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Monday, April 23, 2012 Two sections Volume 40, No. 17

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

the WaRM WInteR andearly spring may impact the numberof insects around this summer. Butthen again, it may not. .................12

It appeaRS that SoMecorn hit by frost is not coming back,even though the growing point wasbelow ground. .....................................5

be SuRe, FoR youR safetyand that of others, that your farmmachinery is properly marked as youtravel the roads this season. .............3

Senate ag chair offers farm bill ‘mark’BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

As Senate Ag CommitteeChairman Debbie Stabenow(D-Mich.) prepared last weekto release her “chairman’smark” — a prospective Senatefarm bill blueprint — aggroups re-emphasized theneed to keep the crop insur-ance safety net firmly teth-ered.

Stabenow’s farm bill sum-mary proposes $23 billion inag cuts over the next 10 years,in line with last fall’s House-Senate recommendations to acongressional deficit “supercommittee.”

Under the plan, expected tomove out of committee thisweek, direct payments would beeliminated and remaining farmcountercyclical and revenueprograms consolidated into asingle new safety net program.

The proposal also wouldattempt to bolster crop insur-ance and consolidate 23 exist-ing conservation programsinto 13 while preserving exist-ing tools for farm stewards.

In a letter to Stabenow andAg Committee Ranking Mem-ber Pat Roberts (R-Kan.),eight ag groups, including theAmerican Farm Bureau Feder-ation (AFBF), voiced support

an overall cut in the percent-age of premiums subsidizedor by capping individual subsi-dies at $40,000 per year.

That report has “ratchetedup the pressure” on lawmakers

See Farm bill, page 4

for the Senate’s basic ag poli-cy/funding approach whileraising concerns about futurecommodity and risk manage-ment programs.

American Soybean Associa-tion, National Corn GrowersAssociation, and the NationalAssociation of Wheat Grow-ers joined AFBF in applaudingthe committee’s decision notto restructure or reduce fund-ing for the federal crop insur-ance program. The groupsstressed crop insurance is “thecore risk management toolused by our producers.”

As the Senate moves closerto farm bill debate, IllinoisFarm Bureau President PhilipNelson is concerned by a pro-posal from Sen. CharlesGrassley (R-Iowa) to place apayment limit on federal cropinsurance premium subsidies.

A recently released Gov-ernment Accountability Officereport concludes $1 billioncould be saved either through

Groups mobilizing to address growing livestock threatLivestock groups are ramp-

ing up Capitol Hill efforts amidgrowing pressure for lawmak-ers to support proposed newpoultry care standards andrumors that an influential Cali-fornia senator soon may enterthe fray.

Meanwhile, Illinois FarmBureau continues to dialoguewith food industry representa-tives whose advocacy of specif-ic livestock production prac-tices could, according to IFBPresident Philip Nelson, playinto passage of questionableindustry standards.

Bipartisan West CoastHouse lawmakers are continu-ing to solicit colleague supportfor prescriptive new animaltreatment measures drafted bythe Humane Society of theUnited States (HSUS) and theUnited Egg Producers (UEP).

The measure seeks phasedreplacement of layer cagesused by 90-plus percent of theindustry with “enriched hous-ing” systems that would nearlydouble the space now allottedeach hen. The projected cost ofthe change is $4 billion over thenext 15 years.

The issue has gained momen-tum with decisions by majorplayers such as McDonald’s andcorporate/institutional foodservice giant Compass movetoward prohibiting use of ges-tation stalls by their suppliers.

In an RFD Radio-FarmWeek interview lastweek, Nelson reported Com-pass representatives were “veryreceptive” to farmer concernsand insights during a recentmeeting between the companyand IFB.

In response to HSUS’ FTCcomplaint, NPPC defendedcommon industry practices“that have been designed withinput from veterinarians andother animal-care experts.”

Nelson invited food compa-nies to visit farms and viewfirsthand “how we raise ourlivestock with the modern tech-nologies we utilize.”

“If you’re a grain farmer andthink this has nothing to do withyou, you’re wrong,” he warned.“Don’t think this (legislation)can’t come to grain farming, aswell, as far as setting standardsand practices for how youraise crops.” — Martin Ross

The National Pork Produc-ers Council (NPPC) is amongag groups lobbying for the bill’s

defeat, focusing on undecidedmembers, NPPC spokesmanDave Warner said. Measureapproval would “set a prece-dent for federal bureaucrats tobe able to tell farmers how toraise and care for their ani-mals,” he said.

HSUS last week filed a Fed-eral Trade Commission (FTC)complaint charging NPPC’s WeCare and Pork Quality Assur-ance Plus programs with“deceptive advertising.”

HSUS argues NPPC accept-ance of sow gestation stallsbelies its commitment to animalcare; NPPC anticipates FTCdismissal of the complaint.

“We’ve made our opposition(to HSUS-backed legislation)pretty well known; today, wegot repaid for that opposition(through filing of the com-

plaint),” Warner toldFarmWeek last Wednesday.

Egg bill sponsors Reps.Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), EltonGallegly (R-Calif.), Sam Farr(D-Calif.), and Jeff Denham(R-Calif.) are working to buildon a current roster of 50-pluslargely urban co-sponsors. Sen.Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)reportedly may offer a com-panion measure.

California’s role in pushingthe bill is aimed in part at level-ing the playing field for WestCoast egg producers, Warnersaid. California’s Proposition 2sets strict future housingrequirements for layer opera-tions in that state, and somelawmakers support federal reg-ulation purportedly to preventCalifornia farmers from facinga competitive disadvantage.

While NPPC often favorsfederal guidelines over a patch-work of contradictory state-level regulations, Warnerargued that in this case, federalpre-emption of the Californiastatute would be “bad publicpolicy.” “A bad state law isgoing to be a bad federal law,”he maintained.

FarmWeekNow.comTo l i s t e n t o I F B P r e s i d e n tP h i l i p N e l s o n ’s c o m m e n t so n t h e s e i s s u e s , g o t oFarmWeekNow.com.

RECALIBRATING

Mark Nunnery, right, of rural Clinton in DeWitt County, and Mike Jones, an employee of Cross Broth-ers Implement, also in Clinton, recalibrate the auto steer on Nunnery’s tractor. This is the fifth yearNunnery has used the GPS-guided system. He reported dry soils and an uncharacteristic lack of wa-ter in his field tiles. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

CONGRESS REACTS TO LFTB ISSUE — Thirtymembers of Congress last week signed a letter asking AgSecretary Tom Vilsack to define steps USDA plans to taketo set the record straight about lean finely textured beef(LFTB).

The product, which is 90 percent lean, has been labeled“pink slime” by some members of the media and con-sumers. Bad publicity and misconceptions about the prod-uct recently forced Beef Products to end production ofLFTB at plants in Iowa, Kansas, and Texas.

“We have been watching with great concern as this cam-paign of misinformation has unfolded and have been par-ticularly concerned about the loss of jobs that’s resultedfrom it,” the letter stated.

Vilsack recently called LFTB safe, healthy, and afford-able but defended USDA’s decision to give school lunchprograms the option to choose ground beef withoutLFTB.

DISASTER FAIRNESS — U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin, aSpringfield Democrat, and Mark Kirk, a Highland ParkRepublican, have unveiled bipartisan legislation aimed atbringing “consistency and fairness” to the Federal Emer-gency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster declarationprocess. After storms swept through Southern Illinois inlate February, FEMA denied federal assistance for Harris-burg and Ridgway. Kirk and Durbin would require FEMAto give a specified weight to each factor it considers indetermining community eligibility for individual and publicassistance.

It would require FEMA to consider local economic fac-tors such as an area’s assessable tax base and medianincome and poverty rates relative to the state’s. Kirk arguedFEMA’s process for determining a disaster declaration isbiased against larger, more populous states.

“FEMA explained that the economic damage done (inFebruary) didn’t meet an internal threshold the agency usesfor more populated states,” Durbin said. “The thinking isthat large states have the resources to absorb the recoverycosts. Well, that’s just not the case in Illinois.”

CARP BILL — Two Michigan members of Congresshope to prod the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to actquickly and decisively to prevent the spread of Asian carp.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Rep. Dave Camp(R-Mich.) have introduced the Stop Invasive Species Act,which would require the Army Corps of Engineers to sub-mit an expedited action plan to Congress with options forstopping the voracious carp from entering the Great Lakesat 18 possible points the agency has identified.

The Corps with other state and federal agencies is tryingto determine whether it’s feasible to permanently separatethe Chicago River and various canals from Lake Michigan.Illinois Farm Bureau and Illinois lawmakers have resistedefforts to close Chicago-area locks that potentially coulddisrupt commercial barge traffic.

Corps studies indicate Asian carp could invade the lakesat other points, including a low-lying marsh in Indiana andrivers in Minnesota.

