It's October and as the moon waxes to full the corn harvest is well underway in spite of last week's brush with early winter. It's also a time when the world is talking about Bird Flu. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said this week the likelihood of a flu pandemic in the future is "very high," - just something else for agriculture to worry about.

In the world of ag news this week, if you're holding your breath for lower fuel costs, you had better get ready to turn blue. There's no relief in sight. Also this week, the experts are saying the FSA is still on the chopping block. Expect some bad news coming shortly. And speaking of bad news, that's all ag secretary Johanns has been hearing about the farm bill - bad only because producers want the bill to stay just the same as it is now, and Johanns has to handle all the questions in a time of change. Elsewhere this week, we'll take a look at the Montreal Protocol, catch up on the latest from the Hill, extend birthday wishes to biotech engineering, and see if we can find a farmer that could use an extra $10,000. Any takers?

Agriculture Reconciliation Package Offered - Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has proposed a reconciliation package of $3 billion in cuts over five-years. The cuts would be $1.1 billion from commodity programs, $1 billion from conservation programs, $227 million from research, and $574 million from nutrition programs. The cuts would include:

Nomination kits can be requested by calling (800) 886-5170 x3055, or can easily be downloaded on AFT's web site at http://www.farmland.org/steward/nomination_instructions.pdf. Nominations will be accepted until 5pm EST on November 1, 2005.

The 2005 Steward of the Land Award was recently presented to Steve Sinton, a wine grape grower and fourth generation cattle rancher from Shandon, California. Throughout his 18,000 acres of ranchland and 125 acres of vineyards, Steve utilizes a variety of innovative practices to promote sustainability and protect the environment. Efforts on Steve's ranch have even resulted in the reintroduction of the California condor, which nest on parts of his property. He was also instrumental at the state level in the creation of the California Rangeland Trust, California's statewide agricultural land trust.

"The Steward of the Land Award showcases the diversity of American agriculture and illustrates the many benefits farmers and ranchers provide to the general public, like habitat for wildlife, a filter for clean air and water and scenic vistas," said Sinton. "I'm a rancher, but I know that past winners of this award have also been grain growers, dairy farmers and fruit growers. There are people in every aspect of agriculture that are engaged in good stewardship practices."

Past winners of the award can be found across the United States, in California, Maryland, Wisconsin, Indiana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Colorado and South Carolina.

Entering a landmark tenth year, the Steward of the Land Award is also working to raise awareness of the public benefits agriculture provides as discussions about changing farm policies in the 2007 Farm Bill begin.

"As the 2007 Farm Bill approaches, it's more important than ever to show examples of the many faces of agriculture working so hard to implement good stewardship practices on their land," said AFT president Ralph Grossi. "American Farmland Trust can only honor one farmer each year through its Steward of the Land Award, but by supporting incentive-based farm policies that link payments to good stewardship and sound land management, our nation can honor thousands of farmers every year."

"The large harvest volume, carryover grain in storage at Iowa elevators and the effects of Katrina will move grain slower than normal this fall," according Charles Hurburgh of the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative at ISU. "Farmers need to plan for the potential storage of grain on-farm to capture additional premiums and reduce backups in elevators already at storage capacity."

Temporary grain storage facilities need to protect the grain from moisture, wind, birds, rodents, and insects. Thus, storage in an existing building (such as a pole barn, machinery shed, warehouse, or even livestock building) is preferred over outdoor piles.

"Farmers with empty silos previously used for silage or other empty buildings on the farm may consider those for dry grain storage," Hurburgh said. "There are a number of general considerations that need to be weighed in approaching the evaluation of an existing silo or building for possible adaptation for dry grain storage."

Make sure the building location is well drained. If the building does not have a concrete floor, place the grain on plastic to prevent moisture moving from the ground to the grain. Even with a concrete floor, Hurburgh advises covering the concrete with plastic, especially if the concrete is cracked. Moisture vapor will move through concrete and into the grain if the soil below the concrete is wet. The grain must be cool and dry. Harvest temperatures may be fairly warm, which means aeration cooling will be needed very soon after storage.

Silos must be in sound structural condition, and hooped or reinforced sufficiently to store dry shelled grain. The silo must have a roof and a concrete floor. Walls must be reasonably tight and be equipped with an aeration system. Any storage must have aeration to be successful. Even dry corn will spoil because of temperature-induced moisture migration, if aeration is not used to balance grain and air temperatures. Estimate approximately 1 hp of fan per 10,000 bushels, to maintain temperature (not drying).

"Various techniques and facilities have been used to store grain temporarily with success," Hurburgh said. "Generally, the more durable the facility, the longer grain can be stored without excess loss. Temporary grain storage is for less than 6 months. Stored grain is the result of a season's work - it deserves as much attention in storage as it took to produce it in the first place."

For additional information regarding on-farm storage of grain and other grain quality issues, visit the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative Web site at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/grain.

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