Agriculture News
Minnesota agriculture officials depopulate another deer farm over CWD concerns
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Posted on May 30, 2018State agriculture officials depopulated a Mineral Point deer farm last week over chronic wasting disease concerns, the second such action at a Wisconsin captive cervid facility in two months. In the most recent move, 103 deer were killed at Windy Ridge Whitetails in Mineral Point.The facility had the animals contained in a 15-acre fenced area.
New Zealand orders mass cattle cull to eradicate disease
Channel News Asia | Posted on May 30, 2018New Zealand Monday (May 28) ordered the culling of 126,000 cattle in an attempt to eradicate the painful Mycoplasma bovis disease, which causes udder infections, pneumonia and arthritis. The decision was taken to "protect the base of our economy - the farming sector," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said."This is a tough call - no one ever wants to see mass culls. But the alternative is the spread of the disease across our national herd."Mycoplasma bovis does not affect milk and meat for human consumption, and most governments are content to control outbreaks.
Recombinetics, Semex form alliance to produce polled dairy cattle
Feedstuffs | Posted on May 30, 2018Recombinetics announced that it has formed an alliance with Semex, a farmer-owned cattle genetics organization based in Canada, to implement a precision breeding program that improves animal health and well-being through hornless dairy cattle genetics. According to the announcement, the dehorning of calves is a routine procedure designed to prevent injuries both to other animals and to handlers. This procedure is uncomfortable for animals and is an unpleasant task for farm personnel. By using precision breeding technology, polled genetics can be reliably introduced into elite dairy lines, thus eliminating the need to dehorn calves, the companies said.
Tulare mayor says ag hurts environment, public health. Farmers react angrily online
The Fresno Bee | Posted on May 30, 2018Tulare Mayor Carlton Jones is facing the wrath of the farming community after saying on social media that agriculture is damaging to the environment and public health. A screen shot of his comments was shared Friday on the Facebook page My Job Depends on Ag. And it didn't take long for the page's loyal followers to respond. By early Friday afternoon, the post had more than 400 comments and had been shared more than 300 times.Some called for his ouster, while others said he was ignorant for slamming an industry that is the backbone of Tulare County's economy. The county is one of the top agricultural producers in the state, whose crop value was more than $6 billion in 2016.
Some experts say U.S. should create milk supply management system like Canada’s
The Watertown Daily Times | Posted on May 30, 2018A group of dairy farmers and experts argued Wednesday that to save family farms from going out of business, the U.S. needs to adopt some form of supply management like Canada has.Farmers across the country have experienced a drop in earnings from their milk in recent years as rising milk production across the U.S. and other countries has flooded domestic and international markets. Increased milk production has resulted in a market oversupply. Northeast farmers have been struggling through their fourth year of low milk prices.In order to provide farmers with enough markets for their milk, Jim Goodman, president of the National Family Farm Coalition, and Ralph Dietrich, chairman of the Dairy Farmers of Ontario board, both said on Wednesday during a conference call that the U.S. should follow Canada’s example and implement methods to curb milk production.
Another step forward for texas Tech's Veterinary College
Brownfield Ag News | Posted on May 30, 2018Texas Tech University’s plans for a new veterinary college—the first new veterinary school in the U.S. in 40 years—took another step forward this week.The Amarillo City Council approved a 69-million dollar funding plan to ensure construction of the school in Amarillo. Work continues to line up state funding and private donations for the school, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2021.Texas Tech officials say the school is needed to address a critical shortage of farm animal veterinarians in rural areas.The new school will be the 31st veterinary school in the country.
Livestock Sectors Prepare for FMD
Brownfield Ag News | Posted on May 30, 2018Thirteen states are partaking in a national emergency response training for a Food and Mouth Disease outbreak this week. Emergency management coordinator Brad Deacon with the Michigan Department of Agriculture tells Brownfield a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in the U.S. is just as threatening as terrorism and cyber disruptions and a matter of national security. “When we talk about what are horrible things that could happen that we need to plan for and practice, and be as prepared as possible—Foot and Mouth Disease on that list”He says Food and Mouth Disease is not a food safety issue for consumers but has huge economic ramifications. “When you think about beef, dairy, pork, as well as feed, and all the products that are associated—slowing down this sector of the economy would have major economic impacts and ripple effects throughout the entire national economy.”Deacon says the Avian influenza outbreak in 2015 was eye opening for the livestock industry and emergency response training drills are necessary to maintain a secure food supply. Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota are also simulating an on-the-ground outbreak in individual states as part of national training models coordinated in partnership with USDA.
Banker Comments from the Tenth District
Kansas City Fed | Posted on May 30, 2018Savings and equity have helped with this year’s loan requests, but liquidity is getting tighter every day. – Eastern Nebraska Cash flows in 2018 suggest that liquidity will decline. This latest run-up in the markets should help some. – Eastern Nebraska The past year turned out to be every bit as difficult for area producers as we feared. Most borrowers lost working capital. At today's crop prices, cash flows are breakeven at best. – Southwest Nebraska We are seeing a lot of shortages in cash flows. We are also seeing large amounts of carryover debt that are having to be restructured over longer periods of time. – Western Kansas We are seeing some customers selling assets, such as farmland, to cover debts. – Southeast Nebraska We have lost some loan volume due to rate pressure and have downgraded or not renewed some crop loans due to losses. – Northcentral Nebraska Crops look dismal because of drought, and debt restructure or foreclosure could rise accordingly. – Northwest Oklahoma Irrigated cropland is at a premium in our area, and irrigated cropland values have increased this spring. – Northcentral Wyoming Wheat yields will be affected by dry conditions. Producers are moving irrigation to corn, and we expect much higher irrigation fuel costs compared to last year. – Northeast New Mexico
Decline in Farm Income Slows but Persists
Kansas City Fed | Posted on May 30, 2018Despite moderate increases in prices of key agricultural commodities, District bankers reported that farm income and spending continued to decrease. The decline in the first quarter makes 2018 the fifth consecutive year that bankers have reported lower farm income than the year before (Chart 1). Although household spending and capital spending also have continued to decline, the pace of the decline in capital spending, which has historically followed farm income, has been relatively slower. Changes in farm income now seems to be more in line with changes in household spending, as farm households have attempted to adjust to lower incomes by reducing their expenses.
KY House members ignore party lines, defeat raw milk measure
Food Safety News | Posted on May 24, 2018A representative from Kentucky said it was about consumers’ food choices. A coalition of food safety groups said it was a threat to public health — particularly children. The U.S. House just said no. With a vote of 331-79, legislators from both sides of the aisle joined to crush an amendment to the farm bill that would have allowed the interstate sale of unpasteurized raw milk. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, said his proposed legislation would protect farmers from “federal interference” while respecting state laws. The federal interference referenced by Massie and the amendment’s co-sponsors Reps. Jared Polis, D-CO, and Dana Rohrabacher, R-CA, is a 1987 ban on the interstate sale of unpasteurized milk. As it did when it enacted the ban, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to cite the dangers of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that can thrive in raw milk. The pathogens include E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria and are particularly dangerous to children whose immune systems are not yet developed, according to state and federal public health officials. The FDA is joined by scientists at virtually all state health departments and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in warning the public against drinking unpasteurized, raw milk.The Kentucky republican has contended for years that people should be allowed to take that risk for themselves and their children.