USDA Settles a Packers and Stockyards Case with Nebraska Beef LTD
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entered into a stipulation agreement with Nebraska Beef LTD (Nebraska Beef) of Omaha, Neb., on April 13, 2023, for an alleged violation of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act. Under the terms of the stipulation agreement, Nebraska Beef waived its rights to a hearing and paid a civil penalty of $13,000.
An investigation by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) revealed that Nebraska Beef failed to pay when due for 29 transactions from September 2022 through November 2022.
The P&S Act requires subject entities to issue the full payment for livestock by the close of the first business day following purchase and transfer of possession. Failure to timely pay for livestock purchases is a violation of the P&S Act.
The P&S Act authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to assess civil penalties up to $31,459 per violation against any person after the notice and opportunity for hearing on the record. USDA may offer alleged violators the option of waiving their right to a hearing and enter into a stipulation agreement to quickly resolve alleged violations.
The P&S Act is a fair-trade practice and payment protection law that promotes fair and competitive marketing environments for the livestock, meat and poultry industries.
NE Extension offering QPR crisis recognition training
An upcoming online training by Nebraska Extension will teach participants how to recognize and respond to potential signs of crisis and suicidal behavior.
Life can be stressful in the best of times. For Nebraskans, the last few years have been particularly challenging. The recent disasters and the pandemic have changed how we work, juggle family and finances, and manage our health and the health of our loved ones. These challenges can contribute to being overwhelmed and increase one’s anxiety.
In response to addressing life’s uncertainty, extension will offer an online “Question. Persuade. Refer.” training. QPR is a suicide prevention program that teaches participants three steps to help save a life from suicide.
An individual who is trained in first aid, CPR or the Heimlich maneuver can help save lives. And people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to get help.
This 90-minute training will be held online, via Zoom, on May 18 at 10:00 a.m. Central time. There is no cost to attend the training, but registration is required at https://go.unl.edu/qpr23. The class is limited to 30 participants.
This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2020-70028-32728.
USDA Expands Local Foods in School Meals through Cooperative Agreement with Nebraska
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Nebraska more than $1.4 million to increase their purchase of nutritious, local foods for school meal programs.
Through the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS), the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) will purchase and distribute local and regional foods and beverages for schools to serve children through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. These products will be healthy and unique to their geographic area, with the goal of improving child nutrition and building new relationships between schools and local farmers.
“This cooperative agreement supporting Nebraska schools is another example of how USDA is working to build a more resilient food system rooted in local and regional production,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program provides an opportunity for states to strengthen ties between local farmers, ranchers, food businesses and schools, and gives students access to nutritious foods unique to the area they live in, building stronger connections across local communities.”
“Strengthening relationships between local producers and schools is a long-term strategy to ensure our children always have access to nutritious foods in school, a win-win for child health and American agriculture,” said Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Stacy Dean. “Through this program and many other efforts to support the school meal programs, USDA is committed to giving schools the tools they need to set children up to learn, grow, and thrive.”
With the LFS funds, NDE will work to increase local food purchases by schools and expand opportunities for local, small business, and underserved producers. The agency will allocate funds to schools to purchase unprocessed or minimally processed foods from local, small business producers. This project will pave a way toward a thriving, resilient farm to school infrastructure.
The LFS cooperative agreements will allow organizations the flexibility to design food purchasing programs and establish partnerships with farmers and ranchers that best suit their local needs, accommodate environmental and climate conditions, account for seasonal harvests, improve supply chain resiliency and meet the needs of schools within their service area. Additionally, the program will provide more opportunities for historically underserved producers and processors to sell their products. Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program is authorized by the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act. AMS looks forward to continuing to sign agreements under this innovative program.
The Local Food for Schools cooperative agreement program is one of many ways USDA is supporting school meal programs this school year and transforming our food system in the long term.
RURAL PROSPERITY NEBRASKA RECEIVES $25M USDA AWARD FOR REGIONAL FOOD CENTER
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln has received a $25 million cooperative agreement award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the creation of the Heartland Regional Foods Business Center. This award is among the largest ever received by the university.
The Heartland Regional Foods Business Center is among 12 such national centers the USDA will establish to serve all areas of the country. The Heartland center will serve Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa.
Rural Prosperity Nebraska, a UNL hub that helps connect Nebraska communities with university faculty, students and other resources, is leading the project in cooperation with 33 partners. Those partners include the Heartland Center in Lincoln and extension offices in participating states, as well as nonprofit organizations, and tribal and indigenous groups. Eleven percent of the funds will go to Rural Prosperity Nebraska, 36% will go toward the applicant partners, and 53% will go to business builders. The project is not to create a physical brick-and-mortar “center,” but rather an online platform to connect and strengthen locally grown food systems.
