Thursday December 12 Ag News

 Nebraska Cattlemen Members Elect New Leadership

With the 2013 Nebraska Cattlemen Convention, which was held December 4-6th in Kearney, under the boots of Nebraska Cattlemen members, NC is proud to announce the newly elected leadership for the 2014 year.   The following are the newly elected or appointed:

Officers
    President – Jeff Rudolph, Gothenburg
    President-Elect – Dave McCracken, Friend
    Vice President – Barb Cooksley, Anselmo
    Past President – Dale Spencer, Brewster

Council Leadership
    Cow-Calf Chairman – Jaclyn Wilson-Demel, Lakeside
    Cow-Calf Vice Chairman – Clark Gotschall, Atkinson
    Seedstock Vice Chairman – Dan Hunt, Oxford

Committee Leadership
    Education Chairman – Nancy Peterson, Gordon
    Marketing & Commerce Chairman – John J. Schroeder, Cozad
     Member Services Chairman – Gregg Wiedel, Hebron
    Nebraska CattleWomen Consumer Education and Promotion Chairman – Tammy Hansen, Burwell

Members Services Vice Chairman
    Region 1 – Jerry Underwood, Alliance
    Region 3 – Ron Coufal, Howells

“This year’s convention was a huge success. Not only was the time filled with great speakers and presentations, but constructive conversations were sparked by the membership”, said 2014 Nebraska Cattlemen President Jeff Rudolph. “As leadership, we look forward to serving Nebraska Cattlemen in 2014.”



Cattlemen Honor Industry Leaders

The 2013 Nebraska Cattlemen Annual Convention Banquet began on the evening of December 5th. The Master of Ceremonies, Craig Huffhines, Executive Vice President of the American Hereford Association, entertained the audience as he introduced industry leaders and speakers.

Governor Dave Heineman addressed the audience and the Sand County Foundation 2013 Leopold Conservation award winner was recognized. The Beel family of Johnstown was announced as the 2013 Leoplod Conservation Award winner on Earth Day at the State Capitol Building in Lincoln. 

Nebraska Cattlemen had the honor of presenting several great awards to individuals who have expressed exceptional dedication to the cattle industry while helping beef producers raise high quality beef. Kelli Loos of Litchfield was honored with the 2013 Cattlewoman of the Year award. Also, the Rural Radio Network as well as Paul Younes and Younes Hospitality, were both honored with the 2013 Nebraska Cattlemen Industry Service award. The Cattle Industry Service award recognizes those for their outstanding service to the Nebraska beef industry through their dedication and commitment to helping shape and provide for the beef industry.

The evening concluded with the Nebraska Cattlemen Hall of Fame honorees, Nebraska Cattlemen Past President and Nebraska CattleWomen Past President, David and Ann Bruntz of Friend. The Hall of Fame Award is Nebraska Cattlemen’s most prestigious award given to those individuals who have played a role in shaping, promoting and preserving the beef industry.

The evening ended with a live auction where buyers could choose to donate proceeds to the Cattlemen’s Relief Fund. Nebraska CattleWomen created centerpieces which could be bought with proceeds supporting the Cattlemen’s Relief Fund as well. At the end of the 2013 Nebraska Cattlemen Annual Convention, Nebraska Cattlemen was proud to announce that a total of over $9,800 was raised for the Cattlemen’s Relief Fund in support of those producers devastated by winter blizzard Atlas.

If you would like to support the relief fund, please send donations to Cattlemen’s Relief Fund, PO Box 1125, Chadron, NE 69337.



OMAHA TRIBE AG ED WORKSHOP TO BE HELD FEB 5 IN MACY

Thurston County FSA Executive Director Josie Waterbury announced today that the Thurston County Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska have partnered to host an agricultural education workshop.  The workshop is part of an initiative by the Omaha Tribal Council to provide agricultural education opportunities to their tribal members.  Agricultural land continues to provide a significant benefit to the Tribe, and educating members on local agricultural practices may help them individually capitalize on this valuable resource as well.

The agricultural education workshop will be held at the Nebraska Indian Community College (1111 Highway 75, Macy, Nebraska 68039) on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 from 8:30 am until approximately 1:00 pm.  The workshop is open to all Omaha Tribal members, and no registration is required.  Presenters include representatives from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Extension, Farm Service Agency, Rural Development, and Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District.  The following provides a brief overview of topics to be discussed during the workshop.

