The Upper Big Blue NRD, along with University of Nebraska Extension Education are sponsoring two No-Till and Crop Management Seminars. The dates and locations are as follows:
- February 13: BRUNING — Bruning Opera House.
- February 14: COLUMBUS — Ag Park Exhibit Hall.
Both meetings will begin with refreshments at 8:30 a.m., and an official start at 9:00 a.m. The end of the seminars will wrap-up around 3:00 p.m. with a FREE meal to be provided over the noon hour. There is no charge for any part of these programs.
Speakers include Paul Jasa (UNL) on February 13 and 14, Dwayne Beck (South Dakota State University) on February 13 and 14, Ray Ward (Ward Laboratories, Inc.) on 13, Dan Gillespie (NRCS) on February 14, and Al Vyhnalek (South Dakota State University) on February 14.
These speakers will share their experiences with no-till farming on such topics as No-Till Equipment, Becoming Successful with No-Till, No-Till Economics, How No-Till Improves Soil Structure and Fertility, Cover Crops, and How to Increase Organic Matter and Soil Carbon.
RSVPs for both events must be made by February 10th. Those planning to attend the Bruning event should RSVP to Patty Kyhn at the Upper Big Blue NRD at (402) 362-6601. Those planning to attend the Columbus event should RSVP to Rod Wilke at UNL-Extension at (402) 370-4000.
Mid Winter to Spring Grain Storage Management
Tom Dorn, UNL Extension Educator, Lancaster County
We had good weather for harvesting and drying grain in fall 2011 and hopefully many of you were able to dry your grain to a safe moisture content —15% for corn and 13% for soybeans — for winter storage. I also hope you remembered to cool the grain as air temperature allowed. A rule of thumb is that at a given grain moisture content, the shelf life of corn almost doubles for every 10 degree drop in the temperature down to about 40°F. However, don’t drop the grain temperature below freezing so you can provide additional aeration if we get a few days of warmer temperatures in February.
Winter and Spring Aeration Management
If you didn’t get your grain as dry as you wanted last fall and the forecast calls for a warm spell with low humidity, you may want to take advantage of the good weather and turn on the aeration fan to do more drying. However, initially, you may actually add moisture content to the grain, depending on the grain temperature. For example, when air temperature is 50°F and the relative humidity is 50%, the dew point temperature is 32°F. Likewise, if the air temperature is 50°F and the relative humidity is 60%, the dew point temperature is 37°F. When the grain temperature is lower than the dew point temperature, air will condense moisture onto the grain until the air stream warms the grain mass above the dew point temperature.
If the grain temperature is below freezing, the condensation can be in the form of frost, which could add moisture to the grain and impede airflow through the grain.
Check your Stored Grain
Bins should be checked monthly in winter and spring, especially if high winds may have carried blowing snow into the bin. The danger is that the snow will melt and create a wet spot in the grain which could lead to spoilage and insect activity when warmer temperatures return in the spring.
When you check grain in a bin, open the access hatch, then start the aeration fan. Climb back up and lean into the access hatch as soon as possible after turning on the fan so you can feel and smell the air as it hits your face. You are looking for three things that could signal trouble.
- Is the air warmer than expected?
- Can you feel moisture on your face as you lean into the access hatch?
- Is there condensation forming on the underside of the bin roof on a cold day?
If any of these three conditions occur, the fan(s) should run long enough to bring the entire grain mass to a uniformly cool temperature inside the bin. The best way to tell if the grain temperature is uniform is to use a grain thermometer that can be pushed three or four feet into the grain. Probe a couple of feet away from the bin wall, taking the temperature every 15 to 20 feet around the perimeter of the bin and at a minimum of three spots in the central part of the bin. If two spots differ in temperature by more than about 8 degrees, turn on the aeration fan and push air through the bin until a uniform temperature is reached throughout the grain mass.
Will you need to finish drying grain in the spring?
