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Aflatoxin guidelines
for livestock producers

[SEPT. 28, 2002]  URBANA — Some parts of Illinois are reporting moldy corn after a growing season marked by heat and stress. Livestock producers need to exercise caution if they are feeding corn possibly tainted by mold, said Michael Hutjens, University of Illinois Extension dairy specialist.

"Illinois toxicologists report that the moldy corn samples they are seeing appear to be Fumonsin and recommended that producers have tests conducted for aflatoxins, DON, zearlenone and fumonsins in representative samples of corn," he said. "The cost is $65 per sample to screen for four mycotoxins, while Fumonsin alone is $30."

Mycotoxin and Fumonsin contamination of corn fed to livestock can cause a number of problems. To avoid these, livestock producers should have grain tested before feeding and, if grain is found to be contaminated, strictly follow U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines for its use.

"Producers also need to remember that proper handling of damaged corn is critical, as additional growth and mycotoxin occurs if moisture, oxygen and warm temperatures exist during storage and handling of the damaged feed," said Hutjens.

Based on FDA guidelines, Gavin Meerdink, U of I Extension beef and feed safety veterinarian, recommends the following levels in feed: no more than 300 parts per billion (ppb) in corn fed to finishing beef cattle; 200 ppb for finishing (over 100 pounds) swine; 100 ppb for breeding beef cattle, breeding swine and mature poultry; and 20 ppb for other animal feeds.

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"Based on recommendations of U of I Extension veterinarians, dairy cattle diets should not contain more than 20 ppb in the total ration dry matter," said Hutjens. "This is not because of a health threat to the lactating cow; rather it is related to milk residues."

Hutjens said the aflatoxin is metabolized by the dairy cow and some can be excreted in the milk. Milk must be under the 0.5 ppb level, the maximum allowed by the FDA.

"In addition to losses from tainted milk, dairy producers also can see decreased feed intake by their cows, reduced rumen VFA production, increased liver damage, lowered reproductive efficiency and less milk yield," said Hutjens.

"All livestock producers need to be aware of these potential problems and exercise care in feed use of mold-damaged corn."

[U of I news release]

New Web tool can map and
analyze any part of Illinois

[SEPT. 27, 2002]  URBANA — Everyone, from farmers and natural resource experts to city planners and real estate agents, has an innovative new Web tool at their fingertips, thanks to the combined efforts of the University of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and other agencies.

The tool is the Resource Management Mapping Service, the RMMS, a new website that allows people to create maps of any area within Illinois in a matter of minutes.

"The uses for the RMMS website are as varied as the users," said Rick Farnsworth, natural resources economist with University of Illinois Extension. "State staff uses RMMS to track changes in natural resources and adapt management plans accordingly. And farmers visit the site to get a bird’s-eye view of production or calculate acreage needed for state and federal conservation programs."

"A long-distance runner once used the website to measure and map a marathon route," Farnsworth added. "In addition, real estate agents have used it to show prospective clients the area in which they hope to buy property."

"City planners also benefit," he said. "If a town wants to expand, they need information about the impact this growth will have. For instance, where will this growth occur in relation to the town’s existing boundaries? Will growth encroach on the state’s mandated buffer around public wells or protected habitat? They can start making decisions using the maps they create on this website."

"One of the key strengths of RMMS is that we have most of the data that is publicly available from state and federal agencies," Farnsworth noted. "Users can come to one site, locate the area of interest to them and create the maps they need."

Users can search by county, watershed, town or ZIP code, or they can draw rectangles on the map to zoom to an area they want to view, he said. Once there, they can choose a base layer on which to lay all other data layers. There are more than a dozen base layers, including cropland maps from 1998, 1999 and 2000 or aerial photographs taken in 1998 and 1999 that allow you to see the land in question.

After a base layer has been chosen, any number of other layers can be added. These include:

•  Resource layers, which identify county land, lakes, rivers, watersheds, wetlands and other natural resource features.

•  Administrative layers, which include various Department of Natural Resources districts, as well as townships, congressional and legislative districts.

•  Economic layers, such as state highways, county roads, wells and more.

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After choosing the layers you wish to see, simply hit the refresh button. One note of caution: Zoom in to the area you want to map before overlaying data. Most of the data sets are very large and take time to load. The smaller the area you choose, the less time you will spend waiting to view your map.

When users are finished, they can create their own log-in name and password, then load and save their map for future reference. Maps can also be printed or e-mailed to work associates, state agencies, family or friends.

