USDA slightly lowers 2009 corn, soybean production estimates

USDA has slightly lowered its 2009 corn and soybean production estimates following resurveys of farmers in a number of states where harvest was delayed.

USDA’s new corn production estimate is 13.131 billion bushels, compared to January’s projection of 13.151 billion bushels with an average yield of 164.9 bushels per acre, compared to 165.2 in the previous report.

Soybeans came out at 3.359 billion bushels, compared to 3.361 billion in January with an average yield of 44.0 bushels per acre, unchanged from January.

The resurvey includes corn in Illinois and Wisconsin and soybeans in South Carolina.

USDA will do another survey of corn in North and South Dakota later in the year.

Selected resurveyed states:

Illinois: Corn: 2.053 billion bushels with an average yield of 174.0 bushels per acre; planted area of 12.000 million acres and harvested area of 11.800 million acres.

South Carolina: Soybeans: 13.843 million bushels with an average yield of 24.5 bushels per acre; planted area of 590,000 acres and harvested area of 565,000 acres.

Wisconsin: Corn: 448.290 million bushels with an average yield of 153.0 bushels per acre; planted area of 3.850 million acres and harvested area of 2.930 million acres.

Alan Brugler discusses USDA’s revisions to production and supply and demand estimates (3 Minutes 15 Seconds MP3)

ASA urging quick passage after Tuesday’s vote

The U.S. Senate voted to end debate on the tax extenders bill today and the American Soybean Association is urging quick passage by the full Senate to restore vital jobs lost in the biodiesel industry. ASA is urging the Senate to find agreement with the House on a final bill that can be passed and signed into law as quickly as possible.

ASA President Rob Joslin of Ohio says the extension is desperately needed to save the 23-thousand jobs in the biodiesel industry because layoffs have already begun and most biodiesel plants are at a standstill since the credit was allowed to expire at the end of last year, “The major ones, the ones that actually contribute and produce a lot of biodiesel, virtually, I’m pretty sure, about all of them have shut down. So, the vast majority of the production capability has shut down and idled.”

ASA communications director Bob Callanan says remaining biodiesel production varies a lot by state, “You know, some states where there’s a mandate, they still have to produce the fuel to meet their in-state mandate so there’s still SOME production going on.”

Joslin told reporters that restoring the biodiesel tax credit retroactively is the number-one issue among many issues for the ASA. Joslin and Callanan made their comments at the ASA news conference at Commodity Classic in California last Friday.

Vilsack refutes Johanns’ remarks on Japan

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says it’s partly the former administration’s fault for the difficulty his administration is having in getting Japan to lift its partial ban on U.S. beef. Last Friday, Republican U.S. Senator and previous Ag Secretary Mike Johanns, told AgriTalk that the current administration has not done enough, as the Bush administration had, in trying to reopen those markets. At a news conference hours later at Commodity Classic in California, Vilsack was asked about Johanns’ remark and reacted with mock surprise, “Really? He said that? Nah, he didn’t really say that, did he? Nah, he couldn’t possibly have said that.”

Vilsack said Johanns surely is aware that Vilsack will be going to Japan in April, and, “He would obviously know that we’ve had ongoing discussions with the Japanese. He would obviously know that we were dealing with the previous administration’s approach to Japan which was a non-starter which was that they had to reopen the entire market. And, it’s very apparent they’re not willing to do that.”

Vilsack says the Bush administration agreed with the Koreans that the U.S. would not offer any better deal to any other country in order to reopen markets, “Not only do we have to take a different approach than the previous administration under Secretary Johanns, in terms of Japanese beef, but we also have to think about how it relates to the Korean beef agreement which complicates things very, very much. So, I just can’t believe Senator Johanns would say that because if he knew all that he wouldn’t have said it.”

Johanns’ comment followed his remarks last week at a Senate committee hearing that it might be time to tell the Japanese to drop their beef restrictions or expect to have Japanese-produced Toyotas treated the same way.

Pork producers concerned with traceability

At the recent Pork Industry Forum in Kansas City, pork producers expressed concern about USDA’s decision to abandon efforts to establish a National Animal Identification System (NAIS). 

The USDA announced in February that NAIS would be replaced by a new animal disease traceability network in which all states and tribes would develop their own traceability programs.   Elk Creek, Nebraska pork producer Dennis Beethe, immediate past president of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, says it leaves Nebraska in a somewhat precarious position. 

