Monday June 22 Ag News

HANDLING RAINED ON HAY
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialsit

               Rained on hay.  Sometimes it’s down so long that it’s virtually worthless.  Trouble is, what do you do with it?

               Rained on hay causes many problems.  Obviously, feed value of the hay is lowered.  And many times, in our rush to put this hay up, it gets baled or stacked too wet, which causes mold or heat damage to develop.

               Sometimes a bigger problem, though, is the long-term damage to the regrowing plants.  Driving over the field repeatedly — trying to turn hay to hasten its drying — will injure regrowth and can cause soil compaction, especially if the ground is wet and soft.

               But, not driving on the field may result in an even bigger problem with the windrows.  If they lay there too long, the plants underneath will be smothered.  This not only lowers yield, it creates a terrible weed problem as grasses and broadleaves infest the killed strips.  These weeds will contaminate all future cuttings.  In addition, if rained on hay windrows are left in the field until next cutting, they frequently will plug your mower, slowing you down and maybe even expanding your vocabulary.  Not to mention the reduced quality of this new hay.

               So — remove that hay any way you can.  Bale it, chop it, even blow it back on the ground as mulch.  You may need to damage plants by driving on them to turn hay to speed drying and get sunlight to plants underneath.  But do it anyway to prevent old windrows from ruining the rest of your haying year.

               Then, watch for problems in the damaged strips.  Insects and weeds may invade, and then need treating to prevent further problems.

               There isn’t much of a positive payback managing severely rained on hay, but to ignore it is even more expensive.

 

USDA Cold Storage Highlights

Total red meat supplies in freezers as of the end of May were down 5 percent from the previous month but up 19 percent from last year, according to USDA's monthly cold storage report issued on Monday afternoon. Total pounds of beef in freezers were down 3 percent from the previous month but up 24 percent from last year. Frozen pork supplies were down 7 percent from the previous month but up 14 percent from last year. Stocks of pork bellies were down 8 percent from last month and down 25 percent from last year.

Total frozen poultry supplies on May 31, 2015 were up 2 percent from the previous month and up 14 percent from a year ago. Total stocks of chicken were down 4 percent from the previous month but up 21 percent from last year. Total pounds of turkey in freezers were up 11 percent from last month and up 4 percent from May 31, 2014.

Total natural cheese stocks in refrigerated warehouses on May 31, 2015 were up 2 percent from the previous month and up 4 percent from May 31, 2014.  Butter stocks were up 14 percent from last month and up 26 percent from a year ago.

Total frozen fruit stocks were down 3 percent from last month but up 1 percent from a year ago.Total frozen vegetable stocks were down 5 percent from last month but up 7 percent from a year ago.



Corn Growers Answering the Call to Protest EPA Proposal

Scores of corn growers from more than a dozen states will converge on Kansas City, Kan., Thursday for a public hearing and rally about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to slash nearly 4 billion gallons of corn ethanol from the Renewable Fuel Standard through 2016.

"Last time, we were very clear to EPA about what we wanted," said National Corn Growers Association President Chip Bowling. "It is simple: EPA should follow the statute. For farmers and others in rural America, this new EPA proposal means low corn prices and ethanol plant and industry cutbacks. And for everyone, it means higher gas prices and dirtier air."

All farmers who can make the trip are encouraged to attend the hearing and public rally, with free bus transportation provided from several points across four states - Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. The buses are scheduled so growers can depart and return the same day, and free food and refreshments will be provided.

A rally in conjunction with the public hearing will kick off at 11:30 a.m. at nearby Huron Park, with several prominent agriculture, business and political leaders talking about the importance of renewable fuels for rural America.




Day 1, Kansas Wheat Harvest Report

This is day 1 of the 2015 Kansas Wheat Harvest Reports, brought to you by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and Kansas Grain and Feed Association.

The latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service harvest estimate is 314.5 million bushels, which was increased from 272 million bushels due to late season rains during grain fill. While these rains were helpful to many farmers statewide, continual precipitation has delayed harvest and has begun taking a toll on test weights in some areas of the state.

During this first harvest report of 2015, wheat farmers in some portions of the state are scurrying to take advantage of dry, hot weather in order to get a solid foothold for the 2015 wheat harvest.

