Wednesday June 6 Ag News

Fischer on Today’s Trade Meeting With President Trump

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released the following statement today after attending a meeting on trade at the White House with President Donald Trump:

“Today, I had the opportunity to visit once again with President Trump in person at the White House for a discussion focused on trade. The president shared an update on the status of negotiations, and outlined his priorities and strategy moving forward. I was encouraged by our productive conversation and I appreciate the president’s openness about these critical issues for Nebraska.”



Horse Owner Workshops coming to the area
Brandi Salestrom, CVA West Point

Starting June 18, CVA will be hosting 3 Horse Owner Workshops to educate horse owners on changes coming to Purina horse feeds. In June, Purina will be launching a new line of Strategy  GX and Strategy Healthy Edge formulated with Outlast gastric support supplement. The Outlast product contains calcium and magnesium that function to create a buffer for stomach acid and raise pH levels. This is a top-dress supplement and can also be fed as a snack before a stressful event. The current Ultium product is also offered with the Outlast Gastric Care formula. It contains a full serving of the Outlast supplement in addition to having high-quality protein and fiber sources .

Gastric ulcers are directly correlated to stressful environmental factors such as intense exercise, performance events, trailering or lack of contact with other horses. Studies have found that approximately 60% of show horses and 90% of racehorses develop moderate to severe ulcers. Ulcers can also be attributed to diet-related issues such as receiving inadequate forage, being fed meals greater than 6 hours apart, living in a stall without turnout or eating a diet with a high starch content. When the pH of the stomach drops below normal levels and pressure is increased due to a stressful event, inflammation and erosion develop in the stomach and intestinal lining, creating discomfort.

To learn more about these and other Purina horse products we invite producers to attend a Horse Owners Workshop during our events taking place. The first is in Wisner featuring Cody Marx who will be doing a ground work/driving demonstration at the Wisner River Park Arena starting at 6pm along with Libby Michaud of Purina discussing Purina horse feed and supplements. The second workshop is June 25 in Leigh at the Colfax County Fairgrounds starting at 6pm featuring Brandi Salestrom and Cassidy Curtis who will be working with 4Hers to prepare for State Horse Show and local county fairs. Libby Michaud will also be present to visit about Purina horse feed.  The final workshop is July 9th in Oakland at the Burt Co. Fairgrounds at 6pm where Brandi and Cassidy will also be working with 4Hers along with Libbys Purina horse feed presentation. For all 3 workshops supper will be provided and there will be feed specials and drawings throughout the evening. Contact Brandi at 402-870-1602 for more information.



National Pork Board Elects New Officers

Steve Rommereim, a pork producer from Alcester, South Dakota, was elected president of the National Pork Board at the organization’s June board meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. The National Pork Board’s 15 farmer-directors represent America’s pig farmers.

“This is an exciting time to raise pigs, and I am honored to be elected to serve America’s pig farmers,” Rommereim said. “A decade ago, the We CareSM initiative was introduced during World Pork Expo to allow producers to demonstrate the care they take every day on their farms. Today, We Care continues to show pig farmers’ focus on doing what’s best for people, pigs and the planet. I look forward to continuing the great work already underway through many Pork Checkoff efforts.”

Rommereim is the owner, manager and operator of Highland Swine, which markets 10,000 pigs annually. He also grows corn and soybeans, as well as has a cow/calf operation.

Serving with Rommereim on Pork Checkoff’s executive officer team are David Newman, a pork producer from Jonesboro, Arkansas, as vice president and Mike Skahill, from Williamsburg, Virginia, as treasurer. Terry O’Neel, a pork producer from Friend, Nebraska, will serve as immediate past president. The four executive officers will serve one-year terms in their positions effective at the close of the June board meeting.

“In the year ahead, the Pork Checkoff will focus on driving consumer demand through sustainability,” Rommereim said.  “We will do this through programs that build the Secure Pork Supply plan and work to move fresh pork domestically and to market U.S. pork beyond our borders.”
 
