Thursday June 12 Ag News

Curtis Wetovick Receives First Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation  Beef State Scholarship

The Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation has selected Curtis Wetovick of Fullerton as the first recipient of its Nebraska Cattlemen Beef State Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship has been established to support outstanding junior, senior or graduate level students.

Recipients must be a resident of Nebraska and be enrolled in a Nebraska college or university pursuing a beef industry related degree. The scholarship is awarded based on student need, Nebraska beef industry involvement (past achievements and future plans) and academic performance.  Wetovick was one of three finalists interviewed by the selection committee.

Wetovick is a senior at the University of Nebraska pursuing an Animal Science degree, with a Business and Engler Agribisiness Entrepreneurship minor. His parents are Richard and Marne Wetovick.

Curtis has been involved in every aspect of production and management within his family’s cattle ranch. Also, he is an auctioneer and started his own business, CW Auction, during his junior year of high school. Business is spreading by word of mouth and his goals include working for a prominent Nebraska weekly livestock market, conducting twenty or more seedstock production sales per hear and wining the World Livestock Auctioneering Championship.

“With beef production the number one industry in Nebraska and as Nebraska becomes the beef epicenter of the United States, it is more important now, more than ever before, to support and reward our future beef industry leaders who will have an impact on the Nebraska beef industry,” says Scott Langemeier, Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation President.

For more information on this scholarship and how you can donate, please contact Jana Jensen, NCF Fundraising Coordinator at 308/588-6299, janajensen@nebcommfound.org or Lee Weide, Nebraska Cattlemen Vice President of Operations at 402/475-2333, lweide@necattlemen.org.



Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Announces Steer Challenge Winners

The annual Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Retail Value Steer Challenge (RVSC) winners and Scholarship recipients were honored at the NC Foundation lunch on June 11 during the Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) Midyear Meeting in York. 

The RVSC is the primary fundraiser for NC Foundation with money raised supporting youth and adult educational programs, scholarships, research & infrastructure projects, history preservation and judging teams at colleges in Nebraska. 

Three winners of each of the three steer challenge categories were awarded for their steer’s performance in the 16th annual Retail Value Steer Challenge. First place in the Average Daily Gain category was awarded to the steer owned by Briggs Feedyard of Seward.  Second place went to Miles Cattle Company, Inc., McCool Junction and third place was awarded to Berger’s Herdmaster, Stapleton.

Farm Credit Services of America – Bob Campbell and Matt Sommers owned the steer that won the Carcass Value category with the Northeast Cattlemen affiliate receiving second with its steer.  Jim Jenkins, Callaway received the third place honors.

First place in the Total Value Category was a steer owned by Todd and Holly Schroeder and John Reeson of Wisner. Second place went to the steer owned by Maddux Cattle Company and Bentz Valley, Inc, Wauneta and third place went to Eisenmenger Farms, Inc of Humphrey.

The NC Foundation also recognized the support of Darr Feedlot, Cozad, for administration and feeding of the steers that were entered into this year’s challenge. In addition, the Foundation acknowledged the following sponsors for their support of the Retail Value Steer Challenge: ADM Alliance Nutrition, Bill’s Volume Sales, Inc., Darling International, First National Bank – North Platte, Gallagher Grace/Mayer, and Zinpro Performance Minerals.

In addition to the RVSC awards, NC Foundation also recognized 35 youth scholarship winners for 2015.  “Thanks to the generosity of donors and the great participation in the Retail Value Steer Challenge, the Foundation awarded $43,000 in scholarships this year.” said Scott Langemeier, NC Foundation President.   

Established in 1968, the NC Foundation mission is to advance the future of Nebraska’s Beef industry by investing in research and education programs. As the NC Foundation grows, expands and moves forward in its mission to raise funds for educational and scientific activities that benefit the state’s beef producers – the board asks you to consider investing in your industry through the Foundation.          




