Elk reintroduction?

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is considering reintroducing wild elk into Southern Illinois.

Elk have been reintroduced in other states, including Michigan, Minnesota, Arkansas and Wisconsin, with mixed results. In some areas, elk have become a tourism bonus, attracting hunters. In agricultural areas, some farmers have resorted to poaching to reduce crop damage.

Spokeswoman Carol Knowles, said the department is conducting extensive research. Public attitude surveys and focus-groups include the general public as well as those with a vested interest, such as farmers, hunters and environmentalists.

"We're aware of the concerns people have," she said. Many point to Illinois' abundant deer population, but she said elk are more timid than deer and less tolerant of people, and don't reproduce as quickly. "Deer occur at about 30 to 40 per square mile (in Southern Illinois). We're talking about an elk population that would be much, much smaller, like maybe two per square mile." No more than a total of 1,600 animals would be reintroduced," she said.

A minimum of 400 square miles of habitat would be needed for the elk, which is available in Southern Illinois, but only about one-third of the land there is publicly owned. "We will need the cooperation and assistance of private landowners to make a reintroduction work."

Conservation and forage easements may be offered landowners, she said. "We're not naive about this. We recognize agriculture is important to Southern Illinois and that elk eat agricultural crops. We need to find a way to make this work if we are going to move forward with it"

Two areas, both in Shawnee National Forest, are sites under consideration. Although elk initially would be protected, hunting eventually would be allowed.

Brent Manning, director of the department, is expected to make a decision on the issue by July 1.

Checkoff payoff

China is the third largest producer of soybeans in the world, but last year for the first time began importing soybeans, thanks in part to efforts funded since 1982 by the Illinois Soybean Checkoff. The checkoff also supports marketing in other overseas markets, including Russia and Korea.

"There is just enormous potential in exporting U.S. soybean products to China," said Richard Borgsmiller, a Murphysboro soybean producer and secretary-treasurer for the checkoff board.

The checkoff, a program in which farmers pool funds to promote uses for soybeans, invested most of its money ($3.8 million 67 percent) in research, especially for development of disease-resistant strains, according to a year-end report

The fund also contributed $30,000 to develop Illinois' first biodiesel plant scheduled to begin production in Chicago in March. The plant will produce biodiesel from combinations of used vegetable oils and fresh soybean oil. It is estimated 90 percent of the biodiesel production will be derived from soybean oil.

Meanwhile, the Chicago TransitAuthority has been testing soybean oil-based biodiesel in its fleet of buses for more than two years. Under the Energy Policy Act of 1992, government fleets and some private fleets are required to adopt alternative fueled engines and alternative fuels. Positive results from the CTA could bring a demand for an estimated 70 million bushels of soybeans, and price increases of between 2 and 12 cents a bushel, the report says.

Comrades

Some Russian farmers are getting lessons in cooperatives and marketing from an American co-op and an Illinois agriculture professor. "One farmer can't supply a restaurant year-round, but by forming a cooperative several farmers can provide a year-round supply," said John Carlson, a Western Illinois University agriculture professor.

Carlson said that, during his seven visits to Russia in three years, he met farmers having difficulty marketing their product. About half of all food consumed in Russia comes from other countries, he said, because farmers have no experience marketing their produce and livestock. Carlson's sponsor, Land O'Lakes, is working with 10 farmers to establish a co-op.

"Many of the restaurant owners were receptive to the idea of buying their products locally. And if the restaurants begin buying local livestock and produce, the farmers can begin raising more crops and livestock," Carlson said.

Cooperative ventures

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative Services offers several publications about cooperative ventures.

The Directory of U.S. Arts and Crafts by Mary Ann Lambert is an updated reference guide to 86 co-ops selling authentic, hand-made U.S. arts and crafts, and a guide for those interested in cooperative marketing efforts.

Dairy Cooperatives' Role in Managing Price Risks, by K. Charles Ling and Carolyn B. Liebrand, focuses on dairy cooperatives' role in managing price risks using futures, options and forward contracting for price hedging.

How to Start a Cooperative, by Galen Rapp and Gerald Ely, discusses organizing and financing a cooperative business. Cooperative ideas include housing, utilities, finance, health care, child care and small business support.

Each document is available for $5 each from the USDA's Cooperative Services, Stop 3255, Washington D.C. 20250.

APRIL 1997 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 5