Tuesday March 30 Ag News

 PLANNING PRESCRIBED BURNING
– Jerry Volesky, NE Extension

Late March and April is a key time period when prescribed burning of pasture and CRP lands occurs.  Within this time period, there are a limited number of days when weather conditions such as wind speed, direction, and humidity meet the required prescription for the unit that is being burned.  With this, having a detailed burn plan is needed to make sure the work is done safely.

The primary objective of most prescribed burns in Nebraska is to control eastern red cedar trees.  However, prescribed burns can also improve grass stands, prepare them for interseeding, reduce annual grassy and broadleaf weeds, enhance wildlife habitat, and improve forage quality.

Safe and controlled prescribed burns don’t just happen.  It takes preparation, planning, and an understanding of how fire reacts in certain weather conditions, with particular fuel loads, and on various types of topography.

Prescribed fire is useful on CRP or other fields that are overgrown with dead growth from previous years.  This mulch can smother plants and new seedlings, causing stands to thin.  Fire removes this mulch, enabling stands to thicken, and it improves wildlife habitat.

Timing of a prescribed fire is important.  For warm-season grasses, a good time to burn is when they just start to grow, usually mid-April to early May.  Burning then will result in rapid green-up and thickening of desirable warm-season plants, and reduce invading cool-season grasses.

Plan your prescribed burn carefully and be aware of the topography and other factors that will affect how the fire behaves.  Never burn unless weather conditions are within your burn prescription.  Plus, make sure your burn is legal.  You must obtain a burn permit from your local fire chief.  And finally, it is always a great benefit to have someone experienced in prescribed burning as part of your burning crew.



The First Quarterly Report on Levels of Negotiated Trade by Region under the Industry's 75% Rule
Elliott Dennis, Livestock Extension Economist, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Last year several pieces of legislation were introduced in both the US House of Representatives and US Congress whose principal aim was to increase the level of negotiated cash trade. The cattle industry responded to proposed legislation by creating a voluntary framework, known as the 75% rule, that includes cattle feeder and packing plant triggers based on levels of negotiated trade and marketplace participation. The overarching objective is similar to the introduced legislation – to increase the frequency and price transparency in all major cattle feeding and packing regions.

To review, the 75% rule framework functions off a series of minor and major triggers. There are eight minor triggers (four cattle feeding and four packer participation). Minor triggers are summed within a quarter and aggregated up from weekly thresholds where three minor triggers equal a major trigger. A major trigger occurring in two of four rolling quarters would prompt the industry to seek legislative action. This policy can be adjusted given updates from literature, industry, and qualifying Black Swan events or ad hoc events that disrupt the normal beef complex.

This voluntary framework went into effect on January 1, 2021. The end of March represents the first quarter to be analyzed. This article presents the first update on the regional performance of the industry framework as of March 29, 2021. A detailed analysis of the historical performance and potential considerations, from a previous ITCM article, can be found here. Each quarter updates will be made to monitor the current performance of the proposed industry framework and to reflect the most current market conditions.

Packer Silos
The packer participation portion of the plan is still under development. NCBA and the Meatpacking Industry have not made any further formal announcements about when or what minor triggers will look like.

Feeder Silos
A feeding region can fail in any given week a minor cattle feeding trigger occurs if less than 75% of the robust level of negotiated trade occurs in less than 75% of the weeks in a given quarter. I further assume that a cattle feeding region fails if it is non-reporting due to confidentiality. The four cattle feeding areas are 1) Nebraska-Colorado (NE-CO), 2) Texas-Oklahoma-New Mexico (TX-OK-NM), 3) Kansas (KS), and 4) Iowa-Minnesota (IA-MN).

Violations occurred in 9 of the 13 weeks for a total of 10 total violations. The NE-CO and IA-MN regions did not violate any weeks during Q1:2021. The TX-NM-OK region violated 4 of 13 weeks and the KS region violated 6 of the 14 weeks. Under the current proposed 75% rule, both the KS and TX-OK-MN regions would have quarterly violations and thus become minor triggers. Overall, across weeks and locations, 19.23% of location-weeks violated the 75% rule.
           
Discussion
The industry’s “75% rule” was developed in response to proposed legislation to solve potential concerns about thinness in negotiated trade across different regions. In Q1:2021, two minors triggers would have occurred in the cattle feeding region. The packing region is still under discussion. Two of the largest factors in the policy are the number of weeks required to meet negotiated minimums and the percent of robust trade. In this quarter, the percent of robust trade was less of a concern than the total number of weeks required to meet robust trade minimums.



