Monday May 17 Crop Progress Report + Ag News

 NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending May 16, 2021, there were 5.0 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 6% very short, 20% short, 72% adequate, and 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 8% very short, 29% short, 62% adequate, and 1% surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn planted was 86%, near 89% last year, but ahead of 77% for the fiveyear average. Emerged was 34%, behind 51% last year, and near 35% average.

Soybeans planted was 71%, near 75% last year, but well ahead of 46% average. Emerged was 16%, behind 26% last year, but ahead of 11% average.

Winter wheat condition rated 4% very poor, 10% poor, 38% fair, 42% good, and 6% excellent. Winter wheat headed was 8%, near 4% last year, but behind 18% average.

Sorghum planted was 16%, behind 26% last year, and near 19% average.

Oats condition rated 2% very poor, 6% poor, 31% fair, 55% good, and 6% excellent. Oats emerged was 89%, ahead of 80% both last year and average.

Dry edible beans planted was 2%, near 4% last year and 1% average.

Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 4% very poor, 10% poor, 42% fair, 40% good, and 4% excellent.



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION REPORT

 Most of Iowa received some precipitation during the week ending May 16, 2021 according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork during the week. Much of Iowa continues to need additional precipitation. Normal temperatures would also aid crop development. Field activities included planting, spraying, and applying anhydrous and dry fertilizer. Cleaning of terraces and fence rows was also reported.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 7% very short, 27% short, 61% adequate and 5% surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 12% very short, 36% short, 48% adequate and 4% surplus. Nearly one-quarter of west central Iowa’s subsoil moisture level continues to be rated very short.

Planting of Iowa’s expected corn crop is winding down at 94% complete, almost 2 weeks ahead of the 5-year average. Only farmers in west central Iowa have over 10% of their corn crop left to plant. During the week ending May 16 corn emergence jumped 30 percentage points to 52%, 4 days ahead of normal.

Eighty-three percent of the soybean crop has been planted, 18 days ahead of the five-year average. Farmers in southeast Iowa have approximately one-third of their soybean crop left to plant.

Twenty-four percent of the expected soybean crop has emerged, 1 week ahead of normal. Eighty-eight percent of the oat crop has emerged with some reports of oats headed. Iowa’s oat condition rated 61% good to excellent.

Iowa’s hay condition rating was 54% good to excellent. Some farmers have started their first cutting of alfalfa. Pasture condition rated 42% good to excellent. No problems with livestock were reported.



USDA: Soybean Planting Pace Fastest in Over 12 Years

U.S. soybean planting continued at its fastest pace in over 12 years last week thanks to mostly favorable weather, according to USDA NASS' weekly Crop Progress report on Monday. NASS estimated that 61% of the crop was planted as of Sunday, May, 16, 10 percentage points ahead of 51% last year at the same time and a whopping 24 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 37%. Twenty percent of planted soybeans had emerged, 8 percentage points ahead of the average of 12%.

Corn planting also remained well ahead of average last week, though progress slowed last week. Planting moved ahead another 13 percentage points last week compared to a 21-percentage-point jump the previous week and a 29-percentage-point leap the week before that. NASS estimated that 80% of intended corn acres were planted as of Sunday. That puts this year's planting pace 12 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 68%, slightly closer to average than the previous week when planting was running 15 percentage points ahead of the five-year average. Meanwhile, corn emergence moved further ahead of normal, at 41% as of Sunday, 6 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 35%.  

Development of winter wheat, on the other hand, continued to trail the average pace. Winter wheat heading was estimated at 53% as of Sunday, 5 percentage points behind the average of 58% but just 1 percentage point behind last year's 54%.  Winter wheat condition continued its up-and-down pattern, falling 1 percentage point last week to 48% good to excellent after rising 1 percentage point the previous week. The current condition of the crop is still below last year's rating of 52% good to excellent.

Spring wheat planting remained well ahead of normal last week, at 85% complete as of Sunday, 14 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 71%. Spring wheat emerged was estimated at 47%, 11 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 36%.

Sorghum was 27% planted, 5 percentage points behind average. Cotton planting was 38% complete, 2 percentage points behind the five-year average. Rice was 87% planted, and 63% of the crop had emerged. Rice condition was rated 74% good to excellent, up from last year's rating of 63% good to excellent.

