www.PrairieFarmer.com ◆ October 2007
23
More cars set to flex next year
I
F the 2008 auto lineup is any indication, ethanol’s running streak might
just continue on.
Car makers will offer 31 models
with an E85 capable engine in 2008.
Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan
and Mercedes Benz will all offer flexible-fuel vehicles in the coming year,
according to the Illinois Corn Growers
Association. “The auto industry is expected to make 750,000 E85 capable
FFVs next year, which represents a big
step toward energy independence and
toward continued growth in ethanol
market share,” says ICGA President
Steve Ruh, Sugar Grove.
The following platforms will be produced as flex-fuel vehicles during the
2008 model year:
Chrysler
4.7L Chrysler Aspen
2.7L Chrysler Sebring Convertible
& Sedan
3.3L Chrysler Town & Country
2.7L Dodge Avenger
4.7L Dodge Dakota
4.7L Dodge Durango
3.3L Dodge Grand Caravan
4.7L Dodge Ram
4.7L Jeep Commander & Grand
Cherokee
Ford
4.6L Ford Crown Victoria (including
taxi & police units)
5.4L Ford F-150
4.6L Mercury Grand Marquis
General Motors
3.5L & 3.9L Chevrolet Impala
(including police units)
5.3L Chevrolet Avalanche &
Silverado, GMC Sierra
5.3L Chevrolet Express & GMC
Savana
5.3L Chevrolet Suburban & GMC
Yukon XL
5.3L Chevrolet Tahoe & police
package Tahoe, GMC Yukon
3.9L Chevrolet Uplander
3.9L Pontiac Montana (only available
in Canada and Mexico)
Mercedes Benz
3.0L Mercedes Benz C300, luxury
and sport
Nissan
5.6L Nissan Armada
5.6L Nissan Titan
²;/0:76>,9:/0-;0:*6:;05.4,)0.;04,³
Play by the rules
to terminate lease
²>,/,(9@6<³
A
S fall approaches, so does the
annual rite of passage for landowners and tenants: lease negotiation or
renegotiation.
According to Doug Hensley of the
Loranda Group, there are certain things
landowners need to keep in mind as
they head into this negotiation season.
“In either case, before a sale can
take place or a lease adjustment can
be made, the existing lease agreement
must be properly terminated,” Hensley
says.
Illinois law requires that the termination be in writing and be delivered by
certified mail with a return receipt at
least 120 days before the lease expiration. Historically, that date has been Feb.
28, though many modern leases now
run with the calendar year and expire on
Dec. 31.
“In the case of a farm sale, terminating the lease ensures that all potential buyers, especially neighboring
farmers, will be interested bidders,”
Hensley recommends.
“And farmer buyers want to actually
farm the land they buy; they don’t want
to be a landlord for another farmer,” he
adds. “This could ultimately lower the
sale price by 10% to 15%.”
In the case of a lease renegotiation
(i.e., a landowner would like to change
terms to reflect higher market prices),
Hensley says that if the landowner
does not terminate the existing agreement, the tenant is under no obligation
to agree to a change in terms for next
year.
And while landowners desire to
capture extra rent income due to higher
commodity prices, Purdue ag economist
Alan Miller says cost of production will
also be sharply higher in 2008. “We’re
looking at a 15% or more increase in the
cost of growing corn or soybeans.”
■ For help in drawing up a lease ter-
mination, or for more information on
lease agreements, check out the legal
section at www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu.
Waiting for your transmission to catch up
between gears is a drag. Translation?...lost power,
lost time, lost money. Enter the TechStar CVT
(continuously variable transmission). With infinite
speed selections from 0 – 32 mph, it continues to
enable the Challenger MT500B & MT600B Series
tractors to literally leave the competition in their dust.
TECHSTAR™ CVT
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
ON MT600B SERIES TRACTORS
It allows you to precisely match ground travel speed
to the specific application. You’ll see significant
savings in cost per acre per hour, over competitor
models with powershift transmissions.
So stop stalling.
Get it in gear.
Get yourself a Challenger.
For more information, visit your local CAT dealer
to experience the MT500B and MT600B Series tractors
from Challenger or visit our TechStar CVT Ef¿ciency
Calculator at: www.cvt.challengerag.com to see
how much you can save!
Cat & Challenger are registered trademarks of Caterpillar. ©2007 AGCO Corporation CH484E07V01