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Monday, October 31, 2011 Two sections Volume 39, No. 44

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

cOmmunity cOLLEgEstudents who perhaps would ben-efit most from high-speed Inter-net in many cases have the leastaccess to it. ....................................8

u.S . REp. JOhn Sh imkusvowed last week to move aheadwith measures preventing EPAfrom regulating larger “coarse par-ticulates” (dust). ..............................4

A LASALLE cOunty cou-ple is doing its part to grow thelivestock industry, going from a100-sow operation to two facilitiesthat will hold 2,400 head each. .....2

OFF TO A GOOD START AFBF economist rejectsprogram ‘means testing’BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

American Farm BureauFederation Chief EconomistBob Young rejects the Senate’snotion of applying an income“means test” to commodityprograms.

As ag lawmakers await acongressional“super com-mittee’s” reac-tion to a pro-posed $23 bil-lion, 10-yearag spendingcut, the Senatehas approvedproposals toeliminate farm

subsidies for those with annualadjusted gross incomes (AGI)over $1 million.

Currently, program incomeeligibility is capped at $2.5 mil-lion AGI — gross incomefrom taxable sources minusallowable tax deductions. Sens.Dick Durbin, a SpringfieldDemocrat, and Mark Kirk, aHighland Park Republican,were among the 84 senatorssupporting a $1 million cap.

Non-deductible produc-tion costs are not factoredinto AGI, and thus IllinoisFarm Bureau economist MikeDoherty stressed current highcorn and soybean prices andthe incomes they produce“don’t tell the whole story.”

Young questions the justifi-cation for applying incomecriteria essentially to foodproduction incentives.

“Our position is thatthese are commodity pro-grams, not social welfareprograms, and so theyshouldn’t be means-tested,”Young told FarmWeek.“They provide some riskprotection to producers sothey can keep producing acrop each spring.”

House and Senate agcommittees recently deviseda schedule of proposed cuts

for the 12-member supercommittee. House Ag Com-mittee Chairman FrankLucas (R-Okla.) last weekrelated efforts to “turn thatinto real policy” for submis-sion ideally this week.

The super committee ischarged with drafting adeficit-reduction plan byThanksgiving. Lucas suggested directpayments are “in grave dan-ger of going away.” In theirabsence, he argued, “obvi-ously, you have to strength-en crop insurance” anddevise some form of “rev-enue insurance” programthat’s “equitable” for allcommodities and regions.

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsackechoed that sentiment duringa visit to John Deere’s Anke-ny, Iowa, plant.

Vilsack maintained thefarm safety net “needs towork for row crop farmers inIowa and specialty cropfarmers in upstate New Yorkand cattle ranchers in Texas.”

The next farm bill musthelp producers affected bynatural disasters, simplifyfarm programs, continueconservation programs, andincrease funding for agresearch, he said.

The Ag Committee’s pro-posed $6.5 billion, 10 per-cent reduction in long-termconservation spending hasdrawn fire from environmen-tal groups and sparked acounterproposal for a con-solidated “performance-based” conservation programsponsored by Rep. Earl Blu-menauer (D-Ore.) with sup-port from the EnvironmentalWorking Group and Defend-ers of Wildlife.

“I sincerely hope we donot use research as a place oflooking for reductions,” Vil-sack added last week.

Farmers, such as this worker on the farm of Doug and Randy Fornoff near Havana, have gotten agood jump on fall tillage and other fieldwork due to a timely harvest and near-ideal conditions, withthe exception of some recent scattered rains. Harvest in the state as of the first of last week was 79 per-cent complete for corn (16 percent ahead of the five-year average pace) and 84 percent complete forsoybeans (10 percent ahead of average). Wheat planting (74 percent complete) also was slightlyahead of the average pace as of the first of last week. (Photo by Cyndi Cook).

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Iroquois County farmerBob Tammen had one acre ofsoybeans left to combine andwas starting fall fieldwork lastweek. Farming — not new fed-eral safety requirements ortransportation rules — was

foremost on his mind, but thatwasn’t the case in August.

Tammen and 60-some otherIllinois farmers were stymied

then by newinterpreta-tions ofmotor carriersafety rules.

In Tam-men’s case, hewonderedhow he wouldhaul grainfrom his Dan-

forth fields after the interpre-tations resulted in his failure topass a government new-entrant audit and caused theloss of required U.S. Depart-ment of Transportation(USDOT) numbers for hisequipment.

Illinois Farm Bureau raisedconcerns about the problemswith U.S. Transportation Sec-retary Ray LaHood and thestate’s congressional delega-tion. IFB submitted com-ments, supplied background

information, and organized anAugust tour of Illinois farmsand ag facilities for federaltransportation officials.

That tour and conversationswith farmers and agribusiness-men provided learning oppor-tunities for Anne Ferro, Feder-al Motor Carrier SafetyAdministration (FMCSA)administrator, and several ofher staff, including Steve Mat-tioli, FMCSA’s Illinois adminis-trator who is based in Spring-field.

“We (FMCSA) moved on it(the issue) fast — and IDOT(Illinois Department of Trans-portation) did, too — reallydedicated a lot of resources”to addressing the situation,Mattioli told FarmWeek.

The two agencies addressedthe issues of farmers withcrop-share leases being consid-ered “for-hire carriers” and oftrucking regulations beingapplied to implements of hus-

Bob Young

RESOLVED: IFB, agencies’ efforts put Illinois farmers back on the road

Steve Mattioli

See Resolved, page 3

CAN DO — John Deere is attempting a world record atconstructing a full-sized sculpture of its new S-Series combinefrom more than 300,000 cans of food at the John Deere Pavil-ion in downtown Moline.

According to Deere spokesman Nicole Schneider, the “CanDo” sculpture/food donation program is designed to raiseawareness of the vital role farmers play in producing safe,healthy, and abundant food for a growing world populationwhile supplying much-needed food to a local food bank dur-ing the holiday season.

The 300,000-plus cans needed to complete the sculpture arebeing donated by John Deere with delivery by Hy-Vee FoodStores. When complete, the sculpture will be 60 feet wide, 80feet long, and 16 feet tall. It will weigh nearly 170 tons.

The sculpture will be on display at the John Deere Pavilionfrom mid-November to mid-December. All food will bedonated to the River Bend Foodbank when it is dismantled.

Consumers also can help the project by “virtually” creatingcans of food. To participate, go to the Deere Facebook page{www.facebook.com/johndeere} to submit a name and phototo be wrapped around a “virtual personalized food can” aspart of a digital virtual sculpture.

SIMON TEACHES PUMPKIN LESSON — Lt. Gov.Sheila Simon team taught Carbondale third graders aboutpumpkins and the importance of agriculture in the state lastweek. Her visit to Giant City Elementary School was part ofthe Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom program. Illinoisleads the nation in pumpkin production.

The lieutenant governor then discussed the challenges inrecruiting and retaining trained personnel and other issues fac-ing rural emergency service providers with Jackson CountyAmbulance Service staff. Simon also toured the county’sambulance facility.

As the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council chairman, Simonhas worked to expand offerings of locally grown food inschools and is creating a subcommittee to focus on barriers inproviding rural residents with adequate emergency medicalservices.

BIOBASED INITIATIVE — U.S. Senate Ag CommitteeChairman Deb Stabenow (D-Mich.) last week announcedintroduction of her “Grow it Here, Make it Here” initiative toadvance the emerging biobased manufacturing industry. Theproposal would provide a 30 percent tax cut for new, expand-ed, or re-equipped bio-manufacturing projects.

Stabenow announced the measure at Michigan’s ZeelandFarm Services, a family owned and operated business promot-ing research of 100 percent biodegradable soy-based products.

Earlier this year, Stabenow convened an ag committee hear-ing to examine the job potential of biobased manufacturing.

The American Soybean Association (ASA) was key inexpanding the 2008 farm bill’s Biobased Markets Program andhas worked with USDA on program improvements and devel-opment of a biobased label. Expansion of the Biobased Mar-kets Program is a top priority for ASA in the next farm bill.

Biobased products represent an estimated 4 percent of thecurrent market for the plastic and chemical industries.

FarmWeek Monday, October 31, 2011

(ISSN0197-6680)

Vol. 39 No. 44 October 31, 2011

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

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Quick takeslivestock

Contract opportunity boonto family’s hog businessBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Hagenbuch Family Farms in Utica (LaSalleCounty) has been family ownedand operated since 1938.

But current operators, Johnand Kate Hagenbuch, knew itwas time to update their porkproduction business to remaincompetitive in the highly volatilehog industry.

“We’ve had a 100-sow, far-row-to-finish operation since I’ve been involvedthe last 10 years,” John Hagenbuch toldFarmWeek. “It was time to update or go a dif-ferent route.”

The Hagenbuchs decided to go a differentdirection, yet remain in the hog business, by

specializing inone phase ofthe pork pro-duction cyclevia contractproduction.

Last week theHagenbuchs, who are members of the LaSalleCounty Farm Bureau, Illinois Pork ProducersAssociation (IPPA), and Illinois Soybean Asso-ciation, opened two new 2,400 head, grow-to-finish swine buildings in rural Utica just northof Interstate 80.

The state-of-the-art facilities will housebreeding stock gilts through a contract with Illi-ni Farms of Kingston in DeKalb County. Thegilts will be distributed to a number of sowfarms across the region once they reach about275 pounds.

“We wouldn’t be doing this without a con-

tract producer,” Hagenbuch said about thearrangement with Illini Farms. “They’re a verygood family farm.”

Expansion of the hog opera-tion not only will increase theHagenbuch’s profit potential inpork production, but it also willprovide a commodity for theircropping operation in the formof manure/fertilizer.

They partnered with theircousins at Sundberg Farms to

use the manure as a key source of nitrogen forcrops.

“It’s a very sustainable cycle, and it makessense,” said Tim Maiers, director of public rela-tions for IPPA. “Raise the pigs here (where feedis readily available) and use the manure to fertil-ize the rich farmland.”

