Tuesday November 26 Ag News

SINGLE CASE OF BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS DISCOVERED

According to Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) State Veterinarian Dr. Dennis Hughes, NDA and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarians have discovered a case of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) in a cow that originated from a small herd of cattle in the Knox County area.

NDA and USDA staff have begun an aggressive epidemiological investigation with the assistance of the producer to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the positive case.  The herd has been quarantined, tested and has been found negative for TB.  The epidemiological investigation includes working to determine the locations and disposition of any past herd mates.

“Our staff is committed to working as quickly as possible to determine the source of the infection and to minimize any potential spread of the disease,” said Hughes.

Further information on TB can be found at www.nda.nebraska.gov.



Director of Department of Environmental Quality Leaving

Today, Gov. Dave Heineman announced that Nebraska’s Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, Mike Linder, is leaving the department to take a position in the private legal sector.

“Mike has been a great Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, and as a result, Nebraskans can continue to take pride in the high quality of Nebraska’s air, land and water,” said Gov. Heineman. “Under his leadership, the Department has worked with our citizens and the private sector to continue utilizing our many natural resources in a responsible manner. I appreciate his many years of service to Nebraska.”

“It has been an honor to serve the citizens of the State of Nebraska,” said Linder. “The balance of protecting the environment and sustaining a vibrant economy has been a great mission. I have enjoyed every minute of it.”

As Director, Linder, 56, has upheld the primary role of the Department of Environmental Quality which is to help ensure that our state’s natural resources are protected from contamination. The more than 200 employees of the Department of Environmental Quality work with businesses, communities and individuals toward the common goal of protecting the environment. The department’s permitting, compliance, remediation, monitoring, and assistance programs are designed to help achieve this goal.

Under Linder’s leadership, the Department has worked diligently to protect our state’s resources as well as to educate Nebraska’s citizens on the role the department plays in protecting the state’s resources. Additionally, the Department has increased access to the public through the use of field offices and outreach. 

Linder was appointed Director by Gov. Mike Johanns in 1999. He joined the Department of Environmental Quality in 1986 as an attorney. He became the agency General Counsel in 1989. Linder’s last day as Director will be Dec. 20.



President Approves Federal Disaster Declaration for October Blizzard, Floods and Tornadoes in Nebraska

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman received notification today from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials that President Barack Obama approved a request for a presidential disaster declaration for parts of Nebraska impacted by severe storms, winter storms, tornadoes and flooding that occurred in nine Nebraska counties, Oct. 2-6.

The president, through FEMA, issued a public assistance declaration that provides assistance for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities in the following counties:  Adams, Dawes, Dixon, Howard, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Thurston and Wayne counties.

The declaration includes federal funding on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all counties in the state.

“Nebraskans appreciate approval of public assistance funding for the October 2013 storms,” said Gov. Dave Heineman. “This will assist in the recovery process following storms that caused millions of dollars in damage in the state.”

The disaster declaration allows federal emergency funding to be used in providing assistance to state and local governmental agencies and some nonprofit organizations.

“This will help our local communities recover some of the costs associated with responding to the emergency situations and rebuilding public infrastructure damaged by this disaster,” said Al Berndt, assistant director of Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. “NEMA will work closely with local governments to help speed up the recovery process.”

NEMA’s preliminary damage estimates to public infrastructure exceed $3 million, with the most severe impacts to electrical infrastructure, roads and bridges, along with extensive tree damage in the panhandle.

Eligible costs include removal of storm debris, emergency protective measures and repair or replacement of disaster-damaged roads, bridges, public buildings, critical facilities, such as water, sewer and power systems, and other public facilities.



USDA Reminds Producers of Dec. 2nd Sales Closing Date for Noninsurable Crops

Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director, Dan Steinkruger, urges producers who want to purchase coverage through the Noninsurable Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) to do so before the sales closing date of Dec. 2, 2013. The sales closing date is actually Dec. 1, 2013, but producers have until Monday, Dec. 2, 2013, to purchase coverage this year because Dec. 1 falls on a Sunday.

