SVM_Ag Magazine_021519

AG Mag Northern Illinois

Coping with change Farmers are helping maintain nature’s delicate balance and tip the scales in the lands’ favor by leaving a smaller environmental footprint in their fields

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PUBLICATION • SPRING 2019

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 440 STERLING, IL 61081

Index

AG Mag Northern Illinois

Advertising Director, General Manager Jennifer Heintzelman Magazine Editors Kathleen Schultz & Rusty Schrader

Published by Sauk Valley Media 3200 E. Lincolnway Sterling, IL 61081 815-625-3600

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Cover illustration Alex T. Paschal

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Reporters & Photographers Cody Cutter, Pam Eggemeier, Phillip Hartman, Michael Krabbenhoeft, Alex T. Paschal & Rachel Rodgers

Farmers are taking steps to leave a smaller environmental footprint in their fields, and COVERSTORY judging by the number who are embracing conservation practices, it looks like the land is in good hands.

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Page Design Rusty Schrader

COPING WITH CHANGE N OR TH

Publisher Don T. Bricker

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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.

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Index

A BUDDING INDUSTRY Now that they’ve got the green light to grow hemp, farmers are looking at producing pot’s cousin, but there’s still much they need to learn before adding the once-taboo commodity to their portfolios.XX

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Index PLOWING AHEAD MONEY IN THE BANK Despite trade wars and declining prices, hog farmers are finding ways to weather the storms, and they’re seeing brighter futures ahead

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Coping with change Farmers are taking steps to leave a smaller environmental footprint in their fields, and judging by the number who are embracing conservation practices, it looks like the land is in good hands.

Growers are recognizing that to maintain nature’s delicate balance, they need to tilt the scales in the Earth’s favor

BY DREW ZIMMERMAN, RACHEL RODGERS & GOLDIE RAPP For Northern Illinois AgMag

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ongterm climate change findings and predictions spell challenges with warmer, wetter and more humid conditions for crops, and farmers are putting more focus on sustainable, conservation techniques.

For more than 20 years, farming strateCOVERSTORY gies have been developed to cope with the adverse effects of climate change, such as drought and rising temperatures, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Fourth National Climate Assessment released in November.

Methods have included the adoption of new technology, irrigation management and the use of cover crops, which are plants such as cereal rye used to prime and enrich soil that are not harvested as a cash crop.

There’s also a growing emphasis on nutrient stewardship practices and partnerships in experimental conservation methods.

In August, Bureau County farmer Michael Ganschow and several partnering agricultural agencies unveiled the first woodchip bioreactor in Northern Illinois at the family farm in Walnut.

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8 Spring 2019

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 Natural-occurring bacteria from the woodchips feed on nitrates in the water and convert it to nitrogen gas, which isn’t harmful to the environment and makes up most of the air people breathe.

Simply put, water is directed to a large hole filled with woodchips, and the practice helps filter water from drainage tile and is estimated to reduce nitrate losses from a field by about 25 percent, improving water quality and farm production.

Project partners include Nutrient Stewardship of Northern Illinois, the Bureau County Farm Bureau, the USDA-NRCS, the Illinois Farm Bureau, the Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association and the University of Illinois.

Other conservation methods Ganschow employs include no-till farming, adding nutrients, and seeding cover crop cereal rye in the fall after harvesting soybeans and corn.

He’s being recognized for his conservation efforts on the national level by the Fertilizer Institute as a national 4R Advocate team during the Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida.

The 4R concept is for farmers who use the right fertilizer source at the right rate at the right time and in the right place, providing a framework to achieve cropping system goals, such as increased production, increased farmer profitability, enhanced environmental protection and improved sustainability.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 124

John Petersen/www.petersenart.com

In August, Bureau County farmer Michael Ganschow and several partnering agricultural agencies unveiled the first woodchip bioreactor in Northern Illinois at the family farm in Walnut (below). As seen in the illustration at left, water enters the bioreactor, is cleansed by woodchips covered by soil, and exits into a drainage ditch or stream.

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, said that given the findings from the 1,600page national climate change assessment report, it’s more important than ever for farmers to take steps to curb the impact of climate change, and he sent letters to the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Soybean Association, and Illinois Corn Growers Association emphasizing that need.

“The changes outlined in the report are projected to decrease yields for corn from 5 percent to 25 percent and result in more than a 25 percent reduction in soybean yields by 2050 in the southern portions of the Midwest,” Durbin wrote.

