Farmweek april 13, 2015

New IFB District 18 Director Kenton Thomas shares a passion for farming and duck hunting. page 2

The first CropWatcher reports mark the beginning of the 2015 growing season around the state. page 6-7

WIU students learned a real world lesson raising money to buy new research farm technology. page 8

Inside: Livestock section

Monday, April 13, 2015

Illinois produces a strong response for farm bill sign-up Three sections Volume 43, No. 15

TORNADO WREAKS HAVOC

BY JOANIE STIERS FarmWeek

A tornado destroyed a barn containing straw and antique tractors on Jim Schabacker’s farm 3 miles southwest of Kings in Ogle County Thursday night. Schabacker lost all his outbuildings, but his house still stands.

See more storm coverage on page 7 and at FarmWeekNow.com. On Friday, Gov. Bruce Rauner declared DeKalb and Ogle counties state disaster areas. (Photo by Ron Kern, Ogle County Farm Bureau manager)

‘Nothing complicated’ to make most use of manure nutrients Editor’s note: Today FarmWeek launches the first in an ongoing series, entitled Nutrients Matter, to share farmers’ expertise and practices, and to enhance nutrient management.

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Periodicals: Time Valued

Andy Lenkaitis views manure systems and efficient

NUTRIENTS MATTER

can’t be just one guy on his own,” Lenkaitis said. “Other countries have seen this implemented by regulation. If we don’t make a combined effort on our own, we will be limited because we’ll be told what to do.”

To meet the strategy goals, Illinois farmers need to combine technology with the right placement and timing of nutrient applications, he added.

Frequently, farmers focus on the nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium contained in manure, but need to remember it also contains soil-healthy biological components, such as micronutrients, according to Lenkaitis.

His recommendations to tune up manure systems and management start with the basics.

Either inject manure or incorporate it within 24 hours, or risk losing a significant percentage of available nitrogen.

He acknowledged some farmers may believe they don’t have

use of manure nutrients as an environmental systems engineer and a dairy farmer.

Lenkaitis, chairman of the Kane County Farm Bureau Young Leaders Committee, works for GEA Farm Technology, based in Naperville, and recently took over management of his family’s 40-cow dairy operation.

He’s also seen manure management systems and technology across the country and around the world.

On nutrient Andy Lenkaitis issues, livestock farmers frequently find fingers pointed at them because manure applications are visual and odorous, Lenkaitis noted.

As for a voluntary statewide Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, “it’s got to be a joint effort, a combined effort. It See Nutrients, page 3

Preliminary estimates from the 2014 farm bill sign-ups indicate interest in new safety net programs resembles the popularity of the previous Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program (DCP).

The Agricultural Act of 2014 allowed farmers to update base acres and yield history, and elect safety net programs, which include Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC). Sign-up ended April 7.

“We feel really good about the participation level in the state of Illinois,” said Rick Graden, executive officer of the Illinois Farm Service Agency (FSA). “It appears that it’s a program that’s going to be popular and used extensively by Illinois farmers.”

Final statistics have yet to be released, but Graden indicates they will closely match previous DCP sign-ups.

USDA twice extended the Phase 1 deadline for the base acre and yield history component of the late-implemented 2014 farm bill. Safety net program elections, originally set for March 31, also were extended to April 7. Graden said slow sign-ups in some states led to the extensions.

In contrast, most Illinois landowners completed the first phase of this process by Feb. 27. More than 50 per‘Illinois has cent of producers opted to a l way s b e e n i n submit updated yields, the forefront with Graden said.

The yields play no role in the ARC/PLC payment determinations for sign-up.’

ARC at the county level, which is predicted as the most common election.

— Rick Graden Yet, farmers poised themIllinois Farm selves for any future changes Service Agency in the farm bill that would warrant use of this data, which may remain static.

The government has allowed refreshment of yields only three times in Graden’s 30 years at the FSA. Throughout this sign-up process, Illinois has remained ahead of most states, even as it contains the largest number of producers and farms in the nation.

“Illinois has always been in the forefront with the ARC/PLC sign-up,” Graden said. “When you throw down a goal line, our staff in Illinois will pull, tug, push and race for that goal line without the thought process that the deadline would be extended.”

With the hiring freeze lifted about six months ago, Illinois FSA hired 40 employees to reach its staff ceiling of 425.

In addition, the agency hired 92 temporary county employees to help with the farm bill workload. Those temporary employees will maintain employment through at least Sept. 30 and help with upcoming deadlines, which include acre certification and ARC/PLC enrollment.

July 15 marks the deadline to report planted acres. Program enrollment deadlines have yet to be determined.

Quick Takes

FarmWeek • Page 2 • Monday, April 13, 2015

WOTUS FINAL RULE UNDER REVIEW — The Environmental Protection Agency sent its “waters of the U.S.” rule to the Office of Management and Budget for interagency review last week.

This represents the last step before release of the final rule. The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs will review the rule for 90 days, although controversial rules can be tied up far longer. EPA officials have said they want the rule finalized this spring.

WATERSHED PROJECTS RECEIVE FUNDING — Two Illinois watershed projects will gain funding through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help clean waterways that flow into rivers.

The Crow Creek West/Clear Creek project in Marshall and Putnam counties will receive funding for the first time along with the Vermilion Headwaters project in Ford, Iroquois and Livingston counties.

The Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative investment will total $10 million for 27 new high-priority watersheds and 13 existing projects. This investment represents part of a commitment of $100 million over four years.

NRCS worked with state agencies, farmers and other partners to identify high-priority watersheds that align with established state priorities and have strong partnerships in place — and where targeted conservation on agricultural land can make the most gains in improving local and regional water quality.

WATCH LATEST FARMDOC VIDEOS — The latest video from the University of Illinois’ farmdoc features information about new crop corn and soybean marketing decisions.

The video captures statistics and analysis provided during the spring webinar series. To view the video, visit {farmdoc.illinois.edu/webinars/}.

SENSORY MARKETING SELLS FOOD — Sense-based marketing involves reinventing how food companies grab consumers’ attention. Playing upon one sense works, but even stronger attraction occurs when several senses are engaged simultaneously.

Consider Dunkin Donuts’, for example. When playing its jingle on city buses while releasing the aroma of coffee via an atomizer, Dunkin Donuts in South Korea saw visits at outlets near bus stops increase by 16 percent and sales climb 29 percent.

The idea of sense-based marketing isn’t new, but marketing researchers are beginning to understand the potential impact of such subtle marketing tactics.

(ISSN0197-6680) Vol. 43 No. 15 April 13, 2015 Dedicated to improving the profitability of farming, and a higher quality of life for Illinois farmers.

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Illinois Farm Bureau District 18 Director Kenton Thomas shares a dock at Horseshoe Lake near Granite City with Daisy, his loyal hunting companion. The newly elected Thomas shares a passion for farming and waterfowl hunting. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

Thomas sets sights on Farm Bureau When harvest hits the bins, southern Illinois farmer Kenton Thomas escapes to the subsurface in a duck hunting pit.

“I think more than anything I like experiencing the outdoors,” said Thomas, the new District 18 Illinois Farm Bureau director. “Waterfowl season always comes in after harvest and makes it a very relaxing time.”

Since at least the 1950s, waterfowl hunting and farming have intertwined on his family’s farm, which grows 1,700 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and occasionally milo in Alexander and Pulaski counties. The family farms near the Mississippi and Ohio rivers with about 60 percent of their land in bottom ground. Hunting lease agreements on their farm, as well as farms throughout the area, prove common with the region’s vast refuges for forest and wildlife.

It was during his recent 10year stint as president of the Pulaski-Alexander Farm Bureau that the avid hunter

set his sights on the IFB Board.

Thomas lives with wife Paula near Thebes, where they raised two sons, Adam and Ivan. Adam returned to the farm four years ago and represents the farm’s fourth generation. The addition of his son’s labor and leadership allows Thomas to commit the time to serve District 18, which includes Gallatin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac, PopeHardin, Pulaski-Alexander, Saline, Union and Williamson counties.

Thomas intends to voice the needs and unique vantage points of Illinois’ most southern farmers.

“We have all sorts of farming in our area: hill farms, flat river bottom ground and a big disparity compared to the flat black of north,” Thomas said.

“I want to represent the people here and also make them realize what the Farm Bureau can do and has done for them.”

When time allows, Thomas squeezes in opportunities to fish, ski, camp or ride motorcycles. Within his community,

he serves on the local Extension board and remains active in his church. Thomas said this new level of Farm Bureau service allows him the opportunity to weigh in on decisions that can improve farmer profitability and strengthen family farming.

“With so many restrictions coming down from the EPA, it’s a continuous battle to stay ahead of all that,” he said.

“It’s a privilege to be able to help the Illinois farmer to do that.”

The Illinois Council on Best Management Practices (CBMP) last week announced $60,000 available for a new on-farm nitrogen program, known as the N-WATCH Sentinel Site Program. Sign-up continues through April 30 or until funds are depleted. Through the program, farmers inventory, track and verify plant-available nitrogen in fields.

CBMP will fund up to 200 sites in eight priority watersheds and up to 100 at-large sites across the state. The eight watersheds include the Lake

Springfield, Evergreen Lake, Lake Bloomington, Vermilion River, Salt Fork Vermilion, Lake Vermilion, Lake Decatur and Lake Mauvaise Terre watersheds.

Program sites will be tested four times between April and harvest. Participating farmers must give permission for their ag retailers to post abbreviated reports of their test results for an online community of farmers to observe and learn. Farmers will not be identified in the posted information.

Farmers may sign up

through local ag retailers or ag businesses. Individual farmers may sign up at {nwatchonline. com}.

“Before we can minimize the environmental impact of nutrients, we must first have a clear understanding of soil nitrogen behavior in a farmer’s field,” said Howard Brown, Ph.D., GROWMARK Inc. director of nutrient management and environmental sustainability.

For more information about the program, visit {illinoiscbmp. org} or {nwatchonline. com}.

BY JOANIE STIERS FarmWeek

CBMP announces $60,000 for on-farm nitrogen program

Page 3 • Monday, April 13, 2015 • FarmWeek

Bonje’ Gioja, Champaign County, rounds up a portion of her family’s flock of sheep and goats. Bonje’, one of nine children of Les and Penny Gioja, focuses on livestock for 4-H projects as well. (Photos by Daniel Grant)

Joy of Illinois Farm serves diverse customers

Spring lambing season successful

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

Les and Penny Gioja started a small farm on Labor Day 1993 with the intent to feed their family.

Twenty-two years later, the Giojas not only continue to produce much of their own food on their Champaign County operation, Joy of Illinois Farm, they also serve a diverse clientele of about 20 to 30 families.

The Giojas and their nine children (most are now adults and moved off the farm) raise sheep, goats, chickens and ducks along with other animals. They have a shipment of Freedom Ranger broiler chicks coming later this month.

