Wednesday October 3 Ag News

Ricketts appoints Groskopf, Schrock to the Nebraska Corn Board

Gov. Pete Ricketts recently appointed two corn farmers to the Nebraska Corn Board. Ted Schrock, from Elm Creek, assumed the director position from the District 6 region and Andy Groskopf, from Scottsbluff, was named District 8 director. Schrock replaced Dennis Gengenbach in District 6, and Groskopf succeeded Jon Holzfaster in District 8. Both Gengenbach and Holzfaster were at the end of their terms and chose not to seek reelection. Additionally, David Merrell, from St. Edward, was reappointed to serve as the District 7 director.

Schrock farms and ranches in Phelps County and is active both on and off the farm. He served on the Phelps/Gosper County Farm Bureau, the Phelps County Planning and Zoning Commission and is currently a member of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association. His family farm has been in the family for over 100 years, and in 2008, Schrock Farms received AKSARBEN’s Pioneer Farm Award. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources in 1992.

“As a corn farmer, I’ve always been passionate about the betterment of the agricultural industry,” said Schrock. “I look forward to serving on the Nebraska Corn Board to help carry out the mission of our corn checkoff program by promoting the value of corn by creating opportunities.”

Groskopf attended Western Nebraska Community College and farms with his father and uncle in Scotts Bluff County. Groskopf is a 2010 graduate of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Leadership Academy, the acting president of the Scotts Bluff County Farm Bureau and a member of the Scottsbluff FFA alumni chapter.

“I am ready to hit the ground running with my new responsibilities on the Nebraska Corn Board,” said Groskopf. “I look forward to representing the western portion of the state on key issues such as overall corn production, ag literacy, trade and ethanol expansion.”

Nebraska Corn Board directors serve three-year terms with opportunities to be reelected. In addition to the new director appointments, the Nebraska Corn Board held officer elections at their August board meeting.

David Bruntz, District 1 director, was elected as the chairman of the board. Bruntz has been farming for more than 30 years near Friend, Nebraska. He grows irrigated and non-irrigated corn and soybeans, and he also feeds cattle. Bruntz received his education from UNL’s Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture. He has been with the Board since 2013. Bruntz replaced David Merrell, District 7 director, who now serves as past chairman.

Brandon Hunnicutt, District 3 director, was elected as the vice chair of the Nebraska Corn Board. Hunnicutt farms near Giltner with his father and brother. Hunnicutt is a fourth-generation farmer and the operation has been within the family for over 100 years. On his farm, Hunnicutt grows corn, popcorn, seed corn and soybeans. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UNL and has served on the Nebraska Corn Board since 2014.

Debbie Borg, District 4 director, was reelected secretary/treasurer of the Board. Borg lives near Allen and is a partner in TD Borg Farms, a fifth-generation farm. On their farm, they raise corn, soybeans, alfalfa, feed cattle and are proactively engaged in establishing the sixth generation in the business. Borg earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University. She has served on the Nebraska Corn Board since 2013.

“It’s so encouraging to have a dynamic and passionate corn board that works hard to enhance our state’s corn industry,” said Kelly Brunkhorst, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board. “Jon and Dennis have contributed a lot to our state’s corn checkoff, so it’s difficult to see them move on. However, we look forward to the new perspectives Ted and Andy bring to the group.”

Each of the officer positions are effective immediately and will last one year. The Nebraska Corn Board is made up of nine farmer directors. Eight members represent specific Nebraska districts and are appointed by the Governor of Nebraska. The Board elects a ninth at-large member.



Empowering women landowners through risk management 

Designed for women non-operator landowners who may be new to land management or experiencing a transition in their farm land.

Who: Women non-operator owners who own more than 40 acres, may have inherited farmland, or are feeling overwhelmed with all of the decisions of farmland management.

Women non-operator landowners face a variety of decisions and often rely on the advice of others to meet their goals for their land ownership or co-ownership. This workshop offers women landowners an opportunity to learn about areas of the operation that may be at risk, how to address them, and what resources are available for you and your operator. If you are new to land management, recently inherited land, or experiencing a transition in your farmland, this workshop is for you!

We'll start off with a discussion and demonstration on soil health with USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. Then Dave Goeller, retired deputy director of the North Central Risk Management Education Center at UNL will lead the workshop.

