For the week ending July 26, 2020, there were 5.5 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 12% very short, 29% short, 57% adequate, and 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 9% very short, 29% short, 60% adequate, and 2% surplus.
Field Crops Report:
Corn condition rated 2% very poor, 5% poor, 18% fair, 54% good, and 21% excellent. Corn silking was 89%, well ahead of 61% last year, and ahead of 80% for the five-year average. Dough was 27%, ahead of 9% last year and 16% average.
Soybean condition rated 2% very poor, 4% poor, 14% fair, 59% good, and 21% excellent. Soybeans blooming was 90%, well ahead of 60% last year, and ahead of 76% average. Setting pods was 53%, well ahead of 27% last year and 33% average.
Winter wheat harvested was 93%, well ahead of 49% last year, and ahead of 81% average.
Sorghum condition rated 1% very poor, 5% poor, 27% fair, 46% good, and 21% excellent. Sorghum headed was 43%, well ahead of 23% last year, and ahead of 32% average.
Oats harvested was 82%, well ahead of 39% last year, and ahead of 67% average.
Dry edible bean condition rated 1% very poor, 1% poor, 15% fair, 68% good, and 15% excellent. Dry edible beans blooming was 60%, well ahead of 33% last year. Setting pods was 15%, ahead of 7% last year.
Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 7% very poor, 7% poor, 26% fair, 54% good, and 6% excellent.
IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION
Another week with primarily spotty rains meant farmers had 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending July 26, 2020, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Fieldwork activities included spraying, harvesting hay and grain movement. Aerial application of fungicides was also reported.
Topsoil moisture levels rated 11% very short, 27% short, 59% adequate and 3% surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 6% very short, 26% short, 65% adequate and 3% surplus. West central Iowa topsoil and subsoil moisture supplies are the lowest in the State with well over half considered short to very short.
Corn silking or beyond reached 87%, 12 days ahead of the previous year and 3 days ahead of the 5-year average. Corn in the dough stage reached 23%, 10 days ahead of the previous year and 4 days ahead of the average. Corn condition rated 77% good to excellent.
Soybeans blooming reached 85%, just over 2 weeks ahead of last year and 6 days ahead of average. Soybeans setting pods reached 50%, just over 2 weeks ahead of last year and 5 days ahead of average. Soybean condition rated 76% good to excellent.
Oats turning color reached 95%, 4 days ahead of last year and 1 day ahead of the average. Oats harvested for grain reached 56%, 1 week ahead of last year and 2 days ahead of the average. Oat condition rated 73% good to excellent.
Alfalfa hay second cutting reached 84%, 8 days ahead of last year and 2 days ahead of the average. Hay condition rated 69% good to excellent.
Pasture condition rated 51% good to excellent. Some pastures are going dormant due to lack of adequate rain.
USDA: Corn and Soybean Conditions Improve Slightly
The condition of the U.S. corn and soybean crops rose slightly last week, USDA NASS said in its weekly Crop Progress report on Monday. Development of both crops are ahead of the five-year average.
NASS estimated that 72% of the corn crop was in good-to-excellent condition as of Sunday, July 26, up 3 percentage points from the previous week and the third highest rating in 10 years. Corn silking jumped 23 percentage points to reach 82% as of Sunday. That was well ahead of the 51% seen at this time last year and moved this year's silking progress 7 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 75%. Corn in the dough stage was estimated at 22%, also ahead of the five-year average of 17%.
Soybean development also continued to run ahead of normal last week. Soybeans blooming was estimated at 76%, 4 percentage points ahead of the five-year average. The portion of the crop setting pods was estimated at 43%, 7 percentage points ahead of the five-year average. Soybean conditions improved slightly last week. NASS estimated that 72% of the soybean crop was in good-to-excellent condition as of July 26, up 3 percentage points from 69% the previous week and the second highest rating in 10 years.
Winter wheat harvest trails the five-year average by 1 percentage point with an estimated 81% of the crop harvested as of Sunday. That's up 7 percentage points from last week.
The percentage of spring wheat headed reached 97% as of Sunday, almost caught up with the five-year average of the five-year average of 98%. Spring wheat condition increased 2 percentage points to 70% good to excellent.
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Northeast ag students develop marketing plans for local and area businesses
The end of the semester for any student is loaded with final exams and other work to wrap up the academic year. With COVID-19 hovering down on life this spring, agriculture students in one particular class at Northeast Community College had to adjust in the way they would normally make final project presentations.
