Thursday May 2 Ag News

Statement by Steve Nelson, President, Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, On Animal Care Standards in Farm Bill

“The fact that Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow would even consider starting  the discussion on a new farm bill by including legislation initiated and advocated for by extremist organizations is a slap in the face to American farm families.  Including legislation to set a “one size fits all” standard for the housing and treatment of egg-laying hens would set a dangerous precedent and only encourage further bullying of farm families by activists through baseless legal actions and public smear campaigns. People need to understand these extremists groups are creating animal issues to make money and attack farm families.”

“Farmers and ranchers recognize and understand their moral obligation to provide for the well-being of their animals and their responsibility for raising them in a humane and compassionate manner. They have an unwavering dedication to do what’s right for their animals and have been trusted to take care of them for generations. It’s what they do. There is no place for this type of legislation. To start the farm bill discussion with this measure threatens the prospects of passing a much needed farm bill.”



How Imbibitional Chilling Injury Occurs in Corn
Greg Kruger, UNL Extension Cropping Systems Specialist

The extraordinary drought of 2012 is now being followed up by an unusual spring of 2013. Certainly, the drought continues — while recent rains have helped, many areas throughout Nebraska have severely depleted subsoil moisture levels. In addition, recent temperature swings have the potential to wreak havoc on recently planted crops.

While there is some debate over what temperatures cause imbibitional chilling – when seeds absorb water so cold it affects emergence -- and the time factor associated with the response, there is undoubtedly a response from corn plants that imbibe cold water in the first 24-48 hours after planting. With the recent cold weather and some growers planting fields to “beat” the rain, some corn fields may experience symptoms from imbibitional chilling.

It is generally recommended that soil temperatures be 50-55°F at planting to avoid this damge. Some reports have even suggested that corn will not be injured if the soil temperature is above 41° F, but there is certainly some risk that the early planted corn may be injured. The soil temperature measured here at North Platte at 8:30 am. May 1 was 42° F.

Like rubber and other elastic materials, the cells of the corn kernel will expand as the water is imbibed. When the water is cold, the cells will become brittle and are more likely to rupture. If the plant cells do rupture, the new seedling will fail to develop properly. When this happens, we are likely to see delayed emergence, inconsistent plant spacing, and/or “corkscrewing” cotyledons, including leafing out underground.

With modern hybrids, there is likely less risk of this happening because the seed and seedlings are more vigorous, but if you have early planted corn in the ground this year, it will be important to scout it early. Poor stands may need to be replanted.



How Cold Stress Affects Soybean
Jim Specht, UNL Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture

With the warmer conditions and warming soil temperatures planters started rolling across Nebraska over the weekend and early this week. By mid week, however, field work stopped due to rain, snow, and a return to colder temperatures. Now growers are wondering how this cold stress and the potential for inbibitional chilling may affect soybean seeds that have been planted.

Soybean Germination Process
The germination stage of soybean consists first of a very fast uptake of water (imbibitional phase) followed by a much slower uptake of water (osmotic phase). Chilling during the first phase can cause severe problems because the imbibed water is needed to rehydrate the cotyledons and embryo to the point that cell membranes become functional. Cold temperatures interfere with proper hydration of those membranes. The imbibitional phase is typically not very long (less than 24 hours) and can occur with relatively little soil moisture since the seed is dry. Thus, getting a cold rain 0-24 hours after you plant can lead to chilling injury in soybean and lower stands. A study by UNL researcher W.J. Bramlage et al. showed that when the soybean seed coat was removed, imbibition injury occurred within 30 minutes. With a seed coat, imbibition is slower and a longer exposure would be needed before chilling injury occurs.

A key point to consider is that chilling injury is likely to be greater if soil temperatures were cold (less than 40° F) at planting rather than becoming cold 24 or more hours after sowing. The longer the seed is in the ground at warm soil temperatures before cold temperatures occur, the less likelihood there is of chilling injury. The bottom line is: Plant your soybeans if you think the soil temperatures won’t get cold (less than 40°F) for at least 24 hours. If you planted two or more days before the cold rain, there should be no imbibitional injury due to cold temperature.

During the second phase of germination, the fully functional membranes (after imbibitional hydration) create an osmotic situation in which water diffuses into the living cells. Osmotic water uptake is slow with cold temperatures. Chilling during this phase causes little direct injury to the germinating seedling. Cold temperatures will, however, slow emergence.

