Thursday February 12 Ag News

Ag Groups, County Officials, Back Livestock Permit Reforms

Livestock farmers seeking to expand or start new livestock operations and the county officials tasked with approving them would both benefit from changes to the local permitting process as proposed in legislation introduced by Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse.

Livestock farmers and county officials have long recognized the importance of livestock agriculture, but establishing clarity for both parties in the local approval process hasn’t always been easy.

“Livestock farming is a huge part of Nebraska agriculture. It’s critical that we have processes in place that works for farmers seeking local approval and for county officials who are charged with representing the interests of the county. Sen. Watermeier’s bill (LB 106) is a step in the right direction to giving both sides greater clarity in the process,” said Mark McHargue, Nebraska Farm Bureau first vice-president and a pork producer from Central City.

County officials and representatives of Nebraska livestock groups have been meeting for several months to discuss concerns and ideas for improving the local permitting process. The result is legislation following in the steps of other states that have incorporated a matrix for evaluating livestock facility applications to remove some of the subjectivity in the approval process.

“Both county officials and livestock producers want more consistency and predictability built into the process. That’s what we were striving for as we worked through these conversations. Clearly the legislation would bring significant changes to the process, but they are positive changes that maintain local control for the county, but ensure livestock farmers aren’t in the dark on whether they have a realistic chance for approval,” said Larry Dix, executive director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials.

LB 106 would direct the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to develop an assessment matrix for use by county officials when determining whether to approve an application. The matrix would consider numerous factors in an application ranging from size and type of livestock farm, to manure management and impact on local communities.

“There are significant costs involved when you’re looking at expanding or starting a livestock feeding operation. That doesn’t just mean money. People invest a lot time and effort into the process and quite frankly, subject themselves and their families to a high level of public scrutiny. This bill won’t change all of that, but it will provide a level of predictability to the process that doesn’t exist today,” said Chuck Folken of the Nebraska Cattlemen.

“I’m proud to be a part of an effort to bring important reforms to how we address livestock expansion locally. The fact that the counties and livestock interests have worked together to find a mutually agreeable process is a testament to both interests and their understanding of what livestock agriculture means to the state and our local economies. The process outlined in LB 106 reflects yet another step forward in growing Nebraska agriculture,” said Sen. Dan Watermeier.

Legislative Bill 106 is scheduled for a public hearing Feb. 12 before the Legislature’s Government Committee. 



Group Fights to Stop LB 176 in Nebraska

In a letter hand-delivered yesterday to Nebraska Unicameral Legislature's Agriculture Committee, R-CALF USA urged the rejection of Nebraska Legislative Bill 176 (LB 176). Introduced by Nebraska Senator Ken Schilz, LB 176 would amend the state's Competitive Livestock Markets Act (Act) passed in 1999, an anti-corporate farming law that prohibits meatpackers from owning, controlling or feeding livestock for more than five days prior to slaughter.

Schilz's bill proposes to amend the Act to allow packers such as Chinese-owned Smithfield Farms to begin owning, controlling and feeding hogs in corporate-controlled contract swine operations in Nebraska. R-CALF USA wrote that LB 176 would result in a loss of marketing outlets for independent livestock producers that would force them to "either produce livestock under the command-and-control regime of the meatpackers or exit their industry."

R-CALF USA contends that the proposed amendments would drastically reduce livestock market competition in Nebraska because when meatpackers are allowed to own and control all the livestock they need from birth to plate, the meatpackers will no longer need to compete with one another for available supplies offered by independent livestock producers. This, the group states, limits the marketing outlets available to independent producers.

Additionally, R-CALF USA described LB 176 as a means to allow meatpackers to capture the livestock supply chain away from independent farmers and ranchers.

The group attributes Nebraska's Act as enabling Nebraska to maintain among the most competitive price-discovery markets in the nation by preventing meatpackers from shrinking the competitive cash market through corporate ownership or control of livestock. R-CALF USA explained that the cattle industry's price-discovery cash market has been reduced nationally from 52 percent in 2005 to only 23 percent in 2014.

