Tuesday May 8 Ag News

May is Beef Month: New Sampling Methods for E. coli Testing

Beef processors have implemented sophisticated food safety systems to minimize the risk of contaminated product entering commerce. One of the final steps in this system is called test-and-hold where beef trimmings are sampled and tested for E. coli O157:H7 and not released for sale until the test comes back negative.

The current gold standard sampling methods are N60 Excision and N60 Plus. Beef trimmings are commonly held in 2000lb combo bins. The N60 Excision method requires someone to use a knife to cut 60 pieces of the trim. N60 Plus method uses a drill to core down through the trim in the combo bin to shave off pieces of trim. The N60 methods of sampling beef trim for pathogen testing are effective, but they only sample a small percentage of the trim in the combo.

With support from the Beef Checkoff through the Nebraska Beef Council, the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center has developed two new beef trim sampling methods that provide a much more representative sample of the trim in a combo bin. The first approach uses continuous sampling of the trim as the combo is filled. A stainless-steel bracket attached at the end of the trim conveyor belt holds a two-piece plastic cassette that clamps a sampling cloth (8” x 24”). The sample is collected as the trim pieces rub against the cloth as the trim falls into the combo bin. The cloth is changed for each combo and is processed for pathogen analysis. The second approach uses the same sampling cloth but is used to manually sample the entire top of the combo bin after is has been filled with trim.

We have conducted a series of experiments with our industry partners comparing the continuous sampling device (CSD) and the manual sampling device (MSD) to the commonly used N60 methods. We have data from over 1400 samples collected on numerous days across multiple companies, processing plants, and fat percentages. The results of these experiments collectively demonstrate that sampling beef trim using the CSD or the MSD provide alternative sampling methods with the same or better results. They also have some implementation advantages in labor, cost, safety, and ease of use relative to currently used methods for sampling beef trim. Ultimately these new methods should result in improved beef safety.

The Food Safety Inspection Service has granted a new technology no-objection-letter allowing the new methods to be used in commercial practice. Several companies are conducting in-plant validation studies and at least one company has implemented the MSD method. Implementation of the new methods is anticipated to increase across the industry this year.

Research for this project was conducted by Dr. Tommy Wheeler and Dr. Terry Arthur from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska.



Cattle Risk Management Workshop, June 7

Nebraska Extension will be hosting a risk management workshop for cattle producers on Thursday, June 7, 2018 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center (formerly ARDC) near Mead, NE. Cattle producers will learn how to reduce risk exposure associated with cattle marketing and forage production to achieve a profitable outcome in uncertain times. This material is funded in partnership by USDA, Risk Management Agency, under award number RM17RMEPP522C004.

Topics:
- Determining your production strategies for the cow herd
- Marketing tools to protect against price declines
- Programs for protecting against weather related forage losses
- New and existing marketing options, insurance options, and disaster programs available to cattle producers
- Current and long range weather outlook

The workshop does not have a cost for attending and a meal will be provided, but registration is required to ensure an accurate meal count. For more information and to pre-register by June 4, please call Nebraska Extension in Saunders County at 402-624-8030.



Silage for Beef Cattle Conference, June 14

Nebraska Extension is partnering with Lallemand Animal Nutrition and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to offer a one-day conference focused on one of the largest components of many beef producers’ bottom lines: silage. The Silage for Beef Cattle conference will be held June 14 at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead. The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. and will adjourn by 4 p.m.

Topics:
Key steps to improve nutritive value of corn silage
Beef up your silage management for minimal shrink
Impacts of silage mismanagement
The Value of silage in backgrounding Rations 
Considerations For Using Silage, Earlage, & HMC in Finishing Cattle
Panel discussion on Silage Experiences
Silage growing programs and importance of protein (RUP)
Characteristics of Silage Use in iowa
Feeding systems for finishing cattle evaluating inclusion, hybrid and kernel
Accurately pricing corn

The event is free for producers, nutrition consultants and extension personnel that register by June 11 and costs just $30 to register at the door. Attendees can pre-register at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln website, https://go.unl.edu/silageforbeef2018.

For those unable to attend the event, a free live-stream option can be found at the Iowa Beef Center website. More details will be available soon at www.iowabeefcenter.org.



Schafer Named “Friend of Agriculture” by Nebraska Farm Bureau PAC

Rob Schafer of Beatrice has been named a “Friend of Agriculture” by NEFB-PAC, Nebraska Farm Bureau’s political action committee. Schafer serves on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents representing District 5. He is currently seeking re-election to the position.

“Rob has first-hand experience and a tremendous understanding of the needs of agriculture and rural Nebraska. During his time on the board he’s shown that he understands how the University fits into the bigger picture of supporting agriculture and rural communities,” said Mark McHargue of Central City, chairman of NEFB-PAC and first vice president of Nebraska Farm Bureau.

