Thursday October 3 Ag News

BALING STALKS FOR WINTER FEED
UNL Extension Forage Specialist Bruce Anderson

Your corn is about to get combined.  Maybe you are wondering if you should bale some of the stalks.  Is it worth it?  One way to look at it is from the cost stand point.  Nutrients removed by stalk bales may need to be replaced with extra fertilizer.  Using this fall’s prices, stalks contain about ten to twelve dollars worth of nitrogen, phosphate, sulfur, and lime per ton.

Corn stalk removal also can reduce soil organic matter, increase erosion risk, and increase soil water evaporation.  Nebraska research shows that dryland corn yield declines about two bushels for each ton of residue removed while irrigation costs increase similarly to maintain corn yield.  That’s another ten to twelve dollars per ton.

Baling stalks tends to cause more wear and tear on equipment than other baling operations so labor and equipment costs average twenty to twenty-five dollars per ton.  Totaled together, these costs amount to forty-five to fifty dollars per ton of corn stalks removed.

So, what are corn stalks worth as a feed?  One rule of thumb suggests the dollar feeding value is just a bit higher than straw.  But feed value of stalks varies greatly, and cattle tend to waste more of it.  If you bale the entire field you may only have three to four percent protein and less than fifty percent TDN.  Harvest just the tailings in the two or three rows behind the combine and TDN increases to the lower fifties and protein to about five percent.  But you should test to make sure.

Are baled corn stalks worthwhile?  These numbers suggest that it may be a toss-up, depending a lot on local feed supplies and your individual ability to either cut costs or feed efficiently.



Beef Checkoff Program Partners with Arby’s On the Introduction of New Smokehouse Brisket Sandwich

The Beef Checkoff Program has partnered with Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. to generate consumer excitement around Arby’s® new Smokehouse Brisket sandwich, the chain’s first-ever brisket product. After extensive consumer research showed a strong interest in smoked foods – particularly smoked meats and cheeses – Arby’s selected Beef Brisket as the centerpiece of its new limited-time offer.

Available  through November, the Smokehouse Brisket sandwich features hickory-smoked Beef Brisket topped with melted smoked Gouda cheese, crispy onions, smoky BBQ sauce and mayo, served on a toasted, bakery-style bun. Slow- smoked for at least 13 hours, the new sandwich will attract patrons who seek the smoky, savory flavors inherent to Beef Brisket. Beef Brisket is a boneless cut that transforms into a flavorful, fork-tender beef item when slow cooked, that’s easy to hold, quick to serve, and adds value for a variety of menu concepts and day parts.

“Arby’s strives to stay at the forefront of the latest culinary trends to deliver the exceptional sandwich-eating experience we’re known for,” said Len Van Popering, senior vice president, product development and innovation, Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. “The Smokehouse Brisket was one of our most successful product tests in the company’s 49-year history. Our guests are telling us loud and clear that Brisket ranks high on their lists for providing the smoky, beef flavor they crave.”

The Beef Checkoff Program is supporting the limited time offer with both merchandising and social media activity.

“This effort builds upon our longstanding history of working with Arby’s on new product development and merchandising and bringing new beef items to the menu,” said Terri Carstensen, chair of the checkoff’s Taste Subcommittee and a feedlot operator from Odebolt, Iowa. “For almost 50 years, Arby’s has made beef a cornerstone of its menu and generates a high-volume of beef sales. They continue to be a strong partner for the beef community, and we applaud their commitment to seeking new cuts of beef to deliver innovative menu applications and ensuring that consumers enjoy memorable, delicious beef meals.”

For more information, visit www.BeefFoodservice.com or www.Arbys.com. For more information about your beef checkoff investment, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.



NCBA’s 2014 Record Books Available for Purchase

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the largest and oldest national organization representing U.S. cattle producers, published the 2014 version of its Integrated Resource Management Redbooks. The books serve as a tool for U.S. cattlemen and women to record calving information and daily production activities.

For more than 25 years, according to John Paterson, NCBA executive director of producer education, these record books have provided an effective way for cattle ranchers to record their production records in order to enhance profitability of their operations.

“The 2014 Redbook provides more than 100 pages to record calving activity; herd health; pasture use; cattle inventory; body condition; cattle treatment; and more. The books also contain an annual calendar; address section; Beef Quality Assurance national guidelines; and proper injection technique information,” said Paterson. “This is a tool every cattlemen needs.” 

The IRM Redbooks can be customized with company information and/or logo on orders of 100 books or more at a reduced rate. Please contact Grace Webb at (800) 525-3085 or gwebb@beef.org for more information. Individual 2014 Redbooks will be available for purchase for $6.25 each, plus shipping through NCBA’s website at www.beefusa.org.



