AG
A publication of Shaw Media Spring 2017
MAG
Women who farm They got into the business in different ways, but continue to play key role
Also inside: Corn prices How increased yield led to decreased prices Kids learn gardening Working together to teach importance of green thumb Trump’s impact on farming Sara Mitchell performs regular check-ups on her pigs that she sells for show pigs, feeder pigs as well as direct sales to the consumer.
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Inside this edition 3
Women who farm
6
Corn prices are down, what are farmers doing?
Looking at the role women play in farming and how it has changed
How the yield has impacted price and soybeans’ increased importance
10
Kids learning to garden New program will allow kids to enjoy fruits of labor with gardening initiative
13
How will Trump impact agriculture? Will new President’s policies help farmers throughout the country?
Kaylee Heap married into the farm business and when she is not working as a central origination manager for Grainco FS, she helps her on her husband’s family business, Heap’s Giant Pumpkin Farm, during the peak season (left). Photo by Allison Selk, Grundy County Ag Mag
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Tammy Halterman feeds her family Murray Grey and Highland cattle on their family farm located in rural Mazon. Photo by Allison Selk, Grundy County Ag Mag
Farming is for all When Tammy Halterman of Mazon was in agriculture. Probably because of women’s 10 years old, her father retired from the Army and equality over the years. Women have become settled on a farm in rural Mazon. Although more forward thinking, and many I know her mother never touched a work alongside their husbands,” tractor, Halterman said she Halterman said. plowed and ran a tractor. Halterman grew up across “My dad had me the road from her now run equipment, but husband, Kevin, but the fathers allowed kids two didn’t cross paths my age to do that. early on. They married Times were evolving when Halterman was 28. and changing,” Now, a typical day for the Halterman said. couple includes feeding By Allison Selk When she was cattle, pigs, and chickens involved with 4-H or as well as taking care of, and Grundy County Area sports, Halterman said farming their family properties Ag Mag she had to be on the boys’ as well as rental properties. teams, but closer to her junior On the opposite spectrum, and senior year of high school, more girls Kaylee Heap of Minooka was introduced to were in her FFA (Future Farmers of America). farming by her now husband, Kevin Heap, and “Now you see a lot of leadership of ladies Sara Mitchell brought her husband Mark into her
Women play role in 25 percent of farms in Grundy County
show pig business. Heap said she grew up in the real estate world in Wilmington, but after she met Kevin in college, she quickly learned, if she wanted to spend time with the busy farmer, she had better learn a thing or two about the business. The couple has now been together nine years, and Kaylee primarily works out of her home and car for Grainco FS, Inc as the central origination manager, helping farmers market their grain and managing a staff or originators. During the fall, she helps Kevin run the family business, Heap’s Giant Pumpkin Farm, as Heap said all hands are on deck during those busy times. She manages the seasonal employees and gives school tours during the day. “I like chaos and like the flexibility so I can be involved in all of it,” Heap said. Mitchell said she grew up on a family farm, and when she finished college, she wanted to get involved heavily in the show pig business. MARCH 2017 | GRUNDY AGRICULTURE MAGAZINE | 3
Now, she and her husband Mark, who did not grow up farming, help run Brockman Farms which includes the show pigs and Brockman Family Farms for the custom pork and from the pigs they feed out and sell. Mitchell also sells crop insurance for First Farm Credit in Ottawa and she and her husband have begun an educational wing to the farm called Think Oink, where they team up with Streator High School to show the process from insemination to birth. Heap and Mitchell both said they feel like they work in male dominated positions on and off of the farm, but also said that as long as they know what they are talking about, the fact that they are women has never played against them negatively in the agriculture world. “I think in my business [pigs] being a woman is an asset because I can connect to consumers, woman to woman, because wives are more active in the roles on the farm,” BrockmanMitchell said. “I work with men and am managed by men, which are awesome mentors. I try to get creative and work with other women in the industry to see what works for them and as long as I am knowledgeable and have an opinion I feel
Kaylee Heap married into the farm business and after nine years, has a job with Grainco FS as a central origination manager. She typically works from her Minooka home or on the road. Photo by Allison Selk, Grundy County Ag Mag
confident,” Heap said. During a 2012 Census of Agriculture, it was found that in the United States, out of the 3.2 million total farm operators, 30 percent were women and of the total principal operators (in charge of day to day operations), 14 percent
were women. “In Grundy County specifically, women play a role on 25 percent of the farms and are the key operator on six percent of the farms in our county,” Grundy County Farm Bureau manager Victoria Wax said.
