Friday June 11 Ag News

 Nebraska Cattlemen Hosted Midyear Meeting in Fremont this Week

Nebraska Cattlemen’s (NC) annual midyear meeting was held this week in Fremont, Nebraska. On Thursday June 10th, all six of NC’s committees met in-person at Midland University for active policy discussion and current industry news.

The Animal Health and Nutrition Committee heard from renderers Darling Ingredients regarding pentobarbital in rendered products and what steps they are taking to prevent contamination. UNL graduate student Hannah Speer gave a presentation on the importance of Vitamin A in the diets of beef cows and their offspring as well as the shelf life of Vitamin A in mineral supplements. Galen Erickson, UNL Feedlot Specialist, reported ion research into feed additives to reduce greenhouse gasses from fed cattle – methane, in particular. Kyler Langvart with US Cattle Trace updated the Committee on the progress with this producer-driven disease traceability program which NC supports.

The Brand and Property Rights Committee meeting started with a joint session with the Natural Resources and Environment Committee where Kaitlynn Glover explained NCBA’s engagement with the Biden Administration’s America the Beautiful initiative (30 ×30). Later, Brand and Property Rights Committee attendees heard from Senator Halloran on the passage of LB 572.  This was the brand law modernization bill NC supported during the recently concluded session of the Nebraska Unicameral. Senator Halloran offered his thoughts on finding more solutions for the concerns of NC members.  Adam Sawyer, chair of the Nebraska Brand Committee, gave an update on happenings within the Agency. Sawyer and John Widdowson, Executive Director for the Nebraska Brand Committee answered members’ questions on brand law and Nebraska Brand Committee processes.

The Education and Research Committee discussed the future of the Farm to School program after the passage of LB 396. LB 396, introduced by Senator Brandt, adopts the Nebraska Farm-to-School Program Act. Attendees heard about the plan that is being put into place by the Nebraska Department of Education in response to the Nebraska Farm-to-School Program Act.  There was also a presentation on Lead for Nebraska – a new program available to youth. This program aims to enable communities to bring back their homegrown young leaders.  Recruitment for fellows is currently being held.

NC’s Marketing and Commerce Committee had a very full agenda.  Committee attendees heard updates on recently announced fed steer and heifer packing capacity additions – including a presentation from David Briggs and Rusty Kemp with Sustainable Beef,  LLC, which plans to build a new 1,500 head per day plant in North Platte, Nebraska.  There were also updates focused on ongoing price discovery concerns in the fed cattle market, including a report from Troy Stowater, who sits on NCBA’s Regional Triggers Subgroup.  New policy was passed encouraging the immediate undertaking of academic research focused on the costs to the fed cattle market due to a lack of price discovery and loss of market leverage.  A resolution was also passed supporting continued academic research that considers the benefits of carbon sequestration by the livestock industry and differentiates the relative benefit of methane versus carbon dioxide production.

The Natural Resources and Environment Committee had the opportunity to listen to leadership from the Lower Elkhorn NRD regarding Groundwater Management Plans and reporting requirements for Nebraska specific to nitrates in groundwater. The committee also hosted Senator Bostelman, chair of the Nebraska Unicameral’s Natural Resources Committee, to hear about interim workings of the Committee.

The Tax Committee heard from Danielle Beck with NCBA about the Biden Administration’s current actions regarding amendments to the federal tax code. Hot topics like eliminating stepped up basis and capital gains tax were heavily discussed. The Committee also hosted Senators Friesen, Erdman and Dorn to provide a forum for members to ask hard hitting questions regarding Nebraska’s tax code.

Nebraska Cattlemen leadership and staff look forward to hitting the road this summer to discuss current issues and interact with members across the state.



Nebraska Extension to host Inaugural Specialty Crop Conference & Trade Show

Nebraska Extension, in partnership with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, will host the Nebraska Specialty Crop Conference on November 9-10, 2021, on Nebraska’s Innovation Campus. The two-day event will focus on education, growth and development of specialty crop production businesses across the state, feature nationally known presenters, and create a platform for participants to connect with industry professionals, other farmers, chefs, and consumers.  

The conference will focus on land access, cultivating culturally appropriate crops, marketing and business practices, season extension and agricultural innovations. Rob Larew, President of the National Farmers Union, will present the keynote address.

