Tuesday January 7 Ag News

Montgomery Gentry to perform at 2014 Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska

The country music duo Montgomery Gentry will headline the entertainment at the 2014 Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska, which will be held June 6-7 at Hoot Owl Ranch, near Harrisburg, in Banner County in the Nebraska Panhandle.

The duo, which includes Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, has had 14 Top 10 singles, including five No. 1 hits – “Something to be Proud of,” “If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” “Lucky Man,” “Back When I Knew It All” and “Roll With Me.”

Even though Montgomery Gentry has sold millions of albums, performed at dozens of sold out shows, and won scores of awards and accolades, the duo remains in touch with its working class roots and is able to empathize with the common man.

“We are blue collar workers and we lived the songs that we sing,” Gentry said.  “People can associate themselves with our songs.”

In 2010, Montgomery Gentry received the Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Country Music for being active participants in many charitable organizations and for devoting their time and energy into making the needs of others a priority.

The Montgomery Gentry concert will be held on June 7 following the evening dinner for all ball attendees. A dance following the concert will conclude this year’s ball.

The Cattlemen’s Ball is hosted annually by a different Nebraska family involved in the beef industry. Its mission is to raise money for cancer research, while showcasing rural Nebraska and promoting beef as part of a healthy diet. Since it began in 1998, the Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska has raised more than $9.73 million. The goal for the 2014 event is to raise $2.5 million for cancer research and local medical causes.

As in past years, 90 percent of the proceeds will go to the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center with the remaining 10 percent earmarked toward regional medical organizations.

Host families for this year’s event will be Kenny and Misty Stauffer along with the ranch owners Jeff and Kathy May.  Co-chairs are Jeff Heldt and Monty Stoddard. The theme for the event will be “Corral a Cure for Cancer.”

The two-day celebration is open to the public and will include both silent and live auctions, a style show, golf tournament and art show.

A Trail Boss ticket for both days of the event costs $350 and includes a Friday social, private champagne reception and brunch on Saturday, plus preferred seating for the Saturday evening dinner and concert. A $75 Top Hand ticket provides admission for all events after 11 a.m. on Saturday and includes dinner, dance and the concert.

Tickets are on sale now at http://cattlemensball.com/ or by calling (308) 235-2289.



Iowa Corn and Danforth Plant Science Center Announce Research Cooperation

The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) and The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (Danforth Center), in St. Louis, Missouri, have announced a formal research cooperation to explore opportunities for innovation in nutrient utilization for Iowa’s corn farmers. The research cooperation has a goal of developing traits that will be used to improve farmer productivity and manage nutrients responsibly, which ICPB has identified as a priority area for research.   

“We are very pleased to partner with the Danforth Center. We are confident this cooperation will further strengthen the role of corn as the major US crop in a way that is environmentally sustainable,” said Rodney Williamson, Director of Research and Business Development of ICPB . “Corn growers have a proven track record of impressive productivity gains from utilizing new technologies and research through this cooperation has the potential to contribute to future corn production success.”

This is a partnership which offers reciprocal benefits. ICPB intends to commercialize results benefiting corn farmers while sharing technologies with the Danforth Center to support their efforts to improve the productivity and nutritional value of food security crops and to advance delivery to underserved regions of the world.

Paul Anderson, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for International Crop Improvement at the Danforth Center, added “We are grateful for this opportunity to participate in corn improvement research for the benefit of Iowa’s farmers, as well as to be able to leverage technology for humanitarian-based improvement of orphan food security crops in African countries.”



Iowans increasingly interested in how food is grown

Iowans are keenly interested in their food and how it’s grown, find claims made on food labels confusing and give farmers high marks for their ethical approach to animal care and environmental stewardship.

The results are courtesy of polling commissioned by the Iowa Food & Family Project (Iowa FFP). The annual Iowa consumer pulse survey, conducted recently by CampaignHQ of Brooklyn, queried 500 Iowans who are involved in health and fitness activities. Respondents were primarily female, highly affluent and educated and make the majority of their household’s food purchasing decisions. The survey’s margin of error was 4.3 percent. The survey findings included:

Interest in food among Iowans continues to spike, mirroring national trends.
-    85 percent of respondents said they think “often” or “sometimes” about how the food they eat is grown. While that percentage was nearly identical to Iowa FFP’s 2012 consumer pulse survey, intensity of interest increased substantially.
-    53 percent responded “often think about,” compared to 45 percent the previous year.