“USDA is excited to be partnering with Rural Prosperity Nebraska on this innovative and unprecedented initiative,” said Jenny Lester Moffitt, under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs. “By leveraging the expertise now available through these Regional Food Centers, USDA can offer unique support for local food systems development across the country.”
Mary Emery, executive director of Rural Prosperity Nebraska, said the award would help paint a clear picture of the farmers, distributors and other major players in the region’s local food system.
“You have all these different entities working with local foods — producers, grocery stores, local distributors, nonprofits, business developers, the Center for Rural Affairs, meat processing plants, extension offices, the Nebraska Regional Food Systems Initiative — and these are all puzzle pieces,” she said. “But we’ve never put the pieces together. What we want to do with this project is put the puzzle together and see the picture of how regional food systems work.”
As the regional food system comes into focus, Emery and other leaders can work to do a better job of connecting people to fresh, locally produced foods.
The inspiration for the proposal came from recognizing how underserved populations in rural communities often struggle to easily access local and healthy foods. This issue was exacerbated during the COVID pandemic, when long supply-chain lines became disrupted, leaving many communities without fresh foods. This project emphasizes the necessity to rethink local and regional food supply chains and how to strengthen them, Emery said. The center will do just that, providing an online interactive platform where buyers, sellers, producers, processors and market managers can communicate and collaborate at the local level.
Regional food health is a key focus area of Rural Prosperity Nebraska and an integral component of rural community vitality.
“It’s like two sides of a coin,” Emery said. “How do we get people to eat healthier if they can never access fresh, healthy food? And how do we get people more interested in producing fresh, healthy food that they can take to market? The farmers, the farmers markets, the cooperative grocery stores, the small rural grocery stores, the Double Up Food Bucks program — we want to bring all of them into the network.”
The 12 Regional Food Centers will target their work to historically underinvested communities in each region. While the Heartland Regional Foods Business Center will encompass the aforementioned states, when it comes down to the local level, it will also help Nebraska feed Nebraska. This not only benefits the health and quality of life for Nebraskans, but keeps money in the state, boosting local economies and creating more prosperous communities.
“We want to get the message out to producers who are producing fresh foods for local markets that there are resources out there for you, and we’re going to make it easier for you to find them,” Emery said. “To food consumers, we want to say we’re going to help you find more and better local, healthy foods.”
Rural Prosperity Nebraska brings together Extension professionals, faculty from across the University of Nebraska system and student fellows to work with community leaders to help make Nebraska’s rural communities more vibrant. Rural Prosperity Nebraska is housed within the university’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. For more information, visit https://ruralprosperityne.unl.edu.
Boswell attends soy seminar in India to promote U.S. Soy as the first choice for importers
American Soybean Association (ASA) Director Ken Boswell of Shickley, Nebraska traveled to India in late April with the United Soybean Export Council (USSEC) to represent U.S. soybean growers on a panel presentation during the seminar on "U.S. SOY’S COMMITMENT TO BEING THE GLOBAL SUPPLIER OF CHOICE". The goal of the seminar will help the audience to learn about the U.S. Soy industries' commitment to supplying oil and protein to global markets. By providing a forum for stronger bonds and relationships, we can ensure U.S. Soy is the first choice for all importers and end users.
Urea Fertilizer Price Drops Below $600 Per Ton for First Time Since September 2021
Most average retail fertilizer prices continued to be down from the previous month in the fourth week of April 2023, according to sellers surveyed by DTN. Prices for seven of the eight major fertilizers were lower compared to last month. DTN designates a significant move as anything 5% or more.
After a week off, anhydrous returned to lead fertilizer prices lower. The nitrogen fertilizer was 10% lower compared to last month and had an average price of $928 per ton. Urea was 5% less expensive compared to last month. The nitrogen fertilizer had an average price of $595/ton. This was the first time since the third week of September 2021 that the price of urea was below the $600-per-ton level. That week, the average urea price was $585/ton. Six other fertilizers were just slightly lower compared to last month. MAP had an average price of $804/ton, potash $624/ton, 10-34-0 $740/ton, UAN28 $426/ton and UAN32 $508/ton.
One fertilizer, meanwhile, was slightly higher compared to last month. DAP had an average price of $827/ton.
On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.65/lb.N, anhydrous $0.57/lb.N, UAN28 $0.76/lb.N and UAN32 $0.79/lb.N.
All fertilizers are now lower by double digits compared to one year ago. 10-34-0 is 18% less expensive, DAP is 21% lower, MAP is 26% less expensive, potash is 29% lower, UAN32 is 31% less expensive, UAN28 is 33% lower, anhydrous is 40% less expensive and urea is 41% lower compared to a year prior.
