Thursday March 12 Ag News

Husker who coined 'flash drought' helps define emerging phenomenon

From late August through early October of last year, drought engulfed much of the Southeast United States in a way that many don’t expect drought to behave — suddenly.

Drought throughout the Southeast spiked from covering about 6% of the region to 44% in less than a month. While many droughts embody the common description of the natural disaster as a creeping phenomenon, taking months or years to develop, the Southeast drought grew widespread and severe in a matter of weeks.

It was a classic flash drought, as defined in a new research paper that seeks to clarify what flash drought is and how to better predict it.

Mark Svoboda, director of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, is credited with coining the term in the early 2000s. Svoboda said he initially used the phrase to help explain to a USA Today reporter that an early-2000s drought in the southern Plains was developing with unusually rapid intensity.

“I wanted to find a term that would resonate for this quicker-developing drought, and ‘flash drought’ just popped in my head, as I thought people could relate it to their knowledge of flash floods,” Svoboda said. “And that took off like wildfire.”

Svoboda is among the 22 authors of a wide-ranging study on flash droughts that was published March 2 in Nature Climate Change. The paper is the end product of a September 2018 workshop where drought experts from around the world gathered at the Aspen Global Change Institute to address sub-seasonal-to-seasonal prediction and flash drought.

A flash drought, as defined by the American Meteorological Society, is “an unusually rapid onset drought event characterized by a multi-week period of accelerated intensification that culminates in impacts to one or more sectors,” such as agricultural or hydrological impacts.

As part of the team that wrote the definition, Svoboda said the Nature paper helps to clarify what a flash drought is (and isn’t), sets guidelines on detecting that one has occurred, and explores ways to improve monitoring and predictions.

“The growing awareness that flash droughts involve particular processes and severe impacts, and likely a climate change dimension, make them a compelling frontier for research, monitoring, and prediction,” the authors wrote.

“It’s a complex problem and we want to treat it in a complex way,” Roger Pulwarty, senior scientist in the NOAA Physical Sciences Division, said during the 2018 workshop. “It’s not easy to characterize a flash drought, and they’re not the same as saying, ‘We have a hurricane of intensity X or Y.’”

In the paper, the authors establish three principles that apply to flash drought: that it involves a rapid onset, that its intensification rate is high, and that the event reaches enough severity to qualify as a drought. Then they proposed two definitions of flash drought — one that applies internationally, as well as for prediction and research purposes, and another that applies to U.S. monitoring.

The international-prediction definition is based on an experimental drought monitoring and early warning guidance tool called the Evaporative Demand Drought Index. The tool examines differences in atmospheric evaporative demand — essentially the drying of the atmosphere — over a given time period. If there is a 50% or greater increase in drying over a two-week period that is sustained for at least two more weeks, according to the paper, a flash drought can be declared.

The U.S. definition is based on the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly drought map jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. When the U.S. Drought Monitor reports a two-category change of drought over a two-week period, and that change is sustained for another two weeks, a flash drought can be declared.

The authors wrote that the next steps will be to apply these definitions retrospectively to verify their accuracy in describing unusual, significant drought events that occurred well before the flash drought term was coined and interest in studying it spiked. The definitions could be further refined to reflect impacts that occur in specific regions, the authors wrote.

The paper also examines specific challenges of predicting flash droughts and providing early warning of their arrival, such as forecasting precipitation deficits over sub-seasonal time periods. Svoboda said that developments in satellite technology are helping experts more quickly assess conditions like the ones that led to the 2019 flash drought in the Southeast.

“We have to trust this new breed of indicators that are looking at stress or demand that we can't even see with the human eye,” Svoboda said. “These tools are looking at indicators of plants that are seen by a sensor that the human eye doesn't denote until it's yellow and wilting. The satellite can see that stress in the plant before it shows visible signs to the human eye.

“It takes a change in mindset to evaluate, trust and integrate these new tools into the Drought Monitor process in order to be using the state of the science and being more responsive to these rapid-onset flash droughts.”



Oversight for Gene-Edited Livestock Should be Under USDA, Not FDA

Thanks to innovation and continuous improvements, U.S. hog farmers are the world's leading suppliers of high-quality, safe and affordable pork. However, America is in danger of losing its leadership standing due to significant flaws in its current approach to regulating emerging animal breeding technologies, Iowa Pork Producers President Dr. Michael Paustian testified this morning before the Senate Agriculture Committee. Oversight should be under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), not the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Gene editing technology, which allows for precise changes within an animal's own genome, offers tremendous promise to combat animal disease while producing safe food in a more sustainable fashion. "Livestock producers need access to these technologies. While countries like China, Canada, Brazil and Argentina are moving quickly to gain a competitive advantage in the market, the U.S. is falling behind," said Paustian, a hog farmer from Walcott, Iowa, testifying on behalf of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).

