Monday March 18 Ag News

Farm Service Agency Reminds Farmers, Ranchers of Resources to Address Flooding, Blizzard Impacts

Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Nancy Johner is highlighting FSA resources that may be important to farmers and ranchers as they assess flood and blizzard impacts on farms and ranches across the state.

Programs such as the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), Disaster Set-Aside Program and Emergency Loan Program are disaster safety net tools available through FSA.

“As producers continue to address their individual circumstances, we want them to be aware of these programs and information we may need to deliver assistance to them,” Johner said.

The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) financially assists producers when they suffer loss of livestock due to adverse weather. Producers must notify their county FSA office of losses within 30 days of when those losses become apparent. A phone call is an acceptable form of notification, Johner said.

Documentation of losses also is critical for LIP, Johner said. Documentation can include items such as veterinarian certification, other independent third-party certification, rendering receipts, dated photos or video. FSA also will need to know the type and weight of the animals lost.

The Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) can provide some cost-share assistance to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters and to help restore fences damaged or lost due to natural disaster. This program does not trigger automatically, and Johner said it is critical that producers, if they think they may want to access this cost-share resource, contact their county FSA office about this program before taking any action to repair damages.

The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) can, in certain situations, financially assist with livestock feed losses. This may include situations where forage or feedstuffs were destroyed by flood waters. The program also may be available to assist with costs incurred for transporting livestock feed to eligible livestock during an adverse weather event.

There also may be options for producers through FSA farm loan programs, including the opportunity for existing FSA loan customers to delay a loan payment through the Disaster Set-Aside Program or access the Emergency Loan Program, Johner said.

“It is important for producers to contact their county FSA office to report their weather-related impacts and discuss all the program options that may be available to assist them, as well as the steps involved with accessing these programs,” Johner said.

To find contact information for county FSA offices, type offices.usda.gov in your internet browser. For more information on the programs listed above, and other resources that could be available, please visit www.farmers.gov and click on “Recover.” Information also is posted on the Nebraska FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov/ne under the Spotlights section.



What to know about the livestock indemnity program
Amy Timmerman – NE Extension Educator and Jim Jansen – NE Extension Educator

There are many things on our checklist as we recover from these historic floods and blizzards from the past several day.  As we move forward, producers need to know the basics of the Livestock Indemnity Program and how this program may provide financial assistance to help cover livestock losses.  Below is a brief description of the livestock indemnity program but as the steps you need to take to make a claim with the USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA).

Who is eligible for the livestock indemnity program (LIP)?
Any commercial livestock owner who legally owned the livestock on the day that livestock died and/or were injured.

What is consider and eligible loss?
Adverse weather events would be considered an eligible loss condition.  This means extreme or abnormal damaging weather that is not expected to occur during the loss period for which it occurred, which directly results in eligible livestock loss.  For the current weather events this includes floods, blizzards and straight-line winds.

What is excess death?
LIP payments are calculated based on the eligible death loss in excess of what is considered normal annual mortality.  The normal mortality rates are determined by the FSA on a state-by-state basis using recommendations from state livestock and extension service organizations.  The table below show the mortality rates for Nebraska
  - Adult Cows and Bulls - 1.5%
  - Nonadult 800 pounds or more - 1%
  - Nonadult 400 to 799 pounds - 2%
  - Nonadult Less than 400 pounds - 5%

So for example you have 300 spring calving cows.  Due to the flooding experienced this week you lost 30 calves.  The normal mortality calculations results in a death loss threshold of 15 head (300 x 5%).  This mean 15 head (30-15 = 15) are eligible for LIP payment.  Of those 15 eligible head, the producer will be compensated for 75% of the average fair market value of that calf.  The 2018 payment rate for a calf less than 400 pounds is $468.92 per head.  A total payment would be $7,033.80 (5 x 468.92 = 7,033.80) for the loss of those 15 calves will be received.  The 2019 payment rates will not be determined until the end of the 2019 calendar year.

How do I file a claim?
A producer must file a notice of loss on a CCC-852 form with their local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the death loss occurred.

How do I document loss of livestock?
A record of all loss must be documented.  The documents can be done with production records such as birth & death losses.  Photos that includes the date of loss is another way to accurately document loss of animals especially with the use of smartphones.  If cattle were lost due to violent flooding and livestock cannot be recovered, the use of your production records will be critical including beginning year inventory, purchase records, sale records, inventory related bank loan documentation, veterinarian records, records assembled for tax filing and other reliable documents that can help verify livestock inventories can be used.  Also it also suggested to take photos with date stamps of the flooding damage in the area where the cattle were housed.  These photos should include debris from the river, pieces of ice, and full views of where the cattle were housed to document the devastation due to the flooding.

