Monday November 8 Ag News

 NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION
 
For the week ending November 7, 2021, there were  5.7 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 6% very short, 29% short, 63% adequate, and 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 10% very short, 40% short, 49% adequate, and 1% surplus.
 
Field Crops Report:
Corn harvested was 82%, behind 92% last year, but near 78% for the five-year average.
 
Soybeans harvested was 95%, behind 100% last year, and near 96% average.
 
Winter wheat condition rated 3% very poor, 11% poor, 31% fair, 47% good, and 8% excellent. Winter wheat emerged was 94%, near 93% last year and 95% average.  
 
Sorghum harvested was 85%, behind 95% last year, but ahead of 80% average.
 
Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 13% very poor, 19% poor, 51% fair, 15% good, and 2% excellent.



IOWA CROP PROGRESS REPORT

Warmer  temperatures  and  minimal  precipitation allowed Iowa’s farmers  5.6  days  suitable  for  fieldwork during the week ending November 7, 2021, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service.  Field activities included harvesting, fall tillage, fertilizer and anhydrous applications and baling corn stalks.
 
Topsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 14 percent short, 80 percent adequate and 5 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 7 percent very short, 26 percent short, 64 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus.   
 
Harvest continued this week and was wrapping up in some parts of the State.  Iowa’s corn for grain harvest reached  84  percent  complete,  4  days  ahead  of  the  five-year  average.   Moisture  content  of  field  corn  being harvested for grain was 17 percent.  Only farmers in South Central Iowa have over one-quarter of their corn for grain crop remaining to be harvested.
 
Ninety-five percent of Iowa’s soybean crop has been harvested, 3 days ahead of the five-year average.    While soybean harvest is nearly complete in much of the State, farmers in the southwest and south central districts have over 10 percent of their soybean crop still to harvest.
 
Livestock were reported to be faring well.



USDA:  Corn 84% Harvested Nationally

U.S. corn was 84% harvested compared to the five-year average of 78% as of Sunday, Nov. 7, USDA NASS said in its weekly Crop Progress report on Monday.  Corn harvest progressed 10 percentage points from last week to reach 84% complete, which is 6 percentage points behind this time last year.

Soybean harvest progressed only 8 percentage points last week to reach 87% complete as of Sunday, Nov. 7; that's 4 percentage points behind this time last year.

Winter wheat planting was 91%, equal to the five-year average; 74% of the crop was emerged compared to the average of 77%. Winter wheat condition was rated 45% good to excellent, which is the same as the previous week.

Sorghum harvested was 86%, 6 percentage points ahead of average.

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Nebraska Farm Bureau to hold Agriculture and Rural Issues Republican Gubernatorial Forum Dec. 5 in Kearney

Nebraska Farm Bureau is hosting an Agriculture and Rural Issues Republican Gubernatorial Forum to start off its Annual Meeting and Convention at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney, Neb., Sunday Dec. 5. The forum is scheduled from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (CT) and will be open to the public. The republican gubernatorial candidates who have been invited to participate are Michael Connely, Charles W. Herbster, Sen. Brett Lindstrom, Jim Pillen, and Breland Ridenour. Other republican candidates who announce their intent to run before Nov. 15, will also be invited to participate in the forum.

The forum will be broadcast live on the Nebraska Rural Radio Association stations KRVN, KNEB, KTIC, KAWL, and KTMX radio, which is sponsoring the forum, and broadcast live on radio and television on Nebraska Public Media. The live television broadcast will be on Nebraska Public Media’s World Channel and will also be rebroadcast on Nebraska Public Media at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 18. Both the Nebraska Rural Radio Association and Nebraska Public Media stations will stream the event LIVE on their social media platforms.

“We are grateful for both the Nebraska Rural Radio Association and Nebraska Public Media’s interest in broadcasting this forum live statewide. While the Nebraska gubernatorial primary is scheduled for May 10, 2022, now is the time for farmers, ranchers, and all Nebraskans to understand the candidates’ positions on agriculture and rural issues. Nebraska Farm Bureau is working to keep the concerns facing farmers, ranchers, and rural Nebraskans as high-profile campaign issues,” said Mark McHargue, president of Nebraska Farm Bureau.

