Monday December 12 Ag News

Nebraska Farm Bureau Names 2023 Leadership Academy Class

Ten farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness professionals from across Nebraska have been selected for Nebraska Farm Bureau’s 2023 Leadership Academy. They will begin a year-long program starting Jan. 19-20 in Kearney.

“The goal of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Leadership Academy is to cultivate the talents and strengths of our members and connect their passion for agriculture to opportunities of service within the Farm Bureau organization. Great leaders have a clearly defined purpose, purpose fuels passion and work ethic. By developing leadership skills, academy members can develop their passions and positively impact their local communities and the state of Nebraska,” said Audrey Schipporeit, NEFB’s director of generational engagement and facilitator of the 2023 Leadership Academy.

Academy members will participate in sessions focused on leadership development, understanding the county, state, and national structure of Farm Bureau and its grassroots network, policy work on agricultural issues, and the importance of agricultural literacy. The group will also travel to the Capitols in Lincoln and Washington, D.C. to visit with elected officials and agency representatives.

The 2023 Nebraska Farm Bureau Leadership Academy members are:
Jakob Andreasen, of Cuming County Farm Bureau, lives near West Point. Jakob attends Chadron State College. He has degrees from Northeast Community College in Animal Science, Agri-Business, and Agronomy and he also received an Associate of Science Degree in Applied Science. He is currently studying Rangeland Management with an emphasis on livestock. He serves as vice president of the Chadron State College Collegiate Farm Bureau.

McKenna Schlueter, a member of Washington County Farm Bureau, lives near Blair. McKenna attends Chadron State College where she is working on receiving her bachelor’s in Business Administration with an emphasis on Agribusiness. She serves as treasurer of the Chadron State College Collegiate Farm Bureau.

Emily Haxby, a member of Gage County Farm Bureau, lives near Clatonia. She is a 5th generation farmer, wife, and mother. Along with her Dad and uncle, Emily and her husband, grow corn and soybeans with an occasional year of wheat or milo. She and her husband started out with 24 head of cows and now have more than 100 head and they put up their own hay and alfalfa. Emily is vice chairman of the Gage County Board of Supervisors.

Ayla Smith, a member of Hayes County Farm Bureau, lives near Palisade on her late-grandparents farm. She grew up helping her family on their small farm while assisting local ranchers with their cattle operations. She currently works at her local church while managing a small poultry and goat operation and assists her husband with his trucking business.

Ryan Musgrave, a member of the Clay County Farm Bureau, lives near Ong. He and his wife, operate a diversified livestock operation. In 2018 Ryan and his wife were the NEFB state Excellence in Agriculture winners representing Nebraska in the national contest. Ryan currently serves on the board of the Clay County Farm Bureau.

Emily Young, a member of Kearney/Franklin County Farm Bureau, lives near Minden. Emily and her husband Brandon have two children. Emily grew up in rural Nebraska and works in agribusiness as a Farm Bureau sales associate. She serves on the Kearney/Franklin County Farm Bureau board and as the OA/PKR.

Parker Jessen, a member of Morrill County Farm Bureau lives near Oshkosh. Parker is a third-generation farmer where he grows wheat, corn, millet, milo, soybeans, and hay. He is raising cattle to direct market his beef. Parker has been involved in the Nebraska Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers program attending the annual conference.

Katerina White, a member of Kearney/Franklin County Farm Bureau, lives near Minden. She and her husband have two children. They own and operate a cow/calf operation and help with Katerina’s family farm. She serves as a board member of the Kearney/Franklin County Farm Bureau board.

Diane Kar, a member of Adams/Webster County Farm Bureau, lives near Blue Hill. A sixth-generation farmer, she and her husband, Mike, have four sons. They own and operate Blue Valley Family Farms, growing corn, soybeans, and alfalfa and raising cow/calf pairs. Diane serves on the board of the Adams/Webster County Farm Bureau.

