Thursday April 30 Ag News

May is Beef Month! - Exports Hit a New Level in Nebraska
Ann Marie Bosshamer, Executive Director, Nebraska Beef Council

For those of us from Nebraska, we know and enjoy some of the best beef in the world. But as the world grows and flourishes, the people in foreign markets are beginning to enjoy our beef just as much as we do. With Nebraska beef exports totaling over $1 billion in 2014, there is much to be excited about.

The Nebraska Beef Council (NBC) has been working through both the U.S. Meat Export Federation and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to strengthen beef demand all over the world. NBC has participated in a variety of programs from London to Singapore to promote beef. 

In some instances, NBC board members travel abroad to participate in educational sessions and meetings with buyers from both retail and foodservice. There are also many foreign buyers that come to Nebraska to tour ranches, feed yards and packing plants. Whether the opportunity for communication is here in the U.S. or abroad, the relationships that have been built make a difference. 

NBC participated in the Nebraska Beef BBQ in Macau;  the Latin American Beef Showcase in Peru; the Nebraska Beef Symposium in London and the Midwest Beef Symposium in Japan in 2014 and there are many other exciting opportunities for 2015 that have already been started. 

“Recognizing the importance of what our product offers through great taste and consistency to the foreign consumer keeps them buying our beef time after time,” said Buck Wehrbein, NBC chairman from Waterloo.  “The opportunity for expanded growth of beef in these marketplaces is exciting and benefits all producers through these efforts.”  NBC prioritizes foreign marketing in their strategic priorities as part of their mission to strengthen beef demand in the global marketplace.



Calving Distribution Key to Reproductive Success
Steve Tonn, Nebraska Extension in Washington County

It’s only natural as the season shifts to spring to focus on the immediate tasks at hand such as processing calves and cows, moving cattle to summer pasture, and planting corn and soybeans.  However, before we take on the spring and summer workload, take one more look at your calving records as a way to measure and improve herd management.

Kris Ringwall, North Dakota State University Extension Beef Specialist, stresses using your calving distribution as a management tool.  Here are some of his comments.  Analyzing how many calves are born during the calving season can provide valuable insight into the reproductive performance of your cow herd.  But when those calves are born in the calving season is just as important.  Count the number of cows that calved within 21 days from when the third mature cow calved.  After that, check the number that calved the next 21 days and the next 21 days.  Keep counting until you get to the end of the calving book.

Why?  The no. 1 indicator that cows within your cattle operation fit your production system is timely reproduction.  In other words, they calve on time.

The type of cattle operation is not important, nor is when the calving season is set.  What is important is that at least 60% of the mature cows expected to calve do so within 21 days of the start of the calving season.

The calving distribution table allows a producer to follow how cows are calving within the calving season, as well as the percentage that are calving within 21 days, 42 days, 63 days , 84 days or later within the herd.  These percentages can be compared with the benchmarks for overall herd evaluation or utilized to follow how individual cows calf within the herd.

The North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement Association members enrolled in the Cow Herd Appraisal Performance Software (CHAPS) program average 62% of their calves born in the first 21 days of the calving season; 86% by day 42 and 95% by day 63.  These are benchmarks to compare your herd too.

If you don’t have the CHAPS program, the calculations are easy to figure directly from the calving book.  Simply count the total number of mature cows that calved and note the number on a separate sheet of paper.  Then go down the calving book and highlight or circle the third mature cow that calved. Disregard the first calving heifers. Then count down 21 days from when the third mature cow calved and draw a line there, as well as at 42 days, 63 days, 84 days, etc.

By counting the number of cows within each segment of the calving book and dividing by the total number of mature cows that calved, the percentage of cows calving at 21, 42, 63, 84, etc. days is calculated.  The first calf heifers are not included in these calculations because oftentimes the bull turnout dates are quite different from those of the mature cows.

How many of your calves are born after 63 days?  84 days?  University research at the University of Nebraska and South Dakota State University shows that cows calving in the first 21 days of the calving season have a lifetime production advantage of nearly two calves over cows calving later in the calving season.  Late calvers tend to always be late calving cows.  Those late calving cows are costing you money.  A goal to strive for is to have each cow have a calf every 365 days.  That means you need a calving season no longer than 82 days at the maximum.

