Friday May 27 Ag News

Conditions Favor Seedling Diseases in Early Planted Corn and Soybeans
Tamra Jackson-Ziems - Extension Plant Pathologist
Dylan Mangel - Extension Plant Pathologist

Heavy rains and cool soils throughout the state may favor the development of seedling diseases, which could impact corn and soybean emergence. These conditions come at a poor time in crop development as they favor several of the most common and damaging seedling diseases. As these conditions continue, be sure to monitor seedling emergence and stand establishment to detect potential problems as early as possible.

Corn and soybean crops suffer from several common soil fungal and fungal-like organisms. These pathogens include Pythium, Fusarium and Rhizoctonia. Soybeans face an additional threat from the fungal-like organism Phytophthora.

While all four of these pathogens are common, they often result in some form of pre- or post-emergence damping off, which can be difficult to differentiate during diagnosis. Many management options may be the same for these pathogens, however, some seed treatments work best for control of specific pathogens. These symptoms are also easily confused with insect injury, herbicide damage, planting problems, or environmental stresses that often cause similar symptoms. A proper diagnosis may be beneficial for more targeted management in the next season.

Following are brief descriptions of corn and soybean seedling pathogens.

Pythium
Wet conditions are favorable for Pythium, which is our most common seedling disease of soybean in Nebraska. Cooler soil temperatures will make this worse as the seedling will be stressed and grow more slowly.

Typical symptoms of Pythium will include seed decay, pre-emergent seedling rot, and seedling damping off after emergence. If the plant has emerged, it often can have a root system where the outer layer can be easily pulled off and the center of the root will stay intact. In corn, dark lesions may develop on the mesocotyl or root system.

Rhizoctonia Root Rot
Rhizoctonia is favored by drier conditions and will occur more commonly in sandy or well-drained loamy soil types. On soybeans and corn, Rhizoctonia will be evident as reddish-brown lesions on the lower stem (typically at the soil level). In corn, seedlings may die and rot below the soil surface. These plants are often characterized by water-soaked and dark mesocotyl tissue that can be removed revealing the white inner vascular tissue.

Fusarium Root Rot
Fusarium is commonly favored by dryer conditions and in sandy or well-drained loamy soil types. Infected soybean crops will have stunted plants with brown to black discoloration on the roots (often in the lower portion of the root system). In corn, root systems may appear small with brown to black discoloration.

Phytophthora – Soybean Only
As soil conditions warm up, Phytophthora often will become more common with heavy rains. Fields will typically have a history of this disease, which will flare up when rain events saturate soil profiles. Phytophthora is often culpable when a field was planted with a standard rate of seed treatment but still has significant stand reduction when wet conditions occur. This will be a field-specific issue and usually does not occur as often as Pythium.

Typical symptoms of Phytophthora are seed decay and pre-emergence seedling rot, and seedling damping off after emergence. Typical symptoms on seedlings are darkened stems at the base of the plant coming up from the soil line. When young plants are cut at the lower stem, often there will be a dark center to the stem. Phytophthora can kill plants at any stage of development, but Pythium typically does not kill plants much past the V5 growth stage.

Management
Management of seedling diseases can be achieved by improving field conditions for seedlings. Improving drainage of low-lying wet areas can help reduce the incidence and severity of some seedling diseases. Another option is delaying planting until more favorable conditions exist for rapid germination and emergence. However, delaying planting too long can negatively impact yield potential.

The most common method for disease management is the use of seed treatment fungicides. Most seed corn is already treated with more than one seed treatment fungicide — often an insecticide — and sometimes with a nematicide. These products can provide protection against some of the pathogens that cause seedling diseases; however, they only provide protection during the first few weeks immediately after planting. Despite their activity, diseases may still develop, such as during extended periods of inclement weather or under severe pathogen pressure. Often greater seed treatment options are available for soybeans as they are not pre-treated. This allows more specific targeting of the pathogen and emphasizes why a proper diagnosis is important.

