Have you noticed changes in the food available at your grocery store? The COVID-crisis has impacted the supply of many foods. This has resulted in unavailability of some of your favorite brands, product shortages and even price changes from paper towels to meat.
There are many steps in the food supply ...
Most businesses were doing well before the coronavirus. Agriculture was not.
COVID-19 is just the latest in a string of misfortunes that have kept the farm economy down for several years: weather disasters, a trade war and even before that, commodity prices have been below the cost of production.
“None of us ...
Rest assured, our nation has an adequate supply of food. Farmers are among the essential critical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic who will continue to grow safe and nutritious foods for families.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides the following information about food during the pandemic.
There are no food ...
Tractors are the power horses that get farm jobs done, for example tractors are currently being used to pull planters across fields to plant corn and soybeans. Today, most tractors have wheels but some are equipped with tracks. Tracks and tires perform differently depending on field conditions and load scenarios.
Last ...
Soybeans can be made into many things including animal feed, vegetable oil, plastic, biodiesel, and… CRAYONS. One acre of soybeans can produce 82,368 crayons. DeKalb County grows 118,000 acres of soybeans. That could make 9.7 billion crayons.That’s a lot of coloring! Source: Illinois Farm Bureau
As you drive by farms you may see a cluster of grain bins. These large, round silver-gray steel structures are used to store grain, like corn and soybeans. As you glance at the grain bins you will notice several other things.
A grain dryer is used to dry down ...
The
dangers of grain are often overlooked. With last year’s poor grain quality
farmers are entering grain bins more frequently, leading to an increase in
grain entrapments.
Since August 2019, 2 fatalities have occurred in Illinois and 19 nationwide.
Timeline to Engulfment
2 - 3 seconds – react to auger starting
4 - 5 seconds – ...
“The crop that’s in the bin is a perfect setup for accidents,” says Dave Altepeter.
“Last year’s crop was not mature and there were fines in the
corn. Because of the fines, there’s a chance the grain can go out of
condition,” he said.
Dave Altepeter has nearly 40 years of experience ...
Last year’s crop continues to plaque farmers with grain storage problems at area farms.
Farmers put grain in their storage bins last fall dealing
with higher than normal moisture levels, partly because of the late maturing
crop and lack of in-field drying.
Vickie Hernan-Faivre monitors the grain being stored at JP Faivre ...
In the early 1900s, an innovative group of farmers, bankers, and newspapermen saw the need to form an agricultural organization. These resourceful pioneers became known as the organization’s founders of Farm Bureau. This was the beginning of more than 100 years of successful leadership.
The DeKalb County Farm Bureau was the ...
