Wednesday May 25 Ag News

PLAN THE TIMING OF GRASS HAY HARVEST
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Native meadows will soon start growing rapidly and bromegrass is about to head out.  Here are some tips to make your grass hay suitable for your animals.

              When do you cut your grass hay?  Do you wait until all crops are planted?  Maybe you plan to cut during first or second irrigation of corn.  Or like some folks, maybe you cut grass hay just when you get around to it.

               Instead, how about cutting your grass hay so the grass nutrient content matches with the nutritional needs of your livestock?  Now that's a different way to look at it, isn't it?  But doesn't it make sense to harvest hay that will meet the specific needs of your livestock and minimize your supplement costs?

               We all know that protein and energy concentration declines in grass hay as plants become stemmy and get more mature.  As this happens, the types of livestock that can be fed that hay with little or no supplements become more limited.

               For example, grass hay cut at early head often can support more than one pound of daily gain for pregnant yearling heifers all by itself.  But if the same grass gets mature it won't even maintain weight of a mature cow without some protein supplements.

               So, what should you do?  First off, plan what type of livestock will receive the grass hay from each field.  Young livestock need high nutrient concentrations so cut that hay before or just when heads begin to emerge.  If the hay will go to mature, dry cows instead, let the grass produce a bit more growth and cut it after it is well headed out, but before seeds develop.

               Matching your hay harvest with your plan of use can pay handsome dividends in lower costs and less supplementing.



Weed and Brush Management Field Day to look at Problems and Solutions

Producers interested in learning more about planting following rye cover crops, and about area weed pressures including thistles are invited to a weed and brush management field day near Corning. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef specialist Joe Sellers said the June 22 evening session will start and end at Lake Icaria.

“Everyone will meet at the west picnic shelter at 5 p.m. and start the program with introductions and a review of the agenda,” Sellers said. “We’ll then carpool to specific locations to view no-tilled soybeans that followed a rye cover crop, and several sites around the lake to look at control options for thistles and other problem plants.”

Following the tour, the group returns to the shelter for a ribeye steak sandwich meal prepared by the Adams County Cattlemen’s Association and more discussion on weed and brush control. The event will conclude by 8:30.

In addition to Sellers, presenters during the field day are Scott Flynn with Dow AgroSciences and extension field agronomist Aaron Saeugling. Program sponsors are Southern Iowa Forage and Livestock Committee, the Adams County Cattlemen and ISU Extension and Outreach.

There is no cost to attend and no preregistration is necessary.

Directions to Lake Icaria
-    Go north from Corning on Highway 148 approximately four miles to 183rd Street, also known as the Carbon Corner.
-    Go east (right) approximately 3/4 mile to the intersection of Juniper Ave and 183rd street. This is the entrance to Lake Icaria Beach, Marina and Camp Ground.
-    Go north (left) on Juniper Ave past the Camp Ground and past a Park Rangers house.
-    Just past a 15-mph-sign there is a “Y” in the road. Go right on Juniper and very shortly there will be another “Y” in the road. Turn left to go to the main picnic area.

For more information on the field day program, contact Sellers by phone at 641-203-1270 or email sellers@iastate.edu



Iowa Swine Day is only 1 month away

Most people are thinking about preparing for the World Pork Expo, but we wanted to make sure that after Expo, your attention will turn to registering for Iowa Swine Day – which is only 1 month away.

Following are a few presentation summaries to give you a flavor of the event:

Dr. Peter Davies from the University of Minnesota  will discuss the human health impacts of antibiotic use in animal agriculture.  He will consider the contribution of antibiotic use in animal agriculture to the growing threat of antibiotic resistance in human medicine, using current data in the context of changing regulatory and societal environments in the USA and globally.

Dr. Michael Agerley from SvineVet, Haderslev, Denmark will talk about achieving high farm productivity with low antimicrobial consumption. Danes have been dealing with this issue for close to 20 years, so this is a great opportunity to learn from their experience. Dr. Agerley is a practicing veterinarian who will share with us his on-farm experience with large scale production units trying adjust to the changing legislation in that country all the while trying to keep productivity up.

More and more swine barns built 20 or 30 years ago are at a crossroads. What is the most economical approach to this problem? Tracy Borkowski, Director of Maintenance Operations at Iowa Select Farms has asked this exact question, and will share with us the result of his analysis and his experience in operating and maintaining older facilities.

Lots of people focus on full value pigs, but have you ever thought about producing full value pork? What does it even mean? Dr. Ken Prusa from Iowa State University will describe what full value pork is in the marketplace and what producers can do to produce not only full value pigs but also full value pork.

These are just 4 of the 16 presentations at Iowa Swine Day, to be held on June 30, 2016 at the Scheman Building at Iowa State University.  There is plenty of free parking, and the program will end with a pork barbecue. Registration is only $60 until June 17th, when it will increase to $80. Students can register at no cost prior to June 17th. For more details, and to register, visit: http://www.aep.iastate.edu/iowaswineday/registration.

In past years, about 300 people have registered for Iowa Swine Day, representing more than one-third of all pork production in the country: close to 2 million sows and more than 40 million market hogs. We hope you will be able to join us for the program and for the chance to mingle with others in the pig industry – and for some the good eating!