Oats were 92% planted as of Sunday, and emergence was at 73%, both ahead of average. Oats were rated 49% in good-to-excellent condition.

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Webinar to cover profitability, benchmarking for beef producers

Nebraska Extension’s Farm and Ranch Management webinar series continues on Thursday at noon with a presentation on benchmarking and profitability in beef operations.  

Benchmarking a cow-calf operation by comparing it to other similar operations can give producers a tool to look at ways to improve their business. This webinar will look at 31 commercial beef cow-calf operations with 100 or more cows. The information comes from the 2019 FINBIN database maintained by the University of Minnesota for the states of Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The presentation will include key factors that make a beef operation profitable according to this benchmarking data.

The webinar will be presented by Randy Saner, an extension educator in Lincoln County, and Matt Stockton, an ag economist with Nebraska Extension.

The webinar is part of a weekly series produced by the Farm and Ranch Management team in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics. Registration is free at https://farm.unl.edu/webinars.

 

New Drought Center dashboard steps ranchers through key questions

When faced with developing drought, ranchers often have questions. How severe is this drought? How long could it last? Is this as bad as the last drought we experienced, or is it the worst one? What are the chances it rains enough to produce normal forage over the coming weeks or months, and how much rain would be needed for a “normal” grazing year?  

These are questions frequently asked by ranchers who have taken part in drought management workshops with the National Drought Mitigation Center and partner agencies, said NDMC rural sociologist Tonya Haigh. While many resources can help answer those questions, Haigh said they could be challenging to track down and sift through. Now, ranchers have a resource on the NDMC website that addresses a number of common drought condition questions on one map, in one place, including some map layers and management information specific to the Great Plains and Southwest U.S.  

The Ranch Drought Monitoring Dashboard aims to provide information that will help ranchers reduce risk ahead of time, Haigh said. The dashboard features the latest data on drought and precipitation conditions, outlooks, on-the-ground reports, vegetative stress, forage productivity and more, organized around the key questions. A user who clicks on the question about drought severity, and how it compares to past droughts, is led to an interactive display that presents current U.S. Drought Monitor conditions and allows for historical comparisons. Other common questions lead users to other vital resources that can be displayed on a U.S. map, and used together, the map’s layers provide a clear picture of current drought conditions and expectations.

“There's a lot of information out there, and sometimes it's challenging to figure out what you are supposed to do with all of it,” Haigh said. “So that's why we organized this the way we did, to see if we can make the process easier by trying to tailor information that addresses specific drought monitoring questions that ranchers often ask. We worked with extension offices, USDA Climate Hubs and other advisors in the field to select a set of key questions that specifically speak to range management issues that a rancher would use the U.S. Drought Monitor, Grass-Cast, VegDRI or another resource to answer.”

Grass-Cast forecasts forage productivity in the upcoming growing season under below-normal, near-normal, and above-normal precipitation scenarios, based on nearly 40 years of data. The Vegetation Drought Response Index, or VegDRI, offers a weekly depiction of drought-related vegetation stress across the contiguous U.S. Along with those resources, the dashboard also incorporates monthly and seasonal precipitation outlooks, citizen science observations, and a collection of case studies for ranchers looking for drought management plan options.  

Haigh said that, while many ranchers now have developed drought plans for their land, one of the biggest challenges is determining when to put the plan in action. With these tools in one place, ranchers will have key information readily available for decision-making.

The Ranch Drought Monitoring Dashboard was developed by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) in collaboration with the USDA Northern Plains and Southwest Climate Hubs, with input by Extension and NRCS range experts in the regions, and funding support by the USDA Office of the Chief Economist. It was released to the public in April, at https://drought.unl.edu/ranchplan/monitor.aspx.



May 25 Science Café explores skin cancer, sun safety and skin health  

Ashley Wysong, MD, founding chair of dermatology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, will discuss skin cancer -- the most common cancer in the United States -- and its prevention, diagnosis and management during the next virtual Science Café on May 25. She also will discuss sun safety and overall skin health.

