Tuesday November 2 Ag News

 CORN STALK QUALITY AFTER WEATHERING
– Jerry Volesky, NE Extension

Fall rain and snow are good for wheat and next year’s crops, but it does have its drawbacks.   One challenge is its impact on corn stalk feed quality.

While this fall has been relatively dry, there has and will continue to be areas that receive some rain or snow events.  Rain reduces corn stalk quality several ways.  Most easily noticed is how fast stalks can get soiled or trampled into the ground if the fields become muddy.

Less noticeable are nutritional changes.  Rain or melting snow soaks into dry corn stalk residue and leaches out some of the soluble nutrients.  Most serious is the loss of sugars and other energy-dense nutrients, which lowers the TDN or energy value of the stalks.  These same nutrients also disappear if stalks begin to mold or rot in the field or especially in the bale.  Then palatability and intake also decline.

Another factor that affects cornstalk grazing is wind.  Throughout the fall, there always seems to be those days where excessively high winds will easily blow corn leaves and husks off the field.  This of course, can impact the amount of feed, and after grain, those leaves and husks contain the highest nutritional quality.

There is little you can do to prevent these losses.  What you can do, though, is to closely monitor cow and field conditions while adjusting your supplementation program accordingly.  Since weathering by rain reduces TDN more than it reduces protein, consider the energy value of your supplements as well as its protein content.

Weathered corn stalks still are economical feeds.  Just supplement them accordingly.



Stoltenow named priority candidate in Nebraska Extension dean and director search

Charles Stoltenow has been named the priority candidate in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s search for its next dean and director of Nebraska Extension.  

Stoltenow currently serves as assistant director of Extension for Agriculture and Natural Resources at North Dakota State University. Prior to joining NDSU Extension in 1996, he worked as a veterinarian and epidemiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He has also worked in private practice as an equine veterinarian. He has a bachelor’s degree in animal science from North Dakota State University and received his doctoral degree in veterinary medicine from Iowa State University.

As priority candidate, Stoltenow will return to Nebraska for a statewide tour to various communities and research, extension and education centers. During the tour, community leaders, residents and UNL faculty, staff, learners and stakeholders will have opportunities to visit with Stoltenow and learn more about his vision for Nebraska Extension. An itinerary listing opportunities for stakeholders to meet with Stoltenow will be released later this week.

“Charlie is a forward-looking leader who is extremely passionate about Extension, its mission and its future,” said Mike Boehm, NU Vice President and Harlan Vice Chancellor for UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “I am thrilled to welcome him back to Nebraska for this next step in our search for a new permanent dean and director of Nebraska Extension.”

More information on Stoltenow is available at https://ianr.unl.edu/dean-and-director-nebraska-extension. More information on Nebraska Extension is available at extension.unl.edu.   



Owner of Stromsburg’s Fiber Mill to be featured on Women in Ag webcast

“Open for Business: A Nebraska Women in Agripreneurship Series” will feature Kelsey Patton, owner of the Fiber Mill in Stromsburg, during its next live webcast on Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m Central time.

Produced by Nebraska Women in Agriculture, the monthly webcast series highlights the entrepreneurial spirit of women in agribusiness from across the state, offering creative insights and the stories behind what it takes to build a business.

The conversations focus on surviving business shocks such as disasters, regulatory changes and shifting family dynamics. Featured business leaders are interviewed by Brittany Fulton, extension assistant with the Nebraska Women in Agriculture program.

Patton has been spinning and weaving as a hobby and business, sometimes in the traditional Scandinavian way, sometimes in fun, new and modern ways. About four years ago, she began the process of opening her own wool mill, The Fiber Mill, in downtown Stromsburg. After three years of planning and research, the business opened in September 2020. The Fiber Mill handles wool processing from all over the United States, turning wool and other fibers into yarn, roving and felt.

Patton lives in Stromsburg with her husband, Philip, and son Hans.

The webcast is free to attend but registration is required on the Nebraska Women in Agriculture program website, https://wia.unl.edu.



Barchart Forecasts Slight Production Increase for US Corn and Soybeans in Final 2021 Estimates

Barchart, a leading provider of data services, software and technology to global commodity buyers, agriculture, and the food supply chain, has released their final 2021 Yield and Production forecasts for U.S. and Canadian field crops.  This latest report indicates a slight increase in U.S. crop production and yield for both corn and soybeans, while Canadian production forecasts remain relatively unchanged over the past month.

