Tuesday September 18 Ag News

National Farm Safety and Health Week is September 16-22, 2018
Larry Howard, NE Extension Educator, Cuming County

National Farm Safety and Health Week is September 16-22, 2018. This annual promotional week commemorates the hard work and sacrifices made by our nation's farmers and ranchers. This year's theme is “Cultivating the Seeds of Safety.”

The theme reminds local and rural communities that agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S. and farm injuries and fatalities are preventable through education. The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor indicates that agriculture accounts for 21.3 deaths per 100,000 workers and approximately 130,000 disabling injuries.

Each year since 1944, the third week of September has been recognized as National Farm Safety & Health Week. This recognition has been an annual promotion initiated by the National Safety Council and has been proclaimed as such by each sitting U.S. President since Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the first document.  As we recognize National Farm Safety & Health Week this September, please join in promoting safe and healthy practices on our farms and ranches across the U.S. as producers enter the harvest season.

One of the biggest hazards during harvest season is the farm equipment and the motorists having to share the roadways.  Here in rural America, most of us realize that the farmer driving the harvest equipment is completing their job for the season.  Driving farm equipment on public roads is a top concern for farmers, yet some farmers have no choice but to use a public road to get farm equipment to and from the field. Motorists can help by slowing down and giving them plenty of room to maneuver the equipment and use caution to help keep our roadways more safe.

According to data from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, more than 40 percent of all rural traffic fatalities occurred on rural roads with speed limits of 55 mph or higher. The Committee on Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension found crash fatalities in rural counties were nearly twice as high as urban counties.

Before taking farm equipment on public roads, farmers should inspect their equipment to make sure motorists can easily see it.  Make sure each piece of farm equipment has a slow moving vehicle sign and working lights.   Even without farm equipment, the hills, bridges, and turns on rural roads can present unique challenges for motorists. Some intersections on gravel roads have no stop signs. Dry weather conditions may make roads dusty while wet weather may soften road shoulders.  There are certain situations such as crossing bridges or traveling on hilly roads where visibility for the motorist and the farm equipment driver may be limited. Having an escort vehicle may help to call attention to the farm equipment on the road so that everyone may share the road safely.

There is also a new farm safety website, “Telling the Story,” which features firsthand accounts by farmers who have been injured or who have lost family members to agriculture-related incidents. The website debuts just in time for National Farm Safety Week.  Tellingthestoryproject.org provides a venue for farmers who have been impacted by fatal and non-fatal agricultural workplace injuries to share their experiences and offer insight for injury prevention. The site also includes links to major AG safety resources such as the National Ag Safety Database, the US Agricultural Health and Safety Centers YouTube channel, Farm & Ranch eXtension in Safety and Health (FReSH) Community of Practice (CoP) and Ireland’s Health and Safety Authority (HAS) Survivor Stories.



Cuming County 4-H Beef Exhibitors Participate at the Norfolk Beef Expo

Cuming County 4-H members participated at the 69th annual Norfolk Beef Expo that was held Sunday, September 9, at the Northeast Community College Ag Complex in Norfolk. According to Larry Howard, Nebraska Extension Educator in Cuming County, there were three county 4-H members that exhibited five market beef projects. Jaleigh Hallsted of Pender was the Champion Intermediate Showman.

Complete show results are as follows:

Market Steers … Purple ribbons to Jaleigh Hallsted, Pender and Evie Schlickbernd, West Point. Blue ribbons were earned by Evie Schlickbernd, West Point and Jamie Palm, West Point.

Showmanship … Purple – Jaleigh Hallsted and Blue ribbons to Evie Schlickbernd and Jamie Palm.




Holdenville Livestock Market to host World Livestock Auctioneer Championship qualifier October 1

Holdenville Livestock Market, 3233 N 370 Cr, will host the first of three regional qualifying events for the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC). The midwestern regional qualifying event will be October 1. Opening ceremonies will commence at 11 a.m. CST with the Awards Ceremony to follow. A total of 33 contestants will compete for a top 10 placing, granting them a spot in the semi-finals for the 2019 WLAC at Tulare Sales Yard in Tulare, Calif.

