Farm Briefs
January's temps, precip below norms
Last month, statewide temperatures were below normal, and precipitation was also below normal for all of the state.
Wheat crops were reported to have been blanketed by snow throughout much of the state for most of the month. Winter wheat conditions stand at 5 percent very poor, 14 percent poor, 36 percent fair, 42 percent good, and 3 percent excellent.
Temperatures averaged 21.7 degrees, 3.1 degrees colder than normal.
Statewide precipitation averaged 1.20 inches, 0.65 inches below normal. Topsoil moisture was rated 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 81 percent adequate, and 9 percent surplus.
Wheat association winter meeting set
Members of the Illinois Wheat Association (IWA) will be gathering in Southern Illinois later this month for that group’s annual Winter Wheat Forum.
IWA will hold a series of educational programs on Feb. 15 from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at Krieger’s/Holiday Inn in Mt. Vernon. Registration for the forum and the commercial exhibits will begin at 8 a.m. The day will conclude with the IWA annual meeting from 2:50 to 3:30.
Topics that will be discussed during the educational program include achieving high levels of disease control, weed management in Illinois no-till wheat production, a wheat market outlook, a weather outlook and stand evaluation – keep it or kill it.
Registration will be on site; no advance registration is needed. The registration fee is $15 for IWA members and $25 for non-members. Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits will be available.
For more information, those interested can visit the Illinois Wheat Association's website at www.illinoiswheat.org or call IWA Manager Diane Handley at (309) 557-3662.
Seminar to cover cattle feed options
The future of Midwest cattle feeding will be discussed at the 2011 Cattle Feeders Day on Feb. 16 at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau in Sycamore.
This seminar, sponsored by Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), the Illinois Beef Association (IBA) and the University of Illinois Extension, will highlight new cattle feeding strategies, feedstuff availability in the future and new research on feedlot feed efficiency.
“We want to help cattle producers develop strategies that will allow them to feed cattle competitively in the future,” said Dan Faulkner, U of I Extension beef specialist and U of I professor.
Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. Pre-registration is not required, and there is no fee to attend. For more information, contact Dan Faulkner at 217-333-1781, Mike Cecava at 217-451-6817 or Maralee Johnson at 217-787-4280. A complimentary lunch will be prepared by the DeKalb-Kane Cattlemen’s Association.
The local contact is Rachelle Hollinshead, county Extension director, University of Illinois Extension, at 283-2753.
