Wednesday April 20 Ag News

Nebraska Ag Groups Urge Congress to Fully Fund Agriculture Research

Nebraska agriculture groups have joined together to urge Congress to fully fund the Agriculture Research Service (ARS), which includes funding for the Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska, as part of the Fiscal Year 2017 Agriculture Appropriations bill. In a letter to U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, and Congressman Robert Aderholt, Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, Nebraska Cattlemen and Nebraska Pork Producers Association reiterated the importance of fully funding ARS.

“Without the necessary funding, meat animal research in Nebraska and general agriculture research nationwide would be greatly limited, causing economic harm to our nation’s farmers and ranchers who rely on research done by ARS to address critical issues in agriculture and food production,” said Steve Nelson, Nebraska Farm Bureau president.

The 2016 Agricultural Appropriation included language withholding five percent of total ARS appropriations, pending an investigation resulting from alleged wrongdoing related to animal welfare at MARC.

“Since then, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack has established an Animal Handling and Welfare Review Panel to investigate ARS animal care policies and the USDA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) have reviewed MARC practices and operations. Neither of these investigations has found any evidence of animal neglect or abuse at MARC,” said Barb Cooksley, Nebraska Cattlemen president.

The OIG Interim Report affirmed MARC’s protocols and practices were in line with industry norms, eliminating any reason for withholding funds from ARS in the 2017 Agriculture Appropriations bill.

“Research is critical to agriculture. MARC is one of the largest and most respected facilities of its kind in the world. Research there has led to advance in nutrition enhancement, food safety and animal handling, in turn improving the competitiveness of American livestock producers,” said Russ Vering, Nebraska Pork Producers Association president.

In the letter, the groups reiterated the need for Congress to support scientific agriculture research, particularly in the face of animal rights extremists that continue to use misinformation to drive an agenda beyond improving animal welfare.

The House Appropriations Committee advanced their version of the 2017 Agriculture Appropriations bill Wed., April 20. The measure included provisions to fully fund ARS.

“We greatly appreciate the actions of the House Appropriations Committee. We urge the Senate to follow suit in maintaining a strong foundation for agriculture research,” said Nelson.



NDA DIRECTOR IBACH ANNOUNCES MAT HABROCK AS NDA ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Greg Ibach has announced the appointment of Mat Habrock to the position of assistant director.  Habrock, who has past experience with a trade association and in the seed industry, began his duties this week.

“Mat lives and understands Nebraska agriculture and will bring a great perspective to this positon,” said Ibach. “His past experience working closely with farmers, ranchers and agri-businesses gives him insight into how policies and regulations need to work within the framework of the agriculture industry.”

Most recently, Habrock served in an industry relations and communication position with DuPont Pioneer. He also was previously employed with the Nebraska Corn Growers Association responsible for grower engagement and outreach.

“My previous experiences have fueled my passion for agriculture,” said Habrock. “I look forward to having a positive effect on the industry I grew up in.”

Habrock grew up on a farm near Emerson, Nebraska, and graduated from Wayne High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with an emphasis on political science. He and his wife Kyla reside in Lincoln.

Habrock fills the assistant director position previously held by Bobbie Kriz-Wickham who has taken a positon with the USDA Farm Service Agency’s state office in Lincoln.



BEEF METHANE CONFERENCE IS MAY 11-12 IN LINCOLN

    Beef producers, extension educators, veterinarians and others in the beef industry are encouraged to attend the 2016 Beef Methane Conference May 11-12, hosted by Nebraska Extension. The conference will be at the Cornhusker Marriot Hotel, 333 S. 13th St. in Lincoln.

    Attendees will learn the latest on beef cattle enteric methane production, why it is produced, the impact of its production on the beef industry and what it may mean for beef producers.

    Experts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and other universities across North America and producer representatives will speak on methane emissions from beef cattle, which include topics such as separating fact from fiction for livestock and climate change and producer views on climate issues for the beef industry and production of enteric methane. Topics will focus on reduction of enteric methane production, beef industry sustainability, the relationship between methane production and performance, and other air quality issues.

    Registration begins at 2 p.m. May 11, with a welcome at 3 p.m. Pre-registration is available at http://go.unl.edu/beefmethane. Registration is $50 if pre-registered by May 4 and $75 the day of the event.

    Dinner will be provided May 11 over a discussion of the North American beef industry, and lunch will be provided May 12. The meeting will adjourn by 5 p.m. May 12.