Each qualifying event is a live sale where each contestant auctions 8 drafts of livestock (traditionally cattle) to actual bidders. Contestants are judged on the clarity of their auction chant; professionalism; and their ability to conduct the sale while catching bids.

Contestants competing are Zach Ballard, Grant City, Mo.; Andy Baumeister, Mullin, Texas; Neil Bouray, Webber, Kan.; Chuck Bradley, Rockford, Ala.; Troy Bradshaw, Lipan, Texas; Dakota Davis, Caldwell, Kan.; Dean Edge, Rimbey, Alberta; Will Epperly, Dunlap, Iowa; Andrew Finlay, Carbondale, Kan.; Brandon Fey, Creston, Iowa; Joshua Garcia, Goliad, Texas; Jim Hertzog, Butler, Mo.; Kirby Hill, Paris, Texas; Jake Hopwood, Valentine, Neb.; Jase Hubert, Emporia, Kan.; Tanner Jessup, Hillsboro, Kan.; Wade Leist, Boyne City, Miss.; Jeremy Miller, Fairland, Okla.; Terry Moe, Watford City, N.D.; Bill Nance, Sheldon, Mo.; Trey Narramore, Grants, N.M.; Lander Nicodemus, Cheyenne, Wyo.; Mark Oberholtzer, Loyal, Wis.; Sterlyn Paiz, Portales, N.M.; Kade Rogge, Rupert, Idaho; Ethan Schuette, Washington, Kan.; Jim Settle, Arroyo Grande, Calf.; Russele Sleep, Bedford, Iowa; Dustin Smith, Jay, Okla.; Chas Tillman, Swink, Okla.; Marshal Tingle, Nicolasville, Ky.; Curtis Wetovick, Fullerton, Neb.; Vernon Yoder, Dundee, Ohio.

The public may attend the livestock auction and competition free of charge. It will also be streamed live on www.LMAAuctions.com.

The remaining qualifying events are balanced regionally across the LMA Membership. The western regional will be held at Delta Sales Yard, Inc; October 27. The eastern regional will be held at Northeast Georgia Livestock, LLC; December 12.

About the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship
In June 1963, the Livestock Marketing Association held the first annual World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Denver, Colorado. The purpose: to spotlight North America’s top livestock auctioneers and to salute their traditionally important role in the competitive livestock marketing process. That year, 23 auctioneers from the United States and Canada sold the same 20 head of cattle over and over again.

The contest was held at hotels until 1967, when it traveled to its first LMA member market. Since then the WLAC has been held in conjunction with the LMA Marketing Industry Convention at member markets around the U.S. and Canada. Recent locations include California, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee, Kansas, South Dakota and Alberta, Canada.

Though the rules have changed, the enthusiasm for the competition hasn’t. On average each year, nearly 100 auctioneers enter the qualifying events and only 31 (10 from each qualifying event, one from the auctioneering competition at Calgary Stampede) are selected to compete in the WLAC. The championship consists of three stages: the regional qualifying events held at different markets around the country, followed by the semi-finals and the finals that are held each June in conjunction with the LMA Annual Convention. Contestants competing for the World Champion title must be 18 years old, employed as a livestock auctioneer and sponsored by a local auction market that shares in the favorable publicity generated by the winners.

LMA is proud to sponsor an event that brings together North America’s top livestock auctioneers in a competition that showcases professionalism and promotes the auction method of selling livestock.

About the Livestock Marketing Association
The Livestock Marketing Association, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is North America’s largest membership organization dedicated to supporting, representing and communicating with and for the entire livestock marketing sector. LMA has more than 800 member businesses across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.LMAWeb.com.



