Wednesday September 6 Ag News

Planning That Last Cutting of Alfalfa
Larry Howard, Extension Educator, Cuming County

As we start September, it's time to decide when to take your last cutting of alfalfa.  The date you take your last harvest of alfalfa affects its winter survival and next spring's vigor. Alfalfa needs about six weeks of uninterrupted growth in the fall to become fully winterized. This winterizing generally begins about three weeks before the average date of first frost. Here in West Point, there is a 70% chance that we will have our first 32 degree temperature on or after October 9th, an 80% on the 13th and a 90% on the 18th. Your last harvest can occur any time before winterizing begins or after the winterizing period is over with little worry about affecting stand life. But, harvest during winterizing can be risky.

That risk depends on how much total stress your alfalfa experienced this year. The most important factor is the number of cuts that were taken this year. Fields cut 4 or 5 times are more susceptible to winter injury than fields cut 3 times or less. Also, young stands of winter hardy, disease resistant varieties are less stressed and can be harvested during winterizing with less risk than older stands of varieties that may be only moderately winter hardy.

You should also consider the need for extra alfalfa or its value as a cash crop.  When hay prices are high, the hay from this final harvest may be worth the risk of lowering next year’s yield. Stock cow and grinding hay many times is lower in value. When hay is plentiful and reasonably priced, it may be better to purchase extra hay than risk another cutting. Remember, you can cut or graze after winterizing with less risk.  Harvesting alfalfa during its winterizing period is risky, but by reducing total stress, producers can control that risk.



Nebraska Farm Bureau Tells President KORUS Withdraw Would Be “Devastating” to Nebraska Farmers, Ranchers

Nebraska farmers and ranchers would suffer “devastating consequences” should President Trump act to withdraw the United States from the South Korean Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). In a letter sent to the President, Sept. 6, Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson called actions to pull the U.S. out of the agreement “reckless” and urged President Trump to pull back considering the importance of the South Korean trade deal to Nebraska farmers and ranchers. 

“The success Nebraska has experienced trading on the world stage is largely due to the free trade agreements the United States has signed with numerous countries around the world,” wrote Nelson. “Nebraska exports boost farm prices and income, while supporting 50,000 jobs both on the farm and in related industries such a food processing, transportation, and manufacturing. More specifically, South Korea is Nebraska’s fifth largest trading partner with more than $213 million of agricultural products being exported in 2016, a total that has grown by more than 107 percent since 2010.”

In the letter, Nelson pointed out that Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers are continuing to struggle with lower commodity prices and eliminating a trade agreement that’s provided underlying support for agriculture prices would only make a tough situation worse.

“The families that have dedicated their lives to producing food, should not be used as part of a misguided attempt to gain leverage over our trading partners. While we hope new levels of success can be achieved for all segments of our nation’s economy, we must ensure the significant gains achieved in agricultural trade are not sacrificed,” wrote Nelson. “Many of our major international competitors have already signed similar agreements with South Korea. An exit from KORUS will only benefit those nations and put Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers at a competitive disadvantage.”



Smart farming the topic for international ag event in Grand Island

Nebraska farmers will have the opportunity to discuss trends in technology with German farmers and agriculture experts in Grand Island on Sept. 11, 2017. The event, Smart Farming Technologies, is part of the Transatlantic Dialogue program organized by the German American Chambers of Commerce. The aim of the program is to bring German and American farmers and agriculture experts together to share information that might help them improve their operations and gain insights that might ultimately lead to a reduction in trade barriers.

Smart Farming Technologies will be held Monday, Sept. 11 from 4:00 p.m.–7:15 p.m. in the Raising Nebraska building on the grounds of the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island. The event is free and includes dinner after the panel discussions, but farmers interested in attending are encouraged to register online at gaccmidwest.org/en/smartfarm.

The first session will focus on how both nations use technology on the farm while the second examines how agriculture regulations impact transatlantic trade.

The Smart Farming Technologies roundtable is sponsored by the Nebraska Soybean Board, Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Wheat Board, Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Farm Bureau and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.



PROTECT SILAGE WITH PLASTIC
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Plastic.  Every year I emphasize this word: plastic.  Plastic is one of those things you forget how useful and valuable it can be.

               Many of you are chopping or about to chop silage.  You will invest time and money to store good feed for your livestock.  However, when you start to feed your silage you may find that the top couple feet has an off color, smells bad, or has spoiled.