The forum will be facilitated by moderator Susan Littlefield, farm director at Rural Radio Network. There will also be a panel of statewide media representatives working independently to create and pose questions focused on agriculture and rural Nebraska concerns. These issues have been identified by Nebraska Farm Bureau members throughout the past year. The media members will not be identified until the day of the forum.

“Nebraska’s economic foundation and its largest industry is agriculture. Nearly one out of every four Nebraska jobs is generated by agriculture. The election of our next governor is one of the most important decisions Nebraska voters will make. It will impact the prosperity of our state over the next four to eight years,” said McHargue.



Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award Seeks Nominees

Know a Nebraska rancher, farmer or forestland owner who goes above and beyond in the stewardship of natural resources? Nominate them for the 2022 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award®.

Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 23 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In Nebraska, the $10,000 award is presented with Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (AFAN), Cargill and the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat management on private, working land. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.

Nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves. The application can be found at www.sandcountyfoundation.org/ApplyLCA.

The application deadline is March 1, 2022. Applications can be emailed to mindyr@a-fan.org or postmarked by March 1, and mailed to:
Leopold Conservation Award
c/o AFAN
5225 S. 16th Street
Lincoln, NE 68512

Selected recipients must be available for an Earth Day press conference, summer video production, and fall award ceremony.

The first Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award was presented to Wilson Ranch of Lakeside in 2006. The 2021 recipient of the award was Switzer Ranch of Loup County. To see a full list of award recipients visit www.sandcountyfoundation.org/Nebraska.

The Leopold Conservation Award Program in Nebraska is made possible thanks to the generous support of American Farmland Trust, Cargill, AFAN, Nebraska Environmental Trust, Sand County Foundation, Farm Credit Services of America, Audubon Nebraska, Lyle Sittler Memorial Fund, McDonald’s, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Nebraska Game and Parks, Nebraska Land Trust, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, Sandhills Task Force, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, World Wildlife Fund-Northern Great Plains, and Green Cover Seed.



USDA Decreases Membership on United Soybean Board

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced in a final rule published in the Federal Register that it is adjusting membership on the United Soybean Board to reflect shifts in soybean production levels that have occurred since 2018.

This rule, which will become effective as of December 8, 2021, decreases membership on the United Soybean Board from 78 to 77 members resulting in Alabama losing one member. Membership on the board is reviewed every three years and adjusted, if necessary, as required by the Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act.

The changes will be included in the Soybean Promotion and Research Order and will be effective for the 2022 board appointment process.

The final rule was published in the Federal Register on November 8, 2021.



FFAR & the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Develop Consortium to Reduce Methane Emissions from Cattle

This weekend, at the 26th annual UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy announced the Greener Cattle Initiative, an industry-oriented consortium that will award approximately $5 million over the next five years to fund research that provides beef and cattle producers with solutions for enteric methane emission mitigation to curb the escalating climate crisis.

Enteric methane is the single largest source of direct greenhouse gas emissions in the beef and dairy sectors. Methane is emitted on farms through two primary sources: manure degradation and enteric fermentation. Enteric fermentation is part of the normal digestive process in ruminants, with methane emissions primarily resulting from animals belching or exhaling. While several efforts to advance the sustainability of livestock production are currently underway, few specifically address enteric methane emissions – despite the potential to improve animal productivity and move the dairy and beef sectors toward net zero emissions.

“Although mitigation of enteric methane from ruminants is not a novel field of research, many challenges remain to identify, develop and validate effective mitigation options that will also meet farmer and broad socioeconomic needs,” said Dr. Juan Tricarico, vice president for sustainability research at the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.  