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Increased corn yield, decreased prices Grundy County farmer Paul Jeschke said, for the first time in 20 years, he will plant equal acres of corn and soybeans this 2017 planting season due to the low price of corn and higher prices of soybeans at sale. “This is nothing new. Anyone with any amount of farming under their belt can look at the cyclical nature of farming,” Jeschke said. Jeschke also serves as a volunteer on the Illinois Corn Marketing Board and said the
hits farmers have been taking the past couple of years due to low corn prices are forecasted to be the same this year due to two main reasons. One reason was due to the technology and genetics, which allowed farmers to grow better yields than in the past. He said farmers have doubled what they can produce in the past 25 to 30 years due to genetics and GMO technologies. The second reason corn was at a high
surplus was due to the short term good weather, except the 2012 drought, but from 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 farmers grew bumper crops and surplus builds quickly. FS Grain, LLC Business Development Manager Rodney Connor said in Grundy County farmers have grown 190 to 200 bushels per acre of corn, compared to five years ago when farmers were getting 180 to 185 bushels per acre. He also said in the last five years Grundy
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Soybeans have become more important to area farmers
County farmers have grown a ratio of 70 percent corn and 30 percent soybeans, but in 2017, the ratio was predicted to be closer to 50/50. Grundy County Farm Bureau Manager Victoria Wax said in Grundy County there are approximately 217,000 acres of farmland in production with 48 percent used to grow corn. Connor said in 2013, 112,000 acres of corn were planted on farms in Grundy County. In 2016 the number of acres of corn planted was down
to 104,500. “This is typical. Every farmer knew it was going to happen. High corn yields lead to low prices. In 2012 and 2013 farmers were ramping up the corn production, which led to the decrease in price. Because corn was king, guys threw all their money at corn and ran out of money when it came to soybeans,” Connor said. Connor said soybeans are now more profitable, with large jumps in production. He
said five years ago, a farmer could yield 45 to 50 bushels per acre and now they see 60 up to 65 bushels per acre. “Guys are now adopting new technology and paying closer attention to soybeans than they did in the past,” Connor said. Although soybeans seem to be the way to go, Jeschke said farmers know the dangers of planting soybeans after soybeans on the same field due to a risk of disease, and will
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continue to rotate crops, and plant corn. Country-wide it was predicted that three million less of acres of corn will be planted and three million more acres of soybeans will be planted for 2017 according to Jeschke. “A 50/50 rotation is about as heavy of a soybean cycle you want to get here with our soil in Grundy County because of the risk of disease,” Jeschke said. Jeschke said even though farmers have lost money the past couple of years, there are hopes they took advantage of the higher priced
years and saved and used techniques to save on costs now. He said between the years of 2007 and 2015 corn crops led to financially good times, with the exception of the drought of 2012, and when farmers make money, they tend to spend it to pay down debt, pay ahead and buy new equipment. “The inventory of items to make farming possible should be in pretty good shape, and some farmers are able to cut back now on making purchases on those large items because
they have a good line up,” Jeschke said. He also said farmers can find other ways to make up for the costs that were lost by cutting the use of fertilizer on land that they feel has been fertilized enough the year before, buying seed brands from three to four years ago which have lower prices, using generic herbicides, and negotiating land rents for those who farm rented land. Connor said farmers may have old crop corn sitting on the farm and even thought the cash price is low, the yields were phenomenal, so there is more to sell. In order to capture a good price, Connor suggests selling corn early between March 20 and June 16 for the 2017 harvest in order to lock in a rate the farmer may feel a good price. It also gets some sales on the books, rather than being forced to sell in October at the only price available. Connor said, for now, he sees a trend in more soybeans being planted to rescue from bad corn prices due to bankers putting pressure on their farming clients to plant soybeans because loans are less and soybeans cost less to plant, and a high demand in the Chinese market which he said is “strong and ramping up.”