Additional Biographical Information
Steve Rommereim is the owner, manager and operator of Highland Swine in South Dakota. Highland Swine markets 10,000 pigs annually. He also grows corn and soybeans, and has a cow/calf operation. In March, Rommereim was elected to serve a second term on the National Pork Board. He served as the 2017-2018 vice president and interim treasurer. During his tenure on the National Pork Board, he has served on numerous committees. The Operation Main Street speaker has served as a South Dakota delegate to the Pork Industry Forum since 2003. Rommereim was on the National Pork Board’s Plan of Work Task Force in 2009. He is past president of the South Dakota Pork Producers Association, serving on its board from 2001 to 2011. He also is past president of Agriculture United for South Dakota and serves on the South Dakota Animal Industry Board.

David Newman of Jonesboro, Arkansas, owns and operates a farrow-to-finish Berkshire farm in Myrtle, Missouri, that markets pork directly to consumers throughout the U.S. Newman is also an associate professor of Animal Sciences at Arkansas State University where he teaches and conducts research, with an emphasis in meat science.

Newman serves on the Swine Health committee and previously chaired the Domestic Marketing committee and served on the Producer Services committee. He also participated in the Pork Leadership Academy.

Michael Skahill of Williamsburg, Virginia, is a vice president for Smithfield Foods. Smithfield Foods is a vertically integrated operation from production to retail marketing. The company markets 16 million pigs annually.

Skahill serves on the National Pork Board Trade Committee, the U.S. Meat Export Federation Pork and Allied Industries Committee and chairs the trade committee for the North American Meat Institute. Skahill also served on the National Pork Board 2015-2020 Strategic Plan committee.

Terry O’Neel, was elected to his second board term in 2016, most recently serving as president of the board. He served as the 2016-2017 vice president and as the 2015-2016 treasurer. O’Neel also served on the Domestic Marketing, Producer Services and Pork Quality, Safety and Human Nutrition committees. He has hosted farm tours for the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska, the International Water for Food Project and various service, student and youth groups. He served as president of the Nebraska Pork Producers Board in 2007.



USDA Announces National Pork Board Appointments

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of six members to serve on the National Pork Board. Five appointees will serve three-year terms and one appointee will serve the remaining two-year portion of a vacant position.

The appointed members are:
-    Gary Asay, Oscon, Ill.
-    Rich Deaton, New Madison, Ohio
-    Pat FitzSimmons, Dassel, Minn.
-    David Newman, Myrtle, Mo.
-    Bill Tentinger, Le Mars, Iowa
-    Todd Erickson, Northwood, North Dakota (2-year term)

“The National Pork Board works to help increase domestic demand for pork both domestically and internationally. Last year, nearly $6.5 billion of U.S. pork was sold in more than 100 countries around the world,” said Perdue. “I truly appreciate the time and expertise these individuals have agreed to give guiding the board to help their industry thrive.”

The National Pork Board is composed of 15 pork producers who are nominated by the National Pork Producers Delegate Body, which is made up of 160 producer and importer members. The program is administered under the authority of the Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act of 1985.

Since 1966, Congress has authorized the establishment of 22 industry-funded research and promotion boards. They empower farmers and ranchers to leverage their own resources to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity for participating stakeholders.

More information about the board is available on the AMS National Pork Board webpage https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/research-promotion/pork and on the National Pork Board website www.pork.org.



Iowa Beef Producer Bus Tour to Kansas Planned

A three-day bus trip to Kansas in August will offer Iowa beef producers the opportunity to tour beef industry breed organizations, visit a variety of private and Kansas State University facilities, and talk with successful producers and researchers. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef specialist Joe Sellers said the Aug. 22-24 trip will provide a wealth of information, experiences and discussion opportunities to tour attendees.

cattle on pasture.The trip begins Thursday, Aug. 22 with the bus departure from Ames at 7:30 a.m., Lucas County Fairgrounds in Chariton at 9:45 a.m. and Decatur City at 11 a.m. Tentative stops include American Hereford Association headquarters, American Angus Hall of Fame, Judd Ranch, Kniebel Cattle Company, Tiffany Feedlot, Fink Beef Genetics, Valley Oaks Steaks, Kansas State University Beef Unit and feed efficiency barn. Tour sponsors are Midwest Heritage Bank, Zoetis Animal Health and the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State. A full itinerary is under development.

