Live.Work.Grow. - Winter 2014

Live.Work.Grow.

Winter 2014

CENTRAL ILLINOIS AG

ATLANTA · CLINTON · FARMER CITY · MASON CITY www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 1

INSIDE THE PAGES

2 Central Illinois Ag Sales Team

22 A Perfect Cornhead for Frontier Farms

3 Building the Future of Central Illinois Ag

23 Illinois Farm Families Help Chicago

6 Photos of Harvest 2014

Mom’s Feel Safe About Food

7 HOOAH Hunt for Heros

25 Planting with Split Rows

8 Illinois Farmer Today

28 Keeping it Real: Through the Lens of a

9 Case IH Loyal

Farm Girl

12 Planting and Harvesting with J&M

29 The Next Chapter

13 Prepare for #Plant15

31 Equipment on a Phone Tower and

15 Green Beans, Peas, Wheat, Corn, and Soybeans 17 It’s All About Convenience 20 Distance Doesn’t Matter

Windmill Site 34 In the Office Have an article suggestion or would like to advertise in our Central Illinois Ag Live.Work.Grow dealer magazine?

Contact Abby at (217) 648-2307 or acoers@centralilag.com

ON THE COVER Randy Fornoff finishes a row of soybeans on October 23, 2014 in Havana, IL. Learn about the specialty crops that Randy grows on Pages 15 and 16.

BEHIND THE SCENES Hello - I’m Abby Coers, the face behind the Central Illinois Ag photos, videos, this magazine, and all other marketing materials. Thank you to the farmers who allowed me to visit your farms during the busy harvest season.

I look forward to getting to know all of you soon.

Feel free to contact me at: acoers@centralilag.com

m m 1 1 ··Central Central Illinois Illinois Ag Ag ·· www.centralilag.com www.centralilag.com

Central Illinois Ag Sales Team

*Numbers listed are cell phone numbers

Steve Schmidt Atlanta, IL (217) 737-7445

Brian Reeser Clinton, IL (217) 519-4341

Michael Schmidt Lincoln, IL (217) 737-8669

Mike O’Neil Arrowsmith, IL (309) 275-8158

Scott Tibbs Middletown, IL (217) 737-1445

Mike Barringer Decatur, IL (217) 519-2918

Dallas Kaufman Danvers, IL (309) 613-0556

Andrew Elder Taylorville, IL (217) 306-4621

Clay Witham Stanford, IL (217) 519-4346

Andy Cler Penfield, IL (309) 830-1392

Brandon Hendel Glasford, IL (309) 212-1656

Doug Franzen Farmer City, IL (309) 275-8556

John Coers New Holland, IL (217) 737-5674

Scott Pearl Monticello, IL (217) 871-0562

Gordon Watkins Petersburg, IL (217) 652-2650

Takeuchi/Construction Jim Spicer Farmer City, IL (309) 275-8545 Ryan Curry Lincoln, IL (217) 671-5296 Locations Atlanta 200 Sharon St. Atlanta, IL 61723 (800) 762-2325 Clinton Route 10 East Clinton, IL 61727 (800) 362-3866 Farmer City 792 U.S. Hwy 150 East Farmer City, IL 61842 (800) 334-8942 Mason City 130 Tonica St. Mason City, IL 62664 (217) 482-9760

www.centralilag.com Facebook.com/centralillinoisag ▪ Twitter.com/liveworkgrowcia Youtube.com/liveworkgrowcia www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 2

Building the Future of Central Illinois Ag

David, Collin, Alec, and Owen Schmidt

Follow our building progress on Facebook!

November 14, 2014

m 3 路 Central Illinois Ag 路 www.centralilag.com

Using legendary Quadtrac® technology, the Case IH Steiger® Rowtrac™ series tractors are agronomically designed to deliver maximum yield. Featuring four, independent oscillating tracks on an articulated frame, these tractors increase flotation while reducing compaction and ground pressure. The result is an optimized seedbed for ideal growing conditions and the ability to cover more ground in row crop applications. Learn more about the power and productivity of Steiger Rowtrac tractors by visiting your dealer, or go to caseih.com/rowtrac.

BE READY.

©2014 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. Case IH is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates. www.caseih.com

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 4

Farm Bill

Questions?

?

Are you making the right decision?

We can help. We have the sharpest agents in the industry and have rolled out a CUSTOM TOOL to aid in your decision making process. Call us.

(800) 531-9909 m 5 路 Central Illinois Ag 路 www.centralilag.com

cropins.net

from the field

HARVEST 2014

www.centralilag.com 2014 · 6 www.centralilag.com ·· Summer Winter ‘14-’15

HOOAH Deer Hunt for Heroes A Wounded Veterans Program

HOOAH Deer Hunt for Heroes is a program for veterans to promote healing for the wounded soldiers.

The heroes selected to be a part of the deer hunt spend a week together in an outside environment. Veterans are able to meet fellow heroes who have similiar hobbies and interests.

