Tuesday July 3 Ag News

Nebraska 360: Crafting Dairy Store Ice Cream
July is National Ice Cream Month and Nebraska can join right in all the celebrations with its own ice cream traditions.

Sales at the University of Nebraska--Lincoln Dairy Store began in 1917 with all-you-can-drink milk for a nickel -- but only for customers who brought their own glass.

Now, more than 100 years later, the Dairy Store is a Nebraska tradition, serving a lineup of sweet ice cream treats, handmade cheeses and meats cut by students in the university's Loeffel Meat Laboratory. Click the 360-degree video above to learn more about how the dairy store churns out cold treats that offer brief respites from Nebraska's summer heat.

To learn more in a special program about the Dairy Store, watch this edition of the Nebraska 360 Series at https://bit.ly/2MvaOD1. 



EPA Increases Volume Standard for Biodiesel

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its proposal to increase the volume standard for biomass-based diesel from 2.1 billion gallons in 2019 to 2.43 billion gallons in 2020.

More than 100 farmers, producers and marketers in the biodiesel industry heard this news while attending the National Biodiesel Board meeting in Washington, D.C on June 26.

Greg Anderson, treasurer of the National Biodiesel Board and Nebraska Soybean Board member, said this was a very positive number for the biodiesel industry.

“There’s a lot of room for biodiesel and biofuels to grow,” Anderson said. “This increase is likely the result of farmers showing that we have the capacity to produce this volume.”

Made from a diverse mix of feedstocks, including soybean oil, canola oil, corn oil and animal fats, biodiesel is a clean-burning, renewable energy source that reduces dependence on foreign oil. Biodiesel is the first and only EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel.

“I, as a soybean farmer, want to wave the soybean oil flag, but we need every feedstock to grow our energy,” Anderson said.

Biodiesel adds 63 cents per bushel to the value of soybeans and supports more than 60,000 U.S. jobs.

Anderson said that while it may be years before biodiesel is widely available at the pump, the industry continues to provide education and show the benefits.

In Nebraska, Sapp Bros. recently opened biodiesel blending terminals in Columbus and Geneva.

“Getting biodiesel in the Sapp Bros. terminals is huge,” Anderson said. “I think terminals like these are one of the big movers and shakers when it comes to getting biodiesel distributed at a local level.”



Cattle Handling Facilities: Common Issues and Simple Fixes Webinar, July 11

Animal Care Wednesday Webinar will be Wednesday, July 11, 11:00 am CST / 10:00 am MT. Heidi Carroll, SDSU Extension Livestock Stewardship Field Specialist, and Joe Darrington, veterinarian and former SDSU Extension Livestock Environment Associate, will be discussing Cattle handling facilities: common issues & simple fixes.

Cattle handling facilities and low-stress handling are key to keeping cattle and handlers safe along with efficiently doing tasks. Hear what we learned from ranch visits to improve animal movement and handler safety by addressing some common facility challenges producers were encountering.

Join the webinar: https://nebraskaextension.zoom.us/j/950423108.
Recorded webinars are archived at: http://animalscience.unl.edu/animal-care-resources.

Upcoming webinars in 2018:
Aug 1    Parasite control and being a good steward: tips to implementing new research findings
Sep 5    Antibiotic/antimicrobial stewardship: product handling, storage temp, mixing techniques   
Oct 3    2018 Ag law and regulation updates: Animal welfare and care outlook   
Nov 7    BQA Transportation cert. prog. implementation and federal commercial trucker regulations
Dec 5    Update on the SD OneHealth initiative



ALFALFA AND HEAT
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               When the temperature is consistently above 90 degrees, many rules of thumb for alfalfa harvest management, like cut at one-tenth bloom, should be thrown out the window.

               Alfalfa is one of our most reliable crops.  We cut it several times each year and it keeps coming back for more.  In fact, the plant often tells us when it is ready to be cut.  When the plant begins to bloom it has recovered from the previous harvest and is ready to be cut.

               Or is it?  When summer temperatures exceed 90 degrees nearly every  day like it has much of this summer, alfalfa may start to bloom after only twenty-five, or twenty, or even fewer days of regrowth.  If it’s dry, it may bloom even sooner.  Is it really then ready to harvest?

               The simple answer is no.  High temperatures can cause alfalfa to mislead us about when it is ready to harvest.  Although plants bloom more rapidly when it is hot, it actually takes them longer to recover from the previous cutting than when temperatures are more moderate.

