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Monday, March 28, 2011 Two sections Volume 39, No. 13

FarmWeek on the web: FarmWeekNow.com Illinois Farm Bureau®on the web: www.ilfb.org

OLD CROP CONCERNSmay indicate a push on corn plant -ings this season, according to earlypredictions. .......................................6

C O N S E RVA T I O N A N Drenewable energy converge in a U.S.Energy Department-funded Liv-ingston County project. ..................5

AGRICULTURE IS CRUCIALto infrastructure growth and vice ver-sa, but inadequate locks and bridgesraise concerns for the future. ............3

GETTING READY FOR SPRING

Kevin Becker, left, and Ben DeClerck, right, of Christian County Farmers Supply Company, put newnozzle tips on a sprayer at the company’s Millersville facility in preparation for the spring season. Thesprayer will be used this season to apply corn and soybean chemicals on an estimated 25,000 acres.Initial field preparation work began in recent weeks at some locations around the state, particularlyin Southern Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Grant)

Regional superintendents: Cuts would cost schools BY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

A group of school adminis-trators said the governor’s planto eliminate their budget wouldcost schools and hurt students.

Gov. Pat Quinn has pro-posed to eliminate the RegionalOffices of Education and its$13 million budget. Quinn alsois targeting the state’s 868school districts and urging con-solidation.

“This is the cut that doesn’tadd up,” Gill Morrison, regionalsuperintendent in DeKalbCounty, told reporters during astatehouse press conference lastweek.

Morrison and his fellow

administrators presented a laun-dry list of duties and responsi-bilities that fall to the 44 region-al superintendents across thestate. Those range from teacherand bus driver certification pro-grams and school building safe-ty inspections to running gener-al equivalency diploma (GED)programs and providing alterna-tive schools for at-risk students.

The governor’s proposal notonly would eliminate 2,500 jobsbut also would jeopardize $135million in federal funding thatcomes to the state, according toKathleen Pangle, regionalsuperintendent for Ford andIroquois counties.

“The rules and responsibili-

ties we have were created by thestate legislature. It is prudentthe state should pay those costs–- not the locals,” Pangle said.

“Economically challenged”counties depend on the regionalsuperintendents for supportwith grants, proposals, and pro-jects, said Ralph Grimm, super-intendent of West Central Dis-trict 235 in Henderson County.

For example, his regionalsuperintendent offers a region-wide, six-week summer pro-gram for incoming high schoolfreshmen.

“The governor’s proposal ...from a practical standpointmakes no sense,” Grimm said.“I haven’t heard who will step

up and do the work (of regionalsuperintendents).”

The state’s school code men-tions the regional superinten-dents more than 700 times, andnearly every mention includes aduty or responsibility, Grimmcontinued.

Asked if the Illinois StateBoard of Education or localdistricts could take over thoseresponsibilities, the superinten-dents answered the local dis-tricts already are strapped underthe current budget, and thestate superintendent has said hedoesn’t have the resources.

“I don’t see how schoolscould pick up the slack,” Morri-son said.

BY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Most farmers are opti-mistic heading into theplanting season, based onthe results of the mostrecent Agriculture Confi-dence Index (ACI).

But they’re not quite asbullish as they were justthree months ago.

The ACI, conducted byDTN/The Progressive Farmer,is designed to take the eco-nomic pulse of the ag indus-try.

The overall index scoreof the most recent pre-plantsurvey was 111.

Anything above 100 isconsidered a positive out-look.

However, the index scorethis month was down con-siderably from the Decem-ber score of 151.

The most recent survey of500 farmers and ranchersnationwide was conductedduring the first two weeksof March when corn priceswere on a down-trend butstill well above $6 perbushel.

“That made everybodyworry there was more down-side risk,” said Linda Smith,

markets editor for DTN/TheProgressive Farmer. “Andinput costs certainly are anissue.”

The ACI is based on pro-ducers’ attitudes about inputcosts, net margins, andhousehold income.

“A higher percentage ofrespondents said input costsare bad and will get worse,”Smith said.

USDA recently projectedfarm production expensesthis year could reach arecord-high $274 billion.

The Illinois Departmentof Agriculture in its bi-weekly production costreport released March 17reported prices in the stateaveraged $770 to $820 perton for anhydrous ammonia(up $4.71 from the previousreport), $540 to $660 perton for potash (up $5.94),and $3.42 to $3.72 per gal-lon for farm diesel fuel (up18 cents).

The higher input costsand commodity price volatil-ity likely played a role infarmers’ expectations ofthe next 12 months, whichturned negative.

The ACI score forfuture expectations

dropped from 117 inDecember to 91 in March.

The future outlook stillwas positive in the Mid-west, with a score of 111,

but was negative in thesouthwest (79) and south-east (70) where a lingeringdrought is weighing on theeconomic outlook for

farmers in those regions.The results of the ACI can

be viewed online at{www.AgricultureConfidenceIndex.com}.

Pre-planting survey finds farmers cautiously optimistic

SHAKEOUT TIMELY REMINDER — WithJapan’s disaster serving as a fresh reminder, a multi-state earthquake drill and preparedness activity,dubbed the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut, couldn’tbe more timely. The event will be 10:15 a.m. April28 with a goal of drawing attention to the earth-quake hazard that exists in Illinois and in otherstates in the region.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency isencouraging schools, businesses, families, govern-ment agencies, medical facilities, colleges, universi-ties, and non-profit groups to participate.

For more details and reference materials and toregister for the drill, go to {www.shakeout.org-/centralus/}.

This is one of several Midwest events to com-memorate the New Madrid Bicentennial of the1811-1812 earthquakes that occurred along the NewMadrid Seismic Zone. The earthquakes during thewinter of 1811-1812 were several of the largest his-torical earthquakes to strike the continental U.S.

SHARE OF FOOD DOLLAR SMALL — U.S.farmers and agribusinesses receive 11.6 cents ofevery dollar spent on food in the U.S., according toUSDA.

Energy-related expenses, such as transportation,processing, and packaging, consume nearly threetimes the amount that farmers receive. In fact, trans-portation, packaging, and processing are the second-largest contributor to food prices. Labor is thelargest component.

‘E10’ ELIMINATION — Nebraska State Sen.Mark Christensen is championing a bill that wouldlift the state requirement for gas pumps offeringE10 to use a label with what has become standardethanol content.

The bill passed its first hurdle last week in a 25-12vote. The measure’s supporters say mandatory label-ing creates a false impression that ethanol is worsethan other chemicals currently blended into gasoline.Opponents say consumers have a right to knowfuels contain 10 percent ethanol.

Removing labels for E10 in other states hasproven to boost ethanol sales. States, such as Kansasand Michigan, have seen impressive gains in ethanolsales following the removal of E10 labels at thepump.

FarmWeek Page 2 Monday, March 28, 2011

(ISSN0197-6680)

Vol. 39 No. 13 March 28, 2011

Dedicated to improving the profitability of farm-ing, and a higher quality of life for Illinois farmers.FarmWeek is produced by the Illinois FarmBureau.

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FarmWeek is published by the Illinois AgriculturalAssociation for farm operator members. $3 from the indi-vidual membership fee of each of those members go towardthe production of FarmWeek.

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© 2011 Illinois Agricultural Association

STAFFEditor

Dave McClelland (dmcclelland@ilfb.org)Legislative Affairs Editor

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Nan Fannin (nfannin@ilfb.org)Director of News and Communications

Dennis VerclerAdvertising Sales RepresentativesHurst and Associates, Inc.P.O. Box 6011, Vernon Hills, IL 600611-800-397-8908 (advertising inquiries only)

Gary White - Northern IllinoisDoug McDaniel - Southern IllinoisEditorial phone number: 309-557-2239Classified advertising: 309-557-3155Display advertising: 1-800-676-2353

Quick TakesMASTER FARMERS

Five IFB membersare Master Farmers

Five Illinois farmers, all members of IllinoisFarm Bureau, have been selected as 2011 MasterFarmers by Prairie Farmer magazine. They werehonored last week at a ceremony in Blooming-ton.

And this year, for the first time in the award’shistory, a woman has been named a MasterFarmer.

Award recipients are David Bliss, Maquon(Knox County); Ken Greene, Durand (Winneba-go County); Linnea Kooistra, Woodstock(McHenry County); Jim Purlee, Galesburg(Knox County); and Ron Tombaugh, Streator(LaSalle County).

Candidates are nominated by farmers,agribusiness leaders, and agricultural Extensionspecialists from throughout the state.

Once again, this year GROWMARK contin-ued its role as the financial sponsor for the Mas-ter Farmer awards. In 2009, GROWMARKstepped in to provide the financial assistancethat was necessary to continue the awards pro-gram. The 2011 Master Farmers:

David Bliss: The Maquon farmer, 72, rentedhis first farm as a junior in highschool and still farms it today.He’s attended the same churchsince he was 10 years old, andhe and his wife, Brenda, havebeen married for 50 years.

Bliss left the University ofIllinois and began farming full-time in 1959 when his fatherbecame ill. At one point he wasraising 2,500 hogs from farrow

to finish. He also operated a 60-head beef cowherd.

By the late 1980s, he sold the hogs and rentedthe facilities, giving himself more time for man-agement. Today, he has liquidated the beef herdbut still farms 1,700 acres.

Bliss began no-tilling in the early 1980s, mod-ifying a commercial planter to suit his needs andpioneering several new planter options in hisarea. He deep tills in the fall on continuous cornground, and spring tillage is done with a verticaltillage tool. He’s installed more than 150,000 feetof tile, sometimes at his own expense on rentedground.

Ken Greene: The Durand farmer tried hishand at a couple differentcareers before answering thecall of farming.

Greene graduated from Illi-nois State University (ISU) in1968 with an ag degree. While asenior in college, a family friendwas diagnosed with cancer andasked him to farm his 200 acres.He accepted, using his father’sequipment to farm the land,

while also fulfilling his obligation to his ArmyReserve unit for the next six years.

During this time, he married his wife, Becky,whom he met his junior year at ISU. They nowhave three children. He also worked part-timefor Evergreen FS in McLean County eachspring. In 1970, Greene bought into the familyfarm and began producing pork, beef, corn, andsoybeans.