Some fungicides now also are labeled for application at planting, in or near the seed furrow. Use of fungicides at planting may provide some additional protection against these and other pathogens, but more research needs to be conducted to better predict their potential benefits, interactions and potential economic return.

You can minimize the likelihood of developing seedling diseases by planting high quality seed at appropriate planting depths and soil conditions to support rapid plant growth and emergence.



Nebraska Farmer Participation Needed in Multi-State Survey

University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in collaboration with Kansas State University and The Ohio State University, is looking for farmers to participate in a multi-state survey.

The goal of this project is to evaluate farmer's views and approaches to on-farm research. Additionally, this survey will assess motivation of farmers to participate in on-farm research as well as the importance of on-farm research to their operations. Information collected from this project will help promote on-farm research and improve engagement between farmers and university Extension systems.

The short survey only takes 5-10 minutes to complete and will not need any information from your records. Your responses are completely voluntary and anonymous. Please fill out the survey by June 15. The survey is at https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_71iwM5FE0zhSW10.  



SELECTING SUMMER ANNUAL FORAGES
– Jerry Volesky, NE Extension Pasture & Forage Specialist
 
It is close to the ideal time to plant a summer annual grass, maybe to build hay supply or have some extra grazing.  Which one will you plant?
 
Choosing a summer forage can be confusing because there are six different types of major summer annual forage grasses.  These include: sudangrass, sorghum-sudan hybrids, forage sorghum (which we often call cane or sorgo), foxtail millet, pearl millet, and teff.  Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses.  So, base your choice primarily on how you plan to use it.
 
For example, do you want pasture?  Then use sudangrass or pearl millet.  Both are leafy, they regrow rapidly, and they contain less danger from prussic acid poisoning than other annual grasses.
 
What if you want hay or green chop?  Then select sorghum-sudan hybrids or pearl millet because they yield well and they have good feed value when cut two or three times.  On sandy soils, or when conditions are dry, foxtail millet may be a better choice for summer hay.  It dries fast, doesn't regrow after cutting, and handles dry soils well.  Cane hay is grown in many areas and produces high tonnage, but it’s lower in feed value and dries more slowly after cutting than the hybrids or millets.  Or you could choose teff for a really soft, leafy, high quality horse hay.
 
Maybe you plan to chop silage.  Then choose the forage sorghums, especially hybrids with high grain production.  They can't be beat for tonnage or for feed value.
 
While there are several choices of summer annual forages, simply select the one that is best adapted to the way you plan to use it.  And, of course, hope for rain since even these grasses won’t grow without some moisture.
 
 
FIRST CUTTING ALFALFA
– Brad Schick, NE Extension Educator
 
Corn and soybeans are still getting planted due to a cool start to the year. Alfalfa too has been behind compared to most years, and first cutting may need to happen sooner than expected or than preferred.
 
The lack of soil moisture last fall and through the winter, slow start to spring rains, and cool temperatures slowed alfalfa growth this spring. With recent precipitation and warm weather, alfalfa has resumed growth quickly. Those needing dairy quality hay may need to cut very soon. The quality of first cutting hay declines rapidly with growth much more than the second, third, or forth cuttings.
 
Those wanting to maximize quantity to replenish hay reserves, may want to wait just a little longer until almost full bloom to produce higher yields. Alfalfa will be more efficient with what soil moisture is available if cutting waits until bloom, but this doesn’t always match the plans for an operation. If an operation needs a roughage source, this higher yield and lower quality is better. However, if an operation needs a protein source, cutting earlier to produce a higher quality hay will need to be done.
 
Whatever quality and quantity of alfalfa an operation needs, cutting timing is critical.



Free Farm and Ag Law Clinics Set for June

Free legal and financial clinics are being offered for farmers and ranchers across the state in May. The clinics are one-on-one in-person meetings with an agricultural law attorney and an agricultural financial counselor. These are not group sessions, and they are confidential.

