Monday January 13 Ag News

2020 Class of the Corn and Soybean Ambassador Program Announced

This year, eleven University of Nebraska-Lincoln students, as part of the 2020 Corn and Soy Collegiate Ambassador Program, are getting the chance to learn more about the corn and soybean industries. The Nebraska Corn Growers Association and Nebraska Soybean Association launched the Corn and Soy Ambassador Program to give students a comprehensive understanding of the industries. The program’s goals are to educate the students about state and federal policy issues affecting agriculture, and opportunities available to them from supporting organizations like the Nebraska Corn Board, Nebraska Soybean Board and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Following the completion of the program students will be recognized at the annual meetings of the corn and soybean associations, and each will be presented a $500 scholarship to help them with school expenses. Funding for portions of the program is being provided by the Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Soybean Board.

The eleven members of the 2020 class are:
    Nicole Hanson, Concord
    Alexandria Humlicek, Linwood
    Halie Andreasen, St. Edward
    Taylor Nielsen, Lincoln
    Jennifer Howsden, Alma
    Tanner Nun, Geneva
    Josh Bauer, Ravenna
    Payton Flower, Scottsbluff
    Emma Hoffschneider, Burwell
    Daniel Petersen, Nora
    Brigita Rasmussen, Hudson, SD

During the year the ambassadors will take part in four seminars. The first seminar covers state and federal policies affecting the corn and soybean industries. The second seminar will focus on the role of checkoff programs in promoting corn and soybeans.

During the summer students will partake in an ag industry bus tour. Stops will include different agribusinesses including manufacturing, production, and processing. These stops will hopefully give students more insight into potential jobs and internships in the industry. As part of the program students are also asked to spend time promoting the state’s corn and soybean grower associations and checkoffs at promotional events such as Husker Harvest Day and Soybean Management Field Days.

The Nebraska Corn Growers Association and Nebraska Soybean Association would like to congratulate the recently graduated nine members of the 2019 Corn and Soy Ambassador class on a successful year!



Beef Quality Assurance Program Continues Impressive Growth

The Beef Quality Assurance program continues to grow significantly, with more than 100,000 cattle producers now certified through its online learning system. The online option was introduced by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, in early 2017. Since the BQA program was initiated in the early 1990s hundreds of thousands have become BQA-certified through in-person and online training, with an estimated 85 percent of the U.S. fed beef supply now touched by BQA-certified operations.

The Beef Checkoff-funded BQA program is a nationally coordinated, state implemented program that provides systematic information to U.S. beef producers and beef consumers of how commonsense husbandry techniques can be coupled with accepted scientific knowledge to raise cattle under optimum management and environmental conditions. BQA guidelines are designed to make certain all beef consumers can take pride in what they purchase – and can trust and have confidence in the entire beef industry.

Online BQA training provides 24/7 access to the program through a series of videos and animations. While in-person training is still available through numerous sessions conducted by in-state BQA coordinators throughout the country, online certification provides a chance for certification at any time. Three courses are available (cow/calf, stocker/backgrounder and feedyard) to deliver a program that most closely aligns with the individual’s operation. The tools are also available in Spanish. BQA Transportation training for professional cattle haulers and farmers and ranchers is also available through the platform.

“Over the past year we’ve doubled our online certifications, which is a tremendous accomplishment,” according to Bob Smith, DVM, chair of the BQA Advisory Board. “This demonstrates that U.S. beef producers and transporters continue to embrace this tool for optimizing quality in their operations. Those participating in the BQA program can be proud of their work, which gives consumers more confidence in the beef they’re buying.”

For information on completing online BQA training, go to https://www.bqa.org/certification.



USDA to Re-Survey for Unharvested Corn, Soybeans

USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service will re-contact respondents who previously reported acreage not yet harvested in Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin in the spring, once producers are able to finish harvesting remaining acres. If the newly collected data justifies any changes, NASS will update the Jan. 10 estimates in a future report. Stocks estimates are also subject to review since unharvested production is included in the estimate of on-farm stocks.

When producers were surveyed for the Crop Production 2019 Summary there was significant unharvested acreage of corn in Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; and soybean acreage not yet harvested in Michigan, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. The unharvested area and expected production were included in the totals released on Jan. 10.

As a result of this work, NASS may release updated acreage, yield, production, and stocks estimates for corn and soybeans later this spring. Because farmers' ability to complete harvest is impacted by winter weather, timing of the re-contacts and subsequent publication schedule will be announced at a later date.



Peterson Bill Would Allow Marketing of Hemp-Derived CBD in Dietary Supplements

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota introduced legislation today that would provide the Food and Drug Administration with the flexibility to allow hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) to be marketed in dietary supplements. The bill would also require a study and report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the production of hemp, on the regulatory and market barriers for farmers engaged in hemp production.

“The last two Farm Bills were landmark successes for hemp, but we are still very early in this process, and growers need regulatory certainty,” said Peterson. “This bill will allow FDA to regulate CBD that comes from hemp as a dietary supplement, providing a pathway forward for hemp-derived products. It would also identify barriers to success for hemp farmers, informing growers and policy makers of the challenges facing this new industry.”



Trump to Speak with Farmers and Ranchers at Farm Bureau’s Annual Convention

President Donald J. Trump, for the third year in a row, will address farm and ranch families at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 101st Annual Convention. The address is scheduled for January 19 in Austin, Texas, at the Austin Convention Center.