Greene adopted strip till on all his corn acresin the early 1990s and began using variable ratetechnology in 1991.

Linnea Kooistra: Kooistra is the firstwoman to be named a Master Farmer. From day

one, Kooistra and her husband,Joel, have been equal partnersin their Woodstock dairy opera-tion.

When the two graduated,Joel’s parents offered the cou-ple an opportunity to farm withthem. At the outset, they weremilking 56 cows and farming1,000 acres. Shortly thereafter,they grew the business to 112

cows. In 1980, they purchased the herd andmachinery and began renting the farm. Theirfirst operating loan had an 18 percent interestrate.

Looking to expand their herd, the Kooistrasparticipated in early FDA/Monsanto trials withrBST. To make room for more cows, the Koois-tras built a new barn and milking parlor in 1992.To this day, the Kooistras use the rBST technol-ogy they helped prove in the early 90s.

Today, the Kooistras are looking to downsizein order to spend more time with their two chil-dren and two grandchildren.

Jim Purlee: Purlee, 60, employs six men fulltime and another 14 duringharvest. He’s pragmatic aboutgrain storage, having built 1.5million bushels of storage,much of it from scrap for 10cents on the dollar.

He began his farming with160 acres and a mortgage in1978. By 1983, he boughtmachinery from a retiringfarmer, rented 600 acres, and

went into production agriculture full time. Todayhe farms 8,000 acres, all within a 10-mile circle.

Since 1986, he has practiced no-till, and hesplit-applies his nitrogen as well. He also avoidsburning gas to dry grain, using air instead. Withnone of his children involved in the operation,Jim is preparing his nephew, Sam Purlee, to takeover.

Purlee and his wife, Suellen, have three grownchildren.

Among other activities, Purlee is an activeboard member of Big River Ethanol at Galva, atrustee for Knox College, and chairman at OSFSt. Mary’s Hospital in Galesburg.

Ron Tombaugh: While still working on hisag degree at the U of I,Tombaugh and his fatheropened a New Holland dealer-ship in the Streator area. Grad-uating in 1977, Ron returned tofarm full-time with his father.In 1983, he found his true call-ing — custom baling.

He bought a semi-tractorand drop-deck trailer in 1985and over the years, he has

expanded the trucking business to its currentsize of three semi-tractors, three hopper trailers,and two flatbeds.

In 2003, when a friend came up short on awheat straw contract for an Illinois mushroomfarm, Tombaugh stepped in to fill it, establishinga new business enterprise in the process. Today,he has settled in at about 4,000 acres of straweach year, plus 1,700 acres of hay and grain.

Tombaugh’s wife, Sandy, had always lived inthe Chicago suburbs (prior to their marriage in2003), though her grandparents were farmers.The couple has adopted Sandy’s grandson,Tyler.

Ron Tombaugh

Jim Purlee

Linnea Kooistra

Ken Greene

David Bliss

TRANSPORTATION

Page 3 Monday, March 28, 2011 FarmWeek

Quinn announces dealfor the next phaseof high-speed rail

Gov. Pat Quinn last week announced a $685 million agree-ment to begin construction on the next phase of a high-speed rail corridor between Chicago and St. Louis.

Joining Quinn at the event were U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, aSpringfield Democrat, railroad workers and suppliers,Union Pacific Railroad officials, and federal, state, and localleaders.

“Today’s agreement marks another major step towardsmaking high-speed rail a reality in Illinois,” Quinn said. “Thisimportant partnership with the Union Pacific Railroad andthe Obama administration will boost our efforts to make Illi-nois the high-speed rail hub of the Midwest.”

The agreement allows for construction of new rail trackusing concrete ties between Dwight and Lincoln, as well asbetween Alton and the Mississippi River, along with theinstallation of a modernized signal system between Dwightand Alton.

Construction is to begin April 5 and is funded with $1.2billion in federal money awarded to the state for expansionof passenger rail services. Illinois is providing more than $42million in state capital funding.

“High-speed rail is more than just an alternative mode oftravel — it is a shot in the arm to today’s recovering econo-my, and an investment in infrastructure that will serve us forgenerations to come,” Durbin said.

With Chicago as the hub, the Midwest high-speed railnetwork will create an estimated $23.1 billion in economicactivity and 6,000 jobs over the next 10 years, Durbinadded.

The first phase of the Chicago-St. Louis line, a $98-millionupgrade of tracks between Lincoln and Alton, started in Sep-tember, making Illinois the first state to break ground underthe federal initiative.

The first trains traveling at 110 mph on the Chicago-to-St.Louis line will debut between Dwight and Pontiac as early asnext year. Upgrades to the entire Dwight-Alton portion ofthe corridor are expected to be completed by 2014.

Users’ ‘voice’ crucialin infrastructure growthBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Producers must let federal officials and poli-cymakers know who’s footing the bill for thenation’s infrastructure inadequacies, a USDAtransportation specialist advised Illinois FarmBureau Leaders to Washington.

Nationwide transportation investment couldhelp create “new economic activity that wouldhelp our economic competitiveness,” USDA AgMarket Services Transportation Service DirectorBruce Blanton maintained.

However, he recognized farmers face “somecontroversial rail issues, some controversial bargeissues, some controversial highway issues” —issues that cross legislative and agency jurisdictions.

Money is a central factor in expanding multi-modal capabilities, from funding of port modifi-cations or lock construction to authorization ofhighway projects under the next surface trans-portation bill.

Further, he noted a 2010 USDA-U.S. Depart-ment of Transportation study of rural trans-portation issues served as the sole “informationbase” at a recent White House Domestic PolicyCouncil meeting on rail issues.

USDA plans to regularly update web-basedtransportation data to provide a “living refer-ence,” but Blanton deemed farmers vital to crys-tallizing links between infrastructure, food pro-duction and costs, and the overall economy.

“You pay for these transportation costs, andyour income is less if those are greater,” he toldIFB Leaders. “It’s important for you to enterthe fray and have your voice known — and notjust by USDA.

“It needs to be known by the Department ofTransportation, by the (White House) Office ofManagement and Budget. It needs to be known

by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and someof these other players, so that they understandthat you’re paying the bill, so to speak.”

Continued transportation inadequacies couldlead to lost jobs, reduced farm income, and lowereconomic activity, Blanton said. He noted agfreight comprises much of the commercial ship-ments on many major highway/rail arteries.

Infrastructure Investment generates marketsfor and raises revenues from ag goods, lowersconsumer prices, “widens consumer choices,”lowers ag input costs, and helps foster ag special-ization, he said.

Efficient transportation enables farms tolocate where soils and climate are suited to indi-vidual crops and land is less costly, Blantonexplained.

Trucking continues to capture a growing shareof grain shipments — rail’s share declined in the1990s but has stabilized over the past severalyears. Blanton said barge share continues todecline, in part because of “investment in theinfrastructure that hasn’t occurred.”

New improvements to the Panama Canal“could actually be beneficial” in building grainbarge demand, he told FarmWeek. At the sametime, anticipated leaps in U.S. yields could“essentially double” necessary grain freightcapacity by 2035 — Blanton argued “a lot ofthat has to be in rail.”

Blanton warned “‘barge’ here in Washingtonis a different way to spell ‘controversy,’” and sug-gested river interests will continue to face resis-tance without the prospect of “less public andmore private” lock investment.

Rail expansion may prove quite a differentstory, Blanton told producers. “If the demandpresents itself and the railroads can make money,they will invest,” he said.

Bridge issue a significant funding, weight challengeMore efficient — and sus-

tainable — truck transporta-tion is possible, according toU.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling, aColona Republican on theHouse Ag Committee.

Schilling notes claims evenamong environmental intereststhat higher allowable truckweights could reduce the num-ber of haulers on the road,

relieving highway congestionand cumulative fuel use, thusimproving air quality and high-way safety.

However, the freshmanlawmaker/small businessmancites opposition from some inthe competing rail sector,who suggest increased truckweights would aggravatewear-and-tear on roads andbridges.

Schilling reported rail inter-ests are “ramping up” effortsto maintain an 80,000-poundtruck weight maximum, butsuggested “the farmers would

want it at 96,000 (pounds)” toimprove efficiency.

“It’s really hard to have atrailer-truck and have to fill itthree-quarters full,” Pike Coun-ty producer Bryan Koeller toldSchilling. “But you have tohave that size (of truck) tohave the weight distributed.”

Bruce Blanton, director oftransportation services withUSDA’s Ag Marketing Service,argued the relationship betweentruck weights and road/bridgewear “actually depends on whoyou’re talking to.”

Blanton cited a number ofstudies that concluded addi-tion of an axle to trailers“done the right way,” can elim-inate road damage, but con-ceded “there are other studiesthat show the opposite.”

But federal bridge fundingmay be crucial to increasingtruck weights and efficiency.

“Even if you have a biggertruck that can carry more, thathas that axle, that won’t dam-age the road, it may be tooheavy to go across a bridge,”Blanton said. “We have somesignificant hurdles.” — Mar-tin Ross

As ag groups tout themerits of higher truckweights, a new study by theadvocacy group Transporta-tion for America suggests asmany as one in 12 Illinois

bridges may be crumbling. The report named more

than 2,300 bridges throughoutthe state that it feels are“structurally deficient” and inneed of immediate repair.

According to the study,challenged by the IllinoisDepartment of Transporta-tion (IDOT), some of thosebridges are crossed by as manyas 8.1 million drivers a year.IDOT maintains the bridgesare regularly inspected andthat there is no immediate orevident danger to drivers orpedestrians.

Transportation for Americaseeks what it calls “real trans-formational change in Ameri-ca’s transportation system”through reauthorization offederal surface transportationlegislation. The group cites theneed for $70.9 billion more infederal funding to repairbridges across Illinois.

But study findings alsocould complicate the debateover commercial truck weightlimits and chiefly, a federalproposal to boost allowableweights on federal highways byas much as 20 percent.

