Sam1 2017 11 20

AG Mag Field to Plate Northern Illinois

Strengthening the tie between farmers and consumers in the classroom, and at the grocery, market and dinner table.

2017 WRAPUP: The harvest is complete. How did farmers fare?

TRAVEL FORECAST: A look at the region’s infrastructure

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 440 STERLING, IL 61081 P.O. Box 498 Sterling, IL 61081

A Publication of Shaw Media

Fall 2017 AG Mag

1

Index

AG Mag Northern Illinois

COVER STORY

Publisher Don T. Bricker

PAGE 8

Advertising Director Jennifer Heintzelman Editor Jeff Rogers Magazine Editor Jeff Rogers Page Design Jeff Rogers Reporters & Photographers Peter Balser, Pam Eggemeier, Phillip Hartman, Chris Johnson, Michael Krabbenhoeft, Andrea Mills, Alex T. Paschal, Goldie Rapp, Rachel Rodgers, Leichan Stoerger and Bob Tomaszewski Published by Sauk Valley Media 3200 E. Lincolnway Sterling, IL 61081 815-625-3600 Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media. No portion of the Northern Illinois Ag Mag may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Sauk Valley Media cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Sauk Valley Media 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.

From farm to table

There’s a growing movement of knowing where your food comes from before it gets past your lips.

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AG Mag

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Index PHOTO STORY PAGE 22

A tasty tour The 2017 Illinois Harvest Dinner sparked a great dinner conversation about agriculture.

Drones are just one of the many things local ag students in college are learning about.

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Of any tractor, Delbert Schafer of Franklin Grove says, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”

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AG Mag

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Index What did 2017 yield?

Local farmers and agriculture experts talk about this year’s harvest and look ahead to 2018.

2017 WRAPUP PAGE 26

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Chinese ag experts visit the region.

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Photos by Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Heirloom onions (clockwise from top left), fresh eggs, fresh garlic cloves, and pumpkins and other gourds are displayed for sale at the Twin City Farmers Market in the historic Twin City Produce Co. building in Sterling. The year-round market opened in 2005 while the U.S. was seeing a huge increase in the number of farmers markets. About 20 vendors sell locally raised meat and produce and other items.

DIRECT APPROACH Field to plate movement boosts ag awareness, education

F

BY RACHEL RODGERS For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

ood for thought: People are putting more

thought into their food.

Did this ear of corn sitting on the dinner plate come from a local farmer? What process took it from being a small seedling in the dirt to the produce bin at the store?

Field to plate, farm to table, seed to store –

8 Fall 2017

there are several terms for the growing movement of knowing where your food comes from before it gets past your lips.

It stretches beyond the average consumer who specifically looks for offerings at the local farmers market and encompasses groceries, restaurants, schools and other organizations.

CONTINUED ON 94

4CONTINUED FROM 8 The concept is two-fold in that people are looking for fresher, healthier food options, while also supporting area farms with the goal of bolstering the local economy.

There are many links between farmers and consumers in the agricultural food chain, ranging from packaging, transportation and distribution to education, dietetics and marketing.

At the table An initiative aimed at creating a dialogue among different segments of agriculture is the Illinois Harvest Dinner, an annual event that brings farmers, food company executives, academics, health experts and legislators to the table.

The goal is to talk about “good food without a label,” the industrial backbone of Illinois, said Katie Pratt, a Lee County farmer and one of the dinner’s founders. “[The dinner] came from a greater

social commentary about food and farms, and farmers need to be a part of that conversation but often aren’t,” she said.

About 75 percent of the state’s footprint is covered by more than 72,000 farms, and Illinois ag commodities generate about $19 billion a year at market.

“How the food is raised and how it comes to the table is becoming more and more important,” she said.

The September dinner drew about 100 people and included tours of the Pratt family’s Grand Prairie Farms near Dixon, where they grow corn, seed corn and soybeans. The farm-inspired meal was prepared by Vince Swanson, the executive chef at Peoria’s Cracked Pepper who has family ties in Morrison.

County Farm Bureaus also put on a variety of events and programs promoting the field-to-plate culture.

The Carroll County Farm Bureau Young Leaders hosted their first “Farm to Fork” event in late August to promote the complete agricultural experience, including a beef farm tour and dinner

made by Lanark chef Scott Heeren from Custom Catering and BBQ. The event was coupled with talks from local producers like Hunter Haven Farms, Lamoreux Farms, Livengood Family Beef, Lower Farms, and Neumiller Farms, as well as Generations Brewing Co.

In the classroom Many programs are geared toward teaching students the importance of the role that agriculture plays in their daily lives. They include Agriculture in the Classroom, an initiative started at the national level that runs down to states and county Farm Bureaus that direct the programs in local communities.

Last year, Lee County’s Ag in the Classroom included presentations on 35 topics to about 4,400 students, and statewide, that number has grown to a record high of reaching 661,000 students across 102 counties.

CONTINUED ON 104

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Myra Sargent operates the Scarecrow Cafe at the Twin City Farmers Market in Sterling. She gets most of her ingredients from the vendors who sell at the market. Her speciality on this day was a grilled egg salad sandwich.

AG Mag 9

4CONTINUED FROM 9 The program also hit an all-time high of distributing $625,000 in grants across 77 coalitions serving 87 Illinois counties.

Grants can be used for materials, training, educational lessons and activities.

“County coalition grants show state commitment to the county level,” AITC Director Kevin Daugherty said. “In the coming year, we’ll continue our focus on environmental stewardship and agriculture and increase STEM programming with a focus on career development.”

Schools are also implementing new agriculture programs or strengthening existing ones, like Challand Middle School in Sterling, which hosted its first STEAM Fair in May showcasing students’ ability to integrate science, technology, engineering, agriculture and mathematics into a project.