"In sharp contrast, and as a direct result of Nebraska's Competitive Livestock Markets Act that limits the packers ability to shrink the price-discovery market by capturing the livestock supply chain away from independent producers, the volume of fed cattle comprising the competitive cash market in the Nebraska fed cattle procurement region is at 38 percent, which is much higher than the national average.

"Nebraska should fight to defend its Competitive Livestock Markets Act against LB 176, which is designed to help the meatpackers chickenize Nebraska's hog industry by helping the meatpackers to capture the hog supply chain from Nebraska's independent hog producers. And, where Nebraska's hog industry goes, the state's cattle industry is certain to follow."

R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard explained that the reason the cattle industry will likely follow the path of the hog industry is because the same meatpackers that slaughter and control the lion's share of all the hogs in the U.S. also slaughter and control the lion's share of fed cattle.

"The U.S. cattle industry is the meatpackers' Last Frontier and cattle producers need to aggressively fight against any and all efforts by the meatpackers to capture any more livestock supply chains away from independent farmers and ranchers, regardless of whether those supply chains involve sheep, hogs or cattle," Bullard said.



GOVERNOR’S AG CONFERENCE EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE NEARS - ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED

With the 27th annual Governor’s Ag Conference rapidly approaching, Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Greg Ibach is reminding anyone interested in attending about the upcoming early registration deadline.

The Conference, scheduled for March 4-5, will be held at the Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Kearney.  Early registration for the Conference ends February 18.

“We are covering a number of issues of significance to Nebraska’s agriculture sector,” Ibach said. “Topics such as emerging trade markets, connecting urban and rural constituencies through agriculture, and federal policy changes all will impact Nebraska farmers and ranchers in the future.”

Joining the current lineup of speakers will be a panel who will discuss the importance of planning for a successful transition of farm and ranch operations.  Two of those panelists include Dr. Danny Klinefelter and Eryka Morehead.

Through his work as a professor and Extension economist with Texas AgriLife Extension and Texas A&M University, Dr. Klinefelter specializes in agricultural finance and management development, including farm transitions.

“In Nebraska we have more producers older than age 65 than there are younger than 45.  While farm transition planning can be a hard discussion for families to have, it is a necessary dialogue,” said Ibach.  “Those conversations can include successful transition from one generation to the next or can include transitions to other interested parties.  Our panelists will discuss best practices in order to have successful results.

Other speakers at this year’s Conference will include: Jim Wiesemeyer, a Washington, DC-based policy expert with Informa Economics, who will cover federal policy issues impacting agriculture; Mike Dwyer, with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Global Policy Analysis Division, who will provide insight and information on emerging markets of relevance to Nebraska agriculture; and John Heck with The Scoular Company and Randy Thelen with the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, will announce results from  a recent Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce study on ways to build value-added agriculture opportunities in Omaha and create an urban-rural synergy.  Governor Pete Ricketts will provide keynote remarks during the luncheon on March 5th.

The Conference is open to anyone interested in learning more about Nebraska agriculture.  A $100 registration fee covers participation at the entire Conference.  More information, including the schedule and online registration, is available at www.nda.nebraska.gov.  Registrations will also be accepted over the phone by calling NDA toll-free at 800-831-0550.



CommonGround Volunteers Prep Return to National Television

CommonGround volunteers hit the studios for popular morning show The Balancing Act to tape a two-segment series discussing food topics most important to today's farmer. The segments, which will air later this spring on Lifetime TV, will acquaint women across the country with the farm women who grow and raise the food for all of America's families.

"We are thrilled to work with The Balancing Act to create television that will address topics that concern the families who buy food that ours grow," said Julie Kenney, a CommonGround volunteer who farms in Iowa. "All of us have so many common bonds; we all have a particular interest in food, in sharing our story, and in doing what is best for our families. There is such a strong desire here to really delve into every aspect of American food and, as farmers, we bring a unique perspective on issues like GMOs, organics and the local food movement to an audience that is hungry to hear from women who share their experience and concerns with first-hand knowledge on these subjects."

