Tuesday March 08 Ag News

HUSKER RESEARCHERS DEVELOP TOOL TO MAKE IRRIGATION MORE EFFICIENT

Agriculture’s future in Nebraska and globally will depend in great part on efficient water use. A research paper by University of Nebraska–Lincoln scientists points to an innovative irrigation approach that offers promise to decrease water use while increasing producer profitability.

Traditionally, the level of needed irrigation has generally been determined by gauging water availability in the soil. An irrigation-scheduling algorithm developed through testing at 12 locations across Nebraska includes an additional factor — the level of water concentration in the atmosphere.

That approach “takes both the water supply and demand into consideration, and that’s where we’re hoping to gain some efficiency by looking at both simultaneously,” said Trenton Franz, associate professor of hydrogeophysics at Nebraska. “That's fairly complicated, so this algorithm does a fairly nice job of trying to basically optimize the processes, as well as making it more automatic.”

In an article in the journal Nature Communications, Franz and co-authors found that the algorithm-guided irrigation approach could reduce irrigation water use by 24% while maintaining crop yields and increasing profits by 11.2% and water productivity by 25.2%. As a result, the article said, this new methodology “could significantly improve water sustainability.”

Achieving greater water efficiency has growing importance in the face of global climate challenges, the researchers said.

The article’s co-authors also include Daran Rudnick, associate professor and irrigation management specialist in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, and Andrew Suyker, research professor of micrometeorology in the School of Natural Resources.

If follow-up testing currently underway confirms the algorithm’s practical use, the technology could drive improved water efficiency among the large majority of agricultural producers who don’t use soil moisture sensors, said Franz, associate director for research in the School of Natural Resources. About 10% to 15% of producers use moisture probes.

“It’s that missing 85% of people who aren't too interested in using soil moisture probes who really make a big difference,” Franz said. “So maybe instead of saving 4 inches of water using good probe management, maybe this algorithm could save 1 to 3 inches, but over a much wider range of people who are willing to have a lower investment in that. It's very time-consuming to manage these soil moisture probes, so I know that's one barrier to adoption.”

The best approach would be a “semi-autonomous” use of the algorithm, to maintain a degree of control by producers, Franz said.

Researchers tested the algorithm at 12 locations across Nebraska, using data from Nebraska’s Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead to calibrate the model tested at the other sites.

In a follow-up to the initial study, Rudnick, working out of the West Central Research and Extension Center near North Platte, is overseeing current tests of the algorithm by scientific teams from the university, state agencies and producer groups. Husker students will participate through the Testing Ag Performance Solutions program, in which student teams compete in field tests to maximize positive results in terms of irrigation water use, profitability and water productivity. The follow-up testing is now in its second year.

This testing, Franz said, “will include head-to-head comparisons against other scheduling methods — business-as-usual, producer groups, rainfed, etcetera — to see how the algorithm performs in a blind test. This is critical to further show the utility of the method.”

Water issues have long been a part of life for Franz, a Colorado native.

“Growing up on the Front Range, water was always a concern,” he said.

He has extended family in the eastern Colorado farming community, and his grandfather and an uncle both worked for that state’s Division of Water Resources.

Franz has scientific expertise in a wide range of water-related sensors, and his exploration of water science has long taken him into global outreach. He did his doctoral work in Kenya, where he studied water impact, and he works extensively with the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency to train scientists from other countries and go on expert missions.

In his work with the United Nations, he helps countries deploy soil moisture sensors using cosmic ray neutron radiation. In December, he traveled to Bolivia to help that country deploy such sensors to monitor glacier water melt and better study the impact on the water supply for La Paz, the national capital.

Such monitoring technology alone “is no panacea,” Franz said. “It has to come with good education and infrastructure” in terms of a country’s societal investment.

As for irrigation agriculture, any solutions to improving water efficiency “need to also be profitable for producers to adopt them,” Franz said. The irrigation algorithm attempts to meet a range of requirements for producers, so that “the solution is both cost-effective and scalable across a broad area.”



