Thursday September 20 Ag News

Rural Mainstreet Index Sinks for September: Eight of 10 Bank CEOs Report Negative Tariff Impacts

The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index climbed above growth neutral in September for an eighth straight month, according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy.    

Overall: The overall index declined to 51.5 from 54.8 in August. The index ranges between 0 and 100 with 50.0 representing growth neutral.

“Our surveys over the last several months indicate that the Rural Mainstreet economy is expanding outside of agriculture. However, the negative impacts of recent trade skirmishes have begun to surface, weakening already anemic grain prices,” said Ernie Goss, PhD, Jack A. MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business. 

Farming and ranching: The farmland and ranchland-price index for September sank to 37.5 from 44.7 in August. This is the 58th straight month the index has fallen below growth neutral 50.0.

The September farm equipment-sales index fell to 35.9 from August’s 37.8. This marks the 61st consecutive month that the reading has moved below growth neutral 50.0.
 
Below are the state reports:
Nebraska: The Nebraska RMI for September sank to 52.0 from 55.2 in August. The state’s farmland-price index fell to 37.6 from last month’s 44.9. Nebraska’s new-hiring index declined to 64.2 from 67.4 in August. Nebraska's Rural Mainstreet economy added jobs at a 1.2 percent pace over the past 12 months.

Iowa: The September RMI for Iowa sank to 51.2 from August’s 56.8. Iowa’s farmland-price index for September sank to 37.3 from August’s 44.1. Iowa’s new-hiring index for September jumped to 61.1 from August’s 59.1. Iowa’s Rural Mainstreet economy added jobs at a 1.3 percent pace over the past 12 months.

Each month, community bank presidents and CEOs in nonurban agriculturally and energy-dependent portions of a 10-state area are surveyed regarding current economic conditions in their communities and their projected economic outlooks six months down the road. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming are included. 

This survey represents an early snapshot of the economy of rural agriculturally and energy-dependent portions of the nation. The Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) is a unique index covering 10 regional states, focusing on approximately 200 rural communities with an average population of 1,300. It gives the most current real-time analysis of the rural economy. Goss and Bill McQuillan, former chairman of the Independent Community Banks of America, created the monthly economic survey in 2005.



Costco Poultry Complex Could Redefine Farm-to-Fork

As Costco is set to be the first U.S. retailer to integrate its meat supply to the farm level, a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division predicts that other food retailers and foodservice companies may be prompted to reevaluate their own supply chain integration opportunities.

In September of next year, Costco is slated to open a new chicken complex in eastern Nebraska where it expects in-house production to generate a savings of 10 to 35 cents per bird. According to the CoBank report, the move comes as Costco’s rotisserie chickens have become a major traffic-driver for in-store customers, while available supplies of whole birds at targeted weights have declined. Since 2010, Costco’s rotisserie chicken sales have grown by more than 8 percent annually—three times the growth rate of total U.S. poultry consumption—and have maintained a $4.99 per chicken price point.

Costco’s move marks the first time a U.S. retailer has integrated its meat supply to the farm level and taken on the risks associated with animal husbandry, including feeding, animal welfare, disease prevention and harvesting.

“We see the decision by Costco to bring its poultry supply in-house as a result of three primary drivers—surety of supply, visibility up the chain and cost control,” said Will Sawyer, lead animal protein economist at CoBank. “The ability to control the consistency of bird weights enhances food preparation and safety. Locating the facility in Nebraska also provides access to feed at favorable costs, a reliable water supply and a comparatively advantageous labor market.”

The Nebraska complex will be able to process 100 million birds per year with one-third of the rotisserie program being produced in-house. The facility will also process chicken parts.

If Costco’s foray into production and processing is successful, it could be the model for other food retailers and food service companies to vertically integrate in other protein sectors. However, Sawyer suggested this approach presents significant risks and challenges to other U.S meat sectors, particularly beef and pork.

