ag mag - summer 2014

AG MagGrundy County Area

All in thefamily

The family farm is rich in history.

How is the next generation being prepared to carry

on the traditions?

Corn still king? It is, but soybeans are being worked more into the mix on Illinois farms.

JJC Ag progrAm grows with the times: Studies utilize technology for a new generation of farmers.

Colony CollApse disorder: What is happening to the bees?

A Publication of Shaw Media Summer 2014

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2014

Articles and advertisements are the property of Shaw Media. No portion of the Grundy County Area Ag Mag may be reproduced without the written consent of the General Manager. Ad content is not the responsibility of Shaw Media. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Shaw Media cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Shaw Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

General ManagerBob Wall

Advertising Director Rich Ponulak

EditorKate Schott

Page DesignRob Szekely

Reporters & PhotographersJessica Bourque

Jeanne Milsap, Heidi Litchfield,Goldie Currie, Sharon Covert,

Pam Eggemeier, Dustin Johnson,Lauren Leone-Cross

Published byMorris Daily Herald

A division of Shaw Media1804 Division Street

Morris, IL 60450815-942-3221

AG Grundy County AreaMag4COVER STORY

All in the family Keeping the farm in the family these days requires having a succession plan.

JJC ag program grows with

the times.

Index

18

August 2014 • GRUNDY COUNTY AREA AG mAGAziNE 3

For generations in the past, it was almost always assumed family farms would pass down from one generation to the next. The tradition was for children raised on farms to make farming their own livelihoods, but more farm kids are growing up and pursuing other vocations. But today, the average age of a principal farm operator in the U.S. is 58, according to the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture, which is the most current data. In Illinois, the average is 57.8, up from 56.2 in 2007 and 53.2 in 1997. And so one of the big worries for many farmers is: “How do I pass down my farm to my kids? How do I keep them from having to sell the farm in order to pay taxes on it?” Older generations in farming families are encouraged to seek professional advice for help

with succession planning. Gone are the days when decisions about who will mind the farm are just as-sumed. Morris attorney John Hynds said succession planning should be addressed by all farm families. “Parents need to discuss the long-range plan with their children,” Hynds said. “The parents’ assumptions may be incorrect and the children may be surprised by the parents’ plan. ... Many farm families have not even thought about the need for a plan or know that alternatives exist.” Succession planning is complicated, though, and not one single plan fits every situation. Hynds said the considerations include whether parents want to leave the farm to their children in equal shares as tenants. That can sometimes be difficult, he said. “Tenancy in common ownership requires unanimous decisions on all issues,” he said. “In today’s world, the children frequently no longer have close physical and emotional ties to the land. ... With weakened family personal ties, the unani-mous decisions become difficult. Why rent to your sibling for $250 per acre, when the neighbor is offering $350?” “We see procrastination a lot,” said Terri Gilmoure, financial representative with Country Financial in Morris. “It’s best to have good communication in the family. Many of them don’t sit down and have those conversations. There are so many things you

can do, though, to make it a smooth transition, then you review [the plans] as the family changes.” Gilmoure said she grew up in a farm family and understands the difficulties and ramifications of such decisions, but it’s for the best long-term, she said, to have those discussions, consult with financial experts and get the plans formalized on paper. Where it gets complicated, Gilmoure said, is when some of the children want to stay on the farm and others don’t. “Then it becomes a matter of setting up trusts that are going to protect the farm,” she said. Many area farms have been in the family for generations. Working the land is a matter of pride. But it’s also a business. The U.S. Department of Agriculture tracks the average price of farm land. For several years, the price in Illinois has risen about three percent a year. Since 2005, that figure has been – with two exceptions – from 12 percent to 25 percent. Farmland that sold for $2,560 an acre in 2004 sold in 2013 for $7,800 – more than triple the original value. One of the biggest problems with succession planning is estate or inheritance taxes, especially with farms worth $5 million or more. Marc Lovell, the assistant director of the University of Illinois Tax School, said establishing objectives of the

4 gRuNDY COuNtY AREA Ag MAgAziNE • August 2014

Story continues on page 6

familyin the

By Jeanne Millsap For Grundy County Area Ag Mag

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(L to R) Luke, Kevin, Tammy, and Sam Halterman on their

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Today’s farmers struggle to pass down the farm to the next generation

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succession plan and the children is a good starting point. “When it comes to children, there is some sense of fairness,” he said. “But that can be a really tough thing for farmers. There isn’t a lot of liquidity to split up.” The planning process should include consideration of current tax structures, Lovell said, to ensure the maximum amount can be passed to the descendants. Gifting can be a way to do that. Generally, an individual can give a tax exempt amount of up to $14,000 a year to a person, Lovell said, and a couple can give $28,000. And it isn’t just cash, but there must be valuation to a gifted asset, he said. The descendant also is entitled to a tax exemption on inheritance, Lovell said, which is $5.34 million for this year. Passing down assets through spouses also can help ease the tax burden on the next generation. Without some sort of estate planning, the state’s default rules will be used when a farmer dies. “You generally don’t want that with a farm,

because it can get messy,” Lovell said. Another way the older generation can plan fairly for several children, according to Gilmoure, is to pass the land down to the child who wants to stay on the farm and set up a life insurance policy for the remaining children. That way the farm doesn’t have to be broken up into pieces for each child to receive an inheritance. “Or,” she said, “the farming child gets a lump sum from insurance that can be used to buy the farm from the siblings. There are many family farms that are lost because the non-farming kids want to sell it, and the farming kid can’t afford to buy it.” Tammy Halterman is part of a large farming family just south of Mazon. “My husband’s parents live across the road from my parents,” she said. Succession planning is something her family knows all about. She and her husband have two sons, one of whom wants to farm the land and the other who doesn’t. “It’s very complicated,” she said. “You have to plan extensively. You have to be very

• Goldie Currie, Matt Mencarini and Ken Schroeder contributed to this article.

Luke Halterman drives a fork lift in the tool shed on the family farm.

explicit about how things are written, and the laws change all the time.” Halterman said that locally, the farmers she knows are well-educated about succession farming. “They’re well aware of the changes,” she said, “and are wanting to carefully plan it so it won’t hurt their heritage.”

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By Jessica Bourque and Goldie CurrieFor Grundy County Area Ag Mag


2012 Ag Census shows

newtrends

The 2012 Census of Agriculture is revealing new trends in farming. The United States Department of Agri-culture released the final Census data and reported record sales moderated by rising expenses; agriculture becoming increasingly diverse; and farming and marketing practices changing. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack re-leased a statement with the data, saying it illustrates the power of USDA efforts to grow the economy and strengthen infra-structure in rural America. “The Census shows the potential for con-tinued growth in the bioeconomy, organics and local and regional food systems,” the statement read. “USDA will continue to focus on innovative, creative policies that give farmers, ranchers and entrepreneurs the tools they need to attract a bright and diverse body of talent to rural America.” An interesting highlight from the Census data shows that 22 percent of all farmers were beginning farmers in 2012, which

means one out of every five farmers had operated a farm for fewer than 10 years. Young, beginning principal operators who reported their primary occupation as farming grew from 36,396 to 40,499 between 2007 and 2012. That’s an increase of 11.3 percent in the number of young peo-ple selecting agriculture as a full-time job. Tyson Dollinger is one such farm operator. He began farming several acres in Mazon about two years ago, leaving a five-year career in engineering to become a full-time farmer. Dollinger highlighted two major reasons why more youth are becoming attracted to the agriculture field: high profits and increasing opportunities. “In the last few years, farm profits have been at historical highs. There was that population of kids from the farm that were working in different sectors and doing different jobs, and all of the sudden, it’s very attractive to go back to the farm,” Dollinger said.

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Despite the addition of new, young farmers, USDA data shows the average age of the farmer is increasing, currently hovering near 58 years old. As more aging farmers reach retirement, job possibilities have sprung up for younger gener-ations, Dollinger said. “There is a population of farmers out there who are older and looking to retire,” he said. “I think just naturally, some of those farmers are stepping down and there’s opportunities for younger ones to jump in.” Dollinger said it’s key for young farmers to maintain high profits, as start-up costs for a beginning farmer can be a major barrier. According to USDA data,total annual expenses for Illinois farmers have nearly doubled, going from $124,500 a year to $244,011 in just nine years. “I’m looking at a lot more risk management than maybe my dad looked at when he was starting off, just because of the number of dollars involved in it now and the intense capital it takes to farm,” Dollinger said.