FarmWeek Page 2 Monday, April 23, 2012

(ISSN0197-6680)

Vol. 40 No. 17 April 23, 2012

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 TakesFARMER PROFILE

Carol and Glenn Meyer, Steeleville, prepare potted plants for retail sale recently on their farm, G & C MeyerFarm in Randolph County. The Meyers’ specialty crop operation blossomed in 2002 when they installed a green-house on a portion of their farm that previously was used for hog production. The two green thumbs are MasterGardeners. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Glenn and Carol Meyerof Steeleville (RandolphCounty) for years hadgreat success growing spe-cialty crops, such as toma-toes and berries, to comple-ment their row-crop opera-tion.

But it wasn’t until thecouple added a greenhousethat their specialty crop op-eration really blossomed.

“My wife always talkedabout getting a green-house,” Glenn said. “Wehad a family friend who wasworking at Walmart whotold us they were takingone (a greenhouse) down atthe Walmart. He offered toput it up on our farm.”

The Meyers took theirfriend up on the offer andin 2002 they put up a 20-by-75-foot hoop structure— about 12 feet tall in thecenter — on a portion oftheir operation, G & C

Meyer Farm, where theypreviously raised hogs.

Carol worked with thecouple’s daughter, Annette,a horticulturalist at theUniversity of Kentucky, indetermining which fruits,vegetables, and flowerswould be the best fit ontheir farm and in the green-house.

“It just kind of all fellinto place,” said Carol, whobecame a Master Gardenerin 2004. “I always enjoyedplants and growing things.”

Glenn followed suit andbecame a Master Gardenerin 2005.

The Meyers currently arecertified sellers of ProvenWinners variety of plantsand flowers. More informa-tion about that line ofplants is available online at{www.provenwinners.com}.

“We do the best we canto get the varieties thatwork in our area, whetherit’s vegetables, fruits, orflowers,” Carol said. “Youneed to know what you’redoing.”

Gardeners in RandolphCounty have to deal withclay soils and oftentimeshigh heat in the summer

that some plants can’t toler-ate, Carol noted.

G & C Meyer Farm sellsmany flowers and hangingbaskets. The Meyers alsogrow tomatoes, cabbage,and peppers in the green-house and sell seeds formany garden vegetables.

“We grow garden prod-ucts in there (the green-house) too,” Glenn said.“My nephew runs the com-mercial farm.”

The Meyers also put out250 to 300 tomato plantsand harvest about 11 100-foot rows of blackberries,75 bushes of blueberries,and 300 feet of black rasp-berries.

Glenn, who served as theDistrict 16 director on theIllinois Farm Bureau Boardfrom 1992 to 2004, alsowas the interlocking mem-ber of the Illinois SpecialtyGrowers Association board.

Carol is a graduate of theIFB Agriculture Leaders ofTomorrow (ALOT) pro-gram. The couple in 2010won the IFB Eagle Awardof Excellence and still re-main active members inFarm Bureau and the Spe-cialty Growers Association.

FarmWeekNow.comhas forester directory

A University of Illinois Ex-tension directory of forestersis available online at{www.farmweeknow.com}.

Jay Hayek, a U of I Exten-sion forester, reported lastweek’s FarmWeek story abouttimber marketing generatedmany requests for the onlinedirectory.

Readers may access the di-rectory by clicking on the arti-cle “Forester: Illinois timberowners could earn muchmore” at FarmWeekNow.com.

Farm Bureaus memberswho need more assistance maycontact their county Farm Bu-reau.

Green thumb family excels in greenhouse

U of I Extension launches websitesThe University of Illinois Extension’s agriculture educators at

the university’s agricultural research and demonstration centersrecently launched websites with information and research find-ings.

The four crop-focused educators are Dennis Bowman inUrbana, Russ Higgins in Shabbona, Robert Bellm in Brown-stown, and Angie Peltier in Monmouth.

Each educator’s website features a blog communicatingthe center’s research and discussing factors that mayinfluence the region’s crop production.The websites maybe accessed at {http://bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu -/article.php?id=1610}.

education

Page 3 Monday, April 23, 2012 FarmWeek

Farm Credit donations sustain ag education, leadershipBY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

The charitable donations of1st Farm Credit Services(FCS) touched the lives ofmany students and adultsacross Illinois last year andwill expand those experiencesthis year.

Last week, the IAA Foun-dation awarded checks to rep-resentatives of 10 groupsselected to receive a total of$85,000 in donations fromthe 1st FCS’ donor-advisedfund (see map for coveragearea).

A new recipient this yearwas Annie’s Project, whichprovides education and train-ing for women involved withagricultural production.

viding programs to enhanceagriculture education, youth,and leadership,” said SteveCowser, chairman of 1st FCSBoard of Directors.

“The contributions giventoday speak to the long-termcommitment made by 1stFarm Credit Services to sup-port agriculture and alsoserves as a great way to

highlight the accomplish-ments of each group receiv-ing donations from thefund,” added Susan Moore,director of the IAA Founda-tion.

Established in 2010 with aninitial investment of $1 mil-lion, donations from the fundafter two years now total$160,000.

Annie’s Project received$4,000.

The remaining funding wasdivided among the Universityof Illinois College of Agricul-tural, Consumer, and Envi-ronmental Science: $19,000;Illinois State UniversityDepartment of Agriculture,$5,500; and Western IllinoisUniversity School of Agricul-ture, $5,500.

Other recipients were:Illinois Agriculture in theClassroom, $16,000; IllinoisAg Leadership Foundation,$16,000; Illinois FFA$4,500; Illinois 4-H Founda-tion, $4,500; AgrAbilityUnlimited, $5,000; andCook County Farm BureauFoundation, $5,000 for

Chicago students’ ag andscience projects.

“Each of the recipients hasan established history of pro-

Several Illinois laws require farmequipment to be properly marked whenoperated on publicroads.

Slow movingvehicle (SMV)emblems must bedisplayed on imple-ments of hus-bandry (any vehicleused for agricul-ture, horticulture,or livestock) when-ever those vehiclesare on a publicroad — day or night.

The SMV must be mounted at ornear the center of the rear of the vehi-cle and not less than four feet nor morethan 10 feet above the road’s surface.

Newer farm equipment also musthave conspicuity markings, which are

alternating red and fluores-cent orange reflective hori-zontal bars across the rear ofthe implement. Each mark-ing is two inches by nineinches.

The marking may havegaps of up to six feet andshould extend to within 16inches of the vehicle’s leftand right extremities.

Farm machinery on theroad must have lights

turned on between sunset and sun-rise. Older equipment, manufac-tured in 2002 or earlier, must haveat least two white headlights on thetowing unit, two red taillights, and

at least one oscillating, rotating, orflashing amber light that is visiblefrom the rear and mounted as highas is practical.

If an implement that is being towedpartially or fully obscures the taillightsand/or the SMV emblem on the towingvehicle, the rearmost implement beingtowed must have lights and markings.The flashing amber lights must bemounted on the rearmost implementbeing towed.

Farm equipment manufactured in2003 or later must have two whiteheadlights and two flashing amberlights visible from the front and twoflashing amber lights and two red tailreflectors visible from the rear. Mostmajor manufacturers meet theserequirements.

If the tractor or the implement ismore than eight feet wide, amberreflectors are required on the front tomark the extremities. If the width ismore than 12 feet, flashing amberlights — front and rear — and con-spicuity markings on the rear must beextended to within 16 inches of theright and left extremities.

Implements that measure morethan 16 feet in length from thepoint of hitch to the rear must havea SMV emblem mounted on the rearand amber reflectors along eachside. If that length is more than 25feet, the implement must have tail-lights and flashing amber lights onthe rear — even if those lights alsoare visible on the tractor. — KayShipman

Be sure farm machinery is properly marked for road travel

Simon says voluntary, virtual consolidation recommended

Draft rec-ommenda-tions from astate educa-tion commis-sion will sup-port voluntaryand virtualschool consol-idations, Lt.Gov. Sheila

Simon said last week.The Classrooms First Com-

mission released its report lastweek. The commission is

studying how districts canreduce costs and improve stu-dent learning.

In a RFD Radio-Farm-Week interview, Simon saidthe commission, which shechairs, supports voluntarydistrict consolidation and vir-tual consolidation for districtswhose large territories maketraditional consolidationimpractical.

Virtual consolidationswould save money by allowingdistricts to share bookkeepers

or books, she explained.The commission’s draft

recommendations are avail-able online at {www2.illi-nois.gov/ltgov/Pages/default.aspx}.

Simon has indicated repeat-edly that the state would notforce school consolidationdespite Gov. Pat Quinn’s earli-er comments that the statewould save money by reducingthe number of school districtsfrom 900 to 300. — Kay Ship-man

Sheila Simon

Rural leaders, citizens, andemployers are invited to attendtwo listening sessions April 30and May 10, Lt. GovernorSheila Simon announced lastweek.

Hosted by the Governor’sRural Affairs Council and theIllinois Institute for RuralAffairs (IIRA) at Western Illi-

nois University, the sessionswill focus on rural health care,education, infrastructure, busi-ness climate, workforce train-ing, and quality of life.