Despite no statutory requirement, the FDA currently claims regulatory authority over gene editing in food-producing animals. FDA oversight will treat any gene-edited animal as a living animal drug – and every farm raising them a drug manufacturing facility. Under FDA regulation, gene editing faces an impractical, lengthy and expensive approval process, threatening hundreds of thousands of jobs.

"I want to be very clear that we are not advocating for de-regulation of these new technologies," said Paustian. "Farmers support scientifically sound, transparent, risk-based regulations that ensure that these new tools are effective and safe for both animals and consumers. Our concern is not if this technology should be regulated, but rather by who and under what authority," he told the committee.

Paustian continued, "The FDA has insisted that farmers are simply misunderstanding its regulatory proposal. This is incorrect. Alternative strategies the FDA could pursue under its authority have been put forth by multiple stakeholders and quickly rejected, if considered at all.  The agency has not addressed this concern in any meaningful way."

"It is clear we need a new approach," Paustian said. The primary authority for regulatory all agricultural applications of new genetic technologies should be under USDA oversight, he explained. The agency already has a review process in place for genetic editing in plants under its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which can easily be adopted for livestock. "This approach will allow U.S. agriculture to maintain its global edge. We ask you to support moving oversight of gene-edited livestock on American farms from the FDA to the USDA," he concluded.

In June 2019, NPPC launched an aggressive campaign, "Keep America First in Agriculture," to highlight the importance of establishing a proper regulatory framework for gene editing in American livestock. Learn more by visiting www.nppc.org/kafa.



Monday, March 16 Is the Last Day to Schedule an Appointment with Your FSA Office For Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Enrollment

Agricultural producers who have not yet completed their 2019 crop year elections for and enrollment in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs must schedule an appointment to do so with their local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) by Monday, March 16.

“To date, more than 1.4 million contracts have been signed for the 2019 crop year. This represents 89 percent of expected enrollment with less than a week left for producers to get on FSA’s appointment books,” said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. “If you’ve not completed your elections or enrollment, the clock is ticking, and your program eligibility is at stake; so please call FSA today and request an appointment.”

Producers who do not contact FSA for an appointment by close of business local time on Monday, March 16 will not be enrolled in ARC or PLC for the 2019 crop year and will be ineligible to receive a payment should one trigger for an eligible crop.

ARC and PLC provide income support to farmers from substantial drops in crop prices or revenues and are vital economic safety nets for most American farms.

The programs cover the following commodities: barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed, and wheat.



OCM Comments on Packers and Stockyards Fair Competition Rule

Today, the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) submitted public comments on a rule that the Secretary of Agriculture would use to determine whether or not a corporate practice would hinder fair competition in agriculture and livestock markets. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposed rule regarding enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA) seeks to clarify how the PSA is interpreted and enforced.

The comment period on the proposed rule is open until Friday, March 13, and OCM encourages all concerned individuals and organizations to submit their comments by tomorrow's deadline.

OCM disagrees with the proposed rule’s inadequate criteria, and demands the reimplementation of protections for producers that were included in the 2016 version, particularly those regarding the USDA’s own interpretation of competitive harm. OCM urges AMS to heed the purpose and intent of the Packers and Stockyards Act and close loopholes in the law that have allowed anti-competitive practices to become customary in the industry.

In its comments, OCM called for AMS to restore the main intent of the PSA, which is to protect agricultural producers from undue harm. OCM stressed the importance of removing the requirement that producers must show industrywide competitive harm when seeking action on reported violations to the PSA. “Nowhere in past enforcement of the PSA is a failure to protect producers more evident than in the repeated requirement for a producer to prove industrywide competitive harm,” the group’s comments state, adding further that, “requiring a producer to prove competitive harm, in itself, is a form of competitive harm.”

“This proposed rule is yet another reason why Secretary Sonny Perdue should be fired,” stated Ben Gotschall, Policy and Research Director for OCM.  “It does virtually nothing to protect producers from deceptive and unfair practices that are currently widespread in the industry,” said Gotschall.  “By renaming ‘customary practices’ in the industry as ‘reasonable business decisions,’ AMS would essentially give bad actors a free pass to continue breaking the law, just because they’ve grown accustomed to doing so,” Gotschall said.