Management questions to consider:
Do I use a calving distribution table as a management tool?
How many of my calves are born in the first 21 days? 42 days? 63 days, etc.?
What percent of my cows calve late?
Why do I have late calving cows?  Do they fit my production system?
How can I shorten my calving season?



Fischer Joins Colleagues to Introduce WOTUS Bill

Thursday morning, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues to introduce a new bill that would prevent a joint rule from the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA, known as the Waters of the United States (WOTUS), from taking effect. The legislation, known as S. 1140 – The Federal Water Quality Protection Act, would direct the Obama administration to issue a revised proposal that would set clear limits on federal regulation of water, require consultation with states and impacted stakeholders, and ensure that a thorough economic analysis is conducted.

Senator Fischer released the following statement:
“The proposed WOTUS rule is an attack on the people of Nebraska. Through its unprecedented proposal, the federal government is seeking to extend control over our state’s water. This will have far-reaching consequences and hurt growth, jobs, Nebraska families, and our economy.

“Nebraskans are good stewards of our natural resources and protect our water at the state and local level. I am proud to join my colleagues as an original cosponsor of the Federal Water Quality Protection Act. This legislation will stop the overreach of the Obama administration and prevent a federal takeover of our water resources.”‎

This morning, Senator Fischer joined Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), along with Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) as an original cosponsor of the Federal Water Quality Protection Act.

Senator Fischer has led a number of efforts in the Senate to enhance public input on the rule, including a field hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last month in Lincoln. She has repeatedly urged EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to scrap the rule all together, and has also cosponsored legislation to withdraw the proposed regulation.



Senators Call for Repeal of WOTUS
 
Today, Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) announced they are introducing bipartisan legislation to repeal EPA’s “Waters of the United States” proposal, a proposal that will jeopardize the rights of private property owners across the country. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council applaud the Senators for actively working to stop EPA’s aggressive attempt to expand federal jurisdiction over nearly all waters.

Under the proposal, nearly all waters in the country will be subject to regulation, regardless of size or continuity of flow. NCBA President Philip Ellis said Congressional action is imperative to stopping the rule from moving forward. S.1140 Federal Water Quality Protection Act requires the EPA and Army Corps to withdraw the rule and re-write their proposal with consideration of stakeholders and review of economic and small business input, following through with the straightforward procedures EPA skipped the first time. The bill also requires EPA to adhere to definitions included in the bill, specifically limiting the reach of a new rule.

“EPA Administrator McCarthy has already sent her final rule to Office of Management and Budget,” said Ellis. “Finalizing the rule only six months after receiving over one million comments sends a clear message that EPA has no intention of listening to the broad array of stakeholders and is pushing forward with a problematic rule.” 

The EPA has made several claims that the rule does not expand the reach of the Clean Water Act and has even gone as far to say cattlemen’s concerns are “ludicrous.” Yet, the bill’s subjective language leaves regulation up to the whim of individual regulators. PLC President Brenda Richards called the rule no more than a regulatory land grab. 

 “The ranching industry prides itself on being good stewards of our country’s natural resources,” said Richards, who ranches in Idaho. “We maintain open spaces, healthy rangelands, preserve wildlife habitat, and provide the country with healthy and nutritious food we all love. To provide all these important functions, livestock producers must be able to operate without excessive and subjective federal burdens.”

Ellis added, “The rule is so problematic, there is simply no way for EPA to make a few quick fixes and make it work for cattlemen and women. The agencies need to start over, and this time, talk to stakeholders before drafting a rule.”

NCBA and PLC urge Congress to pass this important piece of legislation, along with the House version, H.R. 1732 Regulatory Integrity Protection Act, without delay to preserve state and private water rights.



NAWG Applauds Introduction of Federal Water Quality Protection Act

During a press conference today, a bipartisan group of senators announced the Federal Water Quality Protection Act that requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rewrite the proposed waters of the U.S. regulation.

President of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), Brett Blankenship, issued the following statement:

“We applaud the efforts by this group of Senators and the introduction of this bill that seeks to protect the water quality of navigable waters and more clearly define what waters of the U.S. includes and does not include. On behalf of the nation’s wheat growers, we look forward to working with Congressional leadership to ensure a swift passage. We are very supportive of this legislation that addresses significant flaws in the proposed WOTUS rule.”

