Monday April 10 Crop Progress + Ag News

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending April 9, 2017, temperatures warmed later in the week and averaged four degrees above normal, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Rainfall was limited in most areas except for portions of north central, northeast, and extreme southeast Nebraska where totals of an inch or more were recorded. Fieldwork was limited to spring tillage and fertilizer application, as producers waited for soils to warm. There were 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 5 percent very short, 21 short, 70 adequate, and 4 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 8 percent very short, 25 short, 65 adequate, and 2 surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Winter wheat condition rated 1 percent very poor, 9 poor, 42 fair, 41 good, and 7 excellent.

Oats planted was 37 percent, behind 46 last year and 44 for the five-year average. Oats emerged was 6 percent, equal to last year and near 7 average.

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Cattle and calf conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 0 poor, 16 fair, 71 good, and 13 excellent. Calving progress was 74 percent complete, equal to last year, but ahead of 62 average. Cattle and calf death loss rated 1 percent heavy, 65 average, and 34 light.

Sheep and lamb conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 1 poor, 23 fair, 67 good, and 9 excellent. Sheep and lamb death loss rated 1 percent heavy, 74 average, and 25 light.

Hay and roughage supplies rated 2 percent very short, 4 short, 90 adequate, and 4 surplus.

Stock water supplies rated 1 percent very short, 6 short, 92 adequate, and 1 surplus.



Access the National publication for Crop Progress and Condition tables at:
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/CropProg/2010s/2017/CropProg-04-10-2017.pdf.

Access the High Plains Region Climate Center for Temperature and Precipitation Maps at: http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/maps.php?map=ACISClimateMaps.

Access the U.S. Drought Monitor at:
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NE.



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION

Rain prevented field work early in the week ending April 9, 2017, but by the weekend many Iowa producers were able to get into their fields, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were 1.8 days suitable for fieldwork. Field work activities included anhydrous, fertilizer, and manure applications, and some CRP burning as part of mid-contract management. Where conditions allowed, field cultivation also took place. Farmers also prepared equipment for planting as they waited for the soil to warm up and dry out.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 3 percent short, 72 percent adequate, and 24 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 5 percent short, 75 percent adequate, and 19 percent surplus.

Seventeen percent of the State’s expected oat crop has been planted, just over one week behind the 5-year average. Oats emerged reached 4 percent, three days behind average.

Pasture condition rated 3 percent very poor, 7 percent poor, 27 percent fair, 54 percent good, and 9 percent excellent. Pastures are beginning to green up as temperatures rise. Calving continues with no reported issues. Feedlots remain muddy, but are improving.



US Corn Planting Progress Debuts at 3%

U.S. corn planting progress debuted at 3% complete in USDA's weekly Crop Progress report released Monday afternoon. That was one percentage point behind last year's pace of 4% and equal to the five-year average pace of 3%.

USDA also reported that 9% of U.S. winter wheat was headed as of Sunday, April 9, up from 4% a year ago and also up from the five-year average of 6% headed. The condition of the crop was rated 53% good to excellent.

Meanwhile, spring wheat planting was reported at 5% complete as of Sunday, down from last year's 12% and also below the five-year average of 11% planted.

In other crop reports, sorghum was 18% planted, compared to 15% last year and a 15% five-year average. Cotton planting was 6% complete, compared to 5% last year and a 6% average. Rice was 31% planted, compared to 30% last year and a 26% average.

Oats were 33% planted as of April 9, compared to 37% last year and a 41% average. Emergence was at 26%, compared to 26% last year and a 31% average.



Agriculture Teacher & FFA Advisor of the Year Awarded to Two Nebraska Teachers

The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation selected two recipients for the Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor of the Year award. Jesse Bower from Sutton Public Schools and Amy Tomlinson from Sandy Creek Public Schools were honored at the Nebraska FFA Convention on Thur., April 6, in Lincoln. The winning advisors received a plaque and $1,000 donation to their FFA chapters.

The teachers were nominated by their own students and chosen based upon their school and community involvement, leadership development in their classroom, and their ability to keep their students involved in agriculture.