Who do I contact if I have additional questions about LIP?
Contact your local FSA office as they will have the most up to date information required for LIP and assure that the correct documentation is collected.



NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO ASSIST IN IDENTIFYING LIVESTOCK PRODUCER NEEDS AND RESPONSE

As the threat to human lives from the last week’s storms that engulfed the state has begun to subside, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) will now be concentrating efforts to assist our ranch families and their livestock.

Producers that have been impacted by the blizzard and flooding and are now in need of hay, feed stuffs, fencing materials, volunteer help, equipment, etc. should call the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at 1-800-831-0550. Be prepared to share your name, contact information, type and number of livestock, location (including county), what assistance you are seeking and how urgent your need is.

Nebraska has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support for our producers. If you have hay, feed stuffs, fencing materials, equipment, etc. that you are willing to donate, please contact the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at 1-800-831-0550. Be prepared to share your name, contact information and what you have that you are willing to donate and the amount, along with your location.

NDA staff will be gathering this information and identifying needs to react accordingly, including the use of the National Guard and other state resources.

A list of disaster relief resources for Nebraska farmers and ranchers is also available online at: https://buff.ly/2FbqDfU. This website includes links to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs including the Livestock Indemnity Program and information from the Nebraska Extension.



Nebraska Cattlemen Announces New Disaster Relief Fund

Nebraska Cattlemen is working to assist cattle producers impacted by natural disasters by launching a new disaster relief fund.

"Recent snow and flooding have wreaked havoc on Nebraska's livestock industry, causing damage and losses for countless producers across the state.  We know the needs are great, and we hope this new fund will help Nebraska's cattle producers who are suffering," said Mike Drinnin, Nebraska Cattlemen President.

The Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund is organized in the State of Nebraska as a not-for-profit corporation and will be seeking to qualify as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization under which all donations made to the Fund would be tax deductible for the donor in accordance with applicable federal tax laws.  

100% of all donations received will be distributed to Nebraska cattle producers affected by natural disasters, including recent wet weather events.

If you would like to write a check, make it out to Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund and mail it to:
Nebraska Cattlemen Disaster Relief Fund
4611 Cattle Drive
Lincoln, NE 68521

Please click here to download a donation form..... https://nebraskacattlemen.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/donation-form.pdf. 

If you would like to donate hay, feed stuffs, fencing materials, volunteer help, equipment, or if you are seeking assistance, please call the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at 1-800-831-0550.  Be prepared to share your name, contact information, type and number of livestock, location (including county), what assistance you are seeking and how urgent your need is.

Additionally, Nebraska Cattlemen has prepared and is keeping updated a list of federal disaster assistance resources as well as other pertinent state regulations to consider during times of emergency.



Private Pesticide Applicator Training - March 19 in Fremont is CANCELLED - Other upcoming trainings
Nathan Mueller, NE Extension Educator

The Private Pesticide Applicator Training on Tuesday, March 19 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm at the Dodge County Extension Office is cancelled due significant damage to county roads, bridges, and highways.  It is suggested we still limit travel on many at risk county bridges and roads. I am also the designated Ag Sector designee for Dodge County and my time is need elsewhere at this time.

We have private pesticide applicator training available to the following 4 dates in the region:
Dodge County – Future trainings
·       March 28 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m at the Stanton County Fairgrounds – Community Building
·       March 29 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Blair Public Library, 2233 Civic Drive in Blair
·       April 1 from 1:00 p.m to 4:00 p.m. at the Dodge County Extension Office, 1206 W 23rd St. in Fremont
·       April 4 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at St John’s Lutheran Church, 821 Denver Street in Schuyler



Preventing Grass Tetany in the Lactating Beef Cow this Spring
Steve Neimeyer – NE Extension Educator
 
As spring nears and grass begins to turn green, producers are anxious to get cows out to grass. However, cool season predominate areas tend to have lush spring growth which can lead to grass tetany in cows. While there are treatments for cows caught quick enough, prevention is always the best policy. 

Grass tetany occurs when circulating Magnesium (Mg) is low in the beef animal. Symptoms include staggering, convulsions, excitability, twitching, and can result in death. While it can affect growing cattle, it generally affects older lactating cows. The Mg requirement in the pregnant cow is 0.12% of the diet on a dry matter basis and jumps to 0.2% with lactation. Moreover, the Mg in colostrum is 3 times what it is in the milk the rest of the lactation.

