Tuesday January 12 Ag News

NEBRASKA 2020 ANNUAL CROP PRODUCTION SUMMARY

Corn for grain production in Nebraska based on year-end surveys is estimated at a record high 1.79 billion bushels, up slightly from 2019, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Yield of 181 bushels per acre is down 1 bushel from last year. Farmers harvested 9.89 million acres of corn for grain, up 1% from 2019. Corn for silage production is 4.94 million tons, up 7% from last year. Silage yield of 19.0 tons per acre is down 4.0 tons from last year. Corn for silage harvested acreage of 260,000 acres is up 60,000 acres from last year. Corn acreage planted for all purposes is 10.2 million acres, up 1% from last year.

Soybean production for 2020 totaled 294 million bushels, up 4% from 2019. Yield, at 57.0 bushels per acre, is down 1.5 bushels from a year earlier. Area for harvest, at 5.16 million acres, is up 7% from 2019. Planted acreage totaled 5.20 million acres, up 6% from last year.

Sorghum for grain production in 2020 is estimated at 13.7 million bushels, up 13% from 2019. Yield, at 91.0 bushels per acre, is down 2.0 bushels from a year earlier. Area harvested for grain, at 150,000 acres, is up 15% from 2019. Sorghum for silage production is 180,000 tons, down 70% from last year. Silage yield of 12.0 tons per acre is up 2.0 tons from last year. Sorghum for silage harvested acreage of 15,000 acres is down 45,000 acres from last year. Sorghum acreage planted for all purposes is 195,000 acres, down 5,000 acres from last year.

Alfalfa hay production, at 3.27 million tons, is down 9% from a year earlier. The average yield, at 3.80 tons per acre, is unchanged from 2019. Area harvested, at 860,000 acres, is down 9% from 2019. Alfalfa haylage and greenchop production, at 231,000 tons, is up 13% from last year. Average yield, at 6.60 tons per acre, is up 2.50 tons per acre from last year. Area harvested, at 35,000 acres, is down 15,000 acres from last year. Seedings of alfalfa during 2020 totaled 100,000 acres, down 40,000 acres from a year earlier.

All other hay production, at 3.10 million tons, is up 25% from last year. The average yield, at 1.65 tons per acre, is unchanged from last year. Area harvested, at 1.88 million acres, is up 25% from 2019. All other haylage and greenchop production, at 122,000 tons, is down 16% from last year. Average yield, at 6.10 tons per acre, is up 0.30 ton per acre from last year. Area harvested, at 20,000 acres, is down 5,000 acres from last year.

Proso millet production in 2020 is estimated at 3.00 million bushels, down 9% from last year's production. Yield, at 24.0 bushels per acre, is down 7.0 bushels from a year earlier. Area harvested for grain, at 125,000 acres, is up 18% from 2019. Area planted, at 130,000 acres, is up 13% from last year.

Oil sunflower production in 2020 is 41.0 million pounds, up 21% from last year. Yield, at 1,050 pounds per acre, is down 250 pounds from a year earlier. Area harvested, at 39,000 acres, is up 50% from 2019. Area planted, at 40,000 acres, is up 43% from last year. Non-oil sunflower production of 13.2 million pounds is up 20% from last year. Yield, at 1,470 pounds per acre, is up 170 pounds from a year earlier. Area harvested, at 9,000 acres, is up 500 acres from 2019. Area planted, at 10,000 acres, is up 11% from last year.

Sugarbeet production is estimated at 1.42 million tons, up 33% from last year. Yield is estimated at 31.0 tons per acre, up 5.6 tons from the previous year. Acres harvested are estimated at 45,700 acres, up 9% from the previous year. Area planted, at 46,200 acres, is up 2,200 acres from last year.

Dry edible bean production of 3.61 million cwt is up 92% from a year ago. Yield, at 2,270 pounds per acre, is up 330 pounds from a year earlier. Area harvested, at 159,000 acres, is up 64% from 2019. Area planted, at 165,000 acres, is up 37% from last year. Beginning in 2019, chickpeas were excluded from the dry edible bean estimates.

Dry edible pea production is estimated at 462,000 cwt, down 28% from 2019. Yield is estimated at 1,400 pounds per acre, down 900 pounds from last year. Acres harvested are estimated at 33,000, up 18% from a year ago. Total acreage planted is 36,000 acres, up 16% from last year.

Potato production is 9.31 million cwt, down 3% from 2019. Record yield, at 495 cwt per acre, is up 20 cwt from a year earlier. Area harvested, at 18,800 acres, is down 1,400 acres from 2019. Area planted, at 19,000 acres, is down 1,500 acres from last year.



