Tuesday February 16 Ag News

 FALL DORMANCY IN ALFALFA
– Ben Beckman, NE Extension Educator

The time for spring planting alfalfa is just around the corner and two traits often confused, are fall dormancy and winter survival.  Last week we covered winter survival, let’s look at fall dormancy today.

Fall dormancy is a measure of an alfalfa plant’s ability to regrow in the fall after harvest and spring following winter. It is scored on a scale ranging from 1 to 11 with 1 being most dormant and 11 the least.  Higher dormancy means a harvested plant will focus its resources in the fall more on building reserves to survive the winter and less on new growth.

This tendency toward slower regrowth manifests throughout the year, with less dormant varieties typically recovering faster in the spring and producing overall higher yields.  Another role dormancy plays is keeping plants from starting growth during the random warm-ups in the fall and winter months. Plants that break bud during these periods are subject to winterkill.

Finally, fall dormancy can impact the harvest timetable.  Lower dormancy ratings means a plant regrow slower.  This translates into more time to remove forage from the field before “windrow disease” and field traffic become a concern.

In the past, fall dormancy traits were linked with winter survival. With new varieties, this isn’t always the case, so fall dormancy needs to be evaluated on its own.

Variety selection depends upon your management, production goals, and ability for a stand to make it through winter without sacrificing additional yield.  If you have regular issues with stand winterkill, a lower rated variety with improved dormancy.  In Nebraska, we recommend dormancy ratings 1 through 5.  



Naig Requests Funding to Support Recommendations from the Economic Recovery Advisory Board Ag Working Group

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig met with the Iowa House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee today to review the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s proposed FY2022 budget. Secretary Naig used this opportunity to discuss some of his priority initiatives that help protect animal health, continue to improve soil health and water quality, and create new markets for Iowa farmers.

“I was proud to co-lead the Governor’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board Agriculture Working Group. Input from those stakeholders helped shape some of the Department’s legislative priorities,” said Secretary Naig. “The Ag Working Group identified strategies to support a value-added agriculture program, increase the demand for higher blends of renewable fuels, and continue to lead the state’s ongoing conservation, environmental stewardship and sustainability efforts. Funding to support these initiatives is reflected in the Department’s FY2022 budget request.”

Value-Added Agriculture Grant Program
New this year, Secretary Naig has requested $500,000 to establish a value-added agriculture grant program. If this funding is approved, the Department will provide grants that incentivize, reduce some financial risk and create networks so producers feel empowered to explore new product offerings, expand production and test alternative marketing strategies. The Department successfully pilot-tested similar grant programs using CARES Act funding in 2020.

Secretary Naig also requested increased funding to support the following ongoing initiatives:

Foreign Animal Disease Prevention and Response Planning
Iowa’s livestock market contributes more than $13 billion to the state’s economy. If a foreign animal disease breaches U.S. borders, it could be devastating to Iowa’s livestock herds, international trade markets, and agriculture-based economy. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has been working closely with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), farmer-led livestock groups, and other livestock-producing states to apply the lessons learned during previous animal disease outbreaks and develop plans to prevent, contain and eradicate any future outbreaks as quickly as possible.

Since 2019, the Department has held a series of workshops to prepare for an African Swine Fever outbreak and test its Foot and Mouth Disease vaccination strategy. The state has purchased equipment and developed resources to help producers formulate on-farm response plans, and created an online training program to increase the number of public and private veterinarians who are available to assist with a disease outbreak.

Secretary Naig has requested an additional $500,000 from the Iowa Legislature to continue building upon these efforts.

Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program
The renewable fuels industry is a cornerstone of Iowa’s economy. According to a recent study commissioned by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, the production of ethanol and biodiesel accounts for nearly $4 billion in state GDP, supports 37,000 direct and indirect jobs, and boosts Iowa household income by $1.8 billion. The renewable fuels industry was also hit hard in 2020 by travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Secretary Naig has requested an additional $2 million for the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) to help fuel retailers and dispensers convert their equipment to offer more and/or higher blends of renewable fuels at convenience stores and travel centers. When fuel retailers invest in infrastructure that supports higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel, drivers gain access to more affordable, cleaner-burning fuels at the pump.