12 Nebraskans Attend NFU 120th Anniversary Convention in Denver, Colorado    

Twelve Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) members attended the National Farmers Union (NFU) Convention February 27 to March 1, 2022 in Denver, Colorado.  The delegates representing Nebraska from the board were: Lynn Belitz, Fullerton, Mary Alice Corman, Edger, and John Hansen of Lincoln.  Delegates representing the membership were: Andrew Tonnies, North Bend, Marcia Regier, Beatrice, and Keith Dittrich, Tilden who also served as the Chair of the NFU Credential Committee.  NeFU Vice President Vern Jantzen of Plymouth served on the National Farmers Union Policy Committee, and NeFU District 6 Director Graham Christensen of Omaha also attended.

Farmers Union Midwest Agency LLP General Manager Jeff Downing of Elkhorn, Gayland Regier of Beatrice, Tammy Dittrich of Meadow Grove, and Karen Hansen of Lincoln also attended.

NeFU President John Hansen said, “It was good to return to Denver for our national convention. Farmers Union’s main office was headquartered there for decades. It brought back many positive memories. I think everyone was glad to meet in person again for convention and see fellow family farm and ranch advocates from around the country.  Our general farm organization has a great deal of diversity as does production agriculture. We were reminded that while we have different ways to grow food and fiber, we all agree on the importance of preserving and strengthening our traditional system of independent family farm and ranch owner operator agriculture.”    

450 Farmers Union members from around the country met in Denver for the NFU Convention. The 220 delegates approved five special orders of business:
·         Fairness for Farmers
·         Family Farming and Supply Chains
·         Family Farming and Agricultural Workforce and Food Processing Reform
·         Family Farming and Climate Change
·         Family Farming and Dairy Policy Reform

Full text of the adopted policy manual will be available soon at www.nfu.org.

Delegates re-elected Rob Larew from West Virginia as president and elected Jeff Kippley from South Dakota as the organization’s vice president.

The 2023 National Farmers Union 121st Anniversary Convention will be held March 5-7, 2023 Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, CA.



FALL DORMANCY IN ALFALFA
– Ben Beckman, NE Extension

The time for spring planting alfalfa is just around the corner and two traits often confused are fall dormancy and winter survival.  Both are critical to a long lasting and productive stand.  Today, let’s look at fall dormancy.

Fall dormancy is a measure of an alfalfa plant’s ability to regrow in the fall after harvest and spring following winter. It is scored on a scale ranging from 1 to 11 with 1 being most dormant and 11 the least.  Higher dormancy means a harvested plant will focus its resources in the fall more on building reserves to survive the winter and less on new growth.

This tendency toward slower regrowth manifests throughout the year, with less dormant varieties typically recovering faster in the spring and producing overall higher yields.  Another role dormancy plays is keeping plants from starting growth during the random warm-ups in the fall and winter months. Plants that break bud during these periods are subject to winterkill.

Finally, fall dormancy can impact the harvest timetable.  Lower dormancy ratings means a plant regrows slower.  This translates into more time to remove forage from the field before “windrow disease” and field traffic become a concern.

In the past, fall dormancy traits were linked with winter survival. With new varieties, this isn’t always the case, so fall dormancy needs to be evaluated on its own.

Variety selection depends upon your management, production goals, and ability for a stand to make it through winter without sacrificing additional yield.  If you have regular issues with stand winterkill, a lower rated variety with improved dormancy.  In Nebraska, we recommend dormancy ratings 1 through 5.  



Extension offering free suicide prevention training

An upcoming online training by Nebraska Extension will teach participants how to recognize and respond to potential signs of crisis and suicidal behavior.

Life can be stressful in the best of times. For Nebraskans, the last few years have been particularly challenging. The recent disasters and the pandemic have changed how we work, juggle family and finances, manage our health and the health of our loved ones. These challenges can contribute to being overwhelmed and increase one’s anxiety.

In response to addressing life’s uncertainty, Nebraska Extension will offer an online “Question. Persuade. Refer.” training. QPR is a suicide prevention program that teaches participants three steps to help save a life from suicide.

An individual who is trained in first aid, CPR or the Heimlich maneuver can help save lives. And people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to get help.

This 90-minute training will be held online, via Zoom, on April 12 at 10 a.m. Central time. There is no cost to attend the training, but registration is required at https://go.unl.edu/qpr21. The class is limited to 30 participants.

