Monday July 06 Ag News - Making Better Mineral Decisions - Ultrasound and Marbling Assessment - Acreage Certification Due July 15 - Cheese Production Up 2% in May - and more!

Nebraska Farmers Union Commemorates America’s 250th Birthday

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary this Independence Day, Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) takes this opportunity to celebrate the value of family farm agriculture to our society as a whole, and our shared history. For 250 years, the experiences and lives of family farmers and ranchers have been woven into the fabric of our nation. Family farmers not only helped write the Declaration of Independence, frame our Constitution, and feed our hungry and poor Revolutionary Army, they also helped successfully fight the Revolutionary War.

They did all this knowing that if they failed, they likely would have been hung.  Thomas Jefferson believed that family farmers are critical long-term stakeholders of our nation and democracy. Family farmers not only represent an important component of our diverse nation, they fought for and helped create our nation. Family farmers’ neighbor friendly values help make our nation the good nation it is.

NeFU also reminds us that the building and successful operation of grassroots organizations like Farmers Union and our American democracy are interlinked in many ways. Both depend on:
    Education starting with ourselves first, then neighbors, public officials, and the general public.
    Cooperation. Harnessing the power of organization and learning how to effectively work with others are keys to success.
    Legislation. Both good public policy and cooperatives depend on a fair and level playing field. Both are made better when the public as a whole is the focus rather than using the process to acquire special advantage for individuals or special interests.
    Think and act like an owner. Participate as an owner rather than a passive watcher. Owners take action to leave things better than when they found them, and they want a better future for generations to come. Thinking about it is not the same as doing it. Cooperatives and democracies both die from apathy and lack of participation.
    Take off your “Me” cap. Put on your “We” cap. Put the overall interests of everyone in the first position. It seldom good policy to want something for yourself that you don’t also want for others.
    Civility. Civility requires us to know and do the right thing, even we are mad and might want to do the opposite. Be a person of good will. Practice transparency, patience, tolerance, and inclusion. Be a builder. The Golden Rule works. Treat others as you would want to be treated.  
        · Ask good, thoughtful, respectful questions. Be a good listener.
        · If you want good citizens, partners, neighbors, friends, public officials, or coop members, be one.

NeFU President John Hansen said, “Now that we have reminded ourselves on how to build, operate, and grow our democracy, our cooperatives, and our grassroots organizations, let’s roll up our sleeves and go build something future generations will thank us for.”



Two-Part Webinar Series to Help Cow-Calf Producers Make Better Mineral Decisions

Selecting the right free-choice mineral program is an important part of cow-calf management, but knowing whether a program truly meets cattle needs can be challenging. A two-part webinar series, Making the Most of Your Free-Choice Mineral Program, will help producers better understand mineral supplementation and provide practical tools for evaluating and improving their mineral programs.

The webinars will be held on July 13 and July 20, both starting at 8 p.m. Central Time. Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions, as the second webinar builds on concepts introduced in the first.

Registration is free. Participants can register at https://go.unl.edu/UNLMineralWebinar to receive the link to the webinars.

The series is designed for cow-calf producers, Extension educators, nutrition consultants, and anyone interested in improving mineral decision-making in cow-calf production systems.

The first webinar, Cow-Calf Mineral Basics, will provide the foundation for evaluating and selecting a mineral program. Topics include understanding mineral supplementation, recognizing how subclinical mineral deficiencies can affect cattle performance, identifying which minerals require consistent intake versus those stored in the body, and exploring common mineral challenges in cow-calf operations. Participants will also learn how forage testing can guide mineral decisions and why evaluating mineral interactions is just as important as considering individual mineral concentrations.

The second webinar, Meeting Needs and Managing Intake, will focus on applying mineral knowledge to practical management decisions. Participants will be introduced to a new mineral evaluation calculator that can be used to compare commercial mineral products or develop custom mineral formulations. The session will also include real-world examples and practical strategies for managing mineral intake in cow-calf herds.

Brought to you by University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with funding provided by the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program and the Iowa Beef Industry Council.



Can updated beef ultrasound improve marbling assessment and USDA grade prediction?

Ultrasound is a technology, and as such, requires continual updating. Iowa State University extension beef specialist Patrick Wall said moving from analog signal to digital machines is a step in the right direction for beef producers. And thanks to a grant funded by the Iowa State Beef Checkoff, he’ll be focusing on how to better use data available from new machines.

“With advancement in accuracy for marbling prediction, and its current value in the market, the industry needs an up-to-date tool that shows correlation of the level of intramuscular fat percentage with USDA Premium Choice and Prime grades,” he said.

Older analog signal machines were not reliable for predicting tenderness in the live animal. And with digital machines currently dominating the industry, it’s important to know whether tenderness prediction is a possibility.

“Carcass ultrasound has been heavily used in seedstock genetic selection programs for twenty-plus years, where relative differences matter most,” Wall said. "Now that the feedlot sector is utilizing ultrasound to sort and target animals to very specific branded programs, this update will offer them a more current – and more accurate – assessment of marbling as it equates to USDA Quality Grade.”

