Monday May 16 Ag News + Crop Progress NE/IA/US

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending May 15, 2016, rain amounts of one to two inches were common across the eastern half of the State during the first half of the week, with heavier amounts in east central counties, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Hail accompanied the rain in portions of the State. Planting progress was limited in eastern counties as producers waited for soils to dry. Temperatures averaged two to six degrees below normal. Producers continued to move cows and calves to pasture. There were 3.9 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 0 percent very short, 2 short, 80 adequate, and 18 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 0 percent very short, 3 short, 86 adequate, and 11 surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn planted was at 74 percent, behind 82 last year and the five-year average of 81. Emerged was at 30 percent, behind 47 last year and 35 average.

Sorghum planted was at 13 percent, well behind 34 last year and behind 21 average.

Soybeans planted was at 29 percent, behind 36 last year and 43 average. Emerged was at 3 percent, near 4 last year, but behind 8 average.

Winter wheat condition rated 0 percent very poor, 3 poor, 30 fair, 55 good, and 12 excellent. Winter wheat jointed was at 91 percent, near 90 last year, but ahead of 74 average. Headed was at 34 percent, ahead of 19 last year and 17 average.

Oats condition rated 0 percent very poor, 1 poor, 23 fair, 71 good, and 5 excellent. Oats planted was at 92 percent, behind 100 last year and 98 average. Emerged was at 86 percent, behind 94 last year, but near 84 average. Oats jointed was at 25 percent, behind 35 last year.

Alfalfa first cutting was at 4 percent, ahead of 0 last year, but behind 10 average.

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 1 poor, 19 fair, 67 good, and 13 excellent. Stock water supplies rated 0 percent very short, 2 short, 92 adequate, and 6 surplus.



Access the National publication for Crop Progress and Condition tables at: http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/CropProg/2010s/2016/CropProg-05-16-2016.pdf. 

Access the High Plains Region Climate Center for Temperature and Precipitation Maps at: http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/maps.php?map=ACISClimateMaps. 

Access the U.S. Drought Monitor at:
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NE. 



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION

Wet and cold conditions across much of Iowa slowed field work or even brought it to a standstill for the week ending May 15, 2016, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were just 2.2 days suitable for fieldwork. There were some reports of frost in low-lying areas.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 1 percent short, 82 percent adequate and 17 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 1 percent short, 83 percent adequate and 16 percent surplus. Similar to last week, the western third of Iowa reported the largest percentages of surplus and adequate subsoil moisture levels.

Eighty-eight percent of the corn crop has been planted, a day behind last year, but 4 days ahead of the 5-year average. Farmers in north central and central Iowa are close to completion with 97 percent or more of the corn crop planted. Fifty-one percent of corn has emerged, 5 days ahead of the average.

Forty-three percent of the soybean acreage has been planted, 2 days ahead of normal. There were scattered reports of soybeans emerged.

Oats emerged reached 94 percent, 6 days ahead of the previous year and 9 days ahead of the average. Oat condition was rated 78 percent good to excellent.

Hay condition rated 73 percent good to excellent. Pasture condition rated 71 percent good to excellent; benefitting from the added moisture during the week. Livestock conditions were reported as mostly normal although feedlots were muddy.



USDA Weekly Crop Progress

The pace of corn and soybean planting in the U.S. slowed somewhat in the week ended May 15, according to USDA's latest Crop Progress report, perhaps due to excess rain in various areas of the Corn Belt and cool temps keeping fields from drying out.

Corn is 75% planted, compared to 64% last week, 82% last year and a five-year average of 70%. Emergence is pegged at 43%, compared to 27% last week, 48% last year and 34% on average.

Soybean planting is 36% complete, compared to 23% last week, 41% last year and a 32% average. Soybean emergence was reported for the first time this growing season at 10%, compared to 11% last year and a 9% five-year average.

Winter wheat is 68% headed, compared to 57% last week, 65% last year and 56% on average. Winter wheat condition worsened just a tad at 8% poor to very poor, compared to 7% last week.

