December 8, 2005: Illinois Market Forum 2006

(1st of 6 teleconferences), 2:00 p.m.–3:15 p.m.

December 9, 2005: Pesticide Safety Education Training & Testing, 12:30 p.m., Stephenson County Farm Bureau, Freeport, IL

December 15, 2005: Grazing by Design, Country Inn Suites, Stockton, IL

January 9, 2006: 2006 Shepherd's Clinic Telenet, 7 p.m.–

9 p.m., for further information contact arcobb@uiuc.edu

January 13 & 16, 2006: Young Livestock Producers Workshop, all day, Stephenson County Extension Office, Freeport, IL

January 17, 2006: 2006 Illinois Dairy Day, 10 a.m., Highland Community College, Freeport, IL

January 20, 2006: Certified Livestock Manager Training Workshop, 10 a.m., Highland Community College, Freeport, IL

January 23, 2006: 2006 Shepherd's Clinic Telenet, 7 p.m.–

9 p.m., for further information contact arcobb@uiuc.edu

February 13, 2006: FAST Crop Insurance Workshop, Stephenson County Farm Bureau Building, Freeport, IL

If your private pesticide license is up for renewal or you need to obtain one, remember the training sessions and testing times have been moved up this year! Do not wait until March, because if will be too late!

Pesticide Safety Education Training and testing times for Stephenson, Carroll, and Jo Daviess County will be

December 9, 2005 at 9 a.m. at the Community Building in Elizabeth and at the Stephenson County Farm Bureau building in Freeport, starting at 12:30 p.m. In January, training will be held January 10, at the Carroll County Farm Bureau Norman Diehl at 9 a.m. and in February a wrap up Northwest Illinois meeting will be February 21, at 9 a.m. at the Shannon Bank. The test will be administered after the training.

There is a $10.00 registration fee. Advanced registrations are encouraged. Call 815.235.4125 for the Freeport location,

815.858.2273 for Elizabeth and 815.244.9444 for Mt. Carroll and Shannon.

Please note there are no test only sessions scheduled. Either attend a surrounding county's training and testing session, take the test at the Northern Illinois Farm Show, or travel to a state testing facility location (prior appointment required). For a complete list of clinics available contact our office.

The number of training sessions have been reduced, too. Please plan ahead and do not wait till spring!

Illinois grain farmers and landowners may join a statewide grain marketing educational group from the comfort of their homes or their local Extension Office by signing up for the Grain Marketing Forum–Managing Price and Production Risks. Kevin Brooks and Ruth Hambleton, University of Illinois Extension Educators for Farm Business Management and Marketing will present, by way of the University of Illinois teleconference system, information to improve marketing skills and reduce price risk for Illinois farmers. Persons enrolled in this program will call a toll-free number to join a state-wide discussion group about grain marketing plans, fundamental market analysis, crop insurance, risk management strategies, crop reports and insights for making decisions about selling or storing grain.

This Forum will be held in a series of six teleconference meetings on the following dates: December 8, 2005,

January 19, March 2, April 6, June 8, August 3, 2006. All programs are scheduled from 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

To enroll in this series contact our office by phone or e-mail.

Livestock producers interested in learning more about managed intensive grazing will have an opportunity to attend the Grazing by Design workshop set for Thursday, December 15, at Stockton. The program is offered both at lunchtime from 11:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. targeting dairy and beef grazers and then repeated at the dinner hour from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for all species. Each session will be held at the Country Inn & Suites, Rt. 20 and Dillion Avenue, Stockton, Illinois.

The workshop will focus on layout and design principles of a managed grazing system. Questions to be addressed include: How much forage do I need and how much forage is available? What size paddocks do I need and how many animals per paddock? Where should I put water and fence? What pasture species and fertility management approaches should I consider? Participants will also gain hands-on experience working through a managed grazing farm example during the program.

A $10 registration fee per person made payable to University of Illinois Extension is due by December 8, to the Jo Daviess County Extension Office, 204 Vine Street, Box 600, Elizabeth, IL 61028. The fee covers handout materials, meals and refreshments. For more information, contact your local Extension office or the Jo-Carroll Extension Unit at

815.858.2273.

