Tuesday September 4 Ag News

Wisner-Pilger FFA Test Plot Night
Thursday September 6th - 6:30 pm @ the Wisner-Pilger FFA Test Plot
They will be serving Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Chips, Cookies and a Drink.
The Wisner-Pilger FFA test plot is on the North side of HWY 275, just west of Dollar General.



Can You Help Weed Scientists Assess IWM Knowledge and Use?

How much do you know about Integrated Weed Management (IWM) strategies and their application to your operation? That's the question being asked by a national group of weed scientists who want to better understand the current status of IWM knowledge among growers and practitioners so they can target new information resources.

They're inviting you to test your knowledge by taking a 20-question online quiz. After taking the quiz, the tool shares the correct answers so you get a chance to learn too. Participation is anonymous, but will be a valuable information resource for those creating weed management educational programs.

IWM is in the spotlight because as troublesome herbicide-resistant weeds continue to develop and spread across the United States, effective weed management requires the use of multiple effective techniques rather than a single control method. IWM is the practice of using multiple tactics — chemical, cultural, biological, and mechanical — to achieve weed suppression superior to what a single tactic could provide.

Please take a few mintures to take the short quiz at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SD9RT6R. It was written by weed scientists from 14 universities and the USDA with funding from the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Find more information on integrated weed management at www.integratedweedmanagement.org.



RISK OF TOXINS IN HAIL-DAMAGED CROPS
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

I received a call the other day asking about hazards from feeding silage made out of hail-damaged corn that had lots of mold.  Is this a problem?

Silage is an excellent choice for salvaging hail-damaged crops like corn, milo, and even soybeans.  But hail-damaged crops often get some molds on them, and some of these molds can produce mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin or vomatoxin.

Fortunately, it is very unlikely that micotoxins will be a serious problem.  It takes just the right conditions to produce the micotoxin.  But it can happen, so precautions are advisable.

It’s not totally clear what affect silage fermentation has on various micotoxins if they happen to be present when the crop is chopped.  It appears that fermentation does not neutralize or destroy most micotoxins.  But, micotoxin concentration will be diluted because of all the stem and leaf material mixed with the grain in silage.  And, ruminant livestock that eat silage generally have a high tolerance for micotoxins.

Still, if you notice much mold or spoilage, or you suspect possible micotoxin problems, test your silage for mold and yeast counts.  If they’re high, then a micotoxin panel test may helpful.  Bacteria also can be a problem so an enterobacteriaceae count is another test to identify possible problems.  And don’t forget about nitrates.  Hail or wind damaged crops are at a higher risk even though ensiling will reduce nitrate danger to some extent.

You probably won’t have any problems at all from toxins in your silage.  But it does pay to be cautious, so avoid feeding obviously spoiled feed, test for potential toxins, and feed unusual silages carefully.

WINTER GRAZING OPPORTUNITIES
As our growing season winds down, it’s time to plan and assess your winter grazing options.  Some options may be pretty good this year.

Hay and silage are expensive winter feeds for many livestock.  If you can find something for your animals to graze rather than be fed hay and silage, you could save around a dollar per day per cow.

Extra rain in many areas this summer and fall produced more than the usual amount of growth on grasslands, plus good regrowth on alfalfa and grass hay fields.  A few fields of summer annual grasses have good new regrowth and many early planted cover crops have grown nicely.  There’s even a lot of volunteer winter wheat growing in some areas.

These all can be grazed this fall and winter.  Yes – you may need to take some slight precautions to do it safely.  Alfalfa has a slight risk of bloat.  Green wheat and grass regrowth might have a tendency to cause some grass tetany or respiratory problems if animals are moved to these lush pastures from dry, brown pastures without any adaptation.  Be careful following a hard freeze, or maybe wait until a few days after a killing freeze happens before putting animals on lush pastures.  And many fields may need some temporary fence or have water hauled to them.

But don’t let these challenges prevent you from using these resources.  Not only will you get some good quality, less expensive feed for your animals, grazing also could be good for the land.  Most of the nutrients in the plants will be recycled back to the soil via manure and urine, making them available to support next year’s crop.

Look around.  Wherever you have grazable growth remaining, take advantage of it.  It’s like money in the bank, and good feed, too.