“Both teachers are exceptional educators, leaders, and role models for their students,” said Megahn Schafer, executive director of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation. “Not only do these teachers go above and beyond for their students, they support the future of agriculture through encouragement of FFA leaders.”

Jesse Bower is an FFA Advisor at Sutton Public Schools in Sutton, NE. Bower creates a learning community with students by doing hands-on projects and experiments in her classroom. When she’s not in the classroom, she is giving back to the community and showing gratitude for the support that the community shows the FFA Chapter.

Amy Tomlinson is an FFA Advisor at Sandy Creek Public Schools in Fairfield, NE. The Sandy Creek FFA Chapter was selected as a top 15 chapter in Nebraska in 2016. Tomlinson pushes her students to excel. She advocates for the agriculture program in her school and takes the time to sit down with each student and learn what their interests, background, and career goals are. Ms. Tomlinson is also active in her community and volunteers for many activities at the Clay County Fair.

“We had a number of exceptional nominations this year. All of the advisors and agriculture education teachers nominated are a showcase of agriculture leaders in their communities,” Shafer said. “The students these teachers impact are the future of our great state, and we are proud to recognize their excellent service.”



Planting Interval of Corn and Soybean after 2,4-D/ Dicamba Burndown Application
Amit Jhala - NE Extension Weed Management Specialist

This week I received phone calls from several growers asking about the planting intervals for corn and soybean following 2,4-D/dicamba applications in a burndown program. With cold, wet conditions in March, many producers may be facing a smaller than expected window for making their herbicide burndown applications in April. This makes timely applications now even more important to provide for a proper interval before planting this year.

Dicamba and 2,4-D are commonly used burndown herbicides for control of winter annual broadleaf weeds such as dandelion, field pennycress, henbit, tansy mustard, etc.

Additionally, several summer annual weed species in Nebraska emerge early in the season, prior to planting corn and soybean, and need to be controlled before they grow too large to be effectively controlled.

Of particular concern are giant ragweed, kochia, and marestail; we believe there are numerous populations of these species in Nebraska that cannot be controlled by glyphosate because they have evolved resistance to glyphosate. Therefore, use of 2,4-D/dicamba has increased in recent years, particularly for control of glyphosate-resistant marestail and giant ragweed. Based on observations in our giant ragweed research studies, we have had success controlling glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed with any herbicide program containing 2,4-D as a component of a burndown program.

If you apply 2,4-D prior to planting, be sure to adhere to the planting interval specified on the label. Several 2,4-D products have different planting intervals for soybean, somewhere in the range of 7 to 30 days depending on application rate.

As a general guideline, the following planting intervals should be maintained for corn and soybean after applying 2,4-D/dicamba....
-    If soybean is to be planted this year, do NOT apply dicamba. XtendiMax, a new dicamba product with VaporGrip Technology, can be applied in burndown application, but only if planting Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybean this season.
-    If 2,4-D is applied at 16 fl oz/acre in a burndown program, the planting interval should be seven days for corn and soybean
-    If 2,4-D is applied at a rate above 16 fl oz/acre in a burndown program, the planting interval should be 14 days for corn and 30 days for soybean
-    If dicamba is applied at 4 oz/acre in a burndown program, the planting interval for corn should be five days. If dicamba is applied at 8 oz/acre, the planting interval for corn should be seven days. DiFlexx and DiFlexx DUO are dicamba products with CSI safener; therefore, corn can be planted any time after application of these products, which may be particularly helpful in a replant situation. Care should be taken, however, so that corn seed does not contact the herbicide.



Share Machinery, Reduce Costs — Developing a Joint Ownership Agreement
Original Article by Tim Lemmons, former Nebraska Extension Educator
Reviewed and revised by Nebraska Extension Educators Allan Vyhnalek and Jim Jansen, and Jay Parsons, associate professor in the Dept of Ag Econ

Economic efficiency is paramount to profitability in crop production operations. Machinery and production equipment costs represent a major expense and one that has been on the rise in recent years. The Nebraska Farm Business Inc. calculates that in 2015, the cost of machinery on a per acre basis was 18% of the total cost of corn production. Proper management of these costs represents a key area where producers can effectively and efficiently reduce per acre costs of growing and harvesting crops.

