SAM_02-23-2015

AG Mag 1Spring 2014

AG MagNorthern Illinois

High StakesThe new farm bill provides two new

options for revenue safety nets. Which is better for you?

BULL MARKET: Cattle farming surges as meat prices climb

GREAT DEBATE: Have corn yields reached a plateau?

POWER STRUGGLE: Energy project meeting opposition

A Publication of Shaw Media Spring 2015

P.O. Box 498Sterling, IL 61081CHANGE SERVICE

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

PublisherSam R Fisher

Advertising Director Jennifer Baratta

EditorLarry Lough

Magazine EditorsLarry Lough, Jeff Rogers

Page DesignJeff Rogers

Reporters & PhotographersSarah Brown, Goldie Currie, Pam Eggemeier, Dave Fox,

Michael Krabbenhoeft, Philip Marruffo, Matt Mencarini, Mike Mendenhall, Jermaine Pigee, Ken Schroeder, Kathleen Schultz Angel Sierra, Terri Simon, and Christi Warren

Published bySauk Valley Media3200 E. LincolnwaySterling, IL 61081

815-625-3600

AG Northern IllinoisMag Index

20COVER STORY

Decision to make Northern Illinois farmers weigh their options

for revenue safety nets in the 2014 farm bill.

Beefing upFarmers in the cow-calf business have seen a dramatic increase in

prices. Will the good times continue?

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IndexFresh start at collegeA new teacher is breathing new life into the agriculture program at Highland Community College.

Going against the windThe Rock Island Clean Line project has an approved path in Illinois, but opponents haven’t given up.

26CENTERPIECE STORY

Ups and downs Record corn yields have prompted a market correction on prices. Will those trends continue?32

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46SPRINGFIELD SPOTLIGHT

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PERFECT STORM FOR MIDWEST

CATTLE FARMERS Prices hit historic highs – but costs up, too

BY MATT MENCARINIFor Northern Illinois Ag Mag

T he economic conditions for the cow-calf industry in the Midwest can be chalked up to simple supply and demand, the cyclical

nature of all commodities, or the perfect storm of conditions that started in 2011. Or all three.

But the end result is the same: Historic profits.In 2013, the average hundredweight price for cat-

tle in the U.S. was $126.83, up from$97.18 in 2010. But the highest month in 2013 –

$132 – is dwarfed by the prices once the calender turned over into 2014.

By March 2014, the average hundredweight price for cattle in the U.S. was $150. It kept climbing, reaching $159 in August and $169 in November.

Q�Q�QW. Travis Meteer. beef extension educator with the Univer-

sity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said the cow-calf busi-ness is traditionally a break-even business. But that changed last year.

CONTINUED ON 9�

Dan Dykstra walks his show cat-tle out of the show barn on his farm northwest of Morrison. He has 50 head of cattle, and said he will keep back more heifers

than he usually would.

( Philip Marruffo/Northern Illinois Ag Mag )

AG Mag 9

Philip Marruffo/Northern Illinois Ag MagCattle eat at the winter feeding station on Dan Dykstra’s farm northwest of Morrison. Dykstra thinks the recent spike in cattle prices will continue. “I just talked to a fellow in South Dakota,” Dykstra said. “They’re tickled to death with how things look this winter. If they have a normal year, a normal couple of years, I say 2 to 3 years [of more high prices].”

“We’ve seen it increase dramatically,” he said. “It depends on what econo-mist you use, but profits have been at high as $700 a cow. That’s a huge, huge increase from what cow-calf producers are used to seeing.”

Drought inducedAnd it all started with a

drought-stricken southern U.S. in 2011.Once cattle producers in the South

lose water, they can’t maintain the ani-mals, Meteer said. They can bring in hay, but water is the issue. A huge liqui-dation of cow herd occurred in 2011 in the southwest, he said.

The drought returned in 2012, again during the grazing season, but this time it affected a larger portion of the coun-try, including much of the Midwest.

When cattle operations don’t have water, cows get sold, Meteer said, and the industry went through 2 years of massive liquidation.

That’s where the simple law of supply and demand comes into play, said Phil Reemtsma, president of the Iowa Cattle-men’s Association. And that was helped,

he said, by some misfortune in the pork industry with the spread of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, or PEDV, which killed off much of the pig supply.

“We had sort of perfect storm there of a shortage of animal protein,” he said.

That perfect storm resulted to record beef profits. And what cattlemen are doing with those profits can set them up for future success.

Mike Thacker of Walnut in Bureau County, who is president of the Bureau County Cattlemen’s Association, agreed that the most relevant factor is likely the drought.

Feeder cattle farmers who bought cattle in 2013 and sold them off in 2014 made a lot of money, Thacker said.

“I’ve heard of some pretty high numbers – hundreds of dollars a head,” he said.

“But you have to remember, those guys lost hundreds of dollars before. So everyone thinks they’re getting gravy right now; but the guys that feed the cattle are having to pay a fortune, and that’s really risky.”

Ups and downsSome operators are building new facil-

ities. In Iowa, many are building indoor

facilities that will not only reduce costs, but reduce the chance of run-off mak-ing its way into rivers or streams.

“From a big picture standpoint, it’s great time to be in the cattle business,” Reemtsma said “There is going to be some up and down. But people investing in those operations, … I think it’s going to be a good investment long term.”

But Bureau County cattleman Thack-er, whose operation has about 80 head of cattle, has no plans to expand.

“The problem in this area is we don’t have an abundance of pasture, and you can’t really expand unless you take crop ground out and put it into pasture,” he said. “And it doesn’t usually make sense to do that.”

Others, like Dan Dykstra, vice presi-dent of Whiteside County Cattlemen’s Association who has 50 head of cattle about 5 miles northwest of Morrison, will keep back more heifers than he usually would.

While a heifer usually pays for itself in about 7 years, Dykstra said, he thinks he will cut that time in half with the animals he’s keeping.

��CONTINUED FROM 8

CONTINUED ON 10�

10 Spring 2015

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Cattlemen looking to reinvest their profits from 2014 should consider all their options and evaluate whether they’re already maxed out, in which case the reinvestment might be best used to secure wealth against future loses or to make small changes to improve efficiency.

While starting up livestock operations on a farm that doesn’t already have them might be too expensive to take advantage of the current conditions, Meteer said, diversified farms with live-stock and row crop may have an advan-tage to straight row crop.

“It just needs to be approached with common sense and awareness,” he said. “It is a little bit of an unforgiving business.”

Costs up, tooBuying feeder cattle is a necessity of

for Darren Walter in LaSalle County, where he raises about 350 head of cattle a year with his father and uncle. The Grand Ridge farmer said the bad part of high demand for beef is tighter margins caused by higher costs.

“While feed might have been cheaper, feeder costs were higher,” Walter said. “Feeder prices are up about 50 percent higher this year than they were before.

“In 1994 when I got out of college and started farming, you could get a

500-pound steer for around a dollar a pound. Today, that same steer is around $3 a pound.”

Walter compared the situation with the corn boom of a couple of seasons ago.

“When corn was $7, it was hard to find outside markets for grain, and that lower demand brought prices back down,” he said. “Today, that housewife on a budget has to think about it; chick-en and pork start to look pretty good.

“Fortunately, I don’t think Americans will ever turn their back on steak. The people that go to a white tablecloth restaurant and pay $45 for a steak din-ner, they’ll pay $52. It’s the housewives on a budget that have the problem.”

Lee Schulz, assistant professor of eco-nomics at Iowa State University who specializes in livestock, said production agriculture, and livestock in general, is notoriously cyclical. There was already tight a supply in the cattle industry before the liquidation happened, he explained, and that’s what triggered the high prices.

“If we look at the markets, the funda-mentals of both supply and demand are really supporting record profits in the livestock industry,” he said.

And 2015, Schulz said, looks like it could be on par with 2014.

But just as the weather in other parts of the country contributed to the rise in prices for cattle in the Midwest, it can also contribute to its fall.

“I just talked to a fellow in South Dakota,” Dykstra said. “They’re tickled to death with how things look this win-ter. If they have a normal year, a normal couple years, I say 2 to 3 years [of more high prices].