Lindsay Completes Sale of Watertronics and LAKOS

Lindsay Corporation, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology, today announced that it has completed the sale of its Watertronics and LAKOS businesses.

Watertronics is a designer and manufacturer of custom pumping solutions for Golf, Landscape, Municipal and Agricultural use. LAKOS is a producer of custom water filtration systems for commercial and residential use.

The sale is part of Lindsay Corporation's Foundation for Growth initiative.

"Our Foundation for Growth strategy includes simplifying the way we conduct our business and aligning with a core focus on commercial irrigation and infrastructure," said Tim Hassinger, President and CEO of Lindsay Corporation. "The sale of the Watertronics and LAKOS businesses helps us achieve those goals while maintaining water pumping and filtration as parts of our turnkey irrigation strategy through continuing commercial agreements with these businesses."



11th ANNUAL NEBRASKA WIND & SOLAR CONFERENCE SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

The schedule for the 11th Annual Nebraska Wind & Solar Conference has recently been announced. The conference will be held Tuesday, October 16 and Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska and will feature experts from across the country and the state.

Conference Chair John Hansen said, “Nebraska wind and solar energy development is going through a remarkable period of growth and expansion. We have a lot of progress to report, as well as issues and opportunities to consider. Our “Nebraska Nice” approach to problem solving and networking is working.”

The conference will kick off on Tuesday, October 16 with a keynote from Rob Chapman of the Electric Power Research Institute discussing the value of end-use technologies that efficiently amplify the benefits of cleaner power generation portfolios. The programming will continue with a look at the “Future of the Industry & Changing Landscape for Renewables” featuring Jeff Clark, President of The Wind Coalition. Afternoon sessions on Tuesday will include a luncheon with public power CEOs, as well as a policy and legislative update from state senators.

Dave Belote, former commander for Nellis Air Force Base, will get things started on Wednesday, October 17. The second day of conference programming will feature a lunch session and additional breakouts related to renewable energy as a tool for economic development and will highlight communities across the state. Additional topics include: an update on renewable projects in development, battery storage, planning and zoning, electric vehicles, Southwest Power Pool expansion, solar project development, and the wind and solar construction workforce. The full conference schedule can be found here: https://www.nebraskawsc.com/conference-schedule/.

Over 350 people are expected to attend this year’s conference. Attendees include private sector developers, public officials, landowners, environmental and wildlife organizations, public utilities, and the public at large, among others.  In addition to timely presentations, the conference will feature a tradeshow with exhibitors that include governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, vendors, developers, and more.

Conference Chair John Hansen urged conference participants to take advantage of the September 15 “Early Bird” registration discount deadline that is less than two weeks away. The “Early Bird” conference registration rate of $125 increases to $175 after September 15, and $200 the day of the conference. Students are encouraged to attend at a discounted rate of $65. “It definitely pays to take advantage of the ‘Early Bird” discounts. Our conference is two weeks earlier than it was last year.” The “Early Bird” hotel registration room rate is $114 per night until September 15 and includes free parking.

More information and past presentations are available on the conference website: https://www.nebraskawsc.com/.



NCTA enrollment hits 23-year high

The number of fulltime students attending classes this semester at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis reached a 23-year record, school officials announced Tuesday.

“We have 275 fulltime students on campus this fall, showing a 7.8 percent increase for fulltime students from a year ago,” reported NCTA Dean Ron Rosati. “We haven’t had this many fulltime students here at NCTA since 1995.”

The technical college which specializes solely in agriculture and veterinary technology programs is the only campus within the University of Nebraska system offering two-year associate degrees.

High school students taking courses for dual credit (45), and part-time (15) at the Aggie campus boosted overall numbers to 335 students, Rosati said.

A year ago, NCTA had 255 fulltime, 10 part-time and 52 dual credit students, for a 5.7 percent increase this year of all students, including full-time and part-time.

NCTA full-time student enrollment has increased 20.6 percent over the past five years.

Rosati credits the steady, continuous enrollment growth to high quality academics, documented graduate career success, low tuition rates, and national recognition for program effectiveness.

“Students know they will receive superior hands-on skills and workforce preparedness at the low tuition rate of $131.50 per credit hour,” Rosati said.