National Drought Summary for Jun 9, 2015

The NCEI (formerly NCDC) May 2015 precipitation total for the contiguous U.S. was the wettest May and month of any month in the 121-years of record keeping. State-wise, it was the wettest May in Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado, and one of the top 5 wettest Mays in Utah, Kansas, Wyoming, Arkansas, and South Dakota. With those statistics, it is not surprising that nearly all drought from late March has been eliminated in the Plains, Midwest, and central Gulf Coast. In addition, wet spring weather in the Great Basin and Four Corners Region has continued into June, necessitating improvements to parts of these areas. During this week, stalled or slow-moving cold fronts in the north-central Plains and along the southern Atlantic and eastern Gulf Coasts triggered scattered showers and thunderstorms, some locally heavy, in parts of the northern and central Plains, upper Midwest, central Corn Belt, and from the Delmarva Peninsula southward into Florida. During the weekend, moisture from the remnants of eastern Pacific Hurricane Andres was pulled into the Southwest, producing light to moderate showers in central Arizona, southeast Utah, southwest Colorado, and New Mexico. Late in the period, additional moisture from former Pacific Hurricane Blanca streamed northward, poised to generate additional showers in the Southwest, including California. As the slow-moving cold front finally tracked far enough eastward, light to moderate rains fell on the eastern Tennessee Valley, mid-Atlantic, and western New England. Dry weather finally allowed the southern Plains to recover from weeks of copious rains and severe flooding, with mostly dry weather also occurring in the lower Mississippi and western Tennessee Valleys. Mostly dry weather continued in drought areas of Puerto Rico and Hawaii, but decent rains (2 to 8 inches) finally returned to the southeastern Panhandle of Alaska.

Great Plains
Moderate to heavy rains were reported across portions of the northern and central Plains, including a band of 4-8 inches in southeastern Nebraska, northeastern Kansas, and northwestern Missouri. Additional improvements were made where the rains (generally more than 2 inches) erased or greatly diminished 60-, 90-, or 180-day deficits, and this encompassed eastern Montana and western North Dakota, southeastern South Dakota and northeastern Nebraska, southwestern and southern Nebraska, small sections of D0 and D1 in western Kansas and the Panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas, and in north-central Oklahoma. In Texas, mostly dry weather aided flood recovery efforts to continue, allowing for a re-assessment of conditions with more stable reservoir levels that required some changes to the D0 areas in west-central Texas. As of June 10, Texas monitored water supply reservoirs stood at 83.6% full, with some reservoirs still less than 40% full in Coke, Tom Green, and Mitchell counties – hence the lingering D0(L) near the San Angelo area. Additional decent rains should be enough for continued improvements in the Dakotas and Nebraska, but longer-term hydrologic drought conditions (e.g. low reservoirs) will require a longer span of surplus rains (inflow) to alleviate.

Midwest and Great Lakes Region
More widespread moderate to heavy rains (2 to 5 inches) covered the upper Midwest and middle Mississippi Valley, continuing the wet pattern observed during May. More than 1.5 inches of rain was observed across much of Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, Illinois, and northern Indiana, with locally much higher amounts. These beneficial rains fell on the D0 and D1 areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and northern Indiana, allowing for continued improvement (1-category) in these states. The exceptions to this occurred where lower totals were measured, namely east-central Minnesota (less than an inch), lower eastern Michigan (less than 0.5 inches), and in the lower Ohio Valley (southern Indiana and Ohio, eastern Kentucky). These areas were left unchanged, except in the lower Ohio Valley where subnormal rains occurred during the past 60-days, leading to growing short-term deficiencies of 3 to 6 inches. Accordingly, D0 was extended northward and eastward to account for these shortages. Overall, the crop, pasture, and moisture conditions in the Midwest generally fared well as of June 7, with Kentucky (15%) and Ohio (12%) reporting the largest percentages of topsoil moisture rated short to very short, according to NASS/USDA.



Trade Promotion Authority reins in the Obama Administration
By Rep. Adrian Smith

Though our Founders wisely established three separate but equal branches of government, the Obama administration has a lengthy track record of disregarding Congress and governing by executive action.  This lack of accountability has been disastrous for economic freedom and government transparency.

In my talks with Nebraskans, many have expressed concerns about the growth of government and asked what is being done to rein in the executive branch.  Oversight is a key responsibility of Congress, but our efforts have been hampered by an uncooperative administration.  Fortunately, we have a unique opportunity right now to restore checks and balances on trade.

The House Ways and Means Committee, on which I serve, is working to put Congress in the driver’s seat on U.S. trade initiatives.  In late April, the Committee passed the Trade Priorities and Accountability Act, legislation also known as Trade Promotion Authority or TPA.  This bill would give Congress the authority to direct and oversee the administration’s trade negotiations.

