Tuesday September 10 Harvest Progress + Ag News

 NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending September 8, 2024, there were 6.8 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 15% very short, 37% short, 46% adequate, and 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 12% very short, 40% short, 46% adequate, and 2% surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn condition rated 4% very poor, 8% poor, 21% fair, 45% good, and 22% excellent. Corn dough was 96%, near 97% for both last year and the five-year average. Dented was 83%, near 86% last year and 81% average. Mature was 30%, behind 36% last year, but near 26% average. Harvested was 1%, equal to both last year and average.

Soybean condition rated 3% very poor, 7% poor, 25% fair, 50% good, and 15% excellent. Soybeans dropping leaves was 24%, well behind 47% last year, and behind 33% average.

Winter wheat planted was 7%, near 6% last year and 5% average.

Sorghum condition rated 0% very poor, 4% poor, 19% fair, 50% good, and 27% excellent. Sorghum coloring was 89%, ahead of 80% last year and 74% average. Mature was 8%, near 12% last year and 11% average.

Dry edible bean condition rated 1% very poor, 3% poor, 20% fair, 49% good, and 27% excellent. Dry edible beans setting pods was 94%, equal to last year, and near 97% average. Dropping leaves was 49%, ahead of 37% last year and 44% average. Harvested was 5%, near 2% last year, but behind 11% average.

Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 5% very poor, 24% poor, 32% fair, 29% good, and 10% excellent.



Iowa Weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report

Iowa experienced cooler temperatures and dry conditions across most of the State. These conditions allowed Iowa farmers 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 8, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included cutting hay and chopping corn silage.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 3 percent very short, 29 percent short, 67 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 4 percent very short, 24 percent short, 70 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus.

Corn in the dough stage or beyond reached 96 percent this week. Seventy-four percent of the corn crop reached the dent stage or beyond, 6 days behind last year and 2 days behind the five-year average. Corn maturity reached 20 percent, 4 days behind last year and 1 day behind the average. Corn condition was rated 77 percent good to excellent.

Soybeans setting pods reached 97 percent. Soybeans coloring or beyond reached 42 percent, 4 days behind last year and 1 day behind the five-year average. Soybeans dropping leaves reached 9 percent, 4 days behind last year and 3 days behind the five-year average. Soybean condition was 78 percent good to excellent.

The State’s third cutting of alfalfa hay reached 93 percent, 8 days behind last year but 1 week ahead of the five-year average.

Pasture condition rated 63 percent good to excellent.


 
USDA Weekly Crop Progress Report

Dry, warm weather across much of the Corn Belt the past couple of weeks has rapidly pushed corn to maturity and resulted in a slightly earlier-than-normal start to the corn harvest nationally, according to USDA NASS' weekly national Crop Progress report released Monday.

Those conditions should continue for most of the Corn Belt for at least the first half of this week. However, Tropical Storm Francine, which is forming in the Gulf of Mexico, could throw a wrench in the works later in the week, especially for farmers in the southeastern portion of the country.

CORN
-- Crop development: Corn in the dough stage was estimated at 95%, 1 percentage point behind last year's 96% but 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 94%. Corn dented was estimated at 74%, 4 points behind last year's 78%, but 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 73%. Corn mature was pegged at 29%, equal to last year but 5 points ahead of the five-year average of 24%.
-- Harvest progress: In its first corn harvest report of the season, NASS estimated that 5% of corn has been harvested nationally, slightly ahead of last year's 4% and 2 points ahead of the five-year average of 3%.   
-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 64% of the crop still in fields was in good-to-excellent condition, down 1 point from 65% the previous week but still above last year's 52%.

SOYBEANS
-- Crop development: Soybeans setting pods were estimated at 97%, the same as last year but 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 96%. Soybeans dropping leaves were pegged at 25%, 2 points behind last year's 27% but 4 points ahead of the five-year average of 21%.
-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 65% of soybeans were in good-to-excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week and still above last year's rating of 52% good to excellent.

SPRING WHEAT
-- Harvest progress: Spring wheat harvest moved ahead another 15 percentage points last week to reach 85% complete as of Sunday. That brought this year's harvest progress to 2 points higher than both last year and the five-year average of 83%.

