Tuesday October 1 Ag News

Cuming County 4-H Members Participate at Ak-Sar-Ben

Cuming County 4-H members had another successful year at the 86th annual Ak-Sar-Ben Youth Livestock Exposition that was held September 26-29 at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha.  According to Larry Howard, UNL Extension Educator in Cuming County, there were thirty-one (31) 4-H members from Cuming County that participated.

In the Beef Show, Sydney Williams of Wisner showed Reserve Champion Simmental Genetic Breeding Heifer.  Hunter Schroeder of West Point was Reserve Champion in the Calf Challenge Contest and was in the Ak-Sar-Ben Purple Ribbon Sale on Sunday night.  Amanda Stratman of West Point placed third in Market Beef Showmanship. 

In the Rabbit Show, Evie Schlickbernd of West Point exhibited the Mini Satin Breed Champion that was also awarded the Champion Fancy Breed and was Reserve Overall at the show.  Evie also showed the Mini Rex Breed Champion. Evan Meiergerd of West Point showed the Florida White Breed Champion and Reserve in the Dutch Breed. Adrianna Meiergerd of West Point placed third in Rabbit Showmanship.

In the Swine Show, Hunter Schroeder of West Point was the Champion in the Premier Exhibit contest.



Managing Earthen Manure Storage Basins During Drought
Amy Millmier Schmidt, UNL Livestock Bioenvironmental Engineer

A new extension publication is available to assist producers in managing their earthen manure storage basins during drought conditions. The publication, available at http://go.unl.edu/j429, includes discussions of problems that may arise when basin levels drop considerably during drought conditions, as well as opportunities for basin maintenance while liquid levels are low. For runoff holding ponds, dry weather offers an opportunity for producers to safely repair erosion, eliminate weeds or woody plant growth on berms, and remove accumulated solids.



Heavy Graze Before Adding Legumes to Pastures, Hay Meadows
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist

Adding legumes to hay meadows and cool-season pastures is the best way to increase forage quality and animal performance from these forages. Legumes add protein, animals digest them faster, and intake increases when legumes are added to the grass. As a bonus, legumes make their own nitrogen so oftentimes fertilizer costs decrease.

The biggest challenge to establishing legumes into grass sod is competition by that grass on new, slow growing seedlings. Anything you do to reduce competition and slow down grass growth will help. One of the best ways to slow down spring grass growth is to graze it hard now. Heavy grazing this fall prior to sod seeding next spring will weaken the grass and reduce its spring growth, plus remove much old dead thatch, thus giving new legume seedlings a better chance to get started.

You may have already moved your cattle to corn stalks or winter range, but if you have a long-term goal of improving your pastures or hay meadows, it might be smart to bring animals back to pastures or meadow regrowth and grub it down hard. Then even graze it some more to make sure grass growth next spring is really slow.

While you're at it, also collect some soil samples. Then analyze them and apply any needed fertilizer. Legumes often need extra phosphorus and sometimes lime to improve soil ph.

So, plan to add some legumes to your pasture next spring. Graze your grass this fall until virtually nothing is left. The legumes you add next spring will establish better because of it.



UNL Scientist: Genetic Modification One Key Tool for Feeding Growing Population

            Genetic modification of species has been a driving force of nature for thousands of years, and humans' ability to harness the science behind it is a critical, and safe, component of efforts to feed a growing global population, a leading plant scientist said Monday.

            Sally Mackenzie, Ralph and Alice Raikes Chair for Plant Science in the Center for Plant Science Innovation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was the first speaker in the Heuermann Lectures' 2013-14 series.

            Mackenzie's lecture, titled "Beyond GMOs to a More Honest Dialogue About Our Food," put today's science into historical perspective.

            "Recombinant DNA is the biological driving force of nature," she said. "It is a fact of life. It is why you have your mother's blue eyes and your father's dark hair."

            Nature's genetic modification process helps ensure a diversity of life on the planet, and agricultural scientists long have been modifying plants too, through cross-breeding, she told a packed Hardin Hall auditorium at the lecture, sponsored by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL.

            Scientists first developed a genetically modified plant – an antibiotic-resistant tobacco – in 1982. Great progress has been made since, Mackenzie said.

            "We've simply taken advantage of a very natural process that goes on in nature all the time," Mackenzie said.