“More intense heat waves, extreme rains, and drought are projected to reduce yields of all crops in the region. Rainfall levels will continue to increase, creating issues with runoff, soil quality, and our waterways.”

More than 75 percent of state land is used for agricultural production and generates $19 billion a year.

“Illinois’ 72,200 farms are critical contributors to the economic success of our rural communities,” he said. “But that success faces significant threats in the near future if the projections of the National Climate Assessment hold true.”

Farmers in McHenry County – which has 911 farms that make up about 60 percent of the county’s area, according to 2012

census data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture – say cover crop techniques are gaining momentum locally. However, the variability of weather and soil conditions might not make these environmentally conscious strategies efficient for every farmer.

John Bartman of Marengo said he has been using cover crops for more than 10 years, and the benefits have been plentiful.

The technique allows him to use less fertilizer in his fields and requires less tilling, which reduces fuel costs and carbon emissions. Bartman said he also ends up with a greater yield on his cash crops.

“It’s a movement that’s not going away because it’s working,” Bartman said. “And the consumer should feel pretty happy because they are finding that by using cover crops, the crops are healthier and the food has more nutrients.”

Both Bartman and Dan Ziller, a Huntley farmer and McHenry County Farm Bureau board president, admitted that 2018 was a tough year for cover cropping because of the amount of precipitation in the fall and winter.

“Mother Nature needs to be working with us for that situation to work well,” Ziller said.

According to the climate assessment report, extreme precipitation events in the southeastern U.S. remained steady from 1910 into the 1980s, but it has been on the

rise since then and is a trend that will continue this century.

These extreme precipitation events increase the risk of surface runoff and soil erosion. Therefore, the report advises farmers to take protective measures to improve soil and water quality, such as cover cropping and conservative tillage.

Depending on where farmers live, the decision may not be so simple.

Mike Von Bergen, a sweet corn farmer in Hebron, said with exposure to easterly winds, temperatures are too cold to make cover cropping viable on his farms.

One year, Von Bergen said he tried planting cereal rye ahead of planting pumpkins, which turned disastrous after the rapidly growing rye starting wrapping around the wheels of his equipment when he tried to perform no-tilling techniques on the land. During a particularly dry season, Von Bergen said the rye soaked up most of the moisture in the soil, halting the movement of his no-till planter.

“Everything has its drawbacks, and everything has its benefits,” Von Bergen said.

Russ Higgins, a commercial agriculture educator at the University of Illinois Extension in Morris, said he is serving as an agriculture adviser in an effort to secure grant funding for a cover crop demonstration study at McHenry County College.

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 Higgins said a large amount of cover crop research has been performed in southern or central Illinois – which has determined a number of benefits, such as carbon sequestration and nutrient recycling – but there hasn’t been as much research on the cooler climate of northern Illinois.

“Our intent would be to make [studies] multiyear because we’ll get different results based on the year we experience,” Higgins said. “You’d like to think with cover crops you’ll always be successful, but there will probably be years where it will be a greater challenge than others because of that uncontrollable weather component.”

Bartman said the economy also can play a major factor in the use of cover crops, especially in the wake of low commodity prices for soybeans and other crops.

“It’s hard to make an investment in a product when you’re not making money off of it,” Bartman said.

Higgins said there can be thin margins of profitability for some cover crop farmers, but with the opportunity to conduct studies, researchers can do some of the groundwork on certain practices and let farmers know what is most efficient.

Von Bergen said tilling techniques also are dependent on the characteristics of the soil and appropriate weather conditions, which can change dramatically in different portions of the county.

Von Bergen said he settled on using a

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combination of no-tilling and other techniques after a lengthy trial-and-error process.

Ziller said no-till farming is done on about 50 percent of his land because tilling is required to incorporate his cattle’s manure into the soil fertilization.

Bartman, however, said about 80 percent of his land is no-till, and he is hoping to make it 100 percent within a couple of years.

“It’s just a couple miles’ difference, but it’s a big difference on different practices,” Von Bergen said.

Chemical use, retention of water, susceptibility to wind erosion and the amount of crop residue also play into a farmer’s tilling strategy, Von Bergen said.

The climate response report also said that the ability of a rural community to adjust to climate disturbances, take advantage of economic opportunities and cope with the consequences of change depend on a host of demographic and economic factors.

A lack of economic diversity, limited access to the internet and relatively limited infrastructure, resources and political clout further detract from the adaptive capacity of rural communities, the report said.

As a result, rural communities are subject to a “climate gap,” defined by disproportionate and unequal effects of climate change and extreme climate events.

