Monday November 4 Ag News

Nebraska Educators Learn about Agriculture during Weeklong Tour

Nearly 40 Nebraska educators and school counselors learned firsthand about agriculture, including the pork industry, when they took part in the first-ever Nebraska Food Project this past summer. The weeklong educational and professional development experience was designed for high school agriculture science teachers, middle- and high-school family and consumer science teachers and school and career counselors at all levels.

“The Nebraska Food Project evolved from conversations with students in both urban and rural classrooms where it became apparent that there was a significant disconnect in their understanding of where their food comes from,” said Carol Ringenberg, director of health sciences and human sciences and education/family and consumer with the Nebraska Department of Education.

The Nebraska Food Project, funded in part by the Pork Checkoff, was designed to help bridge this gap, with the interactive tour increasing educators’ awareness of Nebraska’s food industry. Participants explored career opportunities in food production and learned about how food production can impact hunger, food costs, consumer rights and natural resources.

“The Nebraska Food Project is designed to deepen educators’ and students’ knowledge and appreciation of the level of expertise demonstrated by those involved in agriculture, as well as agriculture’s role in providing economic vitality in the state,” said Larry Sitzman, executive director of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association.

Serving Up Food for Thought
This experience provided teachers and school counselors with knowledge and skills to help students differentiate between factual and non-factual information about food. "It also helped them make informed decisions about their personal food choices,” said Kyla Wize, youth education director with the Nebraska Pork Producers Association.

Participation also helps educators develop classroom resources, such as lesson plans and learning activities that can be used in schools to promote further understanding of human food production, nutrition and careers.

“The Nebraska Food Project provided a platform to build trust between teachers and partners that will yield opportunities to collaborate in the future,” Wize said.

Pork-related tours included:
•Farmland Foods of Crete, which included a tour of the plant from harvest to packaging.
•Central Plains Milling of Howells, where participants learned about feed for swine, cattle, and poultry.
•Blue River Pork of McCool Junction, where participants learned how farmers care for pigs from birth to market weight.

The Nebraska Food Project's pork-related seminars included:
•An overview of swine genetics, presented by Dr. Tom Rathje, Danbred North America.
•An overview of farming and finances, presented by Dick Zach, Farm Credit Services of America.
•An overview of pigs and pork in Nebraska, presented by Jane Stone and Larry Sitzman, Nebraska Pork Producers Association.
•An overview of housing and equipment used in the pork industry, presented by Gary McDuffee, Hog Slat.
•An introduction to animal well-being and transportation, presented by Jim Fiala, Hormel Foods Corp.



Free Farm Finance Clinics in November

One-on-one, confidential Farm Finance Clinics are held across the state each month. An experienced ag law attorney and ag financial counselor will be available to address farm and ranch issues related to financial planning, estate and transition planning, farm loan programs, debtor/creditor law, water rights, and other relevant matters.

Clinic Sites and Dates
    Grand Island – Thursday, November 7
    North Platte – Thursday, November 14
    Norfolk – Thursday, November 14
    Valentine – Friday, November 15
    Lexington – Thursday, November 21
    Fairbury – Friday, November 22

To sign up for a clinic or to get more information, call Michelle at the Nebraska Farm Hotline at 1-800-464-0258.  The Nebraska Department of Agriculture and Legal Aid of Nebraska sponsor these clinics.



Farm Credit Services of America Announces Earnings For the First Nine Months of 2013

Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica), a customer-owned financial cooperative with more than $20 billion in assets, today announced financial results for the first nine months of calendar year 2013.

Net income for the first nine months of 2013 was $353.6 million compared to $343.0 million for the same period in 2012, reflecting an increase of 3.1 percent.  The increase in net income was primarily due to an increase in net interest income from loan growth and a reduction in the provision for credit losses, partially offset by a reduction in noninterest income and an increase in noninterest expense.  

Loan volume increased by $692.5 million in the first nine months of 2013 to $19.182 billion.  Members’ equity increased to $3.576 billion from $3.224 billion at the end of 2012.

