Wednesday June 3 Ag News

Online Nebraska Pork Expo Wednesday, July 8

Anyone involved or interested in pork production is urged to attend the virtual Nebraska Pork Expo on Wednesday, July 8th.

The program will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. online. This is a free webinar, but registration is required to get the link to join. Register online prior to July 8th at becomeafan.org. Again, registration is required.

Whether large, small, contract, independent or just learning about the industry, attendees will hear sessions including nutrient management, county zoning regulations and permitting processes, financial considerations, and secure pork supply. The day includes panel discussions covering workforce, niche pig production, and integrated pork production. Carrie Horezeck, Innovation and Foresight Consultant, will round out the day with a conversation on Generation Z and how younger generations view pork protein.

This event is sponsored by the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (AFAN), the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, and the Nebraska Pork Producers Association.

“The pork industry in Nebraska continues to grow and there are many great options for farmers depending on your operation and goals.  There are opportunities in direct to user sales, working as an independent producer for a niche market as well as several types of integrated models.  Adding a pork component to a farming operation increases cash flow and provides valuable nutrients that can offset commercial fertilizer costs.”  Said Steve Martin, Executive Director of AFAN.

To register visit www.becomeafan.org.          

 

Nebraska Beef Council Board Meeting June 4, 2020

The Nebraska Beef Council Board of Directors will have a zoom meeting at the NBC office in Kearney located at 1319 Central Ave. on Thursday, June 4, 2020 beginning at 1:30 p.m. CDT. The NBC Board of Directors will discuss the Beef Council election. For more information, please contact Pam Esslinger at pam@nebeef.org. 



Lincoln Premium Poultry Adopting a “New Normal”

Lincoln Premium Poultry provided an update today to the community on recent cases at their facility.  Since reporting to the public one week ago, Lincoln Premium Poultry logged an additional 15 cases of COVID-19, which brings the company total to 88 cases. As of today the company has also registered 110 negative cases among employees.

“We have watched COVID-19 cases come in each week,” said Kolterman, “but we continue to keep the curve flat within our facilities and are working to improve our mitigation efforts. As we ease into the next phase and what we consider a ‘new normal’ we will report total cases to the public once a month.”

Lincoln Premium Poultry has worked hard on mitigation efforts since the end of February.  “The pandemic has had an impact on our team members like everyone else in the world, but we are proud of the education we have done and the way our team members have adapted to our new processes” said Kolterman. She continued,  “Our new normal means continued use of masks, temp checks, social distancing, and other interventions.” At the time of publication, 68 Lincoln Premium Poultry team members have returned to work.



Virtual Certified Crop Adviser Training to be Offered July 1

Certified Crop Advisers, agribusiness professionals, independent crop consultants, farmers and other interested parties are invited to participate in the Iowa State University Southeast Iowa Research and Demonstration Farm’s virtual CCA training being offered on July 1 from 8-11 a.m. 

“This virtual training is being offered in replace of the annual face-to-face CCA Training that is typically held at the Iowa State Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm,” said Rebecca Vittetoe, field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “We are excited we can still offer this training in a virtual format.” 

This year’s CCA training has a special emphasis in the area of soil and water management and will feature the following topics:
-    Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy: Progress and tools for scaling up practice and adoption with Jamie Benning, water quality program manager with ISU Extension and Outreach.
-    Tile Drainage: Reducing nitrogen fertilizer, increasing yield and implementing conservation practices with Mike Castellano, professor of agronomy at Iowa State.

There is a $25 registration fee for the webinar, which will be offered via ZOOM, and pre-registration is required by midnight June 29. To register for the training, go to www.aep.iastate.edu/serf-cca/. The link, password and instructions for joining will be emailed to participants after the registration is completed with payment and prior to the start of the session on July 1.

Participants may join through their web browser, mobile phone or tablet. Participants will need to download a free app prior to joining. Participants should join the webinar at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure connections and software is working correctly.

Certified Crop Advisers can earn 3.0 Soil and Water Management CEU’s by participating in this training.

For more information, questions or if you need assistance with registration please contact ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists Rebecca Vittetoe at 319-653-4811, or rka8@iastate.edu; Virgil Schmitt at 563-263-5701, or vschmitt@iastate.edu; or Josh Michel at 319-523-2371, or jmichel@iastate.edu.



2020 Iowa Youth Crop Scouting Competition Will Be Virtual

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Integrated Pest Management program will continue to host its annual Crop Scouting Competition for Iowa Youth on July 30. While initial plans were to host the competition in person at the ISU Field Extension Education Laboratory, this year’s competition instead will be virtual.

“After much discussion, we have decided to convert the Iowa Youth Crop Scouting Competition to a virtual format for 2020,” said Maya Hayslett, crop science youth educator and event coordinator. “It would be impractical to host the event in person while following the safety guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19. The safety of our youth participants, educators and staff is our top priority. We are confident that we can offer a virtual experience that will provide excellent learning and engagement opportunities for our youth participants.”

