SVM_Northern Illinois Ag Mag_Winter 2020

AG Mag Northern Illinois

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PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 440 Sterling, IL 61081

AG Mag Northern Illinois

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AG Mag Northern Illinois

WINTER 2020

Sales • Farm Management • Market Evaluations Lee County: 445 +/- Acres. Palmyra Twp. 429 +/- tillable. Price Reduced!

119 +/- Acres. 110 +/-tillable, SO bordering LD Rt 2 & Sink Hollow Rd. 47 +/- Acres. Good producing farm in excellent location.

59 +/- Acres. Picturesque riverSO property LD w/historic cabin.

43 +/- Acres. Excellent SA location soils, ING tillable.

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Ogle County:

98 +/- Acres Scott Twp. 90 +/- tillable, just SW of Davis Junction.

Whiteside County: 143 +/- Acres Clyde Twp. 138 +/- tillable. Price Reduced!

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Dekalb County:

Matt Hermes, Designated Managing Broker

158+/- Acres just N of Sycamore. Apx 99% tillable, excellent soils.

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rom video farm tours to egg incubation at home, county Agriculture in the Classroo m (AITC) coordinators are adapting and crea ting

ag-related resources as schools statewide rely on remote learning during the COVID-19 qua rantine.

On April 1, the Illinois State Boa rd of Education instructed public schools for K-12 to use remote learning until classes resume, and later that month Gov. JB Pritzker closed public and private schools by extending his shelter-inplace order until April 30.

“I’m sure you didn’t plan on sett ing up chicken coops in your homes when this project star ted, but my little guy is loving the updates,” an Effingham County parent wrote Lynn Wolff, a teacher and county AIT C coordinator. “Bless you all and thanks so much.”

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The Illinois Ag in the Classroom program provides lessons on agriculture and farming to students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. The program is administered at the county level, and county Farm Bureaus have an AITC coordinator who is responsible for putting the program together and getting the information out to schools in their county.

While the program expanded its online resources, county ag literacy coordinators built on those efforts not only by helping local teachers and parents but also others across the country.

“There are phenomenal projects going on,” said Kevin Daugherty, director of Illinois Farm Bureau’s Center for Agricultural Engagement.

Daugherty is also the president of the Leroy Community School District No. 2 School Board, in central Illinois.

When the word went around in March that the governor was going to make an announcement about COVID-19, Daugherty pretty much knew what was coming.

Anticipating that some disruption to in-person classroom learning was coming, the Ag in the Classroom staff at Illinois Farm Bureau quickly pivoted.

“We made a video on Friday, and we said starting Tuesday, every day at noon until the end of the school year, we will provide a hands-on lesson and a STEM activity. We came up with new material that students and teachers could access online about what was going on in agriculture. We did something every day until June 12,” Daugherty said.

The goal was to provide content that was not just

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educational, but fun and stimulating as well.

“We found some sort of fun video, whether it .. went along with that topic or just something goofy, just to try and have a little bit of fun, as well as learning about something,” Daugherty said.

The program’s Summer Ag Institutes, where teachers visit farms and agribusiness in their counties and learn about agriculture, went virtual by way of tours conducted by the state’s grain and livestock commodity groups, along with one-hour training sessions for teachers.

All of the information was uploaded onto the program’s blog at beyondthebarndoor.wordpress.com, and at agintheclassroom.org.

Daugherty and his team are also putting together monthly themes and the materials and activities to go along with those themes. With field trips canceled they’re also posting virtual field trips for teachers and students.

The September virtual field trip was to an apple orchard and October’s was a tour of Heap’s Giant Pumpkin Patch in Minooka.

The program also promotes a book that goes along with each month’s theme. “Pick a Pumpkin” by Patricia Toht, an Illinois author, was the featured book for October.

The state program continues to provide material weekly for teachers, posting a new lesson on Thursday for the next week. In addition, the state program also is offering professional development credits through a program called “PD in your PJs,” that offers Saturday morning sessions to earn those credits.

REMOTE cont’d on page 8

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REMOTE cont’d from page 7 Here’s a look at how some counties throughout the state are handling Ag in Classroom ...

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LEE COUNTY Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program is involved with daily Facebook Live farm visits hosted by students and adults across the country. The county’s Ag Literacy coordinator, Katie Pratt, and Kansas farmer Nicole Small also share an online Flat Aggie program. One of the most-viewed videos, watched 3,000 times within 24 hours, was hosted by four Althaus sisters of Amboy, who discussed a history of Katie ag equipment while showing their Pratt family’s antique tractor collection.

“Each day is different. We hope to fill all the school days through May,” Pratt said.

Lee County’s program also assembled and distributed more than 250 ag bag lessons and resources for students’ distance learning at three schools. Topics include how plants grow, corn, grain and pigs.

WHITESIDE COUNTY’S PROGRAM

Diane Baker

pivoted to provide teachers and parents with more online educational links and ideas, county ag literacy coordinator Diane Baker said.

Baker said that when she began trying to assemble Spring on the Farm learning bags of lessons for about 1,000 students, some supplies, such as peat

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pots and cornstarch, proved difficult to find.

