Thursday December 08 Ag News

 Smith, Craig Introduce Bipartisan Year-Round E15 Legislation

Yesterday, U.S. Representatives Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Angie Craig (D-MN) introduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would enable the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10%, helping to lower fuel prices and improve stability and certainty in the U.S. fuel market. This bill is supported by the largest unified group of farming, biofuels and oil companies to date.
 
Representative Smith’s bill is the House companion to the Senate bill introduced by Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in late November.

“Year-round E15 is a win-win as it boosts American energy independence and ensures greater affordability and opportunity for consumers as well as producers,” said Representative Smith. “E15 benefits the agriculture, energy, and transportation sectors. There’s no reason not to extend to E15 the same regulatory relief currently provided to E10, and I thank Senator Fischer for her leadership on this in the Senate and Rep. Craig for her partnership on our bill in the House.”
 
“E15 creates opportunities for our family farmers, supports economic growth in rural America and lowers prices at the pump for Minnesotans – and ensuring this cheaper, biofuel alternative is available year-round is a win-win for all those involved in its production,” said Representative Craig. “I’m proud to have worked with Representative Smith on this bill to support our biofuel producers and farmers – and look forward to getting over the finish line.”
 
The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022 would extend the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) volatility waiver to ethanol blends above 10 percent to allow for the year-round, nationwide sale of E15. In addition, it would ensure consistency across the fuel markets and limit disruptions across the national fuel supply chain by prohibiting the removal of the 1-psi waiver for E10 ethanol.
 
In the House, the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Act is cosponsored by Representatives Cindy Axne (D-IA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Mike Flood (R-NE), James R. Baird (R-IN), Tracey Mann (KS-1), Jim Banks (IN-03), Mary Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Jake LaTurner (R-KS), Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Ashley Hinson (IA-01),Vicky Hartzler (MO-4), Sam Graves (R-MO), Ken Buck (R-CO), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Ron Estes (R-KS), Tim Ryan (D-OH), James Comer (R-KY) and Jason Smith (R-MO).
 
The Senate companion to the bill is sponsored by the U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-IL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tina Smith (D-MN), John Thune (R-SD), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ben Sasse (R-ND) and Mike Rounds (R-SD).
 
In Congress, Representative Smith has championed the issue of year-round availability of E15. This past year, he pushed the Administration to extend the availability of E15 during the summer to provide American consumers with access to a cheaper biofuel alternative at their local gas station. Additionally, he is the co-lead of the House-passed Year-Round Fuel Choice Act, which would permanently allow the summer sales of E15.
 
Below are statements in support of the Members’ bipartisan legislation:

“Allowing for the nationwide sale of E-15 year-round is long overdue. The state of Nebraska is fortunate to have both Congressman Smith and Senator Fischer leading the bipartisan charge to make that happen. With the introduction of the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act in both the House and the Senate, we are hopeful this issue will finally have the momentum it needs to become law,” said Mark McHargue, President of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation.
 
 “We applaud the work of Reps. Craig and Smith to remove unnecessary regulatory barriers to the sale of higher ethanol blends. E15 offers retailers an opportunity to diversify fuel options and improve gasoline’s emissions characteristics while lowering costs for consumers and enhancing America’s energy security,” said David Fialkov, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs for National Association of Truck Stop Owners (NATSO), speaking on behalf of NATSO and SIGMA.
 
“AFBF applauds Reps. Craig and Smith for this common-sense, bipartisan solution to allow for the sale of year-round E15 that supports farmers, our rural communities, and our domestic energy industry. We welcome the consistency and stability this legislation provides to the marketplace that will drive additional fuel choices for American consumers,” said Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
 
“We applaud Reps. Angie Craig and Adrian Smith, along with their bipartisan cosponsors, for introducing new legislation to keep higher ethanol blends accessible, saving consumer money at the pump and enhancing our energy security,” said Tom Haag, President of National Corn Growers. “This bill provides a commonsense resolution to a long-standing outdated barrier to ensure drivers across the country continue to have year-round access to safe, low-cost, low-emission E15.”
 