NAP provides financial assistance to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields/grazing loss, loss of inventory or prevented planting occur due to natural disasters including drought, freeze, hail, excessive moisture, excessive wind or hurricanes.

The following crops have a NAP application closing date of Dec. 2, 2013:  apples, asparagus, cherries, caneberries, grapes, honey, plums, and strawberries.

"NAP allows producers to protect their investment by purchasing coverage for noninsurable crops," said Steinkruger. "Natural disasters are an unavoidable part of farming and ranching and FSA programs like NAP help producers recover when they experience a loss," he said.

In order to meet eligibility requirements for NAP, crops must be noninsurable, commercially-produced agricultural commodity crops for which the catastrophic risk protection level of crop insurance is not available.

In the event of a natural disaster, NAP covers the amount of loss greater than 50 percent of the expected production based on the approved yield and reported acreage.

Eligible producers can apply for coverage using form CCC-471, "Application for Coverage." Producers must file the application and pay a service fee by the Dec. 2nd deadline. The service fee is the lesser of $250 per crop or $750 per producer per administrative county, not to exceed a total of $1,875 for a producer with farming interests in multiple counties.

Limited resource farmers may request a waiver of the service fee at the time the application for coverage is filed.  Producers must recertify their limited resource status for each year that a waiver is requested.



Aurora Coop Announces Financial Results for Fiscal Year 2013

The Aurora Cooperative, a leading grain marketer and agricultural supplier throughout Nebraska and the U.S., today announced the financial results of the company’s fiscal year that ended August 31, 2013.

The company reported sales and related income totaling $1.1 billion for fiscal year 2013. Total earnings reached $29 million and farmer-owner equity grew to $159 million. These measures represent record or near-record achievements for the company.

In addition, payments to farmer-owners will exceed $2.5 million in patronage and tax-free equity revolvement, based on the positive performance of the company.

“The Aurora Cooperative’s farmer-owners continue to support and build their company, as evidenced by these results,” said George Hohwieler, President and CEO of the Aurora Cooperative.

“Our company’s vision is to be financially strong, innovative, independent and locally-owned – now, and for the next generation. The American farmers and ranchers we serve have positively responded to Aurora’s market approach and we recognize and thank them for their commitment to our business,” Hohwieler said.

Farmer-owners will be updated on the company’s progress at its annual business meeting in January 2014.



Animal Ag Demand for U.S. Soybean Meal Grows

U.S. animal agriculture’s consumption of U.S. soybean meal increased by 1 million tons, or the meal from 42 million bushels of soybeans, in the 2011/12 marketing year, according to a soy-checkoff-funded report. This is good news for soybean farmers since domestic animal agriculture uses about 97 percent of the U.S. soybean meal consumed in the United States.

Despite this welcomed increase, the report concluded that U.S. soybean farmers shouldn’t let their support for the animal ag industry weaken. Animal ag farmers face pressures like rising feed costs and dwindling U.S.- consumer demand. Because animal ag continues to be U.S. soybean farmers’ No. 1 customer, these pressures also threaten the profitability of all soybean farmers, the report said.

“The success of the U.S. soybean industry relies on the strength of the U.S. animal agriculture industry,” says Mike Beard, a checkoff farmer-leader who grows soybeans and raises hogs on his farm in Frankfort, Ind. “The best way we can support our customers and ensure they remain competitive is with better-quality soybeans.”

