Friday December 30 Ag News

'Managing Cover Crops,' 'Building Soils' Available Free

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education's (SARE) most popular publications are now available in eBook format, including Managing Cover Crops Profitably and Building Soils for Better Crops. The two publications are now available in .epub and .mobi formats. Download these publications in .epub format for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Kindle users can access both publications using the .mobi format.

To download free eBook files for your mobile device, visit www.sare.org/Newsroom/Press-Releases.

SARE Outreach may make additional titles available in eBook format if demand for these titles is high.

North Central SARE Region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.



Farm Beginnings Program Starts Jan. 7
Gary Lesoing, Nebraska Extension Educator

The Farm Beginnings Program is an educational training and support program designed to help people who want to evaluate and plan their farm enterprise. Farm Beginnings participants engage in a mentorship experience and network with a variety of successful, innovative farmers; attend practical, high quality seminars, field days and conferences. The program is unique in that several successful farmers participate in the program as presenters, explaining firsthand the nuts and bolts of their farming operation.

While this isn't a program for someone wanting to get into conventional farming, it is a program that has attracted several people interested in farming on a smaller scale, some who have migrated out from urban to rural areas. Participants may be interested in growing alternative crops, producing fruits and vegetables for direct sale to consumers, grocery stores or restaurants. Others may be interested in growing livestock for direct marketing. This is an opportunity for people interested in learning about this type of farming from farmers that are doing it and making a living at it.

The Farm Beginnings Program consists of a series of 11 sessions from January through April that cover a variety of topics including: building networks, goal setting, whole farm planning, building your business plan, marketing, business and farm management and financial management. While the class participants will learn firsthand from the farmers, they will also work on developing their own business plan as they progress through the course.

We also schedule a farm tour early in the course and tour several farms in the summer to see how the farmers are operating. If interested, participants also have the opportunity to have a farmer mentor.

One past participant in the class said, "This program had a huge impact. I have improved my business plan, my overall efficiency and continue to try new ideas I thought to not be possible." Any beginning farmer would benefit from attending these training sessions. Most of the farmers that present come from small to medium sized farming operations that produce and market many different diversified and value-added products. Many of these farmers direct market their products.

As part of the class tuition, participants will also have the opportunity to attend the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society's Healthy Farms Conference at Columbus on Jan. 27 and 28. This is a conference that has been held annually for a number of years and has sessions that focus on topics in sustainable agriculture, such as vegetable production, grass-fed beef, pasture poultry, meat and dairy goat production, composting, cover crops, organic farming, growing crops in high-tunnels, bee keeping, farm transitioning and agri-tourism.

Cost of the total program is $500, but you may qualify for a partial scholarship. For more information about the program, contact me at glesoing2@unl.edu or at (402) 274-4755, Nebraska Extension in Nemaha County.

Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society are facilitating the Farm Beginnings Program to be held in Nebraska City at the Kimmel Education and Research Center at 5985 G Road.



Ten new seminars being offered at 2017 Iowa Pork Congress

The Iowa Pork Producers Association will offer 10 new seminars of interest to pig farmers and other attendees at the 2017 Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines.

The 45th annual convention and tradeshow will be held Jan. 25 and 26 at the Iowa Events Center and all of the educational opportunities are offered at no additional cost to attendees.

Seminar topics include explaining how producers can manage margins in a market downturn, the latest swine health trends and the new Veterinary Feed Directive that takes effect on Jan. 1. Seminars will be led by some of the swine industry's leading experts

In addition to the seminars, producers can obtain or renew certification in the pork industry's PQA Plus and TQA program as well as manure application.

The following is a complete schedule of seminars, training sessions and speakers:
 
Wednesday, Jan. 25
 
Seminars
● Iowa Regulations & Nuisance Case Update
Eldon McAfee - Brick Gentry Law Firm
9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, Rooms 105 & 106

● VFDs Are Here, What Have You Done?
Dr. Chris Rademacher - Iowa State University
Jeff Verzal - Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship
Dr. Paul Thomas - AMVC
10:45 a.m. - Noon
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, rooms 107 & 108

● Manure Nutrient Utilization & Water Quality
Dr. Dan Andersen - Iowa State University
Rick Juchems - Iowa pork producer
12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, rooms 105 & 106

● Keynote Presentation - Best Time Ever to Be in Agriculture
Dr. Lowell B. Catlett, professor emeritus - New Mexico State University
2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, Rooms 107 & 108
          
● Prices & Profitability: Economic Outlook
Dr. Steve Meyer - Express Markets, Inc.
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, rooms 105 & 106
Underwritten by National Hog Farmer
 
Training Sessions
● Pork Quality Assurance Plus certification
Mark Storlie - Iowa State University Extension & Outreach
10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, room 103

● Transport Quality Assurance certification
Dave Stender -Iowa State University Extension & Outreach
1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, room 103
 
Thursday, Jan. 26
 
Seminars
● Evaluation of Antibiotic Alternatives for Nursery Pigs
Dr. Nick Gabler - Iowa State University
9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, rooms 107 & 108

● Managing Margins in Market Downturns
Ron Durre - Farm Credit Services of America
Pat Von Tersch - Professional Ag Marketing
Al Wulfekuhle - Iowa pork producer
10:30 a.m. - Noon
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, rooms 105 & 106

