Page 2 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025
Page 3 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 Table of Contents 04 | 2025 Spring Farm Outlook Introduction 06 | 2025 Spring Ag Outlook: Taxes & Tariffs 10 | Pondering the impacts of our very cold winter on 2025 pest control 14 | Short Corn 18 | Farm Bureau Ag Scholarships: Where are they now? 22 | FTC, Illinois, and Minnesota sue John Deere 26 | Do agricultural drones have a future in the United States? 32 | Cover Crops 36 | Henry Farmer - by name and occupation 40 | LCHS Senior Kristy Morrow shares her memories and experiences as the 2024-25 FFA Section 14 President
Page 4 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 Continued -- 2025 Spring Farm Outlook With planting season for the 2025 season approaching, most producers are focused on the “bullet points” which affect them the most. These bullet points include weather, price, yields, input costs and uncertainty. Many of these are outside of the control of the producers, but minor decisions made now will affect the outcome in the fall. Concentration on being ready to plant in a timely manner is one item. This includes equipment being made ready, seed supplies in hand, orders for fertilizer and crop production chemicals taken care of, and the tillage and application necessary for the planting season completed in a timely manner. Last year’s weather was quite a roller coaster for temperatures and precipitation. For precipitation, the late winter months were dry, then April was extremely wet. I had over seven inches of rain during April at my house. This led to a later planting season for most, with many acres planted from mid-May on. May and June were more normal, then the July and August periods were very wet with over 11 inches falling over the two-month period. The important thing for this year is the very dry fall we experienced. Less than an inch of rain fell in September and again in October, and harvest was completed with very few delays. The winter months have also been dry, and this has set us up for rather dry conditions as of early March. Looking at the economic situation, some slight improvement has occurred in the corn and soybean budget estimates from Paulson, Schnitkey, Zwilling, and Zulauf. The price outlook has been adjusted slightly upward and corn figures for Central Illinois now show a $61 per acre loss, with a breakeven price of $4.60 including all costs. This estimates yields at 236 and puts land cost at $339 per acre. For soybeans, the estimates are for a $54 per acre loss based partly on a $10.20 price, 75 bushels per acre for yield, and the same $339 land cost. The uncertainty comes in the usual areas of weather, planting, and market prices. The added uncertainty comes largely from a new administration in Washington, and the fact that no new farm bill is in place. Operating under an extension of the prior farm bill has become more common in recent years. Freezing some of the funds affecting agriculture, reductions in force, foreign policy, and domestic policy are creating more uncertainty than usual. Add in the somewhat stubborn inflation, interest rates remaining a bit high, tightening credit,
Page 5 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 and the uncertainty factor is probably as high as it has been since a major war or the Great Depression. One of the casualties of federal funding reductions has been the County Yield Estimates published by the National Ag Statistics Service. Illinois will have at least one more year of the 2024 yields published at some time, along with a handful of other states. This is only due to specific funding of this survey from non-federal sources. Much of the county level data has been made available from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. A few highlights show Logan County farm numbers at 623, average farm size is up to 610 acres, and the average net farm income in 2022 was $277,807. Keep in mind that 2022 was one of the highest income years ever. One federal focus area of the Department of Agriculture is to address “the bird flu,” and more specifically the price of eggs. As with all commodities, the price of eggs rises and falls based on demand and availability. The destruction of large flocks at commercial laying operations has led to an ongoing shortage of eggs, and the resulting rapid rise in their cost. Possible improvements in the situation have been examined including additional biosecurity for operations, utilization of excess broiler industry eggs, and development and vaccination of flocks as potentials responses. There will be events which will bring stability to the egg market eventually; however, don’t look for egg prices of one dollar again for at least the immediate future. As always, we look forward to a good start to the 2025 growing season. Please be alert and patient on the roadways with increased farm traffic becoming common in the next few months. And, for the farmers, please be safe by concentrating and taking breaks when needed. Have a great season! [John Fulton]
Page 6 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 2025 Spring Ag Outlook It is hard to believe that I began serving as the commercial agriculture educator serving Logan, Menard, and Sangamon counties just over a year ago. Over the last year, I have had the opportunity to meet so many people across the three counties and offer educational opportunities and assistance on a whole range of topics. A lot else has changed since last year, especially in policies that impact agricultural production. Two policy topics that can impact producers most in Logan County are changes to the federal tax code and a trade war. What happens in Washington, D.C., may not seem like it affects us here, but federal policy changes can have a profound and lasting impact on how we operate our farms. Taxes are never a fun subject to discuss, especially when changes to the federal tax code could have significant consequences for some farm households. In 2017, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which changed nearly all parts of the federal tax code. Additional changes were made with the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Many of these changes have expired or are set to expire in the coming months. The United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA-ERS) released a report in 2024 projecting the impact of these changes on farm households. The changing provisions can be grouped into individual income, business, and