DDC_AG Mag_112219

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DeKalb County

mag FALL 2019

A Publication of

Strange Growing Season

Farmers feel left out See Page 6

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DeKalb County

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Table of Contents

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GRANDPA’S LAST SEASON

Sandwich pumpkin stand owner calls it quits at age 90

growers’ tough year

Snow, rain hampered yields

8

this farm girl cooks

Waterman woman talks farm meals

10

12

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farm show cancelled

IDEAg show not coming to NIU Convocation Center this winter

unwelcome guests

Cool weather brings insect invaders

Census report

Fewer farm acres in DeKalb County, but what remains is more valuable

agmag

DeKalb County

Published by Shaw Media Editor: Eric Olson Project Manager: Lisa Angel Design & Layout: Allison LaPorta

Articles and advertisements are property of Shaw Media. No portion of DeKalb County Ag Mag may be produced without written consent of the publisher.

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Katrina J.E. Milton – kmilton@shawmedia.com - Larry Phillips has been selling pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and sizes for nearly 40 years at Grandpa’s Pumpkin Patch, 802 Latham St. in Sandwich. This was the stand’s last year.

End of an era: Last year for Grandpa’s Pumpkin Patch after almost four decades

KATRINA J.E. MILTON – DeKalb County Ag Mag

SANDWICH – Visiting Grandpa’s Pumpkin Patch, 802 Latham St. in Sandwich, is like stopping by your grandparents’ home to pick out a pumpkin.

If you stop by the stand between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., farmer and owner Larry Phillips is usually outside, arranging the pumpkins or waving at people as they pass by, honk and wave from their cars.

Mary Ann, Larry’s wife of 64 years, often steps outside to greet and chat with customers, too.

The Phillips have been running Grandpa’s Pumpkin Patch for about 40 years, but this year will be the last. Larry Phillips turned 90 in June and looks forward to retirement.

“I would say three or four generations have been stopping by for pumpkins because it’s a good deal and the atmosphere is real nice,” Phillips said. “And they like to stop by and visit.”

In the 1960s, Phillips used to grow 20 acres of asparagus and sold it to Campbell Soup Co. After he left the asparagus farming business, he decided to grow pumpkins in the garden for his children.

Carol Phillips, the couple’s youngest daughter, remembers carving pumpkins with her family as a young girl.

“Pumpkins, Halloween and Thanksgiving have always been special in my family,” she said. “As the family grew, and there were children and grandchildren, carving pumpkins became a family activity we did together over the generations.”

“I don’t ever recall going and buying a pumpkin, my dad or grandpa always had a garden,” she said.

“People would stop by and ask if we have pumpkins for sale,” Larry Phillips said. “That’s when I started to grow more and more and it turned into a pumpkin patch.”

He now sells pumpkins of every size and color, from gigantic orange jack-o’-lanterns and large Cinderella pumpkins to medium white pumpkins, small pie pumpkins and miniature Jack Be Little pumpkins. Phillips said green gooseneck gourds and broom corn have been popular sellers the past few years.

Prices range from $2 to $7. Small gourds are three for $1.

“We usually sell out of pumpkins by Halloween, but we never really close,” Mary Ann Phillips said.

If customers stop by when the Phillips aren’t home, there is a coffee can on a table that operates on the honor system. Through the years, the Phillips have returned home to find checks and money in the can, but never any stolen pumpkins.

“I like to keep the price down, and it’s nice that you can still trust people in town,” Phillips said. “We do what we do because it’s all about families and celebrating the holidays.”

Sandwich resident Kendall Harris used to stop by Grandpa’s Pumpkin Patch when she was younger and lived in Lake Holiday. After moving back to the area two years ago, she stops by the patch at least once a year.

“Fall’s my favorite time of year, and I get all of my fall décor from the pumpkin patch,” Harris said.

“I always try to stop or at least honk and wave when I drive down Latham Street. [Larry Phillips] is extremely helpful, always available and the prices are great. I buy broom corn and many different sizes of pumpkins. I usually leave with a trunkload of items.”

Phillips said that through the years, Grandpa’s Pumpkin Patch has been a Sandwich family tradition, where parents who once came as children are now bringing their own children. Some longtime customers attended Phillips’ 90th birthday party in June.

