Friday January 17 Ag News

Nebraska students win regional Farm to School Month competition

In October, students in Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, competed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Regional Crunch Off.

“The event is a friendly competition to see which state can pledge the most celebratory bites into crunchy, local food per capita during the month of October,” said Justin Carter, project associate with the Center for Rural Affairs. “The goal of this event is to promote the purchase and consumption of local produce as well as celebrate Farm to School Month in a creative way.”

Nebraska was victorious, totaling the most crunches per capita with 88,812 participants, 4.58 percent of the state’s population.

“The Farm to School program feeds kids, teaches kids, and inspires kids about local, nutritious food and farm life,” said Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a co-sponsor of the federal Farm to School Act, after attending a Crunch Off event at Clinton Elementary in Lincoln. “I am very happy that the children of Nebraska will continue to benefit from this program and that our schools are embracing this opportunity to teach young people to ‘know your farmer, know your food.’”

The Nebraska crunches spent an estimated total of $14,300 on local foods. In the U.S., every dollar spent on farm to school activities generates $0.60 to $2.16 in economic activity.

Tamara Yarmon, nutrition services director at Omaha Public Schools, said the biggest challenge in supporting local producers is making the commitment. She has successfully worked with distributors to procure from Nebraska produce farmers as well as from larger local companies, such as Tecumseh Poultry.

“Procuring local food keeps people employed, highlights what’s produced in Nebraska, and shows students where their food comes from,” she said. “Local food needs to be a part of our culture, it needs to stay in the schools after folks move on or retire. You can’t think of it as a goal to achieve but as a continued effort that will last.”

“Nebraska’s Crunch Off victory is another step in helping create this culture,” Carter said.



Nebraska Farm Bureau Supports Revenue Committee’s Property Tax, School Funding Reform Proposal

A proposal by the Legislature’s Revenue Committee that seeks to lower property taxes and reform the way Nebraska funds K-12 schools has gained the support of the Nebraska Farm Bureau. According to Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson LB 974 makes progress in several areas of concern for the organization.

“LB 974 is a good bill. It provides property tax relief for all Nebraskans, including farm and ranch families who’ve experienced the greatest property tax increases. It also puts the state on the path of taking back responsibility for funding K-12 education; a responsibility that’s been pushed more and more onto property owners over the years,” said Nelson.

The property tax savings in the bill are achieved largely by using state dollars to replace property taxes now used to fund schools. The bill lowers property valuations for purposes of calculating state aid to schools in the state’s aid formula. The bill also directly lowers valuations for purpose of calculating property taxes due to local school districts.

Nelson says LB 974 also addresses a long-standing concern the organization has had as it relates to the treatment of Nebraska students.

“Under our current school funding system we have situations where the state is paying for the vast majority of the basic education costs for students in some school districts, while at the same time students in others schools, many of them rural in nature, receive little to no state support in comparison. We believe the state has an obligation to help pay for the basic education of all students, regardless of where they live,” said Nelson. “LB 974 moves in a positive direction by guaranteeing that at least 15 percent of the basic education costs of a school are provided for by the state, in addition to establishing additional per-student foundation aid for all schools.”

A public hearing before the Revenue Committee on LB 974 is scheduled for Wed. Jan. 22 at 1:30 p.m. (CT) in room 1524 of the State Capitol.

“I encourage Nebraskans to let their senator know that they support this important piece of legislation that recognizes the importance of quality education for our students, while respecting the need to reduce property tax pressures on Nebraska taxpayers,” said Nelson.



March 1, 2020, deadline for soybean farmers interested in United Soybean Board nominations

The Nebraska Soybean Board (NSB) is looking for soybean farmers interested in filling one of Nebraska’s four director positions with the United Soybean Board (USB), for a three-year term.

USB is made up of 78 volunteer farmer-leaders who oversee the investments of the soybean checkoff on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers. Checkoff funds are invested in the areas of meal, oil and sustainability, focusing on programs and partnerships that drive demand and preference for U.S. soy. As stipulated in the Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soybean checkoff.