“Food retailers will need to evaluate a number of risks in order to justify the investment of time and capital required to build their own production capacity,” said Sawyer. “Beef packers have historically yielded very tight margins, and with declining per capita beef consumption the sector would be unlikely to meet its return objectives. Pork processing brings the risk of very large exposure to export market risks. Additionally, retailers will need to consider food safety risks, negative profitability in production and whole animal utilization to justify such investments.”

Of the three major proteins, poultry is the most appealing for retailer integration. Opportunities for further integration in poultry will likely be focused in secondary and further processing rather than primary processing, said Sawyer.

If Costco’s chicken production is successful, it will undoubtedly prompt questions across agricultural supply chains and lead other food retailers and foodservice companies to reexamine their business models, CoBank’s report concludes.

The full report, “Redefining Farm-to-Fork: Costco Sets New Protein Precedent” is available at cobank.com.



Reynolds Halts Enforcement of WOTUS Rule in Iowa

Gov. Kim Reynolds has successfully halted the enforcement of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule in Iowa. The U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota granted the governor's request to stop the rule on Tuesday.

"I am pleased the court granted my request to halt the WOTUS Rule in Iowa," Reynolds said. "Now, Iowa farmers and small business owners will not be burdened by this federal overreach while we continue fighting to permanently end the WOTUS Rule."

The court ordered the preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by Reynolds, 12 states and two agencies of a 13th state against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The WOTUS Rule is now on hold in 25 states.

"The EPA's WOTUS Rule imposes unnecessary burdens on Iowans and interferes with our local and state solutions to improve Iowa's water quality," Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg said.

The lawsuit challenges the WOTUS Rule, which was adopted by the Obama Administration.

The rule went back into effect in Iowa in August 2018 when a federal court in South Carolina ruled the EPA could not suspend the WOTUS Rule. The court reinstated the rule in any state (like Iowa) where it had not yet been preliminarily enjoined.

Reynolds will continue to pursue the federal lawsuit in cooperation with other plaintiff states to permanently overturn the rule.



Tours of Automatic Milking Systems Feature Precision Management

The number of automatic milking systems used in dairy operations continues to increase with over 5 percent of farms now milking with robots.

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach dairy team has scheduled a series of farm tours to offer first-hand looks at the way fellow dairy farmers are managing automatic milking systems in new or retrofit facilities. The tours will focus on facilities, economics and overall management of automatic milking systems. 

Nine dairy facilities in northeast and eastern Iowa will be visited as a part of the tour series. Tours are scheduled for Oct. 23, Nov. 5, Nov. 13 and Nov. 14. Two locations will be visited on the first three tour dates; three sites will be toured on Nov. 14.

Tuesday, Oct. 23
10-11:30 a.m. – JoLane Dairy, 13254 Hickory Ave., Monona; two Lely robots installed in 2013
12:30-2 p.m. – Frieden Dairy, 19731/19733 Abbey Road, Elgin; three Lely robots installed in 2017

Monday, Nov. 5
10-11:30 a.m. – Mike and Kathleen Scott, 12402 R. Ave., Westgate; two Lely robots installed in 2016   
12:30-2 p.m. – New Day Dairy, 31000 175th St., Clarksville; two Insentec Galaxy robots installed in 2015   

Tuesday, Nov. 13
10-11:30 a.m. – Koopman Bros., Chad and Brent, 7242 Koopman Road, Epworth; two Lely robots installed in 2015
12:30-2 p.m. – Todd Moser, 30215 370th St., Colesburg; two DeLaval robots installed in 2016   

Wednesday, Nov. 14
10-11:30 a.m. – Mark Hosch, 2374 County Road D61, Bernard; three Lely robots installed in 2012-14    
12-1:30 p.m. – Green Bros., Mel and Ed, 7820 St. Joes Prairie Road, Dubuque; two Lely robots installed in 2012
2-3:30 p.m. – Bill and Jeff Lawler, 18655 Old Highway Road, Peosta; four Lely robots installed in 2013

Each tour is open to the public, no preregistration is required and travel between farms is on your own. For more information, contact extension dairy specialist Jenn Bentley at jbentley@iastate.edu or 563-382-2949 or extension dairy specialist Larry Tranel at 563-563-583-6496 or tranel@iastate.edu.



