Tuesday April 15 Ag News - Weekly Crop Progress

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending April 13, 2025, there were 6.5 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 32% very short, 40% short, 28% adequate, and 0% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 38% very short, 41% short, 21% adequate, and 0% surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn planted was 1%, near 2% last year, and equal to the five-year average.

Winter wheat condition rated 22% very poor, 18% poor, 30% fair, 30% good, and 0% excellent.

Oats planted was 45%, behind 55% last year, and near 46% average. Emerged was 14%, near 18% last year and 10% average.



Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report

Dry conditions helped Iowa farmers as days suitable for fieldwork increased to 5.9 for the week ending April 13, 2025, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Fieldwork included tillage, seeding oats, and applying anhydrous, manure and dry fertilizer. There were also reports of corn and soybeans being planted.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 7 percent very short, 24 percent short, 68 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 9 percent very short, 31 percent short, 59 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Oats seeding reached 47 percent complete, 3 days behind last year but 3 days ahead of the 5-year average. Six percent of the expected oat acreage has emerged, 5 days behind last year but equal to the average.

No livestock issues were reported.



USDA Weekly Crop Progress Report

U.S. corn planting was slightly behind last year's pace and the five-year average as of Sunday, April 13, according to USDA NASS' weekly Crop Progress report released on Monday. Winter wheat conditions also declined slightly last week, NASS reported.

CORN
-- Planting progress: 4% of corn was planted nationwide as of Sunday, 2 points behind 6% last year and 1 point behind the five-year average of 5%.

SOYBEANS
-- Planting progress: An estimated 2% of intended soybean acreage was planted as of Sunday, 1 point behind last year at this time but equal to the five-year average.

WINTER WHEAT
-- Crop condition: An estimated 47% of winter wheat was rated good to excellent as of April 13, down 1 point from 48% the previous week and below 55% at the same time last year, according to NASS.
-- Crop development: 8% of winter wheat was headed nationwide as of Sunday. That's 2 percentage points behind last year's 10% but equal to the five-year average.

SPRING WHEAT
-- Planting progress: 7% of the crop was planted nationwide as of April 13, 1 point ahead of last year's 6% but equal to the five-year average.

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Gov. Pillen Announces New Nebraska Rural Veterinarian Grant Program

Monday, Governor Jim Pillen announced a new program through the Nebraska Department of Labor (DOL) aimed at attracting and retaining production animal veterinarians in rural Nebraska. The Rural Veterinarian Grant Program is the second initiative the Governor has launched focused on growing the next generation of production animal veterinarians in the state. The first one, announced last year, is the Elite 11 Veterinary Program through the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL).

“As I say, we feed the world and save the planet. We need to provide maximum efficiency and resources to help our producers be successful,” said Gov. Pillen. “Additionally, if a foreign animal disease were to come, we need veterinarians who are ready to respond, and enough of them, to implement the programs that would help mitigate the spread of any disease.”

Through DOL, recent graduates of veterinary schools will be eligible for a $150,000 grant. The same offer is available to newly practicing veterinarians who wish to move to the state and launch their own practice or join an established one in rural Nebraska. Under the program, up to 13 recipients will be selected. To be eligible, applicants must:
    Have a doctorate in veterinary medicine and be licensed to practice in Nebraska
    Commit to residing and practicing in Nebraska for eight years
    Work in a veterinary clinic where at least 80% of its hours are devoted to production animals in a county with a population of less than 40,000 people

Upon conclusion of the agreement, the grant amount will be paid in full to the veterinarian.

“Nebraska has a talented and educated workforce, and this program is well designed to continue growing that workforce to boost the state’s animal production industry,” said DOL Commissioner Katie Thurber.

Speaking for the Nebraska State Dairy Association, Kris Bousquet noted that the grant program, as well as UNL’s Elite 11, represented a “take the bull by the horns” approach to addressing the existing gap in large animal veterinary medicine.

“Every animal welfare practice that a dairy producer utilizes has been reviewed and approved by their local veterinarian. Veterinarians are not only essential for animal welfare, but also for milk quality and earning and maintaining consumer trust. This program will begin to build our bench of experts to support dairy and all other aspects of livestock production as well.”