“NFU is thankful our congressional champions, including Rep. Angie Craig, have introduced a legislative fix to allow year-round sales of E15. We have long supported a move to higher level blends of ethanol and are pleased to work with a diverse coalition of petroleum, renewable fuel, and agriculture groups in support of this effort,” said Rob Larew, President of the National Farmers Union.
 
“Our nation’s ethanol producers, oil refiners, fuel retailers, equipment manufacturers, and farmers have all come together for the first time ever to support legislation that ensures American families can choose lower-cost, lower-carbon E15 at the pump every single day of the year,” said Geoff Cooper, President and CEO of Rural Finance Authority. “We thank Reps. Craig, Smith, and other renewable fuel supporters in the House for introducing this bill to bring much-needed consistency and stability to the marketplace. This simple and straightforward solution will finally remove a burdensome and nonsensical barrier to broader deployment of cleaner, more affordable fuels. We are highly encouraged by the broad, diverse and bipartisan support that this effort is receiving, and we urge Congress to move quickly to adopt this commonsense legislation.”

“Expanding access to E15 is a win-win-win for rural economies,” said Gary Wertish, President of the Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU). “Ethanol plants provide markets for family farmers and jobs in rural communities, and it costs less for consumers at the pump. Adding ethanol to gasoline also reduces toxic tailpipe emissions, which means we all breathe cleaner air. We appreciate Rep. Craig’s leadership on this issue and are eager to see this legislation passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Biden.”
 
“The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation is pleased to support the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2022, introduced by Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN) and Adrian Smith (R-NE). Encouraging the use of biofuels year-round benefits consumers with an affordable, sustainable fuel option that leads to cleaner air. It also supports farmers in Minnesota by providing additional markets for their crops, and creating jobs for individuals across the state. We thank Rep. Craig for her continued leadership in support of long-term solutions for the increased use of biofuels,” said Dan Glessing, President of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation.
 
“MCGA thanks Reps. Angie Craig and Adrian Smith for introducing the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill removes an arcane barrier on full market access to lower-cost, lower-emission Unleaded 88 that has nothing to do with the safety and quality of the fuel. Unleaded 88 reduces emissions while saving drivers money at the pump, and we look forward to working with policymakers to ensure it’s permanently available year-round nationwide,” said Richard Syverson, President of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association.



Two Nebraska Farmers Appointed to United Soybean Board, One Elected to Executive Committee

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the appointment of 19 new farmer-leaders to serve on the United Soybean Board (USB). In addition, 24 farmer-leaders were reappointed. Ed Lammers of Hartington and Victor Bohuslavsky of Seward will join the board of 77 farmer-leaders from across the country; four representing Nebraska. Lammers has also been re-elected to the USB Executive Committee as Secretary in 2023.

Forty-six leaders and alternates will serve three-year terms, and one new appointed member will serve a one-year term. The terms of board members appointed to three-year terms start December 2022 and end December 2025.

“It is an honor to represent and serve soybean farmers, both in Nebraska and across the country,” said Ed Lammers, Nebraska farmer of Hartington. “I am proud to continue with a fantastic group of creative and innovative thinkers with one common goal: maximizing profit opportunities for every U.S. soybean farmer.”

Lammers and Bohuslavsky accepted their appointments this week at the confirmation hearing during USB’s December meeting.

“I am very excited about my appointment to the United Soybean Board,” said Victor Bohuslavsky, Nebraska farmer of Seward. “The soy checkoff has been a huge success story for soybean farmers. I am passionate about this industry and am proud to serve both Nebraska and U.S. farmers on this board.”

The newly elected USB Executive Committee includes:
    Meagan Kaiser, Chair — Missouri
    Steve Reinhard, Vice Chair — Ohio
    Ed Lammers, Secretary — Nebraska
    Philip Good, Treasurer — Mississippi
    Matt Gast — North Dakota
    April Hemmes — Iowa
    Gary Berg — Illinois
    Brent Gatton — Kentucky
    Belinda Burrier — Maryland
    Laurie Isley — Michigan

Lammers and Bohuslavsky join Greg Greving of Chapman and Tony Johanson of Oakland as the four farmer-leaders representing Nebraska on USB.



