Friday June 12 Ag News

Soybean Gall Midge Update: Multiple sites with adult emergence on June 12th

According to the Friday alert from Nebraska Extension, soybean gall midge adults have emerged from multiple sites in eastern Nebraska.  The June 12th update indicates soybean gall midge adults have emerged in monitoring sites in Cuming County (1 adult detected), three sites in Saunders County (1 adult at each), two sites in northern Landcaster County (1 adult at one site, 2 adults at the other site), and in Cass County (2 adults at one site, 3 total adults at a different site). Also, the alert network website shows one soybean gall midge adult has been captured at sites in Cass and Ida counties in Iowa. 

See the alert web site and latest information here:  www.soybeangallmidge.org.

For soybean growers that are near the site with adult activity and that have had issues with soybean gall midge, they may consider making an application in the next week if their soybean fields have reached the V2 stage. Based on last year’s data from Nebraska Extension, soybean plants prior to the V2  stage generally lack the presence of cracks or fissures at the base of the stem. Plants without fissures are not considered to be susceptible to soybean gall midge infestation. If growers have fields at VC or V1, NE Extension Cropping Systems Specialist Justin McMechon recommends waiting until V2 to make an application if they are in a high-risk area and have adult activity occurring.

In 2019, pyrethroid insecticides applied at different timings relative to adult emergence showed a significant yield response in Nebraska when applied up to 10 days after the first adult emergence was detected.  McMechon says it’s important to note that none of those treatments provided complete control of soybean gall midge. In addition, the study was conducted on a field that was planted to soybean the previous year. Since soybean gall midge is a field edge infesting pest, growers may only need to treat the first 60 to 120 feet of a field edge that is directly adjacent to a field that was injured the previous year.



Registration for the 2020 Corn Grower Open Now Open!

Nebraska Corn is excited to be able to host the 2020 Corn Grower Open this year on August 17th at Lochland Country Club in Hastings! Registration is now open and can be completed by filling out this form http://necga.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020-CGO-Member-Flier-1.pdf and submitting it to mwrich@necga.org or by calling the Association office at (402) 438-6459. If circumstances change and the tournament has to be cancelled, all sponsorship and registration money will be returned, minus any fees incurred. We look forward to another great year on the course celebrating Nebraska’s corn industry.

If you are interested in sponsoring any part of the tournament, please see this form http://necga.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2020-CGO-Sponsor-Flier-1.pdf that outlines all of the opportunities we have available.



NE State Fair Audit and Status of 2020 Fair

Today, the Nebraska State Fair Board was provided by its legal counsel the results of a financial investigation report conducted by BKD. The Board is taking seriously the recommendations provided by its legal counsel by instituting financial policies and procedures and hiring an accounting firm to ensure sound accounting practices. Due to other on-going investigations, the Board will not share any further information at this time.

The Nebraska State Fair Board intends to make a decision about producing the 2020 fair by July 1. During today’s board meeting the Covid-19 Task Force mentioned six scenarios are being considered for what the fair may look like depending on the yet to be determined guidelines we will face in August.

The safety and well-being of our guests, participants, partners, sponsors and community always comes first, so we are closely following the directives of local and national health agencies: Central District Health Department, Department of Agriculture, the City of Grand Island, Hall County, and the Nebraska Governor’s Office.



Agricultural Education Students Receive Scholarships

The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation awarded 10 scholarships to students enrolled in the Agricultural Education Teaching Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL).

“The recipients exemplify a passion for agriculture that will make their classrooms and FFA programs a success,” said Megahn Schafer, executive director of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation. “We are proud to support these future teachers who will develop strong agricultural leaders to ensure a bright future for Nebraska agriculture.”

Each recipient will receive a $1,500 scholarship during his or her student teaching semester at the university. Applicants shared why they wanted to be an agricultural education teacher, professional goals for the future, and what the scholarship would mean to them.

