NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION - July 8, 2013
For the week ending July 7, 2013, clear skies and sunshine boosted row crop development and allowed wheat harvest to progress uninterrupted in southern counties, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Much of the state saw little or no rainfall with topsoil moisture supplies declining as seasonally hot temperatures returned later in the week. Spring-planted, dryland crops in much of the western two-thirds of the state were showing signs of stress. Hay harvest progressed with alfalfa second cutting and wild hay harvests active. Statewide, producers had 6.8 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 14 percent very short, 39 short, 46 adequate, and 1 surplus, well above previous year. Statewide, subsoil moisture supplies rated 25 percent very short, 35 short, 40 adequate, and 0 surplus.
Field Crops Report:
All corn conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 4 poor, 19 fair, 56 good, 20 excellent. Irrigated corn conditions rated 83 percent good or excellent, compared to 77 average. Dryland corn conditions rated 66 percent good or excellent, compared to 71 average. Corn silking was 1 percent complete, behind 46 last year and 16 average.
Soybean conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 4 poor, 19 fair, 63 good, and 13 excellent. Twenty percent of the crop was blooming, behind 35 last year but near 21 average.
Sorghum conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 10 poor, 38 fair, 31 good, and 20 excellent.
Wheat conditions rated 24 percent very poor, 26 poor, 31 fair, 18 good, and 1 excellent. Wheat turning color was 92 percent, behind 100 last year but near 95 average. Wheat ripe was 30 percent, well behind 97 last year and 48 average. Twelve percent of the crop was harvested, well behind 90 last year and 27 average.
Oat conditions rated 4 percent very poor, 12 poor, 31 fair, 43 good, and 10 excellent. Oats headed were 96 percent, compared to last year’s 100 and 97 average.
Dry bean conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 0 poor, 18 fair, 76 good, and 6 excellent. Dry beans blooming were 1 percent, compared to 3 last year and 2 average.
Alfalfa conditions were 3 percent very poor, 9 poor, 31 fair, 51 good, and 6 excellent. Alfalfa first cutting was 99 percent complete, compared to last year’s 100 and 98 average. Alfalfa second cutting was 19 percent complete, well behind last year’s 86 and 43 average.
Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Stock water supplies rated 6 percent very short, 13 short, 81 adequate and 0 surplus. Pasture and range condition was 11 percent very poor, 27 poor, 39 fair, 21 good, and 2 excellent. Hay and forage supplies rated 24 percent very short, 34 short, 42 adequate, and 0 surplus.
Access the National publication for Crop Progress and Condition tables at: http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/nass/CropProg//2010s/2013/CropProg-07-08-2013.txt.
Access the High Plains Region Climate Center for Temperature and Precipitation Maps at: http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current/index.php?action=update_region&state=NE®ion=HPRCC.
Access the U.S. Drought Monitor at: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DM_state.htm?NE,HP.
IOWA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION REPORT - July 8, 2013
The warmest and driest extended period of weather this year was seen across Iowa during the week ending July 7, 2013. The weather allowed field crops to develop, although some areas reported crops were beginning to need moisture. Statewide there was an average of 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week, the most of any week this year. Northeast Iowa had only 5.8 days suitable for fieldwork and was the only district with less than six days suitable. Farmers were finishing side dressing fields.
The drier weather led to a decrease in both topsoil and subsoil moisture levels. Topsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 11 percent short, 76 percent adequate and 12 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 4 percent short, 80 percent adequate and 16 percent surplus.
With reports of corn beginning to tassel in scattered fields across the state, the amount of the crop in good to excellent condition increased to 58 percent, a 1 percentage point increase from the previous week. Corn condition was rated 3 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 30 percent fair, 44 percent good and 14 percent excellent.
Ninety-five percent of the soybean crop has emerged; 3 percentage points behind the five-year average. Soybeans condition was rated 3 percent very poor, 8 percent poor, 33 percent fair, 44 percent good and 12 percent excellent.
Ninety-four percent of the oat crop was headed, 1 percentage point behind the normal. Twenty-three percent of the oat crop has turned color, behind last year’s 89 percent and the five-year average of 51 percent. The oat condition rated 0 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 30 percent fair, 52 percent good and 13 percent excellent.
Farmers were close to wrapping up the 1st cutting of alfalfa and beginning to harvest the second cutting. The 1st cutting now stands at 97 percent complete, 1 percentage point ahead of normal, while the 2nd cutting is 8 percent complete, 30 percentage points behind the 5-year average. Hay condition was rated at 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 26 percent fair, 53 percent good and 16 percent excellent.
Pasture and range conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 6 percent poor, 25 percent fair, 48 percent good and 20 percent excellent. Heat and insects were putting stress on livestock.
IOWA PRELIMINARY WEATHER SUMMARY
Provided by Harry Hillaker, State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship
Iowa recorded its driest week in 13 weeks (early April) with most locations receiving no measurable rainfall. Most of the week’s rain came on Tuesday (2nd) when showers and thunderstorms were scattered over the southwest two-thirds of the state. The greatest reported rainfall amount was 1.57 inches from a location a few miles north of Grinnell. Some of the stronger storms on Tuesday brought brief heavy rain and in some cases plentiful hail over small parts of central and south central Iowa. The statewide average precipitation was just 0.04 inches while normal for the week is 1.08 inches. The reporting week began with unseasonably mild conditions as temperatures averaged below normal from Sunday (30th) through Thursday (4th). Heat and humidity gradually returned over the weekend with scattered thunderstorms on Sunday (7th) afternoon and night (which will be included in next week’s report). Temperature extremes for the week varied from Monday (1st) morning lows of 48 degrees at Atlantic and Chariton to afternoon highs of 93 degrees at Spencer on Saturday (6th) and Des Moines and Newton on Sunday (7th). Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged from two to three degrees below normal over the southeast to one to two degrees above normal over the northwest with a statewide average of 0.9 degrees below normal.
Corn Silking - Selected States
[These 18 States planted 92% of the 2012 corn acreage]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
: Week ending :
:-----------------------------------:
State : July 7, : June 30, : July 7, : 2008-2012
: 2012 : 2013 : 2013 : Average
-----------------------------------------------------------------
: percent
Colorado .......: 8 1 3 6
Illinois ...........: 73 1 8 32
Indiana ..........: 56 - - 22
Iowa ..............: 43 - - 11
Kansas ..........: 59 3 12 37
Kentucky .......: 63 5 16 38
Michigan ........: 7 - 2 4
Minnesota ......: 36 - - 9
Missouri .........: 72 7 15 42
Nebraska ........: 46 - 1 16
North Carolina .: 93 77 88 89
North Dakota ..: 12 - - 4
Ohio ..............: 36 1 4 14
Pennsylvania ..: 33 1 4 13
South Dakota .: 21 - - 4
Tennessee .....: 92 35 60 74
Texas ............: 77 66 67 67
Wisconsin .....: 10 - - 3
18 States ......: 46 3 6 20
-----------------------------------------------------------------
- Represents zero.
Corn Condition - Selected States: Week Ending July 7, 2013
[National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2012 planted acreage]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
State : Very poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
: percent
:
Colorado .......: 10 10 31 45 4
Illinois ...........: 2 6 24 51 17
Indiana ..........: 1 3 15 57 24
Iowa ..............: 3 9 30 44 14
Kansas ..........: 3 11 37 43 6
Kentucky .......: 1 2 13 52 32
Michigan ........: 2 3 18 55 22
Minnesota ......: 2 5 30 54 9
Missouri .........: 2 8 31 49 10
Nebraska ........: 1 4 19 56 20
North Carolina .: 1 5 18 54 22
North Dakota ..: 2 4 18 61 15
Ohio ..............: - 2 15 52 31
Pennsylvania ..: - 2 16 58 24
South Dakota .: 1 5 18 59 17
Tennessee .....: - 4 14 57 25
Texas ............: 1 7 31 47 14
Wisconsin .....: 2 8 27 43 20
18 States .......: 2 6 24 51 17
Previous week : 2 6 25 51 16
Previous year .: 12 18 30 34 6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Soybeans Blooming - Selected States
[These 18 States planted 95% of the 2012 soybean acreage]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
: Week ending :
:-----------------------------------:
State : July 7, : June 30, : July 7, : 2008-2012
: 2012 : 2013 : 2013 : Average
-----------------------------------------------------------------
: percent
Arkansas ......: 69 (NA) 25 39
Illinois ...........: 40 (NA) 9 20
Indiana ..........: 42 (NA) 9 20
Iowa ..............: 48 (NA) 4 31
Kansas ..........: 29 (NA) 4 17
Kentucky .......: 35 (NA) 4 21
Louisiana .......: 73 (NA) 51 69
Michigan ........: 25 (NA) 21 18
Minnesota ......: 53 (NA) 5 21
Mississippi .....: 88 (NA) 59 78
Missouri .........: 27 (NA) 2 12
Nebraska ........: 35 (NA) 20 21
North Carolina .: 10 (NA) 2 8
North Dakota ..: 40 (NA) - 20
Ohio ..............: 34 (NA) 7 19
South Dakota .: 43 (NA) 8 21
Tennessee .....: 41 (NA) 5 30
Wisconsin .....: 14 (NA) - 10
18 States ......: 42 (NA) 10 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------
- Represents zero.
(NA) Not available.
Soybean Condition - Selected States: Week Ending July 7, 2013
[National crop conditions for selected States are weighted based on 2012 planted acreage]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
State : Very poor : Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
: percent
Arkansas .....: 6 7 34 38 15
Illinois ..........: 2 5 20 61 12
Indiana .........: 1 4 20 58 17
Iowa .............: 3 8 33 44 12
Kansas .........: 1 3 37 56 3
Kentucky ......: 1 2 14 60 23
Louisiana ......: - 3 23 57 17
Michigan .......: 2 7 23 55 13
Minnesota .....: 1 5 31 56 7
Mississippi ....: 1 5 18 64 12
Missouri ........: 2 7 35 49 7
Nebraska .......: 1 4 19 63 13
North Carolina : 1 7 33 54 5
North Dakota .: 1 3 22 64 10
Ohio .............: 1 3 22 55 19
South Dakota : 1 3 19 60 17
Tennessee ....: - 4 16 59 21
Wisconsin ....: 1 6 29 46 18
18 States .....: 2 5 26 55 12
Previous week : 2 5 26 55 12
Previous year .: 9 18 33 35 5
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Winter Wheat Harvested - Selected States
[These 18 States harvested 88% of the 2012 winter wheat acreage]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
: Week ending :
:-----------------------------------:
State : July 7, : June 30, : July 7, : 2008-2012
: 2012 : 2013 : 2013 : Average
-----------------------------------------------------------------
: percent
Arkansas .......: 100 93 99 100
California .......: 93 85 90 87
Colorado ........: 96 7 16 37
Idaho .............: - - - -
Illinois ............: 99 45 68 79
Indiana ...........: 98 27 32 69
Kansas ..........: 100 57 87 89
Michigan ........: 59 - - 17
Missouri .........: 100 51 86 89
Montana .........: - - - -
Nebraska ........: 90 - 12 27
North Carolina .: 100 69 74 99
Ohio ...............: 84 3 9 48
Oklahoma .......: 100 84 94 98
Oregon ...........: - - - 1
South Dakota ..: 37 - - 8
Texas .............: 99 73 84 93
Washington ....: - - - -
18 States .......: 78 43 57 64
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Heat Stress in Livestock
Larry Howard, Extension Educator, Cuming County
Heat stress is difficult on livestock, especially if it is in combination with high humidity and low wind speed. The degree of heat stress is dependent on the animal’s activity, body condition, coat cover and color, and disposition.
Signs of heat stress (depends on specie) may include animals bunching, seeking shade, panting, slobbering or excessive salvation, foam around the mouth, open mouth breathing, lack of coordination, and trembling. If these symptoms are observed, assume the animal has a heat load. Immediately try to minimize the stress to the animal, especially handling or movement of the animal. Previous health of individual animals is an important risk factor; animals that have had past health problems will be more affected by heat stress than animals with no prior health problems. These animals will generally be the first to exhibit signs of heat stress and be the most severely affected.
Hot weather and high humidity can reduce feed intake, weight gain, reproductive efficiency, milk production; while increasing susceptibility to disease. Changes in behavior and even death can also occur.
The comfort zone for animals varies depending on age. Young animals generally have a narrow comfort zone between 45 degrees F and 80 degrees F; while the range in temperatures of the comfort zone of mature animals can be wider. For feedlot animals and mature cows the comfort zone can range from below zero in the winter to about 75 degrees F in the summer.
Environmental stress is dependent on temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation; which is best determined by an index. The index that is most commonly used is called the Heat Index, which is commonly reported by many media outlets during the summer. This index, which is used for humans, has a threshold that is very close to the livestock temperature-humidity index.
The following guidelines should be followed for animals that will be at livestock shows:
Heat index above 100: stressful for the animal, but they will be able to tolerate it if shade is available and/or wind speed is at least 10 mph. Thus show animals should be provided shade and/or moving air via fans.
Heat index above 110: stressful for the animal regardless of wind speed. Show animals should be in the shade with fans, especially market ready animals, and have plenty of access to water. If a heat index above 110 is predicted, livestock shows should be completed by noon. In addition, livestock that need to be moved or transported should be out of the facilities by early morning but certainly by noon, if possible.
Heat index above 115: Avoid moving or handling market ready animals. Livestock show rings should be shaded with fans and misters; the show staff should consider postponing the show due to excessive heat.
Heat index above 120: no activity should occur for animals or humans. May cause serious health risks or even death.
Keep in mind that using the heat index value does not account for night time cooling, which can be a good indicator of overall heat stress. When animals do not cool down at night, they become compromised and are less capable of handling a heat load.
It is important to take precautions during the summer months to ensure that animals are suffering as little as possible from heat stress. Remember to provide livestock with shade (if possible) and plenty of clean, cool water. Also, try to limit other activities which may increase their stress, including movement and/or hauling. If your animal is showing severe heat stress symptoms you should contact your veterinarian immediately.
Crop Water Use - Cuming County
Estimated Crop Water use (inch/day - as of July 7th)
Corn: Emerge Date 4/29, Prior 3 Days 0.23, Next 3 Days 0.21
Soybean: Emerge Date 5/15, Prior 3 Days 0.20, Next 3 Days 0.19
Alfalfa: Emerge Date 4/15, Prior 3 Days 0.31, Next 3 Days 0.26
Grass: Emerge Date 4/15, Prior 3 Days 0.21, Next 3 Days 0.18
Producers should note that immediately after cutting, water use for alfalfa will be 50% of the figure given; after ten days, water use will be 75%; and at 20 days after cutting, water use is the figure given. These crop figures are provided by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Cuming County. They are based on West Point weather factors and are good for 50-mile radius. Check the Cuming County web site (http://www.cuming.unl.edu/) daily for the current report under Crop Water Use & Growing Degree Days.
Purdue's Nielsen Headlines Midsummer Crop Diagnostic Clinics July 17-18 at ARDC
National corn expert Bob Nieslen will be the featured speaker at two crop clinics to be held at UNL's Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead this July. At the UNL midsummer Crop Management Diagnostic Clinics July 17-18 producers and agribusiness professionals will take a close-up look at field conditions, research findings, and recommended practices. Nielsen, professor of agronomy and extension corn specialist at Purdue University (and a Nebraska native), writes for and publishes King Corn - the Corn Growers' Guidebook and the Chat 'n Chew Cafe, a Purdue University crop production website.
Keith Glewen, UNL extension educator, said having Nielsen share his experience and knowledge of corn production live in a cornfield will be a once in lifetime educational experience for many producers. Other speakers will include UNL researchers and extension specialists. Glewen says, "The benefits of the crop management and diagnostic clinics include one-on-one attention, on-site plot demonstrations, interaction with other participants, discussions about cutting edge research and an opportunity to earn continuing education credits through Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) program."
Each day the clinics will begin with registration at 7:30 a.m. at the ARDC's August N. Christenson Research and Education Building followed by the program at 8 a.m. Participants can attend one or both of the clinics as subject matter will be different each day.
July 17 clinic topics include:
- Corn Crop Canopy, Light Interception, and Grain Yield
- Corn Silage, An Efficient and Economical Use of Corn Residue
- Update on Nematodes of Corn and Soybean
- Crop Water Use
- Making the Most of a Herbicide Application
- Feeding a Growing Population in a Shrinking World: A Plant Biosecurity-Food Security Challenge
Six Certified Crop Adviser credits have been applied for and are pending approval for this clinic. They are in crop management – 1.5, pest management – 3.0, soil and water management – 1.0, and nutrient management – .5.
July 18 clinic topics include:
- Sex in the Corn Field: What Really Goes On Out There?
- Evaluating Efficacy of Tank Mixing Herbicides for Hard-to-Control Weeds in Corn
- Feedlot Manure and Holding Pond Effluent: N Availability and Environmental Issues
- Understanding the Benefits and Limitations of Current Pesticide Application Field Equipment
- Crop Scene Investigation (CSI)
- Atrazine in Surface Water and Groundwater
Six Certified Crop Adviser credits have been applied for and are pending approval for this clinic. They are in crop management – 1.5, pest management – 3.5, and nutrient management – 1.0.
