Tuesday November 12 Ag News

Great American Wheat Harvest Documentary Film Receives Support from Nebraska Wheat Board

With wheat harvest filming complete and post-production in progress, the Great American Wheat Harvest documentary film, independent filmmaker, Conrad Weaver of ConjoStudios, LLC announces the Nebraska Wheat Board (NWB) recently approved and appropriated funding to become one of the film’s new executive sponsors.

Weaver says NWB gave its endorsement early in the film project when in October 2012 NWB chairman, Von Johnson, and the Nebraska Wheat Growers Association (NWGA), president, Dayton Christensen, provided the Great American Wheat Harvest with a letter of support to endorse the film’s mission of connecting consumers with wheat farmers and harvesters. “As we’ve traveled throughout Nebraska this past year, we’ve come to know and appreciate how this state’s wheat board supports its producers and the whole network of people it takes to grow, produce and harvest their crop, Weaver says. “This is an organization that understands the educational impact this film will have by bringing conversation about food from the field to the table.”

In 2009, NWGA created the Mobile Baking Lab as a tool to educate consumers on where their food comes from and connect producers and consumers through fresh-baked wheat foods like cinnamon rolls, bread, cookies and pasta. The Mobile Baking Lab, along with its NWGA volunteers, travels across the United States to events to provide demonstrations of wheat nutrition, education and food choices.

“The cities of Lincoln and Scottsbluff are slated as the two-film premier sites for Nebraska during our state wheat-belt tour, so we look forward to working with NWGA and having the Mobile Baking Lab at these events,” Weaver says. “We welcome more state wheat commissions, businesses, organizations and individuals to collaborate with us in their cities and state’s film events.”

Von Johnson, chairman of the Nebraska Wheat Board, says the board supports the film as it strengthens the organization’s mission of promoting Nebraska wheat farmers and providing an interactive tool to help explain wheat’s role in the world’s agricultural food production and diet. 

“We believe the Great American Wheat Harvest documentary film shows an overall perspective of American agriculture and will highlight how our state’s wheat farmers take an active role in growing the world’s wheat food supply,” Johnson says. “We hope viewers will come away with a better understanding of our modern farming practices.”

The Nebraska Wheat Board now joins Oklahoma Wheat Commission and the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee as state wheat sponsors. 



Sow Packers to Require Premises ID Tags in 2015

In an effort to improve pre-harvest traceability and improve national disease surveillance in the pork industry, many major U.S. packers and processors will require a USDA-approved, official premises identification number (PIN) swine tag as a condition of sale for breeding stock beginning Jan. 1, 2015.

"This is a positive step for our industry as we continue to create a more robust surveillance and traceability system that can help protect our animals, our livelihoods and our customers," said National Pork Board President, Karen Richter, a producer from Montgomery, Minn. "That's why I encourage producers who may not already be using official PIN tags to register their premises and begin using the tags now."

According to Dr. Patrick Webb, Pork Checkoff's director of swine health, the USDA-approved, official PIN tags for breeding swine are customizable with or without a management number and can be purchased in multiple colors.

"This allows producers to use the official tag in any color as a management tag or wait to apply the tag to sows and boars before leaving the production site to enter harvest channels," Webb said.

Once an animal is identified with an official PIN tag, it should not be removed or given a different official tag in the case of parity-segregated farms. Also, records documenting the identification and movement of breeding stock should be kept for three years.  

Allflex USA, Inc., Destron Fearing and Y-Tex Corporation have USDA approval to manufacture official PIN swine tags. When ordering, producers must provide the nationally standardized PIN for the breeding farm. If the site does not have a PIN, producers can register for one by going to www.pork.org/PINtag.

To date, packers that will require PIN tags as of January 2015 include: Johnsonville, Hillshire Brands, Calihan Pork Processors, Bob Evans Farms, Wampler's Farm Sausage, Pine Ridge Farms, Pioneer Packing Co., Pork King Packing and Abbyland Pork Pack.



2013 Farm Poll Examines Climate Change and Agriculture

Drought, extreme rains and flooding over the past five years have had the greatest influence on farmers’ beliefs about climate change, according to the 2013 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll.

This year’s version of the annual survey once again took a close look at climate change and agriculture. It repeated questions that were first asked in 2011 to track changes in farmers’ beliefs about whether climate change is occurring, and if so, what the causes might be, said J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr., a sociologist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Arbuckle co-directs the annual poll with Paul Lasley, also an ISU Extension and Outreach sociologist.