Both overnight stays will be at the Hampton Inn in Manhattan, Kan. See a tour flyer for more information on the tour, travel and lodging.... http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/events/ISUBeefBusTour2018.pdf.

“Participants are responsible for their own room reservations, a registration fee of $115 fee payable to Lucas County Extension, and some meals during the trip,” Sellers said. “Preregistration for the bus must be made by July 22 to assure access to a seat.”

A block of rooms is being held under “ISU Extension beef tour” until July 22. Rate listed is for standard rooms with two queen beds or one king bed, not including tax, and includes free breakfast and pool access. Contact the Hampton Inn to make your lodging arrangement at 785-539-5000.

To register for the bus tour, send a check for $115 per person to Lucas County Extension, 48293 Hy Vee Rd, Chariton, Iowa 50049. For more information on the trip or transportation, contact Sellers by phone at 641-203-1270 or email at sellers@iastate.edu



Reports Update Research Results at Iowa State University Research Farms

The results of more than 120 agricultural research trials conducted last year at Iowa State University’s Research and Demonstration Farms are available online and can be downloaded at no charge.

“These research reports are a valuable resource for farmers, agricultural educators and agribusiness people needing the latest information on crops, soils, horticulture and livestock management,” said Mark Honeyman, associate dean for operations for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The college, in partnership with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, conducts research on Iowa farmland every year. Staff at the farms also coordinate demonstration trials with producers on their farms in those areas.

The reports are annual agricultural research and demonstration project updates, offering updates on agricultural research and agricultural-related scientific activities. They are available at  https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/farmprogressreports/.

The reports are organized by year, going back to 2000. To browse the reports by year, use the "Select an issue" drop-down menu in the left sidebar. Searches by subject or other information also are offered.

Land, climate and agricultural enterprises vary considerably from one area of Iowa to another. To find solutions to problems in each area and to study the impacts of regional differences, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences puts scientists in the fields of research farms across Iowa. Iowa State farms near Ames are used for intensive studies and for teaching purposes.

Local nonprofit associations of farmers and agribusinesses own eight of the 13 research farms and lease them to Iowa State long term. ISU owns the other five. In central Iowa, ISU partners with affiliate organizations to own land for research.



Videos Are Guides to Crop and Pest Management Techniques

The Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management program is introducing a YouTube channel that promotes efforts of Iowa State scientists and researchers who provide means-tested crop and pest management solutions to stakeholders in Iowa and beyond.

At the Integrated Pest Management Iowa State University channel, viewers will find content detailing the efforts and reaches of the IPM program, best practices and information, as well as demonstrations on how to properly identify and evaluate various insect and disease pests and their impacts on field crops.

Integrated Pest Management YouTube channel screen shot."With the creation of a specified channel for Iowa State IPM, the IPM program will be able to diversify the information and content we create to make it more adaptive, more understandable and more effective in promoting our message," said Daren Mueller, IPM director and professor of plant pathology and microbiology at Iowa State.

"The use of video will further our mission to inform farmers, gardeners and agribusiness professionals of the best crop and pest management techniques, to not only create optimal yields, but to prevent pest resistance and other adverse consequences of chemical misuse," he said.

In addition, the new channel features videos from the ISU Extension and Outreach Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic about identifying horticultural diseases and pests in homes and gardens, as well as showcases "How To..." videos about sampling and pest prevention.

The channel also features custom playlists of video content created outside of the Iowa State IPM program, as a way to communicate the efforts and research of various departments across several universities in the region to promote the overall mission of Integrated Pest Management: helping stakeholders effectively and safely manage pests.

The YouTube channel is one of several ways the IPM program will promote means-tested practices for crop and pest management. Viewers have the option to subscribe to the channel and stay informed of all new videos. To stay up-to-date activities on all IPM topics, follow the program on Twitter @IPM_ISU.



