Wednesday October 10 Ag News

OCTOBER IS PORK MONTH IN NEBRASKA
Darin Uhlir, President, Nebraska Pork Producers Association

October may be the  month  of candy, costumes, and trick-or-treating, but it is also the  month  of  pork. October became known as Pork Month because it marked the time of year when hogs were traditionally marketed. Today, it serves as a celebration to thank pork producers and share their stories with consumers.

If you eat, you have a connection to a farmer every day.  October Pork Month is an opportunity to refresh the connection consumers have with farmers. Our mission is to produce safe, nutritious food in a responsible manner for families across the United States and around the world.

The Nebraska pork industry represents a significant value-added activity in the agricultural economy and a major contributor to the overall Nebraska economy. The percentage of growth in the total hog numbers in Nebraska, is exceeding the national average. Over 14,000 Nebraska jobs are involved in various aspects of the industry. Based on available numbers, an estimated $772 million of personal income and $1.14 billion of gross state product above and beyond the farm level are supported by the hog industry.

Nebraska’s pork producers understand the important role their businesses play in the lives of employees, customers and the communities in which we live and work. Being a good neighbor and a good businessperson requires us to do what is right—maintain standards, nurture sustainability, help others and, of course, acknowledge community concerns and address them in an honest and sincere manner. 

Nebraska’s well-managed operations, plentiful feed resources, good water supply and central location for product distribution, promises a bright outlook for current and future pig farmers.



Harvest Considerations to Reduce Weed Seed Movement
Amy Timmerman –  NE Extension Educator

Harvest is upon us  and now is a good time to consider options to reduce movement of weed seed between fields with harvest equipment.  While we may not think of it during harvest time, combines are extremely effective at transporting seed from field to field.  A few precautions leading up to harvest and during harvest can help manage any escaped problem weeds.

Prior to harvest, scout fields for escaped weeds since weeds are easier to see after crops have matured.  This is important to identify problem fields or areas for next year.  Your notes about weed problems are critical to choosing effective management tactics for next year, so make this a priority prior to harvest.  In some situations scattered weeds could be removed from the fields prior to harvest.  It is much easier to manage weed issues before they drop mature seed or before that mature seed goes through a combine.

Waterhemp is an example of a potentially herbicide-resistant species that may need to be contained, especially when it is out of control in only a few fields on the farm. Palmer amaranth and burcucumber are examples of two species that may be either new or in few enough fields that it is valuable to prevent them from spreading further.  These species are especially difficult to manage and preplanning harvest can help reduce problems in future years.

If weeds cannot be rogued prior to harvest, decide whether planned harvest order needs to change to avoid spread of certain species to other, uninfested fields.   Another precaution when harvesting fields, especially given all the drowned out spots from this spring’s rains, would be to harvest around those areas in the field.  These steps are especially important if fields are suspected to have herbicide resistant weeds that are not present elsewhere on the farm or if the fields have a new or unusual species that should be kept from spreading to other fields. 

Finally, steps should be taken to minimize movement of weed seed between fields on harvest equipment.  In the future, new technology like the Harrington Seed Destructor (HSD) will make weed management at harvest simpler, but until then, relying on good clean-out practices is necessary in some situations.  Combines can retain more than 150 pounds of biomaterial including crop seed, plant material, and weed seed after it has been run empty.  A few short steps to perform a self-cleaning of the combine and about 20-30 minutes of time before moving on to another field can help further reduce movement of new weed problems to another field. 



LATE SEASON COUNTY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SURVEY

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey producers in 42 states, including Nebraska, for its County Agricultural Production Survey (CAPS).

“County-level yields have a direct impact on farmers around the State. USDA’s Farm Service Agency uses the data in administering producer programs such as the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) included in the 2014 Farm Bill, and in determining disaster assistance program calculations,” said Dean Groskurth, director of the NASS Northern Plains Field Office. “NASS cannot publish a county yield unless it receives enough reports from producers in that county to make a statistically defensible estimate. So, it is very important that producers respond to this survey. In 2017, NASS was unable to publish several large producing counties due to an insufficient number of responses.”

“As required by Federal law, all responses are completely confidential,” Groskurth continued. “We safeguard the privacy of all respondents, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified. Individual responses are also exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.”

Many producers respond by mail or on-line via NASS’s secure reporting website. NASS will also contact producers by phone or in person, particularly in low-response counties, to ensure producers their opportunity to represent Nebraska agriculture. County-level data for corn, sorghum, soybeans, and sunflowers will be available in February 2019, and hay and dry edible beans in April 2019.



Nebraska Census of Agriculture response rates and data release details

United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) concluded data collection for the 2017 Census of Agriculture in July. The Census was mailed to more than 59,000 known and potential farms and ranches across Nebraska. Nebraska finished with a 66.2 percent response rate.

“We thank each and every producer who took the time to respond to the Census,” said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer. “The Census of Agriculture is an important part of U.S. history that remains as relevant today as it was in 1840 when it was first conducted. The Census gives voice and opportunity to all farmers and ranchers in America to tell the changing story of agriculture over the years and identify emerging trends and needs.” Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue also offered his thanks to producers for taking part in the Census, via a video message that can be viewed at www.nass.usda.gov.

Nebraska’s 66.2 percent response rate for this Census is below the 72.9 percent response in 2012. “We modernized elements of our data collection for this Census to make it easier for those filling out questionnaires,” said Hamer. “However, it is unrealistic to think that everyone will respond to any survey, regardless of improvements and benefits. To account for certain levels of non-response, we use accepted statistical methods and practices in our data analyses.”

