Topflight Grain August 2014 High Flyer Newsletter

High Flyer August 2014

Fame & Fortune at Topflight Grain Cheryl Franks designed her own game show T-shirt to wear to the women’s program.

“Farmers come on down to get their money”, where the

“Price is Right” . . .

www.topflightgrain.com

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8 FEET TALL BY THE FOURTH OF JULY

by Scott Docherty, General Manager

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single Clydesdale horse can pull a wagon with 7000 pounds; 2 Clydesdales hitched together can pull a wagon with 17,000 pounds; and 2 Clydesdales with the synergy of perfect stride can pull a wagon loaded with 24,000 pounds. This type of synergy is valuable in business and life.

The Spring Season has been extremely busy with grain shipments, building projects, as well as concluding another fiscal year for Topflight Grain. The planting season was delayed a few weeks, but with our technology today, amazingly, an entire crop

move into the fill stage for corn. I expect to see the new crop corn harvest to start by the 2nd week of September this year. Of course, we will have to see what August weather presents to finish this crop season. The old saying of “Knee High by the Fourth of July” needs to be replaced with “8 Feet Tall by the Fourth of July”. This may not rhyme but it is music to the “ears”.

When I think about the potential size of this year’s corn crop, I can foresee some logistical issues coming down the pike. It also will be a real test for the

Our family – Denise, Dillon, Lindsey, Serge, Blaine, Annie, & me. can be planted in 10 days if needed. Germination rate for corn this year has been the best I have ever seen. Most fields are averaging populations of 36,000 to 37,000 plants per acre. However, beans struggled with the cooler wet weather of April and May. With this season’s timely rainfalls alternating with warm summer days, I truly believe we will see new record field averages for the Fall of 2014. With the near perfect pollination weather and continued mild temperatures, conditions look promising as we

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building projects Topflight Grain has put into use over the last 10 years. Topflight Grain has built over 7.5 million bushels of upright steel storage, 1.8 million bushels of temporary storage and we have added 22,000 bushels per hour of dryer capacity along with over 70,000 bushels per hour dumping capacity. We have added numerous conveyors to handle the upgraded grain legs and increased fan size to handle the higher moistures. Topflight expanded rail capacity at Bement and Milmine to

handle the larger trains for increased logistical grain flows and sales opportunities. It looks as though we will need to continue to increase legging, drying and storage capacities in the next ten years to meet the ever growing needs of our patrons and the next generation of farmers. We have been able to build and expand because of working as a synergized cooperative team, and your directors deploy-

Annie ing capital where we could get the best return on investment.

Topflight Grain Coop is looking at merging with East Lincoln Farmers Grain as another way of keeping a synchronized stride by effectively working together with new team members. There was an informational meeting with East Lincoln on July 23rd and the vote will be on August 25th. If the vote passes, the merger will become effective September 1, 2014. We see both cooperatives as financially sound, and by working together, our united synergy will bring value to all patrons. Working together in stride will produce great accomplishments! That is what the cooperative system is truly about, and Topflight Grain Coop will continue to do its best to stay Synergized for years to come.

Denise and I are experiencing our first summer

Dillon

Lindsey, Serge, & Blaine as empty nesters. Annie is working and going to school in Bloomington IL. She completed her freshman year and will start her 2nd year at ISU in the Art program. Dillon is currently working in Alaska, and from what we can tell, is enjoying every minute of it. Dillon is a zip line tour guide for a travel company in Skagway, AK. He plans to return this fall and he is talking about moving to another country.

Our oldest son, Serge, has had another rough winter healthwise, but things have changed for the better. Serge was offered a General Manager’s position for a Myself & Denise Choice hotel in Indianapolis, IN. He is in the process of moving his family there.

Lindsey continues her studies at Western IL. Our grandson, Blaine, is 2 years old and growing like this new fall harvest corn. He is all smiles, loves to play and is learning new words and phrases every day.

To Blaine, we are Papa and Honey. To us he is one of the biggest joys in the world.

Whether working together as a family, friends or a cooperative, the synergies of staying in perfect stride will result in superior accomplishments!

Have a happy, safe harvest and God bless.

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PICTURE PERFECT WEATHER

by Denny Hill, Maroa Branch Manager

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s we moved into pollination, it looked more like we were in for a record crop this year in our area. In all my years, I can’t remember a better growing season than we have had so far in 2014. The cooler temperatures and periodic rains, along with no insect issues or major crop diseases, have us anxious to see what this crop will produce.

After the hard winter we had, the ground was working nicely for the farmers, and they were able to get the corn planted sometime in the middle 2 weeks of April. In most cases, it looks like every kernel came up and the populations probably average 36,000. If we have normal weather throughout August, we’ll start to learn what kind of yields we have around the first of September.

It has been a busy summer around the elevator here in Maroa with grain coming in from off the farm and shipping grain to Decatur. The men were

able to get our 2 bean flats and the corn flat cleaned out in a timely manner and pick up the bunker corn before the weather started to get too hot. Our millwright workers were over for about a week doing some things that should help the guys handle the grain better during harvest and in the off season.

Any improvement will be welcomed with the crops we are looking at this year.

As we all know, big production numbers mean lower prices, and we have already seen corn prices lose $0.75 cents and soybeans lose $1.50 a bushel in the last 6 weeks. Farmers are all asking the same question, “How low will it go?” Nobody knows that answer, but we do know at these price levels, the demand for our commodities will pick up from where they have been.

Have a Safe Harvest!

NEW POSITION

by Andy Parsons, Southern Regional Operations Manager

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y name is Andy Parsons and I recently was hired as the new Southern Regional Operations Manager. Most of you will recognize me because I have been working for Topflight the past 9 years, mostly out of the Bement location.

This summer, so far, has been pretty busy for the operations staff. At Pierson, Randy has been busy shipping grain, receiving the last of the grain com-

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ing in off the farms, and cleaning bins. At Atwood, Bill has been shipping grain, cleaning bins, and receiving a little wheat. At LaPlace, Mark and Kenny have been shipping grain, and cleaning out bins. If that’s not enough to keep everyone busy, it seems like with all the rain we have been getting, we can hardly keep up with the mowing! I hope everyone has a safe and successful harvest.

IT’S A GIRL!

by Dana Shull, Maroa Grain Originator

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t is my fifth year anniversary here at the Maroa location. I really enjoy working with such a great group of co-workers and patrons as well.

Every planting and harvest season continues to be different. I am hoping this year will be a fast and furious bountiful harvest. I have lots to look forward to, because I am going to be a GRANDMA! (Yes, I am that old!) My oldest daughter, Ceara, and her fiancé, Jake, are expecting a baby girl. This will be my husband’s and I’s first grandchild. There will definitely be lots of trips to visit the little one when she arrives.

Me with Holden at his graduation.

My son, Holden, is looking forward to starting college down in Centralia, Illinois, this fall. My oldest son, Zane, continues to do well fixing computers. The youngest, Paige, helped me throw candy from the Topflight float at the Maroa freedom festival, and is looking forward to starting fifth grade. That about wraps up all the exciting news I have to share right now.

My family and I, as always, would like to wish you a safe and bountiful harvest.

Paige ready for the Maroa Freedom Festival parade.

Ceara & Jake, prior to showing the pink handprints on Ceara’s shirt

Paige at Grant’s Farm this summer.

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VISIT ROCK CITY

by Rodd Runyen, Accountant

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couple of weeks ago, my son, Bailey, and I traveled from Cerro Gordo to Mendon, IL, just north of Quincy, to help plan this year’s Runyen Family Reunion. As I made my way over there, I was reminded of the trip when I was young. Today, one can travel most of the way by interstate, and get there in under 3 hours. But that was not how it was when I was growing up in the 70’s.

Back then, it was all 2 lane road travel. We would get up early and head out of Oreana through Forsyth and over to Wyckles Road. We would then take Wyckles Road south until we hit Route 36. We would then head west on Route 36 through Harristown, past Niantic, through Illiopolis, Lanesville, Buffalo, and Dawson. The highway then went around Riverton and past Butler National Cemetery before going into Springfield. We would go past the State Fairgrounds where we would always be looking to see what was going on. We then would take Route 97 that took us through Bradfordton. Where Route 97 turned and headed for Petersburg, we would go straight on Route 125 and pass through Pleasant Plains, Ashland, Philadelphia, Virginia, Bluff Springs, and then Beardstown. We would then cross the Illinois River and take various routes towards the Quincy area, depending on which relative’s house we were headed to.

On the way home, we would stop in Beardstown to get some of their famous cantaloupes and watermelons. Unfortunately, I don’t eat either, but everyone raves about how good they are. After we would get our produce, we would leave Beardstown and pass through Bluff Springs. Between Bluff Springs and Virginia was, and still is, my favorite part of the road. The road has more twists and curves there and you can see “the old road” where the highway used to run years ago. And the landscape through that area is hilly, breaking up the monotony of flat farm fields. There is a white wooden church that has a tall steeple that stands out along this route. It sits on a

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section of “the old road” and I always liked to look at it as we passed. It’s hard to not be drawn to it as you drive by.

But the object that I was always looking for along this section was a barn. Not just any old barn, it was a barn that the paint had weathered on and exposed just the barn wood. The roof was painted black; but what I was looking for was the white lettering on the roof… “See 7 States from Rock City atop Lookout Mtn Chattanooga, Tenn”. I thought that it was so cool to have one of these advertisements in Illinois! It was something you never saw around the Decatur, IL, area. It just always caught my attention as we drove past it, and I would think of standing on Lookout Mountain gazing out at 7 states.

