Tuesday September 27 Ag News

United Soybean Board Appointments Increase to 73 Directors

The United Soybean Board (USB) will grow from 70 to 73 directors this winter to represent soybean production growth in Missouri, New Jersey and Wisconsin. New and returning farmer-leaders will be sworn in at USB’s annual meeting in St. Louis on Dec. 9. All appointees were nominated by their Qualified State Soybean Boards (QSSBs) and confirmed by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Sept. 26.

“Soybean farmers are at the heart and mission of the soy checkoff,” says Jared Hagert, USB chair and soybean farmer from Emerado, North Dakota. “To embody the farmer perspective, farmer-leaders from the soybean-growing region step up to volunteer their time and skills to maximize profit opportunities for their neighbors over the county line and across the country. It is through the expertise, vision and inspiration of these dedicated men and women that the checkoff can bring fresh, new ideas to grow innovation beyond the bushel.”

Appointed farmer-leaders include:  (*Indicates returning director)
• Nebraska: Gregg Fujan*
• Nebraska: Edward Lammers
• Iowa: Delbert Christensen*
• South Dakota: Lewis Bainbridge*
• Kansas: Ronald Ohlde*
• Kansas: Lance Rezac
• Arkansas: Derek Haigwood*
• Colorado: Grant Watermann* (Western Region)
• Delaware: Cory Atkins
• Illinois: Dan Farney*
• Illinois: Doug Winter*
• Indiana: David Lowe
• Indiana: Kevin Wilson*
• Louisiana: Charles Cannatella*
• Maryland: William Layton
• Michigan: Jim Domagalski*
• Michigan: David Williams*
• Minnesota: Gene Stoel
• Minnesota: Jim Willers*
• Mississippi: C. D. Simmons III*
• Mississippi: David Wansley*
• Missouri: Neal Bredehoeft
• Missouri: Meagan Kaiser
• New Jersey: Bill Bibus*
• New York: Ralph Lott*
• North Carolina: Jacob Parker*
• North Carolina: Benjamin Potter (2-year term)
• North Dakota: Jared Hagert*
• North Dakota: Darren Kadlec
• Ohio: Keith Kemp*
• Ohio: Steve Reinhard
• Oklahoma: Paul Fruendt*
• Pennsylvania: John Harrell
• Tennessee: John Dodson*
• Virginia: Cameron Gibson*
• West Virginia: Marty Kable (Eastern Region)
• Wisconsin: Nancy Kavazanjian*
• Wisconsin: Jennifer Poltermann
• Wisconsin: Dan Roe

Additionally, the following alternate directors were appointed:
• Colorado: Ross Watermann
• Delaware: Dallas Wright*
• New Jersey: Fred Catalano
• New York: Elizabeth Rudgers
• Oklahoma: Scotty Herriman

This year’s group of 39 appointees will join the other 34 farmer-leaders in directing soy checkoff funds to research, marketing and promotion efforts that increase soybean farmer profitability. To increase the value of U.S. soy, the checkoff works with partners in the value chain, from supply to marketplace to demand, to identify and capture opportunities that increase farmer profit potential.



Pig farmers connect farm to fork during October Pork Month

October became known as Pork Month because it marked the time of year when hogs were traditionally marketed. Today, it serves as a celebration to thank pork producers and share their stories with consumers.

"If you eat, you have a connection to a farmer every day," said Iowa Pork Producers Association President Al Wulfekuhle, a pig farmer from Quasqueton. "October Pork Month is an opportunity to refresh the connection consumers have with farmers. Our mission is to produce safe, nutritious food in a responsible manner for families across the United States and around the world."

In 2008, pork producers adopted six We Care ethical principles at the National Pork Industry Forum. The pork industry follows the six guiding ethical principles of the We Care initiative to maintain a safe, high-quality pork supply. Producers are committed to:
-    Producing safe food;
-    Safeguarding natural resources in all industry practices;
-    Providing a work environment that is safe and consistent with the industry's other ethical principles;
-    Contributing to a better quality of life in communities;
-    Protecting and promoting animal well-being; and
-    Ensuring practices to protect public health.

