Agriculture News
Iowa beef checkoff passes with 56% approval
Des Moines Register | Posted on December 9, 2016Fifty-six percent of Iowa cattle producers voted in November to create a state checkoff program that will generate up to $1.6 million annually, the Iowa Department of Agriculture said. Producers will pay 50 cents per head of cattle to support the state checkoff. The money will be used to promote Iowa beef, fund production research, expand international markets, consumer education and other activities, the Iowa Cattlemen's Association says. “We are very pleased with the results of the referendum," said Phil Reemtsma, a veterinarian and president of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. "Reinstating our state checkoff has been a priority mission for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association over the last year, and we've been encouraged at each step in the process by the input and support of producers around the state.”
Grants help fund livestock upgrades
Fairmont Sentinel | Posted on December 9, 2016Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson says livestock producers can apply for a portion of $2 million in grants available for on-farm improvements, as part of the Agricultural Growth, Research and Innovation Program.
Genetically-altered goats produce less allergenic milk
Genetic Literacy Project | Posted on December 8, 2016β-Lactoglobulin (BLG) is a dominant allergen present in the milk of goats and other ungulates, although it is not found in human breast milk. Thus, the presence of BLG restricts the consumption of goat’s milk by humans. In the present study, we examined whether the disruption of the BLG gene in goats by homologous recombination (HR) reduced BLG content in goat’s milk and decreased the allergic response to milk. [We generated] two transgenic goats possessing a BLG knockout allele or site-specific hLA [human α-lactalbumin] integration allele. Milk assays demonstrated a reduction in BLG levels in both the BLG knockout and hLA knock-in goats; furthermore, hLA was present in the hLA knock-in goat’s milk. Allergenic analysis in mice indicated that the transgenic goat’s milk was less allergenic than wild-type goat’s milk. These results support the development of gene-targeted animals as an effective tool for reducing allergic reactions to milk and improving nutrition.
John Deere unveils latest all-electric tractor prototype for zero-emission agriculture
electrek | Posted on December 8, 2016At Electrek, we firmly believe that all forms of ground transport will start to transition to electric propulsion relatively soon. That includes large tractors for agriculture, as demonstrated by John Deere’s latest all-electric tractor concept. Where you would normally find a large diesel engine under the hood, there are stacks of battery packs adding up to 130 kWh of capacity. That’s more energy than in Tesla’s highest capacity battery pack (100 kWh). SESAM needs it to tow large tools and to perform other tasks, which it can do while in “off mode” without having a large diesel engine running as highlighted by the company in a video released last week. As for power, the vehicle is equipped with two 150 kW electric motors for a total power output of up to 300kW (402hp).
Hog Prices Join Corn and Wheat at Ten-Year Lows
Farm Doc Daily | Posted on December 8, 2016Focusing on lean hog futures prices, the low this fall was on the October 2016 contract at $40.70. The previous time lean hog futures had been this low was in October of 2002. This means lean hog futures in the fall of 2016 were the lowest lead contract price in 14 years. Lean hog futures have recovered somewhat since October, with the lead contract currently trading around $50, a level that is at the lower end of the ten-year range. Cash prices also reflect these multi-year lows. Live prices of hogs for 51 percent to 52 percent carcasses are expected to average about $36.25 in the final quarter of this year. This will be the lowest fourth quarter price since 2002, the lowest cash prices in 14 years, the same as lean hog futures. The current quarter is shaping up to have the worst losses since the first quarter of 2008 when cash corn prices moved above $4 per bushel after many years around $2.A three percent increase in this quarter's pork production is one of the forces keeping prices low, but shortages of packer capacity seems to be another factor that is an additional downward force on low farm prices. Over time, the pork industry growth has reached a point where more packer capacity is needed. In addition, the largest hog supplies of the year tend to be in the final quarter, which puts added seasonal pressure on capacity. It is generally thought that 2.5 million head per week is near federal inspection capacity. In four of the past seven weeks, the number of head processed at federal inspected plants has been above 2.5 million head.When there is a shortage of capacity in any industry there tends to be high returns to those who own that capacity. That seems to be the case this fall as the farm-to-wholesale margin is at record high levels. Looking at the most recent USDA data, the farm-to-wholesale margin for January through October has averaged $0.68 per retail pound this year compared to $0.56 per retail pound for the same period in 2015. If all of this higher margin were bid into the farm level price it would increase live hog prices by $5 to $7 per live hundredweight.After prices average about $36 for the final quarter of 2016, prices are expected to improve to about $40 for the first quarter of 2017 with head counts that are a little smaller. Then, seasonally smaller supplies in the second and third quarters could support live hog prices around $50.
