NEBRASKA CATTLE ON FEED DOWN 1%
Nebraska feedlots, with capacities of 1,000 or more head, contained 2.41 million cattle on feed on June 1, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. This inventory was down 1% from last year. Placements during May totaled 410,000 head, down 11% from 2019. Fed cattle marketings for the month of May totaled 355,000 head, down 38% from last year. Other disappearance during May totaled 15,000 head, down 5,000 head from last year.
IOWA CATTLE ON FEED REPORT
Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in Iowa feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 640,000 head on June 1, 2020, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Cattle on Feed report. This was up 3% from May but down 3% from June 1, 2019. Iowa feedlots with a capacity of less than 1,000 head had 575,000 head on feed, down 2% from last month and down 3% from last year. Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in all Iowa feedlots totaled 1,215,000 head, up 1% from last month but down 3% from last year.
Placements of cattle and calves in Iowa feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head during May totaled 75,000 head, up 21% from April and up 10% from last year. Feedlots with a capacity of less than 1,000 head placed 42,000 head, up 56% from April but down 7% from last year. Placements for all feedlots in Iowa totaled 117,000 head, up 31% from April and up 4% from last year.
Marketings of fed cattle from Iowa feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head during May totaled 52,000 head, down 24% from April and down 39% from last year. Feedlots with a capacity of less than 1,000 head marketed 48,000 head, up 20% from April but down 31% from last year. Marketings for all feedlots in Iowa were 100,000 head, down 7% from April and down 35% from last year. Other disappearance from all feedlots in Iowa totaled 7,000 head.
United States Cattle on Feed Down Slightly
Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.7 million head on June 1, 2020. The inventory was slightly below June 1, 2019. This is the second highest June 1 inventory since the series began in 1996.
On Feed - By State (1,000 hd - % June 1 '19)
Colorado .......: 1,010 95
Iowa .............: 640 97
Kansas ..........: 2,430 102
Nebraska ......: 2,410 99
Texas ............: 2,930 102
Placements in feedlots during May totaled 2.04 million head, 1 percent below 2019. Net placements were 1.97 million head. During May, placements of cattle and calves weighing less than 600 pounds were 375,000 head, 600-699 pounds were 305,000 head, 700-799 pounds were 485,000 head, 800-899 pounds were 532,000 head, 900-999 pounds were 235,000 head, and 1,000 pounds and greater were 105,000 head.
Placements by State (1,000 hd - % May '19
Colorado .......: 210 131
Iowa .............: 75 110
Kansas ..........: 485 108
Nebraska ......: 410 89
Texas ............: 565 98
Marketings of fed cattle during May totaled 1.50 million head, 28 percent below 2019. Marketings were the lowest for May since the series began in 1996. Other disappearance totaled 66,000 head during May, 8 percent below 2019.
Marketings by State (1,000 hd - % May '19)
Colorado .......: 140 93
Iowa .............: 52 61
Kansas ..........: 365 83
Nebraska ......: 355 62
Texas ............: 315 65
2020 Beef Ambassador Contest Winners
2020 Nebraska Beef Ambassador Contest was held virtually on Monday, June 15. Contestants participated in a media interview and prepared an issue response. The Nebraska Beef Ambassador Contest provides an opportunity for youth to become spokesperson and future leaders in the beef industry. The winner of each division will receive a custom belt buckle. The Collegiate will be presented with a scholarship from the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation after completing their term.
Collegiate Division
1st place – Dakota Lovett, Bladen
2nd place – Kaylee Wheeler, Wood Lake
3rd place – Aime Leandre Shimwa Wvuyekure, Lincoln
Senior Division
1st place – Savannah Peterson, Gothenburg
2nd place – Abby Scholz, Loomis
3rd place – Helene Keiser Gothenburg
2019 Nebraska Beef Ambassador Scholarship Winner
Sydni Lienemann from Princeton was presented the 2019 Collegiate Beef Ambassador Scholarship from the NCW and the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation. Sydni is the daughter of Torri and the late Trevor Lienemann.