To ensure social distancing, the Science Café will be offered via Facebook Live and begin at 10 a.m.: https://www.facebook.com/ScienceCafeNE/. Viewers do not need a Facebook account to view the livestream.

Dr. Wysong, who holds the William W. Bruce, MD, Distinguished Chair of Dermatology at UNMC, is a nationally recognized Mohs micrographic surgeon – the most effective way to treat common skin cancers -- as well as a translational skin cancer researcher and educator.   

She has a special interest and expertise in locally advanced and metastatic squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, as well as treatment of rare skin tumors. As director of the skin cancer program at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, she is developing multidisciplinary programs in melanoma, sarcoma, high-risk non-melanoma skin cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma and supportive oncodermatology.   

As a cancer epidemiologist and translational scientist, Dr. Wysong has a broad background in clinical, translational and outcomes-based research in high-risk squamous cell carcinoma and is widely published in the medical literature.   

She is particularly interested in identifying novel genetic mutations in skin cancer that can help predict which tumors can be cured by surgery alone, and which tumors are at higher risk for metastasis and death.   

Dr. Wysong obtained her master’s degree in epidemiology in the Stanford University Department of Health Research and Policy, her medical degree at Duke University School of Medicine and her residency in dermatology at Stanford University.

Science Cafés involve a face-to-face conversation with an expert about current science topics. They are open to everyone (21 and older) and take place in casual settings like pubs and coffeehouses. Each meeting is organized around an interesting topic of conversation. The expert gives a brief presentation followed by a Q&A period.



Fischer, Colleagues Urge Department of Justice to Continue Investigation into Beef Industry

U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today along with several of her colleagues urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to continue the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the nation’s four biggest meatpackers.

“It is critically important that producers have fair and transparent markets for the commodities they produce,” the members of Congress wrote. “We urge the DOJ Antitrust Division to continue vigilance and where possible, provide updates of findings.”

The letter was led by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). In addition to Fischer it was also signed by: Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Liz Cheney, (R-Wyo.), Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), and Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.).  

Last year, Senator Fischer successfully led a bipartisan group of 18 of her Senate colleagues in requesting the DoJ investigate potential illegal activities in the highly concentrated beef packing sector.  



Iowa Cattlemen Call for Concurrent Investigations of 'Big Four' Packers

Today, the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack explicitly calling for concurrent investigations of market manipulation by the packing industry.

Despite exceptionally high demand for beef in the United States and abroad, and steady plant throughput, cattle producers find themselves struggling to break even. The disparity between live cattle prices and boxed beef cutout value is not derived from a functioning market. This is not a response to an unexpected market disruption, but rather an outcome caused by the market manipulation of a few packers that control the vast majority of beef processing.

The combination of limited competition, captive supply, and formula contracting has not only suppressed live cattle prices, but has also placed an exorbitant financial burden on the shoulders of cattle producers. Failure to act on this matter leaves the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Justice culpable for the countless cattle producers that will inevitably be starved out of the industry by corporate entities. How many more family farmers and ranchers do we need to lose before the Packers and Stockyards Act is enforced?



NCBA Welcomes Bicameral Push for Swift Conclusion to DOJ Investigation

Today, Senator John Thune (R-SD) and Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD-AL) led a bicameral letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging the Department of Justice to move forward with their investigation into anticompetitive practices in the meatpacking industry.

"Despite strong consumer demand and reopening across much of the country, cattle producers face significant business challenges. The farmers and ranchers NCBA represents are contending with high market volatility, drought, and extreme input costs, and they can't capture the value they deserve for the high-quality product they supply," said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. "We have a high supply of cattle at one end of this equation and a high demand for U.S. beef at the other, but the middle is being absolutely choked by the lack of processing capacity. It’s in the best interests of both producers and consumers for the Department of Justice to get to the bottom of the current market dynamics, and asses why they seemingly always result in producers getting the short end of the deal. Cattle producers deserve to know whether or not the price disparity that has plagued our market is the result of anti-competitive or other inappropriate practices in the packing sector. We thank Senator Thune and Congressman Johnson for keeping up the drumbeat on this critical issue. We hope their bicameral request for a progress report will be met at DOJ with the urgency it warrants, and we hope to see results from the Attorney General soon."

