Tuesday July 19 Ag News

Helicopter to make low-level flights to collect groundwater data

Northeast Nebraska residents should not be alarmed if they see a low-flying helicopter in their area over the coming weeks.  Flights will begin this week and continue until early August over portions of the following counties:  Madison, Platte, Pierce, Knox, Cedar, Dixon, Wayne, and Cuming Counties.  Visit http://enwra.org/2016aem.html to see detailed locations of planned flights.

The helicopter will fly lines spaced approximately 3 miles apart over most of the area.  Scientific equipment is towed about 100 feet below the helicopter in a ‘spider web’ array and is designed to map geologic structures beneath the earth.

The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD), along with the members of the Eastern Nebraska Water Resource Assessment (ENWRA) and the Bazile Groundwater Management Area (BGWMA), have planned the flights with grant assistance from the Nebraska Water Sustainability Fund and the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

According to Brian Bruckner, LENRD water resources manager, the geologic information available from the flights will improve the district’s understanding of the available groundwater resource and potential groundwater/surface water connections in an area of the state made more complex by the presence of glacial deposits.  He said, “Understanding these isolated aquifers will help us to protect the resource and make better management decisions in the future.”

Aqua-Geo Frameworks, LLC will oversee the flights, process the data, and produce a final report to the LENRD.  The technology they use allows for fast data acquisition, upwards of 50 miles per hour, with exploration depth hundreds of feet below the land surface.

This scientific program is designed to study the area’s water resources and is part of an ongoing program to identify physical occurrences such as changes in geologic materials and sediment types.  If you would like to learn more about the planned flights, visit the ENWRA website at www.enwra.org under the “2016 AEM flights tab”.



Featured Presentation Scheduled for Nebraska Ethanol Board Meeting

Cameron Cast, vice president of engineering and operations for Edeniq, is the featured presenter at the Nebraska Ethanol Board meeting Friday, July 29.

Presenting on cellulosic ethanol production, Cast will discuss Edeniq’s technology, a fully commercial solution for the production of cellulosic ethanol by upgrading corn ethanol plants.

Edeniq engineers have developed patented innovations that unlock cellulosic and starch sugars through a combination of mechanical and biological processes.

According to Cast, an ethanol plant with a capacity of 60 million gallons a year could generate up to $3 million of additional starch and corn oil revenues using the patented Cellunator along with cellulase enzymes. And up to $7 million of cellulosic ethanol revenues from existing corn feedstock.

Edeniq is a leader in developing analytical methods to quantify cellulosic ethanol co-produced with conventional ethanol during fermentation, which is required to access regulatory value including D3 Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credits and the Second Generation Biofuel Producer tax credit.

Cast is a technology and operations veteran with more than 35 years of experience in the implementation and operations of biofuel and chemical operations as well as fuel and chemical distribution facilities. He spent 30 years with the Dow Chemical Company leading the development and installation of technology in agricultural chemical research and production facilities. He has spent the last seven years working with Primafuel and Edeniq in the biofuels arena developing technologies for the optimization of corn and cellulosic ethanol technologies. Mr. Cast received his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn & Convention Center in Kearney at 10 a.m. July 29. Cast will speak at approximately 10:30 a.m.

In conjunction with the board meeting, there will be a fuel promotion Thursday, July 28. Pump & Pantry (4311 N 2nd Ave.) in Kearney will offer E85 for $0.85 from 4-7 p.m.



NEBRASKA GRAZING CONFERENCE
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               What will you be doing in about three weeks?  If you are serious about improving the success of your grazing, how about attending the Nebraska Grazing Conference?

               Are you serious about increasing production and improving profits from your grazinglands?  If so, attend the Nebraska Grazing Conference in Kearney on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 9 and 10 at the Kearney Ramada.

               Grazing experts from several states as well as producers with hands-on experience will share their knowledge and guidance on numerous topics ranging from grazing cover crops and crop residues to drought planning to grazing systems that also promote wildlife.

