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Monday, June 6, 2011 Two sections Volume 39, No. 23

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

GOODBYE PYRAMID, helloMyPlate. USDA has unveiled an e w f o o d i c o n d e s i g n e d t oencourage consumers to buildhealthy eating habits. ...................8

HIGH-SPEED INTERNETis changing education, research, andmedical care in Southern Illinois, butthe region is in need of more broad-band access. .......................................3

STATE LAWMAKERS ad-dressed some agricultural and ruralissues before concluding the springlegislative session by the May 31deadline. ...........................................3

COME AND GET IT

Brent Pollard, Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leader State Committee member, feeds cows at his family’sdairy operation in rural Rockford on the opening day of June Dairy Month. The Pollards are buildinga new facility to improve cow comfort and efficiency of their operation. They also put in a new feedbunk to reduce spoilage. More on the Pollard dairy operation appears on page 5. (Photo by KenKashian)

June 30 deadline

Farm Bureau seeks farmer comments on trucking rulesthe application of commercialmotor vehicle rules.

Farm Bureau contends nei-ther Congress nor early regula-tors intended commercialmotor vehicle rules to apply tospecialized farm equipment.

“Many Illinois farmers,especially the smallest farmoperators, rely on farm trac-tors and wagons to delivercrops and livestock to mar-kets,” Rund said. “Prohibitingthe use of implements of hus-

bandry for this purpose wouldbe excessively burdensome tothose farmers.”

No implement of hus-bandry — whether being used

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Public comments on Feder-al Motor Carrier SafetyAdministration (FMCSA) farmtrucking rules are due June 30.FMCSA published its requestfor comments in the May 31Federal Register, page 31279.

After frequent discussionsbetween Illinois Farm Bureauand U.S. Department ofTransportation officials, theFMCSA has agreed to recon-sider some of its recent inter-pretations affecting agricul-ture.

“It is important we have astrong response from countyFarm Bureaus and individualfarmers,” said IFB PresidentPhilip Nelson. “This is ouropportunity to weigh in andbring some common sense tothe interpretations.”

The agency will hear com-ments on three key issues thatimpact farm trucking andequipment:

• Interstate vs. intrastatedefinitions that apply to haul-ing of farm products within asingle state’s boundaries;

• A for-hire designation forfarmers with a crop-sharelease; and

• A “commercial motorvehicle” designation for imple-ments of husbandry.

The issue pertaining tointerstate commerce applies tograin shipments and grainexports by elevators. FMCSAis applying federal court deci-sions to create scenarios inwhich all grain hauled to theelevator — even by a farmer— is considered to beinvolved in interstate com-merce although the elevatormight export only a small por-tion of its grain.

Farm Bureau contends thedefinition of “interstate com-merce” should not apply tofarmer deliveries of grainwhere only a fraction of thegrain received will be deliveredto out-of-state destinations,said Kevin Rund, IFB seniordirector of local government.

As for farmers who havecrop-share leases, FarmBureau asserts no shipment ofa landlord’s crop share shouldbe considered as a for-hiremove unless the lease specifi-cally singles out crop trans-portation and identifies com-pensation for that transporta-tion separate from the crop-share agreement, Rund said.

The third issue involvesimplements of husbandry and

House appropriators target farm paymentsBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

U.S. House appropriatorstook a major opening shot atfarm programs last week,proposing new producerincome limits that at least oneCentral Illinois grower saidwould weaken a still-crucialMidwest safety net.

The House AppropriationsCommittee approved a fiscal2012 ag spending bill thatwould cut $2.7 billion in dis-cretionary ag spending vs. fis-cal 2011 levels and $5 billion inprogram and other mandatoryspending from President Oba-ma’s budget request. The fullHouse is expected to pass themeasure with few changes.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)

won approval for an amend-ment that would lower currentfarm program adjusted grossincome (AGI) eligibility to atotal of $250,000 annually forall program participants andprogram crops. The currentlimit is $500,000 in AGI fromoff-farm sources or $750,000in on-farm income.

Flake proposed directingsavings resulting from his plantoward federal debt retirement.

The committee’s action andapparent House support forthe income provision signalspressure on direct payments inparticular is “something all ofagriculture is going to have tocome to grips with,” IllinoisFarm Bureau GovernmentalAffairs/Commodities Director

Mark Gebhards said Friday.“It’s an indication that we’re

going to have to work veryhard to keep what we have,”IFB National LegislativeDirector Adam Nielsenadvised.

“Obviously, we’re opposedto changing the safety net inthe middle of the game, andwe’ll be opposing that provi-sion in the final appropriationsbill.

“This does show there’s alack of understanding of andappreciation for the role farmprograms play in providing asafety net for producers,” saidNielsen.

Gebhards sees potential formore Senate “sympathy” forfarm program preservation,

but warns “the budget pres-sures will be there, as well.”

Chuck Hassebrook, execu-tive director of the nationalCenter for Rural Affairs, hailedthe amendment as “a goodfirst step in reducing federalsubsidies that mega farms useto drive smaller operations outof business.”

But Champaign producerDuane Strunk sees the propos-al as a threat to a far moremajor segment of the Midwestfarm community.

Strunk argues reducing theprogram income thresholdfrom $750,000 to $250,000represents “a pretty significantdrop.” “When we’re sitting

See Trucking, page 3

See Target, page 3

FARM FAMILY WEBSITE UP — A new websitethat shares Illinois farm information with non-farmers isnow operational at {www.watchusgrow.org}. The web-site is operated by Illinois Farm Families, a statewidecommunications program of Illinois Farm Bureau, Illi-

nois Beef Association,Illinois Corn MarketingBoard, Illinois SoybeanAssociation, and IllinoisPork Producers Associa-tion.

The website offers avariety of informationand promotes summer

activities, such as opportunities for Chicago-area moth-ers to visit farms, have questions answered, and see first-hand how food is grown.

GIPSA RULES BLOCKED — In its passage lastweek of the fiscal 2012 ag appropriations bill that willfund USDA and related agencies, the U.S. House Appro-priations Committee approved an amendment thatwould prevent USDA from implementing a proposedrule on livestock and poultry marketing.

The ag funding bill denies funding for Grain Inspec-tion, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) toimplement revised GIPSA rules.

The proposed rule changes, in an effort to addressconcerns about a lack of competition among packers,would ban packer-to-packer sales of livestock and couldhinder producers’ ability to enter into specialty con-tracts.

The American Farm Bureau Federation opposes themeasure. Farm Bureau is urging USDA to complete re-viewing the 60,000 comments received and move for-ward with the proposed rule. Farm Bureau also supportsallowing USDA to continue its economic analysis of therule.

DEERE TO EXPAND IN RESEARCH PARK —The University of Illinois Research Park may see a newtechnology and fabrication building that would be hometo an expanded John Deere operation, according to TheNews-Gazette. The U of I Board of Trustees is expectedto vote on the proposal this week.

Deere has outgrown its current facility on campus andwants to give U of I researchers and students access tofarm equipment that requires more space than currentlyis available. Developers hope the new facility will beopen by mid-November.

FarmWeek Page 2 Monday, June 6, 2011

(ISSN0197-6680)

Vol. 39 No. 23 June 6, 2011

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

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

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

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© 2011 Illinois Agricultural Association

STAFFEditor

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

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Nan Fannin (nfannin@ilfb.org)Director of News and Communications

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

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

Quick TakesIFB IN ACTION

David Serven, Illinois Farm Bureau District 8 director, poses in his office on his family’s farm in St. Augustine(Knox County). Serven in his spare time studies history, particularly World War II, enjoys sports, and coachest-ball. He also hopes to renew his involvement in the livestock industry. His family milked cows for generations,in some of the buildings in the background, before exiting the industry in 2009. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

Livestock special to Serven familyBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

David Serven, 43, milked cows and wasaround livestock his entire life until 2009.

That’s when Serven, who farms in a partner-ship with his father, Duane, and mother,Deane, near St. Augustine in Knox County,decided to exit the dairy industry.

“Our facilities were built in the1960s so we would have had toupgrade them. 2009 also is when milkprices went south,” he said. “So itwas the perfect time to get out.”

Multiple generations of theServen family milked cows onthe family farm dating back tothe 1920s. So David, whoworked with a herd of about70 cows, specifically remem-bers when that tradition came toan end.

“Sept. 9, 2009, is the day we quitmilking cows,” he said.

The Servens currently grow corn,soybeans, and alfalfa hay on about 1,500acres.

But David hasn’t forgotten the importanceof the livestock industry or lost his passionfor it.

In fact, Serven plans to get back into thelivestock industry when the time is right.

“I feel strongly about the livestock indus-try. I hope Illinois can grow it,” he said. “Ihope to get back in livestock at somepoint.”

Serven shares his passion for the livestockindustry and animals with his family. His wife,Barb, is a small animal veterinarian and hisson, Perry, 5, last year showed hogs at a localfair.

The couple also has a daughter, Anna, 3, andyounger son, Tim, 1.

“I enjoy working with livestock,” Servensaid. “I look forward to getting them (his chil-dren) involved with livestock, too, and utilizingthe pasture ground we have.”

Serven also promised his wife, whoworked as a veterinarian in Wheaton before

they got married, that as part of the mar-riage deal she could get a horse (she’s stillwaiting).

But those plans may have to wait. Serven inDecember was elected the Illinois Farm BureauDistrict 8 director. His district encompassesFulton, Henderson, Knox, Peoria, and Warrencounties.

He also serves on a schoolcommittee of 10 representing thepossible consolidation of Abingdon,Avon, and Bushnell-Prairie Cityschool districts, the Knox CountyBoard, and the Riverland FS board.He also coaches t-ball.

“The opportunity (to run forthe IFB board) was there and,since I wasn’t milking cows any-more, I had a chance to do it,”Serven said. “It seems I’ve been inthe right spot quite a few times.

“I thought it was a chance tohelp make a difference.”

Serven originally got involvedin IFB after he graduated from

Illinois State University in 1989.“I was looking for something to

get involved in (in the ag industry) so Ijoined the Knox County Farm Bureau YoungLeaders,” said Serven, who won the state YLAchievement Award in 2002. “One thing led toanother, I slowly worked my way up, and was(Knox) county Farm Bureau president for fiveyears.”

Serven also completed the IFB AgriculturalLeaders of Tomorrow (ALOT) program,earned an FFA American Farmer Degree, andis a graduate of the Illinois Ag Leadership Pro-gram.

Describing himself as a “sports nut,” Servenin his spare time enjoys playing golf andattending live sporting events.

“I was involved in sports growing up and inschool,” he said. “It’s always been a release forus (on the farm).”

Serven also enjoys studying U.S. history, par-ticularly World War II history, when he’s notbusy on the farm or attending meetings.

GOVERNMENT

Page 3 Monday, June 6, 2011 FarmWeek

Continued from page 1for fieldwork or for transport-ing crops or livestock to mar-ket — should be considered acommercial motor vehicle andsubject to federal motor carri-er safety rules, Rund main-tained.

Instead, the authority toregulate implements of hus-bandry that are operated with-in state boundaries should bereserved for the states and notthe federal government, Rundsaid.

By the end of this week,county Farm Bureaus will haveadditional background infor-mation that could be shared

with individuals wanting tooffer written comments.

Comments need to be iden-tified as pertaining to FederalDocket Management SystemNumber FMCSA-2011-0146.They may be submitted onlineto {www.regulations.gov}. Fol-low the online instructions.

Comments also may be sentvia fax to 202-493-2251.

They may be mailed to:Docket Management Facility,(M-30), U.S. Department ofTransportation (DOT), 1200New Jersey Ave., SE., WestBuilding, Ground Floor, Room12-140, Washington, DC20590-0001.

Trucking

Continued from page 1here with markets for $7 cornand $13-$14 beans, you don’thave to farm too big to get intothat (ineligible) category.

“Even with those prices,those crops are “not in the binyet” and a production/revenuesafety net remains crucial toproducers faced with potentialincome volatility, he said.

Strunk also is concerned byan appropriations amendmentto prohibit funding for USDAinspections at U.S. horseslaughter facilities.

