Latest News & Updates in KC Agriculture - May 2022

Developments

Agriculture is responsible for just 10% of total U.S. GHG emissions, much lower than other economic sectors. American Farm Bureau Federation economists analyzed the data from EPA in the latest Market Intel. 2020 overall emissions from agriculture fell at least 4.3%, or 28.8 million metric tons, compared to 2019. Emissions from agricultural soil management like fertilizer application and tillage practices were reduced by 8.4%. “The most recent numbers show America’s farmers and ranchers are dedicated to feeding America’s families while remaining committed to improvements in sustainability,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall.

University of Missouri’s FAPRI has raised its forecast for farm income in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine and the run-up in commodity prices. FAPRI now expects net farm income to reach nearly $120 billion this year, up from its March forecast of $105 billion. It now projects farm production expenses will total $446 billion, up from the March forecast of $420 billion. Production expenses totaled about $392 billion in 2021. 

Missouri Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the Missouri Agriculture Energy Saving Team – a Revolutionary Opportunity (MAESTRO) grant, funded through the U.S. Department of Energy. The MAESTRO grant was created to help small farming operations across Missouri reduce energy use. Funding will be used to assist K-12 school districts with agriculture programs. Applications must be submitted by Sept. 1, 2022. The Department will grant awards up to a maximum of $10,000 per approved school. The goal of the grant is to ensure valuable energy-efficient upgrades are being made in Missouri K-12 school districts.

More than 17,000 farms in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota produced and sold food locally through direct marketing practices, resulting in $577 million in revenue in 2020, according to the Local Food Marketing Practices Survey results from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The results cover both fresh and value-added foods, such as meat and cheese. The more than 3,800 farms that sold food directly to institutions and intermediates brought in the most revenue at $317 million; this was followed by operations with direct-to-consumer sales, such as on-farm stores and farmers markets, at $166 million. Sales directly to retailers accounted for $93.6 million. 

The Livestock Marketing Information Center, Lakewood, Colorado, reports March trade data showed record beef exports, while pork exports held steady. Beef exports in March totaled 303.7 million pounds, up 1.2% from last year. It was also the highest beef export level reported for any month of March. March pork exports totaled 544.2 million pounds, down 25.3% from a year ago but in line with the five-year average. First quarter pork exports were down 20% from 2021 to 1.5 billion pounds. During the first quarter, Mexico was the top pork export market with 602.5 million pounds shipped, an increase of 42.4%. Japan ranked as the second highest pork export destination at 276.2 million pounds, down 16.1% from 2021. South Korea rounds out the third spot with 133.9 million pounds shipped, down 7.4% from a year earlier.

NCBA has condemned the unfunded and duplicative Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 2022, which was marked up by the House Agriculture Committee. The special investigator bill would create a new position in USDA with immense prosecutorial and subpoena power. To comply with this legislation, USDA would be forced to divert resources from other mission-critical areas of the Agricultural Marketing Service, stealing resources from the essential programs cattle producers rely on every day.  “Arming USDA with unchecked subpoena and prosecutorial power while significantly undercutting the DOJ’s role in the process is poor practice,” said NCBA vice president of government affairs Ethan Lane.

Avian influenza numbers are dropping, says Robert Pierce, University of Missouri Extension wildlife and fisheries specialist. Fewer reports of dead and sick birds point to an end to the current outbreak of avian influenza, Pierce says. Rising summer temperatures also will likely lead to a decrease in avian influenza. “The good news is that there is evidence that the AI virus does not tolerate high temperatures well, so we should not see problems during the summer,” says Pierce. Numbers could tick upward again in the fall as temperatures drop.

Programs to help U.S. farmers build markets overseas boosted agricultural exports by an average of $9.6 billion annually from 1977 to 2019, an annual lift of 13.7% in export revenues and returning $24.5 for every dollar invested. Those are the key conclusions from a new study prepared to evaluate the impact of programs administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), including the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program.  U.S. Grains Council, the organization that builds markets overseas for feed grains and ethanol, led the study’s preparation on behalf of FAS and the cooperator community.  The study is available here.

Cargill plans to build a new soybean processing facility in Pemiscot County, near Hayti and Caruthersville, in southeast Missouri to support growing domestic and global demand for oilseeds driven by food, feed and fuel markets. “The Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council (MSMC) is committed to increasing market development opportunities in the state, and we are proud to work with Cargill on this project to bring value back to the soybean farmer,” said Aaron Porter, MSMC vice chair and farmer from Southeast Missouri. The facility will be the first of its kind for Southeast Missouri with an annual production capacity of 62 million bushels of soybeans. Missouri currently ranks sixth in the United States for soybean production.  

USDA is investing $770 to create new market opportunities for rural businesses and people in 36 states and Puerto Rico. The investments include $640 million for 122 projects to help people living in socially vulnerable communities. The funding will help a diverse rural America keep resources and wealth right at home through job training, business expansion and technical assistance. It will help companies hire more workers and reach new customers. It will open the door to new economic opportunities for communities and people who historically have lacked access to critical resources and financing. It will also help entrepreneurs and business cooperatives create jobs, grow businesses, and find new and better markets for the items they produce.

