Thursday January 19 Ag News

Calving System Can Help to Limit New Calf Illness
Steve Tonn, UNL Extension Educator, Washington County

Diarrhea, commonly called scours, is a dreaded disease that can infect new born calves.  There is nothing more demoralizing to a cow calf operator than finding calves with diarrhea, especially after the long hours spent managing the calving process.  Diarrhea costs cow calf producers a great deal in not only calf death loss but also in lost performance, health treatments and labor.

Scours is a complex disease which results as a function of disease agents, young animals with low or impaired immune systems, and the environment.  Keeping the environment clean as long as possible has been recognized as important for controlling calf diarrhea.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has developed a calving system called the Sandhills Calving System to try and keep the calving environment clean and to reduce the spread of the disease from one calf to another.  The idea is to minimize the disease load and newborns’ exposure to the disease agents until their immune systems have sufficiently matured to better withstand them.  Many calves become infected and suffer from scours between the six and 15 days of life.  The system involves using several pastures to provide a series of clean calving areas.  The idea is to have a clean calving area without the presence of older calves that may be passing the disease on to newer calves.  We are trying to create 8, one week calving seasons, rather than one, eight week season.

Washington County producers don’t have a lot of pastures close by so it may take a little ingenuity to adapt the system to fit their situation.  But the concept is still valid even in our calving systems.  Think about how you can effectively separate younger from older calves until they can get to a more mature stage in their life to ward off calf scours.  How long?  In most situations, four –to- six week old calves will have the ability to fight off scours. 

Also think about your calving facility and calf shelters.  How clean are you keeping them?  Do you have a strategy to isolate problem calves and keep them from infecting healthy calves?  Do you rotate calf shelters around to keep them on cleaner ground?  Could you cross fence your calving area into two or three areas, thus providing clean ground to later calving cows?  Or maybe cross fence a nearby corn field into paddocks.  A few days of thinking and adjusting facilities may save you immeasurably in time, sick calves and expenses.  

For more information on the UNL Sandhills Calving System contact the Washington County Extension Office or visit the web site: http://vetext.unl.edu/publications.shtml?to=Beef.



Nebraska Sales of Ethanol Fuel Blends Top Ten Billion Gallons

Late in 2011, a Nebraska motorist stopped at a service station to fill up with ethanol blended fuel.  One of the gallons going into that tank was the ten billionth sold in the state.  The milestone was reached after thirty-four years and two hundred billion miles traveled on the state’s roads.  Sale of the second ten billion gallons of home grown fuel is likely to occur more quickly.  In 1979, 60,000 gallons were sold.  In 2012, projections show Nebraska drivers will purchase nearly seven hundred million gallons.

Last year, production from the state’s twenty-five ethanol plants topped 1.9 billion gallons according to preliminary data from the Nebraska Ethanol Board.  91% of the state’s production goes to U.S. domestic markets, 5% is shipped overseas.  4% goes in Nebraska fuel tanks and, because of lower costs at the pump, saves motorists some $55 million dollars annually.   According to the Energy Information Administration, 2011 U.S. ethanol production was 14.4 billion gallons.  The country’s total annual motor fuel usage is around 134 billion gallons.  Ethanol accounts for 10.7% of total U.S supply.

Loran Schmit, a former member of the Nebraska Legislature who laid the ground work for the development of Nebraska’s industry, is gratified to see continued growth of the ethanol industry.  “Our persistence paid off.  Ethanol is a major boost to our economy. Continued expansion of the ethanol industry will provide greater benefits for agriculture and energy security,” said Schmit.



Nebraska’s Government Payments 2010
USDA Economic Research Service

In  2010, Nebraska  producers  collected  $510 million  in government payments.   This was 22 percent more  than  the $419 million  in 2009 but 2 percent less than the $518 million in 2008.

