Modern Farmer 04/22/23 Jacksonville Journal-Courier

Blanchette/Journal-Courier Buffalo-area farmer Joe Pickrell

waterway on his farm where a saturated buffer will be installed. Farmers are using new techniques and tried-and-true practices to protect fields and waterways.

Modern Farmer

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Partnership with the earth. 3

Climate change brings longer growing

season, but risks......... 5

Little things can be game-changers for bees. 6

Whole hog: How one Winchester farm raises its pigs. 7 Report: Program to protect farmworkers failing. 8

Farmers look to carbon offset for additional income..... 12 Gardeners say patience, trial and error keys to growing. 13 What farmers should know about tick-borne diseases. 14 Rule change would limit ‘Product of USA’ labels.......................... 15 Alligators could crawl into region sooner than you think. 16 Farmers still waiting for CBD regulation years after hemp legalized..................... 17 Illinois counties among leaders in corn, soybean production. 18

Partnership with the earth

Farmers

By David Blanchette CONTRIBUTOR

The Turner family farming operation in Cass and Mason counties has a multigenerational commitment to good land stewardship.

“My father-in-law taught me a lot to passitalongtomygeneration,andIhave my two adult sons in the farming operation right now so they are looking to do the same things,” said the current patriarch of the farming operation, Steve Turner. “With each generation there are bound to be new techniques and technology to advance it a bit more.”

The Turner farms are an example of varioussoil,waterandnutrientstewardship practices, some tried and true and some relatively new, that keep dirt and fertilizeronthefarmandputcleanerwa-

David

looks at a

say stewardship key to keeping land, water sustainable for future generations

David Blanchette/Journal-Courier Agricultural drainage tile machinery at work in a field east of Jacksonville. Earth continues on A4

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ter downstream. The latter result is especially important in their Mason County operation, which is located above a huge water aquifer that supplies critical irrigation to crops grown in the area’s sandy soils.

The Turners practice no-till and conservation tillage, which leaves crop residue on the ground, and their fields are green with cover crops such as rye grass in the off-season. Both of these traditional practices help to control wind and water erosion.TheirCassCounty ground also features grassy areas between the hills to carry away excess water.

These relatively common practices have been supplemented this spring on the Turner farms by the installation of water and sediment control basins, a series of embankmentsthatstoreandslowly release water runoff through field drains that connect to drainage tile.

“I call them ‘dry dams.’ They minimize the amount of time the water has to be on top of the ground and moving

across the soil, because that’s what causes erosion,”Turnersaid.“Ihave a sediment bed to capture the nutrients. Anything you can do to control that watermovement,youalso control soil erosion and nutrient loss.”

When the Turners apply nitrogen fertilizer, especially on their irrigated ground, they spread out the applications and don’t apply it all at once.

“We put on small amounts of nitrogen which really works well because it’s going right to the roots and doesn’t lay around on the ground,” Turner said. “The plants are picking that up real quick.”

Sangamon County

grain farmer Joe Pickrell isplanningtoinstallarelatively new technology, saturated buffers, at the edge of several fields on his 4,000-acre grain farm near Buffalo. The Illinois Farm Bureau will host a fielddayatPickrell’sfarm in June to install the saturatedbuffer,ademonstrationthatwillbepartofthe Sangamon County Farm Bureau’s annual Field Day.

“The Farm Bureau put out feelers to see who might be interested in putting in a buffer strip. On our farm we have a creek that runs basically through the main part of our farm,” Pickrell said. “I told them I was interested, because we want to

make sure that the nitrogen and the other inputs stay where they are supposed to be and we have clean water.”.

Agricultural drainage tile removes excess water fromfarmfieldsbutwhile movingthatwater,thetile also moves any nutrients the water may have picked up on its journey. Those nutrients will keep flowing downstream unless there’s a way to stop them.

Saturated buffers feature control structures that intersect with drainage tile at the edge of a field and divert the water to underground pipes that run parallel to a stream or drainage ditch. Those pipes allow the diverted water and the nu-

trients they contain to gradually seep into the soil, where grasses that have been planted above the installation take up the water and nutrients.

“Think of the soil as a sponge. If the soil is super-saturated it can’t take any more water so that water is going to go somewhere,itwillrolloffofthe sponge,” Pickrell said. “If we tile the soil and install a saturated buffer we hopefully keep that sponge drier. That way if we do get a heavy rain event, that soil can take that water in and it won’t run off.”

Pickrell and his father and brother, who are his farming partners, want to be good stewards of the land and soil.

“Fertilizer is very expensive and we definitely want it to stay where it’s supposed to be,” Pickrell said. “We live there, we havewellsthere,wedrink the water, we want everything to be as safe as possible.”

Thomas Beyers from Odin is chairman of the AssociationofIllinoisSoil and Water Conservation Districts.

“These water control and nutrient loss reduction strategies remediate those nutrients that are gettingintotheMississippi River watershed and impacting the Gulf of Mexico,” Beyers said. “By using these practices you are being a good steward of the public waters. It’s the right thing to do.”

Beyers pointed to two other new practices that are gaining acceptance. Bioreactors divert water intoawoodchipfilter,and “the microbial actions that go on in those saturated wood chips use up the nitrates,” he said. “A little more expensive methodisdischargingthe effluentintoaconstructed wetland, where the microbial processes that go on in the wetland remove the nitrates.”

Jill Kostel of the Wet-

Photos by David Blanchette/Journal-Courier Steve Turner inspects a newly installed water and sediment control basin on his Cass County farm.

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Steve Turner points to a newly installed water and sediment control basin on his Cass County farm.

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lands Initiative helps farmers to turn non-profitable, marginal areas of their operations into tile watertreatmentwetlands.

“Ifwegetawetlandthat is up to 2½ percent of the tile drainage area, we can get 50 to 90% nitrogen removal,” Kostel said. “At the low end it’s around 30%, but usually it’s in the 50%to60%range.Andit’s seasonal, wetlands work best when they’re warm.”

Kostel said there are other benefits to developing wetlands on the farm.

“Theyareallcomprised of native vegetation, so it attracts pollinators, waterfowl, birds, turtles, frogs,sometimesdeerand turkeys,” Kostel said. “You’re not going to have quite the diverse food web as you would in a natural wetland, because the space is limited and it’s kind of isolated, but if you plant it, they will find it.”

