Ag Mag Fall 2013

agmag

DeKalb County

Fall 2013

What’s Inside Cover Crops the next step in ‘farming greens’

More moisture, happy harvest This year’s corn, soybean crops could break records

Farmers crucial to flood prevention effort

A Publication of

2 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

agmag Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 3

DeKalb County

Table of Contents

4 More moisture, happy harvest

20 The trouble with Old Iron

22 Learning Lessons

This year’s corn, soybean crops could break records

6 Somonauk ag department wins $10,000 grant 9 Farming is in their blood 10 Cover crops

the next step in farming ‘greener’

12 Farmers crucial

to flood prevention effort

14 Keeping hogs healthy

requires training, diligence

16 Middle schoolers

get first-hand look at area farms

agmag

DeKalb County

Published by Shaw Media General Manager: Karen Pletsch Project Manager: Lisa Angel Design & Layout: Allison LaPorta Articles and advertisements are property of Shaw Media. No portion of DeKalb County Ag Mag may be produced without written consent of the publisher.

about agriculture

24 ATTRA Invites Conversations on Sustainable Agriculture 26 Strong Pace of Corn & Soybean Exports 28 New Brochure

Provides Nutritional Data on Soy Products

30 Calendar of events 31 A&P Grain

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4 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

More moisture, happy harvest This year’s corn, soybean crops could break records

By RENEE MESSACAR editorial@shawmedia.com

“Farmers love to do their jobs and produce large, healthy crops,” said Mariam Wassmann, DeKalb County Farm Bureau director of information.

“They take great pride in their work,” she said.

Local farmers have plenty to be proud of this year, as this season is expected to yield a bumper crop of corn and soybeans that could break records.

“This year, we received plenty of moisture early on in the spring and then moisture throughout the summer,” she said. “The moisture, along with improved seed genetics and management, has created a great year.

The farmers are doing an exceptional job.”

Farmers have reported harvesting more than 200 bushels of corn an acre in some areas of the county, said Russ Higgins, commercial agriculture educator with the University of Illinois Extension at the Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center. Average years yield about 168 bushels.

The corn yield for drought-stricken fields in 2012 was 159 bushels per acre, Wassmann said. The increase over last year is largely due to more rainfall, as well as advances in plant genetics and farming methods, Higgins said.

“The farmers are very conscious ensuring plants reach their genetic potential,” he said. The seed, fertilizer and other measures they took last year enabled some to still yield decent crops even during the worst drought on record, he said.

DeKalb County tends to produce a better yield more than other areas of Illinois and did better last year than some Illinois counties and neighboring states, he said.

“It has good soil and good farmers,” Higgins said.

Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 5

“Some of the county’s abundance this year will go to those hardhit areas of Iowa and Wisconsin to make up for their shortfalls from last year,” said Leland farmer Roy Plote.

“Despite the bountiful crop, farmers judge success more on the net revenue per acre,” said Jamie Walter, who farms just south of DeKalb. “While this year’s crop has yielded more corn and beans, that will also push prices lower compared with last year, he said.

He is eager to see the results once he finishes harvesting.”

“It’s been a very good year, but I don’t know yet if it has been a record year,” he said.

Abundant crops present their own challenges. More space is required to haul, dry and store them, for example. It also means a longer harvesting season.

“It will be a long harvest because there is more crop out there,” Wassmann said.

Plote expects to be in the fields until Thanksgiving. Harvest completion will depend on how much rain the county receives.

“Too much moisture on corn plants hinders combines from processing the plants properly,” he said. When soybean plants get wet and dry off numerous times, the pods open and their beans drop to the ground.

“Specialty crops, such as pumpkin and apples, also fared well in the county this year,” said Jenna Spychal of Jonamac Apple Orchard in Malta.

“We’ve had a historic apple crop,” Spychal said. “It was the largest bloom in history and the largest crop we’ve ever had.”

Spychal is the third generation of her family to help manage the orchard, which has 26 acres of apples and 10 acres of pumpkin.

Last year, the orchard saw its worst apple crop ever.

“The problem was not the drought last year,” Spychal said. Eightydegree temperatures in March caused the trees to blossom early, but then frost in April wiped out the blooms.

The family burned fires overnight in the orchard to elevate the temperature. Frost fans circulated the warm air throughout the orchard and helped them save about half of the crop.

“Apple trees tend to be bi-annual, in that they produce well one year and then poorly the next,” she said. Ample rainfall this spring and summer led to the largest apple harvest the family has ever seen.

“Our worst year was backed up with our best,” Spychal said.

“We are very blessed to have rebound with an amazing crop and beautiful harvest.”

Jamie Walter, who farms just south of DeKalb, has seen a good corn and soybean yield this harvest season but has a wait-and-see attitude about just how good this year will be. “It’s been a very good year,” Walter said, “but I don’t know yet if it has been a record year.”

6 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

Pictured at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur on Aug. 27 were Somonauk-LelandSandwich FFA members, from left, Ethan Plote, Cody Worbel, Melanie Bennett, Cordell Wiesbrook, Stephen Riskedal and Glen Larson.

The Somonauk High School ag education program received a $10,000 grant at the show.

Ag students from Somonauk, Leland and Sandwich high schools benefit from the laptops purchased with a $10,000 grant.

Somonauk

ag department wins

$10,000 grant

Debbie Behrends

Somonauk High School’s ag education program – which serves about 90 students in three school districts – was the recipient of a $10,000 America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education grant through the Monsanto Fund.

Ag teacher Toni Saso, school administrators and several ag students attended the August Farm Progress Show in Decatur before returning to Somonauk to share the good news at an open house.

The ag education program at Somonauk High also serves students from Leland and Sandwich, who leave their home schools each day to attend classes in Somonauk.

The local FFA chapter also encompasses Somonauk, Leland and Sandwich.

“With reductions in state funding, we need to seize every opportunity,” Somonauk District 432 Superintendent Dawn Green said at the open house.

Saso said she used the grant funds, which were specifically to be used to improve math and science curriculum, to purchase 24 laptops for students. Another 12 laptops were purchased with additional grant money. “This changes the classroom dynamic,” Saso said. “Ag education is about so much more than production agriculture. It’s leadership; it’s communication.”

She said programs on the computers allow her students to do labs and different types of testing, and also allow them to share the information among themselves wirelessly.

Saso sought the grant after Somonauk was nominated for it by several area farmers.

