Obama “Knox College” Speech Lauded by Ag

BLOOMINGTON – President Obama’s speech outlining his goals for the remainder of his second term at Knox College in Galesburg last week was well received by many in agriculture. In addition to taking a swipe at the House of Representatives for splitting the Nutrition Title from their farm bill, the President re-emphasized his support for the continued development of biofuels.

“Illinois Corn was very excited to welcome President Obama to Illinois and we remain grateful for his support of biofuels,” said Paul Taylor, president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association, in an email. “The biofuels industry has really buoyed the Illinois economy. Agriculture has been the fastest growing industry in Illinois since 2000, and, as the backbone of the Illinois economy, has brought some other industries along with it. We look forward to continuing to work with the President to further the opportunities for biofuels in America.”

Along with helping to create investment in other industries throughout Illinois, biofuels have reduced the price of fuel for consumers and reduced greenhouse emissions resulting in cleaner air, according to Illinois Corn. The organization used Obama’s Galesburg speech to encourage steps to keep U.S. agriculture growing, including continuing to build a strong national biofuels policy, encouraging the automobile industry to produce more flex fuel vehicles, supporting higher blends of ethanol, asking EPA to do a better job of aligning the goals of the Renewable Fuel Standard with CAFE and updating the real greenhouse gas emission from corn-based ethanol.

Congressional Ag Scorecard

BLOOMINGTON – Delegates from Illinois Corn traveled to Capitol Hill last week to press Illinois representatives in the House and Senate for their positions on the farm bill, Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Meeting with Illinois House members, nearly all members expressed tempered optimism and support for the passage of a farm bill, according to Illinois Corn’s Ted Delicath. Concerning the RFS, all members the corn farmers met with indicated they recognized the importance of renewable fuels and identified their crucial role in alleviating U.S. dependency on foreign oil.

“Our message was (a) simple, clear and direct ‘don’t mess with the RFS,’” Delicath reported. “Illinois representatives responded with a resounding ‘we won’t.’”

Similarly, nearly all Illinois lawmakers expressed support for House passage of their version of WRDA, the Waterways are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency and Environment Act (WAVE 4) of 2013. “Illinois support for the bill is strong as representatives Lipinski (D-3), Enyart (D-12), R. Davis (R-13), Foster (D-11), Shimkus (R-15), Hultgren (R-14) Schock (R-18), Duckworth (D-17) and Kinzinger (D-16) are all co-sponsors of the legislation,” Delicath indicated. “Look for updates on the legislation during early fall.”  

Indian Creek N Study Recognized

PONTIAC – The need for farmers and to better manage natural resources was underscored in a recent report from Solutions from the Land.  According to the report, a shining example of the “solution” is the Indian Creek Watershed in central Illinois, where a study is entering its third year of assisting farmers in the region in installing multi-stakeholder led, integrated landscape initiatives on their properties.

“We were fortunate to start with some local farmers who weren’t afraid to try new and different things. They started on a small scale and worked their way up,” said Marcus Maier, director of the Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District, during a phone conversation. Maier said the Indian Creek Watershed is an 80 square-mile sliver of the much-larger Vermilion River Watershed, which comprises a good portion of Livingston County and parts of LaSalle and Woodford counties and empties into the Illinois River, the state’s largest inland waterway.

“This project is about increasing the water quality of the Indian Creek Watershed, therefore increasing the water quality of the Vermilion, the Illinois and the Mississippi rivers by reducing N runoff. It’s about developing ways to keep more of our nutrients in our soils and out of our waterways,” he said. “It’s also about how we can better utilize our fertilizers to reduce our input costs as farmers.”

There are currently a dozen or so soil nutrient trials underway at farms in the Indian Creek Watershed in order to gauge the early results of farmers’ conservation efforts. “Improving field practices and being good stewards of their land are ways farmers can improve their bottom line,” Maiers said. “And once your soil is gone, it’s gone. We have to take good care of what we have, to pass it on to future generations.”

Biotech Crop Advancement Topic of Summit

BLOOMINGTON – The Illinois Soybean Association has compiled an extensive agenda to discuss the regulatory and trade issues confronting biotechnology and agriculture for its first International Biotechnology Symposium, to be held August 26 in Champaign. The agenda boasts world-renowned experts in biotechnology and agricultural trade, biotechnology development, regulatory processes, international trade and business. A panel of farmers from Europe, South America and the U.S. has also been assembled.

Steve Wellman, a farmer from Nebraska and chairman of the American Soybean Association, feels that U.S. farmers are currently restricted from realizing the full potential of their crops and land due to a flawed biotechnology approval process affecting farmers who grow biotech crops. “The goal behind biotech crops is to increase production in order to have more food available with healthy benefits. If the process moved along more quickly, we would have more interest from scientists and experts to enter the marketplace and develop new traits.”

The symposium will be held the day before the 2013 Farm Progress Show in nearby Decatur. Those interested in more information or registering can visit www.biotechnologysymposium.com.

Illinois Farm Fact:

As of July 22, corn in Illinois averaged 75 inches in height, a full 12 inches taller than the previous week. (USDA-NASS Illinois Weather & Crops Report)

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