Tuesday October 9 Ag News

Vilsack Kicks Off Four Regional Workshops on Drought Response in Omaha

Speaking at the opening session of the first of four regional workshops to outline resources available to assist with drought recovery efforts, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the lack of a new five-year Food, Farm and Jobs Bill has the potential to delay and stifle the federal response.

"USDA is doing all we can, but key programs traditionally made available in times of disaster are in limbo because Congress has allowed our authority to deliver them to expire," said Vilsack. "As I travel the country, it is clear to me that farmers and ranchers are aware of the gravity of the situation, and the need for Congress to act."

Vilsack indicated that President Obama had directed federal agencies to take every possible step to help farmers and ranchers, businesses, and rural communities recover as a result of one of the country's worst droughts in decades. USDA is partnering with local, state and federal partners to hold the workshops, working closely with the Department of Commerce, the Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to facilitate these meetings.

"The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration, with its decades of experience helping regions stricken by natural disasters, will play an important role in this multiagency Obama administration effort to partner with the farmers, ranchers, small businesses, and rural areas that have been impacted by the droughts to help get them on a path to economic recovery," said Matt Erskine, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. "The regional drought recovery meetings are timely and offer a great opportunity to provide detailed information on existing federal resources to support local initiatives and identify strategies for long-term solutions."

Today's workshop was sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, the National Association of Counties, and the Mayor of Omaha. Among the federal officials joining Secretary Vilsack at the session was Thomas Guevara, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Affairs at the Economic Development Administration.

The next meeting will be at the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo on October 15th to be followed by meetings in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on October 17th and in Ohio during the week of October 22nd.

At the direction of the President, Secretary Vilsack is helping coordinate an Administration-wide response that has included: the National Credit Union Administration's increased capacity for lending to customers including farmers; the U.S. Department of Transportation's emergency waivers for federal truck weight regulations and hours of service requirements to get help to drought-stricken communities; increased outreach and emergency lending by the Small Business Administration; and more.

As of Oct. 2, 2012, USDA has designated all or parts of 39 states as natural disaster areas this year. USDA continues to encourage any farmer or rancher with questions to contact a USDA Service Center office, because even with limited legal authority, USDA has worked hard to offer tools to help.



Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools wins $10,000 in grant competition

Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools in Burt County has been selected as a $10,000 winner in the Monsanto Fund’s America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education. The program gives farmers the opportunity to nominate their public school district to apply for a $10,000 or $25,000 merit-based grant to enhance math and science education. After a three tier grant review process, Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools was selected as one of 9 winners in Nebraska. In Nebraska, a total of $120,000 is being invested in rural education.  Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schools faculty, local farmers and Monsanto representatives will participate in a check presentation ceremony before the varsity volleyball game on Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 6:45pm at Lyons-Decatur Northeast High School, 400 South 5th Street, Lyons, NE. 

The Monsanto Fund will invest $2.3 million in rural education across 39 states through this program. This year, more than 61,000 farmers nominated their rural school districts to apply for this grant opportunity.

America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education is part of a four-part initiative, which highlights the important contributions farmers make every day to our society. It includes: Grow Communities, which gives farmers the opportunity to win $2,500 for their favorite local nonprofit; Mobile Experience, which is a traveling exhibit that emphasizes the role farmers play in feeding the world; and Farm Mom of the Year, which is an essay-based and online voting contest that celebrates women in agriculture by giving them the opportunity to win up to $10,000 and the title of “National Farm Mom of the Year”. For more information about these programs and to view the official rules, visit www.americasfarmers.com.



Poll: More Rural Nebraskans Report Positive Change in Their Communities

A higher percentage of rural Nebraskans this year said they've seen positive change in their communities than in any year since 1997, according to the 2012 Nebraska Rural Poll.

The 17th annual University of Nebraska-Lincoln poll was sent to 6,350 households in Nebraska's 84 nonmetropolitan counties in March and April. Results are based on 2,323 responses.

Thirty-four percent of respondents said their community had changed for the better in the last year, 20 percent said for the worse and 46 percent said there had been no change. The changed-for-the-better percentage is highest since 1997's 37 percent. As recently as 2009, only 23 percent said their community had changed for the better.

Members of the Rural Poll team said that optimism might be a reflection of a strong agricultural economy that largely has bucked nationwide economic trends. "We're on a confidence uptick," said rural sociologist Randy Cantrell. "Now, what the drought does to that is a question" that likely will be reflected in next year's poll.

