Tuesday December 9 Ag News

IBACH TO LEAD DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Last night, Governor-elect Pete Ricketts announced during his remarks at the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture Annual Dinner that Greg Ibach would lead the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

Greg Ibach of Sumner has served as Director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture since 2005. He and his family continue to maintain a cow/calf and grain operation in the area. Ibach also serves as the vice president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

Ibach formerly served as Deputy Director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture for over six years. Prior to his service with the department, Ibach worked for Farm Credit Services. He also has served in leadership within the Nebraska Beef Council, Nebraska Farm Bureau, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. In 2006, he was selected as a member of the Agriculture Builders of Nebraska and in 2007, he was elected to the Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement.

“Greg’s ag background and tested leadership in the department will help build on the successes of the past decade,” said Governor-elect Pete Ricketts. “I will work closely with Greg to implement my plan to grow agriculture here in Nebraska.”



NFBF Selects Hruby Family as 2014 Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Winners

Tim and Stephanie Hruby were honored as the 2014 Nebraska Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award recipients during the 2014 Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s Fundraising and Auction Dinner on Mon., Dec. 8. The couple ranch and raise cattle near Chardon, Neb., in Dawes County.

The Hruby’s keep family as their top priority balancing a busy schedule with ranch life and agriculture leadership. The couple have three children: 6-year old Sophie, 4- year old Tyan and 2-year old Taya.

“Being able to raise our children and work as a family on our ranch is truly the best,” said Stephanie Hruby.” “In our spare time we enjoy being with our children and participating in rodeos.”

The Hruby’s were both raised on a farm and ranch in rural Nebraska. They learned at an early age how vital agriculture is to our society. Both attended Chadron State College and graduated with a BA, Tim in biology and Stephanie in education. After meeting at Chadron State College and marrying in 2005, Tim began managing a local ranch and Stephanie began teaching. They had an opportunity to buy some land where they now have built a house and corrals, use existing barns and purchased a tractor, a horse trailer and numerous tools that are used on the ranch. They also started Hruby Enterprises a well and windmill business.

“We started ranching on our own and worked hard to buy the land that we own,” said Tim Hruby. “We have implemented rotational grazing practices, along with planting many tree rows for conservation benefits and windbreaks for our cattle. We have installed many cross fences as well as pipeline tanks to aid in the grazing of our livestock.”

The family has expanded their cow herds from 50 head to 107. They also own yearlings ranging between 15 to 220, head depending on the year.

“Our ranching success is measured by increasing our cow herd and to keep improving our herd quality through artificial insemination,” said Tim Hruby. “By using artificial insemination we have increased our weaning weights by 50 pound, have shortened our calving period and produced some outstanding females to add to our cow herd. We are now breeding third generation bloodlines that we have raised on our own ranch.”

The Hruby’s say the hardest part about starting your own operation is having the ability to borrow enough money to start your business. They overcame this by running their cow herds on shares. They couldn’t buy a place big enough to employ both of them full time so they started their own business and worked off the ranch.

The Hruby’s are active on their local Dawes County Farm Bureau board as well as active in their church. Tim serves on the Nebraska Farm Bureau Western Issues Advisory Committee and both serve as vice chairman of the State Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. They want to become more community minded by running for county offices. They have put their name in for the county board of the Farm Service Agency. They also plan to run for school board.

The Farm Bureau Achievement Award is designed to recognize young farmers and ranchers who have excelled in their farming or ranching operations and expanded their leadership skills. Contestants are evaluated on a combination of their operation's growth and financial progress as well as leadership within Farm Bureau and outside. Farm Bureau members ages 18 to 35 years are eligible to apply for the award.

The Hruby’s receive an iPad, $500 and an all-expense paid trip to represent Nebraska Farm Bureau at the national competition during the American Farm Bureau Federation's Annual Meeting this January in San Diego, California.



Shane Greckel and Ben and Jamie Keep Take Home Young Farmer and Rancher Awards

Shane Greckle of Bloomfield was selected as the winner of Nebraska Farm Bureau’s 2014 Young Farmers and Ranchers Discussion Meet, and Ben and Jamie Keep of Cotesfield was named the recipient of the 2014 Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture award. Both awards were given at the NFB Foundation for Agriculture’s Fundraiser and Auction Dinner at the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation’s 97th Annual Convention held Dec. 8 in Kearney, Neb.