Dolch Named Iowa Soybean Association Public Affairs Director

Michael Dolch has been named Public Affairs Director for the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA).

The Villisca, Iowa-native previously served as legislative assistant for Sen. Joni Ernst, representing agriculture, trade and biofuels policy.

“Considering today’s political climate, market conditions and trade environment, farming across Iowa and the United States is facing a tough future,” said Dolch. “This reality underscores the absolute requirement for farmers to remain unified and engaged. I’m looking forward to going to work on behalf of Iowa’s soybean farmers to advance their policy priorities.”

Serving in key leadership positions in local, state and national agricultural organizations heightened his interest in being a voice for farmers and representing their needs. Upon graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in Agricultural Communications, Dolch took to Capitol Hill where he held several positions with Syngenta before assuming a policy role with Ernst.

Dolch will coordinate ISA’s lobbying and policy communications activities involving federal and state legislative and regulatory arenas. He’ll interact with state and nationally elected officials and coordinate a comprehensive outreach strategy with the goal of mobilizing soybean farmers to action in ways that positively benefit the industry.



All-Time Record High for Red Meat Production

Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.77 billion pounds in August, up 3 percent from the 4.63 billion pounds produced in August 2017.

By State       (million lbs  -  % Aug '17)
Nebraska .....:     737.6             99      
Iowa ............:     681.6            110      
Kansas .........:     529.2            101      

Beef production, at 2.43 billion pounds, was 1 percent above the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.98 million head, up 1 percent from August 2017. The average live weight was down 1 pound from the previous year, at 1,344 pounds.

Veal production totaled 6.5 million pounds, 2 percent above August a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 52,300 head, up 13 percent from August 2017. The average live weight was down 23 pounds from last year, at 215 pounds.

Pork production totaled 2.32 billion pounds, up 5 percent from the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 11.2 million head, up 5 percent from August 2017. The average live weight was unchanged from the previous year, at 278 pounds.

Lamb and mutton production, at 13.4 million pounds, was up 4 percent from August 2017. Sheep slaughter totaled 204,500 head, 5 percent above last year. The average live weight was 131 pounds, down 1 pound from August a year ago.

January to August 2018 commercial red meat production was 35.3 billion pounds, up 4 percent from 2017. Accumulated beef production was up 4 percent from last year, veal was up 1 percent, pork was up 4 percent from last year, and lamb and mutton production was up 5 percent.



Dairy Revenue Protection Webinar Slated for Friday, Sept. 28

A webinar on the new Dairy Revenue Protection program, hosted by developers American Farm Bureau Insurance Services and American Farm Bureau Federation with featured presenter AFBF Chief Economist John Newton, is slated for Friday, Sept. 28, 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Central.

Participate in the webinar to learn how the program works and is likely to be quoted, in addition to the history behind its development and an overview of current dairy markets.

The webinar is open to all but will be of particular interest to insurance agents, dairy farmers and commodity group members/staff. Advance registration for this free webinar is recommended. Go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5225786745831459330 to register.

Visit www.DairyRP.com for the latest information on the Dairy RP program.



EPA Updates RFS Website to Improve Transparency

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program website to increase transparency surrounding the program. The updated website includes new data and information for both stakeholders and the public.

“For the first time, EPA is providing new information to the public on small refinery exemptions and RIN trading,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Increasing transparency will improve implementation of the RFS and provide stakeholders and the regulated community the certainty and clarity they need to make important business and compliance decisions.”

“In our corn-growing community, the RFS program is one of the top issues people are talking about. We hear concerns about lack of transparency around the issuance of small refinery waivers and we are hopeful these changes will put everyone on a level playing field to receive the information at the same time,” said U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. “Farmers stay on top of every bit of news that comes out about the RFS and their industry, so providing them with more information is a priority. Adding timely updates to EPA’s website will be important to USDA’s customers, the people of American agriculture. We have had a great working relationship with Acting EPA Administrator Wheeler and we are pleased to continue it with this progress on RFS information.”

