Friday March 6 Ag News

DORMANT SPRAY FOR ALFALFA WEEDS
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist

               In a few weeks, warmer spring weather will green up your alfalfa.  Before that happens, though, maybe you should do a little weed control.

               Weeds like pennycress, downy brome, mustards, cheatgrass, and shepherd's purse are common in first cut alfalfa.  They lower yields, reduce quality, lessen palatability, and slow hay drydown.  If you walk over your fields during the next few weeks when snow is gone you should be able to see their small, green, over-wintering growth.

               If your alfalfa variety is Roundup Ready, you can spray almost anytime without hurting your alfalfa.  Once conventional alfalfa starts growing, though, you can't control these weeds very well without also hurting your alfalfa.  However, if you treat your alfalfa as soon as possible during this winter’s next spring-like weather, you can have cleaner, healthier alfalfa at first cutting.

               Before deciding to spray these weeds, be sure they are causing economic damage to your alfalfa.  Spraying will give you more pure alfalfa but may cost some in total tonnage.

               Several herbicides can help control winter annual grasses and weeds in conventional alfalfa.  They include metribuzin, Velpar, Sinbar, Pursuit, Raptor, and Karmex.  They all control mustards and pennycress but Karmex and Pursuit do not control downy brome very well.

               To be most successful, you must apply most of these herbicides before alfalfa shoots green-up this spring to avoid much injury to your alfalfa.  If alfalfa shoots are green when you spray, its growth might be set back a couple weeks.  If it does get late, use either Pursuit or Raptor because they tend to cause less injury to your alfalfa.

               Timing is crucial when controlling winter annual weeds in alfalfa.  Get ready now, in the next few weeks before alfalfa greens up, to take advantage of nice weather when you get it.



Ethanol Videos Fuel Student Creativity

Nebraska high school students from Curtis, Hampton and York pocketed $2,000 in awards from Nebraska Ethanol Board’s Field to Fuel video contest.

The Field to Fuel video contest encouraged Nebraska high school students to explore the importance and value of American ethanol. With a focus on informing the public about renewable fuels, students were asked to research, film and edit a two-minute video.

Medicine Valley FFA students from Curtis, Neb., took first place honors with a $1,000 prize. Their video titled, “That’s What Makes it Ethanol,” was a parody of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” pop music hit.

“It was clear that these students had done their research and had a good understanding of ethanol’s impact on the agriculture economy,” said Todd Sneller, Nebraska Ethanol Board administrator. “They took the topic and got creative.”

An agronomy class from Hampton, Neb., took home a second place prize of $600. The students’ video titled, “A Future without Ethanol,” has a dystopian message and includes a variety of special effects.

Rebekah Turnbull, a senior from York, Neb., was awarded third place and $400 for her “Facts I Bet You Didn’t Know About Ethanol” video. Her video featured unique artwork painted by Turnbull with a voice-over narration.

“We appreciate all the creative submissions we received for our inaugural video contest,” Sneller said. “Our goal is to get youth interested in renewable fuels while having fun, too.”

The winning video “That’s What Makes it Ethanol” will debut at the Ethanol 2015: Emerging Issues Forum in Omaha April 16-17.



USMEF Market Expo Offers Firsthand Look at Abundant Opportunities in Japan

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Market Expo, a market education program that allows producers and other USMEF members to observe international market development activities for U.S. pork and beef, concluded Friday, March 6, in Tokyo. The delegation also traveled to Shanghai, China, earlier in the week, as detailed in this USMEF news release.

The Tokyo segment was highlighted by a visit to FoodEx – Asia’s largest food exhibition. FoodEx attracts nearly 3,000 exhibitors from 80 countries, and more than 77,000 attendees over four days. The USMEF delegation came away impressed with the strong presence of U.S. pork and beef at FoodEx and the enthusiastic manner in which U.S. products are received by buyers in attendance.