    For more information, contact Galen Erickson at (402) 472-6402 or gerickson4@unl.edu. For updates and the schedule, visit http://beef.unl.edu/livestock-and-the-environment.



NCTA Aggie alumni weekend is June 10-11 

Alumni activities for the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture will be June 11 in Curtis, announced Ron Rosati, NCTA Dean.  All alumni from the 113-year-old institution are welcome.

High school graduates of the Nebraska School of Agriculture (NSA) and University of NSA, plus college graduates from the past 50 years of the University of Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture (UNSTA) and NCTA will be recognized in the all-school events.

Kim Mortensen of Curtis is president of the UNSTA-NCTA Alumni Association. The college celebrated its 50th anniversary last November. The June event continues that recognition campus tours which will include a new commemorative brick patio that is going to be installed soon near Ag Hall, the oldest building on campus.

Activities begin that Saturday morning with golfing, trap shooting at the Curtis trap club, NCTA campus tours, and availability at the Alumni Room on campus. An evening banquet begins at 6 p.m. at the Curtis Memorial Community Center.

Dave Thorell, KRVN radio announcer and personality, will be the banquet emcee and keynote speaker. Alumni awards and some special recognition will be included at this year’s banquet.

The NCTA Dean’s Spring Newsletter was recently mailed to more than 4,200 alumni and campus friends, Rosati said. If an Aggie graduate does not receive the mailing, please contact the Dean’s Office at 308 367-5200 or 1-800-3-CURTIS and speak with Catherine Hauptman.

Additionally, the electronic version of the 2016 Dean’s Newsletter is posted at the NCTA web site, ncta.unl.edu under “News and Events.”

Alumni Association officers are:  President Kim Bowers Mortensen, Past President Dan Stehlik, Secretary Catherine Potter Hauptman, and Treasurer Taylor Rossenbach, all of Curtis.  President-Elect is Dave Mehaffey of Bellwood.



Field Scouting Basics Workshop for Corn and Soybean Crop Scouts

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering a Field Scouting Basics Workshop on Tuesday, May 17 at the Field Extension Education Laboratory near Boone, Iowa. Designed for beginning-level crop scouts, the course provides hands-on, in-field experience to crop scouts for the 2016 growing season.

The Field Scouting Basics Workshop is a course for beginning corn and soybean crop scouts. The workshop builds on the fundamentals of crop scouting covered during the February Field Crop Scout School by adding more hands-on identification, exercises and in-field activities at FEEL. Primary topics include soybean growth and development, and disease, insect and weed identification.

“The goal of the workshop is to provide a hands-on learning opportunity at the field lab, and help participants feel confident when they’re scouting for farmers in 2016,” said Warren Pierson, program specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “It also serves as a refresher course for those who attended the February Field Crop Scouting School before they head out into the field.”

ISU Extension and Outreach specialists and field agronomists provide instruction on the principles of integrated pest management with an emphasis on weed, insect and crop disease identification in Iowa corn and soybean production. An overview of basic field scouting skills including sample collection, observation and documentation is also offered.

The half-day Field Scouting Basics Workshop presentation topics and instructors include:
-    Crop scouting tips and tools – Angie Rieck-Hinz, extension field agronomist
-    Corn and soybean growth and development – Mark Licht, extension cropping systems agronomist
-    Weed identification – Bob Hartzler, extension weed specialist
-    Disease identification – Alison Robertson, extension plant pathologist
-    Insect identification – Erin Hodgson, extension entomologist


Registration check-in opens at 12:30 p.m. The program starts at 1 p.m. and adjourns at 5 p.m. Pre-registration is required and must be completed before midnight, May 11. Registration is $65. Attendees of the Feb. 27 Field Crop Scouting School receive a $20 discount. Additional workshop information and online registration is available at www.aep.iastate.edu/feel/scout.

For assistance with registration, receipts, cancellation or questions on the status of your registration contact ANR Program Services at 515-294-6429 or anr@iastate.edu.



2016 Iowa Swine Day is Coming Together
John F. Patience, Professor
Dept. of Animal Science, Iowa State University

Plans are almost complete for the 2016 Iowa Swine Day. This is the 5th anniversary of the event and will feature discussion on a diversity of topics, ranging from human impacts of antibiotic use in farm animals to insights into the economic drivers of pork production, from high farm productivity with low antimicrobial consumption to one producer’s experience converting to group housing of dry sows, from assessing future use of aging barns to manure management in a changing world.  There will be 16 presentations in total, with expert speakers from across the U.S. and Europe.  The full program is attached for your information.