The attorney and financial advisor specialize in legal and financial issues related to farming and ranching, including financial and business planning, transition planning, farm loan programs, debtor/creditor law, debt structure and cash flow, agricultural disaster programs, and other relevant matters. Here is an opportunity to obtain an independent, outside perspective on issues that may be affecting your farm or ranch.

Clinic Dates
    Wednesday, June 1 — Fairbury
    Tuesday, June 7 — Norfolk
    Tuesday, June 14 — Grand Island
    Tuesday, June 21 — Norfolk

To sign up for a free clinic or to get more information, call the Nebraska Farm Hotline at 1-800-464-0258. Funding for this work is provided by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and Legal Aid of Nebraska.



NEBRASKA ETHANOL BOARD JUNE 8TH BOARD MEETING TO BE HELD IN LINCOLN

The Nebraska Ethanol Board will meet in Lincoln at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 8. The meeting will be at Hyatt Place (600 Q Street) in meeting rooms I-III. Highlights of the agenda include:
    Budget Report & Budget Planning Fiscal Year 2022-23
    Fuel Retailer Update
    Nebraska Corn Board Update
    Renewable Fuels Nebraska Update
    Technical & Research Updates
    Marketing Programs
    Funding Requests
    NEB-hosted Conferences & Events
    State and Federal Legislation
    Ethanol Plant Reports

This agenda contains all items to come before the Board except those items of an emergency nature.  Nebraska Ethanol Board meetings are open to the public and also published on the public calendar.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board works to ensure strong public policy and consumer support for biofuels. Since 1971, the independent state agency has designed and managed programs to expand production, market access, worker safety and technology innovation, including recruitment of producers interested in developing conventional ethanol, as well as bio-products from the ethanol platform. For more information, visit www.ethanol.nebraska.gov.



Washington County Cattlemen Affiliate Meeting
June 6 - 6 pm social 7 pm meal
Morgan Rhea masladek93@hotmail.com
Clark Volk shop.crv77@gmail.com    402-478-4215


Northeast Nebraska Cattlemen Steak Fry
June 12 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm    
Wayne Co Fairgrounds, Wayne, NE


Platte Valley Cattlemen & NC Farmer Stockman Tour
June 20 @ 12:30 pm - 8:00 pm    



Northeast Community College to host popular Backyard Farmer television program

The public is invited to Northeast Community College on Tues., June 7 to take part in the popular Nebraska Public Media (NPM) program, “Backyard Farmer.”

The show will be taped beginning at 6 p.m. that day near the Lifelong Learning Center on the Norfolk campus, weather permitting, or inside of the Chuck M. Pohlman Ag Complex, in case of inclement weather. A question-and-answer session will be held from 5:15 – 5:45, according to  program host, Kim Todd.

“People can bring samples if they want to and stand up and ask their question, or they can also put the question on a small card and hand it up,” Todd said. “I try to mix the questions up, so they aren’t all on one subject. And if we don’t get to all the questions, the audience can meet with the panelists after we finish taping.”

“Questions for the show itself come to me in the BYF inbox,” Todd explained, “and I will have sorted them and sent the pictures to Nebraska Public Media a few days before so they can be preloaded.”

Todd, an associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and extension horticulture specialist, has been hosting Backyard Farmer for 18 years. She believes the Norfolk show will be unique for two reasons. Backyard Farmer is usually taped live in the Lincoln studios of NPM, but approximately three times a year, the show is taped at a remote location. To the best of anyone’s knowledge, the June 7 show at Northeast will be the first time the show has ever originated in Norfolk.

Todd said the panel for this show - Kaitlin Chapman, Nebraska Extension entomologist; Amy Timmerman, Nebraska Extension plant pathologist; Terri James, Nebraska Extension educator and Kelly Feehan, Nebraska Extension Educator – Platte County – is also a first.

“That’s the first time in Backyard Farmer history for an all-female panel,” Todd said.

Each panelist will be assigned to one of four topic chairs.