Dates and locations areApril 30, 1 to 3 p.m., FHNBurchard Hills Family Health-care Center, Freeport; and May10, 10 a.m. to noon, The Ray

and Joan Kroc Corps Commu-nity Center, Quincy.

Information from the ses-sions will be used to develop astrategic plan for the state. Theplan, which will include specif-ic policy recommendations,will be written by the IIRA andpresented to the Rural AffairsCouncil in July.

Simon schedules listening sessions

Norton president-electfor leadership group

Don Norton of Macomb has been named CEO and presi-dent-elect of the Illinois Agricultural Leadership Foundation(IALF). Norton will succeed Joyce Watson, who recentlyannounced her retirement would be effective Aug. 10.

Norton currently serves as foundationeducation coordinator, working with Wat-son and IALF’s Education Committee todevelop curriculum for each of IALF’s 14seminars included in its two-year leadershiptraining program.

He also assists with grant writing andalumni relations for the foundation.

Norton has taught broadcasting and“new” media, public speaking, advertis-

ing, and public relations at the university and communitycollege levels.

Prior to joining IALF in November 2010, he taught atSouth Suburban College in South Holland and before that atWestern Illinois University (WIU).

Norton received his master of arts degree in communi-cations from WIU in 1991. He has held marketing commu-nications positions with Northrop Corp. and Blue Cross inCalifornia, and has worked on numerous marketing com-munications projects for ag businesses while with MediacallInc.

As a radio news anchor and reporter, Norton earnedfour Illinois Associated Press awards for his work atWGN in Chicago, WJBC in Bloomington, and WJEQ inMacomb.

“The (IALF) Board of Directors is excited that Don willbe leading the foundation into a new era,” said GROW-MARK and IALF Board Chairman Dan Kelley. “His skillsas an educator and communications professional will providethe organization with a high level of visibility while at thesame time maintaining the integrity of the leadership trainingwe provide.”

Don Norton

Farmers will have an opportunity to learnabout field pennycress at a May 3 field dayhosted by Western Illinois University (WIU). Itwill be held rain or shine.

The free event will be from 10 a.m. to noonat the Agriculture Field Laboratory near WIU’sMacomb campus.

The School of Agriculture established the annu-al field day to introduce a new winter annual cropto local and regional farmers, according to WinPhippen, WIU researcher and faculty member.

“Due to the unseasonably warm weatherthis spring, the annual field pennycress plot

tour has been moved to the first week of May,”Phippen noted.

Researchers, along with industry representa-tives, will discuss the unique short-season crop.Information presented will include plantingdate studies; winter and spring variety trials;planting methods; winter and spring nitrogentreatments; and results from a soybean crop-rotation study.

For more information, contact Phippen at309-298-1251. Information also is online fromthe Pennycress Resource Network at{www.wiu.edu/pennycress/}.

government

FarmWeek Page 4 Monday, April 23, 2012

Flood insurance bill highlights concernsBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

A new U.S. House floodinsurance proposal to somemay seem a bit over the top,but the debate could helprural Illinoisans currentlystruggling to keep theirheads and businesses abovewater.

A measure by Rep. JohnGaramendi (D-Calif.) wouldallow farmers to obtain sub-sidized flood insurance onsome existing and new agstructures behind a levee thatmeets flood protection crite-ria as prescribed in his bill.

As part of a federal flood-plain remapping process,many existing levees thatprotect ag land have been“decertified” by the FederalEmergency Management

es) in a so-called “legacycommunity,” where agricul-ture is or has been an eco-nomic mainstay.

The measure requiresFEMA to provide insurancecoverage on request for newor substantially improvedfarm structures in a coveredprotection area, at a subsi-dized rate.

According to Illinois FarmBureau’s Kevin Rund, theGaramendi bill offers “after-the-fact” relief for producersimpacted by levee decertifi-cation. Farm Bureau seeksflexible floodplain policiesthat offer communities “ade-quate time” to repair below-capacity levees before theyare decertified.

“This proposal basicallywaives the bulk of restric-

tions that apply to farmoperations and small ag com-munities — anything under2,000 in population,” Rundsaid.

“Those in the floodplains,behind the levees, may heraldthis bill because it frees themfrom a lot of restrictionsFEMA otherwise would puton them.

“For those who’ve beentrying to lessen the impact offlooding, ‘clean up’ the flood-plains, and require flood-proofing of new structures,this could be seen as settingthat effort way back.

“It’s going to see strong,strong opposition in Wash-ington. But it also will helpput a spotlight on this prob-lem of (levee) decertifica-tion,” said Rund.

Agency (FEMA).Decertification can require

affected property owners tobuy insurance, pay higherpremiums, and meet strictbuilding requirements for allnew construction or improve-ments. In some cases, federaldowngrades could preventfarmers in the floodplainfrom rebuilding or expandingoperations.

Garamendi’s Flood Insur-ance for Farmers Act wouldexempt new and substantiallyimproved ag structures fromflood plans that communitiesmust adopt to be eligible forNational Flood InsuranceProgram coverage. It allowsrebuilding of ag or residentialstructures within a “coveredlevee-protected area” — inthe House bill, an area with at

least one foot of “free-board,” or levee height abovea 100-year flood.

A 100-year levee has beendefined as one built to resista flood event with a 1 per-cent chance of occurring in agiven year.

FEMA has required threefeet of freeboard for leveecertification, and decertifica-tion can occur if addedheight falls below that levelas a result of settling or dete-rioration or the calculatedelevation of a 100-year floodis raised due to changingweather or land use condi-tions.

Garamendi’s plan wouldallow rebuilding of residen-tial and non-residential struc-tures (other than those thathave sustained repeated loss-

Continued from page 1to seek further savings in the program, said Adam Nielsen, IFBnational legislative director.

Nelson maintains those subsidies are crucial in encouragingmany farmers to use crop policies, especially as Congress looksto eliminate direct farm payments. “We view crop insurance as a risk management tool that reallytakes on a life of its own, from small operations to large opera-tions and, more importantly, as producers weigh a decision onwhat level they want to manage their risk,” he said in an RFDRadio-FarmWeek interview.

“Going into this farm bill, we knew that with the eliminationof direct payments, we needed to have an adequate safety net tohelp us manage risk. You can see by the participation in cropinsurance right here in this state that farmers utilize that as a tool— a very important tool.”

IFB also is monitoring potential efforts to tie new conserva-tion compliance requirements to crop insurance.

Meanwhile, House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) announced another series of ag subcommittee farm billhearings beginning Wednesday and concluding in May.

Wednesday’s hearing will focus on rural development, whileThursday hearings will explore conservation and dairy programs.

Members will review nutrition and specialty crop programs onMay 8, credit programs on May 10, commodity programs andcrop insurance on May 16 and 17, and energy and forestry pro-grams on May 18.

Recent House field hearings in Galesburg and other localesgathered grassroots input on future farm policies and priorities.New Capitol Hill hearings will “round out” information neededto draft House proposals, the Ag Committee reported.

Farm bill

Nutrition spending: Where to cut with least painIt’s a tough issue: Food and

nutrition programs offer oneof the few large ag spendingpots left for a budget-con-scious Congress to explore,but they provide a crucialfarm bill connection for urbanlawmakers.

IllinoisFarm BureauPresidentPhilip Nelsonhopes law-makers canrationally eval-uate programcosts and pos-sible savingswithout

resorting to partisan politics.Nelson sees at least two

key “areas of contention” in2012 farm bill debate: Differ-ences over how to devise newfarm safety net programs thatcan serve producers acrosscommodity and regional lines,and the potential extent ofand need for spending cuts infederal food/nutrition pro-grams.

With direct payments onthe way out, nutrition pro-gram spending, the largestcomponent of the farm billbudget, becomes the “light-

sen, a specialist in nutritionpolicy, emphasizes the bene-fits SNAP purchases accrueboth to major food chains andsmall convenience marts inrural communities as well asurban neighborhoods.

He argues SNAP largelyhas been “successful in alle-viating food insecurity” and,by extension, improving“educational outcomes”among children fed throughthe program. Food insecurityrates jumped from 2007 to2008, “and those rates haveremained high ever sincethen,” Gundersen said.

He nonetheless suggestspolicymakers could “rethink”the way SNAP benefits arecalculated. Minimum benefitlevels actually could be raisedwith a “budget-neutral”impact by adjusting SNAP“discounts” at higher benefitlevels, the economist said.

“If somebody has a pro-jected benefit level of $100,maybe they should receivemore for a family of four,”Gundersen told FarmWeek.“If someone has a projectedbenefit level of $500, maybethey should get less.” — Mar-tin Ross

ning rod” for further reduc-tions, Nelson noted. But thatdoesn’t mean U.S. familiesdependent on food or nutri-tional assistance have to suf-fer, he stressed.

