Did you know that you can reference this and any past newsletters online 24/7? Just type in henrystark.extension.uiuc.edu and it will automatically take you to our homepage. You don't even need to put in the www! Then, in the right-hand column under News & Updates, just scroll down to Ag News and you'll find the current and past newsletters. It's that easy and just a click away!

For detailed information on changes and updates to the 2008 Performance Testing Bull Sale check the website at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/EastPeoriaCenter/Dave/BullSale_Main_Page.htm

Nomination Deadline Coming Up – Nomination deadlines and fees are three-tiered with the following dates and costs: November 15 – $75; December 1 – $100; and December 15 – $125. A copy of the Rules and Regulations and Nomination Form can be obtained by writing Dave Seibert at the East Peoria Extension Center, 727 Sabrina Drive, East Peoria, Illinois 61611, or by calling 309-694-7501, ext. 224. Seibert can also be contacted at dseibert@uiuc.edu.

Glory Days Restaurant and Banquet Facility, Geneseo, Illinois

January 9th , 2008

10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Check your calendar for the 4^th Annual I-80 Ag Expo to be held onJanuary 9that the Glory Days Restaurant and Banquet Facility in downtown Geneseo from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Note that the Glory Days Restaurant is the former Winner's Circle restaurant under new ownership.) The facility is easily located in downtown Geneseo, just three to four minutes off of the I-80 exit.

As in the past, the expo gives you, participating vendors, and company representatives a one-stop place to talk shop, if you will. And, unlike those large farm shows, the vendors you will talk with here live and work in this area, as well as most likely know you and your operation.

While you are at the show, make sure to stop by the Extension booth to talk with Extension Crop Educator, Dale Baird, concerning the latest Extension '07 field research results.

See you at the expo on January 9th!

Friday, December 14, 2007 – Bloomington

Friday, February 15, 2008 – Galesburg

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 – Mt. Carroll

The Livestock Management Facilities Act requires any livestock facility that has more than 300 animal units to have someone certified in manure-handling procedures. The certification has to be renewed every three years. To become certified, producers with 300 – 999 animal units can either attend a U of I Extension CLMT training workshop or take and pass the IDOA administered Certified Livestock Manager exam. Producers with over 1000 animal units are required to do both. The CLMT workshops have been approved by the Illinois Department of Agriculture as meeting and training certification requirements.

University of Illinois Extension also has an Internet quiz option that, if successfully passed, substitutes for the requirement of attending a workshop only. Contact Randy Fonner at refonner@uiuc.edu or visit www.livestocktraining.com for details.

To register for a workshop or purchase a manual or CD, call 800-345-6087. Prices are listed below and you can pay by phone or mail.

• CLMT manual only: $44 plus $7 shipping = $51
• CLMT manual CD only: $16 plus $4 shipping = $20
• CLMT manual and CD: $57 plus $7 shipping - $64
• CLMT workshop registration: $20 per person
• Workshop walk-ins: $75 per person (includes CLMT manual)

Workshop Dates

December 14 * Bloomington * McLean County Farm Bureau * start time 8:50 a.m.

February 15 * Galesburg * Knox County Extension Office, conference room * start time 8:50 a.m.

February 26 * Mt. Carroll * Carroll County Farm Bureau, Naaman Diehl Auditorium * start time 8:50 a.m.

A workshop brochure is available at www.livestocktraining.com. Please register at least three weeks before the workshop so that the manual or CD can be mailed to you ahead of time. If you have questions, contact Randy Fonner at 217-333-2611 or email him at refonner@uiuc.edu.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 – i wireless Center, Moline, Illinois

Friday, January 18, 2008 - Interstate Center, Bloomington, Illinois

9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Currently, many agronomists and entomologists in the Department of Crop Sciences and University of Illinois Extension are assimilating and compiling the information generated from applied and basic research programs into a format that will be shared with our clientele through a variety of winter educational programs.

The 2008 program, with a format similar to previous years emphasizing crop production, pest management, and economics as well as the interactions among them, will begin about 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 3:00 or 3:30 p.m. Market updates will be provided throughout the day and communication between speakers and participants is encouraged. Question and answer sessions are scheduled for both morning and afternoon. A noon lunch and a proceedings booklet with synopses of all presentations will be provided to each registrant.

