News Update
February 28, 2014
Trade Agreements Must Address Currency Manipulation
On Feb. 27 National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson voiced support for recent remarks on currency manipulation by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means Ranking Member Sander Levin, D-Mich.
“It is encouraging to see two seasoned and respected congressional leaders reinforce NFU’s long-held trade policy: every future trade agreement must address issues such as the trade-distorting effect of currency manipulation,” said Johnson.
According to an Economic Policy Institute study, two TPP members, Malaysia and Singapore, are among the world’s major currency manipulators and a third, Japan, has announced its intent to intervene in the exchange market to lower the value of the yen.
“Currency manipulation distorts the value of imported and exported goods and increases the likelihood that our existing trade deficit will only continue to rise,” said Johnson. “U.S. negotiators must affirm a goal of decreasing the enormous U.S. trade deficit, which harms our economy and destroys U.S. jobs. I urge our congressional allies to continue their stance against currency manipulation and reject any attempt to pass misguided agreements that reinforce the inequality of our trade playing field.”
Sen. Brown and Rep. Levin stated during a Feb. 26 telephone press conference that Congress would not grant the president trade promotion authority or approve a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement unless it includes disciplines on currency manipulation, an issue still outstanding in the negotiations.
Taking Agriculture to a Higher Level of Precision
Imagine if you will, a tractor pulling a fertilizer wagon traveling at 8 to 9 mph along a field of thousands of sorghum test plants.
As the tractor moves through the field plots, an onboard computer linked to sensors measures everything from plant height and development to nitrogen needs.
While you’re at it, imagine the tractor is driverless; that its operation may be monitored remotely by a human, but the minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour decisions are being made by computer software, said Alex Thomasson, Texas A&M AgriLife Research agricultural engineer, College Station.
Though such a scenario might sound like science fiction, the reality is not that far away, Thomasson said.
Thomasson has been developing hardware and software for precision agriculture and remote sensing for much of his career.
To date, precision agriculture has been largely about adjusting inputs to known variability within a field. For example, instead of applying fertilizer at the same rate across a 160-acre center-pivot circle, precision agriculture systems use data on soil type and residual fertilizer variability to define different management zones within the 160 acres. Fertilizer is then applied to the management zones at optimal rates controlled by a GPS/computer-equipped tractor or through the irrigation system.
Thomasson wants to take precision agriculture to another level. He wants to develop sensor/computer hardware and software that can determine individual plant status in real time, as the tractor automatically transverses the field.
Thomasson is currently working on a system that will be able to aid plant breeders in sorting through the thousands or even tens of thousands of plants for the development of new varieties.
For more information, please view the full release here.
New Tool Offers Growers Easy Option to Measure
Soil Organic Matter Content
Researchers with the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences have developed a new tool that allows farmers to easily predict soil organic matter content and can help them make decisions about whether or not to sell crop residue.
The tool can benefit growers by providing information for more timely planting and harvesting, reducing operating costs, increasing farm income, and building healthier soils, said Rafiq Islam, the soil, water and bioenergy resources program leader at OSU’s South Centers in Piketon, Ohio.
Called a soil organic matter calculator, the tool is designed to allow farmers to easily evaluate the impact of selective crop residue removal on the long-term agronomic and environmental integrity of their farm’s soils, he said.
The calculator is also designed to help growers select management practices that conserve or build soil organic matter, said Islam, who holds joint appointments with OSU Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). OSU Extension, OARDC and South Centers are all part of the college.
“Farmers are aware that soil organic matter is the foundation of sustainable agriculture for enhanced ecosystem services,” Islam said. “How you farm today will affect the amount of soil organic matter content your fields will have in years to come, so it’s important to choose sustainable production practices that sustain soil health and protect long-term productivity.”
The soil organic matter calculator is a spreadsheet-based tool that consists of three primary worksheets that offer multiple options, including a user guide, data manager, a calculator for prediction of soil organic matter, a test scenario module and printed results, he said.
For more information, please view the full release here.
The MCA/MSU Bull Evaluation Program is a Cooperative Effort
The Bull Evaluation Program (BEP) will host an open house for all producers on Saturday, March 1 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the test station located at Plank Farm, 325 Mount Hope Rd., Crystal, Mich. Attendees will have time to evaluate bulls, interact with consignors and Michigan State University Extension Beef Team members.
The objectives of the BEP are to promote performance-tested beef cattle and serve as an educational tool to acquaint producers with its overall value; provide a common environment for evaluating young bulls for rate of gain, soundness, and body composition; and aid beef producers in obtaining superior performance tested bulls that have been evaluated for growth, breeding and structural soundness, and carcass merit.
“In my 26-year participation with the MCA-MSU (Michigan Cattlemen’s Association, Michigan State University) BEP, the bulls selling March 15 are the most complete group we have ever offered,” said Monte Bordner, BEP chairman. “The bulls have performed very well, have excellent EPDs, are structurally sound and athletic. This is a high-quality offering that will add real value to your calf crop!”
For producers planning to attend the sale, you can download a copy of the sale book.
For more information, please view the full release here.
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.