Reservations
Early registration is recommended to reserve a seat and resource materials. Cost for one clinic is $160 for those registering one week in advance and $210 after that date. Cost for both clinics is $280 one week in advance and $320 after that date. For more information or to register, view the program website, call 800-529-8030, fax 402-624-8010, or email cdunbar2@unl.edu. Registrations can be mailed to ARDC CMDC Programs, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE 68033.
Seeding Forages into Wheat Stubble
Bruce Anderson, UNL Extension Forage Specialist
Wheat stubble can be an excellent seedbed to plant forages into using no-till. To be successful, though, may take some advance preparation.
No-till planting of alfalfa, turnips, summer annual grasses, or other cover crops into wheat stubble has many advantages. Soil moisture is conserved, erosion is reduced, weed seeds remain buried, and tillage expenses are eliminated. But despite these advantages, many growers still experience spotty stands.
To help ensure success when planting into wheat stubble, take a few extra steps. One of the biggest challenges is heavy residue, residue that might limit proper drill operation and seed placement or even might partly smother new seedlings. Residue can be especially troublesome right behind the combine even when using a good straw chopper. The best way to minimize this problem is to bale the straw and remove excess residue. And be sure to have a well-functioning drill.
Another challenge is weeds, either annual weeds that develop after wheat is combined or volunteer wheat that sprouts later in the summer. Control weeds prior to planting with herbicides like glyphosate. And be ready with post-emerge herbicides like Select or Poast Plus when appropriate for latter emerging weeds or volunteer wheat.
Finally, consider cross- or double-drilling. Plant one-half of the seed while driving one direction, then plant the other half driving in a different direction. This helps fill in gaps, develops canopy and improves weed control earlier, and may help you plant the right amount of seed if you commonly end up running out or have much seed left over.
Wheat stubble makes a good seedbed. Make it even better with a few management adjustments.
New Cover Crop Survey Shows Improved Corn And Soybean Yields Following Cover Crops During The Drought Of 2012
A report has just been released with detailed results from a farmer survey on cover crops. The survey was carried out in partnership between the USDA North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC). More than 750 farmers were surveyed during the winter of 2012-13, primarily from the Upper Mississippi River watershed. Questions on cover crop adoption, benefits, challenges, and yield impacts were included in the survey. Key findings included the following:
• During the fall of 2012, corn planted after cover crops had a 9.6% increase in yield compared to side-by-side fields with no cover crops. Likewise, soybean yields were improved 11.6% following cover crops.
• In the hardest hit drought areas of the Corn Belt, yield differences were even larger, with an 11.0% yield increase for corn and a 14.3% increase for soybeans.
• Surveyed farmers are rapidly increasing acreage of cover crops used, with an average of 303 acres of cover crops per farm planted in 2012 and farmers intending to plant an average of 421 acres of cover crops in 2013. Total acreage of cover crops among farmers surveyed increased 350% from 2008 to 2012.
• Farmers identified improved soil health as a key overall benefit from cover crops. Reduction in soil compaction, improved nutrient management, and reduced soil erosion were other key benefits cited for cover crops. As one of the surveyed farmers commented, “Cover crops are just part of a systems approach that builds a healthy soil, higher yields, and cleaner water.”
• Farmers are willing to pay an average (median) amount of $25 per acre for cover crop seed and an additional $15 per acre for establishment costs (either for their own cost of planting or to hire a contractor to do the seeding of the cover crop).
“It is especially noteworthy how significant the yield benefits for cover crops were in an extremely dry year,” Dr. Rob Myers, a University of Missouri agronomist and regional director of extension programs for North Central Region SARE, stated. “The yield improvements provided from cover crops in 2012 were likely a combination of factors, such as better rooting of the cash crop along with the residue blanket provided by the cover crop reducing soil moisture loss. Also, where cover crops have been used for several years, we know that organic matter typically increases, which improves rainfall infiltration and soil water holding capacity.”
Full results of the survey are available online at: http://www.northcentralsare.org/CoverCropsSurvey.
Trees for Nebraska Towns Funding Available
Communities and organizations wanting to plant shade trees can apply for Trees for Nebraska Towns grant funds by Oct. 1.
The program, which focuses on plant diversity and sustainable landscapes, provides grant funding and technical assistance to public-oriented projects that emphasize the planting of large-maturing trees in Nebraska communities. About $250,000 of TNT grant funds are available this year.
Grant coordinator Kendall Weyers said, "Over the last few decades, community forests in Nebraska have lost 30-50 percent of their tree canopy to disease, insects, extreme weather, old age, development and human neglect."
TNT funds aim to replace these lost trees and the many benefits they provide.
"The positive impacts of trees go far beyond shade to a wide range of economic, environmental, aesthetic and social benefits," Weyers added.
TNT funding, provided by the Nebraska Environmental Trust, a beneficiary of the Nebraska Lottery, is coordinated by the Nebraska Forest Service and is part of ReTree Nebraska's 10-year effort to plant 1 million trees by 2017.
To be eligible, projects must provide clear public benefit and be located within or near the incorporated limits of a Nebraska community. Typical planting sites include but are not limited to street trees, parks, schools, college campuses, libraries, courthouses, fairgrounds and cemeteries. Funds are not available for private individuals or homeowners. For individuals interested in coordinating a neighborhood-wide tree planting project, Weyers suggests working through a neighborhood association or other local organization to apply for a TNT grant.
The application, due Oct. 1, requires some advance planning and consideration so applicants are encouraged to begin the process early. The application is available online at retreenebraska@unl.edu. For more information, contact Kendall Weyers at 402-472-6693 or kweyers2@unl.edu.
NW IA Woman Honored for Helping a Young Female Farmer Get Started
Helen Gunderson of Ames, Iowa, has been selected to receive the first Farmland Owner Award from Practical Farmers of Iowa, co-sponsored by WFAN and the Drake Agricultural Law Center.
The award recognizes non-operator landowners who manage their land to achieve sustainable farm businesses, improve soil quality and productivity, and foster rural communities and new farmers.
Gunderson owns 500 acres near Rolfe in northwest Iowa, and has committed to placing her land into the Conservation Reserve Program. In 2009, Gunderson chose to rent her farmland to local beginning farmer Betsy Dahl, who is transitioning the land to organic production with a longer rotation of row crops and small grains.
“I had yearned for years to have my land farmed more sustainably,” said Helen. “Through a documentary project I began in the early 1990s, I observed Betsy and her family farming in a way that I valued. It finally dawned on me that there was an option – to go with the Dahls. And Betsy was the one in the family best positioned to lease my land.”
She added, “An undercurrent is that throughout my life, I have been angry about rural patriarchy and the limited roles women could have in agriculture. There is a spiritual element that has brought Betsy and me together, and it is heart-warming to have her farming my land.”
Gunderson also donated 60 acres of remnant native and restored prairie along Beaver Creek in Pocahontas County to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation in 2011.
“Women own 50 percent of the farmland in Iowa, and more all the time are sole owners,” said Leigh Adcock, executive director of WFAN. “Helen is a great example of a women with strong conservation values who’s taking steps to translate those values into action.”
WFAN supports women landowners who want to improve conservation on the farmland they own through its Women Caring for the LandSM program, which provides meetings, publications and resources for women landowners around the upper Midwest.
New 'Hours of Service' Rule Waived for Livestock Agriculture
In what is being called a major victory for America's hog, cattle and poultry farmers, the U.S. Department of Transportation has indicated that it will grant a 90-day waiver of a new hours-of-service rule for drivers transporting livestock and poultry.
Effective July 1, the rule from DOT's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires truck drivers to take a 30-minute rest break for every 8 consecutive hours of service. For drivers hauling livestock, the hours of service would include time loading and unloading animals.
Fourteen livestock, poultry and food organizations petitioned the FMCSA in June for the 90-day waiver and exemption from complying with the new rule. The groups said the regulation would cause livestock producers and their drivers irreparable harm, will place the health and welfare of the livestock in their care at risk and will provide no apparent increased benefit to public safety and will likely decrease public safety while forcing the livestock industry and its drivers to choose between the humane handling of animals or complying with a FMCSA regulation requiring a 30-minute rest break.
The organizations also pointed out that the livestock and poultry industries have programs--developed and offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture--that educate drivers on transportation safety and animal welfare.
"This decision will help ensure the continued humane treatment and welfare of livestock while traveling on the nation's highways," said National Pork Producer Council President Randy Spronk, a pork producer from Edgerton, Minn. "By granting the 90-day waiver, the FMCSA will ensure that during hot summer months livestock won't be sitting in the sun for extended periods, with drivers unable to care for them because they’re required to take a 30-minute break."
Official notice of the decision is expected to be published in the Federal Register. Additionally, the agency indicated it will develop a permanent exemption from the rule for drivers transporting livestock and poultry.
Beef Exports Up; Pork Down Slightly as Russian Impact Felt
Exports of U.S. beef moved 3 percent higher in volume in May, and a healthy 9 percent in value, while pork exports dipped 3 percent in volume and 3.6 percent in value, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
The inability of the United States to ship beef and pork to Russia continues to put a damper on U.S. red meat exports this year. Excluding Russia, beef export volume for May increased 12 percent and export volume for the first five months of 2013 rose 3.5 percent instead of falling 3 percent.
Similarly, May pork exports increased 3.5 percent in volume over last year’s totals if Russia is excluded. For January through May 2013, export volume would be down 5.8 percent instead of 9 percent if Russia is not included. An oversupply of domestic pork in many major export markets continues to pose a challenge to U.S. exports.
“The loss of a key market like Russia ripples through the red meat industry,” said U.S. Meat Export Federation President and CEO Philip Seng. “The absence of one of the largest meat purchasers in the world affects the volume of product sold and, more importantly, the price that other customers need to pay for it in a competitive marketplace.”
Summary of May beef results
In May, total U.S. beef (muscle cut and variety meat) exports rose 3 percent over last year’s levels to 97,820 metric tons valued at $513.6 million, a 9 percent increase. They accounted for 10 percent of beef muscle cut production and 12.7 percent of beef and variety meat production, similar levels to last year.
For January through May, export volumes dipped 3 percent to 440,840 metric tons valued at $2.26 billion, a 3 percent increase over last year’s record-setting pace.
The value of beef exports in May equated to $231.67 per head of fed slaughter, up from $207.09 last year. The year-to-date export value averaged $220.59 per head, up more than $10 from last year’s total of $209.97.
Markets where access for U.S. beef has improved this year led the way in May. Japan jumped 74 percent to 28,122 metric tons, just 8 percent shy of totals posted in May 2003.
“We were confident that the market for U.S. beef in Japan would rebound when our access expanded,” said Seng. “Our team in Japan is working aggressively to explore untapped niches to maintain the growth momentum for beef.”
Beef exports also rose to Hong Kong (56 percent to 7,182 metric tons) while Taiwan’s totals increased from 282 metric tons last year to 2,720 metric tons this May.
Exports were also steady to higher for: Canada (13,975 metric tons, +1 percent), Egypt (11,364 metric tons, steady), Central/South America (3,979 metric tons, +15 percent driven by larger volumes to Chile) and the Caribbean (1,678 metric tons, +2 percent on larger volumes to Jamaica).
Beef exports to Russia in May fell from 7,906 metric tons last year to 4 metric tons this year. For the year, exports to Russia are down 99 percent in volume (from 30,547 metric tons to 35 metric tons) and 99 percent in value (from $133.77 million).
Besides Russia, countries where beef exports remain challenged include Mexico (15,140 metric tons, -4.5 percent), South Korea (7,367 metric tons, -33 percent), and ASEAN (1,372 metric tons, -59 percent on smaller volumes to Vietnam and the Philippines).
Mexico is buying less beef as consumers turn to more affordable proteins like poultry and pork. U.S. poultry exports to Mexico were up 19 percent through May to 356,253 metric tons. At the same time, South Korea’s increased domestic beef production, combined with lower-priced Australian product, has dampened demand for high-quality U.S. beef.
Through May, Japan was the leading destination for U.S. beef with exports up 56 percent. They accounted for 20 percent of all U.S. beef exports by volume and 24 percent of export value. Mexico was No. 2 in volume but Canada was second in value. South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Egypt rounded out the top seven in value. The volume ranking was: Japan, Mexico, Canada, Egypt, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Summary of May pork results
Total pork exports in May improved over 2013 trends but still dipped 3.3 percent to 180,637 metric tons valued at $505.4 million, a 3.6 percent decline from last year. They accounted for 23 percent of muscle cut production and 26.4 percent of muscle cuts plus variety meat, similar to last May.
For the first five months of the year, exports were down 9 percent to 882,905 metric tons valued at $2.47 billion, down 8 percent.
The value of pork exports in May equated to $54.85 per head of fed slaughter, down from $56.47 last year. The year-to-date export value averaged $53.14 per head, down from $58.36 last year.
May pork exports were led by another strong month for Mexico (52,295 metric tons, +11 percent) and steady year-over-year volumes to Japan (37,108 metric tons). Exports also were larger for Central/South America (10,008 metric tons, +58 percent, led by growth to Colombia, Chile and Honduras), ASEAN (5,313 metric tons, +61 percent on larger volumes to the Philippines), Caribbean (4,210 metric tons, +85 percent with larger exports to the Dominican Republic, Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago) and Taiwan (2,688 metric tons, +142 percent).
“The volume of U.S. pork that Mexico consumes is essential for our industry, and that is why we have focused resources on driving up per-capita pork consumption there,” Seng explained. “On the other hand, Japan is the leading value market for pork exports, and there we are concentrated on higher value branded and chilled products.”
Pork exports to Russia in May fell from 12,250 metric tons last year to zero this year. For the year, exports to Russia are down 84 percent in volume and value (from 37,075 metric tons to 5,770 metric tons and from $109.5 million to $17.9 million).
May pork exports to Canada were down 3 percent to 19,093 metric tons but remained up 3 percent for January through May. Exports to the China/Hong Kong region dipped 9 percent in May to 34,543 metric tons, but were larger than the previous two months. South Korea (8,645 metric tons, -19 percent) and Australia/New Zealand (4,251 metric tons, -28 percent) also were down in May.
Through May, Mexico was the largest volume destination for U.S. pork but Japan was No. 1 in value. China, Canada, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and the Philippines rounded out the top eight countries in volume, with the same markets leading for value: Japan, Mexico, Canada, China, Korea, Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Canada and the Philippines were the only top markets that saw export growth in the first five months of the year, but exports were robust to many of the smaller markets. Larger domestic supplies and market access issues have created a challenging atmosphere for U.S. pork exports thus far this year but exports showed positive signs of growth in May.
Lamb exports up sharply
Lamb exports reached three consecutive months above the 1,200 metric tons per month mark with 1,472 metric tons exported in May, an increase of 70 percent over last year. This put January through May totals up 14 percent to 5,840 metric tons with value over $13 million, up 30 percent. Export growth has been led by top markets Mexico and Canada, but also to Bermuda and Saudi Arabia.
Sorghum Checkoff, USDA-ARS Team Up to Enhance Sorghum Genetics
The Sorghum Checkoff will fund a five-year, $1.21 million project with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) station in Lubbock, Texas, that will continue and expand research ARS has conducted on sorghum cold and drought tolerance and the identification of unique sorghum genetics.
The project will seek to continue drought and cold tolerance research, while also working to develop and mark key genes in sorghum, such as Tri-Seed. The effort will be led by Lubbock USDA-ARS Laboratory Director, John Burke, Ph. D.
“Dr. Burke and his team have become leaders in public sorghum research, working intimately with private industry and other public institutions to release game changing genetics to the sorghum industry,” said Stewart Weaver, Sorghum Checkoff chairman and sorghum grower from Edmondson, Ark. “This is another great example of how producer dollars are being used to enhance sorghum genetics.”
New online tool makes in-season plant stresses more manageable
With so many stresses at work in fields this season, it is important to understand the solutions that can minimize their toll. For this reason, Syngenta is introducing an online training module to teach corn, soybean and cereal growers how to manage plant stresses with Quilt Xcel® fungicide. The first 500 participants who complete the module will receive a $25 gift card to Bass Pro Shops.
The tutorial features a 15-minute interactive presentation that demonstrates the benefits Quilt Xcel provides corn, soybean and cereal crops. A short quiz follows to test participants’ knowledge on the content.
“It’s important for growers to recognize what is happening in their fields and to understand how applications of Quilt Xcel can help shield plants against in-season stresses,” said Andrew Fisher, commercial product lead, fungicides, Syngenta. “This online tutorial goes beyond simply telling growers about these benefits to actually showing how they work.”
The training module shows how Quilt Xcel helps plants better manage water use during times of too little and too much water. It also explains the increase in grain and pod fill for plants treated with the fungicide. Additionally, the tutorial explores the fungicide’s dual modes of action for disease control, as well as the convenience and application flexibility benefits that corn, soybean and cereal growers can experience when using Quilt Xcel.
