Monday July 27 Ag News

Corn Disease Update: Southern Rust Confirmed in Nebraska
Tamra Jackson-Ziems, NE Extension Plant Pathologist

Southern rust has been confirmed in samples from Clay, York, and Greeley counties. These samples were from fields that had low incidence of disease at this time. The disease is likely more widespread than these counties and so scouting is necessary to determine its distribution in your fields and area.

Warm temperatures and high humidity may promote development and spread of this disease. Rust diseases produce large amounts of spores that can be easily moved by wind for long distances. The fungus can quickly cause disease during favorable conditions because most commercial dent corn hybrids have no resistance to the disease. Having a history of southern rust in corn does not have any impact on disease development now, because this pathogen does NOT overwinter in infected residue.  The spores must be carried into the area on winds from diseased areas.

Southern rust has been confirmed across most of eastern Kansas and other states to our south. If the disease continues to spread and worsen in Nebraska, those fields planted later are at highest risk for disease and potentially severe yield impacts because of how early the disease is developing. However, it is important to remember that it can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks for widespread and severe southern rust to develop if it is going to do so. For that reason, we recommend scouting fields, especially those at higher risk, such as later planted fields.  

A number of people have pointed out the lack of activity on the national southern corn rust ipmPIPE monitoring website, which historically tracked observations of southern rust across the country. Federal funding for this website and its affiliated southern rust monitoring projects was eliminated and so activity there by state pathologists has greatly declined during the last two years. Thus, maps on the website may not be as current as they once were and should not be strictly relied upon.  Refer to reports from university plant pathologists, diagnostic laboratories, and county Extension offices for the most recent information regarding southern rust distribution.   

The characteristics used for differentiating between common rust and southern rust are described and illustrated in the NebGuide, Rust Diseases of Corn in Nebraska. The simplest and most reliable way to differentiate the diseases without a microscope is to examine both leaf surfaces for spore production. Southern rust spore production is usually limited to the upper leaf surface and tends to be tan/orange in color. The most reliable method for identifying corn rust diseases is based on examination of microscopic spore characteristics. This can be done for samples submitted to the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic.  



Farmland Continues to Moderate

Prices and demand for farmland continue to moderate in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. The average value of farmland in Iowa and Nebraska declined during the first six months of 2015. In South Dakota and Wyoming, prices increased but at a slower rate compared to the last half of 2014.

For the first time, farmland values in eastern Kansas are included in the benchmark study that Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) conducts each January and July. The addition of eastern Kansas is the result of a strategic alliance between FCSAmerica and Frontier Farm Credit and brings the number of benchmark farms tracked by appraisers to 71.

The average change in benchmark farm values is shown below, with the number of benchmark farms by state in parenthesis:

As a whole, benchmark farms decreased in value 1.4 percent in the first half of 2015. The overall decline was driven by reduced prices for cropland. Pastureland in all five states, by comparison, increased, offsetting some of the impact of lower cropland values.

The increase in pastureland values was the result of strong livestock prices. The overall decline in cropland values reflected lower grain prices compared to previous years. Profitability on higher priced land remains top of mind for many producers, and the lower grain prices and decreased margins will continue to put pressure on land prices, as well as cash rents. A 2015 survey from Iowa State reported a one-year decline of more than 5 percent in average cash rents for Iowa cropland. Iowa’s average cash rent has dropped nearly 9 percent compared to 2013’s high of $270 an acre.

The market decline that began in late 2013 has been widely reported, and many have looked for comparisons to the farmland crisis of the 1980s. But the two periods are distinctly different, said Mark Jensen, chief risk officer at FCSAmerica. In the ‘80s, high land prices accompanied by high borrowing levels resulted in over-leveraged operations with few financial remedies. Today, Jensen said, producers face a cash-flow challenge generally tied to higher cash rents and equipment and machinery costs and increasing family living expenses.

"FCSAmerica and Frontier Farm Credit have been working with customer-owners to evaluate options specific to their operations to help manage through this cycle of lower commodity prices and tight profit margins,” Jensen said.

Other six-month benchmark farm details, by state:
Nebraska: Five of the 18 farms increased in value, while two showed no change in value.
Iowa: Two farms increased in value during the past six months and two farms showed no change in value.  The 15 farms that decreased in value declined an average of 6.1 percent.



Nebraska State Fair will Host 5th Annual Best Burger Contest

The Nebraska Beef Council has announced the launch of the 5th annual Nebraska’s Best Burger contest which will include a judging event at the Nebraska State Fair.