Illinois is the fourth-largest pork-producingstate in the nation, but the number of farms hasdwindled over the years. Illinois in 1996 hadabout 8,800 hogs farms, but in recent years thattotal dipped below 3,000.

“In Illinois in the last 10 years we’ve lostabout $200 million because of the loss oflivestock,” said Monty Whipple, president ofthe LaSalle County Farm Bureau. “FarmBureau for a long time has supportedrebuilding the industry” to generate moreeconomic activity in the state and maintain akey market for local crops.

The Hagenbuchs also are building a sisterfacility at another location. They eventually willhave 9,600 total spaces for hogs in their opera-tion.

“We’re proud to carry on the tradition,” KateHagenbuch said.

FarmWeekNow.com

Check out our photo gallery ofthe Hagenbuch open house atFarmWeekNow.com.

John Hagenbuch demonstrates the environmental control system of a new grow-to-finish swine building inLaSalle County as his wife, Kate, looks on. The system controls and monitors the feed system, temperature inthe building, water, fans, and curtains. It can be controlled by the Hagenbuchs off-site on their computer orsmart phone, and the system sends out alarms when one of the controls requires attention. (Photo by DanielGrant)

Government

Monday, October 31, 2011 FarmWeek

Danforth farmer Bob Tammen, right, explains how he uses his grain wagon during harvest to Federal MotorCarrier Safety Administration Administrator Anne Ferro, second from left, and her staff during an Augustfarm tour. Information gained during the tour helped transportation agencies resolve regulatory issues forTammen and other Illinois farmers. (FarmWeek file photo)

Continued from page 1bandry. “As far as we’re (FMC-SA) concerned, we’ve got itfixed,” Mattioli said of the twoissues.

Recently, IFB PresidentPhilip Nelson and Ferro metto continue discussions abouttransportation regulations thatimpact farmers.

With assistance from FMC-SA and IDOT, Tammen’sUSDOT numbers were rein-stated. “I’m able to keep

going,” he said.Mattioli said federal and

state transportation officialshope they have resolved theproblems for the Illinois farm-ers who failed the new-entrantaudits due to FMCSA interpre-tations. Mattioli recommendedany farmers who think theystill have a problem to contactKevin Rund, IFB senior direc-tor of local government.

Both Mattioli and Tammen,who hosted the FMCSA offi-

cials on his farm, reflected onthe unusual farm tour.

“That was a very good deal.Those people were willing tolisten,” Tammen said.

Mattioli agreed: “It was avery worthwhile experience,and the administrator has saidso too. It helped me immense-ly as a regulator. Even todaywhen I see one of those(implements of husbandry) onthe road, I’ll say, ‘I know whatthat is.’”

Lawmakers take up new, old issues in early veto session

State Supreme Court rules lawmakers may take fees for emergencies, other uses

The Illinois Supreme Court last week upheld the GeneralAssembly’s practice of transferring special fees into the state’sgeneral fund coffers. The ruling raises a question of what mayhappen to fees and assessments collected in Illinois for specialpurposes, including ag-related ones.

The decision centered on a 2006 case by A.B.A.T.E., a non-profit motorcycle organization, and one of its members, chal-lenging the legislature’s transferring money from a motorcyclefund that came from a portion of motorcycle registration fees.The fund paid for motorcycle safety training programs.

In 1992, the legislature began authorizing transfer of moneyfrom the motorcycle fund and numerous others into the gener-al revenue fund. In 2004, the legislature amended state law tospecifically authorize the governor to transfer such funds heldby the treasurer.

The justices rejected A.B.A.T.E.’s argument that the motor-cycle funds should not be used for state budget emergenciesand it was unconstitutional for the state to take the funds,which were private.

The justices wrote they found no evidence that the motor-cycle funds were private, and that General Assemblies cantransfer the funds without changing the legislation that author-ized the fee collection.

“One General Assembly cannot control the actions of asubsequent elected body,” the justices wrote. “It has long beenrecognized that the legislature has the authority to ordermonies collected in one fund to be transferred to a differentfund.”

Kevin Semlow, Illinois Farm Bureau director of state legis-lation, noted that many ag funds have been swept over the pastseven years, and that IFB has policy opposing fund sweeps.

“There have been numerous attempts on several issues toplace clauses in law to prevent funds from being swept,” Sem-low noted. — Kay Shipman

Valley), used a procedure thatwill allow him another chanceto pass the legislation.

Also resurfacing in theSenate was an attempt in theSenate to establish higherelectric rates to create a clean-coal plant in Christian Coun-ty.

The project, known as theTaylorville Energy Center(TEC), is backed by TenaskaEnergy of Nebraska.

IFB opposes the legislation

that would directly increasefarmers’ costs through higherelectric rates and indirectlyraise their other expensesbecause grain companies andprocessers, farm suppliers,and other agribusinesseswould pay higher energy bills.

The bill failed in the Senatelast week, but Senate Presi-dent John Cullerton (D-Chica-go) also used a procedure thatwould allow him anotherattempt to pass the legislation.

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Money issues again were acommon thread last week dur-ing the first of the two-weekveto session.

“Some days it feels as if theGeneral Assembly is on anissues merry-go-round. Allthe issues just keep swirlingaround,” said Kevin Semlow,Illinois Farm Bureau direc-tor of state legislation.

One new moneyissue centeredaround corporateincome taxbreaks forCME GroupInc., the par-ent companyof the Chica-go MercantileExchange andthe Chicago Board of Trade.

The Senate Executive Com-mittee passed amendmentsthat would reduce the compa-ny’s state tax burden by taxing100 percent of the incomefrom open outcry trades madeon the trading floors in Chica-go, but only 27.54 percent ofthe income from electronictrades.

After the General Assemblyraised the income tax rate in

the spring session, the CMEGroup began discussing thepossibility of leaving Illinois,said Bill Bodine, IFB associatedirector of state legislation.The increase cost the group anestimated $50 million in high-er taxes.

The Senate likely willconsider the amendmentsduring the second week ofveto session, according to

Bodine.One money issue

that remains inlimbo is expan-sion of the

state’s gamingsystem after

the bill washeld in theSenate via a

proceduralrule. The expansion added fivenew casinos, authorized slotmachines at race tracks,expanded existing casinos, andallowed off-track betting onthe Illinois State Fairgroundsand other locations.

After Gov. Pat Quinn offi-cially announced his plans toveto the gaming bill shortlybefore the veto session started,legislative leaders created newlegislation that appears toaddress the governor’s con-

cerns, according to Semlow.“There is widespread belief

that the new legislation isdesigned to make the billextremely difficult, if notimpossible, to pass,” Semlowsaid. “Since the introduction ofthe new legislation, the gover-nor and Senate leaders againare meeting to discuss theissue.”

Another funding hold-overissue was the salaries of theregional superintendents. In aline-item veto, Quinn eliminat-ed $11.3 million in general rev-enue funds for the regionalsuperintendents.

Last week, the Senate andthe House did not attempt tooverride the budget line itemor reduction vetoes.

“Those appropriations thatwere reduced or eliminated willstand for now,” Semlowexplained.

Last Thursday, House sup-porters failed to gain enoughvotes to pass legislation thatwould have paid the regionalsuperintendents and theirassistants with money from thelocal Corporate Personal Prop-erty Replacement Tax, which isprovided to local governments.

However, the bill’s sponsor,Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring

Resolved

government


Shimkus: Biofuels can compete in ‘open fuel’ marketBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

To some, NASCAR aceKenny Wallace may haveseemed odd man out at lastweek’s Washington EnergySecurity Roundtable.

To others, Wallace’s presencemay have symbolized the ethanolindustry’s commitment to stay inthe race amid anticipated loss offederal biofuels incentives andpotentially rising industry costmargins (see page 10).

House Energy and Com-merce member John Shimkus, aCollinsville Republican, seesethanol as a key player under hisbipartisan Open Fuel StandardAct — the focus of last week’sroundtable sponsored by theHouse Open Fuel Coalition.

The bill would require that

refineries and growers com-pete given that head start? Ithink they can.”

While his industry faces achallenging “transition,”Renewable Fuels AssociationChairman Chuck Woodsidesaid he was “confident we cancompete with gasoline withoutthe tax credit.”

Meanwhile, a new USDAreport affirms ethanol’s grow-ing economic efficiency, con-cluding nearly 40 percent ofcorn used for fuel returns tothe feed supply via distillersdried grains (DDGs), with ametric ton of DDGS on aver-age replacing 1.22 metric tonsof corn and soybean meal.

Wallace told lawmakersethanol is “safe, we use it inNASCAR, and there’s no rea-son we can’t use more of it inour vehicles.”

Shimkus hopes “open fuel”

supporters can kick-start anenergy dialogue that has stalledamid deficit debate. The broadnature of Shimkus’ open fuelproposal raises hopes for politi-cal consensus on energy issues— while some New Englandand Middle Atlantic marketshave resisted ethanol adoption,the Open Fuel Standard hasbacking from East Coast law-makers including co-sponsorRep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.).

Shimkus notes a currentHouse environment that balksat new federal mandates, andexpects some skepticism over aplan that places the auto indus-try under “open fuel” deadlines.

“Right now, we’re mandatedbased on a lack of choice to usegasoline from crude oil,” henonetheless countered. “Wehave a mandate already. Wewant to open up the free, com-petitive market.”

by 2017 95percent ofnew cars bewarranted tooperate on“non-petrole-um” fuels orfuel blends.The standard,which wouldkick in with a50 percent

new car requirement in 2014,would encourage use ofethanol, biodiesel, natural gasor other fossil-fuel-derivedenergy sources, hydrogen, plug-in electricity, or fuel cells.

Shimkus anticipates elimina-tion of the 45-cent-per-gallonfederal ethanol fuel blendersexcise tax credit with its expira-tion on Dec. 31. But he argued

research even into cellulosic bio-fuels production is “much furtheradvanced” than development ofother “new” liquid fuel sources.

