Friday April 3 Ag News

NEBRASKA BEEF TO TAKE CENTER STAGE IN NEW YORK CITY NEXT WEEK

Nebraska beef will take center stage at several venues in New York City next week as Gov. Pete Ricketts leads a delegation of Nebraskans on the first domestic agriculture trade promotion event of his administration.

Gov. Ricketts will be joined April 9-10 by Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Greg Ibach and a delegation of over 30 farmers and ranchers, food scientists, and processor representatives to promote Beef from Nebraska at three restaurants and a butcher shop.

"Nebraska is home to open spaces and dedicated individuals who join together to create the quality beef products we will be highlighting," Ibach said. "The delegation taking part in this promotion represents the entire spectrum of the beef production chain. This will allow event-goers the opportunity to have frank conversations about Nebraska beef directly with the people who are producing it."

Ibach is encouraging Nebraskans with family and friend connections in New York City to help promote two of the public activities on April 10. The Governor, Director Ibach and the delegation will be greeting the public at Burger & Lobster (39 W. 19th St.) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Burger & Lobster is new to the United States, but has long been serving Nebraska beef at locations in London. It boasts its burgers are made from three cuts of Nebraska beef.

The group also will be greeting patrons later that same day at Bull and Bear Prime Steakhouse (540 Lexington Ave.). A special reception featuring Nebraska beef dishes will be held from 5-7 p.m. Bull and Bear Prime Steakhouse is a Wall Street favorite noted for its cuts of beef and its claim that Nebraska's Buffalo Bill frequented there.

"These two events are great opportunities for Nebraskans living in New York City to get a taste of home and/or to share with their New York connections just how good beef from Nebraska really is," Ibach said. "We hope folks will bring their friends and stop in for great conversation and great Nebraska beef."

The delegation will hold functions at two other venues. On April 9 beef from Nebraska will be featured at an invitation only event at the Empire Steak House, which is known for its beef dry-aging process and its signature USDA dry-aged porterhouse.

The other venue is Ottomanelli and Sons Meat Market (285 Bleecker St.), a family-owned and operated business that carves out a corner of its shop specifically to promote beef from Nebraska.  There will be a public meet and greet for customers from 9-10 a.m. Friday.

"Our theme for the promotion is 'New York and Beef from Nebraska: Better Together,' and we really believe that," Ibach said. "In fact, we are reaching out to those with a specific interest in food, such as food writers, nutritionists, and culinary experts, to join us because we would enjoy hosting them and being able to specifically address what Nebraska's beef sector does to create such a good product."



AgCensus Gives Nebraska Plenty to Brag About
Dean Groskurth, National Agricultural Statistics Service - Nebraska Office
Nebraska is an extremely important part of U.S. agriculture. As the 2012 Census of Agriculture showed, Nebraskan farmers and ranchers sold more than $23 billion worth of agricultural products. Our unique geography lets us combine the advantages of the Midwestern crop-friendly soil with the plains perfect for cattle grazing.

Beef cattle is the largest component of our agriculture. The 2012 Census counted nearly 6.4 million head of cattle and calves in Nebraska, second only to Texas with sales of almost $10.1 billion. And if that wasn't enough, Nebraska pork producers had the sixth largest inventory of hogs and pigs in the United States with almost 3 million head in 2012.

Of course there are plenty of crop statistics we can brag about in Nebraska as well. Our corn growers harvested more than 9 million acres of corn, the third largest acreage in the United States in 2012, according to the Census. Nebraska ranked #1 in the nation when it came to popcorn production in 2012 with almost 354 million pounds of popcorn.

Nebraska farmers are also focusing a lot on making sure they remain responsible stewards of our natural resources. In 2012, more than 8.3 million acres of farmland in our state were irrigated, more than in any other state. That year, the Census also counted 171 farms in Nebraska that sold organic products. Nebraska organic product sales nearly totaled $40 million in 2012.

With all of these achievements the 2012 Census results show we are an agricultural leader and that we are still growing. The number of farms, the value of agricultural sales, livestock inventories and farm acres all had significant increases in the five-year window since the previous Census. If these trends continue, the future will be very bright for Nebraska agriculture.

Luckily we don't have to wait too long to see what future holds for our farms and ranches. National Agricultural Statistics Service is already laying out groundwork for 2017 Census of Agriculture. In the meantime, there is still plenty we can learn from the 2012 Census, so feel free to check it out at www.agcensus.usda.gov.



