Tuesday April 4 Ag News

 EVALUATING ALFALFA PLANTS
– Ben Beckman, NE Extension Educator

As temperatures begin to rise, don’t’ forget to take a bit of time to assess alfalfa stand health going into this year’s growing season. While much of the state had plenty of snow cover to help insulate plants from extreme temperatures, older stands or late harvested alfalfa still have a potential for winter kill.

Even before plants begin to green up, individual plant assessments can be done.  While assessment before green-up occurs may seem a bit preemptive, pre-scouting now can focus scouting efforts to problem areas later on when time becomes precious during spring planting.

    Dig up 4-5 random plants per 20 acres, being sure to get the crown and a good portion of the tap root (around 6 inches at least).  Split the root and crown open. A healthy plant will be white and firm while winter damaged taproots will be yellow to brown in color and stringy. Yield will begin to be impacted when damage is greater than 30% of the total root/crown area.

    Look for alive, in-tact basal buds at the crown of the plant.  Buds formed last fall will start growth sooner and boost first cutting yields.  A lack of basal buds doesn’t mean that the plant won’t recover, but first cuttings may be smaller.

    If plants have begun growth, look at where it is occurring on the crown.  Healthy plants will have growth fully throughout the crown while damaged plants will often have asymmetrical growth with more stems on one side than the other.

If more than 30% of the plants assessed have significant damage, yield for the upcoming year may be impacted. Options like interseeding perennial grasses, seeding a warm season forage crop after the first harvest, or terminating the stand may need to be considered.



PSC ISSUES IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR GRAIN PRODUCERS AND DEALERS

The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) is reminding grain producers and dealers of the importance of familiarizing themselves with Nebraska’s Grain laws when it comes to doing business with grain dealers.

It is of vital importance for a producer/seller to ensure they are working with a grain dealer that is licensed to do business in the state of Nebraska. If a producer sells grain to a grain dealer that is not licensed in Nebraska, the producer will have no protections under state law. A list of grain dealers licensed in Nebraska can be found on the Grain Department page of the PSC website.

“State Law requires grain dealers to hold a Nebraska license in order to do business with producers/sellers from our state,” said Commission Chair Dan Watermeier.  “The license means the grain dealer has posted a security bond with the PSC, providing protection for the producer/seller.”

Under the Nebraska Grain Dealer Act if a producer/seller wants to ensure their transactions with a grain dealer are covered by the grain dealer’s security posted with the PSC, they must demand payment within 15 days of completion of their contract with the dealer. Producers/sellers who choose not to demand payment within 15 days after completion of their contract will be unsecured creditors of that dealer and forfeit any protection from the grain dealer’s security.

Commissioner Watermeier said, “By knowing the law, working with only licensed grain dealers and demanding payment within the set timeframe producers/sellers can save themselves time and money should a grain dealer experience any issues.”

Information for producers/sellers, grain dealers and grain warehouses can be found on the Grain Department page of the PSC website. Questions can be emailed to psc.grain@nebraska.gov.  



New Product Announcement: Milk Bar Revolution Snap On Nipple

Sidney, Nebraska-based Agri-Plastics, a leader in innovative agricultural solutions, is proud to introduce the Milk Bar™ Revolution Snap On Nipple – a game-changing addition for dairy farms using bottle systems. This cutting-edge product has been designed to optimize calf performance while making life easier for farmers.

Using traditional fast-feeding nipples can lead to the calf being overwhelmed with milk. Thus the absorption rate is diminished, resulting in poor growth, nutritional deficiencies and overall health issues. However, with the Milk Bar™ Revolution Snap On Nipple, farmers can now control the flow of milk entering the calf through a unique, chambered 5-slit mouthpiece. Milk flow is controlled no matter regardless of bottle placement.

The Milk Bar Revolution Snap On Nipple features five slits positioned in a circular pattern to regulate the flow of milk, ensuring that calves drink at the right speed and produce lots of saliva, aiding in the digestion of the milk and rumen development. The nipple's unique design also minimizes cross sucking and diarrhea, ultimately leading to healthier, more content calves.