Sydni won the 2019 Nebraska Collegiate Beef Ambassador Contest last June and has been promoting beef at several events across Nebraska this past year. She spent many days working at the Nebraska State Fair in the Birthing Pavilion. The NCW Committee would like to congratulate Sydni and thank her for her passion for the beef industry.
25th Northeast Vet Tech class will be the first in new clinic facility
The Northeast Community College veterinary technology program will welcome its 25th class in 2021 with a new facility.
A vet tech clinic and classroom building is one of the components of the first phase of the Nexus campaign to build new agriculture facilities at Northeast. Site work is underway, and construction is expected to be complete by Fall of 2021. Other components of this phase of construction are a large animal handling facility, a farm operations building and office, a feedlot with a manure lagoon, and other structures for livestock and feed storage.
The veterinary technology clinic and classrooms are currently located in a repurposed 1920s era dairy loafing barn located approximately one-mile northeast of the main campus. The new building will be along E. Benjamin Ave., west of the Chuck M. Pohlman Ag Complex.
“We will all be together in one place,” said Dr. Michael Cooper D.V.M, instructor/director of the veterinary technology program at Northeast, when asked about the advantages of the new building. “So, if a student needs help practicing a skill, we’re just feet away versus miles away. If we need to look at an animal, it’s a five-minute job instead of an hour. If we must run lab work, our lab will be on site.”
The new building will also have more storage and dedicated space for specific services and equipment such as ultrasound. It will be near the large animal handling facility on the relocated Acklie Family College Farm site, so vet tech students will have more hands-on opportunities with large animals.
The current structure has served the program well, Cooper said, but it can no longer be retrofitted to allow for enrollment demand or new equipment.
Cooper first saw the building, often referred to as “the old farm,” when he interviewed for a full-time job at Northeast in July 1991. At that time, the College had been offering veterinary assistant training with three Madison County veterinarians serving as part-time faculty. One of those three veterinarians, Dr. Dennis Hughes, is now the Nebraska State Veterinarian. Another, Dr. Paul Sundberg, is executive director of the Swine Health Information Center. The third, Dr. Larry Moenning, continued to serve as an adjunct faculty member for the Northeast vet tech program until 2019.
“By 1994 or so, area veterinarians were asking for licensed veterinary technicians instead of vet assistants,” Cooper said, “and I started having conversations with Ag Dean Chuck Pohlman about making that change.”
The first vet tech students were enrolled in 1996, graduating in 1998. The first class had approximately 12 students, Cooper remembered, and enrollment grew gradually until about five or six years ago, when demand outgrew Northeast’s program. Nearly 50 students now vie for the 24 slots available each year.
“Part of the problem,” he said, “is that several area private vet tech programs have closed. Right now, there is no vet tech training offered in South Dakota and the only other program in Nebraska is the one at the University of Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture in Curtis.”
To meet the student demand and keep up with changes in veterinary science, Cooper has added space to the vet tech clinic. Originally, he had only a small area in the middle of the current clinic. With the help of Northeast building trades and electrical instructors and their students, he was able to remodel the west bay, which was once used to farrow hogs. In 2005, Cooper was successful in getting a $20,000 grant from USDA to reclaim the area on the east side of the clinic.
“That was an old hog finishing floor. When the weather conditions were right, you could see manure running down the wall. With help from the applied tech faculty and students, the manure pit was taken out, concrete was poured, drains were installed, and rooms were framed up for clinic use.”
“At that same time,” Cooper continued, “Faith Regional was taking the surgery equipment out of the old Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and we were able to get several things from them, including two scrub sinks.”
These improvements have helped Cooper develop a well-respected program. Northeast Community College veterinary technology students are valuable employees of many veterinary practices across the region. Northeast vet tech graduates score well on the Vet Tech National Exam, with an 85.7% pass rate average for the past three years compared with a national average of around 70%.
“One of the things that has helped our program be so successful is the cooperation of area vet clinics,” Cooper said.” They provide internships for our students, often hiring them at the end of their internships. But, the program can’t grow without new facilities and we can’t keep up with modern veterinary medicine without a larger, better designed space.”