Iowans overwhelmingly approve of the job farmers do.
-    60 percent had a favorable impression of how farmers care for their cattle, hogs and poultry compared to just 8 percent unfavorable (32 percent were neutral/unsure).
-    48 percent had a positive impression about farmers as environmental stewards compared to 16 percent unfavorable and 36 percent were neutral or unsure.

As farming continues to evolve and change, so can perceptions, particularly when only 2 percent of Iowans are directly involved in the business of growing food.
-    73 percent of respondents said farmers balance doing the right thing with financial considerations while another 9 percent said farmers do the right thing regardless of the financial benefit. Just 18 percent believe farmers make decisions based solely on the bottom line.
-    Yet 39 percent say changes that have occurred in farming make them less trusting of how food is grown. 43 percent were unsure, while just 17 percent said the changes in farming made them more trusting of the business.

Aaron Putze, ISA communications director and Iowa FFP coordinator, says the findings affirm the Iowa FFP’s purpose and goals.

“Iowans want to be confident that the food and food ingredients they purchase are wholesome and safe, don’t harm the environment and are good for the local communities where they originate,” he said. “The Iowa Food & Family Project is a trusted resource, dedicated to increasing familiarity and confidence in how food is grown. We’ll act on these results by providing unique opportunities for farm families and their urban neighbors to become better acquainted.”

Additional findings from the Iowa Food & Family Project’s annual consumer pulse survey conducted Oct. 21-24, 2013.
·         Food topics of greatest interest to consumers are quality (45 percent), safety (22 percent) and price (14 percent). Slightly more than half of those surveyed said food safety issues concern them, up 14 points from the previous year.
·         When asked what farming topics are of most interest, 30 percent said what farmers do to protect air, soil and water quality followed by specific farming practices (23 percent) and agriculture’s impact on jobs and the state’s economy (22 percent).
·         While food labeling continues to generate buzz, Iowans are split on its perceived benefits. Forty-six percent of Iowans said food labels are helpful while 39 percent find the many claims posted on their food confusing. Fourteen percent were unsure.
·         Food labeled “local” ranked most appealing to respondents (66 percent) compared to “antibiotic-free” (44 percent), “organic” (36 percent) and “natural” (34 percent). For the record, virtually all U.S. meat is antibiotic-free as animals undergo strict withdrawal periods prior to slaughter to ensure no illegal residues remain at processing.
·         When seeking trustworthy information about the food they eat, respondents cited online resources (35 percent) followed by friends/family (16 percent), dieticians (14 percent) and grocery retailers (12 percent).



Iowa Soybean Association: Innovation will be key in 2014

Innovation will be the name of the game for farmers in 2014, say Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) leaders. As soybean farmers look to the new year, innovation will define progress on the following issues:

Conservation: The ISA helped develop the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and will continue to invest in research and programs focused on improving the adoption and success of conservation measures. Since 2000, the association has invested nearly $3.5 million in soybean checkoff funds for environmental programs and services.

“The goal is widespread adoption of methods outlined in the strategy,” explains ISA President Brian Kemp who farms near Sibley. “That means we must demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits to farmers.”

Some of these practices are expensive, and the ISA is interested in exploring additional cost-sharing and tax benefits to spur adoption. “We need to be innovative and figure out what it might take for these funding measures to work,” Kemp says.

The ISA also continues to monitor water quality, building on more than a decade of acquiring and analyzing data. The ISA’s Environmental Programs & Services and On-Farm Network® teams work with industry and academic partners to help farmers use data to implement conservation practices that improve water quality and soil health.

Exports: When it comes to international business, the soybean association hangs its hat on relationships: cultivating new opportunities and carefully maintaining current partners.

“Exports represent the single largest category for soybean sales. When it comes to exports, it’s all about those relationships with foreign buyers,” says Kemp. “We invest in trade delegations that allow Iowa farmers to meet with buyers, face-to-face, to discuss their farms and learn about buyers’ needs. Most important is when they arrive on my farm, allowing me the opportunity to show them the crops I grow and offer them a close look at the product they use.”

Several Iowa Soybean Association farmers and leaders serve on national export boards. ISA CEO Kirk Leeds was elected vice chairman of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) last fall. Laura Foell of Schaller, who is also involved with the United Soybean Board (USB), was elected USSEC secretary while John Heisdorffer of Keota and Past-USB Chairman Jim Stillman of Emmetsburg serve on the USSEC board. Heisdorffer is a current ISA board member, while Foell and Stillman have served on the ISA board of directors and are ex-officio members.

