Thursday July 23 Ag News

HUSKER TEAM RECEIVES $1 MILLION FOR PROJECTS TO ENHANCE SOIL HEALTH, PRODUCTIVITY

A University of Nebraska–Lincoln researcher’s team has received $1 million in grant funding for two separate projects designed to enhance the productivity and health of environmentally sensitive soils.

Humberto Blanco, a professor of soil management and soil physics, and his team received the funding for both projects from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant program.

The first project will assess the use of biochar — a carbon compound created when organic materials are heated to very high temperatures without oxygen — to enhance sandy, low-carbon-content and erosion-prone soils. The second will look at alternative management strategies of cover crops to improve soil health and ecosystem services of sandy and erosion-prone soils.

Each project received $500,000 in funding over four years, and both aim to enhance environmentally sensitive soils in a host of different ways, including through sustained productivity, improved water retention, improved water quality, reduced nutrient leaching and, ultimately, improved crop, animal and human health.

POTENTIAL IMPACT OF BIOCHAR
Since the advent of intensive agriculture, intensively cultivated soils have lost between 30% and 50% of their original carbon content. Adding biochar, which contains 50% to 90% carbon, could rapidly restore the carbon lost and help improve the soil health of intensively cultivated land. But the impact of biochar may be dependent upon soil texture and other site-specific factors, and there is little field data specific to soils found in Nebraska on the impacts of adding biochar. 

Blanco and his research team will assess how biochar application at different rates affects soil properties and crop production across different soil types, including sandy, low-carbon content and sloping fields — all of which are common in Nebraska.

“There is a lot of excitement about biochar use around the globe, but many questions remain regarding its benefits,” Blanco said. “Many researchers have studied biochar in other regions, but such studies did not specifically target problem soils such as those with low carbon content, or that are sandy or sloping, which are more prone to leaching, droughts, and degradation and could benefit more from biochar than highly fertile or productive farmlands.”

The research will take place at three sites and will include both dryland and irrigated fields. Two of the sites are on working farms, which Blanco hopes offers a snapshot of how biochar performs in large-scale farming operations.

Blanco’s team will study changes in physical, chemical, fertility and biological properties of soil. They will also look at how biochar affects water and wind erosion, greenhouse gas fluxes, nutrient leaching, water storage and crop yields, and will assess the interrelationships among these properties.

Ultimately, the project will determine which benefits biochar can provide to different types of soils. Additionally, Blanco hopes it leads to the establishment of optimum biochar application rates to enhance the health of low-carbon, sandy and sloping soils. Because biochar is expensive, determining the minimum rate of biochar application required to enhance soil health, soil productivity and environmental quality is critical to show the feasibility of biochar use to Nebraska producers.

ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT OF COVER CROPS
Agricultural systems are faced with many challenges, including the pressures of irregular rainfall patterns. Irregular rainfall can lead to both droughts and flooding, both of which directly impact soil health. Blanco and his team will study whether altering traditional cover crop management techniques could enhance the ability of cover crops to provide ecosystem services and improve soil health.

Cover crops, in which crops such as rye and clover are grown to benefit soil health, rather than for harvest, are widely used.

“Even so, some studies show little benefit from the practice of using cover crops,” Blanco said.

There are two main reasons for this. First, most cover crop research is conducted on nearly level, highly productive soils, as opposed to those that are sloping or sandy. Second, cover crop effects on soil health can depend on cover crop biomass production.

Blanco and his team will look at whether utilizing cover crops on environmentally sensitive soils and altering planting and termination dates to increase biomass production could lead to higher soil carbon sequestration, water erosion control, nitrate leaching and improvement in other soil properties.

“When it comes to cover crops, a one-size-fits-all approach does not work,” Blanco said.

During the study, cover crops will be planted pre- or post-harvest and terminated one month before or at main crop planting. The measured field data, which includes soil physical, chemical, fertility and biological properties, water quality, carbon storage and crop yields, will be used in models for extrapolating information to regional scales. Data will also be used to perform an economic analysis based on production inputs, outputs and cover crop value-added benefits.

The project is unique because it will target sloping soils, which are susceptible to erosion, and sandy soils, which are prone to nitrate leaching. Both soil types are common throughout the Corn Belt, and improved cover crop practices could give farmers a critical new tool for both improving soil health and increasing yields.

“New cover crop management strategies could prove extremely valuable to farmers not just in Nebraska, but throughout the region,” Blanco said. “Ultimately, better, more tailored use of cover crops could lead to more sustainable and resilient agroecosystems throughout the Great Plains.”



EXTENSION OFFERS FREE QUICKEN COURSE FOR AG PRODUCERS

A new online course aims to equip Nebraska agricultural producers with the skills and tools needed to establish or improve digital financial record keeping for their operations.

Nebraska Extension’s Farm and Ranch Management team has released “Quicken for Farm and Ranch Record Keeping,” a self-paced video course that teaches the basics of Quicken. The financial management software allows users to track transactions, separate expenses, generate whole-farm budgets and more.

The course focuses on the record-keeping needs of farmers and ranchers. Participants will learn how to input transactions, use categories, tags and memos, and run common reports. Quicken files can also be exported to QuickBooks and Excel.

