Wednesday April 10 Ag News

USDA Announces Sign-Up Period for Updated Conservation Stewardship Program

The deadline for Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications to be considered for funding in fiscal year 2019 is May 10, 2019.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) plans to invest up to $700 million for new enrollments and contract extensions in fiscal year 2019. The 2018 Farm Bill made several changes to this critical conservation program, which helps agricultural producers take the conservation activities on their farm or ranch to the next level.

“CSP continues to be a very effective tool for private landowners working to achieve their conservation and management goals,” said Craig Derickson, Nebraska NRCS state conservationist. “It is the largest conservation program in the United States with more than 70 million acres of productive agricultural and forest land enrolled.”

CSP is a popular program for Nebraska’s ag producers. Over 5 million acres are currently under contract in Nebraska. In 2018, over 550 farmers and ranchers enrolled over 1.3 million acres into CSP.

While applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit applications to their local NRCS office by May 10, 2019, to ensure their applications are considered for 2019 funding.

Changes to the Program
The 2018 Farm Bill authorizes NRCS to accept new CSP enrollments from now until 2023, and it makes some important improvements to the program. These updates include:
-    NRCS now enrolls eligible, high ranking applications based on dollars rather than acres. For fiscal year 2019, NRCS can spend up to $700 million in the program, which covers part of the cost for producers implementing new conservation activities and maintaining their existing activities.
-    Higher payment rates are now available for certain conservation activities, including cover crops and resource conserving crop rotations. 
-    CSP now provides specific support for organic and for transitioning to organic production activities and a special grassland conservation initiative for certain producers who have maintained cropland base acres.

About the Program
CSP provides many benefits including increased crop yields, decreased inputs, wildlife habitat improvements and increased resilience to weather extremes. CSP is for working lands including cropland, pastureland, rangeland, nonindustrial private forest land and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of a tribe. 

More Information
For additional information about CSP, contact your local USDA service center.



 Reinke Offers Safety Tips For Checking Irrigation Equipment After Flooding

With flood waters beginning to recede on more than a million acres of farmland in the Midwest, growers will be wanting to restore their operations. Reinke Manufacturing is reminding you of some critical safety guidelines.....
-    Wait for the waters to completely recede.
-    Contact your dealership to inspect your system for needed repairs or to restore power to your center pivot and other irrigation equipment. 
-        Do NOT attempt to do this yourself as there could be additional electrical safety hazards due to debris striking electrical components on equipment, broken power lines and other unforeseen dangers. 
-        Your local dealership has a great deal of experience with irrigation systems and will be more likely to notice additional damage, problems or needed repairs before you go on-site or contact your insurance company. 
-        *Be Aware* - Some areas are requiring a permit before restoring any form of power. Your local dealership will know how to find this information.
-    Contact your insurance company to file a claim. Claims should be completed as soon as possible. 

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the farmers and ranchers who are suffering because of the historic flooding that has hit the Midwest,” said Chris Roth, Reinke President. “Many of us have never seen this level of flooding before, so we wanted to make sure growers are safe as they head out into their fields. Your safety is of the utmost importance.”



OPTIONS FOR FERTILIZING PASTURES
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Is nitrogen fertilizer too expensive for pasture?  It might be unless your fertilizer applications and grazing are managed well.  Stick around and I’ll describe some efficiency tips.

               After adding a hundred, sixty, or even just forty pounds of nitrogen per acre to your pastures in past years, did your grass grow really nice in April and May?  Then did it get stemmy in June with cows trampling and laying on more of it than eating it?  And by August was most of the grass brown or dead, much of it matted down, with the only green material so short that cows could barely get any of it?

               If this describes your pastures, do something a little different this year.  For starters, don’t fertilize all your pasture right away.  You’re stimulating more spring growth than your cows can eat, so only fertilize half or three-quarters of your pasture now.  Be sure, though, that the unfertilized area is fenced off from the rest of the pasture.

               Now, go ahead and have your cows graze pretty much like you normally do, but be sure to finish grazing the unfertilized area sometime in mid-May.  Then check the weather and soil moisture.  If you think there will be enough moisture for some good regrowth, then fertilize this previously unfertilized area.  Let it regrow for six weeks or longer and you should have some really good regrowth available for grazing in July or August.