“I want to thank all my customers for supporting me over the years. It’s been a pleasure to serve them,” Phillips said.

Carol Phillips said her parents’ pumpkin patch will hopefully “leave a legacy and happy memories for other families.”

“Pumpkins are perfect for that fall feeling and counting your blessings,” she said. “Growing them, selling them, decorating them, it’s the thread that ties it all together with what the Lord has blessed us with: family, friends and what my dad has planted over time.

“What makes the pumpkin patch so great is that it has carried on in other families’ lives and in the community, not just the Phillips family,” she said.

“That’s what I think is so special.”

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Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com Steve Bemis (left) and his father Gerry, lifelong corn and bean farmers in DeKalb, check their corn Tuesday to see if it’s ready to be harvested. Many local crops are behind schedule this year due to planting delays this spring caused by unusually heavy precipitation and colder temperatures.

‘The strangest growing season DeKalb County farmers feeling left out in the cold

By MATTHEW WELLS – For DeKalb County Ag Mag

DEKALB – Steve Bemis, like many other farmers in DeKalb County, is dealing with one of the wettest growing seasons in northern Illinois since 1895.

His concern began this spring when heavy rains affected his planting. By October, wet weather was causing him problems again, affecting his harvest. Then the snow came.

“It’s definitely the most challenging year,” said Steve Bemis.

When it wasn’t raining, it was snowing. This year saw an unseasonably late 3-inch snowfall on April 27 in DeKalb, with an unseasonably early snowfall on Halloween coming six months later.

It was the fourth-wettest September in northern Illinois since 1895, said David Changnon, Northern Illinois University’s Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences department chairman. The area saw 9.55 inches of rain – three times the typical average of 3.16 inches. It led to the slowest planting season on record. In many places, cropland normally filled with corn instead was filled with water, and some area fields went unplanted.

The national Farm Bureau estimated in August that this year’s prevent plant acres are about 1.5 million in Illinois for eight principal crops, and

about 20 million acres nationwide, about double the previous record. Prevent plan insurance can be an attractive option as expected corn yields decrease the later the crop is planted and costs increase with needing to dry the corn. However, the longer the wait, the more the insurance coverage declines, creating tough choices for farmers.

In early June, corn planting reached 50 percent, marking the latest date for reaching the midpoint of planting progress in the past 60 years, according to Scott Irwin and Todd Hubbs, agricultural economists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Bemis family aren’t rookie farmers. Steve Bemis is a fifth-generation farmer. Their 2,600 acres sit just south of Interstate 88 near Malta and have been in operation since 1876, said Steve’s father, Jerry.

The rain softened the soil so much that one of the family’s combines got stuck in October, something neither Bemis had happen before.

“We hope it’s a one-and-done and we hope we don’t have to experience it again,” Steve said.

He said he expects both corn and soybean yields to be down 10% to 20% from last year. In

2018, corn yields were between 190-235 bushels an acre, while soybean yields hovered between 65-75 bushels.

That means insurance won’t come to the rescue for the lost profits, as the decrease in yield isn’t severe enough.

Steve said the insurance is in case disaster strikes, such as a tornado or fire.

The concern the Bemis family and other area farmers share is that it’s already past the midpoint of October, and with northern Illinois weather, one never knows what the weather could do.

“If it snows, we have to wait until it warms up or we have to combine when it’s cold,” Steve said.

While Steve has farmed – and sometimes used the combine – in the snow, the worry is when the temperatures go below freezing or dip into single digits.

“If it gets to 2 degrees outside, it’s not going to go good,” he said.

Farmers have one saving grace: The cold and frost might have come sooner. In September, farmers fretted openly about an early frost that could have damaged the corn and soybeans at a critical stage of growth. The late-October cold snap and snowfall were anything but welcome,

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but Doug Stockley, who farms in Earl and Freedom townships in LaSalle County, said his corn had reached maturity and could withstand the elements, at least for now.

“The yield will definitely be sub-par, but it could be worse,” he said. “We need the weather to cooperate, but things haven’t been cooperating.”

The planting season was also delayed. First, it was the April snow, when there was 6.7 inches of snowfall on April 15 and 2.7 inches of snowfall on April 28.

“It kept the ground cool and moist and limited early corn planting opportunities,” according to Changnon’s research summary.