“If they experience another drought, it’ll extend it even more.”

What might seem like uncertainty to some, Meteer said, is just another year in the cow-cattle business.

“If you ever want a humbling experi-ence in life, own cattle,” he said. “There are a lot of factors that can come into play.”


’’‘‘ We’ve seen [the cow-calf business] increase dramatically. It depends on what economist

you use, but profits have been as high as $700 a cow. That’s a huge, huge increase from what

cow-calf producers are used to seeing.W. Travis Meeter, beef extension educator

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BY JERMAINE PIGEEFor Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Justin Ebert wants to do what he can to get agriculture students at Highland Community College a job once they leave the school.

Ebert, who spent the past eight years teaching agriculture at Oregon High School, was recently hired to bring his agriculture expertise to the college in Freeport.

He also helped to create a student agriculture club, which allows stu-dents to come together and pro-mote agriculture.

Highland prepares agriculture students

for workforce

Photo submitted to Northern Illinois Ag MagStudents in the Introduction to Animal Science class at Highland Community College visited Holland Dairy Farm in Apple River to learn about dairy reproduction technolo-gies. Patrick Holland, a student at the college in Freeport, led the tour.

New teacher, updated program

CONTINUED ON 14�

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“I was looking for a differ-ent challenge,” Ebert said. “This program at Highland has been around for years, and it was in need of some updating, changing and revi-talizing.”

Highland offers an agricul-ture transfer program where students come to the college for two years before going on to a university to finish their degree.

“We also offer two-year pro-grams where you can study agriculture management,” Ebert said, “and I’ve also added some new courses in crop science.”

Scott Anderson, dean of business and technology at Highland, said having a new teacher gives the college a chance to update its pro-gram.

“The industry is changing, and we need to look at the industry and research topics that are happening in the region,” Anderson said.

Ebert, 37, said he wants to help students make connec-tions with people who are

working in agriculture.“If a student comes here

and just wants a two-year degree, I feel we have to try and help that student find a job,” Ebert said. “I’ve been out trying to make intern-

ship opportunities for stu-dents.”

Ebert has been around agri-culture his whole life. He grew up on a farm in Ashton, which has cattle, corn and soybeans.

“I help on the farm when I

can,” Ebert said. “I was born into it, and I really enjoy it.”

Highland’s offerings include agriculture man-agement courses, such as farm management, record keeping, and marketing. The college also focuses on pest management, soils and other crop production areas.

Jalen Holman, a first-year student in the agriculture program, said she enjoys Ebert’s classes.

“Things have gone really well,” said Holman, 18. “He teaches the class really well, and there is a lot of class participation.”

The participation activities include field trips for stu-dents.

“We have gone to different farms, vet clinics and things like that,” Holman said min-utes before starting an ani-mal nutrition class.

About 40 students are in the agriculture classes, and 25 of them participate in the agriculture club, which gets students into the commu-nity.


Photo submitted to Northern Illinois Ag MagStudents taking the Introduction to Soils class perform nutrient tests on various soil types in lab class. Pictured (from left) are Ben Patterson, of Lanark; Morgan Patterson, of Polo; Jeremiah Ludewig, of Polo; Karissa Corbin, of Ore-gon; and Adam Bettner, of Oregon.

CONTINUED ON 18�

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Agriculture Education School Directory

SAUK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE173 Illinois Route 2Dixon, IL 61021815-288-5511Courses offered through

University of Illinois Exten-sion: Five (agricultural eco-nomics, soil science, animal science, principles of orna-mental horticulture, plant science)

KISHWAUKEE COLLEGE21193 Malta RoadMalta, IL 60150815-825-2086, ext. 2960Courses offered: Six

(orientation to agricultural careers, introduction to ani-mal science, introduction to agricultural econ, introduction to agricultural mechanization, introduction to crop science, introduction to soils and fer-tilizers)

Degrees offered: Associate of Science with an emphasis in agriculture

HIGHLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE2998 W. Pearl City RoadFreeport, IL 61032815-235-6121Majors: Agricultural Man-

agement, Agriculture, Agri-culture Production (certificate program)

Degrees offered: Associ-ate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, certificate program

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Educational Sciences

128 Mumford Hall1301 W. Gregory DriveUrbana, IL [email protected]: Agricultur-

al & Biological Engineering; Agricultural & Consumer Economics; Animal Sciences; Crop Sciences; Food Science & Human Nutrition; Human & Community Development; Natural Resources & Environ-mental Sciences; Division of Nutritional Sciences; Agricul-tural Communications Pro-gram; Agricultural Education Program

Majors: 11

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, CARBONDALECollege of Agricultural Sci-

encesAgriculture Building1205 Lincoln DriveCarbondale, IL [email protected]: Agribusiness

Economics; Animal Science, Food, & Nutrition; Forestry; Plant, Soil, & Agricultural Sys-tems

Majors: 8Degrees offered: Bachelor

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WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

School of AgricultureKnoblauch Hall 1451 University CircleMacomb, IL [email protected]: 3Degrees offered: Bachelor

of Science

AG Mag 17

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“The purpose of the ag club is to pro-mote the college and the program,” Ebert said, “and it gets students out in the community where they can talk about what we have to offer.”

While they are in the agriculture club, students visit various companies and farms.

Students are also part of a dairy-judg-ing team with which they judge dairy cattle at different competitions.

Anderson also said the student agri-culture group can help to build camara-derie among the students.

“They are building interest in the pro-gram,” Anderson said. “It’s great expo-sure, and it’s an opportunity to show what we have learned. It also helps the program shine.”

Holman is also treasurer of the col-lege’s agriculture club. She said the group will go to different Future Farm-ers of America events and do fundrais-ers.

Like Ebert, Holman said she grew up around animals. To this day, Holman raises and shows dairy goats in Free-port.

“I’ve been showing them for 11 years now,” Ebert said. “We have about 25 of them, and we get up to 50 in the spring.”


Photo submitted to Northern Illinois Ag MagHighland Agriculture Club students help recruit prospective students at the Sec-tion 1 FFA Leadership Training School held Sept. 10, 2014, at the Highland Com-munity College campus in Freeport. Pictured (from left) are Michelle Spittler, of Forreston; Karissa Corbin, of Oregon; Dylan Williams, of Thomson; Stephen Korte of Scales Mound; Chris Cummins, of Freeport; Justin Lott, of Pearl City; Tyler Thomas, of Pearl City; Ben Patterson, of Lanark; Chase Stoddard, of Byron; and Jordie Hale, of Winslow.

AG Mag 19

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Our family protecting your family.

Michael Krabbenhoeft/Northern Illinois Ag MagFarmers look through papers during a meeting about the new farm bill in January at the Carroll Country Farm Bureau. The meeting helped answer questions that farmers had, and also provided them with resources to find more information.

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BY PAM EGGEMEIERFor Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Direct payments disap-peared in the new farm bill, and farmers have until March 31 to choose between two new safety net pro-grams.

One of the programs mod-ifies the previous farm bill’s target price program. The Agricultural Act of 2014 replaced the Counter-Cycli-cal Payment program with the Price Loss Coverage pro-gram.

The other option, with two variations, changes the reve-nue safety nets. Agricultural Risk Coverage replaces Aver-age Crop Revenue Election with ARC County and ARC Individual Farm.

Farmers who don’t make a decision will automatically be enrolled in PLC; they will be paid for 2015, but not

2014 because CCP payments were based on the previous marketing year averages.

But before farmers make that choice, a more pressing information-gathering dead-line is coming. Farmers have until Feb. 27 to update their base acreage reallocation and yield history informa-tion.

Jerry Quinton, executive director of Lee County Farm Service Agency, said farmers and landowners need to take care of the revisions before choosing a safety net option. FSA needs the yield data as bushels per acre between 2008 and 2012.

“We take 90 percent of that and it becomes the new yield,” Quinton said. “That can then be used for the new PLC program.”

