Tuesday October 27 Ag News

Nebraska Farm Bureau Announces Student Mini Grant Recipients

Nebraska Farm Bureau has announced the four student members that have been selected to receive a Nebraska Farm Bureau Student Mini-Grant which will help provide additional funding for their FFA or 4-H project. Those selected were Alex Stocker, Merrick County Farm Bureau; Evan Palmer, Buffalo County Farm Bureau; Kylee Plager, Lancaster County Farm Bureau; and Shay Miller, Madison County Farm Bureau.

“The winners were judged on their project summary, budget, goals, financial need and a reference from their advisor or club leader. Applicants had to be a Nebraska Farm Bureau student member. The selected grant winners are required to submit a mid-year report and explain how the grant money has benefitted their projects,” she said.

The following are the winners and a summary of their projects:

Alex Stocker – Merrick County
            Alex Stocker of Grand Island, NE was awarded $1000 for the expansion of his FFA Supervised Agriculture Experience project. In the fall of 2012, Stocker received a bred heifer and has grown his herd from there. With the help of this grant, Stocker will be able to pay back some of the operating loans he has taken out to start his herd. “The opportunity for Alex to enlarge his cattle herd would expand his knowledge base of livestock, finances, and making sound decisions” said advisor Jessica Brondel

Evan Palmer – Buffalo County
            Evan Palmer of Kearney, NE was awarded $1000 to help begin his FFA Supervised Agriculture Experience project. Palmer is developing and designing an agricultural, fixed wing drone that will be capable of NDVI images, normal photos that will be processed in to a geo-reference orthomosaic and capable of flying in auto-pilot mode. Using this technology, Palmer will be able to help producers monitor their fields for plant development and water quality. “Evan plans to use this drone to help farmers become more efficient with pesticide and herbicide applications,” said Amherst FFA advisor Katie Frenzen.

Kylee Plager – Lancaster County
            Kylee Plager of Lincoln, NE was awarded $1,000 to begin her 4-H project. Plager breeds her own goats and wants to focus on finding the correct genetic combination to produce a dapple market goat. Once her heard grows, Plager plans to sell her kids to 4-H youth and work with youth who are interested in showing goats. “Kylee is a driven 4-H’er, this grant will help her in her quest to learn more about animals and genetics” said advisor Tracy Anderson.

Shay Miller- Madison County
            Shay Miller of Norfolk, NE was awarded $1,000 to expand her FFA Supervised Agriculture Experience project. Miller was awarded a Nebraska Bee Association Scholarship where she received bees to start her own colony and has plans to expand to four colonies by July 2016.  Expanding her hive will allow her to mentor and educate FFA members, 4-H members, and other community members about raising bees. “My greatest influence in both organizations is when I am an active participant; therefore starting my mentoring program before I leave these organizations is imperative” said Miller.

“Nebraska Farm Bureau is excited to support members as they gain real world experience through these endeavors,” Director of Youth, Collegiate & Young Leader Programs Audrey Smith said. A NFBF committee selected the winners of the award and each recipient received a $1,000 grant.



USDA Provides Funding for More than $1.8 Million Nebraska Renewable Energy Projects in Federal Fiscal Year 2015

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA has selected Mid America Agri Products/Wheatland, LLC of Madrid, NE to receive $500,000 for ethanol production and Aaron Ross of Columbus, NE to receive $41,250 for wind energy.

These two projects bring the Federal Fiscal Year 2015 funding in Nebraska to 70 projects for $1,806,905 through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for renewable energy/energy efficiency projects.  Through these projects, enough energy was generated or saved to power 4,808 homes. Additionally, an energy auditing program was funded under the REAP Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Assistance for $71,363.

Mid America Agri Products/Wheatland, LLC will utilize USDA funds to install a Cellunator system to provide secondary milling after the primary hammer milling to fine-tune the particle size before entering the fermentation tank which will increase production at the ethanol plant by 1.4 million gallons of advanced biofuel.

Aaron Ross will install a 25 kW wind turbine on a 100 foot tower to replace an existing energy source.

"More rural business owners and ag producers are incorporating energy-saving measures into their business plans," Vilsack said. "These actions improve an operation's bottom line and help reduce its carbon footprint. This funding will help incorporate renewable energy and energy efficiency technology and reduce energy costs."



