Monday April 27 Crop Progress Report + Ag News

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending April 26, 2020, there were 5.7 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 1 percent very short, 15 short, 81 adequate, and 3 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 0 percent very short, 12 short, 85 adequate, and 3 surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn planted was 20 percent, ahead of 12 last year, and near 16 for the five-year average.

Soybeans planted was 8 percent, ahead of 2 both last year and average.

Winter wheat condition rated 1 percent very poor, 8 poor, 27 fair, 57 good, and 7 excellent.

Sorghum planted was 3 percent, near 1 both last year and average.

Oats planted was 77 percent, well ahead of 48 last year, and near 74 average. Emerged was 38 percent, well ahead of 13 last year, but near 42 average.



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION

Although most of Iowa received spotty rains, there were 5.3 days suitable for field work during the week ending April 26, 2020, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. In contrast, it was mid-June before Iowa farmers had a week with 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork in 2019.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 5 percent short, 85 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 2 percent short, 87 percent adequate and 11 percent surplus.

Iowa farmers planted over one-third of the expected corn crop during the week ending April 26, for a total of 39 percent planted.

Soybean planting got underway with 9 percent of the expected crop planted, 10 days ahead of last year and 1 week ahead of the average.

Only 20 percent of Iowa’s expected oat crop remains to be planted, with just 22 percent of the oat crop emerged.

Pasture condition rated 1 percent very poor, 7 percent poor, 28 percent fair, 54 percent good and 10 percent excellent. Cattle have been moved onto pastures in some areas. Warmer and drier conditions improved livestock conditions.



U.S. Corn Planting Leaps Ahead

U.S. corn planting progress leapt ahead last week, putting this year's pace ahead of the five-year average, USDA NASS said in its weekly Crop Progress report on Monday.

NASS estimated that 27% of this year's intended corn crop was planted as of Sunday, April 26, a gain of 20 percentage points last week from 7% at the end of the previous week. That puts this year's progress well ahead of last year's 12% and also 7 points ahead of the five-year average of 20%.  In its first corn emergence report of the season, NASS estimated that 3% of the crop had emerged as of Sunday, slightly ahead of 2% last year but slightly behind the average pace of 4%.

Soybean planting also moved ahead last week, but at a slower pace than corn planting. NASS estimated that, as of Sunday, 8% of the intended soybean crop was planted, up 6 percentage points from 2% at the end of the previous week. Like corn, this year's soybean planting progress is ahead of both last year's place of 2% and the five-year average of 4%.

Spring wheat planting, on the other hand, continued to run well behind the average pace. Fourteen percent of spring wheat was planted of Sunday, ahead of 11% last year but well behind the five-year average of 29%. Four percent of spring wheat was emerged, equal to last year's pace but behind the five-year average of 7%.

Meanwhile, winter wheat conditions took another hit last week. NASS estimated that 54% of the nation's winter wheat was rated in good-to-excellent condition, down 3 percentage points from 57% the previous week. That followed a 5-percentage-point drop in the previous week's report. The current rating is also below the average of 64% good to excellent.  Winter wheat was 21% headed as of Sunday versus a five-year average of 25%.

Sorghum was 20% planted, slightly ahead of 19% last year but behind the five-year average of 23%. Oats were 54% planted, compared to 41% last year and a 56% average. Oats emergence was at 32%, compared to 30% last year and a 37% average. Barley was 24% planted, slightly behind 25% last year, and well behind the five-year average of 36%.

Cotton planting was 13% complete, compared to 10% last year and an 11% average. Rice was 39% planted, ahead of 36% last year but behind the average of 53%. Rice emerged was 23%, slightly behind the average of 34%.

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FFA students talk it up virtually, West Point members Place in Top 5

The Nebraska F-F-A, with the help of N-C-T-A and the Nebraska Department of Education, hosted the state speaking contests virtually over three days  last week.  Forty-eight F-F-A students signed up for virtual Zoom presentations, since the state F-F-A convention had to be cancelled because of COVID-19. 

Payton Schiller of West Point placed first overall in Senior public speaking.  Also, Levi Schiller of West Point placed third overall in Junior Public Speaking.

In Natural Resource Speaking, Emma Steward of Lakeview (Columbus) was second overall and Emma Bixler from Neligh-Oakdale was third overall. 

While a format for state Leadership Development Events are not yet finalized, Nebraska F-F-A did announced Friday that Career Development Events will be conducted in a virtual format.



