Wednesday July 20 Ag News

Nebraska Agriculture Leaders Unite to Address Property Taxes, Other Key Ag Issues

 In an effort to strengthen the climate for agriculture in Nebraska, leaders of Nebraska’s agriculture organizations, representing tens of thousands of Nebraska’s farmers, ranchers, and livestock feeders, have united to identify and focus on the key issues needed to keep Nebraska agriculture strong into the future.

“As we came together to discuss what actions are needed to create a better environment for agriculture in the state, there was a clear consensus among the leaders that members are concerned about issues such as property taxes and tax reform as well as access to new technology and biotechnology. We need to have sound regulations in agriculture. The need for proactive educational and communication efforts to consumers is also vital,” said Barb Cooksley, Nebraska Cattlemen president, July 20.

Following a legislative session in which a measure to place “Right to Farm” language in the state’s constitution was initiated, but failed to advance, Nebraska ag leaders felt it important to further clarify the priorities for Nebraska agriculture. After much research and discussion, the group unanimously agreed that future efforts to enact “Right to Farm” protections should not be in the form of a constitutional amendment, but rather the group should explore opportunities to enact “Right to Farm” concepts through state statute at a time as determined by the group, given other priorities.

“We are united in our belief that protecting our member’s interests and the future of agriculture isn’t about a single ballot measure or initiative. It’s about initiating actions, policy and otherwise, that creates an environment where our members can thrive and boost local and state economies, said Steve Nelson, Nebraska Farm Bureau president. “Our efforts are targeted to immediate challenges such as making sure high property tax burdens aren’t the reason families are pushed out of agriculture.”

Those participating in the agriculture leader work group include:
Barb Cooksley – Nebraska Cattlemen, president
Troy Stowater – Nebraska Cattlemen, president elect
Larry Mussack – Nebraska Corn Growers Association, president
Dan Wesely – Nebraska Corn Growers Association, vice-president
Steve Ebke – Nebraska Corn Growers Association
Steve Nelson – Nebraska Farm Bureau, president
Mark McHargue – Nebraska Farm Bureau, first vice-president
Russ Vering – Nebraska Pork Producers Association, president
Darin Uhlir – Nebraska Pork Producers Association, vice-president
Kevin Peterson – Nebraska Pork Producers Association, vice-president
Dennis Fujan – Nebraska Soybean Association, president
Dwaine Junck – Nebraska State Dairy Association, vice-president
Doug Temme – Nebraska State Dairy Association, past president

The agriculture leaders will continue to work together to initiate measures to address the key priorities in the coming weeks and months. 

“We are committed to working together to address the issues identified across the scope of both our crop and livestock sectors that can provide meaningful and tangible benefits to Nebraska agriculture producers,” said Nelson.



Plan to Attend Soybean Management Field Days in 2016

Ensuring continued competitiveness of U.S. soy in the global marketplace is integral as we look towards the future... for your profits as a producer AND for feeding a hungry world.

By the year 2020, the world's population is expected to exceed 8 billion people. The U.S. soybean industry can and will be a leader in food production and providing energy to sustain global economic growth.

By attending Soybean Management Field Days you are taking an important step in helping us meet the challenges of the future.

2016 Locations
The field days begin with 9 a.m. registration and conclude at 2:30 p.m. Free registration is available the day of the event. Dates, locations and directions are listed below.  
    - Tuesday, Aug. 9 - Robert Johnston Farm - near Orchard, South of 859th Rd/514 Ave. intersection
    - Wednesday, Aug. 10 - Shane Greving Farm - near Chapman, 1374 9th Rd.
    - Thursday, Aug. 11 - Eberspacher Family Farms - (Darren, Delayne and Wes Eberspacher) - near Cordova, 4754 Saltillo Rd.
    - Friday, Aug. 12 - Goff Farms -  near Schuyler - 1046 County Road H


What will you learn about?
Learn how to profitably apply the products of technology and research at the farm level.  This educational event is for you - the soybean grower and agronomic representatives supporting the soybean industry. Experts will share their knowledge and experiences as they relate to soybean production, marketing and management. Topics include:

Soybean Irrigation
•  Impact of over irrigation
•  Impact of under irrigation
•  Scheduling with sensors and ET gages
•  UNL Resources – Apps and Computer Models
**  Pressure Regulator Testing - Are your regulators old and may need to be replaced?  Bring 2 pressure regulators from each span of a  pivot  and we will test them during the day and send them back home with along with a report on their performance.