“As we wrap up our 2021 crop production forecasts, we have adjusted our estimates to show a slight increase in yield for U.S. corn (182.8 bu/ac vs. 182.3 in October) and soybeans (51.4 bu/ac vs. 51.3 bu/ac in October),” said Barchart CEO Mark Haraburda. “We have been proud to supply US and Canadian grain professionals with access to our crop production forecasts throughout the 2021 growing season, and we look forward to continuing to deliver this essential information in 2022,” added Haraburda.

Barchart November 2021 Estimates
-    U.S. Corn Production - Forecast at 15.4B bu with a yield of 182.8 bu/ac.  This compares to the USDA’s 15.0B bu of production and 176.5 bu/ac yield.
-    U.S. Soybean Production - Forecast at 4.5B bu with a yield of 51.4 bu/ac.  This compares to the USDA’s 4.4B bu of production and 51.5 bu/ac yield.
-    Canadian Spring Wheat Production - Forecast at 746.4M bu with a yield of 46.3 bu/ac.  This compares to the AAFC’s 668M bu of production and 38.7 bu/ac yield (includes spring wheat and winter wheat, excludes durum wheat).
-    Canadian Soybean Production - Forecast at 223.1M bu with a yield of 42.2 bu/ac.  This compares to the AAFC’s 216.4M bu of production and 40.9 bu/ac yield.



R-CALF USA Participates in Circulating Joint M-COOL Letter; Three U.S. Senators Explain Its Importance

A letter seeking signatures from a wide-range of organizations supporting the recently introduced American Beef Labeling Act of 2021 (S.2716) is now being circulated among organizations representing farm, ranch, rural, faith, environmental, farm/food worker, manufacturing, and cattle/farm industry support businesses. R-CALF USA is among the participating groups circulating the letter in an effort to secure swift passage of S.2716.

Senate Bill 2716 would reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling (M-COOL) for beef within 12 months of enactment. The bill was introduced on September 13 and is gaining bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) are the bill’s original cosponsors and Senators John Hoeven (R-N.Dak.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.Mex.) joined as cosponsors last week.

“South Dakota cattle producers work tirelessly to produce some of the highest quality beef in the world,” said Thune. “The pandemic has only highlighted their important role in our domestic food supply and the urgent need to strengthen it. To ensure the viability of cattle ranching in this country, the system in which producers operate must be fair and transparent. Unfortunately, the current beef labeling system in this country allows imported beef that is neither born nor raised in the United States, but simply finished here, to be labeled as a product of the USA. This process is unfair to cattle producers and misleading for consumers. As a long-time supporter of M-COOL, I’m proud to see such a strong bipartisan push to ensure consumers know where their beef comes from.”

“Montana ranchers raise the best cattle in the world, and it’s time American families are guaranteed the right to know whether their beef is from Broadus or Brazil,” said Tester. “With health questions being raised about foreign beef, it’s more important than ever that consumers know when they’re buying American beef at the supermarket. This bipartisan legislation will level the playing field for Montana’s family farmers and ranchers and protect the health and safety of American families.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic proved how important it is to have a strong, reliable, local food supply, and consumers deserve to know where their food comes from,” said Luján, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “That is why I am a proud cosponsor of The American Beef Labeling Act, which would support New Mexico farmers and ranchers and allow consumers to know with certainty where their food comes from.”

To demonstrate the widespread support S.2716 enjoys among diverse economic sectors, national groups representing cattle, farm, consumer, labor, and manufacturing penned a supportive M-COOL sign-on letter for other organizations to sign that will be delivered to the U.S. Senate before December. The letter can be read and signed at www.labelourbeef.com.

The sign-on letter itself explains why such a diverse cross-section of the U.S. economy supports M-COOL. It sates S.2716 “would promote a safe and affordable supply of wholesome beef for America’s consumers; a fairer, more competitive market for America’s cattle farmers and ranchers; and quality family-sustaining jobs for meat processing workers.”

