Monday July 20 Ag News

Time to Start Scouting Soybean Aphids
Keith Jarvi, Nebraska Extension Educator

Soybean aphids have recently been found in field surveys in northeast Nebraska from Battle Creek to Ponca. Numbers are extremely low, as is typical this time of year, but this does signal it is time to start scouting. All aphids were found on the newest leaves, so we imagine colonization was fairly recent, probably within the last week. The good news is that we also observed soybean aphid natural enemies in these fields, so they may hold the populations in check, or at least slow their population growth.

The relatively mild weather is favorable for soybean aphids, so make sure and check fields at least once a week. Soybean aphid population growth can be quite rapid, and regular monitoring of soybean aphid populations is key to effective management.



Southern Rust Confirmed in Southeast Kansas – Monitor Corn Fields in Nebraska
Tamra Jackson-Ziems, Nebraska Extension Plant Pathologist

Southern corn rust has been confirmed in five counties in southeast Kansas.  The disease has not yet been confirmed in Nebraska.  Spores from the disease in locations south of Nebraska will likely be blown into the state and cause disease somewhere in the coming weeks.  Common rust is also in a few fields and could be misdiagnosed as southern rust.  Warm temperatures, high humidity, and winds from the south can promote development and spread of the disease.

Watch for small rust pustules that produce orange to tan spores on the top of leaves typical of southern rust.

If you think you have southern rust, please submit samples to the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic for confirmation.



CornSoyWater: New Web and Mobile App to Aid Irrigation Management

The UNL crop modeling team is pleased to announce the release of CornSoyWater.unl.edu. A web and mobile app, CornSoyWater helps irrigators determine in real-time the available soil water in a particular field and when to irrigate. The program currently covers Nebraska and its surrounding states and will be expanded to other states later. CornSoyWater combines CornWater and SoyWater, two separate irrigation decision support tools developed by UNL researchers.

Using real-time weather data and field specific crop information provided by the user, CornSoyWater uses simulation to track, from planting to now, crop water use, water inputs from rainfall and past irrigation, soil available water to the maximum rooting depth, and possible crop water stress. Irrigation is recommended for a field if crop water stress is indicated currently or within the next three days if no significant rainfall is expected.

In the background, CornSoyWater uses the Hybrid-Maize model and SoySim model to accomplish the following tasks for a specific field using real-time weather data for that area:
-    Simulate the up-to-date crop growth and development.
-    Track crop water use and water inputs from rainfall and past irrigations. Estimate the amount of soil available water to the maximum rooting depth.
-    Assess possible crop water stress based on soil water depletion and crop water uptake. Irrigation is recommended if crop water stress is likely occurring or will occur in the next three days.

CornSoyWater charts the amount of soil available water, available water threshold for triggering irrigation, crop water stress assessment, and the current crop stage.

Other features of the CornSoyWater program include:
-    Direct field identification using the Google map,
-    Automatic determination of average soil texture of the root zone for a field,
-    Showing all of a user's fields in one map in either red indicating need for irrigation or green indicating no need for irrigation, and
-    A summary table showing up-to-date critical information related to water status (Figure 2).

Besides the web application, CornSoyWater also has a smart phone app for iPhones and Androids. Users can download the app from Apple Store or Google Play. A water stress notification message will be sent to users every morning.

As with any simulation-based technology, the CornSoyWater program may produce results with significant errors, especially under unusual conditions. As a result, irrigators should exercise caution when using the program and should combine information from CornSoyWater with their current irrigation guidelines.

To use the CornSoyWater app, register (for free) for an account at http://cornsoywater.unl.edu. To add a field to an account, provide required crop information, including planting date, maturity, plant population, and basic soil properties. Note that the average soil texture for the root zone of a field is, by default, auto-determined by the program using the online USDA-SSURGO database; however, when desired, the user can set it manually.



GOING BACKWARDS TO MOVE FORWARD
Bruce Anderson, Nebraska Extension Forage Specialist

               Many of us have something this year that we don’t get very often – good summer soil moisture.  In a moment I’ll suggest an unusual way to make use of this unusual resource.

               Does your pasture grow during winter?  Of course not, it’s too cold.  The only time your pastures can produce more feed for your livestock is now during the growing season.