McHargue says it is vital that those leading the University have a strong grasp of its land grant mission to be in tune to the needs of farmers, ranchers, and the state’s agriculture- based economy.

“Rob’s involvement in his farming operation, and in his law practice dealing with agriculture issues, make him uniquely qualified to bring real rural and agriculture knowledge to the table. He’s made rural growth and agriculture a key part of his priorities and will keep those priorities on the forefront for the University,” said McHargue.

Farm Bureau’s “Friend of Agriculture” designation is given to selected candidates for public office based on their commitment to and positions on agricultural issues, qualifications, previous experience, communication abilities, and their ability to represent the district.



Lindsay Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend

Lindsay Corporation announced that its Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per share, payable May 31, 2018, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 17, 2018.

At March 19, 2018, Lindsay Corporation had approximately 10.8 million shares outstanding, which are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LNN.

Lindsay Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology. The Lindsay family of irrigation brands includes Zimmatic and FieldNET as well as irrigation consulting, design, pump and filtration offerings, advanced machine-to-machine communication, remote control and monitoring technology, and wireless networking solutions. Also a global leader in the transportation industry, Lindsay Transportation Solutions manufactures equipment to improve road safety and keep traffic moving on the world's roads, bridges and tunnels, through the Barrier Systems, Road Zipper and Snoline brands.



Researchers Model How Land-Use Changes Affect Carbon Storage

Changes in land use and agricultural practices affect the amount of carbon stored in Midwestern soils, according to new research from Iowa State University scientists.

The results show that management practices can help to store carbon, a component of major greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, and keep it from being released into the atmosphere where it may contribute to climate change. The study, published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Global Change Biology, models how changes in Midwestern land use since 1850 have affected the global exchange of carbon between the land and atmosphere.

The innovative study delves deeply into how land use and crop-specific agricultural practices affect carbon storage, said Chaoqun Lu, assistant professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology and co-author of the paper.

"Carbon fluxes due to land use and management are the most uncertain part of global carbon budget," Lu said. "We wanted to fill in those blanks. Usually ag management is oversimplified or not included at all, or legacy effects of long-term land use history are excluded from previous studies."

The study focuses on how carbon can transfer from terrestrial sources such as soil or plants into the atmosphere, and vice versa during crop production. When carbon transfers from the ground into the atmosphere, it can contribute to climate change. But keeping it stored, or sequestered, in the ground slows the greenhouse effect.

Lu and her research team gathered data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and satellite images to reconstruct crop-related land use and management history in the Midwest dating back 165 years and used computer models to simulate how changes in land use affected carbon exchange. The Midwest underwent some of the most intense, human-induced changes in land use during that period, as grassland and wetlands were transferred to agricultural uses, Lu said.

According to the study, land use changes between 1850 and 2015 reduced billions of tons of carbon storage capacity in plants and soil. The model estimation showed periods of drastic cropland expansion, which peaked in the 1920s, reduced terrestrial carbon storage. The study found a decrease of about 1.35 billion tons of carbon storage in vegetation and about 4.5 billion tons of carbon storage loss in soil.

In addition, the study accounted for various agricultural practices such as tillage, fertilizer use and crop rotation and derived the impact on carbon exchange. The researchers found modern agricultural management practices increased soil carbon storage capacity by nearly a billion tons, said Zhen Yu, an ecology postdoctoral researcher.

That's good news in the sense that practices such as limited or no tillage contribute to carbon sequestration and help to realize environmental benefits, Lu said. The results also will help future researchers build a more complete understanding of global carbon exchange.



NCBA Sustainability Update: Time to Engage webinar
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at 7 p.m. CT

Join the webinar to learn from fellow cattlemen about the recently released Sustainability Framework. Produced through a U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef working group process, the framework includes real world tools specific to farms, ranches and feedyards. Hear more about these resources and your opportunity to comment on how they could be improved. There will be Q&A with presenters at the end of the webinar.  Click here to register.... http://www.beefusa.org/cattlemenswebinarseries.aspx. 



Soy Growers Call on President to Support RFS, Rural America

The American Soybean Association (ASA), along with other agriculture groups, this week sent a letter to President Donald Trump encouraging support for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and in turn, rural America.

The letter praises the President’s April 12 comments on addressing regulatory barriers that prevent year-round sales of higher ethanol blends and also requests that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commit to the statutory level for advanced biofuels for 2019 and provide significant growth for biomass-based diesel in 2020 to address lost gallons on advanced biofuels.

“We urge you to follow through on the needed regulatory fix for higher blends and ensuring the volumes of renewable fuel as the solution to address farmer and refiner concerns without further undercutting the RFS, such as imposing a RIN cap, and causing additional harm to the farm economy,” the letter states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects 2018 net farm income will decline by $4.3 billion, resulting in the lowest net farm income, in nominal dollars, since 2006. RFS creates new markets for farmers and new jobs in rural America, and as such, farmers depend on the President’s continued support.