The Illinois Farm Bureau has a nutrient stewardship grant program to helpfarmerswithsomeof these conservation practices, and environmental program manager Raelynn Parmely is excited about the growing use of some of the newer technologies in the field.

“We expect to see more as farmers are given nutrient loss credits for these practices,” Parmely said. “They keep soil in place, keep nutrients in place,andhelptoslowthe flow of water a bit, which helps downstream for drinking water.”

“Wealleat.Wealldrink water.It’simportanttoremember that it’s not just one group working on this issue, it’s a lot of different groups,” Parmely said. “Agriculture is definitelyengagedintryingto identify the best practices.”

Climate change brings longer growing season, but risks

By Dave Dawson REPORTER

Thirty years ago, west-central Illinois farmers would be ready to get into the fields at the end of April. Because of the effects of climate change, many are ready to plant during the first week of April.

The condensed version of the story is the growing season has extended as winter and spring havebecomewarmerandwetter. But it’s not as simple as going intothefieldsandplantingearlyas there are risks associated with getting into planting mode too soon.

Some Morgan County farmers were prepared to head into the fieldsinearlyApril.Universityof Illinois Extension State Master Naturalist Duane Friend of Jacksonville said they would be fine as long as heavy rains didn’t muddy their plans.

“The soil is ready for planting now. Climate change has extendedthegrowingseasonandplanting is taking place earlier,” Friend said April 3. Severe stormspredictedthefirstweekof April failed to produce an overabundance of rain.

“We have seen a move to get crops planted earlier,” Friend said. “But more rain means you needtoworkquickerbecausethe planting window can be shorter because it takes more time to dry outfields.That’sareasonyouare seeingmorefieldtilegoingin.It’s to help dry fields quicker.”

Even if precipitation works in farmers’favor,thereisalwaysthe threat of frost, one of which occurred overnight on April 6. While average minimum low temperatures are higher, the threat of frost still exists. Temperaturesat28degreesorlessfor a few hours can be lethal to corn plants.

“Illinois’ climate has changed over the last100 years, and it has hadadirectandvariedimpacton

agriculture,” said Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford.

“Warming has been concentrated in meteorological winter and spring, causing the average low temperatures to be warmer, but not necessarily the average high temperatures,” Ford said.

A 2021 assessment by the Nature Conservancy found average daily temperatures have increased by one to two degrees over the past120 years. Precipitation has increased by five inches, with the number of days with at least two inches of rain increasing by 40% over the past 120 years.

The biggest challenge presented by climate change, according to Ford, is the decision calendar farmers use. He said the impacts are acute and chronic, but the bigger issues are acute.

“Think about individual health issues. If I broke my leg, it is acute, and if I have lupus, it is chronic. Acute problems are precipitation and frost. Wetter springs compress the ability to work in the fields in the spring,” Ford said.

“While we are having a larger freeze-free window, there is less time to plant because it’s been historically wetter. This spring, southern Illinois has seen a lengthy delay because of the amount of rain they’ve received, andfieldsareflooded,”Fordsaid.

“Statisticsshowearlierplanted crops do well. Producers have to go by what maps say are the latest average frost dates,” Friend said.

“OneofthethingsImentionis there are a lot of climate and weather tools people can use to see what may be coming, such as the potential for late freezes, or rain,” Friend said.

“There are good forecasts that tell what is coming for the next monthortwo,basedonwhathas happened over the last 20 to 30 years. It helps farmers make decisionsonwhentoplant,whatto

plant and what kind of cover crops are called for. People just needtofindthetools.Wewantto help direct people to find the right tools,” Friend said.

Chronic issues such as elevated temperatures can affect matters such as integrated pest and weed management.

“It’s about what has an effect on the plants. With a warmer winter and spring, some insect pests are spreading north. Some pests that we might not expect until later in the season are showing up early and the treatment needs to be started earlier,” Ford said.

“As we continue with warmer weather, it means the timing of applying pesticides shifts. Same thing with weed management. It provides a challenge of adjusting the way in which we approach problems, but the methods stay

pretty much the same,” Ford said.

The climate shift has not affected yields or changed the nature of farming in the area, Friend said, which continues to be heavily weighted to corn and soybeans.

While the changes have been subtle, both men say it is something farmers need to pay attention to and adjust accordingly.

“It’snotassimpleassayingit’s getting wetter or it’s getting hotter, and things will change. The simplistic narratives don’t do the problems justice,” Ford said.

“We’re not trying to breed indifference or cause overreaction. But it is important to talk about thesethingstogettheproducers’ perspective on how the circumstancesarechangingbecauseitis a complicated problem,” Ford said.

Photos by Dave Dawson/Journal-Courier University of Illinois Extension State Master Naturalist Duane Friend inspects the moisture content of the soil in a field north of Jacksonville. Even though climate change has extended the growing season, Friend warns there are risks involved with early planting, including too much rain and frost.

Little things can be game-changers for bees

By Angela Bauer REPORTER

Those wondering what to do to help the bees — and other pollinators — thisspringcanstartbydoing practically nothing. “Don’t do your garden cleanup too early,” said Ken Johnson, horticulture educator with the University of Illinois Extension, serving Morgan, Cass, Greene,ScottandCalhoun counties. Bees and other pollinators still are overwintering—simplytrying to survive the coldest months — come spring and rely on that slightly unkempt yard for survival,Johnsonsaid.“Theyeat thatdebris,soletthatstick around until May,” Johnsonsaid.“Ifyoucleanitup

too early, put it in an outof-the-way area” of the yard where bees, insects andthelikestillcanfindit. “Providing some areas (of the yard) where you’re not doing a lot of work and it’s undisturbed would be goodfornesting,”Johnson said. While people thinking of bees tend to think about honey bees, merrily buzzing around a hive in someone’sbackyard,nearly 4,000 species of native ground and twig-nesting beesarefoundintheUnitedStates,accordingtoPollinator Partnership at pollinator.org. “People are probably most familiar withhoneybees,”Johnson said. “But there are hundreds of other types. Native bee species are probably in the most danger.”

About 70% of bees native to Illinois are groundbased species, he said.