“In order of the way they sit, the chairs are entomology, or the bug chair,” Todd said. “Then turf and weeds, then pathology that we call ‘rots and spots,’ and then horticulture that covers everything from growing vegetables to trees.”

Feehan will be in the horticulture chair. She already has some idea of the questions she will be asked.

“Winter and drought related questions are our most common right now,” Feehan said. “Things like winter desiccation and winter injury on plants, not because it was so cold, but because we had such extremes.”

Feehan encourages audience members to bring their concerns to the question-and-answer portion that begins at 5:15. And she said it is important to bring a sample or a photograph.

“If it’s a tree or shrub, maybe bring a branch that has a number of leaves on it,” she said. “Pictures are great, too, especially a picture that shows the whole plant so we can see the pattern of the problem.”

Dr. Trentee Bush, horticulture instructor at Northeast, said the idea of bringing Backyard Farmer to the Norfolk campus was first discussed in 2019, but the COVID pandemic put off any plans for remote broadcasts.

“I studied horticulture in undergraduate and grad school at UNL,” Bush said, “Backyard Farmer was always on my radar, and I know a lot of the panelists. Kim Todd, the host, was my graduate advisor.”

Jill Heemstra, Northeast ag program director, is coordinating logistics for the event.

“Having an event like this involves a lot of communication and a lot of people all pulling in the same direction,” Heemstra said. “When you get down to the brass tacks, you have to think about access to electricity, the possible noise level, where will the sun be at that time of day, what is something scenic in the background.“

Heemstra said visitors will not be able to turn left toward the Lifelong Learning Center, 601 E. Benjamin Ave., after entering from the main college entrance on Benjamin Ave. The best option for parking for those attending the Backyard Farmer taping will be in the Maclay building parking lot. Parking will also be available in the Lifelong Learning Center or Cox Activities Center parking lots. Guests wishing to park there will need to either enter campus through the west entrance off Benjamin Ave., or use the main entrance, turn right, and drive completely around the loop road. Signs will help direct traffic on June 7.

Heemstra said hosting Backyard Farmer on the Northeast campus is a great opportunity for the local community and for the College.

“You don’t have to talk to very many people in Nebraska before you find somebody who knows about Backyard Farmer and watches the program,” she said.

Backyard Farmer claims to be “the longest running locally produced program in television history.” It first aired in 1953 on KFOR-TV, moving to KUON-TV, Nebraska educational television’s flagship station, a year later. In the 1960s, Backyard Farmer had the highest rating of any educational broadcast in the United States.

“Backyard Farmer” airs Thursdays at 7 p.m. through September. It repeats at 10 a.m. on Saturdays on Nebraska Public Media and at 4 p.m. Sundays and 5 p.m. Mondays on Create TV.



IDALS Announces Cost Share Funds for Soil Health and Water Quality Practices

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that farmers and landowners can now sign up for state cost share funds. These funds help farmers adopt soil health and water quality practices, including planting cover crops, transitioning acres to no-till/strip-till soil management or applying a nitrification inhibitor.

“Iowa farmers and landowners continue to rise to the challenge of improving our state’s soil health and water quality by implementing new conservation practices,” said Secretary Naig. “I encourage all farmers and landowners to look for opportunities to add new conservation practices to their fields to help protect our land for future generations and make measurable progress toward our water quality goals. This program is a great way to get started.”

Farmers who are planting cover crops for the first time are eligible for $25 per acre through the cost share fund. Farmers who have already experienced the benefits of using cover crops and are continuing the practice can receive $15 per acre. Producers transitioning acres to no-till or strip-till are eligible for $10 per acre, and may receive $3 per acre for applying fall fertilizer using a nitrapyrin nitrification inhibitor.

Cost share funding through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is limited to 160 acres per farmer or landowner. The funds will be made available in July, but farmers can start submitting applications immediately through their local Soil and Water Conservation District offices. Farmers are encouraged to call their Soil and Water Conservation District offices to inquire about additional cost-share funds available through other sources.