The U.S. Conference ofMayors last week blasted aHouse Ag Committee propos-al to cut $33 billion in Supple-mental Nutrition AssistanceProgram (SNAP) — i.e., foodstamp — funding over a 10-year period, charging it wouldcut benefits to low-incomeand senior consumers andreduce state revenues accruedthrough SNAP-related gro-cery/retail sales.

The Ag Committee arguedits newly approved budget rec-onciliation package insteadwould target “reforms, elimi-nation of loopholes, and thereduction of waste, fraud, andabuse” within SNAP. An earli-er House Republican budgetresolution proposal recom-mended $122.5 billion in long-term SNAP cuts.

Last fall, Farm Bureau sug-gested at least $4 billion to $5billion could be saved throughgreater efficiency in food pro-gram administration. Nelsonfeels a more extensive federal

examination of program oper-ation could suggest savings.

“In the last farm bill, weput an additional $10 billioninto the nutrition area,” henoted. “What we’re saying isnot to cut those programs —we can try to streamline themand make them more effectivefor the dollars invested.”

Senate Ag Chairman Deb-bie Stabenow’s (D-Mich.) farmbill plan, released Friday,reportedly would attempt toimprove SNAP accountabilityby:

• Blocking lottery winnersfrom continuing to receiveassistance.

• Ending program misuseby college students.

• Cracking down on retail-ers and recipients engaged inillegal benefits “trafficking.”

• Increasing requirementsto prevent liquor and tobaccostores from becoming SNAPretailers.

• Eliminating gaps in stan-dards that result in overpay-ment of benefits.

University of Illinois ageconomist Craig Gundersenwarns against letting political-ly charged rhetoric drive arbi-trary nutrition cuts. Gunder-

WIU plans May 3 pennycress field day

Philip Nelson

production

Page 5 Monday, April 23, 2012 FarmWeek

Rain interrupts planting; dryness still a concernBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Scattered rain and cool soiltemperatures last week inter-rupted planting progress atmany locations in the state.

But Illinois corn plantingstill is off to one of the quick-est starts in recent history.

“Ground conditions havebeen very good,” Philip Nel-son, Illinois Farm Bureaupresident and a LaSalle Coun-ty farmer, told the RFD RadioNetwork last week. “We’re atthe two-thirds mark (for cornplanting) and hope to wrap upover the weekend.”

Corn planting as of thefirst of last week was 41 per-cent complete statewide com-pared to just 8 percent lastyear and the five-year averageof 6 percent, according to theNational Agricultural Statis-tics Service (NASS) Illinoisfield office.

“We’ve got half a day of

fall probably is the top con-cern for farmers so far thisseason.

“We just need MotherNature to cooperate and giveus some showers to rechargethe soils,” he said.

NASS last week alsoreported 40 percent of the

wheat crop in Illinois washeaded, compared to the aver-age of just 1 percent; 93 per-cent of oats were planted,compared to the average of 44percent; and 3 percent of thefirst cutting of alfalfa wascomplete, compared to theaverage of 1 percent.

corn planting left,” said Den-nis Green, IFB District 13director and a farmer fromLawrence County, whose farmreceived about 2.1 inches ofrain in recent weeks. “Whenwe get done, and if it doesn’train, we’ll probably start onsoybeans.”

Illinois farmers as of thefirst of last week planted 2percent of their soybeanscompared to the five-yearaverage of 1 percent.

Doug Uphoff, aFarmWeek Cropwatcherfrom Shelby County, finishedplanting corn on April 11 butnoted the recent stretch ofcool, wet weather slowedplanting and crop progress.

“Cooler temps have slowedcrop progress dramatically,”Uphoff said. “Soil temps were65 degrees in March and havecooled to the middle-50s” asof last week.

Cropwatchers’ reports will

return to FarmWeek in theMay 7 issue.

Fortunately, the NationalWeather Service’s (NWS)eight- to 14-day forecast lastweek called for a return toabove-normal temperatures,Chris Geelhart, meteorologistat the NWS Lincoln office,reported.

Precipitation, however, wasprojected to be below normalin the southeast half of thestate and near normal in thenorthwest portion.

“We have a small area ofmoderate drought in CentralIllinois, roughly fromRushville to Lincoln and overto Clinton,” Geelhart said lastweek prior to some scatteredshowers on Friday. “We alsohave abnormally dry condi-tions in places between the I-80 and I-72 corridors, and alittle bit along the Ohio Riv-er.”

Nelson said a lack of rain-

Freeze raises tough questionsfor Champaign County orchard BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

A Champaign County orchard owner last week could notspeculate about freeze damage to his apple crop becausehe’d never experienced a freeze at this stage of crop devel-opment.

While fruit growers to the south and other parts of Illinoisapparently were spared, Champaign County growers with anearly crop saw recent temperatures dip to the mid-20s. “It’sthe kind of year that we don’t have history to go on,” RandyGraham, co-owner of Curtis Orchards, told FarmWeek.“We’ve not gone through a freeze before (when we) had smallfruit on the trees.”

Curtis Orchard is an 80-acre farm with more than 4,500apple trees, 20 acres of pumpkins, and a country store nearChampaign.

Earlier, Blake Kamp of Hagen Family Orchard near GoldenEagle in Calhoun County said his family’s peach and applecrops did not appear to be damaged. In late March,FarmWeek profiled the Kamps and the unusual mid-Marchbloom of their peach trees.

Graham said apple tree leaf surfaces and some fruit lookgood, but he noted the susceptibility to cold weather may varyamong apple varieties. The orchard grows more than 30 vari-eties.

He has past experience with a frost occurring when the treesare in bloom or have buds and has learned how to detectpotential damage to the crop at that stage.

“It’s a little difficult to assess (the crop) at this point. Thereare lots of apples on the trees. We’re not sure if they will keepgrowing or not,” Graham said. “It’s a weird, challenging kindof scenario.”

Early crop development prompts need for scoutingFarmers who have wheat

or early-planted corn that isdeveloping quickly shouldscout those fields soon,according to University ofIllinois specialists.

Early-planted corn shouldbe evaluated for frost dam-age and for signs of blackcutworm moth feeding activ-ity while viruses reportedlyare present in some wheatfields.

Corn that emerged priorto April 1 had, as of lastweek, endured at least two

nights of below-freezingtemperatures in several partsof the state.

“We normally assureourselves that, with thegrowing point protectedbeneath the soil surface,the potential for regrowthback into normal plants ishigh,” said EmersonNafziger, U of I Exten-sion crop systems special-ist.

“However, we are findingthat most damaged plants arevery slow to send out newleaf tissue, and some aremaking no regrowth at all.”

Nafziger believes some

observed, according to CarlBradley, U of I plant pathol-ogist. However, farmers canprevent the transmission ofviruses by aphids, such asbarley yellow dwarf, by usingseed treatments or foliarinsecticides.

“For the best management

of wheat viruses, choosevarieties that have high levelsof resistance to these dis-eases,” Bradley said.

The U of I Plant Cliniccan help farmers facilitatevirus-specific tests ofwheat samples. — DanielGrant

corn plants suffered morefrost damage due to dry soils.Dry soils have low heat-hold-ing capacity, he noted.

The crop specialistencouraged farmers whohave corn that was emergedduring recent frost events tocheck the growing point —the tip of the stem at thebase of the plant — on someplants to make sure itremains white and healthy.

Nafziger also encouragedfarmers to take populationcounts to see if replanting

may be in order in somefrost-damaged fields. Cornthat was in at least the V-3(third leaf) stage during thefrosts generally exhibited themost damage.

“Some of the badlydamaged plants were show-ing some regrowth (as oflast week),” he said. “Oth-ers showed no regrowthand probably will not sur-vive.”

The wave of cool weatherapparently did not slow thespring migratory flight ofblack cutworm moths, whichhas been heavy in some areasof the state.

“Don’t assume the coldweather took care of theblack cutworm threat thisspring,” said Mike Gray, U ofI Extension crop sciencescoordinator and entomolo-gist.

“Corn plants in the one-to-four-leaf stage remainsusceptible to cutting,” hecontinued. “Producersshould be monitoring theirfields closely this springfor potential stand reduc-tions.”

Meanwhile, wheat growers

should be scouting theirfields because symptoms ofvirus infection, such as pur-ple or yellow leaf tips, havebeen observed in somewheat fields.

Discoloration of wheatleaves in Illinois often arecaused by barley yellowdwarf, a virus transmitted byaphids, and wheat soilbornemosaic virus or wheat spin-dle streak mosaic virus thatare transmitted by soilborneorganisms that feed on wheatroots.

There are no in-seasoncontrol options for wheatviruses once symptoms are

‘We are finding that most damaged plants arevery slow to send out new leaf tissue, and someare making no regrowth at all.’

— Emerson NafzigerUniversity of Illinois crop systems specialist

ResouRces

FarmWeek Page 6 Monday, April 23, 2012

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Urban impacts on water quality, planningfor droughts, and regulatory water standardsare shared challenges for the Illinois and Eng-lish scientists who compared differentapproaches last week in Urbana.

