My name is Nikki Keltner and I recently joined the staff of the University of Illinois Extension-Stephenson County as Program Coordinator, Agriculture and Natural Resources. I am excited to be working full time bringing agriculture programming to Stephenson County. Please feel free to contact me with programming ideas or needs.

The first duties of my new job included planning a field day at the no-till corn variety plot, outstanding young exhibitor quizzes at the Stephenson County Fair, and a program about farmland leasing. Now that fall is upon us, I am turning my thoughts to winter programming. Several programs are already in place; details are contained in this newsletter and can also be found on our website www.stephenson.extension.uiuc.edu.

I wish you a safe and bountiful harvest!

Nikki Keltner

Program Coordinator

Agriculture and Natural Resources

October 14, Noon to 4 p.m., Stephenson County Barn Tour,

(see page 2)

October 16, 1p.m., Growing Backyard Grapes Teleconference

(see page 2)

October 27, Hay Auction, 11 a.m., Boco Mini Mart, Orangeville, (see page 2)

October 27, Autumn Joys, 8 a.m., Freeport Public Library (see page 3)

December 4 & 5, Fall Tax School, Highland Community College, (see page 2)

December 6, Pesticide Safety Education Program, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Lena Community Center, (see page 1)

December 6, Soil and Water Management Workshop, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Oregon (page 4)

January 15, Dairy Days, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Highland Community College

University of Illinois Extension-Stephenson County will host a pesticide safety education program clinic on Thursday, December 6, 2007, from 9 a.m. to noon. The clinic taught by Extension Educators, will be followed by administration of the private applicator exam by a representative from the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Once passed, a three-year certification license will be issued by the IDA upon receipt of a $20 processing fee.

The Illinois Pesticide Act requires individual farmers to become certified as a Private Pesticide Applicator in order to purchase and use restricted use pesticides (RUPs). These products will clearly state the words "Restricted Use Pesticide" on the label. Common examples include the insecticides Counter, Force, and Pounce, and the herbicides Atrazine, Gramoxone Max, and Harness.

To register for the clinic, which will be held at the Lena Community Center, 497 Lions Dr., Lena, call the University of Illinois Extension-Stephenson County at (815) 235-4125. The cost of the clinic is $30. Study materials, including a workbook and manual, can be purchased from Extension.

The Northwestern Illinois Forage and Grassland Council will host their hay and straw auctions at the Orangeville Boco MiniMart parking lot, Route 26, on the 2^nd and 4^th Saturday's beginning at 11 a.m. The first auction is October 27, and the last is April 26.

Consignments should arrive by 10:30 a.m. It is preferred, but not required, that hay lots have a certified scale ticket on the day of the auction. This will allow hay to be sold by the ton, rather than by the bale. Straw is typically not weighed and is sold by the bale.

Quality tested hay is encouraged, and a copy of the analysis indicating at least the crude protein, fiber (acid detergent fiber and/or neutral detergent fiber) and relative feed value (RFV) or relative forage quality (RFQ) be brought with the consignment. Hay analysis will not be provided on site. A list of forage testing laboratories is available at University of Illinois Extension offices.

There will be no consignment fee for members of the Northwestern Illinois Forage and Grassland Council. Non-members will be charged $10 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. Sellers can outline their delivery terms as in the past. A skid loader will be available for reloading hay and straw at the sale site.

Dues ($30.00) to the organization for the January through December year can be paid at the auctions.

Questions about the auctions can be directed to Jim McNeil, B & M Hay Auctions (608) 938-4822 or (608) 293-9999, orDon Brown, Jr. (815) 238-8372.

Dreaming of an arbor covered with grapes in your backyard? This program gets you started with information on training systems, pruning techniques, pest management, and variety selection for both table and wine.

This teleconference program will be held in the University of Illinois Extension-Stephenson County Office at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16. No cost to Master Gardeners. For other participants, the fee is $5. Please call (815) 235-4125 to register.

Plan to spend a leisurely afternoon in the country exploring five of Stephenson County's unique barns and learn the stories behind their distinctive charm. This self-guided Barn Tour will take place on Sunday, October 14, 2007, from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets prices are $10 adults ($15 day of the event) or $20 family ($25 day of the event). Advanced tickets can be purchased by calling the CAP office at 815-235-2165. On October 14, tickets can be purchased at Oakdale Nature Preserve, 4433 S. Cranes Grove Rd, Freeport.