               Does your pasture grow very fast during summer when it is grazed short?  Again, the answer is no.  Pasture grows fastest when there are plenty of leaves available to capture sunlight.

               You’re probably wondering by now what I’m getting at.  Well, the first point I’m trying to make is that the only time your pastures are at work growing feed for your livestock is during the growing season when they have plenty of leaf area.

               Now comes the trick question.  Would you feed hay during summer if your pastures still had a little grass remaining?  Before answering, let’s think about it.  Why do you ever feed hay?  Isn’t part of the reason because you don’t have anything to graze?  So, one way to reduce the total amount of hay you feed is to grow as much pasture as possible.  And that can be done only now during the growing season, but only if your pastures have lots of leaves to capture sunlight.  If all the leaves are grazed off, pasture growth is very slow.  Later on you eventually will need to feed hay that much sooner.

               To keep pastures growing as fast as possible, maybe you should feed hay during the summer for a week or so if that helps you avoid reducing pasture growth from short grazing.

               You may think I’m crazy to suggest feeding hay while a little pasture still remains.  But if it grows more feed and saves you from feeding more hay later on, maybe I’m not so crazy after all.



Nebraska Natural Resources Districts Tree Planting Numbers Reach 95 Million!

The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts is proud to announce the 23 Natural Resources Districts have planted an estimated 95 million trees in Nebraska since being created by the Nebraska Legislature back in 1972.

In 2015 alone, records show the NRDs planted just over 800,000 trees across the state. The majority of trees planted is on private land. The NRD Conservation Tree program continues to be successful as farmers, ranchers, private land owners and general public stay dedicated to conserving and protecting our land.

“We want to commend the landowners for working with the Natural Resources Districts and getting involved in the NRD Conservation Tree Program,” said Terry Martin, President of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts. “By planting trees, the landowners are doing their part to protect their property and the state’s natural resources and future.”

The Natural Resources Districts continue to spread awareness about the benefits the trees provide to Nebraska. Conservation trees and shrubs benefit people, animals and the environment. They shade and shelter homes, reduce energy costs, protect and increase crop yields, reduce soil erosion caused by water and wind, improve water quality, control snow and preserve winter moisture, protect livestock, provide food and cover for wildlife, control noise, capture atmospheric carbon, raise property values, and add beauty to our landscape.

If you’d like to learn more about the Natural Resources Districts’ Conservation Tree Program, contact your local Natural Resources District or the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts at 402-471-7670. You can also go to the Natural Resources Districts’ NRD Conservation Tree Program website at www.nrdtrees.org to learn more. The Natural Resources Districts will start taking orders in the fall of 2015.



NEBRASKA EXTENSION FIELD DAY TO FOCUS ON BATTLING PALMER AMARANTH

Growers, crop consultants and educators interested in management of herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth are encouraged to attend Nebraska Extension's Field Day, supported by the Nebraska Corn Board, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 4 near Shickley.

Palmer amaranth is a member of the pigweed family and is one of the most troublesome weeds in cornfields because of its resistance to atrazine and HPPD inhibitors. It is of particular concern in south-central Nebraska because of its proximity to intense seed corn production, which is heavily reliant on these herbicides. Field experiments will demonstrate how to control Palmer amaranth in field and seed corn production fields in Nebraska.

Curtis Thompson, professor of weed science and State Extension agronomy leader with Kansas State University, will be the keynote speaker. Thompson was the first to confirm atrazine and HPPD inhibitors-resistant Palmer amaranth in Kansas and conducted several field experiments for management of the weed.

Three CCA credits will be available.

There is no cost to attend the field day. However, pre-registration is required before noon on Aug. 3 at http://agronomy.unl.edu/weedresistmgt.

Directions to the Field Day: From Geneva, go south on Highway 81 for seven miles. Turn west onto Highway 74 for 12 miles. Turn north on Road 2 for three miles. Turn west on Road Q for 0.1 mile. The farm field is on the north side of Road Q.

For more information, contact Amit Jhala at 402-472-1534 or amit.jhala@unl.edu.



Renewable Fuels Standard: Common Theme at Corn Congress

Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) members traveled to the nation's capital this past week for the National Corn Growers Association Corn Congress.