The data will provide important information for renewable fuel producers, fuel refiners, importers, and marketers that can be used as they make business and compliance decisions. In posting the data, EPA will ensure the protection of confidential business information.

New information includes:
-    The number of small refinery exemption petitions received, approved, and denied for each compliance year;
-    The weekly average price of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) traded; and
-    The weekly volume of RINs traded.

The Agency has been working to upgrade online systems to provide easy access to the most up-to-date information. These technical upgrades to the website serve to improve transparency in the Agency’s implementation of the statute.

Moving forward, EPA intends to coordinate small refinery hardship decisions with website updates such that the recipients of waivers and the broader market receive the same information at the same time. The Agency will also update information on RIN prices and trading volumes on a monthly basis.

The updated RFS website includes interactive and dynamic features that allow users to customize display of RIN information, feedstock type, and producer attributes.

The data are available here: https://www.epa.gov/fuels-registration-reporting-and-compliance-help/public-data-renewable-fuel-standard.  



NCGA Statement on EPA RFS Website Updates
The following is a statement from North Dakota farmer Kevin Skunes, president of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) updated Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) transparency website that will provide information on granted small refinery waivers and data on Renewable Identification Number (RIN) prices.

“We appreciate the step EPA Acting Administer Andrew Wheeler has taken to update the RFS data
website to bring some initial transparency to refinery exemptions.  This information is a good place to start.

“However, there are a lot of questions left unanswered. We will still not know EPA’s justification for granting a refinery waiver and, without a change in how EPA accounts for those exempted gallons, those waived gallons will still be lost from RFS obligations.  It’s helpful to know when the harm is being done, but EPA needs to go a step further and take steps to mitigate the damage.

“We are still waiting for a plan to ensure exemptions are accounted for, with 2.25 billion ethanol-equivalent gallons waived during the past year and with 11 new 2018 petitions pending. With low commodity prices and an expected large corn harvest, America’s corn farmers need reliable markets for their crop.”



NBB, ASA Ask President Trump to Support Biodiesel Producers, Soy Farmers

Today, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and the American Soybean Association (ASA) wrote President Donald Trump asking that he “provide additional help to the nation’s farmers and rural communities by supporting policies that expand production and use of biodiesel.” The groups asked the president to provide biodiesel room for growth under the Renewable Fuel Standard, restore lost demand for biodiesel resulting from small refinery exemptions, and back legislative extension of biodiesel and renewable diesel tax incentives.

In the letter, NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen and ASA CEO Ryan Findlay state, “Biodiesel adds value to every bushel of soybeans and plays an important role by providing a market for surplus soybean oil. Today, farming income is at its lowest level in more than a decade. Even as soybean growers set production records this year, they are experiencing depressed prices and market uncertainty.”

The CEOs add that the Environmental Protection Agency “offered too little room for growth of biodiesel” in this year’s proposed rule for the RFS. While the agency acknowledged the industry’s ability to produce 2.8 billion gallons, it proposed a much lower volume. Moreover, the agency granted a flood of small refinery exemptions that reduced biodiesel demand by at least 300 million gallons – equivalent to the annual production of Iowa, the nation’s top biodiesel-producing state, they point out.

The CEOs also urge the president to back the industry’s request to Congress to provide long-term certainty for the biodiesel and renewable diesel tax incentive. The industry needs certainty to ensure access to capital, make investments, hire and grow, the CEOs say.

Rehagen and Findlay close the letter by stating, “Your support for these policies can further grow the RFS and provide an economic boost for rural America when it is most needed.”



U.S. Soybean Meal: A Dependable Feed Ingredient 

The global animal agriculture industry consumes 97 percent of all U.S. soybean meal, and U.S. farmers are diligent about practices to ensure that U.S. soybean meal is a dependable feed ingredient. 