While Congress effectivelyshut down equine slaughteramid concerns from suchgroups as the Humane Societyof the United States, that pro-vision would preclude export

of older or unwanted animalsto still-active processors inCanada or Mexico that requiredUSDA-inspected carcasses.

The slaughter market“cleaned up the bottom of thehorse population and set the(floor) on the market,” notedStrunk, who chairs the IFBGrassroots Issue Team’sEquine Committee.

With elimination of U.S.slaughter, auction prices havefallen from a minimum $400-$500 per animal to around $50-$100, and equine abuse reportshave risen sharply, he said.

“This is a non-cost item tothe government,” Strunkargued. “The horse slaughterplants would pay for the(USDA) inspections.”

Target

Quinn to review new budget under microscopeBY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Gov. Pat Quinn last weekdidn’t answerdirectly ques-tions onwhether hewould sign orveto the Gen-eral Assem-bly’s budgetand legislationto expandgambling inthe state.

Quinn told reporters hewould listen to the people ofIllinois and planned a “micro-scopic review” of the 400-pagebudget document. However, thegovernor may have tipped hishand with his critical commentsabout the gaming expansion bill.

“The people of Illinoisdon’t want an excessive gam-bling bill that’s top heavy,”Quinn added. “If the people ofIllinois will be hurt in any way,I won’t approve it.”

To raise future revenue, theGeneral Assembly voted toallow five new casinos and per-mit slot machines at race tracksand expansion of existing casi-nos. Legislators also agreed tooff-track betting on the IllinoisState Fairgrounds and otherlocations.

Supporters of the measureestimated the state eventuallycould gain an additional $1 bil-lion to $1.6 billion annually.

The gambling expansion billincluded about $20 million thatwould provide additional fund-ing for several agricultural pro-

grams once the gaming opera-tions are licensed and built,said Kevin Semlow, IllinoisFarm Bureau director of statelegislation. Receipt of thosefunds could be several yearsdown the road.

Ag-related programs peggedto receive a portion of thefuture funding include: up to$5 million annually for countyfair support and development,$10 million annually for soiland water conservation dis-tricts, and $4 million annuallyin grants for the University ofIllinois Extension.

As for education funding,the governor criticized legisla-tors’ cuts — especially to pre-school programs and elemen-tary and secondary education.Quinn told reporters he would

“keep working” with lawmak-ers and hoped to get moremoney for education.

“We’ll take a look at it (thebudget) and see how we canrepair it,” he added.

The General Assembly cuteducation funding by $171 mil-lion compared to the previousyear’s budget and approved$6.85 billion for education.

However the budget main-tained the per-pupil funding rateof $6,119 and kept funding forthe regional superintendents —funding that was to be eliminat-ed in the governor’s proposal.

For the most part, ag-relatedprograms would have fundinglevels maintained. However,funding for some ag programswere cut compared to the previ-ous year’s budget. For example,

soil and water conservation dis-trict funding was reduced to$2.785 million, down from$3.531 million the previous year.

A couple of programs, suchas the state funding match forlocally generated Extensionfunding, received an increase.

Semlow said it is uncertainwhether Quinn would approvethe budget or use his vetopowers.

“If the governor chooses touse his veto pen, he will forcethe General Assembly backinto a special session when anyaction would take a supermajority,” Semlow said.

“To override the governor’sveto or pass a new budget witha super majority would requirethe support of Republicans inboth chambers.”

High-speed Internet is changing education,research, and medical care in Southern Illinois, butadvancements have been slowed because theregion needs more access to broadband, the Illi-nois Broadband Deployment Council heard lastweek.

“This digital divide translates into an education-al divide because there is not equal access to high-speed Internet,” said Donna Boros, regional super-intendent of schools for Jackson and Perry coun-ties.

Boros spoke last week during the Illinois Broad-band Summit at Southern Illinois University (SIU),Carbondale. Expert panels discussed broadbandapplications for education, health care, and eco-nomic development.

“The people who potentially could benefit themost from broadband are our rural members, butthey face the biggest challenges of connectivityand access,” said Brenda Matherly, Illinois FarmBureau assistant director of local government.

“Rural areas have lower Internet adoption ratesbecause rural residents don’t have the (Internet)experience. How do you get experience if youdon’t have access?” Matherly asked.

Broadband shortages are impacting even SIU,although it offers some of the most robust Inter-net service in the region.

“Our (broadband) network is saturated from 8

a.m. to midnight, so researchers have to calculateand download (information) at times when it isnot busy, like 3 a.m.,” said Dr. John Koropchak,SIU vice chancellor for research and a biochem-istry professor.

But early-morning hours don’t solve the prob-lem for some researchers. Some complex data,such as systems to analyze genes, would take up to22 hours to download using SIU’s current network— and that download would be interrupted duringpeak hours, Koropchak said.

Educators aren’t the only ones frustrated withslow Internet service. Charles Kelley, operationsmanager of MedStar Ambulance of Sparta, saidemergency medical services are at a crossroad.

“I do (ambulance) dispatch for three counties,and I’m told there is very little I can do about(increased Internet access) until there is new tech-nology,” Kelley said. “I’m working with what tech-nology I have now.”

In addition to sending critical patient informa-tion to emergency room doctors, broadband couldprovide maps for ambulance drivers to locatepatient addresses on new roads and in new subdi-visions, Kelley explained.

IFB will continue to be involved with theBroadband Deployment Council and with Internetadoption in rural areas, Matherly said. — KayShipman

Broadband bringing opportunitiesand challenges to Southern Illinois

Gov. Pat Quinn

Lawmakers settle some issues and leave others in limboThe panel will help review

laws and rules governing prod-ucts and practices permitted atfarmers’ markets and will helpenact statewide administrativerules for those markets. IFBsupported the bill as amendedand passed.

A bill proposing trespassnotification via marking of pri-

vate property through the useof purple paint on trees orposts was approved in bothchambers and sent to the gover-nor. IFB supported SB 1914,which was amended to exemptthe City of Chicago and to pro-hibit purple paint use if it is notallowed by local ordinances orother laws. — Kay Shipman

State lawmakers addressedsome agricultural and ruralissues before concluding thespring legislative session by theMay 31 deadline.

The General Assembly maybe adjourned, but legislators’work may not be finished,especially if Gov. Pat Quinn

calls them back for a specialsession, noted Kevin Semlow,Illinois Farm Bureau directorof state legislation.

While the budget and newlegislative district maps were

two focal points during thefinal hours, other issues ofinterest were discussed duringthe session. The followingsummary indicates status ofseveral bills of interest:

Legislation to establish a newpermit fee for livestock opera-tions required to obtain aNational Pollutant DischargeElimination System (NPDES)permit was not called for a sec-ond vote by its sponsor, Rep.Michael Tryon (R-Crystal Lake).

Held because the bill did notreceive sufficient votes to passthe first time, SB 1682 wouldhave established a fee of up to$1,200 for operations requiredto have an NPDES permit. Itwas opposed by Illinois Farm

Bureau, Illinois Pork ProducersAssociation, Illinois BeefAssociation, and the IllinoisMilk Producers Association.

The Senate defeated aneffort to restrict artificial transfats in certain foods, excludingbaked goods. IFB opposed HB1600.

Two pieces of legislationthat would have incorporatedthe reorganization of the Illi-nois Council on Food andAgricultural Research (C-FAR)remained in the House. IFBsupported both stalled bills.

Legislation that allows theIllinois public health director tocreate a farmers’ market taskforce passed both chambersand was sent to the governor.

FarmWeekNow.comV i e w G o v. Q u i n n ’s e n d o fspring session news conferenceat FarmWeekNow.com

GOVERNMENT

FarmWeek Page 4 Monday, June 6, 2011

Bill would give stateswater quality authorityBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

A new Capitol Hill proposalwould attempt to shed whatmany view as an increasinglyone-size-fits-all regulatoryapproach in favor of state-levelwater quality management.

As producers continue tochallenge the U.S. Environmen-tal Protection Agency’s (EPA)regulatory reach, U.S. Reps. JohnMica (R-Fla.) and Nick Rahall(D-W.Va.) are touting the CleanWater Cooperative FederalismAct, which would affirm states’rights to regulate water quality.

The bill would restrict theU.S. EPA’s ability to issue arevised or new water qualitystandard for a pollutant “when-ever a state has adopted andU.S. EPA already has approveda water quality standard for thatpollutant.”

State agencies could adoptnew standards if they deemedthem crucial to meeting federalClean Water Act requirements.

The measure appeals to Illi-nois Fertilizer and ChemicalAssociation (IFCA) PresidentJean Payne, whose membersare concerned about expandedEPA regulation of ag nutrientsand pesticide applications on awatershed basis.

She cites continued coopera-tion between the Illinois Envi-ronmental Protection Agency(IEPA) and the state’s ag inter-ests in crafting compliant, Illi-

nois-tailored programs andpolicies.

“The state agency has person-nel and field staff that we allknow, that we work with on aconsistent basis, that we have rela-tionships with, that understandthe uniqueness of that state’s agri-cultural system, and that can usu-ally come up with solutions thatare much more doable and notthreatening to the industry,”Payne told FarmWeek.

A prime example is IEPA’sparticipation in Keep it for theCrop 2025, a nutrient strategyeffort focusing on nitrogen useand other practices and stew-ardship options that also maxi-mize crop potential and helpproducers manage risk.

The effort underlines IEPA’swillingness to consider “whatwe can solve without regula-tions,” Payne suggested.Because Illinois is a far moresignificant anhydrous ammoniauser than Ohio or Kansas, afederal or even regional strategy“wouldn’t make any sense” forthe state, she said.

And given Illinois’ ongoingbudget dilemma, Payne seespublic-private partnerships and“industry-funded solutions” aspreferable to unenforceable,unfunded federal mandates.

Concerns about regulatoryoverreach have heightened witha current U.S. EPA “guidancedocument” that proposes togreatly expand federal overview

of waters nationwide. That’sspurred fears of U.S. EPA pro-moting a Mississippi RiverBasin watershed managementplan similar to the new nutrientmanagement rules being imple-mented for the eastern Chesa-peake Bay region.

“Illinois’ tile drainage systemis much different than systemsin the Chesapeake Bay,” Paynestressed. “They have moreissues with poultry; we have alot more issues with grain pro-duction and tile drainage thatforce us to take a different per-spective on managing nutrients.

“What would work forTMDLs (total maximum dailyloads) in the Chesapeake Baycannot just be picked up andplunked down in Illinois. That’swhy we fight for the right tohave our own statewide strate-gies.”

Meanwhile, IFCA and othersare working this summer to gar-ner support for Senate legisla-tion to rescind U.S. EPANational Pollutant DischargeElimination System (NPDES)permits for selected pesticideapplicators.

Beyond creating a doublelayer of pesticide regulation(Federal Insecticide, Fungicide,and Rodenticide Act provisionsalready guide chemical use),Payne warned NPDES pro-gram implementation wouldplace an added burden on analready-overtaxed IEPA.

FTAs offer meaty potential for cattle sectorPending free trade agree-

ments offer a potentially sig-nificant impact for Midwestbeef producers, and theycould help reduce agricul-ture’s global “footprint” aswell.

The fate of freetrade agreements(FTAs) with SouthKorea, Colombia, andPanama appeareduncertain last week aslawmakers continuedto tie agreementapprovals to exten-sion of the TradeAdjustment Act (TAA),a measure that address-es U.S. workers who losejobs because of exportcompetition.

While FTAs predominant-ly benefit U.S. exporters, 41Senate Democrats wrote theWhite House saying theywere “unified in our beliefthat the first order of busi-ness, before we should con-sider any FTA, is securing a

chucks, rounds, and other low-er-cost cuts in the Pacific Rim.

Last year, the U.S. sold morethan $500 million in beef toKorea, and that was underheavy import tariffs thatremain an obstacle to expand-ing U.S. beef exports. TheFTA would reduce duties from40 percent to zero over a 15-year period, making U.S. beefmore affordable to Koreanconsumers.