“I don’t know how many nominated us, but I know it was more than just people from Somonauk, Leland and Sandwich,” she said. “Farmers from all over DeKalb County helped make this happen.”

Green said this is the third grant Saso has obtained this year for a total of $14,000. She used a previous grant to attend a program in Minnesota, making Somonauk’s ag program one of only four in the state to receive national certification. The certification includes a curriculum that crosses into the areas of science, math and English.

“Somonauk needed a more rigorous course to replace the freshman-level course,” Saso said. “The new laptops make implementing the new curriculum easier,” she said, “but admits it has been a transition.”

“Some [students] understand the computers and some don’t, but the students can drive their own educational experience,” she said.

Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 7

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“These [laptops] make learning more fun and easier to share information,” said Stephen Riskedal, a junior from Leland.

Although she doesn’t live on a farm, Melanie Bennett, a senior from Somonauk, is in the ag education program and also is the president of the local FFA chapter. She said she works on a farm and plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with the goal of teaching ag education.

Happy with the opportunity to enhance a school program with an outside funding source, Green said she believes “[Saso] is taking our students in the direction they need to go.”

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Farming is in their

blood

J

ust like the crops they’ve helped raise, Kaneland farmers Heather and Trent Pierson have grown up on a farm.

Heather, 25, and Trent, 21, work on their family farm and help out their great-grandmother, Velma Montgomery, with her farm between Waterman and DeKalb. Both consider farming a family tradition.

“It’s not just a job; it’s a lifestyle,” Heather Pierson said.

“It’s something we grew up loving and caring about. It’s much more than just a job, and it holds so much more value doing the work.”

Statistics show that the brother and sister are a rare breed of farmers.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, about 60 percent of the farmers in the country are 55 years old or older.

It’s a problem of which the Piersons already are aware, but it’s not the duo’s biggest concern. Buying farm ground is something they worry more about.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, most cropland today has been consolidated into farms with at least 1,100 acres, and many farms are five to 10 times that size. “[My family is] going to keep farming until they’re 75 to 80 years old,” Trent Pierson said. “It’s harder for the younger generation to get the opportunity to take over older farmers’ land. Some larger scale farmers have done really well in the past five years and had an increase in size.

It leaves the younger generation with not having much to go to.”

Still, the Piersons continue to work. Since it is harvest season, Trent Pierson spends every day, and about 75 to 80 hours a week, working on the farm, he said.

Among Trent Pierson’s responsibilities are working the combine, driving the truck, plowing, doing equipment maintenance and buying and selling merchandise.

Heather Pierson works a full-time job elsewhere and then does farm work after she gets home.

“I get up 6:30 a.m. and don’t go to bed until 9 p.m.,” she said. “I go to work all day. I put in 50 hours a week and come home to farm.”

Trent Pierson knows the workload is typical for a farmer. He referenced a 2013 Super Dodge Ram commercial that aired during last year’s Super Bowl as an example of a farmer’s life.

The commercial stated: “And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker.’ So God made a farmer. God said, ‘I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the field, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board.’ So God made a farmer.’ ” “It’s fulfilling a childhood dream,” Trent Pierson said. “I’d be sitting in school waiting to jump on the combine.”

Heather Pierson said farming has always been something she’s loved and had a passion for. She learned everything day-by-day after school while riding on the combine with her family.

Both brother and sister look forward to taking over the farm and expanding the site.

Heather and Trent Pierson, a brother and sister from Elburn, grew up farming and have decided to continue in the family business.

Most importantly, though, they want to keep the family tradition alive and make the family proud.

“You always want to be able to make the right decisions to make yourself happy, but also, you want your parents to be proud of you too,” Heather Pierson said. “I grew up with this. It’s just something I really care about.”

10 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

Cover crops the next step in

farming ‘greener’

By DEBBIE BEHRENDS dbehrends@shawmedia.com

To the untrained eye, this field of tillage radishes on the Halverson farm, between DeKalb and Hinckley, resembles soybeans.

Relatively new to the industry, cover crops are being viewed as the next step to farming greener. At least that’s how farmer and seed salesperson Jenna Halverson of DeKalb sees it.

Applied to fields in a variety of ways, cover crops are planted after wheat or into corn or soybeans prior to harvest.

Halverson said tillage radishes were planted with a seed drill after wheat on her family farm. Other cover crops grown in Illinois include several varieties of rye grass, turnips and crimson clover.

“There are a number of benefits from cover crops,” Halverson said.

“They help break up compacted soil, they pull nitrogen up to make it available for next year’s crop, they leave organic matter behind to help retain moisture and help to hold the topsoil in place over the winter.

“These wheat fields would have been bare after the harvest,” she said.

Rather than leaving the soil to blow away over the winter, she planted tillage radishes.

To the untrained eye, from a distance, the radishes resemble soybeans.

Halverson explained the seed was planted on Aug. 10 and will have at least a couple of months before the first hard frost that will kill them.

In answer to a question she’s heard many times, they are edible, and resemble white icicle radishes.

“They smell like radishes, but they don’t taste quite the same,” she said.

Halverson is a third-generation farmer, and said her two younger sisters also plan to return to the farm after completing their education

Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 11

to continue the tradition. She said her family farms several thousand acres around DeKalb County.

Another operation just starting to use cover crops is Sanderson Ag, near Clare. Trent Sanderson said they planted a mix of tillage radishes, turnips, Austrian winter peas and an annual rye grass applied aerially before the soybeans and corn were harvested.

“We try to apply the seed just before a rain to help with the germination, but we don’t always get what we want,” Sanderson said with a laugh.

“Cover crops promote biology in the soil, retain moisture and keep the vertical structure of the soil alive and healthy,” Sanderson said.

A seventh-generation farmer, Sanderson is the third generation working about 2,500 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and hay.

Pictured are a few of the larger tillage radishes planted on the Halverson farm.

“A lot of kids have gone back to the farm,” Sanderson said.

He and Halverson have been acquainted since high school when they were members of the FFA chapters in Kirkland and Hinckley-Big Rock, respectively.

Sanderson said conservation is a big reason for improving farming practices.

Halverson agreed, saying that farming is all about being “green.”

Because they planted a few acres of cover crops last year, Sanderson said they are starting to see benefits in terms of higher yields and lower costs because they don’t have to purchase quite as much nitrogen.

In her first year planting radishes, Halverson said she won’t see any benefit until next year’s cash crop is harvested.

Determining the best type of cover crop depends on the benefit each farmer hopes to see, Halverson said.