The report, titled the National Animal Agriculture Economic Analysis, also outlined the economic benefits the poultry and livestock sectors provide at the state and national levels. In 2012, animal ag provided the following benefits to the national economy:
-    Support for 1.8 million jobs
-    $346 billion in total economic output
-    A $60 billion impact on household incomes
-    $21 billion in income and property taxes paid

According to the study, U.S. poultry, livestock and fish farmers used more than 30 million tons of soybean meal in the time period measured, or the meal from more than 1.26 billion bushels of U.S. soybeans. Broilers and swine continue to be by far the two biggest soybean-meal consumers. The meal consumption per species breaks down as follows:
-    Broiler chickens: the meal from about 476 million bushels of U.S. soybeans
-    Hogs: the meal from about 410 million bushels
-    Laying hens: the meal from 84 million bushels
-    Turkeys: the meal from more than 75 million bushels
-    Other: the meal from about 217 million bushels



Net Farm Income Forecast To Increase 15 Percent in 2013

Net farm income is forecast to be $131 billion in 2013, up 15.1 percent from 2012’s estimate of $113.8 billion. After adjusting for inflation, 2013’s net farm income is expected to be the highest since 1973. Substantial year-end crop inventories are expected as a result of the record corn harvest  Net cash income—which measures the difference between cash expenses and the combination of commodities sold during the calendar year plus other sources of farm income—is forecast at $129.7 billion, down just over 3 percent from 2012. Even so, 2013’s forecast would be the fourth time net cash income, after adjusting for inflation, has exceeded $100 billion since 1973.

The projected $10.9-billion increase in total expenses in 2013, to $352 billion, continues a string of year-to-year increases (except for 2009) that have taken place since 2002. In both nominal and inflation-adjusted dollars, 2013 production expenses are expected to be the highest on record. Labor and rent are the expense items expected to increase the most in 2013, while producers are expected to pay less for fuel and fertilizer.

Farm sector assets, debt, and equity are all forecast to increase in 2013. As in the last several years, increases in farm asset value are expected to exceed increases in farm debt, with farm real estate the main driving force. Confirming the strength of the farm sector's solvency, both the debt-to-asset ratio and debt-to-equity ratio are expected to reach historic lows.

Median Farm Household Income Expected To Be Largely Unchanged in 2013
Projected median total farm household income is expected to remain essentially unchanged in 2013, at $68,414. Given the broad USDA definition of a farm, many farms are not profitable even in the best farm income years. With sectorwide net cash farm income forecast to decline in 2013, median farm income is expected to decline to -$2,000 (down from -$1,453 in 2012). Most farm households earn all of their income from off-farm sources—median off-farm income is projected to increase by 2.9 percent in 2013, to $60,437. (Note: Because they are based on unique distributions, median total income will generally not equal the sum of median off-farm and median farm income.)



European Commission Proposes Tripling Spending to Support Ag Exports

While the U.S. Congress continues to debate budget cuts, the European Commission has proposed more than tripling its spending in the international marketplace to support the export of EU agricultural and agri-food sector products.

"Enjoy, it’s from Europe" is the slogan for the proposed expanded export initiative that “aims to help the sector's professionals break into international markets and make consumers more aware of the efforts made by European farmers to provide quality products, based on a genuine strategy established at European level,” according to EU media reports.

The proposal, which will be submitted to the European Parliament for its review, would boost European aid for agricultural exports progressively from €61 million ($82.5 million) in the 2013 budget to €200 million ($270.5 million) in 2020.

“In a world in which consumers are increasingly aware of the safety, quality and sustainability of food production methods, European farmers and small- or medium-sized enterprises are in a position of strength,” said European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos. “The European agricultural and agri-food sector is well-known for the unrivalled quality of its products and its compliance with standards that are unmatched anywhere else in the world. With over €110 billion worth of exports already, this is a formidable asset for boosting growth and employment within the EU.”

“This proposal from the European Commission sends a clear message that I hope our Congress is listening to,” said Mark Jagels, chairman of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and a fourth-generation farmer from south-central Nebraska. “With 96 percent of the world’s population living outside our borders, we need to focus our energy and resources on putting U.S. meat and other agricultural products on the world’s tables. If we don’t, our competitors in the EU and around the world will gladly take that business off our hands.”

