Tuesday September 17 Ag News

NeFU District 7 Fall Meeting
September 18, 2013 @ 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Valentino's, Norfolk, NE
More Information:  Call Keith Dittrich 617-320-6281

Order of menu with meeting to follow.  Election of Officers.  NeFU District 7 Director Martin Kleinschmit will give his Director’s report. NeFU President John Hansen will give a preview of the upcoming 100th NeFU Annual State Convention, December 6-7, Midtown Holiday Inn, Grand Island, the Farm Bill, Legislature’s Water and Tax Committees, and organizational activities.



NeFU District 5 Fall Meeting
September 24, 2013 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Harry’s Restaurant, Valparaiso, NE
More information:  Call Ben Gotschall 402-705-8679

Order off menu with meeting to follow.   Election of Officers.  NeFU District 5 President Ben Gotschall will give a report on his recent NFU Fly-In trip to Washington, D.C.  NeFU District 5 Director Dan McGuire will give his Director’s report. NeFU President John Hansen will give a preview of the upcoming 100th NeFU Annual State Convention, December 6-7, Midtown Holiday Inn, Grand Island, the Farm Bill, Legislature’s Water and Tax Committees, and organizational activities.



NeFU District 6 Fall Meeting
September 26, 2013 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The Office Bar & Grill, Hooper, NE
More information:  Call Paul Poppe 402-664-2713

Order off menu with meeting to follow.  Election of Officers.  NeFU President John Hansen will report on the recent NFU Fly-In, give a preview of the upcoming 100th NeFU Annual State Convention, December 6-7, Midtown Holiday Inn, Grand Island, the Farm Bill, Legislature’s Water and Tax Committees, and organizational activities.



2013 Nebraska Power Farming Show

9-4 pm Tues., December 10, 2013
9-4 pm Wed., December 11, 2013
9-3 pm Thurs., December 12, 2013

LANCASTER EVENT CENTER
4100 North 84th St.
Lincoln, Nebraska 68507

FREE ADMISSION & FREE PARKING!

2nd Largest Indoor Farm Show in N.A.
    * Largest Indoor Farm Show west of the Mississippi River
    * 9.2 Acres of Indoor Displays
    * 905 Companies/Brands Represented
    * Major Farm Equipment Manufacturer Represented (Case IH, Challenger, Massey, John Deere and New Holland)
    * End of Year Buying Specials



NE Grangers Meet in Grand Island

The Nebraska State Grange held it’s annual meeting at the Riverside Inn in Grand Island, September 13-14-15, 2013.  The delegates from local Granges worked to update and improve the Nebraska State Grange Legislative policy for the coming year.

Friday, Sept. 13.
Grangers met at noon for lunch together and a tour of the Nova-Tech plant in Grand Island.  Nova -Tech is a family owned plant that produces veterinary supplies for the treatment of farm animals.  Nova-Tech has the major share of the market for some of the products it manufactures.   The Grangers were served lunch by the company cafeteria before the tour began.

Sat. Sept. 14:
The meeting  opened at 8:30 on Saturday morning and the members  heard the annual reports from National Grange President, Ed Luttrell, of Sandy OR and State Grange President, Ted Doane, of Waverly NE.

The speaker for the noon Lunch was Grace Boatright, Legislative Director for the National Grange.   She was born and raised in Austin TX, and moved to Washington D.C. in 2010.  She graduated from Concordia Lutheran University with a BBA, concentrated in finance and marketing.   She told about being the only lobbyist on the Grange staff in Washington D.C.   She seemed able to hold her own in most any situation and National Grange is fortunate to have her.  Miss Boatright also presented a workshop in the afternoon.  She intended to cover several issues but there were so many questions and comments about the Farm Bill, or lack of one, that all of her time was taken up with that topic.  The MC was Kevin Cooklsey, Overseer of the NE State Grange and member of the Custer County Grange.  

Community Service awards were presented by Chairman, Sandra Dunkel, from the Weissert Grange.  1st Place and $100 went to Elkhorn VE Grange,  2nd Place and $75 went to South West Grange at Arapahoe, 3rd Place and $50 went to Raymond Grange and 4th Place and $25 went to Weissert Grange.

