CAM-08-21-2014

AG Mag Rooted in Family Southwest Iowa

The family farm is rich in history.

How is the next generation being prepared to carry on the traditions?

Corn still king? It is, but soybeans are being worked more into the mix on Iowa farms.

Raining supreme: Spring and summer rains seem to have put an end to drought.

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Farmers Forum: Local farmers share how a June storm impacted their operations.

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AG Mag

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Index

AG Mag Southwest Iowa

Publisher Rich Paulsen Advertising Director Craig Mittag Managing Editor Kyle Wilson Magazine Editors Larry Lough, Jeff Rogers

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Page Design Jeff Rogers

COVER STORY

Reporters & Photographers Sarah Brown, Pam Eggemeier, Dave Fox, Amy Hansen, Zach Johnson, Matt Mencarini, Mike Mendenhall, Alex T. Paschal, Bailey Poolman, Ty Rushing, Jake Waddingham, Christi Warren, and Kyle Wilson Published by Creston News Advertiser 503 W. Adams St. Creston, IA 50801 641-782-2141 Articles and advertisements are the property of Creston News Advertiser. No portion of the Southwest Iowa Ag Mag may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Creston News Advertiser. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Creston News Advertiser cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Creston News Advertiser cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

Family plan Keeping the farm in the family these days requires having a succession plan.

Hoop dreams At Hoop House, students at Graceland University can experience small-scale agriculture.

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AG Mag

5

Index Generations on the farm

20 Help from the statehouse?

The Flaherty family is in its fourth generation of farming in rural Murray, Iowa.

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How has the Iowa Legislature impacted the future of farming during its 2014 session?

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6 Summer 2014

CENTERPIECE STORY

Micro-economics Meet Mia, a 1-year-old micro pig who lives on a farm about five miles northwest of Winterset, Iowa. She’s among a breed that is growing in popularity as pets.

Heavy rotation While corn still is king in Iowa, soybeans are playing a more prominent role in crop rotations.

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GROOMING THE NEXT GENERATION

Illustration by Alex T. Paschal/ Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Four-generation farm family develops plan for future of business

I

BY KYLE WILSON AND MATT MENCARINI For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

n the mid 1990s, Steve Alexander encouraged his son, Stan – who had just graduated from high school – to leave their three-generation family farm south of Hopkins, Missouri, and pursue higher education at Northwest Missouri State University.

“There are a lot of opportunities out there that rural, small-town farm children aren’t necessarily aware of,” Alexander said. “I wanted him to 10 Summer 2014

explore, to broaden his point of view and make sure farming is really the path he wanted to take.”

As it turns out, farming is in Stan’s blood. He spent three years at the university studying agricultural business before returning home in the early 2000s to help manage the family’s 1,800-acre row crop operation.

Today, Stan, 36, and his father Steve, 67, both manage cropland on the farm.

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And, while Steve is still active in daily operations, he’s reached a point where he’d like to slow down and start shifting more management to Stan.

So Steve began forming a succession plan in 2012 that includes business, retirement and transition planning.

“A succession plan is about grooming the younger generation to give them the best opportunity to thrive,” said Tim Eggers, farm management specialist for 13 counties in southwest Iowa. “It’s about introducing the younger generation to suppliers, understanding pricing, knowing business people in the community, and much, much more.”

In the summer of 2012, Steve and his wife, Sandy, attended a Farm Journal Legacy Workshop session in Omaha, Nebraska, that focused on succession planning.

“It was a one-day workshop that took about 8 hours,” Steve said. “It was very informative.”

They’ve since contacted their attorney to draft a succession plan that is equitable for their three children: Sonya, Shanna and Stan. Steve said this process has been time consuming and, at times, a struggle.

“But, succession planning is very important, because if you just walk away from the operation, you give it a slim chance of surviving,” Steve said.

“All farmers get wrapped up in the day-to-day operations that we don’t devote enough time to succession planning.”

Eggers said succession planning was important because the ag boom in 2006 and 2007 had strengthened the ag industry and enabled young farmers to come back to their family farms.

“Corn is still at an average of $4 per bushel in our area,” Eggers said, “so I think we will continue see more young farmers coming back to family farms if these higher profitabilities continue.”

The Iowa Farm Bureau launched a succession-planning program last August called Take Root, said Nathan Katzer, the farm bureau’s farm business development manager since February.

Katzer said the idea came from farmers.

“We have a very strong, grassroots organization,” he said. “And we did a strategic planning process prior to me being hired on. The demand for special resources [for succession planning] was clear.”

The average age of a principal farm operator in the U.S. is 58, according to the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture,

Photo submitted to Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Steve Alexander (sitting, center) and his son, Stan, both manage cropland on the farm south of Hopkins, Missouri, that has been in the family for four generations.

Steve encouraged his son “to broaden his point of view” by attending college in the mid-1990s. As it turns out, farming was in Stan’s blood, and he spent three years studying agricultural business at Northwest Missouri State University before returning home in the early 2000s to help manage the family’s 1,800-acre row crop operation.

‘‘

A succession plan is about grooming the younger generation to give them the best opportunity to thrive.

Tim Eggers, farm management specialist for 13 counties in southwest Iowa

which is the most current data.

In Iowa, the average age in 2012 was 57.1, up from 56.1 in 2007 and 52.3 in 1997, according to the census.

The time for farmers to start thinking about succession planning is “today,” Katzer said, whether they’re young or old, because a successful succession plan involves a lot of conversations with many different people – family, business partners, advisers, lawyers and accountants.

“I think people I’ve interacted with and listened to view this as such an integrated process if they want to be successful,” he said.

Marc Lovell, the assistant director of the University of Illinois Tax School, said establishing objectives of the succession plan and the children is

’’

a good starting point.

“When it comes to children, there is some sense of fairness,” he said. “But that can be a really tough thing for farmers. There isn’t a lot of liquidity to split up.”

The planning process should include consideration of current tax structures, Lovell said, to ensure the maximum amount can be passed to the descendants.

Gifting can be a way to do that.

Generally, an individual can give a tax exempt amount of up to $14,000 a year to a person, Lovell said, and a couple can give $28,000. And it isn’t just cash, but there must be valuation to a gifted asset, he said.

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The descendant also is entitled to a tax exemption on inheritance, Lovell said, which is $5.34 million for this year. Passing down assets through spouses also can help ease the tax burden on the next generation.

Without some sort of estate planning, the state’s default rules will be used when a farmer dies.

“You generally don’t want that with a farm, because it can get messy,” Lovell said.

While understanding tax structures and putting a value on the family farm as a business can be a difficult conversation to have with a lawyer or accountant, it probably will be no more difficult than family discussions about the family’s history on the farm, the family investment, and desires for the future.

But those discussions are important to ensure that the next generation doesn’t run into the “curse of wealth” when land is passed down that they are not interested in farming or a large amount of money is realized from the assets of the farm business.

“If people don’t understand where the family inheritance is coming from, they’re going to squander it, nine out of 10 times,” Katzer said.

‘‘

If people don’t understand where the family inheritance comes from, they’re going to squander it, nine out of 10 times.

Nathan Katzer, farm business development manager at Iowa Farm Bureau and a 2003 graduate of Creston High School

It’s important for succeeding generations to know the legacy that’s attached to the assets or inheritance, he said, because from a responsibility standpoint, when someone gets a windfall of assets, the temptation for immediate liquidation might be strong.

Most family farms have survived several generations. There are stories to tell about the people – parents, grandparents and great-grandparents – who kept the farm and the family business afloat.

Those stories and that history, Katzer said, need to be told as part of the succession-planning process so the objectives and wishes of the older generation are considered.