“Teachers are very appreciative that we are supporting them and their kids,” Baker said. “They all comment how much their kids are missing hands-on science activities. We appreciate the opportunity to support our Ag in the Classroom kids.”

COOK COUNTY’S PROGRAM is using existing video to create lessons that are shared on Facebook and link teachers and families to the county’s Ag in the Classroom website, said Diane Merrion.

The first video featured AITC volunteer Kathy Lesser and her grandchildren demonstrating how to make ice cream in a bag. Their video has been viewed more than 9,000 times since March 24.

Michele Govea, Cardenas Elementary School seventh-grade science teacher, praised the videos: “I shared them and the website. Love them all!”

IN DEKALB COUNTY, Rhodora Collins is looking at school this year not just as the county’s Ag in the Classroom coordinator, but as the mom of a student who is doing remote learning.

“I’m at home as a parent, trying to keep my daughter occupied and seeing what her teacher is facing and what other parents are facing and thinking, ‘Is there anything I can do?’” she said.

The DeKalb County program serves students and teachers in 42 schools throughout the county. While Collins focuses her outreach at the elementary and middle school levels, she also works with high school ag teachers to provide materials and information.

REMOTE cont’d on page 10

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Collins found activities that not only continue ag learning, but ones that families could do together.

With field trips and in-person events canceled, she’s been working on finding ways to continue to get the ag message to teachers and students. She shares the lessons created by the state program and the national Ag in the Classroom program on the county’s AITC website.

“We had an ag literacy committee meeting recently. I have a wonderful blend of farmers and educators at different levels. I had questions for them, like what is the best way for me to assist teachers and promote ag literacy now? What is going to work and what is not going to work?” Collins said.

She was reminded of how much has changed when she glanced at a copy of the minutes of the March 10 ag literacy committee meeting. The committee discussed an awards night, the annual local history expo for DeKalb third-graders and an annual field trip for Sycamore eighth-grade students.

“I looked at those minutes and none of that happened. It’s just been a weird year,” she said.

MARSHALL-PUTNAM FARM BUREAU, in partnership with the local University of Illinois Extension, is providing lessons for students who pick up a weekly lunch at school, said Tiffany Moody, Farm Bureau manager. For example, a soil lesson included seeds, peat pot and a ruler or magnifying glass to follow plant growth, an Ag Mag and fun activities.

Moody explained other ag bag topics included popcorn, embryology and conservation heroes. “We are providing superhero masks and information on Earth

Day,” she noted. Abrianne Holler with Extension will incubate eggs with the county Farm Bureau posting updates here.

Programs in White and Wayne counties are sending zinnia seed packets and a letter to families and teachers who email addresses to county AITC coordinator Ryan Scott.

“We have had an amazing response,” Scott said, adding that he had sent 183 packets by April 1.

“I have even mailed seeds to South Dakota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Florida and Alabama. Countless An Amboy teacher parents have thanked us for the turns a challenge encouragement. I have had several into an opportunity, parents message me how happy piecing together a they were to receive something puzzle whose from Ag in the Classroom.” pieces have been He said that one mom wrote: reshaped by a pan“My daughter loves to get mail and demic, and finding plant things. Thank you so much ways to continue for doing this program for our helping America’s kids!” future farmers.

Daugherty said “The strength of the Ag in the Classroom program has always been, and will always be, the phenomenal support and creativity generated at the county level. I was confident they’d be able to handle the digital online challenge to best support their local teachers.”

Go to FarmWeekNow.com to read more local and state farm news.

Jeannine Otto from Shaw Media’s AgriNews Publications contributed to this article.

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As a the coronavirus pandemic continues to reshape education, educators like ag teacher and FFA adviser Joseph Heavner are adapting to the new reality, spending more time teaching with computers. He and other teachers at Amboy have an hour at the end of the school day, which has been shortened for students, to devote to those doing remote learning.

Jeannine Otto/Shaw Media

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oseph Heavner’s year has been one for the record books.

“I feel very fortunate. In the last six months, I got a new job, I got a new house, got married and we adopted a dog. It seems like the world is burning down everywhere else, and I had this streak of good luck,” he said.

In fact, record books are one of the areas the Amboy High School ag teacher and FFA adviser hopes to focus on with FFA students. That’s where he sees the extra time that students have right now as being a benefit.

“One thing we have, with the effects on FFA contests due to the coronavirus, is we have more time to focus on record books. I can help students focus on their record books, where they might not have spent much time in the past,” said Heavner, who was the 2013-2014 state FFA treasurer. He attended Southwestern Illinois College and Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

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Heavner’s life has been spent in FFA and ag education. His father, Howard, and grandfather, Robert, taught ag and were the FFA advisers at Valmeyer High School for a combined 50 years between them.

Joseph Heavner could be described as being ready for the kind of upheaval that coronavirus has brought. He was born during a time of it.

“I was born in 1993, the year Valmeyer flooded, 1993,” he said.

Valmeyer is the southern Illinois town that was located on the bottomlands of the Mississippi River. After the town was inundated in in the Flood of ‘93, it moved from the bottomland to higher ground nearby. Joseph grew up in what is called New Valmeyer.