This bridge is near the Ill. 97 and Ill. 125 junction northwest of Spring-field. The advocacy group Transportation for America cites bridge de-terioration as a major impetus for increased federal transporta-tion/infrastructure funding — while the Illinois Department of Trans-portation reports more than 500 bridges were repaired during a recon-struction campaign begun in 2009, that’s less than a quarter of thestructures the group cited as “deficient.” (File photo courtesy of the Illi-nois Department of Transportation)

‘We have somesign i f icant hur-dles.’

— Bruce BlantonUSDA transportation

specialist

GOVERNMENT

FarmWeek Page 4 Monday, March 28, 2011

FEMA changes flawed approach to flood mappingBY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

Invisible levees? Not anymore.

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin, aSpringfield Democrat, andMark Kirk, a Highland ParkRepublican, praised a FederalEmergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) decision toend its policy of disregardingsome levees and flood controlstructures as it updates FloodInsurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).

FEMA Administrator CraigFugate reported his agency hasbeen directed to discontinuethe practice of using so-called“without levee” modeling in theFIRM modernization process.

could provide some level ofprotection,” Durbin said.

Fugate has directed FEMAstaff to replace the without lev-ee approach with “a suite ofmethodologies that are techni-cally sound, credible and cost-effective.” FEMA will tem-porarily withhold final determi-nations for communities whoselevees do not meet accredita-tion requirements but whowould “clearly benefit from thisnew approach,” he said.

Durbin sees FEMA’s actiongiving floodplain areas addedtime to “bring levees into agood state of repair.” He andKirk emphasized the impor-tance of levee modernization,

though UMIMRA’s Robinsonstressed the necessary first stepis Congress’ adoption of aCorps-developed Upper Missis-sippi River ComprehensivePlan for Flood Control.

“We can talk about money,but the plan needs to beadopted, so everyone knowsthe level to which they canimprove their levees withoutnegatively impacting theirneighbors,” Robinson said.

“There may be some leveedistricts or some states who canswing (improvements) on theirown, and if so, great. Butnobody can do anything —we’re at a complete stalemate —without a comprehensive plan.”

Twenty-seven senators askedFugate to terminate the practicebecause it eliminated some floodcontrol structures from the mapinstead of more precisely deter-mining their effectiveness.

They argued discounting theexistence of federally uncerti-fied levees ignores actual pro-tection and could unnecessarilyrequire property owners to pur-chase National Flood InsuranceProgram policies.

“This is big news to those infloodplains,” Illinois FarmBureau’s Kevin Rund maintained.Upper Mississippi, Illinois, andMissouri River Association(UMIMRA) Executive DirectorKim Robinson told FarmWeek

Fugate’s was a “welcomeannouncement,” though some“bigger-picture” issues remainregarding floodplain mapping.

If FEMA determines an areahas a 1 percent annual chance offlood, property owners arerequired to purchase flood cov-erage if their mortgage is backedby the federal government.

Kirk argued that if a levee ispresent but not federallyaccredited, FEMA “shouldacknowledge its true protectionlevel for a community.”

The without levee method“did not reflect the reality that,while a levee may be underrepair or unable to control a100-year flood (event), it still

SENATE SESSION

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, a Highland Park Republican, addresses poli-cy questions and concerns during a Thursday discussion with Illi-nois Farm Bureau board members in Bloomington. (Photo by Mar-tin Ross)

Senate committee planningpublic redistricting hearings

The Senate Redistricting Committee has scheduled five publichearings on the redistricting process. The first is today (Monday)in Chicago. Dates and cities have been announced for the otherfour, but no times or specific locations.

Committee Chairman Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) says heintends to hold additional hearings after the fifth one, but noadditional dates have been scheduled.

April hearing dates and cities are: April 6, Springfield; April16, Kankakee and Peoria; and April 19, Cicero.

The purpose of the hearings is to gain public feedback oncurrent legislative maps and how those maps have impacted dif-ferent communities.

The Senate Redistricting Committee also established a web-site {www.ilsenateredistricting.com} that includes tools andresources to help the public understand the redistricting process.Website information includes census data, current maps, hearingdates and locations, and information about committee members.

Biofuels supporters fight to maintain ethanol pushEthanol’s place is in energy

policy, not the budget-cuttingdebate, supporters of contin-ued biofuels incentives arguedlast week.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley(R-Iowa) hopes to avert a vote

“we need alternative fuels.” But producers first must

address the immediate threatfrom lawmakers resistant tobiofuels adoption and deficit-reduction hawks.

“We have a lot of new peo-ple in (Washington), and a lotof people who ran on budgetissues,” Reed told FarmWeek.“A lot of them perceiveethanol as a drain on the bud-get. What we’re hoping to dois educate them.

“When you look at theoverall economy — the jobsethanol brings to the economyand the rural developmentaspect of it as well as the wayit lowers prices at the pump —we see that ethanol very muchhas a part to play.”

USDA Office of Energy

Policy and New Uses DirectorHarry Baumes acknowledged“petroleum-sourced energy isnot going to be going away,”citing the likely impact ofJapan’s continuing crisis onfuture nuclear power. However,he stressed “there is going tobe diversity in energy sources.”

Baumes deems VEETC andthe renewable fuels standard(RFS2) — a mandate for long-term U.S. biofuels use —somewhat “duplicative” in dri-ving demand.

But with daily U.S. oilimports running at roughly100 million barrels, he argued“we’re exporting $1.4 billion aday at current oil prices.”

“That’s money that can’t beinvested here,” he said. —Martin Ross

on a budget amendment bySen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)that would repeal the federalVolumetric Ethanol ExciseTax Credit (VEETC) — i.e.,the ethanol “blender’s credit.”

Grassley sees two

approaches to blockingCoburn — “either talking himout of it” or denying unani-mous Senate consent to bringhis measure up. He has urgedCoburn to address the issuewithin the context of energypolicy rather than as part ofthe spending debate.

Illinois Corn GrowersAssociation (ICGA) PresidentJim Reed stressed the need forcontinued biofuels subsidiessimilar to — but far less sig-nificant than — those longprovided to the petroleumindustry.

As oil prices continue totop $100 per barrel and theprice gap between convention-al gasoline and E85 (85 per-cent ethanol) widens, Reedsees the public recognizing

Even as USDA digs in on its own regulato-ry review, ag officials are working to ensuretheir environmental counterparts understandthe consequences federal actions can have onfarmers.

Deputy Ag Secretary Kathleen Merrigannoted her department’s ongoing response toPresident Obama’s recent call for review ofpotentially overlapping or inconsistent federalregulatory actions and the impact they have onvarious “constituent groups.”

Obama’s directive comes amid a growingcongressional backlash against the U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partic-ular.

The full U.S. House is expected to take upthe Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, whichwould strike proposed pesticide permit require-ments under the Clean Water Act, when itreturns from its current recess.

Further, Senate Minority Leader MitchMcConnell (R-Ky.) last week filed an amend-ment to small business legislation that wouldpre-empt EPA from regulating greenhousegases under the Clean Air Act.

Merrigan, who sits on the White HouseOffice of Management and Budget’s Regula-

tory Review Committee, noted USDA’s focuson a range of issues, from “size-sensible”loan paperwork requirements to improvedconservation application/compliance proce-dures and measures to help assure small com-munity access to rural development pro-grams.

Merrigan also is participating in more fre-quent meetings with other agency deputies, inpart to determine “where other parts of thegovernment can help us.”

At the same time, USDA Natural ResourcesConservation Service and EPA technical staffsthis month convened to study models beingused to prescribe nutrient regulation and man-agement practices within the eastern Chesa-peake Bay.

“We are deeply engaged, particularly withEPA,” Merrigan told Illinois Farm BureauLeaders to Washington. “I brought (EPADeputy Administrator Robert Perciasepe) outto California on a three-day trip where we vis-ited farms, talked about dust rules, talkedabout a bunch of different issues.

“It’s my job to make sure I’m making clearwhat the agricultural interests are in thesedecisions ... .” — Martin Ross

USDA eyes own regulations, helps guide EPA regulators

ENVIRONMENT

Page 5 Monday, March 28, 2011 FarmWeek

MOULTRIE CFB TOUR

ISU study: Switchgrass no economic competitor with corn, soybeansBY KAY SHIPMANFarmWeek

If switchgrass wants to com-pete with cornand soybeansfor Illinoisfarmland, itneeds yields ofsix to eighttons per acre, amarket, andgovernmentsupport pay-ments.

That’s theassessment of Paul Walker, anIllinois State University (ISU)agriculture professor.

“In Illinois, where we cangrow corn and soybeans,switchgrass cannot compete,”

Walker told FarmWeek. “This(research field) is high fertilitysoil, I don’t see it (switchgrass)competing with corn and soy-beans. I don’t see it competingwith corn and beans on margin-al soil.”

“The kicker,” Walkeracknowledged, is what happensin the future with the biomassmarket and the federal BiomassCrop Assistance Program, abiofuel program under theFarm Service Agency.

Walker is researching switch-grass in a project funded by theU.S. Department of Energy(DOE). He will study the irriga-tion of municipal waste wateron corn, soybean, and switch-grass crops. A 320-acre no-till

field in McLean County hasbeen divided into 40 acres ofswitchgrass, 160 acres of corn,and 120 acres of soybeans.

Walker will study the effectof the irrigated waste water oncrop growth and yields as wellas the nutrient levels in the soiland drainage tile water.

“We think this (method) is amuch better way to treat wastewater than most municipalitiesare doing,” Walker said. “DOEwants to know if switchgrass isa better crop for this (practice)than corn and beans, and if itwill increase yields.”

Walker doesn’t have answersto those questions yet, but hedoes have preliminary produc-tion costs and returns. His cal-

culations include University ofIllinois Extension custom ratevalues and $205-per-acre cashrent, the county’s average rate.

Walker also pro-rated overfour years the establishmentcost of the switchgrass crop. Afarmer needs two years beforehe can harvest a switchgrasscrop, he added.

Walker calculated the costsand returns for switchgrassyields of three, four, six, andeight tons per acre. A farmerharvesting switchgrass for1,500-pound bales would needbreak-even prices of $47.66 perbale, $38.75, $29.83, and $25.32with yields of three, four, six,and eight tons respectively.

