Friday August 17 Ag News

Governor’s Trade Delegation Returns from Vietnam

Today, Governor Pete Ricketts welcomed back a trade delegation led by Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Steve Wellman.  Wellman and NDA staff were in Vietnam August 6th-10th to promote Nebraska agriculture and to introduce potential buyers and distributors to quality Nebraska beef.

“Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies in the world,” said Governor Ricketts.  “My Council for International Relations released a plan recently which named Vietnam as one of several targeted countries that Nebraska should focus on to increase exports and identify new business opportunities.  Director Wellman’s visit is a great step towards expanding Nebraska’s reach in this important market.”

“Quality Nebraska beef is known around the world for premium taste and value, and we want to continue to bolster the success of the state’s biggest industry by expanding opportunities in growing markets like Vietnam,” said NDA Director Wellman.  “Nebraska beef exports increased by 12 percent from 2016 to 2017 for a total value of $1.26 billion, making Nebraska the nation’s largest beef exporting state for the second year in a row.”

While in Vietnam, Director Wellman met with several agribusiness leaders and hosted a forum designed to introduce potential buyers and distributors interested in beef from Nebraska.  The forum was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink.  At the forum, Kritenbrink, a Nebraska native and a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Kearney, shared his memories of growing up on a farm near Ashland and emphasized the state’s leading role in agriculture.

Director Wellman also met with Thai Huong, the founder and chairwoman of TH Group, to discuss opportunities for trade in animal feed, particularly soybean meal.  TH Group, a large holding company in Vietnam specializing in milk and dairy, runs the largest dairy farm in Vietnam.

During the trip, Director Wellman signed Letters of Intent with three Vietnamese companies interested in selling beef from Nebraska in Vietnam.  The Bao Ngoc Company, the largest of the three, currently has a distribution network of more than 10,000 grocery stores and 500 restaurants.  The other two businesses were D&A Vietnam JSC and Duc Anh Import Export.

The cost of the trip to Vietnam was covered under a Federal Emerging Markets Program grant.



Diseases Confirmed in Corn and Soybean July 26-Aug. 15 
Kyle Broderick - Coordinator of the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic

The following diseases were reported in samples submitted to the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab from July 26 to August 15.

Soybean
East District – Anthracnose, Phytophthora root and stem rot, stem canker, charcoal rot, sudden death syndrome, frogeye leaf spot, downy mildew, bacterial pustule
Southeast District – Frogeye leaf spot, charcoal rot, stem canker
Central District – Phytophthora root and stem rot
Northeast District – Frogeye leaf spot, charcoal rot, stem canker, Bacterial blight

Corn
East District – Common rust, southern rust, gray leaf spot, eyespot, gray leaf spot (GLS), Physoderma brown spot, holcus spot, northern corn leaf blight, northern corn leaf spot, southern corn leaf blight, Goss’s wilt
Northeast District – Gray leaf spot, southern rust
Southeast District – Bacterial leaf streak, southern rust, Goss’s wilt, bacterial stalk rot
Central District – Bacterial leaf streak, common rust, gray leaf spot

Resources
Find more information and photos about these diseases in the Crop Disease Management section of CropWatch for Soybean and Corn.



Timing Manure Application to Avoid Neighbor Nuisances 
Rick Koelsch - Livestock Environmental Engineer

Roughly half of all neighbor complaints of livestock odors originate from land application of manure. A weather forecast and a little knowledge of odor dilution can be a powerful tool for keeping your neighbors happy, or at least avoiding those irate phone calls. This article summarizes those weather conditions that should be considered when planning manure application.

Incorporation of manure into the soil is always the “best” practice for controlling odor. Soil is an excellent filter for removing odors released by manure.  However, maintaining residue cover to protect soil quality, reduce erosion, and conserve water does not always allow for manure to be incorporated.

When manure cannot be incorporated, the next 36-hour period after land-applying manure is the most critical. Why? Good drying conditions over the next two days can significantly reduce the release of odors.  In addition, the next two evenings are the most likely time when neighbors will experience odors. Especially when applying manure without incorporating it, pay close attention to the forecast for the 36 hours after application.

Predicted Wind Direction
Wind direction is the single most critical information for selecting fields for land application of manure. Odor plumes travel in the same direction as wind and spread out laterally very little. By identifying the edges of the field perpendicular to the wind and the wind’s direction, one can quickly identify the neighbors at greatest risk and those unlikely to be impacted.  By paying attention to the wind directional forecast for a 36-hour period after applying manure, applicators can gauge the risk of odor affecting neighbors.

