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Monday, September 10, 2012 Two sections Volume 40, No. 37

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

too ManY eaRs of cornlooking like this are coming out ofIllinois fields this year. USDA isexpected to lower its productionestimate this week. .........................7

IllInoIs state Universityexperienced 10 percent growth instudents majoring in agriculturewhile overall university enrollmentwas down slightly. ...........................5

57 DAYSREMAIN UNTIL THE NOV. 6 ELECTION

Climatologist: Rapid drought recovery unusualBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Recent rainfall arrived toolate to save most of thedrought-parched crops in Illi-nois.

But the shift in the weatherpattern provided rapid recov-ery from the drought, particu-larly in the southern two-thirds of the state.

In fact, Jim Angel, state cli-matologist who has worked atthe Illinois State Water Surveysince 1984, said he can’t recallseeing such a dramatic easingof drought conditions in sucha short period of time.

The majority of the stateprior to Labor Day weekendwas locked in extreme toexceptional drought. But lastweek drought ratings acrossthe state were downgraded tomoderate to severe on the U.S.Drought Monitor.

“I don’t think I’ve everseen fortunes reversed soquickly,” Angel said. “Thiswas very unusual.”

Illinois in August receivedan average of 3.4 inches ofrain. Some areas receivedmuch more, including 10.69inches in Grayville in thesoutheast and 8.33 inches inHoopeston in East-CentralIllinois.

Remnants of Hurricane

the corn and most of the beans.“It will, however, help pas-

ture conditions. I think we’llsee a nice recovery there,” headded. “And it puts us in bet-ter shape to plant winterwheat.”

Illinois the past three

months experienced the sixth-driest and eighth-warmestsummer on record with aver-age precipitation of 6.64 inch-es (5.21 inches below normal)and an average temperature of76.1 degrees (2.6 degreesabove normal).

Isaac followed and dumped 2to 6-plus inches of rain onmuch of the southern two-thirds of the state the first twodays of this month. More scat-tered rainfall, including pock-ets of heavy precipitation,soaked some parts of the statelate last week.

“We have kind of brokenout of the pattern we saw in thespring and early summer thatwas dominated by a high pres-sure system,” Angel said. “Now,it’s almost more fall-like.”

Unfortunately, the recentrainfall did not blanket allareas of the state.

“It (rain from the tropicaldepression) almost all fellsouth of Interstate 80,” Angelsaid. “We really didn’t seemuch improvement” inNorthern Illinois.

Northern Illinois as of Fri-day was the driest portion ofthe state with a large area still

in the grips of extremedrought. (See graphic)

Elsewhere, the situationlooked much better.

“We’ve had a nice recoveryof soil moisture,” Angel said.“It’s back within the rangeyou’d expect this time ofyear.”

Topsoil moisture across thestate last week was rated 47percent short or very short,51 percent adequate, and 2percent surplus. This was thelargest portion of croplandwith topsoil moisture ratedadequate and surplus sincemid-May, according to theNational Agricultural Statis-tics Service Illinois fieldoffice.

“It doesn’t mean it (therecent rain) has undone all thedamage already done (by thedrought),” Angel said. “Unfor-tunately, a lot of the rain cametoo late to be of any benefit to

Conservancy deems farm bill key to stewardship gainsBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

If there’s a overarching reason why theU.S. is unlikely to see another Depression-era Dust Bowl, it’s the farm bill, SeanMcMahon argues.

And that’s why a 2012 farmbill is crucial in maintainingconservation gains of thelast 80 years and preparingfor the environmental con-cerns of tomorrow, saidMcMahon, The NatureConservancy’s (TNC)North American agricultureprogram director.

The group’s among the latestto join the Farm Bill Now coalition— a broad-based corps of farm (includingFarm Bureau), ag-affiliated, government,energy, and conservation interests pushingfor September passage of a five-year farmbill.

Last week, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) warned a one-year extension of thecurrent farm bill was possible “with farmlegislation sunsetting Sept. 30.”

Ag conservation initiatives — andfunding — are crucial in helping farmers“meet the growing domestic and interna-tional demand for food, feed, fiber, and

fuel in an increasingly sustainable man-ner,” McMahon told FarmWeek.

Echoing House Ag Chairman FrankLucas’ (D-Okla.) recent reminders of hisstate’s Dust Bowl struggles, McMahon

stressed the role of marginal andhighly erodible land retirement

programs in averting a repeatof the 1930s disaster “under,in some cases, even worstconditions” this season.

“Some of these pro-grams have a zero (budget)baseline now. If the farm

bill’s just extended by a year,they’ll have zero funding.

That includes important pro-grams like the Wetlands Reserve

Program and Grasslands Reserve Program.“There are a lot of reasons to get the

farm bill done now.”This summer’s federal drought

response demonstrated the potential forproduction and conservation interests towork together in Washington, McMahonsaid.

McMahon noted cooperative efforts toallow emergency haying of CRP acres fol-lowing the end of 2012’s primary nestingseason.

Just as farm groups have accepted pro-

posed reductions in commodity programspending under House and Senate plans,TNC is reconciled to proposed consolida-tion of existing conservation programs toshave federal costs. House-Senate propos-als grant the Natural Resources Conserva-tion Service greater flexibility in targetingprogram resources to “priority watershedsand landscapes” and fostering regionalpartnerships, McMahon said.

The Conservation Security Program, aperiodic target for budget cuts since itscreation in the 2002 farm bill, today isbeing “more broadly implemented” and isgaining nationwide momentum, McMa-hon said.

He said he has witnessed even greatergrowth in Environmental Quality Incen-tives Program (EQIP) benefits, bolsteredby a current focus on working lands con-servation.

McMahon touted EQIP’s importancein sustainable range improvement andhelping concentrated animal feeding oper-ations or “CAFOs” comply with environ-mental regulations.

“We certainly want to see the farm billfully utilized by cattlemen,” he said.“We’re supportive of any incentives wecan put into place that will help cattleoperations remain productive.”

SCHNUCKS, PARTNER TO GROW PRO-

DUCE — Schnuck Markets Inc., based in St. Louis,plans to grow its own fresh produce year-round. A1-acre hydroponic greenhouse will be financed andbuilt by BrightFarms Inc., a New York companythat operates and builds greenhouses.

Schnucks released no location, but the green-house is expected to supply greens, tomatoes, andherbs for Schnucks stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indi-ana, Wisconsin, and Iowa. A local farmer will man-age the operation and deliver the produce to thestores.

The $2-million greenhouse will produce about500,000 pounds of tomatoes and greens annually.

FATAL DEER DISEASE SURFACES — TheIllinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)reports a viral disease outbreak killed more than 700deer in 51 counties.

Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is spreadby biting gnats and often fatal to deer but isn’t haz-ardous to humans, livestock, or pets.

The disease is more noticeable in drought yearswhenexposed mudflats are favorable for disease-car-rying insects, according to IDNR. Deer also gatheraround limited water sources and are exposed to thegnats.

Cook, Macon, and Calhoun counties reportedthe highest number of EHD-related deer deaths.Hunters and landowners who find sick or dead deerthat may be due to EHD are asked to contact theirnearest IDNR field office or regional office.

No effective management treatment exists. Aninsect-killing frost typically ends an EHD outbreak.

GREEN GENE — A gene that keeps switch-grass young could have far-reaching implications forcellulosic biofuels development, according to Agri-culture Department scientists. Inserting a specificgene called “corngrass” from corn into switchgrassessentially keeps the perennial grass in its juvenileform — a plant that doesn’t flower, doesn’t produceseeds, and doesn’t have a dormant growth phase.

Because of these changes, the sugars that makeup the plant’s starch are more readily available forconversion into cellulosic ethanol. According toAgricultural Research Service geneticist Sarah Hake,the starch in these transgenic plants stays inside thestem, because it isn’t needed elsewhere for nourish-ing flower buds and blossoms.

As a result, starch levels can increase as much as250 percent, which increases the sugars that can befermented into ethanol.

FarmWeek Monday, September 10, 2012

(ISSN0197-6680)

Vol. 40 No. 37 September 10, 2012

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

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Quick TakesAIDING EDUCATION

Tuesday:• Harvey Freese, Freese-NotisWeather• Joyce Fikri, St. Louis dairynutrition educator• Lori Laughlin, Illinois FarmBureau’s director of issue man-agement and multi-media

Wednesday: • Dale Durchholz, AgriVisor• Bob Dinneen, president, Re-newable Fuels Association • Jeff Hartz, director of market-ing, Wyffels Hybrids

Thursday:• Cynthia Haskins, IFB ‘s man-ager of business developmentand compliance• Scott Hurd, associate profes-sor, Iowa State University• Dale Hewett, agronomy serv-ices manager, Syngenta

Friday:• Sara Wyant, AgriPulse pub-lisher• Chuck Spencer, director ofgovernmental affairs, GROW-MARK • Alan Jarand, RFD radio di-rector

BY CHRISTINA NOURIE“Adopted” state Rep. Eliza-

beth “Lisa” Hernandez (D-Cicero) recently saw thedrought’s impact first-hand dur-ing a tour of Clark County withher daughter and a legislativeassistant. Hernandez wasmatched with Clark CountyFarm Bureau through the IllinoisFarm Bureau Adopt a LegislatorProgram.

Her group visited several sitesthat highlighted the drought’simpact on farms in the local areaand across the Midwest.

Hernandez visited the localSoil and Water ConservationDistrict office and a Universityof Illinois Extension office todiscuss the staffs’ role in agricul-ture and the effects state fundingcuts have had on their opera-tions.

Her tour included stops at theGuinnip grain and cattle farm

and the Daugherty green beanfarm where Hernandez exam-ined the drought’s effect on thisyear’s crops. Each farm hostexplained what farmers do toensure the best possible crop inlight of the difficult weatherconditions.

They also discussed GMOsand the importance of cropinsurance. Livestock issues andthe challenges farmers face as aresult of the drought also werecovered.

The representative visited theMiller swine operation and theKeeney family dairy to learnabout animal care as well as theimpact of high feed costs as aresult of the drought.

The day concluded withlunch at one of the county’s besttourist attractions, the Moon-shine Store, home of the famousMoonshine burger.

This was Hernandez’s second

State Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez (D-Cicero) listens as Clark Coun-ty Farm Bureau Director Don Guinnip discusses his corn crop. The coun-ty Farm Bureau recently hosted ‘adopted’ legislator Hernandez, herdaughter, and a legislative assistant for up-close views on the drought’simpact on agriculture in the county. (Photo by Christina Nourie)

visit to the county. As a state leg-islator, she said it is importantfor her to understand issuesbeyond her own suburban dis-trict, and she noted agriculturalissues are particularly importantbecause agriculture is one of themost important industries in thestate.

She said she plans to workwith the Clark County FarmBureau on sponsoring a trip forhigh school students from herdistrict to visit the county nextyear and learn about farming andthe origin of their food.

Christina Nourie is IllinoisFarm Bureau’s northeast legislativecoordinator. Her email address [email protected].