“We continue to be very pleased with the financial performance and risk-bearing ability of our customer-owned cooperative,” said Doug Stark, president and CEO at FCSAmerica. “Our financial strength allows us to focus on customer needs and mobilize resources to help producers through events like the devastating snow storms in western South Dakota.”  FCSAmerica recently announced it was helping customers restore working capital in operations that lost livestock in an early October blizzard.



Green Plains Reports Third Quarter 2013 Financial Results

Green Plains Renewable Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:GPRE) announced today its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2013. Net income for the quarter was $9.4 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of ($1.0) million, or ($0.03) per diluted share, for the same period in 2012. Revenues were $758.0 million for the third quarter of 2013 compared to $947.4 million for the same period in 2012.

"We believe ethanol industry fundamentals are as positive as we have seen in recent history," stated Todd Becker, President and Chief Executive Officer. "During the third quarter, our team effectively managed through significant price volatility at the end of the crop year. With the recovery in U.S corn production, ethanol is well-positioned competitively, resulting in strong demand for our production in U.S. and global markets. These fundamentals give us confidence we will finish 2013 with the strongest quarterly results of the year."

Green Plains' ethanol production segment produced approximately 176.8 million gallons of ethanol, or approximately 91 percent of the Company's production capacity. Non-ethanol operating income, from the corn oil production, agribusiness, and marketing and distribution segments, was $14.2 million in the third quarter of 2013 compared to $20.8 million for the same period in 2012. For the first nine months of 2013, non-ethanol operating income totaled $52.7 million.

"Our growth strategy is to continue to expand our business across all of our segments. We believe with our strong balance sheet, we are positioned to accelerate our growth plans. With the completion of our 2013 grain expansion program, we increased our total grain storage capacity to over 27 million bushels and have set a goal of 50 million bushels of capacity by the end of 2015. In addition, we are always searching for acquisitions within our businesses that meet our disciplined criteria," concluded Becker.

Revenues were $2.3 billion for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2013 compared to $2.6 billion for the same period in 2012. Net income for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2013 was $17.9 million, or $0.56 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of ($21.2) million, or ($0.70) per diluted share, for the same period in 2012.

Third quarter 2013 EBITDA, which is defined as earnings before interest, income taxes, noncontrolling interests, depreciation and amortization, was $37.4 million compared to $21.7 million for the same period in 2012. Green Plains had $362.1 million in total cash and equivalents and $159.1 million available under committed loan agreements at subsidiaries (subject to satisfaction of specified lending conditions and covenants) at September 30, 2013. For reconciliations of EBITDA to net income attributable to Green Plains, see "EBITDA" below.

Current Business Highlights
-    On September 20, 2013, Green Plains issued $120 million of 3.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2018. The notes are convertible at an initial conversion rate of 47.9627 shares of the Company's common stock per $1,000 principal amount of notes, which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $20.85 per share. The net proceeds to the Company from this issuance was approximately $115 million, after deducting initial purchasers' discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by the Company.
-    On August 22, 2013, Green Plains announced that its Board of Directors approved the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend. An initial dividend of $0.04 per common share was paid on September 26, 2013 to all shareholders of record as of September 5, 2013. The Company anticipates declaring a cash dividend in future quarters on a regular basis; however, future declarations of dividends are subject to Board approval and may be adjusted as business needs or market conditions change.
-    During the third quarter, Green Plains completed its 2013 grain storage expansion project with the construction of 9.4 million bushels of grain storage capacity at six ethanol plants and three grain elevator locations. The expansion project was completed at a cost of $6.0 million and brings the Company's total grain storage capacity to 27.7 million bushels.



Wisner Pilger FFA Meats Team Competes in National Contest

The Wisner Pilger FFA Meats Evaluation Team had the honor of representing Nebraska in the National FFA Meats Evaluation and Technology Contest October 30, 31 and November 1.  Members of the team included Erica Lewis daughter of Jerry and JoAnn Lewis of West Point, Michael Liermann son of Chris and Brenda Liermann, Sarah Herzinger, daughter of Mark and Louise Herzinger of Beemer, and Jeremiah Ohlman, son of Pastor David and Debra Ohlman of Polk.  The team is coached by Mark Schroeder of West Point.

