Wednesday April 1 Ag News

CCPPD Plants Seeds of Caution around Power Lines

As farmers make plans to return to their fields for spring planting, Cuming County Public Power District urges farm workers to be particularly alert to the dangers of working near overhead power lines.  Electricity is one of the most overlooked, yet deadly hazards of working on a farm.  According to the National Safety Council, farmers are at an increased risk for electrocution and electric shock injury compared to non-farmers.  In fact, 3.6 percent of youth under the age of 20 who work and/or live around farms are killed each year from electrocution.  CCPPD urges workers to evaluate farm activities and work practices and to share that information with others – an activity that doesn’t take a lot of time but can literally save lives.  By following a few safety rules, these tragic accidents can be prevented.  Start by making sure everyone knows to maintain a minimum 10-foot clearance from the lines.

“The minimum 10 foot distance is a 360-degree rule – below, to the side and above lines,” says Willy Anderson, Safety Director at Cuming County PPD.  “Many farm electrical accidents involving power lines happen when loading or preparing to transport equipment to fields, or while performing maintenance or repairs on farm machinery near lines.  It can be difficult to estimate distance and sometimes a power line is closer than it looks.  A spotter or someone with a broader view can help.”

The most common source of electric shocks come from operating machinery such as large tractors with front loaders, portable grain augers, fold-up cultivators, sprayers with large booms, moving grain elevators and any equipment with an antenna.  Handling long items such as irrigation pipe, ladders and rods also pose the risk of contact with power lines.  Coming too close to a power line while working is dangerous because electricity can arc, or “jump,” to conducting material or objects.

Be aware of increased height when loading and transporting tractors on trailer beds. Many tractors are now equipped with radios and communications systems that have very tall antennas extending from the cab that could make contact with power lines. Avoid raising the arms of planters, cultivators or truck beds near power lines and never attempt to raise or move a power line to clear a path.

Remember, non-metallic materials such as lumber, tree limbs, tires, ropes and hay will conduct electricity depending on dampness, dust and dirt contamination.  Do not try to clear storm-damage debris and limbs near power lines or fallen lines.

Overhead electric wires aren't the only electrical contact that can result in a serious incident. Pole guy wires, used to stabilize utility poles, are grounded.  However, when one of the guy wires is broken it can cause an electric current disruption. This can make those neutral wires anything but harmless. If you hit a guy wire and break it, call CCPPD to fix it. Don't do it yourself. When dealing with electrical poles and wires, always call CCPPD.

Even the best laid plans often go awry and CCPPD wants farm workers to be prepared if their equipment does come in contact with power lines. 

“It’s almost always best to stay in the cab and call for help,” Anderson said.  “If the power line is energized and you step outside, your body becomes the path to the ground and electrocution is the result.  Even if a line has landed on the ground, there is still potential for the area to be energized.  Warn others who may be nearby to stay away and wait until the electric utility arrives to make sure power to the line is cut off.”

Cuming County Public Power District does provide solutions for leaving the cab if necessary, as in the case of fire or electrical fire.

“In that scenario, the proper action is to jump – not step – with both feet hitting the ground at the same time,” Anderson said.   “Do not allow any part of your body to touch the equipment and the ground at the same time. Hop to safety, keeping both feet together as you leave the area.”

Once you get away from the equipment, never attempt to get back on or even touch the equipment. Many electrocutions occur when operators try to return to the equipment before the power has been shut off.

Managers should make sure workers are educated on these precautions and danger areas need to be thoroughly identified and labeled.  Call CCPPD or your local utility to measure line height-- no one should attempt this on their own without professional assistance.  Designate preplanned routes that avoid hazard areas and educate other workers on their location.

Farmers may want to consider moving or burying power lines around buildings or busy pathways where many farm activities take place. If planning a new out-building or farm structure, contact CCPPD for information on minimum safe clearances from overhead and underground power lines. And if you plan to dig beyond normal tilling, activities such as deep-ripping or sub-soiling, call 811 to mark underground utilities first.

For more electrical safety information, visit www.ccppd.com  or call the CCPPD office at 402-372-2463.



