Wednesday August 14 Ag News

 July Election Results for the Nebraska Soybean Board

The Nebraska Soybean Board (NSB) held an election in July for board members in Districts 1 and 3, while the District 6 candidate ran unopposed. Nebraska soybean farmers in those districts voted with the following results:

Anne Meis will begin a new term after serving three consecutive terms on NSB. Jay Hanson, new to the board, will start his first term. The other position available in 2024 was for District 6. Mike Tomes ran unopposed, so no election was held, and he will retain the position for another term.

District 1 (Counties of Antelope, Boyd, Cedar, Holt, Knox, Madison and Pierce)
                Anne Meis, Elgin, NE – Antelope County       Re-elected
                Mike Korth, Randolph, NE – Cedar County
“I have learned so much about the soybean industry over the last nine years, and it is an honor to continue to serve and put this knowledge to work. The industry is poised for growth as we see new crush facilities being built in Nebraska.”  – Anne Meis

District 3 (Counties of Butler, Colfax, Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy, Saunders and Washington)
                Jay Hanson, Mead, NE – Saunders County     Elected
                Ruth Ready, Scribner, NE – Dodge County
“I am excited to be working as part of the Nebraska Soybean Board and continuing the excellent work that they have been doing. It's more important than ever, in the tough economic environment that we are currently experiencing, to invest checkoff dollars to the benefit of the Nebraska soybean producers. I look forward to serving on the board.” – Jay Hanson

District 6 (Counties of Filmore, Gage, Jefferson, Saline, Seward and Thayer)
                Mike Tomes, Utica, NE – Seward County      Ran unopposed
“I am really looking forward to another term on the Nebraska Soybean Board. Being involved in building relationships is an important goal of mine. My desired outcome is the continued growth of the usage of Nebraska and U.S. soybeans. I welcome any concerns or input on any issue from my fellow Nebraska soybean producers as I represent District 6.” – Mike Tomes

"Thank you to all the candidates who dedicated their time and energy to this year's election," said Andy Chvatal, NSB executive director. "As our industry evolves, I’m confident that our board will strategically invest your checkoff dollars in ways that drive value for every soybean farmer in Nebraska."

The elected board members will serve a three-year term beginning October 1, 2024, and ending September 30, 2027.

About the Nebraska Soybean Board: The nine-member Nebraska Soybean Board collects and disburses the Nebraska share of funds generated by the one-half of one percent times the net sales price per bushel of soybeans sold. Nebraska soybean checkoff funds are invested in research, education, domestic and foreign markets, including new uses for soybeans and soybean products.



HUSKER FACULTY LEAD CONFERENCE HONING STRATEGIES FOR NATIONAL AG DATA NETWORK

Faculty from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are leading a federally funded initiative to develop a national cyber-ecosystem for agricultural producer data. The project recently advanced with a strategic visioning session during a national planning conference in Lincoln.

The National Agricultural Producers Data Cooperative conference, held Aug. 8-9 on UNL’s East Campus, featured academics, industry scientists and representatives from producer groups. Objectives discussed include outreach and coordination with ag producers and industry; collaboration among successful existing data projects; and strategies to enable the projects’ long-term viability.

Jennifer Clarke, who is part of a group of Husker faculty leading the initiative, said the meeting was productive.

“The main takeaway is we are solving and will continue to solve problems for producers around data,” said Clarke, professor of statistics and food science and technology, and director of UNL’s Quantitative Life Sciences Initiative. “That is really the value of bringing this group together — prioritizing what problems to solve for now and the future.”

The initiative has been funded since 2021 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Its primary goal is to equip producers with tools and services to manage and access their ag data with adequate privacy and security assurances.

A central theme of the conference was the importance of providing “useful data” to farmers and ranchers nationwide.

“It is important to engage the producer community and let them know that what we are bringing to them is of value,” Clarke said. “We're solving problems. We have software. We have hardware. We need to communicate to producer communities that this is what tangibly we have right now.”

Matt Spangler, professor of animal science and a beef genetics specialist who is helping lead the initiative, highlighted the financial considerations of data handling in the private sector.

“In industry, the only way data sharing is sustainable is if the people collecting and sharing the data see that it returns something that they need to take decisions on or inform sales in their enterprise on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “It has to deliver something back.”

The initiative’s impact is already being felt through pilot projects funded across the country. Joe Luck, professor of biological systems engineering and associate director of the university’s Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center, said the projects show how data can be better utilized by producers, ranchers and feedlot operators. They also reinforce the value of collecting, storing and sharing ag data for practical use, Luck said.

“There are companies that understand there’s value out there now, because they’re creating these data ecosystems of their own,” Luck said. “There has to be a place where universities can interact there more easily, and just showing the farmers in my area that there is value to that digital record is really important. I think we’ve seen that through some of these pilot projects.”