Government Payments: Nebraska, 2006-2010
2010 - $509,655,000
2009 - $419,287,000
2008 - $518,495,000
2007 - $463,718,000
2006 - $812,141,000



Farmers’ Internet Use Detailed in 2011 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll

As Internet coverage and access improve in rural areas, more Iowa farmers are making use of this information source in their farming operations, according to the 2011 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll.

The 2011 poll included several questions on whether farmers have access to and use high-speed Internet service, the types of information they access and the sources of that information.

Results from the annual poll are available in the 2011 Summary Report, PM 3016, which can be downloaded at no cost from the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Online Store, www.extension.iastate.edu/store/.

“Expansion of high-speed Internet coverage in rural areas has been a priority in recent years, and we wanted to learn more about how farmers access and use the Internet, especially broadband,” said ISU Extension Sociologist J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr., who co-directs the survey with ISU Extension Sociologist Paul Lasley.

Arbuckle said 1,276 farmers participated in the poll. On average, the participating farmers were 65 years old, and 51 percent earned more than half of their income from farming.

Internet availability and access
“We gave farmers a list of options and asked them to indicate whether they had access to high-speed Internet. We also asked them to select all the ways that they access the Internet, so in numerous cases farmers reported more than one source of access,” Arbuckle said.

“Sixty percent of Farm Poll participants reported that they use high-speed Internet service. When we accounted for multiple forms of access, 70 percent of farmers reported that they use the Internet,” Arbuckle said.

The most common means of access, at 27 percent, was through a digital subscriber line (DSL) service. Fourteen percent of farmers reported accessing broadband through a satellite service, 13 percent through a wireless/cell phone service and 12 percent through cable. Twelve percent reported that they accessed the Internet over a standard telephone line.

“Only 14 percent of the farmers reported that they did not have access to high-speed Internet. In fact, the percentage of farmers who reported that they had access to high-speed Internet where they live, but chose not to use it — 21 percent — is significantly higher than the proportion who indicated that they lack access,” Arbuckle said.

Internet use for farm information
The last decade or so has seen an explosion of agriculture-related websites as farm magazines, agribusinesses, farm groups, conservation agencies and organizations, and other entities have increased their Internet presence and content. So in the 2011 poll farmers were asked about the types of farming-related information they accessed via the Internet, as well as how often they accessed information from a number of agriculture-related agencies and organizations. These questions focused only on the 70 percent of farmers who indicated that they used the Internet, Arbuckle explained.

Eighty-four percent of farmers who use the Internet have used it to get information on the weather, and 72 percent do so at least weekly. Most farmers who use the Internet also access market information (78 percent), general agricultural news (75 percent) and information about crop production (68 percent), and many do so on a fairly regular basis, Arbuckle said.

Fifty-five percent of farmers reported that they use the Internet for information on farm financial management, as well as pest management. Fifty-one percent reported that they seek information on soil and water conservation. However, farmers use the Internet for these types of information less frequently, with most reporting that they access these types of information less than once a month, Arbuckle added.

“Only 39 percent of farmers accessed livestock production information. However, as you would expect, among farmers who raise livestock the percentage was higher, with 71 percent reporting using the Internet for livestock-related information,” he said.

Farmers also were asked to indicate how often they access information online from several agencies and organizations that provide information and technical assistance on agricultural production and conservation.

ISU Extension and Outreach was selected by more Internet users than any other option, with 47 percent of farmers indicating that they use Extension and Outreach at least periodically. Farm magazines were second, at 44 percent, followed by farm groups at 39 percent, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at 36 percent and the Farm Service Agency at 32 percent, Arbuckle said.

Less than 30 percent of farmers reported that they use the Internet to get information from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Iowa Department of Natural Resources or county conservation boards.

More about the Farm and Rural Life Poll
The 2011 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll focused on a range of issues that are important not only to agriculture but to all Iowans, Arbuckle said. The 2011 survey also examined farmers’ views on climate change, conservation issues, investment in agricultural drainage and their perspectives on reducing the federal deficit and balancing the budget.