Japan’s nation-al crises intensifythe importanceof South Koreaas an alternative

“conduit” formoving beef into Asia, John-son said.

The U.S. Meat Export Fed-eration (USMEF) recentlyannounced $1 million inUSDA Market Access Program(MAP) cost-share funds tospur beef product sales inKorea, and seeks an added $10million in MAP funding toimplement a five-year strategy

to further expand exports toKorea.

“There’s a lot of work need-ed to create that conduit, aswell as work with (Asian) chefsand retailers on how to mer-chandise the product. USMEFcan go in and develop thosemarkets and be poised to takeadvantage of that conduit, tobe able to put product in thatmarketplace,” Johnson said.

Johnson also sees FTA-dri-ven meat trade contributing aswell to global sustainability.The U.S. is one of the world’smost efficient, most stringent-ly regulated beef producers,“with the smallest carbonfootprint per pound,” she said,adding that she believes avail-ability of affordable meatexports could help head offprotein production in areaswith limited resources.

“In some of these coun-tries, do you want to see rain-forests cleared for more (cat-tle) ground?” Johnson posed.— Martin Ross

long-term TAA extension.”Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Sen-

ate Finance Committee ranking

Repub-lican, warned, “We don’t havethe votes to pass TAA throughthis Congress.”

Beef access was a primaryobstacle to bringing the Kore-an agreement to the Hill, butnow that those concerns have

been addressed, “cattle ranch-ers may very well see greateropportunities in South Korea,”National Cattlemen’s BeefAssociation President Bill

Donald O’Donnell said. With the beef industry

continuing to “fight withchicken” for domesticmarket share, IllinoisBeef Association Exec-utive Vice PresidentMaralee Johnson main-

tains “we have to be in theglobal marketplace, where 96percent of the people are.”

Johnson noted acceleratedmiddle income growth in manyAsian countries, ostensiblyfeeding an appetite and gener-ating the dollars for more redmeat. “We know they likebeef,” she told FarmWeek,citing hearty sales of U.S.

Administration ‘relief’disappoints producers

Amid disappointing White House “regulatory relief” mea-sures, Illinois Farm Bureau National Legislative Director AdamNielsen says efforts to rein in the U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA) are “in Congress’ court.”

The administration announced a series of measures aimedat reducing regulatory requirements and improving bureaucrat-ic efficiencies across federal departments, in response to aJanuary presidential executive order.

Those include USDA plans to consolidate farm program andcrop insurance information collection under the Farm ServiceAgency, streamline conservation technical assistance proce-dures, and make participation in rural development programseasier for lenders, communities, and businesses.

But in terms of growing concerns over environmental regu-lation, American Farm Bureau Federation analyst PaulSchlegel doesn’t expect “a lot of relief from the administration.”

EPA is continuing on a trajectory toward determining “every-thing is federal,” granting increasingly less discretion to stateagencies, Schlegel argued.

In his order soliciting agency recommendations, PresidentObama made it clear “he didn’t want to do anything that wasgoing to impact at all the air or the water,” Nielsen said.

He applauded the administration’s focus on multi-agencyrules and procedures “across the economy,” but argued thepresident’s environmental disclaimer left little hope for “realregulatory reform or pullback.”

“When Obama issued his executive order, EPA said it didn’tthink any of its regulations would be affected,” Schlegel toldFarmWeek. “That kind of told you from the get-go they weren’tgoing to do anything significant.

“There are a number of efforts on the Hill that would look atregulatory reform in a legislative context. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, wants tolook at the Administrative Procedures Act, the guiding regula-tory statute that hasn’t been amended since 1946. The actstates how (agencies) look at public comments, how you pro-mulgate rules, that sort of thing.”

Additional proposals would require congressional review ofany major new federal rules and address how EPA deals withlegal settlement agreements.

Schlegel noted concerns about essentially “backdoored” regu-lations that arise from lawsuits filed by environmental groups, aswell as use of taxpayer funds to pay costs in such “citizenactivist” suits.

In a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Senate AgCommittee Ranking Republican Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) cited herfailure to answer questions the committee posed to her monthsago. He noted concerns about EPA’s “lack of transparency andunclear guidance” and questions about EPA operating “outsidethe bounds of its legal authority.” — Martin Ross

DAIRY

Page 5 Monday, June 6, 2011 FarmWeek

Dairy farmers hope to grow demand fortheir products and maintain “favorable” milkprices as part of June Dairy Month.

Midwest dairymen so far this year are catch-ing up economically after disastrous 2009 and2010 business years, according to Mike Hut-jens, University of Illinois professor of animalsciences emeritus.

“Illinois milk producers need $17 per 100pounds to cover feed, variable, fixed, and laborcosts with amodest return onassets,” Hutjenssaid. “Currently,milk prices havebeen favorable,but dairy man-agers need a fullyear of thesemargins toreplace lost equi-ty in 2009-2010.”

Several factorswill be critical tomaintaining asuccessful 2011 dairy business model.

Hutjens said milk prices will depend on sup-ply and demand with more than 13 percent ofcurrent U.S. milk solids being exported. Worlddemand is important to keep supply anddemand balanced, and that may be impacted bythe financial problems in some Europeancountries and unrest in the Mideast.

“Corn price will also impact profit margin,”he said. “Late planting of corn in the Midwest,flooding along major rivers such as the Missis-sippi, and drought in the Southwest will impact

corn and feed prices. Higher corn prices willraise the price of corn silage, forages, andbyproduct feeds.”

Meanwhile, energy costs (price of oil) willaffect fertilizer, fuel, and energy costs, he said.

In order to overcome these challenges, Hut-jens said dairy managers will need to focus onareas that they directly control on their farms.

The dairy specialist suggested Illinois dairyfarmers pay attention to maintaining forage

quality toreduced pur-chased-feedcosts; calculatefeed inventory tomeet 2011-12herd needs; anduse byproductsto replace higher-priced corn, soy-bean meal, andfat/oil in dairyrations.

He also rec-ommended keep-

ing total feed costs per 100 pounds of milk toless than $7 per hundredweight for lactatingcows, and maintaining high milk yields to pro-duce more income and profit to maximize feedefficiency.

They also must sell their products to anincreasingly segmented consumer base.

“June is Dairy Month,” Hutjens said. “It’s anopportunity for dairy managers to promote theimportance of milk production, the nutritionalvalue of dairy products, and the economic impactdairy farms have on the Midwest’s economy.”

Farmers hope to build demand during June Dairy Month

Dairy owners focus on improving cow comfort, efficiencyBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Brent and Carrie Pollard,owners of Po-Cop Dairy inrural Rockford (WinnebagoCounty), this month plan toreplace a free-stall barn builtin 1975 with a new facility.

The update will allow thePollards to add more cows tothe operation in the future.But that’s not their top priori-ty near-term.

The Pollards’ primaryfocus is to improve the envi-ronment for their cows, whichin turn could enhance milkproduction.

“We’re trying to create anenvironment that’s more com-fortable for the cows,” Brenttold FarmWeek. “We live bythe adage that if we take careof our cows, the cows willtake care of us.”

Pollard spent extensivetime in college studying theeffects of heat stress on cows.He has a degree in animal sci-ence from the University ofIllinois and a master’s degreein dairy physiology from theUniversity of Arizona.

He noted dairy cows startfeeling heat stress at tempera-tures as low as the 70s.

The Pollards’ new facility,therefore, will provide betternatural ventilation and it willfeature larger stalls to improvecomfort for their herd, which

consists of about 80 regis-tered Holstein cows alongwith a few cross-breds andmilking short-horns.

“We’re just trying to makechanges to transition to thefuture,” said Brent, who farmswith his parents, Warren andGail. “We’re trying to make abetter environment so (thecows) milk more and we can

be more efficient.”The Pollards also have

improved the efficiency oftheir operation recently byputting in a new feed bunkwith concrete walls, whichhelps reduce feed spoilage.They also expanded feedrations to include items suchas corn gluten and sugarbyproducts.

“With the way corn pricesare going, my goal is to get asmuch out of forage, silage,and haylage as we can and feedas many byproducts as wecan,” Pollard said.

The Pollards grow all theirown corn, alfalfa, and otherforage crops, which provide a

major advantage for feedinputs.

Their dairy operation is sur-rounded by urban sprawl, sothe couple spends a lot oftime working with consumersto help educate them aboutfood production.

Brent currently serves onthe IFB Young Leader StateCommittee and is president ofhis local Dairy Herd Improve-ment Association and theBoone-Winnebago HolsteinClub.

Carrie, who is a technicalservices manager at BethanySwine Health Services inSycamore, also volunteers as apublic speaker for the PorkCheckoff ’s Operation MainStreet Program and for dairypromotions.

“We as livestock producersshould be proud of what wedo,” Carrie said. “It’s reward-ing to feel like you’ve made adifference.”

The Pollards not only willbe updating their dairy opera-tion this month, but Brentbelieves June Dairy Monthalso is a good time to promotetheir product.

“The days of being anostrich and sticking your headin the sand are gone,” he said.“You’ve got to get your mes-sage out there.”

Carrie and Brent Pollard, owners of Po-Cop Dairy in Winnebago County, milk their herd of about 80 cowslast week on the first day of June Dairy Month. The Pollards are in the process of replacing their 1970s-erafree-stall barn with a new facility. The new facility is designed to improve cow comfort, efficiency of the oper-ation, and allow the Pollards to expand if they choose to do so in the future. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

Class III milk price slipsThe Class III price for milk adjusted to 3.5 percent butterfat

for the month of May was $16.52 per hundredweight, 35 centslower than the previous month.

With dairy farmer culling slowing down and timely heiferplacements bringing more milk to the market, milk supplies arestarting to become more plentiful.

The “spring flush” also is in full swing, further adding to thepressure on milk prices.

Seasonal demand also is a little soft this time of year asschools let out for the summer. Processors will see a surge indemand as temperatures rise and ice cream sales start to pick up.

Bernie Walsh, Durand, Winnebago County: We had goodgrowing conditions last week,with 0.5 of an inch of rain onSunday (May 29) and warm tem-peratures the rest of the week.Corn in this area is growing veryfast right now with some of it dou-bling in size to an average of 6 to7 inches. Soybeans also are

catching up due to this excellent growingweather. The last few wet fields are finally dry-ing up and being planted, now that we missedsome recent rains. Lots of hay making, side-dressing nitrogen, and spraying when its nottoo windy, were the main jobs last week.

Pete Tekampe, Grayslake, Lake County: A very cloudyFriday in Lake County. A hot, wetweekend was forecast after aweek with a little more than 0.6 ofan inch of rain. With all of the rainlate last week, not much field-work was done. Beans are about75 percent planted with the early-planted ones looking good. Corn

also is growing fast and getting better colorbecause of the heat. Winter wheat looksgood and is heading out. Not much hay hasbeen cut yet because of the other fieldwork.Spring grains look tough.

Leroy Getz, Savanna, Carroll County: Rain showers overMemorial Day weekend totaled1 inch. I received 5.5 inches forthe month of May. Some areashad much more. Hay making istop priority when the weatherallows. Yields are good. There issome alfalfa weevil present andthe new growth will need to be

monitored. Corn and soybeans are emergedand looking good. I have a total of 435 grow-ing degree units. There seems to be a lot ofpoison hemlock in fields and ditches wherelast year’s summer flooding occurred. Thisneeds to be controlled.

Ryan Frieders, Waterman, DeKalb County: Last Saturday(May 28) and Sunday, the areawas saturated with 3 to 5 inchesof blinding, heavy rain in a veryshort period of time. There hasbeen major ponding in the fieldssince that time. Water levels arejust starting to recede in mostareas almost one week later. I am

sure there will be replanting of corn and soy-beans in the low areas. We will be sprayingpost-emergence herbicide and sidedressingnitrogen when cornfield conditions improve.Some soybean fields still wait to be planted,but most planted soybeans have emerged.