Phyllis Tooker, Family Activities Chairman, of Ralston NE, and her daughter Lila, of Lincoln, did a craft workshop on how to make wide ribbon wreaths from supplies obtained at Hobby Lobby.

At 4:30 the 5th degree obligation was given to three candidates, Jim Peterson, Rebecca and Eldon Wulf, all from Blair, who also received, the 6th degree, presented by the State Grange Officers.

The Banquet was at 6:30 Saturday evening

The MC was, Ted Doane, of Waverly NE, State Grange President.  The Distinguished Service Award was presented by Kevin Cooksley, to Chuck Hassebrook for all his years of advocating for agriculture before deciding to run for Governor of Nebraska.

Judy Hansen, Nebraska State Grange Secretary, of Blair, presented two Grange Scholarships to Erica Peterson of Waverly and Michaela Pesek from Swanton.

The banquet entertainment was Cherrie Beam-Clark, from the Nebraska Humanities Council.  Her character was Mariah Monahan, done with Irish brogue and period costume.  Depicting a Nebraska settler, between 1845 and 1870.  Based on historical fact, this was a first-person Chautauqua-style presentation, describing many of the hardships of early settlers, and the ways that they had to be self sufficient and able to survive without any outside help.  She also showed some of the toys that pioneer children made from things found, such as using a hair ball from a Cow’s stomach as a baseball or stringing spools together to make a doll.  This was a very interesting program and well worth the time to listen.

Sunday Morning, Sept 15:
The program consisted of a Memorial Service under the direction of State Grange Chaplain, Gwenda Cogswell of Friend Nebraska.  Six Nebraska Grangers, who passed away this year were remembered.  She also had planned a brief worship service of hymn singing and inspirational readings.

The Lecturer’s time planned by State Lecturer, Darlene Janing of Geneva, was a “History of Grand Island’, given by Judy Humiston from the Hall County Historical Society.  She told many stories about her ancestors who settled in the Grand Island area and family members who still own that land.  She also told about the work of the Grand Island Historical Society and the preservation of the history, including the moving of the Neil Sthur log cabin to a place at the Sthur Museum. And yes, Grand Island does sit on a 40 mile long island between two branches of the Platte River.

The MC for the Sunday lunch was Jim Peterson, State Grange Steward, from Blair NE.  The Family Activity was given by Phyllis Tooker of Ralston, Chairman.  Nebraska Grangers donated 1,641 dictionaries to 3rd Graders this year, 104 lbs. of pop tabs were donated to support “Ronald McDonald Houses” that provide housing for families with children in hospitals.   Grangers donated 23 caps and booties for premature babies born in hospitals and 56 handmade stuffed toys to be given to children that are removed from their homes and put in Foster Care.



FSA Prevented Planting Acres Up Slightly From August Report

Farmers were prevented from planting 3.57 million acres of corn and 1.69 ma of soybeans, according to the latest certified acreage data from USDA.  That's a slight increase from the Farm Services Agency's August calculation of 3.4 ma of corn and 1.62 ma of soybeans prevented planting acreage. FSA made the largest increase in wheat prevented planting acreage, boosting it to 1.98 ma from 1.74 ma last month.

The idle corn and soybean acreages are significantly higher than the average of final prevented planted acres for the past four years. According to FSA final numbers, the average prevented planting acres for crop years 2009-2012 are: corn, 1.79 million; soybeans, 973,000; wheat, 2.22 million. Final prevented planting figures are released in January after the crop harvest, and can vary slightly from acres found in September reports.



EPA Announces August Biodiesel Production Figures

The EPA on Thursday reported 148 million gallons of biodiesel production for the month of August, putting year-to-date volume at a record pace of nearly 916 million gallons.

With more than 1 billion gallons of production in each of the past two years, biodiesel is the first EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel to reach commercial-scale production nationwide. The industry has surpassed RFS targets since the program began and is on track to do so again this year.

The production volumes are reported under the Biomass-based Diesel category of the RFS. To view the figures, visit the EPA's website here... http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/rfsdata/2013emts.htm.  The monthly numbers show a total of more than 177 million gallons of Biomass-based Diesel in August. That total includes nearly 30 million gallons of renewable diesel, a similar diesel replacement made with the same resources but using a different technology.

