Mason County Illinois

I would like to visit this region again this summer!  "One takeaway from this weekly county spotlight feature is Illinois is not all about corn, soybeans, cows and sows. Mason County is a prime example.  This 583-square-mile county that about 14,660 folks call home is unique in both soil and agriculture production compared to most of its neighboring counties.

As with the northern two-thirds of Illinois, Mason’s story begins about 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. But rather than leaving behind rich, dark soil as it did in other parts of Illinois, the glacier deposited large amounts of sand in this delta region between what are now the Illinois and Sangamon rivers.

Sandy soils and crop production don’t go well together unless, of course, a well is involved, and modern irrigation has transformed this land between the rivers into a highly productive agricultural area, ideal for growing vegetables that are not as common as the Land of Lincoln’s corn and soybeans.

This transformation has been so successful that many years ago irrigation groups began referring to Mason as the “Imperial Valley of the Midwest,” cousin to California’s Imperial Valley where lettuce, sugar beets, alfalfa and carrots are the big crops.

Popcorn, watermelon, cantaloupe, green beans, peas, cabbage, sweet corn, pumpkins and potatoes join corn and soybeans in Mason’s fields atop the Mahomet Teays Aquifer that provides water for irrigating 60 percent of the county’s farmland.

The Imperial Valley of the Midwest was ranked first in popcorn acres (18,552) among the state’s and nation’s counties, and first in the state in vegetable (10,013 acres) and snap beans (3,907 acres), based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2012 survey
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Those vegetables, melons, potatoes and all resulted in $12.645 million of income in 2012 for second among the state’s counties.

There were 138,133 acres of corn and 76,165 acres of soybeans with total sales of $164.1 million for a 33rd rank among the counties."

The quality of the soil sure impacts how a region develops, doesn't it?

Ed

Fantastic Exports

The US agriculture industry is enjoying something I've never seen in my lifetime.  Exports have boomed and are booming even with a very strong dollar.  We were told both can't happen at the same time but they have and they still are happening.

It amazes me California can do this with very little water.  The drought in California is very serious and still the state leads the way in ag exports.

Our non GMO soybean exports from Ohio keeps our little state near the top ten exporting states which is also very amazing to me.  That has been a very important market for us in this region and most of my soybeans have been exported to Asia over the past 11 years.

The longshoremen's strike in Oregon is slowing this trend down.  I hope it is settled quickly but it doesn't look that way.  Hanjin has already pulled out of Portland in a major news flash this week.

Trade makes the world go round as each region can grow something the rest of the world needs.  Shipping has become a major business over my lifetime and was never more important than it is today.  Truck driving was reported as the number one job in many states and that also made the news this week.  Whether that is true or not, most of our products are moved by truck.

We are enjoying fantastic exports in agriculture and I see no reason why it should not continue.

Ed

Go Agriculture!

This piece of good news came out this week.  Agriculture is finally getting just notice when it comes to careers.  Agricultural education has never been more important as populations grow and young people go where the jobs are.

1. Engineering
2015 projected average starting salary: $62,998
Average lifetime earnings of $3.4 million
You may be tired of hearing about how engineering is one of the "best college majors" or "most profitable college majors." But the reason you see engineering on so many of these lists is because the data lead right to it. On average, engineering majors earn $3.5 million over the course of their lifetime, which is more than any other college major. This year is expected to be no different, as NACE estimates the average salary of 2015 engineering grads at just under $63,000.
When it comes to specific disciplines within the engineering field, petroleum engineers are expected to have the highest starting salaries in 2015. NACE estimates that the average grad could pull in a cool $80,000.

2. Computer science
2015 projected average starting salary: $61,287
Average lifetime earnings of $3.1 million
Those who earn computer science degrees are also raking in the dough. And, this year's grads can expect large starting salaries. Over the course of a lifetime, computer grads who work in management occupations earn the most — a whopping $3.7 million. Those computer science majors with a specific discipline or specialty also tend to earn higher wages.

3. Math and sciences
2015 projected average starting salary: $56,171
Average lifetime earnings of $2.6 million for science grads, and $3.1 million for math grads
This year's math and sciences grads will earn average starting salaries that are higher than the typical household income. Among the math and sciences majors, physics majors are expected to earn the highest starting salaries this year, raking in average salaries of nearly $65,000.
Generally speaking, management positions often pay math and science-type majors the most, bringing in lifetime earnings of between $3 million and $3.4 million. Service industries tend to pay these grads the least, with lifetime earnings of as little as $1.5 million.

4. Business
2015 projected average starting salary: $51,508
Average lifetime earnings of $2.6 million
A dime a dozen or dozens of dimes? Business majors are still earning more cash than the typical grad, with this year's grads earning average starting salaries of over $51,000.
Among business grads, sales workers earn slightly more than than the average for this grad group, with lifetime earnings of $2.7 million. The highest-paid of the business majors work in management occupations, earning $3.3 million over the course of their lifetimes. Service workers and office support workers are generally the lowest earners among the business majors, with lifetime earnings of $1.6 million and $1.8 million, respectively.

5. Agriculture and natural resources
2015 projected average starting salary: $51,220
Average lifetime earnings: $2.6 million
These grads can earn much more than the average grad, raking in an average starting salary of over $51,000. Again, those who work their way up to management positions generally earn the highest earnings over a lifetime — around $800,000 more than the typical college grad.

To my fellow agricultural educators, keep up the good work!

Ed Winkle

LEAD Class IV

I have written many times about the wonderful learning experience I had with 29 other agricultural friends back in 1992-93.  We were selected for the 60 day leadership program called Ohio State LEAD.  Two of my classmates came to visit Tuesday.