“No single academic discipline can solvewater issues. It will involve every sciencehumans can bring to bear —and economics,”University of Illinois President DesignateRobert Easter advised the scientists.

Last week, a team of scientists from theUniversity of Leeds discussed water researchwith researchers from the U of I, the IllinoisState Water Survey, and the Prairie ResearchInstitute. The British scientists are working onmany of the same problems as their Illinoiscounterparts.

Government rules and water standards areissues in both countries. Illinois scientistsreferred to the federal Clean Water Act(CWA), while the British discussed the WaterFramework Directive (WFD).

Mark David, a biogeochemist in the U of ICollege of Agricultural, Consumer, Environ-mental Sciences, described the challenges ofestablishing water nutrient standards in theMidwest.

Using future nutrient standards to improvewater quality also will be a challenge, accord-ing to David. “Fixing one (nutrient) may notfix another, and they are difficult to tackle

together,” he said. “It’s very seldom nutrientsalone are a problem of Illinois streams.”

He reported Illinois researchers have foundmany factors influence the quality of water instreams, rivers, and lakes, and scientists havenot found simple formulas to assess waterquality.

“In my mind, nutrients may not be thebiggest (water quality) problem we face; it maybe habitat or sediment,” David said. “Do wereally want to spend money on (practices toreduce) nutrients when there is only so muchmoney to go around?”

British researchers shared similar concernsabout whether water bodies would be able tomeet the 2015 quality deadlines established inthe WFD. That deadline may be delayed until2027, according to Leeds scientist Paul Kay,who studies agricultural impacts on waterquality.

“You can see the whole of England is goingto fail (water standards) because of nitrates,”Kay said as he pointed to a map depictingimpaired water bodies.

Kay described English watershed projectsdesigned to educate local farmers about bestmanagement practices. After the watershedinitiative started in 2006, “we have seen signifi-cant decrease in nitrate (levels) in somestreams,” Kay reported.

The U of I’s David mentioned Illinois’ agri-culture sector last fall initiated Keep It for theCrop (KIC) by 2025 to help reduce nutrients.

Scientists face water quality, other issues End-users counting on big corn crop from U.S. farmers this yearBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

The early start to the grow-ing season is just what farmersand end users needed this yearas they hope for one of thelargest corn crops in U.S. his-tory.

Farmers hope to grow morecorn to take advantage ofprofitable prices while end-users are relying on a big cropto ease tight supplies.

USDA earlier this month

projected ending stocks ofcorn at just 801 millionbushels while it lowered globalcoarse grain supplies by 4.3million tons.

“There’s a lot of talk of abig crop, but it’s still monthsand months away,” JohnAnderson, American FarmBureau Federation senioreconomist, told FarmWeek.“The corn supply now is verytight.”

USDA projected corn usedin the U.S. for ethanol produc-tion this year will total 5 billionbushels while feed and residualuse was projected to total 4.6billion bushels.

“The main thing affectingour industry today is growingthis big corn crop,” said EricMoseby, general manager ofthe Lincolnland Agri-Energyethanol production facility inPalestine.

“This crop is especially crit-ical,” he continued. “If we canrebuild stocks and prove wecan keep enough corn to makeall the ethanol we need andcontinue to do the otherthings (such as feed livestockand meet export demand)we’ve always done, that wouldbe huge for us going forward.”

USDA last month projected

U.S. farmers this year will plant95.9 million acres of corn,which would be the highesttotal since 1937 when U.S.farmers planted 97.2 millionacres.

Farmers planted that muchcorn 75 years ago to meetstrong on-farm feed demand,Anderson noted. It also was atime when yields were muchlower, stocks needed to berebuilt after the Dust Bowl,and there was less competi-

tion from soybeans foracreage.

“The main thing during thatperiod of time is (farmers) stillwere growing corn to feed alot of horses and mules,”Anderson said. “They hadtremendous on-farm feedneeds.”

The corn yield in 1937 aver-aged just 28.9 bushels per acre,which produced a 2.5-billion-bushel crop. This year, if farm-ers plant nearly 96 millionacres and the national yieldaverages a projected 164bushels per acre, farmerswould produce a record 14.4-billion-bushel crop, Andersonsaid.

“Corn users would love tosee a big crop,” the economistsaid. “And we’re on pace to getit planted.”

U.S. farmers as of April 16planted 17 percent of the corncrop, which was well ahead ofthe five-year average pace ofjust 5 percent.

“The implications of earlyplanting are less significant toyields than late planting,”Anderson added. “The quickstart means we’re more likelyto get all the planned (corn)acres planted — and maybemore.”

‘There’s a lot of talk of a big crop, butit’s still months and months away (fromharvest). The corn supply now is verytight.’

— John AndersonAFBF senior economist

safety

Page 7 Monday, April 23, 2012 FarmWeek

Safety audits offer human, economic benefitsBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

The term “audit” generallybrings chills to taxpayers thistime of year. However, an on-farm safety audit can save livesand keep money in a farmer’spocket.

The Iowa Center for Agri-cultural Safety and Health (I-CASH) Certified Safe Farm(CSF) program is an “agricul-tural intervention” programdesigned to reduced farm acci-dents and farm family illnesses.

The center and SuccessfulFarming magazine are offeringproducers a free CSF review aswell as a $2,500 grant for opera-tional safety improvements.

CSF aims to change farmerattitudes and behaviors byencouraging occupationalhealth screenings, on-farmsafety reviews based on specificperformance standards,expanded safety education, andincentives such as insurance oragribusiness discounts for out-standing safety efforts.

The University of Iowa-based center has refined a com-prehensive on-farm safetychecklist over the past dozenyears (see accompanying list).However, I-CASH specialistAaron Kline believes farmersare better served by an outside”reviewer.”

“Somebody who’s out onthe farm every day, sees thesame thing every day, just does-n’t think about it,” he told

U.S. farm. Further,Kline noted concernsabout future farmsafety regulations thathave arisen amiddebate over proposedU.S. Department ofLabor (DOL) ag childlabor rules.

DOL’s Occupation-al Safety and HealthAdministration(OSHA) generally doesnot inspect businesseswith fewer than 11employees, but a largerfarm could face finesin the six figures ifOSHA uncovers majoronsite issues, hewarned. OSHA regula-tions will be addressedin CSF’s large-farmmodule.

“Safety costs arehidden,” Kline said. “Ifyou have a problem onthe farm, that costcould put you out ofbusiness. There’s a costto not making safetypart of your bottomline.”

FarmWeek. “The (auditor) cansee things the farmer will miss.It’s just a way of drawing atten-tion to those little items thatcan make a difference in thesafety of the farm — littlethings that can add up in thelong run.”

To be eligible for a free CSFaudit and safety grant, send aone-page application to Success-ful Farming by May 31. Theapplication should include abrief description of operationsand family members involved inthem and an explanation ofhow your operation would ben-efit from a review.

For information on CSF andthe magazine’s “OperationFarmSafe” offer, visit{www.public-health.uiowa.edu/icash/pro-grams/CSF/index.html}

I-CASH has developed aseries of CSF safety “modules”addressing concerns for theaverage family farm, dairyfarms, and elderly farmers. Newmodules targeting large farmsand providing resources forfarm “self-audits” are in theworks.

Meanwhile, the IllinoisGrain Health and Safety Coali-tion is developing a new pro-gram to train future local safetytrainers.

University of Illinois ag safe-ty/health program leader andcoalition coordinator RobertAherin deems independentauditing a “good idea,” but

while grant funding’shelped I-CASH and IowaExtension rural healthproviders offer services,he noted constraints inIllinois Extension fundingand limited resources foron-farm visits.

Kline considers healthscreenings a key prerequi-site to an audit. For exam-ple, if a farmer hasreduced breathing func-tions, an auditor can focuson respiratory hazards inlivestock or grain facilities.

Health issues nonethe-less pose a challenge indeveloping insuranceincentives for safe farms,Aherin said. Farm injuryrisks are merely “a smallpart” of the insurer equa-tion, especially if an olderfarmer is ill-equipped toperform risky choresaround otherwise safefacilities or equipment.

The estimated annualcost of ag-related injuriesis $4.5 billion per year,which amounts to an aver-age roughly $2,400 per

Safety 1-2-3Check out Illinois Farm Bureau’s “Farm Safety 1-2-3” campaign

online for seasonal safety tips and questions.IFB’s website includes a monthly checklist targeting an individual

aspect of ag safety {www.ilfb.org/get-involved/be-safe.aspx}. Withplanters already in the field, April’s focus is general machinery safety.

Monthly checklists have covered the waterfront from general top-ics such as pesticide handling and storage, fire prevention, emer-gency response, and tractor operation to less obvious but equallyimportant areas such as lawn mower safety and precautions to betaken on farm lanes and driveways.

“Slips and trips are some of the biggest hazards on the farm,” IFBsafety program director Peggy Romba noted.

Here are some key equipment questions to ponder before takingto the field:

• Are key warning decals on machinery readable? Replacementdecals are available from most dealers.