With farmers stewarding more than two million acres of cover crops across the state, Iowa continues to be a conservation leader. Last fall, over 3,500 farmers and landowners enrolled in the cost share program funded through the Water Quality Initiative. More than 413,000 acres of cover crops, 13,700 acres of no-till/strip-till and 5,400 acres of nitrification inhibitors were enrolled in the program in 2021. An estimated $14 million of private funding was invested to match the $6.9 million contributed by the state. To learn more about the soil health and water quality projects underway around Iowa, visit cleanwateriowa.org.



Fundraising Begins for 40th Annual Iowa Governor's Charity Steer Show

Today, the Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and the Office of the Governor of Iowa launched its fundraising for the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show (GCSS). In 1983, Gov. Terry Branstad joined forces with the Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen’s Association to organize GCSS.  

“I continue to be amazed by the generosity of Iowans when it comes to supporting the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa. It’s been 40 years since I teamed up with the Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen’s Association to organize the first Governor’s Charity Steer Show. To know this event has raised more than $4.5 million to support more than 50,000 families in need means so much to me," said Terry Branstad, former governor of Iowa and U.S. ambassador to China. "Let’s make this Governor’s Charity Steer Show the best yet! Help us meet our fundraising goal of $400,000 for the 40th anniversary. Together we can make a difference.”

Last year’s show raised $375,265.92 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Iowa, with houses in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Sioux City. Since 1981, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa have served over 50,000 families from all 50 states and 62 foreign countries. Gov. Kim Reynolds carries on the tradition, which supports families of sick children.

“As your Governor, I have strived to keep this show moving forward and growing by the year,” Gov. Reynolds said. “We didn’t let COVID-19 or the derecho slow us down. The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and Iowa Beef Industry Council continue to raise the bar, and the cattle producers of Iowa have helped this show become what it is today. Let’s celebrate the accomplishments of the past 40 years, but let’s continue to work forward.”

Iowa’s cattle industry plays a big role in the Governor’s Charity Steer Show. Iowa Cattlemen’s Association president Bob Noble offered the following comments:

“Iowa cattle producers, from all corners of the state, assist in the implementation of the Governor’s Charity Steer Show. Cattlemen care, and that is made evident by our involvement in organizations throughout our communities,” Noble said. “The highly anticipated Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show displays our dedication to fellow Iowans, especially during their time of need. We hope to raise additional funds for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa, so they may continue to support Iowa families.”

The 40th Annual Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show will be held  at 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 13. Please join us in supporting the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa by visiting www.iowagovernorscharitysteershow.com.



USMEF Spring Conference Spotlights U.S.-China Trade Relations, Innovative Promotions for U.S. Red Meat

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) concluded its spring conference Friday in San Antonio. The three-day meeting examined a number of key issues for U.S. exporters while also updating members on promotional activities for U.S. pork, beef and lamb in a wide range of international markets.

Thursday's general session focused on agricultural trade relations between the U.S. and China, including a deep dive into the market access gains achieved for U.S. beef and pork through the 2020 Phase One Trade and Economic Agreement.

Guest panelist for the session was former Iowa governor Terry Branstad, who had a front-row seat for the tumultuous negotiations that led to the agreement, as he was serving as U.S. ambassador to China under the Trump administration. Branstad was joined on the panel by Joel Haggard, USMEF senior vice president for the Asia Pacific, who is based in Hong Kong.

Offering a glimpse inside the talks, Branstad admitted early concerns about efforts to engage China more aggressively on trade.

“My respect for Ambassador (Robert) Lighthizer grew through the process,” Branstad said, referring to the U.S. trade representative at the time. “He was very focused, and worked really hard to build a personal relationship with the chief negotiator on the Chinese side, Liu He, who does have President Xi Jinping’s ear. That was critically important, and it was successful.”

Following adoption of the Phase One pact, Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products reached record levels, albeit still short of the targets outlined in the agreement. Now, two years after the agreement entered into force, Branstad said Chinese consumers remain committed to U.S. food products because they value the quality and safety.

