Farmer andRancher Development Program, a competitive grant initia-tive that is part of the farm bill.

The clearinghouse will be supported by a five-year, $1.5million grant from USDA.

AFBF is providing in-kind support to the National AgLibrary with outreach, publicity, educational seminars, andconferences during which project grants will be highlighted,according to AFBF President Bob Stallman.

The clearinghouse will develop a website and databases toserve beginning farmers and ranchers with particular focuson those categorized as underserved.

The clearinghouse also will provide education, training,outreach, and mentoring materials to new farmers and ranch-ers across the country. AFBF will help distribute the infor-mation.

A replica of the poster available online.

FROM THE COUNTIES


BUREAU — Thetownship caucus

meeting for nominatingdirectors to serve on thecounty Farm Bureau boardwill be at 10 a.m. Friday,Dec. 11, at the Farm Bureauoffice. Contact the FarmBureau office for townshipswhich have vacancies,returning candidates, or ifyou would like to fill a posi-tion.

HE N RY — SteveJohnson, Iowa State

University Extension farmand ag business manage-ment specialist, will be thespeaker at a marketing sem-inar at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday atHappy Joe’s, Coal Valley.Cost is $15, which includeslunch and materials. Theseminar is sponsored byHenry and Rock IslandCounty Farm Bureaus, GoldStar FS, and Bank ORION.Call the Henry CountyFarm Bureau office at 309-937-2411 or the RockIsland County Farm Bureauoffice at 309-736-7432 forreservations or more infor-mation.

LA S A L L E — Theannual meeting will

be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec.1, at Pitstick’s, Ottawa.Dinner will be served.Cost is $7.50. Call the FarmBureau office at 815-433-0371 for reservations ormore information.

LI V I N G S TO N —Farm Bureau, Bank

of Pontiac, and PontiacFirst United MethodistChurch will collect interna-tional phone cards to sendto military personnel.Monetary contributionsmay be mailed to PhoneCards for Troops, Liv-ingston County FarmBureau, PO Box 410, Ponti-ac, Ill. 61764. Deadline tosend contributions isWednesday. Call the FarmBureau office at 815-842-1103 for more information.

MCLEAN — FarmBureau and Chamber

of Commerce AgribusinessCouncil will honor those inagricultural leadership on Feb.12 at the Holiday Inn andSuites, Bloomington. A newaward is the Emerging Leaderin Agriculture for a young per-son who does not have pro-duction agriculture as his orher primary form of employ-ment. Visit the McLeanCounty Chamber website at{www.mcleancochamber.org}for more information.

PE O R I A — A freecalendar featuring

local photos and activitieswill be given to each personvisiting the Farm Bureau.Additional calendars are $3.

• Farm Bureau will spon-sor a Stroke Detection Plus

program Thursday, Dec. 10,at the Farm Bureau office.Four screenings are avail-able for $80. Call 877-732-8258 for an appointment ormore information.

• The citrus and nut orderdeadline is Monday (today).Florida Farm Bureauoranges, grapefruit, and tan-gelos are available in 20- and40-pound boxes. A variety ofTerri Lynn nut products areavailable in one-pound pack-ages. Delivery will beWednesday, Dec. 16, to theFarm Bureau office. Call theFarm Bureau office for moreinformation.

“From the counties” itemsare submitted by county FarmBureau managers. If you havean event or activity open to allmembers, contact your countymanager.

ADOPTED LAWMAKER TOUR

State Rep. Will Burns (D-Chicago), second from right, listens as Hamilton County Farm Bureau member andpork producer Brad Miller, left, talks about issues facing the pork industry and responsible animal care. Look-ing on are Hamilton County Farm Bureau President Kent Darnell, center, and Illinois Farm Bureau DirectorJ.C. Pool. Burns, the county Farm Bureau’s adopted legislator, also toured a grain handling facility and spokeat the county Farm Bureau annual meeting. He plans to visit with the county Farm Bureau members attend-ing the IFB annual meeting in Chicago. (Photo by Christina Nourie, IFB northeast legislative coordinator)