Nutrients

The Giojas also recently wrapped up spring lambing season. A total of 38 lambs and kids were born on the farm this spring and just four were lost (two were stillborn and the other two didn’t survive due to other natural causes).

“It was pretty normal,” Penny Gioja said of the lambing season.

Some of the meat will be kept on the farm. The Giojas also consume the goat milk on their farm and make their own ice cream, cheese, butter and whey, among other products.

But they sell most of the meat direct to an ethnically diverse group of consumers.

They also sell about 12 dozen eggs per week, mostly to a loyal customer base, and some to random customers.

So, how did the Giojas go

Continued from page 1 time to incorporate. However, by attaching a tillage tool to their spreader, farmers could develop a one-pass system. Plus injection and incorporation reduces potential odor issues.

Assess the entire manure system for problems, such as trash, that cause equip-

from producing their own food to selling direct to consumers? In this case, location was a key factor.

“We never intended to sell anything to anybody,” Gioja said last week as she vaccinated a lamb. “The market just kind of came to us. People would drive by and see our goats, sheep or chickens and they’d stop by to see if they could buy them.”

Joy of Illinois Farm sits just off a busy country road between Champaign-Urbana and Mahomet.

Many of their customers come from the area, but one even drives down from Chicago each year.

“Our biggest market for chickens and ducks is the ethnic market,” said Goija, who works with clientele from Mexico, Guatemala, China and

ment breakdowns and downtime. Take time for you and your employees to pick up pieces of plastic and sticks before they get into the manure pit and equipment.

Lenkaitis estimated he saved four or five hours on his last application by installing more trash cans and collecting trash.

Examine the manure system for any extra material that adds unnecessary volume to stored manure. This includes wasted feed and water leaks.

“Look at your buildings and paved areas. If you don’t need to collect the water, can you divert it?” Lenkaitis asked.

Use manure nutrient levels as the basis for crop nutrient plans based on manure sample tests. “There can be quite a big swing of nutrients you’re putting on” even in the same manure pit, Lenkaitis said.

On his farm, after the manure is stirred and pumping, Lenkaitis pulls samples and stores them in a cooler before sending the sample group for nutrient testing. He then adjusts subsequent nutrient applications based on the test results of nutrients he’s Andy Lenkaitis records performance information already applied via manure. during product testing this spring at a slatted-floor Don’t forget to calibrate manure beef facility in Iowa. (Photos cour tesy Andy spreaders. “Nothing complicated” is required, but use everyday items such Lenkaitis)

Penny Gioja, Champaign County, holds a spring lamb on her family’s operation located between Mahomet and Champaign-Urbana.

Vietnam, among other countries.

The Goijas have a barn centrally located on their farm and raise most of the animals outdoors in a series of paddocks on five acres.

They utilize rotational grazing for the sheep and goats, although the goats receive supplements of grain in their feed.

“It’s amazing what you can do on five acres,” Gioja said.

Last year, they sold 35 sheep and goats, a dairy steer, two pigs, hundreds of eggs and waterfowl, in addition to other animals and products.

This year, the Gioja’s son, Josh, plans to move his family back to Joy of Illinois Farm, in

which case there will be three generations living on the property.

As for other future plans, Gioja believes they’ve maximized their production capabilities, but recommends starting small and servicing direct markets to other people interested in entering production agriculture.

“There’s enough demand,” she said. “You just have to build a core group of loyal customers.”

Small farms also can have an advantage of lower machinery costs, which can minimize debt loads for beginning farmers, Gioja added.

For more information, email joyofillinois@yahoo.com.

as a stop watch and tape measure, Lenkaitis said, adding “It saves the cost of an expensive flow meter.”

Livestock farmers may use current practices and technology, but Lenkaitis mentioned other practices and A farmer uses a concave disk and tool bar system to deposit manure research that and then cover it with soil to provide quick incorporation. may improve manure nutrient use in the future. Those include: • Manure treatments that stabilize Consider the following tips to betnitrogen similar to an anhydrous ammoter use manure nutrients: nia stabilizer; • Incorporate manure within 24 • Adding acid to lower manure’s pH hours or inject into soil for full nitrolevel, keeping nitrogen in a form that gen benefits; won’t volatilize, a practice used in Den• Examine entire manure system for any problems that cause downmark. That would allow manure applicatime; tions on pasture or fields in permanent • Alleviate or remove extra mateforage; and rial that unnecessarily increases vol• Michigan State University research of ume in manure pit; and slurry-enriched seeding of cover crops by • Test samples for nutrient levels mixing cover crop seed in a slurry tank — and base subsequent nutrient appliplanting and applying manure in a single cations on those amounts. process.

Nutrient notes

A LOOK AT ILLINOIS’ LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY

Where do horses fit in modern agriculture?

FarmWeek • Page 4 • Monday, April 13, 2015

Before the turn of the 20th century, there was no debate about where horses fit into agriculture or the role they played in our lives. At that time, horses outnumbered other farm species. They cultivated our fields, milled our grain, transported people and goods, and Sheryl King literally moved mountains.

In the modern world, however, the role of the horse in our society is less certain. The debate about whether a horse is considered livestock or a companion animal may seem trivial to many, but in reality it is pivotal to the survival of horses in society.

Why should the agricultural industry care? The legal, political, economic and moral implications of horses as livestock versus pets have the potential to entirely change the horse industry in the U.S. And changing the horse industry will impact other agricultural industries.

In the U.S., horses number more than 9 million, consuming vast quantities of staple commodities and hay. In short, the horse industry helps prop up vital services used by other types of farming, such as large

BY SHERYL KING

animal veterinarian access, fencing, trucks and trailer manufacture and sales, and much more.

In areas of heavy human population, horse farms often lie on the outer fringes of residential areas where they create a buffer zone that protects the more outlying farming areas from urban sprawl. In short, if you can keep the horses, you will protect the farmland beyond.

The majority of the nonhorse-owning public and animal rights extremists consider horses companion animals. Companion animals do not fall under the umbrella of the USDA, and are therefore susceptible to the whims of state and local regulatory agencies. This can lead to the loss of ownership rights, tax exemptions for producers and a growing elimination of horses from the landscape.

In Illinois, horses are considered livestock in all statutes except one — the Humane Care for Animals Act. That one statute, however, has been used as ammunition by animal rights groups and has the potential to cause trouble that can reverberate through our entire farming system.

Since horses can generate a greater emotional appeal than other farm animals, animal rights movements have cut their teeth on horse issues

first, learning the tactics that succeed in order to move forward into other areas of animal agriculture. Consider that California was the first state to ban horse processing.

What was learned in this campaign led to successful referendums to ban gestation crates for hogs, and battery cages for chickens.

Designating horses as livestock does not require an allor-nothing decision. One owner can still consider his or her horse as a highly regarded workmate, while neighbors can see theirs as cherished pets, all the while adding federal and

consistent standards for humane care, which would be managed by USDA, not local animal control officials.

Conversely, moving the designation of horses from livestock to companion animal will increase the dictation of terms, conditions and expense of horsekeeping that, in the end, would reduce a vibrant industry to one enjoyed only in restricted areas or afforded only by the elite.

The Horsemen’s Council of Illinois, along with other state and national organizations, including the American Association of Equine Practition-

ers, a branch of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Horse Council, agree unequivocally that horses should be federally and locally designated as livestock — not just for the benefit of horse owners, but for the benefit of livestock and grain producers across the state.

Sheryl King, Ph.D., serves as president of the Horsemen’s Council of Illinois. She retired as director of the Southern Illinois University (SIU) Equine Science Program and general manager of the 50head SIU Horse Center.

Bedding, milk quality go hand in hand on Illinois dairy farms

Last summer, the University of Illinois Dairy Focus Team visited 20 Illinois dairy farms. One of the objectives was to investigate the association between bedding material and milk quality in dairy farms.

Usually, two main types of bedding are available for dairy farmers: organic bedding: wood shavings, sawdust, manure solids and straw; and inorganic bedding: sand and mattress. It is important to choose a material that provides a clean and comfortable surface for the cow to lie down while still being economical.

The type, amount, percentage of dry matter (DM) and percentage of organic matter (OM) in the bedding Phil Cardoso can influence dairy cows’ lying behavior and performance. Failure to maintain adequate amount of bedding will result in stalls that are not comfortable, which can result in hock injuries (bald spots) and sole ulcers that can be caused by prolonged standing time.

Sand is still the most popular bedding type.

Over time, bedding quality decreases as it becomes contaminated with urine, milk and feces. This implies an increase in OM and a decrease in DM. Cows should be bedded with sand containing less than 3 percent OM and more than 95 percent DM. Manure handling and stall design can be considered one of the biggest challenges in bedding systems. When manure is mixed with sand, it can be

BY DR. PHIL CARDOSO

challenging to clean barns. So, the barn set up, the alley floors and manure-handling systems should be adapted to solve this issue.

A proper neck rail location will prevent the presence of urine or manure in the bed. An ideal position of the neck rail is 64 to 72 inches forward from the rear curb. A brisket board can restrict the forward location of a cow lying in the stall. Ideally, the brisket board is less than 2 inches away from the neck rail.

During our visits, we found 16 farms (80 percent) had a sand bedding system; approximately 32 percent of those farms had a combination of sand and different type of bedding like straw or compost.

Among the other four farms, there were two (10 percent) with straw bedding; one (5 percent) had

sawdust; and one (5 percent) had its cows on pasture.

Bedding samples were taken from different spots located in lactating and dry cow stalls. Dry matter analysis was performed in all types of bedding, and OM analysis only in sand-bedded stalls. On average, the 12 farms that used sand as bedding had 92 ± 8 percent DM, 3 ± 2.7 percent OM, and average tank somatic cell count (SCC) of 204,000 ± 91,000 cells/milliliter. As OM in bedding increased, the SCC also increased.

Remember that bedding quality is associated with the ability of the animals to express natural behavior, and with milk production and quality.

High SCC is associated with low milk production and higher risk for mastitis. Dairy farmers should know the quality of the bedding material used in their operations and that their management allows for OM less than 3 percent and DM greater than 95 percent.

Dr. Phil Cardoso serves as an assistant professor of animal sciences at the University of Illinois.

A LOOK AT ILLINOIS’ LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY

Page 5 • Monday, April 13, 2015 • FarmWeek

Expanding exports key for pork producers Expanding trade benefits all farmers. Accessing customers around the world increases the demand base for our products. Gaining and expanding access to markets through Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) is paramount to Curt Zehr the continued success of the U.S. pork industry.

Exports add significantly to the bottom line of each U.S. pork producer. That was apparent with the recent slowdown at the West Coast ports and the subsequent decline in hog prices. At a recent meeting, I heard a very interesting statistic — each 1 percent change in consumption results in a 3 percent change in hog prices. The more pork we can move in overseas markets, the more money it will put in farmers’ pockets.