The workshop is free, but registration is required at https://go.unl.edu/quicken.



CLIMATE ASSESSMENT RESPONSE COMMITTEE TO MEET

Amelia Breinig, assistant director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, has scheduled a meeting of the Climate Assessment Response Committee (CARC) for Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, 301 Centennial Mall South, 4th Floor, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Officials will brief CARC members on existing, as well as predicted, weather conditions and provide a water availability outlook.

Participation by conference call is also available, and encouraged, to allow for social distancing on site. For the phone number and access code contact Steve Roth at steve.roth@nebraska.gov or 402-471-6861.



Feeder Cattle Future Price Spreads: Opportunities to Hedge?
Elliott Dennis, Extension Economist, Dept of Ag Econ., University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Feeder cattle future price spreads across all months have recovered to near pre-COVID-19 levels as quarantine restrictions and packing plant capacity issues have been mostly sorted out. For example, for the week of July 17, 2010, prices reached levels not seen since the beginning of March 2020. Pasture and corn progress are two factors that have the potential to push prices lower in the next coming months. Given current market conditions, producers have some options to lock in a margin.
 
Pasture Conditions
One the primary factors to continue to watch are declining pasture conditions. The weekly US range and pasture conditions rated "poor" and "very poor" has continued to rise since late May and early June. As of the middle of July, pasture conditions were 15% worse than the five-year average and 20% worse than 2019. Declining pasture conditions are largely the result of a drought progressing from the Southwest into the Great Plains. These conditions are largely consistent with the La Nina weather pattern. Pasture conditions are worse in Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico whereas most of the Southern and Western Cornbelt states have pasture conditions in "poor" and "very-poor" below 10%. If pasture conditions deteriorate it could force producers to make earlier marketing decisions on weaned calves. Given the operations access to pasture and feed, cow-calf operations may need to choose between selling weaned calves in the fall or potentially wintering them till January.
 
Corn Progress
Corn futures generally begin their July runup in the beginning to middle of July often referred to as the "weather premium" (see Li, Hayes and Jacobs 2017). Although this year, the runup happened in the first few weeks of July as crop progress was behind and there was growing concerns that corn yield would be lower than expected. For example, for the week ending July 12th, 29% of corn was silking and 3% was in the dough phase for the 18 reporting states. These were well below the five-year average of 54% and 7%, respectively. Fast forward one week which received additional moisture and moderating temperature and silking increased to 59% and dough to 9%. Add this to the corn in "Good" or "Excellent" condition at 69% compared to 57% a year ago and combined there appears little reason to believe that corn yields are currently affected by the La Nina weather conditions.
 
Opportunities to Price Feeder Cattle Today
Given the current pasture and corn conditions, are there opportunities to price feeder cattle? one way to look at this decision is to look at the futures offer curve. Well it is true that different livestock futures contracts months can be more disconnected than grain futures contracts, the offer curve can still provide useful future pricing signals. In figure 1 I plot the observed July futures price for each CME futures contract for each year between 2011-2019 excluding 2015 and 2016. The shape around each CME futures contract are density curve estimations and visually shows how (dis)similar prices are across years. Futures contracts that are farther in the distance have more variable prices, as expected, given that there is more time before cattle are marketed and thus a higher probability supply and demand conditions will change to impact price.

The red dot represents the median price across all years, the black x's are the July prices for the given CME futures contract in different years, and the blue stars are the current July 2020 price levels. As of July 20, 2020, futures prices across all CME contracts were at or near median levels suggesting producers looking to protect some margin have similar opportunities that they have had, on average, between 2011-2019. October 2020, November 2020, April 2020, and May 2020 feeder futures contracts are all priced very competitively. Every futures contract is currently priced within $1.50 of the median prices. In other words, currently the market is offering producers the option to lock in an average margin. Given the COVID-19 market volatility this is quite remarkable.
 
La Nina Price Improvements
Given we are in a year typified by La Nina weather patterns, historical price analysis in other years that also experienced La Nina weather conditions can provide some indication of where prices are likely to end up at contract expiration. Economic theory would suggest that as pasture conditions worsen cattle are forced to enter feedlots earlier, increasing the supply of feeder cattle effectively lowering feeder cattle price in nearby months but raising them in deferred months. Under these assumptions there would be a strong signal to either price today before cattle begin to leave grass or to wait till most cattle are placed in the fall. The data would suggest likewise.

To validate this economic theory, I compare how the current July 2020 prices, where the severity of the La Nina pattern is unknown, to other marketing years where La Nina occurred. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) categorizes the weather patterns of each year as either La Nina or El Nino and assigns the severity of the pattern as "Mild", "Moderate", or "Strong". From each severity category I chose two years and then calculate the percent change in prices from July to contract expiration for the FCF contract. Figure 2 plots these results. The results suggest that prices in July for the FCF futures contract have tended to strengthen in La Nina years regardless of the severity. The only exception is the FCF96 contract. Price improvements were minimal between July and September. Approximately ¾ of all the price improvement occurred between September and the middle of October. There was an average of 6% increase over July prices for the FCF contract. In other words, for FCF21 where the severity of La Nina is unknown, a potential expected price level could be approximately $150 (. If producers desire to wait for potential price improvements in the market, the preceding figure would suggest pricing now or waiting till September. Pricing now would eliminate some downward price risk due to potential increasing government quarantine restrictions whereas waiting till September would offer insights into observed feedlot placement decisions.



