Thursday June 27 Ag News

NEBRASKA HOG INVENTORY UP 6 PERCENT

Nebraska inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1, 2019, was 3.70 million head, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. This was up 6 percent from June 1, 2018, and up 3 percent from March 1, 2019.

Breeding hog inventory, at 460,000 head, was up 7 percent from June 1, 2018, and up 2 percent from last quarter. Market hog inventory, at 3.24 million head, was up 6 percent from last year, and up 3 percent from last quarter.

The March - May 2019 Nebraska pig crop, at 2.24 million head, was up 4 percent from 2018. Sows farrowed during the period totaled 195,000 head, up 3 percent from last year. The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 11.50 for the March - May period, compared to 11.30 last year.

Nebraska hog producers intend to farrow 200,000 sows during the June - August 2019 quarter, up 8 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period a year ago. Intended farrowings for September - November 2019 are 200,000 sows, up 5 percent from the actual farrowings during the same period a year ago.



IOWA HOGS & PIGS REPORT

 On June 1, 2019, there were 23.7 million hogs and pigs on Iowa farms, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Hogs and Pigs report. Inventory is up 5 percent from the previous year and is a record high June 1 inventory. It also ties the all-time record set last quarter.

The March-May 2019 quarterly pig crop was 5.95 million head, down 2 percent from the previous quarter and 4 percent below last year. A total of 520,000 sows farrowed during this quarter. The average pigs saved per litter was 11.45 for the quarter. This is a record high pigs saved per litter for any quarter.

As of June 1, producers planned to farrow 525,000 sows and gilts in the June-August 2019 quarter and 550,000 head during the September-November 2019 quarter.



United States Hog Inventory Up 4 Percent

United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on June 1, 2019 was 75.5 million head. This was up 4 percent from June 1, 2018, and up 1 percent from March 1, 2019. This is the highest June 1 inventory of all hogs and pigs since estimates began in 1964.

Breeding inventory, at 6.41 million head, was up 1 percent from last year, and up 1 percent from the previous quarter.  Market hog inventory, at 69.1 million head, was up 4 percent from last year, and up 1 percent from last quarter. This is the highest June 1 market hog inventory since estimates began in 1964.

The March-May 2019 pig crop, at 34.2 million head, was up 4 percent from 2018. This is the largest March-May pig crop since estimates began in 1970. Sows farrowed during this period totaled 3.11 million head, up slightly from 2018. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 49 percent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 11.00 for the March-May period, compared to 10.63 last year.

United States hog producers intend to have 3.18 million sows farrow during the June-August 2019 quarter, down slightly from the actual farrowings during the same period in 2018, but up 3 percent from 2017. Intended farrowings for September-November 2019, at 3.17 million sows, are up slightly from 2018, and up 2 percent from 2017.

The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 47 percent of the total United States hog inventory, unchanged from the previous year.



Lyon Named First Female Director of Iowa DNR

On Wednesday, Governor Kim Reynolds appointed Kayla Lyon as the first female director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Lyon will take over as the eighth director of the agency on July 8 and replace Bruce Trautman who has served as acting director since May 2018.

"As my legislative liaison and lead policy advisor on agriculture and natural resources, Kayla oversaw DNR operations including regulatory permitting, conservation efforts, and wildlife issues," said Gov. Reynolds. "She also played an instrumental role in the 2018 comprehensive water quality funding bill. As DNR Director, Kayla will serve a key role in helping our state continue to grow."

"I am honored to lead the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and appreciate the governor for providing me a new opportunity to serve Iowans," said Lyon. "In this role, I will continue the DNR's mission to protect our natural resources, state parks, landscapes, and improve the quality of life in Iowa for generations to come."

Prior to joining the Governor's office, Kayla spent her career in government affairs working on agriculture, renewable fuels, water quality, and environmental policy while representing farmers and agribusiness.

Lyon is a native of Decorah and currently lives in Ames with her husband and two daughters.