To date, the RFIP program has distributed or obligated more than $38 million to help fund 335 E85 dispensers/blenders, 362 biodiesel dispensers/blenders, 72 E15 projects, and 143 biodiesel terminals in Iowa.

Soil Health and Water Quality Initiative
2020 was a record year for conservation efforts in the state of Iowa. With continued, long-term water quality funding, the Department will continue working alongside farmers, landowners and municipal leaders to support the adoption and completion of conservation practices in priority watersheds to advance the goals outlined in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. These rural and urban projects improve soil health and water quality, provide wildlife habitats, and support recreational opportunities, like hunting and fishing. To learn more about the Department’s ongoing soil health and water quality initiatives, visit CleanWaterIowa.org.



NCBA’s Winter Reboot Features Unique Educational Sessions

The 2021 Cattle Industry Convention Winter Reboot is a two-day virtual event and will be held Feb. 23-24, featuring 15 unique educational sessions. The title sponsor of the event is Corteva Agriscience.

The Winter Reboot will kick off each day with general sessions followed by a series of educational sessions. Day one includes a two-part General Session, sponsored by Central Life Sciences, featuring National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) CEO Colin Woodall and NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane to discuss the state of the cattle industry and expectations in Washington, D.C., over the next four years. Part two will include a D.C. issues update with NCBA’s Washington D.C., staff to share their work and the conversations they are having on both sides of the aisle to fight for the interests of U.S. cattle producers. The General Session on day two will feature a market update presented by CattleFax and sponsored by Zoetis and Purina Animal Nutrition.

“During the Winter Reboot, producers not only have an opportunity to hear from some of the leading experts in topics that impact their cattle operations every day, but they also have the chance to interact with those experts and ask questions,” said NCBA Executive Director of Producer Education & Sustainability Josh White. “The wide variety of sessions offers something for every producer and this virtual experience will provide vital industry updates and education. We encourage cattlemen and women to take advantage of this informative and educational program.”

The Winter Reboot experience will also feature a Cattlemen’s College convention preview with Jayson Lusk Ph.D., titled “The COVID Effect. Are Consumers Still Hungry for Beef?”, sponsored by Zoetis.

Winter Reboot attendees can expect to learn more about genetics and reproduction. John Genho and Darrh Bullock, Ph.D., will lead a session to help cattlemen and women navigate how to best invest resources in making wise decisions that drive positive, productive change including how to best utilize EPDs, selection indexes, genomics, crossbreeding and other decision-making tools. Anna Taylor, Ph.D., and Dusty Abney, Ph.D., will discuss the value of appropriate nutrition through targeted and strategic supplementation during the different stages of reproduction to improve producers’ short- and long-term goals. These sessions are sponsored by Neogen and Cargill, respectively.

Attendees can also dive deeper into the topic of sustainability through a session with Jason Sawyer, Ph.D., and Myriah Johnson, Ph.D. They will provide an overview of the latest, science-based information supporting beef’s critical role in a sustainable food system. This session is sponsored by Diamond V.

Other educational topics featured during the Winter Reboot include a discussion, sponsored by Popular Ag Finance, with Dan Childs and Jason Bradley from the Nobel Research Institute to discuss how to market cattle with intention to add value. Attendees will also learn more about technology tools being used by every sector of the cattle industry from Justin Sexten, Ph.D., and Jacob Gilley. This session is sponsored by Fort Supply Technologies.

NCBA Washington, D.C., team members Danielle Beck, Allison Rivera, and Kaitlynn Glover will lead a discussion on how to build and maintain working relationships with Congress, sponsored by Norbrook.

Additional information about the Winter Reboot experience, can be found at convention.ncba.org/winter-reboot.



