Developments

Agriculture Future of America has acquired Magnetic Ag — an agriculture-focused digital newsletter distributed through email twice weekly — from Magnetic Ag founder and AFA alumnus, Travis Martin. Since its inception in 2020, Magnetic has grown to serve more than 12,000 active subscribers including agricultural business, technology and policy professionals, alongside agriculture educators, students and farmers. Magnetic is aimed at making agriculture industry news digestible by consolidating news from a variety of industry media into each newsletter edition, making the newsletter a hub for the latest agriculture news. With a casual and catchy writing style, Magnetic shares agricultural business, policy, technology and market news. “Adding Magnetic to AFA’s offerings helps us further serve the industry by developing transformational leaders who find themselves at various stages of their careers,” says Mark Stewart, AFA president and CEO. “Magnetic is a great conduit for equipping agriculture professionals with well-rounded industry news to ensure they are informed.” To subscribe, visit magnetic-ag.com. Contact Becca Frazier, becca@magnetic-ag.com, to learn about news placement opportunities with Magnetic.

After Mexico suddenly moved its GMO corn ban to take effect immediately, the Kansas Corn Growers Association called for a swift response by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). KCGA is calling on the USTR initiate a dispute settlement under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Earlier this month Mexico officials called for a ban on imports of biotech corn used for certain purposes. The decree indicated the Mexican government would continue to allow imports of biotech corn used as animal feed while exploring substitutes. KCGA and National Corn Growers Association expressed serious concern with the accelerated implementation timeline. Mexico has been the top export market for U.S. corn in four of the past five years, and over 90 percent of the U.S. corn crop is GMO. “Our corn growers need the Mexico market, and Mexico needs our corn. The USMCA is supposed to protect its member countries from unfair trade barriers and that trade agreement must be upheld,” said KCGA President Brent Rogers. “Mexico’s trade barrier banning GMO corn imports is not based on sound scientific evidence. Regulators and health organizations around the world have determined the safety and benefits of GMO crops.”

In his keynote comments opening the USDA’s 2023 Ag Economic Outlook event, USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer warned that there is still a high level of uncertainty for the U.S. farm economy due to inflation in the U.S and globally, the continuing war in Ukraine, and other challenges. Nevertheless, he expects the U.S. farm economy to remain relatively strong in 2023. “I think that 2023 is shaping up to be a good year, and that’s following 2022 which was a great year.” In an interview with Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, he explained it’ll be “lower than last year but still going to be above the long-term trend.” Source: Agri-Pulse Communications, February 24, 2023.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture is seeking feedback from Kansans for the 2023 Bluestem Pasture Survey to collect information on native tallgrass pasture use and practices. The survey is administered through the K-State Land Use Survey Center and will be open through March 31, 2023. The Bluestem Pasture Survey provides reliable, accurate information to Kansas ranchers and the agricultural community as a whole. The survey asks about native tallgrass pasture availability, leasing rates, and fencing rates, and should take less than 15 minutes to complete. To participate, click here. For more information contact Dr. Leah Tsoodle, Director, Land Use Survey Center, at LTsoodle@ksu.edu; or Tori Laird, KDA Division of Agriculture Marketing, at Tori.Laird@ks.gov to receive a written survey or to complete the survey over the telephone.

USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced an investment of $70 million in sustainable agricultural projects that integrate research, education, and Extension efforts. The goal is to establish robust, resilient, and climate-smart food and agricultural systems. Several schools and organizations will benefit from the funding. University of Missouri will receive a $10 million grant to address USDA-NIFA Sustainable Agriculture Systems goals on climate-smart agriculture along with strengthening regional bio-economies in rural areas. This project involves a diverse team of 34 collaborators from 17 states. The project will train farmers to produce cover crop seed and be a catalyst to further adopt cover crops as a climate-smart practice, helping farmers adapt to climate change. Through transdisciplinary research, Extension, and education activities, the project will develop a comprehensive national program on cover crop varietal improvement, leading to increased use of regionally adapted varieties.

Nestlé, the world’s largest food group, says the price of staple items will continue to rise this year. The company said it increased prices by 8.2% in 2022, but said this was not enough to offset a rise in its own costs.Price increases will be “very targeted” and only implemented where “input cost inflation justifies it,” says Nestle. But it did not disclose which of its 2,000 brands would be affected.

