Friday March 9 Ag News

Nominate Your BQA Trainer by May 15, 2012

The Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program is a fantastic program, but it is because of the participation of the beef producers as well as the BQA trainers. The BQA program is asking for nominations for the 2012 BQA Trainer of the Year award. The award winner will be announced at the Nebraska Cattlemen Midyear meeting on June 7-8, 2012.

This award is open to individuals or companies that provide high quality and innovative training to individuals that care for and handle cattle throughout the industry. The nominee should be a BQA Trainer (Veterinarian, Extension Educator or University Professor) who goes above and beyond the call of duty to help producers and their employees provide the best training programs and create a culture of continuous improvement centered on BQA. The individual should show a strong commitment to improving the industry and providing innovative opportunities to move the beef industry forward.

Any BQA Certified producer, trainer or operation is eligible to nominate one individual who trains U.S. dairy or beef cattle producers. Individuals may not nominate themselves, however the nominees are expected to be involved in the preparation of the application.

“The BQA Program would not exist without the hard work, dedication, and voluntary time that the BQA Trainers put toward the program,” exclaimed Drew Gaffney, Beef Quality Assurance Coordinator. “We want to honor these outstanding individuals with this award and would also like to thank Elanco Animal Health for making the award possible.”

An electronic copy of the application can be obtained by contacting Bonita Lederer at 402.450.0223 or blederer@necattlemen.org.

The mission of BQA is to maximize consumer confidence and acceptance of beef by focusing the producer’s attention to daily production practices that influence the safety, wholesomeness and quality of beef and beef products.



Smith to Hold Farm Bill Listening Tour Stops in Gering, McCook, & Aurora

Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) will hold three Farm Bill Listening Tour stops next week in Gering, McCook, and Aurora. All events are open to the public. Details are as follows:

Monday, March 12th
Gering Farm and Ranch Museum, 2930 M Street, Gering
10:00 – 11:00 AM MT

Tuesday, March 13th
Community Building, Red Willow County Fair Grounds, West 5th & O Street, McCook
9:30 – 10:30 AM CT

Wednesday, March 14th
Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Wortman Room, 1604 L Street, Aurora
9:00 – 10:00 AM CT



Celebrate the Value of Agriculture
Governor Dave Heineman

Each year in March, we celebrate the hard work and dedication of our Nebraska farmers and ranchers, and we recognize our agricultural industry’s contributions to our state. Nebraska’s agricultural sector is the top segment of our state’s economy and one of the key reasons our state is financially stronger at than most other states in the country.

In honor of Nebraska Agriculture Week, I will travel to Ainsworth, Alliance and Grand Island for ag events to highlight the importance of our farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses. I will be joined by ag leaders in our state, including Agriculture Director Greg Ibach and Steve Nelson, President of Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Nebraska is the fourth largest agricultural state in the country. We are a leading producer of commodities ranging from cattle and hogs, to pinto and Great Northern beans, popcorn, corn and soybeans.

The demand for Nebraska’s food products has enabled our state economy to remain strong and there is potential for us to do even more. By the year 2050, the world’s population is expected to increase by nearly 2 billion people. Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers are ready to respond to the growing demand for safe and wholesome food products.

With that demand, comes the need for more Nebraskans to work in agricultural related fields, including biofuels and renewable energy, transportation, warehousing and logistics, hospitality and tourism, food processing, research and development and the biosciences. There is an important time for our youth to get involved in agriculture.

It is also important that those who are not directly involved in the industry have an understanding of where their food, fuel and fiber come from. If you have questions about food production, I encourage you to ask a local farmer or rancher. They will be happy to share with you what they do every day. Our farmers and ranchers are proud of their work ethic, their care of their animals and their good stewardship of the land.

Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers truly are feeding our families, and that was the theme of the 2012 Nebraska Department of Agriculture poster contest. This year, more than 1,400 elementary school students took part in the contest, submitting drawings to depict “Nebraska Agriculture: Feeding My Family.”  The winners are posted online at www.agr.ne.gov.

I want to thank the students, families and agriculture organizations who were part of our Nebraska Agriculture Week celebration. Our farmers and ranchers impact the lives of every Nebraskan. I encourage you to take the time to thank them for what they do.