Other topics being presented at the event include berry production under cover, honeyberry production, cover cropping for high tunnels, buying and selling in retail markets, successful farm transition and more. A panel of regional young producers will share their experiences in specialty crop production as well. Stay tuned as more sessions are confirmed.

Registration will open in August. Participants will have the opportunity to attend in person or virtually for $25 per day. To stay up to date on conference information, please visit the event website, https://nscc.unl.edu. For questions about presenting, attending, or participating as a vendor at the Nebraska Specialty Crop Conference, please contact Katie King at kking19@unl.edu or call the Nebraska Extension office in Cass County at 402-267-2205.  



Agricultural Education Students Receive Scholarships

The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation awarded 10 scholarships to students enrolled in the Agricultural Education Teaching Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL).

“Classrooms and FFA chapters will benefit from the passion reflected in this year’s applications,” said Megahn Schafer, executive director of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation. “It is an honor to support these future teachers who will develop strong leaders to ensure a bright future for Nebraska agriculture.”

“With over 200 schools offering high school agricultural education programs and FFA chapters, demand for teachers has never been stronger," said Matt Kreifels, associate professor of practice in agricultural education at UNL. "These teachers serve a vital role in agriculture by introducing and recruiting talented students to the industry.  We thank the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation for continuing to support these future teachers.  Through this scholarship program, and with Farm Bureau helping to promote the profession of agricultural education, UNL has seen an increase in the number of students entering this profession.  Nebraska Farm Bureau, its members, and the Foundation are supporting the future of Nebraska agriculture by investing in these young teachers.”

The 10 recipients of the scholarships are Carissa Cline, Staunton, Va.; Miranda Hornung, Davey; Hallett Moomey, Kearney; Kayla Mues, Bartley; Taylor Nielsen, Lincoln; Emily Reitz, Eaton, Co.; Amanda Schmidt, Stanton; Lydia Vinton, Whitman; Maggie Vyhnalek, Friend; Payden Woodruff, Belle, Mo.

Each recipient will receive a $1,500 scholarship during his or her student teaching semester at the university. Applicants shared why they wanted to be an agricultural education teacher, professional goals for the future, and what the scholarship would mean to them.

 

Trace to Low Levels of Fusarium Head Blight Observed in Wheat Fields in South-central and Southeast Nebraska
Stephen Wegulo - NE Extension Plant Pathologist

During a wheat disease survey in south-central and southeast Nebraska on June 8, trace to low levels of Fusarium head blight were observed in growers’ fields. Growth stage ranged from soft dough in many fields to hard dough in some fields. The survey was conducted prior to an evening wheat field day in Jefferson County, the first of a series of field days to be conducted throughout the state this week and next week.

Foliar fungal disease levels were trace to low in fields that were sprayed with a fungicide earlier. In one field that was not sprayed, stripe rust severity was high. Because leaves infected with stripe rust lose water faster than healthy leaves, the majority of the leaves including flag leaves in this field were quickly drying or had completely dried, largely due to the hot weather that has prevailed during the last several days.

Low to moderate levels of bacterial streak were observed in a field that had been sprayed with a fungicide. Fungicides do not control bacterial diseases.

Management
The hot temperatures that have prevailed during the last several days have slowed down the development of stripe rust in areas or regions of the state where the disease was just starting to develop. In south-central and southeast Nebraska where stripe rust had already developed to damaging levels in unsprayed fields during the cool, wet weather that occurred in May, the current hot temperatures have accelerated the drying out of infected leaves, including flag leaves which contribute the most to grain fill.

It is too late to apply a fungicide in the majority of fields in south-central and southeast Nebraska because the wheat crop is past the flowering growth stage. Where wheat is not yet past the flowering growth stage, the decision to apply a fungicide should be based on the presence of stripe rust and especially leaf rust (which is favored by warm temperatures) and moisture from rainfall or irrigation. It is not necessary to apply a fungicide if there is little or no disease and hot and dry weather prevails.



Farmers Encouraged to Vote in Iowa Corn Checkoff Director Elections on July 13

WHAT: The Iowa Corn Promotion Board® (ICPB) will hold elections in crop reporting districts 4, 8, and 9. Iowa corn farmers elect their peers to serve on the Board of Directors of ICPB to oversee the investment of funds generated by the Iowa corn checkoff program. The board’s primary priorities and responsibilities include domestic and foreign market development, research of new and value-added corn uses, and education on corn and the farmers who grow it.