Pork is the poster child for trade agreements and expanded trade. U.S. exports of pork and pork products totaled 2.18 million metric tons in 2014, representing about 27 percent of production and adding more than $63 to the value of each hog marketed. U.S. exports of pork and pork products have increased by 1,550 percent in value and 1,268 percent in volume since 1989, the year the U.S. implemented the free trade agreement with Canada and started opening international mar-

BY CURT ZEHR

kets for value-added agriculture products.

Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) is the law by which Congress authorizes the president to negotiate trade agreements. TPA defines U.S. negotiating objectives and spells out a detailed

to close the TPP negotiations when Congress passes TPA. If Congress does not pass TPA, the 11 TPP countries involved in negotiations with the United States won’t be empowered to get to the bottom line position. Instead, it will signal to those TPP part-

‘U.S. exports of pork and pork products totaled 2.18 million metric tons in 2014, representing about 27 percent of production and adding more than $63 to the value of each hog marketed.’

— Curt Zehr Illinois Pork Producers Association president

oversight and consultation process between U.S. negotiators and members of Congress throughout the course of trade negotiations. TPA has been an important element in the negotiation, and subsequent congressional approval, of all U.S. trade agreements since the 1960’s.

The key reason TPA is needed again is so the administration can conclude TransPacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. The TPP has the potential to be the highest standard, most economically significant regional FTA ever negotiated. And the United States is largely driving the proverbial bus on the trade talks. It is critically important that the United States get TPP right. U.S. trade negotiators will have the final leverage they need

ners, to the Asia-Pacific region — the fastest growing economic area in the world — and to the entire world that the United States is turning its back on the Asia-Pacific region, and that it is willing to allow other nations to write the rules of trade. There are a myriad of other FTAs under negotiation in the Asia-Pacific region that, if implemented, would undermine U.S. competitiveness in the region.

The United States is one of the lowest cost producers of pork in the world and wellpositioned to capture a significant share of the growing global pork market. Congress needs to pass TPA legislation to ensure the future growth of pork and ag exports.

DDGS, the corn is cooked to gelatinize starch prior to fermentation. However, uncooked DDGS can also be used if specific enzymes are used to predigest the starch prior to fermentation. Some ethanol plants also use a different fractionation technology to produce DDGS with more protein than conventional DDGS.” Stein’s team tested diets containing 30 percent conventional DDGS (DDGS-CV), high-protein distillers dried grains (HPDDG), or uncooked DDGS (DDGS-BPX), and compared them with a corn-soybean meal basal diet. They conducted one experiment using growing pigs and another experiment using finishing pigs to determine if the pigs’ growth stage affected their utilization of the different ingredients.

Results indicated that pigs fed DDGS-CV, HP-DDG or DDGS-BPX had no differences in average daily gain,

average daily feed intake and gain-to-feed ratio compared with pigs fed the basal diet.

This was true for both growing and finishing pigs.

With a few exceptions, there was no difference in retention of energy, protein or lipids between pigs fed the test ingredients. Growing pigs fed the basal diet retained more protein than pigs fed DDGS-

Curt Zehr of Washington serves as Illinois Pork Producers Association president.

Meat – what’s the beef ?

The main animal agriculture species - hogs, cattle and poultry — become the primary meat categories of pork, beef and chicken or turkey. Meat products include a wide range of processed and unprocessed parts of animals, including some parts we do not consume much of here in the U.S. Meat products matter because they concentrate a lot of the value of Illinois corn and soybeans into a pound of finished beef, pork or chicken before it leaves Illinois. In this way, the cost of transportation of bulk corn or soybeans is greatly reduced, resulting in a higher price for those commodities at the farm gate.

But lately, meat supply and demand compoMike Doherty nents have been in turmoil. One of the major changes in the meat products marketing channel has been the increase in overseas demand over the past years. As Tamara Nelsen, Illinois Farm Bureau director of commodities, noted recently, “Pork exports have gone from 11 percent to 25 percent of our production in the last 15 years.” Meanwhile, U.S. Meat Export Federation reports more than a 300 percent climb in beef export volume during the last 10 years.

Even in the face of a strong U.S. dollar, which effectively raises the price of our products for overseas buyers, as well as the backlog and partial shutdowns of the West Coast port facilities, the value of U.S. “red meat” exports was 12 percent higher in the first 11 months of 2014 compared to the same months of 2013, despite physical volumes matching but not exceeding 2013. (USDA Economic Research Service, April 3.)

Eventually, today’s low corn and soybean prices will help lower beef prices in accordance with the two- to three-year time lag due to the biological cycle of beef cattle. Expectations are that low prices for corn and soybeans will eventually result in lower beef prices. Jim Fraley, IFB livestock program director, has pointed out, “Feed represents 60 percent of the animal’s cost of production.” For now, however, with the price of calves having more than doubled and resulting thin profit margins at the feedlot stage, it may be well into 2016 before beef exports can rebound.

However, John D. Anderson, American Farm Bureau Federation deputy chief economist, noted if the most recent USDA meat export forecast holds, beef, pork and chicken exports will decline.

On the pork side, prices are sinking relative to beef. Many analysts expect pork production to increase by up to 5 percent this year. Pork exports are not likely to expand. Combined with a large supply of pork in Europe, domestic prices in the U.S. are expected to decline.

So, what’s all the beef about? Well, it all depends on what stage of supply and demand you are looking at: calving operations, feedlots, domestic U.S. consumption or the international export market.

BY MIKE DOHERTY

U of I research finds swine can thrive on DDGS of all types Swine diets in the U.S. increasingly contain distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). However, in recent years, different types of DDGS have come on the market.

‘Results indicated that pigs fed DDGS had no differences in average daily gain.’

— Hans Stein University of Illinois animal sciences professor

“Ethanol plants use different procedures to produce DDGS, which results in different end products,” said Hans H. Stein, a University of Illinois animal sciences professor.

“To produce conventional

Mike Doherty serves as IFB senior economist and policy analyst.

CV or HP-DDG. Finishing pigs fed DDGS-BPX had greater lipid gain than pigs fed DDGS-CV. Net energy in DDGS-CV was greater than in HP-DDG or DDGS-BPX if fed to finishing pigs, but that was not the case if fed to growing pigs.

“Results from this study indicate that whereas there are some differences in retention

of energy and nutrients among the different sources of DDGS, these differences are not of such a magnitude that they affect growth performance,” said Stein. “Conventional, high-protein or uncooked DDGS can be included at up to 30 percent in growing and finishing pig diets without a negative effect on performance.”

Extension app records horse body condition Extension horse specialists from Purdue University and the University of Nebraska developed an app that enables smartphone users to calculate a horse’s body condition score and record the score with a photo of the horse. The app is available at iTunes and Google Play for $1.99.

Future users of the HorseBCS app include horse owners and trainers, mounted law enforcement, and 4-H members and leaders.

“It’s a numerical system where you assign a number based on some physical parameters that measure how much fat is covering the horse’s body,” said Colleen Brady of Purdue

Extension. “Body condition scoring is a vital part of monitoring your horse’s health and assessing your feeding program. Changes in body condition can be indicators of other health issues as well.”

Brady and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension specialist Kathy Anderson developed the app. In addition to the mobile app, a desktop application syncs with the mobile device and allows the user to print the condition score records or save them with their other horse management files.

For more information about HorseBCS, visit {tinyurl.com/horsebcsapp}.

FarmWeek • Page 6 • Monday, April 13, 2015 Brian Sisson, Belvidere, Boone County: As we are now into the first part of spring, the wheat crop came out of dormancy the past 10 to 14 days and looks pretty good. Until Thursday, we missed most of the rains during the past few weeks. The lack of subsoil moisture is a bit concerning going into the growing season. Thursday brought 1+ inches of rain for most of the area. I think most of us welcomed the rains to finally firm up fields. A few guys got started putting on anhydrous before the rains.

Most will get back into the fields once they dry up. We have rain chances starting next Tuesday for most of next week.

Pete Tekampe, Grayslake, Lake County: Welcome to Crop Watchers 2015. We received a little more than 2 inches of rain Thursday morning, which was the first measurable rain this spring. Then around 6 p.m. Thursday, more storms came through with a lot of wind, but only about 1 inch of rain. Looks like the wheat survived the winter well. I fertilized my wheat Tuesday, and with Friday’s rain, it greened up and looked good. The rain came down fast and hard because we have a lot of ponding. Luckily, we missed all of the severe storms. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people in the storm areas.

Leroy Getz, Savanna, Carroll County: Welcome to another crop season from this northwest corner of Illinois. After lots of fall tillage with less than normal anhydrous being applied, the spring work started April 1. Anhydrous has been running fast with some delays in obtaining products. We were able to get all of ours applied Wednesday.

Our oats and alfalfa were seeded April 6.

There was a strong rain of about .5 of an inch with some hail and wind that hit Thursday evening. There was some damage to some buildings in southern Carroll County, but I don’t have details at this time.

Ryan Frieders, Waterman, DeKalb County: Greetings from Waterman, DeKalb County. This season starts off with a severe storm including hail, damaging winds, large amounts of rainfall and tornados in the area. Violent storm cells missed our farm to the north and the south. There was a lot of damage, and prayers go out to all affected by the storm. On the home front, some anhydrous application was done before the rain. Field conditions need to improve for any tillage to begin, and it looks like it will be a while before it dries out. We are ready to go when it’s fit with our seed in the shed and tractors pointed out the doors.

Larry Hummel, Dixon, Lee County: Spring 2015 has a different feel to it. There is still the excitement of an upcoming season full of twists and turns, but that feeling deep down in my stomach involves fall corn bids at $3.65, while input costs are more in line with $5 corn. It’s time to batten down the hatches and analyze every input. Maybe I had a good return on investment at $4.50 corn, but is it still a good deal when grain prices are almost 25 percent less? Farming isn’t all about money, but it sure comes in handy if you want to be around to plant another crop in 2016.

Ken Reinhardt, Seaton, Mercer County: Rains have been much less than normal so far this year. The Seaton area did get a couple of inches midweek that much of the rest of the county did not receive. This area has shown up as being in moderate drought the last couple of weeks. There was a big percentage of anhydrous ammonia to be applied this spring, and it got done easily. Corn planting will start this week with temperatures in the 70s.

Ron Moore, Roseville, Warren County: Hello again from western Illinois. The winter was better than last year; there wasn’t as much snow and cold. The spring so far has been dry in this area. The tiles are not running very much water right now. We have only had .5 of an inch of rain in the last three weeks. Some corn was planted last week. If it warms up, the planters will be rolling. The grass has not started to grow in the pastures yet. We will need some rain to jump start the grass. I look forward to reporting again this year.

Jacob Streitmatter, Princeville, Peoria County: It’s that time of year again. Dry weather last week has led to a lot of anhydrous being put on. Rain finally fell across the area this week. There was not much accumulation; less than 1 inch in my area, but much needed.

