Wednesday March 14 Ag News

Cuming County Farmer Wins $2,500 for Beemer Community Club Through America’s Farmers Grow Communities

Kevin and Cladia Lierman of Beemer have been selected as winners in America’s Farmers Grow Communities, which gives farmers the opportunity to win $2,500 for their favorite local nonprofit organizations. The donations are available through the Monsanto Fund. Kevin and Cladia have designated the Beemer Community Club to receive the award in Cuming County.   The presentation took place Wednesday afternoon, March 14th, 2012, at Colonial Haven Nursing Home in Beemer. 

In 1,245 eligible counties in 39 states, farmers could win $2,500 for their favorite community nonprofit.  The Monsanto Fund expects to invest more than $3.1 million in local communities.

America’s Farmers Grow Communities is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund to highlight the important contributions farmers make every day to our society by helping them grow their local communities. Nearly 60,000 farmers participated in the second annual Grow Communities program, which is designed to benefit nonprofit groups such as ag youth, schools and other civic organizations. For more information and to see a full list of winners, visit www.growcommunities.com.



Nebraska Dairy Princess Crowned

Emma Lammers, 21, of Hartington was crowned 2012 Nebraska Dairy Princess Tuesday evening, March 13, 2012, during the annual Nebraska Dairy Convention banquet.  Lammers is the daughter of Joe and Kathy Lammers of Lammers Enterprise Dairy.  She is a junior studying agricultural education at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.  Her title includes a $750 scholarship award.

Lisa Temme, 20, daughter of Doug and Mary Temme of Wayne, was named first runner-up.  She is a sophomore in textile science at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and received a $250 scholarship.

Contestants are judged on their communication skills, interest in dairy promotion and dairy knowledge.

The Nebraska Dairy Princess program is sponsored by the state’s dairy farmers through Midwest Dairy Association’s Nebraska Division.  The new princess will represent both the dairy producers and the dairy industry through meetings, demonstrations, promotions, presentations, radio and television interviews, passing out trophies and ribbons, school visits and parades.

The outgoing Nebraska Dairy Princess is Chandra Mosel, daughter of Randy and Jolene Mosel of Mo-Day Farms, Inc., Neligh. 



Pioneer Farm Applications Saught

For more than 50 years, the Pioneer Farm program has honored farm families in Nebraska whose land has been owned by the same family for 100 years or more. The Pioneer Farm Awards are sponsored by the Nebraska Farm Bureau and supported by the Nebraska Association of Fair Managers. To date, more than 8,000 families in all 93 Nebraska counties have been honored. Recipients are presented both a plaque and gate post marker during the annual county fair in which the land is owned.

The application process begins each January, with a deadline of May 1st each year. Farm families must fill out an application, have it signed by a local county fair board member, and the form is then submitted to the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben by May 1st.



Farm Bureau Leaders Discuss Farm Bill, Child Labor on Farms, Tax Issues in Washington Visits

Discussions with the USA Rice Federation this week underscored the difficulties of writing a new Farm Bill, according to Nebraska Farm Bureau leaders who visited Washington, D.C., March 5-7, on a lobbying trip.

“Congress is looking at how to create an adequate safety net for corn and soybean farmers as well as cotton, rice and peanut farmers,” Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson of Axtell said Thursday (March 8). “It’s been made more difficult because there is less money” for federal farm programs, he said.

And the risks are different for various commodities. Rice is flood-irrigated, so rice farmers face little risk from weather, apart from the occasional hurricane that uproots a mature crop. Yields and income are consistent, and rice hasn’t experienced the same increased prices in the past year as corn and soybeans.

Rice producers would like to see a counter-cyclical payment program with higher target prices, Nelson said, while Farm Bureau supports a catastrophic loss revenue program.

The Farm Bureau delegation also met with House and Senate Ag Committee leaders who are looking for at least $23 billion in cuts over the life of the farm bill. Many in Congress are supporting a “shallow loss” revenue product, which provides support for smaller losses that can be reasonably anticipated through planning and management.

The shallow loss approach gets government more involved in farming than it should be, Nelson said, and puts the government in the position of covering all but a small percentage of losses. The program might also open the door to the possibility of farmers receiving payments from both crop insurance and the revenue program. “We’d rather see farmers managing ‘everyday’ risks through crop insurance and other tools, and develop a farm program that would be available to protect against catastrophes farmers can’t plan for,” he told the ag committees and the members of Nebraska’s Congressional delegation.

