Tuesday June 18 Ag News

Frontier Coop Hosts Aerial Open House June 25th

Frontier Cooperative Company will be hosting an open house on Tuesday, June 25th at the Frontier Coop Airport Hanger located in the southwest corner of the Wahoo Airport.  The event starts at 3pm, and they will be serving food from 4pm to 6pm.  Frontier Coop customers that attend can also register in a drawing to win a ride in the Husker Helicopter.  Eight drawings will take place every half hour, starting at 3:30pm.  So go early... bring the family, meet the pilots, see the planes, and register for a chance to fly over your farms!  For more information, go to www.frontiercooperative.com.



Nebraska Cattlewoman Attends Elite Beef Industry Conference

Meghan Anderson, a beef cattle specialist with Aurora Cooperative Elevator Company, was one of  more than 50 young cattlemen and women selected to participate in the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) 34th Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC). Anderson was sponsored by the Nebraska Cattlemen. The YCC program is a comprehensive, nationwide tour of beef industry sectors, created to enhance leadership skills in your beef industry professionals.

“YCC is a prestigious and competitive program designed to foster the future leadership of our industry,” said Forrest Roberts, NCBA chief executive officer. “The participants selected to attend YCC were chosen because of their exceptional contributions to the beef industry and their potential to be a strong voice in our future development. I look forward to seeing Meghan take an increased leadership role within NCBA and the beef industry.” 

In her position with Aurora Cooperative Elevator Company, Anderson works with cow-calf and backgrounding operations, helping them with nutrition and management needs. She is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, where she competed on the equestrian team and earned her Bachelor’s of Science, double majoring in Animal Science and Agricultural Communications. 

Anderson also works alongside her husband, Troy and his parents, on the family’s cow-calf ranch, located near Guide Rock, Neb. The herd consists of purebred and commercial Angus cows. They also background calves and develop replacement heifers.  Anderson and her husband have been married six years, and in January were blessed with their first child.

The eight day tour began at NCBA headquarters in Denver, Colo., where participants were given an organizational overview of NCBA and the Beef Checkoff Program. While in Denver, the group also heard from representatives of Cattle Fax and the U.S. Meat Export Federation. They toured a Safeway retail store and learned about Rancher’s Reserve brand beef marketing efforts. The group spent a day in Greeley, Colo., visiting JBS Five Rivers feed yards and processing facilities.

“It is really important for participants to see each sector of the beef industry – from farm to fork,” said Anderson. “Traveling from a cow/calf ranch to a feedlot and processing plant really drives home the point that our industry is composed of many sectors, sectors that are all striving to produce a healthy end product.”

In Chicago, the group met with the senior management of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange at the Chicago Board of Trade. They had the chance to watch the activity on the trading floor and witness futures trading firsthand. Participants also visited Otto & Sons Industries, a family owned company providing quality products and custom solutions for the food industry since 1909. This tour offered a view of how boxed beef is turned into custom order portions for both major restaurant chains and some of the nation’s top steakhouses.

The group then traveled to Washington, D.C., where participants received an issues briefing from NCBA’s government affairs staff about policy issues currently facing the cattle industry. The group then traveled to Aldie, Va., for a tour and barbeque at Whitestone Farms, one of the nation’s elite purebred Angus operations. 

The next day, these future leaders were given the opportunity to visit one-on-one with members of their state’s congressional delegation, expressing their viewpoints regarding the beef industry and their cattle operations. During their congressional visits, participants focused on issues including the 2013 Farm Bill, federal lands ranching and overreaching regulations proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. They finished the day with a reception hosted by John Deere at the company’s Washington office.



Seedling Diseases Appearing in Corn
Tamra Jackson-Ziems, UNL Extension Plant Pathologist

Cool soil temperatures and episodes of rainfall are contributing to the development of seedling diseases in corn this spring. The most common seedling diseases that have been identified in samples submitted to the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic are those caused by Pythium and less frequently, Fusarium species.

Seedling diseases can be caused by any of several common soilborne organisms, such as Pythium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, or plant parasitic nematodes. Seedling diseases are often difficult to diagnose because they have similar symptoms. Diagnosis of a specific disease may be of limited value because management may be similar for several seedling diseases. Microscopic examination and other laboratory analyses of the diseased seedlings often can identify the cause(s) of the problems.