Gossen chosen as dean of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

Dr. Larry Gossen, a trusted and effective leader and educator in the field of agricultural education, has been selected as the next dean of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Neb.

Gossen will succeed Ron Rosati, who retired in August of 2019 after six years at the college. Kelly Bruns, director of the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, has served as interim dean.

Gossen brings both classroom and administrative experience to the position. After graduating from Kansas State University, Gossen taught for 24 years at Elk Valley and Neodesha high schools in Southeast Kansas. In 2001, he accepted a position with the Kansas Department of Education as the state supervisor for agricultural education and State FFA Advisor. In 2005, Gossen joined the National FFA Organization in Indianapolis, where he served in a number of roles until 2018. Since August 2019, he has served as the Nebraska State FFA advisor. Throughout his career, he developed a robust, nationwide network of ag educators and FFA alumni and stakeholders.

Gossen is a lifetime member of the National FFA Alumni, has received his Honorary American FFA Degree, the National FFA VIP Award, and was a national finalist for the National FFA Agriscience Teacher of the Year. He received his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction in 2011 from Kansas State University. 

“I am absolutely thrilled that Larry Gossen has agreed to lead the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture into the future,” said Mike Boehm, vice president for agriculture and natural resources for the University of Nebraska and vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Larry’s experience and network uniquely position NCTA and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at UNL to partner with post-secondary and K-12 institutions in Nebraska and beyond. I am excited to see how NCTA under Larry’s leadership will serve the diverse educational and workforce development needs of learners in Nebraska and the region.”

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in numerous competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.

“I am excited to strengthen existing partnerships with community colleges, public schools, UNL’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, industry partners, and alumni to ensure the agricultural and vet tech workforce and talent needs of Nebraska and the surrounding region are met,” Gossen said.  “We are in the midst of challenging times, but challenges also bring opportunities for innovation. I hope to build on the work previous deans and Interim Dean Bruns, and together with faculty, staff and students take NCTA to the next level."

Gossen’s appointment as dean comes on the heels of the announcement of the Nebraska Promise, which offers free tuition to University of Nebraska students whose families make $60,000 a year or less. The Nebraska Promise applies to students at all NU campuses, including NCTA.

Gossen will begin his new position on June 15. More information about NCTA can be found at ncta.unl.edu.



Nebraska Extension educators earn national recognition for outstanding agricultural risk management education

Two University of Nebraska Extension educators were recently recognized nationally for their outstanding agricultural risk management education efforts. Jim Jansen, an Extension Economist stationed in Concord, and Allan Vyhnalek, a Farm and Ranch Succession Educator in Lincoln, were named the winners of the 2020 Outstanding Project Award for the North Central Region of the United States by the Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) Program.

The ERME program, supported by the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), provides competitive grants that fund education projects focused on helping farmers and ranchers successfully manage the unique risks associated with production agriculture. The goal is to strengthen the economic viability of agribusinesses.

Jim and Allan were honored for their outstanding work and accomplishments on a project entitled “So You’ve Inherited a Farm, Now What?” The project provided education on the financial, human, and legal risks associated with farm transition and helped impact participants ranging from off-farm heirs to multi-generation farm family operations to ag professionals working closely with producers on farm transition issues.

They were to have received their awards and presented information on their project during an educational session at the 2020 ERME National Conference in early April, which unfortunately was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other regional winners included Elizabeth Higgins, Cornell University for the Northeast Region; Laurence Crane, National Crop Insurance Services for the Southern Region; and Natalia Pinzon Jimenez, Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture (MESA), Inc. for the Western Region. The awards were based on the accomplishments of projects delivered during the 2017-2018 grant cycle and documented in online reports available at http://extensionrme.org/.

As part of the award, an impact story on the project is available at https://ncerme.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/North-Central-2020-Outstanding-Project-Jansen-and-Vyhnalek.pdf or https://go.unl.edu/bhuh. A separate story on the project is available at https://ncerme.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Success-Story-Nebraska-2017-2019.pdf or https://go.unl.edu/60az.

Agricultural risk management involves selecting tools and approaches that reduce the adverse effects of the uncertainties of weather, yields, prices, credit, government policies, global markets and other factors, including human resource and legal issues, that can cause wide swings in farm income or threaten the economic viability of a farm or ranch.

