Tuesday September 24 Harvest Progress + Ag News

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending September 22, 2024, there were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 18% very short, 43% short, 38% adequate, and 1% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 14% very short, 43% short, 42% adequate, and 1% surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn condition rated 5% very poor, 8% poor, 20% fair, 45% good, and 22% excellent. Corn dented was 96%, near 97% last year and 95% for the five-year average. Mature was 66%, equal to last year, and ahead of 59% average. Harvested was 10%, near 13% last year and 9% average.

Soybean condition rated 3% very poor, 8% poor, 23% fair, 48% good, and 18% excellent. Soybeans dropping leaves was 75%, behind 82% last year, and equal to average. Harvested was 10%, near 11% last year and 9% average.

Winter wheat planted was 51%, near 49% last year, and ahead of 45% average. Emerged was 14%, near 12% last year, and ahead of 7% average.

Sorghum condition rated 0% very poor, 5% poor, 18% fair, 47% good, and 30% excellent. Sorghum coloring was 97%, equal to last year, and near 95% average. Mature was 38%, near 40% both last year and average. Harvested was 2%, near 5% last year and 4% average.

Dry edible bean condition rated 3% very poor, 7% poor, 27% fair, 42% good, and 21% excellent. Dry edible beans dropping leaves was 78%, ahead of 66% last year, but near 80% average. Harvested was 46%, ahead of 32% last year, and near 45% average.

Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 10% very poor, 23% poor, 30% fair, 29% good, and 8% excellent.



Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report

Iowa continued to experience hot and dry conditions this week. These conditions allowed Iowa farmers 6.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 22, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included harvesting corn and soybeans.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 9 percent very short, 41 percent short, 49 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 8 percent very short, 37 percent short, 54 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Corn in the dent stage or beyond reached 93 percent this week. Corn mature reached 61 percent, 5 days behind last year but 2 days ahead of the average. Corn harvested for grain reached 5 percent, 5 days behind last year but equal to the average. Corn condition rated 77 percent good to excellent.

Soybeans coloring or beyond reached 88 percent, 3 days behind last year but 2 days ahead of the five-year average. Soybean dropping leaves reached 59 percent, also 3 days behind last year and 2 days ahead of the average. Soybean harvested reached 9 percent this week, equal to last year but 1 day ahead of the average. Soybean condition was 78 percent good to excellent.

Pasture condition continued to fall and rated 48 percent good to excellent this week.



USDA Weekly Crop Progress Report

The U.S. corn and soybean harvests both continued ahead of last year and the five-year average pace last week, according to USDA NASS' weekly national Crop Progress report on Monday.

Harvest could be delayed for some farmers this week as one last burst of a system that dumped heavy rain late last week and over the weekend across parts of the Plains and Midwest moves through the Midwest on Monday and Tuesday. Then, next week, farmers in the southeastern Plains through the Midwest again may have to dodge showers from a tropical storm that is starting to develop in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to become a hurricane before making landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Thursday.

CORN
-- Crop development: Corn dented was estimated at 92%, 2 points behind last year's 94%, but 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 91%. Corn mature was pegged at 61%, 4 points behind last year's 65% but 6 points ahead of the five-year average of 55%.
-- Harvest progress: Corn harvest moved ahead 5 percentage points last week to reach 14% complete as of Sunday. That was 1 point ahead of last year's 13% and 3 points ahead of the five-year average of 11%.
-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 65% of corn still in fields was in good-to-excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week but above last year's 53%.

SOYBEANS
-- Crop development: Soybeans dropping leaves were pegged at 65%, 3 points behind last year's 68% but 8 points ahead of the five-year average of 57%.
-- Harvest progress: Soybean harvest moved ahead 7 percentage points last week to reach 13% complete as of Sunday, 3 points ahead of last year's 10% and 5 points ahead of the five-year average of 8%.
-- Crop condition: NASS estimated that 64% of soybeans still in fields were in good-to-excellent condition, unchanged from the previous week but still above last year's rating of 50% good to excellent.