The virtual form of the competition will function in two parts: individual video submissions and a virtual team conference, supervised by a judge. Specific directions and rules will be sent to registered teams on July 1. Team conferences with a judge will be held on July 30. The top four teams with the highest total points will be eligible to win cash prizes.

Due to the unexpected format change, two new opportunities are being made available to teams that register for this year’s competition. For teams that register by the deadline, each team member is eligible to receive a free package of study materials. When teams register, coordinators will send one package to every youth team member who provides an address. This is not a requirement to participate in the competition. Only youth who want to be mailed a package should provide an address. Study materials will include field guides and other scouting tools. In addition, the IPM program has developed a free crop scouting resources page, complete with videos, lessons and guides for those looking to increase their knowledge and skills.

Also, teams may be eligible for free virtual office hours with an ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomist. Starting June 15, every Monday at 3 p.m. a different Iowa State agronomist will be available to share scouting tips, tricks and diagnostic tools, as well as answer teams’ questions. The virtual office hours will be open to all youth in grades 7-12. No registration is required. A link will be posted on the competition webpage on the day of the office hours that will direct you to a zoom meeting to participate. For more information, resources and to register, visit https://www.ipm.iastate.edu/crop-scouting-competition-iowa-youth-2020.

This event is sponsored by Iowa 4-H Youth Development, Corteva, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Independent Crop Consultants Association, Iowa Soybean Research Center, Iowa Certified Crop Advisors and Environmental Tillage Systems.



Weekly Ethanol Production for 5/29/2020

According to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending May 29, ethanol production expanded by 5.7%, or 40,000 barrels per day (b/d), to 765,000 b/d—equivalent to 32.13 million gallons daily and the largest volume since March. However, production remains tempered due to COVID-19 disruptions, coming in 26.7% below the same week in 2019. The four-week average ethanol production rate increased 6.3% to 692,000 b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 10.61 billion gallons.

Ethanol stocks contracted by 3.0% to 22.5 million barrels, the lowest reserves since the first week of January. Inventories tightened across all regions except the Rocky Mountains (PADD 4). Total reserves are 0.3% below year-ago volumes.

The volume of gasoline supplied to the U.S. market, a measure of implied demand, scaled up 4.1% to 7.549 million b/d (115.73 bg annualized). Gasoline demand remained 20.0% lower than a year ago.

Refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol climbed 1.1% to 720,000 b/d, equivalent to 11.04 bg annualized but 22.7% below the year-earlier level.

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



Price-Fixing Indictment Highlights Need for Stronger Antitrust Enforcement, Protections for Farmers

Four current and former executives at Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. and Claxton Poultry Farms, both of which produce chicken, were indicted today for colluding to inflate the prices of birds sold to grocery stores and restaurants.

The latest of several price-fixing allegations against meat processors, the case highlights the need for greater antitrust enforcement and farmer protections, National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew said in a statement:

“Price fixing in the agricultural industry is extremely harmful to everyone besides the companies who engage in this unethical practice. Ultimately, it means those companies pay farmers even less for their hard work while charging restaurants, grocery stores, and American consumers more for food.

“But price fixing is only a symptom of the much bigger problem of corporate consolidation. Companies are only able to employ anticompetitive business practices when they’ve amassed control over their respective industries; in this instance, just five companies control 60 percent of the chicken market in the United States. This level of market power unfortunately isn’t unique to poultry; in fact, many other sectors, including beef and pork, are even more concentrated. Unsurprisingly, there have been allegations of price fixing against corporations in those industries as well. 

“While NFU wholeheartedly supports legal challenges to corrupt and unfair actions, there’s a way to avoid this kind of behavior altogether: enforce antitrust policy; restore competition in the agricultural marketplace; reinstate the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration; and develop strong protections for farmers.”



The Ninth Circuit Vacates Three Dicamba Registrations

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a decision Wednesday vacating the registrations of three dicamba herbicides, XtendiMax (Bayer), Engenia (BASF) and FeXapan (Corteva). The ruling does not appear to include Syngenta's Tavium dicamba herbicide.

The ruling has enormous implications for farmers this summer, given that roughly 60 million acres of dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybeans were slated for 2020 planting, with the expectation that farmers could use dicamba over the top for weed control.

In its ruling, the Ninth Circuit ruled that EPA did violate FIFRA with the dicamba registrations, but the judges did not rule on the lawsuit's Endangered Species Act claims.

The Ninth Circuit justices strongly criticized EPA's decision to re-register three dicamba herbicides in 2018, after widespread reports of off-target injury in both the 2016 and 2017 growing seasons.

The ruling concluded that EPA "substantially understated" the amount of dicamba that would be sprayed, as well as the reality of injury reports across the Midwest and South.

"EPA refused to estimate the amount of dicamba damage, characterizing such damage as 'potential' and 'alleged,' when record evidence showed that dicamba had caused substantial and undisputed damage," the ruling stated.