WHERE: Farmers in crop reporting districts 4, 8 and 9 can vote during business hours at their local county ISU Extension office for representation on the Iowa Corn Promotion Board for a 3-year term. Anyone who has produced and marketed 250 bushels of corn or more in Iowa in the previous marketing year is eligible to vote in the election.

WHEN: July 13, 2021 or request an absentee ballot. Farmers unable to visit the extension office on July 13 may vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballots are available by request until June 21 by contacting the Iowa Corn office at 515-225-9242. Absentee ballots must be postmarked or returned to the Iowa Corn office no later than July 13.

Results of the election are announced publicly July 16.

District 4 (west-central Iowa)
Jerod Johnson, alongside his father, farms in the Shelby County area where they raise corn, beans, and hay as well as have a herd of stock cattle. For 13 years Johnson has worked as a Field Service Technician for Pride Mobility, working on lift chairs and powered wheelchairs in Iowa and Nebraska. He is also an excavation contractor.

Johnson has been the secretary for Shelby County Farm Bureau for the past four years and currently sits on the Loess Hills Ag in the Classroom Advisory Board. He is also an active member of the Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and the Iowa Corn Growers Association. Outside of agriculture Johnson is a certified Fire Fighter and the only farmer on the rural Shelby Fire and Rescue department where he is currently the department’s Training Officer.

Johnson is passionate about the ethanol industry and believes the retail market for ethanol must continue to grow. He sees the green movement happening around him as an opportunity for farmers to promote ethanol as an environmentally friendly fuel source to consumers. Johnson takes pride in having grown up on his family’s century farm as a 5th generation farmer and truly sees the benefits that Iowa Corn has for the farmers in his area and state.

Johnson enjoys farming with his wife Amber. Together they have three kids, Jorden, Katie, and Ellanor.

Ryan Steffensen has been row cropping in Winnebago County with his dad and brother for nine years and more recently picked up more farm ground in Guthrie County with his wife, Amanda. They are always looking for ways to better their conservation efforts and increase yields. He is a firm believer in riparian buffer strips, no-till, strip till, and split applications of nitrogen. Steffensen also finds true value in his off-farm career as a retail salesperson for Helena Agri-Enterprises LLC because it gives him great insight into production practices and allows him to see what other growers are doing to be successful.

Steffensen has been the Guthrie County Corn Growers President since 2016, and active in the District 4 Corn Growers committee starting in 2017 and is also a part of the Helena M.A.P. program. He was honored to be a part of the I-LEAD 9 class as well is serving on the Exports and Grain Trade Committee. Currently he is a Guthrie County Farm Bureau member, an Iowa Corn voting delegate and enjoys volunteering his time as a district FFA contest judge. Outside of agriculture he is a Winnebago/Hancock Pheasants Forever member and served on the banquet committee.

Steffensen is passionate about the ethanol industry, new uses for corn-plastics and sharing Iowa agriculture with consumers. Since starting his farming career in 2012 he has experienced some great and some poor years along the way, but no matter what he is focused on growing his farming operation to pass on to his kids and instill in them the same passion for conservation and agronomy he possesses. He feels by being a part of Iowa Corn he is surrounding himself with the best people this industry has to offer and is excited to help better the industry for all Iowa growers.

Steffensen and Amanda have three kids, Eva, Cora and Mila.

2021 Iowa Corn Director Elections
The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is comprised of 12 peer-elected farmers and two industry liaisons that serve as the collective voice for 8,000 corn farmer members, lobbying on agricultural issues at the state and federal level. Elections are held each year to select leadership and representatives from each of the nine crop reporting districts in the state.

Iowa Corn Growers Association: Crop Reporting Districts 2, 5, and 7
Those elected as ICGA Directors will continue to bring grassroots policy issues forward and be the collective voice for the nearly 8,000 corn farmer-members, lobbying on agricultural issues at the state and federal level. Below are the farmer leaders running for the 2021-2022 board.

District 7 (southwest Iowa)
Adam Bierbaum has been farming for 11 years on his family’s century farm in Cass County where he grows corn and soybeans. Adam currently serves on the Iowa Corn Animal Agriculture and Environment Committee and is a former member of the Iowa Corn Collegiate Advisory Team (CAT), and the Iowa Corn Leadership Enhancement and Development (I-LEAD). He is also active on the Cass County Corn Growers Board and currently serves as an Iowa Corn District 7 ICGA Board member.