If you didn’t get the grain down to a safe storage moisture in the fall and the grain was cooled to 30°F for safe keeping in winter, it will need to be warmed in stages to 40° in late February or early March. This will allow you to take advantage of days with low humidity to finish drying the grain in the spring.
If you warmed the grain to do some additional drying but now the forecast is for unfavorable weather conditions, run the aeration fans at every opportunity to cool the grain again to reduce deterioration. Your goal should be to get the grain back down to 40°F.
You can keep dry corn that will be held into April at 40°. If corn will be kept into May or June, warm the grain to 60°F by May 1.
NE Farm Bureau Board Approves 2012 Legislative Priorities
Nebraska Farm Bureau's Board of Directors has approved eight priority issues Farm Bureau will emphasize during the 2012 session of the Nebraska Legislature:
1. Protect the rights of farmers and ranchers to use commonly accepted farming and animal care practices to operate their farms and ranches in a profitable and efficient manner.
2. Protect agriculture’s interests in water use, water management and compliance with interstate compacts and seek broad-based funding to address the state’s water challenges.
3. Create a better tax climate for farmers and ranchers by seeking reductions to agriculture’s property tax burden, maintaining sales tax exemptions critical to agriculture, assuring assessed values for land reflect the land’s agriculture use value, and seeking other tax relief consistent with NEFB policy.
4. Seek to ensure modifications to state commodity check-off programs are consistent with NEFB policy.
5. Advocate for reform in the use of state dollars for land acquisition and the purchase of conservation easements.
6. Work to defend the property rights of farmers and ranchers.
7. Assure regulations on farms and ranches are reasonable, flexible, and based on scientific evidence and do not unduly burden or financially harm farmers and ranchers.
8. Seek to protect farmers’ and ranchers’ interests in health insurance matters consistent with NEFB policy.
To qualify as priorities, issues must: have statewide impact; be of significant interest to County Farm Bureaus; and be meaningful to individual Farm Bureau members because of their impact on a farmer’s or rancher's ability to conduct business and make a profit.
NeFBF to President: Here’s Two Federal Regulations That Need Some Common Sense
Nebraska Farm Bureau has two initial recommendations for President Obama as he seeks to stop unnecessary and burdensome federal regulations: discontinue the Department of Labor’s efforts to severely restrict the kinds of work children can do on farms, and recognize that on-farm storage of fuel shouldn’t be regulated the same way as fuel storage at gas stations, airports and oil refineries.
“We’re in complete agreement with the president that government should eliminate rules and regulations that don’t make sense,” Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson said Friday (Jan. 27). Nelson offered Farm Bureau’s suggestions on behalf of the organization’s board of directors in a letter to the president.
“The first issue we raised with the president is the Department of Labor’s proposal to limit what young people can do on farms and ranches. As farmer and ranchers, we know the hazards in agriculture and have measures in place to keep our youth safe,” Nelson said.
The proposed rules are written so broadly that they severely limit young people’s exposure to livestock and farm machinery, he said. “’Learning by doing’ is critical to young people becoming excited about agriculture and careers in ag and related occupations. Limiting their ability to get their hands dirty keeps them from learning and developing a passion for agriculture. We need to do everything we can to encourage the next generation of food producers.”
Farm Bureau’s second recommendation would further modify the EPA’s Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure rule, which the president referred to in his State of the Union address. He noted that a provision requiring dairy producers to have a plan to contain spilled milk had been eliminated from the rule.
“Farmers fought for that change and there are other parts of the rule that also need changing,” Nelson said. “The SPCC rule was developed in the 1970s to cover only very large oil storage facilities such as refineries but it’s been expanded over time to include farms and ranches. Currently if you have more than 1,320 gallons of above-ground fuel storage, you need an SPCC compliance plan, which as the president noted, can cost $10,000 a year,” he said.