In November 2014, HOOAH Deer Hunt for Heroes took place at Funk’s Grove, IL. Central Illinois Ag supports these brave men and women who fight for our country and are excited to help with events such as the HOOAH Deer Hunt for Heroes.

Follow “HOOAH Deer Hunt for Heroes” on Facebook!

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ILLINOIS FARMER TODAY

Illinois Farmer Today is a free, weekly farm newspaper featuring coverage of Illinois agricultural news and information important to you. Illinois Farmer Today is delivered weekly to nearly 30,000 farms via the US Postal Service. Its tabloid format makes it easy to hold and easy to read.

Its publishers have been publishing Iowa Farmer Today in Iowa for over 30 years and Missouri Farmer Today for over eight years. In that time they have built a reputation of trust among Iowa and Missouri farmers and have become their first source of ag information and advertising.

Because farmers in the Midwest have a common bond and use common farming practices, the editorial focus on row crops and livestock will certainly be of value to you.

Illinois Farmer Today is free to qualified farmers in Illinois. To receive your free subscription, you can call 800-475-6655 or subscribe via their website at http://www.IllinoisFarmerToday.com.

You will find its pages contain compelling articles including weekly features on markets, weather, and crops. It has a robust classified ad section with ads for farm equipment, real estate, trucks, auctions, livestock, buildings, and much

more. It also contains ads from leading national brands of farm equipment, seed, crop protection products, and other widely-used inputs.

Phyllis Coulter and Amber Selman are field editors for the new Illinois publication. Phyllis is a veteran journalist in Illinois, having worked the past 10 years with The Pantagraph in Bloomington, where she lives. Amber is a 2012 graduate of Iowa State University. She grew up on a dairy farm in Eastern Iowa and has recently moved to Carlyle, Ill. This publication will always be free to qualified farmers, and they value your input. You can contact them with story ideas, letters to the editor, photo submissions and much more. Also, if you know of another farmer who would benefit from receiving this free farm paper have them contact Illinois Farmer Today at 800-475-6655 or www.IllinoisFarmerToday.com.

We hope you enjoy this paper’s focus on news that is practical, useful, and timely to your farming operation.

We hope it will soon become your first source of ag news and advertising.

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 8

Case IH Loyal

A

family farm located in Tremont, IL truly defines Dave has seen the improvements through the years the meaning of a ‘family farm.’ with equipment and notes that Case IH has always been the innovative leaders. He remembers in the Fall Carl F. Uhlman came to America in 1930 from of 1977 when the rotary combine was released and Germany where his sponsors were located in Morton, he owned one in 1978. “Simplicity” and “efficient” are IL as tenant farmers. His son, Carl J. Uhlman returned two words that describe the combine. Then, he recalls from serving in the Korean War and purchased International Harvester coming out with a 5 Row farmland in 1952. Carl passed the farm down to his corn head. sons, Dave and Rob, who continue to manage and operate Uhlman Farms. Dave’s son, Nick, is also in He also has a full respect for Cummins power after the operation as a 4th generation farmer. running the Magnum tractor with powershift.

Dave’s neighbor owned a John Deere and he says he Uhlman Farms currently farm corn, soybeans, wheat, remembers comparing the powershift and how much and pumpkins. They also do custom baling and forage smoother the Magnum shifted compared to the John chopping in the summer.

Deere.”

Carl F. Uhlman farmed with horses until the industrial revolution when he purchased a McCormick F20 with one of the first mounted corn pickers. This allowed him to do custom work for those with a pull type. A generator was attached to the F20 for light so he could work after dark.

Dave Uhlman grew up working in the field, with his father Carl J. Uhlman, and putting machinery together in a Farmall/Case IH dealership.

“I have always been impressed with the horse power and the efficiency of the engines of a Farmall/Case IH,” Dave said.

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Uhlman Family Photo - 1988

“If we ever need parts but cannot get to the office, Dallas (Kaufman) is eager to help us out and deliver them to keep us running.“ - Dave Uhlman Uhlman Farms took a leap of faith when their dealership in Tremont closed and the closest Central Illinois Ag was 30 miles away rather than 6 miles.

Due to the distance, Dave has made some changes to his managing practice, including taking advantage of the before and after season deals Central Illinois Ag has to stock up on parts. Salesman, Dallas Kaufman, Carl J. Uhlman - 1951 and Parts Manager, Matt Voelker, have a strong relationship with Dave, Rob, and Nick to make sure Dave is a member of our Customer Advisory Board their operation runs smoothly with equipment and at Central Illinois Ag. This is a group of customers parts needed. who help to improve the business and operation of the dealership.

Outside the farming operation, the Uhlman’s are also active within the agriculture industry. Dave is currently the Vice President of Ag Land FS, and Nick is a seed salesman for Syngenta. Their trucking business allows for an added opportunity.

Uhlman Farms is more than just the men of the farm, the women also help the farm to run smoothly.

Dave’s wife, Joan, works with an investment broker, Rob’s wife, Teresa, is a school teacher, and Nick’s wife Gretchen is a hairdresser whose salon is located on the farm.

