Tuesday May 2 Ag News

 NEBRASKA EXTENSION EDUCATORS BOOST RURAL MENTAL HEALTH

Pursuing a livelihood as a farmer or rancher means dealing with stress. Difficult market conditions, weather challenges, plant and animal health concerns, workforce shortages, debt management — the sources of stress in agricultural production are many and often ongoing.

But just as it pays to tend to one’s physical wellness, the same goes for one’s emotional wellness. Left unaddressed, the wear and tear on a producer’s emotional well-being can lead to serious problems and sometimes a family or personal crisis. A recent study found that production agriculture workers rank fourth among professions in male suicides.

Nebraska Extension’s Rural Wellness program is structured to help address these needs. Extension’s Rural Wellness team is “a unique extension group that is very multifaceted and has folks from all across the state in different disciplines working together,” said Jessica Grosskopf, a Scottsbluff-based extension educator who specializes in agricultural economics. She has expertise in a suicide prevention strategy known as QPR: question, persuade, refer.

In 2019, Nebraska Extension provided emotional wellness outreach to help Nebraskans cope with the catastrophic flooding that struck the state. Now, extension is devoting particular energy to two mental well-being programs with a rural focus.

One program helps Nebraskans cope with “ambiguous loss,” involving challenges such as divorce, addictions or health conditions. The aim is for Nebraskans to achieve resilience, promote communication and use appropriate supports. In the second program, extension is using the QPR approach for rural suicide prevention.

Extension professionals also help Nebraskans more broadly to address outside factors, such as nutrition and sleep, that can affect emotional well-being, said Michelle Krehbiel, an extension youth development specialist.

All these efforts tie into one of extension’s three biggest strategic aims: supporting Nebraskans’ health and well-being.

Extension professionals are the “first line of defense” in heading off more serious problems with mental wellness, Krehbiel said. Extension educators contribute by helping Nebraskans manage their finances and make good decisions about nutrition and sleep habits, by supporting positive relationships with young people through 4-H, and by offering early childhood supports, she said.   

Wayde Pickinpaugh, an extension beef systems educator in Johnson County, spoke at length about rural mental wellness issues this year during an episode of extension’s BeefWatch podcast.

“Agriculture is full of uncontrollable variables and make-or-break factors that leave a huge impact on our operations and will continue to contribute to stress,” Pickinpaugh wrote in a companion article for BeefWatch. “It’s OK to have extra drive to push through difficult times, but recognize there is a balance between being tough and knowing when to take care of ourselves. Producers aren’t able to take care of their farms and ranches and their family if they don’t take care of themselves first.”

Among Pickinpaugh’s recommendations: Find someone to talk to. Attend to your physical health. Schedule breaks. Focus on what can be controlled. Learn to recognize your stress factors and how to manage stress affecting yourself and others.

Being a good listener, Krehbiel said, is an especially effective way rural residents can help each other deal with stress: “The reality is, someone just needs somebody who says, ‘How are you doing?’” In many cases, she said, “that's just enough steam out of the pressure cooker to help you.” And if the person needs higher-level care, extension helps that individual connect with medical professionals.

Extension’s QPR suicide prevention program trains Nebraskans — extension professionals, as well as the general public — to use key techniques: Recognize the warning signs of suicide. Know how to offer hope. Know how to get help.

Extension’s QPR initiative, Grosskopf said, is “training our communities to see signs of concern and then follow those three steps — question, persuade and refer — to help get them to those professionals who can take them through their journey the rest of the way.”

A new national suicide prevention helpline is available by calling or texting 988. In Nebraska, the Rural Response Hotline also provides suicide prevention help at 800-464-0258.

“Extension belongs in this prevention space where we can give people tools to ward off severe episodes,” Krehbiel said. In all these ways, she said, extension pursues a central aim: “Give people the tools that can help them prevent those bigger issues.”



Nebraska Landowners List 260,000 Acres on Land-Sharing Marketplace

Among the 77 Nebraska listings covering 260,000 acres available to book for recreational opportunities on the LandTrust website, Henry Beel’s family ranch near Ainsworth has been earning additional income since the spring of 2021.

Dubbed “the Airbnb for Outdoor Recreationists,” LandTrust is an online marketplace that allows landowners to connect directly with outdoor enthusiasts, providing opportunities to recreate on their property and allowing them to generate additional passive income. Landowners can host experiences like hunting, bird watching, farm tours, RV stays and more, with complete control over every booking.

