Weekend Ag News Round-up - February 20

 NEW PROGRAMS FEATURED AT THE AREA'S LARGEST AGRICULTURE EXPOSITION IN OMAHA, MARCH 2-3, 2022

One of the Area's premier indoor farm events, the 55th Anniversary TRIUMPH OF AGRICULTURE EXPOSITION will be held March 2-3, 2022,  at the CHI Health Center - Omaha, 10th and Capitol Avenue, just off I-480.  The Farm and Ranch Machinery Show will once again be filled with the latest agricultural innovations, equipment and supplies with displays for farmers, ranchers, and their wives to meet experts all on one level of over 100,000 square feet in the state-of-the-art CHI Health Center - Omaha.     Since 1967, the Triumph of Ag Expo has been regarded as one of the finest indoor farm shows.  The  2022 Expo is  your opportunity before spring planting to save time and money, improve operations, yields, safety, efficiency and find the latest solutions. In this challenging industry, the Annual Omaha Show is convenient for farmers to attend with Free Admission, which it has offered for over 50 years. This year’s Show is also bringing back the popular Free Parking at 13th & I-80, Omaha Zoo exit, with continuous Free Shuttle to and from the Expo’s front door.

"The Triumph of Ag Expo is always packed with lots of new improvements and helpful information" says Brent Pohlman from Midwest Laboratories. At no other time this spring will area Farm Operators be able to see this much farm equipment and technology on display.    New features include a designated area showcasing “Innovations in Farming."  "It's an excellent opportunity to see all types of Short-Line farm equipment, new products, labor and time saving ideas all under one roof," says Mike Mancuso, the Show's Producer.  "The Triumph of Ag Expo is the best place for farmers to find answers for what they do control while taking advantage of the new technologies with hands-on experience. A new feature this year will be Hemp Farming.”  The show will also offer tremendous savings and be your opportunity to win a Mavic Mini Drone as well as valuable prizes throughout the Show.

The 2022 Show will offer expanded Educational Sessions. These Sessions will present hot topics with industry experts which include:
“Crop Insurance 101”  Presented by:    Kate Hansen (Policy Associate) – Center for Rural Affairs
“Solar and Wind for Agriculture – A look at both and which way to go” Presented by:    Michael Shonka – Solar Heat and Electric
“Powered by Diesel? Everything you need to know” Presented by:    Hoon Ge (Founder & President) – MEG Corp
“Farm to School” Presented by:    Kristin Bailey (Senior Project Associate) – The Center for Rural Affairs
“Wind Energy: New Technology Designed to last 50 Years & Pay for Itself in Only 12 Months”
Presented by:    Daren Drouhard – American Windpower

Ben Hellbusch, from Busch Equipment of Columbus, Nebraska and Council Board Member said, "The Expo has something for every kind of farm operation," including tillage equipment, planters, monitor and control systems, soil testing equipment, mowers, cattle chutes, augers, fertilizers, various seed hybrids, feeders, tanks and pumps, hay moving and handling equipment, plows, combines, computers and software, tractors, and many more agricultural products and services for today's farmers and ranchers.         
      
If you are interested in agriculture and farming, this year’s Expo is the place to be on March 2-3, 2022. Exhibits are open 9 AM to 4 PM on Wednesday and 9 AM to 3 PM on Thursday.     In addition to all of the latest equipment, products, and services, see antique farm tractors and equipment, and enjoy special programs.  THE TRIUMPH OF AGRICULTURE EXPOSITION FARM & RANCH MACHINERY SHOW   is produced by Mid-America Expositions, Inc. and is sponsored by the Mid-America Farm & Ranch Machinery Council.



Farms and Land in Farms Highlights

The number of farms in the United States for 2021 is estimated at 2,012,050, down 6,950 farms from 2020. The number of farms increased in all sales classes except $1,000-$9,999, $100,000-$249,999, and $1,000,000 or more. In 2021, 51.0 percent of all farms had less than $10,000 in sales and 81.5 percent of all farms had less than $100,000 in sales. In 2021, 7.4 percent of all farms had sales of $500,000 or more.  

Total land in farms, at 895,300,000 acres, decreased 1,300,000 acres from 2020. The biggest change for 2021 is that producers in Sales Class $1,000 - $9,999 operated 640,000 fewer acres than in 2020. In 2021, 30.1 percent of all farmland was operated by farms with less than $100,000 in sales, while 40.9 percent of all farmland was operated by farms with sales of $500,000 or more.

The average farm size for 2021 is 445 acres, up from 444 acres the previous year. Average farm size increased in the $1,000,000 or more sales class and decreased or remained unchanged in all other sales classes.