Seedling diseases can be confused with insect injury, herbicide damage, planting problems, or environmental stresses that often have similar symptoms. Possible symptoms of seedling diseases include:
-    Rotted seed prior to germination
-    Rotted or discolored seedlings after germination prior to emergence
-    Postemergence seedling damping off
-    Root decay

Pythium
At least 14 species of Pythium have been previously identified that can cause seedling blight and root rot. These pathogens require excessive moisture because they produce motile swimming zoospores that infect plant roots. The pathogen overwinters in soil and infected plant debris by producing thick-walled oospores that can survive for several years in the absence of a suitable host of favorable weather conditions.

Although uncommon, Pythium also may cause stalk rot disease in corn during extended periods of wetness during the middle and later portions of the growing season. Symptoms of Pythium stalk rot can cause collapse of the lower stalks at or near the soil surface. Stalks may appear collapsed, twisted, and water-soaked and could be confused with bacterial stalk rot, except that they lack the characteristic foul odor.

Fusarium
There are more than six Fusarium species that can cause seedling diseases and root rots, several of which are common in Nebraska fields. Stressed plants due to weather extremes (temperature and moisture), herbicide damage, and physical injury are more prone to infection and disease caused by Fusarium species.

Management
Unfortunately, resistance is not available for diseases caused by Pythium and Fusarium. Although improved field drainage can help reduce seedling disease severity, the most common method for disease management is with the use of seed treatment fungicides. Crop rotation also can provide some reduction in disease.

Most seed corn is already treated with more than one seed treatment fungicide, often an insecticide, and sometimes a nematicide. These products can provide protection against some of the pathogens that cause seedling diseases. Diseases may still develop, however, in spite of their activity, such as during extended periods of inclement weather or under severe pathogen pressure. Seed treatments will only provide protection during the first few weeks immediately after planting.

You can minimize the likelihood of developing seedling diseases by planting high quality seed at appropriate planting depths and soil conditions to support rapid plant growth and emergence.



Wet, Cool Weather Favoring Early Season Soybean Diseases
Loren Giesler, UNL Extension Plant Pathologist
    
Over the last couple weeks many part of the state have received consistent and/or heavy rainfall which favors seedling diseases in soybean. This, coupled with cool temperatures, has resulted in several cases of Pythium causing poor stands and damping off of plants. Warmer conditions are more conducive for Phytophthora, which to date has not been identified in any samples submitted to the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab. If moisture continues with warmer temperatures, we expect to see more Phytophthora.

Both of these fungal pathogens are favored by wet conditions, which is why we refer to them as water molds. At this point in the season there are no treatments. The only action is to ensure the crop does not undergo any moisture stress if things do dry out more. Phytophthora can kill plants at any stage of development, but Pythium typically does not kill plants much past the V5 growth stage.

I encourage you to get a diagnosis of what the problem is in your fields so proper management actions can be taken in the future. When selecting seed for next year consider seed treatments and the use of resistant varieties (for Phytophthora), based on field history.

In fields where a seed treatment fungicide was used and seedling disease is still developing, product failure under extreme conditions may be due to excessive moisture or use of the wrong treatment for the disease present. The most common example of a product rate issue is when mefenoxam or metalaxyl is put on at a rate too low for good Phytophthora control.



Wheat Disease Update
Stephen Wegulo, UNL Extension Plant Pathologist

A survey of wheat fields on June 11 in west central and south central Nebraska and June 13 in southeast Nebraska revealed a wide range of diseases occurring at trace to moderate levels.

In the west central part of the state, wheat in many fields looked stressed from lack of moisture. In several fields, frost injury that occurred several weeks ago was still evident. Very trace levels of stripe rust were found in this part of the state and leaf spot diseases were at low levels due to dry conditions.

In south central Nebraska, diseases included wheat streak mosaic and barley yellow dwarf, both virus diseases. Wheat streak mosaic was more widespread, but did not appear to be severe at the field scale. Other diseases observed included trace levels of stripe rust, leaf spot diseases (mainly Septoria tritici blotch and tan spot), and bacterial streak, also known as black chaff when it affects wheat heads.