“Uhlman Farms is a true example of a family farm,” Dallas Kaufman, Central Illinois Ag salesman said.

Carl J. Uhlman - 1982

Carl J. Uhlman - 1962

Dave Uhlman, Salesman Dallas Kaufman, and Rob Uhlman

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 10

m Central Illinois Illinois Ag Ag 路路 www.centralilag.com www.centralilag.com 1111 路路 Central

Plant & Harvest with J&M

W

hat brands do you think of when you consider purchasing a grain cart? What about a seed tender? Jostes & McCoy in Boody, IL prefer to use J&M for their wagon and seed tender.

Seed tenders aren’t the only J&M products on the farm in Boody, IL. You’ll also find a J&M 750 and a J&M 875 auger cart. Gary noted that he has never had trouble with J&M equipment and would recommend it to others looking for a durable wagon While visiting with J&M at the 2013 Farm Progress or seed tender. Every piece of equipment from J&M Show in Decatur, IL a seed tender caught their eye. matches the farms’ Case IH equipment, which is an The J&M 325 Seed Tender looked very appealing and added bonus when it comes to looks. simple to handle. This seed tender led to one of the best planting purchases in 2013 for Jostes & McCoy. Gary is the third generation farmer in his family. His grandfather began farming with Case IH equipment “The J&M 325 is a one man unload for bulk bags, in 1972. Gary and his brother-in-law Steve McCoy making it simple to handle,” Gary Jostes said. operate and manage Jostes & McCoy. Previous seed tenders the operation have owned were more difficult to use. Filling with seed and hauling from the workshop to the farm was a dreaded task.

Now, the job is something that fits into their busy planting schedule and makes the job stress-free.

“Mike (Barringer) has provided us with topnotch equipment that works best for our operation. He’s always looking out for us.“

- Gary Jostes/Steve McCoy

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 12

Prepare for #Plant15 N

ow that #harvest14 is finished, it’s time to start thinking about #plant15. Think about planting last year for a moment. What were some things that you noticed at emergence during planting season?

From driving around and talking with you, I heard many different concerns. Everything from singulation and spacing issues, to having too little or too much down force. I saw a lot of those problems as well.

Walking fields I noticed plants 1-2 collars behind from uneven planting depth. I saw plants that look like they had been broadcasted by hand. Whatever the issue may be, I am confident we have a solution.

With commodity prices where they are, we must take advantage of every bushel we can get.

We only get one chance to make a perfect pass in the spring. We have to do the best job we can! vSet® features a flat disk with a single vac setting. It releases seeds down the center of the tube – critical to optimum spacing. And has a floating, 5-lobed singulator that makes sure no two seeds of any kind can occupy the same hole. One seed locks in and one seed drops. Every time. This champion singulator is a model of simplicity in operation. It handles any seed size or shape without finicky tweaks to vac pressure, disk or singulator settings. Just pour in the seed and go. Then get ready for your best possible yield. vDrive® has superior population control. The integrated controller in the motor allows for subsecond execution of the correct population, row by row AND around curves. Combine planter drive and swath control, with no chain and cable maintenance.

The maintenance parts of the planter are now gone.

No more lubing chains, sprockets and drives and no more worrying about hydraulics. You can clean up your planter with a drive on every row.

CleanSweep® Uniform germination and higher plant counts depend on clean rows. Clean rows are the work of row cleaners. But, until now, row cleaners have been hard work themselves, because they need to be set precisely and changed frequently. But now, CleanSweep® does all that hard work for you. It puts row cleaners right where they need to be – where they move the residue but not the soil – and continuously adjusts them as field conditions change. All you need to do is move the cab-mounted controller. You can even raise the row cleaners up and out of the way when you’re not using them. The CleanSweep® controller is connected to dual air cylinders on each row. The air pressure comes from a robust compressor or tank, or you can use 20/20 AirForce® as an air source.

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Swath Control in a Central Illinois Ag Precision Planting field Spring 2014

13 · Central Illinois Ag · www.centralilag.com

DeltaForce® replaces the springs or air bags on your planter with hydraulic cylinders. That means it automatically increases or reduces weight with military precision, on each row individually. So when one row encounters conditions different than another (wheel tracks, old road beds, clay knobs, headlands, whatever), each will adjust independently. Row by row, foot by foot, depth stays exactly where you want it. Row by row, foot by foot, even seed by seed, you produce an environment that fosters uniform germination, optimum growth and maximum yield.

You can put DeltaForce® on most Deere, CaseIH, Kinze and select White planter models.

20/20 SeedSense® With its color-coded, touchscreen display, you’ll spot any errors in down force, spacing Lets do it right this spring! and singulation immediately. You’ll zero in on the source. You’ll check it out. You’ll fix it. And you’ll move on, confident that you’re doing everything you can to plant profitably. More precise than any other monitor, SeedSense® tells you what you need to know Rush Olson, Central Illinois Ag about population, skips, doubles, speed, row unit Precision Planting Specialist ride, down force and ground contact. It enables you to seed precisely, maintain depth, avoid compaction and troubleshoot mechanical problems. SeedSense® is easy to use, too. The main screen summarizes everything.

