Wednesday July 3 Ag News

Most Rural Nebraskans Skeptical About New Health Insurance Law

            Most rural Nebraskans have health insurance and a majority think the nation will be worse off under the new health care law, though many also acknowledge they don't sufficiently understand the law, according to the 2013 Nebraska Rural Poll.

            The 18th annual University of Nebraska-Lincoln poll was sent to 6,320 households in Nebraska's 84 nonmetropolitan counties in March and April. Results are based on 2,317 responses.

            The poll asked participants a series of questions about their own health-insurance situation and about their opinions of the Affordable Care Act, also known as the health care reform law, passed by Congress in 2010.

            Fifty-five percent of respondents reported having health insurance through their job benefits or their spouse's. Twenty-four percent said they have insurance through a government program such as Medicaid or Medicare. Nine percent said they have no health insurance.

            Most likely to be uninsured are those who live in North Central Nebraska, people with lower household incomes, people who never married, people with lower education levels and people with food service or personal care occupations.

            The poll also found rural Nebraskans to be highly skeptical about the Affordable Care Act. Cheryl Burkhart Kreisel, UNL Extension specialist in entrepreneurship/business development, said that skepticism is not surprising considering the law came from a democratic president and members of Congress, "and we're polling a very conservative red state."

            Fifty-four percent of poll respondents said they think the country will be worse off under the new law, and just 9 percent think it will be better off. Also, 52 percent think self-employed individuals will be worse off, and 8 percent think they will be better off.

            Thirty-five percent said they believed people currently without health insurance will be better off under the new law, while 27 percent think they'd be worse off.

Other findings:
            – Thirty-six percent think the new law will be somewhat successful at increasing access to health insurance coverage, while 27 percent think it won't.
            – 58 percent think the law will not succeed in decreasing overall health care costs, while only 13 percent think it will. Also, 44 percent think it will not help increase the quality of health care, while 24 percent think it will.
            – Persons living in or near smaller communities are more likely than those in or near large communities to say they and their family will be worse off under the new law – 56 percent compared to 43 percent.

            Underlying respondents' opinions of the new law, though, is an acknowledgment by many that they don't understand it well. Only 5 percent say they understand the law "very well." More than 40 percent say they don't understand it at all and almost one-third say not too well.

            "There's a lot of learning and education that needs to take place," Burkhart-Kreisel said.

            "There's a lack of trust in the entire system," added Randy Cantrell, rural sociologist with the Rural Futures Institute.

            "It's a fascinating look at what you get with a major national policy change," he said.

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

            With its 18-year history, the poll has a collection of data about rural trends and perceptions that is unmatched in the country, said Becky Vogt, project manager who's been working on the Rural Poll since its second year.

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



FSA Announces Disaster Designation for Thurston, Burt Counties

Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Mark Moser announced that there are two Nebraska counties designated as contiguous natural disaster areas due to severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding conditions affecting parts of Iowa.  Those counties are Burt and Thurston.

These counties were designated a Presidential Major Disaster on July 2, 2013, based on severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding.  This designation authorizes Emergency (EM) Loans for eligible producers.  Moser stated, “Producers in these counties are encouraged to contact their local FSA Service Center for detailed information about available programs and updated disaster designations.”

Emergency Loan applications are available for qualifying physical or production losses caused by these disaster conditions.  Physical losses include structures, equipment, supplies, and livestock while production losses include crops.  These loans do require security and the ability to repay the loan.  The deadline for submitting applications is March 3, 2014.  For additional details contact the Wayne FSA Office at (402) 375-2453.

In addition to the Emergency (EM) Loan Program, the FSA has other loan programs and disaster assistance programs which can be considered in assisting farmers to recover from their losses.  Contact your local FSA Service Center or access additional information about Farm Loan and FSA Disaster Assistance programs at www.fsa.usda.gov.

While this release pertains to the availability of FSA programs, other federal agencies such as FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and SBA (Small Business Administration) may also have assistance to the public.  Information is available from these two agencies at the following websites: www.fema.gov and www.sba.gov.



Survey: Increased Resistance to Drugs in Bovine Respiratory Cases

A survey of records of bovine respiratory disease cases at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory showed that drug resistance in one of the primary pathogens that cause BRD, Mannheimia haemolytica, increased over a three-year period.

"We have been seeing an increase in the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria that cause pneumonia (also called BRD) in cattle," said Brian Lubbers, assistant professor in the diagnostic lab, based at Kansas State University. "Many of these bacteria are resistant to, not one, but almost all of the antibiotics that we use to treat pneumonia in cattle."

BRD is one of the most important diseases of feedlot cattle, particularly, said Lubbers, adding that the economic toll from the disease has been estimated to approach $1 billion annually in the United States alone, if one takes into account drug and labor costs, decreased production, and animal death losses.

Until now, one of the aspects that has not been studied very well is the cost linked to antimicrobial resistance in BRD cases, he said. To take a closer look, he and colleague Gregg Hanzlicek, also an assistant professor in the diagnostic lab, examined records of cases in which specimens of bovine lung tissue were submitted to the diagnostic lab over the three years, 2009 to 2011. Most of the cattle were from Kansas and Nebraska.

