Monday September 28 Ag News

INAUGURAL NAYI-OMAHA EVENT SHOWS PATHWAY TO CAREERS IN AGRICULTURE FOR OMAHA AREA STUDENTS
Many Omaha area high school students may not see themselves as having a career in the agriculture sector. However, for the approximately 150 students who attended Friday’s Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute (NAYI)-Omaha event, they were able to see that the possibilities are endless.

“After today I definitely have a new outlook on the ag industry and how it could be a good career for me,” said Dan Cronin, a student at Bennington High School. “Coming from somewhat of an ag background, I definitely have an interest in the ag industry. It could be a good career for just about anybody.”

The day-long event, held at the CenturyLink Center in conjunction with AKSARBEN Stock Show and Rodeo, is designed to give students the opportunity to learn about non-traditional careers in the agriculture sector and the availability of those jobs in the Omaha area. NAYI-Omaha was coordinated by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) in partnership with the AKSARBEN Foundation and the Greater Omaha Area Chamber of Commerce.

“We’ve heard the term ‘brain drain’ too many times in recent years,” NDA Director Greg Ibach said. “We feel if we can demonstrate to youth of all different backgrounds that they can have a successful and satisfying career in agribusiness, then many of them will decide to stay right here in Nebraska.”

NAYI-Omaha was developed following work of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce over the past year and a half to identify economic strengths within the Omaha region. The result of that effort is the Greater Omaha Economic Partnership Strategy, unveiled at the Governor’s Ag Conference in March. The goal of the strategy is to position Omaha as a global leader for value-added agricultural companies.

A component of the strategy is to train and educate a workforce that can meet the growing needs of the agribusiness industry. NDA participated in the task force that developed the strategy.

“Sometimes students pigeonhole agriculture, thinking it’s only about producing crops or livestock,” said Omaha Bryan teacher Krystal Kolb, who brought several students to the NAYI-Omaha event. “But technology, industry and business have become so very important to agriculture that almost any area of study can be incorporated in an ag-related career.”

Lindsey Parks, a student at Omaha Bryan said she has had an interest in teaching and after joining FFA and attending NAYI-Omaha she is now considering a career as an agricultural teacher. Another Omaha Bryan student, Luis Alcaraz Duvon, said the event has opened his eyes to possible careers in agriculture in engineering or finance.

For the past 44 years, NDA has coordinated a NAYI summer event that targets students who typically already have a keen interest in a career in agriculture. Ibach said that the Omaha event enables the department to expand its youth outreach efforts into urban areas.

Additional information about NAYI along with photos for the NAYI Omaha event can be found on the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute Facebook page.



PADDOCK REVELATIONS
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist

               I often talk about my experiences grazing the many paddocks on my little farm.  They often teach me something new or remind me of things I should have remembered.

               Heavy rainstorms challenged my grazing plans this year.  We just finished the fifth storm of the summer with over three inches of rain.

               My pastures are divided into a dozen permanently fenced paddocks, and most of them can be easily subdivided whenever I want.  Fence placement is based on things like topography, plant species, and so forth.  Two of them in particular are primarily low ground.  Just two of the twelve.  One I call my reed canarygrass pasture for obvious reasons and the other is a mix of grasses, edible forbs – and weeds.

               So why is it that every time it rained heavily this summer the cattle were in or about to move into one of the low ground paddocks?  I had to either move them out of or completely by-pass that paddock to avoid damaging the grass or getting calves stuck in the mud.  While I basically like my fence placement, I may need to consider small adjustments to put some higher ground into these areas.

               During one of the storms, the creek washed out part of a perimeter fence.  Of course the cattle quickly found it and in the middle of watching a football game on television the neighbor knocked on my door and said “your cows are out”.  Naturally, I jumped up and rushed out.  Getting to the pasture I started hollering for the cows, fully expecting to spend much of the evening chasing them down.

               I should have known.  With all my paddocks, these animals come quickly to my calls to move to new, fresh grass.  So I called, they came running, and in just a few minutes everyone was back where they belonged.  And I learned another value to having many paddocks.