We now need warm weather.

Tim Green, Wyoming, Stark County: I farm corn and soybeans on the Marshall/Stark County line. We are about 60/40 corn and beans. I work with one hired man. It’s pretty quiet around here right now. There has been a little anhydrous going on and spring fertilizer being applied. The ground temperature has been pretty good up until the last few days. It’s pretty dry. Some are getting caught up with conservation work and tiling. I think most people are looking at staying with about the same crop mixture. Be safe.

Mark Kerber, Chatsworth, Livingston County: Spring must be here — it’s time for CropWatchers to start again. Inputs are in place and machinery is ready as we wait for good soil conditions and a favorable forecast to plant. So far, we’ve had no heavy, damaging, eroding rains, but that usually happens after we plant. Marketing last year’s crop and our new crop has been lackluster as our grain prices haven’t given us many really good opportunities. Tighten your belt for lower prices.

Ron Haase, Gilman, Iroquois County: I farm with my brother, David, on the western side of Iroquois County just north of La Hogue. We will be in our second year of putting soybeans back into our crop rotation after having been 100 percent corn for 10 years. There were some local farmers in the fields during Easter weekend and into Monday (April 6) before intermittent rain showers arrived. Some of them were applying anhydrous ammonia and others were leveling fields. We are still making our final tune-ups before it’s time to plant. Local closing prices for April 9 were nearby corn, $3.56; new-crop corn, $3.66; nearby soybeans, $9.36; new-crop soybeans, $9.07.

Brian Schaumburg, Chenoa, McLean County: The longawaited spring arrived as has our first grandchild, a boy, born April 6. Fieldwork began this past week as soil conditions are exceptional with farmers getting a good start on spraying, NH3 and dry fertilizer applications, and a little bit of tillage. It has been a little dry since 2015 began, and we welcome the rains that are forecast. Our area will likely see an increase in soybean planting as corn on corn is economically less desirable. This will be a year of sharper pencils and pinched pennies as commodity prices are not holding up as well as in years past.

Prices at Prairie Central Co-op: Corn, $3.67, fall, $3.77; soybeans, $9.53, fall, $9.20; wheat, $4.64.

Carrie Winkelmann, Tallula, Menard County: I raise soybeans and corn with my husband, Kyle, and my father-in-law in rural Tallula. I have two children, Lydia (3) and Grady (1.5). As I start my reporting this year, I am listening to the wind howl and being thankful that the hail we just got came now and not with a crop in the field. Maybe Mother Nature will get that out of her system now instead of later. Spring is definitely here, the apricot tree is blooming, the rhubarb is up, and my father-in-law has laid claim to the first batch of asparagus that was to be picked Friday. We have spent this week spraying 28 percent on all of our corn acres as it was too wet last fall, and so far this spring, to get in the fields with anhydrous. There has been anhydrous going on and a small amount of tillage done in our area. I wish everyone a safe spring planting.

Steve Ayers, Champaign, Champaign County: Spring has sprung all around us with tornado and severe thunderstorm watches and warnings Thursday night, which fortunately weakened as they moved east. Before the rains, farmers were in the field doing tillage, applying anhydrous, and some fields have been planted. Wednesday at 5:15 a.m., thunderstorms rumbled through the area with hail, 50 mph winds and .43 of an inch of rain. Wednesday night into Thursday morning, we had more thunderstorms that dropped 1 inch of rain. Soil temperature was 55 degrees and fields have a hint of green as weeds are sprouting. Let’s be careful out there!

Wilfred Dittmer, Quincy, Adams County: Hello again from Adams County where the grass is already getting its green color, which means it is time to get mowers going, along with all the other spring jobs. Weather-wise, we are pretty dry with virtually no rainfall since the last snow. Some are catching up on spring NH3 and dry fertilizer. I have not seen any planters, but probably will if the weekend stays dry. Do be careful as the new season gets under way.

Todd Easton, Charleston, Coles County: Greetings everyone. Another CropWatcher season has begun, although the growing season is having trouble getting off the ground. We fortunately avoided any Easter rain, but the time since has been quite wet, leaving machinery mostly in the shed. We have several weeks of frozen ground that worked out well for dry fertilizer applications over the winter, and more recently, a few days where you could drive across the fields to spread or apply anhydrous ammonia on the drier fields in the northern part of the county. Soil temperatures have finally started to stay above 50 degrees in the last few days, so now we wait for the April showers to subside and start another crop.

Jimmy Ayers, New City, Sangamon County: We received anywhere from .7 to 1.4 inches of rain Thursday. We received 1.36 at our home, which is southeast of Springfield in New City. The majority of the activity has been anhydrous and a little bit of working dirt.

The first corn got planted in our area March 31. Not a massive amount of corn has been planted. It’s been rather hard to pick a place to work as most of the ground has been fairly wet. Looking forward to the 2015 year. A lot of opportunities to try to make things work. With the prices dropping like they have been, it’s going to change our scenario and it’s harder to show a profit during these times. Good luck to everyone this year.

David Schaal, St. Peter, Fayette County: Welcome and greetings for the 2015 season from soggy southeastern Fayette County. It has been a wet week around here with rainfall totaling 2.75 inches in the last seven to eight days. There has been no field activity at all in this part of the county. There has been some tillage in the northern part of the county, but nothing planted that I know of. Some fields are starting to get a good cover of weeds. They either need a spraying or tillage soon. Temperatures finally got a little warmer this past week.

Jeff Guilander, Jerseyville, Jersey County: We are off to a roaring start for 2015. The storms Wednesday and Thursday brought what little progress was being made to a standstill, and in some cases, took it a step back. We were lucky with a few inches of rain and minor overall damage, but a couple of the local implement dealers got hit a little harder. I closed last year’s report with bring on 2015 ... call me humbled.

Dan Meinhart, Montrose, Jasper County: Welcome to another season of crop watching.

No fieldwork has been done yet this spring in our area. It rained almost every day this past week. Heavy rains, some with hail and damaging winds, moved through the area Thursday morning and late Thursday evening. Farmers are preparing machinery for planting and moving grain when weather permits. More rain is in the forecast for several days in the near future. Have a safe week.

Page 7 • Monday, April 13, 2015 • FarmWeek Dave Hankammer, Millstadt, St. Clair County: Welcome back to a new growing season. It was a cold, hard winter with little snow cover on the wheat crop during the coldest temperatures.

Despite the questionable appearance of the wheat, the crop broke dormancy and is tillering. There were only a few days at the end of March to apply fertilizer to the wheat due to rainy conditions. Very little fieldwork has been done to prepare for the spring crops due to wet field conditions. Anhydrous applications are far behind schedule at this time. We have received more than 3 inches of rain since April 3. Additional rain is predicted for the coming week. Have a safe week.

Kevin Raber, Browns, Wabash County: Heavy rains the past week have kept everyone at a standstill. I applied a few acres of NH3, mainly to make sure we had the bugs out of the electronics.

Some early burndown chemical has also been sprayed. The wheat has been looking surprisingly good, but all this water may change my outlook on it. Very few wheat acres were planted here locally, so hopefully most acres will make it to harvest!

Rick Corners, Centralia, Jefferson County: Fuel ‘er up, check the oil, kick the tires, and get ready to take another ride through the adventures we call “farming in southern Illinois.” Oh yeah, don’t forget to check the DEF fluid. Rain, rain, and more rain. Mud is the byword for now. Nothing much going on field wise. Still lots of herbicide to be put on the wheat and lots of nitrogen needs to go on as well. Wheat acres are about the lowest I have ever seen. I have lots of neighbors who didn’t plant any this year. Another week or 10 days of this wet weather and everyone is going to start getting a little nervous.

Doug Uphoff, Shelbyville, Shelby County: This is my second season farming with my son, Elliott, and probably 42nd with my dad, Duane. Time flies when you’re having fun. We received 1.8 inches of rain for the month of March and 1.5 inches this month as of 5 p.m.

Thursday. We had one day to put on anhydrous north and west of here.

It was too wet in the fields by my house, but chiseled cornstalks were somewhat drier.

Unworked bean stubble was really wet. There were 40 acres north of Findlay planted and some over by Assumption. Much drier north and west of here. People east of Springfield were planting and doing fieldwork until last Thursday. Winter annuals are starting to green up here on unworked ground. Stay away, cutworm moths.

Dean Shields, Murphysboro, Jackson County: Tuesday was moist. It rained most of the afternoon, which left us with 2 inches of rain. We had another big rain last week, so it will be a while before we can start farming. Before the rain, there was some NH3 applied and a few acres of corn planted. We got a lot of spraying done. It should keep the weeds down if it continues to be wet. Otherwise, we have been working in the shop. Take care and have a safe planting season.

Randy Anderson, Galatia, Saline County: As I sat here writing my report, there was thunder and lightning with the smell of a spring rain. Very little fieldwork has been done. A few fields have been sprayed, but the sprayer was making tracks. What wheat there is looks rough due to a hard winter and a bad start last fall. It has been a real challenge to get the nitrogen on. You talk to some producers and they still are not sure how much corn or beans they will plant.

Some say no corn and all beans. With the commodity prices for either crop, it is nothing to get excited about. Still putting some finishing touches on equipment and getting seed in.

Ken Taake, Ullin, Pulaski County: Welcome to the 2015 crop year from the rolling hills in Pulaski County in deep southern Illinois. The 2015 year has started out much like 2014 — wet! It was raining again Thursday night as I filed this report. Outside of a small amount of anhydrous and a little bit of dry fertilizer, there has been no fieldwork done in our area. Most area farmers haven’t been in the field at all, and that includes us. Hopefully I will have more to report by next week. Please remember to be safe if you are in the field.

Tornado outbreak devastates portions of northern Illinois

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek An outbreak of at least two tornadoes, strong winds and hail left a trail of devastation across northern Illinois Thursday evening.

Fairdale, a town of about 200 residents located about 20 miles southeast of Rockford along the DeKalb and Ogle County line, took a direct hit. Every home in the community was leveled or absorbed extensive damage, according to news reports.

“It really wiped out the

town,” said Earl Williams, Illinois Farm Bureau District 2 director from Cherry Valley, who attended school in Fairdale as a young boy and lived just 8 miles from the town. “We could see dark clouds from both sides.

Fortunately, it went around us.

We’re very thankful.”

The most devastating twister carved about a 50-mile path from near Franklin Grove (Lee County) to Rochelle and Hillcrest (Ogle County), Fairdale and Kirkland (DeKalb County) to near Harvard (Boone County).

Above, a pickup truck and combine sustain serious damage on Jim Schabacker’s Ogle County farm. A tornado struck the farm Thursday night, destroying two equipment sheds and a barn. Below, debris wraps around a sprayer on Schabacker’s farm. (Photos by Ron Kern, Ogle County Farm Bureau manager)

One fatality in Fairdale and numerous injuries to people located along the tornado’s path were reported Friday morning.

