Thursday March 23 Ag News

NDA MAGAZINE TELLS STORY OF NEBRASKA AGRICULTURE

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s (NDA) weeklong celebration of National Ag Week continues with the release of the fifth edition of the popular magazine, Nebraska Agriculture and You. The magazine,  available in print and online, highlights agriculture as our state’s number one industry and strives to help consumers better understand the extensive role agriculture plays in their day-to-day lives.

“This magazine is a great place to share information about how diverse and expansive the agriculture industry is in Nebraska,” said NDA Director Greg Ibach. “We’ve included stories about Nebraska families who operate and maintain some of the more than 48,700 farms in the state. Farm families work hard to provide us all with nutritious, affordable and safe food.”

The magazine will be distributed to several locations throughout the state including office waiting rooms, banks, libraries, county extension offices, chambers of commerce, etc. The magazine is also available online at nda.nebraska.gov by clicking on the magazine cover on the right side of page.

“Nebraska’s agriculture industry goes far beyond the farm gate, and this magazine helps highlight the numerous contributions agriculture makes to our state,” said Ibach. “It’s a great communications tool to tell the true story of Nebraska agriculture.”



GRASS-ALFALFA MIXTURES INSTEAD OF PURE ALFALFA
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Are you going to plant a new hay field this year?  Instead of automatically planting pure alfalfa, think about mixing some grass into your planting.

               Hay growers in our area often plant new fields to pure alfalfa without even thinking about other alternatives.  For lots of folks, pure alfalfa is the best choice, but many of you might find it better to mix in some grass, like orchardgrass, smooth brome, or festulolium, with your alfalfa.

               Let’s look at some advantages of a grass-alfalfa mixture.  If you regularly feed more than 5 or 6 pounds of alfalfa per day to stock cows during winter, they probably are getting way more than enough protein but maybe not enough TDN or energy.  Mixing grass with alfalfa usually lowers the protein but slightly increases the TDN content of hay.  So your cows actually could receive a more balanced diet.  Also, if you sometimes graze your hay fields, grass will reduce the risk of bloat.

               In the field, grass can grow in areas where alfalfa is not well-adapted or fill in spots as alfalfa dies out.  This is better than having weeds invade bare areas.  Grass-alfalfa mixtures often dry out more rapidly after cutting than pure alfalfa so you might get more hay made without rain damage.  And if it does rain, the mixture usually suffers less injury, both in the windrow and in the bale.

               Yield-wise, protein yield may be less with the mix, but total tonnage usually is about the same or higher than pure stands.  Most of the grass yield will come at first cut, so regrowth will be mostly alfalfa.  Selling a mixture can be more difficult, though, because dairies prefer pure alfalfa and grass is more difficult to grind.

               You know alfalfa is good, but maybe for you, mixing it with grass is even better.



 LEAD FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR GROUP 37

Fellowship applications for Nebraska LEAD (Leadership Education/Action Development) group 37 are now available for men and women involved in production agriculture or agribusiness.

"Up to 30 motivated men and women with demonstrated leadership potential will be selected from five geographic districts across our state," said Terry Hejny, Nebraska LEAD Program director.

In addition to monthly three-day seminars throughout Nebraska from mid-September through early April each year, Nebraska LEAD Fellows also participate in a 10-day national study/travel seminar and a two-week international study/travel seminar.

Seminar themes include leadership assessment and potential, natural resources and energy, agricultural policy, leadership through communication, Nebraska's political process, global perspectives, nuclear energy, social issues, understanding and developing leadership skills, agribusiness and marketing, advances in health care and the resources and people of Nebraska's Panhandle, Hejny said.

The Nebraska LEAD Program is designed to prepare spokespersons, problem-solvers and decision-makers for Nebraska and its agricultural industry.

In its 36th year, the program is operated by the Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Council, a nonprofit organization, in collaboration with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nebraska colleges and universities, business and industry, and individuals throughout the state.

To request an application, email Kimberly Braaten at kbraaten2@unl.edu. Requests can also be sent to 104 ACB, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 68583-0940. Applications are due by June 15.

For information about the selection process, visit http://lead.unl.edu or call 402-472-6810.



