ROCKVILLE, Md. (DTN) — Two scientists — Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna — were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday for their work developing CRISPR-Cas9, a gene-editing tool.

The announcement marks the first time this specific category of the Nobel Prize has been shared by two women, who developed CRISPR-Cas9 independently back in 2012. Charpentier is a French scientist who directs the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin, Germany, and Doudna is an American scientist working at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The award has special significance to the agricultural industry, which has seen firsthand the unique capabilities of gene editing to speed the complicated process of breeding new crop traits and bringing them to market.

Tools like CRISPR-Cas9, which allow scientists to snip out or add precise bits of DNA into plant and animal genomes, have been embraced by U.S.

MASON CITY, Iowa (DTN) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue promoted biofuels and USDA’s investment in projects such as blender pumps during a series of events in Iowa and Minnesota on Thursday.

The official purpose of the events at an ethanol plant in Mason City and fuel stations in Albert Lea, Minnesota, and Ankeny, Iowa, was to highlight $22 million in grants released by USDA in 14 states under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program. The grants are among the first of up to $100 million the program will spend on projects such as helping fuel stations offset the costs of blender pumps and underground fuel tanks.

Among the investment goals is to spur fuel stations to expand the marketing of 15% ethanol blends across the country. USDA stated the $22 million released this week would increase ethanol demand by nearly 150 million gallons annually.

Dave Sovereign, a farmer from Cresco, Iowa, and chairman of the Golden Grain Energy Board, said he and others involved with the ethanol plant got to spend some time with Perdue talking about some ethanol industry challenges.

ROCKVILLE, Md. (DTN) — As summer 2020 advanced, a common question surfaced in parts of the Corn Belt this summer: Why are my beans so short?

The effect was clearly on display when Pioneer field agronomist Ryan Van Roekel laid out some soybeans in south-central Iowa at Corteva Agriscience’s Virtual Media Event on Oct. 6. The plant’s nodes were clustered tightly together at the bottom of the plant, before spreading out to a more normal distribution higher up the stem.

That’s the tale of two months, Van Roekel explained.

For many parts of the Corn Belt, May was a chilly slog, marked by occasional dramatic cold snaps. For soybeans just emerging, that was a signal to slow way down.

“Soybean vegetative growth is largely related to heat,” Van Roekel explained. Later on, when soybean plants hit reproductive stages (flowering and podding), the length of the day has a bigger effect on the plant’s progress.

OMAHA (DTN) — The farm input supply chain is in transition as the industry sees great competition from e-commerce. The traditional agricultural supply landscape in North America is facing threats from smaller startups with less fixed costs.

New business models put the farmer more in the middle of the chain where products are bought and sold but also data can be shared. This is considerably different than the traditional ag retail model, which has farmers at one end as buyers only. Europe also is seeing this trend but has a more regulated environment compared to North America.

These was some of the conclusions of farm input analysts in a Rabobank AgriFinance webinar titled “Age of Transition: Farm Input Supply Chain” held recently.

NEW SUPPLY CHAIN

Samuel Taylor, Rabobank farm input analyst for North America based in New York, believes the farm input chain is moving from a linear, fragmented position to a process with constant feedback loops.

OMAHA (DTN) — The pork industry in the United States is getting ready to release a volunteer “contract tracing” program for hogs that the industry hopes would stave off an export and supply crisis should a viral disease for swine show up in the U.S.

As the global pork industry watches Germany from afar, the U.S. Pork Checkoff has focused attention on ways to enable regional pork sales and provide the tools necessary for state and federal veterinarians to keep hogs and pork moving should a disease such as African swine fever (ASF) hit the U.S. as well.

The National Pork Board in early November will roll out a new software program called AgView, created through checkoff dollars, that will work with pork producers, USDA and state veterinarians to track hog movement from farms to processing plants. AgView would essentially operate like contact tracing for pigs.

SECURE DATABASE FOR PRIVACY

Privacy has often been a concern among producers entering records into a shared database.

OMAHA (DTN) — A sharply rising corn price paid by Neeley Biofuels’ hypothetical ethanol plant on Monday took a bite out of the plant’s profit margin since DTN’s last update on Aug. 14.

The 50-million-gallon plant in South Dakota paid $3.79 per bushel for corn on Monday, a spike from $3.25 paid in the middle of August based on the October futures price on the Chicago Board of Trade.

As a result, the plant’s net-profit margin fell from a 9.4-cent-per-gallon profit to a 22.2-cent loss. During the height of the COVID-19 economic shutdown, Neeley Biofuels reported a 16.1-cent loss.

