Svm-SS3

Time to expand?

Wait-and-see approach being taken by hog farmers – Page 2

Agritourism

Recent growth follows local food movement – Page 4

Pumpkin pleasure

This year’s harvest looks a lot better than last year’s – Page 8

Today’s Farm

Dave Fox/For Today’s Farm

Cover story: Sheep farmers RoJean and Dale Coleson honored by Whiteside County Fair – Page 6 Tuesday, September 13, 2016

A supplement to Sauk Valley Media

Today’s Farm

PAGE 2

Sauk Valley Media • September 13, 2016

LIVESTOCK EXPANSION

Hog farmers taking a wait-and-see approach Might not be quite time to go hog wild

BY PAM EGGEMEIER Today’s Farm

WALNUT – The market is sending some mixed signals for hog producers considering expansion.

At the beginning of the year, intent-to-construct filings for swine were slightly ahead of the previous year’s pace.

Producers were optimistic about prospects for increased demand in China.

“In 2014, Chinese pork producers reduced herds due to poor margins, and now there is a pork shortage, resulting in recordhigh retail prices,” said Chris Hurt, an agricultural economist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

China is on pace to unseat Japan as the world’s top pork producer, a distinction held by Japan since 1989.

In 2013 and 2014, high feed prices and the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus further reduced herds, and pork prices peaked at $4.21 a pound in September 2014. Prices have leveled off since, and about $3.80 a pound is expected throughout the rest of 2016.

Pork margins had improved last year to the point where many producers were at least able to break even. Just when the prospects for increased demand had producers optimistic about turning a profit this year, input costs started rising.

“In April, feed prices

Top 10 hog states Last year In the U.S., about 68,000 pork producers sent more than 110 million hogs, with a market value of $23.4 billion, to market.

The top hog-producing states in the U.S. based on 2015 market inventory of hogs and pigs: Iowa - 20,600 North Carolina - 8,500 Minnesota - 7,900 Illinois - 4,700 Indiana - 3,700 Nebraska - 3,100 Missouri - 2,850 Ohio - 2,310 Oklahoma - 2,170 Kansas - 1,840 started going up from reduced South American corn and soybean production, and weather concerns for 2016 U.S. crops,” Hurt said. “Now pork producers are caught between the good news of potentially higher pork prices from growing exports and the bad news of higher feed prices.”

Those dueling dynamics will ultimately determine profit margins for the rest of this year and 2017.

At this point, 2016 looks like another wash. In the first quarter, corn prices averaged $3.60 a bushel, while high protein meal was about $276 a ton.

Corn is now about $4 a bushel, and meal futures have eclipsed $400 a ton.

Prices in 2016 are expected to be about $52 per live hundredweight, a $2 increase from last year. The bad news, however, is that production costs are also supposed to rise by $2 per live hundredweight.

HOGS continued on 34

Philip Marruffo/Today’s Farm

Harry McCune looks over his hogs at his newly constructed facility near Manlius in Bureau County. McCune is in his first year of contracting with JBS in Brazil, and is doubling his operations from 2,500 head to 5,000.

Agriculture is more than a business.

It’s a way of life.

From the food on our tables to the clothes on our backs, we depend on agriculture.

We believe in it. We invest in it.

Over 80 years combined Ag/Commercial Lending experience!

Ed Wolf

Mike Farrell

Reed Hutchcraft

Sterling • Rock Falls • Morrison • Dixon Mt. Morris • Byron • Clinton, Iowa

Locally owned since 1885.

815-626-0614 www.sterlingfederal.com

September 13, 2016 • Sauk Valley Media

Today’s Farm

PAGE 3

Concerns about prices Providing insurance coverage of feed temper optimism for local homes and farms HOGS

CONTINUED FROM 2 ▼

Hog prices tend to be higher in warmer weather, so profits of $10 a head are projected in the second and third quarters, but losses of $16 a head are expected in the last quarter of 2016 and first quarter of 2017.

“We’re in a wait-and-see mode – a lot depends on the weather over the next 90 days,” Hurt said. “Producers are fearful of more adverse dry weather that could further elevate feed prices.”

The intent-to-build applications are just the first step in receiving project approval from the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Site plans for construction and manure handling must be submitted to the state, and a minimum of three onsite inspections are done.

Public meetings can also be part of the process.

Fear of higher feed prices could have some producers reconsidering the timing of expanding.

“With the outlook a bit uneasy, this isn’t the best time to go to a lender and say you need another $1 million for expansion,” Hurt said.

Caution in the pork industry, however, is tempered by intense pressure to grow. Illinois has

dropped from second to fourth in U.S. hog production. From 1985 to 1996, the state lost half its hog farmers. In 1996, there were 9,600 producers, and last year that number was down to 4,700.

The producers that remain are running larger operations, and scrambling to stake their claim in the global marketplace.

“The hog industry is dominated by large corporations, and many of those operations had been family farms,” Hurt said. “The expansion we see is mainly from the big corporations.”

Harry McCune raises hogs in Bureau County near Manlius. He recently decided to produce for corporate operations.

“This is my first year of being a contract producer for others,” McCune said.

“I produce for JBS in Brazil.”

JBS is the largest meat processing company in the world by sales. It entered the pork market after its 2007 acquisition of Swift & Company.

Now McCune plans to take advantage of the enormous scale of such a huge multinational corporation.

“I am going to double my operations, and go from 2,500 to 5,000 head,” McCune said. “I have a 10-year deal and I get paid per space per year.”

