Tuesday March 19 Ag News

Free webinar offers safe cleanup advice on farms/ranches following flooding

The flooding across Nebraska and Iowa can heighten the risk exposure to health threats such as mold, tetanus bacteria, contaminated well water, hypothermia as well as increased mental stress.

Ellen Duysen, outreach specialist from the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH) at the University of Nebraska Medicine Center College of Public Health, said these threats may be significantly greater on farms and ranches where inherent farm hazards such as machinery and equipment, livestock, and agriculture chemicals are displaced and co-mingle.

These hazards can put farm workers, their families and emergency response personnel in danger.

In an effort to provide information on the risks and precautions that can be taken during flood recovery, a free webinar is planned.

The webinar, “Winter Farm Flood Health Threats – Risk Factors during Recovery,” is scheduled for Thursday March 21 from noon to 1:15 p.m. (CDT). The webinar is a collaboration between the AgriSafe Network and UNMC’s CS-CASH program. 

Topics related to safe flood recovery will include mold, livestock diseases, grain handling safety, cold stress, well water safety, and mental stress. 

The webinar is free but participants must register. The registration website is: https://attendee.gototraining.com/r/8904390917048497666.

The seminar will be recorded, so if you are unable to attend a link will be available on the CS-CASH website, https://www.unmc.edu/publichealth/cscash/.

If you have questions related to farm cleanup following flooding, please contact Duysen at ellen.duysen@unmc.edu. 



Willow Creek Dam ‘did what it was designed to do’ during historic flood event

The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) continues to monitor the infrastructure across the area following the historic flooding events of the past week.

LENRD General Manager, Mike Sousek, said, “Without the investments that previous community leaders put into place years ago, this historic event could have been much worse.  Without the Willow Creek dam 1 ½ miles southwest of Pierce, and the Flood Control Levee protecting Norfolk, these cities would have been under water.”

On average, the Willow Creek reservoir holds back 7,100 acre-feet of water.  As of Friday, March 15th, with the historic flooding occurring across the area, Willow Creek was holding back over 18,000 acre-feet of water.

An acre-foot is a unit of volume commonly used to reference large-scale water resources, such as reservoirs.  It is defined as the volume of water necessary to cover one acre of surface area to a depth of one foot.  An acre-foot is equal to 325,851 gallons of water.  If you take that number times the 18,000 acre-feet of water that Willow Creek held back during the storm, you get 5.86 billion gallons of water.  Sousek said, “When you attempt to visualize that amount of water, you can begin to fully understand how critical this dam is to the area.”

Sousek added, “The Willow Creek flood-control structure continues to do its job.  It’s doing exactly what it was designed to do.  The dam held back water that would have otherwise affected the communities of Pierce, Hadar, and Norfolk as well as the streams along the Elkhorn River and downstream landowners, county roads, and bridges.”

To understand the way the dam functions, we need to explain some of its inner workings.  In the dam at the Willow Creek State Recreation Area, there are 27 pressure relief wells across the earthen structure.  These 27 wells relieve the pressure that occurs naturally as water pressure pushes the water up, similar to an artesian aquifer or well.  The relief wells relieve the pressure on the dam and prevent the water from pushing through and eroding a channel under or near the dam.  The relief wells drain into a collection pipe which drains into another collection pool and then finally ends its journey as it drains into the “stilling basin” which is located on the east side of the dam.  The stilling basin allows the water to slow down before it is released into the channel.  Along with the relief wells there are piezometers on the dam that the LENRD uses to monitor the changes in the water levels.  The piezometers measure the depth of water and how high the underground pressure is pushing the water up.  The LENRD staff use the relief wells, the piezometers, and other variables to monitor the structure to determine if it’s functioning properly.

Sousek continued, “Not only did the dam help to alleviate further damages to downstream landowners, towns, and villages, but it also helped protect the levee in Norfolk.”

He said, “We continue to monitor our structures and remain confident in their worth.  Investments in flood control levees and dams strengthen and preserve communities.”