Joint ownership of equipment can spread costs among multiple operators and reduce equipment costs for the individual operator. Successful joint ownership requires both a written agreement at the onset and ongoing good communication between the parties.

Machinery agreements can be structured in many ways; however, the most common include:
-    Sole ownership with a custom agreement - one party owns the machine, makes all payments including repairs, and makes an agreement with another producer for the use of the equipment, similar to renting equipment
-    Joint ownership - each party in the agreement is responsible for a portion of all payments, including principle, interest, and cash expenditures

Advantages of Shared Machinery
There are a number of advantages to sharing machinery costs, including:
-    Shared expense of high cost agricultural machinery
-    Efficient use of the machinery — equipment may be used over more acres annually than may have been possible in a single operation
-    Opportunity for shared labor, mechanical skills, and repair facilities
-    Opportunity to share technology like GPS auto guidance, grid yield data, etc.
-    Possible increased purchasing power in equipment selection due to combined financial resources
-    Opportunity for new and beginning farmers with fewer resources to partner with established producers to effectively manage risk exposure

Disadvantages of Shared Machinery
There are some disadvantages to joint ownership as well. They include:
-    Bottlenecks in production ― both owners need equipment at the same time
-    Cash flow needs of one owner may not coincide with the needs of another
-    Machinery down time may be detrimental to both owners, depending on field demand
-    Potential for death, bankruptcy, or unplanned retirement of one owner
-    Payment deficiency by one party requires another owner to pay more to keep equipment
-    Independence in ownership is lost ― decisions on machine disposal must be agreed to by all parties
-    One owner may be harder on machinery than another, or return equipment dirty or in disrepair

Starting the Joint-Ownership Process
Communication between all potential owners in a joint machinery venture is critical to success. They’ll need to complete a series of steps:
-    Both parties must agree on the size and capability of the intended machine. If the shared item is too small, efficiency is lost due to production bottlenecks and the higher potential for breakdowns.
-    Decisions must be made on brands, fuel types, and machine characteristics. This is an important step when considering the various creature comforts and technologies available on today's agricultural machinery.
-    The machinery agreement must be completed.

The Machinery Agreement
This is the most critical aspect of shared ownership.  Following are just a few of the questions that must be answered when preparing the agreement.
-    What determines who uses the equipment and at what time?
-    Is there a maximum number of acres or hours for each owner's use?
-    When controversy occurs regarding use priority, who or what standard will be used to make the final decision?
-    How will repair/fuel/lube costs be separated?
-    How will the machine or item be transported from one location to another?
-    What are the investment requirements of each party involved?
-    Will one party make the payment on behalf of the others or will each party make a separate payment?
-    How will use or availability of the equipment be determined?
-    What happens in the event of a bankruptcy, an unfavorable court ruling, retirement of an owner, or the untimely death of an operator?

Failure to address these questions in the written agreement may be disastrous. Do not assume that because you are entering into a relationship with a family member or a very good friend that a shared machinery agreement is not needed.

Summary
Joint ownership of agricultural equipment offers an opportunity to spread costs over multiple entities. Overall acquisition and annual maintenance costs are applied to an operation based on mutual agreement. This enables an entity the opportunity to capture both depreciation and operating expenses on the equipment, while lowering total cash outlays. Joint ownership also allows for larger equipment purchases, which may be required, depending on the net total acreage of the combined operations.

To be effective joint ownership of equipment requires a written agreement, good record keeping of expenses, and good communication. All parties must realize that they are partners in the investment. It's important that the equipment agreement be structured such that it addresses the issues and concerns identified in this guide and any others that may occur between all involved.



Nebraska Extension offers May field crop scout training     

A May 10 Nebraska Extension training course is scheduled for industry representatives and corn and soybean growers wanting to learn how to better manage corn and soybean pests.

“The training is designed for entry-level scouts who are working for crop consultants, industry agronomists or farm service centers in Nebraska and neighboring states”, said Keith Glewen, Nebraska Extension educator.  Glewen says the training course is also ideal for growers who scout their own fields or are interested in improving productivity, as well as for students being employed by agribusinesses”.