Jagels noted that the benefits of supporting U.S. agricultural exports are well-documented.

“U.S. agricultural exports, which topped $141 billion in value in FY 12, support nearly 1.2 million American jobs,” said Jagels. “They accounted for a $38.5 billion surplus in the balance of trade for the year – one of the few bright spots in our economy.”

A recent study conducted for USDA reported that the investment of USDA and checkoff funds in USMEF programs over the prior 10 years returned an average of $7.42 in net revenue to the U.S. pork industry and $3.87 to the beef industry per dollar invested.

“Where better can we invest our tax dollars than in supporting agricultural exports that create jobs, bolster an essential industry and put tax revenue back into the government’s coffers,” said Jagels. “We need to take a cue from the European Union and support agricultural exports rather than reducing spending on these essential programs.”



Allies Call for Farm Bill Resolution

Frustrated by inaction, the National Corn Growers Association joined with two other farmer-led organizations to call on Congressional leaders to take the right steps quickly on the 2013 farm bill, or extend the 2008 law.

"We very much hope that conferees on the farm bill will find common ground that can be supported by producers of all crops in all regions of the country," representatives of NCGA, the American Soybean Association and the U.S. Canola Association wrote in a joint letter. "If such a resolution is not possible, we would support a two-year extension of the 2008 farm bill including, if necessary, a reduction in direct payments to achieve savings equivalent to the bills passed by both the Senate and the House. While difficult, this approach would leave sufficient funding in the commodities title to write a new farm program at such time as consensus can be achieved."

The three organizations reiterated their strong opposition to recoupling payments to planted acres under a price-based program.

"A similar program during the 1980s caused major planting distortions when market prices fell below target prices," they wrote. "The resulting production surpluses for certain crops required supply controls, including acreage set-asides and the Farmer Owned Reserve, which undercut producer income and disadvantaged U.S. exports in world markets."

They noted that avoiding government-induced production surpluses and depressed domestic and world prices has reduced the vulnerability of U.S. farm programs to challenges under the WTO. They do not want to return to programs that could increase the likelihood of more lost trade cases, as occurred with the Brazil cotton complaint.

"In the event a new farm bill includes a provision that would tie payments under a price-based program to current-year planted acres, and as stated in our letter of July 26, 2013, our organizations will oppose its enactment. We very much hope this will not be the outcome of what has been a protracted and, unfortunately, divisive process."



Ethanol – Cost-Savings, Fuel Choices & 100 Years of Gas Stations
This Thanksgiving, as Americans take to the highways and rural country roads to visit relatives, they will be zipping past countless gas stations and often stopping to fill up their gas tanks, buy a snack, or simply stretch their legs. This coming Sunday, Dec. 1, marks the 100th anniversary of the modern gas station.

“For 100 years drivers have been paying too much for transportation fuel. This can be seen today more than ever,” said Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. “The price of gasoline is the first thing people see as they drive into a gas station. With the excitement of seeing loved ones comes the reality of the cost of a tank of gasoline, but ethanol reduces the cost of gasoline by on average $1.00/gallon in 2012 and 2013. In addition to cost savings it offers consumers choice at the pump. Now that is truly something to be thankful for.”

A popular cost saving fuel choice is E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline) for flex fuel vehicles. There are approximately 3,200 stations offering E85 today and over 15.5 million flex fuel vehicles on the road. According to http://www.e85prices.com/michigan.html, E85 prices in Michigan today average $2.62, compared to the average gas price of $3.27. In Lake Odessa, Michigan E85 prices even reached as low as $2.19.

To locate local E85 stations, please visit www.ChooseEthanol.com. ChooseEthanol.com will direct you to E85 locator apps for iPhone or Android systems. The website also includes downloads for Garmin or TomTom navigation devices.