New Brochure Provides Nutritional Data on Soy Products Fed to Pigs

A publication recently released by the University of Illinois is providing new nutritional information on soy products and their value when fed to pigs.

Hans H. Stein, a U of I professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, has released a brochure titled, "Nutritional value of soy products fed to pigs." The new brochure contains detailed nutritional information on eight different soy products, including full-fat soybeans and conventional dehulled soybean meal, as well as newer products such as fermented and enzyme-treated soybean meal.

"Soybean products are an important part of swine diets here in Illinois as well as most other parts of the world," said Stein. "We wanted to provide producers with a source of data on all aspects of nutrition for a variety of soy products."

Soybean meal is the most commonly used source of amino acids in diets for pigs around the world. The data in the brochure provides companies, swine producers, nutritionists, and industry stakeholders with relevant information that will assist them in formulating soybean meal and other soy products into the diets for pigs, Stein explained.

The brochure first describes how different soy products are produced and their applications in swine diets. The second section discusses the energy, carbohydrate, mineral, and protein and amino acid concentration of each product, as well as nutrient digestibility. Soybean meal is also compared with other plant protein sources with regards to amino acid digestibility and protein quality.



DDGS Gaining in Southeast Asia

The strength of U.S. exports of distiller's dried grains with solubles has been bright spot in a tough year for U.S. feed grains, with particularly strong export growth in Southeast Asia contributing substantially to that growth. Through the first half of calendar year 2013, total U.S. DDGS exports rose six percent. At the same time, growth rose nine percent in Southeast Asia, with major gains in Thailand (53 percent) and Indonesia (42 percent) more than offsetting declines in Malaysia and the Philippines. Overall, U.S. exports to the region rose by 605,000 metric tons.

"In Southeast Asia, DDGS are a beachhead export commodity for the United States," said Adel Yusupov, U.S. Grains Council regional director in Southeast Asia. "While India and South America are our major regional competitors in coarse grains, DDGS is a key product where the United States commands a significant advantage due to its unique mix of quality feed protein and energy benefits for poultry and swine. Southeast Asia's commercial feed production, currently at 60 million metric tons, is about one-third of China's and growing at 5 to 8 percent per year, driven by consumers' preference for higher value calories. We are working to tap into these markets and build demand for DDGS across all animal sectors."

U.S. DDGS shipments were threatened last year by the discovery of insect pests in a container shipment to Vietnam. Yusupov and the Council, of which the National Corn Growers Association is a founding member, led a rapid response effort that hammered out a mutually satisfactory arrangement on inspections and fumigation that has permitted the trade to resume and grow.



Government Shutdown Means No USDA Reports

The U.S. Agriculture Department is not releasing any of its statistical reports while the federal government is shutdown. But according to reports, inspections of meat will continue because that is considered among essential services.

USDA may also be forced to delay the release of its monthly crop estimates, due on Oct. 11, which often cause swings worth billions of dollars in the price of corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton.

Also suspended would be dozens of lesser-known reports that provide a daily or weekly foundation for tracking crops, livestock and the farm sector - from cattle auctions in Amarillo, Texas, to dry edible bean prices in Wyoming. "Timely updates has stopped, thus valuable electronic reports and material will not be available to agricultural community and the agriculture and consumer publics," the USDA said in a statement.

A portion of USDA's 100,000 employees will remain on the job. Meat and poultry inspectors, the subject of a funding fight after automatic budget cuts endangered their work early this year, are designated as essential personnel.



Shutdown Leaves October WASDE Report in Question

The partial U.S. government shutdown has thrown into question whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture will release a monthly crop report next week that is closely watched by commodities traders and often leads to sharp moves in the price of corn and other crops.

Commodities analysts said Wednesday that it appears increasingly unlikely the USDA will release its monthly supply-and-demand report on its scheduled date of Oct. 11.

Most USDA employees who are responsible for collecting and aggregating the data used in the monthly report have been furloughed since Tuesday, after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a budget deal to avoid a partial federal shutdown. USDA spokespeople couldn't be reached to comment on whether the report would be delayed.

Every month, the USDA's World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, known in the industry as "the WASDE," draws significant attention from traders and analysts. The October report holds particular interest because it comes while farmers are harvesting corn and soybean crops, providing the market with fresh insight on expected production and supply levels.

The prospect that the report -- typically about 40 pages long -- won't be released on schedule has created uncertainty in futures markets for corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops, analysts said.