But there also needs to be acceptance that that farm is, in fact, a business.

“There are a lot of heart strings to pull

’’

there,” said Scott Stoller of Illinoisbased Ag Perspective. “Some still don’t view their business as a business. It’s a way of life and not a business. But today, it is a business.”

Once a farmer makes the decision to start planning for how the farm and assets will eventually pass down, the process can move at the pace the family is comfortable with.

It’s more important that the process start than it continue along a generic timeline. But it can start only after a realization – that a farmer’s working life may be coming to an end.

That realization is tough to come to, Katzer said, and can lead to difficult conversations about the future.

“Some farmers are terrified of not having anything to do,” he said. “They want to die with their boots on and have the farm be their legacy – and not the next generation.”

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GRMC Offers More to Southwest Iowa Gary Krauth of Creston was a livestock farmer in southwest Iowa for 51 years.

He retired in 2012.

And right away, he began enjoying that retirement — playing golf two to three days per week at area golf courses in Creston, Corning, Lenox and Afton. But, late last summer arthritis in his left hip began causing him serious pain that would eventually keep him off the golf course for the remainder of 2013.

“The pain was bringing me to my knees,” Krauth said. “I had to quit playing.”

The 71-year-old Krauth needed a hip replacement.

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Krauth had surgery with Ralston Oct. 14 at Greater Regional.

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Krauth spent one full week in recovery at Greater Regional after the surgery. His wife Sandy was right by his side.

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“I’m pain free,” Krauth said, “and back on the golf course. You should have seen me today. I was even hitting my irons well. I just keep getting stronger in that left hip. I can’t thank Dr. Ralston and Greater Regional enough. My quality of life is back 100 percent.”

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13

‘Hooping’ and hollering

Bailey Poolman/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

These tomatoes are ripening, while their brethren still are green, at Graceland University’s hoop house. The project incorporates a horticulture division on the Lamoni campus with a place where students can experience small-scale agriculture.

Graceland’s new project the talk of the campus

BY BAILEY POOLMAN For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Bees buzzed around the bean plants and flies flitted from rosemary leaves to the stillgreen tomatoes at the hoop house at Graceland University in Lamoni.

Graceland’s hoop house, managed by students in the summer, is a new project headed by sustainability coordinator Jennifer Abraham-White and business professor Max Pitt. It was started with a donation by Graceland alumnus Steve Upson.

The project incorporates a horticultural division on campus with a place where students can experience smallscale agriculture.

From business and agriculture aspects, Pitt explains, sustainable agriculture is still an expanding field.

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“While students are learning conventional business and conventional agriculture, they can also be learning sustainable agriculture,” Pitt said. “That is a field of exploration instead of a fully developed area.”

Hoop house

Graceland’s hoop house was built in May 2013.

“It doesn’t get more Jennifer Abrahamlocal than 600 yards White from the dining hall,” Abraham-White said.

“I want to make this a venue where students want to be and hang out, and learn and work together toward growing local veggies.”

The hoop house is home to rosemary, thyme, basil, peppers, beans, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, onions and cilantro.

Bailey Poolman/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Graceland University’s hoop house sits in the distance from its sign. The hoop house is home to rosemary, thyme, basil, peppers, beans, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Produce is used in the salad bar in the campus’ dining hall and sold at the local farmers market.

Benefits

“Decatur County is one of the poorest counties in Iowa, so we have really strong services in town for folks,” Abraham-White said.

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What: Hoop house Where: Graceland University, Lamoni When: Erected May 2013, produce planted spring and summer 2014 Why: A university project to teach students and community about sustainable agriculture Who: Built with help from Graceland instructors Jennifer Abraham-White and Max Pitt, and donor Steve Upson

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AG Mag

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Bailey Poolman/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Tomatoes stand out against the greenery inside Graceland University’s hoop house. The layout has three aisles, with four sections of raised beds along the length of the structure.

The garden will be home to fall and spring vegetables to be donated to the local food pantry.

The university also plans to start an orchard surrounding the site in August.

“Another way that the garden’s benefiting the community is all the produce goes to Decatur County.”

Hoop house produce is used in the salad bar at Graceland’s campus dining hall and sold at the local farmers market. It provides other economic benefits such as possible on-campus composting to be sold to the community.

Pitt also mentioned the educational benefits of the building.

“It gives our students and our community a chance to think and observe what can be done with a hoop house,” Pitt said.

Thyme is one of the herbs produced in Graceland University’s hoop house on the Lamoni campus. RoseExpansion mary and basil are two other herbs growing in the “I’m always looking for structure, which was built in May 2013. ways to connect folks in the community with what we’re doing “I’m really happy with the way the on campus, and to connect students program’s going now,” Abraham-White on campus with what we’re doing said. “The project is gaining momenin the community,” Abraham-White tum, and I think you’re going to see a said. lot more from Graceland University in An outdoor garden has been provided terms of sustainability and small agby a $750 grant from Lamoni’s Hy-Vee. related projects.”

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Extension brings help as flooding challenges cattle producers For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Cattle producers in many parts of Iowa had to shift rapidly from drought conditions to extremely wet and flood conditions, and they had a new set of issues to manage.

Immediate concerns were water-logged facilities, flooded pastures, earthen basins that were full, and financial issues. The Iowa Beef Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach addressed producers’ concerns in multiple ways, including online resources.

Production issues

“One of the first things to check is the structural strength of the livestock buildings, electrical equipment and safety of the water systems,� said Beth Doran, beef program specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “The potential for flooded or spilled pesticides, fuel or oil spills, and flooded grain bins should also be monitored.�

Doran also reminded producers that flood conditions could affect the health of animals. Producers should watch for symptoms of lameness, fever, difficulty breathing, muscle contractions or swelling of the shoulders, chest, back, neck or throat. “The potential exists for grazing cattle to swallow storm debris, such as nails or staples,� she said. “Consequently, cattle should be monitored for hardware disease.�

‘‘

Pasture management is critical. Remove any debris and return cattle to the pasture when the ground is dry and solid. Returning cattle too soon results in trampled pastures and damaged plants. If areas of the pasture or hay ground are eroded or silt- or sand-covered, reseeding may be necessary

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AG Mag

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A look back Amy Hansen/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

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Flaherty family reflects on generations of farm life

LENOX, IA

BY AMY HANSEN For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

The history of Flaherty farms can be traced back to 1929. That’s when Russ Flaherty’s grandparents were married.

In 1930, Russ’ grandparents moved to a farm in rural Murray, Iowa. “They raised three boys here, and then he purchased land with the boys and they all started farming,� Russ said.

Russ said his grandfather’s oldest and second-oldest sons ventured outside of farming, which left Russ, his father and grandfather to work on the family farm. “Granddad phased out, dad phased out, and now I’m farming it,� Russ said.

Russ’ wife, Vicki, went to school in Osceola. She married Russ and moved to Murray. Like Russ, she also grew up on a farm. “I asked if he wanted me to stay home and help on the farm. Well, I guess, he never said I had to,� Vicki said with a laugh. “I just decided that’s what I wanted to do. We worked side by side till the children started coming around.�

Opportunities Russ and Vicki’s son Jerod also works on the family farm. He said he liked working with his family and getting to be outside. “I like the opportunities that agriculture has presented,�

Jerod said, “and the challenges and the ability to learn something new every day.�

The farming operation at Flaherty farms consists mostly of cattle, crops and hay.

Jerod lives with his wife and two young children in Murray. Jerod’s older son likes to ride in the family’s combine and see the cows.

It’s not just direct family members who work on the Flaherty farm. Tim Summers has been a herdsman on the farm for 30 years. “I’ve been here ever since high school,� Summers said.

