Wednesday January 11 Ag News

Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Announces Availability of Youth Scholarships

The Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation (NCF) is accepting applications for scholarships which are available to qualified youth in Nebraska who have an interest in the beef industry. These scholarships will be awarded for the 2012-2013 academic year and are provided through contributions received by the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation. Scholarships ($1,000 maximum) are available from the following NCF funds:
    ·Robert E. Lute II Memorial
    ·Frank and Shirley Sibert
    ·Bell Heller Memorial
    ·Donavan Yoachim Memorial
    ·Vance Uden Memorial (UNL Senior Livestock Evaluation Team Member)
    ·Nebraska Cattlemen Beef Pit (Meat or Food Science Major)
    ·Martin Viersen Range Management/Conservation Memorial (Range Management Major)

Scholarship recipients must be a high school senior or college student, have a "C" or higher grade point average, and be enrolled or intend to enroll full-time in any college or university that offers a bachelor degree, an approved vocation or trade school, or a state accredited junior college. Preference will be given to students attending a Nebraska institute of higher learning and preference will be given to students majoring in an agricultural field of study. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, beef industry involvement and goals and quality of application. Applications can be obtained by calling the NCF office at 402.475.2333.  Applications are due March 1, 2012.

For more information concerning the Foundation, contact Lee Weide, Nebraska Cattlemen Vice President of Operations at 402.475.2333 or Jana Jensen, NCF Administrative Coordinator at 308.588.6299.



USDA TO MEASURE THE ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF AMERICAN FARMS AND RANCHES

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will spend the next several months contacting farmers and ranchers across the nation to conduct the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). The results of this survey will serve as a baseline for numerous federal policies and programs that affect U.S. farms and ranches and their families. 

“ARMS is our primary tool for gauging the financial condition and production practices on American farms and ranches,” said Dean Groskurth, director of the NASS Nebraska Field Office. “By participating in this survey, Nebraska farmers and ranchers directly impact the decisions that affect them, their families and their operations.”

NASS conducts ARMS jointly with USDA’s Economic Research Service. In an effort to obtain the most accurate data, the federal agencies will reach out to nearly 35,000 producers nationwide, including 1,780 in Nebraska, between January and mid-April. The survey asks the producers to provide data on their operating expenditures, production costs and household characteristics. 

“Decision makers from all facets of U.S. agriculture will use the collective information from ARMS to answer questions and make important decisions concerning the economic viability of American agriculture, the rural economy and other emerging issues,” explained Groskurth “That’s why it is imperative for all farmers and ranchers contacted by NASS to provide responses and help shape the future of U.S. agriculture.”

As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by law. NASS safeguards the confidentiality of all responses, ensuring no individual respondent or operation can be identified.  The economic data gathered in ARMS will be published in the annual Farm Production Expenditures report on August 2, 2012.




Brand to Discuss 'Green Ag Biotech' at IANR's Heuermann Lecture

"Green Ag Biotech" is the topic when Stewart Brand, author of "Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto," presents the fourth Heuermann Lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in Hardin Hall, 33rd and Holdrege, on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus.

Heuermann Lectures in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL are public and focus on meeting the world's growing food and renewable energy needs while sustaining natural resources and rural communities.

Founder of the "Whole Earth Catalog" in the 1960s, Brand is internationally known for his work in environmental issues. He'll discuss the use of biotechnology in agriculture to help feed the world while also addressing ecological needs in the face of massive climate change.

Brand said it is the recognition of the catastrophic effects of climate change that has caused him to reverse his own position on genetically modified organisms -- he prefers the term genetically engineered -- from distrust to seeing them as one of the sources for saving people on the planet.

"All of evolution, all of agriculture, and all of selective breeding of any kind is genetic modification and always has been," Brand wrote in "Whole Earth Discipline," published in 2009.

He sees climate change, urbanization and biotechnology as having major, lasting effects on the world, and wrote, "The scale of forces ... is planetary; the scope is centuries; the stakes are what we call civilization, and it is all taking place at the headlong speed of self-accelerating human technologies and climatic turbulence. Talk of saving the planet is overstated, however. … It is humans who are in trouble."

In his Heuermann Lecture Brand will discuss agriculture's role as a conscious leader in dealing with climate change. Biotechnology in agriculture, he said, can help feed the world through increased production while engineering ecology values, such as drought tolerance, into seeds.

