Friday August 7 Ag News

Nebraska LEAD programming postponed through August 2021

Members of the Nebraska Leadership Education/Action Development (LEAD) classes 38 and 39, will pause their programming and resume in the fall of 2021.

The Nebraska Agriculture Leadership Council (NALC) Board of Directors unanimously decided to postpone seminars and other programming for members who are involved in production agriculture and agribusiness for the 2020-2021 year.

“To suspend regular programming from September 2020 through August 2021 was not an easy decision, but one the board felt was in the best interests of all people involved with the program,” said Ed Woeppel NALC Board Chair.  

“Our discussions centered on two major issues; the safety of participants, staff, and others involved in programming; and secondly, the quality of the program.”  

Given continued uncertainties about the spread of COVID-19, the board was unable to see how programming could occur in a way that would safeguard the health of everyone involved without compromising participants experiences.  

“The foundation of the Nebraska LEAD program is not only the content, but also includes the experiences that participants have while in the program that allows them to truly develop as leaders,” said Richard Bischoff, associate vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The program is Nebraska’s premier two-year agricultural leadership development program, built over 39 years.  

“While we will be pausing for this year, we will not be sitting still. We will have some new activities for the LEAD 39 fellows in order to keep them connected. We will use the year to conduct a ‘deep dive’ into all aspects of the program. We will ensure that we are providing the highest quality programming possible,” Woeppel said. “Our goal is to come back even stronger when this pandemic is behind us.”

The Nebraska LEAD Program is Nebraska’s two-year premier agricultural development program. Nebraska LEAD is sponsored by the nonprofit Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Council in cooperation with the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and 11 other institutions of higher education throughout Nebraska.

Nebraska LEAD officer are located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.  

For more information, visit: lead.unl.edu.



Lawmakers Pass Key Ag Transportation Bill

Nebraska lawmakers have given final approval to a Nebraska Farm Bureau backed bill (LB 931) to expand the existing overweight exemption for the transport of agricultural commodities. The bill now awaits final approval from the Gov.

Under current law, farmers are allowed to exceed weight limits on loads by 15 percent when hauling seasonally harvested crops from the field to storage, market, or stockpile, or from stockpile to market, if travel is within 70 miles and the owner of the commodity provides the driver of the load with a signed statement of origin and destination. LB 931 expands the overweight exemption to apply to the transportation of seasonally harvested commodities in transport from “farm storage” to market.

The Legislature’s Chair of the Agriculture Committee, Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings, introduced the bill on behalf of Nebraska Farm Bureau. Sen. Dan Hughes of Venango prioritized the bill.



Nebraska Extension Crop Management Training – Soil Health Clinic

Nebraska Extension’s Midwest Soil Health Clinic provides a virtual experience to learn more about the components of soil health.

According to Keith Glewen, Nebraska Extension Educator, this training experience will be of value to home and acreage owners, farm operators and industry consultants. Glewen says, “One of our objectives of this training is to communicate with participants the dynamics of the soil which includes physical, chemical and biological properties. Hopefully this information will aid urban and rural stewards of the soil to implement practices to improve soil health.”

CCA credits have been applied for and are pending.  Trainers include UNL faculty and resource personnel from the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service.

The clinics modules will offer the following:
• CCA credits in relevant subject matter
• Learn from the unbiased expertise of university and industry agricultural specialists.
• Up-to-date, current, research-based information is presented.
• Actual on-site plot demonstrations will be featured online
• The training sessions consistently receive excellent reviews.
• The program will be taped at a site specifically developed for the training at the University of Nebraska Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead, Nebraska.
• Money back guarantee if not completely satisfied with the training.

***NOTICE: Update on University of Nebraska Crop Management Diagnostic Clinics for summer 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and in an effort to protect the health and safety or our participants and presenters - we are planning on bringing the training online this year. The sessions will be recorded at the Crop Management Diagnostic Clinic site at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center on the actual days that the clinics “would” have occurred. Shortly after, the sessions will be broken into smaller modules and made available online. The sessions can be purchased and viewed at the participant’s convenience. This will NOT be a live virtual training, but rather an opportunity for participants to participate online when it is convenient for them. Questions, please email kglewen1@unl.edu or call (402)624-8030.  

