Wednesday April 10 USDA WASDE + Ag News

USDA World Ag Supply and Demand Estimates - April 10, 2013 

WHEAT: 
U.S. wheat ending stocks for 2012/13 are projected 15 million bushels higher this month with a small increase in seed use more than offset by lower expected feed and residual disappearance.  Seed use for 2012/13 is raised slightly based on producer planting intentions for 2013/14 as reported in the March 28 Prospective Plantings.  Feed and residual use for 2012/13 is projected 15 million bushels lower reflecting lower-than-expected disappearance during the December-February quarter as indicated by the March 1 stocks.  Feed and residual use is projected lower for Hard Red Winter (HRW) and Hard Red Spring wheat, but declines are partly offset by higher expected feed and residual use for Soft Red Winter and White wheat.  All-wheat imports are unchanged, but a small increase in HRW wheat is offset by a decline in durum.  The projected range for the wheat season-average farm price is narrowed  5 cents on both ends to $7.70 to $7.90 per bushel.

Global wheat supplies for 2012/13 are raised 2.9 million tons on higher world beginning stocks with the biggest increases for EU-27, Morocco, and Mexico.  The increased stocks primarily reflect balance sheet revisions that lower 2011/12 domestic wheat use for several countries this month.  Global 2012/13 production is nearly unchanged, but notable changes are made for some countries.  Production is raised 0.5 million tons for Morocco with an upward yield revision.  EU-27 production is decreased 0.2 million tons with lower reported output for the United Kingdom.  Saudi Arabia production is lowered 0.2 million tons with lower area.  Smaller reductions are made for Chile and Tunisia.

Global wheat trade is projected higher for 2012/13 with exports raised 2.6 million tons.  Exports are increased 1.0 million tons each for Australia and EU-27.  Exports are also raised for the FSU-12 with Ukraine up 0.5 million tons and Russia up 0.2 million tons.  Import changes are made for a number of countries.  The biggest increases are for Iran, Algeria, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates.  The biggest declines are for Morocco, Russia, Bangladesh, Mexico, and Vietnam.  World wheat feed and residual use is lowered 5.2 million tons with much of the decline resulting from a 3.0-million-ton reduction for China.  Wheat feed use is also lowered 1.0 million tons for EU-27 with smaller reductions made for Russia, Vietnam, and Ukraine.  World wheat ending stocks for 2012/13 are projected 4.0 million tons higher with China stocks raised 3.0 million.  Increases for North Africa, EU-27, Iran, and the United States more than offset a 1.0-million-ton reduction for Australia and smaller reductions for FSU-12 and Saudi Arabia.

COARSE GRAINS: 
U.S. feed grain ending stocks for 2012/13 are projected higher this month as an increase in ending year corn stocks more than offset reductions for sorghum, barley, and oats.  Corn feed and residual disappearance is lowered 150 million bushels reflecting indicated disappearance for the first half (September-February) of the marketing year.   The reduction in corn feed and residual use is partly offset by a combined 20-million-bushel increase in projected feed and residual use for the other feed grains based on the March 1 stocks.  Adding to 2012/13 feed grain supplies this month are increases of 3 million bushels and 2 million bushels, respectively, in projected barley and sorghum imports.

Domestic corn use for 2012/13 is projected 100 million bushels lower as a 50-million-bushel increase in corn used to produce ethanol partly offsets the lower projection for feed and residual disappearance.  Larger-than-expected March 1 corn supplies, lower corn prices, and favorable margins for producing and blending ethanol limit the expected year-to-year decline in ethanol production during the second half of the marketing year (March-August).  Corn exports for 2012/13 are projected 25 million bushels lower reflecting the continued sluggish pace of sales and shipments and additional competition from Brazil and Ukraine.  Projected U.S. corn ending stocks for 2012/13 are raised 125 million bushels.

The projected ranges for the season-average corn and sorghum farm prices are lowered 20 cents at their midpoints to $6.65 to $7.15 per bushel and $6.60 to $7.10 per bushel, respectively.  The projected farm price ranges for barley and oats are narrowed 5 cents on each end to $6.30 to $6.50 per bushel and $3.75 to $3.85 per bushel, respectively.

Global coarse grain supplies for 2012/13 are projected higher with a 1.1-million-ton increase in world coarse grain production.  Higher world corn production is partly offset by reductions in China sorghum and Algeria barley output.  Corn production is raised 1.5 million tons for Brazil as continued favorable growing season weather boosts prospects for production to a record 74.0 million tons.  EU-27 corn production is raised 1.4 million tons with upward revisions to production in Spain, Hungary, and Poland.  Corn production is also increased 0.2 million tons for Russia on the final government estimate.  Partly offsetting these increases are reductions in corn output for South Africa, Vietnam, and Serbia.  South Africa production is lowered 0.5 million tons as more heat and dryness in March further trim yield prospects in the western and west central parts of the growing belt.

Global coarse grain trade for 2012/13 is raised slightly as a small reduction in world corn exports are more than offset by increases for EU-27 barley and India sorghum.  Corn exports are lowered 0.6 million tons for the United States and 0.5 million tons for South Africa, but exports are raised 0.5 million tons each for Brazil and Ukraine.  Global corn feed and residual use is down 5.3 million tons with much of the decline reflecting the reduction in the United States.  Feed and residual use is also lowered for China, Egypt, Mexico, and Serbia.  A 1.5-million-ton increase in EU-27 corn feed and residual use is partly offsetting.  Global corn stocks are raised 7.8 million tons with 3.2-million-ton increases for both the United States and China, and a 0.9-million-ton increase for Brazil.

OILSEEDS: 
The U.S. soybean crush for 2012/13 is increased 20 million bushels this month to 1.635 billion.  The increase reflects strong soybean meal exports through the first half of the marketing year.  Increased U.S. soybean meal exports partly offset reduced meal exports for Brazil and Argentina as crush in those countries declines more quickly than expected on reduced supplies resulting from last year’s drought.  Soybean exports are projected at 1.35 billion bushels, up 5 million on stronger-than-expected shipments in recent weeks.  Residual use is reduced based on indications from the March 28 Grain Stocks report.  U.S. soybean ending stocks are projected at 125 million bushels, unchanged from last month.  Soybean oil balance sheet adjustments include increased production, food use, and ending stocks.  Increased food use partly offsets reduced imports and consumption of canola oil. 

The season-average price range for soybeans is projected at $13.80 to $14.80 per bushel, unchanged from last month.  Soybean oil prices are projected at 48 to 50 cents per pound, down 1 cent at the midpoint.  Soybean meal prices are projected at $415 to $435 per short ton, down 10 dollars at the midpoint.

Global oilseed production for 2012/13 is projected at 468.8 million tons, up 2 million from last month.  South American soybean production accounts for most of the change.  Paraguay soybean production is forecast at 8.35 million tons, up 0.6 million as higher yields more than offset reduced harvested area.  Projected yields resulting from favorable rainfall and relatively mild temperatures are the highest for Paraguay in the past 10 years.  Uruguay soybean production is also raised this month on higher area and yield.  Uruguay benefitted from the same favorable weather pattern seen in Paraguay and southern Brazil.  Other changes this month include higher rapeseed production for EU-27, higher sunflowerseed production for China, and reduced cottonseed production for Brazil.