SPRING WHEAT
-- Harvest progress: Spring wheat harvest inched ahead another 4 percentage points last week to reach 96% complete as of Sunday. That put this year's harvest progress at 1 point ahead of last year's 95% and 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 95%.

WINTER WHEAT
-- Planting progress: Winter wheat planting moved ahead 11 points last week to reach 25% nationwide as of Sunday, 2 points ahead of last year's 23% and 1 point ahead of the five-year average of 24%.
-- Crop development: An estimated 4% of winter wheat was emerged as of Sunday, 2 points behind last year's 6% and 1 point behind the five-year average of 5%.

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Lower Interest Rates for Farmers and Ranchers?
(NeFB Newsletter)

The Federal Reserve Open Markets Committee last week voted to lower the federal funds interest rate by one-half point. The reduction was the first since 2019 and the surprise, if any, was that the reduction was one-half point instead of just a quarter-point. Many economists had predicted a reduction of a quarter-point. The Federal Reserve cited slowing inflation (2.5 percent in August—the lowest since 2021) and weakness in the labor market as the primary factors in its decision to lower rates.

The latest agricultural credit survey by Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City showed farm loan demand in the Tenth District, which includes Nebraska, has risen sharply. According to the Bank, demand for non-real estate loans rose at the fastest rate since 2016 with nearly 45% of lenders saying demand was higher than a year ago. Agricultural lenders also reported an increase in loan renewals and extensions compared to a year ago. Weakening farm financial conditions were mentioned as the cause. The Kansas City Federal Reserve reported the average rate on operating loans in Nebraska in the second quarter was 8.76% and 7.82% for real estate loans. Both rates are the highest seen since 2007-2008.

A lower federal funds rate could mean lower interest rates and interest costs for farm borrowers. Lower rates might also mean a drop in the value of the dollar compared to other countries’ currencies, which could stimulate agricultural exports. Both happenings, if realized, would provide a bit of good news for agricultural producers facing an otherwise weakening financial picture overall. And more rate reductions may be coming. Observers expect further cuts of a cumulative one-half point before the year is out.



HUSKER RESEARCHER TO HELP LAUNCH FIRST ‘DIGITAL TWIN’ OF CORN FIELD

Digital twins are revolutionizing a range of industries, from manufacturing to health care to ride-hail services like Uber. Virtual replicas of supply chains, vehicle parts, traffic routes and beyond enable companies to rapidly innovate and adapt.  

Now, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln plant scientist is leading the way in bringing the technology to the agricultural space. With a three-year, nearly $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation, James Schnable will help develop the first digital twin of a corn field, enabling researchers to quickly test countless what-if scenarios related to corn performance.

Schnable is collaborating with researchers at Iowa State University and Purdue University, who also received NSF funding for the project for a total of $2 million.

“Once we build these digital twins, we can use high-performance computing to simulate and explore how whole fields of corn with different properties would behave — how resilient they are to wind and how efficiently they use water and capture light, for example — without having to actually grow the corn field,” said Schnable, Nebraska Corn Checkoff Presidential Chair and professor of agronomy and horticulture.

The twins would help researchers overcome real-world constraints on the number of field tests researchers can run and more quickly identify the planting arrangements and hybrids with the most potential.

“If we can weed through a million different combinations and find the most promising ones, we’re going to make a lot faster progress than if we’re just picking 100 each year to test,” he said.

Schnable and colleagues have been eyeing the launch of digital twinning in the agricultural space for years. In 2021, eight institutions including Nebraska united to establish the AI Institute for Resilient Agriculture, based at Iowa State, with the goal of building virtual replicas of crops and fields. Through that initiative, Schnable has been collaborating with Iowa State’s Baskar Ganapathysubramanian, an expert in artificial intelligence. For this project, the pair teamed up with Bedrich Benes of Purdue, who focuses on 3D simulation and digital reconstruction of plants.

The trio’s combined expertise and Nebraska’s state-of-the-art facilities are enabling the team to overcome longstanding barriers to twinning crop fields. To this point, researchers have relied on crop growth models — complex series of equations — to predict crop performance. But collecting enough data to adapt these models to new hybrids is labor and time intensive.

