Wednesday November 20 Ag News

Farmers Pride to Buy Advanced Energy Fuels
Effective January 1, 2014 Farmers Pride of Battle Creek, NE will purchase Advanced Energy Fuels (AEF) from CHS and CVA. Advanced Energy Fuels is a 50/50 joint venture with Cenex Harvest States (CHS) and Central Valley Ag (CVA).

These AEF assets include:
·    Refined Fuels
·    Propane
·    Fuel Plants
·    Lubricants
·    Lubricant Plant
·    Rolling Stock

Farmers Pride will continue to offer these Cenex branded products:
·    Ruby FieldMaster Premium Diesel Fuel
·    Lubricants
·    Automatic Fuel Delivery (AFD)
o    Propane and propane services will also be offered

“Farmers Pride is excited to work with CVA and AEF to bring the very best energy products to the agricultural, commercial and residential markets in northeast Nebraska. Cooperatives working together to bring the long-term benefits to member/owners of the cooperative system is a goal for both of our companies. Farmers Pride looks forward to serving the customers and the CVA locations for their energy needs going forward” – Dean Thernes, President/GM of Farmers Pride

“The sale of AEF to Farmer’s Pride will expand the volume of fuel and LP that Farmer’s Pride handles. This will allow Farmer’s Pride to capture the efficiencies in delivery and logistics that are necessary to be successful in the energy business. CVA will work with Farmer’s Pride and assist in any way we can to insure a smooth transition with our energy customers to Farmer’s Pride.” – Doug Derscheid, President/CEO for Central Valley Ag

Farmers Pride is a successful full service cooperative currently serving approximately 4,000 customers in northeast Nebraska. Farmer’s Pride has retail locations including Battle Creek, Bloomfield, Ewing, Madison, Neligh/Oakdale, Newman Grove, Osmond, Pierce and Plainview.



Thurston Mfg Partners to Lauch AgriRep

“We have recently endeavored to expand the international presence of our BLU-JET® Fertilizer Application and Conservation Tillage Equipment.  Through these efforts, we have learned much, and made many contacts who have helped us along the way.  Because of our experiences, and successes, Thurston Manufacturing Company has chosen to partner with Andrew Venton and form a new business.  AgriRep, LLC will strive to help companies of similar size accomplish their international exporting goals by bringing together a global network of independent manufacturers and sales specialists to achieve that end.” – Nick Jensen, President of AgriRep™

As a sales and marketing agricultural based business, AgriRep™ brings the manufacturer and the buyer closer together through global trade in farm equipment, consumables and parts. Its unique business model offers a cost effective international sales and marketing solution for businesses to enhance or create export opportunities through global representations to a variety of manufacturing partners on multiple continents.

Though AgriRep™ has been assisting a few companies already; we are pleased to announce the official launch of the business. We marked the occasion with the opening of our stand at the AgriTechnica show in Hannover, Germany on November 12, 2013.

Much of the progress being made in the past few months has been behind the scenes. During this time, we have been establishing corporate infrastructure, defining internal processes, continuing to identify global location partners, and speaking with a variety of manufacturers in the agricultural industry about this opportunity. We now have offices established and running in both North America and Europe. We also have several JV partners identified that we plan on establishing over the course of the next few months.

By the end of the first half of 2014, our current plan is to have our JV partners established in Central America, South Africa, Oceania, and Kazakhstan/Siberia. In the second half of 2014, we plan to have another three locations established in Sub Saharan Africa, South America, the Middle East and China.Early 2015 will likely bring opportunities in Eurasia. Though the order in which they are established may change somewhat, our goal is to have at least four of these established by the end of the second quarter of 2014. 



Johanns: Farm Bill Extension Better Than a Plan that Distorts Markets

U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Ag Committee and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, today sent a letter to the leaders of the farm bill conference committee highlighting the dangers of artificially distorting agriculture market prices.

“I recognize the importance of giving our producers the certainty of long-term ag policy, but they deserve a farm bill that helps them sell goods on a global market – not one that distorts it,” Johanns said. “As farm bill conferees aim to wrap up this week, it’s crucially important to be more honest about the risks in the direction some are trying to take. It will distort the ag economy, raise trade concerns and skew the market for farmers and ranchers for years to come. A plain extension of the current farm bill – something I have been against – would be better than an outdated farm policy.”

A copy of the letter can be found below:

Dear Chairmen Stabenow and Lucas and Ranking Members Cochran and Peterson:       

I am concerned that the conference may take a reckless and fiscally irresponsible path regarding our farm safety net.  If the conferees adopt market-distorting policy, such as recoupling target prices to planted acres, sadly an extension of the current farm bill would be preferable.