Conducted every year since its establishment in 1982, the Farm and Rural Life Poll is the longest-running survey of its kind in the nation, Arbuckle said. ISU Extension and Outreach, the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the Iowa Agricultural Statistics Service are all partners in the Farm Poll effort.

The 2011 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll summary report and previous summary and topical reports are available to download from the ISU Extension and Outreach Online Store (store.extension.iastate.edu/) and Extension Sociology (www.soc.iastate.edu/extension/farmpoll.html).



Pesticide Applicator Testing Available Across Iowa

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey reminded certified pesticide applicators that there are a number of options for them to meet the continuing education and testing requirements to maintain their pesticide applicator certifications.

"This is a busy time of the year for pesticide applicators that need to take the certification exam as well as those participating in continuing instruction courses, and there a variety of options of available for them to keep their pesticide application certification up-to-date," Northey said.

All commercial pesticide applicators must pass the pesticide application certification exam to receive their certification. Private applicators who wish to apply a restricted use pesticide must also pass a certification exam.

Upon passing the certification exam both commercial and private applicators receive a three year certification. The certification can be renewed without further testing if the applicator participates in continuing instruction each of the three years they hold the certification. Applicators must pay the certification fees to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship regardless of whether they renew by continuing instruction or by testing.

The Iowa State University Extension, in conjunction with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, offer the continuing instruction courses across the state. Applicators can find a course near them at www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar and then select "Pesticide Applicator Training" on the drop down "Category" menu.

For those needing to take the pesticide applicator test, exams are available daily at the DMACC college test center or at Iowa Western Community College's main campus in Council Bluffs and the college's centers in Atlantic, Harlan, and Shenandoah. Tests are also available by appointment at nine additional community college sites across the state and the Iowa State University Borlaug Learning Center in Nashua.

In addition, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa State University Extension will host more than 50 winter test sites around the state in February and March of this year.

The Department's Pesticide Bureau is responsible for the distribution and use of pesticide, responding to complaints of alleged misuse, and providing education and certification for the safe use of pesticides by applicators. There are currently 22,000 certified private applicators and 13,000 certified commercial applicators in Iowa.



National FFA Organization Seeks Student Travelers
The National FFA Organization is now accepting applications for its 2012 International Collegiate Agricultural Leadership (I-CAL) program. FFA will take 12 students to Southeast Asia this spring; the tentative program dates are May 19th-June 1st.

This conference allows students the opportunity to study global agriculture and international marketing. Students will learn about current international trade and cultural issues and gain awareness of how international markets for agricultural products operate. Upon completion of the program, students will give educational presentations to local groups and organizations about their experiences.

The I-CAL program was developed as a partnership with the U.S. Grains Council and The Grains Foundation. The deadline for applications is February 15th, 2012 at 5 p.m. EST. Potential participants can learn more about the program and download an application at www.ffa.org/collegiate.



More than 1,500 Farmer Votes Counted Early in FFA Chapter Challenge

FFA members in 12 states, eager to win terrific prizes for their local chapter, are off to a very strong start in a program to designed to teach them about today’s agriculture by meeting with farmers in their communities. 

The 2012 FFA Chapter Challenge, a second-year program now available to more than 3,300 FFA chapters and over 236,000 FFA members, started collecting votes on Monday, January 16. As of Wednesday afternoon, FFA members had already reached 1,541 farmers who voted for their local chapters. Missouri, with 460 votes, led Indiana (309) and Tennessee (308) in the early running. A complete state-by-state leaderboard is available at www.FFAchapterchallenge.com/leaderboard. 

Sponsored by Monsanto, the premise of the program is simple: chapter FFA members visit and build relationships with local farmers in a bid to learn about a farmer’s way of life and to build local support for their chapter’s agriculture education endeavors. Afterward, the FFA members ask the farmer to vote for their chapter.

The top 200 FFA chapters that make the most connections and receive the most farmer votes by February 29 will be awarded a line of credit ranging from $1,000 to $2,500 from the National FFA Organization. As a sponsor of the program, Monsanto will provide more than $300,000 in incentives.

