by Tim Alexander

NRCS: Got Ruts? Proceed With Caution

CHAMPAIGN – With most crop fields harvested throughout Illinois, it’s time for fall tillage. But if you are a farmer who receives payments from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for practicing certain conservation measures on your land, tilling and leveling odd spots and ruts in crop fields is more than just a matter of routine. Consequently, Illinois NRCS is offering landowners receiving conservation payments advice on how to engage in fall harvest activities without causing issues with conservation payment compliance, residue levels and USDA benefits.

“First things first– NRCS recognizes deep ruts will interfere with normal planting operations if left untreated. But that doesn’t mean you can till up the entire field when really, only a portion is affected,” stated Mark Baran, district conservationist for NRCS, in a November 13 news release. “Your goal is to perform the minimal amount of tillage necessary to level out the rutted areas.  Don’t go crazy and till up the entire field. Just fix the problem areas and move on.” Baran suggests that farmers document with photographs any troublesome ruts, gullies or residue piles and save the photos in case of a random spot review or complaint. Make a note or indicate on field maps the specific problem areas, and alert local NRCS staff to unusual problems and concerns. If it is necessary to undertake management techniques that fall outside normal, established tillage routines, NRCS must confirm that the action is necessary or landowners will risk non-compliance.

LEVICK Brings Pro-GMO Message to Comm-Con

WASHINGTON, D.C.- If Facebook and Twitter existed around 8,000 B.C., our food supply would probably look vastly different than it does today due to negative social media hype regarding farmers’ use of genetically modified (GM) seed. For example, cereal grains would be much less abundant, strawberries would be the size of M&M candy and ears of corn would be about an inch long. So says Richard Levick, CEO and chairman of LEVICK, a global strategic communications firm with offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City. Levick will bring his presentation, GMOs: A Spoonful of Sugar Helps The Medicine Go Down, to the 2014 Illinois Commodity Conference, scheduled for Tuesday, November 25 at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Normal.

For 60 years agriculture controlled the conversation with consumers about farming practices and food safety by employing a three-pronged model, the global marketing strategist said.

“There were three things industry did to control the conversation: lobbying, PAC funding to legislative candidates and advertising. A little bit of public and community relations were thrown in. But in the 60 years we controlled the conversation, we grew big and fat and lazy. We thought we could just tell people how they were supposed to think and they would think that way,” Levick said. But the Internet and social media changed all of that.

“The last time Farm Bureau did a study or poll on how well consumers trust farmers was during the Jimmy Carter administration, and the numbers were good. The trust factor has been reduced, if not eroded, since then and we now need to re-earn consumers’ trust and show them exactly how GMOs are (beneficial),” Levick said in a phone interview.

CCAs Undergo Rigorous Exams, Reviews

MORTON – This column recently informed you that all of Illinois’ 1,300 Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs) are now eligible for special “4R” certification regarding nutrient loss education for farmers. But what exactly is a CCA, and who, exactly, empowers them to advise the state’s farmers about production techniques and other aspects of their operations? It turns out the qualifications for CCA certification are quite rigorous and can take years of education and experience to achieve, according to Morton’s Andy Knepp, chairman of the board for the Illinois CCA Program. “Knepp attained a Master’s degree in weed science from the University of Illinois before being considered for CCA certification,” he said.

“CCAs must pass the CCA International Exam and the CCA Local, or tri-state, exam and demonstrate competence in what we call the four pillar areas of the CCA Program– crop management, integrated pest management, soil and water management and nutrient management,” Knepp explained. “With a passing score on the two exams they are eligible to be certified, but we also take into account their education level and their experience. Every CCA has to have a minimum of two years experience directly advising farmers on crop management or agronomic principles.”

CCAs are volunteers who operate under the immediate jurisdiction of the American Society of Agronomy located in Madison, Wisconsin, which also serves as the CCA Program’s international headquarters. The Illinois CCA Program has no office or brick-and-mortar mailing address,” said Knepp.

Pekin Native Returns to Local Aventine Team

PEKIN – Jeff Render, a Pekin native, has been named utilities manager for Aventine Renewable Energy Inc., returning home with a new title after spending the past year supporting the restart of two dry mill facilities owned by Aventine in Nebraska. In his new position, Render will oversee operation’s of Aventine’s new natural gas boilers, cogeneration electricity turbine systems and water treatment system at the plant’s 100-million gallon wet mill plant in Pekin. Render attended Illinois Central College in East Peoria before starting his Aventine career in the wet mill production department in 1992. By 1998 he had enrolled in an instrument-electrical apprenticeship, leading to a promotion to instrument and electrical maintenance coordinator in 2004.

Aventine recently completed a $13.2 million upgrade project, replacing 70 year-old coal boiler technology with new, natural gas boilers. The switch dramatically improved the wet mill’s energy efficiency while also improving Pekin’s air quality, according to an Aventine news release.

Illinois Farm Fact:

A three-part Soybean Management and Profitability series kicks off in December on the Ill. Soybean association’s production blog, www.ILSoyAdvisor.com.

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