U of I “Base Acre-Yield Update” Tool Readied

URBANA – The new Base Acre and Yield Updating spreadsheet relevant to the safety net changes in the 2014 Farm Bill developed by the University of Illinois Dept. of Agricultural and Consumer Economics (ACES) is now available at www.farmdoc.illinois.edu. The free, online tool will aid in making the first two sets of Farm Bill decisions– base acre allocation and yield updating– according to U of I ag economist Gary Schnitkey, who helped develop the spreadsheet.

“It also makes comparisons of expected payments from Agricultural Risk Coverage– County Option (ARC-CO) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs calculated by Agricultural Policy Analysis System,” noted Schnitkey, in an essay published on farmdocDAILY.com. “The ‘Base Acres and Yield Updating’ spreadsheet also prints the Farm Service Agency form for reporting updated yields.”

The spreadsheet calculates expected payments for all FSA program crops enrolled in PLC or ARC-CO and selects a preferred coverage option based on per-acre expected payments. The projections do not include estimates for Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO), a crop insurance alternative only available with PLC that could provide additional payments, Schnitkey noted.

P5 To Facilitate Illinois River Repairs

BLOOMINGTON – The Illinois Soybean Assoc. has been working hand-in-hand with the Port of New Orleans and other industry partners to create a public-private partnership pilot program (P5) to facilitate lock and dam repairs on the Illinois River. The ISA’s hard work paid off last week when the Port’s board of commissioners passed a resolution supporting a P5 to renovate eight existing locks and dams located within the Illinois River Waterway.

“The transportation projects we are pursuing through the P5 initiative have potential benefits that would be recognized nationwide,” said Scott Sigman, transportation and export infrastructure lead for the ISA. “The Illinois Waterway is a key conduit for soybean transport from Illinois farms to the MIssissippi River, and ultimately to an export position at the Gulf Coast.”

The P5 approach to funding waterways projects is supported by Congress’ Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014.The locks and dams eyed for overhauls include those located at Peoria, Lockport, Starved Rock and Marseilles.

“Outdated infrastructure causes delays in grain transportation,” added Sigman. “Industry partnerships in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bring together the resources needed to improve the reliability of the Illinois River’s locks and dams.” (ISA news)

Sullivan Named Friend of Ag

NORMAL – Illinois agriculture bestowed State Senator John Sullivan (D-47th) with their most prestigious, annual award of recognition late last month, the delineation was honestly earned. Sullivan is not your typical, city-raised politician who shows up in starched Levis and a seed cap to take credit for something or another at the local grain co-op with television cameras running. Rather, he is the sole Illinois state senator– out of 59 across the state– who resides on and operates a working farm.

Sullivan’s impressive record of representing the causes and issues facing rural Illinois was the primary reason he was presented with the 2014 Friend of Agriculture Award by representatives of the state’s beef, corn, milk, pork, soybean and wheat producers during the 2014 Ill. Commodity Conference, held November 25 in Normal, Ill.

“To have all of the commodity groups come together and recognize some of my accomplishments and what I’ve tried to do for agriculture, that’s a great honor and a really nice award,” said Sullivan, who who was elected to serve Illinois’ 47th district– the largest geographic district in the state– in 2002. He was also the chair of the Ill. Senate Ag Committee before being re-elected in 2004, and again in 2008, to represent the sweeping district, which encompasses all of nine west-central Illinois counties and part of two.

“As a farmer himself, Senator Sullivan has been a tremendous voice, leader and advocate for agriculture in the state of Illinois,” stated Kenny Hartman, president of the Ill. Corn Growers Assoc., when presenting the Friend of Agriculture Award to the senator. “He has worked diligently on many important issues to the farming community, and has proven himself very valuable to the agriculture industry.”

Rural Dwellers’ Comments on EQIP Sought

CHAMPAIGN – Illinois farmers and rural dwellers’ input is being sought by the USDA regarding how it can improve the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) administered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The interim final rule contains program changes made by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill, explained Illinois NRCS State Conservationist Ivan Dozier.

“EQIP has been one of our most popular and effective programs for getting conservation on the ground in Illinois but we’re always looking to improve. This comment period offers a great opportunity for individuals and groups to provide direct feedback that could help keep the program going in the right direction,” Dozier stated, in an Ill. NRCS news release.

EQIP is one of USDA’s largest and most popular conservation programs employed by farmers and landowners to help protect environmentally or ecologically sensitive areas of land and water. The rule was expected to appear in the Federal Register and online at www.regulations.gov, where comments may be registered, on Friday,  Dec. 12. There will be a 60-day public comment period, with a deadline of Feb. 10, 2015.

Illinois Farm Fact:

The meteorological odds of a White Christmas (one inch or more of snow) in the northern-third of Illinois are about 40-60 percent, 20-40 percent in central Illinois, and zero to 20 percent in southern Illinois. (Jim Angel, Illinois State Climatologist)

(Tim Alexander is a freelance reporter who writes agriculture, news and feature articles for Chronicle Media, Farm World, Prairie Farmer and many other publications. He resides in rural Peoria County with his family.)