NMPF Board Renews Cooperatives Working Together

The board of directors of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) today voted to extend funding through 2021 for Cooperatives Working Together (CWT), the farmer-funded export assistance program that assists member cooperatives in exporting dairy products.

CWT’s three-year extension comes at a time of growing U.S. milk production, weak global dairy prices and increased worldwide competition. CWT is the only program of its kind that enables farmers to fund a private enterprise that increases the competitiveness of U.S. dairy exports. NMPF developed and manages the 16-year-old self-help program.

“CWT is a unique and highly cost-effective tool for America’s dairy farmers, and the ongoing commitment of America’s dairy cooperatives to the program sends a signal to dairy producers at home, and dairy exporters abroad, that the United States will maintain a strong competitive stance in the global dairy market,” said NMPF Chairman Randy Mooney, a dairy farmer from Rogersville, Missouri.

CWT is a voluntary membership program funded by contributions from NMPF’s member cooperatives and more than 100 individual farmers. The funds raised from the CWT membership fee of $0.04/cwt. help maintain U.S. exports in an increasingly competitive world market.

CWT’s member cooperatives submit bids requesting help with sales in specific foreign markets. After independent review and justification, bids are either accepted or CWT makes a counteroffer. Financial assistance is provided only after the sale is completed.

Through the first five months of 2018, CWT has facilitated the sale of 56 million pounds of dairy products, representing the equivalent of 648 million pounds of milk. Since the export assistance program’s inception in 2003, it has helped members sell 887 million pounds of dairy products, the equivalent of more than 11.1 billion pounds of milk.



April Ethanol, DDG Exports Up From 2017

The U.S. Census Bureau said Wednesday that U.S. exports of goods and services totaled $211.2 billion in April, up $0.6 billion from March. Imports totaled $257.4 billion, down $0.4 billion on the month. The resulting trade deficit of $46.2 billion for April was the lowest in seven months.  USDA later provided more details for exports of ethanol, biodiesel and distillers grains.

USDA said U.S. exports of ethanol totaled 162.3 million gallons in April, up 86% from a year ago. Brazil was the top destination again in April, accounting for 38% of U.S. exports, followed by Canada and a surprise purchase from Oman. For the first four months of 2018, U.S. ethanol exports were up 44% from a year ago.

U.S. exports of biodiesel totaled 30,649.1 metric tons in April, down 23% from a year ago. Canada was the top destination in March again, taking a whopping 96% of U.S. exports. So far in 2018, U.S. exports of biodiesel are up 30% from a year ago.

U.S. exports of distillers grains totaled 997,633 metric tons in April, up 15% from a year ago. Mexico was the top export destination again in April, accounting for 18% of the total and followed by Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand. The first four months of U.S. distillers grains exports were down 7% in 2018 from a year ago.



EIA: Ethanol Stocks Up, Demand Down

Domestic ethanol plant production held steady during the week-ended June 1 with supply up 2.8% as demand slumped, the Energy Information Administration reported on Wednesday, June 6. EIA reports ethanol inventories gained 634,000 barrels (bbl) to 21.897 million bbl during the week profiled, 0.5% below the same week in 2017.

Plant production was unchanged at 1.041 million barrels per day (bpd) during the week-ended June 1, and 42,000 bpd higher than the same time in 2017.

Four-week average production at 1.042 million bpd as of June 1 was 28,000 bpd higher than the corresponding four weeks in 2017.

Net refiner and blender inputs, a measure for ethanol demand, tumbled 40,000 bpd to 901,000 bpd during the week profiled, down 8,000 bpd versus a year ago. For the four weeks ended June 1, blending demand averaged 932,000 bpd, down 7,000 bpd versus same period in 2017.



