Monday December 6 Ag News

 STOLTENOW NAMED DEAN AND DIRECTOR OF NEBRASKA EXTENSION

Charles Stoltenow will be the 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. He was selected to lead Nebraska Extension via a national search, pending approval of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. Stoltenow was one of two finalists who interviewed on campus earlier this fall. He was named priority candidate and spent 10 days in November touring Nebraska and meeting with university faculty, staff and stakeholders.

“I am so excited about the opportunity to return to and work with the people of Nebraska,” Stoltenow said. “The capacity, reputation and commitment of Nebraska Extension to enhancing the lives of its residents is second to none. I look forward to continuing my journey across the state, to listening to our residents, stakeholders and extension staff to better understand where we are and where our challenges and opportunities lie, and to co-create priority initiatives to guide us as we move ahead.”

Prior to joining NDSU Extension in 1996, Stoltenow worked in private practice as an equine veterinarian; as a veterinary epidemiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and for the Nebraska Department of Health as the assistant state epidemiologist. 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.

“After watching Dr. Stoltenow visit with community leaders and extension professionals across Nebraska, it is clear that he truly understands the importance of county-based extension and the value it brings to producers and families across our state,” said Mike Boehm, NU Vice President and Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “At the same time, he is a forward-looking and creative leader who I am confident will nurture the success of our amazing team of extension professionals in ways that strengthens the resilience of Nebraska’s 531 communities and enhances the third-largest agricultural economy in the United States.”

Stoltenow will assume his new position on Jan. 1. He succeeds Chuck Hibberd, who retired in June 2020. Dave Varner, associate dean of Nebraska Extension, served as the interim dean and director following Hibberd’s retirement. Varner will return to the associate dean role.

“I am grateful for Dr. Varner’s leadership during the past 18 months,” Boehm said. “He capably and successfully led Nebraska Extension through an incredibly challenging time, and I am forever grateful to Dave for his steady and empathetic leadership.”

For more information on Stoltenow, visit https://ianr.unl.edu/dean-and-director-nebraska-extension. For more information on Nebraska Extension, visit https://extension.unl.edu.



Nebraska Farmers Union 108th Annual State Convention Completed

Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) held their 108th annual state convention in farm homes and offices across the state December 3rd using the ZOOM platform. The convention theme was:  “108 Years of Leadership”.  The event was well attended as NeFU delegates elected their state president, three NeFU Board of Directors, 3 delegates and 3 alternates to the 2022 National Farmers Union convention, and a member of the NeFU Foundation Board of Directors. The members and guests also heard reports on the year’s activities for the farm organization, its foundation, and its political action committee.    

NeFU Election Results:   
            Delegates elected John Hansen from Newman Grove to his 17th two year term as their state president without opposition. Hansen’s 32 years at the helm as president started in 1990.
            Delegates from their respective districts elected three NeFU Board of Directors.  Lynn Belitz of Fullerton was elected to a three-year term from NeFU District 2. He replaced Jim Knopik of Belgrade who retired. Vern Jantzen of Plymouth was re-elected to a three year term from District 4. Jantzen also serves as NeFU Vice President and NEBFARMPAC President. Graham Christensen of Omaha was re-elected to a three year term. Christensen also serves as NeFU Secretary.     
            Three delegates from the membership were elected as delegates to the 120th National Farmers Union convention that will be held February 27-March 1, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. Keith Dittrich of Tilden, Marci Regier of Beatrice and Andrew Tonnies of North Bend were elected to represent NeFU as delegates.  Don Schuller of Wymore, Darrel Buschkoetter of Lawrence, and Mike Williams of North Bend were elected first, second and third alternates.
            Ron Todd-Meyer of Lincoln was re-elected by the membership to serve on the NeFU Foundation Board, and Al Davis of Hyannis was elected from the NeFU Board of Directors as its NeFU Foundation Board representative.   

President’s Award Winner:
            The President’s Award is NeFU’s highest award, and is presented to individuals who provide outstanding service and leadership to family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities at the state or national levels.
            This year’s President’s Award winner was retiring NeFU Board of Director Jim Knopik and his wife Carolyn of Belgrade. “For many decades, Jim and Carolyn have shown an amazing commitment to support and serve family farmers, ranchers, and the rural community,” said NeFU President John Hansen. “Rural Nebraska is a better place thanks to their efforts. They are great role models. We are grateful for their service and dedication.”