“Nebraska’s demand for quality agricultural education teachers continues to be strong in 198 high schools across the state.  These teachers fill a vital role in the workforce pipeline by attracting young professionals to Nebraska’s largest industry," said Matt Kreifels, associate professor of practice in agricultural education at UNL. "We are grateful for the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation’s dedication to supporting these future teachers.  Through the support of this scholarship program, and with Farm Bureau helping to promote the profession of agricultural education, UNL has seen an increase in the number of students entering this career over the last five years.  Farm Bureau, its members, and the Foundation are helping to ensure a strong foundation for the future of agriculture in this state by investing in these young teachers.”

The 10 recipients of the scholarships are Megahn Christensen, Lincoln; Bailee Daugherty, O’Neill; Kacie Hahn, Johnson; Hannah Lowe, Murray; Dasie Nichols, Miller; Krystin Oborny, Garland; Cal tenBensel, Cambridge; Shelby Wachter, Blair; Hailey Walmsley, Norfolk; Sage Williams, Eddyville.



Suicide Prevention Program for Producers, Responders, Veterans

Certain professions, such as farming, emergency response and military service, have unique challenges and stressors. Such challenges can produce both short-term and long-term impacts. And now, Iowa's communities and families are coping with additional stressors related to the imposed isolation and economic conditions produced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to this additional stress, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will be offering five additional online "Question. Persuade. Refer." programs beginning June 16, said David Brown, behavioral health specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. QPR is a suicide prevention program that teaches participants three steps to help save a life from suicide.

"Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to help," Brown explained.

ISU Extension and Outreach will offer QPR at a variety of dates to meet the busy schedules of those in these high-risk professions. Each program will last for one hour. Those dates and times are as follows:
- June 16 at 12 p.m.
- June 18 at 12 p.m.
- June 23 at 12 p.m.
- June 25 at 12 p.m.
- June 30 at 12 p.m.

Agribusiness professionals, producers, sheriffs, police officers, firefighters, EMTs, veterans and military members can register at no cost for any of these programs. To register, go to www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/QPR. Participants will receive a unique URL prior to the program to access the Zoom hosted program. For more information, feel free to contact David Brown at dnbrown@iastate.edu.



2020 Governor’s Charity Steer Show Will Go On

Plans are underway for the 38th Annual Governor's Charity Steer Show (GCSS) to be held on August 15, 2020. 

 The event, which raises money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa, would typically be held at the Iowa State Fair. However, with the postponement of the 2020 fair, show organizers are actively making adjustments to plans.

 “The Governor’s Charity Steer Show is a long-standing tradition and benefits a very good cause,” says Tanner Lawton, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association staff member and co-chair of this year’s GCSS. “We’ve known for the past few weeks that the show and auction probably wouldn’t be the same as it has been in years past, but our priority is making sure that we have a successful fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Iowa.”

 This historic philanthropic event has raised over $3.8 million to help provide a home away from home for families of children who are being treated in nearby hospitals. Ronald McDonald Houses are located in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Sioux City. The location for this year's show is yet to be determined, but we should have more information in the coming weeks.

Twenty-five steers from across the state will compete for the championship designation, showmanship honors, and the People’s Choice award. Each of the steers has been raised by an Iowa youth involved in the cattle industry, and celebrities will accompany the young steer owners.

Immediately following the competition, the steers will be sold at auction with proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa. Last year’s auction raised more than $284,000.



Emergency Legal Motion Seeks Contempt for EPA Administrator Wheeler for Defying Court Ruling Barring Farmers from Spraying Dicamba Pesticide
Press Release

Farming and conservation groups today asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to find Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler in contempt for refusing to abide by a federal court order suspending use of the pesticide dicamba.

In response to last week's court decision holding that the EPA wrongly approved formulations of the drift-prone pesticide that has damaged millions of acres of crops, the EPA issued an order allowing continued spraying through July 31.

In approving ongoing use of dicamba through July, Wheeler cited what he asserted was the harm the court's ruling would have on farmers using dicamba. But the court made clear that by wrongly approving use of the pesticide, the EPA is directly responsible for any harm to farmers—both those using dicamba and those whose crops have been damaged by it.

