The Farm Post eNews

Friday eNews from the Pike and Scott County Farm Bureaus

JULY 8, 2016

Senate approves GMO measure last night

Look for action request on GMO labeling bill in the House next week.

The Senate passed the bipartisan GMO labeling bill. This will establish federal pre-emption of state-by-state mandatory GMO labeling laws. Senator Kirk voted yes. Senator Durbin voted no.

Farm Bureau wants to thank all of you who called our senators this week encouraging a yes vote on the measure. We'll send a thank you to Senator Kirk for his support.

The bill now heads to the House. Look for an action request next week. Please encourage your representative to vote yes.

Orr Farm Field Day 7/20

The University of Illinois's Orr Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center will host a field day on Wednesday, July 20. The event will begin at 8 a.m. with registration and refreshments.

"There will be three U of I Extension specialists making presentations in indoor classrooms."

Weed scientist Aaron Hager will talk about weed management.
Agronomist Emerson Nafziger will discuss crop conditions and nitrogen management.
Agricultural economist Gary Schnitkey will discuss crop income projections.

Vose says the indoor sessions will be followed by a short wagon tour to look at crop conditions and some of the research trials underway at the center. The tour should be finished by 11 a.m. Continuing education units will be available for Certified Crop Advisors.

For more information, contact Mike Vose at 217-236-4911 or at mvose@illinois.edu.

Brexit could show up in ag economy

Bob Young, AFBF's chief economist, pointed out in a Marketplace article that the U.K. has often sided with American farmers on issues like biotechnology. He said the U.K.'s departure from the European Union could mean U.S. agriculture producers may face stiffer regulations from the European Commission, the EU's executive body.

"The U.K. has always been a good moderating voice in the EU," Young said. "U.K. guys are the ones who say, 'Come on, we've got do this.' Or 'That's stupid; let's get this moved.'"

Farm Legacy Seminar July 21

Country Financial agents are hosting a Farm Legacy seminar on Thursday July 21 in Pittsfield.

This seminar will explore the various options available to farm families to achieve common legacy goals. Since all families and farms are different, various alternatives and funding options are evaluated.

Topics will include: gifting, options to purchase, installment sales, buy-sell agreements and special use valuation.

The meal starts at 6:00 p.m. in the Pike CFB auditorium. The seminar will follow the meal.

Contact your agent in Pike or Scott county to reserve your spot.

Registration open for summer conference

Registration is open for the 2016 Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) Farm Income and Innovation Conference (formerly known as the Commodities Conference), held July 27, at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.

The conference will feature two general sessions and multiple breakouts that focus on topics traditionally included in the Commodities Conference, but will also include new topics which focus on technology and emphasize farm innovation.

Click here to register online, or contact your county Farm Bureau. Registration is $35 through July 15 and includes lunch. You can also register at the conference.

Get discount tickets on-line

It's officially summer! Now it's time to get your summer fun on track, and Illinois Farm Bureau(IFB) can help.

As an IFB member, you receive special savings on theme park tickets to popular summer attractions like Six Flags St. Louis, Six Flags Great America, Holiday World, Silver Dollar City, Raging Rivers, and Adventure-land.

Ticket savings vary, but can be as much as $27. With great rates like that, you can afford to take the whole family and save even more!

Contact your county Farm Bureau for more information or visit the IFB online ticket program!

TODAY IN HISTORY

JULY 8, 1947
ROSWELL UFO

On July 8, 1947, the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) public information officer Walter Haut, issued a press release stating that personnel from the field's 509th Operations Group had recovered a "flying disk", which had crashed on a ranch near Roswell. Later that day, the press reported that Commanding General of the Eighth Air Force Roger Ramey had stated that a weather balloon was recovered by the RAAF personnel. A press conference was held, featuring debris (foil, rubber and wood) said to be from the crashed object, which seemed to confirm its description as a weather balloon.

Subsequently the incident faded from the attention of UFO researchers for over 30 years. In 1978, physicist and ufologist Stanton T. Friedman interviewed Major Jesse Marcel who was involved with the original recovery of the debris in 1947. Marcel expressed his belief that the military covered up the recovery of an alien spacecraft. His story spread through UFO circles, being featured in some UFO documentaries at the time. In February 1980, the National Enquirer ran its own interview with Marcel, garnering national and worldwide attention for the Roswell incident. Additional witnesses added significant new details, including claims of a large-scale military operation dedicated to recovering alien craft and aliens themselves, at as many as 11 crash sites, and alleged witness intimidation.

In 1989, former mortician Glenn Dennis put forth a detailed personal account, wherein he claimed alien autopsies were carried out at the Roswell base

Visit MUFON for the full (or continuing) story.

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