estate taxes. Many of the expiring individual income tax provisions from the TCJA and ARPA expired in January 2025 and are important for those farm businesses that pass their income through to the household. The TCJA adjusted the income tax brackets, rates, and standard deductions. The expiration of these provisions is expected to increase tax liabilities by approximately $4.5 billion, with large and very large farms facing increased tax burdens. The child tax credit was increased from $1,000 to $2,000 under the TCJA, with additional changes made in ARPA. With the credit reverting to the $1,000 level, the number of farm households that receive this tax credit will decrease, with low and moderate-sales farms most impacted. All told the expiration of this provision would increase tax liabilities by approximately $2 billion. With these and other individual income tax provisions expiring, the total expected increase in tax liabilities will be around $9 billion. On the business tax side, the two major changes are the qualified business income deduction (QBID) and bonus depreciation. QBID was introduced to create parity between Continued -- Taxes & Tariffs
Page 7 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 businesses that pass their income to the household and corporations. Approximately 45% of farm businesses used QBID, with larger-scale farms facing the most significant increases. The report found that very large farms could see an increase of $87,000 in their tax liability. Bonus depreciation was introduced in the TCJA and relates to capital expenses made by a farm business. The expiration of bonus depreciation would primarily affect large and very large farms, to the tune of up to $200,000 in increased taxes. Finally, the TCJA increased the exemption level for federal estate taxes to $11.18 million. This is set to revert to the previous exemption level of $6.98 million. If an estate exceeds the exemption level, they must file and potentially pay federal estate taxes. A decrease in the exemption level would cause the number of farms that must file federal estate taxes to increase to 3.9%, and the number of estates that would owe would rise to 1.1%. This decrease could generate approximately $1.2 billion. But, as with all things policy, it depends on whether Congress will act to prevent these expirations and changes. Whether Congress will act to extend or make these provisions permanent remains to be seen. Work directly with your tax professional to understand how these changes can impact your operation and strategies to protect your operation for the future. Another area of federal policy that has received more attention in recent weeks is trade, specifically tariffs imposed on other countries. But what exactly is a tariff? Why would the United States impose a tariff on other countries? What impacts would a trade war have on producers here in Central Illinois? Trade is a complex issue, but you don’t have to have a PhD in agricultural economics to understand how trade and tariffs work. Trade with other countries has been around since the days of the Silk Road, but the current state of global trade as we know it came around following World War II. Free trade agreements (FTAs) are agreements between countries that allow goods to flow between them with little to no trade barriers. Tariffs are some of the most common trade barriers and are taxes imposed by a country on goods being brought in (imported) or sent out (exported). FTAs can be bilateral or regional and can include other things, such as the free movement of people or a common currency. The most notable examples of FTAs are the United StatesMexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the European Union (EU). A tariff is usually paid by the entity importing or exporting a particular good. For example, Continued --
Page 8 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 if a meat processor in the United States wants to import beef from Australia, it usually costs $100 per metric ton. However, if a 25% tariff on beef imports is imposed, the price to import that beef from Australia is now $125 per metric ton. The tariff would generate revenue for the country and protect domestic beef producers, but it could also cause beef imports to decrease and increase the cost for consumers. Furthermore, in response to the tariffs, Australia could impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States, starting a trade war. The trade war of 2018-2019 started when the U.S. government imposed tariffs on goods from several countries, including China. In response, six countries imposed retaliatory tariffs on the U.S., mainly on agricultural goods. A USDA-ERS report analyzed the effects of these tariffs and found that U.S. agricultural exports sharply declined, with states in the Midwest most affected. Iowa and Illinois were the most affected states in the Midwest and the entire U.S., mainly due to a large number of agricultural goods from these states bound for export. Illinois soybean producers lost an estimated $1.25 billion in lost revenue, while corn producers lost an estimated $30 million. The amount of agricultural exports from Illinois dropped by approximately 10.6%, the effects of which can still be felt today. Changes in policy at the state and federal level can severely impact agricultural producers here in Central Illinois and across the United States. It is essential to have plans and strategies in place to protect your operations for the future. That is where I and Illinois Extension can help. Whether you need help diagnosing issues affecting your crops or want to learn about current topics affecting agriculture, Extension has vast resources to help you through these challenges. I am always here to help. I can be reached by calling the Logan County Extension office at (217)732-8289 or by email at rgtibbs@illinois. edu. Have a safe and successful growing season! [Reagen Tibbs]