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped during this unprecedented storm as well as those who assisted the LENRD staff as they monitored the Willow Creek Dam, especially the members of the Pierce Volunteer Fire Department.

The Willow Creek State Recreation Area is owned by the LENRD and is managed by the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission.



2019 PASTURE RENTAL RATES
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               What’s it cost to rent pasture this year?  Preliminary results from the Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey were just released.

               According to this year’s survey, the average monthly rent being paid to graze a cow-calf pair this grazing season is lowest in the West, the Panhandle, at just over thirty-six dollars per month.  Everywhere else in Nebraska it’s around fifty dollars per month with the highest average rate being in the Northern District at a little more than fifty-seven dollars per month.

               Now please note that these are only averages.  In all areas of the state, the range in monthly rents paid per cow-calf pair is over thirty dollars.  Some pastures in Nebraska are being rented for as little as twenty dollars per pair per month, maybe even less.  Other pastures cost over ninety dollars.

               Pasture rent varies for many reasons.  Involvement of the landlord in fence, water, and management responsibilities has a big impact.  So to does quality of the grassland, location of the pasture, and cow size.  Tradition, individual relationships, and local demand all also influence individual pasture rental rates.

               Overall, pasture rent per cow-calf pair month increased an average of 3 percent compared to last year in the east, northeast, and west while declining an average of 4 percent in all other areas.  These changes are slightly less than those reported for cropland rental rates.

               Pastures are a major resource for the ranching and cattle industry in Nebraska and pasture rent is a critical factor in the financial well-being of both landlords and tenants.  Knowing what other pastures are renting for can help you negotiate a fair rate for yours.



Iowans Recognized for 2018 National Corn Yield Contest

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) recognized Iowa Corn Growers Association members as winners of the 2018 National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC). The top four winners in each category were recognized during the 2019 Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida at the beginning of the month.

These selected farmers accepted honors for their ability to produce the most corn per-acre, which lends itself to fueling and feeding the world. NCYC not only grants the participants the recognition that they deserve, it also gives them the opportunity to learn from their peers.

Top yield winners from Iowa include:

AA Non-Irrigated division:
    Brant Voss, Dexter, 306.34 bu/acre
    Mike Gaul, Strawberry Point, 303.55 bu/acre
    Marc Knupp, Washington, 301.72 bu/acre

AA No-Till/Strip-Till, Non-Irrigated division:
    *John Ruff, Monona, 333.08 bu/acre in the
     Ryan Schroder, Missouri Valley, 329.56 bu/acre
    Josh Vittetoe, Washington, 317.41 bu/acre
         *John Ruff also placed second nationally in the AA No-Till/Strip-Till, Non-Irrigated division

No-Till/Strip-Till Irrigated division:
    Connor Garrett, Arion, 326.04 bu/acre
    Roy Folkerts, Inwood, 248.16 bu/acre
    Todd Folkerts, Inwood, 247.20 bu/acre

Irrigated division:
    Mike Williams, Amana, 302.01 bu/acre
    Kim Dummermuth, Elgin, 285.76 bu/acre
         Kim Dummermuth, Elgin, 282.33 bu/acre
         Mike Williams, Amana, 279.63 bu/acre
         Kim Dummermuth, Elgin, 271.23 bu/acre
         Mike Williams, Amana, 257.22 bu/acre
    Mike Lyons, Hamburg, 246.89 bu/acre

Contest winners received national recognition in the publication, National Corn Yield Guide, as well as cash trips and other awards from participating sponsoring seed, chemical and crop protection companies. The National Corn Yield Contest, now in its 54st year, remains one of NCGA’s most popular programs for members.

For a complete list of national and state winners, visit www.ncga.com.



Live-Streaming Barn Tours Show Consumers Sustainable Pig Farming

The National Pork Board is collaborating with South Dakota State University (SDSU) to “open the barn doors” on how pigs are raised. The Pork Checkoff’s Operation Main Street (OMS) speakers can include live-streaming video tours of SDSU’s Swine Education and Research Center, in Brookings, South Dakota, in presentations to local civic groups, culinary and pre-vet students, dietitians, chefs and others.