            Until 2000, that process was motivated by a goal to increase yields, and profits. In 2000, though, what Mackenzie called "the start of a golden era," golden rice was developed. That nutritionally enhanced rice can help feed starving and malnourished children in the developing world, in particular preventing blindness that now strikes up to 500,000 a year because of a lack of Vitamin A. The effort was funded not by corporations for profit but by leading philanthropic organizations such as the Rockefeller and Bill & Melinda Gates foundations.

            "This is why scientists get into science, to make a difference in the world," Mackenzie said. "This just makes me proud to be a part of this community."

            There are downsides to genetically modified crops, but mostly due to mismanagement, not the science itself, she said. So-called "super bugs" and "super weeds" have emerged because the crops have been overplanted.

            However, Mackenzie said, there is no evidence genetically modified crops are unsafe to eat. She dismissed claims otherwise as bad science or politically motivated activism.

            "We're not encountering any health effects yet," she said.

            The continued debate over genetically modified crops is a "sociological and psychological discussion," not a scientific one, Mackenzie said, and it's a distraction from the reality: The world's population, now about 7 billion, is expected to top 9 billion by 2050. There's not enough water or arable land to feed those people using current agronomic practices.

            "Those challenges are your challenges," Mackenzie said, directing her comments to the many UNL students at the lecture. "Genetic modification should be one of the tools in that toolbox, just one."

            A related science that also shows great promise is epigenetics. Mackenzie, one of the world's leading scientists in exploring this technology, said this process focuses on changing how plants express their genes, rather than changing the genes themselves. Early findings indicate this technology could significantly increase yields.

            "This is very new territory for the plant-breeding community. There's a lot of potential," she said.

            This technology might be more acceptable to the public since it doesn't involve genetic modification, Mackenzie added.

            Heuermann Lectures focus on providing and sustaining enough food, natural resources and renewable energy for the world's people, and on securing the sustainability of rural communities where the vital work of producing food and renewable energy occurs.

            Heuermann Lectures are made possible by a gift from B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips, long-time university supporters with a strong commitment to Nebraska's production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people.

            Lectures stream live at http://heuermannlectures.unl.edu, and are archived at that site. They also are broadcast on NET2 World at a date following the lecture.



ISU Extension Beef Facilities Conference Nov. 21

Beef barns of all types are becoming more common place in the upper Midwest. “But, we are still learning a lot about these barns,” said Beth Doran, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef specialist.

A one-day “Beef Facilities Conference” will be held Nov. 21 to share current research findings and discuss building management and cattle performance. The conference, a cooperative effort of ISU Extension and Outreach, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, South Dakota State University (SDSU), USDA Agricultural Research Service and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, will be held at the Best Western Plus Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

“The purpose of the conference is two-fold,” said Doran. “Morning sessions feature environmental research with these facilities; afternoon sessions focus on building management and cattle performance.”

The morning session includes results of the two-year air emissions study in mono-slope barns, air quality regulations and how to capture, manage and use nutrients produced in beef barns. The two-year air emissions study looked at the emissions of gases and dust and is one of the first studies looking at air quality in these barns. Morning presenters are Erin Cortus, assistant professor at SDSU; Mindy Spiehs, research animal scientist at USDA, ARS, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center; Rick Stowell, associate professor at UNL; Kris Kohl, ISU Extension and Outreach ag engineering program specialist; and Angie Rieck-Hinz, extension program specialist at Iowa State.

Afternoon sessions involve two panels – a producer panel discussing building management in different style barns and a university panel discussing cattle performance. Four styles of facilities will be featured – mono-slopes, hoops, slatted floor deep-pit barns and open lots. The university panel includes Robbi Pritchard, distinguished professor at SDSU; Dan Loy, director of the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State; Shawn Shouse, ISU Extension and Outreach ag engineering program specialist; and Russ Euken, ISU Extension and Outreach livestock program specialist.

The conference is tailored to feedlot producers, beef consultants, building contractors, engineers and consultants, state and federal agency staff, and extension and university professionals.

Conference information, registration materials and potential sponsorship are available online at www.aep.iastate.edu/facility/. Registration is $40 if registered by Nov. 14. Students receive a $15 discount. Fees will increase $20 after Nov. 14 for all participants. 