Heuermann Lectures are made possible by a gift from B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips, long-time university supporters with a strong commitment to Nebraska's production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people.

A short reception follows the lecture.



USDA - NE Office Closure Clarification
Joanna Pope, NE NRCS Public Affairs Officer

As I’m sure you are aware, on Monday the USDA announced its “Blueprint for Stronger Service” plan, which announced the closure of several USDA offices.  In this news release, it says that the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will “close 24 soil survey offices in 21 states.”  This will affect the Scottsbluff, Neb., soil survey office. 

What the news release does not make exceedingly clear is that the Scottsbluff NRCS field office itself will NOT be closing.  We want to make it very clear that NO NRCS FIELD OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED.

Unfortunately, the information on the USDA website only lists Scottsbluff as a location where an “NRCS office will be closed.”  The distinction that this will only impact the soil survey office is not specified.  This has caused some confusion, and I wanted to provide you clarification.



Foundation for Agriculture Presents Awards

Six state Farm Bureaus were recognized for outstanding financial support of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture.  The awards were presented during the Flapjack Fundraiser, a pancake breakfast at the American Farm Bureau Federation's 93rd Annual Meeting.

State Farm Bureaus receiving the Scholar Award are: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Nebraska and South Dakota. The Scholar Award is given to the six state Farm Bureaus with the highest total donations within their membership groups. The Scholar Award is a "traveling" award.

Delaware Farm Bureau received the Award of Excellence. To qualify for this award, a state Farm Bureau and all of the county Farm Bureaus within the state must donate to the foundation.

In addition, 38 state Farm Bureaus received Apex Awards: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia. The Apex Award is presented to state Farm Bureaus that have increased total investment in the foundation by 10 percent or more over the previous year.

"Like the apex of a plant, it is the generous contributions from individuals and families that nourish the foundation and fuel its mission of increasing agricultural literacy," said AFBF President Bob Stallman.

During the event, Stallman challenged Farm Bureau members to make 2012 a record year for donations to the foundation.

"The donations from dedicated members like you help the foundation provide programs, curriculums and projects to achieve our mission of building awareness, understanding and a positive perception of agriculture through education," Stallman said.


AFBF Delegates Approve Flexible, Fiscally Sound Farm Policy
National farm policy should be rewritten this year to establish a program that protects farmers from catastrophic revenue losses by using a flexible combination of fiscally responsible tools, said voting delegates at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 93rd Annual Meeting.

In approving the organization’s farm policy for 2012, the farmers and ranchers endorsed a multi-pronged policy proposal, including a provision for catastrophic revenue loss protection that works with a flexible range of crop insurance products, as well as amending the current farm bill’s marketing loan provisions to better reflect market values.

The adopted policy calls for a farm bill that “provides strong and effective safety net and risk management programs that do not guarantee a profit and minimizes the potential for farm programs affecting production decisions.”

“Our delegates approved a program to help farmers manage the many different types and levels of risk they face today, in particular catastrophic revenue losses that can threaten the viability of a farm or ranch,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “That is consistent with what we believe is the core mission of the federal farm program.”

Stallman was re-elected as AFBF president for a seventh two-year term. He is a cattle and rice producer from Columbus, Texas. In addition, Barry Bushue was re-elected to a third two-year term as AFBF vice president. Bushue produces berries and nursery plants in Boring, Ore., and also serves as Oregon Farm Bureau president.

The delegates defeated a proposal to retain the current farm bill’s direct payments. In addition, by almost a two-to-one margin, the delegates defeated an amendment that would have allowed a patchwork of support through multiple programs for different commodities and regions.

“Delegate action against the patchwork approach recognized that it is impossible to ensure equity between diverse programs for various commodities,” Stallman said. “Without that assurance, one program would inevitably provide more government protection than the next program and we would inadvertently be encouraging producers to take their signals from government programs rather than the marketplace.

“Our delegates approved a policy that is flexible enough to work within the funding constraints we, as a nation, are facing, and the fiscal challenges we have a duty to address,” Stallman said. “Our delegates recognize we need to move beyond the policies of the past and to move toward programs to help producers deal with risk.”

One of the big advantages of the new AFBF farm policy position is that it offers a much simpler approach to farm program design than other farm policy proposals, according to Stallman.

The AFBF farm policy also encourages farmers to manage their farms using available risk management tools. According to Stallman, farmers should be allowed and encouraged to make individual management decisions to purchase crop insurance coverage that suits their farms and individual levels of risk.