Outside of these farming techniques, Bartman said, another countywide initia-

tive that has had both environmental and economic benefits is farmers’ ability to take bio-solids from various municipalities to be used as fuel on their farms.

“Instead of having fertilizer trucked in from Canada or Mexico, I’m receiving material coming from Carpentersville,” Bartman said. “That’s a major savings on the environment, as well.”

Bartman also touted satellite technology, which, when combined with crop yield data, allows him to break down his crops on a square-foot basis to determine where nutrients may be lacking.

This then reduces fertilizer costs by pinpointing specific areas to cover.

Jill Frueh, manager of the Bureau County Farm Bureau, said the impact of climate variability hasn’t been a big topic of discussion among local farmers.

However, she said, it’s something the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) is starting to recognize and talk about.

Frueh shared a statement from IFB that says farmers and ranchers have been innovating for decades and are reducing their environmental footprint through new practices and modern food production techniques.

Illinois Farm Bureau’s statement acknowledges climate variability, but says solutions have to be crafted using sound peerreviewed science – voluntary, market-based approaches.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 154

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 “The synergy between farmers and ag technology is constantly adapting; shorter and longer season varieties have been developed and so technology is already adapting to weather variability,” according to the Illinois Farm Bureau statement.

“We think agriculture is part of the long-term solution. Farmers have increased their market share and have personally invested time and energy in developing clean-burning biofuels – both ethanol and biodiesel. We’re working to increase both the amount of ethanol and biodiesel used in our nation’s motor fuel supply and support increased exports of renewable fuels to help our trading partners attain their clean air goals.”

Russ Higgins, University of Illinois Extension’s educator for commercial agriculture, said the impacts of weather variability have been looked at and researched. In fact, Illinois was one of several Midwestern states that participated in a 5-year, multi-state Extension group that studied corn and soybean production within an increasingly variable weather environment.

The research encompassed varying sets of management practices, including crop rotation, cover crop, tillage, drainage and nitrogen management.

The data collected included agronomic, soil, water, greenhouse gas, crop disease and pests. The project team estimated carbon and nitrogen levels and water footprints of corn production in the region and performed baseline motoring.

Variables measured during the 5-year period included grain and biomass yield, carbon and nitrogen content in crop grain and vegetation, soil water moisture and temperature, carbon and nitrogen concentration in soil, greenhouse gas fluxes, drainage water quality and quantity, and groundwater tables.

Higgins said the research was helpful, but perhaps not convincing enough for farmers to make drastic management changes, especially under the current economic climate in the industry.

“It is very hard to make dramatic production practice changes, especially those that may increase costs at this time,” he said. n

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budding A

INDUSTRY

Now that they’ve got the green light to grow hemp, farmers are looking at producing pot’s cousin, but there’s still much they need to learn before adding the once-taboo commodity to their portfolios

BY DAVE COOK & RACHEL RODGERS For Northern Illinois AgMag

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ollowing former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s signature on a law to allow Illinois farmers to grow hemp, the plant is poised to make a return as one of the state’s significant cash crops.

Hemp is a derivative of the cannabis plant, but contains very low levels of tetrahydrocannabinoil (THC), which is the psychoactive component found in marijuana.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 174

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 It’s probably the oldest plant cultivated for textile use, and it can be used to produce clothing, paper, bio-fuel, construction materials, food, biodegradable plastics, and more.

University of Illinois Extension Ag and Natural Resource Coordinator Daryle Wragge said he’s seen little interest from area farmers, but added “this could change with our struggling markets and ag economy.”

Prior to 1937’s passage of The Marihuana Tax Act, which led to the rapid decline of the U.S. hemp industry, Illinois was a leader in hemp.

According to the 1913 U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Yearbook, the country produced a peak of 8.2 tons of hemp between 1886 and 1890. Additionally, several hemp-related patents are credited to Illinois inventors between 1891 and 1928; Champaign was home to a cordage mill; and hemp was first grown in Nebraska in 1887 by a man from Illinois.

Although there was a brief reprieve for the war effort during World War II to make rope, hemp vanished as a crop in the United States and was imported from other countries.

The worldwide history of hemp can be traced back through thousands of years of Chinese culture, as well as through the history of the ancient Greeks, Romans and several other civilizations.

Despite this long cultivation history, modern farmers will essentially be starting over with the versatile crop, although the majority of developed nations allow the growth of hemp.