Spring wheat is 89% planted and 60% emerged, compared with 77% and 39% last week, 92% and 63% last year and 64% and 36% on average.

Cotton is 40% planted, compared to 26% last week, 32% last year and a 39% average. Rice is 87% planted and 76% emerged, compared to 82% and 67% last week, 87% and 65% last year, and 79% and 62% on average. Rice condition improved to 60% good to excellent, compared to 57% last week.

Sorghum is 33% planted compared to 30% last week, 36% last year and a 36% average. Oats are 94% planted and 81% emerged, compared to 88% and 70% last week, 95% and 80% last year and 83% and 66% averages. Oats condition improved slightly to 73% good to excellent, compared to 72% last week. Barley is 90% planted and 68% emerged, compared to 79% and 47% last week, 93% and 68% last year, and 71% and 42% averages. Barley condition was reported for the first time this growing season at 75% good to excellent.



Corn and Soybean Survival in Saturated and Flooded Soils
Nathan Mueller - Extension Educator, Dodge County

Heavy rains on May 6-7 in southeast Nebraska resulted in ponding and flooded areas of some fields.  Will these saturated/flooded soils affect germination and plant viability? They certainly could.

Germinating and Emerged Corn
Smaller seedlings are more susceptible than larger seedlings. Unfortunately the effect of standing water on germinating seeds is not well known. What is reported is that some hybrids respond better than others — but remember, there is limited data on hybrid responses to saturated and/or flooded soil. Germinating seeds are living organisms and require oxygen to survive. The oxygen supply in flooded or saturated soils will become depleted within about 48 hours. Cool air temperatures will help increase the possibility of survival, but germinating seed and plants would not be expected to survive more than four days.

Seedlings with fewer than six leaves can withstand four days under water if air temperatures are lower than the high 70s.  If air temperatures are greater than that, seedlings may only survive one day.  As mentioned, most — if not all — emerged Nebraska corn has fewer than six leaves at this time. Corn not completely submerged has some limited capacity for diffusion of oxygen from the shoot to the root that can increase survival.

Assessing Survival
After soils dry and waters go down, confirm plant survival by examining the color of the growing point of the seedlings. The radicle (root) and coleoptile (shoot) should appear white or cream-colored. Surviving plants should resume growth within three to five days after the water recedes.

As fields drain and soils dry, assess surviving plant populations and — if stands are weak — consider the economics of replanting corn or planting another crop.  If this wet weather pattern breaks, and dry conditions follow the week of May 11, there is still plenty of time to replant if stands of earlier planted corn are poor. Although yields of mid-May planted corn will normally be reduced relative to earlier planting dates, every year is different and planting in mid-May may still produce reasonable yields. There is certainly no need yet to think of switching hybrids for earlier season hybrids or for switching to other crops.

Germinating Soybeans
Very little of the soybean crop has emerged. The effect of saturated and flooded soils any time and for any duration during the germination process will reduce the final germination and emergence of soybeans. Research shows that a two-day flooding event after seed imbibition and swelling can reduce germination by 20%-43% (Wuebker et al., 2001). However, early-season flooding and soybean survival depends on many factors. Based on seedling soybean disease pressure observed in flooded fields replanted during 2014 in Nebraska, use a fungicide seed treatment in fields recently flooded.



Nebraska Farm Income — What's Changed Since Prices Were Last This Low? 
Tina Barrett - Executive Director of Nebraska Farm Business Inc.

Some say we are experiencing a “new normal” in agriculture.  Others say it’s an “old normal.” The data seems to show it is both. While net farm income in 2015 fell to a level lower than we’ve seen since 2002, it is within a range that was considered “normal” at that time.  However, the factors that contributed to net income being similar to 2002 are very different.

Net Farm Income
When examining the group of farmers served by the Nebraska Farm Business, Inc., the 2015 average accrual net farm income was $29,432.  This is a drop of over 80% from the 2013 and 2014 net farm incomes, both of which were about $175,000. While all segments of the farm economy dropped in net farm income, the beef industry dropped the furthest with the tough margins in the feedlots. For the first time in many years, a significant number (44%) of these operations saw negative net farm income. While this is reasonable in the short term, these operations obviously can not withstand these losses in the long term. This is an extreme difference from just four to five years ago when we didn’t see a single operation with a negative net income.

