Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau will be hosting a double meeting on Wednesday, February 26th at the W-HFB Auditorium at Monmouth. Starting at 11:00am, W-HFB along with the University of Illinois Extension will be presenting the results from W-HFB’s 2019 Nitrogen Strip Trial. The strip trial compared anhydrous ammonia applied in April to liquid nitrogen applied in June at varying rates. Nitrogen soil tests and tissue tests were collected throughout the growing season to evaluate nitrogen availability. Rainfall and temperature were also tracked. The discussion will focus on yield results and the possible factors that caused these yields. This event will allow educators to share information on improving profitability via nitrogen management while also improving the understanding of the practices that minimize nitrogen losses.

This nitrogen project was the result of W-HFB receiving an Illinois Farm Bureau Nutrient Stewardship Grant. These grants promote local nutrient stewardship, soil health, and water quality projects throughout the entire state. All projects are conducted with the ultimate goal of achieving nutrient loss reduction under Illinois NLRS. IFB has now awarded these grants for the fifth consecutive year – totaling nearly $550,000 over that time span.

A lunch meal will be served at the conclusion of the 2019 Nitrogen Strip Trial results. After the meal, a meeting discussing the economics of on-farm storage will begin. Sparrow Millwright from La Harpe will be going over several on-farm storage options varying from low to high costs. On-farm storage layout options will include dryer sizing, dryer location, the utilization of augers or legs, bin size requirements, and unload options such as a drive-over pit. With on-farm storage, marketing strategies can be adjusted to capture the carry in the market and allows for the possibility to deliver to new facilities to capture a better basis. The marketing strategy will be discussed to show how additional income can be obtained and get the maximum return on your investment.

There is no cost to attend, but reservations are requested by February 21st. Contact the W-HFB at 309-734-9401 or whfb@whfarmbureau.org to make your reservation.

Trucking regulations can be complicated, and farm exemptions compound that problem. It seems everyone has a different answer to your question. Come join us at 9:00am on Thursday, February 27th at the Hancock County Extension Center, 550 N Madison, Carthage, IL to find out what you need to know.

We’re hosting a two-hour meeting that focuses on trucking laws specifically for farmers. We’ll introduce you to new rules, remind you of the old ones that still apply, and help you figure out whether exemptions are available. Throughout it all, you'll have the chance to ask those farm trucking questions that everyone has an opinion about, but no one can agree on an answer.

We will invite enforcement agencies you encounter on the road to discuss the rules and things they see most often from farmers. This meeting in Carthage will be one of eight throughout the state of Illinois that IFB is offering this winter. Presenting the seminar will be Kirby Wagner who specializes in farm transportation issues for the Illinois Farm Bureau®. There is no cost to attend, but please call the Hancock County Farm Bureau at 217-357-3141 or the Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau at 309-734-9401 to reserve your place at the Rules for the Road Meeting. Click here for a flyer of the event.

On the morning of Friday, February 28th, renowned ag speaker Dr. David Kohl will present at the Spoon River Outreach Center, 2500 E Jackson St, Macomb. Dr. Kohl will be presenting from 9:00-11:30am on “Agriculture today: It is what it is…what should we do about it?”

This event is being hosted by COUNTRY Financial, West Central FS, Fulton County Farm Bureau, McDonough County Farm Bureau, and Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau. The cost to attend is $10 per person and reservations are required. Contact W-HFB at 309-734-9401 or whfb@whfarmbureau.org to reserve your spot today. To make a reservation online, visit https://meetingregistration.yolasite.com/. Click here to read more about Dr. Kohl.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Agriculture students and Illinois Farm Bureau® (IFB) members and their children are encouraged to apply for 76 college scholarships offered by the IAA Foundation, Illinois Farm Bureau’s charitable arm. The scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $7,500, will be awarded in total of $118,000 for the 2020-2021 school year. A full listing of available scholarships and eligibility guidelines is available on the Foundation website, www.iaafoundation.org. The application opens Dec. 1, 2019 and must be completed online by Feb. 1, 2020. For more information, contact your county Farm Bureau, the IAA Foundation at 309-557-2232, or e-mail Jennifer Smith at jsmith@ilfb.org.
Click here for a full write-up

Soil and Water Management Webinar
February 20th in Monmouth
FB Event · Registration

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Pesticide Safety Testing Session
March 4th in Monmouth
FB Event · Registration

URBANA, Ill. – Researchers and Extension Specialists from University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences are asking Illinois growers to share basic planting, harvest, and yield data with the college to learn from the extraordinary growing conditions experienced this year. Using an anonymous online form, email, or the U.S. Postal Service, farmers can share very simple parameters from this year’s crop with researchers.
Click here to view the data form
Click here for more details of the experiment
“We hope never to have a spring as wet as this last one, but if we do, having this information will give us a much better idea of how to deal with it and of what to expect.” – Talon Becker, PHD, Extension Education, AGRI NTRL RSRSC I.