In southeast Nebraska wheat fields at the UNL Agricultural Research and Development Center (ARDC) near Mead were surveyed. Diseases observed were low levels of Fusarium head blight, hot spots of stripe rust, trace levels of leaf rust, and moderate levels of powdery mildew and bacterial streak and black chaff.

Wheat in most parts of the state is past the latest growth stage at which it can be sprayed to control fungal diseases. Virus and bacterial diseases cannot be controlled once they occur.

Bacterial Streak and Black Chaff in Wheat Fields
This week bacterial streak, also known as black chaff, was observed in winter wheat fields in south central and southeast Nebraska.

Bacterial streak and black chaff are two phases of the same disease on wheat and other small grain cereals. As the name implies, it is caused by a bacterium, Xanthomonas campestris pathovar undulosa. It causes necrotic (tissue dying and turning brown) streaks on leaves (bacterial streak). These streaks can coalesce to affect large areas and are most noticeable after heading. Bacterial streak symptoms can appear suddenly on upper leaves without appearing to progress from lower leaves, and can be confused with those of Septoria tritici blotch.

On the head, symptoms are black, longitudinal stripes on the glumes and purplish black areas on the peduncle (part of the stem that supports the head) and rachis (main axis of the head). These symptoms can be confused with those of a fungal disease known as glume blotch and a physiological condition known as pseudo-black chaff.

The bacterium is mainly seedborne. Survival on crop debris and alternate hosts is possible, but is not considered an important source of inoculum when the disease occurs at epidemic levels. The bacterium is spread by splashing or wind-driven rain and infects through stomata and wounds.

This year bacterial streak and black chaff are more prevalent than has been observed in previous years, especially in the eastern half of the state. This may be due to a more favorable environment (prolonged rainfall) during this growing season.

Management
Bacterial streak and black chaff can be managed by avoiding use of infested seed. Seed lots can be assayed to determine how much they are infested. There is no commercial seed treatment to reduce infestation in affected seed lots. Cultivars known to be highly susceptible should be avoided. In irrigated wheat, irrigation should be managed to avoid prolonged periods of wetness.



May Cattle Placements into Feedyards Expected Down 4.1% on Year

Analysts project cattle placements, or the number of young cattle entering feedyards, in May were below the previous-year figure as fewer young cattle were imported from Mexico last month and pasture conditions have improved in many areas of the country.

In addition, the year-ago placement figure was large, well-above the five-year average, since farmers and ranchers in several states were dealing with poor pastures, high hay costs and lack of water. So while the May placement figure is projected to be down 4.1% from a year ago, the average of the estimates is 5.6% above the five-year average. Improved pasture conditions allow farmers and ranchers to keep the young cattle on grass or other forages longer before sending them to feedyards for fattening.

The estimates for placements in May ranged from 0.2% to 15.7% under a year ago. The number of cattle placed, according to the average of the projections, would be 1.999 million head.

The number of cattle on feed as of June 1 is pegged at 3.5% below a year ago, or about 10.689 million head, according to the average of 11 analysts in the Dow Jones Newswires survey. The estimates ranged from 5.7% to 2.4% below last year's number. The average of the estimates represents a 0.5% decline from the five-year average. The number of cattle in feedyards at the beginning of this month was expected to be the smallest for that date since 2010.

The number of cattle marketed, or sent to slaughter, last month was estimated at 2.1% below the same period a year ago and 1% below the five-year average. The average of the estimates was about 1.975 million head. May had the same number of work days as a year ago.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's cattle-on-feed report is slated for release at 2pm CDT Friday.



H.R.1947, Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, Introduced for House Debate
Comments by House Ag Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) (as prepared for delivery)

I rise today in strong support of HR 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013.  This bipartisan bill is four years in the making and I could not have had a better partner than my friend from Minnesota, Mr. Peterson.

He began this process four years ago when he led us into the countryside to have eight field hearings across this great nation.  We followed up those field hearings with a series of 11 audit hearings on every single policy under the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Agriculture.  In all, we held 40 hearings on every subject of the farm bill.  The result is legislation that calls for reduced spending, smaller government, and common-sense reform.