Informa Ups Corn, Soy Planting Forecast

Private analytical firm Informa Economics on Friday raised its estimates for 2012 U.S. corn and soybean plantings from prior forecasts.

Informa, a closely watched crop forecaster, pegged corn plantings at 95.513 million acres, up 0.8% from its January estimate of 94.748 million acres, traders said. Farmers planted 91.9 million acres in 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The firm projected soybean plantings at 75.128 million acres, up from its January forecast of 74.568 million. Farmers planted 74.976 million acres in 2011, according to the USDA.

Informa reports soy acreage in the corn-belt is expected to be below 2011 in all states, except North Dakota and South Dakota. States in the east, south central region of the U.S. intend to plant more soybean acres and fewer cotton acres than last year, Informa estimates according to traders.

As for wheat, Informa projected spring wheat plantings at 13.793 million acres up from its January estimate of 13.493 million, and durum plantings were seen at 2.415 million down from its previous forecast of 2.465 million, they said. Durum and spring wheat will be planted in the spring and harvested in the fall.

Informa estimates all wheat acreage at 57.9 million, which would be 3.33 million above last year.

Informa estimates total U.S. crop acreage in 2012 at 324.6 million acres, up 11.7 million from 2011's weather-reduced acres. The acreage increase is mainly in the northern Plains and western corn-belt where dry conditions are expected to result in a greater percentage of the available land to be cropped than Informa assumed in its December and January acreage outlooks, traders said Informa noted in the forecast

Informa also issued estimates for upland cotton, lowering its forecast for 2012 plantings to 13.450 million acres from 13.590 last month.

Rice area is expected to total 2.7 million acres, which is up 25 thousand from January's estimate and 11 thousand above last year.

The government will issue its first estimates on 2012 corn, soybean, cotton and rice acreage March 30. The crops will be planted in the spring and harvested in the fall.



ASA Applauds Stabenow Bill to Expand Biobased Market Program

The American Soybean Association (ASA) commends Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) for the support and leadership demonstrated by the introduction of legislation (S. 2155) that continues and builds upon the Biobased Market Program established under the 2002 Farm Bill. 

The bill recognizes the importance of biobased products and promotes an increase in biobased manufacturing.

“The legislation introduced by Chairwoman Stabenow this week supports the progressive and groundbreaking work of the biobased products industry,” said ASA President Steve Wellman, a soybean farmer from Syracuse, Neb. “The biobased products sector is growing and it has the potential to expand considerably in the coming years, providing jobs, expanding markets for soybeans and other agricultural products, reducing the use of petroleum. With its expanded support of USDA’s BioPreferred program, the Chairwoman’s legislation continues to encourage the United States government to purchase biobased products and sends a positive signal to industry to continue their investment in biobased manufacturing. ASA is a founding member of the Biobased Products Coalition, and the soybean industry plays a significant role in the production of biobased products. We look forward to working with Senator Stabenow on the inclusion of the BioPreferred program in the next Farm Bill.” 



Corn Quality Report Explores 2011 U.S. Crop

The 2011 U.S. corn crop entered the global market with a good test weight, low stress cracks and good moisture readings, according to the 2011 U.S. Corn Quality Harvest Report, the first national corn quality report of its kind commissioned by the U.S. Grains Council.

Results in the study were drawn from 474 yellow commodity corn samples taken across 12 top corn producing U.S. states representing 98 percent of 2010 U.S. corn exports.

“Many key questions we are asked every year surround the quality of the U.S. corn crop,” said the Council’s Erick Erickson, director of programs and planning. “With this initial report, we aim to objectively provide that information. As reports are completed in future years, we’ll have an excellent history of the quality of U.S. corn as it enters the merchandising channel.”

Samples for the study were collected by country elevators in each participating state. Samples were sent directly to the Illinois Crop Improvement Association Identity Preserved Grain Laboratory in Champaign, Ill., for analysis following U.S. Department of Agriculture standards.

The study compiled the results on an aggregate basis, covering all 12 states, but also broke them out into three composite export catchment areas, the Gulf (Mississippi Gulf shipments), Pacific Northwest and Southern Rail (rail shipments to Mexico).

“The catchment areas can help buyers who ship out of certain points to better understand the quality of the corn entering merchandising channels that generally ship to those areas,” Erickson said.

