ISTA News

Welcome New Member

Indiana Soybean Alliance/Indiana Corn

Special Invite CSS 2009 Expo

ASTA's Trade Show - December 8-11, 2009

The opening of the trade show is Wednesday December 8th, from 5:00 - 6:30 PM is available to attend at no charge. A day pass to the Expo for Wednesday is available for $50. Click Here

Farmland Values Continue Slump
According to the latest AgLetter released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, farmland values for the third quarter of 2009 were 4 percent lower than a year ago in the Seventh District. However, there was an increase of 2 percent in the value of "good" agricultural land compared with the second quarter of 2009. These numbers are based on 225 replies by agricultural bankers to the October 1 survey. According to the Federal Reserve report, there will be no turn-around in the downward trend for district land values. More of the responding bankers expected farmland values to slide rather than gain during the fourth quarter of 2009, through 69 percent expected stable values. 27 percent anticipated decreases and only 4 percent expect increased values.
Farmland Values Slump

Irrigation Information Floods December Workshop
The Winter Irrigation Workshop to be held Dec. 11 in Shipshewana will cover water use legislation, Great Lakes requirements for irrigation, water availability and more. "Both Michigan and Indiana are dealing with meeting the requirements of the Great Lakes Compact and will have to make changes," said Lyndon Kelley, Purdue Extension and Michigan State University Extension irrigation specialist. The Great Lakes Compact is a joint agreement between the states and provinces surrounding the Great Lakes, and it's designed to keep water use management at the local level.

Irrigation Information

Hoosier Horsepower Biofuels High School Curriculum Ready for Download
Two weeks ago on Hoosier Horsepower HAT reported that the biofuels high school curriculum would be available soon for Indiana teachers. This week it is ready for download at the Hoosier Horsepower section of colts.com. Dallas Clark pass receptions this season are generating $100 each for scholarships that students can earn while learning about biodiesel and ethanol. The biofuels manager at Indiana Corn and Soybean, Mark Walters, says the curriculum will cover three major biofuels topics, "how biofuels work and benefit in the environment, how they benefit the economy, particularly Indiana's economy, and how biofuels help improve our energy independence and energy security. The lessons are taught by the teachers and there are several different assignments the kids are given. There is a debate, for instance. And the final project is a little video that we're having the students develop. It's a 3-minute video that teams of one to three kids can develop based on what they learned in the lesson plans."
Hoosier Horsepwer Biofuels

New Herbicide Update for Corn, Soybeans, Wheat
A number of new products for corn, soybeans, and wheat have been made available to Ohio growers over the past year. Some of these were used on a limited basis in 2009, but 2010 will be the first year of widespread use for most. As in previous years, some new products are simply new premix formulations of existing products (Flexstar GT, for example), but two brand new active ingredients were also registered. These include saflufenacil, the basis for the Kixor family of products, and thiencarbazone-methyl, which is a component of Corvus and Capreno.

Herbicide Updates

SJR 1
- Circuit breakers and other property tax matters - This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to cap property taxes at 1% of assessed value for homesteads, 2% for rental and farmland, and 3% for business property. The legislature must approve this amendment for the second time before it can be placed on the ballot in November for voter approval.