Wednesday December 16 Ag News

 UNL helps city youth become rural leader

“Rural matters.”

That’s the clear message Andrew Ambriz conveys when speaking about his job linking people to people and people to resources, as well as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s critical role in getting him there.  

“Agriculture is what we are as a state, and ag doesn’t exist at scale in the big city,” said Ambriz from his Broken Bow office as Executive Director of the Custer (County) Economic Development Corporation. He is particularly fond of the Williams Jennings Bryan quote that he said just sticks with him:  

Burn down your cities and leave our farms
and your cities will spring up again as if by magic.
But destroy our farms and the grass will grow
in the streets of every city in the country.

Sound like passion from a Nebraska farm kid? Not at all.  

“I’m the furthest thing from a farm kid there is,” said Ambriz, who spent most of his growing up years in what he termed “not the best” neighborhood in Los Angeles, Calif. His parents pulled up stakes in 2005 and moved to Pender, where his mother grew up.  

“When I got off the airplane at Eppley (Airfield, in Omaha), it was a cold evening. I didn’t own a pair of long pants,” he recalled. “I remember noticing very quickly that everything disappeared.”  

Ambriz enrolled in West Point High School, where he joined FFA. Through FFA, he became psyched about public speaking, leadership and, best of all, meat judging – his chapter even nabbed a national title. Ambriz graduated from West Point High School in 2012 and headed to UNL’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, where he majored in animal science.  

In the summer of 2016, he headed to McCook, where he received a summer serviceship in McCook, through the University. That serviceship, a predecessor of today’s Rural Fellows program, placed college students in rural communities to live and work for 10 weeks each summer.    

Along with his new wife, Ambriz lived in a carriage house “where you could literally sit on the sofa, crab something out of the frig and put it on the stove without getting up,” he recounted with a grimace and chuckle.  

For his fellowship, he assessed business life cycles on main street. He called the experience “hitting the bricks,” since the effort involved talking with business owners in brick buildings on main street. He particularly relished interacting with a wide diversity of personalities.  

“In any given day, you could meet with business leaders, connect with old dudes at the coffee shop and interact with community volunteers,” he said.  “Loved it.”

The fellowship led to a career in economic development, in which, along with his vast other duties, he makes supervision of Rural Fellows a priority. Why?  

“We have all these big goals, and not enough capacity,” he said. My approach is to “give students autonomy, to put the project in their court,” he said. He is proud that two fellows he has supervised have taken on economic development roles in Nebraska.  

Through his fellowship and now professional role, he has come to view economic development as “personal growth through a community lens,” he said. “What matters is results – quality of place and quality of life.”   

Day-to-day, Ambriz primarily focuses on local leadership development, and business and workforce retention and recruitment.  

“Just today, I connected three people who want to pull together a dog park,” he said. “We make things happen.”  

Those things include securing funds to pour two basements for new houses, pulling together plans for an indoor recreational facility and teaching business acumen where a leadership class earned $12,000 in grant funds for an early childhood collaborative.  

“There’s a different quality of life here in rural America. You wake up and know your neighbor. I hear from employers who recognize the strong rural work ethic,” Ambriz said.  

Student fellows benefit from that work ethic, too.  

“They learn how to ask hard questions (who benefits and why),” he said, “and communities get the work done.”  

The Rural Fellows program is part of Rural Prosperity Nebraska, housed in UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Rural Prosperity Nebraska brings together Nebraska Extension educators, students, faculty, partner organizations and community leaders from across the state to address rural challenges and identify opportunities for growth.

Since 2013, students from the university and colleges throughout Nebraska have spent 10 weeks over a summer working with leaders in rural areas on community-developed projects. These projects are often focused on economic and business development, entrepreneurship, early childhood development, marketing and promotion and other areas critical to the sustained success of rural communities. The students’ work, on average, results in a $28,000 economic impact per community.

To apply as a Rural Fellows host or student, see www.ruralprosperityne.unl.edu.  