DOL’S program is funded through the Department of Labor’s workforce development fund. The grant selection process will focus on the candidate’s passion for production animal health, relevant experience, academic success and commitment to rural Nebraska.

As DOL launches its program, UNL is moving into the next phase of the Elite 11 Veterinary Program, which provides scholarships to students who are interested in becoming large animal veterinarians in rural Nebraska. Students in the first cohort selected last fall are about to conclude their first year of study and will be deployed across the state to engage in apprenticeships and other opportunities for expanding their skills.

“At the University of Nebraska, we are proud to work alongside Governor Pillen and state leaders to grow and sustain a robust production animal veterinarian workforce,” said Dr. Tiffany Heng-Moss, dean of UNL’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. “Through collaborative initiatives like the Elite 11 Veterinary Program and the Department of Labor’s new effort, we are expanding opportunities for students while strengthening the future of rural communities across Nebraska.”

Students enrolled in the Elite 11 Veterinary Program are not eligible for the DOL grant program.

More information about the Nebraska Production Animal Rural Veterinarian Grant Program, can be found at: https://dol.nebraska.gov/ruralvetgrant.



NEBRASKA U JOINS GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO REDUCE METHANE FROM LIVESTOCK

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is joining a new $27.4 million global initiative to reduce methane emissions from livestock by harnessing natural variation in how animals digest food. Backed by the Bezos Earth Fund and the Global Methane Hub, the effort will support research and breeding programs to identify and scale climate-efficient livestock across North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Oceania.

“This initiative is a cornerstone of a broader global push to accelerate public-good research on enteric methane,” said Hayden Montgomery, agriculture program director at the Global Methane Hub. “Together with the Bezos Earth Fund, as part of the Enteric Fermentation R&D Accelerator, we’re building an open, coordinated foundation that spans countries, breeds and species — delivering practical solutions that reduce emissions and support farmers worldwide.”

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln team, led by Matt Spangler, Ronnie Green Professor of Animal Science, will focus on collecting and analyzing methane data from beef cattle to better understand the role genetics plays in methane production and its relationship with traits of economic importance to cattle producers. Researchers hope the effort will lead to tools that inform genetic selection decisions by beef producers.

The $2.34 million project taking place at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is in addition to two other major research efforts at the university aimed at reducing methane emissions in livestock.

A $5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded project led by Paul Kononoff, professor of animal science, brings together Husker faculty and researchers from the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center to explore how genetics, gut microbiome and nutrition influence methane production in cattle.

A second $5 million initiative, funded through the university’s Grand Challenges program and led by Galen Erickson, Nebraska Cattle Industry Professor of Animal Science, focuses on developing accurate, affordable methods to measure greenhouse gas emissions from grazing cattle. Both projects are focused on building practical tools and management practices that improve animal health, feed efficiency and profitability, while also improving sustainability in grazing systems.

The latest initiative is part of the Global Methane Genetics initiative — an international collaboration working to make methane efficiency a standard part of livestock breeding. The effort will screen more than 100,000 animals, collect methane emissions data and integrate findings into public and private breeding programs to deliver long-term, low-cost climate benefits.

“From a North American perspective, it is exciting to work with international colleagues as we strive to improve the sustainability of the global beef industry utilizing state-of-the-art technologies,” Spangler said. “The opportunities for graduate student training through this effort will lead to scholars that are uniquely positioned as they enter the workforce.”

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas — more than 80 times as powerful as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Cattle are the largest contributors to livestock-related methane emissions. But even within the same herd, some animals naturally emit up to 30% less methane than others. Scientists say selecting and breeding for these lower-emitting animals — just as farmers have long done for milk yield or fertility — can lead to permanent reductions in climate impact.

“Reducing methane from cattle is one of the most elegant solutions we have to slow climate change,” said Andy Jarvis, director of the Future of Food program at the Bezos Earth Fund. “Thanks to collaboration with the Global Methane Hub, we’re backing an effort that uses age-old selection practices to identify and promote naturally low-emitting cattle — locking in climate benefits for generations to come.”

Because these traits are already present in existing herds, farmers will not need to change their feeding practices or invest in new infrastructure with this approach, making it easy to participate in climate solutions without disrupting daily operations.