• Are all equipment shields and guards in place? • Are all machines free of jagged metal or protrusions that could

ensnare and/or injure an unsuspecting operator?• Is there a policy for when personal protective equipment should

be used or worn?• Is any equipment likely to be towed on roadways equipped with

safety chains and safety hitch pins? Is equipment attached properlyaccording to regulations?

• Are slow moving vehicle signs clean and reflective? Are theymounted on the rearmost piece of equipment before roadway travel?

• Are defective or worn parts replaced as soon as possible (includ-ing tires)?

• Are children and bystanders kept away from operating equip-ment?

• Is power turned off before adjusting or servicing machinery orlockouts used if required?

• Are moveable components properly blocked before repair oradjustment? Are they locked out?

• Do you always observe the “no riders” rule on machines or draw-bars?

• When implements are parked, are they out of the transport posi-tion, blocked, or left in the down position as outlined in the operator’smanual? — Martin Ross

This is an example of a farm safety checklist devel-oped by the Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety andHealth as part of its Certified Safe Farm program. Afarm auditor/reviewer can rate all safety aspects ofan operation and develop an overall safety “score” toguide on-farm improvements.

livestock

FarmWeek Page 8 Monday, April 23, 2012

April cattle numbers could be start of bullish trendBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Cattle prices were projectedto remain steady to possibly 20cents per hundredweight lowerto start this week as largequantities of red meat in stor-age could weigh on marketsnear-term.

But long-term, USDA’sApril cattle onfeed reportreleased Fridayshowed a signif-icant decline of placements infeedlots, which Rich Nelson,director of research at Allen-dale Inc. in McHenry, believescould signal the start of abullish trend in the cattlemarket.

USDA reported placementsin feedlots during Marchtotaled 1.79 million head,down 6 percent from a yearago.

“This is a good sign,” Nel-son said. “The trade has beenwaiting for lower placements

to show up. This could be thestart of a string of a fewmonths of lower place-ments.”

The industry is transitioningto fewer placements from largeplacements in feedlots last yearwhen farmers had few otherfeed options due to drought-

stressed pastures.“We’re pay-

ing for that(run of largefeedlot place-

ments) now,”Nelson said.

Marketings of fed cattle inMarch also declined by 4 per-cent from a year ago to 1.92million head.

Nelson projected cash cattleprices could average around$116 to $117 per hundred-weight this summer beforemaking a move by the fourthquarter.

“We should be rallying backpretty aggressively by thefourth quarter,” the analystsaid. “We may be back to $130on December futures.”

U.S. cow and bull slaughterrecently slowed to a pace ofabout 120,000 head per week,

about 10 percent below year-ago levels, according toauthors of the CME GroupDaily Livestock Report.

The reduction of slaughternumbers could help priceslong-term. But a steady supply

of cows and heavy red meatstorage numbers currently aresomewhat negative, accordingto Nelson.

USDA on Friday reportedthe number of cattle and calveson feed as of April 1 totaled11.48 million head, up 2 per-cent from last year.

Meanwhile, total red meatsupplies as of last week wereup 3 percent from the previousmonth and up 11 percent fromlast year.

Nelson believes the heavierred meat supplies are due inpart to a pull-back in demandcaused by confusion about leanfinely textured beef, a 90 per-cent lean beef product that wasused in ground beef butlabeled “pink slime” by manymedia outlets.

“It’s our opinion that thegeneral media scare-mongeringwas a complete success,” Nel-son said. “There is clear evi-dence consumers had a sharpaversion to not only groundbeef but red meat as a wholelast month.”

Beef supplies last week wereup 14 percent compared to lastyear while pork supplies were 7percent higher than a year ago,USDA noted last week in itscold storage report.

Cows and their calves relax in a pasture near Sesser in Franklin County. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

FarmWeekNow.com

To check out the latest USDAcattle on feed report, go toFarmWeekNow.com.

FROm ThE COuNTIES

Page 9 Monday, April 23, 2012 FarmWeek

BUREAU — Bureauand Lee County Farm

Bureaus will sponsor theirthird annual Ag in the Class-room golf outing at 9 a.m.Friday, June 29, at TimberCreek, Dixon. Country Finan-cial will provide lunch. Costis $200 for a team of four,which includes cart and lunch.Deadline for reservations isJune 22. Call the BureauCounty Farm Bureau office at815-875-6468 or the LeeCounty Farm Bureau office at815-857-3531 for a reserva-tion form or more informa-tion.

• The Bureau and HenryCounty Farm Bureau Founda-tions will sponsor a Trac-torTrek Saturday and Sunday,June 23-24. Proceeds willbenefit the Ag in the Class-room programs in the coun-ties. Cost is $75, whichincludes lunch and refresh-ments. Deadline to enter isJune 8. Call Dave Doty at815-739-5983, the BureauCounty Farm Bureau office at815-875-6468, or the HenryCounty Farm Bureau office at309-937-2411 for more infor-mation.

• Bureau and Stark CountyFarm Bureaus will sponsor atrip Wednesday, June 20, toChicago for a Chicago Archi-tecture Foundation RiverCruise. Cost is $100 and isdue when registering. Non-members may attend. Call theFarm Bureau office at 815-875-6468 by May 23 for reser-vations or more information.

FULTON — NationalPrime Rib Day is Friday.

Kim Newburn, owner ofAmerican Grille in Canton,will serve a prime rib special.Five dollars from every dinnerwill be donated to the areafood pantry. There will begive-aways and a door prizedrawing. The promotion issponsored by the AmericanGrille and its distributor, FoxRiver Foods.

KNOX — Henry, Knox,Mercer, Stark, and

Warren-Henderson CountyFarm Bureaus will sponsorthree “Ag in a Day” teacherworkshops at the followingdates and places: June 11,Galesburg; June 12, Alpha;and June 13, Kewanee. Work-shops will include hands-onactivities, grants for class-rooms, kit give-aways, farmtours, and resources. There isno charge to attend. Deadlineto register is May 15. Call theMercer County Farm Bureauoffice at 309-582-5116 forreservations. Call the KnoxCounty Farm Bureau office at309-342-2036 or visit thewebsite {www.knoxcfb.org}for more information.

LASALLE — FarmBureau will sponsor a

bus trip June 27 to see the

Chicago Cubs vs. the NewYork Mets game at WrigleyField. Cost is $75 for mem-bers and $85 for non-mem-bers if paid by May 25. AfterMay 25, the cost is $85 and$95, respectively. Tickets areon a first-come, first-servedbasis. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 815-433-0371 forreservations or more informa-tion.

LEE — Bureau, Lee,and Whiteside County

Farm Bureaus will sponsorthe Summer Ag Institute IIfor teachers June 26-27. Costis $25 for members and $40for non-members. Certifica-tion units may be earned uponcompletion of the course.Register at the Farm Bureauoffice or call 875-6468 by May15 for reservations or moreinformation.

• Lee and Bureau CountyFarm Bureaus are seekinghole sponsors for the annualAg in the Classroom golf out-ing Friday, June 29. Cost is$100 a hole. Call the FarmBureau office at 815-857-3531or e-mail leecfb@comcast.netfor more information.

LIVINGSTON — FarmBureau has an opening

for a summer intern to workone day per week for 13 weeks.Duties for the position wouldinclude preparation for andworking at the 4-H Fair, IAAGolf Outing fundraiser, andYoung Leader activities. Sub-mit a resume to LivingstonCounty Farm Bureau, PO Box410, Pontiac, Ill. 61764 or e-mail to tvlcfb@frontier.com.Deadline to return applicationsis Monday, April 30.

STARK — The Ag in theClassroom Committee is

selling raffle tickets for a 2012John Deere 8350R pedal trac-tor. Cost is $3 each or two for$5. All proceeds will benefitthe Ag in the Classroom pro-gram. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 286-7481 for moreinformation.

VERMILION — FarmBureau will sponsor a

Marketing Local Foods work-shop at 7 p.m. Monday, May 7,at the Farm Bureau auditori-um. Cynthia Haskins andMary Ellen Fricke, IllinoisFarm Bureau, will discussestablishing a brand identityand developing a marketingplan for food products alongwith websites and socialmedia. Call the Farm Bureauoffice for more information.

“From the counties” items aresubmitted by county Farm Bureaumanagers. If you have an event oractivity open to all members, con-tact your county Farm Bureaumanager.

