Friday September 2 Ag News

 Nebraska LEAD Announces 2022-24 Fellows

    Nebraska LEAD (Leadership Education/Action Development) Group 41 participants have been announced by the program’s director, Dr. Terry Hejny. The two-year program will begin in September.

      The newest members of Nebraska's premier two-year agricultural leadership development program are involved in production agriculture and/or agribusiness in Nebraska.

    "I am excited to get started with them as it appears that Class 41 is filled with outstanding individuals from throughout our state. Our task will be to prepare and motivate them for future leadership roles in their community, our state, and beyond," Hejny said.

    LEAD Fellows will participate in 12 monthly three-day seminars across Nebraska, a 10-day national study/travel seminar and a 14-16 day international study/travel seminar. The goal of the program is to develop problem solvers, decision makers, and spokespersons for Nebraska agriculture and beyond.

    Seminar themes include leadership assessment/potential, natural resources, energy, communication, agricultural policy/finance, international trade, Nebraska’s political process, social/cultural issues, agribusiness and marketing, information technology, advances in health care, the resources and people of Nebraska’s Panhandle and other areas designed to develop leaders through exposure to a broad array of current topics and issues and how they interrelate.

Nebraska LEAD 41 Fellows by city/town are:
ARTHUR: Karina Christensen
ATKINSON: Amber Shane
BATTLE CREEK:  Brian Schwartz
BEATRICE: Abby Lineweber
BRADY: Steve Vaughn
DICKENS: Caleb Ayers
GORDON: Anna Shadbolt
HEBRON: Lance Pachta
IMPERIAL: Jakob Burke, Jon Lechtenberg
KEARNEY: Makayla Fox, Rhett Montgomery
KIMBALL: Jamie Bright
LINCOLN: Tyler Wellman
MILFORD: Allissa Troyer
NORTH BEND: Joe Ruskamp
NORTH LOUP: Luke Zangger
OMAHA: Easton Eggers
PRIMROSE: Amanda Mogensen
SCRIBNER: Chris Beerbohm

    The Nebraska LEAD Program is governed by the non-profit Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Council in cooperation with the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and 13 other institutions of higher education throughout Nebraska.



Nebraska Soybean Board to meet

The Nebraska Soybean Board will hold its next meeting on September 7-8, 2022 at the Omaha Marriott located at 10220 Regency Circle, Omaha, Nebraska.

Among conducting regular board business, the Board will finalize funding for FY23 proposals and learn about other new opportunities. The meeting is open to the public and will provide an opportunity for public discussion. The complete agenda for the meeting is available for inspection on the Nebraska Soybean Board website at www.nebraskasoybeans.org.

About the Nebraska Soybean Board: The nine-member Nebraska Soybean Board collects and disburses the Nebraska share of funds generated by the one-half of one percent times the net sales price per bushel of soybeans sold. Nebraska soybean checkoff funds are invested in research, education, domestic and foreign markets, including new uses for soybeans and soybean products.



Farm Energy Management Webinar Series: Strategies to Save on Electric Bills

As farm production costs rise, farmers work to reign in these costs. Electricity can be a major farm expense which can be difficult to reduce. This webinar series is designed to teach farmers strategies to save on their electric bills. Electric bills are rapidly changing and becoming more complex. Simply using less electricity does not always yield significant savings. This three-part webinar series will cover electric bill components and how to interpret them as well as strategies to save on energy charges, demand charges and power factor charges.

Registration is now available for the webinar series here https://go.unl.edu/v3xw, which includes:
    Friday, Sept. 30 — Strategies to Save on Energy Charges
    Friday, Oct. 7 — Strategies to Save on Demand Charges
    Friday, Oct. 14 — Strategies to Save on Power Factor Charges

These webinars are taught by extension energy experts Eric Romich, Ohio State University, and John Hay, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Webinars are one hour and begin at noon Eastern time/11 a.m. Central time.