The farm leaders also discussed the Department of Labor’s proposed restrictions on child labor on farms. Nebraska Farm Bureau Board Member Don Benner of Central City, a corn and soybean farmer, told policymakers he lets young people from town keep their 4-H and FFA show animals at his place; they do some chores on the farm to offset the feed bill for the animals. His arrangement would leave those kids open to being regulated under the DOL proposal, Benner said, and greatly restrict opportunities for youngsters to develop an appreciation for agriculture as a possible career.

A rider to the Department of Labor’s appropriations bill is likely to be introduced, which would prevent the Labor Department from moving forward with the proposal, the Nebraskans learned. Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee; he and the state’s entire delegation oppose the restrictions.

The Farm Bureau leaders also discussed tax issues. More than 100 tax provisions have expired or will expire before the end of the year; they likely will not be dealt with until the lame duck session of Congress late this year. But two are particularly urgent, Nelson said, because of higher land values: the estate tax and the capital gains tax.

“If Congress doesn’t act, the federal estate tax law will provide only a $1 million exemption with a 55-percent tax rate, effective on Jan. 1,” Nelson said. “Using the average price of all Nebraska farmland (irrigated crop ground, pasture, etc), $1 million would only cover half the value of an average Nebraska farm today.

"Put another way, it takes only 166 acres of irrigated crop ground in eastern Nebraska to hit $1 million and that is using very conservative land values.” Current estate taxes threaten the ability of farm and ranch families to pass their farm or ranch to the next generation, he said.

Farm Bureau supports extending the current estate tax exemption of $5 million, adjusting it for inflation, taxing estates at a maximum rate of 35 percent, and having a permanent law, Nelson said.

Capital gains taxes also threaten the transfer of land to the next generation. “When farmers retire, they set the selling price of land high enough to cover the cost of capital gains taxes.  That makes it hard for younger farmers or ranchers to buy it, and increases the likelihood that the land will be sold for some other use.” Farm Bureau supports cutting the capital gains tax rate and would like the current 15 percent capital gains tax rate to be made permanent.

In addition to Nelson and Benner, Farm Bureau leaders participating in the trip were:

Farm Bureau Board Members Andy DeVries of Ogallala, Jason Kvols of Laurel, Kevin Peterson  of Osceola, and Scott Moore of Bartley; Keith County Farm Bureau member Wayne Thunker of Ogallala; and Farm Bureau staff members Jay Rempe and Jordan Dux.



UNL Scientists Find Plants 'Remember' Drought, Change Responses to Survive

Plants subjected to a previous period of drought learn to deal with the stress thanks to their memories of the previous experience, University of Nebraska-Lincoln research has found. The findings could lead to development of crops better able to withstand drought.

The research also confirms, for the first time, the scientific basis for what home gardeners and nursery professionals have learned, often through hard experience: Transplants do better when water is withheld for a few days to drought harden them before the move.

"This phenomenon of drought hardening is in the common literature but not really in the academic literature," said Michael Fromm, a UNL plant scientist who was part of the research team. "The mechanisms involved in this process seem to be what we found."

The work is the subject of an article this week in the online journal Nature Communications.

Working with Arabidopsis, a member of the mustard family considered an excellent model for plant research, the team of Fromm, plant molecular biologist Zoya Avramova and post-doctoral fellow Yong Ding compared the reaction of plants that had been previously stressed by withholding water to those not previously stressed. The pre-stressed plants bounced back more quickly the next time they were dehydrated. Specifically, the nontrained plants wilted faster than trained plants and their leaves lost water at a faster rate than trained plants.

"The plants 'remember' dehydration stress. It will condition them to survive future drought stress and transplanting," Fromm said.

The team found that the trained plants responded to subsequent dehydration by increasing transcription of a certain subset of genes. During recovery periods when water is available, transcription of these genes returns to normal levels, but following subsequent drought periods the plants remember their transcriptional response to stress and induce these genes to higher levels in this subsequent drought stress.

"All of this is driven by events at the molecular level," Avramova said. "We demonstrate that this transcriptional memory is associated with chromatin changes that seem to be involved in maintaining this memory."

Arabidopsis forgets this previous stress after five days of watering, though other plants may differ in that memory time.

This is the first instance of transcriptional memory found in any life form above yeasts.

This discovery may lead to breeding or engineering of crops that would better withstand drought, although practical applications of these findings in agriculture are years away, Fromm said.

"We're a long way off. We're just starting to get a basic understanding," Fromm said. "It's possible plants overreact to a first drought stress. They panic, they slow down more than they need to."

Perhaps scientists can modify those instincts in plants to help maintain or improve productivity during times of drought, he added.

But home gardeners can make immediate use of these findings.

"If I was transplanting something, I would deprive it of water for a couple of days, then water overnight, then transplant," Fromm said.