Guidance for Livestock Markets to Slow the Spread of COVID-19 Virus
NE Dept of Ag

With COVID-19 spreading across the state and nation, Governor Pete Ricketts has issued guidelines to slow the spread of the virus. Under those guidelines, Nebraskans need to implement improved personal health practices to slow the spread of the virus. These practices include keeping at least six feet between each person, coughing and/or sneezing into our elbows, washing our hands often with soap for at least 20 seconds, and refraining from touching our face, nose and eyes. In addition, public gatherings should be limited to no more than 10 people.

Governor Ricketts has issued Directed Health Measures (DHMs) in several Nebraska counties that further restrict activities in those counties.*

For purposes of clarity, livestock markets are not considered gatherings under the DHMs issued by the state. It is important for livestock markets to institute changes to slow the spread of COVID-19 among their staff, sellers and buyers. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture strongly recommends that all livestock markets adhere to the following guidance:

Critically evaluate each auction to determine whether it needs to be held. If an auction can be postponed, please do so. If you decide to hold an auction, take the following protective measures:
·         Use technology to host virtual sales whenever possible.

·         Limit the number of customers at the sale to ensure everyone maintains at least a 6-foot separation between themselves at all times.

·         Sellers should leave the sale after unloading and watch it online.

·         Customers can make arrangements to pick up checks in the parking lot if they can’t wait for the mail.

·         Instruct any employee, seller or buyer exhibiting symptoms of illness to remain home and request that anyone who is a member of a population of heightened vulnerability to avoid areas where people are gathering.

·         Provide ample opportunities for visitors and employees to wash hands with soap and water.

·         Clean and disinfect all commonly-used areas frequently including restrooms and restock often with soap, paper towels, and hand sanitizer.

·         Consider closing all parts of the auction market that are not directly associated with the sale to prevent people from co-mingling, including common seating areas.

·         Provide times for in-person viewing of the offerings to accommodate smaller groups.

·         If the auction market is being held within a county with a Directed Health Measure (DHM) – the livestock market café dining area must be closed. Pick-up, take-out, curbside or delivery of food items are allowed. If the county is not within a DHM, there can be no more than 10 customers at a time in the dining area, and they need to maintain six feet of distance from each other.

·         Clearly communicate and enforce your policies.

*Counties under Directive Health Measures can be found on Governor Ricketts’ website at governor.nebraska.gov.  



Dairy Farmers in Four States Send Letter to USDA

Dairy Farmers in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota penned a letter to Ag Secretary Sunny Perdue expressing concern in the current situaion and outlook for the dairy industry.  The letter is below....

Dear Secretary Perdue,

Our four states represent about 4,000 dairy farms, or about 11% of the nation’s dairy farmers. As we all continue to adapt to the impact of COVID-19, it is clear one of the agriculture sectors with greatest impact is our dairy industry. With schools, universities and restaurants closed in many parts of the country, the use of cheese for foodservice – much of which comes from our Upper Midwest states – has plummeted.

Make additional CCC dairy product purchases Like NMPF, we urge the Department to make a substantial purchase of multiple forms of dairy products under Section 32. In our states, there are a number of processors making barrels and other foodservice focused products that have not been sold. If we could fulfill what these processors usually send to retail to our friends at food banks, it would help both the market and those experiencing sudden food insecurity.

Provide payments to dairy farmers similar to MFP On the milk side, a 100-cow dairy farm went from a potential $25,000 profit in January to a $30,000 projected loss in March for 2020. While there are programs that can help fill the gap, neither the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program nor Dairy Revenue Protection can (nor were designed to) make whole the loss. As you know, in both programs farmers can only cover about 90% of their production. Further, those farms with 300 or more dairy cattle might be most at risk, with diluted use of the DMC program due to the cap limit on pounds of production. U.S.D.A. is likely in the best position to figure the exact economic cost, but NMPF estimates it to be $2.85 billion as of last week – this week may have doubled that loss.

