Monday January 23 Ag News

 Soil Health Conference Set for Feb. 9 at Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center

Registration is open for the 2023 Eastern Nebraska Soil Health Conference (formerly Nebraska Cover Crop Conference). The conference will take place on Thursday, Feb. 9 at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead.  

This annual event features innovative speakers who will share their experiences with a variety of soil health practices. This is an opportunity to learn about the latest in cover crops, diversifying crop rotations, biochar and other regenerative practices.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to3:15 p.m. CST, with check in starting at 8:30 a.m. All sessions will take place at the August N. Christenson Center at 1071 County Road G, Ithaca.  

Topics and presenters include:  Moving forward requires looking backwards: Benefits of re-diversifying crop rotations in the Midwest - Marshall McDaniel, Iowa State University; Interseeding cover crops into early-season corn and soybean - What we learned and next step - Farmer panel with Chad Dane (Clay County) and Jay Goertzen (York County) moderated by Jenny Rees, Nebraska Extension Educator; Practical tips for selecting and grazing forage cover crops - Mary Drewnoski, UNL Beef Systems Specialist; Nebraska farmer’s perspective on diverse crop rotations and intensification - Farmer panel with Angela Knuth (Saunders County), Garret Ruskamp (Cuming County), Kyle Riesen (Jefferson County), and  Haldon Fugate (Gage County) moderated by Nathan Mueller, Nebraska Extension Educator; and Emerging topics in soil health (1.)  Biochar and it’s potential as a soil amendment – Britt Fossum, UNL Graduate Student, (2) Opportunities for the perennial grain Kernza® - What it is and how it is grown - Roberta Rebesquini, UNL Graduate Student and (3.) What’s new in the cover crop industry - Davis Behle, Green Cover Seed.  

There is no fee to attend, but pre-registration is required by Feb. 4. Registration available at:  https://enrec.unl.edu/nebraska-cover-crop-conference/.

CCA credits are applied for and pending.

The event is sponsored by Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Soybean Board.

For more information contact Nebraska Extension Educators: Katja Koehler-Cole, 402-504-1016, kkoehlercole2@unl.edu; Nathan Mueller, 402-821-2151, nathan.mueller@unl.edu; Aaron Nygren, 402-624-8030, anygren2@unl.edu; Todd Whitney, 308-995-4222, todd.whitney@unl.edu; and Caro Córdova, 402-472-6292, ccordova4@unl.edu.



PVC Banquet is Feb 11th

It’s that time of year again for the Platte Valley Cattlemen 2023 annual Banquet.  This year it will be held on Saturday, February 11th, at the Humphrey Community Center. They are looking forward to an enjoyable night and another outstanding banquet.   Entertainment will be with comedian Scott Long with First Class VIP Entertainment. For the rest of the night, we will be listening to VoiceHouse DJ.  

The annual Banquet is their major fundraiser for the year.  Thanks to your continued support, the organization has been able to promote the beef industry and inform members of current issues and policies. In the past, your dollars have enabled the group to promote “Beef Month” in May, ensure quality speakers for our monthly meetings, offer an educational tour, promote 4-H and FFA programs at the county fairs, and assist in awarding scholarships. In 2022, they were able to award three $1,000 college scholarships. With continued support, the hope is to do the same again this year.
 
Please make checks payable to “Platte Valley Cattlemen” and mail together with this response sheet in the self-addressed envelope by February 1, 2023. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Steffensmeier at 402-750-9985 or Braden Wilke at 402-942-2507.



WP Ag Appreciation is March 13th

The Cuming County Ag Appreciation Dinner will be held on Monday, March 13th.  The social hour will begin at 6:00 p.m., dinner will be served at 7:00, with Ronnie Green to speak after that.

**Sponsorship is $275 again this year and includes 50 complimentary tickets.  The West Point Chamber will be contacting businesses for sponsorships in the near future or you can contact them if you are interested in participating.

The following business have already paid for their sponsorship and will receive their tickets in mid-February:
Citizens State Bank
Cuming County Public Power District
F&M Bank
INSPRO Insurance
Wells Fargo Bank



Funds Available to Help Restore and Protect Rangeland

Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Nebraska producers have funding opportunities to help address the spread of invasive woody vegetation on rangeland. Landowners interested in receiving funding should apply at their local NRCS field office by Feb. 17, 2023.

