Monday July 31 Ag News

Following June Storms, Nebraska Congressional Delegation Makes Disaster Declaration Request

U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Representatives Jeff Fortenberry (NE-01), Don Bacon (NE-02), and Adrian Smith (NE-03) have written to President Donald Trump outlining Nebraska’s request for a federal disaster declaration. Their request comes as a result of storms, which hit the state from June 12-17, 2017.

Over 18 Nebraska counties suffered major damages from six tornadoes, strong winds, and golf-ball-to-baseball-sized hail. The inclement weather resulted in more than $13,780,024 worth of damages across Nebraska. Approval of the disaster declaration would make federal assistance available to areas affected by the storm.

A copy of delegation’s letter to President Trump is below.
We write in support of Governor Pete Ricketts’s request for a major disaster declaration, which followed the storms occurring between June 12-17, for the subsequent eighteen Nebraska counties: Banner, Box Butte, Butler, Cass, Cuming, Dodge, Douglas, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Morrill, Polk, Sarpy, Saunders, Sheridan, Sioux, Thurston, and Wayne. We also support Governor Rickett’s request for Hazard Mitigation statewide.

The strong winds, including six tornadoes and golf-ball-to-baseball-sized hail, produced extensive damage across the state. Public power districts are reporting damages in excess of $13,780,024. The damage included, but is not limited to: electrical distribution infrastructure and facilities throughout the affected areas, public and private property severely damaged by large hail, public and private structures destroyed or severely damaged by straight-line winds and tornados, injury and death to livestock, and irrigation systems damaged or destroyed.

As our communities recover and rebuild, the federal government has a duty to support our state with its restoration efforts.



Frogeye Leaf Spot in Soybeans in Eastern Nebraska
Loren Giesler - NE Extension Plant Pathologist

Frogeye leaf spot is occurring across much of Nebraska's soybean production area. Over the past couple of years this disease has spread to the northern border of Nebraska and this year it is pretty common across the eastern third of the state. While many fields will only have minor disease development there are some with significant levels and a history that could require a fungicide application.

Symptoms
Infection can occur at any stage of soybean development, but most often occurs after flowering and is typically in the upper canopy. Initial symptoms are small, dark spots on the leaves. Spots eventually enlarge to a diameter of about ¼ inch and the centers of the lesions become gray to brown and have a reddish purple margin. Individual leaf spots can coalesce to create irregular patterns of blighting on the leaf. As the soybean leaf matures, it becomes less susceptible to infection, often confining damage to the upper canopy.

 The overall best application timing for frogeye management is in the R3 to early R4 growth stages and in many fields this is now or very close. This is one of the diseases that will be controlled very well with any of the strobilurin fungicides labeled for Nebraska However, strobilurin fungicide resistance to the disease has been reported in other parts of the U.S. Make sure to use a good combination fungicide product to avoid the development of strobilurin resistance.

Future Management
This disease is residue borne and will continue to be in the field when you find it. In future years, if significant development occurs, growers should consider using resistant soybean varieties to manage the disease.



Phytophthora Root and Stem Rot Developing in Soybeans
Kyle Broderick - Coordinator of the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic
Cool conditions this spring prevented Phytophthora root and stem rot from causing many problems early in the growing season. However, as soils have warmed, this fungus has become active in irrigated fields and those that have received significant rain events over the past couple weeks. This soilborne disease, caused by Phytophthora sojae, has been confirmed in Lancaster, Saunders, Wayne, Harlan, and Hall counties in 2017 and is expected to be in other fields across the state.

Occasional stunted, wilted plants in the middle of otherwise healthy fields may be due to Phytophthora root and stem rot. This disease is most severe in poorly drained or flooded areas, including tire tracks from an irrigation system or low spots in a field. In the past we have observed that when drought-stressed fields receive heavy rains filling soil water levels to field capacity, it can result in significant disease development.

Phytophthora root and stem rot can damage plants throughout the year, causing pre- and post-emergent damping off in seedlings, and stem and root rots at later growth stages. Root and stem rots appearing this time of year are related to the level of genetic resistance in the plant.  Reddish-brown to black lesions start at the soil line and may extend several nodes up the stem. As the disease continues to develop, roots and stems turn brown and chlorotic or yellow, leaves wilt, but the petioles remain attached.

Management for this disease occurs prior to planting by selecting seed for genetic resistance and using seed treatment fungicides. Past studies funded by the soybean checkoff have shown that the use of resistance with good tolerance scores were the best genetic traits to select. Keeping a detailed field history of varieties planted and seed treatments applied will help guide management decisions the next time soybeans are planted. Accurate diagnosis is key to determining proper management practices when planting soybeans in the future.