Climate Corp. Approved to Provide Federal Crop Insurance
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency authorized the Climate Corporation to administer Federal crop insurance policies for the 2014 crop year. "We are excited to expand our offerings to include the solutions provided under the Federal crop insurance program," said David Friedberg, CEO of The Climate Corporation. "Over the last seven years we have invested over $100 million in developing technology that helps U.S. farmers protect and improve their farming profits, and helps crop insurance agents operate more efficiently, increase their income potential and become trusted advisors to their clients. We are excited to extend our industry-leading technology to support Federal crop insurance, enhancing our value to farmers and crop insurance agents alike."
The Climate Corporation will be offering the Federal crop insurance program enhanced by unique technology that allows agents and growers to assess risk and make optimal coverage decisions and to track crop and policy performance in near real-time during the growing season, using simplified reporting and proactive claims management tools. Additional unique technology-enhanced features will be released to authorized agents in the coming months.
OneBeacon Insurance Group, an A.M. Best "A" rated carrier with $1 billion of surplus, through its wholly-owned Atlantic Specialty Insurance Company, has partnered with The Climate Corporation on its offering, ensuring the policies carry the financial strength that farmers have come to expect. The Climate Corporation's crop insurance operations are run from its Kansas City office and supported by field personnel covering 30 states: AL, AR, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, WA, WI.
The Climate Corporation is in the process of finalizing its agent authorization for the 2014 crop year. "Agents have told us that we already bring the best technology to crop insurance, as evidenced by our climate.com and our Total Weather Insurance product offerings," said Jeff Mize, SVP of sales and business development. "We are now delivering technology that can substantially improve our crop insurance agents' operations, and provides every farmer with our unique full-stack risk management solution." Agents interested in learning more can visit www.climate.com.
Welcome to the KTIC Agriculture Information blog!!! Check back here for the latest in ag news and information, from local events to international happenings and government reports that affect your operation. Please email with suggestions! -Chad Moyer, Farm Director, KTIC Radio
Monday, July 8, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Friday July 5 Ag News
Control of Glyphosate-Resistant Volunteer Soybeans in Corn
Lowell Sandell, UNL Weed Science Extension Educator
Stevan Knezevic, UNL Integrated Weed Management Specialist
Recently we received several inquiries about the presence of glyphosate-resistant volunteer soybeans in corn fields and cost-effective control options. These volunteers emerge from seed that shattered before soybean harvest or fell during combining. Historically, soybeans are not considered a serious volunteer weed problem in corn because they are not very competitive and several herbicide options are available to control them in corn. However, with the drought last year and harvest losses, there are substantial populations of volunteer soybeans in some corn fields this year. If populations are high and left uncontrolled, they may cause yield loss in corn.
In some areas wet soil conditions due to early spring rains delayed pre-plant/pre-emergence herbicide applications in corn. In other fields excessive rainfall washed away the pre-plant or pre-emergence herbicides that had been applied. These scenarios provided ample conditions for volunteer soybeans to emerge. Postemergence herbicides are the only option at this time to control emerged volunteer soybeans in corn and the window for application is quickly closing.
The size of volunteer soybeans and corn at the time of herbicide application will affect how well herbicides control them. At this time the best control option for volunteer soybeans is a herbicide containing dicamba such as Status. It can be applied at 5 oz per acre in corn up to 36 inches tall. Maximum labeled rate per application is 10 oz per acre (this may cause injury on corn); the maximum rate per season is 12.5 oz per acre. Stinger would be another option and can be applied in corn up to 24 inches tall at a rate of 0.25 to 0.5 pint per acre. Armezon/Impact (topramezone) is one of the HPPD-inhibiting herbicides that can be applied up to the V8 stage of corn at 0.5 to 1 fl oz per acre.
If volunteer soybeans are at V2 to V3 (second to third trifoliate) stage, application of herbicides such as atrazine plus HPPDs (Callisto, Laudis, or Impact) might be a good option due to their crop safety. Early postemergence applications are recommended for best control.
Because 2,4-D is a cost effective option, some growers may prefer it for volunteer soybean control; however, a study conducted at North Dakota State University suggests that soybeans are less sensitive to 2,4-D compared with dicamba (Clarity, Status) or clopyralid (Stinger). Dicamba and 2,4-D cannot be broadcasted on corn over 8 inches tall unless drop nozzles are used to place herbicides below the whorl. When corn is over 20 inches tall use drop nozzles to avoid herbicide injury to corn.
Hornet is a selective broadleaf herbicide that contains clopyralid. It can be applied pre-plant, preemergence, or postemergence for control of broadleaf weeds including volunteer soybean in field corn. Do not exceed a total application rate of 6.0 oz per acre of Hornet WDG in a single crop year. Hornet WDG can be tank-mixed with Callisto and atrazine for broad spectrum weed control in corn fields. TripleFLEX/SureStart is a combination of acetochlor (Harness), clopyralid (Stinger), and flumetsulam (Python). It may be used for early postemergence control of volunteer soybeans, but will not be very effective if soybeans are above second trifoliate stage.
Always read the label before applying any herbicide.
Start Scouting for Potato Leafhoppers in Alfalfa
Robert Wright, UNL Extension Entomologist
I am beginning to find adult and nymphal potato leafhoppers in alfalfa at UNL’s South Central Ag Laboratory near Clay Center. If you have not started to scout for potato leafhopper, now would be a good time to begin.
Potato leafhoppers have the potential to hurt alfalfa in Nebraska every year and have been common recently. They don't overwinter in Nebraska but rather are brought in on southerly winds. Generally they are a second and third cutting pest.
These small (1/8 inch long), bright green, wedge-shaped insects may cause severe damage to alfalfa by injecting a toxin into the plant as they feed. This feeding results in a distinctive yellow or purple triangle shape at the leaf tip. First year, spring planted alfalfa fields are particularly attractive to and vulnerable to potato leafhoppers, as are fields planted last year. In older fields, these insects are usually a problem on second and third cuttings.
Newly developed resistant varieties provide fairly good protection from potato leafhoppers, but alfalfa in the seedling stage may still be damaged. All fields should still be scouted, as large numbers of leafhoppers may still cause a problem, even in resistant variety fields.
Treatment Thresholds and Insecticides
Treatment decisions are based on numbers captured by a sweep net. (A sweep net is the only reliable way to scout for potato leafhoppers.) Many insecticides are registered for control, and all will provide good results when applied properly. Commonly used insecticides include Mustang, Warrior, Baythroid, and Lorsban, or products with the same active ingredients. Refer to the UNL Department of Entomology website at http://entomology.unl.edu/instabls/ for a list of suggested insecticides and NebGuide G1136, Potato Leafhopper Management in Alfalfa, for more information.
Nebraska Soybean Board Ballots due July 31, 2013
Election ballots for Districts 4 and 8 of the Nebraska Soybean Board will be mailed on Friday, July 12, 2013, to soybean producers in those districts. To be eligible to vote in the election voters must:
·Be engaged in the growing of soybeans
·Be a resident in the District
·Pay the soybean checkoff
·One Producer – One Vote Only
The voting producer must sign and print their full name and town on the ballot envelope, to be a valid vote. The ballot must be postmarked by July 31, 2013. Eligible producers who do not receive a ballot by July 18, 2013, can call 402-466-1969 to request a one.
Ballots will be mailed to the counties in the following districts:
District 4: (Boone, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk and York Counties)
Candidates
· Brian Brown – Central City, NE – Merrick County
· Eugene Goering – Platte Center, NE – Platte County
District 8: (Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Box Butte, Brown, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Custer, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Grant, Greeley, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Hooker, Howard, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Morrill, Perkins, Phelps, Red Willow, Rock, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Thomas, Valley and Wheeler Counties)
Candidates
· Daren England – Holdrege, NE – Phelps County
· Terry Horky – Sargent, NE – Custer County
Results will be announced in August. The elected directors will serve a three-year term for these seats beginning October 1, 2013 and ending September 30, 2016.
Court Decision Effects Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Land Owners
As a result of a recent U.S. Tax Court ruling, those who sign a Conservation Reserve Program contract, whether they are involved in a farm business or just own the land, will find their CRP payments subject to self-employment tax.
Previously, at least until 2003, self-employment tax on CRP payments was only enforced on those who were directly involved in a trade or business, and a non-farmer’s CRP income was not subject to self-employment tax, said Roger McEowen, director of the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation and agricultural law professor at Iowa State University.
“The issue is that people who are not in a trade or business should not need to pay self employment taxes on CRP rents,” McEowen said. McEowen explained that even if someone just owns the land that is in the CRP and is not a farmer, the court says they will be charged the tax.
According the USDA’s website, the program pays landowners to halt all production on their environmentally sensitive lands to conserve and improve the quality of the land. The program is in place to help improve water quality, stop soil erosion and the loss of natural habitats. Landowners apply for the program by a bid to the USDA, who then accepts or denies the application. The participants then sign a 10 to 15 year contract. The court determined that the landowners participating in the CRP have the intent to make profit, and should be charged a self-employment tax.
“The court says that you are in the trade or business of creating environmentally friendly land and farms,” said McEowen. “Once you sign the CRP contract, the court states that you are in the trade or business of CRP and the CRP rents are subject to self-employment tax.”
With landowners being charged a self-employment tax, McEowen explained that when they apply their bids for the CRP, they would adjust their bids to incorporate the tax. The USDA will then have to pay more for the land to become a part of the CRP. Others may simply not participate in the CRP and cash lease the land to a farmer so that the cash rent income is not subject to self-employment tax.
ASA Reiterates Need for Oilseed Reports in Letter to NASS
In a letter to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) this week, the American Soybean Association expressed its support for NASS to conduct a new information collection, the 2013 Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR), specifically the M311J and M311K Oilseed and Oilseed Products reports.
These reports were previously conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau provided data on production and usage trends in the domestic fats, oils and protein meal markets. The industry utilized the reports in many ways, and they are important to government agencies, private industry and futures markets. ASA noted in its letter that the information contained in these reports does not exist elsewhere, except in incomplete form, and cannot be easily replicated by another entity.
ASA has led the effort to reinstate the reports, after the Census Bureau announced in 2012 that is would terminate the two reports, along with other CAIRs. ASA led a coalition of other agricultural and commodity groups that were impacted by the termination of the CAIRs to urge NASS to take over the reports.
Grain Export Sales Mixed
Thursday's weekly export sales report was released on Friday morning, a day later than normal because of the Independence Day holiday oberved on July 4th.
Weekly export sales of corn showed a total of 314,500 mt (12.4 mb), with 233,100 mt (9.2 mb) for 2012-2013. Total reported sales for 2012-2013 are above USDA's demand projection of 700 mb. Weekly shipments of 353,400 mt (13.9 mb) were above the 307,900 mt (12.1 mb) needed this week. Pre-report estimates for corn export sales ranged from 250,000 mt (12.1 mb) to 500,000 mt (19.7 mb).
Weekly export sales of soybeans showed a total 369,700 mt (13.6 mb), with 120,600 mt (4.4 mb) for 2012-2013. Total sales for 2012-2013 are above USDA's demand projection of 1.330 bb. Shipments of 115,900 mt (4.3 mb) were above the 88,000 mt (2.2 mb) needed this week. Pre-report estimates for soybean export sales ranged from 200,000 mt (7.3 mb) to 500,000 mt (18.4 mb).
The weekly export sales report for all wheat showed a total of 593,000 mt (21.8 mb), This is above the 366,600 mt (13.6 mb) needed to stay on pace with USDA's 2013-2014 demand projection of 975 mb. Weekly shipments of 688,500 mt (25.3 mb) were above the 511,500 mt (18.8 mb) needed this week. Pre-report estimates for wheat export sales ranged from 400,000 mt (14.7 mb) to 800,000 mt (29.4 mb).
USDA: 120,000 MT SRW to China
Private exporters reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture export sales of 120,000 metric tons of soft red winter wheat for delivery to China during the 2013/2014 marketing year, the USDA said Friday.
U.S. exporters are required to report to the USDA any export sales activity of 100,000 tons or more of one commodity made in one day or quantities totaling 200,000 tons or more in any reporting period to one destination, by 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) the next business day, according to the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. Any export sales under these quantities must be reported on a weekly basis.
APHIS Investigation Continuing, Industry Focuses on Restoring All Wheat Exports
The wheat industry continues its work to ensure open markets and exports in the midst of an ongoing investigation by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) into the presence of genetically modified wheat plants on one field in Oregon. USDA has provided information to trading partners via attaches and in writing, and the Japanese agriculture minister reportedly held a press conference Tuesday outlining the steps that country will take to resume purchases of all types of U.S. wheat. Representatives of the industry continue to be in contact with high-level USDA officials, and National Association of Wheat Growers President Bing Von Bergen was able to address the issue with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack as part of an otherwise-unrelated discussion this week. More information about the investigation is available online at www.wheatworld.org/aphisinvestigation/.
South Korea Lifts Ban on U.S. Wheat
South Korea on Friday lifted a ban on U.S. wheat imports after the local food-safety regulator found no unapproved genetically modified grain in recent U.S. shipments to the country.
The Korea Flour Mills Industrial Association said in a statement it decided to resume purchasing U.S. wheat after a suspension imposed on May 31 following the discovery of unapproved genetically modified white wheat strain at a farm in Oregon.
"The ban is lifted as of today," said Park Jeong-seop, general manager of the local millers' association. "Local bidding for U.S. white wheat can resume next week."
The Seoul-based trade group cautioned, however, that all U.S. white wheat should be inspected and approved by the Korea Food and Drug Administration before reaching consumers.
The KFDA on Tuesday said its expanded inspections of 45 samples of wheat and flour imported from Oregon and another 160 samples from other states in the U.S. showed all were free of the unapproved genetically modified wheat strain.
The KFDA said it would continue to check if U.S. wheat and flour imports contain any unapproved genetically modified wheat strains.
Japan has also banned imports of the Western White grade of wheat grown in Oregon on concerns about the safety of the wheat since late May. As of Friday, Japan's ban remained in effect.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on May 29 it was investigating a discovery of the herbicide-resistant wheat strain, which was developed by Monsanto Co. (MON) and last field tested in 2005, as growers and buyers opposed its plan to seek approval to market the seeds.
Monsanto, conducting its own investigation into the genetically modified grain found at an Oregon farm, said last month it had never sold it commercially. Monsanto conducted field trials of the biotech wheat in Oregon and other states, but not at the northeastern Oregon farm in question.
Lowell Sandell, UNL Weed Science Extension Educator
Stevan Knezevic, UNL Integrated Weed Management Specialist
Recently we received several inquiries about the presence of glyphosate-resistant volunteer soybeans in corn fields and cost-effective control options. These volunteers emerge from seed that shattered before soybean harvest or fell during combining. Historically, soybeans are not considered a serious volunteer weed problem in corn because they are not very competitive and several herbicide options are available to control them in corn. However, with the drought last year and harvest losses, there are substantial populations of volunteer soybeans in some corn fields this year. If populations are high and left uncontrolled, they may cause yield loss in corn.
In some areas wet soil conditions due to early spring rains delayed pre-plant/pre-emergence herbicide applications in corn. In other fields excessive rainfall washed away the pre-plant or pre-emergence herbicides that had been applied. These scenarios provided ample conditions for volunteer soybeans to emerge. Postemergence herbicides are the only option at this time to control emerged volunteer soybeans in corn and the window for application is quickly closing.
The size of volunteer soybeans and corn at the time of herbicide application will affect how well herbicides control them. At this time the best control option for volunteer soybeans is a herbicide containing dicamba such as Status. It can be applied at 5 oz per acre in corn up to 36 inches tall. Maximum labeled rate per application is 10 oz per acre (this may cause injury on corn); the maximum rate per season is 12.5 oz per acre. Stinger would be another option and can be applied in corn up to 24 inches tall at a rate of 0.25 to 0.5 pint per acre. Armezon/Impact (topramezone) is one of the HPPD-inhibiting herbicides that can be applied up to the V8 stage of corn at 0.5 to 1 fl oz per acre.
If volunteer soybeans are at V2 to V3 (second to third trifoliate) stage, application of herbicides such as atrazine plus HPPDs (Callisto, Laudis, or Impact) might be a good option due to their crop safety. Early postemergence applications are recommended for best control.
Because 2,4-D is a cost effective option, some growers may prefer it for volunteer soybean control; however, a study conducted at North Dakota State University suggests that soybeans are less sensitive to 2,4-D compared with dicamba (Clarity, Status) or clopyralid (Stinger). Dicamba and 2,4-D cannot be broadcasted on corn over 8 inches tall unless drop nozzles are used to place herbicides below the whorl. When corn is over 20 inches tall use drop nozzles to avoid herbicide injury to corn.
Hornet is a selective broadleaf herbicide that contains clopyralid. It can be applied pre-plant, preemergence, or postemergence for control of broadleaf weeds including volunteer soybean in field corn. Do not exceed a total application rate of 6.0 oz per acre of Hornet WDG in a single crop year. Hornet WDG can be tank-mixed with Callisto and atrazine for broad spectrum weed control in corn fields. TripleFLEX/SureStart is a combination of acetochlor (Harness), clopyralid (Stinger), and flumetsulam (Python). It may be used for early postemergence control of volunteer soybeans, but will not be very effective if soybeans are above second trifoliate stage.