Weekly Ethanol Production for 4/28/2023
According to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending April 28, ethanol production increased 0.9% to 976,000 b/d, equivalent to 40.99 million gallons daily. The volume produced was 0.7% more than the same week last year and 6.2% above the five-year average for the week. The four-week average ethanol production rate decreased 0.6% to 982,000 b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 15.05 billion gallons (bg).
Ethanol stocks receded 3.9% to a 21-week low of 23.4 million barrels. Stocks were 2.2% less than a year ago but 2.1% above the five-year average. Inventories thinned across all regions except the Rocky Mountains (PADD 4) and West Coast (PADD 5).
The volume of gasoline supplied to the U.S. market, a measure of implied demand, slumped 9.4% from the prior week’s 69-week high to 8.62 million b/d (132.11 bg annualized). Demand was 2.7% less than a year ago and 2.1% below the five-year average.
Conversely, refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol rose 1.3% to 911,000 b/d, equivalent to 13.97 bg annualized and a high for the year. Net inputs were 1.8% more than the same week last year and 8.0% above the five-year average.
There were zero imports of ethanol recorded for the twenty-first consecutive week. (Weekly export data for ethanol is not reported simultaneously; the latest export data is as of February 2023.)
NMPF Submits Milk-Pricing Plan to USDA, Moving FMMO Modernization Forward
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) today submitted to USDA its comprehensive proposal for modernizing the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) system, the product of two years of examination and more than 150 meetings held to build consensus behind updates to a program that last saw significant changes in 2000.
“Dairy farmers and their cooperatives need a modernized Federal Milk Marketing Order system that works better for producers,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “By updating the pricing formulas to better reflect the value of the high-quality products made from farmers’ milk, by rebalancing pricing risks that have shifted unfairly onto farmers, and by creating a pathway to better reflect processing costs going forward, we are excited to submit this plan as a path toward a brighter future for dairy.”
Upon official acceptance, USDA will have 30 days to review the plan and decide whether and how to move forward with a federal order hearing to review the plan. Highlights include:
- Updating dairy product manufacturing allowances (the “make allowance”) contained in the USDA milk price formulas;
- Discontinuing the use of barrel cheese in the protein component price formula;
- Returning to the “higher of” Class I mover;
- Updating milk component factors for protein, other solids and nonfat solids in the Class III and Class IV skim milk price formulas; and
- Updating the Class I differential price system to reflect changes in the cost of delivering bulk milk to fluid processing plants.
NMPF will pursue two other components of its Federal Order proposal, approved unanimously by the organization’s Board of Directors in March, outside of the federal-order hearing process, as they don’t involve changing federal order regulations. The recommendations, which remain essential parts of NMPF’s modernization plan, are:
- Extending the current 30-day reporting limit to 45 days on forward priced sales on nonfat dry milk and dry whey to capture more exports sales in the USDA product price reporting, which can be implemented through federal rulemaking; and
- Developing legislative language for the farm bill to ensure the make allowance is regularly reviewed by directing USDA to conduct mandatory plant-cost studies every two years.
Mulhern urged USDA to grant a hearing on the entire NMPF proposal, noting how the effectiveness of some components are dependent on the inclusion of others. Mulhern also thanked other organizations that have helped NMPF forge necessary producer consensus by sharing views and insights throughout the process, saying that spirit of unity and good-faith discussion will help FMMO modernization move forward more quickly.
“From state and regional dairy associations to the American Farm Bureau Federation, dairy farmers have had many allies and friends throughout this process,” Mulhern said. “As Secretary Vilsack has stated, consensus is necessary to successful modernization. We have that producer consensus, and we look forward to working together toward adoption and implementation of our plan.”
DMC Margin Decline Slows Significantly in March
Following three straight months when the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) margin dropped by well over $1.00/cwt, the margin dropped again in March, but by just 11 cents from February.
The milk price was down again, for the fifth month in a row, to $21.10/cwt, $0.50/cwt less than the month before, and feed costs were down by almost as much, $0.40/cwt, the first monthly drop on the DMC feed cost since last November. The lower feed costs were driven almost equally by drops in the prices of all three feed components of the formula, when expressed on a milk equivalent basis. The March DMC margin of $6.08/cwt will result in a payment of $3.42/cwt for Tier 1 coverage at the maximum $9.50/cwt level.
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 still looking may not exceed $9.50/cwt until the fourth quarter.
April CWT-Assisted Dairy Export Sales Totaled 10.7 Million Pounds
CWT member cooperatives secured 38 contracts in April, adding 3 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 55,000 pounds of butter, 6.7 million pounds of whole milk powder, 2,000 pounds of anhydrous milkfat and 522,000 pounds of cream cheese to CWT-assisted sales in 2023. In milk equivalent, this is equal to 85.6 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. These products will go to customers in Oceania, South America, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, and will be shipped from April through October 2023.