Attendees sat in on action team meetings and also had the chance to meet with officials on both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House. Among those officials were Senator Grassley, Senator Ernst, Congressman Blum, Congressman Loebsack, Congressman Young, and Congressman King. Along with the meetings, one farmer member, Bruce Rohwer, was elected to the National Corn Board.

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) hosted an RVO rally in Upper Senate Park. Over 300 corn farmers, ethanol industry representatives, and members of congress gathered to rally for rural America. Annette Sweeney, ICGA member and co-chair of America's Renewable Future spoke. "Agriculture is the backbone of America and we should not allow the budding renewable fuels industry to be cut off at the roots."

Corn Congress attendees also had the opportunity to meet with the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy. McCarthy addressed the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and the EPA's Waters of the United States rule (WOTUS) with the audience. McCarthy began her discussion on WOTUS by saying, "We spelled it out in black and white." However, leaders from Corn Congress brought it to her attention that the final ruling of WOTUS isn't clear and that they aren't receiving the needed guidance from EPA field staff. ICGA Vice President, Bob Hemesath had this to say after the meeting, "I'm not quite sure she understands that we need better clarification. However, she did make it adamant that she wants to work with corn farmers on a clearer understanding."

McCarthy also went on to say that, "The EPA is deeply committed to the RFS. This was a proposal. Not a final rule. So tell us what you think." Iowa Corn Growers Association would like to remind members and non-members alike to let the EPA know where they stand on the RFS and to submit a comment by the July 27 deadline to support rural America and corn farmers, and to keep renewable fuels choices at the pump.

If you have questions regarding ethanol and how to submit comments to the EPA, please log on to www.iowacorn.org to learn more.



NPPC, State Pork Groups Urge Senate To Act On COOL

The National Pork Producers Council and 34 state pork producer organizations are urging the Senate to take up legislation to repeal country of origin labeling requirements for beef, pork and poultry before Congress takes a month-long recess beginning in early August.

The U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law requires meat to be labeled with the country where the animal from which it was derived was born, raised and harvested. (It also applies to fish, shellfish, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables and certain nuts.)

The World Trade Organization (WTO) in May rejected an appeal by the United States of the international trade body’s October 2014 ruling that the COOL provisions on beef and pork discriminate against Canadian and Mexican animals, which they send to the United States to be fed out and processed. The WTO decision allows Canada and Mexico to place retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods going into their countries.

In a letter sent today to every member of the Senate, NPPC and the state pork associations urged lawmakers “to introduce and pass legislation to repeal country of origin labeling requirements for pork, beef and poultry before the August recess. Without swift repeal, the Congress will imperil U.S. exports and jobs.”

Canada has asked the WTO to authorize $3 billion (Canadian dollars, or about $2.4 billion U.S. dollars) a year in retaliatory tariffs against U.S. imports, and Mexico is seeking $713 million in retaliation.

Some senators have suggested making COOL voluntary, a proposal dismissed by the pork groups. “At this point, if Congress were to change the labeling law, the WTO would not review such changes,” the organizations said in their letter. “The only thing left for the WTO to do in the case is to determine the level of retaliation that Canada and Mexico can extract from the United States, whose day in court is over.”

They pointed out that Canada and Mexico are insisting that they will not remove the retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products until there the meat labeling provisions of COOL are repealed.

The House in June approved H.R. 2393 to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to repeal the meat labeling provisions. NPPC and the state pork associations are urging the Senate to take up that measure. (Click here to read the NPPC-state letter.)



New Beef Industry Long Range Plan Establishes Roadmap for 2016-2020

During the 2015 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver this week, 16 beef industry leaders representing every link in the beef value chain presented a plan for meeting aggressive goals to strengthen the beef industry from 2016-2020. The Beef Industry Long Range Plan Task Force has been meeting since December, 2014.

“While the beef industry has faced many challenges, the future holds tremendous promise for the industry,” according to Don Schiefelbein, owner/operator of Schiefelbein Farms and task force co-chair. “The task force took a research-based approach to not only determine where the industry is and how we got here, but also at the trends and issues potentially impacting the beef community so that we can be most successful moving forward.”