The most important metrics are the largest. Green means go, yellow means caution, red means stop and fix whatever’s wrong. Just tap the screen and you’ll see row-by-row details, so you know where to look.

FieldView® takes information from your SeedSense® and conveys it through instant, high-definition maps.

This unprecedented view allows you to manage your planter with a complete vision of what your planter is doing. And all of your data can go anywhere on your iPad® tablet. Scouting, to the office, to show to others in your operation — anytime, anywhere. With FieldView Plus®, there’s an added layer of connectivity.

Your data is backed up securely and remotely and can be shared with anyone you want to be in the know.

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 14

green beans, peas, wheat, corn, and soybeans..

H

arvest for Mason County farmers, Randy and Doug Fornoff, begins with wheat, field corn and seed corn, and soybeans, but it doesn’t stop there. The Fornoff brothers also grow peas for Del Monte, green beans for Del Monte, and popcorn for Weaver and Gilster Mary Lee.

Between harvesting corn and soybeans, and the specialty crops, everything from the wagon to the combine needs to be completely cleaned out to remove residue of the previous crops.

The Fornoff ’s choose to use a Case IH 7120 combine for harvest because it is much gentler on the grain.

In order for popcorn to “pop” it must be scuff-free and the perfect moisture (14%). The 1,500 acres of popcorn equals to about 120 bu/ac or 5,000 lbs that need to be hauled to the Weaver headquarters in Forest City, IL. After leaving Forest City, the popcorn is used for export and domestic markets.

Del Monte harvests Fornoff ’s 300 acres of green beans using an Oxbo Super Jack (pictured on next page) and 200 acres of peas using an Oxbo machine (pictured on next page) that shells out the pods.

Gary Molid, General Supervisor for Del Monte in Manito, IL explains the process from harvest to production, “All beans in Mason County are transported to three different processing plants in Wisconsin. The beans are unloaded and depending on the size and grade are made in to cut, sliced or whole green beans. The beans are then dumped, washed, and graded according to size. The small beans are sorted and made into whole beans, and medium beans are sorted out and made into cut beans. The larger beans are skirted off and made into sliced beans, also known as french beans. Using a thermal process, the beans are canned, dried and stacked. Frozen beans have a similar procedure.”

(continued on page 16)

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Mason County has around 2,200 acres of peas, which consists of about 25 pea growers a year. The Oxbo 156 machine is used for pod type beans such as Wax and Ramono. This machine consists of a stripper head and a different separator unit to strip pods and leaves off the plant. The pea then feeds in a drum, a beater in the drum rotates pods before going through a screen to be captured. The pea is a moist crop and is more tender than other crops. The crop is taken to Mendota, IL, unloaded, washed and graded, and then put through the thermal processing to be canned.

Unlike the process of green beans, peas are not separated or graded by size.

Oxbo Super Jack used to harvest green beans

“Brandon (Hendel) isn’t a salesman in a polo and khaki’s, if we need help he will stop by and help on the farm when it’s needed.”

- Randy Fornoff

Randy and Doug both studied Ag Management in the 70’s before taking over the family farm. They farm together but also have individual farms.

Specialty crops keep Randy and Doug busy during harvest, Randy says he is thankful for the opportunity to grow for such great companies.

Oxbo 156 used to harvest peas

Follow what it’s like to plant speciality crops with the Fornoff Brothers in our Summer 2015 Live.Work.Grow issue.

There are approximately 25 pea growers in Mason County 20% of Green Beans are produced and canned in Mason County There are approximately 22-25 green bean growers in Mason County Green Beans have 2 crops in 1 season: P lanted on April 24th planted, harvested by July 1st Second crop is planted by July 26th and harvested be Sept 20th Weaver Popcorn manufactures Trail’s End (Boy Scout) Popcorn Gilster Mary Lee sells popcorn to the movie theaters

www.centralilag.com www.centralilag.com ·· Summer Winter ‘14-’15 2014 · 16

It’s all about convenience.

A Thunder Creek fuel and service trailer delivers more than just fuel for this Central Illinois Ag customer.

Photos Courtesy of Wankel Farm Partnerships

Up until last year, Wankel Farm Partnerships refueled their equipment using 100 gallon tanks in the back of their pickups.

“We knew it wasn’t the right way,” says Les Wankel, owner of Wankel Farm Partnerships. “Anymore, with government regulations, we’ve got to be doing things better.”

“We were needing a service trailer or truck anyways, and we were running around with little tanks when all our equipment needed 300-400 gallons,” he recalled. “So we thought: ‘Why not do this all in one?’”

They purchased a Thunder Creek trailer from Central Illinois Ag. It’s equipped

to handle 990 gallons of diesel, 100 gallons of DEF with a combination generator and air compressor housed in a rear utility box.

Les highly recommends taking a look at how a Thunder Creek trailer could payoff for your operation.

It’s improved their operation more than they ever anticipated.