Any farmer interested in applying needs to meet the following criteria:
-    Be involved in a farming operation that grows soybeans
-    Be a resident of Nebraska
-    Be at least 21 years of age

To be considered for the national leadership position, interested farmers need to submit a USDA Background Information Form before the March 1, 2020, deadline. To obtain this form, contact Victor Bohuslavsky at the Nebraska Soybean Board office at 402-432-5720.

The Nebraska Soybean Board members will submit a “first preferred choice nominee” and “second preferred choice alternate” for the open positions to USDA for consideration. The Secretary of Agriculture will make the final appointments. The USDA has a policy that membership on USDA boards and committees is open to all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation and martial or family status. The chosen individual appointed is eligible to serve a total of three consecutive terms.

For more information about the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org.



USDA Invests $5.7 Million in Broadband for Rural Nebraska Communities

Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Greg Ibach announced that USDA has invested $5.7 million in a high-speed broadband infrastructure project that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity in parts of three Nebraska counties. The investment is expected to connect 489 rural households, 24 farms and eight businesses to high-speed broadband internet in unserved portions of Madison, Wayne and Pierce counties. This is one of many funding announcements in the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments.

“From my experience on my family’s farm to my time as Nebraska’s Director of Agriculture, I know first-hand that high-speed broadband internet connectivity is essential to making agricultural businesses more efficient and profitable,” Ibach said. “While serving the state of Nebraska, I saw the potential impact that high-speed broadband would have not only for agricultural producers, but for everyone in our community. It is a privilege to now serve at USDA, under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, and see the Administration make the deployment of this critical infrastructure in rural America a top priority.”

Eastern Nebraska Telephone Company will use a $5.7 million ReConnect Program grant to construct 221 miles of fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband infrastructure. The company will use matching funds of $1.9 million to complete the project, for a total project cost of $7.6 million. Eastern is a certificated local exchange carrier providing broadband service to its eight exchanges in eastern Nebraska. The company, headquartered in Blair, Neb., provides long-distance and wireline voice to all its exchange areas and high-speed broadband service to select areas.



USDA Announces High-Speed Broadband Investment for Rural Nebraska

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Commerce and Agriculture Committees and a long-time advocate for expanding connectivity in rural America, released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it has invested $5.7 million in high-speed broadband infrastructure to create and improve rural e-connectivity in three Nebraska counties:

“High-speed internet access is an essential resource for Nebraska families, agriculture, communities and businesses. Whether you live in a rural area or a city, it’s critical that we continue deploying and strengthening our broadband infrastructure. I applaud the USDA for making this investment in the Heartland,” said Senator Fischer.

More information:
The $5.7 million investment comes through the USDA’s ReConnect Program, and will be awarded to Eastern Nebraska Telephone Company to construct 221 miles of fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband infrastructure in unserved portions of Madison, Wayne, and Pierce counties. The investment is expected to connect 489 rural households, 24 farms, and eight businesses.

In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On Dec. 13, 2018, Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the ReConnect Program, including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America.

In November, Senator Fischer joined her colleagues in writing a letter to the USDA urging the agency to make adjustments to the ReConnect Program’s application process to reduce barriers and encourage fuller participation, which the USDA committed to incorporating.



Register Now for the 22nd Annual Iowa Farmers Market Association Workshop

Registration for the 22nd annual Iowa Farmers Market Association Workshop is now open. The event, organized by the Iowa Farmers Market Association with assistance from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, will take place on Feb. 8, 2020. It will be held at the Grace Lutheran Church, 3010 52nd Street, Des Moines, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The workshop brings together farmers market managers and vendors from around the state to share ideas about promoting and growing their markets.

This year's guest speaker is Dr. Alphonso Morales, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Morales will take an in-depth look at the history of markets and describe how markets can position themselves as community assets.

Other topics that will be covered during the workshop include grant funding opportunities, enhancing markets with food trucks, a look at Farmers Market Coalition metrics in Iowa, updates on the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), the Iowa Sensitive Crop Registry, Double Up Food Bucks Program, and a question and answer period with staff from the Iowa Food and Consumer Safety Bureau. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will perform scale inspections and licensing and conduct a training session for the FMNP.