Instructor Brandon Keller said instead of the usual face-to-face method, students in his Agricultural Marketing Systems course had to prepare to give their business marketing presentations in a virtual classroom setting - via the Zoom communications portal that millions of people around the world have come to adopt over the past several months.
“The overall goal of this particular project was to provide our agriculture students the opportunity to apply the concepts they learned in class to a real business through the completion of a multi-part business analysis as it pertains to marketing and marketing evaluation,” Keller said. “Each year I seek out 10-14 locally owned agricultural businesses to participate in the project.”
To date, Keller has had representatives from golf courses, bakeries, pumpkin patches, greenhouses, recreation businesses, chartered hunting businesses, county fair boards, grain boards, vet clinics and a high school sophomore’s custom beef business participate in the project, which is in its third year.
Each portion of the project has a direct link to topics that were covered in the course. They were built upon the work that had been completed in pervious portions of the project, which is essential for each group to remain organized and in communication to ensure their success.
Keller begins the semester by randomly assigning groups of students to a business that they work with for the duration of the semester. From there, he said students build relationships with the business owner or representatives of an organization.
“Students work closely with them to gather information to complete a business analysis in the areas of competition, pricing, a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, and marketing and promotions for the business,” he said. “The project wraps up at the end of the semester when students create an executive report of the business and then give a formal presentation about their business and what they learned.”
The pandemic brought new challenges to the project when student groups moved to working remotely following Northeast’s winter break in March. The project continued as planned, however, the students were introduced to a different way of working through virtual meetings with Zoom and Facetime, communicating via email and instant messaging and collaborating on shared document programs such as OneDrive and Google Docs.
Keller said, “Since the formal presentations at the end of the semester couldn’t be given in the classroom like normal, students instead had the unique experience of giving their group presentation via Zoom to a panel of Northeast employees.”
Presentations came complete with a PowerPoint and each member of the group took the opportunity to present to the panel. After the group finished their presentation, the panel asked group members questions about their business, their analysis and their experience with the project.
Businesses participating in the project included: Eldorado Hills Golf Course, Norfolk; Johansen Greenhouse and Nursery, Norfolk, Nebraska Sorghum Board, North Fork Bread Company, Norfolk; North Fork Outfitting, Norfolk; Pfanny’s Farm, Randolph; Ritter Cattle Feedyards, Beemer; R&M Meats, LLC, Norfolk; and Stadium Sports, Wayne.
Keller admits he was initially concerned about transitioning the project to a remote learning format, but was pleased with the outcome.
“The student groups had enjoyed the hands-on collaboration time in the classroom and I feared that the remote setting would take away from those valuable experiences. However, our Northeast students once again rose to the challenge and overcame adversity creating an excellent final result for their partner businesses.
Sen. Deb Fischer to join UNL Ag Econ webinar series for ag policy discussion
Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer will join the UNL Ag Econ Dept's weekly Farm and Ranch Management webinar series for a special Monday edition to focus on current policy issues and developments affecting agriculture in the state.
The live presentation is scheduled for Aug. 3 at noon. It will feature Fischer’s comments on current and pending coronavirus relief legislation, regulatory issues and other developments related to agriculture, as well as a Q&A segment.
Register for the webinar at farm.unl.edu.
Haskell Ag Lab Science & Ag Family Field Day goes VIRTUAL for 2020
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Haskell Agricultural Laboratory Family Field Day will be VIRTUAL this year. The decision to have a virtual field day was made due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and the many unknowns. The committee also felt it was important to showcase the research and education that happens at the Haskell Ag Lab. The health and safety of our employees, attendees, and anyone involved in this event is our highest priority.
Even though we are not having an on-site field day, we will be launching a virtual video tour of Haskell Ag Lab (HAL) Programming at 8 AM. on August 5th. This video tour will highlight the research and educational programs at the Haskell Ag Lab. The HAL Programming virtual video tour will include cover crops, a drone demonstration, corn rootworm rating information, manure spreader calibration, unique trees in the Northeast Arboretum, insect issues, and bee research. In addition to the HAL Ag Lab Programming virtual video tour, other topics will also be available virtually. Those include land values and cash rental rates, farm and ranch succession, canning and food safety, cow milk production versus calf size, grazing management principles that make a difference, various types of tree information, Nitrate Kerplunk, how to avoid common tree mistakes. Dr. Tiffany Heng-Moss, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources will also present a message virtually.
Release dates for virtual presentations will begin in early summer and continue through the beginning of August. All presentations will be available by August 5, 2020 and will remain available for on-demand viewing.