There is a lot of misinformation going around about TPA, but here’s a fact: if we do not pass TPA now, we will not only sacrifice America’s opportunity to set the rules of the global marketplace, but we will also miss a rare window to bring accountability to an administration which has too often refused to acknowledge it.

President Obama currently has the constitutional authority to negotiate a trade agreement with any country he wishes and with no congressional oversight or transparency.  TPA reins in the President’s authority, requiring the administration’s negotiating process to be directed by Congress.

Under this legislation, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative must promptly provide the classified texts of all trade negotiations at the request of any Members of Congress.  To provide even more transparency, the law would require the text of any completed trade agreement to be made public online for at least 60 days before the President can sign it.  Without TPA, there is nothing to compel the administration to share these texts with Congress or the American people.

If a trade agreement is deemed by Congress to meet all the required objectives under TPA, it would be given an up-or-down vote.  If not, TPA has a built-in off switch to stop the agreement from moving forward.  TPA gives Congress the final say – and we will not approve a bad deal.

Those with concerns about President Obama’s tendency to overstep his constitutional bounds should be the first to support TPA.  This legislation limits the President’s power while increasing Congress’s role in trade negotiations.  We should not miss the chance to put such a crucial form of congressional oversight into law.

With more than 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside our borders, we must open more markets to U.S. producers to keep our country from falling behind.  Passing TPA is the necessary first step to ensure trade agreements reflect the priorities of the American people.  We cannot allow this opportunity to both assert American leadership in the world economy and impose accountability on the Obama administration to slip away.



FFA Award Winners Tour Costa Rica, Gain Perspective of Global Agriculture

As the agricultural community becomes increasingly global, it is crucial that young people considering careers in the industry understand the opportunities and challenges of international trade. A group of 48 national FFA award winners will tour agricultural sites in Costa Rica this summer and compare the industry in Central America and the United States. Following an orientation session in Miami on June 9, the group will depart for a 10-day tour.

Costa Rica is an ideal agricultural tour site as it includes some of the most diverse agriculture and geography in the world. Yet, the country is small enough that the contingent selected for the National FFA Organization’s 2015 Costa Rica Proficiency and Stars Travel Seminar will be able to immerse themselves into a complete agriculture experience.

Seminar participants were selected from national agricultural proficiency award finalists and American Star Farmer and Star in Agribusiness finalists named last October at the 87th National FFA Convention & Expo in Louisville, Ky. The seminar, in addition to cash awards and plaques, is made possible by business and industry contributions to the National FFA Foundation.

Through June 18, participants will visit Dole's Costa Rican banana farm, the Corsicana pineapple plantation, several of the country's large and small production farms, a Starbucks coffee plantation, a forest biological reserve and rainforests. They’ll also be taking in plenty of sights during their trip. FFA members will tour the Costa Rican capital of San Jose, the country’s National Park and a host of popular tourist destinations.

During the seminar, students have an opportunity to experience the global agriculture and culture of Costa Rica. The international seminar is an education study seminar designed to introduce the award participants to agriculture as it is practiced in other countries.

Students participating in the trip include:
California: Jillian Drake of Fallbrook; Natalie Massa of Willows
Illinois: Emily Bloemer of Bloomington; Thomas Justison of Butler
Indiana: Kaitlyn Buys-McFarland of Commiskey; Jordan Cadle of Orleans; Abigail Cohagan of Rochester; Lauren Evans of Portland; Ethan McNeely of Scottsburg
Kansas: Nikole Cain of Allen; Tristan Davis of Princeton; Drew Miller of Enterprise
Kentucky: Lane Meredith of Hodgenville
Minnesota: Jared Eilertson of Kiester; Dakota Kalis of Wells; Brandon Roiger of Sleepy Eye; Greta Tank of Cottage Grove; Colin Wegner of Wells
Missouri: Dustin Stanton of Centralia; Hannah Straatmann of Washington
Nebraska: Patrick Arkfeld of Dunbar; Travis Poppe of Crofton
North Dakota: Breanna Bregel of Carrington; Audra Montgomery of Carrington; Joshua Stutrud of Barton
Ohio: Chrysta Beck of Archbold; Madeline Davis of Troy; Audrey Hoey of Chillicothe; Derek Hoffman of West Lafayette; Elizabeth Klein of Millersburg; Andrew Scharf of Mt. Victory; Thomas Shaw of Greenville; Gretchen Straits of Millersburg; Samantha Wander of Bellville; Lauren Williams of Tipp City
Oklahoma: Mason Pitts of Glencoe
Pennsylvania: Ruby Monn of Shippensburg; Kathryn Osborne of Millerstown
South Dakota: Ethan Vanderwal of Bruce
Texas: William Braack of Pilot Point; Caylie McCulloch of Frisco; Dakota Zapalac of La Grange
Virginia: Whitney Bowman of Mount Jackston
Washington: Dennis Grelis of Tacoma
West Virginia: Jessica Woodworth of Burlington
Wisconsin: Andrew Helmer of Plymouth; Jared Holwerda of Randolph; Justin Runde of Janesville