WINTER WHEAT
-- Planting progress: Winter wheat planting moved ahead 4 points last week to reach 6% nationwide as of Sunday, 1 point behind last year's 5% but equal to the five-year average pace.

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Price changing for the 2024 Nebraska Water Conference

The registration price is changing for the 2024 Nebraska Water Conference held in Lincoln, Nebraska, on October 9 and 10. This year’s conference theme is Collaboration and Innovation in Nebraska Water. The conference will highlight successful collaborations and innovations in Nebraska water and discuss future opportunities in water research and management.

Held at the Nebraska Innovation Campus conference center, this two-day event will feature discussions on emerging contaminants, drought preparedness, nutrient management, climate smart practices, nitrate research, water policy, climate water resilience, and modeling. Experts from the state and region will share their work and lead discussions on future opportunities for innovative partnerships.

Registration is open from now until September 27.
    Regular registration (Now until September 13): $400
    Late registration (September 14 to September 27): $450

Registration includes all sessions and meals, as well as the Wednesday evening reception.

Special pricing is available for students and faculty.

For more information about the conference, speakers, and registration, visit go.unl.edu/waterconference and follow the button below to register.



University of Nebraska enrollment grows to 49,749

Enrollment at the University of Nebraska has reached its highest level since 2021, with a total of 49,749 students enrolled across the system this fall, President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., announced today.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln grew for the first time since 2017, with strong gains at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center recorded its 24th straight record-high enrollment, together helping to drive a 0.7 percent system-wide increase.

Enrollment of undergraduate students and resident students also grew system-wide, both key demographics as the university seeks to grow educational attainment in the state and deliver a highly skilled workforce for Nebraska. The University of Nebraska at Omaha saw growth among graduate students, and the University of Nebraska at Kearney signaled strong student retention with growth among continuing undergraduate students.

“A growing University of Nebraska means a growing State of Nebraska, and that’s good news for our workforce, for the strength of our communities, and our future competitiveness,” Dr. Gold said. “I’m very pleased that students and families continue to recognize the combination of quality and value that all our campuses provide.

“While we are proud of our growth, we also know we need to keep our foot on the accelerator. The opportunity and responsibility for our public university system to offer a high-quality educational experience at all levels and produce the 21st-century workforce Nebraska needs and deserves has never been greater. Every entering class is a celebration – now we must make sure we retain these students and support them all the way to a degree as we pursue the Odyssey to Extraordinary.”

Dr. Gold credited a re-energized focus on student recruitment and engagement for putting the University of Nebraska on an upward trajectory in spite of challenges facing all of higher education. Those include changing demographics as well as last year’s botched rollout of a redesigned Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) produced by the U.S. Department of Education, which has created significant uncertainty for students as they weigh their college decisions. FAFSA completions by Nebraska students are down 11 percent compared to this time last year, according to a national FAFSA tracker.

Notably, this year the University of Nebraska launched the new Presidential Scholars Program to compete more effectively for top academic performers by providing full cost of attendance scholarships plus a $5,000 annual stipend to Nebraska students who score a perfect 36 on the ACT. The program has been a significant success in its early months, roughly doubling the number of 36 ACT students who choose the university, and NU is currently building plans to expand it to give more high achievers an opportunity to compete for a scholarship.

Dr. Gold also pointed to the growth in total student credit hours as a point of pride, noting it signals progress toward improving students’ time-to-degree.

Details on the University of Nebraska’s fall 2024 enrollment are below. Figures are based on a student census taken on the sixth day of classes.

System-wide enrollment totals
University of Nebraska System total headcount: 49,749 (0.7 percent increase)
First-time freshmen: 7,728 (1.8 percent decrease)
Undergraduate students: 36,446 (0.8 percent increase)
Graduate students: 9,747 (0.3 percent decrease)
Professional students: 3,556 (0.8 percent increase)
Resident students: 37,903 (1 percent increase)
Nonresident students: 11,846 (0.5 percent decrease)
Full-time student enrollment: 40,150 (1.5 percent increase)
Student credit hours: 604,488 (0.9 percent increase)
 
Campus enrollment totals
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: 23,992 (1.7 percent increase)
University of Nebraska at Omaha: 14,972 (0.3 percent decrease)
University of Nebraska at Kearney: 5,881 (2.3 percent decrease)
University of Nebraska Medical Center: 4,703 (3.2 percent increase)
Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture: 201 (13.4 percent decrease)



Annual Siouxland Ag Lenders Seminar on Oct. 30 will focus on Right to Repair and Equipment Values

The right-to-repair legislation and equipment values are featured topics during the Siouxland Agricultural Lender’s Seminar on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at Dordt University’s Ag Stewardship Center, 3648 US HWY 75, Sioux Center. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. with the program scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The seminar will present agricultural lenders, consultants, and farm financial advisors with current information to aid them in their portfolio management, which is especially important in this era of continued lower farm profits and market variability.