NAWG also joined a group of agricultural organizations voicing support for the Act by signing on to a letter sent to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. This legislation establishes sound principles to guide the agencies’ action on a “waters of the U.S.” rule so the final result reflects the statutory limits created by Congress.



ASA Pushes for National Labeling Standard

The American Soybean Association (ASA) stressed support of a consistent, science based national food labeling act in a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.

In the letter, ASA joins more than 370 organizations in favor of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) that would ensure food labeling in the United States is uniform.

“Today interest groups across the country are pushing state-level labeling mandates that will exacerbate consumer confusion and drive up food prices. Instead of informing consumers, these state initiatives are filled with loopholes, exempting as much as two-thirds of foods,” the letter states. “The result will be higher food prices for hard working American families.”

ASA and other agricultural organizations underscore that GMOs have been an important part of the nation’s food supply for the past 20 years and that leading health and regulatory organizations, from the World Health Organization to the American Medical Association, have all concluded GMOs are safe.

“The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act will give consumers, farmers, and small businesses certainty. The proposed legislation also would improve clarity for foods carrying a GMO-free label and provide uniform rules by creating a national certification program for foods that have been produced without bioengineering,” the groups state in the letter.

ASA strongly encourages House members to cosponsor H.R. 1599 and to support its adoption.



House Ag Committee Approves Grain Standards Act Legislation
(Nat'l Assoc. of Wheat Growers newsletter)

The House Agriculture Committee considered legislation today to reauthorize the Grain Standards Act (GSA). The proposed legislation—introduced by Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, Subcommittee Chairman Crawford, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Walz—would reauthorize GSA for five years. It includes some transparency provisions as well as changes to the ways fees are structured. Additionally, the bill would require a review of any state delegated authorities that cease inspections and would require the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) to step in to provide inspections should state agencies cease their responsibility. If FGIS is not able to step in within a specified timeframe, the bill would allow other state delegated or designated agencies to provide inspections at such facility for up to 90 days.

The Committee approved the legislation unanimously. NAWG is gathering input from our members, and will continue to engage with the House and Senate Agriculture Committees on this important issue. The Senate Agriculture Committee with be holding a hearing next Tuesday afternoon on this topic where the panel will hear from various segments of the value chain.



March Farm Prices Received Index Increased 3 Points

The March Prices Received Index (Agricultural Production), at 102, based on 2011=100, increased 3 points (3.0 percent) from February. At 86, the March Crop Production Index is up 1 point (1.2 percent). At 117, the Livestock Production Index increased 3 points (2.6 percent). Producers received higher prices for broilers, eggs, cattle, and oranges but lower prices for milk, wheat, soybeans, and apples. In addition to prices, the indexes are impacted by the five-year average monthly mix of commodities producers market. Increased monthly movement of cattle, strawberries, calves, and milk offset the decreased marketing of cotton, soybeans, and hay.

The Prices Received Index is down 9 points (8.1 percent) from March 2014. The Food Commodities Index, at 110, increased 3 points (2.8 percent) from the previous month but decreased 12 points (9.8 percent) from March 2014.

Crop Production:
The March index, at 86, increased 1.2 percent from February but is 9.5 percent below March 2014. Index increases for vegetable & melon, fruit & tree nut, and other crop production more than offset the index decrease for food grain production.

Feed grain: The March index, at 64, is unchanged from last month but is 16 percent below a year ago. The corn price, at $3.81 per bushel, is up 2 cents from last month but is down 71 cents from March 2014.  At 8.00 per cwt, sorghum grain is 14 cents above February but 24 cents below March a year earlier.

Food grain: At 82, the index for March is 2.4 percent lower than the previous month and 17 percent below a year earlier. The March price for all wheat, at $5.70 per bushel, is down 19 cents from February and is $1.04 below March 2014.

Oilseed: At 79, the index for March is unchanged from February but is 27 percent lower than March 2014. The soybean price, at $9.84 per bushel, decreased 8 cents from February and is $3.86 below March a year earlier.

