Friday December 2 Ag News

Nebraska Farmers Union 98th Annual Convention Agenda Released

"The Voice of Nebraska Family Farm and Ranch Agriculture Since 1913” is the theme for the 98th annual state convention of the Nebraska Farmers Union (NEFU).

John Hansen, NEFU President, said the theme reflects his organization’s century long commitment to protecting and enhancing the economic well being of family farmers and ranchers and their rural communities for nearly 100 years.  “We have an outstanding set of state and national speakers for this year’s Convention to help us prepare for another year of challenges, political turmoil, and opportunities.  This convention has a very heavy educational focus.  We have a lot of tough issues to deal with.”

Hansen said that the first keynote speaker will be Governor Dave Heineman at the Friday noon luncheon.  Alan Guebert, award winning nationally syndicated ag journalist will be the featured speaker for the Friday evening banquet.  Dr. C. Robert Taylor, the Alfa Eminent Scholar in Agricultural Economics and Public Policy in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University, the keynote luncheon speaker at the Saturday noon luncheon will speak on “The Law and Economics”.  Tom Giessel, NFU Historian will also entertain and educate participants about NEFU and National Farmers Union history at all meals.  

Friday morning, Virginia Wolking will discuss the “Land Link” program from the Center for Rural Affairs at 9:30.  Dr. Eric Brown will report on the activities of the Nebraska Rural Radio Network at 9:40.  Todd Sneller, Administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board will present an “Ethanol Update & Challenges” at 10:45.  Dan Steinkruger, Executive Director of the Nebraska Farm Service Agency will provide a report on the impacts budget reauthorization is having on FSA programs and operation at 11:10.

Friday afternoon, Michael Stranz, NFU Government Relations Representative will provide an update on federal issues and the Farm Bill prospects and challenges at 1:35.  Dr. C. Robert Taylor will make a keynote presentation, “Market Concentration In The Fertilizer Industry” at 2:15.  At 3:00, “Operation Lifesaver Wants To Keep You Safe” will discuss railroad crossing safety.   A panel of impacted landowners will discuss the proposed TransCanada XL pipeline will be held at 4:00.  Panelists will include Randy Thompson of Martell; Susan Luebbe, Stuart; Lynda Buoy, Bassett; Teri Taylor, Newport; and Ben Gotschall, Atkinson.

Saturday morning, Alan Guebert and Michael Stranz will participate on a panel discussing the history and role of the state and national beef checkoffs Saturday morning at 8:45 led by David Wright, President of the Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska and member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion Board.  Dr. Taylor and Michael Stranz will present “Why Financial Reforms Impact Agriculture” at 10:30.  At 11:00 John Hansen and Joe Maxwell, Director of Rural Development and Outreach for HSUS will address the October 18th agreement reached by the two organizations to replace the prospect of a HSUS sponsored state ballot initiative with a joint effort to research and potentially develop new value added markets and establish a livestock advisory committee.

Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday mornings.  Convention begins at 9:00 a.m. Friday and 8:30 a.m. Saturday.  As always, all members and the public is always welcome.  More information is available at:  www.nebraskafarmersunion.org or at 402-476-8815. 



Bayer and South Dakota State Announce Research Partnership
(from NAWG newsletter)

Bayer CropScience and South Dakota State University (SDSU) announced Monday they have signed a public-private partnership agreement to bolster both organizations’ wheat breeding efforts.

Bayer said the agreement will give its scientists access to “a selection” of SDSU's spring wheat germplasm. In exchange, SDSU will get resources for advanced education in wheat breeding including the establishment of an endowed chair in wheat breeding and genetics.

The ultimate goal of the joint work, the organizations said, is development of higher-yielding and higher-quality cereal varieties for spring wheat farmers. The new agreement will build upon an ongoing winter wheat partnership between the company, SDSU and the U.S. wetlands and waterfowl conservation organization Ducks Unlimited.