Another positive aspect of the Farm Bureau farm policy proposal is that it can be applied to specialty crops.

“Our new farm policy position also includes the possibility of providing a farm bill risk management program for producers of fruits and vegetables,” Stallman said. “This is just one positive aspect of the proposal that we believe not only will broaden its utility to all farmers but will also appeal to an American public that is more interested in the wholesomeness, safety and variety of our domestic food supply.”

In a related discussion on dairy policy, delegates voted to move away from the current dairy price support and Milk Income Loss Contract programs and toward a program that bases risk protection on milk prices minus feed costs. This takes production costs into consideration, as well as recognizes the dairy industry’s regional differences, according to Stallman.

On renewable fuels, the delegates reaffirmed support for the federal Renewable Fuels Standard by defeating an amendment to strike that support.

“The RFS remains critical to the viability of ethanol as an alternative to imported petroleum fuel,” explained Stallman, “and the delegates felt that continuing to support production and use of domestic renewable fuels was a national security issue.”

The delegates opposed the Labor Department’s proposed expansion of the list of jobs deemed too hazardous for minors.

“The proposal has raised serious concerns in farm country about our ability to teach our children how to farm and instill a good work ethic,” Stallman said. “There is a great deal of concern about federal regulatory overreach, but few issues have piqued farm families more than this. It goes to the very heart of how agriculture works, with farmers and ranchers, who were taught by their parents how to do farm work safely and responsibly, training the next generation to follow in their own footsteps.”

The delegates also supported a moratorium on new regulations on small businesses and agriculture.

At the AFBF annual meeting, 369 voting delegates representing every state and agricultural commodity deliberated on policies affecting farmers’ and ranchers’ productivity and profitability. The policies approved at the annual meeting will guide the nation’s largest general farm organization in its legislative and regulatory efforts throughout 2012.

Farm Bureau Elects Grassroots Leaders

In addition to voting for president and vice president, the delegates elected three state Farm Bureau presidents to the AFBF board of directors: Kevin Paap of Minnesota and Craig Hill of Iowa to one-year terms for the Midwestern region and James “Hank” Combs of Nevada to a two-year term for the Western region.

Fourteen other state Farm Bureau presidents were re-elected to represent their regions on the AFBF board of directors:
Midwest Region – Steve Baccus, Kansas; Blake Hurst, Missouri; Philip Nelson, Illinois; and Scott VanderWal, South Dakota.
Southern Region – Mark Haney, Kentucky; John Hoblick, Florida; Randy Knight, Mississippi; Jerry Newby, Alabama; Randy Veach, Arkansas; David Winkles, South Carolina; and Wayne Pryor, Virginia.
Northeast Region – Patricia Langenfelder, Maryland; and Richard Nieuwenhuis, New Jersey.
Western Region – Bob Hanson, Montana.

Glen Cope, a beef cattle producer from Missouri, was elected the new chairman of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee, which also makes him a member of the AFBF board of directors during his one-year term.

Terry Gilbert of Kentucky continues to serve as chair of the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee and on the AFBF board of directors. Committee members Isabella Chism of Indiana and Beth Pool of New Jersey were re-elected to two-year terms on the committee. Denise Hymel of Louisiana and Lillian Ostendorf of Montana also were elected to two-year terms.



2012 Iowa Pork youth representatives to be named

The Iowa Pork Producers Association’s 2012 youth representatives will be selected and introduced during the 40th annual Iowa Pork Congress Jan. 25 in Des Moines.  The 2012 Iowa Pork Queen, Iowa Pork Princess and the Premier Pork Youth Ambassador will all be crowed at the Iowa Pork Congress Banquet at the downtown Des Moines Marriott.

Eight county pork queens and four county youth ambassadors will compete for the right to represent the Iowa pork industry at various pork promotional and educational events in 2012.  All of the contestants will be judged on their overall knowledge of the pork industry and Iowa agriculture, interviewing and communications skills, poise and presentation.

