Tuesday January 25 Ag News

 Nebraska Corn and Soybean Farmers Partner with Bridge Engineers to Promote Enhanced Bridge Evaluation and Management

Nebraska farmers depend upon rural bridges to ensure corn, soybeans, and other commodities are delivered to the local elevator or processing facility.  Unfortunately, a significant number of rural bridges in Nebraska are load restricted, requiring vehicles transporting agricultural commodities to incur a detour – often at considerable distances.  These detours add significant costs in the food delivery system and reduced profitability for Nebraska farmers.

In an effort to promote better evaluation of the state’s rural bridges, the Nebraska Corn Board and the Soy Transportation Coalition have partnered with Kirkham Michael – an Omaha-based civil engineering firm with operations in Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa – on an innovative project designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of load testing technology when assessing the load carrying capacity of rural bridges.

“For our team of engineers, public safety has always been, and will always be, our number one priority when evaluating the condition of bridges,” says Steve Reneker, P.E., Vice President at Kirkham Michael.  “However, what we continue to learn is that the sole reliance on visual inspection and theoretical calculations can result in bridges being load restricted or identified for rehabilitation or replacement sooner than necessary.  This not only results in costly detours or limited access, but it prevents our state and local governments from most efficiently targeting taxpayer dollars to those bridges in greatest need of replacement and repair.”

The focus of the project is to evaluate bridges utilizing load testing sensors attached to the underside of the bridge.  After the sensors are attached, test loads are driven over the various segments of the bridge surface to determine a precise understanding of the capabilities of the bridge.  Funding to perform the testing was provided by the Nebraska Corn Board and the Soy Transportation Coalition.

“When using this load testing technology, we have learned there are three potential outcomes,” says Doug Saathoff, a farmer from Trumbull, Nebraska, and Chairman of the Nebraska Soybean Board and director on the Soy Transportation Coalition.  “First, the bridge may be in better condition than originally assessed.  Second, the testing closely confirms the original assessment.  Finally, the testing could suggest the bridge is in worse condition than originally assessed.  While the most frequent outcome is that the bridge is in better condition than assessed, all three of those outcomes are successful because greater clarity is being achieved.  We see this technology as another tool in the toolbox that we would like to see more widely utilized in rural Nebraska.”

During spring through December of 2021, Kirkham Michael tested ten total bridges in three Nebraska counties: Dixon County (three bridges), Saunders County (five bridges), and Sarpy County (two bridges).  All ten bridges had been assigned load restrictions based on earlier assessments.  Following the load testing, six of the ten bridges were able to have load restrictions removed entirely – including two bridges in Saunders County that provided access to Frontier Cooperative’s grain elevator in Ceresco.  Removing the six load postings now enable Nebraska farmers and others to transport legal loads with greater efficiency.  One of the ten bridges tested retained a load posting but with a higher weight allowance.  The remaining three bridges retained their original load postings.

“Dixon County was pleased to participate in this project,” says Lisa Lunz, a farmer from Wakefield, Nebraska, and member of the Dixon County Board of Supervisors.  After evaluating our three bridges utilizing the load testing equipment, the load restrictions on all three were able to be safely removed.  As county supervisors, our priorities in maintaining our bridge inventory are: 1.) Public safety, 2.) Practicing good stewardship of taxpayer funding, and 3.) Ensuring the public has as much access as possible to the county infrastructure.  Load testing technology has demonstrated we can achieve all three of these objectives.”    

“This project has demonstrated how Nebraska corn and soybean farmers are working together to promote solutions to our transportation challenges,” says Jay Reiners, a farmer from Juniata, Nebraska, and chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board.  “Since funding is so scarce, we need to explore ways to better understand which bridges truly require immediate repair or replacement and which ones can safely handle the trucks that transport grain produced in our state.  We look forward to continuing to promote this innovative approach throughout rural Nebraska.”  