Consider a lesson from farm bill history.  In the early 1980s, historically high commodity prices led Congress to pass a farm bill with increased target prices.  At the time, it was not projected to be very expensive because these target prices were mostly below projected prices.  But a short time later, the economy experienced a number of factors that caused prices to collapse.  Very quickly, that farm bill’s price tag skyrocketed.  The Secretary of Agriculture was forced to do everything possible to artificially raise market prices, including desperate attempts to compel farmers to take land out of production through annual acreage set-asides.

This period of historically high prices is very similar to the situation we find ourselves in today.  The House Price Loss Coverage (PLC) is a new target price program tied to planted acres.  It does not look very expensive because CBO projects relatively high prices.  But as we have seen in recent months, there is no guarantee that will last.  With the EPA potentially scaling back the Renewable Fuel Standard and growth in Chinese demand slowing, among other factors, we could see a time of low prices again in agriculture.  In fact, we have already seen corn prices fall nearly 40 percent in the last year.

While no farmer wants to see a time of low prices, no taxpayer should want the open-ended fiscal exposure of a recoupled target price program that never adjusts with market conditions.  The effect of the PLC program is to shield farmers from market incentives.  Like all businesses, farms respond to incentives, and if Congress sets an artificially high price, farmers will respond to it and it will lead to overproduction—especially if farmers can get that higher price by planting more acres to a specific crop—increasing supply and driving prices down further.

The basic function of a market is to efficiently allocate resources.  Target prices above equilibrium prices cripple market incentives.  Unless this Congress decides it knows how to manage supply and demand better than the millions of participants in the agricultural economy, we should avoid these kinds of rigid market-distorting programs.

Now some have argued that the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) program in the Senate bill has some of the same flaws, but the advantage of this program is that the payments run out—if prices stay low farmers are not guaranteed a payment forever.  Under PLC, those payments could continue indefinitely with no incentive for the farmer to switch crops or reduce production.  Farmers—wherever they live and whatever they grow—should make those decisions in response to demand. 

Furthermore, the PLC program would cause the United States to engage in brinkmanship at the World Trade Organization (WTO).  We have already subsidized the Brazilian cotton industry to the tune of $147 million per year because of our unwillingness to abide by our WTO commitments, which are nothing more than rules to ensure a level playing field in international trade.  The PLC program has many of the same price-suppressing characteristics as programs the WTO ruled against in the Brazil Cotton case.  How many more competitors must we buy off or WTO cases must we lose before the Agriculture Committees realize that treating our trade commitments flippantly is a recipe for disaster?

I am not only concerned about our current trade commitments, but also our ability to promote U.S. agriculture in the future.  As Secretary of Agriculture, I was heavily engaged in the Doha negotiations in an effort to expand opportunities for U.S. agriculture.  While these talks did not culminate in an agreement, it is certainly in the best interest of our agriculture industry to promote market access for our agricultural products in the future.  If we pass a farm program that suppresses prices in international markets, we will hamstring our negotiators who will have to leave valuable concessions on the table because they will be forced to defend trade-distorting programs that were unwisely passed by Congress.

Therefore, I strongly urge you to ensure that the farm programs respect our trade commitments and are either decoupled from production decisions or limited in the amount of support provided to farmers in cases of multi-year price declines.  I am strongly committed to completing a five-year farm bill, but we should not pass a farm bill simply for the sake of passing a farm bill.  Let’s also make sure we have good farm policy.  I look forward to working with you in this endeavor as the conference moves forward. 



NCGA, Others Offer Farm Bill Compromise

The National Corn Growers Association joined with other farm organizations late Tuesday in a letter to congressional leadership that proposed a compromise on the commodity title of the farm bill, now in conference negotiations on Capitol Hill.

In the letter, NCGA, the American Soybean Association and the U.S. Canola Association noted that the three organizations have different views on various issues regarding the commodity title, including which payment acres should be established for price and revenue programs.

In order to avoid another extension of the 2008 farm bill, the organizations proposed using the average of planted acres during the five years previous to the current year as the payment base for both the revenue and the price programs. The average would thus move forward, adding and dropping a year every year, in order to remain as current as possible without including the current year, which would serve as a deterrent to building base. Consideration should be given to how effective revenue protection can be provided at both the farm and county levels under this approach.