They found that over that period, a high percentage of M. haemolytica bacteria recovered from cattle lungs were resistant to several of the drugs typically used to treat that pathogen. The researchers also found, however, that no specimens were resistant to all six antimicrobial drugs.

The study was funded internally by the diagnostic lab.

Using resistance to three or more antimicrobials as the definition of multi-drug resistance, 63 percent of the bacteria would be classified as multidrug resistant in 2011, compared with 46 percent in 2010 and 42 percent in 2009.

The results of the study were published by the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation.

"Antimicrobial resistance in veterinary medicine has received a considerable amount of recognition as a potential factor leading to antimicrobial resistance in human medicine," Lubbers said. "However, the contribution of multidrug resistance to limited or failed therapy in veterinary patients has received much less attention."

Because there are a limited number of antimicrobial drugs that can be used for treatment of BRD pathogens, Lubbers said, multidrug resistance in those pathogens poses a severe threat to the livestock industry. "We (KSVDL) consider this type of information to be part of our active ongoing disease surveillance and will continue this work," Lubbers said. "The questions of how these bacteria develop or where they come from, how widespread they are, and what is the impact on cattle production are still unanswered. We are actively seeking industry partners to investigate these questions."



Neogen Acquires Iowa's SyrVet

Neogen Corporation announced that it has acquired the assets of SyrVet Incorporated, a veterinary instrument business based in Waukee, Iowa. Started in 1987 by Daniel Klein, SyrVet has become an important supplier to farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians in more than 30 countries worldwide.

SyrVet's product line ranges from animal handling products to sophisticated supplies for artificial insemination, and has earned the company significant shelf space in major farm store suppliers throughout the U.S. The majority of the company's products are used in the production of food animals; however, the company's Horse Sense product line provides a wide array of tack products to the professional equine market.

"The SyrVet acquisition can be viewed as a 'bolt-on' opportunity for Neogen. The SyrVet product line will join Neogen's Ideal Instruments division that has supplied animal health products to the industry for over 82 years," said Dr. Jason Lilly, Neogen's vice president of corporate development. "As the trend toward larger, but fewer, food animal producers has continued, it is important for suppliers to those industries to strengthen their operations."

Though many of SyrVet's products are similar to those offered by Ideal Instruments, SyrVet has developed its own distribution system to reach dairy, pork, beef, and sheep producers. Also, the addition of the SyrVet product line to Neogen's existing veterinary instrument business broadens its product offering. Approximately 30% of SyrVet's sales come from international markets, primarily in Mexico and Latin America.

"During the 27 years we were building our business, we have always had a great respect for Neogen," said Daniel Klein, SyrVet's president. "When we made the decision to exit our business it was our desire to place our customers and product lines with Neogen, who would continue the strong product development and customer service that built our business."

A Neogen spokesman indicated the company would continue to operate from the SyrVet location in Iowa through a transition period, but ultimately product engineering, manufacturing, and distribution would be relocated to Neogen facilities in Lansing, Mich., and Lexington, Ky. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.



Weekly Ethanol Production for 6/28/2013

According to EIA data, ethanol production averaged 863,000 barrels per day (b/d) — or 36.25 million gallons daily. That is down 22,000 b/d from the week before. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 876,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 13.43 billion gallons.

Stocks of ethanol stood at 15.4 million barrels. That is a 5.2% decrease from last week and the lowest since EIA began reporting weekly data in 2010.

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

Gasoline demand for the week averaged 390.3 million gallons daily — the highest level since early August 2012. Refiner/blender input of ethanol hit a record level of 887,000 b/d.  Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production was 9.29%.

On the co-products side, ethanol producers were using 13.085 million bushels of corn to produce ethanol and 96,313 metric tons of livestock feed, 85,864 metric tons of which were distillers grains. The rest is comprised of corn gluten feed and corn gluten meal. Additionally, ethanol producers were providing 4.49 million pounds of corn oil daily.



Informa Pegs Corn Crop at 14.26 BB, Soybeans at 3.38 BB
Private analytical firm Informa Economics pegged the national average corn yield at 160 bushels per acre, estimating the U.S. will produce 14.26 billion bushels of corn in 2013.  Informa applied early estimates of corn yields to USDA's acreage estimates to arrive at the production figure, which is lower than Informa's forecast last month, but a 3.5 billion bushel increase from last year's production.  Informa said corn yields in the Eastern Corn Belt are expected to be 1.3 bpa higher, offsetting some of the Western Corn Belt's 2.2 bpa decline.

Soybean estimates are also larger than last year, with an average national yield of 43.9 bpa and production of 3.38 billion bushels and using USDA's 76.9 million acre acreage forecast.

Estimated sorghum yield and and production estimates jumped dramatically, with the average yield up more than 14 bpa to 64.2 bpa and production up 144 million bushels to 391 mb.

Informa lowered its all wheat production estimate to 2.016 billion bushels, on reduction in both winter wheat and spring wheat production.