INNOVATIVE BOVINE-HERD RESEARCH BOOSTS UNDERSTANDING OF FEMALE INFERTILITY

Innovative research by University of Nebraska–Lincoln scientists studying the reproductive biology of cows offers significant long-term potential to address infertility challenges for women.

Reproductive physiologist Andrea Cupp and colleagues in the Department of Animal Science are deepening the understanding of bovine reproductive biology by using advanced genetic analysis, culture of reproductive tissue and other tools.

That basic research can have significant applicability in understanding human infertility challenges, due to the many general parallels in the reproductive biology of cows and women, said Cupp, the Irvin T. and Wanda R. Omtvedt Professor of Animal Science.

“Cows ovulate one egg every reproductive cycle,” Cupp said. “The gestational length — the time of incubation of a fetus — is similar: nine months. Cows have a similar reproductive cycle, similar endocrine hormones, and the size of the ovary is similar. It’s directly applicable to female human conditions.”

Livestock face significant problems with infertility, Cupp said. An example is anovulation, the lack of release or the irregular release of an egg from the ovary during the reproductive cycle.

“Cows have a lot of problems with anovulation, as do a lot of other species, including humans,” said Cupp, who earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from Nebraska.

Cupp and her colleagues have found an additional parallel: A significant percentage of cows studied by the Husker scientists have symptoms similar to those experienced by women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one of the most common infertility conditions in the United States. PCOS affects between 6% and 11% of American women of reproductive age.  

Irregular reproductive cycles are one of three central symptoms associated with PCOS. A second factor is an excess of androgen hormones. The third factor: The ovary’s follicles, each containing an immature egg, fail to develop, in a condition called “follicular arrest.”

Cupp found that the herd in her study stood out for the strikingly high levels of androgen among many of the cows, similar to the condition of women with PCOS. She also found that a significant percentage of heifers reached puberty prematurely, while a notable percentage developed quite late. Those are also common conditions for many women with PCOS.

The findings marked the cows as a good model for infertility research in women. Her Husker colleagues, Cupp said, are contributing in major ways to the range of this study.

Jennifer Wood, professor in molecular and cellular reproductive biology, studied PCOS as a postdoctoral fellow and has been a major collaborator on the project. Bob Cushman, a research physiologist at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska, has been helpful in developing techniques to obtain ovarian tissue for study. To help with understanding the genetic impact, several scientists have contributed: Jessica Peterson, associate professor in animal functional genomics; Matt Spangler, professor and beef genetics specialist; and Melanie Hess, quantitative geneticist and research assistant professor.

Recently, Ligia Prezotto, a neuroendocrinologist and research assistant professor, has joined the team to study how a mother’s exposure to increased hormones during pregnancy may wire the brain differently in the fetus and contribute to PCOS-like symptoms.

Scientific research to address female health, including fertility, has long faced major obstacles because the study of disorders and many biological systems has traditionally used male animal models instead of female ones.

It is more difficult to study female physiological processes because of the complications created by the female reproductive cycle. Yet, those hormonal differences during the menstrual cycle in women and reproductive cycle in female livestock are critical to their health and response to disease, warranting detailed scientific understanding.

Women “are very understudied as a gender, whether humans or animal models” when it comes to research, Cupp said.

Cupp’s research focuses in particular on factors with the potential to restore proper blood vessel formation in ovaries, which can promote healthy development of ovarian follicles that contain the egg. A key focus is vascular endothelial growth factor, a protein that guides cellular signals for a variety of important blood vessel actions.

Her graduate students have used the growth factor to treat pieces of bovine ovaries, to see if the protein can promote healthy follicle development. Through that innovative lab approach, “we basically rescued those follicles and those ovary pieces from our high-androgen cows,” she said.

