Friday January 9 Ag News

REDUCE SCOURS USING SANDHILLS CALVING SYSTEM 
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist

               As calving season progresses, calving pastures start to get beat up and calves start getting scours.  There is, though, a simple solution.

               When you have a full herd of cows in one calving pasture with baby calves ranging from one day to forty-one days old, you often get calf scours.  Scours can be reduced, though, by subdividing calving pastures and properly moving cows through them.

               In a typical single calving pasture, the concentration of bacteria and viruses that cause scours increase dramatically as calving season progresses.  This means calves born a couple weeks into calving season and later may get exposed to a very high dose of these pathogens.

               In addition, calves are most susceptible to developing scours during their second and third week of age, just about the time potential exposure to these pathogens becomes high.

               The Sandhills calving system breaks up this scour cycle.  To use this system, first subdivide your calving pasture or use multiple pastures.  Then, start calving with all your cows in one pasture.  After about ten days, move all the cows that have not yet calved to a fresh pasture.  Repeat this process about every ten days, always leaving behind the pairs born the previous period.  This system of movement minimizes exposure of young calves to scour pathogens.

               Obviously, selecting the right pastures for calving to subdivide with water available in each subdivision is critical.  After all, you may need six or more different subdivisions to get through the entire calving season.  This might sound like a lot of work, but it likely will be less work than treating sick calves as well as reduce calf losses.

               Subdividing pastures usually improves pasture health, but with the Sandhills calving system, it can improve calf health as well.



NDA SPONSORS 12th ANNUAL POSTER CONTEST, ENCOURAGES 1ST - 6TH GRADERS TO PARTICIPATE

Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Greg Ibach today announced the beginning of the 12th annual NDA Agriculture Week in Nebraska Poster Contest.  The contest is open to all Nebraska youth currently in first through sixth grades.  This year’s theme is “A Day on the Farm.”

“Agriculture is Nebraska’s number one industry.  It is important for young students to understand the key role farmers and ranchers play in our everyday lives,” said Ibach.  “Through the years, we’ve heard from numerous teachers that this contest opens the door for conversations with students about food, fiber and fuel production.”  

The contest entry deadline is March 2, 2015.  The winners will be announced during National Ag Week (the week of March 16).

The contest is divided into three age categories:
·         First and second grade students;
·         Third and fourth grade students, and
·         Fifth and sixth grade students.

Winning entries will be featured on the NDA website and potentially in promotional materials and other publications.

Contest rules and official entry forms are available online at www.nda.nebraska.gov/kids.  Contest questions can be directed to Christin Kamm at (402) 471-6856 or by e-mail at christin.kamm@nebraska.gov.



NeFU Offering Training to Specialty Crop Producers with Grant from USDA

Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) begins a series of five one-day specialty crop producer workshops in Grand Island, Norfolk, Lincoln, and Omaha next week.  All trainings start at 9:00 am and run to 4:00 pm.  The first week of workshops begin January 13 in Grand Island at the Stuhr Museum, January 14 in Norfolk at the Lifelong Learning Center, January 15 in Lincoln at the Southeast Community College, and January 16 in Omaha at the Metro Community College Fort Campus.  All five one-day workshops will be on the same days of the week, and at the same locations.

The workshops are for producers of fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture products, otherwise known as Specialty Crops Producers. The top trainers in their fields will be working with NeFU to provide the most useful information possible for specialty crop farmers.  The workshops are intended to increase the economic viability of the participants by providing the tools necessary to help producers reach new markets including schools, restaurants, grocery stores and other wholesale markets.

The first two trainings will focus on Good Agriculture Practices (GAP’s), food safety and development of on farm safety plans for their operations. These safety plans will also pave the way for compliance with the new regulations from the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act.  NeFU is partnering with UNL Extension to provide these in depth trainings. Participants will be provided books and other materials to use on their farm.

Producers of all sizes and experience are welcomed and encouraged to attend the trainings. For the convenience of the participants, the trainings are being repeated in Grand Island on Tuesday’s, Norfolk on Wednesday’s, Lincoln and Scottsbluff on Thursday’s and Omaha on Friday’s.

The schedule for the weeks of trainings is:
Week of January 12th - Good Agriculture Practices (GAP’s) Level 1
Week of January 26th - Good Agriculture Practices (GAP’s) Level 2
Week of February 10th  - Small Farm Operations (HR, Insurance, Contracts)
Week of February 23rd - Holistic Financial Management
Week of March 2nd   - Wholesale Success with Atina Diffley, nationally recognized expert & author

These trainings are made possible through a grant to NeFU from the USDA Agriculture Marketing Service, Local Food Promotion Program, a market development program included in the last Farm Bill.