‘Contrasting Currents’ compares Chesapeake Bay, Iowa approaches to improve water quality

A comprehensive report released by the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) reveals the startling complexities and costs of curbing water pollution and why assertions that a regulatory approach is the best and only strategy are unfounded.

“Contrasting Currents,” available at www.iasoybeans.com/ContrastingCurrents, compares Iowa’s strategies to improving water quality to those deployed in the Chesapeake Bay. As Iowans continue to debate best approaches for improving the quality of their rivers, lakes and streams, the bay is often referenced as the ideal for managing water pollution.

“Rather than take references to the Chesapeake Bay and the results of the regulations implemented there verbatim, we wanted to visit firsthand with the people responsible for implementing and abiding by them,” said Joe Murphy, ISA member communications manager and co-contributor to the report.

Murphy and ISA Senior Writer Matt Wilde traveled to the Chesapeake Bay, a 64,000-square-mile watershed comprised of six East Coast states and the District of Columbia. The Chesapeake Bay Program institutes rigorous accountability measures to initiate sweeping actions to restore clean water in the bay and the region’s streams, creeks and rivers.

During their week stay in the bay, Murphy and Wilde visited with more than a dozen farmers and government and environmental officials. They also obtained insight from Iowa experts including Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey.

The seven-part investigative report found no ironclad evidence that regulations or voluntary conservation efforts are the only way to improve water quality. The series also shows there are no easy answers or quick fixes to make water cleaner and safer and underscores the need for collaboration and flexibility.

Wilde, a former agribusiness writer for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, said the team’s only directive from the ISA’s 21-farmer-member board of directors was to report the facts.

“We anticipated finding disgruntled bay area farmers who would say regulation is a severe detriment to their business and politicians and environmental experts who would exclusively sing the praises of regulation,” Wilde said.

“Instead, they explained to us that what might work in one state, township or watershed may not be effective in another due to the vast differences in population, tax base, land use and scope and scale of agriculture,” he continued. “What we heard and learned is that regardless if the system is regulatory or voluntary, it takes decades to improve water quality.”

That reality doesn’t mesh with a lawsuit recently filed by Des Moines Water Works alleging Sac, Calhoun and Buena Vista counties allow nitrate from drainage districts to pollute the Raccoon River — a primary source water for the utility. Those who support the legal maneuver believe regulation and permits will provide a quick-fix.

ISA believes the two-year-old Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is the best approach. The science-based initiative seeks to reduce nitrate and phosphorous loads in Iowa waterways by 45 percent from point and nonpoint sources.

The strategy outlines a pragmatic approach for reducing nutrient loads discharged from the state’s largest wastewater treatment plants, in combination with targeted practices designed to reduce loads from nonpoint sources such as farm fields. This is the first time such an integrated approach involving both point sources and nonpoint sources has been implemented.

Farmers are curbing nutrient loss by employing conservation practices outlined in the strategy such as wetland restoration, installing bioreactors, planting cover crops, using nitrification inhibitors, employing conservation tillage and many others, says ISA CEO Kirk Leeds.

“There are similarities and differences between issues, landscapes and watersheds in Iowa and the Chesapeake Bay,” Leeds said. “As Iowa continues to ramp up water quality efforts, it’s important to visit with our counterparts in the bay and to learn from those who are decades into their fight with decades still to go.”



ASA to Congress: Targeting the Farm Bill for Cuts Would be Devastating

In response to a proposed $3 billion cut in crop insurance support as part of a larger budget deal, the American Soybean Association issued a strong defense of the nation’s farm program and called on Congress to oppose any reopening of the farm bill. ASA President Wade Cowan, a soybean farmer from Brownfield, Texas, noted that agriculture remains the only industry segment that has come forward and voluntarily accepted spending reductions, and urged lawmakers to seek cuts elsewhere:

“ASA absolutely opposes any effort by Congress to reopen any part of the farm bill as part of budget negotiations, and we implore lawmakers to reject any attempt to target crop insurance or any other farm bill programs for further cuts. Speaking frankly, our farm economy is simply not in the shape it was even three years ago when we began the process of writing the farm bill. Crop values are down almost 50 percent, and our farmers face volatile weather ranging from flooding in the Carolinas to drought in Texas and fires in California. Farmers need a stronger safety net, not a weaker one, and now is hardly the time to pull the rug out from under them by weakening the nation's investment in the crop insurance program.