The most significant yield-determining portion of the growing season is ahead, Informa notes, making early season forecasts difficult.  Early season production potential is a very fluid item as struggling crops can respond positively to favorable weather events as well as negatively if adverse weather occurs, cutting production potential, Informa said.



USDA Dairy Products May 2013 Highlights

Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 954 million pounds, 3.9 percent above May 2012 and 2.6 percent above April 2013.  Italian type cheese production totaled 402 million pounds, 2.7 percent above May 2012 and 1.1 percent above April 2013.  American type cheese production totaled 389 million pounds, 5.9 percent above May 2012 and 3.3 percent above April 2013.  Butter production was 167 million pounds, 1.5 percent above May 2012 but 0.2 percent below April 2013.

Dry milk powders (comparisons with May 2012)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 167 million pounds, down 13.4 percent.
Skim milk powders - 54.6 million pounds, up 272.3 percent.

Whey products (comparisons with May 2012)
Dry whey, total - 78.0 million pounds, down 10.0 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 91.8 million pounds, up 4.8 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 42.8 million pounds, up 16.9 percent.

Frozen products (comparisons with May 2012)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 77.8 million gallons, up 0.1 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 42.2 million gallons, down 11.1 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 4.56 million gallons, up 18.0 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 7.55 million gallons, up 5.7 percent.



FDA approves FACTREL® for use with LUTALYSE® for fixed-time artificial insemination

Dairy producers can improve the reproductive performance of their herds with approved products from Zoetis for fixed-time artificial insemination. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved FACTREL® (gonadorelin hydrochloride) Sterile Solution for use with LUTALYSE® (dinoprost tromethamine) Sterile Solution to synchronize estrous cycles to allow for fixed-time artificial insemination in lactating dairy cows.

“We understand that reproductive synchronization is critical to the success of modern dairy operations,” says John Lee, DVM, managing veterinarian, Zoetis. “The FDA’s approval provides veterinarians and producers the opportunity to feel confident using products that they have trusted for years.”

AI synchronization programs have grown in popularity since their introduction via university research in the 1990s. FDA approval of FACTREL for use with LUTALYSE includes a flexible schedule, allowing veterinarians to customize breeding programs for their dairy clients.

“The nice part about the approval is the flexibility it offers. Veterinarians will be able to tailor fixed-time artificial insemination programs to the specific needs of their clients while still being on label,” Dr. Lee says. “At Zoetis, we consider it our responsibility to ensure the industry has access to comprehensive, on-label reproductive management solutions consistent with best practices of dairy management.”

With flexible, approved use of Zoetis products for fixed-time artificial insemination, veterinarians and producers now can use LUTALYSE, the most veterinarian-recommended and producer-used prostaglandin in the marketplace, on label with FACTREL in many of the synchronization protocols recommended by the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council.



Bio-based acrylic acid process milestone recognized

BASF, Cargill and Novozymes today announced the achievement of an important milestone in their joint development of technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable raw materials by successfully demonstrating the production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) in pilot scale.

3-HP is a renewable-based building block and one possible chemical precursor to acrylic acid. The companies also have successfully established several technologies to dehydrate 3-HP to acrylic acid at lab scale. This step in the process is critical since it is the foundation for production of acrylic acid. In August 2012, BASF, Cargill and Novozymes announced their joint agreement to develop a process for the conversion of renewable raw materials into a 100 percent bio-based acrylic acid.

“3-HP is a potential key raw material for the production of bio-based acrylic acid which is a precursor of superabsorbent polymers,” said Teressa Szelest, Senior Vice President Global Hygiene Business at BASF. “We still have a fair amount of work to do before the process is commercially ready, but this is a significant milestone and we are confident we can continue to the next level of scale-up for the entire process in 2014.” 
Acrylic acid is a high-volume chemical that feeds into a broad range of products. BASF is the world’s largest producer of acrylic acid and has substantial capabilities in its production and downstream processing. BASF plans initially to use the bio-based acrylic acid to manufacture superabsorbent polymers that can soak up large amounts of liquid and are used mainly in baby diapers and other hygiene products. Presently, acrylic acid is produced by the oxidation of propylene derived from the refining of crude oil.

The companies’ joint project team combines world-class expertise in biotechnology, renewable feedstock, industrial scale fermentation, and in developing new chemical processes.

“Our three companies have assembled highly talented and experienced joint working teams for this project,” said Jack Staloch, Vice President of Biotechnology R&D at Cargill. “They’ve moved with speed and intensity, and have demonstrated great progress toward accomplishing our goals.”

“We have reached an important milestone by producing 3-HP in pilot scale,” said Rasmus von Gottberg, Vice President of Corporate Development and Business Creation at Novozymes. “We have shown that it is possible to make this key chemical building block from renewable raw materials in robust industrial conditions. Now the development work will continue towards commercialization.”

Superabsorbent polymers derived from bio-based acrylic acid will be a groundbreaking new offer to the market. Diapers made of such superabsorbent polymers could meet the demand of a significant and growing group of consumers in mature markets in particular. They also may allow diaper producers to meet consumer demands, differentiate their products and contribute to their sustainability goals.