NEBRASKA DECEMBER 1, 2020 GRAIN AND HAY STOCKS

Nebraska corn stocks in all positions on December 1, 2020 totaled 1.31 billion bushels, down 11% from 2019, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Of the total, 810 million bushels are stored on farms, down 14% from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 504 million bushels, are down 6% from last year.

Soybeans stored in all positions totaled 206 million bushels, down 21% from last year. On-farm stocks of 61.0 million bushels are down 31% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks, at 145 million bushels, are down 16% from 2019.

Wheat stored in all positions totaled 49.7 million bushels, down 8% from a year ago. On-farm stocks of 2.00 million bushels are down 66% from 2019, and off-farm stocks of 47.7 million bushels are down 1% from last year.

Sorghum stored in all positions totaled 7.03 million bushels, down 30% from last year. On-farm stocks of 700,000 bushels are down 50% and off-farm holdings of 6.33 million bushels are down 27% from last year.

Oats stored in all positions totaled 1.32 million bushels. On-farm oats totaled 530,000 bushels, down 21% from 2019, and off-farm stocks totaled 788,000 bushels.

Barley stored off-farm totaled 204,000 bushels.

Hay stocks on Nebraska farms totaled 4.20 million tons, unchanged from last year.

Grain storage capacity in Nebraska totaled 2.19 billion bushels, up 10 million bushels from December 1, 2019. Total grain storage capacity is comprised of 1.20 billion bushels of on-farm storage, unchanged from last year, and 990 million bushels of off-farm storage, up 10 million bushels from last year.



NEBRASKA WINTER WHEAT SEEDINGS

Winter wheat seeded area for 2021 is estimated at 810,000 acres, down from last year's seeded area of 900,000 acres, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. If realized this would be a new record low.



Iowa Crop Production

Corn for grain production in Iowa for 2020 is estimated at 2.30 billion bushels, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service Crop Production 2020 Summary report. Current year production is 11% less than the previous year’s 2.58 billion bushels. Iowa has led the Nation in corn production for the last 27 consecutive years and 42 of the last 43 years. Iowa's corn for grain yield is estimated at 178 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain is estimated at 12.9 million acres, 150,000 acres below 2019. Corn planted for all purposes in 2020 is estimated at 13.6 million acres.

Corn for silage production is estimated at 5.33 million tons, down 33% from 2019. The silage yield estimate of 20.5 tons per acre is down 1.5 tons per acre from 2019. Producers harvested 260,000 acres of corn for silage, down 28% from 2019.

Soybean production is estimated at 494 million bushels in 2020. This is down 2% from last year’s 502 million bushels. The Iowa soybean crop yielded 53.0 bushels per acre in 2020. The harvested acreage of 9.32 million is up 200,000 acres from 2019. Soybean planted acreage, at 9.40 million, is also up 200,000 acres from 2019.

All hay production for the state is estimated at 3.70 million tons, up 19% from the 3.12 million tons produced in 2019. Producers averaged 3.19 tons per acre, up from 3.05 tons in 2019. All hay harvested acres are estimated at 1.16 million acres, up 140,000 acres from 2019.

Alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures for hay production is estimated at 2.91 million tons, up 22% from 2019. Producers averaged 3.50 tons per acre, up 0.10 ton from 2019. Harvested acres are up 130,000 from last year, to 830,000 acres. Iowa producers seeded 125,000 acres of new seedings of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures in 2020, down 11% from 2019.

Other hay production is estimated at 792,000 tons, up 8% from 2019. Producers averaged 2.40 tons per acre, up 0.10 ton per acre from the 2019 yield. Harvested acres of other hay, at 330,000, are up 10,000 acres from the 2019 acres.



Iowa Grain Stocks Report

Corn stored in all positions in Iowa on December 1, 2020, totaled 1.89 billion bushels, down 12% from December 1, 2019, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Grain Stocks report. Of the total stocks, 63% were stored on-farm. The September - November indicated disappearance totaled 775 million bushels, 8% below the 845 million bushels from the same period the previous year.

Soybeans stored in all positions in Iowa on December 1, 2020, totaled 407 million bushels, 21% below the 513 million bushels on hand December 1, 2019. Of the total stocks, 39% were stored on-farm. Indicated disappearance for September - November is 190 million bushels, 29% above the 147 million bushels from the same quarter the previous year.

Oats stored on-farm in Iowa on December 1, 2020, totaled 1.30 million bushels, unchanged from December 1, 2019.

 All hay stored on Iowa farms as of December 1, 2020, is estimated at 2.43 million tons, an increase of 11% from December 1, 2019, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Crop Production report. Disappearance from May 1, 2020, through December 1, 2020, totaled 1.78 million tons, compared with 1.28 million tons for the same period in 2019.