Today’s Farm

There are other benefits to economies of scale. The deal even includes travel expenses and other incentives. “The only expenses I have are electricity, water, and general labor,” McCune said.

McCune said the rapidly changing hog industry just became too difficult to navigate alone.

“A lot of people are doing the contract thing,” McCune said. “The business got so complicated for the average guy, and I’ve learned so much from working with the company.”

About 70 percent of the hog business is now run by large corporations that tend to set up production are processing plants. If those corporate facilities continue to expand, and the weather cooperates on feed prices, prices should get better for consumers.

Ag economists expect prices to stick around $3.80 a pound the rest of the year, but Asian demand could bump up prices at home.

For producers, skyrocketing feed prices in 2008, and a 3-year stretch from 2011 to 2013, are still fresh in their memories. Until the margins picture becomes clearer, expansion plans are likely to be put on hold.

All eyes will be on China and the weather’s impact on feed prices.

since 1869

Adami Insurance Agency 712 First Avenue, Rock Falls 815-625-6220 rtate@adamiinsurance.com

First State Insurance 385 Chicago Rd, Paw Paw 815-627-8552 gsaf74@yahoo.com

Kirchhofer Insurance Store

Hugh F. Miller Insurance Agency, Inc. 801 First Avenue, Rock Falls 815-626-1300 hughmillerinsurance.com

Hanford-Schuneman Insurance Agency 312 Washington St, Prophetstown (815) 537.2301 www.hanford-ins.com

B V-A

102 N. Elm, Franklin Grove 815-456-2319 kirchhofferinsurance.com

Miller Insurance Group 427 N. Main Street, Rochelle 815-561-9911 fax: 815-561-9912 email: insure10@frontier.com

Query Insurance Agency 330 May Mart Drive, Rochelle 815-562-4152 mail@queryinsurance.com

Cornerstone Insurance Agency 102 W. Main, Morrison 815-772-7782 lsandrock@2cornerstone.com

Mel Saad Agency 928 8th Avenue, Erie 309-659-2470 saad@mchsi.com

VanderVinne Agency 127 E. Main St. Morrison 815-772-8900 angievandervinne@yahoo.com

Sauk Valley Insurance Services 109 6th Street, Dixon 815-288-2541 www.saukvalleyinsurance.com

Leffelman & Associates Amboy 815-857-2125 lisa@leffelmanassoc.com LaMoille 815-638-2171 linda@leffelmanassoc.com

Sublette 815-849-5219 chris@leffelmanassoc.com

Baylor Insurance Agency Lee Center 815-857-2716 rbaylor1@gmail.com

BRADFORD VICTOR-ADAMS

MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY

Today’s Farm celebrates agriculture in the Sauk Valley and beyond. It is published by Sauk Valley Media six times a year – in January, March, May, July, September and November.

We welcome story ideas about interesting local people who are involved with agriculture.

Call Jim Dunn at 815-625-3600, ext. 5511, or send an email to jdunn@saukvalley.com.

Member Owned and Operated

Our Contact Information 120 W. South Street, Franklin Grove 815-456-2334 www.bradfordmutual.com SM-ST08104-0913

Today’s Farm

PAGE 4

Sauk Valley Media • September 13, 2016

AGRITOURISM

Recent growth follows local food movement City families look for ‘farm experience’

BY RACHEL RODGERS Today’s Farm

Family farms aren’t being replaced by only large-scale operations.

Agritourism is working its way into the void, as well, as people look to have a “farm experience” they might have once been able to have by visiting friends or family.

The seeds of agritourism have taken root throughout the region, with some maturing over decades and others just sprouting.

The agritourism concept was first defined as any operation or event that draws individuals to a farm or ranch site, but the term has evolved in the past several years to encompass a wide range of activity.

Expanding from farm tours and interactive visits, the term can also apply to off-site features such as farmers markets and restaurants that incorporate local produce.

The theme that connects all of these practices together is the common goal of sowing a degree of the “farm experience” onto others.

Diane Bausman, executive director of Black-

‘‘

I am finding that the more our area moves away from being dominated by family farms, ... the more interest there is in having the farm experience. ...

’’

Diane Bausman

hawk Waterways, said farm tours aren’t especially prevalent across Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Carroll counties because adding tourism elements can be challenging for farmers on top of their daily operations and

insurance liability issues, but the demand for agritourism has increased.

“I am finding that the more our area moves away from being dominated by family farms – which are being replaced by mega dairy, hog or beef production facilities – the more interest there is in having the farm experience, whether it’s by visiting the Twin City Farmers Market or attending the county fair to see the farm animals,” Bausman said.

The agritourism boom began about 10 years ago with the local food movement to connect consumers with producers in their region and focus on feeding into the local economy, said Diane

Your farm is more than a business. It’s your home _ even part of the family. And I’ll help you find just the right insurance to protect it.

Handley, agritourism specialist and affiliate association manager at Illinois Farm Bureau.

From 2007 to 2012, net cash income of farming operations increased in Lee (91.8 percent), Whiteside (73.8 percent), Carroll (51.9 percent) and Ogle (19.2 percent) counties, according to the latest Census of Agriculture data.

The jump in income could be attributed in part to a resurgence in agriculture growth following the local food movement during the past decade, Handley said.

“I honestly think that agritourism is only going to continue to grow along with the local food movement hand in hand,” she

said. “It’s all come down to this snowballing effect from the local food movement.”