Global oilseed trade for 2012/13 is projected at 114.4 million tons, down 1.4 million mainly reflecting reduced soybean trade.  Lower soybean exports projected for Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay are only partly offset by increases for Uruguay and the United States.  Lower exports in Paraguay reflect higher crush as new capacity becomes operational.  Soybean imports are reduced 2 million tons to 61 million for China reflecting lower-than-expected imports for the first half of the marketing year.  Higher soybean imports are projected for several countries including Egypt, EU-27, Mexico, and Vietnam.  Global soybean ending stocks are projected at 62.6 million tons, up 2.4 million as gains in Brazil and Argentina more than offset lower stocks in China.

LIVESTOCK, POULTRY, AND DAIRY: 
The 2013 forecast of total red meat and poultry production is lowered from last month.  Beef production is forecast down as lower expected fed cattle and bull slaughter more than offset greater cow slaughter.  The pork production forecast is raised as the March 28 Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report indicated a slightly higher-than-expected first-quarter pig crop and a smaller decline in the number of sows which farrowed or are expected to farrow in the first half of the year.  Hog carcass weights are also raised as feed prices are forecast lower.  The broiler production forecast is lowered for the first quarter based on production data to date, but subsequent quarters are unchanged.  Turkey production is forecast lower as the turkey price forecast is reduced and hatchery data points to a slowdown in poult placements.  The egg production forecast is lowered, reflecting recent hatchery data.

The beef export forecast for 2013 is lowered, reflecting the pace of trade in the first quarter. Beef imports are raised on larger expected supplies in Oceania.  Pork exports are cut as exports to a number of markets are relatively slow.  The broiler export forecast is reduced from last month on expected higher prices.

Cattle prices are unchanged from last month.  Hog prices are lowered as greater inventories and weaker forecast exports are expected to pressure prices. Broiler prices are raised on robust current prices and demand.  Turkey price forecasts are lowered as demand has been weaker-than-expected.  The egg price forecast is raised on stronger-than-expected first quarter prices.

The milk production forecast for 2013 is reduced on lower milk per cow in the first quarter. Cow numbers are unchanged from last month.  Fat-basis imports are reduced mostly on lower imports of anhydrous products.  The skim solids import forecast is reduced largely on lower expected imports of milk protein concentrates.  Export forecasts are unchanged from last month.  Fat-basis ending stocks are forecast higher, but skim-basis stocks are lowered.

With slightly lower forecast 2013 milk production and improved domestic product demand, price forecasts for cheese, butter, NDM, and whey are raised.  As a result, both Class III and Class IV price forecasts are higher than last month. The all milk price for 2013 is higher at $19.45-$19.95 per cwt.

---------------------------

Husker Food Connection connects urban students to rural, food roots

The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN) is dedicated to bridging the gap between the farm and dinner tables everywhere. A-FAN collaborated with agriculture-related student organizations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to host the second annual, Husker Food Connection event. 

Husker Food Connection helps urban students better understand where their food comes from. The theme of the Husker Food Connection was, "Know what we grow: Discovering Nebraska Agriculture."

Participants learned about where their food comes from and the importance of agriculture in Nebraska while engaging in several activities. Students received a free lunch featuring beef, pork and turkey sandwiches along with ice cream -- all products raised and made right here in Nebraska. During the event, approximately 2,000 lunches were served. The first 1,000 students to attend the event also received free t-shirts.

Numerous students were eager to take a closer look at the piglets, chicks and Holstein calf. For many of them, this was their first experience with livestock. Other attractions included milking a mechanical cow, touring the mobile beef lab, climbing up on a tractor, learning to rope, riding a mechanical bull, and competing in a hay bale stacking contest.

"This event was so interesting to me! I got to see the chicks, pigs, calf and fistulated steer. I learned the significance of what a cow does -- it eats plants that humans can't so it can produce food for us," said Nellie Logue, freshman in accounting & finance at UNL. 

Lucas Fricke, freshman in animal science, plays pork trivia with UNL city campus students to learn the by-products about that come from pigs.
"Husker Food Connection is all about showing people that their food comes from the farm, not the grocery store," said Alissa Doerr, event coordinator and senior at UNL. "These agricultural student groups came together for the second year to promote agriculture on city campus. They saw the need to help tell our urban friends about where food comes from, and it has turned into a huge success." 

The success of the event would not have been possible without the support of the Nebraska's agriculture industry. Forty-two agriculture organizations, groups and businesses contributed to support the event. Find a full list of sponsors and contributors at becomeafan.org.

Willow Holoubek, A-FAN Organizational Director, said she is impressed with the eagerness of students to help their peers understand how their food is grown. "Having conversations about food production and making this connection is vitally important for the future. A-FAN applauds the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) students for their hard work in their efforts to connect farm to fork."



Nebraska Ag Achievement Hall to Honor Keith Olsen, Ted Doane

Keith Olsen, former president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, and Ted Doane, a former longtime University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty member, have been named Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement honorees.

Olsen and Doane will be honored at a banquet April 19 in the Great Plains Room of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Union. A social begins at 5:15, with dinner at 6.

In addition, nine new members will be welcomed to the organization.

Reservations for the banquet are $25 and can be made by contacting Linda Arnold, 402-472-3802.

Ted Doane's service to Nebraska ranges from Dawson County extension educator, where he began in 1955, to being Nebraska State Grange president today. Born and raised on an Oklahoma farm, he graduated from Oklahoma A&M in 1952 and received his M.S. at Kansas State University in 1953. In 1956 he joined the UNL Animal Science Department, retiring in 1996.

Doane advised nearly 1,200 and taught over 10,000 during his career. A 4-H club leader for 20 years, he also worked with youth in 4-H and FFA at county and state fairs and as superintendent of the Ak-Sar-Ben 4-H Sheep Show for 33 years and the State Fair 4-H Sheep Show more than 30 years.

Through the Doane Undergraduate Scholarship in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Doane and his wife Alice annually help an animal science student attend college.

Doane taught 12 different courses over the years and was instrumental in revising animal science courses and curriculum. Teaching "Introduction to Animal Science," Doane developed live animal and carcass evaluation experiences for the course and a laboratory manual used at several other institutions, as well.

He strengthened the sheep production course as one of the first in the animal science department to include hands-on laboratory sessions dealing with practical animal management techniques. As an extension specialist, Doane developed a number of new approaches and concepts and helped establish the Nebraska Sheep Council.

He served as a lead teacher from 1967-1972 when the winter 12-week Japanese Agricultural Training Program began on East Campus. After retiring from the university he returned to the program 1997-2007 as teacher and then program coordinator.

Doane and his wife spent two years at Ataturk University in Turkey and two years at Kabul University in Afghanistan, lending their expertise to university teaching and extension programs. They've led student study tours to Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, England, Morocco and Ecuador.

Doane's honors include: the UNL Distinguished Teaching Award; the Parents of Students Teaching Award – four times; the Gamma Sigma Delta Teaching Award of Merit; the L.K. Crowe Outstanding Student Advisor Award; the Walnut Grove Livestock Service Award; the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Fellow Award; the CASNR Alumni Association Legacy Award; the UNL Alumni Association's Doc Elliott Award; the Award of Merit from the Nebraska Agriculture Youth Council.

Doane was an active contributor to numerous university committees, adviser for Block and Bridle Club and the Nebraska Registered Sheep Association and director of the Nebraska Ram Test Stations.

