Friday August 09 Ag News

 Nebraska Extension Professionals Honored with 2024 National Awards

The 109th Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference of the National Association of County Agriculture Agents recognized four Extension professionals with national awards.

The awards received are as follows:

National Search for Excellence Award in Farm and Ranch Business Management:
“It’s as Easy as ABC – Figuring Cost of Production Using the Agricultural Budget Calculator Program”
Glennis McClure, Extension educator and development team member for the ABC program, received this award. The Agricultural Budget Calculator (ABC) program is a unique enterprise budgeting tool that offers a suite of risk management decision tools with educational and technical support provided by extension educators.

Nebraska Distinguished Service Award Winner:
This award is presented to Extension professionals with more than 10 years of service who have conducted outstanding programs, are held in high esteem by their fellow workers. Nebraska Extension Educator and Entomologist Wayne Ohnesorg received this award. His areas of expertise center around integrated pest management, insect pest management, insect identification and mobile scouting tools. Additionally, he is a panelist on Backyard Farmer and delivers commercial, non-commercial, and private pesticide applicator training.

Nebraska Achievement Award Winner:
This award is presented to Extension professionals with less than 10 years of service. Katja Koehler-Cole, Extension Educator, is the recipient. She is a statewide Soil Health Management Extension Educator focusing on teaching and researching soil health and regenerative agricultural practices. Koehler-Cole also serves as the SARE state co-coordinator, helping raise awareness of sustainable agriculture resources.

Extension Educator, Elizabeth Exstrom was selected as Communication Award National Finalist in the in the areas of Feature Story and Publication. One of her recent articles, "Prune Trees, Shrubs at Right Time," published in the January 2024 print edition of "Nebraska Farmer," garnered significant attention, with over 60,000 online views on the "Farm Progress" website and distribution to 30,000 print subscribers, 4,600 Facebook followers, and 4,100 daily newsletter subscribers. The article can be found online at Farm Progress. Exstrom presented about the Nebraska Extension Special Garden Project in the conference.

Jenny Rees, another Nebraska Extension educator was selected as the Vice Chair for the North Central Region in Agronomy and Pest Management. She presented about her Soil Health Small Support Groups in the conference.

"Each and every one of our Extension professionals is delivering tremendous value to UNL and making a significant impact on Nebraska communities by sharing their knowledge and helping them make better decisions using UNL's available resources," said Charles Stoltenow, Dean and Director of Nebraska Extension.



ACE Warmly Welcomes USDA Secretary Vilsack to 37th Annual ‘Gold Standard’ Conference

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is pleased to announce it will host U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as a keynote speaker during its 37th annual “The Gold Standard” themed conference in Omaha, which kicks off Wednesday, August 14, with a Welcome Reception at 5:00 PM Central and concludes 11:30 AM Central on Friday, August 16, at the Omaha Marriott Downtown at the Capitol District. Secretary Vilsack will speak on Thursday, August 15, at 9:00 AM Central.

“Under Secretary Vilsack’s extraordinary leadership, USDA has provided critically important support to expand ethanol use and help ensure corn ethanol is part of the climate solution,” said Brian Jennings, ACE CEO. “Most notably, we appreciate USDA’s investments in the Higher Blends Infrastructure and Incentive Program and our Regional Conservation Partnership Program projects to validate the carbon benefits of climate-smart agriculture practices which can help ethanol producers and farmers realize new market opportunities, including tax credits created under the Inflation Reduction Act. Given his tremendous record of support, we are honored to host Secretary Vilsack at this year’s event.”

The Secretary’s remarks on Thursday will follow updates from ACE leadership: Dave Sovereign, ACE Board President representing Golden Grain Energy, ACE CEO Brian Jennings and ACE CMO Ron Lamberty at 8:00 AM Central, and a keynote address from Lee Blank, CEO of Summit Carbon Solutions at 8:30 AM Central.

Coming off the Olympics, the two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act and its lucrative tax credits, including important updates and announcements when it comes to the gold-standard lifecycle modeling tool for ethanol (the GREET model), ACE’s 2024 event theme this summer is fittingly “The Gold Standard.” The biofuel industry is setting the standard for clean energy solutions to ensure ethanol remains the gold-standard clean fuel for years to come.

