CAM_02-29-2016

AG Mag Southwest Iowa

The Quiet Zone The presidential candidates have had very little to say about agriculture issues on the campaign trail.

A Publication of Shaw Media

Spring 2016 AG Mag

1

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AG Mag Southwest Iowa

Publisher Rich Paulsen Advertising Director Craig Mittag Managing Editor Kyle Wilson Magazine Editor Jeff Rogers Page Design Jeff Rogers Reporters & Photographers Pam Eggemeier, Dave Fox, Amy Hansen, Kelsey Haugen, Christopher Heimerman, Bailey Poolman, Ian Richardson, Kathleen A. Schultz, 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.

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COVER STORY PAGE 20

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Presidential hopefuls made tracks through Iowa this campaign season, but have said little about ag issues.

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Index FIRST READ PAGE 10

Same approach

Randy Caviness of rural Greenfield and Ralph Lents of Menlo plan to stick to their regular corn and soybean rotation in the spring.

More than 700 people expected to invade Corning this summer for 7th annual Battle.

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4-H’ers young and old get together for a series of interviews in Adair County.

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AG OUTLOOK PAGE 26

Better days ahead for ethanol?

Ethanol is a big deal in Iowa. If the industry is able to break the blend wall at the pumps, it could become an even bigger, and better, deal.

32

What does SWCC student Dylan Lewis plan to do after college?

Go back home.

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Jack Taylor harvests corn in his 9500 John Deere combine near High and Dry Road in Diagonal, Iowa, in October 2015.

(Photo by Kyle Wilson/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag)

STICKING TO THE ROUTINES Despite price, weather worries, local farmers plan to stay in comfort zone when planting corn and soybeans

F

BY BAILEY POOLMAN AND CHRISTOPHER HEIMERMAN For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

arming veterans have been here, seen this before. El Niño drenched farmlands at the tail end of 2015. Commodity prices are in the cellar.

But what about the young farmer who hasn’t yet lived through a 1987, 1998 or a 2001?

“Those years really teach you that you’d better be paying attention to what’s going on, because when they turn, they turn quickly, and they get ugly in a hurry,” said Jim Schielein, a 51-year-old former State Farm Board member who’s been in business for himself in Lee County, Illinois, since 1990.

“Cash is king. In this type of situation, cash is always king, and you’ve got to keep your leverage ratio as low as possible.”

10 Spring 2016

And, in Iowa, corn also is king.

In 2015, corn was planted on 12.6 million acres, down about 4.5 percent from 2014. The drop in the corn yield was less – from 2.4 billion bushels in 2014 to 2.3 billion in 2015.

In the final 2 months of 2015, U.S. farmland took on more rain than it had in 120 years, a sign that corn and soybean yields will shrink. It was a wet stretch in Southwest Iowa, too.

The financial climate hasn’t been much more kind to farmers than the actual climate lately. Corn prices in 2012 hit record highs around $10 per bushel. That was after a drought.

In mid-September, that price was around $3.60. The prospects for price hikes in 2016 are slim. In mid-January, corn futures were selling between $3.70 and $3.80.

The market has been brutal on beans, too. Soybeans hit a high of more than $17 a bushel in 2012, largely due to the same drought that caused shortages and price spikes for corn.

By last fall, prices were hovering around $8.65 a bushel. Bean futures in mid-January were only about 10 cents higher.

CONTINUED ON 11

CONTINUED FROM 10

So, how will all of those factors influence planting decisions this season? Not much, necessarily. Many farmers are sticking with what they know.

Randy Caviness of rural Greenfield, Iowa, and Ralph Lents of Menlo, Iowa, are two of those guys. Caviness and Lents are approaching the 2016 planting season with comfort in mind by sticking to their regular corn and soybeans rotation.

“When you run the numbers, what prices are for next fall, right now there’s an advantage to planting corn,” Lents said. “Not a big difference, but there’s an advantage over soybeans because of your input costs.”

Caviness and Lents rotate their crops between corn and soybeans to allow the earth to regain its lost nutrients from the previous year.

Meanwhile, Phil Kading of Casey, Iowa, knows it’s going to be tough for his farming operation.

“Obviously, it’s tough,” Kading said. “With the price

Photos by Bailey Poolman/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Randy Caviness stands in front of one of his fields southeast of Greenfield, Iowa. Caviness plans to stick to his schedule of regular crop rotation for the 2016 planting season. and crop yields, it’s going to be tough to make any money. It’s not looking too bright for 2016.”

Kading, who has been farming about 20 years, said his operation will have a 50-50 split for corn and soybeans during planting

season, but he also has hay and oats on the side, as well as other profiting jobs.

“I took on a seed dealership this year to help make up for some of the shortfall,” Kading said. “I mean, it’s just going to be a real challenge to make everything come out right.”

Kading, who rents the property he farms, said his rent is staying about the same. Lents and Caviness own and rent property, and they say the same thing, which is different than others in southwestern Iowa.

“Rents do play a factor in what you’re going to do, but I have mine nailed down to where I’m comfortable with it, so I’m going to do what I normally do,” Lents said.

Another thing farmers are looking at when it comes to planting decisions is weather.

Lents, who has farmed for about 40 years, said he’s planning on a wet spring since fall and winter have been wet.

Caviness, who has also been farming about 40 years, is hoping for a not-too-dry spring with adequate rainfall in the summer, similar to the 2004 planting and harvest seasons.