The letter further explains that many consumer goods, including many food items, are already subject to mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirements and that there is no reason to exclude beef. It also states that “current rules, which allow meatpackers to label as “Product of the USA” beef that is imported and repackaged at a U.S. processing facility, are indefensible.”

The letter concludes: “American consumers deserve the right to choose, American cattle farmers and ranchers deserve the right to compete for the consumers’ favor in their domestic market, and meat processing workers deserve quality jobs.”



Frozen Turkey Inventories Running 24% Below Average
USDA Economic Research Service

Remembering to defrost the turkey might not be the only challenge families face as they try to get that perennial centerpiece onto the Thanksgiving table this year. As of August 31, 2021, inventories of frozen whole turkeys and turkey parts were 24 percent lower than 3-year average volumes.

Stocks of frozen turkey meat typically follow a seasonal pattern, building throughout the year until the fall, when retailers prepare to meet holiday demand. In 2021, the seasonal build-up was less pronounced than usual, and stock volumes appear to have peaked before starting an earlier-than-normal decline. At the end of August 2021, 428.1 million pounds of turkey meat were in cold storage, a 19-percent decrease from the same month last year, and a decline of about 7 million pounds from the end of July 2021.

Stocks are lower partly because production of turkeys is lower than average this year. At 474.2 million pounds, August 2021 turkey production was mostly unchanged from the same time in 2020 but below the 3-year average, in part a result of high feed costs. August placements of turkey chicks, down about 4 percent from the 3-year average, are dampening expectations for both turkey production and stocks.

August marks the latest date by which a turkey chick can mature in time to be harvested for Thanksgiving.



Growth Energy Submits Notice of Intent to Sue EPA Over Biofuel Delays

Today, Growth Energy submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a notice of intent to sue regarding its failure to timely fulfill the agency’s statutory obligation under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) to issue the 2022 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) and in turn, the potentially multi-year “set” rulemaking process for renewable fuel volumes for 2023 and beyond. The RVOs for 2022 are due by November 30th, 2021, an annual deadline set by Congress in the RFS. As of today, 28 days before that statutory deadline, EPA has not even issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to establish those obligations. Additionally, the final “set” rulemaking was due on November 1, 2021, and EPA has not issued a notice of proposed rulemaking for that, either. Today’s notice gives EPA 60 days to issue the 2022 RVO and the set rulemakings before risking a lawsuit in federal court.  

“With surging fuel costs and rising emissions, we cannot afford to hold back lower-cost, lower carbon biofuels with needless regulatory uncertainty,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “It is critical for EPA to issue these RVOs as soon as possible and map out the RFS ‘set’ for 2023 and beyond. EPA would be missing a critical opportunity to address our climate challenge, provide consumers with continued lower-carbon choices at the pump, and contribute to the rural recovery.”

Background
Each year through 2022, EPA is required to issue a rulemaking establishing the percentage of renewable fuel (the “renewable volume obligation” or “RVO”) that obligated refiners and importers must blend to ensure that annual renewable fuel volume requirements established by statute are met. Failure to issue RVOs on time undermines the RFS by eliminating prospective, market-forcing blending obligations, and by creating uncertainty in the market for obligated parties and renewable fuels producers alike. For more information on RVOs, click here for FAQ.

For 2023 and later, EPA, in coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), is required to set these renewable fuel volume requirements through one or more rulemakings, taking into consideration six statutory factors, including environmental, economic, and energy security factors. EPA is required to set volume requirements at least 14 months prior to the calendar year in which they are to take effect. In addition, EPA is constrained by statute to ensure that, for each year starting in 2023, the volume of advanced renewable fuel is at least the same percentage as the volume of the total renewable fuel requirement established in 2022.   



Growth Energy Emphasizes to USDA Importance of Biofuels and Agriculture to Meeting Climate Goals

In comments submitted to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Growth Energy discussed the continued innovation of low-carbon biofuels and the importance of appropriately crediting farmers for their efforts to address climate change. These comments are in response to USDA’s proposed Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Partnership Program (CSAF).

CSAF, announced by USDA Secretary Vilsack in September, is an initiative to partner with agriculture, forestry, and rural communities and to finance the deployment of climate-smart farming and forestry practices to aid in the marketing of climate-smart agricultural commodities. In their comments, Growth Energy asked USDA to credit farmers for instituting carbon-friendly agriculture practices and take them into consideration when rating carbon intensity scores for biofuels, particularly for programs like sustainable aviation fuel and overall efforts to address climate change.  