Wind and Solar Conference Attendee Favorite to Return as Keynote Speaker

This year’s  eighth annual Nebraska Wind and Solar Conference and Exhibition being held at the Omaha Hilton in Omaha, NE, November 4-5, will feature some exciting new speakers, and the return of a conference attendee favorite, Lauren Thirer with GE Renewables. A Consumer Energy Showcase, open to the public, will be held the evening of Tuesday, November 3.

Thirer will be the keynote speaker during lunch on the first day of the conference, Wednesday November 4.

“Lauren’s session was one of the top presentations at last year’s conference and she is an incredible presenter,” said Dean Mueller, Division Manager of Sustainable Energy & Environmental Stewardship for Omaha Public Power District (OPPD). “Several people asked for a copy of the presentation and had follow-up questions.”

Thirer is the Director of Customer Analytics at GE Renewables and joined GE in 2009 as part of the Renewable Energy Leadership Program a two-year rotational program where she held high-impact roles in parts remanufacturing, the commercial team and the offshore product line. Thirer is responsible for the development of all new wind turbine models, including competitive assessment, analysis of global market trends and drivers, and specification of key product requirements.

“New technology and new wind turbine models, together with well-sited projects in high resource locations are a key factor for utilities in their future renewable energy choices,” said Dan McGuire, conference co-chairman. “Lauren has good insight into these important subjects, and she has a very engaging presentation style that relates the material to attendees in an easy to understand manner.”

Early standard Registration is $140 by close of business September 30, and $160 until October 25th.  Student Registration is $65. Rooms at the Hilton Omaha are $122 per night until October 4, which includes free parking. Those not staying at the hotel will receive a reduced daily parking rate of $5. Standard and student registration includes the Consumer Energy Showcase, which is open to the general public for a $5 admission fee and includes parking.

Registration information is available at the conference website http://nebraskawindandsolarconference.com/.



Save the Dates: Corn Expo, Crop Production Clinics

Calendars fill up quickly and we don't want you to miss out on some great educational opportunities occurring just after the holidays. When you buy that new 2016 calendar, be sure to add these events:

Thursday, Jan. 7 — Fremont Corn Expo - Speakers will include
    Bob Nielsen, Purdue University Extension corn specialist (Chat n' Chew Cafe);
    a farmer panel on "What We Learned from the Corn Yield Contest That Helped Our Farm Profit;"
    UNL Ag Economist Eric Thompson on the "Economic Impact of Expanding Livestock Production on Corn Demand;"
    UNL Plant Pathologist Tamra Jackson-Ziems on "Battling Corn Diseases,"
    Extension On-Farm Research Coordinator Laura Thompson on "Utilizing On-Farm Research to Evaluate Profitable Practices," and more.

Nitrogen applicator training will be provided by Extension Educator Aaron Nygren and producers from the Lower Platte North NRD. And don't forget the complimentary lunch and waffle breakfast.

Jan. 6 - 21 — Crop Production Clinics (9 sites)
Practical, profitable, environmentally sound, high-impact training for agricultural professionals and producers in the areas of soil fertility, soil water and irrigation, insect pests, plant diseases, weeds, cropping systems, and agribusiness management and marketing. On-line registrations are already available.  Click here for more information... http://agronomy.unl.edu/cpc. 
January 6 - Gering 
January 7 - North Platte
January 8 - York 
January 12 - Beatrice 
January 13 - Hastings 
January 14 - Kearney 
January 19 - Atkinson 
January 20 - Norfolk 
January 21 - Mead 




Nebraska Discount for No-Till Education
Paul Jasa, UNL Extension Engineer

Seventy-five Nebraskans will receive a discounted registration fee to attend the 20th Annual No-till on the Plains Winter Conference in Salina, Kan. Jan 26-27, 2016.

Thanks to a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund (NET) and support from Nebraska Extension, the first 25 first-time attendees from Nebraska to register (using the process below) will receive $150 off their registration fee.  For those who have attended a No-till on the Plains Winter Conference in the past, the first 50 repeat attendees from Nebraska to register will receive $50 off their registration fee.

