An education in American agriculture

MBA students visit Knox County farm

Saturday, August 4, 2007

By JOHN R. PULLIAM

The Register-Mail

GALESBURG - Eight Chinese students working on MBA degrees at the University of Illinois-Chicago showed a keen interest in American agriculture Friday at the Knox County Farm Bureau office. A Chinese student from the University of Minnesota served as translator, as needed.

Greg Mangieri, president of the Galesburg Regional Economic Development Association, said the students are from two northeast provinces that are more heavily agricultural than other parts of China.

He previously met with the group twice in Chicago.

"They expressed an interest in getting to rural Illinois ... and beginning a dialog with the farm industry," Mangieri said.

Wang Xinfeng, Global Service Department manager for Beijing Cisco Systems, summed up potential export opportunities to China.

"How many people are there in China? It's 1.3 billion. It's a big opportunity. Right?" Xinfeng said.

Students asked about topics ranging from genetically modified seeds to why farmers are paid to take acreage out of production to whether certain products discussed are exported to China.

Josh Gibbs, Knox County Farm Bureau; John Krupps, Ag Industrial Millwrights; George Inness, Inness Farms; Larry Clay, Cornbelt Marketing; Ty Landon, Birkey's Farm Store Inc.; John Hennenfent, Munson Hybrids, and Bruce Rundle of Farmland Foods, Monmouth, all made presentations.

The students were very interested in Inness' discussion of his family's large farming operation.

Inness explained everything from the size of corn planters and corn pickers, to the futures market and his family's farm supply business.

Liu Quingfeng, vice president of The People's Hospital of Liaoning Province, asked about set asides.

Inness complimented the U.S. government for paying farmers to take land out of production as a way to keep the soil rich.

"Our government is to be commended, because they have fairly stringent requirements," Inness said. He also explained conservation plans have to be developed if farmland has too much slope, to control erosion.

Quingfeng voiced concern about genetically altered seeds.

"Some people say it will do harm to people's health," he said.

"I know there's concern about that," Inness said.

Hennenfent, who with his wife owns Munson Hybrids, said, "Right now, 90 percent of what we sell of corn and soybeans is a GMO product."

He said GMO products protect crops from insects by letting farmers use herbicides to kill weeds, products that otherwise would kill the plants. He said with the rising world population, "We're going to have to produce more and more food items."

Hennenfent said GMOs help the environment because less fertilizer, insecticides and herbicides are used.

Clay, of Peoria, talked about the Chicago Board of Trade adding a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. trading period, moving steadily toward a 24-hour operation.

"We're becoming global in nature," he said, "and making it accessible to the Asian market due to these extended hours."

Clay had some positive news for area farmers.

"We're looking at potentially one of the best crops ever," he said. "This next 30 days will be critical to soybeans. The corn is pretty well there. Barring wind, we'll have a pretty good crop."

Hennenfent had some questions for the students.

"Is most of the labor done by hand," he asked.

Zhongli Dai said "in the family business, most work is done by hand." He said the large government farms are more likely to use machinery.

The students will visit Ag Industrial Millwrights, Inness Farms, Birkey's Farm Store Inc. and Galva Elevator today before returning to Chicago.