Always read the label before applying any herbicide.
Start Scouting for Potato Leafhoppers in Alfalfa
Robert Wright, UNL Extension Entomologist
I am beginning to find adult and nymphal potato leafhoppers in alfalfa at UNL’s South Central Ag Laboratory near Clay Center. If you have not started to scout for potato leafhopper, now would be a good time to begin.
Potato leafhoppers have the potential to hurt alfalfa in Nebraska every year and have been common recently. They don't overwinter in Nebraska but rather are brought in on southerly winds. Generally they are a second and third cutting pest.
These small (1/8 inch long), bright green, wedge-shaped insects may cause severe damage to alfalfa by injecting a toxin into the plant as they feed. This feeding results in a distinctive yellow or purple triangle shape at the leaf tip. First year, spring planted alfalfa fields are particularly attractive to and vulnerable to potato leafhoppers, as are fields planted last year. In older fields, these insects are usually a problem on second and third cuttings.
Newly developed resistant varieties provide fairly good protection from potato leafhoppers, but alfalfa in the seedling stage may still be damaged. All fields should still be scouted, as large numbers of leafhoppers may still cause a problem, even in resistant variety fields.
Treatment Thresholds and Insecticides
Treatment decisions are based on numbers captured by a sweep net. (A sweep net is the only reliable way to scout for potato leafhoppers.) Many insecticides are registered for control, and all will provide good results when applied properly. Commonly used insecticides include Mustang, Warrior, Baythroid, and Lorsban, or products with the same active ingredients. Refer to the UNL Department of Entomology website at http://entomology.unl.edu/instabls/ for a list of suggested insecticides and NebGuide G1136, Potato Leafhopper Management in Alfalfa, for more information.
Nebraska Soybean Board Ballots due July 31, 2013
Election ballots for Districts 4 and 8 of the Nebraska Soybean Board will be mailed on Friday, July 12, 2013, to soybean producers in those districts. To be eligible to vote in the election voters must:
·Be engaged in the growing of soybeans
·Be a resident in the District
·Pay the soybean checkoff
·One Producer – One Vote Only
The voting producer must sign and print their full name and town on the ballot envelope, to be a valid vote. The ballot must be postmarked by July 31, 2013. Eligible producers who do not receive a ballot by July 18, 2013, can call 402-466-1969 to request a one.
Ballots will be mailed to the counties in the following districts:
District 4: (Boone, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk and York Counties)
Candidates
· Brian Brown – Central City, NE – Merrick County
· Eugene Goering – Platte Center, NE – Platte County
District 8: (Arthur, Banner, Blaine, Box Butte, Brown, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Custer, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Grant, Greeley, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Hooker, Howard, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Morrill, Perkins, Phelps, Red Willow, Rock, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Thomas, Valley and Wheeler Counties)
Candidates
· Daren England – Holdrege, NE – Phelps County
· Terry Horky – Sargent, NE – Custer County
Results will be announced in August. The elected directors will serve a three-year term for these seats beginning October 1, 2013 and ending September 30, 2016.
Court Decision Effects Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Land Owners
As a result of a recent U.S. Tax Court ruling, those who sign a Conservation Reserve Program contract, whether they are involved in a farm business or just own the land, will find their CRP payments subject to self-employment tax.
Previously, at least until 2003, self-employment tax on CRP payments was only enforced on those who were directly involved in a trade or business, and a non-farmer’s CRP income was not subject to self-employment tax, said Roger McEowen, director of the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation and agricultural law professor at Iowa State University.
“The issue is that people who are not in a trade or business should not need to pay self employment taxes on CRP rents,” McEowen said. McEowen explained that even if someone just owns the land that is in the CRP and is not a farmer, the court says they will be charged the tax.
According the USDA’s website, the program pays landowners to halt all production on their environmentally sensitive lands to conserve and improve the quality of the land. The program is in place to help improve water quality, stop soil erosion and the loss of natural habitats. Landowners apply for the program by a bid to the USDA, who then accepts or denies the application. The participants then sign a 10 to 15 year contract. The court determined that the landowners participating in the CRP have the intent to make profit, and should be charged a self-employment tax.
“The court says that you are in the trade or business of creating environmentally friendly land and farms,” said McEowen. “Once you sign the CRP contract, the court states that you are in the trade or business of CRP and the CRP rents are subject to self-employment tax.”
With landowners being charged a self-employment tax, McEowen explained that when they apply their bids for the CRP, they would adjust their bids to incorporate the tax. The USDA will then have to pay more for the land to become a part of the CRP. Others may simply not participate in the CRP and cash lease the land to a farmer so that the cash rent income is not subject to self-employment tax.
ASA Reiterates Need for Oilseed Reports in Letter to NASS
In a letter to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) this week, the American Soybean Association expressed its support for NASS to conduct a new information collection, the 2013 Current Agricultural Industrial Reports (CAIR), specifically the M311J and M311K Oilseed and Oilseed Products reports.
These reports were previously conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau provided data on production and usage trends in the domestic fats, oils and protein meal markets. The industry utilized the reports in many ways, and they are important to government agencies, private industry and futures markets. ASA noted in its letter that the information contained in these reports does not exist elsewhere, except in incomplete form, and cannot be easily replicated by another entity.
ASA has led the effort to reinstate the reports, after the Census Bureau announced in 2012 that is would terminate the two reports, along with other CAIRs. ASA led a coalition of other agricultural and commodity groups that were impacted by the termination of the CAIRs to urge NASS to take over the reports.
Grain Export Sales Mixed
Thursday's weekly export sales report was released on Friday morning, a day later than normal because of the Independence Day holiday oberved on July 4th.
Weekly export sales of corn showed a total of 314,500 mt (12.4 mb), with 233,100 mt (9.2 mb) for 2012-2013. Total reported sales for 2012-2013 are above USDA's demand projection of 700 mb. Weekly shipments of 353,400 mt (13.9 mb) were above the 307,900 mt (12.1 mb) needed this week. Pre-report estimates for corn export sales ranged from 250,000 mt (12.1 mb) to 500,000 mt (19.7 mb).
Weekly export sales of soybeans showed a total 369,700 mt (13.6 mb), with 120,600 mt (4.4 mb) for 2012-2013. Total sales for 2012-2013 are above USDA's demand projection of 1.330 bb. Shipments of 115,900 mt (4.3 mb) were above the 88,000 mt (2.2 mb) needed this week. Pre-report estimates for soybean export sales ranged from 200,000 mt (7.3 mb) to 500,000 mt (18.4 mb).
The weekly export sales report for all wheat showed a total of 593,000 mt (21.8 mb), This is above the 366,600 mt (13.6 mb) needed to stay on pace with USDA's 2013-2014 demand projection of 975 mb. Weekly shipments of 688,500 mt (25.3 mb) were above the 511,500 mt (18.8 mb) needed this week. Pre-report estimates for wheat export sales ranged from 400,000 mt (14.7 mb) to 800,000 mt (29.4 mb).
USDA: 120,000 MT SRW to China
Private exporters reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture export sales of 120,000 metric tons of soft red winter wheat for delivery to China during the 2013/2014 marketing year, the USDA said Friday.
U.S. exporters are required to report to the USDA any export sales activity of 100,000 tons or more of one commodity made in one day or quantities totaling 200,000 tons or more in any reporting period to one destination, by 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) the next business day, according to the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. Any export sales under these quantities must be reported on a weekly basis.
APHIS Investigation Continuing, Industry Focuses on Restoring All Wheat Exports
The wheat industry continues its work to ensure open markets and exports in the midst of an ongoing investigation by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) into the presence of genetically modified wheat plants on one field in Oregon. USDA has provided information to trading partners via attaches and in writing, and the Japanese agriculture minister reportedly held a press conference Tuesday outlining the steps that country will take to resume purchases of all types of U.S. wheat. Representatives of the industry continue to be in contact with high-level USDA officials, and National Association of Wheat Growers President Bing Von Bergen was able to address the issue with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack as part of an otherwise-unrelated discussion this week. More information about the investigation is available online at www.wheatworld.org/aphisinvestigation/.
South Korea Lifts Ban on U.S. Wheat
South Korea on Friday lifted a ban on U.S. wheat imports after the local food-safety regulator found no unapproved genetically modified grain in recent U.S. shipments to the country.
The Korea Flour Mills Industrial Association said in a statement it decided to resume purchasing U.S. wheat after a suspension imposed on May 31 following the discovery of unapproved genetically modified white wheat strain at a farm in Oregon.
"The ban is lifted as of today," said Park Jeong-seop, general manager of the local millers' association. "Local bidding for U.S. white wheat can resume next week."
The Seoul-based trade group cautioned, however, that all U.S. white wheat should be inspected and approved by the Korea Food and Drug Administration before reaching consumers.
The KFDA on Tuesday said its expanded inspections of 45 samples of wheat and flour imported from Oregon and another 160 samples from other states in the U.S. showed all were free of the unapproved genetically modified wheat strain.
The KFDA said it would continue to check if U.S. wheat and flour imports contain any unapproved genetically modified wheat strains.
Japan has also banned imports of the Western White grade of wheat grown in Oregon on concerns about the safety of the wheat since late May. As of Friday, Japan's ban remained in effect.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on May 29 it was investigating a discovery of the herbicide-resistant wheat strain, which was developed by Monsanto Co. (MON) and last field tested in 2005, as growers and buyers opposed its plan to seek approval to market the seeds.
Monsanto, conducting its own investigation into the genetically modified grain found at an Oregon farm, said last month it had never sold it commercially. Monsanto conducted field trials of the biotech wheat in Oregon and other states, but not at the northeastern Oregon farm in question.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Wednesday July 3 Ag News
Most Rural Nebraskans Skeptical About New Health Insurance Law
Most rural Nebraskans have health insurance and a majority think the nation will be worse off under the new health care law, though many also acknowledge they don't sufficiently understand the law, according to the 2013 Nebraska Rural Poll.
The 18th annual University of Nebraska-Lincoln poll was sent to 6,320 households in Nebraska's 84 nonmetropolitan counties in March and April. Results are based on 2,317 responses.
The poll asked participants a series of questions about their own health-insurance situation and about their opinions of the Affordable Care Act, also known as the health care reform law, passed by Congress in 2010.
Fifty-five percent of respondents reported having health insurance through their job benefits or their spouse's. Twenty-four percent said they have insurance through a government program such as Medicaid or Medicare. Nine percent said they have no health insurance.
Most likely to be uninsured are those who live in North Central Nebraska, people with lower household incomes, people who never married, people with lower education levels and people with food service or personal care occupations.
The poll also found rural Nebraskans to be highly skeptical about the Affordable Care Act. Cheryl Burkhart Kreisel, UNL Extension specialist in entrepreneurship/business development, said that skepticism is not surprising considering the law came from a democratic president and members of Congress, "and we're polling a very conservative red state."
Fifty-four percent of poll respondents said they think the country will be worse off under the new law, and just 9 percent think it will be better off. Also, 52 percent think self-employed individuals will be worse off, and 8 percent think they will be better off.
Thirty-five percent said they believed people currently without health insurance will be better off under the new law, while 27 percent think they'd be worse off.
Other findings:
– Thirty-six percent think the new law will be somewhat successful at increasing access to health insurance coverage, while 27 percent think it won't.
– 58 percent think the law will not succeed in decreasing overall health care costs, while only 13 percent think it will. Also, 44 percent think it will not help increase the quality of health care, while 24 percent think it will.
– Persons living in or near smaller communities are more likely than those in or near large communities to say they and their family will be worse off under the new law – 56 percent compared to 43 percent.
Underlying respondents' opinions of the new law, though, is an acknowledgment by many that they don't understand it well. Only 5 percent say they understand the law "very well." More than 40 percent say they don't understand it at all and almost one-third say not too well.
"There's a lot of learning and education that needs to take place," Burkhart-Kreisel said.
"There's a lack of trust in the entire system," added Randy Cantrell, rural sociologist with the Rural Futures Institute.
"It's a fascinating look at what you get with a major national policy change," he said.
The Rural Poll is the largest annual poll of rural Nebraskans' perceptions on quality of life and policy issues. This year's response rate was about 37 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percent. Complete results are available online at http://ruralpoll.unl.edu.
With its 18-year history, the poll has a collection of data about rural trends and perceptions that is unmatched in the country, said Becky Vogt, project manager who's been working on the Rural Poll since its second year.
The university's Center for Applied Rural Innovation conducts the poll in cooperation with the Nebraska Rural Futures Institute with funding from UNL Extension and the Agricultural Research Division in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
FSA Announces Disaster Designation for Thurston, Burt Counties
Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Mark Moser announced that there are two Nebraska counties designated as contiguous natural disaster areas due to severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding conditions affecting parts of Iowa. Those counties are Burt and Thurston.
These counties were designated a Presidential Major Disaster on July 2, 2013, based on severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding. This designation authorizes Emergency (EM) Loans for eligible producers. Moser stated, “Producers in these counties are encouraged to contact their local FSA Service Center for detailed information about available programs and updated disaster designations.”
Emergency Loan applications are available for qualifying physical or production losses caused by these disaster conditions. Physical losses include structures, equipment, supplies, and livestock while production losses include crops. These loans do require security and the ability to repay the loan. The deadline for submitting applications is March 3, 2014. For additional details contact the Wayne FSA Office at (402) 375-2453.
In addition to the Emergency (EM) Loan Program, the FSA has other loan programs and disaster assistance programs which can be considered in assisting farmers to recover from their losses. Contact your local FSA Service Center or access additional information about Farm Loan and FSA Disaster Assistance programs at www.fsa.usda.gov.
While this release pertains to the availability of FSA programs, other federal agencies such as FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and SBA (Small Business Administration) may also have assistance to the public. Information is available from these two agencies at the following websites: www.fema.gov and www.sba.gov.
Survey: Increased Resistance to Drugs in Bovine Respiratory Cases
A survey of records of bovine respiratory disease cases at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory showed that drug resistance in one of the primary pathogens that cause BRD, Mannheimia haemolytica, increased over a three-year period.
"We have been seeing an increase in the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria that cause pneumonia (also called BRD) in cattle," said Brian Lubbers, assistant professor in the diagnostic lab, based at Kansas State University. "Many of these bacteria are resistant to, not one, but almost all of the antibiotics that we use to treat pneumonia in cattle."
BRD is one of the most important diseases of feedlot cattle, particularly, said Lubbers, adding that the economic toll from the disease has been estimated to approach $1 billion annually in the United States alone, if one takes into account drug and labor costs, decreased production, and animal death losses.
Until now, one of the aspects that has not been studied very well is the cost linked to antimicrobial resistance in BRD cases, he said. To take a closer look, he and colleague Gregg Hanzlicek, also an assistant professor in the diagnostic lab, examined records of cases in which specimens of bovine lung tissue were submitted to the diagnostic lab over the three years, 2009 to 2011. Most of the cattle were from Kansas and Nebraska.
They found that over that period, a high percentage of M. haemolytica bacteria recovered from cattle lungs were resistant to several of the drugs typically used to treat that pathogen. The researchers also found, however, that no specimens were resistant to all six antimicrobial drugs.
The study was funded internally by the diagnostic lab.
Using resistance to three or more antimicrobials as the definition of multi-drug resistance, 63 percent of the bacteria would be classified as multidrug resistant in 2011, compared with 46 percent in 2010 and 42 percent in 2009.
The results of the study were published by the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation.
"Antimicrobial resistance in veterinary medicine has received a considerable amount of recognition as a potential factor leading to antimicrobial resistance in human medicine," Lubbers said. "However, the contribution of multidrug resistance to limited or failed therapy in veterinary patients has received much less attention."
Because there are a limited number of antimicrobial drugs that can be used for treatment of BRD pathogens, Lubbers said, multidrug resistance in those pathogens poses a severe threat to the livestock industry. "We (KSVDL) consider this type of information to be part of our active ongoing disease surveillance and will continue this work," Lubbers said. "The questions of how these bacteria develop or where they come from, how widespread they are, and what is the impact on cattle production are still unanswered. We are actively seeking industry partners to investigate these questions."
Neogen Acquires Iowa's SyrVet
Neogen Corporation announced that it has acquired the assets of SyrVet Incorporated, a veterinary instrument business based in Waukee, Iowa. Started in 1987 by Daniel Klein, SyrVet has become an important supplier to farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians in more than 30 countries worldwide.
SyrVet's product line ranges from animal handling products to sophisticated supplies for artificial insemination, and has earned the company significant shelf space in major farm store suppliers throughout the U.S. The majority of the company's products are used in the production of food animals; however, the company's Horse Sense product line provides a wide array of tack products to the professional equine market.