Among the speakers at this year's conference are:
    Charlie Arnot, Gladstone, Mo., Chief Executive Officer, Center for Food Integrity; President/Founder, CMA
    Jill Clapperton, Ph.D., Reardan, Wash., Principal Scientist and Co-Founder, Rhizoterra, Inc.
    Dwayne Beck, Ph.D., Pierre, S.D., Research Manager, Dakota Lakes Research Farm
    Ray Ward, Ph.D., Kearney, Neb., President and Co-Owner, Ward Laboratories, Inc.
    Gabe Brown, Bismarck, N.D., No-till Producer
    Wendy Taheri, Ph.D., Pelham, Ga., Research Microbiologist
    Ray Archuleta, Greensboro, N.C., Conservation Agronomist, NRCS East National Technology Center

See the No-till on the Plains website for more information on the 2016 Winter Conference and the Agriculture's Innovative Minds Symposium which follows it.

Discount Requirements
To receive the discount, please register for the Winter Conference on-line at: http://notill.org/events/2016-winter-conference/registration. 

Fill out the on-line registration form with your information and indicate that you will pay by phone.  Do not complete the section for paying by credit card on-line as you will not receive the Nebraskan discount using this method.  To receive the discount and make your payment, call 785-210-4525 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (Central Time), after completing the on-line registration form.  No-till on the Plains (NTOP) will check to see if you are one of the first 25 first-time attendees or if you are one of the first 50 repeat attendees and process your registration accordingly.  On the registration site, you'll notice that the registration fee goes up on Oct. 1 and again on Nov. 16.

The main purposes of the NET grant are
    to enhance the adoption of continuous no-till systems,
    to educate producers about soil health, and
    to provide networking opportunities for producers to learn more about no-till and soil health.

The No-till on the Plains Winter Conference — the largest gathering of its kind in North America — provides all three kinds of educational opportunities.  The Winter Conference and Trade Show will be followed by the Agriculture's Innovative Minds Symposium on Jan. 28.  A reduced combination pricing is available for both events if registering before Nov. 15.



New USDA Grading Module Available

The USDA meat grading system sets standards of quality and cutability (yield of edible meat) used in buying and selling of meat. As a voluntary program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the cost of the quality and yield grading program is borne by meat packers. Grading provides consumers an assurance that the product purchased conforms to an expected standard of palatability.

To better explain the procedures and technologies involved in quality and yield grading, the beef checkoff’s research team has developed a guided simulation and learning module.... http://www.beefresearch.org/usdagradingmodulesimulation.aspx. 

“Beef quality continues to be one of the key demand drivers for beef, but many in the industry never have the chance to develop the understanding of how beef carcasses are assigned yield and quality grades,” says Bridget Wasser, checkoff executive director of Meat Science & Technology. “The USDA Grading Module and Simulation includes educational modules such as grading’s history and teaches the carcass grading process step-by-step. The simulation put words into action and allows users to yield and quality grade a beef carcass from start to finish as USDA Agricultural Marketing Service employees do on a daily basis.”



The Importance of Beef Imports to the US Cattle Producer
Brenda Boetel, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

The USDA ERS livestock and meat trade data released in September showed an increase in beef imports of 32% coupled with a decrease of 10% in beef exports.  Given current trade expectations, approximately 14% of the US supply of beef in 2015 will be from imports, as compared to 12% in 2014.  The recent decline in cattle price combined with these changes in trade have many questioning the reason for beef imports and the importance of these imports to the US cattle producer.

The primary sources of domestic beef are grain-fed cattle and culled dairy cows.  US exports of beef consist primarily of the high-valued beef cuts in the form of steaks and roasts from grain-fed cattle, whereas beef imports are primarily ground beef.   Retail level ground beef is typically made up of different combinations of lean trimmings.  For example, 76% lean hamburger is determined by blending 90CL trimmings with 50CL trimmings.  The majority of 50CL trimmings come from grain-fed cattle, while 90CL trimmings are from culled cows or grass-fed cattle.  The majority of US beef imports are from countries that produce grass-fed cattle and without these imports the US would have significantly less 90CL trimmings that are used in hamburger. The US could produce a greater amount of lean beef and decrease imports, but by doing so there would eventually be a decrease in the production of high-value beef cuts that are consumed domestically or exported.