Haggard noted that U.S. producers should not be overly concerned that the Phase One purchase targets were not reached. With improved market access, private entities in China made strong increases in their imports of U.S. agricultural goods according to their needs – which Haggard sees as the preferred path to increased trade.

“Would we in the meat sector have wanted Chinese state purchasers to go out and buy products just for the purpose of buying them, and disrupt the market?” Haggard asked. “That doesn’t serve orderly development of the market.”

Haggard praised the expanded opportunities resulting from the Phase One Agreement, which allowed China to quickly rise to the third largest destination for U.S. beef exports, trailing only South Korea and Japan. While the 2020 surge in U.S. pork exports to China was largely due to African swine fever's impact on China's domestic hog production, Phase One allowed far more U.S. pork producers and processing establishments to reap the benefits of China's increased need for imported pork.

The name "Phase One" implies there is unfinished business to be resolved in a second round of U.S.-China trade talks, but Branstad noted there are significant obstacles to striking up Phase Two negotiations.

“That’s going to be the hardest part because the Chinese government loves to subsidize their state-owned enterprises,” he said. “That’s market-distorting and it’s something we wanted to address, and frankly that's what didn’t get done in the Phase One agreement. I think it will be difficult to do, and the Biden administration hasn’t really shown any appetite for going after it.”

Promoting U.S. red meat in traditional retail settings

Friday’s closing session featured a panel discussion focused on USMEF marketing initiatives in traditional retail venues in selected markets. The rapid expansion of modern supermarket chains has created tremendous opportunities for U.S. red meat internationally, and the U.S. industry capitalizes through numerous partnerships, promotions and tasting demonstrations. But across the globe, millions of consumers still favor traditional settings such as wet markets and butcher shops, and there are significant opportunities for growth in this sector.

Jessica Spreitzer, USMEF’s director of trade analysis, moderated a panel discussion featuring Lorenzo Elizalde, USMEF director of marketing in Mexico, Dave Rentoria, USMEF Philippines representative, and Maria Ruiz, USMEF Colombia representative. Spreitzer acknowledged that the pandemic had accelerated the global shift in food sales toward modern retail, but emphasized that traditional venues continue to hold their own in the increasingly competitive retail space. In fact, according to Euromonitor International, the traditional marketplace sector is a $3 trillion business that accounts for 41% of global grocery sales, and Spreitzer maintains that these markets still dominate sales in many countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Rentoria explained that with domestic production impacted by African swine fever, the Philippine government recently lowered pork import tariffs to attract more imported pork and stabilize supplies. U.S. pork had traditionally been used as raw material for further processing in the Philippines, but is now being sold in significant volumes through foodservice outlets and in traditional wet markets. The U.S. pork industry has a great opportunity to expand demand through this channel, especially as these venues become better equipped to handle frozen pork. USMEF has implemented a three-phase program to assess Philippine consumers' perceptions about imported pork and especially U.S. pork, and to increase sales through direct consumer outreach.

Ruiz talked about the growing butcher shop sector in Colombia, where an estimated 40 to 50% of imported meat is sold. Butcher shops fill a growing need between traditional wet markets and modern retail, she explained, and this offers an opportunity to work closely with major importers who either own or affiliate with butcher shops. The USMEF Butcher Shop Program is a relationship-building strategy developed to improve numerous operational aspects with the goal of increasing sales of U.S. pork and beef. The program has three distinct phases – diagnosis, planning and execution – in which USMEF guides these shops on ways to better merchandise and promote U.S. pork and beef products. The program has helped increase U.S. red meat sales at several locations and more shops are looking to participate.

Elizalde outlined the new product development approach that USMEF-Mexico has implemented at retail to better position U.S. pork as a value-added product. Elizalde discussed several of the new products USMEF has helped develop and promote with targeted Mexican processors. New products are promoted in traditional markets through product sampling, use of a USMEF mobile grill and kitchen and on a wide range of social media platforms.