The registration website is now open at http://www.aep.iastate.edu/iowaswineday/registration. Early registration is only $60 and $25 for students.

Immediately following Iowa Swine Day, at 4:35 pm, there will again be a barbecue catered by Darin Warth of Smokey D’s.  Last year was a great success with ribs that attendees are still talking about!  Darin is currently ranked 10 in the U.S. out of more than 4,000 competition barbecue teams and in 2014 won both the Jack Daniels World Championship BBQ competition and the King of the Smoker BBQ competition.

Iowa Swine Day is a joint initiative of Iowa State University, the Iowa Pork Industry Center and the Iowa Pork Producers Association. It will be held this year on June 30th in the Scheman Building on the Iowa State University campus.  There is plenty of free parking available.



Webinar to Outline 2016 Calf Market Expectations

Cow-calf margins will continue to be under pressure as the U.S. beef cowherd expands, but producers can mitigate a reduction in profitability by adjusting business plans for the supply increase. An upcoming free CattleFax webinar will address an outlook for the second half of 2016 for the cow-calf segment and entire beef sector.

The CattleFax Trends+ Cow-Calf Webinar will be at 5:30 p.m. MT, May 25, 2016. To participate in the webinar and access program details, producers and industry leaders simply need to register online at www.cattlefax.com/meetings.aspx. 

One of the most aggressive U.S. beef cowherd expansions in the last four decades will increase beef supplies and pressure cow-calf profitability over the next several years. As profits narrow during that time, well-informed producers can maintain healthy margins by adjusting production, marketing and risk management plans with increasing supplies in mind.

CattleFax analysts will discuss a variety of topics in the one-hour session, including:
-    Cattle and feedstuff market projections for the next 12 to 18 months
-    Supply and margin expectations based on U.S. beef cowherd expansion estimates
-    Analysis of a recent Cow-Calf Survey conducted by CattleFax                                                                                 

The Trends+ webinar series informs cattle producers about current market conditions and provides providing decision-friendly advice regarding management decisions. The analysis and strategies shared through the webinar series has reached more than 2,500 producers, and sponsorship from Elanco Animal Health is making the seminar free for all attendees.



Vilsack to Travel to Japan, Vietnam

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel to Asia from April 21-27, leading the U.S. delegation to the G7 Agriculture Ministers Meeting in Niigata, Japan, and then traveling to Vietnam to underscore the significance of the U.S.-Vietnam agricultural relationship and the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to both nations.

At the G7 meeting, Vilsack and other participating ministers will discuss how G7 members can collaborate on improving the sustainability and resilience of agriculture and food production systems to address global food security in the face of climate change. Vilsack will also have the opportunity to advance U.S. priorities on agricultural innovation, climate smart agriculture, and open data. In addition to the ministerial, his schedule also includes bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other G7 nations to discuss agricultural trade matters important to the United States.

In Vietnam, Vilsack will meet with his counterparts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, among others, to discuss the details of the TPP agreement. Numerous U.S. exports, including beef, pork, poultry and dairy, will benefit significantly from the reduction and eventual elimination of Vietnam’s current high tariffs.

Vietnam remains one of the fastest-growing markets for U.S. food and agricultural products, with sales totaling $2.3 billion in 2015. Vietnam now ranks as the United States’ 11th-largest agricultural export market, with top products including cotton, tree nuts, soybeans, and dairy. Just 15 years ago, Vietnam was the United States’ 50th-largest market.

Vilsack will also meet with Vietnamese alumni of USDA’s Borlaug and Cochran fellowship programs, which have enabled researchers, policymakers and agricultural specialists to work alongside their U.S. counterparts, acquiring knowledge and skills to help support Vietnam’s agricultural sector and capacity for meeting international trading standards.

Agricultural exports have climbed more than 35 percent in value since 2009 under the Obama Administration, totaling a record $919.6 billion over the past seven years. Agricultural exports support more than 1 million American jobs. Since 2009, USDA has removed numerous unfair restrictions to U.S. trade to help farmers export more. USDA has also led more than 225 U.S. agribusinesses and more than 20 State Departments of Agriculture on agricultural trade missions to China, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, India, Iraq, Malaysia, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and Vietnam.



Record Pork Production for 2015

Total red meat production for the United States totaled 48.5 billion pounds in 2015, 2 percent higher than the previous year - according to USDA's 2015 Livestock Slaughter Summary. Red meat includes beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton. Red meat production in commercial plants totaled 48.4 billion pounds. On-farm slaughter totaled 87.8 million pounds.

