Monday July 31 Crop Progress & Ag News

 NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending July 30, 2023, there were 5.8 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 20% very short, 31% short, 47% adequate, and 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 26% very short, 34% short, 39% adequate, and 1% surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn condition rated 6% very poor, 12% poor, 25% fair, 41% good, and 16% excellent. Corn silking was 90%, ahead of 82% last year, and near 87% for the five-year average. Dough was 21%, near 19% last year, but behind 29% average.

Soybean condition rated 8% very poor, 12% poor, 26% fair, 40% good, and 14% excellent. Soybeans blooming was 86%, near 82% last year and 85% average. Setting pods was 50%, near 47% last year and 52% average.

Winter wheat harvested was 72%, behind 91% last year and 86% average.

Sorghum condition rated 1% very poor, 6% poor, 31% fair, 55% good, and 7% excellent. Sorghum headed was 34%, near 30% last year, but behind 43% average. Coloring was 1%, near 2% both last year and average.

Oats condition rated 4% very poor, 14% poor, 32% fair, 42% good, and 8% excellent. Oats harvested was 59%, well behind 79% last year and 80% average.

Dry edible bean condition rated 0% very poor, 5% poor, 32% fair, 56% good, and 7% excellent. Dry edible beans blooming was 60%, behind 66% last year. Setting pods was 23%, ahead of 16% last year.

Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 5% very poor, 10% poor, 31% fair, 39% good, and 15% excellent.



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION REPORT

A dry and hot week allowed Iowa farmers 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending July 30, 2023, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included cutting hay and harvesting oats. More reports were received of farmers applying fungicides. The continued dry conditions made crop stress more widespread.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 19 percent very short, 42 percent short, 38 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 20 percent very short, 47 percent short, 32 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Corn silking hit 92 percent this week, 1 week ahead of last year and 5 days ahead of normal. Thirty-seven percent of the corn crop has reached the dough stage or beyond, 3 days ahead of both last year and the 5-year average. Five percent of the corn crop has reached the dent stage, 8 days ahead of last year and 6 days ahead of normal. Corn condition dropped to 59 percent good to excellent.

Ninety-three percent of soybeans were blooming, nearly 2 weeks ahead of last year and 11 days ahead of the average. Soybeans setting pods reached 57 percent, 3 days ahead of last year and 2 days ahead of the 5-year average. Soybean condition fell to 55 percent good to excellent.

Ninety-eight percent of oats were turning color with 55 percent harvested for grain, a day behind both last year and the five-year average. Oat condition rated 55 percent good to excellent.

The State’s second cutting of alfalfa hay reached 93 percent complete, 6 days ahead of both last year and the average. The State’s third cutting of alfalfa hay reached 33 percent complete, 11 days ahead of last year and 10 days ahead of the 5-year average. Hay condition rated 36 percent good to excellent.

Pasture condition rated 23 percent good to excellent. Some livestock producers have been hauling water and feeding hay to their cattle in the continued dry conditions. Intense heat this week brought a lot of stress to livestock with some feedlots experiencing death loss.



Corn and Soybean Conditions Head Back Down Week Ended July 30

U.S. corn condition fell for the first time in several weeks as intense heat baked much of the country last week, according to USDA NASS' weekly Crop Progress report on Monday. Soybean conditions also declined for the second week in a row.

CORN
-- Crop progress: 84% of corn was silking as of Sunday, July 30, 7 percentage points ahead of 77% last year and 2 points ahead of the five-year average of 82%. Corn in the dough stage was pegged at 29%, 5 percentage points ahead of last year but now equal to the five-year average.
-- Crop condition: Nationally, corn was rated 55% good to excellent, down 2 percentage points from 57% the previous week and below 61% a year ago at this time.

SOYBEANS
-- Crop progress: 83% of soybeans were blooming, 6 percentage points ahead of 77% last year and 5 points ahead of the five-year average of 78%. Soybeans setting pods was pegged at 50%, 9 percentage points ahead of last year's 41% and 3 points ahead of the average of 47%.
-- Crop condition: Soybeans were rated 52% good to excellent as of Sunday, down 2 percentage points from 54% last week and below 60% a year ago at this time.

WINTER WHEAT
-- Harvest progress: 80% of the crop was harvested as of Sunday, another 12-percentage-point jump from the previous week and now trailing the five-year average by just 3 points.

SPRING WHEAT
-- Crop progress: 97% of spring wheat was headed as of Sunday, 1 percentage point behind the five-year average of 98%.
-- Harvest progress: Spring wheat harvest kicked off last week, with 2% of the nation's crop harvested as of Sunday. That was slightly behind 3% last year and 5% for the five-year average.
-- Crop condition: USDA said 42% of the spring wheat crop was rated good to excellent as of July 30, down 7 percentage points from last week's 49%, and below 70% a year ago.

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Congressman Flood Supports Producers Facing Livestock Loss

Today, U.S. Congressman Mike Flood sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) urging their timely response to livestock loss due to extreme heat and humidity.

“Nebraska leads the nation in every aspect of beef production. We are the top beef processing state, number one for cattle on feed, and the lead exporter to several nations around the world. The beef industry has an undoubtable impact on the lives of almost every Nebraskan,” Rep. Flood said. “I urge the USDA and the FSA to work quickly and diligently in responding to producers, providing technical assistance, processing applications, accurately calculating payments, and delivering much-needed relief.”

Residents of Nebraska’s First Congressional District can contact the Office of Congressman Flood for assistance in dealing with federal agencies. For more information, please visit https://flood.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency or call (402) 438-1598.



Ricketts-Klobuchar Introduce Bill to Level Playing Field for Flex Fuel Vehicles, Counter Biden EV Push

Last week, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced the Flex Fuel Fairness Act with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to level the playing field for vehicles running on low-carbon liquid fuels like ethanol.

“The Biden EPA has made a mistake and ignored the proven benefits of flex fuel vehicles that can run higher ethanol blends,” said Senator Ricketts. “Our bill levels the playing field for a proven Nebraska alternative to expensive and burdensome electric vehicles. Nebraskans know biofuels like ethanol are a proven solution that lowers prices for consumers at the pump, is great for our farmers and ranchers, and reduces our dependence on foreign oil.”

“We thank Senators Ricketts and Klobuchar for introducing the Flex Fuel Fairness Act, which appropriately acknowledges the emissions benefits of FFVs and flex fuels and rewards automakers who continue producing these popular vehicles,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “This legislation helps unlock the potential of renewable fuels and puts more tools in the toolbox for automakers who must comply with increasingly stringent vehicle emissions standards. By leveling the playing field for the production of all clean vehicle technologies, this bill allows low-carbon liquid fuels like ethanol to work alongside clean electricity, electric vehicles, and other technologies to reduce emissions from transportation.”

The bill would provide a meaningful incentive for automakers to manufacture flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) in addition to battery electric vehicles (EVs). Currently, the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has prioritized regulations that favor dramatically increasing production of EVs and forcing them on consumers. The Flex Fuel Fairness Act would equally encourage the production of FFVs, offer more options to consumers, and unlock increased use of lower-carbon liquid fuel blends containing higher levels of ethanol, like E85 and E30.

Ricketts is committed to bringing proven Nebraska solutions that are ready for America to the U.S. Senate. The Flex Fuel Fairness Act Ricketts introduced with Klobuchar is the second in a series of bills to do just that.



Growth Energy Welcomes Senate Bill to Boost Flex Fuel Vehicles

Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuels trade association, applauded the introduction of new legislation today that would maximize the benefits of low-carbon biofuels under federal tailpipe standards. Authored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), the Flex Fuel Fairness Act would allow automakers to earn credit toward Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tailpipe standards by manufacturing Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs), which are designed to operate on cleaner ethanol blends, ranging from E10 (10% ethanol) to E85 (51-83% ethanol).  

“U.S. automakers need flexibility to pursue innovative strategies for decarbonizing light-duty vehicles,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “This bill would level the playing field, so both electricity and low-carbon biofuels can drive progress toward a net-zero future. We applaud Senators Klobuchar and Ricketts for working to make sure that EPA regulations protect access to cleaner, more affordable transportation options.”  

The Flex Fuel Fairness Act would give automakers an additional pathway to reduce emissions. FFV makers would be assigned credit towards federal standards based on the emissions profile of E85 fuel, which reduces lifecycle greenhouse gasses by about 31 percent, according to the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) model developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory.  

