Tuesday July 11 Ag News

Agricultural Land Management Workshop Set for August 3rd

The Landlord/Tenant Cash Lease workshop will be offered on August 3, 2017, at the Pinnacle Bank in Columbus, 310 East 23rd St., from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 pm. The workshop is designed to help landlords and tenants put together a lease that is right for both parties involved and help maintain positive farm leasing relationships.

Topics for discussion at the leasing workshop include: latest information about land values and cash rental rates for the area and state; lease communication, determining appropriate information sharing for both the tenant and landlord; lease terminations, including terminating handshake or verbal leases; legal issues related to land ownership; and flexible lease arrangements.

This free workshop is sponsored by the Northcentral Risk Management Education Center and Nebraska Extension but registration is requested. To register for the workshop, contact the Nebraska Extension Office in Platte County by phone at 402-563-4901. Register by July 28, 2017, to ensure that there are enough handouts and refreshments.

Presenters at this workshop are Jim Jansen, UNL Extension Educator, Ag Economist serving northeast Nebraska and Allan Vyhnalek, UNL Extension Educator for Farm Succession serving Nebraska.

The agricultural land management workshop series have been held extensively across Nebraska for the past several years with over 3,300 attending. The vast majority of both landlords and tenants find the information to be very helpful in improving communications, setting rental terms, and learning about agricultural land. As farm budgets tighten, it is even more important to attend and listen to the latest discussion about leasing issues.



WINDROW GRAZING TO STRETCH SUMMER PASTURE
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Many years when mid-summer arrives we start to realize that we might not have enough pasture to get us through the season.  There are ways to stretch your supply.

               Most areas received abundant rain this spring, producing more pasture growth than cattle could keep up with.  Even with that abundance, though, some pastures are getting pretty short, especially with the recent heat and dry weather.

               Suppose your pastures receive very little rain for the rest of the year.  How long could your pastures continue to provide adequate feed for your animals?  Like most folks, you would probably run out several weeks before corn stalks or winter pastures are ready for grazing.  Either your animals would be forced to rough it until new grazing becomes available or you would have to feed them hay.

               So what can you do now to stretch your current pastures and lower that risk of running out later this year?  Of course, one option might be to cut and bale some of your pasture for feeding later on to reduce the amount of waste that naturally occurs when grazing.  But another option that might work even better could be windrow grazing.

               To try windrow grazing, cut and windrow the amount of pasture your animals might need for about a week.  Then build an electric cross fence that gives them just a day or two’s worth.  When they finish that piece, move the fence to give them some more windrows.  As they near the end of the windrows you already cut, lay down another patch and repeat this strip grazing of windrows as long as you wish.

               Other graziers have found that windrow grazing sometimes doubles the number of grazing days compared to regular rotational grazing.  If you need more pasture, maybe it can work for you, too.



NCBA Applauds Bill That Would Delay New Electronic Logging Devices Mandate

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association today applauded inclusion of language in the U.S. House’s Transportation-HUD appropriations bill that will delay for one year a requirement mandating the use of the new Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) for livestock and insect haulers.

The U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development approved its appropriations bill including this ELD language specific to the livestock and insect industries on Tuesday night. The full committee could mark up the legislation as soon as next week.

“We’re very happy to see this delay of the ELD enforcement deadline,” said fifth-generation California rancher and NCBA President-elect Kevin Kester. “This one-year delay will give us time to address our industry-specific concerns, and give us more time to work with federal regulators to add needed flexibility, as hauling livestock has many challenges and variables.”

“I want to thank Congressman David Valadao from my home state of California for all his hard work on this issue,” Kester said. “I don’’t think this delay would have gotten into the bill without Congressman Valadao and his staff.”

NCBA said the livestock industry now has an additional year to work with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for the flexibility necessary to more fairly regulate the transportation of livestock, especially concerning the restrictions within Hours of Service (HOS) Rules. NCBA has relayed the message to FMCSA for the past year that their rule that limits driving time to 11 hours within a 14-hour window after the driver comes on duty, is simply too restrictive on the industry.