When I was growing up, I had relatives that lived in Florida. We would travel through the South and would see all of the signs along the roadways…

“Visit Rock City”, “See Ruby Falls”, “See 7 States”, and many others. I was telling the “youngsters” in the office that back then, there were no billboard laws and you would see a couple of those signs every mile! We actually would look for all of the signs because there were so many! But there was also another icon on those trips that I was also reminded of just a few weeks ago. We were traveling to a baseball tournament in Evansville, IN, when we passed a sign along the road for…..Stuckey’s! I told my kids that when I was a kid, we ALWAYS stopped at Stuckey’s when we were on vacation. It was the place for gas, food, and of course, souvenirs! It was always easy to spot the Stuckey’s yellow and red advertising signs amidst the Rock City and Ruby Falls signs.

They would tell you how many miles to the next Stuckey’s, and most would advertise their pecan log rolls! The logs were for sale in their Pecan Shoppe along with Pecan candies and all those novelties.

Then, when the exit would arrive, you would see the teal blue high-pitched roof sticking up in the air.

When we would stop, we would have the attendant fill up the car with the Texaco gasoline as we would go inside. The store was ½ restaurant and ½ novelty items. If my Grandma was with us, we always stopped at Stuckey’s because she loved it there.

They were definitely a piece of Americana.

Sadly, both of these icons that I was reminded of have slowly disappeared from the American landscape. Many barns have become too costly to maintain and have been torn down. Many of the Rock City and Ruby Falls barns, along with the Meramec Caverns barns seen throughout Illinois and Missouri, have disappeared with the passing of time.

Today, I cannot find the Rock City barn along Route 125 that I passed so many times over the years. Out of the hundreds of barns that were painted over the years, less than 100 remain today. Stuckey’s sold out to a corporation and fell on some hard times. Many of the buildings were sold off or torn down. The Stuckey’s that was located on Monticello Road at Interstate 57 is now a township or highway

maintenance shed, and the one at Goodfield, IL, on Interstate 74 near Bloomington, IL, was torn down in March 2011.

But there is always hope for these Americana icons. Enthusiasts are trying to preserve some of the barns. Some have been repainted to show off their glory days. I don’t think that they will ever fade away completely due to the nostalgia of a simpler time. Stuckey’s was purchased back by the Stuckey family in 1985 to revive the franchise. They have now re-opened stores and are putting many others in with truck stops and other food restaurants and gas stations. Currently there are more than 200 stores in 16 states. Although a few have the highpitched roof, many of them don’t. However, at least Stuckey’s is still around for the travelers to stop at.

Although time has taken a toll on these pieces of history, I still have great memories of these icons in their heyday. And I hope they will be around for my children and grandchildren to enjoy too.

Bailey, Autumn, and Sara Runyen with the Rock City birdhouse they made several years ago for their mom, Tera

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BIGGER & FASTER

by Gloria Litwiller, Pierson Grain Originator

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ith farm equipment getting bigger and faster and the seed technology changing so it yields more, the rest of the industry needs to be able to accommodate. The Pierson location is doing just that. We are building a new bin that will hold 730,000 bushels of corn. This is 90 ft. tall and 105 ft. in diameter. So you are asking yourself, “How will this benefit the farmers at Pierson?”.

We will be able to store more grain as it is coming in, so we won’t have all the outbound trucks in the way. This will free up driveways so the traffic will not be so congested. It couldn’t have been a better time to build this bin with the crops looking excellent right now. Records are showing that the corn condition looks the best since 1999 and beans since 1994.

So that means more grain coming in this year.

Topflight is not the only one at the Pierson location under construction. United Prairie is changing their bay system to automation. Everything will be metered and not weighed. They are adding a 2nd loading bay which will be all computerized and automated. They are adding a million gallon 32 tank and another 30,000 gallon anhydrous ammonia tank and moving them to the back of the lot. They also have a new Pierson Operations Manager, Mark Lewis.

The Pierson crew would like to WELCOME Andy Parsons to our operations. Andy accepted the position as Southern Region Operations Manager. He will be located out of the Pierson location. Andy has worked within Topflight Grain for 9 years. Brock Casteel used to hold this position. Brock accepted a position with Tate & Lyle.

Hilary accepted a new position at the Marion Hub. She is the Marketing and Business Development Director for the Hub, which is a new recreation center that is being built. It should be finished this fall. She is engaged to Nick Holdinghausen. They are planning a July 2015 wedding. Nick is the weekend meteorologist for WSIL TV in Southern Illinois.

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Just beginning the roof construction of the new bin.

The roof of the new bin just about finished.

Moving the bin up, with more rings.

The new bin ready for electrical, conveyors etc.

GREETINGS FROM CISCO!!

by Andrew Hanes, Cisco Grain Originator and Safety Manager

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his first year with Topflight has flown by for me. There has been a lot to learn, and there continues to be more to conquer. As things have changed around the Topflight system, I have assumed the role of Safety Manager, along with my duties here in Cisco. This has brought a lot more to my plate. However, the challenge of keeping up to date with all of the Safety Regulations is going to be worth it when all Topflight employees can go home at the end of the day safely. With that in mind, if you ever have any questions on good safety practices around any of the Topflight elevators or around the farm, feel free to contact me.

This summer has found our oldest son playing his first year of baseball. I helped coach his team.

With a group of 5 year olds, there were times that it became challenging getting them to focus on baseball and some of the basics. However, it was really fun to see them learn a little bit about baseball, and have fun doing it. The highlight of the season was being able to go to a Normal Cornbelters baseball game. All of the boys that were there got to run onto the field with the players. A few of them received baseballs from the players and had them signed as well. One even got a broken bat from one of the players. All of the boys were super excited to see the professional players up close and be able to interact with them. If you have young kids, I would suggest looking into going to a minor league or farm league baseball game. You can get close to the players and still have an experience close to the major league games.

As our kids get older, we are starting to go around to some of the local fairs so that they can see the animals up close. This has been fun for me, as I did a lot of the same things growing up. The only downside of doing this is that my 5-year old has informed me that we are going to start showing pigs, and we need chickens. Our 3-year old has told me that we are going to show cattle. So, it is an on-going

conversation with them as to why we can’t do that right now because we live in town and our neighbors wouldn’t like us having pigs and cows. On the other hand, I am going to have to figure out how we could do this. As many of you know, a lot can be learned from having to care for livestock.

Here at Cisco, our operations guys have been working hard to get everything in position for shipping grain out. They have also been working hard on getting things fixed and ready for harvest. With the way corn is looking, we are going to have a busy fall. With my new safety duties and the busy fall we are looking at, it is important to remember to stay alert and not do anything you aren’t comfortable in doing. A lot of times, injuries come in things you do on a regular basis with something slightly different from the time before. Staying alert and looking for any changes while you are working will go a long way in keeping you safe and making sure you can go home at the end of the day.

I cleaned out some files earlier this summer, and found these pictures, when Denny Hill worked for Denny, about 1980, serving Cisco Coop: punch to E A Hill.

Denny, (in the back), overseeing the Seevers cooking crew.

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HARVEST BOOKKEEPING PREPARATIONS

by Amy Brammer, Business Development Manager

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y the time you get this newsletter, we will be nearing harvest…assuming it didn’t stay in the 70’s through mid-August! I prefer an early harvest. Get in, get it done, and maybe we can all enjoy a tad bit of fall before the Polar Vortex returns.

I just have a few reminders, and because I feel they are important, I’m going to CHEAT and repeat from my January article. As we near the busy season…it becomes very important to get this information correct. So…once again…here are a few uh-oh’s and what the hecks that came up last fall. If you take the time to make sure everything matches up, we can avoid a few stressful head scratches!

1. Grain comes into Topflight Grain with a Farm Code split 50/50 between owners. However, Crop Insurance was filed under each owner as 100%, not a split. When it came time to turn in Proof-of-Yields to the insurance agent for a crop loss, the elevator had nothing to give the customer stating the bushels were 100% his. This was not an easy discussion.

Please make sure however you have your grain listed with Crop Insurance or the FSA Office, that it matches the paperwork from Topflight Grain.

2. If your grain comes into the elevator under a farm name (i.e. Brammer Farms), but you file Crop Insurance under an individual name (Amy Brammer), this could be an issue. Topflight Grain will only be able to give you documentation on how the grain comes into the elevator. This will not work if the names are different between inbound grain and crop insurance. Please make sure however you have your grain listed with Crop Insurance or the FSA Office, that it matches the paperwork from Topflight Grain.

3. Please make sure your Farm Split (ownership split) information on your tickets at Topflight Grain is the same as what you have reported to the FSA office.

4. Be very aware of who your grain checks are made out to versus how you pay your taxes. If

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Topflight Grain wrote the check out to you (i.e. Amy Brammer), we will report it as so to the IRS with your social security number as income. This is an issue if you don’t actually take the income and/or if you are filing taxes under a Farm Name/Estate/Trust/etc.!

Please make sure that the name the check is written out to is correct! The name on the check (w/ Social Security number/Fed ID number) is the name that will be reported to the IRS as receiving income!