NeFU delegates set policy.  NeFU Policy Chair Vern Jantzen led NeFU delegates through both NeFU Policy Day November 23rd and at Convention as they adopted the 2021-2022 NeFU policy and six Special Orders of Business highlighting this year’s priorities. The NeFU State policy is posted on the NeFU website at:   www.nebraskafarmersunion.org.



Lower Elkhorn NRD announces winners of Conservation Poster Contest

“Healthy Forests = Healthy Communities” was the theme for this year’s Stewardship Week and Poster Contest sponsored by the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD).

Trees and forests are critical to providing clean air and water, healthy soil, abundant wildlife habitat, and valuable products we use every day. LENRD Information & Education Specialist, Julie Wragge, said, “It’s important that each of us does our part to care for trees.”

Over 100 K-12th grade students participated in the contest. Trees, branches, and wildlife were some of the examples shown in the winning posters, created by students from across the Lower Elkhorn NRD’s 15-counties in northeast Nebraska.

The following winners will receive special recognition from the Lower Elkhorn NRD:

Grades K-1     
1) Monroe Crogan      Howells-Dodge
2) Colton Praest       St. Wenceslaus, Dodge
3) Ashtyn Ebeling     Howells-Dodge

Grades 2-3
1) Noelle Heinen        St. Francis, Humphrey
2) Milo Spieker       St. Mary’s, Wayne
3) Brylie Reigle          St. Francis, Humphrey

Grades 4-6
1) Mariana Nexticapan Hernandez           St. Mary’s, Wayne
2) Haylie Hinrichsen          St. Wenceslaus, Dodge
3) Emma Ortmeier             St. Wenceslaus, Dodge

Grades 7-9
1) Emma Canham           Norfolk High School
2) Skylar Indra                Norfolk High School

Grades 10-12
1) Myranda Hansen         Norfolk High School
2) Krista Beranek               Scribner-Snyder Community School
3) Kolton Lingenfelter            Norfolk High School

The first-place posters in each category were sent on to the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) in Lincoln for the State Competition.

The NARD recently announced that the Lower Elkhorn NRD has 4 winners at the State level this year. Students winning in the State competition include:
    Grades K-1:  Monroe Crogan, Howells-Dodge
    Grades 4-6:  Mariana Nexticapan Hernandez, St. Mary’s, Wayne
    Grades 7-9:  Emma Canham, Norfolk High School
    Grades 10-12: Myranda Hansen, Norfolk High School

These students will receive special recognition from the NARD in Lincoln. The winning posters from the State competition will be sent on to Las Vegas, Nevada for the National competition in February 2021.

Wragge added, “This contest is a fun way to help students connect with the world around them and use the theme to focus on things they can see and hear in their own backyard. Congratulations to all the participants. We look forward to seeing all the talent from the students again next year.”

The 2022 stewardship theme is “Healthy Soil: Healthy Life”. For more information on the poster contest, contact Julie Wragge, at jwragge@lenrd.org or 402-371-7313.



What is the Maple Creek Watershed Plan and how does it affect me?

The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD), is working with the federal government, local communities, and property owners in a planning exercise to address the flooding concerns in the Maple Creek Watershed covering Stanton, Platte, Cuming, Colfax, and Dodge Counties in northeast Nebraska.

The LENRD submitted a proposal through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Watershed Flood Prevention and Operations (WFPO) program for the evaluation and planning process and was awarded the grant in 2020.

The LENRD is currently working through the process of the WFPO Plan which is 30% completed. LENRD General Manager, Mike Sousek, said, “It’s important to understand that this Maple Creek Watershed Plan is simply a ‘planning document’ to evaluate what is technically and economically feasible, and socially acceptable across the area.”

Sousek said, “Because the district is spending time in this effort, we would then be eligible for funding to install flood prevention measures and work on projects that are ACCEPTABLE within the watershed, and to help communities with their flood prevention needs.”

He added, “The major point of developing this plan is to provide both flood protection and property tax relief. The property tax relief comes by securing federal dollars rather than raising local property tax dollars to do the same work that has been given to us by the Nebraska Legislature. NRCS could provide 100% of the financial commitment for design and construction of projects within the plan.”

Another component to the Maple Creek WFPO plan is the LENRD’s continued commitment to help communities in the watershed. The district has been working with the Village of Clarkson for over 10 years to bring their levee system to standards for accreditation. In the past, the district has helped communities with 50% of the local cost to accomplish such projects. By incorporating this project into the WFPO plan, neither the Village of Clarkson nor the LENRD would need to use valuable financial resources because the federal government could potentially cover 100% of this cost.