Farmer-Leaders Graduate from Leadership At Its Best Program

Farmer-leaders from 13 states graduated from the 2016-17 American Soybean Association (ASA) Leadership At Its Best program this week near Washington, D.C. The Leadership At Its Best program is sponsored by Syngenta and develops valuable leadership, communication and advocacy skills in farmers who have already shown potential to be strong leaders through the positions they hold with their state soybean organizations. This select group of farmer-leaders participated in the first part of their Leadership At Its Best training this past summer in Greensboro, N.C. This week, their training focused primarily on development of stronger communications skills, increasing their understanding of how policies are formed in Washington, D.C., and learning how to advocate for issues important to soybean farmers. The class participants concluded their training with a day of Hill visits with their state soybean associations.

Leadership At Its Best Program participants are nominated by their state soybean association. This year’s class participants included: Craig Williams, Oaktown, Ind.; Morey Hill, Madrid, Iowa; Brent Gatton, Bremen, Ky.; Laurie Isley, Palmyra, Miss.; Howard Reyburn, Oxford, Pa.; Paul Dahlseng, Starbuck, Minn.; John Mark Looney, Leland, Miss.; Peter Rost, Jr., New Madrid, Mo.; Leon Dern, Firth, Neb.; Christopher Naylor, Clinton, N.C.; Scott Metzger, Williamsport, Ohio; Brandon Wipf, Huron, S.D.; and Casey Youngerman, Lexington, Tenn.

ASA appreciates the continued support provided by Syngenta that makes this valuable leadership program possible. ASA will be reaching out to state soybean associations soon to begin collecting nominations for the 2017-18 class.



USDA Livestock Slaughter:  Veal Production at Record Low for February

Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 3.94 billion pounds in February, up 1 percent from the 3.90 billion pounds produced in February 2016.

By State (million lbs.  - % of Feb '16)
Nebraska ....:          601.8            101      
Iowa ...........:          553.8             98      
Kansas ........:          398.8             97      

Beef production, at 1.93 billion pounds, was 3 percent above the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.37 million head, up 3 percent from February 2016. The average live weight was down 12 pounds from the previous year, at 1,360 pounds.

Veal production totaled 5.6 million pounds, 8 percent below February a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 40,200 head, up 10 percent from February 2016. The average live weight was down 46 pounds from last year, at 241 pounds.

Pork production totaled 1.99 billion pounds, down 1 percent from the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 9.37 million head, down 1 percent from February 2016. The average live weight was up 1 pound from the previous year, at 284 pounds.

Lamb and mutton production, at 11.2 million pounds, was down 11 percent from February 2016. Sheep slaughter totaled 159,400 head, 9 percent below last year. The average live weight was 140 pounds, down 2 pounds from February a year ago.

January to February 2017 commercial red meat production was 8.2 billion pounds, up 3 percent from 2016. Accumulated beef production was up 6 percent from last year, veal was down 7 percent, pork was up 1 percent from last year, and lamb and mutton production was down 1 percent.



U.S. Ethanol Exports Soared in 2016

Exports of ethanol last year rose by 26 percent in 2016 when compared to the year earlier to over 1 billion gallons.

The US Energy Information Administration says the U.S. shipped 267 million gallons to Brazil in 2016. The Latin American country, a major producer of ethanol itself, now ranks ahead of Canada in that regard. China was third in U.S. ethanol import volumes with 179 million gallons last year.

There were 34 different countries that purchased U.S. ethanol last year.

EIA also said ethanol imports in 2016 contracted by 60% to 36 million gallons, the lowest level since 2010.

Corn is the primary feedstock for ethanol production, which stood at 15 billion gallons in 2016.



NCGA Statement on USDA Nominee Sonny Perdue’s Confirmation Hearing

Today the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Sonny Perdue as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. The following is a statement from the National Corn Growers Association:

“The National Corn Growers Association reiterates our support for Governor Perdue as the next Secretary of Agriculture, and we urge the Senate to move quickly to confirm him.

“Today, Governor Perdue promised to be a ‘strong and tenacious advocate’ for America’s farmers and ranchers and ‘USDA’s chief salesman around the world.’ We could not agree more on the need for strong leadership at USDA, especially when it comes to trade. Governor Perdue pledged to work closely with the rest of the Administration to negotiate strong trade deals that benefit America’s farmers and ranchers. We also appreciate his commitment to a strong Renewable Fuel Standard.