In addition to E85, consumers increasingly have the option of a new fuel blend, E15 (15 percent ethanol, 85 percent gasoline) for cars 2001 and newer. E15 is the most tested fuel in the history of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and has already been driven over 45 million miles with no known instances of engine damage or misfueling. Approximately 75 percent of vehicles currently on the road are approved for E15 use.

E15 is currently available in 10 states including Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, and Illinois.



FTC: No Ethanol Market Manipulation

The market for fuel ethanol in the United States is not concentrated, with 156 firms nationwide either producing or likely to begin producing ethanol in the next 12 to 18 months, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's 2013 Report on the State of the U.S. Ethanol Production.

The lack of market concentration or manipulation in this industry has been the case each year since the FTC began issuing reports in 2005.

This is the FTC's ninth annual report on ethanol market concentration, with the reports required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The report was submitted to Congress and the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as required by the act.

FTC staff calculated market concentration for ethanol production using two different measures of market share: production capacity and actual production. This year's report concludes concentration levels in the U.S. ethanol industry are essentially unchanged from last year.

The report also indicates as of September, there were two more ethanol producers in the U.S. than at the time of the FTC's 2012 report on ethanol production.

The largest ethanol producer's capacity share decreased slightly to 10.9% of domestic ethanol production capacity from 11.1% in 2012.

The low level of concentration and the large number of market participants in the U.S. ethanol production industry suggest the exercise of market power to set prices or coordination on price or output levels is unlikely.

FTC staff also concluded that ease of entry and availability of ethanol imports into the U.S. provides additional constraints on the ability of any group of domestic firms to exercise market power.



Fertilizer Prices Move Slightly Lower

Average retail fertilizer prices were down just slightly the third week of November, according to fertilizer retailers tracked by DTN.  All eight of the major fertilizers had lower prices from last month, but once again none showed a noteworthy price drop.  DAP had an average price of $515 per ton, MAP $558/ton, potash $486/ton and urea $438/ton. 10-34-0 was at $517/ton, anhydrous $644/ton, UAN28 $320/ton and UAN32 $365/ton

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.48/lb.N, anhydrous $0.39/lb.N, UAN28 $0.57/lb.N and UAN32 $0.57/lb.N.

All eight of the major fertilizers are now double digits lower in price compared to November 2012.  UAN32 is now down 13%, 10-34-0 and UAN28 are all 16% less expensive, MAP is 18% lower, DAP is 20% lower, potash is 21% less expensive, anhydrous is 25% lower and urea is 26% less expensive compared to last year.



CWT Assists with 12.8 Million Pounds of Cheese and Butter Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 36 requests for export assistance from Bongards Creameries, Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms USA, Maryland Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold), Tillamook County Creamery Association and Upstate Niagara Cooperative (O-AT-KA) to sell 9.760 million pounds (4,427 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese and 3.003 million pounds (1,362 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia, Central America, Europe, 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 121.778 million pounds of cheese, 87.918 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of anhydrous milk fat and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder to 38 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 3.106 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term by helping to maintain inventories of cheese and butter at desirable levels. In the long-term, CWT’s Export Assistance program helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the farm milk that produces them.



New Congressional Analysis of Farm Bill Finds Senate Dairy Title Costs Less than House Version

A recent analysis by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the competing House and Senate farm bills shows that the Senate’s dairy program costs less than the House version, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) said today, helping fortify the case for the Senate‘s dairy title as negotiations continue in the congressional farm bill committee.

The House farm bill’s dairy title is projected to cost $418 million above the baseline, according to the CRS report released in October, while the Senate dairy program costs $302 million more over the next ten years. [These figures are in Tables 4 and 5 of the report, starting on p. 22].

Incoming NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern said Tuesday that the CRS report – the first to compare the two competing farm bill versions that conferees are attempting to reconcile – buttresses the point that NMPF has been making about the need to couple margin insurance with a market stabilization program, as the Senate bill does, to achieve cost controls.