Ag students are also participating in a new monthly series of horticulture lessons, and they plan to test out their green thumbs in 2018.

Agriculture teacher Julie LeFevre said the presentations give students a better understanding of food and make them better consumers.

At the farmers market Greater demand for local, healthy food and products also translates to an uptick in farmers markets and the

10 Fall 2017

Northern Illinois Ag Mag file photo

Challand Middle School eighth-grader Ellie Gasso demonstrates how her wind turbine generates electricity during a STEAM Fair at the Sterling school in May. Students each chose a project that followed one or a mix of STEAM principles – science, technology, engineering, agriculture and mathematics – and presented them to the rest of the student body at the school’s first STEAM Fair. diverse offerings they feature.

Markets throughout the U.S. increased by 92 percent between 1998 and 2009, growing to more than 5,000. Though increases in the past few years are far less significant – the United States

Department of Agriculture puts the increase at 0.21 percent since last year – the total number has reached nearly 8,700 markets.

CONTINUED ON 114

4CONTINUED FROM 10 The year-round Twin City Farmers Market in Sterling started operating in 2005 as a Northwest Illinois Ag Coalition project and is now under the auspices of Sterling Main Street.

Located in the historic Twin City Produce Co. building, about 20 vendors sell locally raised beef, pork, free-range chicken and eggs, homegrown produce, organic herbs, honey, jams, jellies and sauces, a wide variety of baked goods including pies, breads, cookies and cakes, locally made soaps and candles, knitted items, local photography, jewelry, crafts, and artwork.

It’s also home to the Scarecrow Cafe, where chef Myra Sargent makes a variety of soups and other dishes made with locally sourced foods from area farms like Hollyhock Hill Farms east of Sterling, Janssen Farms northeast of Lanark, and Baker’s Union & Catering Co. in downtown Sterling.

The allure of farmers markets isn’t just freshness; it’s

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Working for Hollyhock Hill Farms, Melissa Hartzell, Lucas Sotelo and Ethan Edmondson display the chicken, eggs and cheese the farm sells at the Twin City Farmers Market in Sterling. estimated that 65 percent of money put toward local food stays within the community, compared to about 40 percent from big box stores,

according to 2012 research from Roslynn Brain, a Sustainable Communities Extension specialist in the Department of Environment

and Society, College of Natural Resources at Utah State University.

CONTINUED ON 124

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Photos by Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Myra Sargent gets her eggs from Hollyhock Hill Farms east Sterling, and the bread from Baker’s Union & Catering Co. in downtown. Both have booths at the farmers market. Sargent’s recipes vary weekly, but she always has a soup option.

4CONTINUED FROM 11

At the store Consumers are more drawn to “locally grown” labels at Aldi or “grown in the Midwest” stickers at County Market – products can be labeled as grown locally or regionally if they were grown within state boundaries or within a 400-mile radius, but they usually come within county lines.

About 36 percent of shoppers choose their primary grocery based on the “quality and variety of fresh foods,” according to recent data from the Food Marketing Institute.

The number of consumers buying fresh perishable items has increased 21 percent compared to a year ago and grown 6 percent with those buying more fresh prepared food.

In addition to stores having more

locally grown produce, there’s also more organic options filling the shelves.

Research shows that organic products are perceived more favorably when it comes to nutrition, safety, brand attitude, and brand trust, according to a 2015 study at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.

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AG EDUCATION REACHES NEW HEIGHTS

Drone certification part of Sauk’s new agriculture program this semester, the college hadn’t had an ag program since the mid-1990s.

About 65 miles to the south and east, Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby is also seeing a revival of agriculture education. There, the ag program restarted last fall after being dormant for 15 years.

Both colleges now offer Associates of Applied Sciences degrees.

BY BOB TOMASZEWSKI For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

W

hat’s that over the fields? Is it a bird? A plane?

No, it’s a drone!

Students at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon are learning how drones are used for precision agriculture practices. The class, taught by Richard Eichman, is part of a rebirth of Sauk’s agriculture program. Until

CONTINUED ON 144

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4CONTINUED FROM 13 At Sauk, students now can become certified in Unmanned Aircraft Systems operation, which is usually required to be insured, said Jon Mandrell, vice president of academics at the school.

Students in the UAS program must purchase their own aircraft, starting with the Syma X-5. They begin learning to fly indoors, and eventually learn how to fly the more advanced TGI Phantom 4.

A farmer might use a drone for high-resolution spectral maps to determine which crops need more fertilizer.

Drones offer farmers a more targeted approach to their work.

Eichman hopes the students, and others, have a new perspective on drones.

“People see drones as toys [rather than tools],” he said.

The school’s perspective on agriculture certainly has changed in recent years.

On Oct. 16, Sauk kicked off the revitalization of its ag program by unveiling new signs for its “land laboratory” – newly planted test plots on the college’s east lawn. Scott Stoller, a grain merchandiser with Dixon-based Ag Perspective and the chairman of the college’s Board of Trustees, attended the event.

Photos by Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

CONTINUED ON 164

Sauk Valley Community College instructor Richard Eichman prepares to fly a drone at the school’s Dixon campus. Eichman is working with the school and the state to offer a 4-part class on drone flying, maintenance and licensing of the aircraft. ON PAGE 13: Students at Sauk Valley Community College can now become certified in flying a drone like this “low-end” professional model being operated by instructor Richard Eichman. The class is part of the college’s revival of its agriculture program. The drone can travel up to 400 feet off the ground, and 1 mile away from the controller.

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Ryan Anderson, ag instructor at Sauk Valley Community College, speaks during a ceremony unveiling the new test plots for the college’s ag program.

Sauk President David Hellmich looks on.

4CONTINUED FROM 14 He recalled wondering, “We sit in the middle of agriculture production, where is our ag program?”