IDALS & USDA APHIS Co-Host Workshop to Test Iowa's FMD Vaccination Strategy

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship co-hosted a foreign animal disease planning and preparation workshop with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), with support provided by Iowa State University Center for Food Security and Public Health. The two-day tabletop exercise, held Dec. 15-16, brought state and federal animal health officials, Iowa livestock producers and industry representatives together to test the state’s plans to distribute a Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine if an outbreak occurs.

FMD is a highly contagious virus that affects animals with cloven hooves, including cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. While FMD causes sores and mobility and production challenges in livestock, it does not present public health or food safety concerns; FMD is not the same virus that causes Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in humans.

If an outbreak occurs, there would be a limited supply of FMD vaccines available. The state has drafted vaccination plans to prioritize affected species and classes of animals and to distribute the vaccine to stop the spread of the disease.

During the two-day exercise, representatives from the Iowa Department of Agriculture, USDA, Iowa State University Center for Food Security and Public Health and livestock industry groups discussed the criteria that would trigger an FMD vaccine request, how state and federal animal health officials would obtain and distribute the vaccines, and how vaccinated animals will be tracked through the supply chain.

“Any foreign animal disease outbreak would be emotionally and economically devastating to Iowa’s livestock producers. FMD affects multiple animal species so it has the potential to cause widespread disruptions to the food supply chain,” said Secretary Naig. “This exercise helped us identify the strengths and areas for improvement in our state’s FMD vaccination strategy. Based on what we learned, we’ll refine our plans to more effectively control an outbreak and minimize the impact of FMD on animal health and production, the food supply and the economy.”

Every livestock producer in Iowa should register their livestock facilities with the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s Premises Identification Program. State animal health officials will use this information to contact livestock producers if an outbreak occurs.

While there may be an FMD vaccination available to protect some livestock, following biosecurity best practices every day on the farm is a producer’s best line of defense against any foreign animal disease.

Foreign Animal Disease Prevention and Preparation
This FMD vaccination strategy workshop was the latest in a series of actions the Iowa Department of Agriculture has taken to help livestock producers plan and prepare for a potential foreign animal disease outbreak.

In September 2019, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and 14 other swine-producing states participated in a four-day African Swine Fever workshop led by USDA APHIS to test current foreign animal disease response plans. Each day of the exercise focused on different tactics that would be deployed during an outbreak — detection, containment, eradication and cleaning and disinfection. This allowed the USDA, the Iowa Department of Agriculture, state agencies, industry representatives and producers to put response plans into action to make sure they could be executed quickly and effectively.

In May 2020, the Department launched a foreign animal disease program for veterinarians licensed to practice in Iowa. The IowaFADefense program teaches veterinarians how to rapidly detect, respond to and contain foreign animal diseases affecting livestock and poultry. The program also increases the number of veterinarians who are trained and able to assist the Iowa Department of Agriculture and USDA in responding to a foreign animal disease outbreak.

Recently the Department, working in conjunction with Iowa State University, developed a video showing livestock producers how to set up a vehicle cleaning and disinfection corridor to protect their farms, and neighboring farms, during a foreign animal disease outbreak. All vehicles, trucks, trailers and equipment entering or exiting a farm during a foreign animal disease outbreak should be properly cleaned and disinfected to help prevent pathogens from spreading to other locations and livestock.

Earlier this month, the Iowa Department of Agriculture released an online video explaining how veterinarians licensed to practice in Iowa can obtain or renew their USDA Category II accreditation status. If a foreign animal disease outbreak occurs, the Department may call upon private Category II Accredited veterinarians to assist their clients and state and federal animal health officials with the disease response.

To learn more about the state’s foreign animal disease response plans, visit iowaagriculture.gov/animal-industry-bureau/animal-disease-response.



Tyson Fires 7 at Iowa Pork Plant After COVID Betting Inquiry

(AP) -- Tyson Foods has fired seven top managers at its largest pork plant after an independent investigation into allegations that they bet on how many workers would test positive for the coronavirus, the company announced Wednesday.