HiGHLiGHTS of THe 2012 USDA AG CenSUS • 969,672 farm operators were female – 30 percent of all farm operators in the United States.• The number of farms run by Latino farmers increased from 82,462 in 2007 to 99,734 in 2012. That 21 percent increase reflects the changing face of America as a whole.• 70 percent of all farms in the United States had Internet access in 2012, up from 56.5 percent in 2007, but more work has to be done to expand Internet access in rural America.• Farmers and ranchers continue to lead the charge toward a more sustainable energy future: 57,299 farms reported using a renewable energy producing system in 2012. That’s more than double the 23,451 operations that reported the same in 2007. Solar panels accounted for 63 percent of renewable energy producing systems on farms, with 36,331 farms reporting their use.• Nearly 150,000 farmers and ranchers nationwide are selling their products directly to consumers, and 50,000 are selling to local retailers. Industry estimates valued local food sales at $7 billion in 2011, reflecting the growing importance of this new market to farm and ranch businesses.• Total organic product sales by farms have increased by 82 percent since 2007, from $1.76 billion in 2007 to $3.1 billion in 2012. Organic products were a $35 billion industry in the U.S. in 2013.• In Illinois, land in farming expanded by more than 162,000 acres between 2007 and 2012. In just 3 years from 2007 to 2010 as tracked by the National Resources Inventory, development claimed more than 56,000 acres of the state’s rural land base of which 60 percent was covered by prime soils. Source: 2012 Census data released by the USDA.

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Today more than ever, people are interested in what’s in their food and how it’s grown. Unfortunately, many people know little about agriculture. I’ve been very interested in telling the story of agriculture and letting people know where their food comes from because misunderstandings and un-answered questions can lead to distrust in common farming practices. Do you know what Grundy County farmers grow?• 4.7 million bushels of soybeans (2013).• 21.4 million bushels of corn (2013).

• $3.6 million in livestock sales (2012) – mostly from cattle and hogs. I’ve found that straightforward con-versations and personal relationships can increase confidence in food and in farmers. The Illinois Soybean Association supports the Illinois Farm Families initiative and U.S.

Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), which provide opportunities for farmers to connect with consumers and answer questions about food and farming. For example, I attended a private screening of “Farmland,” a documentary by Oscar-winning filmmaker James Moll, sponsored by Illinois Farm

Families and USFRA. The movie offers an intimate, first-hand glimpse into the lives of six young farmers and ranchers across the United States, chronicling their high-risk/high-reward jobs and their passion for a way of life that has been passed down from generation to generation. Influential Chicago-area bloggers and Illinois Farm Families Field Moms attended and then participated in a panel discussion with Illinois farmers. I visited with movie-goers before and after the screening to answer additional questions one-on-one. One Chicago blogger who’s toured several Illinois farms through the Illinois Farm Families


Telling agriculture’s story fosters trust in farming

Field Mom program wrote, “The film does a good job of de-mystifying aspects of the industry by opening up the gates and parading viewers through the barns and fields of America.” Some Chicago-area moms are visiting the barns and fields of Illinois themselves and sharing their experiences through their own blogs and the Illinois Farm Families blog at www.WatchUsGrow.org. I’m also working on a project to tell the story of agriculture at the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution. The exhib-it, American Enterprise, will show how industry, manufacturing and agriculture move through history together, and will help visitors understand how advances in agriculture supply our food. This exhibit is scheduled to open in May 2015. Internet research, films and museum exhib-its help tell our story, but firsthand experience makes the strongest impact. For Grundy County residents, the story of agriculture is a local one, making firsthand experience a real possibility. Grundy County farmers can make an impact in our own communities. As tractors roll through the fields, an open-door policy makes a difference in how people perceive farming. Farmers should,

and many already do, wel-come folks to the farm. But conversation is a two-way street. It is easy to fall into farmer-speak. I forget that my idea of an elevator (grain facil-ity) may be very different from someone else’s idea of an ele-vator (easier to take than the stairs). For those who don’t farm, where do you go for answers to your questions about food and farming? Consider local farmers as the first source. Af-ter all, you know us. Our kids attend school together, and we shop at the same grocery stores. Ask us your questions, or ask if you can visit a farm. Just re-member that this time of year, we’re very busy. Experiences with Illinois farmers help us be-come more credible than the misguided informa-tion often found online and in mainstream media. As farmers, we want to be a trusted resource for food decisions or for forming opinions about agri-cultural practices.

Have questions about telling your story or look-ing for answers from a local source? The Illinois Farm Families website, www.WatchUsGrow.org, is a great place to start. ~ Sharon Covert is director of the Illinois Soybean Association and a soybean farmer from Tiskilwa.