The poll also explored residents' involvement in their communities. It found: 79 percent have belonged to a local group or organization; 77 percent have donated money to a local organization, charity or cause other than a church; 74 percent have donated to a local church; and 71 percent volunteered time to a local organization.

Also, 35 percent said they had held a leadership role in a local group in the past year and 11 percent have held a public office or served on a government board in the last year.

Those percentages are generally down from 2002, the last year these questions were asked. The poll shows that those with incomes above $60,000 and those in agriculture or management/professional and education are likelier than other income and employment groups to get involved in and lead organizations.

Rural sociologists like Cantrell worry about declining interest in serving in and leading community organizations, a trend confirmed in comparing the 2002 and 2012 numbers. Some residents may be content to let "a small and relatively elite group" step forward and lead, he said.

Cheryl Burkhart-Krieisel, UNL Extension specialist in entrepreneurship/business development in the Panhandle, said she was surprised the differences in involvement weren't more pronounced among age groups. But, she noted, there are significant, though understandable, differences in donating to local groups between income categories. Eighty-seven percent of those making $60,000 or more reported donating to local groups or causes, compared to 58 percent of those making less than $20,000.

In another area, most rural Nebraskans said they have access to various goods and services within 15 miles, including: post office, 94 percent; gas station, 89 percent; bank, 82 percent; church, 81 percent; grocery store, 78 percent; auto repair, 78 percent; and restaurant/café/bar, 77 percent.

However, only 43 percent said they had critical medical care within 15 miles.

As in past years, the poll shows rural Nebraskans rate their communities high on a variety of social dimensions, including friendliness, trust and supportiveness, and on most basic community services and amenities, including fire protection, parks and recreation, education and more. But they rank their communities lower on other qualities, such as retail shopping, entertainment, streets and roads and restaurants.

"There clearly are tradeoffs people are willing to make" to live in rural areas, Cantrell said.

The Rural Poll is the largest annual poll of rural Nebraskans' perceptions on quality of life and policy issues. This year's response rate was about 37 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percent. Complete results are available online at http://ruralpoll.unl.edu.

With its 17-year history, the poll has a collection of data about rural trends and perceptions that is unmatched in the country, said Becky Vogt, project manager who's been working on the Rural Poll since its second year.

The university's Center for Applied Rural Innovation conducts the poll in cooperation with the Nebraska Rural Initiative with funding from UNL Extension and the Agricultural Research Division in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.



White House to Honor 4-H and FFA Members as “Champions of Change”

Today, Tuesday, October 9, the White House will recognize 12 members of FFA and 4-H as Champions of Change.  For over 100 years, youth and adults involved in 4-H have worked together to create sustainable change in their communities.  Since 1928, FFA members have lived by the motto “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.”  The individuals being honored today carry on the tradition of service to communities and country that 4-H and FFA represent.

These individuals have devoted their time and effort to their communities across the country and will have the opportunity to share their stories with Administration officials and 4-H and FFA members around the globe. The Champions of Change program was created to honor ordinary Americans doing great work in their communities.  Each week, a different sector is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities.

“The members of 4-H and FFA are shining examples of the positive change young Americans are bringing across the country, said Jon Carson, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement.  “Today we are not only celebrating the work of students having an impact on their communities, but we’re also honoring the mentors and teachers who are fostering these leadership skills in the youth of today.”  

Watch the events live at whitehouse.gov/live and learn more at WhiteHouse.gov/Champions. Live stream event will include the Champions of Change event at 10:30AM EDT Tuesday, October 9th. People around the country can join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #WHChampions.

Jordan Paine, Oxford, Nebraska
Jordan Paine is the President of the Southern Valley FFA Chapter and the Oxford Jr. Feeders 4-H Club in Oxford, Nebraska. She also serves on Nebraska’s Youth Curriculum Committee that helps to produce 4-H Curriculum, and is on her county’s 4-H Council. Paine has grown up in agriculture and has been key in implementing many agricultural education programs in her county. Her work includes starting a school farm, an FFA goatherd, a youth bucket-calf program, reviewing and writing curriculum, and is currently working on building a greenhouse at her school. Paine has also represented Nebraska FFA at the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute.

