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Features,
Honors
& Awards, Ag
Announcements
Ag News Elsewhere
(fresh daily from the Web)
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Features
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4-H event
features talk on Japanese life
[NOV.
24, 2001] Hartem
Clovers 4-H Club hosted the Logan County 4-H International Night
program at the Logan County Extension building on Nov. 12, at 6:30
p.m. Approximately 50 youth, parents and club leaders enjoyed a
variety of foreign foods and table displays.
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Chris
and Laura Rosenbohm from Peoria were the featured speakers. Chris
and Laura have both spent time in Japan as part of the 4-H Japanese
Exchange program. Their family has hosted Japanese youth and their
families in their home as well. The Rosenbohms explained from their
experiences the differences between Japanese and American culture
and what life is like for Japanese citizens.
Chester
4-H Club represented Egypt with their displays and foods. Hartem
Clovers represented Spain, and the Pioneers chose Africa for their
dishes and display. The Millennium Clovers and Wide-A-Wake 4-H clubs
both prepared Swedish dishes and displays.
To
learn more about the 4-H Japanese Exchange, 4-H International
Foreign Youth Exchange, or about the 4-H program in general, please
contact the Logan County 4-H office at 732-8289.
[4-H
news release]
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AgriFIRST
seminar will provide
grant information for local farmers
[NOV.
23, 2001] State
Rep. Bill Mitchell and state Sen. Duane Noland are hosting an
informational seminar on the Illinois AgriFIRST program for area
farm families. The seminar will be on Monday, Nov. 26, at 10 a.m. at
the Maroa Fire Protection District, located at 300 E. Washington in
Maroa. Everyone is invited to attend.
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Mitchell
and Noland were instrumental in creating the Illinois AgriFIRST
program last spring. The program provides grants and technical
assistance for value-added agriculture projects within the state.
"This program was created to enhance our state’s agriculture
industry and provide farm families with new opportunities to add
value to their commodities and increase farm income," said
Mitchell.
According
to Mitchell, a $3 million appropriation has been included in the
2002 state budget for the program. Illinois AgriFIRST grants may
provide:
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Up to 75 percent of the cost for technical assistance to develop a
project to enhance the value of agricultural products or to expand
agribusiness in Illinois, up to a total of $25,000.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Up to 50 percent of the cost of undertaking feasibility studies,
competitive assessments, and consulting or productivity services
that the Department of Agriculture determines may result in the
enhancement of value-added agriculture products.
"Coming
from farm families, Senator Noland and I are concerned about
agriculture and the fact that commodity prices are at an all-time
low. The Illinois AgriFIRST program was long overdue, and it’s our
hope area farmers will come to learn more and take advantage of the
new program," Mitchell concluded.
[News
release]
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Hartem
FFA attends open house at Illinois FFA office
[NOV.
20, 2001] Four
Hartsburg-Emden FFA members and their adviser attended the open
house of the new Springfield headquarters of the Illinois
Association FFA. Dedication ceremonies were conducted, along with a
tour of the new facilities.
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Of
interest was a display with pictures and other memorabilia of the
Illinois FFA and agriculture education from its beginning in the
1920s to the current year.
FFA
chapters attending were encouraged to place an item from their
chapter in the time capsule.
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Pictured standing in front of the new Illinois FFA center are, left
to right, Daniel Coers, Nic Coers, Daniel Eeten and Natalie Coers.
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TLC
for your fresh Christmas tree
[NOV.
19, 2001] With
the Thanksgiving holiday bearing down on us, many people will begin
thinking about purchasing their holiday symbol for the Christmas
season — the Christmas tree. A freshly cut Christmas tree can be a
beautiful sight. With proper selection and care, consumers can
safely enjoy a fresh tree throughout the holiday season.
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Following
is information shared by Extension educators in the horticulture
program to help you in the process of selection through care.
Selection
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Buy Christmas trees early in the season.