Public online nominations for the award will be accepted from August 1st through August 20th on the Nebraska Beef Council website www.nebeef.org or through their Facebook page. On August 21st, the top five nominated restaurants will be announced and the finalists will be invited to a judging competition hosted at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island. The contestants will prepare their hamburgers for a panel of judges and a winner will be chosen based on the judges’ scores.

“We’re excited to include the Nebraska State Fair in the contest this year,” said Adam Wegner, Director of Marketing for the Nebraska Beef Council. “This new format allows the public to get involved and creates a fun event for the nominated restaurants.”

The contest is open to all Nebraska restaurants including past winners. Previous recipients of the award include The Cellar Bar & Grill in Kearney, The Peppermill Restaurant & Lounge in Valentine and two-time winner Stella’s Bar & Grill in Bellevue.

The final judging event will be held Friday, September 4th in the Raising Nebraska building at the Nebraska State Fair.

For a full list of rules, contest details or to submit a nomination, visit www.nebeef.org.



GROWING FALL FEEDS
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist

               Summer is flying by and soon this season will be over.  Today I’m going to be optimistic and assume we will get some welcome rain to grow fall forage crops.

               If you’re like most folks, you can always use more pasture and winter feed.  If it rains, what can you plant for quick feed?

               Right now your two best choices are turnips for grazing and oats for either hay or grazing.  Winter small grains like cereal rye, wheat, and triticale won’t produce much fall growth although they will provide early grazing next spring.

               Oats can produce a couple tons of hay in the fall when seeded by mid-August if it receives good moisture and fertility.  We usually drill about three bushels per acre in a prepared seedbed, but drilling directly into weed-free stubble of corn, beans, wheat, or other crops already harvested or hailed out works well when soil remains moist for several days in a row after seeding.

               For turnips, plant just two or three pounds per acre and barely cover the tiny seeds.  Add 30 to 50 pounds of oats for an even better grazing mix.  Broadcasting onto bare, tilled soil often works well as does shallow drilling into weed-free crop stubble.

               Oats can be ready to graze in six to eight weeks, moisture permitting, but don’t start grazing turnips until late October or November.  Ease animals slowly into grazing either one to minimize respiratory or digestive problems.  Oats will die following a real hard freeze, but turnips continue to grow slowly until temperature drops below twenty degrees.  Even into the dead of winter, the root of the turnip remains a very desirable, and grazable, feed.

               You need to look ahead to fall and winter.  If late summer rains appear, be ready to capitalize using oats and turnips.



Organic Farm Tours Aug. 22 near Abie

The Nebraska Organic Crop Improvement Association is a provider and consumer of certified organic production; it is committed to environmentally sound stewardship, mentor-ship and promotion.

It will hold an organic farm Tour Aug. 22 from 1 to 8:30 p.m. It welcomes the public to the tour. The tour is for farmers who are interested in learning more about organic agriculture and sustainable farming practices. It is an opportunity for anyone who is interested in gaining knowledge about crop rotation, seed varieties , management of cover crops, fertility choices, weed control/tillage reduction, and integrating cattle into the cropping system. The farms will show what equipment they use.

The tour begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Larry Stanislav Farm: 4291 Road W, Lot 1; 2 miles north of the town of Abie. Larry will show how to use a crimper and flamer to manage weeds, reduce tillage and increase soil health from his rotation of NOP certified organic winter wheat, soybean/cover crops, and alfalfa.

At 3 p.m. at the Liz Sarno Farm, 2351 Road 43; 2 1/2 miles N. and 1/2 E. of Abie, NOP-certified grassfed Devon beef cattle operation will be discussed by Sarno, along with her pasture management and integrating of cattle into cropping systems.

At 4 p.m. at the Randy Fendrich Farm, 2390 41 St.; 3/4 mile E of Abie, there will be a demonstration of NOP organic corn variety plots and cultural practices of crop rotation using a 12 row flamer/cultivator with his soil-health building program.

At 6 p.m., a free evening meal will be served by the Fendrich Farm.

Families are welcomed. Call Wendy at 402-584-3837 to reserve meals. Or for more information Program Administrator of the Organic Crop Improvement Association NE Chapter #1 Kim Mosel @ 402-620-2701 or ociane1@yahoo.com on the tour and about organic production/certification.