“Iowa is the leading producer of soybeans in the country and, understanding that nearly 60 percent of our crop is exported, anything we can do to help expedite the sale of soybeans for Iowa farmers is important,” says Leeds. “The soybean customers around the world recognize the Iowa brand, and this reinforces to customers that our state and nation are quality suppliers.”

Value-Added: Iowa leads the nation in the production of biodiesel with 12 biodiesel facilities capable of producing 315 million gallons annually. The ISA was concerned when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offered a proposal to scale back the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by 16 percent. The agency recommended reducing the amount of biodiesel, ethanol and advanced biofuels that must be blended in the nation’s fuel supply next year from 18.5 billion gallons to 15.2 billion gallons.

Iowa Biodiesel Board Executive Director Randy Olson was one of nearly two dozen biodiesel representatives who testified to the EPA last month. Olson told EPA officials to evaluate the biodiesel industry for what it is doing today, and what it can do for the country in the future.

“Don’t harm its potential by cutting our production in half next year,” he told EPA officials. “I urge you to establish a volume requirement at least consistent with this year’s projected production of 1.7 billion gallons.”

RFS volume numbers will be finalized later this year. The ISA has encouraged farmers to offer official comment regarding the proposal by visiting www.biodiesel.org and clicking the Fueling Action Letter Writing Campaign link.  The comment deadline is Jan. 28.

Outreach: Nearly 40 Iowa farm groups, food retailers and dedicated partners are working together to increase the confidence of food purchasers in today’s farms and how food is grown. The Iowa Food & Family Project, launched in 2011 by the ISA, provides unique opportunities for farmers and their urban neighbors to become better acquainted while encouraging continuous dialogue about specific farming practices and food safety.

A new chapter in the “Join My Journey” saga will launch this year featuring “Iowa Girl Eats” blogger Kristin Porter. She’ll visit new destinations, bringing farming’s story to life for her nearly 55,000 Facebook fans and more than 2 million readers. Stay tuned to iowafoodandfamily.com for opportunities to join Porter on her journey.

“Today’s technology enables consumers to seek more information about the sources of the food they are eating and to be more involved in the conversation,” says Leeds. “The more we engage and listen to consumers, the better we will be able meet their desires for safe, affordable and nutritious food while building greater trust in today’s farms and food systems.”



USDA Extends Deadline for Conservation Stewardship Applications

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has extended the deadline for new enrollments in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for fiscal year 2014. Producers interested in participating in the program can submit applications to NRCS through Feb. 7, 2014.

“Extending the enrollment deadline will make it possible for more farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to apply for this important Farm Bill conservation program,” NRCS Chief Jason Weller said. “Through their conservation actions, these good stewards are ensuring that their operations are more productive and sustainable over the long run and CSP can help them take their operations to the next level of natural resource management.”

Weller said today's announcement is another example of USDA's comprehensive focus on promoting environmental conservation and strengthening the rural economy, and it is a reminder that a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill is pivotal to continue these efforts. CSP is now in its fifth year and so far, NRCS has partnered with producers to enroll more than 59 million acres across the nation.

The program emphasizes conservation performance — producers earn higher payments for higher performance. In CSP, producers install conservation enhancements to make positive changes in soil quality, soil erosion, water quality, water quantity, air quality, plant resources, animal resources and energy use.

Eligible landowners and operators in all states and territories can enroll in CSP through Feb. 7 to be eligible during fiscal 2014. While local NRCS offices accept CSP applications year round, NRCS evaluates applications during announced ranking periods. To be eligible for this year’s enrollment, producers must have their applications submitted to NRCS by the closing date.

A CSP self-screening checklist is available to help producers determine if the program is suitable for their operation. The checklist highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, stewardship threshold requirements and payment types.

Learn more about CSP by visiting the NRCS website or any local USDA service center.



DAP, MAP Continue to Shift Lower

Retail fertilizer prices tracked by DTN for the last week of 2013 showed a couple fertilizers on the decline while the others remained fairly steady.  Seven of the eight major fertilizers had lower prices compared to last month. DAP and MAP were the only two with noteworthy changes. DAP was 5% lower compared to a month earlier while MAP was 6% less expensive. DAP had an average price of $494 per ton while MAP was at $519 per ton.  Five other fertilizers had fairly slight price decreases. Potash had an average price of $476/ton, 10-34-0 was at $507/ton, anhydrous $620/ton, UAN28 $316/ton and UAN32 $362/ton.