The recent decline in cattle prices combined with the increase in beef imports has prompted several comments regarding the need to restrict beef imports as the lower total supply of beef would support cattle prices.  This solution is problematic in the long term.  In the short term, the US would have a challenging time filling the needs for lean beef due to decreased cow slaughter and heavier finished cattle weights.  Hence the 90CL beef price would increase, eventually increasing the retail price of ground beef.  Beef is already the highest priced protein product and additional increases would likely shift consumer demand faster from high cost beef to lower cost poultry or pork.  Additionally, the long-term increases in production of lean beef would decrease the more profitable sales of high-valued cuts both domestically and in the export market further reducing the overall profit margin for US cattle producers.

As herd rebuilding continues and the US supply of grain-fed beef grows, the US supply of lean beef will likely continue to decrease due to heavier finishing weights and decreased cow slaughter.  This indicates that higher, not lower, levels of imports will be needed to meet US demand needs and keep market share from shifting to lower price alternatives such as poultry and pork products. 



NPPC Names Manager Of Production Issues

Dustin Baker has been hired as manager of production issues for the National Pork Producers Council, covering such matters as the farm bill and marketing and pork economics. Baker, who begins his duties today, is in NPPC’s Washington, D.C., office, reporting to Nick Giordano, NPPC’s vice president and counsel for global government affairs.

Baker comes to NPPC from the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), where he served as an economic analyst and coordinator of NMPF’s Young Cooperator program. Prior to that, he was a research assistant with Woodward Risk Management Consulting in Ithaca, N.Y. He also completed internships with Newedge Group, a Chicago brokerage firm; with the U.S. Senate, where he was a legislative intern; and with Great Lakes Cattle Marketing in St. Louis, Mich.

“Dustin brings experience in economic analysis and financial risk management as well as knowledge of the legislative process,” said NPPC President Dr. Ron Prestage, a veterinarian and pork producer from Camden, S.C. “I know he’ll be a great asset to our domestic public-policy team.”

A native of Michigan from a livestock family who served as state president of the Michigan Future Farmers of America Association, Baker earned a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness management from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in applied economics and management from Cornell University.

Baker joins NPPC’s D.C. policy team, which includes, in addition to Giordano, Cara Cramer, manager of communications; Michael Formica, assistant vice president, domestic policy & counsel; Courtney Knupp, deputy director of international trade policy, sanitary & technical issues; Dr. Dan Kovich, assistant director of science & technology; Kelly Randall, director of administration; Dr. Liz Wagstrom, chief veterinarian; Dave Warner, director of communications; Mykel Wedig, manager of congressional relations; and Maria Zieba, manager of international affairs.



House Reauthorizes Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association applauds the House in reauthorizing Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting through 2020. NCBA President, Philip Ellis, a Wyoming cattle producer, said this action will ensure cattle producers have access to critical market information.

“We thank the members of the House in passing this important legislation to ensure cattlemen and women have access to market information,” said Ellis. “Failure to act would have left cattle producers nationwide without critical price information at a very significant time in the marketing year.”

Mandatory Price Reporting requires meat packers to report to USDA the prices they pay for cattle, hogs and sheep purchased from farmers and ranchers for slaughter, as well as the prices they receive for the sale of wholesale beef, pork and lamb. Mandatory Price Reporting also requires USDA to issue daily, weekly and monthly livestock and meat market reports.

“Unfortunately for America’s cattle producers, Senator Stabenow did not feel this legislation warranted an ‘essential government service’ designation, which makes market transparency vulnerable to future government service interruptions,” said Ellis. “Had the Senator acted in accord with the original provisions in the House bill, we could have been assured price information would not be subject to political whim.”

Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting now must be signed by the President prior to expiration on Sept. 30, 2015.



Senate to Hold Hearing on WOTUS Water Bill

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday will hold a hearing on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' participation in the development of the "Waters of the United States" rule.

The regulation would expand the jurisdiction of the Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over various waterways, including ones typically found on farms.

