Cuming County Cow-Calf Association Tour
The Cuming County Cow-Calf Association is pleased to invite you to an educational event on June 25. This event is open to cattle producers in Cuming and surrounding counties.
A tour highlighting beef processing and carcass quality traits is planned for 9:00 am of ASC Lockers in West Point. At the completion of this 2-hour tour, participants will carpool to drive to the Eastern Nebraska Research Extension and Education Center (ENREEC) of the University of Nebraska in Ithaca.
After lunch, catered at the Center, an educational program will be offered covering cattle markets, forage management and practical genetic applications. This event will conclude with a tour of ENREEC facilities.
Please RSVP by calling University of Nebraska Extension in Cuming County at 402-372-6006 or email mlueckenhoff1@unl.edu by June 17, 2024.
Husker Harvest Days Introduces Complimentary Online Registration for Enhanced Attendee Experience
Husker Harvest Days, part of Farm Progress and the premier crop and cattle show in the Western Cornbelt, is thrilled to announce a new complimentary online registration system for its attendees. This innovative system enhances the overall experience of the world’s largest totally irrigated working farm show.
For over 40 years, Husker Harvest Days has been a cornerstone of the agriculture community. This year, Farm Progress is taking a significant leap forward by offering adult attendees complimentary three-day admission when they register online at HuskerHarvestDays.com or on-site. Adults who choose not to register will pay $25 at the gate.
“We are excited about this new registration system,” said Matt Jungmann, national events director for Farm Progress. “Our goal is to make Husker Harvest Days more accessible and enjoyable for everyone. With this system, we can provide a more personalized experience for our attendees.”
Student admission for ages 13–17 is $10 at the gate. However, students can receive complimentary admission by donating five non-perishable food items through a partnership with the Heartland United Way Food Drive. Admission for children aged 12 and under is free.
In addition to the new registration system, attendees can look forward to the latest autonomous technology, all-electric machinery and innovations in crop irrigation. The show will also display plenty of cattle handling equipment, field demonstrations covering harvest, tillage and alfalfa, and the new BEEF Building, formerly the livestock building.
Husker Harvest Days 2024 takes place in Grand Island, Neb., from Sept. 10–12, 2024. This year, show hours have been adjusted to 9 a.m.–4 p.m. CDT, ensuring safer early-morning traffic management and allowing additional time for exhibitor-hosted events. For more information, visit HuskerHarvestDays.com.
IRRIGATING ALFALFA IN-SEASON
- Todd Whitney, NE Extension Educator
Irrigation season usually is in full swing during early June. However, spring rains have reversed drought conditions across most of Nebraska for the first time in four years. So, what are alfalfa irrigation suggestions for summer?
As a perennial crop, alfalfa does not have specific critical growth stages for water stress like most traditional crops. When moisture stressed, the plant will slow or stop growing and go dormant. Then, when water becomes available, growth resumes.
Since alfalfa has a longer growing season, it uses more water annually compared to other crops. Conversely, over-water alfalfa can result in plant injury, disease, and possibly weed invasion. Irrigation can be challenging due to multiple harvests preventing watering for about 7 to 10 days per growth cycle and frequent heavy equipment traffic compacting soils. To reduce compaction, stop irrigating 2-3 days before cutting the alfalfa; and irrigate again when alfalfa regrowth begins. Heavy irrigation of alfalfa stubble may encourage weed growth.
Irrigation scheduling efficiency can be improved with using Evapotranspiration (ET) gages or soil moisture monitoring. Accurate weather forecasts can also allow growers to take full advantage of rainfall events and reduce irrigation applications.
As temperatures rise, daily water use is also increasing. Generally, the most yield impacting irrigation occurs just before the second cutting followed by the third and fourth growth periods typically requiring 6 to 7 inches of irrigation. Peak water usage is about 1/3 inch per day in July and August. However, hot, windy and dry days can move the maximum water demand up to ½ inch per day.
Our UNL NebGuide, G1778, “Irrigation Management and Crop Characteristics of Alfalfa” provided more details at: https://cropwater.unl.edu or https://water.unl.edu.
USDA Scientist Dr. Aspen Workman Recognized for Scientific Breakthrough Discovery
Dr. Aspen Workman, a scientist with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), has been honored with the 2023 Arthur S. Flemming Award in Applied Science and Engineering for her contributions to the advancement of safeguarding livestock from endemic diseases and ensuring healthy and economically viable food systems and food security.