Super Fair Highlights Agriculture Festivities

Nebraska’s No. 1 industry – agriculture – shines during the Lancaster County Super Fair Agriculture Awareness Day Saturday, Aug. 1.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board will be part of the new “Farm to Fork” interactive activity located in the multi-purpose arena kid’s zone from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Children will receive a free Super Fair flying disc, while supplies last, when they go through the "Farm to Fork" activity. Several commodity boards and farm-related sponsors will exhibit giveaways and activities for children.

“This is a great opportunity to experience Nebraska’s ‘Golden Triangle’ in an interactive way,” said Megan Grimes, Nebraska Ethanol Board. “Every bushel of corn used for ethanol also produces more than 17 pounds of distillers grains for livestock feed. It’s a unique synergistic process that strengths ag business in our state.”

The fair’s theme days include different activities, vendors and speakers throughout the 10-day event...
Thursday, July 30: Let the Good Times Grow Day
Friday, July 31: Kids & Grandparents Day
Saturday, August 1: Agricultural Awareness Day
Sunday, August 2: Celebrating Champions Day
Monday, August 3: Lancaster County Communities Day
Tuesday, August 4: Armed Forces Appreciation Day
Wednesday, August 5: Good Ol' Days Day
Thursday, August 6: Health & Safety Day
Friday, August 7: Go Green Day
Saturday, August 8: Cultural Heritage Day

For more information on the Lancaster County Super Fair or activities scheduled, visit www.lancastereventcenter.org/super-fair.



NDA “NEBRASKA AGRICULTURE” VIDEO GARNERS NATIONAL AWARD

“Nebraska Agriculture,” a video commissioned by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) and viewed by thousands on YouTube and at the Nebraska State Fair, recently was named a Golden ARC award winner by a national agriculture professional organization. The video took first place in the video programs division of the contest, which was coordinated by The Agricultural Relations Council.

“I want to thank the farmers and ranchers who contributed their time to be a part of the ‘Nebraska Agriculture’ video,” NDA Director Greg Ibach said. “They, along with our production partners, should be proud that the story of our state’s number one industry received such a prestigious award.”

“Nebraska Agriculture” was produced as a collaborative effort of NDA, David & Associates and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) Media at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  It can be viewed by visiting www.nda.nebraska.gov and clicking on the video icon.

The six-minute video was released in March 2014 to promote Nebraska’s agricultural industry both domestically and internationally. The video was featured at the debut of the Raising Nebraska exhibit at the 2014 Nebraska State Fair. It continues to play in that exhibits’ Grain Bin theater. The video also has over 17,800 views on YouTube.  The piece is intended to inform as well as create an emotional connection between viewers and the state’s farmers and ranchers.

Golden ARC winners were announced at The Agricultural Relations Council’s professional development meeting held in Denver, Colo., in June. The Agricultural Relations Council is a national organization dedicated to agriculture public relations professionals.



NeFU Strongly Urges Administration to Comply with RFS Levels in EISA Statute

Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) President John Hansen submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the administration to set Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) volume obligations to the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) statutory levels.

“NeFU strongly believes the volume standards issued in EPA’s proposed rule for RFS target levels represent a substantial but unnecessary step backwards relative to renewable energy development.  The proposed EPA production targets send negative signals that will hurt investment.  The EPA delay in proposing the production targets for 2014, 2015, and 2016 will not be finalized until the end of 2015.  These production targets are supposed to be done in advance of the production years.  The production levels reductions themselves are unnecessarily hurtful, and the lateness of the regulations is simply inexcusable,” said Hansen. “NeFU strongly urges the administration to comply with the RFS levels already provided in the popular, bipartisan EISA statute.”

“The proposed, lower volume standards reward the oil industry for not increasing consumer choice and dragging their feet with retail blender pump deployment. The proposed EPA volume standards ignore the will of Congress.  Congress mandated these production levels, and for less than good cause, EPA rolls them back.  That is very concerning,” said Hansen. “EPA should hold the oil industry to the proposed targets.  That would be consistent with the Administration’s support for renewable fuel development, and the need to build the consumer retail fuels infrastructure necessary to use higher-level ethanol blends.”

Hansen noted the proposed rule is inconsistent with the administration’s climate resiliency goals and policies that are needed to mitigate the threats climate change poses to family agriculture. He said the RFS is a forward looking roadmap for renewable energy that is good for the economy, the rural economy in particular, energy independence, air quality, and carbon and GHG emission reductions.  