The Village of Nickerson sits at the very eastern, tail end of the Maple Creek Watershed. This community has continually asked for help with flood reduction. By incorporating a project to redesign or remove altogether a bridge that seems to be a bottle neck in the system, this project could also be covered under this plan.

Letters from the LENRD have been sent to the citizens across the Maple Creek watershed, requesting ideas to formulate this plan. The LENRD is asking for your help in developing your ideas and working together to research ways to reduce flooding.

LENRD Projects Manager, Curt Becker, said, “While not everyone is interested in doing something, we do have individuals expressing their willingness to place small flood control structures on their property, whether it be a detention cell, wetland development, a small dam, or other flood reduction projects.”  He continued, “These ideas are being documented and worked into the WFPO plan to help the LENRD board of directors determine what level of flood reduction we are willing to tackle and help secure the dollars needed for the approved plan.”

Once the evaluation and planning process is completed, a public meeting will be held for gathering any remaining input from the public followed by a presentation to the LENRD board for approval.



Webinar to cover ag leasing decisions for 2022

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Agricultural Profitability will present a webinar on leasing considerations for agricultural land in 2022 at noon on Dec. 16.

For tenants, land can be difficult to rent because of limited supply and high costs. For landlords, the concern usually centers on receiving equitable rent. The webinar will look at the basics of leases and offer strategies for all parties to consider as new agreements are drafted in 2022.

It will be presented by Allan Vyhnalek, an extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who specializes in farm and ranch succession and land management issues.

The webinar is presented as part of the Center for Agricultural Profitability’s weekly series. Registration is free at https://cap.unl.edu/webinars.  



CATTLEMEN'S BEEF BOARD LAUNCHES 'THE DRIVE IN FIVE' WEB SERIES

The Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) has launched a new web series designed to help beef producers learn how their Checkoff dollars are being used to increase beef demand. The Drive in Five recaps some of the top stories from the CBB’s newsletter, The Drive, along with some exclusive, web-only content – all in a quick, five-minute video format.

“We’ve received some great feedback from producers about both the print and e-newsletter editions of The Drive since we began publishing it in 2018,” said Sarah Metzler, director of organizational communications for the CBB. “However, we know that a producer’s time is very limited, and not everyone has time to sit and read a newsletter, whether in print or in an email. It’s even more limited at certain times of the year, like calving season, spring planting and fall harvest. Now, producers can watch The Drive in Five in just a few short minutes, or even listen to the audio when they’re in their trucks or other equipment.”

The premiere episode of The Drive in Five is now available at the CBB’s website, DrivingDemandForBeef.com. It features Torri Lienemann, Nebraska beef producer and CBB board member, who sets the record straight on common Beef Checkoff misconceptions. New episodes will be released quarterly, and producers can text “DRIVE” to 1-888-351-6435 to get a sneak preview.
“When it comes to getting news and other information, we all have our preferences,” Metzler said. “Some people like to read their news; others prefer to watch or listen to it. By producing this new video series, we’re providing another convenient way to learn what the Beef Checkoff is doing and how it’s impacting beef demand. It’s another example of our efforts to improve transparency and communication with producers nationwide."

For more information about the Beef Checkoff and its programs, including promotion, research, foreign marketing, industry information, consumer information and safety, contact the Cattlemen’s Beef Board at 303-220-9890 or visit DrivingDemandForBeef.com.



October DMC Margin Shows Another Large Monthly Increase
NMPF newsletter

The October margin under the Dairy Margin Coverage program was $8.77/cwt, $1.85/cwt higher than a month earlier, as prices rose and feed costs fell. The October margin will produce a payment of about $0.73/cwt for coverage at the $9.50/cwt level. When eventually topped up with the full dairy-quality alfalfa cost figured in, this payment will rise to $0.96/cwt.

The October DMC feed cost dropped $0.55/cwt from a month earlier, mostly on a lower corn price, while the milk price rose by $1.30/cwt to $19.70/cwt. The increase was the third largest one-month increase since milk price-minus-feed cost margins were first calculated for federal dairy safety-net programs in 2014. Together with August’s increase, October’s margin rose $3.53/cwt over a two-month period.

The recent strength of milk prices is expected to continue through the end of the year, potentially ending this year’s unbroken string of margins below $9.50/cwt.

CWT-Assisted Dairy Export Sales Through November Reach 1.4 Billion Pounds
Despite not taking bids for two weeks during November breaks, CWT member cooperatives secured 94 contracts in November adding 11.5 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 2.6 million pounds of butter, 1.1 million pounds of whole milk powder and 183,000 pounds of cream cheese to CWT-assisted sales in 2021. These products will go customers in Asia, Middle East-North Africa, Europe, South America and Oceania, and will be shipped from November 2021 through May 2022.