The remaining fertilizer was higher from last month, but again the move to the high side was fairly insignificant. 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 December 2012.  UAN32 is now down 13%, UAN28 is 15% less expensive and 10-34-0 is 16% lower. MAP, DAP, potash and urea are all now 23% less expensive while anhydrous is 28% less expensive compared to last year.



New Statistical Analysis Shows RINs Have No Impact on Retail Gas Prices

Retail gasoline prices were unaffected by the erratic surge in prices for Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits in 2013, according to a detailed statistical analysis conducted by Informa Economics, Inc. and released today by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA).

“Changes in prices of renewable identification numbers (RINs) did not cause changes in retail gasoline prices in 2013,” according to a 7-page report summarizing Informa’s analysis. “Retail gasoline prices were driven primarily by movements in crude oil prices and secondarily by changes in the spread between domestic and international crude oil prices and the level of vehicle miles driven in the U.S., which varies seasonally.”

In essence, a RIN is a unique “serial number” used under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) regulation to commemorate the production of one gallon of ethanol. The RIN is attached to the gallon of ethanol at the point of production and generally remains affixed to the gallon throughout the supply chain. Thus, when a blender or refiner purchases a gallon of ethanol, it is also receiving the attached RIN (at no additional cost). The RIN is separated from the gallon when the ethanol is physically blended with gasoline by an obligated refiner or blender. At this point, the RIN becomes an instrument for demonstrating compliance with annual RFS blending requirements.

Informa’s analysis uses accepted and proven statistical methods to examine whether any type of causal relationship existed between RIN prices and retail gas prices in 2013. The results of the statistical tests revealed no relationship. “Although retail gasoline prices and RIN prices both increased in early 2013 and remained elevated (though volatile) during the middle of the year, this was mainly coincidental, and upon closer examination it can be determined that these changes generally occurred for different reasons,” the report concluded. “In fact, the increase in gasoline price early in the year actually pre-dated the increase in RIN prices.”

Commenting on the report, RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen said, “This analysis should put to rest the oil industry’s ridiculous assertion that RINs somehow affect the retail price of gasoline at the pump. The bottom line is that RINs are free for refiners who purchase and blend required volumes of ethanol with gasoline. Only those refiners who stubbornly refuse to blend required ethanol volumes have a need to buy RINs on the open market; and in the highly competitive gasoline marketplace, there is no way they can pass those costs on to consumers and remain competitive with refiners and blenders who are blending more ethanol than required. Some refiners and blenders are actually profiting from the sale of RINs. The market is essentially a closed loop, with some participants incurring costs and others reaping profits. In the end, it’s a zero sum game, and the price a consumer pays for gasoline is unaffected.”

Dinneen continued, “Unfortunately, some key decision-makers appear to have bought into Big Oil’s threats and sham analysis suggesting that higher RIN prices will lead to higher retail fuel prices. This report from Informa Economics sets the record straight and should clear up any remaining confusion about the relationship, or lack thereof, between RINs and gas prices. Energy policy and regulation should be guided by science and thoughtful analysis, not Big Oil’s bombastic talking points.”

The Informa report, commissioned by the RFA, is available here... http://ethanolrfa.3cdn.net/5b92d3a4ba07986622_e0m6b1prr.pdf.  



Smithfield Asks Growers to Move Sows to Group Housing by 2022

(AP) -- Smithfield Foods is recommending that its contract growers phase out the practice of keeping female hogs in small metal crates while pregnant.  The world's largest pork producer said Tuesday that it is asking the growers to move pregnant sows from gestation crates to group housing by 2022.

Smithfield has been criticized for continuing to breed sows in the crates that severely restrict the animals' movement.

The company previously announced that it was phasing out the practice at its U.S. facilities by 2017. It has transitioned 54 percent of its pregnant sows to group housing so far.  Smithfield's international hog production operations also remain on track to complete its conversion away from gestation crates by 2022.



DuPont Pioneer Gives Growers Tools To Manage Cold Stress in Corn

DuPont Pioneer researchers are working to help growers understand the risks of planting in cold, wet seedbeds and mitigate those challenges with corn hybrids that tolerate less-than-ideal soil conditions. Many Pioneer® brand hybrids feature strong stress emergence scores, which indicate a relative ability to emerge in cooler conditions, tolerate early-season challenges and give growers the opportunity to produce high yields.