               What if it’s dry in mid-May with poor prospects for regrowth?  In that case, save your money and don’t apply any more fertilizer.  You still will have produced about as much pasture growth as if you had fertilized everything to begin with, but at less cost.

               If your pastures often grow too fast in spring yet run out in summer every year, change fertilizer timing.  You’ll get more grass when you want it or maybe save some money.

WRAPPING HAY TO BEAT THE WEATHER
               Does rain often damage your high quality hay just before it’s ready to bale?  There is a baling method that may help solve that problem.

               Rain plays havoc with hay quality.  Even when you study weather reports and do your best to cut when good drying weather is expected, just before your hay is ready to bale, it often gets damaged by rain.

               So what are your options when dark clouds are on the horizon and your hay still is a little too wet?  Well, you could go ahead and bale that tough hay and hope – hope that it doesn’t spoil, or even worse, get hot and burn.  Or you can wait out the storm and cross your fingers that you get good moisture for your row crops but it skips over the hay fields.

               There is another option.  Maybe you bale it tough, then wrap it with stretch wrap plastic to keep water and air out while keeping nutrients in.

               Studies have shown excellent success wrapping bales containing twenty-five to forty percent moisture.  After a full year in storage, the hay came out of the wrapping in great shape, with very little storage loss, a nice silage-like odor, and well-preserved nutrients.

               Wrapping tough hay reduces weather risk because wrapping often occurs at least a day sooner than normal baling.  Both yield and forage quality can be higher because fewer leaves are lost than with dry hay.

               It does take a lot of plastic, though.  Six or seven layers are needed to maintain feed quality.  If you don’t use enough plastic or fail to repair any holes, this kind of hay can spoil very fast.

               Wrapping slightly tough hay in plastic can improve your forage quality and reduce weather losses.  If rain damage often plagues your hay making, it might be worth looking into.



NPPC CANCELS 2019 WORLD PORK EXPO AS PRECAUTION

The National Pork Producers Council's board of directors today announced its decision to cancel World Pork Expo 2019 out of an abundance of caution as African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread in China and other parts of Asia. World Pork Expo, held each June at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, hosts approximately 20,000 visitors over three days, including individuals and exhibitors from ASF-positive regions.  African swine fever affects only pigs and presents no human health or food safety risks. There is currently no vaccine to treat the swine disease.

"While an evaluation by veterinarians and other third-party experts concluded negligible risk associated with holding the event, we have decided to exercise extreme caution," said David Herring, NPPC president and a producer from Lillington, North Carolina. "The health of the U.S. swine herd is paramount; the livelihoods of our producers depend on it. Prevention is our only defense against ASF and NPPC will continue to do all it can to prevent its spread to the United States."

The decision to cancel this year's World Pork Expo comes as more than 100 U.S pork producers gather in Washington this week to meet with their members of Congress during NPPC's Legislative Action Conference. To augment the USDA's efforts to protect the United States from ASF and other animal diseases, U.S. pork producers are asking Congress to appropriate funding for 600 new U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture inspectors to further strengthen our defenses against African swine fever.

"Our farmers are highly export dependent," Herring said. "An ASF outbreak would immediately close our export markets at a time when we are already facing serious trade headwinds. The retaliatory tariffs we currently face in some of our largest export markets due to trade disputes are among the factors that prompted a conservative decision regarding World Pork Expo. U.S. pork producers are already operating in very challenging financial conditions."

Herring added, "The widespread presence of African swine fever in China's swine herd, the world's largest by far, takes the threat of this swine disease to an entirely new level. We ask all producers, travelers and the general public to recognize the heightened risk since the first outbreak was reported in China last year and to heed biosecurity protocols in support of U.S. agriculture. 



Pork Checkoff Acknowledges “Tough Decision” to Cancel World Pork Expo

The National Pork Board today offered a statement of support to the National Pork Producers Council as it took the extremely rare step to cancel the 2019 World Pork Expo scheduled June 5-7, 2019, in Des Moines.