Cupp pointed to important mentoring and support she has received from John Davis, professor and director of the Nebraska Center for Women’s Health Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Her graduate students, she said, by far have been the best advocates of this project. They have worked long hours to ensure that this androgen-excess cow model can be used to further female infertility research in both cows and women.



Romer Named Choose Iowa Program Director

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that Beth Romer has been named the Choose Iowa Program Director. Choose Iowa will connect consumers to Iowa products and the growers, producers, processors and entrepreneurs that produce them through a state branded marketing program. The program, which is housed within the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, was enacted by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2022.

“With Choose Iowa, we are establishing an easily recognizable brand that can be used by farmers, producers, processors, farmers markets, grocery stores, restaurants and many others in the supply chain to connect directly with consumers,” said Secretary Naig. “Choose Iowa combines the prestige of Iowa’s global agricultural reputation with the entrepreneurial ingenuity that exists in all 99 counties, and we are delighted to welcome Beth Romer back home to Iowa to lead this important program.”

Raised on her family’s Century Farm, Romer earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing from Wayne State College and a Master of Business Administration from Iowa State University. She has extensive marketing and communications experience in agribusiness and production agriculture, including with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s state branded marketing program. Beth and her husband James live on a farm near Altoona.

Though the program’s full launch will be forthcoming, one important aspect is immediately available for participation. Interested individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations that are currently living or operating in Iowa may apply for a Choose Iowa Marketing and Promotion grant by December 15, 2022.

These competitive Choose Iowa grants are available for new processing, packaging or sales techniques that add value to the commodities they produce. For example, a dairy farmer may apply for funding to invest in on-farm processing or packaging equipment to sell cheese to grocery stores and farmers markets, or a brewery might invest in canning equipment to expand retail sales and distribution. Grant funding can also be used for employee training and continuing education programs. Preference will be given to small and medium size businesses. In response to strong interest last year, the Iowa Legislature increased the availability of funding which enables more grants to be awarded this year.

Details about the grant program, including financial matching requirements, application and eligibility, are available at chooseiowa.com/grant-program. Applications should be submitted through the online portal and are due by 5 p.m. CT on December 15, 2022. Grant recipients will be announced in early 2023. Questions about the Choose Iowa Marketing and Promotion grant can be directed to chooseiowagrants@iowaagriculture.gov.



Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO to Keynote 2023 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

Between calls to lower greenhouse gas emissions, a global need for cleaner air, and new markets for low carbon fuels, there are many opportunities for ethanol to play an important role in the global energy sphere. Geoff Cooper, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, will share his insight on these and other issues as the biofuel keynote speaker at the 2023 Renewable Fuels Summit.

“America’s ethanol producers have a powerful story to tell,” Cooper said. “Whether you’re concerned about jobs and market opportunities in rural communities, clean and sustainable fuel choices in urban cities, or low carbon initiatives, ethanol is an excellent fuel choice to address those concerns and more. We in the industry need to be bold in sharing that story.”

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) represents American ethanol producers and works to drive expanded demand for American-made renewable fuels and bio-products worldwide. Cooper was named President and CEO of the association in 2018 after serving previously as Executive Vice President.

“Geoff is known as a biofuels leader who can both think outside the box and dig into the nitty gritty details of policy,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “We look forward to hearing what Geoff sees happening in 2023 and for decades to come.”

The 2023 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit will take place at the Community Choice Convention Center on February 7, 2023. The Summit is free to attend and open to the public, but registration is required. To register to attend or learn more about the Summit, please visit: IowaRenewableFuelsSummit.org.



2023 Dairy Margin Coverage Deadline Extended – Jan. 31, 2023, Last Day to Enroll

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the deadline  for producers to enroll in Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage (SDMC) for program year 2023 to Jan. 31, 2023.  

DMC is a voluntary risk management program that offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed price (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer.  