U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission warns China’s efforts toward self-sufficiency could present risks to the economic and national security of the United States. The report says China could gain further leverage over U.S. supply chains by purchasing agribusinesses and land in the United States, reduce U.S. competitiveness by stealing intellectual property and create bioweapons using DNA from genetically modified American crops. Full report available at Agri-Pulse Communications, May 26, 2022.

Overland Park-based TechAccel, an investor in Epicrop Technologies Inc., Lincoln, Nebraska, is collaborating with Dr. Sally Mackenzie, epigenetics expert and director of the Penn State Plant Institute. TechAccel’s involvement includes the development of two joint ventures conducting trials with epigenetic enhancement of canola and strawberries. Epigenetics refers to the genomic neighborhood that surrounds genes and controls how they are expressed. This local process controls how genes respond to environmental change.

NCBA is asking members to send a letter to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler expressing their opposition to mandatory greenhouse gas reporting requirements. Accurately measuring greenhouse gas emissions at the ranch level is nearly impossible and estimates will be inaccurate at best. Agencies like USDA and the EPA already are involved in regulating the agricultural industry and calculate emissions through programs like the EPA annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and USDA Life Cycle Assessments. Those measurements provide high-level estimates without collecting individual producer data.  

In partnership with the Nebraska Beef Council, the Kansas Beef Council extends funding for nutrition outreach to state beef councils in high population regions. Recently, the California Beef Council, with the support of KBC and NBC, hosted an educational session, booth and dinner for the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Conference in Oakland, California.  Checkoff-funded state partnerships like this are essential to communicate accurate, science-based information about beef nutrition to key influencers who live in states with high populations. 

Events

Grub Crawl returns! Sink your teeth into City Market at Grub Crawl, the annual tasting tour of City Market restaurants on June 3! The Grub Crawl Passport will lead you to almost 20 different delicious destinations. While tasting and sipping your way around City Market, enjoy live music from the Aspiring Artists Micro Music Festival and sample Aspire Healthy Energy Drinks. Tickets are $45 each and are on sale now! Click here for more details. The Ag Business Council of Kansas City is a proud sponsor of the 2022 Grub Crawl at City Market.

Pork industry professionals will get the latest in production and management education through topical seminars at the 2022 World Pork Expo presented by NPPC.  The Expo takes place June 8-10 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. This year’s line-up of Business Seminars and Pork Academy gives producers the opportunity to learn about critical topics such as sustainability, data, industry collaborations, nutrition, and more.

Kansas State University-Olathe is offering a webinar presentation July 13 at noon: Animal Health Regulatory Affairs Certificate.  The certificate combines the knowledge of animal science and veterinary medicine with skills needed to navigate governmental processes and regulations throughout a product's lifecycle. More information available here.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Marketing and Promotions Advisory Board will meet at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, June 3. This is a regularly scheduled board meeting that will be held via virtual meeting technology. The board meeting is open to the public. To request a copy of the agenda or directions on how to participate in the virtual meeting, please contact Jennifer Hill at 785-564-6700 or Jennifer.Hill@ks.gov. The KDA Marketing Advisory Board is seeking new members to fill positions beginning this summer. If you are interested in in applying to serve as a member of the board, find out more about how to apply here.

The Angus Foundation invites golf and Angus enthusiasts to enjoy a day on the green at its annual Golf Tournament, held in conjunction with the 2022 National Junior Angus Show in Kansas City, Missouri. The event, which will help further the Foundation’s mission of supporting Angus youth, education and research, will be held on Tuesday, July 5 at the Shiloh Springs Golf Club in Platte City, Missouri. Registration will begin at 6:30 a.m., with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. Sponsorship options are available to state and regional Angus associations, individuals, businesses, farms and ranches. There are different promotional opportunities at eight sponsorship levels. The sponsorship deadline is June 3. Player registration is open until June 20.

People

Farm Journal announced Michelle Rook, one of the most experienced and respected reporters in agriculture media, has joined as a national reporter. Working as part of Farm Journal’s award-winning broadcast team, Rook will serve as the lead field correspondent for the nationally syndicated television shows AgDay and U.S. Farm Report, as well as agriculture’s top-rated national radio show AgriTalk.

Kansas Corn has named Zoe Schultz Regional Outreach Coordinator responsible for developing engagement programs between western Kansas farmers and industry partners.

In a recent trade mission hosted by the Kansas Soybean Commission, Kansas Corn leaders Terry Vinduska and Tanner McNinch learned about efforts to build trade with Morocco. They met with the Moroccan Milling Training Institute, saw corn and DDGS imported from the U.S., visited a modern feedlot and an integrated feed mill, which also feeds and processes poultry. Vinduska is a past-chairman of the U.S. Grains Council and had visited Morocco twice before to evaluate USGC projects there. Tanner McNinch is in his first year of leadership with Kansas Corn. Both saw positive results of market development efforts funded by corn and soybean farmers.

Ben Travlos is the new director of state and local legislative affairs for the Missouri Farm Bureau. Most recently he worked for the Missouri Corn Growers Association as the associate director of public policy.