NAWG Leaders Urge Congress to Fund Government, Pass Farm Bill

A statement from National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President Bing Von Bergen, a wheat farmer and seedsman from near Moccasin, Mont.:

“For the second year in a row, we have watched as our legislators let the farm bill expire without an extension or a new law in place. This year’s expiration is doubly concerning because our leaders have also failed to approve a new budget, shutting the federal government down wholesale until a compromise can be reached.

“I know I join my fellow farm leaders and my fellow wheat growers when I say that enough is enough. Funding the government is the basic charge of Congress, and policymaking on farm and nutrition policy impacts direct stakeholders and our economy as a whole.

“Two years running, wheat farmers are planting their next year’s crop without knowing what farm programs will exist by the time they harvest or how vital research, trade promotion and conservation programs will be funded while there is no farm law at all. Maneuvering around this level of uncertainty is no way to run a farm, and creating this level of uncertainty is no way to run a country. We call on our agriculture leaders and, more importantly, our leaders in the full House and Senate to move past regionalism and partisanship and get their jobs done.”



PLC and NCBA Urge Congress to Pass the Water Rights Protection Act

The Public Lands Council (PLC) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) hail the introduction of the Water Rights Protection Act (WRPA), H.R. 3189 by Congressman Scott Tipton (R-Colo.). The bipartisan bill was introduced last week with additional co-sponsors: Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), Rob Bishop (R-Utah), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.).

This legislation provides a means to combat the recent directive that allows the USFS to seize private water rights without just compensation.

“The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has taken a page out of the Environmental Protection Agency playbook and continues to illustrate its disregard for property rights through its continued efforts to federalize all waters in the U.S.,” said PLC president and Colo. rancher Brice Lee. “The USFS has failed to provide adequate compensation; instead, they have attempted to acquire these rights in exchange for special use permits, likely in violation of a recent Supreme Court ruling in Koontz. It is clear this bureaucracy is grossly overstepping its bounds and has to be prevented from usurping our members’ private property rights.”

The USFS has recently attempted to require the transfer of privately owned water rights on federal lands to the federal government as a condition of issuing standard land use permits. The agency has not provided adequate compensation as required by Article V of the Constitution and has repeatedly ignored established state water laws in order to perform these tasks.

“With 40% of the western cow herd spending some time on public lands, the ability to have secure water rights is imperative, not only to producers but to the economy,” said NCBA president Scott George, a rancher and dairy producer from Cody, Wyo. “This legislation is a commonsense bill that provides certainty to ranchers and leaves water management to the states where it belongs. The USFS must be accountable to citizens and the states and cannot, at will, circumvent state water laws at the expense of landowners.”

The legislation proposed would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture from requiring the transfer of water rights without adequate and just compensation. Additionally, the bill supports long-established state water laws, clarifying that the federal government does not have jurisdiction.

Both Lee and George ask the House to take up and pass this legislation without delay, encouraging other representatives to co-sponsor and urging swift passage out of committee.



Beef Industry Scan Provides Clear Planning Direction

The Beef Industry Long Range Plan (LRP) sets the overall strategic direction for the industry. Developed in 2011 by a 25-person task force made up of industry leaders across a number of sectors and updated earlier this year, the LRP outlines six core strategies intended to provide the industry with a clear focus. The beef checkoff concentrates its efforts in four of these areas:
-    Improve Domestic Consumer Preference for Beef
-    Capitalize on Global Growth Opportunities
-    Strengthen the Image of Beef and the Beef Industry
-    Protect and Enhance Our Freedom to Operate

To ensure that the LRP remains relevant, an annual review, or scan, is conducted to provide new information that could potentially impact the LRP direction. This year’s scan was conducted in April and presented to a number of industry leaders, including the Beef Promotion Operating Committee. The LRP Advisory Group, comprised of eight task force members, was also in attendance to recommend potential changes to the LRP. The scan outcomes informed the beef checkoff’s FY 2014 planning process and priorities.



Feeder Cattle Prices Record High
Tim Petry, Livestock Economist, NDSU Extension Service

Both calf and feeder cattle prices continue to move higher as prospects for a record corn crop and lower corn prices materialize. Support is also coming from historically tight feeder cattle supplies and increasing live cattle futures prices with expectations of declining beef production in the months ahead.