"Trump's EPA is so rogue it thinks it can blow off a federal court ruling that stops the damaging dicamba spraying in an administrative order," said George Kimbrell, of the Center for Food Safety, lead counsel in the case. "EPA needs a lesson in separation of powers and we're asking the court to give it to them."

Last week, in response to a lawsuit filed by conservation groups and farmers harmed by dicamba drift, the court ruled that the Trump administration's 2018 registration of these pesticide uses was unlawful.

The court said the EPA refused to consider an array of real world harms including the abundant evidence that dicamba damaged millions of acres of crops, groves and gardens.

The ruling highlighted the extensive drift damage that took place in the two summers after the EPA's approval, and that the agency's approval of the drift-prone products made many growers switch to seeds genetically engineered to withstand dicamba simply because they feared it was the only way to protect their crops from the pesticide. The court ordered sale and use to stop immediately on June 3 and the EPA has now in effect attempted unilaterally to extend that by two months.

In today's emergency motion, the groups pointed out that the court could not have been any clearer in last week's ruling. To stop the ongoing harm, the court suspended over-the-top in-season spraying of dicamba, effective immediately. The EPA's subsequent administrative order defied that ruling. The groups asked the court today to enforce its ruling and hold Wheeler in contempt.

"It's mind-boggling to see the EPA blatantly ignore a court ruling, especially one that provides such important protections for farmers and the environment," said Stephanie Parent, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity who is co-counsel in the case. "We're asking this court to restore the rule of law at the Trump EPA."

Background:
Over 25 million pounds of the dicamba was set to be sprayed again this summer using the now-unlawful pesticides.

In last week's ruling the court vacated the EPA's approval of three formulations of the pesticide dicamba—Monsanto's XtendiMax, Corteva's FeXapan, and BASF's Engenia—that EPA first registered for the 2017 season for "new uses" on Monsanto's genetically engineered, dicamba-resistant soybeans and cotton.

In ruling the pesticide approval to be unlawful, the opinion cited "enormous and unprecedented damage" caused by dicamba in the last few years, damage that has "torn apart the social fabric of many farming communities."



Perdue Statement on Dicamba Plaintiffs' Attack on EPA Order

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today issued the following statement on Secretary Perdue Statement on Dicamba Plaintiffs' Attack on EPA Order:

“USDA supports the actions taken by the EPA to respond responsibly to the decision of the Ninth Circuit regarding Dicamba. At a time when the security of the food supply chain is paramount, the Center for Biological Diversity and its allies seek to cripple American farmers and further limit their ability to feed, fuel, and clothe this nation and the world. The Ninth Circuit should not allow plaintiffs’ hostility against the American farmer to cloud the fact that the EPA’s actions follow both legal precedent and common sense.”

Background:
EPA’s order allowing for the limited use of existing chemical stocks already purchased follows EPA precedents from the Obama and Clinton Administrations when the registrations for other crop protection tools were cancelled.



 BASF files motion to intervene in Ninth Circuit case that vacated dicamba registrations

BASF has filed an emergency motion to intervene following the decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to vacate the federal registrations of three dicamba-based herbicides, including BASF’s Engenia® herbicide. The Court’s June 3, 2020 decision brought BASF’s product into the case for the first time. BASF has now made the request to intervene after careful consideration of the sudden and severe financial impact vacating the registration has had on farmers during this critical application time, when farmers now have less than a month to protect millions of acres under threat from resistant weeds. The Ninth Circuit’s decision has caused immediate chaos among the agricultural community and threatens the livelihood of countless U.S. farmers. Seeking to make matters worse, the challengers have now asked the Ninth Circuit to undo the EPA’s order which implemented the panel’s decision and addressed the uncertainty it caused. BASF must act to protect its interests and those of its customers.

“Taking this action during the height of the application season gives no regard to the significant investments farmers have made in their businesses and leaves them without viable options for the growing season,” said Paul Rea, Senior Vice President, BASF Agricultural Solutions North America. “Farming is difficult even in the best of times and remains challenging. Making this decision now, when weed resistance continues to threaten farming operations, is disastrous for our customers. Farmers have counted on applications of dicamba-based products to control troublesome weeds for decades, and they continue to need these tools now and in the future.”