“We stand with Chairmen Roberts and Conaway and Ranking Members Stabenow and Peterson in their defense of the 2014 Farm Bill and the critical safety net it provides farmers. Faced with the need to confront our nation’s budget responsibility, we worked alongside these committee leaders for three full years to craft a piece of farm legislation that strengthens our safety net and brings savings to the table. That’s more than can be said for any other industry sector. This burden is something that must be spread across the board, not shouldered unfairly by a select few.”



Wheat Growers: Cuts to Crop Insurance Unacceptable

Last night, the Administration and Congressional leadership announced a bipartisan budget deal that would both raise discretionary spending caps for FY 2016 and FY 2017 and it would increase the debt limit until March 15, 2017. This budget agreement could have significant negative impacts on agriculture.

“NAWG is very opposed to these provisions that would be devastating to the crop insurance companies and ultimately for growers as well. In this difficult economic climate, at a time when commodity prices are low, agriculture has already taken a hit. We took unprecedented cuts in negotiating the farm bill. Just one year into the new farm bill and Congress let sequester cuts happen. Now they want to cut more. We cannot stand by and allow more cuts to be made,” said NAWG President, Brett Blankenship, wheat grower from Washtucna, Wash.

The text of the agreement includes a provision, Title II, that would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture to renegotiate the Standard Reinsurance Agreement, the agreement between the Risk Management Agency and the crop insurance companies to administer the federal crop insurance program, by December 31, 2016, and that the agreement establish a target rate of return for the approved insurance providers of 8.9 percent of retained premium for each of the 2017 through 2026 reinsurance years, resulting in $3 billion in cuts.



October Cattle on Feed
Brian R. Williams, Assistant Extension Professor
Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University

The United States Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA, NASS) released their monthly Cattle on Feed report Friday afternoon (October 23, 2015). The latest numbers released by the USDA revealed few surprises. Marketings of fed cattle during the month of September were down 2.44% from September 2014, while placements were down 4.12% from September 2014.

The trend of heavier placements continued this month, with a 7.8% increase in placements of cattle larger than 800 pounds, while all other weight classes saw lower placement numbers when compared to September 2014. There have been two major drivers of this trend: prices and pasture conditions. For much of the summer, feeder cattle prices had been trending at or above year ago levels. While markets have slowed since summer and 500-550 pound Oklahoma City steers are trading for $70/cwt less than they were just over three months ago, we are still well above even the best feeder cattle prices from 2013. The high prices earlier this year made feedlots reluctant to place lighter cattle. The recent price declines in live cattle prices have only reinforced that trend, as feeders try to avoid placing lightweight cattle only to watch them decline in value as prices fall. Favorable pasture conditions over the summer also plays a role in the continued trend of heavier placements. The much needed rain in parts of Texas and Oklahoma should provide a boost to the winter wheat in those areas. I look for producers to take advantage of improving winter wheat conditions as well as crop residue in other parts of the Plains to graze cattle over the winter and continue the trend of placing heavier animals at least through the fall and winter.

The total number of cattle on feed on October 1 was up 2.33% from 2014 and the largest number of cattle on feed during the month of October since 2012. This month's report provided a breakdown of the number of steers and heifers on feed for the third quarter. The number of steers on feed on October 1, 2015 is up 7.44% from the same time a year ago while the number of heifers on feed is down 6.98% from the same time a year ago. The number of heifers on feed is the lowest for the month of October since the report began in 1996. This confirms what many of us already knew: we are experiencing a rapid herd expansion. The larger question remains: when will the expansion slow?



Apply Today for Innovative Communications Program for New Ag Leaders

Only days remain to apply for the third class of the NCGA DuPont New Leaders Program.  Apply by the October 30 deadline to be a part of this innovative program, designed for corn growers who are newly active or considering involvement in agriculture leadership, that helps build communications skills and increases the personal effectiveness of agvocates.

Ideal participants will be farming couples or individuals from NCGA's affiliated states, particularly those considering (or new to) a board position. Those interested must be at least 21 years of age, active in corn farming, NCGA members and not currently serving as an officer on their state affiliate board.

"The program has encouraged me to be more involved to make a difference," said Michael Howlett, a New York farmer and member of the 2015 class. "It was well worth the time and energy, and I will be more involved from this point forward, due to the New Leaders Program."