Be Aware of Soil Moisture Content
More important than cold soil temperatures after imbibitional water uptake is the soil moisture content. Cold soil delays the germination to emergence process, but cold soil plus soggy soil conditions of some duration can substantively reduce soybean emergence. Why? Soil-borne pathogens love soggy soil. Since the period of seedling germination to emergence takes longer due to the cold, those pathogens will have more time to infect the seedling cotyledons and access their carbohydrate, protein, and lipid reserves. The seedling needs those cotyledon reserves to live on until the unifoliolate leaves start photosynthesis and form more carbohydrates. This is why fungicide seed treatments are crucial if planting soybeans in April or early May and in cold, wet conditions. Ultimately, it is soggy soil with cold temperatures that kill your germination.



Long-Term Research Shows Full-Season Corn Hybrids

Growers across the Corn Belt are either anxiously waiting to get into their fields or are in the early stages of planting their 2013 corn crop. If cool, wet weather continues, planting will be delayed for many growers and prompt questions about switching to earlier season hybrids.

Long-term research studies from DuPont Pioneer and several universities show that adapted, full-season corn hybrids usually offer the best yield and profit advantage when planting delays are not extreme.

“The cool, wet weather this spring is causing planting delays in many areas, leaving growers questioning whether they need to make  hybrid maturity switches,” says Mark Jeschke, DuPont Pioneer agronomy research manager. “It is important to weigh your decision carefully. If you switch to a shorter season hybrid too soon, you are giving up higher yield potential and profits.”

According to Jeschke, hybrid changes should be based on expected grower returns including yield, drying costs and test weight discounts. Early hybrids should be used under extreme late-plant or replant situations.

Full-season hybrids typically make full use of a growing season. Even when planted late, these hybrids often outperform early maturing hybrids, adjusting their growth and development to reach maturity in a shortened growing season.

Long-term studies by both Pioneer and universities which included a range of hybrid maturities across planting dates extending from April through June have shown a clear yield and profit advantage for full-season hybrids.

“If growers have questions about switching, including replacement hybrid availability, they should consult their Pioneer sales professional,” says Jeschke.

University research shows that full-season hybrids adjust to late planting with a reduction in their growing degree unit (GDU) requirement of up to six units per day of planting delay. For example, hybrids planted May 20 may require 150 fewer heat units to reach maturity than the same hybrids planted April 25. This adjustment reduces the risk of fall frost damage to these hybrids.

Pioneer studies across several years reinforce the university findings. Pioneer focused on hybrids planted across the central, north-central, north and far-north regions of the Corn Belt. Hybrids were planted from early April to mid-June and grouped into full, medium and early maturities at each location. Several hybrids were included in each maturity group so that true maturity responses could be measured, rather than just specific hybrid responses. The studies looked at differences in corn grain yield response to planting date, as well as moisture, test weight and gross income response. The data provides growers more relevant planting information for the different regions in which they farm.

For example, in the central Corn Belt, results indicate that early to mid-April planting is best for the greatest corn yield potential. Full-season hybrids – hybrids with a comparative relative maturity (CRM) of 111 to 115 – yield better and produce better grain at harvest than early maturity hybrids. Growers should not consider switching full-season hybrids to earlier CRM hybrids until the last week of May.

Soil conditions permitting, April planting also is recommended in the north-central Corn Belt. Growers are encouraged to plant full-season hybrids (103 to 110 CRM) until the last week of May in this region.

Maturity planning is most critical in northernmost states because of the risk of cool weather or early frost. Pioneer recommends producers in northern Corn Belt areas (central Minnesota and north-central Wisconsin) stick with full-season hybrids (98-105 CRM) until approximately May 27.  This recommendation also carries into far-northern areas (northern Minnesota, North Dakota and Quebec, Canada) for hybrids that are full-season there (97-100 CRM).



Ionophores Reduce Impact of Drought Induced Forage Losses
Heather DePra, UNL Extension Educator
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist

Drought in Nebraska and much of the United States has cattlemen worried about their pasture and forage supply this year. Culling, early weaning, limit feeding hay and/or concentrates, using alternative feeds, or ammoniating low quality roughages are just a few of the options to consider when implementing a drought plan. Another option is to add an ionophore, a common feed additive, into your cattle nutrition program.

Rumensin and Bovatech, commonly known ionophores, are not new to the beef industry. Rumensin was introduced to cattlemen over 30 years ago and has significantly changed the cattle feeding industry by improving feed efficiency and controlling coccidiosis. However, ionophores can also be used in many other phases of beef cattle production. The improvement in feed efficiency when feeding Rumensin actually increases as the forage level in the diet increases. Therefore, ionophores also provide significant benefits to mature cows in dry lot, cow-calf pairs on pasture, and grazing yearlings. As Rumensin is the only ionophore approved for use in mature reproducing beef cows, it will be referred to as the ionophore of choice for the remainder of the article.