“USDA has been without a Secretary for more than two months, at a time when there is much work to do. NCGA stands ready to work with Governor Perdue and the rest of the Trump Administration to support strong trade policy, continue investing in renewable fuels, protecting risk management programs, and preparing for the next farm bill. We urge the Senate to confirm him as soon as possible.”



Growth Energy Statement on Confirmation Hearing for Secretary of Agriculture

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor released the following statement regarding the Senate Agriculture Committee’s confirmation hearing for President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Agriculture, former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.

“The role played by the Secretary of Agriculture is of critical importance to the biofuels industry and rural America. We look forward to hearing Governor Perdue’s perspective on how to move American agriculture forward.

“President Trump’s vocal support of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and ethanol gives us confidence that his cabinet nominees understand his commitment, and we are eager to hear more from Governor Perdue about the role biofuels, including ethanol, can play in addressing the challenges and opportunities facing our nation’s agricultural industry. Should he be confirmed, we will look forward to working with him to protect the economic wellbeing of American farmers, all while providing consumers access to higher performing, American-made biofuels.”



 NFU Urges Swift Confirmation of Perdue as Ag Secretary

Former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue appeared before the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee today for the confirmation hearing on his nomination to be U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Urging a speedy confirmation vote of Mr. Perdue, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson issued the following statement:

“If confirmed, Sonny Perdue will be stepping into a position of great importance within this administration. To this point, agriculture and rural America have not had a seat at the table in this administration.

“NFU is encouraged by the secretary-nominee’s focus on trade, particularly on being a strong advocate for agriculture and easing restrictions on trade with Cuba. Ensuring the administration goes about trade deal renegotiations in a way that both deals with our country’s overall trade deficit and does not adversely affect agriculture’s strong footing in international trade will be very important.

“NFU is also pleased that Mr. Perdue intends on finding an immediate solution for family dairy producers who are struggling amidst years of depressed milk prices. We’re thankful for the Committee’s attention and Mr. Perdue’s commitment to explore options advocated for by NFU and other industry partners.

“We urge the Senate to swiftly confirm Sonny Perdue so that he can get to work on behalf of American family farmers and ranchers.”



Cattleman Testifies before U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee

Today, Tim White, a cattle producer from Lexington, Kentucky, testified before the House Small Business Committee’s Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy, and Trade regarding the future of America’s small family farms. In his testimony, White called on Congress to address the overly burdensome regulatory environment that is hampering rural America, repeal the federal estate tax, and to ensure the 2018 Farm Bill works for America’s cattle producers.

White said that as a small business owner, one of the biggest concerns he faces is over-regulation. EPA’s “waters of the United States” he said is a prime example of overregulation that would subject farmers and ranchers to unnecessary and costly permitting process.

“As a family-owned business, and knowing the detrimental impact this regulation could have on my operation, it is appalling that the agencies asserted that it would not have a significant economic impact on small businesses.”

White also called for the repeal of the federal estate tax, which is a leading cause of the breakup of multi-generational family farms.

“U.S. livestock producers understand and appreciate the role that taxes play in maintaining and improving our nation in many ways, however, they also believe that the most effective tax code is a fair one,” explained White. “For this reason, a full, immediate repeal of the estate tax must be a top priority as Congress considers comprehensive tax reform legislation.”

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 permanently extended the estate tax exemption level to $5 million per person/$10 million per couple. White said, “While we are grateful for the ATRA, the current state of our economy has left many agricultural producers guessing about their ability to plan for estate tax liabilities.”

White concluded his testimony discussing the 2018 Farm Bill and how it could positively or negatively affect many small family farms and ranches.

White stressed the farm bill must include a strong research title to ensure that the industry can remain as efficient and competitive as we can be in producing beef, a strong conservation title to protect programs like EQIP which have been very successful in helping producers do even more to protect our resources, as well as a robust animal health program including a FMD vaccine bank to respond to any potential outbreaks which would have a devastating impact on the nation’s beef industry.

“Estimates show that an FMD outbreak in the United States could cost our nation’s livestock producers billions of dollars in the first 12 months alone, “said White. “NCBA will be requesting support for the creation of a larger and more adequate FMD vaccine bank within the 2018 Farm Bill to include funding of $150 million dollars a year over five years. We feel that this FMD vaccine bank is vitally important to the beef industry as countries around the globe continue to grapple with this disease.”

Additionally, White said cattlemen oppose any attempt at government intervention in the marketplace, including mandatory Country-of-Origin labeling.