“Parents and students alike value high quality NCTA academic programs, the low cost of our tuition, and the friendly, small campus environment,” he said, adding, “It’s challenging to find that combination of high quality, low cost and student support in one small campus.”

Along with associate of applied science or associate of science degrees, NCTA also offers specialty programs with a 1-year certificate for high-demand jobs in welding and irrigation technology.

Rosati points to national third-party evaluations which rank NCTA among the most successful two-year colleges in the country for creating successful graduates.

“External evaluators point out that salaries earned by Aggie alumni 10 years after graduation are top among two-year programs in Nebraska and rank among the highest in the country, overall,” Rosati said of recent reports by Zippia.com.

“And, a Forbes report just two weeks ago listed NCTA No. 16 of its top 25 two-year trade schools in the nation,” he added.

Students find competition teams in their respective interest areas appealing at the small, rural college, said Jennifer McConville, associate dean.

“Our traveling teams in crops judging, ranch horse, livestock judging, working stock dogs, shotgun sports and rodeo are very popular with agricultural students,” McConville. “That’s why we are proud to be known nationally as Nebraska’s Aggies.”

Fall enrollment across the four other NU campuses and NCTA is 51,883, according to NU President Hank Bounds. That is the fourth-highest total in NU history and a 1 percent decline from fall 2017.



Register Now for Agricultural Law Seminar and Farm Tax Workshops

Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation will host its annual September seminars, “Keeping Up with Change,” Thursday and Friday, Sept. 20-21 at Quality Inn & Suites in Ames, Iowa. The two-day program is available onsite or online.

Early registration discounts are available through Friday, Sept. 7 and registration will continue up to the day of the seminar; walk-ins are welcome onsite.

Agricultural Law Seminar
The Agricultural Law Seminar, co-sponsored with Iowa Farm Bureau and the Agricultural Law Section of the Iowa Bar Association, will be featured the first day of the series. This session will cover topics such as new water quality legislation, an update on ag nuisance law, avoiding farm probate problems, Iowa’s new health plan options, a current look at checkoff programs, farm bill update, building conservation provisions into lease agreements, Iowa’s new partition law, a review of agricultural law cases and statutes from the past year, and an ethics session geared for the rural attorney.

Featured speakers on Sept. 20 include Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture; Jim Nervig, Eldon McAfee and Julia Vyskocil from Brick Gentry PC; Pat Dillon from Dillon Law PC; Steve Kammeyer from Farm Bureau Financial Services; Harrison Pittman from the National Agricultural Law Center; Jonathan Coppess from the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois; Ed Cox from Orsborn, Milani, Mitchell and Goedken; Wendong Zhang from the Department of Economics at Iowa State University; Jennie Zwagerman from the Drake University Law School; and Kristine Tidgren from CALT.

Farm Tax Workshop
Day two of the seminar series is CALT’s Farm Tax Workshop, covering key changes made by tax reform, including the 199A deduction, business entity issues, the sale of business property and form 4797, depreciation, hedging and speculation, involuntary conversions, energy easement payments, 199A and agricultural cooperatives, farm loss deductions, and ethics for the tax professional.

Featured speakers on Sept. 21 include Kurt Konek of Tarbell & Company PLC, Guido VanderHoeven from Agricultural and Resource Economics at North Carolina State University Extension, and Kristy Maitre and Kristine Tidgren from the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation. The text for this workshop is the 2018 “Agricultural Tax Issues” workbook published by the Land Grant University Tax Education Foundation.

Registration is open
Participants can attend the Agricultural Law Seminar, the Farm Tax Workshop, or both programs. Registration for the seminar series is available at http://bit.ly/2018septemberseminars. Continuing education credit for this seminar is available for attorneys, certified public accountants, enrolled agents, public accountants, tax practitioners, annual filing season program practitioners, and insurance and real estate professionals. September seminar materials will also be made available for purchase if attendance is not possible.

The Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State University was created by the Iowa Board of Regents in 2006. CALT provides timely, objective, unbiased information to producers, professionals and agribusinesses concerning the application of important developments in agricultural law and taxation, and serves as a primary source of professional educational training in agricultural law and taxation. For information on the center and other CALT programming visit www.calt.iastate.edu.