CWT-assisted 2023 dairy product sales contracts year-to-date total 15.6 million pounds of American-type cheese, 495,000 pounds of butter, 3.4 million pounds of cream cheese, 2,000 pounds of anhydrous milkfat and 24.5 million pounds of whole milk powder. This brings the total milk equivalent for the year to 361.4 million pounds on a milkfat basis.
Exporting dairy products is critical to the viability of dairy farmers and their cooperatives across the country. Whether or not a cooperative is actively engaged in exporting cheese, butter, anhydrous milkfat, cream cheese, or whole milk powder, moving products into world markets is essential. CWT provides a means to move domestic dairy products to overseas markets by helping to overcome U.S. dairy’s trade disadvantages.
NCBA Welcomes Senate Passage of Resolution to Negate Lesser Prairie Chicken Listing
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welcomed Senate passage of the Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval that would stop the implementation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s listing of the lesser prairie chicken under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The resolution was led by Sen. Roger Marshall (KS).
“The lesser prairie chicken listing will do little to benefit the bird, but it will succeed in shutting down the voluntary conservation work that is responsible for the species surviving today. NCBA thanks Senator Marshall for his leadership on this issue, and we appreciate the support of those in the Senate who are listening to the concerns of farmers, ranchers and local officials,” said NCBA Policy Division Chair Gene Copenhaver. “This resolution puts flexible, locally led conservation efforts back at the forefront. The Biden administration’s actions to list the bird, micromanage grazing operations on private lands, and implement a top-down approach will not benefit the bird or the land.”
Rep. Tracey Mann (KS) is leading the companion House resolution to disapprove the lesser prairie chicken listing, which passed the House Natural Resources Committee last week.
NCBA is currently suing the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the listing of the lesser prairie chicken. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in March. In addition to NCBA, the case is being brought by lead plaintiff Permian Basin Petroleum Association along with the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Kansas Livestock Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, and New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association.
Forecast Calls for Seed Stress: Four Tips for Navigating Cold and Wet Planting Conditions This Spring
As spring planting gets underway, wet and cold conditions threaten to negatively impact germination and therefore yield WinField United Seed Stress Map from April 23, 2023potential for many farmers across the country. While these conditions can change quickly as the season progresses, current soil moisture and temperature levels show a large swath of the country is currently under a “High/Medium Seed Stress” outlook according to the In-Season Seed Stress Map from WinField United, which monitors weekly planting conditions like soil temperature and soil moisture to provide a predicted stress level by county.
Joe Rickard, crop protection product manager with WinField United, has been closely monitoring conditions and has four tips for growers to better navigate cool, wet soils this spring.
1. Don’t get impatient — wait for the right planting conditions.
Focus on soil temperature and moisture levels to determine the best planting dates. Planting corn before temperatures reach 50 degrees and trending upwards can lead to imbibitional chilling, and planting soybeans too early could result in devastating frost damage. But this season, Rickard sees another issue looming based on moisture levels.
“We see the potential for sidewall compaction to be an issue this year with the wet conditions,” said Rickard. “Planting in mud can cause compaction, smear the sidewall of the seed trench and even cause the seed to rot and die so it’s important to closely monitor your moisture levels.”
2. Consider a boost to in-furrow applications.
“Starter fertilizers applied at planting can help stimulate root development and increase nutrient availability to small plants,” said Rickard. “Zinc and phosphorus, which tend to be more limited when soils are wet and cool, are in many starter fertilizers and are vital to early plant growth.”
In addition to starter fertilizer, Rickard recommends adding a plant growth regulator like Ascend2® to corn to speed up the germination process and promote more vigorous and even emergence in spring and significantly boost yield potential come fall.
3. Safeguard vulnerable seeds against diseases and insects.
“With many growers looking to plant soybeans earlier in search of more yield, we continue to see an increase in disease pressure from Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium and Phytophthora when planting into cold, wet conditions,” said Rickard. “A quality seed treatment such as Warden® CX II can help mitigate these early-season seed stresses in soybeans and maximize yield potential.”
In corn, wet conditions have made Pythium a prevalent disease challenge the last few planting seasons. Rickard recommends Fortivent® Plus seed treatment, which provides control of Pythium as well as insects and aids in early-season plant growth and root development with the inclusion of zinc.
4. Stabilize your nitrogen to avoid loss from high moisture rates.
Wet conditions can also pose challenges to maximizing nitrogen applications.
“Applying a nitrogen (N) stabilizer along with your N products will be important to help get every possible pound of your N investment into the plant,” said Rickard. “Nitrogen stabilizers limit microbial activity in the soil reducing the conversion of ammonium into nitrate, which keeps nitrogen in a form that is less susceptible to loss by leaching or denitrification.”
To learn more about navigating challenging early-season planting conditions, talk to your local WinField United affiliated retailer, or visit winfieldunited.com.
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