Like similar agreements Bayer penned with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and Monsanto penned with Kansas State University and Virginia Tech, the Bayer-SDSU agreement will also include a scientist-training component. Most wheat research organizations are finding it increasingly challenging to hire well-qualified wheat workers, which is a major concern throughout the crop’s value chain.

The organizations said the new agreement is non-exclusive, meaning either group could continue to negotiate new, similar arrangements with other entities. Financial details were not disclosed.

SDSU is a leading provider of spring wheat varieties in South Dakota, with significant acreage in North Dakota and Minnesota as well.

Bayer is a global crop protection and crop trait company that has made a number of investments in wheat research partnerships in recent years, including with UNL and research organizations in Romania, France, Israel, Ukraine and Australia.

The company also announced Thursday it is establishing a European Wheat Breeding Center in Gatersleben, Germany, to focus on improved wheat varieties for the central European market and to coordinate Bayer’s wheat-breeding activities in Europe.

The new wheat research investments announced this week are the latest in a series since late 2008.



U.S. Soybean Farmers Mark 20 Years of Checkoff Work

U.S. soybean farmers aren't spending much time recognizing the first 20 years of the United Soybean Board (USB) and the national soybean checkoff. They're too busy planning for the next 20 years.

As the national checkoff's 20th anniversary passes, the board will meet Dec. 6-7 in St. Louis to set its sights on making sure the checkoff reaches its goals and helps maximize U.S. soybean farmers' profit opportunities in the future.

The 69 farmer-leaders who serve on USB will observe the national checkoff's 20th anniversary during their December meeting; they will also continue their focus on the checkoff's new Long Range Strategic Plan.

"Now is no time to sit on our laurels and focus only on the past," says USB Chairman Marc Curtis, a soybean farmer from Leland, Miss., whose successor will be elected at the December meeting. "Instead, we are focused on meeting our strategic objectives aimed at supporting our fellow U.S. soybean farmers' profitability in the decades to come."

Those four strategic objectives involve increasing the value of U.S. soybean meal and oil; ensuring U.S. soybean farmers have the freedom and transportation infrastructure to operate; and renewing the board's focus on meeting customer needs.

Meeting those objectives will be nothing new for the soybean checkoff, which has accomplished much on behalf of U.S. soybean farmers in the last two decades. During that time, USB has helped grow global demand for U.S. soy, helped create and grow the use of biodiesel and Bioheat markets, funded many new industrial uses for U.S. soy, and helped fund the research that eventually achieved the sequencing of the soybean genome.

Since the national checkoff's inception in 1991, when U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Edward Madigan appointed 63 soybean farmers from 30 states and two regions to serve as the checkoff's first farmer-directors, U.S. soybean demand has grown by greater than 140 percent around the world, more than any other U.S. major crop. Since 2010, as agriculture leads all U.S. economic sectors in the balance of trade, U.S. soy has topped the list in agriculture.

"We are a global economy; there are other competitors around the world, not only for our soybeans but for other oilseeds that would like to have some of the market we currently enjoy," said Sandy Ludeman, the soybean checkoff's founding chairman and soybean farmer from Tracy, Minn. "So if we want to make sure we have a good share of the market for U.S. grown soybeans, we very much need the checkoff to invest farmer dollars in the research and promotion that will help get us there," Ludeman said.



ICA to Set Priorities at Annual Meeting

Members of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association (ICA) will hold policy committee meetings and adopt proposed policies during its convention and annual meeting, Dec. 12-14, at The Meadows Conference & Event Center in Altoona.

ICA has three standing committees that develop and review policy proposals: Beef Product, Business Issues, and Cattle Production. Each committee will meet 2-4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13 to review expiring policy and discuss proposed resolutions.