"We believe this novel approach addresses both the needs and the concerns of farmers growing all program crops in all regions of the country," the organizations stated. "We offer it as a solution which, while not the first choice of any of our organizations, is a compromise we can all support and which can help move the farm bill process to a successful conclusion."



DuPont Pioneer invests in West Point student

Local student Andrew Ambriz, West Point, Neb., joined over 550 of the top collegiate agriculture students Nov. 7-10 in Kansas City, Mo., to engage in career preparation training at the Agriculture Future of America Leaders Conference.

For four days, Ambriz, who studies animal science and industry at University of Nebraska - Lincoln, participated in soft skill training provided by agriculture, education and facilitation professionals. In the Conference environment, Ambriz was surrounded by like-minded students who are passionate about agriculture, and by agriculture professionals who have invested financially as well as relationally in these students’ lives.

DuPont Pioneer is one of the organizations that partners with AFA to make this training possible. DuPont Pioneer specifically invested in Ambriz. While at Conference, Ambriz was invited to a special breakfast hosted by DuPont Pioneer representatives where they were able to discuss agricultural opportunities and mutual interests.

“The next generation of food and agriculture leaders will be critical to feeding 9 billion people by 2050,” said Cindy Langenberg, senior human resources manager for talent acquisition at DuPont Pioneer. “We are excited to collaborate with AFA to support and encourage students who are passionately pursuing opportunities to improve the world through agriculture.”

Like all student delegates, Ambriz was competitively selected by AFA and its partners for Conference participation and the opportunity to connect with DuPont Pioneer. AFA Leaders Conference is just one collegiate and young professional leader development program offered by AFA, which is a catalyst in the preparation of the next generation of agriculture leaders.



IFU Prioritize Legislative Policies for 2014

In the final day of the Iowa Farmers Union State Convention, members met to discuss IFU bylaws, held organization elections and considered and adopted legislative policy and legislative priorities for 2014. Throughout the interactive policy discussions and workshops, IFU members in attendance voiced strong support for better accountability and priority setting in the implementation of Iowa's strategy to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in watersheds.

"If you give farmers the knowledge and the resources to adopt practices that will improve our water supply - I haven't met one of our members who would say no to that," said newly elected IFU President Jana Linderman. "At the same time, we know that we have this massive problem to tackle, and there are only so many resources that can be made available to address it. Dollars need to be spent where we know that they will have the biggest impact, and we need to be measuring the results to make sure that we are making real progress toward the end goal."

Other key legislative priorities identified by IFU members included implementing policies to support farmer-owned local food hubs and putting in place improved liability standards and tougher penalties for negligently applied chemical spray that drifts to neighboring farms.



Latest farm bill roadblock? It's about the eggs

A dispute over a 2010 California law concerning the treatment of egg-laying chickens looks like it may add to the complications for congressional negotiators trying to reach agreement on a new five-year farm bill this week.

The law has its origins in a 2008 ballot initiative in California pushed by animal rights groups that mandated that all eggs produced in California must come from hens who have enough space to spread their wings in their coops, far more space than most commercial egg operations provide. Two years later, lawmakers in the Golden State passed a law requiring out of state producers to comply with those regulations if they wished to sell in California.

The California law hasn't sat well with producers in the Midwest, where most of the nation's eggs are produced. 

In the House, lawmakers added language to their farm bill that would prohibit states from enforcing standards that affect producers in other states. It's not in the Senate version of the farm bill. In a first meeting between House members and senators to write a compromise bill, Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King was adamant that the standards language should stay.  King calls his provision the "Protect Interstate Commerce Act."

"Bottom line of it is that no state should be allowed to regulate the production in other states," said King, who wrote the language. "Any state, including California, is free to regulate, even over-regulate their producers, but not the other 49 states."

But King's amendment is dividing members more by region than by party.

"States have the rights to develop their own ag laws," said California Republican Rep. Jeff Denham, who deployed a traditional conservative states' rights argument to argue against King's amendment.

The Humane Society and other animal rights groups say King's amendment goes too far, especially because it would apply to all agricultural products and not just eggs.



Vilsack calls King amendment ‘troublesome’

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack expressed concerns about the “King amendment” in the House farm bill during a conference call with reporters Monday.

“That’s an amendment that’s frankly a bit troublesome in that it would create legal challenges and confusion in the market place,” Vilsack said.  “It’s one that we have a lot of concerns about.”

Vilsack’s commented on the amendment, which was offered by Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, in response to a question during a call about veterans transitioning to agriculture. The amendment, which appears aimed at California’s gestation crate laws, would prohibit states from regulating other states’ means of agricultural production.