UNL Food Processing Center Provides Educational Opportunity to Food Industry

Take a trip to any grocery store and you will see entire aisles dedicated to extruded products such as cereals, snacks, pastas, pet foods and pet treats. These products account for billions of dollars in annual sales worldwide. The Food Processing Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is presenting an Extrusion Workshop Oct. 23-25 specifically designed for the food industry.

"The three day Extrusion Workshop is an introductory, hands-on workshop combining extrusion theory and techniques with pilot plant exercises emphasizing real-world product development in a variety of food categories. The workshop combines lectures and pilot plant demonstrations which allows attendees to learn, actively participate and observe extrusion equipment in operation," said Steve Weier, Food Processing Center general pilot plant manager.

Wenger, located in Sabetha, Kan., is a leading manufacturer of extrusion equipment. Experts from Wenger and UNL faculty and staff will present lectures and interactive sessions to workshop participants. UNL is one of only a few universities that offer extrusion technology to the food industry and it is anticipated that food industry professionals from throughout the country will attend this workshop.

The Food Processing Center is nationally recognized for its support of the food industry since 1983. The center has provided technical and business assistance to hundreds of manufacturers throughout the country and in many other countries. This in-depth knowledge and assistance to the industry has allowed the center to develop a conference specifically targeted to the issues small food manufacturers encounter every day.

Early registration is encouraged for the workshop due to limited space. For more information contact: Jill Gifford, Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 143 H.C. Filley Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583-0928, phone 402-472-2819, email: jgifford1@unl.edu, or visit the website: http://fpc.unl.edu/workshops/extrusion.shtml.



US Senate Passes Transportation Bill

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a two-year $109 billion transportation bill to rebuild roads, bridges and rail systems and sent the measure to the House of Representatives, where deeply divided Republicans left its fate uncertain.

House Speaker John Boehner has said he will take up the Senate bill if Republicans cannot agree on a longer-term measure that reforms public transit funding.

But time is running short, as funding authority for highway and rail construction projects expires on March 31. Some 1.8 million construction workers could face layoffs if no action is taken before then, according to Senate Democrats.

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said House Republicans still hoped to build support for their own approach.

"If we can't get there, we may have to take up something like the Senate bill - but we'd prefer to take the responsible approach on this and get a longer-term bill through the House," Steel said.

The House transport bill, a five-year $260 billion measure, has faced difficulties from the start, alienating fiscally conservative Republicans over its cost, while Democrats and some Republicans have opposed a provision that would end dedicated funding for mass transit projects. The Senate's bill does not include the mass transit funding changes.

The Senate approved the measure with strong bipartisan support on a 74-22 vote, even after rejecting several attempts by Republicans to load it with provisions ranging from the Keystone XL oil pipeline project to religious waivers from the Obama administration's health insurance policies, including contraception coverage.

Other energy-related amendments failed to gain enough Senate votes for passage, including new tax incentives for natural gas-powered long-haul trucks, expanded U.S. offshore oil drilling and an extension of tax breaks for wind and solar power and advanced biofuels that expire at year end.

White House spokesman Jay Carney urged the House to "move swiftly and in similarly bipartisan fashion" to pass the Senate bill, adding that it would create jobs and make the U.S. economy more competitive through improved infrastructure.



NCBA Pushes for Beef Checkoff Reform

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) today, March 14, 2012, submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service proposed rule  pertaining to the Beef Checkoff Program. The proposed rule would expand contracting authority by eliminating the requirement that only allows organizations active and ongoing since 1985 to contract with the checkoff. The proposed rule would allow national non-profit, industry-governed organizations that have been representing the cattle industry for at least two years to be eligible to contract for the implementation of checkoff programs.

NCBA President J.D. Alexander said the rule is good for the industry and good for the checkoff. He said the proposed rule would ensure cattlemen are getting the best return on their investment.

“NCBA supports an open and transparent checkoff program that is producer driven. This proposed rule would simply enhance this quest,” said Alexander. “We support a competitive checkoff contracting system that ensures producers are getting the absolute best return on their investment. We believe a multitude of ideas coming from several different organizations will enhance creativity and innovation regarding techniques to build and defend beef demand. Along with ideas, contractors must come to the table with the know-how and the resources to transform ideas into reality.”

Independent research conducted by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board released in January 2012 shows that beef producer support for the checkoff is higher than it has been in 18 years. Seventy-six percent of producers support the checkoff. These producers say the checkoff “influences beef demand, contributes to their profitability and represents their interests.” Four of five producers say that the beef checkoff is of value to them and two of three believe it is well managed. Alexander said the proposed rule will likely escalate producer confidence in the checkoff.

