New Tools For Beginning, Disadvantaged Farmers

SPRINGFIELD - USDA’s Illinois Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced on February 3rd that a new rule has been established that expands loan opportunities for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, while also creating a new Land Contract Guarantee Program (LCGP).

The rule allows FSA loan officers greater flexibility when determining eligibility for farm operating and ownership loans, in addition to expanding the LCGP from six to all 50 states. Encouraging established farmers to sell their property to beginning and disadvantaged farmers through the use of seller financing is the goal of the rule, according to Scherrie Giamanco, state executive director for Illinois FSA.
“These improvements demonstrate FSA’s commitment to helping the next generation of America’s farmers and ranchers participate in our nation’s agricultural economy. The new flexibility also enlarges the pool of potential farmland buyers, which is important to young, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers who start out or operate without established credit,” said Giamanco.
More information on the new LCGP and other changes are available at your local FSA office, while information about farm loan programs and FSA loan qualifications can be accessed at www.fsa.usda.gov. (USDA-FSA news release)

Beef Cow Exodus Continues in Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - The beef cow inventory in Illinois on January 1 was down six percent from last year to 331,000 head-- the lowest on record-- according to a recently-published USDA-NASS survey.
“According to our beef count numbers in Illinois, it’s a six percent drop,” said Cimeron Frost, director of industry programs for the Illinois Beef Association. Frost said the driving factor behind the ongoing exodus of beef cattle from Illinois continues to be high commodity prices for row crops, which force cattle to compete for valuable acreage against corn and soybeans.
“More ground is being plowed up and put into crops, taking away from pasture. A lot of hay ground has been taken out of production,” said Frost, adding that higher input costs have kept many producers from realizing greater profits during this period of higher prices.
“The cow-calf guys and the feedlot guys’ input (prices) have gone up dramatically in the last couple of years. While the prices they are receiving for their cattle are greater, their profits are not a whole lot greater. Some feedlots are breaking even and for the cow-calf guys, it’s not as rosy as it might appear,” Frost said.
The economic climate is not so bleak for some Illinois producers, according to Frost. “For Illinois, the cattle-on-feed stayed pretty consistent after a slightly-diminished last twenty years,” he said, noting that the presence of DDGs-producing ethanol refineries and hoop-style containment buildings in Illinois that can feed cattle more efficiently than the open lots atypical of the southwest west are contributing factors.
“We’re pretty excited about that,” Frost said.

ISA Board Director Pleased With Yield
SHIRLEY - The final yield for Illinois’ soybean crop was 47 bushels per acre, 4.5 bushels below 2010’s but one bushel above the 2009 yield, according to NASS’ year-end report, published January 27. 2011 production totaled 416 million bu., down 11 percent from 2010. Though yields were down somewhat dramatically from 2010, Matt Hughes, a McLean County farmer who serves as chairman of the Illinois Soybean Association Board of Directors, was one of the lucky Illinois farmers who recorded their highest soybean yield ever.
“The numbers tell one story, but production is down because acreage is down for the most part. Corn acres ate into them,” said Hughes, who farms in Funk’s Grove Township. “For me it was an unmatched year for soybeans. I think most farmers are pretty pleased with their numbers. They (also) had some outstanding yields in the northern part of Illinois.”
Hughes said he found 2011 soybean yields remarkable because plants overcame drought conditions during August to flourish in central and northern Illinois. “Normally those type conditions would have depressed our yields, but they held in there pretty good last year,” he said. “But if you go down to southern Illinois, they had a really wet spring and late planting. Yields were not as good. Overall, though, beans did really well under the conditions.”

Soybean Farmers Prepare for Weed Resistance
BLOOMINGTON - With weed resistance a growing threat to soybean yields and the patent covering the Roundup Ready 1 (RR1) soybean trait nearing expiration, the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) is working to address questions about the ability to buy varieties of the trait after patent expiration. The ISA is seeking input from producers as to whether they want to save and plant RR1 trait seed varieties after the trait patent expires in 2014. Feedback should be addressed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
In addition, the ISA will co-host three Illinois Weed Resistance Preparedness Training meetings featuring university researchers discussing weed resistance history and management techniques specific to Illinois. Farmers will be encouraged to share their experiences with weed resistance, while an industry tech panel offers the latest tools and technology for developing a strategic defense plan. Meetings will be hosted in Mt. Vernon (Feb. 21), Bloomington (DoubleTree Hotel, Feb. 22) and Rockford (Feb. 28). More information and pre-registration is available at www.weedmgmt.ilsoy.org or by calling (309) 808-3603. (ISA Weekly Update)

Shaffer to Lead Livestock Development Group
El PASO - An El Paso farmer, Rob Shaffer, has been elected president of the Illinois Livestock Development Group. Shaffer, who also serves as secretary of the Illinois Soybean Association’s Program Operating Board, believes the office will allow him to strengthen ties between the state’s livestock and soybean producers. The group’s stated mission is to “promote, develop and facilitate strategies to increase livestock production in Illinois.” (ISA Weekly Update)

Illinois Farm Fact:
Illinois’ mild winter continued through January, with temperatures statewide averaging 30.5 degrees, 5.7 degrees above normal. (NASS-Illinois Field Office)

(Tim Alexander is a freelance reporter who writes agriculture, news and feature articles for the News Bulletin, Farm World and many other publications.)