Nebraska’s LemnaTec High-Throughput Plant Phenotyping System, housed at Nebraska Innovation Campus’ Greenhouse Innovation Center, automates much of the data collection process and produces high-resolution data across a plant’s life cycle, which Benes can use to twin the plants.

The team will also use Ganapathysubramanian’s innovative approaches to model ray tracing — a sophisticated technique for simulating light’s behavior in digital images — to track light distribution throughout the canopy.  

“Through these tricks that Baskar has come up with in terms of actually getting ray tracing level data, and having access to really high-performance computing, is why we’re able to do this when it was not previously feasible,” Schnable said.

The digital twin will enable the researchers to pinpoint the planting arrangements that are most ideal for capturing light, minimizing water loss and increasing productivity. They will also enable optimization of the corn plants themselves — one of Schnable’s areas of expertise. The tool will allow users to identify the ideal physical characteristics of corn, such as the number, angle, length and width of leaves, in certain environments.

Then, using inverse procedural modeling and quantitative genetics techniques, Schnable will identify the genes that control these physical characteristics.

“Then, we can plan for how complicated it would be to breed new varieties of corn that have these newly identified, potentially optimal combinations of leaf traits in order to create more productive, resource-use-efficient corn varieties,” he said.

For the university, the grant reflects Nebraska’s global leadership in high-throughput phenotyping and corn quantitative genetics — two areas key to achieving food security.

“If UNL is able to bring world leaders in these research areas together and provide something that no one else can provide, we will continue to see larger and larger projects develop,” he said.

For Schnable personally, the project marks a return to the fast-paced work that drew him to computational biology in graduate school. Since coming to Nebraska in 2014, he has devoted significant time to field experiments, which he said has been productive and rewarding. But he is eager to return to the rapid cycle time offered by digital twinning.   

“The idea of being able to sit on a computer, plug in some numbers, watch the plants on the screen change and get feedback right away is really fun,” he said. “I’m excited to be getting back to that.”

      

Registration closing for the 2024 Nebraska Water Conference
Registration closes this Friday, September 27

The 2024 Nebraska Water Conference is quickly approaching, 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. Late registration (September 14 to September 27) is $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.



NEBRASKA CHICKENS AND EGGS

Nebraska egg production during August totaled 217 million eggs, up from 212 million in 2023. August egg production per 100 layers was 2,519 eggs, compared to 2,684 eggs in 2023. All layers in Nebraska during August 2024 totaled 8.63 million, up from 7.89 million the previous year, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Iowa: Iowa egg production during August 2024 was 1.10 billion eggs, down 7 percent from the previous August, according to the latest Chickens and Eggs report from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. The average number of all layers on hand during August 2024 was 42.5 million, down 7 percent from last year. Eggs per 100 layers for August was 2,583, up slightly from a year ago.

August Egg Production Down 3 Percent
United States egg production totaled 9.08 billion during August 2024, down 3 percent from last year. Production included 7.77 billion table eggs, and 1.30 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.21 billion were broiler-type and 95.8 million were egg-type. The average number of layers during August 2024 totaled 370 million, down 3 percent from last year. August egg production per 100 layers was 2,451 eggs, up slightly from August 2023.
                                    
Total layers in the United States on September 1, 2024 totaled 372 million, down 3 percent from last year. The 372 million layers consisted of 307 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 61.6 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, and 3.66 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. Rate of lay per day on September 1, 2024, averaged 79.3 eggs per 100 layers, up 1 percent from September 1, 2023.



Iowa corn director joins U.S. farmers in Japan trade mission

Mike Ver Steeg, Director of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and a farmer from Lyon County, represented U.S. farmers during the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s Heartland Trade Mission to Japan.

The mission aimed to study the Japanese market and explore opportunities to expand demand for U.S. red meat, focusing on beef, pork, and corn.

Japan is a key market for U.S. red meat, known for its emphasis on quality. The delegation included representatives from the U.S. beef, pork, corn, and soy sectors and participated in meetings with U.S. Embassy officials, Japanese trade representatives, and visits to a wagyu farm, processing operations, and local foodservice and retail establishments.

