Friday November 18 Cattle on Feed + Ag News

NEBRASKA CATTLE ON FEED DOWN 5 PERCENT

Nebraska feedlots, with capacities of 1,000 or more head, contained 2.32 million cattle on feed on November 1, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. This inventory was down 5 percent from last year.  Placements during October totaled 615,000 head, down 5 percent from 2015.  Fed cattle marketings for the month of October totaled 445,000 head, unchanged from last year. Other disappearance during October totaled 10,000 head, down 10,000 head from last year.



IOWA CATTLE ON FEED UP 5 PERCENT

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in Iowa feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 600,000 head on November 1, 2016, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Cattle on Feed report. This was up 5 percent from October 1, 2016, but down 6 percent from November 1, 2015. Iowa feedlots with a capacity of less than 1,000 head had 505,000 head on feed, up 7 percent from last month but unchanged from last year. Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in all Iowa feedlots totaled 1,105,000 head, up 6 percent from last month but down 3 percent from last year.

Placements of cattle and calves in Iowa feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head during October totaled 129,000 head, an increase of 63 percent from last month but down 17 percent from last year. Feedlots with a capacity of less than 1,000 head placed 91,000 head, up 30 percent from last month and up 11 percent from last year. Placements for all feedlots in Iowa totaled 220,000 head, up 48 percent from last month but down 8 percent from last year.

Marketings of fed cattle from Iowa feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head during October totaled 96,000 head, up 10 percent from last month but down 15 percent from last year. Feedlots with a capacity of less than 1,000 head marketed 54,000 head, down 42 percent from last month and down 36 percent from last year. Marketings for all feedlots in Iowa were 150,000 head, down 17 percent from last month and down 24 percent from last year. Other disappearance from all feedlots in Iowa totaled 5,000 head.



United States Cattle on Feed Down 1 Percent
   
Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.7 million head on November 1, 2016. The inventory was 1 percent below November 1, 2015.

Placements in feedlots during October totaled 2.17 million head, 5 percent below 2015. Net placements were 2.11 million head. During October, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 610,000 head, 600-699 pounds were 525,000 head, 700-799 pounds were 471,000 head, and 800 pounds and greater were 565,000 head.

Marketings of fed cattle during October totaled 1.71 million head, 5 percent above 2015. Other disappearance totaled 57,000 head during October, 24 percent below 2015.



October Milk Production up 2.7 Percent
                       
Milk production in the 23 major States during October totaled 16.5 billion pounds, up 2.7 percent from October 2015. September revised production, at 16.0 billion pounds, was up 2.3 percent from September 2015.  The September revision represented a decrease of 6 million pounds or less than 0.1 percent from last month's preliminary production estimate.

Production per cow in the 23 major States averaged 1,903 pounds for October, 43 pounds above October 2015. This is the highest production per cow for the month of October since the 23 State series began in 2003.

The number of milk cows on farms in the 23 major States was 8.67 million head, 31,000 head more than October 2015, but 2,000 head less than September 2016.

October Milk Production in the United States up 2.5 Percent
Milk production in the United States during October totaled 17.6 billion pounds, up 2.5 percent from October 2015.  Production per cow in the United States averaged 1,880 pounds for October, 42 pounds above October 2015.  The number of milk cows on farms in the United States was 9.34 million head, 15,000 head more than October 2015, but 2,000 head less than September 2016.

IOWA:  Milk production in Iowa during October 2016 totaled 416 million pounds, up 4 percent from the previous October according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Milk Production report. The average number of milk cows during October, at 212,000 head, was the same as last month but 2,000 more than last year. Monthly production per cow averaged 1,960 pounds, up 60 pounds from last October.



Nebraska Cattlemen Host 2016 Annual Convention & Trade Show

The 2016 Annual Nebraska Cattlemen Convention and Trade Show will be held in Kearney at the Younes Convention Center December 6th - 9th. This year's convention schedule is packed full of industry leaders, speakers and educational opportunities for all ages of cattlemen and women.

The week starts off with the 2016 Cattlemen's College, sponsored by Zoetis. This event has been such a hit over the years that it's been moved to Tuesday, December 6, to allow for a full afternoon and evening of great educational opportunities.  The program offers a wide range of speakers that will discuss genomics, weather, farm succession and a market outlook.  The education program is designed to address relevant issues and deliver information that will improve production and profitability.  The college will wrap up with a networking reception and a panel on product quality and the consumer.