The national ERME Competitive Grants Program is conducted annually by the four regional ERME Centers. Eligible entities include any public or private organization with a demonstrated capacity to develop and deliver results/outcome-based risk management education to agricultural producers and their families. The 2021 request for applications will be issued in mid-September, with applications due mid-November. For more information, please visit www.extensionrme.org.

The mission of the Extension Risk Management Education Program is “educating America’s farmers and ranchers to manage the unique risks of producing food for the world’s table.”



2020 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo Moved to Omaha in Late August

BBI International has announced this week that the 2020 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo, the ethanol industry's largest conference, has been moved due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Originally scheduled for mid-June in Minneapolis, the FEW is now rescheduled to take place August 24th through August 26th, 2020 in Omaha, Nebraska.

“Based on the most current information available, and with the best interests of our members, exhibitors, attendees and the global community in mind, BBI International’s leadership team has made the difficult but necessary decision to reschedule the 2020 FEW,” said Tom Bryan, president at BBI International. “Recognizing the importance of this event to your organizations, our industry, and all companies connected with producing the FEW, we are now shifting the dates to a more suitable timeframe based on the availability of locations provided to us. The 2020 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo will now be taking place August 24th through August 26th, 2020 in Omaha, Nebraska.”

BBI International also announced that all biofuels producers will be allowed to attend free of charge. “Previously, free registration was limited to two ethanol producers per facility,” said Joe Bryan, CEO of BBI International. “However, due to the state of events that have taken place this year, we are allowing free registration to all producers who work at ethanol facilities. No longer will we be limiting it to only two per facility.”

As announced earlier in the year, the FEW will be offering four tracks of comprehensive content designed for ethanol production. New this year, the program team is including a co-located event titled, “Biodiesel Production and Technology Summit.” Produced by Biodiesel Magazine, the co-located event is a new forum intended for biodiesel and renewable diesel producers to learn about cutting-edge process technologies, new techniques and equipment to optimize existing production, and efficiencies to save money while increasing throughput and fuel quality.

Visit www.FuelEthanolWorkshop.com to learn more.



Alternative Cattle Feeding Strategies in the COVID-19 Era
Warren Rusche – SDSU Extension Beef Feedlot Management Associate

The last few weeks have witnessed market volatility and disruptions that few, if any cattle producers have ever seen. That uncertainty is leading cattle producers to question the best strategy to market any cattle they have on inventory.

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. We are dealing with nearly unprecedented market conditions and attempting to predict the future is a fool’s game at best. One thing we can do is to separate cattle by classes and look at the production and marketing options available. The correct option depends a great deal on cash flow needs, feedstuff availability, and an operation’s capacity for risk.

Near Ready Finishing Cattle
There are very few good options for cattle that will be market ready in the next 90 days. Increasing roughage content could slow growth rate and extend the feeding period, but by this point those changes will have little impact on cattle marketing time point. Cattle being fed a beta-agonist have an even more restrictive market window as the labeled duration of feeding ranges from 28 to 42 days. The biggest risk today is if the feeding industry is unable to stay current resulting in greater numbers of heavy cattle getting fatter that need to find an outlet. That usually means even lower prices as the supply chain works through increased beef tonnage. Add in uncertainty surrounding plant closures and the corresponding risk of delivery difficulties, the best option for these cattle is to ship on time rather than waiting for anticipated market improvement later in the year.

Heavy Backgrounded/Lightweight Finishing Cattle
These cattle could be fed a less energy dense diet to slow gains and extend the feeding period. The tradeoff is poorer efficiency and increased yardage costs. However, this option could be worthwhile if the overall market improves. Feedlots with ample inventories of corn silage or other roughage sources already on hand are the best candidates for this strategy. The University of Nebraska recently published a study comparing diets with either 14, 47, or 80 percent corn silage on a dry matter basis. Days on feed to reach the same fat thickness increased from 168 for the 14% corn silage diet to 195 or 238 days for diets containing 47 or 80 percent corn silage. Hot carcass weight increased with greater amounts of corn silage in the diet with no change in marbling score.

What about implants under these scenarios? On the surface not implanting as a way to lengthen the feeding period might seem logical because implants increase ADG. However, implants result in cattle that are leaner and heavier at the same number of days, so the net result of not implanting is cattle reaching their fat target earlier and at a lighter weight. Implant potency does need to be matched to dietary energy concentration. High potency implants (i.e. Revalor-200, Synovex Plus, and Component TE-200) are best suited for diets greater than 60 Mcal Neg. Extended release implants could be a viable option for longer feeding periods.

