Friday January 13 Ag News

Nebraska’s Presence Guided National Issues at the American Farm Bureau Convention

Nebraska voting delegates at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) 98th annual meeting approved resolutions that will provide the organization with authority from its grassroots members to push Congress toward the goal line on issues, like protecting crop insurance in the next farm bill, making the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) more flexible, and revamping the regulatory process that has been unworkable for the past eight years under the Obama administration, Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation (NFBF) President Steve Nelson said Jan. 13.

“Securing victories on those issues is critical to our competitiveness as individual farmers and ranchers, and Nebraska agriculture will find more success locally and abroad,” Nelson said.

On the Farm Bill front, delegates reaffirmed their strong support for maintaining and looking at crop insurance products for all commodities, not just for the typical corn and soybean farmers, but for livestock and aquaculture.

“The delegates laid out a set of principles highlighting our very clear support for crop insurance and commodity programs as top priorities,” Jordan Dux, NFBF’s director of National Affairs said. Dux sits on a AFBF Farm Bill Task Force. “Congress will begin to have field hearings on the Farm Bill soon since it expires in 2018.” We probably won’t see big changes, more fine tuning to programs like ARC (Agriculture Risk Coverage) and PLC (Price Loss Coverage). But you may see some changes on the dairy side to the MPP (Margin Protection Program) and the new cotton program. Anything we can do to provide producers with risk management tools will be important,” Dux said.

On other issues, AFBF delegates adopted Nebraska’s resolution to support telemedicine as an option for veterinarians to make animal health diagnoses. This, in turn, would allow some flexibility for producers and veterinarians as they work to be in compliance with the new VFD, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2017.  The VFD final rule outlines the process for authorizing use of VFD drugs (animal drugs intended for use in animal feed that require the supervision of a licensed veterinarian) and provides veterinarians in all states with a framework for authorizing the use of medically important antimicrobials in feed when needed for specific animal health purposes.

“Our Nebraska delegates offered language to change the definition of the vet/client/patient relationship, allowing for the use of telemedicine. For example, if a veterinarian has a good working relationship with a producer it doesn’t require him to come on the farm to physically see the animal before offering a course of treatment. We hope this provides another option for producers and vets who are still trying to wrap their arms around these new requirements” Nelson said.

The delegates also approved a special resolution urging Congress to enact swift, meaningful, and strongly bipartisan regulatory reform. The resolution, comes in the wake of the introduction of bills in Congress that would pare back the rapid growth of oppressive regulation and government overreach by agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Delegates called on the federal government to adhere to a series of principles, including:
•           the use of sound science;
•           consideration of costs and benefits to stakeholders;
•           transparency in federal agencies and departments;
•           reduction of abuses of the court settlement process;
•           limiting deference granted by courts to agencies’ interpretation of law;
•           prohibiting agency misuse of social media to lobby the public in support of proposals;
•           greater congressional oversight of agencies;
•           congressional approval of major rules;
•           a minimum comment period for rules; and
•           reform of the Equal Access to Justice Act.

Delegates also affirmed their support for Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as the nominee for administrator of the EPA.



NE Corn Board to Meet

The Nebraska Corn Board will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at The Cornhusker Marriott, located at 333 South 13th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Board will meet jointly with the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, however, the Board will not conduct any regular board business at this meeting.

The Board will conduct a subsequent meeting and address regular board business on March 16, 2017 at Embassy Suites, located at 1040 P Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Board will also meet on March 17, 2017 at UNL East Campus to hear proposed research projects.

These meetings are open to the public, providing the opportunity for public comment. A copy of the agendas are available by writing the Nebraska Corn Board, PO Box 95107, Lincoln, NE 68509, emailing susan.zabel@nebraska.gov or calling 402/471-2676.



Nebraska Soybean Board Seeks Leaders to Represent Nebraska Soybean Farmers

This year, the Nebraska Soybean Board (NSB) will be seeking soybean farmers to serve on the Board
of Directors and to represent fellow soybean farmers and the industry.