Its natural rubber formulation allows for a secure and easy snap-on attachment to bottles, which makes it effortless for farmers to use. Secure nipple-seating to the bottle ensures that you can carry the bottles by the nipples worry-free.

The Milk Bar Revolution Snap On Nipple is available through Agri-Plastics and their Dealer Network in North America. This innovative product is a must-have for farms using bottle systems as it is easy to use and delivers an extraordinary improvement in calf performance. Because of the high-quality “natural” rubber compound, we suggest using a NON-chlorinated alkaline detergent to ensure optimum bio security.

With patent applications in New Zealand and internationally pending, the Milk Bar™ Revolution Snap On Nipple revolutionizes the way farmers use bottle systems. For more information, please visit Agri-Plastics' website or contact them at 1-888-231-3575 or info@agri-plastics.net.

The Milk Bar Revolution Snap On Nipple is available for immediate purchase online at: https://calfhutchshop.com/product/milk-bar-revolution-snap-on-nipple/ Part number: AGRI-MBREV. For orders of 100 or more, please call for a volume discount.

About Agri-Plastics
The VanBuuren family founded Agri-Plastics in 1995. These third-generation dairymen know first-hand the difficulties experienced on a dairy farm. They began experimenting with hutch designs to provide healthier, more comfortable environments for calves. Over the years, Agri-Plastics has listened and learned from many other producers, and they have used that knowledge to create game-changing innovations that have since become industry standards.    



TEAM LOOKS TO INCREASE RESILIENCE OF FOOD SYSTEMS TO CLIMATE SHOCKS

Two researchers affiliated with the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are part of a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team that has received significant funding from the National Science Foundation for a project predicting the effect of climate extremes on the food system. Understanding the vulnerability of food systems to climate shocks like drought is an important step to increasing the resilience of communities and agricultural operations to those shocks.

The team is one of 16 selected for Phase 1 of the NSF Convergence Accelerator program’s Track J: Food and Nutrition Security, an $11 million investment by the NSF into applied research and technology development to advance solutions aligned to this focus.

Led by Kathy Baylis at the University of California, Santa Barbara, other team members come from Baylor University, the University of Illinois, Tufts University and the University of Texas. The researchers will work with a range of nongovernmental organizations and nonprofit organizations on the ground in both the United States and Kenya.

Mike Hayes, a professor in the School of Natural Resources at Nebraska and former director of the National Drought Mitigation Center, is one of the researchers involved.

“This project allows us to come together and combine the strengths that all the people involved have,” Hayes said of the team’s diverse disciplinary makeup, with members coming from economics, engineering, geography, hydrology and sociology.

Hayes’ expertise is in climate science. His role in the project, he said, is to apply new developments in climate science to the challenge of food security and translate the vast amount of climate data that’s out there into something useful and usable for decision-makers. “They’re really emphasizing the broader impacts, rather than just basic research,” he said of the accelerator program’s focus on applied solutions.

“All of the projects are challenged to be user-inspired, user-informed,” said Tonya Haigh, research assistant professor at Nebraska who is also involved with the project. Haigh, who leads the drought center’s social science program, is interested in user interaction. Her role in the project is to better understand what new information on-the-ground partners — whether that’s a food bank, a farm or an international agency — need to make more informed decisions about food production and distribution.

Beyond disciplinary expertise, the National Drought Mitigation Center researchers are contributing to the project their deep well of connections with agricultural stakeholders and information users across the Southern Plains and Southwest. Haigh and Hayes, for example, both point to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Regional Climate Hubs as a potential project collaborator with which the team might connect. The Climate Hubs are a longtime partner of the drought center and work right at that intersection of science and agricultural decision-making on which this project is focused.

Using the drought center’s existing relationships in the region, the project team can begin to test how climate outlooks can inform agricultural and food decision-making. From there, they can take those strategies to Kenya where other project team members have their own longstanding relationships.

In the first phase of the accelerator program, the team will develop an initial proof of concept and engage with the other 15 teams in hands-on learning around human-centered design, use-inspired research and communications. At the end of Phase 1 in August, each team will submit a formal proposal to try to secure $5 million of additional support to further develop their solutions in Phase 2.

