Will County News

by ann baskerville The United States Department of Agriculture is releasing the Farm Acreage and Stock report tomorrow, March 31, 2011.  The information in the report will likely affect commodity prices.  For example, if the report shows farmers deciding to plant more acres in corn than soybeans, that could push prices for soybeans higher, depending on other factors such as world markets and soybean crop yields in other countries. Corn is currently (as of April 10, 2011) trading above 7 dollars a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade . One local farmer is indeed increasing corn acreage plans based on current commodity prices: Seagulls flock to newly-plowed soil.  This field of alfalfa is getting plowed so that the farmer can plant corn on this acreage.

This is the first YouTube video I could find of the tractor parade around the Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. The tractors came to Madison through the organization of the Wisconsin Farmers Union and the Family Farm Defenders. Both groups came out to protest Gov. Walker's Budget Repair bill, saying it is bad for Rural America. More video of tractors circling the State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin on 3/12/11: A representative from Family Farm Defenders says the purpose of the tractorcade is to show how the budget repair bill affects Rural America. He said Walker is attacking school funding and Badger care. The representative from Family Farm Defenders said 11,000 Wisconsin farmers are on Badgercare and will lose it due to the Budget Repair Bill: Check out this great video of the Tractorcade on madison.com: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/video/vmix_836d3f40-4d15-11e0-a547-001cc4c03286.htm l

The tractors have arrived in Madison, Wisconsin and are circling the capitol:  http://yfrog.com/h4qydzdj and  http://yfrog.com/gz4xopsj . The Wisconsin Farmers Union organized a tractorcade to Madison in order to protest Gov. Walker's Budget Repair Bill.   In a press release, the Wisconsin Farmers Union said: “Much has been said about billionaires or union ‘bosses’ calling the shots about what happens with this legislation,” said WFU President Darin Von Ruden, a Westby-area dairy farmer. “The drive for this tractorcade and rally came directly from farmers and is being done under farmers’ direction.” “Our grass-roots farmers say it’s wrong to take away things like BadgerCare and destroy our public schools when that doesn’t really have to be done,” said FFD Executive Director John Peck. Family farmers say the bills would potentially take BadgerCare from the approximately 11,000 family farm people who depend upon BadgerCare as their primary health insurance,  and that the bills

The Wisconsin Farmers Union is planning a "Tractorcade" to Madison, Wisconsin, read the full press release from the Wisconsin Farmers Union website : "WISCONSIN FARMERS UNION For immediate release : March 9, 2011 For More Information Contact:  Scott Schultz 715-723-5561 (office) or 715-533-5906 (cell) sschultz@wisconsinfarmersunion.com   Hightower to join farmers during farmers’ ‘tractorcade’ and rally   Madison, Wis. (March 9, 2011)  –  Nationally syndicated populist columnist Jim Hightower will join Wisconsin family farmers during a tractorcade and rally Saturday at the state capitol in Madison. The Farm Labor Tractorcade, sponsored by Wisconsin Farmers Union and Family Farm Defenders, will have a tractor parade 10-11 a.m. from John Nolan Drive to Capitol Square. The tractor parade will be followed by an 11:30 a.m. rally at the capitol. Hightower, a long-time political activist and former Texas agriculture commissioner, will add to voices from farmers who want

The President of the Madison, Wisconsin Firefighters Union advocated for a general strike, saying  the strike should go, "statewide, then nationwide." Here is a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Video from the Assembly floor as the bill passed to shouts of "Shame" from both the people in the gallery and the Democratic State Representatives.  The Rev. Jesse Jackson was also on the floor and can be seen in the video:  http://bcove.me/4s3um1gx Live from Madison:  http://theuptake.org/2011/03/09/wisconsin-senate-votes-to-eliminate-collective-bargaining/

Thousands of protesters rushed to the Wisconsin State Capitol after Governor Scott Walkers budget repair bill was passed by the Wisconsin Senate after being amended slightly to allow it to pass without the quorum currently denied the Senate because 14 Democratic State Senators fled the state to Illinois. Some protesters at the capitol were calling for a general strike, including the President of the Madison Firefighters Union, who said the strike should go, "statewide, then nationwide": Here are some more scenes from the 3-9-11 protests at the Wisconsin Capitol:

The Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living , located at 2415-A West Jefferson Street in Joliet, received a grant of $181, 921 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , according to the federal website, recovery.gov . According to Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living Executive Director Pam Heavens , the ARRA funds " made an enormous and positive difference in our ability to continue to service our consumers."  Furthermore, Heavens said the ARRA funds allowed the center to retain a   staff that " provides information and referral to more than 2300 individuals annually."    Since opening in 1989, the Center has operated only on grants and contributions. According to its website, the Center provides services such as: housing referrals, peer counseling, interpreter referral, amplified telephones and more.  To find out more about the services offered by the Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living, visit the Center's website .