“Do you want to reduce erosion of the soil? Do you want to reduce compaction? Are you looking to draw more nitrogen up for use by the corn?,” she asked.

Statewide, cover crops have come into the spotlight thanks to a three-year demonstration project by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The goal is to improve water quality in Illinois lakes and streams by reducing soil erosion and nutrient run-off from farm fields.

Farmer and seed dealer Jenna Halverson shows the size of a tillage radish planted Aug. 10 and dug up Oct. 8

“The time is right for this initiative,” said Steve Chard, chief of Land and Water Resources for the Department of Agriculture. “New plant varieties and new production techniques have been discovered that eliminate many of the problems that farmers who planted cover crops in the 1980s and ‘90s experienced.”

12 12 || DeKalb DeKalbCounty CountyAG AGMag Mag || Fall Fall2013 2013

Farmers crucial to flood prevention effort

By CHRIS BURROWS editorial@shawmedia.com

At first, Roger Steimel had concerns.

With federal, state and local regulations bearing down on farms like his that are located in drainage districts, when word reached him that several groups from around DeKalb County were coming together to conduct a study on the East Branch Kishwaukee River watershed, he was hesitant to lend his support.

“I thought maybe they were just out looking for pollution,” said Steimel, a member of the county’s Stormwater Management Committee and a Cortland farmer.

Now Steimel sees and supports what the project really hopes to correct: The Kishwaukee River’s flooding problem that has been troubling farmers, residents and businesses alike for decades.

“This study really opened a lot of our eyes on the amount of acres that have to drain through Sycamore,” Steimel said.

Several stakeholders, with the backing of the DeKalb County Community Foundation, have come together to craft a new, more holistic approach aimed at curbing the flooding, and they’re incorporating local farmers’ intimate knowledge of the land as a central method for finding and solving flaws in DeKalb County’s drainage system.

Last year, the community foundation led an effort to apply for a planning grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. In December they were awarded $58,000, which the community foundation and some governmental agencies matched to put a total of $115,000 toward an 18-month study of the watershed that drains into the river in Sycamore. It’s the first time such a study has been conducted in the county.

Provided photo : Roger Steimel, of the DeKalb County Stormwater Management Committee (left), Deanna Doohaluk (center), of project consultant Hey and Associates, Inc., and Anita Zurbrugg, program director at the DeKalb County Community Foundation (right) examine a map at an outreach session held with DeKalb County farmers in March. The session was held as part of the 18-month East Branch Kishwaukee Watershed planning project.

“Watershed planning is a very common process,” said Anita Zurbrugg, the program director at the community foundation.

“DeKalb County just has not done it yet,” Watersheds are an area of land where all the water that runs off the surface or flows underground goes to the same place. There are two main watersheds in the county: The northern two-thirds of the county drain into the Kishwaukee River watershed, and the southern third drains into the Fox River watershed.

Municipal stormwater laws in DeKalb County historically have sought to find ways to stop flooding, but this study hopes to abandon jurisdictional boundaries in pursuit of a watershedbased approach.

“All the water east to Route 47 drains toward Sycamore, so that’s about 78,000 acres that we’re looking at,” said Dean Johnson, the DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation’s resource conservationist. “That’s why we want to start looking at watersheds not as governmental boundary lines, but as watershed boundary lines.”

The goal of the study is to explore exactly how this watershed functions and recommend projects and solutions that can

Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 13

lessen the impact of future floods, according to the study documentation. Farmers have been central to the process since work began in January.

“The watershed is significantly impacted by what farmers do on their land,” Zurbrugg said. “... Early on in this process we wanted to make sure that the agricultural community was involved and on board.”

The community foundation held outreach sessions in February and March in which the group asked farmers to identify problem areas on a map that the study could target for its research. At the October meeting of the steering committee, which oversees the project, the 30 problem areas still were under discussion, according to the meeting agenda.

According to DeKalb County’s comprehensive plan, the combination of flat land and fertile soil in the county naturally creates drainage issues, and cropland accounts for 88 percent of the county’s land use.

pollution. Johnson said he consults on the use of filter strips, which filter the runoff from fields and tree buffers that help hold the soil together near streams. Most farmers in the county now employ minimum tillage, which leaves crop residue on the surface to slow the drainage of water, Steimel said.

“An important step in information gathering has been the knowledge of the farm community,” said Dean Lundeen, a community foundation board member and farmer. “The nature of DeKalb County topography means nearly every farmer is in a drainage district ... so with this knowledge, local farmers have aided the committee in pinpointing areas of concern.”

Zurbrugg hopes that the study will be a model for the rest of the county.

“If this planning process generates the results that we want it to, then we think that the community and the DeKalb County Community Foundation would like to repeat it with the balance of watersheds in DeKalb County,” she said.

The groups have also worked with farmers to find ways to limit erosion and sedimentation, which contribute to river

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14 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

Keeping

hogs healthy Pork producer Ed Arndt has a lot on his plate when it comes to his job.

Arndt manages operations at a Malta farm that takes 11,000 hogs to market each year, and one of his key responsibilities is preventing them from getting sick.

On a typical day, Arndt will inspect the building twice to make sure the hogs have ample feed and water, he said. He also checks that the ventilation is running properly and that the temperatures are regulated.

And that’s just the start of it.

requires training, diligence

“Pork production has gone to where we have baby pigs every week,” Arndt said. “In order to manage and do a good job, we keep a really close eye on [sows] when they have babies.”

Baby pigs are born anemic, Arndt said, so they are given iron shots when they are three days old. Sometimes, the piglets get sick. The Food and Drug Administration has stringent rules for giving pigs antibiotics, Arndt said.

“Everything continues to change and evolve,” said Dr. Michael Schelkopf, a veterinarian at Bethany Animal Hospital in Sycamore who works with Arndt. “There are more monitoring systems, reviewing systems and education training systems.”

When a pig gets sick, the farmer has to get a prescription label before administering a specific dosage to the pig.

Sick pigs are kept in a separate location, Schelkopf said.

There is also a strict withdrawal period for the pigs before they are put to slaughter so that no antibiotic residue remains in the meat before it is packaged, Arndt said.

Withdraw periods vary depending on the drug a pig is given, but they can last up to 42 days, according to the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.

Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 15

There is some debate as to whether farmers should give antibiotics to animals. Arndt said he only uses them when they are absolutely necessary.

“It would be inhumane to allow animals to be sick and not give them antibiotics that can help them,” Schelkopf said.