Registration fee and topics TBA. Contact the Nebraska Extension CMDC Programs, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE 68033, call (800) 529-8030, fax (402) 624-8010, e-mail cdunbar2@unl.edu or visit the Web at https://enrec.unl.edu/crop.



New Bioeconomy Research Farm to be Featured during Aug. 12 Webinar

Iowa Learning Farms will host a webinar on Wednesday, Aug. 12, at noon, about the new Sustainable Advanced Bioeconomy Research farm at Iowa State University.

Ecosystem service markets promise farmers new money, but how does one quantify services farmers might sell?

Emily Heaton, professor of agronomy and extension biomass crop specialist at Iowa State, will explain how greenhouse gas and water changes are being measured at field-scale in perennial and annual crops at the SABR farm. The knowledge gained from this research is used to inform government agency recommendations and private valuation of ecosystem services.

“Iowa is uniquely positioned to make money from providing ecosystem services and our research is revealing how to 'grow' and measure ecosystem service products,” said Heaton, whose work investigates land and crop management strategies that return value to people and the land through perennial crops, especially perennial grasses. There is money to be made from providing ecosystem services and the research done by ISU at SABR is underpinning Midwest market development.

To participate in the live webinar, shortly before noon on Aug. 12, click the following URL, or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/364284172.

Or, go to https://iastate.zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID: 364 284 172. Or, join from a dial-in phone line by dialing: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 876 9923. The Meeting ID is: 364 284 172.

The webinar will also be recorded and archived on the ILF website, so that it can be watched at any time. Archived webinars are available online.

A Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit has been applied for, for those who are able to participate in the live webinar. Information about how to apply to receive the credit (if approved) will be provided at the end of the live webinar.



EPA Proposes Registration of New Herbicide to Aid in Resistance Management

EPA proposes tiafenacil for pre-plant and pre-emergence burndown use in corn (all types except sweet corn), cotton, soybeans and wheat. Proposed post-emergence uses include directed burndown in grapes, burndown in fallow and non-crop areas, and as a crop desiccant in cotton. There are no residential uses for tiafenacil proposed in this decision.

Tiafenacil is expected to be useful for herbicide-resistance management. It provides an alternative for controlling glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth in cotton, suppressing glyphosate-resistant marestail in corn and soybeans, and controlling waterhemp in corn and soybean.

The need for additional tools such as tiafenacil to manage these resistant weeds is growing, as herbicide resistance presents a significant financial, production and pest management issue for growers throughout the nation.

EPA assessed tiafenacil for registration on soybean, corn and cotton as a workshare with Canada’s Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), with both agencies conducting separate assessments and then sharing results.

The database for tiafenacil indicates the chemical is generally low risk to non-target organisms other than plants, so most mitigation measures deal with avoiding contact with non-target plants. No other substantial risk mitigation was deemed necessary for the proposed uses.

EPA has not identified any dietary, residential, aggregate or occupational risks of concern for human health; therefore, no mitigation is being proposed.

Tiafenacil is proposed to be registered as one technical product and two end-use products.

The public comment period for this proposed decision will be open for 30 days, closing on Aug. 30, 2020. Visit Docket No. EPA-HQ-OPP-2019-0413 to read more and submit comments.



Peterson, Conaway ask USDA to Analyze Cattle and Beef Supply Chains

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota and Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway of Texas sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today, urging him to work with university policy research centers to analyze issues related to the cattle industry, especially in light of the recent and ongoing stress related to COVID-19.

In the letter, Peterson and Conaway call on USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist to evaluate cattle market structure, price discovery, price reporting, purchasing mandates, and barriers to entry in the packing sector.