Doane and Alice have two daughters, Bonnie Lemke, a farmer near Walton, and Amy Kica, who works in the psychology department at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Keith Olsen was raised on the family farm near Venango. Now in its fourth generation, the Olsen farm is located in Perkins County, about 20 miles southwest of Grant. Olsen's family moved to Perkins County in the 1920s from the Nebraska City area. They survived the Dust Bowl years by raising summer fallow wheat, chickens, hogs, cattle and planting a kitchen garden. Whatever work was available, on or off the farm, they took it.

Olsen attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He met his future wife Doris, then a student at Immanuel School of Nursing, on a blind date. Following graduation from NU with a degree in agriculture economics in 1967, Olsen joined his parents in farming. Olsen's father died in 1969 and later that year he married Doris and together they operated the Olsen farm. Today, the Olsen farm is a no-till, dryland operation raising certified seed wheat, wheat, dry peas and corn.

The Olsens' son Jeff joined the operation in 2000. By using the latest technology and equipment available, they have diminished weed pressure and increased ground moisture and improved soil composition by rotating crops and not tilling the land.

Olsen has a long and distinguished career of contributions to Nebraska agriculture. He served as Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation president from August 2002 to December 2011, having been elected to the NFBF Board in 1992. He has supported Nebraska agriculture in this role by seeking beneficial public policies, telling agriculture's story, encouraging young people to consider careers in agriculture and by supporting international trade opportunities and economic development.

Olsen has been a passionate spokesman for Nebraska agriculture to the media, Farm Bureau members, other ag organization colleagues and policy decision makers. Olsen also has been involved with FFA, 4-H and the Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom program. Olsen serves as an Ag in the Classroom pen pal to a kindergarten class in Lincoln, writing letters to the class and also visiting them regularly.

As Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation president, Olsen traveled thousands of miles on international trade missions with the governor, other state officials and American Farm Bureau Federation leaders meeting with foreign government officials and farmers to promote the opportunity to open new markets to farmers and ranchers in this state and nation. He has also made efforts to improve communications with city and civic leaders in Lincoln, Omaha and throughout Nebraska to help with understanding and misconceptions of rural Nebraska and agriculture.

Olsen has been a staunch proponent of the importance of the Nebraska State Fair, Husker Harvest Days and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources with particular attention to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture. He also served on the search committee for the president of the University of Nebraska system, building strong relationships with both President J.B. Milliken and UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman. He is highly respected among IANR officials having served on department advisory boards and other search committees.

Following retirement as president of Nebraska Farm Bureau, Olsen is helping his son on the farm. He is still involved by serving on the boards of the Ag Builders of Nebraska and Blue Cross/Blue Shield, as well as on the National Steering Committee of the 25x25 groups, whose goal is to have 25 percent of the nation's energy come from renewable sources by 2025.

The Olsens have three sons, Craig, Jeff and Curtis. They belong to the United Methodist Church in Grant, where he has served as a certified lay speaker.

This year's new members of the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement:
Charles L. "Chuck" Myers of Lyons farms, promotes, researches and markets soybeans. Myers chaired the United Soybean Board and International Marketing Task Force to develop and implement a new business model to internationally market soybeans; he has traveled to China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina to do so. A founder of the Soy Nutrition Institute to promote soy health benefits, Myers also served on the National Biodiesel Board (more than 1 billion gallons of biodiesel now is produced annually). A LEAD XV program graduate and fifth-generation farmer in Burt County, Myers and his family received the Aksarben Pioneer Farm Award. In 1985 Mr. Myers began no-till farming and has widely shared his experiences with Midwestern farmers. A former president of the Lyons Community Foundation, he and his wife Gloria have two daughters.

William H. Rishel, a Pennsylvania native, became a Nebraskan by choice in 1975. That's when he moved his family to North Platte to become a rancher/Angus seedstock producer. Rishel Angus now is known nationally and internationally for its commitment to improving carcass merit and consumer preference. Very active in the cattle industry, Rishel has served as president of Nebraska Cattlemen (2010), president of the Nebraska Cattlemen Research and Education Foundation (2000-2001), and chaired the Certified Angus Beef board of directors (1995-96). He has served on boards of directors for the Cattlemens Beef Board (2000-2006), the Certified Angus Beef Association (1991-1996) and the American Angus Association (1991-1996). He also was key in creating the Nebraska Cattlemen's Classic. Rishel's honors include being inducted into the Nebraska Cattlemen Hall of Fame (2012), Distinguished Alumni for the Penn State Department of Animal Science (2008), Record Stockman – U.S. Livestock Industry Leader of the Year (2007) and Angus Heritage Foundation Inductee (2005). Rishel and his wife Barbara have three daughters.

Weldon Sleight, dean emeritus of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis, is well-respected as a leader and promoter of education, agriculture, entrepreneurship, rural Nebraska and the university. Sleight developed such NCTA programs as the 100 Beef Cow Ownership Advantage, 100 Acre Farm Advantage, Cowboy Boots to Combat Boots and the NCTA Business Builder. Under Sleight's leadership at NCTA a new education center, expanded veterinary technology teaching hospital, residence hall and biomass heating plant, valued at more than $15 million, were built. Incidentally, Sleight had many similar successes in Utah, where he worked in extension and higher education (1972-2006), and chaired many national and international committees. These experiences later helped benefit Nebraskans and Nebraska, where he retired in 2012. The Idaho native has received scores of awards and recognitions for his educational leadership and is current and past member of a dozen professional organizations. He is a member and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sleight and his wife Pauline have six children.

Craig Uden of Elwood is in charge of cattle procurement and public relations at Darr Feedlot, which he managed from 1983-2007. He also currently manages a 1,250 head cow/calf operation. Uden is a longtime promoter of beef and has served the industry in many capacities. Currently he is vice president of policy for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Formerly he was chair and vice chair of the Federation Division of NCBA; past president and secretary of the Nebraska Beef Council; and chair of various Nebraska Cattlemen committees. By building relationships and improving committee structure, he has strengthened the Nebraska Beef Council and the beef checkoff. Uden's involvement with the Nebraska Cattlemen Education Foundation led to increased scholarship funding and a renewal of ties with higher education. Uden is a current chair at Trinity Lutheran Church, and he and his wife Terri have two children.

Don Anthony is a Lexington grain producer and former cattleman. Active in serving his community, state and country, Anthony chaired the leadership that created All Points Cooperative (merging Lexington and Gothenburg cooperatives in 2004), then chaired the All Points board of directors (2004-2011). He also provided leadership for the Nebraska Cooperative Council Scholarship Program. Anthony chairs the Nebraska Beginning Farmer Board and is a board member of CHS Inc., a regional Fortune 100 cooperative based in Minneapolis. He is one of the first Leadership Fellows of the National Association of Corporate Directors Board. He is a past leader of the local Presbyterian Church (USA), the Ag Society and Extension, Farm Bureau and District 17 school board. Anthony served in the U.S. Army Reserve and Nebraska National Guard (1970-76). His recognitions include U.S. JayCee Outstanding Young Farmer (1986) and Lexington Chamber of Commerce Farm Family of the Year (1994). Anthony and his wife Linda have three children.

Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel is a UNL Extension specialist in community and economic development in the Nebraska Panhandle. Burkhart-Kriesel serves in many capacities as a consultant and on several agricultural, political and financial boards of directors. Among them is the Nebraska Wheat Growers Association, of which she was president (1997). Burkhart-Kriesel also worked in several capacities with the National Association of Wheat Growers -- as a board member, chair of the grain quality committee and member of the long-range planning committee. A LEAD II Fellow graduate (1982), she also served on the LEAD board of directors (1995-2000). Since 1998, Burkhart-Kriesel has been awarded more than $1 million of grant funds for Nebraska rural community research and extension programming. Among the honors for the Nebraska City native are the National Educational Technology Award and National Programming Team Award from the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals; and early career awards from Nebraska Epsilon Sigma Phi, Nebraska Adult and Continuing Education Association and the Nebraska Cooperative Extension Association. She and her husband Leon co-own/operate Kriesel Certified Seed at Gurley.

Bill D. Dicke founded an independent feedlot consulting firm in 1981. Today Cattlemen's Nutrition Services LLC is one of the largest in the nation, with clients in 14 states. The company also conducts large-pen commercial research trials. Dicke has served on nutrition advisory boards for several pharmaceutical companies and agribusiness firms over the last three decades and was a primary influence in developing ethanol byproduct feeding in Nebraska. Now of Lincoln, Dicke also manages the Dundy County family farm, which received the Aksarben Pioneer Farm Award in 2009. A member of the National Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame nominating committee since 2011, Dicke also serves on the Nebraska Cattlemen Education Committee and on the board of directors for Agriculture Builders of Nebraska. He was just inducted as the 79th member of the Block and Bridle Hall of Fame at UNL. A member of St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Dicke and his wife Laurie have two daughters. They serve as TeamMate mentors for students in Lincoln Public Schools and have hosted several international exchange students.

Milford A. Hanna, professor emeritus of Biological Systems Engineering at UNL and Kenneth E. Morrison Distinguished Professor (1990-2011), most recently served as interim head of his department during a national search. Hanna's primary research emphases have been extrusion process engineering, biofuels, biopolymers and biomaterials. The 2008 Science Watch reported Hanna ranked No. 1 by total citations in biofuel research for the preceding decade. He has about 350 peer-reviewed publications and holds five patents. Among his awards are being named a Fellow in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (1996) and Engineer of the Year for the Nebraska section of ASAE (1991). Heavily involved in Kiwanis, Hanna served as president and foundation president of the Kiwanis Club of Northeast Lincoln, as governor of the Nebraska-Iowa District Kiwanis, and Foundation Board of Trustees for Kiwanis International. The Pennsylvania native and his wife Lenora have four children.

Gene Watermeier grew and diversified his Unadilla farm to include livestock, corn, soybeans, alfalfa and wheat, at the same time cultivating a passion for service and education. A former substitute agricultural education teacher for Syracuse Public Schools, Watermeier later was elected to the Syracuse School Board. His service to higher education includes 16 years on the Southeast Community College Governing Board; as a board member for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Alumni Association and serving as that board's president (1994-95). He also served on the Federal Land Bank Farm Credit Board, as District 2 representative for the Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board, and many offices in the Lutheran Church. He served in Korea, received the Lincoln Journal Star Honor Farm Family Award and the Farm Bureau Community Service Award. Watermeier and his wife Lois have two children.



Open House, Tractor Show Planned by Larsen Tractor Test & Power Museum

The Larsen Tractor Test & Power Museum will host an open house April 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There also will be a tractor show on the mall south of Chase Hall on East Campus. Participants are welcome to this free event; all tractors must have working brakes, all drivers must have a valid driver’s license, and no riders will be permitted. All types of tractors will be displayed including pulling, antique, restored and unrestored machines. This event will be held in conjunction with CASNR (College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources) Week festivities scheduled by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources on East Campus.

The day’s events will conclude with the annual Burr-Fedde-Love Bull Fry from 4-8 p.m. in front of Burr Hall.

New exhibits include the first tractor model ever tested, the Waterloo Boy Model N. Also on display is a model farm created by UNL student Adam Frerichs, who works at the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab. His model has won several awards and will be in the museum through June 1.

The museum will accept free-will donations for building renovations, which will include a new museum store, the Bill Splinter Memorial Art Gallery, engine displays, and exhibit restorations.



ConAgra Foods, Cargill and CHS Build Ardent Mills Management Team, Select Chief Financial Officer

ConAgra Foods, Cargill and CHS today announced the selection of a key executive leadership team member for Ardent Mills, the proposed new flour milling company announced one month ago that will combine the milling operations of industry leaders ConAgra Mills and Horizon Milling. Industry veteran Brad Berentson, vice president of finance for ConAgra Mills, will join the newly created organization as its chief financial officer upon close of the transaction.

Berentson joins Dan Dye and Bill Stoufer as a member of the executive management team that will lead Ardent Mills at the completion of the transaction. Dye, currently president of Horizon Milling, will be Ardent Mills’ chief executive officer and Stoufer, now president of ConAgra Mills, will be chief operating officer and chief integration officer. The new company will combine the best of ConAgra Mills and Horizon Milling, a Cargill-CHS joint venture, to bring the most innovative flour and grain products, services, and solutions to the marketplace.

“We are extremely pleased to announce this important step toward the realization of Ardent Mills,” said Dye. “Brad was selected for this role based on his long track record of success in our industry, including both ingredient and retail experience, a broad range of financial experience, and a passion for developing high performing organizations, leaders, and teams; attributes we view as instrumental in the success of Ardent Mills.”

Berentson has more than 25 years of experience in the food industry, including more than a decade with ConAgra Foods in various finance leadership positions, and 15 years at General Mills in business and corporate finance positions. During Berentson’s tenure, ConAgra Mills achieved both strong top and bottom line growth. Berentson earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and an MBA in Finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

“The executive team of Ardent Mills will reflect the new company’s commitment to industry leadership and innovation,” said Stoufer. “We are committed to starting day one with leaders who possess the right talent, knowledge, and experience needed to build our reputation as the premier flour milling company. I am confident that Brad will bring outstanding strategic direction, passion, and character to Ardent Mills.”

Ardent Mills’ vision will be to help customers increase their growth and profitability in an ever-changing marketplace. Its products will be backed by an extensive network of wheat sourcing capabilities and flour milling and bakery mix facilities across North America. The company will offer a unique set of services, including product development resources, technical and application support, supply chain management and commodity price risk management. Ardent Mills also will tap the knowledge, transportation logistics, consumer insights, food ingredients and culinary expertise currently available through ConAgra Foods, Cargill and CHS. A headquarters location has not yet been announced.



Pinstrup-Andersen: World Has Enough Food to Feed People, but Policies Interfere

The 2001 World Food Prize Laureate said the world can produce enough food to feed its growing population, but global food policies and politics are major impediments.

Per Pinstrup-Andersen of Cornell University made his comments Tuesday during his Heuermann Lecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. As have most other speakers in the series, Pinstrup-Andersen focused on the world's capacity to feed a population expected to grow from 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050.

"We've got lots of food in the world," Pinstrup-Andersen said. "The problem is inappropriate policies, not food supply."

Since 2007, he noted, food prices have fluctuated dramatically. At one point, many experts predicted, incorrectly, the end of inexpensive food. India ended up with 80 million tons of grain in storage last year, half of it outside, rotting on the ground. Zambian farmers doubled their corn production from about 2005 to 2011.