Amy Hansen/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

A bill announces the sale of cattle and horses in 1948 at the Flaherty family farm. ON PAGE 20: Tim Summers (left), Jerod Flaherty, Vicki Flaherty and Russ Flaherty stand in front of a barn on the Flaherty farm in Murray that has been in the family since 1930. “I take care of the beef cows, for the most part, and help Russ in the feedlot when we work calves, stuff like that.�

Community According to Vicki, the best thing about having a family farm in Murray is the sense of community. “It’s just wonderful,� she said. “The kids got to go to school in Murray. It was a small school.

Everybody knows everybody.

We have neighbors. I just think [it was] wonderful, and I’m glad that my kids were able to grow up on a farm.�

Throughout the decades, many changes have come to Flaherty farms – from using horses to having GPS on tractors. “The mechanization of everything. The automation of everything. The scope of everything, the size,� Russ said. “Anything you could think of has changed. The day-to-day changes – theirs was all physical labor; most of ours is mental labor. It’s still work, but we don’t shovel corn. We drive a tractor.�

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Policymakers focus on quality, state infrastructure

T

BY JAKE WADDINGHAM For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

he 2014 Iowa Legislative session saw a lot of positives for the future of agriculture across Iowa.

Lawmakers approved $7.9 million for the Iowa Water Quality Initiative and an additional $14.4 million for other conservation programs.

They also almost doubled the total capacity of credit programs available to new farmers and increased the ways a beginning farmer can qualify for those programs.

“I look back and I think we have done some good things, especially with beginning farmers,” said Iowa State Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield. “Farm-

22AG_Mag_Hlfpg_Horz_Gabe_Adair.indd Summer 2014

1

‘‘

At the Statehouse

’’

I think we have done some good things, especially with beginning farmers. Farmers are getting older, and the time is coming to turn their operation over to a younger family member or someone that wants to get involved in farming.

State Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, on legislation passed during the 2014 session that impacts Iowa farmers

ers are getting older, and the time is coming to turn their operation over to a younger family member or someone that wants to get involved in farming.”

Matt Steinfeldt, a state policy adviser for Farm Bureau, said the Iowa Legislature has been reasonably friendly to farmers over the past few sessions. But once election season is over, Steinfeldt said, attention will turn to water quality, soil conservation and improving Iowa’s infrastructure.

Steinfeldt said the Farm Bureau was working to keep programs like Iowa’s

nutrient reduction strategy voluntary and well-funded to keep participation high.

“The cost-share program currently has a waiting list of more than $18 million,” Steinfeldt said. “That shows the backlog of unfunded requests and the demand to get a lot of these practices on the ground.”

During the upcoming session, the Legislature will try to tackle how to improve Iowa’s infrastructure, especially in rural areas. Currently, 26 counties in Iowa have been forced to sell bonds to pay for secondary roads and bridges.

CONTINUED ON 24

6/19/14 3:07 PM

Look for your next issue of the

in November 201 If you are enjoying this issue of the AG Mag and would like to have future issues mailed to you, fill out the form below and return to: Creston Publishing Company PO Box 126 Creston, IA 50801 If you received this issue by mail, you do not have to fill out and return the form below

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AG Mag

23

CONTINUED FROM 22

“We feel there needs to be an increase in the user fee, or the gas tax,�

Steinfeldt said. “It is constitutionally protected, and out-of-state drivers contribute. The user fee is preferred because, right now, as a consequence of inaction, lawmakers have inadvertently increased property taxes, which is an inadequate way to fund our roads.�

Of Iowa’s $166 billion gross domestic product, a quarter is estimated to be tied to farming. Protecting that industry is one of the Legislature’s biggest focal issues. “Something that at least needs to be talked about very seriously is this ‘superweed’ that is in five counties in Iowa,� Baudler said. “We don’t know enough about it yet to say what we are going to do. We may need to devote tax dollars to this research to get ahead of it. It could hurt food production in Iowa.�

The weed – Palmer amaranth – is fast-growing and can carry millions of seeds. It is resistant to glyphosate herbicide and has the potential to choke out more than two-thirds of a row crop’s yield potential.

The general election will be Nov. 4.

The Iowa Legislature will reconvene Jan. 12.

Photo from eattheweeds.com

Palmer amaranth, called a “superweed,� has been found in five Iowa counties. It is fast-growing, carries many seeds, and has a resistance to glyphosate herbicide that gives it the potential to choke out more than two-thirds of a row crop’s yield potential.

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AG Mag

25

Princess Mia, trendsetter Micro pigs grow in popularity as indoor pets

BY JAKE WADDINGHAM For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Jake Waddingham/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Mia, a 1-year-old micro pig who lives on a farm about five miles northwest of Winterset, shows off her headband and hot pink tutu as she trots across her outdoor pen. Mia is trained to live inside and uses a litter box.

Might be that nothing is happier than a pig in the mud, but one in a headband and hot pink tutu has to be a close second.

Meet Mia, a 1-year-old micro pig who lives on a farm about five miles northwest of Winterset, Iowa. When she is not parading around for company in her finest outfits, she lives an active life on the farm.

The 15-pounder is trained to use a litter box and enjoys snacking on raisins, celery and carrots. “We had her living in the garage for a while, but we keep her outside now,� said Mia’s owner, Ashton Mount, 21, of Winterset. “She is on a routine. I’ll come out here in the morning to feed her and she will be squealing, and when I drive in, she will come running out with her tail wagging.�

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Mount adopted Mia on Easter from a friend who could no longer keep a pet because of an upcoming move. Micro pigs can range in cost from a couple of hundred dollars to more than $2,000.

“I would like to make her an indoor pig again, because she lived inside before she came here,” Mount said.

“My parents joked, ‘We already have three pigs living inside [Mount and her two younger sisters, Briley and Carson], so we don’t need another one.’”

But before rushing out to buy your own, you might want to research some details to determine whether a micro pig is right for you.

First, while they are much smaller than their full-sized relatives, micro pigs typically reach between 45 and 60 pounds as adults.

“People see these tiny pigs, and I don’t think they truly realize it will grow up to be a fairly sizable animal,” said Dr. Tim Nelson at the Creston Veterinary Clinic.

Ashton Mount

Jake Waddingham/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Mia reaches for a raisin – one of her favorite snacks – from her owner, Ashton Mount of Winterset. Micro pigs weigh only 9 ounces when they are born, but can reach 45 to 60 pounds as healthy adults.

Nelson said it is a good idea to spay or neuter any pet early – especially if it is going to be indoors – to avoid the development of aggressive behavior from hormones.

They need to maintain a healthy and proportional diet to avoid becoming obese. Exercise also is

important. Mount takes Mia on walks around their family farm, but owners might need to obtain special permits before taking exotic pets for walks in town.

“It is something different, and I think that is why people like them,” Nelson said.

He said to always contact a local veterinary clinic with

questions because it will be a consistent source of reliable information about animal care.

Mount added that like most pets, micro pigs can have different personalities.

Most days, Mia likes to cuddle, have her back scratched and get dressed up, but Mount said other days she acts a little “sassy.”

“When we go on walks, if we don’t go where she wants, she throws a fit,” Mount said.

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COUN BEA

Crop rotation of corn and soybeans remains standard practice

I

BY JAKE WADDINGHAM AND PAM EGGEMEIER For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

n athletics, if a team runs the same play over and over, chances are it will eventually stop being successful.

In farming, continually planting the same crop over and over gives diseases, weeds and insects a chance to find a weakness, damaging stands and lowering yields.

“Everyone is pretty diversified now,” said Aaron Saeugling, extension field agronomist for 14 counties in southwest Iowa. “It benefits them to rotate.”