CONFERENCE EXPLAINS KEY CONNECTIONS BETWEEN AGRICULTURE, INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Overseas markets provide major revenue for Nebraska’s agricultural sector — about 30% of the state’s annual ag receipts. In 2020, those export sales included $2.3 billion of Nebraska soybeans, $1.2 billion of beef, $1.1 billion of corn and $425 million of pork.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau notes that every dollar in agricultural exports generates $1.28 in associated economic activities such as transportation, financing, warehousing and production.

It pays, then, for farm-state residents to understand the ag sector’s wide-ranging connections to the global marketplace and the need to strengthen opportunities for increased overseas sales.

A recent ag-focused conference in Omaha featured presentations by University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty that explained the fundamentals of international trade. The event, held at the headquarters of Green Plains Inc., also included discussions on how producers can expand the understanding of global trade in their communities and organizations.

The Clayton Yeutter Institute of International Trade and Finance at Nebraska co-sponsored the event along with the U.S. Grains Council. The council and the National Corn Growers Association have offered a series of in-person trade school workshops since 2016. The Aug. 26 Omaha event also received support from the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, Iowa Corn Growers and South Dakota Corn.

The first international negotiations to establish global trade rules took place after World War II and focused on reducing tariffs — the taxes that consumers and businesses pay on imports, Jill O’Donnell, director of the Yeutter Institute, told the audience.

Economist Douglas Irwin has observed that the fundamental issue in trade policy has been the degree to which domestic producers should be protected from foreign competition, O'Donnell noted.

In the second half of the 20th century, countries participating in global trade negotiations reduced trade restrictions, balancing considerations of domestic protection against benefits such as reduced costs for consumers from tariff reductions and increased market access overseas, as trading partners lowered their barriers.

In a series of multilateral trade negotiations from the 1960s to the ’90s, participating countries gradually broadened the scope of negotiations to include reductions in non-tariff barriers, O'Donnell said. That step helped create opportunities for increased agricultural trade in particular, though non-tariff barriers remain a significant obstacle in present-day trade.

Governments adopted the principle that trade barrier reductions negotiated through international talks would apply equally to all participating countries. In other words, each member country would receive the same “Most Favored Nation” status. Under the World Trade Organization, member countries agreed to respect a binding dispute resolution process.

In the United States, the Constitution gives Congress control over trade policy, but Congress has delegated a measure of authority to the executive branch, O'Donnell said. A key example is Trade Promotion Authority, adopted in 1974. Under TPA, a presidential administration negotiates a new trade agreement, and Congress then votes up or down, without amendment, to approve or reject it.

Over the past two decades, this global trade structure has run into multiple challenges, O’Donnell said. Multilateral negotiations under the 164-member World Trade Organization have stalled, and countries instead have relied on a growing number of bilateral and regional trade agreements. The WTO has proved unable to address problems such as industrial subsidies and the complexities of non-market economies, including China’s. The United States has begun taking unilateral punitive actions, such as trade barriers imposed through Sections 232 and 301, which are federal statutes rarely used in the past. The WTO’s dispute resolution process has tumbled into limbo due to a lack of support from the U.S. and other countries.

At the same time, O'Donnell said, skepticism toward open trade has increased among the two U.S. political parties, given the impacts on domestic industry from global interdependence. TPA, used to move trade agreements forward since the 1970s, expired last year, and its revival remains uncertain.  

The Yeutter Institute has chair positions in three departments at Nebraska (law, agricultural economics and business), reflecting the interdisciplinary background of Nebraska native Clayton Yeutter, who held private-sector positions and also served as U.S. trade representative and U.S. secretary of agriculture. Two of the Yeutter chairs — Matthew Schaefer in law and John Beghin in agricultural economics — made presentations at the conference. The third Yeutter chair is business professor Edward Balistreri.

In his presentation, Schaefer explained challenges facing global and regional trade agreements. He described the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the trade policy the Biden administration is pursuing with 13 countries. Under that approach, the administration is not seeking the traditional goal in regional trade agreements — reductions in tariffs — but instead is focusing on four themes: trade facilitation; supply chains; clean energy, decarbonization and infrastructure; and anti-corruption.