Beef production totaled 23.8 billion pounds, down 2 percent from the previous year. Veal production totaled 87.8 million pounds, down 12 percent from last year. Pork production, at 24.5 billion pounds, was 7 percent above the previous year. Lamb and mutton production totaled 155.6 million pounds, down 3 percent from 2014.

Commercial cattle slaughter during 2015 totaled 28.8 million head, down 5 percent from 2014, with federal inspection comprising 98.4 percent of the total. The average live weight was 1,360 pounds, up 30 pounds from a year ago. Steers comprised 54.2 percent of the total federally inspected cattle
slaughter, heifers 26.0 percent, dairy cows 10.3 percent, other cows 7.9 percent, and bulls 1.6 percent.

Commercial calf slaughter totaled 452,600 head, 20 percent lower than a year ago with 98.4 percent under federal inspection. The average live weight was 310 pounds, up 27 pounds from a year earlier.

Commercial hog slaughter totaled 115.4 million head, 8 percent higher than 2014 with 99.3 percent of the hogs slaughtered under federal inspection. The average live weight was down 2 pounds from last year, at 283 pounds. Barrows and gilts comprised 97.3 percent of the total federally inspected hog
slaughter.

Commercial sheep and lamb slaughter, at 2.22 million head, was down 4 percent from the previous year with 89.9 percent by federal inspection. The average live weight was up 1 pound from 2014 at 136 pounds. Lambs and yearlings comprised 94.3 percent of the total federally inspected sheep slaughter.

There were 808 plants slaughtering under federal inspection on January 1, 2016 compared with 881 last year. Of these, 641 plants slaughtered at least one head of cattle during 2015 with the 13 largest plants slaughtering 57 percent of the total cattle killed. Hogs were slaughtered at 613 plants, with
the 13 largest plants accounting for 60 percent of the total. For calves, 3 of the 203 plants accounted for 42 percent of the total and 2 of the 518 plants that slaughtered sheep or lambs in 2015 comprised 43 percent of the total head.   

By State - Commercial Red Meat Prod 2015
             (million lbs.  -  '15 prod  -  '14 prod)
Nebraska ......:              7,475.1        7,274.4
Iowa .............:               6,969.0        6,597.1
Kansas ..........:               5,038.8        5,073.2
Texas ............:               4,082.8        4,180.6

Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas accounted for 49 percent of the United States commercial red meat production in 2015, unchanged from 2014.



March Milk Production up 1.8 Percent
                       
Milk production in the 23 major States during March totaled 17.2 billion pounds, up 1.8 percent from March 2015.  February revised production at 15.8 billion pounds, was up 4.6 percent from February 2015.  The February revision represented an increase of 4 million pounds or less than 0.1 percent from last month's preliminary production estimate.  Adjusting February production for the additional day due to leap year causes February revised production to be up 1.0 percent on a per day basis.

Production per cow in the 23 major States averaged 1,993 pounds for March, 31 pounds above March 2015.  This is the highest production per cow for the month of March since the 23 State series began in 2003.

The number of milk cows on farms in the 23 major States was 8.64 million head, 19,000 head more than March 2015, and 9,000 head more than February 2016.

IOWA:  Milk production in Iowa during March 2016 totaled 418 million pounds, up 1 percent from the previous March according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Milk Production report. The average number of milk cows during March, at 209,000 head, was the same as last month but 2,000 fewer than a year ago. Monthly production per cow averaged 2,000 pounds, up 35 pounds from last March. This is the highest monthly milk per cow for March on record in Iowa.

January-March Milk Production up 2.1 Percent
Milk production in the United States during the January - March quarter totaled 53.0 billion pounds, up 2.1 percent from the January - March quarter last year.  The average number of milk cows in the United States during the quarter was 9.32 million head, 5,000 head less than the October - December 2015 quarter, but 7,000 head more than the same period last year.

By State:  Q1 2016 Milk Prod  
                     (million pounds - % of Q1 '15)
Nebraska ...:           344.0             +9.2    
Iowa ..........:          1,225.0           +1.2    



Fertilizer Prices Stabilizing

Retail fertilizer price trends show no clear pattern as corn planting begins, according to retail fertilizer prices tracked by DTN for the second week of April 2016.

Prices for four fertilizers edged higher while the other four fertilizers slipped compared to last month, but none moved by any significance. DAP averaged $480 per ton, MAP $504/ton, anhydrous $587/ton and UAN32 $318/ton.