The company said the investigation led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder revealed troubling behavior that resulted in the firings at the plant in Waterloo, Iowa. An outbreak centered around the plant infected more than 1,000 employees, at least six of whom died.

"We value our people and expect everyone on the team, especially our leaders, to operate with integrity and care in everything we do," Tyson Foods President and CEO Dean Banks said in a statement. "The behavior exhibited by these individuals does not represent the Tyson core values, which is why we took immediate and appropriate action to get to the truth."

Banks traveled to the Waterloo plant on Wednesday to discuss the actions with employees. The company did not release the names of those fired or detailed findings of the investigation.

Tyson suspended several top officials last month and retained the law firm Covington & Burling LLP, where Holder is a partner, to conduct the investigation.

Lawyers for the families of four deceased Waterloo workers allege in lawsuits that plant manager Tom Hart organized a buy-in betting pool for supervisors to wager on how many employees would test positive for COVID-19.

Hart allegedly organized the pool last spring as the virus spread through the Waterloo plant. It eventually tore through the broader Waterloo community.

The lawsuits also allege plant managers pressured employees to keep working, even through sickness, and that the company waited too long to shut down the plant to stem the outbreak.

Mel Orchard, an attorney for the deceased workers' families, said the firings confirm the authenticity of some "ghoulish" allegations in the lawsuits. He said Tyson "gambled with workers' lives" by downplaying the virus and not offering adequate safety precautions.

"I'm grateful that they might be getting to the bottom of it, but it's way too late for some people," he said. "I hope Eric Holder stays on this case and continues to investigate the real issue: How is it that more than one thousand employees at one plant got sick and many died?"

The lawsuits allege that managers told workers they had a responsibility to stay on the job to ensure that Americans didn't go hungry, even while they started avoiding the plant floor themselves because they were afraid of contracting the virus.

The lawsuits name Hart, managers John Casey and Cody Brustkern, safety manager Bret Tapken and human resources director James Hook as defendants. They have not returned messages seeking comment.

Tyson vowed Wednesday to open more avenues for employees to communicate concerns, to create a working group to strengthen collaborations with community leaders and to reinforce the importance of its values. Banks said Holder's team would help "look for ways to enhance a trusting and respectful workplace."

Separately, the family of a Tyson Foods employee is alleging in a lawsuit that he died from COVID-19 after the meat processing giant failed to implement safety protocols to guard against the coronavirus at the plant in Storm Lake, Iowa, where he worked.

Michael Everhard, 65, of Fonda, died of COVID-19 on June 18, three weeks after being diagnosed with the virus. His family contends he became infected at the Storm Lake plant where he worked for 27 years, The Sioux City Journal reported.

The lawsuit, filed by Everhard's three children, argues that Tyson and its managers required him and other employees to continue working in an environment "rife with coronavirus" and didn't implement safety precautions to protect them from contracting the virus, Storm Lake attorney Willis Hamilton said.

In response, Tyson spokeswoman Liz Croston said the company has implemented several measures at its facilities that meet or exceed federal guidance for preventing the spread of COVID-19.



All Retail Fertilizer Prices Tick Higher

The average retail price of all eight fertilizers tracked by DTN moved higher this week, according to prices tracked by DTN for the second week of December 2020.  This is the first week that all eight of the major fertilizers tracked by DTN have moved higher in many months, although some fertilizers' prices have been on the rise for weeks.

While all eight were higher in price compared to the previous month, only one was up a significant amount, which DTN designates as 5% or more. MAP was up 5% from last month with an average price of $510/ton.  MAP was over the $500/ton level for the first time since the second week of August 2019. That week MAP had an average price of $503/ton.  Potash prices increased by about 4.5%, or $15/ton from last month, to $348/ton.

The remaining six fertilizers were just slightly higher in price compared to prior month. DAP had an average price of $456/ton, up $2; urea $361/ton, up $3; 10-34-0 $464/ton, up $9; anhydrous $429/ton, up $7; UAN28 $210/ton, up $2; and UAN32 $252/ton, up $4.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.39/lb.N, anhydrous $0.26/lb.N, UAN28 $0.37/lb.N and UAN32 $0.39/lb.N.