 Iowa on-farm storage capacity on December 1, 2020, was 2.05 billion bushels, down 50.0 million bushels from December 1, 2019, according to the latest USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service – Grain Stocks report. Iowa’s 850 off-farm storage facilities have a storage capacity of 1.52 billion bushels, down 20.0 million from the previous year. As of December 1, 2020, Iowa had a total of 3.57 billion bushels of storage capacity, the largest total storage capacity of any state.



USDA Crop Production 2020 Summary

Corn for grain production in 2020 was estimated at 14.2 billion bushels, up 4 percent from the 2019 estimate. The average yield in the United States was estimated at 172.0 bushels per acre, 4.5 bushels above the 2019 yield of 167.5 bushels per acre. Area harvested for grain was estimated at 82.5 million acres, up 1 percent from the 2019 estimate.

Soybean production in 2020 totaled 4.14 billion bushels, up 16 percent from 2019. The average yield per acre was estimated at 50.2 bushels, up 2.8 bushels from 2019. Harvested area was up 10 percent from 2019 to 82.3 million acres.

Sorghum: Grain production in 2020 was estimated at 373 million bushels, up 9 percent from the 2019 total. Planted area for 2020 was estimated at 5.88 million acres, up 12 percent from the previous year. Area harvested for grain, at 5.10 million acres, was up 9 percent from 2019. Grain yield was estimated at 73.2 bushels per acre, up 0.2 bushel from 2019.

All cotton production is estimated at 15.0 million 480-pound bales, down 25 percent from 2019. The United States yield is estimated at 825 pounds per acre, up 2 pounds from last year. Harvested area, at 8.70 million acres, is down 25 percent from last year.

Rice: Production in 2020 totaled 228 million cwt, up 23 percent from the 2019 total. Planted area for 2020 was estimated at 3.04 million acres, up 19 percent from 2019. Area harvested, at 2.99 million acres, was up 21 percent from the previous crop year. The average yield for all United States rice was estimated at 7,619 pounds per acre, up 146 pounds from the 2019 average yield of 7,473 pounds per acre.



USDA: Corn Stocks Down Slightly from December 2019
Soybean Stocks Down 10 Percent
All Wheat Stocks Down 9 Percent

Corn stored in all positions on December 1, 2020 totaled 11.3 billion bushels, down slightly from December 1, 2019. Of the total stocks, 7.05 billion bushels are stored on farms, down 1 percent from a year earlier. Off-farm stocks, at 4.28 billion bushels, are up 1 percent from a year ago. The September - November 2020 indicated disappearance is 4.78 billion bushels, compared with 4.51 billion bushels during the same period last year.

Soybeans stored in all positions on December 1, 2020 totaled 2.93 billion bushels, down 10 percent from December 1, 2019. Soybean stocks stored on farms totaled 1.31 billion bushels, down 14 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 1.62 billion bushels, are down 6 percent from last December. Indicated disappearance for September - November 2020 totaled 1.73 billion bushels, up 43 percent from the same period a year earlier.

All wheat stored in all positions on December 1, 2020 totaled 1.67 billion bushels, down 9 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks are estimated at 483 million bushels, down 7 percent from last December. Off-farm stocks, at 1.19 billion bushels, are down 10 percent from a year ago. The September - November 2020 indicated disappearance is 484 million bushels, 4 percent below the same period a year earlier.
 
Durum wheat stored in all positions on December 1, 2020 totaled 61.3 million bushels, down 5 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks, at 39.0 million bushels, are up 17 percent from December 1, 2019. Off-farm stocks totaled 22.3 million bushels, down 29 percent from a year ago. The September - November 2020 indicated disappearance of 9.77 million bushels is 59 percent below the same period a year earlier.

Barley stored in all positions on December 1, 2020 totaled 145 million bushels, down 8 percent from December 1, 2019. On-farm stocks are estimated at 85.0 million bushels, 3 percent below a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 60.0 million bushels, are 14 percent below December 2019. The September - November 2020 indicated disappearance is 34.5 million bushels, 6 percent above the same period a year earlier.

Oats stored in all positions on December 1, 2020 totaled 57.7 million bushels, up 7 percent from the stocks on December 1, 2019. Of the total stocks on hand, 28.8 million bushels are stored on farms, up 16 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks totaled 28.8 million bushels, down 1 percent from the previous year. Indicated disappearance during September - November 2020 totaled 9.19 million bushels.