"The SyrVet acquisition can be viewed as a 'bolt-on' opportunity for Neogen. The SyrVet product line will join Neogen's Ideal Instruments division that has supplied animal health products to the industry for over 82 years," said Dr. Jason Lilly, Neogen's vice president of corporate development. "As the trend toward larger, but fewer, food animal producers has continued, it is important for suppliers to those industries to strengthen their operations."
Though many of SyrVet's products are similar to those offered by Ideal Instruments, SyrVet has developed its own distribution system to reach dairy, pork, beef, and sheep producers. Also, the addition of the SyrVet product line to Neogen's existing veterinary instrument business broadens its product offering. Approximately 30% of SyrVet's sales come from international markets, primarily in Mexico and Latin America.
"During the 27 years we were building our business, we have always had a great respect for Neogen," said Daniel Klein, SyrVet's president. "When we made the decision to exit our business it was our desire to place our customers and product lines with Neogen, who would continue the strong product development and customer service that built our business."
A Neogen spokesman indicated the company would continue to operate from the SyrVet location in Iowa through a transition period, but ultimately product engineering, manufacturing, and distribution would be relocated to Neogen facilities in Lansing, Mich., and Lexington, Ky. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Weekly Ethanol Production for 6/28/2013
According to EIA data, ethanol production averaged 863,000 barrels per day (b/d) — or 36.25 million gallons daily. That is down 22,000 b/d from the week before. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 876,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 13.43 billion gallons.
Stocks of ethanol stood at 15.4 million barrels. That is a 5.2% decrease from last week and the lowest since EIA began reporting weekly data in 2010.
Imports of ethanol were zero b/d, down from last week.
Gasoline demand for the week averaged 390.3 million gallons daily — the highest level since early August 2012. Refiner/blender input of ethanol hit a record level of 887,000 b/d. Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production was 9.29%.
On the co-products side, ethanol producers were using 13.085 million bushels of corn to produce ethanol and 96,313 metric tons of livestock feed, 85,864 metric tons of which were distillers grains. The rest is comprised of corn gluten feed and corn gluten meal. Additionally, ethanol producers were providing 4.49 million pounds of corn oil daily.
Informa Pegs Corn Crop at 14.26 BB, Soybeans at 3.38 BB
Private analytical firm Informa Economics pegged the national average corn yield at 160 bushels per acre, estimating the U.S. will produce 14.26 billion bushels of corn in 2013. Informa applied early estimates of corn yields to USDA's acreage estimates to arrive at the production figure, which is lower than Informa's forecast last month, but a 3.5 billion bushel increase from last year's production. Informa said corn yields in the Eastern Corn Belt are expected to be 1.3 bpa higher, offsetting some of the Western Corn Belt's 2.2 bpa decline.
Soybean estimates are also larger than last year, with an average national yield of 43.9 bpa and production of 3.38 billion bushels and using USDA's 76.9 million acre acreage forecast.
Estimated sorghum yield and and production estimates jumped dramatically, with the average yield up more than 14 bpa to 64.2 bpa and production up 144 million bushels to 391 mb.
Informa lowered its all wheat production estimate to 2.016 billion bushels, on reduction in both winter wheat and spring wheat production.
The most significant yield-determining portion of the growing season is ahead, Informa notes, making early season forecasts difficult. Early season production potential is a very fluid item as struggling crops can respond positively to favorable weather events as well as negatively if adverse weather occurs, cutting production potential, Informa said.
USDA Dairy Products May 2013 Highlights
Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 954 million pounds, 3.9 percent above May 2012 and 2.6 percent above April 2013. Italian type cheese production totaled 402 million pounds, 2.7 percent above May 2012 and 1.1 percent above April 2013. American type cheese production totaled 389 million pounds, 5.9 percent above May 2012 and 3.3 percent above April 2013. Butter production was 167 million pounds, 1.5 percent above May 2012 but 0.2 percent below April 2013.
Dry milk powders (comparisons with May 2012)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 167 million pounds, down 13.4 percent.
Skim milk powders - 54.6 million pounds, up 272.3 percent.
Whey products (comparisons with May 2012)
Dry whey, total - 78.0 million pounds, down 10.0 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 91.8 million pounds, up 4.8 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 42.8 million pounds, up 16.9 percent.
Frozen products (comparisons with May 2012)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 77.8 million gallons, up 0.1 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 42.2 million gallons, down 11.1 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 4.56 million gallons, up 18.0 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 7.55 million gallons, up 5.7 percent.
FDA approves FACTREL® for use with LUTALYSE® for fixed-time artificial insemination
Dairy producers can improve the reproductive performance of their herds with approved products from Zoetis for fixed-time artificial insemination. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved FACTREL® (gonadorelin hydrochloride) Sterile Solution for use with LUTALYSE® (dinoprost tromethamine) Sterile Solution to synchronize estrous cycles to allow for fixed-time artificial insemination in lactating dairy cows.
“We understand that reproductive synchronization is critical to the success of modern dairy operations,” says John Lee, DVM, managing veterinarian, Zoetis. “The FDA’s approval provides veterinarians and producers the opportunity to feel confident using products that they have trusted for years.”
AI synchronization programs have grown in popularity since their introduction via university research in the 1990s. FDA approval of FACTREL for use with LUTALYSE includes a flexible schedule, allowing veterinarians to customize breeding programs for their dairy clients.
“The nice part about the approval is the flexibility it offers. Veterinarians will be able to tailor fixed-time artificial insemination programs to the specific needs of their clients while still being on label,” Dr. Lee says. “At Zoetis, we consider it our responsibility to ensure the industry has access to comprehensive, on-label reproductive management solutions consistent with best practices of dairy management.”
With flexible, approved use of Zoetis products for fixed-time artificial insemination, veterinarians and producers now can use LUTALYSE, the most veterinarian-recommended and producer-used prostaglandin in the marketplace, on label with FACTREL in many of the synchronization protocols recommended by the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council.
Bio-based acrylic acid process milestone recognized
BASF, Cargill and Novozymes today announced the achievement of an important milestone in their joint development of technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable raw materials by successfully demonstrating the production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) in pilot scale.
3-HP is a renewable-based building block and one possible chemical precursor to acrylic acid. The companies also have successfully established several technologies to dehydrate 3-HP to acrylic acid at lab scale. This step in the process is critical since it is the foundation for production of acrylic acid. In August 2012, BASF, Cargill and Novozymes announced their joint agreement to develop a process for the conversion of renewable raw materials into a 100 percent bio-based acrylic acid.
“3-HP is a potential key raw material for the production of bio-based acrylic acid which is a precursor of superabsorbent polymers,” said Teressa Szelest, Senior Vice President Global Hygiene Business at BASF. “We still have a fair amount of work to do before the process is commercially ready, but this is a significant milestone and we are confident we can continue to the next level of scale-up for the entire process in 2014.”
Acrylic acid is a high-volume chemical that feeds into a broad range of products. BASF is the world’s largest producer of acrylic acid and has substantial capabilities in its production and downstream processing. BASF plans initially to use the bio-based acrylic acid to manufacture superabsorbent polymers that can soak up large amounts of liquid and are used mainly in baby diapers and other hygiene products. Presently, acrylic acid is produced by the oxidation of propylene derived from the refining of crude oil.
The companies’ joint project team combines world-class expertise in biotechnology, renewable feedstock, industrial scale fermentation, and in developing new chemical processes.
“Our three companies have assembled highly talented and experienced joint working teams for this project,” said Jack Staloch, Vice President of Biotechnology R&D at Cargill. “They’ve moved with speed and intensity, and have demonstrated great progress toward accomplishing our goals.”
“We have reached an important milestone by producing 3-HP in pilot scale,” said Rasmus von Gottberg, Vice President of Corporate Development and Business Creation at Novozymes. “We have shown that it is possible to make this key chemical building block from renewable raw materials in robust industrial conditions. Now the development work will continue towards commercialization.”
Superabsorbent polymers derived from bio-based acrylic acid will be a groundbreaking new offer to the market. Diapers made of such superabsorbent polymers could meet the demand of a significant and growing group of consumers in mature markets in particular. They also may allow diaper producers to meet consumer demands, differentiate their products and contribute to their sustainability goals.
Most rural Nebraskans have health insurance and a majority think the nation will be worse off under the new health care law, though many also acknowledge they don't sufficiently understand the law, according to the 2013 Nebraska Rural Poll.
The 18th annual University of Nebraska-Lincoln poll was sent to 6,320 households in Nebraska's 84 nonmetropolitan counties in March and April. Results are based on 2,317 responses.
The poll asked participants a series of questions about their own health-insurance situation and about their opinions of the Affordable Care Act, also known as the health care reform law, passed by Congress in 2010.
Fifty-five percent of respondents reported having health insurance through their job benefits or their spouse's. Twenty-four percent said they have insurance through a government program such as Medicaid or Medicare. Nine percent said they have no health insurance.
Most likely to be uninsured are those who live in North Central Nebraska, people with lower household incomes, people who never married, people with lower education levels and people with food service or personal care occupations.
The poll also found rural Nebraskans to be highly skeptical about the Affordable Care Act. Cheryl Burkhart Kreisel, UNL Extension specialist in entrepreneurship/business development, said that skepticism is not surprising considering the law came from a democratic president and members of Congress, "and we're polling a very conservative red state."
Fifty-four percent of poll respondents said they think the country will be worse off under the new law, and just 9 percent think it will be better off. Also, 52 percent think self-employed individuals will be worse off, and 8 percent think they will be better off.
Thirty-five percent said they believed people currently without health insurance will be better off under the new law, while 27 percent think they'd be worse off.
Other findings:
– Thirty-six percent think the new law will be somewhat successful at increasing access to health insurance coverage, while 27 percent think it won't.
– 58 percent think the law will not succeed in decreasing overall health care costs, while only 13 percent think it will. Also, 44 percent think it will not help increase the quality of health care, while 24 percent think it will.
– Persons living in or near smaller communities are more likely than those in or near large communities to say they and their family will be worse off under the new law – 56 percent compared to 43 percent.
Underlying respondents' opinions of the new law, though, is an acknowledgment by many that they don't understand it well. Only 5 percent say they understand the law "very well." More than 40 percent say they don't understand it at all and almost one-third say not too well.
"There's a lot of learning and education that needs to take place," Burkhart-Kreisel said.
"There's a lack of trust in the entire system," added Randy Cantrell, rural sociologist with the Rural Futures Institute.
"It's a fascinating look at what you get with a major national policy change," he said.
The Rural Poll is the largest annual poll of rural Nebraskans' perceptions on quality of life and policy issues. This year's response rate was about 37 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percent. Complete results are available online at http://ruralpoll.unl.edu.
With its 18-year history, the poll has a collection of data about rural trends and perceptions that is unmatched in the country, said Becky Vogt, project manager who's been working on the Rural Poll since its second year.
The university's Center for Applied Rural Innovation conducts the poll in cooperation with the Nebraska Rural Futures Institute with funding from UNL Extension and the Agricultural Research Division in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
FSA Announces Disaster Designation for Thurston, Burt Counties
Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Mark Moser announced that there are two Nebraska counties designated as contiguous natural disaster areas due to severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding conditions affecting parts of Iowa. Those counties are Burt and Thurston.
These counties were designated a Presidential Major Disaster on July 2, 2013, based on severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding. This designation authorizes Emergency (EM) Loans for eligible producers. Moser stated, “Producers in these counties are encouraged to contact their local FSA Service Center for detailed information about available programs and updated disaster designations.”
Emergency Loan applications are available for qualifying physical or production losses caused by these disaster conditions. Physical losses include structures, equipment, supplies, and livestock while production losses include crops. These loans do require security and the ability to repay the loan. The deadline for submitting applications is March 3, 2014. For additional details contact the Wayne FSA Office at (402) 375-2453.
In addition to the Emergency (EM) Loan Program, the FSA has other loan programs and disaster assistance programs which can be considered in assisting farmers to recover from their losses. Contact your local FSA Service Center or access additional information about Farm Loan and FSA Disaster Assistance programs at www.fsa.usda.gov.
While this release pertains to the availability of FSA programs, other federal agencies such as FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and SBA (Small Business Administration) may also have assistance to the public. Information is available from these two agencies at the following websites: www.fema.gov and www.sba.gov.
Survey: Increased Resistance to Drugs in Bovine Respiratory Cases
A survey of records of bovine respiratory disease cases at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory showed that drug resistance in one of the primary pathogens that cause BRD, Mannheimia haemolytica, increased over a three-year period.
"We have been seeing an increase in the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria that cause pneumonia (also called BRD) in cattle," said Brian Lubbers, assistant professor in the diagnostic lab, based at Kansas State University. "Many of these bacteria are resistant to, not one, but almost all of the antibiotics that we use to treat pneumonia in cattle."
BRD is one of the most important diseases of feedlot cattle, particularly, said Lubbers, adding that the economic toll from the disease has been estimated to approach $1 billion annually in the United States alone, if one takes into account drug and labor costs, decreased production, and animal death losses.
Until now, one of the aspects that has not been studied very well is the cost linked to antimicrobial resistance in BRD cases, he said. To take a closer look, he and colleague Gregg Hanzlicek, also an assistant professor in the diagnostic lab, examined records of cases in which specimens of bovine lung tissue were submitted to the diagnostic lab over the three years, 2009 to 2011. Most of the cattle were from Kansas and Nebraska.
They found that over that period, a high percentage of M. haemolytica bacteria recovered from cattle lungs were resistant to several of the drugs typically used to treat that pathogen. The researchers also found, however, that no specimens were resistant to all six antimicrobial drugs.
The study was funded internally by the diagnostic lab.
Using resistance to three or more antimicrobials as the definition of multi-drug resistance, 63 percent of the bacteria would be classified as multidrug resistant in 2011, compared with 46 percent in 2010 and 42 percent in 2009.
The results of the study were published by the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation.
"Antimicrobial resistance in veterinary medicine has received a considerable amount of recognition as a potential factor leading to antimicrobial resistance in human medicine," Lubbers said. "However, the contribution of multidrug resistance to limited or failed therapy in veterinary patients has received much less attention."
Because there are a limited number of antimicrobial drugs that can be used for treatment of BRD pathogens, Lubbers said, multidrug resistance in those pathogens poses a severe threat to the livestock industry. "We (KSVDL) consider this type of information to be part of our active ongoing disease surveillance and will continue this work," Lubbers said. "The questions of how these bacteria develop or where they come from, how widespread they are, and what is the impact on cattle production are still unanswered. We are actively seeking industry partners to investigate these questions."
Neogen Acquires Iowa's SyrVet
Neogen Corporation announced that it has acquired the assets of SyrVet Incorporated, a veterinary instrument business based in Waukee, Iowa. Started in 1987 by Daniel Klein, SyrVet has become an important supplier to farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians in more than 30 countries worldwide.
SyrVet's product line ranges from animal handling products to sophisticated supplies for artificial insemination, and has earned the company significant shelf space in major farm store suppliers throughout the U.S. The majority of the company's products are used in the production of food animals; however, the company's Horse Sense product line provides a wide array of tack products to the professional equine market.
"The SyrVet acquisition can be viewed as a 'bolt-on' opportunity for Neogen. The SyrVet product line will join Neogen's Ideal Instruments division that has supplied animal health products to the industry for over 82 years," said Dr. Jason Lilly, Neogen's vice president of corporate development. "As the trend toward larger, but fewer, food animal producers has continued, it is important for suppliers to those industries to strengthen their operations."
Though many of SyrVet's products are similar to those offered by Ideal Instruments, SyrVet has developed its own distribution system to reach dairy, pork, beef, and sheep producers. Also, the addition of the SyrVet product line to Neogen's existing veterinary instrument business broadens its product offering. Approximately 30% of SyrVet's sales come from international markets, primarily in Mexico and Latin America.
"During the 27 years we were building our business, we have always had a great respect for Neogen," said Daniel Klein, SyrVet's president. "When we made the decision to exit our business it was our desire to place our customers and product lines with Neogen, who would continue the strong product development and customer service that built our business."
A Neogen spokesman indicated the company would continue to operate from the SyrVet location in Iowa through a transition period, but ultimately product engineering, manufacturing, and distribution would be relocated to Neogen facilities in Lansing, Mich., and Lexington, Ky. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Weekly Ethanol Production for 6/28/2013
According to EIA data, ethanol production averaged 863,000 barrels per day (b/d) — or 36.25 million gallons daily. That is down 22,000 b/d from the week before. The four-week average for ethanol production stood at 876,000 b/d for an annualized rate of 13.43 billion gallons.
Stocks of ethanol stood at 15.4 million barrels. That is a 5.2% decrease from last week and the lowest since EIA began reporting weekly data in 2010.
Imports of ethanol were zero b/d, down from last week.
Gasoline demand for the week averaged 390.3 million gallons daily — the highest level since early August 2012. Refiner/blender input of ethanol hit a record level of 887,000 b/d. Expressed as a percentage of daily gasoline demand, daily ethanol production was 9.29%.
