Two Neb. Corn Board directors elected to national boards

Two Nebraska Corn Board farm directors have been elected to national boards this week. Jon Holzfaster, the chairman of government affairs for the Nebraska Corn Board, was selected to the National Corn Board during Corn Congress where he will be one of four members who will oversee the National Corn Growers Association. Alan Tiemann, the current chairman for the Nebraska Corn Growers, was re-elected to serve on the U.S. Grains Council Board of Directors.

Missouri soldier on 2nd Afghan ag tour

by Capt. Peter Shinn

Going to Afghanistan for a year to improve that nation’s ability to feed its people might be viewed as an adventure, a sacrifice, or in the case of Sgt. John Larsen, a calling. Larsen is deploying as part of the Missouri National Guard’s Agri-Business Development Team IV. But this is not his first deployment with an ADT. Larsen, a hydrologist, also deployed with Missouri ADT II.

“He does like Afghanistan,” said Master Sgt. Stephen Bradley, the Noncommissioned-Officer-in-Charge of the Missouri ADT IV Ag Section. More importantly, Bradley pointed out, is that Larsen’s previous experience in Afghanistan has already proven invaluable.

“Oh, definitely,” Bradley said. “He knows the area. He knows the people. He knows their attitude, their wants. So, yeah, he’s been very, very helpful.”

In his civilian career, Larsen has worked with U.S. farmers on irrigation issues. He’s done the same during his military career with Afghan farmers. And according to Larsen, there’s simply no comparison between U.S. agriculture and its Afghan counterpart.

“There’s no tractors,” Larsen said. “The best they can do is maybe an oxen if they have a little bit of money. Everything is done by hand.”

Every Missouri ADT has gone to Nangahar Province, in east central Afghanistan. Agricultural production there includes wheat, corn, vegetables and citrus, all water-intensive crops. When Larsen was last there he spent most of his time building check-dams to capture some of the water that runs through Nangahar. And he intends to do more of the same in the year ahead.

“If it works, stick with it,” Larsen said. “The more water we can get these people the more prosperous they’re going to be. They’re an agricultural province and the more I can get them the better they’ll be on that.”

Missouri ADT IV is expected to arrive in Afghanistan’s Nangahar Province in August. The primary focus of the ADT will be improving the ability of Afghan agricultural extension agents to deliver services to the farmers of Nangahar.

Good second quarter for AGCO

Crediting sales in South America, AGCO reports their second quarter net income was $62.8 million and 66 cents per share compared to $57.4 million and 61 cents in the same quarter last year. Sales for the quarter were actually down 1.4 percent to $1.7 billion but margins improved.

The Georgia-based company says South American sales increased 97.6 percent compared to a year ago led by a doubling of sales in Brazil. Meanwhile sales in North America declined 17 percent and Europe/Africa/Middle East sales were down 15.5 percent.

AGCO sells in more than 140 countries under names like AGCO Allis, Gleaner, Hesston, Challenger, Massey Ferguson and Fendt.

Read the quarterly report here:

FFA, NAAE, and US Army join forces

Two major parties in ag education have joined forces with the U.S. Army. The National FFA Organization, the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE), and the U.S. Army Accessions Command (USAAC), signed an agreement on Monday to work together to develop FFA members skills and leadership qualities through agricultural education. FFA members, advisors, and ag education teachers will be able to use the Army’s educational resources and learn about the agriculture occupations available through the U.S. Army, which includes Army veterinarian positions.

Kruse to retire after 18 yrs as MFB president

He’s been Missouri Farm Bureau President for 18 years and now Charlie Kruse says it’s time to step down. He has also been active on the board of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Kruse says he will not be running for reelection at the Missouri Farm Bureau annual meeting in December. Kruse says it’s been a privilege serving Missouri Farm Bureau members,

“But, you know, at some point in your life you start thinking about, well, maybe it’s time to try to slow down just a little bit and do some things that you want to do that you haven’t had the opportunity to do.”

Kruse and his family have a farm in Dexter in Southeast Missouri. “That’s been my first and foremost passion and everything I’ve done, I’m fortunate I’ve been able to – not only able to, but it’s been necessary that I be a farmer,” says Kruse. “So, we’re going to continue to farm but I’m going to continue to do things that I can do that come along that hopefully will have a positive impact on agriculture. That’s something that’s really important to me.”