The task force defined the mission of the U.S. beef industry as, “a beef community dedicated to growing beef demand by producing and marketing the safest, healthiest, most delicious beef that satisfies the desires of an increasing global population while responsibly managing our livestock and natural resources.”

In addition, the task force agreed the single most important strategic objective the industry should pursue is increasing beef demand and established a specific objective to “increase the wholesale beef demand index by 2 percent annually over the next five years,” which will require resources be committed in four core strategies:

    Drive growth in beef exports, a strategy that focuses on gaining access to key markets and promoting the unique attributes of U.S. beef to foreign consumers.

    Protect and enhance the business and political climate for beef, which begins with motivating stakeholders to become more engaged in policy concerns to improve the industry’s effectiveness in managing political and regulatory issues that threaten the overall business climate of beef production, including assuring beef’s inclusion in dietary recommendations, exploration of new production technologies, crisis management planning, developing the next generation of beef industry stakeholders and other initiatives.

    Grow consumer trust in beef and beef production, including a critical focus on antibiotic stewardship, the implementation of a certification/verification program and continued investment in beef safety initiatives. The task force said the entire beef community must be engaged and collaborate with a broad group of industry partners to protect beef’s image.

    Promote and strengthen beef’s value proposition, a strategy designed to revolutionize beef marketing and merchandising; invest in research that allows the industry to communicate beef’s nutritional benefits; capitalize on media technologies to communicate beef’s value proposition; and respond to consumer-based market signals with product improvements and increased production efficiencies.

“The overall vision of our Task Force has been straightforward,” said John Butler, CEO of Beef Marketing Group, a task force co-chair. “Recognizing the growing demand among the world’s middle class for high-quality protein, we want the U.S. beef industry to responsibly produce the most trusted and preferred protein in the world. At this pivotal point in the U.S. beef industry’s history we need to focus our energies and limited resources on those areas that can provide our industry the best results.”

Support for the long range planning process was provided through the Policy and Federation divisions of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Guided by the plan, the Beef Board and Federation adapted their joint committee structure to better focus on plan recommendations to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of beef checkoff dollars where they can and should appropriately be invested.

For the complete Beef Industry Long Range Plan 2016-2020 report or the Summary, go to www.beefusa.org.

In addition to Butler and Schiefelbein, members of the Beef Industry Long Range Task Force were:
Jerry Bohn, General Manager, Pratt Feeders LLC
Kim Brackett, Owner/Operator, Brackett Ranches
Tom Brink, Owner/Operator, Top Dollar Angus, Inc.
Donnell Brown, Owner/Operator, R.A. Brown Ranch
Barry Carpenter, CEO, North American Meat Institute
Lynn Delmore, Ph.D., Meat Safety and Quality Consultant, Adjunct Professor, Colorado State University
Barbara Stevenson Jackson, Owner/Operator, Animal Health Express and Red Rock Feeding Company
Molly McAdams, Ph.D., Retail and Food Industry Consultant
Kevin Pond, Ph.D., Department Head, Animal Sciences, Colorado State University
Bill Rishel, Owner/Operator, Rishel Angus
Brad Scott, Owner/Operator, Scott Brothers Dairy
Eric Smith, Owner/Operator, Xtra Ranch
Tim Starks, Owner/Operator, Cherokee Auction Market
Jay Theiler, Executive Director, Marketing, Agri Beef Company



Beef Checkoff Adopts New Committee Structure

Subsequent to adoption of the new 2016-2020 Beef Industry Long Range Plan during the 2015 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver last week, the national Beef Checkoff Program transitioned its committee structure to reflect the consumer demand drivers critical to the success of that long range plan.

“Our checkoff committees align directly with the core strategies of the current Long Range Plan to make certain that our checkoff investments are tightly focused on the most important goals for the industry as a whole,” said Cattlemen’s Beef Board Chairman Jimmy Maxey, “so we felt it necessary to realign our committee structure with that new Long Range Plan.”

Federation of State Beef Councils Chairman Jennifer Houston explained further: “Checkoff committee deliberations are a key element in how programs are identified, and this new blueprint for our committee structure will go a long way toward focusing our checkoff efforts.”

