Tuesday August 3 Ag News

 Nebraska Soybean Management Field Days set for Aug. 10-13 at four locations

The 2021 Soybean Management Field Days is scheduled for Aug. 10-13 and will offer producers research-based information to improve their soybean profitability. The field days will address issues important to farmers in our state and on an international level. Attendees will learn about the various Nebraska Soybean Board checkoff dollar research, marketing and education efforts.

The field days begin with 9 a.m. registration and conclude at 2:30 p.m. Free registration is available the day of the event.

Dates and locations are as follows:
    Aug. 10 - Jerome Fritz Farm - Wilcox, NE
    Aug. 11 - Kevin Dinslage Farm - Elgin, NE
    Aug. 12 - Bart & Geoff Ruth Farm - Rising City, NE
    Aug. 13 - Mike Fuchs Farm - Arlington, NE

The event consists of four stops across the state, each with replicated research, demonstration plots, lunch and time for questions. Producers can obtain ideas and gain insight.

University specialists, educators and industry consultants will cover:
    Grain Marketing & Cropland Cash Rental Rates in 2021
    Strategies for Soybean Gall Midge and Insect/Disease Management in Cover Crops
    Discussing Interseeding Cover Crops in Soybean: Evaluating Soybean Variety, Cover Crop Planting, Herbicide Placement and Weed Management
    Soybean Production & Cover Crops –Water Use, Planting Rates, Row Spacing, Planting Dates, Maturity Groups, and Irrigation Management

“We look forward to returning to an in-person Soybean Management Field Days after having a virtual event last year. It is an excellent opportunity for producers to hear about the research-based information presented and to incorporate that knowledge into their practice,” says Scott Ritzman, Nebraska Soybean Board Executive Director.  

Agronomists, plant disease experts, and insect specialists will be available to address questions. Participants can bring unknown crop problems for complimentary identification.

According to Nebraska Extension Educator, Aaron Nygren, “This is an excellent opportunity to interact and engage with University of Nebraska specialists.  Growers can learn about the replicated research conducted and also share their own experiences with soybean production practices that are important to their operations.”

For more information about the field days and maps to sites, visit enrec.unl.edu/soydays, or contact the Nebraska Soybean Board at (402) 441-3240 or Nebraska Extension at (402) 624-8030.



REMOVE BALES SOON AFTER HARVEST
– Melissa Bartels, NE Extension Educator

We are in the full swing of haying season here in Nebraska. However, I see many bales being left out in the middle of hay fields.

Bales and stacks of hay left in the middle of fields must be removed at some point. While it may not matter too much for those bales to set for a while in the middle of the field after the final cutting for the year, delaying removal can be harmful when we are in haying season and more harvests are expected. Directly under the bale or stack, plants are often killed when covered up for more than a week or two. This may not hurt your yield too much but makes for a great place for weeds to get started in your field.

Most of the damage, though, is due to wheel traffic on the regrowth. Studies have shown that when fields are dry, plants driven on before regrowth occurs will yield about 5 to 7 percent less at the next cutting. This number only increase if you wait to remove bales. Just seven days after cutting, when regrowth shoots had started to grow, yield was reduced over 25 percent and fewer of these plants survived.  Worse yet is removing bales when fields are wet. When soils are wet wheel traffic causes more soil compaction. When this happens, yield loss typically exceeds 30 percent.

These studies emphasize the benefits of baling and removing bales from hay fields as quickly as possible after cutting as well as minimizing driving on wet soils. They also suggest that following the same trail when removing bales or stacks from fields can reduce losses from wheel tracks by limiting the total area damaged. Hay fields must be driven on, to remove bales after harvest, but you can lessen damage by controlling where, when and how often you drive on them.



Scoular appoints Enterprise Director of Origination

Omaha-based Scoular has promoted Melissa Norem to the new role of Enterprise Director of Origination. She will lead the company’s engagement and communication with farmers and develop origination strategies. Norem’s duties in the director role include:
▪ Assembling a team of origination specialists across Scoular’s network that will work with the company’s originators to create a consistent experience for all producers.
▪ Building and promoting Scoular’s brand, marketing tools and other services for farmers.
▪ Facilitating a new grower roundtable, exploring how Scoular can best use technology to enhance farmer relationships.

