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Ethanol exports expand
Growing markets for corn
USGC promotes foreign markets
Trade, renewable fuel priorities for NCGA president
By Tom C. Doran
By James Henry
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — As the U.S. government’s ethanol policies continue to create industry hurdles with expanded small refinery wavers, the U.S. Grains Council sees hope for industry growth via potential export expansion. Kristy Moore, USGC technical and regulatory consultant, said the organization foresees Mexico as a potential Moore major importer of U.S.produced ethanol in the future after that country initiated energy policy reforms about four years ago. “For 80 years there was only one oil company in Mexico, Pemex. It was the only oil company allowed in the country, and in 2015 the Mexico government realized that they needed competition to bring lower prices, better supplies and better options to their consumers,” Moore told AgriNews at the recent Illinois Corn Growers Association annual meeting. “So, the U.S. Grains Council has been working in Mexico for the last four years helping that government realize the benefits of cleaner, better, ag-based renewable fuels because all they’ve used are fossil-based fuels for the last 80 years. It’s about a 12 billion gallon gasoline market which is about 1.2 billion gallons of ethanol that could be flowing straight into our southern border trade partner.” China is another potentially large U.S. ethanol customer, but the current trade war between that country and the United States, combined with China’s own policy problems have quelled that expansion for now. “The government of China mandated the use of E10, but they’ve failed to implement it and they’re running into our trade issues. See ETHANOL, Page A4
SEE SECTION B
INSIDE
2,200 sign letter supporting USMCA A3 Pass the sweet potatoes, or are they yams? B6 Innovators driving future of farming C7 AgriTrucker B8
Farms For Sale C1
Alan Guebert C8
From The Barns A6
Auction Calendar B1
Lifestyle B4
Business C6
Livestock B10
Calendar B7
Opinion C8
Classifieds C2
Weather A9
Vol. 42 No. 42
CONTACT AGRINEWS: 800-426-9438
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
AGRINEWS PHOTO/JEANNINE OTTO
Alea Ogle makes a pie in her bakery, Blue Eyed Rascal, in Streator, Illinois. The bakery is her FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience.
Pie’s the limit Young baker transforms love of cooking into business, FFA SAE By Jeannine Otto
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
STREATOR, Ill. — Sometimes, Alea Ogle sounds so much like someone twice her age that it’s hard to believe she’s a junior in high school. But then, the question of what her biggest challenge is and the teenager returns. “Some days I just want to sleep,” she said. It’s not surprising because her schedule would exhaust anybody. “I’m here from 4:45 to 2 p.m. Then I go to my class from 2 to 3 p.m. After that, I do my homework at home and any
other planning for the business,” Ogle said. “Here” is the bakery, Blue Eyed Rascal, on Streator’s Main Street, that Ogle runs with help from her family. The bakery and coffee shop opened in June. The store is owned by Ogle’s mom and dad. The store features baked goods by Alea – scones, pies, brioche, cinnamon rolls, cupcakes and more – as well as espresso, lattes and other coffee drinks. Business has been good and the holidays have been busy. “We’ve been surprised with the turnout. We did over 36 pies for Thanksgiving,” Ogle said. She’s been baking since she was small. “I always liked to help in the kitchen. I picked up the baking thing from my grandma, Carol Santorineos, and her sister, Gayle. I also got my cooking and baking skills from my mom, Jody
Santorineos-Ogle,” Ogle said. She became certified, via the Illinois Cottage Food Law, to make and sell baked items in her home kitchen. “I started selling at farmers markets when I was 12 and 13. I made scones and cinnamon rolls and cookies, and it started growing from there. It was just a hobby from there, and I was at farmers markets every Saturday,” she said. Ogle also filled custom orders. “By the age of 14, the biggest order I did was an 800-piece wedding dessert table,” she said. When her parents bought the building at 121 East Main Street in Streator, they weren’t sure what they wanted to do with it. “I suggested the idea of opening a bakery, but it was just a joke,” Ogle said. See BAKER, Page A2
Planting with precision New products debut at Peoria Farm Show By Tom C. Doran
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
PEORIA, Ill. — A new, twostage automated closing system with integrated sensing for planters was on display at the Greater Peoria Farm Show. Precision Planting’s FurrowForce had a limited launch this year. Its first stage features notched wheels that work to close the furrow from the bottom up, eliminating air pockets. The second stage stitch wheels carry weight on them to firm the soil over the seed to retain moisture. A load cell measures weight on the stitch wheels. “So, as you think about closing, you really want to do two things. One is get soil on top of the seed and the second is firm that soil, so it retains moisture. And a lot of closing systems do
After serving in many other leadership roles, what are you looking forward to most as president of the NCGA? “I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to facilitate the growth amongst our board as NCGA and have the opportunity to lead the organization that I’ve spent so much time in. Certainly, it is such a privilege to be able to step into this role. By doing that, I just hope to represent fellow neighbors and farmers well across the country. We’ve had a lot of opportunities to do that in the past, but this is certainly a challenge for me and a challenge for anybody else that would be in this position. See ROSS, Page A4
Corn growers have ‘a very bright future’ Glass is half full for board chairman By James Henry
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
ST. LOUIS — For Lynn Chrisp, past president and now chairman of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, the glass is half full. Using pivot irrigation on a farm established in 1880 under the Homestead Act, Chrisp raises several different types of corn along with soybeans in Hastings, Nebraska. Farmers Chrisp have struggled with low prices, trade wars and difficult weather, but there still have been successes to celebrate, Chrisp said.
Similar to the DeltaForce product for each row unit downforce, FurrowForce automatically senses and adjusts the force applied to maintain consistent firming force for the closing system.”
Farmers are facing a difficult time now, but what do you see on the horizon? “As tough as this year has been with the historically wet spring and just unbelievable numbers of acres that were prevented from being planted, which really created an economic stress for our members, it’s probably worth noting over the last year some of the good things that have happened.
See PRECISION, Page A4
See CHRISP, Page A4
AGRINEWS PHOTO/TOM C. DORAN
Bryce Baker points out the features of Precision Planting’s new FurrowForce during the Greater Peoria Farm Show in Peoria, Illinois. one of those two things well. With FurrowForce, it’s really designed with two stages,” said Bryce Baker, Precision Planting integrated marketing manager. “The load cell measures the weight on the second stage and can automatically adjust.
ST. LOUIS — Stepping up to serve as president of the Corn Board of the National Corn Growers Association, Kevin Ross plans to share his and other farmers’ stories to grow understanding of agriculture and, in turn, markets for corn. Ross raises corn using no-till methods, as well as soybeans Ross and alfalfa, and runs a 140-head cow/calf operation with his wife, Sara, near Minden, Iowa. They hope to pass on the farm someday to their four young sons, Hudson, Axten, Carver and Hollis.