Grundy County farmers grew 4.7 million bushels of soybeans in 2013.

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The profitability gap between corn and soybeans has been shrinking the past few years, but in northern Illinois, corn in still king. The USDA acreage report released June 30 showed slightly lower planted corn acreage this year, while planted soybeans were estimated to come in at a record high of 84.8 million acres, up 11 percent from last year. Corn acreage was estimated at 91.6 million acres, down 4 percent from 2013 plantings. While the nation’s planted corn estimate for 2014 was the lowest since 2010, it still is the nation’s fifth largest corn crop put in the ground since 1944. Corn and soybean prices dropped after the report came out because of the larger- than-anticipated acreage estimates. Before the June 30 report, USDA’s projected corn prices were $3.85 to $4.55 a bushel for corn, and $9.75 to $11.75 for beans, both much lower than last year. On the heels of the USDA report, corn prices dipped to their lowest mark in nearly 4 years because of recent rains and favorable weather projections for U.S. crops, particularly in Illinois and Iowa, the nation’s most prolific grain producers. Soybeans also continued to slide, closing at their lowest level in more than 4 months. During early July, corn futures had settled in about $4.0625 a bushel, reflecting about a 21 percent drop since April 29. November soybean futures, the most actively traded contract, had dropped to $11.255 a bushel. Record soybean plantings were forecast in nine Midwest states, but Illinois was not among them. STIckINg wITH crop roTATIoNS As soybean prices have become more competitive with corn prices, some areas of the Midwest have seen a slight shift from corn to soybeans. In Grundy County, however, grain farmers lean toward keep-


Corn still king in grundy CountyGrowing soybean

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ing with their regular crop rotations. Paul Jeschke grows corn and soybeans in rural Mazon. Unlike oth-er parts of the country, Jeschke said Illinois has the soil and climate to produce large corn crops year after year, making it the grain of choice for many northern Illinois farmers. “In the area that we’re in, corn competes very favorably with soybeans,” Jeschke said. “We’re in the part of the country where you can grow continuous corn, and it can do pretty well. Not every place in the country can you do that.” This year, Jeschke said he put in about 65 percent corn, and 35 percent soybeans, which is typical for him and other local farmers— but that was not always the norm. In his 39 years of farming, Jeschke said he’s seen those ratios move from a 50-50 split between corn and soybeans to the corn-heavy crops of today. Corn will likely remain the dom-inant commodity in the area, but Jeschke said if soybean prices remain competitive, farmers may invest in more beans next planting season. “Ten, 15, 20 years ago, we were much closer to a 50-50, and we may return to that,” Jeschke said. “Now the economics are switching a bit. The corn prices have come down so incredibly much.” The bottom-line drivers are yield and profitability, which makes corn the go-to grain in this part of the state. Ron Burling, director of the Grundy County Farm Service Agency, said higher profit margins are the main reason why local farmers keep with corn. “They feel they can net more mon-ey with continuous corn rotations,” Burling said. “It all comes down to profitability.” Finances aside, Jeschke said there’s an appeal to planting corn, from a farmer’s perspective, that is not swayed by dollars and cents. “If all things are equal, farmers typically like to plant corn,” Jeschke said. “In general, people still think of soybeans as the less glamorous crop. Farmers like to grow corn. They like to harvest big bushels, big quantities of a crop.”

rEcord YIELdS prEdIcTEd Several factors indicate that demand should remain high for corn and soybeans, but the June 30 USDA acreage report exceeded March expectations, sending prices on a downward spiral. Illinois and Iowa had the largest gap in soybean forecasts from March to June, both running about 500,000 acres above earlier expectations. Darrel Good, an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois, said current crop and weather condi-tions have the nation on track for re-cord corn and soybean yields, perhaps resulting in surpluses that could send prices plummeting in the 2014-15 market year. “The sharp decline in corn prices following the release of the USDA reports put December corn futures about 35 cents [7.6 percent] below the spring crop insurance price,” Good said. “Crop revenue insurance will provide some revenue protection for those with high levels of coverage if prices continue to decline.” Soybeans could see a more precipi-tous drop than corn, Good said. “Soybean prices also declined sharply following the reports, with November futures moving within about 20 cents of the spring crop insurance price,” Good said. “There appears to be more downside poten-tial for soybean prices,” he said. Good said soybean stockpiles could exceed 400 million bushels by Sept. 1, 2015. That kind of surplus could mean a substantial year-over-year decline in the average price of soybeans, from more than $13 this year to $10.50 next year.