NCBA has long worked to increase processing capacity and expand opportunities for producer profitability by lowering the hurdles for small and medium size processing facilities.



Joint Statement of Livestock Organizations
 
On Monday, May 10, 2021, member leaders of American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Farmers Union, R-CALF USA, and the United States Cattlemen’s Association met in Phoenix, Arizona.

These groups convened at the request of Livestock Marketing Association to discuss challenges involved in the marketing of finished cattle with the ultimate goal of bringing about a more financially sustainable situation for cattle feeders and cow-calf producers.

The group talked openly and candidly about a wide range of important issues facing our industry today, including but not limited to:
    Packer concentration,
    Price transparency and discovery,
    Packer oversight,
    Packers and Stockyards Act enforcement,
    Level of captive supply, and
    Packer capacity.

The group also agreed to take to their respective organizations for consideration these action items:
    Expedite the renewal of USDA’s Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR), including formula base prices subject to the same reporting requirements as negotiated cash and the creation of a contract library.
    Demand the Department of Justice (DOJ) issue a public investigation status report and as warranted, conduct joint DOJ and USDA oversight of packer activity moving forward.
    Encourage investment in, and development of, new independent, local, and regional packers.

This unprecedented meeting brought together diverse producer organizations to identify issues and discuss potential solutions. These issues and action item lists are not comprehensive, due to time constraints of this meeting. Attending organization representatives were pleased to have reached consensus on many issues and are committed to the ultimate goal of achieving a fair and transparent finished cattle marketing system.  



Regarding National Agriculture Organizations’ Meeting on Cattle Markets
Statement by Mark McHargue, President, NE Farm Bureau

“Nebraska Farm Bureau was very pleased to see this important industry meeting take place last week to discuss the ongoing challenges facing America’s cattle producers. We are encouraged the reform principals discussed aligned with recommendations developed by the Nebraska Farm Bureau Cattle Markets Task Force which was established last year, many of which became American Farm Bureau policy. Industry alignment on these important topics again highlights the need to pass U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer’s Cattle Market Transparency Act which will provide needed reform within the cattle industry. Given recent market conditions, now is the time to pass Sen. Fischer’s bill that provides more price discovery and transparency to arguably one of the most complex commodity markets in the world.”

Member leaders of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Farmers Union, R-CALF USA, and the United States Cattlemen’s Association met in Phoenix, Arizona May 10 at the request of the Livestock Marketing Association. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss challenges involved in the marketing of finished cattle with the ultimate goal of bringing about a more financially sustainable situation for cattle feeders and cow-calf producers.



‘New federal funding helps build upon water quality projects underway in the Floyd River watershed’

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship was awarded additional federal support to expand the conservation projects underway in the Floyd River watershed. The new federal funding will be used to help farmers and landowners add more conservation practices within the 577,000-acre watershed located in northwest Iowa.

“There is great conservation work happening in the Floyd River watershed. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has two demonstration projects underway, dedicated staff who provide technical support to the projects, and local farmers, landowners and partners who want to be involved,” said Secretary Naig. “We’re able to leverage the state’s investments and our proven results to get additional federal dollars, which helps us make a greater impact on soil health and water quality in this priority watershed.”

The Floyd River Water Quality Partnership, which includes the Department and the Sioux and Plymouth Soil and Water Conservation Districts, was awarded $3.2 million through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will contribute an additional $3.36 million to support the expansion of the current projects in the region. The Floyd River is one of nine priority HUC8 watersheds in the state of Iowa.

Watershed coordinators from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Sioux and Plymouth Soil and Water Conservation Districts will work alongside farmers, landowners and input suppliers to incorporate in-field and edge-of-field practices, nutrient management strategies and conservation tillage to reduce soil and nutrient losses.

Cedar River Source Water Partnership Project
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is also partnering with the City of Cedar Rapids and other municipalities and agricultural partners to improve water quality, protect drinking water, mitigate the risk of flooding and provide fish and wildlife habitats in the Cedar River watershed. The Cedar River Source Water Partnership Project received a $7 million contribution from USDA NRCS to continue investing in soil health and water quality practices upstream to benefit residents downstream. The Department will invest an additional $8 million and public-and-private partners will contribute $12.3 million to support the project.

