Monday January 9 Ag News

Flexible Cash Lease Workshop on January 24
Steve Tonn, UNL Extension Educator, Washington County

The Managing Risk and Making Money with Flexible Cash Lease Provisions Workshop will be Tuesday, January 24, 1- 3 p.m. at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln Extension Washington County Office , 507 Grant Street in Blair, Nebraska.  Sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Washington County, the workshop will feature Tim Lemmons, UNL Extension Farm Management Educator, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using flexible cash lease arrangement to manage risk and make money for landowners and tenants.

The workshop is free but participants must pre-register by January 20 to reserve a seat for the workshop and to receive handout materials.  Participants can re-register by calling the Washington County Extension Office at 402-426-9455 or email stonn2@unl.edu. 

Fluctuating markets and uncertain yields can make it difficult to arrive at a fair cash rental rate in advance of each crop year. To address this problem, some owners and tenants are using a flexible lease agreement in which the final rent is not determined until after the crop is harvested.

Any land owner or tenant or other interested individual should pre-register by Jan. 20 at the UNL Extension Office at 597 Grant Street, Ste 200, Blair, NE, Neb., 68008 or call 402-426-9455 to ensure a seat and materials.  Registrations also can be emailed to Steve Tonn at stonn2@unl.edu. Additional information can be found at the Washington County UNL Extension website at http://washington.unl.edu.



Platte Valley Cattlemen Membership Meeting is January 16th 
Dan Egger, Platte Valley Cattlemen President

The next meeting of the Platte Valley Cattlemen is set for Monday, January 16, 2012, at Wunderlich’s Catering in Columbus.  The social hour will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the meal at 7:00 p.m.  Our special thanks to Darrin Nordhues, Beef Business Manager at Central Valley Ag, for sponsoring the social hour. He will discuss some of the opportunities with the recent purchase of the Duncan Mill. January is our “Membership Meeting” and anyone who joins or renews their membership will receive their meal free. Also, please bring a guest to join Platte Valley Cattlemen. 

Our meeting will begin with Wade Johannes, Commodity Risk Manager for the ProEdge Marketing Team at CVA. Wade will cover what is important to the price of corn in 2012.

The Nebraska Cattlemen Association will provide an informational presentation for this meeting. Our guest speakers will be Michael Kelsey, Executive Vice President, and Dave Doeschot, Southeast Member Services Representative.

Also Don't Forget...
The annual Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, February 25, 2012, at Scotus Memorial Hall.  Please mark this date on your calendar.

Also, the Platte Valley Cattlemen will once again offer one or more $500.00 college scholarships to qualified students.  Applications may be obtained at the Platte County Extension Office, 2610 14th Street, Suite 15, Columbus.

And, there are positions open on the Platte Valley Cattlemen Board of Directors.  Contact any of the officers if you want to help our organization.



Planned Grazing Systems Educational Workshop is Feb 7th
Joyce Reicks, Pierce NRCS office

The 11th Annual Planned Grazing Systems Educational Workshop will be held Tuesday February 7, 2012, from 9:15 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., at the Lifelong Learning Center located on the Northeast Community College Campus – Norfolk, NE.  This workshop will provide the opportunity for livestock producers to hear first hand and ask questions concerning pasture insect management, cover crops, grazing cover crops in cash grain systems, economics of establishing and grazing irrigated pasture, changes in the 2012 Farm Service Agency Programs and available cost-share programs to help producers reach their conservation goals. 

Featured speakers will include Wayne Ohnesorg, Extension Educator for Madison, Pierce, Stanton and Wayne counties, specializing in entomology, will be presenting “Pasture Insect Management”.  Jim Schneider, Extension Educator for Hamilton County, specializes in cover crops, will be presenting “Cover Crop use on the Great Plains”.  Dan Gillespie, NRCS No-Till Specialist and Madison Co. long time No-Till Farmer, will discuss “Grazing Cover Crops in Cash Grain Systems”.  Brian Strauch, Extension Educator for Red Willow County, specializing in Beef Cow Economics, will present “Economics of Establishing and Grazing Irrigated Pasture”.  Shanna Waterman, Pierce County FSA, CED, will share with you the 2012 Farm Service Agency Farm Bill Programs and Sabrina Negus, NRCS Information and Education Specialist, will cover the “Available Cost-Share Programs.   This will be an informative workshop for questions pertaining to your own grazing operation that can be answered by the professionals.

