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2009 will be a year that Illinois farmers
won't forget for a long time. There was a spring planting season
and a fall harvest that never seemed to end, due to extremely wet
conditions. On the political front, farmers rallied against cap-and
trade legislation and its potential impact on agriculture.
Just like the drought year of 1988, this
year will be one that producers will talk about for years to come.
Here are some of the highlights of
Illinois agriculture that occurred during the past year:
January
Illinois Farm Bureau and other members of
the Illinois Ag Legislative Roundtable ask the state's congressional
delegation to push "potential projects that could stimulate the
Illinois economy and help out the national economy".
Despite the economic turmoil, nearly four
thousand acres of farmland in Macoupin and Montgomery counties is
sold for $24 million, or about $6,000 per acre.
The Illinois Senate unanimously convicts
Gov. Rod Blagojevich in an impeachment trial and removes him from
office. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn becomes Governor.
February
The Illinois Pork Producers Association
celebrates a Clay County jury's decision that Bible Pork farm near
Louisville is not a nuisance.
Meadowbrook Farms, which operates a pork
processing facility in Rantoul, shuts down the plant and lays off
600 employees. The firm later in the year files for bankruptcy.
U.S. Census of Agriculture says the number
of farms in the nation actually increased between 2002 and 2007. It
was the first time farm numbers went up in the past 60 years.
March
Illinois Farm Bureau's Market Study tour
visits China. Participants say the new Chinese consumers are
"young, hip and wary" and they want convenient and safe food.
Ag bankers at the WILL Ag Outlook meeting
don't mince words when asked to assess the current financial outlook
for farmers. They say cash flow projections are "really tough" due
to higher input prices.
USDA projects U.S. farmers will plant
fewer crop acres and reduce livestock numbers in response to the
overall downturn in the economy. Soybean market bottoms for the
year at $7.84/bu.
April
Spring planting gets off to a cold, wet
start reminiscent of the slow planting progress the year before.
Pekin-based ethanol producer, Aventine
Renewable Energy, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
A new study on insecticide use estimates
Illinois farmers receive a $447 million increase in yields by using
such products.
May
Illinois Farm Bureau launches
FarmWeekNow.com, a new multimedia website aimed at providing news
for Illinois producers.
Illinois Farm Bureau sends a letter to
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to consider additional pork
purchases to bolster low prices.
Gov. Pat Quinn declares six Southern
Illinois counties state disaster areas due to a major storm. The ag
facilities at SIU-Carbondale sustain at least $5 million in damage.
Planting progress remains slow due to heavy rains.
June
Farmers statewide finally finish corn
planting, but frustration mounts as sloppy soil conditions limit
fieldwork. Corn market makes yearly high of $4.73/ bu; soybeans
top out at $10.99/bu.
St. Louis-based Monsanto announces plans
to eliminate 900 jobs as a result of sinking sales of Roundup
herbicide.
General Motors, which filed for bankruptcy
protection, announces it will stop making medium-duty grain trucks.
July
Illinois lawmakers approve a new state
budget, which includes a capital plan. The capital bill includes
authorization for 80,000 pound trucks in 2010, a long-sought IFB
goal.
Farmland values for the first half of 2009
softened and the volume of sales declined, according to a mid-year
survey by the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and
Rural Appraisers.
The IFB board of directors unanimously
opposed U.S. House-approved "cap and trade" legislation that the
board believes will drive up costs for Illinois farmers and
consumers alike.
August
Summer temperatures remain cool with the
coldest July on record for Illinois. USDA projects farmers will
harvest the largest soybean crop and second-largest corn crop on
record.
In an effort to help pork producers fight
off misconceptions about the H1N1 flu virus, Gov. Pat Quinn buys and
eats a pork chop sandwich at the Illinois State Fair.
Illinois State University completes a $1
million renovation of agriculture classrooms and labs in time for a
jump in ag enrollment this fall.
September
IFB President Philip Nelson and other
state presidents meet with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to discuss
options to help save pork producers from financial disaster.
IFB Vice-President Rich Guebert, Jr. led
about 900 producers, laborers, business owners, and consumers in the
chant -- "No cap and trade!" -- during a rally in Springfield.
Grain industry braces for a late and large
harvest. Early harvested corn is damaged by Diplodia mold, which
causes lightweight kernels that reduce yields. Corn market bottoms
for the year at $3.05/bu.
October
Soybean rust is confirmed in 20 Illinois
counties, but GROWMARK's Kevin Black says the outbreak is late
enough in the season to cause no yield damage.
U.S. EPA announces the start of a new
year-long study of potential health risks related to atrazine. At
the end of the review, EPA will determine if it needs to revise the
product's usage.
The Illinois Corn Growers Association
partners with a new minor league baseball team, the Normal
CornBelters, and announces the new stadium for the team will be
known as "The Corn Crib."
November
High moisture readings in corn and
soybeans have done more than slow harvest this fall. Discounts due
to high moisture have become commonplace at Illinois grain
elevators. A dramatic drop in soft red winter wheat production is
expected, due to a record wet October that hampered wheat sowing.
Nearly half of Illinois cropland was
farmed with conservation tillage in 2008, according to a statewide
survey released by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
The University of Illinois announces it
has developed a map of the swine genome that may produce
breakthroughs in pork production, medicine and environmental
protection.
December
USDA and the Department of Justice plan to
scrutinize current structure, control, influence, and competition in
American agriculture through a series of "workshops" next year.
Ninety percent of Illinois corn is
harvested by mid-December, but heavy snow halts progress in northern
counties.
Delegates at the Illinois Farm Bureau
Annual Meeting approved resolutions dealing with election reform,
animal welfare and identification, and concealed carry at the
Bureau's 95th annual meeting in Chicago. |