MAXIMIZING RECENT RAIN
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               How should you manage pastures to maximize growth from recent rain?  Stay tuned and I’ll discuss how you can get all the new grass growth possible from this much needed moisture.

               Some drought-parched areas received enough rain recently to give pastures a much needed boost.  Some green is starting to return to these hills and the cows sure appreciate it.

               As we all know, though, it will take a lot more rain to bring things back to normal.  Since that’s unlikely, it’s important to make the most of this recent moisture.

               Grazing fresh growth as soon as it develops is not your best option.  Avoid as much as possible the extreme temptation to give cows access to this nice green feed right away.  When you graze plants as they start to grow, it lowers their rate of growth and reduces their water use efficiency by allowing more soil moisture to escape as evaporation instead of first going through the plant to support growth.

               A better move is to restrict animal access to as little land area as possible so the maximum number of pasture plants get to grow without potential grazing pressure.  Even feed hay instead of grazing to stretch the number of acres given a chance to grow.

               If our prayers are answered and more rain comes, you will be able to start grazing later on with expectations that regrowth will occur.  But if it doesn’t rain, at least all the moisture you did receive will have been used to support growth instead of just evaporating away.

               When rain produces fresh green growth after an extended dry period, it’s hard to delay grazing.  But that is what you must do to maximize growth from limited moisture.



USDA Invests $15.7 Million to Improve Livestock and Aquaculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced 40 grants totaling more than $15.7 million for agricultural research on the production of beef, dairy, poultry, pork, and fish that people consume every day. The funding is made possible through NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

"To ensure a healthy and safe food supply, we need innovations," said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. "NIFA investments help foster the discovery and translation of new knowledge into science-based management practices to help America's agricultural enterprises thrive and meet growing consumer demand."

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative is America's flagship competitive grants program for foundational and translational research, education, and extension projects in the food and agricultural sciences. The AFRI Foundational program supports research in several priority areas, including animal breeding, reproduction, nutrition and growth. These grants help improve the quality and efficiency of animal production in a variety of ways, such as through the creation of genetic databases, enhanced breeding methods, and research on the cellular, molecular, genetic, or whole-animal aspects of reproduction, nutrition, growth, and lactation.

Fiscal year 2016 grants include those listed below.
Animal Reproduction
- University of Nebraska, Lincoln, $465,000
- University of Nebraska, Lincoln, $480,000
- University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, $480,000

More information on these projects is available on the NIFA website.



CommonGround Program Celebrates Seven Years of Advancing Conversations About Food Among Farmers and Consumers

More than 200 women farmers across the country are advancing conversations about food and farming between consumers and farmers as part of the CommonGround program.

Many of these women farmers will gather to celebrate the program’s success and discuss future plans during the 7th annual CommonGround National Conference today through Aug. 2.

CommonGround provides a platform for women farmers to share their personal experiences, as well as science and research, to help consumers sort through the myths and misinformation surrounding food and farming, said Cathryn Wojcicki, communications manager for the National Corn Growers Association.

“Over the last seven years, our farmer volunteers have made millions of positive impressions about farming through media interviews, local events and social media efforts,” Wojcicki said. “We’re gathering this week to celebrate our achievements and talk about how we can reach even more people.”

CommonGround was developed in 2010 by farmers through two national checkoffs, the United Soybean Board (USB) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) as a way to address consumer’s growing demand to know where food comes from and what’s in it. Since 2010, the CommonGround program has grown from 14 farmer volunteers in five states to more than 200 volunteers in 19 states.

Joan Ruskamp, a cattle feeder from Dodge, Nebraska, became a CommonGround volunteer in 2011 as a way to have transparent and real conversations with other moms about food and farming.

“CommonGround has given me the skills and confidence to engage in conversations with consumers about how their food is grown, specifically related to the work that my husband and I do on our farm,” Ruskamp said.

Ruskamp didn’t expect the advocacy program to provide her with leadership skills that would strengthen her business and personal relationships. She says she’s been able to apply the leadership skills learned through CommonGround to her cattle operation as well as her family.

When we started CommonGround seven years ago we had no idea the program would contribute to the growth of such amazing agricultural leaders, says Missy Morgan, associate director of CommonGround.

“CommonGround’s transparent style has allowed for a unique two-way conversation among women who are able to connect based on shared values. This builds trust and creates an environment for more impactful conversations about how food is raised between women farmers and women raising their families in urban areas”, Morgan said.