Escalation of trade dispute with China

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig issued the following statement on the announcement by the Trump Administration that the U.S. will impose duties on an estimated $200 billion in additional Chinese goods. The U.S. has already imposed duties on about $53 billion worth of Chinese goods. China previously increased tariffs on numerous ag products such as soybeans, corn, pork, beef and poultry.

“This escalation of trade tensions comes at a time when our farmers and businesses cannot afford any further erosion of our markets. As harvest is underway and farmers plan for the 2019 growing season, they need certainty now more than ever. I continue to urge the Administration to resolve this trade dispute with China in a way that does not further damage our agricultural economy. We need to conclude NAFTA negotiations and aggressively work to open new markets for our products.”



Caskey to Join NCGA as Vice President of Communications

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today announced that Neil Caskey has been selected to serve as NCGA Vice President of Communications, beginning Monday, October 15. Caskey will build upon the organization’s ongoing communications efforts to create and increase opportunities for corn growers.

“For more than 20 years, Neil has helped global agribusinesses, nonprofits, and government agencies connect with their audiences,” said NCGA CEO Jon Doggett. “We are looking forward to having his vast experience in building brands, along with his creativity and energy at NCGA.”

Caskey currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Osborn Barr, an agriculture-focused agency in St. Louis. Prior to joining O+B, he held the titles of Special Assistant to the CEO and Director of Industry and Public Relations for the American Soybean Association.

Early in his career, Caskey managed a portfolio of policy issues for Ameren, a local public power company. He began his career on Capitol Hill, handling agriculture, energy and transportation issues in the office of former U.S. Congressman Kenny Hulshof, R-Mo.

Caskey holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Webster University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri – Columbia.



AG HEALTH AND SAFETY SPOTLIGHT - Raising the Bar on Tractor Safety
Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center, University of Minnesota

Tractors and farming are nearly one and the same. Tractors are used to do many things on the farm from mowing ditches, to planting corn to hauling rocks and grading the driveway. Unfortunately tractor rollovers can and do occur too often, whether it is on the small hobby farm or in larger production agriculture operations.

Tractor rollovers are the single deadliest type of injury incident on farms in the United States.

The latest figures from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) suggest there are approximately 130 tractor rollover fatalities per year. NIOSH estimates that there are approximately 4.8 million tractors in use on U.S. farms; one-half of them are without rollover protection for the operator.

In addition to the human cost of tractor rollover, there is a financial cost as well. Roughly 7 out of 10 farms go out of business within 5 years of an accident.  Also, 197 close calls and 16 serious injuries/fatalities have been prevented since the NRRP began retrofitting tractors with ROPS in 2006.

Rollover protection structure (ROPS) are 99% effective in preventing injury or death in the event of an overturn when used with a seatbelt.  The National ROPS Rebate Program (NRRP) offers farmers 70% off costs with a maximum out of pocket cost of $500 (for the farmer) in rebates for rollover protection installedon unprotected tractors.

Learn more about the program and how to apply:  www.ropsr4u.com.  Click here for more information on tractor safety... http://umash.umn.edu/spotlight-rops/. 



NFU Opposes ERS, NIFA Reorganizations and Relocations

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson today wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue, urging him not to reorganize and relocate the department’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) agencies. The NFU Board of Directors recently adopted a position against the proposal.

“NFU has long been concerned by reduced investment in public agricultural research,” said Johnson. “Our member-driven policy argues that the reduction in funding for public research and ‘increase in private research has reduced the sharing of information and increased costs of production inputs.’ ERS and NIFA play a key role in helping farmers and ranchers improve productivity, natural resource stewardship, and access to global markets and trade. As the economic and environmental challenges facing family farmers and ranchers mount, it is critical that USDA prioritize the work of the agencies.”



