Ag in the Classroom reaches a record 650,000 students
The Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom program continues its efforts to educate children about agriculture. According to Kevin Daugherty, education director, Illinois Ag in the Classroom, county ag literacy programs helped reach a record 650,000 students and 37,563 teachers this year.

County coalition grants also reached record levels for funding and number of counties served. Seventy-four coalitions serving 84 Illinois counties were awarded $607,500 in grant money used for materials, training, educational lessons and activities to take place during the 2016-17 school year.  

3 CHEERS: Fulton County students learn about soils during an Ag in the Classroom lesson. (Photo: Elaine Stone)

“That’s why educational grants offered to counties are so important,” says Daugherty. “They provide an avenue for continued education for agriculture in grade-school classes.” 

Farm Credit Illinois funds grain bin rescue training
Farm Credit Illinois announced a $25,000 gift to the Illinois Fire Service Institute’s Grain Bin Rescue Operation training program. The gift will help fund a new training program designed specifically for grain bin rescues.

According to the Illinois Fire Service Institute, the number of grain bin-related accidents is increasing each year as more than 50% of grain is stored in on-farm bins.

The course will provide 40 hours of classroom and hands-on education to Illinois firefighters, teaching participants grain bin rescue skills and various rescue operation tactics.

The gift was announced at Farm Credit Illinois’ annual Farm Safety and Health Week kickoff event at Parkland College.

Ethanol production corn use forecast
The Oct. 12 crop production forecasts a corn harvest of 2.32 billion bushels, up 1% from September projections.

According to Darrel Good, University of Illinois agricultural economist, postharvest corn prices will be based on consumption rate and the likely size of year-ending stocks. The September World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report projected that exports, feed and residual use, and corn use for ethanol production during the current marketing year will all be larger than the 2015-16 marketing year. 

“Although the expected increase in corn used for ethanol production is relatively small, deviations from the projected level will still impact the magnitude of year-ending stocks,” Good says.

He adds that corn used for ethanol production during the current marketing year will be influenced by a number of factors:

• magnitude of domestic gasoline consumption
• rate of increase in the domestic consumption of higher ethanol blends
• magnitude of fuel ethanol trade
• change in the level of ethanol stocks
• use of other feed stocks, particularly sorghum, to produce ethanol
• ethanol yield per unit of feedstock

After evaluating these factors based on current forecasts and assumptions, Good says corn for ethanol production may be higher than current USDA projections.