Consumer Mindset Training Workshops-
August 8, 2012 | 
Author Join the movement of Farmers Opening Our Doors (FOOD), and learn how to effectively converse with consumers. We know that our old tactics of “educating” consumers is not working. We must change our language, retrain our mindset, and reach consumers in a whole new way. Today, it’s all about a dialogue. We must engage with consumers about food, farmers and farming, and answer their questions. This workshop is open to County Farm Bureau Managers, County Farm Bureau Leaders, Commodity Group Representatives, and farmers. The training workshops will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. To register, please contact your local County Farm Bureau or Commodity Group office by MONDAY, August 13.
August 21, 2012
Franklin County Farm Bureau
Posted in 
2012 Corn Yield Summary by Townships in Franklin County
Barren 3.1
Benton 29.5
Browning 65.5
Cave 56.2
Denning 3.6
Eastern 32.8
Ewing 27.3
Frankfort 57.5
Goode 2.0
Northern 9.5
Tyrone 56.8
Six Mile 18.1
FRANKLIN COUNTY AVERAGE = 30.2
Local Member Benefits
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Manager’s Comments 06-27-2012
As the drought deepens, farmers are trying to decide how best to cope as crop conditions worsen. Cattle producers are feeding hay and trying to anticipate how they can provide feed in the long term. Even if it would rain forge needs are going to be an on going problem. Is it possible that we may not see green grass until next April?
Grain producers are looking at the possibility of buying out their grain contracts in anticipation of little or no grain produced. At this point, with temperatures forecast in the 100’s for the next few days, yields in the county could be historically low. Even now some fields will produce as little as 10 bushels of corn per acre and the number of acres in that situation is growing everyday. Crop insurance certainly will be a life jacket for those that have made it a part of their management program. Of course, with any management tool the type of coverage that a farmer elected will really be important.
Spraying to control weeds is the number one job on the farm during this time but there are added challenges as weeds are not growing and not taking in herbicide. This makes control more difficult and expensive.
The Senate voted Thursday to adopt their version of the new Farm Bill with a vote of 64 – 36. The Senate moved very efficiently through the 280 plus amendments that were filed by selecting 78 amendments that they heard this week. Some of those votes were to our liking and some were not as is usually the case.
The House has indicated that they will take up the bill after the 4th of July and most likely follow a similar process on dealing with amendments as the Senate did. They have indicated that their targeted amount of cuts will be 34-35 billion dollars over 10 years as compared to the 23 billion dollars of cuts that are in the Senate version. There will obviously be a big difference between the two bills that will have to be addressed in conference committee!
One of the amendments that was defeated is the HSUS/egg producers amendment which was not picked up and included in the Senate’s 78 agreed to amendments and that is a huge victory for us. Many of the amendments were relating to payment limitations and tied to a producers Adjusted Gross Income. It seems that both Democrats and Republicans are sensitive to limiting program payments to higher income farmers.
Remember we are farmers working together. If we can help let us know.
Farm Bureau/COUNTRY Picnic
The Franklin County Farm Bureau along with Franklin County COUNTRY Financial Representatives Mike Brachear, Krista Menckowski, Darla Sloan and Jeff Smith will be showing their appreciation to their members and clients at the 4-H Fairgrounds adjacent to Rend Lake College on Tuesday, July 17th at 5:00 p.m.
This will be the fifth year that the Franklin County Farm Bureau and the Franklin County COUNTRY Financial Representatives have been at the fairgrounds to cook and serve the meal. This year in addition to drinks and chips they will be grilling pork sandwiches and hotdogs and we will have cole slaw and baked beans – and let’s not forget the ice cream cups.
The Franklin County Farm Bureau Young Leaders will be selling squares for your chance to win at Cow Chip Bingo. The winner will receive ½ of the money collected and squares will be sold prior to the cookout. They will also be helping out with other activities that take place in conjunction with Family Fun Night.
All Franklin County Farm Bureau members are encouraged to attend this event and enjoy the food and 4-H activities that are planned for the evening.
Illinois requiring medical cards with some CDLs
Story by Kay Shipman, Illinois Farm Bureau
Illinois drivers with commercial drivers licenses (CDLs) last week received mailed notices from the Illinois secretary of state about a new program aimed at enforcing the medical card requirement. This is the first time the medical card will be linked to the CDL, according to Kevin Rund, Illinois Farm Bureau senior director of local government.
Young Leaders Receive Top Harvest for All Award
For the second year in a row the Franklin County Farm Bureau Young Leaders Committee was awarded one of five Top Harvest for All Awards in the state. Along with the recognition of receiving this award the Young Leaders will also receive a check for $125.