Evening Hours and Manure Application
Can you recall a time when you observed a smoke cloud hanging near the ground? Often this is observed when air temperatures are cooling and winds are light, most commonly during evening and nighttime hours. Under these conditions the smoke is not being diluted and is being held near the ground. Although we cannot see odors, the same atmospheric conditions create the greatest risk for neighbors experiencing odors

Under daytime conditions odor plumes are generally rising and diluted with fresh air to the point they are unlikely to be noticed by your neighbors. Bright sunshine and warming air are best for dispersing odors. Higher wind speeds (especially at night) also encourage greater mixing of fresh and odorous air and reduce odor risk. Nighttime hours with low wind speeds are the conditions most likely to expose neighbors to odors from land application.

Weather Forecasts and Odors
Weather forecasts that provide 1) wind direction and speed; 2) sky conditions, and 3) temperature can be extremely valuable in deciding when and where to apply manure. Many weather services provide this information in their forecasts. 

Picking the right weather conditions for land applying manure may not improve your popularity in the community, but it can go a long way with improving your community’s acceptance of livestock systems.



Grain Drying, Handling and Storage Handbook Now Available for Download

 MidWest Plan Service’s award-winning publication “Grain Drying, Handling, and Storage Handbook” (MWPS-13) is now available for download through the MidWest Plan Service website. The publication had previously only been available as a printed hard copy.

The book provides information on the whys and hows of developing a total system for grain drying, handling and storage. It discusses how the design and location of a grain system can help avoid bottlenecks during harvest and how grain handling components can be tied to performance, capacity and convenience.

It also includes information on the function and operation of equipment used for holding wet grain, maintaining grain quality after harvest, handling large volumes of grain and the need and importance of safety and automation.

The publication was written by Dirk Maier, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University, along with experts from the other MidWest Plan Service university partners.

“This handbook is in its third edition and has always been a collaborative project between engineers from several universities leading this field,” said Maier. “Our handbook has more than 150 pages packed full with expert advice on how to plan a modern grain drying, handling and storage system.”

The downloadable format is available for purchase through the MidWest Plan Service website for $56 (https://www-mwps.sws.iastate.edu/catalog/grain-handling-storage/grain-drying-handling-and-storage-handbook-pdf), while printed copies can still be purchased for $74.

MidWest Plan Service is a university-based publishing cooperative dedicated to disseminating research-based, peer-reviewed and unbiased publications that support the outreach missions of the North Central Region land-grant universities. Established in 1929 and publishing since 1932, it is one of the oldest regional cooperative efforts of land-grant universities in the United States.

The publication recently received the Blue Ribbon Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).



Trade Tension, Market Outlook Webinar

Escalating trade tensions with China, renegotiating NAFTA, and continued expansion across all three U.S. protein sectors add to market uncertainty and shape market expectations for the future. Cattle producers are looking for answers on where the markets go from here.

The CattleFax Trends+ Cow-Calf Webinar at 5:30 p.m. MT, Sept. 12, 2018, will address these topics. Producers and industry leaders can visit https://www.cattlefax.com/#!/about to access program details and register for the webinar.

Trade uncertainty and the threat of smaller profit margins have loomed large for cow-calf producers in 2018. Well informed producers can make decisions on production, marketing and risk management that can protect the bottom line as expansion leads to tighter margins across the cattle producing segments.

CattleFax analysts will discuss a variety of topics in the one-hour session, including:
-    Current trade disruptions and market implications
-    Calf and feeder markets for the remainder of 2018
-    Cattle and feedstuff market prices for the next 12 to 18 months
-    A five-year vision of the cow-calf sector.

The Trends+ webinar series informs cattle producers about current market conditions and provides providing decision-friendly advice regarding management decisions. The analysis and strategies shared through the webinar series has reached more than 5,000 producers, and sponsorship from Elanco Animal Health is making the seminar free for all attendees.



NCGA to EPA: Make RFS Whole

The National Corn Growers Association today submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the proposed rule for the 2019 volume standards under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. The rule proposes an implied 15-billion-gallon volume for conventional ethanol but fails to account for, nor consider comments on, retroactive exemptions granted to refineries.

 “To uphold the full clean air, cost-savings, energy independence, and rural economic benefits consumers and farmers receive from the RFS, EPA must also use the 2019 volume rule to make and keep the RFS whole,” NCGA President and North Dakota Farmer Kevin Skunes said.

In the proposed rule, EPA disclosed the agency granted retroactive exemptions to 48 refineries for 2016 and 2017 RFS obligations, amounting to 2.25 billion ethanol-equivalent gallons. Through this proposed rule, EPA has the tools to ensure retroactive exemptions do not further reduce volumes. However, EPA stated the agency is not soliciting comments on how to account for exemptions going forward to prevent exemptions from lowering RFS volumes.