The 11th Annual Planned Grazing Systems Educational Workshop is free to the public.  Please feel free to bring along anyone else that may be interested in attending.  All we ask is that you let us know how many will be attending by Wednesday February 1st so that we can get an accurate count for the complimentary lunch that will be provided by the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resource District (LENRD).    To RSVP, or if you have any questions, please call the NRCS office in Pierce at 402-329-4996 Ext. 3.    This workshop is sponsored by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District, and UNL Cooperative Extension.

Don’t forget to RSVP by Wednesday February 1st.



UNL Research: Irrigated Corn Achieves High Yields With High Energy Efficiency, Little Impact on Climate Change
Contrary to conventional wisdom, irrigated corn in Nebraska is highly efficient in the use of energy, water and fertilizer, say University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists whose research found that increased yields more than offset the energy cost of these inputs.

This research has important ramifications for agriculture's efforts to meet increasing global needs for food, feed, fuel and fiber on existing farmland, said Ken Cassman, UNL agronomist who holds the university's inaugural Robert B. Daugherty Professorship. Cassman and Patricio Grassini, a UNL research professor in agronomy and horticulture, co-authored a paper about their research that appears in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"If the goal is simply to reduce greenhouse gases or to have the highest possible energy efficiency, you'd do that producing crops without any inputs at all, or by getting rid of agriculture entirely. Of course that's not a tenable position," Cassman said. "The challenge therefore is how to produce enough food in a way that also protects the environment, conserves natural resources and minimizes the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture."

The UNL research shows that modern, irrigated, high-input agriculture, though it uses more fossil fuels and generates more climate-change-causing greenhouse gases than rainfed systems, also produces much higher crop yields.

The widely held perception of irrigated agriculture as energy wasteful fails to take into account crop-management changes in recent decades that have increased yields without requiring more fertilizer or irrigation, Cassman said. Those changes have steadily boosted the energy efficiency of irrigated corn grown in the western Corn Belt and High Plains, including Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and parts of Texas, which accounts for about 15 percent of U.S. corn production.

"In fact, we found that irrigated corn had substantially larger net energy yield and less greenhouse gas emissions per unit of grain produced than corn from rainfed systems with much smaller input levels and lower yields," Grassini said.

The findings are based on several years' field data collected from a large number of commercial production fields in Nebraska. This "rigorous on-farm assessment" is a first, Grassini explained. Previous research used secondary data gathered and extrapolated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through producer surveys.

"In our study, each field has its own database. We could go back to the same field in 10 years and see how things have changed," Cassman added.

It's important to assess energy efficiency and GHG emissions of cropping systems on a yield basis, not a land-area basis, Grassini said.

To illustrate that point, Grassini said it would be possible to achieve a large decrease in GHG emissions in the three Nebraska counties included in this study by converting irrigated cropland into dryland agriculture, but to make up for the estimated 50 percent decrease in grain yield would require 308,000 additional acres of rainfed corn production in Nebraska.

"Thus it is penny-wise and pound foolish to convert irrigated agriculture back to dryland production for the sake of reducing greenhouse gas emissions," Grassini added.

"At some point, in a world with limited resources and confronted with emerging challenges such as climate change and limited supplies of fresh water, understanding how all of the world's agriculture performs in terms of net energy yield, greenhouse gas emissions intensity and water and nitrogen productivity is going to be important," Cassman said. "This paper sets standards on how you can do that using real-world farm data."

"The story of irrigated corn in Nebraska can be taken as a benchmark for other current and future irrigated cropping systems because it shows that achieving high yields, high energy efficiency, and low global warming potential are not mutually exclusive goals in real-world commercial farming," Grassini said.

The findings do not mean irrigated corn systems can't be made even more energy efficient, emphasized Cassman. Continued progress can come with use of best management practices, including rotation of corn with soybeans rather than continuous corn, replacement of surface irrigation with pivot irrigation systems, use of conservation tillage practices rather than conventional disc-plowing, and fine-tuning applications of nitrogen fertilizer and irrigation water.

UNL scientists now are conducting similar research on soybean production in Nebraska, Cassman said.

The article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is titled "High-yield maize with large net energy yield and small global warming intensity."