He said the growing season was odd, to say the least.

“I’ve lived in DeKalb County for 28 years,” Changnon said.

“This is the strangest growing season I can ever recall.”

The weather in May did the farmers no favors either.

It was 3 degrees colder than average and the heating units used to help with the maturing process of crops were already beginning to lag for the year, according to Changnon’s research. May also saw 7.8 inches of rain and was the fifth-wettest May since 1895.

“The rain in May, combined with the wet and cold conditions in April, meant the fields were not accessible for most farmers to plant corn or soybeans,” according to Changnon’s research.

With the rainy season reducing yields, Steve Bemis said it doesn’t make him or his father happy.

“We just want to get this year over with,” he said.

Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com Steve Bemis, a lifelong corn and bean farmer in DeKalb, talks Tuesday about how the cold and wet spring has delayed the harvest in the area.

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Katrina J.E. Milton – kmilton@shawmedia.com Deanne Frieders of Waterman works on her food blog, “This Farm Girl Cooks.”

This Farm Girl Cooks:

Waterman farmer’s wife runs food blog

By KATRINA J.E. MILTON – DeKalb County Ag Mag

WATERMAN – Deanne Frieders is the first to admit that she didn’t know much about farming before she married her husband Ryan. She definitely never envisioned creating a food blog called “This Farm Girl Cooks.”

Frieders is the wife of farmer Ryan and mother of Ava, 16, Carson, 15, Eleanor, 6, and Luke, 4. The family also has a Miniature Schauzer named Duke.

In 2016, Frieders created the blog to share what food she was making with other farm wives and families. But writing a blog about being a farmer’s wife and making meals to take to combines out in the field was not something Frieders often thought about.

Growing up in Shabbona, she didn’t live on a farm and wasn’t involved in 4-H or FFA. “I didn’t know much about farming, and I didn’t understand why or how things were done the way they were,” Frieders said. “Before I married Ryan, I wasn’t really interested in farming. Then, it became a huge part of my life. Now, I absolutely love it.”

Frieders became a full-time farm girl six years ago when she quit her job as a corporate account manager 45 minutes away in Aurora. At the time, she was pregnant with her daughter Eleanor.

“I was more involved with the farm once she was born,” Frieders said.

“I kind of played Uber, shuttling people around between fields.”

When she became pregnant with her fourth child, Luke, four years ago, Frieders took on the role of making meals for her husband and his parents, Ron and Denise, while they were working in the field.

“I was in the living room nursing Luke, looking on my computers for field meals,” she said. “I looked up, ‘What do farmers eat for lunch?’

‘What is a field meal, what do they look like?’ I didn’t really find anything online.”

That’s when Freiders started taking photos of the field meals she

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Healthy Meat Sauce with Vegetables Tender vegetables and hearty beef; Healthy Meat Sauce with Vegetables will please even the pickiest eaters. Make it now or make it as a freezer meal recipe.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 4 hours Course: Main Course Cuisine: Italian Keyword: Healthy Meat Sauce Services: 6 Calories: 211kcal Author: Deanne Frieders – This Farm Girl Cooks

Ingredients: • 1 lb. ground beef • 1/2 large onion, chopped • 4 oz. sliced mushrooms • 1 zucchini, diced • 16 oz. crushed tomatoes • 8 oz. tomato sauce • 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning • 1 Tbsp minced garlic • 1 tsp salt • 1/2 tsp black pepper Instructions: Brown ground beef in a skillet until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain fat.

Make It Now: Place ground beef and all remaining ingredients into slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Make It a Freezer Meal: Place cooked ground beef and all remaining ingredients in a gallon sized freezer bag. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible and freeze. Label your bag.

How to Cook as a Freezer Meal: Place bag in refrigerator 12 to 24 hours to thaw. Add contents to slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Notes: Recipe variations: Add whatever garden vegetables you have – bell peppers, eggplant, carrots or broccoli all work nice.

Use ground turkey instead of ground beef.

Make in your Instant Pot or on your stove top Serve over penne or pasta of choice. Make it low carb by serving with zucchini noodles or cooked spaghetti squash.

made and posted them on social media.

“I did it on a whim, and it grew from there,” she said. “People were interested in what I was posting.