Cattlemen Launch Campaign to Pass USMCA

Today the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) launched a media campaign urging Congress to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The campaign features personal stories from cattle and beef producers across the country who want Congress to ratify the USMCA as quickly as possible.

“The USMCA keeps the highly successful framework for U.S. beef trade in place and preserves access to two of our largest export markets,” said NCBA President Jennifer Houston. “Cattle producers need certainty with Canada and Mexico so that we can continue to build on 25 years of duty-free, unrestricted trade in North America.”

Unrestricted, duty-free trade under USMCA will continue to allow U.S. cattle and beef producers to capitalize on growing demand in lucrative markets in Canada, Mexico, and around the world. USMCA maintains science-based trade standards while rejecting failed policies of the past, like mandatory country-of-origin labeling.  

The NCBA campaign will center around a new USMCA website, policy.nbca.org/usmca. Visitors to the site can click on a dynamic map to pull up state data, producer profiles, and news articles related to USMCA. The map will be updated weekly with new content and profiles.



$110 Million In Business Conducted During USGC Regional Conference In Athens

More than 110 of the largest grain and feedstock importers from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South Asia congregated for a U.S. Grains Council (UGSC) Buyers’ Conference in Athens, Greece, this month. Attendees reported more than $110 million worth of business conducted over the five-day period in a survey after the event.

Ten expert speakers and 10 export-capable agribusinesses participated in the program, offering presentations on topics ranging from the economic advantages of importing feed grains to the nutritional benefits of U.S. DDGS and sorghum. As a result, both experienced buyers and newly-targeted companies were able to gain information about the benefit of U.S. origin for their operations.

“We were with people that buy our product on a yearly basis - our buyers are here,” said Wayne Cleveland, executive director of the Texas Grain Sorghum Producers, who participated in the conference. “All those questions we get about grain sorghum - quality, economics - the people asking are here, so we spent a copious amount of time answering their questions.”

Attendees participated in one-on-one consultations on the last day of the conference. Expert nutritional and technical consultants delivered clear, well-researched information and suggestions to end-users, providing the tools necessary to make informed decisions on DDGS and sorghum use in processing feed. Representatives from the growing markets in South Asia, in particular, benefited from these one-on-one consultations.

“We are beginning a heavy engagement with South Asia,” said Alejandra Danielson Castillo, USGC regional director for South Asia. “This was a great opportunity for our buyers to learn more about the nutritional and processing aspects of buying DDGS from the United States.”

The conference allowed time not only to answer an array of questions, but also for networking between U.S. sellers and overseas buyers. These face-to-face interactions are a critical component of the Council’s work to promote U.S. coarse grains and related products.

The Athens conference follows a similar buyers conference in 2017. The regional buyers conferences are part of the Council’s work to maximize the U.S. competitive advantage, develop strong ties to industry and facilitate opportunities to make or negotiate sales.

“At the end of the day, these conferences are put on to facilitate business,” said Reece H. Cannady, USGC manager of global trade. “We see events like these as a great use of our funds; the return on investment speaks for itself.”



BASF’s Revysol fungicide receives EPA registration

BASF received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration for Revysol® fungicide, its newest active ingredient (AI). The first and only isopropanol azole of its kind in the market, the AI provides fast-acting and long-lasting disease control for a broad range of crops and disease combinations.

“Revysol fungicide is the result of years of research and expertise. It was designed to meet the highest level of regulatory standards while helping growers manage their toughest disease challenges, including resistant plant pathogens,” said Paul Rea, Senior Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions North America. “Growers now have access to an outstanding new tool for disease management.”

