Agriculture & Environment

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Champaign arborist says insect could cause $1.7 million in damage to ash trees

CHAMPAIGN – The emerald ash borer is getting closer to Champaign County and, if it makes its way here, fully 10 percent of the urban tree canopy in Champaign is at risk, according to Champaign city arborist Bill Vander Weit.

Vander Weit, in a short presentation to the city council Tuesday night, said that ash trees make up 10.5 percent of all the trees in Champaign and number about 2,200.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Agronomy Day to focus on energizing agriculture

Thursday event to showcase future of bioenergy

URBANA – Area residents can catch a glimpse of agricultural research and learn about the future of bioenergy at the annual University of Illinois Agronomy Day.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Land near Allerton Park to remain untouched after state buys it

MONTICELLO – The state has bought 151 acres of forest near Allerton Park and intends to do essentially nothing with it – to the benefit of hunters, canoeists and wildlife.

The University of Illinois hadn't been doing anything with it, either, keeping one of the few woodland remnants in Piatt County in much the same condition as longtime owner Robert Allerton did. (Six acres of it have been farmed).

Champaign County farmland sells near record price

URBANA – An auction to benefit the Charles W. Christie Foundation raised nearly a record price per acre for Champaign County farmland – but not quite.

Dr. Adolf Lo and his wife, Renee, successfully bid $32,000 an acre for 61.7 acres northwest of Champaign. The land is on the southeast corner of U.S. 150 and Duncan Road – directly south of the Rockwell Automation and Midwest Underground Technology plants and not far from the Interstate 57/Interstate 74 interchange.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Danville seeks more collection sites for recyclable refuse

DANVILLE – Joyce Guymon has been recycling for years and drives from her home in northeast Danville to drop off newspapers, glass and magazines on her way to the post office or other errands in downtown Danville, as she did Thursday afternoon.

She was one of more than a dozen people who dropped off materials at the Vermilion County recycling site on East Main Street during the span of one hour Thursday.

Public Works Director Doug Ahrens said the plan is to get at least two more sites operational during the winter months.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

FAA delays drainage project at former Chanute Air Force Base

RANTOUL – The Air Force's plan to excavate dirt on the former Chanute Air Force Base to improve drainage in south Rantoul and to backfill an excavation area may be delayed because it doesn't have permission from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Chanute Redevelopment Commission member Denny Long told the commission Wednesday that the FAA has put a hold on a proposal to remove 50,000 yards of dirt on the south side of the airport.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Record attendance seen at migrant school in Rantoul

RANTOUL – School officials reported record attendance at this Rantoul Township High School's migrant school.

More than 200 young people attended classes this summer, according to Migrant Elementary School Principal Todd Wilson and Migrant Middle School and High School Principal Scott Amerio. It's by far the highest enrollment for the program.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Land purchase for FutureGen project proceeding

MATTOON – The parties involved in attempting to bring the FutureGen clean power plant to Mattoon will finish buying the land next week.

Coles Together and the FutureGen Alliance are basically splitting the $6.5 million cost of about 400 acres that have potential to allow the storage of liquefied carbon dioxide deep underground.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

UI advisers helping African entrepreneurs test natural products

URBANA – For generations, African elders have taken careful note of plants that seemed to have health benefits.

Now, with the help of advisers from the University of Illinois and Rutgers, African entrepreneurs hope to bring those beneficial properties to the global marketplace – perhaps including them in pharmaceuticals or nutritional supplements.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Ethanol plant in Gibson City ahead of schedule

GIBSON CITY – Work is moving along ahead of schedule on the ethanol plant being built here, according to its chief executive officer.

Steve Kelly, president of One Earth Energy, said Tuesday that work is under way on every section of the plant except the water treatment plant, which is currently under design. He said general contractor Fagen Inc. of Granite Falls, Minn., and its eight subcontractors have 250 employees currently working on site. Projections call for an increase to 400 workers before the plant's completion.

Alliance Grain official pleased with 2007 results

GIBSON CITY – Joe Thompson told Alliance Grain shareholders that his first year as general manager was "full of both challenges and rewards."

Approximately 275 people attended the cooperative's annual meeting held Tuesday evening at Gibson City's North Park.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Grain companies plan merger

LUDLOW – The Ludlow Cooperative Elevator Co. and Danforth-Gilman Grain Co., Danforth, will officially combine operations on Friday, and operate as Ludlow Cooperative Elevator Co., according to a press release issued Monday.

"Both companies have served their area farmers/owners' grain handling needs for more than 100 years, and we look forward to building on our historical success as we work together to build an even more successful future," said Bruce Bastert, general manager, in the release.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Where have timbered areas crucial in state's settlement gone?

With a sweltering sun high overhead and the air thick and stifling, David and Jane Patton cup their hands over their eyes and look out over the vast prairie.

In the distance, perhaps 5 miles away – it is difficult to tell – is a timbered area. The couple and their children, along with two cows, four horses, chickens and turkeys, aim their wagons at the prairie grove. This timbered area around the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River in northeastern Champaign and southeastern Ford County, known as Sugar Grove, will be where they will build their log cabin.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Traps set to check for infestation of emerald ash borers

CHAMPAIGN – Everyone knows a newspaper is "black and white and read all over." But what's purple, sticky and best when empty?

Nope, it's not a bottle of elderberry wine. The answer is an emerald ash borer trap, and 22 of them are hanging from ash trees in the Champaign-Urbana-Savoy area.

Westville officials looking to fix erosion in crucial drainage ditch

WESTVILLE – Village officials voted Tuesday to pursue a plan to repair erosion along the banks of a storm water drainage ditch that runs on the north side of Moses Avenue, north of Zamberletti Park.

In March, inspectors from the Army Corps of Engineers investigated a complaint about the erosion in the ditch. According to Mayor Jeff Slavik, village officials apparently authorized a cleaning and deepening of the ditch in 2002 without receiving a permit to do so from the Corps of Engineers.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Crop dusters on schedule but finding most clients' fields uneven

CHAMPAIGN – Rick Reed of Reed's Fly-On Farming in Mattoon says crop dusting in the area is on schedule, but also said corn is very uneven, and there has been a lot of replanting this season.

"Virtually all of the corn is a couple of weeks behind normal growth and maturity," Reed said.