SEEDING ALFALFA NO-TILL
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist

               Most plantings of alfalfa begin with a conventionally tilled and prepared seedbed.  No-till might be just as good, though.

               How about planting alfalfa no-till?  With less crop residue remaining from last year in some fields and the always present need to conserve soil moisture, no-till might be a good way to establish alfalfa this spring.

               There are some obvious advantages to seeding no-till, like fuel and time savings  due to fewer trips across the field.  In addition, you reduce soil erosion by retaining crop residues rather than tilling them under.  No-till also conserves soil moisture, which may be the best reason of all this spring.  Also, due to lack of tillage the seedbed is good and firm for rapid seedling emergence.  Finally, no-till will limit the number of new weed seeds near the soil surface.

               Disadvantages to no-till include relying solely on clipping or post-emerge herbicides for weed control.  Fortunately, we have good post-emerge herbicides available to control most weed problems.  Another problem is ridges from prior row crops that can interfere with uniform seeding as well as make fields rough for future haying operations.  And finally, some drills do not work well for no-till seeding so equipment might limit your options.

               If you can do it, though, no-till alfalfa is worth trying.  It works really well in bean stubble and almost as well in small grain stubble.  No-till is a bit more difficult in corn and milo stubble, especially if there is much row ridging.  Be sure to kill any early weeds with Roundup or Gramoxone before planting.  And last but not least, use a drill that places seed about one-half inch deep and then covers seed with soil using a good press wheel.

               Try no-till alfalfa.  It could be very effective this year.



Iowa Learning Farms April Webinar to Discuss Prairie Strips in Farm Fields

The regular monthly Iowa Learning Farms webinar for April will be on Wednesday, April 15, at 1 p.m. This month’s guest speaker is Timothy Youngquist, agriculture specialist in the Iowa State University Department of Agronomy.

The presentation will focus on Iowa State research showing that strategically converting 10 percent of a crop field into perennial prairie can greatly reduce soil erosion as well as phosphorous and nitrogen loss. Initial research conducted in central Iowa and the adoption of prairie strips on private farms will be discussed. The benefits of prairie and design considerations for siting prairie strips within farm fields will be covered.  

Timothy Youngquist grew up on a century farm near Kiron, in northwest Iowa, which has been continuously farmed by his family since 1871. He has assisted his father with all aspects of their corn and soybean operation.  As part of his family’s conservation efforts, he has been overseeing a project on their land creating buffer strips using native prairie in fields and riparian zones.  Youngquist’s role with the ISU Agronomy Department is to help farmers throughout the Midwest design and implement in-field buffer strips using native perennial prairie species.  

The ILF webinars are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. They are free and all that is needed to participate is a computer with Internet access. Go to https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/ at 1 p.m. on the afternoon of the webinar and log in through the guest option. Webinar participants will be able to converse with Youngquist by typing their questions through the chat function. The webinar will be recorded and archived on the ILF website for viewing at any time at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/Webinars/.



February Meat Exports Lower Year-over-Year, but Show Improvement

While still impacted by severe congestion in the West Coast ports, February exports of U.S. beef, pork and lamb bounced back to some degree from the totals posted in January, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Conditions are steadily improving on the West Coast, where congestion related to a labor dispute slowed container traffic over the past four months. But the tentative contract agreement that eased tensions on the West Coast was not reached until Feb. 20, so this issue still had a significant impact on February meat exports.

“We didn’t see much relief from the shipping backlog until March, and container traffic in some ports still has not returned to normal,” said USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng. “However, the new labor contract agreement definitely sent positive signals to our Asian buyers and allowed the U.S. meat industry to begin the process of putting this crisis behind us. The momentum exports regained in February is encouraging, and we’re looking forward to further improvement when March results are published.”

In addition to port congestion, February exports also continued to face significant challenges such as the strong U.S. dollar, large supplies from key competitors and market access barriers.

February beef exports totaled 82,991 metric tons (mt) – down 3 percent year-over-year but a 4 percent improvement over January. Export value of $535.3 million was up 12 percent from a year ago and 6 percent higher than in January. January-February volume was 162,890 mt, down 11 percent from the first two months of 2014, while value was 4 percent above last year’s pace at $1.04 billion.