Advances in crop rotation research and the rise in row crop prices over the past four years have contributed to making a corn and soybean rotation a standard practice.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that farmers had planted the smallest corn crop since 2010, but had planted the largest soybean crop on record.

“Crop rotation allows you to use different timings, different management techniques, and allows you to enter diversity into the management process,” said Adair County farmer Jim Frederick.

Frederick farms about 400 acres. This year he has about 120 acres in corn and 160 acres in soybeans. He said the practice of switching between corn and soybeans each year doesn’t feel like a rotation anymore.

The lower numbers in the cattle herd has also contributed to more farms converting hay ground to row crops.

“Back 30, 40, even 50 years ago, there were more oats and hay,” Frederick said. “They didn’t have all the tools or commercial herbicides we do today. They tended to do those things by rotating their crops.”

28 Summer 2014

NTING ANS

By having clover and alfalfa one year, the legumes replenished the soil with nitrogen. The next year would be a good year for corn, with the choice to plant soybeans or have pasture again the year after that.

Today, farmers have anhydrous and fertilizers that allow the soil to handle rotating only corn and soybeans.

“When it comes down to it, if you continually try Jim Frederick to do the same thing, Mother Nature figures out Adair County ways around it,” Frederick said. “By breaking up farmer says that cycle, diseases and insect pressure tend not that by rotating to flourish.” crops “diseases

Record yields predicted

and insect pressure tend not to flourish”

Several factors indicate that demand should remain high for corn and soybeans, but the June 30 USDA acreage report exceeded March expectations, sending prices on a downward spiral. Illinois and Iowa had the largest gap in soybean forecasts from March to June, both running about 500,000 acres above earlier expectations.

Darrel Good, an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois, said current crop and weather conditions have the nation on track for record corn and soybean yields, perhaps resulting in surpluses that could send prices plummeting in the 2014-15 market year.

“The sharp decline in corn prices following the release of the USDA reports put December corn futures about 35 cents [7.6 percent] below the spring crop insurance price,” Good said.

“Crop revenue insurance will provide some revenue protection for those with high levels of coverage if prices continue to decline.”

Soybeans could see a more precipitous drop than corn, Good said.

“Soybean prices also declined sharply following the reports, with November futures moving within about 20 cents of the spring crop insurance price,” Good said. “There appears to be more downside potential for soybean prices.”

Good said soybean stockpiles could exceed 400 million bushels

by Sept. 1, 2015. That kind of surplus could mean a substantial year-over-year decline in the average price of soybeans, from CONTINUED ON 30

In the photo A soybean field runs next to a corn field on a research plot east of Creston. In the past, when farmers didn’t have the tools and commercial herbicides that are available today, more crops were rotated. Today, farmers have anhydrous ammonia and fertilizers that allow the soil to handle rotating only soybeans and corn.

Photo by Jake Waddingham/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

AG Mag

29

CONTINUED FROM 29

Demand remains strong Corn and soybean demand should hold steady, as fewer farmers feed the world. Good said soybean demand in China continues to grow.

“Nationwide, we export about half of the soybeans we produce, and about 60 percent of that is exported by China,” Good said.

The U.S. ranks third in soybean meal exports, behind Brazil and Argentina. Brazil is ranked first in soybean oil exports, followed by the U.S. and Argentina. American soybean producers keep a close eye on South American production, especially since the U.S. has become an importer of their crops.

“In 2012, South America had some production problems, but they rebounded with very large crops the last two years,” Good said. “Historically, you’ll see about 10 [million] to 15 million bushels from them, but this year 90 million bushels are projected from South America.”

Alternative energy continues to boost demand for corn and soybeans, but profitability still is the main consideration.

CONTINUED ON 32

30 Summer 2014

Alex T. Paschal/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Don Meyer checks the soybeans in his field in rural Amboy, Illinois. While southern Iowa farmers seem to be adding more beans into their rotations, Meyer doesn’t see a big rush to that crop in northwest Illinois. “I see people sticking pretty much to their regular rotations,” Meyer said. “I planted mostly corn again, and am filling in with some soybeans.”

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“Ethanol and biodiesel definitely help keep prices strong,� said Emerson Nafziger, professor of crop sciences at the University of Illinois. “We’ve always had more corn in Illinois, and I really don’t see any big shifts between corn and soybeans.�

Nationally, biodiesel production was up 37 percent from 2012 to 2013, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Industry estimates show that biodiesel demand has increased soybean value by 74 cents per bushel between 2006 and 2012.

Despite the rapid growth, biodiesel still has a long way to go to catch up with the ethanol industry. Infrastructure and geography still largely determine how much alternative energy factors into farmers’ marketing plans. “Biodiesel has come in fits and starts,�

Good said. “We’ve seen a fairly significant increase in ethanol growth since 2006. The ethanol market is peaking now, and we no longer need to expand

‘‘

‘‘

I’ve been seeing more soybeans than normal around here. In this part of the state, normal is anywhere from 60 to 75 percent corn.

Cliff Mulder, a director with the Iowa Soybean Association

corn production for that. I expect slow growth in the ethanol market going forward, and biodiesel may start to catch up.�

Iowa farmers break up corn In southern Iowa, world demand for soybeans has not gone unnoticed. Several grain producers there say they are working a few more beans into the mix, but working the rotation seems to be the biggest driver.

Cliff Mulder raises corn and soybeans near Pella in the south-central part of the state. Mulder also is a director with the Iowa Soybean Association. In his

The ethanol market is peaking now, and we no longer need to expand corn production for that. I expect slow growth in the ethanol market going forward. ...

Darrell Good, University of Illinois agricultural economist

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area, he is seeing the ratios of corn to beans swing a bit more toward beans. “I’ve been seeing more soybeans than normal around here,� Mulder said. “In this part of the state, normal is anywhere from 60 to 75 percent corn. Some people are going 50/50, especially if they haven’t changed the rotation every other year.�

Many farmers who didn’t rotate last year were disappointed with their corn results, Mulder said. “Corn on corn didn’t yield so well this year,� Mulder said. “With world demand for soybeans up, it fits into the rotation quite well.�

Mulder is a big backer of biodiesel – he was an original investor in the Renewable Energy Group plant in Newton that started production in 2007. “REG is only about 30 miles away from me,� Mulder said. “In this area, ethanol and biodiesel play a big role in farmers’ marketing plans.�

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Market volatility a challenge Particularly this year, marketing mistakes can prove costly for farmers

BY DUSTIN JOHNSON For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

There is no doubt that this year has been one of the most challenging marketing environments that farmers have ever encountered. This summer has been particularly volatile.

Up until the June report, soybean acres were largely under-reported, which created an artificial premium and complacency in both the corn and soybean markets. Regardless of what the market was telling us, as producers it was allowing the opportunity to lock in profitability through forward cash sales, futures/options, and crop insurance at the time.

But how do you know when to pull the trigger on grain sales, or what strategy to implement? The truth is no one can predict what the market will do, just as no one has perfected the long-term weather models. That is the reality of farming; we have to take what Mother Nature gives us. Knowing that the market cannot be “beat� is the first step to

operating the farm like a true corporation, capturing market opportunities while they exist.

Traditional breakeven analysis will not cut it, either. We don’t need to know that $8 corn is needed to turn Dustin Johnson a profit if your farm Says true hedging yields only 50 bushis all about els an acre. Half the looking at the time these formulas entire “matrix� of produce erroneous possibilities for break-even values profitability because they don’t account for projected indemnity payments. True hedging is all about looking at the entire “matrix� of possibilities. You need to know where your profitability will stand whether corn is at $8 or $3, and at the same time if your yield is a record or the worst ever.