               After silage has been chopped and piled and packed correctly, it still can be damaged seriously by air and moisture slowly penetrating the outer 3 to 4 feet.  Animals often eat less when fed moldy silage and can even experience health problems due to mycotoxins.  Good, well-eared silage can lose over 20 percent of its feed value from fermentation and spoilage under normal conditions.  Silage made from corn with little or no grain might have even greater losses.  This loss can be cut in half, or even less, if silage is covered well by a sheet of plastic.

               Cover freshly chopped silage with black plastic immediately after you finish filling the trench, bunker, or pile.  Then cover the plastic with something to help hold it down.  Old tires are readily available and do a good job of keeping the plastic from blowing away.  But tires only keep the plastic in contact with the silage directly under the tire.  In between the tires, air can circulate and cause some spoilage.  An even better choice would be a solid cover, something like freshly chopped forage or weeds.  Then, the entire surface of silage will be fully protected.

               You go to a lot of time and expense to make good silage.  Isn't it worth it to spend just a little bit more to protect that investment?  Cover silage with plastic – it's worth it.



Nebraska Farmers Union Brings 8 Members to Washington to Represent Family Farmers and Ranchers

Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) President John Hansen announced today that eight NeFU members will participate in the National Farmers Union (NFU) Fly-In scheduled for September 10-13 joining nearly 300 other Farmers Union  members from across the country.  Hansen said this year is particularly important because this is the fourth year in a row of below cost of production ag commodity prices.

“The September NFU Fly-In is a long standing organizational tradition.  It gives rural Americans and family farmers and ranchers the opportunity to make their voices heard with federal legislators,” said Hansen.  “No one knows more about what farmers and ranchers are facing than the farmers and ranchers themselves. They are the real experts on their own operations.”

This year, the Fly-In will focus on the need to strengthen the farm safety net in the next Farm Bill; support homegrown renewable energy development; and ensure family farmers and ranchers have access to affordable and quality health care.

The Fly-In will begin Monday morning with a visit to the United States Department of Agriculture. Monday afternoon members will meet with House and Senate Ag Committee staff about Farm Bill issues.  Tuesday and Wednesday teams will meet with Congressmen and Senators and their staffs, working together to knock all 535 doors of the House and Senate.

Members from Nebraska Farmers Union that will be participating in this year’s NFU Fall Fly-In are:  NeFU District 2 Director Jim Knopik from Belgrade, Sean Mohlman of Red Cloud, Gage/Jefferson County President Dr. Merlin Friesen from Filley, William Armbrust from Elkhorn, Camdyn Kavan from Lincoln, Midwest Regional Agency Insurances General Manager Jeffrey Downing, Midwest Regional Agency from Elkhorn, Financial Services Specialist Kevin Harrington of Lincoln, and NeFU State President John Hansen.  “We have a nice mix of grain and livestock producers, several young farmers, and two members of our insurance team with us that help us cover a wide range of interests, perspectives, and parts of the state,” said Hansen.

Hansen said “Production agriculture is facing a major financial crisis as grain prices continue to sink, grain inventories build, exports are flat, and ag production costs stay at or near historic all time high levels.   We think the best way for our elected officials to understand the size and scope of the financial hardship farmers and ranchers are facing is to talk directly with the farmers and ranchers themselves.  We are extremely pleased that we have 8 Nebraskans willing to share their stories with our elected officials.”



2017 NeFU Fall District Meetings Schedule

District 7 Fall Meeting: Valentino’s, 1025 S. 13th St, Norfolk, NE 68701
Monday, September 18, 2017, 6:00 pm buffet supper on own with meeting to follow.
· District 7 Director’s Report:  Martin Kleinschmit
· NFU Fly-in report:  Farm Bill/Farm Crisis, health care, & renewable energy:  John Hansen
· State issues:  Report on legislative and initiative property tax relief efforts.
· Select 2 delegate candidates to NFU Convention-new Bylaw:  NeFU now gets 3 delegates.

District 5 Fall Meeting:  Lee’s Chicken Restaurant, 1940 W Van Dorn St, Lincoln, NE 68522
Thursday, September 21 2017.  6:00 pm supper on your own with meeting to follow.
 · District 5 Director’s Report:  Ben Gotschall
· NFU Fly-in report:  Farm Bill/Farm Crisis, health care, & renewable energy:  Camdyn Kavan.
·State issues:  Report on legislative and initiative property tax relief efforts. Nominate NeFU
·Select 2 delegate candidates to NFU Convention-new Bylaw:  NeFU now gets 3 delegates.
· Nominate NeFU District 5 Director candidates to be elected at State Convention-3 year term.