Arbuckle said 1,209 farmers participated in the 2013 Farm Poll and on average they were 65 years old. Because the Farm Poll is a panel survey, in which the same farmers participate in multiple years, participants are somewhat older on average than the general farmer population. Fifty-two percent earned more than half of their income from farming, while an additional 17 percent earned between 26 and 50 percent of their household income from the farm operation.

Changes from 2011 to 2013
This year’s Farm Poll asked questions regarding climate change beliefs, concerns about weather-related threats to agriculture and attitudes regarding different types of potential responses to increasing weather variability. Several of the questions also had been included in the 2011 survey, allowing the researchers to compare data from both years.

“There were some substantial shifts that occurred between 2011 and 2013," Arbuckle said. "The proportion of farmers who believed that climate change is occurring and due primarily to human activities increased from 11 percent to 16 percent, while the percentage who indicated that there is not enough evidence to know with certainty that climate change is occurring dropped from 27 percent to 23 percent.”

Arbuckle said that there were only slight changes, one or two percentage points, in the other categories: that climate change is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment, it’s caused more or less equally by natural changes and human activities, or it isn’t occurring at all.

Weather, Insects, Other Concerns
“We asked farmers to rate the influence that several factors might have had on their beliefs about climate change over the past five years. Forty-nine percent of farmers indicated that drought had been a moderate or strong influence on their beliefs about climate change, and 41 percent expressed the same about extreme rains and flooding,” Arbuckle continued.

“I kind of expected that. Iowa has experienced numerous weather extremes over the last several years, with excessive rain, floods, drought and temperature volatility leading to significant impacts on agricultural productivity," he said.

"Extreme weather events are predicted to become more common in Iowa and across the Corn Belt in the future,” Arbuckle said. “Scientists are predicting that climate change will have a number of negative impacts on Iowa agriculture, so we also asked farmers the degree to which they are concerned about some of those potential impacts.”

At the time of the survey, February 2013, all of Iowa was considered to be in moderate to extreme drought.

"Not surprisingly, two-thirds of farmers rated 'longer dry periods and drought' as their highest concern,” said Arbuckle. “Farmers are definitely worried about some of the impacts that scientists are predicting for Iowa.”

Sixty percent indicated they were concerned or very concerned about increased insect pressure and soil erosion. Similar percentages were concerned or very concerned about increases in heat stress on crops (59 percent), weed pressure (58 percent) and crop diseases (56 percent).

Farmers were less concerned about some water-related threats. Forty-nine percent were concerned or very concerned about increases in loss of nutrients into waterways. More frequent extreme rains was a concern for 44 percent, 33 percent had concerns about saturated soils and 25 percent had concerns about flooding.

Nearly half of farmers in both surveys agreed or strongly agreed that extreme weather events will happen more frequently in the future. Forty-four percent of the respondents in both years agreed that they were concerned about the potential impacts of climate change on their farm operations. Disagreement declined from 27 to 22 percent, and uncertainty increased from 29 to 34 percent.

“The potential long-term impacts of climate change on food production are significant. Scientists and other stakeholders in the ag community believe that our agricultural systems must become more resilient to ensure long-term food security,” Arbuckle said. “Many farmers are concerned and support taking action to meet that goal.”



Iowa Cattlemen joining together to raise funds for South Dakota ranchers impacted by October storm

Iowa cattle producers are being challenged to join together and raise funds for the South Dakota ranchers who lost cattle and infrastructure during the untimely blizzards that hit the western part of that state in early October. Current government estimates are that 20,000 to 30,000 cattle died in the storm.

The challenge began with the Shelby County Cattlemen’s Association. In a letter to other Iowa cattlemen’s groups, the group said “The damage from that storm to the whole of the cattle industry will be long-lived. Our local county cattlemen's organization here in Shelby County has decided to make a donation to the relief efforts for the South Dakota producers. We have decided to donate the value of one bred heifer. While that may seem significant, we recognize that it is small in scope compared to the losses those producers have gone through.

“We would like to challenge the rest of the Iowa county cattlemen’s organizations to join us in making a donation to help out our neighbors, be it the value of a bred heifer or a feeder calf, or any amount that can be donated.”

The collection of Iowa donations from cattle producers is being coordinated by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation. The foundation is working with the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association and will send 100% of the Iowa dollars to the South Dakota Rancher Relief Fund.