The five new checkoff committees, which comprise members of the Beef Board and the Federation in recommending programs for funding with the Beef Board budget, include:

    Safety Committee – Beef safety research and communication at all levels will be the focus of this committee, including how producers improve the safety of their product and how to best share safety information with beef community stakeholders, consumers and influencers.

    Nutrition and Health Committee – This committee will focus on beef nutrition and health research and communication, including how producers might improve and share beef’s nutrition and health benefits with beef community stakeholders, consumers and influencers.

    Innovation Committee – This committee will focus on innovation in both beef products and beef product marketing in the channels. That is based on the fact that consumers, processors, retailers, foodservice operators, and other beef community stakeholders want new, fresh ideas for beef in the retail meat case and on consumers’ plates.

    Export Growth Committee – Given that export markets offer opportunity for unparalleled growth for U.S. beef, this committee will focus on growing value and volume of exports through management of access issues originating within the market itself, as well as aggressive and effective in-country product marketing in those countries offering excellent opportunity for U.S. beef.

    Social Responsibility Committee – With a great story to tell, this committee will focus on building and maintaining consumer trust by using research to pursue continual improvement, with an eye toward long-term sustainable and profitable beef production, and better consumer communications.

In addition to the five committees, the two organizations voted for continuation of the checkoff’s Market Research Working Group and Investor Relations Working Group (formerly the Producer Communications Working Group).



Cattle Industry Conference Wraps Up with Policy Priorities

Over 600 cattlemen and women gathered in Denver, Colo., this week to discuss the policy priorities for the cattle industry for the upcoming year. Throughout the meeting, the various policy committees reviewed expiring policies and discussed proposed policy brought forward from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s state affiliates. According to Philip Ellis, NCBA President and Chugwater, Wyo., cattleman, the leadership of the association renewed their dedication to the policy priorities for 2015.

“The Cattle Industry Summer Conference is the time when our producer members are able to gather and tackle the business of the association,” said Ellis. “From continuing and renewing current and expiring policy, to discussing and passing policy to tackle the upcoming and emerging issues, this is our chance to work together to ensure NCBA remains on the forefront representing our membership.”

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans process continues with Congressional oversight. NCBA members remain committed to working with the administration and Congress to ensure the final guidelines reflect the highest quality science and the role of lean beef in a healthy diet.

The EPA has finalized their “waters of the United States” rule, and NCBA’s membership stands firmly opposed to this land grab by the administration. NCBA continues to work with Congress to rein in the administration’s regulatory onslaught and has joined with other land use groups in litigation again the agency.

NCBA members continue their strong support of trade, which adds value to our cattle and returns over $350 for each head of cattle sold. With the passage of Trade Promotion Authority, NCBA supports finalization and passage of the Trans Pacific Partnership and other pending free trade agreements. With preferential trade agreements currently in place, and other countries actively negotiating, the United States cannot afford to fall behind in this critical area. While COOL has for many years been a cost to the industry without benefit to producers or consumers, the NCBA urges the Senate to act quickly in passing repeal language, following the strong bi-partisan action in the House.

Although USDA/APHIS finalized their import rules for Northern Argentina and a region in Brazil, these rules were pushed through without the necessary risk assessments and jeopardize the health of our domestic herd. NCBA will continue to work with Congress and the administration to ensure the proper process is followed before allowing inspection and exports from these areas with a history of Foot-and-Mouth Disease.

NCBA continues to work with the state and federal governments to ensure multiple use on public grazing lands. Ranchers are closest to the lands and the best stewards of the natural resources, ensuring productive use, maintaining open space, and mitigating fire hazards. We will continue to ensure these uses are accounted for in future range management plans and wildlife habitat decisions.



 CWT Assists with 1.2 Million Pounds of Cheese and Whole Milk Powder Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 4 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, and Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) who have contracts to sell 1.116 million pounds (506 metric tons) of Cheddar cheese, and 44,092 pounds (20 metric tons) of whole milk powder to customers in Asia, and South America. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from July through December 2015.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 41.891 million pounds of cheese, 30.395 million pounds of butter and 30.080 million pounds of whole milk powder to thirty one countries on five continents. The amounts of cheese, butter and whole milk powder in these sales contracts represent the equivalent of 1.290 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.