Most of this soybean meal is consumed by swine and poultry. Because of this, the United Soybean Board (USB) is monitoring and responding to a recent outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in Chinese swine herds and U.S. farmers are being encouraged to take extra measures to mitigate a potential domestic outbreak by using U.S.-produced soybean meal. While spread by direct or indirect contact, viruses can live on most surfaces for short periods of time, including feed that comes in contact with infected animals. African swine fever has not been detected in the United States, although it has spread to parts of Europe. Consequently, U.S. pork producers are being cautioned to take extra care with imported meal or synthetic additives and to consider buying more U.S. soybean meal.

“I raise both soybeans and livestock, so I have a personal appreciation for the concerns of the animal agriculture industry,” says Lewis Bainbridge, United Soybean Board (USB) chair and soybean farmer from South Dakota. “We know U.S. soybean meal is a nutritious, reliable product for our animals, and the U.S. soybean industry is committed to providing this abundant supply of feed for poultry and livestock.”

The soy checkoff has consistently participated in efforts to control foreign animal diseases, including projects to mitigate and eradicate threats such as African swine fever, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) and others. USB efforts related to pathogens include cross-industry discussions with USB’s feed technical team, who will continue to coordinate during this latest occurrence.

“U.S. soybean farmers know we are providing global pork producers with a wholesome, quality feed ingredient – U.S. soybean meal,” adds Bainbridge. “Through our checkoff, we’re working closely with the pork industry to produce the soybean meal that meets their needs.”



Vietnam Biofuels Conference Supports Increased Ethanol Use

Ethanol provides a win-win for domestic stakeholders in Vietnam and the U.S. ethanol industry, as discussed last week during the first U.S. Grains Council (USGC) biofuels conference conducted in the country.

The joint Vietnamese ministry and U.S. industry ethanol conference in Ho Chi Minh City shared information on the new ethanol policy in Vietnam, the advantages of increased ethanol usage and studies demonstrating ethanol marketing to consumers and environmental benefits.

More than 200 representatives participated, coming from stakeholder groups including the Vietnamese government's ministries of finance and industry and trade, petroleum trading and petroleum distributors, private sector enterprises, the U.S. government and press.

The conference was a direct follow-up activity to the Ethanol Summit of the Asia Pacific in May, which included a post-tour to Nebraska for Vietnamese attendees.

“This successful event was a by-product of all the work we have collectively accomplished in promoting the expansion of global ethanol use,” said Manuel Sanchez, USGC regional director in Southeast Asia. “We are excited about Vietnam's commitment to making the current E5 and the future E10 policy work.”

The conference is part of the Council’s work to support Vietnam’s trade-friendly policies as the government and industry are developing best practices to incentivize consumers at the pump and ethanol blenders to support increased ethanol use.

Vietnam is the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia, thanks to a growing population, urbanization and rapid economic growth. Total gasoline consumption is expected to grow by nearly 15 percent by 2022 as Vietnam’s rising middle class takes advantage of different transportation options with large numbers of motor scooters and more and more cars on the road.

To fuel those vehicles, Vietnam started offering E5 on Jan. 1, with a goal to move to E10 by 2020. This new policy allows for two options at the pump - E5 and E0 - and roughly half of consumers are choosing to fuel up with E5.

“The collaboration between U.S. and Vietnamese stakeholders includes work to highlight the importance of having octane in both options at the pump,” Sanchez said. “Doing so ensures ethanol’s octane advantages are fully captured and environmental benefits fully realized, which will be even more important as Vietnam introduces E10.”

The ethanol conference shared information on the new ethanol policy in Vietnam, the advantages of increased ethanol usage and studies demonstrating ethanol marketing to consumers and environmental benefits.

The Vietnamese ethanol industry expects to source some of the ethanol needed to fulfill these mandates domestically from local cassava producers. However, the government and industry are open to importing ethanol should domestic producers fall short on feedstock needed to fulfill the mandate, as ethanol plants come back online or as feedstock prices fluctuate.

