SVM-SS4_07072015

Five generations

Ogle farm has been owned by same family for 167 years – Page 2

Agriculture safety

‘Multiple events’ can lead to accidents on the farm – Page 4

Agronomy Day

Research Center near Shabbona to host Thursday event – Page 5

typed in Cosmos extra bold

Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

Cover story: This weekend, it’ll be time to go ‘barnstorming’ in Whiteside County – Page 6-7 Tuesday, July 7, 2015

A supplement to Sauk Valley Media

Today’s Farm

PAGE 2

Sauk Valley Media • July 7, 2015

SESQUICENTENNIAL FARM

A farm in the family for five generations Gilberts feel quite a connection to their 145-acre farm near Polo

BY VINDE WELLS Shaw Media

POLO – While growing up, John Gilbert spent a lot of time on the farm

Vinde Wells/vwells@shawmedia.com

John and Michelle Gilbert’s farm on Maryland Road has been in the family for 167 years. It has been designated a Sesquicentennal Farm.

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that’s been in his family for 167 years.

His parents farmed nearby, and John spent time with his grandparents on

the family homestead, where he and his wife, Michelle, live on Maryland Road north of Polo.

“There’s always been a connection here,” he said.

John’s mother, the late Audrey Burkholder, also

felt that connection.

“John’s mom was born in the living room,” Michelle said. “She was so proud of the family farm. She liked to help on the farm, too. It was definitely in her blood.”

GILBERT CONTINUED ON 3

July 7, 2015 • Sauk Valley Media

Today’s Farm

PAGE 3

Ancestor bought farm from feds in 1848 GILBERT

CONTINUED FROM 2

The Gilberts received a Sesquicentennial Farm designation in 2000 from the Illinois Department of Agriculture, meaning the farm has remained in the same family for at least 150 years.

John farms the same 145 acres that his ancestors did, raising corn and soybeans.

He does all the farm work himself except for planting the beans and applying anhydrous ammonia, which he hires a neighbor to do.

“As far as corn and harvesting beans, I do all that myself,” he said.

He enjoys his chosen career.

“I look forward to all the

seasons,” he said. “I like running the machinery.

I like the combining part of it.”

John currently farms 750 acres; some he owns, and some he rents.

He said he has never raised livestock, “I was strictly in the grain end of it,” he said.

John’s great-greatgrandfather, David Butterbaugh, bought the land from the U.S. government in 1848.

He also owned some land nearby.

AS FAR AS JOHN knows, David came to Ogle County from Pennsylvania and ran a typical farming operation of the day, raising livestock and the grain to feed them.

David died in 1866, and his wife, Catherine, sold

the farm in 1898 to their daughter and son-in-law, Sylvia and Calvin Binkley.

John believes they lived on a farm just down the road at the intersection of state Route 64 and Maryland Road.

In 1878, Calvin began building the house where John and Michelle live.

John and Michelle still have the hand-written offers from businesses in Polo, Woosung, and Mount Morris to supply the materials needed for the house.

All of the offers include making arrangements to deliver the lumber and other supplies by train to Maryland Station, where a depot was once located less than a mile away.

John said the railroad spur, which once went from Oregon to Forres-

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ton, ran across one corner of the farm.

Ownership of the farm passed to John’s grandparents, Lavern and Mabel Binkley, in 1929.

JOHN REMEMBERS watching his grandfather milk cows in the large dairy barn that burned in 1971. His grandparents also raised hogs, feeder cattle and chickens.

Calvin kept busy but still made time for his grandson.

“There was always something going on with Grandpa,” John remembered with a grin. “He was always painting something – the buildings, the fences. He wanted the farm to look nice.”

John’s father, Carl Gilbert, Audrey’s first husband, farmed with his

grandfather for several years.

The farm was passed down to Audrey in 1973.

John began farming it in 1975. For a time, he also farmed the original Gilbert farm on Milledgeville Road.

He and Michelle were married in 1992 and purchased the farm the following year.

None of the original farm buildings remains except for a corncrib.

The large dairy barn has been replaced by shiny round grain bins; a machine shed and chicken house have been replaced by a large machine shed.

The house has been renovated, and the lawn is landscaped with graceful trees and lush perennial beds, thanks to Michelle.

The biggest change in local agriculture over the years, John said, is the consolidation of small farms into large ones.

“You just don’t see all the small farms anymore,” he said.

Another major change is the disappearance of livestock from most farms.

“What livestock operations there are now are huge, too,” John said.

He remembers the difference from his boyhood.

“My grandpa had small fields fenced off for crop rotation and so the livestock could be moved around from field to field,” he said.