Consumer advocacy and animal welfare groups have said that the amendment would preempt nearly 200 state laws, but King has maintained that his amendment has been mischaracterized. He said at a recent POLITICO Pro event that it would affect only one or two laws.



Northey Responds to Vilsack Comments on King Amendment

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey Tuesday released the following statement responding to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack's comments about the "King amendment" that is part of the ongoing farm bill negotiations.

"It is very troublesome that Secretary Vilsack appears to be siding with California and HSUS rather than standing up for all farmers producing legal and safe agriculture products. If the Secretary truly has concerns about the King amendment, then he should work to address those concerns while the bill is in conference committee rather than speaking out against it.

"I would hope and expect Secretary Vilsack to be supportive of laws that ensure consumers have access to legal and safe products. USDA inspectors approve the sale of egg products. If eggs are safe to be sold in Iowa and around the country they should be able to be sold in California, that is all this amendment is trying to assure.

"California should not be allowed to dictate production methods to the rest of the country. This has the makings of an internal US trade war. If it starts with eggs, you can be sure it won't end with eggs."



Statement From NPPC On Animal Abuses At An Oklahoma Farm

The National Pork Producers Council was contacted at 11:07 Eastern time this morning by Mercy For Animals, asking that it retract part of its earlier statement on a video the animal-rights group released today showing animal abuse on an Oklahoma farm.

While NPPC was unaware that any reports of the abuse were made to local authorities and expressed its opinion that it appeared that the video was not provided to Oklahoma law enforcement authorities, Mercy For Animals advised the following about NPPC’s earlier statement:

“This statement is factual [sic] incorrect and not based on truth or reality. Mercy For Animals contact [sic] local law enforcement while our investigator was still in the facility to report cruelty. Further, we met with law enforcement immediately and provided them with full evidence, a legal complaint, and expert statements. This was all done well in advance of contacting any media outlet.”

The Mercy For Animals undercover video shows workers abusing animals, actions that violate the high standards of the U.S. pork industry. NPPC and America’s hog farmers do not condone and, in fact, strongly condemn practices that are not in accord with U.S. pork industry best practices. NPPC calls on Oklahoma authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and to bring criminal charges against workers who abused animals.

Providing humane and compassionate care for their pigs at every stage of life is one of the ethical principles to which U.S. pork producers adhere. U.S. pork producers are committed to caring for animals in a way that protects their well-being. Just as it is to others, abuse of animals is appalling to pork producers. Farmers do not defend and will not accept abuse of animals.



US Cattle Placements Seen Up 10%

The number of young cattle entering U.S. feedyards in October was predicted to be up 10% from a year-earlier, when placements were the lowest in decades for that month owing to a spike in grain prices, according to a Wall Street Journal survey for a federal cattle-on-feed report.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is scheduled to release the report at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT) Friday.

The estimates from 11 analysts for placements in October ranged from 0.9% below to 18.1% above a year earlier, with the majority expecting the number of placed cattle to be higher than year-ago levels. The number of cattle placed, according to the average of the projections, would be 2.397 million head.

After the 2012 drought pushed prices for feed grains sharply higher last year, costs for cattle feeders have cooled considerably, resulting in expectations for a larger number of animals to enter the nation's feedyards in the months to come.

However, favorable pasture conditions across most of the Farm Belt due to cool, dry weather over the summer and fall have also resulted in large stocks of hay and other forage, which are ideal for younger, lighter-weight animals. Analysts are split on whether more producers have opted to feed livestock forage for longer, rather than send them to commercial feedyards, due in part to the fact that the decision for most ranchers is depends highly on whether or not they grow their own grains, among other financial factors.

The number of cattle on feed as of Nov. 1 was projected to be 5.8% below a year ago, or 10.6 million head, according to the average of the estimates. The estimates ranged from 4.5% to 8% below last year's number.

"There is a tremendous amount of forage in the Great Basin region, such that producers have the wherewithal to carry cattle if they so choose," said John Ginzel, an analyst with Linn Group in Chicago. Mr. Ginzel said he thinks the number of cattle placed into commercial feedlots in October will be less than this time last year, in part due to the cheaper feed costs for smaller "backgrounding" yards, which take recently weaned calves and feed them forage to add a few hundred pounds to the animal's weight before sending them to the commercial "finishing" yards.

The average of the estimates for marketings was about 1.865 million head, or 1.5% above the same period a year ago.