At $331.46, the soybean

crop generated more dollars innet return per acre, comparedto the corn at $274.84.

“Both corn and soybeans farexceeded switchgrass in netreturn per acre,” Walker said.

Amortizing the establish-ment cost over four yearsmeans the switchgrass harvestwould have to contribute$124.66 per acre, in addition tothe other annual costs of pro-duction, harvest, and market-ing, he said.

“At 6 to 8 tons, which is anoptimistic (switchgrass) yield, afarmer’s costs are down enoughthat he might make money, buthe’s not even close to the dollarper acre return on corn andbeans,” Walker concluded.

Paul Walker

Central Illinois watershed project seeks nutrient solutions One of USDA’s Mississippi

River Basin Initiatives (MRBI)is planning a suite of conserva-tion practices and demonstra-tion projects to address waterquality issues.

Located primarily in Liv-ingston County, the IndianCreek Watershed is an 82-square mile drainage area ofabout 52,840 acres. IndianCreek flows into the South Forkof the Vermilion River.

The goal is to study conser-vation practices and collect datathat demonstrate the practices’influence on water quality, saidChrista Jones with the Conser-vation Technology InformationCenter (CTIC), based in WestLafayette, Ind.

CTIC and the LivingstonCounty Soil and Water Conser-vation District are coordinatingthe overall project, and a steer-ing committee of local farmerleaders, agribusinessmen, and amayor is guiding the initiative,which will cover many practices.

For example, one study will

BY MARTIN ROSSFarmWeek

A USDA economist dismissescharges that ethanol is “robbingthe corn market,” noting highfood processing costs and recentproduction shortfalls have fedcorn prices and thus should fuela bounce-back in bushels.

Harry Baumes, director ofthe USDA Office of EnergyPolicy and New Uses, insistsethanol hasn’t “shorted the mar-ket,” especially considering thecontribution of high-value,high-protein, ethanol-deriveddistillers dried grains (DDGs)flowing into the feed market.

Meeting with Illinois FarmBureau Leaders to Washington,Baumes noted the “negativemedia” that continues to armcorn ethanol critics is infusedwith “partial truths, half-truths.”

“First and foremost, marketswork,” Baumes said. “The cornmarket’s not an ethanol market.

We have a feed sector; we haveexports; we have food andindustrial use of corn that’s notethanol. All those serve toestablish demand component.And there’s a supply side.

“It’s through the market inter-action that we get a price. Rightnow, price is high, and certainly,ethanol as a demand source ishelping keep price high. There area lot of other factors influencingprice: the international market,energy prices. It’s much morecomplex than it’s portrayed.”

He emphasized current cornprices were fueled by a counter-trending 8 to 10 percent drop inaverage yield last year, resultingin a 700-million-bushel produc-tion shortfall. Baumes argued“The best cure for higher prices... is higher prices. They stimu-late production.”

In 2001, less than a billionbushels annually moved intoethanol; Baumes cites estimates

that ethanol will consume near-ly 5 billion bushels this year.Ethanol production accountedfor 23 percent of the crop threeyears ago, 30 percent during the2009-10 marketing year, and acurrent roughly 40 percent.

He concedes higher pricescreate higher costs for dairy andlivestock producers and, poten-tially, higher retail meat andmilk prices, but he maintainedthat over the full commodity“spectrum,” food price impactis modest. And Baumes stressed“the feed and the DDG (mar-kets) continue to grow.”

USDA’s AgriculturalResearch Service is studyinghow the purportedly enhancednutritive value of DDGs mayfurther compensate for corndisplacement and prices, he said.

“We’re finding we can actual-ly feed rations with higher pro-portions with DDGs, across theboard,” he told FarmWeek.

USDA countering food-fuel ‘half-truths’

A Livingston County fieldwill be the focal point of aresearch project linking renew-able energy and water qualityissues.

“Farmers are in a tight spot;they have to produce for a cer-tain (yield) target — and they’reat the mercy of the weather,”Cristina Negri, an agronomistand environmental engineer atArgonne National Laboratory,told FarmWeek.

Through her research,Negri said she hopes to devel-op an agronomic practice withbiomass crops that wouldabsorb excess nitrogen andprevent it from leaving fields— and at the same time pro-vide farmers’ additional

income as a cash crop.Negri’s research project is

funded by the U.S. Departmentof Energy’s office of energyefficiency and renewable energy.She initially considered aresearch site in Nebraska beforeselecting a Fairbury field withinthe Indian Creek Watershed.

“We are taking this (project)from an R and D (research anddevelopment) perspective,” shesaid. “We hope to get feedbackfrom the farming community.The idea is to get constructivecriticism.”

This year, Negri will collectbackground information aboutthe 15-acre field, including dataon soil variability and soil condi-tion. Her project will involve

planting a biomass buffer alongthe edge of a cornfield, betweenthe corn crop and a stream.

Negri’s research will focuson planting and harvesting ofbushy willows, a fast-growingspecies developed at the StateUniversity of New York. Shealso will plant and study switch-grass and miscanthus and willstudy an existing woodedbuffer along the field edge.

After the buffers have beenplanted, Negri will study theeffect they have on nitrates inthe soil, surface runoff, and thesoil subsurface. The field has nosubsurface drainage tiles.

Negri’s current plans are tosend the harvested willows tothe Argonne lab near Chicago

where they will be mixed withcoal and burned. She also isdiscussing another possiblemarket with “two major usersof biomass” that she declinedto name.

To gauge the economic via-bility of biomass buffers, Negrisaid she plans to use computermodels to understand the ben-efits to farmers and to learnwhich buffer designs are themost economical.

“My hope would be forfarmers to see it (biomassbuffers) and for people to try itout,” Negri said. “The key is tonot only remove nitrogen fromthe water, but to use it as pas-sive fertilizer” for a biomasscrop. — Kay Shipman

focus on efficient fertilizer useand involve drainage tile moni-toring within a closed tile sys-tem. The watershed project hascontracted with Harold Reetz ofReetz Agronomics to conductseveral on-farm demonstration

projects within the watershed.Last week, the U.S. Geologi-

cal Survey (USGS) agreed toestablish a water-flow monitor-ing station in the watershed,Jones said. “This (station) willgive us more information we

can use to show long-termtrends,” she added.

Indian Creek is receiving$1.01 million from USDA forcost-share funding to supportnutrient management practiceswithin the watershed.

The initiative also hasreceived financial and in-kindcontributions from many corpo-rations and agribusinesses. Mosthave made three-year commit-ments to the project, Jones said.— Kay Shipman

Argonne researcher linking renewable energy, water quality

Paul Roney, right, vice president of Moultrie County Farm Bureau,explains a combine to Crystal Allen, center, and her third-grade stu-dents, who toured the Mike Reedy farm near Lovington on Friday.About 300 third-grade students visited several learning stationsmanned by county Farm Bureau directors and ag literacy committeemembers during the annual event. (Photo by Ken Kashian)

USDA in its quarterly hogs and pigs reportFriday reported the inventory of all swine in theU.S. (63.96 million head) as of March 1 was up 1percent, compared with the same time last year.

The breeding inventory, at 5.79 million head,also was slightly higher compared to a year ago.

However, a number of fac-tors, including reduced farrow-ing intentions and strong exportsales, point toward continuedbullishness in the hog market,according to ag economists whoparticipated in a teleconferencehosted by the National Pork Board.

“This market is really on fire, and it’s not just aflash-in-the-pan or one-time event,” said DanielBluntzer, director of research for Frontier RiskManagement in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Bluntzer predicted prices of the CME leanhog index this year could average $84.70 per hun-dredweight, which would be up 12.5 percentcompared with last year.

Meanwhile, Erica Rosa, economist at the Live-stock Marketing Information Center in Lake-wood, Colo., predicted the national average baseprice this year could average between $79 and $83per hundredweight, which would be up 11 to 12percent from last year.

“Those prices could move higher,” Rosa said.Rosa noted the recent rise in swine inventory is

due to a record-high 9.8 pigs-saved-per-litter.However, farrowing intentions, which were down

3 percent for the second and third quarters, sug-gest pork supplies could tighten this year.

But demand is not expected to slip. In fact, itlikely will increase this year, according to theeconomists.

“Weakness of the dollar, relative to other cur-rencies, will continue to be sup-portive (of the hog market),” saidAltin Kalo, economist with Stein-er Consulting in Manchester,N.H. “And demand in Japan (thetop export destination for U.S.

pork) was not affected by the earth-quake. If anything, it may increase.”

Kalo predicted the U.S. economy could growby as much as 4 percent over the second half of2011. If realized, the economic growth woulddrive domestic demand for pork at a time whencompetitors such as Europe and Brazil are notshipping as much pork products.

Kalo predicted carcass prices this year couldreach the mid-$90s in the second quarter and possi-bly peak above the $100 mark in the third quarter.

“We continue to be very bullish about thepork market,” he said.

Kalo predicted the U.S. hog industry likely willnot expand until producers see signs of a signifi-cant increase in U.S. corn production.

The break-even carcass price for 2011 isexpected to average $82.50 per hundredweight,according to Steve Meyer, president of ParagonEconomics. — Daniel Grant

PRODUCTION

FarmWeek Page 6 Monday, March 28, 2011

Planting intentions report to be issued ThursdayPre-report estimatefavors corn, cottonBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Traders and end-users onThursday will have a betteridea of U.S. crop availabilityand production potential asUSDA will release its highlyanticipated prospective plant -ings and quarterly grain stocksreports.

The reports have addedsignificance this year asstocks-to-use ratios are downto historically low levels (5percent for corn and 4 percentfor beans).

“We’re still concernedabout tight supplies of old-crop (corn),” said DarrelGood, University of IllinoisExtension ag economist. “Weneed a good crop in 2011 tomaintain consumption at cur-rent levels.”

USDA last month projectedfarmers this spring will increase

take acres away from corn,according to Allendale.

“Profit certainly favorscorn (over beans) on the bal-ance sheet,” said Rich Nelson,director of research at Allen-dale. “The key question is will(current acreage projections)be enough to satisfy demand.”