Calf prices have not reached the record levels posted early in 2012, but the heavier-weight feeder cattle are now at record high levels. The CME Feeder Cattle IndexTM (Index) is often used as a barometer for feeder steer prices in the U.S. At a recent livestock producer meeting, I was asked to explain the Index. Since CME Group feeder cattle futures are cash settled rather than requiring actual delivery of cattle, all open contracts after termination of trading on the last Thursday of the contract month are settled with the Index price.

The Index is based on a sample of USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) reported transactions for 650-849 lb. Medium and Large #1 and the combined #1 and #2 market classes of feeder steers. The sample consists of all feeder cattle auction, direct trade, video sale, and internet sale transactions within the 12-state region of  Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming for which the number of head, weighted average price and weighted average weight are reported by AMS.

The actual Index is a 7-day weighted average price which is computed and released every weekday on the CME Group website: www.cmegroup.com.  The Index is a good proxy for the current U.S. feeder cattle cash market, while feeder cattle futures prices are what traders are willing to buy and sell at for future contract months.

The previous record high Index price was $157.45 per hundredweight (cwt.) which occurred on Feb. 24, 2012. That record was broken last week on Sep. 24 when the Index reached $157.48/cwt. The Index price continued to move higher the rest of the week.

During the life of a feeder cattle futures contract, prices may be above or below the current Index depending on trader's expectations for the future. But, the Index and the expiring futures contract price are always very close at maturity. For example, the last day of trading for the September feeder cattle futures contract was Thursday, Sep. 26. The futures contract settlement price for that day was $159.55 compared to the Index price of $159.36.

The Index was record high, but the futures contract settlement price was not. The September futures contract high occurred back on Jan. 7, 2013 with a $164.25 settlement price. The Index price for that same day was $150.78.

Since the index is an average, some geographic areas will have higher cash prices with others experiencing lower prices. Producers should be aware of their basis, which is the difference between the local cash price and the Index or futures price. Basis estimates for select markets in 28 states are available at www.beefbasis.com.



China Securing Beef Abroad to Meet Explosive Domestic Demand

Even at a relatively low per capita consumption level, China still consumes more than 11 percent of total global beef production – projected to reach 13.5 percent by 2016.

Challenges to China’s domestic beef industry, including high input costs, are pushing it to sign bilateral agreements to secure additional supplies and rapidly increase beef imports to meet growing demand, led by a booming restaurant industry.

Chinese consumers appreciate grain-fed beef’s attributes, and the nation’s foodservice industry requires increasing quantities of marbled beef items, including underutilized cuts from the chuck and round.

While U.S. beef is not currently eligible for export to China, U.S. beef exports would likely reach $350 million in value in the first full year of access, swiftly putting China among the United States’ top five export markets.



New ASA Member Benefit Supports Farm Succession Planning

The American Soybean Association (ASA) welcomes a new partnership with eLegacyConnect to offer an important tool to help members protect their farms and their family legacy. eLegacyConnect is a subscription-based succession planning web community. ASA members receive a 20 percent discount on an annual subscription when signing up by using the promo code listed on the ASA Membership Benefits page at SoyGrowers.com.

eLegacyConnect is a dynamic online succession planning community giving subscribers the opportunity to participate in activities necessary to preserve, promote, and pass the family farm to a well-prepared next generation. eLegacyConnect engages users in succession planning activities that generate results and provides the resources necessary to improve the outcome while encouraging open discussion among families and professional advisers.

“This is a great new benefit for our members,” said Bob Worth, Chairman, ASA Membership and Corporate Relations Committee. “Succession planning is one of those things that producers tend to put off until later but never get it addressed. eLegacyConnect is a great service to assist members take the first step in protecting their farms and their legacy.”

eLegacyConnect provides educational resources, action plans, community forums and a number of meaningful experiences to help farm families achieve their succession planning goals. eLegacyConnect is a division of Legacy by Design, LLC, a company dedicated solely to succession planning in the agricultural community.

“This site is an effort to make Legacy by Design’s resources available to a broader audience, help more families engage in the process, and offer the assistance people need to realize their legacy goals,” said Kevin Spafford, the founder of Legacy by Design and the architect for the Farm Journal Legacy Project.



Barbre Enters 2014 with Respect for Past Work, Vision for the Future

The National Corn Growers Association enters a new fiscal year today and seated the 2014 Corn Board with Martin Barbre of Carmi, Ill., assuming the presidency.  "My three main goals for the year are to get a farm bill passed, to keep the Renewable Fuel Standard intact and to get a Water Resources Reform and Development Act passed," he said. "What I want is to see the association move forward. Going along with that, I would like to see incredible growth of membership continue. The 15 solid years of membership growth that we have seen proves that we are really doing a good job at NCGA. I want to continue that legacy."