“It’ll be interesting to see what kind of spring it is,” Kading said. “Weather’s tough. I guess I’m not going to condemn it ’til it happens.”

A harvested corn field is barren in the January winter, like many near Orient, Iowa, while farmers begin making their planting plans for 2016.

AG Mag

11

Another epic Battle of the Barbecue ahead

BY KYLE WILSON For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

These pork ribs were prepared by Al and Jean Peckham of Corning, Iowa, during the annual Battle of the Barbecue event held in Adams County, Iowa.

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AG Mag

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Past Battle of the Barbecue Overall Winners 2015: Corey Rush, Omaha, Nebraska 2014: Kent Johnson, Omaha, Nebraska 2013: Kenny Newlon, Council Bluffs, Iowa 2012: Kent Johnson, Omaha, Nebraska 2011: Brian Deemer, Grand River, Iowa 2010: Unavailable CONTINUED FROM 12

The event kicks off with a chicken wing contest the last Friday of July. Gate admission for the public that night is $10 and includes allyou-can-eat wings and live music.

Competitor Al Peckham of Corning said Al Chad he brings a Peckham Johnston double-chamber stick smoker to the event each year.

“That smoker can hold 150 wings, and we still can’t cook the wings fast enough that night,” Peckham said.

Johnston said more than 2,000 pounds of wings are consumed that night.

On Saturday, the competition becomes a little more serious. Competitive cookers come from all over Iowa,

Photo from Adams County Free-Press

Rob Tucker (left) of Barbwire BBQ competes in the third annual Battle of the Barbecue, which is held on Benton Avenue in Corning, Iowa, each year. Also pictured are Don Wheatley, Weston Brandt and Keagan Richmond. eastern Nebraska and northern Missouri to do battle.

They smoke four pieces of meat – beef brisket, pork butt, ribs and chicken – to be judged for a grand prize that normally eclipses $1,000.

Peckham, who has placed overall

in the pork butt and brisket categories at the contest, said he sets up a “compound” with his wife, Jean, and friends, Tracey and Brenda Robinson of Prescott, Iowa, on Saturday.

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Al Peckham’s Barbecue Sauce 1 3/4 cup ketchup 1/4 cup molasses 1/3 cup grated onion 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce 1/3 cup butter

CONTINUED FROM 14

1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

Southwest Iowa Ag Mag file photo

Ryan Hoyt with Burnt Reynolds BBQ of Creston, Iowa, turns chicken wings during the people’s choice wing contest at Battle of the Barbecue in Corning, Iowa, in 2015.

They unload a large Igloo cooler that contains all their vacuum-sealed meats and homemade sauces.

Peckham has a game plan already prepared for each of the four meats, and his wife is in charge of preparing the turn-in boxes.

Peckham said friends and family stop by throughout the competition to have a cold beverage and conversation.

“To us, that’s what it’s all about,” Peckham said of the visitors.

Peckham and his wife travel to about seven barbecue contests each year. He said Corning’s is well organized and the caliber of cookers and quality of the meat gets better every year.

In the past, funds from the event have been donated to Corning Fire Department, Corning Chamber of Commerce and Adams County Shriners.

This year’s seventh annual Battle of the Barbecue is slated July 29-30. Call Johnston at 712-621-1524 or visit the event’s Facebook page for more information.

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Time travelers Local 4-H’ers, playwright interview 4-H’ers of ’40s

BY IAN RICHARDSON For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Ian Richardson/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Adair County 4-H’ers (from left) Ethan Blomme, Hope Kading, Paisley Kintigh, Terrin Gettler, Brandon Raasch and Abby Engles partnered with Iowa playwright John Busbee to interview local people who had participated in 4-H during the mid-to-late 1940s. ON PAGE 17: Playwright John Busbee and three Adair County 4-H’ers pose with interviewee Phyllis Hoadley. Pictured (from left) are Busbee, Hoadley, Paisley Kintigh, Abby Engles and Brandon Raasch.

With some help from an Iowa playwright, six Adair County 4-H’ers embarked on a trip through time during their school’s winter break.

It started over the summer when Iowa playwright John Busbee premiered a play called “Bonds of War” in Greenfield, Iowa. Commissioned by Adair County Free Press Editor Linda Sidey, the play focused on the lives of Greenfield residents on the homefront during World War II. Local 11-year-old Ethan Bromme, who played a role in the performance, then used what he’d learned from the play to put together an educational presentation project for the county fair. It qualified for the Iowa State Fair, where it earned a Seal of Merit.

That got Busbee’s attention.

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“I heard about that and, being a 4-H’er myself, I thought, wouldn’t that be fun to connect with the extension service and see if there might be interest in a group of 4-H members to participate?�

Busbee said.

Busbee extended an offer to Adair County’s Extension and Outreach office, asking for any interested young 4-H’ers to accompany him on a series of interviews with local people who were involved in 4-H during the 1940s. Six Adair County 4-H’ers, including Bromme, took him up on the offer. These 4-H’ers, all members of the Summerset Citizens Club, divided into groups to interview seven local residents.

All the interviewees were over 80, and some were over 90. The young 4-H’ers asked them questions about how the county fair was different in the 1940s, how the fair changed during the war, how the war affected their home life, and what item or skill they obtained in 4-H that they still had today.