The Committee has held two markups of essentially this bill:  one last Congress and one last month.  Both of these markups lasted more than 12 hours each and we considered over 200 amendments in total.  In the end, we had a large, bipartisan margin of support.  The vote tally this year was 36-10 with 23 out of 25 Republicans and 13 out of 21 Democrats supporting it.

Some of my colleagues were amazed by the duration of the markup, but I came to Congress to legislate and an important part of the legislative process is an open and fair debate.  The Speaker shares this sentiment, and I hope during the debate of amendments to the FARRM Act, we will let the body work its will.  Then we will vote for its final passage.

The FARRM Act is a different farm bill for different times.  There is a reason we put reform in the title.  This is the most reform-minded bill in decades.  It repeals outdated policies while reforming, streamlining, and consolidating over 100 government programs.  It reforms the SNAP program – also known as the food stamp program - for the first time since the welfare reforms of 1996.  And, it makes tremendous reforms to farm programs.

The Agriculture Committee and the agriculture community have voluntarily worked together to make these reforms and contribute to deficit reduction.  Every part of this bill is a part of the solution to Washington’s spending problem.  We save the American taxpayer nearly $40 billion, which is almost seven times the amount of cuts to these programs under sequestration.

Regarding reforms to traditional farm programs, first off, we eliminate direct payments. They cost the taxpayer $5 billion a year.  They were payments that people received every year regardless of market conditions and whether or not they farmed.  Instead, we take a more market-oriented approach to policy where there is no support when market prices are high.  We encourage responsible risk management where farmers are able to plan for catastrophic events.

In addition to eliminating direct payments, we also repeal the ACRE program, the disaster program for crops, and the counter-cyclical program.  My philosophy from the beginning of the farm bill process has been that these programs had to be based on market economics and they had to work for all crops in all regions of the country.  Our bill achieves this while also saving $23 billion, which is a record 36 percent spending reduction. 

In conservation, a subject near and dear to my heart, we streamline delivery of these incredibly important programs.  During our hearings, we learned that conservation programs had grown in number and complication, often acting as a deterrent for adopting these voluntary, incentive-based programs.  Therefore, the FARRM Act eliminates and consolidates 23 duplicative and overlapping programs into 13, which saves nearly $7 billion.

We also authorize, strengthen, and fully pay for livestock disaster assistance that is incredibly important to our livestock producers during devastating droughts, such as the ones we have been experiencing recently.  The bill invests in core specialty crop initiatives like Specialty Crop Block Grants and Plant Pest and Disease Management and Prevention Programs.  The FARRM Act also maintains our investment in agriculture research that gives farmers and ranchers the ability to explore new ways to not only provide our country with the safest, most affordable, most reliable food supply in the history of the world, but also help feed the 9 billion souls who are expected to inhabit this planet by 2050.

The FARRM Act also reforms SNAP for the first time in decades.  We do this by ensuring that states, which administer the program, cannot circumvent the law and endanger the integrity of the program.  We end the broad-based categorical eligibility loophole that states use to waive the asset and income tests set by Congress.  We end the “Heat and Eat” loophole, so states can’t send token $1 checks to increase participants’ benefits.  We end state bonuses for responsibly administering SNAP – a practice they should be doing anyway.

Our reforms also eliminate the practice of advertising, promoting, and recruiting SNAP – tools the administration has used to increase participation.  We restrict lottery winners and traditional college students from accessing SNAP.  We prevent abuses, such as water dumping to exchange bottles for cash.  We require states to use an electronic verification system to confirm an applicant’s immigration status.  And, we provide the Secretary of Agriculture more resources to prevent trafficking and improve the quality of SNAP-approved stores.

All of these reforms to SNAP ensure that families and individuals who qualify for benefits receive them.

In closing, let me just reiterate, the FARRM Act of 2013 is a different farm bill to reflect the different times in which we live.

If you’re serious about reducing billions of dollars in mandatory government spending, then the FARRM Act deserves your vote.
If you’re serious about reducing the size and cost of the federal government, then the FARRM Act deserves your vote.
If you’re serious about making sure every American has a safe, affordable, and reliable food supply, then the FARRM Act deserves your vote.
If you are serious about working together in a bipartisan way for the American people to achieve reforms and savings, then the FARRM Act deserves your vote.



STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY
H.R. 1947 – Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013

The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013.  The bill would reduce access to food assistance for struggling families and their children, does not contain sufficient commodity and crop insurance reforms, and does not provide funding for renewable energy, which is an important source of jobs and economic growth in rural communities across the country.

The Administration strongly opposes the harmful cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a cornerstone of our Nation's food assistance safety net.  The bill makes unacceptable deep cuts in SNAP, which could increase hunger among millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, including families with children and senior citizens.  The Administration believes that Congress should achieve significant budgetary savings to help reduce the deficit without creating hardship for vulnerable families – for example, by reducing crop insurance subsidies.  Rather than reducing crop insurance subsidies by $11.7 billion over 10 years, as proposed in the President’s Budget, H.R. 1947 would increase reference prices for farmers by roughly 45 percent and increase already generous crop insurance subsidies at a cost of nearly $9 billion over 10 years to the Nation’s taxpayers.

The Administration supports enactment of a multi-year Farm Bill that includes a long-term extension of disaster programs and promotes rural development, preserves a farm safety net, maintains strong nutrition programs, encourages the development of local and regional markets, enhances conservation, supports environmental stewardship, complies with our World Trade Organization commitments, advances agricultural research, and provides funding for renewable energy.  In addition, the Administration believes that crop insurance payments should be tied to the Nation's soil conservation and wetland protection goals. The legislation should also contribute significantly to deficit reduction, with savings from reforms proposed in the President's Budget.

Consistent with the President's Budget, the Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to achieve crop insurance and commodity program savings not contained in H.R. 1947, while at the same time strengthening the farm safety net in times of need and supporting the next generation of farmers.  The Administration also looks forward to working with the Congress to structure reporting requirements to maximize and facilitate agricultural research without creating undue burdens.  The Administration believes that provisions that would create unneeded barriers for agencies with regulatory responsibilities in executing their missions should not be included in a final bill.

Finally, the Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to reform the P.L. 480 Title II food aid program in order to provide food aid to starving people faster and feed millions of additional people per year at current funding levels.

If the President were presented with H.R. 1947, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.



NMPF Statement Opposing Goodlatte-Scott Farm Bill Amendment
Jerry Kozak, President and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation

“The nation’s dairy farmers strongly oppose efforts in the House to gut the farm bill’s dairy title through an amendment offered by Reps. Goodlatte and Scott. We urge members of the House to reject this amendment, which would undo four years of hard work to develop a new, cost-effective safety net for America’s dairy farmers.

“We understand that the House leadership is pressuring members to vote in favor of the Goodlatte-Scott amendment. But if the debate on the farm bill’s dairy title is about what the best policy is for taxpayers and consumers, as well as farmers, then we have the best case to make to Congress.

“The Dairy Security Act, already approved twice by the House Agriculture Committee, and contained in the Senate-passed farm bill, creates a voluntary margin insurance program. The costs for this are shared by farmers and mitigated by the program’s market stabilization element. By eliminating the market stabilization component, the Goodlatte-Scott approach removes the cost control mechanism from this measure, greatly increasing government and taxpayer costs.

“The Dairy Security Act is more in tune with where Congress wants to go with farm policy, in terms of limiting taxpayer costs and minimizing any impact on consumers. In fact, it is dairy farmers who are urging Congress to eliminate three existing farm programs. It’s dairy farmers who have expressed genuine interest in limiting the costs of farm programs, unlike processors, who have no real stake in limiting  government costs, and stand to benefit by creating a surplus of milk that puts farm families out of business.

“Congress needs to side with farmers and their families, not corporate processors, in the debate about the future of farm policy.”



Biodiesel Trade Group Strengthens D.C. Presence

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) announced Tuesday that it has hired Lindsay Fitzgerald to fill a new position overseeing regulatory affairs in Washington, D.C.

Fitzgerald comes to NBB from the EPA, where she served as a specialist in the Office of Transportation and Air Quality working on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Fitzgerald, who has previous experience as a research analyst and legal assistant, is a graduate of Indiana University in Pennsylvania and a native of Skippack, Pa.

"We are excited to hire someone of Lindsay's skills and experience and to be expanding our office to better meet the needs of our growing industry," said Anne Steckel, NBB's vice president of federal affairs. "Biodiesel is already a great RFS success story, and adding Lindsay to our team will only build on that success."