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Channahon school, park district, extension collaborating on kids’ garden Goal is to teach students about gardening at young age and enjoy fruits of labor By Jeanne Millsap – Grundy County Ag Mag
Students at Three Rivers School in Channahon, along with children enrolled in Channahon Park District day camps this summer, will get the opportunity to dig in the rich soil to plant, water, weed and harvest vegetables this spring and summer in a joint project of the District 17 school, the park district and the University of Illinois Extension master gardeners program. It’s the first time the three governmental entities are coming together for the project, and Three Rivers Principal Susan Kavich is excited about the possibilities. “In addition to everything they are going to learn about gardening,” Kavich said, “I think they will also get a better appreciation for our environment and all of the aspects of growing your own food naturally.” Three Rivers sixth-grade teacher Nicole Gubbins and fifth-grade teacher Kathy Hibler will start the gardening project with their students in late March, planting the seeds in pots inside the school. They will learn what vegetables grow well in our area, what kind of potting soil they like, how much sunshine and water it takes to grow the seedlings and even a little about nutrition and why eating fresh vegetables is good for them. Three Rivers School students and other children near the Channahon Park District site where the raised garden beds will be constructed (above). Photos by Jeanne Millsap Grundy County Ag Mag
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At the end of the school year, the students will hand their little plants over to Jackie O’Hara, program coordinator at the park district. The plants will be transplanted into raised garden beds just outside the swimming pool’s fence. O’Hara wasn’t sure of the exact site at this writing. Then, the park district’s summer day camp students will try their hand at growing the greens. The camps involve students from kindergarten up through high school. They will be able to spend the summer watering and weeding the garden and harvesting the vegetables when they are ready. The Three Rivers students can come and visit the garden anytime during the summer, as well, O’Hara said, to water or weed or pick some produce to take home or sample right there. “This is something I’m passionate about,” O’Hara said. “Kids learning about healthy eating and getting in and digging and learning where our food comes from.” She thinks they will plant tomatoes, cucumbers and maybe some beans, among other veggies. “If we can show them how to grow a radish, how to eat a radish and even some fun things to do with a radish like carving it to make a rose,” she said, “then you can instill a willingness for them to try new fruits and vegetables. . . Instead of eating chips for lunch, you can eat carrots. And we’ll teach them why you would want to eat carrots.” Some of the Three Rivers students who will be involved in the project, along with other Channahon children, met recently at the park district to talk about gardening. Katelyn Bucciarelli said she’s gardened flowers and vegetables at her grandmother’s house and enjoys doing it. She said she enjoys eating tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini. “I like the pretty flowers and the tasty vegetables,” she said. Maggie Kapple said her family has a flower garden, and they used to raise vegetables. She likes tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers and zucchini. “I helped weed them and made sure they got watered,” Kapple said of her family’s garden. Gubbins, a gardener herself, said there are many lessons her students will be able to learn from the project. “Any time you can teach them the connection between what’s in the refrigerator and the store and where it comes from,” she said. “I think sometimes we forget that.” The program is part of a three-year Will County Partners for Healthy Gardening grant.