Pinstrup-Andersen estimated that about 2.9 quadrillion (that's 12 zeros) pounds of food are lost every year throughout the distribution system. That amount would feed the 2 billion people expected to be added to the population. Although it's unrealistic to expect to capture that entire loss, some of it could be saved through better policies and management.

Pinstrup-Andersen said he expects large fluctuations in food prices to continue and perhaps get worse. Climate change is one reason. Others include governmental policy, speculation, reduced grain stocks and use of grain in biofuels.

Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are of particular concern. By 2030, estimates are that two-thirds of the world's middle class will live in Asia, compared to just 28 percent in 2009. As their wealth grows, their diets will change – fewer grains, fruits and vegetables; more vegetable oil, meat, eggs and fish.

"We need to pay a lot of attention to the new middle class in Asia," said Pinstrup-Andersen, the H.E. Babcock Professor of Food, Nutrition and Public Policy, the J. Thomas Clark Professor of Entrepreneurship and a professor of applied economics at Cornell University, and an adjunct professor of food economics at the University of Copenhagen.

Pinstrup-Andersen said more money must be invested in research and technology, including genetic modification. He also called for more investment in rural infrastructures in developing countries; orderly trade policies; rules governing land acquisition; and antitrust legislation.

Pinstrup-Andersen served 10 years as the International Food Policy Research Institute's director general in Washington, D.C., and seven years as a department head.  He also served seven years as an economist at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia, and six years as a professor at Wageningen University.

Heuermann Lectures focus on providing and sustaining enough food, natural resources and renewable energy for the world's people, and on securing the sustainability of rural communities where the vital work of producing food and renewable energy occurs. They're made possible by a gift from B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips, long-time university supporters with a strong commitment to Nebraska's production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people.

Lectures are archived at http://heuermannlectures.unl.edu and broadcast on NET2 World at a date following the lecture.



Cattlemen's Ball Offers Opportunity to Win 60th Anniversary Corvette or Ford F150 King Ranch Pickup

Even if you can't attend this year's Cattlemen's Ball, you can still help raise funds for cancer research right here in Nebraska by buying a raffle ticket to win an incredible collectible Corvette or a decked-out Ford 150 King Ranch pickup.

Only 1000 tickets will be sold at a cost of $500 each for a chance to win a 2013 60th Anniversary Grand Sport Corvette donated by Harchelroad Motors, Inc. of Imperial and Wauneta, Nebraska.  Special 60th Anniversary striping and badges make this vehicle a true collectors item.  Features include Arctic White exterior with Diamond Blue sport seats, 438 horsepower, six-speed automatic transmission with manual tap shift option, removable top, Bose 9-speaker premium stereo and much more.

Tickets to win a 2013 Ford F150 King Ranch Super Crew Cab four-by-four pickup are just $100, and only 1,000 tickets will be sold.   The pickup, valued at over $49,000, was donated by Woodhouse Auto Family.   Features include 5-liter, V8 Flex Fuel engine, Green Gem exterior, Adobe interior with Chapparal leather, electronic 6-speed automatic transmission, rear view camera and trailer tow package.

Photos and additional details on both vehicles are available at www.cattlemensball.com.

To purchase raffle tickets for the Corvette and the Ford F150 pickup, contact Rick Kolkman at First National Bank of North Platte at 308.535.6400 or email rkolkman@fnbn.com.  Checks may be made out to either the Cattlemen's Ball Corvette Raffle or Cattlemen's Ball F150 Raffle and mailed to Rick Kolkman, First National Bank, P.O. Box 10, North Platte, NE 69103.   If there are no more tickets available, your check will be returned.  Raffle tickets cannot be purchased online.

The 2013 Cattlemen’s Ball will take place June 7 and 8 on the Hanging H Ranch on U.S. Highway 30 east of Paxton, Nebraska. The event is co-hosted by the Ralph and Beverly Holzfaster family and the Neal Hansen family. The Cattlemen’s Ball is the state’s premier fundraiser for the fight against cancer, with 100% of the dollars raised staying in Nebraska.  This year's theme is "On the Trail to a Cure."

For those interested in attending the event itself, Top Hand tickets are $75 each and include all events beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 8, including entertainment, auctions, fashion show, prime rib dinner, concert performance by country music legends Lone Star and a post-concert dance.  Trail Boss tickets are $350 per person and include all Top Hand activities plus a June 7 reception, auction, and dance as well as a June 8 champagne brunch, luncheon and other special activities.  Tickets in each category are limited and available on a first-served basis.

The Cattlemen’s Ball is hosted by a different Nebraska ranch or feedlot every year.  Its mission is to raise money for cancer research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center, while showcasing rural Nebraska and promoting beef as part of a healthy diet.  Since its inception, the Cattlemen’s Ball has raised more than $6.3 million.  In addition to providing funds to the Eppley Cancer Center, a portion of the funds is also targeted for local healthcare organizations.

For information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.cattlemensball.com.  Tickets may also be purchased at Adams Bank & Trust in Ogallala, Nebraska, or by calling 308.284.7883.



New Spreadsheet Helps Pork Producers Make Better Decisions

A new spreadsheet that can help pork producers and seedstock suppliers make better decisions is now available from the Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University. Professor of animal science Ken Stalder developed the free tool along with animal science graduate student Caitlyn Abell.

“This spreadsheet can be used to estimate the total costs associated with genome-enabled selection,” he said. “Producers also can see how much improvement in a weaned pig will be necessary to breakeven on the costs associated with genome-enabled selection.”

People are invited to register for a free download of the program on the IPIC website... http://www.ipic.iastate.edu/. 

Stalder, who also is an Iowa State Extension and Outreach swine specialist, said producers can use the spreadsheet to determine whether they think investing in animals that have been selected based on genomic methods is an economically viable option. Seedstock suppliers can use the tool when making breeding program decisions.



Animal Drug User Fee Act Reauthorization Comes Before House Energy and Commerce Committee

Tuesday, the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the reauthorization of the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA). The reauthorization of ADUFA is one of the top priorities for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) as set by its members. ADUFA legislation authorizes the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect fees for certain animal drug applications. This allows pharmaceutical companies to pay a user fee to FDA, which is used to hire additional technical staff. By hiring additional technical staff, FDA is able to approve future animal health products without adding to the burden on taxpayers.

At the hearing, the Committee heard testimony from Dr. Mike Apley, DVM with a Ph.D. in pharmacology. Apley currently teaches at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan., and testified to the importance of animal health technologies that in turn allow veterinarians and producers to prevent, control and treat diseases to maintain animal health.

“The overarching goal of veterinarians and producers is to replace the need for prevention or control uses of antibiotics through good management practices,” said Apley. “ADUFA allows veterinarians and producers a greater array of current products to use in these practices. Uses of antibiotics in food animals are highly regulated, starting with specific indications on the label as approved by the FDA. Any other use of these products must meet strict requirements, including strict oversight requirements for veterinary involvement.”

The most important relationship in the judicious use of antibiotics is that between the veterinarian and the producers. The 2011 National Beef Quality Audit found that nearly 90 percent of respondents have a working relationship with a veterinarian when it comes to the use of animal health products. The Beef Quality Audit also found that 99 percent of cattlemen followed Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) best management practices which stress the judicious use of antimicrobial drugs for cattle through a set of guidelines first established in 1987 and reviewed regularly for scientific relevance.