Dr. Workman is a research microbiologist in the Animal Health Genomics Research Unit at ARS’ U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Neb. Her research focuses on studying the interactions between hosts and pathogens that are critical to disease pathogenesis and uses the findings to develop intervention strategies that can enhance host resistance, improve animal health and welfare, and promote the sustainability of animal agriculture. Dr. Workman led a multidisciplinary effort that resulted in the first gene-edited calf with resistance to bovine viral diarrhea virus, or BVDV.
“Dr. Workman’s discovery is a significant breakthrough in livestock breeding technology that can improve animal welfare, promote the long-term sustainability of livestock production, and reduce the need for antibiotics in cattle,” said ARS Administrator Dr. Simon Liu.
BVDV, a contagious and virulent disease, creates one of the biggest challenges to an $88 billion cattle industry. When beef and dairy cattle become infected with BVDV, they can develop respiratory disease, bloody diarrhea, mouth ulcers, and acute fevers. In addition, BVDV-infected pregnant cows can transmit the virus to their offspring, causing them to carry and shed the virus throughout their lives, which makes it even more challenging to control the disease.
Scientists have been studying BVDV since the 1940s. In 2006, CD46 was identified as the main receptor on cattle cells that allows the virus to enter cells and cause disease. Building on this knowledge, Dr. Workman and her colleagues at USMARC, together with their industry partner, spent three years modifying the virus binding site on CD46 to block BVDV infection. By marking a targeted change to the virus receptor, Dr. Workman’s team produced a healthy calf that withstood a BVDV challenge, demonstrating for the first time that gene-editing can reduce or potentially eliminate the disease in cattle.
Dr. Workman is also dedicated to promoting social equity inside and outside the laboratory. Her research in the laboratory focuses on addressing pressing social issues, such as finding ways to produce sustainable food to feed an ever-growing global population through improved disease detection, prevention, and control while supporting the mission of the ARS Animal Health national program. Dr. Workman's work goes beyond the laboratory. She serves on a committee for the National Academy of Sciences and actively engages at the high school and university levels in pursuit of her passion for advancing equity in laboratory science for the next generation of scientists and encouraging women to pursue research careers.
The Arthur S. Flemming Award was established in 1948 and is named after Arthur Sherwood Flemming, a distinguished government official who served seven presidential administrations of both parties, most notably as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under President Dwight Eisenhower. He was a two-time recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, first from President Eisenhower in 1957 and then from President Bill Clinton in 1994, two years before his death.
The Flemming induction ceremony will take place on Nov. 13, 2024, at the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) Fall Conference.
NEBRASKA-DEVELOPED WHEAT VARIETY TO ADDRESS NEW FUNGAL THREAT
In the wake of heightened wheat concern in the Nebraska Panhandle in 2023, this year brings positive news: The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is releasing a new wheat variety, NE Prism CLP, that stands out for its resistance to fungal disease, including fusarium head blight.
Last spring, Husker faculty members Katherine Frels and Stephen Wegulo began receiving concerned phone calls from Nebraska wheat growers. Something strange, the callers said, was going on in wheat fields in parts of the Panhandle.
The farmers were seeing field conditions they hadn’t encountered before: Their winter wheat had reached maturity, but the kernels had none of their familiar golden color and robust appearance. Instead, they were bleached and sickly.
Tombstones, such kernels are called — blighted irreparably by fungal assault.
The culprit was fusarium head blight, a notoriously destructive plant disease rarely seen in western Nebraska. The disease, also known as scab, undercuts yield and contaminates the grain with mycotoxins harmful to humans and animals.
“Producers were caught off-guard,” said Frels, Nebraska’s small grains breeder and an assistant professor of agronomy and horticulture.
The Panhandle region, which produces more than half of the state’s wheat, is normally free of the disease because that part of the state rarely receives enough rain to trigger the release of harmful fungal spores during wheat flowering.
But 2023 was not a normal year.
While drought kept a tight grip on much of eastern Nebraska last year, the Panhandle received above-average rainfall before and during wheat flowering, and the moisture enabled a rare outbreak of fusarium head blight. Wheat-producing areas in Kansas and Colorado were similarly affected.
“If there is a lot of rain two to three weeks before flowering and that rain is consistent into the flowering period for wheat, we know that the risk for fusarium head blight is pretty high,” said Wegulo, professor of plant pathology.