Iowa Swine Days is a joint initiative of Iowa State University, the Iowa Pork Industry Center and the Iowa Pork Producers Association.



House Interior Appropriations Committee Marks Up FY17 Spending Bill

Statement by National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Tracy Brunner on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies mark-up of the fiscal 2017 spending bill:

“The spending bill marked up by the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee contained a number of priorities for cattlemen and women. Specifically this legislation would defund EPA’s ‘waters of the United States’ final rule. Cattle producers continue to voice their opposition to the flawed WOTUS rule and defunding by Congress would prevent our members and taxpayers from expending future resources on continued litigation. The bill also clarifies the agricultural exemptions in the section 404 permitting process and continues defunding of new regulations under the Clean Air Act and Greenhouse Gas reporting for manure management systems.”

Statement by Public Lands Council President Brenda Richards:

“Public lands ranchers were pleased to see several of our priorities addressed in the FY 2017 Interior spending bill. The bill maintains the one-year delay on further rulemaking or listing of the Greater Sage Grouse under the Endangered Species Act and blocks the President’s proposed administrative fee on top of the grazing fee that was already raised by 25 percent earlier this year. The bill also reduces funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $322 million, restoring some responsibility and prioritizing state and local projects while reducing funding for land acquisition. We are pleased that Payment in Lieu of Taxes was fully funded, offsetting the loss of local tax revenue for public lands. Finally, the bill increases funding for wildfire suppression at $3.9 billion.

While these go a long way to meet the needs of the West, we were greatly disappointed to see that the bill did not include the broad bi-partisan language reining in the President’s abuse of the Antiquities Act.”



More Steadiness in Fertilizers

Fertilizer prices continue very steady according to retailers tracked by DTN for the third week of May. Retail fertilizer prices have been unwavering for six consecutive weeks now.

Five fertilizer prices slipped lower compared to last month, but none were down any significant amount. DAP averaged $476/ton, MAP $501/ton, potash $365/ton, urea $384/ton and 10-34-0 $558/ton.

The remaining three fertilizer prices edged higher compared to a month earlier but again the move was fairly trivial. Anhydrous averaged $588/ton, UAN28 $274/ton and UAN32 $321/ton.

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

Year-over-year changes show potentially large savings in fertilizer budgets compared to 2015. All fertilizers have fallen double digits lower in the past year, on a percentage basis.

UAN32 and 10-34-0 are both 14% lower while both MAP and urea are 16% less expensive from a year previous. In addition, DAP and anhydrous are both 17% less expensive, UAN28 is 18% lower and potash is 26% less expensive.



April Hired Workers Up 2 Percent, Wage Rate Increases 4 Percent From Previous Year

There were 703,000 workers hired directly by farm operators on the Nation's farms and ranches during the week of April 10-16, 2016, up 2 percent from the April 2015 reference week - according to USDA's Farm Labor report issued last Thursday. Workers hired directly by farm operators numbered 582,000 during the week of January 10-16, 2016, up 6 percent from the January 2015 reference week.

Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $12.75 per hour during the April 2016 reference week, up 4 percent from the April 2015 reference week. Field workers received an average of $12.00 per hour, an increase of 6 percent. Livestock workers earned $12.01 per hour, up 4 percent. The field and livestock worker combined wage rate, at $12.00 per hour, was up 5 percent from the 2015 reference week. Hired laborers worked an average of 40.4 hours during the April 2016 reference week, compared with 39.9 hours worked during the April 2015 reference week.

Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $12.83 per hour during the January 2016 reference week, up 2 percent from the January 2015 reference week. Field workers received an average of $11.84 per hour, up 4 percent, while livestock workers earned $12.02 per hour, up 3 percent from a year earlier. The field and livestock worker combined wage rate, at $11.91 per hour, was up 3 percent from the January 2015 reference week. Hired laborers worked an average of 38.8 hours during the January 2016 reference week, compared with 39.2 hours worked during the January 2015 reference week.

NE/KS/ND/SD FARM LABOR
In the Northern Plains Region (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota) there were 34,000 workers hired directly by farm operators on farms and ranches during the week of April 10-16, 2016, down 3 percent from the April 2015 reference week, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Workers numbered 30,000 during the week of January 10-16, 2016, up 7 percent from the January 2015 reference week.

Farm operators in the Northern Plains Region paid their hired workers an average wage of $13.99 per hour during the April 2016 reference week, down 1 percent from the April 2015 reference week. Field workers received an average of $14.10 per hour, down 3 cents. Livestock workers earned $13.08 per hour, down 1 cent. The field and livestock worker combined average wage rate of $13.50 was unchanged from the 2015 reference week. Hired laborers worked an average of 42.0 hours during the April 2016 reference week, compared with 39.3 hours worked during the April 2015 reference week.

Farm operators paid their hired workers and average wage of $13.96 per hour during the January 2016 reference week, down 4 percent from the January 2015 reference week. Field workers received an average of $14.39 per hour, down 19 cents from a year earlier. Livestock workers earned $12.83 per hour compared to $13.41 a year earlier. The field and livestock worker combined wage rate of $13.30 was down 50 cents from the January 2015 reference week. Hired laborers worked an average of 41.4 hours during the January 2016 reference week, unchanged from the hours worked during the January 2015 reference week.