That means, while old flower stalks might not be theviewonewantsoftheir

yard come spring, they have their advantages. “You can cut those down, but leave 24 inches of that stalk behind,” Johnson said. “Cavity-nesting bees will dig those out and nest.” Bumble bees, of which there are around 11 speciesinIllinois,alsolike to nest in abandoned burrows and compost piles, Johnson said. Early blooming plants, flowers and trees help provide nectar and pollen during that over-wintering period. “We do a pretty good jobofhavingflowersinthe summer, which is an important time,” Johnson said. “But March is also important, when we don’t have as much blooming.”

Tulips and daffodils are more than an early bright spot in an end-of-winter landscape. “Springblooming bulbs will provide resources (for bees and other pollinators), too,”Johnsonsaid.Similar resource-shortfall problemsariseinthefall,when summer flowers have given way to cooler fall temperatures, Johnson said. That makes it important for yards to have a variety

of plants, not just those that flower in the heat of summer but those that bloom at the first sign of spring and withstand cooler temperatures to hold up into September or October, he said. Awareness of the problems bees are facing has increased, but awareness alone hasn’t erased those problems,Johnsonsaid.“Habitatlossisstillanissue,”he said. Pesticides also remainanissue,thoughpeople “are rethinking how they use pesticides,” he said. “There are other thingsyoucando…before spraying pesticides. If you do spray, find something less toxic.” Also, be mindfulthat“lesstoxic”doesn’t mean “not toxic.” “Try to get away from pesticide use,” Johnson said. “With bees, and pollinators in general, we need to be willing to accept some damagetoourplants.Cosmetic damage isn’t going to damage the tree. … People want to see butterflies in their yards, but the caterpillarsaregoingtochew onyourplants.Ifyouwant to support them, you have to allow that.” It’s about finding a balance, he said. “Itcomesdowntotheindividual and how much damage you are willing to accept,” he said. “If something chews it to the ground, it chews it to the ground. That’s fine with me. Other people … may not agree.” One thing to keepinmindisthatnature isanecosystemandnoone part of it survives without help from others. “One of the things with monarch (butterflies)isthatproviding habitats that benefit monarchs also benefits bees,” Johnson said. “… Actionsyoutaketobenefit beesorbutterfliesarebeneficial to other insects, too.”

Sumiko Scott/Getty Images

Early blooming plants and flowers, such as tulips, help bees survive spring as they await the arrival of more bountiful summer greenery.

Whole hog: How one Winchester farm raises its pigs

By Ben Singson REPORTER

WINCHESTER — Americans love pork.

Behindbeefandchicken, pork is the thirdmost popular meat consumed in the United States, with the average American eating just under52poundsofpigtotal last year. The National Pork Producers Council said there were more than66,000farmsacross the country producing pork as of 2021.

Despite this, however, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the number of farms with hogs on them has declined by 70% since 1990 as individual outfits grow larger.

The USDA said most pork farms in the U.S. are concentrated in the Midwest. One such farm is Spencer Farms in Winchester, run by the father-and-son duo of Jeff and James Spencer. While James Spencer said he did not have an exact number of pigs on their farm, he estimated there to be around 20 sows.

“I’ve got pigs from all different sides running around,” he said.

Pigsarejustoneofseveral things Spencer Farms grows; the outfit also farms corn, soybeans, grain and beef, among other things. Jeff Spencer said his father wastheonetogetstarted raising pigs in the ‘60s. He took over for his father after getting out of college and raised them himself for 20 years, though he said he initially intended to quit pig farming, only keeping a few for meat. His son then began raising a few pigsofhisownafterjoin-

ing Future Farmers of America, Jeff Spencer said.

“He kept raising some tomakemoneyandthen, thepandemichit,andthe packers wouldn’t buy our hogs,” Jeff Spencer said. “That’s how we got started in the meat business—tryingtogetridof our own hogs.”

James Spencer said that his grandfather raised pigs to “pay for farms,” though he said pigs were not worth nearly as much today as they were back then. Nevertheless, he said there were few other ways for him to stay around Winchester and make money aside from raising hogs.

“You had a few hogs to pay for farm ground,” he said,“butnow,yougotto have farm ground to pay the hog bill.”

Therewereafewways to tell a healthy pig from a sick one, James Spencer said. Happy pigs could be seen “flopping around in the mud or running around” with perky ears, he said. The signature curled tail is another indicator of a healthy pig.

“Youalwaysseeincartoons a pig with a curled tail,” he said. “A pig with a curled tail is a happy pig.”

Meanwhile, unhealthy pigs“actlame”withtheir head and ears down, Jeff Spencer said. James Spencer said that while their tail straightening outwasnotalwaysatelltale sign of something being off, it was typically a good indicator. Common diseases for pigs included African swine fever, classical swine fever, pseudorabies and influenza.

Keeping the pigs of

Spencer Farms happy andhealthywassimplya matter of “(giving) them all the food and water they want and keep(ing)

their pens dry and clean,” James Spencer said. The farm also tries to keep its pigs antibiotic-freebypreventingdis-

eases from cropping up in the first place. Pig farmers need to stay on top of diseases for their animals, as many of them cannot be cured, only treated.

JamesSpencersaidthe difficulty of caring for the pigs depended on the time of the year.

“This time of year, it’s difficult because the weather’s always changing,” he said. “They get started with colds and then sick, but (in) the middle of summer and, a lot of times, the dead of winter, it’s not too difficult because they don’t get sick as often.”

Once the hogs are ready for slaughter — which could take anywhere from three to six

months, according to various sources — James Spencer said the farm sells them off to various places around west-central Illinois. The farm is one part of the billions of pounds in pork that are sold each year in the country, fueling an industry that was worth $7.2 billion last year.

Despite pork not makingthefarmasmuchasit used to, both Spencers noted that it usually breaks even on pig sales.

James Spencer also noted that profits on pig sales were going up because they were selling them at a premium.

“It’s something for me to do ... and it keeps (us) from having to buy meat at the store,” he said.

Ben Singson/Journal-Courier The pigs of Spencer Farm in Winchester make up one of the more than 66,000 farms around the country that produce pork.

Report: Program to protect farmworkers failing

By Mark Richardson Sky Chadde and Johnathan Heddinger INVESTIGATE MIDWEST-PUBLIC

In early 2019 in Illinois, a farmworker, his wife and his son lived in a moldy house. Attempting to keep the winter cold at bay, he’d spray-foamed the windows shut. The toilet often malfunctioned.Unlikemostfarmworker housing, it hadn’t been inspected — the employer hadn’t registered it with the state.