“Jennifer Harrington, staff attorney at the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State University, will focus on the right-to repair legislation,” said Fred Hall, dairy specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, who is hosting the program. “Jennifer specializes in providing timely and understandable legal materials and updates for rural landowners, producers, and small business owners.”

Harrington will examine the current legal landscape of an owner’s ability to repair and maintain their farm machinery. She will cover a range of relevant topics, including an overview of the legal arguments driving the right to repair movement, ongoing legislative developments related to repair rights, and current private sector initiatives and solutions.

Following Harrington, Joel Everitt will discuss his experiences in the farm equipment and auction business.

Joel’s Tractors and Auction LLC was formed in 1992 with the help of Joel’s father, Jerry, who started having farm machinery auctions back in 1979. Jerry was taught the business in 1959 from his dad Stanley who had a great interest in tractors and started a large tractor parts yard in 1955. In 2016, Jerry retired, and Joel took over the auction business completely, and in 2024, Joel’s son, Jordan, joined the family business making him the fourth generation in the tractor and auction business.

The family business hosts large auctions with more than 100 tractors and 750 implements in each sale, and buyers from every state and many foreign countries. The company thrives through hard work and a commitment to customer service.

“Joel has a great deal of experience in the farm machinery industry,” Hall said. “He will discuss farm equipment lending issues in the early 90s versus the lending issues in farm equipment in 2024, the current machinery market changes, and where he thinks we are heading in the future.”

Other seminar topics include:
    “Milk Market Update” – Dr. Leonard Polzin, Dairy Markets and Policy Outreach Specialist, UW-Madison
    “Family Farm Transitioning and Succession Planning” – Joy Kirkpatrick, Farm Succession Specialist, Center for Dairy Profitability, UW-Madison
    “Through Another Lens: Women in Ag Lending” – Val Weis, Commercial Lending Officer, Farm Credit Services of America
    “Commodity Market Outlook” – Joseph Lensing, Farm Management Specialist, ISU Extension and Outreach

Preregistration cost for the Siouxland Ag Lenders Seminar is $100 for the first person and $75 for each additional person from the business. Student registration fee is $30. Preregistration deadline is October 25.

Registrations at the door the day of will be $125 and will not guarantee lunch.

To register for the Siouxland Ag Lenders Seminar, preregister online at https://go.iastate.edu/24AGLENDERS or preregister by mail. Make checks payable to Sioux County Extension, and mail to ISU Extension and Outreach Sioux County, 400 Central Ave. NW, Suite 700, Orange City, IA 51041.

For more information, visit https://www.extension.iastate.edu/dairyteam/ag-lenders-seminars or contact Fred Hall at 712-737-4230 or fredhall@iastate.edu.  



Two More Cyclones Vie for Spot on 'Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon' Roster
    
The viral ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ promotion continues to search for additional members to add to the roster. Two more Iowa State Cyclones try out for the campaign this week. Freshman quarterback Wyatt Bohm and freshman defensive lineman Trevor Buhr attempt to add their names to the mix. You can watch their tryouts at this link.

‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ is an NIL (name, image, likeness) promotional agreement between the Iowa Pork Producers Association and Iowa State student-athletes to encourage consumers to eat pork. Originally launched in September 2023, the campaign featuring Cyclones Myles Purchase, Tyler Moore, Tommy Hamann and Caleb Bacon quickly went viral across social media, earning millions of views and gaining national media attention. Teammates Alec Cook and Zach Lovett later joined the marketing initiative.

Hamann has left the Cyclone football team but remains an Iowa State student. The Iowa Pork Producers Association is searching for other Cyclone student-athletes who can help share the message to consumers that they should purchase more ham and bacon, cook and love it. In a series of videos to be released every Monday at 10 a.m. through October 7, Purchase, Moore, Hamann, and Bacon will act as a panel of judges as their fellow student-athletes try to join the pork roster.

