Thursday January 9 Ag News

FARM SURVIVAL WORKSHOP FOCUSES ON CROP INSURANCE AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
An upcoming Nebraska Extension workshop in West Point will help farmers develop marketing plans for 2020.

“Risk and Reward: Using Crop Insurance and Marketing to Manage Farm Survival” will be presented on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Nielsen Community Center, 200 Anna Stalp Ave.

Extension economists will discuss the role of farm location and yield/price relations in making informed grain marketing and crop insurance decisions.

“This is a unique opportunity to think about grain marketing differently,” said Jessica Groskopf, a regional extension economist. “Often, we think of marketing and crop insurance as two separate decisions. This workshop will show the importance of how these tools work together to help farms survive.”

“Understanding production risk becomes especially important as farm locations move farther from the center of the corn belt,” said Cory Walters, associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics. “These workshops are designed to assist Nebraska farmers in improving their decision-making and understanding the role of production risk considerations in their marketing plans.”

Participants will learn how to use crop insurance and pre-harvest marketing together. The workshops will encourage producers to focus on specific risks to evaluate the balance between these two tools, which will vary from operation to operation.

“The role of crop insurance and marketing is not the same for everyone,” Walters said. “Farm location matters.”

Attendees should leave the workshops with a strategic plan of farm survival, focused on the role and use of crop insurance and pre-harvest marketing specific to their location and crop.

Registration can be completed by calling Nebraska Extension in Cuming County at (402)372-6006.



General Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Informational Meeting
Location: Max Bar & Grill, Wayne, NE 68787
Date: 1/27/2020
Time: 5:30-7:30 P.M.

General CRP sign-up takes place from December 9th to February 28th 2020 at your local FSA office.  These sessions will help landowners and producers learn how to maximize their score and improve their chance for getting enrolled.

For more information, please contact your local FSA Office:



Husker research brings swine industry closer to broad virus protection

After eight years of gathering data from more than 1,000 pigs infected with porcine circovirus 2, University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers have identified the gene associated with pigs’ susceptibility to the deadly swine disease.

Based on the research, genetic tests can now be developed to help the swine industry identify pigs more resistant to the virus, said lead researcher Daniel Ciobanu, associate professor of animal science at Nebraska. Early identification of pigs susceptible to the virus should improve the general health and welfare of swine populations worldwide. This discovery may also have broader implications across species and viral pathogens, Ciobanu said.

Despite being the smallest virus known to infect mammalian cells, porcine circovirus 2 is one of the most detrimental to the swine industry. The virus is found in all swine populations across the world, costing U.S. swine producers more than $250 million annually — mostly in the form of vaccines. Though the virus is found on all swine farms, only a few pigs show signs of infection. Because no methods are available to differentiate susceptible from tolerant pigs, producers are forced to vaccinate all of their pigs. By blinding the immune system, the virus also makes swine susceptible to other pathogens, Ciobanu said.

The research team started by monitoring 1,000 infected pigs at the university’s Animal Science Complex. The researchers analyzed the pigs both for basic genetic information and indicators of disease, such as the number of viral copies in blood, presence of antibodies and weight loss during infection. Statistical analyses interrogated relationships between DNA markers located across the genome and indicators of disease susceptibility.

Those efforts allowed the researchers to associate PCV2 susceptibility with a specific DNA variant and a gene called Synaptogyrin 2. The discovery also solved a puzzle of swine biology: why certain pigs, but not others, were tolerant to the infectious disease.

“The research integrated the largest data set ever generated to understand the role of host genetics in PCV2-related illnesses,” Ciobanu said. “We found that a pig’s own genetics can impact the ability of the virus to multiply and cause disease.”

Working with Ciobanu were Nebraska graduate students Lianna Walker, Taylor Engle and Emily Tosky; Thomas Burkey and Hiep Vu from the Department of Animal Science; Stephen Kachman from the Department of Statistics; Dan Nonneman and Timothy Smith from the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center; Tudor Borza from Dalhousie University; and Graham Plastow from the University of Alberta.

The results of the study were recently published in PLOS Genetics.



HEUERMANN LECTURE TO FOCUS ON ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Elena M. Bennett, professor and Canada Research Chair in Sustainability Science at McGill University, will deliver the next Heuermann Lecture on Jan. 14. Bennett’s research focuses on ecosystem services — or benefits that humans freely gain from the natural environment and properly functioning ecosystems.