Wegulo, who is also a plant pathologist for Nebraska Extension, does extensive surveys of Nebraska wheat field conditions each spring and provides regular updates in CropWatch.
The new wheat variety, a two-gene Clearfield package, is available through NU Horizons Genetics and will be a key topic for Husker representatives when they meet with producers during the annual wheat field days in June.
Nebraska producers had requested a new Clearfield variety, and the university responded after extensive field testing, Frels said. The variety “has some other good things in the disease package, like some stripe rust resistance and stem rust resistance,” she said. “That's what our growers expect from us.”
Fusarium head blight is best addressed though a two-pronged approach, using a crop variety with genetic resistance supplemented by appropriately timed fungicide application.
“For growers, you really can’t see it until it’s too late to do anything,” Frels said. “That’s why we want to have at least that moderate resistance out, and then ideally if the environment is right, we recommend that growers also spray fungicides to have the best chance of highly reducing the risk.”
Producers can benefit by regularly monitoring conditions through a widely used online fusarium risk tool, Frels and Wegulo said.
Wegulo and research technologist Julie Stevens carry out extensive testing on potential new wheat lines in the university’s breeding program, checking for resistance to three diseases (stem rust, leaf rust and fusarium head blight). Partner labs elsewhere in the country check for additional diseases before any new variety can move forward for consideration.
“We give that data to Katherine, and she will use that data to select her lines, looking at the level of disease resistance and other agronomic qualities,” Wegulo said. “We try to identify wheat varieties with resistance and then combine the resistance with fungicide application and determine the amount of disease control you get.”
The university’s efforts benefit greatly from the federal funding provided by the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative, which promotes research to develop innovative approaches to address fusarium head blight. Some farm-state lawmakers, pointing to the value of the research, have called for the program’s funding to be increased as part of the next farm bill.
Wegulo is giving a presentation at an international conference in Athens, Greece, this summer on how climate change influences fusarium head blight.
“With climate change, we're seeing this shift toward more intense precipitation in places where we traditionally have not seen it,” he said.
That was the case in Nebraska in 2023, as the rainfall amount in the Panhandle exceeded the norm.
“We cannot rule out that we are probably going to see fusarium head blight in the west more frequently than in the past,” Wegulo said.
FFA Members From Across the Country to Attend Summer Next Gen Conference in Minneapolis
From June 25-28, the National FFA Organization will be hosting its summer Next Gen Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The topic of the conference is “Food Products and Processing Systems” and high school student attendees will learn through informational sessions, panels and tours.
Tour locations in Minneapolis during the conference include:
Second Harvest Heartland
Cargill (Cargill Food Innovation Center and Cargill Research and Development Center).
Food Building
Ardent Mills
“We’re really looking forward to the students learning more about the value of food products and processing systems during the upcoming Next Gen Conference,” said Joe Martin, Program Specialist, Advocacy, Literacy, and Ag-Based Experiences, National FFA Organization. “One of the key goals of FFA is to equip our future workforce pipeline with talent that will feed, fuel and clothe the world. The conference is an educational opportunity for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors that meets this goal.”
FFA, a school-based national youth leadership development organization, prides itself on providing year-round educational opportunities like the Next Gen Conferences, which occur three times this year, to prepare our next generation of leaders.
With FFA student membership at 945,000 and growing, those who are interested in attending Next Gen Conferences are selected through a competitive application process. For the June conference, 68 high school students were selected, including:
Nebraska
Esther VanOverbeke, Waverly FFA
Iowa
Matthew Horstman, South Winn FFA
Ashley Mose, North Scott FFA
Kelsey Timp, South Winneshiek FFA
South Dakota
Katrina Thon, Bridgewater - Emery FFA
Corporate sponsors of June’s Next Gen Conference are Cargill, CNH, Dominos and Nestle. To learn more about the National FFA Organization, visit www.ffa.org, and to learn more about the Next Gen Conference, visit www.ffa.org/participate/next-generation-conference.
New publication shares survey data from beef x dairy raisers and feedlot operators
Although dairy animals have traditionally made up about 20% of the beef supply, packer decisions in 2017 to stop purchasing fed dairy steers have led those producers to make different choices in their genetics and breeding decisions. Early semen selection approaches provided black-hided cattle but with conformation more closely matching straight-bred dairy cattle.