Cooper said the new facility will eventually allow the Northeast vet tech program to double in size.
“We will start slow, but when we have grown enough to justify additional faculty, we will be able to offer two classes a year, one starting in August and the other in January, doubling the number of graduates each year.”
The funding for the new veterinary technology building and other agriculture facilities will come from the College’s commitment of $10 million, as well as external fundraising to fill the gap. With a total project cost of $22.3 million, the College has raised enough funds to begin construction; however, fundraising for the Nexus campaign will continue, as more is needed for equipment, technology and furnishings.
Lifelong tie to agriculture leads to Nexus gift at Northeast
A lifelong tie to agriculture was instrumental in Dirk and Jan Petersen’s decision to invest in the Nexus project at Northeast Community College. The Petersens, who live in Norfolk, but own and operate agricultural land in Cuming County, are contributing $30,000 to the capital campaign to update the agriculture facilities at Northeast.
“Our College needs to be a torchbearer, leading the drive for agriculture,” Dirk Petersen said. “The Nexus project lays the foundation for now and into the future.”
Petersen has a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and said he is the fourth generation of his family to be involved in agriculture in Cuming County, so he understands the importance of the industry to this area.
“Since northeast Nebraska is the agricultural center of the state and nation, both in crop and livestock production,” he noted, “it just makes total sense that we should focus on agriculture at Northeast.”
Petersen, a past general manager at Nucor Steel in Norfolk, has been a member of the Northeast Board of Governors for nine years. He said he has seen the need for modern ag facilities and updated equipment to train Northeast students.
“The Chuck Pohlman Ag Complex is a great building,” Petersen said, “but the rest of our current ag facilities are in severe need of upgrades. It is time for the board and administration to step up to provide 21st century facilities for our students.”
“We sincerely appreciate Dirk and Jan’s contribution to the Nexus project,” said Tracy Kruse, associate vice president of development and external affairs and executive director of the Northeast Foundation. “Dirk has been supportive of the project in his position on the Board of Governors and now personally with a financial donation. He really understands the need for improved facilities for our students, and the value that Northeast students provide throughout Nebraska.”
“Students who attend college here tend to stay here,” Kruse explained. “Northeast agriculture students are the next generation of farmers and ranchers, and the next generation of citizens of Norfolk and rural communities. They will send their children to area schools, shop at Main Street businesses and attend local churches.”
“It is vital that we train young people who want to stay in this area,” Petersen said. “This project fits in with ongoing efforts designed to attract and keep young people in the area. I encourage others to invest in the future of northeast Nebraska and agriculture through the Nexus project at Northeast Community College.”
The initial phase of construction of the project includes a new veterinary technology clinic and classrooms, a new farm site with a large animal handling facility and other farm structures for livestock operations, a farm office and storage. The new facilities will be located near the Chuck M. Pohlman Agriculture Complex on E. Benjamin Ave. in Norfolk. Site work began in April and construction should be completed by the Fall of 2021.
The funding for the new agriculture facilities will come from the College’s commitment of $10 million, as well as external fundraising to fill the gap. With a total project cost of $22.3 million, the College has raised enough funds to begin construction; however, fundraising for the Nexus campaign will continue, as more is needed for equipment, technology and furnishings.
In August 2019, the Acklie Charitable Foundation (ACF) announced a $5 million lead gift to the Nexus project. ACF was founded by the late Duane Acklie and Phyllis Acklie, both Madison County natives and graduates of Norfolk Junior College, a predecessor institution of Northeast Community College.
For more information on the Nexus Campaign, contact Kruse, at tracyk@northeast.edu, or call (402) 844-7056. Online donations may be made through agwaternexus.com. Checks may also be mailed to Nexus Campaign, Northeast Community College Foundation, P.O. Box 469, Norfolk, NE 68702-0469.
Vegetative Growth Stage Irrigation, Is It Needed This Year?