In the Meats Evaluation and Technology CDE, students develop the skills needed for careers in the meat animal industry. During the ev​ent, members complete a evaluate beef carcasses for quality and yield grade; identify various meat cuts and place carcasses, and identify wholesale and/or retail cuts.

The contest was held at the University of Kentucky at the Animal Science Meat Science facilities in Lexington Kentucky and Louisville Kentucky.   The National FFA Contest is sponsored by Kraft Foods, Tyson Foods, Hormel Foods Corporation and Cargill Meat Solutions. The awards breakfast was held at the American Royal headquarters in Kansas City on October 24.  Thirty teams from across the nation competed in the National 4-H Meats Judging Contest.

The Wisner Pilger/Nebraska team placed 21st overall out of 44 teams earning 1865 points in the contest earning a silver designation and distinctive plaque to hang in the school. Individually Erica Lewis placed 49th individual with 601 points earning a gold medal; Michael Liermann placed individually  84th with 558 points was awarded a silver medal, Sarah Herzinger was 92nd individual with 546 points winning a silver medal; and Jeremiah Ohlman finished 117th individually with 508 points earned a bronze medal.  The National Meat Contest is considerably different from the district and state contests.  The National Meats Evaluation and Technology Career Development Event is a competitive event that test the students’ skills and competencies in valuating and identifying meat carcasses and product.  Event components include general knowledge exam; beef carcass evaluation; identification of wholesale and retail cuts of beef, lamb and pork; quality and yield grading of beef carcasses; a team meat merchandising event; and solving of a meat formulation problem.  Each team had competed on the local and state levels to earn the privilege of representing their state at the national FFA Convention and Expo.

Travel expenses for the trip to National FFA Convention were covered in part by the Louis and Abbey Faye Dinklage Foundation and Wisner Pilger FFA Chapter funds from the annual fruit sales.  Mark Schroeder, Team Coach accompanied the team on the trip to compete in the national contest.  The team spent several weekend this fall preparing for the contest evaluating carcasses and learning to grade meat at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Loeffle Meat Lab and at Nebraska Beef in Omaha.  They also practices at 7:00 a.m. every Monday and Friday mornings since mid-September at ASC Lockers in West Point.  The sincerely appreciates all the time and expertise shared by Aaron Kock of ASC Lockers.

“In this event FFA members develop the ability to evaluate meat products to optimize economic returns for producers and industry, as well as meeting customer needs,” said Melissa Dunkel, CDE education specialist.  Meats Evaluation and Technology is one of 25 national CDEs, covering job skills in everything from communications to mechanics.  FFA members take a written exam that tests their knowledge of meat selection, storage, cooking, nutrition and safety. Members identified cuts of beef, pork or lamb by retail trade name and prime cut identification. Participants become not only better agriculturalists but also better consumers. CDEs help students develop the abilities to think critically, communicate clearly, and perform effectively in a competitive job market.  The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 557,318 student members in grades seven through 12 who belong to one of 7,498 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Other Area Chapter Involvement in the National FFA Convention
Pender (NE) FFA Chapter took part in the National Parli Pro Contest and received a Silver rating. 

Central (Schuyler, NE) FFA Chapter participated in the Ag Sales contest and recieved a Silver rating.  

West Point - Beemer (NE) FFA Chapter was a part of the Agricultural Communications contest and Silver rating.  Delanie Bruce scored a Gold rating indivudually, and Jonathon Jahnke and Cody Kuester a Silver rating. 


Lyons Decatur Northeast (NE) FFA Member Among Top Four Star Agri Business American Degree

One summer at the county fair, Eric Miller was offered five free chicks on one condition – he bring them back to the fair the following summer and exhibit them in the open-class competition.  Instantaneously, he was hooked on poultry.

“I really enjoyed working with them,” he said. “Collecting eggs and washing, sizing and selling them stimulated my interest in poultry and was a major step in getting me to overcome my natural shyness by forcing me to talk to people to get them to buy my product.”