Retail fertilizer prices continue to be mostly lower in price from a year ago but there are a couple exceptions. DAP is 2% higher while MAP is 10% higher compared to last year.  10-34-0 is 1% less expensive, urea is 5% lower, potash is 8% less expensive, UAN32 is 9% lower, anhydrous is 12% less expensive and UAN28 is 13% lower from last year at this time.



Growth Energy Calls on Congress to Extend Tax Provisions for Biofuels

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor sent a letter to House and Senate leaders on Tuesday calling on Congress to include biofuels in any potential legislation to extend expiring tax provisions at the end of the year. With the growing possibility that Congress will consider passing a tax extenders package before the 116th Congress comes to a close, Skor asked McConnell, Schumer, Pelosi, and McCarthy to consider extending the Section 40 Second Generation Biofuel Producer Tax Credit and the Section 45Q Tax Credit.  

The Section 40 Second Generation Biofuel Producer Tax Credit is a credit per gallon of second-generation biofuel that, according to Skor’s letter, “provides an essential incentive for our biofuels industry to produce a low-carbon, renewable fuel which keeps our rural communities afloat”. The Section 45Q Tax Credit is a tax credit on a per-ton basis of carbon dioxide that is sequestered, encouraging ethanol plants to further reduce their carbon footprint.  

“Especially during a time of depressed gasoline demand, it is imperative that we use all legislative tools available to support our businesses and infrastructure workforce,” said Skor.  



Weekly Ethanol Production for 12/11/2020

According to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending December 11, ethanol production eased 3.4%, or 34,000 barrels per day (b/d), to a seven-week low of 957,000 b/d—equivalent to 40.19 million gallons daily. Production remained 10.1% below the same week last year. The four-week average ethanol production rate ticked 0.1% lower to 978,000 b/d, equivalent to an annualized rate of 14.99 billion gallons (bg).

Ethanol stocks expanded 3.9% to a 29-week high of 22.9 million barrels, which was 5.3% above a year-ago. Inventories built across all regions except the Midwest (PADD 2) and Rocky Mountains (PADD 4).

The volume of gasoline supplied to the U.S. market, a measure of implied demand, perked up by 4.9% to 7.98 million b/d (122.26 bg annualized). Gasoline demand was 15.3% less than a year ago.

Refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol jumped 6.2% to a three-week high of 802,000 b/d, equivalent to 12.29 bg annualized. This was 12.1% below the year-earlier level as a result of the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Imports of ethanol arriving into the West Coast were 15,000 b/d, or 4.41 million gallons for the week. Imports have been logged fifteen of the past 21 weeks. (Weekly export data for ethanol is not reported simultaneously; the latest export data is as of October 2020.)



Growth Energy Welcomes SCALE Act to Strengthen Network of CO2 Pipelines

Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor thanked Reps. Marc Veasey (D-Tex.), David McKinley (R-W.Va.), Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) and Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) for introducing the Storing CO2 and Lowering Emissions Act (SCALE Act), legislation designed to establish a carbon emissions infrastructure program and strengthen pipeline networks to transport carbon dioxide (CO2) from ethanol plants to where it is needed, including for beverage, food, and dry ice use.
 
“As we have seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, CO2 captured from ethanol plants has critically important commercial, agriculture, and municipal water uses,” said Skor. “Whether it’s CO2 used to produce dry ice for vaccine storage or used to treat municipal water, CO2 captured from ethanol plants is a critical component to many key supply chains and we cannot afford another shortage threat. We support the SCALE Act and encourage greater CO2 reduction across the board.”
 
Background:
Currently, about 50 of the 210 ethanol plants capture a portion of CO2 created during the fermentation process. CO2 from ethanol plants can be pumped into underground storage sites or used for commercial beverage, food, and some agriculture uses.  But these sources of demand must be local for CO2 capture to remain economically feasible. An average-sized ethanol plant captures 99,000 to 153,000 tons of CO2 a year, and there is strong potential to expand on these carbon emission savings.  