Expert Panel Defines the Need to Harmonize Trichomoniasis Regulation and Testing Procedures

Life Technologies Corporation assembled a cross-section of industry stakeholder experts to discuss with state veterinarians the need for consensus on standardization of regulations and diagnostic laboratory testing methodology for trichomoniasis (trich) at the 2013 USAHA Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease in cattle with significant economic consequences to beef producers resulting from infertility and embryonic loss in cows and heifers. Bulls are the carrier of this disease but show no outward signs of infection. There’s no treatment for infected bulls, so diagnostic testing of bulls before exposure to females plays a crucial role in managing trich.

To control trich within and across state lines, states have regulations to help producers and veterinarians comply with health requirements. Unfortunately, there’s wide variation in these defined regulations and testing procedures among states, which causes confusion, additional handling of animals, and varying diagnostic test results, according to Jeff Baxter, Senior Product Manager, Life Technologies.

“Finding common ground on the harmonization of trich regulations and testing procedures would help beef producers economically by eliminating repeated or unnecessary testing and reducing the danger to animals and handlers,” said Baxter. “The primary goal of our conversations with state veterinarians is to build confidence with all stakeholders that the best diagnostic testing technology is being used to accurately identify trich-positive bulls. Defining the need for regulation harmonization and testing is the first point of clarity in this conversation accomplished in hosting this event. The next step is to find common ground with those states open to building consensus on points of agreement. Working closely with state veterinarians, cattlemen’s associations, and their respective state diagnostic labs can help us arrive at solutions based on sound science that economically benefit beef producers.”

NCBA advocating for regulation harmonization
Kathy Simmons, DVM, chief veterinarian of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), said the association’s membership has directed the leadership to help facilitate the harmonization of trich regulations between states. She said NCBA recently compiled information on the various state trich regulations determining 50 percent (25 states) have regulations.

Simmons said these varying and ever-changing rules between states make compliance difficult for veterinarians and producers, who often plan cattle testing and movement in advance.

“Harmonized state trich regulations for the interstate movement of cattle would facilitate cattle movement at the speed of commerce,” Dr. Simmons said. “Well-defined, thoughtful and mutually accepted testing procedures for trich between adjoining states could eliminate redundant testing procedures and reduce the danger to animals and handlers from repeated or unnecessary testing.”

According to Baxter, individual state trich regulations often define which testing procedures are accepted. Most states accept culture or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results. Typically testing is done either by collecting up to three cultures during a three-week period or by providing a single culture for real-time PCR testing.

“Certainly, conducting one real-time PCR test as opposed to collecting three cultures is easier, less invasive and less dangerous for the animal and handler,” added Baxter. All 25 states with trich regulations have validated the use of PCR as an officially accepted diagnostic test. Because of better technology improvements in the overall laboratory workflow, some states have taken the next step in defining PCR as the only official test allowed for compliance.

New Kansas trich regulations require PCR testing
Bill Brown, DVM, Kansas Animal Health Commissioner, spoke about the state’s recent enactment of new, more comprehensive trich regulations for the intrastate change of ownership and interstate movement and diagnostic testing of cattle. Dr. Brown appointed a trich working group comprised of four veterinarians and four beef producers to spearhead the evaluation in improving the management of trich in the state of Kansas. The group, charged with developing science-based regulations, has gathered information and opinions from more than 2,200 livestock producers and industry professionals attending 30 meetings throughout the state.

Some of the most notable changes require veterinarians to be certified to test for trich, require 14 days of sexual rest for bulls, require all positive bulls to be slaughtered, and recognize real-time PCR as the only official diagnostic test accepted in the state.

“There was a lot of talk about cultures versus PCR testing,” said Dr. Brown. “Our working group wondered why producers and veterinarians were getting bulls in once a week for three weeks, when one PCR test will take care of it. At the end of the day, everyone was on board with doing a single PCR test, which most producers in Kansas are comfortable with.”

For more information about the new Kansas trich regulations, please visit the Kansas Department of Agriculture website.

Practicing veterinarian calls for testing standardization
From a hands-on perspective, practicing veterinarian Jeremy VanBoening, DVM, Republican Valley Animal Center in Alma, Neb., shared his insight being on the front line of dealing with varying state trich regulations, accepted testing procedures, and a wide array of recommended sample-handling procedures for trich. Beginning in 2008, trich cases in Nebraska noticeably increased for about two years, prompting the Nebraska Cattlemen Association to discuss how best to protect its members’ herds, resulting in the implementation of state regulations for trich.