Kruse says he’s going to stay involved in agriculture but offered no specifics other than saying he has concerns about many things coming out of Washington, DC, as they relate to agriculture, especially the regulatory environment. Kruse also says he would be “very proud to tell the story of agriculture” in any way he can.

AUDIO:  Interview with Charlie Kruse (11 min. MP3)

Fiat plans to split it automotive and industrial business

Fiat says they are going to split the company into two. The Italian company plans to split their automotive business from their industrial business. The company just announced second quarter profits of 90-million Euro compared to a loss of 168 million Euro the same period last year. Net revenues for the quarter were up 12.5 percent although analysts say almost all of the profit came from CNH Global which saw net sales increase 10.7 percent and operating profit improve 105 percent. The company also expects its Chrysler to report a second quarter profit next month as well. Fiat owns 20 percent of Chrysler.

Groups launch campaign against E15

A coalition of environmental and industry groups—which includes the American Meat Institute—has launched a new ad campaign calling on Congress to require more thorough testing before allowing an increase in the amount of ethanol in gasoline.

Raising concerns about consumer safety and environmental protection, the groups have joined forces to sponsor an ad with the tagline “Say NO to untested E15”. The ads are running in Capitol Hill publications, including Roll Call and Congress Daily.

Other groups involved include the Environmental Working Group, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the American Petroleum Institute.

Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis says the stance taken by those groups “completely ignores the academic, government and third-party research that proves a 15 percent blend of ethanol in gasoline can help clean (the) environment and create jobs.” In a statement released, Buis further says all those benefits have no impact “on the drivability of our cars.”

He also says it is “ludicrous” for those industry groups to say that E15 is untested.

Buis says the Green Jobs Waiver, his ethanol industry group filed in March 2009 – seeking the increased blend – included more independent statistical information and study than any of the 11 previous waivers approved by the EPA.

More farmland owned by foreign interests

The USDA reports that, as of March 1st, 2009, foreign interests owned 22.2 million acres of U.S. agricultural land. That is as increase of 1.3 million acres from the previous year and equates to 1.7 percent of all privately held U.S. agricultural land.

Canadians are the largest group in the survey. The Netherlands, United Kingdom and Germany also rank high. The states with the highest proportions of foreign owned ag land are Maine, Hawaii, Washington, Nevada and Alabama.

Will agriculture be the next “hot investment”?

Will agriculture be the new “hot investment”? Writing in the Wall Street Journal’s Heard on the Street, Richard Barley says with an estimated 9.2 billion mouths to feed in the world by 2050 and wealthier emerging markets demanding higher protein diets…this might be a good time to invest in agribusiness stocks. He cites the manager of a new agriculture fund for BlackRock who notes that “once such shifts in diet start, they prove irreversible, implying greater grain production to feed livestock, and greater use of technology to boost crop yields. At the same time, planned increases in biofuel production will reduce the amount of land available for food.”

Barley says the demand will require investment to increase crop yields, “That should favor companies that supply agricultural equipment and inputs such as fertilizer as well as farming businesses themselves.” He points to Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan which controls 20 percent of the world’s potash supply and is trading at 18.5 times its projected 2010 earnings.

But, there is risk involved as the markets are cyclical and can be quite volatile.

Read Barley’s article here:

Plan to develop agriculture in Detroit

A Republican task force in the Michigan legislature has come up with a series of recommendations to advance agriculture in Detroit. Crain’s Detroit Business says the plan calls for the state to assist the city in redeveloping abandoned property for agricultural purposes and to expand and develop tax-free agriculture renaissance zones for processing operations in the city.

The plan also wants the state to provide incentives for Detroit to adopt zoning changes that would create a lower tax rate for agriculture and to withhold a percentage of state revenue-sharing dollars if ordinance changes are not enacted.

In addition, they want more money for the “Grown in Michigan” campaign, the state’s one-stop business website to include information on food processing operations, permit requirements and financial assistance as well as tax incentives for innovative agricultural processes as those currently available to alternative energy ventures.

The Republicans say they have plans to introduce the legislation needed.

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