As the size of agricultural equipment continues to increase, farmers and ranchers need to have on-farm access to larger quantities of fuel, Nelson said. “Most of the time you can save a lot of money by buying fuel in a large quantity, because the supplier can make one trip to your place instead of several if you have less storage, and you have it when you need it.” He noted that the maximum amount of fuel that can be stored under the current limit is only enough to run a combine and tractor for two weeks during harvest.
He urged the president to increase the number of gallons of fuel that could be stored on the farm before a spill prevention plan is required. In an informal online survey conducted by Nebraska Farm Bureau last year, respondents said 10,000 gallons of fuel storage would be a reasonable maximum.
Under Heavy Insect Pressure, CruiserMaxx Protected Soybean Yield
Thomas Hunt, UNL Extension Entomologist
CruiserMaxx seed treatment trials were conducted at four locations in Nebraska to determine the effects on yield in early planted (early May) and later planted (late May-early June) soybean. The sites, part of the 2011 Soybean Management Field Days, were Bancroft (northeast Nebraska), Clay Center (south central), Cortland (southeast), and Elba (central).
Research Model
The design used in this study was a randomized complete block for both planting dates, with two treatments for each planting date. Treatments were CruiserMaxx (thiamethoxam + mefenoxam) treated seed and untreated seed. Plots were four rows wide and approximately 20 feet long. Standard soybean production practices were conducted. Yield was the primary measure, but plant stand, seedling defoliation, and bean leaf beetle numbers also were measured to help explain any effects. All yields were adjusted to 13% moisture. No disease measurements were made.
Results
Due to planter malfunction, the Clay Center and Cortland late planting dates were compromised. Cool and wet weather resulted in uneven emergence, particularly at Clay Center. Bean leaf beetle counts were generally very low, but defoliation indicated beetle presence, particularly at Clay Center during VC-V1.
There were no significant differences (α = 0.05) in yield between CruiserMaxx treated and untreated soybean at Bancroft, Cortland, and Elba for the early planting, and at Bancroft and Elba for the late planting.
There was a significant difference in yield between CruiserMaxx treated and untreated soybean at Clay Center for the early planting date. CruiserMaxx treated soybean was approximately 15 bu/ac higher than the untreated soybean. This likely was in part the result of bean leaf beetle feeding, as all untreated plants had feeding (up to 100%) injury at VC-V1, and feeding likely continued through V2-V3. Although feeding was present at other sites, it did not reach yield-damaging levels.
Corn Yield Challenge Open to Youth in 2012
Aaron Nygren, UNL Extension Educator in Colfax County
UNL Extension and the Nebraska Corn Board have teamed up to offer the first Innovative Youth Corn Challenge contest. This contest, open to 4-H members (age 10 and older as of Jan. 1, 2012) or FFA members (in-school members), will guide youth through all aspects of corn production, as well as provide information on agricultural careers related to corn production. Youth will be challenged to implement a production practice different than normal to determine if they increased their yield.
Economics and sustainability of the practice also will be considered. Yields, cropping history, and production information will be collected in the Corn Yield Challenge management summary. Youth will work with an adult mentor throughout the process. Mentors can be UNL Extension faculty, ag teachers, or other qualified agronomy professionals.
Cash prizes and plaques will be given to the first, second, and third place teams. First place will receive $1,000, second place will receive $500, and third place will receive $250. A data completion and innovation award also will be given.
Entries
To participate, youth must complete and return an entry form by March 1 to the Fillmore County Extension Office in Geneva. More information and registration forms are available in the CropWatch Youth section (http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/cropwatch-youth/home) under Activities at 2012 Innovative Youth Corn Challenge (http://cropwatch.unl.edu/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=5a947ee6-dbc5-4215-a37d-b567c2ac8e37&groupId=4555409&.pdf). For more information, contact Brandy VanDeWalle at bvandewalle2@unl.edu or 402-759-3712.
