R. F. D. News & Views, May 1, 2013

Flooding Halts Central Illinois Ag Commerce

PEORIA – Torrential storms dumped up to eight inches of rain over parts of central Illinois the week of April 15, spilling the Illinois River over its banks, disrupting rail service, closing state highways and damaging at least one Illinois River lock, resulting in its closure. Damage to the Marseilles Lock and Dam in LaSalle County is expected to take weeks to repair, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Five of the lock’s eight gates were damaged when seven barges broke free from a tow, with two gates sustaining 15-t0-20 foot gouges, Reuters News reported. As a result, the gates are not able to close fully and maintain the pool of water above the dam. “As soon as conditions permit, the Corps will perform engineering analyses for use in developing repair and recovery plans, ensuring that the dam can return to operational status as soon as possible,” said Tom Heinold of the Corps’ Rock Island District.

As of press time, a 144-mile stretch of the Illinois River from Florence to Lacon remained close to all barge and river traffic due to the record flooding, which contributed to the deaths of three Illinoisans during the week. “It’s so pervasive,” said Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, during a flyover of the river. “It’s heartbreaking how many people suffered damage.”

Sections of Illinois Route 29– which runs parallel to the river in Peoria, Marshall and Bureau counties north of Peoria– was closed or reduced to a single lane for several days following the flood. In addition, Iowa Interstate Railroad cars sat idled as workers scrambled to clear mud, rocks, branches and other debris from the tracks alongside the same stretch of the river. In Lacon, the Cargill AgHorizons grain elevator was abandoned, immersed in the bloated Illinois River.

 

Expert: Corn, Inputs Affected By River Closure

ANKENY, IA. – Some agricultural products will be more affected by the interruption of barge navigation on the Illinois– as well as Mississippi and Missouri– rivers than others, according to Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition. “The lock closures will affect corn more than soybeans. Eighty percent of soybean exports occur between September and February,” Steenhoek said, in an email. “We have seen aggressive pricing at Gulf locations due to demand for corn and soybeans since the river is not providing that pipeline of service. Basis has been widening in the interior since grain handlers can’t release what they have on hand and what they are receiving.”

In addition to corn and soybeans, the delivery of agricultural inputs such as fertilizers for spring applications are also affected by lock closures such as the one in Marseilles. “According to the USDA, April is the number-one month for barge deliveries of fertilizer. These shipments originate in southern Louisiana and are destined to the Midwest,” Steenhoek said.

 

2012 Cash Rent Report Released

SPRINGFIELD – The USDA-NASS Illinois Field Office has released their 2012 Non-Irrigated Cropland Cash Rents report, based on surveys sent to over 9,500 Illinois producers. Sangamon County has the highest reported average cash rent in the state at $324 per acre, followed by Macon ($316) and Logan ($313), the survey revealed. Statewide, cash rents increased by nearly 16 percent, though some counties saw average rents decrease or remain consistent with those of 2011.

In central Illinois, McLean County farmland averaged $280 in cash rents during 2012. Other central Illinois counties and average rents include Livingston ($200), Marshall ($221), Stark ($244), Knox ($252), Fulton ($230), Mason ($229), Dewitt ($257), Putnam ($238), Tazewell ($232) and Woodford ($248).

The 2013 Cash Rents Survey is underway, with questionnaires sent to farmers the last week of February. The confidential, individual reports will be processed and published in the USDA’s Land Values and Cash Rents publication released on August 2, 2013. Additional info, including irrigated and pasture cash rents, can be accessed at www.quickstats.nass.usda.gov/.

 

“Field Moms” Growing Crops, Piglets, Knowledge

BLOOMINGTON – Lending new meaning to the term “watching corn (or beans) grow,” the yearlong Illinois Farm Families “Field Moms’” Acre Program, which allowed urban and suburban moms an opportunity to follow the growth of an acre of western Illinois soybeans, wrapped up in late April. According to Amy Roady, communications director for the Illinois Soybean Association, the moms used the profits from “their” acre of soybeans to donate fresh pork to a northern Illinois food pantry on April 22, benefitting more than 150 families. The soybeans grown for the project were raised on the farm of Ron and Deb Moore of Roseville.

“This year, more Chicago-area moms are following a pen of pigs to market and the growth of an acre of corn and an acre of soybeans,” Roady said in an email. “Follow along with the Field Moms’ Acre and Pen at www.WatchUsGrow.org.”

Hog farmer Jen Sturtvant and corn producer Donna Jeschke will raise the litter of piglets and acre of corn, respectively, during the summer, the Illinois Corn Growers Association reported. “Together with the other Illinois commodity groups and Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Corn discovered in our research that moms listen to other moms and see them as experts with shared values and beliefs,” Illinois Corn stated in a recent “Corn Scoops” update. “For this reason, Jen and Donna have been selected to share the experience of growing corn and livestock with curious non-farm women.”

In addition to streaming live on watchusgrow.org, an RSS feed and a “subscribe” feature have been created to deliver updates on the progress of the crops and piglets straight to phones or reading devices. (ISA, ICGA news)

 

Illinois Farm Fact:

About 60 percent of U.S. grain exports are transported via the Mississippi river and its tributaries– including the Illinois River– from farm areas in the Midwest to export facilities at the Gulf of Mexico. (New York Times)

 

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