Southeast Iowa Watershed Partnership Project
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is working alongside the Southeast Iowa Watershed Partnership, composed of twenty partner organizations, to accelerate the adoption of nutrient stewardship best practices in 15 counties. The project area is approximately 1.2 million acres and includes land near Cedar Creek, Lower Skunk River, South Skunk, Soap Creek, West Fork Crooked Creek and Long Creek. The Southeast Iowa Watershed Partnership was awarded more than $6.3 million of federal funding from USDA NRCS to support the project.  The Department will invest an additional $5 million, and public and private partners will contribute an additional $12.7 million to advance the conservation projects.

To learn more about the soil health and water quality work underway, visit CleanWaterIowa.org.



Getting to the Bottom of Cattle Lameness Cases: Diagnosis 
Russ Daly - SDSU Extension Veterinarian, State Public Health Veterinarian   

Making the right decisions about how to deal with a lame animal depends on how accurately the cause of the lameness can be diagnosed and localized.  It’s  important for those caring for these cattle to determine whether a specific lameness case can be dealt with on the farm or needs veterinary treatment.
 
Lameness diagnosis consists of two parts: 1) Localizing the lameness to a specific limb or structure (such as a joint or hoof), and 2) Determining the root cause (for example, infection or injury). For instance, a swollen joint in a lame cow may be easy to visualize, but whether it is due to an infection or to trauma may not be easily determined. Careful restraint of the animal and examination of the joint for warmth or even dislocations or fractures may help answer some of those questions. In cases where the lameness can be localized to a limb but not easily determined to arise from a specific joint,  restraint  and palpation of the joints of the limb, moving from top to bottom is useful. Comparing the size of a suspected swollen joint with the corresponding joint on the opposite, unaffected limb is also helpful. 

Inspecting for Disease 
Lameness arising from the foot presents some unique diagnostic challenges. Swelling immediately above the hooves is often due to  foot rot  if the swelling is symmetrical in nature. If the swelling is over one toe more than the other, it is often an indication of infection in one toe or in the deeper tissues of the foot. Foot rot is also characterized by a foul-smelling, pus-producing wound between the toes. If the examiner is cautious, this can be detected by running a finger between the toes of an animal restrained in a chute. Hairy heel warts are characteristic in their appearance between the toes in the back or sometimes the front of the foot, along with a severe painful reaction when the lesions are touched by the examiner.  It’s  very important to differentiate between treatable conditions, such as these, and deeper injuries and infection, for which treatment is more involved or even unnecessary. 

Examining the Hooves 
Pinpointing causes of lameness that arise from the foot depends on localizing the pain response within one toe or the other, or sometimes both. This will necessitate examination of the bottom of the hooves. Most cattle chutes used in beef cattle working facilities are not set up for convenient hoof examinations. Yet, failure to examine the bottom of the hoof is a very common way to miss some easily treated conditions (for example, a nail in the foot). In some cases, ropes or straps can be used to lift and immobilize a leg for examination in the chute. Operators should take precautions to avoid injury to themselves and the animal when accomplishing this; beef cattle will tend to vigorously resist such restraint at first, and further injury may be likely. 

When  there’s  any question whether diagnosis or treatment may be beyond the ability of the caretaker, it is preferable to transport cows, bulls and larger calves to a veterinary facility that uses a tilt table. The extra time and expense are invariably well-justified in terms of safety to people and animals. In addition, proper restraint and the right equipment usually results in a much more thorough diagnosis and better treatment outcomes. 

Once the bottom of the foot is accessible, it should be cleared of mud and manure with a hoof pick or hoof knife. The bottom of the hoof can be superficially scraped with a hoof knife to better visualize any defects, such as abscesses or penetrating foreign objects. 

Locating the Pain Source 
If no obvious defects are initially observed, it may be useful to determine which toe is the source of the pain and lameness. Tapping on the bottom of the hoof with a hammer and observing a pain response can help localize the lameness to one toe or the other. Hoof testers, such as those utilized for horses, can also be used. These are pliers-like devices that apply pressure to a localized part of the hoof when squeezed. When pain is not present in the hoof, the animal will not react to the hoof tester. If the tester is squeezed over the painful area, the animal will react by attempting to withdraw the foot or vocalize. If a sole or toe abscess is present, the examiner may even observe pus oozing from the defect in the sole. 