These questions sparked tales of one-room school houses, separate 4-H clubs for boys and girls, outfits made of feed sacks, sugar rations and projects of county fairs past. “Just the look on their faces, they remembered some things they might not have remembered,� said Hope Kading, 11. “I enjoyed hearing the stories and adventures that they had.�

The young 4-H’ers also said they liked hearing about how times have changed. “I enjoyed seeing how the

fair changed, and how it was different from now,� said 11-year-old Brandon Raasch.

Adair County 4-H Program Coordinator Donna Wallace said each interview lasted about 90 minutes. She heard positive feedback from both sides. “Two ladies thanked the kids for coming because, they said, the kids had made what would have been a really long afternoon for them a very enjoyable afternoon,� Wallace said. “Those same people that they talked to enjoyed remembering things and reminiscing back then with someone who really wanted to listen.�

Busbee said he enjoyed having the students along with him during the interviews. “I was watching ‘Aha!’ moments with these fifththrough eighth-graders pop out,� Busbee said. “All of a sudden something from 70 years ago wasn’t as disconnected with them as before they did the interview.�

The students now have the option to turn this into a 4-H project of their own. Many of them plan to put together educational presentations or Share the Fun projects to show at the Adair County Fair in July. “It’s really up to them how much farther they want to take it,� Wallace said. “Some of them, I know, have already started.�

Busbee also plans to use the material. He is working on incorporating it into his next play, which has the working title “Bonds at Home.� The play will make its premiere over July 4 weekend at the Warren Cultural Center in Greenfield.

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AG Mag

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For four generations Like her great-grandfather, Bakley receives prestigious FFA American Degree

BY AMY HANSEN For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Mallory Bakley’s great-grandfather would have been so proud of her.

In 1941, Marvin Paul was the first person in Osceola Big Chief FFA chapter to receive an American Degree. In October, Mallory received her own FFA American Degree at the 88th National FFA Convention and Expo Oct. 28-31 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Mallory also is a fourth generation FFA member from her family in the Osceola Big Chief chapter.

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In the photo Mallory Bakley (left) received an FFA American Degree in October, 74 years after her great-grandfather, Marvin Paul, was the first person in Osceola Big Chief FFA chapter to receive the honor. Pictured with Bakley at Clark Community High School in Osceola, Iowa, are her grandfather, George Paul, and her mother, Dory Bakley.

(Amy Hansen/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag)

CONTINUED FROM 18

“To me, it’s a legacy that you know the next generation is going to carry on,� said Mallory’s grandfather, George Paul. “There’s going to be a future in agriculture and there’s going to be a future in the rest of the family. It just carries on that far.�

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Numbers have grown When Mallory’s great-grandfather Marvin received his American Degree, only 137 people nationally received the award.

This year, Iowa alone had 127 American Degree recipients. Nationally, 3,434 American Degrees were awarded. It’s the highest and last degree a member can achieve. “It was a lot of hard work, so at the end, it’s very rewarding,� Mallory said.

Throughout her years in FFA, Mallory took records and worked with cattle. She is a junior majoring in animal science at Iowa State University. A recipient of FFA’s American Degree must be in the collegiate level. “I really wanted to get my American Degree,� Mallory said. “I just had to keep my records, keep going with my records, which I take anyway.�

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19

A CROWDED, The many presidential candidates have had little to say about agriculture issues • BY IAN RICHARDSON AND PAM EGGEMEIER •

I

For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

t’s mid-January, and the fields at Hoover Farms north of Tingley, Iowa, are strawbrown with occasional patches of white.

Purebred black Angus huddle in clusters, forming dark dots on the hills.

As an icy wind cuts across one of the farm’s treeless fields, Landi McFarland-Livingston, among the sixth generation of Hoover descendants to live on this land, gestures to a pasture across the road.

When spring comes, she said, the field will likely accumulate standing water that, she fears, could fall under the Environmental Protection Agency’s expanded definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS).

Several local senators and congressmen have been vocal in their opposition to the federal expansion, which has recently been locked up in courts and has encountered pushback from Congress to nullify its effects. But McFarland-Living-

20 Spring 2016

ston said she hasn’t heard much, if any, discussion about this increased government regulation on the presidential campaign trail.

“I want to see a president that would say, flat-out, ‘We want to get rid of WOTUS because it’s going to be extremely burdensome to family farmers and ranchers,’” McFarland-Livingston said. “That is probably the thing that comes to the forefront of my mind, is government regulation and intrusion, and the government telling us how we can run our business and how we can and can’t farm our ground.”

McFarland-Livinsgton isn’t the only person wondering where the many presidential candidates stand on important agricultural issues.

Although the presidential election kicked off in Iowa, both parties’ candidates have managed to dodge what’s most important to Midwest farmers.

“If it weren’t for there being such an important early primary in Iowa, we might not hear anything about ag from the candidates,” said Adam Nielsen, director of national legislation and policy development for Illinois Farm Bureau.

D, QUIET FIELD Farmers say renewable fuels is about the only issue that has brought much input from the candidates, because of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s November ruling on biofuel requirements.

Another issue McFarland-Livingston said she hasn’t heard much about is the federal estate tax, which could affect historic farm families like her own. The Hoover family has lived on this plot of land since 1865 and has been raising cattle for four of those six generations.

“We could keep young farmers like myself coming back to the farm and the family business – and (with) crippling tax laws, that is difficult,” she said.

