Tremont Man Takes Corn Leadership Role
BLOOMINGTON - Tremont farmer Eric Kunzeman was among those re-elected to leadership positions within the Illinois Corn Growers Association during their annual re-organizational meeting held at the 2011 Illinois Commodity Conference on November 22.
Kunzeman was re-elected as District 8 board director and will represent growers in Peoria, Tazewell, Fulton, Mason, Cass, Menard and Logan counties. Kunzeman was also voted to chair the ICGA’s industrial committee.
Elected president was southern Illinois producer Jeff Scates, who is also District 15 director for the board. In addition, elected to leadership positions were Paul Taylor of Esmond (vice president), Richard Gates of Carmi (treasurer) and Aron Carlson of Winnebago (secretary).
The new ICGA board was officially seated following the meeting. The 15-member board coordinates and conducts market development along with legislative and public relations programs for the benefit of Illinois corn growers. (ICGA news)
Lexington, Bushnell Farmers Honored by ICGA
BLOOMINGTON - Jim Kinsella, a Lexington farmer, was the recipient of the Illinois Corn Growers Association’s 2011 Environmental Award presented during the Illinois Commodity Classic in Bloomington, held November 22. Kinsella was recognized for his commitment to conservation and environmental preservation.
“Jim’s dedication to the prevention of soil erosion in the state of Illinois is to be commended,” said Jim Reed, former ICGA president, who presented awards at the Commodity Conference before relinquishing his duties to new president Jeff Scates. “His efforts educating Illinois farmers about no-till and strip-till management practices have not gone unnoticed.”
Also recognized by the ICGA was Bushnell farmer Steve Pigg, who was awarded the ICGA’s top yearly honor, the World of Corn Award. The award honors individual pacesetters that help make Illinois a leader in corn production.
“Steve’s leadership during the early 2000s ushered in a new era of farm programs and safety nets. He encouraged the (ICGA) in the mid 2000s to improve crop insurance and led the movement to revenue based safety nets in the 2008 Farm Bill,” said Reed. (ICGA news)
Indian Creek Study Marks One Year
BLOOMINGTON - The Indian Creek Mississippi River Basin Initiative-- a study of water quality, nitrogen runoff and environmental preservation-- has seen significant progress in its first year, according to the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. Thirty-seven percent of producers farming 32 percent of the watershed area are now enrolled in programs designed to enhance their conservation agriculture systems, marking steady progress towards the program’s goal of 50 percent enrollment and acreage.
Baseline information is collected from the study areas regarding total N runoff and compared to areas not participating in the study. Utilizing cover crops, applying N in spring rather than fall and other best management techniques are employed by farmers enrolled in the initiative. The data collected is compared to EPA monitors to determine the actual amount of N runoff occurring in fields.
“We are comparing edge-of-field numbers to in-stream numbers to see the effect the best management practices are having on N concentrations within the watershed,” said Mike Plumer, a former Extension specialist hired by Illinois Corn for the project. “This data will help us understand if our best management practices are really working.”
The watershed is located in McLean and Livingston counties. (ICMB news)
Grower Touts APH Yield Option
STRASBURG - The new APH (actual production history) Yield Option allows farmers with qualifying APH databases to adjust their APH yield based on their county’s historical yield trend. By gaining a more accurate potential yield estimate based on county history, crop insurance coverage guarantees become more accurate, according to proponents of the option.
A southern Illinois farmer, Tim Lenz, said in a phone interview last week that the yield option was designed with the state’s corn and soybean farmers in mind. In the past, Illinois farmers had paid an inordinate amount into the federal crop insurance system compared to what they were receiving, according to Lenz, who is the immediate past president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association. “For the corn and soybean farmers I don’t see a downside to it,” said Lenz. ”It comes from work we’ve done for ten years (concerning) the loss ratio in Illinois and Midwest states. The crop ratio loss should be one-to-one but it’s anywhere from 3.3 to 3.6 in various counties.
“With trends going up, even if you buy an 80 percent insurance policy you are (subject) to the (RMA’s) ten-year average that lags behind your current yields,” Lenz continued. “(Currently), if your two or three-year APH is 180 but your actual (existing) ten-year average is 170, you are ten bushels behind before you ever start. (The APH Yield Option) allows for different areas’ average yield trend, and you are automatically going to get a bump up in your APH-- so you are going to go into the year being able to insure more bushels.”
Illinois Farm Fact:
Farm bill biologists with Pheasants Forever have contracted and consulted with more than 60,000 farmers and landowners in fifteen states-- including Illinois -- resulting in the improvement of over 2 million acres of land for wildlife. (Pheasants Forever)
(Tim Alexander is a freelance reporter who writes agriculture, news and feature articles for the News Bulletin, Farm World and many other publications.)