A second tornado was reported near the Rockford Airport to Cherry Valley through Winnebago and Boone counties.

“I got home around 6:20 (p.m.) and heard sirens going off,” said Ron Kern, manager o f t h e O g l e C o u n t y Fa r m Bureau. “When you look at the path of damage, this (large tornado) may have been on the ground the entire time. That, or it kept hopping up and down.”

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

No official damage estimates were available as of Far mWeek deadline Friday morning, but witnesses report a number of homes, far ms, outbuildings and businesses were damaged or destroyed.

About 60,000 people were without power Friday morning.

Kern reported some Farm Bureau members in his county had extensive damage on their farms. Williams was aware of damage to farms in his area, too.

A restaurant near Rochelle also was leveled and trapped a dozen people inside for nearly two hours

before rescue workers were able to safely get everyone out.

C r e s t Fo o d s i n A s h t o n reported on its website that a warehouse, mix facility and production area received damage.

Williams said the stor m dropped about quarter-size hail and nearly 2 inches of rain on his farm.

A tornado touchdown also was reported near Peoria Thursday. It fortunately missed populated areas. A band of large hail also was reported in central Illinois from the Illinois River to the eastern edge of the state.

Active weather pattern limits fieldwork opportunities

An active and, at times, severe weather pattern kept most farmers out of the field last week.

And it appears that trend could continue this week as more showers and thunderstorms may pop up, based on the forecast as of late last week.

“It looks like we could dry out over the weekend, but it won’t matter,” said Amanda Wertz, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Lincoln. “It appears we’ll have a pretty active pattern most of (this) week.”

The rain chances this week could add up to another couple inches in some areas.

Many areas of the state received 1 to 2 inches of rain early last week prior to another front that passed over the state Thursday night and Friday morning.

Clay City (Clay County) received 2.42 inches of rain in a 24-hour period last week, while local rivers near Lawrenceville were near flood stage.

Flash flooding also was reported in eastern Illinois, including Champaign and Vermilion counties.

One thunderstorm cell unloaded a half to three-fourths of an inch of rain on McLean County in just 10 minutes.

The storms also pounded parts of the state with hail. One-inch hail was reported in Pekin, among other locations.

Soil conditions, as a result, remain quite soggy. Topsoil moisture as of the first of last week

was rated 93 percent adequate to surplus and just 7 percent short in Illinois.

“You’d like to have four to five days of unencumbered planting,” said Ed Leonard Jr., a far mer from Niantic and president of the Macon County Farm Bureau.

Leonard managed to plant about 120 acres of corn last week, while a handful of neighbors also got a start.

A number of farmers also applied nitrogen to get ready for planting, he reported.

“The threat of rain didn’t materialize (on my far m), but around us it has,” Leonard said Thursday morning.

Planting of most crops in the U.S. got off to a slow start. But Leonard shows no worries at this point.

“I think we’ve gotten used to planting earlier and earlier. But what we consider normal isn’t what it used to be,” he said. “We’ll get it done.”

USDA’s first crop progress report of the season last week showed planting of oats (32 percent) and sorghum (9 percent) behind the average pace as of April 5. Planting of cotton, rice and sugarbeets also trailed the five-year averages last week.

USDA expects to issue its first corn planting p r o g r e s s r e p o r t o f t h e s e a s o n t o d ay. — Daniel Grant

USDA supply/demand report offers little support to markets

FarmWeek • Page 8 • Monday, April 13, 2015

bushels of corn (up 50 million bushels from last month), 370 million bushels of beans (down 15 million bushels) and 684 million bushels of wheat (down 7 million bushels).

“I can’t find anything positive to the upside,” Peter Georgantones, analyst with Roy E. Abbott Futures, said during a teleconference hosted by the Minneapolis Grain Exchange.

“It (the soybean ending stocks estimate) is a number

they (in the trade) were looking for,” he continued. “(Corn carryout) is not bullish at all or bearish. We’re just sort of stuck right now.”

Meanwhile, USDA left its export estimates unchanged at 1.79 billion bushels of beans and 1.8 billion bushels of corn.

“We didn’t really see a ton of changes (in the supply/ demand report),” Georgantones said. “It’s no real surprise. We’re in a bear market for commodities right now.”

USDA lowered its season average price estimates by a nickel for corn (to a range of $3.55 to $3.85 per bushel) and down a dime at the midpoint for soybeans to a range of $9.60 to $10.60.

The season average price estimate for all wheat nudged up a dime on the low end to a range of $6 to $6.10 per bushel.

Georgantones expressed concern that farmers could lose money on the crops they’ll plant this spring at last week’s prices. He encourages farmers to sell old crop on rallies and

consider hedging some of this year’s crop.

“A lot of farmers were caught off guard at these prices (so far this spring),” the analyst said. “Many (farmers) haven’t sold enough (old) crop or hedged enough new crop.

Farmers are holding a lot of corn.”

Big crop prospects in South America, particularly for beans, also could weigh on the markets in coming months.

USDA last week left its crop production estimates unchanged for Brazil (including a record 94.5 million metric tons of beans). Meanwhile, the Ag Department raised its estimate for crop output in Argentina by .5 of a million metric ton of corn and 1 million metric ton of beans.

USDA last week also lowered its estimate for U.S. wheat exports by 20 million bushels due to “continued strong competition in global markets.” It raised U.S. sorghum exports by 50 million bushels on the back of strong demand from China.

USDA takes food waste education mobile with FoodTracker, a new mobile application to help consumers and industry professionals reduce food waste.

The app informs con-

sumers, manufacturers and retailers how to properly store, and prepare food and drinks to prevent waste. It features advice on almost 500 items including baby food, dairy products and eggs, meat, poul-

try, produce and seafood.

USDA estimates 21 percent of food in the U.S. goes uneaten at the consumer level, and 36 pounds of food per person is wasted each month on both retail and consumer levels.

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

USDA last week tweaked crop supply and demand estimates in its monthly report.

But the changes likely won’t have much impact on the markets as the trend of ample supplies and uninspiring crop prices continues to be the theme this spring.

USDA projects 2014-15 ending stocks at 1.827 billion Visit FarmWeekNow.com to hear USDA supply/ demand numbers.

USDA unveils food waste app for consumers

Lending Support to Generations of Farm Families

Ag students use ‘real world’ lesson to upgrade WIU farm technology

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Western Illinois University (WIU) agriculture marketing students learned “real world” lessons about the value of cuttingedge technology.

“In these times, we have to be free thinkers; we want to increase revenue, not cut,” said Andy Baker, director of WIU’s School of Agriculture. “We know we need these things, and they’re not going to come to us with our hands out.”

Last week, students in Animal Science Professor Mark Hoge’s livestock merchandising class completed a project — a two-day online auction to buy new technology for WIU’s research farm.

Their responsibilities ranged from surfacing and securing donated sale items to organizing and promoting the sale. Hoge assisted, but the work fell to students.

The professor said he’s bothered when students’ efforts are dismissed with a wait-untilyou-get-into-the-real-world comment. “This (auction) is as real world as it gets,” Hoge added.

In a few months, students accomplished much after the idea of a Livestock Legacy Sale started with Baker and Monte Lowderman, an auctioneer with Lowderman Auction Co. and ag school advisory board member. When students reported March 13 to the advisory board, “we were blown away,” Baker said. “I was amazed they had 50-plus (donated sale) items secured, and the advisory board was totally wowed.”

Blake Bauer, a senior ag science major from Ramsey, said the class hoped to raise $50,000 or half of the cost of an individual feed efficiency system. He related students asked businesses for donations, organized and promoted the sale. The project proved more challenging and took more time than Bauer said he anticipated, but the end result will pay dividends.

Not only will the technology “make WIU’s bull test sale one of the best in the nation, but from an educational standpoint, it (the technology) will be outstanding,” Bauer said. “We’re hoping to continue on (fundraising sales) and do it for the swine farm.”

Carly Lukas, an accounting-business major from Jefferson, Wis., added the students hope to use this year’s auction “as a platform for future sales ... It is important to involve students in any improvement.”

Hoge noted WIU’s bull test sale “has to stand (financially) alone ... Students wanted to be part of something and raise money for it.” He plans to build upon sale experience — regardless of the outcome. “If it doesn’t go well, we will modify,” Hoge said. Baker also pointed to students’ real-world experience of learning about corporate donations and investments.

In addition to the sale’s practical benefits for students and ag research, the legacy sale also offers a message, according to Hoge. “The state of Illinois is having tough times. We have to be persistent and believe in what we’re doing.”

WIU Livestock Legacy Sale raises money

Western Illinois University’s School of Agriculture raised $33,727 in two days during its first Livestock Legacy Sale.

Although livestock merchandising students fell short of their goal, Ag School Director Andy Baker appreciated students’ efforts. “At least, this gives us seed money,” Baker said earlier in the week.

High capacity well users must report inventories

BY KAY SHIPMAN FarmWeek

Agricultural irrigators using high capacity wells begin reporting water inventories this year. State law was amended in 2010 to require a mandatory reporting provision take effect

Visit FarmWeekNow.com to learn more about reporting irrigation water usage.

800.444.FARM (3276)

farmcreditIL.com

in 2015.

The Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) posted regulatory information, methods to esti-

mate water use and a handbook online at {www.sws.uiuc.edu/ gws/iwip/irrigation/}.

During the last year, Illinois Farm Bureau has worked with ISWS to develop a reporting approach. County Farm Bureau managers have received information about the requirements.

Lauren Lurkins, IFB director of natural and environmental resources, encouraged irrigators to become familiar with the requirement and estimation methods on the ISWS website.

Irrigators with questions should contact their county Farm Bureau.

Bigger crops drive need for transportation upgrades

Page 9 • Monday, April 13, 2015 • FarmWeek

BY DANIEL GRANT FarmWeek

U.S. farmers continue to grow bigger crops, when conditions allow, as they strive to feed a growing population.

Crop production last year set new national records of 14.216 billion bushels of corn and 3.969 billion bushels of beans, according to USDA. In Illinois, corn production increased from 1.28 billion

bushels during the 2012 drought season to 2.1 billion bushels in 2013 and 2.35 billion bushels last year. Soybean production in the state jumped from 384 million bushels in 2012 to 462 million bushels in 2013 and 548 million bushels last year.

And more will be needed in the future as the world population could expand an estimated 30 percent by 2040.

But simply producing more

SIX TON VOLUNTEER EFFORT

Doug Yunker, Cook County Farm Bureau Young Leader chairman, presents a $300 check to Carrie Hennessy (in green shirt) with the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD). Nearly 100 CCFB Young Leaders labeled and packaged 13,632 cans of food weighing 12,780 pounds in just more than two hours of volunteer work at GCFD. Young Leaders collected the $300 through the Harvest For All program. (Photo by Bob Rohrer, CCFB manager)

Cover crop, soil health demo Wednesday A demonstration and program focusing on cover crops and soil health occurs Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon on the Stephen Currier farm near Kewanee. Reservations for lunch are due Monday.