But, even in an election year, McFarland-Livingston said agricultural issues in general don’t seem to take much priority with the candidates.

“There’s 1 percent of us in production agriculture, and so I can see why it gets left out,” she said. “But, obviously, being in agriculture, that’s disappointing because those things are very important to us as farmers.”

Dallas Johnston, who farms corn and soybeans near the Union-Adams county line, said he also hasn’t heard much talk about ag issues other than the controversy surrounding Ted Cruz’s seeming lack of support for the Renewable Fuel Standard.

CONTINUED ON 22

Ian Richardson/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Landi McFarland-Livingston stands next to a calf that is less than a week old. Since the Hoover Angus are purebred, the farm breeds them earlier than other cattle. The farm has about 400 head of black Angus and holds one of the largest Angus sales in the state each February. McFarland-Livingston is discouraged by how little she’s heard presidential candidates address agriculture issues, particularly the expanded definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) by the Environmental Protection Agency.

AG Mag

21

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Ian Richardson/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Hoover Farms Angus cattle cluster together on a cold January afternoon near Tingley, Iowa. The Hoover family has lived on this plot of land for six generations.

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Along with the WOTUS rule, Johnston said he would like to hear more about the Section 179 tax deduction, a write-off for equipment purchases that seems to change every year.

Nielsen, of Illinois Farm Bureau, said farmers are challenged by a cyclical downturn, and while this environment certainly isn’t remniscent of the great farm crisis of the 1980s, lower commodities prices should merit some discussion.

“We’re just coming out of the ‘glory days’ where income was high, and farmers were able to make investments, and now income is running behind production costs,” Nielsen said.

Plunging commodities prices, especially oil and metals, are shaking the global economy, leaving farmers wondering how low ag-related commodities could go.

“Oil has been a wake-up call for farmers, and it’s been a nervous time for any commodity,” said Jim Schielein, who farms in Lee County in northwest Illinois. “If you translate what’s happened with oil prices to corn, we’d be at $2.”

While the 2014 farm bill has brought a workable safety net, farmers fear crop insurance might fall woefully short if corn

drops below $3. That scenario could have farmers calling for the return of the ad hoc disaster system that disappeared in the farm bill.

The importance of finding new markets grows as crop prices drop, pushing trade issues near the top of Farm Bureau’s legislative priority list this year. Ag leaders are strugging to find a candidate in either party who can make strides on exports.

“There is a protectionist strain that runs through both parties now, and they are equally bad on trade,” Nielsen said.

Ag interests are pushing for the enactment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement with 12 Pacific Rim nations, that among many other things would lower trade barriers for Midwest farmers. Negotiations between the nations that started nearly 8 years ago wrapped up in October, but the pact faces stiff challenges in Congress.

Some of ag’s top issues mirror those of business at large, so the candidates have addressed them in a general fashion. Immigration would be a prime example, and Nielsen fears the issue is one of many to have fallen victim to theatrics.

CONTINUED ON 23

CONTINUED FROM 22

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“Farm Bureau has worked hard on immigration for the last few years, and it’s obvious that we need a clearer policy,” Nielsen said. “The candidates haven’t talked about it much in reference to ag, and it’s almost turned into a competition to see who’s most anti-immigrant.”

The immigration issue also is a good example of how difficult it can be to figure out the candidates’ positions on an issue. Several have flip-flopped on their immigration policy stances since the campaigning began, and complicated conditions are often attached to those positions. Political analysts are struggling to find clarity, so it’s no surprise that voters are as well.

Farm Bureau doesn’t formally endorse presidential candidates, but it takes a key leadership position in smoking out candidates’ positions on their prioritized issues.

That task was made more difficult by the GOP logjam – 12 candidates were still in the race going into the Feb. 1 Iowa caucus.

“When we have nominees, they’ll sit down with advisers and write specific positions on ag,” Nielsen said. “Then we’ll look more carefully at the candidates’ records, but now there isn’t much to look at.”

The ag lobby is still well organized and wields considerable influence in both parties, but political pundits contend there are some dynamics at play that have made it riskier for candi-

dates to line up with ag interests.

“The ag lobby is still powerful, but it has generally fallen out of favor with both parties,” said Scot Schraufnagel, a political science professor at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.

The declining number of farmers who are running bigger businesses can make support of many key ag issues a tougher sell with political strategists.

Johnston, the Union-Adams county farmer, said many peers locally tend to side with Republicans because, in general, the party stands for less government regulation and Dallas control which Johnston he, like McFarland-Livingston, said is a plus for farmers.

“I think most farmers are somewhat conservative,” Johnston said. “That would even go beyond farmers into business owners. Most business owners don’t want the government deciding every factor of their life and telling them how to do things.”

McFarland-Livingston agreed.

“As a general rule, I see most farmers as pretty conservative people,” she said.

“We want to go out and rake and bail hay. We want to plant corn and harvest it. We want to raise cows and deliver the calves. We don’t want to be told by the government how we have to do it.”

AG Mag

23

Farmers Forum WITH KYLE WILSON/SOUTHWEST IOWA AG MAG

What agriculture issue would you most like to hear presidential candidates talk about?

Gary Boswell, Corning “The biggest issue is Waters of the United States (WOTUS). It’s a governmental overreach of authority and will put a lot of normal farming practices under the microscope. It needs to be legislated out of existence.”