Kansas State University recently announced, that it was awarded $25 million through the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Challenge Grant Program that will be applied to an infrastructure project underway at the College of Agriculture. The Kansas Legislature challenged state educational institutions to leverage privately earned money with the state funds at a 3-1 ratio for facilities construction and renovation projects. The project hopes to attract and retain students and build the state’s workforce through increased enrollment. The University met the challenge and raised $75 million in private donations to compete for the maximum award of $25 million. The College of Agriculture infrastructure project is the first in its new interdisciplinary approach to develop solutions and educate and train future leaders to move agriculture forward and benefit Kansas. The buildings will position the college to attract students and faculty focused on expanding next-generation research and working closely with the private industry.

ADM has completed the acquisition of a 95-acre research farm in Montgomery City, Missouri. The pilot-scale site, previously owned by Novis International, will be called Montgomery City Science and Technology Farm. It features a standard animal nutrition laboratory, 30 acres of pasture for grazing, and housing for poultry, swine and ruminants in its nutritional health studies. “The Montgomery City Science and Technology Center bolsters our capabilities,” said Ryan Lane, ADM president of North American animal nutrition, during an interview at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). “Directionally, this farm is perfect for where ADM is going in terms of needed capabilities to understand the effects of nutrition on the gut microbiome, but it also has solutions that address our sustainability needs.”

The U.S. beef cow herd has dropped to its lowest level since 1962, after severe drought raised costs for livestock feed last year, said USDA in a January report. Ranchers increasingly sent cows to slaughter last year, instead of keeping them to reproduce, as dry weather reduced the amount of pasture available for grazing in the western United States and on the Plains. At the same time, a tight labor market limited slaughtering at meatpacking plants. Cattle producers will not make "meaningful progress" in rebuilding the U.S. herd until 2025 at the earliest, said Rabobank. Meanwhile, restaurants, retailers, and importers will increasingly compete for limited supplies of U.S. beef.

As expected, the chicken industry recorded massive Super Bowl LVII wing consumption. Americans consumed a record-breaking 1.45 billion chicken wings over the Super Bowl weekend, according to the annual Chicken Wing Report published by the National Chicken Council. That's a 2% jump over last year's figure, representing the consumption of an additional 84 million wings nationwide. Tom Super, a spokesperson for the National Chicken Council, explains that the increase in consumption stems from favorable prices and [a return] to pre-pandemic gathering trends.

The Ag Economy Barometer from Purdue University and the CME Group measured a reading of 130 in January, a slight improvement over December’s figure and the second straight increase. “Although producers were a bit more optimistic about the future this month, they again reported expectations for tighter margins in 2023 than in 2022,” Purdue’s Jim Mintert said. The January survey also polled farmers about their upcoming operating loans for the 2023 growing season, something 22% said they expect will be larger than their 2022 note. That figure is a slight drop from the 27% who said the same thing in early 2022.

People

A group of 20 young producers from across Kansas met in Topeka February 14-15 for the first installment of the 2023 Kansas Livestock Association’s Young Stockmen’s Academy. Merck Animal Health is again partnering with the association to host these members for an in-depth look into KLA and the livestock industry. A series of four seminars will be held throughout the year at various locations at Kansas.

During this session, attendees learned about the array of member services provided by KLA, heard about the importance of being an advocate for the livestock industry, saw KLA lobbyists in action at the state Capitol and took part in the KLA Legislative Meeting. As part of an interactive training session – led by KLA staff and WIBW-Topeka farm broadcaster Greg Akagi, the group was given an overview of various media outlets available to help tell the beef production story. In addition, YSA members attended a Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committeemeeting at the Capitol and participated in a financial planning seminar conducted by Pinion, formerly Kcoe Isom.

Chesterfield, MO-based RaboAgriFinance, a subsidiary of Rabobank, has named Chris Olson Head of Rural, U.S. effective March 1, 2023. Olson has served Rabo AgriFinance since 1998, most recently as the GM of the Central Territory. He has held numerous management leadership roles throughout his tenure with the company. In the newly created role, Olson will manage the Rabobank North America’s U.S. rural Direct Lending operations.