“While even this analysis seriously underestimates what we and other independent analysts believe would be the real cost of the badly-flawed House approach, the CRS report demonstrates that the Senate plan is the most fiscally responsible program,” Mulhern said. “Without the market stabilization program to both reduce the duration of low margin conditions, and reduce government outlays for insurance payments, the House plan would be a budget-buster – and one that we urge the conferees to reject, in favor of the Senate’s more prudent approach.”

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) made the same observation last Friday in a radio interview with Ron Hays of the Oklahoma Farm Report (a transcript of which is available here), in which he responded, when asked about the prospects for the dairy title, that “if you don’t have supply management, can you restrain the cost in the rest of the [dairy margin insurance] proposal? Probably not.”

Both the House and Senate farm bill dairy programs replace existing safety net programs with a new margin insurance program. But only the Senate version couples the margin insurance with a market stabilization component that would encourage farmers to temporarily reduce milk production when conditions warrant. NMPF has long contended that this formula makes the program more effective for farmers, and also better protects taxpayers by reducing the government’s costs.

Mulhern also said that the market stabilization element will not adversely impact consumer prices for dairy products, contrary to bogus claims made by those opposing the Senate’s Dairy Security Act.

“If the market stabilization program ever kicked in – and that’s a big if – it would only be when farm milk prices are in the tank. The Senate plan would simply put a floor under the price to keep it from falling further and would not have a noticeable impact on the cost of milk to consumers. Nor would it affect the milk bought through government food assistance programs,” he said. “The purpose of market stabilization is to keep farmers’ milk prices from staying too low, for too long a period. Any suggestion that it will spike retail prices to abnormally high levels is a deceitful and deliberate misinterpretation of the studies done on the impact of the DSA.”

Mulhern was referring to efforts to distort the analysis done by University of Missouri agricultural economist Scott Brown, who has examined the impact of the Senate’s Dairy Security Act versus the processor-backed House plan (which would retain margin insurance but eliminate market stabilization from dairy reform). In Brown’s analysis of the DSA, if it had been in effect from 2009 to 2012, the market stabilization element would have been activated for only four out of 48 months.

Also, the average difference in farm milk prices between the two approaches was only two cents per gallon over four years. “That’s one half of one cent per year, a tiny amount compared with the monthly price swings currently experienced by farmers and hardly a major impact on consumers,” Mulhern said.



NFU Leads Launch of 'Year of Family Farming' Campaign

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson and members of the national committee to promote the United Nations' International Year of Family Farming held a teleconference on Friday to kick off events.

"NFU is pleased to lead the U.S. efforts as a part of the global initiative that the UN is commencing today," said Johnson. "In the United States and around the world people are further and further removed from family farming and where their food, fuel and fiber are produced. This initiative is critical to the future of our industry."

The UN has declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming and many countries have formed national committees to carry out activities in cooperation.

The U.S. executive committee is comprised of 25x'25, the Alliance to End Hunger, American Farmland Trust, the Consumer Federation of America, the National Cooperative Business Association and National Farmers Union.

Johnson says the group has adopted policy on family farming and they look forward to having other organizations across all sectors and interests join the committee to support family farming.



Meat, Egg, Dairy Nutrient Essential for Brain Development

Asparagine, found in foods such as meat, eggs, and dairy products, was until now considered non-essential because it is produced naturally by the body. Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital found that the amino acid is essential for normal brain development. This is not the case for other organs.

"The cells of the body can do without it because they use asparagine provided through diet. Asparagine, however, is not well transported to the brain via the blood-brain barrier," said senior co-author of the study Dr. Jacques Michaud, who found that brain cells depend on the local synthesis of asparagine to function properly. First co-author José-Mario Capo-Chichi and colleague Grant Mitchell also made major contributions to the study.

