Thursday January 09 Ag News

 Senator Barry Dekay to lead Agriculture Committee in Nebraska Legislature

State lawmakers reconvene Wednesday for the 109th Nebraska Legislature, beginning the two-year session by selecting leaders for legislative committees.

The Nebraska Examiner reports that with one-third of the 49-member body new to the Legislature, and nearly two-thirds having less than three years of experience, leadership decisions will play a key role in shaping the session.

The Legislature convened at 10 a.m. before resuming Thursday for nine session days dedicated to introducing bills.

Following the swearing-in of newly elected and reelected members, lawmakers chose the speaker of the Legislature, chairs for more than a dozen committees, members of the Committee on Committees, and the Executive Board, which oversees daily legislative operations.

Senator Barry Dekay of District 40, the only announced candidate for Agriculture Committee chair, was elected to serve as chair of the committee. Dekay, a farmer and rancher, joined the Legislature in 2022.

The 2025 session can last up to 90 days, while the 2026 session will be a constitutionally limited 60-day “short” session.



Innovative Youth Corn Challenge
Melissa Hagemeister, Extension Associate, Cuming County

Nebraska Extension has announce the Innovative Youth Corn Challenge, a prestigious contest open to 4-H members (aged 8 and older as of January 1st) and FFA members (in-school members).

This competition is designed to guide participants through a comprehensive exploration of all facets of corn production, including aspects related to agricultural careers associated with corn production.

This competition not only fosters a spirit of innovation in corn production but also serves as a platform for recognizing dedication and excellence within the 4-H and FFA communities. We encourage all eligible participants to embrace this opportunity to showcase their skills and contribute to the advancement of agricultural practices.

The registration deadline is April 1st. For detailed guidelines and participation information, please refer to the https://cropwatch.unl.edu/youth/cornchallenge webpage.



Farrowed & Owned Cohort Registration is Open!
Melissa Hagemeister, Extension Associate, Cuming County

Registration continues for the 2025 NE 4-H Farrowed & Owned until February 1, 2025.

This opportunity is designed to enhance the educational value of the traditional 4-H swine project by focusing on swine production, accurate record keeping, and industry knowledge and engagement by the 4-H member.

**NEW for 2025**: Exhibit their Farrowed and Owned project animals at any Nebraska county fair. Exhibiting at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair is optional. All cohort members will participate in an interview at the 2025 Nebraska State Fair. Join the first session in February for more details! Visit 4h.unl.edu/farrowed-owned to get started.



New resource provides wind and solar decommissioning guidance to local officials

As demand for renewable energy generation continues to grow, many local decision makers are responding by creating ordinances that govern how projects will be built, managed, and decommissioned.

The Center for Rural Affairs has released a new wind and solar decommissioning resource to its Clean Energy Siting Library, a database intended to assist local zoning officials and decision makers in crafting ordinances.

While most renewable energy projects are expected to have a lifetime between 25 and 40 years, communities that host projects may have concerns over what happens to the infrastructure at the end of operation.

“As counties look to enact standards for renewable energy, planning for decommissioning is an important component,” said Cora Hoffer, senior policy associate with the Center for Rural Affairs. “Decommissioning plans can help spell out expectations around timelines for decommissioning, identify roles and responsibilities, and include detailed cost estimates.”

Once wind and solar projects reach the end of their operational lifespan, project owners may seek to decommission the system and several alternatives to decommissioning are available. It is often possible to extend an energy system’s performance period through repowering, refurbishment, and reuse.

“These options can offer counties cost savings and ongoing revenue opportunities as well as the benefit of maintaining current land use and utilizing existing infrastructure at the site,” said Hoffer.

The new decommissioning resource is intended to be short, digestible, and easy to use. It combines research and recommendations from reports on wind and solar energy guidance previously published by the Center.

To read and download a copy of the Center’s “Decommissioning Wind and Solar Energy Systems Fact Sheet,” visit the Clean Energy Siting Library at cfra.org/cleanenergysiting.



IDALS' Annual Corn Crop Survey

Every fall, IDALS samples new corn crop around the state for the presence of mycotoxins – fungi that can contaminate grain, creating health issues for livestock.

