Illinois Soybean Board district director elections

Petitions are available for growers interested in running for open director positions with the Illinois Soybean Board. Petitions can be obtained from the Illinois Department of Agriculture, local University of Illinois Extension offices and the ISB office. Petitions must be filed by May 15.

Six Illinois districts will hold director elections this year:

District 1: Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Winnebago
District 5: Fulton, Knox, Marshall, Peoria, Putnam, Tazewell
District 7: Ford, Iroquois, Vermilion
District 9: Cass, Logan, Mason, Menard, Morgan, Sangamon
District 12: Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Pike, Scott
District 13: Bond, Fayette, Marion, Montgomery      

Due to the tenure provision as specified in the soybean checkoff program, the director in District 13 (Gary Berg, St. Elmo), is not eligible for re-election. The directors presently serving in District 1 (Paul Rasmussen, Genoa), District 5 (Stan Born, Dunlap), District 7 (Tom Kentner, Danville), District 9 (Carrie Winkelmann, Tallula) and District 12 (Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare, Nebo) are each eligible to serve another three-year term.

To be eligible to serve as a director, a candidate must be an Illinois resident and a resident grower of the district he or she seeks to represent, of legal voting age, and a contributor to the soybean checkoff. Petitions filed with IDOA must contain signatures of at least 250 or 5%, whichever is less, of the qualified producers from the same given district in which the candidate is seeking office.

Any person deciding to run as a write-in candidate must also meet the eligibility requirements and submit a Declaration of Intent form to IDOA no later than 5 p.m. on June 30. Elections for ISB district directors will be held at county Extension offices in the districts where vacancies exist on July 6.

For information, visit ilsoy.org.

Source: Illinois Soybean Association

Farmers: Earn a gift card for helping with soybean research

The University of Illinois leader of a multistate soybean research project needs a few more farmers to provide production information.

“We only need two or three producers in each soybean-growing county in Illinois to get the job done,” says U of I crop sciences professor Emerson Nafziger.

Nafziger and his team need farmers to provide information for up to four soybean fields. Most farmers will be able to record information for a field — one per crop year — in 10 or 15 minutes. Individuals who fill out information forms and return a gift card request form along with the information sheets will receive a $50 gift card.

The project goal is to determine focus areas for soybean research. Nafziger encourages FFA and college students to participate, giving them experience with scientific studies and a reward for their efforts.

“The more fields we’re able to get information on, the more useful this effort will be,” Nafziger explains. “As the largest and best state for soybean production, we hope to produce the largest and best set of information of all states involved in this effort.”

Farmers who want to participate can fill out the form, or email Nafziger at [email protected] or [email protected] to have a form sent by email.

Source: University of Illinois

IPPA launches manure rate calculator mobile app

How can pork producers quickly determine manure applications to meet crop nutrient needs while factoring in Illinois-specific manure plan rules? Ted Funk, agricultural engineering consultant for the Illinois Pork Producers Association, developed the Illinois Manure Calculator to help farmers efficiently calculate their manure usage.

“The user enters manure storages with the respective manure sample data, information for fields that will receive manure, and the general type of manure application equipment being used,” Funk explains.

This simple app automates the nutrient management planning worksheet that Illinois livestock producers are already required to understand at University of Illinois Extension Certified Livestock Manager Training workshops.

The app calculates a manure application rate, based on the choice of nitrogen or phosphorus limits, and the N, P and K that will be applied to the field. It allows the user to enter a trial application rate to see the effect on the nutrient balance. Completed calculations can be emailed directly to the user for entry into the farm's main manure nutrient management plan.

iPhone or Android users can download the free app by searching for “Illinois Manure Calculator” in the app store.

Source: Illinois Pork Producers Association