Grain sorghum stored in all positions on December 1, 2020 totaled 219 million bushels, down 12 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks, at 21.3 million bushels, are down 29 percent from December 1 last year. Off-farm stocks, at 198 million bushels, are down 10 percent from a year earlier. The September - November 2020 indicated disappearance from all positions is 184 million bushels, up 19 percent from the same period in 2019.

Pulse crops stored in all positions on December 1, 2020 are: dry edible peas, 12.1 million cwt; lentils, 4.74 million cwt; all chickpeas, 5.79 million cwt; small chickpeas, 1.92 million cwt; and large chickpeas, 3.87 million cwt.

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Nebraska Soybean Board seeks leaders to represent Nebraska soybean farmers

This year, the Nebraska Soybean Board (NSB) will be seeking soybean farmers to represent fellow soybean farmers and the industry in Districts 1, 3 and 6. Candidacy petition period began on December 1 and concludes on April 15.

District 1: Counties of Antelope, Boyd, Cedar, Holt, Knox, Madison and Pierce
District 3: Counties of Butler, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington
District 6: Counties of Filmore, Gage, Jefferson, Saline, Seward and Thayer

“This is a great opportunity for a soybean producer to join the Nebraska Soybean Board and help shape the future of the Nebraska soybean industry and how the board invests the checkoff into programs,” said Scott Ritzman, executive director of the NSB. “I encourage farmers in the districts up for election to submit petitions and join in on this prominent leadership opportunity.”

Qualified candidates include those who are a resident of Nebraska, are at least 21 years old, reside in the district where election is being held, have been a soybean farmer in Nebraska for at least the previous five years and have submitted a NSB candidacy petition. The election is conducted by mail-in ballot in July for District 1, 3 and 6. Soybean farmers who reside in counties that are up for election for 2021 will receive ballots and candidate information regarding NSB’s election process via direct mail.

To apply for candidacy in District 1, 3 or 6 you must:
    Obtain a NSB candidacy petition by contacting NSB’s executive director, Scott Ritzman, at 402-432-5720 or scott@nebraskasoybeans.org
    Complete the petition and collect the signatures of 50 soybean farmers in their district
    Return such petition to the NSB office on or before April 15, 2021

Roles and responsibilities for soybean board member representative:
    Attend every NSB meeting – 8-day fiscal year commitment
    Attend/participate in other educational events sponsored by the Nebraska Soybean Board
    Receive no salary but are reimbursed for the expenses incurred carrying out board business
    Serve a three-year term that would begin October 1, 2021



LEGUME FROST SEEDING IN PASTURES
– Brad Schick, NE Extension Educator
 
Are you looking to increase production from pastures or hay fields? Interseeding legumes might just work in your operation.
 
Nitrogen is one of the key ingredients for productive pastures. A way to get more nitrogen in a pasture is to plant legumes. Alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, clovers, and other legumes all fix atmospheric nitrogen and can reduce nitrogen costs. These legumes are also very high in forage quality.
 
Not all pastures are good candidates for adding legumes, however. First, legumes need adequate phosphorus and a pH usually above 6, and some prefer a pH closer to 7. Next, good seed placement is needed. Frost seeding is one method, however, snow-free or very little snow is preferred. Frost seeding uses broadcasting seeding in winter to allow the natural freezing and thawing of the ground to plant the seed for you, resulting in good seed to soil contact. Frost seeding success can vary and while more invasive, drilling is almost always a better option if the pasture would allow it.
 
Lastly, heavy flash grazing several times in the spring will reduce the competition from existing grasses and help promote the legume seedlings. Once the grass is 3 to 4 inches taller than the seedlings, graze quickly until the grasses are grazed down to the height of the legume seedlings.
 
Legumes can help reduce fertilizer cost and create higher quality pastures and hay. Frost seeding is an economical approach that might work to establish legumes in your operation.



Additional incentives offered during CRP sign-up

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is offering additional incentives to landowners who sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program, commonly known as CRP.

Agricultural producers and private landowners can enroll in the CRP general sign-up through Feb. 12, or continuous CRP practices until Oct. 1. The program administered by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency provides annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation.

Through CRP, farmers and ranchers establish a perennial cover, such as a stand of native grasses to help control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on marginal cropland.

Expanding grassland habitat in agricultural landscapes is a large component part of the Game and Parks’ Berggren Plan to improve pheasant hunting. A variety of additional financial incentives are being offered within eight priority areas of the state to encourage landowner participation in CRP.

John Laux, Game and Parks upland habitat and access program manager, said grasslands restored through CRP provide critical habitat for ring-necked pheasants and other grassland-dependent wildlife in Nebraska and beyond.

