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ACES
open house offers
something for everyone
[JAN.
14, 2003]
URBANA -- Kids in nursery
school through 99 years of age will enjoy the 2003 open house at the
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and
Environmental Sciences. The annual event provides a diverse range of
presentations for all levels of interests, including displays and
activities related to the fields of agriculture and horticulture.
People considering a professional role, such as veterinarian, in one
of these areas will be as welcome as a master gardener looking to
plan next year’s garden. Youth groups and school field trips will
find plenty to entertain and educate with subjects like 'The Animal
Sciences Classroom" and "Maggot Races." The fun will begin on
Friday and continue on Saturday, March 14 and 15, from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. on the U of I campus at Urbana-Champaign.
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This year's will be the 14th open house
at which hundreds of exhibits and activities are open to the public.
"Every year we have new exhibits to share with visitors," said
Scottie Miller, director of special events for the College of ACES.
"But we know that the 'regulars' who come to the open house year
after year would be disappointed if some of the old favorites
weren't there, too." Miller said that teachers from all over the
state, from nursery school to high school, include a field trip to
the open house as a regular part of their curriculum.
The theme for this year's open house is
"Where do we grow from here?" which fits beautifully with the many
plants, insects, animals and other programs studied in the College
of ACES. But it also fits with the College of ACES' Department of
Human and Community Development -- a department that conducts
research and outreach programs to benefit growing families and
communities.
One interactive computer exhibit which
will be on display in the atrium of the octagonal-shaped ACES
library will feature a new website for parents. The website, called
"P2P" or "Parent to Parent," incorporates video clips of real
parents talking about the joys and challenges they face as parents.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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Sheep shearing and other demonstrations
are scheduled to take place throughout the two-day event.
Visitors can pick up a free brochure at
any of the buildings that are part of the open house. The brochure
will include maps, a complete listing of exhibits, the schedule of
demonstrations, and information on parking and concessions.
On Friday, March 14, visitors can park
for free in lot F-23 at the corner of First Street and St. Mary's
Road, then take a free shuttle from the lot to the open house. On
Saturday, visitors can park for free on the street and in campus
lots. The shuttle will run continuously both days to help visitors
move easily from the Stock Pavilion, the Meat Sciences Building,
Plant Sciences and finally to the College of Engineering open house
on the north end of campus.
For a
listing of the exhibits from last year’s open house, visit
http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/openhouse. Details about the 2003
exhibits will be added to the same Web address soon. For more
information, call (217) 333-9355.
[U of I
College of ACES news release] |
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What is
Logan County agriculture?
[JAN.
13, 2003]
The face of agriculture has changed greatly in the
last 10 years, and the rate of change is accelerating greatly. Now
the Lincoln/Logan Chamber of Commerce is having a mapping exercise
to plan for agricultural development in the area, and looking at the
historical facts is the first step.
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Farm size has increased from 396 acres
in 1987 to 515 acres in 1997. The new census of agriculture being
conducted right now will probably show acceleration in this trend
and many others. The number of farms has had a corresponding
decrease from 949 in 1987 to 739 in 1997. Cropland has increased
from 78 percent of land in farms in '87 to almost 92 percent in '97.
The value of land and buildings has
increased from an average of $638,191 to $1,371,841 over the same
period. Even corrected for inflation, the value has increased about
$330,000 for each farm.
The biggest changes have come in the
livestock area. There are almost 40 percent fewer farms selling cattle and
calves, and over 50 percent fewer farms are selling hogs and pigs over this
10-year period. We are down to 76 farms in the county (as of 1997)
selling hogs, but these farms have increased swine sales almost 150
percent,
selling over 190,000 in 1997.
Probably the most telling numbers are
the per capita income figures for the county (all residents and not just
agriculture). The per capita income, when adjusted for inflation,
has increased less than $1,000 over the 20-year period from 1980 to
1999. This is an 11.2 percent increase over the 20 years.
The mapping exercise has an end goal of
planning to increase economic development in the area, so if anybody
has any ideas they would like to pass along please feel free to
contact me.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Upcoming meetings
Jan. 14: Corn and Soybean
Classic, Bloomington, $50 fee, 333-2880 to register.