“We do everything we can to try to prevent illness and sickness because that’s best for everyone.”

When pigs are put to slaughter, they are sent to a facility that is washed, disinfected and dried beforehand, Arndt said.

Packers won’t buy the meat unless pork producers have had quality assurance training and certification, Arndt said. The training was devised by pork producers and is designed to ensure U.S. pork products are high quality and safe, and that animals are cared for humanely. It teaches farmers when vaccines should be used and about the humane treatment of animals.

It seems all the hard work is paying off. In a report conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, pork is among the safest meats in the supermarket.

The study, which documented foodborne meat and poultry outbreaks in the U.S. from 1998 to 2010, found that pork caused 2,262 cases of foodborne illness over the 12-year period, compared with 3,801 cases for ground beef and 6,896 for chicken.

Schelkopf praised the job pork producers like Arndt are doing.

“Swine producers are always on the cutting edge taking care of their animals,” he said. “They’re some of the most educated and passionate people in the livestock business.”

Ed Arndt Jr. sprays a blue dye on pigs that are about the right size to be sold to various meat packers in this file photo.

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Middle schoolers get first-hand look at area farms

By DEBBIE BEHRENDS For DeKalb County Ag Mag

With a brisk wind and temperatures hovering just below 50 degrees, an eighth-grade field trip to area farms could have been miserable.

Instead, farmers Otto Heisner, Tracy Jones and Steve Ward kept the students moving and engaged, with not enough time spent at each location to get too cold.

This was the 13th year that Sycamore Middle School students visited area farms and the DeKalb County Farm Bureau Center for Agriculture, according to Rhodora Collins, ag literacy coordinator at the Farm Bureau.

“This year’s trip will bring the total students who have experienced it over the years to more than 2,000,” Collins said.

At each farm, students learned about the process of raising livestock and crops.

Heisner, with the help of his son, Patrick, and farmhand Kevin Rundle, discussed the feed for their dairy cows and demonstrated milking cows.

Steve Ward of Old Elm Farms in Sycamore shows students a piglet that has just arrived at his wean-to-finish operation. Ward said pigs arrive when they are about 14-17 days old.

a portion of the Old Elms operation is the oldest recorded farm in DeKalb County, operating since 1837.

“I have the original deed in a safe at my home,” Ward said.

He explained that the operation is a contract wean-to-finish operation that feeds thousands of hogs each year.

“We don’t own the pigs,” he said. “We are contracted to get them ready for market.”

Ward said the pigs arrive when they are about two weeks old and weigh 15 to 17 pounds. Their ears are tattooed and notched as a method of identification. He noted their tails are clipped as well because the animals will chew each other’s tails.

He led the students to buildings on the farm showing hogs in various stages of growth. They are shipped to market at a weight of 270 to 280 pounds.

The Esmond farmer milks about 85 cattle twice daily. He said it takes five to six minutes to milk each cow. His milk is hauled to the Dean’s processing plant in Huntley.

Students also toured the beef and grain operation of Tracy Jones near Kirkland where they had lunch, and spent time with interactive displays at the Farm Bureau Center for Agriculture.

Sycamore High School FFA members manned the displays and talked with students about FFA.

With at least one cow in heat, Heisner demonstrated artificial insemination to his audience.

Retired teacher Terri White set up the Farm Bureau displays.

“I just got lucky to have one in heat today,” Heisner said.

As he demonstrated how he has to reach in to feel the cow’s cervix to guide the pipette containing the semen, Heisner asked if anyone wanted to do that for a living. He wasn’t at all surprised when no hands were raised.

At the Old Elms Farm near Sycamore, Steve Ward talked about how GPS technology and other automated systems help him in the fields before moving to the hog barns. At least

“I think the kids really get a lot out of this tour,” White said.

“Even though we live in DeKalb County, in the middle of farm country, some have never been on a farm.”

“It’s a good opportunity for them to see different things,” White said. In turn, the farmers appreciated the opportunity to teach.

“We do this to promote our products, to teach a new generation,” Heisner said. “If we don’t do it, no one else will.”

Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 17

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20 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

The

Troubles with

Old Iron Part One

By Liam Dancey

Northern Illinois Steam Power Club Member

ABOVE: November, 2013. All the components have been removed and the boiler sandblasted. The next step is to create new bearings for both the engine and wheels.

BELOW: Brand new from the Illinois Thresher Co. factory, this drawing of a 25HP engine shows what #110 would have looked like after her completion in 1916.

Back in the fall of 2011, the fire in the belly of Northern Illinois Steam Power Club’s (NISPC) steam traction engine was extinguished. As the boiler cooled and pipes drained, I couldn’t help but speculate as to how long it would be until she would once again be brought to life. It was really anyone’s guess. Nothing had ever brought people together more than the spectacle of a working steam engine, and that was what we were trying to preserve.

Launching forth violent torrents of steam and clouds of smoke, it was a privilege to watch one of the gentle giants working hard. Their characteristic ‘Chug-ChugChug’ing sound is one that is remembered long after the machines work is done, and conveys the brute force of the power of steam. This particular engine was a hard worker, getting the job done and putting on a show in the process. That summer, however, several problems began to arise. The engine had begun to knock vehemently, and the metal guards over the running gears would grind against each other whenever in motion. This was the perfect example of some of the troubles with ‘Old Iron,’ nearly everything becomes worn out. She was no longer the sleek workhorse of yesteryear, and was showing her age. But the end of the 2011 season signaled the start of her rehabilitation.

Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 21 #135, 20HP #147, 25HP #152, 25HP #163, and 22HP #110.

After #110 was sent away from the factory and shipped up north, 85 years passed. Presumably, she spent her working career in central Wisconsin, and that was where she was discovered. In the early 2000’s, Northern Illinois Steam Power Club caught wind of an elusive Illinois Thresher Co. engine being put up for sale. In no time, club members were sent to the farm so they could give her a once over.

Tucked away in a barn, there she sat.

This is how the engine appeared in August, 2004, shortly after it was brought back to Sycamore.

But back in the year of 1916, the Illinois Thresher Company had created a legacy. In the middle months of that year, engine No. 110 rolled out of the factory doors. It was the tenth traction engine built by the enterprising firm, out of a total of only 63. Located on the west side of Park Avenue, the Sycamore, IL based factory was the only one ever owned by the company. Founded by William N. Rumely several years before, all the engines produced in Sycamore bore a striking resemblance to another breed of machine. This is because Williams’s father, Meinard, was founder of the M. Rumely Co., which produced a separate line of agricultural equipment. When William branched off, it is commonly believed that he stole some of dearold-dad’s designs.