“At LandTrust, we believe the future of working lands is dependent on a portfolio of income from agricultural production, conservation and recreational opportunities,” said Nic De Castro, Founder and CEO of LandTrust. “We help landowners tap into the income potential of those recreational opportunities and at the same time open up millions of acres of private land for outdoor enthusiasts to have new experiences and create lasting memories."

Recreational opportunities on the 900-acre Beel ranch include deer hunting, turkey hunting, coyote hunting and bird watching. Beel’s family is extremely focused on keeping animal populations healthy and appreciates the control they have with LandTrust, which allows them to turn bookings on and off as populations fluctuate.

“LandTrust has been an easy way to expand our business beyond just ranching – every little bit helps. And we’re in complete control of who can hunt and on what days, instead of an outfitting service,” Beel said. “For example, we’ve turned down about 20 turkey hunts this year so we can maintain a healthy population. We also limit the number of deer that hunters can take.”

Similar to other companies in the sharing economy like Airbnb and Vrbo, LandTrust is a land-sharing site where landowners can list their property online and outdoor enthusiasts can search for experiences that match their interests. Landowners mainly in Montana, Nebraska and Kansas currently list over 1 million acres on LandTrust, which can be searched by state, property name or type of experience.

“Compared to traditional annual leases, landowners prefer LandTrust’s short-term rental model because it enables them to continue letting their friends, family and neighbors hunt, fish and otherwise enjoy their land, and also generate income when they aren’t using it,” De Castro said.

For Beel’s family, LandTrust has been easy to use and has even led to lasting relationships.

“The LandTrust platform doesn’t take much time to use and comes with the support of LSMs (Landowner Success Managers),” Beel said. “We’ve seen a lot of out-of-state hunters since we started using it and have still been able to let family, friends and locals hunt on our property whenever we want. We’ve even had recurring guests – one who I text with regularly will be visiting for a third year.”



Ricketts Welcomes USDA’s Disaster Declaration of 13 Nebraska Counties

U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) welcomed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) disaster declaration announcement allowing farm operators from certain counties to apply for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loan assistance.

“Food security is national security, and it is essential we support our farmers and ranchers during tough seasons to ensure the continued production of our food supply,” said Senator Ricketts. “Nebraska farm operators have been struggling in the face of record-breaking drought conditions, and I encourage all eligible for the emergency assistance to apply. If our office can help you navigate the process, please reach out to us.”

The USDA announced 13 Nebraska counties as primary natural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought. The announcement also classified 31 counties as contiguous counties. This designation allows farm operators in the primary and contiguous counties eligible to be considered for the FSA emergency loan assistance. Farmers eligible have 8 months from the date of the disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.

The primary counties include:
Custer
Knox
Saline
Valley
Dawson
Lancaster
Seward
York
Gage
Logan
Sherman
Garfield
McPhereson

The contiguous counties include:
Antelope
Cedar
Holt
Loup
Thayer
Arthur
Clay
Hooker
Otoe
Thomas
Blaine
Fillmore
Howard
Pawnee
Wheeler
Boyd
Frontier
Jefferson
Phelps
Buffalo
Gosper
Johnson
Pierce
Butler
Greeley
Keith
Polk
Cass
Hamilton
Lincoln
Saunders

If you are a resident of one of these counties, have endured damages, or are unsure about your eligibility for emergency loan assistance, please visit www.farmers.gov/recover, www.ricketts.senate.gov/services or call 202-224-4224.



NEBRASKA POULTRY AND EGG DEVELOPMENT, UTILIZATION AND MARKETING COMMITTEE NOTICE OF MEETING
 
The Nebraska Poultry and Egg Development, Utilization and Marketing Committee has planned a meeting for Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at Advanced Association Management in Milford, NE.

Schedule
PED - 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Lunch
NPI- 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Committee Meetings – 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The current agenda of subjects to be discussed at this meeting is available for public inspection at the offices of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Poultry and Egg Division, 521 First Street, Milford, Nebraska.

Please send any funding requests or additions to the PED agenda to Alyssa no later than June 9, 2023.

Please contact the PED office at 402-761-2216 or alyssa@nepoultry.org if you have any questions.



Reynolds proclaims April 30 – May 7 as Soil and Water Conservation Week

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has proclaimed April 30 – May 7 as Soil and Water Conservation Week and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is inviting Iowans to participate throughout the week. The Department is encouraging Iowans to attend conservation field day events, learn about water quality practices and take action to implement them and share photos of conservation on social media utilizing the hashtag #CleanWaterIowa.