Because of last year’s growing conditions, IDALS anticipated the study would show low levels of mycotoxins. However, 94 percent of corn samples showed the presence of vomitoxin, also known as deoxynivalenol or DON. Four of 99 samples showed vomitoxins that exceed the FDA guidance level. Based on the prevalence of vomitoxin around the state, IDALS recommends feed mills test their stored corn and work with livestock producers who may be affected.

As the name implies, vomitoxin consumption can cause vomiting and feed refusal in livestock. Swine and poultry producers, especially those feeding a large percentage of their protein as DDGS (which concentrates vomitoxin levels), should watch for these clinical signs. If questions or concerns arise, livestock producers should contact their herd veterinarians and nutritionists.



Reynolds extends Harvest Proclamation

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds this week signed an extension of the proclamation relating to the weight limits and transportation of grain, fertilizer, and manure.

The proclamation is effective immediately and continues through February 6, 2025. The proclamation allows vehicles transporting corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer (dry, liquid, and gas), and manure (dry and liquid) to be overweight (not exceeding 90,000 pounds gross weight) without a permit for the duration of this proclamation.

This proclamation applies to loads transported on all highways within Iowa (excluding the interstate system) and those which do not exceed a maximum of 90,000 pounds gross weight, do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit determined under the non-primary highway maximum gross weight table in Iowa Code § 321.463 (6) (b), by more than 12.5 percent, do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds, and comply with posted limits on roads and bridges.



Scientists Leverage AI to Fast-Track Methane Mitigation Strategies in Animal Agriculture

A new study from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Iowa State University (ISU) reveals that generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help expedite the search for solutions to reduce enteric methane emissions caused by cows in animal agriculture, which accounts for about 33 percent of U.S. agriculture and 3 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

"Developing solutions to address methane emissions from animal agriculture is a critical priority. Our scientists continue to use innovative and data-driven strategies to help cattle producers achieve emission reduction goals that will safeguard the environment and promote a more sustainable future for agriculture," said ARS Administrator Simon Liu.

One of these innovative solutions starts in the cow’s stomach, where microorganisms contribute to enteric fermentation and cause cows to belch methane as part of normal digestion processes. The team of scientists found a group of compound molecules capable of inhibiting methane production in the largest of the cow’s four stomach compartments, the rumen, which can be tested to help mitigate methane emissions.

One molecule in particular, bromoform, which is naturally found in seaweed, has been identified by the scientific community to demonstrate properties that can result in reducing cattle enteric methane production by 80-98 percent when fed to cattle. Unfortunately, bromoform is known to be a carcinogen, limiting its potential use in cattle for food safety reasons. Therefore, scientists continue to search for molecules with similar potential to inhibit enteric methane. However, this type of research presents challenges of being especially time-consuming and expensive.

In response to these challenges, a team of scientists at the ARS Livestock Nutrient Management Research Unit and ISU’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering combined generative AI with large computational models to jumpstart the quest for bromoform-like molecules that can do the same job without toxicity.

"We are using advanced molecular simulations and AI to identify novel methane inhibitors based on the properties of previously investigated inhibitors [like bromoform], but that are safe, scalable, and have a large potential to inhibit methane emissions,” said Matthew Beck, a research animal scientist working with ARS at the time the study was completed and is now with Texas A&M University’s Department of Animal Science. "Iowa State University is leading the computer simulation and AI work, while ARS is taking the lead in identifying compounds and truth testing them using a combination of in vitro [laboratory] and in vivo [live cattle] studies."

Publicly available databases that contained scientific data collected from previous studies on the cows’ rumen were used to build large computational models. AI, along with these models, was used to predict the behavior of molecules and to identify those that can be further tested in a laboratory. The results from the laboratory tests feed the computer models for AI to make more accurate predictions, creating a feedback loop process known as a graph neural network.

"Our graph neural network is a machine learning model, which learns the properties of molecules, including details of the atoms and the chemical bonds that hold them, while retaining useful information about the molecules' properties to help us study how they are likely to behave in the cow's stomach," said ISU Assistant Professor Ratul Chowdhury. "We studied their biochemical fingerprint to identify what makes them do the job successfully as opposed to the other fifty thousand molecules that are lurking around in the cow’s rumen but don’t actively stop the production of methane."