With funding through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), farmers can adopt management practices that help treat the spread of Eastern redcedar trees and other invasive woody vegetation on rangeland.

NRCS is targeting funding to address this natural resource concern through its Nebraska Great Plains Grassland Initiative. The initiative is part of the NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife framework to conserve grassland regions in the Great Plains.

anagement practices eligible for financial assistance through the Great Plains Grassland Initiative include brush management, prescribed grazing, grazing deferment, prescribed burning, and more. NRCS is focusing this funding on farms and ranches in the Sandhills, Loess Canyons, southwest mixed-grass prairies, and Verdigris-Bazile creek watershed (see map). Counties eligible to receive funding include; Boyd, Holt, Knox, Antelope, Sheridan, Cherry, Brown, Rock, Morrill, Garden, Grant, Hooker, Thomas, Blaine, Loup, Garfield, Wheeler, Boone, Greeley, Arthur, McPherson, Logan, Custer, Keith, Lincoln, Dawson, Frontier, Hayes, Chase, Perkins, Dundy, Hitchcock, and Red Willow.

The landowner-driven Great Plains Grassland Initiative strives to provide producers the tools necessary to create and maintain grasslands free of Eastern redcedar and other invasive woody species. Additional funding may also be available from partner organizations to help further reduce the cost to producers.

According to NRCS, removing Eastern redcedar at lower densities before they take over the rangeland is more cost-effective for the producer, conserves and restores forage production, reduces wildfire risk, and protects wildlife habitat.

Jeff Nichols, state rangeland management specialist for NRCS Nebraska said, “Nearly eight million acres of Nebraska’s most intact grasslands are estimated to be at risk to future woody encroachment. This is bad news for the ranchers. In 2019 more than 419,000 tons of range production was lost in Nebraska to woody encroachment.

“Woody plant encroachment puts pressure on working rangelands by decreasing livestock production and increasing wildfire risk as well as harming grasslands and the animals living there.”

Individuals interested in applying for conservation funds may do so at any time, but applications need to be submitted by Feb. 17 to be considered for this year’s funding.

For more information about conservation programs and other assistance available, call your local NRCS field office or visit www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov.

 

Nebraska Soybean Board Seeks Soybean Farmers Interested in United Soybean Board Nomination

The Nebraska Soybean Board (NSB) is looking for soybean farmers interested in filling one of Nebraska’s four director positions with the United Soybean Board (USB), for a three-year term.

USB’s 77 volunteer farmer-leaders work on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers to achieve maximum value for their soy checkoff investments. These volunteers create value by investing in research, education and promotion with the vision to deliver sustainable soy solutions to every life, every day across the three priority areas of Infrastructure & Connectivity, Health & Nutrition, and Innovation & Technology. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff.

“The open seat will provide a farmer the valuable opportunity to help shape the future of the soybean industry by guiding strategic investments in research, education and promotion,” said Lois Ronhovde, NSB interim executive director. “As a USB farmer-leader, you will have the chance to contribute to the growth of return on investment for all U.S. soybean farmers.”

All checkoff paying soybean producers in Nebraska are eligible to apply.

The Nebraska Soybean Board district directors will submit a “first preferred choice nominee” and “second preferred choice alternate” for the open position to USDA for consideration. The Secretary of Agriculture will make the final appointment. The USDA has a policy that membership on USDA boards and committees is open to all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation and marital or family status. The appointed individual is eligible to serve a total of three consecutive terms.

To be considered for the national leadership position, interested farmers need to submit a USDA Background Information Form before the March 17, 2023, deadline. To obtain this form, contact the Nebraska Soybean Board office at 402-441-3240.

For more information about the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org.  



KARIS MAKES $150 MILLION INVESTMENT IN CATTLEMEN’S HERITAGE PLANT

Cattlemen’s Heritage Beef Company today announced that Karis Capital of Naples, Florida is investing $150 million in the company’s planned facility in Mills County, Iowa. The investment will allow Cattlemen’s Heritage to move forward with groundbreaking for the plant later this year.

“This $150 million strategic investment by Karis represents a critical milestone in the Cattlemen’s Heritage plant,” said Chad Tentinger, principal developer for the project. “With this investment secure, we can break ground later this year. We will also be able to finalize bank financing and government incentives for a project that will provide high-quality, sustainable beef for consumers and significant economic benefits for the state of Iowa and for cattle producers.”