Ethanol plants are also providing significant amounts of CO2 for dry ice production, a necessary product which keeps COVID-19 vaccinations at freezing temperatures needed for storage. As the vaccine supply begins to ramp up for public distribution, an adequate CO2 supply will be needed to transport and store tens of millions of life-saving vaccinations.
 
Pipelines are the dominant form of CO2 transport. The U.S. has 5,000 miles of existing CO2 pipelines (compared to 300,000 miles of natural gas pipelines) and overall CO2 infrastructure is limited due to cost. The bill aims to build out CO2 transport and storage infrastructure so industrial sources, like ethanol plants, can connect to a larger network of pipelines to get CO2 where it is needed.
 
The Storing CO2 and Lowering Emissions Act (SCALE Act) has four main components:
-    Establishes a CO2 infrastructure program which allows low-interest federal loans to finance CO2 transport infrastructure projects.
-    Creates CO2 large-scale saline geologic storage hubs to safely store large amounts of CO2.
-    Provides EPA with increased funding to permit Class VI CO2 wells.  
-    Funds new U.S. Department of Energy infrastructure-related CO2 utilization programs which researches emerging technologies that convert CO2 into materials and chemicals.



Farm, Biofuels, Trade Leaders Label Brazil Decision ‘Devastating’ For U.S. Ethanol

Today, Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy; Ryan LeGrand, President and CEO of U.S. Grains Council; Geoff Cooper, President and CEO of Renewable Fuels Association; and Jon Doggett, CEO of National Corn Growers Association issued the following statement in response to the Brazilian government’s decision to let the current tariff rate quota (TRQ) expire, replacing it with a 20 percent tariff on all imports of U.S. ethanol:

“Brazil’s decision to impose a 20 percent tariff on all U.S. ethanol imports is devastating for the U.S. ethanol industry, the future of cooperation and coordination between our nations. Not only does this decision risk destroying the great progress our two nations have made as global leaders in ethanol production, it marks a dramatic turn in our bilateral trade relationship.

“Today, Brazilian ethanol receives unfettered access into the U.S. market, while U.S. producers are denied reciprocal market access due to a restrictive import tariff designed solely to make U.S. product less competitive. This unjust imbalance must be addressed. We urge the incoming Biden Administration to respond with strength, leveraging various U.S. government tools and authorities to make it clear that protectionist barriers are unacceptable. However, it seems clear from today’s decision that Brazil is more focused on keeping US ethanol out of Brazil than true two-way trade.

“Through repeated dialogue with local industry and government, the U.S. ethanol industry actively sought to illustrate the negative impacts of increased tariffs on Brazilian consumers and the Brazilian government’s own decarbonization goals. However, it seems Brazil is more focused on taxing imports to protect their national industry than reducing carbon emissions and developing a global industry.”

Since May, U.S. exports to Brazil have fallen to less than 4 million gallons. Over the same time period, Brazil has exported nearly 96 million gallons of fuel ethanol to the United States. A 20 percent tariff will only further imbalance trade between the two countries.



 ACE: Brazil’s Inequitable Treatment of Ethanol Another Demand Hit for Producers

This week the 90-day extension of the tariff rate quota (TRQ) on Brazilian imports of U.S. ethanol expired, imposing a 20 percent tariff on all U.S. fuel ethanol imports. American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings expressed his disappointment in the Brazilian government’s decision by issuing the following reaction:

“We were never big fans of Brazil’s TRQ, but at least it allowed some ethanol into the country tariff-free. While our border remains completely open to imports from Brazil, their tariff virtually closes the door to us. It wasn’t that long ago that Brazil was the top export destination for U.S. ethanol. Now we are experiencing demand destruction at home and abroad. One of the most urgent priorities for USTR nominee Katherine Tai will be to sit down with her Brazilian counterparts to try and negotiate a much better outcome. Sanity must be restored to Brazil’s protectionist policy toward ethanol trade.”