The Stephenson County Barn Tour is sponsored by CAP-Conservation and Agriculture Partners Foundation, Inc. Contributions support agriculture and conservation education in Stephenson County.

On August 22, fifty youth participated in the Outstanding Young Exhibitor competition during the Junior Open of the Stephenson County Fair. The competition consisted of three parts: showmanship, equipment identification and a written quiz. The competition not only challenged participants in the show ring but also challenged them academically. Questions covered information concerning nutrition, reproduction, health care, and marketing. The three scores were compiled to rank the participants. The first place winners in each area were: Beef, Justin Witt; Dairy, Brent Koester; Goats, Dustin Webb; Poultry, Joshua Bolen; Sheep, Micki Williams; Swine, Rebecca Moest. Congratulations to everyone who participated.

University of Illinois 2007 Fall Tax School will be held Tuesday, December 4, and Wednesday December 5, 2007. It will be held at Highland Community College's Student Conference Center room 201 (use parking lot A). Tax School will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. each day.

This seminar is designed for experienced income tax practitioners who assist taxpayers in preparing and filing income tax returns. The intensive, two-day seminar provides a variety of tax update information to help practitioners prepare for the 2008 filing season. Registration information can be found online at http://www.ace.uiuc.edu/taxschool

Spend a morning with the Master Gardner's of Stephenson County at Autumn Joys "The Crafty Side of Gardening." Freeport Public Library will be the sight of this interactive gardening event on Saturday, October 27, 2007. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with the opening session starting at 8:15 a.m.

Willie Weisendanger, Master Gardener, Stephenson County, is the keynote speaker and will share a visual journey through the world of willow creations. Two breakout sessions will follow the keynote address. In session one you can make a gardening journal or try your hand at dried flower card making. In session two you can make your own whimsical garden stake or build your own worm bin. All sessions are led by Master Gardeners of Stephenson County.

There will also be a silent auction of gardening items of which the proceeds will support the many community/county-wide projects of the Stephenson County Master Gardeners.

To register for Autumn Joys call the University of Illinois Extension-Stephenson County at (815) 235-4125 by October 24. Cost is $15 which includes materials, refreshments, opening session and two other sessions.

The 21st Annual Tri-State Agriculture Lender's Seminar will be held on Thursday, November 1, 2007, at the Midway Best Western Hotel in Dubuque, Iowa from 9:45 a.m. – 3 p.m. This year's focus is on market outlooks for livestock, grains and dairy. Dr. Robert Cropp, UW-Extension dairy marketing specialist will present a Dairy Outlook and Policy Update; Joy Kirkpatrick will discuss Transferring the Family Farm; Larry Tranel will present Milking Systems from Low Cost Parlors to Robotic Milking; Dr. Brenda Boetel will give an livestock marketing update; Dr. Kevin Bernhardt will present the DuPont Financial System and Robert Tigner will give a Grain Marketing and Risk Management Update.

"Price risk management is getting to be the major variable for profitability in many commodity enterprises. Understanding the markets is a necessary part of farm management assistance for agricultural lenders as well," says Larry Tranel, ISU Extension Dairy Field Specialist. "This seminar has proven itself in assisting lenders and farm financial advisors in helping farmers manage that risk."

The cost of the program is $40 by October 25. To register, contact Larry Tranel at ISU Extension in Dubuque County at (563) 583-6496 or e-mail tranel@iastate.edu for registration information.

With hay in short supply and high priced grain, beef cattleproducers are evaluating their feeding operation and looking at co-products to fill the void for their cow-calf and feedingoperations. To answer some of their questions a Beef Cattle Co-Products Conference is set for Wednesday, November 28, in Springfield, Illinois at the University of Illinois Extensionbuilding on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Headlining the conference will be Rick Rasby, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist from the University of Nebraska who willpresent two topics including "Storage, Handling Issues and Timely Buying of Co-Products," along with "Using Co-Products in Growing and Backgrounding Diets." In addition, Dr. Daryl Strohbehn, Beef Cattle Specialist from Iowa State University will make presentations on "Cow and Heifers Rations Using Co-Products – Winter/Summer Supplementation," and "Ruminant Digestion and Metabolism with Emphasis onCo-Products."

