Monday September 26 Ag News + Crop Progress

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending September 25, 2016, temperatures averaged nine degrees above normal across eastern Nebraska and six degrees above normal across western areas, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The above normal temperatures hastened emergence of winter wheat and dry down of fall crops. Precipitation of an inch or more was limited to the eastern third of the State and portions of the Panhandle. Seed corn and silage harvests were winding to a close. Dry bean and sugarbeet harvests were active. There were 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 7 percent very short, 24 short, 64 adequate, and 5 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 7 percent very short, 25 short, 65 adequate, and 3 surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn condition rated 1 percent very poor, 5 poor, 20 fair, 57 good, and 17 excellent. Corn mature was 69 percent, ahead of 60 last year and the five-year average of 61. Harvested was 7 percent, near 9 last year, and behind 13 average.

Sorghum condition rated 0 percent very poor, 1 poor, 14 fair, 61 good, and 24 excellent. Sorghum mature was 63 percent, ahead of 52 last year, and well ahead of 40 average. Harvested was 11 percent, ahead of 2 both last year and average.

Soybeans condition rated 1 percent very poor, 3 poor, 19 fair, 59 good, and 18 excellent. Soybeans dropping leaves was 75 percent, near 74 last year, and ahead of 68 average. Harvested was 9 percent, near 10 both last year and average.

Winter wheat planted was 72 percent, ahead of 63 last year and 61 average. Emerged was 42 percent, well ahead of 20 last year and 21 average.

Alfalfa fourth cutting was 71 percent, behind 87 last year and 78 average.

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 3 percent very poor, 8 poor, 25 fair, 56 good, and 8 excellent. Stock water supplies rated 1 percent very short, 10 short, 88 adequate, and 1 surplus.



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION REPORT

Although southeast Iowa had 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork, statewide there were just 3.6 days suitable for the week ending September 25, 2016, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Above normal precipitation with localized heavy rains led to reports of fields with standing water. Activities for the week included chopping corn for silage, and some corn and soybean harvest. Excessive rains have raised concerns about crop damage and pasture condition in certain parts of the State.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 2 percent short, 67 percent adequate and 30 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 4 percent short, 73 percent adequate and 22 percent surplus.

Seventy-two percent of the corn crop was mature or beyond, 3 days ahead of last year, and 2 days ahead of the five-year average. Corn harvest slowed due to wet conditions, but there were scattered reports of corn for grain being harvested. Corn condition rated 82 percent good to excellent.

Ninety-three percent of soybeans were turning color or beyond, 3 days ahead of last year’s pace. Sixty-eight percent of soybeans were dropping leaves or beyond, 3 days ahead of average. Soybean harvest has begun where field conditions were dry enough. Soybean condition rated 81 percent good to excellent.

The third cutting of alfalfa hay advanced only one percentage point, to 96 percent, due to the week’s abundance of rain. Pasture condition rated 65 percent good to excellent. While above normal temperatures were beneficial for livestock conditions, grazing livestock had to move to higher ground as lowland pastures flooded in north central and northeastern Iowa. Outdoor feedlots also became muddy.



U.S. Corn, Soybean Harvests Lag Average Pace

Corn and soybean harvest progress was lagging an average pace as of Sept. 25, according to USDA's latest Crop Progress report released Monday. Corn harvest is 4 percentage points behind the five-year average and soybean harvest is 3 percentage points behind.

The nation's corn crop is 97% dented and 73% mature, compared to 93% and 53% last week, 96% and 66% last year, and five-year averages of 96% and 64%. Corn condition held steady at 74% good to excellent.

Sixty-eight percent of the nation's soybeans were dropping leaves, compared to 46% last week, 69% last year and a 64% average. Soybean condition remained steady at 73% good to excellent.

Winter wheat planting is 30% complete, compared to 17% last week, 28% last year and a 30% average. Winter wheat is 8% emerged, compared to 6% last year and an 8% average. 

Sixty-three percent of cotton had bolls opening, compared to 48% last week, 66% last year and a 65% average. Cotton harvested was reported at 10%, compared to 6% last week, 10% last year and a 10% average.  Cotton condition held steady at 48% good to excellent.

Seventy-three percent of the rice crop was harvested, compared to 64% last week, 65% last year and a 59% average.

