Friday August 29 Ag News

Pork Producers, Soybean Board Offer Free Educational Aids to Raise Student Understanding of Nebraska Agriculture again for 2014-15 School Year

The Nebraska Pork Producers Association (NPPA) and the Nebraska Soybean Board (NSB) are offering again this school year two entertainment-based educational packages free to elementary school teachers to help increase student awareness--in a fun way--of the importance of agriculture to the state’s economy.

The teaching aids, featuring a video and a Bingo card game, were introduced to elementary teachers statewide two years ago and have been well received by teachers who have used them in their classrooms. Limited quantities remain, so teachers are urged to place their orders for these free learning tools. Orders can be placed online for the video at NebraskaFoodforThought.com, and the Bingo game at NebraskaPorkBingo.com.

Food for Thought is a 22-minute animated video that teaches students in an entertaining way how hog farming is practiced in Nebraska. Learning about the economy is an important fourth-grade curriculum objective. The video tells the story of a suburban fourth-grader who knows nothing about hog farming or the economics and entrepreneurship that goes into running a successful business. He comes to appreciate what is involved in a successful hog farming business after he tours a working farm and meets a real-life farmer--and his fourth-grade daughter.

Food for Thought is accompanied by a complete lesson plan and a short video filmed on a real-life Nebraska hog farm to show real day-to-day farm life. The package has been approved by the Nebraska Department of Education.

Bingo is a two-in-one card game featuring “Pork Bingo” on one side and “Soy Bingo” on the other. Aimed at second-through-fifth graders, Bingo is an entertaining way for students to learn important facts about pork production, soybean farming and how science helps us use virtually every part of the pig and the soybean without wasting anything.

The game comes with a set of 25 double-faced cards, game tokens, call-out cards, 25 worksheets and a classroom poster. The worksheets feature an 18-word crossword puzzle and a matching game that teaches students about the variety of helpful products made from pigs and soybeans grown in Nebraska.

Teachers report finding that the tools really held the interest of their students.  “As a primary teacher, I am always looking for new ways to actively involve my students in the academic lessons,” said Sandra Seckel, a teacher at West Park Elementary School in Columbus.  “The Pork and Soy Bean Bingo activity is a wonderful way to bring the connection of agriculture in Nebraska to my students. They were highly engaged while playing and the products that contain pork and soy bean products that my students use on a daily basis were reinforced through this activity.”

Teachers responding to a Food for Thought follow-up survey report that the video met their expectations, while an overwhelming percentage of teachers indicated that they made good use of the accompanying worksheet. Nearly all responding teachers said they already had used the Bingo game in their classrooms. All respondents indicated they would use the game again this year, as well. Fully 97% said the materials were grade-level appropriate. Some teachers even reported using the game during indoor recess periods.

Orders can be made online. Food For Thought video: NebraskaFoodforThought.com; Bingo game: NebraskaPorkBingo.com.



GROW ALL YOU CAN BEFORE WINTER
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist

Hay is for winter and pasture is for summer – right?  Well, maybe  we should rethink this schedule to increase overall production.

Many of us welcomed some late August rain and pastures are growing well.  That means we can continue grazing and can hold our hay until later.  Or does it?

Let’s think about this for a moment.  Does pasture grow during winter?  Of course not, so if we want more forage we need to encourage it during the growing season.  What will happen, though, if we graze pastures short now during late summer and fall?  Of course – growth slows down so our pasture produces less total forage than if we let it grow without grazing.

In order to let it grow and accumulate without grazing, we probably need to feed hay instead.  But if we feed hay now, won’t we have less of it available for winter?  Probably – but we shouldn’t need as much hay for winter because all that extra pasture growth that accumulates now while we feed hay can be grazed this fall and winter when we normally feed hay.

In fact, if we allow pastures to grow as much as possible from now until it freezes, we may feed less total hay before next spring than if we follow our standard practice of grazing now and saving hay for winter.

Think about it.  If you expect to feed hay eventually before next spring, it might be smarter to feed some of that hay now rather than later so your pastures can produce extra forage while they still can.

Sometimes doing things backwards from our normal practices can maximize production.  Feeding hay now and grazing this winter might be one of them.



Settlements with Pair of Related Norfolk, Neb., Pesticide Companies to Improve Pesticide Safety and Reliability
Custom Feed Services Corporation and Earthworks Health LLC, two separate pesticide companies based in Norfolk, Neb., with common ownership, have agreed to pay civil penalties totaling $74,513 to settle allegations related to the production and distribution of unregistered and misbranded pesticides, in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

On behalf of EPA, in November 2011 the Nebraska Department of Agriculture conducted a for-cause inspection of the two companies at their shared facility in Norfolk, based on a tip. Custom Feed Services produces and distributes pesticides and agricultural products, while Earthworks Health sells and distributes pesticides and other products.