In 2015 we started to see some costs of production come down slightly. For example, the total cost per acre for Irrigated Corn on Cash Rented Ground decreased almost $40 per acre. With that reduction, a tie for record high yield and most producers receiving a large ARC payment, there was an average profit. The profitability range was very wide with the high profit third of this farmer group making almost $300 per acre more than the low profit third. While income (yield and price) made up for half of the difference, the other $150 per acre came from cost control.

Top vs Bottom
One of the things the data shows us each year is that there is a wide range of profitability among producers. This is often hard for many people to grasp because they assume everyone is dealing with the same challenges. The reality is everyone deals with challenges their own way and we are seeing some big differences between those who have taken a proactive approach and the average operator.

For the past few years, we have worked more intensely with a few operations on a more focused financial management in a program call CFO. In general, it is actively managing their cash flow throughout the year and planning what will happen with their money rather than waiting until the end of the year when we look back to see what happened. As we were processing the individual data, it was noticed that these operation’s net farm income did not drop off as sharply as other operations. Since these are mainly crop operations, we looked at the average of the very small group of operations who are using an active cash flow vs the average crop operation. The operations using our CFO Service saw an average decline of 7% of net farm income vs the average crop operation seeing a 41% decline. Obviously there are many other variables, but the large difference seems to lean towards the benefits of actively managing the farming business rather than leaving accounting to the end of the year.

The accrual net farm income range was over $1.5 million. In 2014, the livestock operations took the top spots and this year swung all the way to the bottom.

Debt
Over the past few years we have been watching the amount of total debt climb among our farmer group. In 2015 we saw another overall increase to $1,030,675. (This reflects a much larger trend for farm debt, according to a May 12 Ag Credit Survey report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.)

While the growth has slowed there are a few new trends developing within the total debt. We are seeing a rapid decline in the health of the current position of many farms.
-    Average working capital to gross income has dropped to under 30% on average for the first time since 2006.
-    At the beginning of 2015, 12% of the farms in the NFBI database had negative working capital. By the end of the year, that number had doubled to 24%.
-    At the same time, those sitting with more than 80% working capital to gross revenues only dropped from 20% to 18%, showing that those operations in good shape, stayed that way.

This is the first major red flag to appear alerting producers to a major cash flow problem that without change will start to show in a total balance sheet problem as net worth erodes.

We have been watching all categories of debt increase, but one interesting change in 2015 was the rapid increase in long-term debt and a decrease in intermediate debt. Since we did not see a very large land purchase effect, it may mean that we are seeing more refinancing to improve the current position and leveraging the additional debt in the long term. This is a tool that will help many operations get readjusted for tough times, but if the cause of the problems has not been identified and corrected, it may simply be buying time for a bigger problem to surface.

Family Living
There is good news when it comes to family living expense as we saw the first major decrease in costs in 2015 (Figure 3). Out-of-pocket spending is down almost 8% from the high in 2013 to $91,991. Income taxes also dropped to $30,727. While these are encouraging to see, the combined accrual net farm income and non-farm wages received are only about $47,000. This shows why over 56% of the farms included in the average saw a negative net worth change. At the same time, the profitability of the past 10 years built a lot of net worth for most farms. Using some of this net worth is not a cause for extreme reaction, but it is a red flag that changes need to be made soon. Continued reduction in spending and/or increases in nonfarm income will be vital for many operations to survive the next few years.

Summary
So have we returned to an old normal? In the general sense that we have returned to tight margins and cost control seems to be the difference between the farms that make money and those that don’t, yes, we have returned to an old normal. This return to normal comes with a higher risk. Farm size is bigger. Debt load is bigger. Non-farm costs are bigger. The data from 2015 shows us that some producers have recognized this and made adjustments to the way they do business. It also shows us that others haven’t.