Jan. 14: Sheep Grazing Telenet,
telephone, 333-7351 to register.
Jan. 16: Strip Tillage Workshop,
Springfield, 782-6515 to register.
Jan. 18: Herb Day, Urbana, 333-7738
to register.
Jan. 23: Corn and Soybean Classic,
Springfield, $50 fee, 333-2880 to register.
Jan. 24: PAT training, DeWitt County,
935-5764 to register.
Jan. 24: Certified Livestock
Manager,
Sangamon County, 1 (800) 345-6087 to register.
Jan. 29: Sustainable Ag Grant Writing,
Logan County, (217) 968-5512 for info.
Feb. 20: PAT training, Logan County,
732-8289 to register.
Feb.
25: Crop Problems Diagnostics, Logan County, 732-8289 for information.
Feel free to call the
local Extension office at 732-8289 for information that is available on
these programs.
[John
Fulton]
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USDA alarmed by slow sign-up
for major farm bill programs
[JAN.
9, 2003]
WASHINGTON -- The U.S.
Department of Agriculture is concerned about the slow pace at which
farmers are signing up for major farm programs under the 2002 Farm
Bill and urges farmers to quickly begin the sign-up process in order
to receive intended benefits in a timely and efficient manner.
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Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services
Undersecretary J.B. Penn, Deputy Undersecretary Hunt Shipman, and
Farm Service Agency Administrator Jim Little, along with various
state farm program directors, are urging producers from across the
country to sign up.
"For the sign-up process to proceed
smoothly, we need a steady flow of producers visiting their local
county FSA office from now to the April 1 deadline," said Jim
Little. "We want to avoid a last-minute crunch in the county
offices. Thus, the sooner producers contact their local FSA offices
and begin the sign-up process, the more our staff can be of help to
them to receive their intended benefits in a timely manner."
Little also reminded producers that
they can sign up for major programs now and still make changes to
their decisions any time until the April 1 closing date for base
acreage and yield updating. Also, producers may visit their local
FSA office multiple times to review information and discuss their
decisions.
"Ensuring timely delivery of program
benefits is a top priority for USDA," said Agriculture Secretary Ann
M. Veneman. "As farmers wrap up this fall's challenges, we are
hopeful that the extensive outreach, education and training USDA has
conducted throughout the country will enable producers to quickly
focus on signing up for the program, which will help prevent long
lines at the county offices next spring."
The USDA team has developed extensive
new software, trained personnel and prepared directives for the many
new and existing programs. In addition, the department developed a
new website and conducted hundreds of outreach meetings to farmers
nationwide to provide information on how to comply with the new law
and the required changes in program participation.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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"If producers are putting forth a New
Year's resolution, we hope it is to understand the importance of
signing up early," said Penn. "USDA is committed to working at every
level to assist producers, but it is critical they contact their
local FSA office to begin processing individual program information
and updates needed to participate."
According to Little, reports to date
from individual states indicate that producer sign-up for the direct
and counter-cyclical programs is proceeding quite slowly. He said
there are several reasons to explain the slow pace, including the
late harvest in many parts of the country, which kept farmers in the
field longer than usual.
Additionally, the complexity of the new
programs requires more time for producers to gain understanding,
assemble the necessary information and make their decision, often
involving several different commodities and unknown future market
conditions.
New computer-based tools also have been
developed to help producers analyze the economic consequences of the
new farm bill's updating options. USDA, in conjunction with Texas
A&M University, has made one such calculator available on the FSA
website,
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/. Several other land grant
universities and commodity associations have developed similar tools
available to producers.
"All of us at USDA recognize the
importance of the new farm bill to America's producers, and we
remain fully committed to providing them with all the necessary
information and assistance throughout the implementation process,"
added Penn.
For a
complete list of farm bill programs, benefits and information needed
for sign-up, please contact your local FSA office or service center
or visit
http://www.usda.gov/.
[USDA
news release]
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