In addition to Kenney, whose interview focused on the important way GMOs benefit both farmers and U.S. families, Colorado rancher (and former Nebraska Corn Board employee) Kelsey Pope taped a segment on the safety and importance of proper antibiotic use in livestock. These interviews focused on bringing American farmers into your kitchen, the real story on food prices and how farmers raise and grow safe, healthy food for our families.

This special opportunity to reach millions of the women who make a vast majority of America's grocery purchasing decisions builds upon a four-part series that aired in the winter of 2013 and early in 2014.

The Balancing Act empowers women in all aspects of their lives, striving to help today's modern women balance it all by bringing them exceptional solutions to everyday problems. Working together, CommonGround and The Balancing Act, which recently entered national syndication, will provide both immediate information and an ongoing resource for women with questions about the food they feed their families.

CommonGround was founded by the National Corn Growers Association, the United Soybean Board and their state affiliates to start a conversation about food between the women who grow it and the women who buy it. Now in its fifth year, CommonGround brings more than 130 of America's farm women to the table for food discussions and helps consumers eat fearlessly.



USDA TO SURVEY FARMERS’ PLANTING INTENTIONS FOR 2015

What is on the horizon for U.S. farmers in 2015 as they finalize plans for planting this spring? The March Agricultural Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey approximately 82,000 of the nation's farmers to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season, including 2,956 in Iowa.

Each year, the agriculture industry eagerly awaits USDA's Prospective Plantings report, which provides USDA's first survey-based estimates of farmers' planting intentions for the year, said NASS' Upper Midwest Regional Director Greg Thessen. The March Agricultural Survey provides the factual data that underpins these projections, making it one of the most important surveys we conduct each year.

NASS will mail the survey in late February, asking producers to provide information about the types of crops they intend to plant in 2015, how many acres they intend to plant, and the amounts of grain and oilseed they store on their farms. NASS encourages producers to respond online or by mail. Those producers who do not respond by the deadline may be contacted for a telephone or personal interview.

NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in the annual Prospective Plantings report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released on March 31, 2015.

As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential, as required by federal law. NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified. These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov. For more information call the NASS Iowa Field Office at 800-772-0825.



IPPA to award a dozen 2015 scholarships

The Iowa Pork Producers Association and the Iowa Pork Foundation are pleased to announce that incoming college freshmen and returning college agriculture students can now apply for 2015 scholarships.

These scholarships are offered to those students who are planning to or are currently majoring in an agriculture field with an interest in the pork industry.

"We recognize that young people are our future and we want to help offset the expenses of a college education by awarding scholarships to those who are seriously interested in a career in the pork industry," said Shawnie Wagner, IPPA consumer outreach director. "There are a lot of good career opportunities in the industry and we want to encourage talented students to pursue those opportunities."

Six $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to students who will enter any two- or four-year Iowa college next fall. Applicants must be an Iowa resident, major in an ag related field with an emphasis on swine production and maintain a 2.5 grade point average.

Returning Iowa college ag students who have an interest in the swine industry can apply for one of the six $1,500 scholarships being offered. Previous IPPA scholarship recipients may reapply. Students must be Iowa residents and have a 2.5 grade point average.

Incoming freshmen must provide a copy of his or her high school transcript, while returning college students need to submit his or her college transcript. All applicants must submit two letters of reference.

Interested students may apply at www.iowapork.org. The application deadline is April 1, 2015. Scholarship winners will be notified by the end of April. Scholarship payments will be made directly to the college or university.



New Report Confirms Biotechnology Crop Growth
US Wheat Policy Specialist Elizabeth Westendorf

At the end of January, The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) released its 2014 report on the global status of commercialized crops with traits derived from biotechnology. The report, dedicated to the late Nobel Peace Laureate and renowned wheat breeder Norman Borlaug to honor his birth centennial, outlines global biotech production, areas of growth and the effect of biotech crops on farmers’ livelihoods.