Beghin briefed the conference on factors contributing to the current global crisis in fertilizer access. Among the factors: strong demand due to solid crop prices. Fossil fuel prices. The Ukraine conflict and sanctions on Russia and Belarus. China’s production shortfalls and export limits. U.S. tariffs on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco.

Discussion at the conference turned to the American public’s views on trade, and O’Donnell noted that the Yeutter Institute this year had a podcast with Catherine Novelli, a former trade negotiator and State Department official, offering detailed information on the topic. The podcast was part of the Yeutter Institute’s ongoing series of Trade Matters podcasts addressing a range of trade-related topics.



Fall 2022 Seed Guide Available
Cody Creech - Dryland Cropping Systems Specialist

Results of the 2022 UNL Crops Testing Winter Wheat trials are now available in the 2022 Fall Seed Guide. It can be found on the UNL Crop Variety and Hybrid Testing Program site https://cropwatch.unl.edu/varietytest and includes details on yield, protein, test weight, ratings for disease characteristics, location summaries and weather information. Contacts for individual seed companies are provided to assist growers in identifying certified seed growers. Trial efforts in winter wheat were led by Drs. Cody Creech, Brian Maust and Amanda Easterly.

Also included in the publication are results summaries of barley and triticale advanced yield trials, conducted by Dr. Katherine Frels, the small grains breeder.

This year’s inaugural cover photo contest winner was Dr. Sandeep Sakhale, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The image features the variety trial plots at Mark Knobel’s farm near Fairbury.

Despite a dry year in 2021, fall emergence of the winter wheat trials across the state was excellent and we experienced very little winterkilling. Early spring green up was also promising across the state, leading to early season predictions that winter wheat yields were going to hold steady.

However, as the drought continued, the conditions deteriorated. In addition, hailstorms affected many parts of the state and trials were lost to hail at Clay, Red Willow/Hitchcock, Gosper, Deuel and Box Butte counties. A late spring freeze during heading also impacted wheat yields, particularly for earlier-heading varieties.

In the Panhandle, wheat stem sawfly pressure further impacted yield and performance, and resistance to sawfly continues to be a trait that the Crops Testing team monitors in the varieties tested.

Locations for which the data was lost to hail or too severely impacted by the freeze damage has not been published, and we strongly recommend that growers make decisions based on multi-year and multi-location averages. Furthermore, we encourage growers to diversify their variety selections and obtain seed as quickly as possible. Certified seed growers were impacted by the same difficult conditions and seed inventories are expected to be in short supply.

Lastly, we encourage growers to reach out to local extension and industry partners with questions about local growing conditions and optimizing fall planting for the continued drought. Members of the Crops Testing Team (Cody Creech, Brian Maust, Amanda Easterly) can be reached via email with questions regarding the results and interpretation.

Testing would not be possible without the support of our cooperators across the state, who graciously share land to conduct the trials, host field tours and manage the sites for high quality data. We would also like to thank the Agricultural Research Division, Nebraska Wheat Board, UNL Extension and the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture.



UNL research project expands understanding of sorghum defenses against aphid threat

Sorghum stands as one of the world’s leading cereal crops, growing in producer popularity due to its drought resistance at a time of major climate concern. The United States is No. 1 in growing the crop, primarily for animal feed and biofuel creation. But sorghum, here and worldwide, is under growing threat from an insect marauder, the sugarcane aphid.  

The tiny creatures reproduce rapidly and can wreak major damage, depleting a plant’s nutrients by feeding on leaves and stalks. The aphid’s sticky “honeydew” facilitates mold on sorghum leaves and clogs harvesting equipment. Since 2013, the aphids have taken a strong foothold in sorghum-heavy Texas and Louisiana and of late have appeared in Kansas fields and in at least one Nebraska county.  

Although Nebraska is not a main producer of the crop, “internationally and in the U.S. where sorghum is grown, you're seeing a lot of issues with sugarcane aphids,” said Joe Louis, the Harold W. Eberhard Professor of Agricultural Entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  

In recent years, Louis and his research collaborators at UNL and other institutions have studied the defense and signaling mechanisms that sorghum plants use to trigger their natural defenses against insect attack.  