The new queen, princess and youth ambassador will represent the Iowa pork industry throughout the year at various promotional and educational events around the state, as well as at out-of-state events.  The queen and youth ambassador each receive a $2,000 college scholarship and the princess is awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

2012 Iowa Pork Queen Contestants
Jessi Sorensen, Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County
Melanie Weber, Winthrop, Buchanan County
Lindsay Reth, Manchester, Delaware County
Stephanie Boardman, Peru, Madison County
Sterling Schnepf, Granville, Plymouth County
Margaret Miller, Ames, Story County
Kayla Romoser, Keota, Washington County
Nichole Licht, Humboldt, Webster County

2012 Premier Pork Youth Ambassador Contestants
Curtis Rieks, Alden, Hardin County
Kayla Greiner, Silver City, Mills County
Darren Struthers, Collins, Story County
Matt Kerns, Clearfield, Taylor County

The 2012 Iowa Pork Congress will be held Jan. 25 and 26 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.



Branstad's 'Condition of the State' Includes Corn Industry

Governor Terry Branstad gave his 17th Condition of the State Address Tuesday focusing on a stable budget, jobs, education, and economic prosperity. His address highlighted a couple agricultural areas including the Cargill expansion near Fort Dodge and opportunities to grow the corn industry through China and enlisting top-of-the-line technologies and production.

"Iowa is an agricultural state," said Kevin Ross, Iowa Corn Growers Association President and a farmer from Minden. "We agree that agriculture and the corn industry are an important way to move Iowa forward not only domestically, but in a world-wide economy."

As the 2012 session begins, the ICGA will be working with Iowa lawmakers during the 2012 Legislative Session to promote policies and programs important to Iowa corn growers and to monitor any policy that could negatively affect farmers. In late August, grassroots representatives from the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) reinstated expiring policies and adopted new issues at the ICGA's annual policy conference in Des Moines.

The following issues will be key ICGA state legislative priorities in 2012:

Transportation Infrastructure -- Iowa's roads and bridges in many areas are in desperate need of improvement, and funding to support Iowa's roads is currently not enough to meet the demand for maintenance of Iowa's road system. Iowa's Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF) is funded by the 'fuel tax' and is constitutionally protected from diversions for other purposes. Transportation infrastructure is essential for corn growers and Iowa's economy. ICGA will be asking the legislature to support a fuel tax increase for road infrastructure.

Ethanol Infrastructure - Iowa's Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Fund assists retailers in upgrading to E85, blender pumps or biodiesel. The ICGA is committed to maintain or expand the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Fund, including E15 and E85. This program provides an opportunity for retailers to upgrade their infrastructure through cost-sharing grants of up to 70%. ICGA will protect this program, and oppose any diversions of funding to other purposes besides renewable fuels infrastructure.

Regulation and Taxes -- Agriculture is a vital industry for Iowa's economy. One out of every six jobs in Iowa is directly related to the agriculture industry. Agriculture can only remain vital in the state if it has reasonable regulations. ICGA is in support of efforts to reduce or revise unnecessary and unworkable for the agriculture industry. Similarly, ICGA will work to protect the current tax law as applied to agriculture.

Environment -- Iowa farmers have made measurable progress in conservation and water quality. According to the United States Department of Agriculture farmers have increased soil conservation by 44 percent by using innovative methods and technology. In 2012, ICGA will promote voluntary water quality incentive programs and work to increase funding for conservation cost share which will help farmers introduce practices on their farms which will help to further reduce soil erosion and improve water quality.

Support for Iowa's Livestock Farmers -- The ICGA is committed to a healthy Iowa livestock industry and works with other farm groups to make sure that legislation affecting livestock production is responsible, reasonable and science based. Livestock is corn's largest customer, and a healthy livestock industry is essential to the Iowa economy.

"Our goal will be to work with legislators to reduce unnecessary regulations as well as provide support for initiatives to increase funding for transportation and ethanol infrastructure." said Ross. "To repeat Governor Branstad- we must compete in a worldwide economy. We must compete with Brazilian ethanol, with Chinese production of technology, and with every other emerging nation read to claim our economic mantle."

The complete 2011-12 Iowa Corn Growers Association policy resolution book can be found online at www.iowacorn.org/policy. 



Taxes, Reform, Infrastructure Funding IFB Priorities

Iowa Farm Bureau will focus on property taxes, regulatory reform and infrastructure funding in the 2012 legislative session.

"A priority in 2012 will be building on our success during the 2011 session, when Farm Bureau was instrumental in providing property tax relief by leading the effort to backfill $160 million in state money for our schools," said Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) President Craig Hill. Farm Bureau will protect Iowa property taxpayers as new funding mechanisms are pursued for government services, including the redesign of the mental health system. Farm Bureau will also work to ensure that commercial property tax reform measures do not create a shift to other classes of property."