PROFITABILITY


Feeder pig prices reported to USDA*

Weight Range Per Head Weighted Ave. Price10 lbs. $27.20-$38.46 $35.3840 lbs. $40.00 $40.0050 lbs. n/a n/aReceipts This Week Last Week

25,366 17,987*Eastern Corn Belt prices picked up at seller’s farm

MARKET FACTS

Confirmed lamb and sheep salesThis week 950 Last week 950 Last year 599Wooled Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 2-3: 90-110 lbs, $95-$100; 110-130lbs., $92-$95. Good and Choice 1-2: 60-90 lbs., $112. Slaughter Ewes: Utility andGood 1-3: $32-$34. Cull and Utility 1-2: $32.

Lamb prices

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

This week Prev. week ChangeCarcass $49.36 $51.92 -2.56Live $36.53 $38.42 -1.89

Export inspections

(Million bushels)Week ending Soybeans Wheat Corn11-12-09 59.8 15.0 21.911-05-09 64.0 17.8 27.8Last year 42.5 18.4 30.4Season total 347.5 393.4 347.6Previous season total 274.9 570.3 335.8USDA projected total 1325 875 2100Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

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

Steers 83.34 84.32 -0.98Heifers 82.20 84.40 -2.20

USDA five-state area slaughter cattle price

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

This week Prev. week Change93.11 93.57 -0.46

CME feeder cattle index — 600-800 Lbs.

Re-energize yourself by looking to 2010BY LANCE RUPPERT

Do you enjoy roller coast-ers? Do you find them funand exciting, waiting in antici-pation for the cars to reach the

top of thesteep slope?Or do youprefer the fastaccelerationdownwardwith yourstomach inyour throat?

Or, are youlike me —

someone who never enjoyedthose rides?

Right now I don’t enjoy the

similar up and down ride theeconomy has been on. Oneyear ago I wrote about the col-lapse of the world economyand the effect it had on theagriculture industry.

It looked pretty bleak atthat point.

Well, a year has gone by andtime has a way of changingthings. Although we have a lotof factors to be cautiousabout, many indications showthat the U.S. and worldeconomies are solidifying.

We have seen a recent risein commodity prices with 2009December corn hoveringaround $4 per bushel and soy-

beans around $10 per bushel.If we look out to September2010 prices, we can see evenmore optimism in the grainmarkets.

In the end, the world’s pop-ulation will continue to growand you, the American farmer,will play a vital role. I believethis is a huge opportunity.

With fertilizer, seed, andcrop protection prices stabiliz-ing, the ability to better man-age your business should beenhanced in 2010. GenuitySmartStax corn hybrids, Genu-ity RoundUp Ready 2 Yieldsoybeans, and crop protectionproducts powered by Kixor

are the next wave in technolo-gies growers can use to growmore bushels per acre andraise the bar in agriculture.

This has been a historicallytough year for agriculture, butfarmers are optimistic bynature. Deep down, webelieve that next spring ourcrops will be planted and upby mid-May, the rain will comein July at just the right time,and a bountiful harvest will begathered in the fall.

Re-energize yourself withthe challenge of growing 10percent more bushels in 2010.With better genetics, seedtreatments, crop protection,

plant health, fertility, precisionfarming, and the knowledge toformulate a plan to find newsynergies, the opportunity togrow more bushels on thesame acre has never been soattainable.

The tools and opportunitiesare out there to grow more,make more, and enjoy lifemore. Search them out, putthem into action, and putsome fun and excitement backinto your farming business.

Lance Ruppert is GROW-MARK’s crop protection marketingmanager. His e-mail address [email protected].

Lance Ruppert

Economist: Uptick in pork exports ‘encouraging’BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

A recent surge in porkexports is “encouraging,”according to Ron Plain, ageconomist at the University ofMissouri.

But producers still have along way to go before theyreturn to profitability, theeconomist told FarmWeek.

September “was the firstpositive month on exportssince (last spring),” Plain said.“That is encouraging.”

The U.S. in Septemberexported more pork (339.5million pounds) than any othermonth since April whenH1N1 first made international

headlines, the U.S. MeatExport Federation (USMEF)reported.