Soil Fertility, PPO Herbicide, and Conventional Soybean Studies
•  Back to the basics on Phosphorus 
•  Nitrogen management, including inoculants
•  Interaction between soil applied PPO herbicides and soybean seeding diseases
•  Weed management without glyphosate

Grain Marketing and Farm Management
•  Farm financial update
•  Moving forward in uncertain financial times
•  What is going go with this soybean market?
•  How do I know when to sell?

Soybean Production Management  Strategies Comparison
•  The role of insecticidal seed treatments in insect pest management

Sprayer Management
for Successful Weed Control in Soybeans
•  Spray particle sizes and how they affect pesticide efficacy and spray drift
•  Know your real tank size
•  Know the difference in dry and liquid ounces that are key to correct rates

More information is available here.... http://ardc.unl.edu/soydays. 



So, You’ve Inherited a Farm, Now What?

Anyone that owns farmland may want to participate in this seminar to be provided information and education about that ownership. Learn management strategies for this asset by attending this seminar in Lincoln at the Lancaster County Extension Office, at 9:00 a.m. August 17.

Participants can use this 2 ½ hour workshop to learn about: Am I keeping the farm, or selling it? How do I manage a farm? If leasing, what are key lease provisions? What legal considerations do I have with this decision? And, how do we manage family communications and expectations when other family is involved?

“I am contacted monthly from citizens who have had their parents pass away, and now they are managing a farm for the first time in their lives,” said Allan Vyhnalek, Extension Educator and event speaker. “They may have even grown up there, but haven’t been around for 30 or 40 years, and need to understand that farming practices and management concepts have changed.” Vyhnalek continued.
Pre-registration is requested by 2 days prior to the event. Registration fee is $20 per person or $30 per couple. Contact the Lancaster County Extension Office at 402-441-7148to register.

The program is being provided by Allan Vyhnalek, Tim Lemmons, and Jim Jansen, Extension Educators from Nebraska Extension. They provide the farm land management education for eastern Nebraska.

For more information or assistance, please contact Allan Vyhnalek, Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension in Platte County. Phone: 402-563-4901 or e-mail avyhnalek2@unl.edu   



Landlord/Tenant Cash Lease Workshop

The Landlord/Tenant Cash Lease Workshop will be offered August 18, Pinnacle Bank (east), Columbus, NE at 9:00 a.m.. It is designed to help landlords and tenants put together a lease that is right for both parties, and help maintain positive farm leasing relations.

Topics for discussion at the leasing workshop include:
- Latest information about land values and cash rental rates for the area and state;
- Lease communication, determining appropriate information sharing for both the tenant and landlord;
- Lease termination, including terminating handshake or verbal leases;
- Review of common lease provisions with emphasis on common questions about provisions
- Legal issues related to land ownership – basic ownership structures and what they mean
- Business structures/entities and how they affect ownership – quick look at how entity ownership affects legal and financial risk management
- Ownership transition
- State/federal resources for beginning farmers and ranchers
- Other topics, like irrigation systems, hay rent, pasture rental agreements, and grain bin rental will be covered as time allows.

The free workshop is sponsored by the Northcentral Risk Management Education Center. Refreshments and handouts are provided. Registration is requested. To register for the workshop, contact the Platte County Extension Office at 402-563-4901. Register by August 15, to ensure that there are enough handouts and refreshments.

The workshops have been held extensively across Nebraska for the past few years with over 3,300 attending. The vast majority of both landlords and tenants find the information to be very helpful in improving communications, setting rental terms, and learning about the use of flex lease provisions. As crop budgets tighten, it is even more important to attend and listen to the latest discussion about leasing issues.

For more information or assistance, please contact Allan Vyhnalek avyhnalek@unl.edu or call 402-563-4901.



Flexible Leases for Farmland Workshop A workshop on understanding, developing, and implementing flexible and alternative cash leases.   