“There’s very little agronomic knowledge and limited support services for growing industrial hemp here,” Bureau County Farm Bureau Manager Jill Frueh said. “Also, there isn’t a market for the crop in Illinois yet, as there aren’t any processors. Farmers have a lot to learn, and a market will need to develop before more farmers seriously look to grow industrial hemp.”

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 Frueh added that the recently weak prices for corn and soybeans may result in farmers being attracted to the alternative of growing industrial hemp as they explore ways to diversify or improve their profits.

“We could use an alternative crop and a new mix in our crop rotation to help with pests and diseases,” Wragge said.

Along with agreeing that there first needs to be a good market for industrial hemp, Wragge also said there was a need for “accurate publicity” to counter any potentially negative impressions of the crop.

In a good sign that hemp may once again have a strong future in Illinois, Frueh said the responses she’s experienced so far haven’t been negative.

“However, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. Industrial hemp is still in its infancy in Illinois, and farmers will need to learn more if it’s to become a significant commodity crop,” she said.

The U.S. hemp industry is projected to grow to nearly $2 billion by 2022, according to Hemp Business Journal.

Hemp production will likely be slow this year, and the Illinois Farm Bureau is urging the IDOA to clarify and finalize the rules so farmers can start planting in June.

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 “Delays in completing the rulemaking process may mean that Illinois farmers will be unable to secure a license in time to begin growing industrial hemp in 2019,” said Bill Bodine, IFB associate director of state legislation.

IDOA proposed rules say that a farmer, farm family member and employee would need to obtain a license to process, possess, transport or store industrial hemp, and licenses are proposed to cost $1,100 per noncontiguous land area for 3 years.

The IFB argues that the licenses are too costly and restrictive, and the agency is also concerned about the proposed 90-day requirement for a farmer to submit a license application before planting.

“This amount of lead time is excessive and should be reduced,” Bodine said. “A requirement to apply 90 days before planting may be too restrictive for some farmers...

This is especially true for the 2019 planting season.”

The new federal farm bill removes hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, allowing interstate commerce, crop insurance, and standard business loans and tax deductions to apply.

Hemp’s controversial cousin, marijuana, is expected to be legalized for recreational use in Illinois as soon as this year but likely won’t be established until 2020.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is hoping legalization will help alleviate overcrowding in prisons and jails, be a safer alternative to opioids and generate revenue for the cash-strapped state.

“There is an abundance of evidence that shows we can legalize marijuana in a safe way,” he said. “It would have real benefits for Illinois, including reducing opioid overdoses and bringing in much needed revenue from taxation.”

Unlike hemp, medical marijuana is grown indoors for security reasons on a smaller scale. n

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20 Spring 2019

T here are few things more Midwestern than the sight of an old barn. While farmhouses are the heart of the country and commodities the lifeblood, barns are the backbone. Strong, stoic stalwarts of the fam-

ily farm standing the test of time, a testament to the strength that helped a young nation grow. They evoke a simpler era, before factory farms spread across the land. Some have succumbed to the ravages of time and some remain, distressed but determined to stand tall. Still others have been restored and continue their service to farm and country. Today, efforts are underway to celebrate and preserve these endangered members of the farm community, Locally, the annual Whiteside County Barn Tour provides awareness, knowledge and resources to facilitate a grassroots effort to preserve local barns and agricultural history. The barn pictured here is on a farm along Penrose Road in rural Lee County, weathered and weary but still standing. ~ Photo by Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com ~

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y e n Mo in the bank

Despite trade wars and declining prices, hog s farmers are finding way to weather the storms, and they’re seeing brighter futures ahead

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BY PAM EGGEMEIER For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

ecord-level pork production and international trade battles are still making it difficult for farmers to turn a profit, but there is hope for higher prices in the second half of the year.

U.S. pork producers, on average, lost $12 per head last year, but futures prices indicate there is optimism for stronger demand and some resolution to international trade wars in 2019.

Low feed prices guarantee that the industry will continue to expand, which means more hog finishing barns are being built. More farmers are doing contract feeding for the big operations, which reduces risk amid the market uncertainties. Farmers put up the buildings and take care of the animals, but they don’t own them.

Many of the contract farmers are using hogs to diversify their operations, which becomes increasingly important during commodities’ down cycles.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 234

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 Bureau County farmer Harry McCune, of rural Manlius, put up barns 2 years ago to do contract farming for international meat processing behemoth JBS. Because the company owns the hogs, McCune doesn’t worry as much about tariffs and market conditions.

“The two things I pay the most attention to are feed prices and building costs,” McCune said. “The packers have their own way of figuring out prices.”

