Tuesday April 08 Ag News - First Weekly Crop Progress of the '25 growing season!

 NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending April 6, 2025, there were 4.5 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 23% very short, 35% short, 42% adequate, and 0% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 32% very short, 42% short, 26% adequate, and 0% surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Winter wheat condition rated 18% very poor, 15% poor, 30% fair, 35% good, and 2% excellent.

Oats planted was 15%, behind 28% last year and 22% for the five-year average. Emerged was 1%, near 5% last year and 3% average.



Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report

Much of the State experienced cooler than normal temperatures and much needed rain showers leaving Iowa farmers with 3.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending April 6, 2025, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Minimal fieldwork was done during the week, but some producers were able to plant oats, apply anhydrous, and dry fertilizer.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 6 percent very short, 22 percent short, 68 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 10 percent very short, 34 percent short, 55 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Oats seeding reached 20 percent complete, 8 days behind last year but 2 days ahead of the 5-year average. Oats emerged reached 2 percent.

Calving was in full swing with reports of mud in some areas.



USDA Crop Progress Report

The nation's winter wheat crop is starting the 2025 growing season in worse shape than last year's crop, according to USDA NASS. In its first weekly national Crop Progress report of 2025 released on Monday, NASS estimated U.S. winter wheat condition at 48% good to excellent, 8 points below 56% at the same time last year. The crop's current rating is also down 7 points from the 55% good-to-excellent rating in the final Crop Progress report of 2024 before the crop went into dormancy.

Five percent of winter wheat was headed nationwide as of Sunday. That's 1 percentage point behind last year's 6% but equal to the five-year average. Texas' winter wheat was 23% headed, behind last year's 26% and behind the state's average pace of 27%.

CORN
-- Planting progress: 2% of corn was planted nationwide as of Sunday, 1 point behind 3% last year but equal to the five-year average.

SPRING WHEAT
-- Planting progress: 3% of the crop was planted nationwide as of April 6, equal to both last year's pace and the five-year average.

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Public Support of Payments to Agriculture Producers . . .
NeFB Newsletter

American citizens play important roles for agricultural policy as voters, taxpayers, and consumers. Without public support many of the federal agricultural programs farmers rely on to weather economic downturns and natural disasters could wither. As such, farmers need to be aware of public perceptions of agricultural support programs. Fortunately, the Gardner Food and Agricultural Policy Survey (GFAPS) conducted by the University of Illinois Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics helps gauge public support for agricultural programs. The survey has been conducted quarterly since May 2022 and involves approximately 1,000 consumers. The latest survey was conducted in November of last year.

Public support is highest for payments in response to natural disasters and for subsidies to offset the cost of crop insurance. Payments to mitigate natural disasters received the approval of around 80% of respondents, while crop insurance subsidies were supported by roughly 75%. On the other hand, only 45% of respondents supported payments to offset lower-than-expected crop prices. The low support for these kinds of payments is intriguing given that in December Congress passed $10 billion in economic relief assistance payments for farmers to offset low prices. According to the University of Missouri, Nebraska is projected to receive $625 million in payments, around 7% of the total behind Texas, Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas. Payments to mitigate financial losses from trade or export restrictions garnered around 50% support, second-lowest among payment types.

The GFAPS surveys provide a perspective on what citizens who are not so immersed in agriculture think about agricultural support payments. The results offer insights for producers and agricultural organizations on the types of payments the public is more or less likely to support. The results also serve as a prod on the need to constantly remind the public that supporting agriculture during turbulent or economically stressful times can benefit consumers too.



Saunder Co Lvst & Ag Assoc monthly meeting
Dan Kelner, President

Spring is in the air, which means planting is just around the corner! Please join us for an informational meeting:

Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Pre-Planting Meeting
Valparaiso Legion Hall
6:30 PM Social
7:00 PM Dinner

Sponsors and speakers are:
Booth Feed and Supply
Beatrice, NE

Mussmann Ag
Jon Mussmann, Raymond, NE

Ag-Technologies
Tyler Rezac, Valparaiso, NE

Please help us recognize the 2025 Saunders County Livestock & Ag Association Scholarship winners, Erika Donahue, Jenna Sladky, Andrew Meduna, and Wyatt Palm.

There are a few who have not paid dues, please get a hold of one of your directors to get those paid.

The Saunders County Livestock & Ag Association Twilight Tour is being planned for June 30, 2025. Details to follow.



AFAN Announces 2025 Nebraska Pork Expo

The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (AFAN) is pleased to announce the 2025 Nebraska Pork Expo, set for Wednesday, July 9, at the Holthus Convention Center in York, Nebraska.

This free, daylong event brings together pork producers, industry experts, and ag supporters for a valuable day of networking, education, and discussion on the future of Nebraska’s pork industry.

The expo will run from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Attendees will enjoy a complimentary breakfast, lunch, and snacks throughout the day. Registration is requested by June 25 at www.becomeafan.org.

