Wednesday December 16 Ag News

'MARKET JOURNAL' COMING TO RFD-TV IN 2016

    Fans of the "Market Journal" television program will have a new way to tune in to the weekly broadcasts in 2016. RFD-TV will air "Market Journal" episodes to a national audience beginning in January.

    "Market Journal" is an educational outreach effort produced by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The program tackles timely issues impacting agriculture, presenting practical information to all corn, soybean, wheat and livestock producers. UNL researchers, Nebraska Extension specialists, farmers and other industry professionals share analysis and provide commentary during weekly episodes.

    Since the program began in 1999, more than 600 episodes have been produced. Funding is provided through a partnership between the Nebraska Corn Board and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "Market Journal" is hosted by Jeff Wilkerson and produced by Kurtis Harms.

    "RFD-TV is a trusted source among the rural American audience, and we are looking forward to serving farmers and ranchers by providing them with up-to-date agricultural information," Harms said.

    Wilkerson said although the program is based on Nebraska agricultural production systems, much of the information in each episode transcends state borders. 

    "Much of what we do in modern agriculture is relevant beyond a specific location," Wilkerson said.

    In addition to its three weekly broadcasts on Nebraska's NET Television network, "Market Journal" will air on RFD-TV Thursdays at 4 p.m. CST beginning Jan. 7.

    "Market Journal" is also available on demand. Full episodes and program segments can be viewed through a free mobile app available on iTunes and Google Play. Segments can also be viewed online at http://mj.unl.edu.

    RFD-TV features programming focused on agribusiness, equine matters and the rural lifestyle, along with traditional country music and entertainment.



Farm Credit Services of America to Distribute $160 Million Cash-Back Dividend for 2015

Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica), a customer-owned financial cooperative, has approved a 2015 cash-back dividend of $160 million to its eligible customer-owners. This equals the 2014 cash-back dividend, which set a record for FCSAmerica’s patronage program.

FCSAmerica has returned a share of its profits to eligible customer-owners for 12 consecutive years. Since 2004, FCSAmerica has returned a total of $1.15 billion to farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and rural residents in its four-state territory. Cash-back dividend checks for 2015 will be mailed to eligible customer-owners in March 2016.

The FCSAmerica Board of Directors also approved a 2016 patronage program, demonstrating its commitment to a cooperative business model that ensures farmers and ranchers share in the association’s financial strength.

Each year, farmers and ranchers use their cash-back dividends from FCSAmerica to invest in their operations and families and to support their rural communities. The portion of earnings that are retained by FCSAmerica are used to build the cooperative’s financial capacity to continue serving agriculture.

“Our customer-owners share in the success of the organization with very tangible value returned to them in the form of cash-back dividends,´ said Doug Stark, CEO and president of FCSAmerica. 



Hodges to Leave National Pork Board

The National Pork Board announced Tuesday that Chris Hodges will leave his position as chief executive officer of the National Pork Board effective Dec. 31, 2015.

The National Pork Board will discuss the search process for Hodges' replacement at its planned board meeting in January. Details of the search process will be finalized and announced following that meeting. We appreciate Chris' contributions and service during his time with the National Pork Board.

To ensure a seamless transition, John Johnson, chief operating officer, and the senior management team will continue to oversee the many initiatives currently underway, including implementation of all 2016 program activities.

The National Pork Board will share information on the search process as details are known in the weeks ahead. The goal is to have a new CEO in place as soon as possible to continue the Pork Checkoff's important work and 2016 plans.



Newly Revised Feed Bunk Management Publication Available from Iowa Beef Center

In a time of cheap corn prices and volatile cattle markets, focusing on effective management techniques – like feed bunk management – can improve efficiency and help producers make the most of already tight margins.

Iowa State University extension program specialist Erika Lundy said that’s why the center has revised the existing fact sheet, Feed Bunk Management.

“As a supplement to this fact sheet, we also created a Feed Bunk Management Standard Operating Procedure as a reference to help feedlot employees create operation-driven guidelines and standards to ensure consistency in making feed delivery decisions to cattle,” Lundy said. “Users are able to download this SOP and type information into the document to make it specific to their operations regardless of size or structure.”

Iowa Beef Center director Dan Loy said bunk scoring is not a new tool but extension and industry are learning best practices to apply its use for more effective management decisions.