Nebraska Farm Bureau Announces the Hiring of the New Northeast Regional Director of Membership

Jason Kvols of Laurel, Neb., has accepted the northeast regional director of membership position within the Nebraska Farm Bureau membership department, Phil Erdman vice president of membership said May 16. Kvols replaces Megan Kvols, who was hired as the director of ag literacy for the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture.

“We are very excited to make this announcement. We look forward to Jason coming into our Farm Bureau family, building new relationships and continuing our efforts to place a stronger emphasis on strengthening our county Farm Bureau models and increasing membership in Northeast Nebraska,” Erdman said.

Jason served on the Nebraska Farm Bureau Board of Directors from 2008 through 2014. Before that, he and his wife Kathy served as Midwest representatives on the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee and also were active as District 3 representatives on the Nebraska Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee.

Kvols graduated from Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After college he farmed, most recently raised hogs and ran a trucking business near Laurel. The Kvols are Cedar County Farm Bureau members and have been for 20 years. He and his wife have six children and live on a farm near Laurel.

“Kvols brings an excellent skill set to this position. He has been through the rank and file of Nebraska Farm Bureau and understands how our grassroots system works. He understands the needs that county Farm Bureaus have and because he is a farmer, he knows what farmers and ranchers in Northeast Nebraska face every day. He has a passion for agriculture and Farm Bureau and that should serve our members well in the northeast district,” Erdman said.

Kvols first day with Nebraska Farm Bureau will be June 1.



Are Soybean Seed-Applied Biostimulants Cost Effective in a Corn-Soybean Rotation?Michael Rethwisch - Extension Educator

A wide variety of commercial biostimulant products are available for soybean seed application, with more products added annually. Most soybean producers are familiar with seed-applied inoculants (living bacteria such as Bradyrhizobium, fungi, etc.) that colonize the root and increase in numbers.

Biostimulants are derived from something that was living (therefore, bio) and are used to stimulate certain and/or overall plant growth processes such as larger roots, increased disease tolerance through activated responses, etc. The active portion of a biostimulant product could be a protein, hormone, or even a signaling molecule. Some commercial biostimulant products have as many as three hormone classes as active ingredients. Concentrations can differ greatly from product to product, especially in those products containing hormones such as gibberellic acid (GA), kinetin and indole butyric acid (IBA).

While most biostimulant products have only biostimulant properties, some are hybrid products (inoculant + biostimulant), such as the lipochitooligo (LCO) saccharide products Optimize and Trident.
Testing Biostimulants

Growers have questions on seed applied biostimulants effects for soybeans, with the main question being “Do seed applied biostimulant products provide a consistent economic return, and if so, under what conditions?”

To answer these questions, over the past five years numerous replicated field trials involving both small plot and large commercially harvested plots were conducted across eastern Nebraska under irrigated and rain-fed conditions. While numerous products were evaluated in one or two field trials, only BioForge (an antioxidant product for stress) and Optimize have a robust data set providing for comparison under rain-fed and irrigated conditions. Each site shown had four replicated treatments with the exception of the David City 2011 site with Pioneer 93M11 soybeans, which only had three replications.

The majority of rain-fed plots were commercially planted (and combine harvested, weighed in a weigh wagon, and standardized to moisture), but the opposite was true for irrigated soybeans (small plots, etc.).

Rain-Fed
While a consistent trend for slightly higher yields was noted at every rain-fed site (average of approximately 3.7%), no statistical increase in yield was not noted at any single location. A paired t-test over all sites using the location yield mean noted that use of these two biostimulants did result in a significant yield increase of 1.63 bushels/acre (50.3 versus 48.6 bu/acre, p<0.01).

Using the cash bid of $9.30/bushel for October 2016 delivered soybeans, and using the overall increase in bushels/acre of 1.63 bushels, this increased the value/acre in rain-fed soybeans to $15.15/acre. Per acre product cost sepends on amount of seed planted/acre (more seed = higher cost) and the seed treatment costs. Using a minimum of $4/acre for product and another $2/100 lbs. soybean seed for application, these treatments created a net average maximum increase value of $9.15/acre.