“It was my first time doing anything like this,” Trevor Buhr said. “It was a unique experience. I just appreciate the opportunity the Iowa pork producers are giving us, and it was a lot of fun.”

In conjunction with the partnership, the Iowa Pork Producers Association is donating pork to each participant’s food bank or food pantry of choice. The updated list of food banks and pantries that will each receive $1,000 worth of pork includes:
    Food Bank of the Rockies in Denver, Colo., in the name of Myles Purchase
    Food Bank of Iowa in Des Moines, Iowa, in the name of Tyler Moore
    Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners in Plymouth, Minn., in the name of Tommy Hamann
    Lake Mills Food Shelf in Lake Mills, Iowa, in the name of Caleb Bacon
    Food Bank for the Heartland in Omaha, Neb., in the name of Alec Cook
    Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, in the name of Zach Lovett
    Food Bank of Iowa, in Des Moines, Iowa, in the name of Abu Sama III
    St. Theresa Catholic Church Food Bank, in Des Moines, Iowa, in the name of Isaiah Seymour
    Mahomet Helping Hands Food Pantry in Mahomet, Ill., in the name of Wyatt Bohm
    Loving Hearts Outreach Food Pantry in Washington, Mo., in the name of Trevor Buhr

Hy-Vee grocery stores are now promoting the ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ campaign to encourage consumers to buy more pork products. In-store displays featuring the Cyclone players went up in 200 Hy-Vee stores across the Midwest featuring the popular NIL promotion.

Hy-Vee will give away free bacon for a year to 20 recipients and Blackstone Griddles to 10 recipients in conjunction with the promotion. To qualify, consumers simply need to purchase pork at any of the 200 participating Hy-Vee stores between now and October 31 and scan their Hy-Vee PERKS card at checkout. Hy-Vee operates grocery stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Cyclone linebacker Caleb Bacon, one of the centerpieces of the campaign, suffered a leg injury in the team’s season opener.

“We send out best wishes to Caleb for a speedy recovery,” said Matt Gent, a pig farmer from Wellman, Iowa and president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. “This remarkable young man is a terrific ambassador for Iowa pork producers, Iowa State University, and his hometown of Lake Mills. We will continue to feature Caleb prominently in the ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ campaign and look forward to seeing him back on the playing field soon.”

The ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ videos can be found on the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube channels.



Under Secretary Taylor Launches Vietnam Trade Mission

U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor arrived in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday to launch a USDA-sponsored agribusiness trade mission. Taylor leads a delegation comprised of officials from 60 U.S. agribusiness and farm organizations and nine state departments of agriculture seeking to develop and expand business opportunities with importers in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.

“I am honored to lead this diverse delegation to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi as we celebrate the first anniversary of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Agriculture plays a huge role in our bilateral trade relationship, and Vietnam now ranks as the United States’ 10th-largest export market for agricultural and food products,” Under Secretary Taylor said. “Throughout the week, the participating companies will meet with businesses from Burma, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam to foster strategic partnerships that lay the groundwork for future sales.”

Exports of U.S. agricultural and related products to Vietnam, which totaled nearly $3.5 billion in 2023, are recognized by Vietnamese consumers, importers and retailers for their reliability, quality and sustainability. U.S. tree nuts, fresh fruit, poultry, beef and pork are in particularly high demand by Vietnam’s food processing, retail and restaurant sectors.



Over 300 Groups Call on Congress to Pass Robust Farm Bill

Citing worsening economic conditions impacting the nation’s farmers, over 300 national and state groups, including the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and its affiliated corn state grower associations, sent a letter to congressional leaders today calling on them to pass the farm bill before year’s end.

Signatories included groups representing farmers, livestock and specialty crop producers, lenders and other essential stakeholders in agricultural communities across the U.S. Commodity and lending groups will head to the Capitol en masse this week to advocate for passage of the legislation with a stronger agricultural safety net.

 “It is critical that Congress pass a new farm bill that strengthens the safety net as many producers are facing multiple years of not being profitable, and this is causing their overall financial situation to deteriorate,” the letter said. “Some will have challenges as they seek operating credit for the 2025 crop year.”