District 6 Fall Meeting:  Randy Ruppert Farm:  2108 County Road O
2 miles west of Nickerson on County Road “O”,  or 1 mile west of “County Road “O” & Hwy 275.
Monday, October 2, 2017, 6:00 pm Barbeque supper—bring a side dish, with meeting to follow.
 · District 6 Director’s Report:  Graham Christensen
· NFU Fly-in report:  Farm Bill/Farm Crisis, health care, & renewable energy:  Bill Armbrust
· State issues:  Report on legislative and initiative property tax relief efforts.
· Select 2 delegate candidates to NFU Convention-new Bylaw:  NeFU now gets 3 delegates.

· 2017 NeFU State Convention:  December 8-9, 2017   (800) 542-5542 Reservations
Hotel Grand Conference Center, 2503 South Locust St., Grand Island
reservations@hotelgrandconferencecenter.com             www.hotelgrandconferencecenter.com

·         2018 NFU Convention, March 3-6, Westin Kansas City, Crown Center, KC, MO
Bring a friend, neighbor or family member that needs to get active in NeFU.
For more info, call Art Tanderup (402) 278-0942 Cell or (402) 887-1396 Home.



USDA, USTR Announce that Vietnam Reopens Market to U.S. DDGS Exports

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) today announced that the government of Vietnam has notified the U.S. that it will resume imports of American distillers dried grains (DDGS).  In December 2016, Vietnam suspended imports of U.S. DDGS after reported detections of quarantine pests in U.S. shipments.  Prior to the suspension, Vietnam was the third-largest market for U.S. DDGS, with exports valued at more than $230 million in 2016.  The resolution of this issue also opens the way for corn and wheat shipments, which were restricted due to previous treatment requirements.

DDGS are a co-product of ethanol production and are used as an ingredient to provide protein and energy in animal feed.  Between 2007 and 2016, annual U.S. exports of DDGS worldwide grew from $392 million to $2.16 billion.

The DDGS ban is one of several agricultural and other priority issues raised in connection with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to Washington in May 2017, where he met with President Trump as well as Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.  Following the series of meetings, the two governments released a joint statement pledging to work closely together to resolve the DDGS issue.

“This is great news and I am pleased that the U.S. exporters will once again be able to ship DDGS to Vietnam, which is one of the fastest-growing global markets for U.S. agriculture,” said Secretary Perdue.  “Expanding markets around the world can only help American agriculture.”

“We welcome the resolution of this issue, which will help in our efforts to balance trade and deepen our trade relations with an important Asia-Pacific partner,” said Ambassador Lighthizer.

Following the suspension, representatives from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) engaged in technical discussions with Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development regarding alternative treatment options that would allow U.S. exports to resume.  APHIS and USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and Federal Grain Inspection Service then partnered with industry to host a delegation of Vietnamese officials to view the U.S. fumigation and export infrastructure.  USTR, FAS, and U.S. Embassy officials also met with their counterparts in Vietnam.

The U.S. Government continues to work with Vietnam to address other priority agricultural issues.  These include Vietnam’s adoption of Codex Maximum Residue Limits for veterinary drugs, as agreed during Prime Minister Phuc’s May visit, as well as removal of Vietnam’s ban on “white offal.”



Secretary Perdue Statement on President Trump’s Tax Reform Agenda

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today reiterated his strong support for President Trump’s tax reform agenda, as the president outlined today in North Dakota.  Perdue issued the following statement:

“Farming is a complicated operation, so to place more burdens on the people of agriculture through the tax code has never made any sense.  Most agricultural enterprises are small businesses, and the costs and time required simply to comply with the tax code are impediments to what these folks really ought to be doing, and that’s growing and producing food to feed the United States and the world.

“It’s an old, not-so-funny joke that farmers live poor and die rich, because of the value of the land they own.  It isn’t right that a family’s hard work will be punished by the Death Tax, through which many farms have to be broken up or sold off just to pay the tax bill.  I urge Congress to take up the tax reform agenda to give American agriculture the best chance to succeed.  That would be in line with our new motto here at USDA – ‘Do right and feed everyone.’”



Farmers, Ranchers Need to Deliver Strong Tax Reform Message To Congress

Republican congressional leaders, just returning from their month-long August recess, are geared up to revamp and modernize the tax code, making it all the more urgent for farmers and ranchers to share their tax reform priorities with lawmakers.