During and after the experience, highlights of the journey will be shared on the National FFA blog.



World Pork Expo 2015: Upbeat and focused on the future

World Pork Expo just completed its 27th year, drawing approximately 20,000 pork producers and other professionals from 41 countries to Des Moines, Iowa, June 3-5. Brought to you by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), this year’s Expo featured the world’s largest pork-specific trade show, while its Junior National again set records for youth participation. The Big Grill served up 10,000 free pork lunches, a range of seminars attracted abundant crowds, and meaningful discussions about global issues, from trade agreements to the future of antibiotics, occurred throughout the week.

“This year’s Expo was the best I have ever attended,” says Ron Prestage, D.V.M., NPPC president and South Carolina pork producer. “There was a lot of important information regarding challenges facing pork producers, and how hard NPPC and the National Pork Board are working on their behalf. Many attendees told me how informative the educational seminars were, and the exhibitors were very happy with the crowd. The unanimous consensus was that Expo was a smashing success.”

Producers reflect a positive outlook
At the heart of World Pork Expo is the trade show, which features hundreds of commercial exhibits from companies based in North America, Asia and Europe. As the world’s largest pork-specific trade show, it offers producers a one-stop opportunity to review the latest products, services and technologies for their businesses. Exhibitors reported that producers’ attitudes are upbeat and focused on the future.

“Expo is a great place to come and talk to the different exhibitors; it’s really the only time producers typically have access to this variety of companies and products,” says Wilbert Johnston with JBS United, based in Illinois. “The people who are really serious about pork production are likely going to be at Expo.”

Although margins have narrowed considerably from last year’s record levels, 2015 is projected to be profitable for most pork producers, according to exhibitors. Hog numbers are up, and some facility renovation and expansion are reported to be underway.

“Everybody is positive,” says Gary Wyse, with Nedap Identification Systems, which is headquartered in The Netherlands. “We had a lot of people interested in our equipment. They may not be looking for something to put in place immediately, but they are looking down the road and exploring what possibilities are available.”
       
For both Johnston and Wyse, 2015 marked their ninth Expo. They agreed producers of all ages and with various operation sizes are watching pork production trends to evaluate what changes are needed to remain financially viable.

“There are enough new developments that if producers want to keep up with changes that will occur during the next five to 10 years, they need to come to Expo,” adds Wyse. “They always will find good products and new technologies here.”

Junior National shatters records
Hosted by the National Junior Swine Association and Team Purebred, the World Pork Expo Junior National included 200 first-time participants among the 975 youth from 29 states who took part in the educational programs, competitions and hog shows. To accommodate the growth, Junior National events began on June 2 with Youth PQA Plus® certification and 658 juniors exhibiting in showmanship competitions. More than 200 youth competed in the Skillathon, which measures knowledge of pork production, as well as in the judging contests.

The Junior National shows included 2,200 hogs this year, marking a 38 percent increase from the record set in 2014. Some juniors also exhibited their hogs in the open shows, which included more than 1,000 crossbred and purebred boars and gilts. The hog sales that followed on Saturday morning totaled well over $1 million for consignors with Berkshire, Chester White, Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace, Poland China, Spot, Yorkshire, and crossbred gilts and boars.

Expo provides education, grilled pork and donations to the community
A vital part of Expo, 14 business seminars and PORK Academy presentations provided useful information on topics ranging from herd health and strategies for managing emerging diseases, to a review of export and marketing opportunities.