“New technologies could play an important role in ensuring that individuals have access to food and water in the coming decades,” said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for technology, innovation and partnerships, about the new accelerator program initiative. “Through transdisciplinary, use-inspired and translational research, the projects in which we are investing today have the potential to help the most vulnerable Americans, not to mention billions of people worldwide.”



Scoular and Boys Town partner on mental health resources for children of employees, community youth

A unique partnership between global agribusiness Scoular and nationally recognized Boys Town will provide mental health care services to both Scoular families and to youth in the Omaha community. 

Recognizing the growing need for timely access to mental health care, the Scoular Foundation has provided $250,000 to Boys Town to offset the administrative costs of providing increased mental health care by a licensed psychologist dedicated to the new partnership. The psychologist will serve the children of Scoular employees as well as prioritize services to children in the North and South Omaha communities, and those enrolled in the Boys Town LIFT Together program. LIFT Together is a prevention initiative that provides adolescents living in North and South Omaha with resources to improve school success and family stability.

The Scoular donation is providing this funding to offset the skyrocketing costs of these services and the difficulty hiring mental health professionals. The generous donation will help attract exceptional candidates to the job.  

In addition, Scoular CEO Paul Maass said that Scoular is committed to expanding the concept by providing an additional $250,000 to another agency for mental health services. 

The donation is intended to help address what experts are calling an unprecedented mental health crisis, driven significantly by a lack of access to trained providers. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, one in five Nebraskans experienced a mental health challenge in any given year. Over the past two years, the number has increased to one in three.  

“We have heard countless stories from community members and mental health advocates that it can take months to obtain an appointment to see a mental health care provider,” Maass said. “We want to help solve this problem by providing a more timely path to care and healing, for both our employees’ children and for children in the community.”   

A shortage of mental health care providers has intensified the challenge, which the Scoular donation is addressing by its size and scope. 

 “The need for mental and behavioral health services has increased dramatically over the past several years and the availability of services has not kept pace,” said Dr. Patrick Friman, Vice President of Behavioral Health at Boys Town. “Stepping up to help address this growing need, the Scoular Foundation has committed to partner with Boys Town by supplying two years of innovative foundational funding for a specially trained adolescent therapist.”  

 Scoular employs 160 people at its global headquarters in Omaha and 1,400 worldwide. Its foundation is a private philanthropic organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of human life in the communities where Scoular employees work and live. 



USDA Appoints New Members to Food Safety Advisory Committee

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the appointment of 15 new members and five returning members to the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI).

Members of the committee are chosen based on their expertise in meat and poultry safety, public health, and other Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) policies.

“We are proud to announce the new committee members to NACMPI and grateful for their commitment to support food safety and public health,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “These members’ diverse expertise and advice will help USDA as we advance our important food safety mission.”

NACMPI consists of 20 members and provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture on food safety concerns and other matters affecting inspection program activities, including food safety policies that will contribute to USDA’s regulatory policy development. NACMPI has made important contributions to a broad range of critical food safety issues. The committee reports provide current information and advice to FSIS and serve as a foundation for regulations and programs aimed at reducing foodborne disease and enhancing public health.

The newly appointed NACMPI members to serve a two-year term are:
Dr. Mary Anne Amalaradjou – University of Connecticut, Tolland, Conn.
Sharon Birkett – OSI Group, LLC, Bolingbrook, Ill.
Dr. Dianna Viola Bourassa – Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.
Dr. Byron D. Chaves – University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Neb.
Dr. Vanessa Coffman – Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness, Chicago, Ill.
Dr. James Richard Dillon – State of Texas, Austin, Texas
Scott Lee Filbrandt – Bob’s Processing Inc., South Haven, Mich.
Dr. James Harbey Hollis – South Carolina Meat-Poultry Inspection Department, Columbus, S.C.
James Kincheloe – Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Paul Steven Kuber – Washington State University, Spokane, Wash.
Anastacia Marie Larkin – Cougle Commission Company, Schererville, Ind.
Ali Mohseni-Motlagh – American Foods Group LLC, Newton Square, Pa.
Patrick Robinette – Micro Summit Processors, Pinetops, N.C.
Dr. James Rogers – Food Safety Research and Testing, Consumer Reports, Bowie, Md.
Desiree Claire Ann Wineland – American Butchers LLC / Beyond the Butchers, Cambridge, Neb.