According to Farnsworth, the next step for the RMMS site is to create decision tools based on the information available.

"During the first two years, our job was to collect data and make it available over the Web," he said. "Now we’re developing tools that will help agencies and the public assess the impacts of land use change on the state’s natural resources. Our partnership with IDNR and the other agencies is focusing university research on the state’s resource problems and providing the means in which it can be used shortly after it becomes available."

The Wetland Impact Review Tool, or WIRT, is the first of several such tools that will come online in 2003.

"When someone wants to change land use," said Farnsworth, "WIRT will alert the user to likely resource problems. Click on the WIRT tool, zoom in to the land in question and draw a line around it. Everything else is automatic. WIRT will give you a head’s-up on the presence of nearby wetlands, nature preserves, streams and flood zones, to name a few."

The RMMS website is funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research, C-FAR. Farnsworth believes it is a noteworthy success story of cooperation that started with C-FAR members setting a high priority on better resource management of the state’s natural resources.

"C-FAR provided funds to collect data and build new partnerships between the university and the state of Illinois," said Farnsworth. "The end result will be a state-of-the-art system that IDNR and the public can use to protect the state’s soil, water, plant and animal resources."

The RMMS website is located at http://space1.itcs.uiuc.edu/website/rmms.

[University of Illinois press release]

Manure application goes high-tech

[SEPT. 26, 2002]  URBANA — The pick-a-gear-and-go method of manure application could soon be a thing of the past.

Ted Funk, University of Illinois agricultural engineer, is developing a high-tech, low-cost slurry applicator that will supply a predetermined, constant flow of manure that can be varied to provide a more precise application.

Traditionally, farmers have judged their rate of manure application by the speed of their tractor. Go slow and the application is heavy. Speed up and the application is light. Without the equipment necessary to measure application rates, farmers cannot accurately judge the amount of manure going onto their fields.

But ongoing concerns over pollution risks from field runoff have resulted in stricter government regulations, which are holding producers increasingly accountable for their manure management practices.

So Funk has adapted a pneumatic pinch valve to control slurry flow rates. The pinch valve is connected to a computer and adjusts automatically to changes in air pressure.

"We can measure the pressure differences in the liquid streams, and by that we can predict what the flow rates are," said Funk.

The valve, 6 inches in diameter to match the discharge pipes of most tanks, is also designed to prevent clogs in the system.

"It’s a wonderful valve, because you can’t clog it," said Funk.  "If it starts to clog, you just release valve pressure and it opens up."

A radar gun on the tractor senses how fast the equipment is going, and that information is fed into the computer. Then the flow rate to the valve adjusts accordingly.

"If we set our application rate at 5,000 gallons per acre, it will measure the field speed and keep it at 5,000 gallons, no matter how fast or how slow you drive," said Funk.

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The next level of development will incorporate the use of Global Positioning System technology.

"A GPS unit can sense when farmers are getting close to a stream or a well, someplace where they can’t legally apply manure," said Funk. "That information will shut the applicator off automatically."

More advanced GPS technology will use maps that already have calculations done based on field soil tests.

"How much manure should go to various parts of the field, based on the fertility of the field?" asked Funk. "Applying manure based on what the crop is going to need — that’s the gold standard."

Systems currently marketed that can control the rate of slurry applications cost as much as $30,000. Funk hopes to provide this technology at a more reasonable price for the small producer.

"Most farmers already have a slurry tank," Funk said. "We’re trying to develop a system for that farmer. We want to be able to tell him, ‘Here’s what you buy. Here’s how you put it together.’" Parts for the system should be on the order of $5,000.

Funk hopes to have the system up and running within a year. "We’re still working on getting some bugs out of the main hardware, but I think we have a good picture on how we control the system itself."

Top Air of Cincinnati, Ohio, has loaned the project a slurry tank and soil injection equipment. The research is funded by the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research.

[U of I news release]

Use of ethanol byproducts as feed

[SEPT. 25, 2002]  URBANA — The rapid growth of the ethanol industry in the Midwest has had a spinoff benefit for the Illinois livestock industry — an increased quantity of potential feed, according to University of Illinois Extension specialists. Distillers’ grains are produced as byproducts of the fermentation of grain into alcohol. The grains are fed wet or dried and sold as a high-protein or energy grain feed.

"Historically, this product has not been used in swine diets because of the low protein quality, low amino acid digestibility, high fiber content and the nutrient variability among the sources," said Gilbert Hollis, U of I Extension swine specialist. "This left an image of an inferior ingredient for swine diets."