Iowa is a national leader in agricultural production as well as implementation of soil conservation and water quality practices. 2023 marks 50 years of lowa’s cost-share conservation program, 40 years of the state’s Abandoned Mine Land (AML) reclamation program and 10 years of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

“Soil and Water Conservation Week is a timely reminder that all Iowans can play a vital role in improving our water quality and protecting our valuable soil,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “While we have made a lot of conservation and water quality progress over the past decade, the work will only continue to accelerate in the years ahead. We are excited about the water quality momentum that is building across our state.”

There are several local and regional events planned across the state to showcase the ongoing work of farmers, landowners and urban residents to protect the state’s resources. Contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District/USDA Service Center to see where activities are planned in your area. Two events partially organized and hosted by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship are as follows:

Soil and Water Conservation Week Field Day
Tuesday, May 2 – 10:00 a.m.
1791 Lucas Drive | Knoxville, IA
The public is invited to tour an abandoned coal mine site that is undergoing reclamation work, meet local conservation partners and learn about the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Mines and Minerals Bureau. Staff members from the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement will also be in attendance. Light refreshments to follow. The event is hosted by Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, Pathfinders RC&D, United States Department of Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Project Kickoff
Thursday, May 4 – Time 11:30 a.m.
Spring Lake Yacht Club | 606 Spring Lake Drive | Cherokee, IA
The public is invited to a kickoff event for a newly funded Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Water Quality Initiative (WQI) Demonstration Project. The project will highlight how conservation practices can be economically viable for farmers and cattle producers while also helping to protect water quality and increase the quantity of forage-based crops. Light lunch to follow. Partners on the project include Cherokee, Ida, Woodbury, Carroll, and Guthrie Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Cherokee and Carroll County Cattlemen, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Iowa Beef Industry Council, NRCS, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa State University



Biochar Study Focuses on Red Pepper and Cauliflower Production

Researchers with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach have recently completed a three-year study of a soil amendment product known as biochar.

Their goal was to find out if this black, charcoal material could improve the production of certain vegetables commonly grown in Iowa. The results have not shown a major impact just yet, but researchers believe there may be long-term benefits to adding biochar, especially to degraded soils and soils prone to nutrient loss.

Biochar is produced from heating biomasses like wood, corn husks and poultry manure, with limited oxygen supply, in a process called pyrolysis.

Biochar can also be derived as a byproduct of biofuel production, and can be made from a wide range of biomass material, including switchgrass, mixed woods, rice hulls and oakwood, as well as animal and municipal wastes.

Cauliflower and red pepper
Taylor Mauch, graduate research student, began experimenting with biochar in 2020 by adding it to the soil in vegetable plots at Iowa State’s Horticulture Research Station in Ames. Her research focused on cauliflower and red bell pepper, and joins previous Iowa State research in carrots and potatoes.

Mauch had hoped to see an increase in yield as well as an improvement in soil structure and nutrient retention. Biochar research in agronomic crops like corn and soybeans have shown an increase in yields, improved water holding capacity and improvements in soil structure.

While her results have not shown a significant improvement on yields, she said there was also no signs of yield loss. The benefit of adding biochar, according to Mauch, could be the long-term improvements to soil.

“Biochar has the potential to be a storage container for nutrients, which could potentially influence the availability of nutrients to plants,” said Mauch.

The higher cation exchange capacity of biochar allows soils to retain more nutrients, including phosphorus. Biochar can also stimulate microbial activity, which helps microbes break down nutrients within the soil at a faster rate.

Her initial results appear to show a reduction in nitrate leachate from biochar-amended soils. This is an environmental benefit, and also keeps more nitrogen in the soil, available for crop uptake. Nitrogen leachate was tested using a lysimeter – a measuring device used to measure nitrate movement below the plant root zone.

“Taylor’s work helps us understand the potential use of biochar in vegetable cropping systems,” said Ajay Nair, associate professor in horticulture and an extension vegetable production specialist at Iowa State. “It highlights optimum biochar application rates in high organic matter soils and illustrates its impact on soil properties and crop growth and development.”
Long-term benefits

Improving topsoil takes time, and most healthy soils are not built nor lost overnight. Mauch acknowledges that her three years of research may not be enough to Holding biochar in hands.fully capture the potential of biochar, but she believes it’s a starting point.