"While EPA may not want feedback on how the agency is failing to maintain the integrity of the RFS and administer the volume standards in accordance with the law, corn farmers will provide that feedback nonetheless and make our voices heard,” NCGA’s comments state. “The process for accounting for these volumes is central to the integrity of the RFS, and it is offensive to farmers that EPA does not believe our comments on this issue are worth soliciting and considering.”

NCGA’s comments also stressed the importance of a strong RFS for farmers facing their fifth consecutive year of depressed income and commodity prices. The financial stress on agriculture impacts rural businesses and communities across the country.

“Maintaining an implied volume for conventional renewable fuel at 15 billion gallons, consistent with the statutory target for 2019 and the proposed rule, provides a firm base of support for ethanol production and corn prices. A strong RFS is a market-based solution for sustaining the agriculture economy,” the comments state.



NFU Urges Increase in Biofuel Requirements, Rejection of Attempts to Undermine RFS

The administration must continue to build on the success of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and promote expanded use of American-grown biofuels if it is to promote the economic viability of family farmers and the vibrancy of rural communities, that according to the nation’s second largest general farm organization.

In public comments filed to the EPA today, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce the RFS’s 15-billion-gallon requirement for conventional biofuels, increase the advanced biofuel volume requirements for 2020, and ensure recent waivers of the RFS does not undermine the intent of the law.

“As family farmers navigate a severely depressed farm economy, this is a time the administration should be raising expectations for a policy that drives America’s rural economy,” said Johnson. “We urge the administration to increase proposed volumes for the RFS in 2019 and to reject any calls to further reduce the volumes.”

Johnson cited the numerous benefits of enforcing the RFS as it was written, including job creation and investment in rural communities, economic opportunity for family farmers, increased competition in the transportation fuels market, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and lower transportation fuel prices for consumers.

“Biofuels create a price-stabilizing mechanism, encourage much-needed reinvestment in our rural communities, and contribute significantly to net farm income,” said Johnson. “President Trump and his administration should follow through on their assurances to family farmers and rural residents that this administration will support biofuels and uphold the intent of Congress as it relates to the RFS.”

Johnson urged EPA to ensure the RFS increases the use of renewable fuels in the U.S. transportation system, noting that this is “the fundamental objective of the Renewable Fuel Program” as written by Congress. Therefore, the agency should true up volume requirements to account for the lost demand caused by the agency’s previous handling of the law. Recent actions, such as “hardship waivers” to companies that reap windfall profits each year, have destroyed billions of gallons worth in demand for American farm products, further exacerbating already low commodity prices for family farmers.

“Recent wavering on the RFS has caused enormous setbacks in advanced biofuels, including cellulosic biofuel development, and, consequently, delayed important greenhouse gas emission reductions,” said Johnson. “But, EPA can still regain some lost ground, and NFU would be supportive of and most grateful for such efforts.”



Growth Energy Submits Comments to EPA on Proposed 2019 RVO Targets

Today, Growth Energy, the nation’s top ethanol advocate, will submit formal comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the final day of the public comment period for the agency’s proposed renewable volume obligation (RVO) targets for 2019.

Growth Energy’s comments urge the EPA to make the proposed numbers real by accounting for lost gallons due to small refinery exemptions and reallocating said gallons to other refineries to fulfill the target RVO. Growth Energy also reiterates its request for Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) relief for rural America to allow the sale of higher octane blends, such as E15, year-round to increase domestic market demand of ethanol and help lower fuel prices for consumers at the pump. Additionally, Growth Energy continues to support 15 billion gallons of starch ethanol and that the cellulosic volumes should be increased in conjunction with regulatory approval for pending cellulosic registrations.

“On it’s face, this is a strong proposal with a 15-billion-gallon commitment to starch ethanol and a significant increase in cellulosic biofuels,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “However, the proposed RVO has failed to account for the 2.25 billion gallons lost due to small refinery exemptions. By failing to account for these exemptions, EPA has made the numbers hollow turning the clock back on the RFS by 5 years."

“With ag demand at a 12 year low, America’s farmers and producers need the proposed RVO targets for 2019 set and met earnestly,” Skor continued. “I hope the new leadership at the EPA reverses course and gets back on the path of blending more gallons of homegrown renewable biofuels and increases domestic grain market demand through the year-round sale of higher octane blends, such as E15.”



ACE comments on proposed 2019 RFS

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) submitted comments today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the proposed blending volumes for 2019 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) on the final day of accepting public comments on the proposal.

ACE commented on several facets of the proposed rule including: how EPA exemptions and waivers are harming rural America and violate statutory authority, the need for reallocation of Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) and for EPA to comply with the Americans for Clean Energy et al v. EPA lawsuit, conventional, cellulosic, and advanced biofuel levels, RIN market operations, the need to issue a rulemaking extending the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) relief to blends above E10, encouraging EPA to adopt the latest GREET model with respect to the lifecycle analysis of corn ethanol.