NCGA Statement on RFS White House Meeting

The following is a statement from North Dakota farmer Kevin Skunes, president of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), on the outcome of today’s White House meeting regarding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“President Trump today reaffirmed his commitment to our nation’s farmers by approving year-round sales of E15 without a RIN cap. This is a positive step because we know a RIN price cap would have been damaging to farmers.

“We have numerous questions, however, about a potential plan now being developed by USDA Secretary Perdue and EPA Administrator Pruitt to address small refiner waivers by potentially offering biofuels credits on ethanol exports, an idea that would harm our ethanol export success.

“NCGA has opposed RIN credits on exports, an idea that EPA stated last fall that it would not pursue. Offering RIN credits, which are supposed to be derived from a domestic renewable fuel use, for ethanol exports would threaten trade markets and impact corn farmers’ economic livelihoods. Pursuing a path that includes RIN credits on export gallons would violate the letter and spirit of the RFS, serving the interests of oil refiners who have already benefitted from Administrator Pruitt’s unprecedented RFS volume waivers at the further expense of America’s farmers.

“We appreciate the agreement on eliminating the outdated regulation on higher blends such as E15, a barrier that has long needed removal, and thank Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley for their tireless efforts on behalf of agriculture. However, many questions remain unanswered as Secretary Perdue and Administrator Pruitt determine next steps and provide more details. Moving forward, NCGA will continue to advocate for policies that protect our farmer members.”



Statement from Chuck Grassley, Iowa Senator

“President Trump agreed to allow for the sale E15 year-round. That’s good news for farmers and consumer choice at the pump. Allowing higher blends of ethanol to be sold in the summer months fits in well with EPA’s deregulatory agenda. There was also an agreement to not pursue an artificial cap on RIN prices, which would have destroyed demand for biofuels and hurt biofuels workers.

“I told the President and Administrator Pruitt that EPA’s ‘hardship’ waivers for billionaires are hurting biofuels and undermining the RFS. They also undercut the President’s commitment to meet the annual 15 billion gallon volume obligation set by Congress under the RFS. There was discussion about how to reallocate the waived obligations so that demand for biofuels wouldn’t be hurt. While details weren’t decided, I look forward to reviewing a plan being developed by Secretary Perdue and Administrator Pruitt. Any fix can’t hurt domestic biofuels production.”



Growth Energy Statement on White House RFS Meeting

Growth Energy released the following statement regarding today’s White House meeting on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

“We are grateful the Administration will deliver on its promise for year-round E15 sales,” Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor said.

“Eliminating regulatory red tape so consumers can access this legal fuel year-round is a benefit to American drivers nationwide who appreciate that more biofuels means cleaner air and more savings at the pump. We hope the president’s decision will be acted on immediately so families can benefit during peak summer travel months.

“With the RIN cap officially dead, Senator Cruz is attempting to revive an old gimmick in a last-ditch attempt to kill ethanol demand. His scheme to generate RINs on exports was put to rest last fall with Administrator Pruitt’s letter to several senators, outlining a series of RFS commitments.

“Attaching a RIN to ethanol exports would have a crippling impact on American agriculture – significantly reducing demand for ethanol and corn. It would also have major trade implications, as export RINs would be considered a subsidy by our global trading partners, who will likely challenge this as unnecessary advantage to U.S. ethanol. Further, export RINs would be a clear violation of the RFS, which is intended to increase the domestic use of biofuels. We continue to thank our Congressional champions for standing firm against efforts to destroy ethanol demand.”

Last fall, Growth Energy commissioned research that showed the damaging impacts of an export subsidy for biofuels. The analysis shows immense impact on jobs, rural economies, and corn prices. Key findings include the following:
-    Corn losses of $27.9 billion over the next four corn marketing years,
-    An immediate drop of corn prices by 56 cents per bushel, and
-    A reduction of 25,000 jobs supported by U.S. ethanol exports.



Statement from the U.S. Grains Council on Renewable Fuel Standard and Reallocating RINs

President Donald Trump, today, reaffirmed he will approve year-round sales of 15-percent ethanol fuels without a Renewable Identification Number (RIN) cap. However, he has asked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to work out the details on an additional item: Reallocating RINs from exempted small refinery gallons to ethanol exports.

“We appreciate the Trump Administration’s strong support of the Renewable Fuel Standard, but the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is concerned any move that would relate RINs to exporting ethanol could be severely detrimental to the competitiveness of ethanol exports and would harm the U.S. grains industry,” said Tom Sleight, USGC president and CEO. “We believe RINs for exported ethanol could be perceived as an export subsidy, against our World Trade Organization obligations. They could put a target on our back globally.”

