Monday April 07 Ag News

2025-2026 Nebraska State FFA Officer Team Announced

Seven FFA members were announced to the 2025-2026 Nebraska State Officer Team at the final session of the 97th Nebraska FFA Convention.

The 2025-2026 Nebraska State Officers are:
State President – Jake Rezac, Bishop Neumann
State Secretary – Leah Christen, Lewiston
State Vice President – Jadyn Tidyman, Chadron
State Vice President – Kash Majerus, Aurora
State Vice President – Meredith Ruda, Logan View
State Vice President – Josh Pierce, Pleasanton
State Vice President – Alexis Davis, York

The State FFA Officer Team is selected through a multi-day application and interview process. The new state officer team will spend the next year traveling across Nebraska, different parts of the country, and even internationally to promote the agriculture industry, agriculture education, and FFA. They will host leadership workshops for FFA members, assist with FFA contests, visit FFA Chapters, go on agriculture industry tours, and much more.



Nebraska FFA Announces 2025 State Stars

Four Students were presented the State Star Award for excellence in their Proficiency area and Supervised Agricultural Experience at the 97th annual Nebraska FFA State Convention held April 2-4. FFA members who have outstanding SAE programs may apply to be a State Star in one area: Production, Agribusiness, Placement, or Agriscience at the time of completing the FFA State Degree application, but only up to one year out of high school. Candidates must also meet all qualifications and requirements of the State FFA Degree. Only nationally recognized SAEs, based on the National FFA Proficiency Award list, may be applied toward the Star awards.

Star Award Program Areas & Winners

Jayden Ruf - Cambridge - Star in Production: The SAE consists of an entrepreneurship program in production agriculture; the student must own and/or operate their program. Only entrepreneurship SAE information will be considered for Star in Production.

Claire Stutzman- West Point - Star in Placement: The placement SAE may be in production agriculture, agribusiness or directed lab that is not agriscience based. This placement does not have to be a paid position, although the applicant must have enough earnings and investment from their SAE to qualify to receive the FFA State Degree. Only SAE placement information will be considered for Star in Agricultural Placement.

Madison Chrisman- Central City- Star in Agriscience: The SAE program is research/experimentation or science based. These may be entrepreneurship or placement experiences. Placement experiences need not be paid positions, but the student must have enough earnings and investments from their SAE to qualify to receive the FFA State Degree.

Parker Napier- Summerland- Star in Agribusiness: The SAE program is entrepreneurial and is not production agriculture. The student owns and operates a non-production agriculture-based business. Only entrepreneurship SAE information will be considered for Star in Agribusiness.



Proposal to Ban Lab-Grown Protein in Nebraska Advances, NEFB Calls for Strict Labeling

Senators advanced LB246 from first round debate, which bans lab-grown protein from being produced or sold in Nebraska. LB246 was introduced by Sen. DeKay on behalf of Gov. Pillen and has been prioritized.  

As introduced, LB246 would prohibit the manufacture, distribution, and sale of cultured protein products in Nebraska. This measure defines cultured products to mean an adulterated food product which would be prohibited under the Pure Food Act, as well as subject to remedies under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Nebraska Farm Bureau supports a free and open market and believes that there is a much better option than LB246. LB658 (Sen. Andersen) and AM882 (Sen. Conrad) provide labeling and advertising requirements for manufactured-protein food products. Proper labeling, as opposed to an outright ban on manufactured-protein food products, respects and promotes consumer choice. LB658 and AM882 also provide repercussions for manufacturers who violate the labeling requirements, preventing them from marketing their products in Nebraska if they do not follow the law.



NeFU Concludes Spring District Meetings With Nebraska Farmer Veteran Coalition Presentation

Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU), Nebraska’s second oldest and second largest general farm organization concluded their seven spring district meetings this week. Attendance was up as members voiced their frustration with the failure of Congress to pass a long overdue and badly needed updated Farm Bill, major cuts to USDA staff, freezing of program monies, and the most radical use of tariffs in our nation’s history. The contact information for state and federal officials were distributed.

In addition to reports on the recent 123rd National Farmers Union (NFU) Convention in Oklahoma City, OK, they heard state legislative and organizational activity reports from NeFU President John Hansen.

District 4 in Beatrice hosted a film crew from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as they wanted the reactions of U.S. farmers to the imposition of tariffs and escalation of trade disputes with Canada.

District 6 in Hooper welcomed Chad Moyer, Senior Farm Reporter from the Nebraska Rural Radio Association and Joshua Shimkus from Flatwater Free Press to their meeting.

District 5 in Lincoln heard from Martin Neal who heads up the Farmer Veteran Coalition in Nebraska who announced that the national organization has accepted their application and that Nebraska will soon be receiving its official state charter. Ron Todd-Meyer, a Marine veteran who serves on the NeFU Board of Directors is the NeFU representative to the Nebraska Farmer Veteran Coalition advisory board.