Wednesday will kick off at the Younes Convention Center with a new event this year! The YCC Class of 2016 will be hosting a Young Cattlemen's Round Table from 1:00-3:00 p.m. The goal of the round table is to inspire members to get involved in the Nebraska Cattlemen and experience the benefits of the organization.  Attendees will be able to discuss what is happening in the beef industry and what it means to them. Council meetings will fill the rest of the day and Wednesday will conclude with the General Session. You'll hear from Kevin Kester, Vice President, National Cattlemen's Association; Allison Cook, Executive Director of Government Affairs, National Cattlemen's Association and Clint Krehbiel, Ph.D., Department Head, UNL Department of Animal Science. After the General Session the Welcome Reception will begin in the Trade Show.

After a full day of committee meetings, Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Lunch and trade show happenings the annual banquet will wrap up the evening on Thursday, December 8th beginning at 7:00 p.m. As always a few cattlemen will be recognized for their dedication to the industry, great items will be up for grabs during the live auction and phenomenal food to be enjoyed by all. Convention will come to an end on Friday after the Market Outlook Breakfast and the Annual Business Meeting. The entire schedule can be viewed at http://nebraskacattlemen.org/convention.aspx.



Holzfaster Concludes 6-Year Term on National Corn Growers Association

Nebraska Corn Board member, F. Jon Holzfaster, farmer from Paxton, attended his final board of directors meeting for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), bringing a six-year term to a close.

“My time as a board director has broadened my perspective of the agricultural industry. I now take a more worldly view on the effect global events have on agriculture, the vulnerability of our industry and the importance of pushing forward on demand issues; such as new uses, old uses, livestock and ethanol,” said Holzfaster. “These factors play an important role in keeping supply and demand in check and ensuring the value of the products we grow.”

During Holzfaster’s tenure on NCGA’s board, he served as chairman of the NCGA Ethanol Committee and was also an instrumental leader in NCGA’s partnership with Growth Energy to establish E15 as the official racing fuel for NASCAR.

Holzfaster said that his six years spent as a NCGA board director were also six years that he was able to commit to working with the American Ethanol and NASCAR partnership. “It has been phenomenal for me to get to know some of the folks within that sport and understand how not only the entertainment component of NASCAR works, but the marketing component. NASCAR is a marketing monster; and, when you can use that for your industry’s benefit, that can be very, very beneficial.”

Kelly Brunkhorst, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board, said that Holzfaster was an influential leader with NCGA’s E15 effort and NASCAR partnership. “Jon’s passion for the industry and commitment to NCGA’s ethanol efforts have played a major role in guiding American Ethanol to become a centerpiece for NASCAR. It has been gratifying to see a Nebraska corn farmer give so much of his time to serve and expand opportunities for our industry.”

The Nebraska Corn Board has supported NCGA with corn checkoff dollars for many years. The board strongly believes that collaboration and strategic partnerships with other like-minded organizations like NCGA make for an even greater impact. Through the continued support of NCGA, Nebraska corn checkoff dollars are leveraged with those of other corn-producing states to create programs and initiatives that are national in scope and impact. From biotech and stewardship education, to high profile consumer and influencer outreach programs; from the American Ethanol NASCAR sponsorship to white papers on critical issues such as trade and biofuels, NCGA provides leadership and partner-building influence to make a difference on a national scale.

“There is great power in our ability to leverage Nebraska corn checkoff dollars with those of other corn states—and it has been extremely rewarding to see this process first-hand on a national level,” said Holzfaster. “Despite the many challenges facing the corn industry today, the phenomenal board and staff at NCGA are able to accomplish amazing things on behalf of the industry.”

“All of us involved in Nebraska agriculture owe Jon Holzfaster a big thank you for his outstanding service and selfless leadership as a National Corn Board director over these past six years,” added Brunkhorst.

Holzfaster operates a third-generation family farm based in Perkins County. He produces corn, popcorn, alfalfa, wheat, soybeans, edible beans and operates a background feed yard. He has been involved with the Nebraska Corn Board since 2003. He is currently the district 8 director and past chairman for the Nebraska Corn Board and has been representing the board as a director on the National Corn Board since 2010. Prior to that, Holzfaster served for six years on the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission.



Healthy soil aids grass and animal vigor

Dung beetles, earthworms and pollinators are the good guys when it comes to the health of soil and grassland resources.

Allen Williams, resources consultant, made a five-hour stop at Curtis on Nov. 14 meeting with agriculture students, professors, and grazing lands and livestock managers at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

Williams shared his insights with an audience of 81 attendees during the evening program entitled, “Dirt Rich or Dirt Poor:  Principles of Soil Health, Adaptive Grazing and Cover Crop Livestock Integration.”