Steve Melvin - NE Extension Educator - Irrigated Cropping Systems
Late May and June 2020 have brought several days of excess heat and high winds with low humidity resulting in corn and soybeans using more water than normal. Combine that with the low rainfall levels and the crops on many afternoons are looking dry with that silvery look and some leaf rolling (keep in mind the water stress level when corn starts to roll it’s leaves is variety dependent). The result leaves every farmer wondering if they should have all the irrigation systems running or not.
Growers often start their center pivots early to incorporate fertilizer/herbicides or soften a soil crust to aid crop emergence and this year has not been an exception. Others, with furrow-irrigated fields, may make an early application, often before the crop actually needs much water, to consolidate the soil in the furrows so when the need for full irrigation comes the water will more easily run the full length of the furrows.
Aside from these non-irrigation applications, the question is, how much irrigation water will the corn need during the vegetative growth stage to produce optimal yields.
Growth Stage Irrigation Scheduling
Growth Stage Irrigation Scheduling for corn focuses on delaying irrigation and reducing nitrate leaching during the less sensitive vegetative growth period and fully watering during the critical reproductive growth stages. This strategy, called Water Miser, is based on research conducted by the University of Nebraska and elsewhere that shows corn is relatively drought tolerant during the vegetative period, but very sensitive to water stress during silking through early grain fill. Research conducted in the North Platte area has shown that irrigation could be reduced by 1 to 4 inches, compared to a fully irrigated crop, during the vegetative period without a significant yield reduction. Keep in mind that much of the water the corn is using during this growth stage is coming from the roots growing deeper each day into moist soil.
Reducing irrigation cost and lowering pumping are two important reasons to consider allowing moderate moisture stress on vegetative corn. Additional reasons include the possibility of lowering green snap potential and helping set the stage for easier irrigation scheduling. Reports have indicated that corn under moderate moisture stress has suffered less green snap compared to fully irrigated corn right next to it. Research studies have not been conducted to confirm this, but it does make some sense because the corn would be a little shorter and possibly less brittle.
Soil water monitoring data is easier to analyze if the crop has used some of the water in the 16 to 24 inch depth zone. The dryer zone can then be monitored with the sensors to see if the area gets wetter or dryer. If it keeps getting dryer, the irrigation system needs to keep running, however if it starts to get wetter, stop irrigating for a few days. Keep in mind that when irrigation is applied with a center pivot an inch at a time on the soil surface, the top foot will stay very wet all summer. Ideally the dryer zone should slowly expand deeper with the crop using most of the subsoil water by the time the crop matures.
The Water Miser strategy focuses on delaying irrigation until approximately one or two weeks before tassel emergence for corn, unless the soil-water drops to 30% of plant-available water in the active root zone. Once the crop reaches the reproductive growth stage, the plant-available soil water (in the active root zone) should be maintained in a range between field capacity and 60% of plant-available water. Usually the soil is maintained one-half to one inch below field capacity to allow for rain storage. After the hard dough stage, the soil is allowed to dry to 40% of plant-available water to reduce pumping and provide drier fields for harvest.
The past few weeks, leaf rolling during the heat of the afternoon has been common. Nebraska research suggests that some leaf rolling during the afternoons during the vegetative stage will not reduce yield significantly. Corn leaf rolling will often start in areas of soil compaction like field driveways or turn rows. These areas are usually small compared to the whole field, but are evident from the road. The bigger question is what is going on over the majority of the field. Soil water monitoring is an excellent way to know how much water is in the root zone and gives you, the producer, added confidence to delay irrigation.
In summary, research suggests that little irrigation is needed most years on corn during the vegetative stage to produce top yields in the eastern two-thirds of Nebraska on silt loam soils. Sandy soils or shallow alluvial soils with underlying sand, will need more irrigation of course, but keep in mind the research shows moderate moisture stress during the vegetative stage will not usually lower yields much if any. However, fields with lower capacity irrigation systems—especially in combination with sandy soils—will need to start prior to the reproductive stage to assure corn can be fully watered by tassel time. For more information about growth stage irrigation scheduling go to Irrigation Scheduling Strategies for Corn.