Darcie Gallagher, a member of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau, lives near Plymouth with her significant other Evan. Darcie grew up on a family operation in Northwest Missouri raising corn, soybeans, and cattle. She works for an agriculture retail company as a Field Training & Implementation Specialist. Darcie also serves as secretary on the Jefferson County Farm Bureau Board.

“We congratulate this group of diverse individuals and thank them for their willingness to step out of their comfort zone to learn more about how they can influence their community, state, and world for the better,” said Schipporeit.



Oakland Meat Processing to host open house at new facility Dec. 31

Employees at the Oakland Meat Processing (OMP) plant have double the reason to celebrate this New Year’s Eve and they are inviting the community to join them. The company will host an open house at its new facility, 300 S. Logan Ave. in Oakland, from 3 to 6 p.m., Dec. 31. The event will include a ribbon cutting, hosted by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce.

The open house is the culmination of a challenging two years for employees, who have been working around the clock as the family-owned business outgrew their former location. As operations at the country’s largest packing plants were interrupted during the pandemic, producers and consumers alike turned to local alternatives like OMP. What looked like a temporary spike in demand for their services has become the new norm.

Anna Zeleny said the company has received tremendous support from residents and customers in Oakland and the surrounding area.

“The open house is a chance for us to thank our family and friends and the customers who have become family and friends,” she said.

In addition to the community’s support, OMP was the recipient of grant funding from the Independent Processor Assistance Program (IPAP).

The Nebraska Legislature, led by Sen. Tom Brandt, unanimously approved the creation of IPAP in 2021, with the passage of Legislative Bill 324. The first round of grants were awarded in September after lawmakers approved $10 million in funding as part of the state’s allotment of recovery funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Zeleny and Owner Mike Boell both testified in support of Legislative Bill 324 and the funding as part of hearings in 2021 and this year.

Johnathan Hladik, policy director at Center for Rural Affairs, notes this legislative advocacy made a considerable impact.

“The team at Oakland Meat Processing became strong advocates for the industry, and played an essential role in securing legislative support for the Independent Processor Assistance Program,” he said. “We are excited to see this hard work pay off and encourage everyone to lend their support.”



Northeast ag students involved in planning at new Acklie Family College Farm facilities

Agriculture students at Northeast Community College are getting real-world, hands-on training as they help plan the workflow and other tasks at the new Acklie Family College Farm livestock facilities.

Farm Manager Jason Hansen teaches a farm experience class.

“We still have to build some perimeter fencing and a barbed wire fence around a hay meadow/pasture near the lagoon,” he said. “I will be using students in the farm experience class to help get that built.”

“Jason’s students will gain valuable real-world experience,” said Tara Smydra, dean of science, technology, agriculture and math. “They could also learn about some new fencing styles.”

Ag Program Director Jill Heemstra teaches the cow-calf class.

“I have given the students a map of the College farm and I want them to weigh in on what they think would be the best sequence to graze these pastures,” she said. “In the past we calved in the pasture next to the old facility, and I want them to help decide if that is still the best way to do that.”

Heemstra said Dr. Kassie Wessendorf, veterinary technology instructor, has a special topics class that will develop a herd health plan for the Northeast cow-calf herd. And Vet Tech Director Dr. Michael Cooper is working on a plan to have students help respond to emergency calls on the farm.

Smydra said all her staff are excited to be using the new facility.

“People are thinking outside the box now, and we couldn’t do that before,” she said.

Hansen said livestock was moved to the new site at the start of the academic year in August.

“The move was pretty stress-free,” Hansen said. “We moved all 45 of the feeder calves over there. We trailered them, and it took four trips. The calves are all in one pen at the very north. We still have our feed at the old facility and we are driving down every day with the tractor and feed wagon to feed them.”

“I think when the replacement heifers come over, they will be kept in a different pen,” Heemstra said. “Maybe down the road we will look at projects where we might buy some animals and bring them in to feed out or use for class projects and then we would start looking at feeding trials.”

Hansen said the College horses are also at the new site, as are about 20 sheep that students use for animal science labs and livestock judging. The swine are still at the old facility.