Nebraska Beef Council Seeks Director Candidates

The Nebraska Beef Council is seeking candidates in four districts to serve on the board of directors in 2023. Directors volunteer their time to represent fellow beef producers while overseeing Beef Checkoff collections and investments on the state, national, and international level. The Board’s major responsibility is to oversee checkoff expenditures by determining promotion, research and education programs for checkoff investments. The term is four years and will begin on January 2, 2023.

Producers interested in becoming a director are encouraged to contact the Nebraska Beef Council office or visit with current and past directors to learn more about this valuable experience and its commitment.  
Election packets are currently available and can be obtained by calling the Nebraska Beef Council office at 800-421-5326.  All candidate materials contained in the election packet must be completed and mailed to the third party office, postmarked by June 15, 2022.

“Beef producers who are strong leaders and want to help us achieve our mission of strengthening beef demand in the global marketplace are encouraged to seek more information about our director openings,” said Ann Marie Bosshamer, executive director for the Nebraska Beef Council.
 
Districts hosting an election in 2022:
District 2- Cherry, Keya Paha, Brown, Rock, Grant, Hooker, Thomas, Blaine, Loup
District 4- Boyd, Holt, Knox, Antelope, Wheeler, Boone
District 6- Arthur, McPherson, Logan, Keith, Lincoln, Perkins, Chase, Hayes, Dundy, Hitchcock
District 8- Seward, Lancaster, Otoe, Adams, Clay, Fillmore, Saline, Gage, Johnson, Nemaha, Webster, Nuckolls, Thayer, Jefferson, Pawnee, Richardson

For additional information, log onto www.nebeef.org or contact the Nebraska Beef Council office at 1-800-421-5326.



CEREAL SILAGE MANAGEMENT
– Todd Whitney, NE Extension
 
Cereal grain crops such as wheat, triticale, oats and rye have become popular as Spring harvested forages. Compared to traditional haying, silage harvest can occur earlier while forages have higher moisture content. This then allows the next subsequent crop such as corn for silage to be planted earlier for an extended growing period.
 
Nebraska Extension research indicates that waiting until cereal crops reach the soft dough grain stage may offer the best timing for silage harvest. The target dry matter content for cereal silage to properly ferment is 30-35%. A statewide cereal silage study revealed that 50% of the harvest samples achieved the target moisture range. About 10% were too dry; and 40% were too wet partially due to wilting time being too short. When silage is too dry, then it is harder to get an adequate silage pack which increases nutrient losses and lowers palatability. Conversely, when silage is too wet; fermentation can result in slimy silage where the higher butyric acid bacteria numbers start taking over resulting in higher total digestible nutrient (TDN) losses.

In this study, average TDN losses were 5 units. The highest TDN of 65% occurred at the boot development stage, but decreased to the mid-50% during the milk kernel stage; then, increased to almost 58% TDN as development moved to soft dough.
 
Cereal crop hollow stems can cause packing challenges. The average study bulk density of 4.86 lbs. per cubic foot was well below the published target silage bulk density. Smaller forage chopping size can increase bulk density, but also causes harvest equipment to use more fuel. Another competing theme for dairy producers is the preference for longer chopped forages to increase fiber content.



USDA Urges Producers to Submit Applications for 2021 Grazing Loss Assistance by Jan. 31

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds ranchers and livestock producers that they may be eligible for financial assistance through the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) for 2021 grazing losses due to a qualifying drought or fire. The deadline to apply for 2021 LFP assistance is Jan. 31, 2022.

“Ongoing, widespread drought conditions have resulted in significant financial losses for agricultural producers, causing stress across rural America,” said Zach Ducheneaux, Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator. “I want to emphasize that the FSA is here to help offset these economic hardships and help producers rebuild with resilience. I’d like to encourage producers who suffered 2021 grazing losses to file their LFP applications as soon as possible to expedite payments. Timely filing is doubly important this year, as information gathered may be used to deliver upcoming disaster assistance.”

