House Sends #GMO Disclosure Bill to President

Cindy ZimmermanAFBF, ASTA, biotechnology, Food, GMO, Government

The U.S. House yesterday approved the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard by a vote of 309 to 117. The legislation, which preempts individual state laws to require labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients, was passed by the Senate last week and is expected to be signed by President Obama.

roberts-gmo“I have said this is the most important food and agriculture policy debate of the last 20 years,” said Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Pat Roberts (R-KS), who crafted the bill with Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). “I am confident we have put forward a comprehensive solution that considers all aspects of our food production and delivery system while keeping the consumer top of mind.”

The American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) President & CEO Andrew LaVigne praised “all the Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate who put politics aside and came together to do what’s right for American families and farmers… Thanks to this bill, products produced through this method will not be unfairly stigmatized with mandatory on-pack labels.”

“(W)e now begin the work of putting in place a uniform, national labeling system that will provide balanced, accurate information to consumers,” said American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall. “This legislation helps to continue those benefits by avoiding the confusion of differing and potentially misleading labeling standards from state to state.”

Over 1,000 food and agricultural organizations supported passed of the bill, including the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, and American Feed Industry Association.

Valent, Danforth Plant Center Solidify Rhizosphere Project

Joanna SchroederPlant Science, Research, Soil, technology

logosValent BioSciences Corporation (VBC) and St. Louis, Missouri-based Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have solidified a multi-year Master of Cooperation agreement focused on the area of root science and the rhizosphere. The partnership will capitalize on The Danforth Center’s focus on discoveries and technologies for improving agricultural productivity with minimal environmental impact including new research on non-destructive imaging technology for root growth dynamics. Over the last two years, VBC has made sizeable commitments to rhizosphere technologies including the acquisition of Mycorrhizal Applications, LLC (MA) and several licensing and research agreements designed to accelerate its root zone portfolio.

“We are pleased to be entering into this agreement with a partner that has such demonstrated success in plant science innovation,” said James Carrington, Ph.D., president of the Danforth Plant Science Center. “We view our imaging work as a potentially game-changing technology that warrants a collaborator with a global view and a full complement of proven, effective technologies to help us improve the human condition through plant science. VBC was our first choice.”

Until now, the two groups say the only way for plant scientists to observe in-field root development has been to extract them from the soil. For the first time, today’s advanced imaging technology allows real-time data gathering in a way that is non-destructive and non-disruptive to future plant development.

“It was an honor to be approached by the Danforth Center as a collaborator for this significant body of work,” said Dr. Warren Shafer, VP of R&D and Regulatory Affairs for Valent BioSciences. “There is an obvious overlap in mission and purpose between the two organizations, and our knowledge and respective technologies are clearly complementary. Together, they hold tremendous potential for our stakeholders.”

Danforth Center Principal Investigator Chris Topp, Ph.D., was recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to support his work combining root phenotyping technologies with computational analysis, quantitative genetics and molecular biology to understand root growth and physiology. The NSF and VBC agreements will jointly fund a large-scale X-ray imaging system for non-invasive root measurements, the first of its kind dedicated for plant science in the U.S. academic research sector.

U of Illinois Research Shows Increasing Crop Input Costs

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, Corn, Crop Protection, Fertilizer, Pesticides, seed

New research from two economists from the University of Illinois has found that crop input costs have been higher since 2006 than they were between 1990-2006. This occurred in part because growth rates of fertilizer, pesticide and seed costs have been higher. In 2015, the sum of these totals were 48 percent of crop revenue, higher than the 36 percent average from 199o-2006. The report authors say these costs need to decrease, particularly if corn prices remain below $4.00. Otherwise, it will be difficult for revenues to be less than total costs.

Utilizing data from the Farm Farm Business Farm Management, since 2006, seed has been the category with the highest increase. Before 2006, pesticides and seed were about the same magnitude. Because the 11.3 pecent growth rate for seed costs was much higher than the 5.7 percent growth rate for pesticides, seed costs now are much larger than pesticide costs.

7140142045786b1d9654de.

The economists found that the period of larger cost increases corresponds to an increase in the long-run average level of corn prices. From the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s, corn prices average about $2.40 per bushel. In the mid-2000s, corn use in producing ethanol increased, resulting in an overall corn price increase. While $2.40 per bushel was the average before 2006, a more reasonable estimate of the long-run price after 2006 is $4.30 per bushel. Of course, there has been and will continue to be variability around those long-run prices.