“The reasons I would go with a Thunder Creek trailer is the quality of the manufacturing,” Les says. “Everything is built durable.”

“It convenience. You can actually go 60 mph down the road safely,” Les says.

“It’s getting somewhere faster and the extra capacity means less downtime.”

“Plus you can set it up with all the features you want.

Being able to service equipment with the generator and air compressor has proved to be a worthwhile investment.

Check out the full line of fuel and service trailers, and solutions for handling diesel exhaust fluid, at Central Illinois Ag.

“We use that more than I ever thought we would. The layout of it all is well thought out.”

”I highly recommend working with Central Illinois Ag. The service guys - Steve, Michael, Gordon - have been great with anything I’ve ever needed.”

Les Wankel | Wankel Farm Partnerships

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The tractor stops for only a few minutes while TJ Stewart of 17 · Central Illinois Ag · www.centralilag.com Wankel Farm Partnerships refills in the field this fall.

“keep us going and

eliminates

“

downtime.

Dennis O.

Your year end investment should deliver to your bottom line. Thousands of farmers like Dennis rely on their Thunder Creek trailer to make their operation more efficient, and more profitable. Get yours now and be more productive in 2015.

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Farmer City, IL | 800.334.8942 Atlanta, IL | 800.762.2325 Mason City, IL | 217.482.9760 Clinton, IL | 800.362.3866

www.centralilag.com

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 18

...The Company Who Knows You Best

Next Generation Vertical Tillage 7400 Series VT Plus (Vertical Tillage)

Vertical tillage is a popular term heard today.

The Landoll VT Plus was developed with input from producers’ issues on competitive tools they were using. The 7400 VT Plus Series, available in 14’ through 49’ working widths, is designed to anchor residue, accommodate shallow working depths, mix more soil, handle better weed kill across the machine and level small ruts left by the previous operation. The smooth blades allow the unit to work in wetter conditions when needed and stay sharper over time when compared to fluted blades used by competition.

Isn’t it time that excessive residue levels and cold wet spring soils be addressed in your operation? Put the 7400 VT Plus Series from Landoll to work and increase your return on investment with higher yields, a direct result of earlier planting and more uniform emergence.

Engineered Simplicity Size, Mix and Shatter While Leaving an Impressively Level Field Manage residue and compaction in a single pass with the Weatherproofer 1 from Landoll.

Available in six through thirteen shank models, the WP1 features disc gangs on 10 ½” spacing that quickly resize and mix the toughest residue.

Auto-reset shanks on 24” centers provide much better soil fracture than traditional 30” spacing. This allows you to run at shallower depths at higher speeds, saving on both fuel and labor while leaving an impressively level field.

The WP1 is a true “set it and forget it” type of tool as the entire machine is set with a single adjustment. In a single pass, you can size & mix residue to accelerate decomposition and reset your soil profile for maximum moisture uptake and retention. The WP1 is a simple, rugged and reliable machine that manages your soil profile to achieve maximum yield each season.

2410/2430 Series Weatherproofer (WP1)

m www.landoll.com 19 · Central Illinois Ag · www.centralilag.com

®

Marysville, KS 66508 785.738.6613

Brad Hart, Hart Cattle and Grain Farm

“Distance doesn’t matter,”

said Brad Hart of Hart Cattle and Grain Farm when There have been days where Brad had a piece of asked about the hour long drive to his Case IH machinery break and absolutely needed a new one dealership, Central Illinois Ag. the following day. On a Friday at 3pm, Brad placed a call into Michael that he needed a new baler and Hart Cattle and Grain is just like the other typical Michael traveled a couple hours to pick one up and farming operation. They’ve got their good days and have it delivered to Brad by 8am the next morning. the tough days. The difference between Hart Cattle and Grain other farms is their dealership. Brad said While dealing with a wet year in 2009, it was crucial that Central Illinois Ag is more than a dealership for Brad to have one more planter for his operation. with a salesman. His salesman, Brandon Hendel, and Brandon was able to assist Brad with his needs and Central Illinois Ag owner, Michael Schmidt, have have that extra planter delivered to his farm so he gone out of their way to help his farming operation. could complete planting around the weather changes.

Brandon is from Western Illinois, and that is important Brad also said that his salesman is willing to deliver when choosing equipment that best suits the needs of parts to the farm during the busy planting and farmers in different soil types and different crops. harvesting season. When the Central Illinois Ag service team is headed to his territory, they will also call and make sure he does not need anything from the dealership.

The Case IH and Kinze equipment purchased from “Brandon (Hendel) has gone out of his way to Central Illinois Ag have always been top of the line. help keep my farming operation productive, His 2010 Case IH 8120 combine with 911 separator keeping in mind the different soil quality I hours has never had a mechanic touch it. Choosing farm.” - Brad Hart Central Illinois Ag has had a lot of value for Hart Cattle and Grain.

Brad and his wife, Andrea Hart, farm in Cuba, IL.