Wall said data will be collected this summer and fall, then analyzed, and findings will be released next summer. Look for results from “Updating the Percent Intramuscular Fat (% IMF) versus USDA Marbling Score Scale & Assessing the Ability of Modern Ultrasound Equipment to Assess Beef Tenderness on the Live Animal” in summer 2027.

This project is one of two ISU proposals approved for funding by the Iowa Beef Industry Council board of directors for this year. Five total projects were approved for a funding total of $237,540.

To date, the Iowa State beef checkoff has funded 36 projects totaling more than $2.3 million.



Iowa Drivers Embrace E15 

Monthly fuel tax data released just this week by the Iowa Department of Revenue showed Iowa drivers purchased 47 million gallons of E15 in May, a new record up from 37 million gallons in April 2026. This puts E15 on track to see a massive boost in sales, from just over 27% of sales in 2025 to around 50% of all gasoline sold in Iowa in 2026. E15 typically saves motorists 15 cents or more per gallon.

“Now that E15 is widely available here, Iowa drivers are choosing the ethanol blend at record levels,” noted Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw. “Two monthly sales records in a row and this data doesn’t even begin to include the busy summer driving season. The rest of the country deserves the same choice to enjoy significant savings with E15.”

E15 helps insulate consumers from international oil shocks and supports American energy independence by using corn grown right here at home. However, without action from the U.S. Senate to pass year-round, nationwide E15 legislation, many Americans remain unable to purchase it for large portions of the year.

“Iowa is lucky to be one of the few states where E15 is available year-round,” added Shaw. “As we head into the Independence Day weekend, it’s a reminder that all Americans deserve the freedom to fuel up with E15. As Iowa shows, when drivers have the choice to save money at the pump, they will do it. IRFA will continue to urge the US Senate to quickly pass nationwide, year-round E15 to deliver fuel freedom to every American.”



USDA Reminds Nebraska Producers to File Crop Acreage Reports, Announces Modernized Pilot Acreage Reporting Process

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced an acreage reporting modernization pilot program that is a foundational part of the administration’s One Farmer, One File effort. FSA is focused on creating a more efficient, consistent, and customer-focused acreage reporting experience for producers and FSA employees.

In Nebraska, Seward County is part of the pilot project, and producers in the county will use the streamlined acreage reporting process for spring-planted crops. After spring planting is complete, agricultural producers in all counties should make an appointment with their FSA county office, if they haven’t done so already, to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline.

“As we move away from paper maps to an electronic interface for acreage reporting, I’m excited that producers in Seward County have the opportunity to participate in this modernization effort,” said Hilary Maricle, State Executive Director in Nebraska. “Please be patient with your local FSA office as we all learn the new system together. Producers with acreage in counties outside of the pilot area will complete their crop acreage reports as usual.”

How to File a Report
A crop acreage report documents a crop grown on a farm or ranch, its intended use and location.  Producers should file an accurate crop acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planted acreage before the applicable deadline.

In Nebraska, the spring acreage certification deadline is July 15, 2026, for all spring-seeded crops, perennial forage and Conservation Reserve Program acres.

To file a crop acreage report, producers need to provide:   
    Crop and crop type or variety   
    Intended crop use   
    Number of crop acres   
    Map with approximate crop boundaries   
    Planting date(s)   
    Planting pattern, when applicable   
    Producer share(s)   
    Irrigation practice(s)   
    Acreage prevented from planting, when applicable 
    Failed acres, if applicable  
    Other required information   

Acreage Reporting Details   
The following exceptions apply to acreage reporting dates:   
    If the crop has not been planted by the acreage reporting deadline, then the acreage must be reported no later than 15 calendar days after planting is completed.   
    If a producer acquires additional acreage after the acreage reporting deadline, then the acreage must be reported no later than 30 calendar days after purchase or acquiring the lease. Appropriate documentation must be provided to the county office.   

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) policy holders should note that the acreage reporting date for NAP-covered crops is the acreage reporting date or 15 calendar days before grazing or crop harvesting begins, whichever is earlier. Contact FSA to confirm crop-specific deadlines for NAP-covered crops.  

Producers with perennial forage crops should check with their local FSA office to see if their crops are eligible for continuous certification, which rolls the certified acreage forward each year until a change is made.  
   
Prevented Planted Acreage   
Producers should also report the crop acreage they intended to plant but were unable to because of a natural disaster, including drought. Prevented planted acreage must be reported on form CCC-576, Notice of Loss, no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA and USDA’s Risk Management Agency.    

Farmers.gov Portal   
Producers can continue to access their FSA farm records, maps, and common land units through the farmers.gov customer portal. The portal allows producers to export field boundaries as shapefiles and import and view other shapefiles, such as precision agriculture boundaries within farm records mapping. Producers can view, print and label their maps for acreage reporting purposes. A Login.gov account that is linked to a USDA customer record is required to use the portal.    