How does the Election Work?
The election is conducted by mail-in ballot in July for District 5 and 7. Soybean farmers who reside in counties that are up for election in 2017 will receive ballots and candidate information regarding NSB’s election process via direct mail. The At-Large position on the Nebraska Soybean Board is open to all soybean farmers in Nebraska and will be elected by the NSB Directors at the July Board meeting.

What are the 2017 Election Districts and Counties?
The election districts and counties are:
District 5: Counties of Cass, Johnson, Lancaster, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee and Richardson.
District 7: Counties of Adams, Buffalo, Clay, Franklin, Hall, Kearney, Nuckolls and Webster
At-Large: All counties in Nebraska

Who Can Be a Candidate for the NSB seats or the At-Large Position on the Board?
· Be a resident of Nebraska
· Be a resident of the district in which the election is being held
· Be a soybean farmer in Nebraska for at least the previous 5 years
· Be 21 years of age or older
· Have submitted a NSB candidacy petition

To apply for Candidacy in District 5 and 7 or the At-Large Position you must:
· Obtain a NSB Candidacy Petition by contacting NSB’s executive director, Victor Bohuslavsky, at 402-432-5720.
· Complete the petition and collect the signatures of 50 soybean farmers in their district
· Return such petition to the NSB office on or before April 15, 2017.

Roles and Responsibilities of Soybean Board Member Representative:
· Attend every NSB meeting – 8 day fiscal year commitment.
· Attend/participate in other educational events sponsored by the Nebraska Soybean Checkoff, in your district.
· Receive no salary but are reimbursed for expenses incurred while carrying out board business.
· Serve a three-year term that would begin October 1, 2017.

Areas of Focus for the Soybean Industry:
As an elected representative to NSB, you will help guide the Nebraska soybean industry in the areas of research, education, domestic and foreign markets, including new uses for soybeans and soybean products.

If you have questions regarding the election process, please contact NSB’s executive director, Victor Bohuslavsky, at 402-432-5720. For more information about the Nebraska soybean checkoff, visit www.nebraskasoybeans.org. 



March 1, 2017 Deadline for Soybean Farmers Interested in United Soybean Board Nominations

The Nebraska Soybean Board (NSB) is looking for soybean farmers interested in filling one of Nebraska's four director positions with the United Soybean Board (USB), for a three-year term.

USB is made up of 73 farmer-directors who oversee the investments of the soybean checkoff on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers. Checkoff funds are invested in the areas of animal utilization, human utilization, industrial utilization, industry relations, market access and supply. As stipulated in the Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soybean checkoff. 

Any farmer interested in applying needs to meet the following criteria:
1. Be involved in a farming operation that raises soybeans
2. Be a resident of Nebraska
3. Be at least 21 years of age

To be considered for the national leadership position, interested farmers need to submit a USDA Background Information Form before the March 1, 2017 deadline, to obtain this form, contact Victor Bohuslavsky at the Nebraska Soybean Board office at 402-432-5720.

The NSB Board of Directors will submit to the U.S. Department of Agriculture a "first preferred choice nominee" and "second preferred choice alternate" for the open positions. The Secretary of Agriculture will make the final appointments. The USDA has a policy that membership on USDA boards and committees is open to all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation and marital or family status. The chosen individual will begin serving a three-year term in December 2017. Each individual appointed is eligible to serve a total of three consecutive terms.

For more information about the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org. 



USDA Rural Development Nebraska State Director Maxine Moul Retires

Maxine Moul announced today she is retiring as the Nebraska USDA Rural Development State Director, effective January 20, 2017.

"I am proud of our accomplishments during the Obama administration. We worked to transform USDA Rural Development into a more effective agency that strives daily to improve the quality of life of rural Nebraska.”  Moul added, “This agency is well positioned to continue to provide important services to rural residents in Nebraska, with a strong staff of competent, experienced employees.”

On June 29, 2009, Moul was appointed to the position of State Director for USDA Rural Development by President Barack Obama.  In this position she managed a staff providing more than 40 housing, business, electric, telecommunications, water and wastewater and community facility programs designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities.  During that time, Moul and her staff managed a grant, loan and loan guarantee housing portfolio of $853 million and made new investments of nearly $2 billion that positively impacted communities across rural Nebraska.