With little direct connection between feedlots and dairy farms, it's difficult to obtain data from the common link: beef on dairy (BXD) calf raisers and ranches, and producers finishing BXD calves. An Iowa Beef Center-led study focused on this link with surveys of both groups in or near Iowa.
The spring 2023 survey had two objectives: learn about management practices employed by dairy producers and calf ranches that raise BXD crossbred calves, and learn about challenges related to finishing BXD calves from commercial feedlot operators.
"Because calf health is a big concern, we asked producers how their calves were sourced, and about colostrum intake and quality," said Iowa State University extension beef specialist Denise Schwab. "We also asked about pre-weaning and post-weaning death loss, and starter feed diets."
Respondents identified a number of overall concerns, including mycoplasma, scours, and low resale value, and yet increased income to the dairy was the most cited reason for raising BXD calves. They also said more research is needed in several areas, including reducing liver abscesses, sire genetics and selection, and improving carcass cutout.
Feeders who finish BXD calves were asked to describe their feeding experience compared to their respective beef or dairy cattle experience. They also provided the timing and cause of morbidity and mortality. The major cause of death for straight-bred beef and straight-bred dairy was respiratory/pneumonia/Bovine Respiratory Disease, while 73% of BXD feeders reported similar cause of death.
The survey also asked about implant strategies for BXD cattle, where cattle are marketed, incidence and discount for liver abscesses, and quality grade and yield grade of marketed cattle.
Survey results show improvement and progress in changing the type and quality of the BXD crossbred animal, while recognizing more is needed. More communication among and between segments of the production chain will be key to success. More research is needed to select the ideal beef bulls based on growth, performance, and carcass merit without compromising calving ease.
The study was made possible with funding from the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Beef Checkoff.
A new five-page publication details this study, results, and findings. A Survey of Iowa Beef X Dairy Calf Raisers and Feedlot Operators to Further Describe Challenges Related to Finishing BXD Crossbreds, IBC148 (https://store.extension.iastate.edu/Product/16966) is available as a free download from the ISU Extension store.
Get Pumped Up for the Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol NASCAR Cup Series Race
Iowa Corn is proud to be the entitlement partner of the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race in the state, happening this weekend in Newton, Iowa. The Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol, will showcase the performance of ethanol at the fastest short-track on the planet, which is surrounded by corn fields.
“As a farmer, seeing NASCAR run on ethanol is a proud moment. It's proof that our hard work growing renewable crops can power something as thrilling as a race car, while also driving us towards a greener future." stated Stan Nelson, a farmer from Middletown and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board President. “Gearing up for the weekend ahead, I am pleased to share with the NASCAR family how we utilize higher blends of ethanol to make a sustainable difference every day with a cleaner-burning, more affordable fuel option at the pump.”
The Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol, will take place at 6 p.m. CT, Sunday, June 16, 2024, and be shown live on USA Network. This inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway culminates a weekend that will also include a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at 2:30 p.m. CT, Saturday, June 15, on USA Network and ARCA Menards Series racing on Friday June 14.
Smeby Named Producer Outreach Director for Iowa Pork Producers Association
Van Gilst promoted to Strategic Information Director
The Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Brielle Smeby as its new Producer Outreach Director. Smeby, a 2023 graduate of Iowa State University with a major in Animal Science, brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for the agriculture industry to her new role. She spent the past year as IPPA’s Program and Events Manager.
Having grown up on her parents' nursery-to-finish farm in Klemme, Iowa, Smeby has been actively involved in various aspects of pork production, including showing pigs and working on her family’s operation. Smeby’s upbringing instilled in her a strong desire to contribute to the agricultural community.
“I want to use this position to bring more producers into the association,” Smeby said. “It would be great to have more producers connect with IPPA and utilize the resources we have. The association is here for any questions they have about their farm or industry issues. Reach out to us. We are here to support you and help you.”
As the Producer Outreach Director, she oversees membership and county association relationships for IPPA, and works with the Iowa Pork Alliance. Smeby also coordinates the Iowa Pork Leadership Academy, the Master Pork Awards program, and IPPA’s tradeshow presence at the World Pork Expo and Iowa Pork Congress.
While attending Iowa State University, Smeby interned with the Iowa Pork Producers Association during the summer of 2021. That experience was eye opening for her and showed her many ways to get involved in the industry.
“It was fun to see the different roles of the staff here at Iowa Pork,” Smeby said. “After that internship, I grew to appreciate all the work the association does for producers, so it allowed me to realize working in the pork industry didn’t necessarily mean you had to be in the barn yourself.”