“The American Farm Bureau is honored President Trump will return for a third consecutive year to speak with farmers and ranchers who work tirelessly to produce the quality food and fiber our country needs,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “We are grateful that he has made agricultural issues a priority and look forward to welcoming him to Austin at a time when there is much to talk about, from trade progress to important regulatory reforms.”

Other officials currently scheduled to attend are: Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).



Beef Exports (again) a Key Factor to Watch in 2020
Josh Maples, Extension Economist, Dept of Ag Econ, Mississippi State University

The latest Monthly Trade data for November 2019 was released by USDA Economic Research Service last week. The report continued the recent trend of lower monthly exports as compared to 2018. After three consecutive years of double-digit increases (2016-2018) in beef exports, current data show January-November 2019 exports to be down 4.6 percent compared to the same period in 2018. There are also new and hopeful trade deals to add to the mix with Japan, Canada, Mexico, and China. Needless to say, there are plenty of moving parts for 2020.

November 2019 beef exports were 8 percent below the same month of 2018 at just under 245 million pounds. For January-November 2019, exports to four of the top five destinations were lower (Japan, Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong) with the exception of South Korea which is up 6.3 percent. Japan is still the top destination for U.S. beef though the gap between first and second place narrowed. Through November 2019, 26.5 percent of U.S. beef exports went to Japan and 22.6 percent went to South Korea. In 2018, 28 percent of beef exports went to Japan and 20.2 percent went to South Korea. Exports to Mexico (14.1 percent of total) and Canada (8.8 percent of total) are below year-ago levels but are tracking near their respective export shares for 2018. Exports to Hong Kong meanwhile are down 23 percent through November and the share of total exports was only 7.5 percent compared to 10 percent in 2018.

It is important to note that 2019 was not at all a "bad" year for beef exports. Even with the decline from 2018, it will still very likely go down as the second-largest beef export year on record. The 3.02 billion pounds of 2019 beef exports projected by the monthly USDA World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) would trail only the 3.16 billion pounds exported in 2018.

On the trade agreement front, the bilateral trade deal with Japan will lower tariffs on U.S. beef and has the potential to slow the decline in U.S. market share in Japan. The expected agreement with Canada and Mexico (USMCA) would also remove uncertainty about the future of trade with those countries. Though exports to China are only one percent of US total beef exports, the increasing reports that a Phase 1 trade agreement with China will be reached could also alleviate market uncertainty across many products. Put it all together and the trade agreement news for beef has been positive in recent months.

Where does that leave us for 2020? It leaves us with plenty of questions! Beef exports are generally expected to be strong in 2020. The latest WASDE projection for 2020 beef exports is 3.3 billion pounds which would be a new record and about 9 percent above 2019 levels. But the recent declines and the impact of new and expected trade deals should make exports in 2020 interesting to track.



New Consumer Lawsuit Challenges USDA’s New Swine Inspection System
Press Release

Today, Center for Food Safety (CFS), Food & Water Watch (FWW), and two supporting members filed an action against the U.S. Department of Agriculture for issuing New Swine Inspection System (NSIS) rules that undermine pork-safety inspection in slaughter plants.

The NSIS rules are a draconian reversal to the swine slaughter inspection system that has existed in the United States since 1906. Prior federal law required that meat inspectors critically examine each and every animal for conditions (as dangerous as septicemia and salmonella) before and after slaughter.

The new rules prevent such inspection and hand over these responsibilities to the slaughter companies themselves. They also surrender federal control over removing contamination from carcasses to slaughter companies without any minimum training requirements for slaughter-plant employees.

At the same time, the NSIS rules lifted prior limits on slaughter-line speeds that were in place to prevent foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Even with these line-speed limits, contaminated pork may cause as many as 1.5 million cases of foodborne illnesses, 7,000 hospitalizations, and 200 deaths in the United States each year.

The lawsuit claims NSIS rules cannot stand and must be permanently stopped. USDA is acting beyond its authority in essentially leaving inspection up to slaughter companies. These new rules are contrary to the Federal Meat Inspection Act.

“Reducing the number of trained federal inspectors and increasing line speeds is a recipe for disaster,” said Ryan Talbott, Staff Attorney for CFS. “USDA has an obligation to protect the health and welfare of consumers. USDA cannot do that when it takes a back seat and lets the slaughter plants largely regulate themselves.” 

“There is no gray area here. The new rules curtail the ability of federal inspectors to detect serious food-safety problems and expose those who consume such pork products to serious health threats like salmonella,” said Zach Corrigan, Senior Staff Attorney, Food & Water Watch. “It’s easy to read between the lines with these new rules: the USDA is letting the wolf guard the hog-house. Food safety is one of the most important protections in our country and gifting the slaughter industry self-regulation powers will mean pork eaters in this country will be facing higher threats of disease.”

This is the fourth action challenging the NSIS rules. FWW has filed a separate lawsuit for the agency’s violation of the Freedom of Information Act and concealing of information related to the rules. The newest complaint is the first to challenge the rules because of the harm posed to consumers. The 69-page complaint details in more than 358 paragraphs how the agency has delegated critical inspection activities to the slaughter companies themselves and how this will harm public health. Two other groups have challenged the rules because of the harm posed to plant employees and to the animals because they will result in inhumane treatment.