Miller turned that initial spark years ago into a successful poultry business. He markets and sells broilers and show chickens in his Lyons, Neb., community and has added new revenue streams including corn and soybean sales and a lawn-mowing operation.

“As my modest business models have grown, I’ve had to interact with customers, provide quality service, accurately maintain financial and performance records and more to meet customer needs,” he said.

The American Star awards – including the American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience – are awarded to FFA members who demonstrate outstanding agricultural skills and competencies through completion of a supervised agricultural experience. A required activity in FFA, a supervised agriculture experience allows students to learn by doing by either owning and operating an agricultural business, working or serving an internship at an agriculture-based business or conducting an agriculture-based scientific experiment and reporting results.

Other requirements to achieve the award include demonstrating top management skills; completing key agricultural education, scholastic and leadership requirements; and earning an American FFA Degree, the organization’s highest level of student accomplishment.



6 chosen as 2013-14 National FFA officers to conclude 86th National FFA Convention & Expo

Students from Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Iowa, West Virginia and Oregon have been elected by delegates from throughout the U.S. to serve on the 2013-14 National FFA Officer team.

Brian Walsh of Virginia, an agribusiness major at Virginia Tech, was elected president. Mitch Baker of Tennessee, an agricultural communications major at University of Tennessee, will serve as secretary.

Steven Brockshus of Iowa, an agricultural education and global resource systems major at Iowa State University, was elected Central Region vice president and Jackson Harris of Alabama, a community development major at the University of Alabama, will serve as Southern Region vice president.

Wes Davis of West Virginia, an agribusiness management and rural development major at West Virginia University, was elected Eastern Region vice president and Jason Wetzler of Oregon, an agricultural leadership major at Oklahoma State University, will serve as Western Region vice president.

Each year at the National FFA Convention & Expo, six students are elected by delegates to represent the organization as National FFA officers. Delegates elect a president, secretary and vice presidents representing the central, southern, eastern and western regions of the country.

National officers commit to a year of service to the National FFA Organization. Each travels more than 100,000 national and international miles to interact with business and industry leaders, thousands of FFA members and teachers, corporate sponsors, government and education officials, state FFA leaders, the general public and more. The team will lead personal growth and leadership training seminars for FFA members throughout the country and help set policies that will guide the future of FFA and promote agricultural literacy.

“For this new national officer team, it will be a year of hard work, long hours, lots of travel and major advocacy for FFA and agricultural education,” said 2012-13 National FFA President Clay Sapp, who delivered his retiring address today before the new team was named. “It is a year of profound experiences that will change their lives and thousands of lives their service will touch.”



62,998 students, teachers, guests attend 2013 National FFA Convention & Expo

Attendance at the 2013 National FFA Convention & Expo rose to 62,998, up from 56,176 attendees last year when the event was held in Indianapolis.

Students, teachers and guests stayed in 136 hotels for 39,247 combined room nights within a 75-mile radius of Louisville throughout the week, infusing more than $40 million into the local economy.

“We’re thrilled with the reception and outstanding hospitality that has been extended to us by the city, everywhere from Kentucky Exposition Hall all the way through downtown and beyond,” said Mandy Hazlett, senior convention manager with the National FFA Organization. “Our students and guests greatly enjoyed the comforts the city of Louisville has offered and are looking forward to returning next year.”

The 87th National FFA Convention & Expo returns to Louisville next year Oct. 29-Nov. 1.



Agricultural safety featured on new YouTube channel

The best agricultural safety videos are one click away on the new YouTube channel, “U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers,” www.youtube.com/USagCenters. The channel is a joint project of the 10 Agricultural Centers funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Extension agents/educators, agricultural science teachers, producers/owner/operators, first responders and agricultural families would all find value in the videos, says project leader Amanda Wickman, Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education (Texas). Videos can be used during job orientation, safety/health education, 4-H meetings, high school or college classes. One benefit of YouTube is that videos can be accessed from a mobile device to conduct tailgate trainings in the field.