According to Jake Finley, the Founder and CEO of Karis, the Cattlemen’s Heritage project represents a unique investment opportunity that combines our access to capital and development expertise to an industry in need of modernization. “We see extraordinary consumer demand for low-carbon, high-quality beef that’s produced in a sustainable way, and the Cattlemen’s Heritage project does just that,” Finley said. “It will have the latest in technology with a focus on sustainability along with the highest standards for plant employees and animal welfare. That’s exactly what investors and consumers are looking for.”  

Economic Gain for Iowa and for Cattle Producers
In addition, the Cattlemen’s Heritage plant will represent an economic gain of $8 billion for the state of Iowa through construction and plant operations until 2028, according to analysis by Ernie Goss, the Jack A. MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University. Currently, Iowa farmers are transporting approximately one million head of cattle out of state each year, causing the state to miss significant opportunities for jobs, income, economic activity and tax revenues.

“Iowa pays a heavy price due to its insufficient number of beef-processing facilities. Those costs are borne by virtually everyone in the state of Iowa, directly or indirectly, but farmers and rural communities pay a heavy toll,” Goss said. “The addition of the planned Cattlemen’s Heritage facility in southwest Iowa means 400,000 head of cattle will remain in Iowa for harvesting and processing, generating an economic gain between now and 2028 of $8 billion.”

The Cattlemen’s Heritage project will also benefit cattle producers in Iowa and surrounding states by helping them capture more for the beef retail dollar through the company’s shackle space program, which closes in June.



Fewer Cattle on Feed
David P. Anderson, Extension Economist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

The latest USDA cattle on feed report was released on Friday January 20th. While there were no big surprises in the report’s headline numbers, there were some interesting data points. First, the headline numbers.

Placements were down 8 percent, or 156,000 head, compared to December 2021. It was the fourth month in a row will fewer placed than the same month the year before. For the year, 352,000 fewer head were placed than in 2021. The large year-over-year declines in placements did not begin until September.

Marketings were down 6.1 percent. The decline was not unexpected given estimated fed cattle slaughter during December. Whether the large, 5,700 head per day, decline in marketings was due to fewer market ready cattle, some winter storms in the month, or slowed down slaughter due to reduced orders may be open to discussion, but it was a sharp decline in marketings.

The placement and marketing combination left January 1 cattle on feed down 2.9 percent compared to the first day of 2021. The 11.682 million head on feed were the fewest since January 2019, but only differed from 2019 by 2,000 head. Cattle on feed inventory is starting to reflect declines in the cowherd and expected declines in total cattle inventory.

I think the most interesting number in the report was the quarterly number of heifers on feed. The report indicated 4.65 million heifers were on feed on January 1. That was 25,000 fewer than on January 1, 2022. When comparing to the same point in the prior year, it was the first quarter since July 1, 2021 that registered a decline. That slightly fewer heifers are on feed than last year does not indicate a movement toward herd rebuilding, but it may indicate that there are fewer heifers to place as total numbers decline. Compared to January 1, 2022 steers on feed were down 4.5 percent compared to the 0.5 percent decline in heifers.



Corn Growers Praise Biden Officials for Stance on Biotech Corn

The National Corn Growers Association praised the Biden administration today for issuing an official rejection of a recent proposed compromise from Mexico on biotech corn imports into the country.

The development came during a meeting between Mexican officials and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Secretary of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s chief ag negotiator Doug McKalip.

In a statement that came after the meeting, USTR and USDA said the changes offered by Mexico “are not sufficient and Mexico’s proposed approach, which is not grounded in science, still threatens to disrupt billions of dollars in bilateral agricultural trade, cause serious economic harm to U.S. farmers and Mexican livestock producers, and stifle important innovations needed to help producers respond to pressing climate and food security challenges.”

The statement also said that the U.S. officials made it clear to their Mexican counterparts that they are considering all options, including taking formal steps to enforce the issue under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

NCGA applauded the development.

“This is significant development and good news for corn growers,” said NCGA President Tom Haag. “Secretary Vilsack and USTR Ambassador Tai are making it crystal clear that they are going to make the Mexican government abide by what it agreed to under USMCA. These leaders understand that banning biotech corn would deliver a blow to American farmers and exacerbate current food insecurity in Mexico by drastically raising prices for corn, basic foods and other critical products derived from corn in the Mexican economy.”