“As a producer, it is a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with our customers in-country to better understand their desire for our products,” said Ver Steeg. “Japan is a top market for both U.S. beef and pork, and building strong relationships is crucial for increasing U.S. red meat and corn exports.”

The Iowa Corn Promotion Board supports this effort by investing checkoff dollars with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) to develop international markets for U.S. corn-fed red meat. Investments in USMEF’s export programs have shown significant returns, generating median net returns of $3.87 for beef and $7.42 for pork per dollar invested.

The Iowa Corn Promotion Board focuses on developing and defending markets, funding research, and educating about corn and corn products. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, with over 7,000 members, advocates for agricultural issues and supports Iowa corn farmers in achieving long-term profitability.

Ver Steeg’s participation in the mission reflects Iowa’s commitment to enhancing global trade and strengthening market opportunities for U.S. farmers.



Seasonal Reminders for Ventilation Maintenance and Safety

Fall is a great time to plan for seasonal ventilation maintenance and manure pit pump-out.

Brett Ramirez, an agriculture and biosystems engineer with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, says taking time now will help ensure these critical steps are completed before cold weather arrives.

“It’s critical to get barns ready for winter to help reduce heating costs and provide a good environment for the pigs,” he said. “Routine equipment inspections and maintenance will pay dividends in the long run, not only by extending the life of the equipment but also creating a good environment inside the barn.”

Along with ventilation maintenance, Ramirez reminds producers that pit pumping requires attention and awareness, with safety at the top of the list.

“We want to follow best practices for agitation; this is a key first step,” he said.

With best practices in mind, follow these safe operation procedures:
    Never enter the building while pumping — use caution tape, mark barn entrances, and alert everyone that pumping is occurring.
    If possible, remove animals from the portion of the barn where agitation and removal will occur.
    It may be worth investing in a gas monitor. If you have one, have it handy during pumping.
    Make sure someone is at the site during pumping, and that they have a copy of the emergency action plan.
    Prohibit smoking, open flames and spark-producing activities in the immediate vicinity.
    Observe animals for signs of noxious gas distress.

The Iowa Pork Industry Center’s Winter Ventilation Checklist AE3553B is a timely tool for this seasonal job. Available as a free download from the Iowa State University Extension Store, the checklist can be printed and laminated for use as needed. Because some of the tasks and checkpoints listed might not be intuitive for everyone, having it in hand with space for notes is helpful no matter who does the maintenance.



Cyclone Women Agree to NIL Deal with Iowa Pork Producers

Iowa State Cyclone women’s basketball players Audi Crooks, Kelsey Joens, Addy Brown and Alisa Williams have agreed to work with the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) to promote pork. In a video released Monday, the four sophomores on the Cyclone women’s basketball team showed up at the ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ tryouts. However, they declined to be part of that promotion, while also expressing their love for pork. You can watch the video here.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association appreciates the Cyclone women’s support of the pork industry, and has agreed to an NIL (name, image, likeness) deal with all four players.

In conjunction with the partnership, the Iowa Pork Producers Association will donate $1,000 worth of pork to each player’s food pantry of choice. Their choices are:
    Audi Crooks - Kossuth County Food Pantry in Algona, Iowa
    Kelsey Joens - First Church United Food Pantry in West Liberty, Iowa
    Addy Brown – Derby Community Food Pantry in Derby, Kansas
    Alisa Williams - Denton Community Food Center in Denton, Texas

Audi Crooks, a sophomore center from Algona, Iowa, became the first freshman All-American in Iowa State women’s basketball history last year. This NIL partnership is not Crooks’ first experience with the Iowa Pork Producers Association. She earned the IPPA Top Producer Award for Class 1A during the 2023 Iowa girls state basketball tournament. Crooks scored 49 points in the state championship game, leading Bishop Garrigan High School to the title.

“It’s so cool to kind of come full circle to win that award from the Iowa Pork Producers in high school, and now be a part a partnership with Iowa Pork on the advertising side of it,” Crooks said.  

Audi Crooks’ incredible basketball skills and remarkable personality have garnered her a lot of attention. She’s thrilled to be part of the explosion in popularity of women’s basketball, and excited about the Cyclones’ chances on the court this season.