Agriculture Makes Gains in Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions

New analysis of EPA data highlights agricultural emissions reductions and the importance of developing new research and technologies to capture more carbon in cropland and pastureland. The American Farm Bureau Federation’s latest Market Intel also reviews trends in U.S. carbon sequestration as climate-smart farming practices increase.

The report reveals that U.S. carbon sinks offset 12% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and sequestered 764 million metric tons during 2018. The largest carbon sink involved U.S. forestry lands.

It also highlights the fact that cropland productivity has increased by nearly 50% since 1990 while the net emissions “flux” – the net of carbon emissions and carbon sinks associated with land use and land-use changes – has remained consistent. This builds on existing evidence that farmers and ranchers are raising more food, fibers and producing more renewable fuels using fewer resources and utilizing smarter practices.

“Farmers and ranchers have made great strides in climate-smart practices, yet we’re always looking for ways to do better,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “Agriculture has been proactive in working toward sustainability goals and we’re looking for partners to help us do even more through market-based, voluntary programs. The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance, which we co-founded, has 40 recommendations for lawmakers as they consider climate policy. We encourage new allies to join us as we build on climate-smart advances while ensuring farmers continue to provide safe, affordable food for America’s families.”

The Market Intel reports an almost 34-million-acre reduction in forestland and cropland since 1990, with a 28-million-acre growth in housing and commercial development.

New research and technologies are needed to achieve climate goals without jeopardizing production of the world’s food, fiber and fuel.



Ethanol Industry Generated $35 Billion in GDP, Supported Over 300,000 Jobs in 2020

Even after experiencing a sudden drop in demand due to the COVID pandemic, the U.S. ethanol industry still had a significantly positive impact on the U.S. economy in 2020, according to the annual ethanol industry economic impact study released today by the Renewable Fuels Association.

The economic analysis was prepared for the RFA by John M. Urbanchuk, Managing Partner of ABF Economics.

“Despite the disruptive effects of the COVID pandemic, economic and regulatory challenges in 2020, the ethanol industry continued to make a significant contribution to the economy in terms of job creation, generation of tax revenue, and displacement of crude oil and petroleum products,” Urbanchuk writes. “The importance of the ethanol industry to agriculture and rural economies is particularly notable.”

In 2020, more than 62,000 U.S. jobs were directly associated with the ethanol industry, which supported an additional 242,600 indirect and induced jobs across all sectors of the economy. The industry created $18.6 billion in household income and contributed $34.7 billion to the national gross domestic product. This was 19 percent below 2019’s GDP contribution, primarily as the result of lower output and lower prices.

“Even though the pandemic created enormous headwinds for our industry in 2020, the resilience of the men and women who work in the U.S. renewable fuels sector shined through,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “The ethanol industry certainly was not spared from the devastation that beset the entire U.S. economy in 2020, but the nation’s 200-plus ethanol biorefineries continued to provide good-paying jobs in scores of rural communities. And those essential workers did more than produce renewable fuel and livestock feed in 2020—they also made virus-killing sanitizers and the dry ice used to ship millions of doses of life-saving vaccines.”



Vilsack Confirmation, Ag Climate Hearing and Delay for USTR Nominee

The Senate will vote to confirm Tom Vilsack as Agriculture secretary, on Tuesday, February 23.  The Senate made the decision on Saturday after the vote on former President Donald Trump's impeachment. The Senate has not set a time for the confirmation of Vilsack, who served as Agriculture secretary in the Obama administration.

Both the Senate and the House are out of session this week following the Presidents Day holiday.

House Ag to Hold Climate Hearing Next Tuesday
The House Agriculture will hold a hearing, Climate Change and the U.S. Agriculture and Forestry Sectors, on Tuesday, February 23.

The hearing will be the committee's first since Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., became chairman of the committee.

The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. as a hybrid meeting held in Room 1300 of the Longworth House Office Building and via Cisco Webex.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, House office buildings are closed to the public, but the hearing will be available on YouTube.