In the new ag program, students take general education courses, required ag classes, and then pick one of two tracks: agribusiness – think management, business, economics and accounting – or career technical, which focuses on areas such as welding, electrical and fluid power.

The new program, created in partner-

Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Sauk Valley Community College ag students unveil a new sign for the college’s land laboratory during a ceremony Oct. 16 at the new test plots for the college’s ag program. ship with local farming and industry leaders, will train a new generation of agri-farmers and agri-business professionals to work in the Sauk Valley.

Ryan Anderson, 39, of Dixon, runs the ag program.

The new land lab will have pollinators

next to the test plot, so students can study how they interact with the plants.

They’ve already developed a better understanding of the soil composition since August, Anderson said.

CONTINUED ON 174

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4CONTINUED FROM 16 “One of the difficulties of having a brand-new program is that you don’t necessarily have all the equipment you need, and you have to get creative,” ​he said, citing the school’s partnerships with local businesses.

Sauk is considering incorporating a Commercial Drivers License component to the program, specifically for operating farm equipment, Anderson said.

“We have several employers who have an immediate need for students that may not necessarily need an associate’s degree,” Anderson said. “Some of the consistent needs are for individuals with CDLs.” At IVCC, students have access to a 150-acre school farm for crops and soil labs, as well as a mechanics shop and greenhouse, said program director and instructor Willard Mott. Students there, too, are using technology such as robotics and global positioning systems to learn about precision farming.

IVCC offers an agriculture buisness management degree to train people in relevant fields. During the 2018-19 school year, the college will begin offering an agronomy degree in the fall and an ag operators certificate in February, where students will learn about safety regulations, machine maintenance and licensing requirements in Illinois.

Goldie Rapp/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Willard Mott, program director and instructor at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, is working to promote the college’s new agriculture programs for students.

Registration for the operators certificate opened Nov. 3.

Mott said the reason for the revival in agriculture programs among community colleges was a 5-year projection from 2015 to 2020 by the USDA showing there would be 57,000 agricultural

job openings annually with only 35,400 graduates yearly with an agriculture degree. Mott hopes IVCC and other schools like Sauk can help fill that 20,000 job employment gap locally.

There are 30 students enrolled in the IVCC ag program.

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Delbert Schafer, 86, of Franklin Grove, concentrates as he operates his 1952 Minneapolis Moline tractor. (Chris Johnson/ Northern Illinois Ag Mag)

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ith the grace of a circus acrobat, a Franklin Grove farmer works to keep the past alive.

Delbert Schafer, 86, effortlessly climbs ladders and nimbly walks across machinery as he carefully examines each moving piece.

Running a thresher is a finely tuned routine between the operator and the tractor supplying the power. Before the first revolution of the engine or the first grain is threshed, Schafer inspects every belt, lever, and mechanical connection to ensure it is safe to run.

As he climbs over the machine, Schafer pauses and places his hand on its side, listening to and checking the rhythm of the thresher.

With these machines “you get a feel for how it runs,” he says.

“It runs like a sewing machine, and you can tell how it is working by the sound and feel. I love the way this machine works.”

After 15 seconds, he tells one of the assistants, “It’s running a hair fast,” and the power is reduced.

“I check the speed of the machine by touching it and looking at my watch,” Schafer says.

CONTINUED ON 204

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Franklin Grove man has a passion for farm implements

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4CONTINUED FROM 19 “It should be exactly 168 strokes per minute. You can damage the machine if it goes too fast.”

Schafer’s passion for the Huber Manufacturing Co.’s Model G2 Thresher goes back generations.

This Marion, Ohio-built machine was purchased by his father, Arthur M. Schafer, in 1936.

“It was and still is a good machine,” he says. “[Dad] was running it and threshing for our neighbors until 1951 or ’52, when a combine was purchased.”

A 1952 Minneapolis Moline tractor

Photos by Chris Johnson/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Delbert Schafer, 86, Franklin Grove, inspects the belts, pulleys, and mechanical parts of his 1929 Huber Manufacturing Co.’s Model G2 Thresher that was purchased by his father, Arthur M. Schafer, in 1936. is one of his favorite machines to use when running the thresher.

These two pieces of farm history have a special place in Schafer’s heart.

The thresher was the oldest piece of

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Chris Johnson/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Delbert Schafer laughs as he talks with visitors at the Summer Harvest Festival in Franklin Grove. This 1952 Minneapolis Moline was the last new tractor purchased by Schafer’s dad.

Asked why he brings the equipment to shows, Schafer has a quick answer.

“If you don’t use it, you lose it,” he says with a laugh. “Tractors and equipment were made to be used. I like to use my tractors, and I make sure they are used.”

Attending shows like the Living History Antique Equipment Association’s annual Summer Harvest Festival in Franklin Grove gives Schafer the opportunity to use the equipment and teach future generations about farming.

He also doesn’t want to see the history dismantled.

“I sold tractors as an implement dealer since ‘54. It is unfortunate, but you can sell the parts of these old machines for more than keeping them [running]. I think it is a challenge to keep them running and bringing equipment back to life.”

Schafer is a rarity in an industry where machines are traded, sold, or scrapped for parts.

“When you find a reliable car, tractor, or machine, I like to keep them,” he says. “I have all the Oldsmobiles I have ever driven except for two.”

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A TASTE OF THE HARVEST

Dixon dinner promotes farm connections, agriculture discussion

LEFT: A fresh garden sala pork, served over wheat b

Katie Pratt addresses the crowd of nearly 100 attendees at the 2017 Illinois Harvest Dinner. “[The dinner] came from a greater social commentary about food and farms, and farmers need to be a part of that conversation but often aren’t,” said Pratt, co-chairwoman of the event and one of its founders.