Producers can visit farmers.gov/account to create an account. Producers who have the authority to act on behalf of another customer as a grantee via an FSA-211 Power of Attorney form, Business Partner Signature Authority or as a member of a business can access information for the business in the farmers.gov portal.    

Geospatial Acreage Reporting  
Acreage reports using precision agriculture planting boundaries can be filed electronically with an approved insurance provider or an authorized third-party provider, who will then share the file with FSA staff. Producers should notify their local FSA office if they submitted an electronic geospatial acreage report containing precision planting boundaries that they want to use as part of their FSA acreage report.  

More Information   
Producers should contact their local USDA Service Center for questions about acreage reporting.   



USDA Dairy Products May 2026 Production Highlights

Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 1.28 billion pounds, 2.0 percent above May 2025 and 1.1 percent above April 2026. Italian type cheese production totaled 560 million pounds, 6.5 percent above May 2025 and 0.7 percent above April 2026. American type cheese production totaled 499 million pounds, 2.6 percent below May 2025 but 1.5 percent above April 2026. Butter production was 224 million pounds, 3.5 percent above May 2025 but slightly below April 2026.

Dry milk products (comparisons in percentage with May 2025)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 173 million pounds, up 10.3 percent.
Skim milk powder - 29.4 million pounds, down 39.7 percent.

Whey products (comparisons in percentage with May 2025)
Dry whey, total - 82.6 million pounds, up 12.2 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 98.3 million pounds, down 0.6 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 43.6 million pounds, up 3.0 percent.

Frozen products (comparisons in percentage with May 2025)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 69.2 million gallons, up 7.1 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 36.4 million gallons, up 1.5 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 1.95 million gallons, up 16.1 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 3.17 million gallons, up 2.7 percent.



Farmers for Free Trade Board Chairman Bob Hemesath Statement on US Decision not to Renew USMCA

Following last week's announcement that the United States did not agree to renew the USMCA in its current form following the Agreement's Joint Review, Farmers for Free Trade Board Chairman Bob Hemesath released the following statement:

“America’s farmers count on strong, reliable trade with Canada and Mexico. Together, these two markets buy roughly a third of everything U.S. agriculture exports, and they are a vital source of the fertilizer and inputs our producers depend on to stay competitive. Getting this relationship right is essential to farm country’s bottom line.

“We understand the goal of strengthening the agreement, and we support taking the time to get the details right — especially on dairy access to Canada and North American supply chains. But farmers have to be part of the conversation as these talks move forward. Their livelihoods ride on the outcome, and their experience should help shape it. That is why Farmers for Free Trade is hosting roundtables in farm communities across the country, so the people who grow our food and rely on these markets are heard throughout this process.” 



California Bureaucracy Turns E15 Win-Win into a Lose-Lose

Nine months ago, October 2, 2025, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill authorizing the sale of E15 in the state. California was the last state to remove state-level restrictions on E15 sales. The bill, AB30, passed the state’s legislature unanimously, which is almost unheard of.

“Nine months ago, California enacted a law to authorize E15 sales, but we’re still waiting,” stated Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw. “The painful irony is that the bill was necessary because the state’s bureaucracy was years behind in approving E15 through their complex regulatory system. When signing the bill, Gov. Newsom touted: ‘we’re cutting red tape to provide consumers with more options.’ Yet not a drop of E15 has been sold to help ease California’s notoriously high fuel prices, nor boost demand for Iowa farmers.”

E15 would add much needed supply to the constrained California fuel market. Combined with the low cost of ethanol, E15 is predicted to provide a 20-cent-per-gallon savings at the pump, or $2.7 billion per year. California also represents a major new market for ethanol use, which in turn boosts corn prices for struggling Midwest farmers. If fully adopted in California, E15 would represent a market for an additional 250 million bushels of corn.

While many California agencies moved quickly to implement AB30, there remains one roadblock: the California Fire Marshal. The Fire Marshal is insisting that E15 cannot be sold until the secondary vapor recovery systems required on California fuel pumps are officially certified for use with E15, a lengthy regulatory process that could take two years. This insistence comes even in the face of manufacturer statements that the systems are compatible with E15 and the fact that all the systems were actually tested on E15 when certified for E10.

“E15 in California should be a win-win, providing Californians with relief at the fuel pump and Iowa farmers a much needed market opportunity,” added Shaw. “We expected E15 sales in California to begin by the end of 2025. Retailers are eager to supply E15 as an affordable option to their customers. Yet we have one bureaucrat standing in the way of California’s governor and entire legislature. IRFA hopes to see emergency action to remove this last, unjustifiable barrier to E15 in California. It’s time for common sense.”

California is the only state still requiring secondary vapor recovery systems. Other states have long abandoned the requirement because modern vehicles include onboard systems to reduce evaporative emissions during fueling. In fact, some research indicates that having a system in the car and on the pump leads to higher emissions as they pull in opposite directions.