Heavner was changing plans due to the coronavirus even before he arrived at Amboy High School as ag teacher and FFA adviser. He and wife Susie, who works for Syngenta, kept their wedding date in June, but had to change the venue due to the pandemic. They moved to the Sauk Valley after she received a promotion.

“Her family lives in the country, and they have pastures, so they converted one of the pastures into what we call the wedding pasture. We had six weeks to line up a tent, find some caterers and get it all ready. It went off fantastically, we had good weather and nobody got sick,” he said.

FUTURE cont’d on page 13

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Amboy High School teacher Joseph Heavner works on a wiring project during his ag construction class at the school. Heavner is finding ways to adapt to teaching in a world turned upside down by a pandemic, even with hands-on lessons.

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REMOTE cont’d on page 12 So far, teaching ag during a pandemic has been difficult, but not impossible. About 75% of Amboy High School’s 200 students chose in-person learning, and the remaining 25% chose remote learning.

Many of the classes Heavner teaches are a mix of students in the classroom and students attending virtually.

“Some of the classes are a little easier to do remotely than others. It’s difficult to do welding while remote learning. It’s hard to replace the experience of actually doing it. You do the best you can with video or articles about the topic, and you just do the best you can to keep it relevant and still interesting,” he said.

Working with students who are attending class remotely has brought flexibility, too, and understanding the challenges that remote schooling presents.

“Some people at home don’t have the bandwidth, so if I am doing videos in class or if I am doing notes in class, I can put the links up and the questions up and students can access those on their own time. If you’ve got multiple students at home, all trying to use the internet for school, they might not be able to use it at the same time. If they can’t get in on the livestream, they are not counted off for that,” Heavner said.

There have also been adjustments for those attending school in person.

“If you are in the building, you have to wear a mask. The only exception is if you are eating.

As far as disinfecting goes, I’ve got tables in my classroom and at the end of each class, I spray the tables and wipe them down,” Heavner said.

When it comes to distancing students in a classroom, remote learning has helped.

“One benefit of having some students as remote learners is that class sizes are smaller than normal because we’ve got 25% of the school population out. I am pretty much able to put one student per table and have them spread out through the room,” Heavner said.

With FFA contests being canceled or postponed, Heavner sees that time as a blessing in disguise, a way for him, as the new Amboy FFA adviser, to work with students and find out what direction the chapter wants to go.

“In a regular year, we might be more focused on getting ready for section land use contest, then turn around and get ready for the next contests. We’re not getting ready for land use because that contest was canceled. So, we have this time that, in a regular year, you wouldn’t. That gives us a chance to maybe reflect a little bit on what we can do at the chapter level or what can we change at the chapter level? We want to have events that the FFA members can do and have fun with and not have coronavirus completely cancel FFA for the year,” he said.

Heavner said he’s been pleased with the support he’s received from students, the school and the community.

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“I have had a lot of people here at Amboy be very receptive and very willing to help out. I’ve gotten a lot of support here and I feel supported,” he said.

As for those record books he talked about earlier? He’d like to repeat past successes he’s had..

“In my first three years of teaching, at Eureka High School, one thing I was proud of was that we averaged five state FFA degrees a year at the school. I would like to help the Amboy kids who maybe didn’t have record books going yet to start those or get them up to date. I know they have projects. I know they’ve done the work. One goal of mine is to help put that work into the record-keeping area and teach them those record-keeping skills and help them be eligible to get their state degrees,” he said.

Already, students have responded.

“I’ve been surprised by how many have come to ask for help with their record books. That’s been refreshing,” Heavner said.

Heavner said he’s been in contact with retired Amboy High School ag teacher Mark Streit.

Deanna Drew, the former ag teacher at Amboy who now teaches at Rochelle High School, also has been helpful, as has Beth Becker, retired Amboy home economics teacher.

Heavner can also bounce ideas off of his dad, and he has his own teaching experience and ag education and FFA experiences to draw from as he deals with teaching in a new school amid the changes and challenges of COVID-19.

“You kind of piece it together and make it your own and try to make it into something that students will get something positive from,” he said.

Jeannine Otto reports for Shaw Media’s AgriNews Publications. She can be reached at 815-223-2558, ext. 211, or jotto@agrinews-pubs.com.

Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Otto.

Agriculture in the Classroom programs in the Sauk Valley …

Whiteside County — Coordinator: Diane Baker, aitcwhiteside@gmail. com. Online: wcfbfoundation.org/ agriculture-in-the-classroom.html Lee County — Coordinator: Katie Pratt, aitc.leecfb@comcast.net.

Online: lcfbfoundation.org/ag-inthe-classroom.html Ogle County – Coordinator Melinda Charbonneau is the Ag Literacy Coordinator for Ogle and Carroll counties. Contact: 815-732-2191 or charbm@uiuc.edu. Online: oglefb. org/ag-in-the-classroom.html Illinois Ag in the Classroom: agintheclassroom.org/

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Good weather and higher prices for corn and soybeans means that 2020 harvest season is off to a positive start for farmers throughout northern Illinois.

“I’m optimistic,” said Nathan Hummel, of Hummel Farms in Dixon.

He farms with his father, Larry Hummel, and uncle, Rich Hummel, raising corn and soybeans.