Norem was raised on an Iowa farm and graduated from Simpson College with an economics degree. She started her career with ADM and has been with Scoular the past 15 years, working in various trader and merchandiser roles. She is active in her community of Norwalk, Iowa.

“Melissa not only has demonstrated exceptional skills in trading, customer development and problem-solving at Scoular, but she also brings a pride in farming to this role,” said Senior Vice President Ron Bingham, who leads Scoular’s Grain Division. “This role brings together Melissa’s passion for agriculture and for Scoular, as she will work to advance Scoular’s producer relationships into the next generation of farming.”



Chapters Share Agriculture Education with Local Elementaries

FFA Chapters across the country are sharing the story of agriculture with their local elementary students.

The National FFA Organization teamed up with Zoetis, the Indiana State Fair and the LEAP Foundation for an agricultural literacy project that introduced swine production to students.

“As a long-time supporter of the National FFA Organization, Zoetis is a proud sponsor of There’s a Pig in My Classroom,” said Shari Westerfeld, Vice President, U.S. Pork. “This program provides FFA members with a great opportunity to interact with young students, exposing them to FFA and educating them on how pigs are cared for and where pork products come from. U.S. pork producers take great pride in providing a sustainable, healthy food supply for a global population and it is exciting to be a part of this collaboration.”  

Lining up with advocacy programming for FFA chapters, the project allowed students to share information on swine production with others and culminate with a virtual field trip to Fair Oaks Farm Pig Adventure.

“This partnership is an opportunity for our members to introduce agriculture to a younger generation,” said Celya Glowacki, advocacy and literacy officer for the National FFA Organization. “Our hope is that we can engage our students in telling the agriculture story to others and inspire a future generation of leaders.”

Those FFA chapters who were chosen to participate include:
Nebraska - Overton FFA Chapter
Iowa - Wayne FFA Chapter & Mid-Prairie FFA Chapter

As part of the program, chapters will teach two pre-lessons, assist with the virtual field trip and teach one post-lesson. They are tasked with providing content to approximately 100 students in grades 3-5.



Carbon Sequestration Task Force Working Group Members Named

Governor Reynolds announced members of the Agriculture and Energy Working Groups of the Carbon Sequestration Task Force. On June 22, Reynolds signed Executive Order 9 launching a task force to explore carbon sequestration and the opportunities it presents for further economic development in the state of Iowa.

"Iowa is a recognized leader in renewable fuel and food production, making us a natural place to capitalize on the growing nationwide demand for a more carbon free economy," said Reynolds. "I'm proud to expand our carbon sequestration task force with additional members centered around two main working groups. I know they will hit the ground running and I look forward to working alongside them to drive economic growth and sustainability in energy and agriculture production."

Ex Officio Workgroup Members
- Rep. Kenan Judge
- Sen. Kevin Kinney
- Sen. Annette Sweeney
- Rep. John Wills

Energy Workgroup Members
- Chaz Allen, Iowa Utility Association
- Kelcey Brown, MidAmerican Energy Company
- Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Navigator CO2
- Troy DeJoode, Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities
- Regi Goodale, Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives
- Anne Kimber, Iowa State University
- Terry Kouba, Alliant Energy
- Dan Nickey, University of Northern Iowa
- Jolene Riessen, LeeCorr, Inc.
- Matt Russell, Iowa Interfaith Power & Light
- Troy Shaner, Valero Renewable Fuels
- Jed Skogerboe, Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative
- Charles Stanier, University of Iowa
- Troy Van Beek, Ideal Energy, Inc.
- Shirley Welte, Black Hills Energy

Agriculture Workgroup Members
- Bill Belden Sr., Antares Group Inc. & Belden Family Farms
- Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa
- Steve Falck, Environmental Law & Policy Center
- Ben Gleason, Iowa Corn Growers Association
- Paul Hill, Iowa Turkey Growers Coop
- John Lawrence, Iowa State University
- Amber Markham, The Nature Conservancy
- Jay Matthews, GROWMARK, Inc.
- Sean McMahon, Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance
- Shashi Menon, EcoEngineers
- Kiley Miller, Trees Forever Inc.
- Lisa Schulte Moore, Iowa State University
- Al Muhlenbruck, TriOak Foods Inc.
- Matt O'Connor, Pheasants Forever
- Rick Robinson, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation

The Carbon Sequestration Task Force, chaired by Reynolds, will be supported by two working groups focused on Agriculture and Energy. Members of the working groups are comprised of diverse subject matter experts and stakeholders representing industries and interests integral to the carbon sequestration supply chain in Iowa.