Lightweight Cattle
Producers with light-weight cattle and forage resources have additional options. These cattle could be kept in the drylot on a high forage diet, sent to pasture for summer grazing, or grazed on annual forages. The last strategy is not necessarily common but could be an attractive option especially considering the uncertain economics of crop production this year. An added benefit to these systems is that these cattle should be ready for slaughter in the 4thquarter of the year when prices are often seasonally higher.

What About Effects on Carcass Quality?
Carcass merit probably is not top of mind right now for most people, after all a grid premium on top of a terrible base price still does not result in enough final value. However, carcass merit is important and shouldn’t be ignored. 

Hot carcass weight tends to increase as with extended feeding periods with lower energy diets when cattle are harvested at the same fat end point. Marbling can be reduced if energy intake is greatly limited or if cattle are implanted too aggressively. Marbling should not be limited by lower energy diets if cattle are gaining at least 2.5 pounds per day.



'Pass the Pork' Program Connects Pig Farmers, Food Banks

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced a new "Pass the Pork" program to connect Iowa pig farmers with food-insecure Iowans. The program is an initiative of Gov. Reynolds' Feeding Iowans Task Force led by Lt. Gov. Gregg.

Through "Pass the Pork," the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship are helping Iowa pig farmers donate pigs to Iowa food bank feeding programs. Local meat processors are extending their hours of operation to process and package the pork donations to help meet the growing demand for food bank and food pantry resources. Iowa food banks are getting the pork into the hands of those in need.

"From family farms to the family's dinner table, our entire food supply chain has been
impacted by COVID-19," Gov. Reynolds said. "'Pass the Pork' is an innovative
partnership to put Iowa pork on the tables of families in need of food security while
creating a new destination for pork which might otherwise go to waste. I'm grateful to
Iowa's pork producers, processors and others for stepping up to make this possible."

"At a time when Iowa pig farmers face market challenges and supply chain disruptions, they continue to look for opportunities to help those in need," Secretary Naig said. "We are proud to partner with Iowa pig farmers, food banks and meat processors to ensure all Iowans have access to a locally produced, high-quality protein source."

"Pass the Pork" will officially begin when the first donated pigs are delivered May 1.
Processing will continue in May and for as long as processing capacity and funds remain.

"The supply chain issues are challenging Iowa's pig farmers, but we also see our friends and neighbors struggling with jobs and wondering how they will put food on the table, too. This program will help bring pork to our local communities when they need it most," said Mike Paustian, the Walcott farmer who is IPPA president.

"Food banks across our state are working every day to help Iowans facing food
insecurity," said Lt. Gov. Gregg. "With the dramatic increases food pantries are seeing in demand during this pandemic, this initiative is going to play an important role in making sure Iowa families have the food they need in these challenging times."

How to Get Involved
The pigs for "Pass the Pork" are being donated by Iowa pig farmers. However, there are costs associated with the processing, storage and delivery of the pork to food banks and pantries. Iowans can contribute to the Iowa Food Bank Association to help cover these costs and future purchases of Iowa-produced pork for food bank programs.

To donate funds to help support this program, visit the Iowa Food Bank Association
website at donorbox.org/passthepork.

Iowa pig farmers and meat processors who are interested in participating in the
program should contact the Iowa Pork Producers Association at (515) 225-7675.



CDC Issues Guidelines to Keep Workers Safe and Processing Plants Operational

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Heath Administration (OSHA) issued guidelines aimed at helping protect workers from the spread of COVID-19 in packing plants in the United States. In response to the guidelines, NCBA CEO Colin Woodall issued the following statement today.

“We appreciate the additional guidance from CDC and OSHA to help keep workers safe in beef plants. This move will also provide state and local governments with the information they need to protect worker safety, while continuing to support the operation of beef processing plants. Cattle producers rely on the workers and the plants themselves to ensure a steady supply of beef to consumers and to be certain cattle continue to be able to move through the system.

“Processing plants are important to cattle producers and consumers, but they also provide an important tax base for rural America and are an important provider of jobs and income in small communities across the nation. The CDC guidelines will help ensure the employees and their communities are better protected from the further spread of COVID-19, while they continue to provide an essential service both to cattle producers and American consumers.”