McCune, who now has 4,800 head, enjoys the stability provided by a 10-year contract with JBS. “The market isn’t too bad overall – if I wanted to build two more barns right now, I know they’d let me,” McCune said.

Deuth Farms, north of Polo, decided to expand by 680 units last year, and now has 12,000 hogs, all owned by the family.

John Deuth and sons, Michael and Daniel, run the farm that has operated since 1902. They have mixed up their production with beef, pork, corn, soybeans and wheat.

Despite ever-increasing capacity, the Deuths are confident the market will hold up.

“Protein consumption is growing worldwide, and with corn prices down, feed is cheap,” Michael Deuth said.

While much is made of the great potential of a huge China market, Deuth

Lyle Ganther/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Bureau County farmer Harry McCune put up barns 2 years ago to do contract farming for international meat processing behemoth JBS. Because the company owns the hogs, McCune doesn’t worry as much about tariffs and market conditions. McCune, who now has 4,800 head, enjoys the stability provided by a 10-year contract with JBS. is optimistic about some other trade hopeful that the tariffs could be dropped sometime this year. partners. Only about 25 percent of U.S. “Mexico, Canada and Japan consume pork is exported and about 15 percent of the most U.S. pork, and if the Mexico that goes to Mexico. Last June, however, tariffs come off, that market will really Mexico announced plans to impose a open up,” Deuth said.

20 percent tariff on U.S. pork, causing CONTINUED ON PAGE 244 a sharp drop in prices. Producers are

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23 China has threatened up to 62 percent tariffs on U.S. pork, but soybean tariffs and an outbreak of African swine fever have weighed heavily on that country’s hog industry.

There is no treatment or vaccine for African swine fever. It is highly contagious, causing the slaughter of nearly 1 million pigs in the last 6 months. China produces more than half of the world’s pigs, but the disease is likely to increase its exports.

In January, while Chinese officials were in Washington for trade negotiations, the National Pork Producers Council made a special request. The organization asked the nations for a quick end to the trade war and for China to buy a minimum of $3.5 billion worth of U.S. pork over the next 5 years.

Another area hog producer has found a specialty market that somewhat insulates its operations from the whims of the market.

Steve and Shari Heun produce about 1,200 hogs a year, farrow to finish, on their century farm between Fulton and Albany, but there was a time in which they wondered whether they would be around to reach that milestone.

After the farm crisis of the 1980s, prices continued to plummet, reaching less than a dime a pound.

Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

The family behind Deuth Farms, north of Polo, say they’re confident the hog market will hold up. The farm expanded by 680 units last year, and now has 12,000 hogs, all owned by the family. John Deuth (right) and sons, Daniel (left) and Michael, run the farm that has operated since 1902.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 254

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“We knew we had to do something different or get out,” Steve Heun said.

“Then my wife learned about Niman Ranch.”

Started in California, Niman Ranch later expanded its hog business into Iowa. The company has contracts with 500 to 600 farmers who raise the animals in low-stress environments.

The animals are raised with lots of bedding in natural surroundings – no confinement buildings. They get vegetarian feed with no antibiotics or hormones.

“It fit in with what we were already doing,” Heun said. “We believe that humanely raised animals with less stress taste better.”

The Heuns are now in their 19th year with Niman Ranch. They own their hogs, but have a contract to sell to the company. They are convinced that the arrangement saved their farm.

“It took a lot of money to get started, but we’ve been able to add buildings and expand,” Heun said.

The hogs aren’t the only ones experiencing less stress on the Heun farm.

They say they no longer worry much about tariffs and politics. As long as the economy looks strong, they know they’ll get paid.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 264

2018 rankings, based on inventory of hogs and pigs in each state: 1. Iowa 22.6 million 2. North Carolina 8.9 million 3. Minnesota 8.5 million 4. Illinois 5.3 million 5. Indiana 4.05 million 6. Nebraska 3.45 million 7. Missouri 3.45 million 8. Ohio 2.65 million 9. Oklahoma 2.16 million 10. Kansas 1.97 million Source: Statistica Lyle Ganther/Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Bureau County farmer Harry McCune has about 4,800 head of hogs.

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 “A lot of our pigs go to higher-end markets – fancier restaurants, and grocers like Whole Food and Trader Joe’s – so the demand is always there in this specialty market,” Heun said.

In 2017, the Heuns became the proud owners of a century farm. They enjoy being immune to many of the changes that have swept through the hog industry over the last couple of decades.