USDA Appoints Members to National Dairy Promotion and Research Board

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the appointment of 13 members to serve on the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. The 13 appointees will serve three-year terms, effective immediately, through October 31, 2023.

Newly appointed members are:
    Sharon A. DeRuyter, Washington (Region 1)
    Timothy A. Bernhardt, Colorado (Region 3)
    Robert Brouwer, New Mexico (Region 4)
    Marvin D. Post, South Dakota (Region 5)
    George R. Crave, Wisconsin (Region 6)
    Donald L. Gaalswyk, Idaho (Region 8)
    Lois C. Douglass, Ohio (Region 9)
    Kathryn L. Fogler, Maine (Region 12)

Reappointed members are:
    Orville D. Miller, Kansas (Region 4)
    Becky L. Levzow, Wisconsin (Region 6)
    Alex D. Peterson, Missouri (Region 7 - Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska)
    John M. Larson, Florida (Region 10)
    Ralph B. Hoffman, New Jersey (Importer)

The board is composed of 36 members who represent 12 geographic regions within the United States plus one member who represents dairy importers. The board was established by the Dairy Production Stabilization Act of 1983 to develop and administer a coordinated program of advertising and promotion to increase the demand for dairy products and ingredients.



GRSB Announces 2021 Executive Committee Members

The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef has announced the results of the 2021 GRSB Executive Committee election.  The following individuals will be seated in their new positions on January 1, 2021.

President
Bob McCan, McFaddin Enterprises, USA
Bob will be starting his second term as President of GRSB. He oversees the cattle operations and recreational hunting and wildlife operations for his family’s company, McFaddin Enterprises, Ltd. in Victoria, Refugio, and Bee Counties, Texas. Using rotational grazing on native rangeland, the family strikes a balance that meets the needs of both livestock and wildlife, benefiting both. The ranches are stocked with Victoria cattle, a commercial cross-bred of three-fourths Hereford and one fourth Brahman with a uniform Hereford coloring.

Vice President
Ian McConnel, Tyson Foods, Australia
Ian serves as Director of Beef Sustainability for Tyson Foods. Before his current position Ian served as the Global Beef Lead for World Wildlife Fund (WWF) where he led the global WWF networks approach to creating and communicating a more sustainable global beef industry. Facilitating global dialogue, collaborating across WWF offices, external stakeholders and industry partners Ian is successfully developing a cohesive and effective global effort to create a beef industry that is socially, economically and environmentally responsible and is able to communicate this message to consumers. Ian has served as the GRSB Secretary-Treasurer for the past two years.

Secretary-Treasurer
Justin Sherrard, Rabobank, Netherlands
Justin is the Global Strategist for Animal Protein in Rabobank’s Food & Agribusiness Research (FAR) group. He leads the bank’s global research, client engagement and profiling in the animal protein sector. His work is directed at challenging current thinking and advising companies on risks and opportunities from strategic issues on today's and tomorrow's CEO agendas. Justin is currently completing his first term as a Member-at-Large on the GRSB Executive Committee.

Member-at-Large
Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, Canadian Cattlemen's Association, Canada
Cherie Copithorne-Barnes is a 5th-generation rancher operating in the foothills east of Calgary, AB.  Cherie was the founding Chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where she lead the establishment and development of the CRSB, including its Certified Sustainable Beef Framework. Cherie is an outstanding advocate for the Canadian beef industry and in her own community.

Member-at-Large
Lucas McKelvie, McDonald's Corporation, USA
Luke serves as the Global Farmer Program Manager for McDonald’s Corporation. Prior to his current position Luke spent 8 years with the advertising and public relations firm of Osborn Barr where he served as Group Director of the Animal / Livestock Sector and then as a Vice President. He has been an active member of the GRSB Communications Council.