"This study successfully demonstrated that fifteen molecules cluster very close to each other in what we call a ‘functional methanogenesis inhibition space,’ meaning they seem to contain the same enteric methane inhibition potential, chemical similarity, and cell permeability as bromoform," added Chowdhury.

Scientists believe AI can play a significant role in understanding how known molecules interact with both proteins and the microbial community of the rumen and thereby discover novel molecules and potentially key interactions within the rumen microbiome. This type of predictive modeling can be particularly helpful for animal nutritionists.

"There are other promising strategies currently available to mitigate enteric methane emissions, but the available solutions are relatively limited," said USDA-ARS Research Leader Jacek Koziel. "This is why combining AI with laboratory research, through iterative refinement, is a valuable scientific tool. AI can fast-forward the research and accelerate these several pathways that animal nutritionists, researchers, and companies can pursue to get us closer to a very ambitious goal of limiting greenhouse gas emissions and helping mitigate climate change."

The study also presents a total computational and monetary cost breakdown to conduct this research on a per molecule basis. This analysis was conducted to show an estimate of potential costs and foreseeable pitfalls of this research. This estimate can be used to guide decision-making on investments for this type of research to be done entirely in a laboratory.

Chowdhury, Beck, and Koziel are co-authors in the paper published in Animal Frontiers, along with Nathan Frazier (ARS) and Logan Thompson (Kansas State University).  Mohammed Sakib Noor, an ISU graduate student, is working with Chowdhury to develop the graph neural networks.



Robust Red Meat Exports in November; Pork Remains on Record Pace

November exports of U.S. red meat posted year-over-year gains across all categories, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). U.S. pork exports remained on a record pace, while beef and lamb shipments also increased substantially from November 2023.

Pork exports already top annual records in Colombia, Central America
Pork exports totaled 272,141 metric tons (mt) in November, up 5% from a year ago, while export value increased 6% to just under $783 million. These results included an especially strong month for pork muscle cut exports, which increased 6% to 221,652 mt. Muscle cut export value was the third highest on record at $671.4 million. Export value per head slaughtered was $72.20 in November, up 9% from a year ago and the highest since April.

“Another terrific month for pork demand in Mexico and throughout the Western Hemisphere,” noted USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. “It was also encouraging to see exports trend higher to Japan and sustain strong growth in Oceania and Southeast Asia.”

Through the first 11 months of 2024, pork exports were also up 5% year-over-year in volume (2.76 million mt) and 6% in value ($7.85 billion). When December results are available, exports will exceed 3 million mt for the first time, topping the previous high (2.98 million mt) reached in 2020. Export value will exceed $8.5 billion, easily surpassing the 2023 record of $8.16 billion. Pork exports to Central America and Colombia already set annual records and exports are on a record pace to Mexico and the Caribbean. Export value will also be the highest on record for Oceania.

Key Asian markets, Mexico, Egypt push November beef exports higher
November beef exports increased 10% year-over-year to 109,288 mt, while value climbed 11% to $872.7 million. Export value per head of fed slaughter equated to $428.70 in November, up 13% from a year ago and the highest since June.

“Despite continued economic headwinds in Asia, November demand for U.S. beef strengthened in South Korea, China and Taiwan, and exports were fairly steady to Japan,” Halstrom said. “The strong performance in Mexico and outstanding demand for variety meat in Egypt were also critical for bolstering carcass value.”

November beef exports also increased substantially year-over-year to the Caribbean, ASEAN and Central America. For January through November, beef exports increased 5% in value ($9.56 billion) from the same period in 2023, despite a 1% decline in volume (1.18 million mt).

Mexico fuels growth in November lamb exports
November exports of U.S. lamb totaled 130 mt, up 13% from the low volume posted a year ago, while value increased 8% to $881,000. Growth was led by larger shipments to Mexico, while exports also edged higher to the Bahamas and Netherlands Antilles. Lamb muscle cut exports to Mexico totaled 69 mt, up 35% from a year ago and the highest in five months.

