Latest News & Updates in KC Agriculture - July 2021
/Developments
USDA has indicated it will allocate $500 million to expand meat processing capacity. Farm groups say the funding will probably be allocated through grants and loans. Glynn Tonsor, ag economist at Kansas State University, noted a general rule of thumb when considering the cost of building a new facility, at least for beef cattle, is about $100,000 per head of processing capacity. “The economic size of the meat and livestock industry and the cost involved with industry infrastructure expansion is way larger than most people recognize,” Dr. Tonsor told Agri-Pulse Communications. “So, $500 million doesn't go nearly as far as it sounds.” Read the full article in Agri-Pulse newsletter July 28, 2021.
Kansas City’s City Market is in the running for the American Farmland Trust (Farmers Market Coalition) contest for the 2021 Farmers Market Celebration. Running from June 21 to September 19, 2021, the 13th annual America’s Farmers Market Celebration showcases the essential markets across the nation making a difference for farmers, ranchers, and communities. Vote here.
According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), there were 101 million head of cattle and calves on U.S. farms as of July 1, 2021, down 1% from July 2020. Of the 101 million head inventory, all cows and heifers that have calved totaled 40.9 million, down 2% from last year. To obtain an accurate measurement of the current state of the U.S. cattle industry, NASS surveyed nearly 16,000 operators across the nation during the first half of July. NASS asked these producers to report their cattle inventories as of July 1, 2021, and calf crop for the entire year of 2021 by internet, mail, or telephone. This Cattle report and all other NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications.
Missouri’s soybean farmers are investing in the future with the launch of the new Policy Leaders Fellowship Program. In partnership with Iowa soybean growers, the new program offers leadership training, networking opportunities, and hands-on work with policy, government, and legislative processes. “Investing in the next generation of agricultural and policy leaders is key to serving Missouri’s soybean farmers. Our impact grows as we work together, and this is a great step forward for ensuring soybeans are front and center in Missouri and the Midwest, well into the future,” said Ronnie Russell, Missouri Soybean Association president. The program is designed for young professionals involved in production agriculture. One applicant will be selected from each crop reporting district in Iowa and Missouri. The strongest candidates will have an interest in agricultural policy education and be active members of their state soybean associations. Applications may be submitted online at mosoy.org/fellow through August 15.
In a new study published in Plos Genetics, Jared Decker, Ph.D., associate professor and Wurdack Chair in Animal Genetics at the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and his team found evidence that cattle are losing their natural ability to adapt to new environments when moved from one location to another. After examining genetic material stretching back to the 1960s, they identified specific DNA variations associated with adaptations that could one day be used to create DNA tests for cattle — tests that could tell farmers whether their cattle are suited for one environment or another. “When I joined MU in 2013, I moved cattle from a family farm in New Mexico to my farm here in Missouri,” said Dr. Decker, “New Mexico is hot and dry, and Missouri is also hot but has much more humidity. The cattle certainly didn’t do as well as they did in New Mexico, and that spurred me to think about how we could give farmers more information about what their animals need to thrive.” He sees this study as an important step toward a genetic test for cattle that can detect genetic variants associated with environmental adaptations. Read more at www.PlosGenetics.com, current edition.
The Kansas Board of Regents – the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, nineteen community colleges, and six technical colleges) – has appointed 25 members to the committee that will assist and advise the Board in the search for the next president of Kansas State University (KSU). The search committee includes representation from university students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Manhattan community. The Board named Carl Ice as chair of the search committee. Ice is a K-State alumnus and retired CEO of BNSF Railway. Search committee members include Terry Holdren, CEO, Kansas Farm Bureau and a member of the Council’s Board of Directors, as well as Kevin Lockett, Partner at Fulcrum Global Capital, a venture capital fund focused on investments in the Agriculture and Animal health sectors.
U.S. Premium Beef has been selected as the recipient of 2021 Don L. Good Impact Award. The award, presented by the Livestock and Meat Industry Council Inc. is named in honor of Good, who is a former head of the Kansas State University Department of Animal Sciences and Industry (ASI), and recognizes positive impact on the livestock and meat industry or agriculture. USPB will be recognized during the K-State ASI Family & Friends Reunion on Oct. 15 at the Stanley Stout Center in Manhattan. The event is planned to be hosted in-person, following COVID procedures at the time. More information, along with registration, is available at www.asi.ksu.edu/familyandfriends.
A federal judge in South Carolina has granted the federal government’s request to remand the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule to the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers. That will allow those agencies to write a new definition of what streams and wetlands fall under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. But the one-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks granted the government’s motion to leave the Trump rule in place while the revisions are in development, reported Agri-Pulse Communications. Environmental groups had asked him to vacate the rule.