·  UNL Extension – Crop and livestock budgets, marketing, agronomy, and 4-H
·  Farm Service Agency – Program overview, farm loan resources, and role of County Committees
·  Rural Development – Program overview and resources/funding available 
·  Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District – Program overview, conservation, and resources/funding available
·  Additional topics include agricultural education opportunities, technical assistance, and resources/funds available for beginning farmers/ranchers

For more information, please contact the Thurston County FSA Office at 402-846-5655.



USDA Designates 44 Counties in Iowa as Primary Natural Disaster Areas with Assistance to Farmers and Ranchers in Adjacent States

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 44 counties in Iowa as primary natural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought. Those counties are:

Adair, Greene, Keokuk, Polk, Audubon, Gutherie, Lee, Poweshiek, Boone, Hamilton, Louisa, Sac, Buena Vista, Hardin, Lucas, Shelby, Calhoun, Henry, Madison, Story, Carroll, Howard, Mahaska, Tama, Chickasaw, Ida, Marion, Union, Clark, Iowa, Marshall, Wapello, Crawford, Jasper, Monroe, Warren, Dallas, Jefferson, Muscatine, Washington, Des Moines, Johnson, Pocahontas, Webster

Our hearts go out to those Iowa farmers and ranchers affected by recent natural disasters," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "President Obama and I are committed to ensuring that agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation's economy by sustaining the successes of America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities through these difficult times. We're also telling Iowa producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood."

Farmers and ranchers in the following counties in Iowa also qualify for natural disaster assistance because their counties are contiguous. Those counties are:

Adams, Clarke, Humboldt, Ringgold, Appanoose, Clay, Kossuth, Sac, Benton, Davis, Linn, Scott, Black Hawk, Decatur, Lucas, Story, Boone, Fayette, Madison, Taylor, Bremer, Floyd, Mitchell, Union, Buena Vista, Franklin, Monona, Van Buren, Butler, Greene, O'Brien, Warren, Calhoun, Grundy, Palo Alto, Wayne, Carroll, Hamilton, Pocahontas, Webster, Cass, Hardin, Pottawattamie, Winneshiek, Cedar, Harrison, Wright, Woodbury, Cherokee. 



NORTHEY BUDGET REQUEST FOCUSES ON WATER QUALITY

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today requested $6.65 million for the Iowa water quality initiative and $1 million to support urban conservation in a public meeting with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds as part of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s fiscal 2015 budget request.

The Department received $2.4 million for the current fiscal year to support the initiative as well as $20 million in one-time appropriations to support conservation and water quality improvements in Iowa.

“I appreciate the strong support the Governor, Lt. Gov. and Legislature have shown for voluntary, science based conservation efforts and this request is designed to help us build on progress we have made to this point,” Northey said.  “This level of funding would put the water quality initiative at the same level as the soil conservation cost share program we have operated for decades.  And, the $1 million for an urban conservation program would help engage Iowans living in our towns and cities in conservation efforts.”

The Water Quality Initiative funding would allow the Department to continue and expand its work to address the quality of our streams and water resources in a scientific, reasonable and cost effective manner.  Funds would prioritize cost share programs in targeted watersheds and allow flexibility to incentivize statewide practice implementation.

The urban conservation funding would support a robust effort to improve water quality through cost-sharing implementation of urban best practices and Low Impact Development (LID) strategies.  The program would enhance urban education and outreach efforts by funding two Urban Conservation Coordinators through a fifteen-percent administration fee.

“I appreciate the opportunity to outline this proposal for the Governor and Lt. Governor and I look forward to working with them and the Legislature to keep moving Iowa’s water quality efforts forward,” Northey said.

Northey also requested $1.2 million to support the closure of eight additional agriculture drainage wells.  Otherwise, the Department requested a status quo budget that covers required increases in personnel and benefit costs for employees.



House Passes Farm Law Extension

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House has passed an extension of farm law until the end of January as lawmakers try to finish work on a new five-year farm bill.  The House passed the extension amid fears that the expiration of dairy subsidies at the end of the year will cause milk prices to rise. But Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has assured Congress that will not happen before the end of January.

Both the Senate and the House have passed farm bills this year, but they differ on how much to cut the nation's food stamp program and how to restructure farm subsidies.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said the Senate will not pass an extension because it is unnecessary. Some senators argue an extension could reduce pressure to pass a farm bill.