Treatment Considerations 
Once a cause of lameness is identified, treatment options can be considered. Proper restraint, equipment and expertise are all necessary components if a successful outcome is to occur. 



Combined U.S. and Canadian All Wheat Ground for Flour Up 1 Percent From 2019

Combined United States and Canadian all wheat ground for ground for flour was 1.04 billion bushels in 2020, an increase of 1 percent from 2019.  Flour production totaled 481 million hundredweight compared to 476 million hundredweight in 2019.

Combined United States and Canadian durum wheat ground for flour and semolina was 80.2 million bushels in 2020, up 8 percent from 2019.  Durum flour production totaled 37.8 million hundredweight, up 7 percent from 2019.

This publication is a result of a joint effort by Statistics Canada and USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service to release the flour milling production information for both countries within one publication. United States flour milling production numbers for 2019 were previously released on
May 3, 2021. Canadian flour milling production numbers were released on April 28, 2021.



Over 130 State Legislators Call for a Producer Referendum of the National Beef Checkoff Program

Today, 132 state-elected legislators from 11 states, along with a Lieutenant Governor joined the ongoing effort to initiate a producer referendum of the National Beef Checkoff Program by sending a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack calling on him to “call for an immediate referendum of the beef check off program and allow our producers a voice in their industry.”

The National Beef Checkoff Program is a federally mandated program that assesses cattle producers $1 for every head of cattle they sell for the purpose of promoting beef.

However, the legislators’ letter explains that U.S. cattle producers have not been afforded the opportunity to vote on the 35-year-old mandatory beef checkoff program even though the program has not allowed them to exclusively promote and advertise the beef they produce from their United States cattle in their own domestic market. Instead, the mandatory checkoff program uses the money collected from United States cattle producers to also promote foreign beef.

“Why is the federally mandated tax going to support and promote foreign beef as well as private entities?” the letter asks.

The letter points out that state-elected legislators are uniquely positioned to know the challenges independent cattle producers face in today’s highly concentrated and persistently dysfunctional cattle market, which is causing the number of United States cattle producers to decline.

The legislators make clear that protecting U.S. cattle producers and the food they produce is a national food security issue.

In July 2020, several individuals and groups, including R-CALF USA, initiated a petition drive to obtain about 89,000 signatures from beef checkoff-paying cattle producers to call upon the Agriculture Secretary for a producer vote of the beef checkoff program.

The petition drive was initiated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely limited the ability of petition organizers to place petitions in the hands of U.S. cattle producers.

Elected officials who signed onto the letter are from Kansas, Oaklahoma, South Dakota, Wyoming, Georgia, Utah, Arkansas, Colorada, North Dakota, California, and Missouri.  

“Despite the unprecedented obstacles caused by the pandemic, we have so far managed to obtain approximately 20 thousand signed petitions so far, with more being added every day,” said R-CALF USA President Gerald Schreiber.

“We’re grateful that so many State Legislators and a Lieutenant Governor have voluntarily stepped to the plate to represent the interests of their states and districts’ grassroots independent cattle producers, and we hope the Secretary will listen,” Schreiber added.  



Seaboard Energy Builds Renewable Diesel Plant in Hugoton Kansas

Seaboard Energy, a division of Seaboard Foods and a wholly owned subsidiary of Seaboard Corporation, announced it is building a renewable diesel plant in Hugoton, Kans. The facility is constructed at the former Abengoa ethanol plant site that was purchased in February 2019. Since that time, Seaboard Energy has recommissioned portions of the idle assets while simultaneously building the greenfield renewable diesel production facilities.

Seaboard Energy President and CEO Gary Louis thanked the local community for welcoming Seaboard Energy’s renewable diesel project.

“We could not have asked for any better cooperation with the local community leaders. I am thrilled that Seaboard Energy can continue to further develop our business footprint in this area where we first started doing business over 26 years ago,” said Louis.

On the 800-acre site, Seaboard Energy is developing a greenfield fat and oil pre-treatment plant, hydrogen plant and renewable diesel plant. The site is also being used to blend and ship biodiesel from Seaboard Energy’s other biodiesel plants located in Guymon, Okla., and St. Joseph, Mo.

