Friday January 26 Ag News

 Nebraska Farm Bureau Plays Pivotal Role in Shaping National Agriculture Policy at the 105th American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting

Nebraska Farm Bureau (NEFB) delegates actively participated in the voting delegate session during the 105th American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Annual Meeting held on Tuesday, Jan. 23 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The Nebraska delegates contributed to setting crucial policy priorities for agriculture in 2024. The session brought together farmers and ranchers from across the nation to deliberate and provide direction on key issues impacting America’s farm and ranch families.

Among the top policy items under discussion, NEFB members engaged in robust conversations surrounding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture. Recognizing the potential benefits and challenges associated with AI technologies, the delegates deliberated on the need for responsible and ethical AI implementation to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and productivity on our nation’s farms and ranches.

“The implementation of new technology including the use of Artificial Intelligence is moving at lightning speed, and we need to make sure the regulatory structure that is developed overseeing these technologies keeps farmers and ranchers at top of mind,” said Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue.

NEFB also voiced strong support for the repeal of California’s Proposition 12, a policy priority for AFBF in 2024. Proposition 12, passed by California voters in 2018 and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023, places arbitrary animal welfare standards on pork, poultry, and veal products coming into the state of California. The law effectively forces farmers and ranchers to comply with California animal welfare standards and will likely service as a roadmap for new regulations and restrictions on food production for years to come.

“In just a few short weeks since the law has been in effect, California consumers have already seen a substantial increase in the cost of pork products. This increase in food costs for California families and increasing the cost of production for Nebraska farmers and ranchers, must be overturned by Congress as quickly as possible,” said McHargue.

Foreign ownership of farmland continues to be an emerging political topic, and NEFB delegates helped solidify new policy for AFBF to utilize in 2024. A number of federal agencies are involved in transactions involving foreign companies and individuals; however data collection/management remains inconsistent and in need of reform. At the same time, the multi-agency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) only reviews transactions of a certain size. This all led NEFB to successfully push for passage of policy language supporting the reformation of data collection at the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the expansion of funds and jurisdiction of CFIUS.

“The discussion on who owns and is purchasing farmland in the United States continues to be a hot-button topic in Washington, D.C., as well as at the State Capitol in Lincoln. We need to ensure that these transactions are appropriately tracked by the USDA and go through all necessary national security reviews by CFIUS so that we can ensure our own national security but not harm necessary economic development,” said McHargue.

Lastly, the labor needs of agriculture also took center stage as farmers and ranchers highlighted the critical role that a skilled and reliable workforce plays in sustaining agricultural operations. The delegates discussed strategies to address the ongoing challenges of labor shortages, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive immigration reform and innovative solutions to attract and retain skilled workers in the agricultural sector.

“While separate discussions, it is hard to talk about agriculture’s dire labor needs without talking about the need to pass immigration reform. Congress must continue to work to find a path forward to reform federal labor programs, such as freezing the H2A Adverse Effect Wage Rate, as well as dealing with the crisis at our nation’s borders,” said McHargue.

NEFB remains committed to advocating for policies that support the economic well-being and prosperity of Nebraska's farm and ranch families, and the outcomes of the delegate session will guide the organization's efforts in the coming year.  

In addition to policy development, a series of Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) competitive events occurred during AFBF’s Annual Meeting. Joe Melnick, an Adams/Webster County Farm Bureau member competed as Nebraska’s representative in the YF&R Discussion Meet. Ryan Musgrave of Clay County Farm Bureau was recognized as Nebraska’s competitor for the Achievement in Agriculture award. Nebraska’s Excellence in Agriculture competitors were Josh and Jill England, Hall County Farm Bureau members.

Nebraska company, IDEM Irrigation, was also a Top 10 finalist in the AFBF Ag Innovation Challenge and earned $10,000 in startup funds. The Ag Innovation Challenge is designed to encourage the development of innovative solutions facing agriculture and show case new ideas.



Navigating farm challenges - free ag law clinics in February

February 2024 offers a valuable opportunity for farmers and ranchers with free Farm and Ag Law Clinics. These clinics provide individual, confidential meetings with experts in agricultural law and financial counseling. They are not group sessions, ensuring personalized and private advice.

At these clinics, attendees will meet one-on-one with an agricultural law attorney and a financial advisor. These professionals specialize in areas crucial to farming and ranching.

Key topics include business and financial planning, transition planning, understanding farm loan programs, navigating debtor/creditor law, optimizing debt structure and cash flow, and dealing with agricultural disaster programs. This is a chance for farmers and ranchers to gain an independent perspective on issues impacting their farm or ranch. The clinics are set to take place in various locations:
  • Thursday, Feb. 1 — Fairbury
  • Wednesday, Feb. 7 — Norfolk
  • Thursday, Feb. 8 — Stuart
  • Friday, Feb. 9 — Greeley

Interested individuals are encouraged to sign up for a clinic. For more information or to register, they can call the Nebraska Farm Hotline at 1-800-464-0258.



