Tuesday December 31 Ag News

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION- DECEMBER UPDATE

For the month of December 2013, temperatures averaged near normal across central and western counties, while being 4 to 6 degrees below normal across northern and southeastern areas, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Precipitations in the form of snow occurred early and again late in the month, but most accumulations were light. This left many stalk fields open for grazing, with forage supplies adequate in most areas. Drought conditions continue across much of the western half of the state. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 8 percent very short, 25 short, 67 adequate, and 0 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 14 percent very short, 30 short, 56 adequate, and 0 surplus.
 
Field Crops Report:
Winter wheat condition rated 0 percent very poor, 4 poor, 31 fair, 58 good, 7 excellent. 
 
Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Stock water supplies rated 5 percent very short, 10 short, 85 adequate, and 0 surplus.  

Hay and forage supplies rated 0 percent very short, 5 short, 91 adequate, 4 surplus.

Cattle and calves condition rated 0 percent very poor, 1 poor, 7 fair, 88 good, 4 excellent.

Sheep and lambs condition rated 0 percent very poor, 0 poor, 7 fair, 89 good, 4 excellent.  

Access the High Plains Region Climate Center for Temperature and Precipitation Maps at: http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current/index.php?action=update_region&state=NE&region=HPRCC

Access the U.S. Drought Monitor at: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DM_state.htm?NE,HP




Winter Hay Feeding Losses
Larry Howard, UNL Extension Educator, Cuming County

Winter hay feeding season for livestock has begun and several livestock owners are feeding big round bales. They make the job much easier. Large bale feeding systems are designed to minimize labor but not waste. So how much of that hay are you throwing away? Depending on the feeding method, feeding losses can reach as high as 30-35 percent.  Producers would not dream of throwing away one third of the hay are feeding to their horses or cows.

Large bales fed free-choice without a rack or feeder in muddy conditions can result in forage losses as high as 45%.  That’s what happens when livestock are allowed unlimited access to hay. Livestock trample, over-consume, foul on, and use for bedding 25% to 45% of the hay when it is fed with no restrictions or is not processed. Take a look to see how much hay is on the outside of the feeder and being wasted.

Hay loss and waste can be reduced by managing how often we feed and by the type of hay feeder we use. If hay is fed free choice, animals will over consume. Daily feeding forces animals to eat hay they might otherwise refuse, over-consume, trample and waste. Livestock waste less hay when the amount fed is limited to what is needed each day. One fourth more hay is needed when a four-day supply is fed with free access.

While you may want to restrict the number of bales offered at one time, you should make sure that there is enough space for all animals to access the forage. Otherwise, the more aggressive animals will eat first and consume the more desirable hay, and animals that are more timid will be forced to eat the lower quality hay or go hungry.

Feeding hay in a rack or a round bale feeder limits the opportunity animals have to trample or soil hay, and reduces waste substantially. The least feeding losses occur when hay is fed with a rack or bale feeder that forces the animal to turn its head when backing away from the feeder. When animals can back straight out of a feeder, they can pull out large chunks of hay that drop on the ground and are lost as feed.

Research at the University of Nebraska and Michigan State University has shown the following percentages of feed waste for these common feeder types.
·    3.3% cone feeder
·    5.9% ring feeder with skirt
·    9% rack feeders
·    11.1% trailer feeder
·    14.2% cradle feeder

Long feeders are less effective than round or square feeders because boss animals will push others back by walking down the long feeder, interrupting their feeding and reducing their intake.  While some losses will always occur, keeping losses to a minimum can reduce feed costs, resulting in more efficient use of forages and saving money too.



Webinar to Detail New USDA Cover Crop Termination Policy

More than ever before, farmers are planting cover crops because they retain soil moisture, reduce erosion, and maximize profitability. Given these, and other, recognized conservation benefits of cover crops, USDA directed an interagency task force to put together cover crop termination guidelines so farmers who adopt this practice do not lose their crop insurance coverage.

The webinar will be 2-3:30 p.m. Jan. 23.  Register online and further details on accessing the site will be emailed to you.

This webinar will feature short presentations by experts in cover crops and crop insurance policy. They will explain the new cover crop termination guidelines and then answer any questions from webinar participants about how these new guidelines will affect farmers on the ground.