“And you had lanes fenced off so that you could get the livestock where you needed them to go.”

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Today’s Farm

PAGE 4

Sauk Valley Media • July 7, 2015

AGRICULTURE SAFETY

‘Multiple events’ lead to farm accidents Loss of legs led to lifetime of study about farm safety

BY KEVIN BARLOW Tribune News Service

NORMAL – Accidents on the farm are usually caused by a random series of events that can lead to death if the circumstances are extreme enough.

That statement comes from a man who knows.

Chip Petrea was baling hay on the family farm in near Iuka in southern Illinois’ Marion County in 1978 when he became trapped inside a working

baler, causing the amputation of both legs above the knee.

“Accidents are caused by multiple events,” he said. “If one of those events doesn’t occur, the accident doesn’t happen.

For instance, in my situation, if I had turned the baler off, I would have not have been hurt.”

And he likely would not have been in Normal last month as a panelist on farm safety with the International Society for Ag Safety and Health conference at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.

The 4-day conference focused on preventing agricultural injuries and illnesses.

After the accident, Petrea

returned to the farm, but eventually left to pursue an education in ag-safety research.

He received a master’s degree in agricultural education from the University Chip of Illinois Petrea in 1989 and received his doctorate from the U of I in 1996.

He is now the principal research specialist in agriculture at the university.

“I wanted to learn more about why my accident happened,” he said. “I’m not trying to push the blame on anyone else. I got hurt. There wasn’t a deficiency in me. This is just the way humans act.

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“There is stress of a family farm, or maybe a lack of sleep, and there are several behavioral components that can lead to stress. As soon as you become stressful, your decision-making changes. That can lead to being injured.”

About 160 people attended the conference, which is the largest annual gathering of professionals dedicated to agricultural safety and health, said media relations coordinator Scott Heiberger. The International Society for Ag Safety and Health includes engineers, educators, insurers, physicians, nurses, veterinarians, statisticians, communicators, anthropologists

‘‘

If one of those events doesn’t occur, the accident doesn’t happen. For instance, in my situation, if I had turned the baler off, I would not have been hurt.

’’

Chip Petrea

and business leaders.

“We are geared more toward professionals working in the agricultural safety field, however, most people here have some kind of background in farming,” Heiberger said.

Peggy Romba, program manager for the Illinois Farm Bureau, said it was the first time the conference had been held in Normal in more than two decades.

“I have a passion for ag safety,” she said. “Farms have grown over the years. The equipment has changed. It’s faster. It’s bigger. Rollover tractor accidents are still the top cause of injury.

“But grain safety is a huge concern because more farmers are storing more grain on their property. It used to be we had an 18-foot bin, and now we have these giant things that hold 200,000 bushels of corn at a time.

It’s just massive, and they can be very dangerous.”

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Today’s Farm

July 7, 2015 • Sauk Valley Media

PAGE 5

SHABBONA

Agronomy Day scheduled for Thursday Northern Illinois Ag Research Center to host annual event U of I Extension

SHABBONA – The Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center will host its summer Agronomy Day on Thursday near Shabbona.

University of Illinois Extension specialists and researchers will address issues pertinent to the 2015 crop growing season.

The free program begins at 9 a.m. and will finish with a meal provided at no additional cost.

Registration is not required.

Certified Crop Adviser continuing educational units (CCA CEUs) will be available.

More than 45 individual research projects encompassing corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, and cover

crops are underway.

Current studies include evaluating crop rotations, date of planting, row spacing, plant populations, crop diseases, variety comparisons, and crop nutrient management.

Studies demonstrating herbicide efficacy will be signed, allowing visitors to evaluate their current or future pest management programs side by side.

Weather permitting, presentations will take place outside, next to research plots. Guests will be transported by tour wagons.

The 160-acre Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center is north of Shabbona and has been used for crop research since 1948.

Summer Agronomy Day When: 9 a.m. Thursday Where: Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center Address: 14509 University Road, Shabbona Food: Free meal will be served after program

Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center

Farmers listen to a presentation at a previous Agronomy Day sponsored by the Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center northeast of Shabbona. The 2015 Agronomy Day will start at 9 a.m. Thursday. No registration is required.

It is the northernmost research center within

the University of Illinois Crop Sciences Depart-

ment that is dedicated primarily to row crop

research. Visitors are always welcome.

The Research Center is at 14509 University Road, about a half mile east of Shabbona on U.S. Route 30, then 5 miles north on University Road.

Perry Road, which runs from the Steward exit (milepost 93) on Interstate 39 to south of DeKalb, is a quarter mile north of the research center.