Aggie students enrolled in livestock management, production and range management courses at NCTA were assigned to attend and report on their findings to NCTA animal science professors Teri Jo Bek and Doug Smith, Ph.D.

Timely rains and soil moisture are critical to proper vegetative growth. Indicators of soil health below that vegetation can include presence of earthworms and dung beetles.  For example, while livestock graze on pastures and grasslands, the action of their feet help to incorporate nutrients into the soil below, and dung beetles aid in the decomposition of animal waste and burrowing the nutrients down into the soil profile.

“There are more than 70 types of dung beetles,” Williams noted. “Those holes you see in a cow patty are dung beetles at work, taking the dung into the soil.”

Williams encouraged producers to use soil testing methods to measure soil health and plan fertility programs for improving their soil conditions. Proper management of livestock and the grassland or crop resources improves soil tilth, thus enhancing plant vitality and reducing soil erosion by wind, lack of moisture, and overgrazing.

He cited examples of poor resource management, and how to improve conditions.  As a land manager, consultant and business owner, Williams has been able to increase agricultural profitability through adaptive or intensive grazing by putting more livestock into smaller paddocks and grazing for very short periods of time, or increasing pressure to reduce or eliminate specific invasive species or weeds such as cedar trees.

Williams cited numerous case studies of soil and resource improvement with better management for manure distribution, optimal grass varieties to match soil temperatures and climate, and incorporating cover crops into existing rotations and grasslands management.  Williams is a founding partner and president of GFI, LLC, and has consulted for more than 4,000 farmers and ranchers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He holds animal science degrees from Clemson University and Louisiana State University.

The program was sponsored by Nebraska Extension with the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition and NCTA.



FARMERS REMINDED REFERENDUM TO REINSTATE THE IOWA BEEF CHECKOFF TO BE HELD NOV 30th

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association today reminded eligible beef producers of the November 30th referendum on whether the refundable $.50 per head Iowa beef checkoff should be reinstated.

Any individual, firm, corporation, partnership or association that has owned or acquired cattle during year prior to the referendum (December 1, 2015 – November 30, 2016) is an “Eligible Beef Producer” for the purposes of this referendum.

A person shall not be considered a producer if: 1) the person’s only share in the proceeds of a sale of cattle or beef is a sales commission, handling fee, or other service fee; or 2) the person acquired ownership of cattle to facilitate the transfer of ownership of such cattle from the seller to a third party; resold such cattle no later than ten days from the date on which the person acquired ownership; and certified as required by rules adopted by the council.

Producers may also vote by absentee ballot prior to the referendum by contacting the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.  Producers may call 515-281-5321, email beefvote@IowaAgriculture.gov or visit www.IowaAgriculture.gov and download the form located in “Hot Topics.”  They may also visit the Henry Wallace Building, 502 E 9th St., Des Moines, IA 50319 to solicit an Absentee Ballot Request Form.

The Absentee Ballot Request Form must be signed and returned to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.  The producer will then be mailed an Absentee Ballot. Absentee Ballot Request Forms should be received by the Department by November 23, 2016 and Absentee Ballots must be postmarked by November 30, 2016.

A petition to vote on the state beef checkoff was delivered to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship on September 2. The petition contained over 500 signatures of cattle producers in the state of Iowa who are interested in a referendum.

If the referendum passes, collection will begin March 1, 2017. The Iowa beef checkoff will be mandatory, but refunds will be available to interested producers. The federal beef checkoff of $1 per head remains in place and would not be affected by the Iowa vote.

For more information on how checkoff dollars are used contact the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association at (515) 296-2266 or find out more online at www.iacattlemen.org/.



Iowa E15 Retailers’ “Pink at the Pump” Campaign Raises $12,000 for Breast Cancer Awareness

Drivers filling-up their cars with cleaner-burning E15 during the month of October raised $12,000 for breast cancer awareness as part of the “Pink at the Pump” Campaign.  Nearly 30 E15 retailers in Iowa participated in the program, which donated three cents of every gallon of E15 sold from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  The Foundation provides help and inspires hope to those affected by breast cancer through early detection, education and support services.

Participating E15 locations also featured pink E15 nozzle guards as part of the campaign, sponsored by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB). E15 is a fuel blend containing 15 percent ethanol, just five percentage points more ethanol than the most commonly used fuel in the U.S., E10.  E15 is often sold at a 5 to 10-cent per gallon discount to E10, and is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in all 2001 and newer vehicles. To learn more about E15, please click here.

