Thursday July 5 Ag News

Gov. Heineman Expands Early Haying Efforts Due to Drought Conditions

Gov. Dave Heineman today has expanded early roadside haying efforts due to current drought conditions throughout the state.  The Governor has directed the Nebraska Department of Roads to advance the starting date for roadside haying to July 5, where the previous effect date would have been July 15, in the following 13 counties: Antelope, Boone, Buffalo, Cedar, Clay, Dixon, Fillmore, Johnson, Knox, Madison, Nance, Pierce and Saline.

On Tuesday, the Governor directed early roadside haying to begin on July 3 for the following 55 counties: Adams, Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Boyd, Box Butte, Brown, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Custer, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dundy, Franklin, Furnas, Frontier, Gage, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Grant, Greeley, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Hooker, Howard, Jefferson, Kearney, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Morrill, Nuckolls, Pawnee, Perkins, Phelps, Red Willow, Richardson, Rock, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Thayer, Thomas, Valley and Webster.

Earlier this week, Gov. Heineman authorized an emergency declaration for statewide drought that allows state personnel and resources to assist with emergency situations and prevention, and allows maximum flexibility to the state to deploy Nebraska National Guard and Nebraska Emergency Management Agency assets and resources as needed.

The Governor and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency will continue to monitor the situation throughout the state, as the drought continues.



Nebraska Soybean Board Ballots due July 31, 2012

Election ballots for Districts 3 and 6 of the Nebraska Soybean Board will be mailed on Friday, July 13, 2012, to soybean producers in those districts. Eligible producers who do not receive a ballot by July 18, 2012, can call 402-466-1969 to request a one.  To be eligible to vote in the election voters must:
·Be engaged in the growing of soybeans
·Be a resident in the District
·Pay the soybean checkoff
·One Producer – One Vote Only

The voting producer must sign and print their full name and town on the ballot envelope, to be a valid vote.  The ballot must be postmarked by July 31, 2012. 

Ballots will be mailed to the counties in the following districts:
District 3 Candidates:  (Butler, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington Counties)
·    Richard Bartek – Ithaca, NE –  Saunders County
·    Jeff Shaner  – Ft. Calhoun, NE – Washington County

District 6 Candidates:  (Fillmore, Jefferson, Gage, Saline, Seward and Thayer Counties)
·    Marc Hroch – Wymore, NE – Gage County
·    Greg Peters – DeWitt, NE – Gage County

Results will be announced in August.  The elected directors will serve a three-year term for these seats beginning October 1, 2012 and ending September 30, 2015. 

In District 1 (Antelope, Boyd, Cedar, Holt, Knox, Madison, and Pierce counties), Ed Lammers of Hartington ran unopposed, so he will therefore retain his seat as the District 1 Director and will begin his second term. 



Pheasants Forever Biologist Recognized at Annual Nebraska Team Meeting

Nebraska Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever recently held its annual team meeting in St. Paul, Nebraska, during which employee awards were presented to members of the Nebraska Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) team for their efforts over the past year. Kelsi Wehrman, a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist from Nelson, was presented with the “Answering the Call” award. This award is presented to the employee that has gone above and beyond the call of duty in performing their job.

“Kelsi is an outstanding example of a Pheasants Forever employee who approaches her job each day in a positive and professional manner.  Kelsi is always doing much more than she is asked, and she is highly respected amongst her fellow colleagues and chapter volunteers,” says Pete Berthelsen, Pheasants Forever’s Senior Field Coordinator, “Another way of viewing the ‘Answering the Call’ award is to look at it as the MVP award for Nebraska Pheasants Forever employees. Our state has an outstanding team, and Kelsi is another strong link that helps us accomplish our mission to the fullest capacity.”

As a Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist, Wehrman’s responsibility is to provide technical assistance to farmers and ranchers—through one-on-one consulting—regarding the benefits of conservation programs (such as the Conservation Reserve Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program). By working with landowners to develop and implement individual wildlife management plans, biologists like Wehrman represent Pheasants Forever’s on-the-ground efforts in ensuring landowners are aware of conservation program options. Wehrman was recognized and voted on by her peers.

“It is truly an honor to work with such great people here in Nebraska.  Fellow coworkers, Pheasants Forever chapter volunteers, and local landowners make my work very enjoyable and rewarding.  Any one of the Pheasants Forever biologists are just as deserving of this award as we all work hard to promote conservation and wildlife habitat,” said Wehrman.