Adam has a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in agronomy. He also serves on the Wallace Foundation and is a member of Iowa Farm Bureau and the Iowa Soybean Association.

His family’s farming operation has practiced no-till farming for over 20 years where he works to incorporate the best environmental practices into his operation using cover crops and other conservation practices.

Adam and his wife Megan have one son, Nathan.

Kaleb Tillman has been farming for 12 years in Page County where he raises corn, beans, and oats as well as a cow calf operation. Besides farming Tillman also works as an Insurance Agent for United Group Insurance.

Tillman attended Iowa Central Community College where he received an Ag Tech degree. He has been on the Farm Bureau Board of Directors for 10 years and has served as both the President and Vice Present within that time.

Tillman and is wife Bethann live in Essex, IA.



ISU Weed Science Field Day Is July 8 at Curtiss Farm

The science of weed control will be the focus of a special field day to be held July 8 at Iowa State University’s Curtiss Farm.

Weed Science Field Day is a first-year event organized by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The day will include an update on corn and soybean herbicide programs, herbicide resistance screening, cereal rye termination and demonstrations of harvest weed control methods including chaff lining and a seed destructor.

“We will highlight some of the research that we are doing for managing herbicide-resistant weeds here in Iowa, and we will show how chaff liner and weed seed destructor work,” said Prashant Jha, associate professor and extension weed specialist at Iowa State University.

Although herbicide remains the most popular option for weed control, Prashant said the field day will also show participants some integrated weed management strategies, such as using cover crops, cover crop termination timing and mechanical weed control technologies such as weed seed destructors.

The event is intended for crop producers, crop consultants and others involved with the crop industry. Several graduate students also will be on hand to help lead the discussion and answer questions.

The day begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and includes a complimentary lunch at noon. The afternoon will feature self-led tours of herbicide evaluation plots.

The Iowa State University Extension Weed Science program, led by Prashant Jha, conducts between 80-100 herbicide evaluation and weed control trials each year, evaluating new and existing herbicides for weed control in corn and soybean.

The chaff lining and weed seed destructor displays will showcase some of the emerging non-chemical methods of controlling herbicide-resistant weeds in Iowa corn and soybeans.

Iowa State’s Curtiss Farm is located at 2219 State Ave., Ames.

Registration is free but should be completed by June 30 to help with the lunch count. Register by contacting Meaghan Anderson, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach, at 319-331-0058, or mjanders@iastate.edu.



California Admits Prop 12 Not Based on Scientific Literature

In its recently issued proposed rules for implementing California’s Proposition 12, the state acknowledged the ballot initiative’s arbitrary animal housing standards for hogs are not based on specific, peer-reviewed published scientific literature, and the initiative will increase in-state pork prices, impacting low-income residents especially hard.

The National Pork Producers Council shared those findings in a filing this week to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. NPPC and the American Farm Bureau Federation have filed a lawsuit with the court, asking it to strike down Proposition 12 as unconstitutional under the dormant clause.

Set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, it applies to any pork sold in California, whether raised there or outside of the state’s borders. The proposal is open for comment through July 12; California was required to finalize implementation rules by Sept 1, 2019. As NPPC Assistant Vice President and General Counsel Michael Formica told reporters this week, “We need final rules and California has not issued final rules. They're not even close.”

NPPC anticipates a court ruling in its lawsuit against California by mid-summer.



USDA to Begin Work to Strengthen Enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will begin work on three proposed rules to support enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards (P&S) Act, the 100-year old law that was originally designed to protect poultry and hog farmers and cattle ranchers from unfair, deceptive, and anti-competitive practices in the meat markets. USDA’s pending action was noted in the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions released today by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

USDA intends to take three actions related to rulemaking in the months ahead. First, USDA intends to propose a new rule that will provide greater clarity to strengthen enforcement of unfair and deceptive practices, undue preferences, and unjust prejudices. Second, USDA will propose a new poultry grower tournament system rule, with the current inactive proposal to be withdrawn. Third, USDA will re-propose a rule to clarify that parties do not need to demonstrate harm to competition in order to bring an action under section 202 (a) and 202 (b) of the P&S Act.

