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 A whole host of experts and representatives in agriculture,
finances, marketing, government and health fields are working today
to bring about change in our food system and the way we eat - how
food is grown - making fresh foods available locally - educating
Americans in how to buy, cook and eat quality fresh foods.
The “Eat like you matter” movement spurred by a national health
crisis is just setting its roots.
Dr. Nicole Florence of Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Memorial
Health Systems said if obesity could be eliminated, diabetes would
no longer exist. Doing away with this one disease that is a $150
billion cost in the healthcare industry would have an enormous
impact on medical costs, insurance costs and more, for all
Americans.
What this multi-industries consolidated movement offers those in
agriculture is alternatives in production, whether converting a
portion of your operation from conventional to value added organic
field crops or carving out a few acres for niche fruit, vegetable or
ornamental crops that go to local market.
Both organic and local food farming have expanding support systems
that offer training, mentoring, finance options to start or shift an
operation, and shared marketing opportunities for those who might be
willing to do something a little different, work a little harder for
something more profitable.
Though Richard Ritter from the Gridley Branch of Flanagan State Bank
had a farming background, three years ago he began to research more
about sustainable farming. He found that information was sadly
lacking. He decided it was his “calling” to take up this subject and
provide better information.
Ritter offers some income comparisons between conventional versus
organic crops.
 Conventional farming in 2015, yields were higher, but prices were
down and input costs up. While an organic farmer will pay more for
organic fertilizers and labor, the increased selling price offsets
these costs.
2015 conventional soybeans saw high yields of 60 to 80 bushels, but
the clear or net income was only about half of that from an organic
field yields at 36 to 80 bushels per acre.
Ritter said another good thing to point out is that for so long, it
appeared that organic crop yields were much lower than the yields of
conventional crops. He said this is no longer the case. Organic
field yields are coming in within 75 percent of the comparable
conventional crop.
The future of organic farming is strong. He said there are a number
of reasons for this, but perhaps the best reason is the consumer. He
said that consumers are looking for organic and are willing to pay
the premium for it.
He noted that eggs are selling for about $4.00 in the organic
market, compared to less than a dollar or $1.50 in the conventional
market (August 2016 prices), yet there continues to be a high demand
for organic eggs.
This trend is continuing throughout the food market, with people
looking for healthy and safe choices where they have no worries
about the use of chemicals or genetically modified (GMO) products.
There are statistics that show that 73 percent of all Americans are
consuming some organically grown products.
Ritter said the other good news for organic farming is that
landowners are looking for producers who will go organic on their
land. The demand for the organic producer is growing among the
landlord community. He said the reason for this was not just organic
farming practices, but also profitability.
Sustainable and/or organic agriculture practices over time build
soil organic matter, which keeps more nutrients available for crops,
protects soil from erosion, and it reduces the need of other
chemical additives.
Ritter said landlords see that there are greater returns in organic
production than in conventional farming.
 Ritter said another benefit to transitioning away from conventional
farming, is the income potential that will allow multiple
generations to live off the family farm. The lack of stable income
in conventional farming is causing young people to leave the farm
for other careers. But, with the potential in food farming to yield
as much as $15,000 per acre, even a small farm can support a family.
So what is the downside to organic farming?
Ritter said, it is hard work. He noted some young folks just aren’t
going to work as hard as they need to make organic farming
profitable.
Ritter predicted that as low profits of the traditional farm
continue, at the end of this season there would be 10 percent fewer
farmers. With that, land costs would drop.
To stay afloat, farmers may want to look at alternatives.
There are a number of opportunities, particularly for young farmers
wanting to break into farming if they are willing to participate in
sustainable practices. Choices and support range in special
training, writing a business plan, financial backing, assistance
setting up marketing and extended support.
PrairiErth Farm owned by Dave Bishop of rural Atlanta, is best known
for organic foods, specifically vegetables, but also beef, pork and
poultry. However, the garden style portion of the farm is only a
percentage of all the farm produces. The farm also raises
conventional crops such as corn and soybeans following sustainable
agriculture guidelines which add value at market.
Bishop's aim is to make wise use of the land to grow premium crops
and foods at a profit and to get others to join him in these
practices that offer quality of life value.
Bishop said that first the system used to establish sustainable
farming needs to be a plan that can be used not just for the
immediate season, but for the future. In other words, it needs to be
a long-term plan that requires little adaption to work
year-after-year.
Secondly, Bishop said that to be successful, a program has to be
profitable. In contrast to conventional farming practices, Bishop
said one key is to control the output, to not over-produce, because
larger supplies will create lower prices. He said the goal is to
avoid what is going on today in conventional farming where supplies
are larger than the demand. Prices fall to make the abundant supply
more marketable.
 Barbara Barcal of All Star Trading works with organic producers to
market their products. She is follows markets for imports and
exports of organic and non-GMO grains, and pricing for organically
grown products.
Barcal said demand is growing for organic products. The majority of
those products are being imported from foreign countries.
She said demand for organic chicken and eggs are on a steady rise.
To produce these products, these birds need to be fed organic
grains. She said corn, to her understanding was a major component of
poultry feeds. She noted that in 2012, she paid $16.25 per bushel
for organic corn. (point of reference, at the elevator cash corn on
October 9th, 2012 was selling at $7.29-$7.39) Barcal said she noted
to many producers that year, that the extremely high price for corn
could not continue because livestock producers could not afford to
pay that kind of price.
