Tuesday April 16 Ag News

 NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending April 14, 2024, there were 5.8 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 12% very short, 38% short, 47% adequate, and 3% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 12% very short, 40% short, 46% adequate, and 2% surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn planted was 2%, near 1% for both last year and the five-year average.

Winter wheat condition rated 1% very poor, 3% poor, 26% fair, 56% good, and 14% excellent.

Oats planted was 59%, ahead of 43% last year and 40% average. Emerged was 20%, ahead of 8% both last year and average.



Iowa Crop Progress Report

Dry conditions and warmer than normal temperatures helped Iowa farmers as days suitable for fieldwork increased to 4.9 for the week ending April 14, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Fieldwork included tillage, spraying, applying fertilizer and seeding oats. Some corn and soybeans were also planted.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 15 percent very short, 37 percent short, 46 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 24 percent very short, 39 percent short, 36 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Four percent of the expected corn acreage has been planted. Oats seeding reached 66 percent complete, 9 days ahead of last year and 10 days ahead of the 5-year average. Twenty percent of the expected oat acreage has emerged, almost 2 weeks ahead of last year and the average.

There were still no reports of cattle being turned out into pastures.   



USDA Crop Progress: Corn 6% Planted, Soybeans 3% Planted

Corn, soybean and spring wheat planting and winter wheat heading were all running slightly ahead of their five-year averages, and winter wheat conditions fell slightly last week, USDA NASS said in its weekly Crop Progress report on Monday.

CORN
-- Planting progress: Corn planting moved ahead 3 percentage points last week to reach 6% complete nationwide as of Sunday. That's slightly behind 7% at this time last year but slightly ahead of the five-year average of 5%.

SOYBEANS
-- Planting progress: 3% of soybeans were planted nationwide as of Sunday, NASS said in its first soybean progress report of the season. That is equal to last year's pace but 2 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 1%.

WINTER WHEAT
-- Crop development: 11% of winter wheat was headed as of Sunday. That is 2 points ahead of 9% at this time last year and 4 points ahead of the five-year average of 7%.
-- Crop condition: 55% of the crop was rated in good-to-excellent condition, down 1 point from 56% the previous week but up from 27% a year ago. Thirteen percent of the crop was rated poor to very poor, down from 39% a year ago.

SPRING WHEAT
-- Planting progress: 7% of spring wheat was planted as of Sunday, 1 point ahead of the five-year average.

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Area Individuals Honored for Conservation Efforts at Lower Elkhorn NRD Annual Awards Banquet

The Lower Elkhorn NRD (LENRD) honored three area individuals at their annual awards banquet held on Thursday, March 14, 2024. This year, three awards were presented to District residents who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the stewardship of our natural resources.

2023 Outstanding Tree Planter Award – Michael Nissen Family, Oakland
The Outstanding Tree Planter Award is presented to individuals within the District who have shown a strong commitment to the planting and care of trees. Michael, his wife Jessica, son Caleb (5), and daughter Ella (1), have more than demonstrated this commitment.

Michael started working with the LENRD about three years ago to generate a plan for tree planting that not only benefits his family and farm now, but will serve them well into the future.

“I’m impressed by Michael and his ability to think ahead and plan for the future,” said LENRD Natural Resources Technician, Todd Stewart. “Not only does he make these important decisions with the future in mind, but his enthusiasm has also encouraged his family to get involved as well.”

You may think it’s crazy for one family with two young kids and full-time jobs to plant and care for roughly 1,000 trees in the timespan of two years – especially considering they’re doing all of this during a drought. But to Michael, now is the perfect time to busy themselves with these projects because as the kids get older, the activities will pick up leaving less time to be dedicated to tree maintenance. Currently, the family has time to put forth the effort – but that may not be the case in the near future.

“He has his kids invested in it. His son will never forget this,” Stewart said.

Tree planting isn’t just a family affair for Michael, Jessica, and their kids, but for Michael’s dad Tim as well. Though Tim is a bit older than the typical NRD Conservation Tree Program applicant – especially for just starting out – that hasn’t slowed him down. Tim has now worked with the NRD to complete a major two-phase windbreak renovation around his farmstead and livestock facility. He and Michael considered the placement of future buildings and livestock pens when deciding where to place the trees.

“You don’t understand the value of a tree – until you’ve made it grow,” Nissen said.

