Gov. Bruce Rauner leads the group cutting the ribbon opening the 2016 Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Aug. 12. Newly released figures show that while attendance was down, revenue held or increased compared with 2015 figures. (Photo by Tim Alexander)

Attendance at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield was under scrutiny after preliminary estimates were released last week; we’ll take a look at what the figures truly mean. While on the topic of misconstrued figures, the mainstream media erroneously recently reported that non-urban median household income had dropped. The USDA has come forward with the truth. Keep reading for those stories, info on where to get pink Halloween pumpkins, and more … .

State fair triumphs despite challenges

SPRINGFIELD — 2016 Illinois State Fair revenues remained on pace with figures from recent years and may have even eclipsed 2015 gross revenue levels despite triple-digit heat, 7.75 inches of rain, flooding, a power outage and the cancellation of a major grandstand act. The Springfield fair, held Aug. 12-21, also boasted the highest-grossing grandstand lineup in state fair history, with receipts of $2.08 million.

“Someone once stated that conducting the Illinois State Fair consisted of 15 percent planning and 85 percent weather, and after this year’s fair, I tend to believe it,” said new state fair manager Kevin Gordon. “In one evening alone (Aug. 12) we saw a record 5.59 inches of rain, which led to extensive flooding, parking lot closures and event cancellations. Yet, we still had thousands of people leave Springfield with memories and experiences that will last a lifetime.”

An estimated 357,409 fairgoers attended the Springfield fair this year, a figure that, on first glance, appears paltry compared to past attendance figures for the fair, which may have been bloated. A new system for estimating attendance was rolled out in 2015, however, which has so far produced attendance figures that, while likely more accurate, have resulted in attendance estimates of less than half of the 800,000 who allegedly attended the fair just a couple of years back. 

A source at the Illinois Department of Agriculture who works to produce the Illinois State Fair said that there has been a lot of talk internally about moving the dates for the fair to earlier in August so as to not overlap with the start of the school year, as it did for thousands of Illinois youth in 2016. This could provide an attendance boost, the source said.

Sale of Champions broke records at ISF

SPRINGFIELD — In addition to breaking records in grandstand attendance through ticket sales for top acts Meghan Trainor and KISS, the 2016 Illinois State Fair in Springfield produced the highest price for a grand champion steer ever produced. The steer, exhibited by Lucas Wisnefski of Stark County, sold for $104,000, which was $4,000 more that the previous record set in 2014.

It also marked the first time an exhibitor in a past Governor’s Sale of Champions made a return appearance and won. Lane Rinderer’s barrow sold for $41,750 to Monsanto, DeKalb Asgrow, and friends. Rinderer had exhibited the grand champion barrow of the 2013 Sale of Champions.

“To do it twice is incredible, unbelievable,” Rinderer told a Belleville, Illinois newspaper.

Redo: Rural areas did experience income growth

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is reaching out to responsible news sources to correct misleading information promoted by media outlets, including the New York Times, that published articles, spoke on radio or ran televised news reports alleging non-metro (or rural) median household incomes had fallen. In fact, rural median households had increased in 2014-15 by 3.4 percent to $44,212, the USDA said in a Sept. 23 email to reliable news sources, including this one.

“We encourage the media to report this story correctly,” said Matt Herrick, director of communications for USDA. “The income growth seen in cities is now being experienced in small towns and other rural communities. It’s a story that deserves the media’s fullest attention — even if it is difficult to report.”

Though the NYTimes printed as many as three contradicting stories before and after the Census Bureau released figures from their American Community Survey, the publication finally got the story right with an article titled “Actually, Income in Rural America is Growing, Too” which appeared last Friday, according to Herrick.

Illinois Farm Fact:

The 2016 Illinois State Fair in Springfield saw a 22 percent jump in the number of junior exhibitors from 2015, after rules were expanded to allow continued youth participation.

Pink pumpkins benefit cancer research

PEORIA — The Peoria County Farm Bureau (PCFB) is selling a crop of pink pumpkins for Halloween, with proceeds going to the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation to further breast cancer research. PCFB Young Leaders distributed pink pumpkin seeds to members in May, and a successful crop was harvested. The uniquely colored gourds can be purchased for just $5 at the PCFB building, located at 1716 N. University in Peoria.

The Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation was created in 2012 to raise funds for cancer research. The PCFB Young Leaders is a group of members between 18-35 years old that supports agriculture and goodwill in the community. For more information, call (309) 686-7070.

New podcasts, webinars and newsletters for farmers

BLOOMINGTON — A number of helpful webinars, podcasts and newsletters designed for farmers are now available online and elsewhere, the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) points out in their September media advisory. Available now at ILSoyAdvisor.com is a bushel of conservation seminars featuring guest speakers such as University of Illinois Asst. Professor of Water Quality Laura Christianson, Illinois Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Ivan Dozier, certified crop advisor and resource conservationist Kris Reynolds, and others.

New ILSoyAdvisor.com webinars cover topics such as the importance of regular soil sampling and best practices for taking soil samples, and late-season soybean management practices including disease, insect, weed and nutrition management designed to enhance yield. In addition, the ISA is urging farmers to check out the Illinois Council on Best Management Practices’ fall newsletter, which explains conservation efforts to help growers address the goals of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. See www.illinoiscbmp.org to download the newsletter.

–R.F.D. NEWS & VIEWS–