Pork Industry Focuses on Feed Ingredients to Combat African Swine Fever Threat

With the expansion of the current outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in China, the National Pork Board, along with the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are working even more closely together to help keep the United States free of ASF and all other foreign animal diseases (FADs). This includes focusing on the importation of feed ingredients, a key area of potential high risk of disease transport.

“Keeping trade-limiting foreign animal diseases, such as ASF, out of the United States is critical to pork producers,” said Steve Rommereim, National Pork Board president and a producer from Alcester, South Dakota. “We all need to improve the overall level of FAD preparedness. We hope for the best, but we must prepare for the worst.”

Thanks to Checkoff-funded research conducted after the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), swine industry experts now have some peer-reviewed science to rely on when looking at ways to mitigate the current risk posed by ASF in China and other countries. This includes work done on imported feed ingredients.

“Research has demonstrated the ability for certain feed ingredients to support viral survival during conditions modeled after either trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific shipping to U.S. ports and on to locations likely to manufacture feed for swine,” said Paul Sundberg, DVM, director of the Swine Health Information Center. “For this reason, we want the entire U.S. pork industry to look at this research and consider ways that it can help us prevent a FAD from entering this country through this route.”

SHIC-funded research cited by Sundberg shows that viruses do have the potential to travel long distances via feed ingredients, which proves the theoretical ability of a foreign animal disease pathogen to reach U.S. shores. To help prevent this potential risk from becoming a reality, swine industry experts have compiled these seven critical points for pig farmers to raise with their feed and feed ingredient suppliers with the objective of starting a dialog about feed ingredient safety. Development of the points to help start the discussion about feed and feed ingredient risk was done with review and input by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), Kansas State University and the University of Minnesota. Some points will apply to producers’ immediate feed suppliers and some will apply to feed ingredient suppliers.

    Describe the facility’s biosecurity program to minimize the spread of pathogens from people, vehicles and ingredients.
    Describe the facility’s employee training on feed safety.
    Describe the facility’s pest control program.
    Describe the facility’s traceability program.
    Describe the facility’s supplier approval program.
    Is the facility certified by a third-party certification body for food safety? Third-party certification programs may include the Feed Additives Manufacturers (FAMI-QS), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the Safe Quality Food (SQF), Safe Feed/Safe Food, etc.
    Does the facility utilize ingredients that were manufactured or packaged outside of the United States?

To get a better handle on your particular farm’s risk of FAD transport via a feed ingredient, Sundberg advises producers to use the newly developed virus transport in feed ingredients decision tree matrix. “It was developed to help pork producers work with their feed suppliers to minimize risk from feed ingredients,” he said.

Aside from the specific feed-related questions to improve on-farm biosecurity, Dave Pyburn, DVM, vice president of science and technology for the Pork Checkoff, advises producers to review the Foreign Animal Disease Checklist that is offered at pork.org/FAD.  “By going through the items on this list, you can improve your biosecurity plan and prepare to register for the voluntary Secure Pork Supply plan (see securepork.org), which will help participants maintain business continuity in the event of a FAD,” he said.

As a delegation from National Pork Board, NPPC, AASV and SHIC and USDA officials, including U.S. Chief Veterinary Officer Jack Shere, convene this week in Washington, D.C., for a meeting hosted by NPPC, optimism remains high that a renewed and collaborative effort will help protect America’s pig farmers and the entire industry from the current threat posed by ASF and all FADs.

 “I’m very encouraged to see how well our industry groups have come together during this time of heightened awareness of foreign animal disease threat to our industry,” Rommereim said. “It’s reassuring to know that we are using our collective resources to work with USDA to help put real measures in place that can help protect our farms from this potentially devastating disease threat. However, as always, it’s up to each of us to do our part to proactively protect our farms from outside threats as we strive to do what’s right for people, pigs and the planet.”

According to Iowa State University economist Dermot Hayes, losses from ASF could total as much as $8 billion for the pork industry in year one alone. That doesn’t include related losses of $4 billion and $1.5 billion for the affected input commodities of corn and soybeans, respectively.