Larry Hummel, Dixon, Lee County: It was difficult to getmuch spraying done last week.Thursday morning, it finallydried up enough to start. But byevening, it showered justenough to chase us back outagain. Friday’s forecast calledfor 20 to 30 mph gusts — notvery promising. A few neighbors

cut hay on Thursday. Hopefully it can stay drylong enough to get it up in good shape. Wedid get a lot of corn shipped last week. I can’twait to get to the corn on the bottom of thebin that has a 7 in front of it.

Ken Reinhardt, Seaton, Mercer County: It was dry enoughin some fields to start some post-emergence spraying Wednesday.It rained off and on all dayThursday, amounting to 0.8 of aninch. The Edwards River still isflooding farmland but finally isdropping. Cutworms continue tobe found and are doing some

serious damage in some cornfields.

Ron Moore, Roseville, Warren County: We received another2.7 inches of rain last week. Thatmakes the total rainfall for the lasttwo weeks almost 5 inches.Needless to say, the 2011 yields forthis area are now going to be lowerthan normal again. The ponds werejust drying up and then filled withwater again. The corn is yellow

from lack of nitrogen and oxygen. Weeds aregoing to be another problem because the fieldsare too wet to post spray. Some fields of haywere mowed before the last rain and the qualitymay not be as good. The only bright spot thatcomes with excessive rain is pasture conditionsare very good right now. Even my cattle arestaying home with all of the grass.

Jacob Streitmatter, Princeville, Peoria County: Rainreceived last week has not letmany make progress on field-work. Some spraying resumedthe last part of the week, but it isfar from being dry. The crops lookdecent. Warm and drier weatherwould be beneficial.

Tim Green, Wyoming, Stark County: A warmer week. Thecorn crop is starting to grow a lit-tle bit. We seem to be getting 0.3or 0.4 of an inch of rain aboutevery second day. A lot of cornneeds to be sprayed. We keepgetting little showers — justenough to keep us from gettingcorn sprayed. That seems to be

the big concern. I would say we are virtuallydone with corn and probably have 5 percentof the beans left to plant.

Mark Kerber, Chatsworth, Livingston County: Last weekwas a dry week so we could getback into the fields to plant soy-beans. It’s taking a long time todry out this time, as the groundis full of water. Some have start-ed sidedressing nitrogen. Therewere a few rotary hoes runningas the ground got pretty hard on

what was planted just ahead of the rains. Wehoed about 160 acres of no-till. This suremakes the stalks fly, but it did help. Hopefully,next week at this time, there will be a lotmore progress in the fields.

Ron Haase, Gilman, Iroquois County: On May 29, wereceived rainfall in the range of0.5 of an inch to an inch. Withthe wind, sun, and high tem-peratures drying the soil sur-face, I was able to return topost emergence application ofherbicides in our cornfields onMay 31. It was a real challenge

to avoid the soft areas of mud. On June 2,tractors were returning to some fields towork ground to dry out the soil in order tobe able to plant the next day. There alsowere a few farmers I saw planting no-till orplanting ground that was worked beforethe rain knocked them out of the field onMay 22 without reworking the soil. Somewere rotary hoeing to help corn emergeand applying sidedress nitrogen. In thenext day or two we should be able to finishthe planting. I would say about 96 percentof our corn crop has emerged. Corn devel-opment varies from still in the bag or fight-ing to emerge on up through the V-5growth stage. The most developed soy-bean field in the areas is at V-1. We arebehind 2009 in the progress of field activ-ities that we need to make. The local clos-ing bids for June 2 were nearby corn,$7.63; new-crop corn, $6.61; nearby soy-beans, $14.08; new-crop soybeans.$13.60.

Brian Schaumburg, Chenoa, McLean County: Plantingis finally close to wrapping up.Corn development is at V-E toV-5 and soybeans are V-E to V-1. There are some yellowstreaks in corn, as roots searchfor nitrogen. Post-spraying ofcorn has started and side-dressing is half finished. Our

area condition report card would be a B+to A- downgraded only due to the latestart. Corn, $7.54; fall, $6.53; soybeans,$13.97; fall, $13.48; wheat, $6.95.

Tom Ritter, Blue Mound, Macon County: Showers onThursday morning put a stop toall fieldwork. It wasn’t majorrain, but 0.4 of an inch withcloudy conditions is takingfarmers out of the field for aday or two. Many farmers werejust getting started plantingagain, but most have wrapped

up planting. Soybeans are approaching 90percent complete. Corn with the warmdays and warm nights continues to growrapidly. A lot of post application sprayingof corn is going on at this time. As you gosouth, they are fighting some problemswith cutworms. Overall, corn at this pointlooks very good. Soybeans that were hitby the 2 to 3 inches of rain the weekbefore are emerging. Stands and weedcontrol look great. Off to a good start forthe growing season even though we arerunning a little later than normal.

Steve Ayers, Champaign, Champaign County: Saturday,May 28, we received 1.5 inchesof rain and then 0.1 of an inchThursday morning, just as fieldswere starting to dry. Rain was inthe forecast Saturday, but if wemiss it, we will drill beans thisweek. Corn is looking goodexcept for the ponds. Burndown

is effective on bean ground. Our crop report-ing district has corn 96 percent planted with74 percent emerged and soybeans 55 per-cent planted with 16 percent emerged. Let’sbe careful out there!

Wilfred Dittmer, Quincy, Adams County: A partly cloudymorning around here Friday withtemps already above 70, whichis good corn-growing weather.We are wet again after the early-morning rain Thursday that filledthe gauge to 1.9 inches righthere while others receivedupwards of 5 or more inches. I

think all corn is doing well and looks goodwith little or no insect activity. Small soybeansare perking up as well after the temps havefinally warmed up and it looks as if it will begrass-cutting time again soon. Have a safeweek.

Todd Easton, Charleston, Coles County: It was a goodweek in the fields, and theyseem to get noticeably greenerevery day. Last week after therain, it looked as if there weregoing to be many drowned-outareas in practically every field.Astonishingly, the water wentaway relatively quickly, and with

the help of the cooler temperatures in thedays after the rain the water damage wasminimal. Sprayers and sidedress applica-tors are running hard in fast-growing corn-fields with some of the early fieldsapproaching V-5 maturity. Soybean fieldsalso had a good week as most haveemerged with real good stands. There havebeen some trouble spots, though, mostly inthe southern part of the county. Rotary hoeshave been in the fields to help the beansbreak through the crust.

Doug Uphoff, Shelbyville, Shelby County: May rainfall:3.5 inches. The first corn weplanted on April 9 is at V-6, andthe ponds we replanted are V-2.We began planting again onMay 10, finishing corn on May19. We still had to plant aroundponds but some south of hereare just now planting corn, so

I’m not complaining. Big thing last weekwas cutworms. Man, can they eat fast. Oneday they aren’t there and the next day theplant population is cut 10 to 25 percent. Wejust added insecticide to post application ofherbicide to control them. Started plantingbeans on May 19 and have 15 acres of no-till left to plant. Emergence is good, but wetspots from 2.5 inches of rain will not makeit. I have some spots in the cornfields nextto timber where the deer have completelyeaten 1 to 3 acres. Not sure what to do withthose. I’ve never seen the damage this badthis early before. It’s too wet to replant, andI’m not sure it would be worth running overthe other corn to do it. May corn at Findlay,$7.59; May to Decatur less trucking (offfarm), $7.63; May beans, $14.02; off farm,$14.15; fall 2011 corn, $6.61; beans,$13.57; farm diesel No. 2, $3.65; B11,$3.397; truck No. 2, $4.12; truck B11, $3.85;gasohol, $3.99.

David Schaal, St. Peter, Fayette County: Farmers hit thefields here again last week invarious ways. Some were finish-ing planting corn, some replant -ing corn due to rain or cutwormdamage, and others were stak-ing beans in the ground.Cutworm pressure has beenpretty heavy in this area where

insecticide was not applied. The corn cropis anywhere from just going in the ground to4 to 5 inches tall. The corn that is up andgrowing looks good. There should havebeen a lot of soybeans planted here overthe weekend, providing there was no rain.The verdict is still out on a lot of the wheat.Some looks good and others don’t. Thereare a lot of white heads showing up. Theweather forecast is in our favor for thisweek, and I’m hoping it holds true.Everyone be safe.

FarmWeek Page 6 Monday, June 6, 2011

CROPWATCHERS

Kevin Raber, Browns, Wabash County: I find it hard tobelieve it’s June already.Southeastern Illinois had agreat week for fieldwork. Thehot, dry weather helped to drysome fields. The Big Wabash isabove flood stage again, sothat will stop the farming in lowlands. Wheat finally got the dry

weather it’s been needing.

Ken Taake, Ullin, Pulaski County: We finally had whatseems like our first open weekof the planting season. Thingswere really busy. We got backin the field on Monday(Memorial Day), and we were inthe field all week. We finishedplanting our corn and we plant-ed about two-thirds of our soy-

beans. Now we are back to concentratingon sidedressing our corn and post-spray-ing it. Everyone is planting as hard as pos-sible. That’s what’s going on in our 40 —I haven’t really had a chance to get outand see how the rest of the county isdoing.

Dave Hankammer, Millstadt, St. Clair County: The pastweek seemed uneventful com-pared to the previous weeks asfar as the weather is concerned.Memorial Day weekend startedoff with clouds and occasionallight sprinkle of rain, but byMemorial Day we had warmtemperatures and sunshine

making it a beautiful holiday. Many of thefields were soggy from the rains receivedduring the previous week. With tempera-tures reaching into the low 90s and lightwinds with sunshine, fieldwork resumed onTuesday. Corn planting continued for manylocal farmers with many of them planningto finish this week. Some corn was replant-ed in the area due to thin stands. Soybeanplantings are well under way for many ofthe farmers in the area. Hopefully, beanplantings will progress at a faster pacesince many of the forecasted rains missedthe area. Local grain bids are corn, $7.56;soybeans, $14.05; wheat, $7.47. Have asafe week.

Dan Meinhart, Montrose, Jasper County: A relatively rain-free week with warm tempera-tures. Farmers were able to getback into the fields by mid-week.In the wet areas, it was the firsttime this year. In the dry areas,planting is pretty well completefor both corn and beans.Spraying for black cutworms in

the corn and for armyworms in the wheatwere the most urgent projects of the week.Other activities included applying preplantchemicals, spreading fertilizer, replanting andsidedressing corn. Wheat is beginning toturn. No rain is in the forecast this week.Temperatures are expected to be in the 90swith the lows in the 70s. Hopefully, a lot offieldwork will be accomplished.

Rick Corners, Centralia, Jefferson County: Finally, a weekwithout flash flooding. The cornplanters are rolling. Things wouldbe just hunky dory if it were May3 and not June 3. Looks like thetools needed for corn harvestthis fall will be a new pair ofCarhart coveralls and a trainload of LP gas. That’s if we get

any rain in August.

Page 7 Monday, June 6, 2011 FarmWeek

CROPWATCHERS

Reports received Friday morning. Expanded crop and weatherinformation available at {www.farmweeknow.com}.

Seventh-wettest spring recorded in IllinoisBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

The weather last weekpicked up right where the cli-matological spring (Marchthrough May) left off — wetacross much of the state.

Many farmers who stillhave crops to plant and field-work to complete as a resultwere rained out for much ofthe week.

Overall, Illinois in Mayaveraged 5.6 inches of rain,1.34 inches above normal.Soil moisture the first of lastweek was rated 51 percentadequate with 49 percent sur-plus.

“It was a very wet month,”said Jim Angel, state climatol-ogist with the Illinois StateWater Survey. “In fact, we’venow had four wet Mays in arow.”

Overall, Illinois for theMarch through May periodaveraged a whopping 15.4inches of precipitation (4.3inches above normal), whichmade it the seventh-wettestspring on record.

The largest rainfall totalsthis spring were concentratedin Southern Illinois. Cairofrom March to May received30.9 inches, Brookportreceived 29.2 inches, and Car-bondale was soaked with 27.6inches.

“The whole area south ofI-64 really got hammered withheavy rain,” Angel said.

Planting progress for thestate as of the first of lastweek reached 94 percent forcorn, 1 percent ahead of thefive-year average, and 59 per-cent for soybeans, 5 percentbehind the average pace.