Allendale’s acreage esti-

mates combined with trend-line yields this year wouldresult in a projected 13.55-bil-lion-bushel corn crop and a3.32-billion-bushel bean crop.

“There’s not a dramatic risein ending stocks (based on theprojections),” Nelson said.Supplies “still would be verytight.”

plantings from last year by 3.8million acres for corn, 600,000acres for soybeans, and 2 mil-lion acres for cotton.

U.S. farmers last fallincreased winter wheat seed-ings by 3.7 million acres to 41

million acres. In Illinois, farm-ers last fall planted 740,000acres of wheat compared to330,000 in the fall of 2009.

Some of the wheat that did-n’t make it through winter ingood shape could be torn upthis spring and planted toanother crop.

Good believes the increasein wheat acres this year com-pared to a year ago also willboost double-crop soybeanacres this season by an esti-

mated 2 million to 2.5 millionacres.

Overall, USDA last monthpredicted farmers this year willboost plantings of all crops by9.8 million acres compared tolast year. Corn plantings wereprojected to total 92 millionacres while farmers were pro-jected to plant 78 million acresof soybeans.

But pre-report estimatesfrom Allendale Inc. favoredcorn and cotton plantings andwere less enthusiastic aboutpotential bean acres.

Allendale projected farmersthis year will plant 91.3 millionacres of corn (up 3.1 millionacres from last year), 77.2 mil-lion acres of beans (down211,000 acres from last year),and 12.4 million acres of cot-ton (up 2 million acres from ayear ago).

The western Corn Belt willput fewer acres into beans andmore into corn, but in theSouth, cotton is expected to

Agronomist: State wheat crop springs back after rough winter

The wheat crop in many locations of Illinois apparentlybounced back after it was planted last fall into dry soil, par-

ticularly in the south, followed by challeng-ing winter conditions.

Steve Ebelhar, agronomist at the Univer-sity of Illinois Dixon Springs AgriculturalCenter, last week estimated most stands thisyear could produce at least 80 percent ofnormal yields.

“For the most part, at least in SouthernIllinois, there are not a lot of problems withwheat,” Ebehlar told FarmWeek last week.“We’re seeing decent stands now that lastfall looked pretty suspect.”

Some farmers in recent weeks have been unable to applynitrogen fertilizer to wheat due to soft soil conditions —heavy rains moved through parts of the state again last week— but Ebelhar said there still is time to complete that taskwithout losing much, if any, yield potential.

Farmers typically can apply nitrogen on wheat until joint-ing (when the first node forms at the base of the plant)without sacrificing yield, according to the agronomist.

The crop ordinarily enters the jointing phase in early tomid-April in Southern Illinois and a week or more after thatin the northern regions of the state.

“The only time you need to put (nitrogen) on early is ifyou’ve got a thin stand and you want to encourage tillering,”Ebelhar said.

The U of I recommends farmers base their nitrogen rateson the organic matter of their soils.

Wheat in soils with high organic matter may require as lit-tle as 50 to 60 pounds of N per acre. The N rate in wheat inlow organic soils increases to 110 to 120 pounds per acre.

Ebelhar recommended farmers follow recommendedrates this year despite a recent rise in fertilizer prices.

“The price of wheat still is strong relative to the price ofnitrogen,” he said. “There’s no reason not to put on the fullrate.”

Illinois farmers last fall seeded 740,000 acres of winterwheat compared to a record-low 330,000 in the fall of2009.

Some wheat fields still are likely to be torn up andplanted to another crop this spring. Ebelhar said therewere incidents of winterkill, particularly in areas whereice covered the crop or standing water froze and smoth-ered it. — Daniel Grant

FarmWeekNow.comListen to Darrel Good’s com-ments about Thursday’s plant -i n g i n t e n t i o n s r e p o r t a tFarmWeekNow.com.

FarmWeekNow.comListen to analysts’ commentson the latest hogs and pigs re-port at FarmWeekNow.com.Steve Ebelhar

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)last week banned imports of milk and fresh fruitand vegetables from areas near the FukushimaDaiichi nuclear plant that was damaged by theMarch 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The FDA issued an import alert last week,allowing the agency to detain certain food at theborder. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Laborand Welfare confirmed the presence of radioac-tive iodine in dairy, fresh produce, and infant for-

mula from areas around the nuclear power plant.Specifically, the import alert affects dairy and pro-duce products from the four Japanese prefecturesof Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma.

FDA said it will continue to flag all food entriesfrom Japan test food and feed shipments from theaffected area for radiation contamination.

However, FDA said it appears food producedin Japan since the earthquake has not reached theU.S.

FDA bans some Japanese milk, produce imports

U.S. swine inventory grows; economists remain bullish

YOUNG LEADERS

Page 7 Monday, March 28, 2011 FarmWeek

Young Leaders see diversity of ag industry in ArizonaBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Illinois Farm BureauYoung Leaders (YL) who par-ticipated in the YL Ag Indus-try Tour this month discov-ered there is much more toArizona than the GrandCanyon, desert terrain, andspring training baseball.

Young Leaders while inArizona visited an egg farm, adairy, a vegetable farm, and anostrich farm.

“It was quite a tour,” saidTodd VerHeecke, an IFBYoung Leader State Com-mittee member from Gene-seo. “Agriculture in Arizona

is very diverse.” IFB Young Leaders on the

tour also met with young farm-ers from Arizona and discussedissues that are easy to take forgranted in Illinois, such as bordersecurity and water availability.

“It was great to meet other(young farmers) in anotherstate,” VerHeecke said. “Theyhave a lot of stuff to deal with.”

IFB Young Leaders in Ari-zona witnessed the harvest ofcilantro and lettuce, which isall done by hand at Top FlavorFarms.

“It was pretty interesting,”VerHeecke said of the veg-etable harvest. “Within four or

Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders watch workers hand pick lettuce at Top Flavor Farms in Arizona duringthe YL Ag Industry Tour. Young Leaders, pictured left to right, are Darrin Storm, Christine Smith, Todd Ver-Heecke, Allen Kasten, Kyle Scheaffer, Daniel Korte, Heather Pierson, Ryan Henke, Jacob Smith, and KeithMellert. (Photo by Jennifer Smith, IFB Young Leader manager)

five days, it goes from the fieldto the supermarket.”

Meanwhile, Young Leaderssaw all phases of egg produc-tion at an Arizona egg farm.

They also learned at the Roost-er Cogburn Ostrich Ranch thatostriches are valued for every-thing from feathers and eggsto hides and meat.

The most recent YL AgIndustry Tour was held March1-5. Next year’s tour will takeIFB Young Leaders to North-eastern U.S.

Cultivating Master Farmersapplications due Thursday

Sometimes the best learning method is a conversation withsomeone who’s been there, done that.

The Cultivating Master Farmer (CMF) program since 2005has provided expert farm and family guidance from folks whohave walked the walk. This unique mentoring program linksyoung farmers with a wealth of information from Prairie Farmer’sMaster Farmers.

CMF program leaders currently are recruiting members forthe fourth class. Applications, which can be found online at{www.ilfb.org/youngleaders}, are due Thursday.

Classes of approximately 10 young farmers (21 to 35 years old)and 10 Master Farmers will be selected for the two-year program,which features six ag-related events. The Class of 2011, whichgraduates in July, toured the East St. Louis Cargill river terminal,the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, the 2009 Farm Progress Show,and Monsanto’s biotechnology research center. They also heardfrom acclaimed speakers on estate/succession planning, fertilizersupply and demand dynamics, marketing strategies, and managingworking relationships with family members.

However, the real backbone of the program is the roundtablediscussion, where young farmers learn from Master Farmers andvice-versa. Upon completion of the two-year program, most par-ticipants have developed lasting relationships that continue to yieldsolid farm advice. “It’s a great opportunity to learn from the best,”said Jennifer Smith, IFB Young Leader manager. Applicants forthe Class of 2013 must meet the following criteria:

• Reside in Illinois.• Between the ages of 21 to 35 as of Dec. 31, 2010.• Actively engaged in production agriculture.• Willing to actively participate in the two-year program.Couples are encouraged to apply.The Class of 2013 will be selected in April. The inaugural

meeting will be held July 7 at Farm Credit Services of Illinois inMahomet. The CMF program is sponsored by 1st Farm CreditServices, Farm Credit Services of Illinois, GROWMARK, Illi-nois Farm Bureau, Monsanto, and Prairie Farmer.

Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders, left to right, Deb Bremmer, Chris-tine Smith, and Darrin Doehring, feed ostriches at the Rooster CogburnOstrich Ranch in Arizona during the Young Leaders Ag Industry Tour.

IFB IN ACTION

FarmWeek Page 8 Monday, March 28, 2011

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com

Knox County Young Farmersdonate rescue tubes, training

Firefighters from Knox County learn how to use rescue tubes during March 19 training. The equipment wasdonated and the training coordinated by the Knox County Farm Bureau Young Farmers. (Photo by KarlieBowman, Knox County Farm Bureau Young Farmer)

BY KELLY WAGAHOFFThe Knox County Farm

Bureau Young Farmers Com-mittee recently donated grainentrapment rescue tubes tofive local fire departments inKnox County and providedtraining on the equipment’sproper use to 60 firefighters.

Illinois leads the nation ingrain bin fatalities. Last year,10 of the nation’s 58 grain-binrelated deaths occurred in Illi-nois.

To address the growingconcerns of grain bin entrap-ments, the Young Farmer’sCommittee raised money tobuy grain entrapment rescuetubes for the fire departmentsof Galesburg, Oneida-Wataga,Abingdon, Knoxville, andWilliamsfield.

The rescue units were pre-sented during the training ses-sion attended by members of

each fire department.During training, firefighters

learned how to use the tubesfor rescues from a grainengulfment.

The tube stops the flow ofgrain toward a victim andblocks additional pressure thatmay hinder rescuers fromreaching an entrapped victim.