Greckel received the top score of three contestants who advanced to the final round of the discussion meet contest. Rather than debating, contestants work to develop a solution to a problem being discussed, building on each other’s contributions. Competitors in the annual contest must be prepared to speak on any number of agriculture-related topics; the selected question is announced a short time prior to the contest round. Greckle has a row crop and cow/calf operation on 2,500 acres in Knox County.

Ben and Jamie Keep was recognized for their ongoing involvement and commitment to agriculture. The Excellence in Agriculture Award is designed to recognize young farmers and ranchers for their contribution and involvement in Farm Bureau and agriculture. Candidates for the award are judged on their involvement in agriculture, leadership ability, involvement and participation in Farm Bureau and other civic, service and community organizations. Ben and Jamie Keep are the fifth generation to live on the family farm in Howard County.

Candidates for the awards are restricted to Farm Bureau members ages 18-35. Winners of each award receive $500, an iPad, a Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture jacket and an all-expense-paid trip to the American Farm Bureau Convention in San Diego, California in January 2015 to compete in the contests at the national level.



Water Conditions Remain Above Normal for Most of Iowa

Despite a drier and colder November than normal, annual precipitation remains above normal for most of Iowa. Sadly, dry conditions in Minnesota crept into the northwest corner of Iowa, where seven percent of our state has abnormally dry conditions.

The statewide average snowfall for November was 5.0 inches, or 2.3 inches above normal. This was the snowiest November since 1991 and ranks 21st most snow among the past 128 Novembers. Iowa temperatures averaged 29.1° or 7.5° below normal for the month. U.S. Geological Survey field crews have observed some of the earliest stream flow ice in over 40 years of their experience, with approximately 75 percent of sites affected by some ice.

The cold is also reflected in some of the earliest lake ice on record for Iowa's northern lakes. Big Spirit Lake froze Nov. 16, and as of Dec. 1, West Okoboji Lake was close to being completely frozen.

For a thorough review of Iowa's water resource trends, go to www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.

The report is prepared by the technical staff from the Iowa DNR, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering and the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department.



Biomass Fuel Project is Iowa Learning Farms December Webinar Topic

This month’s Iowa Learning Farms webinar will be on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 11:30 a.m. The presenter is Ingrid Gronstal Anderson with the University of Iowa’s Biomass Fuel Project. Anderson will talk about the exploration of biomass fuel sources as part of the University of Iowa’s institutional goal to obtain 40 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. This effort includes a project to plant 2,500 acres of miscanthus grass for use as a fuel in the UI main power plant.

Anderson is an environmental compliance specialist with Facilities Management–Utilities and Energy Management at the University of Iowa. In addition to several campus environmental compliance programs, she is heavily involved in the Biomass Partnership Program, which includes Iowa State University as a partner. Anderson is a 2011 graduate of Iowa’s College of Law and earned her B.S. in 2005. She previously worked on the Biomass Partnership Project and other sustainability initiatives with the University of Iowa Office of Sustainability. Anderson is a licensed attorney in Iowa.

The webinar is part of a free series, hosted by ILF, through Adobe Connect. The webinars are held on the third Wednesday of each month. They are free and all that is needed to participate is a computer with Internet access. To connect to the webinar, go to: https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/ at 11:30 a.m. on the morning of the webinar and log on using the “guest” option.

ILF has hosted a monthly webinar since January 2011. The ILF website has links for archived webinars from all previous sessions: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/Webinars/.  There are over 45 webinars available to view on a variety of topics including soil erosion, cover crops and farmer perspectives. These can be viewed at any time.  The webinar archives are also available in podcast through iTunes.



Iowans Speak About the Future of Extension and Outreach

To find an answer, ask a question. And then take time to listen.

That is exactly what Iowa State University Extension and Outreach did in 2014, calling upon both potential constituents and long-time partners to gain their perspectives firsthand about how to best serve the needs of Iowans.

"In March we held a special forum with young Iowans ages 18 to 35. We asked them to share their views and visions of the future, as well as how Iowa State University could contribute to that future," said Cathann Kress, vice president for ISU Extension and Outreach.

From May through November, ISU Extension and Outreach met with key partners in West Pottawattamie, Kossuth, Warren, Dubuque and Linn counties.

"We were seeking their perspectives and their advice, to learn about program needs and ways ISU Extension and Outreach can partner with them to address those needs," Kress said.

