The Farm Post eNews

Friday eNews from the Pike and Scott County Farm Bureaus
 

NOVEMBER 20, 2015
Grain Bin Rescue Event Success
Over 80 fire and rescue squad members from 11 departments in west-central Illinois participated in the Grain Bin Rescue training held Wednesday, Nov. 18 at Winchester. The project organized by Noah Sellars and the Winchester Fire and Rescue raised over $5,000 from the community. A grain bin rescue tube donated to the Winchester Fire and Rescue by Consolidated Grain & Barge at Naples. It will be available to other area districts. The Scott County Farm Bureau led fund efforts to raise funds for the training by offering a dollar-for-dollar match. The training event included a meal served by the Winchester FFA. (Check out the article that will be in the November 23 FarmWeek).
 
Pictured: Noah Sellars, President, Winchester FFA; Matt Hubbert, CG&B; Paul Reuter, Chief, Winchester Fire Department; Wayne Brown, President, Scott CFB.
GBX Scores Points With ICC Approval
On Nov. 12, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) voted 3-2 to approve granting the merchant power company Grain Belt Express Clean Line (GBX) a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN). On Monday, Nov. 16, the ICC issued a written order and a dissenting opinion in the Grain Belt Express (GBX) case.  To supplement the summary of the ICC's action, Commissioners McCabe and del Valle authored a legal opinion outlining the three errors the majority of the Commissioners committed in granting a CPCN to GBX under Section 8-406.1. First, that Section 8-406.1 requires an applicant to be a public utility.  Second, that GBX may apply for a CPCN under Section 8-406.1 and third, the majority fails to include analysis and reasoning to support its conclusion that any applicant can use the expedited review process set forth in Section 8-406.1.
 
GBX cannot construct the project until numerous conditions are met. GBX cannot install transmission lines on easement property until it has obtained financing for the total cost of the proposed project. Because the proposed line has been billed as a merchant line project, retail consumers are not supposed to pay for any costs associated with GBX's project. If GBX can't construct the line without passing along any project costs to Illinois consumers, then GBX must file a new proceeding and seek permission from the ICC prior to recovering any costs from consumers. GBX must also comply with the terms of the Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement (AIMA). The CPCN gives GBX the right to survey and engage in other pre-siting activities and authority to construct the project. GBX did not seek eminent domain authority from the ICC.
DAPL Poised for ICC Approval                   
On Nov. 5, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) in the Dakota Access (DAPL) pipeline case issued a recommendation to approve the DAPL project.  The ALJ recommends that the Illinois Commerce Commission approve the project and that Dakota Access should be granted eminent domain authority where necessary to acquire the easements needed to construct the Pipeline. Consistent with the suggestion of the Illinois Farm Bureau, the grant of eminent domain authority is limited to the parcels upon which Dakota Access is unable to acquire the necessary easements through good faith negotiations. The grant of eminent domain authority is conditioned upon Dakota Access' compliance with the Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement (AIMA). The ICC has bench sessions on December 9 and 16, Illinois Farm Bureau expects the ICC will approve the project at one of those sessions.  If the ICC approves the project and grants eminent domain authority, the company still has to file condemnation actions in state court against individual landowners with whom they are unable to obtain voluntary easements.  Dakota has obtained easements for 60% of the route. If members need counsel to represent them in easement negotiations or condemnation proceedings, please contact us as we continue to assist Farm Bureau members on this issue. 
Thanksgiving prices up a tad
AFBF's 30th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year's feast for 10 is $50.11, a 70-cent increase from last year's average of $49.41. The big ticket item - a 16-pound turkey - came in at a total of $23.04 this year. That's roughly $1.44 per pound, an increase of less than 9 cents per pound, or a total of $1.39 per whole turkey, compared to 2014.
 
"Retail prices seem to have stabilized quite a bit for turkey, which is the centerpiece of the meal in our marketbasket," AFBF Deputy Chief Economist John Anderson said. "There were some production disruptions earlier this year due to the highly pathogenic Avian influenza outbreak in the Midwest. Turkey production is down this year but not dramatically. Our survey shows a modest increase in turkey prices compared to last year. But we're now starting to see retailers feature turkeys aggressively for the holiday. According to USDA retail price reports, featured prices fell sharply just last week and were actually lower than last year," he added.
 
AFBF news release
Farm Bureau seeks input
Illinois Farm Bureau is eager to learn the opinions of its farmer members on emerging and priority issues. Please take a few moments to complete the attached 14-question survey. Your feedback helps us to determine organizational priorities and to better communicate with you on important issues. Thank you for your time!

Click here to complete the survey

The Pike and Scott County Farm Bureaus will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Friday, November 27. There will be no TFP eNews next week either.

TODAY IN HISTORY
NOVEMBER 20, 1945
NUREMBURG TRIAL
 
On November 20, 1945, twenty of Germany's Nazi leaders went on trial in the German city of Nuremberg charged with war crimes. The four judges from the United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain and France made up an International Military Tribunal to judge the 20 Nazi officials charged with waging a war of aggression, violating the customs of warfare and committing crimes against humanity. The trial lasted until October 1, 1946 when 11 of the Nazi leaders were sentenced to death by hanging. Martin Bormann was also sentenced to death in his absence. Hermann Goring killed himself before sentencing.
 
The International Tribunal earlier accepted Soviet insistence that only Axis aggression was covered by the new court otherwise the Soviet authorities would have been on trial as well for carving up Poland in 1939 and attacking Finland three months later.
 
Altogether, there were four more military tribunals in Nuremberg, the last one of which finished in April 1949.

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