“Being here at FoodEx really drives home for me of just how badly all of these suppliers want to be in the Japanese market,” said Jennifer Houston, a cattle producer from Sweetwater, Tennessee, who serves as chair of the Federation of State Beef Councils. “Japan is extremely important for them, just as it is for the U.S. meat industry, so the market is intensely competitive. But the buyers I have met with are just thrilled with U.S. beef and interested in purchasing more, which is gratifying to see.”

Her views were echoed by Karen Grant, a pork producer from Meadow Grove, Nebraska, who serves on the Nebraska Pork Producers board of directors.

“One thing I ask all the buyers I meet is, ‘Are we sending the product that you want?’” Grant said. “And every answer has been a very definite ‘Yes.’ They are very pleased with the quality of U.S. pork, and as a producer that makes me very happy.”

“U.S. producers are very proud of their product,” noted Chaley Harney, executive director of the Montana Beef Council. “And it’s wonderful for them to see U.S. beef represented so well at FoodEx and all of the commerce that’s taking place here.”

The delegation also took part in a food blogger event hosted by well-known cooking instructor Rika Yukimasa, which attracted an enthusiastic audience eager to learn about the positive attributes of U.S. beef and pork. Bloggers in attendance also had an opportunity to visit with the USMEF team about U.S. farming and ranching practices.

“Rika did a really wonderful job preparing the food and explaining her cooking techniques in a simple manner,” said Brook Kerns, market development manager for the Iowa Corn Growers Association. “You can tell she really connects with the audience, and that makes her a great advocate for U.S. pork and beef. It was also terrific to see members of the audience visiting with our producers after the event, viewing photos of their farms and learning more about how U.S. meat is produced.”

The Market Expo team got a detailed briefing on the Japanese market by USMEF-Japan staff as well as Evan Mangino, deputy director of the USDA Agricultural Trade Office in Tokyo. These presentations included an overview of the current trade climate and the domestic food production challenges Japan is facing. Japan’s new economic partnership agreement with Australia and its ongoing trade negotiations with the European Union were also discussed.

The delegation had several opportunities to interact with meat industry professionals who are critical to the success of U.S. beef and pork in Japan, including importers, retail purchasing managers and Tokyo-based representatives of U.S. packers. These discussions focused on opportunities for further expansion of U.S. meat exports to Japan, consumers’ growing desire for transparency and detailed production information about the food products they purchase, and the impact of the recent West Coast port labor impasse on U.S. exports to Japan.

The Market Expo team also toured the largest cold storage facility in Japan, which is operated by Nippon Ham Group, a leading importer of U.S. pork and beef. The facility has a capacity of 40,000 metric tons and currently receives about 700 metric tons of meat per day. Retail visits were also on the group’s itinerary, including a tour of an AEON supermarket that was conducting U.S. pork and beef tasting demonstrations.

This year’s delegation of Market Expo participants included:
Dean Meyer
Iowa Corn Growers Association
Rock Rapids, Iowa    

Karen Grant
Nebraska Pork Producers Association
Meadow Grove, Nebraska

Richard Schrunk
Nebraska Beef Council
Emmet, Nebraska   

Chaley Harney
Montana Beef Council
Billings, Montana

Brooke Kerns
Iowa Corn Growers Association
Johnston, Iowa   

Tony Stafford
Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council
Jefferson City, Missouri

Lindsay Kuberka
USDA-FAS Office of Global Analysis
Washington, D.C.   

Yan Li
SKK International Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

Jennifer Houston, Chair
Federation of State Beef Councils
National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Sweetwater, Tennessee



MILLIONS OF U.S. STUDENTS ARE MISSING BREAKFAST, DENYING THEMSELVES THE CHANCE TO FUEL GREATNESS – INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL
Fuel Up to Play 60, the nation's largest in school health and wellness program, in conjunction with National School Breakfast Week (March 2-6), launched Fuel Greatness, an effort to elevate the conversation around good nutrition and physical activity to ensure a healthy, high achieving generation of youth. The program, which kicked off in Nebraska on March 4 with a special event at Beals Elementary in Omaha, focuses on increasing accessibility and participation in school breakfast to ensure all kids start their day with the fuel they need to help them succeed. At the event, Beals Elementary was honored by the Midwest Dairy Council and Hunger Free Heartland for its successful integration of alternative breakfast programs.