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen will open the event with remarks on the state of Nebraska’s pork industry. Attendees will also hear from Seth Mitchell, the new Executive Director of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, as he shares his vision for the future of pork production in the state.

The day kicks off with a trade show and free breakfast from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., followed by general sessions, breakout discussions, and ample time to connect with industry vendors. The expo will conclude with a free social hour from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., featuring door prizes and networking opportunities.

Event sponsors include AFAN, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, and the York County Development Corporation.

“Pork production is constantly evolving, and we’re excited to bring together industry partners for a day focused on education, innovation, and connection,” said Steve Martin, Executive Director of AFAN. “For producers exploring diversification or looking to stay on the cutting edge of industry trends, this event offers valuable insights and resources.”

For more information or to register as an attendee or vendor, visit www.becomeafan.org. Questions may be directed to Mindy at mindyr@a-fan.org or by calling 402-421-4472.



Nebraska Wheat Board Seeks Candidates for Board of Directors Vacancies

The directorship appointments for two of the Nebraska Wheat Board will expire June 30, 2025, and are seeking candidates to apply for those districts. The open positions are District 5 and At-Large. The District 5 appointee is not seeking reappointment.

District 5 – Includes the counties of Buffalo, Dawson, Phelps, Custer, Gosper, Kearney, Red Willow, Furnas, Harlan, and Franklin.

At-Large – Serves the state of Nebraska as a whole.

Qualified candidates include those who are citizens of Nebraska, are at least 21 years of age, have been actively engaged in growing wheat in Nebraska for a period of at least five years, reside in a county in the respective district for which the candidate is applying and derive a substantial portion of income from producing wheat.

Appointments to the board for these districts are made by the Governor of Nebraska. Interested producers can complete the application online at https://governor.nebraska.gov/boards-commissions-open-positions or contact Pat Selk, Office of the Governor, at (402) 471-2256.

The Nebraska Wheat Board administers the excise tax of 0.5% of net value of wheat marketed in Nebraska at the point of first sale. The board invests the funds in programs of international and domestic market development and improvement, policy development, research, promotion, and education.



New Center for Rural Affairs fact sheet provides resources for cattle voltaics

As solar energy expands across agricultural land, dual-use solar is emerging as a practice to optimize land use. A dual-use solar approach known as cattle voltaics integrates cattle grazing with solar panels and could provide benefits for farmers and energy developers.

A fact sheet recently released by the Center for Rural Affairs explores the economic and environmental advantages of cattle voltaics and provides insights into best practices for implementation.

The shade provided by solar panels is one advantage of cattle voltaics. Reducing heat stress in cattle leads to improved efficiency, such as increased weight gain for beef cattle and reduced milk production loss in dairy cows, according to Mallory Tope, policy associate with the Center.

“Most farmers already use shade structures to protect livestock in the summer—solar panels provide that same benefit while also generating energy,” she said. “This creates a win-win scenario for landowners and renewable energy developers.”

Beyond the benefit to cattle, the fact sheet states grazing under solar panels enhances soil health, improves soil stability, and provides economic benefits.

“Dual use has many economic benefits, like increased tax revenues, lease payments to local landowners, and the ability to continue agricultural use on the land,” said Tope. “Careful planning, site-specific strategies, and clear communication between energy developers and landowners are important to maximize these benefits.”

Cattle voltaics provides an opportunity to lower costs for farmers and ranchers by reducing maintenance costs and preventing soil degradation.

To read and download a copy of “Cattle Voltaics: Maximizing Land Use with Solar Cattle Grazing,” visit cfra.org/publications.



NCGA Launches New Phase of Consider Corn Challenge  

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is launching its fifth iteration of Consider Corn Challenge, a contest in which participants can submit proposals for new uses of field corn that have quantifiable market demand.  

“Biobased products are a win-win for everyone,” said NCGA Research & New Uses Chair and Kansas farmer Chad Epler. “NCGA is investing in these biobased solutions and positioning corn as the feedstock of choice. To demonstrate our commitment to identifying and developing these new uses we are increasing the prize by $50,000 to a total of $300,000.”

Previous winners of the contests have scaled up to the next phase of development, received additional grant funding, entered into joint agreements and obtained registration for state biobased production incentives.  

Previous winners also received additional investment from state corn associations and have even won the Radicle Challenge, which invests a minimum of $1.5 million for those individuals and companies developing new uses for field corn.  

 Låkril Technologies, for example, is a company that recently won the contest by developing a cost-effective method of producing acrylic acid and acrylates out of renewable feedstocks like corn. Acrylic acid and acrylates are used to make several products, including plastics, coatings, adhesives paints and can even be a key material in medical devices.