The conference will also draw from two Illinois Universitieswith Beef Cattle Professor Dr. Paul Walker, from Illinois StateUniversity covering "Mineral Concerns, Balancing andSupplementation when using Co-Products." Also,Dr. Ken Nimrick, the 2006 BIF Commercial Producer of the Year and Beef Cattle Professor from Western Illinois University, will share his experiences with "Standing Corn and Co-Products for Wintering Beef Cattle."

Rounding out the conference will be representatives from the University of Illinois that include Dr. Larry Berger, Beef Cattle Professor and researcher who has worked with co-products for over twenty years covering "Utilizing Co-Products in Finishing Diets (Feeding Levels and Carcass Quality)" andDr. Dan Faulkner, Beef Cattle Extension Specialist discussing "Early Weaning and Feeding Co-Products." Also,Dr. Vijay Singh, Professor from the Department of Agriculture & Biological Engineering will cover "New Coproducts from Corn Dry Grind Ethanol Production." In addition, Dave Seibert out of the East Peoria Extension Center will open the program with a discussion of "Co-Products Plants and Availability."

Co-Sponsors of the conference include the University of Illinois Extension, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, Illinois BeefAssociation and the Senator Simon E. Lantz Memorial Lecture fund. The conference will begin with registration at 8:45 a.m. and conclude at 4:45 p.m.

Registration for the seminar is $18, which covers the meal along with a bound copy of the proceedings. Late and at doorregistration will be $25. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, November 21, and made through the East Peoria Extension Center (309) 694-7501, Ext. 224. For additionalinformation on the program or to be mailed a copy of theprogram, contact Dave Seibert, Animal Systems Educator at the East Peoria Extension Center, (309) 694-7501, Ext. 224 dseibert@uiuc.edu.

Sustaining Illinois Soils will be the focus of the Soil and Water Management Workshop to be offered by University of Illinois Extension-Ogle County on Tuesday, December 6, 2007.The workshop will provide four continuing education units in soil and water management and one hour in nutrient management for Certified Crop Advisors. Although CCA credit is offered, anyone interested is welcome to attend.

The meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided for registrants. Presentations will be provided by both live speakers and through the University of Illinois teleconference system.

Topics presented will include Understanding Illinois Soils, Soils and Climate Change, Recycling Dredged Sediment for Topsoil, Phosphorous and Soils, and Soil Microbiology. Speakers will include University of Illinois specialists and Extension Educators.

Registration fees are $30 per person. For more information contact University of Illinois Extension-Ogle County at(815)732-2191.

As a corn producer, I'm sure many of you have heard and read about the western bean cutworm and the possible damage and yield loss it could inflict on your corn crop. Many of you may not know it but this insect has been a problem in corn producing areas to our west for many year and only in the last few years has it made an incursion into Illinois with northwest Illinois being an area having higher moth trap captures than other parts of Illinois.

Western bean cutworm traps are put out not later than July 1, and monitored thru August 15. This moth will lay its' eggs in corn about the time corn is tasseling and the larvae after they hatch move to the ear and cause damage similar to that of a corn earworm. More than one larvae can and will infest an ear and if numbers of this pest are large, they can cause considerable damage and yield loss to a corn crop. Scouting corn fields near tassel time to look for egg masses is the only method to determine if treatment is necessary. Eggs are normally laid on the top side of the upper 3 or 4 leaves of the corn plant and with very tall corn, it can be a "real pain in the neck" to try and scout for these egg masses.

For the last 3 years I have ran western bean cutworm moth traps in Stephenson County and total moth captures have been quite variable. For the first 2 years I had traps out, one trap each year was at the extension corn plot on the Paul and Steve Fahr farm on Excelsior Rd. The first year I had the trap there, I believe I caught 9 moths and last year, I caught 0 moths. So lesson one on insect monitoring is in no 2 years are insect populations going to be the same.

In 2007 I again had a western bean cutworm trap at the extension corn plot on Excelsior Rd. and I also placed a trap on the Jim Musser farm southwest of Pearl City. At the extension corn plot location I caught a grand total of 1 western bean cutworm moth and 2 yellow striped armyworm moths. At the Musser farm, I caught 50 western bean cutworm moths and 190 yellow striped armyworm moths. At the Musser farm I also scouted for egg masses of the western bean cutworm each time I looked at the trap but found none. The trap results from the 2007 season point out very clearly lesson 2 in insect ecology and that is insect populations can be quite variable from one location to the next within the same year.