“I have enjoyed this job tremendously,” said Moul.  “I won’t forget meeting homeowners moving into their first home with a USDA loan, helping residents of communities who have clean healthy water piped to their home for the first time in their lives, or the business owners we helped to expand their operations.  I will cherish those memories and forever value the opportunity given to me to help our rural communities.”

During her tenure, Moul was an avid supporter of the programs offered by USDA Rural Development. The Nebraska Single Family Housing program helped 10,235 rural Nebraska families obtain nearly $920 million in guaranteed and direct loans. The Agency’s energy efficiency programs helped rural businesses, farmers and ranchers save on energy costs, through 1,431 in loans and grants totaling $18.3 million.  An additional $16.8 million was expended to support and ensure an expanding production of advanced biofuels.  Two regions of the state, in Northeast and Southeast Nebraska engaged in the USDA Stronger Economies Together program to help them map their future, post-recession.

“USDA Rural Development always excelled at financing infrastructure and during the last eight years we continued that important work.  We financed more than 130 water and wastewater projects that secured cleaner water service to tens of thousands of Nebraskans.  Many community hospitals, community centers and libraries received grants and loans from USDA. We made historic upgrades to rural energy services and expanded broadband services across the state,” said Moul.

The Multi-Family Housing (MFH) program provides financing to develop rental housing in rural areas for persons with very-low, low and moderate incomes.  Funds are also available to construct a new facility or to rehabilitate Rural Development financed apartments or convert existing buildings into apartments.  Nebraska has 195 rental complexes financed through Rural Development that provide 3,139 affordable rental units.

Moul was no stranger to the state’s highways and byways as she visited Nebraska rural communities from Falls City to Chadron during her time at USDA. She began working on community and economic development 45 years ago, when she and her husband, Francis, bought the Syracuse, Nebraska Journal-Democrat newspaper.  As a public servant, she was Nebraska’s Lt. Governor, Director of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and a founder of the Nebraska Community Foundation.

President Obama’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA’s investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values.



Hall Returns to ISU Extension and Outreach as Dairy Specialist

Fred M. Hall, an Iowa State graduate, is returning to the university as a dairy specialist. He will cover the northwest portion of the state with his office based out of Sioux County.

Hall rejoins the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach staff, having served as the Chickasaw County education director from 2005-09. In his current position Hall will be responsible for working with dairy farmers throughout the northwest region while also developing youth dairy programming.

“Over the years I have specialized in non-traditional programs that meet the needs of citizens, from resource management and disaster response to new enterprise development. Each program will be driven by the needs of producers,” said Hall.

Hall has worked for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services since 2009 as a county agent serving Tarrant, Williamson and Wichita counties. Hall’s duties included coordinating programming being done in those counties while also working to develop programming, awareness and the impact of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

While in Texas, Hall served on regional livestock and livestock mentoring program development committees, the Earth-Kind Living development committee, the 4-H photography publication committee while helping judge district dairy and horse shows. He was also on the originating board of the Texas Master Bee Keeper certification program. Additionally, Hall served on the Central Texas Animal Issues Committee, several FFA advisory boards and the research animal treatment review board at Midwestern State University. He also contributes to the eXtension dairy, bee and horticulture programs.

He has experience as a journalist as the president of Stone County Publishing Company and editor of the Stone County Republican and Marionville Journal weekly newspapers, developing the only weekly newspaper farm section in southwest Missouri. Hall was also the managing editor of the Michigan/Indiana Holstein News, the fifth-largest purebred dairy publication in the United States at the time.

Hall is a graduate of Iowa State, holding a degree in dairy science.



CHS reports $209.2 million first quarter earnings for fiscal 2017

CHS Inc. (NASDAQ: CHSCP), the nation's leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and foods company, today reported net income of $209.2 million for the first quarter of its 2017 fiscal year.

Earnings for the period (Sept. 1 – Nov. 30, 2016) declined 22 percent from the same period of fiscal 2016. The decrease was primarily attributed to lower pretax earnings in the company's Energy and Foods segments along with Corporate and Other. These declines were partially offset by increased pretax earnings in the CHS Ag segment as well as earnings from the new Nitrogen Production segment.