Pacific Rim Trade Negotiations Will Continue in 2014

The latest round of Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations concluded last week in Singapore with “great momentum,” according to United States Trade Representative Michael Froman. Few details have been provided, but the negotiations reportedly focused on trade rules and market access. TPP negations aim to provide the participating countries with free trade agreements that would give the U.S. a link to rapidly growing economies and populations in countries of the Asian Pacific region. All of the countries involved hope to not only reduce barriers to trade, but also set higher standards in areas such as labor and intellectual property rights protections. With no full agreement reached in Singapore, it appears the negotiators will not meet their stated goal of completing the TPP by the end of 2013. The next round of negotiations is scheduled to take place next month.



Coburn, Feinstein Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Eliminate Corn Ethanol Mandate

Today, U.S. Senators Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced with eight cosponsors The Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act of 2013.  The bill, cosponsored by Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Corker, (R-TN), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Patrick Toomey (R-PA), eliminates the corn ethanol mandate within the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which requires a yearly increase in the amount of renewable fuel that must be blended into the total volume of gasoline refined and consumed in the United States.  The RFS, which was first enacted in 2005 and then expanded in 2007, requires refiners and blenders to use 16.55 billion gallons of renewable fuel in 2013.

“The time to end the corn ethanol mandate has arrived,” Dr. Coburn said. “This misguided policy has cost taxpayers billions of dollars, increased fuel prices and made our food more expensive.  Eliminating this mandate will let market forces, rather than political and parochial forces, determine how to diversify fuel supplies in an ever-changing marketplace.  I’m grateful my colleagues on both sides of aisle are prepared to take this long-overdue step to protect consumers and taxpayers from artificially high fuel and food prices.”

“I am pleased to join Senator Coburn and others on a bill to eliminate the federal corn ethanol mandate from the Renewable Fuel Standard, while maintaining provisions designed to grow the low-carbon biofuel industry,”Senator Feinstein said.  Under the corn ethanol mandate in the RFS, roughly 44 percent of U.S. corn is diverted from food to fuel, pushing up the cost of food and animal feed and damaging the environment. Oil companies are also unable to blend more corn ethanol into gasoline without causing problems for automobiles, boats and other vehicles. I strongly support requiring a shift to low-carbon advanced biofuel, including biodiesel, cellulosic ethanol and other revolutionary fuels. But a corn ethanol mandate is simply bad policy.”



Feinstein/Coburn Bill = Oil Monopoly Protection Act

The Renewable Fuels Association called out the “Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act of 2013” introduced today by Senators Feinstein (D-CA) and Coburn (R-OK).

Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), responded to the introduction of legislation that would eliminate the corn ethanol portion of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), stating, “This is monumentally stupid. This legislation ought to be entitled ‘The Oil Monopoly Protection Act of 2013.’ This bill would deprive Americans of cost-saving, renewable fuel choice. It would set this country back in its quest to gain energy independence and further damage the environment by increasing the need for fracking, tar sands, and off-shore drilling.”

Dinneen continued, “What makes this bill so nonsensical is its timing. Farmers across this country have just finished harvesting the single largest corn crop in history. Corn surpluses are headed higher and corn prices headed lower. In some areas corn prices have already fallen below the cost of production, and below where corn prices were on the day President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act in 2007 into law ($4.34/bushel). This legislation would take away demand for corn at a time when farmers need it most. It would increase farm program costs and destabilize this country’s agricultural industry.”

Senator Feinstein says she supports next generation biofuels, but this bill undermines that commitment. Dinneen explained, “By removing first generation ethanol from the RFS, the foundation will be pulled out from underneath cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels. Investors will turn their attention to incumbent fuels because the infrastructure needed to deliver future fuels and the market for them will evaporate if this bill would ever become law. Market uncertainty and lack of infrastructure is the enemy of innovation and job creation.”

In conclusion, Dinneen warned, “I would caution Members of Congress and others tempted by this bill’s superficial, Oil-centric, deeply misguided intent. The price to be paid for passage is higher gas prices, increased harsh environmental damage, job loss, and a brutal blow to rural economies. No one wins with this legislation, except Big Oil and the cheap corn caucus that has benefited from decades of government-subsidized feedstock.”



U.S. Pork Center of Excellence Launches Web-Based National Swine Reproduction Guide

The U.S. Pork Center of Excellence (USPCE) has launched the new National Swine Reproduction Guide, a web-based application designed to help troubleshoot swine reproductive problems.  This innovative, user-friendly management guide contains extensive information and support for pork producers, including more than 1,000 fact sheets and references.

"This guide is designed to help producers identify the source of reproductive problems in their herds and, through research-based fields, provide information directly related to problems," said Chris Hostetler, animal science director for the Pork Checkoff.

The National Swine Reproduction Guide is available as a web application and is easily accessed through personal computers, smart phones and tablets. Its portability makes the guide readily convenient for use anywhere.

The guide uses a reproductive decision tree specifically designed in an easy-to-use format with simple navigation. The decision tree begins with three categories: gilts, sows and boars (semen). After selecting a category, producers can choose from a list of potential issues, such as "low farrowing rate" or "too small of a gilt pool." The decision tree then narrows the search on the issue through a series of available questions. After choosing the question that best fits the original problem, an answer is provided in the form of a fact sheet with viewable references.

The National Swine Reproduction Guide can be purchased at the USPCE's Pork Store. The price is $75 annually for producers in the U.S. and Canada, $500 annually for foreign licenses and free for professors for classroom use



Visiting Social Media Team Feeds Consumer Opinions in South Korea
Today we have “citizen-journalists”, each carrying a smart phone with a Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest account, giving personal observations to their family, friends and followers. There are few places in the world where these citizen-journalists play a more important role than in South Korea, particularly with 20-somethings who eschew traditional media for personal observations.

Recently, five such social media journalists traveled to the United States as guests of checkoff contractor U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF)-Korea to get a firsthand look at the American beef industry, from ranches to research and development facilities. The objective is to develop a fact-based view among young Koreans who have never seen the wide-open ranges where cattle graze in the U.S., or the real cowboys who tend them.

“The few stories that reach consumers through the Internet about livestock in the United States tend to focus on the sensational,” says USMEF-Korea Director Jihae Yang. “Our intent is to develop a core of people who speak with firsthand knowledge and share photos and stories that show the environment where U.S. beef is raised is very healthy and natural, and that the product is safe, wholesome and delicious.”

With financial support from the USDA Market Access Program (MAP) and the Beef Checkoff Program, applications were solicited from Korean college students through the American Meat Story page on Facebook. From 67 applications, five were selected based on their proposed media plans.

The students participated in an ambitious schedule that included visits to two cattle ranches, the Agriculture Research Development & Education Center at Colorado State University, and USMEF’s Denver office for a briefing on the U.S. cattle production system, attributes of grain-fed American beef, and the role of USMEF.

The week-long experience, which included participation in a two-hour cattle drive and a variety of cuisines featuring U.S. beef, resulted in 85 real-time postings by the participants on Facebook, blogs and YouTube, including visual images and videos.

“These postings drew a high level of interest from the students’ peers,” says Yang. “They have thousands of Facebook friends who were closely watching the real-time, real-life stories. These were particularly credible because it was a friend and peer of theirs who saw, heard and experienced the things that were being posted on Facebook.”

“It was fun to meet the cowboys who take genuine effort to care for cattle in a huge ranch with great sunshine, and researchers who study to develop better and healthier feed for cattle,” said one of the student-journalists. “And last but not least, the chefs who make delicious food with beef.”

The visiting students were amazed by the broad expanse of the American countryside and the amount of space that cattle have to graze here in the United States – contrary to images conjured by the “factory farming” stories about American agriculture. They also were delighted to learn that cowboys are more than a movie creation.

“There are people who ride horses and whistle to lead cattle in the right direction and to avoid giving them stress,” says another student-journalist. “America is where they raise only 1,000 cattle on a huge piece of land. They take genuine care of the cattle.”

Yang notes that it was South Korean consumers in their early 20s who were among the most vocal groups at the candlelight vigil protesting U.S. beef in 2008. This group of young trendy opinion leaders is very active with social networking services (SNS), with an estimated 93 percent of them owning a smart phone. One Korean survey showed that 88 percent of this group trust the information they receive through SNS.

“College students are a key marketing target for major companies in Korea these days,” says Yang. “Not only do they provide fresh ideas and an opportunity to see the current situation from a new perspective, but they are the customers of the future. The comments from the participants in our program were very positive. The most important comment was ‘I want U.S. beef.’”

Through the first 10 months of 2013, South Korea is the No. 6 market for U.S. beef in volume (188.4 million pounds) and the No. 5 market in value at $479.5 million, an increase of 4 percent in value over 2012 on 16 percent lower volumes.