Monday January 06 Ag News

PSC ISSUES 2024-2025 PRO-AG GRANT APPLICATION AND PROGRAM SCHEDULE
 
The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved an Order (C-5600) issuing the 2024-2025 Precision Agriculture Infrastructure Grant (PRO-AG) program schedule and application materials.
 
Created through the Precision Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Act, the PRO-AG program paves the way for awarding grants annually to accelerate rural economic development by helping to provide connectivity and supporting technology to farm sites in rural areas of Nebraska.
 
“We think there’s immense potential for innovative precision agriculture projects that could benefit from this funding opportunity,” said PSC Chair Dan Watermeier. “With over a million dollars available for the upcoming year, we encourage all eligible and interested parties to participate in the application process.”
 
The PRO-AG program is divided into two distinct subprograms: Connectivity, and Devices and Technology. Each subprogram is designed to fulfill a specific purpose. Applicants can submit multiple project proposals but must apply separately for each subprogram. Applications will be assessed individually. Each application will be considered on its own merits within the subprogram in which it is filed.
 
The available funding for the 2024-2025 fiscal year is $1,129,077.71. The amount will be divided equally among the two subprograms with $564,538.85 in grant funding available for each. To date, the Commission has awarded over $678,000 in funding through the PRO-AG grant program.Commissioner Watermeier said, “The Precision Agriculture Grant Act allows for a broad range of eligible uses. We encourage prospective applicants to explore new ways that precision agriculture can be used to promote ag productivity in Nebraska.”
 
Application materials and a detailed program guide can be found on the Precision Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program (PRO-AG) page of the PSC website. Applications for the 2024-2025 program year open on December 13 and are due on or before January 17, 2025, at  5:00 p.m., (CT).

Applications should be emailed to < psc.broadband@nebraska.gov >. Grants will be awarded by the end of April.



Nebraska Cattlemen Research and Education Foundation Awards $12,000 in Grants and Weide Receives Friend of the Foundation Award

During the Nebraska Cattlemen Annual Awards Banquet, the Nebraska Cattlemen Research and Education Foundation presented the Nebraska Beef Industry Endowment, the Nebraska Range and Conservation Endowment, and the Friend of the Foundation award to three trailblazers in the beef industry.

Loren Berger, President of the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation stated, “Each year it's humbling to see the ways donors and partners will come together to invest in the future of Nebraska’s beef industry.” He continued, “From solving problems in the feedlot sector to utilizing crop residues in cattle production, this year’s recipients are paving the way forward for our industry. Congratulations to this year’s recipients.”

2024 Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Award Recipients

Nebraska Beef Industry Endowment – Dr. Jessica Sperber; Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science and Extension Feedlot Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The Nebraska Beef Industry Endowment was established in December 2009 and provides grants to beef industry-related research and/or teaching positions at Nebraska post-secondary educational institutions. This award honors those professors or instructors that are providing cutting edge research and/or student instruction in a beef industry related area.

As the 2024 Nebraska Beef Industry Endowment recipient, Dr. Jessica Sperber was awarded a $6,000 grant on behalf of the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation.

Sperber joined the Department of Animal Science as an extension assistant professor and extension feedlot specialist in November of 2022. Her role in the department includes delivering relevant education and guiding problem-solving efforts targeted towards feedlot owners, management, consultants, and allied industry. She organizes the Nebraska beef feedlot extension team, coordinate feedlot roundtables, and contributes to feedlot extension publications. She is passionate about the relationship between the cattle feeder and packer, and the technologies that improve beef cattle production efficiency.

Nebraska Range and Conservation Endowment – Dr. Mary Drewnoski; Assistant Professor and Extension Beef Systems Specialist in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The Nebraska Range & Conservation Endowment was established in December 2011 and provides grants to range management and conservation research and/or teaching positions at Nebraska post-secondary educational institutions. This award honors professors or instructors who are providing cutting edge research and/or student instruction in a range management and conservation related area.

Dr. Mary Drewnoski received this year’s Nebraska Range and Conservation Endowment and was awarded a $6,000 grant on behalf of the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation.

Drewnoski joined the Department of Animal Science in 2014 and currently serves as an Assistant Professor and Extension Beef Systems Specialist. Her research and extension program focuses on the utilization of crop residues and cover crop forage for backgrounding calves and feeding beef cows. She also serves on an interdisciplinary team evaluating economical systems for integrated crop and livestock production in Nebraska

Friend of the Foundation Award – Lee Weide
The Friend of the Foundation award is presented to a person or business that has shared endless amounts of time, talent, and treasure with the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation. The Foundation is pleased to announce the 2024 recipient of the Friend of the Foundation award is Lee Weide.

Weide started with Nebraska Cattlemen in early 1997 with the member-driven Nebraska Corn Fed Beef program, first as database coordinator and then as director. In 2000 Weide became an analyst for the NC Market Reporting Service. Later in the year, Lee started his role as the director of feedlot member services and eventually became vice president of member services.