FOLLOWING CORN’S TRAVEL

Schuyler County Farm Bureau ag literacy coordinator Jean Barron recently provided a lesson on corn tostudents in the Rushville-Industry School District. Students saw pictures and illustrations of an actual

Schuyler County farmer, Greg Rebman, and the process a load ofhis corn went through from his field to the end user. Half of his loadof corn went to China (for human consumption) and the otherhalf went to Mexico (for chicken feed). Thanks to the elevator and

friends of agriculture, he was able to get pictures of the whole process (see {rebmanfarms.com}; click onGrain Trak). The students were shown how the Panama Canal plays a huge role in exporting corn. Stu-dents received a corn muffin and a corn Ag Mag to share at home. Pictured is Mrs. Darcey Wort’s secondgrade class. (Photo by Schuyler County Farm Bureau manager Kelly Westlake)

ProfItAbILIty

FarmWeek Page 10 Monday, April 23, 2012

Export inspections(Million bushels)

Week ending Soybeans Wheat Corn04-12-12 18.1 25.7 42.904-05-12 27.9 17.7 26.6Last year 16.0 38.0 39.0Season total 1059.6 870.6 1023.1Previous season total 1339.3 1064.8 1085.2USDA projected total 1275 1000 1700Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

Feeder pig prices reported to USDA*Weight Range Per Head Weighted Ave. Price10 lbs. $32.88-46.00 $39.0840 lbs. n/a n/a50 lbs. no longer reported by USDAReceipts This Week Last Week 101,105 92,445*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 $79.23 $79.66 -0.43Live $58.63 $58.95 -0.32

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

Steers 122.98 122.00 0.98 Heifers 122.38 122.00 0.38

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 150.18 149.14 1.04

CME feeder cattle index — 600-800 Lbs.

Lamb prices

(Thursday’s price)

n/a

USDA

Farm ServiceAgency

Unauthorized disposition of grain — If loan grain hasbeen disposed of through feeding, selling, or any other form ofdisposal without prior written authorization from the countyFSA office staff, it is considered an unauthorized disposition.

The financial penalties for unauthorized dispositions aresevere and a farmer’s name will be placed on a loan violation listfor a two-year period. Always call before you haul any grainunder loan.

Rural youth loans — FSA makes loans to rural youth toestablish and operate income-producing projects in connectionwith 4-H clubs, FFA, and other agricultural groups. Projectsmust be planned and operated with the help of the organiza-tion’s adviser, produce sufficient income to repay the loan, andprovide the youth with practical business and educational experi-ence. The maximum loan amount is $5,000.

5 FSA offices to start part-time hours in July — Five Illi-nois FSA offices will be open two days a week, starting on July17. Those offices are located in Boone, Calhoun, Union,Wabash, and Williamson counties. Additional details and specificoffice hours will be released in the future.

New engine technology, fuels cause ‘sticky’ injectorsBY KEN REICHERT

Today’s diesel engines out-perform the diesel engine tech-nology of just a few years ago

in many ways. Original

EquipmentManufactur-ers (OEM)now incorpo-rate sophisti-cated, elec-tronicallycontrolled

fuel injection systems thatinject diesel fuel into engine

cylinders as many as seventimes per injection cycle atpressures up to 30,000 psi.

These new High PressureCommon Rail (HPCR) systemsfeature extremely tight toler-ances between the fuel injectorbody and the injector plunger.Clearances can be as tiny as 1 -3 microns.

As early as 2008, OEMsbegan noticing injectors “stick-ing” in their HPCR systems.The affected engines seemedto operate fine at normal oper-ating temperatures, but when

shut down, they would be hardto start, run rough, or not startat all.

At the time, there was littleunderstanding of the prob-lem, or what was causing it.It was known that the prob-lem wasn’t isolated to anyone engine manufacturer orspecific fuel or biodieselblend.

The operating problemscontinued to become moreprevalent in the field and out-side of the OEMs’ laborato-ries.

In 2009, after much analysis,it was determined that white-gray, soapy, waxy deposits werecausing the sticky injectors.Further analysis revealed thenew deposits, now termed“Internal Diesel InjectorDeposits” (IDID) consisted ofcarboxylate salts.

Detergents that historically

were effective at removing thecarbonaceous deposits thatform on injector tips and ori-fices exhibited only a limitedeffect on the new, waxydeposits. Even finer fuel fil-ters were ineffective at pre-venting the problem.

So what was causing thenew deposits? Researchersdetermined the carboxylatesalt formation was related tothe introduction of UltraLow Sulfur Diesel (ULSD)fuel.

Corrosion inhibitor chem-istry, traditionally used tomaintain pipeline integrity,combined with insoluble sodi-um found in the ULSD fuel toproduce the resulting carboxy-late salts, which likely hadbeen present in the fuel foryears.

The deposits only manifestedand became a problem as the

new HPCR technology becamewidely used in diesel engines.

As a result, fuel additivemanufacturers developed new,sophisticated detergent chem-istry to address the problem.Recognizing the efficacy of thenew chemistry, several OEMsnow recommend fuels contain-ing it or sell an additive prod-uct for conventional No. 2diesel fuel.

Dieselex Gold from FS hasbeen reformulated to incorpo-rate improved detergency aswell as several other perform-ance upgrades to help yourdiesel engines run at optimumperformance. For more infor-mation, see your local FS ener-gy specialist.

Ken Reichert is GROW-MARK’s refined and renewablefuels sales manager. His e-mailaddress is reichert@growmark.com.

Ken Reichert

Purdue offers new webinar on bees, neonicotinoids

Insecticides known as neonicotinoids areused extensively across the Corn Belt, accordingto Mike Gray, University of Illinois professor ofentomology and crop sciences Extension coor-dinator.

Research reports have identified exposureto the neonicotinoids, which are used as seedcoatings and foliar sprays, as a contributingfactor in honeybee deaths from colony col-lapse disorder.

Recently, Christian Krupke, Purdue Universityentomology professor, offered a webinar about theinsecticide, its uses, and concerns. It is online at{https://gomeet.itap.purdue.edu/p32228058/}.

“This class of insecticide, which includesclothianidin and thiamethoxam, is widely used

in the form of insecticidal seed treatments,”Gray said. “Imidacloprid, another neonicotinoidinsecticide, is used widely in urban and subur-ban landscapes to protect ornamentals frominsect injury.”

Overall, these products are used extensivelyin both urban and rural settings and are asource of concern.

In addition to the webinar, Krupke collabo-rated on a research paper about pesticide expo-sures of honey bees living near agriculturalfields. It was published in the January 2012 jour-nal PLoS ONE (Volume 7, Issue 1).

Gray encouraged people who are interestedin the topic to read the report and view thewebinar.

DISCUSSING PLANS

Bill Sulcer, left, of Sesser in Franklin County talked over work plans with his employee, Dylan Loucks, asthey were getting ready to refill Sulcer’s sprayer before heading back to the field to spray some recentlyplanted corn. Sulcer described the soil conditions as excellent and mellow. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

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CASH STRATEGISTCorn Strategy

ü2011 crop: Friday’s quickretracement of Thursday’sgains suggested the 20-weeklow likely still lies ahead. Giv-en current prices, and theapproaching low, we’d put offmaking any catch-up salesuntil after that low has hit.Even if prices drop lower inthe short term, July futuresshould be able to reach theselevels again.

ü2012 crop: Use rallies to$5.40 on December futures tomake catch-up sales. New-crop sales were increased to40 percent when the fail-safewas triggered two weeks ago.We prefer hedge-to-arrivecontracts for making sales, butplan to tie up the basis bymid-summer.

vFundamentals: Goodplanting and good weatherundermined the corn market,along with speculative liquida-tion in the old-crop months.Persistent weakness in wheatmarkets remains a downwarddrag on the old-crop cornmarket. Late week, rumors ofChinese interest sparked arebound, but the lack of con-firmation allowed prices toslide just as quickly.

Soybean Strategyü2011 crop: We aren’t

opposed to wrapping up sales,but the market still hasn’t giv-en a good signal prices areabout to turn down. But thefirst break could be brutalwith the record long positionheld by the trading funds. Usestrength for catch-up sales.

ü2012 crop: Get sales torecommended levels. Priceanother 10 percent if Novem-ber futures hit $14.

vFundamentals: Chinesebuying talk, a small reductionin the Argentine crop, andspeculative buying are holdingthe soybean market up, thelatter in particular. Sales onthe most recent weekly reportwere good, but they weremade ahead of the April 10USDA supply/demandreport. That hints end userswere playing a little defenseagainst the possibility of afriendly report. There’s talkCanadian producers arepoised to plant record acreageto canola.

ûFail-safe: If July futures

fall below $14.09, wrap upold-crop sales, and make thenew-crop sale.

Wheat Strategyü2011 crop: Wheat may

have seen a short-term low,but the market remains vul-nerable to further weaknesswith seasonal pressure anincreasing drag on prices.Use rallies to wrap up old-crop sales. With the end ofthe marketing year approach-ing, use the cash market tomake sales. Don’t carryunhedged inventories beyondApril.

ü2012 crop: Use rallies to$6.39 on Chicago July futuresto make catch-up sales. Pro-ducers selling 100 percent off

the combine need to beaggressive in making sales onrallies.

vFundamentals: Themost recent crop progressreported indicated 64 percentof the winter wheat crop wasin good to excellent condi-tion, enhancing the likeli-hood of a good winter wheatcrop, in particular a hard redwinter crop. Spring wheatplantings at 37 percent arewell ahead of the five yearaverage pace of 9 percent.More important to the shortterm is the fact that the win-ter harvest should be two tothree weeks ahead of normalthis year because of rapidmaturity.