Janice Gates reports that her family, and many others, began harvest near Anthony on Friday, June 19, a late start to the season due to wet conditions. While much lower than the 10-year county average, the Gates’ 20 bushels per acre average was better than expected, due to those May rains.

While the yields have exceeded expectations, test weights have been at 57 pounds per bushel, lower than the optimal 60 pounds per bushel. Gates also reported 10-11% moisture content.

Haviland farmer Denton Clark said that this year’s crop was a “nice change of pace” from last year’s harvest. He is estimating a 50 bushel per acre average after starting his cutting on Thursday, June 18. While he says that the stand is thin, the heads are large and filled to the “tip top.” While yields have been above average for Clark, it didn’t always look that way. According to Clark, after stripe rust had been spotted in the area, fungicide that was applied has “definitely paid off.” He has also reported some samples bringing in slightly below the optimal 60 pounds per bushel.

David Janzen, a Butler County farmer, is reporting a high average yield of around 60 bushels per acre in his family’s fields. While the Janzen family just started harvest on Saturday, test weights so far have been running slightly above the average of 60 pounds per bushel and weed pressure has been at a minimum.



USDA Seeks Partner Proposals to Protect and Restore Critical Wetlands

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of $17.5 million in financial and technical assistance to help eligible conservation partners voluntarily protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on private and tribal agricultural lands.

"USDA has leveraged partnerships to accomplish a great deal on America's wetlands over the past two decades, Vilsack said. "This year's funding will help strengthen these partnerships and achieve greater wetland acreage throughout the nation."

Funding will be provided through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP), a special enrollment option under the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program's Wetland Reserve Easement component. It is administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Under WREP, states, local units of governments, non-governmental organizations and American Indian tribes collaborate with USDA through cooperative and partnership agreements. These partners work with willing tribal and private landowners who voluntarily enroll eligible land into easements to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their properties. WREP was created through the 2014 Farm Bill and was formerly known as the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program.

Wetland reserve easements allow landowners to successfully enhance and protect habitat for wildlife on their lands, reduce impacts from flooding, recharge groundwater and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. The voluntary nature of NRCS' easement programs allows effective integration of wetland restoration on working landscapes, providing benefits to farmers and ranchers who enroll in the program, as well as benefits to the local and rural communities where the wetlands exist.

Proposals must be submitted to NRCS state offices by July 31, 2015. Projects can range from individual to watershed-wide to ecosystem-wide. Under a similar program in the 2008 Farm Bill, NRCS and its partners entered into 272 easements that enrolled more than 44,020 acres of wetlands from 2009 through 2013. Most of these agreements occurred through the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI). Through partnerships, MRBI identifies high-priority watersheds where focused conservation on agricultural land can make the most gains in improving local, state and regional water quality. The new collaborative WREP will build on those successes by providing the financial and technical assistance necessary for states, non-governmental organizations and tribes to leverage resources to restore and protect wetlands and wildlife habitat.

Through WREP, NRCS will sign multi-year agreements with partners to leverage resources, including funding, to achieve maximum wetland restoration, protection and enhancement and to create optimum wildlife habitat on enrolled acres. WREP partners are required to contribute a funding match for financial or technical assistance. These partners work directly with eligible landowners interested in enrolling their agricultural land into conservation wetland easements.

Today's announcement builds on the roughly $332 million USDA has announced this year to protect and restore agricultural working lands, grasslands and wetlands. Collectively, NRCS's easement programs help productive farm, ranch and tribal lands remain in agriculture and protect the nation's critical wetlands and grasslands, home to diverse wildlife and plant species. Under the former Wetlands Reserve Program, private landowners, tribes and entities such as land trusts and conservation organizations enrolled 2.7 million acres through 14,500 agreements for a total NRCS and partner investment of $4.3 billion in financial and technical assistance.



USDA Updates Department Policy for Climate Change Adaptation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced additional steps it is taking to integrate climate change adaptation into USDA's programs and operations. These efforts will help ensure taxpayer resources are invested wisely and that USDA services and operations remain effective under current and future climate conditions.