The farm bill is typically passed every five years and supports the nation’s farmers, ranchers and forest stewards through a variety of safety net, credit, conservation and other critical programs. The law was originally scheduled for reauthorization in 2023. Last November, Congress voted to extend the existing legislation to September 30, 2024. Since that point, the leadership from both parties on the Senate and House Agriculture Committees have worked to push the legislation forward.

As the farm bill has faced delays, producers across the country have experienced headwinds, ranging from extreme weather to high input costs to uncertain global demand to supply chain disruptions.

Since the beginning of the year, the harvest price of major crops traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Intercontinental Exchange have fallen by an average of 21% while total production costs remain near record levels.

Farmers and their allies say these challenges have exposed areas of the farm bill that need to be strengthened.

“Since the 2018 Farm Bill was signed into law, we have realized considerable gaps in the farm safety net due to sharply changing conditions, including the trade war with China, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, COVID-19 and related supply chain challenges, rising foreign subsidies, tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers and other harmful practices,” the letter said. “These conditions seriously tested the effectiveness of the 2018 Farm Bill, and it was only by the aggressive use of supplemental assistance that many farms survived.”

The letter noted that the outlook for farm country is even more daunting, as the USDA-projected market prices for the 2024 crop are well below costs of production, and current projections paint another bleak picture for 2025.

“The farm bill reauthorization provides an opportunity for Congress to address serious challenges in agriculture,” the letter said. “A durable farm safety net, along with risk management tools like a strong federal crop insurance program, voluntary and locally led incentive-based conservation programs, and enhanced international marketing and promotion programs, will be critical in shoring up America’s farm families and rural communities, which otherwise face an uncertain – and potentially calamitous – future.”



Farm Bill Should Address Downward Spiral in Ag Economy

Time is running out for Congress to pass a farm bill that would address an agricultural economy that is in a downward spiral. More than 300 agricultural organizations, including the American Farm Bureau Federation shared that message with Senate and House leadership in a letter sent today.

It is critical that Congress pass a new, modernized farm bill. Farmers and ranchers are facing multiple years of operating in the red, which threatens their ability to continue farming.

“Throughout the life of the current farm bill, producers across the country have experienced powerful headwinds, ranging from extreme weather to high input costs to uncertain global demand to supply chain disruptions,” the organizations wrote. “Farmers are struggling, and the decline in the farm economy is real. Estimated (inflation adjusted) 2024 net farm income for U.S. agriculture is projected to be down $55.61 billion, a more than 27% drop from the 2022 level, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Since the beginning of the year, the harvest price of major crops traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Intercontinental Exchange have fallen by an average of 21% while total production costs remain near record levels.”

Since the passage of the 2018 farm bill, farmers have endured a pandemic, global unrest, a trade war with China and supply chain challenges. USDA forecasts farm sector debt to reach almost $541 billion in 2024, the highest inflation-adjusted level in more than 50 years.

The letter continues, “We appreciate the efforts of committee leaders to develop a farm bill and their recognition of farmers’ contributions to provide food, feed, fuel, and fiber to consumers here at home and abroad. Congress must act before year’s end to strengthen farm policy for America’s farmers, and we remain committed to assisting in this effort. Failing to reauthorize a farm bill without meaningful investments in commodity programs and crop insurance, or settling for a simple extension of current law, would leave thousands of family farms with no options to continue producing for this nation in 2025 and beyond.”



Beef Promotion Operating Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2025 Checkoff Plan of Work

The Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) will invest approximately $38 million into programs of beef promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing, and producer communications during fiscal 2025, subject to USDA approval.

In action at the end of its September 4-5 meeting in Denver, Colorado, the Beef Promotion Operating Committee (BPOC) approved Checkoff funding for a total of 12 “Authorization Requests” – or grant proposals – for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2024. The committee, which includes 10 producers and importers from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and 10 producers from the Federation of State Beef Councils, also recommended full Cattlemen’s Beef Board approval of a budget amendment to reflect the split of funding between budget categories affected by their decisions.

Eight contractors and two subcontractors brought 12 Authorization Requests worth approximately $46.8 million to the BPOC this week, approximately $8.8 million more than the funds available from the CBB budget.