“The channel is an inexpensive way to reach millions of people with safety and health information,” said project administrator Allison DeVries, High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (Colorado).

DeVries said that the Centers also hope to get valuable feedback on their videos through the YouTube comments. “Anyone can quickly establish an account and post a comment,” DeVries said.

“NIOSH established the Centers to protect the safety and health of more than 5.5 million full- and part-time contract and seasonal workers in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, as well as farm family members,” said Wickman. “Many Centers have created videos for this purpose, and we’re trying to enhance dissemination to people who can benefit most from them.”

The channel launched on Nov. 1. Each video has been produced and reviewed by content experts. Viewers are encouraged to check the site regularly for new additions. It is expected that nearly 60 videos will be on the site by the end of the year, said project technical administrator Aaron Yoder, Central States Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (Nebraska).

Topics include: respiratory protection, livestock safety, tractor and machinery safety, child development, emergency response, grain safety, pesticide safety, heat illness prevention, ladder safety and hearing protection. For more information visit the website at http://www.youtube.com/USagCenters. 



Judge Clears Way for Horse Slaughter

(AP) -- A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for horse slaughterhouses to resume operating in the U.S. as early as this week.

U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo in Albuquerque threw out a lawsuit by The Humane Society of the United States and other animal protection groups that alleged the Department of Agriculture failed to conduct proper environmental studies when it issued permits to Valley Meat Co. in Roswell, N.M., and an Iowa company to slaughter horses for human consumption.

The decision ends, for now, a two-year battle by Valley Meat to open the slaughterhouse.

The Iowa company converted to cattle because of the court fight. But attorneys say Valley and Rains Natural Meats of Gallatin, Mo., are poised to open as early as today.

A temporary order blocking a return to domestic equine slaughter had expired Thursday night. Attorneys for the groups that sued the Agriculture Department over its permitting procedures then filed a motion Friday seeking an extension of the restraining order.

Blair Dunn, who represents Valley Meat and Rains Natural Meats, said he would fight any further attempts to keep the plants closed. He said he had calls into the Department of Justice, which represents the Department of Agriculture, to get inspectors dispatched to the plants.

"Rains Natural Meat in Missouri will be ready to go on Monday," he said.

The issue of horse slaughter has divided horse rescue and animal welfare groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes about what is the most humane way to deal with the country's horse overpopulation and what rescue groups have said are a rising number of neglected and starving horses as the West deals with persistent drought.

The plants would become the first horse slaughterhouse to operate in the country since Congress banned the practice by eliminating funding for inspections at the plants in 2006. It restored that funding in 2011, but the USDA did not approve the first permits for horse slaughter plants until this summer.

The companies want to ship horse meat to countries where it is consumed by humans or used as animal feed.



USDA Dairy Products September 2013 Production Highlights

Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 892 million pounds, 2.3 percent above September 2012 but 4.7 percent below August 2013.  Italian type cheese production totaled 385 million pounds, 4.5 percent above September 2012 but 0.1 percent below August 2013.  American type cheese production totaled 347 million pounds, 0.3 percent below September 2012 and 8.9 percent below August 2013.  Butter production was 134 million pounds, 1.9 percent below September 2012 and 1.6 percent below August 2013.

Dry milk powders (comparisons with September 2012)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 76.4 million pounds, down 9.6 percent.
Skim milk powders - 54.2 million pounds, up 24.3 percent.

Whey products (comparisons with September 2012)
Dry whey, total - 69.1 million pounds, down 6.9 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 86.0 million pounds, up 0.8 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 37.2 million pounds, up 3.6 percent.

Frozen products (comparisons with September 2012)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 63.9 million gallons, up 6.3 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 32.3 million gallons, down 8.5 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 3.02 million gallons, down 6.0 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 5.18 million gallons, up 0.7 percent.



Brazil Soy Planting Nears Halfway Point

After a slow start, Brazilian soybean planting picked up the pace over the last three weeks as regular rainfall returned. Nearly half the 2013-14 crop has now been sown.  Ample soil moisture allowed field work to move forward briskly last week, and the area planted rose from 34% to 48% in the seven days to Nov. 1, according to AgRural, a local farm consultants. As a result, planting is now ahead of schedule, beating the five-year average of 44%.