“We recognize this is a busy time of year with many competing priorities, so we’ve extended the DMC enrollment deadline to ensure every producer who wants coverage for 2023 has the opportunity to enroll in the program,” said Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Early projections indicate DMC payments are likely to trigger for the first eight months in 2023. We all know that markets fluctuate, sometimes at a moment’s notice and sometimes with no warning at all, so now’s the time to ensure your operation is covered. Please don’t let this second chance slide.”

Nearly 18,000 operations that enrolled in DMC for 2022 have received margin payments for August and September for a total of $76.3 million. At $0.15 per hundredweight for $9.50 coverage, risk coverage through DMC is a relatively inexpensive investment. 

DMC offers different levels of coverage, even an option that is free to producers, aside from a $100 administrative fee. Limited resource, beginning, socially disadvantaged, and military veteran farmers and ranchers are exempt from paying the administrative fee, if requested. To determine the appropriate level of DMC coverage for a specific dairy operation, producers can use the online dairy decision tool.  

Supplemental DMC 
Last year, USDA introduced Supplemental DMC, which provided $42.8 million in payments to better help small- and mid-sized dairy operations that had increased production over the years but were not able to enroll the additional production. Supplemental DMC is also available for 2023.  The enrollment period for 2023 Supplemental DMC is also extended to Jan. 31, 2023.

Supplemental DMC coverage is applicable to calendar years 2021, 2022 and 2023.  Eligible dairy operations with less than 5 million pounds of established production history may enroll supplemental pounds.  

For producers who enrolled in Supplemental DMC in 2022, the supplemental coverage will automatically be added to the 2023 DMC contract that previously established a supplemental production history. 

Producers who did not enroll in Supplemental DMC in 2022 can do so now. Producers should complete their Supplemental DMC enrollment before enrolling in 2023 DMC. To enroll, producers will need to provide their 2019 actual milk marketings, which FSA uses to determine established production history. 

DMC Payments 
FSA will continue to calculate DMC payments using updated feed and premium hay costs, making the program more reflective of actual dairy producer expenses.  These updated feed calculations use 100% premium alfalfa hay rather than 50%.

For more information on DMC, visit the DMC webpage or contact your local USDA Service Center.



NMPF Statement on USDA’s Extended Deadline for Dairy Margin Coverage Signup
President and CEO Jim Mulhern:

“NMPF thanks Secretary Vilsack and USDA’s Farm Service Agency for extending the deadline for Dairy Margin Coverage Program signup to Jan. 31. With input costs at record highs and early projections showing possible DMC payments for the first eight months of 2023, it’s imperative that producers have time to consider their coverage needs and make choices that best fit their operations and risk-management plans.

“Farmers also should use this extended DMC signup period to consider USDA’s full suite of risk-management options, all supported by NMPF. While DMC is designed to promote stable revenues and protect against financial catastrophe for small and medium-sized producers, other options including the Dairy Revenue Protection (DRP) program and the Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy Producers (LGM-Dairy) program, both of which were revamped in the 2018 Farm Bill at NMPF’s urging, provide important and effective risk management.

“NMPF also thanks USDA for giving farmers who did not sign up for supplemental DMC coverage in 2022 based on updated production levels another opportunity to do so this year. Finally, producers should keep in mind that USDA is developing a separate milk loss program that was provided for in legislation enacted last year. The program reimburses dairy producers of all sizes for milk dumped on account of disasters that occurred in 2020 and 2021. NMPF is working with USDA as it develops the initiative.”



 Ag Groups Seek ERP Funding to Cover 2022 Crop Losses

As farm families across the U.S. continue to be affected by extraordinary natural disasters, ASA and fellow ag groups are asking leaders from the House Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies to include adequate resources that extend the Emergency Relief Program to cover losses for 2022. In a letter sent last week, the organizations urge legislators to include the increase in the FY 2023 Agriculture Appropriations Bill in the context of the omnibus.

While the letter acknowledges the 2023 Farm Bill will present an opportunity to strengthen the farm safety net to reduce, if not eliminate, the need for ad hoc programs such as ERP, including an extension of ERP for 2022 losses would serve as a critical bridge for producers to the next farm bill.