‘Adopted’ legislator views drought impact

PEDALING ALONGAbove: Some of the 50 cyclistsf r om a c r o s s I l l i n o i s r i d e t oraise money for I l l inois Agri-c u l t u r e i n t h e C l a s s r o o m(IAITC) and to raise awarenessabout the importance of agri-cu l t u r e . Ove r two days , t heg r o u p r o d e 2 2 1 m i l e s i nMc L e a n , P i a t t , a n d D eW i t tcounties. During school assem-b l i e s , r i d e r s v i s i t e d n ea r l y2,000 students who participat-e d i n a q u i z g a m e . T h e i rteachers rece ived IA ITC les -sons , b i ke he lme t s , and ag-fact for tune cookies for theirentire school. (Photo by CyndiCook)

Above: From left, Cara Levingston; her sister, Abby; Parker Daugherty;and Nick Lehr last week participated in a game being directed by KevinDaugherty, Illinois Farm Bureau education director. The students tookpart in a skit designed to teach the importance of agriculture at LeRoyElementary School in LeRoy. (Photo by Ken Kashian. To view additionalphotos online, visit Ken Kashian’s Photo Gallery located under the Elec-tronic Media & Publications tab at www.ilfb.org.)

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Unregistered Illinois resi-dents have about four weeks toregister to vote in the Nov. 6election.

However, the legislative liai-son with the State Board ofElections advised people totake action now.

“We greatly encourage peo-ple to vote,” Cris Cray toldFarmWeek. And, of course,in order to vote, residentsneed to be registered.

Voter turnout traditionallyis higher in a general electionthan in a primary election.

And election officials antic-ipate an even larger turnoutthis fall given the presidentialelection, Cray noted.

Illinois residents can check

to see if they are registeredeither by contacting a localelection authority or by going

online to {www.ilfb.org/vote}and clicking “Register toVote” or “Where to Register”box in the middle of the page.

That will take you to theIllinois State Board of Elec-tions page.

There you can find your

local electionauthority orclick on “Am Iregistered tovote” barand enteryour firstand lastnames and ZIP code.

The information thatsurfaces will include thevoter’s polling place and thedistricts in which the voterwill be voting.

Those not registered tovote have until Oct. 9 to com-plete standard voter registra-tion.

A voter registration formmay be downloaded from{www.elections.il.gov} andmust be completed and post-

marked by Oct. 9. Voter registration may be

completed at a local electionauthority office.

Voters alsomay contact

those authoritieswith questions

about their current legislativedistricts.

Cray added individualsdoing business, such as renew-ing a driver’s license, at aDepartment of Motor Vehi-cles (DMV) office also mayregister to vote; however, thatregistration option will beoffered only as part of regularDMV business.

Voters unable to register byOct. 9 may register from Oct.10 through Nov. 3 duringgrace-period registration at alocal election authority office.

Those individuals wouldregister to vote and thenproceed to vote at that time.

As for the nation’stop candidates, the StateBoard of Elections mustwait until it receives thenominees’ official paper-work from their respec-tive political partiesbefore they are listed as

candidates,Crayexplained.

“Most peo-ple want toknow who thecandidates

are,” she said, adding theboard of elections hasreceived questions about thelack of presidential candidatesposted online.

State election officialsonly recently received “offi-cial” information about thepresidential and vice presi-dential nominees from theRepublican party.

GOvERNmENT

Monday, September 10, 2012 FarmWeek

DIRECTOR DISCUSSION

Sangamon County Farm Bureau President Allen Entwistle, left, and his brother, Menard County FarmBureau President Terry Entwistle, right, share aflatoxin experiences with Bob Flider, acting Illinois direc-tor of agriculture. While visiting the Entwistles last week in Menard County at their invitation, Flider re-ferred to the ag department’s aflatoxin guidance for elevators. He said relatively few reports of aflatox-in have been reported by elevators in the state. The brothers reported they had received inconsistentaflatoxin test results on the same load of corn. (Photo by Mike Orso)

Whyshould youVOTE?

‘Policy is made bythose who show up. Ifyou don’t show up,you have no voice.’

RON WARFIELD,Gibson City

Former Illinois FarmBureau president

ELECTION 2012

BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Increasingly, ag markets areinfluenced by global economiccrises, forces at the Fed, andWashington policies often draft-ed under short-term pressures,stressed an Archer Daniels Mid-land Co. (ADM) risk manage-ment specialist.

Crop insurance — and thusthe 2012 farm bill — offersfarmers a buffer against theimponderables and a key mar-keting hedge, according to SteveFreed, vice president ofresearch with ADM InvestorServices, a company subsidiarythat trades futures and helpsfarmer clients manage risk.

The drought has raised seri-ous concerns both for growerswho engaged in little forwardmarketing prior to the late-sea-son drought and livestock pro-ducers “risking a dollar to makea dollar” with each grain pur-chase, Freed said.

Major barometers such asUSDA supply-and-demandnumbers would seem to indicate“prices eventually would have towork higher,” he toldFarmWeek. However, Freednotes “a lot of noise” infusingthe market, from economicslowdowns across the planetand anticipation of Federal

Reserve actions to “Washingtontalking about ethanol” — i.e.,proposals to reduce 2013ethanol targets (see page 4).

The next six months threat-en “probably some of the mostvolatile markets we’ve everseen,” underlining the need forfederally subsidized productionand price insurance, Freed said.

The current Revenue Prod-uct crop policy triggers pay-ments based on either spring orfall harvest prices.

“Because of the big inversesin the market, we’re not encour-aging farmers to hedge 2013crops yet,” Freed said. “But asyou get closer to $7 corn and$14 beans, that might be some-thing to look at.

“And, this year, crop insur-ance is so critical. On our farmin Central Illinois, we’re goingto have 50-bushel corn. Nor-mally, we have 200-bushel corn.The farmer who farms our farmsaid, ‘Thank God for cropinsurance.’ I want to make surethe farmer gets crop insurancefor next year.”

As of last Thursday, CountryFinancial had fielded 6,400insurance production claims,along with scattered aflatoxinreports.

To date, no claims are basedsolely on aflatoxin.

Meanwhile, USDA’s Risk Man-agement Agency filed special pro-visions allowing farmers whoneed feed to plant cover crops ondamaged or destroyed acres.

Farmers may hay or grazeacreage later this fall or in earlyspring without impacting insur-ability of 2013 spring-plantedcrops, though they may be

required to halt haying or graz-ing on a certain date.

Regional haying/grazingrequirements will be determinedby Nov. 30.

RMA issues cover crop provisionsCrop insurance crucial marketing tool — risk specialist

Don’t wait to register to vote

FarmWeekNow.com

Go to FarmWeekNow.com tofind additional information onregistering to vote for the Nov.6 election.

Cray didn’t expect toreceive the Democrats’ offi-cial presidential and vicepresidential nominees untilthis week after the conven-tion, she added.

biotechnology


RFS2 waiver poses broad economic implicationsBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Interests seeking to“strangle the new baby in thecrib” — slow developmentof next-generation biofuels— also risk stifling broadeconomic development,Biotechnology IndustryOrganization (BIO) Execu-tive Vice President BrentErickson warns.

In fact, Illinois farm andagribusiness interests fear aproposed waiver of 2013Renewable Fuels Standard(RFS2) ethanol requirementscould hurt consumers as wellas the very livestock produc-ers the waiver purports toprotect.

Last week, Ericksonjoined what he termed “abroad coalition of indus-tries” concerned about thewaiver requested by key live-stock groups and severalgovernors. U.S. Environmen-tal Protection Agency (EPA)officials are weighing theimpact of a waiver in con-trolling corn price vs. otherpossible economic conse-quences.

Biotechnology “is at theheart of advanced biofuels

sources” — an effort Erick-son sees some energy indus-try critics of the RFS2 seek-ing to halt.

The RFS2 helps providemotorists a significant fuelprice buffer, according to Illi-

nois Corn Growers Associa-tion analyst Dave Loos. Loosnoted there was “an 80-centsavings” between ethanol andgasoline in the Chicago mar-ket last week.

EPA must carefully con-sider whether an RFS2 waiveractually might spur livestockfeed disruptions, IllinoisFarm Bureau GovernmentAffairs Director Mark Geb-hards added. Notingdrought-related feed short-ages, Gebhards suggested an

ethanol waiver could impactproduction of co-productdistillers dried grains “a lotof our cattle folks rely on.”

Steve Freed, vice presidentof research for ArcherDaniels Midland Co. Investor

Services, acknowledges thecomplexities of the waiverissue.

EPA’s decision likely willprove “really critical” in termsof economic impact, whichev-er way it goes, he said.

“Do you make a decisionbased on higher food andfeed prices, or do you make adecision that could causegasoline prices to go higherat the pump?” Freed posedduring a recent FarmWeekinterview.

production,” Ericksonargued. While the waiverdebate focuses on cornethanol, he sees federalrenewables support as vital tosuch current projects asalgae-based fuel productionon a “green crude farm” inNew Mexico and a planned20-million-gallon cellulosicbiofuels facility in North Car-olina.

Continuation of the RFS2thus is a “top priority” forBIO’s Industrial/Environ-mental Section and the biofu-els support companies itserves, he said. Erickson saidbiofuels markets represent“not only millions in investedcapital, but also hundreds ofnew employment opportuni-ties.”

“More than 5,000 peopleare already working directlyon building demonstrationand commercial scale proj-ects for advanced biofuelshere in the United States,” hesaid.

“These include high-pay-ing opportunities for a well-educated workforce; jobs inresearch, engineering, andequipment manufacturing; aswell as traditional jobs in

construction, transportation,and agriculture.”

Abengoa Bioenergy Exec-utive Vice President Christo-pher Standlee noted his St.Louis-based company isprimed to launch its first U.S.

cellulosic ethanol plant insouthwest Kansas. The planthas access to “all the biomasswe could wish for,” includingcorn stover, wheat straw,milo stubble, and prairiegrasses, Standlee said.

Growth in the advancedbiofuels industry “is drivenprimarily by the RenewableFuels Standard,” he said.Standlee said corn ethanoldemand is essential to devel-opment of energy produc-tion from “non-food

‘Do you make a decision based on higher food and feedprices, or do you make a decision that could cause gasolineprices to go higher at the pump?’

— Steve FreedADM Investor Services

Committee eyes GMOcompensation proposals

Compensation for organic farmers allegedlyharmed by biotech crops is months away, if itmaterializes at all, according to a Farm Bureauregulatory specialist.

USDA’s Advisory Committee on Biotech-nology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21)supports a compensation process for farmerswho can prove economic losses from thepresence of genetically engineered organismsin their non-GMO crops.

The panel recommended GMO cropgrowers step up efforts to prevent “geneticdrift” in nearby organic crops, but its draftcompensation plan would not holdbiotech/seed companies responsible for“contamination.”

Mischa Popoff, policy adviser with theChicago-based Heartland Institute, challengedthe concept of compensation, arguing“biotechnology does not threaten (producers’)ability to farm their land organically.”

Popoff suggested “the urban leaders of theorganic movement. . .are stoking irrationalfear, not the (organic) farmers.”

However, American Farm Bureau Federa-tion (AFBF) regulatory specialist KevinRichards emphasizes AC21’s draft recommen-dations are precisely that — merely a first steptoward USDA implementation of compensa-tion procedures.

AFBF Vice President Barry Bashue sits onthe advisory committee, which was chargedlast summer with investigating a possible com-pensation “mechanism.”

That unprecedented directive “took usaback,” but USDA posted data addressing allsides of the issue and may lean more toward a

crop insurance-style compensation process, ifany process is deemed necessary, Richardssaid.

“But it’s a very diverse committee,” he toldFarmWeek. “It represents the whole range ofag interests, from organic, niche ag interests,and even activist interests to production agand biotech companies.