The effects of climate change are complex and far-reaching and it is clear that potential changes could have important impacts on the ability of USDA to fulfill its core mission. Under the updated USDA Policy Statement on Climate Change Adaptation (Departmental Regulation 1070-001), USDA recognizes that climate stressors have consequences for food production, yields of staple crops, forests and grasslands, and these, in turn, affect the economic well-being of individuals.

Climate change adaptation is a critical component of climate change and a complement to mitigation planning. Both are required to address the causes, consequences and potential benefits of climate change. USDA is taking a leadership role with climate adaptation planning to safeguard a resilient, healthy and prosperous Nation in the face of changing climate.

Under the changes announced today, USDA will:
-    Integrate climate change adaptation planning, implementing actions, and performance metrics into USDA programs, policies and operations to minimize climate risks and exploit new opportunities that climate change may bring;
-    Analyze how climate change is likely to affect its ability to achieve its mission, operations and policy and program objectives;
-    Identify appropriate key performance measures to evaluate progress in climate change adaptation;
-    Participate in adaptation implementation as part of a broader commitment to developing the next generation of regional climate solutions through USDA Regional Hubs for Risk Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change;
-    Incorporate climate-resilient decision-making into international development programs and investments of relevant USDA agencies; and
-    Develop and maintain an adaptation plan for managing the challenges and consider potential climate change impacts when undertaking long-term exercise, setting priorities for scientific research and developing performance measures.

Departmental Regulation 1070-001 implements sections of Executive Order 13653 and, where applicable, Executive Order 13677. It is consistent with the 2014-2018 USDA Strategic Plan and with guidance from the Council on Environmental Quality and the Federal Council on Climate Change Preparedness and Resilience. The regulation can be found at: www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/adaptation.htm.

For more information on USDA's Climate Change activities, please visit: www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/index.htm. This policy supersedes and replaces Department Regulation 1070-001 June 3, 2011.



CWT Assists with 4.4 Million Pounds of Cheese and Butter Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 20 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold), and Tillamook County Creamery Association who have contracts to sell 3.261 million pounds (1,479 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese and 1.157 million pounds (525 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia and the Middle East. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from June through November 2015.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 38.047 million pounds of cheese, 30.395 million pounds of butter and 20.071 million pounds of whole milk powder to twenty eight countries on five continents. The amounts of cheese, butter and whole milk powder in these sales contracts represent the equivalent of 1.182 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program, in the long-term, helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the U.S. farm milk that produces them. This, in turn, positively impacts all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.



Heavy Rains Cause Nitrogen Management Concerns

Corn fields in this part of the country that received excessive rain in June are susceptible to nitrogen (N) loss. Growers may want to consider applying additional N to fields that have experienced ponding to avoid potential yield losses.

Crops that receive massive amounts of rain early in the season (April and May) typically aren't in as much danger of losing N because it hasn’t yet converted to the nitrate form. However, as the soil warms the potential for N loss increases. Heavy rainfall in June, especially when ponding occurs, may mean that fields need additional N to keep crops growing well.

Ponding reduces the oxygen in the soil which can cause denitrification. A good indicator of N loss is when the corn starts to turn yellow, with the lower leaves being most affected. These leaf tips of N-deficient corn will have the classic V to the midrib. Use of soil tests, chlorophyll meters, and aerial photographs can help growers assess additional N fertilizer needs.

Pioneer offers the EncircaSM Yield Nitrogen Management Service for growers. This service, part of the overall EncircaSM services package, can help growers assess weather, soils, agronomy and analytics to maximize crop yields, with a focus on optimization of key inputs like nitrogen. Certified services agents offer customized advice and analysis of models to ensure that the data is put to its best possible use.

Choosing the right N source to match the method of application is important to achieving safe and effective remediation of N deficiency. Common methods of remediating N deficits include banding UAN between the rows using a high-clearance applicator; or if the corn is still small enough to drive over, broadcasting urea with a urease inhibitor. Among granular sources of N, urea is usually the best choice. Although subject to volatilization losses on the soil surface, it is less likely to cause leaf burn and yield loss in large corn.

Aerial application of urea is another way to apply N to very tall corn. While corn can be responsive to late N applications up to tasselling time, it is also good to remember that sometimes extremely stunted, waterlogged areas in the field may just be too damaged to recover.