Butthemanhadanother option. He complained toastateemployeewhose job is to advocate for farmworkers’ rights. A crucial component of the

advocate’s job is visiting fields and housing and forwarding complaints to law enforcement.

Several farmworkers a week were contacted through this outreach.

Between 2018 and 2020, Illinois forwarded 10 complaints — ranging from being sprayed twice by pesticides to illegally garnishing wages for medical treatment — to authorities. For example, once the father in the moldyhousecomplained, the state employee informed the U.S. Department of Labor.

However, when farmworkers likely needed this outreach most, Illinoisstoppeddeliveringit.

WhenCOVID-19hit,Illinoisbarredtheoutreach

workers from traveling andassignedsometoother duties, according to state and federal documents. Often living in crowded housing, farmworkers were particularly susceptible to COVID-19. Between the pandemic’s first summer and summer 2022, the state contactedzerofarmworkers. The state recorded one complaint.

The outreach workers in Illinois are part of a federal and state partnership known as the MonitorAdvocateSystem.U.S. DepartmentofLaborofficials oversee state counterparts who are supposed to ensure their states protect farmworkers from unsafe housing, wage theft and other

abuses. Outreach is only part of the system’s duties, but it’s an essential element.

Nationwide problem

The failings in Illinois echo across the country, according to internal program documents obtained by Investigate Midwest, and other state and federal records.

Consider:

• The pandemic either impaired or completely shut down required outreach to farmworkers. States are supposed to have full-time outreach staff during harvest season.Personnelatsomelocal job centers — mainly known for providing career counseling and job referrals — also chip in.

• In the pandemic’s first years, some states — including Illinois, Ohio and Kansas — closed job centers or reassigned staff. Across the country, the number of contacts withfarmworkersfell,according to the system’s latest annual report.

• Meanwhile, more than 90,000 farmworkers contracted the virus, and

WestVirginiawhoretired in 2020, said many monitoradvocatessheworked with were dedicated and caring individuals who hadfarmworkers’bestinterests in mind.

“Most of the people I worked with were outstanding. They took their jobs to heart,” she said. But,sheadded,“Youcan’t just put somebody in that seat. You got to have somebody who has some interest or background (with farmworkers). Otherwise, the program’s going to suffer.”

at least 100 died during the pandemic, according to tracking by the Food and Environmental Reporting Network, a nonprofit newsroom.

• The monitor advocate system has convulsedwithturnoverinrecent years. The system has about 60 positions: a national monitor advocate, six DOL officials overseeing states in different regions,anadvocateineach state and some support staff. Since 2020, 37 people have cycled through the system, according to Investigate Midwest’s review of staff directories.

Since 2020, four states, including Illinois, have hadthreedifferentpeople employed in the monitor advocate role. Some who technically served in the role did not perform its duties full-time. For instance, between 2016 and 2018, Iowa’s monitor advocatespentlessthanhalf of her time performing monitoring duties. (The statesaidthisiscurrently not the case.)

Janie Claytor-Woodson, the longtime state monitor advocate for

Even before COVID-19, some states did not perform the required outreach to farmworkers. The year before the pandemic started, 16 states failed to do so, according to a recent annual report. The annual reports note little contact with farmworkers generally means fewer complaints.

Yu-Mon “Luis” Chang, Connecticut’s state monitoradvocate,saidinavideofortheNationalCenter for Farmworker Health thatfrequentvisitsareessential to building trust withfarmworkers.Hedid not return repeated requests for an interview.

“If you’re just showing up once every two years tothefarm,you’renotgoing to gain the trust of the workers,” he said. “But if they see you out there all the time, and they start talking to you, they’ll get comfortable enough to disclose something that may be bothering them. That’s the key.”

InastatementtoInvestigate Midwest, the labor department said it disagreed with any characterization that the program wasn’t successful. The statement said the oversight the monitor advocate system provides

Image Source/Getty Images

Outreach workers in Illinois are part of a federal and state partnership known as the Monitor Advocate System. U.S. Department of Labor officials oversee state counterparts who are supposed to ensure their states protect farmworkers from unsafe housing, wage theft and other abuses.

focuses on reviewing states’ protections of farmworkers, the functionality of their complaint process and their compliance with regulations and directives: “This system is successful when Monitor Advocates effectively perform their specific duties,” the statement reads.

Onanationallevel,several of the performance indicators the labor department uses to determine the program’s success are being met. But, the agency acknowledged, “state-level data shows that not all (local job centers) are meeting all measures.”

The system’s most recent annual report notes weekly contacts increasedafterthepandemic’s first year. However, it reads, “it is critical to understand that the pre-

pandemic contact rate may not have been adequate.”

When asked what kind of accountability existed for states not meeting the required standards, the labor department said, “Continued non-compliance can result in (the agency) formally noting deficiencies in a monitoringreportandrequiringa corrective action plan. Most states can resolve compliance issues through these steps.”

In more extreme cases, funding can be withheld, the agency said.

But, the labor department said, it was “not aware” of an instance where funding related to farmworker services was withheld.

For example, Indiana has been cited repeatedly since 2009 for inadequate outreach staff, according

to a copy of the labor department’s corrective action plan for the state. Indiana said it is “currently incompliance”withstaffing regulations.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security, which houses Illinois’s part of the monitor advocate system, originally said it would answer Investigate Midwest’s questions about its role in the system and its decisions during the pandemic. It did not respond prior to publication.

The monitor advocate system was in the headlinesrecentlybecauseofa possible connection between its representative in Georgia and a human trafficking operation, according to reporting by USA Today.

The operation forced farmworkers to dig for onions with their bare

hands, and to live in housing with limited plumbingandnosafewater, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. According to testimony related to the case, the traffickers paid off a state official who inspected and approved farmworker housing.

The person who inspected housing was the statemonitoradvocatefor Georgia, who retired in the wake of the DOJ’s investigation. The advocate’s sister was indicted intheDOJ’scase,andseveral of his family members owned companies that employed farmworkers, USA Today reported.

The Georgia Department of Labor did not respond to requests for comment.