2023 Educator of the Year Award – Jessica Evans, Osmond
Nebraska’s NRDs have a variety of projects and programs to educate both youth and adults about conservation and natural resources. To make the greatest impact, the LENRD partners with schools across the District encouraging students to become good stewards of our natural resources. Every other year, the LENRD takes the time to recognize a teacher who has demonstrated excellence throughout their career – especially when it comes to how they educate their students about natural resources and conservation.

Jessica Evans, who teaches Art/Agriculture and is an FFA Advisor for Osmond Community Schools, was selected to receive the LENRD Educator of the Year Award.

Outside of traditional classroom and textbook work in Plant Science, Horticulture, and Natural Resources, Jessica’s students experience hands on activities increasing their natural resources knowledge through programs such as Know Your Well and Northeast Area Land Judging competitions. She has also been educating students in the importance of land and soil conservation implementing no-till practices on their FFA test plot. With the help of the Osmond community, Jessica has developed an 8-acre corn and soybean test plot for the Osmond FFA Chapter.

“Jessica is an outstanding educator in our District,” said Julie Wragge, LENRD Education Coordinator. “Last fall I had the pleasure of visiting Jessica’s classroom to kick off the Know Your Well program for the year. She has a very natural ability to keep the kids focused, involved, and motivated. She uses hands-on “in the field” work to shape the students into becoming forward thinkers and future conservation leaders. It’s easy to see how much she enjoys teaching.”

Jessica became part of the “ag-ed” community in 2015 when she co-taught Agricultural Education with Craig Flaming at Osmond Community Schools. At this time, she was also working on starting the FFA program at Osmond. Osmond officially became an FFA chapter in 2016. During the last nine years, the program has produced 16 State FFA Degrees, seven Top-3 State Proficiency Awards, one State Proficiency champion and numerous LDE and CDE State Qualifiers under her leadership.

Currently, Jessica serves as the FFA District 4 Chair as well as on the Nebraska Agricultural Educator Association Board. She has been married to her husband, Andrew, for nine years and together they have a two-year-old son, Austin.

2023 Volunteer Appreciation Award – Dave Wimmer, West Point
Receiving the newly created Volunteer Appreciation Award is Dave Wimmer of West Point. Though he was originally nominated to receive the Outstanding Tree Planter Award, Dave’s community involvement and investment is really what stood out to staff.

Dave dedicates his personal time and resources to help with community tree planting projects in West Point. He sits on the town’s Parks and Recreation Board and works closely with the LENRD to utilize the Community Forestry Assistance Program. This program was developed to provide both technical and cost-share assistance to communities within the District for tree planting projects to improve, or renovate, community green spaces on public lands. Dave applies for the assistance and will even plant the trees on his property and care for them until they are big enough to be placed around the community.

“If a tree project has been completed within the past 10 years, there’s a really good chance Dave had something to do with it,” said Todd Steward, LENRD Natural Resources Technician.

Though he humbly accepted this award, Dave acknowledged that he hasn’t done it alone. He brought the whole group to accept the award and share the recognition with everyone involved.

“Dave is a locally respected leader that has the ability to influence and encourage others to participate,” said Brian Brucker, LENRD General Manager.

Stewart echoed this sentiment stating, “He’s the glue for the rest of the group.”

The LENRD is appreciative of everyone in the District who helps us work towards our mission of improving quality of life by promoting and demonstrating sound methods of stewardship for all natural resources. The Lower Elkhorn NRD extends a special “thank you” to Michael, Jessica, and Dave for all they do to promote and encourage conservation practices.



Beef Passport Prepares to Kickoff May 1

The fourth annual Nebraska Beef Passport will launch on May 1st as part of the Nebraska Beef Council’s Beef Month celebration. The Beef Passport will highlight over 40 restaurants and independent meat processors across the state that offer mouth-watering beef.   

“We’re excited to kick off this year’s Beef Passport,” said Adam Wegner, director of marketing for the Nebraska Beef Council. “We’ll have several new locations on the pass including some hidden small town cafes and a popular burger joint in Omaha. We’ll also be including several Nebraska meat processors again which were a nice addition to last year’s pass.”   

A Beef Passport regular, John Ecklund, is a former winner of the grand prize drawing of $250 in fresh beef.

"This program is quite a learning experience and adventure," said Ecklund. "It not only supports the beef industry, but it supports the Nebraska economy as well as the Mom & Pop operations throughout the State."

Ecklund and his family have plans to make the tour of the state via the Beef Passport again this summer, this time with his daughter and granddaughter who will be visiting from England.

"When we travel, we try to plan our schedule for meals that are on the passport," explained Ecklund. "We know that the food will be good, reasonably priced and the service will be outstanding."