Fair After Dark- Moo and Brews event to be held at the 2021 Iowa State Fair

Get up close and personal with the dairy cows and calves in the Boulevard of Dairy Breeds as you will have a fun evening learning about the dairy industry in Iowa!  Midwest Dairy is proud to sponsor this year’s Fair After Dark- Moo and Brews event.  From Butter Sculpting to baby calf selfies to cow judging to milkshakes there is something for everyone! This ticketed event will be held in the North Annex of the Cattle Barn (Boulevard of Dairy Breeds).

“Iowa dairy farmers are proud to bring dairy to life and share their dairy farm stories as part of this Iowa State Fair tradition,” Cynthia Hamlett, Midwest Dairy farmer relations manager. “Celebrating dairy farmers’ devotion to dairy makes it easy to bring excellent experiences to the fair.

Dairy foods will be front and center at The Dairy Barn, which is one of the Iowa State Fair’s most popular concessions and is owned by Iowa’s dairy farm families. Located north of the cattle barn, The Dairy Barn serves shakes, milk and hand-dipped ice cream daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. In 2019, more than 61,000 ice cream treats – including 22,000 shakes – were served throughout the fair. In addition, hand-dipped ice cream is served at the second Dairy Barn location, which is in the Ag Building.

While visiting the Ag Building, check out this year’s butter cow. Sarah Pratt, a teacher by trade, will be returning to the fair to sculpt 600 pounds of butter. This year, the world-famous Iowa State Fair Butter Cow will be accompanied by a one-of-a-kind Giant Slide made out of butter. Each year, the companion sculptures crafted by Sarah Pratt, feature a special person, event or anniversary. This year, the special sculpture will symbolize not only the 50th anniversary of an Iowa State Fair icon, but also all the generations of Fairgoers who have taken a ride down the Giant Slide during the Fair.

Additionally, fair-goers can watch and learn about the process of milking a cow every day at the “I Milked a Cow” exhibit presented by the Dairy Science Club at Iowa State University. The booth is located near the Boulevard of Dairy Breeds, John and Emily Putney Family Cattle Barn. For $3, the general public can try out their milking talent on a live cow.

Each year, the Iowa State Fair celebrates the more than 880 dairy farmers in the state who are contributing 15,587 jobs and delivering an overall economic impact of $5.56 billion produced and sold in Iowa. To learn more about dairy farming in the Midwest, including Iowa, visit MidwestDairy.com.



National Grasslands Visitor Center open with outdoor visitor services only, beginning August 4

The National Grasslands Visitor Center, (NGVC) plans to return to outdoor visitor services only beginning August 4 due to the national uptick of the Covid 19 Delta variant, to assure the safety of visitors and staff.

From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, Forest Service interpretive rangers will staff a table under the visitor center’s covered entryway, providing maps, brochures, Junior Ranger programs, and information about the national grasslands and related recreation opportunities in the area. Rangers will also begin providing interpretive programs in the center’s outdoor Living Landscape, as well as in various locations on the Buffalo Gap National Grassland.

National Grasslands Visitor Center Director Travis Mason-Bushman said, “Our excellent staff will be available to visitors to help connect people with the rich natural and cultural heritage of the national grasslands, and to help visitors responsibly enjoy our local public lands.”

The visitor center building will remain closed to the public at this time, and no public restrooms will be available. Service hours and programs may vary based on staff availability and weather conditions.

The National Grasslands Visitor Center is the only visitor center and museum dedicated to telling the story of America’s 20 National Grasslands and the Midewin National Tall Grass Prairie. Located in Wall, South Dakota, the center fosters public understanding and enjoyment of the 3.8 million acres of public prairies managed by the Forest Service nationwide. The NGVC is operated by the Wall Ranger District of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland, part of the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands.



Barchart Raises U.S. Crop Forecasts on Higher Yield; Cuts Canadian Wheat Projections

Barchart, a leading provider of data services, software and technology to global commodity buyers, agriculture, and the food supply chain, released their August 2021 Yield and Production forecasts for U.S. and Canadian field crops.