The saying “if a little is good, a lot is better” is not true when it comes to ionophores. At undiluted levels, they can be toxic. Horses are especially sensitive to them. The LD 50 (dose at which a product is expected to be lethal for 50% of the population) for Rumensin in horses is 0.6 mg/lb (1.4 mg/kg), equating to an LD 50 of 763 mg for a 1200 lb horse. Although this is over three times the recommended Rumensin dose for cattle on pasture, it is best to keep horses away from products containing Rumensin, especially mineral and pre-mix type products where Rumensin is highly concentrated in a product. The LD 50 for Rumensin in cattle is 12 mg/lb (26.4 mg/kg), equating to 6,000 mg for a 500 lb calf.

Rumensin fed at appropriate levels improves feed efficiency by acting directly on the bacteria within the rumen to shift the bacteria population to a higher percentage of bacteria that are more efficient. That means cattle get more energy out of the same amount of feed when Rumensin is fed. A summary of 24 different forage trials consistently shows an average improvement of 0.2 lbs/head/day in stocker cattle when fed Rumensin at 200 mg/head/day (Potter, et. al, 1986), across a wide range of forage types, growing seasons, and supplementation methods. Similarly, a four trial summary, utilizing mature beef cows fed 50-200 mg/head/day of Rumensin, showed cows maintained the same body weight on 5-10% less feed (NADA 95-735). Therefore, with Rumensin, you can feed the same number of cows with 5-10% less feed or you can feed the same amount of feed and increase the number of cows 5-10%. Keep in mind, the expected improvement in feed efficiency assumes the basic energy and protein requirements of the cattle are being met.

Another benefit to Rumensin is that it prevents and controls coccidiosis, a disease in which protozoa damage the lining of the intestines, cecum, and colon. When consumed by cattle at the appropriate mg/head/day level (at least 0.14 mg/lb of body weight/day, up to 200 mg/head/day for beef cows), Rumensin kills the invading protozoa at several places within the protozoan lifecycle: before the coccidia invade the small intestine, as the protozoa emerge into the lumen of the small intestine, and also in the lumen of the large intestine. Rumensin also reduces the opportunity for reinfection by reducing the amount of new coccidia shed by the animal.

The higher your per head/day feeding costs, obviously the greater your return on the cost of Rumensin. The following are several examples of the cost benefit when implementing Rumensin into your feeding program:

Mature cows in dry lot: Rumensin costs about $0.02/head/day when fed at an intake of 200 mg/head/day. Daily delivery can be accomplished several ways. It can be part of a total mixed ration fed daily, blended into a supplement fed to cows receiving free-choice forage, through a protein cake, or part of a salt-mineral mix. If feed efficiency improves just 5%, Rumensin is cost effective whenever daily feed costs exceed 40 cents/cow. Commonly, dry lot ration feed costs are more than $2.50/cow/day so 2 cents of Rumensin should reduce daily feed costs at least 12.5 cents/cow, resulting in a net gain of at least 10.5 cents/cow/day. For a 100-cow herd, instead of spending $250/day for feed, cost may be reduced to $239.50/day for feed with Rumensin. Plus, feed supplies will last longer or allow you to feed 4 or 5 more cows.

Cow-calf pairs on pasture: For cattle on pasture not receiving supplemental feed, Rumensin can be provided as part of a salt-mineral mix, either as a loose, free choice mineral or in pressed blocks. Rumensin may add up to 3 to 4 cents per day above what the blocks or free choice mineral mixes alone cost. Similar to dry-lotted cows, cows on pasture will utilize the available forage more efficiently, helping maintain body weight (or body condition score) on less forage by increasing the energy value of the forage already being consumed (NRC, 1996). In addition, coccidiosis is controlled in the cows, lessening the chance of calves becoming infected.

Stockers or replacement heifers on pasture: Yearling daily gain on pasture increases about 0.2 lbs/head when Rumensin is supplied by one of the previously mentioned methods. If added Rumensin costs 4 cents/day, the value of the added gain only needs to be greater than 20 cents/pound for this addition to be cost effective. If the value of gain is $1/pound, adding Rumensin will provide a daily net gain of about 16 cents /head, or $24/head during a 150-day grazing season. Replacement heifers on pasture would also be expected to increase average daily gain when fed Rumensin and may also have fewer days to first estrus.

Ionophores are an important tool when managing feed costs for your cattle. Contact your feed consultant or local extension office for more information.



Control Flies on Cattle Early
Bethany Johnston, UNL Extension Educator

Horn and stable flies are common pests. The warm weather will cause flies to hatch early, so now is the time to start thinking about control. Controlling flies before they are a problem (early in the season) will give you the biggest bang for your buck. Dave Boxler, UNL Extension, has been conducting research for over 20 years, and has suggestions for these beef pests.