“Brielle has been an important part of our team at IPPA, and she will transition very well into this new role,” said IPPA CEO Pat McGonegle. “Her background fuels her dedication to the pork industry and she is devoted to supporting county organizations and their members.”
Cory Van Gilst, the previous Producer Outreach Director, has transitioned into the role of Strategic Information Director for IPPA. Van Gilst will be instrumental in integrating a new membership system and assisting with various organizational functions.
“I’ve greatly enjoyed my time as the Producer Outreach Director and am looking forward to serving our members in a new role at IPPA,” said Van Gilst. “I am very thankful for all the producers that I’ve met over the past three years. I could not work for a better group of people.”
Van Gilst grew up on a family farm that included a farrow-to-finish operation near Oskaloosa. He graduated from Dordt University in Sioux Center, with a bachelor’s degree in business marketing. Van Gilst joined the IPPA staff in 2021, following three years with the National Pork Board.
“Cory is taking on an important new role in our organization, and I’m pleased that he’s tackling these new responsibilities,” said IPPA CEO Pat McGonegle. “Cory has been an integral part of our team for the past three years and his drive and passion for the pork industry will serve us well as Strategic Information Director.”
Ricketts Comments on Farm Bill Framework
Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) issued the following statement in support of the Farm Bill framework released by Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR):
“This Farm Bill framework ensures Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers have the tools they need to navigate current and future challenges,” Ricketts said. “I’m glad it includes my bill to help workers on SNAP get off welfare and into the workforce. It also includes my bills on improving flood protection, improving infrastructure resiliency, and enhancing assistance to rural microentrepreneurs. It includes critical Nebraska priorities like improving crop insurance, strengthening trade promotion programs, and expanding voluntary, working lands-based conservation programs. It supports agriculture research at land grant institutions like the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and workforce training at our community colleges.”
“I’m thankful to Ranking Member Boozman for incorporating so much of what Senator Fischer and I shared with him during his visit to Nebraska last year,” Ricketts continued. “I hope my Democratic colleagues will join us in supporting this framework.”
Boozman joined Senators Ricketts and Deb Fischer (R-NE) in Nebraska last year to learn more about the needs of Nebraska farmers and ranchers. You can watch video of that visit here.
BACKGROUND:
The Farm Bill framework includes many legislative efforts supported by Ricketts. The bill:
Includes the bipartisan SNAP Next Step Act, authored by Ricketts and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), to help workers on SNAP get off government assistance and into the workforce.
Includes the bipartisan Flood Protection and Infrastructure Resilience Act, authored by Ricketts and Gillibrand, to help communities not just recover from disasters but reduce future damage as well.
Includes the bipartisan Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Act, authored by Ricketts and Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), to extend and enhance a program making low-interest loans and grants available to rural microentrepreneurs.
Doubles research funding and provides significant, mandatory funding to improve agricultural research facilities at land-grant institutions, colleges of agriculture, and beneficiaries of U.S. agricultural research.
Includes the Ricketts-supported “Expanding Agricultural Exports Act,” which doubles funding for USDA’s premier trade promotion programs, the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD).
Includes the Ricketts-supported “Biomanufacturing and Jobs Act,” which strengthens the BioPreferred Program.
Includes the Ricketts-supported “TSP Access Act,” which streamlines the Technical Service Providers (TSP) process to make conservation assistance more accessible to producers.
Includes the Ricketts-supported “Farm to Fly Act,” which allows for greater production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).
Includes the Ricketts-supported “Beagle Brigade Act,” which permanently authorizes the USDA Training Center for the Beagle Brigade, which trains dogs to detect foreign pests and diseases and protect our food supply.
Fischer Praises Farm-Focused Framework
Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, issued the following statement in support of the Republican Farm Bill framework:
“Nebraskans want more ‘farm’ in the farm bill, and that’s what this framework delivers. By strengthening risk management tools like crop insurance, increasing our investment in locally-led conservation programs, doubling funding for trade promotion programs, investing in research, and increasing funding for critical animal health programs, this vision provides the tools necessary for American agriculture to thrive. It also includes a number of my bills that make precision ag technology more affordable and increase connectivity in the field, tools producers use to conserve resources and cut costs. My Democratic colleagues should recognize the value of this modernization effort and work with Republicans to create a farm bill that puts producers first,” said Senator Fischer.