“We completely understand that to cancel World Pork Expo is a tough decision that no one wants to make,” said Steve Rommereim, president of the National Pork Board and a pig farmer from Alcester, South Dakota. “But when it comes to the ongoing spread of African swine fever in Asia and Europe, caution must come first. We stand by our pig-farming partners in doing anything we can to stem the spread of this disease.”

The Pork Checkoff has been helping to inform producers’ response to African swine fever since it broke in China in August 2018. The fundamental purposes of the Checkoff are swine research, producer education and pork promotion. To that end, the organization has provided comprehensive information through a dedicated foreign animal disease web page located at pork.org/fad.

Key materials on the page that every pig farmer need to know center on protecting their herd through following biosecurity principles and ensuring every pig farm has a defined Premises Identification Number, or PIN, which are fundamental to the U.S. pork industry’s Secure Pork Supply plan. Details on the Secure Pork Supply plan are at securepork.org.

“We acknowledge the relatively low risk that World Pork Expo may have posed to the introduction of African swine fever to the U.S. But any risk needs to be managed – and that is our purpose at the National Pork Board,” Rommereim said. “This is a serious global issue and we need to maintain our commitment and oversight to managing this disease spread.”

Rommereim encourages all U.S. pig farmers to review the foreign animal disease preparation checklist and biosecurity steps to take, among other materials located on pork.org/fad.



Lindsay Corporation Reports Second Quarter Results

Lindsay Corporation, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology, Tuesday announced results for its second quarter ended February 28, 2019.

Revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 were $109.2 million, a decrease of $21.2 million, or 16 percent, compared to revenues of $130.3 million in the prior year's second quarter. Approximately $19.6 million of the total decrease in revenues was attributable to previously announced business divestitures in the irrigation segment as part of the Company's Foundation for Growth initiative.

The Company incurred a net loss for the quarter of $3.4 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, compared with net earnings of $1.7 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, for the same period in the prior year. In addition to the impact of lower revenues, net earnings for the quarter were reduced by after-tax costs of $3.7 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, related to the Company's Foundation for Growth initiative. Excluding these additional costs, net earnings for the second quarter would have been $0.2 million, or $0.02 per diluted share.1 Net earnings for the same period in the prior year adjusted for these costs, plus the tax expense attributable to enactment of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, were $6.0 million, or $0.56 per diluted share.

"North America irrigation sales volumes were significantly lower than anticipated as the unresolved US-China trade dispute contributed to a further decline in farmer sentiment," said Tim Hassinger, president and chief executive officer. "Along with that, lower Road Zipper System sales contributed to a disappointing quarter. We were however pleased to see an increase in our international irrigation sales compared to the prior year."

Irrigation segment revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 were $95.8 million, a decrease of $16.1 million, or 14 percent, compared to $111.9 million in the prior year's second quarter. Excluding the impact of the divestitures, North America irrigation revenues of $57.7 million decreased $1.6 million, or 3 percent, compared to the prior year. Lower irrigation equipment sales volume was partially offset by higher average selling prices and higher revenue from engineering project services. International irrigation revenues of $38.1 million increased $5.1 million, or 15 percent, compared to the prior year. Excluding the negative impact of differences in foreign currency translation compared to the prior year, international irrigation revenues increased $7.4 million, or 22 percent, led by higher project sales in developing markets.

Irrigation segment operating margin was 7.9 percent of sales in the second quarter, compared to 10.7 percent of sales (11.2 percent adjusted)1 in the prior year. Irrigation segment operating margin was negatively impacted in the quarter by negative margin mix from lower equipment sales volumes in North America, higher warranty costs and operational inefficiencies.



Most Retail Fertilizer Prices Higher First Week of April

Average retail prices for the majority of fertilizers were slightly higher the first week of April 2019, according to retailers surveyed by DTN. This brings to an end a string of several weeks when prices for the majority of fertilizers were lower.

Six of the eight major fertilizers were slightly higher compared to last month. Potash had an average price of $386 per ton, urea $405/ton, 10-34-0 $474/ton, anhydrous $599/ton, UAN28 $272/ton and UAN32 $319/ton.