NEBRASKA SOYBEAN BOARD MEETING
July 7, 2020
Meeting Location:
Holthus Convention Center
3130 Holen Ave.
York, NE 68467
Due to the limitations and following CDC guidelines and the Department of Health Services,Nebraska Soybean Board cannotallow gueststo attend the in-person meeting. To comply with theOpen Meeting act, please register to attend through Zoom, click here https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvfu2prTopE9Uh99pBl7Wf6MPLEdoxd4My.
Highlights of the agenda:
Financial Report
Committee Meetings - Research, Education/Communication, Domestic Marketing, International Marketing, Domestic Marketing
District Board Member Elections
Soybean Management Field Days Update
NSB At-Large Candidate Interviews
Future Meetings:
September 9-10, 2020 – Lincoln NE
November 23-24,2020 – Lincoln,NE
FMCSA Emergency Decoration on Hours of Service
NE Cattlemen newsletter
On June 8th, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a modification to its Emergency Declaration that would extend it until July 14. Beginning June 15, the regulatory relief will be limited to motor carriers and truck drivers transporting the following freight:
- Livestock and finished livestock feed; (Transporters of feed ingredients are ineligible for the relief.)
- Medical supplies and equipment related to the testing, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19;
- Supplies and equipment necessary for community safety, sanitation, and prevention of community transmission of COVID-19 such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap and disinfectants.
FMCSA has concluded that there is no longer a need for emergency relief for the following items after June 15th:
- Food, paper products and other groceries for emergency restocking of distribution centers or stores;
- Immediate precursor raw materials -- such as paper, plastic or alcohol -- that are required and to be used for the manufacture of certain regulatory relief items;
- Fuel;
- Liquefied gases to be used in refrigeration or cooling systems;
- Equipment, supplies and persons necessary to establish and manage temporary housing, quarantine, and isolation facilities related to COVID-19;
- Persons designated by Federal, State or local authorities for medical, isolation, or quarantine purposes; and
- Persons necessary to provide other medical or emergency services, the supply of which may be affected by the COVID-19 response.
Nebraska Farmers Union PAC Announces General Election Endorsements
NEBFARMPAC, the political action committee of Nebraska Farmers Union, Nebraska’s second largest general farm organization with over 4,000 farm and ranch families, announced its general election endorsements today for Congress, the Legislature, Public Service Commission, State Board of Education, Public Power Districts, Natural Resource Districts, and County Commissioners.
Based on their position on family farm and ranch issues with input from county and district officers as well as state office staff, the NEBFARMPAC Board of Directors announced the following Primary endorsements, with NeFU members in bold:
Congress:
1st Congressional District: Jeff Fortenberry, Kate Bolz
2nd Congressional District: Kara Eastman
Nebraska Legislature:
Carol Blood, LD3
Mike McDonnell, LD5
Tony Vargas, LD7
Terrell McKinney, LD11
Justin Wayne, LD13
Lynne Walz, LD15
Sheryl Lindau, LD17
Helen Raikes, LD23
Anna Wishart, LD27
Elliot Bostar, LD29
Tim Royers, LD31
Steve Halloran, LD33
Dan Quick, LD35
Tom Briese, LD41
Susan Hester, LD45
Jen Day, LD49
Public Service Commission: District 2: Crystal Rhoades
State Board of Education: District 2: Lisa Fricke
Nebraska Public Power District:
Subdivision 1: Mary Harding
Subdivision 7: Sheila Hubbard
Subdivision 9: Jeff Mulder
Omaha Public Power District:
Subdivision 1: Amanda Bogner
Subdivision 2: Sara Howard
Lower Platte North NRD
Subdistrict 3: Andrew Tonnies
Subdistrict 7: Jeff Burling
Lower Platte South NRD
Subdistrict 5: John Yoakum
Subdistrict 6: Anthony Schutz
Subdistrict 7: Chelsea Johnson
Lower Elkhorn NRD
Subdistrict 7: Randy Ruppert
Papio-Missouri River NRD
Subdistrict 3: Larry Bradley
Upper Elkhorn NRD
Subdistrict 6: Art Tanderup
Subdistrict 7: Keith Heithoff
Lancaster County Commissioner
Subdistrict 2: Christa Yoakum
Gage County Supervisor
District 6: Don Schuller
The Iowa Swine Day 2020 is going virtual!