“I think it’s about time,” Crooks said. “Women’s basketball has always been great, but people are just starting to pay attention. It’s better late than never. We have super high hopes for this sport and this team. There’s really no limit to what we can do.”

Kelsey Joens, a sophomore guard from Iowa City, has her own connection to the pork industry. She worked in the family restaurant, Joensy’s, growing up. Joens’ father took over the restaurant from her grandfather in 2005. Pork tenderloins are their specialty, and Kelsey Joens expresses her fondness of pork tenderloins in the tryout video.

“I love pork tenderloins, so I was really excited to be part of this partnership,” Joens said. “I grew up working in the family restaurant. I would clear tables, get drinks for customers, and eventually waited tables and served customers, so with my background, I was thrilled to be able to promote pork.”

The breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is an Iowa staple, and the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s annual Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich Contest draws food lovers from across the Midwest to the winning restaurant each year.

Joens’ teammate Alisa Williams is also a big fan of pork. The sophomore forward from Denton, Texas was thrilled to secure an NIL deal to promote one of her favorite foods. “I'm so excited to be part of this,” Williams said. “I love bacon. I’m dead serious. I eat bacon every day.”

Cyclone sophomore forward Addy Brown enjoyed the ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ promotion last year, so was thrilled to be asked to partner with Iowa Pork.

“I’m very excited. I think it’s a cool opportunity,” Brown said, “I remember seeing the commercial last year and I thought it was pretty funny so it’s cool to be a part of it and I’m excited to see how it turns out.”

While the women’s basketball players opted not to participate in tryouts for the ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ promotion, the search continues for student athletes to join in that partnership. In a series of videos to be released every Monday at 10 a.m. through October 7, Myles Purchase, Tyler Moore, Tommy Hamann, and Caleb Bacon will continue to serve as a panel of judges as their fellow student-athletes try to join the pork roster. October is National Pork Month, aka ‘Porktober’.

In conjunction with the NIL partnership, the Iowa Pork Producers Association is donating $1,000 worth of pork to each participant’s food bank or food pantry of choice to help fight food insecurity.



September Cattle on Feed
Will Secor, Extension Livestock Economist, University of Georgia

The most recent Cattle on Feed report was released by USDA NASS last Friday, September 20. Reported figures were close to pre-report estimates. Reported cattle on feed as of September 1, 2024 was 0.6 percent above the same time last year. Cattle placed on feed in August was 1.4 percent below year ago levels, and fed cattle marketings for August came in approximately 3.6 percent below last year.

August placements totaled 1.975 million head, nearly 275 thousand above of last month and approximately 30 thousand below last year. Differences in placement weights were interesting. While most weight categories saw year-over-year declines (Under 600 lbs, 700-799 lbs, and 800-899 lbs), more heavier weight cattle were placed year-over-year.

Significant discussion has centered on high imports of feeder cattle from Mexico. While this may have played a role in this month’s report, market analysts appear to have already accounted for them with the reported placements in line with pre-report estimates. Looking forward, feeder cattle imports from Mexico have moved below or in-line with year-ago levels. This, combined with the additional weaned calves moving through sale barns this time of year, suggests the impact from these imports on next month’s report will be limited.

Marketings in August 2024 amounted to 1.818 million head. This was approximately 2 percent lower compared to July 2024 and about 4 percent lower year-over-year.

Interestingly, average daily fed cattle marketings were slightly higher year-over-year. August 2024 had 22 slaughter days compared to August 2023’s 23 slaughter days. Making this adjustment indicates that average daily marketings were approximately 0.8 percent higher in August 2024 compared to August 2023. The decline in marketings from July 2024 is in line with typical seasonal trends.

Cattle on feed number on September 1 this year was 11.198 million head. Cattle on feed on August 1, 2024 totaled 11.095. September 1’s total is an increase of 71 thousand head compared to last year. These figures were very close to pre-report estimates.

This report confirms that we have now begun the fall run-up in placements. In the coming months, expect more placements in general and more of those placements weighing less. As placements increase and marketings slow, cattle on feed should move higher month over month.