Tuesday October 17 Ag News

Cuming County Board of Supervisors Seeking Extension Board Nominations

The Cuming County Board of Supervisors is seeking nominations for individuals interested in serving a three-year term on the Cuming County Extension Board. Extension Board members are appointed by the Board of Supervisors, rather than being elected. Extension Board district lines are defined according to the Cuming Board of Supervisor districts.

Two positions on the Cuming County Extension Board are up for appointment. Nominees are needed for the district served by Supervisor Steve Sill, District VI. Melanie Thompson has served the Extension Board for two, 3-year terms and is ineligible to run again. Joan Plagge, Extension Board representative, has agreed to a second 3-year term in District V (Supervisor Glen Wiechman).

A nominating committee is seeking nominations or calls from interested individuals. A nomination committee will be responsible for preparing a slate of potential candidates that will be submitted to the Board of Supervisors for their consideration. If you are interested in being a candidate, please feel free to contact the UNL Extension in Cuming County at 402/372-6006 on or before November 15th.

According to Extension Educator Hannah Guenther, the operation of Nebraska Extension Board should be given serious consideration by all county residents. It operates the tax funds under the guidance of the Cuming County Extension Board. Extension programs focus on priority needs and issues facing people of the county.

Potential candidates are encouraged to contact the Extension Office or the Cuming County Clerk, Bonnie Vogltance, if you have questions on which supervisor district you reside in.



Secretary Naig Announces Grant Funding Opportunity to Expand Access to Iowa Grown, Raised and Made Agricultural Products through Choose Iowa

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is once again offering Choose Iowa value-added grants to expand the availability of Iowa grown, Iowa raised and Iowa made foods, beverages, and other agricultural products. Choose Iowa grants match up to $25,000 per project to help farmers, businesses, and non-profits increase or diversify their agricultural product offerings, which provide more local food choices to consumers.

“Choose Iowa grants provide assistance to farmers, small businesses, and non-profits to make investments that will help them add value, diversify their product offerings, tap into new markets and connect directly with more customers,” said Secretary Naig. “By building on the growing demand for local foods and investing in value-added projects, Choose Iowa is all about connecting consumers to the very best that Iowa can produce.”

Applicants can use Choose Iowa grant funding to add new processing, packaging or sales techniques that add value to the crops, livestock, and other products that they produce. For example, a farmer may invest in an on-farm store or cold storage to sell meat, eggs or produce direct to consumers, or a produce grower may upgrade their commercial kitchen to process larger quantities of seasonal produce at the peak of freshness. Grant funding can also be used for employee training and continuing education programs. Meat processing and dairy processing projects are not eligible for Choose Iowa grants as separate dedicated grant funding programs are available for both. More information about Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Program and Dairy Innovation Fund opportunities are available on the Choose Iowa website.

In its first two years, the Choose Iowa grant program received hundreds of applications totaling nearly $3.3 million in requests. Thirteen awardees were selected in 2022 including dairy farms, direct-to-consumer meat businesses, a food hub, a CSA, and a brewery, among others. Twenty-eight recipients were awarded in 2023 for projects ranging from increasing cold storage, to expanding processing proficiency and distribution capabilities, to improving production capacity and efficiency.

Individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations that are currently living or operating in Iowa may apply for the Choose Iowa value-added grants. Preference will be given to small to medium-sized businesses. Details about the grant program, including financial matching requirements, application, and eligibility, are available on the Choose Iowa website.

Applications should be submitted through the online portal on the Choose Iowa website and are due by 12:00 p.m. on December 15, 2023. Grant recipients will be announced in March 2024. Questions about the Choose Iowa value-added grants can be directed to chooseiowagrant@iowaagriculture.gov.



Iowa Farmers' adoption of Nutrient Management Practices

A new study by researchers at Iowa State University has examined the factors that influence farmers' adoption of nutrient management practices. The study found that farmers with more positive attitudes toward the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and water quality protection, as well as those with land adjacent to water bodies, were more likely to adopt these practices. However, farmers who lacked confidence in their ability to address nutrient losses and those who farmed rented land were less likely to adopt these practices.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, is unique in that it examined a full range of nutrient management practices, including both in-field and edge-of-field practices. The study also examined the influence of both individual-level characteristics and county-level contextual factors on adoption behaviors.