Horn flies were brought over from Europe hundreds of years ago and spend their entire life on cattle except to lay eggs in fresh manure. Horn flies can impact weaning weights in calves, due to the vast amount of blood lost to flies from the nursing cow, ultimately causing lower milk production.

Horn Fly Control: Control of horn flies includes feed additives to kill eggs in manure, dust bags, pour-ons, back rubs, mist sprayers, and most common - ear tags. Control products recommended as animal sprays are: coumaphos (Co-Ral), permethrin (many brand names), natural pyrethrins, and phosmet (Prolate).

When using insecticide tags for horn flies, two tags per adult animal should be in place about June 1st (during a normal year) or when fly populations are over 200 flies per animal. About 60 flies can fit into the size of a silver dollar (you can see pictures at http://beef.unl.edu). The tags release a great amount of chemical early and then taper off. Tagging too early will cause the greatest amount of chemical to be released from the tags before the flies become a problem. Applying insecticide ear tags in early May will most likely require re-application of ear tags or switching to an alternative fly control method later in the summer to achieve season-long fly control. All adult animals should be tagged in the herd. Remove old tags to prevent chemical resistance in the flies. If your tags aren’t working, you may have to switch methods and the type of chemical used. Another problem with horn flies is they can travel distances up to 15 miles. You may able to quell the fly population in your herd, only to have horn flies migrate in from another area, or from neighboring cattle herds.

Stable flies are the major cause of bunching in cattle. The stable fly originated from Africa and has a rough, jagged mouthpart that tears the flesh and causes great pain in the animal. Only three stable flies per leg can cause cattle to bunch, stomp their legs, or stand in the waterholes. Stable flies develop in rotting organic material like decaying manure, grass clippings, or wet rotting silage. Since most barns contain hospitable environment for stable fly eggs, stable flies are found around barns/stables, as well as feedlots and compost piles. However, open pastures in the Sandhills usually lack the organic decaying material needed for stable fly eggs. How do stable flies end up in pastures? Stable flies can travel up to 50 miles by themselves, hitch a ride on the sides of trailers, or may migrate on weather fronts. Since the stable flies feed on blood, they tend to congregate on the legs where the veins and blood vessels are close to the skin. Feeding stable flies are very painful and disrupt grazing and lead to lower weight gains.

Stable Fly Control: Since dust bags and oilers don’t deliver pesticide to the legs, they are inefficient, as well as ear tags. The only management option available for control of stable flies on range cattle is the use of animal sprays. Products such as coumaphos (Co-Ral), permethrin (many brand names), natural pyrethins (many brand names), and phosmet (Prolate) are available for use. Clean-up of wasted feed at winter feeding sites may prevent localized fly development but may not reduce the economic impact of stable fly feeding. Animal sprays work well, but are labor intensive and require gathering and penning of animals which might not be practical in large pasture situations. Mist blower sprayers work rather well, some ranchers with large pastures have mounted misters on their cake pickups: the cows are caked and then misted with fly spray as they eat.



EPA Continues to Release Producers' Personal Information

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is appalled to learn that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to illegally release information on cattle operations to the activist groups Earth Justice, the Pew Charitable Trust and the Natural Resources Defense Council. In this latest action, the agency again admitted it had released too much information on livestock producers, specifically producers from Montana and Nebraska. This action happened less a month after the agency found it had released too much information on livestock producers in 10 states. 

NCBA Past President J.D. Alexander, a cattle feeder from Pilger, Neb., and whose information was released to the activists groups in the initial EPA action, said it is clear “someone at EPA is either completely incompetent or intentionally violating federal law. Either way, this action shows EPA cannot be trusted with sensitive information and should not have the authority to procure or disseminate it. NCBA is calling for an investigation by the Office of Inspector General into this matter.”

The records released in February by EPA include names of producers and operations, locations and in some cases even personal phone numbers for farmers and ranchers who own beef, swine or poultry operations. Most of the 80,000 facilities listed are not regulated under the Clean Water Act (CWA), some having as few as 12 head of livestock. After NCBA and other livestock groups expressed outrage over the initial release of information, EPA conducted a review of the records and admitted it released too much personal information for 10 of the 29 states included in the documents. After a second review, the agency once again said too much information was released for operations located in Nebraska and Montana.

“These actions by EPA once again prove that the agency is incapable of properly doing its job. Nowhere in law is EPA required to obtain and display such personal information on all these livestock operations. On the contrary, the federal government should be protecting its citizens from unwarranted attacks,” Alexander said. “Instead, EPA has once again threatened the health and safety of America’s farmers and their families, as well as decreased the security of our food system. Now they have politely asked these activist groups twice to return those documents with extremely sensitive information on them. What makes EPA think that these groups will listen and act appropriately in order to protect hardworking farming and ranching families, those families that environmental activist groups want out of business?”