Some of the key points from the report were:

    Twenty-eight countries produced biotech crops commercially last year, involving 18 million farmers and 181 million hectares of land;

    Twenty were developing countries and 90 percent of the farmers from these countries were small, risk-averse and poor;

    Bangladesh was the newest addition, with Bt eggplant commercialized and planted in 2014;

    Repeat planting among farmers was at virtually 100 percent, indicating that farmers see economic benefits from the technology;

    Biotech food crops planted in 2014 included white maize, sugar beet, sweet corn, papaya, squash, and eggplant; U.S. regulators also approved the Innate™ potato, which is resistant to bruising and lowers the already low risk of human exposure to acrylamide, a potential carcinogen, traits that directly benefit consumers; 

    Thirty-eight countries granted 3,083 regulatory approvals for 27 biotech crops and 357 biotech events since 1994, while Japan has granted the most approvals at 201 events. 

The United States is still the largest producer of biotech crops, with 73.1 million hectares in production and eight different biotech crops commercialized. Last year, there was increased adoption of drought tolerant maize, which increased 5.5 fold from 2013.

Breeders are studying potential biotech traits in wheat in the United States, but also in Australia, the United Kingdom, China, Canada and other countries. A number of African countries are developing biotech varieties for staple crops that will help smallholder farmers, and field trials for drought tolerant and pest resistant wheat have taken place in Africa in the past.

The report also referenced a 2014 meta-analysis conducted by Klumper and Qaim, which analyzed 147 published studies on biotech crops over 20 years and confirmed the benefits of the technology. The study concluded that biotech crops on average reduce pesticide use by 37 percent, increase yields by 22 percent, and increase farmer profits by 68 percent. The authors estimated that the reduction in pesticide use due to biotech crops has kept 500 million kilograms of active ingredient out of the environment.

In addition to the huge successes in biotechnology, non-biotech innovation continues to show excellent results. The report highlights several types of technology developed for biotech research that researchers are applying with excellent results in non-biotech crop breeding.

The efforts by a vocal minority to create unwarranted fear of these innovations among the world’s consumers complicates the daunting task for farmers who must increase food production by 60 percent to feed a population that will top the nine billion mark by 2050. Wheat makes up 20 percent of human calories and farmers will have to produce more and better wheat, more efficiently and more sustainably in the future. We must recognize consumer choice, yet we must also consider all the options available to the people we depend on to feed us every day — and the ISAAA report reflects consistent growth in adoption of biotechnology even in the face of such opposition.



Age of Average Farmers Continues to Grow Older

In 2013, roughly 34 percent of all U.S. principal farm operators were at least 65 years old, nearly 3 times the U.S. average share of older nonagricultural self-employed workers.

The Economic Research Service says that retirement farms had the highest percentage of older operators (67 percent)-as might be expected-followed by low-sales farms (41 percent).

The advanced age of farm operators is understandable, given that the farm is the home for most farmers, and farmers can gradually phase out of farming over a decade or more. Improved health and advances in farm equipment also allow operators to farm later in life than in past generations.

Principal operators of more commercially oriented farms-large farms with gross cash farm income (GCFI) of a million dollars or more-more closely resembled the nonagricultural self-employed workforce, with 14-17 percent age 65 and over.



NCBA to Host Bull Selection Webinar
 
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has announced the next in its continuing series of educational webinars. The upcoming session, scheduled for Feb. 19, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. MST, focuses on understanding bull selection tools and the use of selection indices. This timely topic is useful to anyone looking to add a bull to their herd this spring utilizing the latest genome-based selection tools.

Panelists for the webinar include Dan Moser, PhD., President of Angus Genetics Inc., and Director of Performance Programs for the American Angus Association; Jack Ward, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Breed Improvement for the American Hereford Association; and Wade Shafer, PhD., CEO of the American Simmental Association.

These three industry-leading breed association experts have a background in the commercial and seedstock cattle industries, as well as a thorough understanding of the latest advancements in the use of genomically-enhanced EPDs and other progeny selection tools.

This free NCBA producer education webinar is open to all, but space is limited. Register today at http://www.beefusa.org/cattlemenswebinarseries.

For additional information, contact Josh White, executive director of Producer Education at: jwhite@beef.org.