Kristin Bogdonas came all the way from Moline to Dixon to visit Grand Prairie Farms and attend the 2017 Illinois Harvest Dinner. The goal was to bring together farmers and non-farmers to make direct connections and talk about food, from its beginnings in a field to its end on a plate and everything else in between.

22 Fall 2017

Photos by Peter Balser For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

ad prepared by chefs with Peoria-based Cracked Pepper Catering was the first course of the meal. CENTER: A plate of shredded berry pilaf, squash, carrots, and roasted corn. RIGHT: Zucchini bread with a dollop of butter.

Northern Illinois University students Nicholas Newman (left) and Luke Graham(right) look around an empty corn silo. Guests of the 2017 Illinois Harvest Dinner were encouraged to tour the Pratt family farm to pass time at the event.

Corby Mudd, a server for Peoria-based Cracked Pepper catering, places deviled egg crackers on a serving tray for Libby Huffner. Cracked Pepper was catering the Illinois Harvest Dinner on Sept. 6, which was hosted by Katie and Andrew Pratt, and their family at Grand Prairie Farms near Dixon.

Farmers, health care professionals, legislators and business leaders gathered for a taste of the harvest and a talk about the state’s largest industry.

AG Mag

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Are you down for the count?

It’s time for the ag census, used to make important farming decisions

A

BY LEICHAN STOERGER Northern Illinois Ag Mag

nything that occurs only once every 5 years is a big happening.

And to the farming industry, the Census of Agriculture is certainly big.

The census, taken every 5 years, is a count of U.S. farms and ranches, and of those who own and operate them. The next ag census comes in December. It should be returned by Feb. 5. Census results will be released in February 2019.

Ron Kern Those results will be important to farmers, ranchers, policy makers and community planners.

“The ag census is important,” Ogle County Farm Bureau Manager Ron Kern said. “All farmers need to complete the census. It is what policy makers across the country use when examining data.”

Local agriculture advocates use the census to look at different aspects of farming.

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Farmers work the field in rural Polo harvesting corn in early November.

Kern said he is most interested in the number and size of farms, the age of farmers, grain and livestock production numbes, economic returns, and debt-versus-assets figures.

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“All of these indicate to me what trends we are seeing in agriculture,” Kern said.

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4CONTINUED FROM 24 “By understanding these trends, we prepare ourselves to get into better position to not only understand agriculture, but to represent agriculture.”

Matt Lillpop, executive director of the Whiteside County Farm Bureau, said among the several results he will be interested in are farm values and net cash farm income.

“In Illinois, agriculture is the state’s economic driver,” Lillpop said. “One in six jobs is tied to agriMatt culture. Farming is unique Lillpop in the fact that farmers are price takers.

“In other industries, you produce a product and set a selling price. In farming, you plant a crop, care for it, hope it rains, and in the fall harvest a crop. That crop is sold with prices set Justina Chlum by the market – basic supply and demand. Farmers wear many hats – one of them being marketer.”

Lillpop said farmers utilize a variety of marketing tools, but much is out of their control. He said they can’t control world markets, the weather, input costs and a host of other factors.

2012 Ag Census Highlights Lee County Farms: 835 Land in farms: 369,047 acres Average farm size: 442 acres Corn for grain harvested: 548 farms Cattle and calves inventory: 150 farms Whiteside County Farms: 1,110 Land in farms: 403,242 acres Average farm size: 363 acres Corn for grain harvested: 631 farms

Cattle and calves inventory: 240 farms Ogle County Farms: 1,148 Land in farms: 376,422 acres Average farm size: 328 acres Corn for grain harvested: 609 farms Cattle and calves inventory: 316 farms Carroll County Farms: 643 Land in farms: 256,132 acres Average farm size: 398 acres

How it works The National Agricultural Statistics Service will mail questionnaires for the 2017 Census of Agriculture to farm and ranch operators in December to collect data for the 2017 calendar year. Completed forms are due by Feb. 5, 2018. Respondents can complete the Census online at \agcensus.usda.gov or return their forms by mail.

“The bottom line is they hope to make a profit that covers their production costs.

Just as with other industries, agriculture’s trickle-down economics impacts the economy. In lean years, farmers may buy less equipment or put off adding that new grain bin,” Lillpop said.

Justina Chlum, executive director of the Bureau County Farm Service Agency, said she finds the information

derived from the ag census extremely interesting.

“I have the opportunity to help producers in the county through agriculture programs,” she said. “The census helps me better understand the producers in the county and how they operate, ultimately shining light on the potential need to adjust my outreach efforts.”

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AG Mag

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FIELD REPORT ’17: Soybean harvest up, corn lags behind; yields projected to be similar, slightly lower than last year

CARS815.com 26 Fall 2017

F

BY RACHEL RODGERS For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

armers are seeing high soybean yields, but a late start to planting corn in the spring coupled with colder, wetter weather had harvest efforts lagging as the season neared a close.

By the end of October, only half of the corn crop was harvested in Northwest Illinois, compared with 82 percent during the same time a year ago, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Statewide, about 73 percent of corn crop was harvested compared to 90 percent last year. It also trailed the 5-year average of 84 percent. nnn

In Iowa, about 44 percent of corn was harvested, but it was nearly 2 weeks behind the 5-year average, and soybeans were at 83 percent, 6 days behind the average.

Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

A combine unloads into a grain cart while a farmer harvests a field of corn in rural Ogle County on Nov. 1.

Much of the corn harvest slowdown in the region was caused by higher precipitation and lower temperatures, leaving farmers to wait until crops dried, along with delays during the planting season.

“The season started out a little bit on

the wet side, and things didn’t go in perfectly,” said Carey Bauer, a manager at Rock River Lumber and Grain Co. in Prophetstown.

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AG Mag

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4CONTINUED FROM 27 There was an abrupt warmup around April 20, the optimal time to plant, but that gave way to heavy rain and freezing temperatures just a few days later, causing delays in a relatively small planting window in Northern Illinois.