“The pandemic and other recent events have revealed how concentration can take a painful toll on independent farmers and ranchers, while exposing working family consumers to higher prices and uncertain output,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The Packers and Stockyards Act is a vital tool for protecting farmers and ranchers from excessive concentration and unfair, deceptive practices in the poultry, hog, and cattle markets, but the law is 100 years old and needs to take into account modern market dynamics. It should not be used as a safe harbor for bad actors. The process we’re beginning today will seek to strengthen the fairness and resiliency of livestock markets on behalf of farmers, ranchers and growers.”

USDA is working to make meaningful investments and improvement to build back a better food system that is fair and equitable, more resilient against shocks, delivers greater value to growers and workers, and offers consumers an affordable selection of healthy, affordable food produced and sourced locally and regionally. The planned P&S Act proposals will support USDA’s efforts to ensure fairer and more resilient markets for farmers, ranchers and producers. In the last five years, stresses and disruptions caused by concentration in livestock markets have impacted not only producers, but consumers as well. As USDA works to strengthen the resiliency of supply chains, enforcement of the P&S Act will be critically important.

Earlier this week, USDA announced $4 billion in assistance as part of the Build Back Better initiative, an effort designed to strengthen and transform critical parts of the U.S. food system so the food system of the future is fair, competitive, distributed, and resilient. Investments made through Build Back Better will include a mix of grants, loans and innovative financing to address problems throughout the food supply chain; these investments will include efforts to address the shortage of small meat processing facilities across the country as well as the necessary local and regional food system infrastructure needed to support them. Complementary efforts such as the P&S Act proposals announced today will also seek to put a spotlight on the need for greater transparency and competition in livestock markets and the meat processing sector, including unfair treatment of some farmers, ranchers and small processors.

The Unified Agenda released today demonstrates the Biden Administration’s continuing work to build back better and more equitably. The agenda includes actions to deliver on the President’s early commitments to protect health and safety, ensure a robust and equitable economic recovery, advance racial justice, and confront the climate crisis. The Agenda also continues the Administration’s work to remove obstacles to recovery, equity, and sustainability.



NFU Welcomes Stronger Protections From Corporate Abuse

Following multiple allegations and indictments of price fixing and other anticompetitive practices in the livestock sector, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today indicated its intention to propose a series of rules that would offer family famers and contract poultry growers greater agency and recourse in their relationships with corporations.

The rules would amend regulations related to the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 which are meant "to assure fair competition and fair trade practices. . . and to protect members of the livestock, meat, and poultry industries from unfair, deceptive, unjustly discriminatory and monopolistic practices,” but lack the teeth to achieve those objectives. As a remedy, the rules would provide farmers stronger legal protections against unfair treatment as well as restructure the inequitable system that determines poultry growers’ wages.

Since it was founded nearly 120 years ago, National Farmers Union (NFU) has advocated mechanisms that prevent anticompetitive practices among corporations as well as stronger protections for farmers from those practices. In a statement today, NFU President Rob Larew welcomed the announcement; after the rules are proposed, the organization will provide additional feedback to USDA.

“Shielding farmers from corporate abuse was one of National Farmers Union’s main objectives when it was established in 1902. After decades of lax antitrust enforcement, farmers are once again subject to many of the same injustices that their ancestors endured; in just the last year, essentially every category of livestock has been accused of manipulating prices and defrauding farmers.

“In its announcement earlier this week about strengthening the food system, USDA identified the need to address the unfair treatment that many farmers and ranchers face in the marketplace – and the publication of the these planned administrative actions are a strong step in the right direction. We commend USDA for proposing meaningful reforms and look forward to providing additional feedback in the coming weeks and months."



USDA to Begin Payments for Producers Impacted by 2018 and 2019 Natural Disasters

More than $1 billion in payments will be released over the next several weeks starting June 15 for agricultural producers with approved applications for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program and for producers who have already received payments through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+). These U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs provide disaster assistance to producers who suffered losses to 2018 and 2019 natural disasters.

Producers weathered some significant natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) provided support for crop value and production losses through QLA and crop quantity losses through WHIP+.

“From massive floods to winter storms, and from extreme drought to excess moisture, natural disaster events in 2018 and 2019 were exceptionally catastrophic for agricultural producers nationwide - many suffered the impacts of multiple events in not just one but both years,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “FSA staff worked tirelessly for many months to develop and implement comprehensive disaster programs that meet the varying and unique needs of a large cross-section of U.S. production agriculture. QLA and the second round of WHIP+ assistance will provide much-needed assistance to help producers offset significant financial loss.”