 NFU Public Comments Strongly Endorse Fair Practice Rules

On behalf of nearly 200,000 family farm and ranch members, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson submitted public comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) yesterday, advocating for the agency to finalize the Farmer Fair Practices Rules. The rules would provide family farmers and ranchers with protections against anti-competitive and abusive practices.

“Family farmers and ranchers are operating in an extremely consolidated agricultural marketplace, where lack of competition provides the major meat companies with tremendous power,” said Johnson. “Farmer Fair Practices Rules provide family farmers and ranchers with the most basic of protections against egregious and anti-competitive practices. They are long overdue and we urge the USDA to finalize them as soon as possible.”

In his comments, Johnson highlighted the extreme consolidation in the livestock and poultry sectors, noting that just four giant meatpacking companies control 85 percent of the beef market, 74 percent of the pork market, and more than half of the market for poultry.

“Due to a lack of competition across the agricultural sector, farmers are subject to both the bargaining power of sellers of agricultural inputs and the bargaining power of buyers of the products farmers grow,” said Johnson.

Johnson said that this bargaining power has allowed processors and integrators to institutionalize many unfair and abusive practices, particularly in the poultry and pork industries.

“The development of contract farming as the model in the poultry and hog sector has institutionalized the ‘monopsony/monopoly relations between farm and agribusiness and the ability of the latter to capture value by the producer through price manipulation.’  The two parties that negotiate the contract are not equal. This asymmetrical power results in undue influence over contract farmers.”

“The status quo system of indentured servitude by contract growers who are subject to increasingly offensive demands by integrators is simply unacceptable,” he added.

Johnson noted that the Farmer Fair Practices Rules update the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, which was passed to protect competition in the meatpacking industry.

“Congress passed the Act with recognition that the previous antitrust acts did not adequately protect farmers and consumers from the monopolistic practices of the meatpacking industry,” stated Johnson. “The Act set out to regulate meatpackers engaging in unfair or deceptive practices that harm individual farmers.”

“Over the last few decades, judicial decisions have weakened the original act, providing farmers and ranchers with less protection in a more challenging marketplace. These rules will go a long way to make sure that farmers and ranchers can continue to operate with basic protections under the law,” he concluded.



U.S. biodiesel industry calls out illegal trading

Today the National Biodiesel Board filed an antidumping and countervailing duty petition, making the case that Argentine and Indonesian companies are violating trade laws by flooding the U.S. market with dumped and subsidized biodiesel. The petition was filed with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission on behalf of the National Biodiesel Board Fair Trade Coalition, which is made up of the National Biodiesel Board and U.S. biodiesel producers.

“The National Biodiesel Board and U.S. biodiesel industry is committed to fair trade, and we support the right of producers and workers to compete on a level playing field,” said Donnell Rehagen, National Biodiesel Board CEO. “This is a simple case where companies in Argentina and Indonesia are getting advantages that cheat U.S. trade laws and are counter to fair competition.  NBB is involved because U.S. biodiesel production, which currently support more than 50,000 American jobs, is being put at risk by unfair market practices.”

Because of illegal trade activities, biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia surged by 464 percent from 2014 to 2016. That growth has taken 18.3 percentage points of market share from U.S. manufacturers.

“The resulting imbalance caused by unfair trade practices is suffocating U.S. biodiesel producers,” Rehagen explained. “Our goal is to create a level playing field to give markets, consumers and retailers access to the benefits of true and fair competition.”

Based on NBB’s review, Argentine and Indonesian producers are dumping their biodiesel in the United States by selling at prices that are substantially below their costs of production.  This is reflected in the petition’s alleged dumping margins of 23.3percent for Argentina and 34.0 percent for Indonesia.  The petition also alleges illegal subsidies based on numerous government programs in those countries.

This is not the first time that Argentine and Indonesian biodiesel producers have been charged with violating international trade laws.  In 2013, the EU imposed 41.9 to 49.2 percent duties on Argentina and 8.8 to 23.3 percent duties on Indonesia.  Just last year, Peru imposed both antidumping and countervailing duties on Argentine biodiesel.



2016 USGC Annual Report Now Available Online And In Poster Format

The U.S. Grains Council's (USGC's) 2016 annual report is now available online and via mail to members, highlighting the organization's work in developing market share, finding new grain demand and serving long-term buyers of U.S. corn, barley, sorghum, distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol.