“They’ve done a really good job of having apretty constructive, civil discussion about(GMO/non-GMO) co-existence in general.The challenge has been that there’s really noevidence or data to suggest that a compensa-tion mechanism would even be necessary,leaving aside the potentially questionable poli-cy justifications for it.”

AC21 is expected to fine-tune recommen-dations for a final vote in October. If USDAmoves on proposals, farmers and otherswould have the opportunity to provide com-ments or concerns prior to adoption of a finalrule.

Richards noted a small “fringe” faction hasspearheaded a move toward more extremealternatives such as creation of a growerindemnity fund fed by biotech companies, amoratorium on GMO crops, or mandatorypractices for GMO crop producers.

On the positive side, AC21 discussion hasrefocused awareness of GMO stewardshipand “neighborly co-existence” between con-ventional and organic growers, Richardssaid.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyalready enforces insect refuge management/-buffer planting requirements for Bt corn pro-duction. — Martin Ross

Author’s surprise biggest surprisein Stanford study of organic meritsThe biggest surprise in a new study of organic vs. conven-

tionally produced foods may be the author’s own surprise.A new Stanford University report, published in last week’s

issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, concluded organi-cally labeled produce on average is no more nutritious thanconventionally produced and generally cheaper fruits andvegetables. Nor were organic products any less likely to becontaminated by harmful bacteria such as E. coli, the studyconcluded.Neither does so-called “organic” meat offer obvious health

advantages, the study concluded.Dena Bravata, Stanford’s Center for Health Policy affiliate

and senior author of the paper, admitted she expected touncover data “that would support the superiority of organicsover conventional food.” The doctor, who initiated the analy-sis to address patient questions about organics, said shewas “absolutely surprised” by her findings.As a self-funded investigation with no apparent outside

bias, American Farm Bureau Federation biotech/regulatoryspecialist Kevin Richards said he sees the study as a “reallyobjective, really credible source.”“It’s presented as if the findings are a surprise,” Richards

told FarmWeek. “None of it’s really a surprise. There’s nonutritional difference. There’s some negligible difference inpesticide residues, which you would expect, but conventionalcrops fall below safety thresholds. It’s exactly what you’dexpect a meta-analysis of the data to find.”The organic market continues to grow — sales were up 12

percent over the past year to $12.4 billion, according to theOrganic Trade Association.Stanford scientists consulted 17 human studies and 223

evaluations of nutrient and “contaminant” (pesticide or antibi-otic) levels in milk, grains, produce, pork, beef, and chicken.They determined differences between organic and conven-tionally raised products were relatively minor.Two of the studies reported significantly lower urinary

pesticide levels among children who ate largely organic vs.conventional foods. However, studies of adult blood serum,urine, breast milk, and semen revealed no “clinically mean-ingful” differences, the Stanford analysis stated.Bravata and company found bacterial contamination of

retail chicken and pork unrelated to production method. Butthey suggested potential bacterial resistance to some antibi-otics is higher in conventional vs. organic chicken and pork.— Martin Ross

EducatioN


Ag economy, job placement fuel growth of ISU ag students

Rob Rhykerd, left, head of Illinois State University’s agriculture departments, discusses class schedules withPete Lammers, a new animal science faculty member, and Carly Holcomb, graduate student in ag educationand leadership. Rhykerd credits the strong agricultural economy and student recruitment for the 10 percentjump in ag student enrollment this fall. (Photo by Kay Shipman)

BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

Illinois State University’s(ISU) record in placing 2012agriculture graduates speaksvolumes.

Nearly 100 percent of thegrads willing to relocate foundjobs, said Rob Rhykerd, headof ISU’s agriculture depart-ment.

“Agricul-ture has donebetter thanother eco-nomic sec-tors. Thereare very goodjobs for ourgraduates,”Rhykerd said.

This fall,the Normaluniversityexperienced10 percentgrowth in stu-dents major-ing in agricul-ture.

Those 399 students areedging closer to the university’srecord of 425 ag students. Agstudent enrolled has nearlydoubled since 2004.

Student enrollment in agri-culture is solid compared tooverall ISU enrollment, whichwas down slightly.

Rhykerd credited increasedstudent interest to the boom-ing agricultural economy.

A strong ag economy com-pared to weak economic recov-ery in other sectors causedsome students to study theagricultural equivalent in theircareer field, according toRhykerd.

For example: Many studentsare studying agriculture busi-ness instead of some otherfield of business.

Another fac-tor working inthe ag depart-ment’s favor is itsredesigned cur-riculum spurredby a period oflower enroll-ment, accordingto Rhykerd. Agfaculty and stu-dents also active-ly recruited newstudents, headded.

This fall, thenumber of agstudents trans-ferring from

community colleges vastly out-numbered their freshmencounterparts. Rhykerd estimat-ed two-thirds of his new stu-dents are transfer students.

The strongest areas ofstudy are agriculture business,animal science, and pre-veteri-nary medicine.

Animal science is attract-ing more non-traditional stu-dents from Chicago and oth-

ers who don’t have farmbackgrounds, Rhykerd said.“They can get experience(working with livestock) on

the ISU farm,” he said.Rhykerd also has seen

enrollment increases in thedepartment’s agriculture edu-

cation and leadership program.Graduate student Carly Hol-comb of Mount Pulaski is oneof those students.

Holcomb said she is pursu-ing a graduate degree for addi-tional experience, especially incommunication classes. Hergoal is to help educate thepublic about agriculture and“debunk myths,” she said.

‘Agriculture hasdone better thanother economicsectors. There arevery good jobs forour graduates.’

— Rob RhykerdIllinois State Universityagriculture department

U of I program to help farmers turn over new leafPlant a seed, grow a new

specialty grower.Rick Weinzierl, University

of Illinois crop sciences pro-fessor, said he hopes “to cul-tivate a new generation” offruit and vegetable growersthrough training and educa-tion.

Recently, Weinzierl and aU of I team received$632,000 through USDA’sBeginning Farmer andRancher Development Pro-gram.

Starting in December, theU of I will launch a three-year program in Northern,Central, and Southern Illi-nois.

In a one-year course, stu-dents will meet for monthlyday-long sessions of class-room work and hands-ondemonstrations.

Farmers who have farmed

for 10 or fewer years com-prise the target audience.However, the program also isopen to corn and soybeanfarmers interested in diversi-fying with fruits and vegeta-bles, according to Weinzierl.

“We will cover key ideas,provide info about the mostimportant first steps, andguide participants to the bestresources — some of whichwe’ll need to develop — fortheir continued education,”Weinzierl told FarmWeek.

“It’s meant to be a jump-start to beginning the processof learning to grow fruitsand vegetables so new grow-ers have a better chance ofweathering the first few yearsand becoming successful,” hecontinued.

The training will be linkedwith U of I farm researchcenters in St. Charles,Urbana, and Dixon Springs.

Weinzierl envisioned par-ticipants being able to try outideas either at one of theresearch farms or on otherland, but he admitted theprogram’s ability to provideaccess to land and expert

supervision will be limited.A parallel training/educa-

tion program geared to sea-sonal workers will be offeredthrough the Illinois MigrantCouncil.

The sessions will cover avariety of topics, and instruc-tors will do their best to pre-pare students for the unex-pected, according toWeinzierl.

Students will learn tomonitor soil moisture andabout optimal irrigationmethods. They will study pestmonitoring and integratedpest management.

They also will developbusiness plans that coverfluctuating market prices aswell as other factors.

Finances and land avail-ability also will be discussed.Weinzierl hopes to link par-ticipants with interestedlandowners by working withthe Land Connection, an edu-cational nonprofit entity.

Information about theprogram and applications areavailable online at{www.newillinoisfarmers.org/new_generation_app.php}

FarmWeekNow.com

For more information about theUniversity of Illinois’ new spe-cialty grower program, go toFarmWeekNow.com.

or by calling Weinzierl at 217-244-2126 or emailing him at

[email protected]. —Kay Shipman

Bernie Walsh, Durand, Winnebago County:We missed outon the heavy rains fromHurricane Isaac and receivedonly about 0.15 of an inch theweekend of Sept. 1 and 2. Wehad a nice rain on Tuesday nightwith a little more than 0.5 of aninch, and it was raining lightlyFriday morning. We already havehad harvest delays because of

the rain, but I don’t think anyone is complain-ing about all this beneficial rain to rechargethe topsoil and subsoil. It will take a lot. I thinkit is too early to put a number on the yieldsfrom the initial harvest that began this pastweek. Suffice to say, the yields are all overthe board. Maybe we can get a better handleon it by this week.

Leroy Getz, Savanna, Carroll County: Hurricane Isaacfailed to deliver a drop of rain toour area. We received 0.6 of aninch of rain Wednesday, and itwas raining here Friday morning.A few combines have started. Wechecked some corn moisture andwere surprised it was at 19 to 20percent. Be safe. Accidents hap-

pen. Spending four hours in the emergencyroom was not in my plan last Friday (Aug. 31).All is well.

Ryan Frieders, Waterman, DeKalb County: I haven’t figuredout this year’s weather pattern. AsI write this Friday morning, we arereceiving a perfect, gentle rainwith an occasional burst of thun-der. We received 1 inch of rain lastweek. Temperatures over the holi-day were extremely high, alongwith the humidity. The forecast is

for cooler temperatures for the next coupledays. Right now, everyone is going to theSandwich Fair to celebrate the season andhave one last hurrah before fall. A few neigh-bors have started to harvest corn with mois-ture levels near 30 percent. Soybean fieldsalso are close to harvest-ready. Soon we willbe in full harvest mode.

Larry Hummel, Dixon, Lee County: Hurricane Isaac could-n’t muster enough energy toreach Northern Illinois withsome much-needed rain. Sincethen, two old-fashioned stormfronts have moved down fromthe north. Only 0.5 of an inch inthe first event and it rainedFriday. Definitely not a drought-

breaker, but it is a start for next year’s crops.Only a field or two of corn has been harvest-ed in this neck of the woods, but that shouldchange this coming week. Even if the corn ison the wet side, it would be good to get it outof the field before stalks and ear shanks dete-riorate any further.

Joe Zumwalt, Warsaw, Hancock County: Harvest contin-ues at a rapid pace. WhileHurricane Isaac brought ussome much-needed rain, whichwill greatly benefit the soybeans,it only slowed corn harvest by aday or two. Pastures and hayground are coming back to life.Corn yields range from 0 to 170

bushels per acre field averages. Moisturesrange from 15 to 24 percent and the worst, ormost stressed, corn has been testing positivefor aflatoxin. The one thing I haven’t seenmuch of while out in the fields is wildlife. Thedrought certainly had an effect on us all.

Ken Reinhardt, Seaton, Mercer County: Rain as of this writ-ing Friday morning amounted to0.7 of an inch. The weather alarmwent off twice in the night for quar-ter-inch or larger hail in the coun-ty, but I haven’t heard any reportsyet. More corn has been harvest-ed — mostly that planted the firstweek of April. There are some

very good yields on first-year corn.Continuous corn is going to take a hit thisyear. Mid-Group II beans are turning yellow.

Jacob Streitmatter, Princeville, Peoria County: More rainshowers came Labor Day week-end with totals of just a little morethan 1 inch to 5-plus inches. Allthe rain soaked into the hugecracks. Every day, a few morecombines start rolling. I think it issafe to say that for most of us, theyields are disappointing. A lot of

soybeans are starting to ripen.