In addition, the Haskell Ag Lab will have a live zoom session at 2 pm that will focus on various programs. Anyone will be able to join in and ask questions of the presenters to learn more about various programs. Please register at the following link for the 2 pm zoom session: https://go.unl.edu/halvirtualtour Individuals that register will receive a link to join the live zoom at 2 pm on August 5th. The live zoom session at 2 p.m. will focus on various sessions that one can participate in. Some of those sessions include Optimizing crop yield and soil health benefits with tillage, crop rotation, and nitrogen management practices; Soybean Gall Midge; Food Labeling-Fact or Fiction; a demonstration plot update; food and nutrition demonstration; and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and Nature for Kids. CCA credits will be available for the live zoom sessions. You will need to register at the above link to obtain these credits.
Also on August 5th at 6:30 there will be a zoom on Food Preservation 101 – an Overview. Please register for this learning session at https://go.unl.edu/homefoodpreservation.
These presentations and demonstrations are geared toward all ages. For more information or questions, call the Haskell Ag Lab at 402-584-2261 or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HALenrec/.
Who is on your Farm and Ranch Management (FARM) team?
Jessica Groskopf – NE Extension Educator
When owning or working on a farm or a ranch, you wear many hats. You are an agronomist, a mechanic, a truck driver, a marketer and a family mediator. But what about when you need professional advice and guidance?
Who is on your FARM team?
Although these individuals may not sit at the dinner table with you, they are an integral part of your business. Being able to delegate tasks or get sound advice from them can have a positive impact on your bottom line. Building a strong team can make tough times a lot easier. Here are some ideas of who you should include on this list:
Key employees
Banker
Financial planner
Investment advisor
Accountant
Elevator
Agronomist/crop scout
Insurance agent
Lawyer
Landlords
Veterinarians
Extension educator/agent
Having a trusted FARM team can assist in the decision making. However, you must remain the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of your operation. If you have asked the same question to your banker, tax accountant and lawyer, they may provide three separate pieces of advice. You must assess the pros and cons of your options and ultimately make the decision.
Dropping off your receipts at the tax accountant’s office on April 10 may not provide him or her a clear picture of the goals you have for your operation. Having scheduled timely meetings with each of your FARM team members can improve their ability to serve you. During these meetings you will want to discuss your current situation, your future direction, and your plan of attack. With this information, they can advise you on services they provide and where they can help you improve your operation.
Some big decisions, like developing an estate plan, may require that you meet with multiple members of your FARM team at once. Having multiple advisors in the same meeting lets everyone hear the same discussion and allows advisors to debate the pros and cons of the proposed solution from each vantage point. Formal FARM team meetings with multiple advisors can create a clearer line of communication.
Having a weak link on your FARM team could be detrimental. For example, an agronomist who recommends an application that does not have a positive return on investment can mean wasted dollars. Why are these people on your team? Are they the most cost-effective choice? What other resources do you have at your disposal?
Sometimes it is hard to “fire” members of your FARM team but consider the expense of keeping these weak links. Time, money and trust are not resources that are easily regained.
Sometimes it may not be possible to replace a member of your team. For example, “firing” a landlord or tenant may not be possible, especially if they are family. In these situations, consider ways to improve your working relationship with them. Are you communicating with them effectively? What can you do to engage them more in the decision-making process? How can you approach this situation to make it more mutually beneficial?
Meetings announced regarding lower Missouri River flood risk management
Three upcoming stakeholder meetings will help identify and prioritize problem areas along the Missouri River as part of a larger multi-state effort to address flooding in the lower Missouri River basin.
The meetings will be held virtually via Zoom on July 28, 29 and 30. Details on times and connection information is available at iowadnr.gov/simra.
This effort is in response to near-historic levels in the Missouri River in 2019. The unprecedented amount of runoff resulted in the lower Missouri River staying above flood stage at multiple locations for nearly nine months, causing billions of dollars of damage to homes, businesses, agricultural production, levees and natural resources across five states, including Iowa.
The meetings will all follow the same agenda and will be open to discussion of the entire length of the Missouri River in Iowa. During these meetings, participants will be asked to identify specific problem areas along the river that lead to flooding issues and to provide potential solutions if possible.
Once problem areas have been identified by state partners and stakeholders, a set of criteria will be developed to rank and prioritize them. That prioritized list, along with any other relevant background information and ideas for potential solutions, will be provided to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for further analysis.
The information gathered and analysis completed will be documented in a flood risk management plan for the entire lower Missouri River, which can be used at the state and local level to help inform flood risk management decisions moving forward.
