News Update
December 10, 2013
NFU Board to Congress:
Do Not Abandon 2013 Farm Bill
The National Farmers Union (NFU) Board of Directors adopted a resolution Dec. 9 urging Congress to remain in session until the 2013 Farm Bill is completed. The following is the text of the resolution:
“The National Farmers Union Board of Directors calls upon the U.S. Congress to remain in Washington, D.C., until it passes, and the president signs, a comprehensive five-year farm bill into law this year. The current farm bill has been allowed to expire twice and farmers, ranchers, fishermen and rural Americans deserve the certainty of a five-year farm bill.
“Congress should stay in town and finish its work on behalf of the 16 million people directly employed in agriculture. All Americans are affected by the lack of a farm bill because of the important role it plays in nutrition, conservation, renewable energy, rural development and many other areas.”
Soybean Yields Good Despite Weather Challenges
2013 soybean yields were good, a testimony to the resilience of Missouri’s top row crop. Heavy precipitation and isolated flooding in spring delayed planting. Then the spigot dried up during crucial growth periods.
“Soybean are tough,” said University of Missouri (MU) Extension agronomy specialist Bill Wiebold. “That’s why soybean is the No. 1 crop in the state.”
The Division of Plant Sciences in MU’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources recently released results of the 2013 Variety Testing Program. Since 1973, seed companies and organizations have selected several of their best varieties for evaluation at farmer-owned fields and MU test plots throughout the state. Experienced MU researchers use scientific principles and procedures to provide unbiased information to farmers and others.
The northern region of the state stretching from the Mississippi River to the Missouri River reported Group 3 seed yields of 38.8 bushels (bu.) per acre at Novelty to 70.5 bu. per acre in Craig, Wiebold said. Parts of the region went without rain for several weeks during critical growing periods, while other areas received scattered showers.
In central Missouri between Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 36, yields varied also. In the Henrietta bottoms, yields of 70 bu. per acre were reported, while Truxton plots produced 35 bu. per acre. Columbia yields were 45 bu. per acre.
The southwestern Missouri region along the U.S. Highway 71 corridor reported some of the state’s lowest yields. An unusually large amount of spring precipitation and flooding pushed back planting dates and caused poor stands before drought took its toll. The test plot at Harrisonville produced 35 bu. per acre; 52 bu. per acre were recorded at Nevada’s irrigated farm.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Women in Agribusiness Summit Goes Global;
Co-located Events in Barcelona in Feb. 2014
Coming off successful U.S. events, agribusiness consultancy firm HighQuest Partners has announced the global expansion of its Women in Agribusiness Summit with the debut on Feb. 3-4, 2014, at the Hotel Arts in Barcelona, Spain. This event will be co-located with the firm’s inaugural Oilseed Congress Europe/MENA conference, which will address key opportunities and challenges facing the oilseed trade in these regions.
The European Women in Agribusiness Summit will bring the same intimate gathering atmosphere to the Barcelona event as the U.S. summit, while also providing an interactive platform for women to discuss their unique experiences in the industry and hear from women leaders regarding industry trends and current topics. The goals of the summit are twofold: to make the agriculture and food sectors career destinations for today’s talented women, and to provide tools for women to become informed leaders in the industry.
The Barcelona agenda has been prepared to encourage dynamic participatory discussions around important industry topics such as the impact of climate and weather on agricultural production; maintaining a sustainable supply chain: doing business across borders; and the future of genetically modified organisms (GMO) crops.
Additional breakout sessions focus on ag policy, sales and marketing trends and best practices, and innovations across the industry supply chain. Executive roundtable discussions with today’s ag leaders will bring the pathways to leadership in ag closer to all across the entire value chain, and provide ample opportunities for networking across organizational levels.
For more information, please view the full release here.
KLA Policy Focuses on Issues Affecting Livestock Producers
Policy on trichomoniasis, animal care, country-of-origin labeling (COOL), taxes and other issues important to the livestock industry was approved by Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) members Dec. 6 during the group’s annual convention in Wichita. Broad member input is reflected in the final resolutions. The policy discussions started at regional roundtable meetings earlier this fall, progressed through committee and council meetings at the convention and concluded with final approval by the general KLA membership.
“KLA has a one-member, one-vote structure, regardless of how many head of livestock a person owns,” said KLA President Jeff Sternberger, a cattle feeder from Garden City. “This system encourages participation and gives us well-grounded policy for officers and staff to follow.”
An existing resolution was amended by members to support the harmonization of trichomoniasis regulations among states. The intent is to make rules for interstate livestock commerce more consistent as they relate to this costly disease.
Mandatory COOL is addressed in KLA member policy. The organization supports regulatory and/or statutory changes to the current labeling program that will achieve World Trade Organization compliance and avoid trade disruptions or retaliatory action by beef trading partners Canada and Mexico.
Language in another resolution supports changes to the state’s High Performance Incentive Program that would allow agricultural operations to benefit from the sales-tax exemption provisions it contains. Livestock production is virtually the only industry in Kansas not eligible for these benefits.
A resolution addressing eminent domain was revised by the membership to suggest a certificate of convenience and any subsequent condemnation should be limited in scope to authorize only the minimum amount of intrusion on private property necessary to accomplish the public purpose.
KLA members oppose state legislation that would enact more restrictive immigration policies than exist under federal law. Instead, the association supports federal policy that would allow for an efficient and adequate guest-worker program and provide opportunities for current employees to legally complete the immigration process.
Because transportation is such an important part of every livestock enterprise, KLA members retained policy supporting changes in the maximum gross vehicle weight limit for Kansas trucks traveling to and from the market to a level compatible with those imposed by neighboring states.
Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership
Program Applications Due March 15
The Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership (TALL) Program is seeking applicants for its new class, which will begin in July.
TALL is a two-year leadership development program managed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Applications for the newest class, Class XIV, are due March 15. Application forms are online at http://tall.tamu.edu.
“Texas agriculture has a need for individuals who can lead our industry as it faces new and unique challenges. These individuals will provide the leadership, insight and direction to ensure agricultural viability for the future,” said Jim Mazurkiewicz, AgriLife Extension leadership program director.
The program invests 455 hours of intensive training per person in seminars, speakers and domestic and international study trips over two years, Mazurkiewicz added. It is equivalent to the time spent obtaining a master’s degree in agriculture.
The typical class size is about 25, and tuition is $3,000.
“The goal of the program is to create a strong network within Texas agriculture by having representation from all agricultural industries and geographic regions,” Mazurkiewicz said.
Participants include traditional crop producers, ranchers, bankers and attorneys, as well as those who work in lumber, food processing, agricultural corporations and horticultural industries, he said.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.