Closing Market Report

ifr170331–080 Corn & Soybean Planting Date Recommendations Emerson Nafziger, Extension Agronomist - University of Illinois Coming up, we’ll hear some planting date recommendations from Emerson Nafziger. Todd Gleason reports the University of Illinois agronomist is surprised by the consistency between corn and soybeans. The University of Illinois has conducted planting date… 2:27 radio 2:40 radio self-contained The University of Illinois has conducted planting date studies for decades. Emerson Nafziger smiles to himself when he says he’s been here for more than a couple of them. It’s the last 10 years he says that has really changed things. Nafziger :28 …as it probably was twenty or thirty years ago. The big surprise we are finding is that corn and soybean responses are so similar. What I think has happened with genetic improvement in both crops is that they have both become more stress tolerant and resilient. Consequently, late pl...

ifr170331–079 TCP–170331–01 Are Native Plants Better than Non-Native Chris Enroth, Extension Horticulture - University of Illinois read blog article The time of year has come to think about what plants you’d like to put in your yard and garden. Todd Gleason talks with University of Illinois Extension’s Chris Enroth about how he decides what to plant, and… what to constrain.

ifr170331–078 TCP–170331–02 Are Cooking Oils Interchangeable Jenna Smith, Extension Nutrition & Wellness, University of Illinois read blog article As you read a recipe, you see it calls for canola oil, but all you have is olive oil. Do you reach for the canola or put on your shoes and head to the store? Todd Gleason talks with University of Illinois Extension’s Jenna Smith about the interchangeability of cooking oils.

ifr170324–073 TCP–170324–02 The American Robin: Living up to its Superhero Image Chris Enroth, Extension Horticulture Educator - University of Illinois by Chris Enroth, University of Illinois Extension After an exceptionally mild winter, I noted my first robin sighting about three weeks ago. During that initial observation, scores of robins had arrived in my yard. Spring is a time of year when the migratory American robin can be found scouring the earth in search of protein. Sipping on my coffee, wave after wave of robins hopped through the yard, stopping to cock their head, as if listening for worms in the soil below. Scratching and digging through my leaf mulch, these red-breasted thrushes, found quite a feast. Our American Robin suffers from an unfortunate Latin/scientific name coincidence- Turdus migratorius. Thumbing through various literature, ornithologists with an impeccably matter-of-fact tone describe the origin of Turdus as Latin for “thrush.” Though my first...

ifr170317–068 On the Value of Ethanol in the Gasoline Blend Scott Irwin, Agricultural Economist - University of Illinois Read farmdocDaily Article There has been much debate and much written about the likely costs and benefits of including ethanol in the domestic gasoline supply. Costs and benefits fall into two major categories–environmental and economic (e.g., Stock, 2015). One economic consideration is the potential impact on domestic gasoline prices from augmenting the gasoline supply with biofuels. A second economic consideration, and one that has received the most attention, is the cost of ethanol relative to petroleum-based fuel. What has been missing from the analysis of the value of ethanol in the gasoline blend is an estimate of the net value of ethanol based on: i) an energy penalty relative to gasoline; and ii) an octane premium based on the lower price of ethanol relative to petroleum sources of octane. This farmdocDaily article provides an analysis o...

ifr170317–067 Spring Lawn Care | How to Sow Grass Seed John Fulton, Extension County Director - University of Illinois If you live in central Illinois you have a choice to make today. You can either decide to control the crabgrass in your lawn, or you can try to fix the dead or thin areas. Todd Gleason has more on the how-to.. Spring is about a month earlier than usual this year… 2:06 radio 2:18 radio self-contained Spring is about a month earlier than usual this year across a large part of the eastern United States. It definitely means now is the time to start doing some pre-season lawn care says University of Illinois Extension’s John Fulton. He’s in central Illinois where the time has come to control crabgrass or sow seed. He says you can’t do both, at least not in the same spot. Fulton :16 …kill your germinating grass seeds. Quote Summary - You want to either seed new grass or control crabgrass. You can’t do both in the same...

ifr170317–066 Spring Lawn Maintenance and Seeding John Fulton, Extension County Director - University of Illinois link to blog article by John Fulton, University of Illinois Extension Here we are in the first half of March, and the forsythia is in bloom. This marks the beginning of the crabgrass germination. It is an entire month early, when compared to average. Applications of crabgrass preventers are usually repeated in four to six weeks, but two repeated applications may be suggested this year due to the very early season. Use of a crabgrass preventer is very effective, and the most common way to attack the problem. There are a few products out there, and they are often combined with fertilizer. They all basically kill small seeds as they germinate. They will also do the same with grass seed you have sown, so the two operations do not work together. If you sow seed, you live with the crabgrass for the year. Timing is critical for crabgrass control, and we may have a...

ifr170317–062 Nutrition and Kidney Stones Lisa Peterson, Nutrition and Wellness Educator - University of Illinois Extension see blog post It’s National Kidney month. Up next University of Illinois Extension’s Todd Gleason has some ways to avoid kidney stones. About a half a million Americans will go… 2:57 radio 3:04 radio self-contained About a half a million Americans will go to the emergency room this year doubled over in pain only to find out there’s not much to do except wait for the kidney stone to pass. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, kidney stones are hard, pebble-like, mineral deposits that form in one or both kidneys. Stones vary in size, shape, and composition. Some kidney stones are as small as a grain of sand, or as large as a pea. Kidney stones form when urine becomes highly concentrated allowing minerals to stick together forming the stones. Because of the variation in size and...