Ensure dumped milk is compensated Some farmers or processing plants may be forced to dump milk due to the loss of markets or to ensure the health of their workforce. We recommend adding pandemics to the WHIP-ML program.

Consider the loss in beef markets, too We also stand with our cattle producing friends, in asking for help offsetting the drop in cattle sales revenue. The industry – our nation’s largest agricultural livestock sector – has been hurt in recent weeks as packers rake in profits due to changing supply management and logistics systems. Farmers selling cattle have not benefitted from the Market Facilitation Program tranches, and dairy farmers selling market cattle during these turbulent times are included in that. Whether as bull calves or cull cows, the beef prices affect 10 to 20% of dairy farm income.

Due to this double whammy, we ask that you keep dairy farms in mind for The CARES Act, which provides USDA’s Office of the Secretary with an additional $9.5 billion “to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.” Livestock should be top of mind, and dairy and beef likely are the greatest market impacts within that segment.

We are willing to answer any questions and look forward to working with you as we return our economy to what it can be.

Sincerely,
Nebraska State Dairy Association
Iowa State Dairy Association
South Dakota Dairy Producers
Minnesota Milk Producers Association



IRFA Members Make 2nd Donation of Ethanol to State of Iowa for Hand Sanitizer Production

Two Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) members kicked off the new month by sending the second and third donated shipments of ethanol to the state of Iowa to be used by Iowa Prison Industries (IPI) to continue their production of much-needed hand sanitizer.

This week’s donations were made by Iowa ethanol producers Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) and Lakeview Plymouth Energy. It follows donations of ethanol and glycerin made earlier by IRFA members Absolute Energy and Western Iowa Energy. The hand sanitizer produced is being distributed for free by the state for priority use.

“Even in the face of horrible plant economics, it’s gratifying to see how Iowa biofuel producers continue to step up to help our state in the midst of this pandemic,” said IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw. “In a time when fuel demand is down and biofuel producers are hurting, we applaud Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, Lakeview Plymouth Energy, and other biofuel companies who are still working hard to contribute to the fight against COVID-19 by aiding in the critical production of hand sanitizer.”

Governor Kim Reynolds launched the program to utilize Iowa’s abundant ethanol and glycerin, a coproduct of biodiesel, production to help ease the shortage of hand sanitizer. Iowa Prison Industries worked to overcome regulatory hurdles and supply issues for other components in the FDA’s approved hand sanitizer formula.

“Given Iowa’s production of ethanol and glycerin, this sounded simple, but I can assure you it has taken a lot of hard work and ingenuity,” added Shaw. “After Gov. Reynolds provided the leadership to jumpstart this program, IPI has done incredible work securing the needed components, dealing with shipping, production and safety issues. It’s been a pleasure to work with them because IPI simply refused to take ‘no’ for an answer and have successfully put out thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer with more being produced every day.”



Weekly Ethanol Production for 3/27/2020

 This morning, the EIA released its Weekly Petroleum Status Report for the week ending March 27, which was the first to reflect more fully the impact on the ethanol industry from the social distancing and stay-at-home restrictions associated with COVID-19.

According to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association, ethanol production plummeted 16.4%, or 165,000 barrels per day (b/d), to 840,000 b/d, the lowest level in six and a half years. The decline was the largest since the EIA began reporting ethanol production statistics in 2010. The four-week average ethanol production rate declined 5.8% to 981,000 b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 15.04 billion gallons.

Ethanol stocks rose 6.5% to a record 25.7 million barrels, eclipsing the previous high set four weeks prior. Inventories shifted higher across all regions except the Midwest (PADD 2). A majority of the stocks build took place in the Gulf Coast (PADD 3), where inventories grew by roughly one-quarter.

The volume of gasoline supplied to the U.S. market, a measure of implied demand, fell to 6.659 million b/d (102.08 bg annualized), which was 24.6% lower than the prior week and 27.1% lower than the same week in 2019. It was the smallest volume since the week of Jan. 28, 1994.

Refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol plummeted to 601,000 b/d, equivalent to only 9.21 bg annualized, which was 31.2% below the prior week and 33.9% below the year-earlier level. It was the lowest level ever reported by the EIA.