Research shows that improved nutrition, including daily breakfast, and increased physical activity can lead to improved academic performance. Eating breakfast at school can help kids be more attentive, behave better and achieve higher test scoresi, but millions of kids aren t eating this important meal.

In a recent national survey, No Kid Hungry's annual "Hunger in Our Schools" report identified that more than three quarters (76 percent) of educators say that their students come to school hungry.

Beals Elementary, as well as several other schools throughout the Midwest region, has eliminated many of the barriers that prevent students from fueling up before they dive into school work or other activities each day. The school showcased their Grab & Go breakfast model for special guests, including former Nebraska Cornhusker and current running back for the Washington Redskins Roy Helu Jr., along with local Nebraska Dairy farmer Dave Crook and Nebraska's Commissioner of Education Dr. Matt Blomstedt The school's unique program allows students to grab convenient, healthy breakfast options on their way to the classroom, ensuring that students begin their day with a healthy, nutritious breakfast.

It is clear that Grab & Go breakfasts are a huge hit at Beals Elementary and a great start to energize the learning environment each day, said Dr. Blomstedt. I am very impressed with the attention to
nutrition, health, and education imparted by the program.

At the event, Roy Helu Jr. and dairy farmer Dave Crook led students in physical activities, interacted with students in the breakfast line, joined them in their classrooms as they ate breakfast, and held a Q&A session over morning announcements.

Decades of research shows us that kids do better in school, on the playground and at home when they eat a healthy breakfast, said Melissa Young, vice president of health and wellness for Midwest Dairy Council. Schools throughout the Midwest, including Beals Elementary, have made great strides toward ensuring every student has a chance to eat breakfast, and we are grateful for their initiative and reativity in driving awareness and participation.

Throughout March, schools across the country are planning school breakfast events to encourage
parents, community members, thought leaders, school stakeholders and students themselves to play a part in bringing school breakfast to all kids.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Dairy Council's commitment to school health and wellness. Since 1915, the National Dairy Council has promoted nutrition education through child health and wellness programs such as Fuel Up to Play 60. Locally, the Midwest Dairy Council implements these programs, with support from Nebraska's dairy farmers.

Fuel Greatness is a Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative designed to mobilize communities to advocate for and implement school breakfast models that drive participation. For more information, or to learn more about how you can help fuel greatness in your school or community, please visit MidwestDairy.com.

Helu' s appearance was scheduled by National Football League Players Inc., the exclusive licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.



Colorado, Kansas & Nebraska Continue Cooperation with Water Agreement

Today, reflecting the continued spirit of cooperation, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska, along with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, have reached an agreement that will ensure more certainty to the basin’s water users in both Nebraska and Kansas. The agreement, signed through the Republican River Compact Administration (RRCA), was achieved through collaborative negotiations that began in January 2015 and will provide timely access to water for the 2015 irrigation season.

The agreement provides additional flexibility for Nebraska to achieve its Compact obligations while ensuring Kansas water users’ interests are also protected. The additional flexibility allowed the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources to open Nebraska reservoirs and water user’s rights that were initially limited in 2015. Opening the Nebraska water rights allowed the Bureau of Reclamation to agree to modify certain contract provisions for its irrigation districts, ensuring the availability of the water that was pumped from Nebraska augmentation projects for RRCA compliance.

Additionally, the agreement allows for the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources to ensure no additional regulatory water supply reductions for Nebraska surface water irrigation user’s water supplies for the 2015 irrigation season.

Current RRCA Chairman Jim Schneider, Acting Director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, said, “This is a significant step forward for the states and our water users. Our collaborative work and this agreement further demonstrate the benefits of the recent cooperation that the states have been able to achieve. I am optimistic that the states and Bureau of Reclamation can work toward ensuring these types of arrangements can be in place each year so that both Nebraska and Kansas water users will secure the benefits of having more certainty in their water supplies.”