Two fertilizers were slightly lower than they were the prior month. DAP had an average price of $509/ton and MAP $533/ton.

On the cost of N/per pound, urea is at $0.44, anhydrous $0.37, UAN28 $0.49 and UAN32 $0.50.

All eight major fertilizers are now higher compared to last year. MAP is 5% higher, DAP is 6% more expensive, urea is 9% higher, potash is 10% more expensive, 10-34-0 is 12% higher, UAN28 is 14% more expensive, UAN32 is 16% higher and anhydrous is 18% more expensive.



Weekly Ethanol Production for 4/5/2019

According to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association, ethanol production increased 3,000 barrels per day (b/d), or 0.3%, to an average of 1.002 million barrels per day (b/d), equivalent to 42.08 million gallons daily. The four-week average ethanol production rate eased 0.1% to 995,000 b/d—equivalent to an annualized rate of 15.25 billion gallons. This represents the smallest 4-week average production rate in two years years.

Stocks of ethanol tapered for the second straight week, decreasing 3.3% to 23.2 million barrels.

There were no imports for the 21st week in a row. (Weekly export data for ethanol is not reported simultaneously; the latest export data is as of January 2019.)

Gasoline supplied to the market jumped 7.4% to 9.806 million b/d (411.9 million gallons per day, or 150.33 billion gallons annualized). Refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol expanded 1.1% to 919,000 b/d—equivalent to 14.09 billion gallons annualized.

Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production declined to 10.22%—the lowest level since Oct. 2017.



NCGA Testifies on Importance of Inland Waterways
   
National Corn Growers Association First Vice President Kevin Ross testified before the U.S. House Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment today at a hearing titled, “The Cost of Doing Nothing: Why Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and Investment in our Nation’s Waterways Matter.”

The hearing was an opportunity for NCGA to share the importance of the inland waterway system to farmers and serve as a resource for future discussions regarding water transport.

“America’s corn farmers need reliable means of moving our crops to customers, whether it’s to livestock feed yards, grain elevators, the ethanol plant, or ports for export. Farmers use many modes of transportation, with the inland waterway system being a vital artery of transportation for our products, especially for farmers in the Midwest,” Ross told the Subcommittee.



EXPLORE THE WORLD OF CORN ONLINE

U.S. corn farmers grew an abundant crop in 2018 with a near-record national average yield of 176.4 bushels per acre and 14.4 billion bushels of corn produced in the United States, the third-highest production on record.

To highlight these achievements and all they mean, the National Corn Growers Association delves into the facts about corn production, using a historical comparison in its newest edition of the World of Corn. This statistical look at the corn industry, both domestic and worldwide, features a wide array of information on corn production and usage.

In addition to the traditional statistics guide, this year’s distribution includes a poster highlighting the many incredible ways in which corn farming practices and uses make a more sustainable world. The companion piece this year allows for greater exploration through a new augmented reality function.

“In 2018, America’s corn farmers demonstrated again how the world of opportunities corn farmers create truly does a world of good” NCGA President Lynn Chrisp and Chief Executive Officer Jon Doggett note in the introduction. “This crop continues to offer innovative solutions that help us all care for our world with the same passion as the farm families who view it as their legacy.”

World of Corn is a respected collection of the most important statistics about corn production, exports and consumption, providing key information in a readable format, comparing numbers and trends across the years.

NCGA proudly offers an interactive online presentation of the World of Corn that allows users to easily locate information or to explore the limitless possibilities the crop offers at their leisure. The format offers improved navigability with an elegant user interface.

To explore the World of Corn online, click here.... http://worldofcorn.com/#/.



New Farmers.gov Feature Enables USDA Customers to Manage Farm Loans Online
Courtney Dixon, USDA Farm Service Agency

Do you have farm loans through USDA? If so, USDA’s Farm Service Agency has launched a new feature that enables you to login to view farm loan information, history, and payments through farmers.gov, USDA’s new information and self-service website available to agricultural producers.