Others honored include:
Ridge Howell, Checotah, Oklahoma
Jessica McAtamney, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jacob Dickey, Champaign, Illinois
Neeta Patel, Princeton, New Jersey
Kea Norrell Boyd, Lansing, Michigan
Bill Jimmerson, Bozeman, Montana
Kaydn Ence, Saint George, Utah
Chamonix Mejia, Laredo, Texas
Samuel Roberson, Prairie View, Texas
Andrea Kneer-Rice, Frederick County, Maryland
Pete Dreisbach, Hardinsburg, Kentucky



Team Effort Brings Rewards  

Shane Meyer strives to optimize productivity and financial return for the farm owners of the Plymouth Ag Group, Diller, Neb. He implements new technology where feasible and strives to help his personnel develop superior animal husbandry skills.

It's this focus on doing things right that earned Meyer a place among the top five Honoring Pork Caregivers award winners. Nearly 50 pork professionals representing production systems from across the United States were nominated for the program, which was initiated this year to recognize individuals who consistently put forth the extra effort to exceed expectations. Winners received an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City and a $1,000 cash prize.

"We are pleased to recognize the Honoring Pork Caregivers winners for their vigilant pig care and their dedication to making positive improvements to on-farm practices," says Benjamin Church, senior marketing communications manager, Pfizer Animal Health, sponsor of the Honoring Pork Caregivers program.

Meyer is the sow herd production supervisor for Plymouth Ag Group and oversees management of a 2,500-head sow farm. He sets high standards for himself and his employees and promotes documenting processes to ensure that no critical step is omitted. He strives to give his best effort every day, not only for personal growth but for overall profitability of the operation, and to set a good example for his co-workers and employees. "If you don't have a team willing to work hard to make sure that every little detail of the operation is running smoothly, then it will never succeed," he says.

"Shane approaches most days with the attitude of making something better than it was yesterday," says Andy Schweitzer, DVM, veterinarian for Plymouth Ag Group. "He understands how critical it is to build a cohesive team of people who share a similar objective."

Meyer currently serves as president of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association and understands the importance of promoting pork and animal agriculture. "Feeding the world is an honorable career. I want to know that our food is produced and raised safely," he says. "We need to show consumers how much we care about our jobs and the measures we take to ensure we are producing a safe, healthy product."

"Shane and the other Honoring Pork Caregivers award winners are helping ensure a high standard of herd health management for their respective operations," adds Church, "and they provide a benchmark for the rest of the industry to achieve."

Visit PfizerPork.com/SalutetoProducers for expanded profiles and photos of the 2012 Honoring Pork Caregivers award recipients.



“FALL SITE PREPARATION FOR TREE & SHRUB PLANTING”

Farmers and ranchers planning to plant a new livestock windbreak, farmstead windbreak, wildlife habitat planting, or other conservation tree and/or shrub project next spring should prepare the planting site this fall. “Good site preparation now may be the difference between a successful tree planting and total failure”, said Dennis Adams, forester with the Nebraska Forest Service and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.

Proper site preparation should kill and/or remove vegetation that would compete with newly-planted tree and/or shrub seedlings and provide good soil conditions in which to plant the seedlings.

“The best method of soil preparation depends on the terrain, soil type, existing vegetation, and time of year”, Adams added.  “Fall soil preparation is beneficial in several ways: (1) it increases soil capacity to store water from winter precipitation; (2) the soil will loosen over winter and pack better around the roots of seedlings planted next spring; and (3) it reduces weed and grass competition next spring.”

Chemical site preparation to kill perennial grass or other competing vegetation is usually done in summer or early fall in preparation for tree planting the next spring. “This year, it may be too late to use chemicals for site preparation, but some type of soil tillage is still an option”, the forester said.

On relatively flat planting sites in eastern Nebraska where soil erosion is not a concern, the entire planting site may be fall plowed and/or disked in preparation for spring tree planting. On sloping land, plowed or rototilled tree planting strips following the contour is recommended to minimize soil erosion.” Adams explained.

The Nebraska Conservation Trees Initiative Partnership is a consortium of local, state and federal agencies that includes: Nebraska’s natural resources districts, the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts, the Nebraska Forest Service, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Forest Service, and USDA Farm Service Agency.  To learn more visit http://www.nrdtrees.org/.  



Indemnity Checks Flow to Farmers
(from Nat'l Crop Ins. Srv.)