However, recent University of Minnesota research indicates that new ethanol plants are producing byproducts with higher nutrient content and digestibility than that listed in the 1998 National Research Council publication on swine nutrient requirements.

"Distillers’ grain should be positioned as a protein supplement in the rations of dairy cows," said Mike Hutjens, U of I dairy specialist. "Five pounds of dried distillers’ grain (DDG) or 10 pounds of wet distillers’ grain (WDG) is a ‘conservative’ upper limit. These levels could provide one-half of the supplemental protein, with the remaining half from soybean meal-based protein supplements."

According to Dan Faulkner, U of I Extension beef specialist, DDG or WDG can be fed as up to 30 percent of a beef cattle diet.

"Based on the energy content of distillers’ grain for beef cattle, DDG’s break-even price was reported at $94 a ton, and WDG with 45 percent dry matter was $47," he said.

For swine, Hollis said distillers’ grains have higher protein, fat and fiber content than corn due to the fermentation process removing the starch component.

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"Distillers’ byproducts do have several features that limit use in swine diets," he noted. "The high fiber content may cause diarrhea in young pigs. Distillers’ grains will have a lower metabolizable energy content due to less starch. The crude protein content is relatively high, but the amino acid profile is not well-balanced."

Hollis added that swine diets containing distillers’ dried grain with solubles need to be formulated on a digestible lysine and energy basis. Formulating the diet on a crude protein basis will result in a lysine deficiency and possibly a deficiency of other amino acids, which will reduce growth performance.

All three specialists noted there are a number of guidelines livestock producers need to follow when using distillers’ grains in feed.

Guidelines are available on the Web at http://il-traill.outreach.uiuc.edu/. Click on the PorkNet icon and then on the "DDGS Feeding" topic. Information about dairy and beef cattle feeding guidelines can also be found at that site. Click on the DairyNet icon and then search for "distillers." This will take users to a January report, "Distillers Grain Opportunities" by Hutjens.

[U of I news release]

Weekly outlook

Corn and soybean markets

[SEPT. 24, 2002]  URBANA — In spite of strong market signals to the contrary, reports suggest that producers are not rushing to sell corn at harvest time, said a University of Illinois Extension marketing specialist.

"If the crop size forecast does increase, higher prices will have to be generated by demand or concerns about next year’s crop," said Darrel Good. "If consumption unfolds as projected, it will be difficult for prices to move a lot higher before next spring. With use as projected, higher prices in the near term may require an unchanged or smaller crop forecast in October."

Good’s comments came as he reviewed recent action in the corn and soybean markets. December 2002 corn futures established a contract high of $2.96 on Sept. 9. The USDA reports released on Sept. 12 contained a smaller forecast of the 2002 U.S. corn crop (down 37 million bushels from the August forecast), a smaller forecast of foreign coarse grain production and a smaller forecast of U.S. and world grain inventories at the end of the current marketing year. Since those smaller forecasts were released, December corn futures have declined 31 cents.

"A number of factors may have contributed to the decline, but liquidation of long positions held by speculative traders has been one of the dominant factors pressuring prices," said Good. "The liquidation appears to have been triggered by reports of ‘better than expected’ yields.

"It is never clear whose expectations have been exceeded, but the reports have resulted in ideas that the USDA’s October production forecast may exceed the September forecast, as was the case last year."

In addition to thoughts that the U.S. crop could exceed the current projection, the slow start to the 2002-03 export program raises concerns about corn demand. As of Sept. 12, the USDA reported 2002-03 marketing year export commitments at 303 million bushels. That figure is about 8 percent smaller than export commitments on the same date last year. The USDA has projected that exports during the current marketing year will be 100 million bushels larger than exports of last year. Compared with last year, smaller sales have been registered to Egypt, Taiwan, South Korea and China. Prospects for a larger Chinese corn harvest create concerns about Asian demand for U.S. corn.

"Recent price behavior in the corn market is a reminder that U.S. and world feed grain supplies are smaller than a year ago, but little, if any, rationing of use may be required," said Good. "Current new crop price relationships are slightly in favor of additional corn acreage in the United States in 2003."

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November 2002 soybean futures reached a high of $5.91 on Sept. 11. The USDA’s Sept. 12 reports contained larger forecasts (compared with the August forecasts) of U.S. and world soybean production and stocks for the 2002-03 marketing year. Since the forecasts were released, November futures have declined about 24 cents.

