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Farm Bureau Starts Push to Block Property Tax Caps
With the Indiana General Assembly set to begin work, efforts are underway to address the issue of property taxes on farmland. This is the last chance the legislature has to lock property tax caps into the State Constitution. Last session, the State Senate passed the measure, but House Speaker Pat Bauer defied the Governor and refused to hold a hearing on the measure in the House. Bob Kraft, with Indiana Farm Bureau, says it is unlikely that tactic will work this year, “The speaker will be under pressure to take a vote on the issue because of the 2010 census.” Kraft means that in 2010 the census will be taken and legislative districts will be redrawn. The party that controls the House will control that redistricting process. Thus, Kraft believes speaker Bauer will allow the property tax measure to come up for a vote to help Democratic house candidates.
Indiana Harvest Cools with Rain, Low Temperatures
Harvest progress was hindered once again by rain showers and cool temperatures, according to the Indiana Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Moisture content in the corn and soybeans has been slow to come down requiring a great deal of the harvested crops to be dried. Many areas of the state encountered heavy frost over the weekend which will end the growing season for any crops that were not yet mature. Some intended winter wheat acreage may not be planted as farmers are being forced to wait until other crops are first harvested from these fields. There were 2.5 days suitable for field work during the week. Corn condition is rated 63 percent good to excellent compared with 56 percent last year at this time. Seventy-seven percent of the corn crop is mature compared to 92 percent last year and 96 percent for the 5-year average. Fifteen percent of the corn crop has been harvested compared to 39 percent last year and 49 percent for the 5-year average. Moisture content of harvested corn is averaging about 25 percent.
Moldy Corn Means Problems when Not Stored Properly
Many corn growers in Indiana and surrounding states are facing one of their most challenging harvests this year, and their problems are being compounded by grain drying and storage issues. Richard Stroshine, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue says farmers will need to take extra steps this year because of high moisture content corn. “The thing to realize is you can’t do things the way you normally do this year. You’re going to have to take extra caution in watching your stored grain and getting your grain dried. Maybe dry it down to lower moisture than you’re used to. That gives you a little extra insurance because it’s not going to store as well as it has in previous years.”
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Long Thompson Nominated to Farm Credit
Last year’s Democratic candidate for Indiana governor has been nominated by President Obama to the board that oversees the Federal Farm Credit Administration. The nomination announced by the White House would return Jill Long Thompson to Washington, where she served in Congress from 1989 to 1995 and then was a top official in the Agriculture Department under former President Bill Clinton. Thompson, who ran rural development programs as an undersecretary of agriculture during the Clinton administration, is also the former chief executive officer of the Washington-based National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy.
Fueled UP and Ready
FFA members from all over the nation will be arriving in Indiana this week for the 82nd National FFA convention, and Indiana agribusinesses have come together to put some drive in this year’s meeting. For the past 4 years, Toyota has been providing courtesy cars for use during the national FFA convention. This year, Countrymark will again put fuel in those vehicles. John Lance, with Countrymark, says the farmer-owned co-op is proud to be a sponsor of FFA, “All of our branded dealers work with local FFA chapters all year long, so we are proud to make this donation to help make the national convention a success here in Indiana.” The Fuel is an American made E-10 that Lantz says will make the Toyota vehicles perform extremely well.
USAgNet / IN Ag Connection Launches TractorSearch.com
Farm producers across North America now have a new online tool at their disposal when looking for new and used farm equipment to purchase. USAgNet LLC has launched TractorSearch.com, a Web-based listing service for farm equipment dealers to post their products for prospective consumers to browse. USAgNet President Pat Sternitzky says the site fills a void for both buyers and sellers of quality farm machinery. “This project came about after some of our dealer-customers requested a more cost-effective way to advertise their equipment listings online,” Sternitzky said. “Many stores are paying expensive fees to farm equipment magazines, which often have their own Websites. But the dealers felt they can get more bang for their buck by using an ‘Internet company,’ rather than a magazine publisher to handle their online marketing needs.”
Purdue Plant Breeder, Geneticist Receives World Food Prize
Gebisa Ejeta didn’t set out to receive worldwide acclaim for his agricultural research. The Purdue University Distinguished Professor of Agronomy’s sole focus was on helping fellow Africans, especially those in his native Ethiopia, grow enough food to feed themselves. “When people tell you that your work has saved lives and that people begin to refer to it as a symbol of goodness for the cause of science or the cause of the poor, that’s a lot more than I had a perception of out there,” Ejeta said. “That’s overwhelming and humbling.” Thursday the plant breeder and geneticist received the World Food Prize for his work in developing sorghum varieties resistant to drought and Striga, a parasitic weed common on the African continent. Because of Ejeta’s efforts, sorghum yields are significantly higher in many African nations. The World Food Prize, considered the Nobel Prize of agriculture, was presented to Ejeta during a ceremony in the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines.
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Gray & Pink Molds Being Found in Indiana Cornfields
Wet, cool conditions not only keep farmers out of the fields but also favor moldy corn. One Purdue University specialist is getting calls from around the state about Diplodia and Gibberella ear rots in corn. There’s a lot of Diplodia ear rot located throughout Indiana, especially in the northeast and southeast, said Charles Woloshuk, Purdue Extension pathologist who specializes in corn mycotoxins. The level ranges anywhere from a few percent up to 30 percent of the ears are infected, he said. Diplodia ear rot is characterized by a grayish or grayish-brown mold on and between the kernels on part of the ear. Gibberella ear rot, also known as Gib, is characterized by a pink to reddish mold, which begins at the tip of the ear and develops toward the base. Gib is easy to identify in the field on intact ears, but is more difficult to identify once the grain has been shelled.