Immediate Past President
Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, OSI Group, USA
Nicole is currently serving as the Immediate Past President of GRSB and has previously represented Cargill’s seat on the GRSB Board of Directors. She is the Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer for OSI Group; a food processing company that provides food products and solutions for the food industry. It supplies beef, pork, bacon and sausage, poultry, and seafood, as well as vegetable, dough, fruit, and cheese-based products. Nicole served as the President of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, 2015-2016.

GRSB envisions a world where beef is a trusted part of a thriving food system in which the beef value chain is environmentally sound, socially responsible, and economically viable. It's mission is to advance, support, and communicate continuous improvement in sustainability of the global beef value chain through leadership, science, and multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration.

For more information, visit GRSBeef.org.



UF researchers develop corn that can weather warming planet

Climate change will affect many agricultural crops, and field corn is likely no exception.
Field corn, the starchy cousin of sweet corn, is a globally important cereal grain used in livestock feed and other products. And it has an Achilles heel: unseasonably warm nights.  

“As nighttime temperatures rise, corn yields decline. These high temperatures affect an enzyme in maize responsible for storing starch. At higher nighttime temperatures, that enzyme, called PGD3, stops working, and the corn kernels will not produce as much starch, or will not properly develop,” said Camila Ribeiro, a graduate of the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) and former postdoctoral researcher at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center.

“Over the next several decades, as we see climate change lead to higher nighttime temperatures, this could mean farmers won’t be able to produce enough corn to stay in business,” said Mark Settles, professor in the UF/IFAS horticultural sciences department. “That’s a food supply issue and an economic problem.”

But Ribeiro and Settles may have a solution. In a new study, they show that a new variety of field corn is productive even when nights are warm. This variety was developed via a novel genetic engineering technique that inserts a copy of a corn gene to make a protein in a new location in the plant’s cells. This finding could help inform traditional breeding efforts down the line.

To test how well their new corn variety fared in the heat, the researchers planted it during March and April at the UF/IFAS Plant Science Research and Education Unit located about 30 minutes south of the main UF campus in Gainesville. Compared to the March plantings, the corn planted in April experienced warmer nights temperatures during kernel development.

The results were striking: the new variety produced 40% more yield under higher temperatures.

“In the field, we had plots planted with engineered and non-engineered plants. They were growing under the same conditions, same temperatures. As we harvested the field, we could see just how much bigger the corn ears were in the new variety under heat stresses. It was very exciting to see,” said Ribeiro, who completed this research as part of her a doctoral studies in plant molecular and cellular biology at UF/IFAS CALS.

“It was exciting because, for people like us who want to figure out how to grow food with climate change, this is a promising result,” said Settles, who was Ribeiro’s dissertation adviser. Ribeiro now works at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) Maize & Sorghum in Brazil.

This new corn variety is more productive because the heat sensitive PGD3 enzyme that allows the plant to store starch is getting extra help.

“PGD3 isn’t the only enzyme in the cell that catalyzes its specific reaction. You also have PGD1 and PGD2. Unlike PGD3, 1 and 2 aren’t sensitive to heat, but they don’t operate in the part of the cell where PGD3 operates, the amyloplast, which is the part of the plant cell that produces starch,” Settles said. “We wanted to find a way to move 1 and 2 into the amyloplast. Once there, we predicted they would be able to help kernels grow at higher temperatures.”

To reroute these enzymes, Ribeiro and Settles reconfigured their corn plants’ genetic code by inserting a part of the gene called Waxy1 in front of Pgd1 and Pgd2 genes. This extra code in the DNA would the direct those enzymes to the amyloplasts.

“Our study confirmed that when PGD1 and PGD2 proteins are relocated to the amyloplasts, it results in the characteristic we are looking for, heat resistance,” Settles said.

The engineered genes open up the possibility of making new heat resistant varieties using traditional breeding techniques, the researchers say. Breeders could screen corn plants for heat-resistant forms of PGD3 to try to get the same effect.

“Our study is an example of how genetic engineering techniques can speed up traditional plant breeding processes by giving breeders insight into how genes confer desired traits. Climate change is happening fast, and we need to develop plants that will adapt to this new environment as soon as possible,” Settles said.