Flexible cash leasing is not new to Nebraska or agriculture in general. These provisions, often inserted into new and existing cash leases are designed with two purposes in mind:
• Provide risk management options for those renting agricultural land
• provide potential for added rent income for those owning agricultural land

This is done by providing a means for the final rent to adjust up or down a controlled amount in response to price, yield, and income movements on the farm/ranch, state, or nationally. The objective of this program is to provide practical information and strategies in using these tools, as well as practice in crafting and analyzing your flexible lease alternatives.

Topics we will cover include:
• What are flexible and alternative leases?
• How do they adjust to changes in price and yield over time?
• What are the options available to users?
• How do you manage price and yield variable selection?
• How do you calculate what is really owed in rent?
• What should be included in calculating a flexible rent?
• How can I use software or apps to help me choose which provisions work best on my farm or ranch?

For more information or assistance, please contact Allan Vyhnalek, Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension in Platte County. Phone: 402-563-4901 or e-mail avyhnalek2@unl.edu.   



ERGOT IN PASTURES
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Ergot has been found in a few Nebraska pastures this summer.  This fungus can be toxic to cattle, horses, and other livestock so check your pastures and hay fields to see if your animals may be at risk.

               Ergot is a fungus that grows on the seed head of grasses.  Cereals like rye and wheat have been affected most often historically, but forage grasses like brome and fescue and wheatgrasses also are susceptible.  Weather like we have experienced this year – a cool, wet spring followed by hot, humid summer conditions – is ideal for ergot to develop.

               Ergot produces alkaloids that cause vasoconstriction of small arteries, which restricts blood flow to extremities like the tips of tails and ears as well as to feet and legs.  Lameness, swelling of the fetlock and hock joints, and even loss of hooves can occur.  Animals also are less able to dissipate heat so they spend more time than usual standing in shade or water.

               Ergot bodies look a lot like mouse droppings in grass seedheads.  They are blackish or dark brown or purple and shaped like a cylinder. Examine your pastures and hay fields for these ergot bodies.  An occasional one here and there shouldn’t be a problem but if they show up in most of your seedheads, remove any grazing animals.

               Ergot remains fairly stable in hay so if it is present, either destroy the hay or dilute it severely with other safe feed.  Fields can be shredded to remove seedstalks but don’t resume grazing until enough regrowth develops to restrict animals from eating the old, shredded clippings.

               Ergot toxicity is rare in our pastures but be on the lookout so it doesn’t become a problem for your animals.



Syngenta #RootedinAg Contest Finalists Announced

Syngenta announced today the five finalists in its #RootedinAg contest. These finalists, who will each receive a mini touch-screen tablet and leather case, will now compete for the grand prize – a $500 gift card, plus a $1,000 donation to the winner’s favorite local charity or civic organization. The winner also will be featured in an upcoming issue of Thrive magazine. The competition, which began in April, invited growers and other ag professionals to describe how their agricultural roots make their families and communities thrive. 

“Agriculture plays such a key role in the success of so many communities across the country,” said Wendell Calhoun, communications manager at Syngenta. “We are proud to recognize our five #RootedinAg finalists, and thank all of our readers for their participation in this year’s contest.”

The finalists are:
    Michelle Miller from Monona, Iowa
    Cale Plowman from Douds, Iowa
    Doug Rohrer from Palmyra, Pennsylvania
    William Tabb from Eupora, Mississippi
    Shelby Watson Hampton from Brandywine, Maryland

Syngenta has posted all five winning entries to the Thrive website for online voting. Judges’ scores will be added to the online voting to determine the grand prizewinner. Voting ends Sept. 15, 2016, with Syngenta announcing the winner in October.



Corn Congress Elects Five Growers to FY2017 Corn Board

Delegates attending the National Corn Growers Association's Corn Congress in Washington this morning elected five farmers to serve on the organization's Corn Board.  Taking office on Oct. 1, the start of NCGA's 2017 fiscal year, are new board members Chris Edgington of Iowa, Don Glenn of Alabama, Tom Haag of Minnesota and John Linder of Ohio. Current board member Kevin Ross of Iowa was re-elected.

