C-BMP Hosts N Webinar

BLOOMINGTON – The Illinois Council on Best Management Practices (C-BMP) offered a free webinar on critical nutrient stewardship and management issues that aid farmers in minimizing environmental impact, optimizing harvest yield and maximizing input utilization (MOM). The webinar, attended by dozens of farmers, certified crop advisors and commercial fertilizer dealers, focused on guidelines for fall nitrogen (N) applications including timing, stabilization and rates, along with results of C-BMP’s N WATCH soil nitrate testing program, new incentives for farmers to perform on-farm N rate trials and the value of an N management system with N WATCH.

A successful N management system requires two or more N applications per year, with no more than 50 to 60 percent of total N applied in the fall, according to Dr. Howard Brown, interim director of nutrient utilization and research projects for C-BMP. Brown led the webinar along with Dan Schaefer, director of nutrient stewardship for C-BMP. The pair also recommend using a nitrification inhibitor with fall and early pre-plant N applications, including applications with differences in placement of N (knifed and surface broadcast) and including a late pre-plant, pre-emerge of post-emerge N application as part of the system, among other guidelines.

“To sustain higher corn yields will require a change in the way crop inputs are managed,” said Brown. “It is not about applying more N to produce more grain, but how the N is utilized. It is not about managing the field, but managing environments within the field. Adoption of an N management system is one step toward maximizing every acre.”  

For more information about an N management system featuring N Watch or for an audio file of the webinar, contact C-BMP at (309) 827-2774.

Grants Available for N Management

BLOOMINGTON – Grants are available to Illinois farmers to explore sustainability improvements such as nutrient management, soil protection, cover crops or a variety of other practices, according to Ron Moore, director of the Illinois Soybean Association, which uses soybean checkoff funding to support a variety of such programs. Moore, a farmer from Roseville, plans to utilize funding from the Farmer-Rancher Grant Program to try out a precision agriculture program being launched by a seed company next year.

“The program will sample soil on two to three-acre grids, and guide seed and fertilizer placement nearly down to the square foot. It’s also based on needs of a specific hybrid, so the system is extremely precise. Using just the right amount of fertilizer and seed on each acre helps keep nutrients in the field and more cash in the pocket,” said Moore.

The 2014 North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) Farmer-Rancher Grant Program offers three types of grants: $7,500 for individuals, $15,000 for two farmers from two organizations, or $22,500 for three farmers from three organizations. Grant applications can be found at www.northcentralsare.org. (ISA news release) 

Shutdown to Delay RFS Ruling?

BLOOMINGTON – Farmers can add the highly anticipated Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) ruling for 2014 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the long list of agriculture-related casualties caused by the prolonged partial shutdown of the U.S. government.

Because the final RFS rule is due November 30, the ruling– which is historically late anyway– will “most definitely” be delayed by the shutdown, according to Dave Loos, technology and business development director for Illinois Corn. What makes the late ruling especially burdensome this year to both the renewable fuel industry and “Big Oil” is the unsettled controversy over the blend wall, or the point when every single gallon of gasoline sold in the U.S. includes ten percent ethanol.

“What we’re concerned with is that with everything falling into place right now– E15 being approved by the EPA, E85 sales growing, the domestic auto industry producing 50 percent of their vehicles flex-fuel– we don’t think the blend wall is an issue except for the fact that the oil industry has made it an issue. They don’t want the blend to go above ten percent,” Loos said in a phone call. “From (the oil industry’s) standpoint, the whole gasoline market is shrinking; their total sales are shrinking in the U.S. What they don’t want to lose is market share. They are drawing a line in the sand concerning their share of the shrinking market.”

Many believe EPA’s proposed rule establishing 2014 “renewable volume obligations” (RVOs) under the RFS will, for the first time ever, require a move beyond the status quo and blend volumes of renewable fuel above the blend wall. Big oil interests have petitioned the EPA to keep the RFS at or below 2013 levels.

Asay to Address Pork Technology

PEORIA – Thirty years ago the public could not have fathomed pork would today be among the leanest and most health-conscious meats available. How pork has changed through science and technology will be the focus of former Illinois Pork Producers Association President Gary Asay’s address during this week’s fall conference of the Illinois Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professionals at the Grand Hotel and Conference Center in Peoria.

Asay’s October 17, 11 a.m. speech on “The Power of Pork” will highlight how farmers have changed their practices to meet consumer demand for leaner meats. “Farmers have been working continuously to change how they raise pigs for the better,” said Asay, who is a licensed crop insurance agent in his hometown of Osco. “They’ve been able to make great progress in animal health, food quality and protecting the environment. Modern barns, a focus on nutrition and animal care mean pigs live healthier lives than ever before.” Thanks to the efforts of farmers and scientists, so are people. For more information on the event contact Sheila Dressman of the National Pork Board Speakers Bureau at (800) 711-0747 ext. 225. (NPB news release)

Illinois Farm Fact:

The pork industry in Illinois contributes more than $1.7 billion annually to the state’s economy, generates more than $136 million in taxes and supports more than 7,800 jobs. (National Pork Board)

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