One couple or up to two single persons per NCGA-affiliated state will be selected to participate in this hands-on communications and leadership training sponsored by DuPont. The program includes two plenary sessions, with the first in Iowa in February 2016 and the second in Washington in July 2016.

Applications are due Friday, Oct. 30. Following the deadline, NCGA will review all applications and forward to the appropriate state affiliate association for approval. Participants accepted for the program will be notified in November. All program-related travel and lodging expenses will be covered, per NCGA policy and procedures. For more information and/or to register, visit www.ncga.com/nlp.



New enzyme boosts profits, cuts chemical use at ethanol plants

Novozymes today announced the launch of Avantec® Amp, an advanced enzyme product that improves yield and throughput in corn ethanol production, while increasing corn oil extraction and significantly reducing the need for several harsh chemicals used in ethanol production. By switching from standard enzyme technology to Avantec Amp, a typical ethanol plant with a capacity of 110 million gallons can make up to $2.5 million a year in additional net profits.

“Avantec Amp enables yield improvements and chemical reductions that were previously impossible,” says Peter Halling, Vice President – Biofuel, at Novozymes. “It will boost our customers’ bottom line and give them flexibility to adjust their various revenue streams based on market conditions. Ultimately, it will give them a competitive advantage in a challenging market.”

Simpler and more profitable, with fewer chemicals
Avantec Amp continues the success of the original Avantec®, introduced in 2012, by adding significant new benefits. It combines multiple enzyme activities into one product, and surpasses competing enzyme solutions by squeezing more ethanol from each kernel of corn and enabling increased output from the ethanol plant, thus saving energy and water and increasing return on invested capital. It can also boost corn oil production, an increasingly important revenue stream in the industry, by freeing up oil bound in the corn germ.

In addition, Avantec Amp reduces the need for a number of chemicals used to control and accelerate production processes at ethanol plants. Urea, which is used to improve the fermentation of ethanol, can be cut by more than 70%. Surfactants and ammonia, used to extract corn oil and adjust pH levels, can also be significantly reduced. Avantec Amp is the first enzyme product to replace urea and surfactants.

“By replacing these chemicals with enzymes you get greater safety for workers and lower costs,” says Peter Halling. “When you simplify the recipe, you reduce the risk of errors associated with handling multiple different compounds and you also have less need for storage.”



4R Nutrient Stewardship Partnership Awarded to Verdesian Life Sciences

In support of promoting a more sustainable and efficient agricultural industry, Verdesian Life Sciences has been named a partner of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program. This recognition aligns with the company’s commitment to help row crop and specialty crop farmers maximize the utility of input investments through the research and development of technologies that address everyday agronomic and environmental challenges.

“Since the company’s inception, Verdesian has been committed to becoming a partner of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program,” said Greg Thompson, chief operating officer of Verdesian Life Sciences. “We are proud to now be recognized among an impressive list of industry leaders in environmental accountability. Verdesian will continue to support farmers by developing new and innovative ways for them to remain sustainable stewards of their land and simultaneously maximize their productivity on every acre.”

The 4R principles of nutrient stewardship dictate that fertilizer applications should encompass the right source, the right rate, the right time and the right place. These principles are valued by Verdesian, and are incorporated to create new products and technologies that are backed by research and proven economically and environmentally sustainable for crop health and nutrition.

According to the program, the 4Rs “promote best management practices that achieve cropping system goals while minimizing field nutrient loss and maximizing crop uptake.” Verdesian has built an extensive product portfolio that compliments the 4Rs approach through patented technologies that help growers best utilize their plant health and nutrition inputs.

Innovative science and technologies developed by Verdesian help farmers deliver essential nutrients to their crops without being lost to the environment. Farming operations that are following the 4R principles see increased profits from decreased nutrient loss, which can also lead to improvements in the environment, such as a lower impact on local watersheds.

“We want inputs to make a farmer more efficient, so they can still experience a strong ROI while being cognizant of the environment,” Thompson said. “For example, our polymer technologies can allow farmers to reduce their phosphorus and nitrogen rates but still continue to meet their crop production goals and yield expectations. These are the types of innovative technologies we are continuing to develop and why the 4R nutrient partnership is a natural fit to the Verdesian core values.”

To learn more about this partnership, visit the 4R partners’ page at nutrientstewardship.com. For more information about Verdesian Life Sciences, visit vlsci.com or call 800.868.6446.