Friday January 18 Ag News

How Do Your Cows Look?
Steve Tonn, UNL Extension Educator, Washington County

Calving season is upon us and how do your cows look?  Are they are on the thin side or in good body condition?  Has the winter been tough on them?  Has your pre-calving nutrition program been adequate?   1Cow body condition is closely related to reproductive efficiency and is a more reliable indicator of nutritional status of a cow than body weight.  Body condition score at the time of calving has the greatest impact on subsequent re-breeding performance.   The body condition of a cow at calving influences the productivity of the herd.

Thin cows may give birth to calves that are less vigorous and slower to stand to nurse for the first time.  They also produce less colostrum and lower quality colostrum for their calves.  This means the calves will not receive as high a dose of passive immunity or antibodies from the cow to help the calf fight off diseases.  Thins cows are slower to re-breed after calving than compared to moderate condition cows. 
That means more calves will be born later in the calving season next year.

Cow body condition scores are based on a scale of 1 to 9.  Mature cows should calve at a body condition score of at least 5 and first calf heifers should have a body condition score of 6 at calving.  If body condition scoring is new to you, then just focus on separating cows into thin, moderate and fat groups without worrying about a numerical score.   A goal is to have your cows in moderate condition at calving.  For help with getting started using cow body condition score as a management tool, contact the Washington County Extension Office.

Following calving, it is very difficult to increase the body condition on a cow.  Lactating cows have a very high nutrient requirement.  They need a lot of excess energy to increase their body condition.  This is usually not practical or economical to do.

However, separating thin cows from moderate condition cows would be a good management practice.  This would allow the thin cows to get their fair share of the feed.  Also feeding thins cows a higher quality more nutrient dense ration would be helpful.  Because corn prices are high, beef producers may want to consider using alternative feeds such as soybean hulls, distillers grains and corn gluten feed in the cow’s diet.
Poor nutrition prior to and following calving, can have harmful lasting impacts on cow productivity and cow herd profitability.



New GOP Members Named to House Ag Approps Subcommittee

Reps. Kevin Yoder of Kansas, Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, Tom Rooney of Florida and David Valadao of California have been announced as the new Republican members of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, which writes budgets for USDA, FDA and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Bob Aderholt of Alabama will assume chairmanship of the subcommittee, and joins Tom Latham of Iowa and Alan Nunnelee of Mississippi as the other GOP members of the subcommittee.



Nebraska Student Awarded National Ethanol Conference Scholarship

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the Renewable Fuels Foundation (RFF) are excited to announce the recipient of a scholarship to attend the 18th Annual National Ethanol Conference: Driving Forward. This is the fourth consecutive year the scholarship has been available to students in higher education with a focus on renewable fuels and intending to pursue a career in the industry. The recipient will receive complimentary registration to the conference, providing him an invaluable experience and opportunity to connect with hundreds of ethanol leaders, policy makers and experts in the renewable fuels industry.

The recipient of this year’s National Ethanol Conference (NEC) Scholarship is Wade Hunt. A native of Sterling, Neb., Wade enrolled at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a chemical engineering student. He was later accepted by a variety of research internship programs, including the Undergraduate Creative Academic Research Experience (UCARE), and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory program, where he worked on proof of concept research for an extractor system. There, he was able to perform analogous tests to degrade a common, large protein in aqueous solution. His senior project is to develop a packed bed reactor for the production of biodiesel. Wade is a firm supporter of renewable fuel resources and believes great strides need to be taken to further develop current and future processes to secure the world’s energy needs.

“The NEC presents an extraordinary opportunity to those eager to learn about the industry, and we are proud to present another commendable student the chance to join us this year,” said Mike Jerke, RFF Chairman and General Manager of Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company.  “Ethanol’s best will be on hand to showcase the bright future that lies ahead of the industry, and we hope Wade will leave even more encouraged by what our speakers have to offer.”

The NEC has been recognized as the preeminent conference for delivering accurate, timely information on marketing, legislative and regulatory issues facing the ethanol industry.  With numerous networking opportunities, more business meetings are conducted and contacts made at this conference than any other ethanol conference. This year’s program will highlight critical regulatory, marketing and policy issues facing the ethanol industry. Experts will speak to the current market situation, and address how we as an industry can continue to grow through innovation, new technologies and feedstocks, and by developing more diverse and global markets.



Soil Fertility Short Course Offered by ISU Extension and Outreach

With high input costs and volatile nutrient prices, crop production professionals know it’s more important than ever to make sound management soil fertility decisions. A two-day short course offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will focus on principles of soils, soil fertility and nutrient management to help those in crop production make important decisions.

The Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management Short Course will be held Feb. 13-14 at the Scheman Building on the Iowa State campus in Ames. In addition to classroom work, the course includes a tour of the ISU Soil and Plant Analysis Laboratory. Sign-in and refreshments will be available at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 13 with classwork beginning at 9 a.m. The short course will conclude at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 14.

A program brochure and registration form is available at www.aep.iastate.edu. Registrations can be completed online with a credit card, or online forms may be downloaded and completed to be faxed or submitted by mail.