A decade ago, Vietnam initiated a biofuels policy that largely was unsuccessful due to a lack of price differentiation at the pump between E0 and ethanol-blended fuel, which has since been addressed. Continued success in Vietnam will include offering ethanol in all grades of gasoline at E5 in 2018 and 2019 and moving to E10 in 2020.

The Council’s work there - in partnership with domestic ethanol industry partners - is already starting to pay off in sales as the Vietnamese fuel industry expands. After importing no U.S. ethanol for the last four marketing years, Vietnam has imported about three million gallons in the 2017/2018 marketing year to date (September 2017-July 2018), including product transshipped through South Korea.

By 2020, Vietnam could represent a 225 million gallon ethanol market at an E10 blend rate, equivalent to roughly 80 million bushels of corn.

“The U.S. industry remains committed to supporting Vietnam and other countries in the region to develop their own ethanol policies that allow a role for trade,” Sanchez said. “These efforts include capacity building and direct industry and government engagement.”



Registration Open for AgGateway's Annual Conference

Registration is now open for AgGateway's Annual Conference, "Get Plugged In," coming Nov. 12-14 to the Sheraton Austin Hotel at The Capitol, Austin, Texas. AgGateway's annual conference draws hundreds of business and IT professionals to discuss ongoing initiatives to help companies better manage and use agricultural information. Early registrants receive a significant registration discount.

The conference keynote speaker is Stephanie Liska, CEO of Beck Ag, who will explore ways to use data to drive customer insights.

Other speakers include Norbert Schlingmann, general manager of the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF); a representative from the U.S. Department of Agriculture speaking on the agency's data-related work; and Vince Restucci, director of procurement & business technology at R.D. Offutt Company, who will discuss data opportunities for grower/producer operations.

The conference will feature additional educational sessions focused on business and technical topics, as well as updates from the AgGateway Global Network. The conference also features a welcome luncheon for first-time attendees, the annual awards program, and multiple networking breaks and receptions.

"Austin is a place to plug into great music, and this fall we're inviting the industry to plug into digital agriculture," said AgGateway Executive Vice President and COO Brent Kemp. "This is the time to make sure you're hooked into the resources and networking contacts you need to be successful - that your company is making the connections it needs to stay competitive in a dynamic information age, when maximizing efficiency and productivity is essential."

The program is especially geared to ag retailers, distributors, manufacturers of ag inputs (e.g., seed, crop nutrition, crop protection) and specialty chemical products, and software and data service providers, as well as professionals in precision ag, academia, agricultural organizations, students and ag media.

More information is available on AgGateway's 2018 Annual Conference webpage, found under "Events" at www.AgGateway.org. Explore sponsorship opportunities by reviewing the sponsorship program on the event webpage or email Sponsorship@AgGateway.org. General inquiries can also be directed to AgGateway's Member Services at Member.Services@AgGateway.org or866-251-8618.

AgGateway is a non-profit organization dedicated to the expanded use of information to maximize efficiency and productivity, promoting and enabling the industry's transition to digital agriculture.



New Hours of Service ELD for Agriculture Commodity Transporters Announced

Today GeoSpace Labs is launching a new hours of service vertical product designed specifically for transporters of agriculture commodities who use FMCSA exemption 49 CFR 395.1(k).

Professional drivers and fleets who work under the 49 CFR 395.1(k) have had a difficult time using traditional hours of service products, as the exemption regulation is both sophisticated and complex.

Exemption status is based around the type of commodity being transported, federal agriculture definitions, state agriculture seasons, the location of the pickup and drop off, the sequence of transportation destinations, and a real-time translation of air miles to ground miles as the hauler moves from location to location.

GeoSpace Labs has created an agriculture specific version of its award-winning hours of service product, Geowiz, that completely automates the entire 49 CFR 395.1(k) process, creating clear hours of service logs to meet the requirements of Electronic Logging Devices (ELD), Automatic On-board Recording Devices (AOBRD), and GPS only electronic logbooks.