The conference got underway Wednesday with presentations from USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom and keynote speaker and acclaimed author Peter Zeihan. More details on the opening session are available online.

In addition to the general sessions, standing committee meetings allowed USMEF members to receive updates on critical issues specifically impacting their sector. Breakout sessions for the USMEF Pork and Allied Industries Committee, Beef and Allied Industries Committee and Feedgrains and Oilseeds Caucus provided producers with market-specific insights into how their investments in USMEF marketing programs are being utilized. Committee members also received updates on the competitive landscape in key markets, as well as details on the impact of rising input costs for producers across the globe and on the effect of rising inflation on consumer spending. USMEF Exporter Committee members examined a broad range of trade barriers and market access obstacles, while also receiving updates on port congestion and other shipping and logistical challenges.

USMEF members will next meet at the organization's annual strategic planning conference, which is set for Nov. 9-11 in Oklahoma City.



Record-setting Number of Ethanol and Biofuels Producers Set to Attend the 2022 FEW

Ethanol Producer Magazine and BBI International released conference data regarding the number of attendees and biofuels producers set to attend this year’s International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo (FEW) taking place, June 13-15, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In all categories the data showed record-breaking numbers. The total number of attendees who are producers of ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel, cellulosic ethanol, sustainable aviation fuel or other advanced biofuels is on pace to be close to 600 attendees. The total number of exhibitors inside the expo hall is currently at 340 and is expected to grow.

“This is a must-attend event if you are connected to the ethanol industry,” says John Nelson, vice president of operations, sales and marketing at BBI International. “We are extremely pleased with the excitement surrounding this year’s FEW and the numbers are proof that this will be one of the largest events to date. It will be the largest FEW since 2009.”

180 presentations fill the agenda at this year’s International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo, as well as the co-located events. All FEW registered attendees are able to attend the sessions for the Biodiesel & Renewable Diesel Summit and the preconference events, the Carbon Capture & Storage Summit and Ethanol 101. Both preconference events are taking place Monday, June 13th.

“There is a massive amount of content for attendees this year, including sessions on sustainable aviation fuel,” said Tim Portz, program director for the FEW. “With the Carbon Capture Summit, Ethanol 101, and the Biodiesel & Renewable Diesel Summit available to all attendees, this is the best place to be if you are interested in learning about biofuels technology advancements and policy that is directing the industry.”

The 38th annual FEW Policy Keynote Address will be given by Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. Skor is expected to discuss the industry’s focus on permanently restoring year-round access to E15, among many other industry priorities.

Following Skor’s address, a panel of industry association leaders includes: Chris Bliley, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Growth Energy; Troy Bredenkamp, Senior Vice President, Government and Public Affairs, Renewable Fuels Association; and Brian Jennings, CEO, American Coalition for Ethanol.

A Producer Keynote Address will be given by Todd Becker, President, CEO and Director of Green Plains Inc. Immediately after, Bruce Rastetter, CEO of Summit Agricultural Group, will close out the general session with a highly anticipated update on the planned Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline.



USDA Warns of Possible Phishing Scheme Targeting Its Food Purchase Programs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is warning vendors who wish to participate in USDA food purchase programs of a possible phishing scheme. The fake emails look like they are solicitations for bids sent by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which manages USDA’s food purchase programs.

In one version of the phony email the body of the message refers to a “bid for the supply of products and services for the Department of Agriculture Projects. While you consider a response, please take note that bids will be submitted electronically after you login our procurement system.” The email goes on to say “Documents and Invitation can be accessed via the following link…”

If you receive an email like the one described above, DO NOT RESPOND OR CLICK ANY OF THE LINKS and IMMEDIATELY DELETE the original email.

Official solicitations for USDA bidding opportunities are distributed through GovDelivery and are available on the AMS Commodity Procurement Program Solicitations and Awards webpage.

For more information about this issue, contact the Commodity Procurement Program at (202)-720-4517.