“Our women farmers have earned people’s trust and respect. They really have compassion for moms, because for the most part our farmers are also mothers,” Morgan said. “They know how much moms care about giving their children the best, safest foods, because they care about that too.”

CommonGround meets annually to provide farmer volunteers with informing insights regarding food and agriculture. During the CommonGround National Conference, farmer advocates will have the opportunity to hear new consumer research, and also network with women farmers from other states.

Learn how food goes from farm to table and join the conversation at FindOurCommonGround.com.



Green Plains Reports Second Quarter 2017 Financial Results

Omaha-based Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2017. Net loss attributable to the company was $16.4 million, or $(0.41) per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2017 compared with net income of $8.2 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, for the same period in 2016. Revenues were $886.3 million for the second quarter of 2017 compared with $887.7 million for the same period last year.

"While ethanol margins were weak, our food and ingredients and ag and energy segments generated over $17 million in quarterly EBITDA led by strong performance from Fleischmann's Vinegar and our cattle operations, further validating the strategy we put in place," said Todd Becker, president and chief executive officer. "We proactively took action against the weakened ethanol margin environment by idling approximately 50 million gallons, or 40%, of production capacity in June. While we have returned to full production, we will remain disciplined in our response to supply/demand imbalances. Although volumes were lower this quarter, the partnership segment contribution was strong with over $16 million of EBITDA."

"Both U.S. and global demand remain strong for ethanol. U.S. ethanol exports are 48% ahead of last year through May, putting us on pace to export between 1.1 to 1.3 billion gallons this year," Becker added. "We are encouraged by the recent change allowing 10% ethanol blends in a large portion of Mexico and the momentum we are seeing with E15 station adoption, which has increased demand for higher blends in the U.S."

During the second quarter, Green Plains produced 275.5 million gallons of ethanol compared with 274.3 million gallons for the same period in 2016. The consolidated ethanol crush margin was $18.9 million, or $0.07 per gallon, for the second quarter of 2017 compared with $42.3 million, or $0.15 per gallon, for the same period in 2016. The consolidated ethanol crush margin is the ethanol production segment's operating income before depreciation and amortization, which includes corn oil production, plus intercompany storage, transportation and other fees, net of related expenses.

"Our segment EBITDA, excluding ethanol production and corporate activities, was approximately $71 million for the first half of 2017 and we expect these segments will generate approximately $150 million of EBITDA this year, including our stake in Green Plains Partners, which remains a significant driver of value for our shareholders," commented Becker. "Our strategy to diversify our revenue and income streams and provide more predictable cash flows for Green Plains' shareholders remains a key focus of our growth objectives."

Revenues attributable to the company were $1.8 billion for the six-month period ended June 30, 2017, compared with $1.6 billion for the same period in 2016. Net loss for the six-month period ended June 30, 2017, was $20.0 million, or $(0.51) per diluted share, compared with net loss of $15.9 million, or $(0.42) per diluted share, for the same period in 2016.

"During the quarter, the platform generated free cash flow and we continue to maintain ample liquidity," stated Becker. "We invested $51 million of growth capital during the quarter to acquire two cattle feed yards, expand vinegar production capacity and continue constructing our new export terminal in Beaumont. We used $8.5 million of cash, along with 2.8 million shares of common stock, to extinguish $56.3 million of convertible debt, paid $4.7 million in dividends and ended the quarter with $225 million of total cash on the balance sheet and $171 million of available liquidity."

"While we're not happy with the bottom line results this quarter, our balance sheet remains strong and we will continue to focus on growing and diversifying our business going forward. Based on current markets, we expect better performance in the third and fourth quarters and will move quickly to reduce volatility and lock away margins as they expand from here."



USGC Delegates Hear Why Trade Is Critical To U.S. Agriculture’s Growth During Summer Meeting

Experts on the year’s most pressing topic for U.S. agriculture - trade - stirred the thoughts of U.S. Grains Council (USGC) delegates during the first day of the 57th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting in Vancouver, Washington.

“Every farmer needs to work to be a foreign policy expert as much as we are crop or market experts,” Chip Councell, USGC chairman and farmer from Maryland, told the delegation. “This meeting serves as part of an ongoing series of events and information that make up a ‘trade school’ meant to help you know as much as possible about these important topics.”

The first of day of meetings in Vancouver focused on the critical role trade plays in the growth of U.S. agriculture.

Darci Vetter, former chief agricultural negotiator with the U.S. Trade Representative, gave a keynote emphasizing the need for all in agriculture to not only understand the current trade environment, but also communicate its importance on the local, state and national levels.