5. If you are changing an account to an Estate/ Trust/Business Entity, I will be requesting supporting documents, including the who/what/where involved and the Federal Identification Number!

Moral of the story? Please make sure that however you have your grain listed with Crop Insurance or the FSA Office, it matches the paperwork from Topflight Grain. Also, please make sure the name on

Elliott & I in Hawaii.

Brenden Brody & Cooper your grain checks coincides with however you are filing taxes and reporting income!

My crew of guys are doing well!! Brenden will

be in 1st grade at LSA this year. He has had a busy summer with summer camp out at Rock Springs, some time on the farm, karate, a mission trip, and lots of time in the pool. He will be starting up soccer again in August. He keeps us busy and that is just one kid in sports! I can’t imagine when all three are involved. Cooper and Brody are doing great! They have had a fun summer at Kids-N-Fitness North!

They get weekly swim lessons and are really enjoying the water. They are quite the entertaining duo.

What an amazing journey we have been blessed with, watching these three boys grow. This year marks Elliott and my 10th anniversary, so in celebration we took a trip to Hawaii. It was probably the second best trip we have taken out of all our trips we have taken over the years. (First was Rome, Italy, hands down.) Now we are focused on fall and keeping everyone’s schedules straight! Looking forward to a great harvest bounty and remember to stay safe out there!!

STEEL BIN SAFETY

by Eric Clements, Operations Manager

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ne of my company goals for this year is to inspect all of Topflight’s steel grain bins. If our bins are not properly maintained, it could be very costly to us in the future. During the inspection, I am paying close attention to the condition of the vertical stiffeners, sidewall sheet condition, and looking for any leaks in the roofs. I have a checklist of items to inspect, and this checklist will go into each facility’s file.

Over the years, there have been a number of deaths from grain engulfment where people have been totally engulfed by grain from steel bin failures. Grain from a bin with an 80’ sidewall height can spill out and reach points 250’ away from the ruptured bin. Topflight has steel tanks that are 40 – 50 years old and we need to ensure that they are in good condition to safely store our grain.

We have also had training meetings with our operation employees about the proper use of our steel grain bins. Areas of concern are proper loading, unloading, and side spout use. The training meetings and inspections are not just a one-time event. We will need to properly inspect and train our employees annually to insure everyone’s safety.

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NEWS FROM THE NORTH

by Larry Ackerman, Northern Regions Operation Manager

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irst of all, I would like to say that I am happy to be back with Topflight. For those who don’t remember me, I used to be the superintendent at our Emery location. I left for a year to work for Gavilon Grain in Rensselaer, Indiana. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was much happier working for Topflight. I contacted Scott and said that I would like to come back, and he was able to work a couple things out and now, here I am.

Monticello was loading out trains all winter long getting ready for the new bin and dryer project.

The bin foundation is done and there is equipment sitting around in boxes all over the place. It will be close, but hopefully everything will be completed

by the time the first corn truck rolls in. Lodge has shipped all of its corn and is currently working on the last of its beans. Seymour has shipped all of their beans, and has been working on emptying out the last of the corn. We have a couple of small projects to complete there this summer.

On a personal note, my wife, Wendy, and I came back from Indiana with a new little girl. Camden Marie Ackerman was born on October 30th. She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches long. She has been a happy and healthy little girl and the best thing to ever happen to my wife and me. I just can’t wait to get done with the diaper stage!

Larry & daughter Camden.

Camden all dressed up!

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SUMMER 2014

by Vanessa Stinson, LaPlace Grain Originator

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he long hard winter is over, the crops are planted, and Mother Nature is giving them the rain and heat that they need. All we have to do now is sit back, watch it grow, and prepare to take it in this fall. Many are telling me it’s going to be a bumper crop. It’s looking good out there; only time will tell. Mother Nature is in command now.

The LaPlace crew has been moving grain out to processors. At this writing, we are empty on beans and less than 500,000 bushels of corn. We should be empty by the time harvest hits. The bins will be cleaned out and ready for the new crop. The maintenance crew has been here and got us fixed up and ready to roll.

On the home front, we are doing well. Our grandson, Brogan, just celebrated his first birthday. Nicolle and Kyle purchased a home in Paris and will be moving soon. Gretchen and Jason celebrated their first year of marriage. Our granddaughter, Chloe, is busy with dance and softball this summer. Ashley has completed CNA schooling and our granddaughter, Brynnan, will be 3 in August.

Mark’s family is all doing well.

Our granddaughter, Chloe.

Our grandchildren, Brynnan & Brogan.

The LaPlace Crew wishes you all a happy summer and a safe harvest.

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MONTICELLO EXPANSION

by Adam Jackson, Monticello Grain Originator

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he biggest update I have since my last newsletter in December is on our construction project here in Monticello. We are in the process of building a new 105’ diameter GSI bin, which will increase our storage capacity by about 750,000 bushels. We are also putting up a new Zimmerman dryer that will increase our drying from 5000 to 8500 bushels per hour. In addition to the dryer and bin, we are also upgrading our wet leg and top conveyor. The top conveyor upgrade should help control some of the dust we create. At the time I am writing this, the dryer is almost erected and will soon have gas hooked up, and the new bin is about 6 rings up with the roof completed. After the dryer and bin are completed, all the connections to our existing facility will be made. The project will help accomplish two things. First, it will decrease the number of bushels that we have to ship during harvest, which will make things run more smoothly.

Second, it will allow us to dry most of the bushels we can take in a 24 hour period, which means fewer days of shutting down early for wet corn. There is

The two old steel tanks were carefully torn down and removed.

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also still space at Monticello to eventually add another bin if necessary.

I hate to use this newsletter as an advertisement, but this one is pretty important. I currently serve on two committees, the Piatt County Farm Bureau Foundation and the Illinois Grain and Feed Scholarship committee. Both committees offer scholarships for students pursuing a 2 or 4 year degree in agriculture. I have been on each committee for about 3 years and the number of applicants we have received each year keeps getting smaller. The scholarships given out have ranged from $1500 to $4000 each year and the requirements and time to apply for each are minimal. If you have children or

The old GSI dryer had to be moved, too. After careful preparations, a huge crane lifted the old dryer and moved it to its new pad.

grandchildren who are studying, or plan to study, agriculture in college, please contact me or either organization on how to apply.

I don’t have too much to update personally.

Lindsay and I have been enjoying the great summer weather. At the time I am writing this, she is in one of her busiest seasons at Pioneer, which is pollination. She is also taking a class this summer as she continues to work on her masters at the U of I. Most of my free time seems to be spent mowing or other yard work, which has been non-stop with all the rain we have gotten this summer. The biggest news I have personally is that Lindsay’s parents

are moving to Texas. Her Dad, Steve, got a job in Houston, which is where he is originally from. His family mostly lives in Texas as well. We have spent a couple of weekends back in Macomb, helping them go through things and getting them ready for the move. If you know of anyone looking for a house in the Macomb area, let me know!

The roof was formed, and the crew started up with the side walls

The new bin, and new dryer. Construction of the bin took 12days, which was amazingly fast. The construction crews left, and electricians moved in.

EVER WONDER . . . .

Editor’s note: This will be Adam’s last article for the High Flyer. As we “went to press”, Adam accepted the position of grain merchandising manager for Tri Oak Foods in Oakville, IA. We wish the best to him and Lindsay.

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

Why can’t women put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don’t you ever see the headline ‘Psychic Wins Lottery’?

Why is ‘abbreviated’ such a long word?

Why is it that doctors and attorneys call what they do ‘practice’?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavoring, and dish washing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn’t there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn’t Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don’t they make the whole plane out of that stuff??

Why don’t sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

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IT TAKES A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE

by Pam Jarboe, Assistant Manager

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t’s been a busy summer!! I was involved with the Old Glory Festival on June 14 in Bement. Then, it was time to begin work on the annual meeting and this issue of the High Flyer. We sent the newsletter to the printer, held the annual meeting, and now it’s time to begin serious harvest preparations.

My main jobs the day of the Old Glory Festival were coordinating the Tractor Show, and helping with the Pedal Pull. We had the best tractor show ever!! Lots of tractors were on display, and Chuck Walsh paid for a tent, that we could all sit under and visit throughout the day. Chuck also brought in some of his pedal tractors that lined the border of the tent.

It’s been a long time since we’ve had a Pedal Pull at the Old Glory Festival. Thanks to Eric Miller, Emily Zelhart, Ashley Stinson, Ryan Cain and Ashley Rexroad (Ashley’s husband was the winner of 5 different Pedal Pulls, when he was a young child.), this year’s went very smoothly. Drew Larimore handed out ribbons to all the participants. (Drew was disappointed that he didn’t win a trophy, so he went home and practiced with weights in the wagon behind his pedal tractor!) There were many other

More tractors at the Old Glory Festival

activities in Bement that day; we ended it with the Lions Club Chicken Fry and the 50-60’s show.

Putting the newsletter together takes a lot of help from a lot of people. As you can read, we have great contributions from many of the Topflight Grain staff.

We also appreciate all the extra help we receive from others. Gene Schnierle contributed several pictures for us, and took new pictures of most of the Topflight Grain employees. Bill Gallagher told us a great story as he portrayed Sacagawea’s husband at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. We always appreciate the baby pictures, especially when they’re in their Topflight Grain baby shirts. Bonnie Thomas shared a trip they took with the Fendley’s.