If the shutdown isn't resolved and the report isn't released, growers, traders and companies that use grains and oilseeds to make everything from food to fuel to animal feed will be left unable to make informed investment and hedging choices, said Terry Reilly, a senior commodity analyst at Futures International LLC, a brokerage in Chicago.

The partial closure, combined with the expiration this week of a one-year extension to the 2008 Farm Bill, has left many farmers wondering how much of each crop to seed next year and to increased concerns about insurance rates, subsidy programs and the lack of government information. That means many won't use hedges, which cuts down on the amount of business done by grain brokers and commodity trading advisers.



Minnesota to Raise Biodiesel Mandate

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture will raise its biodiesel mandate from the current 5%, or B5, to 10%, or B10, starting July next year, spokeswoman Margaret Hart said.  The increase is part of Minnesota's biofuels program that began with legislation nearly a decade ago. Minnesota was one of the first few states in the nation to institute a biodiesel mandate at the level of 2% in 2005, which increased to 5% in 2009.  The mandate was supposed to increase to 10% in 2012 but was delayed, according to Kevin Hennessey, a biofuels specialist at the state department of agriculture.

State Commissioner of Agriculture Dave Frederickson has sent a letter to the legislature notifying lawmakers of the expected increase in the biofuels mandate.  The letter says all the conditions required to increase the mandate have been met, including ensuring there's enough supply of the product in the state as well as adequate blending infrastructure to support the higher blend ratio.  The increase is set to take effect July 1, 2014, with no additional input from the Minnesota governor since the law is already in the books, said Hennessey.



Brazil's Ethanol Output, Exports Up for 2013-2014

Brazil's Sugarcane Industry Association, a trade group for the ethanol and sugar industries, this week revised its product estimates for the 2013-2014 crop year, projecting ethanol output of 6.6 billion gallons this year, up 17% from a year ago.

The trade group, known by its Portuguese acronym UNICA, said in a report dated Oct. 1 that out of that total, 2.9 billion gallons of ethanol would be anhydrous while 3.7 billion gallons would be hydrous ethanol.

Ethanol exports at 443 million gallons were up 10% from a year ago. The majority of Brazil's ethanol exports are usually shipped to the United States.



National Farmers Organization Supports COOL Defense Fund

National Farmers Organization is reaffirming its commitment to Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), by supporting National Farmers Union (NFU) and its COOL defense fund.

“Country of origin labeling has been the law of the land for the last five years, yet it is still encountering legal challenges,” said National Farmers Legislative Coordinator Gene Paul.   We are pleased to assist NFU and its allies as they defend COOL.

National Farmers Union, the United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA), the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) and the Consumers Federation Association (CFA) are defendant-intervenors in a case filed July 8 by nine groups who oppose COOL. The court denied the motion for a preliminary injunction sought by the groups. Now, the groups who oppose COOL are appealing the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Country of Origin Labeling is a labeling law that requires retailers, such as full-line grocery stores, supermarkets, and club warehouse stores, notify their customers with information regarding the source of certain foods. Food products, (covered commodities) contained in the law include muscle cut and ground meats: beef, veal, pork, lamb, goat, and chicken, as well as others.

National Farmers is an agriculture risk management and price negotiation organization for the nation’s farmers and ranchers.



DuPont Pioneer Widens Growers’ Insect Protection Options for 2014

Challenges with corn rootworm (CRW) have growers evaluating their insect management options for next season. Recognizing the need for more choices in insect control, DuPont Pioneer in 2014 will offer growers an expanded line up of Optimum® AcreMax® Xtra and Optimum AcreMax XTreme products.

These products provide below-ground insect protection from CRW, as well as above-ground pests such as corn borer. In addition to an increased number of products, Optimum AcreMax Xtra and Optimum AcreMax XTreme hybrids will be available in more geographies and maturity zones.

“CRW populations have a long history of adapting to control methods and because of that the industry needs to look at all options and manage this pest vigilantly,” says Reed Mayberry, DuPont Pioneer senior corn marketing manager. “With products like Optimum AcreMax Xtra more widely available in 2014, growers are able select options tailored to different levels of insect pressure.”

The combined trait protection found in Optimum AcreMax Xtra includes Herculex® XTRA insect traits (combining Herculex® I insect protection for above-ground control and Herculex® RW for CRW control), and the YieldGard® Corn Borer trait for additional above-ground insect control.

Optimum AcreMax XTreme features the Herculex I insect protection and the YieldGard® Corn Borer trait for dual trait above-ground control. For below-ground insect control, Optimum AcreMax XTreme includes two modes of action to protect from CRW; the Herculex RW trait and the Agrisure® RW trait.

