propagules among felds.

10. During the season monitor and scout felds to detect

symptoms early, practice sanitation and when needed rogue
diseased plants.
To see full article visit http://goo.gl/sXpwVw
Responding to an S.O.S. from the Commercial
Beekeeping Industry
Webinar on April 22 at 1pm.
Given the chronic health problems facing honey bees
and the increasing demand for pollination services from
almond, blueberry, cranberry, apple, vine crops and many
other growers, commercial beekeepers and breeders have
requested assistance in maintaining healthy colonies. Learn
about Bee Tech Transfer Team program and current
studies that include the benefts of propolis to honey bees,
and the effects of agricultural landscapes and pesticides on
honey bee and native bee health.
For more information visit http://goo.gl/koL8lY
Drilling/Fracking Forum
Curtis Talley Jr., a Michigan State University Extension
farm management educator with emphasis in oil and gas
leasing will discuss in laymans terms oil and gas leases
and negotiating terms consistent with owner goals to create
a win-win lease. More information at http://msue.anr.msu.
edu/events/drilling_fracking_forum
MSUE NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Southeast Michigan fruit regional report April 8, 2014
April 8, 2014 | Bob Tritten | A slow start to spring after one
of our coldest winters most fruit growers can remember.
http://goo.gl/uQq4yU
East Central Michigan feld crop regional report April
10, 2014
April 10, 2014 | Dan Rossman | The long, cold winter is
now behind us. A period of warm, dry weather is needed
before feld work will begin. http://goo.gl/3GIvxM
How will the 2013-14 winter affect vegetable production
in 2014?
April 10, 2014 | Ron Goldy | This past winter was more
like winters experienced in the 1960s. There is no doubt
the harsh conditions affected fruit crops, but how might it
affect vegetable production? http://goo.gl/esGaaw
IMPLEMENT AN IPM STRATEGY TO LIMIT
THE DAMAGE OF PLANT PATHOGENS
With the temperatures we experienced during winter,
what was the fate of plant pathogens? Follow these 10 IPM
tactics to limit plant diseases.
Plant pathogens can be naturally occurring in the soil or
be introduced inadvertently on seed, tubers or transplants.
For pathogens that are introduced in seed or propagative
material management strategies should focus on preventing
the introduction of these pathogens into the greenhouse or
feld.
Plant pathogens that thrive, reside, and overwinter in
the soil are commonly called soilborne pathogens. They
can form resting structures that are resilient to the cold
temperatures and can survive cold winters. Many of these
pathogens can survive in the soil for several years and can
be a challenge to manage.
Growers are advised to implement an Integrated Pest
Management strategy to limit the damage pathogens can
cause.
Effective disease management requires implementing
the following IPM tactics:
1. Reduce the risk of introducing pathogens into
felds by using certifed seed and disease free transplants
(Learn to recognize diseases on vegetable transplants in
the greenhouse, http://goo.gl/UtkPNk).
2. Use pathogen free irrigation water and avoid
overwatering (Irrigation and disease management http://
goo.gl/L7lkdp).
3. maWork fields with diagnosed soilborne diseases
last, to avoid moving soil particles that carry pathogen
propagules from problematic feld to clean ones.
4. Select well drained sites.
5. Accurate disease diagnosis (check list to submit
samples to diagnostic lab http://goo.gl/tnrsTL) is required
to implement effective management. Control strategies
differ by pathogen as fungicides are often specifc to a
particular type of pathogen.
6. Keep records of the soilborne pathogens diagnosed in
each feld.
7. Rotate crops, avoid crops susceptible to the pathogens
confrmed in each feld.
8. Select crop varieties with resistance to problematic
pathogens when available.