For more information, contact Russ Higgins at 815-274-1343 or by email at rahiggin@illinois.edu.

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Today’s Farm

PAGE 6

Sauk Valley Media • July 7, 2015

COVER STORY | AG HERITAGE

Let’s go barnstorming 8th Barn Tour this weekend in Morrison area STAFF REPORT news@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5501

MORRISON – In the mood for a little barnstorming?

The latest Whiteside

County Barn Tour is just around the corner.

The eighth annual agritourism event takes place Saturday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Sunday (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

Admission is $20 per vehicle. The price of admission includes a tour book and map, which identifies the locations of participating barns and

how to get to them. No advance sales are offered.

This year, the Whiteside County Barn tour will feature nine farms with 12 barns in the Morrison area.

The tour starts at the historic round barn on the Whiteside County Fairgrounds, 201 W. Winfield St., Morrison.

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Peg and Mike Albert, of Sterling, look at a restored 1840 hearse at the Canode Barn during last year’s Whiteside County Barn Tour. This barn, which was the first stop on the tour, featured a variety of old horse-drawn wagons and sleighs. This year, the eighth Whiteside County Barn Tour will be Saturday and Sunday, with the starting point at the Whiteside County Fair’s historic round barn in Morrison.

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Today’s Farm

July 7, 2015 • Sauk Valley Media

PAGE 7

Photos by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

LEFT PHOTO: What’s a barn without a barn cat? During last year’s Whiteside County Barn Tour, a cat watched as visitors walked through the milking room at the Longs’ dairy barn.

ABOVE: Last year at the Schmitt farm, visitors could see a variety of antique tractors. Richard Schmitt, the owner, enjoys fixing and restoring old tractors.

Unique barns, livestock, other surprises await BARN

CONTINUED FROM 6

Organizers describe the route as “a compact 26 miles.”

Along the way, participants will see unique barns, livestock and other surprises.

Tour goers will have the opportunity to visit and learn about the work of the White Oaks Therapeutic Equestrian Center, aka WHOA, which offers equine assisted activities to individuals with special needs.

Organizers note that tour goers will be able to pay their admission using a credit card. An additional $1 transaction fee

Whiteside County Barn Tour mission Provide awareness, knowledge and resources to facilitate a grassroots effort to preserve the barns and agricultural history of Whiteside County.

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Additional tour books, including books from past tours, will be avail-

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Previous barn tours have focused on different areas of the county.

Last year, for example, barns in the Sterling area were featured.

The year before that,

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Today’s Farm

PAGE 8

Sauk Valley Media • July 7, 2015

NORTHERN WISCONSIN

Proposed hog megafarm causes quite a stink Concerns raised about possibility of manure polluting Lake Superior MILWAUKEE (AP) – A proposed hog “megafarm” in northern Wisconsin is raising concerns among some residents that millions of gallons of pig manure will eventually wash off the land and pollute Lake Superior.

An Iowa business plans to produce thousands of pigs annually a few miles from Ashland and the shore of Chequamegon Bay. If plans are approved by state and federal regulators, the $17.7 million farm would be the largest hog farm in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The Bayfield County farm, which the owners are calling Badgerwood, also would become the largest concentrated animal feeding operation, or CAFO, in far northern Wisconsin, according to state officials.

There are currently no such operations in the Lake Superior basin. That could change if Badgerwood gets the go-ahead.

An existing dairy farm in Iron County also has grown to the point that Department of Natural Resources officials say it, too, will qualify as such a facility.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it will review the project because of the size of the farm and concerns raised

by Wisconsin American Indian tribes.

“What I want to know is, Why do they want to come here?” asked Mary Dougherty of Bayfield, who has been active in opposing the project.

Opponents are con-

cerned about odors and the threat of water pollution from the 6.8 million gallons of liquid manure that will be spread annually on more than 800 acres in the White River and Fish Creek watersheds, which flow into Lake Superior.

Badgerwood is being proposed by Reicks View Farms of Lawler, Iowa, which has extensive operations in its home state.

Gene Noem, director of swine operations for Reicks, said in an email his company was attracted to northern Wisconsin because it is far from hog-intensive areas of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and southern Wisconsin, where the potential for spreading animal diseases is greater.

Badgerwood would raise female pigs to maturity and ship them to Iowa farms, Noem said. “Isolating these farms helps us to ensure that the next generation of pigs will continue to maintain high herd health,” he said.

In Wisconsin, the company plans to house 7,500 sows, 18,750 pigs and 100 boars, the company said in records filed with the DNR.