Sorghum was 94% coloring, compared to 88% last week, 94% last year and an 87% average. Sorghum harvest was 34% complete, compared to 29% last week, 35% last year and a 32% average. Sorghum condition held steady at 66% good to excellent.



Brazil Soy Planting Begins

It's been 10 days since the Brazilians have been allowed to plant soybeans in the principal producing states of Mato Grosso and Parana, but fieldwork until now has been slow amid spotty rainfall.

Weather forecasts indicate precipitation will remain sparse for the next month, and there may even be a mini dry spell in early October.  But, unlike last year, rain is expected to return with a vengeance in the second half of October.

In 2015, Mato Grosso farmers who planted early in September suffered heavy losses after rain stopped and didn't return to many areas until late October.  That contributed to Mato Grosso suffering the first drop in harvested area in six years.

According to the Mato Grosso Agricultural Economy Institute (IMEA), planted area in Mato Grosso will recover marginally to 23.1 million acres in 2016-17.  Planting efforts reached 1.2% as of Friday, said IMEA. That is a bit slow, but not that significant as planting only traditionally gets under way in October.

The outlook for Parana, the No. 2 state in southern Brazil, is slightly more positive. There is more rain in the charts in the second half of September, but heavy, consistent rains are only really expected to start falling in later October.

According to the Parana state agricultural secretariat, farmers in the state had planted 3% of the crop up to Sept. 19, behind the 5% planted at the same stage of last year.

Brazil is on course to produce a bumper crop in 2016-17 with a consensus that the crop will be in the range of 102.5 to 105 million metric tons, up around 5% on last year.



Cuming County 4-H Members Participate at AKSARBEN

Cuming County 4-H members had another very successful year at the 89th Annual AKSARBEN Stock Show that was held in Omaha at the CenturyLink Center.  According to Larry Howard, Nebraska Extension Educator in Cuming County, thirty-eight Cuming County 4-H members had 73 animals entered at the livestock shows this year.

In the Beef Show, Addisyn Albers of Wisner showed the Division 3 Champion Market Steer that was also named the third place overall Market Steer and made the Purple Ribbon Auction.  She also received a first place plaque for her Record Book.  Carter Stratman of West Point showed the Reserve Champion Steer Feeder Calf.

In the Rabbit Show, Evie Schlickbernd of West Point showed the Mini Satin Best of Breed and Best Opposite.  Alexis Wuestewald of West Point showed the American Fuzzy Lop Best of Breed.

In the Swine Show, Blake Guenther of West Point placed third in Showmanship.



Set Soybean Harvest Goal of 13% Moisture to Aid Profits
Randy Pryor - Extension Educator, Saline County

Most soybeans are harvested and delivered directly to an elevator instead of being placed in on-farm storage. Too often, soybeans are harvested at moisture contents under the 13% definition of a standard bushel. The marketplace pays farmers as if they delivered soybeans at 13% moisture. That's why 13% moisture needs to be the goal — delivering soybeans below or above that goal reduces profits.

Greater than 13%, there is a moisture dock on the scale ticket for delivering wet beans, resulting in a lower price per bushel.  Less than 13%, there are fewer “bushels” to sell rather than a dockage on the ticket. There are fewer bushels because the load weight is divided by 60 pounds per bushel (assuming 13% moisture) rather than by the actual pounds per bushel for the moisture content of the beans at the time of delivery

A study of farmer practices was conducted in Hamilton and York counties by former extension educators Andy Christiansen and Gary Zoubek. They collected information from 115 truckloads of soybean that were harvested and being delivered to the elevators. Of those sampled, 5 loads were less than 8.9% moisture; 14 loads were 9-9.9%; 28 loads were 10-10.9%; 27 loads were 11-11.9%; 29 loads were 12-12.9%; 9 loads were 13-13.9% and only 3% loads were 14-14.9% moisture.

What difference does harvesting and selling soybeans at 8% or 9% compared to 13% moisture mean to your bottom line?

If you sell soybeans at 8% moisture, you're losing about 5.43% of your yield; at 9% moisture, it's 4.4%; at 10% moisture, 3.3%; at 11% moisture, 2.25%; and at 12% moisture, it's 1.14% yield loss. That does not take into account additional risk for shatter losses during harvest. For a field that's yielding 75 bu/ac, harvesting it at 9% results in selling 3.3 fewer bushels per acre based on weight because you are not selling the water that you are entitled to sell if the beans were at 13% moisture. With soybeans priced at $9/bushel, that's a loss of about $30 per acre.