The ninth annual Iowa Swine Day, hosted by Iowa State Extension, will be available this year as a five-part webinar series of select speakers. Each weekly session will run from noon to 2:30 p.m. Central time and feature two speakers from the original lineup. Sessions are on consecutive Thursdays from June 25 to July 23. Thanks to Iowa Swine Day sponsors for the entire series and individual sessions, everyone can attend at no charge. See the updated agenda, list of sponsors and speakers, and registration information on the conference website http://www.aep.iastate.edu/iowaswineday/.
Thursday, June 25, 2020 – 12:00 PM CDT - 2:30 PM CDT
Global influences affecting the outlook for U.S. pork - Christine McCracken, executive director, animal protein, Rabobank
Battling ASFV in China: The challenges, risks, and rewards - Dr. Joseph Yaros, associate veterinarian, Pipestone Veterinary Services, Pipestone, MN
Thursday, July 2, 2020 – 12:00 PM CDT - 2:30 PM CDT
Prevention and treatment of stress isn't just for pigs - Athena Diesch-Chham, clinical veterinary social worker, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN
Wild pigs in Canada and what it means for the US - Dr. Ryan Brook, associate professor, Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK
Thursday, July 9, 2020 – 12:00 PM CDT - 2:30 PM CDT
Are we going to keep “IT” out? Global status and trends of FADs – prevention, preparedness, and response - Dr. Paul Sundberg, executive director, Swine Health Information Center, Ames, IA
Host genetic response to PRRS vaccination and infection in sows - Dr. Nick Serão, assistant professor, Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Thursday, July 16, 2020 – 12:00 PM CDT - 2:30 PM CDT
10 ways to reduce wean-to-finish mortality and how to implement them - Drs. Ryan Strobel and Chris Sievers, veterinarians, Swine Vet Center, St Peter, MN
Dietary feed technologies to improve pig performance under stress - Dr. Nick Gabler, associate professor, Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Thursday, July 23, 2020 – 12:00 PM CDT - 2:30 PM CDTRegister
How Iowa is preparing for a foreign animal disease - Jamee Eggers, producer education director, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Clive, IA
Experiences in COVID-19 diagnostics, and their direct application on the US Pork Industry - Dr. Rodger Main, professor and director of operations, Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Master Pork Awards Nominations Due Aug. 1
Nominations for the 2020 Master Pork Producers, Master Pork Partners and Environmental Steward Award are now being accepted by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA). The submission deadline is Aug. 1, 2020.
The Master Pork Awards Program is a joint effort between IPPA and Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach. The program began in 1942 to help stimulate pork and lard production in support of World War II efforts. While program standards have shifted over the years, the awards still serve to promote diversity, efficiency and excellence in pork production in Iowa.
The Master Pork Producer award recognizes outstanding Iowa pork producers. Awardees will be evaluated based on their pork production statistics, and their commitment to We CareSM principles, which outline values in food safety, animal well-being, employee safety and health, community outreach and protection of both the environment and public health.
There are three categories for Master Pork Partner awards, which were first established in 2014 to recognize individuals who are not involved in day-to-day, on-farm duties and management, but demonstrate positive impacts on Iowa pork production through important partnerships with pig farmers. The additional categories are Veterinarian of the Year and Driver of the Year.
The IPPA Environmental Steward Award looks to recognize an individual who demonstrates the positive contributions the pork industry makes to the natural environment. Applications are evaluated on the following criteria: manure/nutrient management, soil and water conservation, air quality, public relations, wildlife habitat and environmental management innovations. The Environmental Steward Award was established in 2007.
The Master Pork Awards Program selection committee is made up of IPPA staff, along with staff from ISU Extension and the Iowa Pork Industry Center at ISU. The IPPA Environmental Committee selection panel will review Environmental Steward Award applications.