Chronic issues

In an ongoing series on

farmworker housing, Investigate Midwest is examining chronic issues and the systems created to uphold farmworker rights. Ensuring safe living conditions is not the Monitor Advocate System’s only responsibility, but protecting farmworkers from substandard housing — an entrenched problem — has been part of its mission since its start.

Across the country, examples of poor housing abound. In Iowa, authorities have found housing withholesinthewalland floor. In Missouri, farmworkers were forced to live in an old jail. One farmworker complained to an advocacy group of living in an “iron chicken coop” with bunk beds.

“Farmworkers are one of the worst housed groups in the United

States,” said Lance George, director of researchandinformationat the Housing Assistance Council, which studied the issue in 2002. “This is a group in the shadows.”

Oversight and enforcement need to improve for conditionstochange,said Antonio De Loera-Brust, communications director forUnitedFarmWorkers, a California labor union.

“There’sonelawonthe books,” he said. “There’s anotherlawinthefields.”

Research, government data and previous reporting show farmworkers are also vulnerable to labor abuses, human trafficking and legal violations — necessitating a government position like the monitor advocate.

Whenoneadvocacyorganization, Centro de Los Derechos del Migrante, Failing continues on A19

Farmers look to carbon offset for additional income

By Zeta Cross THE CENTER SQUARE

Everyyear,moreIllinois farmers are signing up to participate in carbon capture programs to make some extra income. It has yielded some fruitful results.

John Nergenah is a fourth generation farmer in Morgan County. Along with his father, they have been working with Locus Agricultural Solutions’ CarbonNow program for eight years.

“Weare100%no-tilland we also use cover crops on every acre, every year,” Nergenah said. “The carbonmarketswereanafterthe-fact thing that fit with what we were already doing.”

The CarbonNow program pays the Nergenahs $9 an acre for using best practices. When the company comes back to do soil sampling,Nergenahispaid an additional $3 an acre. There is the potential for bonus dollars if the carbon capture results are better than expected.

Locus Ag translates the data from all the farms in the program into carbon capture credits that are sold to some of the biggest corporations in the world. The corporations buy the creditstooffsettheamount of carbon dioxide that they produce in the course of doing business.

Carbon credits are essentially “permits” that allow the corporations to emitcarbondioxideoroth-

er greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Because some of the

Nergenahs’ land is sloped, they have always had erosion problems. Thirty

years ago, Nergenah’s dad started experimenting with no till soybeans, but

planting back in the day was tougher. His dad balked when John let the covercropgrowwaist-high andwhenJohnplantedthe corn right into the cover crop.

“With the planters they make nowadays, you can do it,” he said.

John and his dad finally decidedtogoallinwithnotill and cover crops after a rain event12 years ago.

“The erosion it caused just irritated me,” Nergenah said. “At that point I said, ‘I’m going to figure out how to do this.’”

The father and son pair appreciatesthatno-tilland covercropsaremakingthe soil healthier

“With unhealthy soil, you get all the erosion. The watercyclegetsmessedup. And the nutrient cycle gets messed up. And it all goes down to the rivers and into the Gulf of Mexico,” Negenahsaid.“Anythingwecan do to prevent that, we need to be going at it100%.”

Nergenah also buys Locus Ag probiotics to treat his seed to increase the photosynthesis of the plants.

“They blend that in with aseedlubricantsothebeneficial bacteria goes in with that,” he said.

Thetreatmentmakesthe plants healthier and gives them deeper roots.

“Theplanttakesinmore carbon dioxide than it needs.Itreleasesitthrough the root in a liquid carbon state. That’s how you are takingcarbonoutoftheair and putting it in the ground,” Nergenah said.

Asafarmer,Nergenahis committed to doing the best he can for his land, he said.

“Anything we can do to getmorelandno-tilledand cover cropped is better for everybodyinthelongrun,” Nergenah said.

Dan Prat/Getty Images

Locus Ag translates the data from all the farms in the program into carbon capture credits that are sold to some of the biggest corporations in the world. The corporations buy the credits to offset the amount of carbon dioxide that they produce in the course of doing business.

Gardeners say patience, trial and error keys to growing

By Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree REPORTER

Just over a decade ago, Roodhouse resident Sandy Bettis started her own gardens, growing plants under florescent lights in her basement.

Since then, her small productionhasgrowninto a full greenhouse.

Though, she said she still feels like a beginner some days.

“I’m constantly learning something new, or asking for advice from others,” Bettis said.

Sandy’s Seedlings in Roodhouse provides started flowers, plants and vegetables for growers that gardeners can transfer over into their gardens or pots.

Bettis said her business started with just a few plantsinherbasementunder florescent lights 13 years ago with the help of family members who have experience growing plants.

Bettissaidthatalthough she has more experience now, she still seeks the help of others when she runs into something she isn’t familiar with, while also trying to help those that come into her greenhouse looking for plants.

Ken Johnson, the horticulture educator of the University of Illinois Extension Office in Jacksonville, said more people are getting into gardening, especially as more is being done to encourage urban growing.

The types of plants available now are more small-space friendly than some other plants.

“We are seeing more compact-type plants,” Johnson said. “These plants are shorter, or more compact and take up less

space, which is beneficial to those without a lot of space. As yards get smaller, we are smaller gardens.”

For those just starting their garden, Johnson said one of the first steps is to learn about your garden— your spacing, the amount ofsunlight/shade,thetype of soil.

“Some plants need a full eight hours of sunlight,

while there are others that thrive in the shade,” Johnson said. “You need to make sure it is relatively well drained because you don’t want water to stand because that can lead to disease.”

Johnson said he recommendshavingsoiltestedin ordertodetermineanynutrient needs.

And he said it is important to plan for the future

of the garden to determine spacing.

“Whenyouplanthegarden,plansshouldbebased ontheexpectedfull-grown size of a plant in order to avoid a garden to become overgrown,” Johnson said.

Bettis said growing plants is a science with a bit of luck.

In order to have a successful garden. Bettis said know the weather and

whatplantsgrowbestdur-

ing that season and when to start them, whether as a seed or small plant being transferred in.

Each year, she said she triestofollowmethodsshe knows work and practices that have helped create the strongest, healthiest plants.

And each year, somethingcouldgowrongand she has to find a way to adapt.

Whether is a new soil that needs more nutrients than a previous brand, or a season that isn’t as sunny, Bettis said a gardener has to be able

to take some hits and keep going to find the best solution for their garden.