Trenton Franz, professor of hydrogeophysics and associate director of research for the School of Natural Resources, emphasized the importance of case studies that are providing concrete examples of value for producers.

“Now, we can go back to creating a white paper strategic plan with some more structure and scaffolding for the project,” he said.

Other key Husker faculty involved in the project include Scout Calvert, research data librarian, and Hongfeng Yu, professor of computing and director of the Holland Computing Center.

A critical next step involves connecting existing projects to foster collaboration and facilitate further progress.

“We also want to synthesize feedback from this conference and develop a strategic plan for the next three to five years that will guide ecosystem development,” Clarke said.

Many of the current projects “are really bringing value,” she said, and the USDA-funded initiative will work to promote their long-term viability. “That way, the value to those producers is going to be there in the future.”



Ricketts & Fischer Join Bipartisan Effort to Modernize Process for Disclosing Foreign-Owned Land

Today, U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) joined a bipartisan effort urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to modernize and improve the accuracy of its foreign land ownership disclosure process. In the letter, the senators note alleged inaccuracies in information publicly posted by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the problems that arise when this information is inaccurate.

“The current practice of manual data entry, including the re-typing of paper-filed reports into FSA systems, can lead to the publication of problematic and inaccurate information,” wrote the senators. “We’re told there have been instances where energy developers have been incorrectly identified as having ownership interests from sanctioned nations, when in reality the investment originates from U.S. allies. If true, such errors not only create confusion but also undermine the credibility of the data published by the FSA.”

In addition to Ricketts and Fischer, other signatories include Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).



ISU Extension and Outreach Dairy Team webinar on August 21 will be an alfalfa update and overview

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team monthly webinar series continues Wednesday, Aug. 21, from 12 noon to 1 p.m.

Amber Friedrichsen with Hay & Forage Grower will give an overview of alfalfa growing conditions, harvest conditions, and forage test results so far this year. She will discuss how rainfall, temperatures, and pest management have affected alfalfa yield and quality throughout the growing season and summarize accounts from area farmers, custom forage harvesters, and forage consultants.

Amber Friedrichsen is the new managing editor of Hay & Forage Grower magazine. She grew up on a farm in eastern Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University in 2023 with degrees in agricultural communications and agronomy. While in college, Friedrichsen served as the editorial intern for Hay & Forage Grower for two summers and was an associate editor before assuming her current position.

Producers, dairy consultants, and industry representatives are encouraged to attend the free webinar from 12 noon to 1 p.m. on August 21 by registering at least one hour prior to the webinar at https://go.iastate.edu/ALFALFA2024.

For more information, contact the ISU Extension and Outreach Dairy Specialist in your area: in Northwest Iowa, Fred M. Hall, 712-737-4230 or fredhall@iastate.edu; in Northeast Iowa, Jennifer Bentley, 563-382-2949 or jbentley@iastate.edu; in East Central Iowa, Larry Tranel, 563-583-6496 or tranel@iastate.edu; in Ames, Dr. Gail Carpenter, 515-294-9085 or ajcarpen@iastate.edu.



Naig Honors 16 Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar Contest Winners at the 2024 Iowa State Fair

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig recognized 16 Iowa students whose artwork was selected for inclusion in the 2024-2025 Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar during a ceremony at the 2024 Iowa State Fair.

Choose Iowa is the state’s signature brand for Iowa grown, Iowa raised and Iowa made food and ag products. The annual Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar contest encourages Iowa students to create artwork that highlights the importance and productivity of Iowa agriculture. Students 18 years or younger are eligible to enter the annual contest and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship received more than 200 submissions from all over the state this year.

“Choose Iowa is all about showcasing the food and ag products that are grown, raised or made in our state. It’s exciting to see our students creatively portray their connections to Iowa agriculture each year through this contest,” said Secretary Naig. “Choose Iowa is continuing to grow as a brand, and we are thrilled so many talented young people are interested in Iowa agriculture and participated in the contest this year. Their artwork will now be enjoyed by thousands of Iowans who utilize the Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar throughout the year ahead.”

This year’s selected student-artists, listed alphabetically by last name, include:
    Brantley Brown, Truro
    Blakely Carver, Fontanelle
    McCoy Collins, State Center
    Leighton Ferch, State Center
    Autumn Greenlees, Adel
    Raidly Griffith, State Center
    Sam Heiken, Norway
    Addison Joy, Shenandoah
    Sydney Kehret, Charles City
    Kira Koster, Van Horne
    Owen Nyheim, Marshalltown
    Paisley Ott, Marble Rock
    Ellie Perry-Vincent, Council Bluffs
    Addison Schrader, Mapleton
    Harper Van Ersvelde, Grinnell
    Zella Wright, Story City

Free Choose Iowa Coloring Calendars will be available for fairgoers at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s booths in the Agriculture Building and Varied Industries Building while supplies last.