Planting reached 72% of projected area in Mato Grosso, Brazil's largest soy-producing state, which is up from 53% last week and well ahead of the 60% planted last year, said the consultants.  The ability of Mato Grosso farmers to plant 4.3 million acres in a week is a function of the heavy investment that farmers have made in machinery over the last three years.  In the northern reaches of the state, farmers are nearly done planting, at 85% complete, and the crop is looking extremely good, said AgRural.  In the south of the state, farmers continue to complain about insufficient soil moisture and there have been isolated cases of replanting.

In neighboring Goias, the No. 4 producing state, planting efforts accelerated after showers last week and 58% of the crop is now planted, well ahead of the 36% planted at the same point last year.

In the southern state of Parana, the No. 2 state, field work progressed steadily last week, to reach 63% complete, slightly ahead of last year when 58% had been planted.  In the early planting areas west of the state, some crops have already been in the soil six weeks. Conditions there are ideal as the soy enters flowering in these regions.

Planting has only just begun in the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul, the No. 3 state, where 8% of the crop was planted as of Friday compared with 10% last year. Delays are being caused by excessive soil moisture.

Conditions will remain favorable for soy across most of the center-west region over the next week with showers forecast for most key producing regions, according to Somar Meteorologia, a local weather service.  However, showers will become gradually scarcer across the southern soy belt in the next two weeks, which will be of concern to producers in western Parana where beans are reaching key developmental stages.

AgRural reduced its Brazilian soybean area forecast slightly to 72.4 million acres due to less planting than anticipated in the northeast of Parana state. But area remains 5.8% higher than last year.  As a consequence, the consultant clipped its production estimate to 88.7 million metric tons, which is still at the top end of forecasts for the crop.



DRAXXIN® 25 now available for convenient use in small pigs

DRAXXIN® 25 (tulathromycin) Injectable Solution is now available from Zoetis — offering a convenient tool to fight swine respiratory disease (SRD) in nursery pigs. DRAXXIN 25 is a lower concentration of DRAXXIN, making it optimized for use in small pigs to treat and control SRD with nine days of protection.

“Our customers know how effective DRAXXIN is for larger pigs, but they told us they wanted a more convenient solution to make treating nursery-size pigs easier,” said Michael Senn, DVM, senior manager, Pork Technical Services, Zoetis. “DRAXXIN 25 offers the same trusted and proven performance as DRAXXIN, now in the lower concentration producers and veterinarians need for the nursery.”

For DRAXXIN 25, a 1 mL intramuscular dose is formulated for 22 pounds of weight. DRAXXIN, in comparison, is formulated for a 1 mL dose per 88 pounds of weight. With the lower concentration, DRAXXIN 25 offers easier, more confident administration in smaller pigs.

In one study, producers identified respiratory problems as the cause of more than half of all nursery pig deaths.1 Along with high mortality rates, complex SRD also can hurt production because of lower feed efficiency, higher cull rates and higher treatment costs.

“DRAXXIN 25 meets the unique challenges of caregivers and the smaller pigs that depend on them,” Dr. Senn said. “Producers and veterinarians can be confident that their small pigs are getting the correct amount of protection they need.”

Like DRAXXIN, one dose of DRAXXIN 25 delivers nine full days of lung activity to treat and control SRD.2-3 DRAXXIN 25 treats the five major bacterial SRD-causing pathogens — Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida, Bordetella bronchiseptica, Haemophilus parasuis and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae — and helps control SRD in groups where SRD has been diagnosed and is associated with A. pleuropneumoniae, P. multocida and M. hyopneumoniae.

DRAXXIN 25 is available in 100-mL and 250-mL vials and may be purchased through your veterinarian or animal health retailer with a veterinarian’s prescription. DRAXXIN 25 is also backed by the Vial Guarantee, which protects your investment by replacing broken or stolen bottles.