IFBF, Iowa's largest grassroots farming organization, is also in support of long-term sustainable and equitable funding to help repair the state's aging infrastructure. According to a recent Iowa DOT study, maintenance and repair of Iowa's roads and bridges is falling behind. "An additional $215 million per year is needed just to address the critical repairs to Iowa's roads and bridges. Providing and maintaining an adequate infrastructure system, such as safe roads and bridges, is a basic function of government," said Hill.

IFBF will work with lawmakers again this year to strengthen legislative oversight of the rule-making process. "Our regulatory process needs reform. Unwarranted regulations add unnecessary and unexpected costs to farming. In recent years, we've seen numerous examples of rules developed by governor-appointed boards and commissions without the direction of the state legislature. It is important that boards and commissions do not exceed their authority by creating rules beyond federal requirements. These are decisions that should be made by the legislature," said Hill. "Rules also need to be based on sound science to determine their need, relevance and effectiveness."

Another priority for Farm Bureau members in the 2012 legislative session is the continued support of increased funding of science-proven conservation practices that yield real results. "Farm Bureau will continue to work for increased state funding to implement incentive-based, voluntary conservation programs. Farmers want to do more, but these programs are currently underfunded and demand for cost-share dollars exceeds available funding by more than $15 million. We know these conservation measures work. Thanks to buffer strips, terracing and other soil-protection measures, Iowa farmers have reduced total cropland erosion in this state by over 30 percent since 1982. Farm Bureau has always supported the efforts of the Soil & Water Conservation Districts and the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship to maintain soil conservation funding," said Hill, a Milo crop and livestock farmer.



New ASA-WISHH ‘FEEDing Pakistan’ Aquaculture Program

The American Soybean Association’s (ASA) World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) program and the Pakistan Fisheries Development Board have started the “FEEDing Pakistan” program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is supporting the three-year effort that will assist Pakistan in using U.S. soybean meal to make high-protein fish feeds.

Pakistan has an extensive system of fish farming but no commercial fish feeds are produced in the country. Soy-based fish foods are expected to allow the fish to grow 4-5 times faster. With approximately 187 million people, Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world. Therefore, FEEDing Pakistan is key for better nutrition and economic growth.

“FEEDing Pakistan represents another milestone for WISHH,” said WISHH Chairman David Iverson, an Astoria, S.D. soybean grower. “Our farmer-led 2011-2015 strategic planning identified aquaculture and livestock development as an important opportunity where WISHH can fulfill its mission.

“USDA’s support of FEEDing Pakistan is good news for U.S. soybean farmers as well as Pakistan’s fish farmers and the many people there who seek higher-protein diets,” Iverson said.

FEEDING Pakistan is a $1.5-million USDA Foreign Agricultural Service initiative that will use 25 metric tons of U.S. high-protein soybean meal for feeding trials in Pakistan. Other elements of the program include:
--Assessment of the Pakistani fish farming industry
--Feeding trials to demonstrate the results of fish feed formulations
--Cooperate with Kansas State University in training courses on fish feed manufacturing and best management as well as technical assistance to industry stakeholders, such as feed manufacturers and farmers.

"Fifty years of U.S. soy market development have shown that helping people understand how to use soy for nutrition, both for human health as well as for aquaculture and livestock production, increases worldwide demand for U.S. soy," said WISHH Executive Director Jim Hershey.

Since U.S. soybean farmers founded WISHH in 2000, WISHH has worked in 24 countries to improve diets, as well as encouraged growth of food industries. The WISHH program is managed from ASA’s world headquarters in St. Louis. For more information, visit www.wishh.org.



Ethanol Stocks Up, Plant Output Down

Domestic ethanol inventories posted a build of 828,000 barrels (bbl), or 4.6%, to 18.773 million bbl for the week-ended Jan. 6, putting total supply 9.8% higher than the level seen a year ago, according to data released Wednesday by the Energy Information Administration.  The supply build came as implied demand, measured by refiner and blender net inputs, tumbled 12,000 or 1.6% to 745,000 barrels per day (bpd) from the prior week, although that level of demand was still 1.2% higher than a year ago.

Meanwhile, ethanol production from domestic plants dropped 19,000 bpd or 2.0% to 944,000 bpd last week while up 6.3% from a year ago.