The Greener Cattle Initiative brings together stakeholders from across the dairy and beef value chains to leverage investments in the research and development of practices and technologies that reduce enteric methane emissions. This initiative is informed by producers and animal health, genetic, feed and nutrition research organizations and companies. The Greener Cattle Initiative serves as a vehicle for multiple stakeholders to share knowledge and accelerate the development of scalable and commercially feasible technologies that reduce enteric methane emissions and enable the production of sustainable beef and dairy.

“This unique combination of industry expertise, resources and commitment to innovative research creates a substantial opportunity to reduce enteric methane emissions,” said Dr. Tim Kurt, scientific program director at FFAR. “The science is clear: if we want to address climate change, mitigating enteric methane emissions can be a solution that benefits producers, animals and the environment.”

The Greener Cattle Initiative supports research in the following areas:
    Feed additives and supplements that inhibit enteric methane emissions
    Feed ingredients that alter metabolic pathways to reduce enteric methane emissions
    Genetic selection of cattle that emit less methane
    Increased understanding of microbiome composition and activity in cattle
    Technologies such as sensors, robots and artificial intelligence to monitor enteric methane emissions or related physiological indicators
    Socioeconomic analysis of enteric methane mitigation practices and technologies

Requests for proposals will be distributed globally to identify the most promising research that impacts commercial dairy and beef production.

FFAR is matching industry contributions up to at least $2.5 million. The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy is providing cash and program management contributions valued at approximately $1.2 million. Additional Founding Participants include ADM, the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB), Elanco, Genus PLC, the National Dairy Herd Information Association, Nestlé and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC). In addition to supporting program development, each Founding Participant committed $200,000 in funding to this program.



Next NCBA Producer Webinar: Improving Cattle Health & Performance with Technology
November 11th, 2021 @ 6:00 p.m. Central

Want to hear how you can use technology to improve your herd's health and performance? Hear from Andy Dorn, Beef Product Manager for Allflex Livestock Intelligence North America, and Duane Gangwish, Business Project manager with Darr Feedlot discuss how implementing technology into your operation can improve profitability.

Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2247184482395481868.

Past webinars here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsDMBXSb2jYcUGaCNrQ09f0JxDJXJQu24.  



ASA’s #SoyOnTheGo Transportation & Infrastructure Campaign Covers Journey of American Soybeans from Field to Final Destination this November

Curious how the world’s coolest beans get to market? What paths, problems, and purposes they take on throughout their journey? This fall, as soybean harvest continues across our country, the American Soybean Association breaks down where “cool beans”—those responsibly grown, reliably available, versatile and protein-packed orbs sourced only from 500,000 U.S. soy farmers—are shipped and what end use they may serve. What’s more, this unique education campaign will cover why transportation and infrastructure are imperative to U.S. soy’s continued success.

“There are 30 primary soy-producing states in the U.S. covering roughly half the country, but it is not always clear to those outside our industry the path our beans take from various regions to get from field to final destination,” said Wendy Brannen, ASA Sr. Director of Marketing and Communications. “With the #SoyOnTheGo social media campaign, we will personify four beans and walk through how they get to market, and more importantly, why modernized infrastructure that supports reliable transportation is critical to the long-term success of our industry,” said Brannen.

ASA in a separate press release last Friday evening touted the passage by both chambers of H.R. 3684, noting that the historic investments in U.S. infrastructure in that piece of legislation will greatly impact the global competitiveness of soy and other agricultural products for years to come. #SoyOnTheGo will demonstrate specific examples of why ASA has been supportive of that bipartisan infrastructure package and the organization will continue to push for and appreciate strong domestic infrastructure.

Kicking off the campaign this week is Beanjamin, who hails from the Upper Midwest and journeys by road, rail and vessel to the soy export market. Follow Beanjamin and friends these next four weeks—and hear soy policy priorities related to the #SoyOnTheGo campaign—on ASA’s Facebook and Twitter. ASA encourages you to like, share, and repost so those persons both inside and outside of agriculture can learn more about farm production, distribution and markets through this new cast of characters, including soy and soy priorities.