“Stress emergence isn’t just a trait for northern growers,” notes Imad Saab, senior DuPont biotech business affairs manager. Saab has been on the forefront of stress emergence work at Pioneer for more than a decade. “This is a valuable trait for growers everywhere who are planting corn earlier or into cool, damp soils. With the rise in no-till or minimal-tillage systems, more corn is being planted into inhospitable soils.”

Growers in northern states are aware of cold stress issues. Saab reports many questions about stress emergence come from states farther south.

“Growers in the south can start planting in March or possibly late February if conditions allow it,” Saab says. “In Kentucky, for example, early-planted corn can experience cold, wet conditions, particularly in no-till environments. Soils can remain cold and damp for weeks after planting.” These conditions can significantly reduce the number of emerged plants.

“We’re leveraging the genetic diversity of corn and cutting-edge molecular breeding tools to improve stress tolerance in hybrids,” Saab says. “We identify germplasm that tolerates cold and water logging better, and we use this information to enrich our corn lineup with hybrids that excel in early-season performance.”

Because corn historically is a warm-weather crop, finding strong cold tolerance in germplasm collections isn’t easy. It takes diligent research and the ability to evaluate massive numbers of genetic lines in combination with molecular breeding tools.

“We’ve tackled the problem with good, old-fashioned field selection in the past,” Saab says. “In recent years, we’ve added predictive lab testing capabilities along with molecular markers to enrich our pipeline for these traits. Using all three methods in combination gives us a high level of confidence that we’re identifying and advancing the best germplasm to meet these challenges.”

Growing the plant out in field settings allows Pioneer researchers to place them in areas subject to very cold springtime conditions including snow. The growing environment essentially tells them which hybrids are performing well.

“Field testing allows us to monitor other traits as well,” Saab says. “We continue observations throughout the growing season, so we get lots of data we couldn’t collect in lab testing alone.”

The lab does offer some advantages, however. Pioneer is using unique lab tests that are carefully calibrated with data from field trials. This means the lab test results correlate very highly with field measures of plant performance under stress.

“Lab testing has become one of the backbones of our yearly hybrid selection process,” Saab says. “We can test higher numbers of lines, test them year round and make sure commercial lines will perform as predicted.”

Molecular markers provide another method of identifying genes that provide cold tolerance and stress emergence benefits. Pioneer is using whole-genome prediction, which targets many markers at once, developing profiles of lines with the more advantageous genes for a particular trait.

“We use our extensive set of molecular markers and bioinformatics tools to predict how these lines will perform in the field,” Saab says.

Pioneer combines the results of lab and molecular marker tests and advances the best candidates to field testing.

“Using all three methods provides strong validation that the traits we incorporate will be expressed as we expect,” Saab says. The goal is to give growers tools to make better management decisions.

“We want to provide every grower a menu of products they can choose to meet their own local needs,” Saab says. “One grower may require strong stress emergence traits. Another may emphasize other traits.” If the second grower knows a hybrid has a lower stress emergence score, he or she can use other management approaches to mitigate the risks of early-season stress. For instance, this operation may plant later or plant this hybrid only in dry, well-drained soils.

In addition, growers can use seed treatments for protection against early-season pest and disease challenges. The Pioneer Premium Seed Treatment offering gives growers another layer of protection against early-season challenges.

“Genetics and seed treatments work together,” Saab notes. “Seed treatments provide insurance in the case of pest or disease pressure. By warding off the threat of insects and diseases that prey on young corn plants, seed treatments allow the expression of the full genetic potential of the hybrid and maximize grower productivity."

Pioneer relies on multiple layers of testing to identify hybrids with strong stress emergence scores. Then the company helps growers understand the options for dealing with early-season challenges. The combination of genetics, seed treatments and agronomy advice gives growers tools to overcome spring weather conditions and realize as much of a hybrid’s full yield potential as possible.



New Year’s Resolutions:  Plan a successful, comprehensive strategic approach for your business, operation and people
Nicolas Buttars, PeopleFirst business solutions manager, Zoetis

One of the only ways to stick to your New Year’s resolutions is to write them down. The same goes for your business goals.

Owners and managers should evaluate their business or operation as the new year kicks off before setting a plan of how to move forward. If you don’t know where your business has been or where it is going, you won’t know how to advance. To help design specific, measurable goals for the future, start by talking as a team with employees about your aspirations and visions. Then, find common goals and alignment. This team dialogue will help prioritize key objectives for success. Each team member can play a role to make these goals happen.

