Features

[FEB. 26, 2001]   March 6 will be our final soybean cyst nematode clinic for the season. Herrin Fertilizer in Mount Pulaski will host the event from 9 to 11 a.m. This is an opportunity for producers to have soil analyzed for detection of the nematodes or for predictive analysis to determine whether a resistant soybean variety should be planted.

Extension will analyze two samples at no charge. Additional samples are $5 each. Samples should be taken just like soil fertility samples, and you may combine samples for analysis. Half of a small lunch bag is needed for analysis.

These nematodes have been found in over 70 percent of all soybean fields for which samples have been submitted in Logan County. Proper management can economically control soybean cyst nematode, and management recommendations will be given with the soil analysis.

For more information, please contact the University of Illinois Extension Office at 732-8289.

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Illinois Heifer Development Program

A relatively new opportunity for beef producers can begin with attendance at an informational meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 28, at the Fairview Reformed Church in Fairview. This program is the Illinois Heifer Development Program. The informational meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and will cover the guidelines for participating in the program. The possibility of having a sale in the late fall of 2001 or early winter of 2002 will also be discussed.

For additional information on the Feb. 28 meeting or for a copy of the heifer program guidelines, contact Dave Seibert, animal systems educator with Extension, at (309) 694-7501 or seibertd@mail.aces.uiuc.edu.

With some warmer weather, thoughts are rapidly turning to the growing season. This holds true for farmers and homeowners. If you are looking to get a jump on the season, try checking out the many horticulture topics on our University of Illinois Extension website at http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/home/homelawn.html. Have fun!

[John Fulton]

[FEB. 19, 2001]   It’s now official with the release of county yields for corn and soybeans from the Illinois/U.S. Crop Reporting Service. Logan County producers once again fared well, with a corn yield of 163 bushels per acre and a soybean yield of 47 bushels per acre. Illinois yield averages came in at 151 bushels per acre for corn and 44 bushels per acre for soybeans.

The top-yielding counties in the state for corn were Christian at 177, Pike and Sangamon with 174, Montgomery and Moultrie with 173, and Adams and Macon with 172 bushels per acre.

Top-yielding soybean counties were Coles and Piatt with 50; Carroll, Christian, Macon and Stark with 49; and 12 counties including Sangamon and Tazewell with 48 bushels per acre.

McLean County was once again the top producer of corn and soybeans, with production of 51,057,000 bushels of corn and 14,602,900 bushels of soybeans.

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Total soybean production for Logan County for 2000 was 7,646,900 bushels, for a placing of 11^th, and total corn production was 29,340,000, for a placing of 12^th in the state.

The Logan County 10-year average yields are 153.3 bushels per acre for corn and 47.1 bushels per acre for soybeans. Logan County record yields for both corn and soybeans occurred in 1994, with 181 bushels per acre for corn and 50.5 bushels per acre for soybeans.

Below is a table with year 2000 yields from Logan County and surrounding counties.

[John Fulton]

Crop yields for 2000

[FEB. 12, 2001]   For those not familiar with the College of ACES, that is the acronym for the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. One of the great ways to find out what is going on in the college is to attend the annual open house. This year the dates will be March 2 and 3. The times both days will be 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Three sites will house exhibits and activities this year: the Plant Sciences Laboratory, the Agricultural Engineering Sciences Building, and the Stock Pavilion. Demonstrations and youth activities will be featured at each site. Some of the demonstrations are "Floral Design to Music," "Wind Your Way Through DNA – A Hands-On Demonstration with DNA," sheep shearing, and carding and spinning wool.

Activities for youth and the young-at-heart include face painting, student tours, milking a cow, the fistulated cow for an inside look at a cow’s digestive system, roping skills, horticulture activities and making a "secret agent" worm.

Admission and demonstrations are free, with a few of the activities having a small donation to a sponsoring student group. Free parking is available in the south end of University Lot E-14 at First Street and St. Mary’s Road, with free shuttle service to the exhibit sites. A complete listing of exhibits and events is available by contacting the local Extension Office at 732-8289 or checking out the website at http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/openhouse (still under construction for a few more days).

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Bi-state precision ag conference

Illinois and Missouri will be co-sponsoring a Feb. 21-22 conference in Quincy on precision agriculture. Dr. Jess Lowenberg-DeBoer from Purdue University will speak on "The Vision of Precision Agriculture," and Dr. Peter Nowak from the University of Wisconsin will speak on "Data Ownership and Ethics Involved in Precision Agriculture."

Registration cost is $50 by Feb. 14 and $75 after that date. Registration information is available from the Adams/Brown Extension Unit. For program information, contact Jay Solomon at (309) 694-7501.

Last call for local meeting registrations

The final Private Applicator Training session for Logan County will be Feb. 20. Training will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Extension Office at 980 N. Postville Drive. Preregistration is required. This session will train private applicators in preparation for the testing done immediately following the training session. Farm workers needing Worker Protection Standard Training may also attend with preregistration.

Feb. 21 is the scheduled date for the Soil and Water Management Workshop in Lincoln at the Extension Office. Preregistration is requested, with cost being $35; walk-ins will be $40. The meeting may be cancelled if less than 20 are preregistered by Feb. 14. Registration information is available by calling the office at 732-8289.

[John Fulton]

[FEB. 9, 2001]  Several people from the area were recognized at the Logan County Soil and Water Conservation District annual meeting.

Jack and Sally Bicknell of Atlanta received the Cooperator of the Year award.

Resource conservationist Steve Bracey credits them, saying: "They have been active for over 20 years, applying needed conservation practices to the land. They use conservation tillage, no-till and strip-till in their operation. They have also applied structural practices and used contour farming wherever possible."

Doug Thompson, vice chairman of the district, presented the award plaque.

Individuals from two area FFA chapters were also recognized at the meeting. "We have noticed the fine job our young future farmers have been doing in area and statewide competitions and wanted to recognize their accomplishments at the meeting," Bracey said in complimenting the students.

The FFA instructors spoke about their groups’ activities and achievements and then introduced the students.

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[Doug Thompson presents the Cooperator of the Year award to Jack and Sally Bicknell.]

[(Left to right) From Hartsburg FFA:  instructor Betsy Pech, Daniel Eeten, Kent Leesman, Kate Wrage, Nick Coers and Shane Westen]

[From the Mount Pulaski chapter: instructor Ralph Allen, Andy Volle, Emily Allspach, Michael Stoll, Caleb Dirks]

[JAN. 13, 2001]  Thanks to the generosity of many Logan County businesses, local students pursing degrees in agriculture or agribusiness may get a break on next year’s tuition bill.

For the second year, Logan County Ag Day sponsors will provide two academic scholarships to Logan County students.

Applicants must be from Logan County and currently study or plan to study agribusiness or an agricultural science at a community college or four-year institution. High school seniors through Ph.D. candidates can compete for the two awards. Selection will be based on the students’ commitment to agriculture as a future career, academic performance, involvement in extracurricular activities, financial need and work experience.

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Applications are available from Logan County FFA advisers and the Farm Bureau office. They are due back in the Logan County Farm Bureau office by Thursday, March 1.

Ag Day 2000 scholarship winners were Chad Yagow and Derek Struebing, both students at the University of Illinois College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

[Ag Day news release]

Ag Announcements

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