But regardless of the engines genealogy, on that day nearly a century ago, she looked striking. With her newly painted dark black boiler, green engine, and deep red wheels, she was a sight to behold. Illinois Thresher Company produced 20, 22, and 25HP engines, and the #110 was a 22HP model.

She had a lap seam type boiler, many brass valves and fittings, and a shrill sounding steam whistle to go along.

After proving in the factory yard, engine #110 was loaded onto a Chicago & Northwestern flatcar (presumably with an accompanying threshing machine) and began the trek up north to begin her assignment. It would be quite some time until she once again made her presence known.

By 1925, the company was bankrupt. It simply couldn’t compete with its much larger competitors. The former buildings slowly deteriorated over the course of several decades, and even the rail link that was so critical to both William Rumely’s company and the community of Sycamore was torn up. Today, only portions of the factory survive, most notably as part of the Blumen Gardens warehouse in Sycamore. Records are few and far between, and even today only a small number recollect the existence of the firm. For many years it was not even known how much equipment had survived. Most assumed that the demand for steel of WWII had gobbled up the remains. Certainly they had to be extinct. This was thought to be the case until the new idea of ‘Threshing Bee’s’ became prominent through the Midwest. These gatherings began after a few farmers wanted to thresh grain like in the olden days, and recognized the need to preserve the equipment of the past. It was during this time that many long dormant steamers were resurrected – and discovered.

Even now, the numbers are still not precise. There could still be an engine or threshing machine sitting unaccounted for in the weeds of a farmyard or decrepit barn. There is, however, an improved sense of what remains. Six steam engines built in Sycamore are known to exist, and only three of them operate. They are: 20HP #102, 20HP

Resting dusty and cold was one of the elusive machines.

She must have looked decent at one point, but it was clear that her working life had been a hard one. The original cast iron flywheel was broken, and part of her boiler was rusted through. It was clear, however, that she was a diamond in the rough. The club made an offer to the elderly owner, and became the new stewards of the old lady.

Just short of a century after leaving, old engine #110 returned home to Sycamore. After minor repairs, paint, and many volunteer hours later, her first rehabilitation was complete. Up and running by 2006, the engine was celebrated for making a triumphant return to steam. For the first time in many years, a fire was laid and the grand old lady once again put on a show. Like it had always done, it drew people together. From that very moment, though, it was clear there was much, much more to be done.

In 2011, a plan was made to have repairs done to the crankshaft, which grew into machining an entirely new one. But why ruin a new crankshaft if it sits on worn down bearings? So it was decided to re-pour Babbitt bearings for the engine, and that lead to re-machining the entire engine. Now, the whole machine is in for repairs. After work had commenced to restore the engine, it was also learned that the fresh paint scheme was inaccurate. The new colors consisted of great amounts of red, little green, and no pin striping. Factory fresh, the engine would have been green, wheels a darker red, and a great deal of yellow pin striping. It was decided to redo the paint as well.

Currently, the engine resides at a machine shop in Naperville – but not all in one piece. The engine sits removed from the boiler, as do the rear wheels, steering mechanism, crankshaft, and operating platform. The boiler has been sandblasted along with several other components, and work is currently centered on machining of new bearings. Old #110 is planned to be done in June, 2014. Work is slow but sure, and I hope to write about successful operating tests in part two of “The Troubles With Old Iron.”

Taken in July, 2013, shortly before being hauled away to the machine shop in Naperville. Note that the flywheel and crankshaft have been removed.

22 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

Learning

{

lessons about agriculture

By DEBBIE BEHRENDS

SYCAMORE – Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) is a program that brings speakers to school to talk about their agriculture-related jobs, discusses careers in ag and occasionally gets students out to a farm.

But DeKalb County program coordinator Rhodora Collins says it’s so much more.“We provide a wide array of resources to teachers and students, but really, it’s about teaching anybody who is willing to listen,” Collins said.

Those resources are visible in neatly-marked bins and on organized shelves filling her office at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau Center for Agriculture.

Part of the national ag literacy program, Collins said AITC is available in every state and in all 102 counties in Illinois, in every county. Each program is different to bring that county or state’s ag story to students.

Brenda Woker, ag ambassador at DeKalb’s Jefferson Elementary School, said the resources are changing to continue their

alignment with state and national standards. A fourth-grade teacher, Woker has taught for 16 years and used AITC for 14 of those years.

AITC provides different resources for each grade level, firstthrough fourth-grade. Those lessons are, for first-graders, “More than a Seed”; for second-graders, “From Cow to Ice Cream”; for third-graders, “It’s an Earful”; and for fourth-graders, “Mapping Illinois Agriculture.” Fifth-grade students will hear presentations on “Discovering Careers in Agriculture.”

Teachers can use the resources in the way that best suits them.

For example, Woker said she received a grant to take her students on a grain farm field trip. In conjunction with a science lesson on simple machines, they found different ways simple machines were used on the farm. “That field trip was high interest, it was different and it was funded by the Farm Bureau,” Woker said.

Debbie Prellwitz, a first-grade teacher at Gwendolyn Brooks Elementary School in DeKalb, said she integrates AITC into her lessons as much as possible.

“Currently, we are studying plants and plant parts. The Farm Bureau provided (AITC) Ag Mags on pumpkins for all my students,” Prellwitz said.

Fall Fall 2013 2013 || DeKalb DeKalb County County AG AG Mag Mag || 23

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Sycamore Middle School students got the chance to get up close and personal with calves on the Otto Heisner dairy farm near Esmond. Students take the trip as part of the Agriculture in the Classroom program at the school.

“They also provided supplies so every student was able to plant a ‘beanie baby’ of their own.”

Mathews Company recognized A&P Grain Systems, Inc. of Maple Park for outstanding sales and services (Photo provided)

She said the visits from local farmers make the lessons real and her students “absolutely love our local farmers.”

Students throughout DeKalb County also have the opportunity to participate in the “Food for Thought” placemat design contest each spring. Cash prizes are awarded to first- through third-place winners at each grade level, and first-place designs are printed on placemats for each winner’s class and for use at local restaurants.

Woker said about 15 DeKalb County restaurants use the placemats. Collins also coordinates educator workshops, which can be tailored as needed, and the Summer Ag Institute for graduate credit from Northern Illinois University.