Livestock Production:
The index for March, at 117, is 2.6 percent above the previous month but is down 8.6 percent from March a year earlier. Compared with a year ago, prices are higher for cattle, calves, and market eggs. Prices for milk, hogs, and broilers are down from a year earlier. Turkey prices are unchanged.

Meat animal: At 127, the March index is up 1.6 percent from the previous month but is 0.8 percent lower than a year earlier. At $50.30 per cwt, the March hog price is down 10 cents from February and $31.60 lower than a year earlier. The March beef cattle price of $160 per cwt is up $1.00 from the previous month and $12.00 higher than March 2014.

Dairy: The index for March, at 83, is down 1.2 percent from the previous month and 34 percent lower than March a year earlier. The March all milk price of $16.60 per cwt is down 20 cents from February and $8.50 from March 2014.

Poultry and egg: At 133, the March index is up 12 percent from February but is 0.7 percent below 2014. The March market egg price, at $1.41 per dozen, increased 29.0 cents from February and is 36.0 cents above March 2014. The March broiler price, at 59.0 cents per pound, is up 5.0 cents from February but is 6.0 cents below a year earlier. At 68.3 cents per pound, the March turkey price is up 1.4 cents from the previous month but is unchanged from 2014.

March Prices Paid Index up 1 Point
The March Index of Prices Paid for Commodities and Services, Interest, Taxes, and Farm Wage Rates (PPITW), at 110 (2011=100), is up 1 point (0.9 percent) from February but is unchanged from March 2014. Higher prices in March for feeder cattle, hay & forages, gasoline, and field crop seeds more than offset lower prices for complete feeds, nitrogen, other services, and supplements.

Iowa Ag Prices report
The average price received by farmers for corn during March in Iowa was $3.83 per bushel according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Agricultural Prices report. This is up $0.04 from the February price, but $0.72 lower than March 2014. 

The March 2015 average price received by farmers for soybeans, at $9.76 per bushel, was $0.16 less than the February price and $3.94 lower than the March 2014 price. 

The March average oat price per bushel was $3.27, down $0.99 from February, and $1.65 below March 2014.

All hay prices in Iowa averaged $129.00 per ton in March, $35.00 per ton less than March 2014. Alfalfa hay prices fell $40.00 per ton from one year ago, to $140.00 and other hay prices were $19.00 per ton lower than last year, at $96.00.

The March average price was $17.10 per cwt for milk, unchanged from the February price, but $8.70 per cwt below one year ago. Prices for replacement milk cows averaged $1,950 as of April 1, 2015.



Vilsack Travels to Turkey for G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel to Istanbul, Turkey, next week to meet his counterparts at the G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting that will focus on food security.

"The G20 ministerial provides an important platform for agricultural leaders to discuss efforts to improve food security around the world," said Vilsack. "From the U.S. perspective, reducing post-harvest loss and food waste play a major role in this effort. We also believe that nations must acknowledge the important role that science plays in increasing crop production and the role that open, rules-based trade can play in growing economies and fostering food security in the face of a changing climate."

The Group of Twenty (G20) is a forum for supporting international economic cooperation and decision-making. It comprises 19 countries plus the European Union. G20 members represent around 85 percent of global gross domestic product, over 75 percent of global trade, and two-thirds of the world's population. Turkey is serving as the president of the G20 in 2015. The Agriculture Ministers Meeting runs from May 7 to May 8.

Following the G20, Vilsack will travel to Amman, Jordan, to sign a government-to-government food assistance agreement.



Monsanto Approaches Syngenta About Possible Takeover

Seed giant Monsanto Co. in recent weeks has held talks with Syngenta AG, a Swiss-based maker of crop chemicals, about a possible takeover, Bloomberg News reported Thursday on its website, citing people familiar with the matter.

The two companies held preliminary merger talks last year before Syngenta ended those talks over a variety of issues, including anti-trust concerns, Bloomberg reported.



Zoetis Accepting Nominations for Pig Caregivers Award

Do you know a pig caregiver who goes above and beyond to consistently provide superior pig care? Nominate him or her for the Honoring Caregivers award from Zoetis.

Nominations for the Honoring Caregivers award — which recognizes exemplary pig caregivers and their positive contributions to the pork industry — are being accepted online at zoetisUS.com/HonoringCaregivers until Monday, June 22, 2015. Nominations also will be accepted at the Zoetis booth (#151 in the Varied Industries Building) at World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa.

