NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION
For the week ending May 28, 2023, there were 5.8 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 22% very short, 35% short, 39% adequate, and 4% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 31% very short, 44% short, 25% adequate, and 0% surplus.
Field Crops Report:
Corn condition rated 1% very poor, 6% poor, 31% fair, 47% good, and 15% excellent. Corn planted was 96%, near 94% for both last year and the five-year average. Emerged was 81%, ahead of 69% last year and 74% average.
Soybean condition rated 2% very poor, 5% poor, 34% fair, 44% good, and 15% excellent. Soybeans planted was 90%, ahead of 85% last year and 83% average. Emerged was 68%, ahead of 51% last year and 53% average.
Winter wheat condition rated 23% very poor, 28% poor, 24% fair, 22% good, and 3% excellent. Winter wheat headed was 36%, behind 47% last year, and near 38% average.
Sorghum planted was 36%, behind 51% last year and 49% average.
Oats condition rated 19% very poor, 21% poor, 30% fair, 27% good, and 3% excellent. Oats emerged was 94%, near 92% last year and 91% average. Headed was 4%, behind 12% average.
Dry edible beans planted was 13%, behind 19% last year.
Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 19% very poor, 24% poor, 31% fair, 24% good, and 2% excellent.
IOWA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION REPORT
Very dry conditions and relatively warm weather meant Iowa farmers had 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 28, 2023, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Farmers were still planting some corn and soybeans. However, farmers took advantage of the dry warm weather to cut a lot of hay. Other field activities included spraying pesticides on emerging crops.
Topsoil moisture condition rated 10 percent very short, 40 percent short, 49 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 10 percent very short, 36 percent short, 53 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.
Planting is nearing completion, with 98 percent of Iowa’s corn crop planted, 8 days ahead of last year and 11 days ahead of the 5-year average. Eighty-five percent of the corn crop has emerged, 1 week ahead of last year and the average. Iowa’s first corn condition rating of the year was 0 percent very poor, 2 percent poor, 21 percent fair, 65 percent good, and 12 percent excellent.
Ninety-four percent of Iowa’s expected soybean crop has been planted, just over a week ahead of last year and 15 days ahead of normal. Sixty-seven percent of soybeans have emerged, 8 days ahead of last year and the average. Iowa’s first soybean condition rating of the year was 1 percent very poor, 3 percent poor, 25 percent fair, 59 percent good, and 12 percent excellent.
Ninety-seven percent of the expected oat crop has emerged, 6 days ahead of normal. Twenty-one percent of the oat crop has headed, 8 days ahead of last year and the average. Oat condition declined to 74 percent good to excellent.
Fifty-two percent of the State’s first cutting of alfalfa hay has been completed, jumping from close to the 5-year average pace to nearly 2 weeks ahead. Hay condition fell 8 percentage points to 58 percent good to excellent.
Pasture condition dropped to 50 percent good to excellent. No major livestock concerns other than precipitation needed to improve pasture conditions.
USDA: Corn 92% Planted, Soybeans 83% Planted
Corn and soybean planting continued to outpace the five-year average last week, spring wheat planting came within 1 percentage point of the five-year average, and winter wheat condition improved slightly, USDA NASS reported in its weekly Crop Progress Report on Tuesday.
CORN
-- Planting progress: Corn planting moved ahead 11 percentage points last week to reach 92% as of Sunday, May 28. That's 8 percentage points ahead of last year's 84% and the five-year average of 84%.
-- Crop progress: 72% of corn had emerged as of Sunday, up 20 percentage points from the previous week and 9 percentage points ahead of the five-year average.
-- Crop condition: In NASS' first corn condition report of the season, the nation's corn crop was rated 69% in good-to-excellent condition, down from 73% a year ago.
SOYBEANS
-- Planting progress: Soybean planting sped up last week, moving ahead 17 percentage points from last week to 83% as of Sunday. That is 19 percentage points ahead of last year and 18 points ahead of the five-year average.
-- Crop progress: 56% of soybeans were emerged as of Sunday, 20 percentage points ahead of last year and 16 points ahead of the five-year average.
WINTER WHEAT
-- Crop development: 72% of winter wheat was headed nationwide as of Sunday, up 11 percentage points from the previous week and 1 point lower than the five-year average.