“While September brings cooler temperatures for most of the country, including Washington, D.C., the heat is on Capitol Hill leaders to make good on the tax reform promises they made just before the start of recess and during their campaigns. For farmers and ranchers, it’s time to send those email messages, make those phone calls or meet with in-district and Capitol Hill staff to share your personal tax reform message,” said Cody Lyon, American Farm Bureau Federation director of advocacy and political affairs.

Among farmers’ and ranchers’ top priorities are comprehensive tax reform that helps all farm and ranch businesses; the reduction of combined income and self-employment tax rates to account for any deductions or credits lost; cost-recovery tools like allowing businesses to deduct expenses when incurred; and a continuation of cash accounting, Section 1031 “like-kind exchanges,” and the deduction for state and local taxes.



Summer Doldrums Continue As Expected
Stephen R. Koontz, Dept of Ag & Resource Economics, Colorado State University
It looks likely that the cattle and beef markets will show typical seasonal weakness through much of the fall.  There is some good news but much of what we observe have the potential to hold prices down.  The Cattle on Feed report - as Katelyn reported - was rather bullish.  Placements and on-feed numbers were surprisingly low relative to expectations and futures prices rallied the following trading day.  But the underlying fundamentals that this report has revealed all spring and most of the summer clearly suggests increases in the supplies of beef through the fall.  This is, in part, seen within the last report by the increases within the calculated volume on feed over 120 days.  The volume was lower than last year but up sharply (+9%) when the seasonal tendency is to moderate.  Fed animal liveweights were also up sharply (+5%) and matched by persistent increases in steer and heifer dressed weights.  Dressed weights are up 5-6% from spring lows.  The seasonal increase in meat per carcass is right on track and the expected increase in animal numbers are as well.  Weekly slaughter through last month was strong but the volume of animals this market has to source from is very large.  Weekly cattle slaughter is running 3-10% above last year through July and early August.  There remains lots of pressure to hold prices down.

Strong packer margins and Saturday kills show no problems as of yet but what plays out over the months of September and October will be important for fed and feeder cattle prices well into next year.  Packer margins were solid and cattle feeding margins remain in the black.  This bodes well for maintaining fed cattle marketings at current prices and current feeder cattle prices.  When downstream participants make money then they usually pay well.  Weekly fed slaughter and monthly fed cattle marketing will need to be watched closely.  The slowing of either will lead cattle prices lower.  Another recent concern is the lack of abundant news about beef featuring at retail.  And this is comparing what was heard around Memorial Day relative to Labor Day.  Late summer featuring is present but not as strong and that of early summer.  Retail prices sharply rebounded upward through May and June after months of softening last fall.  This summer's retail prices are similar to last year and the retailer margin strengthen a lot last month.  Strong consumer demand will be needed in the fall and it is not clear is that's likely.

While domestic demand is not clear, trade in beef products continue to show and have forecasts that show solid strength.  Beef exports have steadily increase through the spring and summer while other exports - most notably pork - have shown weakness.

What do the technicals say?: sell and maintain sold positions.  The fall contracts show substantial resistance that will prevent prices from moving higher.  Selling pressure emerges at price levels where the market was turned lower before.  Resistance in live and feeder cattle contracts was formed in early-May, mid-June, mid- and late-July.  Each plane for feeder cattle is at progressively lower prices.  Live cattle showed one strong resistance-breaking rally in mid-June.  I am not worried about exit strategies for forward priced positions.  I think we have continued weakness in cattle and beef prices through October.



College Aggies Online scholarship competition kicks off September 10

Eliminating animal agriculture farms of all types and sizes was a key message shared at the 2017 National Animal Rights Conference last month. Spreading misinformation and wedging themselves between consumers and the animal agriculture community is common for animal rights groups to reach their goals, and college students are a key target. “How to engage with millennials and gen X-ers should be our number one question,” said one activist speaking at the conference, with another urging the audience to look to land-grant universities to bring future animal rights activists into the movement.

Seeing this trend, the Animal Agriculture Alliance launched the College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship program in 2009 as one way to help bridge the communication gap between farm and fork. This year’s competition begins September 10, 2017 with the goal of developing life-long advocates for agriculture. Registration for the competition is open to individuals and clubs through October 1 at http://collegeaggies.animalagalliance.org/.