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Three Rivers School teacher Nicole Gubbins with two of the students who will be involved in this summer’s gardening project, Maggie Kapple and Katelyn Bucciarelli (Above). Three Rivers School Principal Susan Kavich and Three Rivers teacher Nicole Gubbins (Below left). Photos by Jeanne Millsap Grundy County Ag Mag
SEEKING CLARITY Is there unique opportunity for farmers in Trump’s atypical transition? BY PAM EGGEMEIER For Grundy County Ag Mag
Agriculture lobbyists would have every right to expect cooperation from President Donald Trump, but whether they can count on it remains to be seen. In November, nearly two-thirds of the rural vote went to the Republican, although Trump failed to carry IIllinois, the birthplace of Hillary Clinton. Trump won handily in Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, and Indiana. While Trump did little on the campaign trail to specifically address agriculture policy, much of his tough talk on business issues also resonated with farmers.
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Agriculture is big business, so it’s no surprise both have some of the same top legislative priorities and expectations for the new administration. While uncertainty is a given during a presidential transition, this one goes beyond party politics. “This is not your typical transition, where you’re looking at Democrat versus Republican,” said Tony Michaels, CEO of Midwestern BioAg. The Madison, Wisconsin-based fertilizer producer and soil consultant has a new facility in Milledgeville. Michaels was returning Jan. 27 from an agribusiness conference in the nation’s capital, where he had lunch with Newt Gingrich, one of the speakers. Gingrich said that because the Trump administration isn’t likely to adhere to obvious partisan-driven changes, there is unique opportunity in the uncertainty. “At the core, I think a lot of things said in this election will be re-evaluated with the biggest consideration being what keeps jobs in this country,” Michaels said. Gingrich called the opportunity the “white space on the canvas” amid the unknowns. “He told us to recast things according to how they create jobs and wealth, pitch them, and start painting in the canvas,” Michaels said. Michaels said Midwestern BioAg certainly won’t be making any changes based on perceived policy changes. “The key from our perspective is that we work with more professional farmers who aren’t wedded to a lot of government rules,” Michaels said. “If there is demand and the price of grains are driven up, we’ll be fine.” Business and agriculture rallied around Trump’s promises to spur growth through an overhaul of regulatory restraints. He said he plans to cut burdensome regulations by 75 percent, and during his first week in office, he put a freeze on new and pending regulations in all executive departments and agencies. Farmers say the promise to make it easier to do business was Trump’s strongest selling point to the agriculture voting bloc. Because the president is a businessman, they are optimistic about positive changes being made to the regulatory structure.
“At the core, I think a lot of things said in this election will be re-evaluated with biggest consideration being what keeps jobs in this country.” Tony Michaels | CEO of Midwestern BioAg “There is excitement about the president’s comments about scaling back some overreaching regulations that have been hard on agriculture and business across the country,” said Evan Hultine, a Bureau County farmer who serves as chairman of the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Young Leader Conference Committee. Farmers historically have pointed to the Environmental Protection Agency as the agency that concerns them most, and that hasn’t changed. “A lot of work the EPA has done the last 8 years has gone far beyond public safety concerns,” Hultine said. “We’ve also seen times where some scientific facts were ignored in making their decisions.” Hultine cites use of the herbacide atrazine as a prime example of the regulatory constraints that loom large for producers. Atrazine is a weed killer that is commonly used, primarily on corn. EPA wants to reduce its use, and possibly ban it altogether because of environmental and health concerns. Farmers say an atrazine ban would drive up production costs and reduce yields. “A lot of these regulations do more harm than good, and they paint farmers as enemies of the environment when most of us are good stewards of the land,” Hultine said. As with all new administrations, it will take some time to cut through the campaign rhetoric and get a clearer picture of policy directions. An Agriculture Department leader has been nominated, likely removing one unknown. Pending Senate approval, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue will become ag secretary. Former secretary Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, resigned before Perdue was appointed. Ag groups, for the most part, have expressed support for Perdue, but some have questioned why it was the last Cabinet post filled. Perdue has received strong backing from
“A lot of these regulations do more harm than good, and they paint farmers as enemies of the environment when most of us are good stewards of the land.” Evan Hultine | Chairman, Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leader Conference Committee
