Jerry Huth, along with his father, started in the registered Hereford business in 1963. Huth Polled Herefords of Oakfield, Wisconsin is a performance-based operation and has been collecting performance data since 1973. Huth is currently chairman of the American Hereford Association (AHA) breed improvement committee.
During the recent AHA media event, we visited with Huth about his cattle and cropping operation in east-central Wisconsin.
Ohio FFA Chapters have until October 21 to submit a proposal to the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program for the Food for Thought campaign, a campaign that encourages FFA Chapters to find ways to implement healthy eating in their school.
“They can do anything they want, rallies, selling t-shirts, anything to promote healthy lifestyles,” said Amanda Bush, a member of the Mt. Gilead FFA.
Amanda says after talking with FFA Chapters at last week’s Farm Science Review there’s a lot of interest in the campaign.
“We’ve had so many people come up and tell us that they’ve already signed-up online and excited about it,” Bush said. “Every chapter is excited for the chance to win money, but they are even more excited about the healthy lifestyles that are going to be created in their schools.”
10 chapters will be chosen to receive $500 and then during the 2012 Ohio FFA State Convention, one chapter will receive a check for $2,000.
Thanks to a new program launched by the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, flex-fuel vehicle owners will soon be seeing new blender pumps at fueling stations around the state. The Flex Fuel Pump program unveiled this summer awarded cost-share dollars to Indiana fuel retailers wanting to install flex-fuel pumps. David Howell, ICMC vice-president and Middletown, Ind farmer says the Flex Fuel Pump Program allows consumers more choices at the gas pump.
Because of the overwhelming success of the Flex Fuel Pump Program in 2011, funds have been allocated for additional support in 2012. For more information on the Flex Fuel Pump Program call 317.644.098 or email cornethanolinfo@indianacorn.org.
If you drive through central Wisconsin in the summer..you will probably see a few acres of rolling farmland here-and-there shaded by a type of black fabric about six feet off the ground. Under that fabric is ginseng. More than 90 percent of the cultivated ginseng grown in the United States is grown in Wisconsin…and almost all of that is grown in Marathon County. It takes at least three years for the root to grow to the desired size…and most of it is exported to Asia. Wisconsin Ginseng is very valuable and trademarked. Joe Heil grows ginseng and is president of the Ginseng Board of Wisconsin, he talks about working to open up the Chinese market, more research on the health benefits of ginseng and improving the crop and profitability for growers.
The agriculture commissioners of South Dakota and Iowa are among nine state ag leaders supporting the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, according to Broadcasting & Cable magazine.
The ag commissioners – also from Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas and Texas – say expanded wireless broadband in rural areas would help farmers with better use of GPS for crop management, seeding and fertilizing – in addition to creating jobs and enhancing education.
South Dakota Ag Commissioner Walt Bones tells the magazine that the merger would be a giant step toward ensuring more South Dakotans have broadband access.
The FFA and U.S. Cattlemen’s Association reportedly also support the deal. However, the US Justice Department has filed a suit to block the proposed merger but Broadcasting & Cable reports “the FCC is still vetting it and Justice has indicated it’s willing to talk with AT&T about resolving its competition issues.”
The American Farm Bureau, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Farmers Union, National Potato Council/Western Growers Association and American Sugar Alliance have sent a letter to members of the House and Senate Ag Committees calling for something to be worked out between the providers and users of GPS technology and the broadband company LightSquared. The issue involves LightSquared’s plan to develop a 4G wireless network on frequencies (1525 to 1559 MHz) right next to those used by GPS (1559 to 1610 MHz). Fears are the new wireless network will overpower and interfere with weaker GPS signals.
In the letter, the farm groups say they “believe that both of these technologies have great potential to drive economic development in rural America and a reasonable agreement should be reached to allow for their future success.” They call on the ag committees to work with the Federal Communications Commission to come up with a solution which preserves the integrity of GPS while allowing the full development of broadband in rural America.
LightSquared says it has filtering devises and other means to prevent any interference. The FCC has told the company it will not allow the implementation of their service until they complete testing to determine the impact it will have on GPS. The Coalition to Save Our GPS says a June 30th report to the FCC showed there would be “massive interference.”