“USDA is best positioned to accurately determine how precision agriculture and improved practices lower carbon intensity scores for farming, and therefore the overall carbon intensity for ethanol,” wrote Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “This will make biofuels like ethanol a more attractive solution towards addressing climate change when advanced farming practices are appropriately recognized.”

The comments also urge USDA to acknowledge actions taken by biofuels producers which decrease carbon emissions, including significant investments in carbon capture and sequestration projects around the country.

In order to fully capture the economic and environmental benefits brought by the CSAF Program, Growth Energy called on USDA to work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to release growth oriented Renewable Volume Obligations for 2021 and 2022, continue investments in higher blend infrastructure programs, and coordinate with the administration to provide year-round access to E15.  

“We urge USDA to continue bringing biofuels to the table as our country designs a national strategy to reduce overall carbon emissions. Biofuel production allows our farmers and rural economies to participate in consistent markets as we also work to reduce the environmental impact of the agriculture sector. We are grateful for [USDA’s] consideration of these comments and look forward to working with the department to advance these important initiatives.”



RFA Emphasizes Ethanol’s Potential in USDA Climate-Smart Program

The USDA’s new Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry program should prioritize projects that will help farmers and downstream processors—like ethanol biorefineries—measure, verify, and monetize carbon sequestration and emissions reductions that result from new technologies and more efficient practices. This recommendation was one of many suggestions submitted by the Renewable Fuels Association Monday in response to the USDA’s request for information on potential Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry (CSAF) initiatives.

RFA’s comments highlighted the fact that renewable fuels already serve as an excellent example of how agriculture can reduce emissions and significantly contribute to the fight against climate change.

“Corn-based ethanol is the perfect climate-smart commodity; it already cuts GHG emissions in half compared when directly to gasoline,”  wrote RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “The transportation sector is the single largest source of GHG emissions in the U.S. Although emissions from the sector are lower than they were in the mid-2000s, they still accounted for 29% of total U.S. emissions in 2019. Therefore, for the CSAF Partnership Program to have the greatest impact, projects that involve the transportation sector, specifically including biofuels, should be eligible for support.”

When it comes to ethanol feedstock, the separation of climate-smart corn from commodity field corn may require adjustments to the supply chain, the comments noted, but this is not unusual for today’s production agriculture. “Systems that could be used in supply chains for climate-smart corn or that could serve as analogs already exist or are taking shape,” Cooper wrote.

In addition, when it comes to project funding, USDA should support efforts that help bridge the gap between current systems and those that will be needed for climate-smart corn and ethanol to expand to commercial scale. It is not necessary that USDA fully fund projects, Cooper wrote, but more simply “to provide the support needed to help get climate-smart agriculture off the ground and demonstrate to private-sector participants that this market segment will have the size and staying power to merit their investment.”

With regard to USDA’s stated desire to more inclusively serve disadvantaged communities, Cooper finally noted that the inclusion of ethanol and related corn production in the CSAF Partnership Program would benefit historically underserved communities more broadly, including economically and environmentally disadvantaged communities in both rural and urban areas.



Russia Ramps Up Ag Exports by 20% Since January

Supplies of Russian agricultural products abroad have risen since the beginning of the year, totaling $26 billion as of October 24, data by the AgroExport division of the country’s Ministry of Agriculture shows.

The figure is 19.5% higher than during the same period of last year. Exports of grain increased 11.6% to over $8 billion, while sales of fish and seafood soared 21.1% to $5.1 billion. Deliveries of fat and oil products jumped 47.5% to $5.35 billion. Exports of products from the food processing industry rose by 8.9% to $3.5 billion, while meat and dairy products grew 29.9% to more than $1 billion.

The European Union and Turkey were the major importers of Russian agricultural goods, accounting for 13% and 11.8% of the total exports respectively. China has also increased imports of Russian produce since the beginning of the year by 36.4% to more than $3 billion.

The top 10 importers of Russian agricultural products also include South Korea, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Belarus, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.

Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture expects the volume of the country’s agricultural exports to reach $34-35 billion by the end of the year.