It was a considerably wetter spring compared to last year, with precipitation nearly 70 percent higher in Morrison and about 60 percent higher in Dixon, according to Illinois State Water Survey data.

Spring rainfall totals were 16.32 inches in Morrison and 15.03 inches in Dixon, up from 9.64 and 9.43 inches, respectively, last year.

“Planting delays kept the corn from maturing, and the recent cold doesn’t affect the yield, but it does affect the timing,” said Andy Pratt, a corn, seed corn and soybean farmer in rural Dixon.

The corn harvest was about 2 weeks behind, but overall, the yields looked to be similar to last year, he said.

About 83 percent of soybeans were harvested in Northwest Illinois, slightly down from 88 percent in 2016.

“Bean yields look to be the same or a little lower than last year,” Pratt said.

Larry Hummel, a Lee County farmer and crop watcher, said the condition of soybean yields is varied, but he’s seen

Alex T. Paschal/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

By the end of October, the corn harvest was about 2 weeks behind the average in Northern Illinois.

some of the best results come from good ground that held moisture well during dry spells in August and September.

Yields in Lee and Whiteside counties last year were about 200 bushels/acre for corn, up from 188.4 and 184.8 in 2015, and 60.8 bushels/acre for soybeans, about the same as 2015.

Corn prices for 2017 are likely to be at or lower than $3.50 per bushel, according to the USDA, with soybeans projected to be in the $9 to $9.50 range.

Estimated corn and soybean prices for 2018 and 2019 are near $3.50 and about $9.50, respectively, said Gary

Schnitkey, an agriculture economist at the University of Illinois.

U.S. market year averages for corn have steadily decreased during the past several years, with 2011 to 2016 averages totaling $6.22, $6.89, $4.46, $3.70, $3.61 and $3.36, respectively.

The national market averages for soybeans are more varied with prices of $12.50, $14.40, $13, $10.10, $8.95 and $9.47 from 2011 to 2016, respectively.

More farmers are planting soybeans, a trend that’s likely to continue because of higher revenues compared to corn.

“On average in Illinois, soybeans have been more profitable than corn since 2014, an unusual situation given that Illinois is in the heart of the Corn Belt,” Schnitkey said. “Both costs and revenue from the two crops contribute to this situation. Costs increased more for corn than for soybeans from 2006 to 2013, causing the need for corn to have more revenue than soybeans for corn to remain as profitable as soybeans.”

USDA estimates for the next 5 years don’t divert much from current levels in prices, but weather conditions and other factors could change that.

From 2017 to 2021 corn prices are projected to be $3.30, $3.35, $3.35, $3.45 and $3.50, and soybeans at $9.35, $9.40, $9.40, $9.45 and $9.45, respectively.

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FARMERS FORUM

With Bob Tomaszewski of Northern Illinois Ag Mag

What surprised you most about the 2017 growing season?

What would you do different for 2018?

Larry Hummel

Larry Hummel, 62, Dixon “Probably the variability in yields is what surprised me most. On the top end, we had some of our best yields ever on good ground that was able to hold the moisture during the dry spell in August and September. Most of the time, it was fairly cool, so the plants weren’t stressing the good ground. Those ended up being some of the best soybeans we’ve ever harvested. On the other side of the spectrum, on the ground that was lighter soils, it didn’t have the subsoil moisture there for the plants and it’s been a long time since we have had yields that low on the bottom end. Next year, we

David Gussie

Bob Colwell

might rent more good ground, I guess.”

David Gussie, 77, Dixon

“The amount of stuff that was out there to be harvested, the yields were darn good, beans were average or better. The corn has been really good, which surprised the dickens out of me.I am not sure if [son] Matt [Gussie] will be doing anything different or not.”

Bob Colwell, 61, Franklin Grove

“I dont know if it surprised us, but it was wet early and dry late, things are late. [There’s] not too much that we are going

Ed Brokaw

to change. Just hope that it’s a little drier earlier and a little wetter later.”

Ed Brokaw, 59, Sterling

“For the lack of heat, you know, we had what you would consider a cooler season. The quality of the grain that is out there, good yields. I would like to repeat this year again [next year]. Spray worked good.

We’re a little concerned about how late the season is, but that’s the only thing. Mother nature controls that.”

Ryan Anderson, 39 Dixon

“The weather was a surprise.

Ryan Anderson

While the weather probably should not be a surprise to anybody, really what surprised me was the amount of rain that we got at the beginning of the growing season and the amount of rain that we did not get during the crucial part of the growing season, the summer, and then the rain we got again at the end of the growing season really delaying us getting crops out of the field. A couple of things I would probably look at doing differently, I think as we start looking at that tight window that we had to get crops in in the spring, I think we are probably going to start seeing longer days in the field right away. You are probably going to see people get a little bit more antsy to get into the field.”

SM-ST1471856

AG Mag

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ARE WE THERE YET?

Agriculture infrastructure needs remain; waterways top transportation priority for farmers

T

BY PAM EGGEMEIER For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

he need to fix the nation’s crumbling infrastructure is undeniable, but figuring out how to pay for it isn’t so obvious.

President Donald Trump made the modernization of the nation’s roads, bridges, waterways, rail systems and airports a top priority when he took office this year. At the center of his broad infrastructure plan was the use of public-private partnerships to help fund a $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

In late September, however, the president said he no longer wanted to use private investment to carry the load for government infrastructure programs.

America’s farmers depend on infrastructure to keep a competitive advantage in exporting products. Soybeans are this country’s most exported crop, but in the past 30 years, U.S. market share has dropped from 70 percent to 40 percent.

CONTINUED ON 314

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4CONTINUED FROM 30 Brazil now has more than 40 percent of the soybean market, and now trails the U.S. in only corn exports.