It just grew, and by spring 2016, I started the blog.”

This Farm Girl Cooks When Frieders’ husband Ryan first heard about his wife’s idea of starting a blog, he was skeptical.

“When she proposed starting the blog, I was skeptical of its value at first,” he said. “Now, every day when she brings us food or makes us meals, when people comment on her posts and share their stories, it shows just how wrong I was. The blog really is a great way for her to help people.

I was definitely wrong in my skepticism.”

Deanne Frieders started the blog “This Farm Girl Cooks” on a whim, never imagining that it would

take off and become her full-time job.

“When I first started the blog, it was a hobby,” she said. “Now that readership has grown, it’s become a business. I describe it as a full-time job on a part-time basis. It’s definitely something I never could have done without my husband, kids’ and family’s support and believing in me.”

Frieders has moved from a free blog platform to a paid one, allowing her to have her own URL. To make her website and blog even better, Frieders has learned coding and HTML and has attended courses about Facebook and Pinterest.

“I was so excited when I had 100 likes on Facebook,” she said. “This week, I hit 6,000 likes and 2,000 subscribers to my email list.”

Frieders describes her target audience as farm wives and busy moms. She describes the recipes on her blog as “pretty simple meals you can make with ingredients you can easily find at a regular grocery store.”

Many of the meals on Frieders’ blog are field meals that her farming family can eat in the cab of a tractor or combine.

“What makes a field meal different is that they’re usually warm and hearty to keep you full all day,” she said. “Flexibility is key, they often have a twohour window of when they can eat.

“They only want to stop for 15 to 20 minutes, they don’t want to stop twice. One of the main criteria for the meal is that they don’t need a knife.

So I bring along my Crock-Pot and dish out a warm meal into containers for them.”

Other meal recipes on the blog include salads, appetizers and snacks, breakfast and brunch, desserts, main dishes, side dishes, under 30-minute meals, pizza and sandwiches, kid-friendly options, low-carb and freezer meals.

Most of the recipes are Frieders’ original recipes, such as lasagna cups, or family recipes including orange fluff made from Jell-o, or her mom’s apple pie. Other recipes are adapted from other recipes, with a source listed.

Ryan Frieders gushed about the quality and variety of his wife’s food.

“Her food is outstanding, especially the variety,” he said. “She makes dishes that remind me of German meals my grandma would make when I was a kid, Mexican dishes that remind me of going to one of the best Mexican restaurants in Chicago.

She’s always looking for new recipes and ideas. It seems like we never have the same thing twice.”

Both Ryan and Deanne Frieders stressed the simplicity of the blog’s recipes.

“If you’re someone that likes to eat and doesn’t like having to spend a lot of time on fancy recipes, I guarantee Deanne’s blog can save you time and you’ll like what you make in the end,” Ryan Frieders said.

“It’s all about keeping it simple, going back to basics,” Deanne Frieders said. “There is no right or wrong way to feed your family. In our family, we have dairy and gluten allergies, so that’s something I’m always mindful of. Other families might have diabetes, nut allergies or are vegetarian.

“The recipes are just ideas to help people try new things and eat healthy. They just have to find a

way to feed their family that works for them.”

Frieders said she will test a meal several times before posting it on her blog.

“I always take ideas and suggestions from readers, like substituting chicken for pork or cooking it in my Crock-Pot,” Frieders said.

“Sometimes recipes just don’t work out. That’s why I keep two frozen pizzas in my freezer at all times.”

An online community Frieders said that one of the things she loves the most about her blog is the online community it’s created. Readers often post and answer questions and share ideas and recipes.

“I get a lot of emails and thank-you messages,” Frieders said. “I always want to be approachable.

It’s great to see the connection that happens between people. That connection is so important, especially for people living in a rural area.”

Frieders said she has formed friendships through her blog and social media. Frieders was also recognized by a fan while out grocery shopping.

“I was once asked to take a selfie at Aldi because someone recognized me from online,” Frieders said. “She later asked me to go kayaking along with friends. Although I was somewhat hesitant, I did.

It’s created friendships for readers and for myself.”