However, corn plantinglast week was just 56 percentcomplete in the southwestand 73 percent complete inthe southeast districts of thestate.

changes in other agronomicfactors when planting isdelayed into June, accordingto the agronomist. If nitrogenhas not yet been applied, theN rate should be reduced by10 to 15 percent.

“Plant population needn’tbe changed much, either,though on lighter soils plant -ing rates shouldn’t be higherthan the low 30,000s, sincecorn planted late is more like-ly to experience water stress,”he said.

Meanwhile, wheat growers

should continue to monitortheir crop for disease pres-sure, particularly as steamytemperatures moved into thestate over the weekend.

The wheat crop last weekwas rated 59 percent good toexcellent, 29 percent fair, and12 percent poor or very poor.

Illinois is on the transition-al line for this month’s fore-cast. The June forecast lastweek called for cool and wetconditions in the Upper Mid-west and warm and dry condi-tions to the south.

Farmers may be consider-ing switching to earlier-matur-ing varieties or to soybeans.But Emerson Nafziger, Uni-versity of Illinois Extensionagronomist, said there really isno “drop-dead” date forplanting.

Instead, he said growersneed to consider what yieldsthey can expect as plantingstretches into June. Using thisinformation, they can decideat what point yield levels andadded costs of planting willmake the crop less profitable

than collecting insurance.Nafziger said growers can

expect corn to lose about 25percent of its maximum yieldwhen planted the first fewdays of June, based on previ-ous studies.

Hybrids probably shouldnot be changed to earlier-maturing ones in Central andSouthern Illinois, unless thefirst-choice hybrid in CentralIllinois was late-maturing —above 114-day RM (relativematurity), he said.

There shouldn’t be many

‘Too late’ to plant a relative questionIt’s inevitable when corn

and bean acreages remainunplanted in early June to ask,“When is it too late to plant?”

“That answer depends onwhat insurance we have takenout,” said University of Illi-nois Extension agronomistEmerson Nafziger. “BetweenJune 1 and June 15-20, we canexpect to lose another 25 per-cent of potential yield, bring-ing yields down to about halftheir full potential.

“Variability of realizedyields following such lateplanting actually decreasessome, but only because lowyields become more likely andgood yields become rareindeed.”

The “glide path” for beanyields as planting is delayedinto June is less steep than forcorn, but the “half-yield” datefor soybeans may be only aweek or so later, perhaps twoweeks later in Southern Illi-nois, Nafziger said.

At current prices (withcorn price per bushel onlyabout half the bean price)soybeans offer a smaller mar-gin to work with. This meansthe planting date at whichreturns are equal is later than

when the price ratio is lessfavorable to corn.

“With some very heavy raincoupled with high tempera-tures following soybean plant -ing this past week, we canexpect some substantial standloss, especially in the places

where water stood for a day ortwo,” Nafziger said.

“There’s little guessworkhere — soybean seed willbarely last a day submerged at85 or 90 degrees, especially ifthe germination process hasstarted.

“Stand loss for both soy-beans and corn will be com-mon in low areas where waterstood this past week, andreplanting these low areasshould be considered if it canbe done within the next weekor two.”

USDA

FarmWeek Page 8 Monday, June 6, 2011

Field hearing mulls future farmer, nutrition needsBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Earlier this year, Ag Secre-tary Tom Vilsack called foraddition of 100,000 new farm-ers nationwide. Michigan cher-ry grower Ben LaCross lastweek offered Senate ag law-makers a prescription forachieving that goal.

LaCross, American FarmBureau Federation Young Farm-ers and Ranchers Committeechairman, testified at the SenateAg Committee’s first 2012 farmbill field hearing in Senate AgChairman Deb Stabenow’s (D.-Mich.) home state.

Stabenow indicated com-mittee work on specific pro-gram priorities would beginafter a fiscal 2012 budget is inplace. That raises concernsabout meeting Vilsack’s goals,given “the dire situation inWashington,” LaCross said inan RFD Radio-FarmWeekinterview.

to address “more localized dis-asters.”

He said he favors House-Senate proposals to perma-nently reinstate “greatly need-ed” five-year depreciation forfarm machinery. And he urgedCongress to move beyondDecember’s two-year estate taxreprieve to a permanent solu-tion that offers long-term cer-tainty for farm families.

LaCross said that security is“crucially important” to hisfamily’s operation: His parentshave been forced to purchase a$30,000 life insurance policy tocover potential estate tax liabili-ty and ensure “we can continuefarming.”

“That (cost) could be putback into the economy, to cre-ate another job,” he argued.

He sees an adequately fund-ed USDA playing a critical rolein helping not only open newmarket opportunities but alsoassuring diverse opportunities

within school lunch and othernutrition programs.

He noted a bias in schoolfeeding programs against driedcherries and other processedfruits and vegetables — productsof “a value-added industry thatcreates jobs” and taps variouscommodities as co-ingredients.

“It was an eye-openingexperience to see all the localfood systems people and nutri-tion directors from school dis-tricts at this (Senate Ag) hear-ing,” LaCross noted. “Theyhave a stake in what comes outof this farm bill.

“The tart cherry industrytreats the USDA feeding pro-grams as a customer — a greatcustomer for us. We want tocontinue that customer rela-tionship and make sure thatour product and, I’m sure, hun-dreds of other commodityproducts, get into the handsand mouths of those peoplewho need them.”

The government still has arole to play in helping newerfarmers gain footing or takeover family operations, LaCrosssaid. A solid farm safety net iskey to young farmer survival,he said, noting Michigan’sspring planting challenges andflooding in the Mississippi Riv-er basin.

“Some of the challengesyoung farmers and ranchers arefacing ... are the same thingsthat have plagued young pro-ducers for years,” he said. “It’sbeen access to credit, transfer-ring ownership from one gen-eration to the next, and market-ing limitations.

“I think there are some greatexamples of young farmers andranchers being creative in thosefinancing decisions and owner-ship transfer decisions.

“I hear great stories outthere of people who haven’tgrown up on a farm workingfor a farmer who wants to

retire in 10 years and usingsome of that work as sweatequity toward transferring thefarm to themselves.

“USDA has done a prettygood job in trying to find low-interest loans and beginningfarmer and rancher loans tohelp young producers get intoagriculture. I think that’s goingto be even more of a challengein the next five years, as wecome into this new farm bill.”

LaCross shares with grainproducers concerns that Con-gress maintain a program safetynet to ensure “weather andmarket fluctuations won’t takeus out of the market.”

Funding for the 2008 farmbill’s Supplemental Revenue(SURE) disaster program — aprogram that’s proven “fairlysuccessful for some of ourgrowers in the specialty cropindustry” — runs out this year,and he urged preservation ofSURE with some adjustments

MyPlate encourages healthier food choices BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

U.S. consumers, who livein a world where supersizedmeals and televised eatingcompetitions have becomecommonplace, were remind-ed last week it is possible tohave too much of a goodthing.

USDA last week unveileda new foodicon, MyPlate,designed toencourage con-sumers to buildhealthy eatinghabits by seek-ing more infor-mation aboutthe food andportions theypile on theirplates.

The iconand detailedinformationabout foodchoices, avail-able online at{www.ChooseMyPlate.gov},replace the well-known foodpyramid. The dietary recom-mendations are based on the2010 Dietary Guidelines forAmerica, released in January.

“With so many foodoptions available to con-sumers, it is often difficult todetermine the best foods toput on our plates when build-ing a healthy meal,” said TomVilsack, ag secretary.

“MyPlate is an uncompli-cated symbol to help remindpeople to think about theirfood choices in order to leadhealthier lifestyles.”

“The MyPlate icon makesit easy for consumers to enjoylean beef while meeting the

recommendation to fill halfof their plate with fruits andvegetables.”

First Lady Michelle Obamaand U.S. Surgeon GeneralRegina Benjamin are two keysupporters of the newMyPlate initiative.

The new dietary guidelinesencourage consumers toenjoy their food, but eat less,and to avoid oversized por-tions.

About one-third of chil-

dren and more than two-thirds of adults in the U.S. areoverweight or obese, accord-ing to USDA.

“Many Americans are in acaloric imbalance — theyconsume more (calories) thanthey expend,” said RobertProst, deputy director of theUSDA Center for NutritionPolicy and Promotion.

USDA in response, via thedietary guidelines andMyPlate icon, encourage con-sumers to make half theirplate fruits and vegetables,switch to fat-free or low-fatmilk, make at least half theirgrains whole grains, compare

sodium in foods and choosefood with lower numbers,and drink water instead ofsugary drinks.

The average Americanconsumes about 3,400 mil-ligrams of sodium per daycompared to the recommend-ed 2,300 milligrams per day.

Meanwhile, about 7 per-cent of an average Ameri-can’s daily caloric intake isderived from sugar-sweetenedbeverages.

U.S. agriculture, because ofits ability to produce largeamounts of food at afford-able prices, often has beenblamed for America’s obesityissue.

But MyPlate’s emphasis onnumerous ag products, fromlow-fat milk and whole grainsto lean beef, as essentials to ahealthy diet last week drewpraise from ag groups.

“Dairy foods are rightfullybeing recognized, from theschool house to the WhiteHouse, as an important partof everyone’s diet,” said JerryKozak, CEO of the NationalMilk Producers Federation.

Bill Donald, president ofthe National Cattlemen’s BeefAssociation, said of MyPlate:“Consumers need to knowthat lean beef supplies nearlyhalf of their daily value forprotein, as well as nine otheressential nutrients.

Pinker pork OKUSDA lowers temp guidelineNew cooking guidelines from the nation’s food-safety agency

confirm Pork Checkoff research that shows pork can be con-sumed safely when cooked to an internal temperature of 145degrees, followed by a three-minute rest time.

The guidelines were announced last week by the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).

The new recommended temperature is a significant 15degrees less than what was previously recommended and typi-cally will yield a finished product that is pinker in color thanthat to which most home cooks are accustomed.

“Our consumer research has consistently shown that Ameri-cans have a tendency to overcook common cuts of pork,resulting in a less-than-optimal eating experience,” said DianneBettin, a pork producer from Truman, Minn., and chairman ofthe checkoff ’s Domestic Marketing Committee.

“The new guidelines will help consumers enjoy pork at itsmost flavorful, juicy, and safe temperature.”

The revised recommendation applies to pork whole-musclecuts, such as loin, chops, and roasts. Ground pork, like allground meat, should be cooked to 160 degrees. Regardless ofcut or cooking method, both USDA and the National PorkBoard recommend using a digital cooking thermometer toensure an accurate final temperature.

The new recommendation evolved from a 2007 Pork Check-off-funded research project conducted by Ohio State Universi-ty to measure consumer eating preferences.

“It’s great news that home cooks can now feel confident toenjoy medium-rare pork, like they do with other meats,” saidGuy Fieri, a chef, restaurateur, and host of several food-focused television programs. “Pork cooked to this temperaturewill be juicy and tender.”

The new recommendation reflects advances in both foodsafety and nutritional content of pork in recent years. On aver-age, most common cuts of pork are 16 percent leaner than theywere 20 years ago, and saturated fat has dropped 27 percent. Infact, pork tenderloin is now as lean as the leanest type of chick-en —- a skinless chicken breast.

Additional information about cooking pork, includingrecipes, is available online at PorkBeInspired.com, or Face-book.com/PorkBeInspired.

FarmWeekNow.com

Learn more about the newUSDA MyPlate food icon atFarmWeekNow.com.

MARKETS

Page 9 Monday, June 6, 2011 FarmWeek

Switch to ethanol seamless for NASCARWallace passionatefarmer spokesmanBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

All race cars and trucks inNASCAR’s three nationalseries this season have usedethanol (Sunoco Green E15)instead of unleaded gasoline,and the switch so far has beenseamless.

In fact, some drivers believethere is additional horsepowerwhile the effect on fuel mileagereportedly has been minimal.

“Ethanol is a high-perfor-mance fuel,” veteran driverKenny Wallace, who lastmonth became only the seconddriver to make 500 careerstarts in the Nationwide Series,told FarmWeek. “We seenothing negative (with theswitch to E15). It’s like we nev-er changed fuels.”