Transportation challenges had about doubled the cost of Brazil’s soybean production, but the South American country is pouring billions each year into rebuilding its infrastructure. Most of the money is coming from private investment, including a new Brazil-China investment fund that was launched with $20 billion.

Farm advocacy groups, including Illlinois Farm Bureau, have made waterway transportation upgrades a high legislative priority. In Northwest Illinois, a large percentage of grains and livestock still travel along the Illinois River system.

Moving grain Larry Hummel, a Lee County farmer, stores his own grain, but sells it through grain elevators. Elevators sometimes handle the trucking, but farmers also hire out the driving duties.

Ethanol and biodiesel plants now take some of the region’s corn and soybeans, but quite a bit still winds up traveling through the locks and dams system that is more than 70 years old in places. A smaller amount goes to the Rochelle intermodal system, which often ends up in Japan.

“Twenty years ago, probably 90 percent of our local grain and livestock went to the Illinois River, but now we take some to the ethanol plants and Rochelle,” Hummel said. “The locks and dams affect us quite a bit because a big percentage of our grain still goes straight to the Illinois River.”

The Marquis Energy ethanol plant in Hennepin and the Archer Daniels Midland plant in Clinton, Iowa, are popular landing spots for local grain.

Hummel said most of the roads often traveled by the trucks are in decent shape, but some of the bridges are in dire need of work. Areas near Atkinson Road can be problematic, but a bill passed a couple of years ago helped make road capacity regulations more consistent.

“It helped us that the roads are all 80,000-pound capacity unless specifically designated – some of the county and township roads were a lot less,” Hummel said.

The river system The locks and dams, however, can significantly increase the cost of doing business. Low water levels, flooding, locks that are too small, and faulty gates often stall ag cargo.

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4CONTINUED FROM 31 “When the locks and dams are shut down for repairs – sometimes for a week or more – it really affects our markets,” Hummel said. “When they aren’t moving, the ethanol plants don’t have to bid as high for grain.”

In Washington, Trump says an infrastructure bill is still a high priority, but it keeps getting pushed to the back burner. Agriculture advocates are confident it will happen, just not as soon as they would have liked.

“We’re hopeful there will be some movement after tax reform and the farm bill, but this takes time and there isn’t much time before the midterm elections,” said Adam Nielsen, director of national legislation and policy development at Illinois Farm Bureau.

Nielsen said Farm Bureau’s biggest push on infrastructure is for improvements to locks and dams. The Peoria Lock and Dam complex in Creve Coeur is particularly important to farmers, giving them market access from the Illinois River to Chicago. Very few upgrades have been made since it was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1930s. An estimated 8.2 million tons of grain made its way through the lock in 2016.

CONTINUED ON 334

Photo submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The Rock Island Arsenal’s Lock and Dam 15, located on the Upper Mississippi River, extends from Rock Island to Davenport, Iowa.

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“Broadband is playing an increasingly important role on the farm now, and rural areas need better access.”

Adam Nielsen

Director of national legislation and policy developement, Illinois Farm Bureau 4CONTINUED FROM 32 “Every time the gates fail, it costs farmers and businesses a lot of money,” Nielsen said. “We’ve had talks about getting this done in 2020, and we’re hoping they get the 1,200-foot locks built.”

Many locks along the inland waterways system are only half that size. The locks were made for much smaller tows.

Today’s tows carry up to 15 barges, so they must often be stopped and broken up for two stages, slowing down the cargo for several hours.

Towboats push connected barges along the waterways, which is an efficient mode of transportation. One 15-barge tow moves as much product as 225 rail cars or 870 tractor-trailers.

“Broadband is playing an increasingly important role on the farm now, and rural areas need better access,” Nielsen said.

U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, is on the House Agriculture Committee, and has taken a leadership role on the Transportation and Infrastructure panel. In early October, Bustos presented a comprehensive rural infrastructure plan to the administration’s legislative affairs team.

Bustos doesn’t expect infrastructure development to get bogged down in partisan politics.

“Ag and Transportation are two of

Rural infrastructure While much of the focus is on the river system, Farm Bureau is also pushing for improvements to roads, bridges and rural broadband.

the most bipartisan committees in the House,” Bustos said. “There are no party labels on a desire for world-class infrastructure, and both Democrats and Republicans want it.”

Bustos agreed that tax reform will delay any action on transportation, but it might not be that far off.

“The secretary of transportation said they would look at transportation after tax reform is passed, and [House Speaker] Paul Ryan hopes to have tax reform passed by Thanksgiving,” Bustos said.

Several ways to fund the $1 trillion transportation package over the next 10 years have been discussed in Washington, but the Trump budget includes a projected 15 percent cut to transportation. Rural Development funding, which is part of the farm bill, is also on the chopping block.

CONTINUED ON 344

“Ag and Transportation are two of the most bipartisan committees in the House. There are no party labels on a desire for world-class infrastructure, and both Democrats and Republicans want it.”

U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline

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4CONTINUED FROM 33 Bustos said an increase in the federal gas tax is a possibility. The tax, which goes into the Highway Trust Fund, has paid for infrastructure since 1931, but hasn’t been raised since 1993. The state gas tax helps pay for local infrastructure improvements.

The federal tax is now 18.4 cents a gallon, or 24.4 cents for diesel fuel. The Highway Trust Fund has disbursed more than it’s taken in since 2008, and the government has added money from other sources.

Volatile gas prices, energy-efficient vehicles and drivers logging fewer miles have made the tax an unreliable funding source. Some in Congress are calling for the tax to be indexed to inflation.

Facility charges help fund airport improvements, and the Harbor Maintenance Tax is collected from water transportation users to fund the Army Corps of Engineers operations.

Another idea for funding infrastructure requires going after corporations that hide taxable revenues offshore.