A Seattle law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit charging dairy farmers systematically killed more than 500,000 healthy dairy cows in an effort to reduce milk supply and drive up prices. The firm, representing an animal rights group and some consumers alleges the participants in Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) program cheated consumers by raising the price of milk over a seven-year period by over $9 billion. The law firm is asking anyone who purchased milk or milk products between 2004 and the present contact them.
CWT issued a statement saying the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California is without merit. “National Milk Producers will vigorously defend its actions and those of its member cooperatives and their producers in this lawsuit and expect that those actions will ultimately be vindicated.”
Missouri is getting nearly a million dollars from a federal program to boost exports. The Federal State Trade and Export Promotion funding from the Small Business Administration (SBA) will be used to promote Missouri ag trade with China, Mexico and Korea, key trade partners with the state. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon says it will make it possible for Missouri to open new international trade offices in China, southern Asia and South America.
The grant will also fund the MO STEP-UP program, (Missouri State Trade and Export Promotion equals Unlimited Possibilities) for new-to export small businesses. That program is administered through the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
Soybeans were sharply lower, hitting new ten month lows on fund selling and demand uncertainties connected to the broader market. The Dow started in positive territory but sold off as the session went on, eventually joining crude oil and gold in sharply lower trade. In any event, there was no real fresh news and the trade’s waiting for Friday’s quarterly USDA stocks report. Ahead of the report, analysts expect slow quarter to quarter usage and a year to year increase in supply. Soybean meal and oil were lower on spillover from beans and demand concerns. USDA’s weekly export sales report is out Thursday at 7:30 AM Central. Soybeans are pegged at 500,000 to 800,000 tons, meal is seen at 55,000 to 180,000 tons, and oil is placed at 0 to 15,000 tons.
Corn was sharply lower on fund and commercial selling, in addition to spillover from the outside markets. Ahead of the open, South Korea bought 124,000 tons of U.S. corn for delivery next marketing year but outside of that, traders were watching harvest and waiting for USDA numbers. Ahead of the report Friday, the trade sees strong fourth quarter usage and tighter than a year ago stocks. Ethanol futures were lower. Russia’s Ag Ministry states the year to date corn harvest is 1.395 million tons with harvested area and average yield both considerably better than a year ago thanks to better growing conditions. Weekly U.S. corn sales are estimated at 600,000 to 1 million tons.
The wheat complex was lower on commercial and fund selling, along with the outside market influence. Most months were down sharply but losses in Minneapolis were limited by spring quality concerns. Even with the recent increase in export demand, the overall fundamental outlook remains bearish. Quarterly stocks should be down on the year and the trade expects at least a slight reduction in USDA’s production estimate, also out Friday. European wheat futures were lower ahead of those USDA numbers. Tunisia bought 75,000 tons of milling wheat and 50,000 tons of durum, both optional origin, and Egypt issued tenders for 55,000 to 60,000 tons and 60,000 tons of wheat, with both from any origin. Russia’s Ag Ministry reports 85% of the grain harvest is complete with the running total for wheat at 53.5 million tons. Weekly U.S. exports are projected at 350,000 to 650,000 tons.
With what he calls a “large number of cattle” moving into Nebraska from drought-stricken southern states, Nebraska director of agriculture Greg Ibach is reminding cattle producers of the state’s import requirements.
“We just want to remind producers that if they’re receiving cattle from other states—regardless of whether they’re coming from Texas or Oklahoma—any time a head of livestock crosses the state line they need to be accompanied with a health certificate, done by a local vet at their original home, that states that they’re healthy,” Ibach says.
Producers especially need to be aware, Ibach says, of the import requirements for trichomoniasis—or trich—a cattle disease that causes infertility and occasional abortions in cows and heifers.
At the same time cattle are coming into the state, there is also a lot of Nebraska hay being shipped south. And while high hay prices are tempting, Ibach hopes Nebraska producers will be prudent in deciding how much of their hay to sell.
“The drought could move north next year,” he says, “and hopefully they’re maintaining adequate resources of hay so that if we were to experience drought in the future, we would still have some hay to use as a cushion.”
Producers who are considering moving cattle from another state into Nebraska are urged to contact the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) State Veterinarian’s staff for more information about specific import requirements. The toll-free number is 800-572-2437.
Import regulations and orders can also be reviewed on the NDA web site.
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