The agritourism industry has resulted in farmers adding more features and events to draw visitors, whether they have owned property across generations or are just starting out, Handley said.

Matt Selmi, a fourthgeneration farmer from Rock Falls who operates Selmi’s Greenhouse and Farm Market, said by developing agritourism attractions, the Selmis have been able to draw visitors from throughout the region as well as from the Chicago area.

AGRITOURISM continued on 54

Make Your Farm, Home & Business Communication More Efficient, Profitable, and Enjoyable!

Co

Intercept those important phone calls

Let’s talk today.

~Business Telephone Systems~

Bob Maltry Agency 709 N Brinton Ave Dixon, IL 61021 (815) 288-4206 bmaltry@amfam.com

Two Way Radio

~Call Us~ Keep an eye on things!

~Security Cameras & Systems~

Don’t Take A Chance, Call Radio Ranch!

American Family Mutual Insurance company and its Affiliates, 6000 American Parkway, Madison WI 53783 Visit amfam.com for more details. ©2016 012443 7/16 SM-ST08108-0913

Since 1954

Whiteside County Airport 10924 Hoover Road, Rock Falls 815-622-9000

Today’s Farm

September 13, 2016 • Sauk Valley Media

PAGE 5

Agritourism a less costly entertainment option of immersion activities with community agriculture. They include beekeeping or picking apples on Ayres’ farm, or exploring the area’s nature sites like Nachusa Grasslands or

Alex T. Paschal/Today’s Farm

Lisa Ayres looks around a patch of milkweed for monarch eggs earlier this summer at the farm on the site of the Lincoln Way Inn Bed and Breakfast that she co-owns in Franklin Grove. Inn visitors can participate in a variety of immersion activities with community agriculture.

AGRITOURISM CONTINUED FROM 4 t

To capitalize on their pumpkin patch in the fall, the Selmis’ farm offers school trips, hay rides, a corn maze and different weekend activities, which also help to promote the greenhouse and sweet corn production in the spring and summer months, he said.

Selmi attributed part of the growth in agritourism to the recession in 2008 that caused families

to look for less expensive vacation and entertainment options.

“Instead of staying 7 days at Disney World, families moved toward alternatives like spending a day at a pumpkin patch,” Selmi said. “Agritourism is an inexpensive way for families to take a trip and have a good time, and I don’t see that slowing down any time soon.”

Lisa Ayres, co-owner of Lincoln Way Inn Bed and Breakfast in Franklin Grove, said people

are becoming more educated on local agriculture practices and generating more of an investment with where their food comes from.

“People are seeking that holistic farm-to-table experience, whether it’s at a restaurant or at farm events,” she said. “The agritourism dynamic is very much embedded in our daily lives.”

When visitors stay at the inn, which celebrated its 1-year anniversary July 11, they can participate in a variety

Lee Co: 38 +/- acres in excellent location between Dixon & Sterling. $9,000/acre

Jo Daviess Co: 173 +/- acres. Excellent hunting w/barn, large garage & ½ mi exclusive access to Apple River.

SOLD SOLD

Carroll Co: 135 +/- acres off Eagle Point Rd. Excellent producer. $12,900/acre.

We Have Buyers - We Need Land!

SM-ST5751-0913

Farmers National Bank Ag Lenders

Brandt Hutchcraft • Mike Urish • Doug Vanderlaan Bill Dale • Garett Plumley • Steve Taets

Helping Our Ag Community Grow Since 1902

Top 100 Agricultural Bank in the U.S.

Loans For: • Crops and Livestock • Equipment, Irrigation, and Grain Bins • Farm Land, Buildings, and Livestock Facilities

Contact one of our ag lenders today!

Experienced • Responsive • Trusted

Lee Co: 445 +/- acres in Palmyra Twp. Approx. 96% tillable, good producer.

Lee Co: 213 +/- acres in Lee Center Twp. Over 98% tillable, great producer.

government officials to cross-promote events and develop a community support system.

“We may be from towns and villages throughout the area, but we are all connected,” she said.

• Prompt decisions and access to as much as $8 million per farm customer

Ogle Co: 43 +/- acres, Class A soils, mostly tillable.

Jo Daviess Co: 160 +/- acres, Property includes home, garage, barn, tillable, excellent hunting & very good income stream.

the Franklin Creek State Park.

Ayres and several others in the area began forming a tourism co-op group in January with farmers, business owners, organizational leaders and local

Matt Hermes, Broker

Specializing in Farm Sales & Management

Galen Dixon 1254 N. Galena, 815-288-4 815-288-4648

PROPHETSTOWN 114 West Third Street PO Box 157 Prophetstown, IL 61277 (815) 537-2348

GENESEO

700 US Highway 6 East PO Box 180 Geneseo, IL 61254 (309) 944-0580

MORRISON

1100 East Lincolnway PO Box 230 Morrison, IL 61270 (815) 772-3700

www.FarmersNationalBank.com

Today’s Farm

PAGE 6

Sauk Valley Media • September 13, 2016

COVER STORY | WHITESIDE COUNTY | FRIENDS OF THE FAIR

‘You just couldn’t ask for nicer people’ Colesons honored for commitment to Whiteside Fair

BY DAVE FOX For Today’s Farm

MORRISON – Good friends and a good fair board are only two of the many reasons that, for 33 consecutive years, Dale and RoJean Coleson have driven 98 miles each way to spend most of a week showing sheep at the Whiteside County Fair.

“We’ve made friends and more friends through the years here,” Dale Coleson said during an interview in the sheep building during fair week last month.