There were no imports of ethanol recorded for the third straight week. (Weekly export data for ethanol is not reported simultaneously; the latest export data is as of January 2020.)



Fats and Oils: Oilseed Crushings, Production, Consumption and Stocks

Soybeans crushed for crude oil was 5.45 million tons (182 million bushels) in February 2020, compared with 5.66 million tons (189 million bushels) in January 2020 and 4.88 million tons (163 million bushels) in February 2019. Crude oil produced was 2.07 billion pounds down 4 percent from January 2020 but up 9 percent from February 2019. Soybean once refined oil production at 1.41 billion pounds during February 2020 increased 2 percent from January 2020 and increased 9 percent from February 2019.

Canola seeds crushed for crude oil was 175,341 tons in February 2020, compared with 167,209 tons in January 2020 and 136,421 tons in February 2019. Canola crude oil produced was 147 million pounds, up 5 percent from January 2020 and up 27 percent from February 2019. Canola once refined oil production, at 140 million pounds during February 2020, was up 39 percent from January 2020 and up 37 percent from February 2019.

Cottonseed once refined oil production, at 39.1 million pounds during February 2020, was down 10 percent from January 2020 but up 6 percent from February 2019.

Edible tallow production was 91.8 million pounds during February 2020, up 14 percent from January 2020 and up slightly from February 2019. Inedible tallow production was 326 million pounds during February 2020, up 10 percent from January 2020 but down 2 percent from February 2019. Technical tallow production was 121 million pounds during February 2020, up 17 percent from January 2020 and up 1 percent from February 2019. Choice white grease production, at 125 million pounds during February 2020, increased 8 percent from January 2020 but decreased 3 percent from February 2019.



Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production

Total corn consumed for alcohol and other uses was 481 million bushels in February 2020. Total corn consumption was down 7 percent from January 2020 but up 7 percent from February 2019. February 2020 usage included 92.1 percent for alcohol and 7.9 percent for other purposes. Corn consumed for beverage alcohol totaled 2.62 million bushels, down 3 percent from January 2020 and down 4 percent from February 2019. Corn for fuel alcohol, at 434 million bushels, was down 8 percent from January 2020 but up 8 percent from February 2019. Corn consumed in February 2020 for dry milling fuel production and wet milling fuel production was 90.0 percent and 10.0 percent, respectively.

Dry mill co-product production of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) was 1.82 million tons during February 2020, down 7 percent from January 2020 but up 7 percent from February 2019. Distillers wet grains (DWG) 65 percent or more moisture was 1.17 million tons in February 2020, down 15 percent from January 2020 and down 3 percent from February 2019.

Wet mill corn gluten feed production was 281,160 tons during February 2020, down 9 percent from January 2020 but up 12 percent from February 2019. Wet corn gluten feed 40 to 60 percent moisture was 235,941 tons in February 2020, down 9 percent from January 2020 but up 5 percent from February 2019.



DTN Retail Fertilizer Trends

Retail fertilizer price moves continued to be mixed the fourth week of March 2020, according to sellers surveyed by DTN. At the same time, fertilizer retailers are also reporting the COVID-19 pandemic is having an effect on their operations as spring fieldwork begins.

Average retail prices for four fertilizers were lower compared to last month, while prices for the other four were higher, a continuation of the trend we have seen in recent weeks.

Urea was the one fertilizer with a noteworthy move. The nitrogen fertilizer was 5% more expensive compared to last month. The fertilizer's average price was $382 per ton.

Prices for three other fertilizers were just slightly higher in price compared to last month. Anhydrous had an average price of $491/ton, UAN28 $235/ton and UAN32 $278/ton.

Meanwhile, average prices for the remaining four fertilizers decreased slightly from a month ago. DAP had an average price of $409/ton, MAP $434/ton, potash $370/ton and 10-34-0 $466/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.42/lb.N, anhydrous $0.30/lb.N, UAN28 $0.42/lb.N and UAN32 $0.43/lb.N.