Wehrman received her B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. After college, she worked for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in a number of capacities that ranged from a Conservation Technician to a Wildlife Biologist. Wehrman and her husband, Mike, are new parents to their son, Camden. The three live on their farm near Nelson, Nebraska, with their yellow lab, Jackson. In addition to her normal job duties, Wehrman works closely with the Grassland Improvement Program in south-central Nebraska and the local Prescribed Burn Association.

Nebraska is home to 60 PF chapters, four QF chapters and combined over 11,000 PF/QF members. For more information regarding “The Habitat Organization” in Nebraska, please contact Drew Larsen, Nebraska Regional Wildlife Biologist, at (308) 534-2807. 



Lucas & Peterson Release House Farm Bill

Chairman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma and Ranking Member Collin Peterson of Minnesota released a discussion draft of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM) today. FARRM is a bipartisan bill that saves taxpayers billions, reduces the nation's deficit, and repeals outdated policies while reforming, streamlining, and consolidating others. It is the product of a two-year process that examined every single policy under the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Agriculture.  The legislation cuts spending, reduces the size of government, and makes common-sense reforms to agricultural policy.

"I'm pleased to release this bipartisan legislation with my friend and colleague Collin Peterson. Our efforts over the past two years have resulted in reform-minded, fiscally responsible policy that is equitable for farmers and ranchers in all regions and will lead to improved program delivery. This bill is an investment in production agriculture and rural America. Those of us in the agriculture community are quick to point out that our producers provide us with the safest, most abundant, most affordable food and fiber supply in the history of the world. We say it because it's true. This legislation is a commitment to maintaining that tradition," said Chairman Frank D. Lucas. 

“Congress needs to complete work on the 2012 Farm Bill before the current bill expires, otherwise we jeopardize one of the economic bright spots of our nation’s fragile economy. The legislation released today brings us yet another step closer to achieving this goal and I am pleased to have worked with the Chairman in this effort. We have a commodity title in place that will work for all parts of the country as well as continued support for the sugar program and my Dairy Security Act. I have long believed every government program must contribute toward deficit reduction and while I would have found other ways to accomplish the bill’s nutrition savings, the bottom line is that, working together, we need to keep this farm bill moving forward. There will be challenges ahead, but we will pass the bill out of Committee next week and, if the House leadership gets this right and brings the bill to the floor, we will ultimately finish the bill in September,” said Ranking Member Collin Peterson.

The text of the bill can be found at this link... http://agriculture.house.gov/pdf/legislation/FARRMDiscussionDraft.pdf.   Some of the highlights include:
-    FARRM saves more than $35 billion in mandatory funding.
-    FARRM repeals or consolidates more than 100 programs.
-    FARRM eliminates direct payments, streamlines and reforms commodity policy that saves taxpayers more than $14 billion.
-    FARRM improves program integrity and accountability in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that saves taxpayers more than $16 billion.
-    FARRM consolidates 23 conservation programs into 13, which improves program delivery to producers and saves taxpayers more than $6 billion.
-    FARRM provides regulatory relief, including H.R. 872, to mitigate burdens farmers, ranchers, and rural communities face.

The House Agriculture Committee will consider the legislation during a business meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 11. A summary of the legislation can be found at this link...  http://agriculture.house.gov/pdf/FARRM_Summary.pdf. 



NCGA Pleased to See House Ag Unveil 2012 Farm Bill

National Corn Growers Association President Garry Niemeyer released the following statement in response to the House Agriculture Committee’s proposed 2012 farm bill:  “The National Corn Growers Association is pleased to see the House Agriculture Committee propose their version of the 2012 farm bill.  Our board is assessing similarities and differences between the legislation and our grower-developed policy. NCGA continues to call on Congress to pass a new farm bill this year.”



NSP Applauds House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill

National Sorghum Producers applauds the direction taken by the House Agriculture Committee in developing a comprehensive and solid farm bill that has a stable foundation and can serve as the new cornerstone for future farm policy.

The text released today indicates producers will have the opportunity to choose the policy option that best fits their farm and provides minimum price protection—two components NSP has strongly advocated for from the beginning of this process.