Northeast Nexus Project Receives $50,000 donation from Gardner Foundation

A charitable foundation based in Wakefield is contributing $50,000 to the project to build new agriculture facilities at Northeast Community College.

The Gardner Foundation was founded in 1990 when the Gardner Family sold their interest in the M.G. Waldbaum Co. in Wakefield. The Foundation provides charitable grants to worthy tax-exempt organizations, and the Foundation’s vision has benefited recipients across eastern Nebraska, northwest Iowa and beyond. Trustees are Leslie Bebee, Kirk Gardner and David Gardner.

Bebee, president of the Gardner Foundation, said, “Agriculture is so important to our area and we are proud to support agriculture education and future agriculture leaders. We hope by investing in our youth they will continue in the agriculture Industry and farm operations in Nebraska for many years to come. Today's youth are the future of tomorrow.”

Dr. Tracy Kruse, Northeast vice president of development and external affairs and executive director of the Northeast Foundation, expressed her appreciation for the support of the Gardner Foundation.

“The Gardner Foundation investment in the Nexus project at Northeast will help provide cutting edge instruction for students in our 13 areas of agricultural study,” she said. “These students are the future of northeast Nebraska, returning to their hometowns as the next generation of farmers and ranchers and as employees of businesses that support production agriculture.”

The Nexus project includes a new veterinary technology clinic and classroom building, a combined farm operations and large animal handling facility, a new feedlot and lagoon, and other typical farm structures. These new ag facilities are currently under construction near the Chuck M. Pohlman Ag Complex, 2301 E. Benjamin Ave., and will replace a 100-year-old repurposed dairy barn. Construction on the project began in April 2020 and is expected to be completed by fall 2021. Progress can be viewed in real time at northeast.edu/webcams.

The funding for the agriculture facilities will come from the College’s commitment of $10 million, as well as external fundraising to fill the gap. The total cost for construction, equipment, technology and furnishings is $22.3 million. The College has raised enough funds for construction; however, more is needed for equipment, technology and furnishings, so fundraising continues for the Nexus campaign.

In August 2019, the Acklie Charitable Foundation (ACF) announced a $5 million lead gift to the Nexus project. ACF was founded by the late Duane Acklie and Phyllis Acklie, both Madison County natives and graduates of Norfolk Junior College, a predecessor institution of Northeast Community College.

For more information on the Nexus Campaign, visit agwaternexus.com.



Extension offering free suicide prevention training

An upcoming online training will teach participants how to recognize and respond to potential signs of crisis and suicidal behavior.

Life can be stressful in the best of times. For Nebraskans, the last few years have been particularly challenging. The recent disasters and the pandemic have changed how we work, juggle family and finances, manage our health and the health of our loved ones. These challenges can contribute to being overwhelmed and increase one’s anxiety.

In response to addressing life’s uncertainty, Nebraska Extension will offer an online “Question. Persuade. Refer.” training. QPR is a suicide prevention program that teaches participants three steps to help save a life from suicide.

An individual who is trained in first aid, CPR or the Heimlich maneuver can help save lives. And people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone to get help.

This 90-minute training will be held online, via Zoom, on April 22 at 11 a.m. Central time. There is no cost to attend the training, but registration is required at https://go.unl.edu/qpr21. The class is limited to 30 participants.

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2019-77028-30436.



Aggie Alumni Day is June 26
NCTA Dean Larry Gossen, Ph.D.

This summer, Aggie graduates and friends will convene Saturday, June 26 for a unique gathering of classmates and friends at the campus of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

The “double” reunion of the Aggie Alumni Association features a 50-year recognition for the Classes of 1970 and 1971.

After postponement of 2020 events due to the COVID pandemic, Aggie Alumni decided to highlight honor classes in 5-year increments, beginning in ’70 and ‘71.

The gathering will be a daytime event, with a noon luncheon at the NCTA Student Activity Center (old gym also known as The Barn). Come and join us!

“We have so much to celebrate, with the ability to gather again in larger groups and celebrate the long history of our alma mater,” says Ann Ramm Bruntz, Class of ’71, who is president of the Aggie Alumni Association.

