R.F.D. News & Views, June 11, 2014

Is EPA Climate Change Plan Contradictory?

BLOOMINGTON – Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) President Gary Hudson of Hindsboro has something to say about the U.S. EPA’s newly-issued climate change policy: it’s hypocritical. Not long after EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy outlined the agency’s plan, Hudson issued the following excerpted statement through the ICGA:

“When Administrator McCarthy made her announcement earlier this week regarding greenhouse gas emission reductions, it really made us at the ICGA whip our head around to make sure we heard correctly,” Hudson stated on June 5. “The same EPA that plans to reduce the corn ethanol requirement in the Renewable Fuel Standard is now saying that they’re interested in reducing greenhouse gas emissions? That just doesn’t make sense.

“The EPA’s plan to reduce the volumetric requirements for corn-based ethanol from 14.1 billion gallons to 13.01 billion gallons is the equivalent of pumping 4.25 million metric tons of greenhouse gas right back into the atmosphere. This is double-talk if I’ve ever heard it. Basically, the EPA is rubber stamping an increase in CO2 emissions, the exact opposite of the Administration’s stated goal.

“I just can’t figure out how the EPA’s plan to reduce CO2 emissions includes reducing the volume of ethanol in our gasoline. The choice is clear. Or at least it should be. The plan to reduce the RFS corn ethanol volume would be like putting an additional 900,000 cars on the road, all pumping out CO2.” (ICGA news release)

 

ICMB: Ethanol Remains Best Value

OKAWVILLE – With gasoline prices mired not much below $4 per gallon in many metropolitan areas of Illinois, Larry Hasheider of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) took a break from planting his sweet corn to discuss how, even with recent price spikes, ethanol remains the wisest and most economical fuel of choice for his family. “Prices for E-85 average 25 percent less than regular gasoline. That more than offsets any mileage differential you may experience with higher ethanol blends,” said Hasheider, who serves as chairman for the ICMB board of directors and farms near Okawville in southwestern Illinois. “When gasoline is pushing close to $4, at 25 percent less you are paying less than $3 per gallon for your fuel supply with E-85. And it is environmentally a better choice than gasoline.”

Hasheider said that while ethanol prices at the pump spiked in eastern states, such as New Jersey, prices were more moderately affected in Illinois, where several ethanol plants are located and transportation of ethanol to retailers is less costly. “It was hard to get ethanol to the east coast due to weather-related issues with rail, plus the fact that a lot of the rail lines were tied up with moving North Dakota crude oil,” Hasheider said. “We are tying our nation’s rail (capacity) moving so much North Dakota crude right now that it is hard for those in North Dakota to get the grain moved out. Crude pays more than shipping grain.”

Hasheider estimates that crude oil shipments by rail have increased nearly tenfold in the last decade, and that the spike in ethanol prices at the pump went hand-in-hand with the spike in crude oil deliveries by rail. But the truth is far more revealing; Association of American Railroads (AAR) statistics show that crude oil shipments have increased from 9,344 carloads in 2008 to 434,032 carloads in 2013.

 

Census: Illinois Farm Acreage Increased Slightly

URBANA – Bucking a national trend, Illinois farmland acreage increased by 0.6 percent from 2007, according to the recently-released 2012 Census of Agriculture. Illinois acreage dedicated to agricultural production increased to 26,937,721, the survey showed, with McLean County serving as home to the greatest number of farmland acres at 692,291. Total acreage increased in McLean County by 2.4 percent since the 2007 census, the report indicated.

As a whole, Illinois gained 162,621 acres of farmland between the 2007 and 2012 censuses. Fifty of Illinois’ 102 counties experienced farmland acreage growth, with Champaign County leading the way in growth with 66,012 new acres in production. Alexander County experienced the largest growth in percentage, adding 31 percent more farmland acres from 2007-2012.

Nationally, the amount of land in farms declined from 922 million acres to 915 million acres, the third-smallest decline since 1950. Nineteen states reported increases in the time between the two censuses.

While Illinois farmland acreage increased, the number of farms in the state continued to decrease. By 2012, the number of farms had decreased at a rate of 2.3 percent, while farm size increased by 3.2 percent from 348 to 359 acres. (U of I farmdocdaily)

 

USDA-NASS Ranks Illinois Crop Conditions

CHAMPAIGN – USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) began weekly ratings of crop conditions with the issuance of their June 2 Illinois Crop Progress and Condition report. The report indicated that statewide, farmers rank their corn condition as one percent very poor, two percent poor, 27 percent fair, 53 percent good and 17 percent excellent. The report rates winter wheat as two percent very poor, five percent poor, 26 percent fair, 48 percent good and 19 percent excellent.

Illinois oats are rated as five percent poor, 31 percent fair, 55 percent good and nine percent excellent. Pasture condition was one percent very poor, seven percent poor, 31 percent fair, 42 percent good and 19 percent excellent. Soybean condition ratings were not available.

Corn planted was estimated as 98 percent statewide, and soybean planting was 85 percent complete by June 1. Emerged corn was estimated at 91 percent, while soybean emergence was pegged at 59 percent. Both figures are ahead of the five-year averages for their respective crops.

Topsoil moisture was estimated as 77 percent adequate, while subsoil moisture levels were tabbed as 75 percent adequate across the state, according to the report.

 

Illinois Farm Fact:

DuPage County, one of Illinois’ five collar counties, has the fewest acres of agricultural land at 7,252. (2012 Census of Agriculture)

 

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