“That’s always a big part of it, and seeing those friends here every year makes it fun coming back.”

Married for 50 years, the Colesons, this year’s Whiteside County Fair “Friends of the Fair” award winners, have farmed side by side every day since they’ve been married, so agriculture is the way of life they have come to know and love.

“We used to raise Suffolks [sheep] and others Dave Fox/For Today’s Farm as well,” Coleson said, RoJean and Dale Coleson, who have shown Southdown sheep at the Whiteside County Fair for many years, are joined by Sheep Depart“and we had bigger herds ment Superintendent Marty Pierceson (right) in the fair’s sheep barn. The Colesons were named this year’s Friends of the Fair. than we have now in the past.

“Our daughters wanted Southdowns, and we were kind of in a lull at the time,” he said, “so we Whiteside County Airport• 10950 Hoover Rd. went ahead and built up a herd of Southdowns (the Rock Falls, IL breed they show at fairs 815-622-FLY-1 (3591) now).” www.mmaviation.net

ter r a Ch ights le Fl ailab Av

FRIENDS continued on 74

Get a view of your crops from the air!

Airport of the Year

F Les ligh son t s

SM-ST08105-0913

September 13, 2016 • Sauk Valley Media

Today’s Farm

PAGE 7

‘We spend the week, right up till we’re released’ FRIENDS

CONTINUED FROM 6 t

Coming to Morrison every year from rural Varna in Marshall County, the Colesons also show their sheep at the Sandwich and Marshall-Putnam fairs.

“We used to show our sheep at a dozen fairs every year between Milledgeville and Lincoln, but now that our kids and grandkids are all pretty much on their own, we’ve slowed down quite a bit,” Coleson said.

“We used to bring 26 animals normally when we had three different breeds,” he said, “but now with just the Southdowns we just bring five.”

Coleson also said health problems have contributed to a lighter schedule, and after their last granddaughter, now 11 years old, is grown, they may stop traveling.

One of the reasons for their lengthy trek each year is their friendship with, and respect for, Marty Pierceson, superintendent of the sheep project at the Whiteside County Fair.

“When we first started, Marty’s dad was superintendent, and we really established a good friendship with him, and came to respect the kind of person he was,” Coleson said.

“He put a lot of work into the fair each year and had a good program going here, and a good rapport with the exhibitors,” he said.

“Marty took over a while back, and he brought the same ethic to it, and now that friendship has grown as well.”

Showing their flock here is much more involved than just breezing into town for a day and then leaving.

ARRIVING AT THE fairgrounds on Monday morning, “we spend the week, right up till we’re released on Saturday,” Coleson said.

“We generally leave home around 4:30 in the morning that first day, and help clean up the barn after the hog show every year, then get our animals in place,” he said.

During their 50-plus years together, the Colesons spent 20 of those years with a hog operation, handling an average of 800 hogs in a start-tofinish operation, which they stopped in 1986.

Their farm encompasses 1,000 acres.

“You really have to love livestock to make something like that work,” he said.

With a desire to be a part of his community beyond his own fences, Coleson also spent 18 years as a

4-H leader around Varna.

“I started a couple of years before my own kids got into it, and I just kept at it,” he said.

“I loved seeing the kids get into the program, and seeing how they loved to learn and grow, and it was exciting watching them develop a love for livestock as well,” he said.

Coleson also served as the sheep superintendent himself at the MarshallPutnam Fair for 25 years, so he had an understanding of the work and effort that went into such a position.

“We’ve enjoyed county fairs all along,” Coleson said, “then our kids got into 4-H and FFA, and things just kept progressing, and that’s when we really got into traveling and showing our sheep at

the different fairs.

“We knew the Piercesons [Marty and his dad] and that’s how we got started coming here every year,” he said.

What makes the Whiteside County Fair a favorite for the Colesons each year?

“A lot of people don’t realize all the work and commitment that goes into putting on a good fair,” Coleson said.

“It takes a good fair board and good superintendents that all work well together,” he said. “It takes a lot to keep exhibitors coming back every year, and it’s really the good superintendents that let people know it really means something for them to return in following years.

“The fair board here,

along with Marty and his dad, and the people in general, have been so good to work with through the years,” Coleson said.

“THE WHITESIDE County Fair is No. 1 as far as we’re concerned,” he said. “It’s a good fair, a clean fair, with lots of good people, and we love it here.”

The Friends of the Fair, an honor bestowed since 1989, is not something taken lightly, according to Marty Pierceson.

“We always try to get someone that obviously has something to do with

75

$

PER HOUR LEGACY LABOR RATE

On 1600 Series or earlier combines & model year 1986 or older tractors

We’re proud to be a part of this community’s farming tradition, and we care about the well-being and continued success of our local farmers. That’s why you can turn to us for quality financial advice and assistance, from affordable ag loans and farm mortgages to everyday banking needs and retirement planning.

• Includes OEM parts or highquality replacement parts with competitive pricing

928 S Division Ave Polo, IL 61064 (815) 946-2393

Stop in and speak to Matthew Scholl today about your farm’s growth potential!

•Ag Loans •Commercial Loans •Real Estate Loans

SM-ST6523-0913

the fair,” Pierceson said.

“I’ve known Dale and RoJean for years,” he said.

“I’ve traveled with them and worked with them here as well. They have been big supporters of this fair for a long, long time, and they always go out of their way here to pitch in and help out and do extra work to help make it a better fair.