USDA Launches Trade Mitigation Programs

 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today launched the trade mitigation package aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations.  Producers of certain commodities can now sign up for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), while USDA will also begin to purchase identified commodities under a food purchase and distribution program.  Additionally, USDA has begun accepting proposals for the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP), which will help American farmers find and access new markets for their products.  In total, USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, consistent with World Trade Organization obligations.

Perdue announced in July that USDA would act to aid farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation.  President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally.  These programs will assist agricultural producers to meet some of the costs of disrupted markets.

“These programs will allow President Trump time to strike long-term trade deals to benefit our entire economy, including the agricultural sector, in the long run,” Perdue said.  “Farmers will tell you that they would always prefer to sell a good crop at a fair price, rather than receive government aid, and that’s what long-term trade deals will accomplish.  But in the meantime, President Trump has promised that he will not allow American agriculture to bear the brunt of the unjustified retaliation from foreign nations.  Today we are putting the President’s promise into action.”

USDA provided details in August of the programs to be employed:
-    USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will administer the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) to provide payments to corn, cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean, and wheat producers. An announcement about further payments will be made in the coming months, if warranted.
    
-    USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will administer a food purchase and distribution program to purchase up to $1.2 billion in commodities unfairly targeted by unjustified retaliation. USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will distribute these commodities through nutrition assistance programs, such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program and child nutrition programs.
    
-    Through the Foreign Agricultural Service’s (FAS) Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP), $200 million will be made available to develop foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products. The program will help U.S. agricultural exporters identify and access new markets and help mitigate the adverse effects of other countries’ restrictions.

What commodities are covered and what is the payment for each of these?
Cotton ($0.06/lb.); Corn ($0.01/bu.); Dairy ($0.12/cwt.); Hogs ($8.00/head on the farm on August 1, 2018); Sorghum ($0.86/bu.); Soybeans ($1.65/bu.); Wheat ($0.14/bu.)

How are payments calculated?
A payment will be issued on the first 50 percent of the producer’s total production of the commodity. On or about December 3, 2018, the CCC (Commodity Credit Corporation) will announce a second payment rate, if applicable, that will apply to the remaining 50 percent of the producer’s production. The second payment, if available, may be issued using a different MFP payment rate.

How do I document production?
Dairy production will be based on historical production reported for the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy). Live hog inventory on August 1, 2018, may include, but are not limited to breeding records, inventory records, sales receipts, rendering receipts, or veterinary records.

Crop production records will be based on actual production after harvest is complete. Documentation must be verifiable or reliable records that substantiate the reported amounts such as copies of receipts, ledgers of income, income statements of deposit slips, register tapes, invoices for custom harvesting, and records to verify production costs, contemporaneous measurements, truck scale tickets, or other sources that are determined acceptable by the FSA county committee.

Who is eligible?
·         To be eligible for a MFP payment, each corn, upland cotton, sorghum, soybean, and wheat producer is required to be a person or legal entity who was actively engaged in farming in 2018.
·         A producer must be in compliance with highly erodible land conservation and wetland conservation provisions, commonly referred to as the conservation compliance provisions.
·         A producer’s average adjusted gross income may not exceed $900,000.
·         Producers requesting a MFP payment must have a crop acreage report on file with FSA for MFP crop commodities.

How do I File an Application?
MFP applications are available online at www.farmers.gov/MFP. Applications can be completed at a local FSA office or submitted electronically either by scanning, emailing, or faxing.

Other considerations....
Since production must be verified before payments can be made, a producer (if eligible) could apply for payments for dairy, hog or wheat production now, but would have to wait until after harvest (but before January 15, 2019) for payments on eligible fall harvested crops. However, it may be simpler (and I’m sure FSA would appreciate it) if you only made one claim for all eligible commodities after harvest is completed.

MFP payments are capped per person or legal entity as follows:
•         A combined $125,000 for eligible crop commodities
•         A combined $125,000 for dairy production and hogs.

MFP payments do not count against other 2014 Farm Bill payment limitations.



Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production

Total corn consumed for alcohol and other uses was 536 million bushels in July 2018. Total corn consumption was up 4 percent from June 2018 and up 5 percent from July 2017. July 2018 usage included 91.6 percent for alcohol and 8.4 percent for other purposes. Corn consumed for beverage alcohol totaled 3.29 million bushels, up 5 percent from June 2018 and up 7 percent from July 2017. Corn for fuel alcohol, at 481 million bushels, was up 4 percent from June 2018 and up 6 percent from July 2017. Corn consumed in July 2018 for dry milling fuel production and wet milling fuel production was 91.0 percent and 9.0 percent respectively.