AP

A 2012 photo shows hogs at a farm in Illinois. A proposed large hog operation in Northern Wisconsin has some people concerned about the potential for manure runoff into Lake Superior.

As details of the farm emerged earlier this year, Bayfield and Iron counties each approved oneyear moratoriums on the development of largescale farms. The moratoriums could be extended for a second year.

Residents of Ashland get their water from Chequamegon Bay. The potential of algae blooms spurred by manure runoff could harm drinking water supplies, said Mayor Debra S. Lewis.

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Today’s Farm

July 7, 2015 • Sauk Valley Media

PAGE 9

GRAIN AND COMMODITY MARKETS

Volatility is more perception than reality Research finds that index traders are not to blame

BY DEBRA LEVEY LARSON Special to Today’s Farm

URBANA – When grain and other commodity prices experienced explosive episodes between 2004 and 2013, the finger pointed toward index traders as the cause. University of Illinois researchers identified and datestamped both upward and downward price bubbles for grain during that time period. They found that not only were index traders not to blame but that the bubbles didn’t last nearly as long as many thought they did.

“To an economist, a bubble is a period when the price is either above or below its true economic fundamental value, which is determined by the market,” said Scott Irwin, a U of I agricultural economist. “During those 9 years, we experienced painful increases in gasoline prices that were actually justified by the market fundamentals; there was just too much demand relative to supply, and price had to allocate.

“The controversy that began to surface was that index traders in commodity futures markets were charged with overwhelming the normal supply and demand in the markets and causing prices to dra-

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matically spike upward.

The argument was being made repeatedly to Congress and regulatory bodies that crude oil prices were as much as 50 percent overvalued,” Scott Irwin said.

Irwin Grain prices were also at record highs, particularly from 2007 to 2008 – spring wheat was $25 a bushel, and corn soared to the unheard-of level of $8 a bushel.

The researchers used a new test to determine when a bubble started and when it ended. They found that the massive price spikes in crude oil

and grain didn’t line up with the bubbles they detected.

“When crude oil prices were spiking in the spring of 2008, for example, when we had that incredible runup in wheat prices, we didn’t find a single day of bubbles,” Irwin said.

“Bubbles in the grain markets occurred more often during the second half of the year rather than from February to May, which could correspond to periods of production problems. By our test, the prices were increasing dramatically [taking corn prices up from $4 to $8 per bushel] but the move was not a bubble.”

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lasted only 17 to 18 business days. To investors, 18 days may seem like a long time, but when put in perspective, over the 9-year span of the study, bubbles occurred 2 percent of the time.

“Some may think that during price spikes the markets are excessively speculative, excessively volatile, or excessively hysterical,” Irwin said.

“People see a big price spike and then a rapid drop-off in price and call that a bubble without realizing that it was absolutely necessary to equilibrate supply and demand. This study says that there are some hiccups but overall the market is doing a very good job of accessing and get-

ting the price right.”

Irwin said he hopes that objective evidence like this could lead to more rational understanding of what’s going on in the commodity markets, but he’s not particularly optimistic.

According to Irwin, 99 percent of the conversations people have about market fluctuations are about the dramatic upward price spikes. In reality, when the researchers did find bubble behavior, about one-third of them were downward in price.

Another important implication of this research is on speculation, Irwin said.

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Today’s Farm

PAGE 10

Sauk Valley Media • July 7, 2015

‘PLANTING OUR FUTURE’

Drive Across America tour promotes ag American Agri-Women leaders tout women’s role in agriculture

BY DEANA STROISCH FarmWeekNow.com

They’re now more than 4,000 miles into their Drive Across America tour.

And yes, they’ve noticed the looks.

“I think people are a little surprised when they see women behind the wheel,” Doris Mold, AAW vice president, said.

“They don’t expect that because the assumption is that women are more in the background. We’re truly trying to put women in the forefront where they deserve to be.”

Mold and Sue McCrum, president, visited Illinois

in late June – the 15th state on their 5-month tour.

They met with members of Illinois Agri-Women and visited the Starved Rock Lock and Dam near Utica.

The idea of a cross-country trip began as a way for McCrum and Mold to visit with members and affiliates. AAW has more than 40,000 members and 50 state, commodity and agribusiness affiliates across the country.

It grew into much more.

The trip, which coincides with the organization’s 40th anniversary, will include a “Planting Our Future” challenge to

‘‘

We’re truly trying to put women in the forefront where they deserve to be.

’’

Doris Mold

develop a new program or activity related to the anniversary. Other AAW leaders also will participate in the driving tour.

The trip began June 3 in Maine. It will end there in November.

