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Meals in the fields call attention to farm safety
For the past 12 years, Farm Credit Services of Illinois has worked closely with farmers across the 60 county area served to promote farm safety during the harvest season. During the week of September 18 – 24, 2011, each of Farm Credit’s branch offices provided a lunch meal on each weekday to at least one area farm family.
The Farm Credit staff served the lunch wherever the farmers were working that day. Each “Meals in the Field” host family was also provided a Farm First Aid Kit produced by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety compliments of Farm Credit.
Mike Loyd, Vice President of Marketing, Farm Credit Services of Illinois told Brownfield that National Farm Safety and Health Week provides an opportunity to give back to customers and the communities served by Farm Credit Services of Illinois. On average, Loyd said Farm Credit served approximately 110 meals to an average of 1200 individuals.
The “Meals in the Field” program is especially relevant this year, explained Loyd, because the past year has been one of the deadliest on Illinois farms. From July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011, thirty-nine farm-related deaths occurred. That is the most Illinois has experienced since 2001.
Conversation with Mike Loyd 09222011
Thursday, September 22, 2011, Brownfield’s Cyndi Young accompanied Mike Lonergan, Vice President of Ag Financial Services with the Jacksonville Branch office of Farm Credit Services of Illinois and other staff members delivering a meal to the John and Dean Werries family farm near Chapin, Illinois. Family members and neighbors gathered in a machine shed on the farm.
“It feels good to do this kind of thing for your customers. They always appreciate it and it is something that sets us apart because nobody else is doing it,” said Lonergan.
Dean Werries signed up at the local Farm Credit Services office when he went in to make a payment and his name was drawn to receive a meal in the field. “It’s sort of like a little party here,” he told Brownfield.
Werries farms about 3800 acres with his dad, John near Chapin, Illinois.
During the mid-day lunch break with the meal provided by Farm Credit Services of Illinois, Dean Werries talked with Brownfield about harvest progress and changes in agriculture.
With average yields of 170-plus bushels per acre and the corn drying down nicely, Werries said harvest is progressing. Moisture of the corn crop they have harvested in the past week has ranged from 19 to 21%. They are drying and storing the grain on the farm.
Despite the challenges of the 2011 crop year, Dean Werries remains optimistic. Many changes brought about by technology have opened doors to greater opportunity for farmers. Werries said with the exploding population in this world, there will be many more people to feed by 2050, but he believes farmers in general will step up to the challenge.
“Farming is a good career,” said Werries.
Conversation with Dean Werries 09222011
John Werries said they got an early start with harvest and are nearly three fourths complete and hope to finish corn harvest before they start with soybeans. Werries said yields are down 25 to 30 bushels from last year. It was wet early and dry through most of the growing season, with no rain in August.
Werries said the genetics available today are much better than those available 25 years ago. Back in the 80’s when his farm experienced growing conditions similar to those experienced this year the corn yielded approximately 100 bushels per acre. This year, yields are 170 to 175 bushels per acre.
Werries was happy to jump off the combine to have lunch with wife Ruth, son Dean, daughter-in-law Karen and several neighbors.
“It was very nice of Farm Credit to come out and put this meal on,” he said. “It was a very nice meal; a very nice event.”
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