Revysol fungicide has a unique isopropanol link that can flex to control a broad spectrum of fungal diseases and DMI-resistant strains. In recent BASF trials, it has shown exceptional biological performance against several economically significant diseases, including northern corn leaf blight in corn, cercospora leaf spot in sugarbeets, frogeye leaf spot in soybean, and powdery mildew in grapes. For growers challenged with resistance and seeking to maximize their yields, Revysol fungicide offers unique benefits when compared to DMI fungicides, including:
-    Application for a wide variety of crops, including corn, soybeans, grapes, potatoes and sugar beets.
-    Faster fungicide uptake by the plant, leading to immediate and powerful disease-protective action.
-    Quick absorption leading to excellent rainfastness and low water solubility, allowing the AI to move through the plant for longer residual activity.
-    Curative activity, or post-infection applications, made prior to symptoms developing, can help stop the disease from progressing and save yield.

“Revysol fungicide will give growers the confidence to manage disease and resistance effectively while reducing their exposure to weather-related risks,” said Paula Halabicki, BASF Technical Marketing Manager. “The treatment offers longer residual properties than its competitors and protects against many weather conditions like drought, hail, frost and heat.”

The AI will be available in several customized products, including Veltyma™ fungicide in corn; Revytek™ fungicide in soybeans; Provysol™ fungicide in potatoes, sugar beets and peanuts; and Cevya® fungicide in grapes, almonds, pome and stone fruit.

Revysol, and its related product brands, will be available to growers for the 2020 planting season.



Golden Harvest offers more local service with growing Seed Advisor footprint 

Chances are, there’s a new local, independent Golden Harvest® Seed Advisor in your area. Last year, Golden Harvest expanded its footprint with 156 new Seed Advisors, and the momentum continues as Golden Harvest plans to add 175 more Seed Advisors to its network in 2019.

“With all of the changes in the seed industry, it was really important for me and my customers to align with a major seed company moving forward,” said Nick Coleman, who is a new Golden Harvest Seed Advisor. “Golden Harvest has made great strides in terms of the products, technologies and traits they’re bringing to the farm level. Being able to partner with a company that has the innovation and commitment, to me, was a no-brainer.”

Golden Harvest Seed Advisors help farmers with agronomic selection and placement of Golden Harvest corn and soybeans to maximize their yield potential. Seed Advisors span the Midwest and work with farmers in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Golden Harvest Seed Advisors are backed by Syngenta, a global agriculture leader with a robust research and development pipeline.

In addition to sharing local agronomic knowledge, Golden Harvest Seed Advisors offer hybrids that feature proven genetics protected by high-performing Agrisure® traits and technologies. In focused areas, Golden Harvest Seed Advisors can also offer Enogen® corn hybrids to help enhance ethanol production, and Enogen Feed corn, which unlocks the energy potential of feedlot and dairy rations.

“When you are selling seed, it has to perform,” said Golden Harvest Seed Advisor Brian McEwen, who has been with Golden Harvest for five years. “However, you are not only selling a quality product, but you are also selling yourself. People buy from you because they believe in you. As Seed Advisors, we’re with farmers the whole way as part of their management decision team so they can do this again the next year and the next year.”

Golden Harvest Seed Advisors deliver customized service to farmers across the Corn Belt. The premier digital ag seed placement tool, E-Luminate®, helps them do just that by giving farmers personalized field recommendations. This tool provides decision support using agronomic data to determine which Golden Harvest hybrids will perform best on every acre.

In addition to the rollout of the E-Luminate tool, Syngenta announced an incremental $400 million investment in its seeds business last year.

“Our Seed Advisors are critical to deliver Golden Harvest genetics, agronomy and service to farmers,” said Clayton Becker, head of the Golden Harvest West Commercial Unit. “Giving our Seed Advisors the tools to succeed so they can build personal relationships, share local knowledge and provide customized service is a top priority to help ensure our farmers stay profitable year after year.”

Golden Harvest is actively recruiting new Seed Advisors. As a Golden Harvest Seed Advisor, you have access to an extensive network of ag sales representatives, agronomists and customer service specialists as well as state-of-the-art digital tools to support your business.