Irrigated Trials
When examining data from irrigated soybean fields, a trend for increased yields associated with seed-applied biostimulants was not evident.  It should be noted that most of the irrigated data was derived using small plots and the variety was different than those utilized in the rain-fed fields.

Using a cash bid of $9.30/bushel for October 2016 delivered soybeans, and using the overall increase in bushels/acre of 0.93 bushels, this increased the value in irrigated soybeans to $8.93/acre. Using the same costs as in the rainfed fields ($6/acre for product and treatment), these treatments created a net average maximum increase of $2.93/acre.

Summary
These data suggest that there is a difference between rainfed and irrigated fields for soybean yield responses to soybean seed-applied biostimulants. Data from other treatments not as robustly evaluated are also consistent with greater economic returns in rain-fed conditions; however, economics appear to differ by product. While the reason for the yield difference is not known, the trend for a numerical yield increase in rain-fed fields may be partially due to stress, as irrigated soybeans would have less moisture stress.

One important aspect to note is that varietal responses exist to the same biostimulant (as seen for Asgrow 2909 and Mycogen 5B261RR soybeans from the same David City field in 2011). As the varieties in irrigated vs. rain-fed conditions were not the same, this also may be affecting the currently noted trend.



NSF GRANT TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PHENOTYPING INSTRUMENT AT UNL

    With support from a National Science Foundation grant, University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers are developing a new tool that will help them better identify plant characteristics that are critical to improving crop performance.

    The three-year, $534,194 grant will be used to develop an instrument that will improve capacity, sensitivity and throughput for plant phenotyping.

    Producing enough food and energy for a world population of more than 9 billion by the year 2050 is the greatest challenge facing agriculture. To solve the looming global food security challenge, crop stress tolerance and yields must increase. Researchers around the world are studying plant characteristics, or phenotypes, at high throughput and high resolution to identify opportunities to improve crop performance.

    Currently, it is difficult to reconstruct a three-dimensional structure of a plant from its digital images alone. The multi-wavelength laser imaging and ranging instrument being developed as a result of this grant will simultaneously probe chemical properties of plants, such as water, nitrogen and chlorophyll concentration, while also measuring 3D plant structure, such as leaf orientation and angular distribution. The measurements will tell researchers more information about plant physiology and function.

    "The instrument being developed through this research will allow for more efficient phenotype characterization and analysis, which will lead to accelerated crop improvement," said Yufeng Ge, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering and an investigator on the project.

    UNL is a world leader in phenotyping research due in part to the cutting-edge Greenhouse Innovation Center at Nebraska Innovation Campus, where the instrument development will occur. The center features 45,000 square feet of greenhouse and headhouse space, state-of-the-art computer environmental controls and 22-foot eve heights to allow for optimal air circulation. When completed, the center will include 60,000 square feet of greenhouse space connected to 80,000 square feet of office and wet lab space.

    "The phenotyping greenhouse at Nebraska Innovation Campus is a one-of-a-kind facility and can be a test bed for more advanced phenotyping technologies and methods," Ge said. "We are fortunate and very excited that we can leverage this nice facility for the instrument development."

    In addition to Ge, other researchers working on the project are Hongfeng Yu, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and Harkamal Walia, associate professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. The interdisciplinary team plans to foster a collaborative environment where postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate students will receive interdisciplinary training in plant biology, biological engineering and computer science.



HASTENING HAY DRY-DOWN
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Haying season is here, along with the rainy season.  Fortunately, there are ways to hasten hay dry-down to beat the weather.

               Does it seem to you that clouds and rain are here just about every other day this spring?  Rain obviously is a problem when making hay, but why I’m also talking about clouds.  Well, other than rain itself, the most important weather factor that affects rate of hay dry-down is sunlight.  Temperature, humidity, soil moisture content, and wind speed all are important, but solar radiation has the greatest impact on drying rate.  In fact, research has shown as much as a 10-fold increase in drying rate as solar radiation changes from heavy cloud cover to full sunlight.  No other factor affected drying rate even half as much.