Dean Oswald, cover crop specialist with the Illinois Council on Best Management Practices, and Roger Windhorn, soil specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, will speak and answer questions. Participants will tour three plots that display six cover crop species seeded last fall.

The farm is located 1.5 miles east off Illinois Route 78 on North 1300 and south on East 2900. Signs will mark the site.

For reservations or more information, call the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District at 309-937-5263, Ext. 3, or email Ryan.Arch@il.nacdnet.net.

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food won’t meet the dietary needs of the next generation unless the ag industry can move commodities efficiently across the globe and into the hands of consumers.

Commodity group leaders and state officials discussed the situation last week at a transportation roundtable hosted by the Illinois Soybean Association in Bloomington. “Will transportation keep up with production long term?

That’s the question,� said Philip Nelson, Illinois Department of Agriculture director. “We need to get commodities to market as efficiently as possible. It’s imperative we upgrade our infrastructure.�

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) promotes all modes of transportation to meet growing demand for commodity shipments, noted Nathan Bishop, IDOT transportation planner. “We have a competitive advantage at this point,� he said. “We want to maintain that advantage.�

Illinois currently ranks second nationwide in intermodal traffic, and third in trucking and rail volume. The state also boasts 220 intermodal freight facilities (more than half are in the Chica-

go area) and about 1,200 miles of navigable waterways.

Meanwhile, about twothirds of all containerized shipments of soybeans that leave the U.S. originate in Illinois, Nelson noted.

Looking ahead, the production boost required to meet population expansion means the ag industry would have to produce and transport about 8 billion more pounds of products each year by 2050. “When you have more people, you need more goods,� Bishop said. “That’s why we have to get involved now, so we have the capacity to move these things.�

Bishop believes the waterways have “untapped potential� to move more commodities.

But estimates suggest more cargo also will be moved by rail and truck in the future.

Upgrades to all forms of transportation, therefore, are necessary to meet the growing demand for ag products, said Nelson, who noted road weight restrictions and inadequate bridges currently limit grain movement at various locations. “What advantage do we have here in the central Midwest that can give us a leg up?�

Nelson asked. “It really does come down to transportation.�

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Volatile weather raises concerns about wheat crop

FarmWeek • Page 10 • Monday, April 13, 2015

A recent run of heavy rains in the Ohio Valley and lingering dryness out west could start to raise red flags about the condition of the U.S. wheat crop.

The crop, as of the first of last week, was in much better shape than at the same time last year.

Last week, USDA rated the condition of the wheat crop at 44 percent good to

excellent, 40 percent fair and 16 percent poor. Last year, just 35 percent of the crop was good to excellent with 36 percent fair and 29 percent poor to very poor as of the same date.

“There are a few bare spots from water damage,” Leon McClerren, a wheat grower from Franklin County, told FarmWeek prior to last week’s storms. “But, overall, stands look good.”

The condition of the Illinois winter wheat crop last

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The directory gets updated regularly as growers add their names and markets to the system. Growers interested in adding their names and businesses may contact Diane Handley at 309-557-3662 or via email at dhandley@ilfb. org. Growers can also visit the Illinois Specialty Growers website at {specialtygrowers. org} for additional instructions on how to register.

BY DANIEL GRANT

‘Weather forecasts remain the center of focus on traders’ minds ... ’ — Paul Georgy Allendale Inc., market analyst

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of heavy rains in some areas, was rated 56 percent good to

excellent, 34 percent fair and 10 percent poor to very poor.

However, some farmers and traders are concerned crop conditions in some areas could deteriorate.

“Weather forecasts remain the center of focus on traders’ minds as the wheat crop is in a very important growth stage,” Paul Georgy, market analyst with Allendale Inc., said last week.

“The southwest hard red wheat areas are dry,” he noted. “The Ohio Valley, where soft wheat is grown, is too wet and many are concerned about disease problems.”

Farmers in Illinois are well aware of what wet spring weather and disease outbreaks can do to the wheat crop as an outbreak of scab last year led to crop quality issues and severe dockage of loads at some locations.

Some farmers likely will continue to evaluate wheat stands after the latest round of spring thunderstorms.

Those who elect to switch to corn or beans should consider herbicide issues before making the final call, accord-

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ing to Aaron Hager, University of Illinois weed scientist.

“If the decision is made to plant corn or soybeans into wheat stands where some plants remain alive, it is advisable to control any remaining wheat plants prior to planting corn or soybeans,” Hager said. “Controlling existing wheat stands may be accomplished through the use of tillage, herbicides or a combination of these.”

If farmers use a combination of methods to terminate poor wheat stands, there should be an interval of three to five days or more between herbicide application and tillage to allow the herbicide to work within the plant, Hager noted.

Farmers should also consider other weed pressure if switching from wheat to another crop.

“It is possible that other weed species, such as maturing winter annuals, early summer annuals, biennials or perennials might also be present in existing wheat fields,” Hager added. “If so, select a herbicide or herbicide combination that will provide broad spectrum control of both grass and broadleaf weed species.”

If the wheat field previously received a herbicide treatment, Hager said farmers should check labels for any applicable crop rotational intervals to determine whether or not they can plant corn or beans.

Planting dates, maturity affect soybean yields

Page 11 • Monday, April 13, 2015 • FarmWeek

The latest University of Illinois soybean research confirms that it makes sense to start planting corn first, but soybean planting should begin as soon as possible after that.

Crop scientist Emerson Nafziger noted losses from planting soybeans late are lower than those from planting corn late. He said there’s little danger in planting soybeans as

early as mid-April as long as the soil is in good shape to plant.

Nafziger collected planting data from recent trials in central and northern Illinois. Even including a large reduction at

Tuesday • Fa r m We e k : “ T h e E a r l y Word” • Chris Scheuring, California Farm Bureau: drought • Harvey Freese, Freese-Notis Weather Wednesday • Richard Guebert Jr., Illinois Farm Bureau president • Jim Bower, Bower Trading • Tim Schweizer, Illinois Depart-

the Urbana site in 2014, the yield loss proved less than 10 percent by mid-May and about 16 percent by the end of May. It continues to accelerate as planting gets delayed into June.

Planting date aside, the study further looked at the impact of soybean maturity on yield. Nafziger looked at 15 years of data and found yields of later-maturing varieties can be higher or lower than those of early-maturing ones, depending on the year.

“On average, though, midmaturity varieties tend to yield slightly more than either early or late varieties,” he said.

Research further showed yields are much more closely tied to genetic potential than to maturity itself. Even though on average, varieties with very early or very late maturity tend to yield less, individual varieties within these maturity groups were often as highyielding as the higher-yielding entries in the mid-maturity group.

The researchers further found that the type of growing

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season can have a considerable effect on how yields are affected by maturity.

But how does this work when planting dates are different within a growing season?

With early (late April to early May) planting, yields across the 12 site-years were highest at a maturity that was about 0.4 units later than the mid-maturity baseline, Nafziger said.

When planting occurred in mid-May, the maximum yield dropped from 74 bushels per acre to about 66 bushels per acre.

Using this data, should producers try to tailor the maturity they use for planting at different times?

“Probably not in terms of changing maturity on the fly as planting time approaches; the

decision on best-performing varieties has to be made before then, and if it’s made with care, it should be solid enough to stand regardless of planting date,” Nafziger said. “But if you have fields where early planting is often possible, you might ‘shade’ toward a little longer maturities for those. If there are fields that often stay wet until past mid-May, choosing from among adapted mid-

season varieties makes sense.

If spreading harvest is the main goal, then choosing the best mid-maturity varieties and planting them over a range of dates might make more sense, Nafziger noted.

“Remember, though, that planting a week later, especially when conditions are cool, might move harvest back by only a day or two,” he concluded.

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Breakfast serves up legislative dialogue

FarmWeek • Page 12 • Monday, April 13, 2015

Washington County Farm Bureau members hosted approximately 50 people at their recent, annual Legislative Breakfast at Little Nashville Restaurant.

The breakfast meeting represents a change in format from previous Open Forums

BY BRADLEY CONANT

held at the Farm Bureau office in Nashville.

In addition to the change of venue and breakfast offering, inviting members of the county board has allowed members to consolidate two separate events into a more efficient program.

“There are a lot of important issues being discussed in our state and nation right now,” commented Washington County Farm Bureau President Gale Koelling. “It is increasingly important for our elected officials to hear from their constituents as decisions

Congressman John Shimkus, R-Ill., provides updates to approximately 50 attendees of the Washington County Farm Bureau’s annual Legislative Breakfast. (Photo by Bradley Conant)

are made that will have both immediate and long-term effects on the public.”

U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, RIll., Sens. David Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, and Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon; and Reps. Charlie Meier, ROkawville, and Terri Bryant, RMurphysboro, attended the breakfast to provide comments from their respective offices.

Following comments from

all five legislators, attendees asked questions of their respective officials.

This event continues to provide a great opportunity for area legislators and the public to have an open dialogue about issues affecting rural communities.

Bradley Conant serves as Certified Manager of Washington and Perry County Farm Bureaus.

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Milk program attracted larger farms

Nearly 24,000 U.S. dairy producers — about half of the licensed dairy operations — signed up for Margin Protection Program (MPP). But what types of operations decided to participate?

According to a University of Illinois/Purdue University farmdoc analysis, participation appears to be higher in states where larger farms exist. To participate in MPP, farmers must pay a fixed, $100 administrative fee each year. The average administrative fee diminishes considerably as more milk is enrolled in the program, thus explaining increased participation by larger farms.

Farms seeking additional protection beyond the $4 coverage level may buy-up coverage between $4.50 and $8 per hundredweight. Farms electing coverage above $4 per hundredweight pay a per hundredweight premium that increases with the coverage level. The premiums are also higher for milk covered in excess of 4 million pounds of annual milk production.

Fifty-five percent of operations elected to pay for coverage above the base $4 margin. Buy-up rates differed across states.

For states with average annual milk production below 4 million pounds, the buy-up rate was 52 percent of participating farms, and for states above 4 million pounds the buy-up rate was 36 percent. So, it appears that the lower out-of-pocket premiums provided incentives to participate for farmers covering less than 4 million pounds of milk.

The participation pattern observed by U of I and Purdue researchers appeared consistent with farms responding to incentives created by the financial participation costs. The fixed, $100 administration fee is relatively small for larger farms, so higher participation rates occurred in states with larger farms.

After the initial administrative fee, premiums for buy-up coverage are lower for milk covered at or below 4 million pounds, so greater use of buy-up coverage occurred in states with smaller farms.

Lastly, premiums for buy-up coverage are higher for milk covered in excess of 4 million pounds, so states with larger farms used the basic $4 coverage in lieu of buy-up coverage.