So what can you do? Everyone knows that it is impossible to harvest all your soybeans at exactly 13%, but that should be your goal. Consider these soybean harvest tips:

When harvesting tough or green stems, make combine adjustments and operate at slower ground speeds. Make combine adjustments several times a day to match conditions as they change. The following combine adjustments are suggested when harvesting higher moisture soybeans or soybeans with green stems:

-            To increase “grip” on the green stems to pull them through the combine, replace rounded or worn parts in the thresher, especially worn feeder house chains and rasp bars.

-            Increase cylinder/rotor speed to make threshing more aggressive to break open green pods and pull the green material through. Do not close down concave clearance as that reduces room for the green materials to pass through the thresher.

-            Insert filler plates or wires in the front portion of the concave to keep the green pods in the cylinder/rotor chamber longer for better threshing. If not, the pods will fall through to the sieves unopened. Consider closing down the top sieve slightly to send the green pods out the back if you are not threshing them properly.

-            Increase fan speed as the green stems are heavier and need more airflow to keep them suspended above the sieves to allow for proper cleaning and to blow the green leaves out.

-            Close down the lower sieve slightly to keep green pods out of the grain tank and send them back to the cylinder/rotor for rethreshing.

-            Install disrupter bars on rotary combines to improve green stem flow through the rotor and to reduce “roping.”  On some rotary combines, you can retard the material flow by adjusting the vanes on the rotor cage or by installing reverser rasp bars to keep the material in the rotor longer to allow more time for threshing and separating.

-            Consider adding an air reel to the head to have airflow help feed the soybeans into the combine and reduce bunch feeding.  More uniform feeding will improve threshing.

Begin harvesting at 14% or 15% moisture. What appears to be wet or green from the road may be dry enough to harvest. Try harvesting when some of the leaves are still on the plant as the beans may be drier than you think. Soybeans are fully mature when 95% of the pods are at their mature tan color. The moisture driven from the wet beans in the bottom of the bin will help rehydrate any dry beans in the top of the bin.

Harvest under optimum conditions. Moisture content can increase by several points with an overnight dew or it can decrease by several points during a day with low humidity and windy conditions. Avoid harvesting when beans are driest, such as on hot afternoons, to maintain moisture and reduce shattering losses. Harvesting immediately after a rain, if field conditions allow, will result in higher moisture contents.  However, several wetting and drying cycles from rain events will make the soybeans more susceptible to shatter losses from pods splitting open.

Avoid harvest losses from shattering by harvesting before the beans become overly dry. Four to five beans on the ground per square foot can add up to one bushel per acre loss. Many times, the dock for delivering beans over 13% moisture content may be less the shatter losses from harvesting overly dry soybeans.

If there are green leaves and green pods in the grain, they are considered foreign matter at the marketplace which can result in dockage.  If placed in on-farm storage, they can cause challenges in a grain bin at the edges. Avoid dockage and spoilage by doing the following:
-            Reset the combine as outlined above to provide a cleaner harvest.
-            Use a grain cleaner to remove the foreign matter before marketing or storage.
-            Use a grain spreader when putting beans into storage to better distribute any foreign matter.
-            In storage, operate the aeration fan to dry the leaves and green pods to a safe storage moisture content. The pods and green beans will dry quickly and help rehydrate any overly dry beans. The fans need to be operated for temperature management anyway.

Don’t place “all of your eggs in one basket” when it comes to selecting the maturity of soybean seed at planting time. Select your varieties and schedule your planting to spread out plant maturity and harvest. Plant your early maturing varieties first.

Good luck and hopefully you'll have a safe harvest and an excellent crop of 13% moisture soybeans. 



State Range Judging Contest This Week Near Lincoln

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Nebraska's Natural Resources Districts and the Nebraska Section of the Society for Range Management are hosting the Nebraska State Range Judging Contest in Lancaster County. This contest brings together over 400 high school students from across the state. Students will be split into eight groups and rotate through eight stations every 20 minutes.

Each station will test a team's ability to determine rangeland condition for grazing livestock, assess wildlife habitat, identify common rangeland plants, define proper stocking rates, and more.

The evet takes place Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m. The exact location is kept secret to participants until the day of the competition, but the contest location is a 20-minute drive from downtown Lincoln.



Town Hall Announced: What’s Happening In Iowa, & What Can Nebraska Do To Protect Itself?