Retail fertilizers are now all lower in price from a year ago. DAP is 20% lower, MAP is 19% less expensive, anhydrous is 18% lower, both UAN28 and UAN32 are 13% less expensive, urea is 5% lower, potash is 4% less expensive and 10-34-0 is 1% lower from last year at this time.



Celebrity Chefs Beef Up Classic Dishes

While people everywhere are looking to spice up their cooking routine and use ingredients they have on hand, the experts at Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. have partnered with 3 leading chefs to provide restaurant-level inspiration to the home cook.

As home cooks stock up on staples, like beef, and get creative with what they have on hand, why not make beef the substitute and use it in place of other popular proteins in family favorite dishes. To show just how easy these fun recipe twists can be, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. partnered with three nationally recognized chefs inviting each to find a creative way to substitute beef for a more commonly used protein in one of their favorite dishes. The delectable resulting recipes include:
-    Peking Chuck: In this nod to Peking Duck, Top Chef finalist, Joe Sasto replaces the duck with a Chuck Roast for a unique Asian-inspired beef meal.
-    Korean Fried Beef (KFB): Who needs fried chicken when you can enjoy fried beef at home? Acclaimed NYC chef Esther Choi shows how to make this classic dish with a beefy Korean twist.
-    Cowlamari: For this tasty treat, beloved Chicago chef and Food Network regular, Lamar Moore, replaces the surf with turf and turns Calamari into Cowlamari.

Each recipe comes to life in a video where the chefs showcase their recipe and explain why beef is the perfect substitute.

“This checkoff-funded effort provides consumers with inspiration to think outside the box and use beef as the ultimate meat substitute,” said Buck Wehrbein, federation division chair at NCBA. “As Americans spend more time at home, the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand is finding creative ways to encourage the inclusion of beef in all types of meals and recipes.”

Beef is a great option to include in any meal because it not only tastes great, but is also packed full of important nutrients. Beef is a great source of 10 essential nutrients like high-quality protein, zinc, iron, selenium and B-vitamins, all of which are important for maintaining good health through all life stages.

For those looking for even more beefy tips and tricks for the kitchen, Chuck Knows Beef the first all-knowing beef virtual assistant powered by Google Artificial Intelligence, is the perfect solution. Chuck can help home cooks with everything from cuts and nutrition information to recipes and cooking tips.

The “beef substitute” recipes and Chuck can be found at BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com. Also on BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com are hundreds more scrumptious recipes and a series of digital cooking lessons with detailed instructions and tips for a dozen different cooking methods, from grilling to pressure cooking, these cooking lessons are a great resource for all levels of home chefs.



 Senator Fischer, Colleagues Urge USDA to Provide Immediate Assistance to Cattle Producers

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today joined a bipartisan, bicameral letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting that he provide immediate assistance to cattle producers by using the resources provided in the recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stabilization (CARES) Act. This includes the replenishment of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and additional emergency funding. Doing so would help facilitate the stabilization of farm and ranch income for producers who are facing market volatility in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic fallout.

More than 140 members of Congress joined Senator Fischer in sending today’s letter to Secretary Perdue.



NCBA Applauds Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter Urging COVID-19 Relief for Cattle Producers

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applauded a congressional letter that was sent today to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue, urging swift relief for American cattle producers who have been adversely impacted by the ongoing Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic.  The letter was signed by a bipartisan group of over 145 lawmakers from both chambers of Congress.

“America’s cattle producers have been hit hard by the unforeseen financial challenges brought on by this pandemic. We thank each and every lawmaker that showed their continued support to rural families by signing onto this critical letter,” said NCBA President Marty Smith, a family cow-calf operator from Wacahoota, Fla. “We remain hopeful that USDA can quickly deliver this relief to the cattle producers that so desperately need it.”

The letter was led by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) in the Senate, and Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Calif.) and Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) in the House of Representatives.  Other notable signers include Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Senate Agriculture Appropriations Chairman John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Senate Agriculture Appropriations Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-O.R.), House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), House Agriculture Ranking Member Mike Conaway (R-Texas), House Agriculture Appropriations Chairman Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), and House Agriculture Appropriations Ranking Member Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.).