The returning NACMPI members are:
William Battle – Magnolia Processing Inc. DBA Pride of The Pond, Tunica, Miss.
Casey Lynn Gallimore – North American Meat Institute, Shawnee, Kan.
Dr. Joseph Harris – Southwest Meat Association, Franklin, Texas
Teresa Schwartz – Retired Law Professor, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Byron Williams – Mississippi State University, Brandon, Miss.

FSIS will announce an upcoming committee meeting and topics when more information is available, which will be posted on the FSIS Events & Meetings page and published in a future Constituent Update.



Iowa Pork Producers and Iowa Cubs looking for the state’s best backyard barbecuers
    
The Iowa Pork Producers Association is partnering with the Iowa Cubs and Cactus Cares to host the inaugural BBQ & Brew at the Ballpark. The event will feature a Backyard BBQ Competition, with proceeds benefiting local food pantries. Amateur grill masters from across Iowa are invited to showcase their skills cooking high quality Iowa pork. More than $10,000 in cash prizes are available. The event will take place on Saturday, July 15, at Principal Park in Des Moines and is open to the public.

“We take great pride in promoting delicious Iowa pork and are excited to work with the Iowa Cubs and Cactus Cares to put together this fun, charitable event to see who is the best backyard barbecuer in Iowa,” said Trish Cook, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. “We all know an Iowan who is handy with the grill. This is their chance to step up to the plate, compete for some great prizes, and help us fill Iowa’s food pantries with high quality pork.”

The entry fee for competitors is $150, and the contest is limited to 30 participants. Judging will be based on the Iowa Barbeque Society’s scoring system in three categories: pork belly, pork ribs, and pork butts. All the meat for the competition will be provided by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. A portion of the entry fee will be used to provide pork to Iowa food pantries.

Tickets to the BBQ & Brew at the Ballpark will go on sale to the general public soon. Attendees will be able to sample delicious Iowa pork, beer from Iowa’s finest local breweries, and attend a Pork BBQ Bootcamp to learn the best methods for cooking their own top-notch barbecue. Music, food vendors and other entertainment will be provided.

“Cactus Cares is pleased to partner with the Iowa Cubs and the Iowa Pork Producers Association on the 2023 BBQ and Brew at the Ballpark,” said Rod Leman, development coordinator of Cactus Cares. “This event is a great opportunity for the public to sample pork BBQ from Iowa BBQ competition teams, while raising money to provide pork protein to food insecure Iowans.”

Cactus Cares is a non-profit organization that supports local food pantries.

To register to compete in the BBQ & Brew Backyard BBQ Competition and get more information, click on this link https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTc4NzMw or visit IowaPork.org.



Corn Grower Leaders to EPA: Maintaining Consumer Access to E15 Increases Fuel Supply

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should use its authority under the Clean Air Act to provide consumers with continued access to low-cost, low-emission E15 during the summer months, according to a letter sent today from corn grower leaders to EPA administrator Michael S. Regan.

The president of the National Corn Growers Association, joined by leaders from 18 state corn grower groups, signed the letter, which called on EPA to replicate its actions from last year and ensure uninterrupted access to E15 through the summer.

“At a time when fuel supplies remain constrained and prices remain high, consumers and retailers need all fuel choices available, especially as seasonal demand increases during the summer,” the farmer leaders stated. “Fuel market conditions that warranted EPA’s actions last summer are expected to continue this summer, and Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to disrupt global energy markets.”

EPA approved E15, or 15 percent ethanol blends, in 2011 for use in all 2001 and newer vehicles, which account for more than 96 percent of vehicles on the road today. Retailers have increased availability of E15, often marketed as Unleaded 88, to offer consumers choice and lower fuel costs, as well as increase the fuel supply. E15 has been sold year-round for the past four years, but outdated regulatory barriers continue to hinder permanent full-market access to E15.