Mouthwatering pork was easy to find throughout the Expo grounds, including the 10,000 free grilled-pork lunches served by volunteers from Iowa’s Tama County Pork Producers Association.

Once again, World Pork Expo and NPPC made a significant contribution to the community by presenting Domino’s Pizza gift cards to two Des Moines service organizations. The Youth Emergency Services & Shelter, a well-established child welfare agency, received $1,000 in gift cards, while the Food Bank of Iowa was given $5,000 in gift cards to supplement food supplies made available to people in need. NPPC selected Domino’s because of the company’s ongoing support of U.S. pork producers.

Without question, Expo is an important global event for pork producers and those interested in pork production.

“A producer who doesn’t attend Expo will have to play serious catch-up to remain informed,” concludes Prestage. “Truly, anyone who is vested in pork production or pork producers’ interests would find attending World Pork Expo is time well-spent.”

NPPC has announced dates for the 2016 World Pork Expo: June 8-10.



Farm Bureau Releases Detailed Analysis of Waters of the U.S. Rule

The American Farm Bureau Federation released documents outlining how the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. rule will give the agency sweeping powers to regulate land use despite a body of law clearly prohibiting such overreach.

The Farm Bureau analysis, now available online, makes available to the public details the EPA has refused to address in public meetings over the past year. The documents are available as PDF attachments.

“Our analysis shows yet again how unwise, extreme and unlawful this rule is,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman said. “Our public affairs specialists and legal team have assembled the best analysis available anywhere, and their conclusions are sobering: Despite months of comments and innumerable complaints, the Waters of the U.S. proposal is even worse than before.”

The WOTUS rule, first released in draft form in April, 2014, has garnered fierce opposition from farmers, ranchers and land owners of all kinds. Dozens of states and countless municipalities oppose the measure since it would federalize regulation already handled at the local level. Just as important is the rule’s radical view of “water” which, in its view, should encompass the vast majority of land in the United States since it surrounds actual water that may or may not be protected under the Clean Water Act.

Alarmed by the agency’s actions, the House of Representatives recently voted to prohibit the EPA from enacting the rule. A similar bill is moving through the Senate and could come to a floor vote within weeks.



U.S. House Reauthorizes Commodity Futures Trading Commission

The U.S. House of Representatives adopted a five-year reauthorization of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), H.R. 2289 this week. The legislation would reauthorize the CFTC through the year 2019 and provides exemptions to non-financial companies from regulations on derivatives issued by the agency under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial regulatory overhaul (PL 111-203).

The American Soybean Association (ASA) signed a letter with other agricultural stakeholders earlier this week, urging members of the House of Representatives to vote yes on H.R. 2289.

The legislation contains a number of important provisions for agricultural and agribusiness hedgers who use futures and swaps to manage their business and production risks. Some, but certainly not all, of the bill’s important provisions include:

    Sections 101-103 – Codify important customer protections to help prevent another MF Global situation.

    Section 104 – Provides a permanent solution to the residual interest problem that would have put more customer funds at risk – and potentially driven farmers, ranchers and small hedgers out of futures markets – by forcing pre-margining of their hedge accounts.

    Section 308 – Relief from burdensome and technologically infeasible recordkeeping requirements in commodity markets.

    Section 310 – Requires the CFTC to conduct a study and issue a rule before reducing the de minimis threshold for swap dealer registration in order to make sure that doing so would not harm market liquidity and end-user access to markets.

    Section 313 – Confirms the intent of Dodd-Frank that anticipatory hedging is considered bona fide hedging activity.

The Senate has not yet acted on the CFTC reauthorization.



Landmark Aquaculture Summit Encourages Diversification of Feed and U.S. Export Potential

Growth of aquaculture operations meant to help meet customer demand from the one billion people who rely on fish as their primary protein source is also encouraging diversification of feed ingredients, including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and soy.

Pressure on wild fish stocks is a constant concern, making aquaculture one of the world’s fastest growing industries. Southeast Asia accounts for nearly 90 percent of global aquaculture production.

This is a strategic opportunity for U.S. producers, and last week the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) joined with several longtime partners, including the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in a landmark conference in Singapore to explore long-term options for the industry.