With questions continuing to go unanswered on the Costco-owned chicken processing operation based in Fremont, Nebraska, two rural Iowa leaders will be on hand Thursday, September 29th to share their experiences about the issues arising in Iowa due to the over-industrialization of agriculture.

-       Iowa Senator David Johnson, Award Winning Newspaper Owner-Editor, Dairy Farmer, Iowa 1st District State Senator, Past Ag Committee Chairman, and Co-Author of the Current Livestock Law, and;

-       Chris Petersen, Traditional and Independent Family Farmer, Past President of the Iowa Farmers Union, Socially Responsible Ag Project, and Board Member of the Organization of Competitive Markets.

The community discussion will be on Thursday, September 29th from 6:00-8:00pm at the Fremont Opera House (541 N. Broad Street, Fremont, NE).

The informational town hall meeting is being sponsored by Nebraska Communities United, Nebraska Farmers Union, Socially Responsible Ag Project, Bold Nebraska and GC Resolve.

“Industrial farming has a long history of mistreatment of its employees and the environment.  Here is a chance for Nebraska to learn from the mistakes of others and put in safe guards that protect the people, towns and the environment in the state we call home,” said Randy Ruppert, President of Nebraska Communities United.

“If Iowa is the livestock development model that Nebraska is supposed to follow, Nebraskans should do some homework on how Iowa’s livestock production system is working.  How do rural residents feel about the Iowa matrix based planning and zoning system?  What is the environmental track record of Iowa’s livestock model? These are the kinds of questions Nebraskans should ask before our state uses Iowa for a model of livestock production,” said John Hansen, President of Nebraska Farmers Union.  

“This is a unique opportunity to have experts with a history of involvement in the industrialized model come to Nebraska to share their personal experiences in order to best protect our best interests.  We should listen closely and we should heed their advice,” said Laura Krebsbach, a Regional Representative with Socially Responsible Agricultural Project.

“Water is Nebraska’s most valuable commodity supporting the State's $14 billion dollar agriculture economy.  Therefore, we should ensure we make every effort to preserve the purity of this valuable natural resource and hold ag corporations responsible and accountable for complying with our water quality standards," said Amy Schaffer, Program Coordinator of Bold Nebraska.

“You just have to look across the Missouri River to see how the over-industrialization of agriculture can affect a community,” said Graham Christensen, President of GC Resolve.  “The result in Iowa has been lower water quality and communities pitted against one another in lawsuits.  We can take a more cautious and effective approach in Nebraska.”



Nebraska State Climate Office Launches Websites 

The Nebraska State Climate Office at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, an organization dedicated to delivering science-based climate services at the local and state level, is announcing the launch of its sister websites.

The sites offer easy-to-read climate data maps for 17 areas of focus, ranging from precipitation totals to Growing Degree Days, and both sites were built using responsive design. Find them at:
-    nsco.unl.edu
-    mesonet.unl.edu.

“We are excited about the launch of the Nebraska State Climate Office websites,” said Martha Shulski, NSCO director and state climatologist. “Our goal has always been to deliver science-based weather and climate information so people can make informed local decisions, and with these sites, we have developed the framework to achieve that goal.

The website makes available real-time data collected automatically through the office’s statewide weather network, the Nebraska Mesonet. Data include: air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, solar radiation, barometric pressure and soil temperature. These data sets also are used to create the daily Growing Degree Days and Cattle Comfort Index tools.

“We’ll update both sites regularly with current news and datasets,” Shulski said, noting the weather network’s automated feeds will update hourly. The most recent observations appear 15 minutes after the hour and summary maps of the previous day update daily at 4 a.m.

“One of the key features that our clients wanted to see is observations in near real-time, so we focused on this aspect for the first round of products,” Shulski added. “We look forward to adding more functionality as new products and summaries are developed.”

The launch of the website will help the office continue to answer and meet user requests from across the state. The office annually fulfills 350 data, 250 media and 50 presentation requests. 

Additionally, office staff contributes to the US Drought Monitor and biweekly Nebraska Extension agricultural updates.



Green Plains Completes Abengoa Ethanol Plant Acquisition and Drop Down Transaction of Ethanol Storage Assets to Green Plains Partners

Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) today announced that it completed the previously announced acquisition of three ethanol plants located in Madison, Ill., Mount Vernon, Ind. and York, Neb. for approximately $237 million in cash plus certain working capital adjustments from Abengoa Bioenergy. The company immediately sold the ethanol storage assets to Green Plains Partners LP (NASDAQ:GPP) for $90 million. All three plants are currently operational and will add 236 million gallons per year of ethanol production capacity.