“With Nebraska being such a packing state—with the beef and pork—we have a lot of pigs farrowed in the state, moved out and coming back for harvest purposes,” Beethe explains. “This could be a great detriment to our state—so this is a very important issue to us.” 

The Nebraska delegation was successful in introducing and gaining passage of a resolution encouraging producers and states to continue to use nationally standardized premises ID numbers as part of animal ID methods and movement records.  Beethe says having that consistency among states is important. 

“The consequences of this—without getting something in place that’s uniform around the states—could be a USDA quarantine of a state, which would paralyze our industry,” he says. 

A separate resolution passed by NPPC delegates urges USDA to require all states to develop species specific systems within the new disease traceability network.  It says each species group should be permitted to develop its own ID system and that USDA should permit species groups to have mandatory systems if producers within a group approve such a plan. 

The National Swine Identification Plan has succeeded in registering more than 85 percent of swine premises in the U.S.  Delegates urged its adoption to ensure compatibility and consistency among states. 

Brownfield’s Cyndi Young contributed to this story.

AUDIO: Dennis Beethe (1:30 MP3)

Approval process for pork exports to begin

The USDA says it will likely begin approving U.S. pork production facilities for exports to Russia this week. 

U.S. negotiators announced late last week that a deal had been reached to end Russia’s ban on U.S. pork imports.   It includes a new export verification program requiring producers to prove their pork is free of the antibiotics that Russia has prohibited. 

The National Pork Producers Council applauds the re-opening of the Russian market.  Even though they did not see the need for an export verification program—U.S. pork already meets U.S. and international standards—NPPC president Don Butler says it was a concession that had to be made to get back in the market.  

According to USDA, six percent of all U.S. pork exports in 2009 were shipped to Russia.

Russia reopens to U.S. pork

It is official; USDA says Russia has agreed to reopen its market to U.S. pork. Products from thirteen U.S. pork plants have been banned since last December due to a dispute over standards. The two sides have negotiated a new veterinary certificate which “ensures that pork exports from the United States meet specific Russian microbiological and tetracycline-group antibiotic residue requirements.”

USDA says the next step is for U.S. plants that want to export to Russia to apply for approval with the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). AMS, in collaboration with the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), has developed an Export Verification (EV) program for pork to Russia to address specific product requirements. Products produced under an approved EV Program are eligible to be issued an FSIS Export certificate. AMS is expected to approve the first plants as early as next week. FSIS will then provide Russian authorities with a list of approved U.S. pork facilities.

A U.S. negotiation team remains in Russia trying to resolve the poultry trade dispute as well. The Ag Department says those talks have been “constructive”.

Purdue honors Distinguished Ag Alumni

Nine Purdue University graduates are being recognized as Distinguished Agricultural Alumni during a ceremony Friday, March 5.

“These nine people represent who we are and what we do so well,” Akridge said. “They are businesspeople, educators, farmer/ranchers, entrepreneurs and researchers – and they are all leaders. We take great pride in our alumni, and these are nine of our best.”

This year’s honorees include:

* David D. Anderson of Carmel, Ind., global director of seeds operations for Dow AgroSciences in Indianapolis. Anderson leads a company team responsible for developing and producing parent and hybrid seed for alfalfa, canola, corn, sorghum, soybeans and sunflowers. Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue in 1986.

* Gregory W. Deason of West Lafayette, Ind., vice president of real estate and research park development and director of Purdue Research Parks, Purdue Research Foundation. Deason leads the foundation’s efforts to maintain a progressive and vibrant environment at Purdue’s four research park facilities in order to recruit and retain high-tech companies. Deason earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue in 1986.

* Eric Jon Gustafson of Rhinelander, Wis., research ecologist, project leader and director of the Institute for Applied Ecosystem Studies, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service Northern Research Station. Gustafson’s research focuses on the ecological implications of historic and projected changes in the composition and structure of landscapes. Gustafson earned a doctoral degree in landscape ecology from Purdue in 1992.

* Douglas E. Hoerr of Chicago, a senior partner with Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects LLC. Hoerr has designed more than 500 private gardens across the country. His firm created the design guidelines for the Michigan Avenue streetscape along Chicago’s bustling Magnificent Mile and the streetscapes of Des Moines, Iowa, and St. Joseph, Mich. Hoerr earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Purdue in 1979.