Statewide Organizations Call on Legislature for Urgently Needed Meatpacking COVID-19 Protections

On Thursday, July 23, 25 Nebraska community organizations, farm organizations, and worker representatives with deep connections to workers across the state, sent a letter to Nebraska’s state senators calling for urgently needed COVID-19 protections for Nebraska’s men and women working in meat and poultry plants.

Federal and state regulators have failed to create enforceable standards, and the Governor has failed to act through emergency executive order. We have seen over the last several months that voluntary safety measures have failed to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Nebraska’s meatpacking plants, resulting in illness, death, and plant shutdowns. 

Heartland Workers Center Executive Director Sergio Sosa issued the following statement:
“We are blessed in the country to have quality meat products, regulated and inspected so that it is safe for our consumption; safe for our family. Behind the high standards of the quality product are essential workers, meatpacking plant workers, who are not being afforded the same level of care and quality protection that a slab of meat gets. While many of our countrymen were at home, social distancing during the last several months due to COVID-19, meatpacking plant workers continued to show up, every day, every shift, so that we would continue to have meat on our tables. And the risks of contamination due to COVID-19 don't stop with the worker; they go home to their families, their children, and their parents. The number of meatpacking plant workers who have contracted COVID-19 is disproportionally high compared to the general population, and 19 workers have died from it. How many have to die before we take action?  Governor Ricketts, senators, and meatpacking plant managers: It's time you stood alongside the meatpacking plant workers. It's time to ACT.”

The letter calls on the Legislature to take immediate action and implement clear and enforceable COVID-19 temporary protections such as:
-    Consistent 6-foot physical distancing between workers on the processing floor
-    Benefits like paid sick leave
-    Effective screening and quarantine practices

Statewide community organizations include ACLU of Nebraska, Center for Rural Affairs, Centro Hispano, Children of Smithfield, First United Methodist Church, Gateway District United Methodist Church, The Great Plains Conference, United Methodist Church, Heartland Family Service, Heartland Workers Center, Immigrant Legal Center, Latino American Commission, Mothers and Others: Justice and Mercy for Immigrants, Multicultural Coalition, Nebraska Appleseed, Nebraska Farmers Union, Nebraska Hispanic Bar Association, Nebraskans for Peace, OTOC Immigration and Refugee Action Team, Peace with Justice Ministries, Great Plains United Methodists, Refugee Empowerment Center, Schlegel Center for Service and Justice, Creighton University, Solidarity with Packing Plant Workers, The Trinidad Center, UFCW Local 293, and Unity in Action.



Record High Pork Production for June

Commercial red meat production for the United States totaled 4.79 billion pounds in June, up 10 percent from the 4.37 billion pounds produced in June 2019.

Beef production, at 2.37 billion pounds, was 7 percent above the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.88 million head, up 2 percent from June 2019. The average live weight was up 52 pounds from the previous year, at 1,365 pounds.

Veal production totaled 5.6 million pounds, 2 percent below June a year ago. Calf slaughter totaled 37,200 head, down 16 percent from June 2019. The average live weight was up 37 pounds from last year, at 260 pounds.

Pork production totaled 2.40 billion pounds, up 13 percent from the previous year. Hog slaughter totaled 11.2 million head, up 12 percent from June 2019. The average live weight was up 3 pounds from the previous year, at 288 pounds.

Lamb and mutton production, at 12.5 million pounds, was up 9 percent from June 2019. Sheep slaughter totaled 193,400 head, 10 percent above last year. The average live weight was 129 pounds, down 1 pound from June a year ago.

June 2020 Red Meat Production - By State
                          (million lbs.  -  % of June '20)
Nebraska ..:              696.2            104      
Iowa .........:              762.6            114      
Kansas ......:              530.7            108      

January to June 2020 commercial red meat production was 26.8 billion pounds, up slightly from 2019. Accumulated beef production was down 2 percent from last year, veal was down 10 percent, pork was up 2 percent from last year, and lamb and mutton production was down 8 percent.



Drought Webinars to Begin in Iowa July 30

With most of western Iowa experiencing some form of drought, specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are partnering with the United States Department of Agriculture and Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to offer a series of webinars on Thursdays.

Beginning July 30, the group will kick off an initiative to help answer key questions regarding the development of drought in western Iowa, the expectation for continued hot and dry weather and impacts on row crops and forages. Attendees will be able to better manage livestock and drought-stressed forages, prepare for use of alternative forages, understand important crop insurance and marketing decisions, and plan for harvest of a drought-stressed crop.

“The crop condition in west central Iowa has been declining with continued dry conditions and higher temperatures,” said Mark Licht, assistant professor in agronomy and cropping systems specialist at Iowa State. “This webinar series will provide some insights into the current weather patterns and approaches to proactively make decisions as crop progress continues to develop. While there is really no crop management decision to be made, this webinar series will help plan for potential forage options, estimating yield potential, and planning for harvest and storage of the existing crop.”