Furthermore, Pat Wright sent us pictures of the sign in Ivesdale honoring Jesse Wright, Steve Wright and Stephen Eckstein. The newsletter is much better with the help of so many generous people!

The annual meeting will probably have been held by the time you are reading this.

It’s always a great event to visit with people that we don’t see very often, and in a social setting more so than a business setting. It also takes many people to put it together, One row of International Harvester tractors at the get the mailing out, and serve a good meal.

Old Glory Festival. We had two rows of IH tractors!

I also want to mention the quick trip we

16 AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter

took to Houston last January. Dan’s son, Eric and his family live in Houston, so we drove down for the weekend. I know, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to spend two days on the road to spend two days visiting and then two more days on the road to get home. But, it was a good trip, and we enjoyed our visit with them. On the way home, we made just a slight detour to visit Curt Krause and his family. The Krauses moved to the Milmine area several years ago, from a Cows feeding on the Krause dairy farm. dairy farm in Minnesota. After the kids were out of school, daughter Micayla decided that she wanted to dairy farm again. So, they found a dairy farm near Como, Texas, and went to work. She and her brother, Clayton, are making decisions and working hard, as are Curt and Louann. The farm hadn’t been taken care of, so they had a lot of work ahead of them. They have made a lot of progress, and Curt gave us a great tour of the farm. Louann welcomed us into their home and fixed lunch for us, while we all visited. It was great to see them again, and we really enjoyed the tour of the farm, and learning about life in Texas.

We had a great winter, a busy summer, and harvest is just around the corner.

Be safe and be careful.

GETTING READY

by Jack Warren, Western Regional Operations Manager

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ooking ahead and anticipating what this fall will bring, as far as when harvest will start and yields, are a big part of our job. Topflight has been working hard all winter and spring blending and shipping grain. As the summer months roll by, we have been cleaning bins and working on equipment. In the Western Region, we have a great staff of outside employees that are working hard to prepare each location for a smooth harvest. With Dan

Greer and Gary Liggett at Maroa, Jay Blackburn and Gary Wood at Emery, Rick Stone and John Boehm at Cisco, making sure that the producers are getting dumped and back out to the fields in a safe and timely manner is always a priority with Topflight. So as we prepare the facilities and watch the corn and beans grow at an amazing rate, the Western Region is ”getting ready” and looking forward to putting this year’s harvest in the books.

AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 17

BUMPER CROP COMING!!!

by Jason Goodner, Seymour Grain Originator

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he corn was planted, we waited for beans; then the rains kept coming and the temperatures remained mild. Is this the year of 230 bushels per acre? Maybe….just maybe. My, how everything changes in such a short amount of time.

We had a great long cold winter with lots of snow, and then a planting window for corn that was the best we have seen in years. Every year is a different year, and this is nothing new for any of our customers.

Looking back is so easy to do. Looking forward is a whole lot more difficult. Had we known that we would have one of the worst winters since the 70’s, we all would have been in Florida. What a cold and miserable winter it was; however, the bright spot at the time was the market. We did buy some grain, but as the market looks now, definitely not enough.

As the winter moved along, we took in grain off the farm, and did so through most of May when the weather cooperated.

As spring finally came along in April, attitudes did improve; corn was getting put in the ground at a really good pace. All of the corn around the Seymour area was mostly planted before the end of April. We did have to wait a good amount of time for soybeans to be planted at many different times in the month of May, and even into June. As of right now, all the beans are planted and sprayed. We have had plenty of rain and mild temperatures for most of the summer. Corn around the Seymour area is mostly all tasseled and is pollinating in the best time possible. We will have a good crop coming to town this year. The markets feel the same way. The markets have done nothing but steadily decline since the June Supply and Demand report came out. Good crop development and good growing conditions have stunned the market to places we haven’t been to in a long while on prices.

With all of the crops taken care of, at least for couple of months, we’re on to the next biggest

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thing in Seymour besides farming. The 4th of July parade in Seymour is one of the best! We had a great crowd for the parade, and we saw and waved to as many customers and friends as we could. My father-in-law followed behind us in his decorated golf cart to haul the rest of our kids and throw candy. The parade had over 130 entries, and we had a car show that had 95 cars competing for trophies.

After all the day’s events, we had a nice 30 minute fireworks show that you could see for miles around.

What a great day! The weather was nice, hooked to a weekend, and a wonderful time with family.

Speaking of family, I would like to say ours isn’t getting any larger than seven. However, the ornery little stinkers are getting bigger. Winter wasn’t easy with the twins getting in and going places, but our oldest had the worst Spring of any of us. While we were on Spring break in March, Kolby developed kidney stones and had to have surgery and a stint put in, in Alabama. We came home after our trip and he had them blasted out the next week. He healed and recovered. We were going great, getting ready to celebrate the twin’s first birthday on May 9th. Kolby struck again, the day before. He broke the ball off the top of his humorous (arm). So, his gift to his little brother and sister was a call from the hospital bed before getting his arm put back together. The good news, as of now, is that his sling is off and the steel rods holding his arm to heal come out in early August. The rest of the family is doing great. Addison is 8 and going into the 3rd grade next month. Jaron is 2 and full of energy everyday he wakes up. The twins, Jordan and Lynzi, are getting bigger every day. They are over one year old; both walk, and eat everything they can. Another big change in our life is that we have moved to town. We bought a house in Seymour in May. We owe the Karr family a large thank you for the opportunity to live around this community long enough to buy. Steve Schoonover also moved, but he went

Kari & I, with some of the kids, in the Seymour 4th of July parade. from Seymour, to Mahomet, over the winter.

Steve and I are getting closer to being out of corn every day. We are down to 4 bins of corn left, so we can get ready for the bumper crop coming. We are planning on having to use the bunker for the

volume coming. Please, if you have any changes to your farming operation, come in to give us changes before harvest gets here. We want to do the best for you! The correct information the first time will speed up the process in other ways.

We would like to express our sympathy to the families of William Young and Lyn Dick.

Bill was one of our customers for years and our road commissioner for the township for 30 years.

He passed away suddenly in May. Our condolences also go to the family of Lyn Dick. Rob is a wonderful maintenance man, and we were sad to hear of Lyn’s untimely passing. We would like to send our sympathies to all families who have lost someone in these past months.

Harvest is around the corner. School shopping, school starting, and harvest hours will be here before we all know it. Have a great rest of summer, and we will see you this fall!

Thank you, again, to all of our patrons of the Seymour facility. We appreciate your business, and wouldn’t be here without you.

All of us decked out for the 4th !

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THINGS LOOK GOOD AROUND HERE

by Jon Carr, Milmine Grain Originator

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hat a great growing season we’ve had so far! Expectations are high for this year’s crop, and those expectations are reflected in the market. The operations crew has been working hard all year to ship out last year’s crop so there will be plenty of room for this year’s. They have loaded trains and trucks, cleaned up the ground pile, and swept bins. As the weather turned warmer,

My nephew, Easton Patton, sent to me by my brother-in-law who farms in southern Illinois.

This was Easton’s first tractor ride.

THE WHY? FACTOR

they spent a good amount of time mowing and cleaning up the grounds around the elevator. I think the grounds look better this summer than they have since I’ve been here. It helps that this is the first time in several years that we haven’t had a major project going on throughout the summer.

The last several months have been very good for me personally. One highlight was my sister and her husband welcoming a daughter into the world.

Ellie Mae is now nearly 3 months old and is a little sweetheart. Chris Hood spent a week at the end of May in Haiti on a mission trip with the First Christian Church of Monticello. Despite it being very hot, he said he enjoyed being down there and helping out.

Rick has enjoyed a few short getaways with his wife and family this summer.

We’ve taken in a little bit of wheat lately and that has me thinking about the busier times to come.

It won’t be long until another harvest is upon us!

Remember to stay safe out there and be cautious when working long hours. With what appears to be a very large crop this year, we will be very busy at the elevator. Please remember that there is no cell phone use on our scales or pits, and there is no smoking on Topflight property. Also, please remind your drivers of our traffic pattern in Milmine. If you have any questions about our procedures, feel free to call me.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone this fall!

Why do supermarkets make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front?

Why do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke?

Why do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters?

Why do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in our driveways and put our useless junk in the garage?

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CHANGE ..............

by Jeremy Welch, Controller

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e all get accustomed to doing things a certain way, and when we are forced to do something different, it is not often welcome. Change is a part of our everyday lives. Some changes are beyond our control, like the weather, while other changes are required to deal with a situation as a result of our actions. Managing that change to take advantage of a new opportunity or to meet new and different demands, could set you apart from the competition.

Change could come from advances in agriculture, technology, energy, politics, marketplace, environment, etc.; the examples are endless. If we look back, early advances in computer technology were met with pessimism and doubt because they were not understood, except for a few technology pioneers that had the vision and foresight to see how powerful a tool the computer could become. Now, our daily lives are constantly impacted by computers. Most of the conveniences and efficiencies we enjoy today are from advances in modern technology. Use of computers revolutionized the world.

Businesses that embraced the modern technology quickly gained a competitive advantage over others that did not.

Stacy and me on our 10th anniversary, June 26.

The computer example is a little extreme, as most change is subtle and typically impacts fewer people.

The moral of the story remains the same - seeking opportunity, embracing new ideas while remaining flexible in your pursuit of long term goals will give you a better shot of achievement than someone who doesn’t.