“The role of USGC in aquaculture is clear,” said Kevin Roepke, USGC regional director of South and Southeast Asia. “The aquaculture industry needs to move on from using large amounts of rendered wild fish for feeds and transition to using a suite of plant-based proteins and ingredient sources.”

While fish meal remains the primary protein source today, the picture is beginning to change. In production models like the one emerging in Vietnam, imported feed ingredients from the United States are fed to seafood and, in turn, the finished fish is re-exported back to the United States.

“It’s a case study in comparative advantage,” Roepke said. “Yet the challenge facing the industry is finding a production system that is environmentally friendly, consumer-oriented and economically viable.”

The growth potential is dramatic, and the challenges are stark. A recent study conducted by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Worldfish concluded that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) aquaculture production must grow by as much as 100 percent by 2030 in order to satisfy demand.

But as the industry expands, growing pains are appearing. Sustainability is an issue for producers and consumers alike, and one of the aquaculture industry’s traditional commodity protein sources, trash fish, has a poor environmental track record.

Concerns about overfishing are especially acute; according to FAO, trash fish are often immature fish that would be commercially fished if allowed to grow to a larger size.

Sustainability, however, is complex to define and sometimes poses difficult issues. There is confusing overlap among different certification agencies, and choosing the right one can be problematic. Lack of harmonization in regulation and certification creates confusion on the retail side and perplexes consumers. Compounding the problem is an absence of harmonization as there are a number of different national standards and even company-specific standards that pose serious challenges in an integrated global market.

Last week’s conference provided a platform for individual companies, countries and stakeholders to present the ASEAN secretariat with a roadmap towards regulatory and certification harmonization. The conference attracted more than 100 participants representing the Southeast Asian aquaculture industry, government and other stakeholders. Following the completion of the conference, a dossier with seven action items was presented to the ASEAN secretariat for follow up.

“Aquaculture, above anything else, defines the mantra: ‘When trade works, the world wins,” Roepke said. “Fish is the world’s most valuable exported food commodity with a total worth greater than that of corn, soybeans and beef combined. Its role in achieving global food security cannot be overlooked. Conferences like this exhibit the work that is being done by both USGC and USSEC to contribute to a more sustainable aquaculture industry.”



U.S. Tractor, Combine Sales Fell in May

According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturer's monthly "Flash Report," the sale of all tractors in the U.S. through May 2015, were down 3% compared to last year. In the month of May, a total of 23,613 tractors were sold which compares to 21,300 sold thru May 2014 representing a 10% decrease, reports Agri Marketing magazine.

For the month, two-wheel drive smaller tractors (under 40 HP) were down 4% over last year, while 40 & under 100 HP were down 14%. Sales of 2-wheel drive 100+ HP were down 30%, while 4-wheel drive tractors were down 45%.

For the five months, two-wheel drive smaller tractors (under 40 HP) are up 4% over last year, while 40 & under 100 HP are down 2%. Sales of 2-wheel drive 100+ HP are down 19%, while 4-wheel drive tractors are down 47%.

Combine sales were down 31% for the month. Sales of combines for the first five months totaled 1,979, a decrease of 40% over the same period in 2014.



DFA URGES ACTIVIST GROUPS TO REPORT ABUSE IMMEDIATELY

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) announced today the completion of a third-party audit of one of its member farms, Cactus-Acre Holsteins. This announcement comes two days after the Cooperative proactively released an undercover video, shot by animal rights extremist group, Mercy For Animals (MFA), depicting animal abuse on the farm owned by Jim and Marie Goedert in Fort Morgan, Colo. The video can be viewed at www.dfamilk.com/animal-abuse-the-dairy-industry-not-tolerated.

The audit, conducted by Validus, is part of the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program’s Willful Animal Mistreatment Protocol. The protocol, which sets forth a process of investigation, probation, if warranted, and corrective action, is founded on the principles of continuous improvement. Based on the results of the investigative audit, Cactus-Acres Holsteins has been placed on probationary status pending the successful completion of a corrective action plan.

DFA utilizes the FARM Program as part of the Gold Standard Dairy Program, its on-farm evaluation program. These programs, as well as DFA’s decision to publicly release the undercover video ahead of MFA, demonstrate the Cooperative and industry’s ongoing commitment to the care and wellness of the nation’s dairy herd.