They can own their hogs and not just the buildings. While it’s rare to see the animals outdoors anymore, they enjoy watching the pigs roam the property, taking in the sun and fresh air.

The movement toward humanely raised hogs also dovetails into another trend: Being able to tell consumers that the meat they’re buying was raised humanely is becoming increasingly important, and technology puts more power in consumers’ hands.

McCune said the day is coming when shoppers will be able pull out their phone at a grocery story and find out where their pork chops came from.

He said blockchain technology has more potential to be used than a farmto-fork concept, where people want to buy products raised or grown locally.

“A blockchain system is more practical because a person can find out where

Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

Daniel Dueth adjusts settings for the hog barns on the family farm. [there pork comes from],” he said. hogs would be too high for farm-to-fork McCune said that for most Americans, to succeed, and many of those people farm-to-fork simply isn’t practical. With don’t want pigs raised near them due to 50 percent of U.S. residents living either their smell. n on the West or East coasts, the cost to – Lyle Ganther, for North Central Illinois pork producers to have corn to feed their Ag Mag, contributed to this story

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ince John Deere made his first steel plow at a Grand Detour blacksmith shop in 1837, Northern Illinois has been an important proving ground for agriculture technology.

The region can continue to be on the cutting edge if today’s farmers have the opportunity to utilize new technologies, according to Sauk Valley Community College agriculture professor Ryan Anderson.

Strip-till, cover crops, bioreactors and pollinators are important items in attaining sustainable agriculture for the future.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 284

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Sauk Valley Community College Ag Professor Ryan Anderson keeps his students up-to-date on the latest advancements in agriculture technology, including how bioreactors improve water quality, and how smaller tilling techniques sustain healthy soil.

Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 “We are seeing major leaps and bounds on the technology side of farming,” Anderson said. “Looking at the new technology that continues to emerge just in terms of what we can do with a planter is amazing.”

Tilling smaller strips, some as small as only about 2 inches wide, can help save on fertilizer and reduce soil damage. Reduction of tillage width also helps create coverage space for healthier soil, and cut-up openings inside it are deep and close so moisture can make for rich crops.

Working in smaller spaces also emphasizes the importance in precision. The use of GPS helps immensely in fertilizer placement.

“With the aid of GPS, farmers are able to apply fertilizer in the exact same location where they place the seeds,” Anderson said. “This helps improve fertilizer efficiency and ensure that plant has the food it needs to thrive.”

Healthy water systems are made possible by rectangular, dug-in bioreactors in the field, filled in with wood chips.

Nitrates are reduced in field drainage before entering a body of water.

“The wood bonds to the nitrogen and reduces the nitrate levels well below the acceptable rate for human consumption,” said Anderson.

It’s such an important advancement that Anderson believes there should be financial incentives to help farmers and landowners install bioreactors to their field tile.

“I think water quality is going to be one of the biggest battles that farmers will face,” he said, “and the technology to reduce the use of fertilizer and eliminate runoff will be front and center sooner rather than later.”

Cover crops slow soil erosion and can increase crop yields in as little as a year, as well as improve crop diversity and attract pollinators. It’s a tedious process that can be difficult to deal with, but it reaps benefits.

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More pollinators help keep the food supply flourishing. They help keep fields clean and also can improve crop yields.

Farmers and landowners can get free seed from several sources and assistance from various organizations to plant pollinators.

“With the emergence of chemicalresistant plants over the past 25 years, this has been easier to accomplish than ever before, Anderson said. “Farmers are being asked now to identify low producing or hard-to-reach spots in their fields and convert them into pollinators where plants such as milkweed can grow.

Anderson urges landowners to work with tenants to implement new technology.

“We are still identifying new and emerging technologies that allow farmers to be more effective and efficient,” Anderson said. “I hope we as a profession continue to explore being early adopters to more environmentally friendly practices and not wait until we are being forced to change.” n

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BY PHILLIP HARTMAN For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

hen Andrea Hensgen found herself moving in 2001 to a farm on Thome Road, she had some idea of what rural Illinois was like – but it still took time to adjust.

“I’m from inner-city Chicago, but my relatives had farms in Indiana and Wisconsin. An opportunity presented itself in 2001 to buy a small acreage. It was still a change. I’m from really inside the city. Going from living in a really small place where you have people right on top of you, 8 acres was huge,” Hensgen, 52, said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 314

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w Horseplay is home TOP: In addition to horses, Kno asants, and Musto chickens, African geese, phe eggs and breed the sell ns covy ducks. The Hensge this turkey in here? the birds. RIGHT: Hey, who let a chicken coop at A turkey takes residence up in VE: Andrea gets a the farm in rural Rock Falls. ABO t herd. goa her of little love from the father

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 Hensgen turned those 8 acres into a horse breeding and training farm, Know Horseplay, which she runs with her husband, Joe Hensgen, 49.