The state-of-the-art SDSU teaching center features all phases of pig production and provides the latest technology for research on reproductive physiology, nutrition management and sustainability science, according to Bob Thaler, SDSU professor and a swine Extension specialist.

“Virtual tours help non-traditional audiences understand today’s pork production,” Thaler said. “Our goal is to demystify how pigs are raised.”

“This is an excellent example of how the pork industry can leverage resources to demonstrate responsible pig farming through transparency and to build consumer trust,” said Scott Phillips, a Missouri pork producer. The Pork Board member serves on the Pork Checkoff’s Producer and State Services Committee and also is an OMS speaker.  

OMS Indiana speaker Jeff Harker, DVM, featured a live tour during a recent presentation to the Northeast Chapter of the Indiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“The live tours show how we follow the We CareSM ethical principles every day in our barns to raise healthy pigs. The tours engage the audience and generate questions that encourage conversation and learning,” Harker said.

SDSU students conduct the live barn tours and participate with the OMS speakers during presentations to answer questions. Maddie Hokanson, a SDSU senior and one of the Pork Checkoff’s 2017 America’s Pig Farmers of Tomorrow, said the tours underscore how technology is driving continuous improvement in pig farming.

“The live tours provide virtual face-to-face communication that show how far we’ve come with barn technology to raise healthier pigs,” Hokanson said.

During 2018, OMS and SDSU conducted more than a dozen virtual tours, with a goal of conducting 30 to 40 this year.



February Milk Production in the United States up 0.2 Percent

Milk production in the United States during February totaled 17.0 billion pounds, up 0.2 percent from February 2018.  Production per cow in the United States averaged 1,818 pounds for February,
19 pounds above February 2018.  The number of milk cows on farms in the United States was 9.36 million head, 77,000 head less than February 2018, but unchanged from January 2019.

IOWA: Milk production in Iowa during February 2019 totaled 411 million pounds, up slightly from the previous February according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Milk Production report. The average number of milk cows during February, at 220,000 head, was unchanged from last month and last year. Monthly production per cow averaged 1,870 pounds, up 10 pounds from last February.



USDA Continues to Prevent African Swine Fever from Entering the U.S.

Last week, USDA-trained detector dogs played a major role in the seizure of roughly 1 million pounds of pork smuggled from China where there is an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF). The highly contagious and deadly disease affects both domestic and feral (wild) pigs and there is no treatment or vaccine available for it.

Today, since prevention is our best protection against the disease, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is sharing information about the importance of keeping ASF out of the United States. It is vital for everyone to know about ASF and how to prevent it, while keeping the U.S. pig population healthy.

To help people learn more about this disease, as well as the steps that can be taken to help protect U.S. pigs, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has updated its web content with additional information and links to partners’ resources. This information is available at www.aphis.usda.gov/animalhealth/swine/asf.

USDA is monitoring the recent outbreaks of ASF is Asia and Europe, and has proactively taken steps to increase our safeguarding efforts to keep the disease out of the United States. These steps include:
-    Working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at ports of entry, paying particular attention to cargo, passengers and products arriving from China and other ASF affected countries;
-    Increasing detector dog teams with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to sniff out illegal products at key U.S. commercial sea and airports (last week four new beagles, Chipper, Marlee, Chaze and Cardie, completed training and were placed at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago's O'Hare airports);
-    Collaborating with states, industry and producers to ensure everyone follows strict on-farm biosecurity protocols and best practices (including for garbage feeding in states where that is allowed);
-    Restricting imports of pork and pork products from affected countries;
-    Coordinating closely on response plans with the U.S. pork industry, producers and States to be ready should a detection ever occur in the United States; and
-    Expanding the testing capabilities and testing capacity of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.

USDA is committed to working with the swine industry, our producers, other government agencies and neighboring countries to prevent the spread of ASF. USDA tracks animal disease outbreaks around the world and remains on high alert to protect our farmers, our consumers and our natural resources from ASF or any foreign animal disease.