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large farm organizations, including American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “I have known Gov. Perdue for years, and I’ve seen firsthand his commitment to the business of agriculture as we worked together on issues facing farmers and ranchers in our home state of Georgia,” Duvall said in a news release. As is the case with Trump, much of agriculture’s optimism about Perdue stems from his business background. “He understands the challenges facing rural America because that’s where he was born and raised,” Duvall said. “He is a businessman who recognizes the impact immigration reform, trade agreements, and regulation have on a farmer’s bottom line and ability to stay in business from one season to the next.” Perdue, who also has a background in veterinary medicine, would be tasked with leading efforts to get a new farm bill passed in 2018. U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s camp is hearing that the farm bill will be a big priority for the House Agriculture Committee. “The president is supposed to speak to the committee sometime in February, but we’re being told the committee’s main goal is going to be reauthorization of the farm bill,” said Maura Gillespie, a Kinzinger spokeswoman. As difficult as it was to get the last farm bill passed, a more difficult economic environment could make this one even tougher. “The conditions are very different from when the 2014 bill was passed,” Gillespie said. “Commodities prices are way down, and there will probably be a bigger fight over the food assistance program.” Gillespie said it will be important to rally the troops as early as possible to push the farm bill wish list. “We encourage farmers to work with their local ag groups to advocate for what is most important to them,” Gillespie said. Farmers are also anticipating cost-cutting measures from a GOP administration and the new Congress. “We’re out there asking Farm Bureau members how the farm bill is working for them, but we’re telling them that we sense there could be less money to spend in the next one,” said Adam Nielsen, director of national legislation and
policy development for Illinois Farm Bureau. While farmers are upbeat about prospects for progress on the regulatory front, early signs on another key issue haven’t looked as promising. With commodities in a down cycle, farmers are also fixated on trade policies. Both Trump and Clinton had stated their opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement negotiated for many years by the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim nations. Trump signed an executive order Jan. 23 that took the U.S. out of the deal that farm interests had lobbied hard for, in the hope it would open new markets for farmers. Trump said trade deals like TPP have hurt American manufacturers, and taken jobs out of the country. Trump’s signature was largely symbolic at this point because U.S. inclusion in the controversial trade deal was likely to be killed in Congress anyway. Farm organizations, however, including Illinois Farm Bureau, didn’t miss the opportunity to issue the president of reminder of their stance on trade. “President Trump’s executive order to withdraw the United States from the TPP is another setback to an already struggling economy,”
How Trump carried rural America
• Told voters he’d get rid of 75 percent of burdensome regulations • Promised to dismantle the Affordable Care Act • Pledged to protect Renewable Fuel Standard • Specifically addressed Waters of the United States Rule while Clinton did not • Hope that Trump would get rid of estate tax • General dissatisfaction with the Obama administration • Downturn in the farm economy
Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert Jr. said. “With TPP being halted, we implore the administration to start working toward opening new markets for Illinois crop and livestock farmers.” IFB said 46 percent of Illinois exports go to Trans-Pacific countries. Expectations were for the TPP deal to increase Illinois’ annual cash receipts by about $281 million, and net exports by $127.4 million, while adding 960 jobs to the state’s economy. Adding to farmers’ worries, Trump has also said he plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. “It’s disappointing because TPP would have been a big benefit to farmers, but now with talk about opening up NAFTA, it’s becoming a bigger concern,” Hultine said.
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Hultine said it takes some farmers back to the grain embargo instituted during the Carter administration. “The embargo had a big impact for a long time, and that fear lingers with a lot of farmers,” Hultine said. Jimmy Carter enacted the embargo against the Soviet Union in 1980, in response to the Soviets’ invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Although Ronald Reagan lifted the embargo a year later, Midwest grain farmers suffered much longer. The Soviets had turned to other grain exporters during the embargo, and continued to buy cheaper grain deal from those nations, mainly in South America. Grain prices crashed, farm credit dried up, and for the first time in history, the U.S. was forced to import grain.
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