When: Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, 2 to 5 p.m.

Where: Community Health Endowment of Lincoln, 250 N. 21st. St. Suite 2, Lincoln, NE

If you're available, join us next door at 12:30 p.m. for lunch before the workshop at the Hub Cafe.

Cost: free

RSVP: By Oct. 3 so we can prepare materials. To register, contact Sandra Renner at sandrar@cfra.org or 402.687.2100 ext. 1009. Let Sandra know whether you're joining for lunch or the workshop only.

This event is brought to you by the Center for Rural Affairs and made possible by funding from USDA Risk Management Education and USDA Conservation Innovation grants.



State of Beef Conference to be Held in North Platte November 7-8
Karla H. Jenkins, UNL Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management

The State of Beef Conference will be held November 7-8, 2018 at the Sandhills Convention Center in North Platte.  The theme this year is “Increasing Production Efficiency”.  There will be two producer panel discussions this year. One is on production efficiency and one is on alternative profit centers for the ranch.  There will be a presentation on the market outlook as well as genetics, reproduction, and nutrition. Other topics include herd health, alternative forage systems, cow size and efficiency, and internal and external parasites. This will also be an opportunity to visit with industry personnel about products available for the ranching operation.

For more information, please see the brochure and click here to register as a participant or as a vendor using online registration. https://www.regonline.com/state-of-beef-conference-2018. 



Whole Raw Soybeans as a Cost Competitive Protein Supplement for Cows and Calves
Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator

Current market conditions for raw, whole soybeans are making them price competitive in parts of Nebraska with other protein sources such as distillers grains and alfalfa hay to be used as a protein supplement for cows as well as weaned calves.

The following are some principles to remember when feeding raw, whole soybeans to cattle.
-    Soybeans are approximately 40% crude protein and 20% fat.
-    Soybeans should be introduced gradually into the diet.
-    High fat levels in cattle diets can negatively impact fiber digestion.  Soybeans should not be feed a level higher than needed to meet protein requirements in the diet.  In growing calves, limit soybeans to 7% of the diet or less and 5% or less in finishing diets.
-    Raw soybeans contain a trypsin inhibiting enzyme that is important to protein digestion in non-ruminants and monogastrics.  Nursing calves and calves less than 300 pounds should not be fed raw whole soybeans.
-    The protein in soybeans is approximately 70% rumen degradable and 30% rumen undegradable.   Growing calves being fed corn silage and other feeds that are low in rumen undegradable protein show improved average daily gain performance when protein sources such as distillers grains that are high in rumen undegradeable protein are utilized to meet protein needs.  Feeding raw whole soybeans in the place of distiller’s grains to meet protein needs in a diet that is predominantly corn silage would likely result in decreased animal performance.
-    Raw whole soybeans have a total digestible nutrient value of 91%.  While they are a price competitive protein source at current commodity prices, there are other sources of energy that are more economical. Therefore they should be used primarily to meet protein requirements.
-    For mature cows on forage based diets, soybeans should not be fed at more than 10% of the diet on a dry matter basis.  This would be approximately 2-3 pounds on a daily basis.  Cows needing 0.4 of a pound of supplemental crude protein per head per day could be fed two pounds every other day and meet their protein requirement.

Raw whole soybeans can be an excellent protein source when utilized as a supplement.  Producers looking for an economical protein source for cows to complement low quality forage should consider the potential of using raw whole soybeans this fall and winter.



D.C. Deb Fischer’s Farm Bill Failure Hurts Nebraska’s Farming Families

This week, D.C. Deb Fischer and Washington politicians failed to keep a fundamental promise to Nebraskan farming families when they allowed the 2014 Farm Bill to expire on Sunday, September 30th without passing a new Farm Bill to give farmers stability in these very tumultuous times.

“To allow our farmers to be caught in a game of political chicken without a farm bill or even an extension is complete malpractice by every elected official who campaigned on standing up for our farmers, including my opponent,” said Jane Raybould. “Since when do we leave our farmers out in the cold in order to score political points, win favors, or worse -- attract campaign contributions? There are powerful lobbyists for enormous cotton and peanut mega-farms trying to tip the scales in their favor, and Nebraska’s corn and bean family farms have no one to champion their cause. I’ll be their senator -- not someone who kowtows to lobbyists or special interests.”