“When I asked the fair board about honoring them with the Friends award this year, it didn’t take much to convince them,” Pierceson said.

“You just couldn’t ask for nicer people.”

Milledgeville State Bank

451 N. Main Ave, Milledgeville, IL 61051 www.milledgevillebank.com

Matthew Scholl Ag Loan Officer

• You decide on any repair options if further work is suggested

200 North St Prophetstown, IL 61277 (815) 537-2304

Case IH is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates.

SM-ST07696-0913

Today’s Farm

PAGE 8

Sauk Valley Media • September 13, 2016

2016 PUMPKIN HARVEST

Pumpkin pie fans, rejoice; good crop ahead It’ll be a lot better than bad 2015 season Tribune News Service

MANITO – Jim Ackerman sighs when asked about last year’s pumpkin crop.

Heavy rains drowned pumpkin vines around the state in June 2015, a critical time of year for blossoms to become buff-colored squash the following month. A dismal harvest and shortage of processed product resulted.

“It didn’t allow the plants to really establish themselves, so they didn’t produce fruit in July,” said Ackerman, agriculture manager for the Nestle-owned Libby’s canning facility in Morton.

He maintains a farmer’s caution when discussing

Michael Krabbenhoeft/ mkrabbenhoeft@ saukvalley.com

Pumpkins are seen last year in Selmi’s Pumpkin Patch in Rock Falls. The Illinois pumpkin crop is expected to be much better this year, an official with the Libby’s canning factory in Morton said. this year’s harvest, but he doesn’t preface it with a deep breath.

The “very light tonnage”

DEDICATED

per acre in 2015 has been replaced by “average to above-average yields” of 22 to 23 tons per acre so far in 2016, Ackerman said.

So fall fans of all things pumpkin can breathe a different sigh – one of relief.

“It’s much better than last year,” Ackerman said.

Nathan Johanning, an educator and pumpkin expert with the University of Illinois Extension in Murphysboro, generally concurred with the central Illinois assessment.

“If you look across the state, there’s always people who have good fortune and bad fortune because of localized weather,” Johanning said. “Generally, from everything I’ve heard, the crop is in good shape.”

Growing conditions around the state have been favorable for Jack O’ Lanterns for carving and pumpkins for con-

to serving your ag lending needs.

sumption, such as those harvested for the Libby’s facility, Johanning said.

“I think supply should be in good shape,” he said.

Libby’s field crews operating a fleet of semis and tractors with an assortment of blades, conveyors and hydraulic bins began harvesting pumpkins July 29 and

will plow through about 8,000 acres, mostly in a 50-mile radius around Morton, before the first hard freeze.

Their tractors sloshed through a field outside Manito during a recent morning deluge, scooping pumpkins lined up in neat rows from the waterlogged sandy soil one day after a machine with a

Fall Blow Out Sale 2016 Gas Ezgo TXT & RXV

2016 Ezgo Terrain S4

2012 EZGO TXT Includes Rear Seat

Starting At

Starting At

$6,550

Starting At

$8,350

• Customizing Any Cart Available • Best prices of the year!

$3,300

• 2016 Ezgo Specials • 2009 Club car Precedents starting at just $2500.00 610 River Lane, Dixon 815.285.3481 www.razorcarts.com

2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE Same price. Every month. For 2 years. $ 99 $ /mo. /mo.

49

plus taxes

10

to add the new Hopper 3™ Smart DVR

INCLUDES

INCLUDES

50 Premium Channels FREE for 3 Months

America’s Top 120 Plus

INCLUDES Local Channels Regional Sports

Offer subject to change based on premium channel availability. After 3 months, you will be billed $60/mo. unless you call to cancel.

Regional Sports Networks available based on geographical location.

FREE HD for Life®

All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Hopper upgrade fee may apply.

Stop paying too much for TV and switch to DISH today!

The First National Bank in Amboy Where you come first.

Amboy, Dixon & Franklin Grove Eachdepositorinsuredto$250,000

FEDERALDEPOSITINSURANCECORPORATION

815-857-3625

www.fnbamboy.com SM-ST6522-0913

front blade organized the haphazard crop.

The operation will continue at all hours, in all weather conditions, clearing 70 to 80 acres per day, one 20-ton truckload at a time. Each will be delivered from farm fields throughout central Illinois and as far south as Mount Vernon to the plant in Morton.

Offer for new and qualified former customers only. Important Terms and Conditions: Qualification: Advertised price requires credit qualification and eAutoPay. Upfront activation and/or receiver upgrade fees may apply based on credit qualification Offer ends 10/6/2016. 2-Year Commitment: Early termination fee of $20/mo. remaining applies if you cancel early.

Included in 2-year price guarantee at $49.99 advertised price: America’s Top 120 Plus programming package, Local channels and Regional Sports Networks (where available), and monthly 1st receiver and HD service fees. Included in 2-year price guarantee for additional cost: Programming package upgrades ($64.99 for AT200, $74.99 for AT250), monthly fees for additional receivers ($7 per additional TV, higher fees may apply for advanced receivers), and monthly DVR service fees ($10). Not included in 2-year price guarantee or $49.99 advertised price (and subject to change): Taxes & surcharges, add-on programming (including Premium channels), Protection plan, and transactional fees. Premium Channels: Subject to credit qualification. After 3 mos., you will be billed $60/mo. for HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and DISH Movie Pack unless you call to cancel. Other: All packages, programming, features, and functionality are subject to change without notice.