U.S. ethanol producers are some of the most cost-competitive industries in the world, and as such, believe in free and fair trade within the global marketplace. Last year, ethanol exports reached a record high of 1.37 billion gallons.

“We are already seeing the impact of trade policy barriers on ethanol exports and we would like to have the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) look at the implications of export credits for RINs,” Sleight said.



As Farm Bill Heats Up, NAWG Officers Hold Annual Fly-In

This week, NAWG officers are traveling to Washington D.C. for their annual Fly-in to meet with Members of Congress and their staff to discuss the importance of passing a Farm Bill this year. A few NAWG state associations are also hitting the Hill including the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, Texas Wheat Producers Association, and Washington Association of Wheat Growers. 

“With it looking like the Farm Bill could hit the House floor soon and anticipated action in the Senate Agriculture Committee this month, we knew it was critical to get in to see Members and their staff to talk about the importance of completing a strong Farm Bill reauthorization before it expires,” said Jimmie Musick, Sentinel, Oklahoma farmer and NAWG President. “According to USDA’s Economic Research Service, net cash farm income of wheat farmers is expected to decline over 21 percent this year from last.  Along with low prices and a suffering ag economy, our farmers have also had to deal with extreme weather conditions and disease and pest problems affecting their crops. Strong Farm Bill programs are key to enabling growers to continue farming.”

NAWG continues to advocate for a strong crop safety net program which means no cuts to the crop insurance program and maintaining a producer choice between revenue-based (Agriculture Risk Coverage) and price-based (Price Loss Coverage) programs, as well as improvements to both. Further, NAWG continues to advocate for prioritizing working lands conservation programs in the Conservation Title, reauthorization and increased funding for MAP and FMD, as well as a strong research title.

“While the Senate is still working on its version of the 2018, NAWG focused its meetings on reminding staff of our priorities for the bill,” said Jimmie Musick, Sentinel, Oklahoma farmer and NAWG President. “NAWG has been regularly interacting with key members in the Senate in hopes this bill meets our priorities and works for wheat growers.”



Higher Fertilizer Prices Help Mosaic, Late Spring Hurts

Fertilizer giant Mosaic posts a $42M profit in 1Q thanks to higher prices for its crop nutrients, though earnings took a hit from poor weather and logistics. Higher prices for Mosaic's phosphate and potash products boosted the company's sales, though volumes suffered from the delayed onset of spring in the US as well as rail trouble in Canada.

Mosaic reports earnings per share of $0.11 on revenue of $1.9B. Mosaic CEO Joc O'Rourke sees conditions improving: "Delays in new fertilizer supply coming to market, as well as strong demand and improving farm economics bode well," he says.



Breakthrough in Animal Welfare -- UV-A Environment Enrichment

Scientists at ONCE, in conjunction with two major US universities, have found that the addition of an Ultraviolet A (UV-A) spectrum into animal housing lighting reduces stress levels by a significant margin. This reduction of stress represents possibly the biggest breakthrough for poultry animal welfare in recent history.

"In our three individual, scientifically conducted trials, we measured two hormonal stress biomarkers and behavioral responses," explains Dr. Aaron Stephan Ph D, Director of Biological Research and Development at ONCE. "The data show that dynamic levels of UV-A mixed with other specific light spectra results in a substantial reduction of industry-accepted stress indicators. Corticosterone levels decreased by two-thirds, while heterophil:lymphocyte ratios were cut in half when compared to the poultry raised without supplemental UV-A," stated Stephan

"At the same time, the birds exhibited significantly reduced body asymmetry, fear response and wing-flapping, as well as a strong preference for UV-enhanced environments. Over the years, we have tried to develop animal-centric lighting that encourages animal behaviors to closely match how they behave in nature. Our studies show that UV-A is an elemental part of a lighting program to achieve the lowest stress and most natural behaviors," added Dr. Stephan.

ONCE photobiology research has yielded a deep understanding of the importance of UV-A in commercial poultry production. It is a popular belief that adding windows into commercial animal housing enriches the environment and improves animal welfare. However, the silica glass used in windows blocks beneficial UV-A and causes unnaturally high levels of light in the facilities. This does not mimic a natural poultry habitat of the tropical rainforest, and in fact increases stress and fear levels in chickens. The ONCE proprietary technology stemming from this research provides an enhanced natural environment that supplements a key light component absent from standard fixtures and from windows.

"Upcoming regulations for poultry animal housing require the installation of windows, an arbitrary decision that is not supported by scientific evidence," states Zdenko Grajcar, CEO of ONCE. "We have engaged several animal welfare organizations in an effort to add UV-A enrichment into the standards and limit the window requirements. Improving animal welfare should result in better overall performance and lower stress. The addition of windows simply does not achieve that."