CWT-assisted 2021 dairy product sales contracts year-to-date total 49.9 million pounds of American-type cheese, 15.9 million pounds of butter, 6.1 million pounds of anhydrous milkfat, 11.5 million pounds of cream cheese and 45.1 million pounds of whole milk powder. This brings the total milk equivalent for the year to 1.404 billion pounds on a milkfat basis.

Exporting dairy products is critical to the viability of dairy farmers and their cooperatives across the country. Whether or not a cooperative is actively engaged in exporting cheese, butter, anhydrous milkfat, cream cheese, or whole milk powder, moving products into world markets is essential. CWT provides a means to move domestic dairy products to overseas markets by helping to overcome U.S. dairy’s trade disadvantages.



Truterra Carbon Program Pays $4 Million to Farmers for 200,000 Metric Tons of Carbon Stored in First Year; 2022 Program Now Open
 
Truterra, LLC, the sustainability business of Land O’Lakes, Inc., one of America’s largest farmer-owned cooperatives, today announced its 2022 carbon program, on the heels of high farmer interest and participation in its inaugural carbon program, launched in February 2021. Truterra’s 2021 offering made more than $4 million in cash payments upfront to participating farmers, who sequestered over 200,000 metric tons of carbon. Designed to be the most farmer-favorable contract on the market that generates high quality, verified carbon assets, the 2021 Truterra carbon offering delivered an average payment per participating farmer of $20,000, with some payments of more than $100,000.

The Truterra carbon program is rooted in the Land O’Lakes cooperative network, which touches about 50 percent of all U.S. harvested acres. In partnership with the Land O’Lakes network of agricultural retailer owners, Truterra focuses on delivering the highest quality field-level data, supporting science-based measurement and verification, and advancing industry-leading transparency. The Truterra carbon program is grounded in working through the agricultural retailer network of trusted agronomy advisors to connect farmers to carbon market opportunities. This results in both better agronomic insights to help farmers continuously improve their operations, and enhanced carbon product credibility for buyers. Truterra believes this shared value is key to the long-term success and stability of a voluntary carbon market.

“It is critical for us to co-invest with our ag retailer partners along with farmers to support regenerative systems that will help farms become more resilient and derive the most value from every acre,” said Jason Weller, President, Truterra. "We have seen strong interest from farmers. They see the Truterra carbon program as not only a new revenue stream for their operations, but also an incentive to continue innovating and adopting new practices which help mitigate the damaging and costly impacts of a changing climate on both their operations and our nation’s food supply.”

In 2022, Truterra will offer two distinct approaches to encourage climate-smart practices and carbon storage in agricultural soils. The first is its 2022 carbon program, which is structured similarly to the Truterra 2021 carbon program and focuses on generating carbon assets in partnership with farmers who have recently adopted soil health management practices that store additional carbon in their soils. The second approach is designed as an on-ramp for farmers who are just getting started with climate-smart practices and are exploring options and seeking support to adopt soil health systems.

Farmers participating in the 2022 carbon program may be eligible for a one-time, upfront payment of $20 per ton of carbon based on recently adopted changes in soil health practices, including significant reduction in tillage and the addition of cover crops. Eligible cropping systems include corn, soybean, wheat, or cotton as part of farmers’ crop rotations.

New in 2022, Truterra is also launching a forward-looking approach for farmers implementing climate-smart practices for the first time and interested in potentially participating in carbon markets in the future. Truterra’s carbon market access program will engage and support farmers through the process of implementing new practices. Participating farmers may be eligible to receive one-time payments of up to $2 per acre for enrolling in the carbon market access program. Truterra will be developing and testing a suite of support services designed to streamline and facilitate conservation practice finance access, agronomic assistance, and data management.

Under this approach, farmers will maintain ownership and options with their carbon rights in current and future years and are not required to make a long-term commitment to maintain the practice changes if they are not the right fit for their operations. The program is all about helping farmers make the best decisions and support their adoption of soil health systems on their crop fields while also preparing their operations to potentially participate in carbon markets in the future. Importantly, at the end of crop year 2022 farmers may be eligible to receive an offer from Truterra for future carbon sequestration purchase offers in 2023 and beyond.

