Closing Market Report

ifr170630–168 Food Deserts, Amazon Prime, & SNAP Craig Gundersen, Agricultural Economist - University of Illinois Amazon Prime EBT Page There is a new twist for USDA’s food and feeding programs. Part of 2014 Farm Bill is piloting ten new delivery systems that will allow people using the SNAP program to order food online for home delivery. University of Illinois Agricultural Economist Craig Gundersen says when you look deeper this program can do a lot to help those who cannot always help themselves or that simply don’t have easy access to a grocery store. He says this is because there are food deserts in the United States. Gundersen 1:21 …through some of these home delivery programs. audio & video clips available The Amazon Prime program is already in place for EBT card holders. EBT stands for Electronic Benefits Transfer. The discounted Amazon Prime membership, $5.99 per month rather than $10.99, cannot be purchased with the card. Food is avai...

ifr170623–164 Wood Chip Bioreactor Controls Tile Line Nitrate Load Laura Christianson, Crop Sciences - University of Illinois The Dudley Smith farm in Illinois is tiled and wired. Todd Gleason has more on how the University of Illinois is doing nitrogen loss research near Pana. Farmers gathered this week for a peek… 1:38 radio 1:45 radio self-contained 1:38 tv 1:45 tv cg Farmers gathered this week for a peek at the nitrogen loss control methods installed in Christian County. It’s a farm that rolls just a bit, but is pretty typical for the area other than the pastures on a portion of it. They came to hear from Laura Christianson. She’s a University of Illinois Crop Scientist. Christianson :27 …nitrate is taken out of the drainage water. Quote Summary - At the Dudley Smith farm we have a wood chip bioreactor installed. A wood chip bioreactor is a little mini water treatment plant to clean nitrate out of tile drainage. The thing that makes...

ifr170623–163 What Makes a Top Third Farm Gary Schnitkey, Agricultural Economist - University of Illinois There are just two items that make the difference between a top third farm and an average farm. Todd Gleason has more… This University of Illinois study was… 1:28 radio 1:38 radio self-contained This University of Illinois study was on a small set in Mclean County. This was done to limit the influences of weather and a few other factors. Gary Schnitkey says he wanted to know why some farms made more than others. Turns out, the answer is pretty simple. Schnitkey :22 …machinery depreciation and interest cost. Quote Summary - What we found were distinct cost differences between the two groups. This was a $45 per acre difference between the average group and the high return group. The $45 came primarily in two items; machinery depreciation and interest cost. The more profitable farms tended to have lower machinery and non-land interest cost. T...

ifr170623–161 READER Feeding Wheat CoProducts to Pigs Hans Stein, Animal Scientist - University of Illinois Research from the University of Illinois is helping to determine the quality of protein in wheat middlings and red dog. Both are co-products of the wheat milling process. Each can be fed to pigs and other livestock. There is information about the digestibility of crude protein in some wheat co-products produced in Canada and China, says University of Illinois Animal Scientist Hans Stein, but only very limited information about the nutritional value of wheat middlings and red dog produced in the United States. Stein and U of I researcher Gloria Casas fed wheat middlings from 8 different states and red dog from Iowa to growing pigs. Despite the variety in the wheat middlings sources the concentration of crude protein were generally consistent. However, they did find some variation in the digestibility of the amino acids. The red dog contained slightly less crude pro...

ifr170623–159 Check Dicamba Soybeans After Spraying Aaron Hager, Extension Weed Scientist - University of Illinois Farmers are turning to an old technology this year to control weeds in their fields. Todd Gleason has more on what they can expect from a new, old-product. Dicamba has been around for about half-a-century… 1:19 radio 1:31 radio self-contained 1:21 tv 1:36 tv cg Dicamba has been around for about half-a-century. It is a corn herbicide, but soybeans have been modified to tolerate it. This was done because so many weeds have modified themselves to resist being killed by glyphosate, commonly known as Round-Up. The primary problem, says University of Illinois Extension Weed Scientist Aaron Hager, is waterhemp. Hager :11 ….but it is not excellent. It is not as consistent. Quote Summary - Dicamba, in the 50 years that we’ve used it, has never been excellent on any of the pigweed species. It can be good. It can be very good, but it is not...

ifr170602–148 Master Gardeners Bloom through Training Kelly Allsup, Extension Horticulture Educator - University of Illinois read blog post Masters Gardeners spend time in the community giving back in wondrous ways. Todd Gleason talks with University of Illinois Extension’s Kelly Allsup about the volunteer program, its great success, and heartfelt giving.

ifr170602 Dealing with Wind Damaged Trees Chris Enroth, Extension Horticulture Specialist - University of Illinois read blog post High winds can take a toll on trees. Assessing the damage and setting about clean up is an important task for the future health of the tree and the landscape surrounding it. Todd Gleason talks with University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Specialist Chris Enroth about what to do.