Brent Clinehens of Shelby County had called last week and we set up today's visit.  He is 15 years younger than me and I was one of the oldest people in the class.  They seemed very young back but we all gained greatly from our experience.

I heard him pull in and waited for him at the front door.  I heard him talking to a lady and I wondered who she could be?  Brent is a bachelor dairy farmer and I wondered if he brought a sister or a lady friend!  There was Pam Matthews Hiser of Fayette County he picked up along his way here.  We hadn't talked about that so it was a nice surprise!

We caught up on who we see from the class and of course everything has changed in 23 years.  I see a few regularly but some I haven't seen since our last get together years ago.  We didn't talk about agriculture much at all.  We talked about family and what has happened since we were in LEAD.  Like me, all of their lives have changed greatly.

I probably sounded like an advisor since I've done the things they are going through now.  Pam has 3 boys in college so we talked a lot about that since LuAnn and I had all six children in college at the same time.

I lamented the ending of the program and why and how it happened and how Extension dropped the ball in our state through the tough budget times and personnel changes that occurred everywhere.  Still, that program changed all our lives for the good and it was the best experience I've had in my lifetime and I have been blessed with many great experiences.

I gave them the history of this 1880 house and farm as it has been passed down to me.  People are always interested because it is quite a story and something we never dreamed would have happened to us.  We are one of the few owners of this farm since it was first established.

LEAD has led me to New Zealand, Australia and all over the globe.  I am thankful I've met great people all over the world.  I am grateful they come to see me.

Ed

Native American Hospitality

Our friend Fred Shaw or Neeake posted these items of Native American hospitality that go along with how many of us were raised.

GUEST RESPONSIBILITIES  
If the lodge door is open one may enter directly but if the door is closed one should announce their presence and wait for the  invitation to enter.

Follow the customs of the lodge and not one’s own. Remember to “follow the rules of the house” not necessarily the territory.

Accept any food offered.

Be grateful for any and all offers from the host.

Bestow great respect to the Woman of the lodge as she is the keeper of the flame.

Compliment the host.

Give thanks to The Creator for hospitality.

Never worry host with guest troubles.

Present the host with a gift.

Repay calls of courtesy and do not delay in communication.


I think if we all practiced more of these common sense hospitalities, the world would be a whole lot better off!  This list is pretty common sense to me over a lifetime of being a guest and entertaining them.

I've enjoyed hosting guests the past two months, though it's been a lot of work for LuAnn.  Our guests practice this list to the fullest and make us thankful for them.

We have Sable and the sheriff for those who don't want to act that way and fortunately we have not needed either!

Ed

Happy Saint Valentine's Day

The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in a The Nuremberg Chronicle, a great illustrated book printed in 1493. [Additional evidence that Valentine was a real person: archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine.] Alongside a woodcut portrait of him, text states that Valentinus was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius the Goth [Claudius II].

Since he was caught marrying Christian couples and aiding any Christians who were being persecuted under Emperor Claudius in Rome [when helping them was considered a crime], Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner -- until Valentinus made a strategic error: he tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that didn't do it, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate [circa 269].

Saints are not supposed to rest in peace; they're expected to keep busy: to perform miracles, to intercede. Being in jail or dead is no excuse for non-performance of the supernatural. One legend says, while awaiting his execution, Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. Another legend says, on the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine."

St. Valentine was a Priest, martyred in 269 at Rome and was buried on the Flaminian Way.  It's amazing to me how Valentine's day has emerged over the centuries to what we see today.  It's not about the candy or the flowers or any gift we give.  It's about the gift of self.

I wish my valentine a happy, safe and healthy day.  I would not be here without you, valentine.  The best gift I can give you is a healthier me and you are helping me do that.

I love you, valentine.

Ed

Farming Is HARD Business

Agriculture still requires a second income. According to the USDA's 2012 Census of Agriculture, 70% of America's 3.2 million farmers earn just one-fourth of their annual household income from their agricultural efforts. More than 60% of all farmers work some days off the farm. Or, as one fourth-generation heritage-breed cattle rancher told me, “The reality is that we're still not making it.”

As for the romanticized image of the contented modern farmer? Day in, day out, the work of producing food is still one of the hardest, messiest, most all-consuming, inconvenient and financially risky occupations. Just ask the grass-fed-cattle rancher worrying about the sky-high cost of hay feed this winter, the farmer hoping for enough return on his wheat harvest to make it through next year, or the salad grower making ends meet by catering during the summer tourist season.

"I ran into a farmer I know in December. “I'm not going to make my operating loan in February,” he told me, meaning he might lose his farm to foreclosure. A grower of organic vegetables for 50 of the top restaurants in farm-food-obsessed Portland, Ore., he had lost 4,000 pounds of his carrot crop during a bitter fall cold snap. Selling beet tops to a vitamin maker had helped, but the season's poor potato yield meant another hit to his bottom line."

The first sentence caught my eye.  Lots of of farmers came up short this month.  Most won't lose the farm but all that work for red ink?  We know farming is a long term business and not get rich quick.  Most farmers would just love to make a small profit to reinvest after paying all the bills each year and making a few improvements.

It's not working that way in our economy right now.  LuAnn is turned off on farming and I don't blame her.  It's another hassle she doesn't need right now.  But it's my passion and I am unhappy without it.  I can I be happy with it when you can't even pay your operating loan off?

We can more than break even with $9 beans this year but there is no room for mistakes or bad weather.  Is it even worth it?

It's worth it to me.  It's all I have to connect me to something I enjoy doing and thinking about.

Some farmers won't be so lucky.  Farms change hands every year and my goal is not to have ours change hands this year.

It's more than just the money.

Ed