On the co-products side, ethanol producers were using 13.085 million bushels of corn to produce ethanol and 96,313 metric tons of livestock feed, 85,864 metric tons of which were distillers grains. The rest is comprised of corn gluten feed and corn gluten meal. Additionally, ethanol producers were providing 4.49 million pounds of corn oil daily.
Informa Pegs Corn Crop at 14.26 BB, Soybeans at 3.38 BB
Private analytical firm Informa Economics pegged the national average corn yield at 160 bushels per acre, estimating the U.S. will produce 14.26 billion bushels of corn in 2013. Informa applied early estimates of corn yields to USDA's acreage estimates to arrive at the production figure, which is lower than Informa's forecast last month, but a 3.5 billion bushel increase from last year's production. Informa said corn yields in the Eastern Corn Belt are expected to be 1.3 bpa higher, offsetting some of the Western Corn Belt's 2.2 bpa decline.
Soybean estimates are also larger than last year, with an average national yield of 43.9 bpa and production of 3.38 billion bushels and using USDA's 76.9 million acre acreage forecast.
Estimated sorghum yield and and production estimates jumped dramatically, with the average yield up more than 14 bpa to 64.2 bpa and production up 144 million bushels to 391 mb.
Informa lowered its all wheat production estimate to 2.016 billion bushels, on reduction in both winter wheat and spring wheat production.
The most significant yield-determining portion of the growing season is ahead, Informa notes, making early season forecasts difficult. Early season production potential is a very fluid item as struggling crops can respond positively to favorable weather events as well as negatively if adverse weather occurs, cutting production potential, Informa said.
USDA Dairy Products May 2013 Highlights
Total cheese output (excluding cottage cheese) was 954 million pounds, 3.9 percent above May 2012 and 2.6 percent above April 2013. Italian type cheese production totaled 402 million pounds, 2.7 percent above May 2012 and 1.1 percent above April 2013. American type cheese production totaled 389 million pounds, 5.9 percent above May 2012 and 3.3 percent above April 2013. Butter production was 167 million pounds, 1.5 percent above May 2012 but 0.2 percent below April 2013.
Dry milk powders (comparisons with May 2012)
Nonfat dry milk, human - 167 million pounds, down 13.4 percent.
Skim milk powders - 54.6 million pounds, up 272.3 percent.
Whey products (comparisons with May 2012)
Dry whey, total - 78.0 million pounds, down 10.0 percent.
Lactose, human and animal - 91.8 million pounds, up 4.8 percent.
Whey protein concentrate, total - 42.8 million pounds, up 16.9 percent.
Frozen products (comparisons with May 2012)
Ice cream, regular (hard) - 77.8 million gallons, up 0.1 percent.
Ice cream, lowfat (total) - 42.2 million gallons, down 11.1 percent.
Sherbet (hard) - 4.56 million gallons, up 18.0 percent.
Frozen yogurt (total) - 7.55 million gallons, up 5.7 percent.
FDA approves FACTREL® for use with LUTALYSE® for fixed-time artificial insemination
Dairy producers can improve the reproductive performance of their herds with approved products from Zoetis for fixed-time artificial insemination. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved FACTREL® (gonadorelin hydrochloride) Sterile Solution for use with LUTALYSE® (dinoprost tromethamine) Sterile Solution to synchronize estrous cycles to allow for fixed-time artificial insemination in lactating dairy cows.
“We understand that reproductive synchronization is critical to the success of modern dairy operations,” says John Lee, DVM, managing veterinarian, Zoetis. “The FDA’s approval provides veterinarians and producers the opportunity to feel confident using products that they have trusted for years.”
AI synchronization programs have grown in popularity since their introduction via university research in the 1990s. FDA approval of FACTREL for use with LUTALYSE includes a flexible schedule, allowing veterinarians to customize breeding programs for their dairy clients.
“The nice part about the approval is the flexibility it offers. Veterinarians will be able to tailor fixed-time artificial insemination programs to the specific needs of their clients while still being on label,” Dr. Lee says. “At Zoetis, we consider it our responsibility to ensure the industry has access to comprehensive, on-label reproductive management solutions consistent with best practices of dairy management.”
With flexible, approved use of Zoetis products for fixed-time artificial insemination, veterinarians and producers now can use LUTALYSE, the most veterinarian-recommended and producer-used prostaglandin in the marketplace, on label with FACTREL in many of the synchronization protocols recommended by the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council.
Bio-based acrylic acid process milestone recognized
BASF, Cargill and Novozymes today announced the achievement of an important milestone in their joint development of technologies to produce acrylic acid from renewable raw materials by successfully demonstrating the production of 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) in pilot scale.
3-HP is a renewable-based building block and one possible chemical precursor to acrylic acid. The companies also have successfully established several technologies to dehydrate 3-HP to acrylic acid at lab scale. This step in the process is critical since it is the foundation for production of acrylic acid. In August 2012, BASF, Cargill and Novozymes announced their joint agreement to develop a process for the conversion of renewable raw materials into a 100 percent bio-based acrylic acid.
“3-HP is a potential key raw material for the production of bio-based acrylic acid which is a precursor of superabsorbent polymers,” said Teressa Szelest, Senior Vice President Global Hygiene Business at BASF. “We still have a fair amount of work to do before the process is commercially ready, but this is a significant milestone and we are confident we can continue to the next level of scale-up for the entire process in 2014.”
Acrylic acid is a high-volume chemical that feeds into a broad range of products. BASF is the world’s largest producer of acrylic acid and has substantial capabilities in its production and downstream processing. BASF plans initially to use the bio-based acrylic acid to manufacture superabsorbent polymers that can soak up large amounts of liquid and are used mainly in baby diapers and other hygiene products. Presently, acrylic acid is produced by the oxidation of propylene derived from the refining of crude oil.
The companies’ joint project team combines world-class expertise in biotechnology, renewable feedstock, industrial scale fermentation, and in developing new chemical processes.
“Our three companies have assembled highly talented and experienced joint working teams for this project,” said Jack Staloch, Vice President of Biotechnology R&D at Cargill. “They’ve moved with speed and intensity, and have demonstrated great progress toward accomplishing our goals.”
“We have reached an important milestone by producing 3-HP in pilot scale,” said Rasmus von Gottberg, Vice President of Corporate Development and Business Creation at Novozymes. “We have shown that it is possible to make this key chemical building block from renewable raw materials in robust industrial conditions. Now the development work will continue towards commercialization.”
Superabsorbent polymers derived from bio-based acrylic acid will be a groundbreaking new offer to the market. Diapers made of such superabsorbent polymers could meet the demand of a significant and growing group of consumers in mature markets in particular. They also may allow diaper producers to meet consumer demands, differentiate their products and contribute to their sustainability goals.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Tuesday July 2 Ag News
Heineman Appoints 11 Individuals to Serve on the Water Funding Task Force
Gov. Dave Heineman today announced appointed members of the Water Funding Task Force. This task force was created with the passage of Legislative Bill 517e.
Members include: Brian Barels of Columbus, Joel Christensen of Omaha, John Heaston of Cozad, Tim Luchsinger of Grand Island, D. Chandler Mazour of Gothenburg, Roric Paulman of Sutherland, Rex Peterson of Gordon, Gerry Dale Sheets of Sargent, Scott Smathers of Lincoln, Walter Dennis Strauch of Mitchell and Lennie Adams of Waterloo.
The task force was created to make recommendations to the Legislature for a strategic plan that prioritizes programs, projects, and activities in need of funding; ranking criteria to identify funding priorities based on a variety of factors; legislation on a permanent governing board structure, application process, and a process evaluating priority projects; an annual funding amount; and statutes and regulations that would need to be modified in accordance with the task force’s recommendations.
According to the law, the task force consists of 34 total members. Sixteen are to be the current members of the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission and 11 members must be appointed by the Governor from the following categories: public power; public power and irrigation districts; irrigation districts; a metropolitan utilities district; municipalities; agriculture; wildlife conservation; livestock producers; agribusiness; manufacturing; and outdoor recreation users.
Additionally, seven members are ex officio non-voting, including the Director of the Department of Natural Resources or his or her designee, the chairperson of the Natural Resources Committee and five members of the Legislature appointed by the Executive Board of the Legislative Council.
The task force must submit their final recommendations to the Legislature on or before December 31, 2013, and will terminate at that time.
NCTA expands veterinary education program
A branch of the animal health care and education scene will be extending from Curtis to Omaha next year thanks to visionaries seeing a need for more licensed veterinary technicians in the Cornhusker State.
“There are many scenarios where licensed vet techs are the individuals trained and responsible for animal well-being,” says Glenn Jackson, DVM, PhD, and director of Nebraska’s newest Veterinary Technology Systems-Comparative Medicine option, based in Omaha.
“Opportunities are many, right here in Nebraska, for educated individuals to care for animals in facilities used for teaching, research, animal science and production agriculture,” says Dr. Jackson, who joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska – Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) at Curtis in 2012.
In Fall 2014, Dr. Jackson and other NCTA faculty will be teaching the core NCTA Veterinary Technician (Vet Tech) curriculum plus more customized classes, to the first students in the new program to be delivered at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) campus in Omaha.
Facility space at UNMC is under renovation for the NCTA program and will house small animals – mainly rodents, rabbits, cats and dogs. Hands-on education with larger animals will occur at the UNL’s farm and feedlot near Mead, Nebraska, and also with facilities near Lincoln and Omaha, Jackson said.
The two-year ( 76 credits) training program will provide an Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology, and will prepare students to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam to become a licensed veterinary technician, as well as certification exams to become an Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician or a full Laboratory Animal Technician.
The Vet Tech option can transfer to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Bachelor of Science degree program majoring in Veterinary Technology.
What exactly is “comparative medicine?”
A prime example is insulin for regulating diabetes, notes Dr. Jackson. In studying the pancreas of dogs and how insulin could regulate blood sugar, researchers then took those solutions into human health.
“Comparative medicine is studying physiology in animals,” Jackson says. Other examples include findings from cardiovascular research. There’s the heart valve taken from pigs and used in humans, and perhaps more well-known is the Jarvik-7 artificial heart first tested in cattle. Once perfected in calves and a bull, the Jarvik-7 addressed congestive heart failure for humans starting in 1982.
Although based at UNMC where health research trials occur in UNMC’s programs, the NCTA vet tech students will not engage in research, but will learn how to care for and provide veterinary support for animals in all types of health settings, including laboratories.
Comparative Medicine is conducted by several Nebraska companies and research institutions, primarily in the eastern part of the state, such as in pharmaceutical company drug investigations or livestock and pet animal research and product development. Vet tech jobs are ample in both private and public industries, Jackson says.
ASA Calls on House to Bring Unified Farm Bill Back to Floor in July
The American Soybean Association (ASA) joined with more than 530 agriculture, conservation, nutrition, rural development, finance, forestry, energy and crop insurance organizations today in a letter urging House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to bring the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 back to the House floor for a vote as soon as possible. In the letter, ASA and its fellow organizations noted the benefits of a unified farm bill and cautioned that nutrition and farm program bills may fail to pass as standalone bills. ASA President Danny Murphy, a soybean farmer from Canton, Miss., issued the following statement on the effort:
“In our nation’s capital, where so many efforts are poisoned by party-line bickering, the farm bill has long been a resoundingly bipartisan symbol of both parties’ ability to come together to pass legislation that benefits all Americans. The farm bill supports our farmers and ranchers, and rural Americans; but it also helps our friends and neighbors in urban and suburban communities as well. That responsibility—to provide for all Americans—is one that farmers take seriously. We are proud to stand alongside such a wide range of organizations to call on the House to recommit to passing a single, unified farm bill this month.”
NCGA Urges Boehner for New Farm Bill Vote
Today, the National Corn Growers Association joined 531 other agricultural organizations and companies on a letter to Speaker John Boehner urging consideration of the 2013 farm bill again by the House of Representatives. The letter follows the surprising failure of the House to pass the legislation at the end of June.
"Farm bills represent a delicate balance between America's farm, nutrition, conservation, and other priorities, and accordingly require strong bipartisan support," the letter stated. "It is vital for the House to try once again to bring together a broad coalition of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to provide certainty for farmers, rural America, the environment and our economy in general and pass a five-year farm bill upon returning in July."
The letter also raises concerns about splitting the nutrition title from the rest of the bill, a possibility that Majority Leader Eric Cantor publically announced prior to Congress leaving for the July 4th recess. The letter advises moving a unified farm bill forward to eliminate the possibility that neither farm nor nutrition programs pass.
"NCGA opposes splitting the nutrition title, or any title, from the 2013 farm bill," NCGA President Pam Johnson said. "Splitting will cause further delays, creating even greater uncertainty. America cannot afford another extension of the 2008 farm bill. This simply postpones overdue reforms and savings for the U.S. taxpayer. We have made progress in the Senate on the farm bill and expect Speaker Boehner to bring the legislation back to the House floor as soon as possible."
NCGA Comments Express Support for Tier 3 Standards, Urge Continued Support for FFVs
The National Corn Growers Association submitted comments Monday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the 938-page Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards Proposed Rule. In these comments, NCGA commended the agency on the proposed Tier 3 motor vehicle emission standard and fuel rule, which will reduce pollutants from the on-road light-duty motor vehicle fleet for many years to come.
The association also commended the agency on its recognition of the benefits of ethanol in transportation fuel, and its continued support for the Renewable Fuel Standard regulation, which is significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy security in the United States through the use of domestically produced ethanol.
The comments NCGA submitted are based upon two main principles.
First, the RFS volumes of biofuels in the future should be met in order to preserve the 150 million metric tons of annual CO2 equivalent emission reductions attributed to the RFS 2 program by EPA. The comments explain that:
"These emission reductions are directly dependent on the volume of biofuels and not on the fuel economy of the light-duty on-road motor vehicle fleet. The volume of biofuels is in turn dependent on having vehicles that are flexible-fuel capable and those certified on high octane mid-level blends plus a retailer infrastructure offering energy-competitive pricing. The Tier 3 proposal thus has a direct bearing on the availability of vehicles to implement the RFS."
Second, ethanol blends above E10 should be splash-blended to increase octane above the level of 87 AKI. In the comments, NCGA explains, "This will open up higher-octane-value fuels (not higher-priced "premium" grade fuels) to be widely used by the motoring public and by the automakers in meeting the 2017 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle GHG Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards."
The comments express support for EPA's approach toward establishing E15 as the new certification fuel for 2017 and later non-flexible fueled light duty vehicles, EPA's specifications for lower sulfur levels for in-use gasoline and of EPA's recognition that a high-octane mid-level ethanol blend could help automakers achieve the 2017 and later GHG emission standards and CAFE standards.
The comments did note that while NCGA is "generally supportive of establishing new certification fuel requirements for FFVs, we are concerned that the proposed approach would inhibit the future development of FFVs and the development of dedicated vehicles designed for the exclusive use of a high-octane mid-level ethanol blend. Both FFVs and high octane utilizing vehicles are critical to ensuring that the 150 million metric tons of GHG emission reductions from the RFS volumes are attained."
NCGA Sets New Membership Record
Membership at the National Corn Growers Association reached a new all-time high with 39,042 on the rolls as June closed. This membership record replaces the former of 38,810 members at the close of April in 2013, and it marks the first time membership has surpassed the 39,000 member threshold.
"While many have theorized that the United States has reached a post-membership society and that enrollment and active participation in civic groups will continue to decline, farmers across the country increasingly see the valuable service NCGA provides to all corn growers and act in support of our mission," said NCGA Grower Services Action Team Chair Brandon Hunnicutt. "Whether working to promote innovations that increase opportunity or voicing the support of America's farmers for the Renewable Fuels Standard in Washington, NCGA draws upon the strength of its more than 39,000 members so that, together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could acting alone."
Throughout NCGA's history, grassroots efforts have been the strength and driving force behind the organization.
"Farmers are at the heart of everything that NCGA does, with growers behind each step of a project from conception through the realization of its goals," stated Hunnicutt. "So many farmers choose to actively participate in the organization because they value giving back to their industry, putting the interests of the greatest number of farmers from across the country first in every decision they make."
NCGA has members across the contiguous United States. It is part of a federation in cooperation with grower associations and checkoff boards from 28 states, and represents more than 300,000 growers who contribute corn checkoff funds in their states.
CHS introduces grain marketing customer website
CHS Inc., a leading farmer-owned energy, grains and foods company, today announced it has created www.chsag.com to serve farmers selling grain directly to CHS river terminals and processing plants in Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. The new public website features cash bids updated every 10 minutes, a powerful charting tool, radar weather and forecasts, futures market overviews, as well as specific location contacts and announcements. These website features are also available via mobile phones at m.chsag.com.
“CHS knows that farmers want the immediacy and ease of accessing market information and insights electronically,” said Rick Dusek, CHS vice president, grain marketing, North America. “Providing tools and resources like chsag.com is one more way that CHS helps its owners grow.”
CHS buys grain directly from farmers at its river terminals and soybean processing facilities at Davenport, Iowa; Fairmont, Mankato, Savage and Winona, Minn.; and Pekin, Ill. CHS is a leading grain company, marketing more than two billion bushels of grain and oilseeds annually to domestic and export customers in 60 countries worldwide.