Through November, lamb exports increased 12% year-over-year to 2,428 mt, valued at just over $13 million (up 13%), led by growth in the Caribbean (mainly the Bahamas and Leeward-Windward Islands), Mexico, the Philippines and Guatemala. Lamb muscle cut exports to Mexico totaled 695 mt, up 18% and the highest since 2017, as a wider range of cuts – including loin, shoulder and flap meat – gained traction with importers.



USMEF Statement on East/Gulf Coast Port Labor Contract Agreement

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced this evening that they have reached a tentative agreement on all items for a new six-year master labor contract covering ports on the East and Gulf Coasts. The two sides agreed to extend the current contract until the ILA’s full Wage Scale Committee can schedule a ratification vote and USMX members can ratify the terms of the new contract.

U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom issued the following statement:
This tentative contract agreement is great news for red meat exporters and for all of U.S. agriculture. The assurance that there will be no work stoppage at East and Gulf Coast ports eliminates a cloud of uncertainty and bolsters the U.S. industry's reputation as a reliable supplier of pork, beef and lamb. On behalf of USMEF’s membership, I want to thank the ILA and USMX for reaching this agreement and ensuring the continued movement of cargo.



Retail Fertilizer Prices Mixed in Final Week of December 2024

Average retail fertilizer prices were mixed during the last week of December 2024 with most up slightly from the previous month, according to sellers surveyed by DTN. Prices for five of the eight major fertilizers were slightly higher, while prices for the remaining three were lower. As has been the case in recent months, no fertilizer saw a significant price move in either direction, which DTN designates as anything 5% or more.

The five fertilizers that were slightly higher in price were potash, which had an average price of $444 per ton, 10-34-0 $613/ton, anhydrous $734/ton, UAN28 $324/ton and UAN32 $364/ton.

The three fertilizers that were slightly less expensive than a month ago were DAP with an average price of $739/ton, MAP $809/ton and urea at $489/ton.

On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was $0.53/lb.N, anhydrous $0.45/lb.N, UAN28 $0.58/lb.N and UAN32 $0.57/lb.N.

Two fertilizers are now higher in price compared to one year ago. Both DAP and 10-34-0 are 2% more expensive looking back to last year. The remaining six fertilizers are lower. MAP is 1% lower, UAN28 is 3% less expensive, anhydrous is 7% lower, UAN32 is 8% less expensive, urea is 9% lower and potash 13% less expensive compared to last year.



Weekly Ethanol Production for 1/3/2025

According to EIA data analyzed by the Renewable Fuels Association for the week ending January 3, ethanol production slowed 0.8% to a 4-week low of 1.10 million b/d, equivalent to 46.28 million gallons daily. Yet, output was 3.8% higher than the same week last year and 9.2% above the five-year average for the week. The four-week average ethanol production rate increased 0.5% to 1.11 million b/d, which is equivalent to an annualized rate of 17.00 billion gallons (bg).

Ethanol stocks hiked up 2.2% to 24.1 million barrels, the largest level since mid-May 2024. Stocks were 0.9% less than the same week last year but 2.5% above the five-year average. Inventories built across all regions except the East Coast (PADD 1) and West Coast (PADD 5).

The volume of gasoline supplied to the U.S. market, a measure of implied demand, bounced 3.8% to 8.48 million b/d (130.37 bg annualized). Demand was 1.9% more than a year ago and 6.3% above the five-year average.

However, refiner/blender net inputs of ethanol tanked 9.3% to 779,000 b/d, equivalent to 11.97 bg annualized and the lowest weekly volume in two years. Net inputs were 3.1% less than year-ago levels and 0.9% below the five-year average.

Ethanol exports expanded 56.6% to an estimated 155,000 b/d (6.5 million gallons/day). It has been 68 weeks since imports of ethanol were recorded.



USDA Reminds Livestock Producers of Disaster Assistance Application Deadline for 2024 Losses

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers, including dairy producers impacted by H5N1, that the deadline to apply for financial assistance through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) is Jan. 30, 2025, for losses due to specific adverse conditions that occurred in 2024.

“USDA recognizes the broad scope of production risk our farmers and ranchers face every day. The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program provides an important financial safety net, helping our producers rebound from weather and disease impacts that are out of their control and are not part of their operation’s ordinary risk profile,” said Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency. “These events threaten producers’ economic viability, and so it’s important USDA provide support. Producers who were negatively impacted in calendar year 2024 must submit an ELAP notice of loss and application for assistance by Jan. 30, 2025.”