"In the past 12 months, we have expanded our ethanol production capacity by approximately 50 percent. Adding the Illinois and Indiana locations provide us with a bigger and more diverse geographic footprint," said Todd Becker, president and chief executive officer at Green Plains. "With nearly 1.5 billion gallons of production capacity, we are moving meaningful volumes across the agricultural and energy supply chains, further positioning us to serve both domestic and international markets efficiently and effectively."



Fortenberry Receives Golden Triangle Award From Farmers Union

Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) presented Representative Jeff Fortenberry with the Golden Triangle Award, National Farmers Union’s (NFU) highest legislative honor.  The award was presented recently as part of the annual NFU fall Fly-In that brought 275 Farmers Union members from across the country to Washington, DC to share their views and concerns with their elected officials.  Fortenberry was one of 44 House and Senate members honored this year.

Ten Nebraskans participated in the NFU Fly-In meetings with members of Congress and their staffs.  In addition to Hansen, Nebraska participants from all 7 NeFU Districts included John Maser and Mike Sarchet of Minatare, Terry Kirby of Central City, David Mohlman of Red Cloud, Amanda and Lillian Fritch of Beatrice, Jeff Downing of Elkhorn, Paul Poppe of Scribner, and Art Tanderup of Neligh.

The Golden Triangle is an annual award presented to members of Congress who have demonstrated leadership and support policies that benefit America’s family farmers, ranchers, fishermen and rural communities.

“The Golden Triangle Award represents outstanding leadership and tireless effort on the issues that are important to our industry and organization. It is our honor to recognize the efforts of these Congressional champions and friends of family farming and ranching,” said NFU President Roger Johnson.

The Golden Triangle, first presented in 1988, symbolizes the core principles of the Farmers Union organization: education, cooperation, and legislation. This year’s Golden Triangle honorees were selected for their leadership and contribution to several issues important to family farmers and ranchers.

Representative Fortenberry’s award was presented by NeFU President John Hansen and David Mohlman as other Nebraska team members were headed to the airport for flights home.  “We appreciate Representative Fortenberry’s continued leadership on renewable energy, conservation, rural development, and family farm and ranch issues,” said NeFU President John Hansen.  “Representative Fortenberry understands the issues in depth, and is a respected advocate of family farm and ranch agriculture.”

Yasser Reda, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt was scheduled next to meet with Rep. Fortenberry and was very interested in meeting representatives from American agriculture.  A very interesting discussion followed, and he enthusiastically participated in the photo of Rep. Fortenberry accepting his award.  NeFU President Hansen said “Wheat sales to Egypt came quickly to mind.”



Heuermann Lecture Set For October 10, 2016
Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center
2021 Transformation Drive, Lincoln, NE
Reception preceding lecture at 3:00 p.m.


British environmental writer and pro-science advocate, Mark Lynas, who has devoted his career to speaking around the world on climate change, biotechnology and nuclear power will present  “GMOs are Green: How an Environmentalist Changed his Mind about Biotechnology.”

Lynas made headlines worldwide in 2013 when he publicly reversed his stance and apologized for his previous ant-GMO activism. Today, he travels the world campaigning on behalf of several pro-science causes.

During the lecture, Lynas will outline the history of the anti-GMO movement and explain his about-turn on GMO’s. He will also give examples of how the genetic modification of crops can help farmers in developing countires address climate change, reduce pesticide use and improve harvests.

Lynas works closely with the Cornell Alliance for Science at Cornell University, which is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for its work in promoting agricultural development and reducing poverty and hunger. He is also a visiting research associate at Oxford University’s School of Geography and the Environment, and  is a current advisory board member of Sense About Science, a science advocacy group in the UK.

Heuermann Lectures are free and open to the public. Lectures are streamed live online at http://heuermannlectures.unl.edu. 



WATER SYMPOSIUM, LAW CONFERENCE SET FOR OCT. 21-22

    Panels will look at water basin management in Nebraska at the University of Nebraska's annual water symposium and water law conference Oct. 20 and 21.

    The back-to-back events will be at Nebraska Innovation Campus, 2021 Transformation Drive.