From Farms to Families:  A program designed to empower women in agriculture through education on timely, relevant, and engaging topics.

Session 1:  Thursday, March 15, 6:00 pm
By attending you will:
Develop your Green Thumb:  by learning about what and how to plant your garden
Become a more informed citizen:  by learning about public policies that effect agriculture
Registration Deadline:  March 8

Session 2:  Thursday, March 29, 6:00 pm
By attending you will:
Know you “Can” do it:  by learning about food preservation techniques
Explore cows, cats, and caterpillars:  by learning about animal and plant health issues
Registration Deadline:March 22

ALSO Learn how to save time and money with quick crock pot meals.  Cost:  $25 per session or $45 for both sessions.  Price includes all materials and a light supper.

Location:  UNL Agricultural Research & Development Center, August N. Christenson Building, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE
To register contact:  UNL Extension - Saunders County, (402) 624-8030



Farmers and Ranchers Cow/Calf College at USMARC Jan. 17

The Farmers and Ranchers Cow/Calf College "Partners in Progress -- Beef Seminar" will be Jan. 17 at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center and Great Plains Veterinary Education Center near Clay Center.  The annual cow/calf college will begin with registration, coffee and donuts from 9-9:45 a.m. The program will start at 9:50 a.m. and end at approximately 3:45 p.m.  Sponsored by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension's Farmers and Ranchers College, the program will feature speakers discussing issues and management strategies that can affect the profitability of all beef producers.  Registration for the free event is required to reserve a noon meal.

John Pollak, director, USMARC, will start the program and give a short overview on research at the Meat Animal Research Center. He will be followed by Ross Baker, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, who will present "ADTS -- New Regulations for Cattle Crossing State Lines," and Kelsi Wehrman, Farm Bill wildlife biologist with the USDA-NRCS, who will present "Prescribed Burning to Control Cedars & Increase Forage Quality."

At noon, there will be a rotation of lunch and sessions. Noon sessions will feature the return of area cattlemen Ken and Zach Herz, who will provide sessions on a "Follow-up on Packed Manure Bed Beef Barn -- One Year Later." They will present results of their first year in the large 200 foot by 100 foot barn that was built for confined beef management. It is one of the first in Nebraska and is located near Lawrence. Also in the rotation will be a chance to see and hear about the "UNL Beef Mobile Lab" which takes hands-on animal science on the road. UNL Extension educators Brent Plugge and Bob Meduna will explain what they are doing, and participants can see and experience the mobile lab.

The afternoon sessions will discuss the future of animal agriculture.

The first session will feature Jordan Dux, national affairs coordinator with the Nebraska Farm Bureau, who will give an "Update on Federal and State Ag Issues" that are likely to affect cattlemen and the agriculture industry.

This year's capstone address will be delivered by Ronnie Green, NU vice-president and IANR Harlan vice chancellor, who will present "Feeding the Global Future with Red Meat Innovation." There is no doubt that agriculture faces a challenge with the impending explosion of population world-wide and the need for protein for those people. Green will discuss where red meat production can help face those challenges.

To end the college, all presenters will be on stage to pull everything together, give their final thoughts and considerations and then participate in a coffee-shop style panel discussion during which cattlemen can ask questions and get answers on topic questions that came to them during the day's sessions. A chance for door prizes will be awarded to those that stay for the entire event.

Any beef producer or other interested individual should pre-register by Jan. 12 at the UNL Extension Office at 621 North Cedar, Red Cloud, Neb., 68930 or call 402-746-3417 to ensure a seat and lunch. Walk-ins are accepted but may not get a lunch. Registrations also can be emailed to Dewey Lienemann at dlienemann2@unl.edu. Additional information can be found at the Webster County UNL Extension website at http://www.webster.unl.edu.



Cargill to Modernize, Consolidate Iowa Soybean Crush Operations

Cargill will invest approximately $20 million this summer to modernize its soybean crushing plant on the east side of Cedar Rapids. Additional work at the Cedar Rapids facility over the next several years could bring the total investment to $60 million.

Meanwhile, reflecting industry overcapacity in soymeal production, Cargill will optimize its soybean crushing operations in Iowa by closing its Des Moines crush plant on Feb. 4.