Both endeavors were part of a long arc of strategic planning, needs assessment and continuing efforts to engage more Iowans in ISU Extension and Outreach education.

"Extension's Next 100 Years: Young Iowans Speak" was the first in a series of "Extension Reconsidered" forums held throughout the United States to mark the centennial of the signing of the Smith-Lever Act, the federal legislation that created the Cooperative Extension Service. Thirteen land-grant universities and partnering organizations have been bringing people together to constructively and critically consider the future of extension work in this country.

The Iowa forum received support from the Kettering Foundation, which works primarily through joint learning exchanges focused on solving problems that all participants have a stake in addressing. (Read the report.)

"The young Iowans saw three roles for Iowa State University -- the entire university, not just units labeled extension or outreach," said Gary Taylor, an associate professor and extension specialist in community and regional planning who was part of the research team that led the forum.

"First, they believe Iowa State University should be a life-long partner for retooling, reinvention and reawakening. Second, they believe Iowa State should act as a resource to society. Finally, they want Iowa State to engage as a co-learner with citizens," Taylor said.

The young Iowans used the terms navigator, facilitator and pollinator to describe ISU Extension and Outreach acting in partnership with people to build and negotiate relationships across the broader university, Taylor explained.

"They said ISU Extension and Outreach can help them find their 'true north' as they seek personal and professional satisfaction and success for their communities," Taylor said.

Mural of Young Iowans SPeak about the FutureDuring the forum, art students from the ISU College of Design made conceptual drawings of the ideas that came from the group's discussions, and shared their drawings with the group for feedback. The students created a mural from these drawings, depicting themes of community, cooperation, inclusion and transformation.

In addition, the forum was videotaped, audiotaped and transcribed. Afterward the research team reviewed the transcripts, coded the data and looked for themes. The team is sharing its report with the forum participants so they can check the accuracy of the research from their participant perspective.

"We'll be bringing these young Iowans back together sometime in spring 2015, as well as conducting more extensive research about how to best interact with and serve young Iowans," Taylor said.

"Extension and Outreach conducted town hall meetings in 2012 to get feedback from the public. In 2014, we focused on our partners -- hearing their perspectives, learning where we can improve and exploring opportunities for collaboration," said Cathann Kress, vice president for ISU Extension and Outreach.

Sessions were held in Council Bluffs, Algona, Indianola, Dubuque and Cedar Rapids over the past several months. Participants included rural economic development groups; community college presidents; Councils of Governments; representatives from K-12 schools, public health and local nonprofit organizations; and other community leaders.

Cathann Kress, right, visits with partners from Linn County."We wanted to find out what first attracted these people to engage with Extension and Outreach, and what keeps them coming back," Kress said.

Each group discussed local concerns related to Iowa's changing demographics, Kress said. She noted that 33 Iowa counties are growing in population or holding their own, while 66 are declining. This also affects Iowa school demographics: the majority of Iowa's young people are clustered in eight counties. Young and minority populations also are increasing significantly.

Kress suggested that Iowa's shift toward a more urban population has created a climate in which rural residents feel they've lost their voice, potentially creating an adversarial relationship between rural and urban areas. She believes that Iowa has a unique environment with multiple small to mid-sized communities that have served as anchors with a sense of community and connection.

"We must support these anchor communities by collecting data based on indicators that impact quality of life, with ISU Extension and Outreach serving as the source for these data. We need to help the anchors build their capabilities to serve the larger rural areas around them," Kress said.



Beef Checkoff Sponsoring New Kids LiveWell program

The National Restaurant Association today announced that the Beef Checkoff Program is a new sponsor of the Association’s award-winning Kids LiveWell program, a voluntary industrywide initiative designed to help make the healthful choice the easy choice when dining out with children.

The Association applauded the checkoff for its commitment to promoting and developing nutritious kids’ meals.

“The partnership between Kids LiveWell and the beef checkoff offers valuable opportunities to promote the important role that lean protein plays in building a healthful meal,” said Joan McGlockton, vice president, Industry Affairs & Food Policy, National Restaurant Association (NRA). “The sponsorship will aid current participants and restaurants looking to join the program by identifying healthful, innovative recipes that highlight lean cuts of beef, helping to provide the industry’s youngest patrons with the essential nutrients they need.”