Nathan Hummel said that overall, 2020 has been a fairly smooth year for crops, especially so compared to last year.

HARVEST cont’d on page 16

Corn is transferred to a waiting truck in a field south of Polo in October. Local farmers say this year has been a relatively smooth one so far, especially compared to last year.

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Kim Hummel harvests soybeans in a field just south of Dixon. Warm weather and an extended dry spell moved soybeans to the top of the harvest list for many farmers in northern Illinois.

“We have a drier crop than last year. After last year’s experience, it just makes everything seem a lot easier,� he said.

Warm, dry weather that followed a drought in August helped speed the drying of soybeans and corn throughout the state. Soybeans moved to the top of the list for many farmers. “We are about 30% done with our soybeans. We started around Sept. 28,� Hummel said in October.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture crop progress and condition report emphasized the speed at which soybeans were moving toward being ready for harvest.

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HARVEST cont’d from page 16 The August drought that lingered into September in some parts of Illinois also may have taken the top end off of yields for both crops.

“We had a drought in the middle of summer, and you can see that on the poorer ground. It definitely took a toll on those crops.

The good soils held enough moisture that it looks like it’s going to perform pretty well. We haven’t harvested any corn yet, but it looks like it’s going to perform pretty well, or at least all right this year. It’s going to be a pretty hard hit on those poorer soils,” Hummel said.

Soil moisture has improved across the state, but areas of dryness remain.

That USDA report showed that, for the week ending Oct. 4, topsoil moisture was rated 7% very short, 23% short, 68% adequate and only 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated as 7% very short, 25% short, 66% adequate and only 2% surplus.

While corn harvest was starting in northern Illinois, corn moisture was the deciding factor in whether combines rolled. As of Oct. 4, 89% of the state’s corn was mature, compared to 73% a week prior and just 54% from the same time last year. That also compares to a five-year state average of 85%.

Across the state, 26% of corn had been harvested as of Oct. 4.

That compares to 13% the week before, 10% last year, and the fiveyear average of 39%.

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Hummel said their farm’s corn was just about ready for harvest.

“I’ve talked to several other farmers who have been harvesting.

We did our own tests on a little bit of corn that looked like it was ready. When we tested it, just going and getting samples from the field, it was running around 24% and I am really happy with that.

I’ve talked to other farmers and they said they were out trying to harvest and their corn was running around 27%. I had another farmer tell me his corn was at 23%,” Hummel said.

As harvesting ramped up, a boost in futures prices for corn and soybeans provided encouragement for farmers.

“It’s been a rough year most of the year. We’ve had this bump up here right now,” Hummel said.

At the same time, for many farmers who are discussing 2021 land rents with landlords, that recent bump, after almost a full year of low prices, came at an awkward time.

“It’s kind of tough because we are talking to landlords about rent. When we look at the total year of what the price of grain has been, if you take the whole year, it hasn’t been good. You get some landlords, they just see the bump up in the markets that just happened and they get a little antsy about that, like ‘Look at these numbers.’ Well, it’s the last little bit here, but the whole year hasn’t been like that,” Hummel said.

Jeannine Otto reports for Shaw Media’s AgriNews Publications. She can be reached at 815-223-2558, ext. 211, or jotto@agrinews-pubs.com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Otto.

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is Ag Mag CODY CUTTER | For Northern Illino equipment – they don’t always arns, silos, sheds, fields and farm when they’re immortalized in last forever, but they come close rtage of people who want to cap works of art, and there’s no sho and er, pap vas, can on t aske adb ture a slice of American’s Bre other mediums. recently at the “Farms and Barns Some of that talent was on display w in Dixon, an annual artistic Sho ure Art Exhibition” at The Next Pict es of sts of barn red among amber wav tour of the gently rolling hills, bur s. road ntry cou g ne sites alon grain, and other scenic and sere ns kshop has hosted Farms and Bar The downtown art gallery and wor de. deca a than e mor onal artists, for exhibits, featuring works from regi

EXHIBIT cont’d on page 20

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EXHIBIT cont’d from page 19 Farms and Barns is one of the original exhibitions the gallery has put on since its start in 2004, and after 16 years of showcasing and judging works, the exhibition had its largest display of work this year, with 82 different entries – all lined up along long walls on the studio’s main floor.

The exhibit already was popular when The Next Picture Show Executive Director Michael Glenn joined a few years ago, and since then he’s said he’s only seen audiences’ enthusiasm for the ag art grow through the years.

“It’s probably the fan favorite,” Glenn said.

“Seeing how much of this is going away and disappearing, a lot of this is a nostalgic feeling.

It’s that comfortable feeling of knowing how many of us grew up, were raised, and how important it was to all our lives.”

The exhibit was open for viewing from Sept.

3 to Oct. 17 at the studio, 113 W. First St., and was made up of works from 37 artists throughout different mediums – acrylic, cut paper, digital photography, film photography, ink and watercolor wash, mixed media, oil, pastel, pencil, water-soluble graphite, watercolor and woodcarving. While it’s too late to see the show in person, the works can still be found on the gallery’s Facebook page.