“EPA should pursue GHG emission reductions at every opportunity to try to mitigate climate change as much as possible,” said Hansen. “The RFS offers tremendous capacity to reduce GHGs by encouraging the use of transportation fuels that emit fewer GHGs than petroleum-based transportation fuels.

“NeFU respectfully asks EPA and the Obama Administration to reverse the unnecessary step backwards the EPA proposed production targets represents.  Our nation needs to move forward with more renewable energy production, not backwards, especially given the projected size of the 2015 corn crop and the painful drop in corn and grain prices.  Common sense needs to prevail in this major economic and environmental regulation.  The proposed EPA ethanol production standards need to be reversed.”



Fuels America Delivers Over 200k Pro-Biofuels Comments to EPA, Voices Support for RFS

Today, representatives from Fuels America and other advocates for clean, secure, American energy delivered over 200,000 comments to the EPA in support of a strong final rule under the Renewable Fuel Standard. This show of grassroots support comes on the final day of the comment period, and after widespread grassroots voices have come out in force to support the RFS. The 200,000+ comments delivered by Fuels America do not paint the full picture; tens of thousands of additional pro-biofuels comments are expected by the close of the comment period as well.

Scores of farmers and biofuels producers hosted rallies this summer in Kansas City and Washington, DC to elevate their voices, joining numerous elected officials in bipartisan calls for the EPA to protect America’s rural economies and green innovators over foreign oil profits.

“The Renewable Fuel Standard represents a promise to rural America—a promise that, when kept, helped rural economies across America make a strong comeback," said Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union and one of the Fuels America members who dropped comments off at the EPA this morning. “Today’s tremendous show of support for a strong RFS shows that it is time for the EPA to stop choosing foreign oil over rural America, and start getting the RFS back on track.”

Across the nation, Americans displayed their anger over the EPA’s continuing problems putting out a strong rule under the RFS; many authored op-eds editorializing in favor of a strong rule, imploring the EPA to stand up for rural America and not cave to the oil industry. Several of the pieces are linked to below.

The widespread activism and comments, from hundreds of thousands of Americans, speak to the collective outrage toward EPA’s proposal to allow oil companies to take charge of our renewable fuel supply, and effectively permit them to block competition from cleaner, less expensive, homegrown fuel. These actions could potentially weaken a biofuels industry that has helped enhance our national security, strengthened rural economies, and improved America’s climate impact.

Erick Lutt, Director of Industrial and Environmental Policy at the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said: “Today, Americans are sending a strong signal to the EPA that its proposal to lower RVOs under the RFS is unacceptable. The EPA’s misfires and delays have pulled the rug out from the American investors and innovators who have brought the next generation of biofuels online in the U.S. The EPA is already responsible for $13.7 billion in frozen investment in advanced and cellulosic biofuels, and we’re risking sending jobs, innovation, and investment overseas. We can’t afford any more setbacks. The EPA must set RVOs consistent with Congress’ original intent in order to bring investment back to America and allow our country’s innovators to continue developing clean, secure American energy.”



NCGA to EPA: “Stay the Course” on Renewable Fuel Standard

In comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today, the National Corn Growers Association highlighted the importance of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and urged the Agency to restore the 2014-16 corn ethanol volume to statute.

In the comments, NCGA states, “The RFS has spurred growth in agriculture, increased energy diversity and decreased GHG emissions from fossil fuels through the development of renewable energy resources. We urge the Agency to stay the course and support this important piece of transformational energy policy, and we request it reconsider its proposed reduction in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 renewable volume obligations.”

In a letter accompanying NCGA’s comments, NCGA President Chip Bowling writes, “The RFS is doing exactly what it was intended to do. It is successfully driving the adoption of renewable fuel alternatives to petroleum, supporting jobs across the country, and ensuring the United States remains a global leader in developing new renewable energy sources while decreasing GHG emissions here at home.  [We are asking the EPA to] provide regulatory certainty to the most successful renewable fuel program in place. The continued stability and health of the rural economy and the nation’s environmental improvements hinge upon your decision.”



TPP Must Deliver Say Beef Producers
 
Beef producers from five Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) member countries are calling for a high-quality market access deal on beef to be secured at the TPP ministerial meeting in Hawaii this month.

Negotiators and trade ministers from the 12 TPP countries will meet in Maui in late July, with the goal of reaching agreement on the outstanding issues across the TPP agenda.

The Five Nations Beef Alliance (FNBA) says it is vital that a comprehensive, trade liberalising deal be finalised.