As your cooperative, we are continuously seeking better ways to serve you. We have a vision and long term goals with a strategy to pursue. If along the way, something doesn’t work the way we anticipated, we will seek knowledge to understand the situation, adapt, and overcome the obstacles before us to meet the needs of our patrons.

Have a safe and productive harvest in 2014!

Logan proudly displaying his driver’s license, on his 16th birthday, July 14 AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 21

SHORTAGE & ABUNDANCE

by Derrick Bruhn, Merchandiser

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t’s amazing how big of a difference weather can make in the supply chain. The drought of 2012 left a very small carryover of grain coming into the 2013 harvest. The production in 2013 helped to stabilize the domestic demand in the US and return it to the export market. China will import a record amount of beans this year with the combination of US and Brazil imports. US corn exports for 2013 have increased 1.2 mil from the drought of 2012. The demand for US grains has recovered at an amazing pace. The 2014 crop appears to be the one that will replenish the US and world stocks. The ethanol markets continue to be profitable, and bean crush margins appear to be strong. We will need all demand sectors to remain strong in order to use the production it appears we will have this fall.

Freight has become a big challenge for the grain industry. We are struggling to find trucks and railcars to move grain, and the railroads are struggling to move grain. The demand for freight in the northwest has been felt in the Midwest. Railcars in the west are trading at $2,800 per car per turn.

That equates to 70 cents per bushel for the cars, in

Mabry & Mylin

addition to the cost to move the cars. The freight is needed to move many new products to places that aren’t normal, and this has created a backlog. The end-users of grain have increased costs because of this shortage and cost of freight. We have shipped more grain on weekends than ever before because of the needs of the end-users. We thought this was mainly caused by the harsh winter we had, but it has continued into the spring and summer. Many of our rail houses have switched to trucking grain because of Topflight’s proximity to Decatur, IL. With a large crop on the horizon, it appears that the transportation shortage won’t be cured anytime soon.

On the home front, we have had a very busy summer. Mabry and Mylin have both been playing ball, and Mabry has been swimming competitively. I have been busy helping coach both of their teams and taking Mabry to swim practice each morning at 7:00. When we weren’t running around to sporting events, Lynne has been working on her master’s degree and I have been busy keeping up on the lawn mowing and weed spraying.

Mylin & Mabry with me and my restored truck.

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Mylin & Mabry with me at home.

ATWOOD NEWS

by Russel Wright, Atwood Grain Originator

S

pring planting went really smoothly in the Atwood area; the weather really cooperated.

Both the corn and beans look really good, with projected yields better than last year’s, barring any unseen disaster.

Now the summer months are here, and with that, wheat harvest finished with good yields. Your Atwood facility has been shipping out corn and beans, as well as non-gmo beans; hopefully these bins will be empty by harvest time. The crane crew was here, working on repairing spouts and leaking gates, and any other repairs that were needed. The Topflight maintenance crew is replacing an old worn out conveyor that is under the wet corn bin.

Locally, as many of you know, the Atwood-Hammond School District is now a thing of the past. The last graduation was held in May, an auction was held in June, and the High School will be torn down by fall, creating a different look for the north end of Atwood.

Summer time means baseball, softball, swimming activities, as well as county fairs, town festivals, and vacations. Our oldest grandson, Zac, went to Washington DC along with several other Bement High School students, the first part of June. They had a busy schedule, seeing all the memorials and museums. They learned a lot. Granddaughters Kady and Tatum attended a volleyball camp; now they are enjoying their summer. The Gibson City grandkids, Kendyl, Jaxon, Kodee, and Rylee, along with their parents, went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They had a good time swimming and seeing bears. They are also playing softball and baseball. Debby and I went to Jefferson City, Missouri, to visit with the Army buddies and wives. We had a really good time.

The rest of the summer will be spent on shipping out the rest of the corn and beans, as well as getting all of the bins ready for another harvest. Everyone have a good, enjoyable summer, and remember to be safe in all things that you do.

Perplexed?

Try your brain at some of these “Plexers” - Plexers are picture puzzles of words and phrases. It’s important to consider how words are written, the number of items, and the direction in which something appears.

Location is also important when figuring out plexers. (The answer to the first one is PARADICE.) Now, you try the rest of them. The answers are listed on page 43.

1. Dice Dice 2. SGEG 3. stand I 4. YOU JUST ME

5. H ijklmn O

10. Do 12” or

6. Milonelion

11. mind --------------matter

7. The correct siblings.

8. R | E | A | D | I | N | G 9. I right I

AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 23

IT’S BEEN A FAST YEAR!

by Chelsey White, Emery Grain Originator

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t’s hard to believe that I have been here one year!

It has sure flown by pretty quickly! Things are looking good at the elevator as we are getting prepared for this bountiful harvest! The crops are looking the best we have seen in quite some time; it’s honestly beautiful. We just need the beans to get the timely rains in late August and it will definitely be a good year. Prices are not looking the greatest, but that’s expected with the crop we are expecting to see. Will they bounce back? That’s a good question, and we will have to see what fall brings.

driveway across the street to line up and pull on the scale. I know it’s sometimes easier to just pull right on, but with the way traffic has been, I’d rather be safe than sorry. Also, make sure to have farm codes up to date. If we need to change anything, stop in and see me, or give me a call.

Things are going great for the family! My son, Cooper, will be starting his second year of Pre-K at Argenta-Oreana grade school. My, where has the time gone? He will be playing fall soccer through the YMCA in Decatur. Jeremy and I have been able to go to a few Cardinal games this year! We went to opening day in April. It was cold and rainy, but so worth it! We took a family trip in June to Indianapolis for a few days to check out the zoo and children’s museum. Cooper had a great time!

Cooper in an Indy car at the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis.

With harvest coming upon us, this is always a good time to go over a few things here at the elevator. Jay and Gary will both be outside, along with a lot of the same harvest help we had last year. Sharon Brown will be returning to help run the scales, and of course, I will be here! One thing that I would like to remind everyone is to use the horse shoe

24 AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter

Cooper enjoying lunch and toys at opening day for the Cardinals.

AT THE END OF THE LANE

by Jack Warren

B

orn in southeast Missouri of God-fearing, hard working parents, my family made our way north to Illinois during the “great migration” to the factories in the mid 60’s. For my two younger brothers and me, it was a big change for us to have been living in an old farmhouse with no indoor plumbing to the city of LaSalle and a housing project. My dad worked awhile in a few factories before landing a job in a privately owned chain of grain elevators. Mr. Ervin Schafer owned three elevators, Garfield, Milla and Priscilla. All three were wooden houses with extended bin sites and flats. We lived in a company owned house and the elevator my dad worked at was Priscilla, at the end of the lane. My parents always felt that hard work was a privilege and they wanted us boys to consider it as such also.

I never had a summer that my dad did not have me lined up for work - walking beans, de-tasseling corn, baling hay, etc. And when that ran out, I had the “opportunity” to help him clean bins, boot pits, and flats at the elevator at the end of the lane.

Living there in the “important” time of life, the world I wanted to be a part of always seemed to be far away. My brothers and I grew up in relative seclusion and escaped the turmoil of the 70’s. It kept us out of “serious” trouble, growing up on that old dusty gravel road with just the livestock we raised and the frequent farmer visiting at the office at the end of the lane. The times were very different then, but in some ways, the same. The days are not long enough to get anything done, farmers still brag how much that ”80” made, and in some cases, we still have lines at the scales.

I pass the old wooden elevator, Amenia, every day on my way to work, and I can’t help but think back to the days of my youth and working in the elevator with my dad. I followed in his footsteps and picked

up the trade. For the most part, I have stayed with it my adult life. He, on the other hand, went back to Missouri and is now farming!

One year, when passing through on my way to a class reunion, my wife and I stopped by the old homestead. The elevator is gone, as is the bin site and office. The house was gone also. And what to me seemed to be a final statement, they had taken the well out. All that is left to show that a family was raised there was a piece of sidewalk and an old oak tree that I had climbed on. We stood there for a while; the corn was up, and it was late in the afternoon when it starts to cool down and the wind lays and you could hear the corn uncurling. The world seemed to close in for a while, and memories of my brothers and me came flooding back. The place is gone, but I will always have those memories to cherish, at the end of the lane.

AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 25

Laurie Einhorn

Remember With Us ... (please share your old photos and memories with us)

Jos

Brandi Lawson

The Old Glory Festival Pedal Pull was sponsored by Topflight Grain this summer. Watching the young boys & girls reminded of us of past Pulls. Here are pictures from Pedal Pulls spanning the years of 1986-1994. (No one labeled these pictures; our apologies if we mis-named someone.)

Andy H

Sean H

Dan Larson

Matt Hendrix

Dylan Gallagher

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sh Hendrix Dillon Docherty

Justin Walsh

Robert Beauchamp

Hendrix

Tad Cain

Jessica Price

Katie Wright

Harrington

Jason Jennings

Rachel Bates AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 27

Clifton “Clif” Allison Lois Anderson Tyler Auth Raymond Beery Kim Benner Gene Bentley Norman “Nub” Carroll Betty Cooch Ruth Corman Jaden Dalton Josephine Delahunty David Dobson Bill Dodd Jewell Dorjahn Rita Doty Lois Downs Jeanne Doyle Easter Eads Wesley Eckart Henry Estell Raymond Evans John “Jack” Funk Jerry Gard Linda Gisinger Ron Gregory Dick Gulick Dale “Flash” Hanners

Kirk, Gallivan, former Bement Grain employee.