EXHIBIT cont’d on page 22 & 23

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Farms and Barns exhibit winners

BEST OF SHOW

“Tennessee Barn” Watercolor by Beverly Broyles of Rockford

FIRST PLACE

HONORABLE MENTION

“Early Spring Day” Watercolor by Bob Holmes of Millington

“Illuminated

by Moonlight” Digital photograph on metal by Jayson Tuntland of La Moille

THIRD PLACE

HONORABLE MENTION

“Round Barn” Oil on canvas by Richard Schmidt

“Red Door/ Farm House” Watercolor by Larry Bond of Sycamore

SECOND PLACE (L) “Drawer of Keepsakes” Traditional film,

by Les Allen of Dixon

HONORABLE MENTION (R) HONORABLE MENTION

“Grandma’s Mail” Watercolor by Dick Cholke of Pecatonica

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“Pecatonica” Acrylic by Leslie Crowhurst of Loves Park

EXHIBIT cont’d from page 22 At first the exhibit featured artists from just in and around the Dixon area, but it’s grown to include works from artists throughout the region – and the show has embraced more mediums through the years, too. While many works are painting or pencil pieces, there are also wood carvings, photos and even polygonal squares of construction paper. Glenn said alcohol ink – a fluid technique using alcohol-based inks – has been making a comeback recently.

The artists range from their 20s to their 80s, drawing either professionally or as a hobby.

The watercolor “Tennessee Barn,” which shows a small warped-wood farm behind a tree on golden prairie, was drawn by Beverly Broyles of Rockford and was awarded Best of Show. Broyles takes watercolor classes at the gallery.

“A lot of it is the technique,” Glenn said of the painting. “You rarely see anyone in a watercolor spray out [the stems]. Knowing how to control your watercolor is one of the more difficult things.”

Another watercolor, “Early Spring Day,” by Bob Holmes of Millington, shows a farm building and cattle running around a silo; it was the first piece Holmes exhibited at the show and it won first place.

Les Allen of Dixon used traditional film-based photography to capture a collection of items used in everyday farming: “Drawer of Keepsakes.” A detail shot in black and white, the photo earned second place. Richard Schmidt’s “Round Barn,” an oil on canvas piece took home third place.

EXHIBIT cont’d on page 24

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

The Next Picture Show Executive Director Michael Glenn said the Farms and Barns exhibit has only grown in popularity in the decade-plus that the gallery has hosted it. “It’s probably the fan favorite,” Glenn said.

“Seeing how much of this is going away and disappearing, a lot of this is a nostalgic feeling. It’s that comfortable feeling of knowing how many of us grew up, were raised, and how important it was to all our lives.”

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EXHIBIT cont’d from page 23

Michael Krabbenhoeft/mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

Mike Glenn, executive director of The Next Picture Show, hangs a piece of artwork Sept.

2 for the “Farms and Barns” exhibition at The Next Picture Show.

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Honorable mentions were “Illuminated by Moonlight” a digital photograph on metal by Jayson Tuntland of La Moille; “Red Door/ Farm House”, a watercolor by Larry Bond of Sycamore; “Grandma’s Mail”, a watercolor by Pecatonica-based Dick Cholke; and “Pecatonica,” an acrylic by Leslie Crowhurst of Loves Park.

“You’ve got fields, you’ve got livestock, you’ve got equipment, you’ve got all different kinds of parts that kind of trigger people to reminisce,” Glenn said.

“Some of it’s current. Some of it’s in the past, some of the barns I see [featured] are no longer here.”

Suzanne Shedosky, an artist from rural Prophetstown, served as judge for the exhibit. Typically, the awards presentations kick off the showing of the exhibit and also include artist demonstrations and live music, but the pandemic put a halt to that this year.

With the COVID-19 pandemic limiting travel these days, the gallery made the entire exhibit available for viewing on the The Next Picture Show’s Facebook page. Each picture is posted with the artist’s name, title of the work, medium, and the sale price for where applicab le.

While Glenn is grateful the gallery can expand its reach, and audience, through Facebook, he said seeing a work of art on screen isn’t quite the same as seeing it up close and in person, where you can notice subtle differences in detail and textures. He said many people study the art to figure out certain strokes and techniques.

EXHIBIT cont’d to page 25

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EXHIBIT cont’d from page 24 Some of the exhibits were sold halfway through the 6-week showing. “This is one of those shows where you could walk away with half a dozen pieces because you can like them so much,� Glenn said.

While the exhibit is called Farms and Barns, it’s grown to encompass additional aspects of everyday farm life. The growth not only has made Farms and Barns one of the most popular exhibits at The Next Picture Show, it’s also one of its longest running – it used to be displayed for 1 month, but so many people kept coming by the show took center stage for 6 weeks. “You could see they had fun with this one,� Glenn said. “It meant something deeper in their heart. “Every fabric of our life is influenced by our farm community.�

Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@saukvalley.com

“You’ve got fields, you’ve got livestock, you’ve got equipment, you’ve got all different kinds of parts that kind of trigger people to reminisce,� The Next Picture Show Executive Director Michael Glenn said of the works in the Farms and Barns exhibit. “Some of it’s current. Some of it’s in the past, some of the barns I see [featured] are no longer here.�

More info ABOUT THE EXHIBIT The 16th annual Farms and Barns Exhibition at The Next Picture Show in Dixon has ended, but entries are available for view on its Facebook page. Go to shawurl.com/3e3c or find The Next Picture Show’s photo albums on its Facebook page.