The project is a partnership between the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Kansas Water Office, and the Kansas City and Omaha districts of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
New Disease Severity and Insect Defoliation Training Tool Available
Crop scouts and field researchers have a new tool at their disposal to help correctly estimate disease severity and insect defoliation in field crops. The new tool can be found on the Crop Protection Network website.... https://severity.cropprotectionnetwork.org/.
This web tool will help scouts and researchers hone their assessment skills to accurately estimate the amount of a leaf covered by disease lesions and the amount of defoliation caused by insect pests.
“The Crop Protection Network hopes this new tool can help people make the most accurate estimations possible,” said Daren Mueller, extension plant pathologist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and co-director of the Crop Protection Network. “We want to offer as many tools as possible to help with scouting efforts and ultimately help make the best management decisions.”
Using expert information and interactive activities, the new tool presents several common diseases, along with a corresponding visual trainer and self-practice opportunities for assessing injury caused by each disease.
The Crop Protection Network is a multi-state and international collaboration of university and provincial extension specialists and public and private professionals who provide unbiased, research-based information to farmers and agricultural personnel. The goal of CPN is to communicate relevant information that will help professionals identify and manage field crop diseases and other crop production/protection issues.
Biofuels Vision 2020 Announces Ad Blitz on EPA Threat to Iowa Biofuels, Farms
In the run up to the November election, Biofuels Vision 2020 is launching a new ad campaign raising the alarm over a major regulatory threat to the economic recovery in Iowa. The new sizable, five-figure digital ad buy calls on Iowa voters to share their concerns about the Trump administration’s track record on biofuels, which has become a major focus of debate in key Midwest races for the House, Senate, and the presidency. The display and social media ads will appear in heavy rotation over the next three weeks, highlighting that “rural America is under siege by Trump’s EPA” and calling on the president to keep his promises to Iowa corn and soybean farmers.
“Rural communities face historic economic hardship in the wake of COVID-19, trade wars, and years of regulatory abuse,” said Biofuels Vision 2020 member Daryl Haack, a corn farmer in Primghar, Iowa and member of the board of Little Sioux Corn Processors. “We are not going to sit idly by and watch the Trump EPA sabotage the very foundation of our rural recovery. Iowans can’t afford to pay the price for any more backdoor handouts to well-connected oil companies.”
The issue has taken on new urgency after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began considering a new round of retroactive oil company exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), vastly expanding a controversial practice that has already destroyed demand for more than four billion gallons of homegrown biofuels, made from Iowa farm crops like soybeans and corn. Just this month, the EPA confirmed six new petitions from refiners seeking to skirt obligations under the RFS – bringing the total to 86, including 58 retroactive exemption requests.
“There’s no reason President Trump can’t fix this well before November, when Iowa voters will decide whether or not he really cares about rural America,” added Haack. “We’re not asking for anything unreasonable – just keep your promise and follow the law. The era of demand destruction has to end now, so Iowa biofuel plants can reopen and farm families can focus on rebuilding the agricultural supply chain.”
The retroactive “gap-year” exemptions are designed specifically to help oil companies evade limits on the EPA handouts set down by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Opposition to the maneuver has been strong and swift among Midwest governors, farm and biofuel leaders, senators, House lawmakers, and other concerned farmers.
Growth Energy Statement on Senate Action on Biofuel Relief
Today, Growth Energy issued the following statement on the Senate language for the next round of COVID-19 relief, which included biofuels producers as eligible entities under the recently released agriculture assistance program.
“This is a good first step towards healing the damage wrought by COVID-19, but falls short of providing the necessary clarity that would have been provided in Senators Ernst, Grassley and Klobuchar's proposed language," said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. "The next critical step in a final agreement between House and Senate is to provide additional certainty around the nature of biofuel industry relief to ensure our producers have access to this much needed assistance. Our fight is far from over, especially with the number of retroactive refinery exemption applications continuing to rise and COVID-19 depressing trade to our key ethanol markets abroad. It’s encouraging to know that we have House and Senate leaders in our corner who understand that protecting America’s biofuel workforce now is vital to rebuilding our nation’s agricultural supply chain and markets for American farmers.”
NCBA Addresses Checkoff Referendum Petition
Today, NCBA President Marty Smith, a Florida cattle producer, released the following statement about the Beef Checkoff referendum petition launched in July.
“In the 1980s, NCBA was instrumental in the initial passage of the Beef Promotion and Research Act and the resulting referendum that established the Beef Checkoff as we know it today. The Act makes it very clear that cattle producers have a say in the continuation of the checkoff through a grassroots petition process.