9. Power wash equipment to avoid moving pathogen
MAY 2014
6 Farm Bureau Board Meeting - 6:00 P.M.
9-11 Lenawee County FFA Alumni Mothers Day Plant
Sale, Adrian Tractor Supply
11 Happy Mothers Day
15 Fair Board Meeting, Board Room - 7:30 P.M.
16 Q-95 Country Showdown, Lenawee County Fair &
Events Grounds
24 Memorial Day
JUNE 2014
3 Farm Bureau Board Meeting - 6:00 P.M.
14 Flag Day
15 Happy Fathers Day
16-18 Young Peoples Citizenship Conference @ MSU
18-20 4-H Exploration Days, MSU
19 Fair Board Meeting, Board Room - 7:30 P.M.
THANK YOU TO OUR LENAWEE COUNTY AG NEWS SPONSORS
5732 W. Ridgeville Rd. Sand Creek, MI 49279
APRIL 2014
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Hudson, Michigan
Permit No. 6
LENAWEE COUNTY AG NEWS
5732 W. Ridgeville Rd.
Sand Creek, MI 49279
AG NEWS
Lenawee County
ADM Grain Company
Archbold Equipment Co.
Benedict Financial Advisors, Inc.
Bi-County Herald
Blisseld State Bank
Bruggeman Law Ofces, P.C.
Crop Production Services, Inc.
Cutler Dickerson Company
Donna Baker & Assoc., LLC
Fishers Agricultural Insurance Serv.
First Federal Bank
DS Johnson & Assoc. - Nationwide Ins.
Global Ethanol
Got Milk? Marvin Farms Inc
GreenStone Farm Credit Services
Gurdjian Insurance Group, Inc.
Hardwoods of Michigan/Tri-County Logging
Keller Insurance Agency
Lenawee Conservation District
Lenawee County Fair
Lenawee County Farm Bureau
Lenawee CO. FFA Alumni Chapter
Lenawee County Holstein Assn.
Lenawee Farm Bureau Insurance
Lenawee Fuels, Inc
Lenawee Tire & Supply Company
Luckey Farmers, Inc.
Michigan Ag Commodities, Inc.
Michigan Milk Producers Assn.
Mitchell & Kelley Auctioneers
MSU Extension Lenawee
Penn Acres Grain Inc.
River Raisin Watershed Council
Sand Creek FFA Alumni
Senator Bruce Caswell
The Andersons, Metamora Grain
Tilton & Son Shoes
Wells Equipment Sales, Inc.
517-403-3061
517-458-7801 Home
517-263-0754 Work
[email protected]
JULY 2014
1 Farm Bureau Board Meeting - 6:00 P.M.
10 Fair Board Meeting, Board Room - 7:30 P.M.
16-20 Michigan Livestock Expo, MSU
20-26 Lenawee County Fair
22-24 Michigan Ag Expo
Have an event for the calendar, please send it to me!
Announcing 175th Anniversary of the Lenawee
County Fair & the 2014 Concert Schedule
2014 Fair Theme - The Best Is Yet To Come
Fair Week Dates - July 20 - 26, 2014
Concert Headliner Tyler Farr
Hit songs - Redneck Crazy, Whisley In My Water
Concert Special Guest Frankie Ballard
Hit song - Helluva Life
Date of Concert Thursday, July 24, 2014
at 8:00 p.m.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, May 1, 2014
at 9:00 a.m.
May be purchased at the fair ofce, or
online www.startickets.com
Fair ofce phone 517-263-3007
Website for addition info www.len fair.com
You Can Now
View the Ag Newsletter online at
http://lenaweecountyagnews.weebly.com
Yes, Mother Nature is still in control! I couldnt believe
there was snow on the ground this morning after such a
beautiful weekend. Oh well. . .
Congratulations to our 2014 Poster Contest winners.
Third grade students from across the county used their
creative artistic ability to participate in the Faces of
Agriculture contest. All students who participated
received a token from the Spotted Cow. Thank You to
all the students who participated and to Spotted Cow for
the tokens. Our winners have their posters posted at the
South Spotted Cow.
Ella Marlatt from Lenawee Christian Schools received 1st
place and $75. Kara Terakedis from Onsted Elementary
received 2nd place and $50. Emerson Fraker from
Onsted Elementary received 3rd place and $25. Again,
Congratulations to all!