Ron spoke and introduced Mr. Neal who described the efforts and activities of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. His remarks were well received and produced a bumper crop of questions and suggestions.

John Hansen said “NFU and NeFU have been working with the Farmer Veteran Coalition for a number of years. It has been our NFU goal to grow the number of state chapters, and our NeFU goal to help Nebraska get organized so it can receive its chapter status. We congratulate our new partners on their successful organizational efforts, and enthusiastically look forward to working with them to help find ways to get more of our returning veterans engaged in agriculture.”   



CAP Webinar: 2025 Drought Planning: Trigger Dates for Pasture and Forage Management
Apr 10, 2025 12:00 PM
Ryan Benjamin, T.L. Meyer, and Randy Saner, Livestock Systems Educators, Nebraska Extension

Pasture and native rangeland forage production fluctuates greatly through time due to precipitation, temperature, range health, and soil nutrients. The amount and timing of spring and early summer precipitation is an important factor in determining annual plant production.

Using critical trigger dates can help producers adjust stocking rates if precipitation, and the resulting forage production, is expected to be below average.

This webinar will walk through trigger dates and discuss how drought impacts forage production on native rangeland. It will also discuss what management options may be possible for producers at each date.

Miss the live webinar or want to review it again? Recordings are available — typically within 24 hours of the live webinar — in the archive section of the Center for Agricultural Profitability's webinar page, https://cap.unl.edu/webinars.



Free Farm and Ag Law Clinics Set for April

Four clinics in April will provide confidential, one-on-one advice for farmers and ranchers on legal and financial issues, including estate planning and farm loans.

Free legal and financial clinics are being offered for farmers and ranchers across the state in April. The clinics are one-on-one in-person meetings with an agricultural law attorney and an agricultural financial counselor. These are not group sessions, and they are confidential.

The attorney and financial advisor specialize in legal and financial issues related to farming and ranching, including financial and business planning, transition planning, farm loan programs, debtor/creditor law, debt structure and cash flow, agricultural disaster programs, and other relevant matters. Here is an opportunity to obtain an independent, outside perspective on issues that may be affecting your farm or ranch.

Clinic Dates
    Wednesday, April 9 — Burwell
    Thursday, April 10 — Broken Bow
    Tuesday, April 15 — Fairbury and Zoom clinics
    Thursday, April 17 — Norfolk

To sign up for a free clinic or to get more information, call the Nebraska Farm Hotline at 1-800-464-0258.

Funding for this work is provided by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and Legal Aid of Nebraska.



Manure Source Delays and Opportunities Related to HPAI
Leslie Johnson - Animal Manure Management Extension Educator

Following a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak, there may be a delay in the ability to receive manure and other products from those barns. This is because all biological material in the barn must be composted with the mortalities at 45-65°C (131-160°F) for four weeks (USDA APHIS) to minimize the risk of the virus spread, including, birds, feathers, eggs, feed and manure.

If your sole source of fertilizer is from a specific poultry operation, it would be wise to consider researching a backup plan if the facility breaks with HPAI. This is particularly true if the application window is narrow.

Mortality compost piles or windrows from HPAI infected barns must go through two heating cycles and must maintain a minimum temperature for 14 days, so all products coming from those barns are likely to have a six- to 12-week delay in availability. However, once the compost is ready, the resulting compost is a high nutrient soil amendment.

Like all manure products, a proper manure analysis consisting of multiple sub-samples is critical before applying. The finished compost product is full of nutrients from the meat, eggs and manure that are incorporated into the pile, but is likely to be different than the product typically produced by that facility, small pieces of shell and little bones. There may be a surplus once the compost is finished, but because repopulation takes time, there may be additional delays as the facility gets back to business post outbreak.



Iowa Reports E15 Sales Up 45 Percent Year to Year in 2024, Retailers On Track to Meet E15 Standard

Last week the Iowa Department of Revenue released the 2024 Retailers Motor Fuel Gallons Annual Report, showing E15 sales increased 45 percent year-to-year to 257 million gallons. The report also found a record 516 million gallons of biodiesel blends were sold last year.

E15 and higher blends accounted for nearly 20 percent of Iowa gasoline sales in 2024. At the end of 2024, more than one in three Iowa fuel stations offered E15. The report also showed a record 516 million gallons of biodiesel blends were sold in 2024, driven by record sales of B20 and higher blends that hit 245 million gallons.

“The massive growth in E15 sales reflects the success of Governor Reynolds’s E15 Access Standard,” said Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw. “We’re on a record-setting track that shows when consumers have increased access to E15 they choose the cleaner burning fuel that saves them 15 to 20 cents per gallon. Retailers are on track to meet the year-end E15 Access Standard deadline. Farmers are also benefiting from increasing corn demand that stimulates local economies.”