Visit ethanol.org/events/conference for a full agenda and registration.



Nebraska Ethanol Board Aug. 21 board meeting to be held in Grand Island

The Nebraska Ethanol Board will meet in Grand Island at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21. The meeting will be in the conference room at Bosselman Enterprises Headquarters (1607 S. Locust St.). The highlights of the agenda include:
    Ethanol Producer Advisory Member Confirmations
    Budget Report
    Marketing & Education Programs
    Fuel Retailer Update
    Nebraska Corn Board Update
    Renewable Fuels Nebraska Update
    Technical & Research Updates
    State and Federal Legislation
    Ethanol Plant Reports

This agenda contains all items to come before the Board except those items of an emergency nature. Nebraska Ethanol Board meetings are open to the public and also published on the public calendar.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board works to ensure strong public policy and consumer support for biofuels. Since 1971, the independent state agency has designed and managed programs to expand production, market access, worker safety and technology innovation, including recruitment of producers interested in developing conventional ethanol, as well as bio-products from the ethanol platform. For more information, visit www.ethanol.nebraska.gov.



Nebraska is the Epicenter for Agricultural Drone Conferences in August 2024

Nebraska Extension is hosting two drone conferences on Wednesday, Aug. 14 and Thursday, Aug. 15 at West Central Research, Extension and Education Center in North Platte, Nebraska.

The two-day event begins with the 2nd Annual Drones in Agriculture Conference on Aug. 14 and concludes with the 2nd Nebraska Spray Drone Conference on Aug. 15. Each conference includes presenters and exhibitors from Nebraska and across the world, who are experts and practitioners in the drone industry.

Two exceptional speakers will present the keynote address at each conference.

The Drones in Agriculture Conference will feature Jonathan Rupprecht, Esq. of Rupprecht Law, P.A. Rupprecht is a lawyer, commercial pilot and flight instructor who combines these experiences to help businesses and individuals navigate the complex system of laws for unmanned aircraft systems.

The Nebraska Spray Drone Conference will feature Dr. Steve Li, associate professor and extension specialist of weed science at Auburn University. His research team works on evaluating the application efficiency of spray drones and understanding how to optimize flight and spray parameters to mitigate spray drift.

In addition to these speakers, the conferences will feature presenters from Federal Aviation Administration, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Nebraska Extension, Pix4D Agriculture, Lifted Vision, Aurora Cooperative, Agri Spray Drones, and Volitant Technologies. Spray drone demonstrations will be provided by Agri Spray Drones and Volitant Technologies. Please refer to the registration page for more information on speakers and conference agendas.

The conference registration fee is $150 per conference, or $250 when registering for both.
An educational discount is available to students and educators through an application process available on the registration page... https://web.cvent.com/event/8e8f17e0-d7db-42e5-96b0-f68648179ed1/summary.

Businesses and organizations are encouraged to exhibit at both conferences. The exhibitor fee is $500, which includes a display table and two complimentary admission tickets, good for both conferences.

To support these conferences and future drone educational programing, Nebraska Extension is accepting sponsorships at the $250, $500, and $1,000 contribution levels. Your sponsorship will be recognized during both conferences and your support greatly appreciated by extension.

Please visit the registration page to register as a participant and apply for educational discount, sponsorship, and/or exhibition. Both conferences will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m. each day at WCREEC, 402 W State Farm Rd., North Platte, NE 69101. Please contact Dirk Charlson, 402-460-0742 (text or call), for more information.



Nebraska Wheat Board Announces August Meeting

The Nebraska Wheat Board (NWB) will hold its next meeting Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at the Nebraska State Office Building at 245 Fallbrook Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68521. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. CST.

During the meeting, the NWB will receive reports from members on committee activities as well as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Wheat Growers Association. The board will review committee assignments and determine travel and participation in upcoming meetings and events. The public is welcome to attend any open portion of the meeting. Interested individuals may contact the NWB office for a copy of the detailed agenda or for more information.

The Nebraska Wheat Board administers the excise tax of 0.5% of net value of wheat marketed in Nebraska at the point of first sale. The board invests the funds in programs of international and domestic market development and improvement, policy development, research, promotion, and education.