A couple of other factors might have contributed to the observed participation rate. First, during much of the sign-up period (Sept. 2 to Dec. 19), the USDA all-milk price was only just beginning to retreat from record 2014 highs, and the futures curve on Class III milk had yet to fall below $14 per hundredweight in nearby months. Market price expectations for dairy, combined with lower feed prices, led to a low probability of MPP benefits.

In the weeks prior to the sign-up deadline, milk prices rapidly declined and expected MPP benefits turned positive. As a result, many dairy farmers may have elected not to participate based on the seemingly favorable outlook for milk and feed prices which persisted prior to December.

Second, MPP is a new program that departs in important ways from the now-expired Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC).

MILC was an option, and no-cost, countercyclical payment program which provided target milk price support. MPP farms that sign up are obligated to participate in subsequent years.

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C

OOK — From Your Yard to Your Glass: Vineyard Planting for Home Enthusiasts workshop, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

April 22 at the Far m Bureau office. Vineyard growing basics, trellis systems, planting and har vesting will be discussed. Cost is free for members and $5 for nonmembers. Call 708354-3276 or email member shipdebbie@cookcfb.org to register.

• Far m safety gear for members. Call 708-3543276 to reser ve free safety gloves and glasses. Quantities limited.

ANCOCK — Women’s Committee luncheon, noon Friday at Quincy Steamboat.

Quincy Steamboat chefs will provide a seasonal gardening presentation after lunch. Call 357-3141 for reser vations by Tuesday.

ENRY — Cover crop and soil health field demonstration 10 a.m.

Wednesday at Stephen Currier Far m, Kewanee. Dean Oswald, cover crop specialist; and Roger Windhorn, soil health specialist, will speak. Call 937-5263, Ext. 3 for reser vations.

EE — Seeking sponsors for Ag in the Classroom golf outing, June 26 at Chapel Hill Golf Course in Princeton. The tournament will be a shotgun start, four-person

scramble. Proceeds will benefit the Bureau and Lee County Ag in the Classroom programs.

EORIA — Defensive driving course, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 21-22 in the Far m Bureau auditorium. Doug Sommer, Sommer Safety Sessions, will instruct. Cost for members is $15. Call 6867070 by Wednesday for reser vations.

• Heart of Illinois Beekeepers program, 7 p.m.

Friday in the Farm Bureau auditorium. Beekeepers will discuss swarms, preparing for honey flow and pollen trapping. Call Mark Kilty at 309-678-2831 for reser vations by Wednesday.

ERRY — Livestock transportation seminar, 1 p.m. Saturday at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. Brenda Matherly, Illinois Far m Bureau assistant director of local government, and a representative from the Illinois State Police will speak. Call 3579355 by Wednesday for reser vations.

ABASH — Ag safety day for fourth graders, April 29 at the Wabash County Fairgrounds.

P

Washington, Perry Farm Bureaus visit ‘adopted’ legislator district

“From the counties” items are submitted by county Farm Bureau managers. If you have an event or activity that is open to all members, contact your county Farm Bureau manager.

A five-hour program ended with Washington and Perry County Farm Bureau leaders touring the Chicago district of their “adopted” legislator state Rep. Robert Martwick, D- Chicago. Martwick represents portions of several city neighborhoods including Jefferson Park, Portage Park, Gladstone Park, Forest Glen and Norwood Park as well as several nearby suburbs.

The representative joined the Adopt-A-Legislator® program in 2013, and chose to work with the Washington and Perry County Farm Bureaus because his extended family farms in that area.

During breakfast at Elly’s, Martwick gave the group an overview of his district, his background and legislative priorities.

They embarked on a tour of many unique cultural sites in his district.

They started with the Jefferson Masonic Temple building, a historic building and one of only two Masonic temples remaining in the city. During a tour, the farmers learned about the Masons’ history and the role the local lodge and members play in the community.

Next, staff at the Copernicus Center showed the group a former movie theater that was remodeled into Chicago’s premier Polish cultural center. The

Newly “adopted” state legislator Rep. Jaime Andrade Jr., D-Chicago, recently hosted McHenry County Farm Bureau leaders for their first tour of his Chicago legislative district.

Cook County Farm Bureau

members joined them.

Andrade represents parts of northwest Chicago, including the Irving Park, Albany Park, Avondale, Logan Square and Portage Park neighborhoods.

WMS Gaming Industries, a designer and manufacturer

of reel spinning and video game devices used in casinos and other locations around the world, offered the first stop. The group saw stateof-the-art facilities and learned how video games are designed, created and marketed. They tried games at

May 21 marks the date for this year’s Southern Illinois Winter Wheat Tour sponsored by the Illinois Wheat Association.

The tour gives wheat growers an opportunity to visit fields and make observations that will factor in to yield estimates of the 2015 winter wheat crop.

Fred Kolb, University of Illinois professor of small grain breeding; Emerson Nafziger, U of I Extension agronomist; and Robert Bellm, U of I Extension commercial agriculture-crops educator, will discuss wheat development and wheat diseases.

The tour will include field checks during the day with an evening report session at Brownstown Agronomy

Research Center. Prior to the evening meal, yield estimates will be calculated, and attendees will have an opportunity to view wheat variety and seed treatment trials.

Tour participants may meet at 9 a.m. at one of four locations: • Siemer Milling Co., 111 W. Main St., Teutopolis, 217-8573131; • Mennel Milling Co. of Illinois, 415 E. Main St., Mt. Olive, 217-999-2161; • Wehmeyer Seed Co., 7167 Highbanks Rd., Mascoutah, 618615-9037; or • Wabash Valley Services Co., 1562 Illinois 1, Carmi, 812-4832966.

Participants should call the location from which they

would like to depart in advance.

Participants can also make a reservation for dinner by contacting Charlene Blary at the Illinois Wheat Association office at 309-557-3619 or by email at cblary@ilfb.org by May 15.

Growers who want to take samples of their own fields and join the group for the dinner and wrap-up should also make reservations by May 15. The Illinois Wheat Association will provide the tour instructions to those taking independent samples to ensure sampling procedures are consistent. Instructions may also be found on the Illinois Wheat Association website at {illinoiswheat.org/ events. html}.

H H L

P

W

BY CHRISTINA NOURIE

Dan Pogorzelski, left, of Forgotten Chicago provides state Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, second from left, and leaders from Washington and Perr y County Farm Bureaus a Chicago neighborhood tour.

Martwick recently hosted his “adopted” county Farm Bureaus for a tour of his Chicago legislative district. (Photo by Christina Nourie)

center houses a restored movie theater along with offices, meeting rooms and classrooms. It serves as a major civic, cultural, educational, recreational and entertainment resource, and hosts concerts, film festivals, theatrical activities and community events.

Two art museums offered more culture. The group toured the Ed Paschke Art Center, which features the artwork of the world-renowned Chicago artist, and the National Veterans Art Museum, which features artwork by military veterans.

The farmers saw several original pieces by Paschke and learned

about his life and artistic inspiration. At the Veterans Art Museum, they saw The Faces of War exhibit featuring 100 portraits of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

During lunch at the Gale Street Inn, the farmers and Martwick discussed numerous issues. They invited the representative and his family to a farm tour this summer in Washington and Perry counties. The group enjoyed its daylong tour and looks forward to strengthening its relationship with Martwick.

the company’s own “casino,” and learned how game music and sounds are recorded in the company’s sound studio.

The group traveled to Revolution Brewery where owner Josh Deth provided a personal tour of his brewing facility and offered samples. The farmers learned about the brewing process,

the company’s history and Chicago’s expanding brewing industry, which is becoming a valuable part of the city’s business community.

The McHenry County farmers appreciated the tour and the representative’s time. They hope to host him and his family for a farm tour this summer.

Christina Nourie serves as Illinois Farm Bureau northeast legislative coordinator.

Newly ‘adopted’ lawmaker hosts McHenry County Farm Bureau

BY CHRISTINA NOURIE

Southern Illinois wheat tour to include yield estimates

State Rep. Jaime Andrade Jr., D-Chicago, center, points out a landmark in his Chicago legislative district to leaders with Cook County Farm Bureau and with his “adopted” McHenry County Farm Bureau. The group visited the rooftop deck of WMS Gaming Industries during a recent tour of Andrade’s northwest Chicago district. (Photo by Christina Nourie)

FarmWeek • Page 14 • Monday, April 13, 2015

Get proper rest during the busy farming season

The first signs of spring have begun with the occasional tilled soil, fertilizer applicators in the fields and tractors on the roads.

Pretty soon it will be an absolute flurry of activity, which means long hours and long days.

Mother Nature proKevin Frye vides a limited window of time to get the spring planting complete, so hard work is inevitable. It’s exciting and fulfilling, but it can also be a dangerous time.

Working long hours for consecutive days leads to fatigue,

BY KEVIN FRYE

and fatigue leads to slow response times and careless decisions. Combining this with the anxiety of getting work completed “while the sun shines” is a formula for reckless actions and potential accidents.

The question is, “what can we do to avoid such accidents?”

Some occupations are regulated to require a certain amount of rest time intended to avoid the careless actions that come from fatigue. For example, some regulations require a 30-minute rest break for every eight hours of work, and no workday longer than 14 hours. Farmers are under no such regulations, but the principles should apply just the same.

Recognize it is critically important during the workday

to get out and stretch every hour or two, and to take a meaningful break every few hours. Drinking adequate fluids and staying nourished will also help alertness.

Most important, after a long day, allow yourself time for adequate sleep. This is most critical to staying alert throughout the long workdays.

When you get home, delay doing those projects or activities that can wait until after the busy season.

Ultimately, it is just good to know yourself. There are times you may feel fine to go a few hours without a break, but other times you need to get out and stretch every hour. Know your limits and take action before you hit the wall. Also,

keep an eye on family and coworkers to make sure they get adequate rest as well, and understand we all have different levels of tolerance.

We were all raised to have a strong work ethic and to put in an honest day’s work, but understand that getting proper rest will allow us to be more

Prices for used farm machinery slipped lower in the past year due to a surplus of inventory at dealerships, but used equipment may not always be the best option, according to a Purdue University expert.

Robert Stwalley, assistant professor of agricultural and

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biological engineering, urged farmers considering buying used planters, tractors, trucks or other machinery to be cautious.

“A used piece of equipment, under the right circumstances, may be the best economic choice for a specific operation.

But it may not be,” Stwalley said.

“Remember, go in with your eyes open and choose wisely.”

Mike Gunderson, an associate professor of agricultural economics, said higher crop prices over the past five years allowed many farmers to buy new farm machinery during that time and those farmers probably won’t need to buy any new equipment in the foreseeable future.

Retailers selling new farm machinery can curtail inventory to adjust to lower market demand, but any new equipment sale involving a trade brings in more used equipment to add to the inventory, causing a surplus.

Stwalley advised farmers to remember several things when considering used equipment purchases.