“The Nebraska Pork Board visited campus this fall,” Heemstra said. “A representative of the ag and vet tech department spoke with them to get some ideas on how we can house the pigs we have. We also wanted to talk about opportunities we have, maybe not on campus but other ways we can collaborate with producers to get students more hands-on experience with pigs.”

Heemstra said that biosecurity needed to raise swine presents some special challenges for Northeast.

“If someone actually has pigs at home, and you tend to think of those as the students who would be especially interested in these classes, it’s just not feasible for them to be at home and enter the facilities we would have here. Making sure we don’t get in a situation where we would cause a disease outbreak will be key. Again, it might just take some creative thinking to get our students some opportunities.”

Students and staff have been using the new vet tech clinic and classroom building since January. Dr. Cooper has already hosted a continuing education opportunity for area vet techs and plans to expand that type of offering.

Heemstra said more workforce trainings are planned in the other new facilities now that they are complete.

“We spoke with the Pork Board on opportunities for swine classes,” she said. “We are talking with some feeder groups on opportunities for workforce training, like skills for pen riding. In the facility we had before, we couldn’t seriously talk about it because we couldn’t offer any hands-on training. Now we have opportunities not just for our degree seeking students but for workforce education and to be a direct service to the industries that donated to the facilities.”



Northeast Community College agriculture program discussed at Senate sub-committee hearing

Nebraska U.S. Senator Deb Fischer’s recent visit to Northeast Community College proved beneficial as she shared her experience with colleagues as they discussed portions of the next farm bill before a Senate committee in Washington earlier this week.

Fischer met with ag industry leaders and representatives of Northeast Community College at the Acklie Family College Farm in Norfolk in November for a roundtable discussion on the future of precision agriculture and the technology necessary to maximize its effectiveness.

In remarks during a hearing before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, Fischer spoke of how community colleges are playing an important and increasingly growing role in agriculture education and workforce training.

“For example at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, they have an associate degree in Precision Agriculture to train students on how to use, interpret and utilize precision agriculture technologies to improve production,” she said. “Northeast is also part of a multi-state coalition of community colleges that provide education, training and demonstrations to future farm producers. As part of this group of community colleges, Northeast also has an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to provide training and education and conservation.

Northeast is one of nine member institutions of the Community College Alliance for Agriculture Advancement (C2A3) which signed an MOU with NRCS in Sept. 2021 to develop a cooperative framework to enhance and accelerate training and adoption of technologies and best practices for improved agricultural productivity and natural resources stewardship.

Fischer asked Chavonda Jacobs-Young, undersecretary for research, education, and economics at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, how USDA could better partner with community colleges. She also inquired how  community colleges like Northeast can help translate research into technical training.

“I see a huge role for community colleges,” Jacobs-Young said. … “We are partnering with the community colleges and technical schools for meat and poultry processing, for example. So if we want to be local and regional systems, we need to have local and regional trained employees. And so it's been a right partnership for the community and technical colleges. Every, profession in agriculture doesn't require a four-year degree. So we really want to make sure that we capitalize on the strength of all the institutions that serve us.”

Northeast Community College initiated its precision agriculture program in 2016. Students develop technical skills to learn to interpret, analyze, and utilize data gathered from precision agriculture technologies to improve production. Graduates are employed as technicians and producers in a rapidly changing industry that is focused on maximizing yield potential through resource efficient practices.

Fischer also spoke during the hearing of a priority project for Nebraska - support for USDA’s co-located ARS (Agriculture Research Services) National Center for Resilience and Regenerative Precision Agriculture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She and other members of Nebraska’s congressional delegation sent a letter to Jacobs-Young recently that underscores the delegation’s support for the national center and their “strong commitment to secure federal funding for this essential ARS research facility.”

Jacobs-Young said USDA has emphasized the need for investments in infrastructure in such a project.

“Congress has been very generous to us. We've received over a billion dollars in investments for ARS facilities,” she said. “The beauty of that is we've been able to address seven co-located facilities at land-grant university campuses. We're in conversations with the University of Nebraska and we have plans for what we would do when properly resourced. … We just look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues there in Nebraska to make it a reality.”