Farm groups have asked the agencies to withdraw the rule and to get input from agriculture on a proposal that is workable for farmers and ranchers.



Omaha Fuel Tests Indicate High Level of Toxics in Base Gasoline

Does Omaha have bad gas? According to recent fuel tests, it does—at least in terms of the levels of toxic substances, which approached 30 percent by volume in base gasoline.  But adding ethanol to gasoline significantly lowers the health threat of the fuel we put in our vehicles.

In early July, four fuel samples were pulled from the Magellan fuel terminal in Omaha.  The samples were independently tested by Midwest Laboratories in Omaha.

The results indicated a high level of toxics in base gasoline in the Omaha market, even higher than those found in similar samples tested in January, which were pulled from a variety of retail locations in the city.

Toxics such as benzene, xylene and toluene are added to gasoline to increase octane, which is necessary to reduce engine knock.  These substances, known collectively as "aromatics", are known toxins and, in some cases, known or suspected carcinogens or cancer-causing substances.

In the July fuel samples, these toxics accounted for nearly 30 percent of volume in base gasoline without ethanol added.  However, when 10 percent ethanol was added to the mix, the volume of toxic compounds dropped to 23 percent—or nearly by one-fourth that of straight gasoline.

"While 'aromatics' may sound like a good thing, they are actually a huge threat to human health," said Angela Tin, vice president of environmental health for the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest.  "These toxics do not completely combust in the engine and therefore exit the tailpipe as tiny particles that enter our lungs, heart, brains and bloodstream."

Particulate matter from vehicle exhaust has been linked to brain cancer, lung cancer, heart disease and asthma — and is especially harmful to infants, children and people suffering from heart or respiratory problems.

Tin says fuel with ethanol is a cleaner air alternative.  "Ethanol is a clean-burning, non-toxic source of octane," she said.  "The more ethanol in our fuel, the lower the volume of toxic compounds in our fuel and in the air we breathe."

Ethanol adds oxygen to fuel and that helps the fuel burn more completely.  "The oxygen leads to a more complete combustion of fuel," said Todd Sneller, Nebraska Ethanol Board administrator.  "That means more of the toxic compounds are completely burned in the engine rather than coming out the tailpipe."

Ethanol also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which have been linked to climate change.

Tin added that higher blends of ethanol are especially valuable in lowering the levels of harmful particulate matter in the air.  "Higher blends such as E85—85 percent ethanol—are truly the clean air choice," Tin added.  "Anyone driving a flex fuel vehicle has the opportunity to help make our air healthier by simply making the right choice at the pump."

About one in seven Nebraskans is driving a flex fuel vehicle that can operate on any blend of ethanol and gasoline up to E85.  The owner's manual or other indicators such as a yellow gas cap or "flex fuel" insignia on the vehicle are indicators that one owns a flex fuel vehicle.

E85 is available at several locations in the Omaha area.   Visit E85Omaha.com for locations.

More information on toxic compounds in gasoline and the clean air benefits of ethanol can be found at AmericanEthanolNE.org or ethanol.nebraska.gov.



Nation's strictest regulatory board affirms biodiesel as lowest-carbon fuel

In a fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, California’s Air Resources Board has spent years looking for the cleanest, most efficient ways to cut carbon. Turns out, biodiesel is at the top of the list.

Friday the board finalized California’s revised Low Carbon Fuels Standard. The new standard affirms America’s Advanced Biofuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent and often by as much as 81 percent versus petroleum. This gives biodiesel the best carbon score among all liquid fuels.

“Biodiesel is the most sustainable fuel on the planet,” said Don Scott, National Biodiesel Board director of sustainability. “Low carbon alternatives can also be low cost alternatives when we use diverse supplies of renewable resources.  This validates that California’s carbon reduction goals are obtainable.”

As part of the state’s low carbon fuel standard, the Air Resources Board has refined comprehensive lifecycle analysis to quantify the carbon intensity of conventional and alternative fuels. More than seven years of analysis have gone into addressing questions including indirect land use change.   California’s lifecycle model incorporates all the impacts for producing a fuel’s raw materials including conversion and transportation.  The model also includes the indirect economic impacts of growth in global agriculture-making it one of the most thorough and rigorous evaluations ever done to quantify the environmental footprint of biofuels.