But before FFA chapters are eligible for the program, they must register at www.FFAChapterChallenge.com. FFA members in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas are eligible in 2012 – up from just seven states last year. Votes from local farmers and producers will not count until the FFA chapter has completed the registration process.

 “Monsanto is very excited to support this program for a second year,” said Linda Arnold, customer advocacy lead for Monsanto. “As a company whose only business is agriculture, we are committed to educational programs like FFA Chapter Challenge that generate excitement in learning about farming. We encourage FFA members to reach out to farmers in their communities and learn more about their livelihood.”

Chapters can earn monetary credit which can be used throughout the year to buy FFA jackets and merchandise, obtain banquet supplies and send members to events like the Washington Leadership Conference or the national FFA convention, and more. Awards will go to the top 10 chapters in each of the 12 eligible states, plus 80 at-large winning chapters.

The chapter that makes the most connections and receives the most farmer votes of any participating FFA chapter will win the grand prize – an all-expense paid trip for six students and an advisor to attend the 85th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October 2012, plus a $2,500 FFA certificate of credit.

“Relationships are central to growing a career in any field, let alone agriculture. We love how this program emphasizes that while also supporting FFA chapters who work the hardest,” said Rob Cooper, executive director of the National FFA Foundation. “We're very grateful of Monsanto's support of this program and truly believe it will be a great tool to grow tomorrow's agriculture leaders."

Winners will be announced March 9. For more information – including videos, news releases and more – visit www.FFAChapterChallenge.com.



National FFA shares input with U.S. Department of Agriculture on upcoming Farm Bill

With more than 100,000 new farmers needed over the next few years, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack issued the young leaders of the National FFA Organization a challenge in 2011. “I would like you to with your fellow students and the adult leadership of the organization to develop a series of recommendations around the upcoming Farm Bill that will encourage more young people to pursue careers in farming,” Vilsack said.

It was a challenge that the national FFA officer team for 2010-11 took seriously. The students immediately began work- framing key questions, consulting FFA members, engaging leaders in agriculture, compiling input and formulating recommendations.

“Never before had we been invited to submit direct input to the Secretary of Agriculture that could enhance the ability of agricultural education and FFA to help students succeed and strengthen American agriculture,” said Riley Pagett, national FFA President, 2010-11. “We were honored to be invited to be a part of this process.”

In December 2011, the 2010-11  national officer team met with Sec. Vilsack to share their recommendations which fell under four main categories. Those are: Getting started in production agriculture; creating vibrant rural communities; who should care about agriculture and why; planning for the future.

Items that were recommended were as follows: USDA and other agencies should encourage and assist beginning farmers to start or continue in production agriculture; USDA should help transition farms from older related and non-related farmers to younger of beginner farmers who may not come from a farm; USDA should help keep young people in rural communities and make rural communities an even more important part of our nation’s economy and society; USDA should support efforts to increase the public’s knowledge of agricultural literacy; USDA should strengthen the capacity of agricultural education o produce more students that pursue production agriculture and other agriculturally related careers and the USDA should provide authority, responsibility and support for school-based agricultural education and FFA.

“We believe it is in the best interest of the nation for the department of agriculture to affirm its commitment to develop strong, experience leadership for agricultural education,” Kent Schescke, director of strategic partnerships, said. “FFA is prepared to assist in every way possible to this end. We believe with the significant challenges facing American and global systems of agriculture an investment must be made and we believe the farm bill provides the department an opportunity to demonstrate it believes in the future of agriculture.”

The full response to the secretary’s challenge can be found by visiting https://www.ffa.org/documents/learn/120112_secretary_challenge.pdf.  



Ethanol Stocks Climb to 6-Month High

Domestic supply of ethanol posted its fifth consecutive weekly increase during the seven-day period ended Jan. 13, climbing 700,000 barrels (bbl) to 19.5 million bbl, a six-month high, according to the Energy Information Administration.  Total supply is 1.7 million bbl, or 9.6% above the year-ago level.