Court Finds Cattle Producers Harmed by Lack of COOL

The U.S. District Court Eastern District of Washington granted summary judgment to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a lawsuit filed by R-CALF USA and the Cattle Producers of Washington (CPoW). The lawsuit alleged that the USDA was unlawfully allowing imported beef to be both sold to consumers without a country of origin label and sold to consumers with a "Product of USA" label even if the animal from which the beef was derived was born, raised and slaughtered in a foreign country.

The court, after finding that cattle producers demonstrated they had suffered financial harm as a result of the lack of country of origin labeling (COOL) on imported beef, and that the financial harm they suffered was "fairly traceable" to the USDA's actions, nevertheless ruled against the cattle producers.

"The fact that the court agreed with us that independent pork and beef producers are harmed by COOL makes it even clearer that the Trump Administration and Congress must act now to protect them," said David Muraskin, lead counsel for R-CALF in the suit.

"This movement has been gaining ground outside of court, and we expect it to continue doing so despite this ruling," he added.

The court determined that the cattle producers were time-barred from prevailing in their case because the regulations that allowed the removal of COOL labels on imported beef was promulgated in 1989 and the statute of limitations expired in 1995. The court did not agree with the cattle producers that the clock should have been reset after the 2016 repeal of the COOL for beef. Neither R-CALF USA nor CPoW were formed in time to have challenged the 1989 regulations prior to 1995.

Moreover, the court found that Congress' act of repealing COOL for beef signified its clear intent to allow imported beef to be sold to consumers without COOL markings.

"While obviously disappointing, the outcome of this case highlights the urgent need for the new Administration and new Congress to reverse the harm to U.S. cattle producers brought about by the actions of the previous Administration and Congress," said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.

"President Trump now has the opportunity to immediately reinstate COOL in his ongoing renegotiation of NAFTA as well as by initiating a rulemaking within USDA to require imported beef to bear its foreign marking through retail sale, just as the COOL rule effectively did from 2009 through 2015," he added.

R-CALF and CPoW are also represented in this case by Beth Terrell and Blythe Chandler of Terrell Marshall Law Group in Seattle, and J. Dudley Butler of the Butler Farm and Ranch Law Group in Benton, Mississippi.



Retail Prices for Most Fertilizers Finally Move Lower

Average retail fertilizer prices finally began to decline the fourth week of May 2018 as spring application wrapped up, according to retailers surveyed by DTN. After weeks of prices for a few fertilizers moving slightly lower and then rising again, this is the first week most fertilizer prices are lower.

Prices for five of the eight major fertilizers were lower compared to last month, marking the first week since October 2017 that prices for a majority of fertilizers were lower. While none were down significantly, the fact that most prices were lower is a significant milestone.

DAP had an average price of $483 per ton, MAP $504/ton, urea $364/ton, anhydrous $504/ton and UAN32 $276/ton.

Prices for the remaining three fertilizers were slightly higher than they were the previous month. Potash had an average price of $354/ton, 10-34-0 $439/ton and UAN32 $276/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.40/lb.N, anhydrous $0.31/lb.N, UAN28 $0.43/lb.N and UAN32 $0.43/lb.N.

Six of the eight major fertilizers are now higher compared to last year with prices pushing higher in recent months. Both 10-34-0 and anhydrous are now up 1%, potash is 4% higher, MAP is 7% more expensive, urea is 8% higher and DAP is 11% more expensive compared to last year.

The remaining two fertilizers are lower in price compared to a year prior. UAN32 is 1% lower while UAN28 is 3% less expensive looking back a year.



ACE Statement on White House Indefinitely Delaying RFS Changes

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings released the following statement following news that President Trump decided to indefinitely delay a memo proposing changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) including allowing refiners to get RIN credits on exports of renewable fuel.

“ACE extends our gratitude to Republican and Democratic Senators, especially Iowa Senators Grassley and Ernst, for convincing the White House not to proceed with changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard. We appreciate the President in this case sided with farmers over oil refiners and EPA Administrator Pruitt. We also thank our grassroots members who contacted their Members of Congress and the White House.

“Granting RVP relief for E15 in exchange with export RIN credits for refiners would have unquestionably been a loss for rural America and consumers because the benefits of selling E15 year-round would have been wiped out by export RINs.