Ron Moore, Roseville, Warren County:We received 3 inch-es of rain from the remnants ofHurricane Isaac. That makes atotal of 4.6 inches in the last twoweeks. That is more rain than wehad from May 15 to Aug. 15. Cornharvest is now fully under way.The moisture is in the high teensto low 20s, and the stalks are still

green in some places. Yields are still highlyvariable, from little to nothing to only 30 per-cent below normal production. Farm aver-ages will be well below the federal crop insur-ance levels on many farms. Bean harvest isstill two weeks away with only a few fieldsturning yellow. I mowed and baled a hay fieldlast week. The drought reduced the numberof bales to less than half of normal.

Mark Kerber, Chatsworth, Livingston County: Harvest hasstarted in our area. Farmers areanxious to see how bad this cornreally is. Yields are running from8 to 80 bushels per acre. Manyare in the 25 to 50 range. Ourgoal this year is to have yieldshigher than the moisture levels.Combines are turning black with

corn smut after just a couple of rounds.Soybeans are turning but will need a fewmore days to ripen. Our elevator is testingevery load for aflatoxin and so far, none hasshowed up that is above the 20 parts per bil-lion threshold. Markets are not breaking outto the upside or the downside yet. Producersare hoping for higher prices in October whenthe federal crop insurance fall price is deter-mined.

Ron Haase, Gilman, Iroquois County: Corn harvest contin-ues at a slow pace. I heard yieldsranging from less than 1 bushelper acre up to 150 bpa. Most ofthe corn harvested so far wasbelow 100 bpa. Some fields arebeing harvested before moreears drop to the ground or morestalks fall over. We had showers

on Sept. 1 and 2, and our farms received arange of 1.6 to 1.9 inches. Corn developmentranges from the R5 (dent) growth stage andthe milk line 20 percent of the way down thekernel on up to the corn being harvested.Soybean fields are at the R6 (full seed) or R7(beginning maturity) growth stage. The localclosing bids for Sept. 6 were: nearby corn,$8.11; fall 2013 corn, $6.28; nearby soy-beans, $17.50; new-crop soybeans, $17.39;fall 2013 soybeans, $13.49. We had to the getthe lawnmower out again. Our lawn is greenfor the first time since April.

Brian Schaumburg, Chenoa, McLean County: Harveststarted at our place last weekwith 25-30 percent corn runningfrom 50 to 80 bpa, as expected.Monitor ranged from 0-220. Noaflatoxin or test weight problemsso far. Soybeans benefited by 5to 7 bpa from another 4 to 5 inch-es of rain, thanks to Isaac. In the

last six weeks, more than 15 inches of rainhas fallen, but creeks are still dry, and no tilelines are running. Corn, $7.98; January,$8.03 fall 2013, $6.35; soybeans, $17.52 fall,$17.27; fall 2013, $13.43; wheat, $8.14.

Steve Ayers, Champaign, Champaign County: Labor Dayweekend proved it can rain, sowe are on our long slog back torecharge the prairie soil. Officialrainfall for Champaign was 3.28inches, while Dewey received5.4 and Sidney won the prizewith 5.5 inches. The rainfallslowed harvest, but no one was

complaining. Harvest-o-meter for our littlecorner of the world is 6 percent. Yields rang-ing from disappointment (40) to elation (180)and moisture from the upper teens to mid-20s. We will start this week on corn, and ourbeans are just now turning yellow. We wereexpecting up to 1 inch of rain Friday.

Wilfred Dittmer, Quincy, Adams County: Thanks toHurricane Isaac, we receivedsome much-needed rainfall. Ourgauge registered 4.8 inchestotal for the week. Grass turnedgreen along with the weeds anddandelions, and the mowers arebusy once again. It is so goodnot have the grass crunch when

you walk on it. Some combines are back inthe fields again but yields are the same —very poor.

Carrie Winkelmann, Tallula, Menard County: Wereceived 4.5 inches of rain LaborDay weekend from Isaac. Thisonly kept us out of the field for fourdays. I think the rain helped someof our beans, but the stalk qualityfor corn was poor before the rainand is worse now. We still haven’tseen any aflatoxin, and I have

heard only minimal reports around thecounty.

Tom Ritter, Blue Mound, Macon County: The moisturecontinues to fall. Labor Dayweekend produced 5.1 inches ofrain. Needless to say, the fieldsturned a little soft, but therereally was no standing water. OnWednesday, we received anoth-er 0.8 of an inch in a morningshower, which again slowed

harvest. Farmers started up again lateWednesday. Yields are not improving at alland are all over the board. There’s stillmuch corn above 20 percent moisture.Yields are from 20 to 160 bushels, but themajority in our immediate Blue Mound areais in the 100 to 140 range. Soybeans maybe still benefiting some from this moisture.The majority of the mid-III beans are 2.5 to3 weeks away from harvest. I estimate cornharvest at this point is about 60 percentcomplete.

Todd Easton, Charleston, Coles County: Corn har-vesters are trying to continuetheir work but keep gettingstopped by rain. First, we hadIsaac bring us more than 2inches of rain, then surpriserain events hit us on Tuesdayand Wednesday leaving up to1.5 inches in places and less

than half of that in others. In spite of thisinteresting weather, corn harvest isapproaching 50 percent done in this area.As more and more fields get cleared, yieldsstay consistently terrible. As soybean fieldsturn from green to yellow, we hope we havesomething to put in the many empty bins athome. Guess we will know in a couple ofweeks.

Jimmy Ayers, New City, Sangamon County: HurricaneIsaac dumped a little more than4 inches of rain on our place. Itranged anywhere from 3.5 to 7inches elsewhere. We receivedanother 0.2 of an inch onWednesday. A little bit ofshelling took place last week.Some of the early beans are

turning. I think the later beans will receivesome benefit from this rain. Prices are stillon the roller coaster. Several different typesof mold are attacking the corn ears. Youneed to be checking your fields. Someshanks are having trouble holding onto theear. Yields are all over the board and reallydepend on whether you had rain. Some ofthe lakes have been replenished by therains. I talked to one of the tile guys andapparently we are not getting water downmuch more than a foot at this point.

David Schaal, St. Peter, Fayette County: Where wasIsaac two months ago? Itdropped 4 to 7 inches through-out the county over the holidayweekend. Then again onWednesday, a storm cameacross with rain that varied from0.5 of an inch up to 2 inches.Not a lot of harvest activity in

the last week. If the weather settles afterthis weekend, corn shelling will resume.Lawnmowers came out of hibernation — Imowed more in the past two weeks than Idid all summer. Some of the early Group IIIsoybeans are beginning to turn, but mostare still pretty green.

Jeff Guilander, Jerseyville, Jersey County: Another weekand we are still keeping the dry-ers burning. I don’t know if it isthe 3-plus inches of rain, the ring-your-shirt-out humidity, or thedate on the calendar, but thiscorn will not cooperate. Corn isstuck around 20 percent mois-ture regardless of maturity with

stalks looking worse every day. This crop def-initely is not in the bin yet. Maturity on theearly beans has slowed also, so I think it willtake another couple of weeks to get a goodread on what to expect there.


CROPWATCHERS

Kevin Raber, Browns, Wabash County: Rainfall totals ofclose to 4 inches fell last week.Very little of it ran off. Corn har-vest was slowed by the moisture,but by Thursday, combines wererunning again. There are somebeans getting close to harvest.The late rains should help thelater maturities and the double-

crop beans.

Ken Taake, Ullin, Pulaski County: The remnants ofHurricane Isaac left 3 to 4 inch-es of rain in our area Labor Dayweekend. Then we had a lightshower Wednesday morning,so Thursday was the only daythat we managed to be in thecornfield. We had another 0.5of an inch shower Thursday

night with more expected Friday night.Harvest is not going as quickly as it was atone time. At least, the grass in the yards isreally greening up. We may have to mowthe yard again — something that hasn’thappened much in the past few months.Corn yields remain low — running fromthe low teens up to the 70s. Moistures arerunning all the way from 15 percent up tothe low 20s. Quite a few soybeans are los-ing their leaves. There have been somebeans cut, but I haven’t heard about yieldsso far. Hopefully, I will know more aboutthat this week.

Dean Shields, Murphysboro, Jackson County: We did-n’t have any rain during thework week, but last weekend(Sept. 1-2), a rain of 2.5 inchesor so fell in many places. Wewere getting more rain Friday.A few more farmers have start-ed picking corn, and the yieldsare still not very good. Corn

that I have picked so far has been from20-40 bpa range. The rain will help thebeans — right now they are very greenand putting on good pods, so we are hop-ing they will turn out better. I believe thiswill be the year that the beans out-yieldthe corn.

Randy Anderson, Galatia, Saline County: Cornfieldskeep disappearing, but it does-n’t take long to run through afield at 8 mph with a 30-foothead. The hurricane broughtthe rain that that we have need-ed for the past three months,dumping around 4 to 5 incheson us. We went from a dust

bowl to almost muddy. We were hoping toget started cutting beans Friday. The onething I will say this week: No matter howbad it is, or how frustrated you get, stop aminute to say thank you, Lord, for this day.

Dan Meinhart, Montrose, Jasper County: We had a verywet, hot, humid week. Rainfall wasfrom 4 to 6 inches, and in someplaces more. Very little field activitytook place. The majority of thecornfields have been or will bedisked under. Cornfields that havebeen harvested have been runningabout 5 bpa. Isolated fields have

yielded up to 40. A few loads of corn have beenshowing up at elevators with aflatoxin. Therecent rains may help some of the later-plant-ed and longer-season soybeans. Cooler anddrier conditions are expected for this week.

Dave Hankammer, Millstadt, St. Clair County: Since Aug. 26,my rain gauge has collected 5.6inches of rain. On Aug. 31, a stormfrom Hurricane Isaac greeted ourreturning flight from the GROW-MARK annual meeting in Chicago,leaving 2.5 inches of water in thegauge. Several pop-up afternoonshowers during the week left addi-

tional rainfall. Farmers are starting to harvesttheir earliest-planted corn. We harvested somelast week and quickly learned we will have topractice patience. Although we are blessed withtwo nearby labs certified to test for aflatoxin,demand for tests is high and report of theresults is slow, making grain handling a chal-lenge. With the recent rains, soybean plantshave gained additional height, and the pods arefilling out. I also have observed several fieldswhere the leaves are changing from green toyellow, indicating that bean harvest will be herein a few weeks. Local grain bids are: corn,$7.58; soybeans, $17.18; wheat, $8.37.


CROPWATCHERS

Reports received Friday morning. Expanded crop and weather information available at FarmWeekNow.com

Crop survey, early harvesters find disappointing yieldsBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

The bar wasn’t set very highfor U.S. crop production thisseason.

But it may need to be low-ered more based on the resultsof Allendale Inc.’s 23rd annualcrop survey and early harvestresults.

A l l enda l e o f McHenr ylast week projected nationalyields this season will aver-age just 118.2 bushels pera c r e f o r c o r n a n d 3 4 . 9bushels per acre for beans,according to its survey offar mers in 32 s ta tes con-d u c t e d b e t we e n Au g. 2 0and 31.

If the yield estimates arerealized, Allendale projectedcrop product ion th is yearwould total just 10.32 billionbushels for corn and 2.6 bil-lion bushels for beans.

“(Crop) losses were surpris-ingly even across the board,”said Rich Nelson, Allendalechief strategist. “The numberswere rough from Indiana toNebraska.”

USDA last month projectedaverage yields of 123.4 bushelsfor corn and 36.1 bushels forbeans, with production totalsest imated at 10 .78 b i l l ionbushels for corn (the lowestsince 1995) and 2.69 billionbushels for beans (the lowestsince 2003).