He added that NCBA continues to pursue legislative action that would prevent the agency from being able to make these devastating mistakes.

Nebraska Sens. Mike Johanns and Deb Fischer said the fact that EPA disregarded the privacy of cattle producers in their home state of Nebraska and across the country shows the agency continues to act as if it is above the law.

“EPA’s disclosure of personal and confidential information of private citizens and business owners – including 3,500 Nebraskans – demonstrates a complete disregard for their privacy and safety. Now, we have learned that, in the agency’s mismanaged attempt to recover the information, the EPA failed to request the return of hundreds of Nebraskans’ personal data that should not have been released,” said Fischer. “This whole episode is more than a mere comedy of errors; it represents a pattern of disturbing disregard for the rights of our citizens. I believe Nebraskans – and Congress – deserve a thorough, independent and speedy review of the EPA’s handling of the deliberate disclosure and botched recovery process.”

Johanns agreed with Fischer, stating that “EPA’s ongoing assault on America’s agriculture producers is nothing short of alarming.”

“EPA’s disregard for the privacy of farmers and ranchers in Nebraska and across the country is, at best, woeful negligence, and at worst, a flagrant effort to aid organizations seeking to radically dismantle agriculture practices, with no regard for what it takes to feed the world. I certainly hope EPA’s release of sensitive personal data was not part of a larger agenda to jeopardize American agriculture operations, but its track record does not help its case. EPA must now explain how it will ensure private information is not abused.”




‘Iowa Girl Eats’ and Iowa Food & Family Project launch ‘Join My Journey’

A well-known Iowa blogger is taking her online adventures to the farm with the help of the Iowa Food & Family Project.

‘Join My Journey’ features Kristin Porter of West Des Moines, author of the popular and influential ‘Iowa Girl Eats’ blog. Throughout the spring, summer and fall, Porter will journey from her urban lifestyle to farm country sharing her unique perspectives about the people who grow and serve great food. Her adventures will be featured at iowafoodandfamily.com.

While traveling Iowa, Porter will explore the expertise and science of new seed technologies, sort and package eggs at an egg laying farm, take the wheel of a tractor and combine to plant and harvest soybeans and accompany farm families as they tend to their pigs, turkeys and cattle. She’ll also feature restaurants known for serving great food and celebrate the quality of life found in the rural communities she visits.

“I love food,” says Porter, whose blog is read by nearly 2 million people.  “Even though I’ve spent most of my life in Iowa, I’m not a farm girl. But I want to know more about farming and our state’s rural heritage. I can’t wait to take my fans along on this incredible journey.”

Iowans can join Porter’s journey at iowafoodandfamily.com. There they can view photos and videos of her on-farm adventures, discover new recipes, pose questions for Kristin to ask the farm families she meets, enter contests to win great prizes and learn all there is to know about healthy food options.

‘Join My Journey’ is an activity of the Iowa Food & Family Project. Created in 2011 by the Iowa Soybean Association and involving more than 30 partners, the Iowa Food & Family Project sponsors innovative and engaging activities providing Iowans with the real scoop on food from the people who best know it and grow it — Iowa farm families.

Partners in ‘Join My Journey’ are DuPont Pioneer, Farm Credit Services of America, Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa Egg Council, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Midwest Dairy Association, Iowa Turkey Federation and United Soybean Board.

“Iowans are very interested in their food, where it comes from and how it’s grown,” says Lois White with the Iowa Egg Council. “We’re excited to accompany Kristin and all of her followers on this discovery tour across Iowa.”

The Iowa Food & Family Project is dedicated to uniting Iowans in conversations about today’s farms and food system through personal engagement and advocacy. It proudly serves as presenting sponsor of the Iowa Games and supporter of Live Healthy Iowa and is funded in part by the soybean checkoff.  For more information, go to iowafoodandfamily.com.



Obama Nominates USTR, Commerce Picks; More Moves at USDA

President Barack Obama announced this week he intends to nominate Michael Froman as the next U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the country’s top trade negotiator. Froman is an assistant to the President and a deputy national security advisor for international economic affairs. Froman was involved in negotiating free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea and previously worked for the Treasury Department and Citibank. As the new USTR, he will be in charge of managing ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations and free trade agreement negotiations with the European Union. Also on Thursday, Obama announced Penny Pritzker as his pick for Secretary of Commerce. Pritzker is a businesswoman involved in an investment firm and real estate and is part of the family that founded Hyatt Hotels.