"We've been in business for nearly nine decades, so we've experienced these types of cycles before," said CHS President and Chief Executive Officer Carl Casale. "Although it's not possible to predict how long the current down cycle in the ag and energy industries will continue, we'll navigate through this period by continuing to run our businesses efficiently and effectively, by maintaining a strong balance sheet and by ensuring we serve our owners' and customers' needs in all we do."

The CHS Energy segment generated a pretax income of $70.0 million for the first three months of the 2017 fiscal year, compared to $192.9 million for the same period in 2016, representing a decline of 64 percent. This reduction is primarily due to the down cycle in the energy sector and significantly reduced refining margins for the company's two refineries. In addition, earnings for the company's transportation business declined while the lubricants business remained flat and propane earnings increased from the same period a year ago.

The CHS Ag segment, which includes its domestic and global grain and crop nutrients businesses, renewable fuels, local retail operations and processing and food ingredients, generated income of $109.2 million, an increase of 58 percent over the same period a year ago. Grain marketing earnings increased as a result of increased grain margins. Earnings from renewable fuels marketing and production operations increased as a result of higher ethanol sales margins. The wholesale crop nutrients business increased mainly due to increased margins. Country operations earnings increased because of increased grain volumes and other income, which was partially offset by loan loss reserves. CHS processing and food ingredients businesses experienced decreased earnings due to the sale of an international location and lower margins in the domestic soybean crushing business. These reductions were partially offset by higher margins in the canola crushing and soybean refining businesses.

The Nitrogen Production segment generated income of $27.0 million before taxes during the first three months of the fiscal year. This increase in income was primarily driven by a gain of $29.1 million associated with an embedded derivative asset established due to the terms of our strategic investment in CF Industries Nitrogen, LLC ("CF Nitrogen"). There are no comparable results in the prior year as this segment represents our investment in CF Nitrogen, which occurred in February 2016.

First quarter results for the Foods segment, which was previously reported as a component of Corporate and Other, generated pretax earnings of $10.6 million during the first quarter of 2017. This represents a decrease of $7.7 million compared to the same period the year before. This segment consists solely of our equity investment in Ventura Foods, LLC.

Corporate and Other generated pretax earnings of $8.8 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2017, compared to $9.4 million during the same time period the previous year. This segment primarily represents the company's equity investment in the Ardent Mills, LLC wheat milling joint venture and Business Solutions operations. 



CHS New Leader Forum helps young producers enhance skills

More than 100 young producers learned more about how they can play a crucial role in helping agriculture and the cooperative system thrive during the CHS New Leaders Forum held in conjunction with the CHS Annual Meeting.

Participants representing 12 states and Canada were nominated by their local cooperative to participate in the program held Nov. 29 - Dec. 2, 2016.  During the event, attendees explored more about the cooperative system, cooperative board leadership and succession planning.  The group also developed advocacy skills by participating in discussions on the issues and challenges facing cooperatives, agriculture and rural America.

 “It was interesting to learn the economic side of agriculture from the CHS perspective,” says Max Hart, loan officer, Black River Country Bank, Black River Falls, Wis. “Agriculture economics is so international and CHS is involved in all of it. I enjoyed learning how it applied back to me and my farm.”

The New Leaders Forum also featured networking events with fellow producers, the CHS Board of Directors, management and employees.

“The workshops were informative, but I enjoyed the networking and learning about the diversity of farming the most,” says Hart. “In Wisconsin, we think of corn, beans, cows and alfalfa. It’s important to step back and realize the different aspects of farming.  It’s all important and interesting to learn about.”



Supreme Court To Hear Waters of the U.S. Case

The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to consider whether jurisdiction rests with the federal district or appellate courts to hear a lawsuit brought by the National Pork Producers Council and dozens of other agricultural organizations, businesses and municipalities against a Clean Water Act rule that would give the government broad jurisdiction over land and water.