In 2007 I kept track of the yellow striped armyworm moth because it looks very similar to the western bean cutworm moth and could be easily misidentified as the western bean cutworm moth if one was not paying attention as moths in the trap were being counted. Including misidentified moths as western bean cutworm moths could give a distorted picture of what the true situation is and cause one to think the potential for a problem was a lot worse than it actually was.

From my trap counts the last 3 years in Stephenson County it can definitely be said western bean cutworm moths are present but not in numbers large enough to cause economic crop damage. When a corn producer plans his/her insect management strategies for the new crop year, western bean cutworms in my estimation should not be the driver of the insect management options one chooses. Monitoring for this insect should continue each year so if a large number of moths are captured, one is forewarned to scout fields for egg masses so a treatment can be applied when the economic threshold for treating is reached if the hybrid planted does not contain the Bt genetics to control this pest.

Record keeping of what hybrid is planted in what field and what Bt genetics it has in it is very important since different Bt events do not all control the same spectrum of insects. Some Bt events will only control European Cornborer while others will control cornborers, black cutworms and western bean cutworms.

Trap captures from my other traps in Carroll and Jo Daviess counties in 2007 had numbers of moths captured very similar to what I caught at the Stephenson County extension corn plot. In 2008 it will be interesting to see if the numbers of western bean cutworm moths remain low like they have been for the past 3 years.

- Dave Feltes, Extension Educator, IPM, Quad Cities Center

Proper use of limestone is one of the most important management strategies in crop production. Limestone should be the first soil amendment considered in cropping systems.

Don't try to guess what your soil lime needs are. A soil test every 4 years is the best way to monitor the need for limestone. The measurement of soil pH tells if limestone is needed, but not how much.

In a cash-grain system a pH of at least 6.0 to 6.5 would be suggested. With alfalfa and clover in the rotation, the pH needs to be at least 6.5, preferably closer to 7.0.

Remember the pH scale is in logarithmic terms, so each unit change in pH means a tenfold change in acidity or alkalinity. Thus, lime needs increase rapidly as pH drops.

The benefits of a liming program are many. Limestone can lower the soil solution concentration of aluminum and manganese, which can be toxic to plants. An increase in soil microbial activity is noted as soil acidity is decreased. Liming enhances nitrogen fixation and may improve soil structure and tilth. The availability of mineral elements (for example phosphorus and molybdenum) to plants can be increased by proper liming.

Several factors determine the type of liming program, with the crop to be grown probably the most important. Soil texture, organic matter, and method and depth of tillage are other critical items. The timing and frequency of lime applications are also important. For example, with leguminous crops, lime should be applied at least 6 months before seeding on very acid soils. If applied just before seeding, the lime will not have adequate time to react with the soil.

Limestone quality is measured by two factors-the effective neutralizing value and the degree of fineness. The acid-neutralizing ability of the material rated by the calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE). The higher the CCE value, the greater the limestone's ability to neutralize soil acidity. Pure calcium carbonate (CCE of 100) is the standard against which all liming materials are measured. The CCE level is inherent in the material, it can not be changed.

The second factor is particle size or fineness of grind. The rate of reaction depends on the surface area of the limingmaterial in contact with the soil. The finer the limestone is ground, the faster it will neutralize soil acidity. Limestone too coarsely ground will be very slow in raising the soil pH. Lime particle size is based on the percentage of materials that pass through 8-, 30-, and 60-mesh screens.

Those applying limestone are encouraged to obtain a copy of the "Illinois Voluntary Limestone Program Producer Information" booklet. The booklet, produced every August by the Illinois Department of Agriculture and Department of Transportation, indexes limestone samples from quarries that wish to participate in the Illinois Voluntary Limestone Program. Analyses of CCE, fineness scores, magnesium percent, and correction factors are included. It's available at University of Illinois Extension Offices and at http://www.agr.state.il.us/news/pub/Limestonebooklet.html

- Jim Morrison, Extension Educator, Crop Systems, Rockford Center, (815) 397-7714, morrison@uiuc.edu

http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/soilfertility/nRate.aspx