New this year, participants have the option to register and pay online through Eventbrite. Attendees can also view the full agenda or download a printable registration form on the IFMA website at iafarmersmarkets.org.

Questions about the event can be directed to Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship State Horticulturist Paul Ovrom at paul.ovrom@iowaagriculture.gov or 515-242-6239.



Farm Lending Declines at End of 2019
Nathan Kauffman, Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive
Ty Kreitman, Assistant Economist

Farm lending activity declined for a second consecutive quarter at commercial banks as 2019 closed. A reduction in non-real estate farm lending, particularly for operating loans, was the primary contributor to a reduced volume of loans at banks with portfolios concentrated in agriculture. The declines came alongside an additional reduction in production expenses, but reduced loan demand likely also was due to an increase in revenue from government payments (Market Facilitation Program) connected to trade disputes that lingered through the year.

Fourth Quarter National Farm Loan Data
The volume of agricultural lending at commercial banks remained elevated, but declined for a second consecutive quarter. Total non-real estate farm loans decreased about 12 percent in the fourth quarter and declined over consecutive quarters for the first time since early 2017. Following average annual growth of more than 10 percent in 2017 and 2018 and several quarters of sharp increases, lending activity contracted in the second half of the year and, on average, was 5 percent lower in 2019.
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Despite decreasing from a year ago, farm lending volumes remained higher than the 20-year average. Total volume of non-real estate loans averaged about $90 billion in 2019 and was about 8 percent above the average since 1999. Overall, persistent weaknesses in the farm sector have continued to stimulate strong demand for agricultural lending, although Market Facilitation Program payments in the second half of 2019 and relatively strong crop yields may have curbed demand in the fourth quarter. In fact, on a rolling four-quarter basis, farm lending has been above the recent historical norm for all but three quarters since 2014.

The slight pullback in agricultural lending during 2019 was driven by a decrease in the volume of operating loans and lending at banks with large farm loan portfolios. Nearly all of the $6 billion decline in the average volume of non-real estate loans in 2019 was attributed to operating loans. In addition, non-real estate lending at banks with farm loan portfolios larger than $25 million decreased about $8 billion, but increased more than $2 billion at banks below that threshold in 2019.

In addition to recent government payments and increased production, lower production expenses likely also have limited demand for farm loans. Adjusted for inflation, 2019 agricultural production expenses were more than 15 percent lower than the historical highs in 2014. Similarly, farm operating and livestock loans have edged lower in 2019 and have declined about 9 percent since 2014. A decrease in crop input expenses and lower feed costs accounted for the majority of the decline in total expenses, and that drop has contributed to a modest reduction in demand for credit.

Alongside reduced loan volumes in the fourth quarter, the average interest rate and maturity of new loans declined slightly. Interest rates on all loan types remained well below the 20-year average while maturities remained slightly above the average for most loan types. The decline in both interest rates and maturities was largest for machinery and equipment loans. In addition, the decreases also were slightly greater at banks with larger farm loan portfolios.

Third Quarter Call Report Data
Farm loans outstanding at commercial banks declined through the third quarter, according to Call Report data. Total agricultural loans decreased from the previous year for the first time since 2011, due primarily to the exit of a large agricultural loan portfolio from commercial bank reporting. Excluding all loans at that institution, farm real estate debt increased 3 percent and non-real estate loan balances were little changed. Increases in farm real estate loans continued to support steady growth in total agricultural debt at commercial banks through the third quarter, but the pace of growth slowed.

As farm debt at commercial banks has increased in recent years, lending also has become more concentrated among a smaller share of institutions. Banks with farm loan portfolios greater than $250 million held 36 percent of outstanding balances through the third quarter, compared with 23 percent in 2000. General inflation has contributed to the growth in the size of farm loan portfolios at larger institutions. However, consolidation and other factors also are likely to have contributed to an increased concentration of agricultural lending at commercial banks.

Delinquency rates on farm loans continued to increase at a modest pace through the third quarter alongside elevated levels of farm debt. While remaining historically low, loans that were considered past due at banks with the largest farm loan portfolios were higher than at institutions smaller in size. Since 2015, the share of farm loans past due at banks with farm loan portfolios more than $500 million have been about 70 basis points higher than the rate at all banks.