ABOUT THE NEXT PICTURE SHOW The Next Picture Show, 113 W. First St., Dixon, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, or by appointment. Visit it on Facebook, go to nextpictureshow.org, email nps@grics.net or call 815-285-4924 for more information and updates on art classes it hosts.

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CODY CUTTER | FOR NORTHERN ILLINOIS AG MAG

hat happens to green when blue is taken out? It becomes yellow, which is fitting since a sea of sunflowers in Sterling helped people chase their blues away during a summer of uncertainty and anxiety.

But leave that blue in the yellow and it stays green, which is what some farmers are making when they plant the towering flowers – including a local farmer.

Norm Koster, 69, of Dixon is one of those growers who decided to tap into the flower’s power. He planted 120 acres of organic sunflowers this summer on his field on east end of Sterling, on Polo Road across from AMC Theater.

He’s not alone.

FLOWERS cont’d on page 27

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FLOWERS cont’d from page 26

Norm Koster stands in his field of sunflowers in September, along Polo Road in Sterling. Koster hadn’t originally planned to plant sunflowers at the start of the year, but changed his mind after getting a call from the Perdue chicken processing company in Atlanta.

According to the National Sunflower Association, U.S. sunflower production totaled just over 2.8 billion pounds in 2020.

That’s up from 1.9 billion pounds in 2019, when the U.S. sunflower crop was valued at $360 million. According to Hexa Research, a market research and consulting organization, the global sunflower seeds market is expected to grow to just over $30 billion by 2025.

The increasing demand comes from different fronts: • Food processors searching for sources of trans fat-free vegetable oil are switching to sunflower-based oil. Frito-Lay, the country’s largest producer of snack foods, switched entirely to sunflower oil for its potato chips in 2006

Michael Krabbenhoeft/ mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

FLOWERS cont’d on page 28

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FLOWERS cont’d from page 27 • Livestock producers are turning to sunflowers seeds as feed, for its high-fat content.

• Demand from bakery products also contributes, with the seeds used in mixes for bread, pancakes, baked foods, and snacks.

• The processed seeds have low-cholesterol content and are an effective alternative to peanut butter, especially among consumers suffering from peanut allergies.

• Sunflower seeds are even gaining momentum as an alternative to chewing tobacco.

According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AGMRC), several factors can influence producers’ decisions to plant sunflowers.

Location comes into play. Sunflowers are a short-season crop that can be grown over a wide

range of latitudes compared to other oilseed crops.

In the U.S., the flower’s growing season runs from June through September. They thrive in northern areas and in southern double-cropping systems.

States that produce a lot of the flowers, such as the Dakotas, have cooler temperatures and harsh winters that make the flowers less susceptible to insects and disease.

Crop rotations also influence growers’ decisions.

Sunflowers have a deep root system that allows them to flourish in rotations that maximize water use from the soil. The AGMRC says “a fallow period is often recommended following sunflowers to replenish depleted soil water reserves.”

Koster’s field has seen its fair share of crop rotation in recent years.

In all its yellow glory, Koster’s sea of sunflowers became a popular attraction for visitors near and far.

“I’m out there, and I don’t know how this couple came up, but they said they were from Los Angeles. They listened to my story about how these sunflowers came about,” he said.

Michael Krabbenhoeft/ mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

FLOWERS cont’d on page 29

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Koster’s sunflowers faced some challenges at first: a lingering dry spell threatened the crop, but the plants persisted and by late summer the flowers were in full bloom. By October, they had lost their color (right). Once the sunflowers are harvested, they’ll be shipped off to Perdue chicken processing company in Atlanta.

Sunflower seeds contain high levels of Vitamin E, which benefits poultry’s immune system and helps prevent disease; protein; linoleum acid, which helps increase poultry weight as well as eggs’ nutritional value; and they also are rich in antioxidants.

Michael Krabbenhoeft/ mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com

FLOWERS cont’d from page 28 The flowers are just latest down-to-earth denizens to put down roots in the field. In 2011, Koster switched the land over to an organic field – where no chemicals are used in growing crops – and the first go-around was wheat and clover crops. Then came the hogs to eat the clover, leaving behind manure that aided plant growth on the land. Alfalfa, corn, soybeans and food-grade yellow peas also have also been grown there.

The field has come a long way from just a few years ago when it attracted attention for a different reason, when residents and nearby businesses complained about its odor when nearly 2,400 hogs were grazing there. There were no complaints this year, though, just a resounding round of applause from the community – and plenty of people from outside the area – who flocked to the field to take a gander at flowers as far as the eye could see, grab a photo, and surround themselves with the bright blooms.

“I’m out there, and I don’t know how this couple came up, but they said they were from Los Angeles,” Koster said during a September interview with Sauk Valley Media. The lady claimed that she was an actress and he was an engineer. They listened to my story about how these sunflowers came about.”