The remaining four fertilizers were down a small amount compared to the month before. Potash averaged $367/ton, urea $388/ton, 10-34-0 $560/ton and UAN28 $273/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.42/lb.N, anhydrous $0.36/lb.N, UAN28 $0.49/lb.N and UAN32 $0.50/lb.N.

Although the price collapse that started last summer has cooled in recent weeks, fertilizers remain lower compared to a year earlier. All fertilizers are now double digits lower.

10-34-0, urea and UAN32 were all 14% lower compared to a year earlier while DAP and MAP are both 16% less expensive. In addition, anhydrous is 17% lower, UAN28 is 18% less expensive and potash is 25% lower compared to a year earlier.



Roberts, Inhofe on EPA Response for Anti-Farmer Campaign

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, and U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, chairman of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Tuesday released a statement after receiving a letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspector general regarding the Agency's taxpayer funded, anti-farmer campaign.

"I am pleased the EPA inspector general agrees that an investigation into the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission's questionable use of millions in taxpayer funded grants for political purposes is warranted," Sen. Roberts said. "In the days since Sen. Inhofe and I called for an investigation, farmers and ranchers have contacted my office to thank us for standing up for them. We already know this campaign was malicious. Now we need to know what role the EPA had in it and whether they are properly monitoring the lawful use of federal funds."

"It is important that the EPA inspector general get to the bottom of how taxpayer money was used to criticize farmers and promote the agenda of environmental activists," Sen. Inhofe said. "In a hearing before the Environment and Public Works Committee this morning, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy admitted that EPA has halted payments to the grant organization due to the concerns the inspector general will be investigating. That's an important step, but EPA needs to prevent similar mismanagement for occurring in the future."

Roberts and Inhofe on April 5 sent a letter to Arthur A. Elkins Jr., the inspector general of the EPA, requesting an audit and investigation of an EPA grant to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission used to support an anti-farmer advocacy campaign in Washington state. The campaign included billboards and a website that support increased regulation of agriculture in Washington state. The inspector general has confirmed that it will answer the questions raised in the Roberts and Inhofe letter as part of an audit into the $20.5 million in grants awarded to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.



Mexico Lifts Ban on U.S. Raised Poultry

Mexico's government has lifted its highly pathogenic avian influenza-related bans on poultry exports from 14 U.S. states, while a ban remains in place for poultry exports from Indiana, reports Feedstuffs magazine.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the action is a result of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's close communications with Mexico to reduce trade restrictions imposed due to HPAI detections in the United States.

"By persuading other trading partners to enforce regionalized bans that affect only those areas where HPAI was detected and to rely on internationally accepted, science-based standards for trade, USDA has helped preserve billions in U.S. poultry exports," Vilsack said.

In 2015, despite the HPAI outbreak, U.S. poultry and poultry product exports reached $4.6 billion. Mexico has been the largest market for U.S. poultry and poultry products since 2010.

Feedstuffs reports that U.S. exports of poultry and poultry products to Mexico reached $1.2 billion last year, accounting for 25% of total U.S. shipments.



Temple Grandin elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Temple Grandin’s worldwide reputation as a leader in the field of humane animal handing and autism advocacy has propelled her into one of the nation’s most distinguished groups – the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Colorado State University professor of animal sciences was elected to American Academy among 213 new members announced April 20 in Cambridge, Mass.

Grandin is an internationally recognized leader in animal handling innovations, and her expertise has been utilized by major corporations such as Wendy’s International, Burger King, Whole Foods, Chipotle, McDonald’s Corporation as well as the USDA, where she has trained auditors in animal care at livestock processing plants.

Her approach to animal welfare is informed by Grandin’s own experiences with autism and through her perspective as a “visual thinker.” She is a tireless advocate for autism awareness, a role model for individuals across the autism spectrum, and an inspiration for families who have loved ones diagnosed with autism. Despite labels that were put on her at an early age, Grandin has accomplished much throughout her career, including earning her doctoral degree, authoring a New York Times bestseller, Animals in Translation, and having the story of her life depicted in HBO’s Temple Grandin, a film for which she was a consultant.

“Temple Grandin is a one-in-a-billion mind, and to include her as an autistic person in this group of esteemed scholars is an honor to her and to human potential,” said Colorado State University President Tony Frank. “We’re proud to include her unique and insightful mind among our faculty ranks.”

