U.S. farmers export over 2 billion bushels of soy worth $30 billion; China imports over 1 billion bushels ST. LOUIS (Nov. 13, 2014) - U.S. soybean farmers continue to provide their international customers with reliable, quality products, and those customers have once again rewarded them with big purchases. In the 2013/2014 marketing year, the United States exported over 2 billion bushels of U.S. soy, valued at more than $30 billion.

The year got off to a fast start, exceeding the predicted export numbers in early 2014 and finishing strong with record-size crops starting to come out of the fields. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the 2013/2014 export total includes more than 1.6 billion bushels of whole U.S. soybeans, meal from 484 million bushels of U.S. soybeans and oil from 161 million bushels. This total represents 62 percent of U.S. soybean production from last year.

"U.S. soybean farmers are committed to meeting global demand with a quality product," says Dwain Ford, United Soybean Board International Opportunities Target Area Coordinator and soybean farmer from Kinmundy, Illinois. "These export numbers prove that U.S. soy is a highly valued product in the global marketplace and that U.S. soybean farmers are doing our job."

Top buyers of whole U.S. soybeans in 2013/2014 include :
•    China: 1.013 billion bushels
•    Mexico: 124 million bushels
•    Indonesia: 75 million bushels

Top buyers of U.S. soybean meal in 2014 include :
•    Mexico: meal from 68 million bushels of U.S. soybeans
•    Philippines: meal from 59 million bushels
•    Canada: meal from 45 million bushels

Top buyers of U.S. soybean oil in 2014 include :
•    Mexico: oil from 36 million bushels of U.S. soybeans
•    China: oil from 35 million bushels
•    Dominican Republic: oil from 22 million bushels

2014 Farm Bill's APH Yield Exclusion to be Implemented for 2015 Spring Crops

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2014 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the implementation of a new Farm Bill initiative that will provide relief to farmers affected by severe weather, including drought. The Actual Production History (APH) Yield Exclusion, available nationwide for farmers of select crops starting next spring, allows eligible producers who have been hit with severe weather to receive a higher approved yield on their insurance policies through the federal crop insurance program.

Spring crops eligible for APH Yield Exclusion include corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, rice, barley, canola, sunflowers, peanuts, and popcorn. Nearly three-fourths of all acres and liability in the federal crop insurance program will be covered under APH Yield Exclusion.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Risk Management Agency and Farm Service Agency staff worked hard to implement several 2014 Farm Bill programs ahead of schedule, such as the Agricultural Risk Coverage, the Price Loss Coverage, Supplemental Coverage Option and Stacked Income Protection Plan. USDA is now able to leverage data from the Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage to extract the information needed to implement APH Yield Exclusion earlier than expected.

"Key programs launched or extended as part of the 2014 Farm Bill are essential to USDA's commitment to help rural communities grow. These efforts give farmers, ranchers and their families better security as they work to ensure Americans have safe and affordable food," said Vilsack. "By getting other 2014 Farm Bill programs implemented efficiently, we are now able to offer yield exclusion for Spring 2015 crops, providing relief to farmers impacted by severe weather."

The APH Yield Exclusion allows farmers to exclude yields in exceptionally bad years (such as a year in which a natural disaster or other extreme weather occurs) from their production history when calculating yields used to establish their crop insurance coverage. The level of insurance coverage available to a farmer is based on the farmer's average recent yields. In the past, a year of particularly low yields that occurred due to severe weather beyond the farmer's control would reduce the level of insurance coverage available to the farmer in future years. By excluding unusually bad years, farmers will not have to worry that a natural disaster will reduce their insurance coverage for years to come.

Under the new Farm Bill program, yields can be excluded from farm actual production history when the county average yield for that crop year is at least 50 percent below the 10 previous consecutive crop years' average yield.

RMA will provide additional program details in December 2014.

Federal crop insurance, which is sold through private crop insurance agents, offers a variety of options that may impact coverage and premium costs. Producers are encouraged to work with their crop insurance agent to determine the coverage that best meets their risk management needs. Farmers can find a crop insurance agent in their area at: www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agent.html.

Today's announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The 2014 Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

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Major Expansion Project to Create Thousands of Jobs in Central Illinois

TUSCOLA - Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by company officials to announce that Cronus Fertilizers, a much-anticipated $1.4 billion fertilizer plant, will be built in Tuscola. Following a search process that included 76 sites in nine states, Cronus has chosen Illinois to expand their business with a new facility that will create approximately 2,000 construction jobs and 175 permanent jobs.

The Cronus fertilizer plant is one of the largest private investments in central Illinois since 1988, when Mitsubishi Motors North America opened its auto factory in Normal. Governor Quinn aggressively worked to secure this investment, personally meeting with the company and mobilizing his cabinet to bring the project to Illinois. Today's announcement is part of his agenda to create jobs and drive Illinois' economy forward.