“If people are going to apply biochar in Iowa, I think it would be for the long-term benefits,” said Mauch. “When we think about how much soil erosion is occurring and how much topsoil we are losing, products like biochar could be part of the solution.”

She explains her research in a series of short videos. The first is called Biochar in Vegetable Production Systems, and the other two are called  How to Harvest Red Peppers and How to Harvest Cauliflower.

In the fall of 2022, Mauch and Nair also produced an extension publication called “An Introduction to Biochar and its Potential Use,” which defines how biochar is produced, how it can be applied to spoils, and the potential for long-term benefit.

This work was supported by the USDA NIFA Hatch Project and Iowa vegetable growers. Learn more by visiting the ISU Extension and Outreach Sustainable Vegetable Production website https://www.extension.iastate.edu/vegetablelab/.



Consumer Demand for Beef Remains Strong Among Inflation Woes, New Report Shows

During historic price levels, supply chain issues, and general consumer uncertainty about the future, beef remains a top source of protein.

According to the newly released “Today’s Beef Consumer” report from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, demand for beef continues to remain strong. The compilation of research from 2022, outlined below, shows that despite various challenges faced by the industry, consumers have repeatedly stated that they will continue purchasing beef, both in retail and foodservice settings.

Consumer Insights
Consumer demand for beef remains strong overall. In fact, more than two-thirds of consumers reportedly eat beef on a weekly basis, or more. Inflation is certainly top of mind and more than three-quarters of consumers, 78%, report noticing an increase in the price of food whether at retail or foodservice. Beef however has experienced far lower levels of inflation when compared to other proteins in the “food at home” category, which we will explore next.

Retail
During the pandemic consumers were forced to cook at home and many have continued to do so as it has become a popular way to make a dollar stretch and combat inflation. Analysis for the Today’s Beef Consumer report found 76% of meals are now cooked at home and 94% of consumers who are cooking more at home say they will continue to do so. In 2022 fresh ground beef accounted for 50% of volume of beef sales, likely due to the lower price point as well as a renewed consumer interest in comfort foods and nostalgic recipes, like meatloaf. In 2022, meatloaf was also the most popular page on BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com with almost 1.7 million pageviews. This trend is expected to continue as a recent survey found that 20% of consumers say they plan to purchase more ground beef in the coming year.

Foodservice
It is no surprise that beef sales at foodservice declined sharply in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, sales in both dollars and volume rebounded to surpass the pre-pandemic level of 2019.

Online shopping
Another pandemic trend that seems to be here to stay is online shopping, both at retail and foodservice. 64% of consumers say they are ordering groceries online, with 44% of consumers including fresh beef in those grocery orders. When it comes to foodservice, online ordering has become overwhelmingly popular. 80% of consumers say they order meals online and 70% use online ordering for burgers.

Beef substitutes
Fresh meat and beef substitutes continue to represent a small percentage of the market. When it comes to protein sources, consumers consistently rank beef as a top source of protein.

As we head into 2023 demand for beef remains strong and consumers continue to purchase and order beef, whether in person or online. To view the entire study, click here or visit BeefResearch.org.



USDA Proposes Reapportionment of Cattlemen’s Beef Board Membership and Technical Amendments to the Beef Promotion and Research Order

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register to adjust membership on the Beef Promotion and Research Board to reflect shifts in cattle inventory levels since the last board reapportionment in 2020, as required by the rules governing the board. Written comments on the proposed rule must be received by June 1, 2023.

Under the proposal, total board membership would decrease by two members, from 101 to 99, and would include the following changes:
    Domestic cattle producer representation on the board would decrease from 94 to 92 members. The remaining 7 members would be importer representation.
    The state of Idaho would gain one member.
    The states of Montana, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin would lose one member.

The revised representation would be effective with nominations in 2023 for appointments effective early in 2024.

Additionally, under the proposal, a technical amendment to the Beef Promotion and Research Order (Order) would correct the list of Qualified State Beef Councils by removing the Maryland Beef Industry Council who voted unanimously to dissolve their council on September 14, 2022.

These adjustments are based on requirements of the Order, authorized by the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985. The Order provides for a review of geographic distribution of U.S. cattle inventories and the volume of imported cattle, beef, and beef products at least every three years, but not more than every two years. After the review, board membership must be reapportioned accordingly.