“Our forecasts for US field crop production have been revised higher on the back of increased yield expectations for both corn (180.2 bu/ac vs. 176.5 in July) and soybeans (51.0 bu/ac vs 50.0 in July); and now are broadly in line with the USDA’s most recent WASDE report,” said Barchart CSO Keith Petersen.  

Other details of the monthly estimates:
    U.S. Corn Production - Forecast at 15.0B bu with a yield of 180.3 bu/ac.  This compares to the USDA’s 15.1B bu of production and 179.5 bu/ac yield.
    U.S. Soybean Production - Forecast at 4.4B bu with a yield of 51.0 bu/ac.  This compares to the USDA’s 4.4B bu of production and 50.8 bu/ac yield.
    U.S. Hard Red Winter Wheat Yield - Forecast at 45.5 bu/ac.  This compares to the USDA’s yield forecast of 53.6 bu/ac (includes all winter wheat varieties).
    Canadian Spring Wheat Production - Forecast at 816.0M bu with a yield of 50.6 bu/ac.  This compares to the AAFC’s 920.8M bu of production and 53.5 bu/ac yield (includes spring wheat and winter wheat, excludes durum wheat).
    Canadian Soybean Production - Forecast at 225.2M bu with a yield of 42.6 bu/ac.  This compares to the AAFC’s 228.9M bu of production and 42.8 bu/ac yield.

“Conversely we’ve cut our Canadian production forecasts across both soybeans and wheat, with our Spring Wheat yield forecast down nearly 10% from July.  This comes on the back of severe drought conditions across the Canadian prairies, which have inhibited the development of this year’s wheat crop,” added Petersen.



Dominican Republic to Kill Thousands of Pigs Over ASF

The Dominican Republic will slaughter tens of thousands of pigs after detecting outbreaks of African swine fever in 11 of the country's 32 provinces, authorities said on Monday. Fernando Duran, administrator of the state-run Banco Agricola, told a news conference the government will pay pig farmers the market price of each animal slaughtered.

Announcement of the slaughter comes after authorities sent 389 samples from pig farms across the country to U.S. laboratories after registering the widespread death of animals in three provinces in the last month. Authorities said the only way to stop the disease, which is lethal and for which there is no vaccine, is to kill the entire pig population in farms where it has been detected.

According to Reuters, officials are still investigating the origin of the outbreak and have not said how many pigs will be slaughtered.

The government on Friday confirmed the presence of the virus in the Montecristi provinces, in the northwest, and Santiago Rodriguez, in the center of the country, where it has imposed quarantines in farms and sanitary cordons.



Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022
Senate Appropriations Committee

The fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill for the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration provides discretionary funding of $25.855 billion, which is an increase of $2.5 billion over fiscal year 2021 enacted levels.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Chair of the Subcommittee, said:
“This bipartisan legislation is the product of Democrats and Republicans working together to support a stronger and more resilient agriculture economy that works for our farmers, ranchers and families in rural communities.  Developed with input from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, this bipartisan legislation will drive economic opportunities to farmers and invest in the long-term health of our working lands.  It will also invest in broadband and ensure that people facing challenging times have tools to move toward nutrition, health and housing security.  I am also very proud that our work together will make investments that support the Dairy Business Innovation Program, Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, and research priorities for our dairy, specialty crop, and organic farmers.  The full product of the subcommittee will help ensure that rural Americans have the tools to thrive in our global economy and build back better.”

Key Points & Highlights
The programs and activities funded in the Agriculture Appropriations bill are diverse and touch of the lives of every American.  This bill provides needed increases to the Farm Service Agency to ensure our farmers and ranchers remain the most productive in the world.  Important nutrition programs are increased that will give certainty to families that rely on school meals.  The bill also addresses the growing hunger crisis around the world by increasing vital international feeding programs.  Climate change continues to be a major challenge and this bill provides much needed increases to the Department of Agriculture to face the crisis head on.  As the Food and Drug Administration continues their vital work addressing food and drug safety, the bill provides historical increases for the agency that will continue the work being done.

Disaster Funding:
As the country’s farmers and ranchers continue to suffer from adverse weather events, the bill provides more than $7 billion for crop losses in 2020 and 2021 as well as additional assistance for livestock producers.