    "At the first day's symposium, panels will discuss what basin groups have concluded about state water policy and goals, objectives and problem areas in each basin," said Lincoln attorney Lee Orton, who helped plan the symposium agenda with Prairie Fire publisher W. Don Nelson and Nebraska Water Center director Chittaranjan Ray.

    Among the problems experienced in water management and planning for each of the state's major river basins will be water supply, political structures, past management and development characteristics.

    "The current state of water planning and management in each basin will be front and center in the discussions, along with unique and shared problem areas," Ray said.

    Panels will cover the Upper Platte, Lower Platte, Republican, Blue and Niobrara basins. Panel members represent a wide array of local, state, federal and private water interests.

     Bob Swanson, director of the U.S. Geological Survey's Nebraska Water Sciences Center, will conclude morning discussions with an update on USGS research work in Nebraska.

    Afternoon talks will focus on work being done by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, from director Jeff Fassett, and views from some of the state's largest utilities, including Omaha's Metropolitan Utilities District, Lincoln Water and the Omaha Public Power District.

    An integrated management plan panel discussion will be led by Christine Reed of the University of Nebraska, prior to Orton and Ray's symposium wrap-up.

    The following day, the Nebraska Water Center and the University of Nebraska College of Law will present the Nebraska water law conference, featuring the latest in Nebraska water law for attorneys, water professionals and others.

    Organizer Anthony Schutz of the law college will open with sessions on "Water Law 101" and updates in current water law, followed by attorneys Mike Klein and Justin Lavene on "Takings Claims."

    Attorney Don Blankenau will kick off a management session on western Nebraska's N-CORPE project, followed by Upper Niobrara-White Natural Resource District manager Pat O'Brien on Niobrara transfers and Central Platte NRD manager Lyndon Vogt on short-term auctions in the Central Platte NRD.

    Pre-lunch keynote speaker Roger Patterson will share what California has learned from Nebraska as the Golden Gate State manages one of the worst long-term droughts in its history.

    In the afternoon, Lincoln attorney Stephen Mossman will discuss landowner drainage liability, and Drake University's Jerry Anderson will talk about the recent Des Moines, Iowa, water litigation, followed by water-quality discussions on Nebraska nitrates by Michael Linder and lessons from Flint, Michigan, by Rick Kubat of Omaha's Metropolitan Utilities District. Attorney Lash Chaffin will explore the ethical dimensions of Flint.

    Information and registration details for both events are available at http://watercenter.unl.edu. Registration is $225 for either day, or $340 for both. Student registrations are free. For more information, contact Tricia Liedle at 402-472-3305 or pliedle@nebraska.edu.



9th Annual Nebraska Wind and Solar Conference Returns to Lincoln

The Ninth Annual Nebraska Wind and Solar Conference will be held at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, 333 S. 13 Street in Lincoln, NE Monday, November 7 – Tuesday, November 8. This year’s conference will include updates from wind and solar experts, public power utility CEO’s, Nebraska State Senators and others. The conference will be preceded by a tour of Lincoln Electric System’s (LES) SunShares Community Solar Project on Sunday, November 6.

On Monday, sessions include a series of panel discussions.  Nebraska State Senators will discuss recent wind and solar legislation and issues first thing Monday morning.  After break, a panel will discuss the benefits of solar energy for rural communities.  Monday noon, the CEO’s of Nebraska’s three largest public power utilities will share their views.  Monday afternoon, panels will discuss wind and solar zoning regulations; operating and planning of the electric grid during turbulent times; and community solar.  All sessions allow time for questions.

Tuesday’s schedule includes an update on Nebraska Public Power Districts “R-Line;” a discussion about the effects of renewable energy on rural agriculture economy; and solar for farms, businesses and residential.

“The conference includes knowledgeable experts covering topics that will appeal to anyone interested in wind and solar energy,” said John Hansen, conference co-chairman. “We are also going to be addressing some of the myths about renewable energy that have been in the news lately.”

On Sunday, conference attendees will be able to participate in a tour of LES’s nearly five-megawatt facility near West Holdrege and Northwest 75th Streets.

“We are pleased to work with LES and to allow access to the solar project for our conference attendees,” said Dan McGuire, conference co-chairman. “This solar array is the largest in Nebraska and includes 15,333 solar panels. It will be impressive to see.”