Kansas Commissioner David Barfield said, “Today’s agreement continues to move us forward toward a longer-term solution benefiting the basin’s water users. I appreciate not only Nebraska’s continued willingness to work through these issues, but also the Bureau of Reclamation and its irrigation districts for their part in reaching today’s agreement.”

Colorado Commissioner Dick Wolfe said, “These recent agreements are emblematic of the new cooperation among the states and the federal government. I hope it continues to be a model for cooperation and successful settlement of the remaining issues within the basin.”

At the Nov. 19, 2014, meeting in Manhattan, Kansas, the states reached an agreement that provided Nebraska with 100% credit for water delivered from augmentation projects to Harlan County Lake prior to June 1, 2015, and dedicated that water to be used exclusively by Kansas irrigators.

The RRCA is comprised of one member each from the States of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. The purpose of the RRCA is to administer the Republican River Compact. This Compact allocates the waters of the Republican River among the three states. The next RRCA meeting is scheduled for August to be hosted in Lincoln, Nebraska.



National Ag Day Special Screening of FARMLAND

This National Ag Day -- March 18 -- will feature a special screening of the film FARMLAND in Sioux City, Iowa. The event will be open to the public and hosted by the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation (IALF).

The film from award-winning director James Moll follows the lives of farmers and ranchers in their twenties, all of whom are now responsible for running their farming business. The film explores the risks and rewards associated with farming and the passion that is passed down from generation to generation.

"Many Americans have never set foot on a farm or ranch," said IALF executive director Will Fett. "Few have met or talked to the people who grow and raise the food we eat. This film will let them connect with modern agriculture in a whole new way."

The event will help celebrate National Ag Day which recognizes the contributions of agriculture providing a safe and affordable food supply. After the film, guests will be invited to ask questions of a panel of experts from the agriculture industry. The event will be held at Morningside College and is free to the public. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with the screening to start at 6 p.m. To find more information and RSVP for the event visit www.iowaagliteracy.org.



ASA Defends Domestic Biodiesel, Crop Insurance, Data Privacy, and Advocates TPA and Changes to Food Security Programs in 2015 Resolutions

The 133 delegates of the American Soybean Association voted Saturday to approve a new set of policy resolutions to guide the organization’s work in Washington and nationwide for the coming year. Part of the association’s annual Commodity Classic, this year’s resolutions process included language defending biodiesel’s role in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), protecting the privacy of farmer data generated by precision agriculture systems, and reinforcing the crucial role of crop insurance as a risk management tool for farmers, among other items.

With specific regard to biodiesel, ASA reiterated its support of biodiesel in the RFS and again called on the Environmental Protection Agency to release the renewable volume obligation (RVO) levels for 2014, 2015 and 2016. Additionally, ASA took EPA to task for its decision to facilitate imports of Agrentine biodiesel in the form of a resolution supporting domestic biodiesel production over that of our foreign competition.

EPA drew further focus from ASA in a resolution clarifying and underscoring the association’s opposition to the controversial Waters of the United States rule under the Clean Water Act. Moving forward, ASA used the resolution to call on EPA to work closely with agricultural groups and the Army Corps of Engineers in any future reimagining of the rule.

“Our resolutions that focus on biodiesel and the Clean Water Act are a direct by-product of an EPA that we believe has lost touch with the realities of American agriculture,” said Wade Cowan, ASA’s president and a farmer from Brownfield, Texas. “This year, we’re going to work with our fellow farm groups and hopefully with EPA toward providing the counsel that the agency needs to ensure these decisions work with farmers, rather than against them.”

New to ASA’s policy book for 2015 is a resolution that supports the realignment of U.S. international agricultural development programs to fall under USDA’s jurisdiction. Such a realignment would enable the Department to focus on increasing the productivity and profitability of small farmers in underdeveloped countries, and to optimize these efforts through research, land grant education and extension, and technology transfer available through USDA’s knowledge base.