OCM demanded reinstating language from the 2016 version of the rule outlining specific unfair practices, calling for protections for producers from retaliation by meatpacking companies. “By not specifically addressing retaliatory action in this version of the rules, AMS is clearly abandoning producers to be at the mercy of unfair and vindictive treatment at the hands of the packers, contractors, and dealers,” the group argued.

“The unfair and unlawful actions of the meatpacking industry have gone on long enough, and the U.S. has seen far too many farmers and ranchers go out of business as a result,” said Gotschall. “AMS needs to stop these harmful actions and protect America’s farmers and ranchers by enacting clear guidelines and enforcing the Packers and Stockyards Act.”



Bill Introduced to Protect Cattle Producers

U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced their bipartisan Securing All Livestock Equitably (SALE) Act, which would address dealer payment default. The quick turnaround between the purchase and resale of cattle by dealers often leaves the ranchers who originally owned the cattle with little recourse if a dealer defaults on a purchase--the livestock has often already been resold.

In addition to Smith and Inhofe, the bill is supported by a bipartisan group of senators including Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

The SALE Act would establish dealer statutory trusts, which are similar to existing packer statutory trusts, to ensure that cattle sellers receive payment should a livestock dealer become insolvent.

"We greatly appreciate the leadership of Senators Inhofe and Smith in introducing the SALE Act. They are standing up for livestock farmers and auction markets to make sure we are paid for livestock," said Tom Frey, Livestock Marketing Association President. "This issue is the top priority for LMA in our lobbying efforts. Too many people have experienced the pain of a livestock payment default and not have the right to get their cattle back. It is time to correct this and the SALE Act is the fix."

The 2018 Farm Bill--which Sen. Smith fought for as a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee--contained a provision directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of establishing a livestock dealer statutory trust. The results of the study came out in December of 2019 and helped inform the senators' ongoing effort to establish the creation of a Livestock Dealer Statutory Trust.



Peterson and Palazzo Introduce Bill to Advance Aquaculture in the United States

Representative Collin Peterson, Chair of the House Agriculture Committee, and Representative Steven Palazzo (MS-4) introduced H.R. 6191, the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture Act or the AQUAA Act today to increase the United States’ involvement in the production of healthy, sustainable, and affordable seafood.

“Aquaculture is a fast-growing agriculture industry that is creating jobs and improving our country’s food security,” said Peterson. “It also creates a market for soybeans as they provide nutritious aquafeed. Our bill will streamline the permitting process and build upon research and development efforts that are underway.

“The United States imports nearly 90% of our seafood, and of that, more than half is produced through foreign aquaculture without domestic oversight," said Palazzo. "The AQUAA Act streamlines the federal permitting process to usher in a wave of American aquaculture and reduce our dependency on foreign seafood imports while we grow a sustainable market. Food security is national security and, we must work to ensure America is prepared to meet the needs of tomorrow’s food demand.”

With a growing population and an ever-increasing demand for seafood, it is clear that as of right now, the United States does not produce enough seafood to meet domestic demand. Expanding aquaculture in the United States has the potential to create new jobs, high-quality foods, and new markets for agricultural products like soybeans.

Unfortunately, U.S. aquaculture is currently constrained by disjointed federal leadership and numerous regulatory hurdles, including overlapping jurisdiction of federal, state and local governments, and the absence of an efficient and affordable permitting process, particularly in U.S. federal waters.

The AQUAA Act establishes an Office of Marine Aquaculture within the National Marine Fisheries Service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) headquarters and regional offices to lead coordinating the federal permitting process. The legislation also establishes a permitting process to allow individuals time to secure financing for aquaculture operation while making no changes to current environmental standards, but instead upholding and maintaining existing standards. Additionally, the AQUAA Act authorizes expanded aquaculture research and development authorities at USDA.

The AQUAA Act has strong support from domestic seafood producers and soybean producers, and others within agriculture.

American Soybean Association President Bill Gordon from Worthington, Minnesota -
“Aquaculture off the U.S. coastline provides economic opportunity for soybean farmers, as well as coastal communities and workers, not to mention a safe and affordable supply of seafood. ASA applauds Chairman Peterson’s leadership in recognizing the untapped potential of a domestic aquaculture industry.”

Jamie Beyer, president of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association –
“Minnesota soybean farmers appreciate Rep. Peterson’s work on the AQUAA Act. Growing the U.S. aquaculture industry provides our farmers the opportunity to grow the high-protein, renewable food source for this market while protecting our oceans from being overfished for fish meal.”



Training Session Prepares Farmers Union Members to Respond to Farm Stress

As part of the organization’s broader initiative to address a growing farm stress crisis, National Farmers Union (NFU) last week hosted a two-day, in-person session to train community mental health advocates across the country.