Koster hadn’t planned to plant sunflowers at the start of the year.

He had originally planned to plant wheat when a representative from the Perdue chicken processing company in Atlanta called Koster and asked whether he could produce a crop of organic sunflowers. Koster agreed and set out to replace the wheat with the new crop. He was told that if his seeds could be planted by July 10, then a crop would form.

He managed the flower feat with a couple of days to spare.

The flowers faced some challenges at first: a lingering dry spell across much of northern Illinois threatened the crop, but the plants persisted and by late summer the flowers were in full bloom. They began to lose their color toward the end of September. Some time between late October and early November, the sunflowers will be harvested and shipped off to Perdue.

FLOWERS cont’d on page 31

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The wild sunflower is so common in Kansas, it can be a serious weed problem.

A sunflower grown in the Netherlands holds the record for being the tallest sunflower in the world. It measured 25 feet, 5.4 inches.

When the plant is in the bud stage, it tends to track the movement of the sun across the horizon. Once the flower opens into the radiance of yellow petals, it faces east. It’s unsure why, but it’s believed the movement is a defensive response: Facing south or west could result in the seeds being scalded by the sun during very hot days.

The cultivated sunflower has only one flower or head. But its wild cousins found growing in ditches and other areas throughout much of North America have multiple flowers and heads, sometimes 20 or more. According to the 2004 Guinness World Records, a sunflower grown in Michigan had 837 heads on one plant.

Source: National Sunflower Association

According to the National Sunflower Association, the wild sunflower is native to North America, but its commercialization took place in Russia. It’s been only recently that sunflower plants have become a cultivated crop in North America, where it’s become an important crop choice in the northern plains of the Dakotas to the panhandle of Texas.

The American Indian first domesticated the flower into a

single-headed plant, with several seed colors, including black, white, red, and black/white striped. Evidence suggests that the plant was cultivated by the Indians in present-day Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 B.C., and some archaeologists suggest that the sunflower may have been domesticated before corn.

The Indians ground or pounded the seed into flour for cakes, mush or bread. Some tribes mixed the meal with other vegetables such as beans, squash, and corn. The seed was also cracked and eaten for a snack. There are references of squeezing the oil from the seed and using the oil in making bread. They also used the flower to make dye for textiles, body painting and other decorations. Parts of the plant were used medicinally, ranging from snakebite to other body ointments. The seeds’ oil was used on the skin and hair and the dried stalk was used as a building material. The plant and the seeds were widely used in ceremonies.

The plant made its way to Europe sometime around 1500, taken there by Spanish explorers.

By the early 19th century, Russian farmers were growing more than 2 million acres of sunflowers, and later that century, Russian sunflower seed found its way into the U.S., likely brought here by Russian immigrants. The first commercial use of the sunflower crop in the U.S. was silage feed for poultry. In 1926, the Missouri Sunflower Growers’ Association participated in what is likely the first processing of sunflower seed into oil.

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FLOWERS cont’d from page 29 Just six states produced more than 50 million pounds of seed in 2019, with the north-central America leading the way. North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota combined for more than 1.6 billion pounds. South Dakota led in production with 831.6 million pounds, followed by North Dakota (740.7 million) and Minnesota (102.6 million). The Dakotas alone produce about 75% of the nation’s sunflower crop. Nebraska and Kansas, the two states directly south of South Dakota, combined to produce about 98 million pounds. Texas and California are also among top producers.

According to the Raising Happy Chickens website, sunflower seeds contain high levels of Vitamin E (which benefits the immune system in poultry and helps prevent diseases such as coccidiosis, e. coli and bronchitis); protein; linoleum acid (which helps increase poultry weight as well as increased nutritional value of eggs laid); and they also are rich in antioxidants.

Agribusiness author Craig Wallin, who has written several books about profiting from growing a variety of plants, wrote in a December 2019 article for profitableplants.com that profits for cut flowers, such as sunflowers, can reach up to $30,000 per acre, and along with that, they grow easily and produce quickly. Ageratums, larkspurs and snapdragons also are among the top profiting floral crops nationwide. Early blooming sunflowers are especially popular market sellers, with single stems at around $5 each.

Two types of sunflowers are grown commercially. The first is oilseed, which produces small black seed high in oil content. They’re processed into sunflower oil and meal, and are also the seed of choice for most birdfeed. The second type is non-oilseed (confectionery sunflower), a larger, black-and-white striped seed used in a variety of food products from snacks to bread.

The majority – 80 percent – of a sunflower’s value comes from oil. Oil-type sunflower seeds contain 38 to 50 percent oil and about 20 percent protein. During the crushing process, hulls are removed

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and can be used to create steam to power the processing plant. For every 100 pounds of seed, about 40 pounds of oil, 35 pounds of high-protein meal and 20 to 25 pounds of by-products are produced.

Koster’s field drew onlookers from near and far, to the point the Sterling Police Department had to post no parking signs in that area to help ease traffic congestion along Polo Road. Newlyweds and recent college graduates have had their pictures taken in the field.

At first, pickers who plucked the flowers didn’t present a problem, but at the peak of the popularity, signs had to be posted to keep people from picking them. Koster’s deal with Perdue would have been adversely affected by letting people pick the flowers, since he is paid by how many pounds he delivers – fewer pounds delivered means less money.