This award was presented to the top five Young Leaders/Young Farmer Groups in the state for recognition of their help for raising money, purchasing food, presenting food to area food pantries and spending many man hours on this project. The Franklin County Young Leaders were instrumental in helping to purchase and distribute over $12,000 worth of food during the past year.
The Franklin County Farm Bureau Young Leaders Committee has been working very hard to help with all projects and to bring up new projects for the year. If you are over 18 years old and would like to become part of the Franklin County Farm Bureau Young Leaders Committee please feel free to call us at (618) 435-3616 of email fcfb028@frontier.com.
2011 County Annual Meeting – November 28th
The Annual meeting of the Franklin County Farm Bureau will be held on Monday November 28th at the Benton Civic Center on Hudelson Street.
A meal will be served at 6:15 p.m. There will be entertainment immediately following the business section of the meeting. Entertainment will be provided by the local acapella group Blend.
The Ag In The Classroom Program will also be sponsoring a Silent Auction again this year. We will have lots of items for everyone to bid on so come early and get a look at everything. Last year we raised $1,000 and we are hoping that we will be able to top that amount this year.
We will also have a short business meeting to elect Board Members.
Reservations for the annual meeting are important. Members are asked to RSVP to the Franklin County Farm Bureau office at (618) 435-3616 no later than Monday November 21, 2011.
Sesser Oktober Fest 2011
The Franklin County Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom (AITC) has had another successful year at the annual Sesser Oktoberfest. This year Franklin County AITC has added its own simulated dairy cow to its program.
Eloise, the dairy cow, was “milked” by many elementary, junior high and high school students. Parents even tried to demonstrate their milking skills with their children. The coordinator, Melissa Lamczyk, uses Eloise to demonstrate how people milked a cow before technology brought machines along.
A corn bin was also simulated by using a sand box. The corn bin had shelled corn and dried field corn for the kids to play with. Corn could be shelled off the cob right into the corn bin. There were also buckets, cups, toy farm animals, trucks and tractors for the kids to play with inside the bin.
AITC also had sign up or reenrollment forms for anyone interested in 4-H. Cindy Bauman, 4-H Youth Leader for Franklin County Extension, was unable to attend but she supplied forms. Mrs. Bauman and Mrs. Lamczyk are both interested in keeping agriculture and 4-H experiences readily available in our communities. They work on several programs together throughout the year.
Eloise was a project that was made by Melissa Lamczyk and her family for the purpose of teaching others about how to milk cows.
Manager’s Comments June 13, 2012
Pastures are slowing drying up and some hay has already been fed. I have a few cows and I am thinking about weaning the spring calves early to reduce the pressure on pasture.
Wheat harvest is finished and double crop soybeans are being planted with hopes for rain soon to cause seed to germinate.
The Illinois General Assembly has passed legislation regulating the use of SLOW MOVING VECHILE (SMV) signs. HB 4598 provides that a slow-moving vehicle emblem may not be displayed in public view from a highway on an object other than an animal drawn vehicle, farm tractor, implement of husbandry, certain special mobile equipment, and certain off-highway vehicles. The bill establishes a fine for a first or subsequent offense of improperly displaying a slow-moving vehicle of $75 instead of the current fines of $25 for the first offense and $75 for a second or subsequent offense within one year. An amendment was added to the bill in the Senate to assure that non-highway vehicles that are also required to display an SMV emblem would not be impacted by the bill. Some municipalities that allow golf-carts or other similar non-highway vehicles to use roadways require them to display an SMV.
Congress has been working on a new Farm Bill and we are asking members to contact our U. S. Senators Please call each of your U.S. Senators (Senator Durbin at 202-224-2152 and Senator Kirk at 202-224-2854) and respectfully state our position on the following points.
The farm bill must be passed now. IFB supports the Senate bill for its emphasis on crop insurance, its revenue-based Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program, and its deficit reduction goals. ($23.6 billion/10 years). Many farmers are preparing to make decisions for their farming operations for the 2013 crop year and beyond. They need certainty. With the current farm bill expiring at the end of September, it is imperative that a new five-year farm bill be passed this year.
New means testing is unacceptable. Crop insurance is the cornerstone of the next farm bill. Sen. Durbin is offering an amendment that reduces the premium risk subsidy (discount) for farmers with average adjusted gross incomes greater than $750,000. No other federally-sponsored insurance program is means tested. Any policy that discourages participation by lower risk participants increases the risk pool for remaining participants and drives up premiums for all. IFB opposes means testing and any caps or limits on federal crop insurance support.
Animal production practices must not be legislated. Farm Bureau strongly opposes the Feinstein egg amendment which would legislate animal care standards. The HSUS-UEP agreement was never put to a vote of UEP members, will drive up production costs and consumer egg prices and is opposed by both conventional and cage-free egg farmers in Illinois.
Remember we are farmers working together. If we can help let us know.