ISI Beef Feedlot Webinar Series to be Offered in February

Just in time for some mid-winter learning, the Iowa Beef Center is hosting a five-part feedlot webinar series beginning Feb. 1.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Beef Specialist Erika Lundy-Woolfolk is organizing the series that will be held every Thursday in February.

"Each session has a unique topic that was chosen based on input from producers at the grassroots level," she said. "After the topic presentation of about 30 minutes, we're providing time for questions and discussion with the session attendees."

They'll talk about how necropsies can shed light on health management programs, comparing cattle performance in various buildings, and how to properly diagnose, treat and prevent various types of lameness, Lundy-Woolfolk said.

“Another session includes a discussion on strategies for managing price risk in feedlot settings," she said. “And we’ll round out the series with a session focused on an ongoing Iowa State research project funded by the Iowa State Beef Checkoff Program that's evaluating nutritional impacts on beef and dairy steers.”

The dates, topics and presenters are:
    Feb. 1. Understanding the value of feedlot necropsies, Terry J. Engelken, professor and veterinarian in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State.
    Feb. 8. Pros and cons of facility types, Dan Loy, retired director of the Iowa Beef Center.
    Feb. 15. Beef cattle market outlook and managing price risk, Lee Schulz, livestock economist with ISU Extension and Outreach.
    Feb. 22. Managing foot health in the feedyard, Dan Thomson, retired beef specialist at Iowa State.
    Feb. 29. Iowa State research update: beef x dairy project, Garland Dahlke, research scientist with the Iowa Beef Center.

Sessions will be hosted through the Webex platform at no charge to attendees, and all begin at noon. The presentations run approximately 30 minutes, with additional time available for questions and discussion from the attendees. All sessions will be recorded and eventually posted to the Iowa Beef Center YouTube channel. Register online for the sessions you wish to attend http://go.iastate.edu/BYRA2O.



Iowa Farm Bureau programs and members receive awards and recognition at 105th American Farm Bureau Annual Convention

Farm Bureau members from all 50 states and Puerto Rico gathered at the 105th American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Annual Convention this week in Salt Lake City, Utah to set the organization’s national policy direction for 2024 and recognize and celebrate the achievements of state Farm Bureaus.  Several Iowa policies were adopted, including measures to prevent the harmful consequences of California’s Proposition 12 and similar initiatives, maintaining a strong crop insurance program and adding policy to recommend Congress investigate fertilizer supply chain outages and tariffs placed on imports.  

During the convention’s closing general session, longtime Iowa Farm Bureau leader, Craig Hill, was presented with the AFBF Founders Award, recognizing more than three decades of leadership, including a 10-year stint as IFBF president.  During Hill’s 32 years of leadership on the IFBF board of directors, he visited 23 countries on trade and diplomacy missions.  During his tenure, Hill carried Farm Bureau members’ voices and stories into conversations with trade officials, lawmakers and the media as he shared the impact of policies on family farms.            

“This is a remarkable honor because I know how much so many have given to move this organization forward,” Hill said. “I’m humbled to be included in that category.”

AFBF President Zippy Duvall announced a landmark alliance offering free, anonymous, online mental health and wellbeing services to provide a nationwide network of confidential and on-demand support to farmers who understand the challenges and rewards working in agriculture.  Farm Family Wellness Alliance was launched in 2020 in the aftermath of the derecho storm, with Iowa Farm Bureau as an early partner in their pilot program.  In August 2021, services expanded to Illinois, and now services will be available to farm families nationwide in 2024.

Farm Family Wellness Alliance brings together the best resources to build farm family wellness. Access to services starts at Togetherall, a safe, clinically moderated peer-to-peer community, where members around the world are there to listen, support and give members’ mental wellbeing a boost. Through an anonymous profile, users can access a global network of peers, backed by the safeguarding of licensed clinicians overseeing the community around-the-clock. Access to the platform is available to members of a farm family aged 16 and older.

During the general session of the convention, AFBF recognized Iowa Farm Bureau with several Awards of Excellence.  IFBF was celebrated for outstanding achievement in all four program areas: Advocacy, Coalitions and Partnerships, Engagement and Outreach and Leadership and Business Development.  

