Internet Links

Farmdoc Update

• The first version of the 2005 Premium Calculator is now ready for use (http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/cropins/index.html). This calculator provides estimates of insurance premiums for federally subsidized insurance products for all counties in 12 Midwest states. These estimates are preliminary because base prices and price volatilities will not be known until the beginning of March. Best estimates of these parameters are placed in the model.
  
  
• Information on group products has been revised (http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/cropins/group_crop_products.html). This information includes calculators that estimate premiums and average payments for alternative group products.

Soil Temperature Report Website
www.sws.uiuc.edu/warm/soiltemp.asp
The Illinois State Water Survey is now posting daily maps showing 4-inch bare soil temperatures across the state. This information is very useful to farmers to help them determine the proper time to plant crops in the spring and when to apply anhydrous in the fall.

Integrated Pest Management Newsletters in Illinois and Surrounding States

Each of the newsletters is available on-line, and most are published weekly during the field season. The web sites tell how to order print versions.

University of Illinois Pest Management and Crop Development Bulletin http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/bulletin/index.php

The Chat N’Chew Cafe from the Purdue Agronomy Department http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/cafe/

Purdue Pest and Crop Newsletter http://www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/ext/ext_newsletters.html

Ohio State & Purdue Ag Answers
http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/aganswers/index.html

Ontario Ministry of Food and Agriculture Crop Talk http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/crops/field/news/ - croptalk

University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Crop Manager
http://ipcm.wisc.edu/wcm/

Iowa State University Integrated Crop Management Newsletter
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/

Census Data On-line
http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/
On January 14, 2005, USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the ZIP Code Tabulations and Congressional District Tabulations from the 2002 Census of Agriculture. Tables of county or commodity statistics are easily generated.

Illinois Wind Maps
www.awea.org/smallwind/illinois.html
The U.S. Department of Energy has produced wind resource maps and collected wind resource data for each state. This is the map for Illinois and accompanying wind data.

Midwest/Great Plains Wind Power Projects Map
www.elpc.org, www.repowermidwest.org and www.farmenergy.org
The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) has posted an updated map of Midwest/Great Plains wind power projects. This updated Midwest/Great Plains Wind Power Projects Map shows the locations of all existing and planned wind power projects in the region. About 1,440 MW of wind power projects are now operating in the region, and at least 11,759 MW of projects are currently planned for construction. Since ELPC first released this map in June 2004 operating wind power projects have increased by 200 MW and proposed projects have increased by 8,000 MW.

Wind Energy Basics and New Educational Curriculums
http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/
Wind energy, produced with the large new wind turbines, is becoming a controversial natural resource issue for many communities and counties. The U.S. Department of Energy has an excellent website with a tremendous amount of information about wind: Quick Facts about Wind Energy, Resources and Curriculums for Teachers and Students, Wind Energy Basics, Frequently Asked Questions and Wind Energy and the Homeowner.

New Organic Farming Compliance Handbook http://sarep.ucdavis.edu/organic/complianceguide/
The manual outlines methods, materials, and practices that are compatible and consistent with organic standards. Materials were assembled from the most current national, regional, and local sources. The resource guide was developed as part of an educational project funded by the Western Region USDA SARE program.

Purdue Offers Entrepreneurs Web-based Business Planning Tool
http://www.indianaagconnection.com/story-state.cfm?Id=653&yr=2004
Purdue's Agricultural Innovation and Commercialization Center has a new business planning tool for entrepreneurs. This step-by-step on-line guide helps them to make a business plan and allows the plan to be updated.

Native Plant Guide – On-line Version
http://www.il.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/plants/npg/index.html
A wide variety of native prairie and wetlands plants are described so that you can chose what mixture would work best in your natural landscape.

Rural Transportation at a Glance
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/AIB795/
This six-page brochure provides the latest information on transportation in rural America. The effects of deregulation, devolution of Federal transportation responsibilities to the States, increased Federal funding, and heightened security concerns are discussed in the context of each of the individual modes of transportation.