Tuesday May 30 Ag News

FEED HAY, NOT DIRT
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Do you feed dirt to your livestock?  Of course not, you say, but are you sure?

               Like it or not, all hay has some dirt in it.  How much dirt can vary greatly, though.  And the best way to estimate how much dirt your hay contains is by looking at the percent ash from a forage test report.

               Most forage plants naturally contain about six percent ash.  If your forage test indicates you have much more than that, the extra ash is most likely dirt.  Since dirt doesn’t have much nutritional value, minimizing dirt contamination will be better for your animals.

               First, cut hay before it lodges.  Downed stems naturally pick up more dirt than upright plants.  And when you cut, be careful not to cut too short.  A three-inch stubble is about right to minimize dirt while harvesting most of your potential yield.  Be especially careful if you cut with a disk mower.  They can easily cut extremely low, even to ground level, without plugging.  And disk mowers with angled knives tend to vacuum up more dirt than flat knives.

               It also helps to spread hay in a wide swath after cutting.  Tight, heavy windrows tend to sink to the ground while wide swaths may stay on top of the stubble.  This also makes it easier to rake without picking up dirt because the tines won’t need to touch the ground if hay is on top of the stubble.  Tines on wheel rakes need to touch the ground in order to turn so they pick up more dirt than rotary or bar rakes.

               Finally, bales stored on the ground will pick up soil, especially if it is muddy when the bales are moved.  Consider storing bales under cover or on crushed rock to reduce contamination.

               You may not see it, but hay can contain a lot of dirt.  Careful equipment operation and bale storage can help you keep it clean.



Reminder: Valuation Change on June 1

The Nebraska Department of Revenue, Property Assessment Division, reminds property owners that real property Notices of Valuation Change will be sent by county assessors on or before June 1.

If there was an increase or decrease to the assessed valuation of a real property parcel from 2016 to the 2017 assessed value, the county assessor is required to send a notice of valuation change to the property owner of record as of May 20.

If a property owner disagrees with the assessed value, whether or not a notice of valuation change has been received, a protest may be filed with the county board of equalization. The valuation protest may be filed in person or by mail with the county clerk in the county where the property is located, on or before June 30.

Requirements for filing a protest are on the Notice of Valuation Change.

For more information regarding filing a protest, please contact the county clerk where the property is located. County contact information is available at revenue.nebraska.gov/PAD, under "Featured Information."

For further information, see the Real Property Valuation Protest Information Guide and Property Valuation Protest, Form 422 or 422A.



Pork Checkoff Announces Sponsored Activities at the 2017 World Pork Expo

The Pork Checkoff has an exciting lineup of Checkoff-sponsored events scheduled for World Pork Expo, June 7-9, 2017, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. World Pork Expo attendees can stop by the Varied Industries Building (booth No. 122) or the Pork Checkoff Hospitality Tent to learn more about Checkoff programs and initiatives.

Pork Checkoff Hospitality Tent (north of the Varied Industries Building)
-    Breakfast will be offered beginning at 7:30 a.m. while supplies last. Stop by for snacks daily. 
-    Enjoy a free business luncheon Wednesday and Thursday at noon. Elwynn Taylor, climatologist for Iowa State University, will present a weather outlook, and Steve Meyer, vice president of pork analysis for Express Markets, Inc., will present market updates.

Pork Checkoff Booth (No. 122 in the Varied Industries Building)
-    Have questions about Checkoff-funded education, research and promotion activities? Stop by to learn about Checkoff programs and initiatives.
-    Pick up new resources from the Pork Checkoff.

The PORK Academy, sponsored by the Pork Checkoff, will offer educational seminars for producers on the latest trends in pork production. For a list of the sessions and topics covered, visit www.pork.org/wpx.

Also, producers and youth will have the opportunity to become certified in the Youth for the Quality Care for Animals (YQCA) program and PQA Plus® program at sessions held in conjunction with World Pork Expo.

As in years past, the Pork Checkoff will provide dinner on Tuesday and lunch on Thursday and Friday for junior swine exhibitors and their families. The Pork Checkoff also will sponsor activities at the World Pork Expo Junior National Hog Show.



USDA Economic Research Service Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade
FY 2017 Exports Forecast Up $1.0 Billion to $137.0 Billion; Imports Unchanged at $114.5 Billion

Fiscal year 2017 agricultural exports are projected at $137.0 billion, up $1.0 billion from the February forecast, as increases are expected in livestock, grain/feed, and cotton exports.  Livestock, poultry, and dairy exports are raised $600 million to $28.7 billion due to an expected increase in red meat shipments that more than offsets slight declines in the poultry and dairy forecasts.  Grain and feed exports are forecast at $29.0 billion, up $400 million, driven by a larger volume for wheat and higher unit values for rice.  Cotton is forecast up $400 million to $5.4 billion as the United States continues to gain market share across major markets.  Oilseed and product exports are forecast at $31.7 billion, up $100 million due to expected increased soybean product exports. The export forecast for horticultural products is down $500 million to $33.5 billion on the basis of lower unit values of tree nuts.

U.S. agricultural imports in fiscal year 2017 are forecast at $114.5 billion, unchanged from February and $1.4 billion above their total value in fiscal year 2016.  The U.S. agricultural trade surplus is expected to increase $1 billion to $22.5 billion.

See the complete report here.... https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/83665/aes-99.pdf?v=42880. 




NGFA supports effort to update truck weight limits

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) recently joined in signing a letter to Congress supporting a pilot program designed to obtain information on the safety and environmental benefits of increasing the maximum commercial truck weight on interstate highways.