Agriculture Research:
Total research funding at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is increased by $292 million over fiscal year 2021 for a total of $3.6 billion.  The Agricultural Research Service is funded at $1.67 billion and includes requested funding to address climate change.  The bill also fully funds the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility.  The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is funded at $1.7 billion with increases for Cooperative Extensive Service, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, Women and Minorities in STEM program, and several increases for tribal research and education.

Farm Production and Conservation:
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is funded at $1.2 billion to allow FSA to offer better program access and outreach to minorities and historically underserved producers and beginning farmers.  All FSA loan levels are maintained and an additional $7.4 million is provided to FSA to address the higher costs associated with the increased number of direct ownership loans.  For the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the bill includes $918 million for Conservation Operations.  The bill includes several provisions focused on the climate priorities including a $12 million increase to support climate smart agricultural practices for a total of $35 million and $8 million to support NRCS Climate Hub projects across the country.  A new $15 million Working Lands Resiliency Program is created in the bill to focus on voluntary and farmer friendly climate actions on farms and ranches across the country, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Rural Development:
The programs funded within Rural Development serve as a lifeline for many communities in rural America through housing, community facilities, infrastructure and electric programs, and small business programs.  The Rural Housing Service gives families and individuals the opportunity to own their own homes and provides assistance to the elderly, disabled, and low income families.  Single Family Homeownership Loans are increased by $6.25 billion, totaling over $30 billion.  These loans will help more than 180,000 rural Americans purchase their own home, many for the first time.  Rental Assistance is increased by $40 million for total funding of $1.45 billion.  This program is as important as ever as the economy continues to recover, and the increase provided in this bill will ensure 252,000 low-income families are not rent burdened.

Many communities in rural America lack basic infrastructure such as water and sewer systems and access to clean drinking water.  The bill provides $665 million for water and wastewater disposal grants, an increase of $44 million as compared to fiscal year 2021.  This funding is expected to fund 700 grants to ensure communities have reliable drinking water systems, and sanitary and solid waste disposal.

The bill also provides increases to Rural Development’s energy programs to help rural America transition to renewable energy.  The bill increases the electric loan program by $1 billion for a total of $6.5 billion to help rural electric cooperatives transition their power plants to a clean energy source.  On the consumer side, the bill provides $22 million in grants and $20 million in loans for the Rural Energy for America Program to help farmers and small businesses purchases renewable energy systems, such as solar arrays and anaerobic digesters.  Finally, the bill increases the Rural Energy Savings Program by $100 million for a total of $208 million to help rural Americans purchase energy efficient appliances and weatherize their homes, reducing their energy demand and monthly expenses.

The ReConnect broadband program is funded at $700 million.  The program will expand access to high-speed broadband to remote unserved and under-served rural areas.  This is especially important as our country continues to navigate the pandemic and when many families continue to rely on broadband for work and school.

Nutrition:
All nutrition programs are fully funded to support expected participation.  The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is funded at $6.278 billion.  This will support 6.4 million participants per month.  Funding for SNAP has decreased from last year but will support all people who qualify.  The Commodity Supplemental Food Program is funded at $332 million. The elderly population continues to grow and this program will provide vital nutrition to vulnerable seniors.

International Food Aid:
With 41 million people across the world facing life-threatening hunger, important food aid programs are increased.  The Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole Food for Education programs are increased by $35 million for a total of $2 billion.  With this funding the United States will continue to be the leader in addressing world hunger.

Food and Drug Administration:
Total funding for FDA is $3.414 billion, an increase of $200 million over fiscal year 2021.  The bill focuses on increases for food safety and medical product safety activities of the agency.  An increase of $14 million is included for maternal and infant health to work on toxic elements in baby food.  To continue the work the agency is doing to address the opioid crisis, the bill includes an increase of $24 million for International Mail Facilities for a total of $62 million.  Millions of illegal products, including opioids, enter these facilities from countries all over the world.  FDA is on the front lines to ensure these products do not make it into commerce and these additional funds will allow FDA to continue this important work.  Information technology continues to be a priority for the agency and the bill includes an increase of $25 million.  Finally, an increase of $15 million is included to enhance inspections of facilities under FDA’s jurisdiction.