“Higher blends of biofuels offer immediate climate benefits while also reducing emissions of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and other smog-forming pollutants linked to cancer and other negative health outcomes,” added Skor. “This legislation would put more FFVs on the road and position them to play an even greater role in decarbonizing transportation for decades to come.”



RFA Applauds Senate Bill Stimulating Flex Fuel Vehicle Production

The Renewable Fuels Association today welcomed the Senate introduction of the Flex Fuel Fairness Act, a bill that encourages automakers to produce more flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) capable of operating on low-carbon ethanol flex fuels like E85. The bill, introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE), would help to level the playing field for FFVs by properly recognizing the emissions benefits associated with using E85 flex fuels (which contain 51-83 percent ethanol).

“We thank Senators Klobuchar and Ricketts for introducing the Flex Fuel Fairness Act, which appropriately acknowledges the emissions benefits of FFVs and flex fuels and rewards automakers who continue producing these popular vehicles,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “This legislation helps unlock the potential of renewable fuels and puts more tools in the toolbox for automakers who must comply with increasingly stringent vehicle emissions standards. By leveling the playing field for the production of all clean vehicle technologies, this bill allows low-carbon liquid fuels like ethanol to work alongside clean electricity, electric vehicles, and other technologies to reduce emissions from transportation.”

The legislation is designed to create more equitable incentives and market signals for the production of a broader portfolio of clean vehicle technologies. Under current EPA emissions regulations, battery electric vehicles (EVs) benefit from an assumption that there are zero carbon emissions associated with operating the vehicle. EPA announced plans to make the “zero emissions” assumption permanent for EVs in its recent proposed rule for 2027-2032 emissions standards. In essence, EPA’s regulations assume a battery EV will always operate on zero-carbon electricity over its entire lifetime.

To create an equitable incentive for the continued production of FFVs, today’s legislation creates a similar assumption that FFVs always operate on E85—a fuel that reduces lifecycle GHG emissions by 31 percent compared to gasoline. Thus, for the purposes of demonstrating compliance with vehicle emissions standards, the legislation allows automakers to use an emissions value for an FFV that is 31 percent lower than the emissions value for the corresponding non-FFV model.

“If EPA regulations are going to credit EVs for their maximum theoretical carbon emissions benefit, then it stands to reason that the agency should also credit FFVs for their maximum possible carbon emissions benefit,” Cooper said. “This bill would ensure that EPA is being fair and equitable in the way it uses emissions values as policy incentives to stimulate the production of lower-carbon vehicles.”

Even as demand for low-carbon E85 has soared in recent years, the number of new FFV models has decreased significantly in recent years, Cooper said, as previous regulatory incentives for FFV production have been phased out by EPA. For the model year 2023, the only FFVs available to consumers are select Ford Explorer, F-150 and Transit models. As recently as the model year 2015, more than 80 different FFV models from eight manufacturers were available to consumers.

More than 5,700 gas stations currently offer E85 in the United States, and the fuel typically sells for 20-25 percent less than regular gasoline.



House Letter to Treasury Demonstrates Importance of GREET Model to SAF Market

Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuels trade association, today welcomed a letter from a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives urging the U.S. Treasury to adopt the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) model as one of its methodologies for calculating tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The letter was led by Representatives Mark Pocan (R-Wisc.), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and signed by 18 other lawmakers. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor issued the following statement in response:

“GREET is the best lifecycle analysis model to fully and accurately capture the full carbon emissions benefits of American-made, farm-based feedstocks for SAF. Not adopting this model would rob many American farmers and their communities of the chance to participate in this new clean energy market as it takes off. SAF represents an enormous opportunity to significantly lower carbon emissions in the aviation sector while simultaneously growing the rural economy. We thank Reps. Pocan, Hinson, Craig and all the other signatories in the House for sending this letter, and for doing their part to make sure Treasury gets this right.”   



Draft Guidance Not Enough to Prevent Misleading Labeling, NMPF Tells FDA

While the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) draft guidance on plant-based beverages acknowledges the public health concern regarding nutritional confusion, it falls woefully short of ending the decades-old problem of misleading plant-based labeling using dairy terminology, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) said in comments submitted to the agency this week.

As the leading voice of American dairy producers, NMPF emphasized the importance of transparent product labeling to ensure consumer understanding and informed purchasing decisions, and urged FDA to take prompt enforcement action against misbranded non-dairy beverages that resemble milk.

"For far too long, plant-based beverage manufacturers have blurred well-defined standards of identity to inappropriately and unfairly capitalize on dairy’s nutritional benefits while FDA has ignored its enforcement obligations,” said Jim Mulhern, NMPF president and CEO. “FDA’s draft guidance is an encouraging first step toward promoting labeling transparency in the marketplace, but it’s not enough. Our comments outline a solution to the misleading labeling practices existing in the marketplace today, and provide clear, truthful labeling options for marketers of plant-based beverages.”

In its comments, NMPF commended FDA for its acknowledgement of consumer confusion over the nutritional content of dairy imitators. “For decades, NMPF has been frustrated with FDA’s unwillingness to enforce its own standards of identity for milk and milk products which continues today. We are encouraged by the agency’s acceptance of the reality of consumer confusion regarding nutritional content,” NMPF wrote. Still, NMPF cautioned FDA to adhere to the law by going through the proper legal process, as outlined in NMPF’s Citizen Petition and comments.

Because of the voluntary nature of the proposed guidance and FDA’s undependable labeling enforcement history, NMPF continues its work in Congress to pass the bipartisan, bicameral DAIRY PRIDE Act, which would direct FDA to enforce its own rules and clarify that dairy terms are for true dairy products.



Scientists Made a Healthy Crop Healthier

Scientists at the Children's Nutrition Research Center of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) helped develop healthier sorghum varieties containing significant concentrations of provitamin A carotenoids while also increasing mineral absorption to meet the nutritional needs of mothers and children in sub-Saharan Africa.

The new varieties are the product of 20 years of collaborations from scientists with the USDA-ARS, the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC), North Carolina State University’s (NCSU) Plants for Human Health Institute, and Corteva Agriscience.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) provides many dietary benefits, as it is high in protein, fiber, B vitamins, and some micronutrients. But like many other cereal grains, it lacks sufficient vitamin A precursors and key minerals such as iron and zinc. Worse yet, it contains the natural antinutrient compound phytic acid, which prevents gastrointestinal absorption of minerals like iron and zinc. A significant issue, given that these micronutrients must be obtained from the diet.

"This research has important implications for people living in sub-Saharan Africa, where sorghum is a culturally significant staple crop and it’s often eaten as a porridge, and is a primary source of dietary carbohydrates,” says Michael Dzakovich, a researcher with USDA-ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center in Houston, Texas. “As a result, mothers and children in sub-Saharan Africa disproportionately suffer from chronic diseases related to insufficient vitamin A, iron, and zinc intake."

Vitamins and minerals are essential for immune system functions and disease prevention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children with Vitamin A deficiency face an increased risk of blindness and death from infections.

In the study, scientists developed advanced lines of sorghum enhanced with both provitamin A and non-provitamin A carotenoids using trait stacking, a biotechnological technique commonly used in plant breeding for integrating multiple traits at once in a plant. These varieties also contain a more efficient phytase enzyme (a protein that breaks down phytic acid). Scientists wanted to evaluate how effectively carotenoids and minerals would be absorbed from the diet with these new varieties. They tested how different porridge preparations influenced the breakdown of phytic acid and increased the availability of minerals for absorption using a laboratory digestion model that mimics the human digestive system.

According to Dzakovich, the challenge is that increased levels of minerals in the gut, like iron and magnesium, have been linked to decreased carotenoid absorption. "There’s a potential trade-off between carotenoids and minerals and we have to keep that in mind as we try to address vitamin A and mineral deficiencies at the same time."

Fortunately, the team found more positive results with the new varieties. “Our findings indicate that porridges made from the lines we developed are capable of delivering 32 times more provitamin A carotenoids than typical sorghum varieties while also providing minerals like zinc and iron. A child between the ages of four and eight may easily meet their daily vitamin A requirements with just a couple servings of porridge made from these biofortified lines,” explains Dzakovich.

These sorghum lines also contained high concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids which are important for eye health and brain development.

Future human trials will be needed to confirm that higher mineral bioavailability will not substantially affect the amount of provitamin A carotenoids that can be absorbed.

"I’m fortunate to have contributed to this project. It has enormous potential to impact food security, and I’m excited to see how these resources can be used to improve people’s lives."