This report follows the recent United States Department of Agriculture announcement of $537 million in grants under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) and the recent record amount of grants totaling almost $3 million from the latest Iowa’s cost-share Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) meeting. According to these recent announcements, there are hundreds more stations that will soon be offering E15 across Iowa.

“Biodiesel sales smashed previous records, showing the impact of Iowa’s incentive approach that focuses on higher blends,” added Shaw. “Our biodiesel producers face a tough 2025 due to federal policy uncertainty, so driving demand in Iowa remains a key priority.”



ICGA Calls for Resolution to Trade Conflict

President Trump announced his global tariff plan during his “Make American Wealthy Again” event on April 2. The plan includes adding a universal tariff of 10% on all U.S. trading partners, effective on midnight, April 5, and roughly 60 of the U.S.’s top trading partners will be subject to higher rates, effective on midnight, April 9. In response, Stu Swanson, Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) President, released the following statement:

“In 2024, nearly 5 billion bushels of corn and value-added corn products were exported out of the U.S. Reciprocal tariffs placed on U.S. corn products is of great concern to Iowa corn growers who are already faced with a troubling economic landscape due to rising input costs and declining corn prices.

“The announcement of today’s tariffs will impact farmers by limiting or diminishing our existing trade channels and relationships. ICGA encourages President Trump to work to open new markets for Iowa farmers. With over 95 percent of the global population living outside the U.S. access to export markets is crucial for farmers. Domestically there are opportunities to increase the blend rate of ethanol such as E15 for all drivers to access a homegrown, more affordable fuel. We look forward to the opportunity to work with Trump Administration to expand new markets to create demand for U.S. farmers.



Monthly Dairy Webinar On April 23 To Focus On Dairy Rations Without BMR Corn Silage

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team monthly webinar series continues on Wednesday, April 23, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. This program will be presented by Dr. Adam Krull and Dr. Luiz Ferraretto discussing dairy rations without BMR corn silage.

Adam Krull is a dairy veterinarian and nutritionist currently working for Pioneer, where he provides technical support to dairy producers, optimizing forage production, harvest, storage and preservation to enhance animal productivity and health.

Trained at Iowa State with expertise in dairy science, veterinary medicine, and veterinary microbiology, he brings extensive experience as a general dairy practitioner and former clinical assistant professor at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Krull's passion extends to his hobby farm, where he and his wife Amanda raise a herd of registered black Angus cattle

Luiz Ferraretto is originally from Brazil where he earned his B.S. in Animal Science from São Paulo State University in 2008. Immediately after the completion of his B.S. Degree, Luiz joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison for an internship (2009) followed by an M.S. (2011) and Ph.D. (2015) in dairy science with a focus on applied dairy nutrition and forage quality. After the completion of his Ph.D., Luiz joined The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute as a Post-doctoral Research Associate. From 2016 to 2020, Luiz was an Assistant Professor of Livestock Nutrition at the University of Florida. Luiz joined UW-Madison in May of 2020.

His research and extension interests are applied ruminant nutrition and management. His program is focused on understanding and improving starch and fiber utilization by dairy cows, corn silage and high-moisture corn quality and digestibility, the use of alternative by-products as feed ingredients, supplementation of feed additives to lactating cows, and the development of on-farm and laboratory techniques for forage and feed analysis.

Producers, dairy consultants and industry reps are encouraged to attend the free webinar live from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 by registering at least one hour before the webinar at: https://go.iastate.edu/RATIONBMR

For more information contact the ISU Extension and Outreach Dairy Field Specialist in your area: in Northwest Iowa, Fred M. Hall, 712-737-4230 or fredhall@iastate.edu; in Northeast Iowa, Jennifer Bentley, 563-382-2949 or jbentley@iastate.edu; in East Central Iowa, Larry Tranel, 563-583-6496 or tranel@iastate.edu.



February Pork and Beef Exports Below Year-Ago

February exports of U.S. pork were moderately lower than a year ago, despite continued success in Mexico and Central America, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). February beef exports were also below last year after trending higher in January, while lamb muscle cut exports posted a year-over-year increase for the fifth consecutive month.

Robust pork demand in Central America and Mexico offset by slowdown in Japan, Korea
February pork exports totaled 241,179 metric tons (mt), down 4% from the large year-ago volume, while value fell 2% to $671.5 million. Exports soared to Central America in February and export value to Mexico exceeded $200 million for the eighth consecutive month. Shipments also increased to the Philippines, New Zealand and Cuba. For the first two months of 2025, pork exports were 3% below last year’s record pace at 485,144 mt, with value down 2% to $1.34 billion.