Louis added, “The facility location provides Seaboard Energy a strategic geographic advantage to capitalize on the integrated supply of inputs from area feedstock producers, Seaboard Foods’ processing plant and Seaboard Foods’ farms.”

The target completion date for the project is Dec. 31, 2021. Once construction is complete, the plant will have the capacity to produce 85 million gallons of renewable diesel annually along with the 8.5 million gallons of renewable naphtha. The renewable fuels will be primarily derived from local animal fats and vegetable oils.

Fagen Inc., is the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractor for the project. Fagen has been collaborating with Ford, Bacon & Davis, LLC.; Crown Iron Works, Chemex Modular and ENGlobal on the execution of facility’s expansion. Multiple area contractors have also assisted with the construction of the facility.

Bill Patrick, Seaboard Energy vice president of operations, also announced new local leadership.

“Seaboard Energy is pleased to introduce William Newton as plant manager for the new Hugoton project. William brings 30 years of refining experience to the Seaboard Energy team already on site,” said Patrick.

Seaboard Energy plans to provide more than 60 jobs and has filled the 300-400 construction jobs with as many local residents as possible. These jobs provide employees with benefits, including affordable insurance plans, retirement savings plans and paid time off. They also plan to partner with area schools that have applicable technical programs, which could be tailored to provide students with the skills needed to work at Seaboard Energy or other technical companies after graduation.

In addition to employment opportunities, Seaboard has committed to a $2.2 million project with Pioneer Electric to upgrade existing electrical power lines. This incremental capacity will ultimately benefit Hugoton area homes and businesses.



Dairy Industry Urges USTR to Initiate Dispute Settlement Case to Address Canadian TRQ Allocations

A group of 67 dairy companies and associations urged U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to initiate a dispute settlement case with the Canadian government over its dairy tariff-rate quota (TRQ) administration if ongoing consultations and a USMCA Free Trade Commission meeting do not result in immediate resolution.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) started consultations in December 2020 with Canada over its TRQ policies as part of its obligations under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a step that the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) strongly supported. Several months post-consultations, it is not readily apparent that progress has been made on resolving Canada’s circumvention of its trade obligations. In a letter sent to Ambassador Tai, the U.S. dairy industry urged USTR to establish a Dispute Settlement Panel in the event there is not an immediate, positive resolution in the consultations.

“The U.S. dairy industry proudly worked with USTR and members of Congress on a bicameral and bipartisan basis during the 116th Congress to secure strong, enforceable dairy provisions in the USMCA. Even while we knew it was important to secure strong text in the agreement, we also knew it was going to be just as critical for the provisions to be properly implemented and enforced. This is why we need USTR to take bold action to ensure the U.S. dairy industry fully benefits from the hard-fought wins included in the USMCA,” said Krysta Harden, President and CEO of USDEC.

USDEC and NMPF have closely monitored Canada’s actions regarding its USMCA commitments even prior to the agreement’s entering into force. Canada’s TRQ allocations are designed to discourage the full utilization and value of the TRQs, limiting U.S. dairy-product imports. Specifically, Canada is reserving the bulk of quota access to Canadian processors and is not providing fair or equitable procedures in administering the TRQs.

“America’s dairy farmers appreciated USTR initiating consultations with Canada on its dairy TRQ allocation measures and the decision to hold USMCA Free Trade Commission discussions to pursue reforms. But Canada has always been obstinate on dairy, and at this stage it is increasingly clear that further action is needed to ensure a fair and transparent enforcement of USMCA. This is why America’s dairy farmers are asking USTR to initiate a dispute settlement case should talks with Canada this week fail to yield a full resolution,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “We look forward to working closely with the administration as they pursue every option available to them to ensure America’s dairy farmers fully benefit from the USMCA’s market access provisions.”



Federal Court Dismisses Ranchers’ Federal Advisory Committee Case

Last week the federal district court in Wyoming dismissed the case filed by R-CALF USA, South Dakota ranchers Kenny and Roxy Fox, and Wyoming ranchers Tracy and Donna Hunt that alleged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its subagency, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), had violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) in the agency’s effort to mandate radio frequency identification (RFID) eartags on all adult cattle moved interstate.