It was under Senator Fischer’s watch that Nebraska was left without a voice on the all-important Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, breaking a nearly fifty-year streak of Nebraskans having a say in national agriculture policy. It wasn’t until this year, an election year, that Fischer joined the Agriculture Committee, but instead of fighting for Nebraskan farmers and ranchers, she’s been in lockstep with her party bosses who’ve allowed the Farm Bill to expire.

The Farm Bill’s expiration leaves several agricultural programs critical to Nebraska’s ag economy unfunded including aid for veteran farmers, trade promotion, rural business development, and conservation. Congress has indicated there will not be an extension of the 2014 Farm Bill, putting significant programs like crop insurance and dairy margin protection at risk if a new bill isn’t passed before the end of the year. 



Farmers and Ranchers College Starts November 27

All are welcome to attend. Details will be forthcoming at go.unl.edu/farmersrancherscollege. Mark down the following dates if topics are of interest to you.

2018 -2019 Farmers & Ranchers College
  - November 27, 2018 –Agricultural Update & the Road Ahead. Featuring Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of AAEC, Virginia Tech. 1:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m. at the Opera House in Bruning, NE.

  - January 21, 2019 – Partners In Progress – Beef Seminar at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center near Clay Center from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., registration at 9:30 a.m.

  - February 12, 2019 – Managing Ag Land in the 21st Century at the Fillmore County Fairgrounds in Geneva from 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. with registration at 9:15 a.m.

  - March 14, 2019 – Connecting Gate to Plate. Featuring Michele Payn, Cause Matters corp. at Lazy Horse Vineyard near Ohiowa, NE at 6:00 p.m.



FB Health Benefit Plan available to Iowa Farm Bureau members

Iowans who don’t have access to employer-sponsored health coverage and must purchase their own will soon have a new option. Farm Bureau Health Plan will start taking applications for coverage on November 1, 2018.

During the 2018 legislative session, the Iowa legislature passed a law, signed by Governor Reynolds, which enabled the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) to provide an underwritten health benefit plan to its members. Farm Bureau Health Benefit Plan, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, will provide these plans.

Farm Bureau Health Plan will appeal to Iowans who don’t qualify for tax credits (also known as subsidies) under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). For those individuals, rates for the plans will generally be much lower than comparable ACA plans. It is worth noting that a significant majority of current ACA members receive tax credits which significantly reduces their cost and makes those ACA plans a more cost-effective option.

Farm Bureau Health Plan will offer three different plan designs, including two traditional plans with copays, coinsurance, and deductibles. The third plan is a high deductible health plan that offers members the opportunity to fund a Health Savings Account (HSA).

All three plans will provide comprehensive coverage including maternity, mental health and substance abuse, prescription drugs, and no-cost preventive benefits to members. To be eligible, applicants must be an Iowa Farm Bureau member living in the state, and not eligible for Medicare, Medicaid, or an employer group health plan.

The plan designs will look similar to current ACA compliant plans in the market, with three primary exceptions. First, applicants must pass underwriting to qualify for enrollment. Second, because they are underwritten, plans will be available for purchase throughout the year rather than only during specific enrollment periods. Lastly, the plans will have a $3 million lifetime benefit maximum per covered individual.

“According to our membership survey, healthcare coverage is the number one concern facing our members,” says Craig Hill, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President. “Although this may not be a solution for all, the Farm Bureau Health Plan may be an option for thousands who need an affordable plan that provides them comprehensive, renewable health coverage.”

Farm Bureau Health Plan will be administered by Wellmark Administrators, Inc., which includes 100 percent of hospitals and 97 percent of the physicians in Iowa. The Iowa Farm Bureau, a century-strong organization with offices and membership in every county in Iowa, has a long-standing partnership with Wellmark dating back to 1969.

Anyone interested in applying, should visit www.IowaFBHealthPlan.com to learn more.



Webinar Examines Nitrogen Losses from Hydric Soil Landscapes

Iowa Learning Farms will host a webinar that aims to improve the understanding and management of nitrogen losses from hydric soil landscapes on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.

The leaching of nitrate and emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, are key environmental impacts of Corn Belt agricultural systems. Steven Hall, Iowa State University assistant professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, is leading a research group that studies the biological and geochemical processes that control the cycling of organic matter and nutrients across the plant-soil-water-atmosphere continuum. One focus area is the interactions across that continuum in former prairie potholes. These occasionally flooded hydric soils in topographic depressions can contribute disproportionately to nitrogen losses at the landscape scale, suggesting the promise of management interventions that specifically target these features.