NCGA and state corn grower associations reminded EPA officials that access to higher blends of ethanol can help keep prices down at the pump. The corn grower leaders pointed to warning signs, such as OPEC’s announcement of a 1.16 million barrels per day output reduction beginning in May, as reason the Biden administration should do everything possible to increase the domestic fuel supply to help keep prices down.

“With ethanol currently priced around 50 cents less per gallon than unblended gasoline at wholesale, drivers are continuing to save up to 15 cents or more per gallon,” the growers stated. “As the number of retailers offering drivers this low-cost, low-emission choice increases, the economic benefits also expand.”

Finally, the leaders noted that, in addition to increasing the fuel supply and lowering prices for drivers, higher ethanol blends like E15 reduce emissions.

“Ethanol results in nearly 50 percent fewer GHG emissions than gasoline, so Increasing ethanol blending from 10 to 15 percent further cuts GHG emissions,” they said. “Blending more ethanol to make E15 displaces the most toxic aromatic hydrocarbon components in gasoline, reducing exhaust emissions for cleaner air.”

The grower leaders urged EPA to act on their request in the near future to provide market certainty.



RFA Ad Campaign Calls on Biden Administration to Allow Lower-Cost E15 This Summer
    
With the summer driving season less than two months away and fuel prices again on the rise, the Renewable Fuels Association stepped up its campaign calling for quick action by the White House to ensure the lower-cost E15 gasoline blend is available for American drivers this summer.

The association this week kicked off an advertising campaign and call-to-action targeting ethanol supporters across the Midwest, as well as policymakers and insiders in our nation’s capital. In addition to radio spots running in D.C. and Midwest markets, RFA is also running print ads in several Midwest states and digital ads across multiple geographies.

“Our message to the Biden administration is simple: Unless the White House acts quickly, American drivers will lose access to the lowest-cost, lowest-carbon fuel at the pump on June 1,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “ As we saw last summer, allowing year-round sales of E15 is an easy step the administration can take to immediately reduce gas prices for consumers. With OPEC announcing another round of production cuts and oil prices on the rise again, American families need relief at the pump and they want E15 as an option throughout the summer and every day of the year.”

Cooper pointed out that a Morning Consult poll conducted late last month found strong voter support for year-round E15 sales. 70 percent of poll respondents support increasing the availability of E15 to help lower fuel prices and support energy independence, while 62 percent support recently introduced bipartisan legislation that would allow the lower-carbon E15 blend to be sold year-round nationwide.

Last year, allowing summertime sales of E15 saved American drivers $57 million at the pump between June 1 and September 15, an RFA analysis shows. And a study by economists at UC Berkeley and elsewhere released earlier this year shows that adding low-cost ethanol to the nation’s gasoline supply improves energy security and saves the average American household more than $750 per year.



DMC Margin Posts Another Sizeable Drop in February

The Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program will pay $3.31/cwt for $9.50/cwt coverage in February, based on a margin of $6.19/cwt that month. This was $4.70/cwt less than the margin last November. A milk price drop of $1.50/cwt from a month earlier and a $0.25/cwt rise in the DMC feed cost formula combined to lower the February margin by $1.75/cwt from its level in January.

Available forecasts currently indicate that the monthly DMC margins are close to bottoming out for the year, at around $6.00/cwt in a month or two, followed by a slow rise that will not likely top $9.50/cwt until the fourth quarter. This year will return many times the cost of this very affordable means of managing margin risk.



March CWT-Assisted Export Sales Total 2.5 Million Pounds

CWT member cooperatives secured 31 contracts in March, adding 1.8 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 168,000 pounds of butter, and 522,000 pounds of cream cheese to CWT-assisted sales in 2023. In milk equivalent, this is equal to 24.1 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. These products will go to customers in Asia, Central America, the Caribbean and Middle East-North Africa, and will be shipped from March through September 2023.