“CRP fields provide undisturbed cover necessary for nesting and brood-rearing that is otherwise lacking in many areas of the state,” Laux said. “CRP is unique in its ability to restore habitat at the landscape scale and is undoubtedly one of the most impactful programs of the federal farm bill.”

New land offered in the program must have been planted for four out of the six crop years from 2012-2017. Additionally, producers with land already enrolled, but expiring Sept. 30, can re-enroll this year. Fields or portions of fields offered by landowners are evaluated competitively based on soil types and other factors. CRP contracts can run for 10 to 15 years and accepted offers will begin Oct. 1.

CRP sign-up information resources, including an educational video and how to enroll for a live question-and-answer session have been posted at nebraskapf.com/crp-signup. They live sessions are Jan. 19 at noon MST, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. CST, and Jan. 21 at noon CST. Those meetings are a collaboration of Nebraska’s natural resources and wildlife partners.

Those looking to enroll may contact their nearest USDA Service Center, with meetings being scheduled by appointment.

For more information about the additional incentives being offered by Game and Parks, landowners should contact their nearest Game and Parks office or service center and ask to speak to a wildlife biologist about CRP. Offices may be found at outdoornebraska.org/locations.

Note that face coverings, pre-screenings, social distancing and other provisions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 may be required.



USDA Chief Economist and Senator Daschle Join Biofuels Leaders at Summit to Discuss Policy and Markets

USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer and Former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle are joining several biofuel leaders for two roundtables at the Virtual Iowa Renewable Fuel Summit on January 26. Registration is free and open to the public.

“It’s a new year, new format, and now we have new exciting speakers like Senator Daschle and Chief Economist Meyer to help us make sense of the policy and market environment biofuels producers will be navigating in 2021,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Our roundtable discussions have always been a great opportunity to get a wide swath of perspectives together to tackle the hard questions and I expect this year will be no different.”

The 2021 Summit policy roundtable, New Direction: Biofuels Policy in 2021 and Beyond, will include:
    Tom Daschle, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader
    Jon Doggett, CEO, National Corn Growers Association
    Kurt Kovarik, Vice President for Federal Affairs, National Biodiesel Board
    Chris Bliley, Senior Vice President for Regulatory Affairs, Growth Energy
    Moderator: Monte Shaw, IRFA

The Summit will also feature a roundtable discussion on navigating markets since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Normal: Markets in a Post-COVID World roundtable will include:
    Seth Meyer, Chief Economist, USDA
    Josh Pedrick, American Biofuels Managing Editor, S&P Global Platts
    Moderator: Devin Mogler, Vice President of Government Affairs, Green Plains, Inc.

To register and learn more about the Summit, please visit IowaRenewablFuelsSummit.org.



Growth Energy Supports Senate Letter to President-Elect Biden on Biofuels Priorities

Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) led a coalition of senators in sending a letter to President-elect Joe Biden requesting strong support of our nation’s farmers and biofuels industry, and to restore the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).  

Specifically, the senators called on the Biden Administration to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reject pending Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) by applying the 10th Circuit Court’s decision nationwide, publish Renewable Volume Obligations (RVO) swiftly, approve pending pathway applications for corn kernel fiber ethanol, update EPA’s biofuels emissions modeling, and include biofuels when reaffirming our nation’s commitment to the Paris Climate Accord.

“As we begin the new year and new Congress, we are grateful for Sens. Duckworth, Klobuchar, Stabenow, Smith, Baldwin, and Durbin's urgency on behalf of the biofuels industry to raise these top priorities to the incoming Biden Administration,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. “From swiftly publishing RVOs to rejecting SREs, this letter outlines the actions the Biden Administration needs to take to fulfill its campaign promises to rural America and make quick progress on their environmental and energy goals.”



RFA Thanks Senators for Leadership in Defending the Renewable Fuel Standard

The Renewable Fuels Association thanked a group of Democratic Senators today for calling on President-elect Joe Biden to restore the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard and quickly reverse the damages done to the RFS by the outgoing Trump administration. In a letter to Biden, the Senators laid out several steps that will “…support our Nation’s farmers and rural communities while acting to combat climate change.”

“We thank these six Senators for strongly supporting the RFS. These lawmakers understand that when the RFS is properly implemented and enforced, it is an incredibly powerful tool for curbing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “They also recognize that the outgoing Trump administration continues to pose a threat to the integrity of the RFS, and we stand with them to defend the program from midnight-hour manipulation.”

The letter, from Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Richard Durbin (D-IL), laid out four steps the new Biden administration could take to strengthen the RFS, noting “It is critical that the integrity of this policy be restored, and that biofuels be part of your efforts to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the Nation’s largest emitting sector.”

