Monday January 20 Ag News

BOSTELMAN FILES FOR REELECTION

Senator Bruce Bostelman of Brainard (Republican) announced he has filed to seek reelection to the Nebraska Legislature in District 23. District 23 includes Butler and Saunders Counties as well as most of Colfax County.

“It is an honor to serve the people of District 23 in the Legislature,” said Sen. Bostelman. “I am working to earn your support again so I can continue to fight for property tax relief, grow agriculture and Main Street, and protect our pro-life values. Together, we can keep Nebraska moving forward and create more opportunities for our rural communities."

Sen. Bostelman has the endorsement of Governor Pete Ricketts and Lt. Governor Mike Foley as well as former Governor Dave Heineman, former Governor Kay Orr, and numerous State Senators.



National Pork Board Makes Changes to Senior Leadership Team

The National Pork Board has announced senior leadership changes to better implement a new Pork Checkoff vision, structure and operating plan supported by its board of directors – the first major restructuring in nearly 20 years.

The new plan was developed with grassroots input from across the industry, including more than 1,000 pork producers, and focuses on two overarching goals, to build trust and to add value. To deliver on these goals and the expectations of pork industry leaders for nimbleness and forward-thinking, the National Pork Board has restructured staff teams and elevated high performers to lead them.

“We have our marching orders – to move at the speed of business and to be consumer-focused, producer-led. That is how we will keep pork relevant and competitive,” said Bill Even, National Pork Board CEO. “These changes align highly capable leaders and staff with the work that must be done, such as making continuous improvement through We CareSM and protecting swine health from foreign animal disease.”
 
Highlights of the changes include:
    Jerry Flint, who has served as vice president of outreach and engagement for the National Pork Board since August 2019, is assuming the role of chief operations officer. Prior to joining the Pork Board, Flint held leadership roles at Corteva Agriscience and Monsanto. The respected agriculture leader will apply his ability to motivate teams and drive accountability in Pork Board operations.

    John Johnson is transitioning to consultant status as of Feb. 14 after more than 10 years serving the National Pork Board as vice president of strategic administration and as chief operations officer. In his new capacity, Johnson will conduct outreach in the Northeast about pork farmers’ commitment to the We CareSM ethical principles.  

    Jarrod Sutton, the previous vice president of domestic marketing, is now senior vice president of strategy and innovation. The 20-year Pork Board veteran has served the industry in retail marketing, channel marketing and social responsibility roles. In his new position, Sutton’s team will help the Pork Board rise to the challenge of being more future-focused, insight-driven and responsive to customers.

    Angie Krieger has been promoted to vice president of domestic marketing after nearly three years with the National Pork Board in packer relations and channel outreach roles. Krieger joined the Pork Board from JBS and had previously spent 14 years at Cargill. As a result, she is very in tune with the supply chain and is passionate about leading her team to add value for pork producers.   

    Brett Kaysen, is the new vice president of sustainability. Kaysen joined the National Pork Board nearly two years ago from Zoetis. As a pig farmer who also spent more than 16 years teaching at Colorado State University, Kaysen is uniquely qualified to lead his team of experts in public health, environment and animal welfare to ensure broad adoption of the We CareSM ethical principles.

    Dave Pyburn, DVM, as the National Pork Board’s chief veterinarian, will lead a team of veterinarians and swine production experts. Pyburn rejoined the Pork Board in 2013 after 13 years as the senior veterinary medical officer at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. This new focus will allow Pyburn to leverage his experience and relationships to help protect the U.S. pork industry from foreign animal disease.

    Jill Criss is now senior vice president of human resources and administration. Criss has provided human resources/operations services and leadership to the National Pork Board for more than 16 years. Criss will be on the front lines of hiring and training the high-quality talent needed to implement the new strategic plan as well as ensuring internal administrative processes are streamlined for success.

“In short, we’re ready and excited to be starting 2020 and the new decade with a new vision, a few clear priorities and the resources – people, budget and organizational structure – to accomplish them,” Even said.



CattleFax Cow-Calf Survey Released

CattleFax has introduced its annual Cow-Calf Survey sponsored by Crystalyx. Information requested in the survey provides participants and the rest of the industry with valuable data regarding industry benchmarks and trends.