“The Consider Corn Challenge brought Låkril Technologies visibility and contact with multiple corn grower associations and industrial corporations,” said Chris Nicholas, co-founder and president of Låkril Technologies and a past winner of both Consider Corn Challenge III and the 2024 Radicle Challenge. “These relationships allowed us to expand our business.”

If all 19 winners of the Consider Corn Challenge I, II, III, & IV reached full commercialization with products available in the marketplace, the potential for additional corn demand could be approximately 3.4 billion bushels.

“Corn growers continuously innovate by developing advanced, sustainable technologies that allow them to do more with less as they farm,” Epler added. “This contest is critical in identifying and accelerating new technologies for novel uses of corn, leading to more corn grind for growers, better products for consumers and overall economic development here in the U.S.”

One to three winners will be selected for the Consider Corn Challenge V, with a total prize pool of $300,000, split equally between the winners. The submission deadline is June 30 at 5 p.m. CT; and winners will be announced and showcased at the Bio Innovations Midwest event in Omaha, Neb., September 15-16.  

To learn more: ncga.com/ConsiderCorn.

To register for the CCC V informational webinar held on Thursday, April 24 at 2 pm CT: https://ncga.zoom.us/meeting/register/ICZkXRC1R1CMc5sZS6kAZQ



NPPC Files Additional Comments on Swine Health Improvement Plan
 
The National Pork Producers Council has submitted additional comments on codifying, under USDA, the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan. US SHIP is a national producer-driven voluntary program to establish disease-free certifications for foreign animal diseases (FADs) such as African swine fever (ASF) and Classical swine fever (CSF). Modeled after the poultry industry’s National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP), US SHIP has potential to facilitate certifications for endemic diseases as well.
 
In its most recent comments, NPPC reemphasized the importance of establishing the General Conference Committee (GCC) as an advisory committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Trump administration has been eliminating discretionary advisory committees as part of its government efficiency efforts. While it has been suggested to create subcommittees within the existing Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Animal Health that would serve as the GCC for US SHIP as well as for the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), NPPC said that would be unworkable given the species-specific requirements of US SHIP and NPIP.
 
In its comments, NPPC, which strongly supports the development of the US SHIP under the auspices of USDA, said swine health advisements to USDA need to come from species-specific experts. It pointed out that the current US SHIP pilot GCC membership is made up of swine health experts who provide scientific guidance specific to the swine industry to establish standards for producer enrollment and operation of the plan. For more information on US SHIP, click here.
 
US SHIP will be an important tool for demonstrating that pork operations are free of disease, which could expedite the resumption of trade following an FAD outbreak.



Oh, Let’s Talk about the Prospective Plantings Report
Stephen R. Koontz, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, Colorado State University

The week of March 31st offered interesting information relevant to the long-term perspective associated with beef, cattle, and calf markets. Of course, the focus of last week finished with detailed information on tariffs and their timing. The asset market selloff was impressive – and not enjoyable in any capacity. Stocks, commodities, and even gold saw substantive selling. The importance of international trade to the world economy was discussed and probabilities of recession appeared to be much larger than the week prior. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures markets reacted to the events and the potential connection with a weaker domestic and world economy. This will take time to play out so...

Let’s return to the unique information in the USDA Prospective Plantings report, the implications for future feedstuffs supplies, and that subsequent impact on cattle markets. The area of acreage intended for harvesting hay continued to shrink. The prospectives for this year are estimated at 48,493 thousand acres. The largest reductions were associated with Texas, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. These are areas important for cow-calf production and are impacted by drought. This is roughly a 2% decline in harvested acres from 49,390 thousand harvest in 2024. And continues the reduction from 52,771 thousand acres in 2023. The reduced hay acres harvested are typical with much lower hay prices – some of the lowest in the last six years – and increased availability of pasture.

The acres committed to corn planting saw a substantial increase from 2024. Prospective plantings of corn in 2025 are estimated at 95,326 thousand acres and this is a 5% increase from the 90,594 thousand acres the prior year. Pre-report expectations averaged 94.4 million acres with a range of 92.5 to 96.6 million acres. The USDA Ag Outlook Forum forecasted 94.0 million acres. Simple work on the 25/26 corn balance sheet – with trend yields and 8 million acres to silage or abandoned – suggest production about 15.9 billion bushels. If usage is similar to the prior year or modestly greater then stocks-to-use should expand to 14.7% compared to the current 10.2%. Better than trend yields will push stocks-to-use to higher than 17%. The prospective acres are substantial enough that with good yields then the coming harvest price of corn has the potential to spend much time with a 3 as the first number. And that is without worrying about corn exports.

The insurable price of corn relative to soybeans has created a potentially substantial improvement in feed supplies. This will benefit all protein producers in the coming year. However, actual expansion in the cow heard will require better moisture and pasture in the southern plains than has been observed so far this spring. Both cow slaughter and heifer placement remain soft. But this is with only information through a portion of the first quarter. Events through April and May will be interesting to observe.