Registration is limited to 40 participants and pre-registration is required. Registration and $275 course fee must be received by Feb. 6. Registrations will not be accepted at the door for this program. Registration includes a reference binder and class notes, lunches and breaks.

For more information, visit http://www.aep.iastate.edu/soil/homepage.html or contact ANR Program Services at 515- 294-6429 or anr@iastate.edu.



Iowa Renewable Fuels Awards to Harney Oil, Linn Co-op

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey announced that John Gilroy from Harney Oil Company in Coralville and Jim Becthold from Linn Coop Oil Co. in Marion are the 2013 winners of the Secretary's Biodiesel and Ethanol Marketing Awards. The awards were created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to recognize fuel marketers that have gone above and beyond in their efforts to promote and sell renewable fuels.

"Both winners have gone to great lengths to make biodiesel and ethanol more available to Iowa drivers and I appreciate the effort and investment they have made to promote these home-grown fuels," Northey said. "Iowa is fortunate many retailers like Harney Oil Company and Linn Coop Oil Company that make the extra effort to ensure that the fuels we produce in this state are available to customers."

The Secretary's Ethanol and Biodiesel Marketing Awards were designed to recognize businesses that market the renewable fuels they have available through creative efforts including, but not limited to: hosting special events highlighting their renewable fuels, development of creative signage, initiation of new advertisements or marketing efforts, and dramatically increase renewable fuel availability.

The winners were announced and recognized during the Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Stores of Iowa Annual Meeting in Des Moines. The Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Stores of Iowa (PMCI) is a non-profit state trade association serving the needs of independent petroleum marketers and convenience store owners throughout the state of Iowa.

John Gilroy from Harney Oil Company in Coralville is the 2013 Secretary's Biodiesel Marketing Award winner.
In 2007, Gilroy installed a heated storage tank for B100, one hundred percent biodiesel, which enabled transport trucks to load product twenty four hours per day. This addition allowed his business and several other retailers to blend and sell biodiesel year-round. Harney Oil is located adjacent to the Magellan pipeline terminal and as a result, has made biodiesel blending a convenient and viable option to wholesalers and retailers in Southeast Iowa.

This past year, Gilroy expanded his operations by adding a larger tank. His facility supplied biodiesel to marketers enabling them to sell approximately 12 million gallons of biodiesel to Iowa consumers in 2012.

Gilroy was nominated for the award by Mark Meyer from Keck Energy in Des Moines who is also a past winner of the award.

Jim Becthold, Car Care Manager for Linn Coop Oil Company in Marion, is the 2013 Secretary's Ethanol Marketing Award winner.
Under Becthold's leadership, Linn Coop Oil Company was the first retailer in the state and the second retailer in the nation to dedicate a pump to offering E15 to 2001 and newer vehicles. Becthold has played a central role in making E15 available to Iowa.

Becthold has also been aggressive in marketing E15 through billboards, radio and print ads, direct mail, op-eds, and press statements touting the benefits of E15. He has also encouraged other fuel retailers in Iowa and across the nation to begin offering this new ethanol fuel blend.

Becthold was nominated for the award by Lucy Norton of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

Iowa leads the nation in the production of ethanol and biodiesel. According to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, Iowa has 41 ethanol refineries with the capacity to produce nearly 3.7 billion gallons annually. Iowa also has 13 biodiesel refineries with a combined annual capacity of over 320 million gallons.



Informa Ups Corn Acreage Again

Private analytical firm Informa Economics upped its expectations for U.S. corn acreage to 99.3 million acres while lowering its soybean acreage estimate to 78.8 million acres.  Informa's corn acreage estimate is 277,000 acres more than the firm forecast in December and 2.1 million acres higher than 2012's planted acreage. Nearly all of those acres will be in Western Corn Belt states.

Informa also adjusted its corn yield estimate to 160.5 bushels per acre based on USDA's 2012 corn yield, persistent drought conditions and associated soil moistures concerns. That's 1.3 bushels below Informa's previous estimate.  Given acreage, yield and normal abandonment, U.S. corn production potential for 2013 is 14.8 billion bushels, almost 4 billion bushels more than last season.

The soybean acreage estimate is higher than last year by 1.6 million acres, but it's 185,000 acres less than December's forecast. Informa sees soybeans gaining 100,000 acres in the Eastern Corn Belt while losing acreage elsewhere. Double-crop soybean acreage is expected to total 6.3 million acres, almost 0.5 million more than last year.

Informa projects soybean production at 3.4 billion bushels, 386 million more than last year, with an average yield of 43.8 bpa.



Ag Secretary to address National Biodiesel Conference & Expo

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will give a keynote address at the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Las Vegas next month.  The Secretary, widely recognized for his leadership contributing to the success of biofuels, will give the address to close out the conference on Thursday, Feb. 7.

"Sec. Vilsack is one of the strongest advocates for renewable fuels in the nation, and we are thrilled to have him speak to our industry at the conference," said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board. "Federal biodiesel policies reduce dependence on foreign oil, build green jobs at home, and are stimulating a rural renaissance.  Sec. Vilsack has played a huge role in the continued support for these policies, and we're looking forward to thanking him for his unwavering support."