“All of you should consider yourselves ambassadors of trade,” Vetter said. “Recurring, persistent conversation about trade is what will turn the tide. We have to tell that story.”

The next two speakers discussed Frontier Asia and the current geopolitical environment. Yadong Liu, president of the China Energy Fund Committee, spoke on China’s increasing influence on global trade through the One Belt, One Road iniatitive. Dr. Stephen Haggard, director of the Korea-Pacific program at the University of California-San Diego, followed with an outline of developments in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on the potential impacts of recent tensions with North Korea.

The morning general session concluded with a briefing from representatives from the Washington State Department of Agriculture on the important role commodity inspections play in keeping U.S. trade moving. The presentation preceeded a moderated boat tour of local export infrastructure.

Through the next two days of meetings, discussions by Council members and delegates will continue to focus on the shifts in trade and trade policy discussions across commodities, sectors and countries around the world.

“Trade is in a time of change, and that makes the work of the Council more important than ever,” Councell said. “It is good to see these issues getting the attention they deserve. What we are talking about here is critical to our profitability.”



FDA Authorizes Qualified Health Claim for Soy Oil

Soybean oil can be part of a healthy diet. Now soybean farmers – and food manufacturers alike - can proudly tout its heart-health benefits. Thanks to a petition for a qualified health claim just authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA), soybean oil – and products containing soybean oil – can use a heart-health claim on packaging, menus and more.

The claim is similar to those associated with canola and olive oil and states that eating 1.5 tablespoons of soybean oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease when replacing saturated fat and not increasing calories. The FDA announced this week that it had no objections to the claim for foods that qualify. The application for the claim was submitted by Bunge, one of the leading soybean processors in the country.

“The food industry is by far our largest customer for soybean oil and by submitting this claim Bunge is really looking out for soybean farmers and our long-term profitability,” says John Motter, United Soybean Board chairman and soybean farmer from Jenera, Ohio. “This claim really helps U.S. soybean farmers maintain their competitiveness in this critical market and helps us compete with other oils that have become synonymous with heart health.”

The American Heart Association recently went on record regarding the cardiovascular benefits of the fats found in soybean oil.

“We conclude strongly that lowering intake of saturated fat and replacing it with unsaturated fats, especially polyunsaturated fats, like those found in soybean oil, will lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease,” said Penny M. Kris-Etherton, co-author of “Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease, A Presidential Advisory from the American Heart Association” published in June, 20171.
These positive movements for soybean oil will help in U.S. markets primarily, but the checkoff will use the claim to position U.S. soy in international markets where health-conscious decisions are also being made.

As for the U.S., food companies interested in using the claim on food products with at least 5.0 grams of soybean oil per serving can use the full statement below when also meeting applicable criteria for saturated and trans fat, cholesterol and sodium, and in some cases the presence of one of six beneficial nutrients identified by FDA. The authorized claim language is as follows:

“Supportive but not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1½ tablespoons (20.5 grams) daily of soybean oil, which contains unsaturated fat, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. To achieve this possible benefit, soybean oil is to replace saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. One serving of this product contains [x] grams of soybean oil.”



ASA Welcomes Approval of Soybean Oil Heart Health Claim

The American Soybean Association (ASA) welcomed news today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a qualified health claim linking consumption of soybean oil to reduced risk of coronary heart disease. The petition, filed by Bunge North America, pointed to the potential heart health benefits of soybean oil, and manufacturers may now communicate that soybean oil may reduce coronary heart disease risk and lower LDL-cholesterol when replacing saturated fat and not increasing calories. ASA President Ron Moore, a farmer from Roseville, Ill., applauded the news in a statement Monday.

“The cooking oil market is extremely important for U.S. soybean farmers, and the newly-approved health claim will enable manufacturers of soybean oil to communicate to consumers about the heart-healthy benefits of soybean oil. As we compete within the market against other cooking oils, having FDA recognize the ability of soybean oil to provide a superior omega-3 fatty acid profile while also lowering bad cholesterol levels is a benefit to consumers and to producers alike. Heart-healthy soybean oil creates a potential for growth in a time when net farm income is down. This development is a welcome one, and we congratulate the Bunge team for their work in seeing it to fruition.”



CWT Assists with 304,238 Pounds of Cheese Export Sales

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 2 requests for export assistance from member cooperatives that have contracts to sell 304,238 pounds (138 metric tons) of Cheddar cheese to customers in Asia. The product has been contracted for delivery in the period from July through October 2017.