These are the dates and meeting locations for the 2008 Corn & Soybean Classics:

• January 16: Moline (i wireless Center, formerly The Mark)
• January 18: Bloomington (Interstate Center)

Speakers will address the following topics:

• Darrel Good: Corn and Soybean Basis Will Weakness Persist?
• Fabián Fernández: Is Strip-Tillage Right for You?
• Gary Schnitkey: Corn and Soybean Returns Past and Present
• Carl Bradley: Foliar Fungicides for Corn Just Another Management Tool, or the Only Tool Needed?
• Mike Gray: Corn Rootworm Management in a Triple-Stack "World"
• Terry Niblack: Secrets of Interpreting Nematode Lab Results for Corn and Soybean
• Emerson Nafziger: Is Corn Following Corn the New "Standard"?
• Kevin Steffey: Soybean Aphids and Soybean Defoliators Are We Making Progress?
• Aaron Hager: Consternations of the Waterhemp Conundrum

You can register for the 2008 Classics by visiting the website at http://ipm.uiuc.edu/conferences/csc/index.html or by contacting Sandy Osterbur (217-244-2124; saosterb@uiuc.edu).

Illini Union, Urbana, Illinois

Thursday, January 17, 2008 – 8:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Friday, January 18, 2008 – 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Formerly the Illinois Organic Production conference, it has now expanded! The Midwest Organic Production and Marketing Conference and Trade Show – practical, science- and farm-based information and extensive networking opportunities for anyone interested in organic food and farming.

Keynote speakers will be Tim LaSalle, CEO, Rodale Institute (January 17) and Mark Kastel, Cornucopia Institute (January 18).

Reseacher and farm presentations on organic crop production, fruits and vegetables, livestock, certification, and marketing. The trade show will feature exhibits from organic companies and organizations. There will also be a 'Taste of Organic Reception' at 7:30 p.m. of the first day that will feature organic food and local entertainment.

For more information and to register, go to http://orgconf.sustainability.uiuc.edu/.

Sponsored by University of Illinois Extension, Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Program, University of Illinois Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, North Central IPM Center, and Purdue Extension.

Kewanee High School Auditorium Foyer

Monday, January 21, 2008

6:30 p.m.

If you are a corn and soybean producer in the tri-county area, you need to check your calendar for this excellent winter, evening update. As you can see, the program will include an update from University of Illinois Extension, as well as a local seed company representative.

Agenda

6:20 p.m. Registration

6:30 – 7:10 p.m. "What Producers Need to Know Before Making '08 Product Purchase"

Dave Feltes, U of I Extension Educator, Integrated Pest Management

• Corn and soybean insect trial results and implications for '08 product purchases
• Corn and soybean disease trial results and implications for '08 product purchases

Break

7:30 – 8:30 p.m. "Update on Variety Traits Results from the '07 Research Fields"

Local Seed Company Representative

• Stacked agronomical beneficial traits (what's for sale for '08, how they did in '07 research plots, and were they worth the extra cost?
• Specialty traits (identification preserved and local premiums) – Can I get a premium and what about yield drag?
• Future traits in the research bin
• Seed treatment research results in '07; implications for '08

Pre-registration is necessary and required by Thursday, January 17. There will be a $3 fee at the door. Contact the Extension office at 309-853-1533 (email Jeff West at jwest@uiuc.edu) or Harley Hepner at Kewanee High School at 309-853-3328.

Sponsored by University of Illinois Extension Henry-Stark Unit and the Kewanee High School Vo-Ag Department.

Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, Illinois

Annual Meeting: Monday, February 4, 2008

Trade Show: Tuesday, February 5, 2008 – Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The Illinois Pork Producers Association will hold the Illinois Pork Expo on February 4 – 6 at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois. Monday will be the IPPA Annual Meeting with Tuesday and Wednesday to view commercial exhibits and educational seminars. The specific topics, speakers, and times for the various seminars can be obtained from the Illinois Pork Producers office at 217-529-3100.