ICA members can select which committee meeting they'd like to participate in. The Beef Product Committee covers issues relative to beef safety, global marketing, and information on nutrition and health. The Business Issues Committee discusses agricultural policy, public/private land and environmental management, and tax and finance issues. The Cattle Production Committee reviews cattle marketing, animal health and well-being, and science and technology.

Policy committee chairmen are ICA producer members who are knowledgeable about the various issues and have a strong desire to improve the cattle industry in Iowa. Committee chairmen are: Mike Cline, Elgin -- Beef Product Committee; Bill Couser, Nevada -- Business Issues Committee; and Tom Bonnichsen, Letts -- Cattle Production Committee.

On Dec. 14, all ICA members are invited to attend the association's annual meeting where the policy actions by each committee will be introduced and offered for amendment, adoption, or rejection. Policy proposals can also be made from the floor. Adopted policies will become ICA policy.

Issues for discussion that members have brought up in district meetings this fall include Iowa's fencing law, the flexibility of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and property tax adjustments on pasture land.

If ICA members cannot be present for the policy discussions on Dec.13-14, they are invited to provide input about specific issues that should be discussed. Policy suggestions and ideas can be sent to ICA's CEO Matt Deppe. These can be provided via email (Matt@iabeef.org); phone, 515-296-2266; or by postal mail, (2055 Ironwood Ct, Ames, IA 50014).



CNH Global Names New President

CNH Global N.V., a global leader in the agricultural and construction equipment businesses, announced that President and CEO, Harold Boyanovsky, will retire on Dec. 31, 2011.

Chief Financial Officer, Richard Tobin, will become President and CEO of CNH, effective Jan. 1, 2012. Camillo Rossotto, Treasurer and head of financial services for Fiat Industrial S.p.A., will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer of CNH, effective Jan. 1, 2012, while retaining his current responsibilities.

Mr. Boyanovsky, 67, has served as President and CEO of CNH since March 2005. In 1966, he began his career in field sales with International Harvester. During this time he held various positions of increasing responsibility before becoming CEO of CNH, including senior vice president and general manager for North America, president of worldwide agricultural equipment products, and president of the construction equipment business.

"Harold is a true leader. During his career, he led CNH through a period of tremendous growth and diversification that transformed the company into the CNH we know today," said Sergio Marchionne, Chairman of Fiat Industrial and of the Board of Directors of CNH.

Richard Tobin has been Chief Financial Officer of CNH since March 2010 and brings deep experience leading multinational industrial companies to his new role as CEO. Mr. Tobin joined CNH from SGS Group Geneva, Switzerland, where in June 2004 he was appointed Chief Financial Officer and head of information technology. Prior to that time, he was Chief Operating Officer of SGS North America. In addition, Mr. Tobin held management positions with Alcan Aluminum of Montreal Canada, the Alusuisse Lonza Group of Zurich, Switzerland and GTE Corporation of Stamford, Connecticut USA.

Camillo Rossotto will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer of CNH, effective Jan. 1, 2012, and will retain responsibility as Treasurer and head of financial services for Fiat Industrial. Since joining the Fiat Group in 1989, Mr. Rossotto has held a number of roles within Fiat's finance group in Italy, Germany and Brazil, as well as in the United States, as Chief Financial Officer of CNH Capital.



China 2011 Grain Crop Up 4.5%

China's grain production rose 4.5% this year to a record 571.21 million metric tons, with this eighth consecutive year of growth driven by an 8.2% increase in corn output, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday.  The strong corn output data may help to ease inflationary pressure in China after pork prices escalated this past 12 months -- largely due to tight corn supply.

The corn output figures may be exaggerated, said an analyst with a grain consultancy, noting that high output figures can ease market worries about supply tightness.

Corn output rose to 191.75 million tons in 2011, while rice output reached 200.78 million tons, up 2.6%, and wheat output increased 2.4% to 117.92 million tons, the bureau said on its website.

The bureau includes rice, corn, wheat, soybeans and potatoes in its grains data.  It didn't provide soybean output, for which the state-backed China National Grain & Oil Information Center forecast an 11% decline.



