News Update
March 25, 2014
Celebrate Family Farming
on National Ag Day
National Farmers Union (NFU) is celebrating National Ag Day by highlighting the importance of family farming to food security both in the United States and around the world. The United Nations (UN) has declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming.
“Family farmers constitute 96% of all farms in the United States and 45% of the world’s population makes its living directly from farming. Without family farmers, there would be no National Ag Day,” said Chandler Goule, NFU senior vice president of programs.
Delegates to the recent NFU convention passed a special order of business celebrating the International Year of Family Farming and “congratulating the world’s family farmers for their critical contributions to food security, environmental stewardship and rural economic development.”
“In spite of family farmers’ work, globally 870 million people still suffer from chronic undernourishment and a disproportionate number of them are farmers,” said Goule. “On this National Ag Day, I challenge all consumers and the agriculture community to come together to help solve our world’s food security challenges.”
— Release by Brittany Jablonsky for the National Farmers Union.
Nitrogen Loss Suspected in Wheat
Based on a study conducted at the University of Kentucky (UK) Research and Education Center (REC) in Princeton, nitrogen losses are possible in wheat fields where the operators applied nitrogen to frozen ground in January and February.
“Though the soil was frozen enough to support sprayers, significant precipitation fell after the application was made. The nitrogen likely was not able to penetrate the soil and could have been lost to surface runoff,” said Edwin Ritchey, extension soil specialist with the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
Ritchey, Carrie Knott, UK grain crops specialist, and Lloyd Murdock, UK extension soil specialist, conducted a study on potential nitrogen loss when applied to frozen ground. They applied sodium nitrate to frozen wheat fields with Crider and Zanesville soil types on Jan. 31 at the UKREC. After the nitrogen was applied, several rain and snow events occurred, resulting in more than 4.5 inches of total precipitation. Specialists made sodium nitrate applications to adjacent thawed fields Feb. 24 for a comparison.
They collected soil samples from each field March 11. Nitrate losses were between 49% and 64% in soils that were frozen when the nitrogen application was made.
“Based on this limited data, it appears that a substantial amount of nitrogen was lost from the soil and was not utilized by the plants,” Ritchey said. “The use of sodium nitrate represents the maximum potential nitrogen loss. Other nitrogen forms could lose less.”
Common nitrogen sources used in wheat production are solid urea or a solution of urea and ammonium nitrate.
“Ammonium forms of nitrogen could potentially be retained in the soil to a greater extent than the nitrate form, even with limited infiltration,” Ritchey said. “It is not known if or to what extent this occurred.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
PEDv Will Cause Significant 2-year Shortfall
In North American Hog Market
Rabobank has published a new report on the impact of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv) on the North American herd, forecasting significant impacts on production and slaughter through 2015, and identifying the opportunity for U.S. poultry to step into the market gap.
In the report, published by the bank’s Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory team, Rabobank says that PEDv thus far has impacted about 60% of the U.S. breeding herd, 28% of the Mexican herd, and is beginning to develop in Canada. If PEDv spreads in Canada and Mexico at the pace seen in the United States, Rabobank says that North American hog slaughter could decline by nearly 18.5 million hogs over 2014 and 2015, or 12.5% relative to 2013 levels. Overall U.S. pork production is anticipated to decline 6% to 7% in 2014, the most in more than 30 years.
“In the U.S., we see the outbreak of PEDv causing a significant shortfall in the availability of market hogs in 2014 — to the tune of 12.5 million hogs or 11% of annual slaughter,” explained Rabobank Analyst William Sawyer. “Given the ever-rising number of PEDv cases reported, coupled with a six-month average lifecycle, the months of August through October are likely to be the tightest for processors, where slaughter could decline by 15%-25% against 2013 levels. If the virus continues at its current rate, the shortfall to U.S. slaughter in 2014 could be as much as 15 million hogs.”
For more information, please view the full release here.
American Agri-Women Helping Select
Farm Mom of the Year: Nominations End March 31
Monsanto Co. is announcing the last call for nominations in its search for the next America’s Farmers Mom of the Year. Those who would like to nominate an amazing farm mom — one who works every aspect of the farm, keeps everyone on task, and even advocates for the industry she loves — will have through Monday, March 31, to submit their entry.
“Last year we received nominations from 48 different states — all featuring wonderful stories of active and empowered women who make a positive impact on their families, farms and communities,” says Jessica Simmons, corporate marketing director for Monsanto. “We know there are still so many great stories out there to share and more women to recognize, so we want to hear from you.”
Anyone can nominate their favorite farm mom for a chance to win up to $10,000 — whether it’s their own mom, sister, aunt, daughter, friend or community member.
To nominate a favorite farm mom, visit American Agri-Women, and Monsanto will select five regional winners based on the judges’ decisions. Each regional winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize. Profiles of the regional winners will then be posted to AmericasFarmers.com, where the public can vote for one national farm mom winner. Announced just prior to Mother’s Day, the national winner will receive an additional $5,000 cash prize above and beyond her regional prize.
“We carefully review every nomination and enjoy reading the phenomenal stories of farm moms who give selflessly to better the world they live in,” says Kris Zilliox, vice president of education for American Agri-Women. “We are glad to be a part of a program that recognizes the important role women play in agriculture and are looking forward to seeing what the 2014 nominations will bring.”
For more information on the program or for complete eligibility requirements and official contest rules visit AmericasFarmers.com. Interested parties may also send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to America’s Farmers Mom of the Year, Attn: Sue Dillon, 349 Marshall Ave., Ste. 200, St. Louis, MO 63119.
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