In conjunction with its sponsorship, the checkoff has identified a collection of kid-friendly recipes in its database of triple-tested, on-trend recipes that meet the Kids LiveWell criteria. To make it turnkey for operators to incorporate these items on their menus, the recipes, nutritionals and pairing suggestions are available online at www.BeefFoodservice.com/NRAKidsLiveWell.aspx.

“America’s farmers and ranchers are committed to continuing to raise and supply nutritious beef for families, and we’re grateful for efforts like Kids LiveWell and its participating restaurants to highlight health for consumers," said Clay Burtrum, a stocker and cow-calf operator from Stillwater, Okla. and chairman of the checkoff’s Nutrition & Health Subcommittee.

"As a dad of three girls, I know how important it is for our children to have access to nutritious and healthy foods,” he said. “The kids’ menu can be a deciding factor for where to eat and, at the same time, parents themselves want a great steak or burger when dining out. By menuing a kids’ meal that includes beef, retaurants can attract parents making meal-time decisions for their family.”

The 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans build a healthy plate with nutrient-rich foods, including lean protein. High quality lean beef provides nutrients that are vital for a healthy and active lifestyle, from infancy to adulthood.

The NRA launched Kids LiveWell in 2011 to help restaurants highlight their better-for-you menu choices for children. To join the program, restaurant operators agree to offer and promote a selection of healthful menu items that meet nutrition criteria based on scientific recommendations from leading health organizations, including USDA's Dietary Guidelines.

Kids LiveWell was developed in collaboration with Healthy Dining, whose team of registered dietitians works with restaurants to identify and validate qualifying menu choices. Participating restaurants and their qualifying items are listed on HealthyDiningFinder.com, and also via a free Kids LiveWell app in the Android Market and iTunes App store.

Currently, Kids LiveWell includes 150 restaurant brands representing more than 42,000 locations nationwide.



NCGA CEO Brings Corn Farmers' Perspective to NGFA Conference

This week, National Corn Growers Association CEO shared insights on the importance of balancing grower access to technology and export markets with the National Grain and Feed Association's 43rd Annual Country Elevator Conference in Indianapolis, Ind. Novak's presentation was part of the panel titled "Biotech Innovation and Protecting Market Access - Can They Be Compatible?"

Novak focused on the important role access to technology, particularly biotechnology, played in increased production by American corn farmers. Noting the anticipated record corn crop grown in 2014, he stressed the importance of both access to the tools needed create this abundance and to markets for the final product.

"Biotechnology has brought tremendous gains to farmers, consumers and the environment yet, at the same time, has been used to create market access barriers," said Novak. "Farmers, grain companies and seed companies are working together today to find solutions to these market access challenges so that the United States can continue to offer customers corn that meets their needs. In the absence of this continued cooperation, courts and/or Congress will likely step in to decide these issues.  It is important for all the stakeholders across the grain industry to continue working together to determine our path forward rather than putting those decisions in someone else's hands."

Dow AgroSciences LLC Industry Relations Leader Matt Rekeweg was also featured during this discussion. NGFA's annual Country Elevator Conference & Trade Show is the single largest gathering of country elevator personnel.

Each year, more than 650 industry members attend the day-and-a-half conference and trade show. High-level government representatives and industry experts serve as speakers at this popular annual conference. Conducted in conjunction with the conference is an annual Leadership Conference with state and regional grain and feed associations affiliated with the NGFA, as well as a meeting of the NGFA's Country Elevator Committee.



Short-Term Energy Outlook Highlights
Released on December 9, 2014 from the Energy Information Administration

-    North Sea Brent crude oil spot prices fell by more than 15% in November, declining from $85/barrel (bbl) on November 3 to $72/bbl on November 28. Monthly average Brent crude oil prices have declined 29% from their 2014 high of $112/bbl in June to an average of $79/bbl in November, the lowest monthly average since September 2010. The November price decline reflects continued growth in U.S. tight oil production along with weakening outlooks for the global economy and oil demand growth. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OPEC) decision in late November to maintain its current crude oil production target, despite lower oil prices, put additional downward pressure on price expectations.

-    The current values of futures and options contracts suggest high uncertainty in the price outlook (Market Prices and Uncertainty Report). WTI futures contracts for March 2015 delivery, traded during the five-day period ending December 4, averaged $67/bbl. Implied volatility averaged 32%, establishing the lower and upper limits of the 95% confidence interval for the market's expectations of monthly average WTI prices in March 2015 at $51/bbl and $89/bbl, respectively. Last year at this time, WTI for March 2014 delivery averaged $96/bbl and implied volatility averaged 19%. The corresponding lower and upper limits of the 95% confidence interval were $82/bbl and $112/bbl.