Registration for First 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Meeting Opens

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), invites the public to register to attend the first meeting of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The meeting will be held at USDA headquarters in the Jefferson Auditorium on March 28th and 29th. Registration for in-person attendance begins today and closes at 5:00 p.m. March 26, 2019. Please visit DietaryGuidelines.gov for registration details.

“USDA is committed to ensuring the process for developing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is transparent and data-driven,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “We are looking forward to kicking off the committee’s review of the scientific evidence, along with public engagement throughout the process. The comment period is open, and we encourage everyone to visit the redesigned Dietary Guidelines website”.

The next edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans will continue to focus on what Americans eat and drink as a whole to help prevent disease and keep people healthy. The 2020 guidelines will include recommendations for pregnant women, and children from birth to 24 months.

USDA and HHS look forward to robust public participation. This is the first of five meetings scheduled for the committee. USDA will soon provide the public with dates for all subsequent committee meetings. An ongoing public comment period, opened on March 12, will remain open throughout the committee’s deliberations to ensure the public can submit comments.

The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee will be chaired by Barbara Schneeman, Ph.D., and Ron Kleinman, M.D. will serve as vice chair. The independent advisory committee’s review, along with public and agency comments, will help inform the development of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Much of the committee’s work to evaluate the science relies on conducting systematic reviews that evaluate the body of published scientific evidence. USDA has renamed the Nutrition Evidence Library – the team responsible for this work – to Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review (NESR).

As part of its commitment to transparency, USDA is also launching two websites to make following the work easier. Along with a new name, NESR updated the website at www.nesr.usda.gov. There, users can find details about NESR’s current and previous systematic reviews. DietaryGuidelines.gov was also redesigned to provide better customer service and transparency to people interested in following the development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans serves as the cornerstone of federal nutrition programs and policies, providing food-based recommendations that help prevent diet-related chronic diseases and promote overall health. According to the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990, the guidelines are mandated to reflect the preponderance of scientific evidence and are published jointly by USDA and HHS every five years.



Wheat Farmers Welcome New Export Opportunity from Trump Administration Agreement with Brazil

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) welcome today’s announcement by President Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that Brazil has agreed to implement a duty-free tariff rate quota (TRQ) for wheat, a longstanding obligation under Brazil’s World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments. This agreement opens an annual opportunity for U.S. wheat farmers to compete on a level playing field for 750,000 metric tons (about 28 million bushels) of wheat under the TRQ.

“We are grateful to the Trump Administration for championing the interests of U.S. farmers and specifically to Chief Agricultural Negotiator Gregg Doud and USDA Under Secretary Ted McKinney for prioritizing the issue of Brazil’s TRQ commitment,” said Chris Kolstad, USW Chairman and a wheat farmer from Ledger, Mont. “This new opportunity gives us the chance to apply funding from the Agricultural Trade Program and other programs to build stronger relationships with Brazilian millers and a more consistent market there for U.S. wheat.” 

Brazil was the largest wheat importer in Latin America and the fourth largest in the world in marketing year 2017/18. Most imports originate duty-free from the Mercosur countries of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Wheat from all other origins requires payment of a 10 percent duty. Brazil agreed to open the TRQ to all origins, including the United States, in 1995, but then notified the WTO that it wanted to remove the TRQ. Those negotiations were never concluded. Brazil did open the TRQ temporarily in 2008, 2013, and 2014 when there was a shortage of wheat within Mercosur. During those years U.S. wheat made up more than 80 percent of imports from outside Mercosur.

“This is a big win for U.S. wheat farmers, the Trump Administration, and members of Congress who have pushed for action on this issue,” said Ben Scholz, NAWG President and a wheat farmer from Lavon, Tex. “I’m glad to see Brazil fulfill its commitment and look forward to a stronger trading relationship between us. When countries remain in compliance with the WTO, like we see here, it creates a level playing field for wheat for both countries.”

