Agriculture News
Washington lawmakers torn over beef industry rift
Capital Press | Posted on December 15, 2016A Washington lawmaker vetting a proposal to raise the beef checkoff by $1 says he’s not sure what to do about the contentious issue. Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, has been meeting with segments of the beef industry for seven months on whether to hike the per head tax on cattle sales to $2.50 from $1.50.He said Tuesday that the industry remains divided. “I don’t know if I’m taking a position at this time,” Dent said.The beef checkoff emerged as an issue in the 2016 Legislature. At $1.50, the fee raises about $500,000 annually for the national Cattlemen’s Beef Board and another $1 million for the Washington Beef Commission, a state agency funded entirely by the checkoff.The Washington Cattlemen’s Association and the Washington Cattle Feeders Association supported raising the fee, doubling the state’s commission yearly budget to about $2 million.The Cattle Producers of Washington, however, rallied enough opposition from ranchers to stop the proposal.Dent volunteered to examine the intra-industry rift and report back to fellow lawmakers in time for th 2017 session.“It’s been an interesting ride for the last seven months,” he said. “These meetings could sometimes be contentious, but they were passionate, and I love that. It’s what makes America great.”
Epicentre of learning: the dairy farm teaching scientists how earthquakes form
The Guardian | Posted on December 14, 2016When dairy farmers Gray and Vicki Eatwell purchased a block of farming land just outside the tiny west coast village of Whataroa in New Zealand, the real-estate agent gestured vaguely at a cliff of striking, green-tinged rock on the border of their property at Gaunt Creek. “She said: ‘That’s the alpine fault, the meeting of the Australian and Pacific plates’,” says Gray Eatwell. “But we thought no more of it, locals were blasé about it. I had no idea my whole life would become about that rock.” With one quiet pub and only a few hundred residents, Whataroa is an easy place to overlook. But to scientists around the world Gaunt Creek invokes a sense of wonder, as every year dozens of top international geologists descend on this remote stretch of coast to study the temperamental fault.Although it is not unique to be able to physically view fault lines that have cracked through the earth’s crust, they are unusual and hugely important to science.Geologists agree that the site at Gaunt Creek, where they have set up a seismic observatory and embarked on an ambitious international drilling project involving more than a dozen countries, is one of the best in the world.
Iowa farmland values tumble for third year in a row
Des Moines Register | Posted on December 14, 2016Iowa's average farmland value declined for the third year in a row, down 5.9 percent to $7,183 an acre over the past year. It's the first time since the 1980s farm crisis that land values have fallen three straight years, according to an Iowa State University report. Despite values tumbling, chances are low that Iowa will face a replay of the devastating farm crisis, said Wendong Zhang, an ISU assistant economics professor who leads the university's annual farmland survey. Average Iowa farmland values are now 17.5 percent lower than the historic high set in 2013 at $8,716 an acre.
EPA approves DuPont Lumisena fungicide seed treatment for soybeans and sunflowers
Delta Farm Press | Posted on December 14, 2016DuPont recently received registration approval from the Environmental Protection Agency for DuPont Lumisena fungicide seed treatment, the newest member of the DuPont seed applied technology portfolio. Lumisena fungicide seed treatment improves crop establishment and stand uniformity by controlling phytophthora in soybeans and downy mildew in sunflower crops. In DuPont research trials, soybean seed protected with Lumisena fungicide seed treatment, which has a favorable environmental profile, had 32 percent less Phytophthora sojae incidence than untreated seed. Additionally, university research trials showed soybeans treated with the active ingredient in Lumisena fungicide seed treatment provided outstanding protection against Phytophthora compared with conventional seed treatment fungicides.
Farm distilleries nearly double in 2 years of Craft NY Act
Wellsville Daily | Posted on December 14, 2016Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on the second anniversary of the Craft New York Act, the number of farm distilleries has nearly doubled since the law was implemented. This growth is a direct result of the Craft New York Act, which took effect Dec. 13, 2014 and provided significant benefits to farm distillers. There are now 107 farm distilleries operating in New York State, with 50 new businesses opening over the last two years."By cutting red tape and easing regulations on farm distilleries, we are supporting the growth and expansion of small businesses that create new jobs and drive economic growth across New York," Governor Cuomo said. "From farm distilleries to breweries to cideries, the craft beverage industry is thriving, strengthening the agricultural and tourism industries, and providing real economic benefits to communities in every region of the state."