Elsewhere, the EIA reported that implied demand for motor gasoline fell 377,000 bpd to 8.179 million bpd for the week while four-week average demand at 8.6 million bpd was down 6.5% from the level seen a year ago.



Early Registration Approaching for I-29 Dairy Conference

The 2012 I-29 Dairy Conference will be held Feb. 8 and 9 at the Ramkota Inn in Sioux Falls, S.D. Producers should complete the online registration form at www.sdstate.edu/sdces/resources/animals/dairy/i-29.cfm by Feb. 1 to ensure room availability at the Ramkota. The event is coordinated by dairy extension specialists from North Dakota State University, Iowa State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska, and South Dakota State University. Additional partners coordinating the conference include Midwest Dairy Association and Southwest Minnesota Dairy Profit Group.

Speakers and topics with global impact headline this year's conference. Neil Baker, a dairy producer and sustainable agriculture award winner from the UK and a top-notch slate of dairy industry experts will focus on global dairy issues and sustainability topics at the seventh annual I-29 Dairy Conference. Noted University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley, Stan Erwine, Dairy Management, Inc. as well as Dave Casper, SDSU; Marin Bozic, UM; and a panel of producers and industry stakeholders will cover issues affecting your future dairy business.

The conference kicks off Wednesday evening with a prime rib meal featuring a keynote presentation by Stan Erwine of Dairy Management, Inc. and Clinton Anderson, of Bain & Co., Inc. They will address the topic of dairy globalization from the dairy check-off standpoint and the recent Dairy Globalization study commissioned by Dairy Management, Inc.

Neil Baker, farm manager for Bakers of Haselbury Plucknett Ltd, Somerset, England; runs a family-owned and operated dairy farm and farmhouse cheddar cheese operation. The herd consists of 1050 Holstein-Friesians on 1500 acres in South Somerset, with about 1/3 of the milk going into their own Handmade Vintage on-farm Cheddar production. What has happened in Europe may be in the future of U.S. dairy producers.

Other presentations on Thursday include "Sustainability: Warm and Fuzzy or Logical Direction?" by Jim Paulson of the University of Minnesota; "European-style Dairy Sustainability," Neil Baker, UK dairy producer; "Long Range Weather Forecasting," Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota; "Lunch- Sustainable Agriculture in the UK," Neil Baker, UK dairy producer; "How Are We Going to Feed Cows in the Future?," Dave Casper, SDSU; "Managing Risk and Seizing Opportunities", Marin Bozic, University of Minnesota; and "Midwestern Economic Resiliency", Industry stakeholders and producers panel

Registration for the full conference is $30, including the dinner and the keynote presentation on Feb 8 and sessions on Feb. 9. Questions? Contact : Melinda Bennett: 605-688-4116, e-mail at melinda.bennett@sdstate.edu or Jim Paulson, jcp@umn.edu

More information and the full program schedule is available at: www.sdstate.edu/sdces/resources/animals/dairy/i-29.cfm. 



Mike Miller Named to New NCBA Global Marketing and Research Post

Mike Miller has been appointed senior vice president of Global Marketing and Research at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). Most recently Miller was chief operating officer of Cattle Fax.

In his new role Miller will be responsible for staff leadership of NCBA departments focused on developing and executing the plan of work funded with Beef Checkoff dollars. Those departments include Planning and Evaluation; Market Research; Research, Education and Innovation; Issues Management; Consumer Marketing; and Channel Marketing. Miller will take over his new responsibilities Jan. 30.

“I’m excited Mike will be joining the NCBA team,” said NCBA CEO Forrest Roberts. “He brings a wealth of talent, experience and energy to the position. We know he will add tremendous vision and vigor to our work on behalf of beef producers through the Beef Checkoff-funded efforts we conduct.”

Miller has been COO of Cattle Fax since 2007, analyzing company operations to meet Cattle Fax objectives, and directing and coordinating the organization’s financial and budget activities. He also served as Cattle Fax director of research and business development from 1996 to 2006. He was a marketing consultant for Elanco Animal Health in 2006-07, and served as a sales associate for Rhone Poulenc Ag Company from 1990-96. Miller received his B.S. degree in agriculture business from Colorado State University.

“Limited checkoff dollars, as well as the shrinking buying power of each dollar, require an even more highly coordinated plan of work to assure the effectiveness beef producers have come to expect from their checkoff program,” said Miller. “This is a great opportunity to help facilitate the work of Checkoff programs managed by the staff at NCBA.”