The 2014 Young Peoples Citizenship Seminar will be
June 16th 18th on the Michigan State Campus.
This event is open to current high school freshman,
sophomores, juniors interested in learning about
their state and local government. There is no cost for this
event. If you are interested in attending please call the
county offce 517-265-2891. Registration information
is available at www.ypcs.org Deadline for registration is
May 1st.
Project RED was a great success! Over 700 fourth
grade students and teachers from across the county came
to the Lenawee ISD Tech Center to learn more about
agriculture. We appreciate all of our presenters, sponsors,
workers and the P & E Committee who helped make this
two day event possible.
2014 Lenawee Farm Bureau Scholarship Applications
are available at the county offce. This scholarship is
open to any college student who is a sophomore, junior or
senior. The student or parents must be a member of Farm
Bureau. Call the county offce for more information or an
application.
Going to Mackinac Island this summer? Mission Point
Resort offers Michigan Farm Bureau members a special
discounted rate up to 35% off the best Available rate! For
reservations, visit www. Missionpoint.com and use the
promo/corporate code FB14 or call 1-800-833-7711 and
ask for the Michigan Farm Bureau Members Discount:
FB14
Summer vacations will soon be here so dont forget
about the Hotel discounts that Farm Bureau offers to our
members. Take advantage of all the benefts from your
membership! For more information call the county offce
517-265-2891
Hopefully planting season will soon be here so
remember safety frst!
HELP FOR HONEYBEE SWARMS
Warmer weather is the signal for getting outside not
only people but for wildlife as well. The one type of wildlife
most people would rather NOT see coming out are bees!
Spring brings on honeybee swarming. To the majority of
folks, bee control means reaching for the bug spray. But
if you discover a swarm of honeybees have landed in your
yard, we are asking homeowners to contact the Lenawee
Conservation District offce at (517) 263-7400 Ext. 3 for
assistance.
Swarming can be a response to hive overcrowding or an
aging queen, and can occur when the queen bees reduced
egg laying capacity shrinks her to a size light enough to
take fight. She leaves the hive with a portion of worker
bees when the colony rears a new queen. A mass of worker
bees with the old queen will then land at a stopping point
to wait for scout bees to return with news of a new place
to set up their hive. While the swarm waits, the mass of
worker bees continually move over each other to attend
and protect the queen bee while they wait. The sight of
this mass of energy can be alarming, to say the least.
It is at this point in time however, that the bees are the
least aggressive and can be collected and relocated by a
beekeeper. It is important to call about a swarm quickly as
swarms do not stay in their temporary location very long.
The Lenawee Conservation District is very concerned
about the decline in our pollinators and wants to offer every
opportunity for their survival. Humans reap the benefts
of bees as pollinators of landscape and garden plants, yet
often overlook the many threats to their ecosystem such
as insecticides, harsh winters, destructive bacteria and
viruses, parasites, and loss of native plant habitat. The
opportunity exists for us to assist pollinators in their race
for survival. Insect pollination is critical for the production
of many important crops in the United States including
alfalfa, almonds, apples, blackberries, blueberries, canola,
cherries, cranberries, pears, plums, squash, sunfowers,
tomatoes, and watermelons. Native pollinators also help
supplement services provided by managed pollinators
(honeybees). Native pollinators, most importantly wild
bees, provide free pollination services and enhance farm
and garden productivity and proftability through increased
yields and improvements in crop quality.
Call and report a swarm to the Lenawee Conservation
District who will in turn, contact a beekeeper close by to
respond to the call and relocate the swarm if possible. No
need to panic and run for the bug spray! Let the Lenawee
Conservation District coordinate the safe removal of a
swarm.
TIMBER VALUE (SUPPLY AND DEMAND)
What will the wheat you have in the ground be worth this
summer? How about the corn or beans you plant? What will
a frst, second, third, cutting bale of hay sell for this year?