Speakers include:
    Rob Myers – Regional Director of Extension Programs, North Central SARE
    Tim Hoffmann – Director of Product Administration and Standards, Risk Management Agency
    Norm Widman – National Agronomist, Natural Resources Conservation Service
    Jeff Schahczenski – Ag Policy and Funding Research Director, National Center for Appropriate Technology

The webinar is funded in part by the USDA Risk Management Agency through the Risk Management Education Partnership Program.



Year-End Sees MAP Lower Again; Rest of Fertilizer Prices Steady

For the second week in a row, MAP is continuing to push lower while remaining fertilizer prices are holding steady, according to retailers tracked by DTN for the fourth week of December.  Seven of the eight major fertilizers notched lower prices compared to last month. MAP was the only with a noteworthy change and was 6% lower compared to the fourth week of November. The phosphorus fertilizer averaged $526 per ton. 

Six fertilizers showed fairly minor price decreases. DAP had an average price of $496 per ton, potash $478/ton, 10-34-0 was at $508/ton, anhydrous $625/ton, UAN28 $317/ton and UAN32 $364/ton.  The remaining fertilizer edged higher from last month, but again the move was fairly slight. Urea had an average price of $450/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.49/lb.N, anhydrous $0.38/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 year-end 2012.  UAN32 is now down 13%, UAN28 is 16% less expensive and 10-34-0 is 18% lower. MAP, DAP, potash and urea are all now 23% less expensive while anhydrous is 28% less expensive compared to last year.



Oil Ends the Year at $98

(AP) -- The price of oil retreated from its recent high to end the year at $98.42 Tuesday.

The price fell 87 cents from Monday's close and was down from Friday's settlement of $100.32, the first triple-digit close since Oct. 18.

Recently, a stronger dollar has been keeping a cap on oil prices by making commodities like oil priced in dollars more expensive for traders using other currencies. On Tuesday, the euro was down to $1.3754 from $1.3793 late Monday in New York.

When traders come back in the new year, they will be monitoring the amount of oil reserves in the nation. Crude stockpiles have fallen for four straight weeks but still remain 9.2 percent higher than five-year averages.

At the gas pump, the average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.32. That's up 6 cents from a week ago, and up 3 cents from this time last year.

Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, was down 41 cents at $110.80 a barrel on the ICE exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on Nymex:
--- Wholesale gasoline lost 2 cents to $2.79 per gallon.
--- Heating oil was unchanged at $3.08 per gallon.
--- Natural gas fell 20 cents to $4.23 per 1,000 cubic feet.



This Year, Resolve to Run for the NCGA 2015 Corn Board

The National Corn Growers Association Nominating Committee is accepting applications for the 2015 Corn Board, but interested members need to act quickly to meet the January 10 deadline.  Through the Corn Board, members can become an integral part of the organization's leadership.  Click here for the application, which provides complete information on requirements, responsibilities and deadlines.

"Through my years on the Corn Board, I have had the pleasure of working with the wealth of talented, dedicated volunteers who step forward to lead this organization," said NCGA and Nominating Committee Chairwoman Pam Johnson. "The willingness of our volunteer leadership plays an integral role in ensuring NCGA's continued success, and I urge anyone interested to further explore this opportunity. As a true grassroots organization, we rely upon farmers to volunteer for leadership, helping to shape policy and drive efforts. Serving on the Corn Board allows farmers a chance to build a better future for the industry and become an active force for change."

The NCGA Corn Board represents the organization on all matters while directing both policy and supervising day-to-day operations.  Board members serve the organization in a variety of ways.  They represent the federation of state organizations, supervise the affairs and activities of NCGA in partnership with the chief executive officer and implement NCGA policy established by the Corn Congress. Members also act as spokespeople for the NCGA and enhance the organization's public standing on all organizational and policy issues.

Applications are due Friday, January 10. Nominated candidates will be introduced at the March 2014 Corn Congress meeting, held in conjunction with the Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas. Corn Board members will be elected at the July 2014 Corn Congress in Washington, D.C., and the new terms begin Oct. 1.

For more information, growers may contact Kathy Baker at NCGA's St. Louis office at (636) 733-9004.