A physical community To share the experience of a sit-down, homecooked meal with others, Frieders partnered with The Family Dinner Project and local sponsors to create a free community dinner at Lions Park in Waterman on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Frieders and her friend Katie Betz, also of Waterman, co-chaired the event, which featured a taco bar idea from the blog.

According to The Family Dinner Project, sharing a family meal has health benefits for all family members: lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy and depression, higher grade-point averages and self-esteem and lower rates of obesity and eating disorders in children and adolescents.

“The benefits of eating dinner together as a family are an important message for the community and to share with others,” Frieders said. “It’s also a way to bring the community together, people that may not know each other. It’s a way to bring family and the community together over a meal.”

This farm girl’s future In addition to continuing to add content on her blog, Frieders said she plans on doing outreach, including teaching a cooking class at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb. She will also give speeches at engagements, including the Illinois Farm Bureau dinner in Chicago.

“From doing photography, testing the recipes, writing posts, updating the blog, writing emails and newsletters, responding to questions and now doing speaking engagements and workshops, it feels like I’m juggling a few balls in the air,” Frieders said. “But I love it, I love having the blog and connecting with and helping people.”

“Food isn’t meant to be stressful. One of my favorite sayings is ‘Cooking is love made visible.’

Food is an expression of that love.”

For more information about This Farm Girl Cooks, visit Deanne Frieders’ blog at www.thisfarmgirlcooks.com.

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Katrina J.E. Milton – kmilton@shawmedia.com - Jeff Chesmore, branch manager of the Beloit office of North Central Irrigation, explains the different types of sprinklers used for irrigation systems during the Northern Illinois Farm Show at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center in January 2019.

The show won’t go on IDEAg 2020 Farm Show cancelled KELSEY RETTKE – DeKalb County Ag Mag

DeKALB — Jim Zenz said he doesn’t think the cancellation of the Northern Illinois Farm Show will much affect his business and he wasn’t all that surprised by the news that the annual showcase would no longer be coming around DeKalb after almost four decades.

“I guess I could see it coming just because last year they never gave us the packet to renew like they always have on the last day,” Zenz said, who’s been with the show for over 25 years. “And there were some rumors. As far as the effect it’ll have on business, it won’t really be much. I don’t think it’ll hurt too bad to be honest.”

The IDEAg Northern Illinois Farm Show is canceled for 2020. For the past 37 years the show typically has been held during the first week of January. It has been located at the Convocation Center on the campus of Northern Illinois University since 2003. Prior to 2003, the annual event featuring a wide variety of agricultural businesses was in Rockford.

“Many factors went into our decision,” said Niki Jones, marketing manager for IDEAg, the event hosting company, about canceling the show for the upcoming year. “We want to provide farmers the best experience possible, and we

believe that given the current agriculture industry environment, now is a good time to revamp our show with the goal of ramping up the education and information farmers need to be successful.”

DeKalb-based Zenz Buildings Inc. is in the pole barn building business, and owner Jim Zenz said he’s “one of the lucky” long-time vendors. Since his projects typically come with a hefty price tag he’s able to sustain his business regardless of what clients he may lose without the show.

When the farm show came through the Convocation Center in January, many attendees expressed similar feelings, calling the show a family tradition and using it as a time to connect both professionally and personally with neighboring folks in the farming industry.

It’s a sentiment shared by Dean Johnson, executive director for the Soil and Water Conservation District of DeKalb County. While his team didn’t make a profit off the farm show because they don’t sell products, Johnson said the show afforded him an opportunity to hold educational workshops, including an alwayspopular weather segment forecasting patterns for farming to take into consideration.

“Offering up these programs also gave [attendees] some updated information,” Johnson

said. “And if that’s not available, they’re going to have to find that information other ways.

[The show] was just a convenient way to provide information face-to-face, and sometimes we don’t have those opportunities anymore for direct contact.”

Johnson said holding the farm show in the dead of winter also gave farmers and vendors the opportunity to do business and socialize during down months.

“The social aspect of getting together with other people that are in the same field as you are, I think that’s something people enjoyed coming to in the middle of winter,” Johnson said.

IDEAg, which organizes several farm shows including events in Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas, has plans for a new show.

“We look forward to planning a new and improved farm show for future years and bringing area farmers the experiences, products and services they need in one place,” Jones said. “We want to provide a valuable experience for them and therefore need time to re-evaluate how we best accomplish that goal.”