In the letter sent to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee, more than 80 transportation stakeholders noted that it's been 35 years since the government last updated the gross vehicle weight (GVW) limit of 80,000 pounds for federal interstate highways. Meanwhile, all 50 states have passed exceptions allowing trucks greater than this weight limit to operate on local roads. In addition, more than 30 states have higher GVW limits on their portions of interstate highways.

While states rightfully have updated GVW limits to better suit their individual needs, this often means trucks hauling more than 80,000 pounds are forced to operate on less ideal state highway infrastructure, "traveling on more local roads past schools, churches and playgrounds where pedestrians often are present," stated the letter. The current 80,000-pound weight limit for trucks on interstate highways also results in some trucks remaining more than 40 percent empty, creating economic inefficiencies and forcing more trucks onto the highway system than otherwise would be needed, the letter noted.

The transportation stakeholders proposed to include language in the fiscal year 2018 appropriations bill to create a pilot program for states to study the effects of modernizing truck weight limits, which haven't been updated since the standardization of anti-lock brakes on Class-8 tractors in 1982. The results should provide information on whether "there are more safe, more sustainable, and more productive ways to modernize the current 80,000-pound limit on federal Interstate Highways and give the states flexibility to move those loads on the safer Interstates and away from roads with pedestrians."

Under the pilot program, 10 states could opt-in to allow 91,000-pound, six-axle, bridge formula-compliant trucks on federal interstate highways within their borders, and collect additional safety data regarding the GVW and axle configurations of commercial trucks involved in serious accidents.

"Such a pilot, similar to others included in previous appropriations bills, will provide critical information currently lacking but necessary to determine if significant benefits affiliated with this configuration can be realized in a way to preserve or enhance the safety our nation's roads," the letter stated.

The letter also cited a 2016 U.S. Department of Transportation study that found potential benefits of modernizing the baseline GVW limit to 91,000 pounds, including reductions in: stopping distance during braking, carbon dioxide emissions, fuel consumption, and life-cycle pavement costs.



CWT Assists with 4.2 million Pounds of Cheese and Butter Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 25 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms USA, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold), Tillamook County Creamery Association, United Dairymen of Arizona, and Upstate Niagara- O-AT-KA that have contracts to sell 3.536 million pounds (1,604 metric tons) of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese and 703,275 pounds (319 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from May through August 2017.

So far this year, CWT has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 37.709 million pounds of American-type cheeses, and 3.016 million pounds of butter (82% milkfat) to 17 countries on five continents. The sales are the equivalent of 415.838 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

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 price.



Last Call! Sign Up to Grow Leadership Skills Today!
The National Corn Growers Association reminds farmers that time is running out to become a part of the change they desire by actively honing their leadership skills through the NCGA Leadership Academy, part of Syngenta's Leadership At Its Best Program.  Growers must be nominated by their state corn association. Interested members should contact their state associations now for further information and get completed applications into state offices by the end of this week.

"Since it began in 1986, Leadership At Its Best has trained strong, confident volunteers who have helped shape the industry through their subsequent work at the state and national level," said NCGA President Wesley Spurlock.  "Having met so many farmers who feel similarly, I know that the desire to give back to their peers motivates an incredible number of farmers to look for service opportunities. NCGA depends upon this grassroots leadership, and I can personally attest that the time and effort dedicated are repaid in full through the incredible relationships built with like-minded individuals."

Open to all NCGA membership, Leadership At Its Best provides training to interested volunteers of all skill levels.  The first session, held in August in Minneapolis, Minn., addresses personal communications skills, public speaking and association management.  The second session, which will be held in January of 2018, addresses public policy issues, working with the Hill and parliamentary procedure.  Through this program, participants build the skill set needed to become a more confident public speaker with a solid background in the procedures and processes used by NCGA and many state organizations.

For more than three decades, NCGA, state corn associations and, most importantly, the U.S. corn industry, have benefited tremendously from the Syngenta co-sponsored Leadership At Its Best Program.  More than nearly 600 growers have gained invaluable knowledge and skills in media, communications, association management and public policy over the lifetime of the program.

Those interested should contact their state corn organization, which will submit nominees for the program.



Austin Dillon Secures First NASCAR Cup Win at Coca-Cola 600

Late Sunday night, American Ethanol driver and spokesperson, Austin Dillon captured his first Monster Energy Cup Series win, driving the celebrated No. 3 car to victory at the Coca-Cola 600. Dillon’s win came at his home track, the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and is the first for the Richard Childress Racing No. 3 car since October 15, 2000, when Dale Earnhardt won at Talladega.

“This is an incredible victory for the No. 3 team, and the entire American Ethanol family is filled with pride – we knew this day would come,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “Our partnership with Austin and Richard Childress Racing is integral to communicating American ethanol’s engine smart, earth kind story. We are proud of Austin’s amazing win and look forward to many more successes together.”

Commenting on his win, Dillon said, “those partners that were here from the very beginning – Dow, American Ethanol – it feels so good to deliver. They had to believe in me no matter what. You can believe in somebody saying he’s good, but they believed in me. They’ve been here every step of the way. It feels so good to get them in Victory Lane. It was a beautiful car tonight, too.”

The No.3 car – and all NASCAR race cars – are powered by Sunoco Green E15, a fuel made with 15 percent American ethanol. In fact, E15 has powered NASCAR for more than 10 million miles. E15 is a cleaner-burning, high-performance fuel that delivers on the race track and for regular drivers alike. From the intense demands of a NASCAR race team to the everyday reliability expected by drivers across the country, E15 is always a winner.