Tom Shipley, Nodaway

“I’d like to hear them talk more about reducing the burden of regulations. It doesn’t matter if you are raising corn here or cattle out west, regulations are killing farmers.”

Dennis Kinsella, Creston

“This isn’t an agriculture issue directly, but the truth is this country is nearly $19 trillion in debt. And, it’s discouraging for me watching these political ads with candidates still trying to buy votes. It may not be popular, but my opinion is: It’s time to tighten

Gary Boswell

Tom Shipley

Dennis Kinsella

our belts and do without. The can has been kicked so far down the road that it’s rusted out.”

Monty Douglas, Lenox

“I’d agree with Gary. The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) is affecting a lot of local farmers. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and Army Corps are interpreting the law their own way. They are making their own rules. As a farmer, I just want clear rules that don’t change

Monty Douglas

Kathy Rohrig

every two to three years.”

Kathy Rohrig, Greenfield

“The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), because it is a success story for Iowa and the nation. This standard is creating home grown American jobs and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. RFS is a common sense, bipartisan issue that infuses competition into the motor fuel market, lowers consumer prices at the pump and strengthens rural communities.”

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How the candidates lean on ag-related issues How the candidates stack up on three key agriculture issues as prioritized by the Illinois Farm Bureau â&#x20AC;&#x201C; immigration, environmental regulation, and trade:

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Republicans Donald Trump â&#x20AC;&#x201C; No path to citizenship for undocumented workers; fair trade advocate, opposes Trans-Pacific Partnership U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Opposes letting undocumented immigrants legally remain in the U.S.; vocal opponent of renewable fuel standards, environmental regulations; opposed Trans-Pacific Partnership U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Work toward piecemeal immigration reform; once staunch environmental supporter, has backed off stance; supports Trans-Pacific Partnership Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Create a legal status, not a path to citizenship, for undocumented residents; supports environmental regulation; supports free trade, Trans-Pacific Partnership Ben Carson â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Allow undocumented residents access to a national guest worker program if they leave the country first; mixed messages on environmental policies; says he supports free trade and open to Trans-Pacific Partnership Ohio Gov. John Kasich â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Allow undocumented immigrants to stay in the country legally; mixed record

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on environmental issues; supports Trans-Pacific Partnership Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Strict on border security, fix broken immigration system; launched environmental initiative in Virginia; enforce trade laws to level playing field Democrats Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Wants comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to legal status; supports environmental regulation; opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Offer path to citizenship, waive some deportations now; supports environmental regulation; opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership Libertarian Party Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Simplify legal immigration, crack down on illegal immigration; supports EPA clean air and water efforts; supports free trade, but not Trans-Pacific Partnership Green Party Jill Stein â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Supports creating legal status and path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants; strong advocate for environmental health; opposes expansion of free trade agreements

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Local ethanol advocates talk about the benefits of E15 gas and other ethanol-based products ture economy (outlet for domestic corn crops) are generally accepted.

BY DAVE FOX AND KELSEY HAUGEN For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

E

thanol has come a long way in the American marketplace since it was introduced as “gasohol” in the early 1970s.

Then, it was a response to a gasoline shortage that had quickly driven prices of regular gas from about 25 cents per gallon to more than 75 cents. The blend of ethanol and gasoline was widely met with skepticism, as naysayers questioned the performance of engines running on gasohol.

Today, ethanol still is considered an alternative fuel but is established and popular.

Its positive impacts on the environment (cleaner emissions), geopolitics (less dependence on foreign oil), and the U.S. agricul-

Ethanol is a big deal in Iowa.

The state is the No. 1 ethanol producer in the nation, and in 2015 its 43 ethanol plants produced more than 4 billion gallons. That’s about 27 percent of total ethanol production nationwide.

More fuel ethanol is produced domestically now than ever – a record 14.313 billion gallons in 2014, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That’s 1.02 billion gallons more than was produced in 2013. EIA estimates for the first nine months of 2015 show a 3.6 percent increase from the same period in 2014.

But how does that supply jibe with demand? During those first nine months of 2015, the EIA said, consumption of ethanol produced domestically was up 4 percent from the previous year. Total consumption in 2015 was

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expected to reach 13.982 billion gallons – about 13.897 billion of that being conventional ethanol made from corn.

The University of Illinois Extension reports that U.S.-produced “ethanol consumption in 2016 could be about 200 million gallons larger than projected, requiring an additional 70 million bushels of feedstock.”

That, the report said, would require a combination of a larger increase in domestic gasoline consumption, a larger consumption of higher ethanol blends, and an increase in ethanol exports.

Those increases would not only be good for the U.S. economy, but they also would improve corn markets, helping to reduce surplus stockpiles that are common to good crop years.

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Now, most gas is an E10 blend â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10 percent ethanol blended with gasoline. Vehicles produced in the past 30 to 40 years run well on that blend, and exhaust emissions have been shown to be greatly reduced.

But the ethanol industry has pushed for more E15 gasoline. That would require the oil industry to invest in blender pumps, storage tanks, and other infrastructure compatible with E15-and-higher ethanol blends.