Farmers interested in selling grain directly to CHS can view cash bids and receiving hours on the website, www.chsag.com, or by calling the local phone numbers listed there. Farmers selling grain to CHS on a regular basis will also have secure, login access for information about individual shipments, settlement and contract details and transactions.
RI Bioheat Mandate Awaits Governor
Legislation in Rhode Island requiring heating oil to contain 2% biodiesel -- known as bioheat -- beginning in 2014 and gradually increasing to 5% by 2017 awaits the governor's signature.
The state legislature passed the law June 13, putting Rhode Island on track to be the first to implement a statewide bioheat requirement, according to the National Biodiesel Board in an email to Schneider Electric this afternoon.
"As with New York, the bill is yet to be signed by the state governor without a clear timetable," said Kaleb Little, NBB spokesman. "Rhode Island is on track to be the first to implement a statewide bioheat requirement," he added.
The Rhode Island bill is similar to legislation passed in New York, but yet to be signed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. New York followed the lead of New York City as the state legislature passed similar legislation June 21 requiring all heating oil sold in the state contain at least 2% biodiesel by 2015.
The legislation calls for all heating oil sold in the City of New York, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland counties to contain at least 2% biodiesel by Oct. 1, 2014, and all heating oil sold statewide to meet this standard by July 1, 2015.
New York City, the largest municipal consumer of heating oil in the country, has already instituted a citywide 2% biodiesel requirement in October 2012.
CWT Assists with 3 Million Pounds of Cheese and Butter Export Sales
Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 16 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Darigold and United Dairymen of Arizona to sell 2.361 million pounds (1,071 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese and 665,796 pounds (302 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered July through December 2013.
Year-to-date CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 66.923 million pounds of cheese, 52.393 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of AMF, and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder to 32 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.761 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.
Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term by helping to maintain inventories of cheese and butter at desirable levels. In the long-term, CWT’s Export Assistance program helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the farm milk that produces them.
CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.
World Dairy Expo Online Dairy Cattle Entries Available Now
World Dairy Expo’s online dairy cattle entry system is now available to exhibitors wishing to make entries to this year’s show. The program utilizes the latest online registration technology while maintaining an easy-to-use and exhibitor-friendly system. The online entry system, 2013 Premium Book, and all accompanying forms can be accessed on the Dairy Cattle Show & Sales page at worlddairyexpo.com.
The system allows exhibitors to enter their animals, purchase a tent and/or booth space and show season passes. Stalling requests, youth showmanship and fitting contest entries, Futurity entries and judge nominations can all be submitted using the online entry system. Exhibitors will be able to refer back to their entries after making payments.
Exhibitors entering online may take advantage of a $3 per animal entry fee discount when complete animal name, registration number and Animal Identification Number (AIN) 15-digit number information is provided. Pending information for these fields will not be eligible to receive the discount. Entries must be submitted and payment transaction completed by August 31, 2013. The discount is only offered with the initial online entry and payment. A refund for the discount will not be granted when further data is provided after payment. The entry discount is not valid with paper entry.
Premium Books have been mailed to recent years’ exhibitors. Request a printed Premium Book by contacting World Dairy Expo at 608-224-6455. Paper entry forms will still be gladly accepted again this year.
INITIAL ENTRY DEADLINE IS SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2013. You may use the online entry system and pay by credit card (online only) until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. All applicable fees apply for entries made after August 31.
“Center of the Dairy Universe” is the theme for World Dairy Expo 2013, which will take place Tuesday, October 1 through Saturday, October 5 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. For show schedule and further information, visit worlddairyexpo.com.
Buyers Cool During Dog Days of Summer
Retail fertilizer prices remained steady once again, according to retail fertilizer prices tracked by DTN for the fourth week of June 2013. All eight of the major fertilizers were lower compared to last month, but again these moves to the low side were fairly minor. DAP had average price of $601 per ton, MAP $644/ton, potash $579/ton, urea $549/ton, 10-34-0 $602/ton, anhydrous $815/ton, UAN28 $392/ton and UAN32 $443/ton.
On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.60/lb.N, anhydrous $0.50/lb.N, UAN28 $0.70/lb.N and UAN32 $0.69/lb.N.
Only one of the eight major fertilizers is showing a price increase compared to one year earlier. Anhydrous is now 6% higher compared to last year. Four fertilizers are single digits lower in price compared to June 2012. UAN32 is 4% lower, both MAP and DAP are 5% lower and UAN28 is now 6% lower compared to last year. The remaining three fertilizers are now down double digits from a year ago. Potash fell 12% while 10-34-0 is 15% less expensive and urea is 24% lower.
Resistance Gene Found Against Ug99 Wheat Rust Pathogen
The world's food supply got a little more plentiful thanks to a scientific breakthrough.
Eduard Akhunov, associate professor of plant pathology at Kansas State University, and his colleague, Jorge Dubcovsky from the University of California-Davis, led a research project that identified a gene that gives wheat plants resistance to one of the most deadly races of the wheat stem rust pathogen -- called Ug99 -- that was first discovered in Uganda in 1999. The discovery may help scientists develop new wheat varieties and strategies that protect the world's food crops against the wheat stem rust pathogen that is spreading from Africa to the breadbaskets of Asia and can cause significant crop losses.
Other Kansas State University researchers include Harold Trick, professor of plant pathology; Andres Salcedo, doctoral candidate in genetics; and Cyrille Saintenac, a postdoctoral research associate currently working at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in France. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Borlaug Global Rust Initiative.
The team's study, "Identification of Wheat Gene Sr35 that Confers Resistance to Ug99 Stem Rust Race Group," appears in the journal Science.
It identifies the stem rust resistance gene named Sr35, and appears alongside a study from an Australian group that identifies another effective resistance gene called Sr33.
"This gene, Sr35, functions as a key component of plants' immune system," Akhunov said. "It recognizes the invading pathogen and triggers a response in the plant to fight the disease."
Wheat stem rust is caused by a fungal pathogen. According to Akhunov, since the 1950s wheat breeders have been able to develop wheat varieties that are largely resistant to this pathogen. However, the emergence of strain Ug99 in Uganda in 1999 devastated crops and has spread to Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen, though has yet to reach the U.S.
"Until that point, wheat breeders had two or three genes that were so efficient against stem rust for decades that this disease wasn't the biggest concern," Akhunov said. "However, the discovery of the Ug99 race of pathogen showed that changes in the virulence of existing pathogen races can become a huge problem."
As a first line of defense, wheat breeders and researchers began looking for resistance genes among those that had already been discovered in the existing germplasm repositories, he said.
"The Sr35 gene was one of those genes that was discovered in einkorn wheat grown in Turkey," Akhunov said. "Until now, however, we did not know what kind of gene confers resistance to Ug99 in this wheat accession."
To identify the resistance gene Sr35, the team turned to einkorn wheat that is known to be resistant to the Ug99 fungal strain. Einkorn wheat has limited economic value and is cultivated in small areas of the Mediterranean region. It has been replaced by higher yielding pasta and bread wheat varieties.
Researchers spent nearly four years trying to identify the location of the Sr35 gene in the wheat genome, which contains nearly two times more genetic information than the human genome.
Once the researchers narrowed the list of candidate genes, they used two complimentary approaches to find the Sr35 gene. First, they chemically mutagenized the resistant accession of wheat to identify plants that become susceptible to the stem rust pathogen.
"It was a matter of knocking out each candidate gene until we found the one that made a plant susceptible," Akhunov said. "It was a tedious process and took a lot of time, but it was worth the effort."
Next, researchers isolated the candidate gene and used biotechnical approaches to develop transgenic plants that carried the Sr35 gene and showed resistance to the Ug99 race of stem rust.
Now that the resistance gene has been found, Akhunov and colleagues are looking at what proteins are transferred by the fungus into the wheat plants and recognized by the protein encoded by the Sr35 gene. This will help researchers to better understand the molecular mechanisms behind infection and develop new approaches for controlling this devastating pathogen.
Global Food Security Index Shows Promise in Developing Nations
Today, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) issued findings from the annual Global Food Security Index, a first-of-its-kind ranking tool to comprehensively measure food security and monitor the ongoing impact of agriculture investments, collaborations and policies around the world. Commissioned by DuPont, the 2013 Index expands on the 25 previously identified food security indicators to determine how two new factors, political corruption and urbanization, affect access to safe, nutritious and affordable food. Additionally, the 2013 Index includes Singapore and Ireland in the 107-country comparison, designed to track progress, foster collaboration and create real-world solutions to help feed the 9 billion people on Earth.
“Addressing food security is fruitless without measurement tools and global benchmarks, together with a continued commitment, but most important: Action,” said DuPont Pioneer President Paul E. Schickler. “Since we commissioned the first Global Food Security Index last year, governments, NGOs and academics have used the Index as a roadmap to identify critical food security issues and make better informed decisions, develop collaborative partnerships and create effective local policies to address country-specific needs.”
Using the 2012 Index findings as a guide, DuPont formed a joint-partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Ethiopian Government to help smallholder farmers access better seeds and increase productivity. This year, the Sub-Saharan African nation jumped several spots on the Index as a result of this new program and other advances such as farmers’ improved access to financing.
2013 KEY FINDINGS
While the average 2013 Global Food Index Score remained flat (53.5 percent versus 53.6 percent in 2012), some trends emerged from the year-on-year comparisons that shed light on the stagnant figure:
- Nutrition is Key in Chile and Beyond: The 2013 Global Food Security Index shines a spotlight on nutrition: More than 3 million children under the age of 5 die from malnutrition each year. In Latin America, these issues are especially acute since only 53 percent of countries in the region have official policies regarding nutrition in place in primary schools. “Access to safe, nutritious and affordable food is critical to health and overall development,” said Schickler while speaking alongside NGO and government partners at a nutrition and agriculture roundtable event in Santiago, Chile. Thanks to decades of strong economic management and political stability, Chile leads Latin America in terms of food availability and affordability and ranks second only to Argentina for its food quality and safety. “While it’s important to acknowledge progress, we need to scrutinize the findings further to identify country-specific areas of concern and collaborate with partners to implement tailored, local solutions here in Chile (where diet diversification and obesity remain issues) and hundreds of countries around the world to ensure that nutrition is addressed holistically.”
- Developing Nations Make Progress as Industrialized Countries Face Setbacks: Sub-Saharan African nations including Ethiopia, Senegal and Botswana made significant progress this past year, rising an average of nine places in the Index, with improvements attributed to rising incomes, greater access to farmer financing along with heightened emphasis on quality food and nutrition. The growth in developing nations contrasts a fall in developed European economies, in particular Greece, as it regressed as fallout of financial collapse and lower gross domestic product.
- Broader Food Security Metrics: Rather than measure food security in black and white terms, the 2013 Index tracks 27 diverse factors that may explicitly or implicitly affect access to safe, nutritious and affordable food. New this year, the Index points to political conflicts in Mali, Yemen and Syria as significant contributors to food insecurity in the regions. With regard to urbanization, emerging markets appear best positioned to respond to the long-term trend and implications for food security: Sierra Leone was the top-ranked country in this new indicator, primarily as a result of its strong urban farming, which has been crucial in supporting the country’s nutritional needs.
“We’ve spent hundreds of hours collecting and analyzing data for the Index so we can better understand what factors help and hinder food security,” said Leo Abruzzese, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s global forecasting director. “Our goal is to provide a comprehensive, global picture of food security so that stakeholders like DuPont can work with partners in vulnerable areas of the world where food insecurity is a serious concern.” For more in-depth analysis of the 2013 Index, watch Abruzzese speak to key trends by clicking here.
For more information on the interactive Global Food Security Index, including definitions of the 27 global indicators, food price tracking, multi-country comparisons and more, visit: http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/.
Gov. Dave Heineman today announced appointed members of the Water Funding Task Force. This task force was created with the passage of Legislative Bill 517e.
Members include: Brian Barels of Columbus, Joel Christensen of Omaha, John Heaston of Cozad, Tim Luchsinger of Grand Island, D. Chandler Mazour of Gothenburg, Roric Paulman of Sutherland, Rex Peterson of Gordon, Gerry Dale Sheets of Sargent, Scott Smathers of Lincoln, Walter Dennis Strauch of Mitchell and Lennie Adams of Waterloo.
The task force was created to make recommendations to the Legislature for a strategic plan that prioritizes programs, projects, and activities in need of funding; ranking criteria to identify funding priorities based on a variety of factors; legislation on a permanent governing board structure, application process, and a process evaluating priority projects; an annual funding amount; and statutes and regulations that would need to be modified in accordance with the task force’s recommendations.
According to the law, the task force consists of 34 total members. Sixteen are to be the current members of the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission and 11 members must be appointed by the Governor from the following categories: public power; public power and irrigation districts; irrigation districts; a metropolitan utilities district; municipalities; agriculture; wildlife conservation; livestock producers; agribusiness; manufacturing; and outdoor recreation users.
Additionally, seven members are ex officio non-voting, including the Director of the Department of Natural Resources or his or her designee, the chairperson of the Natural Resources Committee and five members of the Legislature appointed by the Executive Board of the Legislative Council.
The task force must submit their final recommendations to the Legislature on or before December 31, 2013, and will terminate at that time.
NCTA expands veterinary education program
A branch of the animal health care and education scene will be extending from Curtis to Omaha next year thanks to visionaries seeing a need for more licensed veterinary technicians in the Cornhusker State.
“There are many scenarios where licensed vet techs are the individuals trained and responsible for animal well-being,” says Glenn Jackson, DVM, PhD, and director of Nebraska’s newest Veterinary Technology Systems-Comparative Medicine option, based in Omaha.
“Opportunities are many, right here in Nebraska, for educated individuals to care for animals in facilities used for teaching, research, animal science and production agriculture,” says Dr. Jackson, who joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska – Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) at Curtis in 2012.
In Fall 2014, Dr. Jackson and other NCTA faculty will be teaching the core NCTA Veterinary Technician (Vet Tech) curriculum plus more customized classes, to the first students in the new program to be delivered at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) campus in Omaha.
Facility space at UNMC is under renovation for the NCTA program and will house small animals – mainly rodents, rabbits, cats and dogs. Hands-on education with larger animals will occur at the UNL’s farm and feedlot near Mead, Nebraska, and also with facilities near Lincoln and Omaha, Jackson said.
The two-year ( 76 credits) training program will provide an Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology, and will prepare students to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam to become a licensed veterinary technician, as well as certification exams to become an Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician or a full Laboratory Animal Technician.
The Vet Tech option can transfer to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Bachelor of Science degree program majoring in Veterinary Technology.
What exactly is “comparative medicine?”
A prime example is insulin for regulating diabetes, notes Dr. Jackson. In studying the pancreas of dogs and how insulin could regulate blood sugar, researchers then took those solutions into human health.
“Comparative medicine is studying physiology in animals,” Jackson says. Other examples include findings from cardiovascular research. There’s the heart valve taken from pigs and used in humans, and perhaps more well-known is the Jarvik-7 artificial heart first tested in cattle. Once perfected in calves and a bull, the Jarvik-7 addressed congestive heart failure for humans starting in 1982.
Although based at UNMC where health research trials occur in UNMC’s programs, the NCTA vet tech students will not engage in research, but will learn how to care for and provide veterinary support for animals in all types of health settings, including laboratories.
Comparative Medicine is conducted by several Nebraska companies and research institutions, primarily in the eastern part of the state, such as in pharmaceutical company drug investigations or livestock and pet animal research and product development. Vet tech jobs are ample in both private and public industries, Jackson says.
ASA Calls on House to Bring Unified Farm Bill Back to Floor in July
The American Soybean Association (ASA) joined with more than 530 agriculture, conservation, nutrition, rural development, finance, forestry, energy and crop insurance organizations today in a letter urging House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to bring the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013 back to the House floor for a vote as soon as possible. In the letter, ASA and its fellow organizations noted the benefits of a unified farm bill and cautioned that nutrition and farm program bills may fail to pass as standalone bills. ASA President Danny Murphy, a soybean farmer from Canton, Miss., issued the following statement on the effort:
“In our nation’s capital, where so many efforts are poisoned by party-line bickering, the farm bill has long been a resoundingly bipartisan symbol of both parties’ ability to come together to pass legislation that benefits all Americans. The farm bill supports our farmers and ranchers, and rural Americans; but it also helps our friends and neighbors in urban and suburban communities as well. That responsibility—to provide for all Americans—is one that farmers take seriously. We are proud to stand alongside such a wide range of organizations to call on the House to recommit to passing a single, unified farm bill this month.”
NCGA Urges Boehner for New Farm Bill Vote
Today, the National Corn Growers Association joined 531 other agricultural organizations and companies on a letter to Speaker John Boehner urging consideration of the 2013 farm bill again by the House of Representatives. The letter follows the surprising failure of the House to pass the legislation at the end of June.
"Farm bills represent a delicate balance between America's farm, nutrition, conservation, and other priorities, and accordingly require strong bipartisan support," the letter stated. "It is vital for the House to try once again to bring together a broad coalition of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to provide certainty for farmers, rural America, the environment and our economy in general and pass a five-year farm bill upon returning in July."