The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which took effect Aug. 28, 2015, was proposed in April 2014 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clarify the agencies’ authority over various waters. That jurisdiction – based on several U.S. Supreme Court decisions – had included “navigable” waters and waters with a significant hydrologic connection to navigable waters. But the regulation broadened that to include, among other water bodies, upstream waters and intermittent and ephemeral streams such as the kind farmers use for drainage and irrigation. It also covered lands adjacent to such waters.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati in October 2015 issued a stay on implementation of the regulation pending disposition of numerous lawsuits filed in U.S. district courts around the country. Last year, however, the 6th Circuit consolidated the suits under its jurisdiction. NPPC and other groups in November submitted briefs to the appellate court, arguing that the agencies promulgated the WOTUS rule without following federal rulemaking procedures, the regulation is arbitrary and capricious or contrary to law and the agencies exceeded their authority under the Clean Water Act and the U.S. Constitution. (With just days left in the administration, the Obama EPA today filed its brief in defense of the rule with the 6th Circuit.)

“The WOTUS rule is vague, overbroad and fails to let regulated parties know when their conduct violates the law,” said NPPC President John Weber, a pork producer from Dysart, Iowa. “We all want clean water, but this regulation is a big land grab that promotes growth of government and allows activists to extort and micromanage all kinds of farming and business activities.”

In their brief to the appellate court, NPPC and the other groups said EPA and the Corps of Engineers failed to reopen the public comment period after making fundamental changes to the proposed rule and withheld until after the comment period closed the scientific report on which the rule rested. The agencies also refused to conduct required economic and environmental analyses, engaged in a propaganda campaign to promote the rule and rebuke its critics and illegally lobbied against congressional efforts to stop implementation of the rule.



Supreme Court Agrees to take EPA WOTUS Rule

Scott Yager, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association environmental counsel, today released the following statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to grant the cert petition for the industry coalition lawsuit challenging the Environmental Protection Agency on its “waters of the United States” rule:

“The Supreme Court’s decision to hear our appeal is a victory for America’s cattle producers and all private property owners across the country. It shows that the Court has a continued interest in private property rights and we look forward to oral arguments this spring.”



Fischer Applauds SCOTUS Decision to Take Up WOTUS Jurisdiction Dispute

Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to take up the dispute over which courts have jurisdiction to hear challenges to the Obama administration's “Waters of the U.S.” or WOTUS rule:

“I’m encouraged that the Supreme Court will explore the dubious legality of the WOTUS rule. This is good news. From the very beginning, this rule’s shocking federal overreach and potential harmful effects on Nebraska families have caused serious anxiety. I will continue to pursue policies that will scrap this rule altogether for the sake of all Nebraskans.”

Earlier this week, Senator Fischer and Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced a Senate resolution that expresses the need to vacate the WOTUS rule. The resolution signifies the senators’ intent to continue working to roll back the harmful rule once the new administration takes office.



Regarding Sen. Fischer, Sen. Ernst, Resolution on EPA “Waters of the U.S.” Rule
Statement by Steve Nelson, President, NE Farm Bureau

"We greatly appreciate the ongoing efforts of Sen. Fischer to eliminate EPA’s “Waters of the U.S.” Rule. Today’s introduction of a resolution by Sen. Fischer and Sen. Ernst to force EPA to withdraw or vacate this far reaching federal regulation is welcomed news to Nebraska farmers, ranchers, and other landowners.

“Even though the federal Sixth Circuit court issued a stay in 2015 immediately blocking implementation of this EPA power grab, we will not rest until this rule is withdrawn and this issue is put to rest.”



HOUSE APPROVES BILL TO PROTECT FARMERS WHO USE FUTURES MARKETS

The House Thursday passed a bill that would improve protections for farmers and ranchers (and others) who use the futures markets to manage risk, legislation backed by numerous agricultural groups, which this week urged lawmakers to approve the “Commodity End-User Relief Act” (H.R. 238). The measure includes provisions that would:

-    Codify customer protections to help prevent another MF Global situation. The commodities brokerage firm, which comingled customer and company funds, went bankrupt in 2011 and couldn’t repay customers.
-    Provide a permanent solution to the residual interest problem that would have put customer funds at risk – and potentially driven farmers, ranchers and small hedgers out of futures markets – by forcing them to put more of their money into hedge accounts.
-    Relief from burdensome and technologically unfeasible recordkeeping requirements in commodity markets.
-    Require the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to conduct a study and issue a rule before reducing the de minimis threshold for swap dealer registration to make sure doing so would not harm market liquidity and end-user access to markets.
-    Confirm the intent of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that anticipatory hedging is considered bona fide hedging activity.