Johnson suggested some sturdier plants for beginners, as they take less work than some others. Vegetables like lettuce, peas, broccoli and potatoes are relatively low maintenance.

After starting, Johnson said it is important to study the garden, whether testing the soil or finding out if there are issues with pests or disease and addressingissuesassoon as possible.

Grow continues on A18

Photos by Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree/Journal-Courier

Sandy Bettis of Roodhouse has 13 years' experience with making things grow.

Sandy Bettis of Roodhouse starts flowers and vegetables in her greenhouse before transferring them to pots or her garden.

What farmers should know about tick-borne diseases

By Diana Yates

Tick-borne illnesses like ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are on the rise in Illinois, and outdoor workerslikefarmersareathigher risk than those who spend more time indoors.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign doctoral candidate Sulagna Chakraborty and her colleagues at

Illinois led a new study on thesubjectthatsurveyed50

Illinois farmers to learn about their awareness of the problem and engagement in tick-prevention efforts.

Chakraborty spoke to News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about what they found.

What are the trends in tick abundance and tick-bornediseaseinIllinois?

Ticks have been present

inIllinoissinceatleast1905, but in recent times there hasbeenanexponentialincrease in ticks and tickborne diseases in the state. The geographic expansion ofticksisdrivenbychanges in climate and the movementpatternsofhostssuch as birds, small mammals and white-tailed deer. Land-use changes also affect the availability of suitable habitats and strongly influence tick abundance.

In particular, the tick

species that can cause the most harm – such as the blacklegged tick, American dog tick, lone star tick and the Gulf coast tick – have expanded into new areas in IllinoisandacrosstheMidwest.

How might farm animals and wildlife be affected?

Ticksareknowntoparasitize domestic animals, livestock, companion animalsandwildlife.Ticksare considered vectors because they can pick up an infection during a blood-meal from one host and transmit it to another in their next meal. Among livestock, ticks can cause bovine anaplasmosis, bovine babesiosis, theileriosis, cattle fever and other diseases. Ticks can be a nuisance and are known to cause infections incats,dogsandothercompanion animals.

If cattle and wildlife interact in nature – for example, during grazing – this can promote the transmissionofseveralzoonoticand vector-borne diseases such as anaplasmosis, tickborne encephalitis and tularemia.Iffarmanimalsare not regularly protected with safe-to-use acaricides andgroomedforticks,they are at risk of becoming infested and can pass those ticks to their human handlers.

How informed were the farmers you surveyed about the risks to themandtheiranimals?

Awareness of ticks and the diseases they transmit varied. Beef producers and mixed-commodity farmers were more knowledgeable on this topic than crop producers. All of the farmers we surveyed knew that tickscanspreaddiseasesto

humans and a majority knew that ticks also spread diseases to animals.

Farmers who reported being bitten by ticks in 39 counties in Illinois had moderate knowledge about the tick species that are present in the state. Fewer respondents said they couldidentifythemedically important tick species. Theyalsowereawareofthe types of habitats where they might be exposed to ticks but did not know which animals act as reservoirs of infection or help move the ticks around. Depending on the farm type, the sources of information used by farmers for ticks and tick-borne diseases were not always accurate and reliable. We also found that farmers were not very concerned about contracting tick-borne diseases. Didthefarmersknow how to protect themselves?

Most farmers said they performed regular tick checks on themselves after spending time outdoors and sometimes take one or more preventive measures. About half of the respondents believed that following tick-prevention measures was helpful but only

Fred Zwicky/University of Illinois News Doctoral candidate Sulagna Chakraborty (center) led a study of farmer awareness of ticks and tick-borne diseases with University of Illinois pathobiology professor Rebecca Smith (left) and Illinois Natural History Survey wildlife veterinary epidemiologist Nohra Mateus-Pinilla.

Rule change would limit ‘Product of USA’ labels

By Mark Richardson ILLINOIS NEWS CONNECTION

A proposal by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would change the rules on what foods can be labeled “Product of USA.”

Current regulations allow foreign-raised livestock to use that designation, putting producers in Illinois and across the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage.

Thenewrulewouldallowthe“ProductofUSA” label to be used only on meat, poultry and eggs from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the U.S.

Dee Laninga, senior writer with the group Farm Action, said current law allows the label to be used if the product simply passes through a U.S. inspection plant.

“That allows imported meat to be imported by

TICKS

From page A14

8% respondents were satisfied with the precautionary measures currently taken.

Interestingly, we found that farmers implement more preventive measures against ticks for their pets than for themselves. Those with cattle were even less likely to use prevention measuresontheirlivestock.

Did you identify significant gaps in their understanding of the risks?

We found several critical gaps in their understanding. First, farmers were not knowledgeable about the main vectors of tick-borne illness in their counties. Second, they were not aware of tick-prevention measures for themselves

multinational corporations,” said Laninga, “repackaged, and then passed off as higherquality product raised by U.S. farmers and ranchers.”

Farm advocates say it’s not only a matter of fairness but also a major pocketbook issue for Illinois agriculture. The Illinois Farm Bureau says the state’s livestock industry and related food processors annually contribute $31 billion to the economy while supporting 91,000 jobs.

American agricultural interests have been fightingtogetthelabelingrule changed since Congress rolled back the mandatory country-of-origin labeling rule on beef and pork in 2015.

Langinga said the change would level the playing field for U.S. farmers and also educate consumers about where

such as wearing permethrin-treated clothing.

Third, farmers were not taking enough measures to protecttheircattlewithtick repellents or topical acaricides.

Fourth, they were not aware of where they would go to seek treatment if they had a tick-borne illness. And finally, as stated before,theyhadverylowconcern about contracting a tick-borne disease. The level of knowledge also varied depending on the main commodity produced by the farmer.

What kinds of programs would help fill those gaps in knowledge?

We recommend basic tick and tick-borne disease training for all residents of Illinois because everyone is at risk of being exposed to

Images Current regulations allow foreign-raised livestock to use that designation, putting producers in Illinois and across the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage.

theirfoodiscomingfrom.

“When you think about it, food labels are a critical component in our foodsystem,”saidLaninga. “They connect eaters

tick bites depending on their occupations, leisure and outdoor habits. For farmers, providing farmspecific training on ticks, tick-borne diseases and their risks of exposure would bolster their knowledge of the necessary measures to take – not just for their companion animals but also for themselves and their livestock.