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 20

m 21 路 Central Illinois Ag 路 www.centralilag.com

The Perfect Match F

rontier Farms is made up of four farming families with a combined total of 90+ years of experience.

Throughout the years, these individuals have tested a wide range of equipment in the field in order to find what would be best for their operation. Frontier Farms values quality products and that is why they use a Geringhoff corn head with their Case IH 7230 combine.

Brett Hermann said the operation’s first Geringhoff was a 2005 12 Row Folding corn head. Frontier Farms continues to believe in the quality of Geringhoff, because the company itself has proven the product.

This past year, Geringhoff allowed farmers to update their corn head. Brett says “they didn’t need to do this for us, but Geringhoff stands behind their product and cares for the consumers.”

Frontier Farms has been pleased and does not recall ever having a problem with a Geringhoff head.

Brett’s mother, Chris, handles all the paperwork for the farm. She adds that “Geringhoff has been a perfect match for our operation for ten years! We’ve operated Geringhoff before the cornhead became well known around here.”

Brett Hermann “Uncle B” and his niece, Naomi, in the combine during Harvest 2014.

Brett views Geringhoff as the leaders in the industry and looks forward to new technology as it becomes available.

“Michael (Schmidt) keeps us updated when new technology is available because we are always looking to implement new ides for Frontier Farms” - Brett Hermann

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 22

ILLINOIS FARM FAMILIES HELP MOMS FEEL SAFE ABOUT FOOD Research shows increased food safety confidence among Chicago-area moms BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — For four years, Illinois Farm Families® (IFF) have been welcoming Chicago-area moms to their farms to answer moms’ questions and share information that helps moms understand their food is safe.

These farm visits are making a significant impact on moms’ confidence in food safety. Before participating in IFF farm tours, 80 percent of the Chicago moms felt very concerned with the safety of their food. After the tours, only 10 percent of moms felt concerned about food safety. What’s more, 88 percent of the moms report their farm visits changed their perceptions of farmers for the better.

This year, in addition to surveying participating moms, IFF also conducted an online focus group of other Chicago-area mothers. This qualitative study of 35 moms provided insight to their collective opinions on food and farming in Illinois – and found that moms’ confidence in food safety is growing.

However, moms still have questions regarding how farmers make decisions and why they farm the way they do. In fact, two-thirds want to know more about where their food comes from.

According to this research and other national studies, opportunities exist for farmers and the food industry to continue building trust among consumers. For farmers, Illinois Farm Families have been steadily increasing public tours of farms and spokespeople explaining how their reach since they began opening their doors four food is produced would increase consumer trust. For years ago. Their WatchUsGrow.org website has doubled manufactures, better labeling of key production and the number of visitors and nearly tripled blog page nutritional information and tours of processing facilities views in 2014, showing more consumers are engaging would be helpful. with IFF. In 2015, Illinois Farm Families will again be opening This initiative has been so impactful that one mom, their doors throughout the year, welcoming another Heather Guido, felt compelled to defend Illinois farmers group of City Moms on tours and answering any to an activist. “I gave the gentleman at my door last night questions they have about animal care, pesticides, some of the facts I've learned firsthand,” Guido said. “It biotechnology and more. IFF also will amplify this knocked him off of his rehearsed spiel, and the depth of program through grocery store tie-ins, social media his pitch became transparent.” outreach and speaking opportunities.

Illinois Farm Families are Illinois farmers who support Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, Illinois Soybean Association, Illinois Beef Association and Midwest Dairy Association through farmer membership and checkoff programs. We are committed to having conversations with consumers, answering their questions about food, farmers and farming, and sharing what really happens on today’s Illinois family farms. More than 97 percent of Illinois farms are family owned and operated. We are passionate about showing consumers how we grow safe, healthy food for their families and ours.

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Thompson Seed Jonathan Thompson (309) 261-9950

Custom Soybean Seed Treatment Jonathan Thompson (309) 261-9950 Brad Ramp (309) 338-2649 Bloomington, IL www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 24

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PLANTING WITH SPLIT ROWS

indenfelser Family Farms in Armington, IL has been loyal to Kinze planters since they switched from a competitor in 2006 to a Kinze 2600. They upgraded in 2011 to a Kinze 3600 16/31 that has been used to plant the Lindenfelsers’ seed corn, commercial corn, and soybeans for the past three years.

Compared to the competitors models, Kinze has a lot of features that are valuable to the family farm. Jed Pratt, 3rd Generation Farmer with Lindenfelser Family Farm says he enjoys the 15’' push and pull units so they could do split beans compared to the units being in line on previous brands they have used. The transport width is a lift and twist instead of a front fold, making it easier to move from field to field. The air seed delivery with finger pickup makes it easy to swap meters.

"The finger pickup works well with the seed corn,” Jed said.

When it comes to testing their meters, Jed says, “we went to the Kinze factory to test our meters and they were very helpful at the plant."

The Lindenfelser Family Farms has also done testing for Farm Journal with Ken Ferry to examine the yield gain using transfer weight. They did a pass on and pass off and saw a noticeable yield difference.