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Page 10 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 Pondering the Impacts of our Very Cold Winter on 2025 Pest Control The winter of 2024-2025 has been marked by exceptionally cold temperatures across Illinois, with multiple Arctic blasts leading to significant drops in temperature. In January 2025, more than 30 states, including Illinois, were affected by a weaker and wavier polar jet that allowed for periodic Arctic intrusions. That resulted in temperatures plummeting to levels not seen in years. Air temperatures in central Illinois as cold as -10 degrees Fahrenheit on a couple of occasions, coupled with wind chills as low as -25 degrees Fahrenheit, created dangerously cold conditions. Cold Weather Advisories were issued for all of central Illinois on a couple of occasions. Looking at the Lincoln climatological summary for January from the National Weather Service in Lincoln, there were 19 days in January that were below normal, with 12 of those being double digits below normal. Due to limited snow cover during the Arctic blasts, a frost depth of 10 to 12 inches was able to develop for many locations across central Illinois. That is around 6 to 8 inches deeper than normal. That frost depth also lasted for several weeks, helping to have more impact on pests that typically winter in the surface soils. Such prolonged extreme cold conditions can have profound effects on agricultural pests and pathogens, potentially influencing the upcoming 2025 growing season in Illinois. While some pests may be adversely affected by the harsh winter conditions, others may remain resilient, and the overall impact on pest populations can vary. Impact on Insect Pests A deep frost depth in central Illinois during winter can significantly reduce the population of ground insect pests and pathogens in the spring by killing off a large portion of their overwintering stages, especially if there is little snow cover to insulate the soil, leading to a lower pest pressure when warmer weather arrives; essentially acting as a natural pest control mechanism by exposing them to extreme cold temperatures below the frost line. Some agricultural insect pests have developed various strategies to survive harsh winter conditions, such as entering diapause—a state of suspended development—or seeking shelter in protected environments. However, extreme cold can still affect their survival rates. For instance, pests that are not well-adapted to Continued --
Page 11 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 severe cold may experience higher mortality rates during harsh winters. Conversely, native pests that have evolved in colder climates may possess mechanisms to withstand low temperatures, resulting in minimal impact on their populations. It's important to note that while extreme cold can reduce the numbers of certain pests, it may not eliminate them entirely. Additionally, some pests may have life stages that are less susceptible to cold temperatures, allowing them to survive and reproduce once favorable conditions return. Impact on Plant Pathogens Nathan Kleczewski, Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Crop Services, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign states that plant pathogens, including fungi and bacteria, can also be influenced by winter temperatures. Some pathogens may not overwinter as effectively during extreme cold periods, potentially reducing their prevalence in the following growing season. For example, certain fungal pathogens that cause diseases like powdery mildew may have reduced survival rates after harsh winters. However, Nathan indicates that the relationship between winter temperatures and pathogen survival is complex. Some pathogens produce resilient spores or structures that can withstand cold conditions, allowing them to persist despite severe weather. Moreover, fluctuations in temperature, rather than sustained cold, can sometimes be more detrimental to pathogens, as freeze-thaw cycles can disrupt their life cycles. Continued --
Page 12 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 Considerations for the 2025 Growing Season While the bitter cold of the 2024-2025 winter may lead to a decrease in certain pest and pathogen populations, it is not a guaranteed outcome. Farmers and agricultural professionals in Illinois should remain vigilant and continue to implement integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. Regular monitoring of pest and disease levels, combined with proactive management practices, will be essential to mitigate potential impacts on crops during the 2025 growing season. In summary, the severe winter conditions experienced in Illinois during the 2024-2025 season have the potential to influence pest and pathogen dynamics. While some reductions in certain populations may occur, the resilience of many pests and pathogens necessitates continued vigilance and adaptive management in the agricultural sector. [Ed Shimon, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, NWS Central Illinois] Sources: College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences – Illinois Extension Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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Page 14 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 SHORT CORN Have you ever taken a Sunday drive on a country road on a warm sunny afternoon in late summer? One can’t help admiring the work of our farmers! Cruising along with the breeze coming through the window and watching the swaying of the tops of the corn rows, it’s almost mesmerizing enough to put you to sleep. You can smell the good old black dirt full of smells of the growing corn. You're just sitting back enjoying the slow ride down the deserted road with your favorite person in peace with the radio faintly playing in the background. Then oops!! You can’t help but notice that someone did something drastically wrong! Why does that field look so different than the others? You recognize the straight sturdy stalks, the long green leaves, and the big growing corn ears on the sides, but it’s just so short! This field looks like something, or someone forgot to do something major because it is just not a normal field of big, tall, straight, strong corn. The old saying ‘knee high, by the fourth of July’ just doesn’t apply to this picture. Surely this is just a misstep, and you think, hopefully, the rest of this farmer's crops are more normal…..or are they? This could be a new hybrid called short-stature corn or short corn. What is short corn or dwarf corn? Although it is, fittingly, more common verbiage to the farmers of the region, it simply means that it is a reduction of the height of the plant. This corn is a little larger than a half-size version of standard commercial corn hybrids. This term has been in the developing stage for more than twenty years. The thought process, which is not refined to date in corn production, is to increase the strength and amount of the kernels on the cob, called the yield. Short-stature corn could provide a lot of physiological and practical advantages, including plant sturdiness, increasing the ability of a corn variety to produce higher yields even when more is planted per acre. This means that it can withstand the competitive stress of crowded growing conditions without a significant reduction in yield compared to older varieties that might struggle under such conditions. More modern corn hybrids are genetically bred to Continued --
