NePPA Joins NPPC In Asking USDA For Help

The Nebraska Pork Producers Association (NePPA) today joined the National Pork Producers Council in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lend assistance to U.S. pork producers to help them weather a nearly 2-year-old economic crisis.  Pork producers since September 2007 have lost an average of more than $21 on each hog marketed, and current hog futures prices show losses well into next year.  

NePPA  and NPPC asked USDA to:
·    Purchase immediately an additional $50 million of pork for various federal food programs, using fiscal 2009 funds. Fiscal 2009 ends Sept. 30. (USDA annually buys pork for food programs; it bought $62.6 million worth in 2008, for example.)
·    Lift a spending cap on USDA’s Section 32 program, and use $50 million of $300 million available to purchase pork for the program, which uses customs receipts to buy non-price-supported commodities for school lunch and other food programs.
·    Buy on Oct. 1 a minimum of $50 million of pork, using fiscal 2010 funds. Fiscal 2010 begins Oct. 1. The purchase would be in addition to USDA’s annual buy.
·    Use $100 million of the $1 billion appropriated for addressing the H1N1 virus for the swine industry. This would include $70 million for swine disease surveillance, $10 million for diagnostics and H1N1 vaccine development and$20 million for industry support.
·    Work with the U.S. Trade Representative to open export markets to U.S. pork. Several countries, including China, continue to impose unwarranted bans on U.S. pork because of the H1N1 flu.
·    Study the economic impact on the livestock industry of expansion of corn-ethanol production and usage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed raising the cap on blending ethanol into gasoline to 15 percent from its current 10 percent.

“Our pork producer members are hurting, and they have been for almost two years now. They need help,” said, Larry E. Sitzman, Executive Director, of the NPPA. “USDA can provide that assistance, which will help Americans who rely on government feeding programs and U.S. pork producers, who feed consumers worldwide and support hundreds of thousands of mostly rural jobs.”  Governors from nine states Aug. 7 also asked the federal government to help U.S. pork producers, urging USDA to make a supplemental $50 million purchase of pork and to lift the Section 32 spending cap to make additional pork buys.



Ethanol board member receives national award

Nebraska Ethanol Board member David Hallberg was awarded the Merle Anderson award for contributions to the ethanol industry at the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) conference in Milwaukee last week. ACE is a grassroots ethanol advocacy organization founded 22 years ago.  The award was created in 1997 to recognize individuals who have contributed significantly to the development and advancement of ethanol production in the U.S.  Merle Anderson, a farmer and founding member and first president of ACE, was in attendance to present the award to Hallberg.

In his 30 years in the biofuels industry, Hallberg served as a legislative director for members of the House and Senate in Washington DC.  His areas of expertise include energy and biofuels.  Following his service on Capitol Hill, Hallberg founded the Renewable Fuels Association, a national trade group representing ethanol producers.  Hallberg has been actively involved in the development of commercial biofuels projects and in public policy at the state and national level.  He currently holds two ethanol related technology patents and has other patent applications pending.   Hallberg has served as a business representative on the Nebraska Ethanol Board for 11 years.

Hallberg is retiring his position on the Nebraska Ethanol Board at Friday’s board meeting. Former Ethanol Board chair Jim Jenkins will also be retiring his position. Paul Kenney will fill the Business seat, and Galen Frenzen will fill the Corn seat.



NE Ethanol Board to meet August 21

The Nebraska Ethanol Board will meet on August 21, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. The meeting will be held at Embassy Suites, 1040 P St, Lincoln.  Among the agenda items are the EPIC fund report, an update on NEB Research initiative from Dr Hossein Noureddini from UNL, discussion on ethanol marketing programs, NE LEAD, a Washington DC update, Special presentation by Martha Schlicher of Monsanto on new processing technologies, updates on state and federal legislation, ethanol plants report and ANEEP update.  The meeting is open to the public.