West Coast Port Problems a Concern for the Meat Industry
John D. Anderson, Deputy Chief Economist, American Farm Bureau Federation

A contract dispute between the longshoremen's union and the companies that operate some of the country's busiest ports on the Pacific coast has lately started to get the attention of the meat industry.  This is not a new issue.  Contract renegotiations between the two parties began last May.  The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the companies operating the port facilities, contends that a work slowdown by union members has been affecting business since October.  Indeed, anecdotal accounts of major disruptions to trade in certain sectors began to surface last fall.  For example, Christmas tree growers in the Pacific Northwest largely missed out on the Asian market this Christmas due to shipping delays and cancelations.  Washington state apple growers also reported serious bottlenecks in the flow of exports to Pacific Rim customers during their crucial harvest-time market.   

More recently, the port slowdown has become a major concern for the pork sector.  This is not too surprising.  West Coast ports are the primary point of departure for containerized shipments to Asia. Data for 2012 (most recently available) from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration indicate that the ports most directly affected by the ongoing labor dispute (Long Beach/Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, Portland, and Seattle/Tacoma) together handled over 40% of all U.S. container exports.  These ports also handled over 50% of container imports, handling a large share of the consumer goods coming in from Asian trading partners - notably China, of course. 

Without a doubt, these West Coast ports are in an ideal position to handle all manner of goods going to our trading partners around the Pacific Rim.  These countries, incidentally, include some of the U.S.'s largest customers for beef, pork, and poultry.  In 2014, in terms of beef export value, Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea ranked first, third, and fifth, respectively.  In terms of pork export value, Japan, China, and South Korea ranked first, fourth, and fifth, respectively.  Finally, for poultry export value, Hong Kong and China ranked, third and fourth, respectively.  U.S. Meat Export Federation personnel have noted that as much as 78% of waterborne beef and pork exports go through these West Coast facilities.[1]  Clearly, the potential exists for disruptions at these ports to become a serious problem for meat exports.
                                                                                                                 
As wholesale meat prices have steadily eroded over the last few weeks, attention has begun to focus on the role that export delays may be playing in weakening price support.  Last Friday, the pork cutout worked out to $72.94.  As recently as mid-December, the pork cutout was in the low-$90s.  Wholesale beef prices have held up somewhat better than that.  After bouncing back to around $263 in mid-January, the Choice boxed beef cutout dropped back to $239.08 last Friday.  Of course, there is much more going on in the market than a labor dispute at the ports.  Production is increasing, oil prices have shown signs of rebounding, and the dollar has strengthened sharply against other major currencies.  These factors have contributed to a less supportive fundamental environment for meat and livestock prices - quite apart from anything happening at the West Coast ports.  But given the importance of Asian markets to the entire red meat and poultry complex, disruptions at our ports are certainly worth paying attention to.

If foreign buyers find that shipments of U.S. product have become unreliable or that shipping costs through alternative ports on the Gulf or the Atlantic are too high, they may forego placing U.S. orders at all, sourcing product from other suppliers.  Delays in shipments could also raise concerns about product quality.  This could make buyers especially reluctant to source chilled product (typically a higher value than frozen product but with a shorter shelf life) from the U.S.  Similar concerns over product deterioration were reportedly major problems for the Christmas tree and apple industries mentioned earlier.  As of early this week, the pace of shipments was reported to be getting back to normal; however, the contract dispute and the uncertainty that it is generating have not yet been resolved.



Farmland Values in Parts of Midwest Fall for First Time in Decades

Farmland values declined in parts of the Midwest for the first time in decades last year, reflecting a cooling in the market driven by two years of bumper crops and sharply lower grain prices, according to Federal Reserve reports on Thursday.

The average price of farmland in the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's district, which includes Illinois, Iowa and other big farm states, fell 3% in 2014, marking the first annual decline since 1986, the Chicago Fed said. Prices for cropland during the fourth quarter remained steady compared with the previous quarter, according to the bank's survey of agricultural lenders, though half of all respondents said they expect farmland values to decline further in the current quarter.

In the Chicago Fed district, farmland values in the latest quarter dropped in major corn-producing states like Illinois, Iowa and Indiana compared with year-ago levels, while land values in Wisconsin increased slightly and were unchanged in Michigan. The fourth quarter of 2014 marked the first time since the third quarter of 2009 that cropland values in the district dropped overall compared with a year earlier.