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every scenario, we can perfect it using “what-if� strategy testing before implementation. With the price of corn suppressed, many producers are close to receiving an indemnity payment.

Those producers may benefit to know where and how much to expect from these payments to avoid panic selling if corn gets oversold.

Testing strategies is one of the best ways to avoiding serious marketing mistakes that can cost big dollars and lost opportunities. Developing a plan that fits your risk requirements and overcomes your marketing shortfalls is invaluable.

We challenge every farmer to become better marketers, and hopefully, we can smooth out the volatility that has plagued our markets in recent months. There is a more stable way of doing business using today’s technology. – Dustin Johnson is a senior analyst for AgYield.

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‘Made with my own two hands’ Missouri 4-H member found focus in woodworking

BY BAILEY POOLMAN For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Dale Bagley has many interests. He’s part of National Honor Society, Future Farmers of America and a church youth program, and he plays five school sports. Still, this high school sophomore has time for 4-H. Bagley, of Princeton, Missouri, has found a niche of sorts in woodworking, for which he won prizes at 4-H Interstate Show in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Missouri. Bagley has won 14 best-of-show awards.

Projects

Bailey Poolman/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Dale Bagley examines the gun case he built for a woodworking class in 4-H. Bagley, a high school sophomore from Princeton, Missouri, won best of show with the case at Missouri State Fair.

“Always accurate, quality prescriptions ...we’ll always make time for you!�

Among the handmade projects Bagley, 15, has made are a gun case with etched glass, seated cabinet, and crossbow. “A lot of my projects have to do with creative thinking and thinking of new ideas that no one else has thought of,�

Bagley said.

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Bagley was able to get materials and borrow tools from his father’s construction company. That made the projects, specifically the crossbow, easier.

Crossbow “We had to find the wood for the stock and body of the crossbow,� Bagley explained. “My dad has a great big shed full of wood, so that wasn’t hard.�

Bagley made connector pieces to hold the firing mechanism and trigger to the stock. He carved notches for the string. “The whole thing was pretty much made with scrap wood and scrap metal.

It works really well,� Bagley said. “I thought it’d be neat to have one [a crossbow] of my own, and I thought it would be neat to have one made with my own two hands.�

The crossbow took between two and three months to finish.

Branching out Bagley has participated in other areas of 4-H, such as sports fishing and animal showing.

Currently, Bagley has three bottle calves he plans to show. His previous experience includes showing a goat. “No one really talked about ag with me, but in the future I can see agriculture being a big part of my experience,�

Bagley said.

Bagley also participated in

Dale Bagley Age: 15 Hometown: Princeton, Missouri Parents: Dennis and Judy Bagley Years in 4-H: 8 Focus: Woodworking

an attempt to make a worldrecord shooting Mentos geyser at Missouri State Fair in 2013.

Experience Bagley said he has had a good learning experience as a member of 4-H. A former Clover Kid, Bagley is in his eighth year. “I think it’s a good leadership-building experience.

I’ve learned a lot through public speaking,� Bagley said. “I’ve learned community service. Our club has done a lot of community service and learned the importance of that.�

Bagley has not decided what he wants to pursue after high school, but said he is interested in technology and science.

Bailey Poolman/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Dale Bagley shows off figurines on a wooden cabinet with a seat that he made for 4-H. The cabinet won best of show at Missouri State Fair.

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AG Mag

35

‘Always a new adventure’ Farmers Market of Madison County grows into its own

BY SARAH BROWN For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Sarah Brown/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Vella Beebe visits with a child at Madison County Farmers Market in June in Winterset. Beebe has sold sweet bread and other baked goods at the market since it opened in 1993.

As the morning sun rises each Saturday, local producers begin to set up their tables and stalls in the heart of Winterset – on the lawn of the historic courthouse situated within the town’s square – for the Madison County Farmers Market.

During the early hours of the seasonal Saturday market, which opens at 7:30 a.m., dozens of locals and tourists alike are first in line for the “best pick” of the fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and plants for garden and home. Following close behind are the young families, whose children play on the courthouse lawn while their parents shop.

CONTINUED ON 38

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Farmers market directory Bethany: 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, May through October, 3810 Miller St., Bethany, Missouri; Donald Terry, (660) 876-5303.

Carlisle: 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, June through October, 95 Iowa 5, Carlisle, Iowa; Mark and Marilyn Goodhue, (515) 989-3140.

Chariton: 5 to 7 p.m.

Thursday, May through October, east side of square on Grand Avenue, Chariton, Iowa; Sonya Gwinn, (641) 203-2431.

Corning: 4:30 p.m. Thursday. June through September, Central Park, Corning, Iowa; socsuport@fes.org.

Creston: 4 to 6:30 p.m.

Monday, June through September, McKinley Park, Creston, Iowa; Brian Zachary, (641) 247-1663.

Greenfield: 3 to 6 p.m.

Thursday, June through October, south side of the square, Greenfield, Iowa; (641) 743-8444.

Indianola: 2 to 6 p.m.

Wednesday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, June through October, Warren County Fairgrounds; Kathy De Angelo, (515) 961-4727.

Lamoni: 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, May through October, corner of Main and Linden streets, Lamoni, Iowa; Sophie Ryan, (641) 203-2990.

Leon: 3 to 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, June through October, 207 N. Main St., Leon, Iowa; Darlene Richardson, (641) 442-5417.

Mount Ayr: 4 to 7 p.m.

Monday, May through October, 109 W. Madison St., Mount Ayr, Iowa; (641) 4643704.

Norwalk: 4 to 7 p.m.

Friday, June through September, 1039 Sunset Drive, Norwalk, Iowa; Deb Mineart, (515) 981-0619.

Osceola: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday and 3 to 6 p.m.

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Sarah Brown/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Pepper Harrow Farm sells heirloom vegetables, fruits and herbs grown on a family farm in Winterset.

October, 100 S. Main St., Osceola, Iowa; Anna May Wilson, (641) 342-3933.

Princeton: 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May through October, 501 N. College St., Princeton, Missouri; Gwen Coppick, (660) 382-4384.

Stuart: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June through October, city park, Stuart, Iowa; (641) 524-5262.

Winterset: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, May through October, courthouse square, Winterset, Iowa; Donna Carey, (515) 4688305.

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Âť Ag Business Âť Livestock Production Âť Crop Production Âť Livestock Judging Team 1501 W. Townline St. Creston, IA 50801 www.swcciowa.edu AG Mag

37

CONTINUED FROM 36

Simple beginnings The Madison County Farmers Market was started in the spring of 1993 by a handful of likeminded producers who wanted to provide fresh and locally grown products for their community.

Vella Beebe, 88, of Winterset has been selling her homemade desserts and sweet breads at the farmers market since its inception. “It really was very small to start with,�

Beebe said. “It has just grown to where we were getting lots of people that aren’t even from Winterset.�

In the beginning, Beebe said, it was mostly vegetables, fruit, eggs and baked goods, but she has seen the market grow to include other products such as handmade crafts.

Donna Carey, manager of the farmers market, also sells baked goods. She said she likes the mix of locally produced goods available. “We have produce, flowers, baked goods, jewelry, rugs and even baby blankets,� Carey said. “It’s an assortment.�

Vendors at the farmers market, who offer everything from house plants to organic produce to natural beef,

include KM Gardens of De Soto, Pepper Harrow Farm, Jeanne’s Garden of Winterset, Zion Valley Farms of Orient.

Bridgewater Farm, honey producer Pat Randol of Winterset, and Wimmer Farms of Arispe.

Community Local producers and artisans are not the only people who benefit from the weekly market.

Heather Riley, executive director of Madison County Chamber of Commerce, said the farmers market is an “enhancement� to the community.