Dry mill co-product production of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) was 2.11 million tons during July 2018, up 4 percent from June 2018 and up 9 percent from July 2017. Distillers wet grains (DWG) 65 percent or more moisture was 1.28 million tons in July 2018, down slightly from June 2018 and down 5 percent from July 2017.

Wet mill corn gluten feed production was 321,447 tons during July 2018, up 6 percent from June 2018 but down 2 percent from July 2017. Wet corn gluten feed 40 to 60 percent moisture was 263,139 tons in July 2018, up slightly from June 2018 but down 3 percent from July 2017.



Oilseed Crushings, Production, Consumption and Stocks

Soybeans crushed for crude oil was 5.37 million tons (179 million bushels) in July 2018, compared with 5.09 million tons (170 million bushels) in June 2018 and 4.67 million tons (156 million bushels) in July 2017. Crude oil produced was 2.04 billion pounds up 5 percent from June 2018 and up 13 percent from July 2017. Soybean once refined oil production at 1.43 billion pounds during July 2018 decreased slightly from June 2018 and decreased 4 percent from July 2017.

Canola seeds crushed for crude oil was 165,007 tons in July 2018, compared with 147,432 tons in June 2018 and 160,717 tons in July 2017. Canola crude oil produced was 150 million pounds up 15 percent from June 2018 and up 11 percent from July 2017. Canola once refined oil production at 137 million pounds during July 2018 was up 10 percent from June 2018 and up 18 percent from July 2017. Cottonseed once refined oil production at 42.3 million pounds during July 2018 was down 11 percent from June 2018 but up 8 percent from July 2017.

Edible tallow production was 75.9 million pounds during July 2018, down 7 percent from June 2018 but up 20 percent from July 2017. Inedible tallow production was 296 million pounds during July 2018, down 5 percent from June 2018 but up 10 percent from July 2017. Technical tallow production was 77.4 million pounds during July 2018, down 27 percent from June 2018 and down 1 percent from July 2017. Choice white grease production at 90.1 million pounds during July 2018 decreased 9 percent from June 2018 but increased 1 percent from July 2017.



USDA Announces Commodity Credit Corporation Lending Rates for September 2018

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation, today, announced interest rates for September 2018. The Commodity Credit Corporation borrowing rate-based charge for September is 2.375 percent, the same as 2.375 percent in August.

The interest rate for crop year commodity loans less than one year disbursed during September is 3.375 percent, the same as 3.375 percent in August.

Interest rates for Farm Storage Facility Loans approved for September are as follows: 2.750 percent with three-year loan terms, up from 2.625 percent in August; 2.750 percent with five-year loan terms, the same as 2.750 percent in August; 2.875 percent with seven-year loan terms, the same as 2.875 percent in August; 2.875 percent with 10-year loan terms, the same as 2.875 percent in August and; 3.000 percent with 12-year loan terms, up from 2.875 percent in August.



NSP Board Elects Officers, Appoints New Directors
The National Sorghum Producers board of directors elected officers and appointed four new individuals to the board during its annual August board meeting.

NSP board member Dan Atkisson of Stockton, Kansas, was elected chairman. Don Bloss of Pawnee City, Nebraska, is moving to the past chairman position, and board director Kody Carson of Olton, Texas, was elected vice chairman.

New directors appointed to the board include Danny Beyer of Odem, Texas; Amy France of Marienthal, Kansas; and Craig Meeker of Wellington, Kansas. Larry Richardson of Vega, Texas, was also newly appointed to the board to fill a one-year term held by Mike Battin who stepped down from the board in March. All other directors will serve three-year terms beginning Oct. 1, 2018, at the start of the new fiscal year.

"Our new board members will provide new perspectives and insight to promote change and help build key relationships as NSP continues to improve the sorghum industry though advocacy and leadership," newly appointed Chairman Dan Atkisson said. "We look forward to their guidance as we continue to craft policies important to sorghum producers."

