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Page 2 January 23, 2013

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Just the FactsCorn

Harrison County’s Agricultural Facts

Harrison County Farm Statistics (USDA)General• Number of farms in Harrison County: 800 farms• Total farm land in Harrison County: 360,000 acres• Average size of a Harrison County farm: 450 acresCrops• In 2009:

- Market value of Harrison County crops grown: $148.5 million- 16.7% of all jobs in Harrison County came from crop production

• In 2010:- 179,000 acres of corn were harvested with an average yield of 159.4bushel per acre for Harrison County- 125,500 acres of soybeans were harvested with an average yield of 47.0 bushel per acre for Harrison County

Harrison CountyEconomic Overview (2009)• Total Harrison County employment: 6,478 jobs• Percentage employed in Harrison County agri-culture: 21.0%• Total agriculture Harrison County employment:1,359 jobs• Harrison County wages generated by agricul-ture: $37.3 million• Harrison County agriculture alone generatesover $182.8 million in total sales• Combined, Harrison County agriculture andagricultural-related industries generated over$182.9 million in total sales and supported 1,362jobs

Statistics provided Iowa Corn Promotion Board &Iowa Corn Growers Association

January 23, 2013 Page 3Corn

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The Iowa Corn Growers Association andthe Iowa Corn Promotion Board are excitedto again offer the Iowa Corn “Future ofAgriculture” scholarships. This year IowaCorn will award 10 scholarships to under-graduate and graduate students who arepursuing a degree in the 2013-14 school-years.

“The corn industry must help support astrong group of agriculture students whowill be entering the industry – both as pro-ducers and in agribusiness,” said BobHemesath, a farmer from Calmar and chairof the Iowa Corn committee that overseesthe scholarship program. “This scholarshipprogram is an important component ofdeveloping youth in agriculture and to thefuture of the agriculture industry in Iowa.”

The Iowa Corn “Future of Agriculture”Scholarship program will award five $500first-year scholarships and five $500 upper-classman scholarships for individuals whoare pursuing a degree in agriculture or anagriculture related field. Applicants alsomust either be a member of ICGA or a

dependent of a member. First-year scholarship applicants must

be entering their first year at an accreditedjunior college, college or university.Upperclassmen must be entering at leasttheir second year at an accredited juniorcollege or university.

Scholarship applications are availableonline at www.iowacorn.org/scholarshipor by requesting one via email atcorninfo@iowacorn.org. Applications mustbe postmarked by Friday, Feb. 1.

Iowa Corn ‘Future of Agriculture’ Scholarships availableThe theme for the 2013 GROWMARK

Essay Contest is: “Fighting Domestic andGlobal Hunger.” The contest is open to allhigh school FFA members in Illinois, Iowaand Wisconsin.

This is the 20th year for the program,sponsored by the GROWMARK System andFS member cooperatives, in conjunction withstate FFA leaders.This year, students willfocus on four questions: What agriculturaltechnologies and practices will increase foodproduction? How do local agricultural coop-eratives help farmers combat domestic andworld hunger? What kind of partnershipscan help fight hunger worldwide? What canyou personally do to impact world hunger?

Essays should be approximately 500words, typed and double-spaced. The post-marked entry deadline for Iowa FFA mem-bers is February 15. The postmarked entrydeadline for Illinois and Wisconsin FFAmembers is March 15. Additional programdetails have been sent to agriculture teachersand are online at www.growmark.com (clickon Our Commitments/Youth & YoungFarmers/Essay Contest).

“Students who write essays will learnhow agricultural cooperatives help combatdomestic and world hunger,” said JaneCastellano, GROWMARK corporate com-munications and cooperative education spe-cialist.

Each state’s winner earns a $500 awardand the winner’s FFA chapter receives a $300award. Four runners-up per state each win$125 awards.

The program is offered each year andmany agriculture teachers use it as part oftheir class curriculum. Past topics haveincluded renewable fuels, biotechnology, andthe cooperative principles.