-- Crop condition: Nationwide, winter wheat was rated 34% good to excellent, up 3 percentage points from the previous week and ahead of last year's rating at this time of 29% good to excellent.
SPRING WHEAT
-- Planting progress: 85% of the spring wheat crop was planted as of Sunday, up 21 percentage points from the previous week and now just 1 percentage point behind the five-year average.
-- Crop progress: 57% of spring wheat was emerged as of Sunday, up 5 percentage points from the previous week and now just 2 percentage points behind the five-year average.
Growth Energy Applauds Passage of Nebraska Bill Expanding Access to E15
Growth Energy applauded legislation approved today by the Nebraska legislature that will provide motorists better, more affordable options at the fuel pump. Sponsored by Sen. Myron Dorn (R-30), the Adopt the E-15 Access Standard Act (LB 562) would expand access to E15 at more Nebraska fueling stations and increase tax incentives for fuel retailers selling higher bioethanol blends.
“This legislation cements Nebraska’s leadership role in homegrown, renewable energy, ensuring that more drivers can enjoy savings at the pump thanks to the state’s world-class biofuel sector,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “We’re grateful to Senator Dorn, Governor Pillen, and other leaders in the legislature for working to get this important new law over the finish line. Growth Energy looks forward to working alongside our farm and retail partners to fully unleash E15 in Nebraska, boost the state’s rural economy, and cut fuel costs for working families.”
Passage of LB 562 followed months of work by Growth Energy, POET, Renewable Fuels Nebraska, and other biofuel and ag leaders in the state to expand access to E15. Under the bill, requirements for new fuel sites would take effect in January 2024, while requirements for existing sites would take effect in January 2028, if the state’s blend rate remains below 14 percent. Modeled after a similar E15 access standard in Iowa, the final bill is expected to be signed into law by Governor Pillen.
“The Biden administration should take a page from Governor Pillen’s leadership on this issue and move quickly to ensure permanent, nationwide access to cleaner, more affordable E15 fuel,” added Skor. “We’re excited to see Governor Pillen emerge so quickly as one of rural America’s most effective biofuel champions.”
Cuming County Livestock Judging Contest
The 2023 Cuming County Livestock Judging Contest will be held on Thursday, June 15th at the Wisner River Park. Check-in will begin at 4:30 p.m. and the contest will begin at 5:30 p.m.
There will be six classes of mixed species and will have three age divisions: Junior, Intermediate, and Senior. There will also be oral reasons.
Awards will be given to the top three youth in each age division. New in 2023, buckles will be provided to the champions.
For more information, contact Hunter Schroeder at 402-380-6250.
NE Corn Board to Meet
The Nebraska Corn Board will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at Kappa Ethanol (15 S. Central Ave.) in Kearney, Neb.
The meeting is open to the public, providing the opportunity for public comment. The board will conduct regular board business, consider funding requests and set the budget for fiscal year 2023-2024.
A copy of the agenda is available by writing to the Nebraska Corn Board, 245 Fallbrook Blvd. Suite 204, Lincoln, NE 68521, sending an email to renee.tichota@nebraska.gov or by calling 402-471-2676.
Workshop in Wayne to cover managing forage and cattle price risk with USDA programs
Strategies for managing drought and price risk with forage and livestock insurance programs will be discussed during an upcoming workshop in Wayne that will be presented by the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“Managing Forage and Cattle Price Risk” will begin at 10:30 a.m. on June 22, at the Volunteer Fire Department, 510 Tomar Drive. It is co-sponsored by Hurley & Associates Agri-Marketing.
The program will be led by Nebraska Extension specialists and educators who will cover the application process and eligibility requirements for USDA insurance programs and explain how they can be used to mitigate price risk.
Specific insurance programs that will be covered are Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF); Livestock Risk Protection (LRP); and Annual Forage insurance (AF), which has a July 15 enrollment deadline for fall-planted forage. Participants will have an opportunity to practice implementing these tools in a case simulation to better understand strategies discussed.
The workshop is free to attend, and a meal will be included. Registration is required by June 16 by calling Bobby Reinfenrath with Hurley & Associates Agri-Marketing, at 605-705-4040, or emailing bobbyr@hurleyandassociates.com.