dEMANd rEMAINS STroNg Corn and soybean demand should hold steady, as fewer farmers feed the world. Good said soybean demand in China continues to grow. “Nationwide, we export about half of the soybeans we produce, and about 60 percent of that is exported by China,” Good said. The U.S. ranks third in soybean meal exports, behind Brazil and Argenti-na. Brazil is ranked first in soybean oil exports, followed by the U.S. and Story continues on page 14


Argentina. American soybean producers keep a close eye on South American production, especially since the U.S. has become an importer of their crops. “In 2012, South America had some production problems, but they rebounded with very large crops the last 2 years,” Good said. “Historically, you’ll see about 10 [million] to 15 million bushels from them, but this year 90 million bushels are projected from South America.” Alternative energy continues to boost demand for corn and soybeans, but profitability still is the main consideration. “Ethanol and bio-diesel definitely help keep pric-es strong,” said Emerson Nafziger, professor of crop sciences at the University of Illinois. “We’ve always had more corn in Illinois, and I really don’t see any big shifts between corn and soybeans.” Nationally, biodiesel production was up 37 per-cent from 2012 to 2013, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Industry estimates show that biodiesel demand has increased soybean value by 74 cents per bushel between 2006 and 2012. Despite the rapid growth, biodiesel still has a long way to go to catch up with the ethanol industry. Infrastructure and geography still largely determine how much alternative energy factors into farmers’ marketing plans. In the Sauk Valley, the ethanol market is more readily accessible than biodiesel, serving as another

push toward corn. “I’m a firm believer in biodiesel, but it doesn’t re-ally factor into what I do,” Sheaffer said. “Ethanol has definitely increased the amount of corn raised the last 6 years; the demand is much greater than biodiesel.” While there are ethanol plants in Clinton, Iowa, Rochelle, Lena, Hennepin and Annawan, biodiesel infrastructure is still in its infancy. Adkins Energy in Lena and Annawan’s Patriot Renewable Fuels have biodiesel projects planned. “Biodiesel has come in fits and starts,” Good said. “We’ve seen a fairly significant increase in ethanol growth since 2006. The ethanol market is peak-ing now, and we no longer need to expand corn production for that. I expect slow growth in the ethanol market going forward, and biodiesel may start to catch up.” Nafziger agrees that demand for soybeans is growing on the world markets. Unlike ethanol, the biodiesel industry has been relatively unscathed by the argument that using grains for fuel causes food inflation. “An overall strong world economy is important in demand for all commodities,” Nafziger said. “It helps soybeans that there is a demand for high-protein diets. Also, the food versus fuel argument hasn’t touched biodiesel like ethanol.”

Corn is the largest crop in Grundy County. Of the 215,474 acres of farmland in the county, roughly

112,000 acres is farmed for corn. Soybeans are the second largest crop in Grundy at 84,000 acres.

corN STILL kINgContinued from page 13

Shaw Media writer Jessica Bourque contributed to this article.

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dustin Johnson is a senior analyst for AgYield.

There is no doubt that this year has been one of the most challenging marketing environments that farmers have ever encountered. This summer has been particularly volatile. Up until the June report, soybean acres were largely under-reported, which created an artificial premium and complacency in both the corn and soybean markets. Regardless of what the market was telling us, as producers it was allowing the opportunity to lock in profitabili-ty through forward cash sales, futures/options, and crop insurance at the time. But how do you know when to pull the trigger on grain sales, or what strategy to implement? The truth is no one can predict what the mar-

ket will do, just as no one has perfected the long-term weather models. That is the reality of farming; we have to take what Mother Nature gives us. Knowing that the market cannot be “beat” is the first step to operating the farm like a true corporation, capturing market opportunities while they exist. Traditional break-even analysis will not cut it, either. We don’t need to know that $8 corn is needed to turn a profit if your farm yields only 50 bushels an acre. Half the time these formulas produce erroneous break-even values because

they don’t account for projected indemnity payments. True hedging is all about looking at the entire “matrix” of possibilities. You need to know where your profitability will stand whether corn is at $8 or $3, and at the same time if your yield is a record or the worst ever. Once we know future revenue at every scenario,

we can perfect it using “what-if” strategy testing before implementation. With the price of corn suppressed, many producers are close to receiv-ing an indemnity payment. Those producers may benefit to know where and how much to expect from these payments to avoid panic selling if corn gets oversold. Testing strategies is one of the best ways to avoiding serious marketing mistakes that can cost big dollars and lost opportunities. Developing a plan that fits your risk requirements and over-comes your marketing shortfalls is invaluable. We challenge every farmer to become better marketers, and hopefully, we can smooth out the volatility that has plagued our markets in recent months. There is a more stable way of doing business using today’s technology.