One of the key findings of the study is that many Iowa farmers still lack confidence in their capacity to reduce nutrient loss despite major efforts to promote nutrient management. This suggests that there is a continuing need to help farmers gain confidence in their ability to follow nutrient management guidelines.

Another key finding of the study is that crop insurance, which is purchased by most row crop farmers in intensively farmed areas in the United States, may be an obstacle to farmers' adoption of nutrient management practices. This is because crop insurance is designed to protect farmers from financial losses due to unforeseen events, such as drought or flooding. However, crop insurance does not typically cover losses due to nutrient management practices, such as reduced yields due to delayed fertilization.

The study suggests that new programs and educational resources are needed to help farmers gain confidence in their ability to follow nutrient management guidelines and to mitigate the disincentives that may discourage farmers from adopting these practices. For example, new programs could be developed to provide financial assistance to farmers who adopt nutrient management practices.

Additionally, educational resources could be developed to help farmers learn more about nutrient management and how to implement these practices on their farms.

The study provides valuable insights into the factors that influence farmers' adoption of nutrient management practices. This information can be used to develop more effective policies and programs to promote sustainable agricultural practices.



U.S. Grains Council’s Global Ethanol Summit Wraps Up With Seven Concurrent Sessions, Preparation For Trade Team Visits

The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) Global Ethanol Summit (GES) concluded today with a variety of concurrent panel discussions with experts on various topics within the biofuel industry.

GES, Oct. 16-18, is an education and trade forum that seeks to elevate bioethanol’s international visibility and ongoing successful initiatives as a viable decarbonization solution within the transportation sector. More than 350 ministerial-level officials and industry leaders, bioethanol producers and refiners from more than 40 countries are attending this year to learn about the numerous environmental and human health benefits of globally expanding the use of biofuels.

The concurrent sessions featured topics such as new use applications for biofuels, biofuel infrastructure and compatibility and environmental and human health benefits of renewable fuels.

Today’s events culminated in a series of memorandum of understanding signings between the Council and key ethanol stakeholders from around the world.

“Users are seeing bioethanol’s undeniable benefits and the commensurate increased consumption means there is a growing recognition of what industry leaders have always known – bioethanol is available right here, right now and it is here to stay,” said USGC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand.

After closing comments by LeGrand, 11 groups of participants dispersed to ethanol-producing states around the country where they will spend the next few days viewing the biofuel value chain firsthand before heading back to their home countries. Team details are listed below:
    Japan to visit Iowa
    Latin America (LTA) to visit South Dakota
    LTA to visit Michigan
    LTA to visit Minnesota
    Mexico to visit Colorado
    Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and China to visit Missouri
    MEA to visit Ohio
    Southeast Asia (SEA) and Oceania to visit Kansas
    SEA to visit Wisconsin
    Taiwan to visit North Dakota
    Vietnam to visit Kentucky

More from the meeting is available on social media using the hashtag #Grains23.



Growth Energy Welcomes Introduction of Adopt GREET Act in Senate

Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuels trade association, applauded Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) for introducing the bipartisan Adopt GREET Act today. The bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use Argonne National Lab’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Model for greenhouse gas modeling of ethanol, biodiesel, and all approved fuel pathways under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“Biofuels are playing a crucial role in helping our nation meet our energy and climate goals,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “As a country, we can’t afford for renewable, affordable biofuels to be held back by outdated and inaccurate modeling. Years of rigorous, peer-reviewed research have shown that corn ethanol already cuts greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half compared to gasoline. Unfortunately, EPA’s outdated model fails to fully capture the enormous decarbonization potential of ethanol. Growth Energy and its members applaud Senators Thune and Klobuchar for sponsoring this commonsense legislation. It’s past time for the EPA to implement sound science and fully recognize biofuels’ outsized role in creating our clean energy future.”

Background
Last Congress, Senators Thune and Klobuchar introduced the Adopt GREET Act to require EPA to update its greenhouse gas modeling for only ethanol and biodiesel. The version of the legislation introduced today will broaden this instruction to apply to any approved pathway under the RFS program. Further, EPA will be required to update its modeling not later than every five years, and it would have to also adopt the GREET model for any future-established pathways.  



Growth Energy to NHTSA: Biofuels Must Be Part of CAFE Standards

In comments yesterday to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Growth Energy, the nation's largest biofuels trade association, urged regulators to include a role for American-made biofuels in the Agency's proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks for Model Years 2027-2032 and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Pickup Trucks and Vans for Model Years 2030-2035.

Growth Energy highlighted just some of the proven emissions benefits of biofuels like ethanol in its comment, while also noting that NHTSA's proposed standards may violate the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), in particular the law's prohibition on using electric vehicles (EVs) as a "baseline" to set fuel-economy standards and the law's focus on using domestic energy sources to address America's energy challenges.

"In setting the CAFE Standards, NHTSA is directed by EPCA to consider, among other factors, 'the need of the United States to conserve energy.' Increasing the nation’s use of biofuels meets that goal, by both providing another source of fuel that reduces our demand for petroleum and by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) and other emissions," said Growth Energy in its comments. "To begin with, ethanol and other biofuels significantly enhance energy security because of their flexibility—they can be used in existing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and fueled at existing gas stations.  Consumers and operators of fleets around the country therefore have the ability to use more biofuels."

To address its issues with the proposal, Growth Energy recommends that NHTSA remove EVs from its calculations in setting a baseline for the 2027-2032 CAFE standards; consider the GHG-reduction and energy security benefits of biofuels throughout the final rule; and preserve and expand its rules to allow for greater use of higher ethanol-blended fuels like E15 (15% ethanol), E85 (51%-85% ethanol), and other blends in between.



Geospatial Technology Can Help Corn Producers Assess Potential Wind Damage in Fields

As cornfields suffer crop damage caused by weather, corn producers can use geospatial and remote sensing technologies to get a more accurate measurement of the damage and estimate potential economic loss, according to a recent study published in Frontiers in Agronomy.

The United States is the largest producer of corn in the world, and Mississippi alone produced more than 28 million tons of corn in 2021. As the Mississippi Delta is one of Mississippi's major corn-growing regions, crop damage from natural disasters like flooding, hailstorms, and wind can pose major threats to production.

In the study, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers from the Crop Production System Research Unit used a GPS-mounted yield monitoring system to assess green snap or “brittle snap” — a condition caused when corn stalks break from wind damage — in cornfields located in Stoneville, Mississippi, after severe winds affected the Delta region in May and June 2022.

“A corn producer may not be able to see the extent of wind damage just by driving along the edges of the corn field,” said ARS Research Agronomist Ammar Bhandari. “A corn producer may mistakenly believe their fields did not suffer damage when in reality may have occurred deep inside the fields.”

Researchers collected the yield maps from multiple cornfields and analyzed them to assess yield loss due to wind damage. Results indicated an average yield loss of approximately 26 pounds per acre per 1% of total wind damage. The potential loss was estimated to vary from approximately $76 per acre for areas with less than 25% of wind damage to approximately $232 per acre for areas with more than 75% of wind damage.

By getting accurate GPS coordinates of the damage locations and combining them with yield monitor data to estimate yield loss through geospatial technologies, producers can have a more reliable reference tool for assessing site-specific wind damage over large areas.

“The research results could help predict potential yield loss (approximately 26 pounds per acre per 1% of total wind damage) and economic loss to assist producers and other stakeholders in decision-making to prepare for changing weather patterns and unprecedented severe windstorms in the future,” said Bhandari.



Scoular acquires grain facility in Logan, Montana

Scoular has acquired Circle S Seeds-Grains’ grain handling facility in Logan, Montana which will extend Scoular’s Montana trade footprint and expand market opportunities for local producers.

The Logan facility has a storage capacity of 400,000 bushels. It will handle local red spring and red winter wheat, in addition to feed barley.

Scoular also operates a facility in Butte, Montana, about 60 miles west of Logan. Scoular is a multi-generational agribusiness serving farmers since 1892. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

“Our merchandisers and elevator crew in Butte have built strong relationships with producers and customers throughout the region,” said Scoular Regional Manager Brian Ring. “We look forward to creating new relationships and to building off the thriving business and local marketing solutions provided by generations of the McDonnell family and their Circle S employees.”