               Alfalfa stores nutrients it doesn’t need for growth, like extra carbohydrates and protein, in its crown and roots.  When alfalfa is cut, it uses these stored nutrients to initiate new regrowth.  As regrowth develops, nutrient reserve levels decline until plants develop enough leaf area to support themselves.  Then and only then can extra nutrients be sent into storage.  High temperatures, especially at night, reduce the amount of extra nutrients available for storage.  So, it takes longer for reserves to return to the same levels as before harvest.

               As an added insult, early blooming gives shorter, lower yields that are even worse during dry weather.

               Don’t let early alfalfa blooms mislead you.  Give plants extra time between hot summer harvests to maintain healthy stands.

SUMMER WATER DEMAND
               This summer’s heat and humidity makes it abundantly clear how important adequate water is for your pastured livestock.  Let’s discuss ways to provide water throughout your pastures.

               This summer has been hot and humid.  While it may be uncomfortable for you and me, it is particularly hard on livestock out on pasture.  To help them survive, much less thrive, under these conditions, they need plenty of good, clean water.

               Not only do they need plenty of good, clean water – they need it close by.  Once upon a time, it was common to make cattle walk a mile or more to water.  And they’d do it.  But just think how hard it is on animals in this heat and humidity.  Once they get to the water, the last thing they want to do is turn around and go all the way back to where they came from to graze.  As a result, they do little grazing more than a half mile away from water.  In fact, research shows that when cattle need to travel more than 1000 feet to water, they spend less time grazing, they burn off pounds walking, and they graze distant areas incompletely.

               So – how can you improve your water and grazing distribution?  More ponds, wells, windmills, and dugouts will help, but they can get expensive.  Plus, they can only be placed in certain locations and can’t be moved.  So maybe a pipeline would be better.  They can be put almost anywhere.  And if you want to add more water locations, pipelines can be tapped into anywhere along the line.  You might even qualify for cost-share dollars to help pay for the installation.  You also can leave your pipe on top of the ground, saving trenching costs, if you only need water during the growing season.

               Over time, water improvements pay for themselves with better grass and improved animal performance.



IFBF brings exclusive centennial membership event to 2018 Iowa State Fair

In honor of their centennial anniversary, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) will hold an exclusive membership event during the 2018 Iowa State Fair: a private concert with country music star, Brett Eldredge. IFBF is hosting the members-only appreciation concert on Farm Bureau Day at the fair, August 14, 2018. 

The free concert, slated to begin at 2:00 p.m., is part of a year-long series of events for members only during IFBF’s Centennial Year Celebration.

“We’re proud of our centennial year and our grassroots members who are the foundation of our success, and we’re excited to offer this opportunity to Farm Bureau families as a way of thanking them for their ongoing support,” says Craig Hill, IFBF president. “Bringing people together has been the cornerstone of Farm Bureau for 100 years, and Farm Bureau Day at the Iowa State Fair seems a fitting place to bring our members together.”

Eldredge is a rising star and has one of the hottest careers in country music right now.  The country music sensation, who has toured with Keith Urban, Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan, hails from a small town in Illinois and has a strong appreciation for the rural work ethic and Iowa sensibility.  His first two albums topped Billboard’s country charts and he scored 2014’s CMA New Artist of the Year award.

Tickets to the exclusive Farm Bureau Member Appreciation Centennial concert will be available online only on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning June 29-Aug. 13 or until supplies last.  These General Admission member tickets can only be purchased online at the following ticketing website: www.iowafarmbureau.com/concert.  Members will need their member numbers to order tickets online; those needing assistance to access their Iowa Farm Bureau membership information should contact their county Farm Bureau office. Free gate admission to the Iowa State Fair will also be included in the exclusive membership concert package. For more information about IFBF’s centennial events, visit www.iowafarmbureau.com/100.   



Farm Bill Ready for Conference

With Senate passage last week of its farm bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (S. 3042), congressional lawmakers are expected to soon head to conference to iron out the differences between the House and Senate legislation. The House passed its version of the bill, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2), on June 21.

Noting the tough circumstances farmers and ranchers are up against, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said progress on the farm bill is very timely.

“The Senate pushed the farm bill one big step closer to the finish line and it could not have come at a better time. America’s farmers and ranchers continue to face a challenging agricultural economy, a shaky outlook for our export markets and a dire ag labor shortage. It was time for some good news and the Senate delivered it in bipartisan fashion,” Duvall said in a statement.

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 provides a solid framework for moving forward, Duvall continued.