More than 30 Farmers Union members from 19 states completed the training, which was held in conjunction with NFU’s 118th Anniversary Convention in Savannah, Georgia. Among those in the inaugural group were Nebraska Farmers Union Vice President Vern Jantzen and NeFU District 5 Director Ben Gotschall.  The program’s curriculum ­– established in collaboration with American Farm Bureau Federation, Farm Credit, and Michigan State University Extension – prepares participants to both recognize and respond to signs of stress and suicide as well as teach others to do the same. Upon returning home, they will not only serve as a resource for community members struggling with their mental health, but they will also lead future training sessions for farmers’ friends, neighbors, and family members.

“With so much uncertainty and economic pressure, farmers are under immense stress right now,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “At the same time, many people are embarrassed to talk about mental health or don’t know how. By training local leaders to build a meaningful, community-based response to this crisis, we can help break down the stigma and make it easier for farmers to ask for help when they need it most.”

Hosted by Mental Health First Aid, the first day of the training session focused on risk factors for, warning signs of, and strategies to respond to mental health concerns like depression, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, traumatic events, drug misuse, and suicidal behaviors. The second day of training, led by Michigan State University Extension, contextualized those concerns within a rural framework, providing guidance for working specifically with agricultural professionals and rural residents.

“Some of the stressors farmers face are pretty unique. They aren’t just dealing with financial anxiety – they often also have the burden of several generations of family legacy,” Larew said. “This training tailors mental health outreach to the particular concerns and experiences of family farmers and ranchers to ensure that those efforts are really relevant and effective.”

For Farmers Union members who were not able to attend this session, there are other opportunities to get involved. NFU is offering a free, online course to help those who interact with farmers to recognize signs of stress and offer help. Additionally, several Farmers Union state and regional divisions are developing their own training programs for members.



NCBA Cancels Spring Legislative Conference

NCBA leadership understands the anxiety and uncertainty that has resulted from the spread of COVID-19, and we’re committed to doing our part to alleviate those concerns and to help prevent any further transmission. In the past 24 hours, the U.S. Capitol complex has been closed to the public and a state of emergency declaration was made by the Mayor of Washington, D.C. As a result, NCBA is cancelling its Spring Legislative Conference, scheduled for March 31-April 2, 2020.

The NCBA Spring Legislative Conference was scheduled to follow the Public Lands Council’s annual legislative conference, which is also cancelled. There are no plans to reschedule NCBA’s Legislative Conference in 2020, the next event will be held March 16-18, 2021.

Participants who booked hotel reservations through the Trump Hotel International should contact the Reservations Department directly at 202-695-1100 to cancel their reservation as soon as possible. The Trump Hotel has agreed to release all rooms without penalty at this time. Participants who need to cancel airline reservations should contact their air carrier directly, as current cancellation and waiver policies vary by airline.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will work with the entire beef community and its stakeholders to move past this situation as quickly as possible. We thank NCBA members and stakeholders in advance for the ongoing support of the association and the beef community. 



 ACE cancels April DC fly-in due to COVID-19 precautions being taken on Capitol Hill

The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) announced today its annual Washington, D.C. Fly-in and Government Affairs Summit scheduled for April 2-3, 2020 has been canceled due to the number of congressional offices declining meeting requests in response to concerns about the rapid spread of COVID-19. Many congressional offices have notified ACE they are not scheduling “any in-person meetings for the foreseeable future due to precautions surrounding coronavirus.”

“Based on the number of Hill offices that have declined meeting requests due to the coronavirus and our overall concern for the health and well-being of ACE members, we have decided to cancel the April 2-3, 2020 fly-in,” said Brian Jennings, ACE CEO. “Medical experts testifying this week on Capitol Hill warned Americans COVID-19 will continue spreading so we need to prioritize the health and safety of our members.”

“We are grateful to everyone who was willing to invest their time and financial resources to travel to D.C. and discuss our priority issues with Congress and the Trump administration,” Jennings added. “We anticipate that eventually the threat of coronavirus will subside, so we are exploring options to reschedule the fly-in to the fall of 2020.”



USDA Extends ReConnect Application Deadline to March 31

Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Bette Brand announced USDA has extended the deadline (PDF, 245 KB) for ReConnect Pilot Program applications to March 31.