A state or unit must have an inventory of 500,000 head of cattle to be represented on the board and is entitled to an additional member for each additional 1 million head of cattle. In considering reapportionment, the board reviewed cattle inventories and cattle, beef, and beef product import data from 2020 through 2022.

Submit comments concerning the proposed change online at www.regulations.gov or to Agricultural Marketing Specialist Lacey Heddlesten at Lacey.Heddlesten@usda.gov or (620) 717-3834, or send to the Research and Promotion Division, Livestock and Poultry Program, AMS, USDA, Room 2092-S, STOP 0251, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, D.C. 20250-0251. Written comments must be received by June 1, 2023.

All comments submitted by the deadline will be made available for public review and considered before any actions to reapportion the board are made final.



NCGA Leader Highlights Importance of Crop Insurance at Senate Ag Subcommittee Hearing on Farm Bill Priorities

Corn growers are championing several priorities as Congress debates reauthorization of the farm bill with crop insurance protection being the top focus, a leader of the National Corn Growers Association said today in testimony before the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade.

“We strongly oppose any efforts to restrict producer access to crop insurance products and oppose harmful program cuts that would negatively impact crop insurance products, their delivery, or the sound structure of the program,” said NCGA First Vice President Harold Wolle.

During the hearing, which was held to elicit producer perspectives on the farm safety net, Wolle testified that NCGA supports increasing the affordability of crop insurance coverage.

“Many corn growers purchase endorsement policies and higher levels of buy up coverage, but for others, the individual costs of purchasing coverage can discourage higher levels of coverage,” he said.  

Wolle also provided recommendations for the commodity title portion of the farm safety net, including ways to strengthen the Agriculture Risk Coverage County program and the Price Loss Coverage program.

“Our farm bill recommendations seek to make USDA programs more effective and responsive through strategic investments and policy enhancements,” Wolle said.

Wolle also touched on other farm bill priorities, saying NCGA supports expanding international markets by investing in trade promotion programs. NCGA also supports initiatives to make the existing working land conservation programs more effective in combatting weed resistance, reducing nutrient losses through farmer-led collaborative watershed projects, and speeding the development and adoption of innovative conservation practices.

NCGA President Tom Haag highlighted NCGA’s priorities last Tuesday when he testified before the House Agriculture General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit Subcommittee.

Both Haag and Wolle have said they look forward to working with the Agriculture Committees and Congress to pass a farm bill that works for stakeholders this year.



9th-Generation Farmer to Senate Ag Committee: Stronger Safety Net Needed to Keep Lights on in Tough Times

Speaking on behalf of the American Soybean Association and fellow soy growers, ASA Secretary Caleb Ragland of Magnolia, Kentucky, talked about preserving crop insurance and improving the Title I farm safety net for soy. Ragland was invited to testify before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry’s Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade, where he offered soy producers’ perspectives on the farm safety net.

Ragland called crop insurance the most effective and important component of farm policy for soybean farmers, noting that, without it, “the risk would be more than many farmers and lenders could stand—it certainly would be for me.”

Regarding the Title I farm safety net for soybeans, Ragland called for improvements. In a February report, USDA projected a 20.7% decline in net cash farm income in 2023 relative to 2022. This is cause for concern for farmers like Ragland, especially without a more effective safety net when faced with unexpected challenges.

While the industry has worked aggressively to build and diversify markets, China remains U.S. soy’s #1 export customer, with a third of domestic beans sent there.

Ragland shared, “During the height of the trade war with China in 2018, U.S. soy stopped flowing to the Chinese market in our peak export period that fall. Soybean prices dropped significantly, but we received no PLC benefits and little from the ARC program.” USDA stepped in with ad hoc, temporary support to farmers, but, he said, “the trade war that shrunk soybean demand by over 30% hardly triggered the farm safety net provided in the current farm bill, making it difficult to envision a scenario that would provide meaningful assistance without significant improvements to the current reference price and program elements of ARC and PLC.”

Another challenge is the disparity in recent soybean planted acres compared to base acres, on which ARC and PLC benefits are provided. This difference impacts the accessibility and effectiveness of the farm safety net: In 2022, soybeans were planted nationally on 87.5 million acres. By comparison, soybean base totals 53.2 million acres. Over 30 million acres of soybeans were not protected by the soybean provisions of ARC and PLC in 2022.

“The land that I farm has approximately 25% base acres, which does not make me feel confident about the farm safety net available to me and the next generation,” stated Ragland, who said an option to voluntarily update program acres based on a more recent historical time period would provide soybean farmers—including young and beginning farmers—greater access to the soybean safety net when combined with other improvements to ARC and PLC.