Further, the Geowiz HOS agriculture specific log book automatically fills in log notes, correctly logs hours inside the exemption and then reports as off duty, reconciles exempt driving so drivers do not have to explain exempt unassigned driving to inspectors or auditors, automatically starts recording hours of service when outside exempt areas, properly transmits only the non-exempt driving information to the FMCSA if required, and allows for agriculture exemption routing on maps so drivers can plan routes with full knowledge of where exemptions begin and end.

The system puts drivers in complete control, they can add and remove locations, and the system allows for multiple locations of commodity pick up or drop off, which roll continually onto logs until removed, all follow the posted FMCSA rules including the complex A,B,C pick-up/drop-off, en-route empty to source, return empty, and other scenarios as published.

The HOS AG system is very easy to use and is one of the least expensive ELD system on the market, with a monthly fee of only $15, putting it at nearly half the cost of other, non-agriculture friendly systems.

If a driver is driving a vehicle exempt from the ELD requirements, the Geowiz AG APP can be used without a monthly fee as a GPS centric electronic logbook, with all the features and automations intact.

For more information please visit www.hos4ag.com or call our toll free support number 1.877.4.GEOWIZ. 



Kansas State University to honor Dan Glickman with honorary doctorate

Dan Glickman, the former U.S. secretary of agriculture and longtime congressman from Kansas, will receive an honorary doctorate from Kansas State University.

The awarding of the honorary doctorate was approved by the Kansas Board of Regents at its Sept. 20 meeting and is the highest honor Kansas State University can give. Glickman will be presented with the honor at the Graduate School's fall commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, in Bramlage Coliseum.

Glickman was nominated for the recognition by several current and former Kansas State University administrators and faculty members as well as several distinguished colleagues, including Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas; Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities; and Dorothy Reddel Caldwell, retired deputy administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service.

"Few individuals can match Dan Glickman's distinguished record of service to Kansas, the nation and the world, particularly on issues involving food and agriculture, and hunger prevention and food secure communities," said Charles Taber, university provost and executive vice president. "Through this work, he has helped champion and advance K-State's longstanding work with global food systems. We are truly pleased to honor him with the university's highest honor."

Glickman represented the state's 4th Congressional District from 1977-1995. During that time, he was a member of the House Agriculture Committee, including six years as chair of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over federal farm policy issues. He also was an active member of the House Judiciary Committee, chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was a leading congressional expert on general aviation policy.

In 1995 Glickman was appointed secretary of agriculture by President Bill Clinton and served in the post until 2001. As secretary, he administered farm and conservation programs; modernized food safety regulations; and forged international trade agreements to expand U.S. markets.

Glickman earned a bachelor's in history from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the George Washington University Law School. He served as a trial attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 1969-1970, and then as a partner in the Wichita law firm Sargent, Klenda and Glickman from 1970-1977. He also was president of the Wichita School Board in 1976.

Since leaving his cabinet post, Glickman has remained active in several organizations involved with agriculture, public health and more. He is a senior fellow at the Council on American Politics, a part of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. He also is a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, focusing on public health, national security and economic policy issues. He is executive director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program and senior fellow at the Center on Communication Leadership and Policy at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. In addition, he is member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Chicago Mercantile Exchange; chair of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition at the Center for U.S. Global Engagement; and a member of the board of trustees of the National 4-H Council.

As a member of the Meridian Institute, Glickman co-chairs an initiative at the Institute of Medicine on accelerating progress on childhood obesity. He is co-chair of the global agricultural development initiative of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and is a director of Oxfam America Inc. He also served as chair and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of American from 2004-2010, and taught at Harvard University's School of Government and Institute of Politics from 2002-2004.

Glickman has been a speaker twice for Kansas State University's prestigious Landon Lecture Series: On Sept. 8, 1995, he presented the lecture "Securing Our Place in the Global Economy," and on Oct. 21, 2013, he joined five other former secretaries of agriculture for a Landon Lecture panel, "A Conversation With the Secretaries."