“Where does this leave us today? 

“The President has promised to allow E15 use year-round but EPA has failed to make good on his promise.  Meanwhile, EPA’s misuse of the RFS has resulted in at least 1.5 billion gallons of ethanol demand destruction through small refinery waivers which have driven RIN values down by more than 70 percent this year. ACE has joined with allies to litigate the ‘hardship’ waivers but damage has already been done as ethanol blending is down despite the fact that gasoline use is on the rise.  We need EPA to follow through on the President’s promise that E15 use will be allowed year-round and to stop the secret refinery waivers. We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to grow demand for ethanol.”



Science Community Recognizing the Need to Enter a National Public Relations Dialogue
   
When a group of scientists, academics, and processing engineers get together for a technical conference to discuss the latest in corn uses and corn processing you don’t expect a big discussion on communications and public relations to break out. But that’s exactly what happened during the opening session of the 2018 Corn Utilization and Technology Conference in St. Louis.

It seems the growing communication challenge between the public and farmers is also being felt in the scientific and technical communities. Those attending CUTC’s general session concurred that there is a compelling need to develop techniques and messages that help bridge between how consumers “feel” and what they need to “know.”

Since 1987, CUTC has brought together leading innovators in the corn industry. The biennial conference provides a venue that allows scientific exchange and engaging discussions for researchers, farmers and other industry leaders.

“CUTC provides a great opportunity for attendees to interact with key stakeholders throughout the supply chain, sharing each other’s needs, priorities and successes,” said NCGA Market Development Director Jim Bauman. “A lot of planning goes into providing high-quality sessions around the topics of production, processing and utilization. But it’s often the unplanned, free-flowing conversations, such as the discussion on the need for additional consumer outreach, which encourages many of CUTC’s attendees to return year after year.”

Bauman said, “scientific advancements in agriculture possess the ability to provide a solution to many current and projected future social issues. However, if consumer’s understanding and comfort with modern science doesn’t increase, it will slow or even prevent the implementation of new technology designed to sustainably increase the production, processing and utilization of U.S. corn.”



Novel People Movement Management Technology Helps Reduce Swine Disease Transmission

Managing the movement of people within and between production facilities and systems is a major challenge in reducing the potential for disease outbreaks in swine operations. Research continues to show that pathogens such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) and other economically important swine disease are readily transferred by people, increasing the likelihood of disease spread from infected to naïve farms. 

Thomas D. Parsons, VMD, PhD, Director of the Swine Teaching and Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, says comprehensive, on-farm and system-wide biosecurity protocols set the foundation for any disease control program, and they can have a tremendous impact on farm production and profitability.

“The stakes are raised today with the higher health status on many farms, especially with the intensity of production and concentration of farms and animals in many areas,” Dr. Parsons explains. “Managing the movement of people and their access to facilities based on who they are, where they’ve been, disease status and other factors is key to any successful biosecurity program.”

Monitoring and controlling the movement of farm personnel and visitor traffic within and between farms should be top-of-mind with farm owners and managers says Kent Andersen, director of marketing for NoveTechnologies, LLC, in Omaha, Neb. “Even with all the automation, filtration systems and other disease-mitigation technology in use on many swine farms, human movement continues to be a major contributor to disease spread on all swine farms.”

Andersen cites 2017 research conducted by the University of Minnesota on PEDv transmission via farm personnel and contaminated personal protective equipment, which demonstrated the importance of sound biosecurity procedures in lowering the risk of PEDv transmission between groups of pigs. In the research study, groups of pigs where high levels of biosecurity where maintained had lower/no incidence of disease or infection compared to those with low biosecurity.

To help farm owners and managers more effectively manage worker and visitor movement on farms, and reduce potential for disease transmission, NoveTechnologies developed Protocol, a new 3D biometric identification and premise access system. This near-real-time, 24/7 monitoring and permission-granted security system, allows workers and visitors access to defined areas/facilities and may provide additional information about other areas or farms visited.