According to the latest report from the United States Drought Monitor, more than half of Iowa is considered “abnormally dry” and nearly 40% of the state is in moderate to severe drought – with the worst conditions in the west central portion of Iowa.

“Precipitation deficits have been accumulating across the drought region over the last several months,” Justin Glisan, state climatologist of Iowa. “With sparse rainfall and unseasonably warm temperatures, conditions have continued to deteriorate, rapidly in some parts of west-central Iowa locations.”

Topics will include a general weather update, drought monitor updates, pasture and hay shortages, preparing for silage and nitrates, yield estimates, and end-of-year considerations related to grain quality and storage.

Along with Licht and Glisan, speakers will include Dennis Todey, director, USDA Midwest Climate Hub; Aaron Saeugling, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach; Chad Hart, professor of economics and extension grain market specialist with Iowa State, and various others.

The webinars will run from 1-2 p.m. on July 30, Aug. 6, Aug. 13 and Aug. 20, and are intended for crop farmers and livestock producers in drought-affected areas, ag service providers and ag retailers, farm managers, ag lenders and anyone impacted by drought conditions in Iowa. The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and Iowa Corn Growers Association are sponsoring the series.

Registration is free but is required for participation and can be completed at any time during the series. A single registration allows for participation in any or all sessions.  Register here... http://www.aep.iastate.edu/drought/. 

In addition to the webinar series, local specialists are offering drought meetings in some of the most seriously affected counties from Aug. 3-7.



Steps for Beef Producers Dealing with Storm Damaged Crops

The crop damage in parts of Iowa from the mid-July wind and hail storms has been spotty and variable, leaving producers with everything from slight damage to complete defoliation of corn and beans. Much of the corn damage was leaning or lodging caused by high winds, with most plants having uprighted their growth by now moving into pollination.

Denise Schwab, beef specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said fields that experienced hail damage didn’t fare as well, but may provide an opportunity for cattle producers since cattle are the ultimate upcyclers, provided fencing and water options are available.

"Now that we’ve had a week or two to see how the damaged crops will respond, it is time to determine the next step,” Schwab said. “If you have severely damaged fields that will not respond to make at least a partial crop, here are some recommendations.”

    Check with crop insurance – If your crop is insured, the first call needs to be to your insurance agent to get the field adjusted and determine insurance payments. The second question for your agent is what restrictions are in place for growing a forage crop. Are there restrictions on grazing or mechanical harvest, and are there any dates after which it can be grazed? Some will allow a cover crop to be seeded but not grazed until after Nov. 1. Also, be sure your agent has released the field before destroying the field for a new crop.

    Check pesticide labels – If you plan to graze or harvest a forage crop, be sure to check the labels on all pesticides, applied to the corn or bean crop in the last couple months. Two key points to check include when a forage crop can be planted (crop rotation restrictions) and when can it be consumed by livestock (grazing or forage restrictions). Some herbicides may restrict germination of the forage crop, especially since we are mostly considering grass species for seeding. A resource to check pesticide labels for any potential restrictions is www.cdms.net/label-database.

    Determine feed needs and how annuals can help fill them. Annual forages can fill several niches in a cattle grazing operation by stretching the grazing season and reducing the costs and stored feed needs. Summer annuals are the highest yielding and grow well in the heat of summer, provided adequate moisture is available for germination, however by Aug. 1 it may be worth waiting until mid-August and planting cool season annuals.

Spring annual cereals, like oats or spring wheat, can provide quick growth for fall grazing and will be killed by Mother Nature, eliminating any need for herbicide to terminate the forage. Winter annual cereals, like cereal rye or winter wheat, will provide both fall/early winter grazing and early spring grazing, but they require termination in the spring prior to the 2021 grain crop. Crop insurance requirements will also impact which annuals may be most beneficial.

To determine feasible recommendations, let’s examine a few scenarios that might be options for beef producers. Provided herbicides used do not limit grass establishment, the use of summer annuals such as sorghum, sorghum X sudangrass, sudangrass, or millets, will provide the highest yields of forage for either grazing or mechanical harvest, as well as the widest window for grazing or harvest. These species can be grazed prior to frost, or well into the winter, with appropriate precautions in place for prussic acid poisoning between the first frost and killing freeze. They also can be chopped for silage or wilted for baleage; however, they are not recommended for dry hay harvest due dry down difficulties.

If herbicides prevent grass establishment until later in the summer, Schwab said producers might consider a mid-August seeding of spring or winter cereal grains such as oat, cereal rye, ryegrass, wheat or triticale, again with or without a legume or brassica. These are cool season crops and will grow better after the start of August rains and temperatures begin to cool. These produce a high quality grazing forage from grain harvest until well after the killing freeze if enough growth is present. The winter-hardy cereal grains will also provide early spring grazing prior to grain planting.

Regardless of the species selected, all will provide optimum feed if strip grazed to reduce waste. This can be accomplished with a single electrified wire moved weekly or twice per week. Start with the part of the field closest to the water source. Leave adequate forage residue for regrowth or protection from erosion.