“The National Sorghum Producers commends the House Agriculture Committee’s bipartisan commitment to strong U.S. farm policy and to our nation’s farmers and ranchers,” said J.B. Stewart, NSP Legislative Committee chairman. “We are very pleased to be at this point in the 2012 Farm Bill process and we look forward to helping House committee members bring this bill across the finish line.”

The House Agriculture Committee’s markup of the farm bill is expected to be July 11.



U.N. Body Approves Standard For Feed Additive

The National Pork Producers Council praised a U.N. commission for finally approving an international standard for a safe and approved feed ingredient.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, which was established by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization and its World Health Organization to promote food safety and fair practices in trade, yesterday adopted a science-based standard for ractopamine, a feed ingredient used to promote leanness in pork and beef. It was the fifth time the U.N. body considered setting a maximum residue limit for ractopamine.

“NPPC is pleased that the Codex commission finally approved this scientifically proven safe product,” said NPPC President R.C. Hunt, a producer from Wilson, N.C. “The commission, as it should, fulfilled its mandate to base standards and guidelines on science.”

Like all feed ingredients, ractopamine was evaluated and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has been approved for use in 26 countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines and South Korea. A Codex panel of international scientists, including scientists from the European Union, three times has confirmed the safety of ractopamine, most recently in 2010 based on data from China.

Despite those findings and the support of the United States, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and countries in every part of the world outside of Europe, the standard again was opposed for non-scientific reasons outside the scope of the Codex by the European Union and Russia. The EU, China, Taiwan and Thailand currently ban imports of pork from pigs fed ractopamine.

“U.S. pork producers are very disappointed with the continued opposition to ractopamine for reasons other than scientific ones from several countries, particularly Russia,” Hunt said. “That country is set to join the World Trade Organization this year, and the WTO requires member countries to abide by international trade standards. Given Russia’s intransigence on ractopamine, we’re concerned about its commitment to WTO principles.”



Codex Decides to Move Ahead with Ractopamine Standards

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is present at the Codex meeting taking place in Rome July 2 -7. Participating member countries expressed their views on the safety of ractopamine and today, July 5, 2012, the member countries voted in favor of the adoption of standards for Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) for ractopamine. According to NCBA Chief Veterinarian Kathy Simmons, this is a victory for U.S. cattlemen and women.

“It is paramount that science is the foundation for all decisions made in the international community. Today, the Codex Commission proved they are willing to trust science and make decisions based on facts rather than politics,” said Simmons, who is in Rome for the Codex meeting. “We are very pleased that we can move ahead on adopting international standards for ractopamine. We commend the commission for all their work.”

Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Health Organization in 1963, the Codex sets international food standards and codes of practice that contribute to the safety of food trade. The issue of ractopamine has historically caused unnecessary trade disruptions, according to Simmons. Simmons said ractopamine is recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a safe feed additive, but the lack of international MRL standards caused confusion.

NCBA is hopeful the Codex decision will bring science back to the forefront of policies set by U.S. trading partners.

“Standards not based on science create an unnecessarily volatile trading environment for U.S. exporters who are reluctant to ship products to countries with non-science based testing regimes. Hopefully, the Codex decision to move forward with science based standards will translate into a shift in trade policy for other countries to adopt science based safety standards.”



EIA Ethanol Production Data for the Week Ending 6-29-12

The Energy Information Administration reported today that U.S. ethanol inventories fell 464,000 barrels (bbl), or 2.2%, to 20.3 million bbl in the week-ended June 29.  This marks the fourth consecutive weekly draw-down. EIA data also showed that production from domestic plants fell 26,000 barrels per day (bpd), or 2.9%, to 857,000 bpd.  However, implied demand rose 4,000 to 860,000 bpd for the week.



Transport Bill Trucks Over to Obama for Signature
(from NAWG newsletter)

President Obama is set to sign into law a 2-year transportation reauthorization bill on Friday after Congress passed the measure a week ago. Moving Ahead for the Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) has several important provisions including the Farmers’ Freedom Act (H.R. 2414), extending federally subsidized student loan interest at 3.4%, a five-year reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program and streamlining of agencies’ environmental review process.  H.R. 2414 clarifies agricultural hours of service provisions and continues the farm vehicle exemption from federal commercial driver’s license requirements.  MAP-21 provided maritime provisions that ensure harbor maintenance operations and maintenance funds are being utilized properly. The bill fails to give guidance on states’ ability to increase truck weights which the National Association of Wheat Growers and others were seeking as well as freight rail provisions that are important to the grain industry.