According to a recent IRFA study, Iowa’s renewable fuels industry accounts for more than $4.6 billion of Iowa GDP, generates $2.3 billion in income for Iowa households and supports more than 43,000 jobs throughout all sectors of the Iowa economy. Read the full study by clicking here.



ISU Extension and Outreach Workshop on Farm Business Succession

A family farm business represents a lifetime of hard work and a commitment to a certain lifestyle that often spans generations. Good communications and planning make the transition from one generation to the next move smoothly and more successfully.

“Successfully transferring a farm business, or any business for that matter, begins with conversations about goals – the goals of all parties involved,” said Dave Baker, farm transition specialist with the Beginning Farmer Center at Iowa State University. “The current owner and spouse as well as future owner and spouse need to be included in the conversations. These talks are often hard to initiate, but they are vital to creating an understanding that can be the basis for a succession plan.”

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering a farm business succession workshop to help farm families begin those conversations and start putting transition plans on paper. Jerry Chizek, ISU Extension and Outreach regional director, says offering a farm business succession workshop is a result of needs expressed by area farm families.

“I hear individual family members express concerns about the future of the farm business, but many families have not taken the time to have those discussions between the generations involved,” said Chizek. “This is an opportunity to begin those discussions. If it is important for the farm to stay in the family, then it is critical to have these discussions to share the goals, dreams, fears and expectations associated with succession planning. That’s why we are bringing ISU Extension and Outreach transitioning experts to our region.”

The workshop is planned as a multi-generational event for exiting owners and spouses, and succeeding owners and spouses. The two-session workshop will be held on consecutive days to allow for the initiation of conversations and written plans. David Baker and John Baker, attorney-at-law and administrator with the Beginning Farmer Center, will present at the workshop in Fort Dodge on Feb. 17-18, 2017.

Over the workshop’s two days, participants will review the retirement plan concept and receive information on transfer plans, estate plans and a process for creating a family statement of intention. Family groups will be given time to write a statement of intent and vision of the future. Families will go home with a blueprint to the future – knowing what they need to do, who they need to talk to and understanding that the plan may need to be adjusted along the way.

The workshop will be held Friday, Feb. 17 from 1-8 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 18 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the ISU Extension and Outreach Webster County office located at 217 South 25th Street, Suite C12 in Fort Dodge.

The cost of the workshop is $200 per family of four and $25 per each additional person. Pre-registration is required by Feb. 10 and can be made by contacting ISU Extension and Outreach offices in the following counties:
-    Hamilton County, 515-832-9597, xhamilton@iastate.edu
-    Humboldt County, 515-332-2201, xhumboldt@iastate.edu
-    Webster County, 515-576-2119, xwebster@iastate.edu
-    Wright County, 515-532-3453, xwright@iastate.edu.




EPA Ignores SAP Feedback, Continues on Path Toward Chlorpyrifos Revocation

Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released documents to the federal docket regarding food-use tolerance revocations of chlorpyrifos. This proposed action follows a long review of chlorpyrifos that has included three separate Scientific Advisory Panels (SAPs), the first two held in 2008 and 2012 and the most recent this past April (see transcript). All three SAPs came to the same conclusion, questioning EPA’s shift to the use of certain epidemiological study outcomes rather than toxicological data in human health risk assessments. In particular, the SAPs have cautioned EPA against using the study outcomes from the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH).

EPA has not consistently provided opportunity for stakeholder input and, generally, has not responded to the thousands of comments that have been submitted on the chlorpyrifos docket. “EPA’s most recent move represents a major proposed action that sets a precedent of using study outcomes for regulatory decision making in lieu of laboratory data. This change in approach creates an unpredictable system for companies that have put hundreds of millions of dollars and decades of work into ensuring their products meet the highest human health and safety requirements,” stated Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CropLife America (CLA). “Upon examination of the 55 documents, the decision to continue on the path toward the revocation of a vital crop protection product seems to have been made with almost no new relevant information to back the result.”

“EPA stated that it planned to revise its previous approach to drinking water assessment. Yet upon initial review of the docket, nothing has changed to enhance the refinement of the models,” noted Dr. Janet Collins, senior vice president of science and regulatory affairs at CLA. “The overly conservative assumptions used in both the human health and the drinking water assessments create unrealistic limitations to the use of chlorpyrifos. We are disappointed that EPA continues to use the epidemiological study reports from the literature to assess exposure and health outcome when, as they state, EPA does not have access to the data that can be used in a meaningful and relevant risk assessment. Rather, EPA has added assumptions based on expected use of chlorpyrifos with no record of actual use.”

Due to the volume of data added to the docket, CLA will need the full 60 days allotted to review the documents adequately and prepare comments.



Report Shows Food vs. Fuel Show No Connection

Millions of Americans preparing for Thanksgiving next week are undoubtedly noticing that dinner will cost less than it did a year ago. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, overall grocery prices are roughly 2 percent lower than at this time last year, and prices specifically for poultry products are down 1.5 percent compared to last fall. Meanwhile, the amount of corn used for fuel ethanol is primed to set a new record in 2016, up roughly 3 percent from last year.

The Renewable Fuels Association, which released an independent analysis Nov. 16 on the impact of ethanol on food prices, says the current collision of falling food prices and record ethanol production should end the contrived 'food vs. fuel' debate once and for all. The new statistical analysis, conducted by Informa Economics IEG, retrospectively examined the effect of ethanol expansion on food prices, concluding that retail food prices were not impacted in any demonstrable way by expansion of U.S. grain ethanol production under the renewable fuel standard over the past decade.

The analysis shows that growth in food prices slowed considerably after passage of the RFS2, with prices for groceries advancing at roughly half the rate seen prior to the program's adoption.

Prior to the passage of RFS2, food away from home grew at an average of 3.4 percent, versus 3.2 percent for food at home. After RFS2, food away from home grew at 2.6 percent, versus 1.8 percent for food at home, the study found.

The increase in the food actually decelerated as the usage of corn in ethanol production increased dramatically.



USAID project led by Kansas State University to help develop new sorghum varieties for Haiti

In an effort to address challenges faced by sorghum farmers in Haiti, the U.S. Agency for International Development has awarded Kansas State University $1.08 million to establish a genomics-assisted sorghum breeding program in the small Caribbean country.

The award, led by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum and Millet, will consist of three subprojects aimed at building the foundation of a breeding program that taps into the latest in technological advances to tackle some of Haiti's greatest constraints in sorghum production.

"This project is novel and exciting as it begins to assess our abilities to more surgically adapt and develop new sorghum varieties for Haiti," said lab director Tim Dalton.

The USAID grant, awarded through its Feed the Future initiative, will support the existing program at the CHIBAS Foundation, a bio-energy and sustainable agriculture research center in Haiti. Complimentary research also will be conducted at Kansas State University and Cornell University.

Sorghum is grown widely in Haiti — most commonly as a subsistence crop — with an estimated 200,000 farmers dependent on it as a food and income source.

But as one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti faces numerous constraints in establishing a strong breeding program, including a lack of resources, stressful growing environments and limited ability to improve crops in the field or lab.

Dalton said those challenges underscore the importance of genomics-assisted breeding, a process by which scientists choose which plants to crossbreed based on their DNA sequence. Once established, the process can save significant time and resources in developing new varieties that are better adapted to the local stresses and preferences.

"Today, plant breeders are taking existing genetic differences that might have arisen in a farmer's field in Africa or Asia or in Kansas hundreds or thousands of years ago, identifying which ones might be useful for breeders in the future, and using standard breeding methods of crossing varieties to each other," said Geoffrey Morris, Kansas State University assistant professor of agronomy who was awarded $201,600 to lead one of the three projects.

Morris said genomics-assisted breeding links a plant's genes to its desired traits so that breeders can select for those genes from the beginning and develop a superior variety in much less time.

"We're using the genetics to follow the favorable genes during the breeding process," he said.

While the award is specific to developing a program in Haiti, the work is part of a broader effort to improve sorghum production in numerous countries around the world through the Feed the Future program. Dalton said those efforts are likely to produce benefits for U.S. agriculture.

"Working in Haiti will provide opportunities to work year-round on important pests like the sugarcane aphid or in droughty and hot climates," he said. "While the goals focus on strengthening Haiti's breeding system, the experience and insight will spill over into the U.S. for the benefit of local producers. The tools developed for this project will be useful as we tailor sorghum varieties for our own micro-ecologies ranging from the Carolinas to the Great Plains."

Feed the Future is the U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative. With a focus on smallholder farmers, particularly women, Feed the Future supports partner countries in developing their agriculture sectors to spur economic growth and trade that increase incomes and reduce hunger, poverty and undernutrition.