CHANNEL 2012 PRODUCT LINEUP FEATURES 17 NEW GENUITY VT DOUBLE PRO RIB COMPLETE PRODUCTS

Further supporting its “Seedsmanship” approach of offering farmers leading technologies and agronomic services, the Channel® seed brand will introduce 17 new Genuity® VT Double PRO® RIB Complete™ blended seed corn products as part of its 2012 product lineup.

Now available is a broad selection of Channel Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete products in the 84- to 116-day maturity range in the Corn-Growing Area. This advanced technology offers a single-bag refuge management solution with dual modes of action for control of above ground pests, including corn earworm.

Farmers can plant Channel Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete across their field, without the need for a separate, structured refuge, resulting in simpler refuge management, time savings and convenience.  In the Cotton-Growing Area where a 20 percent separate, structured refuge is required, Channel will offer traditional Genuity VT Double PRO products for proper insect resistance management.

The new technology blends 95 percent Genuity VT Double PRO Bt corn and 5 percent non-Bt refuge seed in each bag. The 5 percent refuge is the lowest available, enabling farmers to protect more of their acres with traited seed and maximize their whole farm yield opportunity.  Commercialization is pending individual state authorizations and notifications, as required, following U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulatory approval on Nov. 17, 2011.   

“Channel customers who planted Genuity VT Double PRO this season experienced very positive performance and look forward to converting to the refuge-in-the-bag technology for 2012,” said Chad Bilby, Channel Brand Marketing Lead. 

The Channel 2012 product lineup also features:
·         Eight Channel® Genuity® SmartStax® RIB Complete™ blended seed corn products, all locally tested to give farmers more options for greater yield opportunity. This technology offers a single-bag refuge management product which provides multiple modes of action for controlling both above and below ground insects.
·         Twenty-six Channel® Genuity® VT Triple PRO® corn products, including 13 new releases,   all locally tested to give farmers more options for greater yield opportunity. Channel Genuity VT Triple PRO corn provides a broader spectrum of insect control for above and below ground insects, including corn earworm, resulting in higher yield potential and better grain quality potential.
·         Channel customers also will be able to choose from 48 Channel® Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybean product options, 20 of which are new releases, enabling them to select the genetic package most suitable to their farm. Additionally, 10 of the most consistent top-performing Channel Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean products have the Channel Select designation.



EPA Warns Monsanto About Bugs

(WSJ) -- Monsanto Co. isn't doing enough to monitor for signs that widely grown corn plants that the company genetically modified to thwart a bug are falling prey to that insect again, Environmental Protection Agency scientists said in a memo.

In a Nov. 22 memo, the EPA scientists conclude that Monsanto needs to expand its monitoring program now that rootworms in portions of four Midwest states are "suspected" of having developed resistance to the plants.

The agency, which regulates the corn plants because they are genetically engineered to make a natural pesticide, stops short of declaring that the ability of the bug -- a major agricultural pest -- to overcome the genetically-modified plants is "confirmed."

Nonetheless, the "suspected resistance" prompted EPA scientists to take a harder look at Monsanto's current monitoring program, which they conclude "is ineffective and likely to miss early resistance events."

As reported by The Wall Street Journal in August, university scientists in Iowa and Illinois were discovering fields planted with Monsanto's corn suffering from unexpectedly high levels of damage from rootworm, which could encourage farmers to switch to insect-proof seeds sold by competitors of the crop biotechnology giant.

The EPA scientists, among other things, said in their memo that they want Monsanto to begin surveying fields at earlier signs of insect damage than it does now. The EPA didn't make any officials available to comment on the memo Thursday.

Monsanto, which has said that the problem involves only a tiny fraction of the fields that grew its genetically modified corn this year, said Thursday that it takes the EPA's review "seriously," but it said that its existing monitoring procedures are thorough.