According to the Renewable Fuels Association, E15 is the highest-tested fuel to date, burns cleaner than gasoline, and benefits local farmers. It also generally costs less at the pump than other blends. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) says thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a blend wall; they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think we can use any more ethanol in this country,â&#x20AC;? said Darin Schlapia, Creston Farmers Cooperative branch manager. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But in

Kelsey Haugen/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Creston row crop and livestock farmer Paul Baker watches his cattle receive vaccinations in October 2015. Baker is an advocate for ethanol-based products, including E15 and byproducts used for cattle and hog feed. reality, if they opened up E15 for consumers to use yearround, we could see our use of ethanol increase by 50 percent if everybody started

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Creston Farmers Cooperative is one of more than 30 Iowa stations offering E15 at its pumps. Other local stations that sell it include Taygold Service Station in Clearfield and Smith Oil Co. in Mount Ayr. One reason a consumer might choose E-15 gas is itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s typically cheaper than the alternatives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right now, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at about a 30-cent difference between the E85 and E10 price, and the E15 and E30 prices correlate with that,â&#x20AC;? Schlapia said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can find E15 most of the year for 5 cents per gallon cheaper than E10. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no noticeable mileage difference, and if (E15) is cheaper, why wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you use it?â&#x20AC;?

On top of that, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re supporting American-made fuel when you buy ethanol blends, Schlapia said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether you make it out of cellulose or corn, I think we need to become independent from Middle East oil,â&#x20AC;? said Paul Baker, a Creston row crop and livestock farmer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;(Ethanol sales) add a considerable amount to our prices we get for both corn and soybeans. The ethanol plants also create byproducts used for cattle and hog feed. So, [ethanol] is a plus not only for grain farmers but for livestock farmers.â&#x20AC;?

Despite his promoting the ethanol

Dave Fox/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

A production facility for Prairie Hybrids seed corn producers located south of Tampico, Illinois, is pictured. Any increase in the production of ethanol, or increase in the actual blend of ethanol and gasoline, would mean better business for corn growers and producers, as surplus corn each year could be used for the increased ethanol production, meaning higher profits for farmers and more business for seed producers. blend, Schlapia said E15 sales havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily increased at the Creston coop. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There has been a real fight by the American Petroleum Institute and some of the larger oil companies to keep E15 out from under the canopies because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 5 percent more gasoline they would

not be using,â&#x20AC;? said Greg Olsen, general manager of POET Biorefining in Corning. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the reality is this, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be able to offer [E15] as a cheaper solution to gasoline.â&#x20AC;?

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Larger oil companies refusing to sell E15 has been a major obstacle for the ethanol industry, Olsen said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a big push to provide some of the smaller stations or convenience stores with incentives to install E15 at the pumps,â&#x20AC;? Olsen said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are some grants the government and the ethanol industry provide for stations to change over their pumps to provide E15 and perhaps other blends.â&#x20AC;?

Even so, Olsen and Schlapia said, things are moving in the right direction for the ethanol industry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The future of ethanol is bright,â&#x20AC;?

Olsen said.

Surpluses and profits Corn, like oil, is a commodity, and record yields in recent years have caused a price drop and led some farmers to store their grain.

Higher exports of U.S. produced ethanol could help reduce those surplus stockpiles. So, too, could a higher blend wall, by creating a greater demand for domestic ethanol.

Gilbert Hostetler, president of Prairie Hybrids, a non-GMO seed corn producer based south of Tampico, Illinois, said increasing the blend wall â&#x20AC;&#x153;is definitely a good way to go.â&#x20AC;?

Dave Fox/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Millions of bushels of U.S.-produced corn are used yearly to produce the ethanol blended with gasoline, primarily either an E10 or E85 blend.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;For one thing, the emissions from vehicles using it are much cleaner, which is good for the environment,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And the increased use of corn is a good way to use up the corn surplus that we see in good crop years.â&#x20AC;?

Reducing the surplus of corn would help drive up profits for farmers, he said,

in a market where corn production costs have increased steadily in past years but profits have stayed roughly the same, meaning farmers have to produce even more corn each year to keep profits on par with inflation.

That increased production, however, contributes to the grain surplus, creating a cycle thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult to break. Increases in ethanol use and production in the U.S. would be a way to end that circle.

Rising costs also are a factor, said Don Brill, now retired, who farmed in the Coleta, Illinois, area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Costs are definitely up at least a little each year,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I first started farming, seed corn was probably $25 a bag, but now a lot of it is $125 to $400 for the same thing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fertilizer and other chemicals, along with fuel, maintenance and repairs, ... all of the expenses are up each year, so you really have to produce bigger crops or better yields to offset the expenses and try to make a profit,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The downside to that is that by doing so, you see an increase in the surplus of corn most years, which keeps the prices down, so it gets to be a vicious circle.â&#x20AC;?

Increased use of ethanol would bring universal benefits, Brill said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;An increase would definitely be good for farmers, the grain market, and the environment,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would be just a good thing all the way around.â&#x20AC;?

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Afton’s Schlapia wins renewable fuels marketing awards Southwest Iowa Ag Mag staff

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey announced that Darin Schlapia from Farmers Cooperative Company in Afton and Kevin DeGoey from New Century FS in Grinnell are the 2016 winners of the Secretary’s Biodiesel and Ethanol Marketing awards.

The awards were created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to recognize fuel marketers who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to promote and sell renewable fuels.

“New Century FS and Farmers Cooperative Company have made expanding access to renewable fuels a priority and invested in the infrastructure necessary to make a variety of biodiesel and ethanol available to their customers,” Northey said. “On top of that, they have worked hard to promote these homegrown fuels and educate their customers about the benefits.”