“NCBA fully supports the producers’ right to have their voices heard on the future of the checkoff. However, we also believe the petition and signature gathering processes should be transparent and conducted with integrity. NCBA trusts cattle producers to make the right decisions for our industry, so if some producers feel they need to sign a petition calling for a vote on the Beef Checkoff, then they should sign. If enough sign, then we should vote. We are confident that a vote by those who invest and direct their hard-earned dollars will again show strong support for this program and will finally allow our industry to put this issue behind us.
“For more than three decades, cattle producers have accomplished great things for the industry by working together to direct these investments. From improvements in beef safety, successful marketing programs to new product development, the Beef Checkoff has a long track record of solid returns for each dollar invested. Beef producers should be proud of that work and we believe that a majority of cattlemen and women stand behind the program.”
Beef Quality Assurance Program Earns Compliance With International Animal Welfare Standards
The Checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program, managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), is now recognized as an industry-leading animal welfare program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reviewed and certified that the BQA program complies with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Animal Welfare Management/General Requirements and Guidance for Organizations in the Food Supply Chain. The ISO specification was developed in 2016 to provide a path for programs to show they are aligned with the principles of the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code and ensures the welfare of farm animals across the supply chain.
“USDA’s affirmation that the program complies with ISO specifications is an important recognition of U.S. cattle producers’ continued commitment to delivering a safe, high quality beef supply while maintaining the highest animal welfare standards,” said Dr. Julia Herman, Beef Cattle Specialist Veterinarian for NCBA. Developed more than 30 years ago, the BQA program has become the industry standard for delivering education and resources to cattle producers. More than 85 percent of the U.S. beef supply today is managed by BQA-certified farmers and ranchers, according to the National BQA Database. By partnering with state programs across the country, the program reaches cattle producers on operations of all sizes, in all corners of the nation, with digital and in-person training and certification.
To earn certification with the animal welfare standards, the BQA program underwent a thorough audit process which evaluated the program’s principles, guidelines and standards across its many resources, including the BQA National Manual and Self-Assessments. This recognition will mean the BQA program is listed on USDA’s Quality Assessment Division website as being compliant with the ISO specification.
“BQA’s recognition by USDA of ISO compliance clearly shows that animal welfare is a top priority for America’s cattle producers and global consumers can rest assured that the American beef they consume is produced in accordance with the highest animal welfare standards in the world,” said Kent Bacus, NCBA senior director of international trade and market access.
Dicamba-Resistant Palmer Amaranth in Tennessee: Stewardship Even More Important
Larry Steckel, University of Tennessee Extension Weed Specialist
Has Palmer amaranth evolved dicamba resistance in Tennessee? Results from some of the greenhouse experiments this winter and spring as well as in field research this growing season would suggest that our state now has dicamba-resistant (DR) Palmer amaranth. These DR populations are established in Crockett, Gibson, Madison, Shelby, and Warren counties and likely several others.
The level of dicamba resistance is relatively low, about 2.5x. The level of infestation in any given field ranges from a small pocket where a mother plant went to seed in 2019 to an area covering several acres in a field. This would be comparable to the first documented glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth found in Tennessee back in 2006 where most were still getting relatively good Palmer amaranth control with glyphosate while others were noticing escapes in their fields.
When the Xtend crops first came on the scene it was not uncommon to see a stray Palmer amaranth escape dicamba here and there. These escapes would grow very little if at all for 2 or 3 weeks. Then most would be covered up by the crop never to be seen again. The DR Palmer amaranth in some fields today however will start growing again in about 10 days and in unprecedented numbers.
Some of the particulars of the research was that DR weed screening in the greenhouse was conducted at the University of Tennessee and the University of Arkansas. This research revealed that some of the Palmer amaranth that escaped dicamba applications from several fields in 2019 in Tennessee were more than 2x more tolerant to dicamba than Palmer amaranth grown from seed collected over a decade ago in Arkansas and Tennessee. Subsequent greenhouse tests conducted at Texas Tech University showed that a population collected from Shelby County, TN was more than 2.4x more tolerant to dicamba than Palmer amaranth sourced from Lubbock, TX.
Congress Approves Rural Mental Health Bill as Part of Defense Authorization Legislation
The House and Senate recently passed a Farm Bureau-supported measure designed to help farmers respond to stress and decrease the stigma associated with mental health care in rural communities. The Seeding Rural Resilience Act was included in each chamber’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act.