For the 2021 program year, 901 counties in 26 states and territories have met drought severity levels that trigger LFP eligibility. More than $473.1 million has been paid, to date, to livestock producers eligible for 2021 LFP. For LFP, qualifying drought triggers are determined using the U.S. Drought Monitor. Visit the FSA LFP webpage for a list of eligible counties and grazing crops https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/disaster-assistance-program/livestock-forage/index.

LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers and contract growers who also produce forage crops for grazing and suffered losses due to a qualifying drought or fire during the normal grazing period for the county.  Eligible livestock include alpacas, beef cattle, buffalo/bison, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, reindeer or sheep that have been or would have been grazing the eligible grazing land or pastureland during the normal grazing period.

To expedite the application process, producers are encouraged to gather and submit records documenting 2021 losses. Supporting documents may include information related to grazing leases, contract grower agreements, and more.



In 2022 Summit Speech IRFA’s Shaw Says Iowa Biofuels are “Fed Up but Fired Up”

Today Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw declared Iowa biofuels are “fed up but fired up” in his ‘State of the Industry’ address at the 2022 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit.
 
“How many times have you heard the climate change activists say that we must act in the next decade to prevent irreversible harm?” asked Shaw. “We have low carbon, affordable biofuels that can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the vehicles on the road today. Biofuels can make a meaningful impact this decade. But all we hear from D.C. is the need for an all-electric future to save the environment.”
 
Noting that electric vehicles won’t comprise enough of the vehicle fleet until after the deadline that climate scientists say is too late, Shaw acknowledged that the lack of interest in biofuels from D.C. policymakers has caused frustration.
 
“The state of the Iowa biofuels industry in 2022 is fed up, but fired up,” said Shaw. “We are fed up at seemingly being ignored or marginalized, but we are fired up to succeed in spite of it.”
 
Shaw noted that IRFA would continue to work with biofuel champions to increase the role for biofuels in both D.C. and Iowa policy solutions. He noted there are opportunities to improve a proposed federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) regulation and to enact nation-leading biofuels access legislation in Iowa.
 
“There is a bright future ahead for biofuels,” Shaw said. “After 20 years of effort, IRFA and the biofuels industry have not reached a peak. We are not ready to slowly and gracefully decline. We are ready, willing and able to grow. Politicians in D.C. might try to dismiss or marginalize our importance. But we will continue to teach them a lesson they never quite seem to learn – it’s a mistake to ever underestimate an American farmer.”



Technip Energies Purchases Iowa Corn’s Monoethylene Glycol Technology

Technip Energies and Iowa Corn announced that the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) and Technip Energies have signed an Asset Purchase Agreement under which Technip Energies acquires ICPB’s patents, technology, and rights for the process technology to produce monoethylene glycol (MEG) from surplus corn plant-based feedstocks.

Since 2013, ICPB has invested checkoff funds to develop the technology and to create new demand for corn-based products. Corn-based MEG is used to produce renewable plastics. Technip Energies will advance the technology development, construct and operate a pilot plant to commercialize the technology and make it available for licensing.

Stan Nelson, Chair of the Iowa Corn Research and Business Development Committee, commented: “Iowa Corn has been dedicated to finding new uses and markets for corn to meet our mission for long-term Iowa corn farmer profitability. By investing in research to expand the market for corn as an ingredient to replace oil, products like MEG will allow more renewable materials to be created and improve our environmental footprint. With the sale of MEG technology to Technip Energies, work will continue to explore other uses for corn such as propylene glycol.”

Stan Knez, Chief Technology Officer, Technip Energies stated, “We are excited to add this MEG technology to our portfolio, as we work with clients looking for more sustainable ways to produce plastics and basic chemicals. As we continue to pursue technologies that contribute to the circular economy, this acquisition is in line with our ambition to accelerate the energy transition for a better tomorrow.”

Corn-based MEG is a drop-in replacement for current fossil fuel-based MEG and a base chemical for products like antifreeze, pop and water bottles, and polyester clothing. Over 70 billion pounds of MEG is used in the world every year with the yearly growth in the market equal to nearly 100 million bushels of corn.