"Again this year, we had an impressive slate of candidates for the Corn Board, growers who already have an extensive history of service to American agriculture," NCGA Chairman Martin Barbre, who chairs the nominating committee, said. "It inspires me to see such an interest on the part of these growers, particularly at this time when our industry faces so many challenges. I am certain they will be a valuable addition to the board and look forward to see what they do for corn farmers I the years to come."

Edgington currently serves on NCGA's Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action in addition to chairing the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. At the state level, he is also president of Rural Development Partners and a member of the board of directors of Ag Ventures Alliance. He previously co-chaired Corn Vision 2020 and chaired Golden Oval Eggs.

Also new to the Corn Board, Glenn has chaired NCGA's Production and Stewardship Action Team and Mycotoxin Task Force in addition to having served on the Ethanol Committee. At the state level, he is a past president of the Alabama Soybean and Corn Association

A 2016 graduate of the Advanced Leadership Program, Haag currently serves on NCGA's Research and Business Development Action Team and has previously chaired the Grower Services Action Team. A past president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, he serves as an appointee to the Minnesota Trade Advisory Council.

Another new Corn Board member, Linder chairs the NCGA Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team. He has previously chaired the Ohio Corn Marketing Program and as a member of the Ag Credit Co-op Board of Directors.
 
Also a current Corn Board member, Ross serves as the board liaison to the Trade Policy and Biotechnology Action Team and as the 2017 Commodity Classic Joint Venture Committee Co-chair. He previously chaired the Finance Committee. At the state level, he is a past president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

The NCGA Corn Board represents the organization on all matters while directing both policy and supervising day-to-day operations. Board members represent the federation of state organizations, supervise the affairs and activities of NCGA in partnership with the chief executive officer and implement NCGA policy established by the Corn Congress. Members also act as spokesmen for the NCGA and enhance the organization's public standing on all organizational and policy issues.



USDA's MAP, FMD Funding Drive Demand for U.S. Corn

Agricultural exports help drive the U.S. economy. For instance, exports of U.S. corn and corn products generated $74.7 billion to the U.S. economy in 2014, according to a new analysis by Informa Economics. This is why Congress every year appropriates federal funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program which supports the promotion of corn, corn products as well as value-added U.S. red meat products in international markets. These two Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) programs leverage farmers' checkoff funds and agribusiness investments to build an active outreach program in more than 50 countries.

The United States is not the world's leading agricultural exporter by accident. More than 50 years ago, National Corn Growers Association Founder Walter Goeppinger, recognized the importance of trade for U.S. agricultural commodities. Goeppinger helped form the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and worked with the FAS to open markets for U.S. corn and livestock exports. MAP and FMD cooperators, like the USGC and U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), employ staff around the world, to build and defend U.S. market share of corn and related co-products and directly foster sales opportunities for U.S. products.

"Our investments in both organizations go to creating market development programs which holds promise in creating additional demand for meat, corn, soybeans and ethanol," explained Iowa Corn Promotion Board President Mark Heckman, a corn farmer from Muscatine County, Iowa, and a member of the U.S. Grains Council Trade Policy Action Team. "The focus is on consumer promotion, educating shoppers around the world about the quality food products available to them. It’s why we do what we do."

The 2014 Farm Bill re-authorized MAP and FMD programs which are run by the FAS at USDA. From there the FAS each year awards funding to more than 60 agricultural organizations to help expand commercial export markets for U.S. products. Corn, distillers grains, beef, and pork (and a host of other ag products) all benefit from these funds. An independent study conducted in 2010 found that for every dollar invested in trade promotion overseas, $35 in economic benefits has resulted - much of which is coming back to rural communities in Iowa in the form of jobs and on farm income.



 Farmland Leasing Meetings Provide Valuable Information

With over half of Iowa’s farmland under some form of lease agreement, leasing is a key issue for the state’s tenants and landowners to understand. Because of this prominence, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has made leasing a key component to its educational efforts.

After a peak in the statewide average for cash rents on cropland acres of $270 in 2013, cash rents have been slowly declining. Even with prices down, an estimated $3.6 billion changed hands through rental agreements in 2015.

