Features,  Honors & Awards,  Ag Announcements

Calendar,  Ag News Elsewhere  (fresh daily from the Web)

Features

Herb Day 2003 scheduled for Jan. 18

[DEC. 28, 2002]  URBANA — Whether you are interested in raising herbs in a home garden or commercially producing and marketing them on a small scale, the educational and entertaining sessions planned for Herb Day 2003 should satisfy you. This year, Herb Day is scheduled for Saturday, January 18, 2003, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center, 1001 Killarney Street, Urbana, Illinois, just off I-74 at exit 183 (Lincoln Avenue).

A day of herbal fun, food, and fellowship is planned for Herb Day 2003, with noted herbal experts from around the country set to present educational sessions which will inspire herb gardening and use in the coming year.

Betsy Williams, owner of The Proper Season in Andover, Massachusetts, and author of Are There Fairies at the Bottom of My Garden? will speak about designing and planting herbal theme gardens in a talk entitled "Fairy Dreams and Other Herbal Themes." She will also present "Mrs. Thrift's Herbal Tips," an in-character interpretation of the usage of a wide variety of herbs.

Deanna House, home economist and cooking author from Ada, Michigan, will entertain us with her unique style of "Efficient Herbal Cooking." Deanna's light, humorous presentation and encouragement of audience interaction make for a lot of fun.

William Handel, of the Illinois Natural History Survey, Urbana, will present an historical perspective on "Native American Prairie Plant Medicine," a look at how the original residents of the Illinois prairie used the plants around them.

Finally, Jan Powers of Peoria, Illinois, will demonstrate "Containing Your Passion for Herbs," a talk about how to design and construct beautiful, functional herb container gardens.

As in past years, there will be a retail area, with vendors of herbs, everlastings, equipment, books, and many other herbal products. This area will be open for shopping to Herb Day 2003 attendees as well as interested members of the general public from 8:00 am until 3:00 p.m. There is no entrance fee for those attending only the retail event.

[to top of second column in this article]

"This event has blossomed into far more than a chance to see and hear nationally known and respected herb experts. The conference has become an annual gathering place for herb enthusiasts from all over Illinois and surrounding states, where they can renew their collective enthusiasm for herb gardening," said Chuck Voigt, U of I Extension specialist.

Herb Day 2003 is sponsored by U of I Extension and is open to professionals as well as members of the general public. Cost of registration, including lunch, is $39 per person. This includes seating in the lectures, an information packet, an herbal theme lunch buffet, and access to the retail area. There will be vegetarian options on this buffet, or a vegan plate can be arranged in advance.

Lunch reservations must be received no later than January 10, 2003. Those interested should mail checks, payable to the University of Illinois, to Herb Day 2003, Attention: Carol Preston, S-406 Turner Hall, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801 to reserve registration and lunch.

Space in the lecture room is limited to 250 participants. On-site registration will be accepted only if spaces are not filled prior to the event. On-site registration will also cost $39, but will not include lunch. For more information, call (217) 333-7738 and mention Herb Day 2003. Credit card orders cannot be accepted.

[U of I news release]

Poinsettia pointers

[DEC. 23, 2002]  The poinsettia is a plant that is native to Mexico and has become the traditional potted plant at Christmas time. While many believe that the red, pink or white color is the flower, it is actually called a bract. Bracts are colored leaves. The true flowers are there, but they aren't very showy.

Many of the improved varieties offered today last an amazingly long time. To keep them looking good and lasting, keep the room temperatures between 60-68 degrees (if possible) and with very high humidity. Temperatures over 75 are really hard on poinsettias, especially with low humidity. Try to place your poinsettia by a bright window just out of direct sunlight. Remove it from the window at night if there is a danger of chilling. Keep soil moisture at moderate and uniform levels, and never let the pot stand in water.

[Photo provided by John Fulton]

Re-blooming poinsettias is a common goal, but bear in mind that this is one of the most difficult plants to succeed with. If you're a gambler, or a die-hard horticulturalist, here are the basic steps to improve your success.

After you are done displaying your poinsettia, gradually withhold water. The leaves should soon turn yellow and drop. Store the dried-off plant in a cool (meaning 50-60 degree), dry, dark basement room until April or May. During this period, water lightly with just enough to keep the roots and stems from drying out too much.

When you bring the plant back up, prune stems to about six inches. Remove from the pot, take some old soil from the roots, then repot using a well-drained mixture. If there are several plants in the pot, separate and pot them individually. Use a pot that provides plenty of room. Water the plant well and place in a warm, sunny spot for renewed plant growth. You can put the plants outside when frost danger has passed, but be wary of direct sun in the hottest part of the day. You may have to repot the plant if it becomes root-bound. If you're into starting cuttings, you may have decent success by starting new plant from the shoots that appear on your old cut-back plant in the spring.

[to top of second column in this article]

Keep the plant actively growing during the summer months by watering regularly and applying a complete liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks. As new shoots form, pinch them back so that two nodes (leaf pairs) remain on each. Stop pinching off shoots in August. Also, you may want to remove some of the weaker stems completely, allowing only a few of the stronger ones to develop. Control insects as they appear, and if plants become diseased they should be pitched.

Before cool weather in the fall, place the plant inside at a south window with full sun through the day. Watch the temperatures and moistures. Temperatures should be 60-65 during the day and 70-75 at night. Moisture should be moderate. Starting the last week of September, your plant should be exposed only to natural sunlight (this means no house lights after dark). Probably the best method is to put the plant in a closet overnight. Once the leaf color forms you can increase non-daylight light.