For more information on utilizing annual forages in storm damaged fields, contact your ISU Extension and Outreach agronomist or beef field specialist.



USDA funds technology research for optimum production from better, smarter planting

In a collaborative effort with crop producers, researchers at Kansas State University will introduce the latest technologies for precision planters to help enhance productivity and maximize yield.

With nearly $300,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Research Education and Economics — National Institute of Food and Agriculture program, a team led by Ajay Sharda, associate professor in the Carl and Melinda Helwig Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, will pursue "Enhancing Crop Productivity by Developing Operational Strategies for High-Speed Precision Seeding Technologies."

The three-year project involves conducting on-farm studies in collaboration with producers to better understand planter control system dynamics during high-speed planting. This will be observed under varying seeding rates, row spacing, planting depths, tillage systems, and weather and soil types.

"We will establish recommendations for producers to smartly implement machine operating parameters to achieve uniform emergence. This in turn will improve stand establishment, early-season growth and yield optimization on a row-by-row basis," said Sharda, a Carl and Mary Ice Keystone research scholar in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at K-State.

On-farm research with producers as partners will provide a metric to assess the advantages of adopting precision planter technologies — not only from the machinery but also from the agronomic perspective with the ultimate goal of improving overall productivity and profitability.

"This will develop strong extension and applied research programs for disseminating this material," Sharda said. "It will showcase best management practices for optimizing current precision planter technologies to achieve uniform seed placement and gain yield advantages."

The project will require Sharda and K-State co-collaborators Ignacio Ciampitti, agronomy, and Edwin Brokesh, biological and agricultural engineering, to adopt novel methodologies and robust high-frequency data acquisition systems for gathering detailed machinery and agronomic data.

"Collecting this multiyear, large scale on-farm research data," Sharda said, "will not only allow our students to work with state-of-the-art technologies for their professional development, but will also enhance K-State's research capacity to engage with numerous research partners to conduct collaborative large-scale on-farm research."

Engagement and support will also be provided by Kansas extension agents Tony Whitehair, Dickinson County, and David Hallauer, Meadowlark Extension District.



USDA Postpones Swine Studies Due to COVID Disruptions

After consulting with swine industry representatives from the National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians about the market disruptions in the swine industry due to COVID-19, the USDA's National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) made the decision to postpone both its 2020 swine studies until 2021: (1) the Small Enterprise study and (2) the Large Enterprise study.

USDA made the announcement Wednesday.

The NAHMS Swine 2021 Small Enterprise study will be conducted from May through July 2021 and will take an in-depth look at U.S. swine operations with fewer than 1,000 pigs. Approximately 5,000 swine operations from 38 states (accounting for about 95 percent of U.S. swine operations with fewer than 1,000 pigs) will be asked to participate in the study. The focus of the study is to characterize the opportunities, risks, and health challenges faced by small enterprise swine producers. In addition, data on health and management practices will be compared with similar data collected in 2007 and 2012, which will provide a picture of trends in U.S. swine production on small enterprise operations.

The NAHMS Swine 2021 Large Enterprise study will be conducted from July 2021 through January 2022 and will take an in-depth look at U.S. swine operations with 1,000 or more pigs. Approximately 2,700 swine operations from 13 states (accounting for about 90 percent of U.S. swine operations with 1,000 or more pigs) will be asked to participate in the study. The focus of the study is to provide participants and industry stakeholders with benchmarking information on the U.S. swine industry. This information will contribute to critically important epidemiologic surveillance that will inform disease management and preparedness strategies to safeguard the U.S. swine industry.



Federal Incentives for Dairy Can Enhance Carbon-Reduction Efforts, NMPF’s McCloskey Says

Sharing how his own farm is evolving to carbon neutrality and how the dairy sector is aggressively moving to become carbon-neutral by 2050, Indiana dairy farmer Mike McCloskey highlighted ways federal incentives can further help dairy toward its net-zero emissions future.

“For some reason, repurposing cow manure does not have the same shine as an array of solar panels or the grandeur of a wind farm on the horizon,” said McCloskey, chairman of NMPF’s Environmental Issues Committee and a pioneer in carbon-friendly dairy-farming practices, in written testimony prepared for a hearing today of the House Committee on Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.

But aligning the incentives needed for dairy to widely adopt anaerobic digesters and other emissions-mitigation technologies deserves greater attention, as it will only enhance the energy transition already encouraged by federal support for better-known clean-energy sources, he said.

“Anaerobic digestion provides clean energy and several other environmental benefits – such as avoided methane emissions, mitigated odor and air pollution, and minimized nutrient loading,” McCloskey said.

The dairy industry has adopted an ambitious goal of becoming a carbon-neutral sector of the economy by 2050 through its Net-Zero Initiative, a partnership among farmers and the entire production chain. As the national organization representing U.S. dairy farmers, NMPF is committed to these sustainability goals, which will be greatly aided by public-policy solutions.

“The Net Zero Initiative is about each dairy farm – regardless of size, region, or production style – contributing what it can, where it can,” McCloskey said. “No individual farm will be held to the Net Zero target, yet all will play a part. I, and my fellow dairy farmers, look forward to working with Congress.”