Looking at the assets that NCGA brings to the table to confront both long- and short-term challenges, he notes the importance of not just growing in numbers but also of growing in member participation.

"We have so many great programs at NCGA and, over the coming year, I would really like to see more farmers get actively involved," said Barbre. "Programs like CommonGround and the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance are really growing, and we need to get even more people involved. Even at a local and state level, I hope to see more people get involved by contacting their Congressmen on key issues."

Barbre aims to help the association maintain its historical excellence while looking ahead to create a vibrant industry for the farmers yet to come.

"NCGA has been a strong voice for corn farmers in the United States for a long time. I want to continue that tradition. I want to continue representing our members well, advocating for the policies and achieving the goals that will allow farmers to grow in productivity and prosperity.

"The reason that I serve as a leader personally is to help create a bright, prosperous future for my son on the farm. I want to build a long-term future for our nation's farmers and the generations that will follow."



Brazilian Soy Exports to Rise 6% in 2014-15

Brazil will export another 6% of soybeans in the upcoming 2014-15 season based on a roughly equivalent increase in production, the Brazilian Vegetable Oil Industry Association (ABIOVE) said this week.  The crushing industry body forecasts bean exports will total 44.0 million metric tons from a crop of 86.0 mmt, continuing the recent trend for sharp annual increases in shipments over recent years.

Soybean processing won't grow at the same pace, expanding just 1.7% to 36.5 mmt next season. This reflects China's preference for beans over meal.

Assuming Brazil produces the promised bumper crop, ending soybean stocks will swell from 1.8 mmt to 4.5 mmt, the crushers forecast.  ABIOVE actually raised its 2013-14 soybean export figure by 1 mmt due to strong shipments in the first eight months of the marketing year.



Brazil Now Exports More Corn Than U.S.

Brazil has officially passed the U.S. as the world's largest corn exporter, accounting for more than 25 percent of the world total trade. If this expansion in Brazil's corn sector continues it may have a big impact on the U.S. corn market.

According to Doane Advisory Service, the biggest change in Brazil's corn sector has been the expansion of the safarinha or double-crop corn production which accounted for more than half of the 2012-13 crop. Production of second crop corn has increased by nearly four-fold over the past decade. And despite the increase in the share of the crop double-cropped, corn yields in Brazil have risen significantly.

The average corn yield for 2001 through 2004 was 3.3 tonnes per hectare compared to current yields of 4.8 to 5.0 tonnes per hectare. Full season corn area has actually declined by more than 2.5 million hectares since 2003/04.

Corn production in Brazil has nearly doubled over the last decade while domestic consumption has increased by about 50 percent. The result is that Brazil has a lot more corn to export.



Russia has Higher Wheat Yields

Russia's grain-growing regions began this year's harvest with higher yields due to better weather conditions though the total harvested area is smaller, the agriculture ministry said Sept. 30.

The ministry said 77.5 million metric tons of grain were harvested to Sept. 30 on 35.3 million hectares, or 76.6% of the total area. Last year the area was 0.9 million hectares bigger and 66.9 million tons were harvested.

The average yield to date is 2.19 tons per hectare compared with 1.85 tons/ha on the same date last year.

The ministry said the wheat harvest to date stands at 48.1 million tons on 19.9 million hectares, 0.7 million hectares less than a year ago, with an average yield of 2.42 tons/ha. On the same date last year, the wheat harvest was 38.7 million tons with an average yield of 1.88 tons/ha.

The barley harvest to date is 14.8 million tons on 7.5 million hectares, 0.07 million hectares more than a year ago. The average yield is 1.99 tons/ha. The barley harvest was 14.1 million tons with an average yield of 1.9 tons/ha a year ago.

The corn harvest to date was 1.7 million tons on 342,500 hectares, 504,900 hectares less than a year ago. The average yield is 4.9 tons/ha. Last year the corn harvest by the same date was 3.5 million tons with an average yield of 4.08 tons/ha.

The agriculture ministry expects this year's grain harvest to rise to 88-90 million tons from 71.7 million tons in 2012 when crops were damaged by drought.