H1N1, which originally wasmislabeled “swine flu,” last

spring quicklyturned a bull-ish hog mar-ket into abearish one.The NationalPork Produc-ers Councilestimated theamount ofadditional

revenue the H1N1 fiasco willcost the pork industry thisyear could total as much as$1.2 billion.

“I find it difficult to beoptimistic,” said Plain, whoprojected losses will continuein the pork industry until nextApril or May. “There is a lot ofred ink still in front of porkproducers” due to high inputcosts and weakened demandfor meat.

Countries that recentlyincreased pork purchasesinclude Mexico (whichbought 37 percent more porkin September compared tothe same time last year), thevalue of U.S. exports toJapan increased 3 percent,and September pork exportsto Canada set a new monthlyvolume record (38.9 million

pounds), USMEF reported.“We actually exported more

pork in September than we dida year ago,” Plain said. “That’sgood news.”

However, U.S. pork exportsfrom January through Septem-ber still trail last year’s recordpace by 11 percent in volumeand 12 percent in value.

Meanwhile, Plain predictedcorn futures in comingmonths could move higher,which could increase feedcosts, while meat demandcould remain soft due to therecession.

“The rest of the meatindustry is in the same boat.They (livestock producers) are

all downsizing, so that willhelp a little bit,” Plain said.“But it’s tough to downsizemeat production fast enoughwhen you’re facing higher pro-duction costs and when we’rein a recession and demand issoft.”

U.S. beef exports in Sep-tember were down 25 percentin volume and 34 percent invalue compared to the sametime a year ago.

An increase in beefexports this year to Japan,Taiwan, and Hong Kong havebeen offset by declines inshipments to Mexico, Canada,and Russia, according toUSMEF.

Ron Plain

BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

As Illinois growers press to complete har-vest before a key Dec. 10 crop insurancedeadline, Illinois Farm Bureau is pushing toextend the 2009 spring crop insurance peri-od, and producers are urged to call theiragent before the federal clock runs out.

In a letter last week to USDA Risk Man-agement Agency (RMA) Administrator

William Mur-phy, IFB Presi-dent PhilipNelson reiter-ated that Illi-nois harvestprogress in Illi-

nois is “substan-tially behind normal” and roughly threeweeks away from RMA’s End of InsurancePeriod (EOIP).

Without a blanket extension of the EOIP,Nelson warned, “there could certainly benumerous cases of producers not filing thenecessary claim forms in time because theywere unaware they needed to.”

“It now appears many regions of Illinoiswill have significant amounts of cropsremaining in the field well after that date,”Nelson wrote.

“Due to this, we would like to requestan extension of the EOIP date on behalfof the Illinois Farm Bureau and the

73,000 farm families it represents.“We understand that with a pre-existing

peril such as wet harvest conditions, pro-ducers can extend coverage by notifyingtheir agent/adjustor and having a claimfiled. We appreciate the delayed harvest-wet conditions fact sheet RMA has pub-lished clarifying this point (available at{www.rma.usda.gov}).

“However, it is our impression that thevast majority of farmers are unaware of thisquickly approaching deadline.”

Meanwhile, IFB risk management spe-cialist Doug Yoder reminded harvest-delayed producers to submit any notice ofloss with their agent prior to Dec. 10 ifthey have not done so and request addi-tional time to harvest in order to protectcoverage.

Insurers may allow additional time to har-vest once a claim is filed if a) a producerprovides timely notice of loss to his agentand b) it can be determined that the delaywas due to or harvest was not possiblebecause of an insured cause of loss, or c)was not due to an uninsured cause of lossor because the producer simply did not havesufficient equipment or manpower to har-vest covered crops.

Revenue-based policies provide coveragefor loss of quality (review crop provisionsfor specifics), reduced yields, and revenuelosses (if chosen).

IFB seeks extension of insurance period

FarmWeekNow.com

Tips on what to do on yourfarm with the Dec. 10 dead-line approaching are avail-able at FarmWeekNow.com.