Beginning in 2000, Weide also took on the important role of managing the Nebraska Cattlemen Beef Pit at the Nebraska State Fair, an exceptionally high-visibility and vital NC function. Weide and his wife, Jennifer, put in countless hours each year, coordinating and organizing the many volunteers who worked the Beef Pit, to help prepare and cook the meat, and working with the State Fair vendors, leadership and staff to ensure that consumers always had an exceptional meal at the State Fair.

In addition to his duties with Nebraska Cattlemen, beginning in 2005 Weide served as staff liaison to the NC Research and Education Foundation. In this role, he worked closely with the staff at Darr Feedlot where the annual NC Foundation Retail Value Steer Challenge (RVSC) is held. Weide maintained the highest level of detailed data management of cattle for members and contributors throughout each RVSC.

In 2006, Weide became vice president of operations for NC, in addition to his role as staff liaison to the Foundation, both positions he held until his retirement last year. Lee was instrumental in the both the capital campaign and the building project that led Nebraska Cattlemen to its new office home in the summer of 2019.

With twenty-eight years of service to Nebraska Cattlemen and the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation, there is no one more deserving of this award than Lee.



Lindsay Completes Acquisition of Minority Interest in Pessl Instruments

Lindsay Corporation, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology, today announced it has completed its acquisition of a 49.9 percent minority interest in Austria-based Pessl Instruments.

The investment in Pessl, a global provider of advanced technology solutions, helps advance Lindsay's efforts to drive significant investment and innovation in AgTech and address the food, fuel, and fiber demands of the world's growing population.

The strategic partnership between Lindsay and Pessl has evolved and progressed since it was announced in May 2023, and producers are gaining significant advantage from the integration. Growers utilizing Lindsay's award-winning FieldNET™ and FieldNET Advisor™ remote irrigation management platforms, in conjunction with Pessl's METOS™ weather stations, soil moisture probes, and data-driven FieldClimate software, benefit from advanced agronomic solutions. By combining these innovative tools, producers worldwide have access to a vast array of data points from in-field sensors, enabling them to make informed decisions that promote healthy crops, optimize inputs like water, fertilizer, and pesticides, and achieve higher yields.

"With this investment, Lindsay will strengthen its position as the leading irrigation management and scheduling solution provider in the industry," said Randy Wood, Lindsay President and CEO. "No other company has the same ability to connect on-farm equipment, in-field sensors and remote sensing assets to provide producers with affordable and scalable solutions. We are excited about the incredible potential that our investment in Pessl brings, as we continue to collaborate on the development of new AI-based products to add to our suite of Smart Pivot Solutions."

Pessl boasts more than one million sensors connected to 100,000 in-field data collection devices globally, with 50,000 active customers using its FieldClimate online interface. These connected devices include weather stations, soil moisture probes, insect monitoring traps, crop monitoring cameras, soil and nutrient sampling, machine and asset trackers, providing key agronomic health indicators.

"We are honored to be part of the Lindsay team. We will work to connect with producers worldwide and demonstrate how they can leverage the combined potential of FieldNET, the most robust and fully vertically integrated water management platform in the industry, and METOSTM hardware and software solutions," said Gottfried Pessl, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Pessl Instruments. "We are excited to continue to drive innovation in AgTech and provide producers with advanced tools to enhance their productivity and efficiency."

Lindsay's agreement to make this investment was previously announced on April 3, 2024, and was subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals. As previously disclosed, Lindsay also has an option to acquire the remainder of Pessl at a later date.



Limited Supply, Strong Demand Fuels Ag Land Market

There are more motivated land buyers in today's market than there are willing sellers, according to Farmers National Company.

Despite the pressures created by lower net farm income, declining commodity markets, higher interest rates, and increased input costs, land values have remained quite stable across the Midwest. While most university and industry land value reports published at year's end reflect a flat or slight downward trend compared to production expenses, the stability in those values reveals the resiliency of the land market and its ability to maintain the high values set over the past five years.

"There are many factors for buyer motivation, but much of it can be explained by mindset translating to demand," said Paul Schadegg, senior vice president of real estate operations at Farmers National Company. "Farm operators continue to be the primary buyers of ag land. Their mindset or motivation revolves around reinvesting in their farm enterprise, expanding operations, and utilizing today's farm equipment fully. Location of land offered for sale also plays a large role in their decision making, as often this land has not changed hands for generations and once sold, may not be sold again."

Considering the average age of today's farmers, most have experienced the rise and fall of farm cycles and, along with it, the long-term appreciation of land value. They fully understand what an exceptional value land presents as an asset to their farm operation and investment asset, Schadegg said.

"We anticipate that operating farmers will continue to be the primary land buyer as we move into 2025. Changes in the ag economy will determine if the percentage moves up or down," he added.

Land investors make up the second largest segment of ag land buyers. Investors include individuals, groups, and land investment funds. Schadegg said that this group's mindset is business-oriented.