Despite an ongoing trend of increasing delinquency rates on farm loans, financial performance has remained relatively strong at agricultural banks. The return on assets at agricultural banks remained at a 20-year high, increasing slightly from a year ago. Moreover, even as profit margins among agricultural producers have remained subdued, returns at agricultural banks have kept pace with most other banks in recent years.

Third Quarter Regional Agricultural Data
Similar to national trends, regional Federal Reserve surveys of agricultural credit conditions also indicated that demand for farm loans increased at a slower pace than recent years. While loan demand remained strong overall, the share of bankers reporting higher farm loan demand was lower in nearly all participating Districts. The pace slowed the most in the Minneapolis District and loan demand continued to contract in the Dallas District.

Alongside a slight increase in farm loan delinquency rates, regional contacts continued to report declines in farm loan repayment rates. The pace of decline in repayment rates increased from a year ago in all Districts expect Chicago. The pace of decline increased moderately in the Dallas and St. Louis Districts and slightly in Kansas City and Minneapolis.

Similar to recent quarters, farm real estate values remained relatively stable. The average value of non-irrigated farmland in all participating Districts changed less than 2 percent in the third quarter. Declines were slightly larger in the northern most states during the third quarter, but remained modest; values increased slightly in Texas and Oklahoma.

Conclusion
The volume of new farm loans originated at commercial banks remained above recent historical norms, but continued to ease in the fourth quarter. The decrease in lending activity was driven by operating loans, which have declined in the past several years alongside relatively lower agricultural production expenses and, more recently, government payments. However, delinquency rates on farm loans continued to edge higher and the outlook for farm finances in 2020 will depend critically on cash flow projections and the need for financing operating loans in the new year.



USDA Reminds Producers to Pay Their Crop Insurance Premiums by January 31

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) is reminding producers that their crop insurance premiums for the 2019 crop year are due January 31. Under this change, policies that do not have the premium paid by January 31, 2020, will have interest attach on February 1, calculated from the date of the premium billing notice.

USDA had deferred to January 31, 2020, the accrual of interest on 2019 crop year insurance premiums for most policies with a premium billing date of August 15, 2019, to help the large number of farmers and ranchers affected by extreme weather in 2019.

“At USDA, we understood the challenges that farmers and ranchers faced due to inclement weather last year, so we deferred the interest to give producers additional time to pay their premium, which is now due on January 31,” RMA Administrator Martin Barbre said. “We urge producers to make their premium payment on time to ensure they don’t get charged interest back to their premium billing notice date.”

The extended interest deferral built on other steps taken by USDA to support farmers and ranchers impacted by flooding and other disasters. As of January 13, RMA has paid roughly $8.1 billion in overall claims for the 2019 crop year.

Producers are encouraged to contact their crop insurance agents for more information or assistance.



USDA Announces School and Summer Meals Reforms

Delivering on his promise to act on feedback from dietary professionals, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced two proposals today that will put local school and summer food service operators back in the driver’s seat of their programs, because they know their children best. Under the school meals proposed rule, school nutrition professionals have more flexibility to serve appetizing and healthy meals that appeal to their students’ preferences and subsequently reduce food waste. The proposed rule also encourages state and local operators to focus resources on feeding children rather than administrative paperwork. These improvements build on the 2018 reforms that preserve strong nutrition standards while providing schools the additional flexibilities they need to best serve America's students.

“Schools and school districts continue to tell us that there is still too much food waste and that more common-sense flexibility is needed to provide students nutritious and appetizing meals. We listened and now we’re getting to work,” said Secretary Perdue. “Our proposed changes empower schools to give their very best to our children nationwide and have the potential to benefit nearly 100,000 schools and institutions that feed 30 million children each school day through USDA’s school meal programs. Providing children with wholesome, nutritious food is part of our motto at USDA, which is to ‘do right and feed everyone.’”