Grassley: No Hearing on USTR Nominee Likely Until mid-March
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who chaired the Senate Finance Committee in the 116th Congress, said today he does not expect Katherine Tai, President Biden's nominee for U.S. trade representative, to get a committee confirmation hearing until mid-March.

Speaking to rural reporters, Grassley said that Tai might get a Senate floor confirmation vote before the congressional break that begins March 26 for two weeks because she is not considered to be a controversial nominee, but that her confirmation vote might not come until April.



Top Agribusiness Executives Featured in Live Roundtable Discussions During 2021 Special Edition of Commodity Classic

What do the next 20 years look like in American agriculture?  Attendees at the 2021 Special Edition of Commodity Classic will have the opportunity to hear some of the top executives in agribusiness answer that question.

Three Executive Roundtables will be held during the 2021 Special Edition of Commodity Classic that will be delivered digitally March 2-5, 2021.  Each roundtable will be presented live and then archived for future viewing through the end of April.  More information is available at CommodityClassic.com.

The first Executive Roundtable takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Central on Wednesday, March 3 and features top executives from the ag equipment industry, including John Deere, AGCO, Case IH and Kubota, discussing how changing farm demographics, consumer demands and technology may impact the ag equipment industry and agriculture in general. The panel will be moderated by Charlene Finck of Farm Journal.

The crop production industry will take the digital stage on Thursday, March 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Central.  Executives from Bayer Crop Science, Corteva Agriscience, Syngenta and BASF will be on the panel to discuss how climate, environmental regulations and innovative technologies may impact crop production and influence the future of agriculture. Greg Horstmeier of DTN will moderate.

The final Executive Roundtable will take place Friday, March 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Willie Vogt of Farm Progress will moderate a panel of top executives from Valent, New Holland, and the United Soybean Board who will discuss what to expect in the coming years as the ag industry wrestles with recent turmoil.

The Executive Panels are among more than 50 educational sessions scheduled during the 2021 Special Edition of Commodity Classic, which kicks off at noon Central on Tuesday, March 2.

Thanks to the generous support of sponsors, the first 5,000 farmers who register can do so at no charge.  All other attendees can register for $20.  The registration fee includes access to the entire week’s program as well as access to archived sessions through April 30, 2021.



Former U.S. Ambassador Gregg Doud Joins Aimpoint Research

Aimpoint Research®, a global, strategic intelligence firm, today welcomes former U.S. Ambassador Gregg Doud as Vice President of Global Situational Awareness & Chief Economist. Doud most recently served as Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and is one of the primary architects of the U.S.-China "Phase One" trade agreement.

Aimpoint Research specializes in providing superior intelligence to the agri-food value chain and Doud brings an unparalleled global perspective and economic expertise to the team. He will work closely with members of the Executive Intelligence Network (EIN) and play a major role as the organization tackles its thought leadership priorities, including Farmer of the Future, Next Gen Consumer, Mobility of the Future, and more.

"We are thrilled to bring Gregg onto our team," said Brett Sciotto, Aimpoint Research CEO. "His economics background, experience in trade and commodity markets and his global perspective will be an extraordinary addition as we serve our clients in the agri-food industry. Gregg will also bring tremendous insights to our thought leadership platforms and Executive Intelligence Network."  

Doud cited the company's approach to intelligence and core values for his decision.

"Aimpoint Research is built on the foundational principals of military intelligence and the core belief that food power is essential to national security," said Doud. "I was drawn to those values, as well as to their distinctive approach to intelligence. They are doing fantastic things in the agri-food industry as they work to build resiliency and competitive advantage for their clients. I'm honored to join them in their mission."

Prior to his role with the U.S. Trade Representative Doud served as President of the Commodity Markets Council, the leading trade association for commodity futures exchanges and their industry counterparts, where he worked to lead the industry in addressing global market and risk management issues.

As a senior staff member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Doud helped craft the 2012 Senate Farm Bill working on international trade, food aid, livestock, and oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Doud served as Chief Economist for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association for eight years and is a former market analyst for the U.S. Wheat Associates.