For the year, biodiesel and renewable diesel together have already exceeded 1 billion gallons, with nearly 1.1 billion gallons total.



Gas Prices Stuck at $3 and Above, Ethanol Provides Price Relief at the Pump
Today officially marks the 1,000th day in a row that gas prices have been above $3/gallon. While ethanol provides drivers savings while filling up, AAA says that these gas prices are here to stay.

Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), pointed out the obvious, “Gas prices are now staying at over $3 and could continue to increase, but ethanol is a viable and sustainable tool that could stop gas prices from rising at the pump. Renewable fuel is plentifully available right here, right now. If Big Oil would stop putting up barriers to offering E15 and other higher level blends, gas could be cheaper. In fact, the estimated discount of E15 is 10-15 cents cheaper per gallon than gasoline. Add that up and it shows real savings.”

Dinneen continued, “If consumers had a renewable alternative at the pump, their gas prices could decrease and they would not be forced to change their driving habits and lifestyle. Vehicles are used every day to take kids to soccer practice, get to work, and go out to eat. Renewable fuels offer an alternative that can keep prices down and keep families on the go.”

In 2011, ethanol saved drivers $1.09/gallon and families roughly $1,200 in gasoline purchases. E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) is blended in over 97% of the gasoline today, and just last Sunday E15 (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline) came back online for vehicles 2001 and newer. Right now E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) is available to flex fuel vehicles and according to E85prices.com the average E85 price in Iowa is $2.73/gallon compared to the $3.65/gallon average gas price today. In fact, E85 has been reported as low as $2.39/gallon in St. Ansgar, Iowa.



Chinese Ag Leaders Sign Commitments to Buy $2.8 Billion in Soy

As China's appetite for soy products continues to grow, it's leaning on U.S. soybean farmers to help meet demand -- in one recent case, to the tune of $2.8 billion.

During the recent U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange, Chinese agricultural leaders signed agreements to buy approximately $2.8 billion worth of U.S. soy. The delegation signed 13 contracts with U.S. exporters.

"These contracts speak to U.S. soybean farmers' work to produce high-quality soybeans," says Jim Stillman, chairman of the United Soybean Board (USB), which co-sponsored the Exchange with the American Soybean Association (ASA). "The U.S. soy industry is committed to meeting the demands of our customers, and we are doing that by growing the best crops we can," says Stillman, a soybean farmer from Emmetsburg, Iowa.

"China is an important trade partner of the U.S. soy industry," says Randy Mann, chairman of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), which hosted the Exchange. "We look forward to continuing to grow our relationship with our largest international customer," says Mann, who raises soybeans on his farm Auburn, Ky.

More than 200 foreign trade delegates attended the Exchange in the Quad Cities Sept. 16-18. Farmer-leaders from across the soy family networked with international customers and solidified purchase agreements.

"This is the first year we've held the U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange, and we're very pleased that purchase commitments resulted from the event," says Kirk Leeds, chief executive officer of the Iowa Soybean Association. "The point of the event was to cultivate relationships with our customers, including China, and show purchasers the unrivaled U.S. transportation system."

In the last marketing year, the United States exported about 1.8 billion bushels of soy, valued at $23 billion. Checkoff-funded efforts have helped turn China into the biggest international destination for U.S. soy. Customers in China bought 850 million bushels of U.S. soy last year, or more than one out of every four rows grown.

"The United States continues to export so many soy products because our customers recognize the strength of our delivery system and the quality of our soybeans," says Danny Murphy, ASA president. "These agreements certainly prove the U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange was a success."



Fertilizer Prices Push Even Lower
Retail fertilizer prices are still shifting lower, according to fertilizer prices tracked by DTN for the second week of September. Some retailers report fertilizer price declines may not be over yet.  All eight of the major fertilizers prices slipped from the second week of August with all but one fertilizer seeing significant price declines.