“I know that conservation practices are good for our families’ soils and productivity. We were interested in exploring what revenue could be available to support practices like cover cropping, strip-till, and no-till on our operation,” said Lukas Fricke, whose sixth-generation family operation participated in Truterra’s 2021 carbon offer. “To see actual dollars come back for the positive impact we are having was so exciting. Having Truterra and our ag retailer Central Valley Ag’s support in managing all of the data collection and soil testing was critical so we could stay focused on farming.”

Truterra has made the farmer experience a top priority, based on the understanding that durable, high-quality carbon credits and widespread adoption of climate-smart practices across agricultural acres depends, in part, on a streamlined and seamless farmer experience. There are no administrative costs, such as soil testing and verification costs, to farmers to participate in Truterra’s carbon program.



U.S. Lawmakers Establish Congressional FFA Caucus

A new group established in Congress will focus on challenges affecting tomorrow’s ag industry. U.S. Representatives Tracey Mann (R-Kan.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) announced the creation of the Congressional FFA Caucus.

The informal group will consist of members of the House dedicated to addressing issues related to the next generation of ag leaders and students pursuing careers in ag, natural resources and related sciences.

Mann and Panetta cofounded the caucus and will be part of its membership.

“I’m delighted to form the FFA Caucus,” Mann said on Thursday, the Salina Post reported. It never existed before and it's important to bring members from both sides of the aisle across the political spectrum and across the country and really be able to focus on ag education in our schools and promote the FFA in the process."

The caucus will have two main objectives.

One is to strengthen the profile of school-based ag education and FFA. The other is to develop relationships between Congress, FFA and young ag leaders.

More than 735,000 students are part of 8,817 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

FFA members welcome the opportunity to engage with lawmakers and provide input about how to help young people succeed in agriculture.



USDA Establishes Food Purchase Program to Transform the Food System, Build Back Better via Local Food Purchase

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the establishment of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) that will award up to $400 million for emergency food assistance purchases of domestic local foods. Utilizing American Rescue Plan funds, these purchases will help to transform the food system and build back a better food system—one that is fair, competitive, distributed, and resilient because the purchases will expand local and regional markets and place an emphasis on purchasing from historically underserved farmers and ranchers. The awards will be made through non-competitive cooperative agreements with state and tribal governments.

Eligible state and tribal governments can apply now until April 5, 2022, at www.grants.gov.

Also today, as part of the Build Back Better Food System Transformation Initiative, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is announcing the availability of up to $50 million in funds provided by the American Rescue Plan for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Reach and Resiliency Grants to state agencies to expand program access in rural, tribal, and other currently underserved areas. These grants and the LFPA are both part of USDA’s robust and ongoing support for food banks and the broader emergency food system.

The investments are part of USDA’s Build Back Better Food System Transformation initiative authorized by the American Rescue Plan and are among the programs derived from a $1 billion investment announced earlier this year to serve as a bridge from the immediate need to provide producers with support via the Pandemic Assistance Initiative to longer-term investments in food system transformation. One of the lessons from COVID-19 is that the current food system is too rigid, consolidated and fragile. These cooperative agreements will help state, tribal and local entities purchase food more efficiently from local producers and invest in infrastructure that enables partner organizations to reach underserved communities more effectively.

“As we build back better than we were before, we will strengthen our efforts to provide emergency food assistance and expand economic opportunity for historically underserved producers by allowing state and tribal governments to buy and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious and unique to their geographic area,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “This program will help get local and regional agricultural products into schools, food banks and other nutritional assistance programs, and organizations that reach underserved communities. It also advances our efforts to ensure that historically underserved populations gain equal access to USDA resources through a combination of grants, loans, pilot programs, technical assistance, cooperative agreements, and more.”

The cooperative agreements — managed by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service — will provide organizations the flexibility to design food purchasing programs and establish partnerships with farmers and ranchers within the state or within 400 miles of the delivery destination that best suit their local needs, accommodates environmental and climate conditions, accounts for seasonal harvests, and meets the needs of the population within their service area. State and tribal governments can partner with nonprofits and will be required to submit proposals indicating how they will use the funds to purchase commodities to support local, regional and historically underserved farmers and ranchers within their states or region.

Cooperative agreements will be awarded based on need and the ability to meet the goals of the program. The period of performance for the cooperative agreements will be for up to two years following the date of award, to include two harvest seasons.

Recipients of the cooperative agreements will be required to submit quarterly performance reports that will include data regarding the procurement and distribution to ensure program goals are met. Recipients will also be required to provide annual and final reports at the end of each performance year and at the end of the agreement.

More information about the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) is available at www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/lfpacap.