“This work brings together the best of science, industry and the global breeding community to accelerate genetic improvement for methane efficiency worldwide,” said Roel Veerkamp, leader of the initiative at Wageningen University and Research. “It fits nicely with our mission … to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life.”

Over time, this approach could reduce methane emissions from cattle by 1% to 2% each year — adding up to a 30% reduction over the next two decades — without changing diets, infrastructure or productivity.



HEUERMANN LECTURE TO FOCUS ON IRRIGATION’S ROLE IN NUTRITION

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s next Heuermann Lecture will focus on the theme “Nourishing a Healthy Future: The Role of Irrigation in a Changing World.”

The lecture, part of the 2025 Water for Food Global Conference and sponsored by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is 4:30 to 6 p.m. April 29 at the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center, 2021 Transformation Drive. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed at https://heuermannlectures.unl.edu.

Sustainable, nutritious diets are essential for improving human health. Irrigation plays an increasingly important role in supporting greater access to varied and healthful diets, particularly by enabling the production and supply of fruits, vegetables and animal-source foods.

The lecture will explore key links between irrigation and nutritious diets and highlights opportunities and challenges to improving the role of irrigation in nourishing a healthier future amid growing competition over water resources and other constraints.

Claudia Ringler, director of natural resources and resilience at the International Food Policy Research Institute, will deliver the keynote speech. A panel discussion will follow and include Ringler; Abbie Raikes, director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Center for Global Health and Development; and Brandon Hunnicutt, a fifth-generation Nebraska farmer and chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board. Jesse Bell, director of water, climate and health at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, will moderate.

The lecture is held in conjunction with the 2025 Water for Food Global Conference, April 28 to May 2, which will convene leading international experts and organizations in conversations focused on the theme “A Resilient Future: Water and Food for All.” The conference will explore innovative solutions for feeding a growing planet while conserving natural resources. The conference is organized by the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska and features three days of conference sessions, as well as off-site visits to working farms and research centers.

Heuermann Lectures are funded by a gift from the late B. Keith and Norma Heuermann of Phillips. The Heuermanns have been longtime university supporters, with a strong commitment to the state’s production agriculture, natural resources, rural areas and people.

Lectures also air live on campus channel 4. Lectures are archived after the event and are later broadcast on NET2.



NFU Supports Congressional Oversight and Review of Tariffs

National Farmers Union (NFU) today sent a letter to the U.S. House and Senate, urging lawmakers to support the Trade Review Act of 2025. This bipartisan legislation would reassert Congressional authority to review and approve any new tariffs imposed by the administration.  

“We need congressional oversight of tariffs and trade policy to ensure measures are thoughtful and positively impact the agriculture economy. Family farmers and ranchers are facing historic levels of uncertainty, and the recent flurry of tariff announcements, followed by abrupt reversals, has only deepened that volatility,” said NFU President Rob Larew. “These actions force our long-standing trading partners to retaliate with tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods and look elsewhere for more affordable products. Once we lose these markets, they’re nearly impossible to win back.”

The Trade Review Act of 2025, introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE-02) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), would restore Congressional oversight as outlined in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

“We appreciate these congressional leaders’ bipartisan, pragmatic approach on behalf of American agriculture. We urge all lawmakers to stand with family farmers and ranchers by supporting the Trade Review Act of 2025,” added Larew.



Iowa Livestock Producers Concerned about Livestock Diseases, Uncertain about Level of Threat and Capacity to Manage

Livestock diseases have received substantial attention and global media coverage in recent years. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, has dominated the news as it has led to loss of millions of poultry, increased egg prices and viral spillovers to other livestock such as dairy cattle, and has recently been found to infect humans. However, there are many other diseases that impact Iowa’s livestock sector, the top U.S. producer of red meat and eggs, including porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or PRRS, and bovine respiratory syncytial virus, or bovine RSV, that cause billions of dollars in annual losses to farmers and increased consumer prices.

“Farmers are on the front lines of managing livestock disease threats, and their capacity to identify and treat diseases before they become major outbreaks is critical,” said Hanna Bates, a research administrator at Iowa State University’s Nanovaccine Institute and lead author of the study. “This research from the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll is helping us to better understand farmers' degree of concern about different diseases and their capacity to manage them.”