NFU Statement on Ranking Member Boozman's Farm Bill Framework
Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) today released a framework for the 2024 Farm Bill.
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Rob Larew issued the following statement:
“I appreciate Senator Boozman’s work on advancing the farm bill and look forward to continuing the process. Farm bills do best when they are the product of bipartisanship, which requires collaboration and negotiation. Ranking Member Boozman outlined his policy priorities in today’s framework, which represents another important step towards passing a farm bill. We hope that further talks with Chairwoman Stabenow will result in a farm bill that enhances and ensures competitive markets, strengthens voluntary conservation programs, maintains strong support for nutrition programs and boosts the farm safety net while directing benefits to family farmers and ranchers. We’re ready to keep working together in the weeks and months ahead."
Farm Bureau Appreciates Farm Bill Progress in Senate
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on Senator John Boozman’s release of a farm bill outline in the Senate Agriculture Committee.
“Farm Bureau appreciates Senator Boozman’s release of an outline for a new, modernized farm bill that increases investments in the farm safety net and advances voluntary conservation efforts. His plan, combined with Senator Stabenow’s previously released outline, brings into better focus each party’s vision for this important legislation.
“This is encouraging progress in the Senate, but there is much work to be done. There are stark differences between the two outlines and we urge Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Boozman to find common ground on the important issues that farmers and ranchers face. We urge the Senate Agriculture Committee to use these outlines to draft a bipartisan farm bill that updates the farm safety net and makes crop insurance more accessible, and to schedule a Committee markup soon. The farm bill benefits every family in America. They’re relying on Congress to get the job done.”
Ranking Member Boozman Includes NPPC Priorities in Senate Farm Bill
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) supports the 2024 Farm Bill framework introduced by U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR).
“On behalf of America’s 60,000+ pork producers, we thank Ranking Member Boozman for a farm bill framework that listens to and answers producers’ calls for foreign animal disease prevention resources, market access expansion, relief from burdensome multi-state regulations, and more,” said NPPC President Lori Stevermer, a pork producer from Easton, Minn. “After a successful markup of the House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill, we urge swift action by Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Boozman to protect producers from a patchwork of regulations across 50 states and provide certainty to the food supply chain."
All NPPC priorities were addressed in Ranking Member Boozman’s Farm Bill framework including:
A legislative solution to the host of problems triggered by California’s Proposition 12.
A 2018 California ballot initiative, Proposition 12, prohibits the sale of uncooked whole pork meat not produced according to the state’s arbitrary housing dimensions. Recent data from USDA economists indicate price spikes as high as 41% for pork in California.
Strengthening of necessary resources to protect the nation’s food supply through foreign animal disease (FAD) prevention, including:
National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank
National Animal Health Laboratory Network
National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program
National Veterinary Stockpile
Increase in market access program funding for U.S. pork.
The Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) build export markets for U.S. agricultural products through generic marketing and promotion and the reduction of foreign import constraints. For every $1 spent on MAP and FMD programs, U.S. agriculture saw $24.50 in export gains and contributed to the creation of 225,800 full-and part-time jobs across the U.S. economy.
Boost in resources for feral swine eradication to protect the health of our herds.
Established in the 2018 Farm Bill, the hugely successful Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program helps address the threat feral swine pose to agriculture, ecosystems, and human and animal health, especially through FADs like African swine fever.
Authorization of the National Detector Dog Training Center.
The center is the primary training facility for the “Beagle Brigade,” which serves as the first line of defense for early detection at the nation’s ports of entry and is critical in keeping foreign animal diseases, like African swine fever, out of the United States.
Secures the ability of processors to run at safe and efficient line speeds.
Pork processors are facing regulatory uncertainty related to the speeds at which harvest plants can operate. Making the line speed program permanent is critical for all producers. Failure to secure the current line speed program could cost producers approximately $10 per head.
In May, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee passed its Farm Bill, which included 100% of NPPC’s priorities. NPPC encourages leadership to provide the Farm Bill with Floor time for consideration by the full House.
NCBA Welcomes Republican Senate Farm Bill Framework
Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welcomed the Farm Bill framework released by Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR). Included in the framework are top priorities for cattle producers, similar to the bipartisan House Farm Bill, such as funding to protect the U.S. cattle herd from foreign animal disease, continued support for voluntary conservation programs, and other critical food security provisions.