Woodhull, Illinois

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Agenda

9:00 a.m. Registration and Refreshments

9:25 a.m. Welcome - Jeff West, County Director, Henry-Stark County Extension

9:30 a.m. Utilizing Annual Forages - Dr. Dan Undersander, Extension Forage Agronomist, University of Wisconsin, Madison

10:10 a.m. Where Co-Products Fit in a Grazing Program - Dave Seibert, Animal Systems Educator, University of Illinois Extension

10:50 a.m. Refreshment Break

11:00 a.m. Recognizing and Controlling Poisonous Weeds - Dave Feltes, IPM Educator, University of Illinois Extension

11:40 a.m. What's Teff? and Late-Summer Seeded Oats as a Forage Crop - Jim Morrison, Crops Educator, University of Illinois Extension

12:00 p.m. Adjourn (lunch not included)

Registration fee of $10 per person. Reservations are due by February 5. Make check payable to "University of Illinois Extension" and send fee and registration (name, address, phone, and county) to University of Illinois Extension, Henry-Stark Unit, PO Box 74, Galva, IL 61434.

This program is sponsored by University of Illinois Extension, USDA Risk Management Agency, IL Forage and Grassland Council, and NW IL Forage and Grassland Council.

Northwest Illinois Tillage Seminar

Rock Falls Holiday Inn, Rock Falls, Illinois

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Directions: Located on the south edge of Rock Falls, Illinois where Exit 41 of Interstate-88, IL Route 40, and US Route 30 merge.

This Tillage Seminar will provide 5 ceu's for Certified Crop Advisers (4.5 – Soil & Water, .5 – IPM)

Agenda

8:00 – 8:50 a.m. Registration - Meet with Agri-Business Exhibitors, Coffee & Rolls

8:50 – 9:00 a.m. Opening Remarks and Welcome - Bob Frazee, U of I Natural Resources Educator

9:00 – 9:20 a.m. State Cost-Share & Technical Assistance Programs - Marty McManus, Illinois Department of Agriculture Regional Representative

9:20 – 10:10 a.m. Selecting a Guidance System that Works for You - Jay Solomon, U of I Engineering Technology Educator

10:10 – 10:25 a.m. Break, Meet with Agri-Business Exhibitors

10:25 – 10:45 a.m. What's in the 2007 Farm Bill for You? Federal Cost-Share & Technical Conservation Assistance - Steve Hollister, NRCS Regional Agronomist

10:45 – 11:45 a.m. Optimizing No-till/Strip-till Systems – Part 1: Rotations, Residues, and Resolutions - Tony Vyn, Purdue University Agronomist & Researcher

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Lunch and Visit with Exhibitors

12:45 – 1:30 p.m. Optimizing No-till/Strip-till Systems – Part 2: Automatic Guidance, Fertilizer Placement, and New Directions - Tony Vyn, Purdue University Agronomist & Researcher

1:30 – 2:15 p.m. Continuous Corn Disease Management for No-till Corn - Dave Feltes, U of I Integrated Pest Management Educator

2:15 – 3:00 p.m. Practical, "hands-on" Management Tips for No-till/Strip-till and Use of Autosteer - Doug Thompson, 8 years experience with Strip-tilling in Logan County

3:00 p.m. Seminar Adjourns, Meet with Exhibitors and Speakers

There is a registration fee of $15 per person. Pre-registration is necessary! Deadline to register is February 6, 2008.

Make check payable to "University of Illinois" and send fee and registration (name, address, phone, county) to Attn: Greg Clark, Whiteside County Extension, 100 E Knox, Morrison, IL 61270

Online credit card registrations can be made at this website: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/whiteside.

For more information, contact Greg Clark at 815-772-4075 or Bob Frazee at 309-694-7501 ext. 226.

Sponsored by University of Illinois Extension, Illinois Department of Agriculture, NRCS, and AISWCD.

U of I Economic Research Report Online Release

Ethanol has become one of the first successful alternative fuels available for nationwide use, not only displacing 10% of gasoline, but providing EPA mandated oxygenates in the fuel. "But without the large increase in oil and gasoline prices that has taken place since 2002, we would not be experiencing today's ethanol boom." That's the analysis of Bob Hauser, Agricultural Economist at the University of Illinois, who heads the Agricultural Consumer, and Environmental Economics Department, which has just released an extensive economic evaluation of ethanoland its impact on the U.S. Pointing to the rise in petroleum prices in the past five years and the corresponding ethanol production that began about the same time, Hauser says the price of corn, subsidies, trade barriers, and renewable fuel policy have also helped the surge in ethanol use.

We encourage everyone with an interest in the issue to take a look at the report section by section online at the University of Illinois Extension farmdoc website at http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/policy/research_reports/ethanol_report/index.html.