“My ethanol friends are justgoing to have to tighten their beltsand be in competition with otherbasic commodity products,” hetold FarmWeek. “That could becoal, it could be methanol, it couldbe oil sands crude, it could beSouthern Illinois crude oil, itcould be natural gas.

“We shouldn’t care aboutwhat the commodity productis. We should care about hav-ing a standard by which anyproduct can compete for con-sumer purchase at the pump.And what’s the only sectorprepared to take advantage ofthis standard? The corn-basedethanol sector. Can ethanol

Rep. JohnShimkus

Lawmakers holding firmagainst pesticide, dust regs

As lawmakers seek a stay in new pesticide permit requirementsset to kick in this week, an Illinois congressman emphasized theneed to hold the line against potential farm dust regulation.

Last week, ag interests were hoping for an agreement thatwould break Senate Environment Chairman Barbara Boxer’s(D-Calif.) lock on a bill that would block National PollutantDischarge Elimination System (NPDES) pesticide permits.

Barring legislative intervention, the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) starting Tuesday will require permitsfor applications on or near water. Farmers fear EPA couldexpand requirements to strictly land-based applications.

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) has championed House-passedlegislation that would amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungi-cide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Clean Water Act(CWA) to clarify that permits are not needed when a pesticideis applied in accordance with its FIFRA-approved label.

Boxer has blocked a vote on the measure, but senators report-edly were discussing a bipartisan agreement that instead mightallow action on a proposed two-year delay in NPDES permits.

Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association President JeanPayne said the ag industry “continues to work diligently at allpossibilities including with Congress, with EPA, and with theindividual state agencies to delay the Oct. 31 compliance date.”

“I think the Senate was very close to having 70 votes for(Roberts’) bill, and they still couldn’t get it voted on,” Payne said.“I think that’s why there’s so much willingness to look at a delay.”

Even if EPA issues permit guidelines next week, the indus-try plans to continue to seek a retroactive hold on permits.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, a Collinsville Republi-can, insisted last week “we’re going to” move ahead withmeasures aimed at staying EPA’s hand in regulating larger“coarse particulates” (dust).

Legislation sponsored by Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) wouldprohibit EPA from revising particulate standards for at least ayear and exempt dust caused by “normal” rural activities.

That’s despite EPA assurances it will not seek to impose newdust regulations. In House Energy and Commerce Committeetestimony, EPA Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy saidthere were no plans for new rules “as of now,” Shimkus noted.

“What does ‘as of now’ mean?” he asked when interviewedby FarmWeek. “What about tomorrow? Agricultural dust isdifferent from ‘urban dust’ — different components, differentissues, different concerns. I can understand where dust mightbe an issue when you’re in a highly centralized urbanized area.

“Kristi Noem drives eight miles off a paved road to get toher farm. That’s a long way. If you had (an air) monitor on theside of that road and a Hemi 4-by-4 truck hauling a horsetrailer on a dry August day, would that monitor alert you? Youbet. But those dust particles aren’t going to reach anybodyeight miles away. They’ll fall back to earth.” — Martin Ross

Aherin: Further input neededon youth ag labor proposals

Now that Illinois growers areemerging from the fields, feder-al officials need their input onproposed “child labor” regula-tions that could significantlyimpact future farmers, accord-ing to University of Illinois agsafety specialist Robert Aherin.

Tuesday (Nov. 1) is deadlinefor public comments on U.S.Department of Labor (DOL)proposals aimed at bolsteringsafety requirements for youngworkers in farming and relatedfields. DOL issued draft pro-posals last August.

American Farm Bureau Fed-eration (AFBF) and other aggroups seek extension of thecomment period through Jan. 1.In a letter to DOL, the groupsexpressed concern about “thebreadth of the proposedchanges” and “our ability tocomment in a meaningful way

on the proposal in the time peri-od allowed.”

Revisions in ag “hazardousoccupations” standards underthe U.S. Fair Labor StandardsAct would not apply to childrenworking on farms owned bytheir parents. But other youngfamily members could be affect-ed by new rules for on-farmsafety, along with unrelated/for-hire workers under 16.

Aherin argued some propos-als still need exact interpreta-tion, raising concerns aboutyounger family members oper-ating machinery or workingwith animals within incorporat-ed multi-family operations. Thatalone requires added industryinput and clarification, he said.

“The proposal’s only been outabout two months, and it cameout at a time when farmersaround most parts of the coun-

try — and definitely in Illinois —were getting quite busy with har-vest,” Aherin told FarmWeek.

“They haven’t had time, real-ly, to review the proposedchanges or have the opportunityto make comments. I’d think itwould be very important for theDepartment of Labor to getthat input. I think the depart-ment should extend commentat least into November.”

AFBF and others warnedDOL officials the proposalwould entail “sweeping changesin current private and commer-cial agricultural practices, coupledwith an increase in legal liabilityto farm and ranch families.”

In addition, Sens. Ben Nel-son (D-Neb.) and Jerry Moran(R-Kan.) sent a letter to LaborSecretary Hilda Solis last weekseeking, “at a minimum,” a 60-day extension of comments.

Thirty-two senators signedthe letter, including Senate AgChairman Deb Stabenow (D-Mich.), and Rep. DennyRehberg (R-Mont.) has spear-headed a similar request.

Child labor provisions as writ-ten would “greatly impact thestructure of family farms andrural communities in the stateswe represent,” the senatorswarned. They suggested the pro-posals would pose “far-reachingeffects” for ag education pro-grams that train future producers.

DOL proposes to reviseexemptions which currently per-mit employment of 14- and 15-year-olds to perform otherwise-prohibited ag duties — includ-ing machinery operation — afterthey’ve successfully completed aformal 21- to 23-hour “studentlearner” training course.

“The issue is, are we doingthings that put youth at riskbeyond their abilities?” Aherinposed. — Martin Ross

farm safety


BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

After a catastrophic farmaccident took part of his rightleg two years ago, RussellHallemann vowed he wouldstand for his family’s Christ-mas photo. He did.

By April 2010, equipped witha prosthetic limb, the NewDouglas producer/constructioncontractor was standing on alocal diamond, back in play withhis local softball team.

Today, Hallemann stands upfor his community, telling hisstory in the interest of safety.Over the past two years, he’sshared insights at Clinton Coun-ty ag safety events, incorporatinga vividly effective prop: the silagechopper that changed his life.

“Stay focused on what you’redoing in front of you and notworry about what’s coming uplater in the day or what you haveto do next,” the grain-and-cattleproducer advises.

“Everything’s so fast-pacedanymore, the machinery’s sobig, and everybody seems to bein such a hurry because theyhave so much ground to cover,that we try to multi-task.

“I think that’s what happenedto me. I wasn’t paying attentionto what I was doing right infront of me.”

Hallemann’s story began inNovember 2009, in a muddy 80-

acre field of corn. A late harvesthad challenged many growers, andsome had delayed chopping corn“to get as much growth as theycould.” Then, a killing frost struck.

The frosted corn had growndrier each passing day, making ittough to feed into the chopper.

Hallemann, alone in the field, wasattempting to clear a clog when,he assumes, the leg of his jeanswas pulled into the chopper head.

“It cut the bone completelythrough, but it didn’t cut all theskin, all the meat off,” he relat-ed. “My foot was hanging kindof like a rubber boot full of

water; it was turned 180degrees. I realized what I’ddone. I’d heard the crunch. Iknew I had to get help, but mycell phone and my flannel shirtwere in the chopper cab.

“So I bounced on one footaround to the steps of the

chopper and jumped onto thelanding. But when it came toclimbing the steps, I had toswing that foot to the side and

Post-harvest preventionIllinois’ harvest may be drawing to an end, but many producers

are exposed to a whole new set of postharvest risks both in thefield and on country roads.

Anhydrous application. Anhydrous ammonia is “one of the mostdangerous chemicals we use,” University of Illinois farm safety spe-cialist Robert Aherin warns. He stressed the need to wear eye protec-tion and ammonia-approved gloves while handling tanks and hoses.

A leak or equipment break can result in caustic burns (anhydrousdraws moisture from the skin) or severe eye injury. Illinois Departmentof Agriculture (IDOA) lead anhydrous ammonia inspector John Rebholzsuggests a long-sleeved shirt also may reduce dangerous exposure.

Soil temperatures of 50 degrees or lower are recommended tohelp prevent leaching.

“Now’s a good time to inspect (anhydrous) applicators prior toapplying the ammonia — checking those quick couplers, checkinganhydrous hoses for any type of cut, rub, soft spot or slippagebetween the hose and coupler,” Rebholz said. “They want to makesure all ammonia is purged (from tanks and hoses) prior to service.”

Protective gear, as well as a personal water bottle, are recom-mended for equipment inspection or maintenance, to avoid contactwith potentially trapped anhydrous. Nurse tanks are equipped tocarry five gallons of clean water — according to Rebholz, “yourbest course for first aid treatment.”

Immediate medical attention also is crucial, he said. Andbecause anhydrous ammonia is a publicly hazardous chemical,producers are required to contact their local fire department orother emergency response agency, the Illinois Emergency Man-agement Agency, their local emergency planning committee, andthe National Response Center within 15 minutes of a spill involvingat least 100 pounds or 18 gallons.

A wallet-sized card with those numbers is available from localanhydrous suppliers, IDOA, or the Illinois Fertilizer and ChemicalAssociation. Further, producers may ask IDOA to inspect question-able nurse tanks or application equipment by calling 217-782-3817.

Fall tillage. One of the more crucial safety issues associatedwith late fall field preparations is movement of equipment on localroads, especially as daylight hours begin to wane.

Operators should ensure machinery includes adequate lightingand markings to provide maximum visibility especially for oncom-ing motorists, as well as appropriate slow-moving vehicle emblemswith working reflective material.