NEBRASKA: Nebraska's number of farms and ranches declined during 2021, according to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. The number of farms and ranches in the state, at 44,800, was down 700 farms from 2020. Numbers of farms and ranches in Nebraska with less than $100,000 in agricultural sales decreased 400 farms from a year earlier while operations with agricultural sales of $100,000 or more decreased 300 farms. Land in farms and ranches in Nebraska totaled 44.8 million acres, down 100,000 acres from 2020. The average size of operation, at 1,000 acres, was up 13 acres from a year earlier.

IOWA: The total number of farms in Iowa in 2021 was 84,900, down 100 farms from 2020, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service - Farms and Land in Farms 2021 Summary report.  Total land in farms for Iowa during 2021 was 30.5 million acres.  The average farm size in Iowa in 2021 was 359 acres, down 1 acre from 2020.



Fischer Leads Effort to Ensure Proper Implementation of Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) today joined Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) in leading more than half of the Republican conference in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The letter urges the Secretary to direct the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to rescind or substantially revise a recent memorandum to ensure the agency intends proper implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), as enacted.

“If implemented faithfully to the legislative text, the IIJA will upgrade and expand the surface transportation system in a manner that benefits all communities and the Nation. The provisions of the IIJA were carefully negotiated and reflect the input of both parties, the Biden Administration, and the broader stakeholder community. We urge recognition of the legislative process used to develop the IIJA and adherence to congressional intent as FHWA moves forward with implementing this historic legislation,” the senators wrote.

Additional signatories include Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)



Continued Good News for Grasshopper Risk on Rangeland
Robert Wright - Extension Entomologist

The USDA-APHIS continues to provide us with regular updates on the status of rangeland grasshoppers across Nebraska (Figure 1). Based on fall adult surveys conducted by USDA-APHIS, the risk of grasshopper infestation in Nebraska rangelands will be low in 2022, with slightly higher risk in southwestern Nebraska. A majority of the western United States is projected to have very low numbers.

Grasshopper numbers are responsive to environmental conditions; however, species differ in their response to precipitation, plant communities, soil characteristics and microclimate. A wet spring and rains at time of grasshopper hatching and development (mid-May through June) improves rangeland forage quality and reduces the loss from grasshopper infestation.

Current long-range weather forecasts through March have indicated normal conditions, which might mean a continuation of cool, dry weather through the end of March. However, conditions beyond March appear to have a high degree of uncertainly at present.

Spotty occurrences of high grasshopper densities often occur throughout western Nebraska, even in low-risk years. Therefore, ranchers and range managers should maintain vigilance to monitor grasshopper densities during hatching periods. Keep an eye on CropWatch later this season for information on how to scout for rangeland grasshoppers.



USDA to survey farmers’ planting intentions for 2022

As the 2022 crop production season begins, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact producers nationwide to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season.

“Each year, the agriculture industry anticipates USDA’s Prospective Plantings report, which provides the first survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ planting intentions for the year,” said Greg Thessen, Director of the NASS Upper Midwest Regional Field Office. “The March Agricultural Survey provides the factual data that underpins these projections, making it one of the most important surveys we conduct each year.”

NASS will mail the survey to approximately 2,800 Iowa producers in February, asking producers to provide information about the types of crops they intend to plant in 2022, how many acres they intend to plant, and the amounts of grain and oilseed they store on their farms. Producers can respond online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail. Those who do not respond by February 26 may be contacted for an interview.

In accordance with federal law, NASS keeps responses confidential and publishes data in aggregate form only, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified. Survey results will be published in the Prospective Plantings and quarterly Grain Stocks reports on March 31, 2022. These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications.



Cargill Plans $48 Million Investment in Iowa Corn Wet Milling Plant

Cargill Inc. is planning a $48 million project at its plant west of Fort Dodge as it continues to invest in the facility.

The project will expand value-added corn production for the company’s food ingredient market, according to the Iowa Economic Development Authority. It will include a new process building, tanks and transload capacity, the authority reported.

The project will not create any new jobs. However, current employees will be getting raises as they master the increased skills needed for the expanded production.

”Since 2011, when Cargill opened the doors to its Fort Dodge biotechnology campus, we’ve made significant investments to keep the facility leading edge, added more team members and given back to the community through volunteering and financial donations,” said Sydney Pokorny, the facility manager.

”We continue to explore opportunities to expand this facility as well as look for new partners to co-locate on our campus,” she added. ”We are proud to be a part of the Webster County community, and look forward to sharing more in the future when we have more definitive growth plans.”

Construction is expected to begin this year and be complete by the fall of 2024.

The project will come before the Webster County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning. The supervisors will consider awarding an incentive to the company. That incentive would consist of rebating to the company 70 percent of the increased property taxes it would pay as a result of the project. That rebate would be paid over 10 years. Its estimated value is $1,127,000.