The subject is complex, with many factors still to be analyzed. In a new academic paper published in Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, Louis and colleagues explain their findings that a compound long identified with plant protection — jasmonic acid, a plant hormone — has a more complex relationship to sorghum defense than anticipated.  

Jasmonic acid is a hormone generally produced when a plant comes under stress. Past practice showed that spraying jasmonic acid on sorghum plants deterred aphids from settling on the stalks. The research project confirmed that protective effect, but with a twist: Jasmonic acid did provide that protection for up to the first 24 hours after aphid release in the experiment. But thereafter, the high level of jasmonic acid encouraged the aphids to proliferate.  

So, it turns out that jasmonic acid “has a dual role,” Louis said. “It serves as a deterrent at the initial stage. And at the later stage, it's actually helping the aphids to settle on the plants or colonize on the plants.” That’s because “some of the compounds or metabolites (metabolic byproducts) from the jasmonic acid are actually helping them to settle on the plants.”

Altering the level of jasmonic acid affected the sorghum plant’s accumulation of the sugars, fructose and trehalose, the research showed. A change in the sugar level affects the aphids’ growth and development. “We found that if we alter the jasmonic acid metabolism, there is a chance that it also affects the sugar accumulation in the plant, and that might be contributing to the resistance ability of the sorghum,” Louis said.  

The project showed that “the jasmonic acid and these sugars are somehow connected, that when there is more jasmonic acid, there is less of fructose and trehalose,” Louis said. “And if they are less, the aphids can feed better on the plant. But if the level of the jasmonic acid is low, these sugars will increase. Which means that the aphids are consuming more of the fructose and trehalose, and that can affect the physiology of the insects” by impeding their growth and reproduction.  

Continued research will expand understanding of the sorghum defense mechanisms against aphids, Louis said: “This project looked at one hormone, and there are other compounds or metabolites involved in providing defense. So, as a complement to this study, we are using proteomic and metabolomic approaches to understand the different factors that could contribute to sorghum defense against aphids.”

Identifying and understanding the full range of sorghum defense processes can provide “more tools we could use to protect the plants from aphids.”

“All plants have these innate defense mechanisms. We just need to explore those and find what are those hidden players in the plant,” he said. “If we can boost those innate defenses, we would have a better way to protect the plant, and we could reduce the use of pesticides. That would help us to produce a much cleaner environment.”

The lead author is Sajjan Grover, who spearheaded the project when he was completing his Ph.D. and subsequently his postdoctoral work in molecular plant-insect interactions at UNL. Grover is now a research scientist at Bayer’s crop science research  and development facility in Chesterfield, Missouri.  

The project was a continued UNL collaboration in plant-insect interactions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service via contributions from ARS scientists Scott Sattler, based in Lincoln, and Zhanguo Xin, in Texas. Heena Puri, a Ph.D. candidate with the UNL Department of Entomology, is the other coauthor.  

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation CAREER grant awarded to Joe Louis, which helped the team to expand the scientific understanding of a range of factors relating to plant defense against aphids.  



Northeast Community College to share in $25 million award to develop robotics/automation curriculum

Northeast Community College will play a key role in a new $25 million effort to help Nebraska become a national leader in robotic technologies and automation in the manufacturing and agriculture industries.

Northeast is one of six partners in the Heartland Robotics Cluster that will receive funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) through its Build Back Better Regional Challenge program. President Biden announced from the White House today that the cluster is one of 21 winners of the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge.

Funded by the President’s American Rescue Plan and administered by the Commerce Department’s EDA, the Regional Challenge provides each award winner funding to rebuild regional economies, promote inclusive and equitable recovery, and create thousands of good-paying jobs in industries of the future such as clean energy, next-generation manufacturing, and biotechnology. The 21 programs were among an initial pool of 529 applicants.