Page 15 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 tolerate being planted closer together. Another advantage is having the ability to use ground equipment to apply fungicide, herbicide, and put on fertilizers, which will be a more efficient use of resources. Short corn also has a reduction in the stalk biomass, which simply means that the total weight or mass of all plant material from the corn crop (stalk, leaves, cobs, grain) can still be used as a renewable energy source. This leftover part, or the corn stover or trash as it is referred to, is the main component for biofuel production like ethanol. Short corn is just shorter. However, it still maintains the size, number of leaves, and the same reproductive tissues, allowing a more efficient way to portion out the nutrients and energy. There have been a lot of studies done on short corn versus the traditional height of corn, and one claim is that with the short corn, you can plant more rows per acre, increasing the amount of yield because narrower rows can be planted. Another hopeful advantage is the durability of the short corn. By being closer to the ground, the wind and storms may not cause it to lay down, break the stalks, or damage the ears as much. However, because of the shortness of the stalk, the ear on the stalk must be a specific height above the soil surface so that the current combine headers can harvest properly. If not, it could add wear or the need to add additional parts to the machine. However, some farmers argue that the shortness of the corn does not give it enough height to shadow out the sun to help prevent unwanted weeds from growing as fast. An interesting benefit that they have seen during the testing is that the roots of the corn seem to have developed stronger and faster than traditional corn seeds, which the hope is that this reasoning means that the roots can explore more soil volume, which will allow them to take advantage of more nutrients. Long-term, that means that they are hopeful that they can get the same amount out of the soil that is currently applied to end up with more yield. Short corn is a new concept that is fun to take care of, and it is interesting to see everyone’s reactions to it, with most wondering if the shorter corn will be better with all the many different weather events we are now seeing across the Midwest. Overall, there are many different hybrids, and companies will continue to research, develop, and grow many different products in their test Continued --
Page 16 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 lots. Just as these companies have done for many years in the past, they will continue to do so for many years to come. The ultimate goal is to improve U.S. corn production, change and enhance the ease and efficiency of in-season nutrients and crop protection applications, and improve resiliency to adverse weather conditions. [JA Hodgdon-Ruppel] Sources: What are the advantages of short corn? - Stine Seed Short-Stature Corn Hybrids: Next Evolution in U.S. Corn Production? #TraitAnswers | What Are Short Stature Corn Hybrids? | Crop Science US Exploring the Potential for Reduced-Stature Corn | Pioneer® Seeds Will 'short corn' change the landscape of the rural Midwest? | WCBU Peoria ‘Short corn’ could replace towering cornfields steamrolled by changing climate | The North State Journal
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Page 18 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 Farm Bureau Ag Scholarships: Where are they now? Logan County Farm Bureau has been awarding scholarships to high school seniors and college students studying agriculture or related fields since 2004. The recipients must have a parent or guardian that is a member of the Logan County Farm Bureau in good standing. Scholarship recipients are announced and recognized each year at the Logan County Farm Bureau’s annual Ag Breakfast. This year’s breakfast was held at 7 a.m. on March 20, 2025, at the American Legion. Many of the past scholarship recipients are still in agriculture and some have chosen to make Logan County their home. Let’s look back at some of the recipients and see where they are now. Krista (Ubbenga) Swanson Krista was a 2004 scholarship recipient. Krista holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Photo from Krista Swanson’s Facebook page Economics and a Bachelor’s Degree in Crop Sciences from the University of Illinois. She is currently the Chief Economist for the National Corn Growers Association. Krista was formerly a research analyst for the University of Illinois where she studied farm economics and policy impacts on agriculture. She frequently speaks at events across the country and is published on farmdoc. Krista and her husband raise their four children on their family farm. Abrigail (Sasse) Temple Abrigail is a 2006 recipient of the scholarship. The Farm Bureau Ag Scholarship provided funding for Abrigail to attend the University of Illinois College of ACES that included a wealth of hands-on experience in agriculture. She was able to take advantage of so many opportunities while at U of I. They include her own research project as an undergraduate, being a member of the meat judging team, and internships at a sow farm and as a USDA meat grader. Abrigail holds an undergraduate degree in animal science and master's degree in food science. After graduating she spent 13 years working as a research scientist at an Photo provided by Abrigail Temple Continued --