UAN32 was down 9% compared to last month with 10-34-0, potash and UAN28 all down 7%. UAN32 had average price of $374/ton, potash $517/ton, 10-34-0 $545/ton and UAN28 $334/ton.  Urea decreased 6% while both DAP and anhydrous were down 5%. Urea had an average price of $469/ton, DAP $541/ton and anhydrous $669/ton.  The remaining fertilizer, DAP, had a slight decrease in price compared to last month. The phosphorous fertilizer had an average price of $586/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.51/lb.N, anhydrous $0.41/lb.N, UAN28 $0.60/lb.N and UAN32 $0.58/lb.N.

All eight of the major fertilizers are now double digits lower in price compared to September of 2012.  Urea has tumbled 23% in the last year; anhydrous 20%; potash 17%; DAP, 10-34-0 and UAN 28 14%; MAP 13%; and UAN32 12%.



NCGA Disappointed in Chesapeake Bay TMDL Ruling

National Corn Growers Association President Pam Johnson released the following statement in response to the district court’s ruling upholding the Environmental Protection Agency’s Total Maximum Daily Load for the Chesapeake Bay:

“The National Corn Growers Association is disappointed to hear the court’s decision to uphold the TMDL in the Chesapeake Bay.  We continue to believe the Chesapeake Bay TMDL goes beyond the scope of Clean Water Act authority and has a negative impact on agricultural production and innovation.

“America’s farmers are the original environmentalists.  They care deeply about the land and water quality from which they make their livelihood and raise their families.  However, the policies and science behind the Chesapeake Bay TMDL are wrong.

“NCGA and our agriculture partners are reviewing our options and next steps.”  



CWT Assists with 5.4 Million Pounds of Cheese and Butter Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 25 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms USA, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) and Upstate Niagara Cooperative (O-AT-KA) to sell 2.282 million pounds (1,035 metric tons) of Cheddar and Gouda cheese and 3.123 million pounds (1,417 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia, Central America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered September 2013 through March 2014.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 96.933 million pounds of cheese, 70.547 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of anhydrous milk fat and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder to 37 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 2.483 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.



Boehringer Ingelheim Introduces FLEXcombo® 250 Doses HSB Swine Vaccine

    Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI), has made it easier to vaccinate swine against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, two of the most economically important swine diseases, in a single injection with FLEXcombo®.

    Because every swine herd is unique, FLEXcombo, one of the products in the FLEX Family of vaccines, allows producers and veterinarians to customize vaccination programs based on their specific disease problems and management protocols. Each FLEXcombo package contains a 250-mL bottle of Ingelvac CircoFLEX® and 250 mL of Ingelvac MycoFLEX® vaccine in a 500-mL headspace bottle for mixing. This provides a total of 500 mL of the mixed vaccine, enough to vaccinate 250 head with a single 2-mL injection.

    According to Sarah Jorgensen, FLEX brand manager for the BIVI Swine Division, the new FLEXcombo package makes it practical for veterinarians and producers to mix and administer the vaccine to pigs three weeks of age and older to protect against PCV2 and mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in a single injection. “We’ve focused on ease of use for customers to mix and administer Ingelvac CircoFLEX and Ingelvac MycoFLEX vaccines,” Jorgensen explains. “It’s a simple process: Aseptically, add the contents of the green-capped Ingelvac CircoFLEX bottle to the red-capped Ingelvac MycoFLEX headspace bottle, shake well and inject.”

    “Because both FLEX vaccines contain ImpranFLEX® adjuvant technology, they are highly compatible when mixed and administered, providing a rapid, long-lasting immune response with low risk of adverse reactions,” says Jorgensen. “Plus, the 250-dose package size of FLEXcombo makes it more convenient for larger production facilities to vaccinate pigs with fewer vaccine bottles and less mixing.”

    The single 2-mL injection of FLEXcombo gives producers the ability to reduce stress on both pigs and people while decreasing labor costs. Additionally, a reduced number of injections offers greater Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) benefits.

   “Since Ingelvac CircoFLEX and Ingelvac MycoFLEX were approved for use more than four years ago, well over a billion pigs have been effectively vaccinated,” Jorgensen says. “In hundreds of production facilities and in ongoing field trials, the FLEX Family of vaccines continues to provide long-lasting efficacy and safety in every dose administered to healthy, susceptible pigs.”