Raised on a dry-land wheat, grain sorghum, soybean, swine, and cow-calf operation near Mankato in North-Central Kansas, Doud continues to be involved in his family's 100-year-old farm and is a partner in a commercial cow-calf operation. He received a B.S. in Agriculture with an emphasis in animal science, as well as a M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University. He currently resides with his family on their horse farm in Lothian, Maryland.



Brazil's Slow Soybean Harvest Widens U.S. Export Window

Harvesting delays in Brazil, the world's top soybean producer, are prompting buyers led by China to rely on rival exporter the United States for longer than usual in 2021, according to government data and traders.

Reuters reports that sustained demand for U.S. soybeans is accelerating an historic drawdown of U.S. supplies of the oilseed and could further drive up soybean prices at a time of rising food inflation as countries hoard staples during the pandemic.

Concerns over tight global soybean supplies after China dramatically increased purchases in recent months ignited a 4.5% U.S. soybean futures rally last month to a 6-1/2-year high.

Brazil usually harvests its soybeans in the first three months of the year, marking an end to the dominance of U.S. exports. However, that process has been delayed by a drought last year that slowed plantings, and rainfall at harvest time.

The country's shipments of soybeans in January were 28 times lower than a year before at 49,500 tonnes, an amount insufficient to fill up a single vessel, Brazilian trade data showed.

In contrast, the United States, its biggest rival in global markets, inspected some 8.9 million tonnes for shipment in the month, the highest on record, according to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data.



DEI Joins Fight Against Sudden Death Syndrome in Soybeans with First-ever Biological Agent

American soybean growers will now have a tough new EPA-registered seed treatment option for guarding crops from sudden death syndrome (SDS) and improving their yields. It will be made available in the U.S. for the first time through Direct Enterprises, Inc. (DEI), the Indiana-based seed treatment experts.

“We’re pleased to be the first to bring CeraMax® to American farmers,” says Bill Haubner, DEI co-founder and president, in announcing the new product’s availability. “CeraMax is the tool today’s soybean producers need in the war against Fusarium, the fungal disease causing SDS.”

Containing the active ingredient Natamycin, CeraMax empowers the genetic potential of soybean seeds to increase early-season vigor for a stronger, more uniform emergence and maximum yield potential according to research findings. Haubner says DEI sought to bring the product to the US after seeing yield trials.

“Across research trials in 10 states, where CeraMax was added to Acceleron Standard seed treatments, beans showed significantly lower SDS disease incidence and an average yield increase of 4.3 bushel per acre,” explains Haubner. More than 50 field trials were accomplished and compared with an Acceleron-only control treatment. CeraMax also bested hard chemical alternatives ILEVO® and Saltro® in plant vigor tests with no signs of phytotoxic stress on the beans.

DEI is well known for their custom seed treatment blends of hard chemistry, growth promotors and flowability Agents as well as their multi-strained Brady Rhizobia inoculant N-Force™.

The company expects to place 20,000 units of the new CeraMax biological in a variety of growing conditions throughout soybean producing areas hardest hit by SDS in years just past.

“We’ve seen the heartache SDS has brought US soybean farmers and this is an effective, yield-enhancing alternative that is much better from an environmental stewardship standpoint,” says Dennis Tauchen, DEI co-founder and COO. CeraMax was discovered and is produced by Ceradis, a spin-off of Wageningen University & Research in The Netherlands. After looking into Ceradis, developers of CeraMax, Tauchen and Haudner felt this was a logical offering for DEI.

“Farmers in the USA are under pressure by regulators and consumers to move to biological products, but they also wish to keep their yield in doing so,” says Willem-Jan Meulemeesters, CEO of Ceradis. “Now, with CeraMax, farmers can achieve both.”

Meulemeesters says CeraMax is another example of Ceradis’ green innovations – technology to help reduce chemical pesticides. “We are fully committed to making CeraMax a success in the US with our partners at DEI.”