BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — John Babcock of Clark County has been announced as the recipient of the 2021 Illinois Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Award.
Babcock, who has 25 years of experience, provides agronomy support for clients primarily growing corn and soybeans, along with some wheat, on 50,000 acres in the southeastern Illinois counties of Clark, Edgar, Coles and Crawford.
As a crop sales agronomist with The Equity, Babcock’s goals are to help his clients get the best returns on their product investments and to build yields and test weights. He encourages farmer clients to try new practices, experiment with on-farm plots and share their experiences with others.
Jeremy Williams, a Clark County Farm Bureau member, nominated Babcock for the top award from the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) and the Illinois Certified Crop Adviser Board.
“We have worked with John for 20-plus years now and have gotten 100 percent of our inputs for each crop under his advice for the last 10 years,” said Williams. “He knows a majority of our farms as well as we do, and his recommendations are very thoughtful for our ground and crops.”
On the Williams Brothers farm, Babcock helped the family learn more about soil microbes and copper and zinc ratios with phosphate through in-depth soil tests. Babcock also accompanied Williams to a three-day soils clinic in South Dakota with a focus on increasing nutrient availability by getting nutrients to work together.
“We’re going to push more soil testing and complete soil testing,” Babcock said. “We don’t want to guess what to put in the field. We want to know what it needs.”
The CCA Award is designed to increase awareness that farmers and their crop advisers strive to make economically and environmentally sound cropping decisions. The award recognizes an individual who is highly innovative and performed superior service for their farmer customers in nutrient management, soil and water management, integrated pest management and crop production.
As the state’s top crop adviser winner, Babcock’s name will be submitted for the international award by the Illinois Certified Crop Adviser Board. Babcock will be recognized during the upcoming Illinois CCA Conference as well as the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting.
The Illinois Farm Bureau is a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, a national organization of farmers and ranchers. Founded in 1916, IFB is a non-profit, membership organization directed by farmers who join through their county Farm Bureau. IFB has a total membership of more than 372,326 and a voting membership of 77,462. IFB represents three out of four Illinois farmers.
— Illinois Farm Bureau