Deadlines loom for new safety net options

CONTINUED ON 22�

22 Spring 2015

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Even if they choose ARC County, FSA still needs pro-ducers to certify their yields. To reallocate the base acres on a farm, FSA will use the average of the reported acre-age from 2009 through 2012.

“I would urge farmers to take advantage of the yield and reallocation opportuni-ties,” Quinton said, “because it’s the first time they could do it since 2002-2003.”

If no action is taken before the deadline, the current base and yield will be used. Given the delay in crafting a new farm bill, the FSA offic-es are under the gun with the deadlines. Quinton said farmers should make an appointment with his office as soon as possible.

“We didn’t get the green light to start this until after October 1,” Quinton said in January. “Given the current situation, we’d need to aver-age 46 farms a day now to finish on time.”

Several educational meet-ings were held throughout the area in recent months.

While ARC County seems to be the popular choice in northern Illinois, many farmers are still weighing the risk in their decisions.

Some farm organizations in northern Illinois are pointing producers in the direction of the ARC County safety net option because they believe

it favors Midwest grain pro-ducers. It uses a collective benchmark yield, for exam-ple, $1.70 for Lee County.

‘It’s a gamble’An important difference

between ARC and PLC is that ARC is a revenue program. PLC uses target and loan prices with a $1.75 spread. It covers only loss and doesn’t protect revenue.


Michael Krabbenhoeft/Northern Illinois Ag MagJulie Skiles, acting director of the Carroll County Farm Service Agency, speaks with farmers about the farm bill and explains the different plans that farmers have to choose from. The meeting, which was held at the Carroll County Farm Bureau, gave farmers information from the different plans offered under the new farm bill, passed in 2014.

Decisions, decisions

Feb. 27 – Deadline for farm owners to make base allocation and yield updates

March 31 – Deadline for choosing between ARC and PLC safety net options for 2014 through 2018 crop years

Summer 2015 – Produc-ers sign contracts for 2014 and 2015 crop years

October 2015 – Pay-ments issued for 2014 crop year, if warranted

CONTINUED ON 23�

AG Mag 23

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ARC Individual doesn’t receive much attention in Illinois because it is believed to be a better choice for farmers who have smaller farms where climate, soil types, and yield can vary greatly throughout a county.

The only part of the safety net process that crop insur-ers are directly dealing with is the Supplemental Crop Option, which is available only as an add-on with PLC.

“It’s a gamble, and I’m bet-ting on prices holding up,” said Don Meyer, who raises corn and soybeans just out-side Amboy.

“I’d probably use ARC County, but no one knows for sure how it’s all going to shake out.”

Meyer said ARC County is more straightforward and offers more protection in the first few years, while PLC might be better over time if commodity prices were to fall drastically over the 5-year life of the plan.

The PLC option would seem to be better suited for

farmers in the southern states, where crops like cotton and rice are king. Because PLC offers a deeper net, it might also be a better choice for new

farmers who are just getting established.

It’s important to note that neither program is intended to replace crop insurance.

“You could have losses far exceeding what these pro-grams offer, but this enhanc-es regular crop insurance,” Meyer said. “Neither is a complete safety net, but if prices or yields fall, it will soften the blow.”

Gary Schnitkey, an agri-culture economist at the University of Illinois, breaks down the decision process into three parts: Which has the highest expected pay-ments? How concerned are you about low prices? What is the availability of the supple-mental coverage?


CONTINUED ON 24�

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“ARC County probably has the highest expected payments for corn,” Schnitkey said. “This is best if you believe prices will be above $3.30 over 5 years, but you’d better be in PLC if you’re con-cerned corn will come in below $3.30.”

Recent corn prices have been in the $4 range.

Schnitkey said the availability of SCO isn’t likely to be a big factor because it adds only about 1 percent to the mix.

Deadline stressIn Iowa, Dave Miller is a go-to guy on

the safety net options. He is the director of research for commodity services at Iowa Farm Bureau. Because of the com-plexity of the programs, even an expert like Miller has changed his mind on some of the finer points.

“A few months ago, I said ARC Coun-ty is probably best for most people in Iowa,” Miller said. “But now I believe PLC competes pretty well in southern Iowa.”

Miller believes efforts to educate farm-ers are starting to cut through the initial confusion. The hesitancy has backed up the process, adding to deadline stress at the FSA offices.

“We had very good attendance at our state meetings,” Miller said, “and many people had gone to several meetings

before they said they were finally getting it because it’s complex and difficult.”

Miller still believes ARC County is best for soybeans in Illinois and Iowa, based on his calculations showing there is only about a 5 percent to 10 percent chance of getting PLC payments for soybeans in any of the 5 years.

For corn, the decision is not so simple. Farmers are urged to remember that the safety net options will cover 5 crop years – a period from 2014 through 2018.

ARC County is likely to provide a big-ger payout in the first 2 years, but not much protection on the back end of the contract.

With PLC, if corn hangs around $4.25, farmers might get only one payment, but it would provide much deeper pro-tection if prices were to drop off the table into the $3 range. PLC also seems to be a better choice in areas where yields are steadier.

Assess debt, riskMiller said much of the decision

should be about assessing debt load and risk tolerance.

“If $3 corn could put you out of business, you should look at PLC,” he advised, “but others should get the max now with less protection in the back end. It’s kind of like sitting down at a poker game, and with ARC, you’re assured of winning your first two hands.”

Some global issues at play are cause for concern when betting on corn pric-es. Weather is always the biggest wild card, and farmers have been blessed with a longer up cycle with prices than usual in such a cyclical business. Another record production year in 2014, nationally and in Illinois, could stoke worries about oversupply.

“It’s not a big concern at the moment – we went from $3 corn in August to near $4 now,” Schnitkey said. “But if we have another good year in 2015, it could get back to $3 in a hurry.”

Ethanol is another piece of the supply puzzle. Plunging oil prices and a trend toward reduced gas consumption pres-ent a potentially dangerous mix for the ethanol industry.

“Oil’s effect on the markets will defi-nitely be something to watch moving forward,” Miller said. “It could put a great deal of pressure on the ethanol industry.”

Larry Hummel, a Lee County farmer and Farm Bureau crop watcher, said area farmers are concerned about the effect of low gasoline prices on alternative fuels.

“It doesn’t seem to be having too much of an impact here yet, but it’s a big ques-tion mark right now,” Hummel said. “The uncertainty about revising fuel standards makes it an even bigger concern.”

Ethanol producers use about 10 per-cent of the corn produced nationally, with a similar mix reported in Illinois.


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Farmers Forum WITH CHRISTI WARREN/ NORTHERN ILLINOIS AG MAG

ED HABBEN, farms corn and soybeans near Emerson

“Mostly on the Internet at intelli-cast.com, or I use Accuweather on my phone. I do also still use the DPN transmissions.”

REID JOHNSON, farms corn and soybeans east of Prophetstown“I use the NOAA weather app

on my cellphone. I can easily get what I want really quick off that

app, and I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but it seems like it might be a little more accurate than others I’ve used.”

DON TEMPLE, farms corn and soybeans south of Fulton

“Basically, I get my weather infor-mation from the Internet and TV. I check the Farm Bureau website, and DPN publishes it there.”

DOUG KUEHL, farms corn and soybeans north of Morrison

“I usually watch the weather man on TV, and I like Weather Underground. I just find it easy to use.”

BRIAN DUNCAN, farms grain, swine, and cattle in Polo

“Usually on my computer or on my DPN screen.”

We were curious about how local farmers get

weather forecasts, so we asked them. Their answers ranged from smartphone apps to broadcast news. Here’s what five farmers

had to say. Doug KuehlEd Habben Reid Johnson Don Temple Brian Duncan

26 Spring 2015

YIELDS UP

BY DAVE FOXFor Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Sometimes, the only certainty in farming is uncertainty.Take corn, for instance.Both yields and prices in corn

markets have seen record highs in recent years. Yields continue to fluctuate, ever upward, while prices seem to have cor-rected themselves – downward – after the golden grain hit an all-time high in recent years.Many different factors can impact

yields of corn – and other grain – from one year to the next, and yields have a definite impact on prices.Gilbert Hostetler, president of Deer

Grove-based Prairie Hybrids, said that good quality seed, good genetics, a good fertility program, and a good supply of organic matter in the soil are all vital to getting the highest possible yields.Even under ideal conditions in those

four factors, Mother Nature has a lot of say in the end product.

Q�Q�QTed Koster, with Tettens Grain based in Galt, is a firm

believer in good weather producing good crops.“A lot of what happens in the end depends on the weath-

er during the growing season, for sure,” Koster said.“Last year was a fairly good year in northern Illinois for

corn,” he said, “because of the good summer growing sea-son. A lot of it depends on heat days, rainfall and so forth.”

’’‘‘ Many different factors will impact the corn prices. Ethanol production, demand in Chi-na, and world weather patterns all have an impact. Corn and beans are really a global

market.Ted Koster, with Tettens Grain based in Galt

AG Mag 27

Market correctionsActual corn yields have more than

doubled since 1975, according to the USDA, and an estimated 21 states – including Illinois and Nebraska – had record yields in 2014. The 2.35 billion bushels harvested in Illinois was 3 per-cent higher than the previous record in 2007.

After record yields and high prices, the market has worked to correct itself.

There is somewhat of a downward trend on the number of corn acres being planted, according to USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, which was released on Jan. 12.

According to that report, an estimated 97.3 million acres of corn were planted in the U.S. in 2012-13, with that num-ber dropping to 95.4 million acres the next season. The agency estimates a drastically lower 90.6 million acres of corn being planted in the U.S. in the coming growing season, with prices half of what they were less than 3 years ago.

Of course, the actual yield per acre will largely depend on the type of seed planted, according to Prairie Hybrid’s Hostetler.

“GMO [genetically modified seed] tends to produce slightly lower yields per acre than non-GMO,” he said.

“Non-GMO corn generally produces about 15 bushels more per acre than GMO varieties,” he said. “Some of our non-GMO seed averages 200 to 225 bushels per acre, and we have had some go as high as 300.”

Hostetler attributes much of that to the fact that non-GMO plants break down into organic matter in the soil much more effectively after the har-vest. That, in turn, leads to higher plant productivity.

CONTINUED ON 28�

ACREAGE DOWN Record corn

production prompts market correction

Corn is moved from one step to the next in the seed corn processing plant at Prairie Hybrids in Deer Grove.

( Dave Fox/Northern Illinois Ag Mag )

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Another impact on yield increases, particularly with GMO corn, is insuf-ficient levels of oxygen in the soil, he noted.

Farmers who use no-till or low-till methods “just aren’t getting enough oxygen back into the soil,” he said, “and that has slowed the per-acre yields of GMO corn somewhat. One of our customers said he gained 20 bushels per acre simply by cultivat-ing.”

Supply and demand obviously play a huge part in prices at the end of the season.

Koster, with Tettens Grain, noted high spikes in pricing recently, but said that the market always corrects itself.

“During the past five years, corn hit a high of $8.30 per bushel,” Koster said.

“That was in 2012,” he noted. “This year, there was such a high yield that the price hit a low of $3.30, but the mar-ket is coming back up off the bottom side, and we’re at about $4 now,” he said in early January.

“Prices are generally lower due to an excess supply of corn,” he explained, “and they were at record highs before because we’d had two bad years in a row.”

World events, governmental policies,

and other global factors impact grain prices here and abroad as well.

“Many different factors will impact the corn prices,” Koster said. “Ethanol pro-duction, demand in China, and world weather patterns all have an impact. Corn and beans are really a global mar-ket.”

Abundance of cornOverall, supply and demand tend to

have the biggest impact on how much is planted and what will go to the bank at harvest time.

Dave Fox/Northern Illinois Ag MagCleaning chaff from seed corn is one of many steps in the overall process of getting corn ready for sales and planting in the spring.


CONTINUED ON 29�

AG Mag 29

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Pioneer Seed’s Steven Long, based in Sterling, said there will likely be more beans and less corn planted this com-ing season, at least in the Midwest, as a step toward correcting the market.

“There will probably be a little bit of a trend toward more beans and less corn this year,” he predicted. “It’s a little more economical to put out beans. It’s a crop that costs less to produce than corn.”

Once existing corn supplies begin to shrink, it’s possible prices could go back up somewhat and more could be planted.

Not so this year, in all likelihood.“We’ve got enough supply of corn on

hand right now,” Long said, “Planting more beans probably won’t drive corn prices back up, but it will give existing supplies of corn a chance to be used.

“Farmers have a lot of corn just lying around in storage bins right now. We need to use some of it up, to create more of a demand for corn again before the prices will go back up,” he said.

“As there’s an abundant supply of corn, and less demand, the price will always go down,” he said. “Low prices cure low prices.”

And while GMO corn may not be keeping up with non-GMO in yields, it does lend itself to other advantages.

“There tend to be less insects and other things,” Koster said, “because GMO corn has traits built in that make it insect and fungus-resistant.

Dan Koster, president of Tettens Grain,

and Ted’s father, agrees that there will likely be less corn production this year.

“The trend for this year is more bean acres and less corn acres,” the elder Koster said. “I think that’s economically driven.

“On the corn side of it, people world-wide started planting more corn, so the prices dropped a lot because the supply was higher than the demand.”

Production caps?Will corn yields ever reach a plateau?“I don’t think that will ever happen,”

Dan Koster said. “We keep trying to do better and do more.”

Pioneer’s Long agreed.“Yields will likely keep going higher in

the years to come. We’ve got the tech-nology now to get higher yields, and we’ll keep seeing improvements.”

Kevin Larkey, lifelong grain farmer in the Walnut area, feels per-acre yields will continue to increase.

“Yields will continue to get slightly higher each year,” he said. “Mother Nature is in control of the crops ulti-mately, but we do the best we can with technology, so I personally don’t see any plateau in production.”

But Hostetler, with Prairie Hybrids, believes farmers will have fewer acres in corn again this season.


Dave Fox/Northern Illinois Ag MagKevin Larkey, who farms in the Walnut area in Bureau County, said that even though the weather is in control of the crops ultimately, “we do the best we can with technology, so I personally don’t see any plateau in production.”

CONTINUED ON 38�

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BY ANGEL SIERRAFor Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Emerging applications for smart-phones and tablets don’t just make a farmer’s field work a little easier.

They also enhance the producer’s abil-ity to track and adjust to problems, and make sense of critical farm data on-the-fly, area experts say.

Adam Henkle, 35, is a seventh-gener-ation Lee County farmer who helps on 1,600 acres of a homestead near Sub-lette that dates back to 1843.

And as an independent contractor for DuPont Pioneer, Henkle specializes in transitioning farmers to equipment and software that can seamlessly integrate and they measure, monitor, and extract vital information.

Mobilizing ag resourcesOn smartphones and tablets, farming apps

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Submitted to Northern Illinois Ag MagIn this screen shot from a promotional video online, a farming app is displayed that shows a few of the options available to farmers and service providers. CONTINUED ON 31�

AG Mag 31

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The technology is a welcome, helping hand, Henkle said, because a lot of the work that once required manual adjust-ments, such as variable-rate changes on the field, have become automated, and guidance systems and monitors, which previously were only available on combines, now are connected to almost every machine.

Today’s farmers are highly educated and apt to using the technology on the market, said Danelle Burrs, 29, manager of the Lee County Farm Bureau. Tablets such as iPads have made their way into the cabs of tractors working rows on the ground.

A NorthCentral Illinois Ag Mag online search for farming apps listed several top-tier agriculture companies that produce companion programs for mobile and tablet use. While most of those share similarities in function and goal, the wide spectrum available spans simple calculators to feature-rich suites.

Encirca, a division of DuPont Pioneer, pushed last year to bring field and crop scouting information to the hands of farmers and service providers, an indi-cator by the Des Moines, Iowa-based leader that shows real-time manage-ment of field data is a positive trend.