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Consider purchasing Christmas trees from a choose-and-cut farm.
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The sooner you can get the tree home to a constant source of water,
the fresher it will stay.
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Fresh trees should have pliable needles, a fresh evergreen aroma and
firm needle retention.
Transportation
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Protect the tree on the drive home. Wind rushing through the tree
can cause it to lose valuable moisture.
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Cover trees tied on top of the car or in an open trunk.
Preparation
•
If you won't be putting the tree in its stand right away, store it
in a place out of the wind and freezing temperatures. Make a fresh
cut on the butt by removing 1" of the trunk and place in fresh
water.
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Remove 1 inch of the stump when bringing the tree indoors.
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Immediately place the tree into a stand that holds at least one-half
gallon of water.
Location
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Avoid standing the tree in front of large windows that expose it to
sun and heat.
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Avoid placing near furnace register vents and fireplaces. This
exposes the tree to heat that leads to rapid moisture loss.
Watering
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Keep the water level above the base of the cut at all times. Check
water level daily.
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A fresh tree will use one-half to two gallons of water the first day
it’s brought inside.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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A fresh tree may soak up a quart or more of water per day.
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If the cut base dries out, the sap will harden and the tree will not
take up any more water.
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Water additives such as aspirin, sugar or flame retardant are not
necessary.
Safety
If
you have made a fresh cut on the base and the tree no longer takes
up water, it has lost moisture below a critical level and will never
regain its freshness. Remove this tree from the house. A tree in
this condition will burn.
Horticulture
websites
Horticulture
is everyone’s agriculture. To help you keep up on some of the
current information, here are several links to University of
Illinois websites:
The
Solutions Series is designed to provide information on topics in
foods and nutrition, consumer and family economics, as well as
horticulture. Sources of information include the University of
Illinois, United States Department of Agriculture and other land
grant universities.
http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~robsond/
solutions/solutions.html
For
a copy of the Home, Yard & Garden Pest Newsletter, click on http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/cespubs/hyg/
The
Hort Corner has lots of good information: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/hort/index.html
Kids
Link has horticulture information for children: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/kids/index.html
[John
Fulton]
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October
weather wrap-up
and a look at November
[NOV.
12, 2001] "October
2001 was the third-wettest October on record in Illinois since 1895,
with some severe weather and cooler temperatures than average.
August to October also was the ninth-wettest three-month period, and
May-October was the 17th-wettest six-month period,"
says state climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water
Survey (http://www.sws.uiuc.edu),
a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
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According
to the division’s records, precipitation was well above average in
October: 6.58 inches compared to an average of 2.78 inches. Monthly
totals were highest at Paris (9.87 inches) and Olney (9.75 inches).
Temperatures
were 1.5 degrees cooler than the 55-degree average for October in
Illinois. Brownstown reported the warmest reading, 87 degrees on
Oct. 2, and Freeport reported the coldest reading, 13 degrees on
Oct. 17.
Thunderstorms
in northwestern Illinois resulted in at least 22 reports of hail,
ranging in size from 0.25 to 1.75 inches, on Oct. 23. More severe
weather on Oct. 24 resulted in 43 reports of hail, 14 reports of
wind damage and a confirmed tornado in Monticello, with no deaths or
serious injuries reported. Long-term records show that only 1
percent to 2 percent of tornadoes in Illinois occur in October.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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"Cool,
wet conditions in October were good for replenishing soil moisture
but did slow down harvest operations and construction. November
temperatures are typically much cooler, with average highs from the
mid-40s (north) to the mid-50s (south) and average lows from the
upper 20s (north) to the upper 30s (south). Average November
precipitation ranges from 2.8 inches (north) to 4.4 inches (south).
Heating degree days measure heating demand and range from 800 degree
days (north) to 550 degree days (south). This month there’s also a
high likelihood of seeing the season’s first measurable snowfall,
with monthly averages ranging from 2.5 inches (northwest) to 0.5
inches (far south)," says Angel.