The inspection and subsequent investigation documented that on multiple occasions Custom Feed Services sold or distributed copper sulfate and diatomaceous earth pesticide products that were not registered with EPA, and that were misbranded in that they lacked valid EPA registration numbers and production establishment numbers. The copper sulfate products also lacked applicable directions for use and personal protection language. In addition, Custom Feed Services produced the pesticide products in a facility that was not registered with EPA as a pesticide-producing facility in accordance with FIFRA.  Under FIFRA, repackaging constitutes production.

On multiple occasions, Earthworks Health sold or distributed unregistered and misbranded copper sulfate and diatomaceous earth pesticides, in addition to an unregistered antibacterial product, Foaming DisposALL Drain Cleaner.

The use of non-exempt, unregistered pesticides may result in harm to human health or the environment, as they have not undergone the rigorous risk and label reviews necessary to ensure safe and effective use.  Copper sulfate is an inorganic compound that can be used as a pesticide to kill bacteria, algae, roots, plants, snails, and fungi. Improper use of copper sulfate can be toxic to fish and aquatic animals, and failure to take proper precautions may result in eye or skin injury to humans. Diatomaceous earth may cause eye or respiratory irritation if improperly handled.

Custom Feed Services’ civil penalty is $55,752 and Earthworks Health LLC’s civil penalty is $18,761.  EPA calculates penalties by considering a variety of factors, including risk to the environment, size of the business, and ability to pay.

Under FIFRA, distributors of pesticides must ensure that the information on their products’ labels contains the same required cautionary information as found on the labels filed with EPA by the pesticides’ registrants, and that those pesticides are not distributed with claims that differ from the registration information filed with EPA.

Through their respective settlements with EPA, Custom Feed Services and Earthworks Health LLC have certified that they are now in compliance with FIFRA and its regulations.



Climate Change Report Release Kicks Off 2014 – 15 Heuermann Lectures Season

            The Heuermann Lecture series' 2014-2015 season will feature experts spanning a host of topics including climate change, animal biotechnology and agricultural communication.

            Heuermann Lectures are free and open to the public.  Lectures focus on providing and sustaining enough food, natural resources and renewable energy for the world's people, and on securing the sustainability of rural communities where the vital work of producing food and renewable energy occurs.

            The lecture series, in its fourth year, begins on Sept. 25 and will coincide with the release of a report on climate change compiled by Donald Wilhite, Robert Oglesby, Clinton Rowe and Deborah Bathke, all UNL faculty members in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.  Wilhite, the founding director of the International Drought Information Center and the National Drought Mitigation Center, will lead a panel discussion on the issues surrounding our changing climate.  Copies of the report will be available at the lecture and on-line following the lecture. One of the goals of this report is to identify the key challenges associated with climate change for the state and potential actions to adapt to our changing climate.

            "Globally and locally, we face significant economic, social and environmental risks associated with climate change," Wilhite said. "The body of scientific evidence confirms with a high degree of certainty that human activities in the form of increased concentration of greenhouse gases since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, changes in land use and other factors are the primary causes for the warming the planet has experienced, especially in recent decades."

            Current and projected changes extend beyond temperature increases and include changes in precipitation amounts, seasonal distribution and frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The increasing frequency of extreme events raises serious concerns for all nations due to economic, social and environmental costs associated with responding to, recovering from and preparing for these events.  

            "Nebraskans will face many challenges as a result of climate change," he added. "However, embedded in each of these challenges are opportunities to create greater resilience as we adapt to these observed and projected changes in climate."

The complete Heuermann Lecture series schedule is as follows:

            – Donald Wilhite, emeritus director and professor, National Drought Mitigation Center; with panelists Robert Oglesby, Deborah Bathke, and Clinton Rowe, University of Nebraska-Lincoln professors will engage in a discussion titled  "Understanding and Assessing Climate Change: Implications for Nebraska" on Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m. at Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center, 2021 Transformation Drive.  A 3 p.m. reception precedes the lecture.

            – Orion Samuelson, WGN – Chicago; with panelists Barb Glenn, National Association of State Directors of Agriculture;  Kevin Murphy, Food Chain Communications; Marcy Tessman, Charleston-Orwig; Ronnie D. Green, University of Nebraska will ask "What Does Agricultural Communication Mean in the 21st Century?" on Nov. 6 at 3:30 p.m. at Nebraska East Campus Union, 37th and Fair Street, UNL East Campus.  3 p.m. reception precedes the lecture.

            – Alison Van Eenennaam, University of California – Davis, 2014 Borlaug CAST Communication Awardee will give a presentation titled "Genetically Modified Animals: the Facts, the Fear Mongering, and the Future" on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. at Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center, 2021 Transformation Drive.