GROWMARK is a regional cooperativeproviding agriculture-related products andservices, as well as grain marketing, in 45states and Ontario, Canada. GROWMARKowns the FS trademark, which is used byaffiliated member cooperatives. The FSbrand represents knowledgeable, experi-enced professionals acting with integrity anddedication to serve more than 250,000 cus-tomers. More information is available atwww.growmark.com.

GROWMARK announces 2013 Essay Contest theme

The definition of nutrient manage-ment is a key set of practices that helppromote and maintain healthy soilwith good physical, biological andchemical properties. Nutrient manage-ment also grows healthier plants andcan help stimulate proper root growth.Part of smart nutrient management isto use practices when they're mostneeded and in such a way that plantsand soil benefit and in such a way thatthe nutrients don’t leach into thegroundwater or otherwise wash away.

Iowa’s farmers have some work todo, but they have been significantlyand very vigilantly improving prac-

tices. According to the Field to MarketReport from the Keystone Alliance,from 1980-2011, trends in U.S. Cornproduction show an increase in pro-duction and decreases in per bushelland use, irrigation, energy, and green-house gas emissions. Soil erosionspecifically had a 67% decrease overthe same time period.

In this same time period, farmersnearly double production on onlyslightly fewer nutrients. According todata from the USDA NationalAgricultural Statistics Service (NASS),farmers grew 6.64 billion bushels ofcorn using 3.9 pounds of nutrients

(nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium)for each bushel in 1980. In 2010, theygrew 12.45 billion bushels using 1.6pounds

of nutrients per bushel produced. Intotal, this represents an 87.5% increasein production with 4% fewer nutrients.

“We are able to focus on resourcemanagement more today because ourseed technology has improved somuch,” said Jay Lynch, a farmer leaderfrom Humboldt, Iowa. “It is not thatour fathers and grandfathers didn’tcare about conservation, it is moreabout where we have been and wherewe are going. Just like anything today,we learn from what we did in the pastand we work to make it better. I don’tuse the same practices, seed, andequipment they used to use because Ihave more options and I am sure thatmy kids will farm very differently fromhow I farm.”

Iowa’s farmers are leading thecharge on conservation with the intro-duction of a non-point and pointsource plan to reduce nutrient loss towater. The Nutrient Reduction Strategyas outlined by Iowa Governor, TerryBranstad and created in cooperationbetween the Iowa Department ofAgriculture and Land Stewardship(IDALS) along with the IowaDepartment for Natural Resources(DNR) outlines efforts to reduce nutri-ents in surface water with scientific,reasonable, and cost effective practices.The strategy was the result of a 2008Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan calling forMississippi River border states toreduce total Nitrogen and Phosphorusloadings by 45%. The Iowa CornGrowers Association and other groupsare lobbying for sound science and vol-untary adoption.

“Conservation, nutrient manage-ment, and soil health are not a one-sizefits all equation,” said Ben Gleason,Iowa Corn Sustainability ProgramsManager. “It is a farmer by farmer, fieldby field decision. That is why volun-tary conservation practices are more

reasonable. Mandating farming prac-tices could potentially reverse the posi-tive movement we have made. Wearen’t at perfection, but we are movingin the right direction right now.”

Farmers have adopted practices tomake their farm more sustainable, butIowa farmers as a whole having beenblazing the conservation trail for sometime.

• According to the IowaConservation Reserve EnhancementProgram (CREP) 72 wetlands are cur-rently restored or under development.These 72 wetlands alone will remove76,700 tons of nitrogen over their life-time and protect 91,500 watershedacres.

• Iowa farmers have more than620,000 acres enrolled in the continu-ous, targeted Conservation ReserveProgram, more than any other state.This number increases every month.It’s also almost 13% of the U.S. contin-uous CRP signup total.

• Iowa farmers have restored morethan 250,000 acres of wetlands, puttingIowa farmers 8th in the nation in termsof voluntarily restoring cropland towetlands.

• Since 2004, practices installedthrough voluntary watershed projectsnow collectively reduce sedimentreaching Iowa’s waters by 130,947 tonsper year and phosphorus loading by202,312 pounds per year.