On an aggregate basis, the report shows a good test weight crop in 2011 – 58.1 pounds per bushel (74.8 kg/hl).

Moisture samples taken at grain elevators averaged 15.6 percent and had low variability, which implies that the corn dried down mostly in the field , helping improve storeability and creating fewer stressed kernels due to less equipment-based drying.

The crop also showed low stress cracks and low levels of broken corn and foreign matter (BCFM). Low figures in both of these areas indicate the possibility of reduced rates of breakage as corn is handled.

“Study results show that despite challenging growing conditions experienced in several corn growing regions, farmers in the United States produced a high-quality crop overall,” Erickson said.



Statement from NCBA Associate Director of Legislative Affairs Kent Bacus Regarding USDA’s Announcement to Propose Comprehensive Rule for BSE
 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that the agency will publish in the Federal Register a comprehensive rule for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Associate Director of Legislative Affairs Kent Bacus issued the following statement regarding the USDA announcement.

 “NCBA has been pushing for this rule since the first case of BSE was detected in the United Stated in December 2003. This has been a long time coming and we certainly welcome USDA’s announcement. Quite simply, this proposed rule will show the United States is willing to talk the talk and walk the walk with regard to following international standards developed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

 “Non-tariff trade barriers hinder our ability to expand U.S. beef exports with many of our global trading partners. Cattlemen need our trade negotiators to eliminate these barriers by requiring our global trading partners to make science-based decisions regarding U.S. beef. Along those lines, it is also important for the U.S. government to take all necessary steps to properly address risk related to BSE by adopting this proposed comprehensive rule.            

“It is very difficult for the United States to demand our trading partners follow OIE standards when we are not here at home. The comprehensive BSE rule will change that and will solidify the United States’ commitment to basing our trade relationships on internationally-recognized, science-based standards. We stand ready to work with members of Congress and the administration to finalize this rule.”



USDA Proposes to Add Pork, DDG to Export Sales Reporting

As the American brand of agriculture continues to surge in popularity worldwide, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service announced that it is proposing to add pork and distillers dried grain to the list of commodities covered by the Export Sales Reporting Requirements. The proposal is aimed at improving market transparency and enabling commodity markets to better adjust to changing export activity.

Under this proposed rule, all exporters of U.S. pork and DDGs would be required to report weekly export sales of pork and DDGs to FAS. Information required would include the quantity, destination and marketing year of all pork and DDG export sales, including certain changes in previously reported sales.

"Exports of these two products have grown significantly in recent years," said FAS Acting Administrator Suzanne Heinen. "Exports of DDGs were about 2 million tons in 2007 and reached about 8 million tons in 2011. And U.S. pork exports reached about 2 million tons in 2011, which is double what it was five years ago. Adding pork and DDGs to the Export Sales Reporting Requirements would improve market transparency and enable commodity markets to better adjust to changing export activity."

This proposed rule would allow for information on the total volume of sales and shipments to be available within two weeks of the activity, rather than the nearly two-month lag in actual exports reported by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.



Senate Ag Committee Set to Review Farm Safety Net Programs

The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee will delve into what is expected to be the most challenging section of the farm bill reauthorization process next week at a hearing examining farm safety net programs.

The Wednesday hearing will be the fourth in a series started last month to examine the 2008 Farm Bill, which must be reauthorized or extended before it expires on Sept. 30.

The Committee has previously met to examine rural development and conservation programs. This Wednesday, the Committee met to review nutrition programs and efforts to promote and create new markets for locally-grown foods.

Witnesses at the hearing included Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a farmer, a food bank executive and the head of local sourcing for Walmart Stores in addition to representatives of local food sources and markets.

Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said local purchasing can be a boon for regional and state governments, noting that if each Michigan family spent $10 on local food, $40 million would go to local jobs. Stabenow also said projects like farmers markets and food hubs help support young and beginning farmers.

Committee Ranking Member Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) cautioned that locally-grown and purchased food isn’t inherently “better, safer or more ‘environmentally sustainable’” than other food, saying, “sometimes purchasing a tomato grown in Southeast Kansas at a local farmers market on a hot summer day makes the most sense and sometimes purchasing a tomato grown in Florida at the local grocery store during the cold winter months makes the most sense.”