The analysis found that costs as a percent of crop revenue could increase because of a combination of two reasons:

  1. Farmers increased rates and kind of applications. For example, fertilizer amounts may have increased, fungicide applications applied may have increased, and seeding rates may have increased. In the current environment, all of these variables must be evaluated.
  2. Input prices could have increased.

In conclusion, the authors stress that farmers need to take proactive actions to reduce rates and amounts of inputs applied. Even with aggressive input usage cuts, it will be difficult for cash flow losses to be reduced without input price decreases.

Collaboration To Assist Neb Growers with Soil Health

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, environment, Fertilizer, Nutrient Management, Water Quality

A new collaboration has been formed to help growers improve fertilizer efficiency and soil health on their farms while still achieving high yields. Kellogg Company, United Suppliers, Inc. and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) are kicking off the initiative with growers in Kellogg’s grain sourcing region of Nebraska, in particular, Crete. These farmers will be introduced to United Suppliers’ SUSTAIN Platform to help Kellogg meet sustainable sourcing goals and drive adoption of improved farm management practices.

LogoWith global growing concern over water quality, fertilizer has come under attack because although it is essential for producing food, crops only utilize around 40 percent of the nutrients each growing season. The remaining nutrients can then runoff and cause water pollution as well as transform into air pollution in the form of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

“We’re giving our foods the best start possible by protecting the land where our ingredients are grown and our foods are made,” said Amy Braun, senior sustainability manager at Kellogg Company. “This partnership is a significant opportunity to improve the sustainability of our priority grain ingredients by improving soil health and fertilizer and water use efficiency in our grain sourcing regions.”

United Suppliers, Inc. is owned by 600 agricultural retailers who operate nearly 2,500 retail locations, and who serve growers spanning 45 million acres in the U.S. and Canada. United Suppliers developed the SUSTAIN Platform, in coordination with EDF, which the company says combines a set of proven, effective technologies, practices and products that improve nutrient use efficiency, improve soil health, and reduce erosion while enhancing productivity. United Suppliers recently merged its seed and crop protection business with Land O’Lakes, Inc., giving United Suppliers additional size and scale, more product offerings, services, tools and technologies.

“We are excited to be working with Kellogg Company, which sees the ag retail sector as crucial partners in scaling sustainability and achieving sustainable sourcing goals,” said Matt Carstens, vice president of United Suppliers. “By working together, this team can showcase the strength of partnering across the agricultural supply chain to deliver value to growers, businesses, and the environment.”Read More

Register For The CTIC Conservation in Action Tour

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, CTIC, Events, Soil

fe13b0bb-9c25-4b00-bd4b-4b34cdcb92adRegister now for the 9th annual Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) Conservation in Action Tour. This year’s event is taking place in Treasure Valley of Idaho August 23-24, 2016. Attendees will have the chance to see the latest approaches to soil, water and air quality conservation. Home to more than 180 crops, southwest Idaho is a rich agricultural region with plenty to share for conservation-oriented people from across the country. The tour will kick off with a event at the JUMP community space.

39f3d44c-a560-4162-bd1f-ecff2ce4e617

David Dixon, Dixon Farms

The following day attendees will visit:

  • Dixon Farms, where David Dixon will provide insight into the water management strategy on his diversified crop operation, which includes drip irrigation system in mint—a system that is tightly tied to water quantity and water quality issues.
  • M&M Feedlot, likely the only cattle feedlot in the nation with a 1.5-acre landscaped park for visitors in the middle of the pens…testament to the Mann family’s masterful control of odor and flies through an integrated system that includes pen management, manure management and composting. We’ll also learn about the operation’s engineered wetland, which boosts the quality of water before it is discharged to the Snake River.
    • M&M Feedlot

    M&M Feedlot

    • Bayer Crop Science/Nuhnems Seed’s facility in the heart of one of a handful of key sources of vegetable seed—the Treasure Valley.
    • Arena Valley Farm, which includes company and university trials on a production field. There, leading farm managers, extension researchers and nutrient management specialists will explain conservation and soil building strategies in potato rotations.
    • Brad McIntyre , McIntyre Farms

      Brad McIntyre , McIntyre Farms

      Brad McIntrye, McIntyre Farms, where Brad McIntyre and his family are building the thin soils on their sloping operation through cover cropping, no-till (a practice Brad taught himself in the absence of local farmers with any experience) and the reintroduction of livestock to the operation.