Koster wasn’t the only one in the area drawing attention with sunflowers. At Straddle Creek Gardens in rural Lanark, owners Darrin and Jenny Eubanks added a field of sunflowers to their usual crop of garlic in order to give their honeybees a place to pollinate. The heads of the sunflowers are like a mother lode of nectar and pollen for bees.

The Eubanks decided to do something pretty amaze-ing with the flowers that reach for the sky: they put their own twist on the popular corn mazes and set up a sunflower maze. The colorful twists and turns proved to be quite a hit, both in traffic and revenue, for more than a month before the maze closed July 26, drawing lots of people who worked their way through the winding paths and clipped some flowers.

The maze ended up becoming one of Straddle Creek’s largest attractions, helped in part by the COVID-19 pandemic that put a lot of activities on hold for the summer. Like theirs, Koster’s field helped turned many pandemic-weary frowns upside down, even if for just one day out of the year, with their visits to the sunflowers.

And Koster hopes his sunflower deal with Perdue will put a smile on his face, also.

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Bureau County

A sad day when the barn bought the farm Countless drivers have seen it. It’s been a part of students’ graduation. And some people even turned it into a makeshift hotel.

But Mother Nature turned it into a memory

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KEVIN HIERONYMUS | For Northern Illinois Ag Mag WYANET — It’s always hard to say goodbye to a friend, but how do you say goodbye when that friend is a barn?

Paul and Linda Nordstrom of Wyanet found out when they had to make the tough decision to tear down the “Barn on the Hill,” a mainstay in rural Bureau County for as long as anyone can remember.

But all good things must come to an end – even a community’s photogenic farm friend, and after a derecho delivered the death blow to the barn atop a hill, just off I-80, the couple knew it was time to close the barn door on one of the county’s most well-known sites.

While smaller winds had taken their toll on the barn for some time, Paul said the Aug. 10 derecho really did the trick. By the end of the month, he made the difficult decision to take the structure down the rest of the way.

“You hate to see it deteriorate,” he said. “You have some different thoughts how to preserve it or let nature take its course. That wind made the decision very evident.”

Nordstrom’s parents, Oliver and Mildred Nordstrom, bought the farm the barn sat on from the Peterson Estate in 1963 and took possession in 1964.

A lot of memories have been born in that barn through the years.

He remembers going to a barn dance in the hay mount years ago. The Nordstroms used it as an animal shelter and to store hay and equipment for many years.

Interstate 80 was just coming through (the farm was the last cut before the freeway), and Nordstrom said he never knew that old barn would become so famous.

“Nobody every thinks anything will become famous until it turns out that way,” he said.

The “Barn on the Hill” became so famous, Nordstrom even entertained offers from people interested in buying it and moving it.

He said two sailors from Great Lakes Naval Station wanted to buy the barn and take it home. He convinced them their local carpenter could build them just what they wanted back home.

A man from Rhode Island wanted to move it for a summer home on a lake.

“He was very serious about it,” Nordstrom said.

Countless of photographs have been taken of the “Barn on the Hill” over the years, sometimes from precarious places.

“People would literally set tripods on the center lane of I-80 and watch for traffic, then they dart off and come back and shoot some more,” Nordstrom said.

BARN cont’d on page 34

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BARN cont’d from page 32 Through the years, the Nordstroms also let photographers use the barn as a backdrop, most recently for 2020 graduation pictures.

“Linda and I have enjoyed letting it be available for people to take pictures and we’re glad they’ve enjoyed it,” said Nordstrom, who lives a half mile south of where the barn stood.

There used to be a windmill near the barn, but time and the elements took care of that. Like the barn itself, people became attached to the windmill. Paul said that after he took the first windmill down – after it was, ironically enough, damaged by wind –“many people were dissatisfied with me.”

He surprised Linda for her birthday with a second windmill, but the wind got a hold of that one, too, and twisted it like a corkscrew into the ground, he said.

“Once the second one blew down, I didn’t have any more windmills to put in place,” Nordstrom said.

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Nordstrom put a flag up, but the high winds on the hill took care of that, too.

Not all of the barn’s stories were heartwarming. Some could be a little scary.

“A lot of times people think it’s just a nice old barn, but there’d be many times I’d go up there and check things out and you’d see that transients spent the night. They actually twice tried to build a fire in the hay mount to keep warm.

Luckily, they didn’t burn the thing down,” Nordstrom said.

Nordstrom said his wife had a scary encounter when she was taking a walk one morning near the barn.

“All of a sudden a guy came out of the corner of the barn and held a gun up and pointed it at her,” Nordstrom said. “Of course, she turned around and walked away. By the time the rest of us made it back there, he was long gone.”

Instances like that were just another reason the Nordstroms decided to let the barn go.

While the barn is gone, the Nordstroms have several color pencils drawings, sketches and photos given to them over the years that will keep its memories alive.

This picture taken by Loren Bird of Ladd, shows the damage to the Barn on the Hill caused by the derecho that blew through the area Aug. 10.

The iconic landmark was later torn down.

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