“By extending the ReConnect Program application deadline, we are helping even more qualified organizations access the essential funding to make high-speed broadband connectivity a reality for rural communities across America,” Brand said. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA has made deploying this critical infrastructure in rural America a top-priority, because when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”

Background:
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 program, called “ReConnect,” including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. USDA received 146 applications between May 31, 2019, and July 12, 2019, requesting $1.4 billion in funding across all three ReConnect Program funding products: 100 percent loan, 100 percent grant, and loan-grant combinations. USDA is reviewing applications and announcing approved projects on a rolling basis. Additional investments in all three categories will be made in the coming weeks.

These grants, loans and combination funds enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 1 Mbps upload.

In December 2019, Agriculture Secretary Perdue announced USDA will be making available an additional $550 million in ReConnect funding in 2020. USDA will make available up to $200 million for grants, up to $200 million for 50/50 grant/loan combinations, and up to $200 million for low-interest loans. The application window for this round of funding opened on Jan. 31, 2020. Applications for all funding products will be accepted in the same application window, which will now close on March 31, 2020.



Syngenta expands sustainability tracking integrations

Syngenta Sustainable Solutions promotes an agriculture industry that can feed a growing world while safeguarding the environment for future generations. That’s why Syngenta is proud to announce new and updated integrations with leading sustainability measurement tools to expand the capabilities of AgriEdge®, the Syngenta whole-farm management program that helps customers maximize and sustain their return on investment.

Cool Farm Alliance’s Cool Farm Tool (CFT) is now integrated with Land.db®, the secure, cloud-based software included with AgriEdge, allowing growers to communicate their field-level sustainability down the supply chain to increase transparency.

“Syngenta has been a valuable member of the CFA and we’re thrilled for this new phase in our partnership. Our mission is to provide scalable sustainability measurement to growers and our partners understand and embrace that,” said Richard Profit, General Manager for the Cool Farm Alliance. “We’re happy to empower Syngenta growers through their AgriEdge program.”

Growers can collect and analyze data on a per-field basis within Land.db, allowing them to track and measure stewardship and conservation practices like nutrient management, soil health practices, resistance management, buffer zones and environmental efficiency indicators. They can then use the Cool Farm Tool integration to easily measure and report the outcomes of these practices.

“Collaborations, like this one, are core to the mission of Syngenta Sustainable Solutions,” said Liz Hunt, Digital Agriculture Sustainable Solutions Account Manager at Syngenta. “We believe uniting consumer brands, processors, growers, ag retailers and manufacturers delivers a holistic solution to growers by setting them up for long-term success in their sustainable agriculture continuous improvement journey.”

Syngenta has also upgraded their integration with Field to Market’s Fieldprint® Platform to Version 3.0, enabling farmers to measure and evaluate their sustainability performance across eight sustainability indicators including: biodiversity, energy use efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, irrigation water use efficiency, land use efficiency, soil carbon, soil conservation and water quality. As a member of Field to Market, Syngenta also collaborates with stakeholders across the value chain to foster improved supply chain collaboration and transparency.

“By streamlining grower access to Field to Market’s eight outcomes-based sustainability metrics, Syngenta offers farmers the ability to utilize the food and agriculture industry’s most accepted sustainability measurement framework to document and demonstrate their stewardship,” said Rod Snyder, president of Field to Market. “By fully integrating with the latest version of the Fieldprint Platform, Land.db enables farmers to report their sustainability performance to downstream customers and drive continuous improvement in the sustainability of U.S. commodity agriculture.”

Growers interested in this new partnership should contact their Syngenta representative or visit www.SyngentaUS.com/SustainableSolutions for more information.



Liberty Brings Back Women's Bibs After Nearly Two Decades

Liberty, an iconic American brand and manufacturer of bib overalls since 1912, has reintroduced its line of women's bibs after discontinuing the female-focused products 18 years ago. The new line includes both denim and duck bib overalls that offer the unwavering quality and craftsmanship Liberty is known for, while featuring female-specific fits and all-new flexible fabric technology.

"Bringing back our women's line has been a top priority for Liberty," said Brad Bromstead, Vice President of Marketing, Merchandising and Design for Liberty. "Hard-working women have worn our men's products for years. We believe they deserve workwear that is not only durable and dependable, but also fits comfortably. Our new women's bibs are designed to fill that void."

The new flexible fabric technology in the denim bibs incorporates a cotton, polyester and spandex blend for increased mobility and comfort. The duck bibs utilize a cotton/spandex blend to offer added durability while maintaining fabric flexibility.

Both styles are constructed with triple-stitched seams, adjustable straps, reinforced front and back pockets, and a washed-for-comfort finish to create durable pieces of workwear perfect for tackling outdoor tasks and labor.

The full product line of Liberty women's bibs (MSRP $60) is available now at select retailers and at https://libertybibs.com.