The letter also specifically asks for the analysis to address the following questions:
-    How did the sector get to its current structure and what are its advantages and disadvantages for producers as well as consumers?
-    Is the current capacity sufficient for the industry to thrive and grow?
-    What are the impediments to expansion for both new and existing firms of varied sizes?
-    Are there policy options to expand capacity or increase price discovery regionally or nationally, and would those options address current concentration and supply chain vulnerability concerns?
-    What common success factors for small to medium packing plants, including producer-owned processing can be documented, and is there a set of generalizable strategies for success?



USDA ANNOUNCES SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ON TEST KITS FOR FMD, ASF, CSF

On Monday, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the availability of a sources sought notice that will be posted for the next 30 days to gather information from interested diagnostics manufacturers on their ability to supply test kits for three major livestock diseases: foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), African swine fever (ASF) and classical swine fever (CSF).  APHIS will analyze information gathered through the sources sought notice to determine whether it would be appropriate and feasible to include test kits and their components in the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB).

USDA anticipates the potential need for diagnostic kits from more than one source to ensure an adequate supply.

The National Pork Producers Associaiton was instrumental in advocating for the establishment of the NAVVCB as part of the 2018 Farm Bill. Meantime, last month the establishment of a robust FMD vaccine bank, a top, long-term priority for NPPC, came closer to reality as USDA announced its first significant FMD vaccine bank purchase.



ACE statement on 15-year anniversary of the RFS

Tomorrow marks the 15-year anniversary of Congress enacting the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program authorized under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and expanded under the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) in 2007. American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings released the following statement on the overall success of the program over its 15-year history, but also the mismanagement of the RFS by the Environmental Protection Agency:

“Congress was right to enact the Renewable Fuel Standard because it has indeed resulted in cleaner air, lower priced fuel for motorists, and economic development in rural America. Since the RFS was signed into law, the ethanol industry has experienced improved market share and a growing number of co-products, as well as technology innovations that have driven efficiencies and shrunk the carbon footprints of plants. Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency has turned the keys of the program over to refiners, who have taken the RFS on a joy ride which has limited the program’s upside potential.

“This is why in addition to constantly defending and protecting the RFS, ACE has been laying the strategic groundwork necessary to leverage ethanol’s low carbon value in the market through new clean fuel policies at the state and federal level.

“We will continue working to get the RFS back on track while also proactively promoting new clean fuel policy solutions to further benefit our climate, drivers, and rural economy.”



RFA and Ethanol Once Again Fuel Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
    
The Renewable Fuels Association returns this month to the famous Buffalo Chip Campground to help host the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, scheduled for Aug. 7-16 in Sturgis, S.D.

In addition to the custom RFA ethanol bike designed by Paul Jr. Designs, featured on an episode of American Chopper, attendees will get the chance to see the RFA flex-fuel Jeep Wrangler, designed and built by Kenny Hauk and featured on the Amazon Prime series Hauk Machines. The Jeep sports over 1,100 hp when running on E85 (85% ethanol).

“My Fat Boy and all the Chip’s vehicles purr like a kitten all year on the 93 octane E10 dispensed at the Chip’s fuel station,” said Buffalo Chip owner Rod Woodruff. “The Buffalo Chip appreciates all the RFA does here for us and our visitors. When riders realize ethanol can provide over 1,100 hp to four wheels, it will no doubt cause a bit of ‘power envy’ as this powerhouse E85-fueled custom Jeep is stationed near the pumps during RFA’s Free Fuel Happy Hours.”

As part of its work at Sturgis, RFA will also sponsor the 13th annual Legends Ride on Aug. 10, with RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White participating and actor Tom Berenger as the ride captain. The RFA Jeep will also be on display in downtown Deadwood.

As a special benefit for bikers, RFA will again host Free Fuel Happy Hours at the rally, providing a free tank of 93 octane E10 (10% ethanol) for motorcycles, a ceremonial t-shirt and ethanol-based hand sanitizer. The free tank giveaway will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Aug. 11-13, at the CrossRoads area of the Buffalo Chip Campground. The fuel station that will feature the Free Fuel Happy Hours was donated by the RFA in 2017. RFA will also have a presence throughout the campground with banners, videos on the jumbotrons, and addressing the concert crowd each night.