New to the ISU Extension store, the Livestock Producer Perspectives on Livestock Disease report https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/17234 draws on data from the 2024 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll survey, which surveyed 432 livestock producers in February and March of 2024. The survey included two sets of questions aimed at understanding livestock producers’ perspectives and attitudes relating to livestock disease management. The first part of the survey provided a list of eight major diseases and asked farmers to rate their levels of concern about each. A second set of questions examined attitudes regarding multiple dimensions of disease management.

The research found high levels of concern about many of the diseases, with bovine respiratory disease, hoof-and-mouth disease, and bovine RSV among the top concerns, with 77%, 74%, and 73% of respondents expressing worry, respectively, and more than half of producers indicated concern about the eight major diseases listed.

Because livestock diseases have differential impacts depending on species, the report also examines livestock producers’ concerns by type of livestock raised to measure concern among producers whose animals were most likely to be impacted. For example, nearly all swine producers were concerned about PRRS and swine influenza, and 81% of poultry producers were at least somewhat concerned with avian influenza.

While results again showed significant levels of concern, many farmers were not concerned. For example, 22% of cow-calf producers and 16% of fed cattle producers selected either “not concerned” or “don’t know” for bovine RSV, a major cattle disease prevalent in Iowa. Similarly, one-third of cow-calf producers and 29% of fed cattle producers selected either “not concerned” or “don’t know” for Johne’s disease.

The survey also posed questions about monitoring and management challenges. About 58% agreed that current monitoring and management strategies are effective at limiting disease outbreaks, and 53% agreed that they have sufficient access to monitoring and mitigation resources. That said, 33% and 39% selected the uncertain category for those two items, respectively, and 9% disagreed with both. This suggests that close to half of livestock producers lack confidence and capacity to effectively manage disease.

“On the whole, the results show that many producers feel that the systems in place are working and they have the resources they need to manage disease and limit the spread of outbreaks,” said J. Arbuckle, extension sociologist and report co-author. “However, the lack of concern about some major diseases and level of uncertainty about management capacity point to a need for ongoing education and support to help farmers effectively manage livestock disease.”

The Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll is an annual survey conducted by Iowa State University Extension Sociology. Initiated in 1982, the poll is the longest-running survey of its kind and works to inform local, state and national decision-making and improve extension and outreach programs. All reports are available on the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll web page https://ext.soc.iastate.edu/programs/iowa-farm-and-rural-life-poll/.



USDA Cancels Biden Era Climate Slush Fund, Reprioritizes Existing Funding to Farmers

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins Monday announced the cancellation of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities (PCSC). Following a thorough line by line review of each of these Biden era partnerships, it became clear that the majority of these projects had sky-high administration fees which in many instances provided less than half of the federal funding directly to farmers. Select projects may continue if it is demonstrated that a significant amount of the federal funds awarded will go to farmers. We continue to support farmers and encourage partners to ensure their projects are farmer focused or re-apply to continue work that is aligned with the priorities of this Administration. With this action, USDA is cutting bureaucratic red tape, streamlining reporting, lowering the paperwork burden on producers and putting farmers first.

Additionally, we have reformed and overhauled the Biden-era Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities initiative into the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative, and the USDA has identified changes to align the initiative with current Trump Administration priorities. USDA will review existing grant agreements based on three Farmer First policy priorities:
    A minimum of 65% of federal funds must go to producers;
    Grant recipients must have enrolled at least one producer as of 12/31/2024; and
    Grant recipients must have made a payment to at least one producer as of 12/31/2024.

“The Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative was largely built to advance the green new scam at the benefit of NGOs, not American farmers,” said Secretary Rollins. “The concerns of farmers took a backseat during the Biden Administration. During my short time as Secretary, I have heard directly from our farmers that many of the USDA partnerships are overburdened by red tape, have ambiguous goals, and require complex reporting that push farmers onto the sidelines. We are correcting these mistakes and redirecting our efforts to set our farmers up for an unprecedented era of prosperity.”

USDA will contact current partners individually to provide information about their future participation. USDA will honor all eligible expenses incurred prior to April 13, 2025. This reform effort will utilize existing funding, with no new funding made available for these partnerships.



