Monday September 29 Ag News

Cuming County 4-H Members Participate at Ak-Sar-Ben

Cuming County 4-H members had another good year at the 87th annual Ak-SaBen Youth Livestock Exposition that was held September 25-28 at the Century Link Center in Omaha.  According to Larry Howard, UNL Extension Educator in Cuming County, there were twenty nine (29) 4-H members from Cuming County that participated.

In the Rabbit show, Joshua Sebade of Emerson exhibited his Netherland dwarf which was named the Best of Show, Champion Fancy Breed and Best of Breed.  Evie Schlickbernd of West Point was awarded Best of Breed with her Mini Satin.

Complete show results are as follows:

Rabbit Show
Fancy Mini-Rex - Purple:  Evie Schlickbernd, West Point
Fancy Mini-Satin - Purple:  Evie Schlickbernd, West Point x2, Blue:  Evie Schlickbernd, West Point; Joshua Sebade, Emerson.
Fancy Netherland-Dwarf - Purple:  Joshua Sebade, Emerson, x2 - Blue:  Joshua Sebade, Emerson
Showmanship - Purple:  Joshua Sebade, Emerson

Market Beef Show
Calf Challenge
Live - Purple: Heath Schroeder, West Point - Red:  Nathan Groth, Beemer
Showmanship - Purple:  Heath Schroeder, West Point - Blue:  Nathan Groth, Beemer
Overall - Blue:  Heath Schroeder, West Point - Red:  Nathan Groth, Beemer
Market Heifer
Purple:  Ryan Schroeder, Wisner
Blue:  Kali Stratman, West Point; Evie Schlickbernd, West Point; Cassidee, Stratman, West Point
Market Steer
Purple:  Emily Ludwig, Wisner; Haley Schroeder, West Point; Chase Albers, Wisner; Megan Scroeder, Wisner
Blue:  Heath Schroeder, West Point; Cassidee Stratman, West Point
Red:  Ross Klitz, West Point
Showmanship
Purple:  Megan Schroeder, Wisner; Haley Schroeder, West Point; Cassidee Stratman, West Point
Blue:  Ross Klitz, West Point; Ryan Schroeder, Wisner; Evie Schlickbernd, West Point; Heath Schroeder, West Point
Herdsmanship: Purple

Market Lamb Show
Market Ewe Lamb
Blue:  Tymare Ott, Wisner; Chase Ott, Wisner
Market Wether Lamb
Blue:  Kennedie Ott, Wisner x2; Chase Ott, Wisner
Red:  Kennedie Ott, Wisner; Tymarie Ott, Wisner
Showmanship
Red:  Kennedie Ott, Wisner
Herdsmanship: Blue

Breeding Beef Show
Simangus-Calved Jan 1, 2013-Feb 28, 2013
Purple:  Emily Ludwig, Wisner
Mainetainer-Calved May 1, 2013-June 30, 2013
Blue:  Kali Stratman, West Point
Angus-Calved Apr 1, 2013-Apr 30, 2013
Blue: Shaila Bennett, Beemer
Showmanship
Blue:  Shaila Bennett, Beemer; Emily Ludwig, Wisner
Herdsmanship:  Blue

Market Swine Show
Market Gilt
Blue:  Kate Gnad, West Point; Megan Groth, Beemer; Elizabeth Karnopp, Oakland; Nathan Groth, Beemer x2; Jamie Plagge, West Point; Anna Karnopp, Oakland; Allison Guenther, West Point
Market Barrow
Purple:  Blake Guenther, West Point; Hunter Schroeder, West Point
Blue:  Elizabeth Karnopp, Oakland; Kate Gnad, West Point; Anna Karnopp, Oakland; Hunter Schroeder, West Point; Tiffany Plagge, West Point
Showmanship
Purple:  Hunter Schroeder, West Point; Blake Guenther, West Point; Tiffany Plagge, West Point
Blue:  Jamie Plagge, West Point; Nathan Groth, Beemer; Elizabeth Karnopp, Oakland; Anna Karnopp, Oakland
Herdsmanship:  Blue

Dairy Show
Jersey-Winter Yearling 12/1/2012-2/28/2013
Blue:  Paige Rolf, West Point
Jersey-Fall Yearling 9/1/2012-11/30/2012
Blue:  Paige Rolf, West Point
Showmanship
Blue:  Paige Rolf, West Point
Herdsmanship:  Purple

2014 Fitting Challenge
Blue:  Ryan Schroeder, Wisner; Heath Schroeder, West Point; Haley Schroeder, West Point
Blue:  Paige Schroeder, Fremont; Megan Schroeder, Wisner; Hunter Schroeder, West Point



LEGAL PROBLEMS USING COVER CROPS AS FORAGE
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist

I have a real legal dilemma today.  And it has to do with cover crops, cover crops that you want to graze or harvest as forage.