Center Pivot Irrigation Management Short Courses in February
Adopting advanced irrigation management practices can help you enhance the value of the water you apply. Learn how at two Center Pivot Irrigation Management Short Courses to be held in Gothenburg and York this February. The Feb. 6 program will be held at the Monsanto Water Utilization Learning Center near Gothenburg and the Feb. 8 short course will be at the Cornerstone Ag and Event Center on the York County Fairgrounds in York. Registration begins at 9 a.m. with a welcome at 9:30 a.m.
Program topics will include:
- Performance of center pivots
- Soil water management
- Matching sprinklers to soils
- Sprinkler package selection
- Minimizing pumping costs
- Estimating crop water use
- Water balance and consumptive use/limited irrigation
- Center pivot technology and variable rate irrigation
- Center pivot management
Keynote speakers for each of the programs will begin at 2:20 p.m.and close out the program. These two short courses are sponsored by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension, Reinke, Valley, T-L Irrigation, Lindsay, and the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund. The program is free; however, participants are asked to register so adequate materials and meals will be available. To register:
- For the Feb. 6 Gothenburg meeting call 308-995-4222 or email cburr1@unl.edu
- For the Feb. 8 York meeting call 402-362-5508 or email gzoubek1@unl.edu
Additional information can be found at: http://water.unl.edu/web/cropswater/home.
U.S. Pork Sandwiches Showcased in East Japan Railway Campaign
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently launched a marketing campaign with Becker’s, a casual, café-style restaurant chain operated by JR East Food Business, a subsidiary of the East Japan Railway Company. With locations inside many high-traffic stations, Becker’s attracts thousands of commuting consumers. In fact, about 2.65 million commuters per day pass through the 24 railway stations in which Becker’s restaurants are located.
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| U.S. pork sandwiches entice commuters at 24 railway station locations in Japan |
Becker’s has traditionally taken a very conservative approach to marketing its menu selections, but chose to collaborate with USMEF for a large-scale promotion of a new menu featuring sandwiches made with U.S. pork trimmings. The promotional campaign, which runs Dec. 1 through Feb. 28, prominently features the U.S. Pork logo and is supported by the Pork Checkoff and the USDA Market Access Program (MAP). Becker’s is also promoting the sandwich menu on its website and with consumer magazine coupons. During the three-month promotional period, Becker’s estimates approximately 7 metric tons (nearly 15,500 pounds) of U.S. pork trimmings will be used.
“For Becker’s, this is the first time it has featured U.S. pork on its menu,” said Takemichi Yamashoji, USMEF-Japan’s senior marketing director. “We are very pleased to be partnering with Becker’s on this promotion, as the campaign is reaching a tremendous number of consumers and providing outstanding exposure for U.S. pork.”
Foodservice promotion is just one of the marketing tools that helped push U.S. pork exports to Japan to new heights in 2011. Through November, exports (including both muscle cuts and variety meat) had already set a new value record of $1.79 billion, on a near-record volume of 451,509 metric tons (995.4 million pounds). When December results are available, pork exports to Japan will have achieved a new volume record and the export value will approach the $2 billion mark.
Iowa Lawmakers to Consider 'Ag Gag' Legislation, Again
A bill that would impose the nation's toughest legislation restricting undercover operations by animal rights activists will return in the Senate as part of a procedural motion. House File 589, known as the "ag gag bill," which would make it illegal to videotape at farms or other animal operations while undercover. Farmers say the legislation is needed to protect the state’s agricultural economy against activists who deliberately cast their operations in a negative light and continue videotaping rather than reporting abuse immediately.
Animal welfare officials say undercover recording is vital to protect livestock and food safety and that they must document multiple instances of abuse to show a pattern.
The House passed the bill last year but it stalled in the Senate after the Iowa attorney general's office said the bill would most likely face constitutional challenges because of provisions that would have made it illegal to possess or distribute audio or video recordings. The U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled that films exposing animal cruelty represent the exercise of free speech.