“This factsheet outlines various techniques and tips to successfully implement feed bunk management into any operation regardless of size,” Lundy said. “These include utilizing feed delivery calls, different philosophies of feed bunk management, and charting dry matter intake to optimize cattle dry matter intake while minimizing feed spoilage.”

Both resources are available through the Iowa State Extension and Outreach online store as free downloadable documents. Feed Bunk Management (IBCR 201A) is six pages long and the one-page Feed Bunk Management Standard Operating Procedure  (IBCR 201B) has fillable spaces in formulas for users to enter individual operation guidelines for personnel who work on the farm.



ISU Extension Sheep Production Skill Development Workshop Rescheduled for Jan. 16

The Sheep Production Skill Development Workshop will be held on Jan. 16, 2016 starting at 9:30 a.m. in the Deb and Jeff Hanson Agriculture Learning Center located at 2508 Mortensen Road, Ames, Iowa.

Topics covered throughout the day will include: reproductive management of ewe stock, basic sheep nutrition and feeding, a hands-on session at the ISU Sheep Teaching Farm, condition scoring, mouthing, and aging, using CIDRs and ram breeding tests and hay sampling.

“This workshop will be a great learning opportunity for sheep producers and breeders and allow attendees hands-on experience at our teaching farm," said Daniel Morrical, professor in animal science and extension sheep specialist at Iowa State University. "Many decisions go into sheep production and we would like to help develop the management skills needed for a successful operation.”

The Sheep Production Skill Development Workshop is free to anyone interested in attending. Attendees are asked to wear clean shoes and clothes to reduce the biosecurity risk. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the programming will commence at 10 a.m. The hands-on session at 1:15 p.m. will conclude the day. Lunch will not be provided.

In case of bad weather, workshop information will be available by calling Daniel Morrical at 515-294-2904. 



Nebraska Farm Bureau Backs Congressional Action on Tax Extenders, Omnibus Spending Bill

After several years of dealing with uncertainty and a temporary fix, Nebraska farmers and ranchers would benefit from permanent action on several key tax provisions if Congress acts to adopt a tax extender package and omnibus spending bill that is likely to be taken up by the House and Senate in the coming days, said Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson, Dec. 16.

“The tax extender package includes some critical business management tools for Nebraska farmers and ranchers, namely Section 179 small business expensing and bonus depreciation,” said Nelson.

The proposed permanent Section 179 allows small businesses to deduct up to $500,000 of new or used business purchases rather than depreciating the cost over a longer period of time. Bonus depreciation allows for an immediate 50 percent deduction of new capital purchases for the next few years. These provisions allow farmers, ranchers and other small business owners’ greater flexibility to control their cash flow, particularly as it relates to making larger investments in must have equipment and machinery for their operations.

“These are vital tools for small businesses, particularly those subject to great fluctuation in their income,” said Nelson.

The Omnibus spending bill also includes important provisions for agriculture, namely language to eliminate USDA’s Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) program for beef and pork. The measure is critical to address the $1 billion in tariffs that are to be placed on U.S. beef and pork exports to Canada and Mexico after rulings that the U.S. COOL program failed to meet World Trade Organization (WTO) parameters.

“We’ve long supported a COOL program that was WTO compliant, but our current program does not meet those requirements. We could not afford to put beef and pork producers at risk in the face of these tariffs,” said Nelson.

There was hope Congress would include language to stop EPA’s “Waters of the U.S.” rule as well as language to establish a national standard for labeling of GMO products. Both measures failed to make it into the package.

“We are extremely disappointed that Congress failed to put the “Waters of the U.S.” rule on ice, and will allow a patchwork of inconsistent state measures to label GMO products. We’ll continue to push forward outside of the Omnibus bill to seek resolution to those issues,” said Nelson.



ASA Points to Successes for Soybean Farmers in Omnibus

Following the release of the FY2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill on Capitol Hill early this morning, the American Soybean Association (ASA) is pointing to a series of wins for soybean farmers in the legislation.

Chief among the accomplishments for ASA in the bill is the repeal of the mandatory country of origin labeling rule, or COOL. The rule has been the subject of criticism from both ASA and the livestock industry that represents the leading consumer of U.S. soybean meal, given the significant potential of the rule to disrupt trade and lead to $1.01 billion in retaliation from Canada and Mexico following the WTO’s finding that the COOL language was discriminatory.

“Soybean farmers are relieved to put COOL behind us,” said ASA President Richard Wilkins, who raises both soybeans and beef cattle in southern Delaware. “This was an issue that impacted both feed grain and oilseed farmers, as well as livestock producers, and we’re happy to see it come to a satisfactory conclusion that avoids retaliation from our valuable trading partners in Canada and Mexico.”

The omnibus continues funding for the Market Access Program and Foreign Market Development (Cooperator) program at current levels of $200 million and $34.5 million, respectively, and additional wins for soybean farmers include increased funding to $350 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), and funding for the McGovern/Dole and Food for Peace development and assistance programs.

The bill addresses conservation by maintaining the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which also helps to fund the Regional Conservation Partnership Programs (RCPP) on which many soy-growing states are already partnering with USDA. One minor negative for ASA on the conservation front was a relatively small reduction in funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

The omnibus also takes concrete steps to address the waterways infrastructure system that farmers depend on to get beans from the farm to the marketplace. Under the Energy & Water section, the omnibus provides significant increases above FY2015 and the President's 2016 budget request for waterways and ports maintenance and operations, which are priorities for ASA. Specifically, the bill increases funding for the construction, operation and maintenance of projects administered by the Army Corps of Engineers along the Mississippi River and its tributaries and provides $1.25 billion for eligible activities funded by the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which fulfills the agreement enacted in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) passed in 2014.

“Our transportation infrastructure is a significant advantage for American growers over our competitors in South America, and we are very pleased to see funding specifically designated to address the maintenance and improvement of that infrastructure,” said Wilkins.

Finally, the bill sets aside dedicated funds for USDA disaster assistance programs, which will be of particular use to soybean growers affected by adverse weather events, including those growers suffering significant losses from recent flooding in the Carolinas.

Despite the overall positive nature of the bill for soybean farmers, ASA did note its disappointment that the bill failed to address to major issues for soybean growers: GMO labeling and the Waters of the U.S. rule. The bill does not include language that would have defunded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Rule, also known as the Waters of the U.S. rule.

“As a farmer in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, I’ve been watching this rule with a critical eye, and I am disappointed that the omnibus fails to confront it,” Wilkins added. “There was an opportunity to take larger and more forceful action on what is clearly a very poorly-constructed rule, and I’m sorry that it’s left undone.”

The bill does not include ASA-supported language that would have provided two years of preemptive relief from a potential patchwork of state GMO labeling laws, beginning with a law in Vermont set to go into effect in July 2016.

“This was certainly a missed opportunity to act on a very important issue, both for growers and consumers alike,” said Wilkins. “If allowed to move forward, the state-by-state approach to labeling will lead to significantly increased grocery costs for consumers, and production costs for farmers. We certainly hoped to address this in the omnibus, but will redouble our efforts to do so when Congress returns in January.”



Appropriations Bill Falls Short for Farmers While Tax Bill Offers Hope

The National Corn Growers Association today expressed concern over some key provisions left out of the FY 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill as posted last night. While the association applauds Congress in moving forward with a bill that would fund government through the end of this fiscal year and bring the U.S. into compliance with the World Trade Organization on Country of Origin Labeling, it is disappointed that important issues were left unaddressed.

Regarding the Act, NCGA President Chip Bowling, a farmer from Maryland, issued the following statement:

"The FY16 Omnibus Appropriations Bill certainly serves Americans by providing stable funding for the government but, in some respects, it falls short for America's farmers.

"Notably, corn farmers are pleased the Congress included language bringing the United States back into compliance with our WTO obligation by repealing COOL for beef and pork. U.S. livestock accounted for more than 38 percent of demand for our corn in 2015, and it is important that we will avoid the negative impacts on that and other corn markets which retaliation by Mexico and Canada would have brought about.

"Yet, overall, Congress placed great importance on further bolstering Big Oil at the expense of taking up issues of great importance for America's farm families. From failing to preempt the pending patchwork of state-level GMO labeling laws to refusing to prohibit funding of Water of the U.S. implementation, rural America will face a darker new year as the future grows even brighter for oil industry interests."

Of the provisions Congress chose to leave out of this bill, those which will be most detrimental to U.S. farmers include: the aforementioned GMO labeling and WOTUS provisions; language which would have provided relief in the ethanol sector by fixing the Reid Vapor Pressure standards; and funding for the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program.

Among the more positive developments, America's farmers did receive important support from Congress in the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes bill also posted last night. This bill, which outlines a $650 billon tax package, included language on Section 179 and bonus depreciation.

If passed, the provisions addressing Section 179 would permanently cap the small business deduction for capital expenses at $500,000, instead of $25,000. This would be retroactive for 2015 and represents an important step forward for farmers, as NCGA has worked to make such language permanent for many years.

The Bonus Depreciation language would be extended for five years at 50 percent for 2015-2017, 40 percent in 2018 and 30 percent in 2019. NCGA had also advocated for this provision.

"While we had hoped for a stronger showing of support for America's farmers in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, we applaud Congress for the important changes to the tax codes which will provide our industry with the consistent, reliable tax planning ability that helps us thrive as independent businesses," said Bowling.



NFU Deeply Frustrated, Angry With Possible COOL Repeal - Notes Language Goes Beyond WTO Dispute

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson said the organization was deeply frustrated and angered by language that would repeal the popular Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) law for not only muscle cuts of beef and pork, but extending to trade-compliant ground beef and ground pork.

"Congress had a solution to make COOL compliant with our World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations sitting on their desks for 5 months," said Johnson. "Instead, they gave in to demands to completely remove most aspects of COOL for meat that provided meaningful information to the pubic," he said. “This is the type of legislative hocus pocus that has angered so many Americans,” he said.

The language to repeal most significant components of COOL is contained as a rider in the 2016 Appropriations Act. Johnson noted that the language goes well beyond the WTO dispute, repealing COOL for ground beef and pork – two products that were explicitly found to be trade compliant.

“Clearly this language was produced by long-time COOL opponents who legislated in the dark of the night under the guise of solving an issue, when really their intentions completely undermine the will of American consumers and producers,” said Johnson. “NFU is furious that yet again the dysfunction of Congress has enabled this to happen.”

Johnson pointed out that voluntary COOL, supported by both sides of the aisle and contained in legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier this year, would solve the WTO dispute while still maintaining the integrity of the COOL label. With this omnibus language, packers will be able to once again deliberately deceive consumers. He says that having to go the way of a rider is yet another example of Congress’ inability to live up to their promise to restore regular order.

“Year after year, Congress kowtows to well moneyed interests instead of standing up for consumers and family farmers by attaching unpopular provisions – like repeal of COOL – to must-pass appropriations bills,” he said. “This year’s COOL rider is yet another example of the inability of Congress to legislate in the public interest.”



ASA Welcomes Tax Package Addressing Section 179 Expensing, Bonus Depreciation, and Biodiesel Tax Credit

The American Soybean Association (ASA) welcomes legislation released last night that includes several provisions important to soybean growers. The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015 is expected to be voted on by the House of Representatives as early as Thursday. ASA supports passage and urges Representatives and Senators to vote for the bill.

A critical priority for ASA within the legislation is a two-year extension of the biodiesel tax credit. The credit is extended for two years (retroactive for 2015 and through 2016), however it remains as a blender’s credit rather than shifting to a producer’s credit as the ASA and biodiesel industry had supported.

“The extension of the biodiesel tax credit is integral to the continued growth and expansion of the biodiesel industry in the U.S.,” said Richard Wilkins, ASA president and a farmer from Greenwood, Del. “We know that the industry can advance and produce beyond its current numbers, but the absence of the tax incentive since late in 2014 has hindered that growth. We’re happy to see it return and look forward to what biodiesel can do over the coming years. At the same time, we’re disappointed that Congress did not take this opportunity to maximize support for domestic biodiesel production by including the provisions passed by the Senate Finance Committee earlier this year to restructure it from a blender's to a producer's credit, and we thank Senator Grassley and Congresswoman Noem for their leadership on this issue.”

The bill also includes extension and modification of increased expensing limitations and treatment of certain real property as section 179 property. The provision permanently extends the small business expensing limitation and phase-out amounts in effect from 2010 to 2014 ($500,000 and $2 million, respectively). These amounts currently are $25,000 and $200,000, respectively. The provision modifies the expensing limitation by indexing both the $500,000 and $2 million limits for inflation beginning in 2016.

The bill provides a 5 year extension of the bonus depreciation for property acquired and placed in service during 2015 through 2019 (with an additional year for certain property with a longer production period). The bonus depreciation percentage is 50 percent for property placed in service during 2015, 2016 and 2017 and phases down, with 40 percent in 2018, and 30 percent in 2019.

“The Section 179 and bonus depreciation provisions are a big deal for soybean farmers because they encourage investment in our operations in the form of new equipment, infrastructure and other capital improvements,” added Wilkins.



Biodiesel Association Welcomes Tax Extenders Proposal

The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) commended congressional leaders for reinstating the expired biodiesel tax incentive in the tax and spending proposal released late Tuesday but continued pressing to reform the incentive as a domestic production credit.

“Restoring this tax incentive will create jobs and economic activity at biodiesel plants across the country, so we want to thank leaders in the House and Senate for proposing this extension,” said NBB Vice President of Federal Affairs Anne Steckel. “Unfortunately the impact would be muted because this proposal would continue allowing foreign biodiesel to qualify for the tax incentive. This not only costs taxpayers more money but it paves the way for foreign fuels that already receive incentives in their home countries to undercut US production.”

“We have yet to hear any member of Congress articulate why US tax dollars should be used to support foreign production,” Steckel added. “Clearly, incentivizing predatory biodiesel imports was not the intent of Congress, so we will continue urging Congress to make this reform.”

Under the current “blender’s” tax credit, biodiesel produced overseas that is blended with diesel in the US qualifies for the $1-per-gallon tax credit. This has caused imports to rise sharply in recent years. In 2012, the US imported fewer than 100 million gallons of biodiesel. This year, imports will exceed 650 million gallons, and the Energy Information Agency recently estimated that volume will grow to more than 700 million gallons in 2016.

The vast majority of those imports are coming from companies in Argentina, Asia and Europe. In most cases, the imported fuel has already received significant policy support in its country of origin, and the double-dipping of overseas and US incentives paves the way for predatory exports that undercut US producers. Additionally, many of the imports do not meet strict sustainability requirements under the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) aimed at protecting environmentally sensitive land from being cleared for the production of biofuels. Palm biofuels, for example, have not met the sustainability requirements that of the RFS yet are being incentivized by the blender’s tax incentive.

By narrowing the scope of the credit to domestic production, the producer’s incentive would save some $90 million, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. The proposed reform is inconsistent with other manufacturing tax incentives in current law focused on stimulating domestic production such as bonus depreciation (Section 168(k)), the R&D tax credit (Section 41), and the domestic manufacturers deduction (Section 199).

“We want to thank Sens. Grassley and Cantwell and Reps. Noem and Pascrell for sponsoring the biodiesel incentive legislation and for pushing so hard to support domestic producers and jobs with this producer’s reform,” Steckel said. “Given the short-term nature of this extension, we will be back at it next year fighting for the reform again.”



AFBF Board Considers TPP
Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation

“The American Farm Bureau Federation’s Board of Directors voted this week to support the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement. TPP promises to expand opportunities to some of the fastest growing markets around the world.

“We look forward to working with Congress and the administration to move this agreement forward. American farmers need improved access to markets around the Pacific Rim in order to generate growing demand for our products in the future. Our members recognize that the rest of the world is not sitting still. Other countries are trying to set trading rules in their own best interest. This agreement goes a long way in establishing a much more level playing field for our nation’s farmers and ranchers.”



Ethanol Supply, Production, Demand Up

The Energy Information Administration reported greater supply, production and blending demand for the week-ended Dec. 11 on Wednesday, Dec. 16, in its closely watched weekly supply report, with domestic ethanol supply climbing 500,000 barrels (bbl) to a 20.3 million bbl six-month high.

The inventory gain came as U.S. ethanol production plants ramped up output 7,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.0 million bpd, the second-highest weekly production rate on record, with the previous high set two weeks prior at 1.007 million bpd.

EIA said 32,000 bpd of ethanol was imported along the West Coast for the week reviewed following no imports during the preceding week and 36,000 bpd of imports accepted by the West Coast in late November.