“Thank you to Ranking Member Boozman for building on the successful, bipartisan work of Chairman GT Thompson, to put forward a Farm Bill that cattle producers across the country can proudly support,” said NCBA President and Wyoming rancher Mark Eisele. “This Senate Farm Bill framework understands the full threat of a foreign animal disease outbreak on U.S. soil and acknowledges that cattle farmers and ranchers carry out vital work, through voluntary conservation programs, to preserve our Nation’s natural resources. NCBA welcomes this positive step forward and urges the Senate to follow the Ranking Member’s lead, as the policy ideas in this framework have already received bipartisan support in the House.”
NMPF Statement on Senate Ag GOP Farm Bill Framework
Gregg Doud, President and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation:
“Dairy farmers and their cooperatives commend Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman, R-AR, for issuing a strong farm bill framework that marks another important step toward enacting a bipartisan farm bill into law this year. Ranking Member Boozman’s framework includes numerous dairy priorities, such as reauthorizing and updating the vital Dairy Margin Coverage safety net and advancing NMPF-led bipartisan bills to spur approval of innovative feed ingredients, protect the use of common food names, and boost consumption of nutritious milk among our nation’s youth.
“A five-year farm bill provides producers with certainty as they manage their risk and resources and feed consumers at home and abroad. We stand ready to continue working with House and Senate Ag leaders in both parties to complete the job this year.”
New Study Shows Plug-in Hybrid Flex Fuel Vehicle Has Major Economic, Climate Advantages Over Battery EVs
The Renewable Fuels Association Tuesday released a study documenting the economic and environmental benefits of the world’s first plug-in electric hybrid flex fuel vehicle (PHEFFV). After rigorous emissions testing, lifecycle greenhouse gas analysis, and nearly 34,000 miles of real-world driving, the study concludes that a PHEFFV offers distinct advantages over fully electric vehicles.
Last year, RFA purchased a 2022 Ford Escape plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and immediately converted it to a flex fuel vehicle capable of operating on gasoline and any blend of denatured ethanol up to 85 percent. After a 15-month study on the vehicle, RFA found some impressive results. When using E85, the PHEFFV delivered:
Reductions in lifecycle GHG emissions that rival, or outperform, the GHG reductions achievable with many battery electric vehicles;
Substantial reductions (when compared to gasoline-powered vehicles) in emissions of harmful tailpipe pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and carbon monoxide (CO);
Lower cost of ownership and operation (purchase price, fuel cost per mile) than a similar BEV; and
No meaningful loss in fuel economy, with the Escape experiencing just a 1.5 percent reduction in miles-per-gallon compared to the EPA estimated rate using E10.
“While some have suggested a massive and immediate shift to BEVs is the best solution for decarbonizing personal transportation, other solutions—like low-carbon ethanol blends—offer enormous potential to achieve meaningful GHG reductions in both the near term and the long term," the report states. "Combining plug-in technology and flex fuel capability makes this vehicle the most adaptable and flexible in the world. It can be refueled with any fuel at any time, offering optimal convenience and affordability to the consumer. The PHEFFV overcomes many of the barriers to BEV adoption commonly cited by consumers, including limited driving range, high purchase price, reliability, and lack of refueling (recharging) infrastructure.”
The RFA report comes at a time when automakers and consumers are expressing increasing doubts about an all-BEV future and turning back toward plug-in hybrid and gasoline hybrid vehicles as a more practical climate solution.
“With this project, we sought to demonstrate that pairing plug-in hybrid electric technology with ethanol flex fuels offers an invaluable opportunity to reduce transportation-related GHG emissions without sacrificing consumer convenience, affordability, and optionality,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Our 15-month study of the Escape shows that, rather than pitting electric vehicles and internal combustion engines against each other, policymakers should be embracing market-based approaches that combine the best of both worlds. There are incredible synergies between low-carbon liquid fuels like ethanol and plug-in hybrid technology, yet today’s federal and state vehicle emissions standards actively discourage these sorts of creative solutions that put the consumer in the driver’s seat. Our hope is that policymakers look closely at the lessons learned from this study as they consider future action on tailpipe emissions standards and other regulations. Low-carbon, low-cost ethanol has an important role to play—alongside of electrification and other technology-neutral solutions—in decarbonizing our transportation sector.”
The RFA report also offers several recommendations for automakers, as well as federal and state lawmakers and regulators.
No comments:
Post a Comment