More resources about mitigating price risk are available on the Center for Agricultural Profitability’s website, https://cap.unl.edu.
This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2021-70027-34694.
Global agricultural giant looks to Nebraska for sustainable water management
Mato Grosso, Brazil is globally a top producer of corn, soy, cotton, and corn ethanol. It is geographically large enough to encompass both Germany and Spain combined, and eight months of rain allows for two growing seasons, which produce $21.6 billion in exports.
To meet global demand, Mato Grosso needs to increase its production, and do so while meeting its sustainability goals. Much of Mato Grosso’s freshwater is locked up in the Amazon Forest, which the government has elected to put under strict protection in recent years, making it not accessible for development.
This has propelled Mato Grosso toward an ambitious goal of increasing food production while preserving the environment, in particular, the Amazon and Cerrado savanna ecosystems, by producing more food on existing agricultural land through expanding irrigation. Thus, they’re looking to Nebraska and partners, via the University of Nebraska and the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, for aid in mapping out the region’s available surface and groundwater resources for sustainable irrigation development.
Governor Mauro Mendes of the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, recently met with the Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen at the 2023 Water for Food Global Conference to discuss opportunities for partnership between the two states.
“We are looking forward to a partnership with Nebraska, because Nebraska has the components of education, agricultural research, irrigation sector and the governance of water,” said Mendes.
“Both Nebraska and Mato Grosso have similarities,” said Mendes, “they are both in the center of their countries and are both food-producing states.” Mendes explained that sustainable irrigation expansion will play an important role in meeting its ambitious goals because it will intensify production while taking pressure off the natural ecosystems.
“Irrigation is not just an opportunity, but it’s a necessity to maintain what we’re producing,” explained Marcos Heil Costa, professor of engineering at Universidade Federal de Viçosa, and a speaker at the conference, along with Governor Mendes. With the rainy season getting increasingly shorter, Costa estimates a future reduction in maize yield by 24-48% per year. In order to maintain their critical agricultural production, Mato Grosso is going to need an additional water supply.
“We have a great blueprint of water management, irrigation and agricultural production in Nebraska, and they would like to see what can be adapted to Mato Grosso,” said Dr. Christopher Neale, Director of Research at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute. “This is an important partnership for sustainable water management, critical global food production, and preservation of native ecosystems.”
Iowa Soybean Association Reports Record-Setting Farmer Membership
The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA), powered by the soybean checkoff, has reached yet another milestone by surpassing 14,000 farmer members – growth that will continue to strengthen influence and service to the industry. The announcement coincides with the association’s annual membership drive beginning June 1 through August 31.
“Farmer involvement in the association is the foundation for advancing our industry forward,” said Randy Miller, ISA president and soybean farmer from Lacona. “The insights, ideas and participation of fellow soybean farmers sharpens ISA’s focus, delivering results and opportunities by driving soybean production and demand.”
ISA Farmer Membership totals 14,250 members. The latest figures represent growth of nearly 920 new farmer members throughout the 2022 program year ending Sept. 30.
“Membership growth strengthens ISA’s voice on issues impacting all industry stakeholders,” Miller added.
ISA Farmer Membership is available at no additional cost for farmers who certify they produce and market 250 or more bushels of soybeans annually. Farmer membership facilitates the sharing of timely information on many soy-centric issues. It also offers farmers seamless access to meeting notifications, feedback opportunities and ways to become more involved in ISA programs and activities.
“Engaging with ISA has allowed both myself and my operation to grow,” said Tarin Tiefenthaler, a soybean farmer from Carroll. “From soybean research to growing demand, there is value in being involved with ISA programs, no matter your interests.”
Becoming an ISA farmer member provides access to programs and resources tailored to improving farmer profitability, productivity and sustainability, said ISA Producer Services Manager Bre Wagner.
“ISA is driven to increase yields and find new uses for soybeans by providing producers with farmer-focused research to help make the best decision for their operation. Whether it’s participating in research trials, sharpening your communication skills, or receiving the latest information and insights, there are benefits for every farmer.”
Activate or confirm your no-cost membership at iasoybeans.com now through August 31 and be entered to win one of many prizes, including a drone, ISA apparel and more with code DRONE1.