ASA released soy’s 2023 Farm Bill priorities May of 2022 and urges an option to update base acres combined with other improvements to ARC and PLC for soybeans, along with protecting crop insurance and other objectives. The organization’s farmer leaders are pleased to offer testimony, and ASA looks forward to continuing to work with Congress as it drafts this important legislation that will remain in place roughly the next five years.



Farm Bureau President Emphasizes Importance of Farm Bill

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall today emphasized the importance of the farm bill during testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade. The hearing focused on commodity programs, credit and crop insurance.

President Duvall told lawmakers that the wide-ranging farm bill touches every family in America, not just those in rural America. “A country that cannot feed its people is not secure, so the strong farm policy that supports a strong food supply truly is part of a smart national security strategy,” Duvall said. Watch the video clip here.

After his opening statement, President Duvall took questions from lawmakers, including Subcommittee Chair Sen. Tina Smith (R-Minn.), who asked about Farm Bureau priorities for the farm bill. Mr. Duvall responded that farmers across the country have identified two key issues. “The first thing you hear about is [we’ve got to] keep crop insurance intact. And, we need to broaden it for specialty crops that don’t have the opportunity to use it. The second thing is they talk about the cost of inputs and that the Title I reference prices do not match up with the cost of production, so it is not a true safety net.” Watch the video clip here.

On Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s (R-Miss.) question about the potential impact of reducing funding for critical farm and nutrition programs, President Duvall said, “If you take those programs away, it brings more uncertainty to the markets. Those programs we already mentioned are a public-private investment in agriculture, which keeps food at a more reasonable cost for all the consumers across the country, and it also [gives] farmers an opportunity to continue farming after a major disaster, or drought, or whatever they might be facing. So, for the interest of the whole country and all the consumers and national security, we need to make sure that we have this farm bill that not only supports farmers, but also the people who are in a part of their life where they need a hand up and a helping hand through nutrition programs.” Watch the video clip here.

When asked by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) about what investments could make America’s famers more competitive, Mr. Duvall responded, “We are being outspent by other countries, especially China, three-to-one in research and development dollars, the statistics tell me. Research and development is what keeps us on the cutting edge, it keeps us more competitive across the world, it keeps us more sustainable, it makes us more friendly to the environment, and it makes our businesses more efficient in having new research coming down the pike.” Watch the video clip here.

He also said there is growing interest in farm bill-funded conservation programs, “The list is long for people waiting to get funded for EQIP and many other programs that are offered through the conservation programs… What people don’t really realize is that if it’s market, and voluntary, and science based, farmers will step up and take advantage of it and do all of the right things because it is a partnership. To the tune of 140 million acres across America, farmers have stepped up in those conservation programs. They will continue to do that in conservation and climate as long as it's voluntary, market-based.”



NFU President Rob Larew Highlights Farm Bill Priorities in Senate Ag Hearing

Today, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew appeared before the United States Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade for a hearing titled “Industry Perspectives on Risk Management and Access to Credit”.  

In his testimony, President Larew highlighted Farmers Union priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill including a strong safety net, along with fairer and more competitive markets for farmers and ranchers.  

Appearing before the Committee, President Larew said, “We can all work together to ensure that the next farm bill is as strong as it can be through sound crop insurance and commodity programs. I also want to emphasize the importance of diversified income streams and opportunities, as well as the need for fair and competitive markets.”

Through a grassroots policy development process, delegates at the 2023 NFU convention adopted policy on a wide range of topics and identified three special orders of business: “Family Farming and the 2023 Farm Bill,” “Family Farming and Dairy Policy Reform,” and “Fairness for Farmers.” Drawn from these priorities, NFU’s policy views on the next farm bill center on enacting an effective farm safety net, bolstering diverse income streams for family farmers and ranchers and our communities, and ensuring a competitive and resilient food system.   

In closing, Larew added, “We know that a farm bill coalition gets stronger by bringing in allies and supporters, and that a farm bill coalition becomes weaker when it is divided. I want to reiterate our willingness to work with other farmers and ranchers, with our rural and urban neighbors, and with groups who want to ensure that the farm bill includes strong policy – not only on the farm safety net, but also for nutrition, energy, forestry, research, and more.  

I look forward to working with you to address these issues. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.”