Small Tractor Sales Were Up Last Month, Combines Down

According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers' monthly "Flash Report," the sales of all tractors in the U.S. for December 2011 were up 11% compared to the same month last year.  Two-wheel-drive smaller tractor (under 40 HP) were up 11% from last year, and 40 & under 100 HP were up 14%. Sales of two-wheel-drive 100+ HP were up 13% from last year, and four-wheel-drive tractors were down 15% for the month.  Combine sales were down 29% for the month.

For the year 2011, a total of 168,324 tractors were sold, which compares to 165,072 sold through December 2010.  Two-wheel drive smaller tractors (under 40 HP) were up 0.8% from last year, while 40 & under 100 HP are up 4%. Sales of two-wheel drive 100+ HP are up 2%, while four-wheel-drive tractors are up 4% for the year.  Sales of combines for the year 2011 total 9,909, down 7% from the same period in 2010.



Cargill reports second-quarter fiscal 2012 earnings

Cargill reported $100 million in earnings from continuing operations in the fiscal 2012 second quarter ended Nov. 30, 2011, an 88 percent decrease from $832 million in the same period a year ago. In the first six months, earnings from continuing operations were $336 million, compared with $1.53 billion in last year’s first half. Both the year-ago figures exclude earnings from Cargill’s former majority investment in The Mosaic Company.

Consolidated revenues in the 2012 second quarter were $33.3 billion, up 17 percent from $28.5 billion a year ago. First-half revenues totaled $67.9 billion, compared with $54.2 billion in the prior period.

“The second quarter was significantly below expectations, especially in contrast to last year when we posted our strongest quarter ever,” said Greg Page, Cargill chairman and chief executive officer. “Our food ingredients and agriculture services businesses generated solid earnings. At the same time, our commodity-based trading and asset management businesses faced significant challenges. First, commodity and financial markets were driven more by political uncertainties than by underlying supply and demand fundamentals. Second, our performance in the sugar market was poor. Additionally, our meat businesses on a combined basis experienced one of their weakest quarters. Finally, we recognized a significant number of one-time items, including asset impairments, and acquisition and integration expenses.”

Page said Cargill is actively working to reduce its costs and simplify its work processes, and he is optimistic about the company’s earnings prospects for the remainder of the fiscal year. “Cargill has been through difficult cycles before, made changes and emerged stronger for it. We are confident that the actions we are taking to create a more agile enterprise will better position us in the current economic environment.”

Page noted the fundamentals of Cargill’s business remain sound. Its diversified business model is backed by a strong balance sheet and excellent access to liquidity. The company maintains a disciplined approach to risk management, and it continues to reinvest in assets that strengthen its ability to be a reliable supplier and innovative partner to its customers globally.

On a segment reporting basis, the food ingredients and applications segment was the largest contributor to second-quarter earnings. The segment’s food ingredient businesses on a combined basis almost matched last year’s near record performance. Its global group of meat businesses was well off last year’s record earnings pace. The shrinkage in U.S. fed cattle supplies pressured margins in beef; other meat units also faced higher raw material costs.

Cargill’s recent acquisitions in food ingredients in Brazil and Europe, and in animal protein in Central America, were all accretive to earnings in the second quarter.

Earnings were solid in the agriculture services segment but lower than in the prior year, a period in which market opportunities for U.S. grain handling and export, and for global feed ingredient merchandising, were more favorable. Costs related to the acquisition of the Provimi animal nutrition company were recorded in this segment.

Earnings in the origination and processing segment were below last year’s exceptional results, reflecting the challenges of operating in commodity markets driven more by the volatile political environment than by the underlying supply and demand fundamentals. Additionally, performance in sugar negatively affected segment results.

Results within the risk management and financial segment were mixed. Strong performance in risk management services to customers was more than offset by weaker results in asset management due to the stress in global financial markets.

The industrial segment, which makes up a small portion of Cargill earnings, was moderately below the year-ago level due in part to higher freight expenses.

Cargill completed the acquisition of Provimi, a leading global animal nutrition company, for an enterprise value of $2 billion. The merger brings together Cargill’s expertise in compound feed, supply chain and risk management with Provimi’s nutritional expertise, technology and portfolio of premix, additives and feed ingredients. Now with more than 16,000 employees in 37 countries, the combined business has the scale, reach and capabilities to deliver innovative, high-quality products and services to customers worldwide.