The secretary’s Ethanol and Biodiesel Marketing awards were designed to recognize businesses that market the

renewable fuels they have available through creative efforts including, but not limited to, hosting special events highlighting their renewable fuels, development of creative signage, Darin initiation of new advertiseSchlapia ments or marketing efforts and dramatically increasing renewable fuel availability.

The winners were announced and recognized during the Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores of Iowa (PMCI) annual meeting Jan. 12 in Des Moines. PMCI is a nonprofit state trade association serving the needs of independent petroleum marketers and convenience store owners throughout Iowa.

“Fuel marketers are the place where customers access the home-grown, clean-burning renewable fuels we produce here in Iowa,” Northey said. “Our state is fortunate to have many retailers that have made a significant investment to give customers greater access to

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renewable fuels and more choice at the pump.”

Schlapia with Farmers Cooperative Company in Afton is the winner of the 2016 Secretary’s Biodiesel Marketing Award.

Farmers Cooperative Company participated in the “Fueling our Future” pilot program to install one of the first biodiesel blender pumps in the state at its site in Mount Ayr. That site offer offers No. 2 diesel, B11, B20, B30 and B99. As part of the “Fueling our Future” program, Schlapia and Farmers Cooperative Company worked with Iowa State University to evaluate consumer perceptions and the impact of increased assess to mid-level biofuels blending options, including impacts on improved air quality.

Schlapia has also worked to promote higher blends of biodiesel to co-op members and area motorists in advertising, articles and promotional events.

Schlapia and Farmers Cooperative Company were nominated for the award by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

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AG Mag

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Heading back to the farm

One of the reasons Dylan Lewis of Audubon, Iowa, is attending Southwestern Community College as an agriculture student is because the school’s farms, including the one pictured here, are nearby. “The farms here are pretty close to the college instead of having to drive 30 minutes,” Lewis said.

(Kelsey Haugen/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag)

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SWCC ag student plans to work on the family farm following graudation

BY KELSEY HAUGEN For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

At age 19, Dylan Lewis owns about 50 head of feeder cattle and grows corn and soybeans on land he rents.

An agriculture student at Southwestern Community College, Lewis plans to return to his family’s farm near his hometown once he graduates in May. Located 3 miles west of Audubon, the family farm turned 100 years old this year.

“Between my dad, uncle, grandpa and me, we (own) about 1,800 to 2,000 acres,” Lewis said. “We have one finishing hog house, and then we have about 50 cows and raise about 300 Holstein baby calves every year. Then, we feed some feeder cattle out.”

Coming from a farm family and having gained agricultural experience since childhood, a college with a strong agriculture program was a natural fit for Lewis. “[SWCC] has more of a hands-on program for farming versus other community colleges in Iowa I visited,” Lewis said. “And, the farms here are pretty close to the college instead of having to

Kelsey Haugen/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Dylan Lewis’ calves don’t let snow get in the way of a feeding on his family farm in Audobon, Iowa.

drive 30 minutes.”

In his final semester, a few of Lewis’ classes include soil science, farm equipment management and horticulture.

His favorite class is farm equipment management because he enjoys working with SWCC’s 30-some head of cattle and doing general maintenance work on equipment.

Jonathan “I like working with catCox tle, driving equipment and being outside,” Lewis said.

For three of his four semesters at SWCC, Lewis worked part time for the agriculture department alongside a fellow student and friend, Jonathan Cox. “We combined and fed cattle,” Lewis said. “It was just whenever they needed us, maybe three days a week. Some weeks, it was every day.”

A lover of the outdoors, when he isn’t farming, Lewis enjoys hunting or fishing – often with Cox. “We both have the same interests and know quite a bit about agriculture because we grew up in about the same setting,” Cox said.

CONTINUED ON 34

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Photos by Kelsey Haugen/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Southwestern Community College agriculture student Dylan Lewis of Audubon puts oil into a John Deere 4430 tractor in January on the collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ag site.

CONTINUED FROM 33

Lewis will graduate with an associate of arts degree in crop and livestock production. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not everyone who comes to Southwestern would want to go to Iowa State and undertake the rigors of the coursework there, but Dylan could easily be successful beyond Southwestern,â&#x20AC;? said Galen Zumbach, SWCC agriculture instructor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s engaged in the family farm, and it shows â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in (class) discussion and in his work ethic on the farm site.â&#x20AC;?

But Lewis plans an immediate return to the family farm. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to go back and farm with my dad Galen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; raise cattle, Zumbach hogs and cowcalf pairs and raise corn and soybeans,â&#x20AC;?

Lewis said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also have a part-time job somewhere.

I work at a place now, AMVC (Veterinary Services in Audubon), that feeds a bunch of Holstein baby calves, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll probably work there.â&#x20AC;?

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Lewis lubricates a tire on a John Deere 4430 tractor with a grease gun on the collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ag site in January.

Agriculture Education Area School Directory UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS Southwestern Community College 1501 W. Townline St. Creston, IA 50801 swcciowa.edu 641-782-7081 Associates of applied science degrees: Crop production provides students a blend of crop-related and practical application. Students learn current practices in crop production and technology, while gaining confidence in producing locally grown crops.

Classes specific to this program are farm equipment management, grain and forage crops, precision farming, integrative pest management, and horticulture.