“Sweet Grandma” Gladys Baker, recently passed away at 101 years old.

Mary Harrison Mary Hite Nathan Howland Norma Jackson Marjorie Barcus Jones Betty Kinzel Marlin Krall Lyn Dick; Lyn was tragically killed when her car overturned in July. Her husband, Rob, is a member of the Topflight Grain maintenance crew.

Nancy Kramer Ruth Isabel Schold Lamb Nancy Lazell Amanda Lehn Barry Lynch Bill Martin Mercedes McCoppin

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Don Metzger Jack Moore Earl Myers William Parr Henry Rahn Dale Rosenbery Gloria Ruch Margery Shaffer John T Sebens Imogene Smith Troy Smith Luann Wikoff Stemler Edward Tholen Don Thompson Ralph Trump Judy Walters Lillie Warner Ruth Wiesener Herbert “Ike” Wiggins Betty Woolums Betty Youngberg

Gary Hunter, former Cisco Coop and Topflight Grain employee

. . . . And all others who have lost loved ones.

B

Farewell Brock!

rock Casteel, Southern Operations Manager and Safety Manager for Topflight Grain, accepted a new position, with Tate & Lyle, in May. Brock joined the Topflight crew in 2000, working primarily at the southern elevators, and became the Southern Operations Manager. As safety training and education became more important, Brock took on more responsibilities as our Safety Manager. A few years ago, he moved his office to Bement, to further assist Eric in operations and as the trucking manager. We will miss him, but certainly wish him the best of luck as he moves on in his agricultural career.

Several patrons and associates joined us on May 9, in the Pierson shop to have a farewell visit with Brock.

John Terrill came to visit and enjoy some lunch.

Brock’s nephew, and dad, Berle, enjoyed the day.

“Good Luck, Brock” was our sentiment for the day.

A few of our operations crew shared some memories with Brock.

Roger, Rob, Brock, Larry, Chris & Andy.

AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 29

Friends & Family

Jim & Mike Bennett, during planting season.

Levi, on the beach. Grandpa Lynn Hiser sent his picture to us.

Bob & Marlene Corman, Meredith & Randy Murphy.

Meredith won Female Overall in the Bement Old Glory Festival 5K Run/Walk.

Rosie Brandenburg and Naomi Brandenburg.

Dan Lecrone, planting beans.

Ron Meece, planting beans.

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Friends & Family

Linda Keiss and Rhonda Trower.

Jerry Stout, Marilyn Ayers, and Sue Stout, at the Bement Old Glory Festival.

Audine Moery Severns and Martha Postlewait.

Carolina & Grandpa Dave Thompson.

Sandy Davenport & Betty McCool.

AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 31

Friends & Family

Eric Miller coaches Olin “to go� in the pedal tractor pull.

Mountain man, Bill Gallagher.

Eli, in the Bement Old Glory Pedal Pull.

Bill & Norma Sparks, enjoying that delicious Bement Lions Club chicken.

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Dean Riley, with a plate full of chicken.

Friends & Family

Jim Fendley and daughter, Janet Sawlaw.

Rainy day problem solving: David Boyer, Dan Marsh, Kenny Stahl, Dave Braden, Richard Hanes.

Great-uncle Chuck’s pedal tractors were just the right size for Bentley!

The bell at Carle Clinic, donated in memory of Kyle Hendrix, with the instructions to “Ring upon hearing good news” Drew Larimore AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 33

Ten Things Farmers Know Better Than Anyone Else Amy found this commentary on the Fastline blog. We thought it was very appropriate to share with all of our readers.

Anyone can farm, but not everyone is a Farmer. There are many things that you quickly learn and traits that are necessary to have while Farming 1. Patience: Farmers are some of the most patient people you’ll ever meet- they have to be. They must have patience with their crop, their livestock, their equipment and most of all, the weather. Who else could wait for months for their crop with the hope that it will turn into something?

2. Optimism: The Farmer has to be an optimist or else he wouldn’t be a Farmer. Maintaining an optimistic outlook through it all is the only way to get through the days of droughts, broken equipment and sick livestock. Farmers know better than anyone else, maintaining the perspective that next year will always be better, is crucial.

3. Mother Nature: She’s a force to be reckoned with, but Farmers could tell you more about the weather than the weatherman. They watch her daily and know what they need from her to get their crops growing, harvested and sold, not to mention, to produce feed for their livestock and to keep them happy.

4. Risk Taking: Who is to say that the seed you invested, your money, or the livestock you just bought, will return the investment? Yet, Farmers must take those risks. If it doesn’t work out, they will try again next year.

5. Wisdom and Knowledge: Books do not begin to contain what is necessary to become a successful farmer. The wisest of all is the Farmer, for they have been through more in a year than many go through in their lives. Combine that with the lessons they learn (good and bad), and there’s not much a Farmer couldn’t give you advice on.

6. The land: Who else knows your land better than you? For Farmers that rings especially true – their land is their everything. They could tell you more about the history of that land, what will grow on it and what won’t and most of all, the memories from that land. No one understands the land as well as farmers, because it not only supports them, but nurtures their souls.

7. Perspective: To some it’s just dirt, but to Farmers, it’s their future. Farmers know they must maintain the right perspective on farming and life if they want to succeed.

8. Frugality: Today, many farmers produce more to earn less, so who better to know how to stretch a dollar than a Farmer?

9. Environment: Farmers do more today to preserve the environment than ever before. From technological advances to seed advancements, they continue to work and make improvements to their land; after all, that’s all they have.

10. Hard work: Farmers seldom have good years, just some years are worse than the others. But they keep on working hard knowing that without them, the world would starve.

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Route 66 Bonnie Thomas sent us this story and pictures of a “spur of the moment trip” with Jim & Wilma Fendley to Atlanta IL, along Route 66: “The town’s claim to fame is an old/restored wood grain elevator, plus many other museums, cafes, and businesses, in a town of 1600. We were actually one day early for the start of their tourist hours, but lucked out and a very friendly and helpful waitress (where we ate lunch) contacted people who would open up the elevator and the museum for us to visit. How nice! Dick especially enjoyed the old

wood facility, as he’d worked in several similar. In fact, the picture of him standing in the manlift is just like the one in Dewey that he almost lost his life in. A weight fell off and if it hadn’t jumped the track before landing in the bottom, he’d have been a goner. His hand holding the rope was bared to the bone. I remember that day very well. If you are in the Atlanta area (on route 66, which greatly helps their tourism), stop by! As you can imagine, Dick and Jim visited with everyone in town, learned a lot and had a ball!”

Dick in the old scale house using the balance beam scale.

Jim & Wilma Fendley, at the feet of “Tall Paul”. The Paul Bunyan type figure (his ax was replaced with a hotdog!) was brought to Atlanta, from Cicero Il. It’s been a huge tourist attraction for the town of Atlanta.

Dick & Bonnie in front of the old elevator in Atlanta IL. AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 35

Our Congratulations to ...

Jim & Jacki Morris, married 50 years last January; Chris Karr, featured in a Dow AgroScienes advertisement; LeVon Y Parrish, 100 years young in March; Leo Kinsella, champion of the Bement Spelling Bee and the Piatt County Spelling Bee; other school winners included Austen Brown, Addie Mae Fritz, Colton Davenport, and Sadie Peeler; Dick & Rita Jostes, featured in the Piatt County Journal’s Valentine article; their 64 years of marriage provided some of their advice; Rory Wright, promoted to Assistant Vice President at First State Bank, Monticello; Charles & Shirley Sievers, married 60 years on February 14; Gene Timmerman, recognized for 40 years of service to the Cerro Gordo Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department; Kylie Strike, named to the Dean’s List at Butler University;

Bob & Carole Cundiff, grandparents of Eliya Brielle;

Nancy Day, 75 years old on February 14; Claire Huisinga and Megan Magsamen, winners of the wheel barrow race during Ag Olympics during FFA week celebration at Monticello High School; Seth Gallivan, named to the Dean’s List at University of Illinois;

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Mac Gallagher, Jacob Williams, Alyssa Hendrix, & Anna Hendrix, named to the Dean’s List at Southern Illinois University; Scott Huisinga, named to the Dean’s List at the University of Alabama; Pattie Wood, 80 years old in March; LeRoy Wilson, 80 years old in March;

Matt & Pam Dean, parents of new little girl.

Matt is the former Grain Originator at Monticello;

Becky Pickrell, 95 years old in March; Gerald Henry, named the News-Gazette Farm Leader of the Year;

AJ Bell, born in October to Lindsey & Aaron Bell; proud grandparents are Steve & Bev Bell;

Van Albert, Aaron Bell, Scott Fleeneer, Ty Morganthaler, Jeff Lawyer, Zach Coleman, Steve Doolin and Jake Shackleford, winners of the Cerro Gordo annual Alumni Tournament. This was their 8th year in a row to win the tournament;

Our Congratulations to ...