“We hope that our continued work with FMCSA will allow them to understand the needs of our industry: balancing the welfare of livestock, the safety of our highly skilled drivers, and the need to get our animals moved in the safest and most efficient way possible for the driver, others on the road, and the animals,” Kester said.



Agriculture Groups Worried About Import Restrictions

The National Pork Producers Council and 17 other food and agriculture organizations, representing the vast majority of production agriculture, today sent a letter to the Trump administration urging it to refrain from placing restrictions on imports of steel and aluminum. The organizations are very concerned that such restrictions will boomerang against U.S. food and agriculture exports.

The groups warned that "the aftermath [of restrictions on steel and aluminum imports] could be disastrous for the global trading system and for U.S. agriculture in particular.” The groups pointed out that many countries that export the metals to the United States are also large importers of U.S. agricultural products. “The potential for retaliation from these trading partners is very real,” said the groups.

Under the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Article XXI, national security can be a legitimate reason to restrict trade, but it rarely is cited.

“No country can dictate another’s national security needs,” the organizations wrote, “so now every country with a sensitive industry would know that it could follow the example of the United States and find a national security reason to circumvent trade commitments, no matter how flimsy the reason might be.”

The farm groups urged the administration to “avoid igniting a trade war” through the imposition of restrictions on steel and aluminum imports.



Veterinarians: Establish Offshore FMD Vaccine Bank

Warning of the dire economic consequences of an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), swine veterinarians from around the country during Capitol Hill visits today and tomorrow will urge congressional lawmakers to establish an offshore vaccine bank to help quickly control and eradicate the animal disease.

The 23 veterinarians are in town as part of the Swine Veterinarian Public Policy Advocacy Program of the National Pork Producers Council, which has made creating a robust FMD vaccine bank its top priority for the 2018 Farm Bill.

FMD is an infectious and sometimes-fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hooved animals, including cattle and pigs; it is not a food safety or human health threat. Although the disease was last detected in the United States in 1929, it is endemic in many parts of the world.

According to Iowa State University economists, an FMD outbreak in the United States, which would prompt countries to close their markets to U.S. meat exports and create a surplus of meat on the domestic market, would cost the beef and pork industries a combined $128 billion over 10 years if livestock producers weren’t able to combat the disease through vaccination. The corn and soybean industries would lose over a decade $44 billion and $25 billion, respectively; and economy-wide job losses would top 1.5 million.

“The U.S. swine industry needs the capacity to produce enough FMD vaccine to quickly stop the virus from spreading and then to eradicate this pathogen, and we need Congress to provide the funds to make that happen,” said Dr. Gordon Spronk, a swine veterinarian who practices in Minnesota and surrounding states, who participated in the program. “The U.S. pork industry, indeed the entire U.S. economy, would be severely affected by an FMD outbreak, which has become more likely in this country with the free flow around the globe of goods and people.”

A recent paper from former USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Administrator Dr. Ron DeHaven and other prominent veterinarians confirmed the need for an FMD vaccine bank and concluded that the vaccine must be produced overseas given that current U.S. law forbids storing live FMD virus on the U.S. mainland and because of the risk of accidental release of the virus if it were stored in the United States. Read the paper at http://nppc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/FMD-Vaccine-Bank.pdf.

NPPC is asking Congress to include in the next Farm Bill – hearings on which already are underway – language directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to:
-    Contract with an offshore, vendor-maintained vaccine bank that would have available FMD antigen concentrate to protect against all 23 of the most common FMD strains currently circulating in the world.
-    Maintain a vendor-managed inventory of 10 million doses of vaccine, which is the estimated need for the first two weeks of an outbreak.
-    Contract with an international manufacturer or manufacturers for the capacity to produce at least 40 million doses.

The cost of establishing an FMD vaccine bank, according to another Iowa State analysis, is estimated to be $150 million annually, an amount that pales in comparison to the $20 billion yearly cost of an outbreak to the beef, pork, corn and soybean sectors alone, NPPC has pointed out.