[Illinois
State Water Survey news release]
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Results
from local commercial corn plot
[NOV.
12, 2001] The
chart below is provided by John Fulton of the University of Illinois
Extension.
2001
Logan County Commercial Corn Plot
University
of Illinois Extension, State Bank of Lincoln, Fort Trust Farms, and
Scott Wurth, and participating seed companies cooperating
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From west
12-row border
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Wet
weight
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Moisture
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Yield
at 15%
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Yield
+
Check
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Sun
Prairie 2642
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1660
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19.7
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178.37
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-
9.99
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1740
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19.1
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188.36
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Sun
Prairie 2687
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1930
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18.9
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209.45
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+21.09
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DeKalb
C60-08YG
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1705
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17.8
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187.54
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-11.30
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1830
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18.8
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198.84
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Asgrow
RX708
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1760
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18.3
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192.41
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-
6.43
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Horizon
7390
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1850
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18.6
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201.51
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+
4.12
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1810
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18.5
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197.39
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Horizon
7379
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1620
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20.6
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172.12
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-25.27
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FS
6552
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1565
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18.4
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170.88
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-23.30
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1740
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18.6
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194.18
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FS
6871
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1690
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18.6
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184.08
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-10.10
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Stine
9614
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1770
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19.0
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191.85
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+
6.64
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1690
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18.1
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185.21
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Stine
9803
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1880
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19.5
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202.51
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+17.30
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Dairyland
1515
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1690
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18.3
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184.76
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-10.45
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1790
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18.5
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195.21
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Dairyland
1609
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1790
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18.4
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195.45
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+
0.24
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NK
6569
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1700
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19.1
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184.03
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+1.99
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1655
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17.8
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182.04
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NK
7239
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2080
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18.6
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226.57
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+44.53
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Wyffels
5540
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1680
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18.0
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184.34
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-17.06
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1840
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18.2
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201.40
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Wyffels
730
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1720
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18.0
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188.73
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-12.67
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BoJac
5777
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1750
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18.2
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191.55
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+10.28
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1640
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17.4
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181.27
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BoJac
9901Bt
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1780
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18.8
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193.41
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+12.14
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Diener
1091
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1895
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19.4
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204.38
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+13.63
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1730
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17.6
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190.75
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Diener
1157
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1665
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18.2
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182.25
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-
8.50
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Campbell
6670
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1780
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18.0
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195.31
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+8.82
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1710
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18.5
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186.49
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Campbell
6475
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1840
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18.2
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201.40
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+14.91
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Golden
Harvest H8877
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1630
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17.2
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180.60
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-8.93
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1740
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18.6
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189.53
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Golden
Harvest H9229
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1640
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17.3
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181.49
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-8.04
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Trisler
5322
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1730
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18.7
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188.20
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+9.24
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1645
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18.7
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178.96
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Trisler
5255
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1550
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18.6
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168.83
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-10.13
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Lewis
4830
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1505
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18.9
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163.32
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-47.51
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Check
(Golden Harvest H9345)
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1950
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19.2
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210.83
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Lewis
4920
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1490
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19.5
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160.50
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-50.33
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Planted
5/1/01/harvested 10/24/01
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Fertility
175-92-150
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4
rows of each hybrid
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Herbicide
Topnotch/Hornet/Accent
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planted
population of 30,000
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Row
Length Harvested 680 feet Acres/plot .157
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Honors
& Awards
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Ewe
owned by Aaron Steffens
wins honors in Kentucky
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[NOV.
14, 2001] A
yearling ewe owned by Aaron Steffens of rural Lincoln was named
reserve grand champion ewe of the 2001 National Hampshire Show held
in conjunction with the North American International Livestock
Exposition in Louisville, Ky., on Monday, Nov. 12.
In
August, the same ewe had been named champion Hampshire ewe at the
Illinois State Fair.ce
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Ag
Announcements
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