"Lower corn and soybean prices have been primary factors contributing to the drop in farmland values," David Oppedahl, senior business economist at the Chicago Fed, wrote in Thursday's report, adding that for 2015, "district farmland values seem to be headed lower."

While exceptional returns for livestock producers in 2014 helped blunt the impact of falling crop prices on land values, Mr. Oppedahl said, the trend may come to a halt if prices for animal feed grains stabilize somewhat this year.

Bankers in the Midwest also noted a rise in financial strain for crop farmers in the latest quarter. Lenders in the Chicago region reported a dramatic increase in demand for farm loans compared with year-ago levels, with an index of loan-demand reaching the highest level since 1994. Farm loan repayment rates also were "much weaker," in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared with the same period a year earlier, the bank said, with an index of loan-repayment falling to the lowest level since 2002.



Member Input Focus of USGC Winter Annual Meeting

U.S. Grains Council (USGC) delegates provided powerful feedback into the Council’s decision-making process and priorities for 2015 and beyond at meetings this week in Heredia, Costa Rica.

Bringing together the Council’s producer and agribusiness members with its global staff and consultants, the purpose of the meeting was program evaluation, assessment of changing market opportunities and review of the annual Unified Export Strategy (UES), the Council’s official work plan for the upcoming year.

This week’s sessions during the 12th International Marketing Conference and 55th Annual Membership Meeting were uniquely formatted to generate discussions between USGC membership and staff. New additions to the meeting were broad commodity breakout sessions designed to bring the entire corn, sorghum and barley value chains into a robust discussion of shared opportunities. Members from state checkoffs, agribusinesses and other organizations also met with USGC staff during Advisory Team (A-Team) meetings focused on topics including trade policy, biotechnology, value-added opportunities and ethanol and regions including Asia, the Middle East and Africa and the Western Hemisphere.

Hot topics included the surge in U.S. sorghum exports to China; dramatically increased market share for U.S. grains and co-products in Colombia and Egypt; and the effect domestic infrastructure and policies have on export opportunities.

Priorities laid out in both the breakouts and A-Team sessions included continuing to develop with the ethanol industry a new global ethanol export initiative; encouraging the implementation of policies to manage low-level presence (LLP) of biotech traits to enable trade; and tapping the accelerating growth of demand for high quality proteins in India.

“Our members are the backbone of the Council,” said Ron Gray, USGC chairman and a farmer from Illinois. “Between our international staff being present to help guide discussions about their markets and members who are invested in our programs, we were able to creatively converse about Council programs and initiatives.

“These discussions will impact the Council’s course for 2015 and beyond. We always value our member feedback, and this meeting helped us gain insight into the future direction of the Council.”



Brazil's Ag Ministry Lowers Soy, 2nd Corn View

Brazil's Agriculture Ministry was the latest to lower its local soybean view Thursday.

It dropped its number by 1.3 million metric tons to 94.6 mmt due to dry conditions in the top-producing Center-West region between Nov. 15 and Jan. 15, which has significantly curtailed yield potential, it said. The ministry's figure is in line with the USDA estimate released earlier this week, but still higher than some local estimates that peg the crop between 91 mmt and 92 mmt.

The ministry also lowered its second-crop corn figure, by 1.1 mmt to 48.3 mmt, reflecting a 2% reduction in forecast planted area. The cut is due principally to the delay in soybean planting, which has a knock-on effect on corn.  However, the summer corn figure was raised slightly, resulting in total corn production of 78.4 mmt, down 2.1% on the year before.



BQA Producers Forum Provides Updates to Cattle Producers

Beef and dairy producers from across the country gathered last week during the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention for the checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Producers Forum. This was a time for cattle producers to have their voices heard about the BQA program and where it’s headed in the future.

BQA staff provided material updates including:

    Supplemental Guidelines 2014, a set of recommendations for selected BQA procedures developed through the collaborative efforts of veterinarians, animal scientists, cattle industry leaders, production managers and producers. The guidelines focus on the animal and  are  grounded in scientifically valid and feasible approaches to meeting cattle health and welfare needs.