Increasingtherelianceof farmers on reliable sources of information on ticks and tick-borne diseases – such asExtensioneducatorsand veterinary and medical professionals – instead of conventional media and family and friends will allowfarmerstokeepupwith thelatestscientificallyvalid information on the subject. Thiswillallowthemtobetter protect their farm, their animals and their families.

with farmers. Really it is the most direct communication most of us eaters havewithfarmers.When we’re shopping at the grocery store, we can’t ask a farmer, ‘How did

youraisethis?Wheredid

it come from?’ The label really has to do that job.”

MexicoandCanadaare the largest importers of meat into the U.S. — but other countries such as

Brazil, Australia and Japan sell significant amounts as well.

TheUSDAisaccepting public comments on the proposed rule at regula tions.govthroughMay12.

Waldemarus/Getty

Alligators could crawl into region sooner than you think

By EJ Haas COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN

Missouri is currently too cold to foster crocodilian life, so there’s no reason to fear alligators in your backyard yet.

But in just a few decades, they might become as common as the armadillos that have recently moved from the South to the Midwest.

CaseyHolliday,anassociate professor of anatomy at MU who studies the buildandevolutionofanimalheads,explainswhyit couldtakejust30yearsfor alligatorstoshowupinthe Missouri River and the Lake of the Ozarks.

Climate change

Over the course of 50

million years, the Earth has begun to heat back up —aprocessacceleratedby human-induced climate change — making way for alligators to head north.

Theplanetwasdefinitely hotter 50 million years agothanitisnow,Holliday explained. It then cooled offoverthecourseofabout 20 million years, and during the Ice Ages, alligators were pushed southward. As temperatures rise again, they are likely to head back north.

They move with the frost line, Holliday said, whichisbasicallyaninvisible line near the north of Louisiana and up toward North Carolina where temperatures are chillier.

“So much during the winter that certain ani-

mals don’t get past that line, and that tends to include gators and armadillos in particular,” he said.

“Over the last 30 years, we’ve started to see armadillos and alligators kind

of move north.”

Alligators have already moved into the waters of southern Arkansas and southern Tennessee. Right now, it’s too cold north of those borders for

them to survive, Holliday said. But in a warmer future, they could be found in backwater draws around the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, as well as in lakes, ponds and swampy areas.

Crocodilian evolution

Crocodilians — crocodiles, alligators, caimans and the critically endangered gharial — have a longhistoryontheplanet, roughly 220 million years, Holliday said.

The clade or lineage that exists today is largely aquatic. In North America, two of the species — American alligators and American crocodiles — are native.

Thosetwospeciesdiffer biologically,aswellasaes-

thetically because of their different head shapes, Holliday explained. Crocodiles have more pointed snouts, and behaviorally, they tend to be more aggressive than alligators.

The size of these reptiles has also diminished over time, particularly the alligators that were hunted for leather. Larger alligators were hunted more, thus making their smaller counterparts more likely to reproduce and pass on their genes.

These days, Holliday said, 10 feet is about the longest they reach.

“Fifty to 100 years ago, there used to be lots of 13foot alligators,” he said.

Alligator interactions

FormostofU.S.history, alligators have largely been found in the waterways of Florida and Georgia, and the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana.

“Aspeoplekeepmoving into particularly Florida and developing neighborhoods into the swamp lands,theyencroachupon alligator turf, and that’s ledtomoreinteractionsin the past 50 to 100 years,” Holliday said.

Interactions are even more likely to occur as areas where people are unfamiliar with alligators may soon be their habitat.

However, alligator interactions don’t have to be as dangerous as the February encounter in southeast Florida that killed an 85-year-old woman. Holliday listed several courses of action that can prevent anegativeexperiencewith an alligator.

“Keep your distance,” he said. “You don’t mess with them, you don’t feed them, you don’t swim out toward them. Just keep your distance like you would any wild animal.”

Columbia Missourian

A plastic replica of a caiman skull. Like the alligator, caimans are part of the Alligatoridae family.

Farmers still waiting for CBD regulation years after hemp legalized

By Eva Tesfaye HARVEST PUBLIC MEDIA

Demarkius Medley, an urbanfarmerinGalesburg, decided not to grow hemp last year, a crop that was at one point the most profitable part of his business.

Part of the reason for that is the lack of clarity around federal regulations for the hemp product cannabidiol, or CBD. He was hoping it might help if regulations were established this year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“IhadbusinessopportunitiesthatIcouldhavebeen a part of, if food products could be infused with CBD that I’ve grown on my farm,” said Medley.

However, the FDA recently decided that it will not regulate the hemp product CBD as a dietary supplement or food additive. Instead it will work with Congress to develop a new stronger framework for regulation.

The announcement comesfiveyearsafterhemp

was legalized by the Farm Bill in 2018. Since then, stores have been selling CBD-infused lotions, gummies, beverages and more in the U.S. without regulation.

“From a farmer’s perspective,thisreallyisn’tthe bestnewsbecausewedon’t have the clarity that we’ve been asking for since, you know, the last five years,” saidJustinSwanson,president of the Midwest Hemp Council.

Hemp growers and CBD sellers were hoping the FDA would regulate CBD as a dietary supplement to stabilize a challenging and competitive industry and give customers confidence in their products.

“You could go to the gas station and get similar products that say CBD on them, but do you really knowandareyouthatconfidentthatthey’regonnabe assafeandeffectiveaswhat they say?” said Zach Allen, co-owner of The Hemp Haus, a CBD store in Kansas City, Missouri.

“And a lot of those products on those shelves are notsafeandnoteffectiveas they should be because there is no regulation.”

Those in the industry now worry that bringing the issue to Congress will likelystalltheprocesseven further.

“Ihavetodecideatacertain point if I’m going to plant or not, so I can’t wait on Congress to decide if I can sell this product after I grow it,” said Medley.

Dr. Janet Woodcock, the FDA’s principal deputy commissioner, said that with the current scientific evidence available, it is not clear that CBD meets the agency’s standards for dietary supplements and food additives. Studies that the agency looked at showed

potential harm to the liver and the male reproductive system.

The agency raised concerns in particular about the product’s effects on children, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding andthosewhoareonother medications.

