Latest News & Updates in KC Agriculture - December 2022
/DEVELOPMENTS
Missouri Department of Agriculture director Chris Chinn and Missouri State Veterinarian Dr. Steve Strubberg approved state livestock movement papers for nine reindeer. Mr. Santa Claus from The North Pole applied for the permit this week, providing proof of the healthy herd through a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection signed by licensed veterinarian Dr. Hermey Elf. Team leader, Rudolph, underwent additional testing to prove he’s the most famous reindeer of all. The permit approves Mr. Claus, his sleigh and nine reindeer for flight starting the night before Christmas, with a few exceptions for early deliveries. “The MDA team strives to enable timely movement of healthy animals across Missouri and beyond,” said Dr. Strubberg. “Our team of veterinarians also recommends the reindeer eat a healthy ration of Missouri grass hay. We encourage Missouri farmers and ranchers to make hay available for Santa’s reindeer, in addition to milk and cookies for Santa.” Reindeer approved on the flight manifest: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph.
Nearly 400 members of the Kansas Farm Bureau attended the organization’s 104th annual meeting in Wichita earlier this month. Outgoing KFB President Rich Felts was honored at Sunday’s banquet that featured remarks from U.S. Senator Jerry Moran. Other activities included a host of agriculture-related workshops and speakers, including a keynote from Gregg Doud, former Chief Agricultural Negotiator with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. U.S. Senator Roger Marshall and U.S. Congressional Representative Tracey Mann spoke during a policy update, which also included briefings from Kansas Farm Bureau staff on issues important to agriculture.
Washington, DC-based NDP Analytics, a marketing data firm, has published The Economic and Social Contributions of the Animal Health Industry, which details the growth of the animal health industry over the past three years and documents the value and role that the companies that produce animal medicines play in the U.S. economy and beyond. With nearly $14 billion in sales of medicines at home and abroad, the U.S. animal health industry directly supports 24,094 jobs and accounts for more than $1.6 billion in wages and $1.5 billion in taxes. Animal health products also contribute to the economic activity of other industries such as veterinary services, animal production, meat and dairy production, and pet services. When combined with animal health, these industries generated $608.1 billion in output and more than 1.5 million jobs in 2021. More information is available at www.ndpanalytics.com.
Dairy Farmers of America's CoLAB Accelerator applications are open to agricultural technology startups looking to grow their business and knowledge of the dairy industry. “We are looking for ag tech companies with applications or technologies related to any portion of the dairy value chain, including but not limited to animal health, farm data management, herd health and management, supply chain optimization and sustainability,” said Matt Musselman, DFA’s COO, Farm Service. DFA’s CoLAB Accelerator is a 90-day, immersive program that accelerates and grows ag-tech startup businesses through mentoring and educational programming. DFA has partnered with various startups across the dairy value chain that provide valuable services to our family farm-owners, nutritious dairy-based products to consumers or helpful insights to our business. More information: https://colab.dfamilk.com
Kansas Department of Agriculture partnered with the U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc., along with the Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Tennessee departments of agriculture to participate in a trade mission to Mexico on October 25-28, 2022. Participants of the trade mission were Kansas cattlemen Dirck Hoagland of J&N Ranch, Leavenworth, and Daniel Mushrush of Mushrush Red Angus, Strong City. The focus of the mission was to build relationships and expand international marketing opportunities for purebred beef cattle genetics in Mexico. In 2021, Kansas agriculture exports to Mexico totaled $1.91 billion. Mexico is Kansas’ number one trade partner, accounting for nearly 44% of total agricultural exports. For information about upcoming trade mission opportunities contact Suzanne Ryan-Numrich at Suzanne.Numrich@ks.gov or 785-564-6704.
According to the U.S. Grains Council’s 2022/2023 Corn Harvest Quality Report, the 2022 U.S. corn crop entering the market channel has a higher average test weight, higher protein concentration and lower total damage relative to each quality factor’s average of the previous five crops. Cool temperatures early in the year caused delays in planting but May’s warm weather allowed farmers to catch up and the crop has since matured at a near-average pace. Areas of the western Corn Belt continued to endure higher heat and lower than expected precipitation. These factors contributed to reduced yields in this year’s crop but accelerated maturation and the clear weather ensured a timely harvest, which has maintained crop quality.
Citing concerns about the environment, food security and the fate of family farmers, Missouri legislators have filed several bills that would restrict foreign ownership of agricultural land. Both Democratic and Republican senators have pre-filed bills ahead of the January start of the 2023 Missouri General Assembly session to halt foreign purchases of Missouri farmland. Missouri lawmakers voted in 2013 to allow up to 1% of the state’s farmland to be held by foreign entities. China owns more than 40% of the foreign-owned acreage in Missouri. Italy is the leading owner of Missouri farmland with twice as many acres as any other country.