IOWA/MISSOURI FARM LABOR
There were 19,000 workers hired directly by farms in the Cornbelt II Region (Iowa and Missouri) during the reference week of January 10-16, 2016, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Farm Labor Report. Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage rate of $13.23 per hour, up $0.55 from January 2015. The number of hours worked averaged 36.1 for hired workers during the reference week, compared with 36.6 hours in January 2015.

During the reference week of April 10-16, 2016, there were 22,000 workers hired directly by farms in the Cornbelt II Region (Iowa and Missouri). Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage rate of $13.17 per hour during the April 2016 reference week, up $1.09 from April 2015. The number of hours worked averaged 37.8 for hired workers during the reference week, up from 37.0 hours in April 2015.



USDA Broiler Hatchery Report - May 25 2016

Broiler-Type Eggs Set in the United States Up 1 Percent
Hatcheries in the United States weekly program set 220 million eggs in incubators during the week ending May 21, 2016, up 1 percent from a year ago. Hatcheries in the 19 State weekly program set 211 million eggs in incubators during the week ending May 21, 2016, up 1 percent from the year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week in the United States was 84 percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier. 

Broiler-Type Chicks Placed in the United States Down Slightly
Broiler growers in the United States weekly program placed 179 million chicks for meat production during the week ending May 21, 2016, down slightly from a year ago. Broiler growers in the 19 State weekly program placed 172 million chicks for meat production during the week ending May 21, 2016, down 1 percent from the year earlier. Cumulative placements from the week ending January 9, 2016 through May 21, 2016 for the United States were 3.55 billion. Cumulative placements were up 1 percent from the same period a year earlier.



Lawmakers Say Co-ops Should Count in 2017 Census

The co-chairmen of the Congressional Cooperative Business Caucus say the Census Bureau should account for the economic role of co-op businesses for the first time in 20 years.

Reps. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Mark Pocan, D-Wis., asked Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker to include cooperative businesses in the 2017 Economic Census, which her office oversees.

"We believe it's in the best interest for Census to change data gathering in a way that enables more accurate and comprehensive identification of cooperatives directly," Royce and Pocan said in a letter signed by seven other House members.

"The next Economic Census in 2017 provides the perfect opportunity to again measure their impact nationwide," they noted.

The Census dropped a checkbox for "cooperative" in its Legal Form of Organization question in 1997. The deletion was a response to an interagency data-sharing agreement with the Internal Revenue Service that was supposed to provide information about co-ops.

However, those data sets do not directly identify co-ops, Royce and Pocan wrote, meaning that the Census might be underestimating the range of co-op economic activity.

"Given the unique niche that cooperative businesses continue to fill in the U.S. economy, it is unfortunate that so little is known about where and how they operate and the economic impact they make," they wrote. "As a consequence, there is no readily available federally reported data on cooperatives in the U.S."

In a separate statement, Royce cited his longtime advocacy of credit unions, mutual insurers and rural electric co-ops.

"I believe policymakers should have a better handle on how these organizations are building a stronger economy," he said.

Added Pocan: "To better advocate on federal policy issues unique to the cooperative community, it is vital we have ample data on this vibrant sector of our economy."

Other signatories included Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis.; Reid Ribble, R-Wis.; Walter B. Jones, R-N.C.; Barbara Lee, D-Calif.; Steve Stivers, R-Ohio; Bruce Westerman, R-Ark.; and Robert A. Brady, D-Pa.



Badgerland, AgStar & 1st Farm Credit Discuss Potential Merger

The boards of directors that serve the region's three main Farm Credit institutions have begun exploring the possibility of joining forces. On Tuesday, Badgerland Financial, AgStar Financial Services and 1st Farm Credit Services announced they are in the process of evaluating a potential collaboration with each other.

According to a joint release--which was signed by Badgerland CEO Diane Cole, AgStar CEO Rod Hebrink, and 1st Farm CEO Gary Ash--the three cooperatives combined would create the nation's third largest Farm Credit group with about $17 billion in assets.

"Once our research is complete, all three Boards of Directors will decide whether to move forward," the CEOs said in their memo. "If a merger is deemed appropriate, as cooperatives owned by our member-borrowers, our stockholders will receive further communications and have the opportunity to vote on the proposal."

The statement also noted that all three of the associations share the same values and commitment to rural communities and agriculture.

"For more than 100 years, Farm Credit has supported rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services and we're just as committed to that mission today and in the future," the release said.

Badgerland Financial, based in Prairie Du Sac, serves 33 southern Wisconsin counties with 17 locations. The co-op's loan volume between its more than 16,000 members is about $3.8 billion. AgStar Financial Services, headquartered in Mankato, Minnesota, has 13 branch offices in 69 counties in Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin, while the Normal, Illinois-based 1st Farm Credit covers 42 counties in northern Illinois at 16 individual sites.

Board members say they have not established an exact time-table for such a merger, but it could happen within 12 months.