These four steps include:
    Direct EPA to adopt the Tenth Circuit decision nationwide and swiftly reject any pending and future petitions for small refinery exemptions (SREs) that do not meet the standards set forth by the court.
    Publish 2021 Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) swiftly.
    Approve pending pathway applications for corn kernel fiber ethanol and update EPA’s biofuels emissions modeling.
    When reaffirming our commitment to the Paris Climate Accord, include biofuels.

Cooper also noted, “RFA looks forward to working with President-elect Biden and EPA Administrator-designee Michael Regan to ensure the RFS is implemented in a way that fully embraces the program’s potential to drive decarbonization, and we agree with Mr. Biden that renewable fuels play a ‘critical role…in our fight against climate change.’”



ACE Seeks Assurance EPA Administrator Wheeler is Complying with the Law on Any Final RFS Waiver Decisions

Today, American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inspector General seeking assurance that EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s potential last-minute action to grant a significant number of petitions for small refinery exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard complies with federal law. This action follows multiple media outlets reporting EPA is expected to grant a significant number of pending waivers on their way out the door to the private sector.

The letter points out that EPA’s use of SREs to undermine the integrity of the RFS for the economic benefit of oil refiners has been subject to ongoing litigation, most notably the Tenth Circuit Court case. The letter makes specific reference to a Nov. 2, 2020 response Administrator Wheeler provided to a question about when EPA would act on pending SRE petitions where he stated that, “I think it would be inappropriate for me to either grant or deny them [SREs] until that litigation [Tenth Circuit] has completely run its course.”

Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the refiners’ appeal of the Tenth Circuit’s ruling, with arguments scheduled for this spring and a decision likely by summer. Without any substantive change in circumstance surrounding whether to grant or deny these waivers and the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the appeal, the letter to the Inspector General states that “Given Wheeler’s prior explanation of waiting until the Supreme Court has decided, it is perplexing why he appears to be rapidly reversing course. Therefore, we encourage you to ensure that all communications from Administrator Wheeler and any other correspondence of President Trump’s political appointees about the pending SRE waiver petitions be preserved. This should include communications among Trump appointees and EPA career staff with trade groups and law firms who represent oil refineries with waiver petitions pending, as well as with officials or lobbyists of these companies directly.”

The letter concludes outlining that “This information, in part, is needed to ensure that dispensation of these waiver petitions comply with federal laws regarding political appointees’ roles in federal acts affecting a personal financial interest.”



Uneventful Fall Brings Stability to U.S. Organic Corn and Soybean Markets

Declining organic corn imports assisted in market stabilization during the first four months of 2020/21, according to the Mercaris Market Update released today. Organic feed-grade corn averaged nearly $0.40 per bushel higher than the end of 2019/20 reaching $6.98 per bushel in December; while organic soybeans declined slightly to $19.66/bu.

The 2019/2020 marketing year proved challenging for organic corn markets, with prices tumbling from September 2019 to September 2020, while the 2020 harvest promised record setting U.S. production. However, decreased imports and reduced harvest estimates have stabilized prices so far in 2020/21. Mercaris data shows that imports of organic corn were down 30 percent for the first four months of the marketing year compared to the prior marketing year.

Although organic corn prices have leveled off, Mercaris cautions the year ahead holds the potential to catch markets off-guard.

“The transitioning of the U.S. government and ongoing COVID-19 response will likely drive changes in demand and trade,” says Ryan Koory, Director of Economics for Mercaris. “Consumer incomes and the U.S. growing reliance on organic soybean meal imports continue to warrant close observation.”

Koory added that the pace of U.S. organic soybean meal imports more than doubled over the first four months of 2020/21 compared to the prior year.



USDA Releases Agriculture Innovation Research Strategy Summary and Dashboard

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its U.S. Agriculture Innovation Strategy Directional Vision for Research (PDF, 4.8 MB) summary and dashboard that will help to guide future research decisions within USDA. The strategy synthesizes the information USDA collected as part of a public announcement earlier this year engaging the public on research priorities under the Agriculture Innovation Agenda (AIA).

“This initial report is a culmination of creative minds from across the agricultural community,” said Deputy Under Secretary Scott Hutchins, who leads USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics mission area, and who is responsible for research efforts under the AIA. “Innovation and ingenuity have always been key to solving critical agricultural production challenges and will also be critical for addressing new and emerging challenges on the horizon—and our stakeholders advocated for some truly bold goals. We believe this information and the AIA will create enthusiasm, bridge collaborations, drive constructive discussion, and spark imagination to convey the positive role innovation will play to help solve challenges that face our nation in meeting pressing demands to feed a growing population in a sustainable way,” said Hutchins.