After 6 mos., you will be billed $8/mo. for Protection Plan unless you call to cancel. For business customers, additional monthly fees may apply. Free standard professional installation only.

HBO®, Cinemax® and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc. SHOWTIME is a registered trademark of Showtime Networks Inc., a CBS Company. STARZ and related channels and service marks are property of Starz Entertainment, LLC.

Today’s Farm

September 13, 2016 • Sauk Valley Media

PAGE 9

SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICTS

SWCDs play vital rural and urban roles Districts help to conserve resources important to all Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts

Note to readers: At the request of the Whiteside County Soil and Water Conservation District office, Today’s Farm prints this column provided by the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

The Whiteside County SWCD may be reached at 815-772-2124.

What is a soil and water conservation district?

There has been a great deal of publicity concerning the financial plight of Illinois’ 97 soil and water conservation districts.

There have also been a few questions regarding the value of the SWCDs. To those few who don’t

• FARM •VEHICLE

• CROP • HAIL

understand the SWCD or what it does, please let us take a few moments of your time to provide some information.

Illinois’ SWCDs were organized as a result of the huge dust storms that originated in the Western states and covered the country to the Eastern seaboard in the 1930s.

Their main purpose was, and still is, to offer assistance to the public to protect our soil, water and related resources.

In establishing the legislation allowing for the creation of the SWCDs, the Illinois General Assembly stated as its purpose: “The General Assembly declares it to be in the public interest to provide (a) for the conservation

• PROPERTY • HEALTH

Decoding the acronyms SWCD: Soil and water conservation district USDA: U.S. Department of Agriculture NRCS: National Resources Conservation Service FSA: Farm Service Agency CRP: Conservation Reserve Program CREP: Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program EQIP: Environmental Quality Incentives Program WHIP: Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program CSP: Conservation Stewardship Program NLRS: Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy FFA: Future Farmers of America of the soil, soil resources, water and water resources of this state, (b) for the control and prevention of soil erosion, (c) for the prevention of air and water pollution, and (d) for the prevention of erosion, floodwater and sediment damages, and there-

by to conserve natural resources, control floods, prevent impairment of dams and reservoirs, assist in maintaining the navigability of rivers and harbors, conserve wildlife and forests, protect the tax base, protect public lands, and protect and

LOOKING FOR A LITTLE MORE HORSEPOWER?

promote the health, safety and general welfare of the people of this state.”

The first soil and water conservation district in Illinois, the ShilohO’Fallon Conservation District, was organized in St. Clair County on July 22, 1938. The last was Sangamon County on Feb. 18, 1959.

The 97 SWCDs cover the entire state, including Chicago.

Soil and water conservation districts are classified as local units of government – “special districts” without the authority to tax for general operating funds.

In fact, SWCDs are the only unit of government established throughout the state with no tax-

ing authority and must therefore rely on the Illinois General Assembly for their operating funds.

SWCDs, in most counties throughout the state, share an office with two USDA agencies, NRCS and FSA. This relationship has a long history and has worked well for Illinois agricultural producers.

FSA administers CRP and federal portion of CREP and agricultural producer support programs.

NRCS administers EQIP, WHIP and CSP and provides the technical assistance necessary to implement these various programs.

CONSERVE continued on 104

We offer services including, but not limited to…

Sewer Rodding • Sewer Televising & Steaming Franklin Livestock Waterers • Site Plumbing Sewer Line Repairs • Water Service Repairs • Backhoe Underground Boring • Drainfields & Septics Boilers • Furnaces • Air Conditioning Goulds Jet Pumps • Submersible Water Pumps Sump Pumps • Ejector Pumps

• LIFE • COMMERCIAL

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • FARM • INDUSTRIAL

Todd Mickley, Luke Sandrock, Gera d Widolff 102 W. Main St., Morrison 815-772-2793 ToddMickley@2cornerstone.com

Sandrock Insurance Agency Greg Sandrock, Drew Emery, Tyler Sandrock 107 Main St., Tampico 815-438-3923 sanins@essex1.com

www.2cornerstone.com

“Great Deals, Great Service, Since 1926”

Rt. 52 N. Sublette, IL Ph. 815/849-5232 or 1-800-227-5203 After 6, 849-5251

WWW.VAESSENBROTHERS.COM SM-ST6524-0913

IL Licensed 055-000988

Family owned and operated since 1967!

502 IL Rt. 2, Dixon • 815-284-2044

SM-ST5213-0913

Mickley Insurance Agency

Today’s Farm

PAGE 10

Sauk Valley Media • September 13, 2016

SWCDs impact Chicago, O’Hare expansion CONSERVE

CONTINUED FROM 9 t

The SWCD assists both agencies by providing assistance in setting local priorities based on needs expressed by the public, performing compliance checks for FSA, providing technical and administrative assistance for NRCS, and administering the state’s Conservation Practices Cost Share Program, which can be utilized by producers to obtain financial assistance for conservation practices that other cost-share programs may not offer.

SWCDs do not have the authority to grant exemptions or make programmatic decisions affecting FSA or NRCS programs but often provide public

input and suggestions for modifications that will better address local needs and conditions.

SWCDs also work with other federal agencies, as well as state agencies, local municipalities and units of government and private industry and organizations, to help implement programs benefiting wildlife, water quality, carbon sequestration, environmental and natural resource education, cultural resources, forestry, wetlands, urban development, community planning, watershed planning, flood control, reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus to waterways, and many other focus areas.

In most cases, the SWCD is the only organization that can provide

this kind of assistance.