Ethanol plant production eased by 3,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 941,000 bpd during the week reviewed which compares with a 913,000 bpd output rate a year ago. During the four-week period ended Jan. 13, crude production averaged 953,000 bpd, 49,000 bpd or 5.4% higher than during the comparable year-ago period.

Refiner and blender net inputs of fuel ethanol for the week profiled were 769,000 bpd, up 24,000 bpd from week prior, while comparing with a 754,000 input rate for the same week in 2011. The four-week input average is 777,000 bpd compared with 763,000 bpd for the same four weeks in 2010, 2011.

Implied gasoline demand tumbled during the week reviewed, EIA data shows, declining 182,000 bpd to 7.996 million bpd. That's the lowest weekly demand rate for gasoline since Sept. 21, 2001.



Midwest Dairy South Dakota District Meetings Scheduled

Midwest Dairy Association’s South Dakota Division District annual meetings will be held Feb. 1 and 2 in Watertown and Sioux Falls.  The meetings are designed to bring dairy producers up to date on activities and results from their dairy promotion checkoff program.

District 1, which covers producers located north of Highway 14, will meeting on Wed., Feb. 1, at 11:30 a.m. at the Ramkota Inn in Watertown.
District 2, which covers producers located south of Highway 14, will meet on Thurs., Feb. 2, at 11:30 a.m. at the Ramkota in Sioux Falls.

Each meeting includes a complimentary dinner. The District promotion group will also hold a brief meeting to review its budget, select leaders on the District and Division boards, and discuss other business for the coming year. 

“This is a really good time to learn about what’s happening in the checkoff and to ask questions,” said Roger Scheibe, director of industry outreach Midwest Dairy.  “The work we do on behalf of dairy producers has been changing rapidly, and we want to make sure producers know how those changes are meeting the needs of the entire dairy industry, while helping to build sales and demand for dairy products.”

Topics that will be covered include the growth in dairy sales that’s occurred because of partnerships with food companies, and how the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy is making progress meeting producer needs.  In addition, there will be background on Fuel Up to Play 60, the checkoff’s program with the National Football League, and details on how producers can access materials for use in local promotion.

Current dairy producers are invited to attend the meeting nearest them by making reservations at 1-866-678-7080 or by emailing rscheibe@midwestdairy.com.



NOAA: Warm February Ahead

Above-normal temperatures are expected to stretch from most of the central and eastern U.S., government forecasters said Thursday.

Temperatures will be most above normal levels from the southern mid-Atlantic states through the deep south, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Below-normal February temperatures will be restricted in the month to western Alaska and the coastal region of the Pacific Northwest.

Equal chances of normal, above-normal or below-normal temperatures are forecasts from California through the Northern Plains to the western edge of the Great Lakes and in northern New England.

For the three months from February to April, above-normal temperatures will span the southern half of the U.S. from the desert southwest through northern Florida and across the southern Plains to the mid-Atlantic region.

From the Northern Plains to the Northeast, including the major New York harbor heating oil region, NOAA sees equal chances of normal, above-normal or below-normal temperatures.

Below-normal temperatures are forecast along the Pacific northwest coast and eastward through Montana, along with western Alaska in the three months.



Brazil Soy Harvest Dampened by Rain

Brazil's No. 1 soy state has escaped drought denting prospects for the oilseed in southern states, but its harvest has been slowed by the opposite problem of excess rain that shows no sign of letting up.

The center western state of Mato Grosso, which grows more than a quarter of the soy in the world's No. 2 producer has already received the full average rainfall for January in the first 19 days of the month, data from forecaster Somar showed.

Soggy fields are difficult for harvesters to maneuver in and the machines struggle to strip out the grains from the plants when they are wet, delaying the flow of grains from what is usually the first state to start harvesting each year.

"There are areas that are not managing to harvest and others that are," said an agronomist for a regional grains entity who asked to remain anonymous as he was not authorized to speak on its behalf.