The Northwestern Illinois Forage and Grassland Council will continue to host their hay and straw auctions this year at the Orangeville Boco MiniMart parking lot, Route 26, on the 2nd and 4th Saturday's beginning at 11 a.m. The next auction will be December 10.

There will be no consignment fee for members of the Northwestern Illinois Forage and Grassland Council. Non-members will be charged $10.00 and this will be collected prior to the auction. B & M Hay Auctions will retain a 6% commission fee from the sale proceeds and 3% for no-sale lots. Dues ($25.00) to the organization for the January through December year can be paid at the auctions.

Sellers can outline their delivery terms as in the past and equipment will be available on site to reload hay and straw following the auction. Questions about the auctions can be directed to B & M Hay Auctions 608.938.4822, Don Brown, Jr. 815.865.5471, or the Stephenson County Extension Office 815.235.4125.

With volatile crop yields and commodity prices, the changing legal environment, excalating input costs, and a changing policy environment provide significant challenges for farm operators and owners, agricultural lenders, and managers of farm related businesses.

The sixth annual Farm Income workshops in December 2005, will address some of these challenges. The workshops will include four general sessions – "Outlook for Commodity Prices," "Illinois Farm Income Outlook," "Run-Up to the Next Farm Bill," and "Rising Input Costs: Implications for Crop Rotations and Cash Rent Values," and four breakout sessions on "The Nitty-Gritty of Calculating Your Production Costs," "Financial Planning and Cash Flow Budgeting for 2006," "Illinois' 'Big-10' Issues in Agricultural Law and Taxation," "Should Technical Analysis Be Part of Your Crop Marketing Program?"

Locally workshops will be held Tuesday, December 13, 2005, in Rochelle, Illinois, Wednesday, December 14, 2005, in Moline, Illinois. Cost is $40/person. Contact Sue Esposito, University of Illinois 1301 W. Gregory Drive, 326 Mumford Hall, Urbana, IL 61801. Phone 217.333.5506, fax 217.333.2312 for more information. Registration is due December 2.

Farmers and ag dealers should mark their calendar for "Small Grains in NW Illinois –Options and Opportunities" on

January 13, in Forreston. The program will focus on increasing the yield and profit potential of cereal crops grown for grain, forage, and cover crop production.

Sponsored by University of Illinois Extension, the program will be held in the Forreston Public Library, located at the intersection of Routes 26 and 72. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the program is from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

Specific topics include winter wheat varieties and types (soft, hard, red, and white), seeding rate, pros and cons of seed treatments, economics of wheat in the rotation, fertilization, and straw yields. In addition, management strategies for cereal grains grown for forage and cover crops will be shared. Lastly, production practices for spring oats and barley will be presented.

Leading the discussion will be Emerson Nafziger, University of Illinois Extension crops specialist and Jim Morrison, Extension crops educator.

A $5.00 registration fee per person will cover handout material and refreshments. Reservations should be made by January 6, by contacting the Ogle County Extension Office at 815.732.2191.

The national press has covered the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), but usually only in small sound bite bits of information. Overall, the call for NAIS is for health security reasons. Having an NAIS system that can achieve a

48 hour trace-back would provide valuable animal exposure information when implementing an emergency health response. Our ever shrinking mobile world would necessitate a prompt, timely response.

While the USDA debates who is to store the information, our state Department of Agriculture is handling NAIS for Illinois. Currently you can register your farm, auction house, or wherever animals are gathered.

This online application is posted on the Illinois Department of Agriculture website at www.agr.state.il.us or contact them at Illinois Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Health, PO Box 19281, Springfield, IL 62794 or call toll-free at 1.800.273.4763.

Currently you can still voluntarily register your premises. Why not do so before it is mandated? After Premise ID, then the rules for individual animal identification will start. The goal is to have all livestock entering commerce tagged by January 2008.

The program is for health security reasons, not to know your business, or to sell ear tags. In our fast paced economy, all places are accessible in the world. Disease can be spread fast. We need to be prepared.