The CDC guidelines can be viewed here... https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/meat-poultry-processing-workers-employers.html. 



NCBA Helps Lead Ag Coalition Letter Urging Improvements to Paycheck Protection Program

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) today helped lead a coalition of more than 35 different agricultural groups in sending a letter to leaders on Capitol Hill urging specific improvements in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

A second round of PPP relief is being rolled out after winning final Congressional approval last week. Unfortunately, the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sectors received only 1.3 percent of the original $349 billion in the first round of approved funding, which was quickly depleted.

"Federal relief is only as good as the access that people in need have to it." said Marty Smith, President of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. “Unfortunately for agricultural producers, accessing the first round of Paycheck Protection Program funding proved to be nearly impossible, with less than 2% of these loans reaching our industry. Hopefully the second round of PPP will be more accessible to family ranchers and farmers, and more equitably distributed so we can continue working to feed America during this crisis."

The list of priorities for the next round of SBA loans includes:

Expedite Approval of Applications for Rural Lenders
    Most of agriculture’s primary lenders have not administered SBA loans.
    Allow Farm Credit institutions to access the newly established PPP set-aside for small financial lenders. 

Guidance for Agricultural Applicants
    Sole proprietors who file a Schedule F should be eligible to participate in the Payroll Protection Program.
    Allow businesses to use additional income documentation to qualify for PPP.

Define “Primary Place of Residence” in SBA Statute
    The Primary Place of Residence should be defined to clearly include H-2A guest workers, as many of these workers spend over half the year in the United States.

Rent and Utilities
    Rental payments for all business-related items should be included in the SBA loan program.

Eligibility Cap for Agriculture
    An increase in SBA’s eligibility cap for employees is essential for family farms and agricultural processors that employ more than 500 employees to continue operating and paying their employees.



Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling for Beef, Pork and Dairy Petition Gets 26K Signatures in First 30 Hours

Last Thursday, R-CALF USA along with some of its members launched a petition urging the President and Congress to immediately pass Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (MCOOL) for beef, pork and dairy products to strengthen national food security and help stimulate economic growth. The petition has gained an unprecedented number of signatures in a very short period of time and continues to gain new signatures rapidly. The petition can be viewed at www.DemandUSABeef.com.

R-CALF USA member Kerry Cramton, a Kansas cattle producer who started the Facebook group U.S. Grassroots Cattlemen & Cattlewomen, worked with R-CALF USA to initiate the petition. Cramton met with Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin who is currently riding on horseback from his ranch in New Mexico to Washington, D.C. Cramton and Griffin announced the petition yesterday morning and Griffin hopes to discuss MCOOL with President Trump.

South Dakota native and Fox Nation Host Tomi Lahren tweeted the petition yesterday and is expected to do her next Monday's upcoming Final Thoughts segment on it. Lahren is a longtime Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling advocate. Last fall she aired a special 'American Ranchers' on her Fox Nation show No Interruption. View the full episode here.

R-CALF USA led the victory for COOL in 2002, 2009 and again in 2013. Although beef suffered a setback in 2015, all fruit, vegetables, fish, chicken, goat, lamb and nuts are still required to be labeled as to where they are grown, produced, caught, or born, raised, and harvested.

"The difference between mandatory COOL and voluntary COOL is the inclusion of imports," said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard. "Mandatory COOL requires all beef and pork, imported and domestic, to be labeled as to where it was born, raised, and harvested; and where dairy products were originated, produced, sourced and processed.

"All U.S. cattle producers and consumers are encouraged to sign the petition at  www.DemandUSABeef.com," said Bullard. "For those that want to stay informed about MCOOL action alerts, they can sign up for that too on the petition. All provided information will not be shared and will be kept confidential.

The MCOOL Petition follows R-CALF USA's recent launch of its new Website www.USABeef.org, a free platform for cattle ranchers and farmers who raise and sell cattle or beef that is exclusively USA born, raised, and harvested directly to consumers. The site is growing daily and currently includes 301 farms, ranches and businesses from 40 states. Consumers can call the beef providers on this list to obtain beef produced in their state.



ACE: Administration must initiate a plan to aid ethanol producers struggling to survive the catastrophic economic fallout of COVID-19

Today, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings requested President Trump demonstrate his leadership in support of America’s farmers and the renewable fuels industry by directing his Cabinet to provide a much-needed boost to ethanol producers and rural America in response to the mounting economic harm as a result of the sudden and severe drop in ethanol demand.