In so doing, it would help to ensure that beef producers and their supply chain partners can reap the maximum benefits of the envisaged tariff cuts and that commercial entities can utilize the other trade-facilitating elements of the agreement as soon as possible.

After five years of negotiations, the TPP must not be allowed to drift or lose momentum at this crucial stage.  There is so much to gain from trade reform – with more seamless trade rules, reduced costs and less red tape making it easier for food suppliers, such as the FNBA, to respond to growing global consumer demand.

The FNBA has consistently called for a non-discriminatory, plurilateral TPP deal that will liberalise the trade in beef products and thereby provide beef farmers, processors and exporters with new opportunities across much of the Asia-Pacific region.

The Alliance has been buoyed by positive signals from various TPP governments in recent weeks.  Now is the time to convert this into action - and deliver on the vision2 of “a comprehensive, next generation regional agreement that liberalizes trade and investment and addresses new and traditional trade issues and 21st century challenges”.

The FNBA comprises the Cattle Council of Australia, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Confederacion Nacional de Organizaciones Ganaderas, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.  Together those organisations represent producers from countries that account for one-third of global beef production and approximately half of global beef exports.



USGC Delegates Begin Summer Annual Meeting in Montreal

More than 225 U.S. Grains Council (USGC) delegates from across the United States are set to begin meetings Monday in Montreal, Canada, to learn about emerging opportunities and competitive challenges in the global grain marketplace while setting priorities for the Council’s work to increase U.S. market share.

A highlight of the 55th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting, as the gathering is known, will be renowned speakers who will build on this year’s theme of Global Connections, Global Awareness.

Speakers’ topics will include a keynote presentation on the global coarse grains supply and demand; panels on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and global ethanol export dynamics; and a morning of discussion on how to be better advocates for scientific advancements, including biotechnology. Delegates will also hear from Byong Ryol Min, USGC’s director in Korea, who is retiring after more than 35 years of service, and Dr. Erick Erickson, USGC’s vice president, who is retiring after more than 30 years of service.

“We have a thought-provoking meeting planned in Montreal this week,” said USGC Chairman Ron Gray. “Our goal is for attendees to leave with a greater understanding of the global grain trade and what we need to consider in our work to maintain the United States reputation as the long-term, reliable supplier of coarse grains and co-products around the world.”

In addition to general sessions, USGC Advisory Teams (A-Teams) are scheduled to meet in Montreal to review both the Council’s operation plan, known as the Unified Export Strategy (UES), and the Council’s priorities and strategies for the upcoming year. Attendees will also have the opportunity to explore Council programs in breakouts focused on key areas of demand including the global ethanol trade; the Middle East and North Africa region; and Cuba and Central America.

“We have a schedule for the Montreal meetings packed with opportunities for delegates to get updated on factors impacting global grain trade and to provide us input from their sectors that can help our global staff in their work,” Gray said. “I’m looking forward to each of these discussions and time to hear from delegates on their thoughts on how our programs are doing.”

The Council’s summer annual meeting will conclude Wednesday with the Council’s annual business meeting, at which the Board of Delegates are set to elect new officers and directors.

More about the meeting is available online at http://grains.org/news-and-events/events/55th-annual-board-delegates-meeting-0. 



National FFA Organization Names 2015 American Star Finalists

The National FFA Organization has selected 16 students from throughout the United States as finalists for its 2015 top achievement awards: American Star Farmer, American Star in Agribusiness, American Star in Agricultural Placement and American Star in Agriscience.

The American Star Awards represent the best of the best among thousands of American FFA Degree recipients. Recognized are FFA members who have developed outstanding agricultural skills and competencies through supervised agricultural experience (SAE) programs; earned an American FFA Degree, the highest level of achievement the organization bestows upon a member; and met agricultural education, leadership and scholarship requirements.

The American FFA Degree recognition program is sponsored by ADM Crop Risk Service, Case IH, Elanco, Farm Credit and Syngenta as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

The finalists include:

American Star Farmer
Dylan Kale Massa of the Liberal FFA Chapter in Missouri
Logan Peters of the Pender FFA Chapter in Nebraska
Thomas Wayne Glascock of the Pilot Point FFA Chapter in Texas
Austin Wippel of the Westfall FFA Chapter in Ohio

American Star in Agribusiness
Dakota Duane Crissman of the Bells FFA Chapter in Texas
William James Maltbie of the Burlington FFA Chapter in Oklahoma
Benjamin Neal Niendick of the Wellington-Napoleon FFA Chapter in Missouri
Dakota Siegler of the Badger FFA Chapter in Wisconsin