What is the dilemma, you ask?  Well, the dilemma is that, from a legal standpoint, it may be illegal for you to use your cover crop as a harvested forage or for grazing.

The problem stems from herbicides used.  With the exception of glyphosate, most herbicides commonly used with our annual crops have rotational restrictions on how soon various crops can be planted after that herbicide was used.  That includes forage crops.  And if the label doesn’t specifically mention your cover crop, or one of the species in your cover crop cocktail, then the rotational restriction automatically becomes the maximum interval, which usually is 18 months.

So – what does this mean from a practical standpoint?  For starters, if you graze or harvest as forage a cover crop that falls under a rotational restriction, technically you are breaking the law.  And potential penalties are severe.  Your livestock could be quarantined or even destroyed.  And it doesn’t matter whether the crop was seed corn, hailed out, chopped for silage, or combined normally.

Does this mean these cover crops aren’t safe?  Well, the correct answer is ‘we don’t know for sure’.  Sufficient herbicide residue tests have not been conducted to determine a tolerance level for the herbicide on that specific cover crop.  That’s why it’s illegal.  Even if you or other farmers have used this cover crop forage with no ill effects in the past, it is still illegal.

Now – will you get caught if you use it anyway?  Well, that’s another story and a risk, similar to speeding down the highway. that you must decide for yourself.  The risk of harm or of getting caught may be small, but penalties severe.



New UNL Extension Crop Publications

The following publications were recently revised by UNL Extension and are available on the Extension Publications website. Those listed relate to agricultural crop production or rural living. View hundreds of other publications free online at this site.

EC846 Nebraska Cash Corn Price and Basis Patterns (Revised) - http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/ec846/build/ec846.pdf. 

EC2004 Precision Agriculture: Management Practices for Collecting Accurate Data and Avoiding Errors During Harvest - http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/ec2004/build/ec2004.pdf. 

G2245 Corn Soil-Water Extraction and Effective Rooting Depth in a Silt-Loam Soil - http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g2245/build/g2245.pdf. 

G2243 Sudden Death Syndrome of Soybean (New) - http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g2243/build/g2243.pdf.



    
'2,000 Bull Project' Targets Cattle Traits

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are investigating methods to help beef cattle producers further improve genetic evaluations for routinely measured traits such as growth and calving ease. They are also targeting economically important traits like feed efficiency and disease resistance that are expensive or difficult to measure.

In 2007, scientists started the "2,000 Bull Project" at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska, to study relationships between genomic variation and economically important traits in 16 breeds. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.

USMARC geneticists Mark Thallman and Larry Kuehn and their colleagues worked with U.S. cattle breed associations to obtain genomic profiles of 2,000 bulls from those 16 breeds to promote the development of genomic predictions. For each breed, the project provided the first substantial set of high-density genotypes, which are being used by breed associations as a starting point to incorporate genomic data into their breed improvement programs.

Growth is a routine and easily measured trait that is related to increased feed consumption, but an animal's feed efficiency-how much feed is required to produce a unit of growth-is more economically important to producers. However, individual feed intake is not practical to measure on large numbers of animals in commercial operations. Instead, a more feasible approach is to use research populations to develop genomic predictions for traits such as individual feed intake, disease resistance and meat tenderness that are expensive or difficult to measure.

At USMARC, thousands of cattle have been evaluated for such traits, and about 15,000 have been genotyped. The researchers' goal is to detect genomic regions that affect these traits to improve the accuracy of genomic tests available to producers. Also, the scientists are sequencing the genomes of bulls that have the most descendants in the USMARC population, which may lead to more accurate predictions across breeds and benefit the industry.

As part of this effort, geneticist Warren Snelling is focusing on identifying DNA sequence variation that affects gene function to help predict important traits consistently across many breeds. Snelling has demonstrated that this technique can be used to identify genetic markers predictive of meat tenderness.

Read more about this research in the September 2014 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.



NEBRASKA AGRICULTURAL PRICES - SEPTEMBER 2014

Preliminary prices received by farmers for winter wheat for September 2014 averaged $5.45 per bushel, a decrease of 37 cents from the August price according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The preliminary September corn price, at $3.30 per bushel, decreased 38 cents from the previous month.