Broadband is not a Luxury, it’s a Necessity
AFBF

Farmers and ranchers must have access to fixed and mobile broadband to be more efficient, economical and environmentally responsible, the American Farm Bureau Federation said in recent comments on the Rural Utility Service’s e-Connectivity Pilot Program.

At the heart of Farm Bureau’s comments is the need for accurate and third-party verified data to successfully target the pilot program’s limited funding to boost access to broadband service in rural areas. Farmers and ranchers need broadband to use the latest precision agricultural equipment, follow commodity markets, communicate with their customers, gain access to new markets around the world and, increasingly, for regulatory compliance.

In addition, rural communities’ much-needed access to health care, government services and educational and business opportunities in most cases can only be gained by using broadband services and sophisticated technologies that require high-speed connections, Farm Bureau noted in the comments.

“Broadband is no longer a luxury for a household or business, it’s a necessity,” the group said.

Without reliable, third-party verified maps to accurately determine where wireless broadband is accessible, Farm Bureau cautioned against RUS’ plan to base program eligibility on at least 90 percent of households without sufficient broadband access.

“Additionally, using households as the sole metric overlooks the need for wireless broadband connectivity to cropland and ranchland, which is critical for modern agriculture,” Farm Bureau continued.

Because farmers’ and ranchers’ “offices” are in the field or on ranchland, Farm Bureau suggested that the pilot program include wireless broadband for cropland and ranchland within the eligibility requirement.

“Precision agricultural equipment requires a wireless broadband connection for data collection and analysis performed on both the farm and in remote data centers. As more precision equipment becomes available, farmers and ranchers cannot take full advantage of that equipment if they do not have access to wireless broadband in the field or on the ranch.”

Farm Bureau also suggested that rural areas would be better served if the agency brings its minimum definition of broadband speed in line with the Federal Communications Commission’s definition of 25 Mbps (upstream)/ 3 Mbps (upstream). Among other things, this would allow for uniformity across federal agencies.

“Federal programs, such as the e-Connectivity Pilot Program, must offer farmers, ranchers and rural communities the same access to broadband speed as is available to suburban and urban communities, for these programs to successfully reduce the digital divide,” Farm Bureau said.

As for the maps the agency plans to use, Farm Bureau recommended the pilot program go beyond the National Broadband Map because it doesn’t accurately reflect the served, underserved and unserved areas across the country. Instead, the organization suggested, RUS should use an approach that increases the map’s granularity and accuracy and uses a verification process that includes consumers.

The e-Connectivity Pilot Program was established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 and appropriated $600 million to expand rural broadband in underserved rural and tribal areas.



AGCO Launches AGCO Agriculture Foundation

AGCO, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and solutions, today announced the launch of the AGCO Agriculture Foundation. “The AGCO Agriculture Foundation is a testament to our commitment to support farmers feeding the world. Our objective is to support non-profit initiatives that contribute to global food security, support sustainable agriculture development and have an economic impact in developing countries,” said Martin Richenhagen, AGCO’s Chairman, President and CEO.

The new philanthropic focus demonstrates AGCO’s strong commitment to specific Sustainable Development Goals developed by the United Nations that seek to end hunger and provide basic necessities to a growing world population. AGCO has already been driving change globally, particularly in certain developing markets, by supporting farmer education initiatives as well as access to mechanization and agricultural projects. As a private organization, the AGCO Agriculture Foundation will leverage new partnerships and utilize its networks to develop and advance vital initiatives that will have a positive direct social, economic and environmental impact on communities around the globe. “We believe that with our agriculture expertise and resources the foundation can truly maximize our efforts for a good cause,” said Metti Richenhagen, Manager, AGCO Corporate Social Responsibility and AGCO Agriculture Foundation.

An AGCO Agriculture Foundation Board of Directors is entrusted with the oversight and administration of the foundation’s activities. “We appreciate the ideas, support and engagement from the global AGCO family in making this goal a reality,” said Ulrich Stockheim, Chairperson of the AGCO Agriculture Foundation.