“Our county cattlemen’s organizations are strong, and when we lock arms together, we can get things done,” said Tim Graeve, president of the Shelby County group.

Donations will culminate during the Iowa Cattle Industry Convention in Altoona, Dec. 9-11. Payments from individuals, businesses and county groups should be made out to the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation with a notation that the money is for the South Dakota ranchers. Those donations can be mailed to Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation, 2055 Ironwood Ct., Ames, IA 50014. You can call ICF with questions and donations at 515-296-2266.



RIN Market Working to Enforce Biofuel Mandates

A new analysis by Iowa State University economists Bruce A. Babcock and Sebastien Pouliot of the EPA's ethanol market system finds that it works effectively and as intended in tracking compliance with the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The RIN market, short for renewable identification number, was created as a tradable commodity to aid in the enforcement of the federal mandate to increase renewable fuel consumption under RFS. Each RIN represents one gallon of ethanol that has been produced and introduced into the market place and ownership of RINs proves compliance with the federal mandate by obligated parties which includes gasoline producers and importers.

"The petroleum industry says that RINs are too expensive and the federal mandate has to be relaxed to deflate RIN prices," stated Bruce Babcock, coauthor of the paper. "So we wanted to assess the RIN market and also determine if recent price volatility was intended or unintended by understanding causal effects."

The cost to obligated parties of acquiring ethanol RINs was not an issue until very recently. Tax credits that expired at the end of 2011 along with market forces were sufficient to incentivize consumption in volumes that exceeded federal mandates. The excess volume was "banked" for future use. The excess of ethanol over the mandates depressed the RIN market, which the paper concludes is the correct market response.

The market became much more active in 2013 as ethanol supplies contracted and higher mandates in 2014 and 2015 were factored into RIN prices. This year RIN prices have traded from less than 10 cents to more than 140 cents per gallon. "The market has reacted exactly as it should by a signaling tight supply of RINs relative to anticipated demand," Bruce Babcock, study coauthor stated. "The petroleum industry request to repeal or reduce mandates to reduce RIN prices is not the only viable option as they state. RIN prices can be reduced by increasing ethanol consumption by expanding market access to E85."

According to the authors, the higher the RIN price the greater the incentive to find lower-cost alternatives of meeting mandates. Costs can be lowered either by decreasing biofuel production costs or by increasing the value of biofuels in the market place. In the paper Babcock demonstrates a scalable model that shows a $325 million investment in E85 infrastructure would reduce compliance costs by $1.75 billion.

Babcock and Pouliot conclude that rather than volatility and high prices being a sign that something was wrong with RIN markets or RFS, RIN prices did their job by signaling that higher ethanol mandates were coming and would be costly to achieve.

"Obligated parties have turned to the EPA and asked for relief rather than create their own relief through expansion of E85 infrastructure, which is the intent of RFS. Stand firm on higher mandates and the market will be opened to E85, and consumption levels will rise. Lower the mandate significantly and it is a signal that the federal government is not committed to expanded consumption of biofuels as envisioned in the RFS."

'The Economic Role Of RIN Prices' is one of three new papers on the RFS published by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development in recent weeks. The other two--'How Much E85 Can Be Consumed in the United States' and 'RFS Compliance: Death Spiral or Investment in E85?' -- are accessible on CARD's website.



IFU Convention to Focus on Future of Family Farming

The Iowa Farmers Union (IFU) will be hosting its 99th Annual State Convention, Food for Thought: Envisioning the Future of Family Farming & Food Policy in Iowa, on Nov. 15-16 in Des Moines.

The first day of the convention will feature workshops focused on the challenges and opportunities for beginning farmers in Iowa, including:
-- Federal Programs for Beginning Farmers, with John Whitaker, State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency
-- Improving Farmland Access & Affordability in Iowa, with John Baker & David Baker of the ISU Extension Beginning Farmer Center
-- Risk Management Considerations for Beginning Farmers, with Vallery Eisenmann, Iowa Territory Manager for Hastings Mutual Insurance Company
-- Regulatory & Social Policy Considerations in Marketing Local Foods, with Matt Russell of the Drake Agricultural Law Center
-- The Impact of Food Safety Regulations on Local Foods Agriculture, with Roger Noonan, President of the New England Farmers Union

"The people I meet starting out in farming today are hard working, innovative and full of hope for the future of food and farming," said IFU Managing Director Jana Linderman. "If we are serious about keeping family farmers on the land, we need to make sure that this new generation of farmers has a strong and educated voice in the policy process and that we are giving them all the tools that they need to be successful."