Pre-Registration for the classes is required and registration will close on the Friday before each series of trainings.  The registration link is:   http://nebraskafarmersunion.org/farmertraining.  For more information and details, call Jeremiah at 402-476-8815 or 402-570-3746.



ISA: Action by Des Moines Water Works reveals complete disconnect from scope, complexity of non-point water quality issues

Iowa Soybean Association President Tom Oswald of Cleghorn issued the following statement regarding Des Moines Water Works’ decision today to pursue legal action against several counties in northwest Iowa for alleged shortfalls in water quality.

“Claims by Des Moines Water Works that we have a water quality crisis in Iowa is sensationalistic at best and, at worst, dishonest. The Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Geological Service officials all agree there is not a trend of rising nitrate levels in the Raccoon River. This is backed by an analysis of thousands of water samples from 41 locations in the Raccoon River Watershed from 1999-2014 that found nitrate concentrations decreased by nearly 25 percent due to refinements of cropping systems.

“There is no evidence that the regulatory scheme ultimately sought by Des Moines Water Works will improve water quality as it relates to non-point source issues. There is, however, ample evidence that conservation practices tailored to specific farms and watersheds do. Just last year, 2,400 farmers and land owners invested $22.5 million on conservation practices to prevent soil erosion and improve water quality, of which $13 million came out of farmers’ own pockets.

“A declaration by the CEO of Des Moines Water Works that the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is a failure just 18 months into this multi-decade initiative reveals a startling disconnect from the scope and complexity of non-point water quality issues. Iowa Soybean Association’s work combined with greater awareness and cost-share funding provided by the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is increasing the use of cover crops, bioreactors, buffer strips, gated tile systems and other practices proven to have a quantifiable impact on water quality.

“Iowa farmers are committed to providing the best water possible for use by Des Moines Water Works. We encourage the entity and its CEO to abandon the political posturing in favor of pragmatic, workable and sensible activities that will truly have a positive impact on environmental performance and water quality. The Iowa Soybean Association will continue to extend invitations to Des Moines Water Works and its CEO to be partners in this progress.”

Addendum
·         Des Moines Water Works’ nitrate removal system has not operated in eight of the 23 years it has been installed, with the longest stretch from 2008-12.

·         From 1992-2000, the nitrate removal system operated an average of 46 days per year. From 2001-14, it has operated an average of just 26 days.

·         No one wants to pay more for water. But the fact is that the state-of-the-art nitrate removal system efficiently, effectively and economically treats the exact amount of water needed by Des Moines Water Work’s 500,000 customers. The annual operations of the system costs the average customer less than $1 per year, or less than the cost of one cup of coffee.



PIN Tag Deadline is January 1, 2015

As of Jan. 1, 2015, individual identification of breeding stock headed to harvest will transition from backtags to the use of official, USDA-approved eartags.  The eartags, called official premises identification number (PIN) tags, must be applied on the farm to individual breeding swine being marketed into harvest channels to link the animal to the sending premises. PIN tags are not required for feeder pigs, growers or market hogs.

In support of the Swine ID Plan, most major U.S. packers and processors will require PIN tags as a condition of sale for breeding stock beginning Jan. 1. To date, packers that will require the tags include: Johnsonville, Hillshire Brands, Calihan Pork Processors, Bob Evans Farms, Wampler’s Farm Sausage, Pine Ridge Farms, Pioneer Packing Co., Pork King Packing and Abbyland Pork Pack.

“The official PIN tags are a significant improvement over backtags that are not imprinted with a premises identifier and are prone to come off,” said Patrick Webb, DVM, director of swine health for the Pork Checkoff. “When used in breeding stock, the official PIN tags will enhance pre-harvest traceability and national disease surveillance.”

PIN Tags Play Key Role in Disease Outbreak
Sows and boars entering harvest channels are often commingled, sorted and shipped with animals from other sources. Individual identification is essential for targeted surveillance and rapid and accurate traceback for diseases that could affect trade and commerce, such as pseudorabies or Foot-and-Mouth Disease.

“If there is a disease issue, PIN tags could expedite the investigation, identify the site and aid officials in quickly containing the outbreak to help limit potential damage for the producer and the rest of the industry,” Webb said. “The official PIN tags demonstrate to our trading partners that we have a valid pre-harvest traceability system. With more than 25 percent of U.S. pork production going to foreign buyers, that assurance helps keep export markets viable.”

He added, “The official tags also play a role in the industry’s Pork Quality Assurance® programs, providing an excellent way to identify sows and boars during production and to keep accurate treatment and movement records.”
 