The farm, at 28863 W. Thome Road, features mainly paintand quarter-horses. At present, Know Horseplay has six horses.

“We train them and sell them for riding. The training I do is just either getting them ground broke, or someone could buy them to train them for trail riding. Nothing fancy,” Hensgen said.

A ground-broke horse is a horse used to having a rider.

“They haven’t had a lot of miles put on them,” Hensgen said.

Know Horseplay also has four mules – the offspring of a male donkey and a More info female horse. The Hensgens had been Know Horsebreeding mules, but no longer have a play donkey.

28863 W. “I do still have a quarter-horse stallion, Thome Road dual-registered for quarter-horse and Online: knowpaint-horse. He’s a Perlino color, so any of horseplay.com his babies will have his color. He’ll have and on Facebuckskins or Palominos,” Hensgen said. book Buckskin horses’ skin has a color similar 815-590-6219 to tanned deerhide. The Hensgens also have a year-and-a-half-old foal that’s a buckskin, and another young foal that will be a Palomino.

Horses aren’t the only animals that call Know Horseplay home. The Hensgens have a variety of goats they raise for milk and meat.

“We have Nubian-painter mixes. We want some milk, so I have mainly dairy does. For the bucks, I like a little bit more of fainter or Boer goats. Currently, the number goes up and down,” Hensgen said.

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Joe and Andrea Hensgen stand with some of the horses and mules they raise at their Rock Falls farm.

The farm also has chickens, African geese, pheasants, and Muscovy ducks. The Hensgens sell the eggs and breed the birds.

The couple prides itself on keeping their livestock free of hormones and antibiotics, and their feed comes from a local mill and is free of animal by-products.

Hensgen is also the executive director of the Sauk Valley Food Bank, a position she took over Nov. 1 after longtime director Carol Siefken retired. Hensgen started at the food bank in August 2017.

Andrea’s father, Bob Bukovich, and her brother, David Bukovich, help her and Joe on the farm. n

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D

BY CODY CUTTER For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

an and Erin Dietrich are proving that beef can indeed be healthier than people might think.

That’s because the Mount Morris family is grass-fed beef, lamb, and free-range pastured chicken, as opposed to more traditional methods, such as corn- or grain-fed.

“As one studies nature, polycultures exist where each different species compliments another,” Dan said.

“This is opposite of how most mainstream agriculture operations function. Here, plants and animals are in monocultures, living in high populations where other species are either eliminated or killed to get more production from the species that is focused on.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 354

Farmer Dan Dietrich brings in young cattle to graze on the grass of his farm before selling them to a processor or private buyers.

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34 The Dietrichs have the perfect setup for their long-running family farm. Pastured livestock becomes practical as the farm provides several water and wooded areas for the cattle to seek shade and shelter from wind. Also utilizing his studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Dan convinced his family to go the grass-fed route in 2009 – and it’s worked. A portion of cropland was turned into growing areas for various types of grass, including orchard grass, Kentucky blue grass, tall fescue and festolium.

The grass is digested by Devon-Angus cattle. Dan found that they are a natural fit on the farm. In the winter, cattle eat stockpiled hay and grass left over from the growing season, both of More info which contain higher protein. Dietrich Ranch “The protein feeds the microbes 115 W. Front St., in the cattle rumen that breaks the Mount Morris hay down, releasing the plants’ 815-973-6879 energy to the cattle,� Dan said.

Online: dietrichranch. “This energy is what allows the com and on Facebook cattle to grow and stay warm in the winter without grain.�

This past growing season, the Dietrichs also had sheep grazing on their land. Sheep lend themselves to troublesome grassy areas where they cycle nutrients and get those areas vegetative again. It’s cheaper, and environmentally better than controlled burns. “The sheep have lower nutrient requirements than a growing beef animal,� Dan said. “Sheep are then able to utilize areas that otherwise would go to waste.�  Over the years, the benefits have become exponential. Beef was first sold by word of mouth, and now Erin operates dietrichranch.com complete with an online store where various types of beef are sold.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 364

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 They’ve also started selling beef wholesale to local providers.