Grandin is the third member of the CSU faculty to be elected to the American Academy. Biologist Diana Wall was inducted as a member of the Class of 2014; the late Marshall Fixman was the first inducted, in 1970. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa, an alumnus of the CSU College of Liberal Arts, is also part of the American Academy Class of 2016.

Since its founding in 1780, the American Academy has served the nation as a champion of scholarship, civil dialogue, and useful knowledge. As one of the nation’s oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers, the Academy convenes leaders from the academic, business, and government sectors to address critical challenges facing our global society. Its ranks include winners of the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize as well as Grammy, Oscar, Emmy and Tony Award winners, and other lauded intellectuals such as George Washington, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Mead and Martin Luther King, Jr.

In addition to delivering a multitude of public talks and presentations, Grandin has also appeared in popular media outlets such as 20/20, 48 Hours, Larry King Live, 60 Minutes, The New York Times, Forbes, and U.S. News and World Report. In 2010, Time named her one of the “100 Most Influential People” and her namesake film debuted that same year. She also delivered a TED Talk in 2010 on “The World Needs all Kinds of Minds.” Grandin’s visibility on the world stage has increased autism awareness and understanding in ways that are truly without precedent.

“To see Temple Grandin included among such a distinguished group of scientists, writers, artists and civic leaders speaks to the power of her scholarship and the transformative nature of her autism advocacy,” said Ajay Menon, dean of the CSU College of Agricultural Sciences. “She has forever changed the way we understand the relationship between people and animals through her research and her own personal experiences, and she has left an indelible mark on the field of animal sciences, the colleagues she works with, and the students she has mentored.”

“I am both honored and humbled to be included in such a distinguished group,” said Grandin. “As I looked down the list of members both past and present, I was awed by the impact of their work and hope that my contributions will have as much influence as theirs.”



Syngenta, ChemChina Deal on Track

Syngenta AG Chief Executive John Ramsay said regulatory reviews of the Swiss seed and pesticide company's $43 billion acquisition by ChemChina are on track so the deal should close by the end of the year.

"We're still very much on course for all regulatory reviews," Mr. Ramsay said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

In February, Syngenta agreed to be acquired by government-owned China National Chemical Corp., as ChemChina is formally known, for $43 billion cash.

The deal faces regulatory reviews particularly in regions with large agriculture sectors including the European Union, U.S. and Brazil.

The deal faces particular scrutiny in the U.S. given Syngenta's ownership of chemical facilities there. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or CFIUS can review foreign takeovers for any security concerns.

On Wednesday, Syngenta reported that first-quarter sales fell 7% to $3.7 billion, a decline driven by the stronger U.S. dollar. Excluding the effects of currency changes, sales were unchanged during the first three months of the year compared with the same period last year.

Sales fell 4% to Europe, Africa and the Middle East, though they rose 6% at constant exchange rates. Sales were down 2% at constant exchange rates to North America.

Mr. Ramsay said he expects the company to adjust to changes in foreign exchange markets, and that currencies should affect Syngenta's bottom line by only around $75 million this year.

"We're trying to match costs with revenues in the same currency," he said.

Syngenta has been able to raise prices in countries such as Russia and Ukraine that have seen substantial devaluations of their currencies.



Senate Turns its Back on Western Communities

As part of the Energy Security and Research Bill (S.2012) passed today by the U.S Senate, the Senate inappropriately included a provision permanently reauthorizing the $900 million Land and Water Conservation Fund with a requirement that not less than 40 percent of LWCF money be spent on federal acquisitions. In the process, the Senators voted down even common-sense reform amendments like that of Sen. Lankford (R-Okla.) which would have required a maintenance component to any new federal acquisition.

“It’s disappointing to see Senators from Western states turn their backs on their constituents that are so heavily impacted by the large federal footprint in the West,” said Brenda Richards, Public Lands Council president. “The Land and Water Conservation Fund has never been fully funded because it is so controversial; to permanently authorize LWCF eliminates any opportunity to ever have a conversation about reform that is so badly needed.”

LWCF is the chief land acquisition tool of the federal government. The federal government already owns more than 660 million acres of land, which is approximately one-third of the entire United States landmass. Over 90 percent of this land is found in the West and the presence of federal land ownership greatly complicates local and state governance.

“We realize that there may be certain times that land acquisition is necessary,” said Tracy Brunner, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president. “But in the face of an $18 billion federal maintenance backlog, new federal land acquisitions without adequate funding for ongoing care and maintenance is just irresponsible.”