Latest News & Updates in KC Agriculture - March 2021

Developments

In the aftermath of recent winter storms, Dairy Farmers of America is donating $50,000 through its DFA Cares Foundation to Southwest food banks and Feeding Texas to help with relief and recovery efforts. “As farmers, we work hard each and every day to help make food for our local communities,” says Larry Hancock, a dairy farmer from Muleshoe, Texas, and a member of DFA’s Board of Directors. Last spring DFA launched its DFA Cares Farmers Feeding Families Fund, which was created to help raise money and deliver dairy products to community food banks across the country. To date, the Farmers Feeding Families Fund has raised more than $675,000 in donations from DFA farmer-owners, employees and industry partners and has supported rural and community food banks and pantries throughout the Southwest. 

Kansas City drivers will have more fuel choices at the pump after the Environmental Protection Agency approved the year-round sale of E15 fuel in the Kansas City metro area. EPA removed a regulation that previously banned the sale of E15 in the region. The Kansas Corn Growers Association and Missouri Corn Growers Association staff worked closely with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and EPA to allow year-round E15 sales.

 National Beef is investing $100 million to increase capacity at its Iowa Premium beef processing plant in Tama, Iowa.  Daily capacity at the plant is expected to double to 2,500 head, requiring the addition of a second shift. National Beef acquired the facility in 2019. The project is expected to be complete in late 2022, and the company expects to create hundreds of jobs in the Tama area.

USDA’s NIFA recently awarded over $8.5 million in funding for 29 research and Extension grants that will advance solutions to critically important problems in U.S. agriculture. “These NIFA investments in user-inspired projects bring together researchers, Extension experts, and practitioners to find solutions that can be rapidly adopted by the agricultural community,” said NIFA Director Carrie Castille.

Canadian Pacific Railroad has agreed to purchase Kansas City Southern in a deal worth about $25 billion after discounting $3.8 billion of KCS debt that Canadian Pacific will take on. It would combine two of the industry's fastest-growing rail operators. The companies said the deal would help them become more competitive. That could become increasingly important as the USMCA goes into effect. The combined company would operate 20,000 miles of rail employing nearly 20,000 people and generating annual sales of about $8.7 billion.

Cargill is investing in its U.S. soy processing operations, with modernization and expansion projects planned across its network of crush facilities in seven states. Once completed, the company estimates the $475 million in investments will improve operational efficiencies while increasing capacity to better meet growing demand for U.S. soy products. Improvements will include faster unloading of oilseeds and loading of products, increased capacity to provide additional market opportunities, and better overall logistics, safety and ease of doing business, the company said. All facilities will continue to operate while construction and expansion projects are underway. 

The University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine received an $11 million gift to fund a new imaging center. Officials say this is the largest gift in the college’s history, and it will be used to advance comparative and translational medicine research at the university.  

U.S. beef and pork exports began this year below the large volumes posted a year ago, according to January data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Beef exports totaled 105,047 metric tons in January, down 2% from a year ago, while value fell 3% to $653 million. The decline was due mainly to lower beef variety meat shipments. January beef exports were strong to South Korea and continued to gain momentum in China, while exports to the Middle East also rebounded. Pork exports in January totaled 248,656 metric tons, down 9% from a year ago but still slightly above USMEF’s projections. Pork export value was down 13% to $642.8 million. While pork exports to China and Hong Kong declined as expected, exports to Japan increased in January, and demand was strong in Central America, the Philippines and the Caribbean.

St. Joseph, Missouri-based American Angus Association surpassed 20 million registrations on March 17, 2021. A registration certificate is more than a piece of paper, says the Angus organization. The registration paper creates demand and extra value in cattle that are powered by the qualities that the Angus breed brings to the table. Registration numbers signify the data behind the animal, tracing its lineage and potential to change the direction of cowherds. 

Americans are buying more beef, pork, poultry, and lamb than ever as increased time at home during the pandemic sent meat grocery sales soaring by 20% from 2019 to 2020, reports the North American Meat institute. The recently released national analysis shows that three out of every four Americans agree meat belongs in healthy, balanced diets (up by nearly 20% since 2020), and 94% say they buy meat because it provides high-quality protein. Nearly all American households (98.4%) purchased meat in 2020, and 43% of Americans now buy more meat than before the pandemic – primarily because they are preparing more meals at home.

Agriculture is a diverse industry usually located in remote parts of the country. The risks and occupational exposures associated with farming and ranching are often not familiar to healthcare workers serving rural communities. Nurses are the frontline of rural community healthcare which is why FCS Financial is teaming up with four other Farm Credit associations to offer 20 scholarships to nurses from Missouri or Arkansas to complete the Agrisafe Nurse Scholar program. The program consists of 20 hours of virtual, on-demand learning utilizing lectures, interactive question and answer sessions and group discussions. More information is available here.

March Madness reaches its finale this weekend when the NCAA Basketball Championship’s Final Four event tips off. There have been a number of game changing rules over the years for this collegiate sport, like the 3-point shot, the 30-second shot clock and the jump stop (once called  ‘steps’ or ‘travelling’ by refs).  But many fans and hoop historians claim the slam dump changed the game forever. Credit for this electrifying act of athletic prowess, however, doesn’t solely belong to the talented players performing it. Acclaim should go to a lifelong Illinois farmer and a John Deere cultivator. 

Truth be told, early on, players, coaches, athletic directors and gym maintenance supervisors weren’t so keen on the slam. Too many broken wrists, shattered backboards, costly replacements and delayed/postponed games threw a wet blanket on the flying circus. So entered Arthur Ehrat, farmer and manager of the former Farmers Elevator Company in 1975, looking for a solution. He tinkered with some 30 different springs – including automobile valve springs – that could snap the rim back into place during a dunk. None were strong enough. Except a John Deere spring that had the right shape and measurements. Ehrat designed his prototype after it and named it The Rebounder, which he patented in 1982. His breakaway rim, now integral to just about every backboard in the world, also resides in the Basketball Hall of Fame and The Smithsonian.