Since its original registration with the EPA in 2016, on-target applications of Engenia herbicide have helped farmers produce clean fields and robust yields of dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton. And because of BASF’s commitment to stewardship, the company provides customers with a range of practices, equipment, and trainings to make sure they have the tools to get the most out of BASF products, while protecting the environment.

“I have been using Engenia for three years, and it is a critical part of my operation to reduce the threat of resistant weeds and ensure a successful yield each season,” said Brad Kallenbach, a soybean farmer from Jamestown, North Dakota. “My livelihood depends on tools like Engenia to tackle these challenges, and those of us that use it have dedicated a tremendous amount of time to ensure that we are doing it responsibly. The Court’s decision to vacate the Engenia registration leaves me with no good options for this year. It’s a steep cost that no grower under these circumstances was ready to bear.”

The EPA’s approval process for crop protection products is science-based and data-driven. BASF invests in and uses the best science and testing protocols to develop next-generation innovations like Engenia herbicide. BASF scientists have over 50 years of experience in developing and improving dicamba for effective and safe applications.

“Engenia and other dicamba-based herbicides are critical in ensuring the long-term sustainability of agriculture and crop protection products,” continued Rea. “Not only do they play a role in protecting crops, but also in ensuring an abundant, safe and affordable food supply. Continued innovation in crop protection and weed management must continue and be supported to sustain this industry.”

BASF remains committed to meeting the needs of its customers and will continue to work on new dicamba-based innovations to assist farmers with weed control. In addition, BASF will also continue to pursue EPA re-registration of Engenia for the coming seasons.



Ranch Group Welcomes Representative Liz Cheney's Interstate Shipment of State-Inspected Meat Act

Today, Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) introduced the Expanding Markets for State-Inspected Meat Processors Act of 2020 (H.R. 7162). House co-sponsors include Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) and Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV). The act would amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act by expressly allowing meatpacking plants inspected by state jurisdictions to sell meat in interstate commerce. The act is similar to a bipartisan Senate version filed earlier by Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD), Angus King (I-ME), John Thune (R-SD), Michael Enzi (R-WY), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY). However, Cheney's act differs by not including poultry as is included in the Senate version.

According to R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard, state inspected meatpackers have long been discriminated against by the Federal Meat Inspection Act, which he said allows imported meat products produced in foreign plants that only receive periodic inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to nevertheless be shipped to every state in the Union once it enters the United States. But, he said state-inspected meat plants that are regularly inspected by their respective state food inspectors are denied access to all markets outside their state.

"This has effectively prevented robust competition in the U.S. meatpacking industry as market access for state-inspected meat plants is severely constrained, which stymies both new entrants and expansion of existing plants.

"More packing plants competing with existing packing plants for both their cattle inputs and beef sales means more industry-wide competition, and that is exactly what America's cattlemen need right now"

We greatly appreciate Rep. Cheney's leadership in the House to help our industry rebuild its lost competition," Bullard concluded.



August Sale Set for Greeley Lamb Plant
ASI newsletter

Mountain States Rosen, LLC, a lamb meatpacker in Greeley, Colorado that controls a fifth of the American lamb market, could lay off 222 people depending on the outcome of a bankruptcy auction in August.

The plant is expected to be sold in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy sale set for Aug. 11, according to a notification letter sent by the company to state labor officials. However, a subsidiary of Rosen submitted a stalking-horse bid of $10 million for the plant last month, meaning that it could retain control of the plant if it were to win at auction.

Employees of the plant are due to be formally notified on Friday that they may be either laid off and immediately rehired if Rosen’s subsidiary wins the sale, or permanently separated if the company loses.

Rosen’s parent company filed in Wyoming bankruptcy court in April, saying it had been in conversations to restructure $18.18 million in debt from CoBank, a Colorado financial institution that primarily handles agricultural financing. According to affidavits filed in the case, those negotiations fell apart, and widespread job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic led to a steep drop in sales for high-priced proteins such as lamb. That drop was particularly acute this spring, when lamb sales usually spike during the Easter and Passover season.