With these recommendations, and a little bit of luck, your poinsettia should be ready for the holiday season. If you're really into poinsettias, try the University of Illinois Extension "Hort Corner" pages on poinsettias. Point your browser to http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/
poinsettia/index.html and enjoy.

[John Fulton]

Weekly outlook

USDA reports

[DEC. 17, 2002]  URBANA -- With declining U.S. and world inventories of grains and soybeans, production in 2003 will be the most important price factor during the last half of the 2002-03 marketing year, said a University of Illinois Extension marketing specialist.

"Inventories at the beginning of this year were large enough to compensate for the declines in production in 2002," said Darrel Good. "Inventories will not be large enough to buffer the impact of another small crop in 2003. Once the market absorbs the coming USDA reports and South American production prospects become clearer, attention will turn toward next year's crop."

Good's comments came as he reviewed recent actions in the corn and soybean markets. Both have been responding to the rate of exports and progress of Southern Hemisphere crops. Upcoming USDA reports will provide some added perspective on both the supply and demand side of the price equation.

The Dec. 30 Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report will provide an update on prospective feed demand for corn and soybean meal through the remainder of the 2002-03 crop year.

"Declining numbers of hogs and cattle reported to date suggest some softening of feed demand this year," said Good. "The USDA has projected the largest year-over-year decline in pork production -- 3 percent -- for the second quarter of 2003. Beef production is expected to be down 7 percent in the third quarter and 11 percent in the fourth quarter of 2003. Poultry production in 2003 is expected to be only 1 percent larger than in 2002."

The Dec. 1 Grain Stocks report, to be released on Jan. 10, will provide an estimate of feed and residual use of corn for the first quarter (September-November) of the 2002-03 crop year.

"It is expected that report will show only a modest reduction in feed and residual use compared to the same quarter last year," said Good. "Year-over-year reductions should be larger during the last nine months of the crop year. Corn supplies are large enough that a large decline in use is not required this year."

In addition to the Grain Stocks report, the USDA will release the final U.S. corn and soybean production estimate for 2002. In each of the past four years, the January corn production estimate was smaller than the November projection. In the previous 17 years, the January estimate was below the November projection only three times. Except for 1988, the difference between the January and November figures over the last 20 years has ranged from zero to 159 million bushels.

[to top of second column in this article]

"The difference was 250 million in 1988," said Good. "The difference has not exceeded 100 bushels since 1993. A relatively small difference is expected this year. With a smaller estimate of harvested acreage, the January figure may be marginally below the November 2002 projection."

The January soybean production estimate was below the November projection in each of the past seven years, in eight of the past nine years and in 13 of the past 20 years. The difference, whether up or down, ranged from two million bushels to 60 million bushels. The difference has not exceeded 35 million bushels since 1987. The late harvest in parts of the southern United States is expected to result in a marginally smaller estimate in January 2003.

"The USDA will also release a Winter Wheat Seedings report on Jan. 10," said Good. "Typically, this report has minimal implications for corn and soybeans. This year, however, the higher wheat prices may have resulted in a sharp increase in winter wheat seedings. If so, there will be fewer acres available for spring-planted crops.

"The estimate of the total area seeded to winter wheat, as well as the geographic distribution of seedings, may provide an early look at potential changes in oilseed and feed grain acreage in 2003. At this earlier stage, there is still some expectation that the increase in corn acreage and decline in soybean acreage in 2002 will be repeated in 2003. The magnitude of the switch in acreage will continue to be debated."

Good added that, for now, corn and soybean prices appear to have established a trading range that may persist until some new fundamental information appears. March corn futures are finding support near $2.35 and should have excellent support at $2.30 for now.

"The $2.50 area is the recent high and may be difficult to exceed without a few surprises in upcoming reports," said Good. "January soybean futures have apparently found a trading range between $5.55 and $5.80. However, the contract high is at only $5.93.

"With a strong export pace and lingering concerns about the South American crop, soybean prices may have more potential to exceed the recent trading range than do corn prices."

[U of I news release]

Honors & Awards

[DEC. 2, 2002]  The ag issues team and the food science and technology team of the Hartsburg-Emden FFA chapter were selected as state winners in recent competition.

The five members of the ag issues team, Matthew Wrage, Nick Alberts, Brittney Kavanaugh, Kyle Hoerbert and Kory Leesman, presented pros and cons on the topic of "Upgrading the Locks and Dams on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers." The participants role-played the major constituents involved in this issue. The team also met recently with U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood concerning the issue.

[Photos provided by Hartem FFA]
[Left to right:  Kory Leesman, Nick Alberts, Kyle Hoerbert, Rep. LaHood, Brittney Kavanaugh, Alyssa Moehring and Matthew Wrage]

As state winners, the team will now represent the Illinois FFA Association at the 2003 National FFA Convention. This is the third state-winning team competing in the Ag Issues Career Development Event for the Hartsburg-Emden FFA chapter. 

[News release]

[to top of second column in this section]

[Members of the Hartsburg-Emden FFA ag issues team, which won in state competition:  (left to right) Matthew Wrage, Brittney Kavanaugh, Kyle Hoerbert, Kory Leesman and Nick Alberts] 

[Members of the Hartsburg-Emden FFA state champion team in food science and technology are Alyssa Moehring, Krista Ubbenga, Natalie Coers and Brittney Kavanaugh with Drew Dediraemaker, state FFA president.]

Ag Announcements

Back to top