In early July, Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Grain Regulatory Services Program (GRSP) suspended the Missouri grain dealer license for Pipeline Foods, LLC. Effective immediately, Pipeline Foods, LLC is not licensed to operate as a grain dealer in the state of Missouri. The Department’s Grain Regulatory Services Program licenses and regulates grain warehouses and grain dealers in Missouri, offering a means of protection to Missouri’s grain producers in case of warehouse or grain dealer insolvency. Any person or business purchasing grain from producers must have a valid grain dealer license. For more information contact GRSP manager Eric Berwanger (573) 751-4112.
USDA’s Kansas City-based National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced an investment of $14 million in research to protect agricultural animals from disease. “Animal health is critically important to farmers and ranchers,” said NIFA director Dr. Carrie Castille. “This research will help better understand, diagnose, control and prevent diseases in agricultural animals and aquaculture.” Funded projects will focus on developing new and improved vaccines, diagnostics and antimicrobial alternatives; breeding disease resistant animals; and understanding better ways to manage animals to minimize disease outbreaks.
The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer marks a second month of sharp declines, down 21 basis points to a reading of 137 in June. Producers were less optimistic about both current conditions on their farming operations as well as their expectations for the future. The Index of Current Conditions dropped 29 points to a reading of 149 and the Index of Future Expectations fell 17 points to a reading of 132. The Ag Economy Barometer is calculated each month from 400 U.S. agricultural producers' responses to a telephone survey. This month's survey was conducted from June 21-25, 2021. "Farmers expect their input costs to rise much more rapidly in the year ahead than they have over the last decade, contributing to their concerns about their farm finances and financial future," said James Mintert, the barometer's principal investigator and director of Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture.
Speaking on the Senate floor last week, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran warned that the impact a potential tax provision in the House spending legislation would have a dire impact on multi-generational farms and ranches. Farmers and ranchers should not have to shoulder a trillion-dollar spending spree to expand social programs, he said. “Our tax code should work for American families, not against them, and especially for family farms and ranches that often lack the cash flows to make ends meet. I will always fight to protect family farms and ranches in Kansas and our country.”
Kansas Livestock Association volunteer leaders and staff spent three days in Washington, D.C., last week. While in the nation’s capital, the KLA contingent met with each member of the Kansas congressional delegation, staff from both the Senate and House Ag Committees and staff of other key members of Congress. During the various meetings, several issues of concern were discussed, including cattle marketing, proposed changes to the tax code that would negatively impact family farms and ranches and how the lack of labor is affecting the livestock industry. The KLA group explained the reasons cattle feeders use different methods to market fed cattle and outlined how member-developed policy defends each producer’s ability to market their cattle how they see fit. They also highlighted how labor shortages are impacting processors, cattle feeders and dairy farmers. Additionally, KLA leaders explained the importance of a guest worker program that fits the year-round labor needs of feedyards and dairies and the need for government policies that encourage domestic workers to re-enter the labor force.
People
Christine Tew is leaving the Missouri Soybean Association to join Valent where she will be working in marketing communications focusing on corn, rice and soybeans. For the past seven years, she has served as the director of communications for MSA. Before that, she was at the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
The American Soybean Association has elected new officers to the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health. New to the Committee are Doug Darling of Michigan and Denny Mertz of Missouri. Serving as chairman is Gerry Hayden of Kentucky, vice chair is Roberta Simpson-Dolbeare of Illinois, treasurer is Bob Haselwood of Kansas, and secretary is Morey Hill of Iowa. Source: Agri-Pulse, July 28, 2021
Senator Roy Blunt has named Rachelle Schroeder as the new Republican staff director of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. She succeeds Fitzhugh Elder IV who has been named Republican staff director of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Schroeder has served as deputy Republican staff director of the Rules Committee since April 2018. She previously served as a clerk for the legislative branch appropriations subcommittee in the Senate.
Four National Junior Hereford Association members were elected to the National Junior Hereford Association board of directors at the 2021 VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE), Hereford Spectacular, July 3-9, in Kansas City, Missouri. Wesley Denton, Blue Rapids, Kan.; Lauren Jones, Darlington, Wis.; Hannah Pearson, Oconto, Neb.; and Tar Tut, Faribault, Minn., were all welcomed into their maroon jackets as new NJHA directors during the JNHE awards ceremony on July 8.