"Iowa is core to Cargill's soybean crushing strategy," said Mark Stonacek, president of Cargill Grain & Oilseed Supply Chain North America in Minneapolis. "We remain committed to serving Iowa farmers and our soy product customers, which we can do more competitively through our Iowa locations in Sioux City, Iowa Falls, and our two plants in Cedar Rapids. The decision to close the crush plant in Des Moines was a difficult one due to the long history and loyal employees at this facility."

Declining domestic meat consumption, substitution of competing proteins such as dried distillers grain in feed, and growth in international oilseed processing have created a difficult industry environment for soymeal, Stonacek said.

Cargill will continue some business activities at the Des Moines site. Cargill will still purchase soybeans at its Des Moines elevator. Cargill will also continue to operate its vegetable oil refinery and produce specialty feed products at the Des Moines facility. Additionally, Cargill has a regional office in West Des Moines.

A total of 22 jobs will be eliminated by the closure of the soybean crushing operation in Des Moines. Cargill will still have approximately 70 employees in the Des Moines metro area. Cargill employs more than 4,100 in its nearly 30 Iowa locations.

"We appreciate the service provided by our colleagues at the Des Moines soybean crushing plant," Stonacek said. "Iowa continues to be an important place for Cargill, as reflected by our planned investments for Cedar Rapids."

Soybean meal customers supplied by Des Moines will be served by other Cargill plants, including the facilities in Iowa Falls, Sioux City and Cedar Rapids. All existing contracts will be honored.



SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORTS DAIRY LEADERS OF TOMORROW
DFA Cares Scholarship Application Deadline Approaching

Students aspiring to build a career in the dairy industry can take one step closer with Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.’s (DFA) annual DFA Cares Foundation Scholarship.  The program, now in its fifth year, has awarded scholarships totaling nearly $60,000 to outstanding students planning a career in dairy, either as a producer or in numerous related fields, such as veterinary medicine or agricultural communications.

“Investing in the future is critical to the long-term success of the dairy industry,” said David Darr, DFA vice president of sustainability and public affairs, and a member of the DFA Cares board. “The DFA Cares Scholarship Program encourages and rewards students committed to the future of our industry for the hard work they put in throughout the year.”

Any dairy-oriented student enrolled in a two- or four-year accredited college, university or trade school is eligible to apply for the scholarship. The program also is open to high school seniors and post graduates.  Award recipients will be selected based on their commitment and passion to a career in the dairy industry, essay responses, extracurricular activity involvement, academic achievements, prior work experience and financial need. All applicants must include two letters of recommendation and their most recent high school or college transcript.

The deadline to apply is January 13. Winners will be announced at DFA’s 14th Annual Meeting in March. More information about the DFA Cares Scholarship is available at www.dfamilk.com/careers.



CWT Assists with 6.4 Million Pounds of Cheese Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 18 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Darigold and United Dairymen of Arizona to sell a total of 2,894 metric tons (6.380 million pounds) of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese to customers in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered January through June 2012.

In 2011, CWT assisted members in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gouda cheese totaling 92.4 million pounds to 26 countries on four continents. That is the equivalent of 910 million pounds of milk, or the annual production of 43,500 cows.

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.



A Banner Year for Holstein Association USA in 2011

Holstein Association USA announced that 2011 was an exceptional year for the Registered Holstein industry.  The group's CEO John Meyer says enthusiasm for the Holstein breed is high and growing, evidenced by the 360,149 Holsteins that were registered, as of December 31, 2011. This exceeds 2010 totals by over 20,000 animals, an increase of six percent, and is the most animals registered on an annual basis since 1995.

"The last time we registered 360,000 animals in a year was 1995, when there were well over 120,000 dairy operations in the United States," Meyer said. "Today, the number of licensed dairies is less than half of that. We're very excited that Holstein Association members and dairy producers nationwide continue to realize the added value U.S. Registered Holsteins bring to their operations."

Meyer says his group is pleased that the number of U.S. Registered Holsteins continues to grow, saying the recent boost is a testament that Holsteins are the United States' and world's most popular and profitable cow.



Celeres Lowers Brazil Soy, Corn View On Dry Weather

Sparse December rains across Brazil's south prompted Celeres, a leading local farm consultancy, to lower its soybean and corn forecasts Monday.  The firm reduced its summer corn forecast by 4.6% to 36.8 million metric tons (mmt) and its soybean number by 1.6% to 74.4 mmt as the crops of Rio Grande do Sul and Parana continue to cower under the intense summer sun.