Iowa entrepreneurs continued a strong track record of success in AFBF’s Ag Innovation Challenge on the tradeshow floor.  Appanoose Manufactured Products, an innovator in firefighting technology, was recognized as a Final Four contestant.  Mark Mendick, owner and founder of Appanoose Manufactured Products, competed in a live pitch off with the other semifinalists, sharing his company’s vision and future market opportunities for fire suppression equipment for farmers and rural residents.   Mendick’s designs focus on ultra high pressure (UHP) systems that can quickly extinguish a fire using a limited water supply, which has proven extremely valuable for farmers experiencing equipment fires.

Mendick received $10,000 in prize money for being named one of 10 finalists, and he earned an additional $5,000 for advancing to the Final Four in the challenge.  To learn more about the contest or apply for the 2025 Ag Innovation Challenge, visit fb.org/challenge.

“From setting policy that advances agriculture to recognizing programs that deliver value to our membership, Iowa Farm Bureau members have much to be proud of this week,” said Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson.  “Innovation and opportunities were on display throughout the AFBF Annual Convention, and we’re all proud of Iowa’s success from serving members through valuable programming and effective policy.”    

Along with Johnson, Iowa’s other voting delegates to the 2024 AFBF policy session were: IFBF Vice President Brian Feldpausch of Grundy County; District 1 director Randy Brincks of Winneshiek County; Jeff Pape of Dubuque County; Meghan Leibold of Buchanan County; Dave Bolin of Butler County; Gary Rees of Louisa County; Dan Hanrahan of Madison County and Kevin Schechinger of East Pottawattamie County.

Members attended workshops covering topics, including insights into helping farmers and ranchers cope with stress and anxiety, ways to engage Generation Z, also known as “the change makers,” and outlook for a long-term farm bill and other legal updates.



EPA Proposes New Effluent Limits for Packing Plants
NPPC

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new, significantly more stringent permitting guidelines under the Clean Water Act for meatpacking plants. If adopted, the new rule would apply to many of the nation’s 5,000 meat and poultry plants, requiring them to upgrade facilities and install costly new wastewater treatment technologies, impacting the operation of meat and poultry packing and processing plants nationwide.
 
EPA offered two options to broaden the proposal and cover more facilities, including indirect dischargers, that would have a wide range of impacts, including potentially forcing the closure of at least 16 meat and poultry processing plants and imposing stringent new regulations, with direct costs in excess of $1 billion dollars on packers and processors. This will lead to even more costs downstream for pork producers who might once again face disruption in packing capacity.
 
The rulemaking stems from lawsuits filed by a coalition of environmental and animal rights activist groups in 2019 and 2022, including Earthjustice, Waterkeeper Alliance, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
 
At a public hearing this week, Michael Formica, NPPC’s chief legal strategist, criticized EPA for only holding two hearings and for providing insufficient time – less than 24 hours – to review the hundreds of pages of proposed regulations prior to the public hearing.
 
Formica also voiced concerns over the EPA’s lack of engagement with farmers who will be affected by the regulation and for economic estimates that are deficient and “don't adequately account for the harm that will be caused to farmers and the nation's agricultural sector.”
 
A second public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 31 at EPA headquarters in Washington, DC. EPA has provided 60 days for interested parties to submit comments. NPPC is seeking an extension of time on the comment period, as well as additional public hearings outside of Washington, D.C.



High Quality, Good Taste & Sustainability Should Have No Borders

The importance of collaborative ag industry partnerships is front and center in a new video funded in part by the National Corn Growers Association’s (NCGA) Market Development Action Team. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) partnered with U.S. Pork, U.S. Soy, NCGA, the Beef Checkoff, and American Lamb to produce a visually engaging narrative that showcases how American producers' dedication to the land and animals translates into high-quality, sustainable protein worldwide. The video—Beyond Borders—aims to highlight the U.S. red meat industry's commitment to sustainability, recognizing its growing importance in global markets and meeting customer demand.

"The USMEF Beyond Borders video illustrates the power of collaboration between corn and our valued partners across the meat industry. By working hand in hand with our animal ag partners, we are not just cultivating crops; we are cultivating a future where best practices and a shared commitment to the land will lead the way to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural landscape,” said Ohio grower and Market Development Action Team Chair Denny Vennekotter. By working hand in hand with our animal ag partners, we are not just cultivating crops; we are cultivating a future where best practices and a shared commitment to the land, will lead the way to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural landscape,” said Ohio grower and Market Development Action Team Chair Denny Vennekotter. “U.S. corn producers want everyone to have access to the best quality, most sustainable corn-based products. It is part of our commitment to be good stewards, and we take that commitment very seriously.”

The video serves as a powerful tool in conveying the message of sustainability to both international trade partners and consumers. This joint effort across the ag sector effectively communicates the story of how conscientious farming practices contribute to delicious meals on tables worldwide. High quality, good taste and sustainability should have no borders.