            – Anthony Leiserowitz, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies will give a presentation titled "Climate Change in the American Mind" on Mar. 10 at 3:30 p.m. at Hardin Hall, 33rd and Holdrege. A 3 p.m. reception preceding the lecture.

            Lectures are streamed live online at http://heuermannlectures.unl.edu, and aired live on UNL campus and state cable channel 4.  Lectures are archived after the event and are broadcast on NET2 World at a later date.

            The Heuermann Lectures are made possible by a gift from B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips, long-time university supporters with a strong commitment to Nebraska's production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people.



ICGA Annual Meeting and Policy Conference Held

The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) hosted its Annual Meeting and Policy Conference in Des Moines. Delegates reviewed expiring policies and debated new resolutions during the policy conference. ICGA members who attended the meeting also had a chance to hear from Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey.

The annual policy conference is the year-end event in the ICGA's annual policy development process, which includes a member survey, regional roundtable discussions across the state and the policy conference. Iowa policies relating to national issues and adopted at this meeting are then brought forward to the National Corn Growers Association winter meetings at Commodity Classic.

"The ICGA annual meeting and policy conference is an important event where members can participate in discussions on resolutions that will be brought forth during the upcoming legislative session," said Jerry Mohr, Iowa Corn Growers Association President and a farmer from Eldridge. "This year, it was great to see so many new members getting involved in the issues that face the agriculture industry."

During this year's policy development process, delegates approved policy in opposition of the EPA's "Waters of the U.S." rule, and renewed policy to limit the agency's efforts to expand their authority under the Clean Water Act. The new policy handbook includes support for a national voluntary GMO labeling law, protection of farmer's control over their production data, and encouragement of FAA regulations that would allow farmers to utilize drones for commercial use. Infrastructure was a priority, as delegates voted to continue their support of a balanced approach to funding Iowa's roads and bridges, as well as a variety of new policies aimed at upgrading fueling stations to ensure compatibility with higher renewable fuel blends. Delegates also affirmed their support of the U.S. Grains Council, the U.S. Meat Export Federation, and the USDA Foreign Ag Service, as they work to increase exports of Iowa agricultural products.

The complete 2014-2015 policy resolution book is available upon request by emailing corninfo@iowacorn.org or calling 515-225-9242.



August 2014 Baseline Update for U.S. Agricultural Markets
(Food and Ag Policy Institute, University of Missouri)

In a major reversal of fortunes, prices for cattle, hogs and milk are at record highs in 2014, but prices for
grains, oilseeds and cotton have declined sharply from recent peaks. This report provides an update of the
2014 FAPRI-MU long-term baseline to reflect information available in mid-August 2014.

The baseline update uses 2014 acreage, yield and production estimates included in USDA’s August 2014
Crop Production report. These estimates reflect the first objective yield estimates of the year, and will be
subject to revision. Final market outcomes are certain to differ from these projections, perhaps in important
 ways, as weather and other factors will contribute to continued market volatility.

The baseline update assumes a continuation of current agricultural and biofuel policies. In some cases, there
remains considerable uncertainty about how legislation will be implemented. This baseline update is not a
forecast of what will happen, but is intended to provide a plausible reference point that can be used to evaluate
alternative scenarios.

Macroeconomic assumptions underlying these projections are based on July 2014 forecasts by IHS Global
Insight. The U.S. and world economies are forecast to grow at a faster pace, with U.S.  growth exceeding percent per year from 2015-2017. Inflation remains moderate, but interest rates increase
after 2015. Oil prices dip in 2015 and then increase slowly.

Given all of the assumptions of the analysis, here are a few highlights of the results:

The potential for record corn and soybean crops has weighed on prices for grains and oilseeds. Corn and
soybean prices for the crops harvested this fall could be the lowest since 2009.
 
Corn prices fall to $3.89 per bushel for the 2014 crop. Even with a projected decline in 2015 U.S. corn
production, prices remain around $4 per bushel in 2015 and beyond. 

  Large U.S. and global supplies cause soybean prices to decline to $10.30 per bushel for the 2014 crop
and below $10 per bushel for the crop harvested in 2015. 

Cotton prices have also declined sharply, partly in response to large Chinese and global cotton stocks.
Farm prices for cotton drop to 65 cents per pound this year, and remain near that level.

Ethanol production prospects depend, in part, on EPA decisions about how to implement the Renewable
Fuel Standard (RFS). With lower prices, ethanol exports continue to increase in 2015. 

Reduced cattle numbers, animal disease problems and strong international demand are among the factors
causing record cattle, hog and milk prices in 2014. Supply response to these high output prices and lower
feed costs contribute to lower meat and dairy prices in 2015.

Higher retail meat prices contribute to an uptick in consumer food price inflation in 2014, but the projected
rate drops below 2 percent again in 2015.