"The ethical principles define our values and who we are," Wulfekuhle said. "Consumers can be confident that the pork they eat was raised using these ethical principles."

Pork is the world's most widely eaten meat, representing 36 percent of all meat consumed, according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

According to Nielsen Perishable Group retail sales data for 52 weeks ending May 28, 2016, the top five most popular cuts sold are Center cut chops, Assorted Chops, Back Ribs, Spare Ribs and Tenderloins.

In terms of dollar sales, Center Cut Chops accounted for more than $1,002 billion, Assorted Chops $525 million, Back Ribs $411 million, Spare Ribs $237 million and Tenderloins at $177 million.

"Consumers recognize the versatility of serving pork in their homes," said Wulfekuhle. "Cook pork until the internal temperature reaches between 145 degrees and 160 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by a three-minute rest, this will ensure flavorful and tender pork on the plate."



IOWA AVIAN INFLUENZA INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM RECOGNIZED BY NASDA

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) has recognized the Iowa Avian Influenza Incident Management Team with the James A. Graham Award for Outstanding Service.  NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association which represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries, and directors of the departments of agriculture in all fifty states and four U.S. territories.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey nominated the Iowa team for the award.

“Staff throughout our Department and from across state government stepped up and help respond to this terrible animal disease outbreak.  This award is an opportunity to highlight the hard work and long hours they all put in to the response and thank them for their service.  I am extremely proud of the Iowa team and join my colleagues from across the country in congratulating them on receiving this award,” Northey said.

The award was presented at the NASDA annual meeting held in Lincoln, NE September 21 – 24.

The award citation read:

“The Iowa IMT leadership worked diligently throughout the entire 2015 H5N2 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak in Iowa.

“This outbreak has been described by USDA APHIS leadership as the largest animal health emergency in US history.  The Iowa IMT leadership provided effective, strong, committed, positive and creative leadership throughout the entire emergency response in Iowa.  The Iowa IMT leadership worked closely with federal, state, local and industry partners to assist producers in depopulation, disposal and cleaning and disinfection of infected facilities.

“Throughout the disease outbreak they always maintained a focus on helping farmers get back in operation as soon as possible while ensuring strong biosecurity measures were in place to limit further spread of the disease.

“In addition to leading the Iowa response to this disease, Iowa IMT leadership have also conducted extensive training, planning and preparations in our state to better prepare for another incident of HPAI or other animal disease.  They have also shared their hard earned experience freely and served as a resource for other states preparing their own animal health emergency response plans.

“The team members include Steve Moline, Food Safety and Animal Health Division Director; Dr. David Schmitt, State Veterinarian for Iowa; Dr. Jeff Kaisand, Assistant State Veterinarian for Iowa; and Robin Pruisner, Ag Security Coordinator.”



CattleFax Announces Agenda for Outlook & Strategies Seminar

The cast is set and there is no turning back. The cattle industry is facing larger domestic supplies for 2017 and 2018, and pork and poultry production will be record large as well.

Beef industry participants will feel the far-reaching influence of livestock expansion well beyond 2016. CattleFax will discuss those implications in detail during its Outlook & Strategies 2017 Seminar on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016.

Jan Lambregts, Global Head of Financial Markets Research for Rabobank International, will provide the keynote – presenting the factors that will shape the U.S. and global economy in 2017. Art Douglas, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of the Atmospheric Science Department at Creighton University, will discuss weather patterns and trends expected for 2017 and beyond.

The CattleFax team will share its expectations on the major trends that will shape the livestock, grain, protein and energy markets over the next 12 to 24 months – providing business strategies to navigate the market challenges. Seminar topics will include beef cowherd expansion, protein market trends, cheaper feedstuffs, energy market price changes, feedyard and packing segment capacity, interest rate expectations and world trade policy.

The Marriott Denver South at Park Meadows in Littleton, Colo., is the seminar headquarters hotel. Seminar cost is $325 per person and includes a pre-seminar networking reception on the evening of Monday, Nov. 28. Registration is open, but space is limited.