In some years, Brazil has imported as little as 115,000 metric tons of U.S. hard red winter and soft red winter wheat. That is why USW has worked toward implementation of Brazil’s wheat TRQ for a decade. USW plans to invest export market development funding in technical support and trade servicing to help demonstrate the quality and value of U.S. wheat for millers and bakers. 



George Siemon Steps Down as CEO of Organic Valley

The founder and CEO of Organic Valley Family of Farms has resigned. George Siemon, who was instrumental in taking the nation's first organic foods company to over $1 billion in annual revenue, stepped down from the cooperative last week after 30 years at the helm.

The Wisconsin-based Organic Valley was formed in 1988 in response to low farm prices. At the time, those involved with the organic movement wanted to find a way to bring their farms back to profitability by offering a more-natural product to the consumers. Siemon became the face of the company and was often depicted with his hair long and walking barefoot.

Currently, the co-op has more than 2,000 farmer-owners in 32 states and Canada. The company produces milk and other dairy foods, meat, eggs and vegetables.

Organic Valley Board Chair Arnie Trussoni said Siemon created a culture of employees who work for the mission and are as dedicated as he was to the success of farmers, the environment and the consumers.

Bob Kirchoff, who has been chief business officer at Organic Valley since 2016, will lead the company on an interim basis until a new CEO is named.



Sentera Announces Real-Time Analytics for FieldAgent

Sentera FieldAgent now delivers instant plant population and weed pressure reports in the FieldAgent™ mobile app, while the drone is still in flight. Agriculture professionals can obtain up to 100 times more in-field measurements versus manual scouting methods and get better coverage all across the field. No memory card or post-flight processing is required. The analytics results are delivered live, as the drone flies.

"Our two most widely-used analytics products can now deliver answers to our customers in real-time," said Eric Taipale, Sentera CEO. "In-field scouting is about accurately assessing field conditions, and giving scouts, agronomists, and advisors that data to drive the best decisions for their customers.  We're making this process more efficient and more productive for our users."

Logan Cautrell, mobile developer at Sentera explains, "When the drone begins capturing data, users immediately see the results right in the app. The immediacy, coverage rate, and accuracy will make our customers more efficient and give them a broader picture of the field."

Real-time Analytics. In-field Results.
Real-Time Analytics showcases the combined flexibility and power of the DJI SkyPort architecture, the Sentera AGX710 sensor, and Sentera's expertise in machine learning and computer vision technology. For ag professionals, this means access to the fast, easy, and complete stand count and weed pressure data. A user simply programs FieldAgent to autonomously scout a field and the system captures 1-2 images per acre, runs the analytics in real-time, and instantly reports the data back to the user's mobile device, right at the field edge. Calculations happen within seconds and results are delivered instantly.

Using DJI SkyPort, Sentera is able to run analytics on the high resolution, native image product in real-time, as opposed to competitive systems that either run analytics on lower-resolution video, wait for images to download one-by-one, or require post-processing.

Real-Time Analytics is supported on DJI M200 and M210 systems equipped with Sentera AGX710 sensors and are currently offered for corn, soybeans, and potatoes, with additional crop-compatibility being added.

Automated Analytics
Over time, even more of Sentera's 20 different analytics products will be available in real-time, helping users achieve greater efficiencies with some of their most tedious and labor-intensive tasks. "With FieldAgent's Real-Time Analytics, scouts can ground truth areas of interest and instantly see results," said Greg Thompson, director of sales at Sentera. "It allows a complete, integrated scouting mission to be completed before the drone even lands, expediting delivery of insights – something the industry has been seeking."

FieldAgent's Real-Time Analytics is an included feature of the AGX710 sensor. Real-Time Analytics will be available April 2019. The solution is compatible exclusively with Sentera's AGX710 sensor and DJI Matrice drone series.

About Sentera
Sentera is a leading supplier of integrated analytics and sensors for precision agriculture. Sentera makes it easy for users to integrate in-field real-time data with many digital ag platforms. Sentera's equipment has flown tens of millions of acres all over the world, and the company processes and manages terabytes of new data for its customers every year. For more information, visit www.sentera.com.