The Ag Depar tment onWednesday will update its cropproduction estimates in itsmonthly crop report.

Y i e l d e s t ima t e s va r i edwildly in the Allendale sur-v e y w i t h p r o d u c t i o np r o s p e c t s t i e d a l m o s t

crop yields won’t necessari-ly translate to higher cropprices, though.

“We expect almost all ofthe drop in production tob e o f f s e t b y ( w e a k e r )

exclusively to rainfal l pat-terns — or lack thereof —f r o m Ju n e t h r o u g h e a r l yAugust.

Yield estimates from the32 states ranged from 0 to2 5 0 b u s h e l s p e r a c r e f o rc o r n a n d f r o m 0 t o 8 0bushels per acre for beans.

“Within a 40-mile radius( in Centra l I l l ino is ) , corny i e ld s r ang ed f rom 40 to170 bushels per acre,” Nel-son said.

E a r l y h a r v e s t r e s u l t sh a ve c o n f i r m e d e x t r e m eyield variability and a largenumber o f d i s appo in t ingreturns.

“We are more than halfdone (with corn har vest)”Fa r m We e k C r o p wa t ch e rK e n T a a k e o f P u l a s k iCounty said prior to heavyrains from the remnants of

Hur r i c ane I s a a c . “Y i e l d scontinue to be just terrible.I ’ve never had y ie lds th islow.”

Corn harvest in Illinois asof the first of last week was12 percent complete com-pared to the five-year averageof 2 percent. Forty-one per-cent of soybeans were turn-ing yel low last week com-pared to the average of 23percent.

David Voigt of MadisonCounty last month harvested afield of corn that averagedabout 70 bushels per acre,which was less than half of thefield’s average of 185 bushelsper acre.

“ I t ’ s w o r s e t h a n It h o u g h t ,” h e s a i d . “ T h es t a l k q u a l i t y i s n o t ve r ygood.”

The pessimistic view of

These ears of corn, pulled last week from a field between Bement andMilmine in Piatt County, were among the worst found during a croptour conducted by Topflight Grain Cooperative. The average of allfields surveyed during the tour was 122 bushels per acre; this field ob-viously will make much less. (Photo by Steve Ayers, Champaign CountyCropwatcher)

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demand,” Nelson said.A l l e n d a l e p r o j e c t e d

USDA this week will lowerending corn stocks from 650million bushels to 623 mil-lion bushels.

the drought


Irrigation system helps farmer salvage cropsBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Don Knoblett, who start-ed farming in the early1960s, learned a long timeago that you can’t alwayscount on Mother Nature toprovide adequate rainfall fora crop.

The need for steady mois-ture is even greater for Kno-blett and others who farmlighter soils along rivers inSouthern Illinois, where it’soften said a drought isalways just two weeks awaydue to the soil’s inability tohold water.

“In 1983, I was farmingwith my father (Floyd) andbrother (Leonard) and wehad a bad drought,” Kno-blett said. “We (subsequent-ly) bought our first irrigatorin 1984.”

The irrigator turned outto be such a good invest-ment for Knoblett, who livesin Palestine (CrawfordCounty) near the WabashRiver, that he and his son(Douglas) now maintain 18irrigators on their farm. Allare center-pivot systems.

Don Knoblett adjusts the settings on one of the 18 center-pivot irrigation systems on his farm near Palestine inCrawford County. Knoblett, who farms along the Wabash River, purchased his first irrigation system in 1984 aftersuffering considerable crop damage from the 1983 drought. This year, irrigation saved a portion of his corn andbean crops. The system has allowed him to branch out into specialty crop production as well. (Photo by KenKashian)

The outlook for U.S. agexports generally is positive,despite major crop productionissues this year caused by thedrought.

USDA last month forecastU.S. ag exports will reach arecord-high value of $143.5billion in fiscal year 2013 com-pared to the estimate of $136.5billion for the 2012 fiscal year.

The favorable outlook isdue in part to strongereconomies in some countriescompared to the U.S., favor-able exchange rates, andrecord-high prices for somecommodities, according toRon Plain, University of Mis-souri ag economist.

“The economy in the rest ofthe world is doing better thanour economy, so it’s gettingeasier to outbid the U.S. (for agcommodities),” Plain toldFarmWeek.

USDA projects new record in value of U.S. ag exports

The irrigation system hasallowed Knoblett to branchout and grow everythingfrom green beans andcucumbers to sweet corn andpumpkins. He also grows thetypical rotation of corn andsoybeans.

This year, Knoblett seizedan opportunity to grow seedcorn. And the irrigation sys-tem once again paid off.

“If we didn’t have the irri-gation system, we wouldn’thave anything,” Knoblettsaid. “Most of our fields areexpected to achieve 40 to 60percent of expected yields.”

Knoblett said a rain offour-tenths of an inch lastweek was the most signifi-cant rainfall event on hisfarm since May. Overall,Knoblett irrigates about 850acres on his farm.

He and his brother andtheir late father previouslyoperated three cattle opera-tions and three farrow-to-finish hog operations.

More recently, Knobletthas had better luck growingcorn and soybeans and seek-ing out specialty crop con-

tracts. He has been a memberof the Illinois SpecialtyGrowers Association fornearly 20 years.

Next year, he is consider-

ing growing potatoes amonghis various other crops.

“It (growing specialtycrops) just spreads your riskand gives you a variety of

income at different times ofthe year,” said Knoblett, whonoted he typically can get twocrops of cucumbers and greenbeans in a single season.

“In particular, some of ourmajor customers, such as Canada,Mexico, and the Pacific Rim(nations) are doing fairly well (eco-nomically),” he continued. “So Iexpect exports will remain strong.”

USDA predicted grain andfeed exports for 2013 wouldtotal a record-high $39 billion,up $4.4 billion from the 2012estimate. The jump in grain andfeed exports is due in part tohigher wheat volume and value,record-high soy prices, and high-er corn values.

U.S. wheat exports were pro-jected to increase by $3.2 billionin 2013 while sales of feeds andfodders were projected toincrease $700 million, due inlarge part to exports of distillers’grains to China.

However, high prices andtight supplies were projected toreduce the volume of cornexports in 2013 by about 215million bushels. Soybean mealand soy oil exports also wereprojected to decline due tolower production, reducedcrush, and tight stocks.

“Up until mid-June weexpected a record corn crop, a lotof feed, and declining prices,”Plain said. “Things changed veryrapidly. The reality is a very drysummer and short crop produc-tion will lead to less (crop and)livestock production.”

The expected decrease inlivestock production was pro-jected to lead to a $200 milliondecline in livestock, poultry,

and dairy exports in 2013.Plain believes the crop mar-

kets will have to ration demandamong the various end-users,including livestock feeders, for-eign buyers, and the ethanolindustry.

“Somebody has got to beshort on supply,” he added.“The question is who will cutback (on grain and oilseedusage) first.”

USDA projected the dollarwill remain relatively weak and,combined with low interestrates, will continue to provideinexpensive credit to financetrade in 2013. — Daniel Grant


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innovations


Specialized oils healthy for humans and machineryBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

A specialty soybean devel-oped as a heart-healthyanswer to trans fat concernsshows promise in keepingnon-human machinery pump-ing more smoothly, as well.

Monsanto developed Vis-tive low-linoleic soybeans tocounter loss of market sharecaused by labeling of andgrowing manufacturer aver-sion to trans fats in foods.

Contract growers have

approvals,” he toldFarmWeek. “The approvalswe get in the U.S. cover indus-trial uses. Industries have dif-ferent specifications for differ-ent oils, but those aren’t relat-ed to using biotechnology.

“The major oil companiesare very excited about having anatural, biodegradable (lubri-cation) source. Imagine oilapplications for the Navy,where you could offer some-thing in water that’sbiodegradable. That’s a reallynew opportunity for soybeangrowers to contribute in areasthey could not even haveimagined five or 10 years ago.”

Monsanto is canvassinggrowers of original non-GMOVistive beans about the possi-

bility of raising Vistive Goldbeans. Vistive contracts todate have been issued in irri-gated areas, and Fuchs antici-pates adequate fall supplies ofthe specialty bean.

Monsanto, meanwhile, con-tinues to develop biotechbeans that generate Omega-3oils similar to the heart-healthy compounds found inless stable fish oils ill-suited tomany food uses. That wouldoffer a smaller acreage poten-tial for growers than Vistive,initially across more northernstates.

“Where it’s necessary, we’llbe commercializing theseproducts across the (soybean)maturity zones,” Fuchs indi-cated, however.

been seeing a roughly 50- to60-cent-per-bushel premiumfor raising the “low-lin” beans,which are processed intocooking and frying oils.

Monsanto plans furtherbiotech work to generateadded “modifed oils” withspecific end-user benefits,according to biochemist RoyFuchs, the company’s globaloilseeds technology lead.

Vistive beans boast a 5 per-cent lower linoleic acid con-tent, reducing the need for

hydrogenation, a chemicalprocess that boosts trans fatsin soy oil. That also improvesoil stability: Fuchs reported itsnew Vistive Gold oil, pro-duced from GMO beans,works “extremely well” as abiodegradable lubricant, open-ing the door to use in motoroils and greases.

“We recently completed ourregulatory processes in theU.S. and Canada so we canstart selling the oil (for fooduse) while obtaining global

Dual use: Residuesoffer income buffers

Many Illinois corn growers will come up seriously short atthe elevator this fall. But with proper cultivation, conservation,and utilization, what remains in the field someday could pro-vide a crucial drought-year revenue buffer.

That’s according to Monsanto biofuels product managerSteve Peterson, whose research into potential use of cornstover as an ethanol feedstock has uncovered the unexpectedbenefits of field residues in feeding regimens.

A new University of Nebraska (U of N) report confirmsPeterson’s conclusion that judiciously harvested stover canprovide dual benefits in livestock nutrition as well as in possi-ble ethanol conversion.

According to the U of N study, a pound of alkaline-treatedstover can replace a half-pound of corn and a half-pound ofhay.

That’s significant during a drought that has severely impact-ed cow-calf herds with little or no available pasture and isexpected to boost grain prices for cattle feeders and dairy pro-ducers feeding heifers and dry cows.

“Treated corn stover is becoming a real mainstay for someof these (livestock producers),” Peterson told FarmWeek.“Hopefully, it will enable them to get through until we have abetter harvest next year.

“As we see more and more acres of corn-on-corn, theremoval of a sustainable amount of stover actually can beyield-beneficial.

“As we consider pathogens, things like Goss’s wilt — every-thing that overwinters in stover — we lower the chances ofpotential disease or infection if we remove a portion of thatstover.”

The scientist anticipates potentially solid demand and thuseconomically justifiable per-ton prices for harvested stover,particularly in a season such as this. Amid limited hay availabil-ity, “even poor-quality hay is bringing extremely high prices,”Peterson pointed out.

For the livestock producer, he argues treated stover cancompete economically with grain or hay as a part of rationsbut not all of the ration. Some cow-calf operations have “veryeffectively” adopted a 60 percent stover inclusion rate, Peter-son said.

Livestock residue benefits have fueled university interest inpreviously biofuels-oriented research by companies includingMonsanto, Archer Daniels Midland, and Deere and Co. andemerging cellulosic ethanol ventures.