“After a year of few public events across the state, I’m really looking forward to seeing my UNSTA classmates and friends of NCTA.“

Ann and her husband, David, will be celebrating 50 years since their graduation from the University of Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture. The two met as college students in Curtis.

A native of Stuart, Nebraska, Ann Ramm studied veterinary technology at UNSTA. David Bruntz of Friend, Nebraska, also in the Class of ’71, earned his associate degree in production agriculture. The pair graduated in May and were married that fall so, indeed, this year of 2021 has extra significance for them.

The gathering of June 26 will be enjoyable for me, as well, since it will be the first time I have opportunity to meet many of the alumni.

June 15 marks my first-year anniversary as NCTA’s new dean. Fay and I have met several alumni in the past year. I, too, look forward to having in-person conversations, and sharing the hospitality of our beautiful campus.

Gathering friends
The Aggie Alumni Association represents college graduates from UNSTA and NCTA, as well as the high school alumni from the Nebraska School of Agriculture and University of Nebraska School of Agriculture.

For those unfamiliar with the school and campus, it was founded by the Nebraska Legislature and started construction in 1912 as a regional high school.  Primarily, it served grades 9th through 12th for students from counties or towns without high schools. NSA opened its doors at Agriculture Hall in September 1913.

Currently, we communicate with nearly 4,500 individuals on our mailing list. These are a combination of college and high school graduates. Recently, I authored my first NCTA Dean’s Newsletter sent to alumni and partners and it was received in most mailboxes last week. Did you receive yours?

We know it’s difficult to keep current mailing data in any sector, even with our largely agricultural base. So, if you are reading this and did not receive a newsletter, please know that we do our best to reach you.

Find the most recent newsletter on the Aggie Alumni Page at https://ncta.unl.edu/aggie-alumni.

At the website is a convenient form to update your contact information so that I can stay in touch with you.  To request a printed newsletter and gain further details about June 26 Alumni Day, email mcrawford@unl.edu.

All alumni and NCTA friends are invited to attend.  The Aggie Alumni board and officers are finalizing details and will post those at the web site. Please save the date of Saturday, June 26 for Aggie Alumni Day.  I hope to meet you in Curtis!



Soil Management Land Valuation Conference to Return in May

The longest-running conference offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will be offered May 19 via Zoom.

The Soil Management Land Valuation Conference – now in its 93rd year, was canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns. The conference returns with timely updates for farm managers, rural appraisers, real estate brokers and others interested in the Iowa land market.

“The conference offers networking opportunities for those who have an interest in agricultural land, land management and land valuation,” said Wendong Zhang, assistant professor and extension economist at Iowa State. “Additionally, participants have an opportunity through an online survey before the conference to ‘gaze into their crystal balls,’ and will be asked to provide their estimates of future land values in Iowa and corn and soybean prices via an online survey distributed before the conference.”

The conference is sponsored by the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and ISU Extension and Outreach and will be held virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, May 19, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Seven current issues and their implications to soil management and land valuation will be discussed. The issues are: agricultural policy priorities in 2021, presented by leading congressional staffers; agricultural carbon credits program for farmers; the weather outlook and its impacts on agricultural production; how Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers is helping livestock producers; agricultural market outlook; the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on land and asset values; and key developments in agricultural law and regulations, such as the Waters of the United States rule and estate tax reforms.

“We are really excited to bring this conference back and although this year we are offering it through Zoom, participants will still have the chance to talk about the issues affecting land values and farm management,” said Zhang.

Registration, the agenda and a full line of speakers are all available on the event website https://www.regcytes.extension.iastate.edu/smlv/.

Participants can receive six hours of real estate and appraiser continuing education credits from the Iowa Real Estate Commission and the Real Estate Appraiser Examining Board, respectively. There will also be three $50 gift card giveaway opportunities for the participants throughout the day.



New publication summarizes potential for African swine fever virus to spread through feed

Eight years of extensive research, including work at Kansas State University, has led to a disquieting scenario for swine producers: Feed and feed ingredients could potentially serve as means for the introduction and transmission of foreign animal diseases of swine.

Megan Niederwerder, assistant professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, recently published an overview on the significance of the collective feed research related to swine viruses and specifically to African swine fever virus. "Risk and Mitigation of African Swine Fever Virus in Feed" was published March 18 in the journal Animals. Research funding was provided by the National Pork Board.