What will prices be for fat cattle, feeder calves, hogs, etc.?
All are commodities, and like all commodities their value
will be infuenced by supply and demand. Your timber and
the lumber it will make is also a commodity. Due to increased
worldwide demand and shortness in supply, your lumber has
reached values well in excess of previous years.
Like your row crops, the market for hardwood lumber
is greatly infuenced by demand around the world. North
American hardwood lumber is in great demand throughout
Asia, Europe and North America. At the same time, North
American hardwood is in short supply due to the extreme
winter weather we have experienced here and throughout the
hardwood producing regions of North America. Harvesting of
timber this winter was hampered greatly by the extreme cold,
wind and heavy snows. The process of drying lumber has
lengthened due to the extreme cold. Snow melt, and increased
seasonal road restrictions due to heavy frost, will keep lumber
in short supply for months ahead. Yet, domestic and foreign
demand continues to rise. This is good news for timber owners.
Your asset has gone up in value and now may very well be the
time to sell.
This can also be bad news. The purchase of and
harvesting of timber on privately held land in Michigan is
virtually unrestricted. Unfortunately, this type of market
brings unscrupulous characters out to make a quick buck at
the detriment of timber owners. They also give our industry
a poor name.
Unlike other crops that are sold annually, you will sell
your timber once, maybe twice in your lifetime. Please do not
make a mistake by selling it for less than its value to someone
of poor ethics.
At Tri-County Logging, Inc. (Hardwoods of Michigan,
Inc.) we employ over 100 of your friends and neighbors. We
have harvested timber and manufactured lumber for over 40
years in your community.
If you decide that now is the time to see what your timber
crop is worth, we will send a professional forester to work with
you in deciding what timber should be harvested and if it is
the time to sell. If we purchase your timber, we will give you
its full value upfront prior to cutting. We will take good care
of your woodlot and adjacent lands during the harvesting.
It may be time to sell! Give us a call at 800-327-2812.
We look forward to helping you grow your timber asset.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Vogel
President, Hardwoods of Michigan
There isnt much to talk about concerning fuel right
now apart from what everybody pretty much knows.
Supplies are at least adequate. Prices will fuctuate with
geopolitics in Eastern Europe. There is already a premium
(about ten percent over last year) on crude (and therefore
diesel and gas) as a result of the tensions in Ukraine. If
things get violent, the price will continue to rise and if
there is some sort of peace accord, prices will come back
down to a more appropriate level (but, as they say in the
Geico commercial everybody knows that). There are no
local refnery problems and frost laws have been removed
so no one should have any trouble obtaining supply.
Here are a couple of things you may not have known about
oil, however.
One barrel contains 42 gallons of crude oil from which, in
the U.S. typically 19 gallons of gasoline are produced. In
California, additional other products such as alkylates are
added to the crude to create a processing gain such that the
total volume of products made from crude oil based origins
is 48.43 gallons on average.
Each barrel of crude oil yields products as follows:
Finished gasoline (51.4%)
Diesel fuel (15.3%)
Jet fuel (12.3%)
Still Gas (5.4%)
Coke fuel (5.0%)
Residual fuel oil (3.3%)
Liquid Refnery Gas (2.8%)
Asphalt and Road oil (1.7%)
Other Refned Products (1.5%)
Lubricants (0.9%)
In the 1850s all liquids that needed a tight container
were stored in wooden barrels. Skilled coopers had been
producing watertight 42 gallon barrels since the 1400s
when Richard III set the size of a tierce of wine at 42
gallons. To catch the oil booming from the new wells in
Titusville, PA the early producers were using any watertight
container they could get their hands on, including wooden
tierces , whiskey barrels, casks and barrels of all sizes. The
size of the container quickly became standardized around
the 42 gallon barrel, due to practical considerations.