The court determined the documents provided by APHIS, which purport to comprise the agency’s entire official record of its actions, were insufficient to prove that APHIS unlawfully established and utilized two committees that helped the agency address certain technical and logistical issues necessary to enable APHIS to implement its goal of a mandatory RFID system.

Harriet Hageman, Senior Litigation Counsel for the New Civil Liberties Alliance, represented R-CALF USA and the ranchers in this case by filing an initial complaint in October 2019 alleging that APHIS’ pronouncement that it would mandate RFID by 2023 was unlawful. APHIS promptly withdrew its mandate and the court determined the controversy was over.

However, the initial complaint’s second allegation, that APHIS had violated FACA through its use of committees consisting of RFID eartag manufacturers and other RFID advocates remained unaddressed.  NCLA filed an amended complaint in April 2020 focusing exclusively on APHIS’ use of those committees.

Meanwhile, as the amended complaint proceeded, APHIS in July 2020 issued a formal notice in the Federal Register announcing it was reinstating its RFID mandate with an effective start-date of January 2023. The New Civil Liberties Alliance, R-CALF USA, and others filed comments in opposition to APHIS’ notice arguing the notice itself was unlawful.

This action was then followed by legislation introduced by Wyo. State Representative Chip Neiman and Wyo. State Senator Cheri Steinmetz to preserve for Wyoming ranchers the flexibility to choose among the various lawful means of identifying their cattle when shipped interstate, including but not limited to RFID eartags. The Wyoming legislation was signed into law in March 2021.

On March 23, 2021, APHIS withdrew its 2020 notice by formally announcing the agency would not proceed to implement its second attempt to mandate RFID technology.

As a direct result of the initial 2019 lawsuit filed by Harriet Hageman on behalf of R-CALF USA and the individual ranchers, as well as the events that unfolded while their amended lawsuit was proceeding, APHIS has now acknowledged that it cannot mandate RFID technology to the exclusion of all the other lawful means of animal identification unless the agency first follows its lawful rulemaking process.

The amended lawsuit dismissed by the court sought to prohibit APHIS from using the work product of the two committees should the agency proceed with future efforts to mandate RFID. As a result of the dismissal, and unless the case is appealed, APHIS is free to use whatever work product it obtained from the committees should it embark on a future rulemaking process regarding the use of RFID technology.

According to Harriet Hageman, “the Court has acknowledged that APHIS was actively involved with identifying the need for and the operations and activities of both the CTWG and PTC. We were therefore disappointed that it then concluded that APHIS did not technically “establish” or “utilize” these committees. We are assessing the options available to continue our efforts to block APHIS from using the “fruit of the poisonous tree” (e.g., the Committees’ work product) in any future effort to force livestock producers to use RFID eartags.”

“This case demonstrates how critically important it is for independent cattle producers to have a watch dog organization protecting them from federal agency overreach. It’s clear that if we hadn’t acted as we did nearly two years ago, our industry would still be facing a federal RFID mandate beginning January 1, 2023. As it is, we have protected the rights of cattle producers by forcing the USDA to follow the law,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.  

 

USDA Extends the Comment Period on Supply Chains for the Production of Agricultural Commodities and Food Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is providing an additional 30 days for public comments on the notice for Supply Chains for the Production of Agricultural Commodities and Food Products published in the Federal Register on April 21, 2021.  Comments are now due by June 21, 2021. USDA is extending the comment period to allow additional time to receive information valuable to the preparation of the report required by the Executive Order on “America’s Supply Chains.”

During the first two weeks of the comment period, USDA received requests from representatives of critical supply chain activities asking for additional time to provide thoughtful and thorough feedback to this notice.  

Written comments in response to this notice should be posted online at www.regulations.gov. Comments may also be sent to Dr. Melissa R. Bailey at melissa.bailey@usda.gov or mailed to
Agricultural Marketing Service - USDA
Room 2055-S, STOP 0201
1400 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, D.C.  20250-0201.

Comments received will be posted without change, including any personal information provided.

Comments submitted during the initial 30-day comment period from April 21 to May 21 will be retained as part of the public record and do not need to be resubmitted.