"Since the 2013 introduction of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus into the United States, researchers have investigated the potential role of feed and feed ingredients for the transboundary spread of swine diseases," Niederwerder said. "Feed ingredients are commodities traded worldwide, and the U.S. imports thousands of metric tons each year from countries where circulating foreign animal diseases have been identified."

African swine fever, or ASF, is the most significant foreign animal disease threat to U.S. swine production, Niederwerder said. The primary goal of negative countries, such as the U.S., is to prevent ASF entry as there are no vaccines or treatments available.

"The recent introduction of ASF into historically negative countries over the last few years has heightened the risk for further spread," Niederwerder said. "Investigations in my laboratory have characterized the stability of the African swine fever virus in feed ingredients subjected to transoceanic shipment conditions, the virus's transmissibility through the natural consumption of plant-based feed, and the mitigation potential of certain feed additives to inactivate African swine fever virus in feed."

Niederwerder's latest review describes the current knowledge of feed as a risk for swine viruses and the opportunities for mitigating the risk to protect U.S. pork production and the global swine population from African swine fever and other foreign animal diseases.

"Epidemiological evidence has linked contaminated feed with African swine fever virus field outbreaks in both Europe and Asia," Niederwerder said. "A rapidly expanding geographic distribution of African swine fever virus continues to increase the risk of U.S. incursion. With economic losses of African swine fever virus introduction into the U.S. swine herd estimated at more than $15 billion due to production losses and market disruption, the importance of preventing entry cannot be overstated."

Niederwerder's article looks at potential ways to reduce African swine fever virus risk through feed biosecurity as well as through both physical and chemical mitigation protocols, such as heat treatment, storage time, and antimicrobial feed additives.

"It is critically important that feed mitigation strategies continue to be investigated and adopted to reduce the risk of ASFV or other foreign animal disease entry through this route," Niederwerder said.  



USDA: Mexico Plan to Ban GMO Corn Imports Doesn't Apply to Animal Feed

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that a Mexican plan to ban imports of genetically modified corn would apply to grain used for human food products, not livestock feed, based on recent talks he had with Mexican Agriculture Secretary Victor Villalobos Arambula.

Vilsack said limiting the ban to food products makes a big difference to U.S. farmers, who have long relied on Mexico as a top export market.

"It's not going to have as great an impact as it would if it was everything all at once all now," he said at a virtual event hosted by the National Press Club.

Vilsack said U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai has also addressed the plan with Mexico and that there is a process under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for raising such issues.

"I am confident that these conversations will continue to be raised and concerns will be voiced," Vilsack said.

"As they are, there are processes that could potentially be used."

Mexico's agriculture ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mexico late last year published an executive order that seeks to ban in three years the use of GMO corn for human consumption, but did not define what products would be included.

The government has pledged to substitute imports with local production by 2024.



Senate Bill to Ensure HOS, ELD Rules Work for Ag Haulers

Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) Monday announced they have reintroduced the Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the Hours of Service (HOS) and Electronic Logging Device (ELD) regulations at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Further, the bill would delay enforcement of the ELD rule until the required reforms are formally proposed by the Transportation Secretary. This bill follows Hoeven's successful efforts through the appropriations process to secure delays of the ELD rule in Fiscal Years (FY) 2018-21.

"We've worked to provide needed certainty and flexibility to our agricultural haulers under the HOS and ELD regulations so that they can get their products to market safely and efficiently," said Hoeven. "This legislation builds on our efforts, establishing a process to address unnecessary burdens under these regulations and advance reforms based on the input of agriculture producers, while also ensuring roadway safety is maintained."

"It is important that we maintain safe roads while also recognizing the unique flexibility needed to move Colorado's agricultural products to markets," said Bennet. "I look forward to working with Senator Hoeven and our colleagues to give farmers and ranchers a seat at the table as we push for more sensible rules around the transportation of agricultural goods."

Specifically, the Hoeven-Bennet bill would establish a working group at DOT comprised of representatives from the transportation and agriculture industries, transportation safety representatives and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The working group would be required to consider the impact of existing HOS and ELD rules on the commercial transport of livestock, insects and agricultural commodities and develop guidelines on reforming these rules. Within 120 days of receiving the working group's report, the Transportation Secretary must propose regulatory changes to the HOS and ELD regulations, taking into account the group's findings and recommendations.