In a recent press release from theGovernor’s Office, GovernorBrandstad said, “Iowans have a cultureof conservation due to our close con-nection to the land and a long historyof recognizing the importance of beingenvironmental stewards…agriculturehas been a key driver of the state’seconomy and farmers understand bet-ter than anyone that we need to protectour natural resources for future gener-ations.”

Page 4 January 23, 2013Corn

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January 23, 2013 Page 5Corn

Over the past threedecades, the grain eleva-tor business has had itsups and downs.

During the farm debtcrisis of the 1980s, grainelevator failures becamea common occurrence inmany rural communities.In recent years, elevatorfailures have occurred asa result of abuses withrespect to hedge-to-arrive contracts andimproper or unautho-rized activity in futuresmarkets or grain specu-lation. Presently, thesevere decline in theeconomy has placedadditional stress on ele-vators.

Through it all, theUnited Western Coopelevators have main-tained a solid and securebusiness. That is becausethey have safeguards inplace, said TrentSprecker, UWC GeneralManager.

“We’re a cooperative-owned grain companywhich is bonded andlicensed,” he said. “Weare audited by an inde-pendent firm and ourfinancial statements are amatter of public record.”

The United WesternCoop elevators collectgrain from area farmers,hold it in storage, andcoordinate transporta-tion to final end users orlarger terminal elevatorswhich coordinate largershipments to otherdomestic or international

users, Sprecker said.The Coop has eleva-

tors in Mondamin,Modale, Missouri Valley,Woodbine, River Sioux,California Junction andDunlap. While the Coophas officially been inbusiness as United west-ern Coop since the mid1990’s, many of the loca-tions have been in opera-tion since the 1930s and1940s.

With that kind ofexperience and HarrisonCounty presence, andthe financial backing ofCoBank, a national coop-erative bank servingvital industries acrossrural America whichmonitors the pecuniaryactivities of all UWCbusiness activity,Sprecker said farmersshould feel at ease withtheir choice in UnitedWestern as a grain mer-chandiser.

In addition to thesecurity offered by acompany with such asolid foundation,Sprecker said the Coophas many servicesbesides grain storagesuch as marketing pro-grams for on-farm pick-

up of grain, and otheragri-services.

A dedicated staff oflocation managers givespersonal assistance toproducers. Among themare merchandisersGlenda Agnitsch inMissouri Valley and BobLoyd in Mondamin.They work with the pro-ducers to get their grainto the most lucrativemarket using variousprograms through theCoop.

They offer openorders for grain sales,minimum pricing con-tracts, price-later con-tracts and even fuelcards. Agnitsch said thatthese options allow pro-ducers to store and sellgrain at pre-set marketprices, set floor pricesand catch upswings inthe market for better

grain marketingoptions.

The Coop also offersemail and text alerts forbids and has a Web sitewith market news andexpert commentary.

For more information,contact Agnitsch at 712-642-3737 or toll free at866-892-2667.

JON BURLESONTwiner Reporter

United Western Coop’s Missouri Valley location.Photo: Loyal Fairman

United Western Coop offers a wide array of ag services

CCoorrnn FFaacctt::One bushel of corn will sweetenmore than 400 cans of Coca-Cola.

Page 6 January 23, 2013Corn

The crop price environment willlikely remain very volatile in 2013,reflecting production uncertainty andunsettled economic issues. However, atransition to lower prices is anticipatedas production rebounds. The extent ofthe price decline will depend heavilyon the outcome of the 2013 crops.

The small corn crop and high pricesin 2012 will result in a substantialdecline in consumption and smallinventories by the end of the currentmarketing year. Smaller crops in otherparts of the world and continuedstrong demand will also reduce foreigninventories. Argentine corn productionis expected to rebound in 2013. StableU.S. acreage and a return to a trendyield would result in a U.S. crop in 2013in excess of 14 billion bushels, allowing

a substantial rebuilding of inventories.Prices are expected to decline from therecord high levels of 2012 as productionrebounds. An average farm price above$7 is expected for the 2012-13 market-ing year, but the average for the 2013-14marketing year could be in the $4.75 to$5.50 range.