A meal was served to thefirefighters and all the donors.Food was donated by theKnox County Cattlemen’sAssociation, the Knox CountyPork Producers, ThrushwoodFarms, and Krista Swanson,Knox County Young Farmer.

The Young Farmer’s Com-mittee raised more than$20,000, exceeding its initialfund-raising goal, and willstart an ag safety fund foradditional projects to promotesafety in rural communities inthe county.

Donations were made by

Bowman Insurance, CPS,Dyna-Gro Seed, Knox CountyCorn Growers, Winship FarmManagement, Woodhull Co-op, Birkey’s Farm Equipment,Pioneer, Jeff Link via a Mon-

santo charitable grant, 2010Young Farmer Chairman KellyCompton, Strom Farms, Van-deVoorde Sales Inc., KnoxCounty Farm Bureau Founda-tion, and the Galesburg Com-

munity Foundation.

Kelly Wagahoff is manager ofthe Knox County Farm Bureau.Her e-mail address is kwaga-hoff@knoxcfb.org.

Cook County 3rd gradershelp celebrate Ag Day

Approximately 400 thirdgrade students visited theChicago High School for Agri-culture Sciences to learn aboutIllinois agriculture in celebra-tion of National AgricultureDay. This is the fourth annualAg Day event titled, “High 5Illinois!” sponsored by theCook County Farm BureauFoundation.

“Agriculture is an industrythat employs one in four Illi-nois’ residents,” said MikeRauch, chairman of the Ag

Literacy Team at the CookCounty Farm Bureau.

“It’s important to give stu-dents an understanding of the

word agriculture, introducethem to careers available, andto let them know at a youngage that agriculture is morethan farming.

“It’s an industry with morethan 300 careers that includeengineering, science, communi-cations, and so much more.”

Participating Chicagoschools included O. A. ThorpAcademy, Mount Greenwood,Nathan Hale Elementary, andSt. Symphorosa. Also partici-pating was Meadow Lane Ele-mentary of Merrionette Park.

Third graders participatingin the event spent two hoursrotating through seven stationsmanned by the high school’sFFA Chapter members.

By introducing students tothis national event, the CookCounty Farm Bureau Founda-tion hopes to instill the impor-tance of agriculture in theminds of these young children,the teachers, and the communi-ty.

For more information, contactHaley Loy-Siergiej, director of agliteracy and public relations, at708-354-3276.

Grass pellet productionto be workshop focus

The Agricultural WatershedInstitute (AWI) is sponsoring afree workshop about on-farmproduction of warm-seasongrass pellets at 7 p.m. Tuesdayin the Macon County Conser-vation District’s Rock SpringsNature Center, Decatur.

The workshop will be ofinterest to anyone interested ingrowing prairie grasses forwildlife habitat and makinggrass pellets for heating fuel.

AWI and Andrew Clarkson,a Macon County hay producer,also will provide an overviewof AWI’s local bioenergy ini-tiative and experience makinggrass pellets with AWI’s pelletmill.

For more information, con-tact Steve John with AMI at217-877-5640 or e-mail himat sfjohn@agwatershed.org.

FROM THE COUNTIES

Page 9 Monday, March 28, 2011 FarmWeek

BUREAU — TheBureau, Henry, and

Stark County Farm Bureaus,along with the Kewanee FireDepartment, will sponsor aSAFE (Surrounding AreaFarm Emergency) course forfire, rescue, and EMSproviders in those counties.The eight-hour session will beSaturday, May 21, at theKewanee Fire Department.Cost is $10. Call the FarmBureau office at 815-875-6468for more information or a reg-istration form. Deadline forregistering is May 6.

COOK — The Com-modities and Market-

ing Team will sponsor a“Farming on Your Balcony”workshop from 9 to 11 a.m.Saturday, April 9, at the FarmBureau office. The workshopis for members interested inraising vegetables in smallplaces. Call the Farm Bureauoffice at 708-354-3276 byWednesday, April 6, for reser-vations or more information.

• The Member RelationsTeam will host a workshop onpreparing wills and trusts andtransferring non-title propertyfrom 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday,April 20, at the JC RestorationBuilding, 3200 Squibb Ave.,Rolling Meadows. Call theFarm Bureau office at 708-354-3276 for reservations ormore information.

• The Member RelationsTeam will sponsor a free shredday from 10 a.m. to noon Sat-urday, April 30, at the RollingMeadows Country FinancialBuilding. Call the FarmBureau office at 708-354-3276for reservations or moreinformation.

CRAWFORD — FarmBureau has a $1,000

scholarship for a high schoolsenior or current college stu-dent who is pursing an ag-related degree. Applicantsmust be a Crawford CountyFarm Bureau voting memberor a dependent of a member.Applications are available atthe Farm Bureau office.Deadline to return applica-tions is 4:30 p.m. Friday.

MONROE — Mem-bers are invited to a

retirement open house for SueKunkel, administrative assis-tant, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.Thursday at the Farm Bureauoffice.

PEORIA — Applica-tions for five $1,000

scholarships from the FarmBureau Foundation are due tothe Farm Bureau office byThursday. The scholarshipswill apply toward the tuitionof students enrolled in a two-year college or four-year uni-versity pursuing an agricul-ture-related degree.

RICHLAND — FarmBureau will hold an

open house from 2 to 5:30

to Circa 21’s “Happy Days: AMusical” in Rock Island. Thebus will leave the Farm Bureauoffice at 9:15 a.m. Lunch willbe served at the play. Cost is

$63, which includes trans-portation, lunch, and enter-tainment. Call the FarmBureau office for reservationsor more information.

p.m. Thursday at the FarmBureau office for retiring man-ager Herman Ginder.

STARK — The Bureau,Henry, and Stark County

Farm Bureaus, along with theKewanee Fire Department,will sponsor a SAFE (Sur-rounding Area Farm Emer-gency) course for fire, rescue,and EMS providers in thosecounties. The eight-hour ses-sion will be Saturday, May 21,at the Kewanee Fire Depart-ment. Cost is $10. Call theFarm Bureau office at 309-286-7481 for more informa-tion or a registration form.Deadline for registering is May6.

STEPHENSON — Ane-mail and intermediate

Internet class will be from 7 to9:30 p.m. Monday, April 11, atthe Farm Bureau office. Asecond class will be offeredduring the same time Tuesday,April 12, if there is a demand.The class is free for FarmBureau members and $10 fornon-members. Call the FarmBureau office at 815-232-3186for reservations or more infor-mation.

• Scholarship applicationsfrom the Stephenson CountyFarm Bureau Foundation areavailable at the website{www.stephensoncfb.org} orat the Farm Bureau office.Deadline for the five $500scholarships for high schoolseniors is April 15. College-level scholarship deadline isJune 30.

VERMILION — FarmBureau will have a dis-

play Thursday at the DanvilleArea Community College(DACC) Ag Day in the MaryMiller Gym. A 50-cent lunchwill be served from 11 a.m. to12:30 p.m. Other activitiesfeatured from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.will be a farm animal exhibit,pedal tractor ride, and aremodeled DACC greenhouse.

• Vermilion County FarmBureau Foundation is accept-ing applications for theAndrews-Brummet Scholar-ship until Friday, April 8. Thescholarship is available to anyVermilion County high schoolgraduating senior who willattend Danville Area Commu-nity College next fall. Applica-tions are available at the FarmBureau office or on the web-site {www.vcfb.info}.

WINNEBAGO — TheWinnebago, Boone,

Ogle, and Carroll CountyFarm Bureaus will sponsor abus trip Friday, April 8, to theCase IH Tractor Plant, Racine,Wis. The bus will leave at 7a.m. from the WinnebagoFarm Bureau office. Thegroup will have lunch at theOld Country Buffet and stopat the local Kringle Bakery.Cost is $27 for members and$30 for non-members. Call

the Farm Bureau office forreservations or more informa-tion.

• Farm Bureau will sponsora bus trip Wednesday, April 13,

The University of Illinois Extension is con-ducting a comprehensive statewide privateapplicator survey of more than 2,000 Illinoisfarmers over the next few weeks.

A high survey response rate is critical, saidMatt Montgomery, U of I Extension localfoods and small farms educator.

“We strongly encourage producers to take afew moments to provide feedback in this veryimportant programming area,” Montgomerysaid. “Taking a few moments to fill out thissurvey is invaluable to those of us involved inagricultural education within the state.”

The surveys have been distributed and thesurveying should be completed by the firstweek of April.

All survey responses will be confidential. The survey is funded by the Illinois Depart-

ment of Agriculture (IDOA) and the U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The goal is to gain farmer input aboutrecent changes in private applicator trainingand to determine the factors that influence pestmanagement decisions, according to Mont-gomery.

In Illinois, private applicators must renewtheir certification every three years. IDOA

administers the applicator licensing programand the certification exam. The U of I providespre-test training in cooperation with IDOA.

Pre-test training is part of the university’sPesticide Safety Education Program(PSEP). “The goal of PSEP is to reach all usersof pesticides in the state of Illinois with educa-tional information on the effective, economicand environmentally sound use of pesticides,”Montgomery said.

Recently, staff and budget constraintsrequired Extension to move applicator trainingfrom county-level locations to regional ones.Using survey results and other analysis, U of Iofficials hope to design and enhance futurepesticide safety education programs.

“Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has beenone very important pillar within PSEP, and theneed to practice IPM is emphasized,” Mont-gomery said. He noted most IPM proponentsagree the current approach could be more effec-tive.

The survey will attempt to estimate the cur-rent rate of IPM use in the state, evaluate theuse of IPM practices, and determine individualfactors that may influence IPM adoption with agoal of improving IPM education.

Extension surveying farmer applicators

PROFITABILITY

FarmWeek Page 10 Monday, March 28, 2011

Feeder pig prices reported to USDA*Weight Range Per Head Weighted Ave. Price10 lbs. $33.87-51.44 $41.7140 lbs. $72.00-76.46 $75.1050 lbs. n/a n/aReceipts This Week Last Week

23,943 33,578*Eastern Corn Belt prices picked up at seller’s farm

MARKET FACTS

Eastern Corn Belt direct hogs (plant delivered)(Prices $ per hundredweight)

This week Prev. week ChangeCarcass $83.21 $79.08 4.13Live $61.58 $58.52 3.06

Export inspections

(Million bushels)Week ending Soybeans Wheat Corn3-17-11 27.7 25.7 29.53-10-11 33.9 28.6 38.9Last year 32.8 20.2 45.4Season total 1241.5 937.8 916.7Previous season total 1212.8 676.9 938.4USDA projected total 1590 1300 1950Crop marketing year began June 1 for wheat and Sept. 1 for corn and soybeans.