The preliminary September sorghum price averaged $5.65 per cwt, a decrease of 46 cents from August.
  
The preliminary September soybean price, at $11.00 per bushel, was down $1.00 from last month.

The September alfalfa hay price, at $109.00 per ton, was down $3.00 from August. The other hay price, at $86.00 per ton, was down $1.00 from August.

The preliminary September dry edible bean price, at $28.00 per cwt, was down $2.70 from last month. 
 
Oat prices were withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 



IOWA AGRICULTURAL PRICES - SEPTEMBER 2014

The preliminary September 2014 average price received by farmers for corn in Iowa was $3.30 per bushel according to the  latest  USDA,  National  Agricultural  Statistics  Service  –  Agricultural  Prices  report.  This  is  down  $0.31  from  the August price, and $2.36 lower than September 2013.

The preliminary September 2014 average price received by farmers for soybeans, at $11.30 per bushel, was down $1.10 from the August price, and $2.60 lower than the September 2013 price.

The preliminary September oat price was $3.40 per bushel, down $0.07 from August, and $0.62 below September 2013. 

All hay prices in Iowa averaged $140.00 per ton in September, down $5.00 from the August price, and $51.00 per ton less than September 2013.   Alfalfa hay prices fell $57.00 per  ton from one year ago,  to $153.00 and other hay prices were $30.00 per ton lower than last year, at $100.00.  

The preliminary September average price was $25.80 per cwt for milk, up $1.20 from August, and $5.40 per cwt above one year ago.  



September Farm Prices Received Index Decreased 3 Points

The preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in September, at 106 percent, based on 2011=100, decreased 3 points (2.8 percent) from August. The Crop Index is down 3 points (3.3 percent) but the Livestock Index was unchanged. Producers received lower prices for hogs, corn, soybeans, and cattle. Higher prices were received for broilers, milk, strawberries, and apples. In addition to prices, the overall index is also affected by the seasonal change based on a 3-year average mix of commodities producers sell. Increased monthly movement of soybeans, corn, potatoes, and calves offset the decreased marketing of cattle, wheat, cotton, and barley.

The preliminary All Farm Products Index is up 3 points (2.9 percent) from September 2013. The Food Commodities Index, at 119, decreased 1 point (0.8 percent) from last month but increased 13 points (12 percent) from September 2013.

All crops:
The September index, at 87, decreased 3.3 percent from August and is 12 percent below September 2013. Index decreases for oilseeds & grains and vegetable & melon production more than offset the index increases for other crop production and fruit & tree nut production.

Food grains: The September index, at 83, is unchanged from the previous month but 14 percent below a year ago. The September price for all wheat, at $5.72 per bushel, is down 26 cents from August and $1.08 below September 2013.

Feed grains: The September index, at 58, is down 7.9 percent from last month and 36 percent below a year ago. The corn price, at $3.38 per bushel, is down 25 cents from last month and $2.02 below September 2013. Sorghum grain, at $6.58 per cwt, is 55 cents below August and $1.59 below September last year.

Oilseeds: The September index, at 89, is down 8.2 percent from August and 15 percent lower than September 2013. The soybean price, at $11.20 per bushel, decreased $1.20 from August and is $2.10 below September 2013.

Livestock and products:
The September index, at 131, is unchanged from last month but up 21 percent from September 2013. Compared with a year ago, prices are higher for cattle, milk, broilers, calves, hogs, turkeys, and market eggs.

Meat animals: The September index, at 133, is down 2.9 percent from last month but 23 percent higher than last year. The September hog price, at $73.40 per cwt, is down $9.80 from August but $2.70 higher than a year ago. The September beef cattle price of $156 per cwt is down $2.00 from last month but $34.00 higher than September 2013.

Dairy products: The September index, at 124, is up 3.3 percent from a month ago and 24 percent higher than September last year. The September all milk price of $25.00 per cwt is up 90 cents from last month and up $4.90 from September 2013.

Poultry & eggs: The September index, at 133, is up 5.6 percent from August and 16 percent above a year ago. The September market egg price, at 82.5 cents per dozen, decreased 3.6 cents from August but is 0.2 cents above September 2013. The September broiler price, at 66.0 cents per pound, is up 5.0 cents from August and 11.0 cents above a year ago. The September turkey price, at 77.3 cents per pound, is up 1.7 cents from the previous month and up 9.4 cents from a year earlier.