Cattlemen and women work with veterinarians to implement comprehensive herd-health management plans, which include the appropriate use of antibiotics to prevent, control and treat diseases in cattle. These antibiotics are made specifically for cattle to help animals regain and maintain superior health. The vast majority of antibiotics used in livestock are never used in humans.



SENIOR MEDIA ANALYST RON INSANA TO MODERATE THE FOOD DIALOGUES℠: CHICAGO AT BIO INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON APRIL 22

Today, the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) announced its line-up for The Food Dialogues: Chicago panel taking place at the 2013 BIO International Convention on April 22. This program entitled, “The Straight Story on Biotech in Agriculture: The Media and its Impact on Consumers” will feature a panel of experts from multiple disciplines, including farmers, media, industry and academia, who will answer some of the toughest questions surrounding GMOs. Panelists will also discuss what more can be done by all sides – including those who are not in favor of this technology – to give consumers access to information that matters.

The panel on April 22 is the first in a two-part series taking place in Chicago and will begin at 1:45 p.m. CDT and will stream live online at www.fooddialogues.com. The discussion will be moderated by Ron Insana, senior analyst, CNBC and financial industry expert and will feature the following panelists:
·    Emily Anthes, journalist and author, Frankenstein's Cat
·    Dr. Bob Goldberg, plant molecular biologist currently using genomics to identify all of the genes required to "make a seed,” UCLA
·    Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D., freelance writer, speaker, columnist and radio host, Food Sleuth
·    Pam Johnson, Iowa corn farmer
·    Michael Olson, Producer/Host, Food Chain Radio
·    Jerry Slocum, Mississippi soybean farmer
·    Steve Smith, Chairman, SaveOurCrops.Org

During the event, the panelists will explore the many questions consumers have about biotechnology in agriculture – known more commonly to consumers as GMO.  In particular, they will discuss what additional information consumers need access to as interest in this topic continues to grow. Those interested in attending The Food Dialogues: Chicago at the BIO International Convention must pre-register by visiting www.fooddialogues.com.  Information about The Food Dialogues: Chicago at Kendall College taking place on June 19 is also available on this site.



Japan Makes Rare Purchase of Corn

Japan has purchased three corn cargoes totaling 100,000 metric tons from South Africa in a rare deal, to offset tighter supply from the U.S. and South America, its traditional suppliers, trading and shipping executives and cargo surveyors said Wednesday.

"Japan is looking for alternative sources" due to lower supply and high prices of U.S. corn and acute port congestion in Brazil, a cargo surveyor said on the sidelines of an international shipping conference.

He said the ships have been chartered for shipments in May and June on the South Africa-Japan route.

"Traditionally, South African corn is used directly for human consumption because of lower moisture, large soft kernels and fewer broken kernels, but Japanese processors plan to use it for making animal feed to fill gaps in supply," a Tokyo-based importer said.

He said South African corn usually sells at a premium to U.S. origin but due to a serious drought in the U.S. Midwest last year, the price gap between the two has narrowed considerably.

The traders didn't mention South African corn prices but said U.S. corn for June shipment to Japanese ports is being offered at a premium of around 185 cents a bushel to the July futures contract on the Chicago Board of Trade, basis cost and freight.

Brazilian corn is even costlier, close to a 190-cent premium due to port congestion, with a waiting period of up to six weeks for vessels.

Japan still needs another 600,000 tons for April-June shipment, according to industry estimates, but buyers are on the sidelines expecting a fall in prices.



Weekly Ethanol Production for 4/5/2013

According to EIA data, ethanol production averaged 854,000 barrels per day (b/d) — or 35.87 million gallons daily. That is up 47,000 b/d from the week before and the highest rate since the week ending 6/29/2012. It is the largest week-to-week increase since October 2011. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 819,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 12.56 billion gallons.

Stocks of ethanol stood at 17.8 million barrels. That is a 1.8% increase from last week.

Imports of ethanol showed zero b/d, down from last week.

Gasoline demand for the week averaged 356.0 million gallons daily.

Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production was 10.07% — the highest since the first week of 2013.

On the co-products side, ethanol producers were using 12.949 million bushels of corn to produce ethanol and 95,309 metric tons of livestock feed, 84,969 metric tons of which were distillers grains. The rest is comprised of corn gluten feed and corn gluten meal. Additionally, ethanol producers were providing 4.45 million pounds of corn oil daily.



Reform Biofuels Mandate, Pork, Beef Urge Congress

Following an announcement by House lawmakers that they will introduce legislation to address issues with the federal Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) urged Congress to reform the biofuels mandate.

Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Steve Womack (R-Ark.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), at a press conference today said they would introduce the Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Act to “help ease concerns created by the ethanol mandate and protect consumers, energy producers, livestock producers, food manufacturers, retailers and the U.S. economy.”

The RFS last year required 13.2 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol to be blended into gasoline; it mandates that 13.9 billion gallons be blended in 2013, an amount that will use about 4.9 billion bushels of corn, or about 40 percent of the nation’s crop.

NCBA and NPPC last fall called on lawmakers to make changes to the RFS, following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) refusal to use the safety valve built into it to waive the biofuels mandate in the wake of a severe drought that drastically cut the corn crop.

“Cattlemen and women are self-reliant, but in order to maintain that we cannot be asked to compete with federal mandates like the Renewable Fuels Standard for the limited supply of feed grains,” said NCBA Policy Vice Chair Craig Uden, an Elwood, Neb., cattle feeder. “In light of the worst drought to hit our country in over 50 years and the ever increasing renewable mandates, we are seeing many of our members not only failing to profit, but taking a loss.”

“It is clear, when EPA is unable to provide even a temporary waiver of the RFS during the worst drought in 70 years to assure adequate feed and food supplies, that something is broken and needs to be fixed,” said NPPC President Randy Spronk, a pork producer from Edgerton, Minn. “We applaud Congress, and especially Congressmen Goodlatte, Costa, Womack and Welch, for beginning this long overdue conversation on the RFS and for offering reasonable solutions to address problems associated with that mandate. We need to reform the RFS.”

NCBA and NPPC want a reform bill that ensures market stability, feed availability and the long-term sustainability of rural American economies.



RFA Calls RFS Reform Bill “Backwards, Silly, Circular Logic”

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) forcefully responded to new legislation, the RFS Reform Act, introduced today by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Steve Womack (R-AR), and Peter Welch (D-VT) that would effectively end the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Bob Dinneen, RFA’s President and CEO, fired back at the legislation:

“The motivation behind this bill is backwards, silly, circular logic. The authors insist they're not anti-biofuels, but the bill guts the only program that has successfully opened the market to these new technologies, lowering our dependence on imported oil and reducing the consumer price of gasoline. The authors state they want a ‘free market’ for energy, but they do nothing to end the billions in subsidies to Big Oil and they deny market access to E15. The authors portend to retain the mandate for new cellulosic and advanced biofuels, but the bill handcuffs the commercialization of these fuels by removing the forward-looking, market-driving provisions of the original legislation. It would be more direct and intellectually honest to simply say ‘this bill restores Big Oil’s monopoly.’”

Dinneen continued, “You can’t legitimately say ‘we support biofuels’ and then pull the rug out from underneath companies that relied upon government policy and are now building biorefineries that create hundreds of construction jobs at each location or are hitting milestones in new production. This legislation should have been introduced on Halloween because it will scare away investors. Nothing undermines next generation innovation like uncertainty.”