By dustin JohnsonFor Grundy County Area Ag Mag

Paul Barrett is a program coordinator for Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists at the Universi-ty of Illinois Extension, based in Ottawa. He also is the vice president of the Illinois Valley Beekeepers Association and teaches programs to the bee club on pollinators, plants for the pollinators, native pollinators and beekeeping. According to Barrett, the University of Illinois studied Colony Collapse Disorder and listed sever-al factors – from feeding sugar water to the bees to using insecticides for the small hive beetles and Varroa mites to using insecticides on crops. “Most of the beekeepers I talk to, and in the IVBA, don’t use any chemicals or insecticides for the small hive beetles or Varroa mites,” he said. “We use traps and other techniques to keep them out.” A lot of talk about Colony Collapse Disorder has circled around Neonicotinoids, which is a new class of insecticides used in the past 20 years to control

a variety of pests. Unlike contact pesticides that remain on the surface of the treated foliage, Neonicotinoids are taken up by the plant and transported to all tissues — leaves, flowers, roots, stems, pollen and nectar. “Neonicotinoids are not a high enough strength to kill the adult worker bee, but they feed the pollen to the brood [baby bees] and it kills them,” Barrett said. “Bees’ life expectancy is six to eight weeks. Without any new bees, the hive dies.” According to Barrett, Neonicotinoids include Clothianidin, Thiamethoxam and Imidacloprid. Clothianidin and Thiamethoxam were approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the mid ’80s, and Imidacloprid was approved in 1994. He said all three of those Neonicotinoids were banned from use in Europe on Dec. 1, 2013, because they were linked to killing off bees. “The EPA has delayed any act to review until 2018,” he said. “It took the EPA 11 years to ban DDT insecticide.” Barrett explained the EPA 3 years ago lifted the

restricted use of Imidacloprid, which affects the nervous system of the bees so they become disori-entated and can’t find their way back to the hives. “The beekeepers are finding hives with honey still in them. No dead bees – they just didn’t come back,” he said. “There have been no studies on native bee decline, like the Mason and Blue, but they are disappearing, also.” It’s important to check the label of a pesticide for the active ingredient of Clothianidin, Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxam or Acetamiprid. Why is it so import-ant? “Seventy-one out of 100 crops that provide 90 percent of the world’s food is pollinated by bees,” Barrett said. Anyone unsure how to treat a pesticide problem may call Barrett, who receives numerous calls daily from people about trees, shrubs, lawns and all sorts of bugs. His services are free through the University of Illinois Extension Office. He may be reached at 815-433-0707.


Colony Collapse DisorDer

What is happening to the bees?

By Goldie CurrieFor Grundy County Area Ag Mag

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This past spring legislative session in Springfield was a quiet time for all things agriculture. But, in the few instances the topic was brought up, farm-ers and county officials — including those in Grundy — often found themselves on the defensive, rather than the offensive, said state Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris. Among the measures both Rezin and Grundy officials fought included one that would have made all wind farms state-regulated. Currently, wind farm construction is regulated at the county level, but Senate Bill 3263 would have handed that authority over to the Illinois Department of Agriculture. “On many of these issues, I support local control,” Rezin said of her standing behind county officials this past spring in their opposition to the legislation. Kevin Semlow, Illinois Farm Bureau director of state legislation, said his organization feels there should be standards for the construction of turbines. “The Department of Agriculture has a mitigation plan that we can put in place so there are standards in place across the state. However, this was not successful in getting done,” Semlow said. Grundy County is home to one wind farm with turbines in the areas of Highland, Verona and Kinsman. Under the proposed bill, county governments like Grundy would be able to recommend rules, but the state’s department of agriculture would have final say. Another measure that did not pass attempted to eliminate the longstanding sales tax exemption on agricultural inputs — vegetable seeds, fertilizers, plant