Background:
The school meals proposed rule would continue to ensure children receive wholesome, tasty meals that provide the nutrition they need to grow and thrive, while offering increased flexibilities for local school districts to serve children food they will want to eat, by:
    Allowing local schools to offer more vegetable varieties, while keeping plenty of veggies in each meal;
    Making it easier for schools to offer school lunch entrees for a la carte purchase, thereby reducing food waste;
    Providing schools options to customize meal patterns to best serve children in different grades or smaller schools who eat together;
    Supporting a more customized school breakfast environment by letting schools adjust fruit servings and making it simpler to offer meats/meat alternates, ultimately encouraging breakfast options outside the cafeteria so students can start their day with a healthy breakfast; and
    Shifting to a performance-focused administrative review process that is less burdensome and time consuming, which would increase collaboration with operators to improve program integrity.

USDA also proposed another rule with customer-focused reforms to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which serves more than 2.6 million children during the summer months, when they are at higher risk of food insecurity and poor nutrition because they do not have access to school meals. The summer feeding rule offers operators more local control to better serve children by:
    Providing more flexibilities in choosing meal offerings, meal service times, and allowing children to take certain nonperishable food items offsite;
    Granting tested and proven flexibilities that make it easier for sponsors and sites to participate by reducing paperwork and streamlining the application process for high-performing, experienced operators;
    Balancing program integrity and flexibility with stronger monitoring to help sponsors maximize their resources; and
    Clarifying performance standards and eligibility requirements for sites.

USDA remains committed to listening to and collaborating with customers, partners, and stakeholders to make these proposed reforms as effective as possible and encourages all those who are interested in school meals, summer meals, and all child nutrition programs to comment on the proposals once they publish on Regulations.gov.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) works to reduce food insecurity and promote nutritious diets among the American people. The agency administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that leverage American’s agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.



ACE: Mexico Supreme Court rules against E10 implementation process, not the product

This week, the Mexico Supreme Court ruled against the regulation allowing for higher ethanol content in gasoline, based on the way in which the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) implemented the change in 2017. In July of that year, the CRE decided to increase the maximum content of ethanol in gasoline as an oxygenate to 10 percent, up from 5.8 percent, outside of the major metropolitan areas of Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in the regulatory standard NOM-016-CRE-2016. American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Senior Vice President and Market Development Director Ron Lamberty traveled to Mexico on behalf of the U.S. Grains Council over the past few years participating in technical ethanol workshops to educate fuel retailers and equipment suppliers about offering E10. Lamberty released the following statement after the Court’s ruling:

“The Mexico Supreme Court ruled against the process, not the product, and the oil/MTBE industry can't really be happy the court said the CRE needs to weigh economic benefit (which clearly favors ethanol) against risks to the environment (which also favor ethanol). The ruling won't go into effect for 180 days, and proving ethanol is cheaper and better than MTBE for the environment shouldn't even take 180 minutes.

“Oil and MTBE’s strategy translates in any language. They can't win based on science, so they try to throw a stick in ethanol’s spokes by going to the courts and filing a multitude of lawsuits to prevent ethanol from competing in the marketplace. In the rare instance they win a case, Big Oil distorts the decision as some sort of scientific indictment of ethanol, but lawyers and judges aren’t scientists, and I doubt any of them even believe gas, oil or MTBE is better for the environment than ethanol.”



U.S. Wheat Associates Board of Directors Elect Officers for 2020/21
The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) board of directors elected new officers for the 2020/21 (July to June) fiscal year at their meeting Jan 17, 2020, in Washington, D.C. The board elected Michael Peters of Okarche, Okla. as Secretary-Treasurer; Rhonda Larson of East Grand Forks, Minn., as Vice Chairman; Darren Padget of Grass Valley, Ore., as Chairman. These farmers will begin their new leadership roles at the USW board meeting in June 2020 when current Chairman Doug Goyings of Paulding, Ohio, will become Past Chairman. USW is the export market development organization for the U.S. wheat industry.

"I'm excited. We have a great team here at U.S. Wheat Associates," Peters said after his election as the next USW officer. "I'm sure there will be many challenges ahead but I'm looking forward to tackling them."