Page 19 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 animal nutrition company. Her husband Doug and she were given the opportunity to become a more integral part of production agriculture in recent years, and they now work full-time together on their grain farm and wean-tofinish pig farm. “All of these life experiences have prepared me to own my own farm and understand each sector of the agriculture industry that feeds into production agriculture. I am very thankful for this wonderful season of raising my kids on the farm!” Andrew McCarty Andrew, a 2011 recipient, says: “Receiving the Farm Bureau Ag Scholarship meant so much to me. Many of my childhood friends or those I looked up to had received this scholarship before me, so earning it was not only a huge help in covering educational expenses, but it also reassured me that I belonged in the agricultural community. Coming from a non-traditional ag background, I felt especially validated when receiving the scholarship in front of those same friends Photo provided by Andrew McCarty and respected members of our county’s ag community.” Since college Andrew has remained involved in agriculture. About two years ago he founded Pluto Commodities, an Ag Market Advisory and Commodity Brokerage. He and his wife Lael, raise beef cattle, chickens, and row crops on their small farm outside Atlanta, IL with their two dogs. Photo provided by Chelsea Irwin Chelsea (Coers) Irwin and Todd Irwin Chelsea is a 2012 scholarship recipient. She attended Lincoln Land Community College where she received a degree in Ag business. Currently she is a stay at home mom and spends her days with 3 year old twins Logan & CeCe and a distributor with Herbalife where you can find her on the weekends at LoCo Nutrition, serving up delicious teas! Continued --
Page 20 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 Todd received the scholarship in 2013 and attended Richland for two years and then transferred to ISU where he received a bachelor’s in Animal Industry Management. After graduation he was able to go back to the family dairy & grain farm and work alongside his father and grandfather. For the past 5 years Todd has been a Sales Representative for Central IL Ag. “Working in Ag sales has given me the opportunity to grow my knowledge of the Ag industry outside of my family farm.” Todd, Chelsea and family will soon be making the move out to the Irwin family farm where they will live and grow. Meg (Meeker) Baer Meg is a 2015 scholarship recipient. Meg was able to attend and graduate from college with no debt. “This was a huge blessing to me because I went straight into the ag classroom after graduating with my bachelor’s degree.” She is in her third-year teaching at Olympia Middle School where she started an ag program and FFA chapter. Meg said, “I love having the opportunity to help students build transferable life skills through agricultural photo provided by Meg Baer education!” Her and her husband are active members in the Tazewell County Farm Bureau Young Leaders group. Molly Schempp Molly said this about receiving the scholarship in 2019: “I worked 4 jobs while attending college and the support from Logan County Agriculture helped me graduate from college debt free!” Molly is an agriculture teacher and an FFA advisor at Lincoln Community High School. Molly and her fiancé are both passionate about farming and the agriculture industry and have big plans as they begin their lives together this summer in Logan County. Thank you to the Logan County Farm Bureau and the scholarship committee for investing in the future of Logan County. [Lesleigh Bennett] Photo provided by Molly Schempp
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Page 22 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 On January 15, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the states of Illinois and Minnesota sued Deere & Company (John Deere). According to the FTC, “Deere has unlawfully acquired and maintained monopoly power in the market for certain repair services for Deere agricultural equipment.” What are the facts of this lawsuit? What are the opinions on both sides? How might this lawsuit affect the residents of Logan County? Read on to find out. Back in 2023, John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) giving farmers the right to fix their own equipment. Before this MOU, farmers had to have their equipment fixed by John Deere dealers using authorized parts. This severely limited farmers' ability to get their John Deere brand equipment fixed and could lead to lost revenue if their farm equipment was still broken-down during harvest seasons. In addition, this was more costly for the farmers, as they were not FTC, Illinois, and Minnesota Sue John Deere able to look for local professionals to fix their equipment, instead having to pay the increased cost of using a certified dealer and more expensive parts. The current lawsuit regards the main tool that John Deere uses to diagnose and fix their equipment. This primary tool is known as the Customer Service ADVISOR tool. According to John Deere’s website, “ADVISOR is a digital database of operator and technical manuals.” This tool can be used to diagnose problems with John Deere equipment that may not be able to be diagnosed by your average mechanic. According to the FTC’s lawsuit, this tool is not available to farmers who purchase John Deere equipment and tools. Rather, the ADVISOR tool is only given to John Deere dealers. With this tool, John Deere dealers are able to diagnose problems that go deeper than a simple fix. Continued --
Page 23 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 For example, if a farmer’s John Deere tractor were to break down, they may try to fix it themselves before resorting to paying a professional to fix the issue. If the issue goes deeper than a simple replacement, the farmer may need to diagnose the issue and cannot do so on a John Deere tractor without the ADVISOR tool. If this is the case, the farmer would have to take their tractor into a John Deere dealer. The issue of farmers having the right to repair their own equipment has been an ongoing one. There is a movement called “Right to Repair” that has been fighting for farmer’s rights to repair their own equipment. “Right to Repair” has been the primary idea behind the MOU that John Deere signed with the AFBF, but also the MOUs that other large name farm equipment retailers have also signed. It is also the primary idea behind this most recent lawsuit against John Deere. In a statement given by Chair Lina M. Khan of the FTC regarding this lawsuit, “the Commission has made it a priority to protect Americans’ right to repair their products and to ensure that independent mechanics are not being unlawfully shut out from the market.” Khan goes on to argue that, as technology becomes more advanced, farmers are going to need access to more advanced tools to diagnose and fix their own equipment. “This work,” Khan writes, “will be especially important as continued technological advances…will create new areas where repair restrictions inflate costs, create frustration, and harm competition.” Those in favor