The justices also stated that EPA failed to consider how difficult the new label restrictions crafted in 2018 would be to follow, as well as the technology's 'anticompetitive effect' on the cotton and soybean market and its divisive nature among the agricultural community.

"[T]he EPA entirely failed to acknowledge the risk that OTT dicamba use would tear the social fabric of farming communities," the justices wrote.

"We therefore vacate the EPA's October 31, 2018, registration decision and the three registrations premised on that decision," the ruling concluded.



Consumer Website Explains Food's Journey to Your Plate

While many Americans fired up their grills for Memorial Day last month, some may have found limits on meat purchases, near-empty meat cases or no fresh meat at all at their local grocery stores. At the same time, they see headlines about pork and poultry farmers having to euthanize entire barns of animals. Such a confusing contradiction presents an opportunity for agriculture to engage with consumers on the complexities of the food chain and the emotional toll this current situation is taking on farmers, according to Terry Fleck, executive director of The Center for Food Integrity (CFI).

"The contrast consumers are seeing between the meat case and what's happening on farms illustrates the unfortunate effects of the pandemic on a complex food system," said Fleck. "It's confusing to those on the outside and causing concern and mistrust. That's why engaging consumers on how meat gets to our tables and explaining the unfortunate necessity of depopulating animals is critical."

CFI recently created an animated infographic in partnership with the Iowa Farm Bureau and Illinois Farm Bureau. "Pork, Beef, Chicken: Journey to Your Plate," featured on the website BestFoodFacts.org, details the intricacies of the meat supply chain. Also on the site, "COVID-19 and the Food Supply: Your Questions Answered" addresses questions about the supply chain and food safety.

"These resources help explain a complex supply chain and why the pandemic has wreaked havoc," said Fleck.

The U.S. has 835 federally inspected livestock plants for beef and pork and nearly 3,000 federally inspected poultry plants. The system can adjust when one or two plants close. However, the impacts from COVID-19 have affected the entire system at unprecedented levels, resulting in temporary shutdowns or reduced operating capacity at many meat and poultry processing plants.

This massive bottleneck has left millions of market-ready pigs and chickens with nowhere to go. Normally, processing plants harvest an average of 500,000 pigs and 24 million chickens per day. As the number of pigs and chickens unable to go to market grows day after day, so too do the animals. They literally outgrow the space that is designed specifically for their comfort and wellbeing.

That has resulted in farmers faced with the heart wrenching decision to euthanize animals that should have gone to market.

For the farmers who've committed their lives to the responsible care of animals, putting down healthy animals is devastating, said Fleck. "They dedicate their lives to raising animals to provide food for families in the U.S. and around the world. Depopulating herds and flocks is an unimaginable action that's done only as a last resort. Failing to depopulate would mean millions of animals kept in conditions that jeopardize their wellbeing."

Helping consumers understand the supply chain disruption and impacts may seem daunting, but the key is to keep it simple and engage on the shared values of safe food and a commitment to the highest standards of animal care.



Farmers For Innovation Launches a Movement to Bring Back America

Farmers For Innovation (FFI) released the following statement on launching the Farmers For Innovation movement as Americans look for solutions to recover from the economic crisis created by the pandemic of 2020.

“These are challenging times. The pandemic has placed stress upon the American economy unlike any other since the Great Depression. At the same time, the Coronavirus pandemic has inspired a reevaluation of America’s security and the country’s interests in the global economy. Our security and our capacity to produce and ensure our supply chains are becoming inextricably linked. It is time to bring back these capabilities to America and to invest in innovative solutions that will perpetuate our own success as farmers by making our work more effective and more efficient,” said David Kolsrud, FFI’s Founder. “By working together, Farmers for Innovation can create a movement to empower farmers to make their money go farther and ultimately lead to the prosperity of rural Americans.”

David Kolsrud is a lifelong farmer and military veteran who has spent 25 years in the renewable energy industry, with expertise in ethanol, biodiesel, and wind projects. He was the Cooperative Manager at Agri-Energy LLC in Luverne, MN from 1995 until its sale to GEVO in 2010. In 2006, Kolsrud formed DAK Renewable Energy and in 2011 founded The Funding Farm in order to invest in start-up companies.

Kolsrud sees Farmers For Innovation’s mission as an investment in rural America’s future. By serving as a platform to motivate the government to incentivize farmers at scale, FFI plans to leverage rural America’s resources and create an investment fund to fuel companies that will transform farmers’ lives. These companies will develop direct and indirect applications of technology to the challenges that farmers are currently facing now or will have to confront.

By investing in innovative technologies such as ag-tech, life sciences, robotics, clean energy, national security, artificial intelligence and machine learning, FFI will safeguard America’s security and ensure the livelihood of farmers and their families for generations.

Farmers For Innovation wants Main Street to have a voice as loud as Wall Street. FFI will be a trusted partner to direct the investments of farmers to high-performing companies in multiple arenas with products and services that will ultimately perpetuate the success of Rural America.