Survey participants will receive a results summary packet, with useful informaiton that will allow managers and owners to evaluate their own operations. Items such as cow-calf profitability, tendencies of high and low return producers, regional data and other valuable materials are included. To receive the summary packet, a valid email address must be submitted. Individual results will be confidential and remain anonymous.

By completing the survey and submitting a valid email address, participants will also be entered in a drawing to win a $700 CattleFax voucher. The credit can be used for any CattleFax memberships, registration fees for education seminars (Corporate College and Risk Management Seminar), and/or registration fees for the annual Outlook and Strategies Session.

The survey can be accessed by going to cattlefax.com, selecting the About tab at the top of the page, and then clicking on 2019 Cow-Calf Survey on the sidebar. The deadline to complete the survey is February 21, 2020.



Purdue Study Confirms Benefits of US Biodiesel, Addresses Concerns over Deforestation

The impacts of US biofuel policy on deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia are found to be insignificant, according to the latest research from leading economic modeling experts from Purdue University. The study looked at concerns from renewable fuel opponents claiming that biofuels are to blame for increased agricultural activity in southeast Asia.

“Our analysis shows that less than one percent of the land cleared in Indonesia and Malaysia can be tied to U.S. biofuel production,” said Farzad Taheripour, a research associate professor in Purdue agricultural economics. “The amount is not significant.”

Previous analysis published by USEPA, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Argonne National Laboratory have quantified the benefits of using biodiesel in place of fossil fuel because of its significant reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). With a quantified reduction in carbon dioxide emissions between 50 and 86 percent lower than petroleum, biodiesel and renewable diesel are experiencing increased use under federal and state policies.

This new research also confirms there is no shortage of fats and oils used to make biodiesel. Nor is there a shortage of land in the US for producing farm commodities.

“In the U.S, we have lots of unused land available to farmers who can convert it to corn or soybeans. There has been no need to cut forests here,” Taheripour said. “In addition, crop productivity has increased significantly over time, providing more yield on the same amount of land. Because of those, the expected deforestation or conversion of natural land has not had to largely happen to account for U.S. biofuel production.”

Taheripour and the late Wally Tyner, who also contributed to this study have been modeling environmental impacts of energy policy for over a decade. Together, with various collaborators and researchers, they developed the GTAP-BIO model for CARB to quantify the market-mediated impacts of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the national Renewable Fuel Standard. Those polices hold biofuels accountable for increased agricultural production predicted to occur all around the world.

“It doesn’t matter that this increased agricultural production is for producing food and not for producing biofuels,” said Don Scott, director of sustainability for the National Biodiesel Board. “Biofuels are held responsible for the positive economic signals created by these policies. Biodiesel is the leading edge of the bioeconomy, and even renewable industries are held accountable for changes in net carbon emissions. Even with these penalties conservatively applied, biodiesel is still resoundingly better than petroleum from an environmental standpoint.”

The report titled, US Biofuel Production and Policy Implications for Land Use Changes in Malaysia and Indonesia was just published in the journal of Biotechnology for Biofuels.

The National Biodiesel Foundation holds a biennial workshop inviting experts and academic leaders to prioritize research that quantifies the sustainability impacts of biofuels. Through those forums, the foundation supported a portion of this work by Purdue University. Significant funding for this research also came from the Federal Aviation Administration, because the international airline industry is eager to identify fuels that have total carbon benefits, after including indirect impacts on global forests and land use change.



 Olivia Nelligan Named CHS Chief Financial Officer

CHS Inc., the nation's leading agribusiness cooperative, announced today it has named Olivia Nelligan as its new executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Jan. 29, 2020.

Nelligan brings more than 20 years of experience as a global finance leader and business partner with expertise leading transformation across teams and delivering sustainable, profitable growth. Most recently, Nelligan served as founder and chief executive officer of Inish Enterprises, a strategic advisory firm. Prior to that, Nelligan served as chief executive officer of Nasco, LLC, a private equity-owned company that provides specialty products for education, healthcare, laboratory testing and agriculture. After serving as Nasco's CEO, she served as non-executive chair of the company's board. Before being named Nasco's CEO, Nelligan was the company's chief financial officer.

Prior to joining Nasco, Nelligan spent 14 years at Kerry Group, a global leader in technology-based food ingredients, flavors and solutions where she held finance and strategy leadership positions, including serving as global chief financial and strategic planning officer for the Taste & Nutrition division and chief financial officer for the Americas Ingredients & Flavors division. She began her career at Arthur Andersen in Dublin, Ireland.