CWT-assisted 2023 dairy product sales contracts year-to-date total 12.6 million pounds of American-type cheese, 550,000 pounds of butter, 2.5 million pounds of cream cheese and 17.8 million pounds of whole milk powder. This brings the total milk equivalent for the year to 278.3 million pounds on a milkfat basis. Read more.



Wholesale Beef Prices and Cattle Prices
David P. Anderson, Extension Economist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

While fed cattle prices have jumped again, hitting $170 per cwt in some markets for the last week of March, wholesale beef prices have not increased along with cattle prices. The Choice beef cutout averaged $280.51 per cwt last week, up about $14 per cwt compared to the same time last year. The cutout has declined about $8 per cwt over the last 5 weeks.

Wholesale prices for a few cuts reveal some interesting ups and downs. Ribeyes, strip loins, and full tenderloin prices have all declined over the last month. Boneless ribeyes averaged $9.83 per pound last week after hitting $10.69 earlier in the month. Ribeyes have often hit a seasonal peak in recent years around the Memorial Day holiday as a grilling feature. While a little early for that peak, tight supplies in the first quarter of the year probably contributed to some higher prices. Strip loins have fallen back to $7.57 per pound, about equal to last year, after reaching $8.77 a few weeks ago. The peak in strips is also a little earlier than usual and likely due to tighter supplies as fewer fed cattle go to market.

Tighter supplies of fed cattle and the sharp decline in beef cows going to slaughter have contributed to rapidly escalating wholesale boneless beef prices. Ninety percent lean boneless beef has increased steadily this year from $2.45 per pound in January to $2.74 per pound last week. That is only about 9 cents per pound lower than last year at this time. Large beef cow slaughter kept lean boneless beef prices declining through most of 2022. That is likely to be reversed as beef cow slaughter has sharply declined so far this year. Weekly slaughter in mid-March was 61,000 head compared to 75,000 head the same week last year. That was also the smallest non-holiday weekly beef cow slaughter since April 2021. Fifty percent lean boneless beef prices hit $1.44 per pound last week as fed cattle beef production tightened.

Falling wholesale steak cut prices and rising wholesale boneless beef might suggest some changes in consumer purchases to come. USDA weekly beef featuring data indicated 69 percent of surveyed grocery stores running some kind of feature last week compared to about 62 percent the same week last year.



Vytelle Closes $20MM in Series B Funding to Accelerate Genetic Progress in Cattle

Vytelle, a precision livestock company, has raised $20MM in Series B funding to accelerate genetic progress in cattle. With this new investment, Vytelle will continue to expand its global operations, while delivering the most accessible, reliable, and predictable reproductive technology available to customers today.

The investment was led by Forage Capital Partners, a Calgary based growth equity fund that invests across the entire food and agriculture value chain. New investor, Mountain Group Partners, joins current investors, Grosvenor Food and Ag Tech, Open Prairie, Fulcrum Global Capital, Serra Ventures, and KC Rise to complete the round.   

Forage Capital Partner, Jim Taylor said, "Vytelle has proven their ability to scale and deliver consistent results for the benefit of cattle producers aiming to accelerate genetic progress around the world. We are impressed with Vytelle’s track record of growth and delivery and are excited about what the future will bring."

Vytelle's integrated technology platform combines Vytelle ADVANCE, a breakthrough in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology, with Vytelle SENSE, an animal performance data capture system, and Vytelle INSIGHT, an artificial intelligence based genetic analytics engine.  

As the fastest growing advanced reproduction company, Vytelle is easily accessible to more than 50% of the US cow herd. Combining this footprint, with Vytelle’s curation of the world’s largest multibreed efficiency database, provides the infrastructure to impact bovine genetic progress rapidly. Progressive cattle producers can use the technology to multiply the impact of elite livestock productivity and profitability, sustainably delivering more protein with fewer inputs.  

"We are delighted to have secured this new investment; this is indicative of strong market interest in our products and services. Our mission is clear, and we are grateful for the support of our investors who join us on our journey to ensure meat and milk are viable food choices for future generations." said Kerryann Kocher, CEO of Vytelle.