Interested participants can visit www.CattleFax.com/meetings.aspx for more information and to download a registration form. Questions regarding the seminar can be answered by calling 800-825-7525 or e-mailing leigh@cattlefax.com.



Universities Collaborating on New Way to Make Ammonia

University of Arkansas engineering professor Lauren Greenlee and her colleagues at Case Western Reserve and Pennsylvania State universities have received a $599,373 award from the U.S. Department of Energy to study an alternative method for making ammonia.

Ammonia, a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, is a colorless gas used as fertilizer in agricultural and food production. It is also used in many commercial cleaning products and as a building block for the synthesis of pharmaceutical products.

The standard method for producing commercial ammonia, the Haber-Bosch process, uses an iron-based catalyst and has not changed for about 100 years. It is a highly energy-intensive industrial process that accounts for 3 percent of the world's carbon-dioxide emissions and consumes about 2 percent of the world's energy resources. For these reasons, the Department of Energy and other agencies are seeking alternative technologies that demand less energy and are less harmful to the environment.

Chemists have tried to develop synthetic catalysts to replace the multi-stage Haber-Bosch process of combining nitrogen and hydrogen at high temperature and pressure. But they've run into problems with these alternative methods. Electrocatalysts -- catalysts that function at electrode surfaces -- struggle with the electrochemical reduction of water to hydrogen. Until the selectivity of the catalyst can be controlled, this technology will remain out of reach.

With help from colleagues Julie Renner at Case Western Reserve University and Mike Janik at Pennsylvania State University, Greenlee will focus on developing synthetic electrocatalysts that can reduce nitrogen gas to ammonia at temperatures below 100 degrees Celsius. They will try to develop a better understanding of how nitrogen and water interact with catalyst surfaces.

"Much is still unknown about this electrochemical reaction," Greenlee said. "While the end goal of this work is to develop synthetic electrocatalysts for ammonia production, we will first take a huge step back and simply try to understand reactant transport to the catalyst surface."



Rising Mississippi Could Disrupt Grain Shipping

Heavy rains and flooding swamped a broad swathe of the northern Midwest this week, halting the harvest of corn and soybeans and forcing the closure of at least two Iowa crop processing plants, traders and farmers said on Friday. According to Reuters, farmers' concerns grew that standing water in fields could damage unharvested crops, while floodwaters swelled the Mississippi River and threatened to disrupt the loading of export-bound grain barges.

Parts of northern Iowa and southern Minnesota received several inches of rain at midweek, with two-day rain totals topping 10 inches in some areas. The region is expected to see two days of drier weather before more showers through next week, said David Streit, agricultural meteorologist with the Commodity Weather Group.

Farmers, meanwhile, are waiting for fields to drain and dry out before resuming the harvest, a process that will take longer in cooler September weather than it would in midsummer heat. Soggy conditions and waterlogged fields have raised concerns about crop damage and disease, which could reduce farmer revenues at a time when grain prices are already near multi-year lows.

Rising water in the Mississippi River, the main shipping route that links Midwest farms with Gulf Coast export terminals, may halt grain barge loading at some river elevators as vessels are unable to access loading spouts, Reuters reported.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it is currently not planning to close any of the Mississippi's locks as the latest National Weather Service forecast shows water rising near, but not above, the lock-closure stage.



Statement by Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding Urban Ag Act of 2016

"Regardless of where or how America's farmers and ranchers produce food, giving them the technology and tools to succeed supports our nation's strength and security. The Urban Agricultural Act of 2016 would do that for farmers in urban settings. As an organization that supports farmers of all sizes, commodities and production systems, Farm Bureau believes this legislation will build a stronger bond among all farmers--rural, suburban and urban."

"This legislation offers services and support to urban farmers. The research component of the bill is not only critical for production, but also for exploring the risk management, food safety, environmental and economic factors that are critical for economic success.

"It's exciting that more Americans want to become farmers. Whether it is access to technical, marketing and educational materials, securing the capital investment to start new ag enterprises or navigating regulations that can kill innovation, all beginning farmers need a helping hand. Mentorship is a two-way street and we have much to teach and learn from each other. America's farmers lend a hand when needed; they unite around a common mission. This legislation seeds a dialogue of cooperation, whether roots sink into a rejuvenated lot in Detroit or the rolling hills of rural Georgia. Farm Bureau looks forward to being a partner in those efforts."



