by Tim Alexander

Fertilizer Under Spotlight in Illinois

BLOOMINGTON – Much of Illinois’ agricultural focus last week was devoted to learning and talking about fertilizer. Foremost was the statewide announcement in Tuscola regarding the planned Cronus nitrogen plant. Coinciding with the announcement that a major fertilizer plant would locate in Illinois, the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Assoc. (IFCA), along with the Illinois Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) program, released details of the new “4R” CCA certification program and the IFCA 4R “Code of Practice.”

“This is a great day for the fertilizer industry to continue to demonstrate our commitment and leadership on nutrient stewardship and provide education to the public about the importance of fertilizer to crop production and food security,” said Jean Payne, IFCA president, in an Oct. 27 “Items of Interest” e-newsletter to media and IFCA members. Payne added that more information about the 4R initiatives will be released during winter ag association gatherings, including the IFCA annual conference in Peoria next January.

A news release issued by the IFCA and the CCA program indicates the programs are committed to providing a “new, concerted effort to provide new educational tools to their members, who will work with their farmer customers on the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship: Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place. The effort consists of a 4R Specialty Certification within the International CCA program, along with an Illinois 4R Code of Practice that defines nutrient practices that ag retailers can promote to minimize environmental impact, optimize harvest yield and maximize nutrient utilization.”

IDA: Record Storage Capacity Applied For

SPRINGFIELD -The abundant Illinois crop harvest has propelled the number of grain storage facility temporary or emergency option applications to an anticipated all-time high, according to Stuart Sellinger, Illinois Dept. of Agriculture (IDA) Bureau of Warehouses chief. “As of October 21, temporary storage applied for and, or approved was at 107,421,000 bushels,” primarily for corn, Sellinger said in a phone interview. “On emergency, applied for and, or approved bushels are currently at 3,155,000.”

Disparities between temporary and emergency grain storage options, according to the IDA warehouse chief, are vast. “Temporary storage requires a solid base such as asphalt, concrete or packed limestone, (along with) rigid sidewalls and a tarp covering the grain,” Sellinger said. “Emergency storage is basically ground piling; it is anything that doesn’t meet the criteria of temporary storage.”

Sellinger confirmed that as harvest continues, IDA expects the number of applications for both temporary and emergency storage permits to eclipse previous submissions. “The delayed harvest from rains caused a lull, but it has given licensees an opportunity to handle the grain that they previously received, to get that grain positioned or on the supply chain,” he said. “But with the weather straightening out, I expect another crush coming.”

Weather-related delays to the Illinois crop harvest might actually work to lessen overall storage issues, according to University of Illinois Dept. of ACES economist Darrel Good. Good claims a rapid rate of market consumption, combined with weather delays, may mean that overall storage issues could be less than feared this year.“(The) magnitude of consumption has substantially reduced the requirement for crop storage capacity, resulting in a modest strengthening of the corn and soybean basis in many areas.,” Good noted.

October Weather Challenged Farmers

SPRINGFIELD – Last month’s statewide average precipitation of 4.5. inches represented the 15th-wettest October in Illinois since 1895, reported Jim Angel, Illinois State Climatologist for the Illinois Water Survey. The amount was 1.2 inches above the average Illinois rainfall for the month, but well behind the all-time record of 9.06 inches set in October 1941. The largest precipitation totals were in the central third of the state where 6 to 8 inches were common, Angel blogged on his “climateillinois” wordpress site.

“Greenfield had an incredible 9.94 inches of precipitation. Medora, Girard and Carlinville also reported over nine inches,” Angel stated. “Precipitation totals were more moderate elsewhere; 4 to 6 inches in southern Illinois and 2 to 4 inches in northern Illinois. Also, several locations in northeast Illinois reported seeing traces of snow for the month.”

The statewide average temperature for Illinois in October was 54.2 degrees, 0.1 degrees above normal– which is leading many farmers to inquire of Angel whether or not to prepare for an extreme winter such as was experienced last year. Optimistically, Angel reported in an Oct. 31 blog that “the National Weather Service forecast does not show a repeat of last winter based in part on winter trends and the possible arrival of El Nino.”

Farmer’s Post Explains, Defends GMO Use

BLOOMINGTON – A recent blog post from Dixon farmer Katie Pratt responded to a question that was posed to her recently: “Why do farmers keep planting GMOs if consumers don’t want them?” While Pratt concedes that along with soil type, climate, geography, weather, market access and local infrastructure, market demand has something to do with what a farmer plants and why, she also offers many reasons why farmers like herself need to plant GMO– or genetically modified– seed varieties.

“Using genetically modified seed has helped us reduce our application of herbicides by half. Fewer applied pesticides means less traffic in the fields, less fuel use and less soil erosion,” Pratt noted, adding that though the voices against GMOs seem loud, the market for non-GMo crops speaks louder. “There will always be specific contracts for non-gm corn, and there will always be farmers growing a crop to fill that market demand. But for us and the decisions we make on our farm, until that demand outweighs the cost of not using a (GMO) we will continue to seek out strong hybrids first and beneficial genetically modified traits second.”

Pratt’s full blog can be accessed at www.watchusgrow.org or www.ilcorn.org.

Illinois Farm Fact:

The coldest winter on record in Illinois was 1977-78, with a temperature departure of -9.5 degrees. It was followed by the second-coldest winter, 1978-79, with a further departure of -1.4 degrees from normal temperatures. (Ill. State Climatologist)

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