“Pig caregivers work hard to raise healthy pigs and protect our food supply, but their efforts can go unrecognized,” said Gloria Basse, vice president, U.S. Pork Business Unit, Zoetis. “In 2014, we honored five deserving caregivers, and we are looking forward to sharing the stories of more dedicated pig caregivers and the positive examples they set for other animal caregivers.”

From the nominations, five caregivers will be selected as winners and receive a trip to New York City in September 2015. They will be honored at an awards reception where they will be recognized for their dedication to the pork industry. Winners also will receive a $1,000 cash prize.

Farm owners, veterinarians and others working in the pork industry are encouraged to nominate qualified farm employees. Nominated caregivers will be evaluated by an independent panel of judges based on their demonstration of commitment to the three pillars of superior pig care:

    Proper treatment — commitment to the responsible use of antibiotics to protect animal and human health

    Proper disease prevention — commitment to maintaining proper biosecurity, hygiene and vaccination protocols to prevent disease

    Proper pig handling — commitment to proper pig handling techniques to ensure pig well-being

“Caregivers who focus on biosecurity, proper pig handling and appropriate treatment for illness, make it possible to bring high-quality and high-value pork to market,” Basse said. “At Zoetis, we believe that exceptional caregivers deserve to be acknowledged for the positive impact they have on the pork industry. We are excited to do that through the Honoring Caregivers program.”

Any individuals who are directly involved with the daily care of pigs and are legally employed in the United States are eligible to be nominated and selected as a winner. For more information on the Honoring Caregivers award and the official contest rules, please visit zoetisUS.com/HonoringCaregivers.



AGCO Reports Lower Sales, Net Income in First Quarter

AGCO reported net sales of approximately $1.7 billion for the first quarter of 2015, a decrease of approximately 27.0% compared to net sales of approximately $2.3 billion for the first quarter of 2014.

Reported net income was $0.34 per share and adjusted net income, excluding restructuring and other infrequent expenses, was $0.43 per share for the first quarter of 2015.

These results compare to reported and adjusted net income per share of $1.03 for the first quarter of 2014.

Excluding unfavorable currency translation impacts of approximately 11.7%, net sales in the first quarter of 2015 decreased approximately 15.3% compared to the first quarter of 2014.



Help corn have season-long access to nitrogen

Managing nitrogen is not a one-time event. For optimized crop growth and yield potential, nutrient management is as important in the middle of the season as it is at planting, says Eric Scherder, Ph.D., field scientist, Dow AgroSciences.

Growers should manage nitrogen so it is available when corn requires it throughout the season. One way to manage nitrogen is by applying it shortly after crop emergence or as a sidedress application.

“Nitrogen is something growers should be thinking about all season long, and thinking about how to manage it,” Scherder says. “When it comes to managing nitrogen, you want to stabilize fall or spring applications if that’s the bulk of your fertilizer, because that’s when you have the greatest loss opportunities.”

Corn experiences a critical period of nutrient uptake between the V5 and V8 growth stages. Therefore, stabilizing nitrogen is equally important for growers who make a sidedress application at the V5 or V6 stage, Scherder says, since corn continues to need large amounts of nitrogen for another 30 to 50 days. During that time, corn can’t afford to have a bad day.

“Growers doing a program approach with 60 percent nitrogen up front should consider applying nitrapyrin preplant,” Scherder says. “It keeps nitrogen available and gives growers more flexibility in the season if they are delayed by rain, so they aren’t starving the plant of nitrogen.”

Weather is one of the biggest challenges of sidedressing nitrogen. Rain before application makes it tough to get across the field, while heavy rain after application can make nitrogen vulnerable to leaching and denitrification. Nitrogen stabilizers, such as Instinct® II and N-Serve®, reduce leaching into groundwater and denitrification into the atmosphere, keeping nitrogen in the soil longer for corn use.

Whether growers are applying nitrogen preplant or weeks later around V4, using a stabilizer will preserve nitrogen so it’s there when the plant needs it.

For more information on keeping nitrogen accessible to corn, visit NitrogenStabilizers.com.