of getting farmers access to the John Deere ADVISOR tool want to make sure that farmers have ways to fix their own farm equipment even as farm equipment becomes more advanced. It should be noted that, of the five members of the FTC that voted on filing this lawsuit, two voted against it. One of these Commissioners, Andrew N. Ferguson, made a dissenting statement on the lawsuit, joined by the other Commissioner, Melissa Holyoak. Ferguson calls this lawsuit politically motivated, stating it is a “Democratic majority’s decision.” In addition, Ferguson argues that the solutions that are being worked on now have not yet come to fruition, and getting into another legal battle will not provide a real solution faster. Additionally, he states that the market is very complex, and that this lawsuit is not one that addresses that fact. The website Successful Farming published an article in 2020 that provides some additional support to Furguson’s argument. According to Jessica Wesson, the author of this article, “the idea that farmers cannot fix their equipment Continued --
Page 24 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 without access to the machine’s software and code” is a false notion. She also cites that there have been instances where farmers have been injured or killed because of modified equipment, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). An alternative solution that Successful Farming proposes in their article is R2R Solutions. R2R Solutions is an online resource that provides farmers with similar access to information that tools like John Deere’s ADVISOR provides. To learn more about R2R, you can visit their website here. How is this going to affect the farmers of Logan County? Depending on where you are in the county it could affect you a lot or a little. According to the location finder on John Deere’s website, there is one certified dealer in Logan County. This is AHW LLC in New Holland. If your farmland is in or near New Holland, getting your agricultural equipment in to be serviced is not going to be nearly as far of a trek as if your farm is in Beason. The time you are waiting for your equipment to be repaired can also vary greatly, with simple fixes being able to be completed in a day, and more complex problems requiring days or weeks to resolve. Where you fall on this issue likely comes down to how much control you would like to have over the repairs of your equipment. Do you want to have access to a tool that can help you diagnose more specific issues on your farming equipment, or would you rather leave that to someone else. However you may feel about this issue, the lawsuit is moving forward, and the jury is still out on the ruling. [Matt Boutcher] Sources: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/ press-releases/2025/01/ftc-states-sue-deerecompany-protect-farmers-unfair-corporatetactics-high-repair-costs https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64206913 https://www.deere.com/en/parts-and-service/ manuals-and-training/customer-serviceadvisor/+ https://www.fb.org/issue/right-to-repair https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/ deere-lina-khan-statement-final.pdf https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/ deere-ferguson-dissent-final.pdf https://www.agriculture.com/news/machinery/ farmers-who-own-modern-equipment-canstill-perform-95-of-repairs-on-their-own https://r2rsolutions.org/
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Page 26 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 Do agricultural drones have a future in the United States? Some may say they are already in use so the future is now, but that is only partially true. According to research done for this article, the United States is years behind other countries in the use of drones for agricultural field scouting, land mapping, and fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide applications. Japan has been using drone technology since the turn of the 21st century with satisfying results. While drones have been offered in America, their use has been mostly recreational with small machines with still shot cameras being a popular plaything falling into the category of remote-control toy trucks or radio operated aircraft flown over open fields for entertainment purposes only. One of the first drones we noted locally in the agricultural industry was owned and operated Do agricultural drones have a future in the United States? by Central Illinois Ag in Atlanta. Even then the use was more as a marketing tool than an actual research or scouting tool. According to pilot Abby Coers the first drone they had was very limited, but today the technology has improved, making drone flying safer and more reliable regardless of how it is being utilized. Coers said, “We use the drone just for pretty photos, no decision making. We got our first drone about 10 years ago when they were just becoming popular. The camera was a GoPro mounted on to it and the battery lasted about 8 minutes. We had to use our own timer to know when the battery was about to die to bring the drone back. Now the technology has changed so much where if we are flying and the battery is getting low the drone will ‘return home’ Continued --
Page 27 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 which is the spot you take off in, for safety reasons. They also have obstacle avoidance on them so unless that’s turned off it would be very difficult to fly into anything.” If you follow CIA on social media, you may have seen one of their “pretty pictures”, a video of harvest 2023 from a bird’s eye view https://www.facebook.com/ reel/254801677580949 In the last two to three years, America has begun to catch up with countries such as Japan, Korea, China, India, and even Canada. In Canada, an article published by Modern Farmer on June 19, 2023 added an interesting twist to the evolution of drones in agriculture. Drone usage is drawing the interest of the female population and youth on the farm. Use of drones in field scouting is helping smaller farmers where that many times scouting for weeds or disease means walking the fields with a hook and a spray bottle in hand to pull or treat as is needed. With the use of drones, real time video of the field can identify trouble spots and drones loaded with spray can be sent to specific locations for targeted applications. The use of drones is costly, but much more cost effective than other agricultural equipment such as the large spray rigs that are used for full-field applications. Purchasing a spray drone with a 10-to-13-gallon tank and spare batteries can run up in $20,000 to $30,000 range with training and FAA licensing included. This is much less than the hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in the large spray rigs utilized mostly by chemical and fertilizer dealerships. Even so, the price tag may be prohibitive for some producers. On the other hand, the drones are now starting to enter into the services offered by those dealerships. In the spring of 2024 Sun Ag in Emden offered local high school students a day of education and demonstration of the use of drones in their Continued --