“By using multiple modes of action, we can help extend the long-term viability of in-plant insect protection,” Mayberry says.

Both corn products integrate a high-yielding Pioneer® brand hybrid with a similar non-Bt hybrid acting as the in-the-bag refuge. So there is no need to plant a separate refuge; in the Corn Belt it’s just one simple pass across the field.

"Integrated refuge helps assure that Corn Belt refuge requirements are met, reducing the potential for development of insect resistance while working to extend the durability of in-plant protection technologies," Mayberry says.

Another advantage for growers is the herbicide tolerant traits found in the Optimum AcreMax Xtra and Optimum AcreMax XTreme products including the Roundup Ready® corn 2 and Liberty Link® traits. These herbicide resistance traits are also found in the hybrids acting as refuge plants.

Each Optimum AcreMax Xtra and Optimum AcreMax XTreme product includes Pioneer Premium Seed Treatment to provide corn growers with beneficial seedling protection ensuring that every seed counts in achieving a successful harvest.



Growers report on first experiences with the Enlist™ Weed Control System

As summer turns to fall, select growers in the Corn Belt are reporting on their experiences with the first grower-led research plots for the Enlist™ Weed Control System. The plots were designed to give growers experience managing all aspects of the new herbicide-tolerant technology, including the Enlist corn trait, Enlist Duo™ herbicide with Colex-D™ Technology and the Enlist Ahead management resource. Growers were asked to provide information back to Dow AgroSciences as the company prepares to launch the technology, pending regulatory approvals.

“This is a product that represents where the future of agriculture is going. The Enlist system is going to be groundbreaking in a lot of ways,” says Jeff VanderWerff, Michigan grower and Enlist trial participant.

Growers in eight states took part in the trials, including Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Colorado. Participants were targeting a range of glyphosate-resistant and hard-to-control weeds, such as waterhemp, giant ragweed, marestail, morningglory, lambsquarters and a variety of grasses.

The Enlist™ plots were managed by the grower at each location with support from Enlist field specialists, a team of dedicated technical and agronomic support specialists Dow AgroSciences has put in place for the Enlist Weed Control System. Progress was tracked throughout the season.

Growers overwhelmingly rate weed control with Enlist higher than current systems
Ninety percent of trial participants rated the weed control achieved with Enlist higher than their current weed control programs in corn. The remaining 10 percent stated that weed control with the Enlist™ system was as good as the weed control they are achieving in corn today.

“My expectations were high, and Enlist Duo delivered,” says Dale Zelhart, Illinois grower. “I was a little bit concerned about the marestail that was out here because I’ve never seen anything control it. It controlled it. It brought it down within four or five days. It was incredible.”

The growers cited the overall level of weed control, the wide application window and multiple modes of action as reasons for satisfaction compared with their current weed control practices. Pending approvals, the Enlist Weed Control System is expected to offer growers the same wide window of application that glyphosate-tolerant crops have today.

On-target application cited among top attributes
Growers were asked to evaluate the drift and volatility potential of Enlist Duo herbicide with Colex-D Technology. Lab and in-field research has shown that using Enlist Duo with Colex-D Technology in combination with a low-drift spray nozzle can decrease physical drift by up to 90 percent when compared with a tank mix of glyphosate and traditional 2,4-D sprayed through a standard XR nozzle. The new Enlist Duo also will have up to 96 percent reduction in volatility compared with traditional 2,4-D products.

Growers participating in the research plots had similar experiences. “We had Enlist corn planted next to some soybeans. With the constant 6-mile-an-hour wind and the gusts, we could lay Enlist Duo next to the soybeans, and I see no crinkling of the leaves, I see no drift,” says Doug Morrow, Indiana grower.

Participants were asked to evaluate additional aspects of the Enlist system.
-    Growers reported higher satisfaction with the crop safety of Enlist compared with their current weed control practices.
-    Broadleaf and grass weed control was rated in the highest percentile (90 percent to 100 percent) across all plots.
-    Ninety percent of growers participating in the research plots considered Enlist Duo™ herbicide to have a low or an acceptable odor.

“The grower is the center of our universe at Dow AgroSciences,” says Damon Palmer, Dow AgroSciences U.S. commercial leader, Enlist™ Weed Control System. “The Enlist system has been designed with grower usability in mind. This on-farm research activity was consistent with our data, and it confirmed that the technology consistently performs in real-world scenarios across key growing areas in the United States.”

Pending regulatory approvals, Dow AgroSciences expects to launch Enlist corn, Enlist E3™ soybeans and Enlist soybeans with Roundup Ready 2 Yield® in 2015, with cotton to follow.