As the claims come in from one of the worst droughts in decades, farmers and ranchers across the country are receiving indemnity payments for the losses they have incurred.  To date, more than $2 billion has been sent to farmers.  And while crop insurance can be purchased to protect 128 different crops, the top five crops that suffered the most damage from the 2012 drought are corn, wheat, cotton, soybeans and pasture rangeland forage. 

Other Fast Facts about 2012 Crop Insurance Claims
-    Farmers will invest more than $4.1 billion to purchase more than 1.2 million crop insurance policies.
-    Those policies protect more than 281 million acres of eligible crops.
-    15,000 crop insurance agents and 5,000 loss adjusters are working around the clock to help farmers get their claims processed.



Reminder: PQA Plus Advisors Training Sessions Are Nov. 19

People who need to be recertified as Pork Quality Assurance Plus® Advisors under the National Pork Board's PQA Plus program are reminded of an upcoming session in Ames. The Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University is hosting the morning session on Nov. 19, which will run concurrently with an initial daylong PQA Plus certification session.

James McKean, IPIC associate director and ISU Extension swine veterinarian, is coordinating both trainings that will be held in the Ensminger Room in Kildee Hall on the Iowa State campus. The sessions will be taught by ISU animal science and veterinary medicine faculty members who are certified PQA Plus trainers.

“The recertification session is limited to the first 30 participants who preregister and pay the recertification fee of $50 per person,” McKean said. “Preregistration ensures the necessary materials will be available for each participant, so no walk-ins will be accepted.”

The registration form for recertification is available at www.ipic.iastate.edu/PQAPRecert111912.docx and is due with the $50 fee by Nov. 5.

Those who wish to become certified for the first time need to download, complete and submit the two-page application form available online at www.ipic.iastate.edu/PQAPapp111912.docx. The form also is available by fax by calling Sherry Hoyer at IPIC at 515-294-4496.

“If you’re interested in attending, please let us know by submitting an application as soon as possible," McKean said. "The application deadline is Nov. 5 with the $75 due from approved applicants by the certification session.”

To be eligible to submit an application for initial certification, people must meet the following qualifications:
-    Be a veterinarian, extension specialist or ag educator (defined for this program as a person who spends full time in adult education or at least half time in production training) AND
-    Have a D.V.M. or B.S. in animal science or an equivalent combination of education and swine production experience as determined by the PQA Plus trainer reviewing the application AND
-    Have two years of recent documentable swine production experience.

PQA Plus was developed by the Pork Industry Animal Care Coalition, to be a continuous improvement program. The coalition, made up of pork producers, packers/processors, restaurants and food retailers, dedicated itself to finding a food-industry solution that would give confidence to consumers that U.S. pork is produced in a way that respects animal well-being. PQA Plus merges the food safety and animal well-being concepts of the original PQA program into three steps: individual certification through education, farm site assessment and the opportunity for process verification that gives customer credibility. For more information on PQA Plus, contact the National Pork Board at 800-456-PORK, or go to http://pork.org/Producers/PQAP.aspx?c=PQAP.



RFA Applauds Romney Ag Plan, support of RFS

Today Presidential candidate Mitt Romney unveiled a white paper on his positions and plans to support Agriculture. Once again, Romney clearly announced his support of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).  Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), issued the following statement:

"We applaud Governor Romney's continuing support of domestic renewable fuels and his recognition of the importance of the RFS.  Right here, right now the ethanol industry is working hard and to great effect to reduce America's reliance on imported oil, create hundreds of thousands of jobs all across rural America, and lower gas prices at the pump.  We also appreciate Governor Romney’s business acumen when it comes to the importance of certainty to investors in the next generation of biofuels."



Anhydrous Prices Keep Rising

Anhydrous prices continue their upward climb this week, with the average price increasing to $848 per ton, accorded to ag retailers surveyed by DTN. That's a $5.58 increase over last week's average price and a $24 increase over last month's price.  Anyhydrous prices have been on the rise for nine straight weeks.

Most other retail fertilizer prices were flat on the week.  DAP, MAP, Anhydrous and UAN32 prices are all up compared to last week and last month. DAP is priced at $637/ton; MAP, 673/ton; Anhydrous $848/ton; and UASN 32 $425.79/ton. Except for anhydrous, the monthly and weekly price increase was less than 1%.