Beyer is a farmer in South Texas with over 40 years of involvement. He has served on several agricultural boards and committees and hopes to add insight to NSP through his experiences. He is actively involved in the NSP Legislative Committee and would like to continue to promote the value of services NSP provides to the industry.

France is a producer in western Kansas and is an active member not only in her community but in the state and nationally, as well. She has been engaged in the legislative promotion of agriculture and has testified in front of the Senate Agriculture Committee on the importance of the farm bill and its impact on rural America. France looks forward to educating members and non-member farmers of the importance of regulation, legislation and involvement for generations to come.

Meeker is a farmer from south central Kansas and is a Leadership Sorghum Class III graduate. He has a special interest in policy and anticipates advocating for sorghum in the legislative process. Meeker understands the importance of free and fair trade and looks forward to promoting industry stability and bringing growth to the sorghum industry.

Richardson is a producer in West Texas who is actively involved in his community and has been in involved in the sorghum seed industry since 1981. Richardson understands the importance of sorghum within conservation and food consumption. He looks forward to using his industry experience to help influence legislation and conservation policy.                                                                       

The NSP board of directors also recognized four leaders in the sorghum industry who end their terms on the board Sept. 30, 2018. J.B Stewart of Keyes, Oklahoma, and James Born of Booker, Texas, served from 2010-2018 and are both former chairmen. Mike Battin of Lubbock, Texas, served from 2014-2018, and Kendall Hodgson of Little River, Kansas, served from 2012-2018.

"We owe a great debt of gratitude to our outgoing leadership for their service and accomplishments," Atkisson said. "Their support, leadership and dedication to sorghum have made valuable improvements to our industry."

New directors and officers will take their respective positions on the NSP board Oct. 1, 2018.



Titan Machinery Reports Higher Net Income

Titan Machinery Inc. reported financial results for the fiscal second quarter ended July 31.

David Meyer, Titan Machinery's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Our second quarter results reflect the financial benefits of our fiscal 2018 restructuring efforts and our consistent focus on improving the quality and level of our equipment inventory, which have driven lower operating expenses and improved equipment gross profit margins. In the quarter, we also saw our lower expense base provide strong operating leverage as we experienced higher sales volumes.

Along with increased equipment revenues, we also saw increased revenues from our parts and service businesses in the second quarter of fiscal 2019, which benefited from the late start to the spring planting season in many of our domestic and European markets.

The strength in our parts and services businesses combined with lower operating expenses led to a significant increase in our second quarter absorption rate, from 80.1% in the second quarter last year to 88.6% in the second quarter this year."



Syngenta celebrates diverse experiences with third season of “FarmHer on RFD-TV”

Season three of “FarmHer on RFD-TV” starts Friday, with Syngenta U.S. returning as the presenting sponsor. Syngenta has been the presenting sponsor since the inaugural season of the award-winning show.

“At Syngenta, we understand that a diverse mix of age, gender, experience and background will lead to a more successful agricultural industry,” said Wendell Calhoun, communications manager at Syngenta. “The FarmHer team does a great job demonstrating the value of this diversity, and we are proud to continue our support of the FarmHer movement.”

For two seasons, viewers have had the opportunity to meet women from across the country and learn about each of their unique contributions to the agriculture industry. The third season will be no different. Marji Guyler-Alaniz, the show’s host and founder of the FarmHer movement, has now visited more than 50 farms, ranches and agricultural labs. Through photography, video and interviews, she has given viewers a glimpse into the lives of some of the women who make up more than 30 percent of the farming workforce.

“We have a goal to visit all 50 states to demonstrate the great things women are doing all across the country,” Guyler-Alaniz said. “In season three, we’ll take viewers to a rice farm with a focus on sustainability, then visit with a FarmHer who raises alpacas for custom textiles. We’ll talk to a woman who supports ag policy in D.C., and visit with an agronomist in California. I can’t wait to continue our FarmHer journey with the RFD-TV audience in season three.”

The Syngenta #RootedinAg Spotlight segment will also be returning in season three, with a focus on the next generation of FarmHers. This summer, young women were asked to submit videos telling how they are #RootedinAg. The top videos will air throughout the season during the Syngenta in-show segment.

“FarmHer on RFD-TV” returns Sept. 7, with episode premieres airing Fridays at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time.