The Adoption of Genetically Engineered Alfalfa, Canola and Sugarbeets in the United States
USDA | Posted on December 8, 2016Genetically engineered (GE) varieties of corn, soybeans, and cotton with herbicide-tolerant and/or insect-resistant traits were commercially introduced in the United States in 1996. Twenty years later, most corn, cotton, and soybean farmers use these varieties, and the impacts of adoption have been widely documented. By contrast, relatively little is known about the adoption of GE alfalfa, canola, and sugarbeets, crops that add substantial value to the U.S. agricultural sector. For instance, alfalfa is the fourth largest crop in the United States in terms of acreage and production value. It was also the first widely grown GE perennial to be commercialized. GE alfalfa and GE sugarbeets have been subjects of recent legal controversies. Approximately 18 million acres of alfalfa, with a production value of $10.7 billion, were harvested in the United States in 2013. Alfalfa is the fourth largest crop in the United States (in terms of acreage and production value). South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, and Wisconsin account for 42 percent of national acreage devoted to alfalfa. Approximately 1.3 million acres of canola (an edible version of rapeseed), with a production value of $456 million, were harvested in the United States in 2013. North Dakota, Oklahoma, Montana, Idaho, and Washington accounted for 96 percent of U.S. canola production. Approximately 1.2 million acres of sugarbeets, with a production value of $1.6 billion, were harvested in 2013. Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho, and Michigan accounted for over 80 percent of sugarbeet production in 2013.
Ohio legislature punts on CAUV farm tax reform
Farm and Dairy | Posted on December 8, 2016Farmers and landowners who called on the state legislature to improve the formula for calculating the Current Agricultural Use Value for property taxes are on track for a setback. Miller said House and caucus members discussed the bill various times, but members still need more time to review the complexities of the bill and how it would affect funding for all parties.Rep. Brian Hill, R-Zanesville, and the sponsor of the House bill, said it looks like the House will try to finish up its other bills, and revisit the CAUV issue in January. He said he was disappointed it didn’t get done this year, because he felt it was justified, and would have helped farmers who face a declining ag economy.
Labor shortage is real in Midwest feedlots
MIdwest Producer | Posted on December 8, 2016More and more sectors in production agriculture are having a hard time finding help and the problem runs from coast to coast. Reports abound of crops left rotting in the fields because of a shortage of available labor to get out and harvest. The labor shortages aren’t just limited to crops, either. Feedlots across the country are having a hard time finding people to work with their livestock. The labor pains have gotten progressively worse in feedlots during the past decade.
Gene editing is just advanced plant breeding
Agri-Pulse | Posted on December 8, 2016Gene editing is simply the latest development in the evolution of plant breeding, the head of the American Seed Trade Association said at ASTA's annual meeting today in Chicago, seeking to reassure consumers about the safety and efficacy of the new technique. “The farmer's constantly looking to grow more using less,” LaVigne said. “Farmers need that variety of seed choices to solve their local needs, to manage changing weather, to fight plant disease and pests and wisely use crop inputs and those natural resources.”He cautioned, however, that regulatory barriers that have effectively prevented land grant universities from conducting biotech research could be applied to gene editing, which he said “would be a shame.”Juliet Marshall, a professor of cereals agronomy and plant pathology at the University of Idaho, said gene editing could be used to control, or at least reduce the impacts of, fusarium head blight (FSM), known more commonly as head scab.
Vandals set hundreds of cows loose at Maine dairy farm and 1 dies
Central Maine | Posted on December 8, 2016A cow broke its neck and died last week after vandals let it and hundreds of other cows out of their pens at the Misty Meadow Farm and also vandalized the Wright Place Farm. Sometime between 2 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., about 500 milking cows were released from their pens. Roy said those cows were discovered by the next shift of workers arriving at the farm. All told there are 1,500 cows on the farm, Roy said. One of the cows that was released fell into a drainage hole and broke its neck. Workers at the farm also discovered that stainless steel cooling tanks for milk and cream had been turned off. It was also discovered that two headlights from a farm truck in the garage had been stolen, as had some meat from a freezer in the garage. A pellet or BB gun was also stolen, which probably was used to shoot out a window from a nearby tractor.