The recently-enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act included provisions that replenished USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation’s borrowing authority back to the statutory cap of $30 billion, as well as made $9.5 billion in new appropriations available for use by USDA to assist livestock and specialty crop producers impacted by COVID-19.  The letter echoes NCBA’s position that USDA must implement these new authorities as quickly and equitably as possible.



First Quarter CWT-assisted export sales top 20 million pounds of product

In the first three months of 2020, CWT member cooperatives secured 171 contracts to sell 8.9 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 1.3 million pounds of butter, 1.8 million pounds of cream cheese, and 8.8 million pounds of whole milk powder. These totals include March contracts for 4 million pounds of cheese, 165,347 pounds of butter, 449,743 pounds of cream cheese, and 3.5 million pounds of whole milk powder. The milk equivalent of the 2020 contracts 189 million pounds on a milkfat basis.

The coronavirus situation in the U.S. has dramatically changed the domestic market for dairy products, with much of the food-service and school-milk sectors, critical markets for U.S. dairy farmers, drying up as businesses and schools close nationwide. The Cooperatives Working Together export assistance program counteracts the shakeup in domestic demand by moving U.S.-created dairy products overseas, helping to support farm milk prices.

Assisting CWT member cooperatives gain and maintain world market share through the Export Assistance program, in the long-term expands the demand for U.S. dairy products and the U.S. farm milk that produces them. This, in turn, positively impacts all U.S. dairy farmers by strengthening and maintaining the value of dairy products that directly impact their milk price.



New Economic Study: African Swine Fever Outbreak in the US Could Cost $50 Billion

A new study conducted by agricultural economists at Iowa State University estimate the economic impact of a hypothetical African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in the United States. The study replicates the impact of the loss of pork export markets and found an outbreak could cost the swine industry as much as $50 billion over 10 years.

Export sales of U.S. pork reached an all-time high in 2019 of $6.95 billion mt (5.89 billion pounds), with exports accounting for 26.9 percent of the market. The export market returns an average $53.51 per head back to U.S. pork producers.

“Pork production in the U. S. exceeds domestic consumption by 25 to 30 percent, so it’s important to have export markets open as they are imperative to the vitality of the American pig farmer,” said Dr. Dermot Hayes, Iowa State University agricultural economist and one of the authors of the study.

Study Design
The study established a baseline scenario which represents the status quo (where no ASF disease exists). Two scenarios are compared to the baseline to estimate the impact of industry downsizing on the U.S. economy.
-    Two-year scenario – assumes the U.S. quickly gets the disease under control and reenters export markets within two years.
-    All-years scenario – assumes the disease spreads to feral swine and the U.S. is unable to eliminate the disease over the 10-year projection period; and exports never resume.

Key Impacts
If ASF were identified in the U.S., export markets would immediately close to U.S. pork, including ASF-positive countries such as China and the Philippines, which prohibit the importation of pork from any country with the ASF virus. U.S. live hog prices would drop by 40 to 50 percent to sell the surplus of pork intended for export. The oversupply of pork in the domestic market would lead to price reductions of other proteins. Lower demand for grain would reduce feed prices.

The long-term impacts are dependent on the scenario:
-    Revenue losses – lower prices and quantities sold would lead to a decline in pork industry revenues
        Two-year scenario – $15 billion in losses
        All-years scenario – $50 billion in losses
-    Employment
        Two-year scenario – minimal job losses at the end of 10 years
        All-years scenario – 140,000 job losses at the end of 10 years; 22,000 lost jobs in Iowa
-    ​Swine industry downsizing
        Two-year scenario – exports resume before downsizing occurs
        All-years scenario – industry reduction after about five years and remains at a lower output

“Ensuring a two-year scenario versus the all-years scenario means a $35 billion difference to the industry because we avoid downsizing,” said Dr. Hayes.