“Unfortunately, EPA continues to take actions which undermine the letter and spirit of the statute and harm the rural economy. While refiners are reporting double-digit profits, the heart of America is being left behind. Farmers are losing money while refiners have the best of both worlds: fat profit margins and minimal RFS compliance costs. EPA needs to discard its refiner-win-at-all-costs mentality and get the RFS back on track.”

“While the proposed rule purports to maintain the 15-billion-gallon conventional blending target for the 2019 RVO, nearly 50 Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) will reduce ethanol blending far below 15 billion gallons.  Known exemptions for 2016 and 2017 have resulted in at least 2.25 billion in demand destruction for U.S. ethanol. These so-called ‘hardship’ waivers flood the market with RINs which refiners can bank, thereby artificially inflating the size of the RIN carryover to more than 3 billion gallons.  As a result, D6 RIN prices have cratered.  One year ago, D6 RINs were fetching approximately 90 cents but SREs have sunk those prices to about 20 cents today, nearly an 80 percent collapse. This, consequently, has reduced the incentive to blend ethanol with gasoline.”



ACE releases White Paper on the low carbon benefits of corn ethanol during 31st annual conference

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) announced the official release of a White Paper today entitled “The Case for Properly Valuing the Low Carbon Benefits of Corn Ethanol,” coinciding with a general session panel at the 31st annual ACE conference in Minneapolis which highlighted the paper in a discussion on updates to lifecycle modeling and opportunities on the horizon for ethanol as a low carbon fuel.

The RFS was enacted, in part, to drive innovation and production of low carbon biofuels that reduce GHG emissions and as a result the program has successfully replaced 10 percent of petroleum in the U.S. transportation fleet with carbon-friendly fuel. However, the EPA has yet to update its original corn ethanol GHG assessments from when the RFS was enacted over a decade ago to reflect today’s significant GHG reduction benefits.

“The ACE White Paper makes a compelling case that lifecycle GHG modeling must reflect the latest science if low carbon fuel programs are to achieve their desired results,” said Brendan Jordan, Vice President of the Great Plains Institute. “The Great Plains Institute agrees there is a huge opportunity for existing corn ethanol plants to lower their carbon footprint through innovative technology and updated lifecycle modeling. We’re just beginning to see the potential for environmental improvements through carbon capture and storage, soil carbon and agronomy, and plant efficiencies.  The ACE White Paper makes an important contribution toward making progress on these goals.”

Jordan joined Bill Hohenstein, Acting Director of the Office of Energy Policy and New Uses within the Office of the Chief Economist, USDA; and Ron Alverson, member of ACE’s Board of Directors representing Dakota Ethanol and a chief contributor to the White Paper, on the panel moderated by ACE CEO Brian Jennings.

“Since the direct effects on soil carbon stocks of each biofuel feedstock crop can have a very large impact on carbon intensity, it is crucial that this accounting is included in the modeling,” Alverson said. “The trend is biofuel’s friend — petroleum-based transportation fuel lifecycle GHGs continue to rise and biofuel lifecycle GHGs continue to improve.”

“It’s ACE’s hope that our White Paper will build consensus for recognizing the significant climate benefits from further expansion of corn ethanol production and us in the U.S. beyond volumes called for in the RFS,” Jennings said. “We intend for the White Paper to inform stakeholders and policymakers at the state and federal level as they consider changes to existing low carbon fuel programs or the adoption of new clean fuel initiatives in the future.”

The full White Paper is published here: https://ethanol.org/ethanol-essentials/low-carbon-benefits-of-corn-ethanol.


 NAFTA RENEGOTIATION TALKS CONTINUE

Talks on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) continued for the fourth straight week as representatives from the United States, Canada and Mexico pushed to finalize an updated deal. The National Pork Producers Council continues to urge the Trump administration to maintain zero-duty market access for U.S. pork exports to Canada and Mexico and to caution that terminating the agreement would be detrimental for the U.S. pork industry, costing an estimated $1.5 billion.

Additionally, NPPC this week joined other agricultural organizations on a letter sent to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow, expressing support for their “efforts to swiftly conclude NAFTA negotiations” but raising concerns about “new barriers for U.S. agricultural trade.” Specifically, the groups noted a provision that would place seasonal tariffs on a number of fruits and vegetables exported to the United States. “While the intent of this provision may be to protect certain U.S. growers from Mexican imports,” the organizations said, “it will only raise prices on the fresh produce American families expect year-round. Once established, this new rule will make it easier for Mexico and Canada to impose anti-dumping duties on imports of produce from the United States as well.”