(Thursday’s price)This week Prv. week Change

Steers 112.00 112.91 -0.91Heifers 114.00 112.96 1.04

USDA five-state area slaughter cattle price

This is a composite price of feeder cattle transactions in 27 states.(Prices $ per hundredweight)

This week Prev. week Change131.25 128.82 2.43

CME feeder cattle index — 600-800 Lbs.

N/A

Lamb prices

‘Teach your children well’ when it comes to farm safetyBY DOUG DEFILIPPO

“Teachyour childrenwell.” Thathaunting linefrom the 1970song by Cros-by, Stills, andNash isimportant for

all adults, but especially tofarm families.

A recent article inFarmWeek mentioned a sur-vey on how the injury rate forchildren on farms and ranchesdecreased 60 percent in thelast 10 years. This is certainlywelcome news, yet heartbreak-ing that there still are children

injured and killed on the farm.The only acceptable loss ratiois zero. Education and train-ing of children must start atthe earliest opportunity.

I’m reminded of a safetyposter at the National Educa-tion Center for AgriculturalSafety in Peosta, Iowa. Itshowed an adult operating anolder, open-style tractor, witha small child sitting in his lap.The caption reads: “It’s easierto bury a tradition than achild.” The message is clear;don’t put your children inharm’s way, no matter how funit may seem, or how much thechild begs.

Agriculture continues to be

one of the top three occupa-tional categories for fatalitiesand injuries. Many victims arechildren and teenagers work-ing on the farm.

There are several valuableresources with excellentmaterials for educating chil-dren and yourself on farmhazards. Farm Safety 4 JustKids at {www.fs4jk.org}, theMarshfield Clinic ResearchFoundation’s North Ameri-can Guidelines for Children’sAgriculture Tasks (NAG-CAT) at {www.nagcat.org},and your local Farm Bureauare three good places to start.Take advantage of the funand educational materials and

programs they have to edu-cate yourself and your chil-dren.

GROWMARK Safety andInsurance Services conductsan annual safety poster contestfor children and grandchildrenof FS system employees. Howdo the children know aboutthese hazards? Certainly fromtheir parents and grandparentswho recognize and deal withthem. The teaching is happen-ing early.

My wife grew up on a farm.When she was 8 years old, shewas walking across a field fol-lowing her father. He jumpeda barb wire fence, putting hishand on a fence post and

doing a scissors kick-stylejump over the wire.

Imitating her father, shetried the same maneuver, gothung up on the barb wire,and has carried a four-inchscar on her left leg eversince. When she was 10years old, her grandfatherwas killed in a tractorrollover.

The emotional and physicalscars of incidents on a farmcan last a lifetime.

“Teach your children well!”

Doug DeFilippo is GROW-MARK’s safety services manager.His e-mail address is ddefilip-po@growmark.com.

Fertilizer prices move up; supply appears adequate for springGROWMARK financing helps farmers manage input riskBY DANIEL GRANTFarmWeek

Farmers this spring likely will have to paymore for fertilizer than last year.

Fortunately, though, it appears supplies areadequate to meet the strongdemand that is expected once theplanting season kicks into highgear.

“Supplies I think are good,”Joe Kilgus, GROWMARK areasales manager/Southern Illinois,said last week during the GROWMARK mediaday that featured visits to the company’s Menardfuel terminal and Christian County Farmers Sup-ply Co.’s Millersville facility. “Our warehouses arefull and ready for a busy season.”

Members of the media got a first-hand lookat the new fertilizer facility in Millersville. Itcurrently has about 6,000 tons of potash and800 tons of diammonium phosphate (DAP) instorage, according to Mike Builta, general man-ager of Christian County Farmers Supply Co.

Kilgus said GROWMARK is planning foran increase in corn acres in Illinois, particular-ly if the weather is good in coming weeks.Last month USDA estimated U.S. farmerscould increase corn plantings by nearly 4 mil-lion acres compared to last year.

“There will be more corn acres, so (fertilizer)

demand is expected to be pretty big,” Kilgus said.“But there are no real concerns about suppliesthis spring, mainly because we had such a goodfall with almost record movement of product.”

This month fertilizer prices in Illinois rangedfrom $770 to $820 per ton for anhydrousammonia, $650 to $710 for DAP, and $540 to$660 for potash, according to the Illinois

Department of Agriculture.Prices last winter, by comparison,averaged $517 per ton for ammo-nia, $447 for DAP, and $495 forpotash.

Most other input costs are upas well. In fact, USDA last month

estimated farm input costs this year will reachan all-time high.

Farmers can manage the input price riskthrough the FS Agri-Finance program, accord-ing to Rosita Creager, area manager of FS Agri-Finance.

The program allows farmers to lock in inputcosts through contracting and also take advan-tage of discounts.

“I think it’s more important than ever to lockin prices,” Creager said. “You can contract atgood prices and take advantage of any dis-counts.”

More farmers are using the program to man-age their risk. FS Agri-Finance last year hadabout $400 million in approved loans, which isabout four times higher than the total loansabout 15 years ago.

Kyle Zehr, left, GROWMARK supply chain analyst, and Mike Builta,right, general manager of Christian County Farmers Supply Co., viewlarge piles of potash and diammonium phosphate (DAP) in storage atthe company’s Millersville facility. (Photo by Daniel Grant)

USDA confirms major corn saleThe U.S. sold a whopping 1.25 million tons (49 million

bushels) of corn last week to a single buyer, USDA reported.The confirmation of the sale to an unspecified buyer,

believed to be China, ended a week of speculation that roiledthe markets, Reuters news service reported.

The corn sale reportedly is the sixth-largest in USDArecords. Corn futures on Friday were back above $7 per bushelin response to the sale.

USDA clarifies position on antibioticsUSDA this month issued a

clarification of recent state-ments about livestock produc-ers overusing antibiotics andabout that overuse leading toantibiotic resistance in humans.

The statements reportedlywere misinterpreted in aMarch 16 story in the WallStreet Journal.

In testimony before theHouse Appropriations Com-

mittee’s agriculture subcom-mittee, USDA AgriculturalResearch Service Administra-tor Dr. Edward Knipling, saidhis department is conductingresearch on antibiotic use inlivestock and antibiotic resis-tance. Knipling said that, whiledata suggests “in some cases,there are problems and con-cerns,” it also shows “this isnot as severe an issue as it

might be otherwise portrayed.”Despite those statements,

the Wall Street Journal reportedhog farmers are overusingantibiotics on their herds andthat may be creating antibiot-ic-resistant bacteria, whichpose a threat to human health.The story’s headline statedgovernment data supports thatcontention.

In its clarification state-ment, USDA said: “Dr. Kni-pling never said that swineproducers were overusingantibiotics in the herds.”

The National Pork Produc-ers Council (NPPC) said claimsthat pork producers areoverusing antibiotics, which isleading to antibiotic resistance,have no basis in fact or science.

FarmWeekNow.comAdditional coverage of GROW-MARK’s Media Day from RFDRadio reporter Julie Root is atFarmWeekNow.com.

PROFITABILITY

FarmWeek Page 11 Monday, March 28, 2011

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CASH STRATEGISTCorn Strategy

�2010 crop: Talk of a Chi-nese purchase lifted corn latelast week, but corn still has dif-ficulty moving up without sup-port from wheat. Corn estab-lished what looks like its 40-week cycle low, but the marketloses momentum when Maymoves above $7. We wouldn’tsell weakness, but would userallies above $7 on May forcatch-up sales. Hedge-to-arrive(HTA) contracts for summerdelivery are still the best tool.

�2011 crop: Use ralliesabove $6.15 on Decemberfutures for catch-up sales. Planto eventually boost sales to 50percent by early summer. At thistime, HTA contracts still looklike the better marketing tool.

�Fundamentals: The loom-ing USDA March 31 reports arethe most important near-termfeatures, with the quarterlystocks number as important asthe acreage estimate. If any-thing, the Chinese corn purchaseand talk of need for moreimports next year will keep aclose focus on corn through thegrowing season. Near term,cool, damp conditions should besupportive to new-crop prices.Soybean Strategy

�2010 crop: Demand forU.S. soybeans is slowly subsid-ing. Export shipments will con-tinue to slow through April.Without a significant weatherproblem, lower prices are ahead.Use rallies above $13.50 on Mayfutures to wrap up sales.

�2011 crop: The comingreports may have a lot of influ-ence on new-crop soybeanprices, especially with ideasplantings could decline fromlast year. Technically, the mar-ket is acting toppy, but there’sstill a chance for one morepush to a new high before a topis seen. Use rallies to $13.70 onNovember for catch-up sales.Plan to increase them to 50percent by early summer.

�Fundamentals: Giventhe talk about moderately low-er plantings this year, theMarch 31 acreage report loomslarge. South American harvestproblems have supported old-crop prices, but with Brazilnow 60 percent complete theywill start to fade somewhat.

There’s a growing consensusUSDA may eventually raise itsending stocks estimate.Wheat Strategy

�2010 crop: The short-term trend in wheat is noteasily defined. Prices on theChicago May contract aretrading between $7.07-$7.42.If support is taken out itwould open the door forprices to test the $6.56 low. Itstill looks like the market is inthe process of establishing asignificant low, which shouldbe followed by a good rally.Therefore, don’t sell the break,but use rallies to the $7.50s to

wrap up sales. A HTA contractis still the best, but plan for alate April/May delivery.

�2011 crop: Use rallies to$7.75 on Chicago July 2011futures for catch-up sales.Once this break is over, and itshould end soon, there shouldbe another rally for sales. Westill prefer HTA contracts.