A 42 gallon tierce weighed more than 300 pounds-about
as much as a mad could reasonably wrestle. Twenty would
ft on a typical barge or railroad care. Bigger casks were
unmanageable and smaller ones were less proftable. By
1860, in Pennsylvania the 42 gallon barrel had become
standard. Because Pennsylvania was at the forefront of the
early oil boom, its practices were soon adopted across the
country. In 1872, 42 gallons became the standard for the
Petroleum Producers Association and in 1882, the U.S.G.S
and the U.S. Bureau of Mines adopted the standard as well.
This information will astound your friends at your next
cocktail party, trust me.
BRUCE LITCHFORD
Lenawee Fuels
JUDITH HOLCOMB
Lenawee Conservation District
GWEN HESS
Lenawee County
Farm Bureau
Yes, Mother Nature is still in control! I couldnt believe
there was snow on the ground this morning after such a
beautiful weekend. Oh well. . .
Congratulations to our 2014 Poster Contest winners.
Third grade students from across the county used their
creative artistic ability to participate in the Faces of
Agriculture contest. All students who participated
received a token from the Spotted Cow. Thank You to
all the students who participated and to Spotted Cow for
the tokens. Our winners have their posters posted at the
South Spotted Cow.
Ella Marlatt from Lenawee Christian Schools received 1st
place and $75. Kara Terakedis from Onsted Elementary
received 2nd place and $50. Emerson Fraker from
Onsted Elementary received 3rd place and $25. Again,
Congratulations to all!
The 2014 Young Peoples Citizenship Seminar will be
June 16th 18th on the Michigan State Campus.
This event is open to current high school freshman,
sophomores, juniors interested in learning about
their state and local government. There is no cost for this
event. If you are interested in attending please call the
county offce 517-265-2891. Registration information
is available at www.ypcs.org Deadline for registration is
May 1st.
Project RED was a great success! Over 700 fourth
grade students and teachers from across the county came
to the Lenawee ISD Tech Center to learn more about
agriculture. We appreciate all of our presenters, sponsors,
workers and the P & E Committee who helped make this
two day event possible.
2014 Lenawee Farm Bureau Scholarship Applications
are available at the county offce. This scholarship is
open to any college student who is a sophomore, junior or
senior. The student or parents must be a member of Farm
Bureau. Call the county offce for more information or an
application.
Going to Mackinac Island this summer? Mission Point
Resort offers Michigan Farm Bureau members a special
discounted rate up to 35% off the best Available rate! For
reservations, visit www. Missionpoint.com and use the
promo/corporate code FB14 or call 1-800-833-7711 and
ask for the Michigan Farm Bureau Members Discount:
FB14
Summer vacations will soon be here so dont forget
about the Hotel discounts that Farm Bureau offers to our
members. Take advantage of all the benefts from your
membership! For more information call the county offce
517-265-2891
Hopefully planting season will soon be here so
remember safety frst!
HELP FOR HONEYBEE SWARMS
Warmer weather is the signal for getting outside not
only people but for wildlife as well. The one type of wildlife
most people would rather NOT see coming out are bees!
Spring brings on honeybee swarming. To the majority of
folks, bee control means reaching for the bug spray. But
if you discover a swarm of honeybees have landed in your
yard, we are asking homeowners to contact the Lenawee
Conservation District offce at (517) 263-7400 Ext. 3 for
assistance.
Swarming can be a response to hive overcrowding or an
aging queen, and can occur when the queen bees reduced
egg laying capacity shrinks her to a size light enough to
take fight. She leaves the hive with a portion of worker
bees when the colony rears a new queen. A mass of worker
bees with the old queen will then land at a stopping point
to wait for scout bees to return with news of a new place
to set up their hive. While the swarm waits, the mass of
worker bees continually move over each other to attend
and protect the queen bee while they wait. The sight of
this mass of energy can be alarming, to say the least.
It is at this point in time however, that the bees are the
least aggressive and can be collected and relocated by a
beekeeper. It is important to call about a swarm quickly as
swarms do not stay in their temporary location very long.