What is a PIN?
A premises identification number (PIN) will locate a specific animal production site. The standardized PIN is a USDA-allocated, seven-character alphanumeric code, with the right-most character being a check digit. For example: AB23456. Note that PINs are not the same as location identification numbers (LIDs) administered through a state’s or tribe’s internal system.

For more information or to register for a PIN, go to: pork.org/PINtag.  



Brazil's Ag Min Pegs 2014-15 Soy at 95.9 MMT

Brazil's Agriculture Ministry basically held its 2014-15 soybean forecast steady in its latest crop report released early Friday.

Output is pegged at 95.9 million metric tons (mmt), up marginally from 95.8 mmt last month and 11.4% higher than the 86.1 mmt recorded last year.

The forecast is at the top end of Brazilian crop forecasts, which range from 91 mmt to 97 mmt.

The delays caused by dry weather in the center-west mean crops are at varied stages of development, but generally beans are in excellent condition and pest and disease levels are low, said the government.

In the south, strong yields are projected based on an increase in technology use.

The ministry raised its summer-crop corn projection from 29.3 mmt to 29.6 mmt, based on decent growing conditions. With the second-crop forecast stable at 49.4 mmt, Brazil is predicting only a small decline in overall 2014-15 production of 1.1% to 79.1 mmt.

Exports from the 2014-15 season are pegged at 20.0 mmt, slightly down from 20.5 mmt seen in 2013-14.



New Year, Evolving Priorities for Grain Exports
U.S. Grains Council President and CEO Tom Sleight 

Q: Markets are constantly changing. What is new on the horizon for 2015?

A: If any lesson has been reinforced in recent years, it is to expect the unexpected. It is very possible that the biggest story for the Council in 2015 will be something none of us anticipates today. One of the Council’s strengths is the ability of our staff around the world to respond quickly and creatively when challenges arise.

There are some new developments on the horizon, however, as we head into 2015. In partnership with the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy, the Council is in the early stages of a major ethanol export initiative. We began a series of market assessment missions in selected countries last year, and we will be moving on to targeted market development activities this year.

With back-to-back record harvests and more competitive pricing, the United States has also recovered market share in a number of traditional markets in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa. We want to sustain that rebound. We are moving very aggressively to explore the new opportunity with our next-door neighbor, Cuba, as a result of recently announced policy changes. We are looking at an expanded presence in Mexico, a market in which we already enjoy a commanding share and in which there is rapid growth and new opportunity. And of course, we are working at all levels to restore and normalize trade with China.

Q: China announced approval of MIR 162 just before Christmas. Do you expect a “return to normalcy” In 2015?

A: That remains to be seen. China’s approval of MIR 162 is certainly good news, but it is not yet clear how aggressively China will reenter the corn and distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) markets. The events of the last year have underscored the importance of a long-term solution on asynchronous approvals and a trade-enabling policy on low-level presence (LLP). Those remain top Council objectives in China. It is important to note that the Chinese feed and livestock industries, and ultimately Chinese consumers, are paying a very high price for China’s constriction of imports. These are important partners in China who want to buy U.S. coarse grains, and the economic and political reform in China on food and trade policy is very complex.

Q: Some are saying 2015 will bring a breakthrough on trade policy, particularly the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Do you think this will be the year for a deal?

A: Trade policy is intensely political in all countries. Negotiations often seem to be driven more by the political calendar than by technical discussions. It is fair to say that there is a window of opportunity this year for TPP. The United States just had Congressional elections, and Japan just completed parliamentary elections that resulted in an increased majority for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Bilateral discussions between the United States and Japan on agricultural issues had been one of the TPP sticking points over the past year. With the elections out of the way, the political leadership in both countries has an opportunity to make a deal.  I lean towards the view that TPA (trade promotion authority) must happen first, then TPP will follow. Pay attention and learn more because these agreements are vital for U.S. agriculture. The next several months are critical.

Q: MAIZALL has raised its international profile with missions to Korea, China and the European Union, which included specific visits with the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome. What is on the docket for 2015?

A: MAIZALL is a unique collaboration. When American, Argentine and Brazilian corn producers act as a team, they represent three-quarters of the world’s exportable corn surplus and they provide a united producers’ voice on market access and biotechnology issues. That is valuable. In 2015, MAIZALL will be broadening its outreach to pro-trade groups in targeted EU countries. It will also participate in the Global LLP Initiative, which is a working group of like-minded countries exploring solutions to this perennial question. We also hope to have the opportunity for MAIZALL to open a discussion with the Ukrainians at the Ukrainian Grain Congress, which will occur this March in Washington, D.C.