Cautionary Note on Beef Demand – Public Financial Sentiment Matters
Glynn T. Tonsor, Ph.D., Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University

On Friday, April 11th the University of Michigan released mid-month Surveys of Consumers information (https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu) indicating U.S. consumer sentiment has declined by historic magnitudes so far in April. Reaching pessimistic levels last seen in the early 1980s, consumers hold elevating expectations for inflation (6.7% year-ahead now expected, up from 5.0% in March) and unemployment (double the November 2024 level and the highest since 2009). While differences in consumer sentiment can often vary across demographic cohort, it is noteworthy director Joanne Hsu writes: “[t]his decline was, like the last month’s, pervasive and unanimous across age, income, education, geographic region, and political affiliation.” One of the few certainties currently is the U.S. public collectively can confidently be described as very concerned about the state of the economy.

Homing in on meat-livestock sector implications, the above notes build upon related information published two weeks ago with Dr. Justin Bina. In a Meat Demand Monitor special report (https://agmanager.info/livestock-meat/meat-demand/monthly-meat-demand-monitor-survey-data/meat-demand-monitor-demand ) we document how financial sentiment may be even more influential on meat demand than income itself. To paraphrase, income stability (ideally growth) is likely necessary but not itself sufficient for meat demand support if the public is highly concerned about their finances.

Looking more narrowly at calendar year 2024, the U.S. beef industry experienced higher per capita consumption AND higher inflation-adjusted retail prices clearing the market. That combination clearly signals positive domestic beef demand growth that underpinned improved economic viability of industry stakeholders. Looking further back to the 1980s (recalling Univ. of Michigan’s reference to multi-decade level of concern held by consumers), more experienced industry participants will recall multiple instances of declining beef demand that ultimately shrunk the industry and led to a more collective focus in understanding and improving beef demand.

While indeed we are just beginning the 2nd quarter of 2025, and many developments seem bound to happen in what can clearly be described as a unique and memorable year, the broad point here would be for industry stakeholders, analysts, and policymakers to not take strong beef demand for granted. Recent years have been characterized by strong demand for U.S. beef and hopefully for industry stakeholders that can persist. That said, macroeconomic history lessons and development of associated “storm clouds” should not simply be ignored.



Strong 2024 E85 Sales Show California Is Primed for E15

Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, celebrated new annual data from the California Air Resources Board that showed strong, sustained statewide demand for E85 in 2024. With 114.7 million gallons of E85 sold in 2024, California has now logged two straight years above 110 million gallons — a mark that had never been achieved prior to 2023.

“Clearly, the state’s record E85 sales in 2023 weren’t a one-time exception, but the new normal,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “When California drivers get the opportunity to save money at the pump and cut carbon emissions at the same time, they seize it.”

“This success with E85 further proves it is time for California to embrace E15,” Skor continued. “As Governor Newsom himself stated last fall, E15 is another biofuel blend with ‘massive potential’ for simultaneously ‘lowering gas prices’ and ‘keeping our air clean.’ Californians deserve access to clean, affordable E15 — which their fellow Americans in every other state already enjoy.”  

Growth Energy Vice President of Market Development Jake Comer added: “Across the country, demand for E15 has been skyrocketing at a record pace, and we’re hopeful California will soon join the ranks.” Growth Energy has worked closely with California retailers to help them offer E85, and the huge volumes show there is no lack of demand for biofuels. We hope 2025 will be the year California allows retailers and customers to access another proven winning blend — E15.”

Background
E15 is a fuel blend made of gasoline and 15% bioethanol. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved its use in all cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) made in model year 2001 and newer — that is, more than 96% of all vehicles on the road today. E15 can be found at over 3,700 gas stations in 33 states and is legal for sale in every state except California.  

Last summer, drivers saved 10 to 30 cents per gallon by filling up with E15 option compared to regular, or E10. In some areas, E15 saved drivers as much as a dollar per gallon at the pump. Nationwide access to E15 would save consumers $20.6 billion in annual fuel costs, put an additional $36.3 billion in income into the pockets of American families, and generate $66.3 billion for the U.S. GDP.