The Goederts, who milk approximately 2,500 cows and employ more than 30 employees, were shocked to learn of the allegations levied against them, particularly because they utilize a video monitoring system on their dairy and had already terminated several employees over concerns about poor performance and animal mistreatment in the preceding weeks.

“We couldn’t believe that someone who we hired as a milker and trusted to do the right thing and care for our cows would act so contrary to our values,” said Marie Goedert of the undercover activist, Jessica Buck. “Why not bring these concerns to our attention immediately?”

It is an ongoing tactic for animal rights extremist groups like Mercy For Animals to secretly record footage on farms throughout the country for weeks, even months at a time before reporting any allegations of abuse or mistreatment. In some states, this is a crime. DFA is planning to work with the Goederts to press charges.

“It is extremely frustrating and ineffective to simply record activities that go against industry and farm practices and protocols, rather than report it immediately,” said Monica Massey, DFA’s senior vice president of corporate affairs. “For groups that claim to have animal care and welfare as their sole mission, they seem to spend a lot of time simply observing what they think is the inhumane treatment of animals instead of stopping it. Abuse should be reported, not recorded.”

Over the course of the two-month period Buck was employed at the Goederts’ dairy, she secretly recorded incidents of abuse instead of reporting them to farm management. The Cooperative is encouraging anyone who witnesses animal abuse to report it immediately and has begun a social media campaign utilizing #ReportNotRecord.

“We take great pride in running a quality operation, and abuse is never tolerated,” Marie said. “We are devastated that these acts were committed by employees on our dairy. We acknowledge that there were mistakes made and take full responsibility for those. We appreciate the feedback from the audit and will work to correct those areas that need improvement immediately in order to be taken off probation.”

The Goederts, however, said they also question the role that Buck played in eliciting or inciting other employees to commit abuse and intend to work with the local sheriff to ensure that all those seen abusing animals are brought to justice for their crimes.

DFA acted proactively by not waiting for MFA to release the video, instead releasing it late Tuesday night and taking full responsibility for its member farm.

“We denounce the actions of MFA and their deceptive and manipulative tactics,” Massey said. “Animal abuse is never tolerated, and should be reported immediately, not recorded.”



ICBA-Farmer Mac Program Reaches $1 Billion in Loan Sales

The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) announced today that the READY, SET, GROW!® program offered in conjunction with the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) has surpassed the $1 billion threshold in loan sales from ICBA-member community banks.

“Since Farmer Mac became a Preferred Service Provider in 2009, community banks have taken advantage of special benefits available only to ICBA members, including pricing discounts on farm and ranch mortgage loan products and a streamlined seller application process,” said Dan Clancy, ICBA executive vice president of services. “The successful relationship between Farmer Mac and ICBA highlights the value of these services to community banks serving the nation’s farmers and agricultural enterprises.”

Farmer Mac helps lenders meet the changing needs of the agriculture sector through an extensive portfolio of loan products spanning a variety of terms, particularly longer-term, fixed-rate mortgages. Bankers may use the program to manage borrower lending limits, increase lending capacity, alleviate commodity concentration within agriculture portfolios, and enhance their competitive position and product offerings while taking advantage of Farmer Mac’s customized educational materials and customer support.

“Reaching the $1 billion loan sales threshold confirms that community bankers are taking advantage of Farmer Mac’s broad array of solutions to compete in their local markets, in addition to their traditional lending products, in order to best serve their customers. As competition continues to increase in this sector, the ICBA-Farmer Mac program offerings should be of even greater strategic importance to community bankers,” said Mark Scanlan, ICBA senior vice president for agriculture and rural policy.

Across the nation, community banks operate 52,000 locations and hold $3.6 trillion in assets, $2.9 trillion in deposits and $2.4 trillion in loans to consumers, small businesses and the agricultural community. Community banks have consistently been the largest provider of agricultural credit within the commercial banking sector. In fact, community banks provide $57 billion in agricultural loans.

“We have enjoyed working with ICBA over the years to offer their members choice pricing discounts on our products and services. As community banks face mounting competitive pressures, Farmer Mac's solutions can help level the playing field and provide farmers and ranchers access to competitively priced, long-term fixed rates for their agricultural mortgage needs,” said Curt Covington, Farmer Mac’s senior vice president of agricultural finance.  “We see this program as a win-win for everyone.”