NASCAR racers this seasonare expected to burn a total of

tinue racing and serve as aspokesman for farmers andethanol for at least three moreyears, at which point he couldbe ready to retire.

“The word ‘passion’ comes upa lot for me. At 47, when I race,it’s no different than when I was12 and playing baseball,” he said.“My favorite moment is getting in

a car and starting it up.”Racing definitely is in Wal-

lace’s blood. Kenny’s olderbrother, Mike, and nephew,Steve, currently are drivers inthe Nationwide Series and hiseldest brother, Rusty, is aretired driver and former SprintCup champion who currently isa television race analyst.

about 450,000 gallons of thecorn-based fuel.

“If it could withstand theendurance of what we put itthrough on the race track, thenit can handle the roads ofAmerica,” Clint Bowyer, driverfor the Richard Childress Rac-ing Team, said on the AmericanEthanol website.

Wallace is a big proponentof the switch to ethanol. Infact, about three years ago heventured from his hometownof St. Louis to the Illinois CornGrowers/Marketing Boardoffice in Bloomington with theintent of becoming an ethanoladvocate.

“I made the trip to Illinoiswith a couple of (promotionalDVDs),” Wallace said. “Myobjective was to become thespokesperson for ethanol.”

Wallace not only landed asponsorship — last weekend hedrove the Family Farmers HighPerformance Team car at theNationwide Series event at

Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet— he also is achieving his goalof serving as a spokesman forfarmers and the ethanol indus-try.

The Family Farmers coali-tion includes the Illinois CornMarketing Board and the Illi-nois Soybean Association.

“I met with farmers last yearwho said they felt like theywere beat down, and the publiclooks to them as the reason forhigh food prices,” said Wallace,who also is a race analyst onSpeed TV. “That’s when I gotpassionate.

“I want to tell (farmers’)story,” he continued. “I’mlucky to have a platform and bethe voice for American ethanoland American farmers.”

For instance, Wallace talksabout corn yield advancementsthat will help maintain an ade-quate supply of the crop. Healso educates consumers aboutthe different kinds of corn,ranging from No. 2 yellow —used primarily for feed andethanol production — to whitecorn and sweet corn, which areconsumed by humans.

“With such great advance-ments in yields (yearly cornproduction from 1980 to 2010increased 87.5 percent, accord-ing to The Fertilizer Institute),there is more corn than ever,”Wallace said. “Food vs. fuelsimply is not true.”

Wallace, 47, hopes to con-

Kenny Wallace, veteran NASCAR driver, has become an avid spokesmanfor American farmers and ethanol. NASCAR this season began using E15(15 percent ethanol) fuel in its three national series. Wallace, who drivesfor the Family Farmers High Performance Team supported in part by theIllinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) and Illinois Soybean Association,last week said racers have reported no problems with the “green” fuel.(Photo by Tricia Braid, ICMB)

WTO concludes COOLviolates the trade rulesBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

The World Trade Organization (WTO) tentatively has deter-mined U.S. country of origin labeling (COOL) violates globaltrade rules.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Bill Donaldapplauds the WTO’s preliminary ruling, labeling it proof manda-tory retail meat labeling was a “poor decision.”

Illinois Beef Association Executive Vice President MaraleeJohnson told FarmWeek COOL has left today’s consumer luke-warm while providing questionably meaningful information.

The WTO plans in September to issue a formal ruling inresponse to Canada and Mexico’s complaint against COOL.

The WTO’s preliminary ruling concluded U.S. COOL require-ments violate provisions of the organization’s agreement onTechnical Barriers to Trade (TBT).

WTO ruled COOL require-ments do not fulfill a stated U.S.objective of helping informconsumers of the origin ofmeat and, consequently, violatethe TBT agreement.

COOL was aimed at helpingU.S. consumers reach meat-buy-

ing decisions, and was not intended as any kind of food safetyinitiative. That was the goal of federal animal identificationefforts, though failure to implement a cohesive national ID pro-gram also raises questions about the effectiveness of U.S. coun-try labeling, Johnson said.

Further, retail labeling may only confuse consumers confront-ed with ground beef identified as being of mixed U.S., Canadian,and/or Mexican origin, she said.

“When we first saw implementation of COOL, people werealarmed,” she said. “They didn’t want ‘Product of U.S., Canada,and Mexico.’

“But since that initial ‘shock,’ I don’t think anybody pays anyattention to (labeling) anymore.”

Donald maintained many proponents of mandatory COOLbelieved labeling would reduce imports of Canadian or Mexicanfeeder cattle and would boost U.S. feeder cattle prices.

Instead, reducing the number of animals in the marketplace“reduces the infrastructure of the U.S. beef industry,” negativelyimpacting “the value of all feeder cattle in Mexico, the UnitedStates, and Canada,” he said.

Johnson sees the average U.S. consumer as far more concernedabout meat price than about the fine print of origin labeling.

FarmWeekNow.com

Listen to Maralee Johnson’scommen t s abou t COOL a tFarmWeekNow.com.

WHEAT

FarmWeek Page 10 Monday, June 6, 2011

Wheat looks to technology despite GMO challengesBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Dave DeVore hopes hisgrower-suppliers someday willhave access to the genetictools that have helped signifi-cantly boost corn and soybeanyields.

A wet April raised con-cerns about wheat scab emer-gence, which can lead to vom-itoxin development, notedDeVore, merchandiser withSiemer Milling Co. in Teu-topolis. Vomitoxin contamina-tion limits feed and food usesand necessitates inspection ofevery load that arrives at themiller, he said.

DeVore suggested growersthis year may have “dodged” ascab outbreak, but he citedvomitoxin issues in 2009 and2010. Wheat growers havebeen “trailing corn and beans”in terms of available biotechimprovements that couldaddress scab and other yield-quality concerns, he said.

Monsanto shelvedRoundup Ready wheat devel-opment in 2004 amid con-

production pending USDAenvironmental analysis of theproduct. Monsanto reported

“strong seed sales” of itsGMO alfalfa this season.

Champaign County produc-er John Reifsteck, a boardmember with the group Truth

about Trade and Technology,told FarmWeek the courts andUSDA eventually “got to theright place,” but “took a sidetrip that was not beneficial.”

“The real risk we had withRoundup Ready alfalfa waslegitimizing the idea that youcould have ‘pollution by pol-len’ — that pollen that coulddrift onto somebody elsecould be cause for legal and,certainly, regulatory action,”Reifsteck related.

“Long-term, that wouldhave been a very difficult anddangerous precedent. It wasn’tbased on science — it wasbased on some other group ofissues.”

cerns from millers and foodcompanies but revived itswheat genetics program afterAustralian, Canadian, and U.S.wheat groups agreed to sup-port GMO commercialization.

“You’ve seen the advantageof that research with corn vari-eties — where we’ve come inthe last 15 years with yields andthe impact that’s had,” DeVoretold FarmWeek. “Hopefully,(biotech wheat development)will continue, and over thecourse of the next 10 years,we’ll begin to see (gains) withwheat varieties.”

Recent challenges toRoundup Ready alfalfa andsugar beets nonetheless haverevived fears of new obstacles.Roundup Ready beets werederegulated in 2005, but a U.S.district court banned plantinglast August after rulingUSDA’s product approval wasillegal.

Wheat groups warned thatruling “dramatically impactsgrowers and processors of rawcommodities who have madesignificant financial decisions

and legally binding obliga-tions” based on the technolo-gy. USDA since issued a “par-

tial deregulation” allowingGMO beet production in2011.

The Supreme Court lastyear reversed a lower courtban on Roundup Ready alfalfa

‘Hopefully, (biotech wheat development)will continue, and over the course of thenext 10 years, we’ll begin to see (gains)with wheat varieties.’

— Dave DeVoregrain merchandiser

Wheat R&D under way via ‘tiered’ approachRoundup Ready wheat may

not be on the menu. ButMonsanto is back in thewheat business — with indus-try guidance.

Monsanto wheat programspokesman Sara Millerstressed “we’re not currentlyworking on Roundup Ready

wheat” — the focus of con-troversy that prompted Mon-santo’s 2004 suspension ofwheat research and develop-ment (see accompanying sto-ry).

But the St. Louis companyhas revived its wheat programin what Miller termed a“tiered” approach. Monsan-to’s current focus is on“delivering high-performing,locally adapted varietiesacross all the major (U.S.wheat) classes,” throughWestbred LLC, a company itacquired in 2009, she report-ed.

Moving forward, Monsan-to plans to incorporate genet-ic marker-assisted researchand other tools that have ledto identification and develop-ment of improved traits incorn and soybean varieties.The goal is to enhance “sus-tainability and profitability”through higher wheat yields,Miller said.

“Longer term, we’re goingto use those seeds to serve askind of the germplasm foun-dation that will introducebiotech traits,” she toldFarmWeek. “Some of what

we’re working on throughbreeding and then transgenic(biotech) approaches arethings like drought tolerance,water use efficiency, nitrogenuse efficiency, disease resis-tance, and, overall, just high-er-yielding, stress-tolerantwheat.

“We see some of thebreeding work happening inthe next five to seven years,with some of the biotechstuff more in 10 years andbeyond.”

Miller is buoyed by new-found support for improve-ments among millers and oth-ers who, in her view, haverecognized the need for pro-ducer-suppliers to competewith “other crops that havegotten a lot of investmentover the years.”

She nonetheless acknowl-edged the special considera-tions attached to a wheatcrop raised primarily for foodrather than feed. “It’s defi-nitely going to take everyonein the industry really workingclosely together to make allof this happen in the comingyears,” Miller maintained. —Martin Ross

EMERGING ISSUES

Page 11 Monday, June 6, 2011 FarmWeek

Auction CalendarTues., June 7. 10 a.m. 77.26 Ac.

McLean Co. Soy Capital AgServices. www.soycapitalag.comFri., June 10. 10 a.m. FarmlandAuction. Dorelle Denman/Trust

2061, EARLVILLE, IL. DickMcConville, Marty McConville, Joe

McConville, Auctioneers.www.mcconvillerealty.com

Sat., June 11. 10 a.m. LaSalle Co.Land Auction. NEWARK, IL.

Richard A. Olson, Auctioneer.richardaolson.com

Tues., June 21. 1 p.m. 440 Ac.Mason Co. MASON CITY, IL.

Murray Wise Associates LLC. mur-raywiseassociates.com

Thurs., June 23. 10 a.m.Henderson Co. Land Auction.Harvey Lubelchek Revocable

Trust, GLADSTONE, IL. SullivanAuctioneers, LLC.

www..sullivanauctioneers.com

Sat., June 25. 10 a.m. FarmlandReal Estate Auction. RandyGobeli, SEWARD, IL. Pro

Auctions, LLC.www.mudcreekfarms.com/pro-

auctions.htmlSat., June 25. 1 p.m.

Consignment Auction. SAND-WICH, IL.

www.oldegine.org/memebers/sandwich

Sat., June 25. 10 a.m. LandAuction. HECKER, IL. Buy A

Farm. buyafarm.comFri., July 15. 9 a.m. Consignment

Auction. TREMONT, IL. CalKaufman and Brent Schmidgall,

Auctioneers. calkaufmanauc-tion.com or brentschmidgallauc-

tion.comTues., July 19. Ag Eq.

Consignment Auction. Taylor andMartin Real Estate/Ag Sales, LLC.

www.tmras.com

Lee County Farm Bureau member Billie Childs is shown discussing dairygoats with fourth-grade students from St. Vincent Ferrer School, RiverForest. Another Lee County Farm Bureau member, Katie Dallam Pratt(not pictured), has corresponded with the students through the Adopt aClassroom program. The students, their teacher, and chaperones re-cently toured a couple of Lee County farms. (Photo by Danelle DeSmith,Lee County Farm Bureau manager)

Video letters, tour bring farm ‘to life’ for studentsstudents’ questions evolvedfrom asking if the Pratts hadrunning water to wonderinghow they cared for livestockduring blizzards.