Follow American AgriWomen as they Drive Across America on their Twitter pages.

You can also search for “American Agri-Women” on Facebook.

FarmWeekNow.com

A specially decorated pickup truck is being used by leaders of American AgriWomen on their 5-month tour across America. Illinois recently became the 15th state visited by the women when they stopped in LaSalle County.

Limited evidence that speculation hurts farmers, consumers MARKETS

CONTINUED FROM 9

“The new index investors are a new version of speculator. These investors have a lot of money, and they can hit the market in waves, so there is potential for excess price pressure. However, commodity futures markets are not the type of mar-

ket one would suspect of being highly susceptible to price bubbles in the first place.

Irwin used the housing market in 2006 as a counter-example. “This is a market with slow turnover, and it is hard to short the market if you think it is overvalued,” he said. “This was compounded by cheap credit and something of a social

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mania. But in this study, there is really limited evidence that speculation was harming producers or consumers of grains.”

Irwin said the data in this shorter 9-year time

period is very representative of long-term results.

He referred to another study that looked at 40 years of grain market data, beginning in 1970.

“The last comparable

boom in prices was 1973 to 1976-77,” he said. “We actually found evidence of more bubble behavior way back then, than we do now.”

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Today’s Farm

July 7, 2015 • Sauk Valley Media

PAGE 11

AG EXPORTS

Deere, others pleased about trade bill Enhanced negotiating authority seen as positive for agriculture

BY JIM OFFNER Tribune News Service

Big agricultural manufacturers praised Congress for recently passing Trade Promotion Authority legislation.

John Deere weighed in to support the U.S. Senate’s approval of giving so-called “fast-track” negotiation power to the president, which would assure trading partners that Congress would not alter details of any trade agreement.

All the legislators could do in this scenario is vote “up or down” on any such deal.

“We are pleased this important trade bill has moved another step toward enactment,” said Samuel Allen, Deere chairman and CEO, in a news release.

“Trade Promotion Authority [TPA] strengthens the ability of the U.S. to advance a robust trade agenda that will expand jobs and opportunities for American businesses, farmers, and workers.

This benefits our customers, our employees, and Deere’s business opportunities.”

Deere said estimates suggest that more than 20 percent of U.S. jobs are supported by international trade, and said U.S. job growth from 2004 to 2013 was three times higher for trade-related jobs compared with average job growth.

In 2013, countries that have free-trade agreements with the U.S. purchased 12 times more goods per capita from the

U.S. than those that don’t have such agreements.

“Enhanced global trading relationships benefit our John Deere customers and our business around the world,” Allen said.

“As living standards and urbanization continue to increase globally, more agricultural productivity is needed and additional construction of infrastructure is required. Protrade policies that open economies and foster growth improve the likelihood these challenges can be met.”

However, TPA’s direct effect on Deere itself likely would be only minimal, at least on the surface, said Eli Lustgarten, who tracks Deere’s performance in the stock market for Longbow Research.

AP

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky speaks in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, in a May photo. McDonnell and Senate Republicans backed President Barack Obama’s trade agenda in what was termed an extraordinary bipartisan rescue operation.

global economic growth that helps the middle class, improves diets and ultimately helps the farm sector.”

But, Deere says heighted trade power does help Big Green.

“Passage of TPA paves the way for current trade negotiations, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership,” the company said in its news release. “These potential agreements would be beneficial to John Deere customers by offering the opportunity to add billions of dollars in future U.S. farm exports.”

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the U.S. and Canada. At Deere’s larger factories in Iowa and Illinois, exports of agricultural and construction equipment account for between onethird and one-fourth of all units manufactured.

“It’s a long-range vision that’s accurate and true, but it’s really not going to help anybody in the short term,” Lustgarten said.

The Senate’s action, of course, drew praise from the National Association of Manufacturers.

“Manufacturers in the United States – and all Americans – scored a decisive win,” the group said.

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 800-798-4085, ext. 5511, or send an email to jdunn@saukvalley.com.

“It’s not a direct impact for Deere,” Lustgarten said. “It’s a more direct impact for job creation, Check our Sublette Mechanical’s 2015 line of SCAG inventory at sublette-mechanical.com

Last year, the U.S. exported more than $150 billion in agricultural exports, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that one in every three acres on U.S. farms is planted for export markets, Deere noted.

Allen said the global marketplace is also important to Deere’s U.S. employees, who depend on the combined strength of U.S. sales as well as exports to drive production at Deere manufacturing facilities.

In 2014, about 38 percent of Deere’s revenues came from sales outside

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Today’s Farm

PAGE 12

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