    Other activities include a talk with CEO/President of J.R. Simplot Bill Whitacre on sustainability trends he’s seeing through his diversified company, which is engaged at every step of agriculture, from mining nutrients to advising farmers, producing crops and livestock and food processing. Attendees will also have the opportunity to have dinner at an Idaho winery, attend a conservation technology expo, and network.

    Click here for more information and to register.

CNH Inks Distribution Deal with Miller Sprayers

Joanna SchroederCase IH, Equipment, New Holland, Spraying

CNH Industrial LogoCNH Industrial has announced a new distribution channel for its Miller branded high-clearance sprayers in the U.S. through its Case IH Application Equipment distributors. The company says the deal builds upon CNH Industrial’s acquisition of precision spraying equipment manufacturer Miller and responds to commercial market growth for self-propelled sprayers.

The expansion establishes a new distribution channel to serve customers and capitalizes on market share, which CNH Industrial says will help them maintain a competitive and state of the art product offering. The Miller line of high-clearance sprayers complements the Case IH sprayer product offering and supports a growing market trend for late season applications in mature crops. In addition, the company says Miller Nitro Series provides the highest capacity sprayer in the industry with product tank capacities up to 1,600 gallons, front boom widths up to 135 feet, a four-wheel steer option and nitrogen injection toolbars.

Founded in 1899, Miller was acquired by CNH Industrial in 2014. The assets acquired as part of the transaction were subsequently incorporated into the CNH’s New Holland Agriculture brand portfolio. Effective January 2017, CNH Industrial’s Case IH brand Application Equipment distributors will also have access to commercialize one specific product series from that portfolio: the Miller branded Nitro front boom sprayer.

Introducing the Yara Water Solution

Joanna SchroederCrop Nutrition, Fertilizer, Irrigation, Pesticides, Water Management

With water supplies and access to water, especially in states such as California, there is an opportunity to develop tools and technologies to enable plants to capitalize on what water they do have. One new product is the Yara Water Solution, a plant-based sensor that allows direct communication with the plant, such as citrus crops, during the entire growing period. The technology has been used successfully in Spain and is being introduced in the U.S. with a focus on citrus crops in California and Florida first.

1103601622577ed35a3a3a3The tool provides the grower with direct information about the water status of plants using non-invasive leaf-clamps, or sensors, that are wired to sending units in trees. The sensors measure the pressure from water within the leaf to determine when and where water is needed. According to YARA, water use, and cost, can be reduced up to 40 percent due to irrigation being applies more precisely based on the crops’ moisture status.

“The first thing people say when hearing about a technology such as this is, ‘I can save water,’” said YaraVita Product Director for Yara North America, Toby Goodroad. “That is not the whole story. We can also save pumping and environmental costs, while at the same time using the water more efficiently, increasing yield and quality. This sensor is one of the many Yara Precision Farming tools which will be implemented in North America. A variety of applications and sensing technology are slated for implementation and we’re confident they will benefit growers in North America.”

Goodroad explained that some of the features and benefits of the Yara Water Solution include easy setting of irrigation thresholds, preventing over irrigation, which can lead to plant diseases, and reducing fertilizer and pesticide use since applications can be aligned to meet water demands of the plant.

Geraldo Mattioli, Yara North America vice president, premium offerings, added, “This technology is unique to Yara and its launch will further differentiate us in the North American market not only as fertilizer suppliers but as crop nutrition experts who can help deliver to farmers solutions for environmental issues such as reduced water supply.“

Land Stewardship Launches Cover Cropping Calculator

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, Cover Crops, Soil, water, Water Quality

csc_summary_page_finalResearch is showing that cover crops such as perennial grasses can improve soil health, reduce run-off and potentially offer growers additional revenue opportunities all while improving the ag operation’s sustainability. But how can a grower better assess what the financial bottom line actually is should cover crops be implemented? This question now has an easier answer thanks to the Land Stewardship Project (LSP). The organization has developed a new tool coined the “Cropping Systems Calculator“ and is available for farmers, ranchers, non-farm landowners and natural resource professionals. The tool enables the user to crunch the numbers and identify practical ways to achieve continuous living cover on the land.

“We already know that growing cover crops, diversifying rotations and establishing more perennial pasture grasses on the land is good for water quality and wildlife habitat,” said LSP’s Robin Moore. “But that does little good if farmers can’t afford to make these changes to their operations. Now the Calculator can help figure out the financial pluses and minuses of covering fields beyond the typical 110-day corn-soybean growing season.”