“Kinze just builds a good planter.” - Jed Pratt As a farmer, Jed said that Kinze has great customer service and is easy to get a hold of when they have any questions.

“Dave (Evans) is very knowledgeable with equipment and answered his personal phone at any time for questions.”

- Jed Pratt

m 25 · Central Illinois Ag · www.centralilag.com

BULK-FILL PLANTING?

WATCH YOUR WEIGHT.

KINZE 3600 PIVOT FOLD WITH HYDRAULIC WEIGHT TRANSFER Reduced fill time. Reduced soil compaction. Consistent depth control. That’s what you get with the 3600’s bulk fill and hydraulic weight transfer. Exclusive air seed delivery system minimizes the chance of bridging or plugging. Balanced split-row design. Optional hydraulic variable drive increases precision and versatility of seed population. Narrow in-line transport for easier maneuverability.

Contact your authorized Kinze dealer or visit Kinze.com/3600.

3600 PIVOT FOLD w/split row option 12 Row 30" / 23 or 24 Row 15" • 12 Row 36" / 23 Row 18" 12 Row 38" / 23 Row 19" • 16 Row 30" / 31 or 32 Row 15" • 16 Twin Row 30"

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 26 www.kinze.com

IMITATED, BUT NEVER DUPLICATED. It's been ten years since we introduced the FlexDraper® to the market and our patented platform has yet to be matched. Featuring MacDon FLEX-FLOAT TechnologyTM , our FD75 FlexDraper ® continues to advance harvesting innovation. The FLEX advantage comes from a fixed reel to cutter bar relationship which maintains a small CRITICAL GAP between the reel fingers and cutter bar... while our FLOAT system allows for instant lateral and vertical float response over rolling and uneven terrain. The result of our FLEX-FLOAT TechnologyTM is smooth, consistent, heads-first feeding that significantly boosts combine productivity. Performance like this is the reason why more top producers and custom harvesters trust MacDon with their harvest.

Fits Most Current Model Combines.

Trademarks of products are the marks of their respective manufacturers and/or distributors.

m

See the MacDon FD75 FlexDraper® in action at MacDon.com/videos

27 · Central Illinois Ag · www.centralilag.com

Keeping it Real:

Through the Lens of a Farm Girl

An interview with P hotographer, Designer, and Agricultural Communicator, Erin Ehnle

How did you get started?

I was nineteen years old and a sophomore at Illinois Central College, when I took a social media internship with IL Corn. Before my initial interview, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I could effectively advocate for agriculture. How would my page get likes? Why would people pay attention to me? I decided one of the most interesting things I could offer was photography. I had started a portrait photography business as a senior in high school, so I knew how to take pictures of people. I thought, why not take pictures of agriculture? That way, I could bring the farm to the non-farm public, through photos and designed ag facts. I typed up all of my ideas and presented them to IL Corn. They were just as enthusiastic as I was and gave me the green light to get started. I launched Keeping it Real: Through the Lens of a Farm Girl a few days later. Ten days after it's launch, I had a few thousand likes, and landed my first radio interview.

More about Lens of a Farm Girl: Since its launch, the Facebook page has accumulated more than 27,000 followers and led to countless opportunities from speaking engagements, to photography assignments, to commercial ag photography and print and canvas art sales.

What are you doing now?

In May, I graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Agricultural and Consumer Economics. Instead of taking an agribusiness-related job, I decided to go self-employed and take my photography and design business full-time. I specialize in creating custom artwork for families, farms and businesses to use for purposes varying from well decor to marketing materials.

What is your goal?

I work to communicate agriculture’s story through imagery.

Sometimes that means incorporating agricultural facts into designs to start AGvocacy conversations on social media. Other times that means using photography to document what happens on my family’s farm. Sometimes that even means taking farm photos for Facebook.com/lens.of.a.farm.girl www.erinehnle.com other families to preserve the farm’s legacy for the generations to come. www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 28

The End of a Chapter...

T

erry Sims will be retiring from his role as the Mason City Parts Manager on December 31, 2014.

Terry started selling parts for International Harvester farm machinery by accident in 1975.

After attending Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, Terry was all set to work for the Chicago North Western Railroad. His father managed a grain elevator at Barr Station in Athens, who shipped grain on the Chicago North Western Railroad. After taking several tests, he was denied the position because of a bone in his body that had grown wrong.

While continuing to job search, Terry spoke with Baugher’s International Harvester dealership in Greenview. The parts business was much different than it is today. The daily orders were placed by telephone, shipped by UPS and recieved the next day.

Stock orders were mailed in on a form that had the part numbers hand written along with the quantity.

The dealership could only place one stock order a week. Terry says that “working in a small town like Greenview felt very good to be able to interact with a company as large as International Harvester.”

Terry standing with the poster Case IH sent to Baughers to introduce the Axial Flow Combine.

International Harvester was in the lead of the farm machinery business until it took a 1-2 punch that it could not survive. The union had been on strike for a while and when they went back to work the interest rate skyrocketed. One day he recieved a letter from Harvester outlining some changes to try and save the company. The fleet of airplanes were the first thing to go, then the letter stated Harvester would lay off 60,000 people worldwide and never hire them back.