The Many Shades of Cattle Lameness
Russ Daly – South Dakota State University Extension Veterinarian
Lameness in cattle is a commonly encountered condition stemming from pain in one or more limbs, which affects not only how the animal moves, but their productivity as well.
Cattle producers understand that lameness is a condition that varies greatly among individual animals. There is a wide gradation of clinical signs, with some animals exhibiting obvious “dead” lameness, while other cases of lameness almost escape detection.
Subtle Cases of Lameness
Let’s start with the trickiest scenario first: subtle cases of lameness. Large animals, especially cattle and sheep, are prey animals by nature. It is not in their natural instincts to easily reveal any weakness, illness or injury to a predator (people can be viewed as predators), and lameness certainly qualifies in this regard. Therefore, animals with even relatively severe musculoskeletal conditions may mask lameness rather well until the condition deteriorates. This poses challenges for producers who wish to detect and treat cases of lameness in their early stages. Additionally, certain conditions that affect the feet and limbs may be rather subtle at first. In fact, researchers, partly in order to quantify lameness and partly because lameness conditions they study may be quite subtle, sometimes resort to technology, such as pressure-sensitive pads that detect minor changes in gait or weight-bearing when the animals walk across them.
Common Symptoms
Of course, these high-tech instruments are not readily found in cattle operations today, so experienced and careful observation becomes important. One of the first observable clinical changes in a lame animal occurs when the animal’s stride is shortened. For example, the normal gait of a calf is that of long strides, with the frontward motion of the rear leg and foot being placed very close to where the same-side front hoof was planted. When an animal is lame in one limb, that limb tends to have a shorter stride than normal. Zinpro Corporation has produced a website that illustrates this well.
Another subtle indication of lameness is observed, not in the limbs, but rather the head of the animal. When the animal plants a painful foot (especially a painful front foot), the animal’s head is often observed to “bob” upward, a distinct difference from a normal gait in which the head stays more or less level to the ground during walking.
As animals become more severely affected and more painful, these signs of shortened stride, head bobbing and arching of the back become more pronounced to the point where an animal will avoid bearing weight on the affected limb.
In the worst cases, the animal will refuse to touch the limb to the ground and will prefer to walk three-legged. This typically means there is a severe problem: an extremely painful situation, a fracture or a dislocation.
Possible Causes
Regardless of the cause, we can assume that animals who exhibit any of the clinical signs described above have one root cause in common—pain. In essentially all causes of lameness, the animal’s gaits are affected, because it is too painful to move in a normal fashion. This pain can arise from anywhere in the affected limb, and the causes are numerous. Pain may arise from an injury to the hoof (a crack or a nail extending into the sensitive part of the hoof wall); a sprain or strain of ligaments, tendons, or joint structures; a soft-tissue injury or infection (such as hoof rot); or a fracture or dislocation of a bone or joint.
As injuries or infections progress from acute to chronic, it is possible that the pain experienced by an animal may dull somewhat due to increased scarring and healing, or potentially due to adaptation by the animal. And it is very common for an animal to “forget” about a painful condition when a stressful situation arises and adrenaline kicks in, for example when an animal flees from a perceived threat. Such animals are in danger of inflicting more damage upon themselves and the handler in such cases.
In Summary
Animal caregivers should recognize that any case of lameness represents a painful condition, and one that should be addressed by proper supportive care and treatment when the first opportunity arises. These interventions are much more effective when the following signs of lameness can be detected early:
Shortened stride
Head bobbing
Arched back
Obvious limp or three-legged gait
Enhancing early detection of lameness through careful observation and using techniques, such as locomotion scoring, will enable more timely and effective interventions, which will pay off with positive impacts on cattle well-being, health and overall profitability of the herd.
USMEF Conference Details Farm Bill Challenges, Examines Importance of U.S.-Mexico Trade Relations
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Spring Conference concluded Friday in Minneapolis with insights from former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson on how to make international trade a higher priority in the next Farm Bill.
Peterson, who oversaw the development of four Farm Bills during his 30 years in Congress, said trade has too often taken a back seat in Farm Bill debate and messaging.
“For those of you that have members of Congress in your area who are on the Ag Committee, start talking to them about trade,” Peterson said. “I used to meet with everyone from my district who came to discuss the Farm Bill. They would talk about crop insurance, Title One, conservation and rural development. And at the end of the meeting they would say, ‘Oh by the way, we have to do something about trade.’ It should be the first thing you talk to them about, not the last thing. That way you can get some people to the table who will put trade at the top of the agenda, not the bottom, and that’s what needs to happen.”