Peters said being asked to represent Oklahoma wheat farmers in Italy, Israel and Morocco first peaked his interest in the work being done overseas to promote U.S. wheat. "It is very important to for us to build upon those relationships and support to increase overseas demand," he added.

Michael Peters is a farmer and rancher growing hard red winter wheat and canola, and winter grazing stocker cattle on wheat. Peters is President of his local CHS Coop Board, is a member of the Okarche Rural Fire Fighters' Association Board. He has also served as President of  St. John’s Lutheran Church. He currently serves as a Commissioner and Secretary of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. As a USW Director, Peters serves as Chairman of the Wheat Quality Committee. He has participated in several farm leadership programs sponsored by CHS and the National Wheat Foundation. Peters and his wife Linda have two teenage boys who work with him and his father on their farm.

Rhonda Larson was raised on her family’s Red River Valley farm and has been engaged in the operation full-time for nearly 30 years. Her father started the farm 51 years ago growing potatoes, wheat and barley. With her two brothers and her son, the third generation on the farm, they currently grow wheat and sugarbeets. Larson has been a board member of the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council for 17 years; serving as chair from 2010 to 2012. She served on the Wheat Foods Council board and is a long-time member of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association. As a USW director, she served on the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Budget Committee. Larson received a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a juris doctor’s degree in law from the University of North Dakota.

Darren Padget is a fourth-generation farmer in Oregon’s Sherman County, with a dryland wheat and summer fallow rotation currently producing registered and certified seed on 3,400 acres annually. Previously, Padget held positions on the Oregon Wheat Growers League board of directors and executive committee for seven years, serving as president in 2010. He chaired the Research and Technology Committee for the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and served on the Mid-Columbia Producers board of directors, for which he was an officer for 10 years.

Doug Goyings’ family has been farming in northwestern Ohio since 1884. Together with his wife Diane, son Jeremy, daughter-in-law Jessica and his twin grandsons, Goyings grows soft red winter (SRW) and has hosted numerous trade teams on their farm. With more than 35 years of experience representing wheat and Ohio agriculture, Goyings has been a member of the USW board while serving as a director for the Ohio Small Grains Checkoff Board since 2009 and is a past chairman of the USW Long-Range Planning Committee. He is also a past-president of his local Farm Bureau and previously sat on the board of directors for the Ohio Veal Growers Inc., Creston Veal, Inc., and Paulding Landmark, Inc.



Alltech launches relief effort for Australian farmers

Even as rain begins to fall in some parts of Australia, wildfires continue to devastate large portions of the country. The fires have already destroyed an estimated 10 million hectares, claiming 25 lives and killing wildlife and livestock. Alltech, a leading animal nutrition company, is lending its support to the country’s agriculture industry, launching a global fundraising effort for farmers and pledging to match donations dollar-for-dollar. The Australia Farming Relief Fund will provide goods and services directly to producers and will be coordinated on the ground by Alltech family companies Alltech Lienert Australia and KEENAN Australia. 

“The Australia Farming Relief Fund represents a coordinated effort among our Alltech family, suppliers, customers and the global agriculture industry to support the producers who feed our families and are the core of our rural communities,” said Mark Peebles, managing director of Alltech Lienert, which is located in Roseworthy, Australia. “The bushfires have been devastating, but Australians are resilient, and we are committed to rallying around our farmers as they recover from this crisis.”

As farmers assess the damage, the loss of livestock is expected to exceed 100,000. Producers, who were already contending with a three-year drought, are struggling to secure supplies and feed.

Alltech Lienert and KEENAN Australia will use their resources to distribute supplies either donated locally or purchased using donations from the Australia Farming Relief Fund. Such supplies will include hay, finished feed, feed supplements, silage, water troughs, fencing and non-perishable items. The companies will deploy their trucks and drivers to deliver supplies to producers in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland. Team members will also volunteer their time to work alongside farmers, rebuilding fences, repairing sheds and providing any on-farm support they need.

The effort will initially focus on dairies, sheep and beef farms, and apiaries. Alltech is also exploring partnerships that will offer longer-term mental health support for farmers grappling with trauma as a result of the fires.