While such a corn variety may not be commercially available for several years, Ribeiro and Settles are hopeful that their plants will one day help feed a changing world.



Ranch Group Completes First Ever Cattle Producers’ Long-Range Plan

Responding to 2020’s unprecedented anomalies in the U.S. cattle market, and the lack of responsiveness from either policymakers or the beef industry to take corrective actions, the Board of Directors of R-CALF USA spent the last several weeks developing the first ever long-range plan for cattle producers – the Cattle Industry Long Range Plan.

The plan sets forth a five-year roadmap for U.S. cattle producers, and provides the means to measure their industry’s success as the plan unfolds. For example, the group’s measurable goal for carrying out the strategy to “Strengthen the U.S. cattle industry’s role in achieving lasting food security for the United States” is that by 2025, the consumption of beef from cattle born, raised, and harvested in the United States will constitute at least 90% of domestic beef consumption.

The cattle industry’s plan stands in sharp contrast to the beef packers earlier released “Beef Industry Long Range Plan,” which was paid for by cattle producers’ beef checkoff dollars. That plan attempts to bring U.S. cattle producers into compliance with the beef packer’s desire to assert greater control over cattle producers through strategies that also increase production costs. For example, the beef industry plan calls on cattle producers to increase participation in a nationwide animal identification program, in animal husbandry certification and verification programs, and in developing written grazing management plans.

The Cattle Industry Long Range Plan includes strategies that promote profitability and prosperity for family-owned and family-operated cattle farms and ranches, and America’s rural communities they support. It also emphasizes the preservation and protection of cattle producers’ freedoms and liberties by ensuring they remain free to make their own production and marketing decisions based on their personal assessments of competitive forces in the marketplace.  

“The beef industry, which is dominated by highly concentrated beef packers, has been driving the direction of the U.S. cattle industry for decades, and as demonstrated by current market conditions, the outcome has not been favorable for U.S. cattle producers. Our plan elevates the cattle producer’s role in shaping a better future for our industry,” said R-CALF USA Board President, Gerald Schreiber.    

“Nearly everyone I talk to asks who’s going to fix our depressed cattle markets, and we’ve come to the realization that no one outside the cattle industry has any inclination to do so,” said Region III Director Brett Kenzy who added, “That means it’s up to us and that’s why we’ve stepped up to develop a realistic plan to create a more profitable future for independent U.S. cattle producers.”

“We are the supply chain to the nation’s beef industry and our cattle and calves represent the largest single commodity in U.S. agriculture. When U.S. cattle producers begin rallying around this new long-range plan, there’s no question that we can substantially improve their profitability,” said Region I Director George Wishon.

“For too long those of us at the grassroots level have thought there was someone out there watching our backs. This year has made it clear that we were wrong,” said Region VII Director Mike Jones who added, “So, now we can either complain about it or take meaningful steps to improve our lot. Our long-range plan provides the blueprint for cattle producers to take the steps necessary to preserve and protect our markets and our freedoms.”



China's Pig Herd Returning to Normal Levels After ASF

China's pig and sow herds, ravaged by African swine fever over the past two years, recovered to more than 90% of normal levels by the end of November, the official news agency Xinhua said on Tuesday.

Production capacity should fully recover by the first half of next year, said Xinhua, citing the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Just over a year ago, China's pig herd had shrunk by 40% ministry data showed, after swine fever devastated farms across the nation.

According to Reuters, strong policy support and subsidies launched last year have helped drive a rapid recovery, with the building and stocking of new farms outpacing most expectations.

But hog and pork prices are still much higher than usual, and analysts say that although capacity has recovered rapidly, output is still far short of demand.

Live hog prices have been rising since late November, supported by a seasonal demand increase and strict inspections for the novel coronavirus on imported meat, which has slowed the flow of supplies to the market.

Schools in China are breaking earlier for the Lunar New Year holiday this year to reduce the chances of coronavirus infections during winter, which could also stimulate demand for fresh meat, said Cofco Futures analyst Xiong Kuan in a note on Tuesday.