EVENTS
The benefit auction held during the Cattlemen's Banquet at the Kansas Livestock Convention raised $42,000 for three organizations. More than 500 KLA members and guests attended the banquet and auction. Items sold to benefit the KLA Political Action Committee (PAC) brought $31,950, with the money to be used to help elect candidates for the state Legislature who support the Kansas livestock industry. The high-selling item for KLA PAC was a bull sale credit donated by Gardiner Angus Ranch of Ashland and purchased by Prairie Valley Feeders of Long Island for $7,000.
In anticipation of calving season, the Kansas State University Department of Animal Sciences and Industry and K-State Research and Extension are planning a series of calving schools in January. The program will outline the stages of the normal calving process, as well as provide tips on how to handle difficult situations and when to intervene to assist the cow or heifer. Presenters also will demonstrate proper use of calving equipment on a life-size cow and calf model. “Our goal is for producers to leave better prepared for calving season,” said A.J. Tarpoff, K-State extension veterinarian. Meeting dates and locations are as follows: January 3, Greensburg; January 10, Ellsworth; January 12, Fredonia; and January 19, Mankato. More information: www.KSUBeef.org.
USDA has mailed survey codes to all agricultural producers across the U.S. with an invitation to respond online to the 2022 Census of Agriculture at www.agcounts.usda.gov . The ag census provides the nation’s only comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state, county and territory. The data collected not only influences business and supply chain logistics, it also informs policy and program decisions that directly impact producers, ag operations and communities across the U.S. Only one response is necessary, whether provided securely online or by mail. All responses are due February 6, 2023. For more information, go to nass.usda.gov/AgCensus.
K- State Olathe is holding an Animal Health Regulatory Affairs 101 Workshop February 22-23, 2023. This two-day workshop provides attendees with the regulatory insights necessary to make smarter business decisions in management and leadership in the animal health industry. The program provides an overview of essential regulatory guidelines, terminology, concepts and applications in the day-to-day animal health business management. This course provides 11.5 contact hours of veterinary continuing education as certified by KSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Learn more at www.olathe.k-state.edu.
K-State Olathe is holding a Pesticides in Animal Health Workshop, March 29-30, 2023. This workshop provides a practical approach to getting pesticide products approved and keeping them in the market post-approval, while avoiding common pitfalls and challenges faced along the way. This course provides 13 contact hours of veterinary continuing education as certified by K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine. Learn more www.olathe.k-state.edu.
PEOPLE
Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture, an international ag development organization, has selected Mike Espy as the new chair of the CNFA Board of Directors. Espy served as secretary of agriculture during the Clinton administration and before that was a member of Congress representing Mississippi’s second congressional district. Espy succeeds Elin Miller, who will continue to serve as a member of the CNFA Board.
U.S. Representative Glenn Thompson (R-Pa) has been elected by the House Republican Steering Committee as the next chairman of the House Agriculture Committee. Thompson, a longtime member of the committee and its current ranking member, will step into the role the same year the farm bill is scheduled to be drafted. He said in a statement that he was "honored" by the appointment. "The political landscape in Washington may be fractured, but as chairman, I will prioritize the needs of our producers and rural communities — the backbone of this country," Thompson said in a statement. "We will keep our foot on the gas to deliver principled solutions, robust oversight, and a farm bill that is responsive to the needs of the country’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters.”
Farmer-leaders of the United Soybean Board (USB) elected Meagan Kaiser as the 2023 Chair and nine additional grower directors to serve on the Executive Committee during the USB December Meeting in St. Charles, Missouri. Kaiser brings significant experience and first-hand knowledge of USB’s strategic focus. She previously served as Strategic Plan Task Force Chair and oversaw a nearly 20-member committee that created the current strategic plan that prioritizes sustainable soy solutions for global and domestic customers while ensuring value and profitability for U.S. soybean farmers. Approved at the 2021 USB July Meeting with unanimous support, the Strategic Plan Task Force served a critical role in creating the plan, engaging farmer-leaders and value chain partners and ensuring it reflected the future state of the industry.
The National Academy of Inventors named Randall Prather to its 2022 Fellows Program. Prather, a Curators’ Distinguished Professor in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, joins the ranks of an elite group of academic inventors recognized for their research and intellectual property contributions. Dr. Prather is the director of the National Swine Resource and Research Center (NSRRC) at MU, which recently earned an $8 million expansion grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The center on MU’s campus has become the go-to source for genetically modified pigs used by researchers across the United States and other countries to study various diseases that impact humans, including retinitis pigmentosa, spinal muscular atrophy and cystic fibrosis, the most common genetic mutation affecting Caucasian adolescents in North America.