Tuesday February 25 Ag News

Haskell Ag Lab hosts high nitrate in drinking water program March 18

The Haskell Ag Lab invites the public to a discussion on nitrate levels in drinking water and its impact on health.

The event, “Reduce Your Risk: Taking Action on Nitrate for Healthier Homes and Communities,” will be held on March 18, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at the Haskell Ag Lab, 57905 866 Rd, Concord, NE.

Crystal Powers, a Water & Cropping Systems Extension Educator, will lead the discussion, addressing how nitrate ends up in your water and providing practical solutions for mitigation.

Water is essential to a healthy family. This event provides an opportunity for community members to better understand where their water comes from, the potential risks to their water, and learn how to take steps to ensure their water is safe.

Free water testing offered:
Attendees are encouraged to bring water samples for free, on-site testing provided by the Lower Elkhorn and Lewis & Clark Natural Resource Districts.

· Sample Requirements:
o Samples should be collected on the day of the event and kept refrigerated
o For those with filtration systems, please bring two samples: One collected before filtration and one after.

Registration:
This event is open to the public at no charge. Pre-registration is requested. To register, please visit: go.unl.edu/ryr_nitrateawareness or call (402) 584-2261.



Don't Expect Lower Interest Rates Soon . . .

Economists at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank reported farm lending activity at commercial banks continued to grow in the fourth quarter of last year, operating loans and feeder livestock lending in particular. Elevated production expenses, higher feeder prices, weak crop prices, and weakening farm liquidity were thought responsible for the increased lending volumes.

Many observers surmised interest rates on agricultural loans would be lower by now than they are when the Federal Reserve Bank reduced its benchmark interest rate in September. Rates have tapered a bit but are still relatively high. The Kansas City Bank said rates on farm loans are still above the past 25-year average. And it doesn’t appear rates will be moving lower anytime soon. Inflation, better-than-anticipated economic growth, and rising budget deficits will temper further rate cuts by the Federal Reserve Bank. Ten-year treasury notes, a good gauge of where investors think interest rates might be heading, suggest as much. The Wall Street Journal reported last week the 10-year note jumped to 4.63% from 4.53% when the latest inflation rate was released. The core rate, the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge, came in at an annual rate of 3.3%, above the target rate of 2%. If inflation remains sticky, and the government deficit grows, it’s hard to see declining rates. Unfortunately, higher than average interest rates combined with greater financing needs and will mean higher costs for producers.



Terrain Launches “The Big Shrink” Report Series

In the not-so-distant future, the global population will peak. The impacts to food and agricultural demand will be felt sooner as populations trend older. “The Big Shrink,” a new multi-report series from Terrain, examines what these realities mean for the U.S. agricultural industry and what opportunities may arise.

Terrain is a team of ag economists and analysts who provide expert analysis and confident forecasting to the customers of AgCountry® Farm Credit Services, American AgCredit®, Farm Credit Services of America® and Frontier Farm Credit®. The team helps farmers and ranchers anticipate what may lie ahead, whether that’s three months or 30 years from now.

“Populations have already peaked in many of the U.S.’s major trade-partner countries,” explains John Newton, Ph.D., executive head of Terrain. “What will drive success for farmers and ranchers in just a few decades will likely look very different than what has worked for the last 30 years. Historically, success was defined by growing on-farm yield and productivity, knowing that the agricultural supply chain could export the ‘extra’ production to feed the world. While the need for on-farm efficiency won’t go away, the revenue streams and value drivers will likely change as populations around the world reach their peak. U.S. farmers and ranchers are the best in the world, and they can rise to this occasion.”

In Terrain’s projections, the global population will peak between 2065 and 2070 at 9.38 billion people. These figures are sooner and lower than the U.N.’s current “most likely scenario” projections — 2084 at 10.3 billion people — after its last set of downward revisions due to global fertility rates and population estimates. As explained in report No. 1 of “The Big Shrink,” “How Will Agriculture Navigate the Baby Bust?” the driving factor for Terrain’s projections is rapidly falling fertility rates around the world.

Report No. 2, “Best Trade Friends Forever?” analyzes the risk associated with the export portfolios for corn, sorghum, soybeans and wheat. This report outlines why investments to diversify and modernize exports over the next decade will be important for success in American agriculture.

Read the first two reports of “The Big Shrink” at TheBigShrink.terrainag.com. More reports will be added throughout 2025 to help the industry consider how a peaking population may impact demand for products such as tree nuts, animal protein and dairy; how agricultural policy may evolve to help farmers navigate these new challenges and opportunities; and more.



NEBRASKA WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE LAUNCHES ONLINE LEARNING COMMUNITY

The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program has launched Agri-Essentials, an online learning community designed to provide agricultural women across the state with a platform for education, support and networking.

The initiative aims to bring together women in farming, ranching and agribusiness, creating a space where members can access valuable resources, engage in meaningful discussions and enhance their skills.

By offering a variety of online courses, the community will serve as an essential resource for women looking to improve their agricultural practices, leadership abilities and business management strategies.

“Agri-Essentials is a great opportunity for women in agriculture to come together, no matter where they are located,” said Jessica Groskopf, director of Nebraska Women in Agriculture. “With the flexibility of online learning, we can offer educational opportunities that meet the needs of our diverse community.”

