MANAGING THE 2009 HARVEST: Panel discussion via conference phone call on drying, storing, grain quality issues, crop insurance, animal nutrition and marketing.

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The roller coaster ride continued this past year for Illinois agriculture, unfortunately, with more dips than rises. A major issue was the impact of the sharpest world-wide recession since World War II, which depressed demand and prices across the sector. Combined with rising input prices, planting delays, and H1N1 fears, this was a year of tremendous uncertainty by any standard. Looking forward to 2010, there is the possibility of better times due to recovery in the general economy and some lessened pressures on the cost side.

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The Michigan department of Agriculture is accepting applications for the 2010 Pesticide Notification Registry and Certified Organic Farm Registry. MDA creates these registries to help protect consumers from pesticide drift and to locate organic certified farms. Applications and supporting documents are due by February 1, 2010. Read about the details and download applications here.

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As winter approaches many New Ag Network readers look forward to attending conferences for education, networking, and fellowship. Attending a familiar conference is a great way to keep in touch with old friends and colleagues and strengthen developing relationships, and learn new information.

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Corinne Alexander with Gary Reding...How do the economics of organic field crop production compare to conventional crop production? We are going to attempt to shed light on this very important question by summarizing three university crop budgets and comparing their findings to Gary Reding’s, an organic grower in Indiana, crop budgets. We will also comment on the different risks in organic compared with conventional agriculture.

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Late blight came in with a vengeance last summer. It caused severe tomato and potato losses, hitting home gardeners and organic farmers and larger commercial growers.

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Kiersten Wise and Charles Woloshuk...Diplodia and Gibberella ear rot of corn have been observed in many fields in Indiana this year. In fact, the incidence of Gibberella ear rot has reached levels not seen in Indiana for decades, and there have been several reports of high levels of the mycotoxin DON associated with these infections. Early reports indicate that DON (also known as vomitoxin) levels in corn grain range from 0.2 to 8 ppm, which poses a concern if grain is to be used for livestock feed.

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Greg Hunt...The article Gardening for Native Bees in Utah and Beyond should be of general interest to readers. Most of the types of bees (or genera) in Utah also occur here in the Midwest. Of the five USDA bee labs, the Logan, Utah lab is the only one that focuses on native bees. There are about 4,000 species of native bees described in North America, north of Mexico. Native bees are fairly difficult to identify, but many have distinctive features.

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The Center for Innovative Food Technology, CIFT, is sponsoring a day-long workshop for farmers, producers, food service venues, and those interested in buying and eating local. The workshop will also interest business and economic development professionals exploring local food connections.

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The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Educational Service (MOSES) announces the second Organic Research Forum to be held in conjunction with the Organic Farming Conference Feb. 25-27, 2010, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. This event, first held in 2008, is intended to become an annual part of the conference in future years.

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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that Miles McEvoy has been hired to serve as Deputy Administrator of the National Organic Program (NOP). Vilsack also announced that the NOP will become an independent program area within AMS because of the increased visibility and emphasis on organic agriculture throughout the farming community, evolving consumer preferences, and the enhanced need for governmental oversight of this widely expanded program.

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Brook Wilke and Sieg Snapp...Imagine planting a field of winter wheat that wouldn’t die, but would continue to grow and produce grain every year for five years in a row! No longer are you each year prepping fields and drilling on a Sunday afternoon because it’s the only dry stretch in October. You have more time for that weekend family picnic or football game. Instead of fighting ragweed and foxtail after summer harvest, you’re finding wheat re-growth as a valuable grazing crop. This is the vision for perennial wheat.

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