The second day of the convention will include remarks from National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson, debate and approval of IFU legislative policy and priorities for 2014, and a keynote address by New England Farmers Union President Roger Noonan.

The day also will feature a workshop on Implementing Iowa's Nutrient Management Strategy, featuring Bill Stowe, CEO and General Manager of the Des Moines Water Works and Ralph Rosenberg, Executive Director of the Environmental Council.

"We are at a transition point in family farm agriculture," said Linderman. "With so many of our current farmers nearing retirement age, the conversations that we have and the priorities that we set now will determine what our landscape, what our food looks like in coming generations. Our upcoming convention is a wonderful chance for farmers and advocates to advance that conversation."



U.S. Beef in Mexico

Chad Russell, regional director for Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic based in Mexico City, for the U.S. Meat Export Federation, contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program, recently gave an update on beef activities in the region.  Russell says, “Mexico is the second largest market for U.S. beef in terms of volume. Since the financial crisis of 2008, there’s been a titanic shift in consumer demand for meats in Mexico. There’s been a shift out of beef toward poultry and toward pork and that’s primarily because of initially the devaluation of the peso visa vie the dollar after the financial crisis unfolded in the fall of 2008. But also part of that later on was the rising prices of U.S. beef, so those two forces in effect have caused many Mexican consumers to shift to relatively less expensive forms of meat protein, the winners thus far being poultry and pork. So there’s been double-digit declines in our exports of beef to Mexico over the course of the last five years. This year, unfortunately, that trend continues but at a slower decline – it’s down 7 percent thus far through August.”

As far as activity in Central and South America, Russell says,  “So turning to Central and South America which I’ve been asked to cover briefly – those markets are relatively small but fast-growing. We’ve got a number of free trade agreements in place that are promoting or supporting increasing export volumes to Columbia, Panama are two that come to mind. In the case of for example so far this year through August our exports for beef and beef variety meats are up 25 percent from a year ago.”



Grrls Beef Camp in New York City

Through a partnership between the New York Beef Industry Council and South Dakota Beef Industry Council, the beef checkoff hosted the first “Grrls Beef Camp” event on Oct. 28 at the Astor Center in Manhattan, N.Y.  The New York and South Dakota beef councils are members of the Federation of State Beef Councils.

Grrls Beef Camp brought together women in the meat business from the New York City metro area and surrounding cities for a one-day, hands-on educational experience. Attendees represented a wide range of the food industry, including retail supermarkets, butcher shops, foodie bloggers, culinary students and restaurant operators.

Master butcher, founder of Range, Inc., and author of the James Beard nominated book “The Art of Beef Cutting,” Ms. Kari Underly, led the women through an in-depth, hands-on beef cutting demonstration featuring the beef top sirloin and ribeye subprimals. The demonstration focused on the versatility and portion options available from the cuts of beef from the checkoff-funded Beef Alternative Merchandising program.

Sisters Susanne and Andrea Strassburger of Strassburger Meats found a new passion for cutting beef while attending Grrls Beef Camp. “We never knew how much we enjoyed cutting beef before!”, Susanne commented. “Kari Underly is an inspiration to us and a great teacher and we received a lot of great information and had a great experience at the event.”

Chef Melissa Doney Sheridan, CEC at ShopRite Supermarkets and former contestant on the FOX television show Hell’s Kitchen Season 8 with Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsey, led the attendees through the afternoon beef cooking challenge. The group was split into teams of four and given three recipes from the checkoff-funded www.Beefitswhatsfordinner.com website to prepare in a set timeframe. Attendees were challenged to determine which top sirloin or ribeye cut would perform best in the various recipe applications assigned to them. The beef cut from the morning beef cutting session of Grrls Beef Camp was utilized in the afternoon beef cooking challenge.

Canada Cutlery generously donated the 10-inch breaking knives for each attendee. “Grrls Beef Camp” embroidered hats and aprons were donated by Strassburger Meats and the market basket items for the beef cooking portion of the event were donated by ShopRite supermarkets.

Approximately 280 pounds of beef and market basket items were donated to New York City’s food bank, City Harvest, following Grrls Beef Camp.