February pork exports were 173,771 mt – down 5 percent year-over-year but 8 percent higher than in January. Export value was $470.7 million – down 7 percent from a year ago but 3 percent higher than in January. Cumulative 2015 totals were 334,936 mt valued at $926 million, down 10 percent in volume and 11 percent in value from January-February 2014.

Japan, Korea, Mexico fuel beef export results
February beef exports accounted for 14 percent of total production and 11 percent for muscle cuts only – ratios similar to a year ago, but higher than in January. Export value per head of fed slaughter was $318.26 in February (up 15 percent from a year ago) and $293.47 for January-February (up 12 percent).

Beef exports to Japan rebounded significantly in February, up 11 percent from a year ago in volume (15,933 mt) and 23 percent in value ($112.6 million). For the two-month period, exports to Japan were still down 1 percent in volume (29,743 mt) from a year ago but increased 11 percent in value ($204.1 million).

The trend was similar for South Korea, as February exports were up 16 percent in volume (10,899 mt) and 24 percent in value ($80.4 million). January-February exports were still 7 percent lower in volume (17,972 mt) but increased 3 percent in value ($137.9 million).

Mexico posted another strong month, driven by large beef variety meat exports. February exports to Mexico were 18,555 mt (up 7 percent) valued at $93.6 million (up 5 percent). Two-month totals were up 3 percent in volume (38,768 mt) and 9 percent in value ($198.7 million).

Pork exports to Korea largest since 2011
February pork exports accounted for 25 percent of total production and 20 percent for muscle cuts only – lower than a year ago, but a significant improvement over January. Export value per head slaughtered was $51.86 in February (down 11 percent from a year ago) and $49.16 for January-February (down 13 percent).

February export volume to Korea totaled 22,615 mt – up 79 percent from a year ago and the largest monthly total in nearly four years – while export value nearly doubled to $72.1 million. For January-February, exports to Korea increased 58 percent in volume (37,877 mt) and 77 percent in value ($123.5 million). Taiwan was the only other bright spot in Asia for U.S. pork, as February exports increased 149 percent in volume (1,763 mt) and 131 percent in value ($3.7 million) from a year ago. Through February, exports to Taiwan were up 86 percent in volume (2,770 mt) and 59 percent in value ($5.6 million) when compared to last year’s low levels.

This growth has been offset, however, by lower exports to Japan and China/Hong Kong. February pork exports to Japan declined 6 percent in volume (33,582 mt) and 11 percent in value ($124.2 million) from a year ago. For January-February, exports fell 9 percent in volume (68,150 mt) and 16 percent in value ($254.1 million). For China/Hong Kong, February exports were down 41 percent from a year ago in both volume (21,903 mt) and value ($49.7 million). January-February exports fell 45 percent to 39,584 mt valued at $92.4 million.

“The West Coast port situation was particularly damaging for our chilled pork exports to Japan, because it compromised our ability to meet customers’ shelf-life requirements,” Seng explained. “The ability to ship chilled product to Japan has always given U.S. pork a distinct quality advantage over frozen pork from Europe. Now that we have chilled pork moving again, it is very important that we recapture this customer base. But this will not be easy, as pork from the EU continues to enter Japan at lower-than-usual prices. This is exacerbated by the strength of the U.S. dollar versus both the yen and euro.”

February pork exports to Mexico were up 8 percent in volume (58,055 mt) but slipped 4 percent in value ($104.9 million). For January-February, exports to Mexico totaled 117,361 mt (up 3 percent) valued at $217.7 million (down 2 percent). Pork exports to most Western Hemisphere markets trended higher year-over-year in February, including Canada, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Guatemala, though exports were lower to Colombia and Chile.

Lamb exports still struggling
Similar to beef and pork, U.S. lamb exports were lower year-over-year in February but improved from the previous month. February exports were down 3 percent in volume (824 mt) and 13 percent in value ($1.7 million). For the two-month period, exports declined 19 percent in volume (1,543 mt) and 26 percent in value ($3.4 million).



Beef and Pork Prices Up, OJ Too

Higher retail prices for several foods, including sirloin tip roast, ground chuck, deli ham and orange juice, resulted in a slight increase in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Spring Picnic Marketbasket survey.

The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $53.87, up $.60 or about 1 percent compared to a survey conducted a year ago. Of the 16 items surveyed, eight increased and eight decreased in average price.

“Several meat items increased in price, accounting for much of the modest increase in the marketbasket,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist. “The 1 percent increase shown by our survey tracks closely with the Agriculture Department’s forecast of 2 percent to 3 percent food inflation for 2015,” he said.