Lizzie Eades, Elizabeth Miller and Baley Milton, Proficiency winners in the District FFA contest; Sierra Day, crowned ebonette at the Illinois Angus Association Annual Meeting; Baley Milton, awarded the Ann Baughman college scholarship; Jordan Eads, May Student of the Month at Cerro Gordo High School; Chayton Day, earning the 3rd High Point Heifer Award at the Illinois Spotlight Show; Bill & Laura Agee, married 25 years in March; Chloe Furstenau, born in January, to Chip & Kylie Furstenau; proud great-grandmother is Barb Oettle; Emily Reed & Joshua Blickhan married April 26; Michael Plunk, signing a letter of intent to play basketball at Elmhurst College; Colton Romine, competitor in the Piatt County Spelling Bee; Lyndzie & Kyle Vogelzang, married in April; John & Pat Pedigo, married 50 years in April; Montana Willamon & Nicholas Royal, married in May; Claire Huisinga, Illinois State Scholar at Monticello; Brittany McNelly & Kyle Taylor, married in June; James Powers, 90 years old in May;

Howard & Margaret Kamm, married 45 years in February; Jack Fombelle & Andrea Eagan, married in March; Cutler & Layton Morgan, twins born to Cody & Shenna Morgan; proud grandparents are Lori Warnick and David Schwartz; proud greatgrandparents are Mike & Pat Morgan and Allen & Linda Schwartz; proud great-great-grandparents are Bob & Roseann Morgan and Phyllis Strohl; Jack & Kathleen Hill, married 60 years in June; Dr. Matt Zelhart, co-author of “Innovation & Perserverance: a History of the Tulane University Department of Surgery�: Wilbur Roosevelt, featured in the Decatur Herald for his 61 year career as a barber; Meredith Murphy & Luke Brewer, Overall winners at the Bement Old Glory Festival 5K Run/Walk; Annalisa Kilber & Wesley Henningsen, married in August; Kristie Krigbaum, chosen as Miss Piatt County; Mia Brandenburg, chosen as Junior Miss Piatt County; Albert Vermillion, 90 years old in July; Willard & Opal Shoemaker, married 62 years in July; Chuck Walsh, 50 years old in July; Freeman Wildman, member of the 1944-1947 Lovington High School football team with a 28-game unbeaten winning streak; Dillon Docherty, working in Alaska giving zip-line tours to cruise ship visitors; Argenta-Oreana Bombers baseball team, placing third in the state play-offs; Arleen Totten, 103 years young on July 13; Jack & Connie Harrington, married 30 years in July; Haley Wade & Brent Ferrill, married recently;

Margie Wright, on the billboards in Monticello, promoting the 100 year anniversary of the State Bank of Bement; AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 37

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Game Show Extravaganza

e had a great time at the women’s program this year! “Game Show Extravaganza” was the theme. We had a small “Wheel of Fortune”, a putt-putt golf hole, “Stack Attack” and a check-out game to play. The stage was decorated with treasure chests, “Monopoly” letters, a “Jeopardy” board, and wrapped gifts.

Janet Frye, Lynn Shaffer, and Sandy Lynch.

Then, Becky Rogers gave us all sorts of tips on reducing the clutter in our homes and getting more organized. She knows it’s difficult to throw away anything, and will work with clients to make those decisions, keeping what is important in a proper place.

Pam Bennett, Cindy Meece & Melinda Lubbers.

We started the day with Game Show Bingo, where names of game shows filled the Bingo card. Our first speakers were Sam & Rosie Brandenburg, describing their training and experience as volunteers for the Red Cross in emergency situations. Sam & Rosie handed out several papers on emergency preparedness, which is always good information to have and use!

Connie Gyorr, Daphne Walsh, and Julie Lieb.

Martha Ann Rhoades, displaying an item from her purse, during one of the games.

Deb Phipps gave us a very informative speech on identity theft, adding some personal examples. She gave suggestions for more secure passwords, safer on-line shopping, and how to watch your credit score. She told several stories of how criminals can steal a person’s identity.

Following a great lunch served by Basket Case Catering, Katie Pratt concluded our day. Katie was a farmer’s daughter, and thought the transition to a farmer’s wife would be nice and easy. She told us several stories of that challenging move to “wife” that most of us could relate to.

It was a fun day for all, and it’s great to see so many of our farm wives and landladies.

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T

Hometown Heroes

his summer, the town of Ivesdale honored three of its soldiers, Steve Wright, Jesse Wright, and Steve Eckstein. Steve & Jesse were both home for the dedication of the sign, recognizing their service. We thank Pat Wright for sending us these pictures.

The Wright men – Steve, Alex, Laddie, Stan & Jesse

Steve Wright and Jesse Wright, as their tribute is uncovered.

Steve Wright, Bob Morgan, Jesse Wright, Roseann Morgan. Bob & Roseann are Jessie’s grandparents

The entire crew of Wrights!

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4 OF JULY th

4th of July in our towns shows our true American patriotism. Many of our towns have parades, fireworks, cake walks, Bingo, and many other activities.

Bronson Young was crowned 2014 Prince in Maroa, grandson to Sherryl Young in the Monticello office.

Carol & Luann Query, in the Maroa Freedom Festival parade.

Dana & Paige Shull drove the Topflight airplane in the Maroa In the Bement parade: Kristie Krigbaum, Miss Piatt County parade. and Mia Brandenburg, Junior Miss Piatt County .

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Also in the Bement parade we saw:

Henry Woodyard in his old Ford.

Harold Ard, carrying the wreath to set at the Veterans Memorial.

Dan & Emerson Larson.

Bryan Simpson.

Matt Muirheid

Dave Bales.

Leo Kinsella & Bob Morgan, riding with the American Legion .

Martin Guenther & his granddaughter in the Topflight Grain airplane.

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The Fun We Had!!

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e always have fun with our adopted Bement 2nd grade class. Our winter and spring events included a field trip to Decatur, a bowling trip to Savoy, and a Play Day on the very last day of school.

Our field trip to Decatur included the Children’s Museum and the National Guard at the Decatur Airport. The special program at the Museum included the “Body Walk”. The students pretended to walk through a body minimizer that shrunk them small enough to travel through the human body. Their first stop was the mouth, where they learned proper dental care. Traveling through the esophagus, they landed in the stomach, and were shown the food pyramid and good food choices for healthy nutrition. Then they traveled into the intestines, seeing all the villi that absorb nutrients into the body.

In the next rooms, they saw a skeleton and were given guidelines for healthy bones, listened to their heart and were encouraged to keep their heart

strong, and saw how to keep their lungs strong and healthy. After all the learning, they had an hour to play in all the activities of the Museum. It’s a fascinating place and they played hard!

Following lunch, the National Guard welcomed us to the Decatur Airport. They showed a movie of a candy drop they made to the local kids while they served overseas. Then, they showed us the BlackHawk and Dakota helicopters. Everyone sat in the helicopters, in the front seats and in the “troop” seats. Then, the Airport crew showed us their HUGE fire truck, and snow plows.

Our bowling trip to Savoy was lots of fun. Everyone bowled, we enjoyed pizza, then bowled again.

We saw great form at the bowling alley in Savoy.

Sitting in the helicopters was so much fun!!!!

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The last day of school, Derrick, Sherryl, and Pam joined the students for lunch. During that time, Derrick bargained with the students for food items, describing the process as similar to the method that corn & bean prices are negotiated in Chicago.

We gave them a quiz that covered our year’s adventures, then walked to Coles Pasture for games.

After a very active afternoon, we said good-bye to the 2nd grade class It was fun year. We wish this class a wonderful year in 3rd grade, and look forward to meeting the 2014 2nd grade class in a few weeks.

Derrick negotiated for lunch items.

Answers to “Perplexed”?

1. Paradise 2. Scrambled eggs 3. I understand 4. Just between you & me 5. H2O (Water) 6. One in a million

7. The Wright Brothers 8. Reading Between the Lines 9. Right Between the Eyes 10. Foot in the Door 11. Mind Over Matter AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 43

SUMMER SURVEYS

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uring the summer months, we have been taking surveys and asking questions of some of you. We are trying to look ahead to harvest by asking if you changed your crop rotation percentages or increased your harvest capacity, therefore delivering it to the elevator faster. We also asked if our communication methods were good and how to improve them, and if you were satisfied with customer service at Topflight Grain.

Your comments will be tallied and passed onto the staff and directors to indicate where we need to improve our communications, services and facilities.

Our survey respondents were chosen randomly. If you were not asked, and would like to participate in the survey, please visit with your location manager.

We’re always interested in your opinions!

Harvest Communications & Year-Round Communications

A

s we head into the harvest season, we want you to be aware of some of our services that may benefit you.

1. You can receive grain bids as a text message on your phone. These can be sent just about any time you choose, such as open, noon, close, and/or night trade. (This is free!!!)

2. You can also receive futures quotes on your cell phone, again, just about any time frame that you choose. There is a small fee for the futures quotes.

3. Government reports can be sent to via text, or via recorded message on your phone.

4. Special “events”, such as lunch service, elevator early (or late) closing, can be sent to your cell phone as a text message.

5. You can look up your grain records on the website through the Iview link at www.topflightgrain.com. If

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you are new to that page, you will be asked to register, and a return email will be sent to you when your account has been activated.

6. Our website provides a lot of general information about the company. The “Grain Bid” page lists all the bids at each location, weather, a Twitter account showing grain comments from many in the industry, and a link to the morning, mid-day and evening market comments. The rain map page will tell you how much it rained last, at each Topflight Grain facility.