The Cropping Systems Calculator was developed as part of the Chippewa 10 percent Project initiative. The program was a collaboration of LSP, the Chippewa River Watershed Project – located in West-Central Minnesota –  along with several other organizations and agencies. The initiative is working to help growers and other landowners develop profitable methods for protecting water quality.

The Calculator is an Excel-based tool that allows the comparison of two crop rotations, each up to six years in length. It provides average yearly returns as well as a year-by-year breakdown for each rotation. Another feature of the Calculator is that it allows a comparison of various grazing systems on a per-acre basis.

A producer can compare types of cattle (cow/calf, stocker, feeder-to-finish, custom grazing) as well as grazing management style (continuous, basic rotational, managed intensive rotational, mob). In fact, the Calculator is relatively unique in that it can compare row-cropping to various grazing systems on a per-acre basis, according to LSP’s Rebecca Wasserman-Olin, who developed the tool in consultation with various other economic experts, as well as growers and producers.

“The Cropping Systems Calculator is not expected to provide an exact amount of income a farmer can rely on earning the following season, but rather a good estimate of the range of returns possible,” explained Wasserman-Olin. “The goal of the Calculator is to give farmers a way to make informed management decisions that aren’t simply based on doing it the way we’ve always done it.” Read More

Record Production Leads to Lower Prices for U.S. Corn

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, Corn, NCGA, USDA

According to new USDA forecasts, increases in corn acres, both planted and harvested in the U.S., led to higher production and lower prices. Despite a 30-million-bushel overall increase in demand, corn price forecasts for the 2016/2017 crop year fell ten cents to $3.40 per bushel. The 2016/17 season-average corn price received by farmers fell and is now projected to be between $3.10 to $3.70 per bushel.

IMG_0195

Photo Credit: Joanna Schroeder

“While NCGA is pleased with increased demand from the export sector, it is evident that far greater gains must be made in generating additional demand from all sectors if we are to ensure the continued profitability of U.S. family farmers,” said National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Chip Bowling, a farmer from Maryland. “To grow these markets, farmers need the help of our federal legislators and regulators.We need Congress to help us push export demand even further by opening new markets by passing the Trans-Pacific Partnership and lifting the Cuban Trade Embargo. We must work together to generate the demand America’s rural communities and farm families need to thrive.”

The USDA report projected increased export forecasts by 100 million bushels to 2.05 billion bushels. If realized, this would be the first time U.S. corn exports have exceeded two billion bushels since 2007/2008, says NCGA. This increase, in large part, reflects decreased competition by Brazil, for which USDA reduced old crop export estimates by 157 million bushels. This increase was, in large part, offset by decreased demand in the ethanol and feed sectors. Overall demand forecasts were thus only raised by 30 million bushels.

Both the number of planted and harvested acres were changed in light of the information released in the acreage report last month. With an additional 500,000 acres planted and 700,000 acres to be harvested, production forecasts increased despite steady yield forecasts. If achieved, corn production would set a new record at 14.5 billion bushels. Notably, the ending stocks forecasts was increased by 73 million bushels.

NCGA recently hosted an event, the Corn Utilization and Technology Conference that features emerging technologies that utilize corn and thus finding new avenues for corn producers.

USDA Awards $44.6M For Wetland Projects

Joanna SchroederAgribusiness, NRCS, USDA, water

The USDA is awarding $44.6 million through its Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership to support 10 projects in 12 states on private tribal agricultural lands. Receipts are providing matching funds totaling more than $4.3 million. In total, the projects will help to protect, restore or enhance 15,000 wetland acres in critical watersheds across the United States.

nrcs“USDA is committed to protecting and enhancing our nation’s wetlands, which are critical to the quality of our nation’s waters, wildlife and landscapes,” said USDA Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack. “By collaborating with private partners at the local and regional level, USDA is able to support innovative conservations solutions and expand the amount of dedicated resources. These are high impact projects that will ensure our land and water resources are healthy now and for the next generation.”

States with projects that were awarded funds includes Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.

Wetland reserve easements help landowners reduce impacts from flooding, recharge groundwater, enhance and protect wildlife habitat and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. The voluntary nature of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) easement programs allows effective integration of wetland restoration on agricultural land, providing benefits to farmers and ranchers who enroll in the program, as well as benefits to the local and rural communities where the wetlands exist.

Since 2009 private landowners, tribes and entities like land trusts and conservation organizations have enrolled nearly 1.3 million acres in NRCS wetland easement programs for a total NRCS investment of $3.2 billion in financial and technical assistance.