Nelligan has a bachelor's degree in civil law and a higher diploma in business and financial information systems from University College Cork, Ireland. She earned an MBA at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and is a chartered accountant.

"We are excited to have Olivia join CHS. She brings an impressive record of executing and achieving financial results and leading organizations through transformation and growth," said Jay Debertin, CHS president and chief executive officer. Nelligan will be a member of the CHS strategic leadership team and will report to Debertin.



Farm Bureau Mourns Passing of Bonnie Duvall

Saturday, Bonnie Duvall, wife of American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall, lost her courageous battle with cancer. The following statement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Vice President Scott VanderWal.

"It is with deep sadness that I share the news of Bonnie Duvall's passing after a courageous battle with cancer. She was a special member of the Farm Bureau family, from being chosen for the 1982 National Young Farmer and Rancher Award with Zippy, to her travels with him 33 years later when he was elected president of American Farm Bureau.

"Zippy and Bonnie were partners in every respect for all of their 40 years together. She put her business degree to work keeping the books on their Georgia farm, enabling Zippy to turn his attention to serving his fellow farmers at the county, state and national levels.

"At moments like this our faith consoles us, knowing her soul is at peace, having gone on to our heavenly Father. We will forever be inspired by her sense of humor, love of farming and optimism in the face of adversity. She taught us all what it means to make every moment count.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Duvall family, including the four children Zippy and Bonnie have always been so proud of, Vince, Corrie, Zeb and Zellie, their dear son- and daughters-in-law, and their five beautiful grandchildren."



BASF #MonarchChallenge has another successful year

The BASF Living Acres Monarch Challenge has completed another successful year. In 2019, 20,000 milkweed seedlings were shipped to farmers and golf courses across the Midwest who were passionate about preserving monarch populations.

Milkweed is the essential plant for the monarch butterfly life cycle and the sole food source for the monarch caterpillar. It has become less common over the years, which is why the BASF Monarch Challenge encourages the planting of milkweed in non-crop areas of farm land and out-of-play areas of golf courses.

Since its start nearly four years ago, the Monarch Challenge has flourished, with increasing support from across the agriculture and golf course industries. Farmers, farm families and golf courses have been enthusiastic about stepping up and getting involved in the program.

“Last year, we visited a number of events across the U.S. and learned firsthand how many farmers’ perceptions of milkweed have shifted,” said Chip Shilling, BASF Sustainability Strategy Manager, Agricultural Products, North America. “Milkweed has been known as a problem weed for generations, but throughout the last few years, farmers are beginning to understand milkweed can thrive in non-productive areas of farmland.”

With the support of many this year, the challenge successfully garnered more than 2,500 farmers, farm families and others interested in monarch conservation, and led to partnerships with more than 56 golf courses.

“Every critter is a beneficial critter, is the way I see it,” said Andy Herring, a North Carolina farmer who has participated in the Monarch Challenge for several years. “I think what we’ve been doing with milkweed is going to help in some way.”

Terry Hills Golf Course, located in upstate New York, took the Monarch Challenge two years ago, and since then the milkweed has flourished. “It has especially flourished within our community,” said Thad Thompson, Superintendent at Terry Hills. “People will stop in to look at the habitat. They’re excited to see a golf course giving back to their community by doing something positive for the environment.”

The Monarch Challenge first spread its wings in 2016 as part of the BASF Living Acres biodiversity program. Since taking flight, over 6,500 participants have signed up for the Monarch Challenge, and 65,500 milkweed plants have been established on farmlands and golf courses from Rhode Island to Idaho. BASF Living Acres has put years into preserving and reestablishing milkweed habitats, and it has become greatly rewarding as more and more people become interested in aiding monarch populations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has been tasked with determining whether the monarch butterfly warrants Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection. Since the deadline for that decision is December 15, 2020, it is important that the Monarch Challenge continues to spread as many milkweed seedlings as possible throughout the country next year.

“No matter the decision, we will continue to educate and grow our program in aiding monarch butterflies and other pollinators,” said Shilling. “All the measures we take are to ensure we are helping farmers and golf courses leave a sustainable operation for future generations.”