More Farm Bill Hearings Scheduled During July & August

House Ag Committee Chair Mike Conaway and ranking Democrat Collin Peterson of Minnesota are planning three more listening sessions to discuss the next Farm Bill.

The next session will take place in San Angelo, Texas, for a July 31 hearing in the heart of Conaway's 11th District. Then, it's on to Morgan, Minn., for an Aug. 3 session in Peterson's 7th District.

The third hearing is set for Aug. 5 in Modesto, Calif., where farmers grow everything from almonds to broccoli to plums. It's also at the center of Republican Ag Committee member Jeff Denham's 10th District.

"With the farm economy in its worst slide since the Great Depression, producers in every region of the country have important perspectives about what is and isn't working in agricultural policy," Conaway said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to taking what we heard in Florida and adding new perspectives as we travel across the country to ensure we craft the strong farm bill our country deserves."



 NFU Applauds USDA Decision to Allow for Emergency Haying in Upper Great Plains

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue authorized the release of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota for emergency haying. The announcement follows urgent requests from National Farmers Union (NFU), state Farmers Union divisions, agriculture groups and legislators for the USDA to address severe drought conditions in the Upper Great Plains.

In response to the decision, NFU President Roger Johnson issued the following statement:

“The persistent drought in the Upper Great Plains is forcing many of our members in the region to make tough decisions about downsizing their herd, or even keeping their farm. Given that they are also dealing with a severely depressed farm economy, the Secretary’s action will go a long way towards alleviating some of the concerns currently facing family farmers and ranchers.

“NFU applauds the Secretary for listening to our concerns and responding in a meaningful way to help family ranchers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and surrounding areas get through this drought.”



Golden Harvest® portfolio grows with 46 new corn hybrids and 18 new soybean varieties for 2018

Each year presents its own unique series of weather, pest and market challenges to corn and soybean farmers. It’s a lot to keep up with, which is why farmers need their seed to work as hard as they do. With the release of 46 new corn hybrids, 14 of which are new genetic families, and 18 new soybean varieties for 2018, Golden Harvest® is expanding its strong portfolio of seed options that farmers can count on to get the most yield out of every field.

The new hybrids and varieties further grow a portfolio engineered to equip farmers with agronomic options for all kinds of field types, soil characteristics and weather conditions.

“Rooted in genetics, agronomy and service, the new Golden Harvest hybrids and varieties build on a legacy of genetically diverse, high-yielding seed that farmers can depend on,” said Eric Boersma, Golden Harvest Corn product manager lead. “Because no two fields are the same, we are committed to providing a range of unique, genetically diverse corn and soybean seed options.”

On the corn front, the 2018 hybrids feature proven genetics protected by high-performing Agrisure® traits and technologies.
-    Eight hybrids will include the Agrisure Duracade® trait, which features a different mode of action to effectively control corn rootworm, will be available in select geographies to growers who agree to feed on farm or deliver to approved feedlots
-    Fourteen hybrids will feature the Agrisure Viptera® trait, which contains the most comprehensive insect control in the industry
-    Twelve Agrisure Artesian® hybrids will help maximize yield when it rains and increase yield when it doesn’t
-    Twenty hybrids will be available as E-Z Refuge® options, providing convenient, integrated single-bag refuge offerings

In select geographies, Golden Harvest will also offer nine new Enogen® hybrids, featuring an in-seed innovation that benefits farmers marketing grain to ethanol plants and those producing grain for livestock feed. In the ethanol market, Enogen grain enhances the ethanol production process by improving process efficiency, while the same technology increases the value of corn as feed for dairy or beef cattle due to improved digestibility.

The new Golden Harvest Soybean varieties range in relative maturity from 0.08 to 4.5 and protect against many of today’s toughest challenges, including soybean cyst nematodes, sudden death syndrome, brown stem rot and Phytophthora root rot. Sixteen of the new varieties also include dicamba-tolerant Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® technology, which provides another line of defense against weed resistance.

“With the new Golden Harvest varieties, soybean farmers will find reliable options to take on any agronomic challenge,” said Scott Erickson, product marketing manager, soybean seed for Golden Harvest.