Restaurants on this year's Beef Passport:  
 4/11 Bar & Grill, Pierce
 Abie's Place, Abie Backaracks Steakhouse & Grill, Scottsbluff  
 Branding Iron Grill & Pub, Tilden
 Bronco's Hamburgers, Omaha
 Carl's Tavern, Ord
 Danbury Rec, Danbury
 Double L Country Store & Café, Harrisburg
 Eustis Pool Hall, Eustis
 Grazers Bar & Grill, Arnold
 Holt County Grill, O'Neill
 Hunter's Restaurant & Lounge, Waco
 Lazy D Restaurant, Taylor
 Louie M's Burger Lust, Omaha
 Outlaw Steakhouse & Saloon, Garland
 PK's Revival, Benedict
 Popo's Drive-in, Pender
 Railside Highway Diner, Gibbon
 Red Fox Steakhouse, Lincoln
 Rowdy's Steakhouse, Fairbury
 Sandhills Lounge, Long Pine
 Taste of Texas, McCook
 The Chubby Rhino Tavern, Oshkosh
 The Driftwood, Ogallala
 Three 21 Tavern , Lexington
 Thunder Road Sports Bar, Grand Island
 The Cellar Sports Bar & Grill, Kearney
 Little Ted's Pub & Grill, Nebraska City   

Meat Processors on this year's Beef Passport:
 McLean Beef, York
 Husker Meats, Ainsworth
 North Bend Locker, North Bend
 Pickrell Locker & Smokehouse, Pickrell
 Blair Meat Market, Blair
 Gentert Pack, Holstein
 Wahoo Locker, Wahoo
 Faltin Meat Market, Howels
 American Butchers, Beaver City
 Den's Country Meats, Table Rock
 Dundy County Processors, Benkelman
 Ord Locker, Ord
 Heartland Provisions, Diller
 Aurora Meat Block, Aurora
 Midwest Meat Company, Minden
 M-K Meats, Unadilla
 Belschner Custom Meats, Amherst
 Karpisek's Market, Wilber

Beef Passports are available for free on mobile devices or can be printed directly from the website www.GoodLifeGreatSteaks.org. Beef Passport holders earn points for each visit to participating locations. Points can then be collected and redeemed for prizes offered by the Nebraska Beef Council. Each visit also qualifies the pass holder for a chance to win the grand prize drawing of $250 in fresh beef.   

The Nebraska Beef Passport campaign runs May 1st through September 30th.



Loeffel Meat Shoppe to Celebrate Grand Re-Opening on May 3rd

The Loeffel Meat Shoppe at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be hosting a grand re-opening celebration event on May 3rd from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be recipe samples, along with demonstrations on food safety, knife care, and proper knife usage in the home kitchen from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., along with store sales and giveaways.

The shoppe is a USDA-inspected retail meat sales operation that sells cuts of beef, pork, lamb, goat, smoked and slicing sausages, brats, naturally cased weiners, and multiple varieties of ready to eat snack sticks. The retail store, located on Nebraska’s East Campus at the corner of 38th and Fair Streets, is open on Tuesdays from 1-5:30 p.m., and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It has been open and operating since the 1960s.

"We’ve been in the process of making some updates to the store and to our inventory," said Jordan Wicks, extension meat specialist. "We’ve expanded our retail hours and are now offering some fresh beef and pork items, alongside our frozen inventory."

Sales from the meat shoppe help offset costs associated with the academic programs in animal science. Livestock are harvested and processed for sale in the Loeffel Meat Laboratory with assistance from Nebraska students in the department. Students gain experience by learning how to process, package, and sell the products that they process, in addition to playing a role in developing new products to sell in the shoppe such as the Jalapeño Popper Bratwurst, which was a two-time national award winner.

"Our customers always tell us we’re one of the best-kept secrets in Lincoln," Wicks added. "We wanted to have an event to thank our current customers for their business, but also provide some added value from the excellent resources that we have here on campus for the community."

The shoppe and laboratory are named in honor of Professor William J. Loeffel, the first meat scientist at the University, who was a faculty member from 1919-1962 and served as chair of the department from 1938-1959. Loeffel is one of many pioneers in the meat industry from Nebraska. In the 1970s, Roger Mandigo developed the technology which led to the creation of the McRib Sandwich for McDonalds and Chris Calkins’ work with new cutting procedures returned over $1 billion dollars to the beef industry, including the development of the Flat Iron Steak.

