Program Content

This 2 hour program was originally aired on July 31, 2002 and was hosted by Orion Samuelson of WGN tv/radio, and featured guest experts Doug Yoder (IL Farm Bureau), Stan Wilson (Illinois FSA), and Bill Gradle (NRCS). The program addressed various aspects of the new Commodity Title and Conservation Title of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (the new farm bill).

The main emphasis of the program was on helping producers understand the various options they have in regards to updating, or not updating, base acres and program yields. A computer model was featured that explains the various options and assists producers in making their decisions. The various topics covered by the broadcast include:

1) Safety Net Provisions
2) Direct Payments
3) Counter-Cyclical Payments
4) Payment Limits
5) Timing of Payments
6) Base Acreage Choices
7) Payment Yield Choices
8) Conservation Title Details

Internet Viewing Instructions:

The program may be viewed by anyone with a live internet connection and the free QuickTime Player software installed (version 5 or 6 -- pc or mac). Link to free player: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/

It is important for you to properly set the connection speed of your internet connection within the QuickTime Player software. We have actually placed six different versions of the program on our streaming servers, each one "tweaked" for a different connection speed: 28.8 kbps; 56 kbps; ISDN; 384 (cable modem); 768 kbps (faster cable modems and T-1); LAN (only for those within the UIUC LAN environment). If you set your QuickTime "connection speed" settings to match the speed of your current connection, you can be assured that you will receive the highest quality possible for that caliber of connection.

Farm Bill Decision Tool

The computer model previewed and used during the live broadcast is available for use by producers. It has been designed to assist farmers in selecting the best base acreage and program yield options for their operation. You can download it for free from the IFB website at http://www.ilfb.org, or order a copy on a CD-ROM for the cost of shipping and handling. Various fact sheets and other farm bill information are also located there.

The University of Illinois’ farmdoc website also contains information on the farm bill and another computer-based base and yield decision tool. The URL is: http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/manage/FarmBill/decisiontool.htm

Farm Bill Model Demo

This demo shows how to use the 2002 Farm Bill excel spreadsheet. It's also in Quicktime .mov format. Requires a broadband internet connection plus Quicktime Player 5 (available for free: http://www.apple.com/quicktime)   To view the demo, click below: