Monday January 18 Ag News

Farmers Tax Guide Now Available
Larry Howard, Extension Educator, Cuming County

Farmers can better understand their 2015 tax returns with help from a guide available through the IRS.  The 2015 Farmers Tax Guide has illustrated examples, a sample return and explains how the federal tax laws apply to farming.

The IRS has dropped the number of publications they are still printing.  You can still access it for free from the IRS website https://www.irs.gov/uac/About-Pulication-225.  



Cuming County Cow/Calf Association to Meet

The Cuming County Cow/Calf Association will be holding their annual membership meeting on Sunday, January 24 at JD’s Bar & Grill in West Point.  Social hour will be held at 6:30 p.m. with meal and program to follow.

The program is “Use of Technologies to Improve Efficiency and Profitability of Beef Production” presented by Jason Warner of Great Plains Livestock Consulting, Inc.

All current or prospective members are encouraged to attend.



MINI-SYMPOSIUM - Unmanned aerial systems (drones) in agriculture
-    This mini-symposium is hosted by the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture.
-    Registration is not required.
-    It is free and open to the public.

Friday, January 29, 2016, 1-5 pm
Arbor Suite, Nebraska East Union,
Refreshments served at 2:45 pm

Drones are quickly becoming more and more commonplace as individuals and businesses find new ways to use them. Significantly cheaper than the traditional manned airplane or helicopter approaches to obtaining aerial imagery and sensor data, increased drone use is transforming the work of those involved in the agriculture industry.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty and drone industry experts will discuss the use of unmanned aerial systems from the technical aspects of operation and data collection and analysis, to application in agriculture and legal use.

Presentations include the following:
1:00 – 1:30 pm
Bringing aerial robots closer to crops: Sensing, sampling, and safety
CARRICK DETWEILER – Assistant Professor, UNL Computer Science and Engineering

1:30 – 2:00 pm
How do I legally use my unmanned aerial systems
WILLIAM KREUSER – Assistant Professor, UNL Agronomy and Horticulture

2:00 – 2:45 pm
Getting the most from unmanned aerial systems
NATHAN STEIN – Ag Solutions, SenseFly

2:45 – 3:00 pm
BREAK

3:00 – 3:10 pm
Unmanned aerial systems to evaluate the timing of winter dormancy in Buffalograss
KEENAN AMUNDSEN – Assistant Professor, UNL Agronomy and Horticulture

3:10 – 3:45 pm
Sensor-based nitrogen management: The role of unmanned aerial systems
RICHARD FERGUSON – Professor, UNL Agronomy and Horticulture

3:45 – 4:30 pm
Building big data solutions for drones in agriculture
JEREMY BAYNES – Geospatial Scientist, PrecisionHawk

4:30 – 5:00 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION

Join us in person or online at https://connect.unl.edu/FridaySeminarSeries.  If you have questions about this mini-symposium, please email Judy Fredrick at jfredrick3@unl.edu.



Beef Profit Tips Workshop to be Held in Oakland

Area Cow/Calf producers will want to make plans to attend the Beef Profit Tips Workshop.  According to Nebraska Extension Educator in Cuming County, Larry Howard, the workshop will be held on Monday, February 22 at 1:00 p.m. in the Rosen Room at the Oakland Auditorium in Oakland, NE.

Topics on this year program are Composting Livestock Mortality, Management of Young Cows for Reproductive Efficiency and Beef Economics/Industry Outlook.  The registration fee is only $15 per person payable at the meeting.  Pre-registration is encouraged by February 19 by contacting the Cuming County Extension Office in West Point.



Nebraska to Consider 'Right-to-Farm' Amendment

A Nebraska state senator is proposing a ballot measure to add a "Right to Farm" amendment to the state constitution.

Senator John Kuehn of Heartwell says the amendment would prevent the Nebraska legislature from imposing restrictions on crop and livestock production "without a compelling state interest". It would also help protect farmers and ranchers from outside activists, he says.

"There comes a point in time where we simply cannot sit back and let outside groups continue to drive the discussion," Kuehn says. "It's time for us in agriculture to begin taking control of that discussion."

Nebraska Farm Bureau president Steve Nelson says they are in the process of evaluating Kuehn's bill. One concern, Nelson says, is whether the timing is right for such an effort.

"With all of the issues, particularly property tax, being a high priority this year--and a lot of senators seeming to want to work on that, coalesce around that--I sure don't want to distract from that part of it," Nelson says. Nebraska Farm Bureau supports the general concept of "Right to Farm", Nelson says.

"Certainly, if we go down that path, it's something we want to be behind and we want to support strongly--and we want to win," he says. "So I think it's just really important that we look at this from what the right timing perspective is--and that's what we'll be doing as we take a look at Senator Kuehn's bill."

Kuehn, who is a veterinarian, says the response that he's received from farmers and ranchers "is pretty exciting".

"It's about time, they're telling me, that someone is standing up and we're having an opportunity to have an open dialogue about protecting Nebraska's farm interests," Kuehn says.

If passed by the legislature, the "Right to Farm" amendment would be placed on Nebraska's general election ballot in November.

Missouri and North Dakota have passed "Right to Farm" measures. Oklahoma voters will decide on a similar amendment this fall.



FEEDING MOLDY HAY
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Moldy hay.  No matter how hard you tried, last summer you baled some hay a little too wet and now you have some mold.  So how do you go about feeding this moldy hay safely?

               Feeding moldy hay to livestock is a tough decision.  Although all hay contains some mold, when mold becomes easily noticeable the decisions become important.

               Usually, mold makes hay less palatable, which can result in lower intake or even in animals refusing to eat the hay.  Other problems from mold can occur because of mycotoxins produced by certain mold fungi.  This also is part of the decision problem since not all molds produce mycotoxins and the amount produced by those that do is unpredictable.

               Direct negative affects of moldy hay are difficult to document.  Horses may be the most sensitive to mold among common livestock.  For instance, mold spores often contribute to respiratory and digestive problems like colic or heaves in horses.  Cattle apparently are less affected by mold, but certain molds can cause mycotic abortions or aspergillosis.  People, too, can be affected by mold spores.  Mold can cause a condition called farmer’s lung, where the fungus actually grows in lung tissue.  So try to avoid breathing in many of these spores.

               The best course of action often is to minimize feeding moldy hay to more sensitive animals, like horses or pregnant cows.  This may require a keen eye or sensitive nose when selecting hay to feed each day.  Mixing moldy hay with other feedstuffs can dilute problems sometimes, but be careful that you don’t make your animals sick by tricking them into eating bad hay that they normally would refuse.

               Moldy hay is a difficult problem to deal with.  Common sense and good observation often are your best decision aids.



Safeguarding the Beef Industry, Quashing Myths

As cattle producers, you know it’s frustrating, at best, to read or hear headlines and stories about the cattle industry in mainstream media that you know are not accurate.

In most cases, your firsthand stories are extremely helpful and effective in getting the true story out to consumers, because consumers generally trust producers and want firsthand information. But it’s not enough on its own. Today’s consumers have more questions about how beef is raised – from farm to fork – than ever before, and they demand scientific proof to answer their questions about things like nutrition and environmental effects of ranching.

You can respond in letters, social media, or face-to-face, and tell folks how YOU care for your animals and the environment. But how do you prove that you are not the exception in doing so?

Thanks to your dollar-per-head investments into your Beef Checkoff Program, all the tools are in place to safeguard you and the beef industry from misinformation, misperceptions, crises, and constant attacks and emotional rhetoric from misinformed sources or anti-meat individuals and groups – including myth-busters for misinformation such as “Undercover videos show abuse and are representative of the entire beef industry” or “Cows cause global warming.”

In addition to sharing accurate information constantly through http://www.factsaboutbeef/, your checkoff works on a daily basis to help consumers understand how you raise your beef and uses the truth to shut down vast amounts of misinformation before it ever reaches the public. And if it can’t be headed off in advance, your checkoff is at the ready to respond with facts and science when myths are purported. You might hear it called “reputation management” or something of the like, and there’s a lot more strategy and engagement to it than most folks could imagine.

“Our role is really protecting and preserving consumer confidence in and consumer demand for beef,” said Season Solorio, who directs the checkoff’s issues and reputation management program. “Ultimately, we know that sometimes when issues pop up, and consumers not being as involved with what happens on farms and ranches every day, they may look at that and say ‘Maybe I am going to limit my beef demand today or this week or this month,’ and that's the last thing that we want. Ultimately, what we're really trying to do is make sure that, No. 1, consumers never hear about those issues that would be our ultimate goal and, No. 2, if they do hear about those issues that they have the other side of the story and that they understand that that headline -- that 140-character soundbite on Twitter that they read – might not be the entire story.”

The checkoff’s market-research efforts are a critical part of the checkoff’s safeguarding strategy. That research helps us understand what issues are on consumers’ minds and combines with a tremendous amount of digital and social ‘listening’ and tracking to understand, real-time, what consumers are talking about when beef issues – or misinformation – arise and, ultimately, answer the questions that they have.

Protection from threats like these is a key component of long-term success of the beef industry – especially considering consumers’ growing demands for transparency of cattle and beef-production practices, impacts, and responsiveness to their values and needs. They want the truth that makes them comfortable with every step of the process – not to mention the final product – if they are to continue or increase their beef purchases, and that’s what the checkoff provides.



Legislation Prevents New OSHA Regs on Farm Fertilizers

Senator John Hoeven announced that he worked to include language in legislation Congress passed in December that prevents the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from imposing new restrictions on fertilizer sales that would cause many retailers to stop selling to farmers at rural locations. The rule threatened to limit the supply of anhydrous ammonia, a nitrogen fertilizer that is critically important to producers.

OSHA had planned to revoke a "retail" exemption in 2016, which would have forced agriculture retail facilities to comply with the same chemical storage requirements as a wholesale facility. The language Hoeven worked to get in the legislation, however, requires OSHA to go through the rule-making process to give retailers and farmers a voice in the decision before it can implement the new rule.

"Anhydrous has long been a staple source of quality fertilizer for farmers in North Dakota and across the nation and has not posed a problem," Hoeven said. "This new rule would have added another layer of bureaucracy and expense to retailers and producers, which would eventually be passed on to the consumer. In the course of the appropriations process, we were able to prevent that from happening, but we still need to make sure the rule is not implemented at all."

"The Fertilizer Institute greatly appreciates the efforts of Senator Hoeven and his colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure that the approximately 3,800 agricultural retailers impacted by this major rule change are offered an opportunity to provide input during the rulemaking process and are given adequate time for compliance," said Chris Jahn, President of the Fertilizer Institute.



Brazil Harvest Slowed By Rain

Heavy rains in the first half of January have caused the Brazilian soybean harvest to start slowly, according to AgRural, a local farm consultancy.  As of Friday, farmers had harvested 0.5% of the crop, down from the 1.1% harvested at the same stage last year, it said.  Irritating as it may be to those trying to harvest, the rainfall has been broadly welcomed as it helps crops in Mato Grosso and other parts of the center-west recover from a drier-than-usual first part of the season.

Mato Grosso had harvested 1.7% of planted area as of Friday, down from 3% last year. Precipitation stymied harvest efforts but drought-induced planting at the start of the season means there aren't that many fields ready for the combines anyway. Harvest efforts will only accelerate in February in the state, said AgRural.  Early harvest yields were low in the north of the state, one of the worst affected by the dry weather. In Sinop, early harvest yields vary between 31 and 36 bushels per year. But in the west, in Sapezal, early yields vary between 37.5 and 54 bpa.

In Parana, farmers took advantage of breaks in the rain to start harvesting. Fieldwork is still in the very early stages, at 0.3% complete compared with 1.3% at the same time last year. In the west of the state, heavy rain in the last quarter of 2015 has prolonged the cycle of the beans.

Elsewhere, weather over the last week was generally positive for the crop, AgRural said.



Novozymes delivers solid 2015 results and updates long-term growth target

Novozymes, the world’s largest producer of industrial enzymes, today announced its full year results for 2015. Sales in 2015 grew by 4% organically and by 12% in DKK. EBIT grew by 15%, and the EBIT margin was 27.7%. Net profit grew by 12%. In Q4, sales grew by 2% organically and by 9% in DKK compared with Q4 2014.

In 2016, organic sales growth is expected at 3-5% (3-5% in DKK). Growth in EBIT is also expected at 3-5%, and the EBIT margin is expected to be on par with 2015 at ~28%. Net profit growth is expected at 8-10%.

Update on long-term targets
Novozymes maintains its ambition to accelerate sales growth to 8-10% organically. However, as a result of the current depressed commodity prices and the uncertainties these entail for Bioenergy and growth in emerging markets, Novozymes expects annual organic sales growth from 2017 through to the end of the decade to be in line with the historical performance of 6-7%. The long-term targets for EBIT margin, ROIC and sustainability are unchanged. A new stock buyback program worth up to DKK 2 billion is planned for 2016.

Peder Holk Nielsen, President and CEO of Novozymes, comments:
“We delivered solid financial results in 2015, despite challenges in growing our sales, particularly in Bioenergy. In 2016, we expect to work our way through these challenges and deliver solid organic sales growth in the majority of our business. The focus in 2016 is to get growth back up as soon as possible, while continuing our cautious cost approach. Profitability is expected to remain high, enabling us to secure close to double-digit growth in net profit, and the strength of our balance sheet enables a new 2 billion kroner stock buyback program.”