Crop Insurance Yield Adjustments
The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) Board of Directors approved Trend-Adjusted APH for winter wheat on May 19, 2011.  The Trend-Adjusted APH adjusts eligible yields, in qualifying APH databases, to reflect long term increases in the county’s historical yield.  The county’s yield trend factor will be provided in the actuarial documents.  The trend-adjusted APH is available at the beginning of the 2012 crop year for specific counties in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.  Interested producers should contact their crop insurance agents for more information specific to your area.



COOPERATIVE HOSTS SECOND ANNUAL CAMPAIGN TO FIGHT HUNGER

In honor of June Dairy Month, Dairy Farmers of America members and employees again celebrated the Cooperative’s core value of community with the second annual DFA Cares Fight Against Hunger. Through a combination of volunteer hours, food donations and fundraisers, more than 100,000 meals were made possible for those in need.

The annual campaign is part of a larger DFA hunger and nutrition effort, which encompasses policy advocacy and legislative outreach, as well as collaboration with federal and local hunger and nutritional programs. Across the nation, the effort encouraged members and employees to participate in diverse and creative ways:

-    A grilled cheese cook-off in the Northeast Area encouraged employees to vote with nonperishable food items for their favorite sandwich creation. The winner was a bacon grilled cheese; the event generated 160 canned and nonperishable items to benefit the Food Bank of Central New York.

-    Activities in the Mideast Area ranged from a pizza party fundraiser to food donations from attendees at the monthly Mideast Area Council meeting. Employees also hosted a food drive and volunteer event, all combined to deliver more than 8,800 meals for the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank.

-    Kansas City employees representing DFA’s Central Area and headquarters office participated in a series of five three-hour volunteer events at Harvesters Community Food Network, where they sorted and packaged more than 30,000 pounds of dried goods and produce. Employees also filled bins with nearly 1,100 pounds of food for donation to Harvesters.

-    An ice cream social, food drive and volunteer event in the Southeast Area resulted in nearly 3,500 meals for the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee and First Baptist Church in Rogers, Ark.

-    In DFA’s Mountain Area, Young Cooperators in Utah and Colorado attended family activity events where the cost of admission was a bag of nonperishable food items, which generated nearly 1,000 meals for the Utah Food Bank and Denver Cares.

-    Southwest Area staff organized food drives, raised funds and participated in a kitchen volunteer event for the Tarrant County Food Bank, providing nearly 2,000 meals overall.

-    A food drive in the Western Area generated donations in support of Second Harvest Food Bank of San Joaquin & Stanislaus Counties.

-    In addition, 10 pallets of Borden Cheese products were donated to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, and DFA’s Contract Manufacturing division made a monetary donation representing 8,000 meals for Feeding America, the nation’s largest network of food banks.

Community outreach programs such as the annual June Dairy Month campaign are a key focus area for DFA Cares Foundation, which has operated since 2005 as a nonprofit charitable organization assisting DFA members and others in the communities DFA serves. The Foundation also provides disaster relief and a scholarship program for students pursuing careers in dairy.



USDA Dairy Products May 2012 Highlights

Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 916 million pounds, 0.4 percent above May 2011 and 1.4 percent above April 2012.  Italian type cheese production totaled 384 million pounds, 2.2 percent below May 2011 but 0.8 percent above April 2012.  American type cheese production totaled 376 million pounds, 0.9 percent above May 2011 and 1.1 percent above April 2012.  Butter production was 163 million pounds, 4.8 percent above May 2011 but 3.8 percent below April 2012.

Dry milk powders  (comparisons with May 2011)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 195 million pounds, up 31.4 percent.
Skim milk powders - 13.3 million pounds, down 62.7 percent.

Whey products  (comparisons with May 2011)
Dry whey, total - 86.3 million pounds, down 5.5 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 87.4 million pounds, up 0.1 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 36.7 million pounds, up 0.2 percent.

Frozen products  (comparisons with May 2011)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 76.3 million gallons, up 5.6 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 41.8 million gallons, down 0.3 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 3.83 million gallons, down 10.7 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 5.88 million gallons, up 4.3 percent.