* Patricia L. “Patsy” Houghton of McCook, Neb., founder, owner, general manager and president of the McCook-based Heartland Cattle Co. Heartland is a professional heifer development and research center, where beef producers retain ownership of their replacement heifers as the animals are synchronized and artificially bred according to customer specifications. She earned a doctoral degree in ruminant nutrition from Purdue in 1986.

* Janis E. McFarland of Chapel Hill, N.C., head of North American regulatory affairs for Syngenta Crop Protection. McFarland leads Syngenta’s NAFTA Regulatory Affairs Department, which is responsible for all agricultural chemical registrations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. She earned a master’s degree in plant pathology-molecular virology from Purdue in 1982 and a doctoral degree in plant physiology-herbicide modes of action from Purdue in 1986.

* Craig S. Pikaard of Bloomington, Ind., the Carlos O. Miller Professor of Plant Growth and Development in the departments of Biology and Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at Indiana University. Pikaard is a noted researcher whose work has advanced the understanding of the regulation of ribosomal RNA transcription, epigenetic mechanisms of gene silencing and the discovery of a new kind of RNA polymerase. Pikaard earned a doctoral degree in plant physiology from Purdue in 1985.

* Edward P. Vondell of Mexico City, Mexico, director of project engineering and quality for Chrysler in Mexico and Latin America. Vondell leads a team of more than 150 engineers that designs the corporation’s car and truck platforms. Vondell earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Purdue in 1985.

* Mona Baker Wolf of Cincinnati, founder and president of The Wolf Group, which provides sensory testing of products for such companies as Burger King, ConAgra and Procter & Gamble. Sensory testing services help manufacturers determine the consumer acceptance and market viability of new and existing products. Wolf earned a bachelor’s degree in food science from Purdue in 1972.

A list of previous Distinguished Agriculture Alumni honorees is available here.

Dow AgroSciences announces R&D expansion

Dow AgroSciences has announced plans for a multiyear expansion of its global headquarters in Indianapolis. The company announced on Thursday, March 4 an investment of more than $340 million and the addition of more than 550 scientific and commercial jobs over the next five years.

“Indiana’s excitement and dedication for the life sciences is impressive and matches our own enthusiasm to deliver innovation for our customers as we make a difference in agriculture,” says Antonio Galindez, president and CEO of Dow AgroSciences. “When you combine our infrastructure and capabilities with this positive business environment, it is a winning proposition to expand and grow our global headquarters here in order to accelerate our growth strategy.”

The first phase in the multiyear expansion plan includes the construction of a 175,000-square-foot research and development building, as well as a 14,000-square-foot greenhouse on the company’s corporate campus. These facilities are part of a global growth plan for Dow AgroSciences’ research efforts as it develops and commercializes new product solutions for customers in agricultural and related market segments.

USDA seeking Mississippi basin proposals

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking proposals for improving the water quality in the Mississippi River. Local and state governments, farm groups, conservation organizations and others in 12 Mississippi basin states are invited to submit proposals by May 3rd. Sara Hopper is agricultural policy director for Environmental Defense Fund, she says the goal of the plan is to get producers to sign up and participate in existing conservation programs designed to reduce runoff into the river. She cites the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Wetlands Reserve Program and other working lands programs as examples. “We’re not talking about creating new green spaces; most of this is not focused on taking land out of production.” .

Hopper notes that agriculture is not the only source of pollution going into the Mississippi but curbing ag’s contribution to the problem is a step in the right direction. “It’s important to move ahead and tackle what we can.”

The states involved in The Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative are: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin. The stakeholders eligible to submit proposals include local and state governments, farm groups, and conservation organizations. Stakeholders have until May 3 to submit proposals to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Read more about the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative here:

AUDIO: Sara Hopper talks about the Initiative

Russia to resume imports of U.S. pork

A USDA spokesman tells the Dow Jones Newswires that Russia will resume imports of U.S. pork within “a matter of days.”

Russia had halted imports of U.S. pork over the past several months, claiming there was residue of prohibited antibiotics in the meat they were receiving.  USDA officials have been negotiating with the Russians to reopen trade and have set up a new “export verification program” for U.S. processors wanting to export to Russia.  The program lays out new rules, requiring exporters to prove their pork is free of antibiotics prohibited by Russia.

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