Maryland Farmer Assumes Presidency of MAIZALL

Chip Councell, a past U.S. Grains Council (USGC) chairman and 10th generation farmer from Maryland, assumed the president role of MAIZALL – the international maize alliance – on July 1.

“We are operating in a changed world, but MAIZALL is at the forefront of discussions surrounding agricultural innovation,” Councell said. “I am especially excited to work with MAIZALL directors from the United States, Brazil and Argentina to deliver our shared message through both new platforms and traditional messaging.”

MAIZALL was established in 2013 by leaders from the Council, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), ABRAMILHO (Brazilian Association of Corn Producers) and MAIZAR (the Argentine corn and sorghum federation). Growers in all three countries, even though they are competitors, work to resolve shared problems with non-tariff barriers in global markets, primarily related to agricultural biotechnology, plant breeding innovation and crop protection.

MAIZALL’s farmer directors advocate for these innovations through position papers and discussions with private sector stakeholders, national government officials and officials from international organizations such as the European Union, the World Trade Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Additionally, MAIZALL directors often speak at international conferences where they can bring their practical farm experiences to the table.

“Chip’s long history of farming on the Chesapeake Bay, where strict environmental regulations are in place, will prove pivotal during a time when sustainability has taken center-stage around the world,” said Allison Nepveux, USGC manager of trade policy. “His ability to share personal experiences on how biotechnology and crop protection tools help his family meet environmental standards provide a compelling and current narrative on the important role of innovation.”

Councell and his family produce corn, wheat and soybeans on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and operate a farm stand selling local consumers a wide variety of produce including watermelons, sweet corn and pumpkins.

His work with the Council began in 2008 as a delegate for the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board. He moved up through the ranks, serving on the Trade Policy Advisory Team (A-Team), then as the A-Team leader, corn sector chair and finally running for a spot on the USGC officer team, where he served as the organization’s chairman in 2016.

“Chip’s past leadership as USGC chairman and as a MAIZALL director have equipped him to build upon the successes of Brazil and Argentina’s recent MAIZALL presidents,” Nepveux said. “His creativity and resilience are well-suited to tackle the challenges of COVID-19 and to find relevant and meaningful ways to share the farmer’s voice with those who need to hear it most.”



Grassley Praises USDA Report on Beef Market Transparency

Senator Chuck Grassley, a longtime farmer and member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, Wednesday praised a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) review of market disruptions in the cattle industry, and called on Congress to enact price transparency measures to improve fairness for consumers and independent producers. The report examined the market impact of an August 2019 fire at a Tyson's processing facility and the disruptions from closed processing facilities during the Coronavirus pandemic.

"The cattle market industry is broken. Years of rampant consolidation by meatpackers has led to unfair access for producers and easily-disrupted meat supply for consumers. The ongoing pandemic has only intensified this reality. During my 99-county meetings, Iowans regularly decry these unfair and uncompetitive market realities. Thankfully, the Trump Administration has created a roadmap that can return transparency and fairness to the cattle market.

"As USDA continues to investigate market manipulation and unfair practices, today's report lays out steps we can take to fix this marketplace. Congress has a responsibility to heed the advice of this report and take action to restore cattle price transparency when we reauthorize Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting requirements.

"It's a breath of fresh air to see President Trump and Secretary Perdue take this issue seriously, when so many others before them ignored it. We must continue to investigate anticompetitive actions by corporate packers who value profits over the economic livelihoods of farmers, ranchers and rural America. In the meantime, the considerations outlined in this report are a good place to start. I will continue to be a voice for independent producers who, for generations, have raised quality meat for the country and world," Grassley said.

Grassley has long raised concerns about consolidation in the meatpacking industry and pressed USDA to protect independent producers. After years of consolidation, four major companies, Tyson, Cargill National Beef and JBS, collectively control more than 80 percent of the market, intensifying the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the industry and risking permanent harm to America's beef producers. Grassley recently called on the Justice Department and USDA to investigate possible anticompetitive behavior in the beef industry and praised President Trump's engagement on the issue.

In May, Grassley introduced bipartisan legislation (S.3693) that fosters efficient markets and increases competition and transparency among packers that purchase cattle. Senator Grassley first introduced this bill in 2002 and reintroduced every Congress until 2009. The bill will require a minimum 50 percent of a packer's weekly volume of beef slaughter to come as a result of purchases made on the open market or spot market.

In June, Grassley sent a letter to Secretary Perdue relaying the frustration and skepticism from farmers about the lack of enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, and called for the report on the Holcomb, Kansas, fire to be released by August 9, 2020, or he would seek an audit of the USDA's enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Division.



USDA Report on Cattle Markets Must Be Accompanied By Reforms to Industry, Farmers Union Says

In a report released today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provided an update on its investigation into recent market disruptions and price volatility in the beef industry.

The investigation was prompted by complaints from ranchers, who attributed the rising spread between live cattle prices and boxed beef prices to anticompetitive practices among meat processors. Because its work is ongoing, “AMS has limited ability to publicly report the full scope and status of the investigation." As such, the report neither exonerates beef packers nor reveals violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act. However, it does provide policy recommendations for strengthening competition and transparency in the industry.