Pennsylvania Nurse Practitioners Learn to Love Lean Beef
The Pennsylvania Beef Council, in partnership with the beef checkoff, through the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI), shared the benefits of lean beef during the 11th annual Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners Conference (PCNP) Conference attendees, Nov. 8-9, in Lancaster, Pa.

More than 450 nurse practitioners from across the state attended the 11th annual meeting “Advancing NP’s Toward Full Practice Authority,” where beef’s nutrition was highlighted. Attendees thoroughly enjoyed receiving the Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) Study toolkits, nutrition fact sheets, and beef recipes to assist their clients and patients. Many were pleased to see beef represented at their meeting, as nutrition is a large component of healthy living.

Nancy J. Pyle, FNP-C, MSN, is a past conference attendee, who understands the importance of lean beef noting, “Medical professionals need to hear more about the positives of beef, especially in regards to the effects of lean beef on cholesterol/LDL and the BOLD study.” Pyle works as a Wellness Coordinator for Reed, Wertz & Rodman Inc., in Bedford, Pa.

The PCNP currently works on behalf of 7,500 Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners and 1,350 members in Pennsylvania. This group of health professionals have received clinical training and advanced education in specialty areas of healthcare. They work closely with their patients to help them make informed lifestyle choices and healthcare decisions, based on information taken from this most recent continuing education program.



Unbalanced Reporting Damaging to Future of Domestically Produced Fuel

The following is a statement from National Corn Growers Association President Martin Barbre on the Associated Press’s story today on corn ethanol and land use:

“Today’s controversial story on corn ethanol and land use appears to simply be based on a complete misunderstanding of modern agriculture generally and the Conservation Reserve Program specifically, but unfortunately, the problem is much deeper. It is discouraging that the Associated Press appears to be following a political agenda which clearly targets our only renewable alternative to imported petroleum. Even the headline is a colorful but inaccurate indictment. – ‘The secret, dirty cost of Obama's green power push.’  Secret? There are no secrets in how land is used, as their own reporting shows. Acres are tracked, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture guarantees a high level of transparency. No, these watch words ‘secret’ and ‘dirty’ show clearly that the reporters were sensationalizing the issue to a high degree, which is conduct unbecoming a true journalist.”

“The fact is, farmers are doing a better job every day of meeting the duel challenges of productivity and sustainability. Land use per bushel is down 30 percent and soil loss is down 67 percent since 1980. Thanks to renewable corn ethanol, we’re using 465 million fewer barrels of oil each year. Thanks to corn ethanol, rural economies are improving. And, yes, the air is getting cleaner. We have no regrets about these outcomes.”



Ethanol, Oil and the Facts – RFA Answers AP’s Q&A
Today, the Associated Press (AP) released a Q&A with itself. AP asked its own reporter, Dina Cappiello, a series of questions entitled “Ethanol, Oil, and What It Means to Be Green”. Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, answers the same AP questions from a fact-based, fair perspective.

Q. What is the ethanol mandate?
A. We’re not sure, because there’s no such thing as an “ethanol mandate.” There is, however, a program called the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which requires oil refiners to blend increasing amounts of lower-carbon renewable fuels with gasoline and diesel. Ethanol is one of many renewable fuels that qualify for the RFS; the program is certainly not limited to ethanol. In fact, biodiesel, renewable diesel, bio-naptha, renewable gasoline, biogas, and even bio-heating oil have all been used to meet RFS requirements.  The RFS has enjoyed broad bipartisan support. It was originally passed by a Republican-controlled House and Senate and signed into law by a Republican president in 2005. The RFS was expanded in 2007 by a Democrat-controlled House and Senate and signed into law by a Republican president.

Q. Sounds straightforward. Green energy, right?
A. That’s right. The RFS requires that conventional biofuels must reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 20% compared to gasoline. Advanced biofuels must reduce GHG emissions by at least 50%, and qualifying cellulosic biofuels must achieve a 60% GHG reduction. In addition, the policy contained strict safeguards against conversion of non-agricultural lands, such as native grassland and forest. Finally, EPA may entirely waive the program’s requirements if it determines implementation would result in “environmental harm” to the nation.

Q. But ethanol helps reduce global warming?
A. Yes. The latest peer-reviewed, published studies on the subject conclude that today’s conventional ethanol significantly reduces GHG emissions compared to gasoline. The most recent study by scientists at Argonne National Laboratory found that corn ethanol reduces GHG emissions by an average of 34% compared to gasoline, even when hypothetical land use change emissions are considered. Meanwhile, ethanol from sources like corn stover and switchgrass reduce GHG emissions by an estimated 88-108%. In 2012 alone, corn ethanol reduced GHG emissions from the transportation sector by more than 33 million metric tons—that’s like taking 5.2 million vehicles off the road.