She likes the variety of items available. “There are new vendors popping up every week and it’s always a new adventure,� Riley said. “People are certainly more conscientious of where their food comes from, and to get that from your local Madison County neighbor is just a bonus.�

The Madison County Farmers Market, located on the historic courthouse square in Winterset, is open 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May through October.

For more information about Madison County Farmers Market visit www. facebook.com/MadisonCoFarmersMarket.

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38 Summer 2014

Sarah Brown/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Madison County Farmers Market Manager Donna Carey spends Flag Day with honey producer Pat Randol of Winterset. Randol is a former manager of the market.

Real Farmland Opportunities.

USDA offers renewal to conservation program participants For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

The first participants of the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) have until Sept. 12 to renew their contracts and make decisions on additional conservation activities benefiting priority natural resource issues.

CSP, offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), helps farmers and ranchers take conservation investments to the next level.

About 20,000 CSP contracts will soon reach the end of their initial five-year contract period. Participants may renew these contracts for an additional five years when they agree to complete additional conservation measures.

More than 1,400 Iowa farmers are eligible for this CSP contract renewal. “CSP farmers are conservation leaders who go the extra mile to conserve Iowa’s resources,� Iowa NRCS State Conservationist Jay Mar said. “The 2014 Farm Bill continued that strong commitment and heightened the program’s focus on generating conservation benefits.�

Since CSP began in 2009, more than

‘‘

CSP farmers are conservation leaders who go the extra mile to conserve Iowa’s resources.

Jay Mar, Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service state conservationist

58 million acres have been enrolled in the program – an area the size of Indiana and Wisconsin combined. CSP participants boost conservation benefits by installing new conservation activities that make positive changes in soil, water, air and wildlife habitat. “This program allows landowners to reach the next level of conservation and opens the door to trying new conservation activities,� Mar said.

For example, the program has helped Cass County farmer Kris Wernimont use nutrients more wisely on her 231acre farm.

She said she feels one particular enhancement – split nitrogen application

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– is not only environmentally friendly, but it also helps increase profits. This practice involves applying 50 percent of total crop nitrogen needs within 30 days before planting and the remaining 50 percent after crop emergence. “We are making better use of our nutrients,� she said. “The plant can now utilize nitrogen as needed, when it needs it, and in a timely manner.�

To learn about technical and financial assistance available through CSP, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted, the Conservation Stewardship webpage or local USDA service center. For more on the 2014 Farm Bill, visit www.nrcs.usda. gov/FarmBill.

We salute our area farmers and agriculture industry for their contributions to our local, national and international communities.

Their efforts plant the seeds for prosperity, nourishing our bodies as well as our economy.

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641-743-2632 AG Mag

39

Alex T. Paschal/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Randy Faber actively uses test plots for his Pioneer seed corns on his farm in rural Sublette, Illinois. Faber said seed corns that are drought tolerant help to protect crops from dry growing seasons. “In a dry year, our yields don’t suffer too much, and that has to do with seed companies doing an excellent job protecting us,” he said.

AN END TO THE

DRY RUN?

Iowa’s drought likely quelled, strong crop yield expected

P

BY MIKE MENDENHALL For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

ulling an orange raft by rope from an overpass on the South Skunk River, Tyler Orkes with the U.S. Geological Survey said the waterway near Highway 117 in Colfax is higher than average.

“This part of the river is staying up higher than our gauge in Ames,” he said. “Normally, there are a few sand bars near the bridge.”

40 Summer 2014

He measured the depth and velocity of the river as it crept up in late June. Spring and early summer rains effectively ended the state’s 3-year drought and gave Iowa farmers adequate – if not excess – moisture.

But is there a potential to return to drought before the year is out? John McLaughlin, chief meteorologist for KCCI Channel 8 in Des Moines, won’t rule it out, but he says the outlook is much better than a year ago.

CONTINUED ON 41

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Tyler Orkes with the U.S. Geological Survey measures discharge, a product of water volume and velocity, in the South Skunk River in Colfax on June 25. Severe rain events ended Iowa’s drought in May and June, and local meteorologists forecast a normal weather pattern for the remainder of the growing season.

CONTINUED FROM 40

“In the near term, I think the situation will continue to improve as western Iowa and eastern Iowa are getting more rain,� McLaughlin said.

The meteorologist was expecting a normal summer weather pattern. He believed that any surplus soil moisture would be taken from the soil by corn crops as the growing season continued.

Long term, McLaughlin said, there’s always a chance for drought to return to the state. But historical data, plus current computer models, led him to conclude

the forecast El NiĂąo pattern would be weak, having more detrimental effects in the western part of the U.S. than in Iowa. Particularly if the pattern develops in the late summer to early fall, McLaughlin predicts Iowa will keep a normal and seasonal weather pattern.

In June, the Iowa State University Department of Economics released a U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast that predicted a 2014-15 corn yield of 165.3 bushels per acre and 45.2 bushels per acre yield on soybeans.

CONTINUED ON 44

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AG Mag

41

Drought-proof farming?

Hybrids help crops to survive prolonged dryness

BY CHRISTI WARREN For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Alex T. Paschal/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Randy Faber, who farms in rural Sublette, Illinois, has as many as 120 different varieties of corn planted on his 900 acres. With cross pollination, that number jumps to about 400, he said.

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No one would suggest that the Midwest is in a drought this growing season; in fact, Randy Faber, a farmer in Sublette, Illinois, said recently that fields might be a little too moist – thanks to summer storms that have swept through the area.

But how do farmers prepare for drought, just in case?

Faber uses a cultimulcher, which helps to seal moisture in his soil after tillage.

He’s lucky, though, he says. The soil near his farm in Sublette is denser, capable of holding moisture better than other parts of Lee, Whiteside, and Bureau counties, where soil can be sandier.

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In those areas, farmers are more likely to install complicated irrigation systems, which – with corn prices as high as they’ve been, he says – pretty much pay for themselves.

Science, too, is positively affecting the crop yield during times of drought. Both Pioneer and Syngenta offer drought-tolerant hybrid seed selected specifically for their dry-weather traits, like roots that dig deep into the soil, or stomata that close early in the growing cycle – thus retaining moisture. Combining plants with those more drought-tolerant traits with other, high-yield corn varieties makes for crops that are better able to perform well during stretches of drought.

Emerson Nafziger, a professor of crop sciences at the Univerity of Illinois, explains: “Today’s hybrids are improved for stress tolerance, which includes tolerance to lack of soil moisture, in part because they are selected and grown under high populations, which confers the ability to compete better for water,�

Nafziger says. “Hybrids are more vigorous and they grow faster, with larger root systems. This makes them better able to extract water.�

Faber uses Pioneer seed corn. “There are a lot of seed corns getting to be drought tolerant, and they cer-

Alex T. Paschal/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

To supplement his cattle feed, Randy Faber mows ditches and waterways for livestock on his rural Sublette, Illinois, farm. tainly do work,� he says. “In a dry year, our yields don’t suffer too much, and that has to do with seed companies doing an excellent job protecting us.�

Monsanto offers a different, genetically modified approach to drought-proofing their crops. Its Droughtgard trait, Nafziger explains, incorporates a gene that causes the plant to cut down on water loss rate for a certain period of time – when it’s dry just around pollination time.

The Droughtgard corn is targeted mostly toward farmers in drier regions of the country, and not in the corn belt

much at all, Nafziger says.