House Advances CFTC Reauthorization Bill

This week, the House of Representatives passed legislation to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on a 239-182 vote.  The Commodity End-User Relief Act (H.R. 238) includes a number of important provisions, including customer protections intended to help prevent another MF Global situation, relief from infeasible recordkeeping requirements in commodity markets, and other provisions that are beneficial to agriculture.  Earlier in the week, the National Association of Wheat Growers sent a letter to Congressional offices with a number of other agricultural associations urging Members of Congress to support the reauthorization bill.  The legislation will now head to the Senate for consideration. 



House Approves Regulatory Reform Bill

The US House earlier this week passed Farm Bureau-supported legislation that would ensure transparency and accountability by regulatory agencies, reaffirm congressional intent in rulemaking and strengthen the public’s right to know. As approved by lawmakers, the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2017 (H.R. 5) included an amendment offered by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) that would limit a federal agency from lobbying for its own rulemaking.

On Jan. 8, more than 1,500 Farm Bureau members contacted their legislators in support of the regulatory reform bill and the Peterson amendment after American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall issued a call to action during his opening address at the organization’s 2017 Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show.

The legislation now goes to the Senate.



USDA Expands Grasslands Conservation Program to Small-Scale Livestock Producers

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini today announced that USDA will accept over 300,000 acres in 43 states that were offered by producers during the recent ranking period for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands enrollment with emphasis placed on small-scale livestock operations. Through the voluntary CRP Grasslands program, grasslands threatened by development or conversion to row crops are maintained as livestock grazing areas, while providing important conservation benefits. Approximately 200,000 of the accepted acres were offered by small-scale livestock operations.

“Producers of all sizes are interested in USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program,” said Dolcini. “This latest round of CRP Grasslands enrollment, where much of the acreage comes from small-scale livestock operations, shows that our nation’s family farmers and ranchers can have a big impact on environmental conservation.”

The most recent ranking period closed on Dec. 16, 2016, and included for the first time a CRP Grasslands practice specifically tailored for small-scale livestock grazing operations to encourage broader participation. Under this ranking period and for future periods, small-scale livestock operations with 100 or fewer head of grazing cows (or the equivalent) can submit applications to enroll up to 200 acres of grasslands per farm. Larger operations may still make offers through the normal process. USDA met its goal of 200,000 acres under this small-scale initiative. The new practice for small-scale livestock grazing operations encourages greater diversity geographically and in all types of livestock operations. Visit http://go.usa.gov/x9PFS to view the complete list of acres accepted by state.

Participants in CRP Grasslands establish or maintain long-term, resource-conserving grasses and other plant species to control soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat on marginally productive agricultural lands. CRP Grasslands participants can use the land for livestock production (e.g. grazing or producing hay), while following their conservation and grazing plans in order to maintain the cover. A goal of CRP Grasslands is to minimize conversion of grasslands either to row crops or to non-agricultural uses. Participants can receive annual payments of up to 75 percent of the grazing value of the land and up to 50 percent of the cost of cover practices like cross-fencing to support rotational grazing or improving pasture cover to benefit pollinators or other wildlife.

USDA selects offers for enrollment based on six ranking factors: (1) current and future use, (2) new farmer/rancher or underserved producer involvement, (3) maximum grassland preservation, (4) vegetative cover, (5) environmental factors, and (6) pollinator habitat. Offers not selected in a ranking period are rolled over into the next ranking period.

Small livestock operations or other farming and ranching operations interested in participating in CRP Grasslands should contact their local FSA office. To find your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov. To learn more about FSA’s conservation programs, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation.



World Food Prices Drop for Five Consecutive Years

World food prices fell for a fifth straight year in 2016 as losses in cereals, meat and dairy outweighed rises in sugar and vegetable oils, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. Reuters reports that prices remained stable in December from the month before, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) main food price index, which has edged up steadily after hitting a seven-year low in January.

The full year 2016 logged a 1.5 percent annual drop in the index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar.