Registration is $125 until October 8 and student Registration is $65. Rooms at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel are $114 per night until October 8, which includes free parking. Registration information is available on the conference website http://nebraskawindandsolarconference.com/.



Nebraska Farm Bureau Opposes $369 Million Southeast Community College Bond Measure

The Nebraska Farm Bureau announced today its opposition to the Southeast Community College (SCC) $369 million bond proposal that seeks to secure funds for projects across the Southeast Community College system, including construction of a new campus in downtown Lincoln. If passed, the measure would equate to a massive property tax increase on farmers, businesses, and homeowners across the 15 county SCC District, said Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson.

“Educational opportunities are vitally important to Nebraskans. We understand the important role community colleges play in preparing Nebraskans for jobs, both inside and out of agriculture. With that said, this SCC proposal fails to meet the needs of the other partners in the educational process; the individual tax payers who will have to take real money out of their pockets and family budgets to pay for the $369 million measure, plus interest,” said Nelson.

Nelson said the decision to oppose the measure stems from numerous factors, starting with the concern expressed by members of the organization who reside and pay taxes in the district.

“The message we’ve heard from members has been clear. This SCC proposal is too big, too expensive, and too risky,” said Nelson. “Lumping together numerous projects in a single bond with a price tag that we estimate could top half-a-billion dollars in new property taxes, when all is said and done, is unacceptable. Relief from skyrocketing property tax bills is the number one concern we hear from members. This proposal doesn’t provide the level of detail or certainty about how dollars will be spent for a request of this magnitude. Raising property taxes by $369 million ($369,000,000) without definitive plans about how and when the money will be spent is simply irresponsible.”

Nelson noted that SCC would benefit from a different approach to addressing renovation and facility needs.

“What voters need to understand is that SCC has room under their existing taxing authority to raise additional funds for these types of projects – authority which remains even if the bond passes. We are asking SCC to slow down and consider Nebraska’s taxpayers who already pay the 7th highest property taxes in the country,” said Nelson. “SCC would be better suited to look at their existing taxing authority and prioritize projects in smaller, more targeted requests, if warranted,” said Nelson.

The decision to oppose the measure was not taken lightly. Representatives from Farm Bureau, including individual members who will be directly impacted by the measure, have met with SCC officials to both discuss and ask questions about the Bond measure.

“SCC and our state’s other community colleges provide an important service to Nebraskans and our labor force. Farm Bureau even has a presence at SCC through our Collegiate Farm Bureau. This isn’t a question of whether there is value in SCC. It’s a question of whether this is a good proposal,” said Nelson. “This specific proposal fails to provide enough detail or accountability and asks too much of taxpayers and their children who will be paying for this measure for the next 25 years. Taxpayers in the District should vote NO on this measure and let SCC know they must better articulate the need and provide detailed accounting when taking money out of the pockets of homeowners, farmers, and businesses in the form of new tax dollars.” 



Iowa Farm Financial Conditions Shown in New Report

An examination of the financial performance of Iowa farm businesses in 2015 has been released by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The analysis focuses on farm income, wealth, financial liquidity, farm size, enterprise mix, financial structure, financial performance and efficiency and farm program payments.

The report was compiled by Alejandro Plastina, ISU Extension and Outreach economist, using farm level data provided by the Iowa Farm Business Association. It is available through the Extension Store.

“This report is a very useful tool to understand where your operation is currently standing and to compare that with similar farms in Iowa,” Plastina said. “The data provided by the Iowa Farm Business Association was incredibly important to this study. This is the first time in nearly a decade this data was available to Iowa State and it helped immensely in our efforts to understand the current financial situation on Iowa’s farms.”

This report is different from others because farm operations are classified based on their ability to produce free cash flow. The farms are broken into one of five groups, each group comprising 20 percent of the number of active farms (top 20 percent, upper 20-40 percent, middle 20 percent, lower 20-40 percent and lowest 20 percent). This structure allows the report to be used for benchmarking each farm operation against similar farms, instead of a simple industry average.

Because the data used in the study come from IFBA accounting records, it Iowa Farm Financial Conditions in 2015is generally more accurate and consistent than data obtained from cross-sectional surveys. It also provides a very detailed snapshot of farm conditions at the start of 2016.

“Most farms had strong balance sheets and were in a good solvency position at the start of 2016,” Plastina said. “Farmers enjoyed a long period of very good prices and sustained profitability, which meant 80 percent of farms were in that high solvency position. Farmers had built their equity during the good times and are now relying on those retained earnings.”