Q. The ethanol industry disputes [the AP’s land conversion] numbers and says no virgin land has been lost. What gives?
A. Total cropland in the U.S. continued to shrink. In fact, farmers today plant about 2-3% fewer acres to crops like corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton than they did in the 1990s. So, how could AP argue that farmers are converting native lands to cropland, when cropland is actually shrinking? Further, native grasslands, wetlands and other sensitive lands are protected by certain Farm Bill conservation programs. The AP story ridiculously attributes the drop in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres since 2007 to ethanol and the RFS, but the truth is the 2008 Farm Bill cut funding for CRP by 20% and required farmers to decrease CRP acreage. Finally, the authors of the satellite analysis upon which AP relied admitted that a “shortcoming” of their work “was our inability to...distinguish between different types of grassland conversion, i.e. to separate native prairie conversion from change involving CRP, hay lands, or grass pasture.” Yet, AP dismissed this admission of uncertainty and hid the fact that the satellite data on grassland conversion is wrong as often as it is right.

Q. [Protecting against land conversion] must have been factored into the equation when the government wrote this policy, right?
A. Yes. Not only did EPA assess a punitive land use change emissions penalty against conventional biofuels in its GHG analysis, but Congress also clearly prohibited cultivation of native, non-agricultural lands for the purposes of making biofuels. EPA is required to annually evaluate whether the RFS is causing U.S. cropland to expand beyond the 2007 level of 402 million acres (the year the RFS was expanded). Each and every year, EPA has found that cropland has been below the 2007 baseline; and the 2012 cropland total was at its lowest point (384 million acres) since EPA began this annual analysis.

Q. We’re talking about corn. Like corn you eat in the summer?
A. No. The corn used for ethanol is “field corn” and is not the same as sweet corn. Humans do not directly consume field corn. Farmers produced a record crop of field corn in 2013 and just 22% of the record supply will be used for fuel ethanol. On a global basis, the U.S. ethanol industry uses just 2.9% of the world grain supply. The 2013 world grain supply is the largest in history and 25% larger than the global grain supply 10 years ago.

Q. You don’t hear a lot about this.
A. Yes, it’s unfortunate that consumers don’t hear more about the benefits of renewable fuels. Biofuels like ethanol have reduced our nation’s dependence on imported petroleum, reduced GHG emissions, displaced and delayed the need for dirty fuels like tar sands and oil from fracking, created jobs in rural communities, and added value to farm products. The renewable fuels industry has a tremendous success story to tell; it’s a shame that the AP chose to demonize biofuels rather than shine a light on the industry’s many benefits.

Q. So bottom line, is ethanol better for the environment than oil?
A. Without question. In today’s fuel market, ethanol is competing against gasoline from environmentally destructive oil sources like tar sands and fracking. Ethanol substantially reduces GHG emissions compared to marginal crude oil, uses less energy and water to produce, and has far more benign effects on air and water quality. Further, ethanol is rapidly biodegradable, whereas oil remains noxious and toxic for long periods. A team of researchers from Duke University, the University of Minnesota, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory published an exhaustive comparison of the environmental impacts of ethanol and gasoline in 2012, finding that ethanol offered superior environmental performance across a broad range of indicators.



Renewable Fuel Story One-Sided, Misguided

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement in response to a recent story by the Associated Press that blames biofuels for causing environmental harm:

“The story blames biofuels for the reduced acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  What it neglects to mention is that Congress reduced CRP by roughly seven million acres in the 2008 Farm Bill and is poised to be reduced by seven to eight million acres in the next farm bill.

“In addition, climate change and new seed varieties are mostly responsible for the expansion of corn production, with warmer temperatures and longer growing seasons making it possible to plant corn in places like North Dakota and Canada.

“American-produced biofuels are a clear and environmentally-friendly alternative to oil. Today’s ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30 percent compared to gasoline.

“NFU will continue stand up for the Renewable Fuel Standard that is cleaning up the environment, diversifying fuel sources and supporting rural economies.”



