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Deere 4440 cab tractor racked up $18,000 at farm retirement auction
Indiana legislature passes bills for ag land purchases, broadband grants
Make spring planting safety plans early to avoid injuries
Michigan soybean grower visits Dubai to showcase U.S. products
Scientists are interested in eclipse effects on crops and livestock
U.S. retail meat demand for pork and beef both decreased in 2023
Iowa one of the few states to see farms increase in 2022 Ag Census
Trade, E15, GREET, tax credits the talk at Commodity Classic
Ohioan travels to Malta as part of US Grains Council trade mission
FFA members learn about Australian culture, agriculture during trip
Timing of Dicamba ruling may cause issues for 2024 planting
   
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News from Around the Farm World

Electrical problems close Illinois fairgrounds through May<br>
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Electrical problems have shut down the Illinois State Fairgrounds at least through late May.<br>
That means a long list of livestock shows and other events are being canceled. But officials say the State Fair won’t be affected. It’s not clear whether the work will be done in time for motorcycle races at the end of May.<br>
Officials say nearly 23 miles of old high-voltage cable must be replaced. It will cost about $3 million. The public has to be kept away because sudden electrical discharges from faults in the cable could send debris flying.<br>
Investigators find underground marijuana operation<br>
JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) — Officials found more than 1,000 marijuana plants being grown underground in Hardin County.<br>
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said it dismantled the operation that was found during a search of a 600-acre farm in Saltillo. The marijuana was found in a large buried tank, about 20 feet long and eight feet tall.<br>
Officers confiscated the marijuana plants, several guns, documents related to the marijuana operation and $4,000 in cash. The TBI did not say if anyone had been charged in the bust, just that the case was still under investigation.<br>
West Virginia broker pleads guilty to cattle scam<br>
BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) — A cattle broker and two former bank officials have pled guilty to federal charges stemming from a scam that defrauded $4.2 million from investors and lenders.<br>
Kevin Scott O’Brien, 28, admitted that he sold the same herd to different buyers. He pleaded guilty Feb. 25 to mail fraud in U.S. District Court in Beckley.<br>
O’Brien operated Shamrock Farms and K&M Properties Investments and brokered cattle sales in Greenbrier and Monroe counties and in several other states. Up to a dozen people in Virginia, Illinois, Nebraska, Texas and Indiana were defrauded, federal prosecutors said.<br>
“Cows don’t have (vehicle identification) numbers, so it’s kind of an easier way to hide,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Forbes said.
Forbes said O’Brien would use one investor’s money to fund dealings with another investor.<br>
Charles A. Henthorn of Lewisburg, former president of the First National Bank of Ronceverte, pleaded guilty to one count of accepting bribes from O’Brien. G. Thomas Garten of Covington, Va., a former member of the bank’s board of directors, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the bribes.<br>
State Police began investigating O’Brien after he filed for bankruptcy in April 2006. Each defendant faces up to 30 years in prison, along with fines and restitution. U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston scheduled sentencing for all three men for June 30.<br>
Wynonna Judd helps raise $17,000 for tornado victims<br>
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) — Country singer Wynonna Judd headlined a benefit concert for area residents affected by a tornado last month.
The concert was held Friday in the nearby Leiper’s Fork community and raised more than $17,000, said organizer Lynn Fox, who also performed with his group The Fox Brothers.<br>
Tornadoes swept across Tennessee Feb. 5-6, leaving 32 dead and more than 190 injured. Judd, who lives on an 800-acre farm in the community, said the storm damaged her home, knocked down several trees and tore off part of the roof of a barn.<br>
She said her children Elijah and Grace hid in a storage area under the stairs while she hung on outside their cubbyhole as the winds shook the house.<br>
“Our road looks like a war zone. It’s pretty bad,” she said.<br>
Judd, 43, sang with her mother, Naomi Judd, as the duo The Judds before launching a successful solo career. Her solo hits include “No One Else on Earth” and “I Saw the Light.”<br>
Snow may have doomed efforts to save round barn
MARENGO, Ill. (AP) — Authorities say a dense snowstorm last month has probably doomed any restoration efforts for the oldest round barn in Illinois.<br>
The weight of the snow collapsed the roof of the 111-year-old barn near Marengo that preservationists in northwestern McHenry County had long wanted to restore.<br>
The McHenry County Historical Barn Preservation Assoc. estimates that merely stabilizing the barn’s roof and structure would now cost $100,000 – money that the current owners cannot afford.<br>

Malnourished dogs found on Hardin County farm<br>

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Nearly three dozen dogs were found malnourished at an unlicensed rescue operation at a farm in Hardin County, officials said.<br>
An official with the Hardin-Eldora Animal Rescue Team called the sheriff’s office two weeks ago after learning many of the dogs at the unlicensed shelter were only half their healthy weight. The operator of the unlicensed shelter agreed to surrender the dogs to area animal clinics, the Boone County Humane Society and Animal Rescue League of Marshall County.<br>
“It was just a disaster and we got called in to do what we’re supposed to do,” said Bill Spece, ARL shelter manager. “They were in absolute dire need, near death. They were just skin and bones.”
One dog and some cats were found dead at the farm, Spece said. Amy Haas-Gray of the Hardin-Eldora Animal Rescue Team said more dogs would have died without intervention.<br>
No charges have been filed.

3/5/2008