Page 28 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 business. The two certified pilots employed by the company spoke to students about how they are utilizing drones for crop scouting and spot treatment of fields. In April 2023 the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture put its stamp of approval on drone usage in agricultural settings. They noted drawbacks and barriers along with noting a healthy list of positives. “This project has expanded drone use opportunities by creating new drone systems that: “Scout pests and diseases in fruit, nut and row crops and apply targeted treatment. These industries face major pest issues that are intensified by limited labor availability and increasing consumer demand for produce with fewer chemical inputs (Clemson University, University of Georgia, Purdue University, Washington State University). “Monitor plant water stress to help farmers target irrigation resources where most needed (Clemson University). “Enable faster plant screening and new types of measurements and biological discoveries (Montana State University, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Washington State University). “Detect stray livestock herds, create 3D renderings of animals to calculate market value and assess forage quality (University of Kentucky, Mississippi State University). “Monitor water quality on a large scale (Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, Virginia Tech). “Provide higher resolution data for flood risk models and water resource management (Auburn University, Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, Virginia Tech).” While that research brought on some very positive results, in January of 2024, the Ohio State University Extension published an article that was for the most part “Pro drone” but also listed some of the challenges and obstacles in the use of drones in agriculture. “Acceptance of spray drones by individual farmers has been slow for several reasons: “Since using drones to spray pesticides is relatively new, the amount of credible, published research data evaluating spray drone performance, and comparing drone Continued --
Page 29 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 performance (e.g., efficacy and spray drift) to ground sprayers and conventional aircraft is very limited (Li et al., 2020; Li et al., 2021; Biglia, et al., 2022; Dubuis et al., 2023; Herbst et al., 2023; Huang et al, 2022). Some of the published data on spray drone performance may not be usable and can be contradictory because of the wide variation of design parameters among drones being tested. Additional research and published data are needed to make conclusive statements about the performance of drone sprayers compared to conventional aerial and ground sprayers. “Fewer acres are covered per hour of operation compared to airplane and ground sprayers. “The battery powering the drone lasts a short time (5–15 minutes with a full tank) and requires recharging between tank refills. Having three charged batteries per drone and fast charging at 240v eliminates long interruptions in spraying to charge the drone’s battery. Maintaining three charged batteries allows replacement of a discharged battery while refilling the spray tank. The spent battery can then be recharged and ready for the next refilling. “The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) imposes several operational restrictions on drones, such as: a drone must weigh 55 pounds or less including its payload, the pilot flying the drone must maintain a visual line of sight with the drone, permission must be obtained when flying in restricted air space, and drones can be flown only from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. An FAA regulation requiring two people to legally operate a spray drone (a pilot and a visual observer) also results in increased costs. Perhaps the most severe FAA restriction on spray drones is that an operator can fly only one drone at a time. Multiple drones operated by one pilot, defined as “swarming” (Figure 11) is, however, practiced legally and successfully in other parts of the world, especially in east Asia—mainly China, South Korea, and Japan. The FAA is likely to ease this restriction in the near future. Check the FAA website often to learn current requirements on swarming. Fortunately, the FAA allows pilots to apply for exemptions for several of these limitations, such as the 55-pound maximum weight of the drone sprayer, night spraying, and maintaining a line of sight. Unfortunately, exemption approvals may take considerable lengths of time, sometimes even months.” Adhering to the FFA rules as they stand today means mudding through the 205 parts of FAA rule 107, but these rules must be known and followed in order to obtain a license for a “SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS,” the technical term for drones. Fortunately, there are classes to be had, and one such class is only as far away as Heartland Community College in Bloomington/Normal. Continued --
