Friday March 29 Ag News - Prospective Plantings, Grain Stocks, Hogs & Pigs Report and more!

 NEBRASKA 2024 PROSPECTIVE PLANTINGS

Nebraska corn growers intend to plant 9.85 million acres this year, down 1% from 2023, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Soybean planted acreage is expected to be 5.30 million acres, up 1% from last year.

All hay acreage to be harvested is expected to total 2.35 million acres, up 3% from 2023.

Winter wheat acres seeded in the fall of 2023 are estimated at 1.00 million acres, down 12% from last year.

Sorghum growers in Nebraska intend to plant 400,000 acres, up 18% from a year ago.

Oat intentions are estimated at 110,000 acres, down 29% from last year.

Dry edible bean acreage intentions are estimated at 115,000 acres, up 15% from 2023.

Sugarbeet growers expect to plant 49,000 acres, up 5% from last year.

Sunflower producers expect to plant a record low 30,000 acres, down 24% from 2023. Oil varieties account for 25,000 acres, down 19% from a year ago. Non-oil varieties made up the balance of 5,000 acres, down 41% from the previous year and a record low if realized.

Dry edible pea acreage intentions are estimated at 48,000 acres, up 129% from last year.

Estimates in this report are based on a survey conducted during the first two weeks of March.



Iowa Prospective Plantings

Iowa farmers intend to plant 12.8 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2024 according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Prospective Plantings report. This is down 300,000 acres from 2023.

Producers intend to plant 10.2 million acres of soybeans in Iowa this year. This is up 250,000 acres from 2023.

Iowa farmers intend to plant 145,000 acres of oats for all purposes. This is down 45,000 acres from last year.

Farmers in Iowa expect to harvest 1.0 million acres of all dry hay for the 2024 crop year. This is 10,000 acres below last year.

The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers' 2024 planting intentions. NASS's acreage estimates are based primarily on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March from a sample of approximately 71,800 farm operators across the United States with more than 2,600 from Iowa. Actual plantings will depend upon weather, economic conditions and the availability of production inputs at the time producers make their final planting decisions.



US farmers expect to plant less corn and more soybean acres

Producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 90.0 million acres of corn in 2024, down 5% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Planted acreage intentions for corn are down or unchanged in 38 of the 48 estimating states. Acreage decreases of 300,000 acres or more from last year are expected in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas.  If realized, the planted area of corn in Arizona and Oregon will be the largest on record.

Soybean growers intend to plant 86.5 million acres in 2024, up 3% from last year. Acreage increases from last year of 100,000 or more are expected in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, and South Dakota. Record high acreage is expected in Kentucky and New York.

Other key findings in the report are:
    All wheat planted area for 2024 is estimated at 47.5 million acres, down 4% for comparable states from 2023.
    Winter wheat planted area, at 34.1 million acres, is down 1% from the previous estimate and down 7% from last year for comparable states.
    Area planted to other spring wheat for 2024 is expected to total 11.3 million acres, up 1% from 2023.
    Durum wheat planted is expected to total 2.03 million acres for 2024, up 22% from last year for comparable states.
    All cotton planted area for 2024 is expected to total 10.7 million acres, 4% above last year.

The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ 2024 planting intentions. NASS’s acreage estimates are based on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March from a sample of nearly 72,000 farm operators across the nation.



NEBRASKA MARCH 1, 2024 GRAIN STOCKS

Nebraska corn stocks in all positions on March 1, 2024 totaled 814 million bushels, up 19% from 2023, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Of the total, 490 million bushels are stored on farms, up 27% from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 324 million  bushels, are up 9% from last year.

Soybeans stored in all positions totaled 122 million bushels, up 17% from last year. On-farm stocks of 41.0 million bushels are up 41% from a year ago, and off-farm stocks, at 80.9 million bushels, are up 7% from 2023.

Wheat stored in all positions totaled 22.2 million bushels, up 63% from a year ago. On-farm stocks of 3.40 million bushels are up 183% from 2023, and off-farm stocks of 18.8 million bushels are up 51% from last year.

Sorghum stored in all positions totaled 4.01 million bushels, down 1% from 2023. On-farm stocks of 510,000 bushels are up 42% from a year ago but off-farm holdings of 3.50 million bushels are down 5% from last year.

On-farm oat stocks of 250,000 bushels are unchanged from 2023.

Iowa Grain Stocks
Corn stored in all positions in Iowa on March 1, 2024, totaled 1.42 billion bushels, up 8 percent from March 1, 2023, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Grain Stocks report. Of the total stocks, 63 percent were stored on-farm. The December 2023 - February 2024 indicated disappearance totaled 667 million bushels, 7 percent below the 719 million bushels from the same quarter the previous year.

Soybeans stored in all positions in Iowa on March 1, 2024, totaled 313 million bushels, up 4 percent from March 1, 2023. Of the total stocks, 46 percent were stored on-farm. Indicated disappearance for December 2023 - February 2024 was 147 million bushels, 18 percent below the 180 million bushels from the same quarter the previous year.

National Highlights
Thursday, NASS also released the quarterly Grain Stocks report to provide estimates of on-farm and off-farm stocks as of March 1. Key findings in that report include:
    Corn stocks totaled 8.35 billion bushels, up 13% from the same time last year. On-farm corn stocks were up 24% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were down 1%.
    Soybeans stored totaled 1.85 billion bushels, up 9% from March 1, 2023. On-farm soybean stocks were up 24% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were down 3%.
    All wheat stored totaled 1.09 billion bushels, up 16% from a year ago. On-farm all wheat stocks were up 20% from last year, while off-farm stocks were up 14%.
    Durum wheat stored totaled 36.6 million bushels, up 2% from March 1, 2023. On-farm Durum stocks were up 10% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks of Durum wheat were down 5%.

NEBRASKA HOG INVENTORY UP 4%

Nebraska inventory of all hogs and pigs on March 1, 2024, was 3.75 million head, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. This was up 4% from March 1, 2023, but down 1% from December 1, 2023.

Breeding hog inventory, at 410,000 head, was up 4% from March 1, 2023, and up 3% from last quarter. Market hog inventory, at 3.34 million head, was up 4% from last year, but down 2% from last quarter.

The December 2023 - February 2024 Nebraska pig crop, at 2.24 million head, was up 11% from 2023. Sows farrowed during the period totaled 185,000 head, up 3% from last year. The average pigs saved per litter was 12.10 for the December - February period, compared to 11.25 last year.

Nebraska hog producers intend to farrow 175,000 sows during the March - May 2024 quarter, down 3% from the actual farrowings during the same period a year ago. Intended farrowings for June - August 2024 are 185,000 sows, unchanged from the actual farrowings during the same period a year ago.



IOWA HOG INVENTORY UP 6%

On March 1, 2024, there were 25.2 million hogs and pigs on Iowa farms, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Hogs and Pigs report. Inventory was unchanged from the previous quarter but up 6 percent from the previous year.

The December 2023-February 2024 quarterly pig crop was 5.25 million head, down 3 percent from the previous quarter and down 4 percent from last year. A total of 445,000 sows farrowed during this quarter. The average pigs saved per litter was 11.80 for the quarter.

As of March 1, producers planned to farrow 465,000 sows and gilts in the March-May 2024 quarter and 470,000 head during the June-August 2024 quarter.



United States Hog Inventory Up 1 Percent

United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on March 1, 2024 was 74.6 million head. This was up 1 percent from March 1, 2023, but down 2 percent from December 1, 2023.   

Breeding inventory, at 6.02 million head, was down 2 percent from last year, but up slightly from the previous quarter.

Market hog inventory, at 68.6 million head, was up 1 percent from last year, but down 2 percent from last quarter.

The December 2023-February 2024 pig crop, at 33.1 million head, was up 2 percent from last year. Sows farrowing during this period totaled 2.88 million head, down 3 percent from previous year. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 48 percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was 11.53 for the December 2023-February 2024 period, compared to 11.02 last year.

United States hog producers intend to have 2.92 million sows farrow during the March-May 2024 quarter, down 1 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period one year earlier, and down 2 percent from the same period two years earlier. Intended farrowings for June-August 2024, at 2.99 million sows, are down 2 percent from the same period one year earlier, and down 3 percent from the same period two years earlier.

The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 52 percent of the total United States hog inventory, up 1 percent from the previous year.



Lindsay to Invest Over $50M to Expand, Modernize Manufacturing Facility

Lindsay Corporation (NYSE: LNN), a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology, announced this week plans to invest more than $50 million over the next two years in its largest global manufacturing facility located in Lindsay, Neb.

"We offer a best-in-class customer experience. That includes well-designed products, built by the industry's top professionals, in facilities that lead the industry in safety, quality and efficiency," said Randy Wood, President and CEO of Lindsay. "This investment will accelerate Lindsay's ability to bring its latest innovations, including the Smart Pivot, to market, and it aligns with our strategic growth plan and commitment to leveraging state-of-the-art technology across our global operations."

"Lindsay has grown to become a worldwide force in irrigation and infrastructure, all from smalltown Nebraska," said Governor Jim Pillen. "This historic investment will continue to drive innovation, improve efficiencies, and enhance products that will benefit agriculture and infrastructure projects across the globe. I appreciate Lindsay's longstanding role and commitment to the state of Nebraska."

Plans for the modernization of the facility include implementing Industry 4.0 technologies, including data connectivity, analytics, artificial intelligence and the additions of automation and robotics. The facility will house new equipment and the latest advancements in galvanizing, a core process for manufacturing pivot irrigation systems and road safety products. Lindsay will also expand the facility footprint by 40,000 square feet to allow for increased capacity and capabilities in metal forming.

"As part of our operational excellence journey, we are designing and implementing the factory of the future," said Rich Harold, Senior Vice President, Global Operations of Lindsay. "This investment will create additional value for our customers, employees and other stakeholders by allowing us to improve efficiency, enhance product quality through better monitoring and adjustment of production systems, be more responsive to cyclical market needs, address labor availability challenges and achieve best-in-class performance and service."

This investment is the largest in Lindsay's history. The company expects to begin capital spending in the second quarter of fiscal 2024 and complete the facility modernization by the end of 2025.



Vilsack talks Energy, Fertilizer Production in Omaha Thursday

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack Thursday announced that USDA is investing $124 million in renewable energy and fertilizer production projects in 44 states to lower energy costs, generate new income and create jobs for U.S. farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers and rural small businesses.

The Secretary made the announcement during a visit to University of Nebraska Omaha, where he discussed USDA’s efforts under the Biden-Harris Administration to invest in rural communities nationwide. Most of the projects announced today are being funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis, through the Rural Energy for America Program. An additional project is funded by the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program. In total, this funding advances the President’s Investing in America agenda to grow the nation’s economy from the middle out and bottom up by increasing competition in agricultural markets, lowering costs and expanding clean energy.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is committed to ensuring farmers, ranchers and small businesses are directly benefitting from both a clean energy economy and a strong U.S. supply chain,” Secretary Vilsack said. “The investments announced today will expand access to renewable energy systems and domestic fertilizer, all while creating good-paying jobs and saving people money that they can then invest back into their businesses and communities.”

This visit comes just weeks after USDA selected Midwest Electric Cooperative, located in Grant, NE, and the Village of Emerson, NE as two of its first applicants to move forward in the awards process through the Powering Affordable Clean Energy program. Midwest Electric Cooperative will build solar renewable energy resource facilities and energy storage systems for the communities in Wallace, Grant, Paxton and Lakeview. The Village of Emerson plans to use the funds to finance a solar facility that will distribute clean energy to the Winnebago Tribe.

Rural Clean Energy Production
Today’s announcement includes an investment of over $120 million in 541 Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) projects across 44 states.

Through the REAP program, USDA provides grants and loans to help ag producers and rural small business owners expand their use of wind, solar and other forms of clean energy and make energy efficiency improvements. These innovations help them increase their income, grow their businesses, address climate change and lower energy costs.

The REAP program is part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

These investments will cut energy costs for farmers and ag producers that can instead be used to create jobs and new revenue streams for people in their communities. For example:
    In Nebraska, Darr Grain will install three 15-kilowatt (kW) wind turbines at a grain storage facility. This project is expected to save the business $9,700 in electrical costs per year and generate more than 138,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. This represents 77% of the company’s energy use, which is enough to power nine homes.
    In Maine, Moorit Hill Farm will install a 40.95 kW roof mount solar system. The system will save the farm more than 50,000 kWh per year, which is equivalent to approximately 100% of the farm’s energy use. This is enough clean energy to power nearly five homes, replace 50,000 pounds of burning coal, or replace approximately eight gasoline powered cars.
    In Idaho, Boulder Creek Oz will purchase and install a biomass furnace to provide additional heat to their cabins and mountain lodging facilities in Boundary County. This project is expected to save more than $3,800 per year. It will replace more than 3,700 kWh, which is approximately 94% of the energy use per year.

USDA is making the REAP awards in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has invested more than $1.8 billion through REAP in over 6,000 renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements that will help rural business owners' lower energy costs, generate new income, and strengthen their resiliency of operations.

USDA continues to accept REAP applications and will hold funding competitions quarterly through September 30, 2024. The funding includes a dedicated portion for underutilized renewable energy technologies. For additional information on application deadlines and submission details, see page 19239 of the March 31 Federal Register.

Domestic Fertilizer Production
Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has invested more than $174 million through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program (FPEP) to support 42 projects nationwide to boost domestic fertilizer production.

Today, USDA is providing nearly $4 million in FPEP funding to Bluestem Systems to build facilities and purchase equipment at three locations in Iowa and Nebraska. The facilities will help the company make advancements in its innovative process to remove water and pathogens to create a dry fertilizer mix. The project is expected to yield 3,800 tons of dry fertilizer per year and 11,400 tons annually across all three facilities, which will be made available to 1,500 producers.

Through FPEP, USDA provides grants to independent farmers and agricultural business owners to help them produce fertilizer. Funds can be used to modernize equipment, adopt new technologies, build fertilizer production plants and more. This program helps boost domestic fertilizer production while lowering costs and creating new income streams for U.S. farmers.



Nebraska’s NRDs Advocate for Conservation Funding in Washington, D.C.

Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) were represented by nearly 50 directors and staff in Washington, D.C., March 18-20, 2024.

Nebraska’s NRDs advocate for strengthening tools to preserve and fund natural resources projects, which includes engaging policymakers from the grassroots level with a unified voice.

This grassroots advocacy culminates with a visit to Washington, D.C., allowing NRD staff and directors to meet with congressional leaders and discuss local priorities with national partners on federal legislation and programs.

“Those who work and live among our natural resources are some of our most effective spokespeople,” said Dr. Orval Gigstad, Nebraska Association of Resources Districts past president. “Going to D.C. is an opportunity to advocate for Nebraska by sharing our personal stories, and also hear federal perspectives on issues that could impact us locally.”

While on Capitol Hill, conference attendees spent a day meeting with Nebraska senators and congressmen and participated in a two-day session with federal agencies and conservation partners. NRDs help deliver several federal programs locally, and these partnerships equate into real dollars for Nebraska agriculture and communities. Some of the federal topics and speakers included:
    Watershed Programs, Regional Conservation Partnership Program, Soil Health Division, and Soil Science and Resource Assessment (SSRA) with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Nonpoint Source Branch
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program (CWIFP)
    Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Program
    Farm Bill and Agriculture Innovation with Corteva Agriscience, American Farm Bureau Federation and the Irrigation Association.

“We are grateful to our Nebraska federal delegation for their unwavering support and collaborative spirit in championing the cause of conservation alongside the Natural Resources Districts,” Gigstad said. “Their dedication and partnership have been instrumental in securing vital funding and resources that enable us to protect and preserve Nebraska’s precious natural resources for generations to come.”

Gigstad, who has served on the Nemaha NRD board since 1993, also serves as chairman of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Northern Plains Region on behalf of Nebraska’s NRDs.

NACD provides a unified, national voice for the more than 3,000 conservation districts across the U.S. including Nebraska’s 23 NRDs. NACD’s member-driven board of directors selects conservation policy priorities, which are used to develop and review environmental and natural resources legislation and to secure adequate federal funding for natural resources conservation programs.

“NACD thanks Nebraska’s district leaders for taking the time and effort to advocate for locally led conservation on Capitol Hill,” said Chris Young, NACD director of government affairs. “As the Farm Bill and federal funding legislation are being developed, it’s a critical time for lawmakers to hear district priorities and understand how they can support conservation delivery in Nebraska and across the country.”
 
Back in Nebraska, advocacy efforts will continue by hosting elected officials in the Natural Resources Districts and engaging in public outreach.

“Locally, NRDs will continue to share our successes and concerns with our elected officials to ensure more informed decision making,” Gigstad said. “It is important that our elected officials know what the needs of locally led conservation are so that NRDs can receive adequate support to continue protecting lives, property and the future.”

Established in 1972, Nebraska’s 23 NRDs are local government units involved in a variety of projects and programs to conserve and protect the state’s natural resources. Today, the unique system of locally controlled, watershed-based conservation is widely admired throughout the nation.



Iowa Corn Growers Association Shows Strength in Numbers at Day on the Hill Event

Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) members filled the State Capitol rotunda yesterday for the “Iowa Corn Day on the Hill” lobbying event to share what matters most to them and their family farms. The delegation included ICGA board members, county leaders, grassroots members and FFA students from across the state. While in attendance, corn farmers took time to share their personal farm stories with state lawmakers and advocate for corn related policies.

“It is so important to show up and to engage with our legislators. That’s why our ‘Iowa Corn Day on the Hill’ event is such a remarkable indicator of what’s to come in ag policy. During the day we facilitate one-on-one interactions with state legislators where members can discuss and promote ICGA policy priorities and issues important to all of Iowa agriculture,” stated Iowa Corn Growers Association President Jolene Riessen, a farmer from Ida Grove, Iowa. “The dedication and engagement of our members allow ICGA to have a strong, unified voice at the State Capitol on issues impacting corn farmers in Iowa.”

As a long-standing, well-respected agricultural organization, the Iowa Corn Growers Association serves as a collective voice for Iowa’s corn farmers on agricultural issues at the state and federal level. Grassroots members from across the state are the backbone of our organization and the driving force behind our policy development and implementation efforts. We continue to work towards fair policy that protects the interest of our members and the Iowa corn industry.

If you missed this Day on the Hill event, we encourage you to contact your legislators by other means, including by participating in calls to action or attending local town halls. To see ICGA’s full list of state and federal priorities for 2024, visit iowacorn.org/policy.

Thursday March 28 Ag News

 Northeast education compact to boost student learning, workforce development

A northeast Nebraska educational partnership that includes the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is honing strategies to boost students’ learning opportunities. The initiative is also strengthening ties with private-sector companies to enhance workforce development in agricultural and natural resources fields.

Representatives of member institutions met March 19 for the compact’s annual planning summit, held this year at Northeast Community College in Norfolk. Twenty-one school districts in northeast Nebraska participate in the compact along with a set of higher education institutions and three Educational Service Units.

A key focus of the March 19 session was strengthening communication with industry to introduce students early to career possibilities and make the best use of apprenticeships and other opportunities. Interaction with private-sector companies can help educational institutions make sure their instructional offerings meet private-sector needs, attendees said.

The compact is well positioned to be a “connector” between schools and employers to meet the wide range of students’ needs, said Tara Smydra, dean of science, technology, agriculture and mathematics at Northeast Community College.

“Students can go in lots of directions” in terms of their career interests and instructional needs, “so it’s important to make sure we have clear pathways that give them all the opportunities they need,” Smydra said. “The compact has multiple high school connections and the ESUs, so this is a perfect group to work together to do that.”

Conversations with private-sector companies can help the compact’s two- and four-year educational institutions make instructional adjustments and hone accreditation processes to meet industry needs and promote a long-term talent pipeline, said Ron Loggins, dean of Wayne State College’s School of Science, Health and Criminal Justice.

This regional initiative, the Northeast Nebraska Agricultural Science and Natural Resources Education Compact, began in 2019 and expanded in membership in 2022. It is a first-of-its-kind regional educational partnership for the state.

The group’s March 19 conference was led by Tammy Mittelstet, statewide education and career pathways coordinator for the university’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. The meeting included breakout sessions on four topics: teacher and student experiences pathways; compact procedures; workforce development; and expanding the experiential learning opportunities at the university’s Haskell Ag Lab in Concord.

Haskell, a 550-acre site 15 miles north of Wayne, includes extensive cropland, farming and ranching facilities, an arboretum, pollinator gardens and beehives. The compact hosts an annual teacher conference there to coordinate on Haskell-based learning opportunities for students.

Conferees agreed that the compact’s member organizations are doing a good job offering a large set of worthwhile events for students such as career days and field trips. CASNR provides a newsletter that helps compact members understand available resources among the partner organizations, along with events.

Conferees discussed possibilities for communications planforms, such as a listserv, that could strengthen the interaction among the compact’s teachers.

“Our goal, as far as teacher and student experiences, is that we need to determine a way to make connections with the teachers and let them know about opportunities that can support them, such as curriculum, school activities and field trips,” said Monty Larsen, a lecturer with the university’s Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Department who provides outreach support for agricultural and skilled technical science educators.

The compact’s original membership from 2019 consisted of CASNR, Little Priest Tribal College, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, Nebraska Indian Community College, Northeast Community College, Wayne Community Schools and Wayne State College.

In 2022, the compact’s membership expanded to include Educational Service Units 1, 7 and 8 along with these school districts: Ainsworth, Allen, Battle Creek, Boone Central, Crofton, Elkhorn Valley, Emerson-Hubbard, Homer, Laurel-Concord-Coleridge, Neligh-Oakdale, O’Neill, Ponca, South Sioux City, Stanton, Summerland, Umonhon Nation, Walthill, Winnebago, Winside and Wisner-Pilger.



Nebraska Farm Bureau Backs Property Tax Relief Measure

The Nebraska Farm Bureau (NEFB) is backing legislation that would provide significant tax reform and major property tax relief for Nebraskans. Legislative Bill (LB) 388 is a key piece of a broader tax reform package working its way through the Nebraska Legislature.

“Whether you own a home, farm, or business, Nebraskans have been vigilant in asking the Legislature to provide property tax relief. LB 388 is a critical part of doing just that. We appreciate the leadership that’s been demonstrated to move this bill and the broader package forward. As floor debate nears, we wanted to be very clear that Nebraska Farm Bureau and its members support this effort and we fully expect the members of the Legislature to do the same,” said Mark McHargue, NEFB president.

LB 388 achieves many of the objectives long sought by the organization to rebalance Nebraska’s three-legged tax stool. Today, property taxes levied in Nebraska have topped $5 billion, while sales tax collections account for just over $2 billion. The bill would help deliver property tax reductions by replacing property tax funds with sales taxes dollars generated through elimination of some sales tax exemptions, with the potential for an increase in the state’s sales tax rate through a trigger mechanism based on state revenues. The bill also includes provisions that seek to slow property tax collections by political subdivisions while still maintaining and respecting local control.

“We want Nebraska to grow. For that to happen we need to fix our tax policy that’s allowed property tax to be a major cost of doing business in the state. Addressing property taxes is also part of the solution to our state’s workforce issues, as property taxes are clearly driving up the costs of home ownership for our current and potential workforce. LB 388 and the work being done on the broader tax package to fix our property tax problem will raise the tide for all ships in Nebraska; rural and urban. We look forward to working with the Legislature to make historical changes for the betterment of all Nebraskans,” said McHargue.



Saunders County Livestock & Ag Association
Pre-planting meeting
Meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 2nd
Saunders County 4-H Building, Wahoo
6:30 Social
7:00 Supper



Farm Custom Rate Survey Shows What Iowans Are Charging and Paying in 2024

Farmers who depend on custom work or provide custom services can review rates charged by others across the state in the latest Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey.

The 2024 report was published in the March edition of Ag Decision Maker (https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/crops/html/a3-10.html) and includes 130 responses and 2,805 custom rates provided by Iowa farmers, custom operators and farm managers.

Farm tasks in the report include everything from planting to harvest, with cost data that reflect the average, median and range for each task.

The rates in the report are expected to be charged or paid in 2024, and they include fuel and labor (unless otherwise noted). The average price for diesel fuel (highway-retail including taxes) was assumed to be $3.92 per gallon (as projected by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in early February 2024). Rental rates for some machinery items are shown in the last section of the report, along with a worksheet for estimating rental rates for other items.

Ann Johanns, program specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and editor of Ag Decision Maker, said this year’s numbers seem more in line with the current farm economy.

“We’ve seen increases in rates the past two years (3% to 10% and 10% to 15%),” said Johanns. “The steady to slight decline in rates generally seen across the 2024 survey is closer to changes observed prior to the last two years.”

While the projected fuel price increased, production challenges and crop prices seem to have impacted custom rates as well.

Johanns said it’s important for custom operators to know the market for custom farming and to know their costs.

“If the custom operator isn’t covering their costs, they are operating at a loss,” she said. “If they don’t have a good handle on their cost to operate, there are helpful resources on Ag Decision Maker.”

New for 2024 is additional insight into who responded to each operation shown. Of the 2,468 who responded with usable rates: 48% are service providers, 32% are service users, 8% are both service providers and users, and 12% are unknown. The sources of the 69 rates reported for machinery rentals are: 38% machinery owners, 35% machinery renters, 11% machinery owners and renters, and 12% unknown. The sources of the 108 rates reported for wages are: 81% employers, 7% employees, 2% employer and employee, and 9% unknown.

The rate survey is intended only as a guide. Actual custom rates may vary according to availability of machinery in a given area, timeliness, operator skill, field size and shape, crop conditions and the performance characteristics of the machine being used.

“Ultimately, the Custom Rate survey is a starting point in discussions, but any custom rate charged, or paid, should cover the operator’s cost of owning and operating the machinery being used,” said Johanns. “Just using the results of the survey alone might not be the right answer for an individual operation.”



Weekly Ethanol Production for 3/22/2024

According to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending March 22, ethanol production increased 0.8% to 1.05 million b/d, equivalent to 44.27 million gallons daily. Output was 5.1% more than the same week last year and 8.8% above the five-year average for the week. Yet, the four-week average ethanol production rate declined 0.6% to 1.05 million b/d, which is equivalent to an annualized rate of 16.02 billion gallons (bg).

Ethanol stocks nudged up 0.3% to a 53-week high of 26.1 million barrels. Stocks were 2.2% more than the same week last year and 6.2% above the five-year average. Inventories thinned across the East (PADD 1) and Gulf (PADD 3) Coasts but built across the other regions, including the second-largest weekly reserves on record in the Midwest (PADD 2).

The volume of gasoline supplied to the U.S. market, a measure of implied demand, lowered 1.1% to 8.72 million b/d (133.60 bg annualized). Demand was 4.7% less than a year ago but 3.0% above the five-year average.

Refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol pared back 2.7% to a five-week low of 861,000 b/d, equivalent to 13.20 bg annualized. Net inputs were 3.0% less than a year ago but 4.3% above the five-year average.

Ethanol exports were estimated at 84,000 b/d (3.5 million gallons/day), or 37.3% below the prior week. There were zero imports of ethanol recorded for the 27th consecutive week.



Urea, UAN28 Lead Retail Fertilizer Prices Higher

Retail fertilizer prices remain mostly higher compared to last month, according to retailers tracked by DTN for the third week of March 2024.

Two fertilizers were up a considerable amount. DTN designates a significant move as anything 5% or more. Urea was 8% more expensive compared to last month and had an average price of $574/ton. UAN28 was 6% higher in price looking back a month and had an average price of $358/ton.

Five fertilizers were slightly higher compared to last month. DAP had an average price of $778/ton, MAP $823/ton, 10-34-0 $628/ton, anhydrous $793/ton and UAN32 $402/ton.

One fertilizer was slightly lower in price. Potash had an average price of $506/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.62/lb.N, anhydrous $0.48/lb.N, UAN28 $0.64/lb.N and UAN32 $0.63/lb.N.

Most fertilizer prices are lower compared to one year ago but one fertilizer is now slightly higher. MAP is 1% higher looking back a year. The remaining fertilizers are lower. DAP is 5% less expensive, urea is 8% lower, 10-34-0 15% less expensive, UAN28 is 17% lower, both potash and UAN32 are 22% less expensive and anhydrous is 23% lower compared to a year prior.



Mexico Temporarily Postpones Glyphosate Ban Until Substitute Found

Mexico is holding off imposing a ban on herbicides containing glyphosate that was set for the end of this month until a substitute can be found in order to maintain its agricultural production, the government said Tuesday.

The government added that the search for alternatives continued. A statement from Mexico's government said the Presidential Decree from February 2023 had set a March 31, 2024, deadline for the glyphosate ban and included the condition that alternatives had to be available.

"Since conditions haven't been reached to substitute the use of glyphosate in agriculture, interest in safeguarding the country's food security must prevail," it said.

According to the 2023 decree alternatives can include other agrochemicals considered safe for health, and weed control mechanisms that don't involve the use of herbicides.

The government cited studies stating that glyphosate has adverse effects on the health of humans and some animals.

The decree also includes a ban on genetically modified corn for human consumption and calls for the gradual phasing out of genetically-modified corn used for animal fodder or in industrial processing. Mexico says the ban is also aimed at protecting native varieties of corn.

The U.S. has challenged the ban on GMO corn -- most U.S.-grown corn is genetically modified -- which it says undermines the market access agreed to in the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement, or USMCA. In August the U.S. Trade Representative's office requested a USMCA dispute settlement panel after both countries failed to reach an agreement during a period of consultations. Most of the corn grown in the U.S. is genetically modified.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mexico imported $5.4 billion worth of U.S. corn last year, making it the top destination for U.S. exports of the grain.



U.S. Soy Selects Winner for Inaugural NEXTILE: Soy in Textile Design Challenge

U.S. Soy selected Kasandra Wright from the University of Arkansas as the national innovative winner of its first-ever NEXTILE: The Soy in Textiles Design Challenge. In its inaugural year, design students across the country were invited to leverage their creative and problem-solving skills to produce the next sustainable innovation in textile design. The catch? Students must create their products using one versatile ingredient — soybeans.

Each participating individual or team received a design kit including seven sustainable, soy-based materials: soy thread, soy leather, soy French Terry, organic pigment and other soy products. Project submissions leveraged one or more of these ingredients to produce new textile threads, dyes, paints, designs and more. Judges from the United Soybean Board, Levander Design, Springs Creative Products Group, and Modern Meadow selected the winner and runner-up.

“It’s been incredible to see how our soybeans come to life in the creative hands of these talented students,” said Carla Schultz, Michigan soybean farmer and United Soybean Board director, who served as a judge of the competition. “I’m so impressed with their designs — they were artful, progressive and captivating. I’m beyond excited by the creative thinking we saw in the inaugural NEXTILE Challenge. I’m excited for the future of each competitor who participated and for the future of soy.”

The winner, Wright, created a stunning moth design textile sample, symbolizing transformation, survival and new beginnings. As the winner, Wright will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

“Throughout this experience, I learned about the importance of what soy-based products can provide in the apparel and textile industry,” Wright said. “Soy fiber has an excellent drape and is a beautiful alternative to protein fibers as a sustainable material for apparel.”

Judges awarded second-place runner-up Anna Stuffelbeam of North Carolina State University a $500 scholarship for her foliage appliqué sample inspired by the plants that made up her fabric’s materials — soy, pomegranate and madder.

U.S. Soy has long been a critical ingredient for product innovation, going all the way back to Henry Ford, who used soy-based paints, textile materials and plastics for automobile design. Soy is used in every industry. Farmers can find their products in the streets they drive on, the shoes they wear and the biofuels for their vehicles. The possibilities are endless. There are more than 1,000 soy-based products currently on the market — from tires and dust suppressants to fabrics and turf. You name an industry, and U.S. Soy is almost always an essential component.

U.S. soybean farmers and industry partners consistently push the limits of innovation to discover and deliver solutions to the most significant challenges our world faces, such as food security and climate change. NEXTILE was created to put sustainable soy materials into the hands of the brightest young minds in design to create the next generation of eco-friendly textile solutions.

The national winner was chosen from a pool of students who advanced past the first round of judging. The six participating schools included: the University of Arkansas, North Carolina State University, Kansas City Art Institute, Pratt Institute, Savannah College of Art and Design, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Learn more about NEXTILE, the participating schools and students, and the next round of soy-based sustainable innovation at www.ussoy.org/nextile.



Robotics industry to hit $218 billion in 2030; will help agri sector tackle climate change and labor shortages, says GlobalData

The global agriculture sector faces various challenges, including the impacts of climate change and labor shortages. Robotics can help agriculture companies tackle these challenges by automating machines and supporting vertical farming. Against this backdrop, the robotics industry is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17% from $63 billion in 2022 to to $218 billion in 2030, forecasts GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData's latest Thematic Intelligence report, “Robotics in Agriculture,” reveals how robotics is helping to achieve precision agriculture and support workers in a new agricultural revolution. Precision agriculture involves using agrochemicals in a prescriptive manner to minimize waste and pollution. It is particularly important given the simultaneous issues of increased demand for food and rising labor and agricultural input prices.

Holly Anness-Bradshaw, Associate Thematic Intelligence Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Robots can carry out the strenuous and monotonous tasks that lead to injuries and fatigue. The agriculture industry is investing and innovating in many parts of the robotics industry, including drones, field robots, and robotics intelligence. Robots can be found on vineyards, with Burro’s robots helping workers carry up to 500 pounds of crops around fields and back to sorting houses.”

The future of agriculture will be underpinned by robots that augment the industry’s workforce. Robots will assist workers in the agriculture sector, not replace them.

Anness-Bradshaw continues: “Traditional agricultural companies like John Deere and Cargill, as well as agricultural startups, are all hiring and innovating in robotics. The agricultural sector is becoming increasingly aware of the potential and need for robotics to support labor and increase agricultural productivity. Traditional companies are forming partnerships with startups, like that between John Deere and Blue River Technologies, which led to the launch of the See & Spray. The See & Spray is a robot that uses sensors and AI to target weeds and spray pesticides precisely. Robots will support human workers by automating repetitive and strenuous tasks, such as tilling, but will also learn crop health and growing patterns.”

Robots are learning the growing patterns of specific produce. With the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with agricultural robots, this data is used to improve farm management strategies.

Anness-Bradshaw concludes: “Companies like Dogtooth are aiming to fully automate the lifecycle of strawberries to alleviate the pressure of labor shortages that lead to excess food waste so crops do not go unpicked. Dogtooth is a strawberry-picking robot arm, which is integrated with sensors, cameras, and AI. The robot can navigate rows of strawberries, determine whether they are ripe, delicately pick the berries, and then package them into punnets.”



 Chick-fil-A to drop ‘no antibiotics ever’ policy on chicken

Chick-fil-A is reversing course on a decade-old policy to only serve chicken that is free of antibiotics.

The company will start to loosen its purchasing standards for chicken this spring, allowing for animal antibiotics in cases where poultry become sick. The new “No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine” policy clarifies the chain won’t use medicines to treat people.

Chick-fil-A said on its website that the shift from a “no antibiotics ever” policy is necessary “to maintain supply of the high-quality chicken you expect from us.” The restaurant chain announced its far-reaching antibiotics ban in 2014.

A company spokesperson added it’s become more difficult to procure large amounts of antibiotic-free chicken, according to a statement to media outlets including the New York Times.

“As we looked to the future, the availability of high-quality chicken that meets our rigid standards became a concern,” Chick-fil-A said.

The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, and didn’t specify in its announcement what kind of supply headwinds it anticipates for antibiotic-free birds. Last year, major poultry-producing states struggled with bird flu outbreaks, though it has largely affected egg production.

Last year, chicken processing giant Tyson Foods announced it would also move away from a “no antibiotics ever” pledge. In 2022, Chick-Fil-A settled an antitrust lawsuit with Tyson that claimed the chicken processor conspired to drive up prices shortly after the restaurant chain first announced its antibiotics-free policy.

Wednesday March 27 Ag News

Keeping an eye on markets and weather
Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Educator

Currently, most conversations in the beef industry turn to how high cattle prices are going, whether we will have enough cattle to place on feed or to harvest, and how high are consumers willing to pay for beef. One might say this is the beef industry’s turn to capitalize on high prices, which usually trail years of high corn grain (and other feed) prices. On the supply side, drought has a lot to do with the current situation. On the demand side, consumers have been willing to buy beef at increasingly higher prices since spring of 2023.

Although economic news circulating in mainstream and social media may point to challenging times, the fact is that the Weekly Economic Index (a collection of indicators of consumer behavior, the labor market and production) 13-week running average is trending laterally at values similar to those immediately before the pandemic. From any perspective, this is great news. However, is this sufficient reason to trust that consumer willingness to purchase beef at higher prices will not waiver? No. However, it demonstrates that over a year where the boxed beef cutout climbed over 8%, the willingness by consumers to purchase beef has not declined.

On the demand side, it is worthwhile to remind ourselves that the true shrinkage in beef supply will come when the industry decides it is time to rebuild the herd resulting in a reduced supply of feeder heifers (this fall?). At that point, the next situation to watch is how many mama cows remain to expose to bulls in the summer and fall of 2024. Current, high cull cow prices (as high as the low in fed cattle prices during the last 10 years) indicate that the supply of cows is drying up.

For now, we have been concerned with packer chain speed holding back fed cattle price. Yet, last week, fed cattle sold in the North traded for $190/cwt. I have proposed that if, as we have been told so much before, the consumer is in the driver’s seat, then consumer demand for beef will drive chain speeds. Chain

speeds simply must catch up to demand and, under a tight supply, fed cattle price has to follow.

Where does this all leave the cow-calf operator? For the foreseeable future, feeder cattle prices should continue to trend upward. Astute cow-calf operators are working to get as many cows exposed this year to bulls bred while keeping calves alive and on track to heavy weaning or backgrounding weights. Calves weighing 600 lb have a chance of bringing in over $2,000/head this spring or fall.

What about cattle feeders? Markets finally reached $190/cwt last week (since a fleeting time in June). That is $2,850 for a 1,500-lb steer. We are all excited about this, but the sobering reality is: if these cattle were purchased as 600-lb feeders for $300/cwt, there was only $1,050 gross margin ($116.67/cwt breakeven cost of gain). We all remember corn grain prices were well over $6.00/bu in June of 2023. Corn grain prices only adjusted until after harvest in the fall of 2023. Yet, snowstorms in late 2023 and early 2024 kept cost of gain high until just recently.

Weatherwise we are beginning to hear that La Nina is making a comeback this summer. Never mind if this is climate newsworthy or if it has happened before. When I hear La Nina is back, I immediately think of hot and dry weather. If that is the case, then, weather will be another factor to watch as the beef industry enters the summer and fall months of 2024.

Hot and dry weather is a challenge to fertility in cow-calf operations, to health of young or weaning calves, and to sustained growth performance and conversion efficiency in cattle feedlots. Thus, although the promise of higher prices is driven by supply and demand, and demand may not be faltering (yet), summer weather may bring its own challenges to ever narrowing profit margins.



Agricultural exports via the Port of Baltimore
Mike Steenhoek, Executive Director, Soy Transportation Coalition

Given the dramatic events this week at the Francis Scott Key Bridge at Baltimore, I wanted to pass along some statistics regarding the Port of Baltimore as it applies to agriculture.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a helpful resource that monitors agricultural imports and exports by port region (https://agtransport.usda.gov/stories/s/U-S-Agricultural-Port-Profiles/7vku-v3nn/).

In 2020 (the most recent year available from USDA), the Port of Baltimore exported 142,152 metric tons of soybeans via container.  There are no reported soybean exports via bulk vessel.  The port imported 172,228 metric tons of soybeans via container and 34,185 metric tons of soybeans via bulk vessels.  In contrast, the Mississippi Gulf region – the leading export region for soybeans – accounted for 35.4 million metric tons of soybean exports by bulk.  There are no exports of soybeans via container from the Mississippi Gulf region.

The top five agricultural products handled (import and export combined) at the Port of Baltimore are:
    Sugar
    Soybeans
    Grain products (including corn and wheat)
    Coffee
    Grocery Items

The Port of Baltimore is the leading port for the import and export of automobiles and light trucks.  While the Port of Baltimore is not a significant port region for soybeans and grain, it obviously is a significant resource for the broader economy.  It also underscores the reality that while our oceans are vast and expansive, the ports that serve as the origins and destinations for global commerce can be vulnerable – whether due to weather, accident, or attack.  Investing in, maintaining, and securing these essential links in our national and global economy must remain a national priority.
 


How to Address Fertility Needs of Drought Damaged Pasture

Many pastures and hayfields across the state continue to recover from the dry conditions of 2023. One way to help boost forage production and help forages recover from these dry conditions is by addressing fertility needs.

Soil sampling in a pasture.Rebecca Vittetoe, field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said that while fertilization for perennial forages is often overlooked, it's just as vital as it is for row crops to maximize productivity.

"It is important to know what nutrients – particularly phosphorus, potassium and lime – your forages really need," she said. "And the only way to know is to soil test."

Nutrient determinations
Two publications from ISU Extension and Outreach provide some useful guidance. "Take a Good Soil Sample to Help Make Good Fertilization Decisions" provides more information on soil sampling.

Soils that test low or very low will benefit the most from P and K fertilization, Vittetoe said, and the publication “A General Guide for Crop Nutrient and Limestone Recommendations in Iowa" can help you interpret your soil test results.

“For example, if your soil test for an alfalfa-grass pasture comes back as 20 ppm P (Bray P1) and 130 ppm K (dry), we can look at Table 10 in the crop nutrient publication and see that it would be recommended to apply 90 pounds P205 per acre and 250 pounds K20 per acre, because both the P and K are in the low testing category,” she said.

Also, remember that forage harvest removes a lot of P and K. Table 2 in the crop nutrient publication provides information to estimate crop removal rates. You want to put back at least what you take off; however, if you cannot afford a full removal rate, put on what you can afford. If you must choose between P and K, prioritize the K because forages have a higher K removal rate.

If soils are very low or low in P or K, the recommendation is to apply P and K either in the early spring or in the fall to help boost forage production. For soils that test in the optimum category, the timing of P and K applications is more flexible.

Vittetoe reminded producers not to forget about soil pH because it also impacts forage productivity and nutrient availability.

"In your soil test results, the soil pH indicates if we need to add lime, and the buffer pH tells how much lime is needed," she said. "A soil pH of around 6.0 is recommended for grass-based hayfields and pastures. To encourage and maintain legumes, try to maintain a pH of 6.5 for clovers and birdsfoot trefoil and a pH of 6.9 for alfalfa."

Also in the crop nutrient publication, producers should use Table 16 to determine lime needs, and follow the typical recommendations for the 2-inch or 3-inch depth when determining how much lime to apply in pastures.

"Producers often ask if pelletized lime or ag lime should be used. Both forms of lime are effective," Vittetoe said. "However, pelletized lime tends to work faster than the ag lime, which tends to take longer, but has more longevity. Like P and K, application is typically recommended in early spring or fall."

Nitrogen considerations
If producers take a first cutting of hay off prior to grazing, they may want a more aggressive nitrogen rate compared to resting their pasture prior to turn out. If you have tall fescue, be cautious to not over-fertilize with nitrogen.

Suggested N application rates are found in tables 1 and 2 in the publication “Boosting Pasture Production.” From a timing perspective, N can be applied either once annually or split-applied. Single applications typically are made in early spring, March or April. If split-applying N, apply in the early spring and again in August.

To minimize nitrogen losses, using ammonium sulfate or urea coated with a urease inhibitor is often preferred. Liquid nitrogen can work well if producers want to apply herbicide with the fertilizer, Vittetoe said. However, be aware you may see nitrogen burn on the forage. Let the grass recover from this prior to baling or grazing.



Iowa Nutrient Research Center opens request for new water quality research proposals, due May 3

The Iowa Nutrient Research Center is accepting new proposals for research projects designed to reduce nitrate and phosphorus in Iowa’s water. The center invites proposals for water quality projects that will benefit farmers, landowners, agribusinesses, policy makers and communities.

“This year’s RFP is informed by two meetings held this February that included more than 40 diverse stakeholders,” said INRC Director Matt Helmers. “We have tried to represent the top priorities that came out of a broad set of research ideas compiled by those who attended.”

This year the center will prioritize seven areas of research for funding:
    Sociological, economic, and policy incentives for nutrient practices that benefit both operators and landowners.
    Floodplain management and/or in-channel processes impact on nutrient export.
    Marginal land use alternatives to maximize biodiversity, environmental benefits, and nutrient reduction.
    Changing weather patterns effect on nutrient fluxes and/or practice performance.
    Crop and livestock systems research, including projects related to manure and nutrient management, optimizing cover crops and examining economic and environmental performance of integrated crop/livestock systems and/or diversified cropping systems.
    Cumulative impacts of nutrient reduction practice implementation at different scales.
    New technologies.

“Sound research projects that don’t fit these priorities will also be considered,” Helmers said.

Potential applicants are encouraged to review the full 2024 request for proposals (PDF) for complete details about the priority topics and application instructions. Proposals will be accepted from any Iowa nonprofit, agency or educational institution. Projects can last up to two years. Investigators that were funded in 2023 for multiple years do not have to reapply.

Selection will be based on the amount of funding available and how well projects reflect the priorities and instructions listed in the request for proposals. Specific elements that will be considered include the soundness of the research plan for the time period proposed, plans for data collection and management, and outreach activities. All proposals are judged by a set of reviewers who are not associated with any of the proposed projects.

Proposals are due by May 3, 2024, for projects that would begin in August. Award decisions will be made in July.

Questions about the request for proposals should be directed to INRC Program Specialist Malcolm Robertson, at 515-294-5692 or malcolmr@iastate.edu, or INRC Director Matt Helmers, at mhelmers@iastate.edu.

Established in 2013, the Iowa Nutrient Research Center selects promising proposals every year to fund research to help meet the goals identified in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Since its inception, the center has sponsored more than 136 water quality projects with $16.4 million in state appropriations.

Ongoing and past research projects can be viewed at https://www.cals.iastate.edu/inrc/projects.



Biofuel and Ag Groups Call on EPA to Issue E15 Emergency Waiver

Today, the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Farmers Union, and National Sorghum Producers sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calling on Administrator Michael Regan to act swiftly on an emergency waiver for E15 sales:

“New and ongoing conflicts across the globe continue to pose risks to the United States’ transportation energy supply. In addition to the conflict in Ukraine, now extending into its third year, the recent unrest and volatility in the Middle East present additional challenges to American energy security. In particular, attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have already had a disruptive effect on the transit of fuel in the region, raising the specter of constrained supply and increased gasoline prices at home,” wrote America’s top biofuel advocates.  

To remedy the ongoing disruptions to global energy markets, stabilize gasoline prices for American consumers, and support domestic energy security, the authors urged EPA to quickly authorize the summer sale of gasoline blended with up to 15 percent ethanol.  

“The consumer cost savings that result from allowing the year-round sale of E15, even on a temporary basis, are well-established. As a result of the emergency waivers issued in 2022 and 2023, consumers choosing E15 experienced average cost savings of 10-30 cents per gallon, with some locations offering over $1 off per gallon,” they added.



After drought, managing calf and cow health is critical

The effects of drought conditions on the cow herd can extend beyond the cow to the newborn calves, especially if they’re born into wet conditions, said Jess Hinrichs, DVM, with Zoetis beef technical services, and based in Sutton, Nebraska.

“It comes down to cows with poor body condition scores. It’s well documented that cows with poor body condition will have poor-quality colostrum, and that we get less colostral transfer to those calves,” Dr. Hinrichs said. “After a drought, these cows have been impacted and haven’t gained any body condition. Their calves are going to get less immunity through their colostrum than they would in a normal year. The calves are going to be more susceptible to early life or neonatal health challenges if we don’t have that foundation of immunity that we typically get from colostrum.”

As far as disease challenges facing these immunosuppressed calves, the main ones are scours (neonatal diarrhea) and respiratory disease.

“We’re going to be dealing with conditions at calving that are much wetter than we’ve expected and more favorable for stress and pathogen exposure,” Dr. Hinrichs said.

Scours tends to be more of a management disease, so reducing pathogen exposure and increasing the comfort for those calves is a good start to helping the calves get through the period of greatest risk.

If possible, he recommends employing a “Sandhills” style calving system which includes some rotation throughout the calving period with expecting cows removed to a fresh pasture and leaving cow/calf pairs behind.

Other practices that can help include giving cow/calf pairs more space, providing ample bedding and/or a sheltered area that calves can access. These areas need to be cleaned out and re-bedded on a routine schedule so they don’t become heavily contaminated.

For respiratory conditions, Dr. Hinrichs recommends focusing more on colostrum management and potentially supplementation, whether with actual colostrum from within the herd or from some of the commercial colostrum supplements on the market. “This might be a good year to try to manage colostrum better and provide extra supplementation for those calves,” he said.

He notes increasing the use of intranasal vaccines, such as Inforce 3®, early in life helps provide respiratory protection without maternal antibody interference sometimes seen with injectable respiratory vaccines.

Dr. Hinrichs also recommends giving calves a respiratory vaccine just before they’re turned out on grass. For cow/calf producers, respiratory disease is a large component of calf losses, so providing a boost with another vaccination at branding or turnout can help limit those losses. At turnout or branding, the two-month-old calf’s immune system is more mature than it was at a week of age, so there is going to be a stronger immune response to that vaccine, providing protection into the summer months.

These later vaccinations also help prime the calves for the next round of vaccines at preconditioning or weaning, Dr. Hinrichs said. If the immune system is primed from a branding vaccination for respiratory disease, there is a two-fold benefit from those vaccines: (1) calves are better protected while on grass, and (2) calves are set up for a quicker and higher level of protection at weaning.

With the calves set up for a strong start, it is also time to support the cow as she prepares for the breeding season. “The biggest thing we can do to help that cow is supporting her nutritionally. We’ve got to be heavily focused on rations and make sure we’re providing her with everything she needs,” Dr. Hinrichs said.

This means working with a nutritionist to make sure rations are meeting nutritional needs to get the cow herd into at least a maintenance state or better yet gaining body condition heading into breeding season. Micronutrients – vitamins and minerals – should not be neglected at this time, he said, as deficiencies are often seen after a drought and drought-stressed forages may have the same deficiencies. It may be more important to test forages this year as they may not contain the expected nutrient levels.

While the nutritional side of cattle management is important in the gestation period, producers should not neglect their vaccination programs either, Dr. Hinrichs said. “We want to do everything we can do to protect those fetuses because fetal losses can add up, and fetuses may be more fragile this year than other years due to the drought.”



Meat and Poultry Coalition: EPA’s Wastewater Guidelines True Cost Is Over $1 Billion and Over 100,000 Jobs  

A coalition of meat and poultry industry groups said the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA or the Agency) proposed wastewater guidelines will cost hundreds of millions more than Agency estimates, eliminate tens of thousands of jobs and close many processing facilities, resulting in hardship for livestock and poultry producers.

“We believe that the proposed Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) would thwart the Biden administration’s efforts and limit, or reverse, these outcomes for small processors, rural job creation, producer livelihoods and a resilient food supply chain,” the coalition said.

The Meat and Poultry Products Industry Coalition (MPP or the Coalition) made the remarks in comments submitted in response to the EPA’s proposed rule revising the ELGs for wastewater discharged by meat and poultry processing and rendering facilities. Last amended in 2004, the meat and poultry ELGs currently apply to about 180 of the estimated 5,300 meat and poultry facilities nationwide. EPA estimates between 845 and 1,620 facilities would be subject to and incur costs should the proposed ELGs become final. The full comments are here.

The Coalition made the following key arguments in the comments:

The Agency has grossly underestimated closures for many MPP facilities:   
Industry analysis of the projected number of MPP facility closures for Option 1 without chlorides would jump from the 16 sites estimated in the proposed rule to 74 sites.  

The projected number of near-term job losses associated with these facility closures would increase from nearly 17,000 estimated in the proposed rule to nearly 80,000 direct job losses from plant closures.

The projected closures and job losses for the more stringent regulatory options would increase similarly. For Option 2 with chlorides, for example, the projected number of facility closures would increase to 139, 15% of facilities that exceed the Option 2 threshold, or 340 closures for Option 3.

The proposed rule harms the relationship between MPPs and publicly owned treatment works (POTWs):
Indirect discharging MPP facilities often make significant financial investments in maintaining and upgrading the POTW or shouldering major surcharges for the POTW’s continued operation and maintenance. This investment reduces public treatment costs for residential ratepayers and improves the quality of local and downstream waters.

EPA’s analyses of pollutant loadings are inconsistent with its cost analyses:  
EPA is taking credit for pollutant removals that are already occurring.   

EPA has not timely provided complete information on its analysis:
EPA has not provided complete information for public and industry stakeholder verification in a timely way.  
 
The Meat and Poultry Products Industry Coalition is made up of the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Meat Institute, National Chicken Council, National Pork Producers Council, National Turkey Federation, North American Renderers Association and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.



Merck Animal Health Introduces SEQUIVITY® with Microsol Diluvac Forte® Adjuvant Prescription Vaccine for Use in Gilts and Sows

Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside of the United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), today announced it has received license approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for SEQUIVITY® with Microsol Diluvac Forte® (MDF) adjuvant prescription vaccine for use in gilts and sows.

The vaccine utilizes the innovative RNA Particle Technology that is part of its legacy SEQUIVITY platform combined with the power of MDF, the same trusted adjuvant used in CIRCUMVENT® and PORCILIS® Ileitis products, to create safe, flexible, and precise vaccines to fit the unique needs of specific herds. MDF enhances the immune response to the antigens and increases the duration of immunity. The SEQUIVITY vaccine prescription platform creates custom products for influenza, rotavirus, PCV3, sapovirus and more.

The SEQUIVITY technology is a revolutionary, flexible, rapid and targeted vaccine production platform incorporating immuno-precision capabilities that protect against a wide range of disease-causing viral and bacterial pathogens in swine. While traditional vaccines can take years to develop, this technology can provide a solution in a very short timeframe. By using carefully selected gene sequences, the production platform enables the targeted creation of a vaccine as needed for rapidly evolving pathogens, thereby offering a precise solution to existing and evolving disease challenges.

“Merck Animal Health continues to shape the future of animal health by introducing innovative, science-driven ways to improve swine health and performance,” said Jeremy Maurer, V.M.D., associate director of U.S. Livestock Insights and Outcomes for Merck Animal Health. “We are excited to offer a new vaccine with an adjuvant using our SEQUIVITY technology that builds on the legacy of our innovative RNA Particle vaccine platform. It’s all supported by our web-based SEQUIVITY dashboard to help swine producers and veterinarians make data-driven decisions based on relevant insights to address herd-specific needs.”

The vaccine comes in two bottles, a frozen antigen bottle and a diluent bottle, and is mixed at the point of use.

Tuesday March 26 Ag News

Grain Safety Takes Center Stage: Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Soybean Board Promote Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week

The Nebraska Corn Board (NCB) and Nebraska Soybean Board (NSB) have partnered together for the 2024 Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week because everyone deserves to go home from work each day. The goal is to raise awareness among farmers and agricultural workers about the importance of safety when working in and around grain bins. This initiative also emphasizes the significance of overall safety practices on the farm.

As Nebraska farmers strive for innovation and higher yields, there has been a notable increase in on-farm storage. According to the USDA NASS report in 2023, there were over 890 million bushels of corn stored on Nebraska farms, an increase of 31% from 2022. Nebraska soybeans also saw a 39% increase over 2022 with 87 million bushels of soybeans stored on Nebraska farms.

An increase in on-farm storage means more risk for accidents associated with grain handling and bin storage. NCB and NSB encourage farmers and those in the agriculture industry to stay focused, planned and safe during “Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week” and throughout the year.

“Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week” takes place from March 25 to 29 and is organized through a collaboration between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Grain and Feed Association, the Grain Elevator and Processing Society and the Grain Handling Safety Council.

In 2022, at least 42 grain bin entrapments were reported in Nebraska, the highest in a decade. It takes merely four seconds for an adult to sink to knee-deep in the suction of flowing grain, and within 20 seconds, they can be completely engulfed. NCB and NSB encourage those who work in and around grain bins to have a plan in place for safety and to properly learn safety steps. With proper safety procedures, grain bin accidents are preventable.

The only true way to help reduce the risk of grain entrapment on your farm or facility is to strongly discourage people from entering a bin unless it’s absolutely necessary. If necessary, follow these seven steps aimed at grain bin safety.
    Ensure all equipment and power sources for grain handling equipment have been shut off, secured or properly locked.
    The person entering the grain bin must wear a safety harness and lifeline attached and properly secured, or be seated in a boatswain chair - a device that allows a person to suspend from a rope to perform work in high places.
    Wear an appropriate dust mask or respirator when entering grain bins. Grain bins contain substantial amounts of dust and/or mold and present a hazard to workers.
    Never enter a grain bin alone.
    There must be an observer located outside of the grain bin that is able to monitor the person inside the bin.
    Ensure the observer and person in the bin can easily communicate.
    Ensure that rescue resources are available if the person does become entrapped.

If a person does become entrapped, call 911 immediately.

NCB and NSB will be sharing grain bin safety tips from their social media channels this week and throughout the year. More information can also be found at standup4grainsafety.org.



NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending March 24, 2024, topsoil moisture supplies rated 13% very short, 34% short, 52% adequate, and 1% surplus, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 14% very short, 45% short, 39% adequate, and 2% surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Winter wheat condition rated 2% very poor, 4% poor, 28% fair, 54% good, and 12% excellent.

Weekly reports will begin April 1st for the 2024 season.



USDA Authorizes Conservation Reserve Program Graze and Hay Donations to Wildfire-Impacted Livestock Producers in Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) authorizes the release of emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres nationwide, including CRP acres in Nebraska, to livestock producers affected by the recent wildfires in Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

“Many ranchers in Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma impacted by the recent, devastating wildfires are in need of grazing acres and hay resources to sustain their herds while they work over the coming months to restore their operations,” said Tim Divis, Acting State Executive Director for USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Nebraska. “If you have Conservation Reserve Program acres that you are willing to donate to these livestock producers for the purpose of grazing and haying, please contact your local FSA office. Your donations are needed and greatly appreciated.”

States and counties currently affected by wildfire include:
    Nebraska: Custer, Lincoln and Logan
    Oklahoma: Beaver, Dewey, Ellis, Harper, Kay, Roger Mills, Texas, Woods and Woodward
    Texas: Armstrong, Carson, Gray, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Roberts and Wheeler

CRP Emergency Haying and Grazing
Earlier this month FSA expanded authorization of emergency haying and grazing of CRP acres to support the relocation of livestock for grazing purposes. There is no fee or annual rental payment reduction assessed for emergency haying and grazing.  

Emergency haying and grazing is available until the beginning of the Primary Nesting Season (PNS) in each state. Primary nesting season dates in Nebraska are May 1 through July 15. Emergency grazing can continue during the PNS with a 50% reduction in stocking rate if the county meets the Livestock Forage Disaster Program drought eligibility trigger of D2 for eight consecutive weeks or D3 or greater on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

How to Donate CRP Grazing and Haying Rights
Eligible CRP participants who want to donate CRP acres for the purpose of emergency grazing and haying must obtain a modified conservation plan, which includes emergency grazing requirements from either USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or the participant's Technical Service Provider before the CRP acres are hayed or grazed. To ensure emergency haying or grazing of CRP acres is only being utilized by livestock producers adversely impacted by the wildfire, the livestock producer must file a CCC-576 (Notice of Loss) or provide a written certification to be included in the CRP contract file.

Haying or grazing activities are not authorized if these activities will cause long-term damage to the vegetative cover on the land as determined on a contract-by-contract basis. The CRP participant is responsible for non-compliance with the CRP contract provisions.

Due to privacy laws, FSA cannot release the names of producers willing to assist livestock producers in the fire-impact areas without their written consent. CRP participants must voluntarily disclose their willingness to assist livestock producers and consent to the disclosure of their personal information before FSA can release the information to livestock producers seeking assistance.

CRP participants who are interested in donating CRP grazing and haying privileges should contact their local USDA Service Center to confirm CRP practice eligibility and obtain approval from FSA prior to grazing or haying eligible CRP acres.

Non-Emergency Grazing and Haying of CRP Acres
As a reminder, non-emergency haying and grazing authority is also an available option for wildfire-impacted livestock producers. Non-emergency grazing and haying activities can occur according to the CRP participant’s conservation plan during drought or natural disaster conditions, but the site conditions should be taken into consideration and the plan modified, as needed. Non-emergency harvesting for hay is authorized once during the approved event and no later than Aug. 31. Participants must leave 25% of the contract acres unharvested or hayed. Non-emergency grazing must not exceed 120 days. During the PNS, there must be a 50% carrying capacity reduction. For both non-emergency grazing and haying, there will be a 25% annual rental payment reduction.

In addition to CRP emergency and non-emergency grazing and haying provisions, FSA recently announced policy flexibilities for several key disaster assistance programs to aid agricultural producers who have experienced significant livestock, feed, forage and infrastructure loss from recent wildfires. See March 8, 2024, news release for more information.

Online Wildfire Recovery Resources
On farmers.gov, the Wildfire Recovery Webpage, Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool can help producers and landowners determine program or loan options. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent. For FSA and NRCS programs, they should contact their local USDA Service Center. 



Annual tractor and equipment safety training dates set for late May, early June

Annual tractor and equipment safety training courses for youth, to be held in eight sites across Nebraska in late May and early June, now are open for registration.

The trainings are held in collaboration with Nebraska Extension and the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health. Although designed for 14- to 15-year-old students, the courses are open to all interested in learning more about the safe operation of tractors and equipment.

Nebraska Extension began the tractor safety course more than 50 years ago. Since 2013, when the CS-CASH and Extension partnership began, more than 1,200 young Nebraska farmers and ranchers have received safety training certification.

The training can be lifesaving. From 2001 through 2015, 48% of all fatal injuries to young, hired workers occurred in agriculture, and the leading cause of death in these young workers was tractor-related accidents.

Federal law prohibits children under 16 from using certain equipment on a farm unless their parents or legal guardians own the farm. However, certification received through this course grants an exemption to the law allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and to do field work with certain mechanized equipment.

Certification is earned by completing a Hands-On Safety Day with a written test on the first day, followed by a tractor and equipment safety training course, including a driving exam, on the second day. Successful completion will result in certification for 14- and 15-year-old youth to be employed on farms and ranches.

See more information and register for the two-day course... https://www.unmc.edu/publichealth/cscash/outreach/farm-safety-days.html

The education team will include Aaron Yoder, PhD, UNMC associate professor and CS-CASH researcher. Dr. Yoder will be joined by CS-CASH team members Risto Rautianen, PhD, Ellen Duysen and Kelsey Irvine, and extension educators Randy Saner, Alfredo DiConstanzo, PhD, John Thomas and Ron Seymour.

Day 1 of the course will cover the required elements of the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program, including quizzes that students must pass to attend the driving portion of the training. Day 2 will include a driving test, equipment operation and ATV safety lessons. Students must demonstrate competence in hitching and unhitching equipment and driving a tractor and trailer through a standardized course. The two-day course will include lessons on emergency first aid, personal protective equipment use, ATV/UTV safety and livestock handling.

List of training locations:

Day 1 Training: Hands-on training and written certification exam.
    May 21 – North Platte: Lincoln, Logan, McPherson County Extension Office, 348 West State Farm Road
    May 28 – West Point: Cuming County Fairgrounds, W. Washington St.
    May 30 – Weeping Water: Cass County Fairgrounds, 8400 144th St.
    June 5 – Gordon: Gordon, 613 E 3rd St.
    June 11 – Grand Island: Raising Nebraska Building, 501 East Fonner Park, Suite 100

Day 2 Training: Tractor and Equipment Safety Training with Driving Exam
    May 22 - North Platte: Lincoln, Logan, McPherson County Extension Office, 348 West State Farm Road
    May 29 – West Point: Cuming County Fairgrounds, W. Washington Street
    May 31 – Weeping Water: Cass County Fairgrounds, 8400 144th St.
    June 4 – Gering: Legacy of the Plains Museum, 2930 Old Oregon Trail
    June 6 – Gordon: Gordon, 613 E 3rd St.
    June 7 – O’Neill: AKRS Equipment, 49110 US Hwy 20
    June 12 – Grand Island: Raising Nebraska Building, 501 East Fonner Park, Suite 100
    June 13 – Hastings: Adams County Extension, 2975 S. Baltimore Ave.

The course costs $40 and includes educational materials, lunch on both days and supplies. Youth under 14 can register for and attend Certification Day 1 if accompanied by an adult. They cannot drive equipment, attend Day 2 or become certified. Students under 14 must still register but will not be charged the registration fee.

Those attending a location that only offers Day 2 (Gering, Hastings and O’Neill) must complete Certification Day 1 at another location or complete a virtual module. Certification Day 1 (or online module) must be completed, passing the written exam, before attending Certification Day 2.

Contact Ellen Duysen via email with questions about scheduling.



USDA Identify HPAI in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico dairy herds

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state veterinary and public health officials, are investigating an illness among primarily older dairy cows in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico that is causing decreased lactation, low appetite, and other symptoms.

As of Monday, March 25, unpasteurized, clinical samples of milk from sick cattle collected from two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas, as well as an oropharyngeal swab from another dairy in Texas, have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Additional testing was initiated on Friday, March 22, and over the weekend because farms have also reported finding deceased wild birds on their properties. Based on findings from Texas, the detections appear to have been introduced by wild birds. Initial testing by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories has not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans, which would indicate that the current risk to the public remains low.

Federal and state agencies are moving quickly to conduct additional testing for HPAI, as well as viral genome sequencing, so that we can better understand the situation, including characterization of the HPAI strain or strains associated with these detections.
 
At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health. Dairies are required to send only milk from healthy animals into processing for human consumption; milk from impacted animals is being diverted or destroyed so that it does not enter the food supply. In addition, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. Pasteurization is required for any milk entering interstate commerce.

Federal agencies are also working with state and industry partners to encourage farmers and veterinarians to report cattle illnesses quickly so that we can monitor potential additional cases and minimize the impact to farmers, consumers and other animals. For the dairies whose herds are exhibiting symptoms, on average about ten percent of each affected herd appears to be impacted, with little to no associated mortality reported among the animals. Milk loss resulting from symptomatic cattle to date is too limited to have a major impact on supply and there should be no impact on the price of milk or other dairy products.

This is a rapidly evolving situation, and USDA and federal and state partners will continue to share additional updates as soon as information becomes available.



Naig Comments on USDA’s Detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Kansas and Texas Dairy Cattle

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig Monday commented on the announcement made by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas:

“Our team is actively monitoring this evolving situation regarding the news that dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas have tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. We are communicating with USDA, other states and industry stakeholders while we learn more and as there are new developments. Protecting Iowa's livestock farmers from foreign animal disease has been and will continue to be one of my top priorities as Secretary.”

Report Sick Cattle
We are strongly encouraging industry partners, farmers and veterinarians to report cattle illnesses quickly to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at 515-281-5305 so that we can monitor any potential cases.

Food Safety
At this stage, USDA believes that there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health. Dairies are required to send only milk from healthy animals into processing for human consumption. Milk from impacted animals is diverted or destroyed so that it does not enter the food supply. In addition, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. Pasteurization is required for any milk entering interstate commerce.



Joint Dairy Organization Statement on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Cows

Statement from the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and Dairy Management Inc. (DMI)

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in two dairy cattle herds in Texas and two herds in Kansas.  

Importantly, USDA confirmed that there is no threat to human health and milk and dairy products remain safe to consume. Pasteurization (high heat treatment) kills harmful microbes and pathogens in milk, including the influenza virus.

Also, routine testing and well-established protocols for U.S. dairy will continue to ensure that only safe milk enters the food supply. In keeping with the federal Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), milk from sick cows must be collected separately and is not allowed to enter the food supply chain. This means affected dairy cows are segregated, as is normal practice with any animal health concern, and their milk does not enter the food supply.

Consumers in the United States and around the world can remain confident in the safety and quality of U.S. dairy.

Enhanced Biosecurity Protocols Underway on U.S. Dairy Farms
As information related to an illness affecting dairy cows in several states began to circulate over the past two weeks, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) worked with state veterinary authorities as well as federal partners including the FDA to swiftly identify and respond to detections and mitigate the virus’ impact on U.S. dairy production. Dairy farmers also have begun implementing enhanced biosecurity protocols on their farms, limiting the amount of traffic into and out of their properties and restricting visits to employees and essential personnel. Avian influenza is an animal health issue, not a human health concern. Importantly, mammals including cows do not spread avian influenza—it requires birds as the vector of transmission and it’s extremely rare for the virus to affect humans because most people will never have direct and prolonged contact with an infected bird, especially on a dairy farm. As a precaution, dairy farmers are taking important measures to protect their workers.



NCBA Statement on HPAI Detected in Dairy Cattle

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is aware that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in samples collected from dairy cattle in the United States. Importantly, the agency confirmed there is no threat to human health, and milk and meat remains safe to consume. USDA has confirmed that affected dairy cows do not appear to be transmitting the virus to other cattle within the same herd.  

At present, HPAI has not been detected in beef cattle. However, producers are encouraged to implement enhanced biosecurity measures on their farms and ranches to help protect their herds. For more information on animal health protocols and developing an effective biosecurity plan, cattle farmers and ranchers are encouraged to visit www.bqa.org, and complete or update their certification in Beef Quality Assurance practices. Producers can also visit usda.gov for resources on how to manage wildlife to limit exposure to HPAI.



USDA Cold Storage February 2024 Highlights

Total red meat supplies in freezers on February 29, 2024 were down 4 percent from the previous month and down 13 percent from last year. Total pounds of beef in freezers were down 6 percent from the previous month and down 12 percent from last year. Frozen pork supplies were down 1 percent from the previous month and down 12 percent from last year. Stocks of pork bellies were up 2 percent from last month but down 10 percent from last year.

Total frozen poultry supplies on February 29, 2024 were down 1 percent from the previous month and down 5 percent from a year ago. Total stocks of chicken were down 5 percent from the previous month and down 9 percent from last year. Total pounds of turkey in freezers were up 9 percent from last month and up 4 percent from February 29, 2023.

Total natural cheese stocks in refrigerated warehouses on February 29, 2024 were up slightly from the previous month and up 2 percent from February 29, 2023. Butter stocks were up 19 percent from last month and up 1 percent from a year ago.

Total frozen fruit stocks on February 29, 2024 were down 9 percent from last month but up 4 percent from a year ago. Total frozen vegetable stocks were down 7 percent from last month and down 3 percent from a year ago.



Large Placements and More On-Feed
David P. Anderson, Extension Economist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Friday’s USDA Cattle on Feed report was largely as expected. Placements were a little higher than the pre-report estimates anticipated. Marketings met expectations, up 3.4 percent from last year with one more work day in February this year. That left 1.3 percent more cattle on feed than March 1, 2023.

Even though there were few surprises in the report, the placement data is worth a closer look. Placements up 9.7 percent may have been a surprise for some who know we have fewer cows, fewer calves, and falling beef production. A rare event occurred in placements in that more cattle were placed in February than in January. Fewer cattle are usually placed in February due, in part, to it being a shorter month. How do we get placements that much ahead of last year? Timing is part of the answer. A large winter storm in January likely pushed some placements back. Unseasonably warm weather in February probably pulled some placements ahead, especially given that the warm weather started wheat growing and cattle needed to be pulled off if the wheat is to be harvested. Placements in all weight classes greater than 700 pounds were more than 10 percent larger than last year.

Placements over the last 2 months are less than 1 percent above last year. Over the last year, placements are about 0.5 percent smaller than the year before. Placements in 2023 were boosted by heifers going to feedyards instead of being held for herd replacement and a few more feeder cattle from Mexico.

The next cattle on feed report will have the quarterly breakdown of steers and heifers on feed. That may give some clues on heifer placements. The number of cattle on feed continues to be larger than a year ago, boosted by placements and cattle remaining on feed longer. The number on feed should begin to drop below year before levels in the next couple of months.



The Benefits of High Oleic Soybeans as Feed Ingredient for Dairy Cows

With feed costs for dairy cows responsible for approximately 50% of milk production costs, dairy farmers are always looking for ways to reduce costs without sacrificing milk yield or quality.

Pioneer® brand Plenish® high oleic soybeans have been gaining popularity as a new alternative feed ingredient for dairy farmers. Plenish high oleic soybeans offer a high-energy, high-protein desirable fatty acid profile.

The high oleic and low linoleic content of Plenish high oleic soybeans allows for higher dietary inclusion levels than commodity soybeans. By incorporating Plenish high oleic soybeans into their feeding regimen, dairy farmers can potentially reduce costs and improve profitability while maintaining – and even improving – milk fat content.

“Plenish soybeans are a double benefit,” said Dann Bolinger, Pioneer Dairy Specialist. “On one side, it can reduce feed costs for many farms, and on the other side, has the potential to better a dairy cow’s milk output.”

Corn silage is still the primary forage choice for dairy farmers due to its high tonnage, nutritional qualities and cost effectiveness. However, even though it is low in fat content, it contains a significant amount of linoleic acid. When included in large amounts, corn silage can add to the ruminal polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) load, which has been linked to decreased milk fat percentage.

Research from Penn State and Michigan State land grant universities has shown that feeding extruded or raw processed Plenish high oleic soybeans helps improve milk fat percentage.

As with most agronomic practices, dairy farmers should evaluate the economic return of growing and feeding high oleic soybeans for their own herds.