The Lenawee Conservation District is very concerned
about the decline in our pollinators and wants to offer every
opportunity for their survival. Humans reap the benefts
of bees as pollinators of landscape and garden plants, yet
often overlook the many threats to their ecosystem such
as insecticides, harsh winters, destructive bacteria and
viruses, parasites, and loss of native plant habitat. The
opportunity exists for us to assist pollinators in their race
for survival. Insect pollination is critical for the production
of many important crops in the United States including
alfalfa, almonds, apples, blackberries, blueberries, canola,
cherries, cranberries, pears, plums, squash, sunfowers,
tomatoes, and watermelons. Native pollinators also help
supplement services provided by managed pollinators
(honeybees). Native pollinators, most importantly wild
bees, provide free pollination services and enhance farm
and garden productivity and proftability through increased
yields and improvements in crop quality.
Call and report a swarm to the Lenawee Conservation
District who will in turn, contact a beekeeper close by to
respond to the call and relocate the swarm if possible. No
need to panic and run for the bug spray! Let the Lenawee
Conservation District coordinate the safe removal of a
swarm.
TIMBER VALUE (SUPPLY AND DEMAND)
What will the wheat you have in the ground be worth this
summer? How about the corn or beans you plant? What will
a frst, second, third, cutting bale of hay sell for this year?
What will prices be for fat cattle, feeder calves, hogs, etc.?
All are commodities, and like all commodities their value
will be infuenced by supply and demand. Your timber and
the lumber it will make is also a commodity. Due to increased
worldwide demand and shortness in supply, your lumber has
reached values well in excess of previous years.
Like your row crops, the market for hardwood lumber
is greatly infuenced by demand around the world. North
American hardwood lumber is in great demand throughout
Asia, Europe and North America. At the same time, North
American hardwood is in short supply due to the extreme
winter weather we have experienced here and throughout the
hardwood producing regions of North America. Harvesting of
timber this winter was hampered greatly by the extreme cold,
wind and heavy snows. The process of drying lumber has
lengthened due to the extreme cold. Snow melt, and increased
seasonal road restrictions due to heavy frost, will keep lumber
in short supply for months ahead. Yet, domestic and foreign
demand continues to rise. This is good news for timber owners.
Your asset has gone up in value and now may very well be the
time to sell.
This can also be bad news. The purchase of and
harvesting of timber on privately held land in Michigan is
virtually unrestricted. Unfortunately, this type of market
brings unscrupulous characters out to make a quick buck at
the detriment of timber owners. They also give our industry
a poor name.
Unlike other crops that are sold annually, you will sell
your timber once, maybe twice in your lifetime. Please do not
make a mistake by selling it for less than its value to someone
of poor ethics.
At Tri-County Logging, Inc. (Hardwoods of Michigan,
Inc.) we employ over 100 of your friends and neighbors. We
have harvested timber and manufactured lumber for over 40
years in your community.
If you decide that now is the time to see what your timber
crop is worth, we will send a professional forester to work with
you in deciding what timber should be harvested and if it is
the time to sell. If we purchase your timber, we will give you
its full value upfront prior to cutting. We will take good care
of your woodlot and adjacent lands during the harvesting.
It may be time to sell! Give us a call at 800-327-2812.
We look forward to helping you grow your timber asset.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Vogel
President, Hardwoods of Michigan
There isnt much to talk about concerning fuel right
now apart from what everybody pretty much knows.
Supplies are at least adequate. Prices will fuctuate with
geopolitics in Eastern Europe. There is already a premium
(about ten percent over last year) on crude (and therefore
diesel and gas) as a result of the tensions in Ukraine. If
things get violent, the price will continue to rise and if
there is some sort of peace accord, prices will come back
down to a more appropriate level (but, as they say in the
Geico commercial everybody knows that). There are no
local refnery problems and frost laws have been removed
so no one should have any trouble obtaining supply.
Here are a couple of things you may not have known about
oil, however.