A vocal proponent of open and competitive markets, National Farmers Union (NFU) welcomes USDA’s inquiry into these two events. However, as farmers endure unfair and abusive conditions, the report must be accompanied by real and meaningful reforms, as NFU President Rob Larew affirmed in a statement:

“Price fixing in the meat industry is not a new phenomenon; a century ago, Farmers Union members were contending with similarly high levels of concentration among meatpackers and the anticompetitive practices that kind of market power enables. Recognizing the immense danger of unchecked corporate consolidation, Congress and the White House worked together to restore competition and shield farmers and ranchers from abusive treatment.

“We appreciate USDA’s efforts to examine this issue and present potential solutions, but it is clear that this is just the beginning; now, like 100 years ago, radical and immediate action is needed to create a fair and balanced food system. The agency must thoroughly conduct its ongoing investigation, for which we intend to hold them to account. Additionally, we urge legislators, USDA, and other federal agencies to strengthen protections for farmers, enforce existing antitrust regulations, and prevent undue market power in the future.”



Ranchers Decry House Passage Of Reckless Land Grab Legislation

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Executive Director of Natural Resources and the Public Lands Council (PLC) Executive Director, Kaitlynn Glover, today released the following statement in response to the passage of the Great American Outdoors (GAO) Act by the House of Representatives:

"This is a sad day for public lands and the American taxpayer. With today’s approval of the GAO Act, the House has chosen to willingly relinquish their responsibility to engage in important land conservation decisions far into the future. The bill will allow virtually unrestricted spending for lands and waters across the United States that will be added to a federal estate that is already in disrepair.  The 310 members of the House who supported this bill today sentenced these lands to a bleak future, complete with the expectation that these lands will be added to the deferred maintenance backlog in a not-so-distant future. The ranching community urges President Trump to veto this reckless excuse for a land management bill."

The GAO Act creates more than $17 billion in new, mandatory spending through funding for federal agencies’ deferred maintenance backlog and by converting funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) mandatory at a level of $900 million per year into perpetuity. The bill gives federal agencies free rein to spend a minimum of $360 million per year of LWCF funding solely to acquire new private land without any oversight from Congress.

The Senate passed the GAO Act in June 2020. Prior to the Senate vote, PLC and NCBA sent a letter signed by 48 livestock and natural resources groups in highlighting the blatant conflict by pairing the mounting disrepair of current land under federal control and allowing rampant acquisition without accounting for management of future land acquisitions.



A Virtual Beginning for 2020/21 U.S. Wheat Associates Officer Team

The U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Board of Directors seated new officers at a virtual annual meeting July 17, 2020. USW is the export market development organization representing U.S. wheat farmers.

USW officers for 2020/21 are: Chairman Darren Padget of Grass Valley, Ore.; Vice Chairperson Rhonda Larson of East Grand Forks, Minn.; Secretary-Treasurer Michael Peters of Okarche, Okla.; and Past Chairman Doug Goyings of Paulding, Ohio. USW officers were elected to these one-year positions at the January 2020 board of directors meeting in Washington, D.C.

“We are all very disappointed that we could not hold our meeting as originally planned in Cincinnati, Ohio, so we could all thank Doug Goyings, his family and the team from the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Board for their dedicated leadership this past year,” Chairman Padget said. “Doug has done a wonderful job as Chairman and I can only hope to meet his example with his help.”

Chairman Padget is a fourth-generation farmer in Oregon’s Sherman County, with a dryland wheat and summer fallow rotation currently producing registered and certified seed on 3,400 acres annually. Previously, Padget held positions on the Oregon Wheat Growers League board of directors and executive committee for seven years, serving as president in 2010. He chaired the NAWG Research and Technology Committee and served on the Mid-Columbia Producers board of directors, for which he was an officer for 10 years.

Vice Chairperson Larson was raised on her family’s Red River Valley farm and has been engaged in the operation full-time for nearly 30 years. Her father started the farm 50 years ago growing potatoes, wheat and barley. With her two brothers and her son, the third generation on the farm, they currently grow hard red spring (HRS) wheat and sugarbeets. Larson has been a board member of the Minnesota Wheat Research & Promotion Council for 16 years and served as chair from 2010 to 2012. She served on the Wheat Foods Council board and is a long-time member of the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers and the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association.

Secretary-Treasurer Peters grows hard red winter (HRW) wheat and canola and winter grazes stocker cattle on wheat. Peters is President of his local CHS Coop Board and is a member of the Okarche Rural Fire Fighters' Association Board. He has also served as President and on the Board of Elders at St. John’s Lutheran Church. He currently serves as a commissioner and Secretary of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission, is a USW Director and serves as Chairman of the USW Wheat Quality Committee. He has participated in several farm leadership programs sponsored by CHS and the National Wheat Foundation. Peters and his wife Linda have two teenage boys who work with him and his father on their farm.