“We encourage not moving at night, if possible, and if you’removing on roads that have hills and curves or have less than 1,000feet of visibility anywhere on that road, use an escort vehicle,”Aherin advised. — Martin Ross

set that (severed right leg bone)on that step.”

In the cab, Hallemann usedthe flannel shirt as a tourniquetto control blood loss and calledKurt Bizenberger, whose cornhe’d been chopping. He consid-ered driving the chopper out ofthe field, but with shock settingin, he feared he’d pass out “andthe chopper’d be running wild.”

He shut the machine down,struggled to the ground, andcrawled toward field’s edge in aneffort to remain conscious.Bizenberger quickly arrived witha Trenton emergency crew,which stabilized Hallemann forhelicopter transport to St.Louis’ Barnes Jewish Hospital.

Doctors pondered treatmentas Hallemann lay for nearly 10hours in the Barnes emergencyroom, finally reattaching hislower leg. However, the accidenthad severed two of three majorblood vessels feeding theappendage, and after three daysat Barnes, Hallemann realized“something was dying.”

He agreed to amputation anda prosthesis after a doctor sug-gested she could have him walk-ing in six weeks. Hallemann setand met a goal of standing for

Christmas photos with his 11-year-old son and 8-year-olddaughter — “I wanted them toknow Old Dad wasn’t going tolay down on them.”

In April 2010, Hallemanntook the field for the openinggame of his over-40 softballleague. Clinton-Marion CountyFarm Bureau Ag Literacy Coor-dinator Susan Kleiboekerapproached him about sharinghis story, noting that severelyinjured accident victims often“can’t talk about it.”

Following a 2010 safety daydemonstration, Kleiboeker andHallemann decided on a more“one-on-one” approach withlocal school groups for ClintonCounty’s recent second annualProgressive Ag Farm SafetyDay. He emphasizes “generalcommunications” — keepingfamily, employees, or othersinformed of daily farm activi-ties and whereabouts.

“I just want to help peoplerealize that you can live and goon,” Hallemann added. “Wehave a lot of fun — kids arevery inquisitive. Fifth and sixthgraders are at that age where ifthey want to know something,parents tell them to ask.”

Farmer turns catastrophe into community service

Russell Hallemann demonstrates the agility he has developed with hisprosthesis during the recent second annual Progressive Ag Farm SafetyDay at Carlyle, which was sponsored by the Clinton County Ag LiteracyCoalition. Some 350 sixth graders participated in the event, which high-lighted Hallemann’s story and his insights on rural and farm safety.(Photo by Cyndi Cook)

Bernie Walsh, Durand, Winnebago County: Harvest contin-ued at full speed here inWinnebago County last week.We had 0.2 of an inch of rainearly Monday morning (Oct. 24)and some light showers onTuesday and Wednesday, but notenough to stop the combines.Soybean harvest is 99 percent

complete and the corn is about 60 percentharvested. The corn yields are still good,except for the corn that blew down in July.Some of the really good fields are our highestyields ever, with 230 to 240 bushels per acrein some fields. Some growers planted higherpopulations, used higher rates of nitrogen,applied micronutrients and fungicides, allbecause of higher commodity prices. Butmost important of all, we received timely rainsbefore it got too dry in July. All of those inputsand good rains resulted in the higher yields.Have a good week.

Pete Tekampe, Grayslake, Lake County: I think we finallygot a killing frost Friday morning.Everything was white. Ninety per-cent of the beans are combined.It seems the later-planted beansdid better than the earlier-plantedones. Probably 30 percent of thecorn is picked, with thelater-planted corn still in the mid-

20s for moisture. No one is bragging aboutthe yields. Rain was forecast for the week-end. Slow down and be careful.

Leroy Getz, Savanna, Carroll County: Rain on Sunday, Oct.23, of 0.2 of an inch and then afew sprinkles during the rest ofthe week brought October’s totalto 1.6 inches. Bean harvest is99.9 percent complete. Corn inthis area is going fast, but there ismore yet to harvest to the north.Perhaps 70 percent complete in

that area. Fertilizer and lime are beingspread and more cornstalks are being baled.There are a few anhydrous wagons movingon the road.

Ryan Frieders, Waterman, DeKalb County: The weatherlast week was more like the end ofNovember rather than October.Periods of rain and a lack of sun-shine slowed harvest. Corn mois-ture levels continue to decline,which helps with drying costs, butcorn yields are below average forour area. The high winds, flooding

rains, disease pressure, and warm tempera-tures during the growing season all combinedto hurt corn yields. Harvest progress is near-ing 75 percent complete and tillage is beingdone.

Larry Hummel, Dixon, Lee County: It seems as though thisyear everything made a differ-ence. Seed treatment on soy-beans resulted in up to a10-bushel increase. Corn plantedin the soybean stubble is yieldingup to 30 bushels better than corn-on-corn. Wind damage in somefields caused anywhere from a

20- to 30-bushel loss. It also looks as if thefungicide treatment on corn is paying off nice-ly. If you haven’t already noticed, only one ofthem wasn’t a management decision — winddamage — and that was somewhat control-lable with hybrid selection. Soybean harvestis pretty much wrapped up around here. Ouryields were 14 percent higher than ourfive-year average. There is a lot of corn thatneeds to be harvested yet. The good news isthe moisture levels are down to 18 percent.The bad news is that yields will also be down.Depending on what we find from here on out,I am estimating about a 10 percent decrease.

Ron Moore, Roseville, Warren County: We did notreceive any rain last week.Harvest is winding down in thisarea now and fall tillage and fer-tilizer application are picking up.With the dry conditions, a lot offieldwork is being done to elimi-nate any ruts and compactionthe wet spring may have caused.

There also is a lot of tiling going on this fall.One area tile system is going to drain sever-al thousand acres of land that has beenextremely wet over the last two or threeyears. Even though this year has been filledwith lots of challenges, farmers in this areaare generally pleased with the yields forcorn and soybeans.

Ken Reinhardt, Seaton, Mercer County: Another niceharvest week. There still aresoybeans being cut. Somewere planted after wheat orafter flooding in the EdwardsRiver bottom. We were fortu-nate to have four new or heav-ily renovated grain elevators come online here this

fall.

Jacob Streitmatter, Princeville, Peoria County: Most soy-beans around the area are com-plete and the corn has disap-peared fast. So far this season, Ihave harvested the majority ofmy corn off of the ground. Only afew fields were standing great.Yields so far have been disap-pointing, but there have been a

few fields that yielded well.

Tim Green, Wyoming, Stark County: Harvest here isstarting to wind down. Beansin general are pretty well done,but a few fields remain. Beanyields are probably a littleabove people’s expectations.A lot of 65-bushel beans. Cornyields are all over the place. Iheard one guy talking about

how one of his corn-on-corn fields was hisbest field and another was his worst. Ihear a lot of 190s and some 130s.Depends if water stood on that field or ifthe water drained off and if you put extranitrogen on it. Seems fungicide paid prettywell this year, too. One thing is for sure —next year will be different.

Mark Kerber, Chatsworth, Livingston County: It was anice week to harvest. Looks as ifabout 20 percent of the corn isleft to go, mostly in the northernarea of the county. Hope forgood weather to continue.Although, some day I will take awhole day to find my desk againand figure out yields and FCIC

(federal crop insurance) business. Our cornranged from 120 to 210 bushels to the acreand soybeans from 44 to 57 bushels. Quite avariance. All commodities are higher, withstabilizing economies and weakness in thedollar.

Ron Haase, Gilman, Iroquois County: Twice during theweek, we had a light showerthat took away half of a day ofcombining each time. We alsolost another half day to a com-bine repair. Probably 90 percentor more of the local crops haveharvested. We are one of thefew farmers with corn remaining

to harvest — many are done. The moistureof our corn is running from 16 percent upto 22 percent. The yields have been nearour 10-year average. We hope the best-yielding fields are those we have not har-vested yet. Local closing bids for Oct. 27:nearby corn, $6.47 (4.5 cents belowCBOT); fall 2012 corn, $5.74; nearby soy-beans, $12.18; fall 2012 soybeans, $12.09.

Brian Schaumburg, Chenoa, McLean County: Fall tillageis nearly done and 2012 crop-ping decisions are being made.As usual, timely planting, rain-fall, soil types, fungicides, andhybrid selection all were key fac-tors in how crops fared this sea-son. Good practices are stillgood practices and controlling

the things you can control made for a goodyear, considering the extreme weather. Weare truly blessed. Corn, $6.50; $6.56January; $5.78 fall 2012; soybeans, $12.15;$12.22 January; $12.11 fall 2012; wheat,$6.43.

Wilfred Dittmer, Quincy, Adams County: Another weekof this year is history and therestill are a few unharvested acresscattered around the area. Butby and large harvest is probably95 percent complete and manycombines have been parked foryet another year. Some tillage isbeing done, while others are

waiting for some moisture. A little tiling workis being done, and the ground is very dry allthe way down. Not much wheat has beensown nearby. Rainfall for the month so farhere measures 1.85 inches. Have a goodweek.

Steve Ayers, Champaign, Champaign County: Mostfarmers are done or down to the“short rows.” USDA has ourcrop reporting district at 90 per-cent corn harvested and 88 per-cent soybeans harvested.Weather hasn’t been much of aproblem as we caught only a fewtraces of precipitation through-

out the week. Looks like a textbook fallweekend for the high school playoffs, butthere may be a little snow at Happy Valley forthe U of I game. Halloween looks perfectwith a 40- to 60-degree range. Let’s becareful out there!

Tom Ritter, Blue Mound, Macon County: It was a week inwhich harvest was virtuallycompleted. We are down to thelast 1 or 2 percent of corn andbeans. Most of the tillage isdone at this time and anhydroustanks are just starting to roll,even though soil temperaturestill indicates the soil is a little

too warm.