The climbing supply came alongside a 41,000 bpd increase in refiner and blender net inputs of ethanol for the week profiled to an 890,000 bpd seven-week high.

Implied gasoline demand for the week-ended Dec. 11 dropped 200,000 bpd from a better than three-month high to 9.22 million bpd. Cumulatively through Dec. 11, gasoline supplied to the primary wholesale market averaged 9.151 million bpd, 313,000 bpd, or 3.5% above the comparable year-ago period, and the highest demand rate since 2008.



Precision Ag Pioneer Farmers Edge Moves into Eight Key US States, Targeting Midwest as well as Emerging Breadbaskets that Lack Access to Big Data

On the heels of its entrance into the U.S. market earlier this year, Farmers Edge, a global leader in precision agriculture and independent data management solutions, today announced it is expanding its sales and operations teams throughout the nation and will have a presence throughout the nation’s major growing regions, including: Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri and Kansas.

Whereas blue-chip agriculture giants and big data startups rely heavily on existing public data and have stagnated in major growing regions, Farmers Edge stands alone in providing growers not simply high-quality and accurate data, but also field-level analysis, predictive modeling and a world-class team of farm data scientists in established and emerging growing regions. This approach has enabled Farmers Edge to secure customers throughout the world, signaling the market’s appetite for solutions that can accurately gather and analyze field-level data to enhance sustainable farm practices.

“We’ve seen Monsanto and a recent surge of new start-ups targeting the Midwest, which has a plethora of free and historical data that already exists, but trying to sell digital data in these well-established markets is a commodity game that offers growers very little in the way of new information,” said Wade Barnes, President and CEO of Farmers Edge. “Their challenge is compounded when you move out of data-rich environments like the Midwest to a state like North Dakota where the data simply doesn’t yet exist. Our strength lies in our ability to extrapolate fresh, field-level data in both data-rich and data-sparse regions. This is why we’re thriving.”

With this U.S. expansion, growers throughout the country will have access to the Farmers Edge Precision Solutions package, a comprehensive turnkey system that includes: Variable Rate Technology, soil sampling and analysis, field centric weather monitoring, in-field telematics and data transfer, high-resolution satellite imagery, field-centric data analytics, access to integrated farm management platform and real boots on the ground. Leading the development and application of new technologies on the farm, Farmers Edge allows farmers to collect, store and transfer data, enabling them to make advanced management decisions and measure results.

“In most of the world’s agricultural regions, and the U.S. is no different, existing big data solutions are falling short of what field-centric tools and talent can add. In expanding our boots on the ground here, we’re further establishing ourselves as an on-farm necessity,” continued Barnes. “In the U.S. markets, we’re ensuring growers that they have the data they need to maximize profitability, optimize on-farm inputs and ultimately improve growing practices through increased sustainability.”



Land O'Lakes Inc. Launches Nutritional Additives Focus in Animal Feed

Land O'Lakes Inc. announced today the launch of a nutritional additives focus within its animal nutrition business. Known as PMI Nutritional Additives, the business will work with all feed nutritionists, manufacturers, veterinarians and producers seeking to deliver value, efficacy and strong results through their livestock feed.

PMI Nutritional Additives is focused on products that optimize performance in animals in two key areas—nutrient utilization and gut health and integrity. There are several nutritional additives available for poultry, swine, dairy and beef cattle, and more will follow.

"Within the animal production industry, Land O'Lakes' animal nutrition business delivers proven feed solutions backed by extensive research know-how both in-house, through our animal nutrition Ph.D.s, and in the field," says Dave Hoogmoed, chief operating officer for animal nutrition. "With our nutritional additives business, we're extending our research capabilities, partnerships and distribution to meet the needs of a growing segment of customers."

In addition to extensive research capabilities, PMI Nutritional Additives products are backed by practical insights and expertise in how to use products in US-based formulations as well as a deep understanding of the health, management and nutrition dynamic within each specie group. Strong partnerships with industry-leading companies across the world ensure access to advanced feed components providing diverse feed additive competency.

"This is a natural and exciting extension of our quality, innovation and expertise," says Tim Makens, general manager of PMI Nutritional Additives. "We really view this as another way we can work with our partners to ensure the highest levels of performance in America's livestock."