USDA announced this week Michael Scuse, the current undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, will take over as deputy secretary after Kathleen Merrigan departs that post on Friday. The change will create something of a domino effect, with Darci Vitter taking over as acting undersecretary and Suzanne Heinen becoming acting deputy undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, Vitter’s current role.



Ag Organizations Applaud Six Countries for Support of Ag Production Technologies

Key members of the U.S. agricultural value chain have joined together to applaud the work of the United States and like-minded governments to promote the importance of science-based regulations to facilitate trade of agricultural commodities derived from agricultural biotechnology.

In a joint statement, the United States was joined by the governments of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Paraguay to announce their intention to work collaboratively to remove global barriers to the trade of agricultural biotechnology and promote science-based, transparent and predictable regulatory approaches.

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), American Soybean Association (ASA), Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA), National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), and National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) said they welcome the leadership of the U.S. government – including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United States Trade Representative, and U.S. Department of State, as well as their counterparts in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Paraguay – in taking these steps toward greater collaboration to systematically address global barriers to trade of products derived from agricultural biotechnology.

The U.S. agriculture sector agrees that a particular area of concern is the timeliness and efficiency of global regulatory systems. In the joint statement, the like-minded governments have highlighted their intention to promote synchronization of authorizations by regulatory authorities – in particular for food, feed and processing purposes.

The six nations also stated their intention to collaborate in the development of domestic, regional and international approaches to facilitate the global management of low-level presence of biotechnology-derived commodities that are authorized in one or more countries, but not in the country of import.

Agricultural production from these six countries is a major contributor to global food security.  Collectively, these countries provide the vast majority of corn and soybean supply in international markets.  Production and trade in all six of these countries use modern technology, including plant biotechnology, to provide for consumers’ needs around the world.

The joint statement can be accessed via the Foreign Agricultural Service’s website: http://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/biotech/biotech_trade.asp.



Valmont Raises Dividend by 11.1 Percent

The Board of Directors of Valmont Industries, Inc., Omaha, has increased the company's quarterly cash dividend effective this July. The second quarter cash dividend will be 25.0 cents per share payable on July 15, 2013 to shareholders of record on June 28, 2013.

The dividend is an increase of 11.1% from the prior quarter's dividend, and indicates an annual rate of $1.00 per share.

Valmont is a global leader in designing and manufacturing poles, towers and structures for lighting and traffic, wireless communication and utility markets, industrial access systems, highway safety barriers and a provider of protective coating services.

Valmont also leads the world in mechanized irrigation equipment for agriculture, enhancing food production while conserving and protecting natural water resources.



ADM Reports First Quarter 2013 Earnings of $269 Million or $0.41 per Share

Archer Daniels Midland Company today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2013. The company reported net earnings for the quarter of $269 million, or $0.41 per share, down from $0.60 per share in the same period one year earlier. Adjusted earnings per share were $0.48, down from $0.78 in the same period last year. Segment operating profit was $630 million.

“As expected, this was a challenging quarter, with agricultural services negatively impacted by the ongoing effects of last summer’s U.S. drought,” said ADM Chairman and CEO Patricia Woertz. “In oilseeds, our earnings were reduced by challenges in Brazil and depressed margins in cocoa. Our ethanol business improved as declining inventories supported overall industry margins, and we began to see positive results from the actions we’ve been taking to improve the profitability of that business.

“We continue to manage through tight U.S. stocks of oilseeds and grains until the North American harvest. Demand for our products remains solid, and we will continue to leverage our global origination and processing network to serve the needs of our customers worldwide.”
 
First Quarter 2013 Highlights
•  Adjusted EPS of $0.48 excludes approximately $34 million in pretax LIFO charges, or $0.03 per share, and a provision of $25 million, or $0.04 per share, related to the previously disclosed FCPA matter dating back to 2008 and earlier.
•  Oilseeds Processing profit decreased $229 million due to significantly lower results from cocoa caused by industry margin pressures and weaker South American origination results.
•  Corn Processing profit increased $20 million due to improved ethanol results. Sweeteners and starches results were negatively impacted by a $44 million pretax charge from corn hedge timing effects ($0.04 per share). 
•  Agricultural Services profit decreased $110 million as U.S. origination volumes declined.

Directors Elected at ADM Annual Meeting
Archer Daniels Midland Company announced today at its 90th Annual Stockholders’ Meeting that 12 incumbent directors were re-elected to its Board. The directors re-elected are:  Alan L. Boeckmann, George W. Buckley, Mollie Hale Carter, Terrell K. Crews, Pierre Dufour, Donald E. Felsinger, Antonio Maciel Neto, Patrick J. Moore, Thomas F. O’Neill, Daniel T. Shih, Kelvin R. Westbrook and Patricia A. Woertz.