The findings echo what the USEPA determined five years ago in establishing the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Under that program, biodiesel qualifies as an Advanced Biofuel, with the US EPA analysis showing that it reduces carbon emissions from 57 percent to 86 percent.

“California’s analysis, which has been validated by independent academic review, provides confidence that biodiesel is, without question, a more sustainable alternative for transportation fuel.  The commercial success of the growing biodiesel industry suggests goals to further reduce greenhouse gases and displace imported petroleum are appropriate and achievable.  With a focus on carbon reduction and the national policy to support it, biodiesel could reduce carbon emission by 40 million tons annually,” said Scott.

The estimates provided for likely fuel pathways include:
ULSD (standard diesel) - 102.76 g/MJ
Gasoline - 99 (CaRFG) g/MJ
Corn Ethanol - 80.09 g/MJ
Compressed Natural Gas - 79.46 g/MJ
Biodiesel
     Soy - 51.83 g/MJ
     Used Cooking Oil - 19.87 g/MJ
     Tallow - 32.83 g/MJ
     Canola - 50.23 g/MJ
     Corn oil - 28.68 g/MJ

These scores are reported in grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of fuel. All off the feedstocks listed for biodiesel are used in significant volumes.  Weighting these scores by the amount of each feedstock used nationally in 2014, suggests that the average biodiesel in the market has a carbon intensity of  38.4 g/MJ.-giving it the lowest carbon intensity of any category of liquid or gaseous fuel, and making it competitive with electric vehicles as a carbon mitigation strategy.



NCBA Urges Swift Conclusion to Trans-Pacific Partnership
 
This week the United States will host a meeting of Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Ministers in Atlanta. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association urges a swift conclusion to a TPP deal.

“Cattlemen and women have high expectations for the TPP as a true 21st century agreement, eliminating tariff and non-tariff trade barriers across 12 member countries,” said Philip Ellis, NCBA president. “We are encouraged by reports of a ministerial meeting this week in Atlanta and urge our negotiators to work quickly to bring this agreement to conclusion. Every day that goes by without a comprehensive agreement erodes our market share in these member countries and it is imperative that our negotiators find common ground.”

Japan is currently the top export market for U.S. beef, totaling $1.6 billion in 2014, even with a 38.5 percent tariff rate. One of the leading competitors for Japanese consumers is Australia. Last year Australia and Japan signed the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement that phases down the tariff on beef imports over 15 years and removes a 50 percent snapback tariff on Australian beef. This agreement gives Australia a competitive advantage and as a result Australia is taking market share away from U.S. beef. The Trans-Pacific Partnership will put U.S. beef producers on a level playing field with Australian beef producers.

“This is why agriculture cannot afford to delay action any longer,” said Ellis. “Other nations are actively pursuing individual trade agreements to benefit their producers. The U.S. is already one of the most open markets in the world and if we do not act to expand new market opportunities in these growing economies, our cattle producers will be severely disadvantaged.”

The United States announced its intention to participate in the TPP negotiations in November 2009. The other TPP nations include: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.



Dairy and Bacon Prices Down, Apples Too

Lower retail prices for several foods, including whole milk, cheddar cheese, bacon and apples resulted in a slight decrease in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Fall Harvest Marketbasket Survey.

The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $54.14, down $.12 or less than 1 percent compared to a survey conducted a year ago. Of the 16 items surveyed, 10 decreased and six increased in average price.

Higher milk and pork production this year has contributed to the decrease in prices on some key foods.

“Energy prices, which affect everything in the marketbasket, have been quite a bit lower compared to a year ago. Processing, packaging, transportation and retail operations are all fairly energy-intensive,” said John Anderson, AFBF’s deputy chief economist. Lower energy prices account for much of the modest decrease in the marketbasket.