The free public talk, "From Planetary Boundaries to Ecosystem Services: Guiding Development on a Changing Planet,” is 7 p.m. at the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center, 2021 Transformation Drive.

The current scale, rate and intensity of human-caused change is unprecedented and has evoked broad discussion about how these changes will affect the future of the planet. Humans are unnecessarily threatening their own security by undermining natural capital and the provision of ecosystem services. In the talk, Bennett will show how the science of ecosystem services can be used to guide natural resource management and limit human-caused change while providing for human well-being.

The Heuermann Lecture series, organized by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, focuses on providing enough food, natural resources and renewable energy for the world's people, along with securing the sustainability of rural communities where the vital work of producing food and renewable energy occurs.

The lectures are funded by a gift from B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips. The Heuermanns are longtime university supporters with a strong commitment to Nebraska's production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people.

The lectures are streamed live at http://heuermannlectures.unl.edu and air on campus channel 4. The talks are recorded and air on NET2.



View Calving Management Webinar Individually or With a Group

The Iowa Beef Center wants beef cow-calf producers to be informed on all aspects of their operations so they are making it convenient for producers to attend the winter cow webinar series. The second of the four-part webinar series is set for Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m.; participants have the choice of joining the webinar at their own location or at one of nine host sites.

Beth Reynolds, beef specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said the series is intended to provide timely topics for beef cow management and the second webinar focuses on calving time management.

Grant Dewell, Iowa State University extension beef veterinarian, will discuss calving season preparations and dealing with dystocia. Chris Clark, DVM and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef specialist, will highlight tips for managing newborn calves.

There is no cost to attend an in-person location or to view the webinar at home. Those planning to attend an in-person location are encouraged to preregister by calling the host location.
    Madison County Extension Office, 117 N. John Wayne Dr., Winterset, 515-462-1001
    Cass County Extension Office, 805 West 10th St., Atlantic, 712-243-1132
    Washington County Extension Office, 611 Highway 1 South, Washington, 319-653-4811
    Hancock County Extension Office, 327 West 8th St., Garner, 641-923-2856
    Delaware County Fairgrounds Community Center, 200 East Acers St., Manchester, 563-927-4201
    Emmet County Extension Office, 26 S 17th St., Estherville, 712-362-3434
    O’Brien County Extension Office, 340 2nd St. SE, Primghar, 712-957-5045
    ISU Western Research and Demonstration Farm, 36515 Highway E34, Castana; call ISU Extension Monona County, 712-423-2175
    Hansen Ag Student Learning Center, 2508 Mortensen Road, Ames, 515-294-BEEF (2333)

For those wanting to view the webinar privately, online registration must be completed prior to the seminar. Look for the “Join this live webinar” link on the main webinar series page. Use that same link to join the seminar when it begins.

Dates and topics for the remaining two sessions are:
    Feb. 18 – Market trends, tracking and improving profitability
    March 10 – Pasture renovation, forage management

All sessions run from 6 to 8 p.m.



Southwest Iowa Cow-Calf Short Course to Focus on Calving Management

A short course that combines classroom learning and hands-on instruction will be offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Jan. 27. The course will instruct cattlemen and women in areas specific to beef calving management, cow nutrition and financial management.

The program will be held at the Cass County Community Center at 805 W. 10th St. in Atlantic. Registration will begin at 10:30 a.m., with the program running from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“The goal of the program is to provide an opportunity for cattlemen and women to enhance their management skills going into the 2020 calving season,” said Erika Lundy, beef specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “The program will feature a hands-on dystocia demonstration session utilizing a life-size calving simulator as well as other sessions focused on planning for newborn calf health management and processing and calving season first aid tips.”

Other short course topics include a discussion focused on beef cow economics, record keeping and benchmarking tips, and the importance of beef cow nutrition during lactation leading up to breeding season. 