Prices Paid Index Unchanged
The September Index of Prices Paid for Commodities and Services, Interest, Taxes, and Farm Wage Rates (PPITW) is at 111 (2011=100). The index is unchanged from August but 4 points (3.7 percent) above September 2013. Higher prices in September for feeder cattle, potash & phosphate, LP gas, and herbicides offset lower prices for complete feeds, feeder pigs, hay & forages, and feed grains.



Quality and Handling of the 2014 Iowa Crop
Charles R. Hurburgh, Jr.
Professor, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa Grain Quality Initiative

Every year brings on a new set of challenges for harvest and grain management; in the past five years we have gone from very wet to very dry. Last year’s scorching heat at the very end of the season caused large variations in quality even within the same field. In 2014, planting pace was about normal, temperatures were 1-3 degrees below normal and moisture was well above normal - especially in the August and September grain fill period. Western and southwestern Iowa were 3-6 inches over normal for moisture in this period. This combination of weather conditions put the 2014 crop 7-10 days behind normal maturity. Over most of the state, the cold temperatures on September 13-14, 2014, were just above major frost damage levels. Fortunately the 8-14 day outlook from the National Weather Service (NWS) is for above-normal temperatures and normal moisture. Now we need heat for a successful harvest.

On September 1, 2014, USDA projected the corn yield in Iowa to be 185 bu/acre, up 20 bu/acre from 2013, and the soybean yield to be 51.0 bu/acre, up 6.5 bu/acre from 2013. Both crops are anticipated to be at record levels for total production, 2.44 billion bushels for corn and 510 million bushels for soybeans. These numbers are important for grain storage decisions because the production versus carryover versus storage balance looks like (numbers in billion bushels):

Iowa Production
      Corn             2.44
      Soybeans     0.51
                          2.95
Carryover (both)   0.82 as of June 1 (may be high now)
To store in 2014 - 3.77 billion bushels

Storage
 On Farm 2.10
 Off Farm 1.40   
               3.50bb - Even with the use since June, this is a very tight situation

Nebraska Notes
Corn - Nebraska's 2014 corn crop is forecast at 1.57 billion bushels. Corn stocks totaled 444 million bushels as of June 30; 190 million bushels were on farm.
Soybeans - Nebraska's soybean harvest is forecast at 284 million bushels. Soybean stocks totaled 36.9 million bushels, of which 3.9 million bushels were on farm.

Quality - Corn
Moderate temperatures and adequate moisture in grain fill should create well-filled kernels, which will give generally high test weights (57 lb/bu and higher). High test weight means above average storage properties. This is good because a considerable amount of 2014 corn is going to have to carry over in to 2016. How high the test weights get will depend on the weather for the next week or two. Warm temperatures will complete the fill; cool and wet will slow down maturity. Either way, the lateness of the growing season will ensure above-average moisture. Average moisture for Iowa is about 17-18%; delaying maturity will take away several high drydown days; expect 20% moisture or more unless October is very warm. A very wet crop like 2009 is not so likely with our current weather conditions and forecasts.

Corn with high test weight stores well, but producers are reminded not to mix 2014 with 2013 corn, which had poor storage properties. For best results, rotate stock for corn that has been carried over, which does create logistical issues when done during harvest. If you have high test weight corn, consider more bin cooling or dryeration, stopping at a percent or so higher moisture than normal. This will increase dryer capacity, as long storage bins have aeration at 0.1 cfm/bu or greater. Identify the highest test weight fields or hybrids and place in long-term storage bins.

Exceptions: Corn with leaf blight, storm damage, or frost damage will need to be harvested quickly to avoid ear loss. This corn will also be on the lower end for test weight and storability. If the cool wet weather is extended, scout for field mold as buyers would be looking primarily for vomitoxin in these cases.

The tight storage situation will mean heavy flow to grain elevators in the later season once farm bins are full. Consider sending some grain to the elevator early and continue with this plan throughout the season. Elevators will have to fill piles covered with tarps and other less flexible storage this year. Allowing elevators to start filling early will even the flow and reduce the risk of having to put wetter corn in these storage locations.