December's reading of 171.8 points versus 171.9 points in November resulted from strong gains in vegetable oils and dairy largely offseting falls in sugar and meat, the FAO said.

Cereal prices steadily declined during the year, ending 39 percent below their 2011 peak.

Vegetable oil prices reached their highest since July 2014 in December. Palm oil rose on low global inventory levels and tight supplies, while soy oil quotations were boosted by the prospect of rising use for biodiesel in North and South America.



Beef On Hand at NBC4 Health & Fitness Expo

Beef Checkoff staff was on hand during the nation’s largest, best-attended health & fitness expo in Washington D.C., Jan. 7-8.

Hundreds of consumers from the Northeast started the New Year on a healthful note, thanks to a partnership between the national beef checkoff and the Kentucky and Virginia beef councils.

Those attending the 24th NBC4 Health & Fitness Expo were invited to participate in a variety of activities in the beef checkoff booth. Participants captured fun memories at the #BeefHealthy photo booth and tested their beef-nutrition knowledge with Beef Spin Wheel Trivia, and were awarded beef jerky for participating.

Beef Checkoff Executive Chef Dave Zino demonstrated the checkoff’s “Four-Way Slow Cooker Shredded Beef” recipe on the Healthy Cooking 4 You Stage. Chef Zino talked about beef’s versatility in batch cooking, which is of interest to many millennial consumers. Nearly 100 participants watched the demo and taste-tested the results.

While visiting the booth, consumers had the chance to enter to win a steakhouse gift card by participating in an educational survey. Of those polled, 95 percent said they were “more likely” or “just as likely” to serve beef over other proteins after interacting with the checkoff; 88 percent of survey entrants also had a favorable opinion about beef.

Events such as this allow the checkoff to engage directly with consumers, including millennials, to highlight beef’s taste and nutritional benefits, as well as cooking techniques. Checkoff-funded research in the Northeast shows that consumers are not confident in their abilities to pair the correct cut of beef with the appropriate cooking method. Interacting face-to-face with them helps get their cooking questions answered.



EPA Expands Registration of Enlist Duo® Herbicide to 34 States

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expanded the geography for application of Enlist Duo® herbicide from 15 to 34 states. This means Enlist Duo can be applied to Enlist™ corn and soybeans on the majority of U.S. corn and soybean acres, once all necessary state registrations are received.

The EPA also has registered Enlist Duo herbicide for use on Enlist cotton.

The Enlist weed control system allows growers to use Enlist Duo herbicide — a combination of glyphosate and new 2,4-D choline. This gives growers more flexibility and better performance in their weed control programs. In the United States, more than 90 million acres are infested with resistant and hard-to-control weeds. Growers are searching for solutions that are effective and easy to use.

“With the Enlist system, weeds no longer have the upper hand,” says John Chase, Enlist™ commercial leader. “Growers can use multiple modes of action that deliver proven results, controlling even glyphosate-resistant weeds in the field.”

Enlist Duo controls tough weeds and features Colex-D® technology, which provides four key benefits to growers:
-    Minimized potential for physical drift: Compared with a tank mix of traditional 2,4-D and glyphosate, Enlist Duo® herbicide with Colex-D technology reduces physical drift by up to 90 percent when applied with a low-drift nozzle.
-    Near-zero volatility: With new 2,4-D choline, volatility is reduced by 96 percent compared with 2,4-D ester.
-    Low odor      
-    Improved handling characteristics

The EPA registration means corn, soybean and cotton growers can take advantage of this new formulation to handle their tough weeds and limit the potential for off-target herbicide movement, once necessary state registrations are received.

Effective, on-target applications please growers
Missouri grower Josh Turner saw firsthand how effective Enlist Duo is on the most difficult weeds on his farm.

“We got excellent weed control, even of tough-to-control weeds,” Turner says. “I didn’t notice any off-target movement. There was no damage to any crops directly next to the Enlist field. There was no evidence at all of any drift or anything affecting those plants.”

Looking forward to 2017
Dow AgroSciences is fully prepared to launch Enlist corn and Enlist soybeans upon receipt of pending import approvals. The Enlist cotton trait will be available this spring in a number of high-yielding PhytoGen® brand varieties.