She was right about this prediction. Organic corn mid-September this
year was at $8.00 per bushel, which is still a premium compared to
the cash price for conventionally grown corn at $3.00 -
$3.09/bushel. Barcal said even though this is less than 50 percent
of the 2012 price, producers are pleased with this price, and they
are making money
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 So, what are the concerns? Imports.
Barcal said in 2012 there were no imports of organic corn. Since
then, looking just at Romanian imports of corn, the U.S. demand has
increased significantly:
- In 2013, 918 bushels at $15.25/bu.
- In 2014, 29,000 metric tons at $10.21/bu.
- In 2015, 14,800 metric tons at $8.69/bu.
- To June of 2016, more than 55,928 metric tons, a volume
increase of more than 200 percent over the past year.
Barcal said there is not enough corn being grown organically
in the U.S., though it has great market potential. She had a
buyer contact her looking for Illinois-grown, non-GMO corn, and
she assured him, there was none to be found.
Barcal says this is a concern that needs to be addressed locally
in conversations farmer-to-farmer, to encourage greater
production of non-GMO products.
Director of impact for Iroquois Valley Farms, John Steven
Bianucci, explains how their sustainable agriculture farming
system started as a single family farm, but has grown to more
than 30 farms in eight states.
Bianucci said the goal is to assist farmers during the
transition years from conventional to organic production. The
firm also works with young farmers and prospective farmers in
assisting them to gain access to farm ground. They also work
with at risk farms to help them regain their financial
stability, to become self-sufficient and profitable through a
buy and sell back program.
In this program, Bianucci said Iroquois Valley would purchase a
farm, and lease it back to the farmer for seven years. At the
end of that time, the producer has the option to buy back the
farm land, or they can continue with the lease program. The farm
in question would be transitioned to an organic and
environmentally aware farm, and work within the vision of
Iroquois Valley to offer safe, healthy alternatives to
conventional food production.
Bianucci said that the firm works with grain crops, alternative
crops, dairy and other livestock, as well as vegetable farms.
What ever your choice in farming practice, Rebecca Huston of the
Illinois State Treasurer’s Office says that they know that
operating cash is difficult to come by some years. There is a
loan guarantee program offered by the Illinois State Treasurer’s
Office, AgInvest, that works through local banks to help secure
loans and operating cash for area farmers.
While AgInvest has been around for a while, improvements now
allow farmers to secure larger loans for longer periods of time
and it now offers fixed interest rates.
 AgInvest is a subsidy program with interest rates that make the
borrowing more affordable for the producer. The long list of
items that the state will permit in this program include money
for crops, livestock, buildings or infrastructure and
refinancing of debt.
Huston notes that right now, many people don't know about this
program, including the bankers.
Bill Davison – University of Illinois – The Grand Prairie
Grain Guild
Davison founded the Grand Prairie Grain Guild, which is now in
its second year. He said the mission of the Guild was to build
regional grain markets with value-added grains. The goal is to
use the crops that are already being produced in scale, and
being transported to Chicago and other market locations as the
infrastructure for transporting other products.
As that system is established, the Grain Guild will add fruits
and vegetables, making it easier and more affordable to ship
Illinois-grown products to the locations where the demand
exists. He said organic or not, if a farmer is going to produce
in a low input system, different crops need to exist than what
we have today, including corn, soybeans, other legumes, and
other grains such as buckwheat.
Some of the research being done includes working with crops not
typically found in Illinois. Such products include a variety of
wheat, even buckwheat, and also grains such as open-pollinated
corn. He said that he had been told that working with crops such
as this cannot work in Illinois, but he said he’s working with
farmers who are already doing it, so, apparently they didn’t
know it couldn’t be done.
Davison mentioned, in particular, a farm in Iroquois County that
is growing a six crop rotation, including winter wheat. He said
this farm of 2,500 acres produced 55,000 bushels of organic
grain. The wheat this farm is growing is being sold to markets
in Chicago.
Currently, stone mills that are being established with the goal
to move consumers toward a whole wheat milled flour, but right
now, the consumer is accustomed to, and desires white flour. The
mills being established have sifters that will refine the flour
to the specifications that the commercial bakers want. Flour
formulation would be adjusted annually, and bakers would be
educated on the newer, better whole grain products, adjust their
recipes until eventually they are working with a pure whole
grain product.
He concluded that what is needed now is a demand for the organic
flour and other products at institutional levels such as schools
and hospitals.
 One of the challenges for any farm operation is defining a
market and planning for storage and transportation. Smaller farm
consortiums have been forming, such as the Land Connection -
Champaign area and Legacy of the Land - Bloomington area
growers, have pooled their efforts for efficiency and to get
more
product with greater diversity to more markets.
Right here in Logan County, the ALMH Market held May to October
launched with much success this year. The all Illinois products
indoor market draws a regular crowd offering numerous health
conscious activities. One vendor was Bean Sprouts, a soon to be
opened in Lincoln café/restaurant where the goal will be to
offer as many “farm-to-table” dishes as possible.
Bishop noted that transporting small farm products can be a very
costly challenge for producers. Currently, Amtrak has a pilot
program transporting from the Champaign area to Chicago. Cheeses
are being shipped via Amtrak in special coolers. He hopes to see
Lincoln gain rail service for product shipping as well.
Resources:
USDA
Organic Certification - Technical Training and Financial
Resources - Data and Research
Illinois Organic
Growers
Legacy of the
Land
The Land Connection
Locally Grown, Fresh Food Market
The ALMH Market
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