Stagnant public funding for agricultural research is threatening the future vitality of U.S. food systems – posing risks to farmer productivity and profitability, the steady supply of affordable food for consumers, and ultimately global food security, according to a new report. The report, jointly commissioned by Farm Journal Foundation and the American Farm Bureau Federation and authored by the IHS Markit Agribusiness Consulting Group, highlights the vital importance of public funding for agricultural research and development (R&D). New innovations are crucial so that farmers can increase their productivity and meet rising global demand for food, even as climate change intensifies. The world population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, and food production will need to increase by 60%-70% to meet rising demand. While private-sector funding for agricultural R&D has been increasing, U.S. public spending has been flat for the past decade. The full report is available from AFBF.

People

Former Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts has joined Capitol Counsel as a new partner. Roberts served four terms in the Senate and eight terms in the House of Representatives. At the time of his retirement, he chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee and also served on the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He is the only person to serve as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee, working on a total of eight farm bills.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., has hired Haydin Brady as his new district communications coordinator. Brady most recently served as community affairs liaison in Cleaver’s Kansas City office.

Richard Fordyce has joined Osborn Barr Paramore as business growth director. Fordyce previously served as the administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency. At OBP, he will focus on strategic business development and will represent the agency in roles with various local, regional and national agriculture industry organizations.

Corn farmers and industry representatives joined the Missouri Corn board of directors virtually for the Missouri Corn Growers Association annual meeting. Members also took the opportunity to honor grower-leaders and retiring CEO Gary Marshall for their work on behalf of corn farmers. Award recipients included: President’s Award, Mark Scott, Wentzville; Honorary Lifetime Award, Mike Moreland, Harrisonville, Greg Schneider, Warrenton; Years of Service Award, Kyle Kirby, Liberal, Greg Schneider, Gary Marshall, Jefferson City.

The National Pork Producers Council joined the National Pork Board to honor Missouri Pork Producers Association executive vice president Don Nikodim with the Paulson-Whitmore State Executive Award at the National Pork Industry Forum. The award, named after former Minnesota and Wisconsin Executive Directors Don Paulson and Rex Whitmore, recognizes the outstanding leadership and commitment of state pork organization executives.

Cargill is adding two new members to its executive team to help implement strategic growth initiatives. Jon Nash will take over as the leader of global protein and salt enterprise. Pilar Cruz will be Cargill’s chief sustainability officer, responsible for the company’s sustainability, corporate responsibility and global communications functions. The company also announced changes for several other members of its executive team. All of these changes and additions go into effect April 1.

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, R-Kan., has hired Audra Weeks as his new press secretary. She most recently was the deputy press secretary on the Trump Campaign as well as in the press shop of former Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

Kansas Department of Agriculture has announced results of elections to lead the state’s five grain commodity commissions. The Kansas Corn Commission is now led by Brian Baalman, district one; Dennis McNinch, district two; and Steve Rome, district three. The Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission is now led by Jon Berning, district two, and Brant Peterson, district three. No candidates ran for districts one, two, or three for the Kansas Soybean Commission, which will now appoint this combined position. The Kansas Wheat Commission is now led by Brian Linin, district one; Ronald Suppes, district two; and Gary Millershaski, district three. Source: Agri-Pulse Communications.

Missouri Department of Agriculture announced 30 high school sophomores were selected to participate in the 2021 Missouri Agribusiness Academy. Students selected will spend several days in June in the Mid-Missouri region exploring careers in agriculture, building leadership skills and learning more about farming, ranching and food production. “Giving back to agriculture is important and we’re thrilled to contribute to the future of agriculture through MAbA,” said Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn. “I’m so proud of each of these students and the accomplishments they’ve already achieved as leaders. We hope that MAbA helps each of them add value to those skills and ultimately find their future in an agriculture career.” Since 1988, the Missouri Agribusiness Academy has awarded more than 990 academy memberships through a competitive application and interview process for high school sophomores interested in pursuing agriculture-related college degrees and careers.

Agriculture Future of America recently selected 22 college students to serve as organizational Ambassadors. The Ambassadors represent AFA on their respective campuses and will serve through March 31, 2022. Ambassadors kick-off their term in March 2021 with training and team building exercises. In the initial training, Ambassadors will gain further insight on their role including goals specific to their campus involvement with AFA, their function in partner relationships, coaching on sharing AFA with various audiences and resources available throughout their term. “AFA was founded to serve students and there’s no better way to do so than by empowering the Ambassadors as advocates for the organization and wider agriculture industry,” says Mark Stewart, AFA president and CEO. “The Ambassadors work in tandem with AFA to bring premier leader and career development experiences to highly motivated young professionals studying agriculture and related fields.”

Events

The 2021 World Pork Expo will take place at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. Professionals in the pork industry can expect three days of networking, education, and innovation from June 9-11. National Pork Producers Council will continue to monitor developments in COVID-19 guidelines (local, state, federal) for the World Pork Expo to ensure the health and safety of all participants. NPPC will provide guidance to exhibitors and attendees. Registration information will soon be available online for those who plan to attend.

Kansas Department of Agriculture will host a free informational webinar focused on updates to the H–2A guest worker program including CDL requirements for custom harvesting and farm employees. The webinar will take place virtually on April 7, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. The focus will be on USDA’s H–2A program for temporary agricultural employment of foreign workers via the Farm Worker Modernization Act. Register here.