In addition to meeting with fertilizer, grain handling, pest control, insurance, precision ag

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product and many other companies during the farm show, farmers also had the opportunity to gather information for their operations during the educational presentations.

“We believe farm shows are of great importance to the farming community, and we hope farmers share that view,” Jones said. “Many shows still exist that meet those needs, and we hope farmers seek them out.”

Shaw Media’s Martha Blum contributed to this report.

Katrina J.E. Milton – kmilton@shawmedia.com Two-year-old Scott Wright of Plano looks at a snowblower on display during the Northern Illinois Farm Show, at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center, in January 2019.

Between 3,000 and 5,000 people attended the show each year, but organizers announced it would not be held in 2020.

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Fall brings uninvited houseguests:

Stinkbugs, lady beetles, boxelder bugs are common intruders

By KEN JOHNSON – University of Illinois Extension

As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, we often start seeing uninvited insect guests in our homes, according to University of Illinois Extension educator Ken Johnson.

Boxelder bugs are commonly found trying to enter houses, especially if there’s a boxelder tree nearby. These insects are about one-half inch long and black with orange or red markings. During the spring and summer, the adults will feed on leaves and seeds of boxelder trees (and occasionally maple and ash trees). When temperatures begin to cool in the fall, they will begin to seek out warmer areas.

“They are most often attracted to buildings with large southern or western exposures, because they are warmer than the surrounding area,” Johnson says. As they aggregate on a building, they will find cracks and other spaces to squeeze into, occasionally making their way indoors and ending up in walls and attics until warm weather returns.

Multicolored Asian lady beetles are also commonly found attempting to make their way into homes.

According to Johnson, these lady beetles were introduced into the United States to control aphids on pecan trees. Since their introduction, they have spread throughout the country. The beetles vary in color from yellow to reddishorange and have anywhere from zero to 19 spots.

They can often be distinguished from other

lady beetles by the presence of an ‘M’ pattern near their head. In their native China, they will overwinter on tall cliffs.

“Since we lack these in most parts of Illinois, they will instead use buildings to overwinter,” Johnson says.

The brown marmorated stink bug (BSMB), on the rise in Illinois, is the final home invader. This stink bug is native to Asia and was first discovered in the U.S. in the late 1990s in Pennsylvania.

Since then, Johnson says, it has quickly spread throughout the country.

Like the others, BMSBs will also congregate on buildings looking for somewhere to overwinter.

But unlike boxelder bugs and multicolored Asian lady beetle, these insects are more than a nuisance. According to Johnson, “They will feed on a wide variety of tree fruits, vegetables, agricultural crops, and ornamentals and can cause a significant amount of damage.”

For all of these insects, the best management strategy for keeping them out of your home is exclusion. Johnson says, “Make sure windows and doors fit tight and window screens are free from holes. Seal any openings, cracks, and crevices around the foundation, pipes, wires, and chimneys. Finally, make sure siding, eaves, and soffits are in good condition.”

Insecticides can be applied to the perimeter of buildings, but since these insects are rather mobile, it can be difficult to get good control of them. Once they enter your home, they can be vacuumed up and placed in soapy water and disposed of. Using insecticides to control these insects indoors is generally not recommended.

They have the typical ‘shield’ shape of stink bugs.

And, as their name implies, BSMBs are brown and marmorated (mottled). There are a few characteristics that can be used to differentiate them from our native stink bugs: the antenna are striped with white bands, they have smooth “shoulders,” and they have black and white triangular patterns on their abdomens. Several other insects are commonly confused with BMSBs. Johnson recommends contacting your local Extension office if you are unsure.

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Census report: The lay of the land in Illinois What do the numbers add up to in The Prairie State?

Older farmers and fewer – but bigger – farms Deana Stroisch – Farmweeknow.com

Following a nationwide trend, the average age of Illinois farmers continues to increase, according to 2017 Census of Agriculture data released this year.

The data, available at nass.usda. gov/AgCensus, also showed a decrease in the total number of farms in Illinois between 2012 and 2017, and an increase in the number of the smallest- and largest-sized farms.

Mike Doherty, Illinois Farm Bureau’s senior economist, said the data shows a very slow rate of consolidation among Illinois commercial grain farms.