“Many U.S. businesses are keeping profits overseas, and it’s estimated that there is more than $2 trillion that isn’t at home,” Bustos said.

CONTINUED ON 354

Photo submitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Crew members make repairs to a roller gate at Lock and Dam 14 in Pleasant Valley, Iowa, after a barge collided with the dam in 2014.

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4CONTINUED FROM 34 A few states support taking over responsibility for their own infrastructure projects. They would rather raise local gas taxes and be able to show residents where the money is going.

Finding the funding while addressing health care, tax reform and a new farm bill are backing up the infrastructure bill that Trump had said would be the cornerstone of his first 100 days in office.

Bustos said all signs point toward bipartisan support for infrastructure investments that will also create jobs and improve the quality of life in rural America.

“I’m still optimistic about getting this done because both parties want it,” Bustos said. “The president also needs a win on this. He said infrastructure and transportation was one of the first things he would get done and there is a tremendous opportunity to do it.”

The Trump budget also calls for the elimination of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant program. The program was set up in 2009, as part of the Obama administration’s economic stimulus plan. The grants provided nearly $500 million a year for state and local infrastructure projects.

Bustos has called for the reauthoriza-

Photo submitted by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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The transportation bill now in place was passed in 2015, and expires in 2020.

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Weekend ‘college’ boosts beginning farmers’ skills Northern Illinois Ag Mag staff

Beginning farmers can boost their farming skills through New Farmer U, a weekend conference Dec. 8-10 in Streator. New Farmer U is presented by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service and Renewing the Countryside with local partner Angelic Organics Learning Center.

“Farmers in their first 5 years on the farm have unique challenges,” said Jennifer Nelson, MOSES organic specialist and New Farmer U manager. “This conference gives them insights from experienced farmers, and helps them connect with other beginning farmers so they can support each other.”

The conference focuses on farming practices that are sustainable and organic.

The schedule includes 10 workshops on farming topics such as farm design, soil fertility, marketing, organic vegetable production, and tractor maintenance. There will also be expert-led discussions on farm law, organic certification, and farm policy. Government agencies and farming organizations will have resource tables highlighting services to help beginning farmers.

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“This conference gives them insights from experienced farmers, and helps them connect with other beginning farmers so they can support each other.”

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Organic specialist and New Farmer U manager New Farmer U takes place at Streator Baptist Camp.

The all-inclusive cost of $125 covers workshops and activities plus dormitory-type lodging and meals.

“The weekend feels like being back in college, only now we’re all farmers,” Nelson said.

New Farmer U participants have the option to attend one of two full-day workshops Friday, Dec. 8, prior to the conference for $25 (half the regular price). Topics are “Fearless Farm Finances,” covering basic farm financial management, and, “Food Safety,” focusing on the new federal rules for vegetable growers.

Find more details about New Farmer U and the fullday workshops online at NewFarmerU.org or call 715778-5775.

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36 Fall 2017

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Second-grade students (from left) Avery Gempeler and Maddox Misiewicz at Eastland Elementary School in Shannon make an apple chain to take home during an Ag in the Classroom program.

Local students hear about Illinois pumpkins, apples Northern Illinois Ag Mag staff

Through the Agriculture in the Classroom program in Ogle and Carroll counties, elementary students received information about growing apple trees and the life cycle of pumpkins in September and October.

According to a news release, younger elementary students “decorated” trees to show the different seasons.

Older elementary students made an apple chain so they could tell the “apple story” to their families.

Students heard the story “Pumpkin Jack” by Will Hubbell, about the life cycle of a pumpkin. Kindergarten students illustrated their own pumpkin books to share. Other students made

a pumpkin chain and some made pumpkin charms. All the projects represented the pumpkin life cycle and gave the students an opportunity to share the knowledge they gained with others.

Some of the details children received were that Illinois farmers grow more pumpkins than anywhere else in the wordl, with most pumpkin processing taking place in Morton.

Ag in the Classroom is a University of Illinois College of Agriculture program to help students gain a greater awareness of the role of agriculture in the economy and society.

Go to web.illlinois.edu/ bdo or call the Ogle County Extension office at 815-7322191 for more information.

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FOREIGN EXCHANGE Chinese officials dine, discuss agriculture in Carroll County

A

BY PHILLIP HARTMAN For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

little beef, a little pie, and a lot of discussion of American agriculture were on the agenda for a Chinese delegation visiting a 150-year-old Lanark farm this fall.

A group of seven visitors from Chinese ministries and universities took a tour of the Lamoreux farm.

The delegates were on a 2-week visit to America as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Scientific Cooperation Program.

CONTINUED ON 394

Zhang Lubiao, deputy director-general of the department of International Cooperation with the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, presents a gift to John Lamoreux and his wife. Zhang visited the Lamoreux family farm near Lanark in September as a part of a delegation from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture.

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4CONTINUED FROM 38 The stopover came as Illinois farmers started sending beef to China for the first time in more than a decade “China has almost unlimited potential. There hadn’t been [beef] exports to China because of mad cow disease,� said Lou Lamoreux, 68, a board member of the Illinois Meat Export Federation. He farms with his brother, John, 70.

The Chinese beef market reopened to American imports earlier this year, after an embargo put in place in 2003 was lifted. Jodi Bucher, president of the Illinois Beef Association, said the first shipment of beef was sent to China on June 14. “It’s a $2.6 billion-per-year estimated market for the U.S.,� Bucher said of China.

Zhang Xuebiao, 35, a research associate at the Agricultural Information Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that while Chinese people like to eat pork, they also are looking for more high-quality beef.

Photos by Peter Balser/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Lanark farmer Lou Lamoreux shows feed corn to Zhang Lubiao (left) and Li Chao (center), members of a delegation from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, during their visit to his CONTINUED ON 404 family farm in September.