When it comes to livestock farmers, the best way to prepare for drought is to stockpile, Faber says. (In addition to corn and soybeans, he has a herd of stock cows.) “I’m super conscientious about trying to have enough feed around in case it does turn out dry,� he says. “We’ve had some concerns in the past few years, so we’ve got plenty of pastures, and I always carry enough feed. You get prepared by stockpiling enough feed to get you through a dry year.�

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ISU plans presentation on drainage techniques For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will have a three-day school beginning Aug. 19 to teach how to plan, lay out and install subsurface drainage systems. “The last several wet springs have shown the need for good drainage systems for profitable agricultural production,� said Greg Brenneman, extension agricultural engineering specialist. “To function most efficiently, all components of a subsurface drainage system should be designed to work together.�

The Iowa Drainage School will be held at the Borlaug Learning Center, 3327 290th St., Nashua. Early registration opened July 1 and ends at midnight Aug. 6. The deadline for all registrations is midnight Aug. 13.

‘‘

The school will combine hands-on training, lecture and discussion and problem-solving examples.

Participants will learn subsurface drainage concepts, how to plan and lay out drainage systems, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) program requirements and drainage system troubleshooting. “Last year’s drainage school was popular with drainage contractors, professional engineers and consultants, NRCS professionals, county administrators, landowners, IDDA officials and others interested in subsurface drainage design and maintenance,� said Kapil Arora, extension agricultural engineering specialist.

More information about the school and registration is available at http://www.aep. iastate.edu/ids/.

The last several wet springs have shown the need for good drainage systems for profitable agricultural production. To function most efficiently, all components of a subsurface drainage system should be designed to work together.

Greg Brenneman, Iowa State University Extension agricultural engineering specialist

CONTINUED FROM 41

By midseason, the state was dealing with rainy conditions, and waterways throughout the state were either at flood stage or threatening to leave their banks. But an Iowa Department of Agriculture report showed soil conditions favorable, with topsoil moisture for a majority of Iowa 68 percent adequate with 28 percent holding a surplus.

The subsurface moisture showed a similar reading, with 71 percent adequate and 16 percent with a water surplus.

’’

But Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said strong progress persisted in the state’s row crop condition. “Parts of the state, especially northwest Iowa, are dealing with excess water resulting in pockets of damage from recent severe weather,� Northey said in late June. “Overall, a large majority of our corn and soybeans crops continue in good to excellent condition.�

In the midseason report, 79 percent of Iowa’s corn was in good to excellent condition and 76 percent of soybeans in similar shape.

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USDA announces new support for beginning farmers For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

U.S. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden has announced the implementation of new Farm Bill measures and other policy changes to improve the financial security of new and beginning farmers and ranchers.

Harden also unveiled www.

USDA.gov/newfarmers, a new website that will provide a centralized, one-stop resource for beginning farmers and ranchers to explore the variety of USDA initiatives designed to help them succeed. “New and beginning farmers are the future of American agriculture,� Harden said. “The average age of an American farmer is 58 and rising, so we must help new farmers get started if America is going to continue feeding the world and maintain a strong agriculture economy. “The new policies announced today will help

give beginning farmers the financial security they need to succeed. Our new online tool will provide one-stop shopping for beginning farmers to learn more about accessing USDA services that can help their operations thrive.�

USDA’s www.usda.gov/ newfarmers has in-depth information for new farmers and ranchers, including how to increase access to land and capital; build new market opportunities; participate in conservation opportunities; select and use the right risk management tools; and access USDA education, and technical support programs.

New farmers have identified those issues as top priorities.

The website will also feature instructive case studies about beginning farmers who have successfully utilized USDA resources to start or expand their business operations.

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Illinois farm features unique grain tillage cart

BY DAVE FOX For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Deep in the heart of Bureau County, Illinois, past Princeton and near Cherry, just across the tracks from Zearing, is the town of Malden. It’s surrounded by farmland, far as the eye can see.

Just outside Malden is Calvin Standley’s grain farm. This is where the only known grain tillage cart in existence was invented by Standley, with help from his son, John.

The cart is actually a grain wagon, with a disc on the front and uneven tires on the back that separate it from an attached chisel plow. It’s pulled by a separate tractor alongside the combine that harvests the grain.

Neither Standley nor his patent attorney could find any other such contraption on file, so a patent has been filed.

Once the design was perfected by Standley, it was constructed by John Williams at the McHenry Machine Shop in Princeton, Illinois, last summer, and was put to its first test during the fall harvest last year.

CONTINUED ON 48

Photos by Dave Fox/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Calvin Standley is watchful as he moves his grain tillage cart (pictured on Page 46) to the field for a brief demonstration. The cart actually is a grain wagon, with a disc on the front and uneven tires on the back that separate it from an attached chisel plow. It’s pulled by a tractor, alongside the combine that harvests the grain.

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CONTINUED FROM 47

Standley’s wife, Beth, operated the cart, “and the entire harvest went without a hitch,� Standley said. “The way it performed far exceeded our expectations.�

Benefits are numerous, he said. “There’s much less soil compaction, for one thing,� he said, “since we’re making only one pass over the field instead of two or three. That means more water is going down into the ground instead of running off and causing erosion.�

Fuel savings are expected to be a big plus for the same reason, Standley said. “The tractor pulling this thing uses more fuel than just a tractor pulling a standard grain cart, but still less than running equipment over the same field several times,� he said. Actual statistics and figures will be combined and analyzed this fall.

Additionally, more nitrogen is redeposited into the soil using this method.

Obviously, the longer nitrogen sits on top of the soil, the more of it is lost in the environment and in run-off.

With this process, though, much of it is put back into the soil immediately, effectively reducing fertilizer costs as well.

Microbial degradation – the breakdown of cornstalks and other plant parts back into the soil – needs to be done within two weeks of harvest for maximum effectiveness as well, and that

Dave Fox/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Calvin and Beth Standley take a quick break next to their grain tillage cart after giving a field demonstration on their farm in Bureau County, Illinois. Calvin perfected the design of the cart, which he believes is the first of its kind. Neither he nor his attorney could find any other such contraption on file, so a patent has been filed. process also is greatly aided here. “The benefits just keep piling up for us,� Standley said, “and so far we haven’t found any negatives at all.�

Increased quality of life is a plus, too, he said. “Obviously there will be less time spent in the field,� he said, “and that allows more family time and time spent on other things.�

This fall he also plans to run a farrow and fertilizer application on the same

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piece of equipment, to test their effectiveness. He expects good results. “The patent is very broadbased,� he said, “so we’re going to try lots of things with it.�

Two companies already have shown interest in the new implement, he said.

Woods Brothers in Oregon, Illinois, “came out and looked,� Standley said, “but they deal more with short-term equipment like mowers and things, so it

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didn’t really fit with what they do.�

Case-IH also gave consideration to the cart, he said, “but their contract had way too many clauses in their favor to suit me.�

So what does the future hold? “We’re taking it one day at a time,� Standley said with a smile, “but so far it’s all been good and we’ve had no drawbacks at all. We’re excited and hopeful for the future.�

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F

rom unpredictable and uncooperative weather to high input costs, successful farming takes a thick skin, perseverance and the ability to work around obstacles.

One obstacle farmers hope to never have to work around – or fight against – is the federal government.

Still, for the past three years, Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) members have overwhelmingly said the federal government and over-regulation are their biggest work-arounds and threats to long-term profitability.

And that government over-regulation talk is about to ramp up again – not only for farmers, but for a variety of small businesses – with the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest try at a government land-grab: Its proposed rule changes the waters of the U.S. outlined in the Clean Water Act. Since it was created in 1972, the Clean Water Act has helped to make significant strides in improving water quality in this country. The act regulates so-

called “waters of the U.S.” Until now, those have been defined primarily as waters that can be navigated. State and local governments have jurisdiction over smaller, more remote waters such as ponds and isolated wetlands.