In addition to Hoeven and Bennet, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), James Risch (R-Idaho), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kans.).

The Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act is supported by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), United States Cattlemen's Association (USCA), Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the American Honey Producers Association (AHPA), The American Horse Council, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), American Sheep Industry Association (ASI), the National Turkey Federation and the National Aquaculture Association.



Farm Bureau Opposes Proposals to Eliminate Stepped-Up Basis and Impose Capital Gains Taxes

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall today commented on the recent proposals by several lawmakers to tax unrealized capital gains at death and roll back the stepped-up basis on those capital gains.

“Taxing capital gains when a loved one passes away would have a devastating impact on farm and ranch families, even more so if the stepped-up basis tool is taken out of the toolbox. Stepped-up basis encourages families to grow their businesses and pass them on to another generation, and elimination could force those families to sell their farms just to pay the taxes.

“The value of many farms is tied up in land and equipment. Cash flow on most farms is much too small to pay large capital gains taxes. These taxes would cause further consolidation in agriculture with small farms more likely to be forced out of business by the tax liability.

“I’m confident that’s not what Congress intends. AFBF urges lawmakers to discard these misguided proposals.”



Study Shows Americans Are Wasting Less Food

New research has shown the lifestyle changes Americans are making to reduce food waste: three-quarters (76%) say they are now more likely to shop more often and in smaller quantities, to avoid having to throw away unwanted or spoiled food.

A similar number (74%) are now likely to buy more frozen food for the same reason, and fully half (50%) suggest they are now prepared to buy the 'ugly' fruit and vegetables that so often sit unwanted on the supermarket shelf. Male shoppers (56%) are more likely than women (46%) to accept those less attractive foodstuffs.

When asked where the responsibility for food waste primarily lies, US shoppers pointed the finger at food producers: 41% said it was down to farmers and 42% said the responsibility lies with manufacturers such as grain firms and pesticide makers. The focus is clearly on the food sector to demonstrate it is doing all it can to reduce the amount of discarded food.

By comparison, less than a quarter (22%) said it was consumers' responsibility to reduce food waste by changing their own behaviors and shopping habits.

The survey of more than 1,000 US adults was commissioned by Proagrica, a global provider of technology solutions for the agriculture and animal health industries.

It also highlighted the growing number of Americans who take ethical considerations into account when buying their food. More than a third (38%) say the ethical credentials of the retailers and producers (e.g., certification, where food is sourced, field to fork tracking) influence their purchase choices whenever possible.



Project will groom undergrads for agricultural science careers
 
Barley is important for more than beer. A UC Riverside geneticist has won $1.7 million to study how one of the world’s staple foods might survive climate change.

The National Science Foundation CAREER Award to Daniel Koenig, an assistant professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, will reveal details about genetic adaptations barley has made in the past to enable its survival over thousands of years. These details will also help steer its future as weather becomes more extreme.

In addition to alcoholic beverages, barley is used as a major crop for feeding both animals and humans. It ranks fourth among cereals in terms of total world production. After it was domesticated as a crop over 10,000 years ago, it spread rapidly to environments as different as hot, dry Egypt and cold, wet Minnesota.

Koenig, who studies plant evolution, wonders how the plant has been able to successfully adapt to these wildly different places.

“Though we have the tools to compare the DNA of plants collected in different countries, our challenge is understanding which genes evolved in response to weather and which evolved over time in response to other pressures, like diseases,” Koenig said.

Since only one generation of a plant can be grown per year, the process of observing adaptation real-time is lengthy. To speed up progress, Koenig’s lab is making use of an experiment started in the 1920s. Breeders took barley varieties collected from all over the world and have grown them over the last century in Davis, Calif., and Bozeman, Mont.

“We can analyze the genes of these varieties, watch as they continue to adapt, and identify the genes that might be responsible for their survival,” Koenig said.

The NSF CAREER Award is a competitive grant for promising new faculty to help them improve their integration of research and teaching. Koenig is going to use the award to train undergraduates to compare genes from the beginning of the 1920s experiment with those from today.

Students will learn to use both traditional molecular biology and newer, computational techniques for this project. The process of identifying survival genes in barley can also be repeated for other crops, helping to ensure the future of other foods as well.

“This grant will provide an opportunity for students, especially those who grew up in urban environments, to learn about agriculture and give them the basis for possible careers in agricultural science,” Koenig said.