NASCAR REACHES FIVE MILLION MILES ON SUNOCO GREEN E15

NASCAR announced today that during the NASCAR Nationwide Series™ race in Phoenix it surpassed more than five million competition miles across its three national series on Sunoco Green E15, a biofuel blended with 15% American Ethanol made from American grown corn. The five-million-miles have been accumulated across practice, qualifying and racing laps dating back to 2011 when the bio-fuel was introduced. 

“Fuel is fundamental to our sport and our teams demand performance without compromise,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “With more than five million miles of hard competitive driving across our three national series, Sunoco’s Green E15 renewable fuel stands up to rigorous racing conditions while significantly reducing our impact on the environment.”

In 2011 NASCAR entered into a groundbreaking partnership with Sunoco and the American Ethanol industry, launching its long-term bio fuels program to reduce emissions of the fuel used across its three national series. The transition to the bio-fuel reduced on-track carbon emissions and teams report an increase in horsepower.   

“The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) joined the American Ethanol partnership with Growth Energy and NASCAR because we knew ethanol would perform and shine in a very public way. General awareness of ethanol and its benefits is extremely high with the tens of millions of fans who watch racing every week,” said Martin Barbre, NCGA president and Carmi, Ill. farmer. “Ethanol support has always been strong in corn production states, but now the knowledge of ethanol’s economic, environmental and energy security advantages are growing coast to coast.”

Since transitioning to the bio-fuel blended with 15 percent ethanol, NASCAR has helped validate the fuel’s qualities and the positive environmental impact of ethanol in front of an audience of millions of NASCAR fans, helping shift attitudes and behaviors around the use of ethanol.

According to new research conducted in July, when compared to non-fans, NASCAR fans are nearly 70% more likely to support the use of ethanol blended with gasoline to fuel NASCAR race cars, more than 50% more likely to support the use of ethanol blended with gasoline to fuel their own car, and 40% more likely to support the use of ethanol blended with gasoline to fuel cars on the road today to increase U.S. energy independence. Source: Custom Environment-Related Tracker commissioned by NASCAR and conducted by Toluna (July 2013).

"This five million mile mark is yet another testament to Sunoco Green E15's value as a fuel and a real validator of our product,” said Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy. “You couldn’t ask for a tougher testing ground and Sunoco Green E15 stands up to the challenge each weekend and that's good news for everyone who supports renewable fuels."



Tractor, Combine Sales Still Strong During September

According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturer's monthly "Flash Report," the sale of all tractors in the U.S. for September 2013, were down 3% compared to the same month last year.  For the month, two-wheel drive smaller tractors (under 40 HP) were down 5% from last year, while 40 & under 100 HP were down 2%. Sales of 2-wheel drive 100+ HP were up 4%, while 4-wheel drive tractors were down 22%. Combine sales were down 35% for the month.

For the nine months in 2013, a total of 172,898 tractors were sold which compares to 157,084 sold thru September 2012, representing an 10% increase year to date.  For the nine months, two-wheel drive smaller tractors (under 40 HP) are up 11% over last year, while 40 & under 100 HP are up 6%. Sales of 2-wheel drive 100+ HP are up 19%, while 4-wheel drive tractors are down 2%.  Sales of combines for the first nine months totaled 8,847, an increase of 6% over the same period in 2012.



Pork Checkoff LaunchesCooking for Comfort Electronic Cookbook

The Pork Checkoff has launched its first ever electronic cookbook, titledCooking for Comfort. This free e-cookbook features time-honored favorites and new twists on classics from James Beard, Award-winning Chef Michelle Bernstein, barbecue expert and author Ray Lampe, and ten leading food bloggers from across the United States.

"Pork plays a part in many of our favorite comfort food dishes - they are nutritious, soothing, savory and delicious," said Karen Richter, National Pork Board president and a producer from Minnesota. "This e-cookbook is the perfect way to celebrate pork and engage our consumers this holiday season."

Perfect for any occasion that calls for a heart-warming meal, and full of delicious ideas that highlight pork,Cooking for Comfort includes:
•      Two recipes from Chef Michelle Bernstein, including Chorizo and Cheese Empanadas with Avocado Crema. Bernstein, who learned how to make empanadas from her mother at the early age of 8, made them her own by adding homemade chorizo.
•      A modern pork twist on a classic favorite with Ray Lampe'sPork Noodle Soup.
•      Two recipes each from 10 leading food bloggers, like Ali Ebright's Apple Cinnamon Pork Chops and Jenny Flake's Ham and Cheddar Green Chili Breakfast Sandwiches.
•      A selection of comforting favorites from the National Pork Board infused with modern twists, like BBQ Pork Mac n' Cheese.