The course is from 8:25 a.m. to 5 p.m. with registration at 8 a.m. at the University of Nebraska's Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center located at the former Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead.

"Past participants have consistently given the training high marks and state that the knowledge gained from attending improved their scouting skills," Glewen said.

Topics and presenters include: How Corn and Soybean Plants Grow and Develop; Soybean and Corn Insect Management; Using Knowledge of Plant Morphology and a Seedling Identification Key to ID Weeds; and Crop Diseases and Quiz Nutrient Deficiencies.

"Some of the benefits registrants stated the training provided included practical/working knowledge and better accuracy in field scouting," Glewen said. "Other participants appreciated the hands-on, practical format."

Cost for the program is $165, which includes lunch, refreshment breaks, workshop materials and instruction manual. Attendees should preregister to reserve their seat and to ensure workshop materials are available the day of the training session. Updated reference materials are included in this year's take-home instruction manual.

Certified Crop Advisor continuing education credits are available with 6 in pest management, 1 in crop management and .5 in fertility/nutrient management.

For more information or to register, contact Nebraska Extension at (402) 624-8030, (800) 529-8030, e-mail Keith Glewen at kglewen1@unl.edu, or online at http://ardc.unl.edu/crop.shtml.

Extension is in the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.



WRAPPING HAY TO BEAT THE WEATHER
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Does rain often damage your high quality hay just before it’s ready to bale? There is a baling method that may help solve that problem.

               Rain plays havoc with hay quality.  Even when you study weather reports and do your best to cut when good drying weather is expected, just before your hay is ready to bale, it gets damaged by rain.

               So what are your options when dark clouds are on the horizon and your hay still is a little too wet?  Well, you could go ahead and bale that tough hay and hope – hope that it doesn’t spoil, or even worse, get hot and burn.  Or you can wait out the storm and cross your fingers that you get good moisture for your row crops but it skips over the hay fields.

               There is another option.  Maybe you bale it tough, then wrap it with stretch wrap plastic to keep water and air out while keeping nutrients in.

               Studies have shown excellent success wrapping bales containing twenty-five to forty percent moisture.  After a full year in storage, the hay came out of the wrapping in great shape, with very little storage loss, a nice silage-like odor, and well-preserved nutrients.

               Wrapping tough hay reduces weather risk because wrapping often occurs at least a day sooner than normal baling.  Both yield and forage quality can be higher because fewer leaves are lost than with dry hay.

               It does take a lot of plastic, though.  Six or seven layers are needed to maintain feed quality.  If you don’t use enough plastic or fail to repair any holes, this kind of hay can spoil very fast.

               Wrapping slightly tough hay in plastic can improve your forage quality and reduce weather losses.  If rain damage often plagues your hay making, it might be worth looking into.



Middle School Students get Chance for Adventure and Outdoor Education Through ACE Camp

Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts are excited to offer Adventure Camp about the Environment (ACE) again this year. The NRDs are encouraging middle school students interested in the outdoors, to sign up for this educational and action-packed camp.  ACE is for students who have completed 6th, 7th and 8th grades in the 2016-2017 school year.

ACE is hosted at the State 4-H Youth Camp near Halsey, Nebraska, Sunday, June 11th through Wednesday, June 14th.  It’s organized by Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRD).

“The four-day adventure camp gives students an opportunity to dive into many different hands-on activities,” Anna Baum, general manager of the Upper Loup Natural Resources District said. “Each activity educates our youth on Nebraska’s water resources, wildlife, soil types, trees, range and grasslands.”

Students will also learn about the state’s wildlife and why it’s important to protect our natural resources.  ACE Camp gets kids outdoors and excited to explore the beautiful world around them.

Campers will also get the opportunity to go tubing, experience archery, zip line, build water rockets, and much more.  They’ll take home a better awareness of possible careers in natural resources from the professionals who work to conserve them every day.

Fees and registration are $190.00 per camper. Many NRDs offer full-ride scholarships for the four-day camp.  Contact your local Natural Resources District to see if assistance is available.  You’re encouraged to sign up early because space is limited. The registration deadline is May 26, 2017.