“The end-game is to make absolute certain that the very best initiatives to increase and solidify demand for U.S. beef are pursued. The proposed rule would allow more ideas to be brought to the table for consideration. It is cut and dry,” said Alexander. “NCBA is a proud contractor of the beef checkoff and looks forward to continuing that role.”

Comments on the proposed rule must be submitted to the Federal Register by May 1, 2012.



ASA Urges Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Russia

In advance of Wednesday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing on the implications of Russia’s accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the United States, the American Soybean Association (ASA) joined more than 150 organizations from across the business community in submitting a letter urging the committee to establish permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia.

“The pork and poultry industries, which use soybean meal in animal feed, are poised to see great success in Russia as income levels rise and the demand for meat increases. What benefits these industries benefits soybean farmers,” said ASA First Vice President Danny Murphy, a soybean farmer from Canton, Miss. “Those potential positives, however, hinge on further expansion of trade to Russia. The establishment of PNTR with Russia is critical to our ability to increase soybean exports into Europe’s largest consumer market and the world’s 11th largest economy.”

As part of the Coalition for U.S.-Russia Trade, which comprises businesses from a wide range of industries, ASA advocates the graduation of Russia from the Jackson-Vanik amendment to the Trade Act of 1974, enabling Congress to approve PNTR before Russia’s expected entry into the WTO later this summer.

“This legislation is crucial in order for U.S. manufacturers, service providers, agricultural producers and their employees to take advantage of the many market opening and transparency commitments that form Russia’s accession package to the WTO,” stated the Coalition. “PNTR also gives the United States a powerful tool by enabling the United States to ensure that Russia abides by those commitments through internationally binding WTO dispute settlement.”

The United States has maintained normal trade relations with Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992. Growth in the Russian animal protein industry has led to a significant increase in demand for soybeans over the past decade. Russia’s main import partners, however, are Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, leaving room for growth within the market for U.S. soybean exports. 

“Russia is an important part of U.S. business’ global strategy to create and sustain jobs at home by enhancing our long-term competitiveness abroad. Many U.S. companies have developed vibrant, profitable and rapidly-growing business and trade with Russia, with clear strategic benefits to parent companies, exports from, and employment in the United States,” continued the Coalition. “Without PNTR, U.S. companies and their employees will be left behind our competitors in this growing and profitable market.”  



Ag Groups Say U.S. Agriculture Would be Gravely Harmed by LightSquared's Plans

In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) International Bureau, the American Soybean Association (ASA) and other organizations representing farmers and agribusinesses in all 50 states today declared that “high-precision GPS technology is vitally important to American agriculture, and would be gravely harmed by LightSquared’s plans.”

In the petition, the groups urged the International Bureau “to adopt without delay” the bureau’s proposals to withdraw the conditional waiver it granted LightSquared and prohibit it from building a ground-based wireless network.  

In addition to ASA, the petition was signed by the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Sugar Cane League, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Barley Growers Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Potato Council, National Sunflower Association, US Canola Association, USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council, and the USA Rice Federation.

The groups described the benefits of high precision GPS to American agriculture as “immense and diverse,” saying that, “By enabling farmers to make precise applications for planting, irrigation, and crop protection, GPS technology has been responsible for remarkable growth in productivity, farm income, and improved environmental sustainability.” The petition cited an economic study which showed that precision GPs increased 2007-2010 crop yields by about $20 billion per year, the equivalent of nearly 12 percent of total annual production.

Citing numerous government studies of the interference LightSquared’s plans would cause, the petition stated, “It should now be utterly clear that LightSquared’s network would be incompatible with U.S. agriculture use of high precision GPS,” and that, “We remain strong supporters of expanded broadband access in rural America.  However, expanded broadband access cannot come at the expense of degraded access to high precision GPS for U.S. farmers.”



12 Collegiate Agriculture Students Selected for International Experience

Twelve of the nation’s premier agriculture students were recently selected for the 2012 International Collegiate Agricultural Leadership (I-CAL) Program. These students were required to complete an application and answer essay questions regarding their understanding and thoughts on international trade and marketing.  They will travel to Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore May 19–June 1  to study international grain marketing and trade and global agriculture.

The selected students are:  Daniel Alvey of North Carolina State University, McKenzie Baecker from University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Breanne Brammer of University of Missouri-Columbia, Nellie Hill of Kansas State University, Karl Kearns of Iowa State University, Margery Magill of University of California-Davis, Bethany Markway of Missouri State University, Mathias Peterson of University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Bethany Olson of Iowa State University, Edward Silva of University of California-Davis, Shasta Sowers of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Sarah Warren of University of California-Davis.