Quality – Soybeans
Expect generally well-filled pods with large beans with good protein and oil, except where frost or sudden death syndrome (SDS) was a factor. A warm period will allow soybeans to take their usual rapid nosedive in moisture, but this will probably occur later than normal. Soybeans will rewet in the field after the initial fall, and from then on field drying is much slower. The window for harvesting at lower moistures may be short this year. Soybean moistures up to 14-15% can be managed with aeration, but soybeans are often stored in bins that do not have this equipment.
Management

The key management actions are the same as always, although there may be a little more leeway in storage times/shelf life.
-    Uniform drying and cooling
-    Adequate aeration (0.1 + cfm/bu)
-    Cooling cycle every 10-15 degree change of outside air versus grain
-    Get below 40o F as fast as possible
-    Take out the center core of fines immediately
-    Regular inspection, temperature monitoring
-    Temperature change is important (3 degrees increase in two weeks without aeration being run is significant)
-    Stay within temperature-moisture guidelines even if we are on the high end this year



Iowans to tour farms in South African region Oct. 6-13, gauge investment potential

A group of Iowans will assess the outlook for agricultural investments in Africa on a week-long fact-finding tour in October to farms in South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique.

The delegation headed by noted ag journalist Ken Root and analyst Maurice Clark will tour properties managed by EmVest Agricultural Corp., a Pretoria, South Africa-based ag fund involved in growing, processing and distributing various commodities across three countries and five regions in sub-Saharan Africa. Participants in the Peoples Company Africa Tour organized by ag real estate specialists Peoples Company will view farming practices in this emerging market firsthand on Oct. 6-13.

Home audiences can get their own view of the region through the lenses of farming techniques and mechanization as well as investment risk assessment through reports during and after the trip. Root and a videographer aim to document farming practices, culture, government regulations and overall land productivity as presented by EmVest farm managers.

Reports from the field will be posted on the Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts of Peoples Company, and on its website at peoplescompany.com/blog/. Root also plans to air updates on the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network and on the Agribusiness Report during newscasts on WHO-TV, Des Moines, and KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids. A thorough perspective will be a feature of the eighth annual Land Investment Expo presented by Peoples Company on Jan. 23 at the Sheraton Hotel West Des Moines.

The seed for this fact-finding tour was planted in a Land Expo keynote by EmVest CEO Susan Payne at the fourth annual event in 2011, said Peoples Company President Steve Bruere. Payne’s initial talk on agriculture’s role in food security to communities, regions and countries was well received by the Land Expo audience and earned her a repeat invitation in 2013, when she termed opportunities in Africa “the highest impact investment you can make.”

Payne also commented that she likes coming to Iowa because it’s the agricultural heartland of America and she operates from the agricultural heartland of Africa.

Through repeat presentations at the Land Investment Expo, “Susan opened everyone’s eyes as far agriculture in Africa,” Bruere said. “A lot of people now view Africa as the final frontier for agricultural production in the world.

“What’s very intriguing to me about what Africa can offer is not only as a producer but also as a supplier. With a growing population of hungry people in the region, it’s a domestic market play for investors. This Iowa delegation will be seeing the ability to produce and helping to understand what’s going on with the economy and other factors land investors must look at.”

This year’s update on African agriculture should fit nicely with keynote presentations by other experts already confirmed for January’s 2015 Land Investment Expo, Bruere added. Influential investor Dennis Gartman, who keeps a close eye on Brazilian soybeans, corn and cotton in his role as editor and publisher of The Gartman Letter as well as frequent contributor on CNBC and Bloomberg TV, will discuss commodities and capital markets. Eric O’Keefe, editor of The Land Report, the magazine of the American landowner, also will appear as a keynote speaker.

More information about the 2015 Land Investment Expo is available at www.LandInvestmentExpo.com or by phoning 855-800-LAND (5263).



2015 National Beef Ambassadors Selected

Rachel Purdy (Wyoming), Will Pohlman (Arkansas), Alicia Smith (Texas), Kalyn McKibben (Oklahoma), Demi Snider (Ohio) were chosen as the 2015 National Beef Ambassador Team at the annual National Beef Ambassador competition, which is funded in part by the beef checkoff and managed by the American National CattleWomen, Inc, contractor to the beef checkoff. (Pictured L to R: Kalyn McKibben, Rachel Purdy, Will Pohlman, Alicia Smith and Demi Snider.)

Twenty senior contestants, ages 17-21, were judged in the areas of consumer promotion, education and outreach strategy, media-interview technique and issues response at the event in Denver, Sept. 26-27.

Contestants from throughout the country vied for a spot on this elite team of agriculture advocates and for the $5,000 in cash prizes sponsored exclusively by Farm Credit. Additionally, five educational scholarships totaling $5,000 were awarded by the American National CattleWomen Foundation, Inc. and Monsanto.