Under the Encirca umbrella are two

powerful apps: Encirca View, which pro-vides market data, crop conditions and weather forecasts, and Encirca Yield, which analyses seed irrigation and Nitro-gen levels, according to its website.

“It’s an amazing tool, [and] I’ve had a very positive reception,” Henkle said, adding that mobile apps like Encirca have become the go-to for farm man-agement, increasing efficiency. “We’re only using what we need, when we need it.”

Farmers now can precisely record downforce or diseased crop locations with pinpoint accuracy, all with the help global positioning. Some apps are even cloud-based, and can securely back up data off-site for ease of mind.

“Field360 Tools” by Pioneer offers pre-cipitation and growth stage estimators, and “Field360 Plantability” is a seed/planting calculator.

Precision Planting, a company pur-chased by Monsanto in 2012 and one of Encirca’s primary competitors, produc-es a tablet-only service called “Field-View” and “FieldView Plus.”

The apps are similar to other high-end programs in that they provide detailed scouting reports and highlight deficien-cies, but also display color-coded terrain in high-definition, and offer remote management and collaboration, a popu-lar add-on with the premium service.

Mobile Farm Manager by John Deere is

another that sprouted in 2012. The app is free to download from the App Store, but appears to have weaker support as a stand-alone program and requires an activation code and sync from Deere’s proprietary software that the customer might have installed on his home com-puter.

A subscription might be required to use the variety of apps available, but some have free or basic versions after an account is established.

Burrs has seen a transition in her seven years with Farm Bureau, to a point where farmers now have mountains of information and data about their fields, and some businesses exist simply to make sense of it all, helping growers identify deficient or underperforming crops.

“GPS allows them to be more precise, [and] through soil sampling and tests on their fields, they can apply fertilizer to just that specific part of the field,” Burrs said. Targeting swaths or sections never was an option before the tech-nology came along; it certainly involved approximation, and not accuracy, as is now available on the market, she said.

Mobile farming apps for smartphones and tablets “are a game-changer,” Burrs said, because the more information a farmer has about his farm, the better he can grow his crop and become a better steward of the land.


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Mike Mendenhall/Northern Illinois Ag MagThere are 67 turbines on the Laurel Wind Farm near Laurel, Iowa. While a route for the Rock Island Clean Line project to transmit wind energy from Iowa to northeastern Illinois has been approved in Illinois, an Iowa route still awaits an OK from the Iowa Utilities Board.

AG Mag 33

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BY TERRI SIMONAND KATHLEEN SCHULTZFor Northern Illinois Ag Mag

It could be the Hatfields and the McCoys of Illinois.

While the Hatfield and McCoy folklore was in West Virginia, the legendary feud between the two families is synonymous with justice, the honor of one’s family, and in some cases ... a bit of revenge.

Enter Rock Island Clean Line – an energy transmission project that conceptually begins in North Central O’Brien County in Iowa, and ends at a ComEd substation in Grundy County, Illinois. In Illinois, the projected path of the line begins in Rock Island County at the Mississippi River south of Cordo-va, and then runs through Whiteside, Henry, Bureau and LaSalle counties before ending in Grundy County.

But not so fast, RICL.Enter Block RICL – a grassroots orga-

nization growing in numbers, which doesn’t want any part of RICL. It’s more than just a “not in my backyard” type of group, rather one of people who are eager to preserve the generations of farmland they own, while bitterly refus-ing any suggestion of eminent domain.

They are also a group of people who

are not afraid to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to legal recourse; many have joined efforts to prevent the transmission project. To date, Block RICL spokespersons said, tens of thousands of people have joined similar efforts in Illinois and across the country, including Iowa, Indiana, Mis-souri, South Dakota, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee and more.

Illinois approvalIn late November 2014 the Illinois

Commerce Commission granted RICL a certificate of public convenience and necessity, which allows it to build and operate the 121-mile Illinois portion of the new 500-mile direct current electric power line. RICL, a subsidiary of Clean Line Energy of Houston, Texas, had submitted its application to the ICC in October 2012.

The application proposed two routes, a preferred and alternative route; the pre-ferred route was approved by the ICC.

On Jan. 14, the ICC denied a request for a new hearing that was filed by enti-ties: ComEd, the Illinois Agriculture Association (aka Illinois Farm Bureau), and the Illinois Landowners Alliance.

Members of Block RICL say they will continue to oppose the project, despite ICC’s decision not to rehear the case.

RICL recently filed for the same per-mission in Iowa as it did in Illinois and must go through a similar regulatory process, which took two years in Illinois. Officials hope to have that Iowa approval yet this year; begin construction as early as 2016; and begin transmission as early as 2018. That time line could change based on regulatory approvals.

The Iowa portion of the project is also being met with many opponents and landowner opposition.

If the line is approved, it will deliver a projected 3,500 megawatts of wind power from the greater northwest Iowa area to Illinois. The lines could carry electrici-ty produced from wind farms in South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa though Illinois and eastward, though the majority would be from Iowa.

“The ICC approval is a great step for-ward for the Rock Island Clean Line project and brings Illinois one step clos-er to creating a cleaner energy future,” Michael Skelly, president of Clean Line Energy, said in the release in late 2014.

Rock Island Clean Line, Block RICL still in dispute

CONTINUED ON 34�

34 Spring 2015

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Jobs ... and objections

According to the company, RICL would decrease the annual cost of wholesale electricity used to serve Illinois customers by an estimated $320 million in its first year of operation alone. In addition, it would bring a direct investment of about $600 million in the state, and create hundreds of construc-tion jobs and job support in the manufacturing sector for the wind turbines that will provide power for the line.


CONTINUED ON 35�

This map shows the entire RICL project, which begins in northwest Iowa and ends in Grundy County, Illinois. The Illinois route has been approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission, while the Iowa portion of the route is still under consideration by the Iowa Utilities Board.

AG Mag 35

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RICL has said it will use local vendors, such as construction materials suppli-ers, and will buy its wire from South-wire Inc.’s Flora factory in Illinois. The project is expected to generate millions of dollars in local government revenues each year for counties, schools, fire districts, and other community services where the line and converter station are located.

But Block RICL has many, many objections to the project, debunking

many of RICL’s claims and promises.Perhaps the most pressing issue,

according to spokespersons for the organization, is that RICL is a private company seeking authority of emi-nent domain without proving a need for such a project. The group takes exception with RICL telling the ICC the company needed eminent domain to attract investors for a private, specula-tive project.

Another huge issue for Block RICL is the concept that this ruling will set a precedent for case law.

And Block RICL has considerable con-cerns on the environmental impact of the project, as well as medical studies that could prove to be a concern.

A Block RICL spokesperson, Mary Mauch, originally from Meriden in LaSalle County, said the average age of landowners along the proposed RICL line are well into their 70s. She urges people not to sign any documents with-out legal counsel.

“It is about protecting our private property rights, first and foremost,” Mauch said, “and second, about pro-tecting our income and investments, and the health concerns of families liv-ing close and working around the mas-sive structures in the fields. ...

“People on the outside, who don’t know the value of farmland, think it’s a big sum of money [that RICL will pay for putting towers on the land]. They don’t understand,” Mauch said. “Right now, things are really going in our favor, but it just takes a lot of time. This is our family legacy – four and five genera-tions – and we’re just trying to protect it for the next generation.”

Meanwhile the feud continues ... RICL vs. Block RICL – one a large company that wants to build an energy transmis-sion line across Illinois, the other an organized group of farmers, landown-ers and their supporters who want to stop them.

Artwork contributed by RICLThis is a close-up map of the proposed RICL transmission line across Illinois, which begins in Rock Island County and travels through Whiteside, Henry, Bureau and LaSalle counties before ending at the Commonwealth Edison plant in Grundy County. The proposed line is 121 miles long.


36 Spring 2015

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When friends of the church are in need, the Women of St. Paul’s come through, indeed, with delicious food. (From left) Nancy Eilers,

Judy Bartel and Carolyn Duncan hold onto a popular Orange Jello Salad they prepare for meals at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sterling.

