From the Farm Desk
LOTTERY FOR SOLAR POWER FACILITIES IN IL (Peoria Journal Star) – Illinois’ Future Energy Jobs Act will divvy up tax credits to solar power facilities based on the size of their territory. As a result, facilities are quickly signing leases with landowners and connection agreements with power companies to be entered into a lottery for the tax credits.
MAKING HAY: COLORADO FARMER SETS RECORD (FarmWeek) - Tate Mesbergen, a custom hay farmer from Greeley, Colorado, didn’t just break a world record this summer, he literally chopped it down. Mesbergen cut a whopping 348 acres of hay in 8 hours on his family’s farm and neighboring fields in Colorado to set a world record in the Guinness Book of Record; that’s more than 100 acres better than previous world record!
Tate Mesbergen, second from right, poses with his family in front of the same tractor (Claas 880 Axion) and Disco 1100 triple disc mower he used to set the world record for hay cut (348 acres) in 8 hours in July. He and his family, including, from left, Harvey, Troy, Bev and Carly were honored for the feat by Claas at the Farm Progress Show. (Photo by Daniel Grant)
B20 FUELS LOCAL AIRPORT SHUTTLES (FarmWeek) - Passengers at Chicago Midway International Airport have cleaner air to breathe, thanks to shuttle buses fueled by biodiesel. The shuttle buses are operated by Cook – Illinois Corporation, a member of the B20 Club, which is a partnership between the Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program and the American Lung Association in Illinois.
PROVING LMFA WORKS (Prairie Farmer) – In an effort to prove the Livestock Management Facilities Act is working, a group of Illinois farmers and farm organizations worked together to roll out the first ever report outlining the true impact of livestock farms on Illinois. This report can be found at http://www.ilfb.org/livestocktruth.
ILLINOIS FARMERS ALLOWED TO GROW HEMP – Governor Bruce Rauner signed a law to allow Illinois farmers to grow hemp. It should be noted that the Illinois Department of Agriculture will be testing the hemp to ensure the levels of THC, the ingredient in marijuana that produces a high, is low.
HEMP COMPETETIVE COMMODITY – The U.S. Senate version of the farm bill passed June 28 and included a provision that would put hemp- marijuana's non-psychoactive relative - on the same standing as any other commodity crop. With regulation handled by state agriculture departments, hemp researchers will be able to apply for USDA grants and hemp growers can be covered by crop insurance programs.
About From the Farm Desk: There are a lot of farm related news items that cross the Editor’s desk to share with area farmers and farm supporters. This collection of news briefs is gathered from both mainstream and agriculture media and is designed to keep farmer members and leaders up to date. The articles are not intended to represent Cook County Farm Bureau policy or positions.