Most ethanol plants are not paying debt. If the hypothetical plant was not paying debt, it would see a 9-cent-per-gallon profit. That’s a decrease of 32 cents since the August update.

For this update, Neeley Biofuels received $1.48 per gallon for its ethanol, based on the rack price — a 15-cent drop since our Aug.

OMAHA (DTN) — USDA asked for input and received a mixed response to a proposal to require radio frequency identification, or RFID tags, to be the official tag for interstate movement of cattle, following the end of a 90-day public comment period on Monday by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The now-closed comment period asked for input on a proposal to conduct a rulemaking to require RFID tags on cattle and bison that are: (1) sexually intact at least 18 months of age; (2) used for rodeo or other recreational events, regardless of age; (3) used for shows and exhibitions. On the dairy side, those animals affected include all female dairy cattle and all male dairy cattle born after March 11, 2013.

The proposal is designed to help APHIS efforts to expand animal disease traceability. Final implementation of the traceability program begins Jan. 1, 2023, when RFID ear tags would be required.

DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) — Soybean growers who endured hot, dry growing conditions this summer have another reason to be steamed. It seems soybean cyst nematode (SCN) likes that droughty weather pattern just fine.

“We have data verifying that SCN is worse in hot, dry years,” said Iowa State University Nematologist Greg Tylka. “It’s not just because plants are stressed from drought, but also because the nematode is reproducing much quicker, raising population densities.”

The SCN life cycle speeds up during drought-like conditions. “We don’t know the mechanism of it, but reproduction happens much more quickly, creating more generations in a single growing season that ultimately leads to higher egg counts during fall soil sampling,” Tylka added. “In areas impacted by drought with a traditional corn-soybean rotation, I would expect that in 2022, many of the fields that grew soybeans this year would have increased levels of SCN and increased yield loss.”

ROCKVILLE, Md. (DTN) — In keeping with the theme of 2020, a lot of things went wrong with weed control this year.

Between large weed seedbanks lurking on prevented planting acres, growing herbicide-resistance issues, weather complications, herbicide antagonism and a sudden court decision vacating dicamba labels, farmers have a lot of problems to choose from when reviewing the year.

Here’s a breakdown of each of these weedy challenges, along with recommendations on how to make sure 2021 weed control goes more smoothly.

1. SEEDBANKS GOT RECORD DEPOSITS

The consequences of the record number of prevented planting acres in 2019 were on vivid display in many fields this year, particularly soybean fields. Where fields sat fallow and weeds went to seed last year, farmers battled unusually dense and persistent weed infestations this spring and summer, explained Bill Johnson, Purdue University Extension weed scientist.

“We had over one million prevent plant acres in Indiana alone last year, so a lot of waterhemp went to seed,” he noted.

OMAHA (DTN) — Edison, Ohio, farmer John Linder is stepping in as president of the National Corn Growers Association during a challenging time for agriculture.

COVID-19 has hurt demand for ethanol, a trade war with China has stymied export markets for commodities, and ongoing battles with the EPA to maintain the Renewable Fuel Standard have hurt demand for ethanol and corn.

Linder, his brother, Mike, and John’s wife, Cheryl, operate a fifth-generation farm of about 3,000 acres in central Ohio. They grow corn, soybeans, seed beans and soft red winter wheat.

Like most farmers, Linder said he hopes his grandchildren will someday run the farm.

“So, we’re looking for the younger generations to continue,” he said. “By the way, my mother is 93 and still living on the farm, gets on a zero-turn lawn mower to mow our yard. I hope I am at least half that good.”

Linder will step into a key role for farmers in advocating for all things Renewable Fuel Standard.

WASHINGTON, (DTN) — President Donald Trump signed the continuing resolution to fund the government through Dec. 11 early Thursday after the Senate passed the bill only hours before the end of the fiscal year.

The Senate vote was 84 to 10. Trump was in Duluth, Minnesota, for a campaign rally Wednesday night, but the White House released a statement shortly after midnight that he had signed the bill upon his return to Washington.

The extension of government funds also closes out the political fight over the Commodity Credit Corp., as the next year of traditional farm-bill programs begins. While the CCC fund was replenished, it now comes with some restrictions that will require notifications to Congress on any extra spending. The bill also prohibits CCC funds from being used to provide payments or aid to fossil-fuel refiners and importers.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan.; Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Hoeven, R-N.D.;

DTN Staff

OMAHA (DTN) — This week’s export sales report should be viewed as bearish for corn and wheat, and neutral to bullish for soybeans and milo, according to DTN Lead Analyst Todd Hultman.