At the same time, stover potential is driving new innova-tions across the industry, from New Holland’s Cornrower, acorn head attachment adapted for stover collection, to Missis-sippi Lime’s StoverCal, a feed grade calcium hydroxide treat-ment for stover and wheat straw.

“We’re pleasantly surprised by what the economics are driv-ing,” Peterson said. — Martin Ross

Pioneer’s Gina Overstreet offers Oskaloosa, Iowa, farmer David Ornduff a cup of popcorn popped using azero-trans fat oil made from the company’s high-oleic Plenish soybeans. Companies such as Pioneer andMonsanto continue to develop healthier soy oils in an effort to retain grower market share in the food/ingre-dients industry. (Photo by Martin Ross)

Extension sets pasture drought clinicUniversity of Illinois Exten-

sion will host a free pasturedrought clinic from 1 to 6 p.m.Sept. 25 in the Farm CreditServices building, Mt. Vernon.Seating is limited and advanceregistration is encouraged.

Experts from the SamuelRoberts Noble Foundation of

Ardmore, Okla.; Dairyland;USDA; and Extension will dis-cuss livestock farmers’ specificdrought needs.

Topics will include soil mois-ture trends, pasture managementafter a drought, drought strate-gies for livestock nutrition, alfal-fa and hay management strate-gies for 2012 and 2013, and aneconomic outlook.

USDA representatives willdiscuss livestock and pasture,

and forage insurance and theeffects of cover crops on cropinsurance.

Farmers may speak withindustry experts about productsand management strategies aswell as share successes, chal-lenges, and ideas with each other.

For more information or toregister, contact Teresa Stecklerwith U of I Extension at 618-695-4917 or email her at [email protected].

prODucTiOn


Equipment upgrades can boost farm productivityBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

There’s a lot more to buyinga tractor these days than sim-ply kicking the tires and inquir-ing about horsepower.

Equipment manufacturerscontinue to provide moreupgrades in their lines thatimprove operator comfort,increase efficiency, and boostfarm productivity.

Many of the new equip-ment lines and latest technolo-gy innovations were displayedlast month at the FarmProgress Show in Boone,Iowa.

“We’ve always built tractorsand combines,” said BarryNelson, manager of mediarelations for the ag and turfdivision of John Deere, acompany that dates back tothe 1830s when John Deeredeveloped the steel walkingplow.

“With new technology,what we can put on those(tractors and combines) canmake you more efficient,”Nelson said.

And improving machineefficiency and farm productivi-ty is vital as equipment manu-facturers deal with more strin-gent emission standards,

tighter farm margins, andgrowing demand for com-modities (the world populationis projected to grow from 7billion to 9 billion people by2050).

One way manufacturersimprove farm efficiency andoutput is through telematics.Telematics is technology thatuses electronic sensors onequipment to capture datadirectly from a field and trans-fer it to the Internet.

“As farmers get bigger,

cally mows down the entirecrop.

“The header is not boundto a certain row spacing (orbrand of combine),” said JacKnoop, president of Advanced

Marketing Solutions. “It mowsthe whole crop off at theground.” The combine can fol-low the rows or move acrossthem.

The gear boxes and row

units are identical to currentheaders, Knoop noted. TheIndependence header is sched-uled to be introduced for com-mercial use in the U.S. by2015.

Jac Knoop, right, president of Advanced Marketing Solutions, discusses the features of a Geringhoff Inde-pendence corn header with a Farm Progress Show attendee. The header, unveiled at the show, features rotat-ing stars that pull crop material into the header and a chopping system that mows down the crop. The conceptheader is scheduled to be available for commercial use in the U.S. by 2015. (Photo by Daniel Grant)

Sept. 12Beef roundtable discussion, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ElizabethCommunity Building.

Sept. 25Pasture drought clinic, 1 to 6 p.m., Farm Credit Servicesbuilding, Mt. Vernon. Advance registration encouraged. Call618-695-4917 or email [email protected].

Sept. 26Meet the Buyers event, University of Illinois Extension office,Springfield. Registration deadline Sept. 24. Call 217-753-5200.

DATEBOOK

they’re managing fleets ofequipment,” Nelson said. “(JDLink telematics) allows you tolook at every machine and pro-vide better management over-all.”

Telematics also allows farm-ers to optimize machinery useand improve their managementof inputs, according to GaryWojcik, marketing manager ofhigh-horsepower tractors forNew Holland.

New Holland at the showdisplayed its flagship T8 Seriestractor that features AutoCom-mand continuously variabletransmission (CVT). New Hol-land tractors also contain fea-tures on all cabs designed toimprove operator comfort andproductivity.

The CVT aids in improvingthe machines’ fuel efficiency.

Meanwhile, Case IH’sadvanced twin-row seedingtechnology is available for2013.

Twin-row seeding allowsfarmers to increase plant pop-ulations without changingcropping practices.

“Twin-row crop productionis increasing in popularity dueto the potential yield advan-tages by narrowing corn rows,”said Bill Hoeg, Case IH planter

sales and marketing manager inNorth America.

“Essentially, you changeyour planter and everythingelse remains the same as it wasin 30-inch, 36-inch, 38-inch, or40-inch rows.”

Geringhoff unveiled afuture concept Independencecorn header at the show that isdesigned to improve efficiencyand provide flexibility forfarmers.

The header features rowindependent corn harvesttechnology that uses rotatingstars that grab plant materialand direct it into the headerwhere a chopping system basi-

‘With new technology, what we can puton those (tractors and combines) canmake you more efficient.’

— Barry NelsonManager of media relations, John Deere ag and turf division

fb in action


Newly ‘adopted’ state lawmaker hosts DeWitt County FBBY CHRISTINA NOURIE

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy(D-Chicago), who recentlyjoined the Illinois FarmBureau Adopt a legislatorprogram, recently hostedfarmers from the DeWittCounty Farm Bureau for atour of her district.

She represents portions ofthe Rogers Park and Edgewa-ter communities on the northside of Chicago. The countyFarm Bureau previouslyadopted Representative Cas-sidy’s predecessor, HarryOsterman, who is now aChicago alderman.

After meeting at Cas-sidy’s district office, thegroup went to VedgewaterCommunity Garden locat-ed on a vacant lot on thecorner at Rosemont andBroadway. Vedgewater issponsored by the PetersonGarden Program, a not-for-profit, volunteerorganization that teachespeople how to grow their

the restaurant and sampledsome of the restaurant’spopular dishes. Representa-tives from two local farmersmarkets’ joined the farmersand discussed the growth offarmers’ markets in Chicagoand some of the challengesthey face.

The Farm Bureau groupagreed Representative Cas-sidy helped them betterunderstand her district andbelieve they have estab-lished a good relationship.The group presented the

representative with a Friendof Agriculture award duringthe visit.

Cassidy said she looksforward to bringing herfamily to DeWitt Countythis fall to tour some farmsto get to know her “adopt-ed” farmers better and learnmore about Illinois agricul-ture and rural issues.

Christina Nourie is the Illi-nois Farm Bureau northeast leg-islative coordinator. Her emailaddress is [email protected].

own food. The garden project also

sets aside a portion of itsproduce for local foodbanks. It also serves as agathering place for commu-nity and family events.

Next stop was the corpo-rate headquarters of theS&C Electric Co., a globalprovider of equipment andservices for electric powersystems.

S&C designs and manu-factures switching and pro-tection products for electricpower transmission and dis-tribution. The farmersreceived a hands — ondemonstration of the firm’ssmart grid exhibit. Theylearned how automatedtechnology is used toimprove efficiency and relia-bility in the production anddistribution of electricity.

The final stop wasUncommon Ground, arestaurant that features thenation’s first certifiablyorganic rooftop garden. Thefarmers toured the gardenand learned about therestaurant’s history and how

the restaurant uses producegrown on the roof.

The group ate lunch at

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), left, listens to a representative of S & C Electric Co. explain his firm’ssmart grid technology. Looking on left to right are DeWitt County Farm Bureau Director Jack Young, (orangeshirt), county Farm Bureau President Tom Hieronymus (center), and the county Farm Bureau manager, KenBjelland. Recently, Cassidy hosted a tour of her north Chicago legislative district for her “adopted” countyFarm Bureau. (Photo by Christina Nourie)

Adams County FarmBureau leaders recently trav-eled to the north side ofChicago to reconnect withtheir “adopted” legislator,state Rep. John D’Amico (D-Chicago). Members of theCook County Farm Bureaujoined the group.

Many issues were dis-cussed, including transporta-

‘Adopted’ lawmaker hosts Adams, Cook County FBs for discussion

tion, pension reform, gam-bling expansion, the statebudget, and upcoming elec-tions.

The representative said hewas interested in learningabout the impact of thedrought on the state’s farm-ers and how crop insuranceworks. Cook County FarmBureau representatives pre-sented D’Amico his Friendof Agriculture award duringthe visit.

An avid hunter, D’Amicosaid he hopes to travel toAdams County for duckhunting and to tour somefarms and the Archer DanielsMidland terminal in Quincy.

He said he appreciated thetime the farmers took totravel to his district andupdate him on agriculturalissues.

D’Amico said he hopes toattend the Illinois FarmBureau annual meeting inDecember.

from the counties


TM

When it comes to the success of your operation, you can rely on your local FS energy specialists. If your new equipment uses diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), your local FS Co-op and participating FAST STOP® locations have just what you need – convenient supply. From packaged or bulk DEF to even the dispensing equipment, FS has the products and the knowledgeable experts to help you go further.

FS – The people and the products to take you further. Go further with FS.

Scan the QR code to visit us on the web or go towww.GofurtherwithFS.com

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©2012 GROWMARK, Inc. A13242

BUREAU — Bureau,Henry, and Stark Coun-

ty Farm Bureaus will sponsor adefensive driving course from10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday andWednesday, Oct. 30-31, at theBlack Hawk College Commu-nity Education Center, Kewa-nee. Attending both days isrequired to receive certifica-tion. Cost is $30, whichincludes materials and lunch.The course is for current autopolicy holders 55 years old andolder. Those who completethe course are eligible for anauto insurance discount. Callthe Farm Bureau office at 815-

875-6468 by Monday, Oct. 22,for reservations or more infor-mation.

• Farm Bureau and IllinoisAg in the Classroom (IAITC)will sponsor an educationalseminar from 4 to 6 p.m.Wednesday, Sept. 19, at theFarm Bureau office. SaraHildebrand, IAITC coordina-tor, will be the speaker. Contin-uing education credits will beoffered to teachers who attend.Call the Farm Bureau office at815-875-6468 or email Hilde-brand at [email protected] reservations or more infor-mation.

EDGAR — FarmBureau will sponsor a

“Mighty Mississippi” bustrip Oct. 16-19. Stops willinclude the Field ofDreams, the National FarmToy Museum, the JohnDeere Pavilion, and a daycruise on a riverboat. Go tothe website {edgarcounty-farmbureau.org} for moreinformation.

LEE — Members maypurchase “buy one, get

one free” slow-moving-vehiclesigns during National FarmSafety and Health Week Sept.16-22. Office hours are 8 a.m.

to 4:30 p.m. Monday throughFriday.

• Deadline to purchase cus-tom candles is Friday, Oct. 12.Payment is due with order.Delivery will be in Novemberto the Farm Bureau office.Order forms are availableonline at {www.leecfb.org} orby contacting the Farm Bureauoffice at 857-3531 orleecfb.comcast.net.

ROCK ISLAND —

Farm Bureau andCountry Financial will sponsora defensive driving coursefrom 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept.