SWCDs in the Illinois River Basin hold more than 1,000 permanent CREP contracts. These are contracts with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that provide annual payments to the landowners in exchange for setting aside environmentally sensitive lands that will provide wildlife habitat, soil erosion control and water quality benefits on a permanent basis.

SWCDs are the only entity having the authority and the ability to administer the program payments and required compliance checks.

A total of 20 SWCDs perform site investigations to monitor Illinois Environmental Protection Agency permit com-

pliance by developers in 23 counties. Four SWCDs perform a similar function for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in five counties where urban development is occurring adjacent to wetland areas.

Two SWCDs are working with the O’Hare Airport expansion project, helping contractors perform their earth moving and construction activities in a manner that keeps sediment out of storm drains, thereby reducing treatment, removal and disposal expense as part of the city of Chicago’s O’Hare Modernization Program.

SWCDs throughout the state are involved in educational program efforts with FFA, 4-H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,

Cub Scouts, Brownies, in elementary schools, and through sponsorship of the national high school Envirothon competition.

SWCDs across the state have meetings and educate communities, landowners and the like on the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus to our waterways. This is part of the effort outlined in the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) that was developed by Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Agriculture, and various other agricultural and environmental organizations.

Illinois’ SWCDs perform myriad tasks and program initiatives that make information and resources available to all of the people of Illinois to help

them make wise choices and informed decisions concerning the natural resources and the wellbeing of the population.

Obviously, this is merely a sample of activities performed and programs administered by the 97 SWCDs. Would you like to know more? Contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District and ask how you can become a partner to help yourself and your community.

Even more important, contact your state senator and representative and ask them to provide funding so that all 97 soil and water conservation districts can continue to quietly do the work that they have been doing and were charged to do by the General Assembly some 70 years ago.

WATERLOO, IOWA

National Cattle Congress’106th fair starts Thursday National Cattle Congress Fair Dates: Sept. 15-19 Location: Waterloo, Iowa Admission: Fair adult admission is $10 a day, $5 for kids ages 5 to 17, and kids 4 and younger are free. Daily admission for seniors age 60 and older is $8. Kids 17 and younger are admitted free Friday, Kids Day. More information: Call 319-234-7515 or go to nationalcattlecongress.com.

NCC’s McElroy Auditorium, instead of Friday through Sunday, as in past years. A beef show will be Sunday.

The Thursday rodeo per-

formance coincides with another of the more recent popular events, Bike Night, where motorcyclists are invited to come to the fairgrounds and show off their vehicles.

The rodeo remains one of NCC’s most popular events, Koch said.

“About that 6 o’clock hour, everything goes big.

People love that PRCA,” Koch said.

PRCA, or the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is a competitive rodeo circuit in which contestants accumulate points toward a finals competition in Las Vegas.

“These are contestants that are earning points for the finals, and I don’t think a lot of people understand that,” Koch

said. Contestants come from all over the U.S. “This is a points-qualifying events for the finals.”

NCC, true to its name,

Hear

also plans a full dairy show. “Those entries are rolling in. We look for good attendance on that this year,” Koch said.

What You’ve Been Missing!

Call 815-626-3220 Sterling Hearing Aid Center Latest Digital Technology • Maintenance & Repair Friendly Service • Experienced Staff

603 Freeport Rd., Sterling Hours: Mon-Fri 8-4 • Sat 9 - Noon

Harry’s Farm Tire, Inc. “Serving the area for over 30 years”

16262 WALLER RD (RT 84) FULTON, IL.

309-887-4447 ON-FARM SERVICE • RIMS AND WHEELS • SEMI TRACTOR TRAILER • FARM & IMPLEMENT TIRES ALL MAJOR BRANDS

SM-ST07699-0913

Tribune News Service

WATERLOO, Iowa – This is no bull. The National Cattle Congress Fair is 106 years old.

And organizers are planning a no-frills, backto-basics exposition that hearkens to the fair’s agricultural roots, while promising a good time as well.

The fair is Thursday through Monday. The theme is “Get Your Kicks at the 106th.”

“This is the 106th. This place was established in 1910,” NCC facilities manager Jim Koch said.

One of the big shifts is one of the annual fair’s more popular events: The PRCA Rodeo is being moved to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at

Firestone, Titan, Goodyear, Michelin, BF Goodrich, General, Bridgestone, Cooper, Uniroyal, Multi-Mile, Michelin, Bandag and Recaps STOP IN OR CALL FOR PRICES SM-ST07726-0913

September 13, 2016 • Sauk Valley Media

Today’s Farm

PAGE 11

WHITESIDE COUNTY

Ag, businesses, agencies there at fair Agricultural exhibition serves other purposes, too

BY DAVE FOX For Today’s Farm

MORRISON – Lights, music and laughter from amusement rides, livestock and other judged exhibits, and a variety of foods usually consumed only on a summer midway are the mainstays of regular things that county fairgoers take comfort in knowing they will experience year after year.

That’s what makes “going to the fair” a fun thing each summer.

Exhibitors and booths, though, also take their share of attention, and many of them have trekked to the same fairs with great regularity.

Most county fairs started and continued for decades as largely agricultural events, centered on farm life. The pedestrian traffic was mainly farm families who took pride in showing their stock and wares in judged events.

The midway was a place for socialization for farmers and their families between planting and harvest seasons; days and evenings were spent there with other ag families, some of whom might see each other only at this once-a-year event.

Through the past decades, though, things have changed somewhat.