Baugher’s decided to close the shop doors and Bill Marcotte stopped by the shop in Greenview to let Terry know he was opening a parts’ store in Mason City to take care of their customers.

The Mason City store has been a good fit, the Baugher customers had a place nearby where they could get their supplies and Central Illinois Ag was looking to expand their footprint in the area.

Terry wearing a 40 year Case IH pin on his hat.

“I want to thank all the people from the years for thinking of Baugher’s and Central Illinois Ag to fill their needs for machinery, parts, and service. It has been a pleasure to have been part of both organizations” -Terry Sims

m 29 · Central Illinois Ag · www.centralilag.com

Favorite Moment

“Russell traded for a goat, the customer just wanted to get rid of the goat and it was thrown in on the deal. One day, after several months, the fellow backed his truck up to the front door and threw in the goat. We had a goat walking around the store for a couple of hours. Later that day we had a customer that raised draft horses come in, saw the goat and took it home. He was particular about some things and his cars were one of them. He had just bought a new Mercury a few weeks before. He came out of his house one day and the goat had gotten ou and was standing on top of his new Mercury. That was the last anyone heard or saw the goat.”

W

Moving Forward

e would like to welcome and introduce you to our new Parts team member who will be working in Mason City. Randy Grigg has been in the mechanical/machinery field for most of his working career. He comes to Central Illinois Ag from Neal Tire in Lincoln, IL where he was the Assistant Manager.

“I look forward to spending many years with the company to provide excellent customer service and to learn in great depth the capabilities of the machinery. I am excited to say I have found a great company to be a part of.”

-Randy Grigg

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 30

Equipment on a Phone Tower and Windmill Site

F

or a tower and windmill company, it’s important to be the best. Midwest Underground Technologies, Inc. (MUTI) from Champaign, IL are firm believers in Takeuchi construction equipment. With TL8’s, TL10’s, and TL12’s, they see the value of durable equipment that can work with them through the toughest of jobs.

"Takeuchi is much smoother and has more power than any other track loader they have owned,” said Steve Wise, supervisor of the Champaign Civil Crew.

“Jim (Spicer) is always available to help when we have a question on a machine, if he doesn’t answer his phone he gets back to me within an hour.”

- Steve Wise

Steve and Thomas, MUTI employee, both said the pilot control hydraulic system is smoother to run than the competitors’ electric over hydraulic system.

After maintaining several other pieces of equipment, Steve said he is impressed with the tracks do not wear out as fast as others.

The buckets are also more durable when handling rocks and heavy metals. MUTI has had buckets break on them before, but has never had a problem with a Takeuchi bucket.

MUTI is a nationwide company, the Champaign Civil Crew works between a 5-6 state radius building cell towers.

How can Takeuchi help a tower and windmill company?

MUTI unloads cell phone towers with the TL12.

They haul rocks, dirt, move rebar, and finish grades on tower sites with the TL8 and TL10.

m 31 · Central Illinois Ag · www.centralilag.com

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 32

Or

Lease

®

Loan?

You Decide.

1st Farm Credit Express Can help either way.

1st Farm Credit Express is proud to partner with Central Illinois Ag to provide the following world-class services:

 Industry Leading Loan Products  Innovative Lease Products  Refinances to Manage Interest-Free Waivers Call your CIA salesman for more information on competitive finance options on your next equipment purchase.

®

1st Farm Credit Express

(800) 847-3701  www.1stfarmcredit.com

m Pictured is Jerry, third generation farmer, wife Stacey, daughter Emilie 33 Central Illinois Ag ·· www.centralilag.com 33 ··and Central Illinois AgSchmidt. www.centralilag.com

33 · Central Illinois Ag · www.centralilag.com

Who’s Who?

Central Illinois Ag Secretaries

Polly Daugherty

Mary Powell

Location: Clinton Years at CIA: 7 The customers at CIA make my job enjoyable.

Location: Atlanta My hobbies include antique shopping, cooking, & Years at CIA: 14 entertaining family and friends.

Making a difference in the I’ve been a hairdresser for 33 years and continue to customers experience is work at the salon on my days off. important to me.

My hobbies include spending Location: Clinton Years at CIA: 3 time with my grandkids.

I enjoy coming to work I am a cancer survivor of 17 because of the day to day years. interaction with the customers.

Growing up I was on the All Star team for Softball.

Location: Farmer City Years at CIA: 41/2 Talking with the farmers makes my day fun.

My hobbies include boating, four wheeling, fishing and spending time with her kids.

I won 1st place singing and have participated in several country music competitions.

Bailey Davis

Diane Bradford

www.centralilag.com · Winter ‘14-’15 · 34

200 Sharon Street Atlanta, IL 61723

Find us online!

Photo courtesy of Erin Ehnle. Learn more about Erin on page 28.

m 35 路 Central Illinois Ag 路 www.centralilag.com