Dairy ‘Cliffhangers’ Need Resolution
Jim Mulhern, President and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation
    
Cliffhangers are great in movies, but they’re frustrating in public policy. Congress is entering its traditional August recess with a big not-yet-done list on topics ranging from infrastructure to immigration. For the sake of dairy farmers, we’d like to see faster movement.

But hope and hard work are dairy strengths, and we at NMPF continue our efforts to make sure that at least some of these cliffhangers resolve quickly and positively. Each gain, big and small, improves livelihoods. Here are a few cliffhangers awaiting resolution as lawmakers leave Washington and head to their districts to reconnect at county fairs and town halls. (Feel free to tell them NMPF says hello.)

    USDA’s Dairy Donation Program. This initiative provides compensation for dairy-product donations, with support retroactive to last Dec. 27. The $400 million program, part of a COVID relief package Congress approved that month, is largely ready to go, thanks to USDA’s diligence, but it’s awaiting signoff from the White House Office of Management and Budget. Final details are expected to be worked out soon, encouraging dairy community efforts to aid needy families through food banks and other distributors.

    Direct Producer Support. USDA has indicated plans to offer details within the next few weeks on other COVID-related initiatives to provide direct relief to dairy producers. In response to NMPF entreaties, USDA is seeking to reimburse dairy producers for uncompensated losses they’ve suffered when traditional milk price relationships were turned upside down last year. Meanwhile, the Supplemental DMC program would allow producers whose annual production was below 5 million pounds in 2014, but has modestly increased, to receive corresponding payments. This not only aids small producers; it increases the amount of money available to dairy in the next farm bill. Finally, we’re seeking to correct a flaw in last year’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to help producers who experienced serious losses due to the pandemic but saw their assistance hindered by CFAP payment caps. NMPF has spearheaded efforts to remedy this imbalance with USDA.

    Programs that advance dairy’s Net Zero Initiative goals. As NMPF’s Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, Paul Bleiberg, noted in a recent NMPF podcast, Congress is making progress in several areas that will help dairy reach its ambitious goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Growing Climate Solutions Act, which passed the U.S. Senate by a 92-8 vote in June, encourages better-functioning environmental markets, which will help farmers achieve the industry’s net zero goal. Meanwhile, an investment tax-credit bill for greenhouse-gas-reducing technologies is making headway on Capitol Hill, and Congress is considering enhancing conservation policy to encourage climate-friendly agricultural practices and markets that compensate farmers for being stewardship leaders.

    Finally, addressing dairy’s ag-labor crisis. Perpetually among the heaviest lifts in Congress, agricultural labor reform has at least some momentum this year via the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in March. Senate discussions remain behind-the-scenes, but we have positioned dairy prominently in this debate via the many opportunities we’ve had to spotlight dairy’s labor needs, ranging from a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on agricultural labor issues and public events with key federal officials to the inclusion of language expanding the current H-2A visa program to accommodate dairy in a recent appropriations bill. These are the types of smaller actions that lead to larger ones, and we will continue this drumbeat to prod Congress to get the job done.

This list, of course, isn’t comprehensive. Dairy’s activities in Washington range widely, from legislation on school milk and plant-based product labeling to forceful advocacy on trade. And other issues, especially those related to milk pricing, are sure to heat up in the months ahead, leaving no shortage of suspense in Washington.

But progress does occur, and we’re looking forward to seeing more progress soon. Washington may be taking a “break,” but we aren’t. And we look forward to helping to resolve at least a few “cliffhangers” in the weeks and months to come.



Capitalizing on Ethanol’s Carbon Potential a Key Focus of ACE 2021 Conference Agenda Lineup

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) has been a leader in promoting the low carbon benefits of corn ethanol, including advocating for clean fuel policies or standards at the state and federal levels to increase ethanol demand. ACE is using its annual meeting this year in Minneapolis to showcase the organization’s, member’s, and industry’s progression to capitalize on ethanol’s low carbon potential.

The conference covers all things carbon from the status of clean fuel policies, and insight for ethanol producers when developing a carbon strategy and measuring project value, including diversification and carbon sequestration projects, to how ethanol producers can calculate their carbon intensity score.

The first day of presentations includes a general session moderated by John Christianson of Christianson PLLP, who served on the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Biofuels, that will cover developments in key states and national efforts to advance clean fuel policy and low carbon fuel standards with Brendan Jordan, Vice President of Transportation and Fuels with Great Plains Institute, and Jonathon Lehman, a principal with Cultivating Conservation consulting service and ACE Lobbyist.