Stockholders of FCS Financial elected four directors to the board. Elected by the cooperative’s member-owners were Andy Kapp of Clarksdale, Missouri, and incumbents Glen Cope of Aurora, Missouri, Dan Devlin of Edina, Mo., and Beth Schnitker of Middletown, Missouri. Kapp, Cope and Devlin will serve four-year terms. Schnitker will serve a 1-year term as part of the Board’s transition from 3-year to 4-year terms. FCS Financial provides credit and financial services to agricultural producers, agricultural-related businesses and rural residents. The board consists of 12 elected and 3 appointed members and has 12 areas of representation.
Events
Missouri State Fair 2021 gets underway August 12-22 in Sedalia. The fair has showcased the Show-Me State since 1901 and is Missouri's largest agricultural expo that includes livestock shows and competitions, agriculture exhibits, rodeo events, concerts, a carnival midway, kids entertainment, and much more. Visit the Fair’s website for news, information and schedule of events: www.mostatefair.com .
As the Beef Checkoff celebrates its 35th anniversary, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is shining a light on successful promotion and research programs that drive the demand for beef. Many consumers recognize the “Beef: It’s What’s Dinner” campaign. Seventy-eight percent of consumers (according to Consumer Beef Tracker; Jan-Dec 2020) agree that beef is great tasting and a great source of protein. Although consumers may be familiar with well-known cuts like Ribeye, Sirloin and Brisket, many may not realize how years of product development research have identified new and innovative favorites such as the Flat Iron Steak and Petite Tender, adding value to the chuck and middle meats. The Product Quality Research program includes the study of beef quality, muscle traits and characterization, carcass traits, muscle tenderness and yield, flavor and palatability, and new technologies. The overall goal of this Checkoff-funded research is to improve beef quality, consistency, value and demand.
The Missouri Governor’s Conference on Agriculture is coming back to Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Missouri, this fall for its 49th celebration of agriculture. Missouri Department of Agriculture has set the conference dates for November 18-19, 2021. Missouri farmers, ranchers, agribusiness leaders and aspiring agriculturalists are invited to enjoy the packed program that will include a commodity outlook, Missouri Agriculture Awards luncheon and nationally recognized speaker line-up.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture will host the state’s agriculture community in person for its sixth annual Kansas Governor’s Summit on Agricultural Growth on Thursday, August 26, in Manhattan. The 2021 Ag Growth Summit will be a blend of in-person events and online meetings. The Summit’s main event will be held at the Manhattan Conference Center with in-person attendance highly encouraged. For several weeks prior to the Summit, starting July 1, a series of virtual sector breakout sessions will lead up to the Summit main event. More information about the 2021 Kansas Governor’s Summit is available from Brittney Grother at Brittney.Grother@ks.gov or 785-564-6797.
Farm Journal initiatives Scoop and Trust In Food have been named exclusive media partners of the 2021 InfoAg Conference presented by The Fertilizer Institute. The event is set for August 3-4, 2021, at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel. For more than 25 years, InfoAg has been the premier conference on the practical application of precision agriculture. Now under management by The Fertilizer Institute the conference will expand to include a broader reach of tools, technologies, products and practices that crop advisers can use to advance agriculture. The conference will build on its strong history of educating crop advisors and agricultural retailers with the integration of a broader perspective of solutions to support the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework. Farm Journal maintains offices in Lenexa, Kansas.
Kansas corn farmers are invited to Kansas Corn’s “Born for the Field” Summer Listening Tour. Growers can connect with Kansas Corn at five listening tour dinners to be held in Goodland, Garden City, Marysville, Lawrence and Fredonia, or at two field days held in Moundridge and Gypsum. This is the sixth year of the popular listening tour dinners. Kansas Corn hosts this annual listening tour to meet with corn farmers to talk about the many issues surrounding the corn and ag industries. Kansas Corn staff will update growers on topics such as market development efforts in the areas of ethanol, livestock and exports, as well as education and research efforts and state and regional issues. A key focus at each stop is to get feedback from growers, which is valued by the association and commission boards in their planning. The “Born for the Field” baseball theme connects with the National Corn Growers Association’s partnership with Major League Baseball’s Field of Dreams game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox in Dyersville, Iowa to be broadcast nationally on Aug. 12. Kansas Corn is participating in NCGA’s “Born for the Field” promotions throughout the summer. More information: www.kscorn.com or by calling the Kansas Corn office, 785-410-5009.
From its Lenexa, Kansas office Farm Journal announced that country music star Easton Corbin will headline the live 2021 #FarmONTM Benefit Concert during Farm Journal Days™. Proceeds from this second annual benefit concert will go to the National FFA Foundation. Highlights from the concert will air in prime time on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021, from 7 to 8 p.m. CDT, on RFD-TV and stream on other online and social networks. Corbin is a three-time American Country Music Award winner and has three Billboard Top Country Albums.