               So how do you use this information?  Obviously, you can’t control how much sunlight you receive.  But, you can watch weather reports and try to cut hay during sunny weather.  Okay – that states the obvious.  Another thing you should do, though, is spread your cut hay out in as wide a swath as possible to expose more hay to direct sunlight.  This does two things.  Sunlight keeps stomates open on the leaves, which is the fastest way for moisture to exit the plant.  Stomates in the dark inside or bottom of windrows will close, preventing rapid moisture loss.  Wide windrows also enables your hay to absorb as much sun energy as possible to evaporate moisture out of your hay.  This may bleach hay more than thick windrows, but fast dry-down usually is more valuable than green color.

               Also, mechanically condition your hay and turn it gently after tops get dry to expose moist hay under the swath to hasten dry-down.

               Make hay while the sun shines is an old, old saying but today’s science has shown how true it really is.



USDA INITIATIVE WILL CREATE STATEWIDE DEMONSTRATION FARMS.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is establishing a soil health initiative in Nebraska. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will lead a state-wide effort to enhance the adoption of soil health management systems through the Soil Health Demonstration Farms Initiative.

This initiative will establish 12 demonstration farms across the state to showcase soil health practices and related cropping system comparisons. Landowners interested in applying for funding to establish a soil health demonstration farm should submit their application to NRCS by June 17, 2016.

According to NRCS, the purpose of this initiative is to demonstrate soil health management systems applicable to various regions of Nebraska. The goal is to establish two demonstration farms per region.

Producers approved under this initiative will be compensated for conducting strip trials of various cover crops, crop rotations, and management techniques. Producers will receive $121 per acre, up to a maximum of $15,000 per year, to conduct these strip trials, host field days, etc.

NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) will be used to fund this initiative. Producers selected can receive this EQIP funding for 3-5 years.

For more information on the Soil Health Demonstration Farms Initiative, visit NRCS at the USDA Service Center or www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov.



2016 Iowa State University Weed Science Field Day June 23

The 2016 Iowa State University Weed Science Field Day will be held on June 23 at the Curtiss Farm, located at 2219 520th Avenue, Ames, Iowa. The Weed Science Field Day, which has occurred since 1982, is an event that allows the weed science program at Iowa State University to demonstrate its research to the public.

“This is an opportunity for interaction with industry representatives and university faculty and staff,” said Mike Owen, professor of agronomy and extension weed specialist at Iowa State University. “Over the years, it’s also been a great platform for sharing new and exciting technologies and innovations in weed management.”

This year, attendees will be able to review weed science experiments with new herbicides, novel combinations and applications strategies, and different tillage systems. The self-guided tour to view these demonstrations will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until noon. A booklet describing each experiment will be available at registration. Attendees are welcome to continue reviewing the research and demonstrations after lunch. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

All are welcome to attend the event free of charge, with no preregistration required. Directions to the Curtiss Farm are as follows: Exit U.S. 30 at University Boulevard and turn south to the round-about. Turn right (west) on Oakwood and proceed to the first stop sign which will be a “T” intersection. Turn right (north) on State Street to the Curtiss Farm entrance. Turn left (west) and follow the cinder road to the field day tent.



U.S. Beef Arrives in Recently Reopened South African Market

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today confirmed that the first shipment of U.S. beef recently arrived in South Africa following the reopening of the South African market earlier this year.

"The arrival of U.S. beef in South Africa represents another important milestone in efforts by USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to regain access to this important market," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Along with U.S. poultry, South African consumers now have access to high quality, safe and wholesome U.S. beef, and U.S. producers and exporters have gained another valuable market for their products."

On January 7, 2016, after more than two years of intense discussions, the United States and the Republic of South Africa concluded an agreement on sanitary barriers and related health certificates for U.S. beef, pork and poultry products exported to South Africa. The South African market had previously been closed to U.S. poultry since 2000, beef since 2003 and pork since 2013. With the removal of the barriers, U.S. exports of meat to South Africa could reach $75 million annually.