Crop price prospects for 2013

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January 23, 2013 Page 7Corn

The Iowa Pork Producers Association is now on record supporting the pork industry’sWe Care Responsible Pork Initiative.

Every day, the efforts of hog farmers and all those associated with pork production onIowa farms and those across America demonstrate care and concern for how pork is pro-duced.

The adoption of a new statement of ethical principles calls attention to producers’responsibilities to uphold the highest standards and maintain the public’s trust.

The We Care Responsible Pork Initiative is a joint effort of the Pork Checkoff, throughthe National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council, to help demonstratethat producers are accountable to established ethical principles and animal well-beingpractices.

The IPPA strongly recommends that all pork producers adopt the industry best prac-tice by participating in the We Care program. Through their participation, producerswould abide by the Statement of Ethical Principals, become certified in the Pork QualityAssurance Plus program, achieve site status and have their employees who are involvedin handling and transport of animals become certified in Transport Quality Assurance.

The board strongly recommends that market points, or packers, support the We Careinitiative as an industry best practice. Packer support would include PQA Plus certifica-tion, achievement of site status, and all transporters of animals achieving TQA certifica-tion, which would be used as a condition of sale of animals.

Other programs that producers can take part in to support the We Care initiativeinclude Operation Main Street, Neighbor to Neighbor and NPPC's LEADR program.

By affirming these principles, America’s pork producers acknowledge their commit-ment to:Produce Safe Food• Use management practices consistent with producing safe food• Manage the health of the herd to produce safe food• Manage technology to produce safe foodProtect and Promote Animal Well-being• Provide feed, water and an environment that promotes the well-being of our animals• Provide proper care, handling and transportation for pigs at each stage of life• Protect pig health and provide appropriate treatment, including veterinary care whenneeded• Use approved practices to euthanize, in a timely manner, those sick or injured pigs thatfail to respond to care and treatmentEnsure Practices to Protect Public Health• Use management practices consistent with producing safe food• Manage the use of animal health products to protect public health• Manage manure and air quality to protect public healthSafeguard Natural Resources in All of our Practices• Manage manure as a valuable resource and use in a manner that safeguards air andwater quality• Manage air quality from production facilities to minimize the impact on neighbors andthe community• Manage our operations to protect the quality of natural resourcesProvide a Work Environment that is Safe and Consistent with our other Ethical Principles• Provide a work environment that promotes the health and safety of employees• Educate employees on the Ethical Principles for U.S. Pork Producers and prepare themto meet their obligations consistent with these principles• Provide a work environment where employees are treated fairly and with respectContribute to a Better Quality of Life in our Communities• Recognize that being welcomed and appreciated by the community is a privilege thatmust be earned and maintained• Acknowledge that our practices affect the trust our community has in pork productionand our operations• Operate in a manner that protects the environment and public health• Play an active role in helping to build a strong community• Acknowledge community concerns and address them in an honest and sincere manner

We Care Responsible Pork InitiativeIowa Pork Producers Association

Page 8 January 23, 2013Corn

Alegent Creighton Health Community Memorial Hospital

Medical Services Foundation

An Affair of the Heart Dance

Dance to the music of SHORT PRODUCTIONS

Dance to follow Excellence Awards Presentation

“Citizen of the Year”

Dee Colwell - -Woodbine

Saturday February 9, 2013

9 -12 PM

Shadow Valley Golf Club

Cash Bar

Dance only Advance Tickets: $10 per person $15 per couple

*****$10 per person night of the event.

For Information or Tickets 712-642-9213

Proceeds to purchase new Emergency Room Storage Unit Work Stations.

AAnn AAffffaaiirr ooff tthhee HHeeaarrtt DDaannccee

CCoorrnn FFaacctt::A pound of corn consists ofapproximately 1,300 kernels.

CCoorrnn FFaacctt::An ear of corn averages about 800kernels in 16 rows. There is one“silk” for each individual kernel