CA Court Halts Enforcement of Prop 12: State of California Must Finalize Rules First

The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) today praised the ruling issued by the Superior Court for Sacramento County in California to halt enforcement of Proposition 12 (Prop 12 or the law) because the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is more than two years late finalizing complicated and costly regulations.

“Judge Arguelles’ decision recognizes the complexity of the pork supply chain and the burdensome and costly provisions of Prop 12,” said President and CEO of the Meat Institute, Julie Anna Potts. “To enforce the law without final regulations leaves the industry unsure of how to comply or what significant changes must be made to provide pork to this critical market.”

The ruling delays enforcement until 180 days after the final rules go into effect.

The North American Meat Institute and its members are opposed to Prop 12 and urged the State of California to delay its implementation of the law due to the risk of criminal sanctions and civil litigation for non-compliance.



APHIS Seizes Nearly a Ton of Illegal Animal Products from China Found in New York City

During the past three months, from October to December, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance (SITC) program seized and destroyed more than 1,900 pounds of prohibited pork, poultry, and ruminant products from New York City-area retailers. These items were sourced from China, lacked required import permits and health certificates, and therefore are considered a risk of introducing invasive plant and animal pests and diseases into the United States. SITC anti-smuggling efforts prevent the establishment of invasive plant and animal pests and diseases, while maintaining the safety of our ecosystems and natural resources. The recent efforts to safeguard American agriculture represent a continued collaboration between APHIS, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and local New York City officials.

APHIS is concerned about these prohibited products because China is a country affected by African swine fever (ASF), Classical swine fever, Newcastle disease, Foot-and-mouth disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza and swine vesicular disease. ASF is of particular concern because the highly contagious and deadly viral disease that affects both domestic and feral swine of all ages has recently spread throughout China and Asia, as well as within parts of the European Union. Most recently, ASF was confirmed in pigs in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

ASF is not a threat to human health, but it is a deadly swine disease that would have a significant impact on U.S. pork producers, their communities and export markets if discovered in the U.S. ASF has never been found in the United States – and APHIS wants to keep it that way. In response to the concerns about ASF, APHIS is working closely with other federal and state agencies, the swine industry, and producers to take the necessary actions to protect our nation’s commercial swine population and keep this disease out of the U.S. APHIS is also actively preparing to respond if ASF is ever detected in the U.S.

SITC’s safeguarding efforts also include other prohibited agricultural products. In 2021, SITC seized 224,568 pounds of prohibited agricultural items valued at over $1.7 million, helping protect U.S. crops and livestock from devastating and costly plant pests and foreign animal diseases.



The Economic Impacts of Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Agriculture
USDA Economic Research Service

In 2018, the United States imposed Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from major trading partners and separately Section 301 tariffs on a broad range imports from China. In response, Canada, China, the European Union (EU), India, Mexico, and Turkey imposed retaliatory tariffs on many U.S. exports, including a wide range of agricultural and food products. Individual product lines experienced tariff increases ranging from 2 to 140 percent. The retaliatory tariffs increased the price of U.S. agricultural exports in these markets relative to alternatives that were either domestically produced or imported from other international sources. Despite opportunities for U.S. producers to sell their products to non-retaliating trade partners, the overall effect was a reduction in U.S. agricultural exports. Given that agricultural production for certain commodities is concentrated in certain States, retaliatory tariffs affected States differently. As of October 2021, many retaliatory tariffs were still in effect with the following exceptions—Canada and Mexico’s tariffs were removed in May 2019, China announced tariff exemptions for some products after the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement (Phase One Agreement) was signed on January 15, 2020, and in October 2021 the United States and EU reached arrangements to address global steel and aluminum excess capacity which include replacement of Section 232 tariffs with a tariff-rate quota and lifting of the EU’s retaliatory tariffs.