�Fundamentals: With thecrop now breaking dormancy,the focus on the crop in theSouthern Plains will intensify.Traders already are followingstate condition reports. But, italso continues to look likethere’s good potential in othercountries’ crops this year.

Most years, the trade andthe farm community look for-ward to USDA’s ProspectivePlanting report more than theydo the Quarterly Grain Stocksreport. But this year, becausethe ending stocks estimates forcorn and soybeans are so tight,it makes the grain stocksreport just as important as theplanting report. The plantingestimates still are important,but the grain stocks may haveas much, or more, influence onprices in the weeks ahead.

The March 1 corn stocksnumber may be the one thetrade is interested in the mostbecause of the volatility of lastyear’s quarterly corn stocksnumbers. To remind you, theJune stocks came in 300 mil-lion bushels less than expect-ed, with the Sept. 1 stocks thatsame amount above what ana-lysts expected.

The June stocks were partic-ularly important. Analyststook them as a sign the pro-duction estimate and previousstocks numbers were likely toohigh because of implicationsof the light test weight of the2009 crop.

Because there’s a lot ofuncertainty surrounding theactual stocks at different pointsin the previous marketing year,there’s related uncertainty as tothe size of the feed and resid-ual consumption for each ofthe quarters. With that, itmakes it difficult for analysts to

Basis charts

estimate the size of feed andresidual use this year. In turn,that leads to higher-than-nor-mal uncertainty when analystsdevelop their estimates for thisyear’s March 1 corn stocks.

The soybean stocks numberis not as difficult with usagedocumented each month.Hence the industry has a betteridea of how much is being used.

Still, there’s an unexplainedresidual for soybeans that’s tiedto unexplained use, possibleinaccuracy in the crop size, andstatistical error in the reportitself. All of those combine toleave some uncertainty whendeveloping an estimate for thesize of the March 1 inventory onany year. Normally it’s not thatimportant, but the small endingstocks estimate has increased thepotential impact this year.

The last couple of yearsresidual use uncertainty hasbeen compounded by theextremely large early-seasonexport program. The largeincrease in bushels in thepipeline to service that exportprogram increases the possibil-ity of inaccurate accounting ofpipeline inventories when thesurvey is taken.

Still, it’s back to the currentsmall ending stocks estimatesand perceived need for bigacres that highlight the impor-tance of the stocks numbersthis year, especially ahead ofthe new growing season.

To put it in perspective, a 20million bushel miss by thetrade on their soybean stockexpectations is the equivalentof a half million new-cropacres. For corn, 80 millionbushels is the equivalent tothat same half million acres.

The stocks number is not soimportant to wheat because ofthe moderately burdensomeold-crop ending stocks projec-tion. Even with a smaller newcrop this year, because of prob-lems in the Southern Plains,ending stocks next year are stillexpected to be comfortable.

None of this takes awayfrom the importance of thefirst planting estimate. It onlyhighlights the importance ofthe other report that will bereleased on March 31.

Cents per bu.

Don’t ignore March 31 stocks report

PERSPECTIVES

FarmWeek Page 12 Monday, March 28, 2011

Several University of Illinois Collegeof Agricultural, Consumer and Environ-mental Sciences (ACES) students lastsummer braved the heat and completedresearch-based internships at the DixonSprings Agricultural Center.

Operated by U of Isince 1934, DixonSprings is a large experi-mental station, nearSimpson. Researchersthere study topics in ani-mal science, naturalresources and environ-

mental science, agron-omy, and veterinaryscience with a focus oncommercial agriculture.

Each summer, Dixon Springs hostsinterns from ACES. The internship pro-gram is funded by theOffice of Research andwas created in 2008 byJozef Kokini, associatedean for research.

Adam Schroeder, asenior in animal sciences,focused on cattle produc-tion for his internship atDixon Springs. His dailyresponsibilities includedfeeding and maintainingthe health of 900 beef cat-tle.

“This internshipallowed me to gain experience in thecow-calf industry, as well as becomemore acclimated to research,” Schroedersaid. “Working with such a large numberof cattle on a daily basis has made memuch more comfortable handling them.”

Although the internship requiresmostly outdoor work in intense summerheat, Schroeder recommended the expe-rience to any student interested in animalproduction or research.

“The internship confirmed my desireto study ruminant nutrition at the gradu-ate level,” Schroeder said. “I see greatvalue in the research that is being con-ducted and think that the hands-on expe-

rience I gained from working on a largecattle operation will be very helpful whenlooking for a career in the beef industry.”

Elvira de Mejia, academic coordina-tor of the ACES internship program,explained, “An internship at DixonSprings is a hands-on experiential learn-ing opportunity through observation,participation, and interaction withexperts at the facility.

We focus on research programs rele-vant to the needs of agriculture, food,local economics, the environment andcommunities in Southern Illinois.”

Soils were a priority for Eric Schuler, ajunior in technical systems managementwho also served a Dixon Springs intern-ship.

Interns were assigned individualresearch projects, which they indepen-

dently managed andanalyzed throughoutthe summer. For hisproject, Schuler built asensor to test varioussoils in Southern Illi-nois.

“I tested the electri-cal conductivity of dif-ferent soils underincreased pressurerates. The basic premisewas to understand howthis relationship worksand varies between soil

samples,” Schuler said. “Long-term bene-fits of the soil sensor would be toincrease the accuracy of variable ratetechnology and fertilizer recommenda-tions.”

The most valuable part of the intern-ship for Schuler was gaining experiencerelevant to careers in his field.

“I learned many hands-on principlesthat aren’t necessarily taught in a class-room setting,” he said.

Kimberly Hawthorne, West Dundee, is a seniormajoring in agricultural communications at theUniversity of Illinois College of Agricultural,Consumer, and Environmental Sciences.

KIMBERLYHAWTHORNE

Dixon Springs internships giveACES students opportunities

March Madness! Togardeners such a maladymight mean a last perusalof a seed catalog. To col-lege sports fans, though,the term definitely meansthe journey to theNational Collegiate Ath-letic Association (NCAA)Final Four and the tour-naments to determine anational champion in col-lege basketball.

March Madness meanssports fans debatefavorite teams; televisionand radio commentatorswax endlessly on teamrecords, talent, and play-ers’ physical well-being.

But what if there wasan insect version of themarch to the Final Four?

For ball-handlingskills, I think dung bee-tles would be some ofthe best among the six-legged cagers. Dung bee-tles construct more-or-less round balls of mam-mal manure as food for

their off-spring.The bee-tles rollthe dungballsaround insearch ofan appro-priate siteto burythe balls.

Dung beetles also arequite adept at stealingdung balls from otherbeetles, obviously a gooddefensive attribute forbasketball players.

Speaking of defense,some insects are good atdefensive maneuvers.Take bees and wasps, forinstance. These insectspossess a stinger todefend themselves andtheir nests.

In fact, it is the beesand wasps that clearlydemonstrate what somesportscasters describe asa “swarming defense.”Something easily under-stood by anyone who hasever disturbed a yellow

jacket nest with a lawn-mower. Maybe that iswhy Georgia Tech adopt-ed the yellow jacket asthe mascot for its athleticteams.

Leaping ability comesin handy for basketballplayers. Some insects usethe ability to leap as atool for avoiding preda-tors. Grasshoppers andcrickets often can beobserved leaping aroundwhen disturbed.

But the best of theinsect leapers is no doubtthe flea. These winglessectoparasites not onlycan leap many times theirown height, but in doingso will do a back flip inthe air. For sure, such amaneuver on the part ofa basketball player exe-cuting a slam dunk wouldbring the partisan faithfulto their feet in uproariousapplause.

The three-point shot isan important tool for asuccessful basketballteam. The insects thatseem most accomplishedin this area are the bom-bardier beetles. Bom-bardier beetles are calledthat because they defendthemselves against preda-tors by firing a mixture ofboiling hot chemicalsfrom glands in their pos-terior.

Some of these beetlescan hit targets 8 inchesaway. Comparativelyspeaking, that is a three-point shot for an insectthat size.

In addition, the beetlesare accurate shooters andonly launch hot chemi-cals when there is a goodchance of success. I’ll betsome basketball coacheswished their players wereas selective with theirthree-point attempts.

Quickness is anotherdesirable characteristic inbasketball players. In theinsect world some of thequickest insects are cock-roaches. Smaller speciesof cockroaches are espe-

cially able to zip aroundat high speeds.

Cockroaches also havethe ability to changedirections rapidly, some-thing that makes themseem faster than theymight actually be. Intruth, the fastest cock-roaches can only run atabout 6 miles-per-hour.Many humans can walkfaster than that. But, rela-tive to their body length,cockroaches move fast.

Another desirablecharacteristic of basket-ball players is height andleg length. In the insectworld the best exampleof a tall and long insect isa walking stick, which getits name because itresembles sticks. Theseinsects also have longlegs. They are the seven-footers of the insectworld!

With March Madnessin full swing, what wouldbe the make up of aninsect team that likelywould make the FinalFour?

First, I would want aquick point guard; acockroach would do.Bring in a bombardierbeetle as the shootingguard. I want a walkingstick as the center.

For power forward, agrasshopper with greatleaping ability to shoreup our rebounding. Forthe other forward, let’shave the dung beetle — aplayer that isn’t afraid toget dirty and that cantake care of the ball. Iwould like to have adefensive specialist, suchas a yellow jacket, tocome off the bench.Sounds like a bunch ofbugs that would be hardto beat!

Tom Turpin is an entomologyprofessor at Purdue University,whose men’s basketball teamwas upset by Virginia Com-monwealth and didn’t advance.Turpin’s e-mail address isturpin@purdue.edu.

TOMTURPIN

What if insects played basketball?

“‘Crop dusting?’ I didn’t realize farmers were so tidy.”

Adam Schroeder, a University of Illinois senior in animal sciences, feeds cattle at the U ofI’s Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, Simpson. Schroeder completed a research intern-ship there last summer. (Photo courtesy Adam Schroeder)

‘Working withsuch a large num-ber of cattle on adaily basis hasmade me muchmore comfortablehandling them.’

— Adam Schroeder