“We do have concerns about some of the provisions that were added to the bill that make it harder for farmers to manage risk, but we are confident that those issues can be satisfactorily addressed by the House/Senate conference committee. We look forward to working with conferees from both houses to get the best possible farm bill done for rural America,” he said.

Once a final measure is approved by both chambers, the farm bill will be sent to President Trump for his signature.



Fertilizer Prices Remain Slightly Higher

Average retail prices for all but one fertilizer crept higher the fourth week of June 2018, according to retailers surveyed by DTN.

Seven of the eight major fertilizers were just slightly higher in price compared to last month. DAP had an average price of $485 per ton, MAP $505/ton, potash $354/ton, urea $364/ton, 10-34-0 $440/ton, UAN28 $242/ton and UAN32 $277/ton.

One fertilizer, anhydrous, was slightly lower compared to the previous month. Anhydrous had an average price of $504 per 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.

All eight of the major fertilizers are now higher compared to last year with prices pushing higher in recent months. 10-34-0 is 1% higher, UAN28% is 2% more expensive, UAN32 is 3% higher, potash and anhydrous are 4% more expensive, MAP 7% more expensive, urea is 10% higher and DAP is 11% more expensive compared to last year.



Soy Producers Remind Administration: We Are the People Affected by Trade Tariffs

Soybean farmers who would bear the brunt of retaliatory tariffs from China are appealing to the Administration on social media today, reminding leaders that they are the faces behind the escalating trade conflict between the U.S. and our largest foreign customer.

On July 6, U.S. soybean farmers will be hit with a 25 percent duty on beans exported to China. President Trump officially announced on June 15 that the U.S. will implement 25 percent tariffs on an initial list of $34 billion worth of Chinese products under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, effective July 6. China swiftly responded in kind, announcing a retaliatory 25 percent tariff on $34 billion of U.S. imports, also effective July 6, and which does include soybeans.

American Soybean Association (ASA) President John Heisdorffer, a soybean producer from Keota, Iowa, commented on being caught in the middle of the trade confrontation between the U.S. and China, saying, “It is imperative that we maintain the robust market we have worked so hard for decades to establish with China. China is our top market, importing 31 percent of our crop last year. They have a sizeable feed industry that’s dependent on soybeans, the largest swine herd in the world, the largest global aquaculture industry, and are rapidly modernizing their poultry, egg, dairy, and beef industries. They are a vital trading partner, and we need to continue to do business with China without the sting of these tariffs.”

Farmer members of ASA have taken to Twitter and Facebook in an effort to put faces to their plight, posting pictures on the farm with the hashtag #FacesofTariffs, and asking the Administration to find an alternate solution to concerns over intellectual property theft, which has been cited by the President as the impetus for the tariffs.

China is the top export market for U.S. soybeans, accounting for almost $14 billion in sales, representing nearly a third of total U.S. soybean production in 2017.



Soybean Growers Request Accurate Bioengineered Food Labeling

Supporting transparency and urging USDA to follow the statute while finalizing the rule, American Soybean Association (ASA) on July 3 filed comments with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) regarding its proposed rule to implement the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS).

The letter accompanying the comments noted, “As farmers, we understand and support the consumer’s desire to know what is in their food. We are proud of the methods and technology we use to deliver a safe and affordable product to the consumer while developing ways to reduce impacts on the environment.” The letter went on to say that biotechnology allows farmers to reduce inputs like water, fertilizer, and pesticides.

The NBFDS headed off a potentially chaotic situation of having a patchwork of conflicting BE labeling requirements on grocery products at the state level that would have been confusing to consumers and cumbersome and costly for processors and food companies. ASA strongly supported enactment of the law establishing the standard, which preempts individual state labeling laws like that in Vermont.

While ASA’s comments commend AMS for trying to arbitrate competing views by offering several options for the final rule, they urge USDA to adhere to the statutory definition of bioengineering, which requires mandatory labeling of foods that, “contain genetic material modified through transgenic biotechnology and exempts products that could be developed through conventional breeding techniques or found in nature.” ASA further argues that USDA should adopt five percent as the threshold for the presence of bioengineered content required to trigger mandatory disclosure and emphasized that the purpose of the law is to establish a marketing mechanism, not a food safety standard, since foods produced with bioengineering have already been found to be safe.

ASA President and soybean grower John Heisdorffer from Keota, Iowa, says, “Farmers certainly understand people wanting to know where their food comes from and what is in it –we’re consumers, too. That is why we’re always in search of and support new methods and new technologies that allow us to produce safe, affordable products that decrease environmental impacts. Biotechnology is a great example, and more than 90 percent of U.S. soybeans grown today use this technology.”