-    Total U.S. crude oil production averaged an estimated 9.0 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in November. Projected total crude oil production averages 9.3 million bbl/d in 2015, a reduction of 0.1 million bbl/d from last month's STEO.

-    Driven largely by falling crude oil prices, U.S. weekly regular gasoline retail prices averaged $2.78/gallon (gal) on December 1, the lowest since October 4, 2010. U.S. regular gasoline retail prices are projected to continue declining for the remainder of the year, averaging $2.61/gal in December. EIA expects U.S. regular gasoline retail prices, which averaged $3.51/gal in 2013, to average $3.37/gal in 2014 and $2.60/gal in 2015. Forecast retail gasoline prices for 2015 are $0.35/gal lower than in last month's STEO.

-    U.S. population-weighted heating degree days (HDD) were an estimated 18% higher than the previous 10-year average for November. Despite a cold start to the winter, lower fuel prices and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) projection of near-normal temperatures for the remainder of the winter are expected to help lessen consumer expenditures on home heating compared with last winter. Lower crude oil prices are expected to help reduce household heating oil expenditures by 27% ($632) compared with last winter, with U.S. heating oil prices averaging 20% lower at $3.09/gal. Propane prices are expected to be 13% lower in the Northeast and 26% lower in the Midwest, resulting in households spending 20% and 34% less on propane in those regions, respectively.

-    Natural gas working inventories on November 28 totaled 3.41 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), 0.23 Tcf (6%) below the level at the same time a year ago and 0.37 Tcf (10%) below the previous five-year average (2009-13). Despite the lower stocks at the start of this winter's heating season, EIA expects the Henry Hub natural gas spot price to average $3.98/million British thermal units (MMBtu) this winter compared with $4.53/MMBtu last winter, reflecting both lower expected heating demand and higher natural gas production this winter.



CWT Assists with Half a Million Pounds of Cheese Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 7 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) and Tillamook County Creamery Association to sell 540,133 pounds (245 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese to customers in Asia and the Middle East. The product will be delivered December 2014 through June 2015.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 99.690 million pounds of cheese, 53.591 million pounds of butter and 56.729 million pounds of whole milk powder to 45 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 2.540 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program, in the long-term, helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the U.S. farm milk that produces them in the rapidly growing world dairy markets. This, in turn, positively impacts U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.



Report Highlights Importance of Immigration Reform for Midwest Agriculture

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs will release a new study showing immigration reform is critical for the health of agriculture in the Midwest and across the country.

In November, President Obama announced major executive action on immigration policy, but the measure provides at best only minimal benefit to farm workers. At worst, it may actually worsen critical labor shortages at farms across the region, the group said.

The future of the agriculture sector hinges on much broader reforms. A continued stalemate on immigration reform means lower food production, higher food costs, lost jobs and lost income in the Midwestern agriculture sector.

As of 2003, half of the 440 "farm-dependent" counties throughout the United States are within the Midwest region.  On average, the percentage of Midwest farms that use hired labor is about one in five farms.

The report puts forward recommendations that would help meet the needs of Midwest agriculture, and also assuage labor shortages, visa issues and other immigration-related challenges on farms across the country.



Novus International Announces Intent to Expand ALIMET® Capacity

Today, Novus International, Inc. ("Novus") announces its intent to expand ALIMET® feed supplement manufacturing capacity in the United States Gulf Coast region. ALIMET® feed supplement provides a methionine source for livestock in the form of HMTBa. Methionine is an essential amino acid for poultry, swine, cattle and aquaculture diets and ALIMET demonstrates a proven performance in these applications.

New methionine capacity will be needed as the projected global demand is forecasted to outpace planned increases in production capacity. Sources of methionine are essential to meat, milk, and egg production, and to the efficient use of feedgrains in balanced diets for maximized production.

Novus is committed to supporting its customer base as worldwide methionine demand grows. This planned capacity expansion builds on Novus's current ALIMET production capacity of 320 KT per year and is planned to add another 120 KT per year by 2020. The Novus engineering team is engaged in selecting the site which is planned to be in the United States Gulf Coast region because of the advantages associated with logistics and cost effective sourcing of raw materials from the industry base supported by North American shale developments.