“Compared to non-farm economic sectors, these percentages attest to the continuing tenacity of familyrun commercial farming in Illinois, and the success of farm policy and farmer associations for providing ‘size-neutral’ programs and ag policy direction,” he said.

The Census of Agriculture, conducted every 5 years by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, captures information about a variety of topics — from land use practices and crop insurance to the use of fertilizers and farm labor. New questions attempted to capture changing farming demographics — including veterans, women, and new and beginner farmers.

Census highlights included: • The average age of Illinois farmers increased to 58, up from 56.3 in 2012. Nationwide, the average age of farmers was 57.5, up from 2012.

“Farms are becoming increasingly multigenerational in their management, as they become larger and more complex as businesses,” Doherty said. “Additionally, much of the back-breaking labor of farming has been replaced with machine operations, which allows older farmers to remain much more productive and involved in the family farming operations well into their ‘senior’ years.”

• Young farmers, 35 or younger, represent about 9.5 percent of all Illinois farmers. That mirrors nationwide statistics.

About 24 percent of Illinois farmers are new and beginning farmers (have 10 years or less experience).

Nationwide, 27 percent of all farmers fall into that category.

• The number of farms in Illinois dropped to 72,651 in 2017 — about 2,430 fewer than in 2012. The average size of them increased to 372 acres. Iroquois County had the largest number of farms in the state, according to the census, followed by LaSalle and McLean counties.

The census defines a farm as “any place from which $1,000 or more of agriculture products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year.”

• The number of farms sized 1 to 9 acres increased during that 5-year period, as did the number of farms with 2,000 acres or more. All other sized farms declined in numbers.

Operations in the Very Small Farm category could be “hobby farms,” greenhouses, small hog operations or beginning organic producers, according to Mark Schleusener, Illinois state statistician.

Doherty said the presence of direct marketing outlets, such as farmers markets, and interest in sourcing “locally grown food” also plays a role in the increasing number of smallacreage farms in Illinois.

Meanwhile, more than 2,500 farms in Illinois totaled 2,000 acres or more in 2017, and consist of corn, soybeans and wheat.

• Illinois was the highest-producing soybean state in the country in 2017, with 36,681 farms growing 10.6 million acres.

• Illinois was also the largest producer of pumpkins and horseradish.

• Illinois was the second-highest producer of corn in the United States and ranked second in total crop sales.

• Illinois had the fourth-largest hog inventory, with 2,153 farms raising more than 5 million hogs.

Also worth bragging about: Illinois had the highest response rate for the census, at 78 percent. Schleusener attributed the high response rate to partnerships with organizations such as Illinois Farm Bureau and other commodity groups.

The next Census of Agriculture will be conducted in 2022.

QUICK FACTS

DEKALB COUNTY Top 3 crops in acres – 2017

Corn for grain – 202,521 Soybeans for beans – 135,822 Oats for grain – 4,560

Top 3 livestock inventory – 2017

Hogs and pigs – 276,185 Cattle and calves – 18,599 Beef cows – 1,729

LEE COUNTY Top 3 crops in acres – 2017 Corn for grain – 232,950 Soybeans for beans – 124,632 Hay/haylage – 3,702 In DeKalb County, fewer farms but more valuable land DeKalb County Ag Mag There was less farmland in DeKalb County in 2017 than there was in 2012, but the ground that remains has appreciated in value considerably, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service.

The number of farming operations in the county fell 11.5% from 2012 to 2017, the data show, with the number of farms counted at 779 in 2017. During the fiveyear period, acreage used for farmland also fell 6.5%, to 371,777 acres.

DeKalb county farms account for about 1% of the 72,651 operating farms in Illinois in 2017.

The decline in farm operations in DeKalb County was steeper than the decline seen statewide.

Across Illinois, the number of farm operations shrunk by 3.2%. The number of farms fell from 75,087 in 2012 to 72,651 in 2017, and the average acreage increased from 359 to 372.