USDA collected hundreds of responses through the RFI and stakeholder-led workshops. Respondents were asked to identify transformational research goals for the next era of agriculture productivity and environmental conservation. They were also asked to propose approaches to these opportunities around four innovation cluster areas (Genome Design, Digital Automation, Prescriptive Intervention, and Systems Based Farm Management), and to identify gaps, barriers, and hurdles to meeting these goals.

This report summarizes the extensive stakeholder input and defines discovery goals that will help inform research to best address the AIA for the next 10 to 30 years.

USDA developed the public dashboard to help sort the information collected from stakeholders. Stakeholders and customers can use the dashboard to take a deeper dive into the data to gain insights on agricultural innovation opportunities over three time horizons, including near-term solutions, longer-term transformational solutions, and next era concepts.

Both products are iterative and are starting points for moving the innovation community forward in reaching agricultural research goals and AIA outcomes. USDA will seek additional input from stakeholders to continue to shape and build the agriculture innovation strategy and fill any remaining gaps where more input is needed. Next steps include aligning existing USDA research programs against these bold innovation goals, while also linking existing research activities to the objectives to inform the broader innovation community of progress and enlist their engagement.

Background on USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda (AIA):
The AIA is a Department-wide effort to align USDA’s resources, programs, and research to provide farmers with the tools they need to position American agriculture as a global leader in meeting future food, fiber, fuel, feed, and climate demands. As part of the AIA, USDA set ambitious goals to increase agricultural production by 40 percent, while cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture in half by 2050.

The AIA is comprised of four main components. The first component is to develop a U.S. Agriculture Innovation Strategy that aligns and synchronizes public and private-sector research. The second component is to align the work of our customer-facing agencies and integrate innovative technologies and practices into USDA programs. The third component is to conduct a review of USDA productivity and conservation data to improve our ability to track progress against our goals. Finally, USDA set benchmarks to hold us accountable. Learn more on USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda website https://www.usda.gov/aia.



 ASA & Other Ag Groups Talked, & They Listened!

The United States Department of Agriculture has released its Agriculture Innovation Strategy Directional Vision for Research, the culmination of a months-long process of gathering and selecting information from the public—including the American Soybean Association (ASA) and other agriculture groups—on research priorities under the Agricultural Innovation Agenda (AIA). The soy policy group is very pleased the resulting summary of the Ag Innovation vision—and correlating public dashboard for accessing that information—incorporates recommendations made by ASA as part of the stakeholder consultation process.

Kevin Scott, soy grower from Valley Springs, South Dakota, and ASA president commented, “ASA grower-leaders and staff spent many hours the past year crafting ideas and offering recommendations to USDA on how to better position American agriculture for future success through innovation aimed at improved production, environmental sustainability and market development. We are appreciative that USDA incorporated high level, agenda-oriented recommendations provided by ASA, as well as more specific research and innovation-enabling proposals.”

Many recommendations submitted by ASA and subsequently included by USDA align with priorities the grower group has shared with the incoming Biden administration and speak to how innovation can act as a tool for successfully increasing productivity while reducing the environmental footprint.

A predominant theme of ASA’s recommendations to USDA was that innovations in productivity and sustainability must be viewed through the lens of economic sustainability, seeking to ensure that significant increases in productivity do not have a destabilizing effect on markets.

Kyle Kunkler, ASA director over innovation, said this project should demonstrate how farmer-leaders can collaborate across administrations to achieve long-term goals important to agriculture and the greater public: “We believe this focus on economic stability, coupled with increases in productivity and environmental sustainability, will allow soybean growers to continue to feed and fuel a growing global population in a way that will result in reduced environmental impact from production and end-products.”

ASA appreciates the investment by USDA staff to both administer the AIA in a collaborative, thoughtful manner and in defining a specific Vision for Directional Research that is potentially viable and effective.

Scott expressed, “It is our hope that many of the needs and innovative solutions identified by various stakeholders, as well as the accumulation of these ideas and directional vision offered by USDA, can serve as a foundational effort to direct public and private research to a more productive and sustainable future for U.S. agriculture. ASA looks forward to working with policymakers and other stakeholders in the months and years ahead to realize that vision.”



New Holland Agriculture wins 2020 Good Design Award for the BigBaler High Density

The Good Design® international jury panel of design professionals, leading industry specialists, design journalists and critics awarded the BigBaler High Density, which takes a new direction, using effectively advanced design techniques to enhance the efficiency of the ‘engineered’ components. This range, designed for delivering all-out efficiency and productivity, has already received recognition from the industry, having been awarded an ASABE AE50 Award, an Agritechnica Silver Innovation Medal and a Machine of the Year 2020 award.