"Her extensive knowledge of the RFS will be a tremendous benefit to our industry and to our members as they navigate the program," Steckel added. "We look forward to working with EPA to ensure that advanced biofuels and the RFS continue meeting our goals of increasing U.S. energy security, strengthening the economy and reducing emissions."



Making every drop count: NCGA Tools for Water Quality

To help corn farmers understand water issues and ways to enhance water quality on their farms, the National Corn Growers Association has added a video and an interactive educational module to its online learning tools concerning water quality management.

“NCGA is dedicated to continuous improvement, education and supporting water conservation and input management,” said Dean Taylor, chair of the Production and Stewardship Action Team. “Our goal in producing these tools is to communicate the actual production related practices farmers are successfully implementing related to water quality.”

The video, titled “Driving Change,” showcases NCGA members describing the practices they are implementing to enhance water quality on their farms and in their area. The 30-minute NCGA Water Issues Learning Module was developed to help farmers better understand water quality issues and best practices.

Both tools reveal the major benefits in using best management practices, and stress the importance of becoming knowledgeable about issues related to water quality and use at local, state and regional levels. They also help farmers learn regulatory requirements and understand key elements of the Clean Water Act.



Fertilizer Prices Slip Once Again

Retail fertilizer prices tracked by DTN for the second week of June 2013 continue to hold extremely steady. Retail prices have now remained constant for over seven months.  Seven of the eight major fertilizers inched lower compared to last month, but these moves were fairly insignificant. DAP had an average price of $599 per ton, MAP $644/ton, urea $553/ton, 10-34-0 $607/ton, anhydrous $815/ton, UAN28 $392/ton and UAN32 $442/ton.  DAP fell below the $600-per-ton level for the first time in just nearly three years. The last time the phosphorous fertilizer was below this level was the fourth week of September 2010. The average price was $589 per ton that week. For the last three years, DAP has traded within a $50-per-ton range, a far cry from the wild pricing days of 2008-2009 when prices tumbled more than $650 per ton.

Prices for the remaining fertilizer, potash, tracked higher compared to a month earlier, but again the move was fairly small. Potash had an average price of $583/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.60/lb.N, anhydrous $0.50/lb.N, UAN28 $0.70/lb.N and UAN32 $0.69/lb.N.

Only one of the eight major fertilizers is showing a price increase compared to one year earlier. Anhydrous is now 6% higher compared to last year.  Four fertilizers are single digits lower in price compared to June 2012. MAP is 5% lower, DAP is down 6%, UAN32 is 7% lower and UAN28 is now 8% lower compared to last year.  The remaining three fertilizers are now down double digits from a year ago. Potash is now down 11% while 10-34-0 is 15% less expensive and urea is 26% lower.



CWT Assists with 311,000 Pounds of Cheese Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted four requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America and Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) to sell 310,852 pounds (141 metric tons) of Cheddar cheese to customers in Asia and North Africa. The product will be delivered June through September 2013.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 61.123 million pounds of cheese, 51.727 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of anhydrous milk fat and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder to 31 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.693 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

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 assistance to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.



The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition
(from White House Press Secretary)
In 2012, the United States leveraged its presidency of the G-8 to deepen the global commitment to food security through the establishment of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.  At the G-8 Summit hosted by President Obama at Camp David, African heads of state, corporate leaders and G-8 members pledged to partner through the New Alliance and, working with the African Union and Grow Africa, lift 50 million people out of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by 2022.  Development partners, African governments, and international and local private companies committed to specific policy reforms and investments that will accelerate the implementation of country food security strategies under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, and sustain inclusive agriculture-led economic growth.  By partnering with the private sector during its first year, the New Alliance has already leveraged more than $3.7 billion in private investment in African agriculture.  The New Alliance has also expanded over its first year.  G-8 leaders this year welcomed the addition of Benin, Malawi, and Nigeria to the New Alliance, joining existing members Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique and Tanzania who have negotiated rigorous Country Cooperation Frameworks for accelerating investment that include policy reforms, private investment intentions, and donor commitments to align predictable assistance flows behind recipient country priorities.