“The recent pandemic, challenging weather, destructive pests, trade disputes, labor shortages and market volatility over the past few years have brought an unprecedented level of pressure on America’s farmers. A 2019 Farm Bureau survey shows that an overwhelming majority of farmers and farmworkers say financial issues, farm or business problems and fear of losing their farm negatively impact their mental health,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a letter to senators urging them to approve the Seeding Rural Resilience Act as an amendment to the defense authorization bill.
Passage of the bill is part of Farm Bureau’s efforts to reduce the stigma surrounding the topic of mental health in rural communities and to provide relevant information to farm families on this important topic, Duvall added.
The Seeding Rural Resilience Act would create three initiatives to promote mental wellness and mental health awareness in rural America:
- A farmer-facing employee training program that requires USDA to provide voluntary stress management training to employees at the Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency and National Resources Conservation Service.
- A partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services and USDA to create a $3 million PSA to increase public awareness of farm and ranch stress and destigmatize mental health care in rural communities.
- Collaboration among state, local and non-governmental stakeholders, led by the secretary of agriculture, to determine best practices for responding to farm and ranch mental stress.
The Seeding Rural Resilience Act was introduced in the Senate last year by Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and in the House by Reps. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and John Katko (R-N.Y.).
The House and Senate must negotiate a single national defense authorization bill before it goes to the president for his signature.
USDA Launches New Farmers.gov Features to Help Farmers Hire Workers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced new features on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farmers.gov website designed to help facilitate the employment of H-2A workers.
“My mission from the beginning of my time as Secretary was to make USDA the most effective, most efficient, most customer-focused department in the entire federal government – these changes to Farmers.gov are doing just that. USDA’s goal is to help farmers navigate the complex H-2A program that is administered by Department of Labor, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department so hiring a farm worker is an easier process,” said Secretary Perdue. “President Trump knows how essential these workers are to our farmers and America’s food supply chain. We will continue working to streamline these and other processes to better serve our customers across the country.”
Background:
The primary new H-2A features on Farmers.gov include:
- A real-time dashboard that enables farmers to track the status of their eligible employer application and visa applications for temporary nonimmigrant workers;
- Streamlining the login information so if a farmer has an existing login.gov account they can save multiple applications tracking numbers for quick look-up at any time;
- Enables easy access to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG);
- Allows farmers to track time-sensitive actions taken in the course of Office of Foreign Labor Certification’s (OFLC) adjudication of temporary labor certification applications;
- Allowing for farmers to access all application forms on-line.
All information can be found at www.farmers.gov/manage/h2a.
KDA Asks Public to Report Receipt of any Unsolicited Packages of Seeds
The Kansas Department of Agriculture has been notified that several Kansas residents have received unsolicited packages containing seeds that appear to have originated from China. The types of seeds in the packages are unknown at this time. The packages were sent by mail; some have been labeled as jewelry and they may have Chinese writing on them. Unsolicited packages of seeds have been received by people in several other states across the United States over the last several days.
If you receive a package of this type, please DO NOT plant these seeds. If they are in sealed packaging, don’t open the sealed package. Instead, please contact KDA’s plant protection and weed control program at 785-564-6698, via email at KDA.PPWC@ks.gov, or at the complaint reporting portion of the KDA website: report a seed complaint.
Unsolicited seeds could be invasive species, could introduce diseases to local plants, or could be harmful to livestock. Invasive species wreak havoc on the environment, displace or destroy native plants and insects and severely damage crops. KDA works to prevent the introduction of invasive species and protect Kansas agriculture.
USGC Virtual Summer Meeting Kicks Off Highlighting Global Market Trends
In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Grains Council kicked off its 60th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting virtually on Monday to help U.S. grain sector leaders assess the challenges affecting their industry and offer reassurance grain exports continue despite disruptions.
The meeting began on an encouraging note from USGC Chairman Darren Armstrong, a farmer from North Carolina, who reviewed the current marketing year’s top five markets for U.S. corn – Mexico, Japan, Colombia, South Korea and China, respectively – and the top three markets for U.S. sorghum – China, Mexico and Japan.
“At this virtual meeting, we gather to discuss issues facing our industry and explore future demand,” Armstrong said. “While the current domestic demand situation is challenging, the export outlook has bright spots to share, and I’m happy to report that corn, sorghum, barley, co-products and ethanol are still moving to our partners overseas.”
Armstrong was followed by Dr. David Kohl, president of AgriVisions, an agriculture consulting business, and professor emeritus at Virginia Tech, who assessed the pandemic’s effect on the commodities market and what attendees should expect to see as the situation evolves.