Data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture is scheduled to be released starting on February 21, 2019 and continue on a staggered schedule through the spring of 2019. The results of the Census will be available in aggregate form, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified, as required by Federal law. All Census data products will be available on NASS’ recently merged NASS/Ag Census website at www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus.

The Census of Agriculture provides the only source of comprehensive agricultural data for every State and county in the nation. As such, the data are widely-used by local and national decision makers to help shape agricultural research and education programs, inform farm programs, boost rural infrastructure, determine disaster relief needs, and more.



Agronomy in the Field Meetings Will Continue across Iowa This Fall and Winter

Women landowners, farmers and ag retailers will have the opportunity to meet again this fall and winter to learn more about agronomy and related agricultural topics through distance-learning sessions of Agronomy in the Field.

Agronomy in the Field for women is in its fourth year and has been offered at several locations across the state. The goals of Agronomy in the Field are to strengthen agronomic skills for women that allow for better decision-making, provide a better understanding of inputs for crop production, see and understand different conservation practices and increase confidence in communication with their spouse, farming partner, ag retailer or tenant. 

Programs are hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field agronomists Angie Rieck-Hinz, Meaghan Anderson and Rebecca Vittetoe.

Distance-learning classroom sessions of Agronomy in the Field will be offered monthly from October through March. Sessions will start at 6 p.m. and will typically last until 7:30 p.m. These sessions will be provided through a web-conferencing program, so women can join online from the comfort of their own home or office. 

“It can be hard to travel in the fall and winter months with the harvest season and weather challenges, so hopefully utilizing web-conferencing technology will allow women across the state to still be a part of the program, even if they are unable to physically be in the same location,” said Rieck-Hinz. 

All sessions will be recorded so women can access them at a time convenient for them if they can’t join the live sessions.

The sessions that will be offered this fall and winter are as follows:
-    Oct. 30; Seed and trait selection.
-    Nov. 20; Progress on the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and Edge-of-Field Practices.
-    Jan. 29; Recognizing and Managing Farm Family Stress.
-    Feb. 12; Energy and Perennial Crops in Iowa.
-    March 26; The Nitrogen Cycle, Nitrogen Sources, Application Methods and Timing.

Any interested women landowners, farmers and service providers who would like to participate in upcoming sessions should contact Rieck-Hinz, at 515-231-2830 or amrieck@iastate.edu; Anderson, at 319-331-0058 or mjanders@iastate.edu; or Vittetoe, at 319-653-4811 or rka8@iastate.edu, so access can be provided for web-conferencing and resource materials.



Free ISU Extension and Outreach Webinar to Discuss Farm Marketing

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach local foods program will host a webinar Oct. 25 discussing farm marketing and building your enterprise’s brand.

Lucie Amundsen, writer, marketer and co-owner of Locally Laid Egg Company, will present in the webinar. Locally Laid Egg Company is a farm that provides pasture-raised eggs and is located in northern Minnesota.

During the webinar Amundsen will discuss:
-    How to fortify a brand.
-    Creating likable content.
-    How to get your farm or other business a little ink in the press.

The free webinar will run from 3-4:30 p.m. on Oct. 25. Register online for the webinar... https://iastate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8IZEFEyNhczN8nr. 

The webinar is part of the local foods program’s regular series of peer-to-peer presentations and is sponsored by the Iowa Regional Food Systems Working Group. An archive of prior webinars is available online.



NCBA Calls for Flexibility on Hours of Service Rules

At a public listening session hosted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today called for additional flexibility on Hours of Service rules for livestock haulers. NCBA President Kevin Kester and Executive Director of Government Affairs Allison Rivera delivered the group’s message at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s headquarters in Washington.

The comments emphasized the need for a regulatory framework that encourages drivers to rest when they are tired. Under the status quo, drivers are incentivized to “push through” fatigue due to overly-restrictive Hours of Service rules.

“The current Hours of Service framework is incompatible with the realities of livestock hauling,” said Kester. “Drivers of our livestock need to be alert and safe, while also cognizant of the welfare of the animals they are hauling. We want them to rest as needed, instead of racing against the clock.”

Current rules require a livestock hauler to rest for 10 consecutive hours once they reach their maximum on-duty drive time of 11 hours. When a driver “runs out of time” while hauling live animals, they are given the grim prospects of unloading the livestock or leaving them on the trailer for a 10-hour stretch. Both options present serious logistical and animal welfare challenges.

NCBA comments encouraged FMCSA to provide livestock haulers with the flexibility of a split sleeper berth program that would allow for shorter rest periods of two or three hours during a trip, until the 10 hours of total rest has been reached. While stopping for a 10-hour period with a load of livestock is rarely feasible, allowing multiple rest periods of two or three hours would enable livestock haulers to get the rest they need while maintaining the health and well-being of animals in their care.

“In the livestock hauling world, common sense flexibility is everything,” said Rivera. “This need for flexibility comes from the fact that livestock haulers not only have to be concerned with the safety of themselves and other drivers on the road, but also the welfare of the live animals they are transporting.”



Soybean Barge Tonnages Lower Than Last Year

Year-to-date soybean shipments on the locking portions of the Mississippi, Ohio and Arkansas rivers were 9.2 million tons, 13 percent lower than last year.

According to USDA figures, corn barge tonnages were 18.4 million tons at this time last year.

During September, the three-year average (2015-17) of grain and oilseed movements by barge are 49 percent corn, 40 percent soybeans, and 11 percent other grains.

The share of barged grain is 65 percent corn, 32 percent soybeans, and 3 percent other grains.

With China's 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans, industry sources say more corn and less other grains is being sold at harvest to make room for more soybean storage.

This reversal of typical harvest shipping and storing practices may continue in upcoming weeks with changes to the normal ratio of corn and soybeans moved by barge.