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2020-70028-32728.  



ASFMRA and RLI Iowa Chapters Announce March 30th Spring Seminar

The American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers - Iowa Chapter partners with the REALTORS Land Institute Iowa Chapter every spring to offer one-day seminar targeted to agricultural professionals. The 2022 seminar will be held on March 30 at the Courtyard Marriott in Ankeny. You do not need to be a member of either association to attend. Click here to view the program flyer.

“Our planning committee has done an impressive job of bringing together a variety of speakers and topics for this year’s meeting,” said Morgan Troendle, AFM, ASFMRA Iowa Chapter President. “Every year I look forward to the education and networking that this meeting provides.”

“The RLI Iowa Chapter is excited to present our Spring Land Trends and Values press release at the spring seminar. With land prices continuing to rise, it will be interesting to see the change in value from our September survey,” said Andrew Zellmer, RLI Iowa Chapter President.

Sessions at the spring seminar include:
   • Summit Carbon Solutions CO2 Pipeline Project, Jim Pirolli – Summit Carbon
   • Back to the Future: Ag Tech and the Future of Agriculture, Kevin Kimle – Iowa State University
   • Upstream Downstream: Collaborating to Address Nutrient Pollution, Des Moines Water Works
   • RLI Land Trends and Values Survey Release
   • Soybean Demand: Exports, Biofuel Overview and Impacts, Grant Kimberley, Iowa Renewable Fuel Association
   • Digital Security Issues and Concerns in the Workplace, Doug Elrick - DMACC
   • Rapid Increase of Fertilizer Costs and What to Expect in the Future, Chris Short – CHS Hedging

For more information and registration details, visit the ASFMRA website: www.asfmra.org/education-calendar.

Professional Help from ASFMRA Members
Members of the Iowa Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) work with close to 2 million acres across Iowa.  Our Farm Manager members are experts in helping landowners and farm operators achieve their objectives while our Appraiser members are equipped with the tools necessary to tackle a wide spectrum of real estate valuation assignments. ASFMRA members are recognized as the most trusted rural property professionals and their accreditation represents the highest level of professionalism in the industry.

You can connect with an ASFMRA member in your area by visiting https://www.asfmra.org/directory/find-experts2.



RFA Thanks Iowa Lawmakers for Promoting Ethanol’s Energy Security Benefits

The Renewable Fuels Association today thanked Iowa’s bipartisan congressional delegation for telling the Biden administration that ethanol can and should be allowed to play a larger role in strengthening American energy security and lowering record-high pump prices.

“We applaud these six champions for once again working together in the interest of our country’s energy security and rural economy,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Ethanol has reduced the cost of gasoline by an average of 22 cents per gallon, thanks to the Renewable Fuel Standard, and higher blends like E15 can do more. Just yesterday, ethanol was selling for $1 per gallon less than gasoline in wholesale markets. U.S. biorefineries have the spare capacity to entirely replace the volume of gasoline produced from Russian petroleum imports; the industry stands ready to help, just as it did during the onset of the pandemic by supplying critical and essential products to the marketplace.”

In their letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, the six lawmakers—Sens. Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst, and Reps. Randy Feenstra, Cindy Axne, Ashley Hinson, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks—urged the Biden administration “to expand the production and potential export of domestic ethanol and biodiesel to meet global energy needs.”

“As a domestically produced, renewable fuel source, ethanol and other biofuels strengthen-our national security and achieves the Administration's climate goals,” the six lawmakers wrote. “Bolstering our domestic energy production through policies that prioritize the increased use of America's ethanol and other biofuels will ensure a reliable and stable source of energy for years to come.”

RFA Chief Economist Scott Richman spelled out ethanol’s role in lowering gas prices in a recent blog post, due to its lower cost compared to gasoline blendstock and the fact that is was replacing more expensive crude oil. Those benefits only expanded since the analysis was published, as oil prices have continued to skyrocket.