Southwest Iowa Cow-Calf Short Course Speakers
    Dr. Tyler Dohlman, DVM, professor of vet diagnostic and production animal science at Iowa State University.
    Dr. Nate Hansen, local veterinarian from Anita Veterinary Clinic.
    Beth Reynolds, program specialist with the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University.
    Erika Lundy, beef specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

Registration for the course is $10 and includes materials and supplies. Lunch will also be provided, thanks to sponsorship from Merck Animal Health. Registration is requested by Jan. 24, by calling the ISU Extension and Outreach Cass County office at 712-243-1132 or emailing ellundy@iastate.edu. For more information about the course, contact the extension office or view the program flyer.



Wheeler Named IFBF Public Relations Manager

Andrew Wheeler has been appointed Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) Public Relations manager starting Jan. 13. He will replace Laurie Johns, who is retiring.

Wheeler joined Farm Bureau in 2013 and currently serves as the senior public relations coordinator. He has worked to connect Iowa farmers with numerous local, state, national and international media to build trust and understanding of Iowa agriculture and has been central to the organization's issues management strategy. Wheeler has also conducted communications training for several county Farm Bureaus and groups over the years. Prior to joining IFBF, Wheeler served in public relations and marketing capacities in Missouri. He received his master's degree in communications from Drury University in Springfield, Missouri and a bachelor's degree from Drake University.

"I'm grateful and excited for the opportunity to continue my work on behalf of Iowa's farm families," said Wheeler. "Agriculture is essential to communities across this state and I look forward to sharing the stories of farming today with consumers and other audiences in my new role."

Wheeler grew up in Pleasant Hill and rural Indianola and now resides in Des Moines with his two children.



New research reveals connection between drug treatments and antimicrobial resistance in cattle disease

A new study from Kansas State University on the treatment of non-responding cases of bovine respiratory disease, known as BRD, conducted by Hans Coetzee and his collaborators from Iowa State University, sheds light on the relationship between drug treatments and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.

The study, "Association between antimicrobial drug class for treatment and retreatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and frequency of resistant BRD pathogen isolation from veterinary diagnostic laboratory samples," was published in the December 2019 issue of the journal PLOS ONE.

"Bovine respiratory disease is one of the most important diseases facing beef cattle producers in the United States with economic losses estimated to approach $1 billion a year," Coetzee said. "Antibiotics are critical to minimize losses associated with BRD caused by bacterial infections."

Antibiotics that are used to treat BRD are broadly classified into two groups: namely those that prevent growth of the bacteria — i.e., bacteriostatic — and those that kill the organism — i.e., bactericidal. Although 90% of BRD relapses are reported to receive retreatment with a different class of antimicrobial, the impact of antibiotic selection — bactericidal or bacteriostatic — on disease outcomes and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance has not been investigated, according to Coetzee.

The focus of the study is determining the association between antimicrobial class selection for treatment and retreatment of BRD relapses and antimicrobial susceptibility of Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somni.

Pathogens were isolated from samples submitted to the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory from January 2013 to December 2015. A total of 781 isolates with corresponding animal case histories, including treatment protocols, were included in the analysis.

"Our overall interpretation of the data suggests that there is direct association between the number of treatments to which an animal was exposed and the emergence of antibiotic resistance in samples submitted to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory for analysis," Coetzee said. "In addition, these exploratory data suggest that BRD treatment protocols involving first-line treatment with a bacteriostatic antibiotic followed by second-line treatment with a bactericidal antibiotic may increase the probability of isolating BRD bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics."

While this observation suggests that consideration should be given to the mechanism of action of the antibiotic when selecting drugs for retreatment of non-responding cases of BRD, Coetzee said further research is needed to determine the clinical relevance of this finding in livestock production systems.

Coetzee is a professor and head of the anatomy and physiology department at the College of Veterinary Medicine. He has published 160 peer-reviewed scientific papers and has received more than $10 million in research funding.



USDA, FDA, EPA Launch Website for Biotechnology Regulation

Today, in recognition of January 2020 as National Biotechnology Month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation. The Website streamlines information about the three regulatory agencies charged with overseeing agriculture biotechnology products and is part President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order on Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products.

“Agricultural biotechnology has been and will continue to be an essential tool in helping America’s farmers and ranchers feed, fuel, and clothe the world,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “From producers to consumers, all Americans deserve a government that delivers science-based, common-sense regulations that foster innovation, conserve resources, and protect public health—especially when it comes to the food supply. The launch of this unified Biotechnology Regulation website is proof of President Trump’s commitment to provide the American people with sensible regulations in a clear and transparent manner.”