Todd Easton, Charleston, Coles County: Work resumedat a frantic pace over the week-end and the beginning of theweek with fields just dryenough to work and a strongchance of rain in the forecast.As producers worked feverishlyahead of the forecasted stormto clear out their last standing

cornfields and get a good start on fall field-work, something funny happened. It didn’train. So everyone just kept on working. Witha clear weather forecast as far as anyonecan see right now, the wrap-up of this fall islooking very good and conditions for the2012 crops should be in great shape goinginto next spring. In spite of the good fallworking window, wheat planting seems tobe very sparse in the area. As we get intothe home stretch of this year, remember tostay safe.

Jimmy Ayers, Rochester, Sangamon County: We wokeup Friday morning to 31 degreeswith a frost warning throughoutthe area. The later-plantedbeans should come out now.Most harvesting is done aroundhere. It’s hard to find a field thatis left. A lot of fieldwork is goingon. A lot of guys have started

putting on anhydrous and some fertilizer isbeing applied.

Doug Uphoff, Shelbyville, Shelby County: We finishedchisel plowing last week andstarted anhydrous on Thursday. Ithas been one of the best falls wehave had for fieldwork in the lastthree years. We have had about2.5 inches of rain for the month.Not that I’m ungrateful, but surewish we could of had that in July

or August. Corn yields ranged from 75 to152. Bean yields averaged from 29 to 40. Wehad some farm land sell next to us Oct. 20.36 acres of which 26 was tillable (actually22, which was good) it brought $7,500 peracre.

David Schaal, St. Peter, Fayette County: Most producersaround here have wrapped upharvest. There still is a littlelater-planted corn in areas to beshelled. Corn is running in thelow-20s on moisture. Falltillage, spreading of fertilizer,and fall spraying are the eventsgoing on here. There also was a

small amount of wheat going in during theweek. Cash corn, $6.54; beans, $12.20;wheat, $6.52. Have a good week.

Ted Kuebrich, Jerseyville, Jersey County: Jersey Countywas wrapping up harvest lastweek with most of the corn andbeans harvested. Farmers stillare sowing wheat and applyingfertilizer. Most are doing falltillage, except for those who no-till. I have not seen anybodyapplying nitrogen yet this fall.

The last couple of days were rainy, so nobean harvesting was going on. Prices atJersey County Grain, Hardin: October corn,$6.36; January 2012 corn, $6.45; March2012 corn, $6.54; October beans, $12.15;January 2012 beans, $12.36; March 2012beans $12.31.


CROPWATCHERS

Randy Anderson, Galatia, Saline County: Harvest iswinding down quite rapidlyaround here. Still a few areaproducers who need anotherweek or so while some fin-ished up last week. Here onour farm we just lack ourJune-planted corn. We haveshelled a little bit of it, and it is

coming in about what I anticipated itwould, but it does have a lot of severewater damage from being stressed dur-ing the year. I just have a few acres ofdouble crops to get out. We receivedabout 0.9 of an inch of rain this pastWednesday, so we were knocked out afew days and hoped to get back in overthe weekend. Everybody have a safeweekend and watch out for the little gob-lins and spooks that come around totrick or treat!

Ken Taake, Ullin, Pulaski County: Harvest is pro-gressing. It was a pretty goodweek until Wednesday when anice slow, easy rain startedand lasted until Thursdaymorning, knocking us out ofthe fields. The weather hasbeen kind of cloudy and cooland it will just take awhile for

the fields to dry. Some winter wheat hasemerged and the stands, at least fromthe road, look good. Please do take timeand be careful during this busy season.

Rick Corners, Centralia, Jefferson County: Harvest isalmost over here in RacehorseFlats junior, except for a few ofus stragglers. Yields were alldetermined by timing this year.Parts of the county that had theirstuff planted a few weeks earlierhad some very good yields. Butwhere planting was delayed this

spring and a July wind storm struck, the yieldmonitor sure plummeted. There are still quitea few corn and beans in the fields betweenhere and St. Louis.

Kevin Raber, Browns, Wabash County: Another monthalmost gone. Rain again lastweek slowed harvest. I wouldguess harvest is 75 to 80 per-cent complete. A good weekwould probably finish harvest.The wheat crop is off to agood start. Most fields look tohave a good stand, even in

the low spots.

Dean Shields, Murphysboro, Jackson County: Theweather last week was a littlecloudy and rainy — not verygood for harvest, at least forsoybeans. It slowed us down.Several guys are finishing up.Fall tillage has started. A lot ofditch cleaning and things likethat are going on. A lot of the

wheat is up and looking pretty good rightnow. I think we will have more acres thannormal.

Dan Meinhart, Montrose, Jasper County: Harvest wasmoving along rapidly untilWednesday afternoon whenrains set in. Most areas received0.25 to 0.75 of an inch with someisolated areas receiving up to 1.5inches. Most of the crops are har-vested, except in the area whereit was extremely wet last spring

and they could not get in the field to plantuntil June. Fall tillage and application of fertil-izer are taking place. The little wheat that wassowed has emerged. A mostly cool and clearweek is forecast, with slight chances of show-ers on Wednesday.

Dave Hankammer, Millstadt, St. Clair County: Most ofthe first-crop soybeans wereharvested in the area last week.Some farmers are about to finishup this harvest season. Thereare still some corn anddouble-crop soybeans and miloto be harvested. Most of thewheat has been planted, and

emergence of this crop is better since therain from the previous week. This pastweek we had 0.2 of an inch of rain onWednesday slowing down field activities.Cooler temperatures, with the lows in the40s and highs in the 60s, have become thenorm. Local grain bids: corn, $6.34; soy-beans, $12.15; wheat, $6.09. Have a safeweek.


CROPWATCHERS

Reports received Friday morning. Expanded crop and weather infor-mation available at {www.farmweeknow.com}.

Open houses help public understand modern pork productionBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Modern pork productionfacilities often are closed tothe public for good reasons:to control the indoor envi-ronment and reduce the riskof disease introduction tothe herd.

But this closed-door poli-cy may have helped fuelmisunderstandings and mis-conceptions about porkproduction among a grow-ing consumer base that hasno ties to production agri-culture.

“Fear of the unknown is

host open houses, accordingto Maiers.

“We make this optionavailable, but it’s a produc-er’s decision to do it,”Maiers said. “There’s alwaysa story behind these build-ings and these (open hous-es) allow us to tell that sto-ry.”

John and Kate Hagen-buch certainly welcomed theidea.

“I think it’s important tolet neighbors know whatyou’re doing and it’s good toput a face (on the busi-ness),” John said. “We start-

ed this project with nothingto hide, and that’s the waywe want to keep it.”

More than 200 peoplevisited the Hagenbuch’sfarm to tour the facility andenjoy a free pork chop sand-wich. The open house pro-gram the past five years hashosted an estimated 3,000people at 15 different loca-tions around the state.

“It’s neat to see peopleeating a pork chop inside ahog building,” Maiersadded. “You can’t make amore direct connection thanthat.”

what drives a lot of the mis-information and misconcep-tions,” said Tim Maiers,director of public relationsfor the Illinois Pork Produc-ers Association (IPPA).

IPPA decided to addressthe public’s fear of theunknown about pork pro-duction by suggesting pro-ducers in the state roll outwelcome mats and invitethe public in for hands-ontours of new facilitiesrather than keep the open-ings private.

IPPA co-hosted its firstopen house of a new hog

facility in August 2006 andlast week co-hosted its 15thoverall tour in the statewhen it celebrated therecent opening of two2,400-head, grow-to-finishswine buildings at Hagen-buch Family Farms inLaSalle County.

“We had the idea thatwhen (a pork producer)opens a new facility, weshould have a ribbon-cut-ting and celebrate the factthat a new business is open-ing in the community,”Maiers said. “Plus it allowspeople to come in and seewhat’s inside.”

A common misconcep-tion is that pigs raisedindoors have less-ideal liv-ing conditions than theiroutdoor counterparts.

But visitors to new facili-ties can see the pigs insidehave room to move around,a steady supply of food andwater, and are protectedfrom weather extremes, dis-ease, and predators.

The open houses “helpthe public understand envi-ronmentally controlledbuildings used for modernpork production not onlyare good for humans but tomaintain the health andwell-being of the animals,”said Nic Anderson, businessdeveloper for the IllinoisLivestock DevelopmentGroup.

The open house programhas been so successful IPPAdeveloped a template pro-ducers can use at eachevent. The National PorkBoard has adopted that tem-plate and encourages pro-ducers in other states to

Tim Maiers, left, director of public relations for the Illinois Pork Produc-ers Association, explains technology used in modern pork production toDiana Owens, right, and Campbell Chisholm, center, during an openhouse at a newly constructed, grow-to-finish swine building at Hagen-buch Family Farms in Utica. (Photo by Daniel Grant)

Tips offered to control weeds after harvestSome farmers are applying herbicides now to control winter

annual weeds. University of Illinois Extension weed specialistAaron Hager offered the following tips for consideration before afall herbicide is applied:

• Scout fields to determine what weeds are present and if theyare dense enough to warrant treatment.

• Check the herbicide label to see if a fall application isallowed. Atrazine, for example, is not labeled for fall application.

Some herbicides approved for fall application have timingrestrictions on their labels. If you are considering a herbicide,such as glyphosate, that does not have much soil-residual activi-ty, time the application after the majority of winter annual specieshave emerged, Hager said.

Herbicide combinations can broaden the weed control spec-trum, which can be important if winter annuals have emergedbefore the herbicide is applied, Hager said. Include the appropri-ate spray additives with all applications.

The region of state can influence fall herbicide applications,which seem to fit better in Central and Southern Illinois, accord-ing to Hager. Labels may indicate fall applications may be madeonly in certain geographical regions.

He reminded farmers that fall applications with soil-residualherbicides may not always result in a clean field by planting timenext spring. Delays in spring fieldwork may allow the fields togreen up before the crop can be planted. Occasionally, if winterannual weed species are controlled, summer annual weeds mayemerge earlier.