So far, this year, CWT has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 45.035 million pounds of American-type cheeses, and 3.013 million pounds of butter (82% milkfat) to 17 countries on five continents. The sales are the equivalent of 483.456 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. Totals adjusted for cancellations received.

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.



NMPF Statement on July 31 Letter to FDA from Good Foods Institute Seeking Changes in Dairy Food Definitions
Jim Mulhern, President and CEO, NMPF

“The Soy Foods Association’s 20-year-old petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is as inappropriate today as it was when it was filed in 1997, and the Good Foods Institute (GFI) is mistaken for trying to revive those old arguments today. Nothing has happened in the intervening time period to allow the combination of soy powder, water, emulsifiers, stabilizers, sugar, sodium and added vitamins to magically become milk. Regardless of what food technologists might try, milk still only comes from mammals.

“The efforts of GFI and other groups to alter food standards that have been in place for decades – allowing manufacturers of imitation dairy foods to append a plant name like almond, soy, hemp or quinoa in front of legally defined dairy terms such as milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream – falsely suggests that the products are nutritionally equivalent. They are not. This is a transparent attempt to profit from milk’s good name by emulating the wording, but not the superior nutrition, of our products. It is misleading and deceptive to allow these nutritionally inferior imitators to use our hard-won reputation to their advantage.

“What’s more, this request is not only inconsistent with U.S. food standards, it’s also inconsistent with regulations used by most other nations, which don’t allow plant-based imitators to co-opt dairy-specific terms. Ironically, in GFI’s first request to FDA in March, the organization admitted that in China – supposedly the original source of ‘soy milk’ – the more common term used in Mandarin for soy beverages is ‘dòu jiāng,’ which translates to bean slurry. At least that is a more accurate and legally compliant product description.”



New Era of Burndown Control Awaits U.S. Farmers

Trials across the Midwest and Midsouth conducted by farmers and retailers through Dow AgroSciences’ Field Forward™ on-farm research program showed superior burndown control on tough broadleaf weeds using Elevore™ herbicide.

Powered by a new Group 4 growth regulator herbicide developed by Dow AgroSciences called Arylex™ active, Elevore is proven to effectively control labeled broadleaf weeds, including glyphosate- and ALS-resistant marestail, lambsquarters, cutleaf evening-primrose and henbit. elevore + arylex logo.jpg

Elevore, which will be labeled for use prior to planting soybeans, corn and cotton, will be available to farmers for the 2018 spring burndown season.

“We targeted glyphosate-resistant marestail between 5 and 8 inches in trials through Field Forward trials and are seeing superior control,” says Jeff Ellis, Ph.D., field scientist, Dow AgroSciences. “Elevore provided excellent activity on marestail across a wide range of geographies and at various heights, including 8-inch-tall marestail, preventing regrowth so farmers can plant into a clean field.”

Marestail is the first annual broadleaf weed with documented glyphosate resistance. If left uncontrolled, herbicide-resistant marestail can present huge challenges for farmers at planting and throughout the growing season. A single female marestail plant can produce approximately 200,000 seeds that are transported by wind, perpetuating the spread of herbicide-resistant populations.

The low use rate of 1 ounce per acre makes Elevore an excellent fit in reduced- and no-till production systems for burndown applications before planting soybeans, corn and cotton. The no-till fit has retail agronomists like Levi Lehmkuhl, Hiawatha, Kansas, eager to incorporate Elevore™ herbicide into burndown program recommendations for his customers. More than 90 percent of soybean and corn acres in his northeastern Kansas trade territory are no-till.

“I went to the field every day after application and, the first three days, I questioned if anything was going to happen because nothing had really changed in the appearance of the weeds,” Lehmkuhl says. “And then I went over the next day, and things were completely wilted. The appearance had changed drastically — overnight. Elevore had smoked everything in its path.”

Visual signs of control don’t appear immediately because the active ingredient in Elevore herbicide, Arylex™ active, is absorbed by the plant’s cells, where the herbicide binds with specific auxin receptors in the cell’s nucleus. The delayed response is due to the gradual, albeit complete, absorption process. Once absorbed by the plant’s nucleus, Arylex active halts growth and the plant dies, providing complete control.

“Arylex active provides systemic control and does a great job of virtually eliminating the chance for regrowth of targeted plants,” Ellis says. “Symptoms on targeted plants are shown as typical auxin responses followed by necrosis and death. This type of plant control gives growers peace of mind that their fields will be cleaner at planting.”

Elevore should be applied with commonly used residual herbicides, such as Surveil® herbicide, and burndown tank-mix partners, including 2,4-D and glyphosate, up to 14 days before planting soybeans.