More than 1,700 people attended Illinois Farm Bureau’s 105th Annual Meeting held in early December. In addition to over 330 delegates debating resolutions and setting organization policy, President Richard Guebert Jr. and Vice President Brian Duncan were re-elected to serve a two-year term of their respective position. Three new directors were elected to the IAA board, a Young Leader Discussion Meet Winner was chosen, sense of the delegate body resolutions were approved, and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky addressed the delegates about USMCA – these were just a few of the happenings that occurred at the 3 day event, view the links below to read more about the IAA Annual Meeting!

https://farmweeknow.com/story-thats-wrap-ifbs-2019-annual-meeting-5-197508

https://farmweeknow.com/story-guebert-are-stronger-together-5-197631

https://farmweeknow.com/story-lot-more-common-think-5-197630

2019 IAA Annual Meeting Results

Not all wounds are visible and sometimes calling upon the farming community – friends, neighbors, or clergy can make a difference in managing stressful situations and crises. Below are some outside resources available for those in such a situation. More information can be found under the LINKS tab.

Make space for a healthy mind. Have you checked out SilverCloud yet?

SilverCloud is a free, secure, anonymous and interactive platform to help you manage the feelings and causes of depression, anxiety or stress. Offered by OSF HealthCare and available to the public, SilverCloud is an online resource available on your computer, tablet, or phone designed to provide you with easy access to supportive behavioral therapy programs catered to your personal situation. View the links below to learn more.

• Click here to sign-up for SilverCloud
• View Mental Health Resources
• Read their blog

CASA of West Central Illinois hosted its 5th Annual Lip Sync Battle Fundraiser on the evening of September 26th at the Knights of Columbus in Galesburg.  CASA Young Leader Committee Members from Knox and Warren-Henderson County Farm Bureaus performed a 12 song mashup of 80’s songs and were able to gather enough votes ($1 per vote) and donations throughout the night to raise over $700 for the organization – leading them to a 1st place finish. Thanks to all supported this crew and in case you missed the performance, take a look: > CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program is a non-profit organization that was founded locally in 1994. Their missions is to speak up for and support the best interests of abused and neglected children in the court system. CASAs are assigned to every abuse, neglect, and dependency case in Knox, Warren, Henderson, and McDonough Counties of Illinois. To learn more, visit http://www.casaofknoxco.com/

W-HFB hosted its Nitrogen Strip Trial Field Day on Friday, August 30th between Kirkwood and Monmouth. Click here to read more about the event.

 

Over the summer months, Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau had the opportunity to host three groups of Brazilian farmers who came to the Midwest to tour agricultural facilities through the travel company AgroBravo.
Click here to read more about the visits.

 

The Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Young Leaders and the Warren County Prime Beef Festival co-sponsored their 6th annual Fall Festival 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, September 7th. The race started at Bayer Research Center outside Monmouth and all along the countryside course signs with agriculture facts and jokes were posted. Click here to read about 5K results.

The Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau Women’s/Ag-in-the-Classroom committee and the Prime Beef Festival sponsored their annual Agricultural Education Day for kids on Friday, September 6th at Bayer Research Center outside Monmouth. 4th grade classes from ICS, Monmouth-Roseville, and United school districts attended this annual event.
During this morning program students rotated through nine different stations where they learned about the following agriculture topics: Machinery (taught by Dudley Ricketts); Soils & Fertilizer (Joe Greenstreet & Anna Sharp); Soybeans & Plant Parts (Michael Moore); Corn & Plant Parts (Craig & Chad Long); Beef (Taylor Huston); Swine (Sue Bertelsen); Animal Vet Care (Julie Snodgrass); Sheep (Robin Corzatt); and Dairy Cattle (Gayle Baker).
Thank you to the Bayer Learning Center for allowing this event to be hosted at your facilities!

Check out Illinois Farm Bureau’s podcasts that give insight on Illinois farm, family, and food related issues! Available at this link include the Partners, RFD Radio, RFD Illinois, and Best of RFD podcasts. Whether you’re interested in the markets and weather, hearing in-depth interviews with top ag decision-makers, listening to a recap of ‘what happened this week in Illinois agriculture’, or learning about some ideas on Illinois places and events to visit, IFB has you covered!