The 2015/2016 marketing year experienced large exports as commodity prices remained low, with 100 MMT of U.S. feed grains exported across the world. This boom continued into the 2016/2017 marketing year, which started Sept. 1, 2016, with almost 28 MMT of feed grains in some form exported in the first quarter alone.

Working together with members, the Council’s global team continues to hone strategy and find new opportunities to work in a changing market and policy environment in order to benefit U.S. agriculture. The report reviews these sales with a focus on Council activities in more than 50 grain markets.

Highlights from 2016 included the biennial Export Exchange, co-sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association, which brought together more than 200 international buyers of coarse grains from 35 countries, resulting in sales of 2.6 million metric tons (102.4 million bushels) of coarse grains and co-products valued at $460 million.

The Council also conducted activities essential to building and maintaining trust in the United States as the long-term supplier of high-quality grain for buyers in loyal markets like Taiwan, Japan and South Korea while working to recapture share in markets like Algeria and Malaysia and laying the foundation for sales farther into the future in markets like Cuba and Tanzania.

The online report, supplemented with videos, infographics and photos produced throughout the year, is available at https://www.grains.org/annualreport2016.



EPA Chief: Agency Will be States’ Partner in Addressing Environmental Issues

Just days into his tenure as EPA chief, Administrator Scott Pruitt was at President Donald Trump’s side as the president signed an executive order repealing the Waters of the U.S. rule. In an exclusive interview with the American Farm Bureau, Pruitt said the WOTUS repeal is ushering in a new era at EPA, one in which states have primacy and private property owners have certainty. 

According to Pruitt, regulators totally missed the marked with WOTUS, going well beyond the authority afforded the agency under the Clean Water Act and writing a rule that had farmers, builders and many others fearful for their livelihoods.

Pruitt is particularly focused on restoring states’ leadership when it comes to the environment.

“At the end of the day the goal has to be regulatory certainty, objectively measured, so that the role of the EPA and the role of the state departments of environmental quality, and the water resources boards and all those agencies at the state levels—as well as private property owners and towns and municipalities across the country that make land-use decisions—that their authority, their power, their decision-making is respected and that we stay in our lane,” he said.

In that vein, Pruitt said the agency will no longer issue de facto rules under the guise of guidance.

“Guidance is supposed to do what? It’s supposed to give you guidance in respect to rules that are already in existence,” Pruitt noted, emphasizing that there’s a well-defined rulemaking process designed to ensure that all stakeholders’ voices are heard by regulators.

“We don’t have all the answers here, and when agencies make rules, they need to know how it impacts people in all the states across the country and they need to hear from those people and respond to those folks and say, ‘I hear you, and here’s how we’re going to address that and we think that’s an important point.’ That’s what rulemaking should be about,” he said.

Acknowledging that there’s a time and place for enforcement, and, if need be, prosecution, Pruitt emphasized that the agency will first approach states as allies, rather than adversaries.

“I really believe citizens care about the water they drink and the air they breathe. We need to believe that, trust that and restore that trust between this agency and the states,” he said.



INNVICTIS CROP CARE, LLC Launches STAVE, Their Newest Post-Emerge Broadleaf Herbicide

INNVICTIS CROP CARE, LLC announces STAVE™ as the newest addition to­ its expanding portfolio. STAVE will be a great tool for hard to control annual and perennial broadleaf weeds in wheat and barley.

STAVE is a selective, post-emergence herbicide for control of the most difficult broadleaf weeds in cereals, corn, fallow and CRP ground. It is an ideal tank mix partner when tackling weeds such as Russian thistle, morning glory, and ALS resistant kochia. Additionally, STAVE offers a wide application window from 2 leaf to flagleaf and allows rotation flexibility to most crops in 120 days.

“STAVE is a great addition to our post-emergent herbicide lineup. STAVE contains the active ingredient Fluroxypyr, a Group 4 herbicide. Herbicides in this class consist of synthetic auxins/growth regulators and were among some of the first selective herbicides developed. STAVE, when added to certain post-emergence herbicide programs, will provide our growers with enhanced herbicide efficacy on tough to kill weeds such as kochia, cocklebur, and many others,” says Will Scott, Tech Services and Market Development Manager for INNVICTIS.