Other partners in the Heartland Robotics Cluster are the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering, the Nebraska Innovation Studio, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership; Metro Community College, and Invest Nebraska - The Combine Incubator. Invest Nebraska serves as the lead of the cluster.

“The Build Back Better Regional Challenge places community and equity at the heart of its design. With this grant, technological development, revitalization of communities, and job creation go hand in hand,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Invest Nebraska Corporation and its coalition partners will spur technology innovation in the state to fortify our nation’s food supply chain, support rural workers, and accelerate technology.”

Nebraska Second District Congressman Don Bacon said the grant will assist cluster members in their role revitalizing the rural labor force in the state, which he describes as a key component of the nation’s food supply chain.

“As a member of the House Agricultural Committee, I routinely hear from our ag producers about the growing need to develop more robotic technologies and manufacturing automation,” Bacon said.

Northeast will receive approximately $4.6 million of the Heartland Robotics Cluster’s overall $25 million award - $3.4 million for the development of a fabrication lab in downtown Norfolk and $1.2 million to create a two-year robotics/automation curriculum and technology outreach program. It is the largest federal grant Northeast has ever received.

The fabrication lab will be geared to the workforce needs of local and area manufacturers, many of which generate products and serve clients that support the agriculture industry. The fab lab will also create an environment where ideas are shared and become reality through applied technologies, economic and community development, business and industry training, and personal development.

Once the space in downtown Norfolk is renovated, it will feature high-tech equipment and collaborative workspace to allow manufacturers to explore ideas, streamline production processes and create prototypes. The lab will be open to the public, offer a variety of membership and use options, and include space for student robotics use.

Northeast Dean of Applied Technology Shanelle Grudzinski said the College is “beyond excited” to partner with Invest Nebraska and others who share a vision of looking at rural vitality and community growth through a different lens.

“As an innovative approach to engaging cross disciplinary boundaries and programs, along with the community, the Northeast Community College Fabrication Lab is being built in the heart of downtown Norfolk to assist in stimulating the entrepreneurial ecosystem and expanding educational opportunities for a wide variety of groups ranging from K-12 students to two-year and four-year college students, to incumbent workers, to the community at large,” Grudzinski said. “It is an opportunity to combine resources, knowledge, and local talent while offering affordable and accessible manufacturing and creative equipment for individuals to ideate, prototype, problem-solve, and produce with as we work collaboratively to address workforce challenges and economic development opportunities.”

The development of a robotics/automation curriculum at Northeast will not be a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, it will be designed to meet workforce development needs as well as the needs of individuals who are interested in exploring and pursuing careers in the field. The workforce development focus area will consist of certification courses in a variety of career areas. The student robotic curriculum will offer courses that are research-backed and include real-world contextual applications to help individuals understand why they’re learning the concepts; instruction on how to program behaviors; challenges to apply their knowledge; and use of knowledge assessments.

“It is exciting news to receive the Heartland Robotic Cluster award. It will play a vital role in robotics outlook for our rural areas of Nebraska, especially, the outreach plan that focuses on underserved populations,” said Shubha Krishnamurthy, information technology program director at Northeast. “It opens up a world of opportunities for our workforce to try the latest and greatest in the field of automation and create some innovative solutions in their businesses. I am thrilled to be a part of this team and would love to explore all the limitless prospects it brings in. I would like to invite all our students and businesses to make the best use of this.”

Throughout the development work, Northeast will collaborate with Metro Community College in Omaha in sharing data to help strategically launch new programming or improving upon existing curriculum. Sharing the results of that work with Nebraska’s other community colleges will ultimately ensure greater capacity statewide in preparing individuals for the skilled workforce.

Running parallel with the curriculum development will be the implementation of an outreach plan based on input from community partners. With the development of the plan, these events will include a new focal point of highlighting training and courses available in robotics and automation – and how they create high-paying opportunities within state manufacturing operations.

“EDA is proud to support the vision of the Heartland Robotics Cluster as it engages rural communities in tech-based economic development,” said Alejandra Y. Castillo, assistant secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This EDA investment will transform the agricultural industry in Nebraska and position the region as a leader in innovation that will make our food supply more efficient and sustainable.”