The retaliatory tariffs led to a significant reduction in U.S. agricultural exports to retaliating partners. Nationally, direct U.S. agricultural export losses due to retaliatory tariffs totaled more than $27 billion during 2018 through the end of 2019. Across retaliatory partners, China accounted for approximately 95 percent of the losses ($25.7 billion), followed by the EU ($0.6 billion), and Mexico ($0.5 billion), with Canada, Turkey, and India having smaller shares. We estimated annualized losses for selected commodities from retaliatory tariffs were $13.2 billion from mid-2018 to the end of 2019.

At the commodity level, export losses were far reaching but highly concentrated. Soybeans accounted for the largest level of losses making up nearly 71 percent ($9.4 billion of annualized losses) of the share of estimated trade damages. In comparison, sorghum ($854 million in annualized losses) and pork ($646 million in annualized losses) trade losses were the next largest, accounting for over 6 percent and just under 5 percent, respectively, of the total. Overall, specialty crops represented around 6 percent of losses ($837 million in annualized losses) across fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts.

At the State level, losses were largely concentrated in the Midwest with Iowa ($1.46 billion in annualized losses), Illinois ($1.41 billion in annualized losses), and Kansas ($955 million in annualized losses), accounting for approximately 11, 11, and 7 percent, respectively, of the total losses. The State-level losses were uneven and not directly proportional to the size of State-level exports. States that produced more of the commodities most severely targeted by retaliation—soybeans, sorghum, pork, and cotton—experienced higher losses.

The U.S. market share of China's total agricultural imports, which had fallen from 20 percent in 2017 to 12 percent in 2018, remained significantly depressed in 2019 at 10 percent. This study examined changes in U.S. agricultural exports to China surrounding the signing of the Phase One Agreement in January 2020 and subsequent announcements of China’s tariff exemptions starting in March 2020. U.S. exports of products with announced tariff exemptions grew by 118 percent relative to 2019. Other products that did not have announced exemptions also significantly grew—by 83 percent relative to 2019—suggesting that many of these products may also have been granted tariff waivers by request. U.S. agricultural exports to China rebounded and hit record levels in 2020; however, some of this increase was likely driven by factors unrelated to trade policy, including China’s pig-herd recovery in the wake of African Swine Fever and resulting increased feed demand. However, U.S. market share has not fully recovered to pre-retaliatory levels 1 year out from the Phase One Agreement signing.



USDA Announces Plenary Speakers for 2022 Agricultural Outlook Forum

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today the plenary speakers for the 2022 Agricultural Outlook Forum, themed “New Paths to Sustainability and Productivity Growth,” which will be held virtually Feb. 24–25, 2022.

The opening plenary session will feature a fireside chat between Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Elizabeth Economy, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce. Secretary Vilsack and Dr. Economy will discuss U.S.-China agricultural trade relations and prospects for the Chinese agriculture market.

The Secretary’s discussion will be followed by a panel titled “Growing Market Opportunities for Climate Smart, Sustainable Agriculture Systems,” which will bring together sector leaders to discuss how climate smart, sustainable production practices can generate both environmental and economic returns while still meeting the needs of consumers.

Speakers at the plenary panel include:
    David Allen, VP of Sustainability at PepsiCo Foods North America;
    Glenda Humiston, Vice President, Agriculture & Natural Resources at University of California;
    Mike McCloskey, Chairman of Fair Oaks Farm and past CEO, Select Milk Producers;
    Elena Rice, Chief Scientific Officer of Genus, PLC; and
    Emily Skor, CEO, Growth Energy

The session will be moderated by independent journalist Sarah Mock. Also, during the Thursday morning session, USDA’s Chief Economist Seth Meyer will unveil the Department’s 2022 outlook for U.S. commodity markets and trade and discuss the U.S. farm income situation.

Along with the plenary session, forum attendees can choose from 30 sessions with more than 90 speakers. The concurrent track sessions and topics supporting this year’s theme are climate mitigation and adaptation, supply chain resilience, commodity outlooks, frontiers in agricultural production and technology and U.S. trade and global markets.

Visit the Agricultural Outlook Forum website to register https://www.usda.gov/oce/ag-outlook-forum.