“We believe that international agricultural assistance programs that focus primarily on agricultural development are best run by the federal agency that has institutional knowledge on these matters, and that’s the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” said Cowan. “The men and women at USDA know not only how these programs work on the ground in the country of need, but also how they benefit farmers here in the U.S.”

Additional resolutions include ASA’s firm support of granting trade promotion authority (TPA) to the White House; calling on Congress to pass legislation to extend Section 179 expensing and address future trade-impacting work stoppages like the recent one affecting ports along the west coast; expediting approvals for new biotech traits by USDA-APHIS and wetland determinations by USDA-NRCS; increasing federal highway truck weight limits to 97,000 pounds over six axles; continuing the association’s work on GMO labeling legislation and encouraging the Federal Aviation Administration to finalize regulations governing the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in agricultural applications.

“This voting delegates process is a great reminder that ASA is a farmer-driven and farmer-focused organization,” added Cowan. “We only have our farmers in the room making these policy decisions, and while it’s hardly an easy process, it keeps our organization grounded in the policy priorities that help to make farmers more successful.”



U.S. Sorghum Exports Reach 300 Million Bushels

Demand from the export market continues to increase with U.S. sorghum commitments reaching 300 million bushels, meeting the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2015 export projections just six months into the 2014/2015 marketing year, according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's March 5 report.

China is leading the demand surge representing 288 million bushels, 96 percent of total U.S. grain sorghum exports. To date, China has purchased approximately 67 percent of the total 2014/2015 U.S. grain sorghum crop.

"To put it into perspective, China is buying two out of every three rows of grain sorghum produced in the U.S.," said Florentino Lopez, Sorghum Checkoff executive director. "This paints a vivid picture of the impact strong demand is having on U.S. growers."

Lopez said the resounding pull from the export market has led to the second highest value at the port, as compared to corn, paid to sorghum producers in the last 70 years.

Demand from China is also reaching into the 2015/2016 marketing year with grain sorghum commitments of 8.6 million bushels.

Meanwhile, Japan has committed to 11.8 million bushels for the current marketing year, followed by commitments from Canada and Mexico.

"Strong demand creates positive opportunities for sorghum growers," Lopez said. "International and domestic marketplaces are sending strong signals to growers that a supply increase is needed, and through this we see a definitive opportunity to increase producer profitability long-term."


    
CLAAS Opens New Parts Facility in Indiana

Claas has officially cut the ribbon on a critical expansion project that increases the footprint of their U.S. parts distribution center by 75% to 175,000 square feet and expands the facility with an additional 18 shipping and receiving docks.

"This expansion not only gives us more space for parts, it has allowed us to streamline our inventory management process," explained Roger Parker, vice president of North American parts. "With the addition of 18 new truck docks, we are able to support the growing number of parts orders in the most efficient and cost effective manner. This expansion has also helped facilitate many other efficiencies."

The Claas Parts Center, located in Columbus, Ind., an hour south of Indianapolis, was originally built in 1981 to be the corporate headquarters for Claas of America. Corporate offices were eventually moved to Omaha in 2002, when the company built its state-of-the-art combine assembly plant at that same location.

After the move, the Columbus facility was transformed into the company's North American parts hub. The parts facility was expanded 42,000 square feet in 2007 and the current expansion helps the company stay on top of growing demand as well as allow for projected growth.

According to Claas Group Executive Board Member, Jan-Hendrik Mohr, "Claas finished last business year near record levels, which is good in an environment where the global markets have been trending down. Here in North America we have made a big step in Columbus with this expansion.

This facility, along with a new parts facility in Saskatchewan will help ensure that we are prepared to support our customers well into the future." The Columbus facility is the primary distribution hub for Claas customers in the U.S. Additionally a Parts Logistics Centre & Claas Academy was opened in Regina, Saskatchewan to better serve Claas customers in Canada.