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced in late 2020 that he would implement a decree banning biotech corn into the country, beginning in early 2024. The majority of U.S. corn is biotech.

As pressure on Mexico has grown, thanks to efforts by NCGA and the Biden administration, corn growers have become increasingly concerned that Mexico would offer a compromise removing the ban on imports of corn used for livestock feed while moving forward with the proposed ban on corn for human consumption. The Biden administration’s statement today shows there is no room for such a compromise.

The administration’s actions come after the presidents of 23 state corn grower groups, joined by the president of the National Corn Growers Association, sent a letter to President Biden in December calling for him to take additional steps to address the pending decree by Mexico that would block imports of biotech corn.



FFA Members Explore Agriculture in Costa Rica

To kick off 2023, 75 current and former state FFA Officers visited Costa Rica to learn about the various types of agriculture in the country.

State officers traveled the country experiencing CATIE, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center; the Tibas Farmers Market; La Paz Waterfall Gardens; a palmito plantation; pineapple plantation; wildlife reserve center; Arenal Volcano; the rainforest; an organic farm and much more.

The experience, International Leadership Seminar for State Officers, ILSSO, was thanks to support from FFA corporate donors John Deere and Bunge.

FFA members who participated in the experience include:
Reese Mitchell and William Blankenship from Arkansas; Tyson Schneider from Colorado; Robert Eselby from Connecticut; Trinity Ranshaw from Delaware; Austin Holcomb, Carleigh Newsom, Tyler Laib, Addie Ferguson, Abby Kruse, Anelise Bullard, Laken Troup of Florida; Katelyn Schaefer and Annie Bower of Iowa; Mackenzie Malson and Elizabeth Shaw of Idaho; Kirsten Kyger, Karlie Albright, Cali Newdigger, Aidan Yoho and Emma Kepley of Kansas; Emma Sherman of Kentucky; Lauren Poole, Annie Heard of Louisiana; Teagan Flaherty, Kendall Abruzzese and Hannah Haines of Maryland; Patricia Hebenstreit and Olivia Coffey of Michigan; Emily Matejka of Minnesota; Riley Larson of Montana; Madeline Kluttz and Elizabeth Espino of North Carolina; Dustin Andreasen, Faith Miller, Emelia Rourke, and Elizabeth Wilkins of Nebraska; Roland Norris of Nevada; Aubrey Schwartz, Luke Jennings, Aly Murphy, Graham Carson, Kennedy Short, Dalton Mullins, Katherine Oestreich and Hannah Saum of Ohio; Kinsley Kemble, Brekkan Richardson, Grant Hills, Maddie Dollarhide, Jessie Samarin, Uriel Aguilar Torres of Oregon; Trinity Peterson, Tessa Erdmann and Hadley Stiefvater of South Dakota; Taylor Cantrell of Tennessee; Savannah Goodwin, Jordan Petrie, Makenna Garrett, Emily Jenkins, Elizabeth Bates, Jill Reiter, Carly Thomas, Gabriella Martin and Katherine Powell of Virginia; Esther Grosz, Pedro Mendoza Zamora, Madison Weber and Lillian McGregor of Washington; Garrett Ammons, Rylee Brown, Creed Ammons and Caroline Greenleaf of West Virginia and Bree Coxbill of Wyoming.



USDA Announces Additional Assistance for Dairy Farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the details of additional assistance for dairy producers, including a second round of payments through the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program (PMVAP) and a new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP). The update to PMVAP and the new ODMAP will enable USDA to better support small- and medium-sized dairy operations who weathered the pandemic and now face other challenges.

“The Biden-Harris administration continues to fulfill its commitments to fill gaps in pandemic assistance for producers. USDA is announcing a second set of payments of nearly $100 million to close-out the $350 million commitment under PMVAP through partnerships with dairy handlers and cooperatives to deliver the payments,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “USDA is also announcing new assistance targeted to small to medium size organic dairy farmers to help with anticipated marketing costs as they face a variety of challenges from weather to supply-chain challenges.”

Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program
PMVAP assists producers who received a lower value due to market abnormalities caused by the pandemic and ensuing Federal policies. As a result of the production cap increase, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will make PMVAP payments to eligible dairy farmers for fluid milk sales between 5 million and 9 million pounds from July through December 2020. This level of production was not eligible for payment under the first round of the PMVAP. Payment rates will be identical to the first round of payments, 80 percent of the revenue difference per month, on fluid milk sales from 5 million to 9 million pounds from July through December 2020. USDA will again distribute monies through agreements with independent handlers and cooperatives, with reimbursement to handlers for allowed administrative costs. USDA will contact handlers with eligible producers to notify them of the opportunity to participate.

As part of the first round, PMVAP paid eligible dairy farmers on up to 5 million pounds of fluid milk sales from July through December 2020. The first round of payments distributed over $250 million in payments to over 25,000 eligible dairy farmers. These dairy farmers received the full allowable reimbursement on fluid milk sales up to 5 million pounds.

More information about the PMVAP production cap increase is available at www.ams.usda.gov/pmvap.

Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program
The new ODMAP, to be administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), is intended to help smaller organic dairy farms that have faced a unique set of challenges and higher costs over the past several years that have been compounded by the ongoing pandemic and drought conditions across the country. Many small organic dairy operations are now struggling to stay in business and FSA plans to provide payments to cover a portion of their estimated marketing costs for 2023. Final spending will depend on enrollment and each producers projected production, but ODMAP has been allocated up to $100 million.

The assistance provided by ODMAP will be provided through unused Commodity Credit Corporation funds remaining from earlier pandemic assistance programs. The assistance will help eligible organic dairy producers with up to 75 percent of their future projected marketing costs in 2023, based on national estimates of marketing costs. This assistance will be provided through a streamlined application process based on a national per hundredweight payment. The payments will be capped at the first five million pounds of anticipated production, in alignment with preexisting dairy programs that target assistance to those smaller dairies that are most vulnerable to marketing challenges. This program is still in development.

Details about the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program will be available and updated at www.farmers.gov as more details are released in a Notice of Funds Availability later this year.



There’s Still Time to Register for Annual Cattle Industry Convention

In just over one week, thousands of cattlemen and women will gather in New Orleans for the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show. Registration is available online or on-site, so make plans to join the excitement in the Big Easy.

The annual convention will kick off on February 1, with Buzz Brainard, host of Music Row Happy Hour, returning as emcee. The Opening General Session will include a casual conversation about ranch life between “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan and NCBA President and Minnesota cattle producer, Don Schiefelbein. Sheridan is an Academy Award®-nominated writer, actor, rancher as well as a member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.

CattleFax’s outlook session will highlight demand and supplies for beef, cattle and competing proteins. Analysts will present a price and profitability outlook for 2023 and beyond for all classes of cattle and beef, explore export and import markets, and provide a grain outlook. Meteorologist Matt Makens will also give a 2023 weather forecast highlighting weather pattern changes for the United States and around the world.

Plan to attend the high-profile session on Friday morning and hear from government dignitaries as they provide an update on the beef business climate in the United States and around the globe, moderated by NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane.

The Closing General Session will celebrate the Beef Checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program and BQA award winners and will feature keynote speaker Chris Koch, who doesn’t let limitations or obstacles stand in his way. Despite being born without arms and legs, Koch grew up like any other small-town kid — playing road hockey, causing mischief at school, and helping on his family farm. Today, Koch is a motivational speaker who inspires his audiences to continually challenge themselves and build the life they always wanted.

While the general sessions are packed with engaging speakers and information every producer can use, entertainment will also be around every corner. Franki Moscato, winner of the 10th annual National Anthem Contest, will perform at the Opening General Session and during the Friday night event. The country trio Chapel Hart will combine their Mississippi roots and Louisiana spice in a special performance during Closing General Session. Convention will wrap up Friday evening with “Party Gras” featuring the country music group Midland and special guest Neal McCoy.

If that isn’t enough, the 30th annual Cattlemen’s College, which begins on January 31, will feature live animal handling demonstrations and 18 educational sessions with industry leaders tackling innovative topics. The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame banquet and Environmental Stewardship Award Program reception will recognize leaders for their achievements, and there will be more than eight acres of trade show exhibits to explore.

In addition, producers will be hard at work guiding both NCBA policy and Beef Checkoff programs. Annual meetings of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, American National CattleWomen, CattleFax and National Cattlemen’s Foundation will also take place.

Make plans to attend the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in New Orleans. For more information and to register, visit convention.ncba.org.