The 2014 institute will focus on STEM and the Next Generation Science Standards.

What do students think of AITC?

“

“

They truly love all these experiences, and make connections to their learning all year long. I love when my students look out our classroom window and announce that a farmer is out in his combine or tractor helping collect food for all of us to eat,

- Debbie Prellwitz

A&P Grain

recognized for sales and service Mathews Company has named A&P Grain Systems Inc. of Maple Park the 2012 Silver Sales Award and the Mark of Excellence Dealer Award.

The awards were presented in January at the Mathews Company Annual Sales Conference & Awards Banquet held in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. “A&P Grain is a model dealer for Mathews Company – they work closely with their customers, listen carefully to their needs, and provide superior service and support all year long,” Mark Larson, Mathews Company regional sales manager, said in a news release. “To Dave Altepeter and Melissa Brady, a father-daughterowned business, it is more than just selling their customer a grain dryer. Many of their customers have been with them for years.

“Dave, Melissa and their team are focused on helping customers obtain only the best quality products on the market, they follow that up with providing the expertise and personalized local service that is so important to their customers,” Larson said in the release.

In addition to the Silver Sales Award, A&P Grain Systems also earned M-C’s newest dealer designation, The Mark of Excellence Award.

Dealers earning this accreditation have met a stringent list of criteria that include attending M-C University for Technical Training, have in-depth product knowledge, are focused on providing parts and service, and have committed to a high level of customer service and satisfaction promoting the M-C brand.

24 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

ATTRA Invites Conversations on Sustainable Agriculture ‘Farmer Knows Best’ Forum Offers More Than A Dozen Topics

ATTRA, the nation’s premiere source of sustainable-agriculture information, is asking its users to weigh in with ideas and questions of their own.

A new user forum on the ATTRA website, “Farmer Knows Best,” is a way for farmers, researchers, educators, and anyone else interested in sustainable agriculture to start or contribute to a conversation on more than a dozen topics: Beginning Farmer Water Management Soils & Compost Pest Management Organic Farming Marketing, Business & Risk Local Food Systems Livestock & Pasture Horticultural Crops Field Crops Energy Alternatives What Is Sustainable Ag? Education General

W

“What better way to support research and sustainable-agriculture education than offering the people who are dedicated and passionate about the subject to share their ideas and insights,” said Carl Little, director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology’s (NCAT) sustainable agriculture programs.

To get to Farmers Know Best, click on www.attra.ncat.org ATTRA sustainable-agriculture specialists also will keep an eye on the site for conversations to join, adding another venue for their expertise.

ATTRA-National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service has been the nation’s leading resource for information on sustainable agriculture since 1987, covering a wide range of topics, including reducing pesticide use on cropland, promoting food safety in sustainable production systems, reducing farm energy use and costs, enriching soils with the use of cover crops, and providing technical assistance in the growing areas of local farmers markets and urban gardening.

ATTRA was developed and is maintained through a cooperative agreement with the USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service by the National Center for Appropriate Technology, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Butte, Montana.

In addition to hundreds of sustainable-agriculture publications, ATTRA’s other popular offerings include a free sustainable-agriculture telephone helpline and the “Ask an Ag Expert” feature on the home page. It has an archive of webinars and videos generated by NCAT and partnering organizations.

ATTRA also maintains numerous popular databases, including sustainableagriculture internships and apprenticeships, and is a source for the day’s agriculture news, among other features.

Since 1976, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) has been helping people by championing small-scale, local and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities and protect natural resources. In partnership with businesses, organizations, individuals and agricultural producers, NCAT is working to advance solutions that will ensure the next generation inherits a world that has clean air and water, energy production that is efficient and renewable, and healthy foods grown with sustainable practices. More information about its programs and services is available at www.ncat.org or by calling 1-800-ASK-NCAT.

Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 25

It’s Elementary Farm, agribusiness volunteers ensure ag learning

Presentation themes vary

The presentation for each grade level is different, and has evolved over time with changes in the ag industry and the curricular needs of teachers. Ideally, by the time each DeKalb County elementary student reaches the end of fourth grade, he or she will have gained a basic understanding of the connections between everyday life and what is produced on local farms.

Something special happens in DeKalb County first through fourth grade classrooms every February.

For over two decades, farm and agribusiness volunteers have set aside time to visit those elementary classrooms to relay the importance of farming in our everyday lives. In 2013, volunteers faced 3,545 students in 154 classrooms.

DeKalb County Farm Bureau’s Agricultural Literacy program facilitates this effort by creating and updating lessons, obtaining and preparing handson materials, and training volunteers to share their passion for agriculture.

Offering the classroom presentations in February allows farmers to participate as volunteers during a time period that is more flexible than the growing or harvesting season. For teachers, the timeframe lands prior to the start of ISAT testing.

In the first grade “More Than a Seed” lesson, students discover why and how farmers grow corn and soybeans. Each child plants their own “crops,” with the kernels and beans placed against the clear sides of a (corn-based!) plastic cup so germination can be observed. Within days following their AITC presentation, the seeds sprout, extending the learning process well beyond the classroom visit.

The second grade presentation is “From Cow to Ice Cream.” This lesson in the hows and whys of dairy farming culminates in making ice cream using small and large plastic bags as disposable ice cream freezers. Many students take their ice cream recipe cards home and replicate the process with their families.

Third graders revisit corn in “It’s an Earful.” After all, corn is arguably our county, state, and country’s most important crop! Students learn to distinguish between the appearance and uses of various kinds of corn, dissect corn kernels, explore corn production, and construct paper corn stalks. Most importantly, they discover some of field corn’s many uses and how those uses improve our own lives.

Finally, in the fourth grade lesson, “Mapping Illinois Agriculture,” students explore our agriculturally-rich state. A matching activity has children reading clue cards to identify products from Illinois agriculture, like peaches, popcorn, pork, and pumpkins. Map skills play a significant part in this lesson, as students learn to read a map index and use coordinates to find ag-related sites on Illinois Official Highway Maps provided by IDOT.

Farm volunteers needed

Reaching over 3,000 students each year is an enormous effort made possible by the efforts of volunteers. In a typical year, over 100 volunteers step up to deliver the presentations. Most of them are farmers or other agribusiness people, but high school FFA members also team up to visit classrooms.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of our volunteers in this effort,” said Farm Bureau’s Ag Literacy Coordinator, Rhodora Collins. “Without them, we can’t possibly reach all those students with important information about agriculture— directly from the passionate people who live and work in the industry every day.”