Don’t use a fall herbicide to provide residual control for sum-mer annual weeds, Hager added. Control of summer annualspecies, such as waterhemp, often is improved when soil-resid-ual herbicide applications are made closer to planting instead ofseveral weeks or months before planting.

Fall months also may offer a good opportunity to improve con-trol of certain biennial and perennial weeds.

EmErging iSSUES


BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

The challenge for farmersto grow enough food in com-ing years to satisfy boomingdemand will be difficult butnot impossible, according toexperts this month at theDoane Advisory Servicesannual outlook conference inSt. Louis.

Rich Pottorff, an analystwith Doane, and James Car-rington, president of the Don-ald Danforth Plant ScienceCenter in St. Louis, projectedfarmers in the future canexpand crop acres around theworld and boost yields via newtechnology to help feed theworld.

The world’s population isestimated to surpass 9 billionpeople by 2050. It currently isslightly less than 7 billion peo-ple.

In fact, Pottorff believes itis possible current tight grainstocks could be rebuilt in thenear future to the point thatthere is a glut of grain.

“Seed companies claim wecan double yields by 2030,”Pottorff said. If realized, “wecould face the opposite of aworld grain shortage.”

Pottorff projected theamount of corn used forethanol will begin to level offin coming years.

Meanwhile, he believesthere are thousands of acresaround the world, particularlyin South America and the for-mer Soviet Union, that couldbe available for crop farming.

“South America could haveanother 100 million to 200 mil-lion acres suitable for crop

farming,” Pottorff said.In the U.S., about 10.4 mil-

lion acres contracted in theConservation Reserve Pro-gram expired this fall or are setto expire by September 2012.

“It would seem most of itwould come back into produc-tion this year or next year,”Pottorff said.

Doane this month projectedplanted corn acres in 2012 willreach 93 million acres, up from91.9 million this year. If theacreage projection is realizedand crop yields return to trend(about 164 bushels per acre),Doane projected U.S. cornproduction next year couldchallenge the 14-billion-bushelmark.

Elsewhere, Carringtonbelieves technology will be thekey to increasing crop yields incoming years.

The average corn yield since1990 has increased each yearby about 2.3 bushels per year.

“The amount of corn (pro-duced) per plant hasn’tincreased much. What’sincreased is our ability to growmore plants per acre,” Carring-ton said. “That has a limit. “We don’t think we’ll be ableto double our plant popula-tions again,” Carrington con-tinued. “We think genetics willplay a more dominant role (inboosting yields).”

Researchers at the DanforthCenter are working on increas-ing the level of protein andvitamins in crops, virus-resis-tant crops through gene silenc-ing, and identifying the mostuseful crop traits throughgenome sequencing, Carring-ton said.

Experts: Options available to address food demand

Digital divide separating state’s community collegesBY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

High-speed Internet couldbe one money-saving solutionfor community college stu-dents, but slow Internet speeds

and areas with little to noInternet services are hinderingthe very students who mightbenefit the most.

“The rural irony is that(community college) districts

that could benefit the most byreducing commuter costs havethe lowest” percentage of ter-ritory with Internet access andthe slowest broadband speeds,said Mike Rudibaugh, a LakeLand Community Collegeinstructor and mapping direc-tor for Partnership for a Con-nected Illinois (PCI).

“This should be a key ques-tion at the state level,”Rudibaugh added.

But the issue of broadbandhaves and have-nots is not awidespread concern amongcommunity colleges, accord-ing to Rudibaugh.

He spoke about the com-munity college digital divide atthe Illinois Community Col-lege Faculty Association (ICC-FA) meeting. A geography andearth science instructor,Rudibaugh was named ICCFAinstructor of the year.

Instead of addressing keybroadband access concerns,community colleges aredesigning curriculum andservices as if “everybody getsonline and is online,”Rudibaugh said. “They’re put-

ting information online as ifeveryone is seeing whatthey’re putting up.”

Rudibaugh compared amap of community collegedistricts with one that ranksbroadband services usingApril 2011 data (see accompa-nying graphic).

He based his rankings on acombination of the percent-age of a district’s territorywith Internet coverage andavailable Internet speeds.

Rudibaugh reasoned bothInternet speeds and the per-centage of land with Internetcoverage impact communitycollege students’ ability to doclass work or access collegeresources.

He said speeds and the per-centage of coverage must beconsidered simultaneously.Even in two districts with the

same percentage of coverage,students in a district withmuch slower Internet speedsare at a disadvantage, he main-tained.

In Rudibaugh’s analysis,Southern and Western Illinoisfare the worst followed by thecentral and northwesternregions of the state.

Broadband and onlinecourses offer community col-lege students an opportunityto drive fewer miles andreduce commuting expensesand to have flexible classschedules that fit their workschedules, Rudibaugh noted.

“We’re in the middle of arecession. Cost has to be anissue,” he said.

Statewide access to broad-band “should be stirring com-munity colleges into acting,”Rudibaugh said.

frOm ThE COuNTIES


Notice of Annual MeetingIllinois Agricultural

Association

Notice is hereby given that theannual meeting of the members of theIllinois Agricultural Association willbe held in the Palmer House Hotel, 17East Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois,60603, on Saturday, December 3,Sunday, December 4, Monday,December 5, and Tuesday, December6, 2011 with the official meeting of vot-ing delegates convening at 8:00 a.m.on Monday, December 5, for the fol-lowing purposes:

To receive, consider and, ifapproved, ratify and confirm thereports of the officers and the acts andproceedings of the Board of Directorsand officers in furtherance of the mat-ters therein set forth since the lastannual meeting of the Association.

To elect a President and a VicePresident, who shall also serve asdirectors, for a term of two years.

To elect nine (9) members of theBoard of Directors to serve for a termof two years.

To consider and act upon such pro-posed amendments to the Articles ofIncorporation or to the Bylaws of theIllinois Agricultural Association andupon such policy resolutions as maybe properly submitted.

For the transaction of such otherbusiness as may properly come beforethe meeting.

James M. JacobsSecretary

CASS-MORGAN —

Farm Bureau and TwinRivers Agency will sponsor anestate and retirement planningand long term care seminar anddinner at 5:30 p.m. Monday,Nov. 7, at Hamilton’s, Jack-sonville. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 245-6833 for reserva-tions or more information.

COOK — The annualmeeting will be at 7:30

p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, at theFarm Bureau office. Proxiesfor voting members are avail-able online at{www.cookcfb.org} or call 708-354-3276 to have one mailed.

• The Commodities andMarketing Team will sponsorfrom 9 a.m. to noon Saturday,Nov. 19, a beekeeping seminarat the Farm Bureau office.Call the Farm Bureau office at708-354-3276 for reservationsor more information.

• The Member RelationsTeam will sponsor a memberappreciation banquet Wednes-day, Nov. 16, beginning with asilent auction at 5:30 p.m. at theCotillion, Palatine. Cost is $12.Call the Farm Bureau office at708-354-3276 by Thursday,Nov. 10, for reservations ormore information.

EFFINGHAM — FarmBureau and St. Antho-

ny’s Memorial Hospital willsponsor a health fair from 3 to6 p.m. Tuesday at the FarmBureau office. Complimentaryhealth screenings include bloodpressure, blood cholesterol, andblood glucose. Skin cancerscreenings will be from 4 to 6p.m. by appointment only. Callthe Farm Bureau office at 342-2103 for an appointment ormore information.

• Farm Bureau will sponsor aplanning meeting for the leg-

islative, commodities and mar-keting, and local affairs ActionTeams at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov.7, at the Farm Bureau office.Dinner will be served. Allmembers may serve on theteams and provide suggestionsfor project ideas. Call the FarmBureau office at 217-342-2103by Friday for reservations ormore information.

LEE — Lee, Ogle, andWhiteside County Farm

Bureaus, along with Sauk Val-ley Bank, will sponsor a harvestcrop marketing workshop at 7p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, at theComfort Inn, Dixon. SteveJohnson, Iowa State UniversityExtension farm managementspecialist, will be the speaker.Call the Farm Bureau office at815-857-3531 by Monday, Nov.14, for reservations or moreinformation.

MERCER — TheWomen’s Committee

will sponsor a “Putting yourHouse in Order — A SpecialProgram for Women” at 6 p.m.Tuesday, Nov. 29, at Doug’sTown and Country Restaurant,Aledo. Cost is $5 for a sand-wich, soup, and pie dinner. Tra-cy Bigham, Country Financialrepresentative, will speak on“Financial Issues from aWomen’s Perspective.” MonaBrantly, owner of OrganizeThat, will speak on “Organizingyour Home for Winter.” Reser-vations and payment are due tothe Farm Bureau office by Tues-day, Nov. 15. Call the FarmBureau office at 309-582-5116for more information.

MONTGOMERY —

The annual meetingwill be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov.10, at the Knights of Colum-bus Hall, Taylor Springs. Din-ner will be served. Cost is $2.Call the Farm Bureau office at217-532-6171 for reservationsor more information.

• The Prime Timers monthlyluncheon and meeting will be atnoon Wednesday, Nov. 20, at theLion’s Club, Hillsboro. A turkeydinner will be served. Cost is$8. An “Antiques Road Show”with auctioneers Dan Matthewsand Gavin Pope will follow thelunch. They will appraise smallitems. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 217-532-6171 byThursday, Nov. 10, for reserva-tions or more information.

PEORIA — A sympo-sium, “The Future of

Midwest Agriculture and Envi-ronmental Sustainability” will beat 7 a.m. Thursday at Hayden-Clark Alumni Center ballroom,Bradley University. Tom Vil-sack, U.S. secretary of agricul-ture, will speak on the next farmbill. Cost is $25. To register, call677-2820 or go online to{www.bradley.edu/continue}.

• The annual meeting will beat 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, atthe Dunlap High School. JayHendren, an Ohio comedian,

will provide the entertainment.Cost is $10. Call the FarmBureau office by Wednesdayfor reservations or more infor-mation.