The farm tour “brings farm-ing to life, not only for the stu-dents, but also for their parentswho often serve as chaper-ones,” Pratt noted.

The parents’ questions wereintriguing and are causing Prattto reconsider the type of infor-mation she tells students. Theparents’ questions ran the gamutfrom corporate farms to farmtechnology and from antibioticuse in livestock to where farmfamilies get their food.

“While it is important toexplain how we care for the landand our livestock, I think it iseven more important to explainhow we live, how the farm is apart of our life, and how wearen’t that different from ourcity cousins,” Pratt said.

“The farm visit serves as agreat reminder to those of us inagriculture how great the divideis between city and country,consumers and farmers. Andhow much we need to continueto advocate for our livelihood,”she concluded.

Farmer experiences epiphany as wellBY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Chicago suburban fourthgraders knew Lee County FarmBureau member Katie Pratt,her family, and farm from thevideo letters she sent to themduring the school year.

But the farm and family real-ly came to life when nearly 40of those students and adultstoured Pratt’s farm near Dixonand her parents’ farm nearAmboy on May 26.

The students from St. Vin-cent Ferrer, River Forest, andtheir teacher, Sarah Fine-Koukol, were matched withPratt through Illinois FarmBureau’s Adopt a Classroomprogram. Pratt taught the stu-

dents about farming and farmlife through letters and shortvideos.

“I did videos about our grainstorage facility, harvest, a day inthe life of a farm kid — featur-ing my kids, our family’s annualChristmas tree cutting, winterwork in the shop, planting thegarden, and moving cattle,”Pratt said last week.

“When you are explainingthings to fourth graders, pic-tures tend to hold their atten-tion longer and can trigger evenmore curiosity,” she noted.

While on Pratt’s farm, thestudents saw firsthand the farmequipment, the grain bins, andthe garden. They focused onfarm animals while touring thefarm of Gail and Jane Dallam,Pratt’s parents.

During the school year, the

Institute overseeingstate surveys renamed

The state scientific surveyshaven’t changed or movedfrom the University of Illinois,but the institute that overseesthem has a new name —Prairie Research Institute.

The new name betterreflects the combined effortsand large body of work pro-

duced forIllinois bythe five sci-entific sur-veys, saidLibby John-ston, theinstitute’s

communications director.Illinois Farm Bureau is a

member of the institute’s advi-sory committee.

The five surveys are the Illi-nois State Geological Survey,the Illinois Natural HistorySurvey, the Illinois State WaterSurvey, the Illinois SustainableTechnology Center, and theIllinois State ArchaeologicalSurvey, the latter of whichjoined the institute last year.

In 2008, the Illinois General

Assembly placed the surveysback under the auspices of theU of I and created the Insti-tute for Natural Sciences andSustainability. Prior to theswitch, the surveys were over-seen by the Illinois Depart-ment of Natural Resources.

However the institute’soriginal name was cumber-some, and some people con-fused it with other instituteson the U of I’s Urbana cam-pus, according to WilliamShilts, the institute’s executivedirector.

The new name gives thesurveys’ research activities anappropriate geographical con-text compared to the oldname, Shilts noted. The U of IBoard of Trustees and the Illi-nois Board of Higher Educa-tion recently approved thename change.

The Prairie Research Insti-tute has 700 employees and afiscal year 2010 budget ofmore than $68 million. Thewebsite is {www.prairie.illinois.edu} — Kay Shipman

IFB IN ACTION

FarmWeek Page 12 Monday, June 6, 2011

DIALOGUE FROM A BOG

Bob DeGrandchamp, who owns DeGrand-champ Farms with his two brothers in SouthHaven, Mich., addresses participants of therecent Midwest Farm Bureau CommoditiesConference from the state’s first and onlycranberry bog. He explained the crop is“floated off” in the fall by flooding the bogand threshing the berries off of the runners.The cranberries are then brought to oneend of the bog and sucked into a standardgrain wagon for transport to processing.Farms near the eastern side of Lake Michi-gan have a unique microclimate that allowsmany fruits and vegetables to thrive in theirsandy, acidic soils. Michigan is second onlyto California in the diversity of its agricul-ture. (Photo by Jim Fraley, Illinois Farm Bu-reau livestock program director)

GrassRoots Issue Teamsseeking 2012 applicants

Farm Bureau members interested in addressing emerg-ing policy issues and identifying new educational pro-grams have until Aug. 11 to submit application for theIllinois Farm Bureau GrassRoots Issue Teams (GRITs)

program.The goal is to increase farm

income for members.The eight teams are: conservation

and natural resources; crop produc-tion and trade; equine; livestock anddairy; renewable resources and ener-gy; risk management and farm pro-grams; rural life; and specialty cropsand labor.

GRITs members meet twice a year. The first meeting is scheduled for

Jan. 17 in Bloomington and the sec-ond will be the following March.

Additional meetings, either in person or by conferencecall, may be held as needed. IFB reimburses appropriateexpenses including mileage for the two scheduled meet-ings.

Interested members should contact their county FarmBureau or visit the IFB website at {www.ilfb.org} toobtain an application.

GRITs members will be announced in October.

Ag pesticide collection setin 11 southern counties

Residents of 11 SouthernIllinois counties have anopportunity for free dispos-al of unwanted agrichemi-cals through the IllinoisDepartment of Agricul-ture’s (IDOA) agriculturalpesticide Clean Sweep pro-gram. The registrationdeadline is July 15.

A Clean Sweep collectionhas been scheduled in latesummer for Alexander, Gal-latin, Hardin, Jackson,Johnson, Massac, Pope,Pulaski, Saline, Union, andWilliamson counties.

The collection program,which rotates among Illi-nois counties, is open tofarmers, retired farmers,nursery owners, private pes-ticide applicators, andlandowners who inheritedunwanted agricultural pesti-cides with their property.

“There are two big rea-sons to take advantage ofthis program,” said WarrenGoetsch, bureau chief ofIDOA’s environmental pro-grams.

“First, it’s free. If indi-viduals were to properlydispose of agrichemicals ontheir own, the cost wouldbe expensive.

“But the department isable to provide the service

free of charge thanks to agrant it obtained from theU.S. EPA (EnvironmentalProtection Agency).

“Second, the State ofIllinois, not the programparticipant, will assume lia-bility for the proper dispos-al of all materials collect-ed.”

Participants must registerthe products they plan todispose of by July 15.

Registration is requiredto give the waste disposalcontractor time to prepareto handle different materi-als.

Forms may be obtainedeither by calling IDOA’spesticide hotline at 800-641-3934 or visiting thecounty Farm Bureau officein each participating coun-ty.

County Farm Bureaus,Soil and Water Conserva-tion Districts, and Exten-sion units are sponsoringthe collections.

Completed forms shouldbe mailed or faxed to theIDOA.

The mailing address is:Clean Sweep Program, Illi-nois Department of Agri-culture, State Fairgrounds,Box 19281, Springfield, Ill.,62794-9281. The fax num-ber is 217-524-4882.

Participants will receive areservation card indicatingthe date, time, and locationfor their collection.

FROM THE COUNTIES

Page 13 Monday, June 6, 2011 FarmWeek

CARROLL — The Car-roll, Ogle, and Win-

nebago County Farm Bureausare sponsoring a bus tripMonday, June 27, to theChicago Board of Trade andFederal Reserve Bank. Cost is$25. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 815-244-3001 forreservations or more informa-tion.

FORD-IROQUOIS —An “On the Road”

seminar will be at 7 p.m.Wednesday, June 15, at theFarm Bureau office. KevinRund, Illinois Farm Bureausenior director of local gov-ernment, and representativesfrom the Illinois Departmentof Transportation will be thespeakers. Call the FarmBureau office for more infor-mation.

LEE — Lee, Ogle,Whiteside County

Farm Bureaus, and Sauk Val-ley Bank will sponsor a “Man-aging Crop Risks in VolatileTimes” at 7 p.m. Wednesday,June 15, at the Comfort Inn,Dixon. Steve Johnson, IowaState University Extensionfarm and ag business manage-ment specialist, will be thespeaker. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 857-3531 or e-mailleecfb@comcast.net by Fridayfor reservations or moreinformation.

MCDONOUGH — A“Managing Crop

Risks in Volatile Times” semi-nar will be at 7 p.m. Monday,June 13, at the Spoon RiverOutreach Center. Steve John-son, Iowa State UniversityExtension farm and ag busi-ness management specialist,will be the speaker. Call theFarm Bureau office at 309-837-3350 for reservations ormore information.

MCLEAN — FarmBureau will sponsor a

bus trip Thursday, June 16, toWrigley Field to see the Chica-go Cubs vs. the MilwaukeeBrewers game. The bus willleave the Interstate Center in

Bloomington at 8 a.m. Cost is$60, which includes bus andticket. Lunch on your own.Call the Farm Bureau office at309-663-6497 for reservationsor more information.

MERCER — A marketoutlook meeting will

be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at theFarm Bureau office. DanZwicker, ADM market analyst,will be the speaker. Call theFarm Bureau office for moreinformation.

PEORIA — The summerMarket Outlook meeting

will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday,June 21, at Farm Bureau Park.Raber’s will serve a pork chopmeal. Cost is $5. Luke Hickeyand Brian Basting, AdvancedTrading, will be the speakers.Call the Farm Bureau office formore information.

• The annual golf scramblewill be at 7 a.m. Saturday, July16, at Laurel Greens, Peoria.Cost is $25, which includes golfand cart. Reservation formsare available at the FarmBureau office or on the website{www.peoriacounty -farmbureau.org}.

ROCK ISLAND — Amarket outlook meeting

“Managing Crop Risks inVolatile Times” will be at 6:15p.m. Thursday, June 16, at theSt. Paul Lutheran Church, Ori-on. A buffet dinner will beserved. Steve Johnson, IowaState University Extensionfarm and ag business manage-ment specialist, will be thespeaker. Mike Schaver, GoldStar FS grain merchandiser, willprovide an update. Cost is $18,unless paid for the series. Callthe Farm Bureau office at 309-736-7432 for reservations ormore information.

• Farm Bureau will sponsora bus trip Friday, Aug. 5, to seethe Chicago Cubs vs. theCincinnati Reds game atWrigley Field. The bus will

leave at 7 a.m. from the FarmBureau parking lot. Cost is$85. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 309-736-7432 for

reservations or more informa-tion.

“From the counties” items are

submitted by county Farm Bureaumanagers. If you have an event oractivity open to all members, contactyour county Farm Bureau manager.

EXPLAINING CORN PLANTING

Julie Mellert of rural Canton explains what goes into planting corn to students from St. Germaine Parish School,Oak Lawn. The 39 students from the fourth grade classes of teachers Carol Scannell and Peggy Gordon also

visited the Carlberg family dairy farm, near Canton. Fulton CountyFarm Bureau board members corresponded with the students duringthe past school year. Using “Farmer Stanley” (the Farm Bureau’s ver-sion of the popular character “Flat Stanley”) directors took pictures ofStanley doing activities on the farm and sent the pictures and narra-

tives to the classrooms. Farm Bureau members also routinely provided the fourth graders with Ag in the Class-room activities and supplies and Ag Mags that corresponded to farm activities. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

PROFITABILITY

FarmWeek Page 15 Monday, June 6, 2011

AgriVisor Hotline Number

309-557-2274

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Policies issued by COUNTRYMutual Insurance Company®,

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

CASH STRATEGISTCorn Strategy

�2010 crop: Corn pricesrebounded on speculation sur-rounding planting and thepotential size of the 2011 corncrop. We still think it wise towrap up sales at these prices.Hedge-to-arrive (HTA) con-tracts for summer delivery arethe best tool, unless you are ata location that is offering anunusually good basis.

�2011 crop: A Decemberfutures close above the $6.85high keeps the short-termtrend pointed up. Psychologi-cally, it might be difficult for itto clear $7. Sales should havebeen pushed up to 50 percentof a conservative yield. HTAsfor fall or early-winter deliveryare the best tool for sales.