Items showing retail price increases from a year ago included:
    sirloin tip roast, up 14 percent to $5.71 per pound
    ground chuck, up 12 percent to $4.61 per pound
    orange juice, up 7 percent to $3.47 per half-gallon
    toasted oat cereal, up 7 percent to $3.12 for a 9-ounce box
    deli ham, up 6 percent to $5.53 per pound
    eggs, up 4 percent to $2.05 per dozen
    shredded cheddar cheese, up 3 percent to $4.59 per pound
    potatoes, up 2 percent to $2.74 for a 5-pound bag
    These items showed modest retail price decreases compared to a year ago:
    flour, down 9 percent to $2.52 for a 5-pound bag
    bacon, down 8 percent to $4.44 per pound
    apples, down 8 percent to $1.47 per pound
    chicken breast, down 7 percent to $3.28 per pound
    whole milk, down 6 percent to $3.45 per gallon
    vegetable oil, down 6 percent to $2.67 for a 32-ounce bottle
    bagged salad, down 5 percent to $2.47 per pound
    white bread, down 3 percent to $1.75 per 20-ounce loaf

Price checks of alternative milk and egg choices not included in the overall marketbasket survey average revealed the following: 1/2 gallon regular milk, $2.24; 1/2 gallon organic milk, $4.47; and one dozen “cage-free” eggs, $3.57.

The year-to-year direction of the marketbasket survey tracks closely with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index (http://www.bls.gov/cpi/) report for food at home. As retail grocery prices have increased gradually over time, the share of the average food dollar that America’s farm and ranch families receive has dropped.

“Through the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures for food eaten at home and away from home, on average. Since then, that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 16 percent, according to the Agriculture Department’s revised Food Dollar Series,” Anderson said.

Using the “food at home and away from home” percentage across-the-board, the farmer’s share of this $53.87 marketbasket would be $8.62.

AFBF, the nation’s largest general farm organization, began conducting informal quarterly marketbasket surveys of retail food price trends in 1989. The series includes a spring picnic survey, summer cookout survey, fall harvest survey and Thanksgiving survey.

According to USDA, Americans spend just under 10 percent of their disposable annual income on food, the lowest average of any country in the world. A total of 86 shoppers in 29 states participated in the latest survey, conducted in March.



New UN Report Proves that US can Produce Food AND Fuel

In response to the recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which outlined how global food prices have continued their downward trend, dropping 1.5 percent since last month, to near five year low , Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, issued the following statement:

“Despite the rhetoric and fear mongering by Big Food and Big Oil, facts are facts and they cannot hide from the truth. This latest report from the UN FAO is further proof that the U.S. and other nations are capable of producing increased quantities of food, feed, fiber and fuel. In fact, global grain stocks increased by 160 million metric tons

(47 percent) between the 2006/07 and the 2013/14 marketing years following the enactment of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS.)

“Additionally, strengthened global crop commodity prices have helped all farmers invest in new production practices that enhance sustainability and productivity. The U.S. RFS and other global renewable energy policies have played no small part in stimulating this agricultural resurgence both here and abroad.

“Global food prices have fallen to a nearly five year low and corn is trading at roughly the cost of production. The simple fact of the matter is that any claim that says we cannot have both food and fuel is simply a self-serving charge aimed at driving a specific agenda with no factual merit.”



Average Net Cash Income for Farm Businesses Forecast Down

After historically high average net cash farm income in 2012 and 2013, average NCFI is expected to decline 22.7 percent in 2014F-15F for U.S. farm businesses (defined as farms with annual gross cash farm income greater than $350,000, or smaller operations where the operator's primary occupation is farming), the lowest level since 2010-11.

While declines are expected in all ERS resource regions, performance is expected to vary considerably, primarily driven by the regional commodity production specializations.

The forecast sharp drop in dairy receipts contributes to an expected 34-percent decline in average NCFI in the Northern Crescent.

The forecast decline in NCFI for the Fruitful Rim is driven by the expected drop in NCFI for specialty crop farms.

Farm businesses' average NCFI in the Basin and Range is forecast to decline due to declining receipts for sorghum and wheat.

Expected declines in poultry and hog receipts drive lower projected average NCFI in the Eastern Uplands, while increasing livestock costs and decreasing crop receipts contribute to the decline in the Southern Seaboard.