“EPA is pleased to be working with our partners at USDA, FDA, and across the federal government to implement President Trump’s Executive Order and launch this new, coordinated website,” said EPA Administrator Wheeler. “This new website will help provide regulatory certainty and clarity to our nation’s farmers and producers by bringing together information on the full suite of actions the Trump Administration is taking to safely reduce unnecessary regulations and breakdown barriers for these biotechnology products in the marketplace.”

“This is a time of unprecedented scientific innovation. Agricultural biotechnology promises to bring dynamic new products to the marketplace,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, M.D. “At the FDA, we are committed to fostering flexible, risk-based approaches in this field while upholding our mission of protecting and promoting both human and animal health and animal well-being, for example by reducing their susceptibility to diseases like novel influenzas and resistance to zoonotic or foreign animal diseases. Our approach balances our internationally respected, science-based review standards with our ongoing risk-based regulatory approaches to ensure the safety of our food supply.”

The Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation describes the federal review process for certain biotechnology products and allows users to submit questions to the three agencies. The goals of this website are to provide enhanced customer service to innovators and developers, while ensuring Americans continue to enjoy the safest and most affordable food supply in the world and can learn more about the safe use of biotechnology innovations. 



Checkoff Program Reform Legislation Filed in U.S. House of Representatives

Today, Congresswoman Titus (NV-01) introduced the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation is the companion bill to S.935, filed in 2019 by U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The OFF Act would put an end to the most egregious abuses committed by the boards and contractors of the federally mandated commodity checkoff programs.

Checkoff programs have been instrumental in the history of agricultural advertising. Famous campaigns, such as “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner,” have been paid for with farmers’ checkoff tax dollars. However, checkoff programs have fallen under the control of commodity trade organizations representing global agribusiness interests, and oftentimes the millions of dollars paid into checkoff programs by hard-working farmers and ranchers end up being used to lobby for policies that harm their interests.

Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) issued the following statement:
“Organization for Competitive Markets extends our gratitude to Congresswoman Titus for sponsoring this legislation. The evidence is clear: commodity checkoff programs abuse the very farmers and ranchers who are mandated to pay into them. The over $850 million these programs take from farmers each year are a cash cow for organizations that work against fair competition and market transparency. As long as checkoff funds remain hidden from accountability and in the hands of trade and lobbying groups, independent family agriculture is in peril of being wiped from the face of the countryside. It is imperative that this legislation be passed and signed into law.”

For over five years, OCM has waged a FOIA lawsuit challenging the United States Department of Agriculture and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) refusal to disclose beef checkoff spending records. OCM took action following an independent audit of the program that found gross misuse of funds by the NCBA, using checkoff funds for expenses including spousal travel, policy work, and golf tournaments.

Recent reports demonstrating executives at Dairy Management Inc. are being paid exorbitant salaries out of dairy checkoff funds while dairy farmers are being driven out of business in record numbers makes it even more urgent Congress take action to clean up these programs.

Farmers are struggling amidst increasing consolidation, low commodity prices, and excess supply. Net farm income is at a 19-year low. Along with recent trade disruptions and natural disasters, such as the flooding in the Midwest, the last thing farmers want, or need, is their tax dollars working against them.

The OFF Act would prohibit trade organizations that lobby from receiving checkoff funds; however, this restriction does not apply to universities. It would rein in conflicts of interest and stop anticompetitive activities that harm other commodities and consumers. It would also force checkoff programs to publish their budgets and undergo periodic audits so that farmers and ranchers know where their hard-earned tax dollars are going.

The major reform provisions of the OFF Act, which would end the glaring abuses of the program boards, are:

1.           Stop federally mandated checkoff dollars from being transferred to parties that seek to influence government policies or action relating to agriculture issues.

2.           Enforce the prohibition against conflicts of interest in contracting and all other decision-making operations of the checkoff program.

3.           Stop federally mandated funds from being used for anticompetitive programs or from being spent to disparage another commodity in the marketplace.

4.           Increase transparency of the individual boards’ actions by shedding light on how federal checkoff funds are spent and the purpose of their expenditures.

5.           Require audits of each program every five years to ensure their activities are in compliance with the law.