CB pledges $100,000 for Chilean quake victims
SAVANNAH, Ga. — JCB Chair Sir Anthony Bamford pledged assistance worth $100,000 to help in the rebuilding efforts in the wake of the Chilean earthquake disaster.

He is donating a 3C backhoe loader complete with attachments and spare parts to help with reconstruction efforts in the country’s second city, Concepcion, hit by a recent 8.8-magnitude quake that has killed more than 700 people. About 1.5 million homes were also damaged in the earthquake and initial estimates put the cost of rebuilding at between $15 billion-$30 billion.

JCB – which has a backhoe factory in Brazil – is supplying the machine through its Chilean dealer Derco, which is also making available free of charge a fleet of used machinery for the authorities to use in rebuilding efforts.

The contribution to the aid effort follows a series of other JCB machinery donations in recent years to other parts of the world hit by natural disasters. Earlier this year JCB donated equipment worth $150,000 to help the disaster relief effort in Haiti, following the devastating earthquake that killed approximately 220,000 people.

Groups donate 2 tons of pork to Central Illinois Foodbank

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Pork Producers Assoc. (IPPA), Illinois Corn Marketing Board (ICMB) and the Illinois Soybean Assoc. (ISA) presented the Central Illinois Foodbank with more than 4,000 pounds of ground pork as part of the Pork Power: Partnering to Fight Hunger in Illinois campaign.

The donation was part of the 32,000 pounds of donated pork products distributed to the eight regional food banks associated with Feeding Illinois, which provides food to nearly 2,000 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters that feed nearly 900,000 residents throughout the state.

IPPA continued the Pork Power program during 2009 and partnered with ICMB, ISA and the Illinois Assoc. of Meat Processors to build upon the success of the 2008 campaign, in which the partners provided more than 100,000 pounds of donated pork to food banks in Illinois.

The 32,000-pound donation put the 2009 total to more than 110,000 pounds of donated pork. Pork, soybean and corn producers committed funds from their respective checkoff programs to support this program.

KAFC approves $485,000 in agricultural loans

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corp. (KAFC) approved $485,000 in agricultural loans for projects in the Commonwealth during its regular monthly business meeting Friday.
KAFC participates with lenders to provide financing to producers making capital expenditures for agricultural projects through the Agricultural Infrastructure Loan Program. Three such loans were approved for $235,000 and included recipients from Christian, Henderson and Madison counties.

The Agricultural Processing Loan Program is designed to provide loan opportunities to companies and individuals in Kentucky interested in agricultural processing. One loan was approved for $250,000 for a recipient in Garrard County.

For more information on the programs offered by the KAFC, contact Bill McCloskey, director of financial services, at 502-564-4627 or visit http://kafc.ky.gov

Feds offer $767,000 for Indiana organic farms

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AP) — Indiana’s organic farmers can compete for nearly $767,000 in federal funds under a new push to encourage conservation on the state’s organic farms.

The funding announced March 1 is part of the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program. State Conservationist Jane Hardisty said helping the nation’s organic farmers is one of the priorities of the 2008 farm bill. Eligible organic producers can compete for the funding, which may go toward conservation crop rotation, planting filter strips along waterways to filter out sediments and other uses.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service will accept applications from organic producers or producers in transition to organic farming until April 1.

ISA extending $100 seed discounts to members

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Being a dues-paying member of Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) can reap significant rewards for Hoosier soybean farmers in 2010. The ISA recently introduced a new member benefit that gives a $100 discount on soybean seed from select companies to those farmers who buy a three-year membership.

The cost of a three-year ISA membership is $200. This new seed program – available to new and renewing ISA members purchasing a three-year membership – offers a $100 discount on a future seed purchase of at least 40 units for soybeans purchased in the 2010 calendar year from Asgrow, Beck’s Hybrids, Great Lakes Hybrids, LG Seeds and Stewart Seeds.

To become a member, log on to www.indianasoybean.com and download an application found under “ISA Membership and Policy.”
For more information regarding the seed program, contact Jared Coppess, ISA membership and policy manager, at 317-644-2797 or e-mail him at jcoppess@indianasoybean.com

$900K grant advances use of frozen boar semen

URBANA, Ill. — A $900,000 USDA grant will help researchers at the University of Illinois advance the knowledge and practical use of frozen boar semen in swine herds across the United States.

Under the project entitled “Advancing Technology for Practical Use of Cryopreserved Boar Sperm to Improve Opportunities for Profitable Pork Production,” collaborators will examine how U.S. pork producers can make genetic progress and improve biosecurity measures through the use of frozen boar semen.

The project is funded by an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Project director Rob Knox, an associate professor at the UoI and swine reproductive extension specialist, will lead one of the five approved projects for 2009. The team suggests use of frozen semen can help improve rates of genetic progress, improve profitability and protect herds against disease, making pork operations more efficient and cost effective.

Collaborators in the project include faculty Dave Miller, Rebecca Krisher, Sandra Rodriguez-Zas, Peter Goldsmith and Sherrie Clark. Additional investigators include Phillip Purdy from the USDA and Ken Stalder from Iowa State University.