In concluding her remarks at the hearing, Fischer said she would like to host Jacobs-Young at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as well as Northeast Community College in Norfolk to see “the really fabulous things they're doing there with precision agriculture. It is a very exciting time and it's a growing program for them that reaches out into rural areas of the state and the students that they're able to connect with and keep agriculture strong.”

“I would love to do that,” Jacobs-Young said.



NeCGA Call for At Large Board Members

The Nebraska Corn Growers Association is seeking candidates for two at-large positions to serve on the board of directors. The at-large positions serve for a 3-year term. If you have an interest in furthering your service to Nebraska’s corn industry and are a current member of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, please call (402) 641-7668.

As a candidate, your name will be placed on the ballot for delegates of the association to vote from during our upcoming Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting is scheduled for January 17, 2023 in York, Neb. at the Holthus Convention Center (3130 Holen Ave, York, NE 68467). Candidates will have an opportunity to address the delegates with a short introduction of themselves and why they want to be active on the board of directors, thus plan to attend the Annual Meeting.

If elected to serve, the board of directors usually meets in person 2-3 times per year, with 2-3 conference calls as needed to conduct and address business of the board. The board of directors will meet following the Annual Meeting and lunch/speakers the same day – January 17th.

If you have questions or are interested in being a candidate, please contact Dan Nerud at 402.641.7668 by January 13, 2023



USDA Announces CRPnSpecial Initiative for Upland Wildlife Habitat Development

Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director John Berge is announcing the opening of applications for a special Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) initiative designed to increase habitat for upland wildlife.

The Upland Wildlife State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) CRP aims to create more acres for wildlife such as greater prairie chickens, northern bobwhite, plains sharp-tailed grouse, ring-neck pheasants, songbirds and pollinators. It also is designed to improve water quality and soil health and reduce soil erosion and sequester carbon.

Through SAFE, entities partner with USDA’s FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on CRP projects to enhance habitat for target wildlife species. The Upland Wildlife SAFE is a joint project by FSA, NRCS, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Pheasants Forever of Nebraska. The proposal was approved in September.

“We are excited about the opportunity to offer landowners CRP rental payments through this program in return for conservation practices that have such a broad impact. Not only is this initiative great for wildlife habitat, the practices to be used are excellent for overall soil health and water quality,” said Nebraska FSA State Executive Director John Berge.

Landowners must offer tracts with a minimum of five acres. There is no maximum number of acres per tract. Cropland must have been planted or considered planted to an agricultural commodity four of the six crop years from 2012-2017 or meet a rotation between 2006 through 2017. Landowners with expired or expiring CRP can offer acres for re-enrollment.

There are 69 Nebraska counties included in the project area: Antelope, Banner, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Buffalo, Burt, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Chase, Cheyenne, Colfax, Cuming, Custer, Dakota, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dixon, Dodge, Dundy, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Gage, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Keith, Kimball, Knox, Lancaster, Lincoln, Madison, Morrill, Nance, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Perkins, Pierce, Platte, Red Willow, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Scotts Bluff, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Stanton, Thayer, Thurston, Valley, Washington, Wayne, Webster, and Wheeler.

There may be signing incentive and practice incentive payments available, as well as additional incentives available through project partners, such as the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

To learn more about the Upland Wildlife SAFE, click here to view the fact sheet on the Nebraska FSA website or visit crpsignup.com, or contact your nearest USDA Service Center.

Other CRP Signups
CRP SAFE projects are part of the continuous signup opportunities through Nebraska FSA. Other signups still to come include General CRP and Grassland CRP. The 2023 application periods for these will be announced at a later time.

Through CRP, producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve soil health and water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat on agricultural land. In addition to the other well-documented benefits, lands enrolled in CRP are playing a key role in climate change mitigation efforts across the country.  

Landowners interested in learning more about the program can contact their local USDA Service Center. 

Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary private-lands conservation programs in the United States. It was originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production. The program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits. Learn more at fsa.usda.gov/crp.  



ISU Agronomy in the Field Program to Be Offered This Winter

Women landowners, farmers and ag retailers will have the opportunity to meet again this winter to learn more about agronomy and related agricultural topics through distance-learning sessions of Agronomy in the Field.

The goals of Agronomy in the Field are to strengthen agronomic skills for women that allow for better decision-making, provide a better understanding of inputs for crop production, see and understand different conservation practices and increase confidence in communication with a spouse, farming partner, ag retailer or tenant.

These programs are hosted by extension field agronomists Angie Rieck-Hinz, Meaghan Anderson, Rebecca Vittetoe, Leah Ten Napel and Clarabell Probasco.

Five free distance-learning classroom sessions of Agronomy in the Field will be offered from January through early April. Sessions will be over the noon hour, starting at 12 p.m., and will typically last until 1 p.m. These sessions will be provided through a web-conferencing program, so women can join online from the comfort of their own home or office.

“It can be hard to travel in the winter months with weather challenges and family priorities, so hopefully the web-conferencing technology will allow women across the state to still be a part of the program, even if they are unable to physically be in the same location,” said extension field agronomist Angie Rieck-Hinz.

All sessions will be recorded so women can access them at a time convenient for them if they can’t join in for the live sessions.

The sessions that will be offered this fall and winter are as follows:
    January 9: Lean and Mean Crop Production.
    February 20: Interpreting Soil Test Results and Fertilizer Recommendations.
    March 6: Developing Successful Herbicide Plans.
    March 20: Managing Your Forages to Maximize Productivity.
    April 3: Iowa Soils and Understanding CSR2.

Any interested women landowners, farmers and service providers who would like to participate in upcoming sessions can register for the sessions at https://go.iastate.edu/PGFFCZ. Once registered, participants will receive an email confirmation with a link to join and can participate in one or more sessions at no cost. For more information, visit the Iowa Women’s Agronomy in the Field Facebook page.



IDALS, APHIS Confirm Case of HPAI in Ida County

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed a positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Ida County, Iowa.  The affected site is a commercial turkey flock.

Commercial and backyard flock owners should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds. Sick birds or unusual deaths among birds should be immediately reported to state or federal officials. Biosecurity resources and best practices are available at iowaagriculture.gov/biosecurity. If producers suspect signs of HPAI in their flocks, they should contact their veterinarian immediately. Possible cases must also be reported to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at (515) 281-5305.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections in birds do not present a public health concern. It remains safe to eat poultry products. As a reminder, consumers should always utilize the proper handling and cooking of eggs and poultry products. An internal temperature of 165˚F kills bacteria and viruses.



FACA Congratulates Additional Recipients of USDA Climate-Smart Pilot Project Funding
 
The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) congratulates the second group of organizations selected to receive funding through USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program.

The projects announced today will provide meaningful opportunities for small and underserved producers to participate in innovative climate programs. One of FACA’s key tenets is ensuring federal climate programs offer equitable opportunities for all farmers, ranchers and forest owners. We commend USDA for structuring the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Program in an inclusive manner consistent with our recommendations and core principles.

FACA supports a voluntary, incentive-based approach to advance the deployment of climate-smart practices on working lands. We look forward to working with USDA and Congress on future opportunities that share this vision.



Zoetis Raises Quarterly Dividend by 15 Percent

The Board of Directors of Zoetis Inc. has declared a dividend of $0.375 per share for the first quarter of 2023, an increase of 15% from the quarterly dividend rate paid in 2022.

"Zoetis has continued to perform well this year thanks to our diverse, durable product portfolio and global scale," said Wetteny Joseph, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Zoetis. "We are well-positioned to generate increased cash for future investment opportunities, and I am pleased to announce that we are increasing our dividend by 15% in 2023 as part of our commitment to returning excess capital to shareholders."

The dividend will be paid on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, to all holders of record of the Company's common stock as of the close of business on Friday, January 20, 2023.