In May, USDA announced the Farm Service Agency would provide $6 billion in emergency relief payments under the ERP to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2020 and 2021. The ERP is a relief component of President Biden’s Sept. 2021 Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act, which included $10 billion in assistance to farmers and ranchers impacted by eligible disasters experienced during calendar years 2020 and 2021. It is an expanded version of the Trump administration's Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program.



House Passes 2022 WRDA

The House today passed the National Defense Authorization Act —a major defense authorization legislation that included several smaller provisions that needed to pass before the end of the year. Significant to soy growers, the bill included the 2022 Water Resources Development Act—final language that was the result of bipartisan negotiations among House and Senate leaders.

WRDA provides for improvements to the nation’s ports, inland waterways, locks, dams, flood protection, ecosystem restoration and other water resources infrastructure, which allow soybean farmers to transport their crop and remain competitive in the global market.

American Soybean Association is pleased Congress continued the tradition of a timely passage of the biennial WRDA. While the final WRDA does not increase the cost-share allocation for Inland Waterways Trust Fund Projects to 75% (IWTF)/25% (General Revenue), it did make permanent the updated cost-share allocation change of 65%/35% that was included in the last WRDA bill. This was a positive development, as without the 2022 WRDA, the cost-share change was set to expire in 2031.

The NDAA also includes a Department of Defense sustainable aviation fuel pilot project. This pilot project aligns with SAF definitions in the Inflation Reduction Act, meaning the administration will have the flexibility to include soy-based SAF in the program.

The NDAA will move to the Senate for final consideration next week before becoming law. The next WRDA will be considered in 2024.



NAFA RELEASES 2023 ALFALFA VARIETY RATINGS

     The National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA) released the 2023 edition of its popular “Alfalfa Variety Ratings - Winter Survival, Fall Dormancy & Pest Resistant Ratings for Alfalfa Varieties” - a useful tool for hay and livestock farmers, extension specialists, agri-business personnel or anyone involved in the production of alfalfa.     

     NAFA’s Alfalfa Variety Ratings is a publication unlike any other in providing an extensive listing of alfalfa varieties and their corresponding ratings for fall dormancy, winter survival, bacterial wilt, aphanomyces, leafhopper, and a host of other pests. The publication also includes other ratings such as grazing tolerance and standability to provide you the information you need to make educated decisions about the alfalfa varieties which will perform best in a given environment. All varieties listed in the Alfalfa Variety Ratings publication can be purchased in the United States for the 2023 production year.

     The 2023 edition of NAFA’s Alfalfa Variety Ratings features 161 alfalfa varieties from 15 marketers and has been verified with the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) and the National Alfalfa Variety Review Board (NAVRB).

     If you’d prefer an electronic option, try NAFA’s searchable, online Alfalfa Variety Ratings database where you can make the process of narrowing alfalfa varietal choices even easier. Available at alfalfa.org/varietyratings.php, NAFA’s searchable database allows you to search for varieties using up to 23 different parameters like variety name, marketer, fall dormancy, winter survival, disease resistance, and insect resistance. NAFA has made finding the perfect variety as effortless as possible.

NAFA’s Alfalfa Variety Ratings publication is available in the November issue of Hay & Forage Grower magazine or by visiting NAFA’s website at alfalfa.org.



ACE Participates in OPIS LCFS and Carbon Markets Workshop

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings speaks today on a panel entitled “Advancing Carbon Intensity Reduction Efforts in First-Generation Biofuels” with a representative from Clean Fuels Alliance America at the OPIS LCFS and Carbon Markets Workshop in San Diego, California.

Jennings remarks will touch on the success ethanol companies have had under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program and focus on ACE’s efforts to now secure farmers access to LCFS markets based on their adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices. Centerstone to these efforts is the ACE-led Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project, with the end goal of securing compensation for farmers who produce low carbon intensity commodities through existing and future LCFS markets. When combined with constant efficiency improvements within ethanol facilities and carbon capture and sequestration, accounting for climate-smart farming practices sets corn ethanol on a trajectory to reach both net-zero and net-negative emissions.