The United States began shipping poultry to South Africa earlier this year under the terms of the agreement. As a result, U.S. poultry exports to South Africa totaled almost 12,000 metric tons, worth $7.2 million, in the first quarter of 2016.



USMEF Applauds Taiwan’s Reopening to U.S. Lamb

For the first time since 2003, U.S. lamb and lamb products have regained access to Taiwan. Dr. Dennis Stiffler, chief executive officer of Mountain States Rosen, a producer-owned and operated processor and distributor of lamb and veal products, thanked U.S. agricultural and trade officials for their efforts to restore market access for U.S. lamb and said the announcement provides a much-needed lift for U.S. lamb exports.

“This is the culmination of many months of work by U.S. government officials, as well as the U.S. meat industry, and we are very excited to resume exporting lamb to Taiwan,” said Stiffler, who also serves as vice chair of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). “Taiwanese consumers enjoy high-quality, grain-fed meat, as evidenced by the success U.S. beef and pork have achieved in the market. The U.S. lamb industry is anxious to capitalize on significant opportunities in Taiwan’s restaurant and retail sectors.”

U.S. lamb lost access to several key markets, including Taiwan, following the first U.S. case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in December 2003. The market closures were due to concerns related to scrapie, a disease similar to BSE. Asian markets that remain closed to U.S. lamb include Japan and South Korea.

“Reopening these markets has been a top priority for the lamb industry, because lack of access in Asia has been a significant obstacle for U.S. lamb exports,” Stiffler explained. “Weakness of the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar has recently reduced exports to our two largest markets. So now more than ever, U.S. lamb needs a broader range of alternative destinations. Our industry has had some recent success in the Middle East, Central America and the Caribbean, but we really need greater access to Asian markets in order to meet our export goals. We see the reopening of Taiwan as a great first step.”

Last year Taiwan imported nearly 17,714 metric tons (mt) of lamb and sheep meat products, valued at more than $74 million. In terms of value, the market was split about evenly between Australia and New Zealand – the only two supplying countries currently serving Taiwan. It was the 11th-largest export for New Zealand lamb and sheep meat in 2015 and was Australia’s 12th-largest market.

A proceeding is also underway in Japan in which regulators are examining the possibility of restoring access for U.S. lamb. Pre-BSE, Japan was a leading destination for U.S. lamb exports. Last year Japan’s lamb and sheep meat imports were slightly above Taiwan’s in volume (18,144 mt), but significantly higher in value at $133.6 million. Australia supplies about 70 percent of Japan’s lamb and sheep meat. The remaining share comes mostly from New Zealand, though Japan also imports small volumes from Iceland.

“Prior to closing, Japan was an excellent market for U.S. lamb,” Stiffler said. “We greatly look forward to rebuilding consumer demand for U.S. lamb in Japan and hope that this opportunity presents itself in the near future.”

Through the first quarter of 2016, U.S. lamb and lamb variety meat exports totaled 2,676 mt – up 18 percent year-over-year. However, export value was 16 percent below last year’s pace at $4.5 million.



Informa Pegs Corn Acres Below USDA

Informa Economics forecasted that U.S. farmers will plant 93.4 million acres of corn in 2016, down 225,000 acres from the government's latest estimate, but 5.4 million higher than last year, according to a report by the private forecaster Monday.

The firm projected domestic soybean acreage will total 83 million acres this year, which is 770,000 acres higher than the U.S. Department of Agriculture's March estimate, and 356,000 above 2015's sowings.

"Corn acreage in the Western Corn Belt is down 100,000 acres mainly due to a 200,000-acre decline in South Dakota's acreage," Informa said in its report. For soybeans, "the Western Corn Belt is up 600,000 acres with increases of 200,000 acres each in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Informa expects wheat acres this year to total 50 million, which would be 4.7 million acres fewer than in 2015. Plantings of winter wheat are seen at 36.2 million acres, in line with the government's March estimate, while spring wheat other than durum is projected at 11.8 million acres, up 415,000 acres from the USDA's latest projection. Area planted with durum wheat is pegged at two million acres, slightly higher than the government's estimate, the firm said.