● The Consumer Connection: A Producer Perspective
Cristen Clark - Iowa pork producer & food blogger
Jarrod Bakker - Iowa pork producer
Gary Sovereign - Iowa pork producer
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, rooms 107 & 108

● Swine Health Trends: Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab
Dr. Rodger Main - Iowa State University
Dr. Pablo Pineyro - Iowa State University
1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, rooms 105 & 106

● Opportunities Abound: A Toolbox for Beginning Farmers
Colin Johnson - Iowa State University
Dr. William Edwards - Iowa State University
3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, rooms 107 & 108
          
Training Session
● Confinement Site Manure Applicator certification
Jeff Prier, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Dan Andersen- Iowa State University
10 a.m. - Noon
Hy-Vee Hall, lower level, room 103

All seminars and training sessions are held in the lower level of Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center. Seminars are funded by the Pork Checkoff!

The Iowa Pork Congress is open to all pork producers, allied business partners and others involved in the pork industry. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 25 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 26.

Admission at the door is $10 for those not preregistered.

For more information, contact the Iowa Pork Producers Association at (515) 225-7675, (800) 372-7675 or visit www.iowaporkcongress.org.



Iowa Counties Must Sign Up Jan. 1-31 to Evaluate Animal Confinement Sites

Counties interested in evaluating construction permits for proposed animal feeding facilities must adopt and submit a construction evaluation resolution to the DNR between Jan. 1 and 31.

About 87 counties pass a resolution each year, which allows them to review construction permit applications required for larger totally roofed animal feeding operations (confinements).

The Master Matrix development, submittal and approval process allows applicants and county supervisors to discuss options for site selection, facility type and management.

"County supervisors review the master matrix items selected by the applicant and determine if a passing score for the matrix has been achieved. The county then submits a recommendation to the DNR on the permit application," said Gene Tinker, the DNR's animal feeding operations coordinator.

Producers in counties that file the resolutions must meet higher standards for a construction permit than sites in other counties. They must earn points on a master matrix by choosing a site and using practices that reduce effects on the environment and the community.

Counties that participate in the master matrix process may accompany the DNR on site visits to proposed locations. The county board of supervisors may also appeal the DNR's preliminary approval of a permit to the Environmental Protection Commission.

County boards of supervisors may approve the resolutions at any time, but must submit resolutions between Jan. 1 and 31. Send resolutions to Gene Tinker at DNR, 502 E. Ninth St., Des Moines, IA 50319, email to Gene.Tinker@dnr.iowa.gov or fax to 515-725-8202. Sign-ups in January apply to permit applications received in the following February through January of 2018.

For historical information on counties that adopted resolutions, check the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/afo and search for master matrix.

More information is available from the Iowa State Association of Counties at www.iowacounties.org.



Cattle on Feed Report
Brenda Boetel, Professor, Dept of Ag Econ, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

The United States Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA, NASS) released their monthly Cattle on Feed report on Friday December 23, 2016. The latest numbers released by the USDA were neutral in total numbers of placements and marketings, compared to trade expectations. Total cattle on feed on December 1, 2016 numbered 10.7 million head, down 1.3 percent from December 2015 levels, and at industry expectations.

Placements in feedlots during November totaled 1.84 million head, up 15 percent from 2015.  Placements were up 21% in Kansas, 16% in Nebraska, 16% in Oklahoma, 23% in Minnesota and 26% in Texas. This is the reversal of the year over year decrease in placements seen in September and October but a return to the increase in placements seen throughout most of 2016.  Based on growing cattle supplies the current increase in placements will likely continue into 2017.  Cattle weighing over 800 pounds saw an increase of 5%, while placements for cattle weighing 600-699 saw an increase of 26.6% and cattle 700-700 increased 37%.  The trend of increased heavier weight placements changed to higher year over year increased placements for lower weights in September 2016.  Placing lower weight cattle subsequently means higher numbers of days on feed.

November marketings, at 1.79 million head, were up 16.6 percent but in line with industry expectations. This is the largest November marketings since 2006.  November had one more business day than 2015. 



Burger King, Tim Hortons to Curb Antibiotics Used in Chicken

Restaurant chains Burger King and Tim Hortons plan to switch to chicken raised without antibiotics considered "critically important" to human medicine, their owner said on Wednesday, making it the latest company to ditch the drugs over health concerns. According to Reuters, Restaurant Brands International Inc, which owns both chains, said it aims to make the change in U.S. stores in 2017 and in Canada in 2018.

An estimated 70 percent of antibiotics that are important to fighting human infections and ensuring the safety of invasive procedures such as surgeries are sold for use in meat and dairy production.

Concern has been growing among scientists, public health experts, consumers and shareholders that the overuse of such drugs is contributing to rising numbers of life-threatening human infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria dubbed "superbugs."

"We believe that it is important to reduce the use of antibiotics important for human medicine in order to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics in both veterinary and human medicine," Restaurant Brands said.

The company did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.

McDonald's Corp has already removed all antibiotics important to human medicine from its U.S. chicken supply chain, and Wendy's Co said in August it would quit using chickens raised with antibiotics important to human health by 2017, reports Reuters.

Tyson Foods Inc, the biggest U.S. chicken processor, has said it intends to stop using all antibiotics important to human medicine to raise its chickens in 2017.