protection products, to name a few. Repealing such a sales tax exemption for farmers would drive up production costs and would lead to farmers buying supplies elsewhere, Rezin said. State Rep Donald Moffitt, R-Gilson, said that tax exemption on agriculture inputs is a benefit to farmers and if removed, would put Illinois farmers at a major disadvantage. “The exemption basically says if you went out and bought fertilizer to put on your yard, you pay sales tax on it,” said state Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon. “If a farmer goes and buys fertilizer so they can grow crops, since its part of that production cycle, they do not have to pay sales tax on it.” If the tax exemption were to be removed, Moffitt said, it would drive up costs for farmers. “If the sales tax exemption is lost, it may cause farmers to go out of state for new equipment,” Moffitt said. “We were able to stop that and not let it advance.” Demmer said consumers would be affected, too, by higher prices on farm goods. Some lawmakers have talked about removing the exemption because it would mean more revenue – from farmers and other businesses – for the state’s troubled bud-get. Rezin said she expects this issue to crop up again, as it does every year, with the state in dire straights financially. “When you are a state which, unfortunately, has only increased government, increased spending, then the leaders in charge always have to look for a way to pay for it,” Rezin said. “That’s how you get bills like this.” Farmers also found themselves fighting back attempts to require the labeling of genetically modified organisms, or

GMOs. Illinois was also among the 20 state legislatures this year considering the move this year. “Anything like that, if they feel it’s important enough, needs to be handled at the federal level because there would need to be consistency from state to state because food product moves from state to state,” Rezin said, noting she disagrees with GMO labeling in general. While Demmer said it was overall a “quiet year on the agriculture front,” he noted the Legislature did pass a pilot program to authorize universities in Illinois to research industrial hemp. Hemp was banned in the 1970s and labeled a controlled substance, since it is related to marijuana. It contains a small amount of THC, which is the chemical that produces a high for marijuana users. “It’s not allowed to be grown in Illinois because of its close ties to marijuana,” Demmer said. “The law this year allows public universities in Illinois who have agriculture programs to conduct pilot project testing for hemp.” Another positive development, Rezin said, was the passage of Joint Resolution 73, which she described as “a property owner’s Bill of Rights.” While not law, the resolution “recommends” some steps that the state should follow in the taking of land by eminent domain or quick-take procedures for development projects. Farmers in the path of proposed state road, pipelines and electric transmission line projects deserve protection from the state, she said.


Quiet session in state Legislature for ag issuesBy Lauren Leone–Cross | For Grundy Area Ag Mag

When the Agricultural Sciences program at Joliet Junior College began in 1954 as the first agriculture pro-gram offered by any Illinois community college, classroom offerings did not in-clude GPS technology, microcomputer utilization skills or studies of program-mable drones that fly over farm fields to examine crops or livestock for disease and general health. They do today, though. Farmers now make good use of a variety of technology, and a new generation of farmers are learning all about it at JJC, along with the other standards of farm management. “Technology and the complicat-ed nature of business today make it almost mandatory,” JJC agriculture professor Bill Johnson said of attending college for farming and dairy careers. “Today, marketing is much more volatile and complicated. There are also seed technologies and pest technologies and automated technology like GPS signal using autosteer to make sure you’re exactly in the right spot.”

Department of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences Department Chairman Brad Angus said there have been many changes made to JJC’s agriculture classes in the last 20 years that reflect the changes in farming technology. Computer-aided systems on equipment, for example, allow for precision agriculture. For example, Angus said farmers used to take pH measurements of soil samples, then average them to calculate how much fertilizer to apply to bring the average pH to 6.5 – 7.0. Today, with computers on fertil-izer applicators, varying amounts of fertilizer can be applied to individual areas of the field. “We can treat only the areas of the field where the pH is not where it should be,” he said, “managing foot-by-foot.” Teaching students precision agricul-ture, Angus explained, will allow them to be far more efficient with the amounts of fertilizer, insecticide and herbicides they will use.