Lawmakers Seek 100 Million in Pork Aid
Members of congress, including an Indiana democrat, have weighed in strongly with the USDA Secretary for a major new infusion of pork aid. The more than 5-dozen farm state lawmakers informed Tom Vilsack that without significant new help for the pork industry, thousands of rural jobs and businesses are at risk of going belly up. The house members are asking that Vilsack spend 100-million from so-called “section-32” customs receipts to buy pork for federal feeding programs, especially from sows to reduce breeding stock and hog oversupply. Indiana democrat Joe Donnelly knows first-hand the trouble the hog industry is in. “I have two of the three largest pork producers in the state, in our Congressional district, and you know, I’ve gone to ag meeting after ag meeting, and everybody is looking and saying, ‘we’ll work to get through this.’ But you can see it has caused tremendous damage.”
Study: Corn Plants Can Break Yield Barrier with Right Resources
A Purdue University researcher’s motto “No plant left behind,” sums up his research on achieving increased grain yield for corn at higher plant densities. “The only way to pursue and achieve higher grain yields on a per-acre basis at high plant densities is to make sure that every single plant has the opportunity to compete with its neighbor in the row,” said Tony Vyn, professor of agronomy. “The only way to achieve this competition ability is to have the genetic resources, in terms of a hybrid’s ability to compete and gain access to nutrients and water.” The results of this three-year study, which looked at approximately 4,000 individual plants each of the three years, are published in the early online version of Agronomy Journal.
Indiana 4H Congress Trains Tomorrow’s Ag Leaders
The Indiana 4H Congress was held over the weekend in Hendricks County. The 4H Congress is a daylong event providing leadership training for both adults and youth. Chuck Hibbard, Director of Extension, told HAT that leadership is a key element for those involved in agriculture today, as well as for those who will be the leaders of tomorrow, “We have brought together 150 students from all over the state to listen to strong ag leaders like Purdue Ag Dean Jay Akridge, and to participate in training sessions that will develop their leadership skills.” Other sessions were led by young people involved in the State 4H Jr. Leader program. In addition to training sessions for youth, several sessions were held for adults and 4H leaders. This year’s Congress, sponsored by Countrymark and Ice Miller LLP, also focused on science and technology. Hibbard said the future of agricultural innovation will be driven by those with passion and skill in the area of science and technology.
Filed under: News
Indiana Corn Acres Decrease as Ethanol Production Increases
For the last five years, Madison County farmer Mike Shuter has maintained the same crop rotation on his farm of two-thirds of his fields in corn and one-third in soybeans. He hasn’t seen the need to increase his corn acres even with the evolution of the biofuels industry and its need for corn. This seems to be the trend across the state. Indiana farmers planted 5.7 million acres of corn in both 2008 and 2009, down from 6.5 million acres in 2007. The majority of Indiana farmers plant corn and soybeans in a two-year rotation, unlike farmers in the Western Corn Belt where you see a more continuous corn environment.
Skillman Speaks Out on Farm Safety
Herbert Off, a farmer in Tipton County, was using a wrench to repair the combine when the tool dislodged and struck him in the head; he died from his injuries. According to Tipton County Coroner Brad Nichols, he was using a wrench to dislodge a clog in the combine’s throat when the tool dislodged from the machine. This is the second year in a row that Indiana farm fatalities have been on the rise. Indiana farm fatalities totaled 24 in 2007 and 28 in 2008. Alarmed with this trend, Lt. Governor and Secretary of Agriculture Becky Skillman is speaking out for farm safety, “If there is anything I can do to raise awareness about farm safety as we enter this harvest season, I want to spread that message.” She is spreading that message with an announcement being aired by radio stations across the state. The message reinforces things that farmers know all too well but often forget when things get busy. Skillman urges producers not to work when they are tired. She said, with harvest running several weeks late, there is added pressure to get the crop in quickly. She said the harvest is important but not at the cost of a human life.
Specialist Offers Tips for Weed Control Before Planting Wheat
Farmers looking to plant winter wheat after the harvest of corn and soybean fields should place weed control near the top of priority list, said a Purdue University specialist. Weed management is important because it helps with stand establishment, explained Bill Johnson, Purdue Extension weed specialist. “In areas of the state, we’ve had a relatively dry fall and these weeds can continue to deplete soil moisture and result in poor wheat stands,” he said. Weeds to be on the look out for include: chickweed, henbit, purple deadnettle, dandelion, and winter annual grasses such as Carolina foxtail, annual bluegrass and little barley. There are only two broad spectrum herbicides labeled for use before planting wheat — glyphosate and gramoxone, Johnson said.
Farm Bureau Speaks Out on RFS2 Proposal
American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman warns, the Renewable Fuel Standard proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency could allow the EPA to dictate how a farmer manages his or her land. The main concern is the EPA’s proposal regarding indirect land use provisions, which claim that ethanol production in the United States indirectly leads to deforestation in tropical countries. This increased authority for EPA greatly worries Farm Bureau members.