And the “historic prices” lists cash and new crop prices since 1998. This may help you in your cash rent calculations.

7. Through email, you may receive bids and our market comments.

If you are interested in any of these services, please contact your local Topflight Grain office.

GRAIN PAGE DP & GRAIN PURCHASE CONTRACTS

Do you think we’re nagging you when we send 2nd requests for DP contract and purchase contract signatures? Yes, we probably are nagging you. We must have those signed contracts returned by you, and in our files. It is very important that you review all paperwork sent to you by Topflight Grain; purchase contracts and DP contracts must be signed and returned to our office. In the case of DP contracts, Illinois law states that the grain will be priced out if the signed contract is not returned within 30 days of the last date of delivery. It is very important to you and us, that all contracts are signed, dated & returned.

HARVEST REMINDERS

1. As stated by several of our staff members, please be sure to update us with any changes in your farm names, or ownership changes on your farms. This should be done prior to harvest, so that when your grain is delivered, all of the records are correct.

2. If you do not have signs for your drivers to display with the farm name or farm code on them, please ask

your office manager to give you cardboard to make signs. It is so very helpful to the scale attendant when displayed, to be sure the proper name is recorded on your scale ticket.

3. Cell phones are forbidden on Topflight Grain property. We need your full attention when pulling on the scales, and very importantly, when you pull into the elevator. It is often dark & maybe dusty in the elevator driveway. You should be on the look-out for our elevator employees, and follow their instructions 4. We can’t say this enough --- BE SAFE!

GRAIN SALES

As of July 1, Topflight Grain had purchased about 93% of the 2013 corn crop at an average price of $4.51, and about 98.5% of the 2013 bean crop at an average price of $13.07.

Approximately 18% of the 2014 corn crop had been purchased at an average price of $4.52 and approximately 26% of the 2014 bean crop at an average price of $11.77.

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Old Glory Festival Tractor Show This was the best year ever for the tractor show at the Old Glory Festival in Bement.

We just had to share some of the classic tractors.

Chuck Walsh

Jack Beebe

Paul Frank

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Mike Whalen

Raymond Stoerger

Derrick Bruhn & Mylin

Larry Bartram

Scott Jennings

Dave Bales Roger Musson

Frank Bragg

Olin & Kevin Walsh

Jason Lubbers

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MOUNTAIN MAN

ach year, in late June, Hardin, MT, welcomes visitors from all over the world for the re-enactment of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Bill Gallagher and Gene Schneirle are two of those visitors, coming from Bement, IL. Both of these men are quite the history buffs. Gene takes lots of pictures while there, and Bill has joined the “actors” in the re-enactment.

This year, Bill had two different roles. He was a member of the Lewis & Clark team, “coming in peace” to meet the Indians on one day, as Sergeant Nathan Pryor. Another day, he was Sacagawea’s husband.

Sacagawea was actually portrayed by a native Indian woman.

the US government and General Custer to protect their way of life, against the Sioux Indians. Before the show begins, the Crow spend about 1 ½ hours telling their history and the history of the Battle. A lot of their focus is on the horses that helped them survive.

The event covers a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, near the town of Hardin. Hardin is a town of about 3500 people. It’s mostly cattle and hay country. Bill said there just aren’t many corn and bean fields around there. People come from all over the world to take part in the event, or to watch the event, returning year after year. At the beginning of the event, on Friday, a parade begins the weekend. The Crow are dressed up in their finest beads and buckskin, and the horses are colorfully dressed, too. It’s about a 2 hour parade, including many floats with the tribal elders. It ends at the memorial in Crow Agency.

Bill & Gene thoroughly enjoy the trip, stepping back in time, visiting with all who attend and participate in the event.

We thank Bill, for sharing his adventure, and Gene for sharing the pictures.

Bill (with the US flag), as a member of the Lewis & Clark team, including Sacagawea, and Indian children. Bill had taken several Sacagawea dollar coins, to give to the children.

Bill said the trip is a huge history lesson. Many people come for the week, participating in “Calvary school’, camping along the river, learning how the Calvary lived, so many years ago. The re-enactment occurs on the Crow Indian reservation, which is about 2.5 million acres. Most of the story is based on the Crow history as handed down through their written and oral stories. The Crow tribe had joined up with

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Sacagawea and Bill, who portrayed her husband during the enactment.

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AROUND TOPFLIGHT ......

ur congratulations to Derrick Bruhn, serving 10 years on the Piatt County Soil & Water Conservation District board, and as chairman of the committee from 2012-2014; Manager Scott Docherty presented a Grain Rescue tube to the Cisco Fire Department, purchased with a matching check from CoBank’s Sharing Success Charitable Contribution Program. The tube can assist in rescue of a grain entrapment or engulfment; “Rumor Has It”, was selected as the 1st Place winner in the Bement 4th of July parade. It is owned by Stason & Marsha Kopps; Front row: Scott Docherty, Dana Shull, Chelsey White, Amy Brammer, Gloria Litwiller, Vanessa Stinson, Pam Jarboe, Sherryl Young, Russ Wright.

Back row: Jason Goodner, Rodd Runyen, Jon Carr, Jeremy Welch, Derrick Bruhn, Adam Jackson, Denny Hill. Absent – Andrew Hanes.

We have a great office staff! Each one has their duties at each location, and they often “volunteer” to help with other tasks. Extra jobs have included folding and stuffing year-end summaries last winter, 1099s at tax time, the annual meeting mailing, and customer acknowledgments. The Pierson staff painted the extra office, and moved Jessie Larimore from the front office to that office, to have more privacy as she works for United Prairie.

Front row: Rick Stone, Jay Blackburn, John Boehm, Paul Peeler, Stason Kopps, Rob Dick, Henry Lust, Dan Greer, Randy Drake, Steve Harding, Martin Guenther, Cody Chenoweth.

Back row: Jack Warren, Kris Mills, Eric Clements, Brian Pierce, Brad Dehart, Andy Parsons, Roger Burton, Bill Dirks, Mark Albert, Larry Ackerman, Chris Hood, Rick Chestnut, Gary Liggett. Absent – Jim Murphy, Gary Wood, Kenny Ross, Aaron Hill, Chris Frye, Steve Schoonover, Chris Coleman AUGUST 2014 / topflight newsletter 49

AROUND TOPFLIGHT ......

The operations staff is also great! Everyone has duties at their specific location, and often move where extra help is needed. Winter time was busy taking in corn and beans from the farm (and drying some of that corn), loading out trucks and trains, and moving grain into position to meet these demands. Bins, piles, and flat storage were cleaned out. (The Milmine pile was picked up in a record 8 ½ days this March.) This winter also took a lot of work to keep snow moved, drains clean, and all the elevators thawed. Spring rains meant water to pump out of basements and pits.

Summer time kept the mowers and weed sprayers busy.

Russel spoke to the 2nd grade class in Atwood, in April, about farming, and the elevator business.

The LaPlace office has new flooring, replacing the old that had worn and was loose.

The hardware store in the Cisco facility is in the process of closing. You might still find a few good bargains there!

A few of our rail cars derailed on the south side of Monticello in March, due to all the rain and soft support under the rail. The NS cleaned it up, and the track was back in service in a short time.

Steve & Henry made several trips with the flatbed semis, to pick up bin parts for the new bins.

Congratulations to Brock Casteel, accepting a new job as safety manager for Tate & Lyle.

Congratulations to Jason & Kari Goodner and family, buying a home in Seymour. The kids are looking forward to the activities of living in town.

Office & operations staff and directors assisted the auditors with year-end measurements and auditing.

Scales, moisture meters and gram scales have been inspected and tested by the State of Illinois and Fairbanks, in the annual pre-harvest preparations.

The crawl space in the Atwood office has been cleaned and sealed and a vapor barrier was put in place to eliminate the musty grain smell.

Amy assisted with plans for the Illinois Grain & Feed Association’s Developing Professionals tour of GSI and ADM. Chelsey and Jon are members of that group, and greatly enjoyed the tours, and networking with other grain business professionals.

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We welcome Larry Ackerman back to Topflight Grain, as Northern Regions Operation Manager.

Congratulations to Andy Parson, promoted to Southern Regional Operation Manager.

Congratulations to Jon Carr, adding Truck Dispatch to his responsibilities with Topflight Grain.

Congratulations to Andrew Hanes, adding Safety Manager to his responsibilities.

The Maroa crew helped Aaron Hill celebrate his 40th birthday.

AROUND TOPFLIGHT ......

Dana, from the Maroa crew, also made sure that Chelsey had a Happy 30th Birthday!

Congratulations to Adam, on a Happy 30th Birthday!

We start training them young at Topflight. Brynnan is following in the footsteps of her mother, Ashley Stinson, and her grandmother, Vanessa Stinson.

Henry & Steve spent time on the road this summer, hauling parts for the new bins.

Picking up the corn pile in Maroa.

In the cold of winter, Roger was on the ladder, repairing the probe in Bement.

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Topflight Grain 420 W Marion Monticello IL 61856

prsrt std us postage paid champaign, il permit no. 880

topflight Grain mission statement:

We are committed to the future of agriculture by improving the profitability of our customers through quality service and exceptional people.

And, the back of Cheryl’s T-shirt, giving the “Top 10 reasons I go to Topflight Grain”.

The number one reason is “that’s where all the cool farmers go”

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