"This free cookbook highlights some of the tastiest ways to warm up with pork this winter," said Richter. "We compiled this cookbook to inspire cooks and honor all the ways that pork can be used to create hearty, feel-good dishes."

The first 15,000 people to downloadCooking For Comfortin November will receive a $1 coupon for fresh pork, with another 10,000 coupons available starting December 1. Visit www.PorkBeInspired.com for a free download.



CWT Assists with 2.1 Million Pounds of Cheese and Butter Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 11 requests for export assistance from Bongards Creameries, Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms USA and Tillamook County Creamery Association to sell 2.079 million pounds (943 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese to customers in Asia, Central America, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered in November 2013 through May 2014.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 112.019 million pounds of cheese, 84.915 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 2.948 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. The tonnage is adjusted to reflect cancellations.

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.



And the Real Winner is … DairyUS!

After a nationwide vote, a new cartoon character helping to build awareness of the advantages of real dairy foods has a name: DairyUS, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) announced today here at its annual meeting.

The animated character, modeled after the iconic REAL® Seal logo, will help a new generation of consumers distinguish between genuine U.S. dairy products and a growing list of list of imitations. A video announcing the name is on the REAL® Seal website homepage.

NMPF, which represents cooperatives that produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, designed the cartoon character after assuming management of the REAL® Seal last year. The new animated icon is part of an effort to revitalize the seal, which was created in the 1970s and is already used on more than 10,000 food products.

NMPF asked the public to suggest names for the character last summer, using the REAL® Seal website and new REAL® Seal Facebook page. Three finalists were selected from among more than 100 names submitted. An online vote was held from mid-September through Election Day, November 5.

In all, nearly 800 votes were cast. DairyUS, suggested by Kathryn in Clermont, Iowa, received 379 votes. The runner-up, Milkdrop, received 343 votes, while the third finalist, Roscow, received 74 votes. The results of the vote were announced today at the NMPF annual meeting, being held in Phoenix, Arizona.

“DairyUS will help both kids and adults learn about foods made with real dairy products,” said NMPF Chief Operating Officer Jim Mulhern. “The REAL® Seal not only means a product is a real dairy product, but that it is made with milk from cows on U.S. dairy farms and without imported, imitation or substitute ingredients.”

The cartoon character is just one of a number of innovations NMPF has made to promote the REAL® Seal on the internet and through social media. Until recently, for example, the REAL® Seal website was targeted mostly to companies interested in using the seal on their products. Today, it is focused on consumers.

NMPF also offered a preview at today’s annual meeting of the REAL® Seal buyer’s guide, a web-based search engine that will make it easier for consumers to patronize brands and stores that offer real dairy products. The buyer’s guide website will soon be online.



'Kings of Texas Swing' to Perform at AFBF Annual Convention

Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel will perform at the American Farm Bureau Federation's 95th Annual Convention, Jan. 12-15, 2014, in San Antonio.

Asleep at the Wheel will give two performances on Jan. 12 - one at 9 a.m. in an exclusive event for county Farm Bureau presidents from across the country, and a performance before approximately 6,000 people at the convention's Opening General Session at 10:30 a.m.

Based in Austin, the group includes lead singer and guitarist Ray Benson, fiddler Jason Roberts and other masters of the western swing style. The band has won nine Grammys and made 30 albums since its debut in 1973. They have performed with everyone from Merle Haggard to Bob Dylan. Songs that are audience favorites include Hot Rod Lincoln, House of Blue Lights, Route 66, Miles and Miles of Texas, Bring It On Down to My House and many more.

"It's always exciting for me when the Annual Convention is held in my home state, and Farm Bureau members will get a real Texas experience when they hear the Kings of Texas Swing," said AFBF President Bob Stallman, a beef cattle and rice farmer from Columbus, Texas.

Other musical performances on tap at the AFBF Annual Convention include: Country music star Josh Turner will perform at the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture's Foundation's Night Out” event, 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, 2014, at the Cowboys Dancehall in San Antonio. Attendees can also watch professional bull riding, play billiards and ride a mechanical bull. The event is sponsored by Chevrolet and DuPont Pioneer. Ticket proceeds will go to the Foundation's scholarships, grants, educational materials and other programs that promote a greater public understanding and appreciation of American agriculture.

Tickets are $63 and can be purchased online at annualconvention.fb.org.