ROCK ISLAND — Tick-ets are available for the

annual Harvest Gala Saturday,Nov. 12, at the iWireless Center,Moline. Proceeds will benefitthe Rock Island County FarmBureau Foundation. Cost is $50,which includes appetizers anddinner. A silent and live auctionwill be held. The first Hall ofFame award winner will beannounced. Reservations andpayment are due to the FarmBureau office by Wednesday,Nov. 9. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 309-736-7432 for moreinformation.

UNION — The YoungFarmers Committee will

host a “farmer feed” from 5 to 8p.m. Tuesday at the Farm Bureauoffice. The event is open to thecommunity. Cost for a cheese-burger, chips, soda, and cookie is$5. Call 833-2125 to order or formore information.

“From the counties” items are sub-mitted by county Farm Bureau man-agers. If you have an event or activityopen to all members, contact your coun-ty Farm Bureau manager.

SOYBEAN INSPECTION

State Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine), center, inspects soybeans dur-ing a recent Williamson County farm tour. Looking on left to rightare Williamson County Farm Bureau board member Pat Henry andhis wife, Jane; fellow county Farm Bureau board member JamesTanner; and county Farm Bureau manager Garry Jenkins. A newly“adopted” legislator, Morrison, his wife, Bethany, and children, Tylerand Susanna, toured Jeff Beasley’s cattle farm and feedlot, the Hen-ry’s family farm, and Phil Anderson’s grain farm. The legislator andfarmers discussed livestock and legislative issues that directly impactfarmers. Morrison and his family spent their day in the county learn-ing about modern agriculture and rural life. They hope to join thecounty Farm Bureau leaders in December during the IFB annualmeeting in Chicago. (Photo by Christina Nourie, Illinois Farm Bu-reau northeast legislative coordinator)

proFitability


Feeder pig prices reported to USDA*Weight Range Per Head Weighted Ave. Price10 lbs. $31.11-$47.15 $38.4940 lbs. $43.00-$45.00 $44.3350 lbs. n/a n/aReceipts This Week Last Week 17,602 11,951*Eastern Corn Belt prices picked up at seller’s farm

MARKET FACTS

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

This week Prev. week ChangeCarcass $87.11 $90.76 -3.65Live $64.46 $67.16 -2.70

Export inspections(Million bushels)

Week ending Soybeans Wheat Corn10-20-11 41.2 17.4 29.410-13-11 45.3 16.5 21.2Last year 71.8 23.9 24.6Season total 155.7 440.9 194.5Previous season total 257.1 454.8 259.4USDA projected total 1375 975 1600Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

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

Steers 120.36 120.61 -0.25 Heifers 120.34 120.85 -0.51

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 Change$140.10 138.18 1.92

CME feeder cattle index — 600-800 Lbs.

Lamb prices

n/a

Illinois FSA, partners wingovernor’s home town award

Illinois Farm Service Agency (FSA) Land of Lincoln and itspartners last week received a governor’s home town award forits community garden and donations of fresh produce to a localfood bank.

The group donated 4,096 pounds of garden produce to theCentral Illinois Food Bank, Springfield. Volunteers from FSAand the Risk Management Agency worked in the garden duringtheir lunch time and early in the day.

A number of local ag groups and businesses were partnerswith FSA on the community garden project. Those included:Siegrist Builders, Knob Hill Landscaping, Brandt Inc., Pioneer,ID Sign, Farm Credit Services, Noonan Grand Rental, Green-view Nursery, University of Illinois Extension of Sangamonand Menard counties, Athens FFA, Talkington 4-H Club ofWaverly, Risk Management Agency, and the Illinois Grain andFeed Association.

A total of 28 home town awards were presented based onsize of community and type of project. Winning projectsreceived a plaque and a road sign.

Fertilizer market: A different déjà vu this time?BY JOE DILLIER

No matter the commodity,the worry in markets today isthe same: Are we headed overthe economic abyss ... again?

Fertilizer mar-kets saw“cliff-drop”declines backthen, as pricesfell by at least2/3 in themonthsbetween thesummer of

2008 and late-spring 2009.Volatility for sure.

It is interesting that in therecent run up, in spite of grainmarkets spiking last summer toclose to the peak levelsattained in the summer of2008 (even higher in some cas-es), fertilizers remained 40-60percent below 2008’s highs.

Why the difference?The last time there was a 1-

to-1 lock step correlationbetween grain markets and fer-tilizers, whengrains movedhigher, fertilizerprices followed.The principlereason was thesupply chainstayed full as theexpectation ofever-higher fer-tilizer prices ledto more “stayfull” buying.

This time around has beenvery different. Memories ofthe last experience, and thebad outcome it produced formany in the supply chain,mean that risk aversion is a bigfactor in fertilizer marketstoday.

In recent years, too, we’veboosted fertilizer productioncapacity around the globe,which has helped mute price

increases even though fertiliz-er demand has been verystrong worldwide because ofstrong farm production eco-nomics.

While fertilizer markets did-n’t experience the relativepeaks seen in grain markets,they interestingly didn’t experi-

ence the “August swoon” wit-nessed in grain and other mar-kets, either.

Fertilizer prices, which areup substantiallyyear-over-year,remain at theirrecent highsgenerally, eventoday.

All this boilsdown to thefact that fertil-izer marketsare now trad-ing more on

their own supply/demandfundamentals; strong grainmarkets are fundamental forstrong demand, but supplyand risk aversion are now big“watch factors” day to day alot more so than in the lastcycle. And because of riskaversion, there is nothing like

the “storage overhang” in themarket today as there wasthen.

This is very important tothe outlook. For the fall sea-son there is good supply inplace. But the fact that themarket for fertilizers is not“bought ahead” generallymeans that even if we had areplay of the 2008 economicmeltdown, fertilizer pricesnow would not fall nearly asmuch as they did then. Andbarring that kind of “disaster-scenario event,” demand andthe need to rebuild invento-ries more, mean fertilizerprices look to be mostly stablenear current levels into nextspring.

Joe Dillier is GROWMARK’sdirector of plant food. His e-mailaddress is [email protected].

The last time there was a 1-to-1 lockstep correlation between grain mar-ke ts and fe r t i l i ze rs , when gra insmoved higher, fer t i l izer pr ices fol-lowed.

Joe Dillier

Crude oil outlook bearish; ethanol margins could shrinkBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Farmers the next three tosix months may have somegood opportunities to lock infuel purchases for the 2012growing season, based onrecent oil price projections.

Bill O’Grady, analyst withConfluence InvestmentManagement, recently pro-jected oil prices in comingmonths could bottom out inthe low $70s or even high$60s after topping out near

$110 this past summer.“The next three to six

months I’m bearish on oilprices,” O’Grady said thismonth at Doane AdvisoryServices’ annual outlook con-ference in St. Louis.

“I don’t think we’re in a

recession yet, but the probabil-ity is high,” he continued.“The forecasts rise or fallbased on how the possiblerecession unfolds.”

O’Grady believes two keyfactors — previously high oilprices and fears of anotherrecession — played a key rolein the recent moderation ofoil/fuel prices.

“Two elements dropdemand: high prices and globalrecession,” he said. “And we(in the U.S.) are driving signifi-cantly less” as a result.

The Energy InformationAdministration (EIA) thismonth reduced its oil priceforecasts from $100 to $99 perbarrel for 2011 and from $103to $98 per barrel for 2012.

Average annual fuel costswere projected to decline from2011 to 2012 by 9 cents pergallon for regular gasoline and7 cents per gallon for diesel.

EIA projected prices willaverage $3.52 per gallon forgas and $3.80 for diesel this

year before modestly decreas-ing to $3.43 per gallon for gasand $3.73 for diesel in 2012.

Those prices would providesome relief to consumers butstill would be well above the2010 prices averages of $2.78per gallon for gas and $2.99per gallon for diesel, accordingto EIA.

The oil and fuel price fore-

casts, if realized, also couldsqueeze ethanol margins.

Marty Foreman, senioreconomist at Doane AdvisoryServices, reported the currentethanol production margin,about 65 cents per gallon,could drop significantly ifdemand wanes.

“Forward margins are lessfavorable,” he said.

Rich Pottorff, market ana-lyst with Doane, said annualexpansion in the ethanolindustry could drop fromabout 700 million gallons inrecent years to about 100 mil-lion gallons in coming yearsdue to the expiration of theblenders’ credit at year’s endand the fact production isclosing in on federally mandat-ed levels.

“Most of the growth inethanol is behind us,” he said.

In other energy-relatednews, EIA this month project-ed U.S. consumers will spendmore to heat their homes thiswinter due to year-over-yearprice increases of 4 percentfor natural gas, 5 percent forpropane, and 33 cents per gal-lon for heating oil.

FarmWeekNow.com

Go to FarmWeekNow.com. tosee the latest energy outlookfrom O’Grady and the EnergyInformation Administration.

PROFITABILITY

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CASH STRATEGISTCorn Strategy

ü2011 crop: Leave an orderto sell another 10 percent ifDecember reaches $6.80.Hedge-to-arrive (HTA) sales forlate winter/spring delivery arestill the best tool for sales offarm-stored grain. Changingspread relationships havediminished the economics ofstoring corn commercially. Plansales around tax considerations.

ü2012 crop: Use rallies to$6.20 on December 2012futures for catch-up sales. Wemay add another increment atthat level. Check the Hotlinefrequently.

vFundamentals: Themarket surged following therelease of the framework of aplan to resolve Europeanfinancial problems. Uncer-tainty over the details is cap-ping gains. Chinese exportdemand will be key going for-ward, but that demand couldbe filled by other countries.Corn and feed wheat from theBlack Sea are still pricedbelow U.S. corn, as is feedwheat from Australia. Feedwheat from the latter wasbought by China last week atmore than a $1 per bushel dis-count to U.S. corn.