“Clean fuels represent a huge opportunity for the Midwest to create an environmentally and economically sustainable future, and I look forward to sharing the progress we’ve made to advance this opportunity through state-level, comprehensive clean fuels policy at the ACE conference,” Jordan said. “A low carbon or clean fuel standard modeled after the portfolio approach the Midwestern Clean Fuels Initiative developed has the potential to benefit the biofuels and agricultural industries, while also supporting other clean fuel sectors, and we’ve made great headway this year in key Midwest states.”

“While efforts continue to support and protect existing policy-driven markets, there’s an important offensive strategy underway to advance a national low carbon fuel standard to grow ethanol demand and build on top of the progress of the RFS,” Lehman said. “The Biden administration has made a clear commitment to decarbonize transportation fuels by midcentury and ensure farmers have a seat at the table in the climate discussion. Ethanol supports rural communities and is the only transportation energy source that can credibly say it has the ability to reach net-negative carbon intensity in the future.”

Don’t miss this conversation and other carbon-focused sessions, including: Insights on Carbon: Navigating Verification and Measuring Project Value – Christianson PLLP; Destination Biocampus – Fluid Quip Technologies; Developing a Carbon Strategy – P&E Solutions LLC, Bioleap Inc. and Whitefox; Efficient Operational Strategies for Feed Diversification and Lower CI Score for Ethanol Biorefineries – ICM Inc.; Calculating Your Carbon Intensity – Ron Alverson with Dakota Ethanol; Accelerating Demand for Ethanol – ClearFlame Engine Technologies; and From Net-Zero to Net-Negative Carbon: Accelerating Ethanol’s Advantage – Summit Carbon Solutions. More information about the event can be found at ethanol.org/events/conference.



Traction Introduces Agronomy Solutions for Service Providers and Farmers
    
Traction has introduced a new lineup of agronomy management tools for both service providers and farmers. Solutions include an agronomy mobile app and web application, designed for soil sampling, soil fertility, lab integrations, recommendations and prescription generation. Traction Agronomy is focused on simplicity, efficiency, and profitability, helping farmers apply the right product at the optimum rate and right time to maximize input usage.
 
"Our biggest advantage is building everything around a mobile environment," said Jeff Dearborn, Traction Business Development Director. "Agronomists need the flexibility to analyze soil test results, build prescriptions and send shapefiles from any mobile device. Our solution is designed to handle a complete agronomy workflow for phones or tablets which is a game-changer for the industry."
 
Service Providers
Traction Professional Agronomy enables service providers and agronomists to manage an unlimited number of farmers in one cloud-based ecosystem. This end-to-end solution offers seamless integration with soil labs, making it easy to view soil test results and build simple variable rate fertility prescriptions. Paired with Traction’s Field app, the solution becomes even more powerful as prescriptions can be created from your phone or tablet (coming Fall 2021). Other key features of the Field app include field mapping, grid target layout, navigation and sample point logging.
 
Farmers
Traction Basic Agronomy helps farmers manage their own agronomy tasks. With similar features found in Traction Professional Agronomy, a farmer can leverage the Traction Field App to log their own sample locations and use a formula to create a fertility prescription. The key benefit to a farmer is how the agronomy platform fully integrates with the other Traction solutions: Basic Accounting and Basic Operations. This level of functionality is unique as farmers can take their agronomic data and apply true costs from accounting entries. Now farmers can see the financial impact of their agronomic decision making with a clear return on investment.
 
Traction Professional and Basic Agronomy key features include:
●       Soil lab integration for seamless processing of samples
●       Lab check-in sheets for sampling tasks
●       Pre-loaded list of formulas from soil labs and universities
●       Fertility prescriptions for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, lime and other nutrients or amendments
●       Product requirements by field
●       Industry standard shapefile export for controller compatibility
 
Traction Basic Agronomy for farmers is available for $950 per year which includes two manager logins. Traction Field App is $350 per year per mobile device. Service providers who are interested in Traction Professional Agronomy can call 888-305-3839 for pricing. Additional information and a free 30-day trial (farmers only) can be found at www.tractionag.com.