25-26, at the Farm Bureauoffice. Cost is $12 for AARPmembers and $14 for non-members. People who haven’thad a accident or violation for12 months are eligible for aninsurance discount upon com-pletion of the course. Call theFarm Bureau office at 309-736-7432 or your CountryFinancial agent for reserva-tions or more information.

“From the counties” items aresubmitted by county Farm Bureaumanagers. If you have an event oractivity open to all members, contactyour county Farm Bureau manager.

Peoria County Farm Bureau observes 100th yearBY PATRICK KIRCHHOFER

The Peoria County FarmBureau continued its 100thAnniversary Celebration thisyear by hosting a picnic for“M” members on Aug. 26 atthe Farm Bureau park. Morethan 160 people attended,despite the rain.

The games and activitiesduring the day were reminis-cent of decades past and werebased on action and exerciseinstead of computers andtouch screens.

They included an apple-

bobbing contest with AndreaZahran claiming the crown.(Note to other county FarmBureaus with future celebra-tions: Remove the stems for amore soaking venue).

The wheelbarrow race waswon by the team of AmenaGarber and Lydia Plattner.

James Chenevert had thelongest hop and was able tostay vertical throughout thepotato sack race, placing first.

Joshia and Josiah Garberhad the quickest time in thethree-legged sack race.

The final event was the eggtoss, which had the largestturnout of participants. Twoteam members faced each oth-er and tossed a raw egg backand forth. After each toss,they would take one step backand attempt to complete

another toss without crackingthe egg. A father and sonteam, Rod and Kendall Stahl,had the longest successful toss.

Ed Hasselbacher, 91, wonthe award for the oldest mem-ber in attendance. Charis Gar-ber at only 12 days was the

youngest in attendance. ShirleyHackman received the awardfor the most family members inattendance with 18.

Wyatt McCoy was the win-ner in guessing kernels in abottle of water. He guessed1,378 kernels, and the bottleactually was filled with 1,371kernels.

Patrick Kirchhofer is manager ofPeoria County Farm Bureau. Hisemail address is [email protected].

Youngsters bob for apples during the recent picnic held for “M” mem-bers as the Peoria County Farm Bureau continued its 100th anniversarycelebration. Andrea Zahran won the competition. (Photo by PatrickKirchhofer, Peoria County Farm Bureau manager)

Auction CalendarMon., Sept. 10. 4 p.m. Real estate andpersonal property. Don L. Kren Estate,

SPRINGFIELD, IL. Cory Craig,Auctioneer. www.corycraig.com

Mon., Sept. 10. 6 p.m. Whiteside CoLand Auc. The Noah P. Hermie Estate,

DEER GROVE, IL. Schrader RealEstate and Auction C., Inc. schrader-

auction.comThurs., Sept. 13. 7 p.m. Land Auction.Betty Axelsen, Daniel Brookman andWilbur Brookman, Jr., NEW LENOX,IL. Rosenboom Realty. www.rosen-

boomrealty.comSat., Sept. 15. 10 a.m. Macoupin Co.Land Auc. Estate of Wm. E. Cromwell,

BUNKER HILL, I L. Ahrens andNiemeier. www.a-nauctions.comSat., Sept. 15. 10 a.m. Warren Co.Land Auc. Jack L. Hennenfent and

Tamara Hennenfent, MONMOUTH, IL.Van Adkisson Auction Service, LLC.www.biddersandbuyers.com or

vanadkisson.comWed., Sept. 19. 10 a.m. First Lot

Closes. Online Only Unreserved Auc.www.bigiron.com

Sat., Sept. 22. 10 a.m. Huge OldCountry Farm Auc. Richard/Irene

Bossler and Glenn Heberer Estates,MASCOUTAH, IL. Mark Krausz Auc.

Service.Sat., Sept. 22. 9 a.m. Clark Co LandAuc. Cecil Brasfield, WEST UNION, IL.

Parrott Real Estate & Auction Co.,LLC. www.sellafarm.com orwww.parrottaucitons.com

Sat., Sept. 22. 10 a.m. Farm machin-ery and misc. Est. of Marjorie

Herriott/Plotner Trust, MAHOMET, IL.Gordon Hannagan Auction Co.www.gordyvilleusa.com

Sat., Sept. 22. 9 a.m. Farm &Construction Eq Consignment Auc.

TREMONT, IL. Cal Kaufman and BrentSchmidgall, Auctioneers. tremontcon-

[email protected]., Sept. 29. 6 p.m. Pike Co. LandAuc. John C Shover Est., BARRY, IL.Sullivan Auctioneers, LLC. www.sulli-

vanauctioneers.comSat., Sept. 29. 11 a.m. Christian Co.Land Auc. Kirby Harris and Greg

Buesking, KINCAID, IL. Cory Craig,Auctioneer. www.corycraig.comTues., Oct. 2. 7 p.m. Crawford Co.

Land Auc. John Wilbur & Elsie CowardFamily Trust, ROBINSON, IL. ParrottReal Estate & Auction Co., LLC.

profitability


Export inspections(Million bushels)

Week ending Soybeans Wheat Corn08-30-12 15.1 25.4 6.408-23-12 17.5 18.9 15.1Last year 10.0 23.1 24.4Season total 1365.5 258.2 1496.2Previous season total 1489.7 299.8 1789.5USDA projected total 1315 1025 1700Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

Feeder pig prices reported to USDA*Weight Range Per Head Weighted Ave. Price10 lbs. $12.12-$45.00 $34.7840 lbs. $44.98 $44.98

Receipts This Week Last Week 98,997 121,640*Eastern Corn Belt prices picked up at seller’s farm

MARKET FACTS

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

This week Prev. week ChangeCarcass $65.93 $71.21 -5.28 Live $48.79 $52.70 -3.91

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

Steers 121.80 121.00 0.80 Heifers 121.70 121.89 -0.19

USDA five-state area slaughter cattle price

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

This week Prev. week Change 141.80 139.96 1.84

CME feeder cattle index — 600-800 Lbs.

Lamb prices

(Thursday’s price)

Slaughter Prices - Negotiated, Live, wooled and shorn 90-190 lbs. for90-125 $/cwt. (wtd. ave. 113.19).

Drought-stressed corn crop requires different approach

Drought sours outlook for farmers, agribusinesses

The drought has dampened the business outlook for farm-ers and agribusinesses.

The Agriculture Confidence Index, released last week byDTN/The Progressive Farmer, showed a significant decline in atti-tudes expressed by the 500 randomly selected farmers andowners or managers of 100 agribusinesses.

Overall, optimism by farmers about the present crop yearsince March eroded by 20 points (from 140 to 120). A value of100 is considered neutral, higher values indicate optimism, andlower values indicate pessimism.

Future expectations by farmers were a pessimistic 98.2.Agribusiness owners were much more pessimistic about the

future. Their outlook for the future scored just 80.5, which isthe most pessimistic reading since DTN/The Progressive Farmerstarted tracking business confidence in 2010.

BY RANDY HOLTHAUSWhether you dodged a bul-

let or were body slammed bythe drought, the 2012 corncrop will take some special

attention andpractices tomaintain itssafety, viabili-ty, and stora-bility.

Accordingto the Univer-sity of Ken-tucky Collegeof Agriculture

Cooperative Extension Serv-ice, the presence of theAspergillis flavus fungus is usual-ly prevalent in the latter stagesof a drought and can lead tothe development of aflatoxin.

Little can be done to

reduce the risk of pre-harvestcontamination. However,proper drying and storage arekey to minimizing the risk ofpostharvest aflatoxin contam-ination. The conservativeapproach is to assume theharvested crop is contaminat-ed with A. flavus spores andhandle it in ways to minimizethe risk of aflatoxin develop-ment.

Those include:Start harvest early, clean the

grain, dry it hot and fast, coolit down quickly, monitor close-ly in storage, and don’t store itas long. The entire focus is onavoiding any situation thatwould enhance or encouragemold growth.

Harvest should begin soonafter the crop matures. Delay-

ing harvest usually increasesloss potential from ear drop,field-borne disease, insects,birds, and weather. It is bestto start when the corn is 25percent moisture or greater,provided it can be dried to 15percent or less within 24 to48 hours of harvest. Wetgrain waiting to be driedshould be stored less than 14hours.

These practices are nearlyimpossible for natural air/low-temp drying systems or sys-tems that do not stir, re-circu-late, or mix the drying grain.

Aflatoxin often is present inhighest concentrations in bro-ken and cracked kernels.Cleaning with a rotary or grav-ity cleaner can reduce the levelof concentration. This is apractical option that is “some-times” successful in reducingcontamination levels, and itcan be your first line ofdefense in dealing with theproblem.

However, research hasshown that aflatoxin levels arenot always reduced by cleaning.This is because aflatoxins canbe present at high levels in ker-

nels that appear sound andundamaged.

At this writing, we’vereceived a few reports of afla-toxin-contaminated corn beingdiscovered and trucks beingturned away at the elevator.The situation is real and seri-ous. Be aware, follow the rules,and minimize your risk the bestthat you can. Have a safe har-vest.

Randy Holthaus is GROW-MARK’S grain systems operationsmanager. His email address [email protected].

Randy Holthaus

Farm margins, credit could tighten in 2013BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Farmers hit hard by thedrought this year may have todeal with financial stress againnext year, even if the weatherpattern returns to normal.

The University of Illinoisrecently projected crop pricesnext year could average $6 forcorn and $12.50 for beans,which would be a significantdrop from recent levels.

The price estimates, impliedfrom futures contracts, wouldreduce average operator andfarmland returns in 2013 com-pared to this year.

The U of I projectedreturns on highly productivityCentral Illinois land next yearcould average $654 per acrefor corn, down $45 per acrecompared to this year’s esti-mate, and $405 for beans,down $14 per acre, if yieldsreturn to trend.

Meanwhile, input costs for2013 are expected to remainnear record levels, whichwould add more pressure onfarm margins.

Total U.S. farm inputs thisyear posted a record $104 bil-lion, up from $94.2 billion in2011 and $81.4 billion in2010, according to USDA.

Joel Mortenson, financialofficer with Farm CreditServices of America, urgedfarmers to watch their inputcosts and take a hard look atthe crop insurance programthat works best on each oper-ation.

“It’s real important tomanage risk and take advan-tage of what’s out there,”Mortenson said recently atthe Farm Progress Show inIowa.

If crop prices remainstrong, Mortenson recom-mended farmers considersigning up for crop insurancewith revenue protection fornext year.

“Farmers do pay a premi-um for crop insurance,” hesaid. “But it’s a trade off tomake sure you stay in good(financial shape).” N-37W

Mortenson noted 80 to 85percent of farmers boughtsome form of crop insurancethis year. He said he believesit will be key to helping themcover expenses next year assome farmers could facetighter credit conditions.

“There could be some guyshurting,” he said. “But I thinkthere will be enough credit(available) to get the 2013crop in the ground.”

Mortenson said he doesnot believe the possibility ofrecord crop insurance claims

will threaten insurance com-panies’ ability to pay. It justcould take some extra time.

“There should be enoughfunds available. It’s not goingto be a problem,” he said.“But the adjusters are goingto be extremely busy. It couldtake awhile to work throughall the claims.”

Crop insurance companiesare coming off a strong year,there are reserves in place,and the companies have re-insurance to help cover majorlosses, Mortenson added.

Total U.S. farm inputs this yearposted a record $104 billion, upfrom $94.2 billion in 2011 and$81.4 billion in 2010, accordingto USDA.