As commodity prices for both crops and livestock have dipped since the start of 2015, cash flow in the operations became a concern for some farmers. While most farms were still in good shape by the end of 2015, the lowest 20 percent of operations were in a weak liquidity position.

“There is a general belief that farms across the board started 2016 with low liquidity levels, and that isn’t the case,” Plastina said. “Only the lowest 20 percent had weak liquidity levels at the end of 2015 compared to all others who had high or average levels.”

Liquidity has been pushed down by profitability and return on investment has been low, Plastina said. Many of the farms that showed a negative in farm income had a high proportion of their gross farm sales coming from livestock.

One way the top performing farms separated themselves from others is in marketing. The top 20 percent of farms received corn and soybean prices that were, respectively, 33 cents and 53 cents higher than farms in the lowest 20 percent.

“So far there haven’t been any reports that show the relevance of marketing,” Plastina said. “It is very clear how those farms that do better are not only better in terms of production but in terms of the final price they get for their crops.”



Egg, Dairy and Chicken Prices Down, Beef Too

Lower retail prices for several foods, including eggs, whole milk, cheddar cheese, chicken breast, sirloin tip roast and ground chuck resulted in a decrease in the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Fall Harvest Marketbasket Survey.

The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $49.70, down $4.40 or 8 percent compared to a survey conducted a year ago. Of the 16 items surveyed, 13 decreased and three increased in average price.

Egg prices dropped significantly due to production recovering well from the 2014 avian influenza, according to John Newton, AFBF director, market intelligence. Milk prices are down substantially from prior years, particularly compared to record-highs in 2014, due to the current global dairy surplus.

“For all commodities in agriculture there is a lot of product on hand and prices are depressed,” Newton explained.

The following items showed retail price decreases from a year ago:
    eggs, down 51 percent to $1.48 dozen
    chicken breast, down 16 percent to $2.86 per pound
    sirloin tip roast, down 11 percent to $5.04 per pound
    shredded cheddar, down 10 percent to $4.09 per pound
    whole milk, down 10 percent to $2.84 per gallon
    ground chuck, down 9 percent to $4.13 per pound
    toasted oat cereal, down 9 percent to $2.80 for a nine-ounce box
    vegetable oil, down 9 percent to $2.39 for a 32-ounce bottle
    flour, down 7 percent to $2.21 per five-pound bag
    white bread, down 7 percent to $1.58 for a 20-ounce loaf
    orange juice, down 5 percent to $3.26 per half-gallon
    bacon, down 3 percent to $4.40 per pound
    sliced deli ham, down less than 1 percent to $5.45

These items showed moderate retail price increases compared to a year ago:
    bagged salad, up 16 percent to $2.85 per pound
    apples, up 10 percent to $1.59 per pound
    potatoes, up 3 percent to $2.73 for a 5-pound bag

“Dry conditions in the Northeast and Northwest the last few years likely contributed to smaller supplies and higher retail prices for apples,” Newton said. In addition, he said salad prices are up due to lower output in the West, particularly in California and Arizona.

Price checks of alternative milk and egg choices not included in the overall marketbasket survey average revealed the following: 1/2 gallon regular milk, $1.86; 1/2 gallon organic milk, $4.26; and one dozen “cage-free” eggs, $3.48.

The year-to-year direction of the marketbasket survey tracks with the federal government’s Consumer Price Index report for food at home. As retail grocery prices have increased gradually over time, the share of the average food dollar that America’s farm and ranch families receive has dropped.

“Through the mid-1970s, farmers received about one-third of consumer retail food expenditures for food eaten at home and away from home, on average. Since then, that figure has decreased steadily and is now about 17 percent, according to the Agriculture Department’s revised Food Dollar Series,” Newton said.

Using the “food at home and away from home” percentage across-the-board, the farmer’s share of this $49.70 marketbasket would be approximately $8.45.

AFBF, the nation’s largest general farm organization, began conducting informal quarterly marketbasket surveys of retail food price trends in 1989. The series includes a Spring Picnic survey, Summer Cookout survey, Fall Harvest survey and Thanksgiving survey.

According to USDA, Americans spend just under 10 percent of their disposable annual income on food, the lowest average of any country in the world. A total of 59 shoppers in 26 states participated in the latest survey, conducted in September.