ELAP provides emergency relief to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish to assist with losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as wildfires, that are not covered by other FSA disaster assistance programs. In July 2024, USDA established ELAP eligibility for dairy producers who incur milk losses resulting from reduced milk production when cattle are removed from commercial milking in dairy herds due to positive H5N1 tests.  

To date, USDA has provided more than $80 million in ELAP assistance to help H5N1-impacted dairy producers offset the cost of lost milk production. As of Jan. 8, 2025, there are active known detections of H5N1 in dairy herds in two states (California and Texas), though ELAP assistance has reached producers in 16 states who have faced infections at some point during the outbreak. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service maintains an interactive map showing states with current and past detections.

ELAP Eligible Losses
ELAP provides recovery assistance for:
    livestock feed and grazing losses that are not due to drought or wildfires on federally managed lands;
    livestock feed losses caused by an eligible loss condition that resulted in purchased or mechanically harvested feed being destroyed, additional feed purchased above normal and additional cost of feed delivery;   
    losses resulting from the cost of transporting water to livestock due to an eligible drought;  
    above normal costs of hauling feed to livestock and hauling livestock to forage or other grazing acres due to a qualifying drought;
    losses resulting from the additional cost associated with gathering livestock for treatment and/or inspection related to cattle tick fever;
    honeybee feed, colony and hive losses due to colony collapse disorder, eligible adverse weather and other conditions;  
    farm-raised fish feed and death losses due to eligible disease, adverse weather and other qualifying conditions; and,
    loss of income when removing dairy cattle from commercial milking due to positive H5N1 test confirmed by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

Dairy H5N1 Eligibility
Dairy producers are reminded eligible adult dairy cattle under this new H5N1 provision of ELAP must be maintained for commercial milk production and be currently lactating. Assistance is available for up to 120 days after the sample collection date for the positive H5N1 test. Producers submitting an application for assistance under this provision, if their 120-day impact period starts in 2024 and extends into 2025, will need to submit a notice of loss and application for payment by Jan. 30, 2025, for the days impacted in 2024, and then submit a notice of loss and application for payment for the remainder of the 120 days that occur in 2025.   

Producers must submit two applications for payments based on the applicable calendar year losses.

Other ELAP Loss Conditions and Payments
Eligible adverse weather or loss conditions under ELAP include, but are not limited to, blizzards, drought, winter storms, excessive wind, floods, hail (grazing loss only), hurricane, lightning, tidal surge and tornado. Not all eligible loss conditions are applicable to all categories of ELAP assistance, and producers are encouraged to visit with their county FSA office for more information. Payments are based on a percentage of the fair market value of the livestock, honeybees, or fish lost, or the cost of feed and water shortages.  

Producers are responsible for providing verifiable documentation of losses and the conditions causing the loss. This may include veterinary records, feed purchase receipts, and other supporting documents.  

For more ELAP information, visit ELAP for Livestock; ELAP for Honeybees; ELAP for Farm-raised Fish and ELAP for H5N1-impacted dairies.  

Producers interested in applying for ELAP assistance for calendar year 2024 should contact FSA at their nearest USDA Service Center by the Jan. 30, 2025, deadline.



Livestock Producers Denounce Revised Grizzly Bear Listing

Wednesday, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) denounced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) revised grizzly bear listing and their rejection of state petitions to delist grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act in the Northern Continental Divide and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystems.
 
“This proposed rule and rejected delisting petitions do nothing other than move the goal posts for species recovery and deny sound science. It is disappointing to see the Fish and Wildlife Service create a single Distinct Population Segment that spans four states, millions of acres, and multiple areas where the science already shows that grizzly bears have recovered,” said NCBA Director of Government Affairs and PLC Garrett Edmonds. “Combining multiple distinct ecosystems into one giant population segment for a solitary, apex predator further muddies the waters of what species recovery looks like and only makes it harder for recovered species to be delisted in the future. By creating this brand-new barrier to recovery, the Biden Administration is further weaponizing the Endangered Species Act and aiming it directly at rural communities on their way out the door.”