“Animal rights groups are prevalent on college campuses spreading misinformation about America’s farmers and ranchers using ‘undercover’ video footage, Meatless Mondays petitions, and other tactics,” said Kay Johnson Smith, president and CEO at the Alliance. “CAO is a way to ensure agriculture students have the tools they need to share factual, science-based information with their peers about how our food is produced.”

Each week students competing in CAO will complete assignments and participate in webinars to help enhance their communication and advocacy skills. Assignments include: writing a blog post, designing an infographic, surveying fellow students about agriculture issues and much more. Students will also create social media content to share on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #CAO17.

“College Aggies gives students the skills and confidence to speak up against misinformation and set the record straight,” said Casey Whitaker, communications manager at the Alliance. “The clubs and students involved will not only learn how to communicate about animal agriculture, but have the opportunity to network with college students and industry leaders from across the country.”

The Alliance has a put together a strong lineup of industry professionals to offer advice and answer questions throughout the competition. Mentors will also judge assignments and social media posts and give tips and feedback on how students can improve their strategies.

2017 program mentors include:
    Casey Whitaker, communications manager, Animal Agriculture Alliance
    Josie Peterson, communications manager, Biotechnology Innovation Organization
    Don Schindler, senior vice president of digital innovations, Dairy Management Inc.
    Chloe Carson, manager of digital communications, National Pork Producers Council
    Kourtney Determan, manager of strategic and digital communications, National Chicken Council
    Allison Devitre, regulatory information management and communications manager, Monsanto
    Eric Mittenthal, vice president of public affairs, North American Meat Institute
    Charmayne Hefley, manager of organizational communications, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
    Tim Hammerich, agribusiness recruiter and founder, Ag Grad, LLC

At the end of the competition, the top three individuals and clubs with the most points will win the following scholarships:
    First place: $2,500
    Second place: $1,000
    Third place: $500

In addition to the overall winners, a weekly winner will be selected from the individual competition to receive $100 for submitting the best assignment. For the club competition, a winner will be named for each challenge to receive $250 at the end of the program.

Collegiate clubs and individuals interested in promoting agriculture and becoming confident communicators are invited to sign up through October 1, 2017 at http://collegeaggies.animalagalliance.org/.

CAO would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. 2017 sponsors include: Dairy Management Inc., the National Pork Industry Foundation, CHS Foundation, Pork Checkoff, Monsanto, Domino’s Pizza Inc., Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Kuhn North America and the Ohio Poultry Association.



Hundreds of Workers Leave EPA

Nearly 400 workers have left the Environmental Protection Agency in recent days, the agency said Tuesday, part of a wave of departures that soon could take the agency's staffing to its lowest point in almost 30 years.

The departures come primarily from buyouts offered as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to fulfill a campaign promise of "tremendous cutting" at the EPA. His budget proposal in March suggested a 31% funding cut that would result in approximately 3,200 fewer jobs at the agency.

The voluntary buyouts were offered in June to more than 1,200 workers. Almost a third of those eligible took the buyout and, coupled with a dozen retirements on Aug. 31, the agency trimmed its staff by about 2.5% in less than a week. Several dozen more workers could retire or opt to take the buyout later this month, which would cut EPA's total number of employees to almost 14,400 workers, the lowest since 1988. Two years ago it had more than 15,500 employees nationwide.

"We're giving long-serving, hardworking employees the opportunity to retire early," EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement. "We're proud to report that we're reducing the size of government, protecting taxpayer dollars and staying true to our core mission of protecting the environment and American jobs."

Some of the agency's critics among employee groups and lawmakers on Capitol Hill are skeptical of the agency's ability to meet its regulatory responsibilities as it shrinks, while others question whether buyouts are an effective use of tax money.

Mr. Pruitt hasn't laid out any plan for how to reshape the agency or its priorities, making it more difficult to improve its performance with fewer resources, said Jeff Ruch, executive director at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which represents government employees in environmental fields. It wasn't immediately clear how the departures broke down among different departments within the EPA.

Asked about whether the cuts would hamper the ongoing response to Hurricane Harvey, an EPA spokeswoman said agency leaders designed the buyout plan so it wouldn't leave them with too few people to respond to any unforeseen natural disasters.

Mr. Ruch's group released numbers late last month suggesting that criminal cases opened and won by the agency have slowed as its staff has shrunk. The EPA's criminal investigation division has lost more than half its special agents since 2003, and has only three-fourths of the 200 agents required by law, according to data the group gathered through information requests. New criminal cases are down by two-thirds since 2012 and successful prosecutions are down by half since 2014.