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One of the highlights each year is the presentation of ag
scholarships. Ag Committee Chairman Terry Lock presented seven
students with their scholarships.
Scholarship recipients
They are as follows:
Winners of $1,000 scholarships
-
Krista
Ubbenga
Hartsburg-Emden High School senior
Plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Major: Crop sciences with biotechnology and molecular biology
Minor: Spanish and/or biochemistry
-
David
Allspach
Mount Pulaski High School senior
Plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Major: Agribusiness, farm and financial management
Minor: Crop science
-
Kyle
Atteberry
Lincoln Community High School senior
Plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Major: Agricultural engineering
Minor: Plans to include environmental studies in his curriculum
Winners of $500 scholarships
-
Kenneth
Cowan
Mount Pulaski High School senior
Plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Major: Ag business and finance
Minor: Undecided
-
Thomas
Maske
Mount Pulaski High School senior
Plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Major: Animal science, pre-vet
-
Kory
Leesman
Hartsburg-Emden High School senior
Plans to attend Bradley University in Peoria
Major: Mechanical engineering
Minor: Business
-
Bradley Stoll
Mount Pulaski High School senior
Plans to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Major: Technical systems management
Minor: Ag business
The event supports part of the ag committee's mission,
"Cultivating the relationship between agriculture and business."
Business, community and ag leaders look forward to the opportunity
to make new and renew acquaintances. This pre-spring date is closing
in on the last opportunity for many involved in the ag industry to
take their last deep breath before crops season starts.
Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce President Mark Hughes,
from Inland Tool, welcomed the crowd.
Lincoln Christian College and Seminary President Dr. Keith Ray
gave the invocation.
New Lincoln and Logan County Development Partnership Director Rob
Orr, who grew up in rural Iowa in a family deep in farming, served
as emcee.
Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant gave a brief report on the Lower Sangamon
River Resource Conservation and Development. While the local group,
which covers six counties including Logan County, is still young in
organization, they have assisted with funding several projects. The
committee operates with volunteers only.
Keynote speaker was futures analyst Bill Nelson from A.G. Edwards
and Sons Inc. Nelson used graphs comparing world grain market
statistics over the last few decades.
Nelson says China is the driving world market influence at this
time. This began in the '90s when the government made a policy
change and shifted their focus on agriculture. He keeps a close
watch on all aspects of their markets, including surplus and
export-import net trading.
Nelson says they also watch the Brazilian market, which has
developed strength in the soybean market in recent years, on the
production side. Brazil has focused on developing infrastructure
that enables them to bring crops to the world market. Brazil also
has a large supply of undeveloped land.
But he maintains that China is the major market influence to
watch. If they approach U.S. averages for soybean meal
consumption, mainly through amounts fed to livestock, there will
be severe global shortages of soybeans and products.
In summary, the markets are in a volatile period, and the
volatility may become even greater with the upcoming U.S. planting
season. Currently prices have not been rationing use of
commodities.
A.G. Edwards and Sons sponsored the Nelson presentation.
[to top of second
column in this article] |
The meal was catered by Guzzardo's. Numerous local businesses
support the breakfast. See below for a list of sponsors.
The ag community also hosted a Kid's Ag Day on Wednesday (March
17). That event is sponsored each year by the Logan County Farm
Bureau. ["Students celebrate agriculture"]
[Jan Youngquist, with some editing by
U of I Extension specialist
John Fulton]
2004 Ag Day sponsors
Platinum
sponsors
Frontier Mutual
Insurance
Graue Inc.
Interstate
Chevrolet
Logan County
Farm Bureau
State Bank of
Lincoln
Silver sponsors
Country
Insurance & Financial Services
Farm Credit
Services
Logan County
Bank
Bronze sponsors
J.M. Abbott &
Associates
Ag-Land FS
Atlanta Ag
Center
Beason Ag
Center
Big R
Burtonview
Co-op
CEFCU
Central
Illinois Ag
City of Lincoln
Coy's Car
Corner
Cross Implement
East Lincoln
Farmers Grain
Elkhart Grain
FSIA (Farmers
Supporting Independent Agriculture)
Grieme
Insurance Agency
Rick Hamm State
Farm Insurance
Hartsburg State
Bank
Hicksgas
Hoblit Seed
Illini Bank
Lincoln Ag
Center
Mike Maske
Auction Service
Mitchell-Newhouse
Lumber Company
Rohlfs
Implement Company
Stine Seed
Union Planters
Bank
Contributing
sponsor
First National
Bank of Mount Pulaski
Chamber Ag
Committee
John
Hartman, chair
Bobbi
Abbott, Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce executive director
Mike
Abbott, J.M. Abbott & Associates
Don
Begolka, Begolka Farms
Kelly
Burden, Lincoln Community High School
Bill
Dickerson, Logan County Soil and Water Conservation
Jim
Drew, Logan County Farm Bureau
Todd
Farris, Elkhart Grain
John
Hartman, Farm Credit Services
Dave
Howard, Ag-Land FS
Larry
Huelskoetter, Logan County producer
Mark
Hunsley, Farmer's Coop Elevator
David
Irwin, State Bank of Lincoln
Kevin Kurtz, Stine Seed
Terry
Lock, Illini Bank
Richard
Martin, Logan County producer
Betsy
Pech, Hartsburg-Emden High School
Bob
Pharis, Logan County producer
Art
Rohrer, Logan County producer
Bill
Sahs, Sahs Farms
Steve
Schmidt, Central Illinois Ag
Steve
Schreiner, Logan County producer
Cindy
Stover, Lincoln Community High School
Maft
Swinger, Farm Service Agency
Hugh
Whalen, East Lincoln Farmers Grain
Chamber Ag
Committee task forces
Ag awareness -- Bill
Sahs, chair
Value-added
opportunities -- Larry Huelskoetter, chair
Land use and zoning
-- Bill Dickerson, chair
Ag work force
development -- Terry Lock, chair
Absentee landowner relations -- Larry
Huelskoetter, chair |