Additionally, unlike some other minerals, Mg is not stored and mobilized in the tissues for times when it is deficient in the diet. Magnesium is absorbed across the rumen wall and how much Mg is circulating in the blood is highly dependent upon how much was consumed.

In addition to the fact that the Mg requirement increases with lactation, if the feed is high in potassium (K) or nitrogen (N) as many lush growing forages can be, then Mg absorption can be compromised as well.   Cool, cloudy days associated with wet springs often times increase the risk of grass tetany issues.

To help prevent issues with grass tetany, producers should start providing a high Mg mineral to cows about a month before turning out on lush pasture to get them used to consuming it, and continue to provide high Mg supplement until grass starts to elongate and mature and the risk of grass tetany is low. While providing high Mg mineral helps reduce the incidence of grass tetany, producers should talk to their local veterinarian and have a treatment plan in place for cows who do succumb to grass tetany, as treatment must take place quickly in those cows.



NPPC STATEMENT ON ILLEGAL PORK SEIZURE

On March 15, 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it intercepted a large shipment of illegal pork products from China before it could enter the United States. The contraband shipment, which will be safely and securely destroyed in accordance with U.S. government policy, reportedly contained products derived from pork, such as flavorings in ramen noodles, and did not include fresh meat. It is illegal to import pork products from countries, like China, that are positive for African swine fever (ASF), a disease that only affects pigs and that poses no human health or food safety risks, to the United States. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) issued the following statement.

"Preventing the spread of African swine fever to the United States is our top priority. We are thankful to CBP and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their increased vigilance and the expanded  resources they have put in place to prevent ASF's spread to the United States, a development that would threaten animal health and immediately close our export markets at a time when we are already facing serious trade headwinds.

      "Illegal import/export activities like this can't stand and must be met with swift and severe penalties to discourage others from attempting to transport contraband products across our borders. Prevention of ASF is our only defense; we must remain on high alert at our airports and sea ports to prevent the illegal entry of meat products and be diligent in our farm biosecurity protocols. We are hopeful that others considering illegal import/export activity like this will take note of the severe consequences.

       "Along with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, National Pork Board and the Swine Health Information Center, NPPC continues to work closely with U.S. government officials to strengthen safeguards against the spread of ASF and other animal diseases."



National Pork Board and RIPE.IO Partner to Enhance

The National Pork Board and Ripe Technology, Inc. have entered an agreement to pilot blockchain technology use in the U.S. pork industry. 

Through this partnership, ripe.io will enable an ecosystem that will allow pork producers to monitor, evaluate and continuously improve their sustainability practices based on the We CareSM framework – six defined ethical principles guiding the U.S. pork industry. Launched in 2008, these principles provide industry standards in food safety and public health, animal well-being, protecting the environment, and improving the quality of life for the industry’s people and communities. The standards also serve as the pork industry’s commitment to continuous improvement.

“The growing demand across the entire food supply chain – including end consumers – is to ‘Know Your Food.’ The ripe.io platform generates powerful levels of transparency and trust by enabling collaboration and consensus of data and activities within food systems,” said Raja Ramachandran, co-founder of ripe.io. “Through blockchain, customers like the National Pork Board can enable its organization and members to create shared, immutable trusted records that address critical food issues such as sustainability, quality, traceability, waste and fraud.”

Working with ripe.io, the National Pork Board will demonstrate to its producers the value of having a responsible supply chain by consolidating sustainability data and activities gathered on the ripe.io platform. This platform will highlight how pork producers create a sustainable pork production environment. In addition, through a distributed permissioned ledger, this program data can be visible to partners in the ecosystem to ensure valid certifications. The data remains anonymous in order to create a benchmark indicator for each ethical principle.

“Over the last 50 years, America’s pig farmers have followed the We Care principles to produce a product that has become increasingly sustainable using 75 percent less land, 25 percent less water, and 7 percent less energy,” said Dr. Brett Kaysen, assistant vice president of sustainability at the National Pork Board. “We look forward to working with ripe.io to use blockchain technology to record proof points through a system that can benchmark performance while increasing transparency of the entire pork value chain.”



ASA Corteva Young Leaders Explore Issues, Participate in Leadership Training

The 35th class of American Soybean Association (ASA) Corteva Agriscience Young Leaders completed their training, Feb. 26 – March 1, 2019 in Orlando, Florida in conjunction with the annual Commodity Classic Convention and Trade Show.

“The ASA Corteva Young Leader Program provides the soybean industry and all of agriculture with strong and forward-thinking grower leaders,” said ASA President Davie Stephens. “With an emphasis on leadership skills development and collaboration, the Young Leader program provides us with growers who are working together to amplify the voice of the farmer. We are grateful to Corteva for their longstanding support of this program and for helping to secure the future of the soybean industry.”