“We’re consistently impressed with the proposals that our contractors bring forward each year, and choosing which initiatives to fund is a real challenge,” said Andy Bishop, CBB and BPOC chair. “Our budget amounts to slightly less each year because of inflation. To put it in perspective, a dollar in 1985 is worth just 35 cents¹ today. That means we simply don’t have the buying power that we had when this program first started.

“As we expected, the Authorization Requests we reviewed this week were full of new ideas and innovative approaches supporting the Checkoff’s core programs of research, promotion, foreign marketing, industry information, consumer information and producer communications. Our committee did a great job of balancing our budget and distributing our limited funds in what we believe is the most optimal way possible. I personally thank our contractors and committee members for all their hard work, and I look forward to future Checkoff successes throughout FY25.”

In the end, the BPOC approved proposals from eight national beef organizations for funding through the FY25 Cattlemen’s Beef Board budget, as follows:
    American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture - $600,000
    Cattlemen’s Beef Board - $1,800,000
    Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education - $600,000
    Meat Import Council of America / Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative - $900,000
    National Cattlemen’s Beef Association - $25,700,000
    National Institute for Animal Agriculture - $95,000
    North American Meat Institute - $280,000
    United States Meat Export Federation - $8,000,000

Broken out by budget component – as outlined by the Beef Promotion and Research Act of 1985 – the FY25 Plan of Work for the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board budget includes:
    $9,120,000 for promotion programs, including beef and veal campaigns focusing on beef’s nutritional value, eating experience, convenience, and production.
    $8,600,000 for research programs focusing on pre- and post-harvest beef safety, scientific affairs, nutrition, sustainability, product quality, culinary technical expertise, and consumer perceptions.
    $7,500,000 for consumer information programs, including Northeast influencer outreach and public relations initiatives; national consumer public relations, including nutrition-influencer relations and work with primary- and secondary-school curriculum directors nationwide to get accurate information about the beef industry into classrooms of today’s youth. Additional initiatives include outreach and engagement with food, culinary, nutrition and health thought leaders; media and public relations efforts; and supply chain engagement.
    $2,955,000 for industry information programs, including dissemination of accurate information about the beef industry to counter misinformation from other groups, as well as funding for Checkoff participation in the annual national industrywide symposium about antibiotic use. Additional efforts in this program area include beef advocacy training and issues/crisis management and response.
    $8,000,000 for foreign marketing and education, focusing on 13 regions, representing more than 90 countries around the world.
    $1,800,000 for producer communications, which includes investor outreach using national communications and direct communications to producers and importers about Checkoff results. Elements of this program include ongoing producer listening and analysis; industry collaboration and outreach; and continued development of a publishing strategy and platform and a state beef council content hub.

The full fiscal 2025 Cattlemen’s Beef Board budget is approximately $42.2 million. Separate from the Authorization Requests, other expenses funded include $305,000 for program evaluation; $750,000 program development; $200,000 for Checkoff education resources; $575,000 for USDA oversight; $220,000 for state services; $200,000 supporting services and litigation; and approximately $2.0 million for CBB administration. The fiscal 2025 program budget represents an increase of slightly less than 1.0% percent, or $150,000, from the $42.1 million FY24 budget.
For more information about the Beef Checkoff and its programs, including promotion, research, foreign marketing, industry information, consumer information and safety, contact the Cattlemen’s Beef Board at 303-220-9890 or visit DrivingDemandForBeef.com.



Nominations Accepted For 2025 Environmental Stewardship Award Program

Nominations are now being accepted for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Environmental Stewardship Award. Established in 1991, the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) annually recognizes outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of cattle producers across the nation.

“Every day cattle producers across the country are implementing stewardship practices that improve wildlife habitat and protect the environment for generations to come,” said NCBA President Mark Eisele. “This distinguished award is our opportunity to celebrate their hard work and share those efforts with fellow producers.”

Any individual, group or organization is eligible to nominate one individual or business raising or feeding cattle. Individuals and families may not nominate themselves, although nominees should be involved in the preparation of the application. Past nominees are encouraged to resubmit applications; however, previous winners may not reapply.

Along with a typed application, one nomination letter and three letters of recommendation highlighting the nominee’s leadership in conservation are required. There is a new earlier deadline of Feb. 17, 2025. Nominees do not have to be members of NCBA but should support the objectives of their state and national organization.