Study Results
    All-years scenario – prices fall by about 47 percent in Year 1, but stabilize at 1.8 percent lower than the baseline due to lack of pork exports
    Two-year scenario – prices decline by 47 percent, but regain baseline levels as soon as pork exports begin to recover
    All-years scenario – drops well below the baseline and never recovers
    Two-year scenario – initial drop, but recovers to baseline levels in the last three years of the projection period

Implication for the Pork Industry
The study results indicate the costs associated with an ASF outbreak in the U.S. are significant and require risk mitigation and safeguards to protect against importing the disease.

“Movement data will be needed for people, pigs, vehicles, equipment and feed for each site within your operation,” said Dr. Howard Hill, DVM, PhD. “The data will need to be shared quickly with state and federal animal health officials, your veterinarian, as well as neighboring producers to help each other contain the disease.”

Having immediate access to electronic data for all types of pig movement is a crucial step to stopping the spread of ASF. This information will be required to prove negative status of farms, so the industry can maintain business continuity.

“Keep in mind that at any point in time, we have more than one million pigs on the road being transported in the United States. We need a method to quickly identify infected pigs and the pigs that have been in contact with infected pigs, so they can be euthanized. This would allow the industry to regain export markets before downsizing occurs, thus saving billions in losses,” said Dr. Hill.

For more information or to read the full study, go to ASFImpact.com.

The study was funded by Iowa State University and BarnTools, a digital biosecurity platform company; and is an update to “Economy Wide Impacts of a Foreign Animal Disease in the United States” published in 2011 and funded by the National Pork Board.



Syngenta and the Analytics Society of INFORMS announce finalists for 2020 Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics

Now in its fifth year, the Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics is a collaborative effort between Syngenta and the Analytics Society of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). The competition brings together experts in data analytics, mathematics and statistics, underscoring the importance of cross-industry collaboration in addressing challenges unique to agriculture.

The 2020 Syngenta Crop Challenge finalists, as selected by the prize committee and listed in no particular order, are:
·       Yield Performance of Plant Breeding Prediction with Interaction Based Algorithm – Javad Ansarifar, Faezeh Akhavizadegan and Lizhi Wang from Iowa State University (USA)

·       Hybrid Crop Yield Prediction Using Deep Factorization Methods with Integrated Modeling of Implicit and Explicit High-Order Latent Variable Interactions – Shouyi Wang, Jie Han, Fangyun Bai and Ho Manh Linh from University of Texas at Arlington (USA)

·       Combining Strong Learners to Predict Yield of Maize Hybrids – Craig A. Rolling, Isaac Akogwu, Christopher Cotter and Yalda Zare from Benson Hill (USA)

·       Predicting Yield Performance of Parents in Plant Breeding: A Neural Collaborative Filtering Approach – Saeed Khaki, Zahra Khalilzadeh and Lizhi Wang from Iowa State University (USA)

·       H4H: A Hybrid Approach Combining Descriptive Statistics and Collaborative Filtering for Predicting the Performance of Hybrid Breeding – Pythagoras Karampiperis, Sotiris Konstantinidis, Antonis Koukourikos and Panagiotis Zervas from SCiO (Greece)

The 2020 Syngenta Crop Challenge tasked participants to deliver analytical approaches to improve complex crop breeding processes. Using real-world crop data, entrants developed models predicting the performance of various genetic combinations in corn.

“The prize committee was unanimous in its praise for the creativity and sophistication of the models submitted by this year’s finalists,” said Durai Sundaramoorthi, area coordinator and senior lecturer of data analytics at Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, and Crop Challenge prize committee chair. “The complexity in agriculture is vast, and these finalists’ submissions demonstrated how solutions rooted in data analytics and machine learning can help the industry navigate the multi-variable nature of plant breeding.”

The finalists have been invited to present their submissions remotely to the prize committee in April 2020. The first-place winner will receive $5,000; the second-place winner will receive $2,500; and third place will receive $1,000.

“This competition has once again brought to light how agriculture – and plant breeding, specifically – can benefit from ideas contributed by some of the brightest minds in data analytics, mathematics, statistics and machine learning,” said Gregory Doonan, head of advanced analytics, Syngenta, and Crop Challenge judge. “This segment of the industry has seen great advancements in recent years, and data analytics has played a driving role.”