This web site provides a process to calculate economic return to N application with different nitrogen and corn prices and to find profitable N rates directly from recent N rate research data. The method used follows a newly developed regional approach for determining corn N rate guidelines that is being implemented in several Corn Belt states

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/WRS0702/

The volatile and upward trend in U.S. natural gas prices from 2000-05 has led to a 17-percent decline in the Nation's annual aggregate supply of ammonia. During the period, U.S. ammonia production declined 44 percent, while U.S. ammonia imports increased 115 percent. Also, the share of U.S.-produced ammonia in the U.S. aggregate supply of ammonia dropped from 80 to 55 percent, while the share from imports increased from 15 percent to 42 percent. Meanwhile, ammonia prices paid by farmers increased from $227 per ton in 2000 to $521 per ton in 2005, an increase of 130 percent. Natural gas is the main input used to produce ammonia. Additional increases in U.S. natural gas prices could lead to a further decline in domestic ammonia production and an even greater rise in ammonia imports.

The University of Illinois Wheat Variety Trail Summary are available at your local Extension office or view the results at: http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/ruralroute/

October 20, 2007, Meat Goat Seminar, Black Hawk East College, contact Henry-Stark Extension at (309) 853-1533 or jwest@uiuc.edu

October 24, 2007, Floodplain Management Seminar, Elkgrove Village, IL, contact Sarah Harbaugh (630) 443-8145 or iafsm@scbglobal.net

November 1, 2007, Tri-State Ag Lender's Seminar, Dubuque, IA, contact Larry Tranel at (563) 583-6496 or tranel@iastate.edu

November 10, 2007, Horse Sense 101, Cook County Farm Bureau, contact Cook County Farm Bureau at (708) 354-3276 or www.cookcfb.org

November 13, 2007, Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network Volunteer Training, Rock Valley College Bell School Center, http://www.cocorahs.org

November 28, 2007, Beef Cattle Co-products Conference, Springfield, contact Dave Seibert at (309) 694-7501 ext 224 or dseibert@uiuc.edu

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/cie2/offices/calendar.cfm

To search for programs throughout the state, check out Extension's searchable calendar. Search by location, topic or date to find a program of interest to you.

As we begin the process of planning programs and workshops for the winter season, we are looking for your input. We are conducting a survey to learn your interests so that we can provide you with the information that is pertinent to you. Please take a minute to fill out the survey and return it to us so that we can better serve you.

____ I am currently involved in production agriculture.

My operation includes (check all that apply):

__Row Crops __Forages __Beef Cow/Calf __Beef Feeders __Dairy Production

__Dairy Heifer Production __Poultry __Sheep __Goats __Swine (Farrow)

__Swine (Finish) __Other:_______________________

_____I am currently involved in agribusiness. Please explain: ______________________________________________________

Please check any topic that you would like to learn more about:

__GPS

__Pasture Management/Grazing

__Weed Management in row crops

__Fence Law

__Grain Marketing

__Soil Residue Management

__Pest Management

__Financial Record Keeping

__Land Lease Management

__Risk Management

__Certified Crop Advisor Credit

__Certified Livestock Manager Training

__Improving Herd Health: Dairy or Beef

__Estate Planning for Farm Families

__Swine Nutrition and Health

__F.A.S.T. (Farm Analysis Solution Tools)

__Crop Insurance

__Nutrient Management Plan

__Milk Quality

__Alfalfa Weed Management

__Variety Plot Research

__Dairy Round Table

__Other:___________________________________________________________

Would you like to continue receiving our Ag Newsletter? Yes/No

Would you like to receive an electronic version of our newsletter? Yes/No

Name(s)____________________________________________________________

Business/Farm Name_________________________________________________

Address_____________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip_______________________________________________________

Phone Number_______________________________________________________

E-mail______________________________________________________________

Please return by November 1, 2007. Thank you for your input.

Nikki Keltner

Program Coordinator, Ag and Natural Resources

nkeltner@uiuc.edu

Donna Johnson

Secretary III

dmjohns@uiuc.edu

Margaret Larson

County Director

Mklarson@uiuc.edu

Phone: (815) 235-4125 Office hours: Mon. - Fri.

Fax: (815) 232-9006 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Website:

www.stephenson.extension.uiuc.edu

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

University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment