Friday April 26 Ag News

Harms named next director of Nebraska LEAD program

Kurtis Harms, an experienced agricultural industry leader and communicator, has been selected as the next director of the Nebraska LEAD Program.

Harms will begin his appointment June 1. He succeeds Terry Hejny, who is retiring after serving 17 years as the program’s director.

LEAD is a leadership development program for adults tailored toward preparing the next generation of agricultural leaders in Nebraska. The program, founded more than 42 years ago, has prepared hundreds of leaders who have held local, county and statewide office. The Nebraska LEAD Program is housed within the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“The LEAD Program has a very strong foundation, and LEAD fellows have had an incredible impact on Nebraska,” said Harms, who took part in the 40th class of the program. “I’m excited to continue that legacy.”

Harms is interested in pursuing avenues to connect LEAD to younger Nebraskans through partnerships with 4-H, FFA and other youth leadership development programs. He is also interested in expanding opportunities for graduates of LEAD to remain involved and engaged.

“I think there is an opportunity to connect the dots before and after the Nebraska LEAD Program,” he said.

For the past two years, Harms has served as the director of marketing for Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics, overseeing marketing strategy, internal and external communications for both entities. Prior to that, he served as the director of communications for the Nebraska Corn Board. Before that, he spent 10 years with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as the executive director of Market Journal, UNL’s weekly agricultural television program.

He has also taught courses for students in UNL’s Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Communications program.

“Kurtis has spent his entire career advocating for Nebraska agriculture, its future and, most importantly, its people,” said Mike Boehm NU vice president and Harlan Vice Chancellor for IANR. “He brings energy, fresh ideas and incredible passion to this position, and I am confident LEAD will flourish under his leadership.”

The Nebraska LEAD Program is currently accepting applications for its 43rd class. The application deadline is June 15. To learn more about Nebraska LEAD or apply, visit LEAD.unl.edu.



Nebraska Celebrates Renewable Fuels Month This May

Renewable Fuels Month highlights the importance of renewable biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, especially for Nebraskans. The month of May marks the beginning of the summer driving season, making it an ideal time to fuel up on clean and cost-saving biofuels. Ethanol, renewable diesel and biodiesel help to decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil, boost our nation’s economy, and support thousands of jobs in rural communities.

Ethanol is the third largest Nebraska agriculture commodity, and the use of a 10% blend saves Nebraskans millions per year. In 2023, thanks to ethanol blends of E10 and above, Nebraska drivers saved at least $325 million. The benefits extend from there, as according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ethanol blends reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43% compared to regular gasoline. Owners of vehicles 2001 and newer can safely use blends of ethanol up to E15 (15% ethanol) and will often enjoy significant additional savings per gallon. Owners of flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) can use blends up to E85 and experience even greater savings.

Nebraska is the second-largest producer of ethanol in the country, and the fuel will soon take to the skies in the coming years. Landmark legislation passed by the 2024 Nebraska Legislature provides a tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced in Nebraska. Ethanol and oils from corn and soybean processing serve as low-carbon, low-cost feedstocks for the production of SAF, which can reduce emissions by more than 50% compared to conventional jet fuel.

Biodiesel adds 70 cents per bushel to the value of soybeans. Bigger demand for soybean oil to make biodiesel also increases the supply of soybean meal, leading to lower animal feed prices paid by poultry and livestock farmers. Biodiesel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70% on average compared to petroleum-based diesel fuel. Heavy-duty diesel vehicles can lower emissions by filling up with biodiesel blends of 20% (B20) or higher. Find locations near you at biodieselne.com.

The renewable diesel industry also continues to grow. According to Clean Fuels Alliance America, “renewable diesel is a biomass-based diesel fuel made from the same renewable feedstocks as biodiesel using a process that resembles traditional diesel fuel production. Renewable diesel is a drop-in diesel replacement that meets ASTM D975 – the same standard for petroleum diesel. It can be used in ground, rail and marine transportation, as well as agricultural equipment.”

Fueled by Nebraska, a partnership of Nebraska biofuels organizations, and the Nebraska Soybean Board, invite you to join them to celebrate renewable fuels in your classrooms, at work, and in your community this May. Learn more and find ethanol retail locations at fueledbynebraska.com.



VÉLEZ IS A LEADER IN GENETIC TECHNOLOGY TO CONTAIN CORN ROOTWORM THREAT

Husker scientist Ana Maria Vélez is pioneering a genetic technology to contain the western corn rootworm, which annually causes up to $2 billion in yield loss and control costs in the Corn Belt. The research seeks to contain agricultural pests by targeting rootworm genes.

This genetic technique, known as RNAi, increases rootworm larvae mortality to protect the corn plant.

Vélez, an associate professor in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Department of Entomology, explained the research area in a recent presentation at North Carolina State University and later online. She and coauthor Ken Narva with Greenlight Biosciences discussed their new paper, “RNA Interference in Agriculture: Methods, Applications and Governance,” addressing a wide range of dimensions in this area of science.

The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology sponsored the recent events. The paper describes how RNAi functions, its current agriculture applications and the regulatory views of RNAi-based pesticides. It concludes with a discussion of current challenges for the commercial application of this technology in agriculture.

Vélez and Narva’s analysis provides a resource for regulatory agencies, policymakers and lawmakers, private and public institutions, and the public.

The gathering at North Carolina State provided the latest in a series of presentations Vélez has been invited to make at U.S. and international conferences.

Vélez and graduate students in her lab are advancing the knowledge in multiple ways. The researchers focus on small interfering RNA molecules derived from applied double-stranded RNA molecules. The interfering RNA molecules bind to targeted rootworm genes and prevent them from producing proteins that enable particular physiological functions.

Researchers are developing RNAi science to engineer crops for insect resistance traits or as a sprayable bioinsecticide for use in integrated pest management programs. Another research area is development of oral RNAi to control mosquitoes transmitting pathogens.

Through her Husker lab, Vélez “is doing cutting-edge work looking at manipulating the gene expression of pest insects to control those insects,” said John Ruberson, professor and head of the Department of Entomology. “Her work has focused on how interference with RNA in insect cells can disrupt the cellular mechanisms and suppress the pests.”

Vélez and her lab students, along with Lance Meinke, professor emeritus of entomology at Nebraska, pursue multiple projects in this area. They identify relevant rootworm genes, then study how the desired RNAi molecules enter a cell, are processed by it and move throughout the rootworm body. One project looks to identify the specific rootworm gene that guides larvae toward corn plant roots, which the larvae then attack.

Vélez is a global expert in this field. In September, she spoke in Washington, D.C., to industry and government representatives, sharing her expertise regarding ecological risk assessment of RNAi-based pesticides. Since 2017, she has organized an annual symposium on RNAi for the Entomology Society of America. In 2019, she briefed government representatives at the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation in Paris on RNAi-based pesticides.

Adding genetic techniques to the inventory of preventive actions against this crop threat has particular importance in light of corn rootworms’ extraordinary adaptive ability, Vélez said.

“They have evolved resistance in different locations to different kinds of pesticides, to Bt's (proteins toxic to rootworms) and even to crop rotation,” she said. “They learn to lay eggs on soybeans, because they know it will be sown in corn probably the following year. They are really an amazing insect in some ways, in that they adapt to everything.”

Considering that demonstrated resistance ability, it’s best to use multiple preventive methods against rootworms by incorporating RNAi, Bt proteins, insecticides and crop rotation, Vélez said.

SmartStax PRO, a genetically engineered corn seed using RNAi and Bt proteins to address the rootworm threat, became available in 2022 to U.S. producers and is seeing increased usage.

The rootworm’s resistance ability threatens over time to erode the efficacy of SmartStax PRO, however, and underscores the need to develop a comprehensive understanding of RNAi science regarding the pest. UNL is well positioned to address the gaps in knowledge in key areas: gene identification, rootworm processing of RNAi molecules, specifics of rootworm resistance capacity and applicability to other insect species.

Scholars have visited Vélez’s UNL lab to learn not only about her RNAi research, but about her mentoring. Mentorship, she said, “is a huge part with students in my program.”

After she briefed lawmakers at the 2019 international conference in Paris, Vélez asked her students to review her presentation. The aim is to get them involved, she said. “That way, they also know all the implications of the technology."

In addition to their lab projects, students are involved in collaborative research Vélez pursues with private-sector companies.

“That way, they see the research not only from the academic point of view, but also from the industry point of view — what are the questions companies are asking?” she said. “As a result, students get broader experience.”
   


Homer Buell Elected Sand County Foundation Chairman

Homer Buell has been elected chairman of the board of Sand County Foundation.

Buell, a cattle rancher from Rose, Nebraska, was first elected to Sand County Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2014. He succeeds Lynne Sherrod, a Colorado cattle rancher who has served as chairman since 2015. Sand County Foundation is a national nonprofit organization working at the intersection of agriculture and environmental improvement.

“Homer brings tremendous experience and landowner perspective to this role. We’re grateful to have him at the helm,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO.

Buell and his wife Darla are the fourth generation of Buells to own Shovel Dot Ranch near Rose, Nebraska. The ranch received the Leopold Conservation Award in 2012 for the Buell’s efforts to improve soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on their working land.

Buell, who recently served as Sand County Foundation’s treasurer, is the former president of the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association, Nebraska Hereford Association and Nebraska 4-H Foundation. He serves on the board of the Sandhills Task Force and has served in many positions within the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association during 14 years of board service.

Buell also chaired the Campaign for Nebraska Committee and Rock County Community Fund. He graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1971 with a degree in business administration and serves on the University of Nebraska President’s Advisory Council.

Lynne Sherrod joined the Sand County Foundation Board of Directors in 2014. A year later she succeeded Sand County Foundation founder Reed Coleman as chairman. Coleman had served as chairman since 1967.

Sherrod and her husband Delbert own and operate Rocking U7 Ranch near Grand Junction, Colorado. She previously served as Executive Director of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, where she partnered with more than 125 ranching families to protect 225,000 acres of productive working landscapes.

“Lynne’s remarkable leadership over the years has had an enduring impact on Sand County Foundation,” McAleese said.

Sherrod was instrumental in creating the Colorado Leopold Conservation Award in 2003. Sand County Foundation now presents the award to farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners in 27 states.

Sherrod remains a director on Sand County Foundation’s 16-member board. In other board business, David Hanson was elected as vice-chairman, Nancy DeLong as secretary, and Tom Zale as treasurer.



Commercial Red Meat Production Down 11 Percent from Last Year

Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.38 billion pounds in March, down 11 percent from the 4.91 billion pounds produced in March 2023.

Beef production, at 2.11 billion pounds, was 12 percent below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.51 million head, down 15 percent from March 2023. The average live weight was up 26 pounds from the previous year, at 1,392 pounds.

Veal production totaled 3.6 million pounds, 15 percent below March a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 18,900 head, down 28 percent from March 2023. The average live weight was up 46 pounds from last year, at 323 pounds.

Pork production totaled 2.25 billion pounds, down 10 percent from the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 10.5 million head, down 9 percent from March 2023. The average live weight was down 3 pounds from the previous year, at 289 pounds.

Lamb and mutton production, at 12.3 million pounds, was down 5 percent from March 2023. Sheep slaughter totaled 199,300 head, 3 percent below last year. The average live weight was 122 pounds, down 3 pounds from March a year ago.

Prod By State       (million lbs   -  % March '23)
Nebraska .....:               623.0             93       
Iowa ............:               765.2             96       
Kansas .........:               438.9             85       

January to March 2024 commercial red meat production was 13.7 billion pounds, down 2 percent from 2023. Accumulated beef production was down 4 percent from last year, veal was down 11 percent, pork was up slightly from last year, and lamb and mutton production was up 1 percent.



Dairy Market Report - APRIL 2024
NMPF

U.S. dairy exports posted a February record, 17.3 percent of U.S. milk solids production equivalent, even as domestic commercial use of milk in all products showed its first monthly drop since January 2023.

The year-over-year deficit in U.S. milk production continued to grow, with February production down over a year ago by 1.3 percent, adjusted for leap year. For the last nine months, the U.S. milking cow herd has been smaller than a year earlier, with the contrast increasing each month, from a drop of 12,000 head year-over-year in June 2023 to an 89,000-head decline in February.

Monthly NDPSR and federal order Class prices showed mostly modest gains from February to March, while the U.S. average all-milk price rose by $0.50 per cwt from a month earlier to February’s $20.60 per cwt. The February DMC margin gained almost a dollar per hundredweight on this price move, to $9.44 per cwt, as a $0.46 per cwt drop in the DMC feed cost accompanied the higher price.

View the full report here: https://www.nmpf.org/u-s-dairy-exports-rebound-as-milk-production-slowly-slips/.  



USGC Strengthens Ties With Turkish Feed Industry  

This past week in Turkey, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) took part in the 15th International Feed Congress and Exhibition (TUYEM), organized by the Turkish Feed Manufacturers Association.

The event, organized by the association since 1992, brings together all sectors related to the feed business. With the participation of thousands of local and foreign attendees, TUYEM holds the distinction of being the world's largest congress on compound feeds. The Congress disseminates new information in feed and animal production and fosters the emergence of new business opportunities and collaborations.

“Turkey‘s feed production has surged by approximately 400 percent in the last two decades, reaching 28 millon metric tons (MMT) in 2023 and boosting demand for those feed ingredients including corn and corn co-products. Although U.S. corn faces stiff competition from the Black Sea origins, U.S. high-value co-products continue making their way into this market. In 2023, Turkey was the sixth-largest export partner for U.S. DDGS, with 628,000 MT, including 100,000 MT of containerized exports. The Council has been active in introducing U.S. DDGS producers and exporters, executing trials and providing educational opportunities for Turkish industry leaders. As the efforts have paid off, the Council needs to make sure it remains a relevant partner for the Turkish feed industry. Participating at their event and p roviding a speaker builds on this effort,” said Ana Ballesteros, USGC deputy regional director for Europe and the Middle East.

Dr. Dirk Maier, a professor of grain and feed operations and processing at Iowa State University and director of the university’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, spoke on behalf of the Council during the program, highlighting advancements in feed technology. Artificial intelligence, operational efficiency and measurement technology were all featured during Maier’s presentation.

“The Turkish Feed Millers Association was interested in providing its stakeholders with information aiming to enhance feed production efficiencies. Due to the inability of the country’s crop production to match the pace of animal production, a considerable amount of raw materials used in compound feed production are sourced from abroad. Consequently, the feed sector is directly impacted by foreign market prices and fluctuations in exchange rates,” Ballesteros said.

“The Council was able to provide value to the feed industry through Dr. Maier’s presentation on the advances in feed technology. Maier’s research program focusing on post-harvest engineering applied to grain and feed operations and processing made him an ideal candidate to speak during the event.”

In addition to Maier’s presentation, other topics at the event included sustainability in feed production, global developments in the compound feed industry and the future of alternative protein sources and biotechnology. This year’s event also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Turkish Feed Manufacturers Association.

By taking part in this event, the Council expects to strengthen its relationship with the Turkish Feed Manufacturers' Association and other relevant players who were in attendance. It was also an opportunity to gather market intelligence about corn and corn co-products in the country and identify opportunities to increase sales of distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and corn fermented protein (CFP).

While there is significant adoption of the use of corn and corn co-products in the Turkish feed industry, there are still opportunities for increased inclusion rates, as inclusion rates tend to be conservative.