NMPF Co-op Leader Supports FMMO Modernization, Touts DMC’s Benefits at Senate Hearing

Second-generation New York dairy farmer Blake Gendebien championed NMPF’s Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) modernization petition and advocated for a strong dairy safety net at a Senate Agriculture subcommittee hearing held today to review commodity programs in the farm bill.  

“We are heartened by the strong support among dairy farmers from coast to coast for this broad proposal,” Gendebien said of NMPF’s FMMO proposal, which the organization submitted to USDA yesterday. “We are hopeful that this comprehensive, thoughtful, measured approach to modernizing the program will be considered as the foundation for a national federal order hearing.”

Gendebien, vice chairman of Agri-Mark, an Andover, MA-based NMPF member cooperative, testified on NMPF’s behalf at the hearing of the Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management and Trade, held on Capitol Hill in Washington.

The hearing, titled “Producer Perspectives on the Farm Safety Net,” kicks off Senate consideration of this year’s farm bill reauthorization, due Sept. 30. The measure includes programs important to dairy farmers such as the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) safety net and supports risk management programs such as Dairy-Revenue Protection (Dairy-RP) and Livestock Gross Margin-Dairy (LGM-Dairy).  

DMC, which Gendebien lauded in his testimony, offers effective margin protection for small and mid-sized farms and affordable catastrophic coverage for large farms. Risk management programs including Dairy-LP and LGM-Dairy give all farmers the ability to tailor risk management to their specific needs.

“DMC has provided important security to my family’s farm, given the volatility that persists in dairy markets,” Gendebien said in his testimony. “Since the program was implemented in 2019, we have consistently purchased the maximum available DMC coverage at a margin of $9.50 per hundredweight, knowing that it may not pay out every year, but is intended to serve as a safety net when needed.”

The upcoming farm bill still presents an opportunity for improvements, Gendebien said, highlighted NMPF’s work to vet and review potential improvements to the dairy safety net and risk management programs, including a further update to DMC’s production history calculation.

“Dairy farmers need the opportunity to update their production history to reflect more current on-farm production levels,” Gendebien said. “Other farm safety net programs do not use such an outdated production reference.”

On marketing orders, Gendebien supported NMPF’s plan in this year’s farm-program reauthorization to pursue reinstating the previous “higher of” Class I mover, given the asymmetric risk borne by farmers under the current mover.

“There’s a ceiling on how much better the new mover can perform than the old mover,” Gendebien said in response to a question from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY,, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Dairy Subcommittee. But because the new mover is capped at 74 cents per hundredweight but has no floor, “it really causes a problem,” he said. “In 2020 and in 2022, the divergence in III and IV cost farmers about $900 million. We’d like to go back to the original “higher of,” which would eliminate those massive losses.”

Gendebien at the hearing also supported increased resources for farmer mental health services. “We need to remove the stigma around mental health,” he said, responding to a question from Gillibrand.



NGFA supports USDA proposal to remove ‘Soybeans of Other Colors’

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and 42 other agricultural groups expressed support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposal to remove “Soybeans of Other Colors” (SBOC) as a grading factor for determining soybean quality.

“The continued inclusion of SBOC in the soybean grade standard…[is] contrary to the objectives of the U.S. Grains Standards Act” and “is jeopardizing the intent of U.S. official grade determining factors and factor limits,” according to the comments submitted on May 1 to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).

AMS published the proposed amendments to the U.S. Standards for Soybeans on March 31.

“The amount of seed coat variation resulting in U.S. soybeans has increased over the past two years,” NGFA noted. “As a result, due to this increased presence of seed discoloration and the SBOC criteria in the standard, more soybeans have been downgraded on account of SBOC.”

Representatives of U.S. soybean producers and grain traders have requested that USDA remove SBOC as a grade-determining factor for describing the quality of soybeans (e.g., U.S. No 1 Yellow Soybeans, U.S. No. 2 Yellow Soybeans, etc.). Importantly, at the request of the Grain Inspection Advisory Committee, the Federal Grain Inspection Service conducted a study that found no significant differences in official protein or oil content in SBOC.

The proposed amendments supported by the NGFA and other agricultural representatives would remove SBOC as a grade-determining factor but keep it in the standards as part of the definition of Yellow Soybeans.

“The fact that our domestic and international customers, as well as farmers and grain marketers, can count on well-known and widely recognized grade standards tends to draw customers to the U.S. grain production/marketing system, and reduces trading risks for market participants,” NGFA stated.