Typical careers include seed representatives, row crops and corn genetics.

Livestock production provides a blend of animal science courses and practical application. During the program, students obtain knowledge to raise, produce and market livestock.

Classes specific to this program include animal health, animal nutrition, animal breeding, genetics and reproduction. This program is considered suitable for students who are interested in working at a local co-op, raising their own cattle or becoming a livestock nutritionist.

Agricultural business combines business and agricultural science courses.

Classes specific to this program include the essential accounting, economics, farm business management, marketing and agricultural courses.

This is a degree for students interested in ag-related marketing, advertising, journalism, communications and working in the business sector.

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Graceland University 1 University Place, Lamoni, IA 50140 graceland.edu 866-472-2352 Agricultural Business, Bachelor of Arts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Upon completion of Graceland Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agriculture business program, students will be able to address ag issues, critically consider global questions, and address complex problems in agricultural business. Students will develop expertise regarding

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Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 0020 Curtiss Hall Ames, IA 50011 515-294-9123 cals.iastate.edu Undergraduate majors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Agricultural and life sciences education; agricultural biochemistry; agricultural business; agricultural studies; agricultural systems technology; agriculture and society; agronomy; animal ecology; animal science; biology; culinary science; dairy science; diet and exercise; dietetics; environmental science; food science; forestry; genetics; global resource systems; horticulture; industrial technology; microbiology; nutritional science; public service and administration in agriculture (now called agriculture and society); undeclared agriculture Undergraduate secondary majors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Environmental studies; international agriculture; seed science GRADUATE PROGRAMS University of Iowa CPHB, Suite 300 145 N. Riverside Drive, The University of Iowa Iowa City, IA 52242 cph.uiowa.edu 319-335-4415 Graduate programs in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health M.S. in agriculture safety and health Agricultural safety and health M.S. students gain skills for anticipation, diagnosis, exposure assessment, treatment and prevention of agricultural illnesses and injuries in the fields of education, health care, insurance and agribusinesses as agricultural safety and health specialists.

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Back 40 steaks its claim Diagonal restuarant has upscale appearance, small-town customer service

BY KYLE WILSON For Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a sunny October day, and the lunch crowd begins filtering through the double oak doors at Back 40 Bar & Grill in Diagonal, Iowa.

On this visit, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take long to understand why this restaurant is becoming one of the best places to grab a meal in the region. The restaurant combines an upscale appearance with savory steaks and small-town customer service.

Manager Danielle Newton knows the first name of almost every customer wanting a table during this lunch rush.

They talk to her more as a friend than as their waitress.

Meanwhile, owner Carrie McLead is in the kitchen buttering Texas toast and seasoning an 8-ounce rib eye for their signature steak sandwich meal. She dunks a ladle into a container of warm au jus. A cloud of steam rises as she pours it over the steak. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That steak sandwich is the best one around,â&#x20AC;? said Chris Larsen, who farms 1,000 acres with his father, Ken, near Clearfield.

CONTINUED ON 37

Photos by Kyle Wilson/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

This is one of two bars at Back 40 Bar & Grill in Diagonal, Iowa. The first-floor bar stays open until 2 a.m., as long as there are customers. TOP: Back 40 Bar & Grill has indoor and outdoor seating, two bars, and a large space downstairs used for special occasions like retirement parties, birthdays and receptions.

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“The steak is probably one-half to threequarters-inch thick when it comes out and has great flavor. It’s a good value for $10.”

Larsen and Caleb Baker, who helps his cousins farm between Clearfield and Diagonal, both visit the Back 40 a couple times per week. They’re hooked on the sandwich.

“You can’t argue with the flavor. You can’t argue with the portion size,” Baker said. “And, you can pick the salad bar for the side. That’s what I would recommend. The salad bar is always fresh.”

The top-tier flavor of the steaks might have something to do with McLead’s insistence on purchasing choice Angus beef. It comes to her whole, and she hand cuts her steaks and prime rib.

Jim Werner, who sells 150 to 175 bulls per year on his ranch near Diagonal, knows a thing or two about beef. He smoked prime rib for the Ringgold County Cattleman Association for more than a dozen years. He visits the Back 40 two to three times a month and gives his nod of approval to the local eatery.

“You could serve her prime rib anywhere and it would impress,” Werner said.

Back 40 serves prime rib, which costs about $22, every Saturday night, McLead said.

Other farmer favorites on the menu are the hamburger steak, fried chicken,

Kyle Wilson/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

Danielle Newton, manager of Back 40 Bar & Grill, takes an order from Bill Doudy of rural Mount Ayr. Newton knows the names of most of the customers, who talk to her more as a friend than as a waitress. and a monterey chicken sandwich. And, don’t forget dessert. The restaurant bakes homemade pies daily.

Back 40 dining hours are 11 a.m.

to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Kyle Wilson/Southwest Iowa Ag Mag

The rib eye sandwich with french fries costs less than $10 at Back 40 Bar & Grill in Diagonal, Iowa. And for that, Clearfield farmer Chris Larsen said, you get “the best one around.”

Farmers also recommend ...

Here are some of the other “best steak” restaurants in the area, according to local farmers: • A&G Steakhouse, Creston

• The Iron Horse Neighborhood Grill, Osceola • JBruners, Clarinda • Redwood Steakhouse, Anita • The Windrow, Creston

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