PROFITABILITY


AgriVisor Hotline Number

309-557-2274

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Policies issued by COUNTRYMutual Insurance Company®,

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

CASH STRATEGISTCorn Strategy

�2009 crop: Prices haveshifted into a sideways-to-higher trend. Use rallies tomake sales, even for harvestdelivery. It may not pay tostore corn commercially giventhe minimum upside potentialand the cost of storage. IfMarch futures rally to $4.35,boost sales to 50 percent.Check the Cash Strategist Hot-line frequently for changes aswe might increase sales evenmore. For farm-stored corn,the large futures carry makeshedge-to-arrive contracts forwinter/spring delivery attrac-tive. Because of qualityissues, be careful storing cornbeyond winter this year.

�2010 crop: We are con-sidering initiating sales ifDecember 2010 futures moveabove $4.50.

�Fundamentals: Harvestwas limited last week withanother wet pattern stallingover the Corn Belt. The slowpace of harvest could boostharvest losses, reducing yields.Quality issues may be erodingdemand potential.Soybean Strategy

�2009 crop: Soybeanprices continue to push higherbehind commodity buyingfrom the investment commu-nity. Use a rally to $10.80 onJanuary futures to boost salesto 50 percent. We mayincrease sales to 65 to 75 per-cent in the next one to twomonths. Check the CashStrategist Hotline frequently aswe could change recommen-dations at any time.

�2010 crop: Plan to beginnew-crop sales soon. Checkthe Cash Strategist Hotline occa-sionally for a recommenda-tion.

�Fundamentals: Withharvest now in its final stages,demand has become the keyfundamental driver. Still, the11 percent yet to be harvestedis the equivalent of 360 mil-lion bushels, more than the270 million projected endingstocks. That’s not to beignored. The demand pace istorrid. A total of 198 millionbushels have been inspectedfor export the last threeweeks. According to theNational Oilseed Processors,

155.2 million bushels werecrushed in October, 14 mil-lion more than expected. Wheat Strategy

�2009 crop: Wheatsurged to a five-month highon the influx of outside buy-ing. Momentum has tem-porarily stalled, but we expectprices to push higher follow-ing a modest setback. Howev-er, strength could be short-lived. Use Chicago Decemberfutures prices above $5.50 forcatch up sales. Use a rally to$5.75 on December to make a25 percent sale, bringing your

total to 80 percent.�2010 crop: If Chicago

July futures rally to $6.35,make an initial 25 percent sale.

�Fundamentals: Weeklyexport sales continue to bemoderately disappointing,with only 362,400 metric tons(13.3 million bushels) reportedlast week. Still, the numberwas slightly encouraging con-sidering the recent strength inU.S. prices. World buyers con-tinue buying wheat from othersellers at the higher levels, too.But Asian buyers are startingto halt their purchasing.

While the strength grainmarkets have enjoyed the lastcouple of months has offeredimproved marketing opportu-nities for the crops you areharvesting, that same strengthcould be sowing the seeds oflower prices in the long term.

Historically, harvest or earlypost-harvest rallies have beenimportant marketing opportu-nities. Recent exceptions mighthave been in 2006 and 2007when there was a broad, gener-al trend toward higher prices incommodities. But, that trendculminated with the 2008 highs.

Traditionally, strength at thebeginning of a marketing yeartends to undermine demand,causing ending stocks expecta-tions to rise over time, under-mining prices as the marketingyear progresses. This year’sharvest issues and associatedquality problems might deter

Basis charts

world interest in U.S. grains,further deteriorate demand,and weaken prices a little more.

Fundamentally, the trade hasa bearish attitude toward wheatand a mildly negative one forcorn. If the South Americancrops end up as good as earlyforecasts, fundamentals in theoilseed complex will take on amore negative tilt as well.

Current price strength islargely tied to inflationary fearsand the related buying of grainfutures by the investment com-munity. If something changesthat aspect of the markets,fundamentals could start toexert a more downward pull.

The possibility of seeingearly marketing year peaks fitswith the timing of long-termprice cycles in grain and otherkey commodity markets.

The accompanying graphicindicates corn, soybeans, andcrude oil have major lows duenear the end of 2010. The three-year cycle in the ContinuousCommodity Index isn’t due untilthe end of 2011, but because thelast two bottomed later than nor-mal, the odds favor this one bot-toming early. We’ve projected abottom in mid-2011, but it couldbottom a little sooner.

