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“USDA Allows 2-Month Emergency Grazing Extension”

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack designated 128 additional counties in nine-states as natural disaster areas due to drought on Wednesday – along with announcing a two-month extension for emergency grazing on Conservation Reserve Program acres. Vilsack says it’s important for U.S. farmers and ranchers to have the tools they need to be successful in the long term – and this extension will allow farmers and ranchers approved for emergency grazing to extend grazing through November 30th without additional CRP rental payment reductions. Currently – the U.S. Drought Monitor indicates 63-percent of the nation’s hay acreage and 72-percent of the cattle acreage is experiencing drought. For the latest on USDA’s drought response and assistance – go to www dot usda dot gov slash drought (www.usda.gov/drought).

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“NFU and AFBF Coming Together for Farm Bill Now Rally”

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson and American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman will serve as the masters of ceremony for the Farm Bill Now rally coming up September 12th in Washington, D.C. The event is hosted by NFU, AFBF – the two largest general farm groups in the U.S. – and a number of other agricultural organizations. With only eight days remaining on the legislative calendar before the current farm bill expires – Johnson says the rally aims to send a strong, unified message to Congress that they must act now on the 2012 Farm Bill to ensure the well-being and livelihood of all Americans who benefit from the legislation. Stallman says Farm Bureau appreciates the work done by Congress to date and looks forward to working with the House to get a farm bill passed and into conference as soon as possible. In light of the drought – he says it’s imperative for America’s farmers that a farm bill is passed this year.

The Farm Bill Now rally is an effort to raise public awareness of the need for Congress to pass a new, comprehensive, five-year farm bill before current farm programs expire. Leaders from major farm and commodity groups, rural development, livestock, conservation and energy organizations will address the crowd. NFU, AFBF and the sponsoring organizations are calling on their members, media and all ag supporters to join the event.

Visit www dot FarmBillNow dot com (www.farmbillnow.com) for more information.

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“USDA to Livestock Producers: Keep Good Records”

Natural disasters cause economic consequences for ranchers and producers across the country – and USDA Farm Service Agency Administrator Juan Garcia urges livestock producers to keep thorough records of their livestock and feed losses – including additional expenses – such as feed purchases because of lost supplies. Some pertinent information producers should keep track of also includes documentation of the number and type of livestock that have died along with photographs or video records of ownership and losses if possible, dates of death supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts and transportation costs to get livestock to safer ground or new pastures. Producers also are reminded that production losses due to disasters after September 30th of 2011 aren’t eligible for disaster program coverage.

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“NASS September Surveys Focus on Small Grains, Hog Inventories”

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service now is gathering final information on the 2012 U.S. small grains crops – focusing on harvested acreage, crops produced and stored – until September 17th. Also – NASS is conducting a survey of current hog inventories. Bob Bass – NASS National Operations Center Director – says with the most recent crop production report forecasting corn and soybean production at the lowest levels in years – it is as important as ever that farmers, livestock producers, grain dealers, policy makers and others using the statistics receive the best possible estimate.

Nearly 73-thousand producers will receive the survey and are asked to respond. Some already have received their surveys and can fill it out online or mail it back to NASS. Those who do not respond will receive a phone call from NASS representatives to help them respond. Bass says that NASS recognizes farmers and ranchers are having a rough summer – but NASS hopes they realize the value of the information to their businesses, communities and industries – therefore taking the time to respond to the surveys. For more information on the surveys – go to www dot nass dot usda dot gov slash surveys (www.nass.usda.gov/surveys).

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“For 2013 Planning, Growers Should Look to Long-Term Trends”

Using the past season as a guide for planning for the coming year isn’t the best policy for growers who want to get the most from each acre. That’s according to a DuPont Pioneer crop production expert who says it’s best to plan for next year by looking at the long-term weather trends. Brent Wilson – DuPont Pioneer Technical Services Manager – notes weather changes from year to year and we can’t predict what will happen the next growing season. So rather than using this year’s drought as a guide – for example – he says growers should look at several seasons and rely on that information to make decisions.

Because 2012 was not a typical year in most regions – Wilson suggests relying on years prior to 2012 for seed product selection and placement. He says making product selections based on one year of experience alone may not be a sound strategy. Wilson also advises speaking with a seed professional – and doing so early in the season to reserve the desired products.

As for fertilizer applications for 2013 – Wilson says most growers planned for a larger crop than they realized and should use grain removal as a guide for phosphorous and potassium application. Because of the drought – he says there may be opportunities to take nitrogen credits going into next year. Waiting to apply nitrogen in the spring – according to Wilson – may allow better decisions on how much nitrogen may be available for the following crop.

Wilson offered these suggestions at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa.

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“New Mobile Apps Available to Farmers”

Free agTools designed to help farmers get more yield potential from technology were unveiled in Boone, Iowa at the Farm Progress Show Wednesday. The tools include a suite of mobile applications that deliver commodities, weather radar maps, exclusive agronomic information, industry news, grain elevator pricing and more to farmers’ tablets and smartphones. DEKALB Brand Manager Rick Myroup says the Asgrow, DEKALB and Deltapine brands are committed to innovation inside and outside of the seed bag and have launched this exciting lineup of agTools to provide customized information to meet their customer’s specific needs, when they need it.

The agTool agSeedSelect lets farmers create, store, e-mail and print a seed guide tailored to their specific geography and crops. It also allows farmers and dealers to create a record of those products specific for the operation and features videos of agronomists providing detailed information about top Asgrow soybean, DEKALB corn and Deltapine cotton products. agIndex is a dashboard app that provides commodity updates, exclusive agronomic information, weather with radar maps and industry news. Farmers can set weather, commodity and insect alerts based on their location and crop portfolio. With agExchange – farmers can plan their grain marketing and determine the best time and place to sell their inventory. Farmers can plan mileage costs into their ROI and maintain transaction records in one convenient place. Weed Manager PLUS delivers accurate, region-specific weed management recommendations, a tank-mixing tool, videos outlining best management practices and a measurement conversion calculator.

Farmers attending the Farm Progress Show can actually get the apps downloaded to their devices, speak to the experts or get hands-on experience at the agCentral display in Asgrow and DEKALB tent number 852. They are also available at agToolCenter dot com (http://agToolCenter.com), the Apple App store or the Google Play store.

More information is available at www dot asgrowanddekalb dot com (www.asgrowanddekalb.com). Farmers can also contact their local Asgrow and DEKALB dealer.

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“School Year Begins in Healthier Way Due to New USDA School Nutrition Standards”

Improving the nutrition of school meals is an important investment in the future of America’s children – according to Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon. As Concannon announced Wednesday – starting this school year – schools will phase in new nutrition standards through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 to combat child hunger and obesity while improving U.S. children’s health and nutrition. Those standards include ensuring students are offered fruits and vegetables every day, substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods and low-fat or fat-free milk varieties, limiting calories based on children’s age and focusing on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium. The standards will be phased in over three-years – focusing on changes in lunches the first year.

 

SOURCE: NAFB News Service