One barrel contains 42 gallons of crude oil from which, in
the U.S. typically 19 gallons of gasoline are produced. In
California, additional other products such as alkylates are
added to the crude to create a processing gain such that the
total volume of products made from crude oil based origins
is 48.43 gallons on average.
Each barrel of crude oil yields products as follows:
Finished gasoline (51.4%)
Diesel fuel (15.3%)
Jet fuel (12.3%)
Still Gas (5.4%)
Coke fuel (5.0%)
Residual fuel oil (3.3%)
Liquid Refnery Gas (2.8%)
Asphalt and Road oil (1.7%)
Other Refned Products (1.5%)
Lubricants (0.9%)
In the 1850s all liquids that needed a tight container
were stored in wooden barrels. Skilled coopers had been
producing watertight 42 gallon barrels since the 1400s
when Richard III set the size of a tierce of wine at 42
gallons. To catch the oil booming from the new wells in
Titusville, PA the early producers were using any watertight
container they could get their hands on, including wooden
tierces , whiskey barrels, casks and barrels of all sizes. The
size of the container quickly became standardized around
the 42 gallon barrel, due to practical considerations.
A 42 gallon tierce weighed more than 300 pounds-about
as much as a mad could reasonably wrestle. Twenty would
ft on a typical barge or railroad care. Bigger casks were
unmanageable and smaller ones were less proftable. By
1860, in Pennsylvania the 42 gallon barrel had become
standard. Because Pennsylvania was at the forefront of the
early oil boom, its practices were soon adopted across the
country. In 1872, 42 gallons became the standard for the
Petroleum Producers Association and in 1882, the U.S.G.S
and the U.S. Bureau of Mines adopted the standard as well.
This information will astound your friends at your next
cocktail party, trust me.
BRUCE LITCHFORD
Lenawee Fuels
JUDITH HOLCOMB
Lenawee Conservation District
GWEN HESS
Lenawee County
Farm Bureau
could easily meet the increased volumes with modest
investments in E85 and/or increased use of E15. But
they would rather lobby policy makers to protect their
monopoly over the domestic fuel supply.
From an environmental perspective the RFS has
been a winner. From a Rural Economic Development
perspective the RFS has been a winner. From a food
infation standpoint the RFS has been a winner. Food
infation has been lower since the RFS passed than in
the 20 years prior. According to the World Bank, most
food price increases are accounted for by crude oil prices,
not ethanol.
Last November EPA proposed reducing the RFS across
the board. It recommended cutting corn ethanol from
14.4 billion gallons to 13 billion gallons, a number that is
actually 300 million gallons less than what was produced
in 2013 on the heels of the largest corn crop in history.
But it is a proposal.
Robert urged EPA to listen and lead. To not allow oil
companies to subvert the RFA by erecting a blend wall.
To not forfeit the carbon benefts of renewable fuels. To
not abandon job creation and economic development in
Rural America. To not return to dependence on a fnite
source of energy that compromises our National security
and endangers the environment.
But to do one thing.
Keep. Your. Word.
Dr. Lina Rodriguez Salamanca
Commercial vegetable crop educator
BEWARE OF ROTATIONAL RESTRICTIONS
WHEN CHOOSING HERBICIDES FOR WEED
CONTROL.
When a weed and a crop belong to the same family,
it is diffcult to achieve acceptable weed control because
effective herbicides can injure the weeds and the crop.
This is why it is common for growers to struggle to
control weeds from the nightshade family in tomatoes
and peppers; all these plants belong to the family
(Solanaceae).
The herbicide active ingredient halosulfuron
(Sandea) is an herbicide labeled in sweet corn that
is effective controlling nutsedge when applied post
emergence. However, this particular herbicide has
KEN LAKE
MAC Marketline
WASHINGTON; KEEP. YOUR. WORD.