In addition to its comments to AMS, ASA is a member of the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food, which has filed joint comments on its members’ behalf.



Proposed Bioengineered Food Labeling Standard Should Be Clear, Consistent and Informative

Any regulatory standard for the labeling of bioengineered food ingredients must ensure that consumers receive clear, accurate information about the foods they eat, and not stigmatize bioengineering when scientific evidence proves otherwise, according to the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).

As a member of the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food, NMPF was a signatory on comments submitted today that offered detailed input on the Agriculture Department’s (USDA) proposed rule to implement the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard. The coalition comprises a variety of farm and food organizations that worked together to help pass the labeling law.

NMPF said it supports a science-based approach in determining how foods made using bioengineering should be regulated. Since bioengineered foods have repeatedly been found to be completely safe by both domestic and international science and research organizations, NMPF has said that a bioengineered labeling standard should focus on providing consumers accurate information, while discouraging misleading marketing tactics or meaningless absence claims.

“Food labels should not be used to scare consumers on purchasing decisions, especially with labels that suggest a distinction in which there is no real difference,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “It is simply wrong to try to manipulate consumers through unfounded fears, and it’s not fair to the other food companies that don’t engage in such dishonest marketing.”

In addition to supporting the coalition’s comments, NMPF filed its own set of comments to highlight several elements of the rule, including how it addresses the labeling of milk and meat from animals that consume bioengineered feed. Congress recognized when it passed the law that giving farm animals grains developed through biotechnology has no effect on the animals or products derived from them, NMPF has said, and the standard should reflect this.

“Some food companies are implying that their products derived from animals that have not been fed bioengineered grain are better or safer. That is untruthful, that is false, that is misleading,” said NMPF. “USDA should express its disdain for such contemptuous and wrongful marketing practices in the strongest way possible.”

Also an issue was USDA’s failure to exempt bioengineered enzymes from triggering disclosure. Over 60 countries with a bioengineered food disclosure exempt such enzymes, often used in the production of cheese. NMPF said USDA should ensure the United States is consistent with other countries.

The comments also touched on NMPF’s concerns with voluntary disclosures and their potential to be false and misleading. A qualifying statement, NMPF said, would properly educate the consumer and thus alleviate this concern. As an example, the Federation proposed the following: “No material difference has been shown between ingredients created using bioengineering and ingredients created without bioengineering.”

Finally, National Milk stressed that the bioengineered food disclosure standard is really a measure to regulate food marketing, not food safety. Therefore, in determining the level of a substance needed for a product to be considered bioengineered, NMPF endorsed the coalition’s suggestion that USDA use a 5-percent threshold for inadvertently bioengineered ingredients and 0.9 percent for intentionally bioengineered ingredients.

“Our response to USDA’s proposed rule is meant to help create a fair and honest marketplace for consumers and companies,” said Mulhern. “We hope the department will heed our concerns and ensure any future labeling standards do not stigmatize a perfectly safe scientific process.”



Farmer Co-ops Endorse Coalition Comments on Bioengineering Standard

The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) today endorsed the comments submitted by the Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food (CFSAF) on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s request for comments on the proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard. The announcement came in a letter submitted to the record along with a copy of the CFSAF’s comments.

“As co-chair of the Coalition for Safe Affordable Food (CFSAF), NCFC worked closely with Congress to develop a marketing standard to provide consumers with more information about the modern, sustainable food production practice of bioengineering,” said Chuck Conner, president and CEO of NCFC in the letter. “NCFC urges the Agricultural Marketing Service to draft a rule that is flexible, legally defensible, responsive to consumer demands, supportive of innovation, and consistent with our international trade obligations.”

Conner also noted that NCFC shared the coalition’s goals of helping consumers access more information about their food while at the same time giving farmers continued access to the tools they need to produce a sustainable, safe and affordable food supply. At the same time, he noted, the rule should preserve the ability of food manufacturers to give consumers additional information about their food beyond what the standard requires. 

 “Considering viewpoints from all points in the supply chain, CFSAF developed an approach that will adhere to Congressional statutory intent, serve consumers with clear, truthful information, and provide a practical standard for producers and manufacturers to follow,” Conner concludes in the letter. “We appreciate AMS’s efforts to collect the viewpoints of agricultural cooperatives and their farmer-owners.”