ACE is sponsored by Nebraska NRDs and Nebraska Association of Resources Districts Foundation.  Nebraska NRDs and the NARD partnered with several organizations to help make the camp a success including Nebraska National Forest, Bessey Nursery, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Nebraska Forest Service, Nebraska State 4-H Camp, Hooker County Turner Youth Foundation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Services.

To find out more information about ACE or to get a copy of a registration form, contact your local NRD or call Upper Loup NRD at 308-645-2250 or visit www.nrdnet.org or find us on Facebook at Adventure Camp about the Environment.



Ag Confidence Grows as Latest DTN/PF Survey Suggests Strong Future

Despite continued flat commodity prices, attitudes of U.S. farmers took a solid leap into positive territory, according to the most recent DTN/The Progressive Farmer (DTN/PF) Agricultural Confidence Index (ACI).

The survey, which tracks farmer opinions of their current and future conditions, had an overall score of 130, a significant improvement from the mostly neutral 98 for the December 2016 survey and a complete flip from the pessimistic 75 score produced in spring 2016.

Since 2010, DTN has surveyed farmers three times a year to determine their opinions about their current economic situation and about that situation in the year to come. Those answers create a score for farmers' "current condition," how they feel about their businesses at the time of the survey, and a score for their "future expectations" for the coming year. Those two scores are combined to create the Ag Confidence Index.

A separate survey, conducted simultaneously, examines agribusiness owner confidence.

The most recent surveys, conducted the first week of March, showed farmers continued to be concerned about current conditions. Answers to questions about their current situation created a level of 70 -- pessimistic, but much higher than the 42 farmers gave conditions back in December.

It was the extremely optimistic scores for the future, however, that gave the overall farmer index its boost. Farmers put their future expectations at a record-high 163.6. That is a jump from 126.6 in December and a complete reversal of the pessimistic 71.7 a year ago.

"Expectations have blown the roof off, more than doubling the index scores of 12 months back," said Robert Hill, economist and researcher who helped create the Ag Confidence Index. "This completely overwhelms the negative movement in present situation to yield a highly positive overall confidence index."

The high future expectation numbers, which began following the November 2016 presidential election, confound Hill.

"As an economist, I've spent a career talking about the dollars and cents of the ag economy in a rational way, without emotion. Historically, it's been about real economic conditions, not politics."

Questions asked in the Ag Confidence survey are specific to income expectations, costs of inputs, and overall business conditions, he said. Farmers are not asked about political, regulatory or other non-revenue-related issues.

In every aspect of this March survey, including input costs, farm income and household income, farmers feel better about things than they did back in December, Hill said. "They feel better about the current situation and they feel better about their future prospects. This is the farming Trump bump."

To explain the optimism, Hill said, he looked to the news headlines around the period the survey was conducted.

The previous week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing the Environmental Protection Agency to examine the business and economic effects of the so-called waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule. That rule, a regulatory refinement of the Clean Water Act, potentially called for heavier regulation of pesticide applications. Farm groups have fought WOTUS from its inception, even though the EPA under the Obama administration continued to contend it would not be onerous to farmers.

The same week the Ag Confidence Index survey was conducted, Congressional Republicans were finally revealing the details of their "repeal and replace" bill for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. While that bill ultimately was pulled from consideration due to lack of support, it captivated Obamacare critics, which included some farm families, for many days after the release.

The overall mood of the country was better, as well. The Consumer Confidence Index, which was released in late March, was at 125.6, its highest level since December 2000, according to the Conference Board, which publishes that monthly survey of consumer sentiment.

David Schemm, a farmer from Sharon Springs, Kan., and president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, said the regulatory changes under the Trump administration are likely a driver of farmer confidence.

"The whole aspect of regulations that they deal with gives them hope as they look off into the future that these regulations will be dialed back and allow them the opportunity to not be under that pressure," Schemm said. "So I think that is some of that optimism that we see out there."

Farmers are perpetual optimists, Schemm noted. They know that prices, while down currently, are dynamic and can rebound.