               Featured speakers include Derrell Peel, an Oklahoma State ag economist who will discuss the future of forages in beef production systems.  Bob Kinford from Texas will describe how to herd cattle and improve grazing management without extra fencing. And Lyle Perman from South Dakota, Ryan Sexson from Nebraska, and Ron Rosati from the Nebraska College of Technical Ag will ways to help new young ranchers get started.

               Also on the program are Nebraska beef specialists Rick Rasby and Mary Drewnoski along with ranchers from Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska sharing their grazing experiences.                                 

               You can register on-line at http://grassland.unl.edu/current-conference .  If paid by August 1st, registration is $80 for the full conference; later and at the door it is $100.  One-day and student registrations also are available.

               Make plans now to attend the Nebraska Grazing Conference at the Kearney Ramada on August 9th and 10th.  For more information, contact your local extension office.

 

Soil Health Open House in Northwestern Iowa to Feature Soil and Water Experts

As more Iowa farmers seek innovative farming practices to change the way they care for their land, the Soil Health Partnership continues to lead the charge. Soil Health Partnership demo farmer Marc Bertness will host a soil health farmer discussion at the Bertness Ag Center Meeting Room in Sioux Rapids, Iowa. 

The event will take place:
 ·     July 21 from 9:30 a.m.
 ·    512 US-71 Sioux Rapids, Iowa 50585

Topics covered will include an introduction to soil health as well as a practical discussion from local farmers on the soil health building practices they are implementing on their farms. There will also be staff from  local organizations on hand to answer questions about resources available in the area.   Steak sandwiches will be catered by the Wagon Wheel.

An initiative of the National Corn Growers Association, the Soil Health Partnership works closely with diverse organizations including commodity groups, industry, foundations, federal agencies, universities and well-known environmental groups toward common goals. The partnership has begun its third year with 65 test sites across eight Midwestern states.

“The agricultural community is awakening to the positive impact soil health can have on the environment, crop yields and farm economics,” said Nick Goeser, SHP director. “Our farmer-partners are innovators and pioneers—and are our best ambassadors for sharing these soil health practices with their peers.”

Please register for the event at SoilHealthPartnership.org.



'Fueling Our Future Initiative' for Blender Pumps, Storage Tanks

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey announced that $323,483 has been awarded through the 3rd round of the "Fueling Our Future 100" initiative to support the installation of 13 new blender pumps and 2 underground storage tanks that can be used to distribute higher blends of renewable fuels. The funds are being awarded to 3 fuel retailers to assist in installing renewable fuels infrastructure at 5 sites across the state.

"Iowa continues to be the nation's leader in renewable fuel production. Every one of these fuels pumps that is being installed, as a result of this third round announcement, benefits our agricultural economy, supports good jobs for Iowa families and gives consumers more choices at the pump," Branstad said. "This is a win-win situation for Iowa families and our economy as a whole."

Reynolds added, "Thanks to the support of our federal partners at the USDA, the 'Fueling our Future 100' program is ensuring that consumers in our state have greater access to biofuels. This 3rd round of funding to install 13 new blender pumps and 2 underground storage tank funds will continue to put Iowa on the forefront of an even greater renewable future. I would like to thank STAR Energy, Best Food Mart Inc. and Kum & Go for their efforts."

In total, 226 blender pumps and 26 underground storage tanks will be installed at 78 sites by 20 companies to provide consumers with access to higher blends of ethanol through the program.

"Thanks to the investments made by the state, the federal government and by these companies, customers will have greater access to higher blends of renewable fuels. This will increase consumer choice at the pump and allow them to increase the amount of clean burning, homegrown renewable fuels they use," Northey said.

The funding for the projects is from a $5 million competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) program Iowa received to support the initiative. All funds must be matched by non-federal funds, including up to $2.5 million from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure program. The fueling sites applying for assistance will also be required to provide a minimum of $2.5 million.

Pumps and tanks funded through this program are currently required to be operational by Dec. 31 and continue operations for the intended purpose of dispensing higher blends of ethanol through December 30, 2021.

This new program is a partnership across state government, including collaboration between the Governor's office, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Department of Transportation, and Iowa Economic Development Authority.



First-Ever Offering of Pre-blended E15 at Wholesale Terminals

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is pleased to announce that HWRT Oil Company will become the first company in the United States to offer pre-blended E15 at the terminal level. The development is a game changer that can rapidly open the market for E15 in the Midwest.

