Illinois Farmer to Lead Corn Growers

ST. LOUIS – Rob Elliott, former president of the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA), is in line for the presidency of the National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA), it was announced last week. Elliott was elected to become the organization’s first vice president for the next fiscal year, which begins October 1, before taking over as NCGA president in October of 2015.

“I am honored that my colleagues on the board placed their trust in my ability and dedication to leading our association forward in its mission of creating greater opportunities for corn growers across the country,” Elliott said in a prepared statement. “I realize that farmers face many challenges right now as threats to the Renewable Fuel Standard abound and misinformation about our industry permeates public perception. I know that we have much to do, but I look forward to working with our grower leadership over the coming years to find innovative, impactful ways to not only meet these challenges but also seize the opportunities certain to come.”

Current NCGA president Martin Barbre of Illinois becomes chairman and current vice president on October 1, when Chip Bowling of Maryland assumes NCGA presidency. Bowling becomes chairman in October of 2015. Elliott served as ICGA president in 2009.

ICMB Chair: Station Owners Pocketing E-85 Savings

OKAWVILLE – With ethanol under fire for increases in pump prices this spring, the chairman of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) is advising consumers that unscrupulous fuel station owners may be artificially jacking up E-85 prices in their neighborhoods. Larry Hasheider, who farms near Okawville in southwestern Illinois, said consumers should be seeing a savings of up to 28 percent by purchasing E-85 over E-10 gasoline, which cost $3.83 per gallon on average in Illinois as of Sunday, June 8.

“Not all of the savings is being passed on,” said Hasheider, who promotes the corn ethanol market as part of his role with the ICMB. “The middleman is often taking a big share of it. Some stations are selling E-85 for up to 28 percent less than gasoline, but some are only a few percentage points lower. They are not passing on the savings to the consumer. They are exploiting the market for whatever the market will bear.”

Hasheider said that until consumers are willing to stand up to fuel station owners and demand they lower their E-85 prices to reflect the savings they receive, some operators will continue to gouge the public. “I talked to one (owner) and got the station to drop their price to something more competitive. It takes people walking in and saying ‘look, your price compared to your competitors really should be lowered,’” he said. “It will take ordinary customers walking in to get that to happen. But it will happen, because they know you have the facts on your side.”

Hasheider recommends that consumers come armed with the facts when they ask to speak to station owners about their E-85 prices. A printout of  E-85 retail prices at stations across the state, as reported on E85prices..com, can serve as a starting point for the conversation.

“There are those stations that are passing the savings on, and I think we need to patronize those stations,” Hasheider said.

Stark County Tractor Show to Return

WYOMING – The Central Illinois Farm Heritage Tractor Club will hold its 9th annual Antique Tractor and Equipment Show on August 16-17 at the Stark County Junior Fairgrounds in Wyoming, Ill., co-organizer Kevin Engquist said in an email. This year’s show spotlights Farmall and IH products, though all makes, models and colors are welcome. The show features steam engines, tractor games, parades, pulls, children’s activities, live entertainment, food, refreshments and more. Camping is available for those who wish to stay the weekend.

For more information, visit the club’s website, www.citractorclub.com or contact Engquist at (309) 579-3292 or Dan Wiest at (309) 253-4842.

Corn & Soybean Prices Webinar Slated

URBANA – Reservations are available for a University of Illinois at Urbana “farmdoc” webinar following the anticipated June 30 USDA corn and soybean reports. The live outlook will allow participants the opportunity to send specific questions about future corn and soybean prices and trends to presenters Darrel Good, professor emeritus, and Scott Irwin of the U of I Department of ACES.

According to a farmdoc Daily email alert, the webinar will review the USDA estimates based on the previous day and the implications for both old crop and new crop balance sheets for corn and soybeans. The USDA estimates will provide a clearer picture of total 2013-2014 marketing year consumption, ending stocks and price prospects– allowing experts to project the magnitude of domestic corn consumption for feed use.

The webinar is free, though advance registration is required. For a full schedule of farmdoc webinars, visit www.farmdoc.illinois.edu/webinars.

GMO “Back Pocket” Info Available

BLOOMINGTON – Consumers are being subjected to an onslaught of bad information regarding biotechnology and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food products. To combat some of the lies being circulated at water coolers, dinner tables and in church regarding GMOs, Illinois Farm Families has developed a set of “back pocket” factoids in order for farmers to hold discussions with friends and neighbors about why they choose to use biotechnology and GMOs on their farms.

The booklet, which was developed using farm commodity groups’ checkoff dollars, accurately explains many of the consumer benefits of biotechnology, including more affordable and healthier foods, less environmental impact, sustainability and world hunger reduction. It also lists many lesser-known medical benefits of biotech, such as diabetic insulin made from GM cells, blood-clotting proteins for hemophiliacs, the Hepatitis-B vaccine, thyroid hormones and synthetically produced amino acids used in nutritional supplements. (Ill. Corn Daily Update)

Illinois Farm Fact:

Biotech crops contribute to the incomes of 16.5 million small, resource-poor farmers. (Ill. Farm Families)

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