Emily McVey, the vice president of the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, has been announced as a recipient of the 2023 Economic Development 40 Under 40 Award, the biennial award recognizing rising stars under 40-years-old in the economic development industry. The awards program is hosted by Development Counselors International (DCI), a New York-based integrated marketing firm that works with economic development and travel organizations around the globe, and Jorgenson Consulting, a leading national executive search firm.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA) have announced the chairs and ranking members who will lead the House Ag Subcommittees. Heading the Dairy and Poultry subcommittee will be Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KA).

Farm Journal, Lenexa, KA, has appointed Jimmy Emmons Senior Vice President of Climate-Smart Programs. Nationally recognized as a no-till farmer, regenerative rancher and soil-health expert, he will lead Farm Journal’s Trust In Food’s national programs to accelerate the adoption of conservation agriculture. They include partnerships with Climate-Smart Commodities Connected Ag Project, America’s Conservation Ag Movement and Trust In Beef; these coalition-driven conservation programs have been developed to accelerate the adoption of conservation agriculture at scale.

Events

Kansas’ state agricultural trademark – From the Land of Kansas – is celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2023. The program will kick off its celebration at the Kansas State Capitol on Monday, March 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Members of the From the Land of Kansas program will be offering samples of their products and showcasing their businesses. The From the Land of Kansas program began in 1978 within the state’s agriculture agency, now the Kansas Department of Agriculture, and was designed to promote and celebrate agriculture experiences and products grown, raised or produced in Kansas. The program has grown to include 375 members and farmers’ markets. These businesses span the breadth of the agriculture industry, from restaurants, agriculture equipment manufacturers, retailers, farmers and ranchers, to food processors, agritourism, wineries, breweries and distilleries. The program’s website, FromtheLandofKansas.com, offers a wealth of information, and provides a map to help consumers find Kansas businesses and farmers’ markets across the state.

Forage and beef producers can learn from world-renowned forage experts the how and why of renovating toxic tall fescue pastures at a March 23 workshop in Mount Vernon, Missouri “This one-day workshop focuses on managing tall fescue toxicity and integrating novel tall fescue varieties into a grazing system,” says Craig Roberts, state forage specialist with University of Missouri Extension. “Toxic tall fescue reduces livestock weight gains and lowers reproductive performance and profits.” The Alliance for Grassland Renewal and its partners sponsor the workshop, which will be at the MU Southwest Research Center, Mount Vernon. Register at TallFescueMO23.eventbrite.com.

University of Missouri Extension will hold a free cattle grading workshop 6-8:30 p.m. Friday, March 17, at South Central Regional Stockyards in Vienna. “Producers may wonder how their cattle grade as compared to others and how this affects their price,” said Anita Ellis, an MU Extension livestock specialist in Fulton. The workshop will help cattle producers determine the grade of their animals. Tony Hancock, Missouri Department of Agriculture reporter, will explain and evaluate different feeder calf and cull cow grades. Live animals will be used to explain grade differences and differences in cull cows. MU Extension ag business specialist Rachel Hopkins will talk with producers about feeder calf scenarios and different ways to add value to cull cows. Register at muext.us/CattleGradingWorkshop or call MU Extension in Maries County at 573-422-3359. Registration deadline is Friday, March 10. There is no charge for this program.

For the fifth year in a row, Missouri Governor Mike Parson drove a John Deere tractor to the Capitol in honor of the FFA tradition of students driving their tractor to school during National FFA Week. Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe joined in on the tradition again this year, demonstrating his ties to agriculture and commitment to FFA students. Missouri FFA President Colton Roy, from the Trenton FFA Chapter, received the proclamation on behalf of the 2022-2023 Missouri FFA State Officer team.

As part of its ongoing lineup of professional and academic development presentations, Kansas State University Olathe is holding a workshop on Pesticides in Animal Health, March 29-30. 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. The course provides 13 contact hours of veterinary continuing education as certified by Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. More information is available online.

NAMA is welcoming exhibitors to St. Louis, April 26-28, for its 2023 Agri-Marketing Conference. Organizers suggest exhibitors use NAMA’s Connection Point that “connects exhibitors to clients straight to you. From top leaders to agri-marketers to students—exhibitors gain access to the professionals who are shaping our industry today and in the future. More information about Connection Point at www.nama.org/connection-point.html.