The decline in cash rent prices has not decreased to the same degree as agricultural revenues. Because of this there is increased pressure on farm operations with a large portion of their acres under a rental agreement. ISU Extension and Outreach farm management specialists provide an unbiased look at the current farm situation for all parties involved in farmland lease agreements.

ISU Extension and Outreach will hold 2016 Farmland Leasing Meeting sessions during the months of July and August across Iowa. This year’s meetings will focus on land values and cash rent trends, cost of production, methods for determining a rental rate, legislative updates regarding leases and communicating with tenants or landlords.

The 2.5 to 3-hour workshop is designed to assist landowners, farm tenants and other agri-business professionals with current issues related to farmland ownership, management and leasing arrangements. Attendees will gain a better understanding of factors driving next year’s rents such as market trends and input costs.

A 100-page workbook is provided for the programs, with resources regarding land leasing agreements such as surveys, sample written lease agreements and termination forms along with many other publications.

The leasing meetings being held across Iowa are facilitated by farm management specialists with ISU Extension and Outreach. A listing of county extension offices hosting the meetings is available on the Ag Decision Maker website.

For registration information, contact local ISU Extension and Outreach county offices. Pre-registration is encouraged as an additional $5 fee may be added if registering less than two calendar days before the meeting date.

The Ag Decision Maker leasing section also provides useful materials for negotiating leases, information on various types of leases, lease forms, and newly updated Decision Tools.

Because of leasing’s importance in the ag economy, ISU Extension and Outreach held over 80 meetings focused on farm leasing during the summer of 2015 and will do so again over the coming weeks. Over 1,800 people participated in the meetings last year. ISU Extension and Outreach online resources were also extensively used, with the ISU Cash Rent Survey having 164,234 downloads and example cash lease forms being downloaded 138,820 times.

Six months after the 2015 meetings concluded, attendees were surveyed in an effort to gain additional insight into rental markets and trends. The farm management team found that 21 percent of attendees participated to gain information for communicating with other parties involved in the rental agreement. Additionally, 95 percent said they were happy with the effectiveness of the leasing programing being done by ISU Extension and Outreach.

The data collected showed on-going satisfaction with 61 percent of respondents having attended a farmland leasing meeting in a prior year, with 44 percent attending multiple times in the past.

The survey asked for changes attendees planned to make in their lease agreements. Nearly one third – 30 percent – of respondents said they planned to decrease rent. Nine percent decided to move from an oral lease to a written lease agreement while nine percent also pledged to implement new conservation strategies.



EIA: Ethanol Supply Builds

The supply of ethanol in the United States increased during the week-ended July 15 while production from domestic plants averaged a record high at more than 1.0 million barrels per day (bpd), data released Wednesday, July 20, by the Energy Information Administration shows.

The EIA reported a 100,000-barrel (bbl) build in ethanol supply to 21.2 million bbl after showing a 500,000-bbl drawdown during the first week of July. As of July 15, ethanol inventory was 1.6 million bbl, or 8.2%, more than year prior.

The increase in available ethanol supply came alongside a 25,000 ramp-up in ethanol plant production to a 1.029 million bpd record high, which is 56,000 bpd, or 5.8%, above the comparable year-ago output rate. During the four weeks ended July 15, ethanol plant production averaged 1.005 million bpd, 27,000 bpd, or 2.8%, above the same four weeks in 2015.

Refiner and blender net inputs of ethanol increased 15,000 bpd to 934,000 bpd, 37,000 bpd, or 4.1%, above year-prior blending volume. During the four weeks ended July 15, ethanol blending activity by refiners and blenders averaged 940,000 bpd, 43,000 bpd or 4.8% above year prior.

Gasoline supplied to market increased 115,000 bpd to 9.785 million bpd during the week reviewed, and averaged 9.73 million bpd during the four weeks ended July 15, 126,000 bpd or 1.3% above year prior.



Fertilizer Prices Slip Slightly Lower

Retail fertilizer prices tracked by DTN for the second week of July 2016 show prices are lower but not by significant amounts. However, DTN's last five weekly surveys have all reported price reductions.