During the program, they will visit many different agricultural operations, including grain inspecting facilities, fruit/vegetable production farms, livestock operations, and open air grain, meat and animal markets. The tours are designed to help the students- all who plan to pursue careers in the industry of agriculture- understand current international trade and cultural issues and gain awareness of how international markets for agricultural products operate.

The I-CAL program was developed as a partnership with the U.S. Grains Council and The Grains Foundation. These organizations seek to build global markets for American grains. Through their work, they also provide opportunities for others to learn about how the global marketplace affects American agriculture.  Visit www.grains.org for more information. 



Celebrate National Teach Ag Day on Thursday

Do you know someone that would make an excellent agricultural educator? It's a pretty great job, getting to work with students and getting to know them in only the way an ag teacher can. The way you get to know someone when you've spent 16 hours on a bus with them, or helped them learn the inner workings of a ruminant's digestive tract, or helped them into that corduroy jacket for the first time.

On March 15, the National Teach Ag Campaign wants everyone to celebrate and promote agricultural education. The University of Minnesota is also joining the celebration by engaging current students, hosting social events celebrating agricultural education, working with the media, sending thank you's, and more. The university is also hosting its own statewide National Teach Ag Day contest for ag programs across the state--so be sure to send us information on how you celebrated National Teach Ag Day! Contest applications are due by March 23.

NAAE has a variety of resources to help you celebrate National Teach Ag Day on March 15, including lesson plans, worksheets, games, a video and more. Visit the official National Teach Ag Campaign website to find all these great tools and ideas.

National Teach Ag Day is an initiative of The National Council for Agricultural Education, and is being led by the National Association of Agricultural Educators. Funding for the campaign has been provided by the CHS Foundation and Landmark Nurseries, as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

Make plans to celebrate National Teach Ag Day in your classroom. For more information, visit www.naae.org/TeachAg/teachagday.php. If you have questions or would like to get involved in helping spread the word about agricultural education, contact Ellen Thompson, National Teach Ag Campaign Coordinator at ethompson.naae@uky.edu.



Argentina Strike Affecting Grain Shipments

Up to 85 cargo ships sat idle along Argentina's waterways on Tuesday and more than $500 million in soy and other grains piled up dockside as port managers refused the demands of workers striking for a 12th day running. Agricultural powerhouse Argentina usually loads 200 million tonnes of farm products per day, Reuters reports. But the crews that guide grains-hauling vessels into port walked off the job at the start of the month to demand shorter and better-staffed shifts.

Diego Lomban, lawyer and negotiator for Calaprac, the chamber that represents docking service companies, said current work conditions fall within Argentine labor laws. He said the motor boats are too small to safely board a fourth crew member. "They want more crew members and they want to work office hours, which is not realistic," Lomban said. "Maritime work is dynamic. When the cargo ship arrives at port, you have to work it. You cannot keep the ship waiting while you change shifts."

Negotiators for both sides met at Argentina's Labor Ministry on Monday, but no accord was reached. The next meeting at the ministry is scheduled for March 26, although informal talks could be held before then, Lomban said. The strike has stopped shipments from Argentina's key grains hub, Rosario. It has also frozen fuel and consumer goods imports while paralyzing exports of copper, gold and other materials. Farmers and exporters hope the strike ends before soy and corn harvesting starts in earnest later this month.

Argentina is the world's biggest exporter of soyoil, used for cooking and in the booming international biofuels sector, and soymeal, used as animal feed. It is also the No. 2 global supplier of corn after the United States and No. 3 in soybeans. Each hour that cargo ships sit idle costs thousands of dollars. The losses are passed through the commercial chain back to Argentina's farmers, who are expected to end up paying most of the costs related to the dockers' strike.



Syngenta Introduces New NK Brand Soybeans

Syngenta has announced the release of 23 new NK brand soybean products for the 2013 growing season. Developed from the largest and most advanced germplasm pool in the soybean industry, the new products offer industry-leading disease and pest protection to maximize yield potential.

"The 23 new products are known to consistently deliver outstanding yield performance, and provide benefits such as good emergence,standability and stress tolerance," said Scott Erickson, soybean genetics portfolio manager at Syngenta. "We are pleased to introduce these elite NK products, and look forward to a successful 2013 growing season."

With relative maturities ranging from 0.07 to 7.7, the 23 new products protect against a variety of nematodes, such as soybean cyst nematode and root knot nematode, as well as diseases including Phytophthora root rot, sudden death syndrome, frogeye leaf spot,brown stem rot and stem canker.

NK brand soybeans and custom seed treatment options, including CruiserMaxx Beans insecticide/fungicide seed treatment combination, are available through various TruBulk seed delivery system locations.