"It hasn't caused damage yet. You can't say there have been any losses," he said.

Somar's five-day forecast shows there will be rain almost every day in the next five in Mato Grosso while southern states would be mostly dry except for a millimeter or two of rain here and there. 

Its extended forecast predicted rains would shift further south, taking in top corn state Parana whose crops have already suffered significant losses. However, Somar did not mention any rains reaching the parched No. 3 soy state Rio Grande do Sul.

The agronomist said it was not yet possible to talk of any reduction in yields in Mato Grosso as a clearer picture on output only emerges when about half the planted area has been harvested.



IGC Raises World Corn Estimate

World corn production is expected to rise 4.2% from last season's 826.4 million metric tons in 2011-12, the International Grains Council said Thursday, increasing its previous estimate by 7.7 million tons.

"Despite a smaller U.S. crop and a worsening outlook for South America, total maize (corn) production in 2011-12 is forecast to increase by 4%, to a record 861 million tons," the IGC said. "Harvests in China and Ukraine were especially large and, although forecasts have been reduced this month, Argentina and Brazil are still expected to produce record crops," the IGC said in its monthly report.

The U.S. is expected to produce 313.9 million tons of corn -- 0.9 million tons more than predicted in November -- while crops in South American producers Brazil and Argentina are seen at 59 million and 23 million tons, respectively.

European corn output is pegged at an unprecedented 65 million tons -- 0.3 million tons more than predicted in November, the London-based body said.



DEKALB CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF PERFORMANCE, INNOVATION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE IN 2012
CELEBRATION INCLUDES LAUNCH OF DEKALB 100TH ANNIVERSARY BIKE ONLINE AUCTION, STARTING JAN. 20 AT 8 A.M.

Tomorrow marks an exciting milestone for DEKALB, one of the nation’s leading corn brands. On Jan. 20, 1912, a group of 11 northern Illinois farmers, bankers and county officials laid the foundation for the DEKALB brand, establishing a legacy of industry-leading performance and innovative firsts.Those same founding principles are still upheld today, and exactly 100 years later, DEKALB remains committed to providing farmers with the highest-quality corn genetics to get the most out of every acre.

On Jan. 20, 2012, DEKALB officially starts its 100th anniversary celebration and invites farmers and dealers to join in the festivities all year long.

“DEKALB is proud to celebrate 100 years of service to the agricultural industry,” says Jason Hoag, DEKALB Marketing Lead. “We are very appreciative of the support of generations of farmers and DEKALB dealers who have helped the brand reach this historic milestone.”

The DEKALB brand invites farmers and dealers to participate in an exciting lineup of 100th anniversary celebrations, such as:
-    DEKALB 100th Anniversary Bike Auction– Kicking off the 100th anniversary with a roaring start, the DEKALB 100th Anniversary Bike Online Auction goes live on the web Jan. 20, at 8 a.m. CST. The commemorative bike, built by Paul Jr. Designs of Discovery Channel’s “American Chopper – Senior vs. Junior,” features historic references, including an antique board-tracker design, nickel plating and the famed DEKALB winged ear logo. The auction will run through April 1, with the winning bidder being presented the bike at the 2012 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa. All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross.  Leading up to the Farm Progress Show, the bike will continue its tour across the country, stopping at various industry events.  For auction and tour details, visit www.dekalb.com/100.
-    DEKALB 100 Microsite – For information on the entire 100th anniversary effort, the DEKALB 100 microsite, www.dekalb.com/100, is live and full of history unique to the DEKALB brand. Stop by to browse the historic timeline, “winged-ear” illustration gallery, online store to buy commemorative 100th anniversary gear, the “Stay Updated” tab for a live RSS feed of media coverage or the “Scholarship” tab to experience the DEKALB brand’s commitment to ag youth.

For more information about DEKALB, farmers can contact their local DEKALB dealer, visit http://www.DEKALB.com and follow its business on http://www.facebook.com/DEKALB.