“The Heartland Robotics Cluster exemplifies the spirit of Nebraska – community, collaboration, rural vitality, and a can-do attitude to address workforce challenges,” said Dr. Leah Barrett, president of Northeast. “Dan Hoffman (CEO of Invest Nebraska) and Kent Warneke (director of grants at Northeast) were masterful at bringing together organizations that are committed to ensuring rural vitality and innovation in our state. We look forward to working with our partners to develop programs and experiences to support innovation in our industries, career pipelines for our children, and a place for learners and builders to explore and create.”



U.S. Department of Commerce Invests Approximately $25 Million to Strengthen Agricultural Technology Industry in Nebraska Through American Rescue Plan Regional Challenge

Today, President Biden will announce the Heartland Robotics Cluster as one of 21 winners of the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge, the most impactful regional economic development competition in decades. Funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan and administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), the Regional Challenge is awarding approximately $25 million in grants to the Heartland Robotics Cluster, led by the Invest Nebraska Corporation, to  accelerate Nebraska’s leadership in the agricultural industry through robotic technologies and advanced manufacturing automation.

With $25 million in funding from EDA, the Heartland Robotics Cluster will revitalize the region’s rural labor force and strengthen the nation’s food supply chain. The cluster’s projects include expansion of the Nebraska Innovation Studio to create an environment for innovators from across the state and from a variety of demographics to develop automation and robotic solutions. The coalition also will implement seven other projects, including robotics curriculum development; workforce outreach to provide rural areas with opportunities to work with cutting-edge technology; technology commercialization efforts in partnership with private industry; and manufacturing demonstration spaces to de-risk adoption of new technologies.

“The Build Back Better Regional Challenge places community and equity at the heart of its design. With this grant, technological development, revitalization of communities, and job creation go hand in hand,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Invest Nebraska Corporation and its coalition partners will spur technology innovation in the state to fortify our nation’s food supply chain, support rural workers, and accelerate technology.”

“EDA is proud to support the vision of the Heartland Robotics Cluster as it engages rural communities in tech-based economic development,” said Alejandra Y. Castillo, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This EDA investment will transform the agricultural industry in Nebraska and position the region as a leader in innovation that will make our food supply more efficient and sustainable.”

“Congratulations to Heartland Robotics Cluster for being awarded this grant which will help them to revitalize the rural labor force here, which is a key component of the nation’s food supply chain,” said Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02). “As a member of the House Agricultural Committee, I routinely hear from our ag produces about the growing need to develop more robotic technologies and manufacturing automation.”

The Invest Nebraska Corporation is one of 21 winners – each a regional coalition of partnering entities – that will receive awards between $25 million and $65 million to implement an average of six integrative projects that will enable each region's economic transformation and competitiveness.

The Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) is an unprecedented competitive federal grant program that provides each regional coalition with significant investments to tackle a wide variety of projects – including entrepreneurial support, workforce development, infrastructure, and innovation – to drive inclusive economic growth. Each coalition’s collection of projects aims to develop and strengthen regional industry clusters – all while embracing economic equity, creating good-paying jobs, and enhancing U.S. competitiveness globally. Projects span 24 states and include $87 million to two primarily Tribal coalitions and over $150 million for projects serving communities impacted by the declining use of coal.

The 21 BBBRC awardees were chosen from 60 EDA-designated finalists that each received approximately $500,000 in funding and technical assistance to continue developing their cluster strategies. The funding for each coalition is approximate, with awards to be signed later in September. Those 60 finalists were chosen from a Phase 1 applicant pool of 529 applications, which exemplifies the tremendous demand for transformational economic development approaches. EDA will continue to support all 60 finalists with the creation of a Community of Practice that will provide technical support, foster connectedness with peer regions and build capacity.