"We are proud to partner with Cronus Fertilizers as they bring their thriving and innovative business to Tuscola, Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "Building this new plant here in the heartland will be a big boost for our central Illinois economy, provide a locally made product for our farm industry and create thousands of good-paying jobs. With Illinois now leading the Midwest in job creation, companies like Cronus are helping us keep the momentum going."

"After an exhaustive process, we are thrilled to bring this fertilizer plant to Illinois and look forward to working with the Tuscola community to create high-quality fertilizers for Midwestern farmers," said Erzin Atac, CEO of Cronus Chemicals LLC, which is building the plant. "Cronus Fertilizers is grateful for all the support we have received from Governor Quinn, Speaker Madigan, Representative Brown, Senator Rose, Tuscola Economic Development and numerous state and local officials who helped make this project a reality."

Illinois' central location, world-class transportation infrastructure, proximity to natural gas pipelines and a highly trained and motivated work force were key factors in Cronus' decision to locate near Tuscola.

The new Cronus fertilizer plant will be built on a 235-acre site at 765 E. U.S. Highway 36, just west of Tuscola and near Interstate 57. Production in Tuscola will help displace fertilizer products that are currently imported for the U.S. agricultural market.

The plant will produce non-flammable nitrogen-based products, specifically urea and ammonia fertilizers and diesel exhaust fluid, using natural gas as a feedstock. State-of-the-art technology will be used to minimize emissions, maximize safety and meet Illinois' stringent environmental standards.

Construction of the new plant is expected to last 33 months and support approximately 2,000 union jobs. The Illinois EPA has determined that the application for the fertilizer plant meets all applicable requirements, and has issued a construction permit to Cronus.

"Today marks the culmination of years of effort by state and local officials to put this excellent industrial site into productive use," Tuscola Mayor Daniel Kleiss said.  "We are so thankful that Cronus Chemicals has selected the Douglas County site near Tuscola, and we look forward to the tremendous positive impacts that Cronus will have on the local economy, labor market, agricultural market and tax base. Tuscola is proud to be their new home."

"The state's investment here is substantial, but it leverages one of the largest private developments ever in central Illinois," DCEO Director Adam Pollet said. "The Quinn Administration has worked with all the state's available tools to make sure this project takes place here. The plant's product will help our farmers while construction workers and nearby residents will have a new source of quality jobs."

Cronus Fertilizers will be built on a CSX Select Site, a CSX Corporation program that identifies and certifies sites that are ready for development along CSX's rail network.  CSX Select Sites meet a rigorous list of criteria, including infrastructure and utility availability, environmental reviews, appropriate zoning and entitlement, air quality permitting, rail serviceability, proximity to highways or interstates, and other attributes.

The company's $1.4 billion investment will be supported by a targeted state incentive package that includes an estimated $35 million in tax exemptions for the Tuscola site. The benefit was authorized by legislation that passed the Illinois General Assembly last spring on a bipartisan vote and was signed by Governor Quinn. The exemptions for Cronus are contingent on the plant's successful completion and operation, as well as the company meeting its targets for hiring and capital expenditures.

The project also will receive $12.3 million for road improvements through the Illinois Department of Transportation, an estimated $3.9 million in credits against the company's state income tax liability over 10 years, a $1 million grant for public infrastructure and job training grant of $78,500. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will administer the tax credits and grants.

Cronus Fertilizers is a project of Cronus Chemicals LLC, a company led by industry veterans with decades of experience in the development, manufacturing and marketing of fertilizer products. The Cronus team has successfully developed and operated fertilizer plants and other projects both in the U.S. and internationally.

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Farmers and landowners will learn about the new programs authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (commonly referred to as the Farm Bill) at an informational meeting conducted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and local USDA Farm Service Agency staff members. Meetings will be held in Davenport, Iowa on November 25.

The Farm Bill - Program Overview meetings will focus on the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) that will be administered by USDA Farm Service Agency, and the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) administered by USDA Risk Management Agency through federal crop insurance providers.

"We are prepared to discuss decisions farmers and landowners will need to make in the coming months as they consider all their options," said Ryan Drollette, farm management specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. "We'll cover the timeline for when decisions need to be made along with information about our online Farm Bill decision tools."

The main topics that will be covered during the meetings are: Base Reallocation; Yield Updating; Price Loss Coverage (PLC); Ag Risk Coverage (ARC); Implications of PLC and ARC on participation in the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO); Dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP).

Meetings will be held at the Golden Leaf Banquet Center, 2902 E. Kimberly Road in Davenport, IA on November 25, 2014. Two times will be available, 2:00pm or 6:00 pm. To register call the Scott County Extension office at 563-359-7577. Pre-registration 48 hours in advance is recommended. There is no fee to attend the program.

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