Cash Dividend Declared
ADM’s Board of Directors also declared a cash dividend of 19.0 cents per share on the company’s common stock payable June 6, 2013, to stockholders of record May 16, 2013.  This is ADM’s 326th consecutive quarterly payment, a record of 81 years of uninterrupted dividends. As of March 31, 2013, there were 658,907,288 shares of ADM common stock outstanding.



ADM to Acquire GrainCorp

Archer Daniels Midland Company announced today that it has completed due diligence on GrainCorp Limited and intends to make a cash offer to acquire the outstanding common shares of the company for A$12.20 per share under the terms of the takeover bid implementation deed signed with GrainCorp last week.

“We believe the offer delivers strong value for both companies’ shareholders,” said ADM Chairman and CEO Patricia Woertz. “The acquisition fits well with our growth strategy and will meet our return objectives. We are also confident in the cultural fit of our two companies: we share similar values of integrity, excellence and safety, with strong commitments to people, communities, customers and sustainability.

“With the world’s population growing by half a billion people every decade, and with rising incomes driving increased consumption of grains and protein, global demand for agricultural products will continue to see significant growth. GrainCorp provides an excellent platform to serve that growth, particularly in fast-growing markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Together, ADM and GrainCorp will give customers around the world access to a more diversified origination portfolio while providing Australian growers with greater access to world markets, enhanced logistics, and leading market insight.”

The offer implies an aggregate transaction value of about A$3.4 billion. The transaction value reflects the weighted average cost of acquiring the initial 19.8 percent stake in GrainCorp at an average of A$11.24 per share, and the remaining shares of GrainCorp at A$12.20 per share. The transaction meets ADM’s key financial objectives, and will be earnings accretive in the first full year. ADM will fund the acquisition through a combination of operating cash flows and debt.

As part of the agreement, GrainCorp will additionally pay to its shareholders, prior to the completion of the transaction, dividends totaling A$1.00 per share. If the regulatory conditions are not achieved by Oct. 1, 2013, GrainCorp will pay an additional dividend of A3.5 cents per share for each full month between Oct. 1, 2013 and the satisfaction or waiver of the regulatory conditions, subject to GrainCorp being profitable over that period.

GrainCorp has indicated that the ADM offer would be unanimously recommended by the GrainCorp board, subject to there being no superior proposal, an independent expert confirming that the offer is fair and reasonable, and the regulatory conditions for the acquisition being satisfied or waived by Dec. 31, 2013.

The offer is subject to conditions, set out in the takeover bid implementation deed viewable at www.adm.com, which include ADM receiving a minimum acceptance of 50.1 percent of GrainCorp shares. ADM presently owns 19.8 percent of GrainCorp’s shares.




Speedy Traders Exploit Loophole

High-speed traders are using a hidden facet of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's computer system to trade on the direction of the futures market before other investors get the same information.

Using powerful computers, high-speed traders are trying to profit from their ability to detect when their own orders for certain commodities are executed a fraction of a second before the rest of the market sees that data, traders say.

The advantage often is just one to 10 milliseconds, according to people familiar with the matter and trading records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. But that is plenty of time for computer-driven traders, who say they can structure their orders so that the confirmations tip which direction prices for crude oil, corn and other commodities are moving. A millisecond is one-thousandth of a second.

The ability to exploit such small time gaps raises questions about transparency and fairness amid the computer-driven, rapid-fire trading that increasingly grips Wall Street and confounds regulators.

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a unit of CME Group Inc., is the largest U.S. futures exchange, handling 12.5 million contracts a day on average in the first quarter, according to Sandler + O'Neill Partners L.P. High-frequency trading generated about 61% of all futures-market volume, up from 47% in 2008, according to Tabb Group.

CME Will Stop Early Info Access
CME Group Inc. said it will take additional steps to "further reduce potential discrepancies" that give some investors trading data before others.

The Chicago exchange operator, responding to a Page One article in The Wall Street Journal Wednesday, said it is "continually making improvements to our trading platform to increase efficiencies."

The company said its goal is to "bring variability as close to zero as possible."

CME said it will make additional upgrades to its hardware, software and other parts of its operations by year-end to make the "overall system performance more predictable."

The Journal reported that high-speed traders are using a hidden facet of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange's computer system to trade on the direction of the futures market before other investors get the same information.