The BigBaler High Density was one of the product designs selected by the jury from a record number of submissions from the world’s leading manufacturers and industrial and graphic design firms from over 48 countries. The award recognizes the most innovative and cutting-edge industrial, product, and graphic designs produced around the world, and the selection is based on the criteria of quality design of the highest form, function, and aesthetics a standard beyond ordinary consumer products and graphics. As a winner of the award, the BigBaler High Density will feature in the Good Design Yearbook for 2020-2021.

Carlo Lambro, New Holland Brand President, commented: “We are honored to receive this prestigious award, which recognises New Holland’s ability to put innovation at the service of its customers, always pushing the boundaries of productivity and efficiency. The BigBaler High Density is a winning example of how the collaboration between the CNH Industrial Design Team and our Product Engineering Teams enable New Holland to keep raising the bar on performance to the advantages of our customers. I would like to thank the design teams who developed this exceptional product and our manufacturing team at our Center of Harvesting Excellence in Zedelgem.”

David Wilkie, CNH Industrial Design Director, added: “The design vision for the BigBaler High Density stems from nature, inspired by the flowing lines of crops as they sway in the fields. It incorporates the natural flow vision denoted by its sinuous, sleek lines that encapsulate the functionality of the machine and enhance the efficiency of the machine’s components.”

The New Holland BigBaler High Density is designed for delivering all-out efficiency and productivity. It produces bales of up to 22% higher density than conventional large square balers, significantly increasing transport and bale handling efficiency.

The unique patented Loop Master™ knotting technology ensures best-in-class solid tying and protects both the environment and forage by eliminating twine offcuts. By introducing a loop-style second knot, during an average 10,000-bale season, this system eliminates over 3.5 miles, or over 100 lbs of twine offcuts.

The range also introduces the unique SmartShift™ gearbox, winner of an Agritechnica Silver Innovation Medal, that delivers a soft start up resulting in greater comfort for the operator and overload protection for the tractor’s driveline.

Operator comfort is further enhanced with a new intuitive user interface using the large IntelliView™ IV touchscreen display. A range of automated features, such as IntelliCruise™ technology, which automatically adjusts tractor speed in relation to crop throughput, further enhance productivity.

All the advanced features of the BigBaler High Density result in outstanding in-field efficiency, with fewer bales per field and more tons transported in each trailer load. In short higher productivity saving time and transport costs.

The BigBaler High Density is built at the New Holland Center of Harvesting Excellence in Zedelgem, Belgium, and is the culmination of more than 30 years and over 30,000 large square bales produced to date.



Organic Valley Appoints Three New Vice Presidents  

Organic Valley is proud to announce the appointment of three senior leaders as vice presidents of the cooperative. The newly promoted leaders are:
    Kate Campbell, Vice President of Business Insights and Data Science
    Jaclyn Cardin, Vice President of Integrated Brand Marketing
    Jennifer Lilla, Vice President of Accounting and Financial Reporting
 
Organic Valley is the nation’s largest organic, farmer-owned cooperative and one of the world’s largest organic consumer brands.  

“These individuals have proven themselves as exceptional leaders who are deeply committed to our mission of supporting our farmer-owners with a stable, sustainable price for their hard work and dedication to organic agriculture,” said CEO Bob Kirchoff. “These promotions recognize the vital role their expertise contributes to our ability to achieve that mission.”  

With these promotions, the cooperative advances its commitment to gender equity with women holding 44% of upper-level leadership positions; across the organization, women comprise nearly half of all employees.

Kate Campbell, Vice President of Business Insights and Data Science
A 17-year veteran of Organic Valley, Campbell is a highly respected leader and subject area expert skilled at creating analytical frameworks and structures. In her role, she will leverage data and analytics to help the cooperative make informed, forward-looking decisions. 

Jaclyn Cardin, Vice President of Integrated Marketing
Cardin is responsible for setting the strategic direction for Organic Valley’s integrated marketing across the consumer journey. In her role she oversees advertising, digital marketing, consumer communications, creative, and marketing operations.  She joined Organic Valley in early 2018 as Director of Interactive. Prior to that she held the position of Senior Director of Digital at Devacurl, where she led strategic direction for the company’s Direct-to-Consumer channel.

Jennifer Lilla, CPA, Vice President of Accounting and Financial Reporting   
Lilla, a certified public accountant, is responsible for overseeing accounting and financial reporting, business planning, investor relations, financing, and compliance for Organic Valley. Lilla joined the cooperative in July 2019; before joining the cooperative, she served as a senior manager at the public accounting firm of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, where she provided assurance and advisory services to manufacturing and distribution clients, specializing in agribusiness and the food and beverage industry.