All award winners will be honored at the 2021 Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines in January. The Master Pork Awards Program has honored more than 1,500 Iowa pig farmers over the years, and 13 farm families have received the Environmental Steward Award.
For more information, award nomination forms and instructions, and past award recipients, go to www.iowapork.org/producer-resources/ and click on the information on the left side of the page. You can also contact the IPPA office at 800-372-7675 or email info@iowapork.org.
ASA: Court Decision to Back Existing Stocks Authority is a Solid One
The American Soybean Association (ASA) is pleased that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has chosen to support the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) legal authority and deny a petition that sought to invalidate EPA’s Cancellation and Existing Stocks Order issued June 8. Congress has provided for the certainty needed by growers in critical times – like planting season right now – by equipping EPA with the “existing stocks” authority it exercised in its June 3 guidance to growers.
Additionally, during its series of late-night orders June 19, the Court granted both CropLife America’s and a Grower coalition’s requests to file an amicus brief. The grower request was filed June 16 by ASA, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cotton Council of America, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Corn Growers Association, and National Sorghum Producers, and supports EPA’s existing stocks decision. That brief highlighted the devastating consequences that would result if the NGO’s request were granted and growers could not use existing stocks.
EPA’s long-established policy and practice under FIFRA provides for an orderly management of the distribution, sale, and use of existing stocks of a formerly registered pesticide product, including – as in this instance – in the context of vacatur. Immediately banning use of existing stocks of Xtendimax, Engenia, and FeXapan would have financially devastating consequences on America’s soybean growers, who have invested an estimated $3.35 billion for soybean seed in 2020 and hundreds of millions of dollars more in herbicides, labor, fertilizer and other costs, expecting that over-the-top applications of dicamba would remain lawful.
American growers and the public are fortunate that a proper administrative and judicial-review framework exists. Farmers use countless FIFRA-regulated pesticide products, including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. They make planting decisions and significant, up-front financial investments based on the rules and regulations in place at the time plans are made. Soy farmers are dependent on those rules not changing in the middle of the game and are glad the Court got it right in these orders.
NPPC, AFBF FILE PROPOSITION 12 APPEAL
On Wednesday, the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation jointly filed an appeal, challenging California's Proposition 12, which imposes arbitrary animal housing standards that reach outside of California's borders to farms across the United States. By attempting to regulate businesses outside of its borders, California's Proposition 12 violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. The appeals challenge, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, asks the court to strike Proposition 12 as invalid. It is unconstitutional and seeks to allow a single state without any commercial hog production to regulate how farmers across the country operate, imposing prohibitive costs with no benefits.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, Proposition 12 prohibits the sale of pork not produced according to California's highly prescriptive production standards. The proposition applies to any uncooked pork sold in the state, whether raised there or outside its borders. Currently, less than one percent of U.S. pork production meets Proposition 12's requirements. To comply with Proposition 12, U.S. hog farmers need to start making investment decisions today to be ready by the implementation date.
USTR OUTLINES TRADE PRIORITIES TO CONGRESS
In testimony before two Congressional hearings on Wednesday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer outlined a number of trade-related achievements, including agreements with China and Japan, as well as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) deal which goes into effect on July 1.
On China, Lighthizer said he anticipates the country will meet its phase-one commitments, which includes the purchase of $40 billion in agricultural products, including pork. "I expect them to live up to the agreement. They have indicated they will," he said.
Speaking about the upcoming USMCA agreement, which will provide much-needed certainty for U.S. pork producers, he indicated the United States would take action "early and often" to challenge any violations.
The United States is currently in trade discussions with the UK and the EU, but Lighthizer indicated that deals were not likely before the November election and reiterated a commitment to ensuring U.S. agriculture exports are sold in both regions. "We either have fair access for agriculture, or we won't have a deal with either one of them," he said.
Lighthizer also spoke of upcoming trade talks with Kenya, as well as "phase two" agreements with both China and Japan.
Welcome to the KTIC Agriculture Information blog!!! Check back here for the latest in ag news and information, from local events to international happenings and government reports that affect your operation. Please email with suggestions! -Chad Moyer, Farm Director, KTIC Radio
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