Seven Farmers Elected to Iowa Soybean Association Board of Directors

Seven farmers, including two incumbents, have been elected to the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) board of directors. The association’s 22 volunteer farmer directors represent the state’s nine crop reporting districts in overseeing the management and allocation of soybean checkoff and non-checkoff resources.
 
Newly elected farmers who will serve three-year terms on the board were: Mike Yegge, Lake Mills (District 2); Amanda Tupper, Ionia (District 3); Matt Willimack, DeWitt (District 6); Jeff Ellis, Donnellson (District 9); and Jack Boyer, Reinbeck (At-Large).
 
Re-elected to three-year terms on the board were: Brent Swart, Spencer (District 1); and Lee Brooke, Clarinda (District 7).
 
“Whether as a voter, candidate or both, we thank Iowa soybean farmers for engaging in this important process,” said Suzanne Shirbroun, ISA president and soybean farmer from Farmersburg. “As a farmer-led association, their participation contributes to the success and longevity of ISA and our industry.”
 
Directors are elected by Iowa soybean farmers in July and take office in September. Members vote for two farmers from their crop reporting district and vote for four at-large directors. The seven directors elected join 15 full-time soybean farmers in developing ISA’s policies and programs each year.
 
Those continuing their service as directors are: Paul Kassel, Spencer (District 1); Sam Showalter, Hampton (District 2); Rick Juchems, Plainfield (District 3); Marty Danzer, Carroll (District 4); Jeff Frank, Auburn (District 4); Dave Struthers, Collins (District 5); and Corey Goodhue, Carlisle (District 5).
 
Also: Dave Walton, Wilton (District 6); Scot Bailey, Anita (District 7); Warren Bachman, Osceola (District 8); Randy Miller, Lacona (District 8); Tom Adam, Harper (District 9); Brent Renner, Klemme (At-Large); Aimee Bissell, Bedford (At-Large); and Sharon Chism, Huxley (At-Large).
 
To learn more about serving on the ISA board of directors or how the board functions, visit iasoybeans.com.



ASA Announces New Event to Help Farmers Enhance Conservation Plans, Increase Profit Potential

The American Soybean Association invites soybean farmers to attend a new event designed to help them evaluate the many conservation incentive programs available to them—and to connect with the organizations and ASA industry partners offering these opportunities. The ASA Farmer Forum: Building Your Conservation Program and Profit Potential will be Aug. 26 at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, Iowa, the day before the annual Farm Progress Show.

The ASA event will offer a deep dive into conservation programs, consumer perspectives and farm-level decision making. Conservation technicians and crop advisors from several organizations and companies will be available to answer questions and help farmers identify the best conservation program for their unique farm situations. These informational sessions will take place 1:00 - 5:45 p.m., followed by a reception from 5:45 - 7:30 p.m. All farmers who register by August 20 will receive a free one-day admission to the Farm Progress Show in nearby Boone, Iowa. The Farm Progress Show, Aug. 27-29, is one of the largest outdoor farm shows in the country, attracting thousands of attendees from more than 30 countries.

Lead sponsors of the ASA Farmer Forum event include the United Soybean Board/Our Soy Checkoff, PepsiCo and Nutrien. During an afternoon break and evening reception in the FFA Enrichment Center Atrium, attendees will have time to visit sponsor exhibits and engage in discussions with other farmers, industry representatives and conservation experts while enjoying drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

The event agenda and registration link are available by clicking here... https://soy.swoogo.com/asafarmerforum2024/5561943.



EPA Investigates Renewable Fuel Producers Amid Feedstock Concerns

Earlier this week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it is investigating at least two renewable fuel producers for potential use of fraudulent feedstocks in biodiesel production. This comes amid concerns that some producers may be using cheaper and less sustainable feedstocks, such as virgin palm oil, instead of the claimed used cooking oil.

EPA has conducted audits over the past year, following new supply-chain accounting requirements introduced in July 2023. These audits are part of the agency's effort to ensure compliance with environmental and sustainability standards.

The American Soybean Association has advocated for increased oversight of imported waste feedstocks to maintain program integrity. This concern is shared by several U.S. senators who have called for rigorous verification of both domestic and imported feedstocks.

The investigations and potential enforcement actions will be monitored closely by industry stakeholders.