IL Corn Growers Association and the corn farmers they represent are fortunate that today, July 1, trade with our top customers begins with a new, modernized trade agreement: the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement or USMCA. “It’s been a long journey from the first conversation about modernizing the North America Free Trade Agreement to today, full entry-into force of the USMCA. Farmers have constantly been in touch with legislators about the importance of a workable trade agreement with our neighbors and we celebrated when the House and Senate passed this bill. Today, we are setting the course for our descendants who will also now get to enjoy the commerce with Mexico and Canada that have benefitted the ag industry for the last 26 years,” said Bill Leigh, Illinois Corn Growers Association President and Minonk, IL farmer.
Many farmers and landowners are interested in incorporating various conservation practices on their farms but find conversations and negotiations with absentee landowners or cooperating farmers difficult. New conservation lease addendum templates created by the University of Illinois’ FarmDoc team can help. The goal is always to get landowners and tenants on the same page when it comes to conservation. Whether you are interested in exploring something like adding cover crops to your acres, or simply want to change nitrogen application timing, a conversation guide can help. These templates can become part of your continued lease renewal discussions and can make sure you touch on all the important elements of changing management practices on your acres. You can do as little as fill in the blanks and use the template exactly as provided or as much as build your own agreement simply using the template as a conversation starter.
IL Corn is proud to announce Clay Bess has been recognized as part of Field to Market’s 2020 Trusted Adviser Spotlight Series! Through his role with Precision Conservation Management, Clay Bess works to support Illinois farmers in implementing data driven conservation practices and scaling their sustainable outcomes. IL Corn partners with advisers like Clay to improve environmental outcomes and advance sustainable solutions for farmers throughout our value chain. Field to Market recognized Clay on June 24 during its annual Plenary and General Assembly Meeting, recognizing his outstanding leadership in implementing innovative approaches to scale conservation agriculture.
Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) district director elections will take place by mail this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In previous years, checkoff contributors were able to vote at local extension offices throughout the State, but with many offices closed due to the pandemic, voting has been converted to entirely by mail. In-person voting will resume during the next voting cycle. ICMB districts 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13 are up for election in 2020. You can review counties represented by those districts and current district directors here. Ballots are available by request from the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Request your ballot from David Humphreys at david.humphreys@illinois.gov or by calling 217-524-1083. Ballots must be postmarked July 2 and should be mailed to:
IL Corn welcomes three interns to our team this summer. Two interns work in the communication department and the third works on membership and legislative priorities. They join us originally from different parts of our state. One of our goals of the internship program is to invest in future leaders of the Illinois agriculture industry. We look forward to the upcoming months and having them join our staff while providing education opportunities which they will take with them into their careers.
IL Corn donated $635 to Illinois FFA chapters, a result of Illinois farmers testing water supplies on their farms for nitrates. The program focused on raising awareness on Illinois farms of potential for nutrient loss through water supplies. IL Corn Grower Association members received testing strips and submitted their results anonymously. Each submittal generated a $5 donation to an FFA chapter in Illinois of the farmer’s choice. According to the most recent Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Biennial report, Illinois lost 425 million pounds of nitrate-N/yr between 2013-2015. Survey work tells us that many farmers in Illinois do not believe they are losing valuable nutrients from their farm. Water quality research tells us that nutrient runoff is a problem, costing farmers money and contributing to the loads entering our waterways.
In an effort to help you be more prepared for your appointment or complete the application at home, we’ve compiled some resources for your use in regards to the CFAP program. Highlights: - Enrollment is open now – August 28, however due to limited funds you are encouraged to apply earlier rather than later - Program is for unpriced grain, dairy, and livestock (all inventory). Basis contracts are included in this program - IL Corn, IL Soy & IL Farm Bureau sponsored a Farmdoc webinar to further explain and discuss the program, it can be found here - Applications can be filled out at home and sent in (electronically or mail) or returned in person by appointment
June 10 Update: Many questions still float around about the decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in regards to usage of Dicamba. The Illinois Department of Agriculture compiled a FAQ resource to help guide farmers with questions they may have. June 5 Update: Late in the day yesterday, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDA) finished reviewing and interpreting the ruling of the Ninth Circuit Court. Following, their conclusion the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association (IFCA) released the following statement.