Farm machinery operates at maximum efficiency only for a certain amount of time, he noted.

According to the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, planters have a relatively short effective lifespan — 1,000 operational hours — while tractors, farm trucks and wagons can last up to 5,000 hours. All other machinery should last about 2,000 hours.

Stwalley said potential buyers should determine how many useful hours remain on a piece of equipment. Stwalley pointed out used machinery is only a bargain if the benefits outweigh the costs of keeping it.

In addition to the purchase price, buyers need to consider repairs, maintenance, storage and other expenses. Those costs continue whether or not the machine is used frequently.

Buyers often overlook the time spent searching for used machinery. Searching for a specific vehicle or piece of equipment has become easier in recent years with dealers and owners listing their equipment online; however, a farmer must still visit multiple sellers to find the best available deal.

In comparison, shopping for new equipment takes less time because most equipment dealers carry similar models, Stwalley added.

Corn Strategy

Corn … looking ahead

The corn market, like the other grains, has already started to look ahead to next year. The industry knows that current supplies are abundant, but there’s a lot of uncertainty about how the structure will evolve for the new crop.

On the accompanying graphic, you see the relationship between ending stocks and the average price paid to farmers since prices surged into the higher range in 2007.

Barring any major shock, the average price this year will end up just above the trend line. For next year though, much of the uncertainty lies with the ultimate yield for this year’s crop and the associated production.

The yield/production differential is the big difference between USDA’s forecast for the 2015-2016 crop at its Outlook Forum in February and the recent forecast coming from agricultural economists at the University of Illinois.

Both forecasts had similar acreage and demand expectations. But USDA used a 166.8 bushel yield forecast, whereas the U of I ag economists forecast a

164 bushel yield in building their supply/demand forecasts.

The resulting different ending stocks put the price expectations at different positions on the relationship between ending stocks and prices. USDA’s forecast for the average price was $3.50, while the U of I’s was $4.25.

All winter, we have been using a supply/demand scenario much like the one the U of I economists projected. Given some of the things we have learned in recent weeks, we’d continue to be inclined to do so. We have heard stories regarding this year’s lower prices and tighter economics causing producers to economize on inputs, not to a degree that might be extremely detrimental, but enough to cap yield potential.

Meanwhile, low prices remain an ongoing discouragement to planting low-quality land.

Nevertheless, weather will be a big determinant. Historically, the weather subsequent to a year like last year is not as good, nor does the yield come close. It doesn’t necessarily mean a bad crop, just not another exceptional one. And as we showed you at the beginning of November, there’s reason to expect lower yields in the world, too.

In the end, a realistic look at fundamentals and prices indicates there’s reason to expect higher prices, not lower ones in the year ahead.

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ü2014 crop: Corn prices remained soft because of the USDA reports, but there’s no reason to think prices are poised to decline sharply. Better selling opportunities should be ahead; the reports have only delayed prices getting to expected objectives. Basis contracts are the best tool to use for sales, leaving pricing open into summer. Hold the 2013 crop for expected long-term improvement. ü2015 crop: Long-term price factors still point to higher levels coming, but it may take time to establish an uptrend. We see no reason to price new crop. Buy out-of-the money, new-crop call options to make sales against this summer. vFundamentals: Even though USDA raised its oldcrop ending stocks forecast, it’s still not high enough to keep the new-crop structure from needing to build some risk premium into current prices.

Planting continues to lag in the South because of wetness.

There have been reports of scattered planting in the Corn Belt. Last week’s rains were deemed somewhat negatively, too.

Page 15 • Monday, April 13, 2015 • FarmWeek Cents per bu.

Soybean Strategy

ü2014 crop: The shortterm trend has taken a more downward turn with prices likely positioning for a South American harvest low. Longterm technical features still indicate prices are in the process of building a base to move up from. Only make needed sales with longer-term potential still suggesting higher prices than currently available. ü2015 crop: The shortterm trend may remain a little soft, but the long-term outlook still looks reasonably optimistic. Fundamentals don’t suggest prices will spiral sharply lower. We have no interest in pricing 2015 crop at these levels. vFundamentals: In the short term, the supply of large South American crops may keep prices defensive, but mostly those supplies have already been built into prices.

In the wake of recent small, old-crop cancellations, there are reports of new buying. Still, most of the business is shifting

to new crop. Generally, world demand remains very good.

The lower short-term prices will tend to discourage soybean planting this year.

Wheat Strategy

ü2014 crop: USDA reports are behind us and new-crop futures can take the lead again.

Sales are on hold for now. ü2015 crop: Patience on sales for 2015 is warranted while futures attempt to turn up out of their 20-week cycle low. vFundamentals: The focus returned to old crop the last two weeks with the two USDA reports. The data only reminded us of what we already

knew; old-crop supplies are abundant. The focus will quickly return to new-crop factors, primarily weather and acres.

The Midwest and mid-South have been getting wet, but wheat in the Southern Plains is still missing out on precipitation events. Yield remains a serious concern for hard red wheat growers with quality the pressing issue for the soft red crop. Merchants are still sitting on large quantities of low-quality wheat that needs to be blended with a better new crop.

Acreage expectations are still shrinking for the spring crop.

Together, both should continue to support prices.

FarmWeek • Page 16 • Monday, April 13, 2015

Value Chain Tour offers snapshot of industries, issues

The Illinois Farm Bureau’s 2015 Value Chain Tour in Chicago proved enlightening.

The March 24-25 event offered IFB representatives and those from several Illinois commodity groups an opportunity to interact with different sides of RYAN the industry and to hear TRACY about various issues they face as well as build new working relationships with different agribusiness companies.

IFB President Richard Guebert Jr., and Mark Gebhards and I represented IFB Governmental Affairs and Commodities Division.

We were joined by Joni Bucher with the Illinois Beef Association, Paul Jeschke with the Illinois Corn Growers Association, Doug Scheider with the Illinois Milk Producers Association, Bob Frase with the Illinois Pork Producers Association, Duane Dahlman with the Illinois Soybean Association, and Vernon Mayer with the Illinois Wheat Association.

We started at Tyson Foods’ Chicago office, which served as the former headquarters for Hillshire Brands until Tyson’s recent acquisition. Our group and Tyson executives spent 90 minutes discussing the impact Tyson makes not

only on the U.S. market, but the company’s impact on Illinois’ economy as well.

Tyson executives shared insights on food labeling and animal welfare, and provided background about their company’s focus on consumer desires and consumer outreach.

Next, we visited OSI Industries, a plant in the old Chicago Stockyards whose customers range from McDonald’s to Tyson Foods.

OSI makes products from sausage patties to salsa to pizza all around the world.

“It was amazing to hear how OSI Industries started in 1955 in Chicago selling meat, partnered with McDonald’s on a handshake agreement to supply them, and today has various clients all over the world with factories to match,” said Guebert.

Our tour group traveled to the East Balt Bakery where we learned about another handshake agreement involv-

ing Ray Kroc and McDonald’s.

In 1968, the factory was built specifically to handle the business with McDonald’s. In fact, the bakery made English muffins and Big Mac buns for McDonald’s during our tour. Today, East Balt operates 20 bakeries in 12 countries.

Our second day continued with a stop at Edelman, the largest public relations firm in the United States whose clients represent all areas of the economy. Our group discussed strategies companies apply when launching new products, the idea of brand protection and much more.

“The scope of work that Edelman is involved in is a side of our industry we don’t get to see quite as often” said Guebert. “The way

they look at tackling an issue is very different than traditional strategies, and something our entire group found fascinating.”

From public relations, we switched to commodity markets with a visit to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange

(CME). Our discussion covered the Commodity Future Trading Commission Reauthorization now working its way through Congress. We also received an update on the regulatory environment CME faces.

Finally, we visited Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Co.’s new world headquarters in Chicago. Two oilseed experts discussed ADM’s work on that side of the industry. The conversation turned to the new intermodal terminal in Decatur as well as ADM’s expanding work around the world.

The Value Chain Tour gave participants a great snapshot of our industry, various sectors and issues — all sharing a common goal. As Illinois Beef ’s Bucher said, “It certainly brought home the message that we are all in this together.

Each sector of agriculture is dependent on another. I realize more and more that the success of my business is intertwined in the success of processing and distribution. It was an epiphany for me.”

Ryan Tracy serves as IFB director of external relations.

Consumers’ food ingredient fears targeting wheat products It’s one of the most iconic scenes from America’s Heartland — combines sweeping slowly over golden fields of wheat, sun peaking from behind puffy white clouds, trucks on the edge of fields hauling wheat to silos that look like prairie castles STEWART from afar.

TRUELSEN But every now and then the sky darkens and a thunderstorm rolls through, and that’s what is happening to wheat with the gluten-free diet craze. Wheat has become a victim of food ingredient fears.

There is a medical basis for certain people to avoid bread and other foods made from wheat.

These are people with celiac disease, who cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. This genetically based, autoimmune disorder affects an estimated one in 133 people, less than 1 percent of the population.

Celiac disease damages the lining of the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. There are several hundred symptoms of celiac dis-

ease, although some people with the disease have no symptoms at all. Typical symptoms include fatigue, depression, bloating and abdominal pain.

The only way to obtain a diagnosis is through a blood test and endoscopy biopsy.

The Celiac Disease Foundation warns people not to attempt self-diagnosis. Yet, that’s exactly what many seem to be doing. They either think they have celiac disease or nonceliac gluten sensitivity, for which there is no recommended test.

According to NPD Group, a market research firm, nearly 30 percent of the people responding to a recent survey said they were trying to avoid gluten.

Fears about gluten now go way beyond gluten intolerance. They include unsubstantiated claims linking it to dementia, Alzheimer’s, autism, epilepsy and multiple

sclerosis. In other words, diseases and health problems that have baffled medical researchers are now suddenly linked to eating gluten. Crazy as it seems, some people believe this.

Cornell University researchers are amazed at how easily food misconceptions spread without any real evidence. In one study, they found people who feared food the most were better educated, but got most of their food facts from Facebook newsfeeds, Twitter, blogs or friends. Compared to the rest of the population, they also had a greater need to share their opinions with others.

The Wall Street Journal counted 1,000 groups on

Facebook with “glutenfree” in the name, including a dating group for glutenfree singles.

It may seem like hysterical nonsense, but don’t tell food marketers and restaurants.

They are cashing in on the trend with gluten-free products and menus.

The same holds true for the publishers of diet books

and self-appointed experts like a popular neurologist, who advises everyone to stop eating all grains. This has become the next big wave after fat-free and non-GMO foods.

Except for a small segment of the population that can’t tolerate the protein, avoiding gluten in the diet has no proven basis for being a healthier choice.

In fact, gluten-free products may contain fewer vitamins, less fiber and more sugar, and typically cost more.

Stewart Truelsen, a food and agriculture freelance writer, regularly contributes to the Focus on Agriculture series.

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