Cents per bu.

Early planting linked to good yields

Page 11 Monday, April 23, 2012 FarmWeek

same week in 2010, farmershad planted 19 percent of thecrop, and in 2004 they hadplanted 20 percent.

But by the next week in2010, farmers nationwide hadplanted 50 percent of the corncrop. This year’s pace won’t benear that, and may even be a lit-tle behind the 37 percent plant-ed by the same week in 2004.

If corn planting goes well,soybean planting tends to aswell. And like corn, there is atendency for yields to be goodif the crop is planted timely, ifnot a little faster than normal.Like corn, there are a fewmore exceptions, with late-summer dryness a strongerdrag on soybean yields than itseems to for corn.

Still, looking across theyears, when a crop is plantedearly, yields tend to be close totrend, if not better. And sofar, there’s nothing in theweather forecasts to suggestthis year’s crops won’t be plant-ed in a timely manner.

Even though the correlationisn’t perfect, the enclosedgraphics tend to support thecontention that early plantingresults in good yields. Thereare years that stand out, in par-ticular 1980 and 2010 for corn,in which yields came in belowtrend even though corn wasplanted in a timely manner.

There is a bit stronger ten-dency for yields to come inbelow trend when corn isplanted late. But again, thereare some years in which yieldswere good even though thecrop was planted slowly, 2009being the most recent.

This year’s corn plantingpace nationally is good, butnot a record. As of last week,planting was 17 percent com-plete nationwide. On that

pERspEcTIvEs

FarmWeek Page 12 Monday, April 23, 2012

‘Factory farms’not best approachEditor:

I’ve read several recent arti-cles in your paper by peoplelamenting that the humanesocieties are trying to destroythe meat industry because theyadvocate humane treatment ofanimals.

I’ve been a Farm Bureaumember since 1954, and wepasture-raise hogs and used tohave a small flock of chickensthat we turned outside everyday in nice weather.

The trouble with confine-

ment factory farms is they puttoo many animals in a smallarea and restrict their move-ment. Anybody with commonsense would know that animalsare unhappy when they don’thave freedom of movement.

Chickens are confined totiny cages. A big egg farm thathad huge places in Iowa andPennsylvania a few years agocaused an outbreak of salmo-nella. This is a big diseaseproblem.

The big factory farms havedriven many small owners outof business and caused their

markets to close. Many farmers don’t like the

factory farms. Governmentshould regulate them betterand require space for animalsto move and ban chickencages, which are cruel and dis-

ease-driven to some extent. The European Union is

banning some restricted-movement practices.

McDonald’s and some oth-er buyers of meat are requir-ing they be raised in a humane

manner. More power tothem. It’s time some farmerspracticed some ethics andhumane ways of raising live-stock again.KEN SANDERSON,Leland

Early spring, showers, cold snap may mean fewer insectsThis year I mowed the lawn for the

first time on March 24. Most of us wholive in the northern and central areas ofthe U.S. aren’t accustomed to mowing

the lawn at such an earlydate.

As a general rule, wehaven’t even put awaythe snow shovels, muchless sharpened themower blades, by theend of March.

Now don’t get mewrong; I have nothingagainst mowing grass. Infact, I rather enjoy the

process. But I wasn’t overanxious to begin

mowing grass. After all, by the time fallrolls around, I get a bit tired of thegrass-mowing thing; so starting theprocess early is never a good thing. Thegrass, though, was demanding to be cut.So there I was, mowing the lawn a goodthree weeks early.

The grass wasn’t the only thing off toa fast start this year. Many floweringplants — among them daffodils, tulips,forsythia, dandelions, and fruit trees —also were blooming early. For fruit pro-duction, that could be a bad thing. Afterall, a frost and freeze could destroy theblossoms or developing fruit.

A warm winter and early spring always

bring up the question of how such condi-tions will affect insects.

Insects and plants are both cold-blooded organisms, so warm tempera-tures will accelerate development. Thatgenerally means that insect activity, likeplant development, will be earlier thannormal.

But will such conditions leadto more problem insects?

The answer is yes, no, andmaybe.

The reason is, that it alldepends on the insect species andweather conditions going for-ward. In general, we are likely toobserve more insect species insummers following mild winterand spring conditions.

That is because some insectspecies do not survive cold win-ters but do survive milder condi-tions. These insects are likely toshow up in higher numbers thisyear. In most years, they are car-ried to our area by later-season winds.

There are insects that are adapted tosurvive winter conditions by hibernationor diapause, the slow-down of metabo-lism. Some of these insects have theadded protection by being in a protectedhabitat, such as the soil. The grubs of theJune beetles are in the soil and generallyspend the winter “snug as a bug in a rug.”

The survival of diapausing or hiber-nating insects normally is not affectedby winter conditions. But early springsmight be a different story because theycould emerge before their food supplydevelops.

For example, ladybird beetles hiber-

nate during cold periods. When temper-atures warm up, such insects come outof hibernation and begin crawlingaround, looking for places to lay eggs.This means they may use up storedenergy supply.

When summer arrives, they mighthave died of starvation, or if they sur-vived, end up depositing fewer eggs

than normal. Consequently, the summerpopulations of the insect might be lowerthan when following a winter with cold-er temperatures.

The most important time period rela-tive to population numbers of insectsand a lot of other plants and animals is

not winter. The most importanttime is when eggs are beingdeposited and young are hatch-ing.

Cooler temperatures andrainfall during this time are a lotmore important to insect sur-vival than are cold temperaturesduring winter.

So as I was mowing my lawnin March, I know it is the typeof year that would generate thequestion, “Does the warm win-ter and early spring mean we aregoing to have a lot more insectsthis summer?” I was correct,and my answer has been, “Idon’t know; we’ll just have to

wait and see what April and May bring.” Just as April showers bring May flow-

ers in a normal year, showers and a coldsnap might bring fewer insects in thisunusual year.

Tom Turpin is an entomology professor at Pur-due University, West Lafayette, Ind. His e-mail address is turpin@purdue.edu.

TOMTURPIN

Consumer trends such aspersonal electronics technology,women’s fashion, or even popu-lar vegetable varieties start witha good product idea that isamplified by the buzz of media,advertising, and social net-

works. Many

farmersandranchers

have benefitted from the trendin local foods, finding ways tosell direct-to-retail and capturea higher profit margin.

Young, beginning, and smallfarmers in particular have beenable to enter into farming at thesmaller scale of direct-to-con-sumer sales in the local foodsmarketplace, such as farmers’markets, roadside stands, andthrough community-supported

agriculture (CSAs). If the evolution of this

trend in consumer demand forfarm products stopped at localfarmers’ markets, it would beeasy to dismiss. However, theimpact of this trend — if rec-ognized, described, and labeledproperly — shows that it is eco-nomically significant, common-ly practiced, and geographicallywidespread.

None would argue that $7billion in sales of cotton andrice are insignificant, yet in thesame Ag Census year of 2007,organic, direct-to-retail, andlocal foods sales conservativelyadded up to $8 billion.

Perhaps those of us in agri-culture missed that comparisonbecause it is so difficult toextract such statistics fromUSDA data sources, which are

based on counting commodityproducts rather than followingmarketing channels.

If the direct-to-consumermarketing channel were count-ed as if it were a commodityproduct, then it would be thefifth most common farm activi-ty by number of farms. As forgeographic distribution, CSAfarms were present in nearly2,100 counties, according to the2007 Ag Census.

If you raise cattle, you are ingood company with the ag sec-tor that is most likely to selldirect-to-retail; three out of fivecattle producers use that mar-keting channel.

If you don’t see some kindof consumer demand-basedagriculture, you’re not looking,or maybe you see it and don’tknow it.

That illustrates a big part ofthe problem — we don’t have aname to call this trend of inter-related agricultural marketingchannels that centers on theemergence of retail consumerdemand as a driving factor.More farmers and ranchers aregetting closer to their cus-tomers and finding that theycan capture a higher marginwhen they grow vegetable ormeat products with a specificconsumer market segment inmind.

Whether they sell direct-to-retail or through whole-sale channels, if it is soldwith special product attrib-utes such as being local,organic, or small farm-raised,then a significant portion ofthe value is based on retailconsumer demand. Let’s

name it “Retail agriculture.”Retail agriculture is analo-

gous to “small business,” whichis also a term that describes awide variety of very differentbusinesses in order to alloweffective policy discussion.

Retail agriculture is a short-hand way to talk about thissubject in agricultural policydiscussions. We need the term“retail agriculture” as wedescribe its modest yet growingeconomic significance, itscapacity to provide opportuni-ties for lower-cost entry intoagriculture, and its relevance tothe future.

Gary Matteson is vice present ofYoung, Beginning, Small FarmerPrograms and Outreach at the FarmCredit Council, a trade associationof the Farm Credit System.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

GARY MATTESON

guest columnist

The emergence of retail agriculture part of a consumer trend