If you would like to assist with the 2014 Ag in the Classroom presentations, please e-mail rcollins@dekalbfarmbureau.org. Also, mark your calendar for January 28, 2014. Ag in the Classroom volunteer training will take place at Farm Bureau that evening beginning at 6:30 p.m.

After all, if you work in agriculture, who do you want telling YOUR story?

Top Photo: DeKalb area farm volunteer Dan Steimel assists third graders as they construct paper corn stalks. During the third grade Ag in the Classroom presentation, “It’s an Earful,” students learn of the many uses of field corn.

Bottom Photo: A third grade boy reads a Corn Ag Mag. The Ag Mags are just one of the teaching tools used during Ag in the Classroom presentations conducted by farm and agribusiness volunteers in DeKalb County during the month of February. Students keep the Ag Mags for use in the classroom and to share with their families.

Strong Pace of Corn & Soybean Exports

26 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

URBANA, Ill. - In the September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, the USDA forecast 2013-14 marketing year exports at 1.225 billion bushels for corn and 1.37 billion bushels for soybeans, said University of Illinois agricultural economist Darrel Good.

“The strong pace of exports and especially export sales so far this year has created expectations of larger forecasts in the WASDE report to be released on Nov. 8,” said Good.

As of Oct. 31, the USDA reported that cumulative corn export inspections for the marketing year that began on Sept. 1 totaled 206.7 million bushels. Cumulative inspections were 30 percent larger than those of last year and represented 17 percent of the current USDA projection for the year, he said.

Cumulative export commitments—exports plus unshipped export sales— as of Oct. 24 were reported at 808 million bushels. Those commitments were 88 percent larger than commitments of a year earlier and represented 66 percent of the USDA projection for the year, he added.

“Compared to commitments of a year ago, commitments this year are 138 million bushels larger for China, 125 million larger for Mexico, and 88 million bushels larger for unknown destinations. Sales to China represent nearly 22 percent of the total sales, compared to only 8 percent last year,” Good said.

As of Oct. 31, the USDA reported that cumulative soybean export inspections for the marketing year that began on Sept. 1 totaled 338.5 million bushels.

Cumulative inspections were 9 percent smaller than those of last year and represented 25 percent of the current USDA projection for the year, he said.

Cumulative export commitments—exports plus unshipped export sales— as of Oct. 24, however, were reported at a whopping 1.184 billion bushels. Those commitments were 25 percent larger than commitments of a year earlier and represented 86 percent of the USDA projection for the year, he said.

“Compared to commitments of a year ago, commitments this year are 160 million bushels larger for China and 51 million larger for unknown destinations. About 14 million bushels have been sold to Russia, compared to none last year. Sales to China represent 62 percent of the total sales compared to 61 percent last year,” Good noted.

Export sales of corn and soybeans have been quite large early in the marketing year, but the question is: Is early-

Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 27 year export activity a good predictor of total marketing year exports? The short answer is no, he said.

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“Seasonal export shipment and sales patterns vary considerably from year to year. Over the 10 years from 200304 through 2012-13, for example, corn exports during the first quarter of the marketing year averaged 26 percent of the total for the year but ranged from 22 to 30 percent. The pattern of sales was even more varied. Cumulative export sales at the end of the first quarter of the marketing year averaged 49 percent of the total exports for the marketing year but ranged from 36 to 66 percent,” he said.

Good said that soybean exports during the first quarter of the marketing year averaged 36 percent of the total for the year but varied from 28 to 47 percent. As with corn, the pattern of sales was even more varied. Cumulative export sales at the end of the first quarter of the marketing year averaged 63 percent of the total exports for the marketing year, but ranged from 48 to 82 percent.

“While the magnitude of export sales early in the marketing year is not generally a good predictor of marketing-year exports, cumulative sales so far this year are still unusually large relative to the USDA’s September export forecast for the year,” he said.

“As mentioned before, after the eighth week of the marketing year, corn sales this year equal 66 percent of the USDA projection. That equals the largest percentage experienced after the thirteenth week of the marketing year in the previous 10 years. Similarly, soybean sales at the end of the eighth week represent 86 percent of the USDA projection for the year. That exceeds the largest percentage experienced after the thirteenth week of the marketing year in the previous 10 years,” he said.

“With a very large corn crop, U.S. corn exports may well exceed the current projection of 1.225 billion bushels.

Larger exports would in turn result in smaller year-ending stocks than would otherwise occur but would probably not result in higher corn prices. Instead, large exports are likely dependent on corn prices remaining relatively low,” he said.

It all starts with

a vision.

According to Good, the story for soybeans is different.

For soybean exports to exceed the current projection of 1.37 billion bushels, the U.S. crop may have to exceed the current forecast of 3.149 billion bushels because yearending stocks are already projected to be small.

“As a result, there is some chance that soybean prices will have to remain high enough to limit consumption in the face of strong export demand. The size of the USDA’s Nov. 8 crop forecast will determine to a large extent whether or not such rationing is required,” he said.

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28 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

Photos courtesy of DeKalb County Farm Bureau

New Brochure

Provides Nutritional Data on Soy Products

A publication recently released by the University of Illinois is providing new nutritional information on soy products and their value when fed to pigs.

Hans H. Stein, a U of I professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, has released a brochure titled, “Nutritional value of soy products fed to pigs.” The new brochure contains detailed nutritional information on eight different soy products, including full-fat soybeans and conventional dehulled soybean meal, as well as newer products such as fermented and enzyme-treated soybean meal.

“Soybean products are an important part of swine diets here in Illinois as well as most other parts of the world,” said Stein. “We wanted to provide producers with a source of data on all aspects of nutrition for a variety of soy products.”

Soybean meal is the most commonly used source of amino acids in diets for pigs around the world. The data in the brochure provides companies, swine producers, nutritionists, and industry stakeholders with relevant information that will assist them in formulating soybean meal and other soy products into the diets for pigs, Stein explained.

The brochure first describes how different soy products are produced and their applications in swine diets. The second section discusses the energy, carbohydrate, mineral, and protein and amino acid concentration of each product, as well as nutrient digestibility. Soybean meal is also compared with other plant protein sources with regards to amino acid digestibility and protein quality.

“Based on these comparisons, it is clear that soy protein has a balance of the essential amino acids that more closely fulfill the needs of pigs than any other protein source available,” Stein said. “The digestibility of these amino acids is also greater than in any other sources of plant protein, which further increases the value of soy protein compared with that of other plant proteins.”