"Our students do fantastic work and our products are a showcase of that," Wicks said. "The future of meat processing, whether at large plants or your local locker, starts with students having hands-on opportunities like the ones we provide at the University."



‘Lazy B’ by Sandra Day O’Connor selected for Nebraska Women in Agriculture Book Club

The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program has announced “Lazy B,” by Sandra Day O’Connor, as the choice for its second quarter book club, which will conclude with a virtual discussion at 1p.m. Central Time on June 6.

“Lazy B” is the story of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s family and early life on the family ranch in Arizona.

The book colorfully illustrates stories of everyday life on the ranch and the characters that filled it. O’Connor details lessons learned and how she came to love the land and the people.

The book club discussion will be led by western rancher Robbie LeValley.

Registration is free and can be found on the Nebraska Women in Agriculture website, https://wia.unl.edu/book-club. The first 20 registrants will receive a complimentary copy of the book mailed to them.  



Fischer, Colleagues Urge Biden to Prioritize E15 Fuel, Leverage American Agriculture

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, joined her colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter urging President Biden to permit the summertime sale of E15 fuel.

In their letter, the Senators note that American biofuels are a clean and reliable energy solution that will help drive down fuel costs for consumers. U.S. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) led the letter.

This Congress, Senator Fischer led the introduction of legislation to allow the year-round, nationwide sale of ethanol blends higher than 10% — ending years of regulatory uncertainty and preventing a patchwork of uneven state regulations. Increasing the availability of biofuels like E15 would benefit the economy and the environment. Her legislation has support from a wide mix of stakeholders, including the National Corn Growers Association, Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, and the American Petroleum Institute.

“As you know, the consideration of state action has led to a historic agreement between liquid fuel stakeholders in support of securing a permanent legislative solution to allow nationwide, year-round E15 sales, while respecting each state’s authority to opt-out of such a program,” wrote the Senators. “Taking temporary action now will continue the uninterrupted sale of E15 for what would be the sixth consecutive year, a major win for consumer choice and emissions reductions.”

“[W]e must pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy, which includes leveraging domestic biofuels,” the Senators continued. “As your previous temporary waivers have proven, permitting the sale of higher blends of biofuels like E15 through the summer driving season bolsters the domestic fuel supply, lowers consumer costs, and promotes the environmental benefits of American biofuels and modern agriculture.”

“All of the conditions that made an E15 waiver so important in past years are still present,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “If EPA doesn’t take action, American motorists would lose access to a more affordable fuel option this summer. We can’t afford to wait any longer – we need EPA to act now. We commend Senator Thune, Senator Durbin, and other bipartisan Senate biofuel champions for pushing the administration to do the right thing and allow E15 to be sold this summer.”

“Providing continued access to a more affordable, lower-carbon fuel, like E15, will not only save drivers money at the pump, but it will also help farmers across the country,” said Harold Wolle, president of the National Corn Growers Association. “Yet, time is of the essence as we quickly approach the summer months. We are deeply appreciative to the bipartisan support we are receiving from our Senate champions on this issue.”

“We thank Senators Thune and Durbin, along with all other Senate supporters, for calling on the Biden administration to quickly take action to allow the nationwide sale of E15 through the coming summer,” said Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. “These senators understand that with ongoing geopolitical conflicts and the current oil and fuel supplies being at lower levels than the last two summer driving seasons, it is more important than ever that U.S. consumers have access to E15, the American made, lower-cost and cleaner-burning fuel.”

In addition to Senators Fischer, Thune, and Durbin, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).



Growth Energy Helps More Fuel Retailers Apply for Biofuel Infrastructure Grants

Today, Growth Energy, the leading voice of America’s biofuel industry, celebrated another successful round of applications for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). During the most recent application window, Growth Energy helped write grant applications for 39 different retailers comprising 198 stores—51 percent of all submissions. The effort could result in more than 1,200 new E15 dispensers, nearly 450 new E85 dispensers, and nearly 500 new dispensers for biodiesel blends.

“Working hand in hand with fuel retailers has always been a priority for Growth Energy, and we are proud to have supported more than half of all HBIIP applications this round,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “These partnerships play a key role in expanding access to low-cost, low-carbon options like E15. And consumer demand continues to break records in those states that report sales data. In 2023 alone, E15 sales surged 47 percent in Iowa and 21 percent in Minnesota, while sales of E85 in California jumped more than 14 percent.”