The Senate late in last year's session introduced a sweeping rewrite that scrapped an effort to establish new offenses of fraud to prohibit animal advocates from obtaining access to livestock facilities by false pretenses. Instead, the Senate rewrite legislation beefs up language regarding trespassing, making it a crime to enter or remain at an agricultural operation or to have a recording device at such operations without express permission.
Critics contended last year that current trespassing law already makes such activities a crime and that the Senate version also poses constitutional problems because it would require anyone who makes undercover recordings while trespassing to turn over the recordings to authorities.
Roy Motter Elected USW Secretary-Treasurer
The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors elected Roy Motter, Brawley, CA, to serve as Secretary-Treasurer for 2012/13 at its meeting in Washington, DC, January, 29, 2012. The Board also elected Darrell Davis, Ipswich, SD, as Chairman and Dan Hughes, Venango, NE, Vice Chairman. New officers officially begin their duties at USW’s Summer Board Meeting July 6 to 9 in Spokane, WA. At that time, current Chairman Randy Suess, Colfax, WA, will replace Don Schieber, Ponca City, OK, as Past Chair and USW Budget Committee Chair.
“As an active USW director for California for the last four years, I have had the opportunity to attend USW-organized regional buyers' conferences for Latin America and South Asia,” Motter said. “I have been impressed by the quality of the staff and work done by USW and welcome this opportunity to take a larger leadership role in the organization.”
Motter is managing partner of Spruce Farms, LLC, a diverse operation in California’s Imperial Valley that includes Desert Durum®, lettuce, cabbage, onions, sugar beets, sugar cane, alfalfa seed and hay, sudan grass, melons and tomatoes. He has been a member of the California Wheat Commission since 1998, currently serving as vice chairman, and has served as
president and vice president of the Stockman’s Club of Imperial Valley.
Davis operates a fifth-generation family grain and cattle operation and is a member of South Dakota Wheat Inc., the South Dakota Soybean Association, the South Dakota Corn Growers Association, and the South Dakota Cattleman’s Association. Davis is a board member and past president of North Central Farms Elevator. He is an alumnus of the South Dakota Agriculture and Rural Leadership, a program dedicated to advancing leadership in the state’s agricultural and rural communities.
Hughes is a third-generation wheat farmer in the southwest corner of Nebraska. His operation includes hard red winter wheat for domestic use and export, as well as hard white wheat grown under contract for ConAgra. He also is a commissioner of the Nebraska Wheat Board, serving as chairman from 2008 to 2010.
Suess manages a three-year rotation of soft white winter wheat, spring wheat, and peas in eastern Washington’s Palouse region. He is a member of the Washington Wheat Commission (WWC) and served as its Chairman for two years. Suess served as a state board member and chairman of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers public information committee, a trustee of the Washington Wheat Foundation, and president of the Whitman County Association of Wheat Growers.
USDA ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR SEVERAL NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION INITIATIVES
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is currently accepting applications for several special initiatives promoting organic agriculture, energy conservation, and water quality and quantity measures.
Applications are accepted anytime at local NRCS offices but interested participants are encouraged to apply soon. The first cutoff date for ranking applications is Feb. 3, 2012, but additional ranking periods will be available throughout winter and spring. Interested applicants will have until June 1, 2012, to apply for financial and technical assistance through these special initiatives, but are encouraged to apply well in advance of the final cut off date to ensure funding availability.
These special initiatives are available through the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to help plan and implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns on agricultural land and non-industrial private forestland.
Funding is currently available for the following special initiatives:
On-Farm Energy Initiative:
The On-Farm Energy Initiative offers assistance to producers in two ways: 1) it enables the producer to identify ways to conserve energy on the farm through an on-farm energy audit, and 2) provides financial and technical assistance to implement conservation practices recommended in the energy audit, such as residue and tillage management, and Farmstead Energy Improvement.
Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative:
The Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative helps producers plan and implement high tunnels, which are steel-framed, polyethylene-covered structures that extend growing seasons. High Tunnels can help producers improve plant and soil quality, reduce nutrient and pesticide transportation, and reduce energy use by providing consumers with a local source of fresh produce.
