R. F. D. News & Views, October 30, 2013

Illinois Ag Lauds Bipartisan House Waterways Bill

BLOOMINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives proved it doesn’t have to necessarily operate in a dysfunctional manner after the bipartisan Water Resources & Reform Development Act (WRRDA) passed the chamber by a resounding 417-3 vote last week. The bill advances to the committee stage in the coming weeks to resolve differences between the House version of the bill and that of the Senate, which passed its own waterways bill in May. Though most in Illinois agriculture prefer the Senate’s version of the bill– which proponents claim fully funds the completion of new locks and dams in a quicker time frame– many were quick to laud the House for moving the legislation closer to fruition.

“We are pleased that Congress is moving on this important legislation, which would help soybean farmers get product into the marketplace more efficiently and economically,” said Bill Raben, chairman of the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA). “We hope the House and Senate can iron out any differences between their bills and approve final legislation in a timely manner.”

The House bill puts less new spending into lock upgrades than the Senate-passed bill and the bills contain two separate approaches to utilizing harbor cargo tax collections on channel projects, according to the ISA. Paul Taylor, Illinois Corn Growers Association president, said that under the newly-passed WRRDA, over-budget and behind-deadline lock and dam upgrades would arrive more quickly than in the past.

“Although we applaud the House for this action, we also see Olmsted (lock and dam, the poster child for government waterways improvement debacles) fully funded by the federal government in the Senate-passed WRDA (no ‘reform’ in the title, hence the single ‘R’) which shortens the time for the new locks and dams even further,” said Taylor. “We are anxious to address that important difference in conference committee.”

Under the House WRRDA, the government would pick up 75 percent of the costs to complete the Olmsted Lock and Dam project. Past WRDAs split the cost 50-50, which placed great stress on the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. (ISA, ICGA news releases)

 

Farm Bureau: Beef Lots Returning to Illinois

BLOOMINGTON – An email circulated to Illinois agricultural media for distribution to the public from the Illinois Farm Bureau’s Jim Fraley supports what many beef cattlemen and women already knew: beef cattle numbers are continuing to climb in Illinois. A graph compiled by Nic Anderson of the Illinois Livestock Development Group shows “tremendous growth” in the beef industry in Illinois, according to Fraley. “Since 2006 we have added 114,592 head of beef cattle,” he said.

Primary reasons for the growth in Illinois beef cattle numbers:

1) Widespread adoption of the monoslope building design.

2) Abundance of co-products (Cattle feed) available from ethanol plants.

3) Incorporation of rubber matting on concrete-slatted facilities has reduced cattle injuries and significantly improved cattle performance.

4) Illinois Livestock Development Group’s assistance in helping producers site many of the new or improved facilities.

We’ll talk with Nic Anderson about these factors and how they influence cattlemen to locate new facilities, or relocate existing feedlots, to Illinois for R.F.D. News & Views in the near future.

 

Illinois GA Mulls (Yet Another) Ethanol Study

BLOOMINGTON – The state pension system. The state budget. Gay marriage. Redistricting procedures. These are but a few of the many pressing issues facing the Illinois General Assembly. Instead they are seriously considering a resolution to support a U.S. House-led effort to revoke the approved use of E-15 and encourage further research, Lindsay Mitchell of Illinois Corn reported in a recent Daily Update email to members.

“Perhaps they haven’t heard, but E-15 is the most researched fuel in the marketplace,” Mitchell stated. She pointed to a study released this month by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that analyzed results from 33 previous, unique research studies on E-15. The NREL study concluded that data from the prior studies did not show meaningful differences between E-15 and E-10 in any performance category, including materials compatibility, engine and fuel system durability and effects on on-board diagnostics and evaporative emissions.

“And now, because the rest of the country needs one more reason to laugh at Illinois, we are considering supporting a bill in the U.S. House that calls for still more (ethanol) studies,” Mitchell wrote. “We’ve forgotten that the entire Illinois economy is built on the backbone of agriculture. And ethanol is good for agriculture; therefore, it is good for rural economies and the rest of the Illinois economy.”

Furthermore, ethanol saves consumers money and improves air quality, Mitchell continued. “If you…live in a rural area, like to save money or enjoy breathing, you might want to consider calling your Illinois House and Senate member to speak to them about HR 0524 and SR 634,” she said.

 

Conservation Payments Made to Illinois Farmers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The checks are in the mail after conservation program rental payments to Illinois farmers and rural landowners were delayed by the shutdown of the federal government. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that on October 24 the federal government had begun distributing Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) annual rental payments, 2013 direct payments and 2012 Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program payments after a several-week delay.

“Farmers, ranchers and rural landowners across the country count on USDA programs and the payment delays due to the shutdown were an unnecessary burden,” said Vilsack, in a USDA news release. “USDA has prioritized making these scheduled payments without any further delay and Farm Service Agency staff have worked hard to get this assistance out the door as quickly as possible.”

Nationally, payments on almost 700,000 CRP contracts on 390,000 farms covering 26.8 million acres were affected by the government shutdown.

 

Illinois Farm Fact:

Topsoil moisture in central Illinois was reported at just 15 percent adequate on October 21. Comparably, 94 percent of topsoil in western Illinois was described as adequate. (USDA-NASS Illinois Weather & Crops report)


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