“More than half of U.S. ethanol production capacity is already offline, high-skill jobs are being shed, livestock and food processing customers are facing supply disruptions, and our members’ working capital is vanishing. Ethanol use could fall by more than 3 billion gallons in 2020, eliminating the market for at least a billion bushels of U.S. corn,” Jennings wrote in the letter. “As you did on April 21, when you directed the Secretaries of Energy and Treasury to formulate a plan to provide funds to the oil and gas industry, we urge similar action for our sector.”

Over the last month, ACE has written the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) urging them to use authorities within their discretion to quickly aid the ethanol industry.

“In our April 3 letter to Administrator Wheeler, we requested he use his existing statutory authority to ensure the 20.09 billion gallons of renewable fuel required by the Renewable Fuel Standard — and promised by EPA this year — will be consumed,” Jennings wrote. “COVID-19 exposed a shortcoming in the Agency’s rulemaking, and failure to increase the RFS this year will result in a waiver of promised gallons. In an April 16 Reuters article, a spokesperson said EPA ‘will make the appropriate determination at the appropriate time,’ but the Agency has not responded to our request. Every day EPA delays action is another day of economic catastrophe for renewable fuel producers.”

The letter continued, “Our April 13 letter to Secretary Perdue requested he utilize funding in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide emergency assistance to ethanol producers. ACE supported congressional efforts to increase USDA funding for this effort, and many in Congress encouraged USDA to provide ethanol producers the aid. Unfortunately, USDA declined this much-needed assistance on April 17 citing a lack of funding.”

The letter concluded by affirming a more urgent response is needed and the Administration has tools at hand that can be deployed with sufficient political will.



Zoetis Introduces INHERIT Select, A New Genomic Tool For Commercial Cow-Calf Producers

Zoetis released a suite of new genetic testing and decision-making tools designed specifically for commercial cow-calf operations. INHERIT Select™ is the latest genomic test to offer Genomic Expected Progeny Differences (GEPDs) providing commercial cow-calf producers with genetic insights to make critical replacement female selection and breeding decisions.

INHERIT Select is an innovative, multi-breed genomic test that provides predictions for commercial crossbred females spanning eight major breeds including Angus, Red Angus, Simmental, South Devon, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Charolais and Limousin. The test delivers GEPDs and percentile rankings for 16 traits as well as sire parentage and breed composition.

“We’re excited to bring another genomic tool to the industry to support commercial producers,” says Jason Osterstock, Vice President of Global Genetics with Zoetis. “We know that genetic improvement strategies and genomic data are increasingly important as we strive to efficiently produce quality beef, and with INHERIT Select commercial cow-calf producers are empowered to pursue that goal.”

To make decisions for genetic improvement easier for commercial cow-calf producers, Zoetis offers three new indexes with INHERIT Select. The Zoetis Total Return (ZTR) index simplifies multi-trait selection and breeding to help maximize returns for commercial beef replacement heifers. The ZTR index incorporates economic and production assumptions, and the full range of GEPDs into one, easy-to-use number. The Zoetis Cow|Calf (ZCC) index and Zoetis Feedlot|Carcass (ZFC) index inform decisions for these production segments.

“Until now, commercial cow-calf producers generally have not had access to the same scope of genetic information as compared to seedstock producers,” says Kent Andersen, director of genetics technical services, Global Genetics with Zoetis. “With INHERIT Select, cow-calf producers now have easy access to the power of GEPDs and economic selection indexes to make informed replacement female selection and breeding decisions.”

Using INHERIT Select, cow-calf producers can now make replacement heifer selection based on predictions for net return, as well as component traits, breed composition and sire parentage. Heifers can be tested at weaning or at any time when a tissue sample may be collected.

“Commercial cow-calf producers are accustomed to using EPDs and economic indexes when making bull buying decisions,” says Andersen. “INHERIT Select provides these producers the power of GEPDs to make more accurate replacement decisions, and the new indexes simplify selection and breeding decisions for multiplying animals with genetics for the highest potential net returns.”

To get started with INHERIT Select, producers should contact Zoetis customer service (877 233-3362) or talk to their Zoetis Genetics representative to order test kits. Once kits are received, obtaining a sample is as easy as tagging calves using a tissue sampling unit. Results are typically received within a few weeks of testing.