PROFITABILITY

AgriVisor Hotline Number

309-557-2274

AgriVisor endorsescrop insurance by

Policies issued by COUNTRYMutual Insurance Company®,

Bloomington, Illinois

AgriVisor LLC1701 N. Towanda Avenue

PO Box 2500Bloomington IL 61702-2901

309-557-3147

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 anyprojections, recommendations, or advice orany other act of omission.

CASH STRATEGISTCorn Strategy

ü2012 crop: The Decem-ber contract’s close below$7.93 tilted the odds towardthe trend turning down intothe 40-week low coming inmiddle to late September. Westill think having 70 percentof a realistic yield priced is agood strategy, but don’texceed your insurance guar-antee.

ü2013 crop: Use rallies onDecember 2013 futures forcatch-up sales.

vFundamentals: Hurri-cane Isaac brought much-needed moisture tocentral/eastern Midwest lastweek, but didn’t have thehigh winds producers werefearing. Informa and FCStone both projected cornyields for this week’s USDAreport could fall below 120bushels per acre, tighteningthe fundamental structureeven more. Still, the tradehas become uneasy aboutdemand with evidence thatbuyers are both limiting theirshort-term purchases andturning to other sourceswhen possible.

Soybean Strategyü2012 crop: The soybean

rally stalled last week, but did-n’t break enough to indicatethe short-term trend might beturning down. But becauseprices are hovering just aboveminor support, we’d use cur-rent levels for catch-up sales.But make sure you don’texceed your insurance guaran-tee.

ü2013 crop: Use ralliesabove $13.50 on November2013 soybean futures forcatch-up sales.

vFundamentals: Unlikecorn, we do not yet have anyyield reports to guide produc-tion expectations. Rainsfrom Isaac stimulated ideasyields that might improveslightly, but others still thinkthe yield will drop slightlylower. The average tradeconsensus is biased that wayas well. The bigger issue isthe pace of demand goingforward, and as we outlinedlast week, there’s reason tothink demand already mighthave adjusted to the smallercrop. The pace of export

shipments this fall will be acritical indication.

Wheat Strategyü2012 crop: Wheat could

become vulnerable to down-side weakness. Confirmationof a turn would come with aChicago December contractclose below $8.65. Use ralliesabove $8.90 on ChicagoDecember futures for makingcatch-up sales.

ü2013 crop: Make catchup sales with Chicago Julyfutures trading above $8.60.

vFundamentals: Theoverall fundamental struc-ture in wheat got a little

tighter with reductions inRussia’s crop. Egypt still isable to source wheat out ofRussia, Ukraine, and Romania,but it took more money tocomplete the last purchase,lowering the premium the U.S.and European wheat have toother world exporters. Prevail-ing wisdom suggests the Rus-sians will not have any to shipbeyond December. Heavyrains last week caused someflooding problems in someArgentine wheat areas. OurCentral/Southern Plainsreceived moisture, but more isneeded with planting to beginsoon.

Cents per bu.

Corn marketing recommendations

Monday, September 10, 2012

a strategically good marketingmove. At a minimum, coveringthe cost of seed, fertilizer, andmaybe chemical inputs you willsoon be making is a good strate-gic risk management decision.

The situation in the soybeancomplex is much the same.November 2013 soybeanfutures are currently tradingjust below the $14 contracthigh the November 2012 con-tract set in August 2011.

In regard to the corn crop youare just now harvesting, the lackof carry in futures and forwardcash bids indicate you shouldprice corn across the scale insteadof storing it. That fits with thenormal, subsequent price patternthat follows drought crops.Prices tend to peak early, erodinglower through the remainder ofthe marketing year.

However, if prices wouldexperience a hard break by thetime you are finishing harvest, wewould consider short-term stor-age, depending on the depth ofthe break. Generally, we’d haveto say something below $7.50 onDecember 2012 futures.

Poor-quality crops tend notto store well, adding anotherreason not to store corn forsale later this marketing year.And if you find your corn hasaflatoxin, or is at risk of devel-oping it, you might be betteroff to move the corn ratherthan store it. Still, we realizethat everyone has his ownunique situation, so actaccordingly.

Occasionally, a fundamentalor technical feature “pops up”that one just cannot ignore. Wehave included one of those withthe accompanying graphicshowing December 2013 cornfutures overlaid on December2012 corn futures. The calen-dar dates are aligned on the bot-tom even though only those forthe 2013 contract are shown.

What intrigued us was thefact that December 2013 cornfutures are trading just belowthe levels of the December2012 contract at this time ayear ago. The contract highestablished on the 2012 con-tract a year ago, $6.73 1/2,held up until the drought even-tually carried prices over theAugust 2012 contract high.And before that occurred, thecontract had dropped to $5.

Even though we can onlymake broad assumptions aboutthe fundamental structure forthe 2013 crop, it’s probably safeto say that supply will exceeddemand next year unless yieldswould again come in well belowtrend. And based on historicalpatterns, that’s not likely.

Hence, it implies makingsome 2013 crop sales justbelow the August 2011 high forthe December 2012 contract is

perspectives


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Agriculture’s winter meeting seasonis when everyone hears what a universityor company agronomist says about thelatest issues facing agriculture. Theyusually hear those comments with statis-tical language woven into the exchange.

Occasionally, aspeaker will get excit-ed about the numberof respondents to asurvey or the numberof data points collect-ed during a study.

Why are responsenumbers and/or lotsof data pointsimportant from astatistical stand-point?

There really are only two ways to getresearch “wrong.” Either someone willstate there is a difference between twogroups when there actually is not or willdeclare that no difference exists whenone does.

Researchers often try to keep thechances of falsely claiming a differenceat about 5 percent. They try to keep thechances of falsely claiming no differ-ence at about 20 percent.

The first is held to a more severestandard because claiming something“works” when it does not appear to bethe worst of research sins. Decreasingthe chance of making a false claim alldepends upon variability of a group andhow many responses one receives orhow many data points one collects.

Let me illustrate by using an exampleof height.

Imagine you wanted to see if the resi-dents in one community were taller thanthose in another. You could measure theheight of everyone or you could meas-ure a small sample from a community.The average determined by measuringthe height of every person in a townwould be exact.

However, most would prefer tomerely do a sampling because that ismore efficient. But measuring only aportion of a community decreases theconfidence in our results.

If I measured the height of only five

people in each community, I wouldn’t bevery confident that the results would beexactly the same next time around, espe-cially if those five people tended to havevery different heights.

Nobody likes being wrong, so in theexample above I might provide myselfsome “research cover,” hedge a little,and explain I sampled such a small num-ber and people had such differentheights I couldn’t say exactly how talleveryone is.

I might report the average heightprobably is between 4 feet 4 inches and5 feet 11 inches.

Sampling more people, say 100 or so,would increase my confidence in mydata even if the residents’ heightsranged from the rather small to therather tall. I probably would reflect thatby mentioning less of a gray area.

I might say I think I’ve accounted formuch of the variability and am prettysure the average height is probablybetween 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 4inches.

Isn’t it interesting that as the numberof responses or size of the sampleincreases, I feel more confident andhedge less?

A small sample means that picture ofthe study is still too blurry. With a smallsample, I have to cover myself toomuch, which makes it hard to say any-thing with much confidence.

A really high response number bringsthe real situation into a little more focusand makes it less likely that I will makethe wrong claim. A smaller sample sizemeans less confidence, more hedging,and lots of gray area.

Having a really big sample is all aboutsharpening the picture and decreasingthe chance of falsely claiming differ-ences or no differences.

Sample number is all about bringingthe real story into focus and creatingless of a gray area. Remember that dur-ing the 2012-2013 winter meeting sea-son.

Matt Montgomery is a University of IllinoisExtension educator. His email address [email protected].

MATT MONTGOMERY

Sample size matters in clear research results

A walking stick insect found in Southeast Asia is nearly 2 feet long. Africa’sGoliath beetle weighs about 2.5 ounces. The Atlas moth of the Malay Archipel-ago has a wingspan of about a foot. Those are some of the largest insect speciesthat exist today.

Once upon a time there were larger insects. Back in the day of the dinosaursthere were all kinds of large creatures, including insects.

One of the largest insects was a griffinfly. This dragonfly–like insect had a wingspan of 2.5 feet. But like dinosaurs andsaber-toothed tigers, this behemoth of an insect also perished.

Scientists speculate why such large insects can no longer befound on the earth. Some say it is because the current oxygencontent of the air is not sufficient to sustain insects of that size.

Insects depend on diffusion of oxygen to meet their biologi-cal requirements. Such a process can work only if the animal issmall and the oxygen concentration of the air is sufficient. So,as the oxygen content of the air declined, large insects wereunable to survive, according to some speculation.

Another speculation involves the evolution of birds. Manybirds are insect predators and as these aerial predators became

more adept at flying, they made life miserable for insects. So miserable that birdsmight have contributed to large-insect species being driven to extinction.

Certainly, today there are no insects the size of cows, but humans have alwaysbeen fascinated with the “what if ” question regarding large insects. We makehorror movies with gigantic insects about to wreak havoc on humankind.

Recently, a number of traveling exhibits for use in parks and museums fea-tured very large insects.

One of the first of such exhibits is entitled “Backyard Monsters.” This exhibitfeatures six animatronic creatures between 6 and 8 feet tall — 96 times their nat-ural size.

The creatures are a tarantula, wasp, two fighting beetles, tomato hornwormcaterpillar, and a monarch butterfly. Advertising for the exhibit promises a bugs-eye view of the world. In other words,what if we were the size of insects andinsects were the size of humans?

Through September 2012, Chicago’sBrookfield Zoo is featuring an exhibitcalled “Xtreme BUGS.” The exhibitfeatures 20 giant creatures, including a33-foot-long Japanese hornet and aladybird beetle the size of a Volkswa-gen Beetle. Those are just two of themetal framework and polyfoam insects,spiders, and centipedes in the exhibit.

A couple of years ago, Colombianartist Rafael Gomezbarros created anumber of ants — 4 feet in length —and displayed them crawling on the sideof a building in Bogota. The artist stat-ed that the giant ants were symbolic ofthe people displaced by armed conflictin Colombia.

Size-wise, those Columbian ants palein comparison to the 18-foot ants cre-ated by metal sculptor Bill Secunda. One of Secunda’s ants holds a motor scoot-er in its mouth.

In addition to the giant ants, Secunda created a 14-foot scorpion and a 35-foot-in-diameter spider. He also fabricated 12-foot steel cockroaches that appro-priately adorn a building occupied by a pest control company in Dallas.

Metal ants are one thing, but Italian sculptor Lorenzo Possenti calls his larg-er-than-life insects “Ecofauna.” These sculptures are accurate scientifically inshape and color.

According to the sculptor, you can see the intricacies without a microscope.Possenti’s Ecofauna insects are about the size of third-graders.

Now that’s a scary thought — an insect about the size of and with the attitudeof a third-grader. Thank goodness the oxygen levels of the earth are below thoseneeded for such insects to survive!

Tom Turpin is a professor of entomology at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. Hisemail address is [email protected].

So you think you’ve seen big bugs

TOMTURPIN

Letter to the editor policy

Through September2012, Chicago’s Brook-field Zoo is featuring anexhibit called “XtremeBUGS.” The exhibit fea-tures 20 giant crea-tures, including a 33-foot-long Japanese hor-net and a ladybird bee-tle the size of a Volks-wagon Beetle.

farmweek september 10 2012

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