For more detail on the livestock, poultry and dairy sectors and on consumer food prices, see a companion
report by the MU Agricultural Markets and Policy team, at http://amap.missouri.edu/.   See the complete update here.... http://www.fapri.missouri.edu/outreach/publications/2014/FAPRI_MU_Report_04_14.pdf. 



First U.S. Chilled Pork Shipment Exported to Colombia

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's APHIS division reported Thursday that the first U.S. chilled pork shipment exports to Colombia have arrived.

On July 30, the first shipment of U.S. chilled pork entered Cartagena, Colombia.

The shipment, which consisted of 24,500 kilos of boneless sirloin, will be used in the production of sausages.

This successful outcome is a direct result of many years of negotiation under the enhanced relations of the United States -- Colombia Free Trade Agreement and is part of a larger effort by the U.S. pork industry to pursue worldwide market opportunities. U.S. industry projects increased exports to potentially grow to $50 million a year.



NCBA Pres on APHIS Proposed Rule to Allow Importation of Beef from Region in Argentina

The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Inspection Service published a proposed rule in the Federal Register today to allow the importation of beef from a region in Argentina. National Cattlemen's Beef Association President Bob McCan, cattleman from Victoria, Texas, issued the following statement:

"The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is deeply concerned by today’s announcement by the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to add the Patagonia areas of Argentina to the list of regions considered free of Foot-and-Mouth disease and to subsequently allow the importation of live cattle and fresh or frozen beef into the United States from this region. Our extreme concern is only further magnified by the associated proposed rule to allow chilled or frozen beef to be imported from the region of Northern Argentina. Northern Argentina is a region that is not recognized as being free of Foot-and-Mouth Disease by APHIS. We strongly believe that these recent actions by APHIS present a significant risk to the health and well-being of the nation’s cattle herd through the possible introduction of FMD virus.

"FMD is an extremely contagious viral disease of cloven-hooved animals and many wildlife species. This disease is considered to be one of the most economically devastating livestock diseases in the world and an outbreak of FMD could ultimately threaten the entire U.S. economy as well jeopardize our national food security.

"APHIS conducted their risk analysis based on a series of site visits to Argentina to determine the FMD risk status of these regions. NCBA’s repeated requests for written reports for these APHIS site visits to Argentina have gone unanswered. Finally, we were informed by APHIS that written reports are not required for APHIS site reviews. This lack of documentation and an obvious lack of management controls for the site review process calls into question the integrity and quality assurance for the entire risk analysis. Valid science-based decisions are not possible in this flawed system.

"It is evident that APHIS has charged blindly forward in making this announcement, ignoring the findings of a third-party scientific review identifying major weaknesses in the methodology of the risk analysis that formed the foundation for  the APHIS decision-making process. The third-party scientific review uncovered deficiencies in the APHIS hazard analysis and the exposure assessment, as well as an overly subjective qualitative format for the risk analysis.

"NCBA remains committed to supporting open trade markets, level playing fields, and utilizing science-based standards to facilitate international trade. At the same time, no amount of trade is worth sacrificing the health and safety of the United States cattle herd. Strict transparency for the adherence to sound science must be the basis for all animal health decisions of this magnitude."



Fargo Selected as Site for National Agricultural Genotyping Center

The National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Board today announced that Fargo, N.D., will be the site of the National Agricultural Genotyping Center. The final decision follows careful deliberations by the site selection committee, who visited Illinois and North Dakota to assess the possibility of locating the center in either Decatur or Fargo, and NCGA’s Research and Business Development Action Team.

“This is a first-time-ever, huge step for a farmer-led association that gives growers more influence on research agendas,” said Dr. Richard Vierling, director of research at NCGA. “This can help growers increase production and lower costs. We’re really excited about Fargo and the commitment from the many forward-thinking people involved in this project. The commitment from North Dakota State University, North Dakota Corn Growers, Gov. Jack Dalrymple, the state’s congressional delegation and many others really helped sell the plan to our team.”

The site selection committee, which includes Vierling, Pete Snyder, Bob Bowman, Bob Timmons, Phil Gordon and Chad Willis, was chosen to conduct these visits by the Research and Business Development Action Team, and come from states which did not submit proposals. The report submitted following the visits was based upon the team assessment of selection criteria determined by the team for use in deliberations over the final recommendation. The Corn Board approved the final recommendation during a meeting held earlier today.

The site visits followed a July vote taken by the Research and Business Development Team narrowing the final list of site location proposals under consideration.

The National Agricultural Genotyping Center will translate scientific discoveries, such as the information from the maize genome project, into solutions for production agriculture, food safety, functional foods, bioenergy and national security.

The NAGC partnership brings together Los Alamos National Laboratory, the premier research institution in the world with a proven track record in developing high-throughput genotyping technology, and the National Corn Growers Association, an organization representing more than 42,000 farmer members.