"There are a few things that should be on the grain industry's radar - the economic health of the protein sector and our trading partners, the weather, the value of the U.S. dollar and consumer trends," Kohl told attendees. "Our business model of the future relies on us to be resilient, agile, entrepreneurial and with a strong business IQ."
"We must find ways to manage the controllable elements and continue to manage around the uncontrollable elements during this time," he added.
StoneX Group Chief Commodities Economist Arlan Suderman later offered market insights on global macro-economic trends and their implications on the ethanol industry sorely affected during this time. He covered a review of global commodity markets, key indicators to watch and the state of the U.S.-China Phase One agreement.
"Price is a function of supply and demand as modified by the flow of money," said Suderman. "The money is chasing the assets that have the best opportunities to recover."
Monday's afternoon sessions are to include breakouts of the Council’s six membership sectors. On Tuesday, the Council will hold its Board of Delegates meeting to conduct Council business, hold elections for various open leadership positions and hear from Council President and CEO Ryan LeGrand as well as outgoing and incoming chairmen, Armstrong and Illinois farmer, Jim Raben, respectively.
Taking advantage of the virtual meeting platform, staff members from the Council’s overseas offices will be available Tuesday afternoon for questions and answers in an informal session called “Connecting With Your Global Staff.”
The meeting will wrap up on Wednesday with virtual Advisory Team meetings in the morning and a closing general session in the afternoon. Ambassador Craig Allen, president of the U.S – China Business Council, will speak on the state of the U.S.-China trade relationship, and former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Sharon Bomer Lauritsen will share an update on agricultural trade policy opportunities and challenges.
“Throughout this extraordinary time, U.S. farmers have never stopped working and neither has the U.S. Grains Council,” Armstrong said to members in his opening remarks.
“Because of our presence in markets around the world, we anticipated the challenges and we’ve been able to shift our operations to ensure U.S. grain farmers and agribusinesses can continue to provide what our customers need. As we look forward and continue to adjust to emerging circumstances, we appreciate the deep engagement of our farmer and agribusiness members.”
More from the meeting is available using hashtag, #grains20.
USDA Announces a Third Round of Farmers to Families Food Box Program Purchases
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will launch a third round of Farmers to Families Food Box Program purchases with distributions to occur beginning by September 1 with completion by October 31, 2020. The purchases will spend the balance of $3 billion authorized for the program. So far, over 46 million Farmers to Families Food Boxes have been invoiced and delivered.
“This third round of Farmers to Families Food Box Program purchases is a testament to the great work done by vendors in support of American agriculture and the American people. It is also a testament that the program is accomplishing what we intended – supporting U.S. farmers and distributors and getting food to those who need it most. It’s a real trifecta, which is why we call it a win-win-win,” said Secretary Perdue. “The efforts of everyone involved form the backbone of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program and its goal to help fill the hunger gap in all of our communities.”
“The Farmers to Families Food Box Program has created a tangible link between hungry families and struggling farmers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Advisor to the President, Ivanka Trump. "Through this third round of Farmers to Families Food Box purchases announced today, the Trump Administration continues its steadfast commitment to supporting our farmers, bolstering our workforce and feeding families most in need during this critical time.”
Background:
In this third round of purchases, USDA plans to purchase combination boxes to ensure all recipient organizations have access to fresh produce, dairy products, fluid milk, and meat products.
Eligibility in the third round will be open to entities who can meet the government’s requirements and specifications. Proposals will be expected to illustrate how coverage will be provided to areas identified as opportunity zones, detail subcontracting agreements, and address the “last mile” delivery of product into the hands of the food insecure population.
A notice explaining the solicitation process will be issued in the days to come with a webinar and other educational opportunities provided for those interested in participating.
In the ongoing second round of purchasing and distribution, which began July 1 and will conclude Aug. 31, 2020, USDA aims to purchase up to $1.47 billion of food for the program. For the second round, USDA extended contracts of select vendors from the first round of the program worth up to $1.27 billion. Some contracts were not extended at the vendors’ request or reduced based on information provided by the contractor. Additionally, in the second round, USDA approved up to $202 million in new contracts, via a new acquisition activity, with select vendors whose offers were not previously accepted due to various issues in their proposals. These distributors were selected to increase the focus on Opportunity Zones in order to direct food to reach underserved areas, places where either no boxes have yet been delivered, or where boxes are being delivered but where there is additional need.
The first round of purchases totaling more than $947 million occurred from May 15 through June 30, 2020.