Vilsack has called the biodiesel industry a shining example of the promise of a new rural economy, creating opportunities for energy security, farmers, and revitalized job growth in small towns.

President Obama has laid out a bold goal of reducing oil imports by half by 2020 in his Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future released in March, 2011. Since then, the U.S. EPA increased the federal targets for biodiesel under the Renewable Fuel Standard to 1.28 billion gallons.  And on Dec. 31, Congress voted to extend the federal biodiesel tax incentive, a move that is expected to give the industry a further shot in the arm this year.

"As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the National Biodiesel Board, one of our goals for this conference is to examine where we see America's Advanced Biofuel in the next 20 years," Jobe said.  "The Secretary has a vision for American agriculture's contribution to energy security and the economy, and we are eager to hear his insight on our long-term role." 



PLC and NCBA Applaud Introduction of Judgment Fund Transparency Act

The Public Lands Council (PLC) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) voiced their support of the Judgment Fund Transparency Act, introduced today in the House of Representatives. The bill, introduced by Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), seeks to provide increased oversight and transparency of the Treasury Department Judgment Fund.

The fund, established in 1956, is used to pay court judgments and settlements in cases brought against the federal government, if those costs are not otherwise covered by appropriated agency budgets. Currently, the Treasury has no reporting requirements or accountability to Congress or taxpayers, despite payouts having totaled more than $5 billion over the past three years. The transfer of funds is not currently subject to the approval of members of Congress or the public, and is not part of public record.

The legislation would require the Treasury to issue a public report describing funds allocated, a brief description of facts surrounding the agency request and an identification of the recipient of those funds. The legislation targets abuse of the fund by groups that consistently challenge the federal government in court and receive reimbursement.

“The livestock industry fully supports Rep. Gardner’s introduction of the Judgment Fund Transparency Act, a good-governance transparency bill which will serve as a major step forward in the effort to track currently unaccounted-for tax dollars being used to put our producers out of business,” said PLC Executive Director and NCBA Federal Lands Director Dustin Van Liew.

Van Liew asserted the bill would have a significant impact on the pervasive anti-agriculture lawsuits facing the government and livestock producers.

“Predatory litigators have made a cottage industry of bringing process-based lawsuits against the federal government in cases that affect livestock producers, which allows them to advance their anti-livestock agenda at taxpayers’ expense,” he said. “Our members, in order to defend their businesses, often end up paying out-of-pocket for personal attorneys at the same time that their tax dollars are being funneled to their opponents.”

PLC has represented livestock ranchers who use public lands since 1968, preserving the natural resources and unique heritage of the West. Public land ranchers own nearly 120 million acres of the most productive private land and manage vast areas of public land, accounting for critical wildlife habitat and the nation’s natural resources. PLC works to maintain a stable business environment in which livestock producers can conserve the West and feed the nation and world.



Conditions Difficult For Russia Winter Grain Crop

Weather conditions have been difficult for Russia's winter grain crop due to dry conditions during sowing and to cold snaps in some regions in December, the head of Russia's Grain Union said on Wednesday.

According to Reuters, the conditions described by Grain Union head Arkady Zlochevsky are broadly similar to those last winter, which preceded a fall in Russia's gross grain harvest to just over 70 million tonnes in 2012 from 94 million tonnes in 2011, though Zlochevsky cautioned it was too early to estimate the damage.

"Of over 15 million hectares sown to winter grains, about 1.2 million can be written off because of dry weather conditions. They just did not sprout," he told a news conference. "They will be resown to spring grain."

He added, "How will they overwinter from the point of view of the December cold snaps in several regions? It is too early to say, but it does add risks.

More than a million hectares were without snow cover, and in low lying areas the temperature was minus 12 or 13 degrees, even minus 15.



Poll Confirms Washington Voters Support Export Terminal Projects

A new survey of Washington state voters confirms strong support for independent environmental review of each proposed bulk terminal export facility and the additional train and barge traffic that will come with expanded coal exports.

Among key findings of the poll:
-- 77 percent support evaluating proposed export facilities independently (versus 16 percent who prefer a combined regional review of all proposed facilities)
-- 74 percent support additional rail and barge traffic for the projects, viewing it as crucial to Washington’s export economy and a sign of economic growth (versus 15 percent who say train and barge traffic should not increase)

Moore Information, Inc., a public opinion research and strategic advice firm, conducted the survey January 10 and 12, 2013. The margin of error for the poll was 4 percent. A total of 500 telephone interviews were conducted using live interviewers.

The survey results were consistent with other polls taken over recent months that show strong support for the proposed export terminals and coal exports.

A November poll indicated that 56.6 percent of Washington voters and 54.5 percent of Oregon voters support coal exports. Likewise, recent Oregon Public Broadcasting poll showed 2:1 support for coal exports in the Northwest, with 55 percent of respondents indicating their support for new coal export proposals. The Gateway Pacific Terminal team also released a poll in October showing that 56 percent of people in Whatcom and Skagit counties favored the proposed bulk export terminal.