USDA Dairy Products March 2013 Highlights

Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 954 million pounds, 0.2 percent below March 2012 but 11.5 percent above February 2013.  Italian type cheese production totaled 416 million pounds, 1.3 percent above March 2012 and 15.2 percent above February 2013.  American type cheese production totaled 384 million pounds, 1.4 percent above March 2012 and 10.6 percent above February 2013.  Butter production was 184 million pounds, 4.2 percent above March 2012 and 5.6 percent above February 2013.

Dry milk powders (comparisons with March 2012)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 146 million pounds, down 22.8 percent.
Skim milk powders - 47.5 million pounds, up 276.2 percent.

Whey products (comparisons with March 2012)
Dry whey, total - 84.1 million pounds, down 4.5 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 91.9 million pounds, up 1.1 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 37.6 million pounds, down 4.2 percent.

Frozen products (comparisons with March 2012)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 69.5 million gallons, down 5.1 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 40.5 million gallons, down 13.6 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 4.30 million gallons, down 2.6 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 6.76 million gallons, up 1.1 percent.



USDA and EPA Release New Report on Honey Bee Health

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a comprehensive scientific report on honey bee health. The report states that there are multiple factors playing a role in honey bee colony declines, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.

"There is an important link between the health of American agriculture and the health of our honeybees for our country's long term agricultural productivity," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "The forces impacting honeybee health are complex and USDA, our research partners, and key stakeholders will be engaged in addressing this challenge."

"The decline in honey bee health is a complex problem caused by a combination of stressors, and at EPA we are committed to continuing our work with USDA, researchers, beekeepers, growers and the public to address this challenge," said Acting EPA Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "The report we've released today is the product of unprecedented collaboration, and our work in concert must continue. As the report makes clear, we've made significant progress, but there is still much work to be done to protect the honey bee population."

In October 2012, a National Stakeholders Conference on Honey Bee Health, led by federal researchers and managers, along with Pennsylvania State University, was convened to synthesize the current state of knowledge regarding the primary factors that scientists believe have the greatest impact on managed bee health.

Key findings include:

Parasites and Disease Present Risks to Honey Bees:
-    The parasitic Varroa mite is recognized as the major factor underlying colony loss in the U.S. and other countries. There is widespread resistance to the chemicals beekeepers use to control mites within the hive. New virus species have been found in the U.S. and several of these have been associated with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

Increased Genetic Diversity is Needed:
-    U.S. honeybee colonies need increased genetic diversity. Genetic variation improves bees thermoregulation (the ability to keep body temperature steady even if the surrounding environment is different), disease resistance and worker productivity.
-    Honey bee breeding should emphasize traits such as hygienic behavior that confer improved resistance to Varroa mites and diseases (such as American foulbrood).

Poor Nutrition Among Honey Bee Colonies:
-    Nutrition has a major impact on individual bee and colony longevity. A nutrition-poor diet can make bees more susceptible to harm from disease and parasites. Bees need better forage and a variety of plants to support colony health.
-    Federal and state partners should consider actions affecting land management to maximize available nutritional forage to promote and enhance good bee health and to protect bees by keeping them away from pesticide-treated fields.

There is a Need for Improved Collaboration and Information Sharing:
-    Best Management Practices associated with bees and pesticide use, exist, but are not widely or systematically followed by members of the crop-producing industry. There is a need for informed and coordinated communication between growers and beekeepers and effective collaboration between stakeholders on practices to protect bees from pesticides.
-    Beekeepers emphasized the need for accurate and timely bee kill incident reporting, monitoring, and enforcement.

Additional Research is Needed to Determine Risks Presented by Pesticides:
-    The most pressing pesticide research questions relate to determining actual pesticide exposures and effects of pesticides to bees in the field and the potential for impacts on bee health and productivity of whole honey bee colonies.

Those involved in developing the report include USDA's Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agricultural Research Services (ARS), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as well as the EPA and Pennsylvania State University. The report will provide important input to the Colony Collapse Disorder Steering Committee, led by the USDA, EPA and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

An estimated one-third of all food and beverages are made possible by pollination, mainly by honey bees. In the United States, pollination contributes to crop production worth $20-30 billion in agricultural production annually. A decline in managed bee colonies puts great pressure on the sectors of agriculture reliant on commercial pollination services. This is evident from reports of shortages of bees available for the pollination of many crops.

The Colony Collapse Steering Committee was formed in response to a sudden and widespread disappearance of adult honey bees from beehives, which first occurred in 2006. The Committee will consider the report's recommendations and update the CCD Action Plan which will outline major priorities to be addressed in the next 5-10 years and serve as a reference document for policy makers, legislators and the public and will help coordinate the federal strategy in response to honey bee losses.

To view the report, which represents the consensus of the scientific community studying honey bees, please visit: http://www.usda.gov/documents/ReportHoneyBeeHealth.pdf.