�Fundamentals: Plantingdelays in Ohio and Indiana andacross the northern Corn Beltremain the key focus, with a lotof talk about producers possi-bly taking insurance “prevent-ed planting” payments in lieuof planting any crops on someland. A private firm forecastcorn plantings at 87.2 millionacres, well below the 92.2 mil-lion USDA March intentions. Soybean Strategy

�2010 crop: Demand forold-crop soybeans is steady atbest, with the larger endingstocks having shifted theemphasis to new-crop funda-mentals. Use strength to wrapup old-crop sales.

�2011 crop: Soybeanprices continue to take theirlead from the other grains. Butdoubts about planting bolsternew-crop prices. Novemberagain is testing $14, a level thatrejected rallies earlier this year.Use this rally to that level to getnew-crop sales to 50 percent ofa conservative yield. We con-tinue to prefer fall and early-winter HTA contracts.

�Fundamentals: Talkabout use of the preventedplanting feature on insurancecontracts is enhancingthoughts that soybean plant -ings could fall below the need-ed level. Still, high insuranceguarantees could shift someacreage to soybeans, as well asincrease double-crop plantings.Chinese acreage will declineslightly, but there are indica-

tions protein demand may besoftening in China, whichcould limit import needs. Wheat Strategy

�2011 crop: Wheat brokefollowing news that Russia willresume exports on July 1.Domestic and internationalweather issues kept the weak-ness from turning into a rout.If Chicago July futures canclose above $8, the short-termtrend could turn up again.Plan to increase sales to 65percent if Chicago July tradesabove $8.50. Stay close to theHotline as we could adjust ourtarget at anytime. We prefer

HTA contracts, especially forwinter delivery, if you have thecapability to store wheat.

�Fundamentals: Wheatreacted negatively to news thatRussia would resume exports.However, questions linger aboutthe amount of quality wheat itwill be able to offer. In addi-tion, there is talk the Russianscould impose an export tariffthat could restrict the flow oftheir wheat into the world mar-ket. Still, weather in the North-ern Plains and southern Canadamay be the most importantshort-term market factor. Rainsin the Northwest heightened theprobability of reduced acreage.

between December lean hogfutures and December corn hasdropped below 9-to-1, below alevel that historically has beenassociated with liquidation. Wemay get some insight in theJune 24 hogs and pigs report,but that insight may not comeuntil the Sept. 28 report.

Cattle on feed numbers haverisen sharply, but that’s more ofa function of the drought con-ditions in the Southern Plains.And because of the long gesta-tion cycle, producers cannotchange as quickly as poultry orpork producers.

None of this begins toaddress the economic uncertain-ties in China and the demandrepercussions the Chinese mighthave. A major economic con-sulting group believes a “sud-den” economic slowdown inChina could cut commodityprices as much as 75 percent.While that may not occur, theChinese appear to be havingsome success slowing growth.

While demand deteriorationmay not be of much concernuntil everyone gets comfortablewith supply, when the focusshifts, all you will hear is howmuch demand has deterioratedand how low prices might drop.

We aren’t there yet, but giv-en the age of this bull market,grain markets may not be thatfar away from a change.

In addition, data continue toindicate that money has left thecommodity arena. Even thoughthere’s still a chance of seeingnew highs, risk has gotten toolarge for investors. This leavesthe market with little buyinginterest when the tide changes.

As usual, prices likely will fallfaster than they have gone up.It’s always happened and alwayswill, maybe even more so inthis new paradigm of “bubble”markets. Having said that, inthe short term, supply factorscould still carry prices higher.One thing is certain — thereshould be a lot of volatility.

Another year of planting dif-ficulties here in the U.S. and scat-tered growing problems aroundthe world have kept the focus onthe supply side of the funda-mental structure in the grainmarkets. But the persistence ofhigh prices has a corrosive effecton demand. And today, thosedemand ingredients are a littledifferent, for corn in particular.

The surge in demand forethanol processing makes corndemand more vulnerable tochanging economic parametersand their impact on gasolinedemand. Although it’s a littlesoon to detect a good trend forgasoline demand, anecdotalevidence indicates higherprices have curtailed usage.

Data from one firm indicategasoline demand over the lastfour weeks has declined 2 to2.5 percent from last year.And with ethanol now a majorcomponent, as demand forgasoline goes, so will godemand for ethanol, implyingethanol demand should bedown a similar amount.

The livestock industry hasbeen feeling the brunt of highgrain prices the last few weeks.As grain prices have stayedstrong, or moved higher, live-stock futures have collapsed.

Significant changes in pro-duction have been scant so far,but the longer the situation per-sists, the stronger the pressurewill become to reduce output.Broiler producers have cut eggsets about 2 percent in recentweeks, but their chick place-ments continue to hold at, orslightly above last year’s level.

Pork producers are startingto feel the heat as well, unlessthey have feed inputs coveredwell into next year. The ratio

Cents per bu.

Don’t ignore demand details

PERSPECTIVES

FarmWeek Page 16 Monday, June 6, 2011

LETTERS TO THE EDITORReader takes issuewith Block commentsEditor:

John Block’s article in yourMay 23, 2011 issue compared“factory farming” with otherfactories in our country anddeclared that both were using“much less labor.” He claimsthat is “progress” and says,“That just frees up more peopleto work on the Internet orsomething else.”

Maybe he hasn’t heard thatthe labor that’s been freed upfrom factories, whether on thefarm or in the cities, is now onunemployment or trying to live

on food stamps and no incomeat all.

Mr. Block, I haven’t heardanyone else call that progress,and you apparently haven’theard about the worst recessionsince the Great Depression.Maybe you should go work “onthe Internet or something else”instead of the farm and seehow you like it.RAMONA C. COOK,Industry

Don’t accept fundsfor high-speed railEditor:

Regarding the article about

additional funding to Illinoisfor “high speed” rail, (May 16FarmWeek).

Perhaps Florida, Ohio, andWisconsin have the rightanswer: “Just say NO!” Amtrakloses more money every yeareven though ridership increases.Only on the East Coast com-muter routes does Amtrakshow a profit.

The entire passenger rail sys-tem should be independentlyreviewed. The problems of thesystem cannot be fixed withpoliticians in every state and ofboth major parties voting for“pork barrel” funding of

Amtrak year after year.Meanwhile, broke Illinois

accepts funding from our brokefederal government for a railsystem that is financially broke.

The passenger rail system in theUSA is long overdue to be runin a more efficient fashion.JACK CURRY,Mendon

Letter policyLetters are limited to 300

words and must include aname and address. FarmWeekreserves the right to reject anyletter and will not publish po-litical endorsements.

All letters are subject toediting, and only an origi-nal with a written signatureand complete address will

be accepted. A daytime telephone num-

ber is required for verification,but will not be published.

Only one letter per writerwill be accepted in a 60-dayperiod. Typed letters are pre-ferred.

Send letters to: FarmWeek Letters

1701 Towanda Ave.Bloomington, Ill., 61701

What do agriculture, baseball, and MotherNature have in common? Any farmeror rancher will tell you, without hesita-

tion, that in the competitive industry that is agricul-ture, Mother Nature ALWAYS bats cleanup and nine

times out of 10, she bats for theopposition. She’ll make or break youevery time.

To date, crop year 2011 has beenexceptionally tough for farmers andranchers. That which isn’t drying upfrom drought, burning up in wildfires,or blowing away in tornadoes is beingswept downstream by torrentialflooding. It’s an unfortunate realitythat somewhere in the U.S., this veryminute, a farmer or rancher is battling

the elements — and as most agricultural producersknow all too well: You win some and lose some.

What happens when you lose?Prior to the 2008 farm bill, a row-crop or livestock

producer was at the mercy of lawmakers to approvead hoc funding for emergency disaster assistance. Itliterally took an act of Congress for USDA’s FarmService Agency (FSA) to get much-needed recoveryassistance to producers impacted by natural disasters.The process was tedious, time-consuming, and bud-get-dependent.

Fast forward to the 2008 when Congress passedlegislation providing for five “permanent” disasterassistance programs: the Supplemental RevenueAssistance Payment Program (SURE), LivestockIndemnity Program (LIP), Livestock Forage DisasterProgram (LFP), Emergency Assistance for Livestock,Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP),and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). All areadministered by FSA.

So, how “permanent” is permanent? The truth isthese disaster assistance programs are only “perma-nent” for the life of the 2008 farm bill. As of Sept.

30, 2011, the legislative authority for these five pro-grams expires and they will, in essence, cease to exist.

What does this mean to you, the producer?It means that, although we hope a farmer or ranch-

er never requires disaster assistance, no industry ismore vulnerable to nature’s wrath than agricultureand the odds are, if you’re in the industry very long,you will indeed experience your fair share of setbacks— compliments of Mother Nature.

Permanent disaster legislation offers producerssome peace of mind that, in time of need, FSA canbe immediately responsive.

To date, row-crop and livestock producers nation-wide have received more than $2.9 billion in assis-tance from FSA for qualifying losses resulting fromnatural disasters.

These dollars are, in turn, pumped back into therural economy as producers purchase inputs, hirecontractors, or procure whatever is necessary to getback on their feet and back to the business of farm-ing and ranching.

If you want to see similar disaster legislation in thenext farm bill, now is the time to make your voiceheard. Commodity organizations, elected officials,and special-interest groups need to know yourthoughts on disaster programs as they set out to craftthe next farm bill.

The faster a producer recovers from a natural dis-aster, the better for everyone, including the consumerwho can continue to enjoy the abundant, safe, andaffordable food and fiber that we, as Americans, havecome to expect.

So when it’s the bottom of the ninth, MotherNature steps up to the plate with bases loaded andshe knocks one out of the park, make sure disasterassistance legislation is in place to level the playingfield. And never forget — USDA’s FSA is always onyour team.

Scherrie Giamanco is state executive director for the IllinoisFSA.

SCHERRIEGIAMANCO

Time forAgriculture,baseball,& Mother Nature

Much of the activity in the fields around West-Cen-tral Illinois has been farmers getting their corn planted.The question now becomes how big will be the cropand how will prices respond?

While private forecasters have been guessing the sizeof this year’s corn crop, the key report comes fromUSDA. That report, the first official estimate of thesize of the recently planted crop, is now out.

The day the new USDA forecasts came out, cornprices dropped 30 cents a bushel. While those priceshave recovered, that one-day price drop would havecost the average McDonough County corn farmeralmost $50 an acre.

USDA is forecasting several interesting things. The first is the size of the corn crop. It is forecast to

be the largest on record — 3 percentabove the previous record. If yieldsturn out as high as two years ago, thisyear’s corn crop would be almost 8 per-cent above the previous record.

Last May, in the first USDA reportfor the crop harvested last fall, produc-tion also was expected to be a record —even larger than this year’s crop. Theaverage yield turned out to be 6 bushelsan acre less than expected, and actualproduction was almost 1 billion bushels

below USDA’s May forecast.Another area of interest is ending stocks — how

much corn will be left in the bin at the end of the cropyear as the new corn crop is harvested. Last May’sUSDA ending stock estimate was not even close towhat eventually happened.

The amount of corn in the bin at the start of thisyear’s harvest is the smallest since 1995. That simplefact is the key reason markets are nervous. Even withrecord production forecast, USDA does not expectnext year’s ending stocks to grow very much becausedemand remains strong.

The final area of interest is the number important toany farmer — price. Each year, USDA projects theexpected average price for the coming crop year. Lastyear, it forecast corn prices to average $3.20 to $3.80 abushel. Its current price forecast for last year’s crop is$5.10 to $5.40, a 50 percent increase.

The record crop forecast did not appear, and pricesresponded. This year, USDA is forecasting both arecord crop and record prices. Its estimate of seasonaverage prices for this year’s corn crop is $5.50 to $6.50.

With corn prices currently very high, even with arecord crop forecast, it is not difficult to anticipate con-siderable volatility in corn prices this summer. Weathermarkets are always exciting — rain, heat, not enough ortoo much of one or both. This summer could be onefor the record books.

William Bailey is director of Western Illinois University’s Schoolof Agriculture. His e-mail address is WC-Bailey@wiu.edu.

This summer may be onecorn crop for the records

WILLIAMBAILEY