“Those producers are able to offer a beef product to their customer,” Dan said, “and that in turn has opened up additional markets for us, allowing us to scale our operation.”

Dan’s great-grandparents, Russell and Cora Dietrich, bought the land in 1947, and his grandparents, Bob and Donna bought it a few years later. Today, Bob, and Dan’s father, Steve, are retired from the farm, but still provide advice from time to time, and the next generation of Dietrichs are already following in their family’s footsteps; Houston, Cora and Danny help out during the summer and help track cattle by giving them names. Dan recently left a full-time job to make the farm his primary focus.

Dan admits that operating a unique system has its challenges. It takes flexibility, careful observation, and understanding of strengths to make an operation successful.

“It definitely takes a change of mindset to get started,” Dan said. “There is a steep learning curve when transitioning into a grass-fed production model. Many people getting into it start because of how simple it seems.

“It has its demands, but on the flip side it also has its rewards. The key is careful planning and then studying the effects of the plan.”

It’s worked out for the Dietrichs for a decade, and hopefully for many more. n

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

Dan Dietrich says that switching to grass-fed beef involves a steep learning curve and has its demands, “but on the flip side it also has its rewards.”

Ten benefits of grass-fed beef 1. Better for one’s land, livestock and producer 2. Healthier beef with higher omega 3 fatty acids 3. If 50 percent of beef production followed holistic grazing practices, carbon dioxide levels can decrease 4. Fewer capital expenses 5. The trampling of weeds reduce the need for added inputs and herbicides 6. Cattle redistribute minerals over

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W

BY PHILLIP HARTMAN For Northern Illinois Ag Mag

hat are the chances of a local farmer’s tractor ending up in a Chicago museum?

You might say it’s something of a long shot.

But the odds must have been in Richard Schmitt’s favor about a year ago because an appearance at a local tractor show turned one of his collectible tractors into a museum showpiece.

Schmitt, 84, of Sterling has farmed all his life near Sterling, and has been collecting tractors for decades and displaying them at area shows.

“About a year ago, I had a tractor over at a tractor show at Long Shot (Bar and Grill in Rock Falls). I have a name on my tractors. They asked somebody who it was, and got my number,” Schmitt said.

“They” turned out to be representatives with the Chicago History Museum, who were interested in displaying Schmitt’s 1934 Farmall B International, a request he was only too happy to oblige – and not just because he wanted to show off his pride and joy.

“I’ve got about 55 of ‘em … and the reason I loaned it to her (Angela Mahoney, a curator at the museum) is so that it’d make me room for another tractor,” he told WTTW Chicago during an interview in October, when he visited the museum.

Photo by WTTW Chicago

Richard Schmitt of Sterling loaned his 1934 Farmall tractor to the Chicago History Museum for an exhibit.

The tractor, which he bought in 1970, is part of the museum’s “Modern by Design: Chicago Streamlines America” exhibit, which features examples of Chicago-made items that helped shape the modern, streamlined style that emerged during the early 1930s. Some of

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3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38 Tractors have been part of Schmitt’s life for as long as he can remember. A thirdgeneration farmer, his grandfather gave him a rubber tractor and plow when he was 3. He purchased his farm on Fulfs Road in 1959 with his first wife, Alice, and 4 years later he bought his first collectible tractor, a 1934 Farmall F-20. “That tractor was made June 5, 1934, the day I was born,� Schmitt said.

After his first tractor came to the end of its useful life, Schmitt restored it and started showing it at tractor shows and parades.

From there, his passion for power just kept picking up speed, albeit not much speed. “This tractor (the Farmall B) only has like 15, 18 horsepower. A lawnmower has got that now,� he told WTTW. It was during his time working for the family business, Schmitt Plumbing in Dixon, when he started buying and collecting tractors. “I was a plumber, and did a lot of pump work for farms,� Schmitt said.

Schmitt said he likes how the museum’s displaying the Farmall-B. “It’s enclosed in glass all around,� he said.

He continues to take part in tractor shows. Richard’s favorite piece in his

Want to see the tractor?

Chicago History Museum 1601 N. Clark St. – 312-642-4600 Hours: 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday; 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday; 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday Admission: Go tochicagohistory.org/visit for admission prices Online: chicagohistory.org/modern

collection is a 1966 G1000 Minneapolis Moline tractor his father purchased new. “He still loves to go on rides and has tractor shows at the house,� his second

wife, Roxanne, 73, said – proof positive that while you may be able to take the boy out of the farm, but you can’t take the Farmall out of the boy. n

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