Potash, urea, 10-34-0 and UAN28 prices all declined slightly this week, also by less than 1%. Potash averaged $618/ton; Urea $594/ton; 10-34-0 $615/ton; and UAN28 $380.6/ton.

Most fertilizers -- with the exception of anhydrous -- cost less this fall than they did last year.  DAP prices are down 10.7% from last year's $715/ton. MAP prices are 9% lower from last year's $743/ton. Potash is 6% lower and urea 4% lower at $660/ton and $619/ton respectively.  On the liquid fertilizers, 10-34-0 prices are 25% lower than last year's $819/ton price. UAN28 and UAN32 prices are down 6% and 7% respectively, with prices running $405/ton and $457/ton last year.  Anhydrous prices are up 6.7% from last year's $795/ton average for the first week of October.



CWT Assists with 1.1 Million Pounds of Cheese and AMF Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted five requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America and Darigold to sell 1.056 million pounds (479 metric tons) of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, and 4,409 pounds (2 metric tons) of anhydrous milk fat (AMF), to customers in Asia and Central America. The product will be delivered October 2012 through April 2013.

In 2012, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in making export sales of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gouda cheese totaling 96.9 million pounds, butter totaling 58.3 million pounds, and AMF totaling 127,868 pounds. The product will go to 34 countries on four continents. On a butterfat basis, the milk equivalent of these exports is 2.169 billion pounds, or the same as the annual milk production of 103,200 cows.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term by reducing inventories that overhang the market and depress cheese and butter prices. In the long-term, CWT’s Export Assistance program helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the farm milk that produces them.

CWT will pay export bonuses to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.



Brazil to Harvest a Record Soy Crop

Brazil will likely harvest a record soybean crop next year as farmers plant more of the oilseed at the expense of other grains such as cotton and corn, while yields ought to recover, government crop agency Conab said Tuesday.

Brazil's 2012-13 soybean production should increase 21% to 25% from the previous crop, to between 80.1 million and 82.8 million metric tons, Conab said in its first forecast for the upcoming grains crop.

Farmers in some states are beginning to plant their soybeans and will continue doing so until January. The crop should be harvested between late January and June.

Brazil's 2011-12 soybean crop shrank about 12% from the previous year, to 66.4 million tons, as yields plunged due to a severe drought in southern states. The drought, which also hit neighboring South American soybean exporters Argentina and Paraguay, set the stage for tight global supplies of the oilseed when the U.S. suffered its own drought in mid-2012.

Conab said it sees Brazil's 2012-13 soybean yields recovering to 3,030 kilograms per hectare, 14% better than the previous year. Brazilian farmers should sow between 26.4 million and 27.3 million hectares with soybeans, an expansion of 5.5% to 9.1%.

As Brazil plants more of the lucrative oilseed, it's expected to cut back on cotton and corn acreage, Conab said.

The country's 2012-13 cotton crop will likely decline by 13% to 21%, to between 1.5 million and 1.6 million metric tons.

Conab expects Brazil, the world's No. 3 producer of corn, to produce between 71.9 million and 73.3 million tons of that grain next year, roughly in line with 2011-12 output.



Mato Grosso Court Suspends Monsanto RR1 Soy Royalties

A court in Mato Grosso, Brazil's top soybean-producing state, on Monday said the state's farmers no longer have to pay royalties to U.S. biotech giant Monsanto on its Roundup Ready soybean and Bollgard cotton seeds.  Judge Elinaldo Veloso Gomes upheld an injunction brought by the state's powerful agricultural federation (FAMATO) and 24 other regional farm associations that argued Monsanto's patent on the seeds had expired in 2010.

Mato Grosso farm leaders celebrated the decision, which suspends payment until a final court ruling is made on the case, but sought to reaffirm that they aren't opposed to royalties.  "Companies should be paid for developing new technology, but patents have limits," said Seneri Paludo, executive director at FAMATO.

The St. Louis-based company said in a statement that it had not been officially notified of the decision but remained "confident of its right to charge royalties until 2014, according to the country's current laws."

FAMATO estimates that Mato Grosso farmers pay between $75 million and $150 million in royalties on the Roundup Ready and Bollgard technologies each year.

However, the injunction doesn't go into the question of compensation for past payments.  "It's an issue that individual farmers must pursue with Monsanto, if the final court ruling comes in our favor." said Paludo.