CWT Assists with 2.3 Million Pounds of Cheese Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 13 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Northwest Dairy Association/Darigold and Tillamook County Creamery Association, which have contracts to sell 2.288 million pounds (1,038 metric tons) of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese to customers in Asia, Central America, the Middle East, North Africa and Oceania. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from September through December 2016.

So far this year, CWT has assisted member cooperatives that have contracts to sell 38.149 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 7.491 million pounds of butter (82% milkfat) and 21.301 million pounds of whole milk powder to 21 countries on five continents. The sales are the equivalent of 676.166 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. Some totals adjusted for cancellations.

Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program in the long-term helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the U.S. farm milk that produces them. This, in turn, positively affects all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk prices.



NCF Accepting Applications for CME Beef Industry Scholarship
 
The National Cattlemen’s Foundation is now accepting applications for 2017-2018 beef industry scholarships sponsored by CME Group. Ten scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded to outstanding students pursuing careers in the beef industry.

“The CME Beef Industry Scholarship represents an investment in the future of the cattle business. By helping the next generation of cattlemen and women further their education, CME Group is helping to advance the future of the U.S. agricultural economy,” said Tim Andriesen, CME Group Managing Director of Agricultural Products. “Our partnership with the National Cattlemen’s Foundation and NCBA has spanned nearly three decades, and during that time, we’ve underscored the importance of risk management to the beef industry while contributing to the education of tomorrow’s industry leaders.”

The CME Beef Industry Scholarship was first introduced in 1989. Today, the scholarship recognizes and encourages talented students who will each play an important role in the future of food production in America. Students studying education, communication, production, research or other areas related to the beef industry should consider applying for the scholarship.

Applicants for the 2017-2018 scholarship must submit a one-page letter expressing their career goals related to the beef industry. Students must also write a 750-word essay describing an issue in the beef industry and offering solutions to this problem. Applicants must be a graduating high school senior or full-time undergraduate student enrolled at a two- or four-year college.

Online applications should be submitted by Oct. 31, 2016. To apply, or learn more about the scholarship, click here. Scholarship winners will be announced during the 2017 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville, Tenn.

For more information visit www.nationalcattlemensfoundation.org.



DuPont Pioneer Commits $175,000 to Food and Agricultural Education Grants

DuPont Pioneer and the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) announced today that Pioneer will award $175,000 in grants to agriscience educators to fund training and classroom resources that will help them implement advanced agriculture curriculum.
   
Grant recipients are teachers who are implementing Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) in their classrooms. CASE is a multi-year approach to agriscience education with rigorous educator training requirements and hands-on, inquiry focused learning activities. Teachers will use the grants to attend training, purchase equipment and materials, and conduct end-of-course assessments through CASE Online.

“CASE trains agriculture teachers to deliver high-level science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) principles to their students,” said Dan Jansen, CASE project director. “Teachers often have minimal resources to equip themselves and their classrooms to provide this rigorous, STEM-focused instruction. These grants from DuPont Pioneer are exactly what they need to fully implement the unique model of interactive, inquiry-based learning that we know is so effective.”

“Students learn teamwork, communication skills and hands-on science through the CASE curriculum, all of which provides the foundation for a career in science,” said Robin Habeger, academic outreach manager, DuPont Pioneer.  “Supporting agricultural science teachers through continuing education and classroom equipment is one way we are striving to assure food security for the projected 2050 population of 9 billion people.”

The DuPont Pioneer Global Giving Program is intended to improve food security by advancing agriculture through science, education and innovation, and to enhance the quality of life for farmers and their communities globally. Addressing the unique challenges of our local communities promotes economic growth, improved health and overall quality of life — all factors important to a healthy and strong business climate.

CASE is an instructional system that is changing the culture of agriculture programs by equipping teachers to elevate student experiences in the agriculture classroom, and preparing students for success in college and careers emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math. To learn more about CASE, visit www.case4learning.org.