This year’s contest also hosted a junior competition for youth beef-industry advocates, ages 12-16. Ten passionate contestants vied for cash prizes, competing in three judged categories: consumer promotion, media-interview technique and issues response. The first-place winner was Phillip Saunders (Virginia). The second place winner was Bret Lee (Louisiana), and the third place winner was Abbey Schiefelbein (Minnesota). They all took home checks from Farm Credit for their top scores.  

While preparing for this national beef promotion and education competition, youth across the nation learn about beef and the beef industry with support from state CattleWomen and Cattlemen’s associations and state beef councils. The preparation highlights industry issues of current consumer interest. Winners of the state competitions compete at the national level, where they receive additional training. After the event, the youth ambassadors speak to industry issues and misconceptions and educate their peers and meal-time decision makers about beef nutrition, cattle care, safety and more during consumer events, in the classroom and online.

Follow the National Beef Ambassadors on Twitter at @beefambassador and visit www.nationalbeefambassador.org or www.ancw.org for more information.



USDA Launches Current Agricultural Industrial Reports Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announces the launch of the Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR) survey program. NASS will collect and publish vital statistics for the dry and wet alcohol milling and flour milling sectors.

The Current Industrial Reports program began in 1904 at the Census Bureau and was discontinued in 2011 due to budget reductions. Beginning this year, NASS will collect data and publish the industrial reports. In addition to the flour milling, and dry and wet alcohol milling sectors, CAIR surveys will also result in reports on the cotton, and fats and oilseeds industries.

“As soon as the Census Bureau announced they were discontinuing the Current Industrial Reports, we began hearing from agriculture stakeholders around the country about the impact this decision had on the industry,” said NASS Administrator Joseph T. Reilly. “These reports are such an important element of sound economic policy planning and are used for market analysis, forecasting, and decision making that we knew we had to provide the data and I’m glad that beginning this year NASS is able to do just that.”

To prepare for the program launch, NASS already conducted extensive work building up baseline profiles for the industries. On the ethanol production side, the agency will work with 200 facilities, with a reported nameplate capacity of 14.792 billion gallons per year. On the flour milling side, NASS plans to survey 183 facilities, which have a reported 24-hour milling capacity of 1,594,755 hundredweight.

NASS has a long history of collecting and publishing agriculture data. As is the case with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by law. NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses ensuring that no individual producer or operation can be identified. Survey responses are confidential and used only in combination with similar reports from other producers. Title 7, U.S. Code, Section 2276 and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act prohibit disclosure of individual information.



MONSANTO ANNOUNCES NEW INSECT MANAGEMENT KNOWLEDGE PROGRAM

Two years ago, Monsanto launched the Corn Rootworm Knowledge Program, designed to reward the research and academic community for outstanding projects that addressed specific aspects of the pest and how best to manage it. Now, with $6 million in funding and 13 research projects currently underway, Monsanto is expanding the program to include projects on insect pests that can significantly impact all row crops across the U.S.  

Monsanto’s new Insect Management Knowledge Program (IMKP), is set up similar to its predecessor, providing merit-based awards of up to $250,000 per award per year for up to three years for projects that will enhance the collective understanding of insect management. Monsanto has committed an additional $3 million over three years to support this public sector research on insect management.

The IMKP will be guided by an 11-person Advisory Committee that is co-chaired by Dr. Sherri Brown, vice president of science strategy for Monsanto, and Dr. Steven Pueppke, associate vice president of research and graduate studies for Michigan State University. The committee consists of academics and growers, and provides guidance on integrated pest management, as well as recommendations for areas of basic research on insect resistance and management that would be of interest to growers, the academic community and Monsanto.

“With the rootworm program, we saw true collaboration take place between ourselves and the academic community, which has shown us both new ways of thinking and conducting our own research in this vital area of agriculture,” said Brown. “It made perfect sense to expand the program to include insect pests that can impact row crops such as soybeans and cotton.”

Researchers may submit proposals in the areas of sustainable pest management; development of predictive models for developing resistance; biochemical, genetic and molecular characterization of pest resistance to control methods; facilitation of multi-year surveys of U.S. insect pest populations; and farmer education and training on insect management.

“Our hope is that this program, similar to its predecessor, will provide both industry and academia valuable research to continue to enhance our collective understanding of insect management, leading to even more effective solutions for farmers in the future,” said Pueppke.

Applicants and other interested parties should visit www.monsanto.com/insectmanagement for additional information, key dates and instructions on how to apply.