Governor Cuomo Announces Launch of New On-The-Job Agricultural Training Program for Veterans
Governor.ny.gov | Posted on December 14, 2016Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the launch of an on-the-job training program for military veterans interested in careers in the agricultural industry. This training opportunity expands the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs’ On-the-Job Training initiative to allow veterans to use their military benefits while obtaining useful job skills on the farm. With assistance from Cornell Small Farms Program, Western New York’s Kreher’s Farm in Clarence, has been approved as the first farm in the state to offer this program to veterans. Additional farms across the state are encouraged to apply to participate in the program. “Veterans across New York have sacrificed so much for the safety and liberty of this state and country. It is our honor to support these brave men and women who answered the call to protect our nation and the principles it was founded upon,” Governor Cuomo said. “This program will open new doors and not only offer on-the-farm training for veterans, it will support increased agricultural production to provide local food to communities across the state. I congratulate Kreher’s Farm for participating in the program and encourage other farms across the state to join.” Interested farms must submit an application and training outline to the DVA. The outline should include skills that will be learned and duties the veteran will complete during training. The training period will last from six months to two years and farms should be in a position to hire the veteran full-time at the end of their training. Staff with Cornell Small Farms will assist farmers in applying for the program. Once an application is approved, Cornell Small Farms will also help match those farms with interested veterans.
New Online Tool Helps Farmers, Owners Find Veterinarians
Veterinary Practice News | Posted on December 13, 2016Are you an animal farmer looking for a veterinarian? A new tool is available to help you called "Find-A-Vet." This online tool was created by GlobalVetLink (GVL), and according to their website, it "allows animal owners to quickly find a veterinarian in their area who offers digital services such as Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (ICVIs/health certificates) and Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA/Coggins) certificates. Enter your zip code to find the GVL veterinarians closest to you." This is especially useful if you are looking for a veterinarian who offers veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) and/or a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), Minnesota Farm Guide writes. Those new rules go into effect January 1, 2017.A link to this new online tool can be found on the Pork Checkoff's homepage. Pork Checkoff is spreading the word about upcoming changes that farmers will have to follow.
Hawaii’s last sugar mill wraps up final harvest
The Washington Post | Posted on December 13, 2016The only remaining sugar mill in Hawaii is ending its final harvest. “Hawaii produced over a million tons of sugar per year for over 50 years. At one time that was 20 percent of all the sugar that was consumed in the United States,” said Robert Osgood, a retired consultant for the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center and co-author of “From King Cane to the Last Sugar Mill.” Sugar farms in Hawaii have closed or consolidated, and competition has increased worldwide. Alexander & Baldwin reported an operating loss of about $30 million in agribusiness in 2015. The company also faced battles over water rights and the public health effects of burning cane leaves.
Farm sector weakness forecast to continue to year's end
The High Plains Journal | Posted on December 13, 2016Net cash farm income is forecast at $90.1 billion and net farm income at $66.9 billion for 2016, according the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service.Both measures are forecast to decline for the third consecutive year after reaching record highs in 2013 for net farm income and 2012 for net cash income. Net cash farm income is expected to fall by 14.6 percent in 2016, while net farm income is forecast to decline by 17.2 percent. These declines follow the 19.8- and 12.7-percent reductions in net cash income and net farm income, respectively, that occurred in 2015. Overall, cash receipts are forecast to fall $23.4 billion (6.2 percent) in 2016 due to a $23.4-billion (12.3 percent) drop in animal/animal product receipts; crop receipts are forecast essentially unchanged from 2015. Nearly all major animal specialties—including dairy, meat animals and poultry/eggs—are forecast to have lower receipts, including a 14.8-percent drop ($11.6 billion) in cattle and calf receipts.The slight gain in crop cash receipts is driven largely by a $5.3-billion increase in oil crop receipts, namely soybeans, while feed crops and vegetables/melons are down $2.2 billion (3.8 percent) and $1.4 billion (6.9 percent), respectively.While overall cash receipts are expected to decline, receipts for several commodities—including turkeys, rye, cotton (cotton lint), miscellaneous oil crops and tobacco—are forecast to rise by 10 percent or more.
Bankers toughen loan terms for farmers
Successful Farming | Posted on December 13, 2016Amid “a growing sense of risk in the farm sector,” bankers across the U.S. are demanding farm real estate as collateral on short-term operating loans, says the Ag Finance Databook compiled by the Kansas City Fed. Real estate provided one third of the collateral on loans of $250,000 or more issued during the summer vs. 10% a year earlier. It was an abrupt reversal of the five-year decline that began during the ag boom. Interest on non-real estate loans is shifting higher. Some 85% of loans carry a floating rate, for only the second time since 1977. The average maturity period for loans, for only the third time since 1997, exceeds 14 months. Together, those actions indicate modest adjustments in loan terms in response to additional risk created by weaker profit margins and reduced cash flow. Repayment rates are slipping, as more producers ask for loan extensions or renewals. The quarterly Databook notes the challenge to bankers – and farmers – posed by forecasts of weak profit margins, continued declines in land values, and a slump in loan repayment rates.