Organic Initiative:
The Organic Initiative provides financial and technical assistance to help organic growers implement approved conservation practices that address significant natural resource concerns, and assists growers transitioning to organic production with developing and implementing conservation plans.
Ogallala Aquifer Initiative:
Funding through this initiative will provide technical and financial assistance to producers to install conservation practices that help conserve water and protect water quality within priority areas located in the Ogallala Aquifer. A map of the Ogallala Aquifer Initiative priority areas is located at www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov.
Agricultural Water Enhancement Program Initiative (AWEP)
AWEP is a voluntary conservation initiative that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to implement agricultural water enhancement activities on agricultural land to conserve surface and ground water and improve water quality within AWEP project areas. A map of the AWEP project areas is available at www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov.
For more information about these special initiatives please visit your local NRCS field office or www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov.
CWT Assists with 13.8 Million Pounds of Butter and Cheese Export Sales
Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 17 requests for export assistance from Bongards, Dairy Farmers of America, Darigold, Land O’Lakes, Upstate Niagara subsidiary O-At-Ka and United Dairymen of Arizona to sell a total of 1,288 metric tons (2.840 million pounds) of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gouda cheese and 4,969 metric tons (10.955 million pounds) of butter to customers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered January through June 2012.
After reviewing several market fundamentals, CWT determined that it should begin assisting member cooperatives in making sales of butter overseas. CWT’s strategic plan, approved by the CWT Committee last year, called for funds to be budgeted in 2012 for that purpose.
In 2012, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gouda cheese totaling 13.2 million pounds and butter totaling just less than 11 million pounds to 12 countries on four continents.
Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term by reducing inventories that overhang the market and depress cheese prices. In the long-term, CWT’s Export Assistance program helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the farm milk that produces them.
CWT will pay export bonuses to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.
Consumers Overwhelmingly Support National Legislation Sought by Egg Farmers
American consumers overwhelmingly support the national legislation regarding egg production that was introduced last week in Congress, according to a new survey released today.
Consumers said they would support federal legislation that would transition egg production from the existing conventional cages used for egg-laying hens to enriched cages by a margin of 4-to-1. Furthermore, consumers said that federal legislation was preferable to state legislation by a margin of 2-to-1.
The study was conducted by an independent research company, The Bantam Group, and commissioned by United Egg Producers which represents the majority of egg farmers in the U.S. and which supports the federal legislation. However, the survey's sponsorship was anonymous so as to not bias any of the 2,000 respondents, all of whom were registered voters.
Consumers support the transition to enriched cages for egg production by a margin of 12-to-1. Consumers also said that the two most important groups to support this transition outlined in the federal legislation (H.R. 3798) to enriched cages are UEP and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), both of which support the bill, as do more than 11 egg and farm groups, 10 animal protection groups, and the National Consumers League. Fifty-nine percent of consumers said they would be "more supportive" if they knew that UEP and HSUS supported such legislation; only 1 percent said they would be more opposed.
Enriched cages provide egg-laying hens nearly double the amount of space they currently have in conventional cages, plus provide perches, nest boxes, and scratch pads which allow the hens to exhibit their natural behaviors.
"This is legislation that egg farmers and consumers overwhelmingly support," said David Lathem, a Georgia egg farmer and chairman of UEP.
The survey was fielded by an independent research group, Bantam, which conducted two nationwide surveys, of 1,000 registered voters each, December 27, 2011 through January 20, 2012. The first survey investigated consumer support for enriched cages, the second survey investigated consumer support for the federal legislation.
The question of federal versus state legislation is important because several states already have established, or are in the process of establishing, different laws regarding the housing and sale of eggs in each of their states. The Supreme Court last week ruled in favor of pork and beef farmers who argued that a federal law regarding livestock processing pre-empts a state law that was passed in California.
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