What are DeKalb County farmers doing more of? In 2017, they were selling a lot more hogs and pigs. In 2017, the census reported DeKalb County farmers sold more than 954,000 hogs and

Top 3 livestock inventory –2017

Cattle and calves – 11,076 Hogs and pigs – 59,763 Layers – 65,887

OGLE COUNTY Top 3 crops in acres – 2017

Corn for grain – 203,932 Soybeans for beans – 91,873 Hay/haylage – 9,231

Top 3 livestock inventory – 2017

Cattle and calves – 26,463 Hogs and pigs – 95,495 Layers – 2,168 pigs, an increase of 65% over 2012. Countywide inventory of swine increased 15% as well, with farms reporting an inventory of 276,185 in 2017.

Meanwhile, the value of farms in the county continued to grow.

The estimated market value of farm land and buildings per farm in the county increased 27% over the five-year period, reaching $4.5 million.

The estimated market value of an acre of farmland in the county also grew 20%, with the 2017 estimate reaching $9,420.

The market value of products sold by DeKalb County farms fell 19%, to $384 million.

The number of farms receiving government subsidies decreased by 112, to 558. Total government payments to DeKalb County farms also fell 26%, to $8.8 million in 2017.

As for the type of farms in the state, there was a drop in the number of family farms, from 64,927 in 2012 to 61,398 in 2017; farms classified as partnerships numbered 4,597 in 2017; corporate farms increased from 3,716 to 3,972; the remainder, 2,684, were classified in the “other” category (estate or trust, prison farm, grazing association, American Indian Reservation, etc.)

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Local FFA students help beautify Sycamore entrance MATTHEW WELLS – For DeKalb County Ag Mag

SYCAMORE – Jared Clausen, a junior at Sycamore High School, spent a Monday morning in October with four of his horticulture classmates and fellow FFA members planting 200 yellow daffodil bulbs in front of the green “Sycamore Welcomes You” sign near the intersection of Route 64 and Airport Road.

“It’s going to make the sign look more beautiful, and it will have a positive outlook on Sycamore,” Clausen said.

Clausen’s job was to measure and provide a diagram of where the bulbs were planted, so in the spring when they plant again, they know where the bulbs are and don’t plant on top of the existing bulbs. It gives the flowers a better chance to grow.

He said he joined FFA because it’s a family tradition.

“The animals and crops just fascinate me,” Clausen said. “It’s something I can’t live without.”

Karen Lang worked alongside the students and was looking forward to seeing the flowers in the spring.

“We’ll see how it looks next year,” Karen Lang said.

She said the idea for the project came from her and her husband, Sycamore Mayor Curt Lang. The students joining in to help was all the better.

“We were really excited that the kids wanted to do this,” Karen Lang said.

By all accounts, the students were happy to help dig and place the bulbs into the ground.

“We like to work outside in the environment,” said Myranda Wilbur, a sophomore. “It’s a great way to help in in our community.”

Matthew Wells – mwells@shawmedia.com Jared Clausen, a junior at Sycamore High School, was one of five Future Farmers of America members who planted 200 yellow daffodil bulbs in front of the “Sycamore Welcomes You” sign near the intersection of Illinois 64 and Airport Road in October.

Sarah Ward, also a sophomore, liked how planting the bulbs was a change from the traditional school lessons.

“It was a good change to get out of the classroom and have some hands-on experience instead of reading and writing papers,” she said.

University of Illinois requests data from farmers to better understand unique growing year Stephen Wald, swald@illinois.edu University of Illinois Extension

URBANA – Researchers and Extension Specialists from University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences are asking Illinois growers to share basic planting, harvest, and yield data with the college to learn from the extraordinary growing conditions experienced this year.

“What we have is a giant, unplanned, and involuntary experiment that is being conducted

by Illinois farmers this year,” said Emerson Nafziger, professor emeritus in the U of I College of ACES. “This experiment can help us understand the ramifications of how planting date and variety maturity affect overall yields.”

Using an anonymous online form, email, or the U.S. Postal Service, farmers can share very simple parameters from this year’s crop with researchers.

“The opportunity to collect a small amount of data on a large number of fields will help Extension provide better guidance if we find ourselves in this kind of situation again in the future,” said Chelsea Harbach, an Extension educator at the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center near Monmouth.

The researchers request data on the 2019 corn and soybean crop from fields in every county of Illinois, and encourage farmers to respond by the end of December.

More information and information on the project is available online at: extension.illinois.edu/ nwiardc/2019-delayed-plantingimpact-study.

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