He also urged oversight of the SNAP program, previously known as food stamps, which accounts for upwards of $70 billion in annual federal spending, including perhaps as much as $3.4 billion in improper spending.



Argentina Soy Harvest Gets Started

Farmers have begun harvesting the 2011/12 soy crop in Argentina, the world's No. 3 soybean exporter and its top soyoil and soymeal supplier, the local Agriculture Ministry said on Friday.

A drought earlier in the season cut soy output estimates by about 10 percent and slashed the outlook for corn by nearly 30 percent, although rains that began falling in mid-January later brought relief.

Argentina's government estimates the soy crop at between 43.5 million and 45 million tonnes. This compares with the 46.2 million tonnes foreseen by the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange and the Rosario exchange's estimate of 44.5 million tonnes.

In southern Santa Fe, which is the No. 3 soy-producing province, the government said the harvest of early-seeded soy began slowly and that grain quality was poor with yields hovering near 3 tonnes per hectare.

Gathering began as well in some parts of Cordoba province, the No. 2 soy producer, with yields of between 1 and 2 tonnes per hectare, the government said in its weekly report.

The ministry said if rainy weather continues in farming areas that are already moist, this could hamper the harvest.

With regard to the corn crop, which the government forecasts at 20.5 million to 22 million tonnes, recent rains have continued improving the condition of late-seeded plants. Argentina is the world's No. 2 corn exporter after the United States.

Farmers are gathering corn in Cordoba province, where many plots are in bad shape and yields have ranged widely from between 1.5 tonnes and 10 tonnes per hectare.

The Buenos Aires Grains Exchange forecasts corn output of 20.8 million tonnes while the Rosario exchange predicts production of 19.8 million tonnes.



Farm Safety 4 Just Kids Celebrates 25 Years

2012 marks the 25th anniversary of Farm Safety 4 Just Kids (FS4JK). The organization has promoted farm safety to more than 6 million people through local programs and education since 1987.

Over the past 25 years, FS4JK, Urbandale, Iowa, has established a network of more than 120 chapters across the United States and Canada that offer farm safety presentations on a local level. In that time, 35,600 volunteers donated 280,000 hours of their time to help promote safety on the farm.

Marilyn Adams founded the non-profit organization in 1987 after the death of her 11-year-old son in a gravity flow grain wagon accident. Its mission is to promote a safe farm environment to prevent health hazards, injuries and fatalities to children and youth. What started as a tribute to her son has touched nearly 6 million people so far.

"I didn't really know what to expect when I started FS4JK," said Adams, FS4JK founder. "The organization has grown and evolved so much in the past 25 years. It's exciting to think about what lies ahead for the farm safety movement."

FS4JK focuses on prevention through education. The organization has created a spectrum of nearly 100 educational resources on a variety of farm safety related topics. All resources are available to the public via an online catalog.

"Our goal is to teach the next generation of farmers to be safe," said Shari Burgus, education director. "The entire industry depends on it."

Education is paying off. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, from 1998 to 2009 the rate of all farm youth injuries has decreased by 59 percent. FS4JK was specifically mentioned as a contributing factor to the decline. Additional influences included other organizations, governmental agencies, educational institutions and private corporations.

FS4JK utilizes a system of local outreach chapters to spread farm safety education throughout the country. Amy Rademaker, an outreach coordinator in Illinois, expressed how being a part of FS4JK has impacted her life.

"I grew up in a farm family. Being a part of this organization has changed the way I look at what we did growing up on the farm," said Rademaker. "I think FS4JK has made me think of how things will be different for my son in a farm environment. It's about finding a balance while still honoring family and tradition."

Corporate sponsors and individual donors fund FS4JK. Current projects include overhauling the current ATV safety packet, plus working with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health to research how safety needs are impacted in the changing demographics of agriculture as small, part-time farms are on the rise.

"We're excited to step back and recognize our past success and the tremendous support we've seen from sponsors over the past 25 years that has helped us with our mission," said Dave Schweitz, FS4JK executive director. "It's a true testament to the importance of the farm safety movement and their dedication to their customers and agriculture. We look forward to building on those partnerships as we continue to build the organization."

For more information on farm safety, or to learn how to start a chapter, visit www.fs4jk.org.