“Efficient crop nitrogen use, farm profitability and environmental impacts of nitrogen loss are intimately connected,” said Hall. “Innovative management of cropped hydric soils could yield disproportionate environmental and economic benefits.”

The Iowa Learning Farms webinar series takes place on the third Wednesday of the month. To watch, go to www.iowalearningfarms.org/page/webinars and click the link to join the webinar shortly before 12 p.m. on Oct. 17 to download the Zoom software and log in option. The webinar will be recorded and archived on the ILF website for watching at any time.



Fertilizer Prices Continue to Move Higher

Retail fertilizer prices continue to be higher across the board, according to prices tracked by DTN for the fourth week of September 2018. For the third week in a row, all eight major fertilizers were higher compared to a month earlier.

Urea once again posted a significant move higher, gaining 6% compared to the fourth week of August. The nitrogen fertilizer had an average price of $385 per ton.

The remaining seven fertilizers were all higher in price, but none were up a remarkable amount. DAP had an average price of $494/ton, MAP $520/ton, potash $361/ton, 10-34-0 $449/ton, anhydrous $493/ton, UAN28 $236/ton and UAN32 $278/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.42/lb.N, anhydrous $0.30/lb.N, UAN28 $0.42/lb.N and UAN32 $0.44/lb.N.

All eight of the major fertilizers are now higher compared to last year with prices shifting higher in recent months. Potash is 4% higher, 10-34-0 is 9% more expensive, both DAP and UAN28 are 14% higher, both MAP and UAN32 are now 15% more expensive, urea is 20% higher and anhydrous is now 24% more expensive compared to last year.



NCF Accepting Applications for CME Beef Industry Scholarships

The National Cattlemen’s Foundation is now accepting applications for 2019-2020 beef industry scholarships sponsored by CME Group. Ten scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded to outstanding students pursuing careers in the beef industry.

“The CME Beef Industry Scholarship is an investment in the next generation of cattle producers. CME Group is pleased to support the brightest talent of cattlemen and women, while promoting future participation in an industry that is critical to feeding the world,” said Tim Andriesen, CME Group Agricultural Products Managing Director. “Our partnership with the National Cattlemen’s Foundation and NCBA has spanned nearly three decades, and during that time, we’ve underscored the importance of risk management to the beef industry while contributing to the education of tomorrow’s industry leaders.”

The CME Beef Industry Scholarship was first introduced in 1989. Today, the scholarship recognizes and encourages talented students who will each play an important role in the future of food production in America. Students studying education, communication, production, research or other areas related to the beef industry should consider applying for the scholarship.

Applicants for the 2019-2020 scholarship must submit a one-page letter expressing their career goals related to the beef industry. Students must also write a 750-word essay describing an issue in the beef industry and offering solutions to this problem. Applicants must be a graduating high school senior or full-time undergraduate student enrolled at a two- or four-year college.

Online applications should be submitted by Nov. 9, 2018 at midnight Central Time. To apply, or learn more about the scholarship, click here. Scholarship winners will be announced during the 2019 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in New Orleans, La on February 1.

For more information visit www.nationalcattlemensfoundation.org.



Verdesian Expands Research Pipeline for Nutrient Use Efficiency Technologies

Verdesian Life Sciences has expanded its research pipeline by opening a greenhouse facility at Duke University to develop early technology validation screening for agricultural nutrient use efficiency (NUE) technologies.

“Our greenhouse at Duke University supports our R&D as a science-backed company,” said Kenny Avery, CEO for Verdesian. “The greenhouse provides the necessary environment to support vetting and evaluating new technologies that meet grower needs.”

The new Verdesian greenhouse is part of Verdesian’s Early Technology Validation (ETV) screening to facilitate the Verdesian Technology Advancement (VTA) pipeline. Improved pipeline efficiency through early testing of new concepts under small-scale, controlled conditions will allow Verdesian to better understand capabilities at an early stage, helping to define opportunities while mitigating risks and optimizing time and resources on viable candidates. The 1,000 square feet of greenhouse space at Duke University adds to Verdesian’s existing growth chambers in Research Triangle Park (RTP).