The important thing to takeaway from the picture is thepotential marketing opportunitybeing offered. It may be impor-tant not only to sell 2009 cropsaggressively in the next one tothree months, but 2010 crops aswell. The trick is identifyingwhen the major trend is turningdown. Given that wheat has themost negative fundamentals ofthe three grains, it may offer thefirst clue that the trend could beturning down again.

Cents per bu.

Marketing opportunities appear on the horizon

PERSPECTIVES


Challenges biotechviews of columnist Editor:

Jim McCarthy states thatagricultural biotechnology is“an absolutely essential toolif we’re to achieve food secu-rity in the 21st Century”(Perspective, FarmWeek,Nov. 9, 2009).

I disagree because themore that this “tool” is usedworldwide, the greater will bethe loss of the natural genet-ic diversity in the world’sorganisms (domestic andwild). Preserving this diversi-ty is essential for food securi-ty.

Mr. McCarthy also statesthat “A bullheaded refusal totake advantage of biotech-nology is probably the veryworst practice around.” Tothe contrary, the continuedor increased use of industrialagriculture, which is highlydependent on fossil energyfor fertilizer and pesticides,and, therefore, is not sustain-able, ranks high on my list ofvery worst practices.

Mr. McCarthy claims that“Europe must ... use its influ-ence, especially in Africa, toencourage biotechnology.”Again, I disagree.

There is another set ofsuccessful farming practices,which do not use biotechnol-ogy and other industrial agri-cultural practices, but whichdo respect local cultural andagricultural historical wisdomand traditions, and which doembrace sustainable, soil fer-tility-building farmingapproaches throughout theworld, including Africa. See,for example, reports fromthe organization Food First.

Finally, for whoever wrotethe headline for this column,“Farmers are feeding theworld ... ,” I have read manyreports to the contrary.

One example is an Associ-ated Press article in the Nov.12, 2009, issue of The Panta-graph, which takes note of anew report by UNICEFreleased before an interna-tional summit on the prob-lem of world hunger.

The Associated Pressnotes that nearly 200 millionchildren under 5 in fourcountries have stuntedgrowth because of insuffi-cient nutrition and that 1 bil-lion people in the world arehungry.

I think that sustainable,not industrial, agriculture ismore likely to solve theseproblems. HERMAN BROCKMAN,Congerville

Letter to the editor

The poet Karl Shapirobegan his poem “The Fly”with the line: “Oh hideous lit-tle bat, the size of snot.”Shapiro, like most people, con-siders the fly to be a despicableorganism.

Shapiro’s poem is about thehouse fly, an insect that has

been a com-panion ofunwillinghumans fromat least thebeginning ofrecorded time.Even the scien-tific name ofthe housefly,Musca domesti-ca, suggests aclose associa-

tion of the insect withhumans.

To be sure, there are fliesother than the house fly. Fliesare classified in the scientificorder Diptera, a word that lit-erally means two wings.

There are more than 15,000named species of Dipterafound in North America, sothere are a lot of flies in theworld.

The most widely dispersedand the best known is thehouse fly.

The house fly neither bitesnor stings, so what is it about

this insect that elicits such dis-dain among humans? The pre-dominant reason seems to bethat the house fly can be calleda filth fly.

That term has been used todescribe fly species that areassociated with waste material,such as sewage and garbage, orwith rotting plant material, ani-mal manure, and dead animals.

House flies hang arounddecaying stuff in order todeposit eggs on material thatwill be good food for theirmaggots. That in itself is not abad thing.

After all, fly maggots arepart of nature’s recycling crew.However, house flies travelsome distance from theirbreeding sites and that oftenresults in conflict withhumans.

Humans are not happyabout sharing their abode withan insect that has been walkingaround on a dead animal or onraw sewage.

The reason for all of thiswalking around is that thehouse fly tastes with its feet.So when the fly stomps overour mashed potatoes andgravy, it is searching for a meal.