Since 2020, Growth Energy has helped retailers across the country apply for $115 million in federal, state, and private grants to expand access to higher biofuel blends. Retailers will invest an additional $102 million for a total infrastructure investment of $217 million. During the third application window under HBIIP, which ran from January 1, 2024 through March 31, 2024, Growth Energy ramped up outreach via partnerships with Pearson Fuels in California, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

USDA will offer two more rounds of funding opportunities this year with an option for a contingency round if there are leftover funds. Retailers interested in learning more or getting help with HBIIP grants are encouraged to contact Growth Energy’s Market Development team at MarketDevelopment@growthenergy.org.   



Cutout, Weights, and Production
David P. Anderson, Extension Economist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

While the weekly average Choice cutout has been above a year ago most of this year, some have noted some weaknesses especially compared to higher cattle and calf prices. Last week’s negotiated weekly average Choice Cutout averaged $300 per cwt compared to $297 last year.  

Several factors are at work in cutout value. In some ways the market is in the winter-to-spring transition period, moving from winter-time roasts and other end cuts to steaks for grilling season. Primal cut values for chucks and rounds have been declining while the primal loin has been increasing. The rib and wholesale ribeye values have not increased seasonally heading into grilling season. Lean beef for ground beef has soared in value while 50 percent lean has remained depressed.

Steer dressed weights are over 30 pounds heavier than last year, and they have been increasing since February. Normally, dressed weights decline seasonally from January until about mid-year. Longer time on feed, good weather boosting performance, and cheaper feed have boosted dressed weights. Heavier weights have contributed to beef production exceeding last year's over the last two weeks.

Higher dressed weights and more days on have likely contributed to more beef grading Choice and Prime. Beef grading Choice has increased by more than one percentage point, to over 74 percent, about the same as last year, while Prime is 1.5 percentage points higher than a year ago, at 11.5 percent. When combined with larger beef production, the grading percentages mean that we have more Prime and Choice beef than this time last year.  Increased Choice supplies and fewer Select supplies are helping to pressure the Choice-Select spread to under $5 per cwt.

USDA’s Cattle on Feed report to be released on Friday, April 19th is expected to indicate more cattle in feedyards than a year ago, for another month. Both marketings and placements are expected to be smaller than last March. The report will indicate that cattle on feed for longer will keep weights higher than last year.

What to Watch for
The cattle on feed report will contain the number of heifers on feed, which will be very interesting as evidence of slowing the decline in the cow herd. The primal rib, wholesale ribeye prices, and other middle meats should start to see some strength in the coming weeks ahead of Memorial Day if they are going to at all given current supplies. Little, or short-lived increases in middle meat values might give us some insight into demand.



NASS appoints Lance Honig as new ASB Chair

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) appoints Lance Honig as Chair of USDA’s Agricultural Statistics Board, as well as the Methodology Division Director. Honig has served in an acting capacity for both roles since November 2023. As the chair, he will lead the preparation and dissemination of market-sensitive agricultural forecasts and estimates.

Honig has a wide range of experience with NASS, including most recently serving as the Crops Branch Chief since 2008. Honig replaces the prior chair, Joe Parsons, who held the position since 2016. Parsons is now the NASS Associate Administrator and is currently Acting Administrator.



Agriculture Emissions Fall to Lowest Levels in 10 Years

America’s farmers and ranchers are leading the way in greenhouse gas emission reduction through voluntary conservation efforts and market-based incentives. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022. The report shows American agriculture reduced emissions by almost 2% from 2021 to 2022, the largest decrease of any economic sector.

American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed the data in the latest Market Intel, noting, “U.S. agriculture represents just under 10% of total U.S. emissions when compared to other economic sectors… By EPA’s own methodology, emissions from agriculture totaled 634 million metric tons in CO2 equivalents, or 9.99% of all U.S. emissions, during 2022. This represents a decrease of 1.8%, or 12 million metric tons, from 2021… 2022 marks the lowest U.S. agricultural greenhouse gas emissions since 2012.”

Other highlights specific to the agricultural sector in the Market Intel include:
    12-million-metric-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions;
    2.1% reduction in livestock GHG emissions;
    1.7% reduction in crop cultivation emissions; and
    1.2% reduction in fuel combustion emissions.

“The latest numbers demonstrate farmers’ and ranchers’ commitment to growing the food and fiber America’s families rely on while improving the land, air and water, a benefit to the farm and the climate,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “The drop in agricultural emissions highlights the success and importance of voluntary and market-based programs that support farmer efforts in sustainable agriculture practices. The latest numbers should also serve as inspiration to lawmakers who can build on this progress by passing a farm bill, which not only provides a safety net for farmers, but also helps them meet sustainability goals.”