More information about the third round of food box purchasing will be made available on the Farmers to Families Food Box Program website at www.usda.gov/farmers-to-families.
Dairy Defined: How the Fight Against “Bogus Butter” Changed the World
National Milk Producers Federation
They called it “Butterine,” and it was the “innovation” of its times. But it was an imposter. Dairy fought its labeling chicanery, with outcomes that have benefited consumers ever since. That’s why everyone should remember – and be thankful for -- the Butter Act.
Sunday, Aug. 2, is the anniversary of what was officially named the Oleomargarine Act, signed by President Grover Cleveland in 1886. The product of heated Congressional debate, what became remembered as the Butter Act of 1886 created what to this day remains the only standard of identity for a food product set by Congress rather than regulators.
It was also a precursor to the food-safety system that protects U.S. consumers to this day.
Context: In 1886, the United States was living in the Wild West, literally – the Gunfight at the OK Corral had happened only five years earlier. The food arena’s Wild West was marked by an utter absence of consumer protections from sometimes-deadly food swindles. Honest dairy farmers struggled to protect their reputations from unscrupulous makers of products like “swill milk” – concoctions heavily adulterated to boost profits – and pathogen-bearing raw milk that sickened families in the days before pasteurization.
Enter margarine. Invented in France in 1869, mass production in the U.S. was quickly dominated by Chicago meatpackers (soon to be immortalized in a famous novel about their manufacturing practices -- “The Jungle,” by Upton Sinclair) who saw a profitable use for previously wasted animal fat. Made cheaply and sold widely, margarine was promoted as a suitable butter substitute, even though its main similarity came from the yellow dye added to make consumers think it was a dairy equivalent.
With no restrictions on marketing claims and no legal definition of what butter was and wasn’t, animal-fat purveyors intentionally blurred the line between butter and “butterine,” sometimes attempting to pass off what dairy advocates called “bogus butter” as real. Dairy farmers worried that, over time, a lack of clear distinction would erode consumer and create a less transparent marketplace. States began passing patchworks of laws regulating, taxing and identifying oleomargarine – sometimes by requiring it to be dyed pink. But as the patchwork proliferated, a national solution was clearly needed.
Congress debated. The list of dairy’s opponents was long, including the meatpackers; industries that didn’t think the government should regulate private economic activity, interstate commerce, agriculture or public health; and newspaper naysayers who wondered why dairy didn’t simply accept “innovation” and found butter disputes faintly ridiculous. In the end, passage was overwhelming and bipartisan, with opposition mostly confined to lawmakers from southern states who argued that defining butter violated “states’ rights.”
Dairy won. And by establishing a role for the federal government in regulating food, consumers won as well -- in ways that would turn out to be much more profound than the simple differences between two products.
Twenty years later, spurred on by “The Jungle” – which exposed deplorable conditions among the same meatpackers who opposed the Butter Act – Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, the foundation of today’s food-safety regulation. Standards of identity that define what foods are and aren’t became accepted necessities for a fair marketplace. Product formulations became more transparent. And marketing claims that try to peddle one product by inappropriately implying it has the qualities of another were stifled by a federal government now empowered to protect consumers.
At least, when that government chooses to act. While swill milk is gone and the Wild West has been at least somewhat tamed, today’s self-styled “innovators” still try to gain an unfair marketing edge by misleading labeling implying they’re something they’re not. Think plant-based “butters” that are really nothing more than margarines at best. Think artificially concocted liquid mixtures labeled as “milks” that are nutritionally more like a high-school chemistry project than a natural, wholesome food.
With fewer dairy farmers to speak up and a better-funded opposition, the fight for integrity is tougher now than in 1886. But history teaches us the battle’s worth fighting, and the marketplace works better when there is truthful and non-misleading labeling. Are consumers better off today knowing that butter is butter and margarine is margarine? Absolutely. Did margarine find an appropriate place in the market, even though it was no longer called “butterine?” Yes, it did, despite their protestations. And did the federal government, after decades of prodding, do the right thing in protecting product integrity and requiring clear labeling? Obviously, yes again. But none of it happened without sustained, sincere effort and appropriate and effective government action.
Progress often comes via fits, false starts and setbacks. But it happens. On August 2, look in your refrigerator and remember how butter helped change the world. Be thankful for the nineteenth-century crusaders who helped ensure it’s there for you. And remember how our responses to today’s challenges will shape tomorrow’s world. Let’s celebrate the Butter Act and insist the U.S. Food and Drug Administration enforce it against today’s equivalent of yesteryear’s butter imposters.
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