While in Orlando, the Young Leaders participated in training focused on leadership development, industry issue updates and outreach. The Young Leaders were also recognized at ASA’s annual awards banquet.

“Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, has been a proud sponsor of the ASA Corteva Young Leaders Program for 35 years. The program recognizes and develops top soybean growers from across the country,” Global Portfolio Leader for Soybeans Mike Dillon said. “I have interacted with this year’s class of ASA Corteva Young Leaders, and am impressed with their commitment to strengthening their leadership skills and building their network in the agriculture industry. I am excited about the positive impact these leaders will make will make on agriculture for generations to come.”

The 2019 class of Young Leaders includes: Stuart & Suzie Sanderson (AL); Kyle & Stacie Schlenker (AR); Austin & Katelynn Baer (IL); Miranda Biddle (IL); Tim & Brittany Gueldener (IL); Eric & Megan Scheller (IN); Reed Burres (IA); Tyler Cvitkovic (KY); Anna Reding & Jason Putt (KY); Kody Beavers (KY); Mark & Vanessa Senk (MI); Chris & Debra Schmidt (MI); Wes Miller & Amanda Heilman (MD); Haley Ammann (MN); Mitchell & Andrea Rice (MO); Nathan White (MO); Clint & Katie Hostler (NE); Simeon Williams (NC); Joshua Askew (ND); Joshua Stutrud (ND); Adam Vance (OH); Brent & Mollie Greenway (SD); Derek Giffin (TN); Zac Soltvedt & Amber Bellows (WI); Donald Thomas (VA); and Aaron McQueen (Ontario, Canada).



CWT-Assisted Dairy Product Export Sales Surpasses 400 Million Pounds Milk Equivalent

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) member cooperatives accepted 24 offers of export assistance from CWT secured sales contracts, raising the year-to-date milk equivalent of products sold to 419.3 million pounds on a milkfat basis.

The contracts captured this week included 2.302 million pounds (1,044 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese; 1.056 million pounds (479 metric tons) of butter, and 5 million pounds (2,268 metric tons) of whole milk powder. These products are going to customers in Asia, Central and South America, and the Middle East, and will be delivered from March through September.

CWT-assisted member cooperative 2019 export sales now total 24.738 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 2.765 million pounds of butter (82% milkfat) and 17.641 million pounds of whole milk powder. The products will be going to customers in 22 countries in six regions.



Global Corn Research Confab Held in St. Louis
NCGA Newsletter
   
Corn researchers from around the world gathered in St. Louis last week for the annual Maize Genetics Conference. The conference covers a broad range of subject areas and allows attendees from academia, industry, and funding agencies to learn about the most current scientific and technical advances in the maize genetics community.

Program directors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Science Foundation were also present to discuss the current priorities and budget levels for their research programs. This annual conference represents a unique opportunity to stress the importance of research in areas that have substantial promise in addressing the issues most important to corn farmers.

This year, many presentations and posters highlighted the importance of the Genomes to Fields research initiative, which has been financially supported through state and national corn grower organizations. This interdisciplinary program has created an invaluable network of researchers and diverse field sites to expand our understanding of how crop performance is affected by both genetics and environmental factors.




USDA Seeks Five Nominees for the National Organic Standards Board
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks nominations of qualified individuals for five open seats on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The 15-member advisory board considers and makes recommendations on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances and other issues involving the production, handling and processing of USDA certified organic products.

Each member serves a five-year term and represents specific sectors of the organic community. Current openings include:
-    One individual with expertise in areas of environmental protection and resource conservation.
-    One individual who owns or operates an organic farming operation or an employee of such individuals.
-    One individual who owns or operates a retail establishment with significant trade in organic products or an employee of such individuals.
-    Two individuals who own or operate an organic handling operation or an employee of such individuals.

USDA is also accepting nominations of qualified candidates to fill future unexpected vacancies in any of the seven categories representing the scope of the organic agricultural community.

Deadline for nominations is May 17, 2019.

Members attend two in-person meetings each year and participate in bi-monthly subcommittee conference calls. USDA reimburses NOSB members for approved travel and associated lodging expenses.

Nominations must include a resume and an AD-755 application form. Nominations may also include an optional cover letter and letters of reference.

Nominations may be emailed to Michelle.Arsenault@usda.gov at the National Organic Program or mailed to: USDA-AMS-NOP, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 2642-S., Ag Stop 0268, Washington, DC 20250-0268. Electronic submissions are preferred.