"They have seen several years where they were able to build up some reserves. And they are hopeful as they go forward with the dynamics in D.C. that they can get a farm bill that will help them out."

Still, economist Hill is surprised at the enthusiasm. "We're in our third straight year of negative cash flow for a lot of farmers," Hill said.

"The ag bankers I talk to say an increasing number of farm loans are moving from being 'performing' over to the non-performing side of the ledger. The bankers are getting grumpy about cash flows, even if the grower has lots of equity. That's the economic reality."

Craig Adams, who grows corn and soybeans and has a beef cow herd near Leesburg, Ohio, is cautiously optimistic about the future. While he admits conditions aren't great currently, he isn't dwelling on the down side.

"Let's face it, price-wise farmers don't have a lot of options; they are going to be what they are going to be," the 60-year-old farmer said. "We're not going to hit a grand slam this year, but as long as we can work on our cost of production, keep prices at or above that, we'll come through this. We've been here before."

Adams' edge on costs is a purchasing cooperative pool created with other area farmers, which allows them to work directly with distributors to work on volume discounts for crop chemicals and fertilizers. He also uses a grain marketing broker to help with marketing.

Adams agrees that the executive order pushing back WOTUS was a huge boost to farm spirits. Like a growing number of farmers, he is concerned about the rhetoric around trade, particularly with key U.S. grain and meat customers such as Mexico and China. But he believes that, in the end, common sense will prevail.

"The thing is you have to look at what Trump says, and then look at what he does. He says a lot of things about what he wants to do and goes way off on one side, but what he does eventually ends up back in the middle. I think you just have to take a lot of what he says initially with a grain of salt."

Crop farmers as a group expect better days ahead, producing a 169.7 rating for future expectations despite a gloomy 63.2 rating for their current situation. Livestock producers came in at 89 for the current, 149.8 for the future.

The Midwest and Southwest showed great swings from current to future ratings: Midwestern farmers rated their current plight a 50.4, but gave the future a 153.6; Southwestern farmers scored 78.4 and 169.1. Farmers in the Southeast were much more even-keeled in their optimism overall, creating a 115.6 rating for current situation and 134.7 for the future.

Agribusinesses, as they have in the past, showed a more subdued optimism, and a more even temperament overall. Business owners rated their current prospects at a mostly neutral 96.6, with future expectations slightly more optimistic at 119.3.

The next Ag Confidence Index will be conducted just before harvest in late summer.



Supreme Court in SD Denies ABC News Appeal in Beef Defamation Suit

The South Dakota Supreme Court has denied ABC News' request to reverse a lower court's ruling that paved the way for Beef Product Inc.'s $1.9 billion defamation lawsuit against the network to go to trial later this year.

According to the Sioux City Journal, the television network had appealed Circuit Judge Cheryle Gering's order in which she said a jury might find that ABC implied the product was not safe and that the network acted with malice in its reports. ABC contended that in her February ruling, Gering misapplied South Dakota Supreme Court precedents pertaining to actual malice and South Dakota's Agricultural Food Products Disparagement Act.

In a one-page order filed Monday, Chief Justice David Gilbertson denied ABC's petition for appeal. The order gave no opinion on the appeal's merits.

The trial is scheduled to begin June 5 in Union County Circuit Court and could last up to eight weeks.

BPI, based in Dakota Dunes, SD, sued ABC, its correspondents, federal officials and a former employee in September 2012 and will attempt to prove that a series of stories and broadcasts that began in early March 2012 defamed the company's Lean Finely Textured Beef. BPI alleges the "prolonged disinformation campaign" caused a backlash against the product, which critics repeatedly referred to as "pink slime," and led to a loss of $400 million in business, forcing the family-owned business to close all but its South Sioux City plant and lay off more than 700 workers.

In her February ruling, Gering dismissed former "World News Tonight" anchor Diane Sawyer from the case, saying that Sawyer's role as an anchor limited her involvement in doing research and was not enough to establish defamation. The ruling left American Broadcasting Companies Inc., the parent of ABC News, and correspondent Jim Avila as defendants. ABC, Sawyer and Avila had sought the suit's dismissal in October.