Beginning Sept. 16, HWRT will include E15 in its slate of product offerings at terminals located in Hartford, Illinois; North Little Rock, Arkansas; Norris City, Illinois; and Seymour, Indiana. RFA has been working with HWRT on a number of issues related to offering E15 at the terminal, including regulatory compliance, participation in the EPA’s required fuel survey, and adoption of RFA’s Misfueling Mitigation Plan (MMP).

To date, retailers across the country interested in offering E15 have not had access to the fuel at their local fuel terminals. As a result, retailers have offered E15 by diluting a higher ethanol blend (like E85) with regular unleaded, a process that takes additional storage and equipment. This announcement will allow retailers with existing compatible equipment to immediately begin offering E15 to consumers with vehicles manufactured in 2001 or subsequent years, along with all flex fuel vehicles (FFVs).

“HWRT was one of the very first terminals in the country to offer automated ethanol blending at the terminal rack, so the move to E15 is a natural progression for our company. We have over 30 years of experience blending ethanol, and we look forward to helping our customers experience the benefits E15 can offer,” said HWRT President Matt Schrimpf. “HWRT greatly appreciates the RFA’s leadership and assistance as we move to debut E15, and we look forward to offering this new alternative fuel option at our four terminals.”

“This development is a game changer that can help expand the market for E15 almost overnight. HWRT’s leadership will give thousands of retailers in multiple states access to a new fuel option, one that consumers are embracing quickly where available,” said RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White. “Offering E15 at the terminal level provides new opportunities for retailers and greater choice for consumers. We thank HWRT for their groundbreaking efforts, and look forward to working with them throughout this endeavor and on future ones surrounding E15 and other ethanol blends. After four years in the marketplace, E15 has just found prime time.”

The Hartford, Illinois, terminal is especially notable as it provides reformulated gasoline (RFG) with low volatility to the St. Louis market. That means the terminal will have E15 available that meets EPA volatility requirements year-round, and retailers served by the terminal will be able to sell E15 all year without interruption.

HWRT plans to eventually expand the E15 offering to 17 additional terminals where the company holds positions. This means E15 will be offered at the terminal level in a total of seven states.

RFA will immediately begin working with interested retailers serviced by the four HWRT-owned terminals to assist them with the transition to offering E15 at retail.



Alliance releases report from 2016 Taking Action for Animals Conference

The Animal Agriculture Alliance released a report today containing details and observations from The Humane Society of the United States’ Taking Action for Animals conference, held June 17 – 20 in Arlington, Va. An estimated 1,000 attendees were present at the event.

“Part of the Alliance’s mission is to protect the industry from organizations like the HSUS that are focused on spreading misinformation about animal agriculture,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “Sending participants to events like this allows us to gather crucial insights into activist strategies and tactics, so we can help our members prepare and respond to threats. I encourage our members to use this valuable resource when communicating with stakeholders about the real mission of activist organizations – taking meat, poultry, eggs and dairy off of our plates.”

Recurring themes throughout the conference included impacting the food industry by pushing restaurants and retailers to adopt restrictive policies that ultimately do not improve animal well-being although they do raise the cost of animal care and in turn increase food prices for consumers, and the use of religion to promote an animal rights agenda.

Several sessions focused on HSUS’ pressure campaigns targeting the food industry. Matt Prescott, senior director, food policy with HSUS, encouraged attendees in the “Helping Big Corporations Become More Humane” panel to approach shareholders and company leaders in a positive way, but to escalate pressure to get results: “When you don’t get the right reaction, be ruthless – find a way to yes.”

Kristie Middleton, also a senior food policy director with HSUS, spoke about Meatless Mondays, calling the campaign “a tiny little trick for a holiday from meat.” Middleton – who is part of the organization’s 15-member “meatless transition team” - discussed how HSUS is getting food service companies and restaurants on board with the initiative and tasked attendees with going back to their school system and asking for Meatless Mondays, concluding “we can and we will alter the course of history for animals.”