However, the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seek to expand the definition of “waters of the U.S.” to include not only navigable waters, but also puddles, ponds, ditches, small wetlands and even land that resembles a stream during a rainstorm but is dry otherwise.

If the expanded definition is allowed, permits and other regulatory roadblocks – having to hire environmental consultants, for example – would stand in the way of conducting routine business activities like building fences, removing debris from ditches, spraying for weeds and insects and removing unwanted vegetation.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns report indicates that 640 businesses in Bureau County,

JILL FRUEH Manager of the Bureau County Farm Bureau in Illinois

Illinois, employ 100 or fewer people.

Among them are homebuilders, real estate agencies, aggregate producers and related small businesses.

They also would be negatively impacted as the proposed role would increase federal regulatory power over private property. The definitions would create confusion and because they were intentionally created to be overly broad, could be interpreted in whatever way the federal agencies see fit.

Agencies like the EPA and the Corps of Engineers are not charged with writing the laws of the land – Congress is. And when Congress wrote the Clean Water Act, it clearly intended for the law to apply to navigable waters. Yet these agencies seek to stretch the meaning in order to gobble up privately owned and managed lands.

Is a small ditch navigable? How about that dry ditch that fills with water only during a rainstorm? Or even that puddle in your backyard? Those bodies of water don’t sound navigable to farmers, either.

AG Mag

49

Farmers Forum WITH KYLE WILSON/SOUTHWEST IOWA AG MAG

In June, severe thunderstorms produced baseball-size hail and 100 mph winds that decimated crops across southwest Iowa and northern Missouri.

Did your farm have any damage? If not, what other complications have you encountered to start this growing season?

Dallas Johnston

Mark Wilson

Chris Nelson

Dallas Johnston, Kent “I had enough hail to make me sick the next morning, but I was lucky enough I didn’t have to replant. The hail did thin the stand, though, which is now costing me about $20 more an acre in spraying than I budgeted for.”

Chris Nelson, Stanton “I stood in our doorway [during the storm] and watched hailstones coming down as big as golf balls. I’ll have about a 20 percentage loss on soybeans. The

corn survived, but looked very ragged.”

Mark Wilson, Lenox “This is the hardest I’ve been hit in 42 years of farming. It broke windows in my house, punctured holes in my vinyl siding, and I had to replant about 250 acres of beans and 125 acres of corn.”

Bill Shipley, Nodaway “The whole growing season has been complicated. Cold soils during planting caused

Bill Shipley

Colby Holmes

emergent problems with soybeans, we had frost, and I had nine and a half inches of heavy rainfall in a matter of six days.

All that, and the season’s only about half over.”

Colby Holmes, Benton “I only had about 80 acres total damaged by hail, but I did have 100-plus mph winds that blew down three buildings that are considered total losses. I’ve been working sunrise to sunset for about a month picking up that debris.”

We want to hear from you!

Rich Paulsen Publisher

50 Summer 2014

The men, women and children involved in today’s agriculture are as diverse as they are in any profession. Livestock farmers, grain farmers, specialty crops ... each agricultural family brings a host of ideas, experiences, concerns and knowledge to the farming table.

The Farmers Forum is geared for input. That’s right! We want to hear from you. Your ideas, your suggestions, your concerns – there’s a place on this page for them all.

Each edition of Southwest Iowa Ag Mag will feature a specific question and answers by a group of people involved in agriculture.

Do you agree with them? Do you not? How would you have answered this question? Have other comments or concerns?

We would like to hear from you.

Email your responses to news@ crestonnews.com or send them in care of this magazine to P.O. Box. 126, Creston, IA 50801.

It is my pleasure to offer you, our

readers, an opportunity to share your thoughts and comments with others involved in your great industry. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Rich Paulsen, publisher Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Southwest Iowa Ag Mag file photo

The roof of this barn owned by Dale and Marla Bickel of Diagonal was destroyed by winds of 80 to 100 mph in early June. Up close, holes created by golf ball-size hail also are visible.

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www.FarmersNational.com AG Mag

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The Funny Farm Submitted by Joan Gascoigne: I’m not sure Lucy was paying attention when I went over the farm safety rules!

Contribute to The Funny Farm If the mountain won’t come to Mohaaaa-med ....

Southwest Iowa Ag Mag is looking for fun-on-the-farm photos, like this one from Whiteside County, Illinois, of Joan Gascoigne’s acrobatic, unacrophobic goat, Lucy, for The Funny Farm, a new photo feature to be published in Ag Mag. Email your submissions, with captions and a phone number for questions and verification purposes only, to: news@saukvalley.com attention Ag Mag.

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Farm powered by the sun

BY TY RUSHING For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Last year, the Van Kooten family added to its farm two sections of solar panel arrays – the largest privately owned installation in Iowa.

After visiting Europe, Dean and Betty Van Kooten came up with idea to install the solar panels, which produce so much energy they supply power to the entire farm – including the home, both hog barns, grain bins, the machine shops and other structures. “Dean saw how well it worked for them over there, and we started checking around here,� Betty said.

She said they talked with neighbors who had solar panels built on their farm by North Liberty-based Moxie Solar.

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Photo submitted to Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Joey Van Kooten and his wife, Michelle, run the family’s farming operation in Kellogg after his parents, Dean and Betty, let him take the reins last year. The Van Kootens have the largest collection of privately owned solar panels in Iowa. Combined, they produce enough energy that the entire farm operation, including the family home, is powered by them.

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Creston student wins Dekalb ag award For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Taylor Rice of Creston High School was recently presented the school’s highest honor, the Dekalb Agricultural Accomplishment Award, sponsored by Monsanto Co. Rice, daughter of Michelle Rice, received the award for excellence in academics, leadership and agricultural work experience.

Rice has been a chapter officer for three years, receiving district gold for job interview and attending National FFA Convention. Kelsey Bailey is Rice’s agricultural education instructor at Creston High School.

The Dekalb Agricultural Accomplishment Award has been presented for 67 years to more than 168,000 high school seniors from across the country. It has become a symbol for excellence and the school’s highest agricultural honor.

As the winner of the 2014 award, Rice will have her name recorded on a permanent plaque displayed at Creston High School.

Monsanto, a long-time supporter of agricultural education, FFA, 4-H and other farm youth organizations and initiatives, sponsors the award. Monsanto is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products to improve farm productivity and food quality.

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“They never built anything like this before,” said Joey, Dean and Betty’s son.

Betty and Joey both said that after meeting Moxie CEO Jason Hall and Operations Manager Tim Brodersen, they felt comfortable enough with the company to move forward with the project.

“He [Hall] was very good about describing everything on the best way to set it up, not the cheapest way,” Joey said.

Brodersen said the south and north arrays each had a 60-kilowatt system: the south array held 201 solar panels, and the north array had 204 panels.

“It’s 100 percent offset. We had to meet the farmer’s needs,” Brodersen said. “They’ve got all kinds of machinery out here. Our goal was to stay out of the way [with the location of the panels] and to meet all of the farmer’s needs.”

The Van Kootens received tax credits from the state and federal governments for the project and expect $50,000 in rebates from Alliant Energy. The panels

also will save the family a projected $18,000 a year in electricity bills.

When they began the project, the Van Kootens said, they had no idea it would be the largest private collection of solar panels in the state. Betty said it was just what was best for them.

Joey encourages other farmers who are combating high energy bills to consider alternate forms of energy to save money.

“You’ve got to look at in the long run as far as what you are going to have for savings,” Joey said. “Basically, they say it’s a 25-year warranty on them. I mean, the only thing that can really go bad is the panels, and it’s easy to work on [them].”

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AG Mag

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