High quality photos of the winners receiving their certificates will be available within one month of the ceremony on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Flickr page.

Students who are 18 years or younger are invited to submit a drawing for the September 2025 - August 2026 Choose Iowa Coloring Calendar. Pictures should be drawn in a horizontal orientation using only black lines on plain white, 8 ½ by 11-inch paper. The pictures should not be colored in. Artwork may be submitted electronically to ChooseIowa@IowaAgriculture.gov or mailed to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Attention: Coloring Calendar, 502 E. 9th St., Des Moines, IA 50319. Each submission should include the artist’s name, age, school, hometown and contact information.

Learn more about Choose Iowa at ChooseIowa.com.



USDA Announces Availability of the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Live Cattle Data Dashboard

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced the Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) Live Cattle Data Dashboard tool is now available https://mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov/lmr_cattle_dashboard. In June 2024, USDA announced the pending launch of this new tool, which provides users the ability to view and access LMR live cattle market information in a manner that is easy to use and understand. The LMR Dashboard is part of a series of ongoing efforts by AMS to make access to USDA Market News information more user-friendly.

AMS has also started publishing additional information on the actual net premiums and discounts paid to cattle producers by packers under formula marketing arrangements on the National Weekly Direct Slaughter Cattle Report - Formulated and Forward Contractreport and detailed quality grade price distribution information on the National Weekly Fed Cattle Comprehensive report.

In the last several years, AMS has offered these data in new and modern ways to ensure all stakeholders have access to the information they need to efficiently market their agricultural products. The enhanced insight gained from these tools gives producers equitable footing with large volume data users and fosters a fairer and more competitive marketplace.



2024 North American SAF Conference & Expo to Highlight Cutting-Edge Developments in Sustainable Aviation Fuel Industry

The 2024 North American SAF Conference & Expo will consist of panels that describe the newest developments in the SAF Industry. Topics such as biofuel crops, federal policies, the increase of SAF usage worldwide, and more will be presented.

The 45Z tax credit, introduced under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, is designed to stimulate SAF production by providing financial incentives. However, SAF companies have been pressing the USDA for immediate guidance to navigate this new program effectively. Clear and timely guidance is essential for SAF producers to access these incentives, which in turn supports industry growth and innovation. The 2024 SAF Conference’s general session, titled “Crafting State and Federal Policies that Spur Innovation, Catalyze Projects and Propel Investment in SAF Production,” directly addresses this issue.

Jordan Godwin, from Oil Price Information Services (OPIS), will discuss how policy support can influence SAF markets. This panel will explore how effective policy frameworks, including the 45Z tax credit, can drive investment and accelerate the development of SAF by providing necessary financial and regulatory clarity. The general session will highlight how both state and federal policies can drive investment and innovation in the SAF sector, underscoring the importance of supportive policies like the 45Z credit.

Researchers have been analyzing the financial and environmental costs of biofuel crops. Corn stover, energy sorghum, and switchgrass were found to perform best in a specific region of the United States. Policymakers are looking for ways to reduce production costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and increase the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The SAF Conference features the panel, “An Exploration of the Impact of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Incentives on Farm Practices and Feedstock Production,” that will touch on this topic. Specifically, Pralhad Burli, an economist at Idaho National Laboratory, will speak about corn stover.

Countries worldwide, such as Thailand, Spain, and the United Kingdom, are making strides to boost their adoption of SAF. As technology progresses, an increasing number of nations are expected to join this expanding trend. On the second day of the SAF conference, the panel titled, “The Technology Developers Working to Make SAF Production Economically Viable for First Generation Biofuel Sites,” will feature discussions on the future of SAF and its potential to expand globally. Specifically, Tom Gameson, the Director of Business Intelligence & Research/Business Development at Coxabengoa, will present his talk titled, “Short-Term Prospects for Alcohol-To-Jet Production in the Americas and Europe.”

"The North American SAF Conference & Expo is a pivotal event for our industry, bringing together key stakeholders to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities in sustainable aviation fuel," said John Nelson, vice president of operations, marketing and sales at BBI International. "We are thrilled to again partner with the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) for this year's conference. CAAFI's expertise and leadership in the sustainable aviation sector are invaluable, and together, we aim to foster innovation, shape policy, and drive the global adoption of SAF technologies to decarbonize aviation."

Taking place September 11-13, 2024, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the North American SAF Conference & Expo, produced by SAF Magazine, in collaboration with the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) will showcase the latest strategies for aviation fuel decarbonization, solutions for key industry challenges, and highlight the current opportunities for airlines, corporations and fuel producers.