About 25 percent of JJC’s ag students will continue to a four-year university for a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, but the majority are in a career pro-gram at the junior college. Ag students at JJC take classes for two years, with a full-time, paid internship their first summer and a second internship the spring semester of their sophomore year. They graduate with an associate degree in applied science. Programs in the department are pro-duction and management, agricultural business and swine management. Production and management teaches students about dealing with aspects of growing and selling grain and livestock. Agricultural business prepares students for jobs in fields of agriculture study, distribution and service. Swine manage-ment prepares students in area of herds, breeding, farrowing and other areas of production and marketing of swine. “About 75 percent of our students have some kind of connection to a farm,” Johnson said, “whether it’s growing up on a farm or having grand-

parents, cousins or friends who have grown up on a farm.” Joliet Junior College production and management sophomore Cory Kodat grew up on his family’s corn and soybean farm in Morris, helping his father Steve since he was old enough to walk. He interned on the farm over thispast summer, and said he will continue the family business when he graduates. “I decided to go to college to get some different perspectives outside of the family – to get different ideas,” Kodat said. “I hope I can bring some of that back to the farm.” He said so far, he has learned a lot about GPS systems and agricultural business that he didn’t know. “I’ve learned a lot of the business side of the operation,” he said. Responsibilities during his summer internship included preventative maintenance on agars and bins and the grain-holding systems and hauling the last of the corn for the year.


JJC ag program grows with the times

By Jeanne MillsapFor Grundy County Area Ag Mag

Leanne Schilling, of Oswego, is a student in the Agricultural Sciences program at Joliet Junior College.

Joliet Junior College production and management sophomore Cory Kodat

grew up on his family’s corn and soybean farm in Morris. He interned on the

farm over this past summer, and said he will continue the family business

when he graduates.

last November and at the time of show-ing he was 17 months old. When picking him out for purchase, she said he looked really good, like he’d have everything needed to win. As the steer grew over the winter, the workload was rather light, but as sum-mer approached, the work picked up. “It’s an extreme amount of work for a 12-year-old,” Laurie Baudino said. “She gets up before 5 a.m. and is out washing him by 5 to 5:30 a.m.” Baudino said other than giving her a morning off here and there to sleep in, Shaelye has gotten up and worked without complaining, giving up time with friends to raise the steer. “Raising the steer is teaching her a huge responsibility. It’s a huge job and you can’t not do it just because you don’t feel like doing it,” Baudino said. It isn’t just her hard work and dedication, but also the steer’s tem-perament that helped win the state fair. “There is a lot of dedication and a

lot of tears,” Baudino said. “The steer she had last year wasn’t a good one; I couldn’t trust it alone with her. This year, the steer was better with her.” Baudino said by having the steer she had last year, Shaelye learned that you can’t win every time, even if you work hard. On top of washing and feeding him, Shaelye has to earn the respect and trust of the animal, so it knows her and isn’t scared of her. It has to trust her so she can have the control she needs in the ring as she shows it in front of the judges. In addition to the state fair, Shaelye has shown and won with this steer at the Illinois Beef Expo and at the University of Illinois. Shaelye plans to continue to show steer at the state level and hopes to earn even more for her college education. She wants to go to college to study agriculture, or to become a teacher.

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SPRINGFIELD – Shaelye Varner knows it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to raise an award winning steer. But nothing prepared the 12-year old from Morris to have her Grand Champion Junior steer sell for $100,000 at the Governor’s Sale of Champions in Springfield. The sale set records at the state fair, being the first animal sold for a six-figure sum. AT&T, Monsanto, and DeKalb Asgrow combined to bid the $100,000 – which comes to $75.19 a pound, with the steer weighing in at 1,330 pounds. “This is my second year showing at the state fair,” Shaelye said. “Ted [the steer] has everything a judge wants to see. I had high hopes going into this, but that’s a lot of money.”She said she will put the money in the bank to save for col-lege. The proceeds also will help someone else go to college, as 10 percent of the winnings go to FFA and another 10 percent to 4-H for a

scholarship fund. Shaelye comes from a long line of cattle showers: Her mother, Laurie Baudino, and her uncle, Eric Baudino, both grew up showing cattle at the state fair, and her cous-in, Kevin Carey won state Grand Champion in 2008 with a then- record-setting auction price of $50,000. “My cousins, Eric and Laurie, both showed cattle but never got to win at the state show,” Carey said. “Me winning was the icing on the cake. Shae put the candles on the cake. I couldn’t be 155 percent more proud of her.” Carey said Shaelye does double the work he ever did to win the grand champion spot. Shaelye’s dad, Frank Varner, said his daughter puts in six to eight hours a day with her steer, starting at 4:30 a.m. “It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication,” Frank Varner said.Shaelye Varner bought her steer, Ted,

Morris kid’s steer gets $100k at state fair auction

Shaelye Varner shows her grand champion steer “Ted” at the Illinois State Fair.

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