"There is virtually no emotional motivation, as buying decisions are based on return on investment or anticipated appreciation of land value. The motivation lies in expanding the portfolio, opportunities in productive regions, and improving ROIs in declining land markets. Many land investors have not experienced the rise and fall of agriculture cycles but fully appreciate the long-term value of land. As pressures on the ag economy increase, investors stand ready to bid on land that fits their investment criteria."

Across the industry, land listings are down, on average, 25% from the active and accelerating value market experienced between 2020-2023. The principle of supply and demand fits into the current land market, as many landowners understand the long-term appreciation of land value while providing an annual return on that investment. Schadegg said that the result of this thought is to retain ownership, further reducing the amount of land offered for sale.

"Motivated buyers remain in the current land market both as farm operators and land investors ready to deploy available cash to further their operations or portfolios," he added.

Farmers National Company has experienced an active fall selling season, marketing $223 million of land value for clients across the Midwest in the past three months. FNC conducted 123 sales through public auction methods. Real estate activity moving into the first quarter of 2025 remains brisk, with an above-average level of auctions and traditional listings being negotiated.

"Optimism remains moving into 2025, and with positive signals for the ag economy, opportunity will exist for those involved in agriculture production," Schadegg noted.



NCGA Leaders Congratulate Members of 119th Congress

The National Corn Growers Association’s leadership gathered on Capitol Hill Friday to welcome members of the new Congress as they were sworn into office.

“We are here to congratulate our friends and allies who were re-elected to Congress and introduce ourselves to those being sworn in for the first time,” Hartman said. “We look forward to continuing our work with members on both sides of the aisle as we advocate for legislation that is important to corn growers.”

NCGA leaders in attendance were Kenneth Hartman Jr., board president, Harold Wolle, board chairman and Jed Bower, board first vice president.

NCGA’s top issues include securing passage of legislation that would ensure year-round consumer access to higher blends of ethanol, federal tax policies that are favorable to agriculture, and reauthorization of a comprehensive farm bill.



IRFA Congratulates Mike Johnson on Re-Election as U.S. House Speaker

Friday the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) congratulated Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson on his re-election as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw made the following statement:

"During Speaker Johnson's recent trips to Iowa, he has spoken several times with IRFA members and staff. We are confident he understands the importance of renewable fuels production to a healthy rural economy. When discussing future tax policy, IRFA members certainly took note when Speaker Johnson stated: ‘You’ve got to use a scalpel and not a sledgehammer, because there’s a few provisions in there that have helped overall.’1 IRFA members look forward to working with the Speaker to craft an American energy agenda that includes a robust role for homegrown biofuels.”



NCBA Congratulates Speaker Johnson on Securing Reelection

Last week, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) congratulated Speaker Mike Johnson (LA) for his successful reelection campaign as Speaker of the House for the 119th Congress:
 
“Congratulations to Speaker Johnson on successfully navigating a narrow margin and being elected as Speaker of the House by his peers once again. Speaker Johnson has always been a strong supporter of U.S. cattle producers, and we look forward to continuing to work with him in the new Congress,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “There is a lot of work that needs to get done this year, including extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passing a long-term Farm Bill, and providing regulatory relief to producers that have been squeezed by government overreach over the past four years. We are confident Speaker Johnson is the leader to get these policy priorities across the finish line.”



CHS adds St. Louis terminal to improve fertilizer shipments to farmers during busy spring season

CHS, the nation’s largest farmer-owned cooperative and global agribusiness, is further increasing the cooperative’s capacity to deliver fertilizer to farmers during the busy spring season. This increase in capacity is made possible through an exclusive services agreement between CHS and Ingram Barge Company’s subsidiary, SCF Lewis and Clark Terminals LLC. The agreement provides CHS exclusive rights to fertilizer throughput at Ingram’s Municipal River Terminal in St. Louis, Mo., and for fertilizer transport services.

“We are better able to serve our owners and customers by establishing a new pathway to the global market, facilitating flexible rail shipments of multiple products and increasing our shipping capacity of fertilizer products for in-season delivery,” said Roger Baker, vice president, crop nutrients, CHS.

CHS now has the ability to load multiproduct unit rail shipments of commodity fertilizers from the St. Louis Municipal River Terminal and more efficiently deliver fertilizers to customers and owners. The enhanced CHS supply chain facilitates import and domestic distribution of nitrogen, phosphate, potassium and sulfur fertilizers.

“Ingram is looking forward to partnering with CHS to help move vital nutrients to farmers for their crops,” said John Roberts, president and CEO of Ingram Barge Company. “We’ve enjoyed a strong working relationship with CHS over the years and this is a great opportunity for our companies to further grow that relationship.”

Barges provide an efficient way to transport cargo and help keep commerce on the move. Inland marine highways move products throughout the nation’s heartland, serve industrial and agricultural centers and facilitate imports and exports at gateways on the Gulf Coast.

“As a global agribusiness, CHS continues to look for ways to strengthen our supply chains to provide value and enhance market access for U.S. growers,” Baker said. “This new pathway improves the efficiency and flexibility of our supply chain, so our farmers can have access to needed inputs, particularly during the busy growing season.”