Cotton acres are seen coming in at 9.6 million in 2016, which is 30,000 higher than USDA's latest forecast and 1 million above 2015's total. Rice area is pegged at 3 million acres.



NPPC names Warrick World Pork Expo general manager

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has hired Sheila Warrick as the general manager of World Pork Expo, the world’s largest pork-specific trade show. In her new position, Warrick will be responsible for the oversight and execution of the annual World Pork Expo, being held this year June 8-10, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. Additionally, she will serve as NPPC’s director of projects and events throughout the year.

Warrick brings almost 20 years of experience in sales, customer service, marketing and event management to NPPC. She most recently worked for DuPont Pioneer as a stakeholder outreach coordinator for North America, where she developed and facilitated grower and visitor programs at the company’s Johnston, Iowa, campus. Before that, Warrick worked with a third-party event planner, where she coordinated a variety of events for Farm Journal Media. Warrick grew up on a swine farm near Britt, Iowa, and graduated from Buena Vista University, earning a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications.

“My goal for World Pork Expo is to present another successful event, where pork producers have an opportunity to network, learn about the latest innovations and can walk away with insights that are useful and beneficial to their businesses back home,” Warrick says. “I am especially excited about this year’s trade show — it’s the largest ever. Along with exhibits in the Varied Industries Building and the Agriculture Building, the outdoor exhibit space has been greatly expanded, so there will be even more to see.”

Joining Warrick on the World Pork Expo team are fellow NPPC staffers: Doug Fricke, director of trade show marketing, manages exhibits; Cally Fix, director of industry resource development, manages sponsorships; and Lauren Swanson, executive administrative assistant, manages attendee and exhibitor registration.

More information about World Pork Expo is available at www.worldpork.org.



American Ethanol Launches NASCAR Sweepstakes

This season, NASCAR will surpass 10 million successful miles racing on fuel blended with American Ethanol E15. Also this year, E15 fuel availability at fuel stations is expanding around the country. To celebrate these two milestones, American Ethanol is launching two sweepstakes giving lucky winners ultimate NASCAR experiences.

"NCGA's relationship with American Ethanol and NASCAR has given corn farmers an incredible platform in which to communicate the economic and environmental benefits of higher ethanol-blended fuels," said NASCAR Advisory Committee Chair Jon Holzfaster. "With E15's expanding availability at the pump, we have an even greater opportunity to assist consumers in living a greener lifestyle and dispel myths related to ethanol's safety and performance."

The "We've Got the Power" sweepstakes is open to NASCAR fans who enlist in No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet driver Austin Dillon's Green Army. Fans who share their American Ethanol-related experiences on Facebook with Austin Dillon will qualify for a chance to win an ultimate NASCAR fan experience at a Sprint Cup race in October of this year.

For engine technicians, auto dealers and fuel retailer professionals, American Ethanol has created the "Engine Insiders Talk Shop" sweepstakes to learn how the green power and performance of home grown E15 fuel works for cars on the road today. To participate, qualified individuals must register and participate in an American Ethanol event or audio conference. In addition to being entered into the sweepstakes to win an honorary NASCAR crew chief experience, two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded at each event and audio conference to participants.

For sweepstakes details, visit www.americanethanolracing.com.



BASF Opens New R&D Center in Germany

BASF has opened a new research and development center at its crop protection division's headquaters in Limburgerhof, Germany. The new center will combine the research areas of biological crop protection with seed solutions. BASF hopes to develop new products based off the combination of these two areas.

"Our investment in this expanded capacity is a step forward to unlocking the agricultural potential in seeds and crops in different and untapped ways," said Philipp Rosendorfer, vice president R&D Functional Crop Care for BASF's Crop Protection division. "The research on biological solutions, which consists of naturally occurring organisms or extracts thereof, provides great opportunities to complement BASF's chemical crop protection."

The new R&D center will boost the company's global network of R&D sites as well as trial centers in all regions that are dedicated to developing seed solutions and biologicals-based crop protection, including Brazil, Argentina, France, UK, South Africa, China, Australia, U.S., and Canada.