VanBoening has discovered great variability in recommended sample-handling protocols among state diagnostic laboratories. Labs varied on whether or not samples needed to be incubated, whether or not to put on ice, how the samples are shipped and the labs’ preferred collection media. VanBoening says standardizing lab recommendations for sample collection and handling would greatly improve the quality of samples submitted for testing.

“States also need to come to agreement on adopting only the best diagnostic testing technology available, which I believe is quantitative PCR using chemical lysis and internal controls,” said Dr. VanBoening. “We need our diagnostic labs to use these workflow procedures to ensure we’re getting back the very best tests results possible. And most importantly, we need to keep increasing veterinarian and producer awareness about the economic impact of trich with the goal of keeping everyone vigilant in managing this disease.”

Baxter said Life Technologies is excited to collaborate with all stakeholders in the beef industry to open the dialog on the need for harmonization of trich regulations.

“It’s clear from these conversations there is a movement to find common ground for developing consistent trich regulations, sample handling and testing procedures across states with the goal of building confidence in the testing process among veterinarians and producers,” concluded Baxter.



Weekly Ethanol Production for 11/15/2013

According to EIA data, ethanol production averaged 904,000 barrels per day (b/d) — or 37.97 million gallons daily. That is down 23,000 b/d from the week before. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 911,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 13.97 billion gallons.

Stocks of ethanol stood at 15.1 million barrels. That is a 0.5% decrease from last week.

Imports of ethanol were zero b/d for the seventh straight week.

Gasoline demand for the week averaged 374.8 million gallons daily.

Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production was 10.13%.

On the co-products side, ethanol producers were using 13.707 million bushels of corn to produce ethanol and 100,889 metric tons of livestock feed, 89,943 metric tons of which were distillers grains. The rest is comprised of corn gluten feed and corn gluten meal. Additionally, ethanol producers were providing 4.71 million pounds of corn oil daily.



China Rejects U.S. Corn Shipment Due to Unauthorized GM Content

China has rejected a cargo of the grain from the United States as it contained a genetically modified variety that has not been approved by Beijing, traders said. According to Reuters, the discovery of Syngenta AG's Agrisure Viptera corn in the shipment dragged on global prices and unnerved some Chinese buyers as it raised the spectre of other rejections.

But most traders said these were unlikely and that the move would not have much long-term impact on flows of grain to China from the U.S. They said the strain, also known as MIR 162, is set to be approved by China soon and is already shipped to destinations such as top corn importer Japan, the European Union and Mexico.

The GMO discovery comes at a time of soaring U.S. corn imports by China as Beijing grapples with record-high domestic corn prices and rising demand for food.

Traders in China said the cargo of between 55,000 and 60,000 tonnes has already been unloaded at the port of Shekou in the southern province of Guangdong. The buyer was a state-owned trading house and the shipment may have to be re-loaded for transport to Japan or South Korea, they said.

The local quarantine authority rejected the shipment after finding the unapproved GMO strain in samples, traders said. Shenzhen's quarantine bureau, which refused a U.S. corn cargo in 2010 after finding traces of unapproved GMO, declined to make immediate comment.



Dow AgroSciences Receives U.S. EPA Registration for POWERCORE

Farmers need superior technology to feed a growing world, and Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), continues to provide it through products like POWERCORE™, a new corn trait technology, that just received registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This innovative trait technology will provide the latest above-ground insect protection in corn via three different modes of action. POWERCORE Refuge Advanced® will be launched as early as the 2015 growing season.

It will be offered as a refuge-in-the-bag product for planting convenience and refuge compliance, and will be stacked with the latest in herbicide-tolerant technology, pending regulatory approvals. Corn growers can expect to see POWERCORE in future demonstration plots. Dow AgroSciences previously launched POWERCORE in Brazil and Argentina in 2012, and the product is excelling in the marketplace as farmers look for sustainable solutions that help them maximize yield.

“Having product options is important to corn growers, and POWERCORE will be an outstanding choice for growers looking for superior above-ground pest control,” says Ben Kaehler, U.S. Seeds general manager, Dow AgroSciences. “POWERCORE will control a wide range of yield-robbing insects so growers can get the most out of every corn acre.”

Complementary to the company’s SmartStax® technology, POWERCORE will offer the broadest above-ground spectrum of insect control available, multiple modes of action for improved efficacy, and be offered in the latest and most elite genetics. A 5 percent refuge in the Corn Belt and 20 percent in the Cotton Belt is another key attribute farmers will appreciate.