“As a competitively priced fuel that reduces demand for crude oil and gasoline, ethanol is helping to significantly mitigate today’s high gasoline prices,” he wrote. “Moreover, ethanol has broader societal benefits: cutting greenhouse gas emissions by roughly half compared to gasoline, improving air quality and strengthening the economy of rural America. These are worth keeping in mind, both in the near term and as the energy transition proceeds.”



AFBF Urges President Biden to Increase Domestic Energy Production

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall sent a letter today to President Joe Biden asking him to take the necessary steps to address high energy costs impacting all Americans. Over the past 15 months, oil prices have increased by 130% to more than $120 per barrel.

President Duvall wrote, “As Russia’s harmful actions in Ukraine continue and further sanctions are imposed against Russia, oil prices will likely continue to rise, creating even higher consumer costs and threatening U.S. energy and economic security.”

AFBF is asking the administration to remove barriers to domestic energy production including increasing the production of biofuels, which have reduced America’s dependence on foreign crude oil while creating jobs in rural America.

“By displacing imported petroleum, increased biofuel use and domestic energy production will enhance U.S. security and independence while supporting America’s farmers and rural economies,” President Duvall wrote.

Achieving domestic energy independence through comprehensive energy sources remains a priority issue for Farm Bureau. AFBF is committed to working with the administration and leaders in Congress to address the energy crisis.



U.S. Exports of Ethanol and Distillers Grains Kick Off the New Year with Robust Volumes
Ann Lewis, Senior Analyst, Renewable Fuels Association
    
American exports of U.S. ethanol picked up at the start of 2022 with shipments of 123.8 million gallons (mg), reflecting a 5% increase over December volumes. However, January exports were 25% lower than the record-high volumes in Jan. 2021. Canada remained the top destination for U.S. ethanol for the tenth consecutive month with imports of 36.4 mg, reflecting a slight uptick (+0.3%) from December. Trade fluctuations were mixed among our larger partners with exports expanding in India (19.0 mg, +19%), Mexico (11.6 mg, +76% to a 21-month high), and the Philippines (10.5 mg, up from essentially zero to the largest volume in a year) but scaling back in South Korea (11.7 mg, -18%), Brazil (8.9 mg, -31%), and the Netherlands (6.2 mg, -22%). Substantial and improved volumes of U.S. ethanol exports also landed in the United Kingdom, Peru, Jamaica, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. China remained essentially absent from our export market for the eighth consecutive month.

The U.S. logged its first significant imports of foreign ethanol in three months with 10.5 mg of Brazilian undenatured ethanol entering our borders in January.
 
U.S. exports of dried distillers grains (DDGS)—the animal feed co-product generated by dry-mill ethanol plants—shifted 16% higher in January to 1.09 million metric tons (mt). This marked the largest volume of DDGS exports recorded in the month of January. Market distribution was more varied than in recent months, with our larger customers accounting for smaller shares of the total volume shipped. U.S. DDGS exports to Mexico perked up by 19% to 197,972 mt. While equivalent to just 18% of the American export market, this was sufficient to secure a foothold as our top customer, a position Mexico has maintained since Oct. 2020. Shipments eased to South Korea (127,844 mt, -2%), Canada (87,977 mt, -5%), Indonesia (71,754 mt, -14%), Vietnam (67,773 mt, -35%), and China (65,543 mt, -4%) but expanded to Turkey (80,846 mt, nearly twice the December volume), Spain (78,254 mt, up from zero), and Morocco (45,145 mt, +251%). The remaining quarter of U.S. DDGS exports were dispersed among another 28 countries.



NGFA and TFI urge Biden administration work with Canada to ease supply chain strains

In a March 7 letter to President Joe Biden, the National Grain and Feed Association, The Fertilizer Institute and 19 other members of the Agricultural Transportation Working Group requested the administration work with the Canadian government to avert a major railway labor strike and to rescind the cross-border vaccine mandate for workers moving essential commerce.

“If the U.S. and Canadian governments allow the following supply chain disruptions to persist into the spring fertilizer season, the impacts to our industry and North American farmers could be devastating,” the working group noted.  

The letter references a potential upcoming labor disruption at Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference recently voted in favor of strike action, which could happen as early as March 16. The impact would be significant for grain movements on both sides of the border for livestock feeding and processing operations served by the CP. The strike also would halt the CP route that carries U.S. grain to the Pacific Northwest export market. Grain is CP’s largest line of business and approximately 10-15 percent of CP’s business is fertilizer, the working group noted.