To help get you started, consider including these New Year’s resolutions to enjoy a more successful business:

1.  Resolve to better motivate employees.
The No. 1 driver of what keeps employees engaged at work is their relationship with their immediate supervisor.1 Highly engaged and efficient employees treat the business like it’s their own. In fact, employees who are engaged in the workplace are 87% less likely to leave the company.2

To create a highly motivated team, it’s essential that managers and supervisors learn how to be effective leaders and understand how to build relationships with team members. Just as new employees need training, managers need training to identify and develop their leadership and managerial skills.

2.  Strive to properly train employees.
Owners and managers depend on employees to help keep the operation running smoothly. New employees need proper training and education for a smooth transition into the workplace — also known as onboarding. Veteran employees also need refreshers on animal handling and other operating procedures.

Finding time in a busy workday to properly train employees is difficult but essential to improve business performance and reduce operational risk. Training programs that increase employee engagement can boost performance by 20%.2 In addition, companies with high employee engagement have a higher operating income and margin, higher productivity, higher return on equity and higher return on assets.3-5 For business owners, there is a clear financial incentive to ensure proper training this new year.

3.  Define a direction for your business.
This year, take steps to become more profitable and more productive. Ask yourself, “Where do I want my business to be?”

Organizations that use strategic planning are more profitable and last longer.6,7 A strategic business plan serves as a necessary and cost-effective way to improve stability during volatile times, which can be frequent in the agricultural industry. It also helps ensure consistency throughout the operation and outlines important business objectives. Planning can unify a team and helps you reach your goals sooner.

Changing old habits and developing new ones won’t happen overnight. But by establishing business and employee management goals now, you can set yourself up for increased productivity and profitability throughout the year. Visit GrowPeopleFirst.com for more ways to improve your business or operation in the new year.

About the author
Nicolas Buttars is a business solutions manager for PeopleFirst at Zoetis. He works with producers and veterinarians to meet their human resources training, development and leadership needs.

PeopleFirst is the industry’s first comprehensive human capital solutions program. These services were created in direct response to challenges customers expressed with managing today’s complex operations. For more help on employee and business management solutions, talk with a certified consultant, such as those available through PeopleFirst. Visit GrowPeopleFirst.com to learn more.



HSUS Calls on WFBF to Oppose Tail-Docking in Dairy Cows

One of the nation's largest animal rights groups has called on the Wisconsin Farm Bureau to denounce the practice of docking tails on dairy cattle. In a letter to WFBF President Jim Holte this week, the Humane Society of the United States said eliminating the 'routine and inhumane' amputation of cows' tails would be the best place to start a proactive movement toward solving animal welfare problems.

"Several states, including California--the nation's biggest dairy state--have already banned this inhumane and unnecessary practice," the HSUS said in a press release. "Having the second biggest dairy state join the shift away from tail-docking could be a helpful way to demonstrate that the industry takes animal welfare seriously and wants to be proactive on these important matters."

The group also claimed that tail-docking is 'a serious animal welfare problem' and causes 'distress, pain and increased fly attacks.' The memo further stated that University of Wisconsin-Extension research shows that there does not appear to be any influence of tail docking on cleanliness of udders or legs, nor does there appear to be a relationship between tail docking and milk quality.

Meanwhile, the Farm Bureau responded to the letter on Monday by saying its group is a grassroots organization that develops its policies through voting members.

"WFBF's policy on animal welfare states: we support farmers and veterinarians deciding appropriate husbandry practices for their farm," said Farm Bureau Spokesman Casey Langan. "This should remain a decision between farmers and their veterinarians, and not be a legislative mandate prompted by an animal rights group whose end goal is to eliminate animal agriculture."

The Madison-based farm organization noted that docking is not used on most farms, but it is still a management tool that some farmers and their veterinarians utilize to enhance animal cleanliness and milk quality.

"This choice is not that different from the rights afforded to the owners of dogs and cats," Langan said. "Tail-docking and ear-cropping of dogs, or declawing of cats, is done by veterinarians primarily for the convenience of their owners."

The HSUS said its motive for the letter is to call for the dairy industry to be more proactive in addressing animal welfare issues on the heels of an undercover investigation by Mercy for Animals in Wisconsin exposing cruelty to dairy cows.