"While the forecasts suggest that use of U.S. soybeans will have to decline during the current marketing year, world supplies are expected to be adequate to allow for increased consumption," Good noted. "The USDA currently projects a 3.3 percent increase in world soybean consumption. The increase is expected to come primarily in South America and China.

"The South American increase reflects expectations of a larger crush, primarily to meet export demand for soybean meal. China is expected to import 36 percent more soybeans than last year in order to expand the domestic crush to support increases in domestic meal and oil consumption."

U.S. soybean exports during 2002-03 are projected to be 215 million bushels (20 percent) less than exports during the past marketing year. As of Sept. 12, the USDA reported that export commitments for the current marketing year totaled 240 million bushels. Commitments are nearly 5 percent larger than on the same date last year and account for slightly over 28 percent of the USDA’s projection for the year.

New sales need to average only 12 million bushel per week for the next 50 weeks to reach the USDA’s projected level of exports. At 62 million bushels, current outstanding sales to China are nearly double the level of sales of a year ago. On the other hand, sales to the European Union, the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans, total only 19 million bushels. Sales to the EU are down by two-thirds from sales of a year ago. The EU is currently buying larger quantities of South American soybeans.

"Early season reports on U.S. soybean yields have not been as numerous as corn yield reports," said Good. "Early results apparently do not differ significantly from expectations."

Soybean prices will be influenced by a wide range of factors, including subsequent U.S. crop forecast, rate of use and prospects for the South American crop.

"The most important factor near term will be the USDA’s October production forecast for the United States," said Good.

[U of I news release]

[SEPT. 24, 2002]  Brittney Kavanaugh from the Hartsburg-Emden FFA attended the FFA Reporter’s Workshop at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield recently.

The workshop was presented by Emilee Bocker, the state FFA reporter for Illinois. "She did a great job," Brittney said, adding that it was "a great learning experience for everyone who attended the workshop."

[FFA news release]

[Photo provided by FFA]

[SEPT. 24, 2002]  The FFA Leadership Camp 2002 was a great success and a lot of fun for Hartsburg-Emden students who attended.

Robin Niehaus gave a presentation on "Get Fired Up," and the FFA alumni also gave a presentation. The state officer team conducted mixers, and members were involved in a talent show, quiz bowl team, volleyball team, challenge course, "good morning" radio show and flag committee. Participants at the camp learned more about community development, student development, chapter development and much more.

Thanks to those who support the FFA so that individuals can attend events like this.

[Brittney Kavanaugh,
Hartsburg-Emden FFA reporter]

[Photo provided by FFA]
[Pictured, left to right, are Jeff Evers, Brittney Kavanaugh, Ryan Fleck, Bruce Frank and Justin Brown.]

Harvest progress

[SEPT. 23, 2002]  As of today, the harvest progress stands at about 15 percent completed for corn harvest and virtually 0 percent for soybeans. Corn progress varies widely by local area as farmers have been searching for dry corn to start in. Many area cornfields have been "opened up," meaning that end rows have been harvested.

Moisture percentages have ranged from the upper 20s down to the upper teens. Due to the cost of drying, most producers don’t want to start harvest unless moisture is in the lower 20s, unless there are problems with corn standing upright. Once again there are pockets of corn that are lying flat on the ground due to windstorms, corn borer damage and stalk rots.

[Photos provided by John Fulton]

Preliminary results from the county corn borer survey indicate heavy corn borer pressure, especially on the east side of the county. The average survey found almost four borers per plant on the east side of the county in 24 of 25 plants. These numbers will give us over a 10 percent yield loss due to European corn borer this year. This is in addition to fields that may be prone to stalk breakage in windstorms. Another factor is possible dropping of ears due to corn borers weakening the shank that attaches ears to the stalk.

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Early yield reports have been as expected — highly variable. Many yields reported have not been from entire fields but from combine yield monitors and weigh wagons. The low-end yields have been just over 100 bushels on some corn after corn, and the high yields have been over 200 bushels per acre in areas that received timely rainfall.

Where will yield averages fall? Somewhere between those two numbers. As yields reports have not come from whole field averages, take them with a grain of salt. Individual field variation has been greater than the yield reports. In another month or so, we’ll have a good handle on what yields were.

[John Fulton]

[SEPT. 23, 2002]  For National Farm Safety Week the Hartsburg-Emden Intro to Ag class put up a window display at the Hartsburg State Bank.  [Photos provided by ag class.]

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