( Philip Marruffo/Northern Illinois Ag Mag )

BY CHRISTI WARRENNorthern Illinois Ag Mag

A group of about 10 women at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sterling just love to cook.

They cook for each other, with each other, for others, for fun. They just love it.

And together, as the Women of St. Paul’s, they work to feed the sick, the mourning, and those who come to worship.

They’ve written several cookbooks – unfortunately, none are available for pur-chase any longer – and do it all out of the goodness of their own hearts.

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CONTINUED ON 37�

AG Mag 37

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“We always have lots of des-serts,” Bartel said.

“I love to make pies,” Eilers added. “I love to make every-thing, but it’s always fun to get a new recipe and make something.”


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“There will be definitely less corn in 2015,” he said. “Farmers are scared stiff they’ll be making a lot less money. The market is cor-recting itself.”

Once corn production reaches certain levels, or continues to hit record highs in both yields and prices, what are the chances that the government will impose caps on either area or both?

“I don’t think the govern-ment would ever be able to pull it off,” Hostetler said. “They’re just too big and clum-sy to do something like that.”

Dan Koster tends to agree.“I don’t think the govern-

ment would cap production,” Koster said. “We have had that in the past, but I don’t see that as an underlying issue in the foreseeable future.”

Pioneer’s Steven Long also agreed.

“I don’t think they will [impose caps],” Long said. “It’s not really an issue. The market tends to correct itself.”

Production caps aren’t really needed because the market always corrects itself, according to Ted Koster.

“I would obviously think there would be less corn planted after these past few years,” he said, “because demand isn’t keeping up with supply. It will balance out after a while, though.

“There’s no need for govern-ment caps because of that,” Koster added. “Agriculture tends to be a self-regulating kind of thing in that regard.”

Larkey doubts farmers will see any such limitations.

“We like cheap food, and the government does too,” he said. “The best way to ensure cheap food is to produce lots of it, and we can’t do that if the government puts limits on how much is produced.”


Ken Schroeder/Northern Illinois Ag MagPutnam County’s Laurie Glenn doesn’t think there’s a corn cap in the future. She also doesn’t see an end to the con-tinuing rise in crop yields, believing better genetics is the biggest reason behind better yields.

AG Mag 39

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“It’s not as easy as it looks,” he said with a smile. “It really takes total con-centration while you’re up there.

Aerial spraying (don’t call it cropdusting) ‘not as easy as it looks,’ pilot says

CONTINUED ON 40�

‘The crazy ones don’t last long in this business’

40 Spring 2015

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“You’re not just flying, but you’re run-ning the spray system and running the GPS and constantly looking for obsta-cles, and that’s all going on while you’re moving across the ground at 140 mph.”

He is the third in his family to take on this type of aviation. His grandfather, Joe Cady, actually started the business in the early ’60s, and his dad, Neil, ran things for a number of years, taking over when Joe retired. “And I just took over last year from my dad,” Les said.

“He [Neil] still comes around from time to time,” Cady said, “and he’ll help out with some things, but I’ve pretty much run things since last year.”

A licensed pilot, Les attended Parks College, an aviation school in St. Louis, where he graduated in 1991 after becom-ing accredited as an aviation mechanic.

“It’s really beneficial being a mechanic as well as a pilot,” he said, “because it really decreases our down time when there are mechanical issues. It makes it easier to take better care of the customers.

“We do all our own maintenance here,” he continued. “I know the planes inside and out, and that cuts down on breakdowns quite a bit. We spend the winter going over the planes and fixing them before there are any problems. That way we can be more on-target for our customers.”

When asked to explain crop-dusting, he laughed again.

“Those of us in the business tried for a long time to get away from that label,” Les said. “We were really pushing ‘aerial sprayers’ as a job title.

“Then, when the 9/11 attacks hap-pened, the media kept talking about how these terrorists were learning to fly and had plans to pose as crop-dusters,” he said. “The news was full of that term for the longest time, so we just threw up our hands and said, OK, we’re crop-dusters.”

The business basically uses small aircraft to spread chemicals on crops. Three of the main applications deal with insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.


Photos by Dave Fox/Northern Illinois Ag MagAt his shop near Rock Falls, Les Cady talks about how spray nozzles can be adjusted up or down so that wind shear can assist with determining droplet size.CONTINUED ON 41�

AG Mag 41

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When he got into the busi-ness, Les said, he sprayed mainly insecticides to help control crop-destroying insects.

Now, with genetically modified seeds, insecticides aren’t as necessary as they were 20 years ago because that type of plant, especially corn, has anti-insect safe-guards built in.

“It’s not always effective,” he said, “so sometimes we still spray for insects, but there has been more of a swing to spraying fungicides the last 20 years.”

Cady recently upgraded his planes and now has two Air Tractor Model 502 planes, made especially for crop dusting. Each plane features a 750-horsepower turbo-prop motor by Pratt and Whitney.

“Turbine engines are a much bigger advantage over older piston engines,” Cady said, “because they have more power and better per-formance, plus they’re qui-eter and require less mainte-nance.”

Each plane burns around 50 gallons per hour of K-1 kerosene.

“That’s actually what jet fuel is,” Cady said with a smile, “just glorified kerosene.”

Each plane has a top speed of up to 160 mph, but work-ing speed is typically 140 mph, according to Cady.

“The faster you go, the more the drag increases, and the more horsepower you use,” he explained. “We already use a lot of horsepower just to carry the spray, and 140 mph is just a more manageable speed.”

At 140 mph, the work goes fairly fast, he said.

“Sizes of the fields we do varies quite a bit,” he said, “but generally goes any-where from 40 to a couple of hundred acres.”

A 200-acre field takes 30 to 40 minutes to spray on aver-age, “but that can vary quite a bit,” he said.

“Sometimes you get a field

with a lot of obstructions and turns, and that takes a lot more time,” he said.

Average productivity is 220 to 230 acres an hour.

“I spend around 300 hours in the air during a given sea-son,” he said.

Accuracy is always a con-cern, and Cady remarked several times how safe aerial spraying generally is as far

as the chemicals and where they go.

“We have our planes pat-tern-tested every year,” he said.

Both planes are equipped with GPS systems that keep track of spray swaths and patterns, and “can also con-trol the flow control across the field because your speed can vary going up-field as opposed to down-field,” Cady noted.

“It takes a certain kind of per-son to do this kind of work,” he said. “People tell me I’m crazy, but the crazy ones don’t last long in this business.

“Getting to fly bigger more advanced aircraft makes it exciting. and I get a lot of pride in knowing I’ve done a good job for the farmer, and that I’ve helped in one link in the chain of agriculture.

“When I first started flying small aircraft,” he said, “I had no idea I’d end up doing something like this. It’s pret-ty awesome.”

Dave Fox/Northern Illinois Ag MagA hose is attached to a tank full of chemical to be sprayed, with the other end being attached to this filler valve on the plane so the plane’s 500-gallon tank can be filled safely.

��CONTINUED FROM 40 About Cady Aerial Spraying

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42 Spring 2015

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Bringing the past into the present

BY GOLDIE CURRIEFor Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Dave Kepner of Walnut in Bureau County has always had a knack for all things mechanical.

He admits to being called a “gear head” when he was in school.

“I was that kid who would rather tear his bike apart than ride the dang thing,” he said.

Kepner started his career in mechan-ics in 1959, right after high school, when he went to work at the John Deere Dealership in Walnut.

Dave Kepner of Walnut stands near his latest mechanics project. Kepner found a way to put an electronic fuel injection system on his 1965 John Deere 4020 gas-powered engine. The new system now allows his old tractor to start just like a brand new pickup truck.

( Goldie Currie/Northern Illinois Ag Mag ) CONTINUED ON 43�

AG Mag 43

With 56 years of experience under his belt, he’s developed a reputation as being a “go-to” guy when a piece of equipment isn’t running properly.

Often times, Kepner can be found in his machine shed tinkering around with tools and old tractors, but lately that time spent tinkering has produced a unique project that’s completely mod-ernized his 1965 John Deere 4020 tractor.

Kepner has transformed his tractor’s gas-powered engine into an electronic fuel injection system that runs on mod-ern unleaded gasoline.