RFS Reform Act Proposes to Gut Rather Than Reform the RFS

Brooke Coleman, Executive Director of the Advanced Ethanol Council, released the following statement today in response to legislation introduced by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Steve Womack (R-AR), and Peter Welch (D-VT):

“Congressman Goodlatte (R-VA) gets points for being creative. Disguised as a reform effort supportive of advanced biofuels, the RFS Reform Act actually guts the RFS by eliminating key provisions that require oil companies to actually change their behavior and buy renewable fuels. It is not a coincidence that the American Petroleum Institute (API) has been asking for these modifications to the RFS for years. But the RFS Reform Act is even more disingenuous than that. While stating that he merely wants ethanol to compete in a free market, in the same breath Congressman Goodlatte proposes to ban ethanol from 90 percent of the market. If there ever was a definition of free market fit for the oil industry, this is it. It is doubtful that the sponsors of this legislation truly believe that the best way to promote second generation biofuel is to kill first generation biofuel and provide Congressional protections for the oil industry’s monopoly over the fuel blend in the process. This is just a smokescreen for going after the one alternative fuel and the one policy that has fundamentally disrupted oil industry control of the marketplace while saving consumers money at the pump.”



Wheat Stakeholders Press Necessity of Consistent Federal Research Funding

As policymakers struggle to set federal funding priorities for the coming years and craft a new, five-year farm bill, wheat researchers, farmers, millers and bakers are on Capitol Hill together, pressing the importance of long-term and stable agriculture research funding.

Nearly 30 stakeholders from every region of the country are in town this week for the wheat industry’s annual fly-in focusing on innovation in the public sector, which continues to produce the vast majority of new wheat varieties adapted to the challenges farmers face.

In a time of deep uncertainty at the federal level, the wheat representatives are educating policymakers about the process of developing new and better wheat plants, which can easily take 10 years per variety.

The annual event is sponsored by the National Wheat Improvement Committee (NWIC), a group of wheat scientists and stakeholders, and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and put on in conjunction with the North American Millers’ Association and the American Bakers Association.

Fly-in participants are telling their own stories about the impact of crop research on their sector and specifically asking Members of Congress to support the Obama Administration’s FY2014 request of $1.124 billion for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and $383 million in funding for USDA’s premier competitive grant programs, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).

Despite demonstrated return on investment of up to $32 to $1, just 1.6 percent of the $142 billion annual federal investment in research goes to agriculture research, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Even in a time of increased private investment, wheat research is primarily done within ARS, through AFRI grants and at land-grant universities around the country that also get funding from state governments and wheat growers directly. Public programs are uniquely suited to address the basic questions all plant scientists need answered and to operationalize research into locally-adapted wheat varieties.

“The conundrum we find ourselves in is that rapidly evolving and emerging pests and a growing population will not wait for better days ahead financially," said Dr. Brett Carver, the head of the wheat improvement team at Oklahoma State University and the chairman of NWIC.

“The problems are now, and the solutions are as pressing on wheat scientists as ever before. The U.S. wheat research community has performed well at keeping up; catching up is an entirely different game, but one we increasingly have to play.”

With a new farm bill still on the horizon, participants are also reminding Members of Congress of the importance of the legislation’s research title, which authorizes AFRI and the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI), a public-private-federal research collaboration that is a model for other such partnerships within the industry.

“Nobody believes that the way the federal government is operating right now is healthy or encouraging economic growth. All industries and sectors benefit from certainty,” said Bing Von Bergen, NAWG president and a wheat farmer from Moccasin, Mont.

“With research, though, the impact of cuts today won’t just last until a program is restructured or funding is found elsewhere. Programs will cease to exist, scientists will move on to other specialties, and we will have very serious problems developing and cultivating healthy crops for decades to come. These expenditures truly are investments in our nation’s future that need to be made.”



National Dairy FARM Program Reaches 70% Participation Threshold

The dairy industry’s animal care program has achieved an important milestone, with 70 percent of the nation’s milk now participating in the program. With the recent addition of several major cooperatives in the National Dairy FARM Program (Farmers Assuring Responsible ManagementTM), more than two-thirds of the nation’s cows will be covered by the industry’s animal well-being effort, according to the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).

NMPF started the FARM program three years ago to provide a consistent, national, verifiable means of showing consumers and the food value chain how dairy products are produced. The number of cooperatives and processors subscribing to the program has continued to grow, and now includes farms producing 70% of America’s milk supply.

“Consumers and customers don’t expect perfection, but they do expect us to collectively demonstrate our industry’s responsible practices and our commitment to quality animal care,” said Jerry Kozak, President and CEO of NMPF. “I’m proud of the ongoing progress our farmers are making by working to implement the FARM program’s guidelines on their own operations.”

In addition to the positive development in the level of participation in the program, Kozak said that the FARM program’s guidelines, contained in the National Dairy FARM Animal Care Manual, are in the final stages of an extensive review and revision process. After nearly a year of consultation throughout the industry, with farmers, veterinary experts, and cooperative staff, the three year-old animal care manual will be revised slightly to reflect the latest knowledge and best practices about proper dairy animal care. Revisions to the animal observation component also relied on analysis of over 360,000 animal observations collected through on-farm evaluations for FARM program over the last three years.

If the NMPF Board approves the revisions in June, the newly-revised manual will be made available on the FARM website at www.nationaldairyfarm.com.



CWT Assists with 712,000 Pounds of Cheese and Butter Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted two requests for export assistance to sell 50,706 pounds (23 metric tons) of Cheddar cheese and 661,387 pounds (300 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia and the Middle East. The product will be delivered June through October 2013.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 47.106 million pounds of cheese, 47.145 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of anhydrous milk fat and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder to 30 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.464 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. That is equal to 90% of USDA’s projected increase in milk marketings for all of 2013.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term by helping to maintain inventories of cheese and butter at desirable levels. 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.



March Busiest CWT Month to Date

March was the most active month in the first quarter of 2013 for Cooperatives Working Together (CWT), with 196 requests from member cooperatives for export assistance. It was also the top month in the first three months of 2013 in terms of bids accepted (103) and pounds of butter receiving export assistance (24.9 million pounds). In addition, assistance was provided on 16.9 million pounds of American-type cheeses and 44,092 pounds of anhydrous milk fat (AMF).

The March activity brought the total amount of CWT-assisted exports in the first quarter of 2013 to 47 million pounds of cheese, 46.5 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of AMF and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder. The products will go to 30 countries on six continents.

These exports are equal to 1.45 billion pounds of milk production on a milkfat basis. That meant CWT-assisted exports in just the first quarter of 2013 covered 90% of the USDA projected increase in milk production in 2013 for the entire year.

Because a significant portion of the amount budgeted to assist butterfat exports has been committed, effective immediately, CWT is limiting the butter bids it will consider for export assistance to the target areas in the business plan – the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, until further notice, CWT will no longer consider bids for export assistance on AMF. This will allow CWT to make the most effective use of the remaining funds available.



Canada Threatens Tariffs if US Fails to Meet WTO Deadline on Meat Labeling

Canada is prepared to impose punitive tariffs worth about 1 billion Canadian dollars ($984 million) a year on U.S. goods if it doesn't meet a May deadline to comply with a World Trade Organization ruling on meat-labeling, Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Tuesday.