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Peter Balser/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

ABOVE: Reid Blossom, executive vice president of the Ilinois Beef Association, talks about the Illinois Beef Quality Assurance test with members of a delegation from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. RIGHT: Li Chao, deputy division driector of the Department of Agriculture at the Ministry of Finance in China, poses on a tractor on the Lamoreux family farm.

4CONTINUED FROM 39

Lamoreux said the only beef imports permitted by the Chinese government are liver, tongue, and tripe.

On Sept. 26, the delegation enjoyed a different cut of beef when they sat down to a steak dinner with the family. Liu Zhiyi, 35, a research associate at the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, said, “The steak is very good.”

The Lamoreuxes and their guests showed the delegates some of the cattle, and discussed how the family uses manure to fertilize their own crops.

CONTINUED ON 414

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The farm has between 700 and 1,000 head cattle, mainly Angus, and another 200 cows with calves. Lou’s son, Nathan, and John’s son, Dan, both 34, also help with the 5-generation family farm, which was started in 1867.

“Our families, together, have about 900 acres. We rent about that much more. We also have corn, soybeans, and hay,” Lou Lamoreux said.

Professor Zhu Jing, 48, dean of the College of Economic Management at Nanjing Agricultural University, spoke with Dan Lamoreux about the cattle operations, certification for farmers, and the differences between farming in China and America.

“The biggest differences are size and mechanization. You have vast land,” Zhu said. The average Chinese farm is about .1 hectare, or a quarter of an acre, and “Northeast China has some machinery,” he said.

Cari Garcia Manns, president of Traders Group Inc. Chicago, said the delegates had stopped in Washington, D.C., Nebraska, and Chicago, and would reschedule a visit to New York before completing their trip in Long Beach, California. The tour started Sept. 17 and wrapped up Sept. 29.

Family builds an impressive collection

BY DAVE COOK For NorthCentral Illinois Ag Mag

The only green tractor you’ll find on Lloyd Schrowang’s family farm in Granville is on a shelf in a toy cabinet. Everything else on this farm is associated with one color – red.

International Harvester red, to be exact.

“I started collecting toys when I was a kid. I’ve repainted some of them, but you didn’t worry about keeping them back then, you played with them,” Schrowang said.

CONTINUED ON 34

Granville’s Lloyd Schrowang stands next to his first and favorite tractor, a 1953 Balser/Northern Illinois International Harvester Super M. Purchased new by Peter his father, Lloyd took it Ag Mag Members a delegation thecountless Chinese Ministry of Agriculture pose with the over in 1958ofand has sincefrom logged hours aboard the old red tractor.

Lamoreux family, (Christoper Manns with Traders Inc., Dave Cook/NorthCentral IllinoisGroup, Ag Mag ) and 89th District state Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Freeport.

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She’s quite the barn-burner Photographer documents local barn tours, helps preserve farms’ history in process

I

BY ANDREA MILLS For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

n July, the Whiteside County Barn Tour celebrated its 10th year of bringing city folks into the country for a closer look at the stalwart structures that helped a nation grow: Barns.

But what do people who missed the tour do after the barn doors are closed?

That’s where a Sterling photographer comes in. Not only is Linnea Koch helping bring the tours to people who missed them, or who might want a memento of the event, she’s helping preserve the legacy of buildings that are as much a part of farm’s family as the people who use them.

Since 2014 – when she received some seed money from Ed Ebersohl, one of the tour’s volunteers – she’s doc-

umented the barns on the tour for DVDs that she sells.

The annual tours raise funds for the Whiteside County Farm Bureau Foundation. The group’s goal, according to its website, is to “provide awareness, knowledge and resources to facilitate a grassroots effort to preserve the barns and agricultural history of Whiteside County.” This year, the annual 2-day event tried something different, starting in Lee County for a change. The tour stopped at eight farms along the way as it worked back into Whiteside County.

People touring the countryside now and then might wonder just what the outbuildings are used for or what stories are found inside those barn wood beauties.

CONTINUED ON 434

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Linnea Koch of Sterling shows a collage of photos she took for the 2014 Whiteside County Barn Tour. Koch has been producing DVDs of the tours since 2014, and also compiled a DVD of prior tours. The DVDs feature photos and information about the barns – and just like any good DVD, some bonus features, too.

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Cambridge: 800-808-1812 Manlius: 800-624-5593

Contact Linnea Koch Photography at 815-6267124 or Linnea@illinoisbarn.com to order DVDs: $20 for one, $35 for two, $45 for three, or $55 for four. do interviews for the DVD. Instead, she included her own story about her journey from the suburbs of Chicago to Sterling and what she learned by moving to farm country.

The 2016 DVD intermingles photos of European barns with ones on that year’s local tour, allowing viewers to see similarities, and differences, between agricultural architecture. The DVD also has a special gem – photos of a 1957 Porsche tractor found in a European barn.

“What farmer wouldn’t like to have that?” she asked.

Since she missed the tour’s first few years, prior to 2014, Koch produced a DVD for the 2008-13 tours with barn photos and music.

She’s currently working on putting together 2017’s DVD.

SM-PR1471783

Koch answers as many of those questions as she can on her DVDs. She takes photos and interviews farmers and people on the tour.

“I got help from a friend with questions for interviews with farmers and visitors,” she said.

About 350 hours went into creating her first DVD in 2014, compiling the information and burning it on to a DVD, her husband, Wolf Koch, said.

“We just did the DVDs ourselves,” he said, but that proved to be too time consuming, so now they’re done professionally.

“People loved them,” his wife said. “They thought it was a great idea.”

The 2014 Barn Tour DVD features narration and music, along with information obtained from the farm family interviews, portraits of the barns, and details on their interiors. It also features a variety of farm scenes from the local landscape.

In 2015, Kock, who’s originally from Geneva, didn’t

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