The following items showed retail price decreases from a year ago:
    whole milk, down 17 percent to $3.14 per gallon
    bacon, down 11 percent to $4.55 per pound
    apples, down 7 percent $1.45 per pound
    shredded cheddar, down 5 percent to $4.56 per pound
    flour, down 4 percent to $2.37 per five-pound bag
    bagged salad, down 4 percent to $2.46 per pound
    vegetable oil, down 3 percent to $2.61 for a 32-ounce bottle
    Russet potatoes, down 3 percent to $2.64 for a five-pound bag
    white bread, down 1 percent to $1.69 for a 20-ounce loaf
    chicken breast, down 1 percent to $3.42 per pound

These items showed modest retail price increases compared to a year ago:
    eggs, up 56 percent to $3.04 per dozen
    orange juice, up 7 percent to $3.43 per half-gallon
    ground chuck, up 6 percent to $4.55 per pound
    toasted oat cereal, up 3 percent to $3.09 for a nine-ounce box
    sirloin tip roast, up 3 percent to $5.67 per pound
    sliced deli ham, up 1 percent to $5.47 per pound

“As expected we saw higher egg prices because we lost so much production earlier this year due to the avian influenza situation in Iowa, Minnesota and some other Midwestern states,” Anderson said.

Price checks of alternative milk and egg choices not included in the overall marketbasket survey average revealed the following: 1/2 gallon regular milk, $2.21; 1/2 gallon organic milk, $4.79; and one dozen “cage-free” eggs, $4.16.

The year-to-year direction of the marketbasket survey tracks closely with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index (http://www.bls.gov/cpi/) report for food at home. As retail grocery prices have increased gradually over time, the share of the average food dollar that America’s farm and ranch families receive has dropped.

“Through the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures for food eaten at home and away from home, on average. Since then, that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 16 percent, according to the Agriculture Department’s revised Food Dollar Series,” Anderson said.

Using the “food at home and away from home” percentage across-the-board, the farmer’s share of this $54.14 marketbasket would be $8.66.

AFBF, the nation’s largest general farm organization, began conducting informal quarterly marketbasket surveys of retail food price trends in 1989. The series includes a Spring Picnic survey, Summer Cookout survey, Fall Harvest survey and Thanksgiving survey.

According to USDA, Americans spend just under 10 percent of their disposable annual income on food, the lowest average of any country in the world. A total of 69 shoppers in 24 states participated in the latest survey, conducted in September.



National FFA Organization membership sets record of 629,367 students

With global needs to fight hunger and prepare for the expected population growth, the industry of agriculture needs educated, skilled and passionate people dedicated to sustainability. The National FFA Organization is answering this need, as the record growth of the organization demonstrates.

Today, FFA membership stands at 629,367 students, up from 610,240 in 2014, an increase of 3 percent. The number of chapters grew from 7,665 in 2014 to 7,757 in 2015. The top five membership states are Texas, California, Georgia, Oklahoma and Missouri. Interest in FFA and agricultural education continues to grow, as membership has increased more than 20 percent since 2009-10.

“FFA, through agricultural education, is preparing our youth to ensure the security of our country's food, fiber and natural resources for years to come,” said National FFA Organization CEO Dwight Armstrong, Ph.D. “Through real-world experiences, the nation’s agricultural educators are helping students develop the technical knowledge, skills and problem-solving capabilities to be the industry's leaders of tomorrow. FFA continues to grow leaders, build communities and strengthen agriculture.”

Student membership was not the only thing that grew in 2015. National FFA Alumni membership also continued to grow, with 62,705 members this year, growing from 57,832 in 2014. FFA alumni play an important role in keeping agricultural education and FFA programs in local schools by providing both volunteers and financial support to local teachers.



CWT Assists with 2.5million Pounds of Cheese and Whole Milk Powder Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 15 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) and Tillamook County Creamery Association who have contracts to sell 2,092,187 pounds (949 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda, and Monterey Jack cheese and 418,878 pounds (190 metric tons) of whole milk powder to customers in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and South America. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from September 2015 through March 2016.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 46.680 million pounds of cheese, 19.376 million pounds of butter and 34.516 million pounds of whole milk powder to thirty-four countries on five continents. The amounts of cheese, butter and whole milk powder in these sales contracts represent the equivalent of 1.119 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.