Wednesday December 27 Ag News

Nebraska Farm Bureau Outlines Top Agricultural Issues in 2023 and 2024

Farmers, ranchers, and Nebraska agriculture remained resilient in 2023. From widespread drought conditions and uncertainty in commodity markets, to economic recoil associated with higher interest rates and input costs, Nebraska agriculture navigated some challenging waters. Nebraska Farm Bureau (NEFB) worked alongside Nebraska’s farm and ranch families to help lighten the burden by helping deliver historic property tax relief, promoting growth opportunities for livestock agriculture, working on the next Farm Bill, helping achieve an unprecedent Supreme Court win for Waters of the United States (WOTUS), and continuing to ensure strong agricultural advocates are elected. Those issues round out Nebraska Farm Bureau’s top agricultural issues list for 2023.

“Today, Nebraska represents the third-largest agriculture production complex in the country worth $100 billion. The things we need to do to grow agriculture at this level will come with difficult conversations about taxes, trade, water, energy, and the environment, and we must get comfortable with speaking out about the things that are important for our future,” said Mark McHargue, NEFB president.

2023 brought historic tax relief for all Nebraskans, lowering property taxes by an estimated 30 percent by 2030. State funding for K-12 schools is at an all-time high, and income tax rates continue to decrease. As Nebraska saw landowners voice concern when their agricultural land was annexed into city limits. Through grassroots advocacy, NEFB was able to help those landowners preserve their special valuation status, saving up to $50,980 annually for affected farms, ultimately saving their family operations.

With Nebraska as the protein production capital of the world, NEFB continues to promote and support animal agriculture. Increased state tax credits for livestock operations growing their employment and a lowered investment threshold to qualify for the livestock modernization program have expanded the Livestock Modernization Act making over 9000 additional operations eligible for those tax credits. Also of note was the aftermath of the unfavorable Supreme Court ruling on California’s Proposition 12 (Prop 12) which established animal welfare standards for pork, poultry, and veal products imported into California. It is imperative that Congress pass a federal legislative fix to ensure one state does not dictate production practices for the entire country. NEFB is thankful the entire Nebraska congressional delegation is actively supporting legislation to rectify the situation.

“Growing Nebraska’s livestock sector is vital to Nebraska’s agricultural economy and thus, the state’s economy. It is crucial our state allows for this expansion and does not stand in the way of new and much more sophisticated facilities going in place. We need to actively engage at the federal, state, and local county level to support the new frontier for livestock growth, communicating the beneficial economic impact these livestock operations could have on local economies,” said McHargue.

While Congress spent much of 2023 hearing from farmers and ranchers about what they’d like to see in a new Farm Bill, ultimately, a one-year extension was passed pushing completion of the bill into 2024. Protecting federal crop insurance and ensuring it is not tied to climate focused practices or incentives were two of NEFB’s top priorities. Reforming USDA disaster programs to provide better flexibility in the event of natural disasters is also key. While a more evolutionary than revolutionary Farm Bill continues to be likely, getting a bill out of Congress that works for Nebraska’s farm and ranch families remains paramount.

2023 continued to prove the adage, “whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting.” This summer, the U.S .Supreme Court scored a major win for private property advocates concerning EPA’s WOTUS regulations in the Sackett v. EPA case. Eliminating the significant nexus test was a huge step in Farm Bureau’s fight to ensure the federal government’s regulatory reach over water remains limited. The development of the Perkins County Canal remained an important issue. The finalization of this project would help ensure Nebraska’s receive the water from Colorado that it is entitled to.  Lastly, there is no question that every Nebraskan deserves access to safe drinking water. Utilizing money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), NEFB secured funding to help defray the cost of reverse osmosis units to help protect those with high nitrates in their homes. Nebraska Farm Bureau remains committed to protecting this vital resource for generations to come.

Agriculture could not have made the progress legislatively it did in 2023 without having strong agricultural supporters in elected positions. We must elect the right people to get the right policies passed. Every election gives us the opportunity to expand on our past success. The Nebraska Farm Bureau Political Action Committee (NEFB-PAC) prioritizes cultivating and supporting agricultural advocates seeking office on the local, state, and national levels. In the last election, 82 percent of NEFB-PAC endorsed candidates were elected, including Nebraska’s first agricultural governor in more than 100 years. As Nebraska heads into another election year, it is critical that we continue to elevate the importance of agriculture in communities across the state and strengthen agriculture’s voice. Electing the right people into office lays the foundation for progress to be made.

“We need good, purposeful leaders across the state and in our nation’s capital,” said McHargue. “We need to identify people who will step up to be our next state senator, school board member or county commissioner, and find new leaders willing to carry the torch for our local County Farm Bureau boards. Fewer things are more important than getting the right people in positions to make important decisions for agriculture.”

With 2024 on the horizon, there is continued growth and progress to be made. At the federal level, NEFB calls on Congress to provide a solution for Prop 12 and complete the next Farm Bill. In terms of state issues, the future looks bright on finding balance of the three-legged stool of property, income and sales tax. Getting the right individuals elected will push us one step closer to achieving that balance and creating a sustainable future for agriculture. Continued growth of the agriculture complex will lead to a prosperous, sustainable Nebraska.



Finding the Balance Between Ag Production and Natural Resource Conservation
Center for Ag Profitability Webinar
Date:  Jan. 18, 2024
Time:  12:00 pm–1:00 pm
With Andrew Little, Assistant Professor of Landscape Ecology and Habitat Management, UNL; and John Westra, Professor of Agricultural Economics, UNL.

During the past 50+ years, Nebraska and other midwestern states have experienced a dramatic conversion of intact grasslands and other non-crop vegetation to row crop production to feed and fuel the growing world. While the intensification of agriculture has led to increased production levels, there have also been negative effects to the ecosystem such as soil loss, water quality issues, and loss of wildlife biodiversity. To ensure we can adequately feed and fuel the growing world while ensuring the sustainability of our natural resources for future generations, we must have honest conversations about ways to “find the balance” between production agriculture and natural resource conservation. During this webinar, Drs. Westra and Little will provide a history of conservation in agricultural landscapes and discuss innovative precision conservation approaches to help farmers and ranchers in Nebraska and beyond “find the balance” between production agriculture and natural resource conservation.

Dr. Andrew Little serves as the Director of the Applied Wildlife Ecology and Spatial Movement (AWESM) Lab. Andy is a wildlife spatial ecologist focused on creating innovative solutions to the growing wildlife conservation and management needs in multi-functional landscapes where there are competing interests for agricultural production, wildlife conservation, and ecosystem services.

Dr. John Westra serves as Director of the Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff. Prior to joining UNL, Westra was the J. Nelson Fairbanks Professor at Louisiana State University (LSU) and served as faculty member for over 15 years at LSU’s department of agricultural economics and agribusiness. His own research has focused on production, natural resource and environmental economics relevant to the agricultural sector.

Get more information and register at https://cap.unl.edu/webinars.  



Land Application Training Days - Getting the most value from your manure resource!
Initial training and Recertification training 2024

Turning manure nutrients into better crop yields while protecting the environment will be the focus of seven Nebraska Extension workshops being held across the state this February and March. “Our workshops have traditionally been focused on livestock producers because they’re required to attend manure training regularly, but we’ve made an effort to include the crop farmers that are often the recipients of the manure because the information we share is just as valuable to them and their bottom line,” said Leslie Johnson, UNL animal manure management coordinator. “The workshops will still meet the educational requirements for permitted livestock operations laid out by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy’s title 130.”

Participants who attend the day-long (9 am – 4 pm) event will receive NDEE Land Application Training Certification. The initial land application training certification requires participation in the full day program, which includes lunch. Attendance at the afternoon session will meet minimum needs for recertification, but participants who only need recertification may choose to attend the full event if they wish for no additional charge. Sessions will include an update on regulations and discussions on how to best use manure on cropland. Anyone is welcome regardless of the need for certification. Crop farmers and livestock operations will learn useful information to apply to their operations.

Sessions will focus on what fields should be chosen to best utilize manure nutrients and other benefits. Each session will be highly participant-led with limited seating. Participants will be given a scenario and asked to determine priority ranking of each field within the scenario. This ranking will be done at the end of each activity focused on manure nutrients, transportation cost, soil health, water quality, as well as neighbors and odors. Regulations and record keeping pertaining to manure storage and application will also be addressed during each session.

Sessions include:
· February 12 – Columbus
· February 13 – Geneva
· February 19 – Scottsbluff
· February 20 – Lexington
· February 29 – Norfolk
· March 5 – West Point
· March 6 – Ord

Because of participation limits in each session, registration is required. If registration numbers exceed expectations, more sessions may be added. To ensure your attendance, register at water.unl.edu/lat. Cost of the sessions will be $75 per operation requiring certification or $25 per person with no expectation of certification.

The workshops are sponsored by the Nebraska Extension Animal Manure Management Team, which is dedicated to helping livestock and crop producers better utilize manure resources for agronomic and environmental benefits. For additional information on the workshops and other resources for managing manure nutrients, visit manure.unl.edu or contact Leslie Johnson at 402-584-3818 or leslie.johnson@unl.edu.



Beef Quality Assurance Workshop plus speaker John Cook, Nebraska Volleyball Coach

A Certified Angus Beef ® brand lunch will be served at 11 a.m., with the BQA sessions starting at noon. During the BQA sessions, industry experts will cover transportation, stockmanship and cattle handling, biosecurity, herd health and emergency action planning. Attendees can get BQA certified or renew an expired certification if needed.

The event will conclude with guest speaker John Cook, University of Nebraska (UNL) volleyball head coach. Attendees must participate in the BQA workshop and possess a valid BQA certificate to hear Coach Cook speak and participate in the meet-and-greet with him and UNL volleyball players.

Before the BQA workshop, kids will have the opportunity to complete Youth Quality Care for Animals (YQCA) at 10 a.m. As a reminder, YQCA is a requirement for all youth 8 – 21 years old who plan to exhibit beef, sheep, swine, goats, dairy, rabbits, or poultry in Nebraska.

The event is hosted by Certified Angus Beef and Sysco, in conjunction with Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance and Round the Bend Steakhouse.

Register online at http://cab.info/3fn.  Get more information by contacting Jesse Fulton at (308) 633-0158 or email jesse.fulton@unl.edu




USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to Address 2024 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack will address the 2024 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit on January 11, 2024. During the event, Vilsack will receive IRFA’s highest award. Attendance is free and open to the public.

“The IRFA Board is very excited that Secretary Vilsack can join the Summit,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Marketing Director Lisa Coffelt. “As a state legislator, governor and now USDA secretary, Tom Vilsack has been an outstanding voice for farmers and the importance of biofuels to rural America. We are looking forward to hearing his vision for the future and for the chance to honor his many years of support.”

Nominated by President Joe Biden, Sec. Vilsack was confirmed as the 32nd United States Secretary of Agriculture on Feb. 23, 2021 by the U.S. Senate. Vilsack was the longest-serving member of President Barack Obama’s original Cabinet. Prior to his appointment, he served two terms as the Governor of Iowa, served in the Iowa State Senate and as the mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. He received his bachelor's degree from Hamilton College and his law degree from Albany Law School in New York.

The 2024 Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit will explore how to “Chart Our Course” for the future of biofuels. The summit will be held on January 11, 2024, at the Prairie Meadows Event Center in Altoona, Iowa. Attendance is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register and find more information at IowaRenewableFuelsSummit.org.   



Iowa Pork Congress coming to Des Moines January 24 and 25
    
The 2024 Iowa Pork Congress, North America’s largest winter swine trade show, takes place on Jan. 24 and 25 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. It will be the 51st annual event, with more than 4,500 attendees, hundreds of vendors, and multiple educational sessions. Iowa Pork Congress is organized by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA), whose annual meeting convenes at 10 a.m. on January 23.

“While this has been an exceptionally challenging year in our industry due to the Supreme Court decision regarding Proposition 12 and the tough economics of raising pigs, it is always great to join together as pig farmers to discuss what we love to do most: raise pigs,” said IPPA President Trish Cook, a pig farmer from Winthrop. “I encourage everyone connected to the swine industry to make room in your schedule to attend the 2024 Iowa Pork Congress!”   

In addition to the great networking opportunities and expansive trade show, the Iowa Pork Congress includes educational sessions, with keynote presentations each day. On Wednesday, Jan. 23, award-winning international speaker Steve Lerch, a former Google executive, offers insight on understanding and influencing modern consumers.

The Wednesday seminars will cover the economic outlook for the pork industry, export market highlights, DNR and EPA compliance, and the future of traceability. There will also be certification training for both Pork Quality Assurance and Transport Quality Assurance. Wednesday’s schedule concludes with the annual Master Pork Producer Awards banquet.

On Thursday, Jan. 25, Michele Payn, one of North America’s leading experts in connecting farm and food, will discuss mental health and resiliency in the agriculture industry. Other educational sessions on Jan. 25 include panel discussions on swine diseases and labor issues.

Registration
Pre-registration to attend the Iowa Pork Congress is available online. IPPA members can attend the trade show and conference at no cost by using their registration code which has been sent to them.

Non-IPPA members pay just $5 for online registration up until the day of the show. Early online registration is highly encouraged to provide quick and easy check-in to the event.

For more information about events and registration, contact IPPA at (800) 372-7675 or visit IowaPorkCongress.org.