Of course, most peoplehave come to recognize thatflies are not at all selectiveabout the type of material on

which they walk. That meansthat the house fly is capable ofpicking up disease organismson its feet and transmittingthem from one area to anoth-er.

Consequently, the house flyhas been shown to be able tocarry germs that cause a num-ber of human diseases, includ-ing typhoid, cholera, dysentery,tuberculosis, and anthrax.

As if being a vector of dis-ease organisms is not badenough, the house fly addsinsult to injury by being a nui-sance pest — flying aroundand crawling on people andthings.

But to most people, themost disgusting thing that thefly does is vomit on its food.The house fly has spongingmouthparts and has to predi-gest solid food before it caningest it. So the insect spitsdigestive juices on potentialfood before sopping it up.

Having a fly spit in our foodis insult enough, but to bereminded that the insect mighthave been walking around onsomething like garbage,sewage, or a dead animalbefore taking a hike on ourfood sort of seals the deal ofwhy we hate house flies. Con-sequently, we try to avoid con-tact with them.

Back in the Middle Ages,humans took note of the factthat some animals, such ashorses, had built-in fly swat-ters. So we took hair from thetail of a horse, or used somesuitable substitute material,attached it to a stick and calledthe device a fly whisk.

We used fly whisks to keepflies from landing on our food,and we developed swatters toinflict lethal physical damageto flies that would dare comewithin reach.

Physical barriers such aswindow screens wereemployed to keep flies out ofour places. And, of course, inmodern times we concoctedchemicals to spray on theoffending insects.

I have an old fly swatter thatis constructed of windowscreen attached to a stick. It isnot just a fly swatter but alsoan advertising device.

On the handle it says: “Foryour health’s sake, swat the flyand buy Dr. Lynas’ Products.”I don’t know who Dr. Lynaswas, but he certainly wasexploiting human hate of fliesin his advertising.

Tom Turpin is a professor of ento-mology at Purdue University, WestLafayette, Ind. His e-mail addressis [email protected].

TOMTURPIN

No love lost in the history of human-fly relationship

The 2009 season has been both differentand difficult. Corn and soybean plantingswere dramatically later than normal and, asmay be easily seen driving around the state,harvesting is well behind normal.

Remember the incessant rain this spring?Looking back to May 17, when more than 90percent of the corn crop is normally planted,this year only 20 percent was planted.

The weather delays farmers experiencedduring planting have contin-ued and are now affecting har-vest. On Nov. 9, 31 percent ofthe corn in Illinois was har-vested. Last year, by the endof the first week of Novem-ber, 78 percent of the cornwas out of the field. The five-year average is 92percent harvested.

To find a corn harvest as late as this year’s, youneed to go back to 1967 and then back to 1946.By the end of the first week in November, 20

percent of the 1967 crop was harvested. The crop was not con-sidered fully harvested until February 1968.

There is a lot of corn yet to be harvested this year. So whathappens to the corn that is still standing in the field?

Some researchers from Ohio State University attempted toanswer this question. There is some good news and some badnews in their research.

Here are some of the consequences of a later-harvested corncrop:

• 90 percent of the yield loss takes place after mid-Novem-ber, and current reports are of pretty good yields, despite all of

the adverse conditions.• The research indicates farmers should not expect much fur-

ther drying of the corn crop after mid-November.• Although not quantified, harvest delays appear to lead to

increased damage from wildlife.• Simply delaying harvest does not really affect grain quality,

so the price effect of delayed-harvested grain could be limited.All and all, there will be a corn crop this year, even if the har-

vest is delayed still further. Farmers are fully aware there is noth-ing they can do about the weather. They complain when it isbad. When it is good, they smile but worry when it will becomebad.

Farmers adjust when they can and work really long hourswhen they must.

William Bailey is director of Western Illinois University’s school of agri-culture in Macomb. His e-mail address is [email protected].

WILLIAMBAILEY

Mike Meridith, in truck, and his son, Wes, talk as they wait to unload corn at the FS facility atMcLean. Before the rains came, farmers were lined up outside the facility as early as 6 a.m.Some elevators had stopped accepting corn by mid-morning as they attempted to catch upwith drying a wet crop. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

Better late than never

farmweek november 23 2009

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