That amount is the annual cost to Canada's beef and pork industry since the U.S. imposed mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements in 2008, Mr. Ritz said in a conference call with reporters from Washington, D.C.

The WTO in 2011 found that the labeling law violated trade rules. The U.S. launched a challenge but lost and has until May 23 to ensure the labeling law meets WTO rules.

"As a country, we're more than prepared to apply retaliatory measures to recoup that C$1 billion," if the U.S doesn't comply, Mr. Ritz said. He said he is "hopeful" but isn't "holding my breath" that the U.S. will comply. He said he hopes pressure from the Canadian government and industry on both sides of the border will convince the U.S. that its actions are "wrong headed."

Mr. Ritz reiterated that Canada is "extremely disappointed" with proposed rules from the U.S. Department of Agriculture last month to modify labeling provisions for muscle cuts of meat, including a requirement to specify where the animal from which such cuts were derived was born, raised and slaughtered.

He said he had a "very frank yet respectful discussion on bilateral issues" with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack during his visit to Washington.



Cargill reports third-quarter fiscal 2013 earnings

Cargill today reported net earnings of $445 million in the fiscal 2013 third quarter ended Feb. 28, down 42 percent from $766 million in the same period a year ago. Nine-month earnings totaled $1.83 billion, up 66 percent from $1.1 billion in the prior year. Third-quarter revenues edged up 1 percent to $32.2 billion, which brought nine-month revenues to $101.2 billion.

“Cargill’s earnings were below last year’s record third quarter,” said Greg Page, Cargill chairman and chief executive officer. “The current quarter demonstrated the balance that comes from Cargill’s diversified portfolio. In North America, our meat processing businesses were pressured by the drought-related high cost of feed ingredients. Even though many of our global food ingredients businesses experienced higher input costs, they nearly matched their strong performance in last year’s third quarter.”

Among Cargill’s five business segments, earnings in agriculture services were down largely due to the prolonged impact of last year’s drought-reduced crops in North America. Animal nutrition results were affected by Venezuela’s currency devaluation in February and by difficult economic conditions in meat and dairy production in several regions.
Third-quarter earnings in origination and processing were below the prior year, with mixed results across regions. Export demand for U.S. soybeans and meal was strong all quarter due to limited pre-harvest supplies in South America. Brazil’s harvest began in February, but weather delays and logistical challenges significantly reduced soybean and soybean product exports below expectations.

Earnings in the food ingredients and applications segment were below the year-earlier period. Performance in food ingredients reflected value-creating customer solutions, good risk management and attention to costs, although the Venezuelan currency devaluation was a factor in holding results below the year-ago level. The animal protein businesses were negatively affected in North America by high feeding costs, tight cattle supplies and an oversupplied turkey market. Cargill’s beef processing plant in Plainview, Texas, was idled in February because of the tight cattle supply brought about by years of drought in Texas and Southern Plains states. A related, one-time charge to earnings was taken. Nine-month results in global animal protein were ahead of last year.

The risk management and financial segment was moderately below last year’s third quarter. Asset management activities performed well, though not as briskly as last year when financial markets rallied in response to easing in the European debt crisis. Results in energy trailed the year-ago period.

Cargill’s industrial segment posted increased third-quarter earnings. Sales volumes of road deicing products were higher than last year, though production volumes decreased due to the mild North American winter in 2011-12, which left storage facilities still holding inventory as the new season began. Cargill’s first-quarter acquisition of a vegetable oil-based dielectric fluid business was accretive to segment earnings through the first nine months. Dielectric fluids are used to cool transformer and electrical equipment.



Soil Temperature and Field Conditions Outweigh Calendar Date
Jerry Herrington, Pioneer

Spring soil temperatures and field conditions vary from year to year. Keep this in mind and base your planting decisions on the current situation, rather than the date on the calendar. Planting date is a critical management factor to help minimize the risks associated with suboptimal conditions for germination. Successful corn emergence is a combination of three key factors – environment, genetics and seed quality.
-    Environment – temperature, residue, compaction and water
-    Genetics – stress tolerance and vigor
-    Seed quality – harvest moisture, drying and conditioning

It is generally recommended to plant when soil temperatures are at or above 50 degrees and the near-term forecast shows a warming trend. Planting into cold, wet soils inflicts stress on corn seed emergence, as does planting just ahead of a cold spell.

Data suggests that planting just before a stress event such as a cold rain or snow can cause significant stand loss. To help mitigate the risk, consider the following tips:
-    Stop planting one or two days in advance, if a cold spell is expected around planting time. Allow seed to begin hydration in warmer soils in order to minimize damage due to cold imbibition.
-    Be aware that low nighttime temperatures can dip soil temperatures below advisable planting levels in sandy soils. Large temperature swings in lighter soils can also hurt emergence.
-    Consider strip-tillage or use row cleaners to allow soils to warm up faster, if planting in fields with high amounts of residue.
-    Select hybrids with higher stress emergence scores. The right seed treatment can also help reduce risks associated with planting in cold-stress conditions.



New BASF sequential fungicide application program controls disease, drives yield

High-production corn growers can now utilize a fungicide program that includes the latest products from BASF: Priaxor® fungicide and Headline AMP® fungicide. More than 40 research trials across the Midwest from 2010 to 2012 show a sequential fungicide application program increased corn yield by 15.3 bu/A.

The sequential fungicide application program involves an application of a Plant Health fungicide early in the season pre-tassel, followed by another Plant Health fungicide application at tassel (VT-R2). Studies show sequential fungicide applications are an effective way to consistently deliver the highest yields for growers and control corn diseases throughout the season.

BASF recommends growers considering a sequential fungicide application on their corn acres apply Priaxor fungicide as an early season application pre-tassel, followed by a tassel application (VT-R2) of Headline AMP fungicide.

“Priaxor fungicide, which provides another mode of action for row crops, delivers continuous protection and consistent performance against a broad spectrum of diseases,” said Caren Schmidt, Ph.D., Technical Market Manager, BASF. “Utilizing Priaxor followed by Headline AMP in a sequential fungicide program engages three modes of action to suppress troublesome corn diseases, including anthracnose leaf blight, gray leaf spot, Northern corn leaf blight and common rust.”

A sequential fungicide program is a key part of many high-yield, total management programs in corn. Additionally, BASF recommends sequential fungicide applications for growers managing no-till, corn-on-corn and/or continuous corn acres to minimize the stress caused by more extreme disease pressures.

Dan Arkels, a corn and soybean grower from north-central Illinois, saw a 20-25 bu/A increase with the sequential fungicide program during the drought of 2012.

“It was very dry in our area last year and with the program, our corn was extremely healthy and stayed green through the first frost,” said Arkels. “Being able to keep the plant healthy with fungicides makes a huge difference to my bottom line. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that a sequential fungicide program more than pays for itself.”

“The early application of Priaxor fungicide typically coincides with post-emergent herbicide applications,” Dr. Schmidt said. “To reduce soil compaction, minimize application costs and manage the hectic spring schedule, growers have a few options for applying Priaxor fungicide at the early timing. They can tank mix Priaxor fungicide with their post-emergent herbicide application, or apply the fungicide following the herbicide application. In both instances, we recommend a grower follow up with Headline AMP fungicide at tassel to receive the greatest disease control, Plant Health, and yield benefits.”