Using a desktop, tablet, or phone, the “My Financial Information” feature enables you to view:
-    loan information.
-    interest payments for the current calendar year (including year-to-date interest paid for the past five years).
-    loan advance and payment history.
-    paid-in-full and restructured loans.
-    account alerts giving borrowers important notifications regarding their loans. For example, an account alert will be displayed if a loan is past due.

Currently, access is only available for customers doing business as individuals. Entities – such as an LLC or Trust – can’t access the portal at this time, but access is being planned.

How to Access
To access USDA farm loan information, visit farmers.gov and sign in to the site’s authenticated dashboard, available on the menu at the top right of the site. To access, you will need a Level 2 USDA eAuth account.

If you do not have a Level 2 USDA eAuth account, sign-up for one today. This account gets you access to your loan information and other self-service features available through the farmers.gov portal.

Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge are the recommended browsers to access the feature.

As part of this process, we took a close look at FSA farm loans, tracking the farm loan journey. In interviews with customers and staff, we developed some key recommendations, many of which involved access and self-service to loans online. This latest feature is one of many to come.

More Features to Come
These functionalities are the first of many that will be available to USDA customers through the farmers.gov portal. Eventually, customers will be able to use the portal to:
-    find the right loan programs that best fit their business goals.
-    submit loan documents to their service center via the farmers.gov dashboard.
-    view loan information as entities.



Farmers for Free Trade Announces Former U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln as New Campaign Spokesperson for USMCA Campaign

Farmers for Free Trade, the bipartisan campaign focused on amplifying the voices of American farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses that support free trade, will launch its #MotorcadeForTrade RV tour across the Midwest on Friday, April 12, 2019 in support of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Joining the kickoff event will be former U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, who joins the campaign as a senior advisor and spokesperson. Senator Lincoln brings over two decades of experience working on agriculture and trade policy. Her expertise brings a powerful voice to American farmers during a critical time in trade history.

“Now more than ever it is critical that the voices of farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers are heard across the country,” Senator Lincoln said. “Congressional approval of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is a top priority for our nation’s agriculture industry and I’m pleased to have the opportunity to join the voice of America’s farmers on the importance of North American trade. The whistle stop tour Farmers for Free Trade is leading across the country will help lift up the voices of farmers who need to be able to participate in the global economy and deserve certainty that they’ll have access to the Canadian and Mexican markets.”

Senator Lincoln represented Arkansas in Congress for 16 years as both a two-term member of the House and a two-term member of the Senate. She is the youngest female ever elected to serve in the United States Senate and became the first female in history to serve as Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. As a farmer’s daughter, she became known in the Senate as a champion of production agriculture who fought to ensure that producers were able to continue to provide the safest, most abundant, and affordable supply of food to meet the global needs of the 21st century. Senator Lincoln is also responsible for founding the Senate Hunger Caucus and working across party lines to author and enact the largest investment in child nutrition programs in history. As a member of the Senate Finance committee, she also fought hard to expand free and fair trade.

“Farmers for Free Trade has been working for years to mobilize the voices of farmers to bring attention to the importance of trade to agriculture. During a period of declined farm income and uncertainty due to the trade war, I am especially glad to join the fight in rebuilding bipartisan support for trade.”



Early registration for Animal Ag Alliance 2019 Stakeholders Summit ends April 12

Early registration for the Animal Ag Alliance’s 2019 Stakeholders Summit, themed A Seat At The Table, closes April 12th. The event will be held May 8-9 at the InterContinental at the Plaza Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. The Summit is so popular this year that the hotel block sold out. There is an overflow block with rooms at a discounted rate at the nearby Hampton Inn. To view the agenda, register and book your hotel, visit http://summit.animalagalliance.org.

Winners from the 2018 College Aggies Online scholarship competition will take the stage during Summit to be recognized in front of hundreds of industry professionals. The 2019 program is set to kick off in early September. Students and collegiate clubs interested in becoming confident and effective advocates for agriculture can sign up for the 2019 CAO scholarship competition at https://collegeaggies.animalagalliance.org.

Be sure to check the Summit website for the most up-to-date Summit information. You can also follow the hashtags #AAA19 for periodic updates about the event. For general questions about the Summit please contact summit@animalagalliance.org or call (703) 562-5160.