Established in 2015, the Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics is supported by Syngenta and hosted by the Analytics Society of INFORMS. It was initially funded by prize winnings donated by Syngenta in connection with the company’s 2015 win of the Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in Operations Research and the Management Sciences, an international award that recognizes excellence in the industry.

For more information about the Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics, visit www.ideaconnection.com/syngenta-crop-challenge.



USDA Engages Public for Input on the Agriculture Innovation Agenda

To further the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) work on the Agriculture Innovation Agenda (AIA), USDA today announced it is seeking public and private sector input on the most important innovation opportunities to be addressed in the near and long term. Using input provided, USDA will identify common themes across the agriculture customer base to inform research and innovation efforts in the Department, the broader public-sector, and the private sector.

“Even during this uncertain time, we recognize our work at USDA is twofold: to meet the immediate needs of our customers in this national health emergency and to support American agriculture in the face of future demands. To do this, we are taking a page from our farmers’ playbook to remain resilient and to keep an eye to the horizon,” said Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky. “We know now, more than ever, it is important to double down on innovation in order to support farmers, ranchers, and producers as they work to increase productivity while conserving our natural resource base. Although current dynamics have shifted, our focus remains on positioning American agriculture to be a part of the solution to future demands.”

“Bold and transformative innovation is needed to meet future agricultural production demands,” said Deputy Under Secretary Scott Hutchins, who leads USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics mission area. “We intend to work collaboratively with both the agricultural community and the broad innovation community to align on the most important opportunities. By working together, we can transform our nation and leave our world in a much better state for generations to come.”

USDA is currently accepting public comments and written stakeholder input through its Request for Information (RFI) through August 1, 2020 following its publication in the Federal Register.

Respondents are asked to identify transformational innovation opportunities for the next era of agriculture productivity and environmental conservation and propose approaches to these opportunities with an eye to the public and private sector research needed to support them. Input from the agricultural and scientific community will help inform research goals with the intent of aligning applications and technologies to best address the goals of the Agriculture Innovation Agenda for the next 10 to 30 years.

Based on stakeholder input from the RFI, USDA will develop a comprehensive U.S. agriculture innovation strategy that it intends to release by the end of this year.

This effort, led by Dr. Hutchins, is a core part of the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, a department-wide initiative to align resources, programs, and research to position American agriculture to better meet future global demands. Specifically, USDA will stimulate innovation so that American agriculture can achieve the goal of increasing production by 40 percent while cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture in half by 2050.

Background on USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda:
The Agriculture Innovation Agenda is comprised of four main components. The first component is to develop a U.S. agriculture innovation strategy that aligns and synchronizes public and private sector research. The second component is to align the work of our customer-facing agencies and integrate innovative technologies and practices into USDA programs. The third component is to conduct a review of USDA productivity and conservation data. USDA already closely tracks data on yield, but on the environmental side, there’s some catching up to do. Finally, USDA has set benchmarks to hold us accountable. These targets will help measure progress toward meeting the food, fiber, fuel, feed, and climate demands of the future. Some of the benchmarks include:
-    Agricultural Productivity: Increase agricultural production by 40 percent by 2050 to do our part to meet estimated future demand.
-    Forest Management: Build landscape resiliency by investing in active forest management and forest restoration through increased Shared Stewardship Agreements with States.
-    Food loss and waste: Advance our work toward the United States’ goal to reduce food loss and waste by 50 percent in the United States by the year 2030.
-    Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas: Enhance carbon sequestration through soil health and forestry, leverage the agricultural sector’s renewable energy benefits for the economy, and capitalize on innovative technologies and practices to achieve net reduction of the agricultural sector’s current carbon footprint by 2050 without regulatory overreach.
-    Water Quality: Reduce nutrient loss by 30 percent nationally by 2050.
-    Renewable Energy: We can increase the production of renewable energy feedstocks and set a goal to increase biofuel production efficiency and competitiveness to achieve market-driven blend rates of 15% of transportation fuels in 2030 and 30% of transportation fuels by 2050.