Distillers grain, a valuable commodity for both corn and livestock producers, is the topic of a new University of Illinois Extension website. "Distillers Feeds: Using Illinois By-Product Feeds in Livestock Feeding Programs" is located at: http://ilift.traill.uiuc.edu/distillers/. Over 10 percent of the U.S. corn crop being processed for ethanol production. Corn distillers grains continue to be a valuable feed by-product. They are a key to profitable ethanol production and important to U.S. corn producers, and a source of nutrients for livestock."

With larger supplies of corn distillers grain available for livestock producers, the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR) provided funding for the new website, seeking to assist livestock producers in successfully incorporating wet and dry distiller grain in their feeding program.

The new website contains several sections covering key concerns, including a list of Midwestern distillers grain sources and contacts of current prices and by-product availability.

Features are: Current research results and recommendations for beef steers, beef cows, dairy cattle and swine; Training presentations; Resource library including material from industry and university sources; Breakeven feed prices for distillers grains that can be calculated on the web site; Weekly price updates for distillers grains and other by-product feeds; Storage and handling of wet distillers grains in bags.

"Distillers grain will continue to be a readily available by-product that could double in amount in the next five years as more corn is diverted for ethanol production." "Successful use of distillers grain will be a win-win program for corn producers, livestock producers, and consumers."

The 2006 Illinois Dairy Days are designed to help you make the most of your resources and remain a productive part of the dairy industry.

"Building on Basics" is the theme of the meeings planned throughout Illinois in January. Each meeting will feature advice on health, management, economics, and feed strategies.

You will be provided with sound management information, which can be taken home and put to work. The Dairy Days programs have been developed to allow you to reach optimal production and maximal profit levels from your herd.

This is a good opportunity to capitalize on the latest dairy innovations close to home. Come to one of the 2006 Illinois Dairy Days and learn about "Building on Basics."

Freeport location will be held January 17, 2006, 9:45 a.m.–2:30 p.m. at Highland Community College, Freeport, IL.

Registration information will be in the next newsletter.

January 10, 2006: Pesticide Safety Education Training & Testing, 9 a.m., Mt. Carroll

January 11-12, 2006: Second Annual Illinois Organic Production Conference, Interstate Center, Bloomington, IL, http:// www.aces.uiuc.edu/asap/orgconf/

January 11, 2006: Corn & Soybean Classic, Kishwaukee College Convention Center, Malta, IL

January 12, 2006: Corn & Soybean Classic, Mark of the Quad Cities, Moline, IL

January 13, 2006: Small Grain Workshop, 9:30 a.m.–noon, Forreston Public Library, Forreston, IL for further information

contact Bill Lindenmier, lindenb@uiuc.edu Ogle County Unit Office

January 17-19, 2006: Illinois Specialty Crops Conference, Crowne Plaza, Springfield, IL, for details contact Diane Handley,

Illinois Specialty Growers Association, 309.557.2107, handley@ilfb.org

January 18, 2006: 2006 Illinois Dairy Day, 10 a.m., Community Center, Elizabeth, IL

January 18, 2006: FAST Basic Finance Workshop, Ogle County Extension Unit Office, Oregon, IL

January 19, 2006: Certified Livestock Manager Training Workshop, 8:50 a.m., Naaman Diehl Auditorium, Carroll County Farm Bureau Building, Route 64 & Route 78, Mt. Carroll, IL, workshop has a swine emphasis

January 19, 2006: 2006 Illinois Dairy Day, 10 a.m., Stratford Inn, Harvard, IL

January 25, 2006: Tri-State Beef Day, 10a.m.–3 p.m., Prairie du Chien, WI

January 28, 2006: Tri-State Equine Day, 8 a.m.–3 p.m., Galena Convention Center, Galena, IL

February 6, 2006: Regional Tillage Seminar, Klelm Arboretum, Rockford, IL

February 14, 2006: Profitable Pastures for Northern Illinois, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., US Bank, Pecatonica

February 17, 2006: Alfalfa Workshop (Teleconference), 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

February 21, 2006: Pesticide Safety Education Training & Testing, 9 a.m., Shannon Bank, Shannon, IL

February 25, 2006: Forage Institute, TBA, McHenry County

February 28-Marsh 1, 2006: Northern Illinois Crop Management Workshop, Kishwaukee College Convention Center, Malta, IL,

If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in any of the programs in this newsletter, please contact the hosting office.