In April 2009, a Quebec family experienced the worst tragedy for parents: before the age of one, one of their sons died of a rare genetic disease causing congenital microcephaly, intellectual disability, cerebral atrophy, and refractory seizures. The event was even more tragic because it was the third infant to die in this family from the same disease.

This tragedy led Dr. Michaud to discover the genetic abnormality responsible for this developmental disorder.

The team identified the gene affected by the mutation code for asparagine synthetase, the enzyme responsible for synthesizing the amino acid asparagine. The study is the first to associate a specific genetic variant with a deficiency of this enzyme.

"In healthy subjects, it seems that the level of asparagine synthetase in the brain is sufficient to supply neurons," Michaud said. "In individuals with the disability, the enzyme is not produced in sufficient quantity, and the resulting asparagine depletion affects the proliferation and survival of cells during brain development."

Children who are carriers of this mutation suffer, to varying degrees, from a variety of symptoms, including intellectual disability and cerebral atrophy, which can lead to death. The Quebec family lost three infant sons to this disorder. Two of their other children are alive and healthy.

To date, nine children from four different families have been identified as carriers of the mutation: three infants from Quebec, three from a Bengali family living in Toronto, and three Israelis, whose symptoms are less severe.



New Plenish High Oleic Soybeans Give Growers Access to Fast-Moving Market

The FDA’s recent announcement to potentially eliminate trans fats in food sends a clear signal about the importance of healthier, quality soybean oil. DuPont Pioneer has invested in 20 years of research and development to provide a new soybean oil solution for the food industry. The result: Plenish® high oleic soybean oil with zero trans fat.

U.S. soybean growers will have an expanded lineup of Plenish soybean varieties for the high oleic oil market in 2014. Developed by Pioneer, Plenish represents a reinvention of soybean oil. It is the first biotech product to bring value across the entire supply chain, providing an additional market to farmers, a healthier product for consumers and an alternative with potential cost advantages for food companies.

“Plenish high oleic soybeans will help soybean growers recapture lost soybean oil markets that have moved to trans-fat-free oils,” says Russ Sanders, director of food and industry markets at DuPont Pioneer. “Even before the issue of trans fats surfaced, Pioneer began working to develop an improved high oleic soybean oil profile that could dramatically improve oil functionality and grow soybean demand.”

Plenish high oleic soybeans are developed using elite genetics and cutting-edge technologies to deliver the same strong agronomic package and yield potential as other Pioneer® brand soybeans, plus meet the demand for healthier soybean oil. In 2003, the FDA announced plans to require labeling of  trans fats in the nation’s food supply, resulting in a significant reduction in demand for soybean oil in food applications.

“Our ongoing connectivity and collaboration with the soybean industry, such as the United Soybean Board’s high oleic growth initiative, reinforces our confidence that this product concept answers marketplace demand,” Sanders says. 

Pioneer is working with major soybean processors, including ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Perdue AgriBusiness, to produce Plenish. The biotechnology trait for Plenish oil is approved in the U.S. and in 94 percent of export markets—the only major exception being the European Union. Plenish soybeans are grown and marketed under identity-preserved contracting programs.



AGCO Announces New AgCommand™ Integration with Raven Slingshot

AGCO, Your Agriculture Company (NYSE:AGCO), announced today a new AgCommand integration with the Raven Industries’ Slingshot system connected to its Fuse™ Technologies initiative. The ability to integrate AgCommand and Slingshot will provide growers with a more seamless experience by enabling their fleet and data management tools to sync together via the AgCommand website.

AgCommand is AGCO’s telematics and asset management tool that offers complete fleet management with machine performance reports, wireless communication, theft recovery and a Web-based application for easy access to data. Slingshot combines mobile wireless connectivity with online tools and precision ag hardware. The benefits of the AgCommand and Slingshot software now communicating through a unique API, or application programming interface, will ensure rate and location information will be visible to the grower in the AgCommand user interface.