Page 30 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 From the Heartland Course Catalog: “AGRI 163: UAS Certification and Operations in Agriculture “Prerequisite(s) - There are no formal prerequisites or placement testing requirements for this course “This course offers in-depth preparation for students to take the FAA Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) Aeronautical Knowledge test. Topics include regulations, airspace and airspace operations, weather, loading and performance, maintenance, airport operations, emergency procedures, and aeronautical decision making. Students develop knowledge and skills needed to manage and operate small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as drones, through hands-on flight activities such as, mission planning and preparation, launch and recovery operations, and emergency procedures. Through use of local, national, and global case studies students investigate use of drones in agriculture.” So, are drones going to be the future of the agricultural landscape? Probably, for at least a while until something better comes along and who knows when or what that may be. [Nila Smith] Sources: FAA - PART 107—SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/ subchapter-F/part-107 Welcome to the Next Generation of Agricultural Drones - Modern Farmer https://modernfarmer.com/2023/06/nextgeneration-agricultural-drones/ Demand for swarming agricultural spray drones rising in US | Commercial UAV News https://www.commercialuavnews.com/ demand-for-swarming-agricultural-spraydrones-rising-in-us Sun Ag hosts Drone Days for area high schools – Album https://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/ May/11/Features/picturepage051324_SUNAG. shtml Using Drones in Agriculture and Natural Resources | NIFA https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/impacts/ using-drones-agriculture-natural-resources Drones for Spraying Pesticides— Opportunities and Challenges | Ohioline https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/fabe-540
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Page 32 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 What is a cover crop? If you are any kind of gardener, you probably are already doing this, and if you aren’t, this might give you some ideas going forward. The basic concept of a cover crop is to cover up the soil with another living plant once you harvest your main product. For example, if a farmer harvests his soybeans or corn in the fall, he may work the ground by tilling (or not tilling) the waste, the roots, or left over ‘trash’ from the plant into the soil. By deciding to plant something with a shorter season, such as radishes, turnips, winter cereal rye, oats, or annual ryegrass, these roots will break up compacted soils, add nutrients, and help protect the soil from winter erosion. Cover crops also have another benefit, which is suppressing the production of weeds, increasing moisture and nutrients, improving yield potential, attracting pollinators, and providing a habitat for insects and wildlife, as well as food to animals during the winter months. Cover crops can also add not only to your pantry but to the freezer. Cover crops are a good way to attract large animals, such as deer, for harvesting. Just remember, you cannot just hunt any place you see a cover crop, or in this situation a ‘deer plot,’ all the same rules and regulations apply with deer permits and gaining permission from landowners. Here are a few advantages to cover crops that can be applied to your smaller vegetable garden as well. COVER CROPS Cover crops help use moisture. - Spring crops need moisture to give them that boost to start well. Planting a cover crop in the fall will help retain the moisture and not allow it to dry out as much before planting in the spring. Cover crops increase water infiltration. - We all know water is a necessity for anything to grow. However, there are ways to help water do a more thorough job. Planting deep-rooting cover crops will help build organic matter and break through soil compaction layers. This will increase the way the water moves down through the soil, which will help reduce water ponds standing on the surface. Cover crops can suppress weeds. - Even in a small garden or flower bed, the most daunting job is pulling those weeds. You can go to bed in the evening and wake up to a flowerbed full of weeds. Can you imagine acres and acres of having to control some of the most invasive weeds such as water hemp, giant ragweed, or marestail (horseweed). Even in a vegetable garden, crabgrass, dandelions, or mustard can choke out those baby plants. Planting a cover crop will help suppress these pesky weeds. Cover crops can be a source of livestock feed. - If you have any type of livestock, you can use this as a grazing or forage harvest system for the animals. This not only feeds livestock, but it will also help minimize soil Continued --
Page 33 2025 Logan County Spring Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2025 compaction. Even if you have dogs or cats, there are several things that you can plant in the off-season, such as legume and grass mixes or oats, parsley, mustards, wheat/rye, and catnip. Rabbits eat an overabundance of alfalfa, so that might be a good choice if you have rabbits. Make sure you check with your vet about the proportion, kind, and frequency when adding or making Fido lunch with these rich substitutions. You will also want to do your research on when and how to harvest these cover crops. It wouldn’t make sense for you to plant a cover crop that you cannot harvest or use. Some choices might be more expensive on the back end because of additional equipment needed, and others might be fairly easy to harvest and use, so just be knowledgeable before you decide. Cover crops can feed wildlife. - Wildlife does not only include deer for the hunters, but it is an excellent food source for earthworms and insects that northern bobwhite quail and other birds look for. Some cover crops fix nitrogen in the soil. - Something that we all need and do not pay much attention to is nitrogen. Legume cover crops will add and supply nitrogen in the soil for next year’s production crop by letting the cover crop decay. Other cover crops scavenge for existing nitrogen in the soil. - In addition to fixing the nitrogen in the soil, if planning deep-rooting cover crops gather nitrogen from deep in the soil and release this into the rooting zone as plants decay, which helps any future crops. Cover crops can reduce soil erosion. - Erosion is a valid concern with the everchanging weather patterns that are unknown nowadays. Covering the soil with a cover crop will help reduce both wind and water erosion. Cover crops recycle nutrients within the soil. - Whether planting acres upon acres or a small vegetable garden, all living plants are pivotal to the nutrient cycle. The biology of your soil is managed by living plants. A field with good soil biology will build a healthy ecosystem for years to come. Cover crops build organic matter. - Organic matter comes from living things, including plants and animals, which break down over time through microbial activity. This can include living, dead, decomposing plants or animals, as well as microorganisms. This organic matter is a major contributor to Continued --
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