More information on Stein’s research is available at the Hans H. Stein Monogastric Nutrition Laboratory website at

http://nutrition.ansci.illinois.edu.

Fall 2013 | DeKalb County AG Mag | 29

Key points include: • Soybean meal is the premier source of digestible amino acids in diets fed to pigs.

• Dehulled soybean meal contains the same amount of digestible energy as corn.

• Fermentation or enzyme treatment of soybean meal eliminates the oligosaccharides in the meal, making it suitable for feeding to weanling pigs as a replacement for fish meal.

• Addition of microbial phytase will increase phosphorus digestibility in soybean meal and reduce or eliminate the need for supplementation of diets with phosphorus from feed phosphates, as well as reduce phosphorus run-off from manure into aquatic ecosystems.

“Diets that contain a source of cereal grains, soybean meal, and microbial phytase will satisfy the need for all amino acids, all the energy, and most of the phosphorus for growing and finishing pigs,” Stein said.

Bill Wykes, a soybean farmer from Yorkville, Ill., and former chairman of the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA), said that this new resource will help producers take full advantage of the nutritional value of soybeans.

“We tend to think of soybeans as a source of amino acids first and foremost, but this work also shows that soybeans are a greater energy source than was previously believed. This resource will help producers take full advantage of the nutritional value of soybeans,” Wykes said.

While poultry, livestock, and aquaculture consume the vast majority of the soybean meal produced in the United States, there are 4.6 million head of hogs in Illinois, making pigs the major consumer of soybean meal in Illinois.

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“This makes hog farmers a top customer for Illinois soybeans,” said Bridget Owen, associate director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) at the U of I. “We value the research and data about soy and swine nutrition.”

NSRL works to develop and implement soy-related programs that promote overall consumption of U.S. soy by engaging in research, outreach, and education related to production, nutrition, and international development. More information may be obtained about soy by visiting www.nsrl.illinois.edu.

Stein’s brochure can be downloaded at http://nutrition.ansci. illinois.edu/SwineFocus004, or producers can contact their local U of I Extension office for copies. It is also available through the Illinois Soybean Association.

Funding for this publication was provided by the ISA and the Illinois soybean checkoff. The ISA is the statewide organization for Illinois soybean growers. The farmers on its board administer soybean checkoff funds to support research, promotions, and educational programs designed to increase demand for Illinois soybeans and administer legislation and membership programs. For more information, visit www.ilsoy.org.

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30 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

Calendar of Events Annual Agricultural Meetings 2013 DeKalb Magazine

December 17 • Farm Economic Summit Presented by University of Illinois 8:15-Noon, with lunch • $65 DeKalb Co. Farm Bureau Building www.regonline.com/2013IFES, to register

4" x 10.25"

Annual Meeting Chicago

Genuity Legals — R4

December 7-10 • IL Farm Bureau

2014 January 8-9 • NIU Convocation Center, DeKalb Free admission Account Coordinator:

February 6 • Featuring: Dan Basse, AgResource Panel moderated by Todd Gleason 1-4:30 p.m., with refreshments DeKalb County Farm Bureau Building Sponsored by Castle Bank 815-754-8090, to register

Today’s date: 11-08-13 1:43 PM

Account Service:

Art Director:

Proofing:

Production:

January 30 • “Positioning Your Business for Agriculture’s Next Decade” Featuring: Dr. David Kohl, Virginia Tech, Steve Stallons, Oxbow Fertilizer, Phil Farrell, Elburn Coop 7:15-11 a.m., with breakfast DeKalb County Farm Bureau Building Sponsored by NB&T, First State Bank, Elburn Coop 815-899-8964, to register

Castle Bank’s Ag Seminar

Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship ® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops.

Commercialized products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Biotechnology Industry Organization.

B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your Monsanto representative for the registration status in your state.

IMPORTANT IRM INFORMATION: Genuity® RIB Complete® corn blend products do not require the planting of a structured refuge except in the Cotton-Growing Area where corn earworm is a significant pest. Genuity® SmartStax® RIB Complete®, Genuity® VT Double PRO® RIB Complete® and Genuity® VT Triple PRO® RIB Complete® corn are blended seed corn products. See the IRM/Grower Guide for additional information. Always read and follow IRM requirements.

Roundup Technology® includes Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide technologies.

Northern IL Farm Show

Ag Business Seminar

Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers

Individual results may vary, and performance may vary from location to location and from year to year. This result may not be an indicator of results you may obtain as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible.

For more information regarding the intellectual property protection for the seed products identified in this publication, please see www.asgrowanddekalb.com.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides. Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Warrant® Herbicide is not registered in all states. Warrant® Herbicide may be subject to use restrictions in some states.

The distribution, sale, or use of an unregistered pesticide is a violation of federal and/or state law and is strictly prohibited. Check with your local Monsanto dealer or representative for the product registration status in your state. Acceleron® and Design®, Asgrow® and the A Design®, Asgrow®, Bollgard® and Design®, Bollgard II® and Design®, DEKALB® and Design®, DEKALB®, DroughtGard®, Genuity Design®, Genuity Icons, Genuity®, Respect the Refuge and Cotton Design®, RIB Complete and Design®, RIB Complete®, Roundup Ready 2 Technology and Design®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, Roundup Ready PLUS®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup Technology®, Roundup WeatherMAX and Design®, Roundup®, SmartStax®, Transorb and Design®, VT Double PRO®, VT Triple PRO® and Warrant® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Deltapine® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company. Channel® and the Arrow Design® is a registered trademark of Channel Bio, LLC. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design® is a registered trademark of Bayer. Herculex® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Respect the Refuge and Corn Design® and Respect the Refuge® are registered trademarks of National Corn Growers Association. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2013 Monsanto Company. 2013R04

32 | DeKalb County AG Mag | Fall 2013

DEKALB.com

THE LEADER IN BREEDING Results matter. That’s why we individually analyze 13 million corn seeds annually, to isolate the one with the perfect DNA signature to flourish in your fields. Welcome to the future of farming. Already growing, with DEKALB®.

WORK WITH YOUR EXPERT DEKALB DEALER TO PUT CUSTOM FARM SOLUTIONS INTO ACTION, or visit DEKALB.com/breeding

Details of these practices can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. DEKALB and Design® and DEKALB® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. ©2013 Monsanto Company.

Details of these practices can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. DEKALB and Design® and