“A CP railway strike would severely curtail fertilizer supply and shipments into the United States and would happen at the worst possible time as farmers are planting their 2022 crops,” the letter states. “Given the fragility of current supply chains, urgent attention and engagement with all parties is needed to avert a potential strike.”

The letter also urged the U.S. and Canadian governments to modify or rescind their mandates blocking unvaccinated foreign nationals, including truck drivers, from crossing the border. Canada’s vaccine mandate requires U.S. truckers to show proof of vaccination before entering the country and the U.S. mandate requires foreign cross-border truckers to be vaccinated. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said its border policy will remain in effect through April 21.

“The border policy has raised prices because it has constrained trucking capacity and made truck movements more expensive and less timely,” the letter states.

Over one million short tons of fertilizer cross the U.S.-Canada border by truck each year. March, April and May are peak months for fertilizer applications across the northern states.

“Given the urgency of several supply-chain challenges, we urge revision or rescission of the border policy prior to April 21,” the working group stated.



Syngenta introduces CruiserMaxx® APX soybean seed treatment for unmatched Pythium and Phytophthora protection

Syngenta announced today that its latest Seedcare innovation, CruiserMaxx® APX (pronounced APEX) seed treatment, is now registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The peak of soybean seed and seedling protection, CruiserMaxx APX delivers powerful protection against early-season insects and diseases, including Pythium and Phytophthora.

“Early-season diseases like Pythium and Phytophthora cause reduced plant stands, root rot, stunting and limited yield potential,” says Dale Ireland, Ph.D., Syngenta Seedcare technical lead. “As U.S. soybean growers continue to plant earlier with reduced seeding rates, early-season Pythium protection is more important now than ever before. Maximizing soybean yield starts with minimizing stand loss, damping-off and consequent replanting caused by these seedling diseases.”

To better protect soybeans, CruiserMaxx APX combines the proven CruiserMaxx Vibrance® seed treatment with picarbutrazox, a novel mode of action, for unmatched early-season protection against Pythium and Phytophthora, as well as Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, seed-borne diseases and early-season insects.

“After working on developing this compound over the last eight years, I’m very pleased to share CruiserMaxx APX with the U.S. soybean grower,” Ireland said. “We are thrilled to offer the most robust Pythium and Phytophthora protection available while still delivering the plant-health benefits growers and resellers have come to expect from CruiserMaxx Vibrance and Syngenta Seedcare.”

Soybean growers can trust CruiserMaxx APX to protect against yield-robbing diseases and insects while enabling faster, more uniform emergence, stronger plants and roots, and quicker speed-to-canopy.

“With CruiserMaxx APX, best-in-class soybean seed treatment protection is now even better,” said Katie Jaeger, Syngenta Seedcare product lead. “CruiserMaxx APX combines the proven Vigor Effect and RootingPower that CruiserMaxx Vibrance is known to deliver with supercharged, broad-spectrum, early-season disease and insect protection to give seedlings the strongest possible start from day one.”

CruiserMaxx APX was formulated to perform in all planting conditions and fit with current soybean growing trends ― like reduced planting rates, earlier planting and continuous soybeans. This flexibility gives growers more freedom to plant when they choose to, with minimum risk of replant and the associated costs.

“No matter if you plant early into cool, wet soils or later into a warmer, double-crop environment, CruiserMaxx APX delivers the most powerful early-season disease and insect protection available,” Jaeger said. “Compared with competitor seed treatments, we’ve observed an average yield increase of 3 to 5 bushels per acre in moderate to high Pythium pressure situations.1 And in an Ohio State University Phytophthora trial, CruiserMaxx APX was the only seed treatment to deliver a statistically different 5-bushel yield advantage compared to the untreated check.2 So, when every seedling on every acre counts, CruiserMaxx APX is a valuable tool to help you maximize your genetic yield and ROI potential.”

CruiserMaxx APX will be available for limited trialing in 2022 and more broadly available in 2023, subject to state approvals.