 CHS reports fiscal 2017 second-quarter and first-half results

CHS Inc. (NASDAQ: CHSCP, CHSCO, CHSCN, CHSCM, CHSCL), the nation's leading farmer-owned cooperative and a global energy, grains and foods company, today reported net income of $14.6 million for the second quarter of its 2017 fiscal year (the three-month period ended Feb. 28, 2017), compared to a net loss of $31 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2016. Operating earnings for the company's second quarter were $10.5 million, up from a loss of $91.8 million from the second quarter of fiscal 2016. Revenues for the second quarter were $7.3 billion, up 11 percent compared with $6.6 billion for the second quarter of fiscal 2016.

Earnings for the six months of the company's fiscal 2017 (the six-month period ended Feb. 28, 2017), were $223.7 million, compared to $235.5 million for the first six months of fiscal 2016, a decrease of 5 percent. The decrease is a result of increased loan loss reserves, higher income taxes and continued challenges in the energy operating environment, which were partially offset by improved conditions across CHS wholesale and retail agricultural related businesses.

Revenues for the first six months of fiscal 2017 were $15.4 billion, compared to $14.4 billion for the first six months of fiscal 2016, an increase of 7 percent.

"As our operating environment remains challenging, we continue to act prudently, taking appropriate and measured actions regarding costs and investments, while positioning ourselves to take advantage of opportunities as they arise while focusing on return on our invested capital," said CHS President and Chief Executive Officer Carl Casale. "We are on a journey and are starting to see the benefits of our focus."

The CHS Energy segment generated a pretax income of $16.6 million for the second quarter of the 2017 fiscal year, compared to a loss of $63.1 million for the same period in fiscal 2016, representing an increase of $79.7 million. Results were primarily due to increased refining margins and a $46.1 million non-cash charge to reduce inventory to market value in the second quarter of fiscal 2016 that did not recur in the current year. The company's propane and lubricants businesses experienced an increase in earnings, partially offset by a decrease in the company's transportation business compared to the same period of the prior year. For the first six months of fiscal 2017, the segment generated pre-tax earnings totaled $86.6 million, compared to $129.9 million for the same period last year.

The CHS Ag segment, which includes domestic and global grain marketing and crop nutrients businesses, renewable fuels, local retail operations and processing and food ingredients, lost $9.3 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2017, compared to a loss of $31.1 million for the second quarter for 2016.  Each of the primary business units in the Ag segment realized increased earnings during the second quarter of fiscal 2017, as compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2016, with the exception of country operations. Grain marketing increased earnings due primarily to improved grain margins. Wholesale crop nutrients income increased for the quarter due to higher volumes. Processing and food ingredients earnings increased due to an impairment charge for assets held for sale in the prior fiscal year. Earnings from renewable fuels marketing and production operations also increased, primarily due to higher margins. These increases were partially offset by increased loan loss reserves related to the company's country operations retail business.  Absent these reserve increases, the country operations retail business experienced strong second quarter operating performance versus the prior year's second quarter. These earnings were part of the $99.9 million total for the CHS Ag segment for the first six months of fiscal 2017, compared to $38.1 million for the first six months of fiscal 2016.

The Nitrogen Production segment generated income of $5.5 million during the three months ended Feb. 28, 2017, compared to income of $1.3 million over the previous fiscal year's quarterly period, and $32.4 million for first six months of fiscal 2017 compared to $1.3 million from the same period in fiscal 2016. The increase is primarily due to six months of activity in the current fiscal year, compared to only one month of activity in the first half of the prior fiscal year, given the CHS investment in CF Nitrogen occurred in February 2016.

The company's Foods segment, previously reported as a component of Corporate and Other, generated pretax earnings of $3.1 million during the second quarter of fiscal 2017, a decrease of $8.4 million compared to $11.5 million for the same period the fiscal year before, and $13.7 million during the first six months of fiscal 2017, compared to $29.9 million for the same period of fiscal 2016. The decreases were primarily due to decreased margins at Ventura Foods, LLC, the CHS equity method investment that makes up the Foods segment.