The letter also raises concerns about splitting the nutrition title from the rest of the bill, a possibility that Majority Leader Eric Cantor publically announced prior to Congress leaving for the July 4th recess. The letter advises moving a unified farm bill forward to eliminate the possibility that neither farm nor nutrition programs pass.
"NCGA opposes splitting the nutrition title, or any title, from the 2013 farm bill," NCGA President Pam Johnson said. "Splitting will cause further delays, creating even greater uncertainty. America cannot afford another extension of the 2008 farm bill. This simply postpones overdue reforms and savings for the U.S. taxpayer. We have made progress in the Senate on the farm bill and expect Speaker Boehner to bring the legislation back to the House floor as soon as possible."
NCGA Comments Express Support for Tier 3 Standards, Urge Continued Support for FFVs
The National Corn Growers Association submitted comments Monday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the 938-page Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards Proposed Rule. In these comments, NCGA commended the agency on the proposed Tier 3 motor vehicle emission standard and fuel rule, which will reduce pollutants from the on-road light-duty motor vehicle fleet for many years to come.
The association also commended the agency on its recognition of the benefits of ethanol in transportation fuel, and its continued support for the Renewable Fuel Standard regulation, which is significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy security in the United States through the use of domestically produced ethanol.
The comments NCGA submitted are based upon two main principles.
First, the RFS volumes of biofuels in the future should be met in order to preserve the 150 million metric tons of annual CO2 equivalent emission reductions attributed to the RFS 2 program by EPA. The comments explain that:
"These emission reductions are directly dependent on the volume of biofuels and not on the fuel economy of the light-duty on-road motor vehicle fleet. The volume of biofuels is in turn dependent on having vehicles that are flexible-fuel capable and those certified on high octane mid-level blends plus a retailer infrastructure offering energy-competitive pricing. The Tier 3 proposal thus has a direct bearing on the availability of vehicles to implement the RFS."
Second, ethanol blends above E10 should be splash-blended to increase octane above the level of 87 AKI. In the comments, NCGA explains, "This will open up higher-octane-value fuels (not higher-priced "premium" grade fuels) to be widely used by the motoring public and by the automakers in meeting the 2017 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle GHG Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards."
The comments express support for EPA's approach toward establishing E15 as the new certification fuel for 2017 and later non-flexible fueled light duty vehicles, EPA's specifications for lower sulfur levels for in-use gasoline and of EPA's recognition that a high-octane mid-level ethanol blend could help automakers achieve the 2017 and later GHG emission standards and CAFE standards.
The comments did note that while NCGA is "generally supportive of establishing new certification fuel requirements for FFVs, we are concerned that the proposed approach would inhibit the future development of FFVs and the development of dedicated vehicles designed for the exclusive use of a high-octane mid-level ethanol blend. Both FFVs and high octane utilizing vehicles are critical to ensuring that the 150 million metric tons of GHG emission reductions from the RFS volumes are attained."
NCGA Sets New Membership Record
Membership at the National Corn Growers Association reached a new all-time high with 39,042 on the rolls as June closed. This membership record replaces the former of 38,810 members at the close of April in 2013, and it marks the first time membership has surpassed the 39,000 member threshold.
"While many have theorized that the United States has reached a post-membership society and that enrollment and active participation in civic groups will continue to decline, farmers across the country increasingly see the valuable service NCGA provides to all corn growers and act in support of our mission," said NCGA Grower Services Action Team Chair Brandon Hunnicutt. "Whether working to promote innovations that increase opportunity or voicing the support of America's farmers for the Renewable Fuels Standard in Washington, NCGA draws upon the strength of its more than 39,000 members so that, together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could acting alone."
Throughout NCGA's history, grassroots efforts have been the strength and driving force behind the organization.
"Farmers are at the heart of everything that NCGA does, with growers behind each step of a project from conception through the realization of its goals," stated Hunnicutt. "So many farmers choose to actively participate in the organization because they value giving back to their industry, putting the interests of the greatest number of farmers from across the country first in every decision they make."
NCGA has members across the contiguous United States. It is part of a federation in cooperation with grower associations and checkoff boards from 28 states, and represents more than 300,000 growers who contribute corn checkoff funds in their states.
CHS introduces grain marketing customer website
CHS Inc., a leading farmer-owned energy, grains and foods company, today announced it has created www.chsag.com to serve farmers selling grain directly to CHS river terminals and processing plants in Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois. The new public website features cash bids updated every 10 minutes, a powerful charting tool, radar weather and forecasts, futures market overviews, as well as specific location contacts and announcements. These website features are also available via mobile phones at m.chsag.com.
“CHS knows that farmers want the immediacy and ease of accessing market information and insights electronically,” said Rick Dusek, CHS vice president, grain marketing, North America. “Providing tools and resources like chsag.com is one more way that CHS helps its owners grow.”
CHS buys grain directly from farmers at its river terminals and soybean processing facilities at Davenport, Iowa; Fairmont, Mankato, Savage and Winona, Minn.; and Pekin, Ill. CHS is a leading grain company, marketing more than two billion bushels of grain and oilseeds annually to domestic and export customers in 60 countries worldwide.
Farmers interested in selling grain directly to CHS can view cash bids and receiving hours on the website, www.chsag.com, or by calling the local phone numbers listed there. Farmers selling grain to CHS on a regular basis will also have secure, login access for information about individual shipments, settlement and contract details and transactions.
RI Bioheat Mandate Awaits Governor
Legislation in Rhode Island requiring heating oil to contain 2% biodiesel -- known as bioheat -- beginning in 2014 and gradually increasing to 5% by 2017 awaits the governor's signature.
The state legislature passed the law June 13, putting Rhode Island on track to be the first to implement a statewide bioheat requirement, according to the National Biodiesel Board in an email to Schneider Electric this afternoon.
"As with New York, the bill is yet to be signed by the state governor without a clear timetable," said Kaleb Little, NBB spokesman. "Rhode Island is on track to be the first to implement a statewide bioheat requirement," he added.
The Rhode Island bill is similar to legislation passed in New York, but yet to be signed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. New York followed the lead of New York City as the state legislature passed similar legislation June 21 requiring all heating oil sold in the state contain at least 2% biodiesel by 2015.
The legislation calls for all heating oil sold in the City of New York, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland counties to contain at least 2% biodiesel by Oct. 1, 2014, and all heating oil sold statewide to meet this standard by July 1, 2015.
New York City, the largest municipal consumer of heating oil in the country, has already instituted a citywide 2% biodiesel requirement in October 2012.
CWT Assists with 3 Million Pounds of Cheese and Butter Export Sales
Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 16 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Darigold and United Dairymen of Arizona to sell 2.361 million pounds (1,071 metric tons) of Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese and 665,796 pounds (302 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered July through December 2013.
Year-to-date CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 66.923 million pounds of cheese, 52.393 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of AMF, and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder to 32 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.761 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.
Assisting CWT members through the Export Assistance program positively impacts producer milk prices in the short-term by helping to maintain inventories of cheese and butter at desirable levels. In the long-term, CWT’s Export Assistance program helps member cooperatives gain and maintain market share, thus expanding the demand for U.S. dairy products and the farm milk that produces them.
CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.
World Dairy Expo Online Dairy Cattle Entries Available Now
World Dairy Expo’s online dairy cattle entry system is now available to exhibitors wishing to make entries to this year’s show. The program utilizes the latest online registration technology while maintaining an easy-to-use and exhibitor-friendly system. The online entry system, 2013 Premium Book, and all accompanying forms can be accessed on the Dairy Cattle Show & Sales page at worlddairyexpo.com.
The system allows exhibitors to enter their animals, purchase a tent and/or booth space and show season passes. Stalling requests, youth showmanship and fitting contest entries, Futurity entries and judge nominations can all be submitted using the online entry system. Exhibitors will be able to refer back to their entries after making payments.
Exhibitors entering online may take advantage of a $3 per animal entry fee discount when complete animal name, registration number and Animal Identification Number (AIN) 15-digit number information is provided. Pending information for these fields will not be eligible to receive the discount. Entries must be submitted and payment transaction completed by August 31, 2013. The discount is only offered with the initial online entry and payment. A refund for the discount will not be granted when further data is provided after payment. The entry discount is not valid with paper entry.
Premium Books have been mailed to recent years’ exhibitors. Request a printed Premium Book by contacting World Dairy Expo at 608-224-6455. Paper entry forms will still be gladly accepted again this year.
INITIAL ENTRY DEADLINE IS SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2013. You may use the online entry system and pay by credit card (online only) until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013. All applicable fees apply for entries made after August 31.
“Center of the Dairy Universe” is the theme for World Dairy Expo 2013, which will take place Tuesday, October 1 through Saturday, October 5 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. For show schedule and further information, visit worlddairyexpo.com.
Buyers Cool During Dog Days of Summer
Retail fertilizer prices remained steady once again, according to retail fertilizer prices tracked by DTN for the fourth week of June 2013. All eight of the major fertilizers were lower compared to last month, but again these moves to the low side were fairly minor. DAP had average price of $601 per ton, MAP $644/ton, potash $579/ton, urea $549/ton, 10-34-0 $602/ton, anhydrous $815/ton, UAN28 $392/ton and UAN32 $443/ton.
On a price per pound of nitrogen basis, the average urea price was at $0.60/lb.N, anhydrous $0.50/lb.N, UAN28 $0.70/lb.N and UAN32 $0.69/lb.N.
Only one of the eight major fertilizers is showing a price increase compared to one year earlier. Anhydrous is now 6% higher compared to last year. Four fertilizers are single digits lower in price compared to June 2012. UAN32 is 4% lower, both MAP and DAP are 5% lower and UAN28 is now 6% lower compared to last year. The remaining three fertilizers are now down double digits from a year ago. Potash fell 12% while 10-34-0 is 15% less expensive and urea is 24% lower.
Resistance Gene Found Against Ug99 Wheat Rust Pathogen
The world's food supply got a little more plentiful thanks to a scientific breakthrough.
Eduard Akhunov, associate professor of plant pathology at Kansas State University, and his colleague, Jorge Dubcovsky from the University of California-Davis, led a research project that identified a gene that gives wheat plants resistance to one of the most deadly races of the wheat stem rust pathogen -- called Ug99 -- that was first discovered in Uganda in 1999. The discovery may help scientists develop new wheat varieties and strategies that protect the world's food crops against the wheat stem rust pathogen that is spreading from Africa to the breadbaskets of Asia and can cause significant crop losses.
Other Kansas State University researchers include Harold Trick, professor of plant pathology; Andres Salcedo, doctoral candidate in genetics; and Cyrille Saintenac, a postdoctoral research associate currently working at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in France. The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Borlaug Global Rust Initiative.
The team's study, "Identification of Wheat Gene Sr35 that Confers Resistance to Ug99 Stem Rust Race Group," appears in the journal Science.
It identifies the stem rust resistance gene named Sr35, and appears alongside a study from an Australian group that identifies another effective resistance gene called Sr33.
"This gene, Sr35, functions as a key component of plants' immune system," Akhunov said. "It recognizes the invading pathogen and triggers a response in the plant to fight the disease."
Wheat stem rust is caused by a fungal pathogen. According to Akhunov, since the 1950s wheat breeders have been able to develop wheat varieties that are largely resistant to this pathogen. However, the emergence of strain Ug99 in Uganda in 1999 devastated crops and has spread to Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen, though has yet to reach the U.S.
"Until that point, wheat breeders had two or three genes that were so efficient against stem rust for decades that this disease wasn't the biggest concern," Akhunov said. "However, the discovery of the Ug99 race of pathogen showed that changes in the virulence of existing pathogen races can become a huge problem."
As a first line of defense, wheat breeders and researchers began looking for resistance genes among those that had already been discovered in the existing germplasm repositories, he said.
"The Sr35 gene was one of those genes that was discovered in einkorn wheat grown in Turkey," Akhunov said. "Until now, however, we did not know what kind of gene confers resistance to Ug99 in this wheat accession."
To identify the resistance gene Sr35, the team turned to einkorn wheat that is known to be resistant to the Ug99 fungal strain. Einkorn wheat has limited economic value and is cultivated in small areas of the Mediterranean region. It has been replaced by higher yielding pasta and bread wheat varieties.
Researchers spent nearly four years trying to identify the location of the Sr35 gene in the wheat genome, which contains nearly two times more genetic information than the human genome.
Once the researchers narrowed the list of candidate genes, they used two complimentary approaches to find the Sr35 gene. First, they chemically mutagenized the resistant accession of wheat to identify plants that become susceptible to the stem rust pathogen.
"It was a matter of knocking out each candidate gene until we found the one that made a plant susceptible," Akhunov said. "It was a tedious process and took a lot of time, but it was worth the effort."
Next, researchers isolated the candidate gene and used biotechnical approaches to develop transgenic plants that carried the Sr35 gene and showed resistance to the Ug99 race of stem rust.
Now that the resistance gene has been found, Akhunov and colleagues are looking at what proteins are transferred by the fungus into the wheat plants and recognized by the protein encoded by the Sr35 gene. This will help researchers to better understand the molecular mechanisms behind infection and develop new approaches for controlling this devastating pathogen.
Global Food Security Index Shows Promise in Developing Nations
Today, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) issued findings from the annual Global Food Security Index, a first-of-its-kind ranking tool to comprehensively measure food security and monitor the ongoing impact of agriculture investments, collaborations and policies around the world. Commissioned by DuPont, the 2013 Index expands on the 25 previously identified food security indicators to determine how two new factors, political corruption and urbanization, affect access to safe, nutritious and affordable food. Additionally, the 2013 Index includes Singapore and Ireland in the 107-country comparison, designed to track progress, foster collaboration and create real-world solutions to help feed the 9 billion people on Earth.
“Addressing food security is fruitless without measurement tools and global benchmarks, together with a continued commitment, but most important: Action,” said DuPont Pioneer President Paul E. Schickler. “Since we commissioned the first Global Food Security Index last year, governments, NGOs and academics have used the Index as a roadmap to identify critical food security issues and make better informed decisions, develop collaborative partnerships and create effective local policies to address country-specific needs.”
Using the 2012 Index findings as a guide, DuPont formed a joint-partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Ethiopian Government to help smallholder farmers access better seeds and increase productivity. This year, the Sub-Saharan African nation jumped several spots on the Index as a result of this new program and other advances such as farmers’ improved access to financing.
2013 KEY FINDINGS
While the average 2013 Global Food Index Score remained flat (53.5 percent versus 53.6 percent in 2012), some trends emerged from the year-on-year comparisons that shed light on the stagnant figure:
- Nutrition is Key in Chile and Beyond: The 2013 Global Food Security Index shines a spotlight on nutrition: More than 3 million children under the age of 5 die from malnutrition each year. In Latin America, these issues are especially acute since only 53 percent of countries in the region have official policies regarding nutrition in place in primary schools. “Access to safe, nutritious and affordable food is critical to health and overall development,” said Schickler while speaking alongside NGO and government partners at a nutrition and agriculture roundtable event in Santiago, Chile. Thanks to decades of strong economic management and political stability, Chile leads Latin America in terms of food availability and affordability and ranks second only to Argentina for its food quality and safety. “While it’s important to acknowledge progress, we need to scrutinize the findings further to identify country-specific areas of concern and collaborate with partners to implement tailored, local solutions here in Chile (where diet diversification and obesity remain issues) and hundreds of countries around the world to ensure that nutrition is addressed holistically.”
- Developing Nations Make Progress as Industrialized Countries Face Setbacks: Sub-Saharan African nations including Ethiopia, Senegal and Botswana made significant progress this past year, rising an average of nine places in the Index, with improvements attributed to rising incomes, greater access to farmer financing along with heightened emphasis on quality food and nutrition. The growth in developing nations contrasts a fall in developed European economies, in particular Greece, as it regressed as fallout of financial collapse and lower gross domestic product.
- Broader Food Security Metrics: Rather than measure food security in black and white terms, the 2013 Index tracks 27 diverse factors that may explicitly or implicitly affect access to safe, nutritious and affordable food. New this year, the Index points to political conflicts in Mali, Yemen and Syria as significant contributors to food insecurity in the regions. With regard to urbanization, emerging markets appear best positioned to respond to the long-term trend and implications for food security: Sierra Leone was the top-ranked country in this new indicator, primarily as a result of its strong urban farming, which has been crucial in supporting the country’s nutritional needs.
“We’ve spent hundreds of hours collecting and analyzing data for the Index so we can better understand what factors help and hinder food security,” said Leo Abruzzese, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s global forecasting director. “Our goal is to provide a comprehensive, global picture of food security so that stakeholders like DuPont can work with partners in vulnerable areas of the world where food insecurity is a serious concern.” For more in-depth analysis of the 2013 Index, watch Abruzzese speak to key trends by clicking here.
For more information on the interactive Global Food Security Index, including definitions of the 27 global indicators, food price tracking, multi-country comparisons and more, visit: http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/.
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