Award winners are selected by a committee of representatives from universities, cattle production, conservation organizations as well as federal and state agencies. For guidance, the judges consider the management of water, wildlife, vegetation, air, and soil along with leadership abilities and the sustainability of the business. Regional winners will be recognized at CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, in February 2026, and the national winner will be announced later in 2026.

The Environmental Stewardship Award Program is an initiative of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation and is made possible with generous support from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Corteva Agriscience, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For more information and to download the nomination packet, visit www.environmentalstewardship.org.  



RFA, Other Petitioners File Initial Brief in Lawsuit Over EPA’s Tailpipe Standards

In a detailed brief submitted late Friday to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Renewable Fuels Association and 55 other parties argued that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unlawfully exceeded its statutory authority and acted arbitrarily and capriciously by finalizing vehicle tailpipe emissions standards that would essentially phase out liquid-fueled engines and mandate increased production of electric vehicles.

“While we certainly share the Biden administration’s vision for reducing carbon emissions from transportation, EPA’s tailpipe rule is clearly the wrong way to pursue that goal and the agency obviously overstepped its authority,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “EPA’s rule effectively forces automakers to produce more battery electric vehicles based on the false premise that they are somehow ‘zero-emission vehicles.’ At the same time, the regulation strongly discourages manufacturers from pursuing other clean transportation technologies like flex fuel vehicles and low-carbon renewable fuels. EPA ignored the fact that high-octane ethanol and advanced internal combustion engines could achieve superior environmental performance at a lower cost to American consumers.”

In addition to RFA, the brief filed Friday included National Farmers Union, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of Convenience Stores, 14 state and national corn grower associations, numerous auto dealers, organizations representing trucking and shipping companies, manufacturing groups, energy trade associations, organized labor groups, and other parties.

“The Court should reverse EPA’s rule,” according to the petitioners’ brief, which notes that EPA projects at least 68 percent of new vehicles will need to be electric to comply with the standards by 2032. “EPA seeks to radically transform the nation’s vehicle fleet by effectively mandating a nationwide transition from internal-combustion-engine vehicles to electric vehicles. That bold assertion of regulatory power vastly exceeds EPA’s statutory authority. The Clean Air Act does not clearly authorize EPA to force Americans to buy electric vehicles.”

The groups also underscored that EPA’s final rule is arbitrary and capricious. According to the brief, EPA “…unreasonably treats electric vehicles as though they contribute zero emissions...” and “…arbitrarily refuse[d] to consider viable and obvious alternatives for reducing emissions from transportation.” Specifically, the brief notes that “EPA refused to even consider renewable fuels as an alternative to its push for electrification, unreasonably deeming those issues outside the scope of its rule. …Higher-octane fuels, biofuels, and flex-fuel vehicles are a documented solution to the issue of pollution from vehicle emissions.”

EPA likewise failed to consider how its tailpipe standards conflict with Congress’s Renewable Fuel Standard, according to the brief. EPA’s tailpipe standards rule “…conflicts with Congress’s mandate to increase the Nation’s use of renewable fuel,” the brief states.

EPA’s response to Friday’s brief is due by November 26.



Growth Energy Seeks Court Rehearing on Refinery Exemption Decisions

This week, Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, filed two petitions for rehearing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit regarding the Court’s decision – unsealed in August – on small refinery exemptions (SREs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).  

The first petition seeks to have the court correct errors that led to its rejection of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to deny several oil refiners’ SRE petitions. The second petition asserts Growth Energy’s standing to challenge EPA’s decision to excuse some of those same refiners from RFS biofuel blending obligations.    

“These petitions are consistent with how the RFS should work,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “Congress clearly intended for SREs to provide rare relief for refineries, and only those seeking to comply in good faith with their RFS blending obligations. If the D.C. Circuit’s opinion stands, guardrails to ensure good faith compliance will disappear, allowing refineries to gamble on RIN markets, pocket any windfalls, and lean on the U.S. government when those gambles don’t go their way.”

Skor stated further that it’s clear that Growth and other biofuels producers have standing to participate in RFS disputes, including disputes about SREs. “Every SRE granted by EPA directly and negatively impacts biofuels blending, biofuels production, and our industry’s bottom line,” she added. “That type of competitive injury can’t be ignored, and we deserve to be able to protect our members’ interests in court.”