Key features of the online learning community include:
> Interactive learning modules: Courses will be focused on critical topics and led by University of Nebraska–Lincoln professionals and industry experts.
> Peer networking: Discussion boards will allow participants to share insights, ask questions and build connections.
> Resource library: The library features a growing collection of articles, videos and guides on a variety of agricultural topics.

At least one new course will be launched each quarter. Course topics under development include QuickBooks for farm and ranch recordkeeping, livestock insurance, and crop insurance.

“Whether you are new to agriculture or a seasoned professional, this platform will provide access to the knowledge, skills and support needed to thrive in today’s agricultural landscape,” Groskopf said.

For more information, including how to enroll, visit https://wia.unl.edu. Questions can be emailed to wia@unl.edu.



NEBRASKA CHICKENS AND EGGS

Nebraska egg production during January totaled 221 million eggs, up from 210 million in 2024. January egg production per 100 layers was 2,526 eggs, compared to 2,528 eggs in 2024.

All layers in Nebraska during January 2025 totaled 8.74 million, up from 8.30 million the previous year, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

January Egg Production Down 4 Percent
United States egg production totaled 8.86 billion during January 2025, down 4 percent from last year. Production included 7.57 billion table eggs, and 1.30 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.20 billion were broiler-type and 100 million were egg-type. The total number of layers during January 2025 averaged 363 million, down 4 percent from last year. January egg production per 100 layers was 2,440 eggs, down slightly from January 2024.
                                    
All layers in the United States on February 1, 2025 totaled 357 million, down 5 percent from last year. The 357 million layers consisted of 292 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 61.9 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, and 3.92 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. Rate of lay per day on February 1, 2025, averaged 78.9 eggs per 100 layers, up slightly from February 1, 2024.



Effects of early diet options in beef X dairy calves

Results from a recent study on how early nutrition can affect finished beef health, performance, and carcass quality in beef x dairy calves provided some clarity and some surprises for Iowa State University researchers. Iowa Beef Center research scientist Garland Dahlke shared information from the project with attendees at the 2025 Feedlot Forum in northwest Iowa. He said the study focused on short and longer-term effects of different diets in the first five months of life.

“We primarily looked at calf starter and the level of nonstructural carbohydrate concentration (NSC), and the effect this may have on the rest of the calf’s life and subsequent carcass composition,” he said. “Three groups of Angus x Holstein steer calves were followed during the two-year project.”

For the first stage, from birth to weaning at approximately two months of age, the calves were divided into two calf starter treatments: one fed a higher NSC (30%) and one fed a moderate level (17%). From age two through five months, calves from each of the initial two groups were split into a similar pelleted diet to the initial 30% NSC diet vs a total mixed ration. All calves in this stage were in group housing at the ISU Dairy and then at the ISU Beef Nutrition farm near Ames.

After completing the wean-to-grower phase at approximately 850 pounds, calves were moved to the ISU Armstrong Research Farm near Lewis. All received the same ration from five months of age until finish.

Dahlke said these early diet treatments had a significant impact on the incidence of liver abscess. Those calves receiving the moderate NSC starter followed by a fairly energy- and protein-dense total mixed ration (TMR) had a significantly lower incidence of both liver abscesses as well rumen/GI lesions when compared to calves on the higher NSC level and maintained on this NSC level beyond the calf starter phase, or even those moved to the TMR after the calf starter phase.

“Feedlot performance and carcass results were not significant between treatments when calves were fed to 1450 pounds of final live weight,” he said. “There was a trend beginning to appear where those animals receiving the moderate NSC and transitioned to the TMR were performing better later in life and some significance may appear if these calves were fed until 1600 pounds.

“The young age of these calves would tend to indicate that rumen development is rudimentary and may be enhanced by the diet composition,” Dahlke said. “Based on these results and the impact early nutrition has over the long run, a next logical step would be to focus attention on composition of the initial calf starter, intentionally including more digestible fiber sources and better profile of amino acids.”



NPPC’s Cook: Pork Industry Outlook Improving in 2025
 
National Pork Producers Council economist Holly Cook provided a hog market update and economic outlook on a webinar for members of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation recently.
 
Overall, profit conditions have improved significantly for pork producers compared to 12 months ago. Cook highlighted reports from Iowa State University showing that the average return for farrow to finish producers in 2024 was a negative $1 per hog, as severe losses in Q1 2024 were nearly offset by positive returns from April to December, averaging $7 per head. This represents a significant improvement from how producers entered 2024.
 
Cook’s update also showed:
    The average cost of production in 2024 decreased by 12%, or $24 per head, due to lower average feed costs.
    Average producer-sold net hog prices for mid-February were up $10 per carcass hundred weight compared with the same week last year; weekly net negotiated prices were up $17.
    Hog slaughter is down 1.1% year-to-date, but due to heavier carcass weights, pork production is down less than 1%.
    USDA forecasts show a 2.7% increase in pork production along with a 4.0% increase in hog prices expected for 2025.
    The breeding herd over the past five years has declined 8.4%, but continued growth in the number of pigs saved per litter resulted in a new record-high pig crop reported for the September-November period.
    Pork exports set new volume and value records in 2024 and remain critical to the wholesale pork demand picture.

Based on reports from USDA’s Risk Management Agency, expected gross margins for hog producers over the next 6 months are the third highest since 2011, behind only 2014 and 2021.