The dry weather caught the southern corn crop in the key stages of development when the plants demand a lot of water, said a Celeres report. As a result, the consultancy lowered yield forecasts for Rio Grande do Sul by 8.3% and for Parana by 11%.

Despite the losses, output is still expected to rise 12% this year on a jump in planted area. Farmers switched soybean areas to corn this year due to the handsome margins that the grain promised. Brazil also plants a winter corn crop, which accounts for approximately 40% of output. The summer losses may prompt Brazilian farmers to plant slightly more winter corn acres this year, Celeres said.



Cenex Celebrates Good Deeds in Nebraska Communities With Free Fuel

To recognize and reward the people in the communities its retailers serve, Cenex® – the CHS energy brand – is launching Tanks of Thanks, a new program that gives free fuel to those who help make their communities just a little bit better.

In every Nebraska community, there are people doing good things every day. A neighbor who organizes the summer barbeque, a parent who volunteers to coach the youth soccer team, the teenager who helps shovel a neighbor’s driveway. The Tanks of Thanks program gives Cenex customers and anyone else in the community a new way to say “thank you” to neighbors, friends and family by recognizing their good deeds and nominating them for free fuel from their local Cenex retail location.

“The Cenex brand has a deep-rooted history in serving rural communities and smaller towns across the country, so we realize that it’s the little acts of kindness that make these communities healthy and happy places to live,” says Kayte Haaland, CHS refined fuels brand marketing manager. “These acts of kindness do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Tanks of Thanks is our way to celebrate these good deeds and encourage others to contribute to their communities.”

Nominating someone for Tanks of Thanks is easy, and anyone can nominate or be nominated for any act of kindness – big or small. Visit TanksofThanks.com and briefly describe why someone deserves a Tank of Thanks. The site also shares other nominations from communities across the country. Each month, 12 nominees will be drawn at random to receive a Tanks of Thanks gift card worth $50.

“There is no limit to the number of people you can nominate,” adds Haaland. “Nominate as many people as you think deserve recognition for making your community a better place.”

In addition to the monthly drawing, each Cenex dealer or retailer can also give away Tanks of Thanks gift cards to reward individuals they see doing good in their local communities. By the end of 2012, it is anticipated that Tanks of Thanks will have recognized more than 2,500 people in small and rural communities across the country.

“Nearly all of the more than 1,400 Cenex dealer and retail locations are locally owned and operated, and proud to be an active part of the communities they serve,” says Haaland. “The Tanks of Thanks program is simply another way for our Cenex dealers and retailers to show their communities that ‘We’re with you.’ ”

For more information or to nominate someone you know for Tanks of Thanks, visit www.tanksofthanks.com.



Case IH Plant Earns Energy Efficiency Certification

The Case IH tractor plant in Racine was recently accredited with ISO 50001 certification for energy management, joining a handful of companies worldwide to receive such a rare honor.  Plant Manager Steve Tyler says this accreditation for ISO 50001 recognizes the facility's continuous improvement in energy efficiency and Case IH's long-term commitment to reducing its environmental impact.  "This certification is another testament to this world-class manufacturing facility and can be a source of pride for our employees and the community," Tyler said.

Because energy is one of the most critical challenges facing the international community, the ISO 50001 certification is intended to provide organizations with the framework for integrating energy practices into their management procedures. To achieve the ISO 50001 certification, the tractor plant was audited by a third-party firm, UL-DQS, which recommended the plant to the American National Accreditation Board. Under its current energy management system, the plant will continue to improve its energy efficiency and has formalized its process, tools, roles and responsibilities to ensure the system's sustainability.

The ISO 50001 certification for energy management is the Racine plant's fourth certification. It also has been certified ISO 9001 for quality management systems, ISO 14001 for environmental efficiency and OHSAS 18001 for health and safety.

The Racine plant is home to the Case IH Magnum Series tractors, which are in demand worldwide. In 2011, approximately 40 percent of the Magnums produced at the plant were destined for export. The Racine plant also produces transmissions and final drives for Axial-Flow combines and Module Express Cotton Pickers, cabs for the Patriot sprayers, and axles and valves for Steiger Series tractors.