This will be the 12th rally for RFA’s White, who will be on hand during the Free Fuel Happy Hours to answer any questions as motorcycle riders fill up on the high-octane fuel. Additionally, several RFA members will be in attendance to help educate riders about the numerous benefits of ethanol.

RFA became involved in the Sturgis rally more than a decade ago because it offers the opportunity to promote the benefits of high-octane, low-cost ethanol to the motorcycling community in a fun and exciting way.

“We know things will look a little different at Sturgis this year, thanks to COVID, but one thing that remains the same is the fact that ethanol is a great fuel choice,” said RFA Vice President of Industry Relations Robert White. “Our work at world-class events like this at Sturgis help us demonstrate the real power high-octane, low-carbon ethanol offers.”



Growth Energy Encourages California to Embrace More Biofuels

This week, Growth Energy submitted comments to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) following a July 15th workshop on Fuels and Infrastructure for a Carbon Neutral Economy. In his written submission, Growth Energy Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Bliley urged CARB to expand the use of higher biofuel blends to make California’s fuel mix more environmentally sustainable.  
 
“[H]igher ethanol blends can be immediately deployed in existing vehicles to achieve immediate greenhouse gas reductions, reduce harmful air toxics, and reduce consumer costs at the pump,” wrote Bliley.
 
Bliley also cited California’s past success reducing emissions with biofuels under the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) policy.
   
“In fact, biofuels like ethanol have generated more than 75 percent of LCFS credits,” he wrote. “Additionally, even with room to further improve greenhouse gas lifecycle modeling, CARB recognizes the significant improvement in ethanol’s carbon intensity.”
   
With higher ethanol blends, Bliley added, CARB could achieve deeper carbon reductions while protecting air quality.  
   
“As has been researched by the University of California-Riverside and the University of Illinois-Chicago, the use of more ethanol and ethanol-blended fuel reduces air toxics such as carbon monoxide, benzene, and other harmful particulates,” noted Bliley.
 
To take advantage of these opportunities, Bliley urged CARB to press ahead on its evaluation of E15 and promote the continued expansion of E85.



USDA Announces Changes to Emergency Haying and Grazing Provisions

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced changes for emergency haying and grazing of acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This includes changes outlined in the 2018 Farm Bill that streamlines the authorization process for farmers and ranchers.

"FSA authorizes emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program acres under certain conditions to provide emergency relief to livestock producers in times of severe drought or similar natural disasters," said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. “These program changes will simplify the authorization process with an automatic trigger by severe drought designation, allowing livestock producers to quickly access much-needed forage.”

Program Changes
Previously emergency haying and grazing requests originated with FSA at the county level and required state and national level approval. Now approval will be based on drought severity as determined by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

To date, 500 counties nationwide have triggered eligibility for emergency haying and grazing on CRP acres. A list by state and map of eligible counties are updated weekly and available on FSA’s website.

Producers located in a county that is designated as severe drought (D2) or greater on or after the last day of the primary nesting season are eligible for emergency haying and grazing on all eligible acres. Additionally, producers located in counties that were in a severe drought (D2) status any single week during the last eight weeks of the primary nesting season may also be eligible for emergency haying and grazing unless the FSA County Committee determines that forage conditions no longer warrant emergency haying and grazing.

Counties that trigger for Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) payments based on the U.S. Drought Monitor may hay only certain practices on less than 50% of eligible contract acres. Producers should contact their local FSA county office for eligible CRP practices.

Counties that don’t meet the drought monitor qualifications but have a 40% loss of forage production may also be eligible for emergency haying and grazing outside of the primary nesting season.

CRP Emergency Haying and Grazing Provisions
Before haying or grazing eligible acres, producers must submit a request for CRP emergency haying or grazing to FSA and obtain a modified conservation plan from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Emergency grazing is authorized for up to 90 days and emergency haying is authorized for up to 60 days. Program participants must stop haying and grazing 30 days before the first freeze date in the fall based on the dates established for LFP.

Under the emergency grazing provisions, producers can use the CRP acreage for their own livestock or may grant another livestock producer use of the CRP acreage. The eligible CRP acreage is limited to acres located within the approved county.