UNL Extension to Host Soybean Cyst Nematode Field Day Near Herman
Steve Tonn, UNL Extension Educator in Washington County

Last year soybean cyst nematode cost Nebraska soybean growers more than $25 million in yield losses, often without being detected.  Soybean cyst nematode fields were first detected in Washington County in 1994.  Yield losses of 20-30 percent have been documented with no above ground symptoms.  If you have soybean cyst nematodes in your fields and are not managing it, you are contributing to that loss.

To help soybean farmers reduce those losses, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension is conducting a field day on Wednesday evening, August 26 near Herman.  The field day will begin at 6:30 p.m. at a field farmed by Randy Blomker located 1 mile South of Herman, NE on Highway 75 and 2 1/2 miles east on County Road P4.

Field day participants will be able to compare soybean cyst nematode resistant and susceptible soybean varieties, examine infested plants, learn how to identify and manage infestations, receive a free soybean cyst nematode analysis kit and get answers to their questions.

The Soybean Cyst Nematode Management Field Day is presented by UNL Extension with support from the Nebraska Soybean Board.  For more information on the field day contact the Washington County Extension Office at 402-426-9455 or email stonn2@unl.edu.

Editors note:  Soybean Cyst Nematode field days will also be held August 18th near Laurel at 10am and near Royal at 6pm, and nearl Cedar Bluffs on September 4th at 6:30pm.  Click here to see all times and locations in more detail...  http://www.kticam.com/calendars/index/Farm .  



Late Season Training Offered near Mead

A University of Nebraska-Lincoln Crop Management and Diagnostic Clinic Aug. 20 will provide a close-up look at late-season field conditions.  The UNL Extension clinic will be held at the Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with the clinic starting at 8 a.m.

Topics include:
          o Getting the most out of your nitrogen dollar,
          o Soybean management -- creating higher potential yield,
          o Corn growth and ear development,
          o Effects of biostimulants/growth enhancers/anti-stress chemistries on soybeans and corn,
          o Irrigation management and
          o Carbon sequestration report card.
Presenters include UNL Extension educators, specialists and industry representatives.

Nine Certified Crop Adviser credits have been applied for and are pending with anticipated 4.5 in crop management, 1.5 in nutrient management and 3.0 in soil and water management.  Cost for this clinic is $195.  For more information or to register, contact the ARDC at CMDC Programs, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE 68033, call (800) 529-8030, fax (402) 624-8010, e-mail cdunbar2@unl.edu or visit the Web at http://ardc.unl.edu/training.shtml .



USDA Implements Farm Storage Facility Loan Program

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that changes to the Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program have been implemented in accordance with the 2008 Farm Bill, which will allow producers of eligible commodities to obtain low-interest financing to build or upgrade farm storage and handling facilities. The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers FSFL on behalf of the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).  "President Obama and I are committed to providing the necessary resources to keep producers financially solvent before, during and after each crop year, and this program will help ensure that they have adequate capacity to store their harvest until they sell it on the open market," said Vilsack.

The maximum principal amount of a loan through FSFL is $500,000. Participants are required to provide a down payment of 15 percent, with CCC providing a loan for the remaining 85 percent of the net cost of the eligible storage facility and permanent drying and handling equipment. Loan terms of 7, 10 or 12 years are available depending on the amount of the loan. Interest rates for each term rate may be different and are based on the rate which CCC borrows from the Treasury Department.

Payments are available in the form of a partial disbursement and the remaining final disbursement. The partial disbursement will be available after a portion of the construction has been completed. The final fund disbursement will be made when all construction is completed. The maximum amount of the partial disbursement will be 50 percent of the projected and approved total loan amount.  Applications for FSFL must be submitted to the FSA county office that maintains the farm's records. An FSFL must be approved before any site preparation or construction can begin.

The following commodities are eligible for farm storage facility loans:
    * Corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley or minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain
    * Corn, grain sorghum, wheat, oats or barley harvested as other-than-whole grain
    * Pulse crops - lentils, small chickpeas and dry peas
    * Hay
    * Renewable biomass
    * Fruits (including nuts) and vegetables - cold storage facilities

For more information about FSFL or other FSA price support program, please visit your FSA county office or www.fsa.usda.gov .