“Unlike key cards, passcodes and other passive systems, Protocol consists of a simple, entry-installed 3D imaging camera and keypad, along with cellular modem and cloud-based software program. This allows owners and managers to accurately identify and approve who enters their facilities, know when they entered, and monitor and track their access to other Protocol-monitored areas with the farm,” Andersen explains.

“More important, these types of networked, permission-granted facility-access systems permit the collaborative sharing of worker and visitor information among connected farms as part of an area-wide surveillance network to further reduce or prevent the incidence of human-vectored disease outbreaks within a region,” Andersen adds. “Considering the high cost that disease outbreaks have on swine farms, user-defined, controlled-access systems like Protocol can have a positive impact on farm production and profitability by helping to reduce transmission.”



Novus International Provides Solutions for Industry Pain Points at World Pork Expo 2018

At this year's World Pork Expo, Novus is taking its science-based approach a step further by not only providing the latest research and data to attendees, but also addressing true industry pain points that swine producers face daily.

The Novus Knowledge Center tent showcases content and easy-to-follow visuals designed to offer quality information to a broad range of audiences, from producers to nutritionists, veterinarians, and university personnel.

"Those wanting to see performance data, those who want to see how our products will be beneficial in their day-to-day operations and for the audiences who simply love swine production, they will get a better understanding of where different Novus products play a role in solving their production challenges," said Bob Buresh, executive manager of technical services for North America at Novus. "This year, we really wanted to address common problems producers in this industry are facing on a daily basis and how our products can help."

Novus will also be hosting its annual Pig Pickin' event on Thursday evening at 5:45 p.m. at the tent (G272) along Grand Avenue on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, will be in attendance to help pull the pork provided by the National Pork Producers Council and prepared by Lynch's BBQ. Guests are invited to enjoy the pork and interact with Secretary Naig as well as Novus experts.



Animal Agriculture Alliance announces new board representatives

The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced today six new member representatives and 14 renewed seats to its Board of Directors. The Alliance’s Board of Directors is listed on its website at: http://animalagalliance.org/about/#board.

“We are excited to welcome new people to our Board of Directors and continue fostering strong relationships with our members as we work together to help ensure farmers and ranchers are represented in food discussions and decisions while bridging the communication gap between farm and fork,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO.

The following new representatives joined the Board of Directors.
-Michelle Tollefson, representing Bayer HealthCare, joined the board and the executive committee. Bayer HealthCare has been on the Alliance board for 12 years.
-Dave Pyburn, DVM, representing National Pork Board, also joined the board and executive committee. National Pork Board has served on the board since 2000.
-Paul Schlegel, interim representative for the American Farm Bureau Federation. AFBF has been on the board since the Alliance's inception in 1987.
-Evelyn Greene, representing American National CattleWomen Inc. ANCW has been on the board since 2008.
-Lisa McComb, representing Dairy Management Inc. This will be DMI’s third year serving on the board.
-Marc Reiner with United Soybean Board which has been an Alliance board member since 2006.

Several companies and associations renewed their seat on the Alliance’s Board of Directors.
-National Turkey Federation, represented by Joel Brandenberger, Board Treasurer
-American Feed Industry Association, represented by Sarah Novak, Board Chairperson-elect
-Smithfield Hog Production, represented by Ashley DeDecker, PhD
-American Veal Association, represented by Adnan Aydin, PhD
-Elanco Animal Health, represented by Colleen Parr Dekker
-Iowa Soybean Association, represented by Aaron Putze
-Merck Animal Health, represented by Judson Vasconcelos, DVM, PhD
-National Chicken Council, represented by Tom Super
-New Mexico State University, represented by Robert Hagevoort, PhD
-Nutrien, represented by Adam Proctor
-Texas Cattle Feeders Association, represented by Josh Winegarner

“We value the expertise and leadership each of our board members brings to the table,” said Hannah Thompson-Weeman, Alliance vice president of communications. “Having such a diverse and dedicated board helps the Alliance to be strategic and represent the entire barnyard in everything we do.”