Illinois Corn Crop Would Be 5th-Largest

SPRINGFIELD – With the issuance of the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) August Crop Production Report and Illinois Weather and Crops Report on August 12, expectations for this year’s corn and soybean harvests were defined for farmers and economists. While corn production is forecast to jump 28 percent to 13.8 billion bushels– the largest corn production on record– in the United States, Illinois farmers’ expectations for corn yields are not quite as bountiful.

According to the NASS Illinois Field Office report, Illinois corn is expected to yield 165 bushels per acre in 2013, an increase of 60 bu./acre over last year’s average. If met, the figure would represent the fifth-largest corn harvest on record in Illinois, according to Mark Schleusener, director of the NASS Illinois Field Office. Production of corn for grain will measure 1.964 billion bushels, more than 50 percent higher than 2012, the report projected.

The 2013 Illinois soybean crop is expected to produce 47 bu./acre, up by just four bushels over last year’s drought-plagued growing season. Statewide production is forecast at 439 million bushels, or 15 percent more than last year’s production, the report stated. Soybean production across the U.S. is estimated at 3.26 billion bushels, an eight percent increase over 2012 and, if realized, the third largest soybean harvest in U.S. history.

Scuse: US Energy Imports Down 20%

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Recently we had a chance for a brief phone chat with acting USDA Deputy Secretary Michael Scuse about the possible commercial uses for oil from the seeds of chamolina, pennycress and other potential cash crops farmers can grow over winter. Scuse is currently drumming up support for the growth of renewable energy alternatives and biomass to process for use as commercial aviation jet fuel and to power U.S. Navy jets. When the talk turned to the Obama Administration’s continuing commitment to lessening consumers’ reliance on foreign energy sources, Scuse had the following comment:

“If you stop and look at where we were just a few short years ago, we were importing 65 percent of our energy needs. Today we’re down around 45 percent. We’ve come a long way and you can contribute that to the ethanol and biodiesel industries, along with solar, wind, conservation measures by consumers and the (oil) drilling we have going on here in the U.S. But we need to continue down this path– we don’t need to stop our work.”

Scuse was recently in Ottawa, Illinois to announce USDA rural improvement funding for the town.

Koehler Proposes Illinois Products Day

PEORIA – State Senator David Koehler’s (D-Peoria) new law encourages Illinois residents to pledge to “Eat Local, Buy Illinois Products” on the first Saturday of each month. The motive: to work with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) to enhance the state’s struggling economy, of course. “When you buy Illinois products, you put money right back into your friends and neighbors’ pockets,” Koehler said in a news release. “People talk a lot about outsourcing– think of this as insourcing.”

According to the IDOA, if each household in Illinois spent $10 on Illinois products each week, the people of Illinois would be reinvesting more than $2.4 billion in the state economy each year. “Even if it’s just once a month, try to go to a restaurant that cooks food raised by local farmers,” Koehler stated. “Go to a farmers market. Go to a grocery store that labels the food it gets from local producers. There are so many ways to give back to local business. Let’s create jobs here in Illinois.”

Governor Pat Quinn signed the “Buy Illinois Products Day” into law on August 13.

Third GMO Hearing Set for Chicago

BLOOMINGTON – Speaking of labels and David Koehler, the state senator from Peoria will host the third and final GMO Food Labeling hearing with the Illinois Senate Agriculture Subcommittee in downtown Chicago on September 17. The hearing will conclude the trio of gatherings that began in Bloomington on the campus of Illinois State University in June and moved to Southern Ill. University in Carbondale in July. 

The Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association (IFCA) joined a coalition of agricultural organizations to provide factual information for the hearings. Last week, the IFCA distributed an email to members explaining their position on GMO food labeling: “Some outspoken citizens want all foods that contain any ingredients derived from biotechnology to feature a GMO label on the package. This is extremely problematic for the food production industry, given that biotech grain crops are not significantly different than other crops according to the FDA, who therefore does not require labeling,” the IFCA stated, in part. “IFCA is opposed to GMO food labeling; the cost of grain segregation, trait verification throughout the processing channel and state regulatory oversight of an Illinois labeling law is hugely cost prohibitive and places tremendous liability on the food industry. The USDA certified organic program is already an option for consumers who wish to purchase GMO free food products.”

Illinois Corn Refutes Anti-Ethanol Ads

BLOOMINGTON – Perhaps you’ve seen or heard the new anti-ethanol advertisements recently rolled out by the American Petroleum Institute, whose “big oil” member corporations stand to lose the most if American consumers continue to embrace and demand more renewable energy choices for fuel. The ads feature actors portraying a “John Q. Public” character spewing misconceptions about ethanol and the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which the API is seeking to repeal.

In response, the Illinois Corn Growers Association wants consumers to know that the facts about ethanol and the RFS are easy to find. The RFS is a success and has reduced our dependence on foreign oil while encouraging investment in the ethanol industry, according to Illinois Corn. In addition, corn ethanol has reduced the average cost per gallon of gasoline in the U.S. by over a dollar at the E-10 blend level and displaces MTBE, a known toxic carcinogen. More facts from ICGA: www.ilcorn.org and www.ilcorn.org/flexfuel. (ICGA Daily Update)

Illinois Farm Fact:

In Illinois, corn-based ethanol provides 54,475 jobs and $765.5 million in total public revenue per year. (Illinois Corn)

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