The National Ethanol Conference took place this week in
Orlando. The annual gathering brings together sectors of
the Ethanol, Energy and Commodity Industries as well
as Government Offcials for a multi-day discussion of
ethanol related issues. It always kicks off with a keynote
address by its CEO Robert Dinneen. His address this year
entitled Falling Walls, Rising Tides pointed to many
walls the ethanol industry has been able to overcome
in its brief history, namely the blend wall, the cellulose
wall, the trade wall, the octane wall and the fnal wall
to overcome, the wall of ignorance and misinformation
that undermines public support for ethanol.
Regardless of the walls faced by the industry, Robert
reminded listeners that a rising tide lifts all boats and
that a rising tide accurately describes the economic reach
of the American Ethanol Industry. Besides producing
13.3 billion gallons of ethanol last year, besides being
responsible for 86,500 direct and 300,000 indirect
jobs. Besides contributing more than $44 billion to the
GDP last year. The Ethanol Industrys contribution to
Agriculture is astounding.
Last year the industry used the starch from 4.75 billion
bushels of corn and 150 million bushels of sorghum.
Thats $29 billion for American Farmers. Last year
total crop value was $217 billion and livestock value
was a record $183 billion. So regardless of Big Food
protests ethanol production has coincided with a growth
in livestock value, up 82% since 2000. Overall net farm
income up 158% since 2000. Defnitely a rising tide.
That rising tide has virtually wiped out government farm
payments, which is good for the federal budget and good
for taxpayers. Farm payments for corn in 2012 were
among the lowest in 25 years and 80% lower than 2006.
Of Congress, Robert asks one thing, keep your word.
In 2007 Congress established the Renewable Fuel
Standard which established a long-term energy policy
to wean America off imported oil, stimulate investment
in new technologies, provide consumer choice at the
pump and revive rural communities. Without question
the RFS has become a model for progressive energy
policy globally.
The oil industry is attempting to re-litigate the RFS by
telling congress and the Administration they cant blend
the increased levels of renewable fuels required. They
MARCH 2014
3 Southeast Wetlands Meeting -
Dundee, MI
8 Community Yard Sale, Lenawee
County Fair & Events Grounds
10 Farm Bureau Board Meeting
6:00 P.M.
12 Washington Legislative
12 Farm Bureau Commissioners
Lunch
20 Fair Board Meeting, Board Room
7:30 P.M.
24 Young Farmer Bowling Night 4-6
Litcheld Lanes
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MARCH 2014
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LENAWEE COUNTY AG NEWS
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Sand Creek, MI 49279
AG NEWS
Lenawee County
ADM Grain Company
Archbold Equipment Co.
Benedict Financial Advisors, Inc.
Bi-County Herald
Blisseld State Bank
Bruggeman Law Ofces, P.C.
Crop Production Services, Inc.
Cutler Dickerson Company
Donna Baker & Assoc., LLC
Fishers Agricultural Insurance Serv.
First Federal Bank
DS Johnson & Assoc. - Nationwide Ins.
Global Ethanol
Got Milk? Marvin Farms Inc
GreenStone Farm Credit Services
Gurdjian Insurance Group, Inc.
Hardwoods of Michigan/Tri-County Logging
Keller Insurance Agency
Lenawee Conservation District
Lenawee County Fair
Lenawee County Farm Bureau
Lenawee CO. FFA Alumni Chapter
Lenawee County Holstein Assn.
Lenawee Farm Bureau Insurance
Lenawee Fuels, Inc
Lenawee Tire & Supply Company
Luckey Farmers, Inc.
Michigan Ag Commodities, Inc.
Michigan Milk Producers Assn.
Mitchell & Kelley Auctioneers
MSU Extension Lenawee
Penn Acres Grain Inc.
River Raisin Watershed Council
Sand Creek FFA Alumni
Senator Bruce Caswell
The Andersons, Metamora Grain
Tilton & Son Shoes
Wells Equipment Sales, Inc.
517-403-3061
517-458-7801 Home
517-263-0754 Work
[email protected]
APRIL 2014
1 Farm Bureau Board Meeting
6:00 P.M.
17 Fair Board Meeting, Board Room
7:30 P.M.
24-25 Project RED
Have an event for the calendar, please send it to me!