“I can’t say enough about the tremendous demand for U.S. pork in Mexico and Central America, where the U.S. industry continues to move a wider range of center-of-the-plate cuts to a variety of end users,” said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. “Unfortunately, the strong performance there has been offset by a slow start to the year in Japan and South Korea. And although February shipments to China were slightly above last year, exports may have been larger if not for the uncertainty over plant eligibility, which wasn’t resolved until mid-March.”

In February and March of this year, many U.S. pork, beef and poultry plants and cold storage facilities were due for a five-year eligibility renewal by China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC). Pork and poultry plants were renewed on the March 16 expiration date, but GACC still has not renewed the eligibility of any U.S. beef establishments, and the majority of U.S. beef production is now ineligible for China

Beef exports higher to Korea and Canada; Uncertainty looms for China
Beef exports totaled 98,198 mt in February, down 5.5% from a year ago, while value declined 4% to just over $800 million. February exports increased year-over year to South Korea, Canada, Egypt and the Philippines, and reached the highest value on record to Panama. Shipments were lower to Japan, China/Hong Kong and Mexico, though beef variety meat exports to Mexico increased. January-February shipments were 1% below last year’s pace at 201,038 mt, but value increased 1% to $1.6 billion.

“It was encouraging to see beef exports to Korea trend higher despite considerable economic and political headwinds, and Canada’s demand for U.S. beef has been very robust to start the year,” Halstrom said. “But exports to China lost momentum in February, likely due in part to the slowdown after Chinese New Year and the questions about plant eligibility. Unfortunately, China has still failed to address the issue of beef plant renewals. This impasse definitely hit our March beef shipments even harder, and the severe impact will continue until China lives up to its commitments under the Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement.”

China also announced additional retaliatory duties of 34%, to take effect April 10. This will create further obstacles for U.S. pork and beef exports to China. Halstrom noted that new U.S. tariffs have also created uncertainty for buyers of U.S. red meat in other destinations where retaliation could impact market access and prices.

“USMEF is hopeful that instead of retaliating, other trading partners will choose to lower trade barriers for U.S. exports,” he said. “This would certainly ease the concerns of importers and reduce volatility in the global markets.”

Mexico’s demand for U.S. lamb cuts continues to expand
February exports of U.S. lamb muscle cuts totaled 214 mt, up 42% from a year ago, valued at $1.12 million (up 13%). Growth was led by Mexico, where shipments climbed 133% to 126 mt, valued at just over $400,000 (up 135%). For the second consecutive month, export volume to Mexico was the highest since November 2022. January-February exports to all destinations increased 17% in volume (469 mt) and 6% in value ($2.6 million). With a wider range of lamb cuts – including shoulder and flap meat – gaining popularity in Mexico’s foodservice sector, January-February exports to Mexico climbed 55% to 246 mt, valued at $856,000. Shipments to the Caribbean also trended higher, led by growth in Trinidad and Tobago and the Leeward-Windward Islands.



NCGA Calls for Resolution to Trade Conflict

President Trump announced this week that the United States will impose reciprocal tariffs on its trading partners. In response to this announcement, Illinois farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. released the following statement:

“Approximately 15% of the U.S. corn crop is exported every year, and international markets are critical to our bottom line. So, we are aware of the potential effects that these new tariffs could have on corn growers who are already faced with a troubling economic landscape. We encourage productive negotiations and have supplied the administration with ideas for removing barriers to U.S. corn, ethanol and other corn products as a path to help rectify trade imbalances and help corn growers be more competitive.

“Brazil, for example, could eliminate the 18% tariffs it puts on imports of ethanol, which is a particularly egregious practice and one that we are pleased to see the president address. The country should move to quickly come to the negotiating table so that it can rectify this situation.”

 

USDA Dairy Products February 2025 Production Highlights

Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 1.11 billion pounds, 2.2 percent below February 2024 and 8.7 percent below January 2025. Italian type cheese production totaled 474 million pounds, 0.5 percent below February 2024 and 8.8 percent below January 2025. American type cheese production totaled 441 million pounds, 1.3 percent below February 2024 and 8.5 percent below January 2025. Butter production was 203 million pounds, 2.6 percent above February 2024 but 7.1 percent below January 2025.

Dry milk products (comparisons in percentage with February 2024)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 147 million pounds, down 0.3 percent.
Skim milk powder - 30.8 million pounds, down 15.1 percent.

Whey products (comparisons in percentage with February 2024)
Dry whey, total - 60.1 million pounds, down 16.7 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 83.9 million pounds, down 4.2 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 36.1 million pounds, down 6.8 percent.

Frozen products (comparisons in percentage with February 2024)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 55.6 million gallons, down 3.0 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 30.5 million gallons, down 2.9 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 1.45 million gallons, down 5.3 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 4.11 million gallons, up 2.7 percent.