QLA Payments
QLA provides assistance to crop and forage producers who suffered a quality loss due to qualifying natural disasters occurring in 2018 or 2019. FSA will begin issuing payments to producers on June 15. FSA accepted applications from Jan. 6 to April 9, 2021. Based on these QLA applications, producers will receive 100% of the calculated assistance under QLA.

For each crop year, 2018, 2019 and 2020, the maximum amount that a person or legal entity may receive, directly or indirectly, is $125,000. Payments made to a joint operation (including a general partnership or joint venture) will not exceed $125,000, multiplied by the number of persons and legal entities that comprise the ownership of the joint operation. A person or legal entity is ineligible for QLA payment if the person’s or legal entity’s average Adjusted Gross Income exceeds $900,000, unless at least 75% is derived from farming, ranching or forestry-related activities.

Second WHIP+ Payments
WHIP+ provides payments to producers to offset production losses due to hurricanes, wildfires, and other qualifying natural disasters that occurred in 2018 and 2019. WHIP+ covered losses of crops, trees, bushes and vines that occurred as a result of those disaster events.

Producers who applied for and have received their first WHIP+ payment can expect to receive the second payment beginning in mid-June for eligible crop losses. Due to budget constraints, producers received an initial WHIP+ payment for 2019 crop losses equal to 50% of the calculated payment. This second payment will be equal to 40% of the calculated payment for a total 90% WHIP+ program payment. This second round of WHIP+ payments are expected to exceed $700 million. A third round of payments may be issued if sufficient funds become available. Producers with 2018 crop losses have already been compensated at 100%.

Future Insurance Coverage Requirements
All producers receiving QLA Program and WHIP+ payments are required to purchase federal crop insurance or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage for the next two available crop years at the 60% coverage level or higher. If eligible, QLA participants may meet the insurance purchase requirement by purchasing Whole-Farm Revenue Protection coverage offered through USDA’s Risk Management Agency.

More Information
USDA offers a comprehensive portfolio of disaster assistance programs. On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can help producers and landowners determine all program or loan options available for disaster recovery assistance. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent. For FSA and NRCS programs, they should contact their local USDA Service Center.



Deadline for Cover Crop Insurance Premium Benefit Quickly Approaching

In order to qualify for the new federal Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP), the U.S. Department of Agriculture has set a deadline of June 15, 2021, for producers to file a Report of Acreage form (FSA-578) for cover crops with the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Eligible producers must have planted cover crops and purchased crop insurance during the 2021 crop year.

The June 15, 2021 deadline is distinct from the normal acreage reporting date. The normal acreage reporting deadline with FSA has not changed, but to receive the premium benefit for cover crops, producers must file by June 15. To file the form, producers should contact their local USDA Service Center.

The PCCP is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, a bundle of programs to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions.



Tetracore, Inc. Introduces First USDA-Licensed Real-Time PCR Test for the Detection of Foot and Mouth Disease Virus in Bovine, Swine and Ovine

Tetracore announced today the licensing of their VetAlert™ Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) RNA Diagnostic Test Kit by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB).   It is one of the first licensed FMD diagnostic kits that can be manufactured on the U.S. mainland, critical for a rapid response in the event of an FMD outbreak.  Additionally, this diagnostic kit provides animal health first responders with a critical tool to mitigate the potentially catastrophic economic and animal welfare impacts of an FMD outbreak.

The VetAlert FMDV RNA high-performance test kit was developed by Tetracore scientists and will be commercialized and sold by Tetracore.

Nearly two decades ago, Tetracore validated and published a real-time RT-PCR assay for FMDV, as described by Callahan et al. 2002. The primer and probe set from the publication became part of the OIE and USDA reference test methods.

"It is well-known that RNA viruses mutate and evolve, and for this reason, established PCR test designs should be periodically re-evaluated to ensure that the test designs remain fit for purpose," says Dr. Callahan, Business Development Manager and USDA CVB liaison for Tetracore.

With this in mind, Tetracore evaluated contemporary FMD viral sequences to design a new primer-probe set that was blended with the original test to create an updated FMDV rRT-PCR, the VetAlert FMDV RNA Test Kit.

The updated test design was validated in studies with the Pirbright Institute in the UK and the National Center for Foreign Animal Diseases (NCFAD) in Winnipeg, Canada, and performed well compared to their reference test methods.