Corporate and Other generated pretax income of $7.7 million during the second quarter of fiscal 2017, compared to $4.9 million during the same time period the previous year, an increase of $2.8 million, or 57 percent, and income of $16.5 million for the six months ended Feb. 28, 2017, compared to $14.2 million during the first six months of fiscal 2016. Earnings in this category are derived from the company's equity investment in the Ardent Mills, LLC wheat milling joint venture and CHS Business Solutions operations. 



Broiler chicken welfare on the agenda for 2017 Stakeholders Summit

With activist groups pushing hard for restaurants, retailers and foodservice companies to adopt policies requiring the use of “slower growing” chicken breeds and new welfare standards for raising and stunning broilers, broiler chicken welfare will be up for discussion at the 2017 Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. The 2017 Summit, themed “Connect to Protect Animal Ag” will be held May 3-4 in Kansas City, Mo. Early registration rates end at midnight tonight.

On a panel titled “Latest Target for NGOs: Broiler Welfare & Sustainability,” a group of expert speakers will offer perspectives on animal welfare in the broiler industry and meeting consumer demand while balancing environmental and economic sustainability.

Panelists include:
-    Kate Barger Weathers, DVM is the Director of World Animal Welfare at Cobb-Vantress, Inc., a global primary breeder company dedicated to the development of broiler breeder genetics. Weathers leads the company’s animal welfare program and actively collaborates with a diverse group of engineers, scientists and poultry specialists to design and test new innovations to enhance animal well-being and bird health.
-    Mike Morris is the Manager of Food Animal Programs for Yum! Brands. He has been employed with Yum for 11 years and provides technical guidance for global suppliers of beef, dairy, poultry and pork for Yum Brands including KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. Morris’ responsibilities include oversight for global quality assurance, food safety, animal welfare and animal production programs.
-    Ken Opengart, DVM, PhD, is the Vice President of Live Operations/Processing and Corporate Social Responsibility for Keystone Foods. Opengart has been employed by Keystone Foods for 13 years and during that time his responsibilities have included overseeing live operations, health and nutrition, animal welfare, biosecurity, pre-harvest food safety, sustainability and grain risk management programs.
-    Matt Salois, PhD, is Director of Global Scientific Affairs and Policy for Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Company. Salois also holds a courtesy professor appointment with the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida. His current research and professional experience focuses on the role of innovation and technology in food and agricultural production, with a focus on animal health, sustainability and food security.

“Broiler welfare is certainly a hot topic this year, with several activist groups indicating current or future plans to launch pressure campaigns targeting consumer-facing brands,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “This panel will help our attendees to understand the current situation facing the broiler industry.  It will also help arm our restaurant, retail and foodservice partners with truthful information about broiler production, welfare and stunning so that they have the necessary resources to navigate demands from activists, to address sustainability and animal welfare, and to meet the needs of their customers.”

Be sure to check the Alliance website for the most up-to-date Summit information. You can also follow the hashtag #AAA17 and #ActionPlease2017 for periodic updates about the event. For general questions about the Summit please contact summit@animalagalliance.org or call (703) 562-5160.



2017 Childhood Agricultural Injuries Fact Sheet released

Every three days, a child dies in an agriculture-related incident, and each day, 33 children are injured according to the 2017 Childhood Agricultural Injuries Fact Sheet compiled by the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety in Marshfield, Wis.

The leading sources of fatalities are machinery (25%), motor vehicles/ATVs (17%) and drowning (16%).

“There is no central database on childhood agricultural injuries,” said Barbara Lee, Ph.D., director of the National Children’s Center. “In putting together this fact sheet we draw upon the best available data from a variety of sources.”

Augmenting the data is the National Children’s Center’s news clippings database, AgInjuryNews.org. With nearly 3,000 ag injury articles to query, the mobile responsive online system features search and filter options to find articles by state, date, injury agent, victim age and more. AgInjuryNews.org is used by safety researchers, insurers, manufacturers and health care professionals. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics approves AgInjuryNews.org as a resource for state data analysts validating labor-related injuries and fatalities. Anyone can register to use AgInjuryNews.org.

The National Children’s Center is one of 11 Centers for Agricultural Disease and Injury Research, Education, and Prevention funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.