The U.S. government, in collaboration with civil society and other partners, has been a strong advocate for nutrition, particularly during the critical 1,000 days from a woman’s pregnancy to her child’s second birthday, when better nutrition can have a lifelong impact on a child’s future and help break the cycle of poverty.  U.S. commitments to nutrition extend beyond the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition to encompass Feed the Future, the Global Health Initiative, and food aid programs.  Over the last year, Feed the Future reached than 12 million children through nutrition programs that have reduced anemia, supported community gardens, fostered fortification, and treated acute malnutrition.  Working on the ground in nineteen countries, Feed the Future has helped 7 million farmers adopt improved technologies or management practices, increasing yields and improving livelihoods.  The U.S. government announced at the UK’s Nutrition for Growth event on June 8th that we have nearly doubled nutrition funding and tripled agriculture funding since 2008, including providing $1 billion for nutrition-specific interventions and nearly $9 billion for nutrition-sensitive activities over fiscal years 2012-2014.  U.S. investments are expected to accelerate trends in stunting reduction, and our goal is to reduce stunting by 20 percent over five years in the areas where Feed the Future works, translating into 2 million fewer stunted children. U.S. efforts also support the World Health Assembly goal to reduce childhood stunting by 40 percent by 2025.



MONSANTO’S DROUGHT TOLERANCE TRAIT IN GENUITY® DROUGHTGARD® HYBRIDS RECEIVES FINAL MAJOR IMPORT APPROVAL FROM CHINA

China, a major importer of U.S. corn grain and dried distillers grain solubles, has officially granted full regulatory import authorization for Monsanto Company’s MON 87460 trait, the biotechnology trait in Genuity DroughtGard Hybrids, as part of a broader series of approvals.   This represents a significant step forward for technology approvals in China.

In 2012, more than 250 farmers in the Western Great Plains planted DroughtGard Hybrids on their farms as a part of Monsanto’s Ground Breakers® program.  In 2013, the product was introduced in the Western Great Plains under stewardship requirements.  Farmers who purchased DroughtGard Hybrids for planting in 2013 signed a grain stewardship agreement committing to use the grain as on-farm feed or to sell the grain for domestic use due to pending import approvals in key export markets. With the approval in China, Monsanto will remove the grain stewardship requirements, and grain will no longer be required to remain in the domestic market.

“The import approval of this trait is great news for U.S. farmers,” said Lisa Safarian, U.S. Row Crops Lead for Monsanto.  “With full import approvals in key export markets, farmers can market their grain more broadly this year and plant with confidence in 2014.”  Safarian added, “This approval also provides expanded access to another tool that can help farmers more sustainably manage their risk.”

The Genuity DroughtGard Hybrids system combines germplasm selected for its drought-tolerance characteristics, the drought-tolerance biotechnology trait and agronomic recommendations. The system is designed to help the corn plant use less water when drought stress occurs. This improved hydro-efficiency creates the opportunity to conserve soil moisture and can help reduce yield loss from drought conditions, while also maintaining top-end yield potential under normal, well watered conditions. Monsanto’s DEKALB® DroughtGard Hybrids have consistently shown about a five bushel per acre yield advantage over competitors’ products.

Farmers are looking forward to better protecting their yields in times of water stress. Eric Zell farms near Mitchell, South Dakota and participated in Monsanto’s DroughtGard Hybrids Ground Breakers trials last year. He says he’s looking forward to protecting his yields in times of water stress.

“After coming off of a very dry last season our subsoil is somewhat limited, so I’m excited to see what the DroughtGard hybrids can do for me this year in my new planting for 2013.”  Zell adds, “Now that I’ve seen some of these firsthand, and how they have worked for my farm, I think it’s going to be a great product going forward. DroughtGard has given me optimism for the future to know that I can better handle dry conditions.”

With a changing climate that leads to more challenging growing conditions, farmers are looking for more options to protect their yield and manage their risk.  Drought tolerance is one component of Monsanto’s Yield and Stress efforts to protect or improve yield and achieve more consistency of returns. Yield and nitrogen utilization traits are also in Monsanto’s R&D pipeline. The drought tolerance trait in Genuity DroughtGard Hybrid’s represents the first commercial offering of the company’s joint R&D collaboration with BASF on yield and stress technologies.