For emergency haying, producers are limited to one cutting and are permitted to sell the hay. Participants must remove all hay from CRP acreage within 15 days after baling and remove all livestock from CRP acreage no later than 1 day after the end of the emergency grazing period. There will be no CRP annual rental payment reduction for emergency haying and grazing authorizations.

More Information
For more information on CRP emergency haying and grazing visit fsa.usda.gov/crp or contact your FSA county office.



New USDA Survey to Measure Areas for Improvement

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a new annual survey of farmers, ranchers and private forestland owners. The survey will help USDA understand what it is doing well and where improvements are needed, specifically at the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA).

A selection of 28,000 producers will receive the survey over the next few weeks, but all farmers are encouraged to take the survey at farmers.gov/survey.

“We want to hear from our customers so we can learn what we’re doing right and where we’re missing the mark,” Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey said. “Good data is critical to good decision-making. The more responses we receive, the better we can understand what we need to do to improve our services to America’s farmers, ranchers and private forestland owners.”

This survey is part of the President’s Management Agenda. It requires High Impact Service Provider agencies across the federal government, including FSA and NRCS, to conduct annual surveys to measure and respond to areas needing improvement.

“We recognize producers and our staff may be experiencing a lot of change in how they interact with USDA,” Farm Service Agency Administrator Richard Fordyce said. “This is a good time to check in with our customers.”

“We will use this input to help improve the delivery of our conservation programs as our sister agencies will do for their programs.” Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Matthew Lohr said.

“We’re about our customers,” Risk Management Agency Administrator Martin Barbre said. “RMA works to provide producers with crop insurance policies that meet their needs and we need to know where we can improve.”

The survey consists of 20 questions and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Responses are confidential, and individual responses will be aggregated. The survey will be open for at least six weeks and will be closed once USDA receives a 30% response rate.

Learn more and take the survey at www.farmers.gov/survey.



FARM Program Recognized for International Quality

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service once again approved the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Animal Care Program’s animal welfare standards, determining that the program’s 4th version meets the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Specification. FARM was the first animal-care program in the world to have its updated standards verified through this process.

“The ISO certification for the FARM Program demonstrates its importance and validates our industry’s commitment to animal care not only domestically but also in the world market,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, which administers the FARM program.

The assessment to the ISO standard determines whether animal welfare programs meet international standards for animal care as set by an independent standards-setting organization. FARM was evaluated to ensure that the standards in Version 4.0 of its Animal Care program meet the highest quality in species-specific welfare practices.

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and ISO work together to help farmers and programs like FARM standardize and implement their animal care guidelines. The OIE, the World Trade Organization-recognized body for setting animal health and welfare standards affecting international trade, adopted dairy cattle welfare standards in 2015.

FARM was the first livestock program in the world recognized for the technical specification in 2018. It repeated the USDA verification process to provide an additional level of assurance for the improvements made to the program in its fourth iteration. The verification by USDA signifies to FARM Program participants that its standards are among the best in the world; it also signals to consumers they can have confidence their dairy products were produced in accordance with the highest level of science-based animal care.



Zoetis Reports Slight Increase in Revenues, Earnings

Zoetis Inc. reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2020 and raised and narrowed its guidance for full year 2020 to reflect the company's current view of the estimated full-year impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and foreign currency headwinds.

The company reported revenue of $1.5 billion for the second quarter of 2020, which is flat compared with the second quarter of 2019. Net income for the second quarter of 2020 was $377 million, or $0.79 per diluted share, an increase of 2% and 3%, respectively, on a reported basis.

Adjusted net income1 for the second quarter of 2020 was $427 million, or $0.89 per diluted share, a decrease of 2%, on a reported basis. Adjusted net income for the second quarter of 2020 excludes the net impact of $50 million for purchase accounting adjustments, acquisition-related costs and certain significant items.

On an operational basis, revenue for the second quarter of 2020 increased 4%, excluding the impact of foreign currency. Adjusted net income for the second quarter of 2020 increased 4% operationally, excluding the impact of foreign currency.