American Star in Agricultural Placement
Kenneth Coddington of the Montello FFA Chapter in Wisconsin
Britt Larson of the Pilot Point FFA Chapter in Texas
Jakob Edward Wilson of the Fairbanks FFA Chapter in Ohio
William Zell Woodworth of the Mineral County FFA Chapter in West Virginia

American Star in Agriscience
Jillian Ann Drake of the Fallbrook FFA Chapter in California
Gatlin Cy Squires of the Kingfisher FFA Chapter in Oklahoma
Rory Christina Tucker of the Klein FFA Chapter in Texas
Justin Zahradka of the Park River FFA Chapter in North Dakota

Each star finalist receives $2,000 from the National FFA Foundation.

A panel of judges will interview finalists and select one winner for each award at the 88th National FFA Convention & Expo, Oct. 28 -31, 2015, in Louisville, Ky. The four winners will receive an additional $2,000 and be announced at the convention and expo’s third general session, as part of the Stars Over America Pageant on Thursday, Oct. 29.

The Stars Over America is a special audiovisual presentation featuring the star award finalists funded as a special project of the National FFA Foundation.

Visit http://www.FFA.org/stars for more information about the American Star Awards.



 CWT Assists with 3.2 Million Pounds of Cheese and Whole Milk Powder Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 9 requests for export assistance from Michigan Milk Producers Association and Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) who have contracts to sell 456,357 pounds (207 metric tons) of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, and 2.756 million pounds (1250 metric tons) of whole milk powder to customers in Asia, Central 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 42.348 million pounds of cheese, 30.395 million pounds of butter and 32.836 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 1.314 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.



BASF Reports Higher Sales, Lower Net Income

Sales for BASF Group in the second quarter of 2015 grew by 3% to €19.1 billion compared with the same quarter of the previous year. Sales volumes grew by 2% compared with the second quarter of 2014. This was predominantly through a sharp increase in volumes in the Oil & Gas segment. As a consequence of the significant drop in the price of oil, prices declined overall, especially in the Chemicals and Oil & Gas segments. All segments recorded positive currency effects.

Income from operations (EBIT) before special items rose by €31 million to around €2.0 billion, largely through the significantly increased contribution from the Functional Materials & Solutions segment as well as lower expenses in Other. While earnings were only slightly down in the Chemicals segment, the other segments posted considerable declines.

Second-quarter sales in the Agricultural Solutions segment rose by 1% to €1.7 billion in a challenging market environment. Positive currency effects and higher sales prices more than offset lower sales volumes. EBIT before special items nevertheless fell by €68 million to €365 million. Aside from the decrease in volumes, this was also a result of increased fixed costs from the startup of new plants. First-half sales in the Agricultural Solutions segment grew by 8% to €3.6 billion compared with the first half of 2014, despite a slight decrease in volumes. At €939 million, EBIT before special items reached the level of the previous first half.



Red Combines 1915-2015 - The Authoritative Guide to International Harvester and Case IH Combines and Harvesting Equipment

From the creators of the award-winning book Red Tractors 1958–2013 comes a beautiful in-depth look at one of the most significant piece of farm equipment built in the 20th century. Red Combines 1915–2015 (Octane Press, Sept. 1, $75) chronicles the complete story of the machine’s impact on agriculture and society.

The 384-page coffee table book is also a tribute of the people who invented the machine that

helped shaped the farm as we know it today. Recounting the combine’s remarkable evolution, the book captures behind-the-scenes drama and clandestine encounters with rival companies, personnel and machines.

Starting with research conducted by a rogue Swedish engineer in the 1950s and continued by a group of dedicated engineers who did their work in a top-secret garage, the book details how extensive research and development allowed International Harvester (IH) to build a new machine that took the market by storm.

Red Combines 1915–2015 includes detailed accounts by a host of authors and researchers, alongside more than 300 archival images, concept drawings, sketches, and new photography depicting the machines and men at work today. The six-pound volume is the result of dozens of interviews with engineers, salespeople, and customers — all under the direction of Lee Klancher, who serves as the project’s lead author and photo editor.

A 20-year publishing veteran, Klancher has overseen the development of some of the most-respected and best-selling books in the transportation niche, including Red Tractors 1958–2013, which has sold 16,000 copies and was the recipient of a “Gold” Benjamin Franklin Award and “Bronze” Independent Book Publisher Award.