Doug Goyings’ family has been farming in northwestern Ohio since 1884. Past Chairman Goyings and his family grow soft red winter (SRW) and have hosted numerous trade teams on their farm. He has served in Ohio and national agricultural leadership positions for 37 years. Goyings has been a member of the USW board since 2009 and is a past chairman of the USW Long-Range Planning Committee. He serves as a director for the Ohio Small Grains Checkoff Board, is a past-president of his local Farm Bureau and has served as a director for the Ohio Veal Growers Inc., Creston Veal, Inc. and Paulding Landmark, Inc.

USW’s next Board meeting will be held jointly with the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) Nov. 3 to 8, 2020, in Santa Fe, N.Mex.



Veal Industry Ethical Standards Reach 10-Year Milestone

The American Veal Association is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its Statement of Principles, a document that established ethical standards and a code of conduct for the veal industry and set the stage for a decade of continuous improvement in an ever-changing animal agriculture landscape.

“These principles are the foundation of what we care about as an industry and are especially important today as the pandemic has raised questions about how food is produced and processed,” said Dale Bakke, president of the American Veal Association.

“Veal farmers understand that consumers, retailers, restaurants and policymakers have many questions and high expectations for animal care and stewardship,” said Bakke. “These principles demonstrate that our industry is not only committed to providing the best care for veal calves, but to producing safe, nutritious food, protecting the environment, providing quality work environments and supporting our communities.”

Leaders in all segments of the industry – veal farmers, feed companies, meat processors and marketers – came together in 2010 to outline their core values. The organization unanimously approved five core principles:

Food Safety: Producing safe and nutritious food is our first responsibility.

Animal Care: We have an ethical obligation to provide appropriate care for our animals at every stage of life.

Environment: We have an obligation to protect the air, land and water on which we all depend.

Employees: We have an ethical responsibility to provide a safe, healthy and rewarding work environment for our employees.

Community: We have a duty to promote a quality way of life in the communities where we live and work.

For the past 10 years, the AVA has demonstrated that their convictions are more than words on paper.

“We know that most people have a sincere desire to know more about how their food is produced,” Bakke said. “We welcome that interest and know that our values and commitment as articulated in the AVA’s Statement of Principles will guide our actions well into the next decade.”

The veal industry has made great strides in each of the five areas, said Bakke.

Food Safety 
This commitment to food safety has a proven track record through the U.S. National Residue Program (NRP) for Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and identifies contaminants in meat, poultry and egg products. The veal industry has had zero detected contaminants the last two years and just one positive result for each of the three years previously. According to Bakke, the AVA and its members helped serve as a model for the food safety testing program.

The Veal Quality Assurance (VQA) program has been a key element of AVA’s success story. VQA is a certification program funded by the Beef Checkoff and available to all formula-fed veal growers. The science-based best management practices and resources ensure that veal calves receive quality care through every stage of life and are raised using production standards that result in a safe, wholesome, high quality meat that meets regulatory and customer expectations.

“All members of AVA are VQA certified,” said Bakke, “demonstrating that they understand and apply best management practices in all stages of veal production.”

Animal Care
Veal producers have worked diligently to understand and meet the needs of veal calves. Producers invested more than $150 million to transition their barns to group housing systems.  Group pens allow the calves to stand, stretch, lie down, groom themselves and socialize with other calves, which are pillars of the Five Freedoms of Animal Wellbeing – the internationally accepted standards of care that affirm every living being's right to humane treatment. At the close of 2017, the AVA announced that the historic, 10-year-mission to transition all veal housing to group pens had been achieved.

Environment
“The veal industry not only conserves and protects, we also upcycle by adding value to byproducts of other industries.” Bakke said.

Innovation has been integral to the veal sector since its beginning. Veal producers create high-quality protein from dairy bull calves, a previously underutilized segment of animal agriculture. In recent years, the veal industry has been at the forefront of utilizing whey solids, a byproduct of the cheese making process, as high-quality feed for calves. This innovation diverts the whey solids from being spread as fertilizer to instead produce nutritious food. The American Dairy Products Institute recently stated that one-third of the whey solids produced each year in the U.S. are not used for further processing.

Employees
The veal industry – including packers, processors, farmers and feed companies – is made up of family owned business. These businesses and individuals diligently work to meet or exceed all regulations that apply to each step in the process of producing veal from farm to market. Regulating agencies include USDA, Food and Drug Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. 

Raising veal is a wonderful family business and it lends itself to helping young farmers get started in agriculture.

“With most crop and livestock farming, the economies of scale are so large, it’s quite a challenge for a young family,” Bakke said. “Veal gives them an opportunity to have the rewarding lifestyle of participating in agriculture.”

Community
Veal producers are expected to actively participate in activities that strengthen the community, to engage their neighbors and seek to leave the community and natural resources in a better condition for future generations. Members are also working to reach out to others who are not as familiar with how veal is produced.

“When people come to the farm, meet the farm families and see the barns and calves, they are left with a very positive view of veal,” said Bakke. “There is nothing better than visiting a veal farm to get your questions answered.”

Bakke is proud of the commitment and progress AVA members have demonstrated over the past decade, guided by core values and ethical principles that will continue to guide them for years to come.   

To learn more about the AVA and Meet America’s Veal Farmers, visit www.AmericanVeal.com.