“The ability to integrate AgCommand with Raven Slingshot is the result of Fuse Technologies, AGCO’s global initiative to provide farmers with seamless integration and connectivity across their operations,” says Matt Rushing, Vice President, Product Management, Global ATS and EFG. “Fuse enables farmers to integrate their AGCO equipment and precision agriculture technology with offerings from service providers including Raven, also a key provider of Viper Pro™ application control systems.”

“We’ve had a great relationship with AGCO for many years, and this API implementation is another example of our two companies working together to help farmers make better use of their data and fleet management tools, ultimately increasing efficiencies and helping them to make important decisions in their operations year over year,” says Matt Burkhart, Vice President and General Manager for Raven Industries Applied Technology Division.

In addition to implementing the Slingshot API, application equipment such as the industry-leading RoGator® and TerraGator® can now be ordered Slingshot ready, making it even simpler for growers to achieve a connected cab in the field and a user-friendly way to manage their operation logistics with AgCommand.



HORMEL FOODS REPORTS RECORD FOURTH QUARTER, FULL YEAR RESULTS 

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) today reported its performance for the fiscal year 2013 fourth quarter and full year.  All comparisons are to the fourth quarter or full year of fiscal 2012. 
 
Fourth Quarter
¨  Record diluted EPS of $0.58, up 18 percent from $0.49 per share
¨  Segment operating profit increased 21 percent ¨  Record dollar sales of $2.3 billion, increased 7 percent; volume up 3 percent 
¨  Grocery Products operating profit up 17 percent; volume up 24 percent (volume down 2 percent excluding sales of SKIPPY® products); dollar sales up 23 percent (dollar sales up 1 percent excluding sales of SKIPPY® products)
¨  Refrigerated Foods operating profit up 30 percent; volume down 5 percent; dollar sales up 4 percent
¨  Jennie-O Turkey Store operating profit up 25 percent; volume up 8 percent; dollar sales up 7 percent
¨  Specialty Foods operating profit down 34 percent; volume down 8 percent; dollar sales down 14 percent
¨  International & Other operating profit up 82 percent; volume up 32 percent (volume up 15 percent excluding sales of SKIPPY® products); dollar sales up 38 percent (dollar sales up 18 percent excluding sales of SKIPPY® products)
 
Fiscal Year
¨  Record diluted EPS of $1.95, up 5 percent from diluted EPS of $1.86
¨  Segment operating profit up 6 percent
¨  Record dollar sales of $8.8 billion, up 6 percent; volume up 3 percent
¨  Grocery Products operating profit up 18 percent; volume up 29 percent (volume flat excluding sales of SKIPPY® and DON MIGUEL® products); dollar sales up 30 percent (dollar sales up 2 percent excluding sales of SKIPPY® and DON MIGUEL® products)
¨  Refrigerated Foods operating profit up 2 percent; volume down 4 percent; dollar sales up 1 percent
¨  Jennie-O Turkey Store operating profit down 7 percent; volume up 1 percent; dollar sales up 3 percent
¨  Specialty Foods operating profit up 7 percent; volume down 2 percent; dollar sales up 1 percent
¨  International & Other operating profit up 43 percent; volume up 19 percent (volume up 7 percent excluding sales of SKIPPY® products); dollar sales up 23 percent (dollar sales up 9 percent excluding sales of SKIPPY® products)

The company reported fiscal 2013 fourth quarter net earnings of $157.3 million, up 19 percent from net earnings of $132.6 million a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $0.58, up 18 percent compared to $0.49 last year.  Sales for the quarter were $2.3 billion, up 7 percent from the same period in fiscal 2012.

For the year ended October 27, 2013, net earnings were $526.2 million, up 5 percent from net earnings of $500.1 million last year.  Diluted net earnings per share were $1.95, up 5 percent from diluted net earnings per share of $1.86 last year.  Sales for the year ended October 27, 2013, totaled $8.8 billion, up 6 percent from last year.