    New cattle-handling videos on the BQA YouTube channel, featuring Dr. Temple Grandin and Curt Pate sharing the latest in cattle handling on horseback, on foot, andwith the use of ATVs.

    Cattle Care and Handling Guidelines, an updated version of an educational resource of practical, research-based production practices, which can be adapted to the specific needs of individual operations. Personal experience, BQA training and certification and professional judgment can serve as valuable resources for animal care. The guidelines provide an overview for animal nutrition, disease prevention and care, animal identification, marketing and transportation, cattle handling and facility needs.

“The Cattle Care & Handling Guidelines is one example of the many practical, science-based resources for BQA practices,” says Dr. John Maas, DVM, BQA Advisory Board Chair. “The BQA Forum serves as a way to share current BQA information and programs with cattlemen while also providing direction and focus for future BQA program efforts.”



Tractor Sales Up in January, While Combines Were Down

According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturer's monthly "Flash Report," the sale of all tractors in the U.S. for January 2015, were up 6% from last year.

For the month in 2015, a total of 11,800 tractors were sold which compares to 11,123 sold thru January 2014 representing a 6% increase year to date.

For the month, two-wheel drive smaller tractors (under 40 HP) were up 18% from last year, while 40 & under 100 HP were up 12%. Sales of 2-wheel drive 100+ HP were down 6%, while 4-wheel drive tractors were down 65%.

For the month, two-wheel drive smaller tractors (under 40 HP) are up 18% over last year, while 40 & under 100 HP are up 12%. Sales of 2-wheel drive 100+ HP are down 6%, while 4-wheel drive tractors are down 65%.

Combine sales were down 47% for the month. Sales of combines for the first month totaled 346, a decrease of 47% over the same period in 2014.



Bunge Profit Falls

Bunge Ltd.'s fourth-quarter profit fell 35% as upheavals in the commodity trading firm's oilseed businesses outweighed benefits from bumper U.S. corn and soybean crops last fall.

The lackluster results triggered a sell-off in Bunge shares. The stock recently was down 11% at $81.09.

Bunge, one of the world's largest traders and processors of agricultural commodities, said earnings in its core agribusiness division slid 9% for the quarter, weighed down by struggles in its Chinese oilseed business and charges related to its North American soybean-processing operations.

"Last year was an exceptional year in terms of volatility and complexity in China," Bunge Chief Executive Soren Schroder said on a conference call with analysts Thursday.

Approximately $80 million in charges related to Bunge's North American oilseed processing business and a $30 million reduction in the value of its China-dedicated soybean inventory curbed the benefits Bunge reaped from record U.S. crops last year, which have boosted profits for its chief rivals.

Schroder touted record performance in Bunge's North American oilseed business and strong export demand for soybeans. The White Plains, N.Y., company expects to realize gains on hedging strategies that drove the fourth-quarter charges in the first half of 2015, he said.

In China, Bunge's soybean processing plants struggled as domestic competitors added production capacity, cutting into the company's profit margins there. Schroder said he anticipated Bunge's oilseed processing profit margins in China would be "in the middle of the road" as the Asian country's soybean industry slows its expansion and the business improves.

As South American farmers prepare to harvest what is expected to be another massive soybean crop in the coming months, Schroder said global crop supplies will be further replenished and commodity trading will grow, allowing Bunge and others to ramp up exports and operate processing plants at a higher capacity.

Bunge said its sugar business should be "modestly profitable" in 2015, helped by Brazil's move to boost the country's blending rate for sugar-based ethanol. Schroder said Bunge's sugar mills, a sore spot in previous quarters, were improving operations, though the unit remains under strategic review, which Bunge initiated in October 2013.

"We are not putting a time limit on ourselves," he said in an interview.

Bunge reported a fourth-quarter profit of $90 million, or 56 cents a share, down from $138 million, or 78 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding special items, earnings were $1.20 a share, compared with $1.35 a share a year ago.

Sales fell to $13.9 billion from $16.38 billion a year earlier.