ICGA Delegates Adopt Policies Impacting Iowa Corn Farmers at Annual Grassroots Summit

The Iowa Corn Growers Association® (ICGA) hosted the Annual Grassroots Summit where ICGA delegates set the direction for state and federal policy priorities for the coming year. During the Grassroots Summit, a group of over 100 farmer-member delegates voiced their opinions and thoughts on legislative priorities and policies.

ICGA delegates engaged in important topics that impact landowner rights of Iowa’s corn farmers, including adopting policy to support the entirety of the current permitting process outlined in the Iowa Code for utility projects regulated by the Iowa Utilities Board and current rules for restoration of agricultural land during and after construction. The decision is consistent with existing policy to protect landowner rights and further the support of landowners to negotiate requirements higher than state minimums on their individual property as they deem necessary.

Delegates then adopted new policy to support the implementation of carbon capture and sequestration pipelines to lower the carbon-intensity scores of ethanol plants. As policy for climate-friendly energy sources continues to gain momentum and support, carbon capture and sequestration technology creates an avenue to incorporate higher-ethanol blends into America’s fuel supply and lays the groundwork for ICGA’s federal ethanol policy priority, the Next Generation Fuels Act.

“ICGA members stand united in our support for the continued exploration and development of new market opportunities for corn and the profitability of farmers,” stated incoming ICGA President Denny Friest, a farmer from Radcliffe, Iowa. “That commitment to expand corn usage has been and will remain essential to the strength and longevity of our corn industry. A strong corn industry is a win for all Iowans, and that’s something we can all support.”

Additionally, the farmer delegates reviewed expiring policies and debated new policy resolutions. This ICGA policy process includes a member-wide survey in the spring, local roundtable discussions held in the summer, and the Annual Grassroots Summit in late August. Policies related to national issues will be brought forward at the Commodity Classic meetings with National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) farmer delegates.  

ICGA delegates deliberated on many important state issues impacting Iowa corn farmers, including these priority issues: conservation and water quality, taxes, trade, transportation, supporting the livestock industry and expanding ethanol markets.

ICGA will release its finalized 2023 state and federal policy priorities in December based on ICGA Board discussion as well as the grassroots input provided during the Summit. The complete 2022-2023 policy resolution book will be available online and upon request by emailing corninfo@iowacorn.org or calling 515-225-9242.



USDA Dairy Products July 2022 Production Highlights

Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 1.16 billion pounds, 1.1 percent above July 2021 and 0.5 percent above June 2022. Italian type cheese production totaled 491 million pounds, 2.3 percent above July 2021 and 1.9 percent above June 2022. American type cheese production totaled 468 million pounds, 0.1 percent above July 2021 and 1.5 percent above June 2022. Butter production was 152 million pounds, 3.1 percent above July 2021 but 5.3 percent below June 2022.

Dry milk products (comparisons in percentage with July 2021)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 166 million pounds, up 20.2 percent.
Skim milk powder - 50.8 million pounds, down 21.1 percent.

Whey products (comparisons in percentage with July 2021)
Dry whey, total - 85.7 million pounds, up 5.8 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 99.9 million pounds, up 0.9 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 43.5 million pounds, up 12.5 percent.

Frozen products (comparisons in percentage with July 2021)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 62.0 million gallons, down 3.5 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 41.5 million gallons, down 2.9 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 2.44 million gallons, down 12.7 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 4.15 million gallons, up 2.0 percent.



USDA Offers Additional 15 Days for Public Comments on Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Poultry Growing Tournament Systems, Fairness and Related Concerns

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will accept comments on its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled Poultry Growing Tournament Systems: Fairness and Related Concerns for an additional 15 days. Comments may be submitted anonymously at www.regulations.gov.

The ANPR was published in the Federal Register June 8, 2022, with comments originally due on or before September 6, 2022.

The Poultry Growing Tournament Systems: Fairness and Related Concerns ANPR poses numerous specific questions for commenter consideration. Comments and information from the public is important to assist AMS in developing policy regarding the use of poultry grower ranking or “tournament” pay systems by vertically integrated poultry companies, known as “integrators,” as a means to determine grower compensation.