Though centered on agriculture, many other themes and exhibitors

Dave Fox/For Today’s Farm

Matt Miatke (left) and Bud Mohr man the exhibit for Birkey’s Farm Store on the grounds of this year’s Whiteside County Fair. The fair allows representatives of agribusinesses such as Birkey’s to seek out new customers and greet old ones.

– business and civic in nature – have crept into the fair scene as have “city slickers” along with the farm people.

Most exhibitors, displays and vendors lend comfort of sorts to fairgoers in the sense that they are there from year to year.

The Whiteside County Fair in Morrison, held in mid-August, is no exception.

Business and civic organizations, as well as farm-related businesses, appear yearly at the fair, many in the exact same spots.

Their primary concerns are to make people aware of their existence and to drum up more business.

What makes it profitable and enjoyable to take a week away from normal business routines to tend a booth at the fair talking with passersby?

Shannon Pierceson, of Cylinders Plus in Deer Grove, is a relative newcomer to the fair, having been there 3 years.

“It’s good advertising for me to be here,” he said in an interview last month.

“Along with making farmers aware of the ser-

vices we offer through Cylinders Plus, we also now sell Green Mountain Grills [which work with special wood pellets],” he said.

“We sold 20 of the grills alone here last year,” he said, “so it is pretty profitable for us to be here.

“It is actually work to be here, and to be away from the shop and my regular business for a week, but we do sell products, and it is just plain fun to be here.

“All week, I get to meet and talk with all kinds of people, plus I get to be outside all week and just enjoy the atmosphere,”

Pierceson said.

Bud Mohr, a sales supervisor with Birkey’s Farm Store in Prophetstown – one of many such implement dealers owned by Birkey’s in the region – agreed; and he’s been doing it long enough that the profitability speaks for itself.

“I just celebrated my 85th birthday,” he said, “and I’ve been coming to this fair to do just this for between 35 and 40 years.”

In addition to CaseIH tractors and implements, Birkey’s also sells and services a number of

smaller tractors, mowers, and other implements made by Kubota and other manufacturers.

“We’re mainly here to greet people,” Mohr said, “and to talk to them about our tractors and other equipment. We just like to get to know new people, try to get new customers, and, of course, we like to make new friends.”

Matt Miatke, shop foreman and service supervisor for Birkey’s in Prophetstown, added: “It’s very fun and enjoyable to be here at the fair. It’s really great to visit with our customers and to meet new people, whether as potential customers or friends. This is a great chance to just get to visit with people, some that we haven’t seen in a while, and learn how we can better service our clients.”

Even county law enforcement has become a regular fixture near the midway.

Whiteside County Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi and Lt. John Booker manned a booth for their department.

“It’s good public relations, sure,” said Wilhelmi, “but we are also here to help, and there are times when our help is needed.

“Of course, seeing the kids who come to visit us is always fun,” he said.

“The kids make it fun; they come up and get some stickers or some of the other things we have to give away, and we get to talk with them and interact with them, and they get to see that we are actually the good guys.”

EXHIBITORS continued on 124

Today’s Farm

PAGE 12

Sauk Valley Media • September 13, 2016

‘It’s always good to visit’ e v i e c e R s r e b Mem N O I L L I $18 M Checks! e g a n o r t a P n I

EXHIBITORS

CONTINUED FROM 11 t

His department, much the same as any other tax-supported agency, can feel the brunt of budget shortfalls, so staffing can be limited at times.

“That’s another reason why we like to be here,” Wilhelmi said.

“More and more, we need to interact with people, and let them know that we need for them to be our eyes and ears out in the communities,” he said.

“It’s always good to visit with people, too. We get to see old friends, as well as hear concerns from people. A lot of people will stop by and show their support for us, and it’s good to know we’re not as disliked as the media portrays us.”

Joan and Gary Johnson of rural Tampico have manned the booth for the Whiteside County Republicans for a number of years as well.

“A lot of these people are friends that we only get to see once a year,” Joan said, “so it’s fun to catch up with people on what’s going on. The crowd is always very friendly, and it’s fun just to be here and enjoy talking to people.”

The White Oaks Therapeutic Equestrian (WHOA) group has also had a booth at the fair for a number of years.

The group specializes in horseback riding and therapeutic equestrian activities for disabled and handicapped children in the area.

Chris Buis, manning the booth for her second year, said she “loves spreading the word about the program to the public” in an effort to get more support

Photos by Dave Fox/For Today’s Farm

ABOVE: Shannon Pierceson with Cylinders Plus in Deer Grove shows wood pellets that fuel the Green Mountain Grill line that his business had for sale at the Whiteside County Fair last month. “We sold 20 of the grills alone here last year, so it is pretty profitable for us to be here,” Pierceson said.

BELOW: Chris Buis promoted the WHOA Equestrian Therapy organization at its booth last month at the Whiteside County Fair in Morrison.

Agricultural Financing • Crop Insurance Rural Home Loans • Appraisals • Leasing Agribusiness & More 207 W. 21st Street, Rock Falls IL (800) 688-3276 • (815)625-1086

1101 Pines Road, Oregon IL (800) 388-1061 • (815) 732-7952 and participants.

“It’s a very rewarding program,” she said, “and it’s exciting to see the progress that our clients

make in the program. I love meeting and talking with people that stop by; it’s just great to visit with so many people.”

www.1stfarmcredit.com 1st Farm Credit Services is an equal opportunity provider.

SM-ST6811-0913