The modern technology touch to his vintage tractor allows it to run pretty much like “a new pickup truck,” he said.

It’s an idea that has yet to really make it into the agricultural scene, according to Kepner.

“I’ve never heard of anyone who has done this yet,” he said. “But the need is out there to use these old tractors.”

With this conversion, he added, farm-ers can transform their old gas-powered tractors into a better product.

With a mechanical background, Kepner had the idea for the conversion. He said the automobile industry had found a way to convert old vehicles to EFI systems, and he wanted to incorpo-rate the same idea for his tractor.

His first step in coming up with the method was calling a company in Memphis, Tennessee., who works on conversions for old vehicles. Kepner was able to get in touch with a com-pany engineer who was willing to give direction, via the phone, with the EFI retrofit system hookup. The engineer happened to be a farmer from Mis-sissippi and had a good idea of what Kepner was trying to accomplish.

Kepner said once he was able to get direction from the engineer, the project

didn’t take much time to complete. A tad bit of remodeling to parts on the tractor had to be done to incorporate the new system, but the modern touch has barely touched the vintage look of the John Deere 4020 model.

“It’s just awesome what it does [to the tractor],” Kepner said, referring to the conversion. “It doesn’t smoke. It starts easily, and it’s really like driving a new pickup truck.”

Kepner said the new twist gives his tractor 10 percent more horsepower than when it left the dealership, while using 20 percent less fuel.

“It’s just correcting a lot of mistakes made when they were first built,” he said.

When Kepner took his project to a corn pickers show this past fall, he received a lot attention from fellow farmers interested in his conversion.

Today, he keeps busy doing the same conversion to four tractors people have asked him to complete.

Kepner said he is more than willing to share his idea. He said he doesn’t care who does it; he just thinks it needs to be known that it can be done so farmers can utilize the late model gas-powered tractors.

“The country is just full of them, and they’re just sitting around not being used,” he said, adding there is still a good market for the small tractor that’s capable of doing those little projects around the farm.


Goldie Currie/Northern Illinois Ag MagKepner explains his work and technique in hooking up an electronic fuel injection system on his old gas-powered engine tractor. According to Kepner, this is an idea that has yet to make it into the agricultural scene, but the demand is out there, as many farmers have kept their old gas-powered engine tractors but have yet to find use for them.

44 Spring 2015

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BY JERMAINE PIGEEFor Northern Illinois Ag Mag

Students at Sterling High School want to bring more of an agriculture pres-ence to the area.

“We are in an ag community without an ag presence in the school,” said Broc Colville, a junior.

Because of that, a group of students has come together to help create a new agriculture club at the school. The pro-gram was started last fall with about 20 students.

James Rahn, a senior at SHS, said he wanted to get the program started mainly because he wants to help edu-cate his classmates about the world of agriculture.

“Most kids don’t know what a tractor is, and I’d like to inform people about it,” Rahn said. “I want to figure out ways to educate our fellow students on ag because the kids are interested.”

‘More than corn and beans’ Sterling High School

starts Ag Club

Michael Krabbenhoeft/Northern Illinois Ag Mag A group of students started an agriculture club at Sterling High School last fall, with hopes of starting a Future Farmers of America program. “Most kids don’t know what a tractor is, and I’d like to inform people about it,” said senior James Rahn, one of about 20 students in the club. CONTINUED ON 45�

AG Mag 45

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Joie Roddy, the club’s advis-er, said the ag program is still getting off the ground, so activities have been lim-ited.

“Right now, we don’t have a set purpose and a set thing we come to meetings for,” Roddy said. “A lot of the kids in the school don’t under-stand there is so much more to agriculture than just corn and beans.”

Another goal of the group is to get enough presence to form a Future Farmers of America pro-gram, a student-led lead-ership development orga-nization for agricultural students.

Tad Everett, superin-tendent of the Sterling School District, said the discussion about an FFA program has taken place for years.

“With our new online curriculum that we have been looking at, it has the potential of offering some ag courses for the students,” Everett said.

“Based on that, it provides a possibility of revisiting this conversation once again.”

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“They want to build a hydroponic set-up so we can have something tan-gible in the school so stu-dents can see there is more than just corn and beans in agriculture,” Roddy said. “We are just now getting to the point where we want to put this up and get it going.”

Members of the group are also preparing a list of places to visit.

“We want to go to some-one’s farm, or we may go to a daily farm or hog farm,” Roddy said. “We are just a young group that is just starting.”


Tad Everett

46 Spring 2015

BY MATT MENCARINIFor Northern Illinois Ag Mag

When the state’s 98th General Assembly came to a close in December, it left two bills unresolved.

Those pieces of legislation, one in the House and one in the Senate, call for mandatory labeling of food products containing genetically modified organ-isms – GMOs.

GMO in relation to food is also referred to as biotechnology – or genetic engi-neering. Proponents of the bills say the labeling provides consumers with infor-mation about the foods they’re eating – information they have a right to know. The critics say it puts GMO in a negative light and adds an economic burden to businesses in Illinois.

Two bills failed in last General Assembly

GMO label debate likely to resume in 2015

Sarah Brown/Northern Illinois Ag MagIn response to consumer demand, General Mills announced its original Cheerios cereal is now made without the use of genetically modified ingredients. While there are no GMO oats, which is the primary ingredient in Cheerios, General Mills now uses only corn starch derived from non-GMO corn and non-GMO pure cane sugar. CONTINUED ON 48�

AG Mag 47

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State Sen. David Koehler, D-Peoria, who represents the 46th District, which includes parts of Peoria, Fulton, and Tazewell coun-

ties, intro-duced his bill in February 2013. That year he held three public hearings on the issue – in Chicago, Bloomington and Carbon-dale.

The House bill was intro-duced by Rep. Deborah Mell, D-Chicago, who is no lon-

ger a member of General Assembly.

In a video from the June 2013 hearing, Koehler said there’s some thought that GMO labeling law should come down from the federal level, which is something he can’t control. But as a mem-ber of the Illinois General Assembly, he said, he and state government can do what they think is best for their constituents.

“I think the strongest case is that, as a consum-er, let me decide,” he said in 2013. “And that’s really what this legislation is all about – is giving consumers a choice.”

Mandatory vs. voluntary

The Illinois Farm Bureau supports voluntary label-ing of GMO or non-GMO

food products. It also supports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s policy of “science-based” labeling.

The organization is opposed to mandatory labeling, which the Illinois bills called for.

Those bills would put GMO, or biotechnology, in a negative light, said Kevin Semlow, director of state leg-islation for the Illinois Farm Bureau.

The Farm Bureau isn’t against consumers knowing what’s in the food products they buy, he said, but the GMO labels are biased to portray them as negative

Scientific research, he said, has proved GMO’s to be safe.

Semlow also said the labeling would create an unfair business environ-ment in the state, where food producers would need to make sure all products going to Illinois for sale have labels.

Movement spreadsAccording to the Center

for Food Safety, a national non-profit public interest and environmental advo-cacy organization, three states have passed labeling legislation. In 2013 and

2014, 26 states, including all that boarder Illinois, had labeling laws intro-duced in their state gov-ernments.

A September 2014 report by the Oregon-based con-sulting company ECONor-thwest for Consumer Union, the policy and action divi-sion of Consumer Reports, found “the median cost of labeling in the studies that provided relevant models was $2.30 per person per year.”

The cost estimates in the studies reviewed ranged from 32 cents to $15.01 a year for each person.

But Semlow said even pennies can make a differ-ence.

“When you talk about pen-nies, and you look at a box

of mac and cheese, that’s a big deal,” he said. “Pennies is the margin of error to the food industry. It’s just another burden on the food industry.”

Consumer Union favors the labels. A survey the group conducted found that 92 percent of Amer-icans want genetically modified foods to be labeled. Consumer Union takes the stance that labels should also say whether food is genetically engi-neered.

While neither of the bills in Illinois was brought to a vote during the 98th General Assembly, Semlow said he expects them to be revisited in the 99th General Assem-bly, which convened in Jan-uary.