Outreach to faith-based organizations and promoting animal rights from a religious perspective came up in several different sessions. Reasa Currier, HSUS’ strategic initiatives manager for faith outreach, spoke about HSUS’ 15-member multi-faith advisory council, stating that “many faith groups are weighing in on industrial agriculture” and telling participants that people have a duty to “let these creatures engage in natural behavior” and “put aside the differences and work to get something done.”

Suzy Welch, an author, television commentator and journalist, also discussed religion and animal rights, stating that the animal rights movement needs to share its message because it is also God’s message. Welch said that today’s food system (and eating animals) “goes against God,” and added, “I am the church out there because I’m not killing animals.”

Other notable speakers included Erica Meier, executive director, Compassion Over Killing; Nathan Runkle, president, Mercy for Animals; Paul Shapiro, vice president – farm animal protection, HSUS; and Nick Cooney, current director of education, Mercy for Animals and founder of The Humane League (formerly known as Hugs for Puppies – an extremist group affiliated with the convicted terrorist organization SHAC).

The 2016 Taking Action for Animals Conference Report, which includes personal accounts of speaker presentations and general observations, is available to Alliance members in the Resource Library on the Alliance website. The Alliance will also be releasing a report from the 2016 Animal Rights National Conference, held in Los Angeles in early July.



DuPont Pioneer Introduces New Enabling Technology to Boost Soybean Yields
DuPont Pioneer announced today the introduction of Accelerated Yield Technology 4.0 (AYT 4.0). The new enabling technology allows DuPont Pioneer researchers to more than double the annual rate of genetic gain of soybean varieties in its research pipeline, which will boost soybean yield potential in growers' fields. The new technology also is helping the company reduce the time it takes to bring new soybean products to market.

Hear Paul Stephens, DuPont Pioneer senior director for soybean research discuss the implications of this important technological advance for Pioneer in clips available for download by registered users in the audio library on the DuPont Pioneer media resource website. Photos are also available for download by registered users in the gallery on the DuPont Pioneer media resource website.
   
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“This is revolutionary technology that is helping deliver higher yielding soybeans to market faster than ever before,” said Paul Stephens, DuPont Pioneer senior director for soybean research. “In my three decades of soybean variety improvement work, I have never seen rates of genetic gain as high as AYT 4.0 is producing.”

The average year-to-year yield improvement for soybeans in the United States is about half a bushel per acre. With AYT 4.0 Pioneer has more than doubled this rate of genetic gain of varieties in the Pioneer pipeline.

AYT 4.0 is an advanced proprietary soybean breeding approach focused on increasing yield. It uses sophisticated analytics and cutting-edge computing to evaluate millions of points of genetic data gathered across hundreds of thousands of local plots each season. By applying these results, DuPont Pioneer researchers identify and advance the highest yielding varieties within the Pioneer soybean research program.

Introduced for soybeans in 2007, the first-generation Accelerated Yield Technology system used proprietary molecular marker breeding techniques with a select group of commercial soybean varieties to enhance yield.  Today, Pioneer is deploying AYT 4.0 across its entire early-stage soybean breeding program to rapidly identify the highest yielding experimental varieties for local breeding environments. The new technology coupled with other proprietary breeding techniques has allowed Pioneer to halve product development timelines to five to seven years.

“AYT 4.0 gives us the most detailed understanding of the soybean genome we’ve ever had,” said Stephens. “Just a few years ago our researchers could only dream of applying the precise breeding activities that we are routinely doing today. It is important that we continue to push the boundaries of our science to deliver better products to our customers.”

Pioneer has introduced its first commercial soybean variety using AYT 4.0, and anticipates a majority of the new varieties introduced for 2017 will be products of the new enabling technology. In the coming years, all new commercial Pioneer® brand soybeans will be produced using AYT 4.0.

“Many growers are already experiencing the increased yields AYT 4.0 delivers,” Stephens said. “Pioneer® variety P31T11R is the first commercial variety developed using AYT 4.0. In 2015, it delivered a yield advantage of 3.8 bu/acre* against similar maturing varieties in Iowa. This outstanding yield potential, coupled with a great defensive package, has already made it one of our top-selling varieties.”