“ACE is leading the effort to ensure the ethanol industry and farmers can better monetize the climate benefits of ethanol in existing and new clean fuel markets,” Jennings said. “Our Board of Directors has committed to support policies recognizing ethanol is part of the climate and health solution while crediting farmers and ethanol producers for activities which help reduce GHG emissions by at least 70% compared to gasoline by 2030 and reach net-zero lifecycle GHG emissions by 2050. ACE is working to make this commitment a reality through policy development and real-world validation of GHG benefits of climate-smart agriculture practices at scale.”

Launched earlier this year, ACE’s carbon intensity (CI) calculator also highlights the need for farm-level practices to receive carbon benefits in clean fuel markets. ACE offers the tool to help its members understand the carbon intensity (CI) of their farms and ethanol operations and created a simplified version of the tool to raise awareness about  factors impacting the CI of ethanol.

ACE consultant Jonathon Lehman and Dr. David Clay of the American Society of Agronomy and professor at South Dakota State University, a partner on the RCPP project, spoke at the event last year on behalf of the organization on a panel entitled “Reducing Carbon Intensity in Renewable Fuels with Climate Smart Farming Practices” accompanied by representatives from Gevo and the American Society of Agronomy.



Thompson Elected Chairman of House Agriculture Committee

Yesterday, the House Republican Steering Committee elected Congressman Glenn "GT" Thompson (PA-15) as Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture for the 118th Congress. Mr. Thompson will be the first Chairman from Pennsylvania in nearly 170 years. After the vote, Mr. Thompson issued the following statement:

"I am honored to lead the Committee on Agriculture and build on the accomplishments of the past two years as Ranking Member. The political landscape in Washington may be fractured, but as Chairman, I will prioritize the needs of our producers and rural communities—the backbone of this country. We will keep our foot on the gas to deliver principled solutions, robust oversight, and a Farm Bill that is responsive to the needs of the country's farmers, ranchers, and foresters."



ASA Elects 2023 Executive Committee, Welcomes 13 New Board Members

During its annual meeting in St. Louis this week, the American Soybean Association elected the leaders who will guide the organization through the coming year’s top advocacy priorities, including the much-anticipated 2023 Farm Bill, among other policy issues.

Daryl Cates (IL), who previously served as ASA vice president, will serve as 2023 ASA president. Cates is a fourth-generation farmer, raising soybeans, corn, wheat, and double crop beans on his family operation. He’s been on the ASA board since 2018.

Immediate past president Brad Doyle (AR) moves to the role of ASA chairman. Former chairman Kevin Scott (SD) rotates off the nine-member executive committee and retires from the board.

The ASA board elected Josh Gackle (ND) as ASA vice president, a role that puts him in line to serve as the association’s president in 2024.

In addition, the board elected Caleb Ragland (KY) as ASA secretary; Scott Metzger (OH) as treasurer; and Dave Walton (IA), Alan Meadows (TN), Ronnie Russell (MO), and Jered Hooker (IL) as at-large members of the executive committee.

In addition to Scott, ASA bid farewell to and celebrated the efforts of several other directors who retired this week, including Jerry Bambauer (OH); Gerry Hayden (KY); Brian Kemp (IA); Willard Jack (MS); Matt Stutzman (MI); and Ron Moore (IL). Moore served as ASA president in 2017, and Hayden served as WISHH chair from 2020-22.

ASA welcomed 13 new directors who began their nine-year terms, including John Fleming (NC); Janna Fritz (MI); Elaine Gillis (IN); Rusty Goebel (OH); Tanner Johnson (WI); Jeff King (KY); John Mark Looney (MS); Jim Martin (IL); Jordan Scott (SD); Jimmie Lee Shaw (SC); Justin Sherlock (ND); Pat Swanson (IA); and Russell Wolf (MO).