Soybean Strategyü2011 crop: European

financial concern has abated,but the underlying fundamen-tals are leaving the complexwith a weak tone. We still pre-fer to give the market timebefore making catch-up sales oradding to them. Use a move to$13 on January futures forcatch up sales, and one to$13.15 to sell another 10 per-cent. A HTA for winter/springdelivery may pay if you storesoybeans on the farm. Com-mercial storage is a closer call.

ü2012 crop: Wait for a ral-ly to $12.70 on November2012 futures for catch-upsales. We may add to them atthat level. Check the Hotline.

vFundamentals: Soybeanexport sales are accumulatingslower than anticipated. Inpart, that may be tied to a Chi-nese response to the Senate’spassage of a currency retalia-tion bill. The slower salesaccumulate now, the more itputs a burden on the need fora South American crop prob-lem to rally prices. Product

sales are slow as well, with soy-bean oil sales dismal. Domes-tic crush margins remainuncharacteristically weak.

Wheat Strategyü2011 crop: Wheat is trac-

ing out a sideways to highertrend, but has difficulty sus-taining upside momentum.Make catch-up sales if theChicago December contracttrades to $6.50. We may rec-ommend another 20 percentsale if it rebounds to $6.70.Check the Hotline daily. Thecarry in futures still pays forcommercial storage, making aHTA contract for winter orspring delivery the best tool.

ü2012 crop: Remain closeto advice; we are consideringan initial sale. Check the Hot-line daily.

vFundamentals: Themodest rebound in wheatprices was linked to supportfrom outside markets. How-ever, wheat fundamentalsremain weak with the supplyin the world starting tobecome burdensome. This isreflected in export sales, withthe majority of business beingsourced from the Black Searegion. The U.S. Plains gotmore moisture relief, but gen-erally remains in a drought sit-uation.

Cents per bu.

Crop report ahead could surprise


Harvest is winding down,and there’s still a lot of debateabout the size of the corn andsoybean crops. Even thoughear samples were taken from80 percent of the fields for theOctober corn estimate, talk ofdisappointing yields on someof the late crops has somethinking USDA might lowerthe corn yield in its Novemberestimate.

A couple of trade analystsare looking for USDA to dropthe corn yield to 145-146bushels. In the Octoberreport, USDA estimated theyield at 148.1 bushels, the sameas in September.

But it’s understanding theUSDA process that leads us tothe conclusion the corn yieldcould be revised up slightly.

The forecast is a combina-tion of two distinct datastreams, one from the field data,and one from a farmer survey.

From the August report,and the “implied” ear weight(not shown), it was apparentproducers were expecting anunusually poor crop this year.And even though the impliedear weight was slightly lower inSeptember, one could deter-mine expectations were stillunusually low.

Early harvest reports were alittle better than expected,resulting in a slight increase inthe ear weight in the Octoberreport. And even though therewere reports of extremely poorcrops, by a large measure har-vest yields were reported to be alittle better than expected. Evensome of the late-harvested fieldswere not as poor as feared.

More often than not, whenear weight starts low as it didthis year, it rises a little inNovember. Even allowing fora modest decline in the earpopulation, a nominal increasein weight points to a possibleincrease in yield in the Novem-ber report of 0.5 to 1.5bushels.

Because each report is astandalone set of data, any-thing is possible. But the tech-nical structure of the markethints there could be a negativesurprise, pushing prices lower.

Soybean yields are a moredifficult call, but it seems podcounts have a tendency to goup a little in the Novemberreport, with pod weights com-ing in the same or slightlyhigher than they were in theOctober report. Again, thatwould be consistent with mostof the yield reports we haveheard during harvest.

Just like last month, though,it may be the demand forecastson the accompanyingsupply/demand reports thatare the most important fea-tures.

perspectives


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It happens every year aboutthis time. I refer, of course, tothe arrival of fall. Leaves fall and

temperatures fallfrom the highsof summer. Allof this fallingstuff means thatwinter is on theway.

But there areother signs.

Some birdsbid our fields

farewell and head south. Othercreatures hunker down for thecold season and hibernate. Cold-blooded frogs, toads, salaman-ders, and snakes burrow into thesoil for winter insulation.

Insects also are cold blooded,and they don’t do winter, either.A few insects build winter pro-tection. For instance, some giantsilkworm moths spin a cocoonfor their winter quarters. Othermoths wrap themselves in a leafblanket. In these cases the insectwhiles away the days of ice andsnow as a pupa inside a wintercover.

Some insect species are muchlike frogs and toads because theyseek shelter as winter approach-es. Those insects crawl into pilesof leaves, beneath the soil, orunder the bark of trees. A fewinsects, such as the monarch,migrate to warmer climes for thewinter.

Still otherinsects do a shortmigration fromtheir summerhabitats and seekshelter in ourhomes. Thesesix-legged homeinvaders do notreceive warmwelcomes. Sowho are thesedastardly demonsof the insect world?

First, there is the Asian ladybeetle. This insect was intro-duced to the United Statesbecause, like all lady beetles, itfeeds on pest aphids. Like otherspecies of lady beetles, this onealso spends the winter in shel-tered sites.

But it is more likely than oth-er lady beetle species to seek

winter protection in our homes.It can become a nuisance some-times because of the high popu-lations.

Another home invader is theattic fly, sometimes called a clus-ter fly. This fly, about the sizeand color of the well-knownhousefly, is called such because itfrequently hibernates in thehome attics. It also may befound in the corners of garages,wall voids and chimney flues.

Paper wasp queens hibernateand also will take up winter resi-dence in unused portions ofhuman dwellings. These social-insect queens spend the winterin hibernation. With the arrivalof spring and warmer tempera-tures, they will try to establish anest under the eves of a house,barn, or shed.

A number of true bugs alsotry to share our domiciles duringwinter. These include stink bugs,squash bugs — and that notori-ous home invader — the box-elder bug.

True bugs are called thatbecause scientists agree thatthese insects classified in theorder Hemiptera are the onlyinsects that are bugs. Their nameis based on one of the groupcalled the bed bug, but that isanother story.

In general, the bugs producean odor. That means you can

generally use yournose to tell somebugs are hiding inthe garage cornerin the fall.

The marmorat-ed stink bug isanother insect thatbehaves as if ourhouses were builtfor the purpose ofproviding it a win-

ter sanctuary. This stink bug is

becoming more of a pest onfruits in the eastern part of theUnited States. In the fall, just likelady beetles, paper wasps, andattic flies, this insect tries tomove into our homes.

Tom Turpin is an entomology profes-sor at Purdue University, WestLafayette, Ind. His e-mail address [email protected].

Meet home invadersof six-legged kind

TOMTURPIN

Brown marmorated stink bug

Illinois students aren’t the only ones learn-ing what interests them about agriculture.Adults are learning, too — and need to applythat information,

“How do we attract the best and thebrightest students to agricultural careers?How do we capitalize on students’ interestsand guide them toward ag classes in highschool and college? How do we inform stu-dents and their parents that agriculture is agrowing industry with many opportunities?”

I’ve lost track of how many times I’veheard those questions fromgroups, committees, and taskforces representing the agindustry, educators, and eco-nomic development.

But adults shouldn’t askother adults how to reachteenagers.

We need to ask — andmany are asking — the kidsthemselves. Once we gainthose answers, we need to

close the loop by applying those studentideas, images, and technologies to share theinformation we know.

Adults know agriculture is tied to morethan 300 careers. Jobs are available even fornew graduates with associate and bachelor’sdegrees in spite of an overall economic reces-sion.

We’re aware the ag industry will continueto expand as new technologies are developed.And the demand will continue to grow foreducated and trained individuals as the indus-try expands and baby boomers retire.

We also know high school ag classes helpstudents apply their knowledge outside theclassroom and gain real-world experience.Some FFA members even become entrepre-neurs.

But “careers” and “future jobs” are wordsthat excite adults — not teens. That’s whysome career videos produced by FFA chap-ters will be vital and informative. Who knowsbetter what interests a teen than fellowteenagers?

For the second year, the Illinois FarmBureau and Affiliates Youth Education Com-mittee is hosting an ag career video contestfor FFA chapters across the state. The goal isfor the students to use their imaginations andtechnology skills to create videos showingthat ag careers are fun, rewarding, and prof-itable.

After the contest ends on Feb. 1, prizeswill be awarded to the top three videos. Aseparate viewer’s choice award will be givento the video that receives the most votes onYouTube, a video-sharing website.

Isn’t it obvious? If you want to know howto appeal to students, ask them. It’s also obvi-ous that once they tell us, we should applythose ideas, images, and technologies tospread the message about agriculture careers.

Plus, we need to be flexible and preparedto adapt that message to appeal to teens’changing interests and tastes. What’s populartoday will lose its luster tomorrow althoughthe underlying message about the ag indus-try’s future will remain constant.

The popularity of electronic media, and itsflexibility, is perfect to appeal to students’interests and provide them with solid infor-mation. That technology also makes it easierto adapt and appeal to teens. Teens react towhat is cool, but cool keeps changing.

The ag industry wants to attract the bestand brightest young people, so let’s educateourselves about what appeals to them.

You may see that for yourself by goingonline to {www.youtube.com/user/ILFarm-BureauYouthEd}. Last year’s winning videoby the Galva FFA Chapter is posted. Thisyear’s contest videos will be online betweenFeb. 18-25.

The ag industry now is asking the rightpeople about how to appeal to teens. Let’suse what they tell us.

Kay Shipman is the legislative affairs editor forFarmWeek. She is a member of the Illinois Lead-ership Council for Agriculture Education and anominee to the Illinois Committee for AgriculturalEducation. Her e-mail address is [email protected].

KAYSHIPMAN

CAPTURING COOLUse teens’ ideas to pitch ag careers

Illustration by Sharon Newton

farmweek october 31 2011

Documents

ag lawmakers

ag committees proposed

young questions

ag secretary tom vilsackechoed

farm bill musthelp producers

illinois farm bureauon

commodity programs

continueconservation