’’‘‘ When you talk about pennies, and you look at a box of mac and cheese, that’s a big deal. Pennies is the margin

of error to the food industry. It’s just another burden on the food industry.

Kevin Semlow, Illinois Farm Bureau


State Sen. David

Koehler Said legislation he introduced in Senate is all about “giving consumers a

choice.”

AG Mag 49

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Instilling ag knowledge into young

lives

BY GOLDIE CURRIEFor Northern Illinois Ag Mag

In his 10 years of teaching at Bureau Valley High School, Willard Mott has worked hard to provide the best agri-cultural educational experience for his students.

He’s watched his classes and FFA pro-gram expand as he has encouraged stu-dents from all backgrounds to study at least one aspect of agriculture.

With agriculture being the No. 1 indus-try in this area and U.S., Mott feels the education is important for all students.

Nearly all students have ag class at Bureau Valley

CONTINUED ON 50�

Willard Mott teaches agri-culture classes and is the

FFA sponsor at Bureau Valley High School. “I

think every student needs a basic understanding of where their food and fuel come from,” Mott said.

( Goldie Currie/Northern Illinois Ag Mag )

50 Spring 2015

“I think every student needs a basic understanding of where their food and fuel come from,” he said. “Ultimately, everyone is a consumer, and consumers need to know where their products are coming from and what goes into their production.”

Mott counts himself among those students who didn’t come from an agricultural background but learned to respect everything it had to offer.

It wasn’t until he took a summer job on a small farm as a child in Lake City, Minnesota, that he was introduced to the lifestyle. That job eventually led him to milking cows on a nearby dairy farm. From there, he decided to take an ag class at school and joined the local FFA chapter.

Mott said his first trip to the Minneso-ta State FFA Convention really opened his eyes to what the ag industry had to offer.

“That really got me interested in ag, and it really encouraged me to be more involved in FFA,” he said.

After high school, Mott was set on furthering his studies at the University of Illinois but didn’t have a plan for the rest of his life. With so much diversity in the ag industry, he found it difficult to

pinpoint one subject to stick with for an entire career.

“Through all my experiences, I decid-ed teaching was probably the best fit for me,” Mott said. “Agricultural education was broad enough where I could do a lot of things in really any aspect of agri-culture.”

Today, Mott has his hands in many different ag subjects. He teaches a wide array of ag courses, including animal science, welding, horticulture, ag busi-ness, and ag science.

He believes the constant changing and evolution of the industry, due to tech-nology, presents the greatest challenge of teaching agriculture.

“You have to keep up with the indus-try,” he said, “because you cannot teach students outdated information and release them into the industry and have them be off-pace or whatever you told them not be true.”

At Bureau Valley High School, which

includes the towns of Walnut, Man-lius, Wyanet, Buda and Sheffield in Bureau County as well as some stu-dents from Bradford in Stark County, about 90 to 100 students are taking at least one ag class each year. The FFA enrollment is around 75 to 80 stu-dents.

“We almost have 100 percent of stu-dents in an ag class here at Bureau Valley,” he said. “Every year we try to recruit more students. I’d love to see it expand and grow.”

Mott said the more students who come from non-ag backgrounds, the more important ag education will be in schools.

“It’s a historical fact that there are fewer and fewer farmers every year,” he said. “So with fewer farmers, there are fewer students who come from an ag background. And that just means we need to educate more people.”


’’‘‘ You have to keep up with the industry, because you cannot teach students outdated information and release

them into the industry and have them be off-pace or whatever you told them not be true.

Willard Mott, teacher at Bureau Valley High School

AG Mag 51

Index of Advertisers1st Farm Credit Services............ 35

Ag View FS, Inc .......................... 45

AgriEnergy Resources................ 43

Apple River Well & Pump ........... 36

BC Tech Group ........................... 42

Beck Hybrids .............................. 46

Birkey’s Farm Store ...................... 2

Bocker Excavating...................... 40

Bogott Plumbing, Inc.................... 40

Bos Farm Repair.......................... 38

Bradford Victor-Adams Mutual Ins.. 52

Burkardt’s LP Gas ...................... 24

Bushman’s Service..................... 28

Carroll Service Company............ 25

Central Bank Illinois.................... 42

CGH Medical Center .................. 15

Community State Bank................. 3

Cornerstone Agency, Inc ............ 16

Countryside Marketing................ 45

Diversi!ed Services .................... 34

Eastland Fabrication, LLC .......... 37

Ehrmann, Gelbach, Badger, Lee

& Considine, LLC.................... 33

Elmore Electric, Inc..................... 49

Farmers Mutual Insurance Co.... 30

Farmers National Bank................. 4

First National Bank in Amboy....... 11

First National Bank of Rochelle.... 33

First State Bank of Shannon....... 25

Forreston Mutual Insurance Co.. 41

Gold Star FS, Inc........................ 23

Good Samaritan ......................... 12

Harry’s Farm Tires ...................... 38

Hotsy Equipment Co................... 47

Ideal Seed Treatment ................. 22

Illinois Bank & Trust .................... 21

Index........................................... 51

Jo Carroll Energy, Inc ................. 39

Johnson Precision ...................... 32

KSB Hospital .............................. 18

Leffelman & Assoc, Inc ............... 20

M&M Aviation.............................. 38

Michlig Energy, LTD.................... 45

Midwest Bio-Tech Inc.................. 34

Milledgeville Farmers Elevator ... 29

Milledgeville State Bank ............. 29

Milledgeville Vet Clinic ................ 28

Moore Tires, Inc.......................... 41

Morrison Auto Supply ................. 30

Napa Auto Parts ......................... 24

Northern Grain Marketing, LLC .. 38

Peabudy’s, Inc .............................. 5

Peoples National Bank/Kewanee . 50

Peru Waltham................................ 44

Pioneer Utica ................................. 45

PLN Mutual Insurance Company.... 7

Ray Farm Management Serv ..... 48

Rediger, Rick R.E ....................... 37

Rosengren, John ........................ 32

Rotary Airlock, LLC..................... 19

Sawicki Motor Company............. 10

Schmitt Plumbing & Heating....... 38

Schoff Farm Service ................... 48

SI Distributing, Inc ...................... 23

Snetcher Custom Farming.......... 36

Sterling Futures .......................... 31

Sublette Mechanical ................... 44

V&C Construction Co., Inc.......... 49

Vaessen Brothers Chevrolet....... 21

Vern’s Farm Supply, Inc.............. 35

Whiteside Co. Farm Bureau ......... 6

Wick Buildings ............................ 13

Wilcox Construction.................... 14

Witmer Precision Services.......... 17

Zoeller Ag Services..................... 31

Providing insurancecoverage for localhomes and farms

since 1869Leffelman & Associates

Amboy815-857-2125

[email protected]

LaMoille815-638-2171

[email protected]

Sublette815-849-5219

[email protected]

Baylor InsuranceAgencyLee Center

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Mel Saad Agency928 8th Avenue, Erie

[email protected]

VanderVinne Agency127 E. Main St., Morrison

[email protected]

CornerstoneInsurance Agency102 W. Main, Morrison

[email protected]

First State Insurance385 Chicago Rd, Paw Paw

[email protected]

KirchhoferInsurance Store

102 N. Elm, Franklin Grove815-456-2319

kirchhofferinsurance.com

Miller Insurance Group427 N. Main Street, Rochelle

815-561-9911

Query Insurance Agency, Inc.330 May Mart Drive, Rochelle

[email protected]

Adami InsuranceAgency

712 First Avenue, Rock Falls815-625-6220

[email protected]

Hugh F. MillerInsurance Agency, Inc.

801 First Avenue, Rock Falls815-626-1300

hughmillerinsurance.com

Sauk ValleyInsurance Services

109 6th Street, Dixon815-288-2541

www.saukvalleyinsurance.com

Member Owned and OperatedMUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY

BV-A

BRADFORDVICTOR-ADAMS

120 W. South Street | Franklin Grove815-456-2334 | www.bradfordmutual.com

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