“There are some public health risks because this

thinghasbeenkindofviral now because more dispensaries keep opening, ” said Eleazar Gonzalez, an agricultural economics professorattheLincolnUniversity Hemp Institute. Headdedthatthereisan opportunity for hemp growers to turn to fiber products instead, such as fabrics and building mate-

rials. The Midwest Hemp Council’s Justin Swanson agreed.

“The fiber and the grain industry is a huge, huge, untapped potential for farmers, and the one reason why it hasn’t built up quicker really is just because CBD has been the rock star for so long,” Swanson said.

Greenlords Inc.

Urban farmer Demarkius Medley stopped growing hemp partly because the U.S Food and Drug Administration has not issued regulations for CBD.

Eva Tesfaye/Harvest Public Media

The Hemp Haus does its own set of tests on its CBD products in the absence of formal regulation from the FDA.

GROW

From page A13

Plants have to be protected against pests. Though some gardens are meant to attract pollinators, Johnson said those for production like vegetable gardensneedmonitoring.Pests canberemovedbyhand,orgardeners can use a pesticide.

But, before removing pests, Johnson said it is important to learn if the it is a pest that will cause problems, as some are beneficial to a garden.

Maintenanceisalsoakeyfactor in a good garden.

Johnsonsaidplantsthathave diseases should be trimmed to remove the disease as soon as it is noticed in order to prevent it from spreading to other plants.

For Bettis, she learns something new each year and she is constantly looking at how to improve her plants.

Her best advice is to never be afraid to ask for help, whether from a family member, neighbororaworkerthatsellsplants.

“If you go in somewhere, there is usually someone on staff that can help you,” Bettis said. “Your neighbors can also be some of the best resources.”

Illinois counties among leaders in corn, soybean production

By Kevin Bessler THE CENTER SQUARE

Several Illinois counties dominated the national rankings in terms of corn and soybean production last year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released its county production totals for 2022. Crop statistician Mark Schleusener said in terms of corn production, one central Illinois county led the nation.

“McLean County ranked first across theentireU.S.withnearly71millionbushelsofcornproducedlastyear,”Schleusener said. “Additionally, Illinois had the top five counties in the country for total corn production.”

Those other counties included Iroquois, Livingston, LaSalle and Champaign counties. Stark County had the highest yield in Illinois at over 240 bushels per acre, followed by Woodford and Ogle counties.

Iowa led the nation in total corn production in 2022, followed by Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota and South Dakota.

Illinois is home to several counties that

ranked in the top ten for soybean production as well. McLean County led the nation, followed by two counties in Mississippi and North Dakota.

“Following those two, the next four highest soybean producing counties were all in Illinois,” said Schleusener. “Iroquois, Champaign, Livingston and La-

Salle counties ranked fourth through seventh nationally.”

Illinois led the nation in soybean production last year, followed by Iowa and Minnesota.

Illinois soybean farmers export about 50%oftheircrop,withChina,Mexicoand Canada being the top three markets.

John Fedele/Getty Images

Several Illinois counties dominated the national rankings in terms of corn and soybean production last year.

FAILING

From page A9

conducted a survey of farmworkers recently, 100% of respondents said they faced at least one serious legal violation.

MattBoles,anattorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative, represents five clients on H-2A visas who worked on farms connected to the Georgia trafficking case. They’ve applied to stay in the U.S. on T visas, which are for victims of human trafficking.

“People just have so much fear,” he said. “They think, ‘If I say somethingorIspeakout, however bad I’m treated now or however bad the conditions are, it may actually then (get) worse.’”

Just last year brought other examples of farmworkers being trafficked.

In January 2022, a South Carolina grand jury indicted two people on labor trafficking charges involving the H-2A program. In April, a Florida woman pleaded guilty to amulti-stateracketeering conspiracy involving trafficking farmworkers.

In December, a farm labor contractor was sentenced to almost 10 years in prison for leading a multi-state conspiracy to traffic Mexican seasonal farmworkers.

Stolen wages is also a chronic issue. The DOL has recovered more than $82millioninbackwages due to farmworkers since 2000. In the most recent fiscal year, the DOL assessed a record $7.9 million in fines.

Richey order

The monitor advocate system grew from the complaints of farmworkers about 50 years ago.

Job centers, created in the depths of the Great Depression, were supposed to facilitate the same career prospects for all workers. However, the centers referred farmworkers to employers that stole their wages and provided unsafe housing, the workers alleged.

In 1974, Charles R. Richey, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled in the case. (More famously, he ruled the tapes Richard Nixon created while president were not personal records.) Finding the DOL infringed the farmworkers’rights,helaidoutthe federalandstatepartnership that would become

themonitoradvocatesystem.

One element essential to the system’s success is outreach. Many farmworkers do not walk through the job centers’ doors.

Under the Richey order,statesarerequiredto provide the same services to farmworkers as non-farmworkers. This means states are supposed to employ dedicated outreach staff who alert farmworkers to the resources available to them.

Outreach staffers are also supposed to document any apparent violations they see while visiting farmworkers and send any complaints to agencies that can investigate, usually the DOL.

But many of the issues Richeyidentifieddecades ago continue to vex

states, according to internal reviews and corrective action plans.

The order stipulated states should hire bilingual staff and, if possible, members of the farmworker community. States have largely failed.

InIllinois,forinstance, five offices are located near large populations of farmworkers. Only three employ bilingual staff, and just one employs someone with a farmworker background, state records show.

The judge also required states to employ enough staff to conduct “randomfieldchecks...to determine whether wages, working and housing conditions”donotviolate stateandfederallaws,Richey wrote.

Inrecentyears,staffing shortages have bedeviled states.

During Missouri’s peakharvestingseasonin 2019, about 9,000 farmworkers were in the state; Missourihadnoassigned outreach staff. (It has since hired full-time outreach staff.) The same year, Nebraska outreach staff “did not spend the majority of (their) time in the field.” In 2021, Indiana’s one outreach staffer split time with other duties during peak harvesting time.

Missouri and Indiana did not return requests forcomment.A2021labor departmentreviewofservices in Nebraska found no issues, and a state spokesperson said Nebraska,asastatewithfew farmworkers, is not required to have full-time outreach staff most of the year. Indiana said it is nowcompliantwithstaffing regulations.