In the latest retail survey, all eight of the major fertilizers dropped slightly in price compared to the previous month. DAP averaged $467/ton, MAP $496/ton, potash $358/ton and urea at $360/ton. 10-34-0 was at $538/ton, anhydrous $547/ton, UAN28 $266/ton and $306/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.39/lb.N, anhydrous $0.33/lb.N, UAN28 $0.48/lb.N and UAN32 $0.48/lb.N.

DTN surveys show retail fertilizers remain significantly less expensive compared to a year earlier. All fertilizers are now double digits lower.

UAN32 is 15% lower, both MAP and 10-34-0 are 16% lower while both DAP and UAN28 are 18% less expensive. Anhydrous is 21% lower, urea is 23% less expensive and potash is 27% less expensive compared to last year at this time.



Multispecies pastures show productivity, drought tolerant promise

Getting more for less is an attractive concept. But it isn’t that easy when it comes to producing more food on less land with fewer resources.

R. Howard Skinner has been researching this idea of more for less in agriculture. Skinner is a physiological plant ecologist and member of the USDA-ARS-Pasture System and Watershed Management Research Unit. He’s been looking into how to increase the amount of forage (grasses and plants that animals eat) pastures can grow. If a piece of land can produce more forage, it can feed more cows. More cows mean more beef and milk.

Cattle grazing multi-species pasture mixtures. Photo credit Steve LaMar.Previous studies suggest incorporating multiple types of plants in pastures is an effective way to increase the amount of forage. However, these studies varied in length. It hasn’t been possible to say for sure what long-term effect using multiple types of plants has on forage production. To learn more, Skinner spent nine years tracking the progress of multispecies pastures.

Skinner and his team at Pennsylvania State University Hawbecker Farm planted eight experimental paddocks. They planted four paddocks with orchard grass and white clover. Another four paddocks had a combination of chicory, orchardgrass, tall fescue, white clover, and alfalfa. When the plants reached a certain height, cows grazed in the paddocks.

The researchers collected samples of the forage before and after the cows grazed. This helped them estimate the amount of forage produced and determine what types of plants were present in the paddocks. Additionally, researchers collected soil samples to check on the plant roots and determine how much carbon was being stored in the soil.

Skinner tracked changes in the amounts of each plant species over the course of the nine years. “We expected some of the species from the more complex mixture to disappear over time,” he explains. What he didn’t expect was the continued superior performance of the five-species mixture even after some of the species disappeared. “Initially I would have thought the loss of species from the more complex mixture was a negative, but this research suggests that by improving soil conditions, specifically soil organic matter, the initial inclusion of multiple species had a long-lasting positive effect even after species differences had disappeared.”

The five-species mixture produced, on average over the nine years, 31% more forage than the two-species mixture. This could be because the five-species mixtures were also storing more carbon in the soil than the two-species mixtures.

These results are encouraging, and reach beyond mere number of forage plants. Increased forage production means more beef and milk. And increased amounts of carbon stored in the soil also means the soil can hold more water.

“The greatest challenge from climate change in the northeast probably has more to do with water availability (both too much and too little) than heat,” says Skinner. Incorporating multiple species into pastures may be able to help protect against runoff after heavy storms and against droughts during dry years.

Overall, this nine-year study supports previous findings that multispecies pastures can produce more forage, but there are still many more decade-long studies that need to be done. In the meantime, Skinner recommends researchers and land managers “select a few species with specific goals in mind,” but understand that many factors, including how the land was previously managed, will have a bearing on results.

Skinner’s research is published in Crop Science.



NMPF Supports Senate Legislation to Create Tax Incentive for Investments in Biogas and Nutrient Recovery

The National Milk Producers Federation today endorsed new Senate legislation that would help dairy farmers increase their investment in technologies that can improve water and air quality and maximize the value of nutrients.

Senate Bill 3248, introduced by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) of the Senate Finance Committee, mirrors legislation introduced by the House of Representatives in June. Like the House bill, S. 3248 will modify Section 48 of the tax code to make biogas systems and nutrient recovery technologies eligible for an already-existing 30 percent investment tax credit to cover capital costs. This needed policy change will help dairy farmers to reduce their environmental footprint, both on their farms and in their communities.

“Dairy farmers are environmentalists who realize the potential value of the nutrients they manage, but the cost of installing new technology often poses a major obstacle,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “We’re pleased that this bipartisan effort to help producers continue toward a sustainable farming future is now moving forward in both chambers.”

Dairy farmers and their industry partners continue to work to embrace the best possible environmental practices. In 2008, the dairy sector voluntarily set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fluid milk by 25 percent by 2020, and has since undertaken several projects intended to help meet that goal.



USW Farmer Directors Install New Officers at Summer Board Meeting

The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Board of Directors installed new officers at its annual meeting July 20, 2016, in Fargo, ND. Jason Scott of Easton, MD, was installed as Chairman, while last year’s Chairman Brian O’Toole of Crystal, ND, transitioned to Past Chairman and Chairman of the USW Budget Committee. Other officers installed included Mike Miller of Ritzville, WA, as Vice Chairman and Chris Kolstad of Ledger, MT, as Secretary-Treasurer. USW officers were elected to these one-year positions at the January 2016 Winter Wheat Conference in Washington, DC.

Jason Scott is a sixth generation wheat farmer from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where he is farm manager of Walnut Hill Farms and produces soft red winter (SRW) wheat, row crops and vegetables. He is also an Independent Sales Representative for Pioneer Hi-Bred Int'l, under the title Scott’s Seed, L.L.C.  Scott is a founding member of the Dorchester County Young Farmers, past president of the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board and the Maryland Grain Producers Association. In 2011, he won the Maryland Young Farmers Achievement Award. In his seven years on the USW Board, Scott has represented his state and USW on two board team delegations to Africa and Europe and served as Secretary-Treasurer and Vice Chairman as well as on several USW committees. He and his wife Dr. Casey Scott have a young daughter.

Mike Miller is a fourth generation farmer who operates a dryland wheat farm and grows multiple crops on a separate, irrigated farm in east central Washington. He has served on many local, state and national boards, and is in his third term on the Washington Grain Commission and his fifth year as a USW director representing Washington. Miller is also very active in supporting wheat research and development. He and his wife, Marci, have three children.

Chris Kolstad is the fourth generation of his family to farm in Montana’s “Golden Triangle” region. He and his wife Vicki have four children, including their son Cary who is a partner in their operation. They grow hard red winter (HRW) wheat, dark northern spring wheat and durum, plus barley and dry peas. A commissioner of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, Kolstad has represented his state on the USW board since 2012. He is also a member of the Montana Grain Growers Association and Montana Farm Bureau. His community leadership includes serving on his local school board, as treasurer of his family’s church and as a regular blood donor who has given almost 19 gallons of blood since 1972.

Brian O’Toole is the president of T.E. O'Toole Farm Seed Company. He and his wife Sara have four children and raise wheat, edible beans and sugarbeets on their northeast North Dakota farm. O'Toole is an experienced agricultural and community leader. He serves on the North Dakota Wheat Commission, on the board of the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland, OR, and is Chairman of SBARE Wheat Granting Committee. He is also past president of the North Dakota Crop Improvement and Seed Association and past president of Crystal Farmers Elevator Co-op. O’Toole has received the Young Outstanding Farmer Award, Master Farmer Award and Friends of 4-H Award. He has served as Secretary-Treasurer and Vice Chairman of USW.

Also during the USW board meeting, committees met on Monday, July 18, and Tuesday, July 19, including the Joint Biotechnology and Joint International Trade Policy committees that operate in conjunction with the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG). Official business was called to order Tuesday, July 19, and continued through Wednesday, July 20.

Reports to the board included a welcome from North Dakota Lieutenant Governor Drew Wrigley, background on local production and policy from the Agriculture Commissioner of North Dakota, Doug Goehring, and a review of market factors that could change the dynamics of the world wheat market from Mike Krueger, President of The Money Farm. The board also heard an update on trade relations with Cuba from Tyler Jameson, Legislative Assistant to Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), USW Regional Vice President Mitch Skalicky and Assistant Director of Policy Ben Conner. The farmer directors from 18 states also heard from Vance Taylor, President and General Manager of the North Dakota Mill and Elevator Association in Grand Forks, ND, about the history and output of the only state-owned milling facility in the United States.

USW's next Board meeting will be held jointly with NAWG in Denver, CO, Nov. 2 to 5, 2016.