With the current Farm Bill set to expire Sept. 30, Peterson said a one-year extension is likely. But he noted that if work requirements for those receiving nutrition assistance are included in negotiations on raising the debt ceiling, this could help accelerate the Farm Bill debate.
“And I think if that gets handled in the debt ceiling, however they handle it, and people get a chance to vote on it, that’s probably the most important thing that could happen to help get the Farm Bill passed,” he explained.
Peterson also emphasized the importance of animal health programs and foreign animal disease prevention, because outbreaks can have a devastating impact on trade.
“This is one of the most important issues we need to focus on,” he said. “When I worry about trade, I worry about this stuff coming back to bite us.”
On Thursday, USMEF members received an update on U.S.-Mexico trade relations from Kenneth Smith Ramos, the former chief NAFTA negotiator for Mexico who played a key role in development and ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Now an international trade consultant, Smith detailed the critical importance of this trade relationship for both countries’ agricultural sectors.
“When the original NAFTA was negotiated there was a lot of nervousness, especially in Mexico, because of the full opening of agricultural trade for the first time,” he said. “But you fast-forward to where we are now, over half of what we export to the United States is in the area of fruits and vegetables, which we can grow year-round and that satisfies demand in the United States. Mexico imports grain, oilseeds and meat products from the U.S., taking advantage of the comparative and competitive advantages in both countries, and that is what has helped grow the overall agricultural trade pie over the years.”
Smith noted that while U.S. meat products already had duty-free access to Mexico under NAFTA, the development and passage of USMCA accomplished more than just maintaining the status quo.
“We were able to modernize the agreement with 12 new chapters that include disciplines that did not exist in 1992, or that needed to be adapted to today’s needs and the world economy,” he said. “In the sanitary and phytosanitary chapter, for example, there is a stronger emphasis on transparency and on science-based risk assessment. We were also able to eliminate proposals that looked to manage trade and do away with the complete opening of trade between our nations.”
Smith said that while agricultural goods generally flow smoothly between the U.S. and Mexico, the U.S. meat industry must be mindful of contentious issues – both agricultural and non-agricultural – that could disrupt trade. He also called on USMEF members to spread the message about the critical role of free trade in bolstering food security in the region.
“We must put food security at the top of the agenda so that our governments – especially in the case of the Mexican government – understand that this is not just an ‘ask’ from private sector companies that want to make a lot of money,” he explained. “Of course, that is what business is about and we want trade to generate economic opportunity. But the governments also need to understand that international trade – barrier-free trade – is how we are going to strengthen food security in the future.”
Thursday’s agenda also included meetings of USMEF’s standing committees, which focus on issues specific to the organization’s pork, beef, exporter and feedgrains and oilseeds sectors. On Wednesday, attendees received an overview of market conditions in key destinations and examples of how USMEF’s chefs and other international staff members are working to showcase the value and versatility of underutilized pork, beef and lamb cuts. A recap of Wednesday’s program is available here.
USMEF members will next meet at the organization’s annual Strategic Planning Conference, Nov. 8-10 in New Orleans.
IPEF: Statement on Ag Priorities Ahead of Detroit Ministerial Meeting
On Friday, Brian Kuehl, Executive Director of Farmers for Free Trade, the nation’s leading ag trade advocacy coalition made up major food and ag groups, released a statement ahead of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) ministerial meeting in Detroit over the weekend.
"We are pleased to see that progress is being made in IPEF negotiations. IPEF has the potential to knock down important non-tariff trade barriers and we look forward to more text being released.
"For American ag, the hope is that IPEF is a springboard to bigger and more robust agreements, perhaps with many of the same countries. We cannot continue to let our competitors cut deals that advantage their ag exports through tariff cuts and preferential treatment without doing the same.
"We are glad to see that bipartisan momentum in Congress is building around a more proactive trade posture that is rooted in traditional tariff-cutting agreements. We commend the administration’s work on IPEF but will continue to work to ensure it is just the start of efforts to further open the world to American farm exports."
No comments:
Post a Comment