For the week ended Sept. 24, 2020, USDA reported an increase of 79.8 million bushels (mb) (2,027,100 metric tons) of corn export sales. Last week’s export shipments of 29.5 mb were below the 45.8 mb needed each week to achieve USDA’s export estimate of 2.325 billion bushels (bb) in 2020-21. Corn export commitments now total 969 mb in 2020-21 and are up 154% from a year ago. That is above USDA’s estimated pace at a time when the overall supply situation for corn is bearish, Hultman said.

For the week ended Sept. 24, 2020, USDA reported an increase of 95.2 mb (2,591,200 mt) of soybean export sales. Last week’s export shipments of 41.9 mb were slightly above the 40.7 mb needed each week to achieve USDA’s export estimate of 2.125 bb in 2020-21.

ROCKVILLE, Md. (DTN) — Bayer’s XtendFlex soybeans are now ready for a full commercial launch in the U.S. and Canada in 2021, after a long-awaited import approval came through from the EU on Monday.

The soybean variety tolerates over-the-top applications of three herbicides: glyphosate, dicamba and glufosinate (Liberty). It has been touted by Bayer as their next generation weed control platform, which will replace RR2 Xtend as the underpinning of their soybean portfolio.

The trait brings a new, in-season mode of action for soybean growers in the Xtend system facing dicamba-resistant weeds, or hoping to stave them off, crop experts noted. But it also will further increase use of glufosinate, a herbicide whose use has rapidly scaled up in the past decade, and faces resistance threats of its own.

BAYER PREDICTS RAPID ADOPTION OF THE TRAIT

Bayer expects a rapid penetration of the XtendFlex trait into the market next year.

“We’ve seen great demand for XtendFlex soybeans from our customers,” Lisa Streck, Bayer soybean launch lead, said in the company’s news release.

ROCKVILLE, Md. (DTN) — In an effort to stave off above-ground insect resistance, the EPA is proposing phasing out many current Bt corn hybrids, as well as some Bt cotton varieties, in the next three-to-five years.

Essentially, all Bt corn hybrids and cotton varieties that don’t include Syngenta’s Vip3A protein, the lone Bt trait on the market without documented insect resistance, are being considered for a national phase-out.

The proposal suggests removing many common and popular Bt-traited corn products, as well as one new rootworm trait package with a unique RNAi mode of action — SmartStax PRO — that hasn’t yet been commercialized.

The phase-out plan, found in EPA’s recent publication, “EPA Draft Proposal to Address Resistance Risks to Lepidopteran Pests of Bt,” is only a proposal for now. EPA is seeking public comment from all stakeholders, including farmers, through Nov. 9, 2020. You can comment here: https://www.regulations.gov/…

Here is a comprehensive list, based on DTN’s analysis of the EPA proposal, of every corn hybrid and cotton variety up for phase-out over the next three-to-five years, organized by their original registrant.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (DTN) — Trump administration trade and USDA officials on Monday criticized the European Union’s new food policy as an anti-technology strategy meant to harm U.S. agriculture and global food trade.

Gregg Doud, the top trade negotiator at the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, and Steve Censky, outgoing deputy U.S. agriculture secretary, both spoke Monday at an Ag Outlook Forum hosted by the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City and Agri-Pulse.

Doud largely spotlighted U.S. trade talks with China and highlighted big changes. He credited China for a massive undertaking to alter its rules, allowing U.S. agricultural exports to China to rise again this year. In addition, Doud raised concerns about the European Union. Doud said agricultural technology will be needed to feed a growing population in the world.

“We are going to use all of the technology that we can get our hands on safely as efficiently and absolutely to the best of our ability and we are never going to apologize,” Doud said, adding that message needs to be conveyed by U.S.

A new 2020 DTN/Progressive Farmer Zogby Analytics Pulse of Rural America poll finds 50% of rural adults intend to vote for President Donald Trump on Election Day, Nov. 3; that’s a lead of 17 percentage points over Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden. Eleven percent of rural adults are undecided.

In a similar DTN/Progressive Farmer Pulse of Rural America poll in 2016, Trump was leading Democratic contender Hillary Clinton 46% to 24%.

But the rural voting community is a mixed bag for the president in 2020. Fifty-three percent of rural adult Americans approve of Donald Trump’s performance as president, including his handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Forty-two percent of rural residents and farmers strongly or somewhat disapprove of the president’s job performance.

Fifty-nine percent of responding farmers told DTN/Progressive Farmer their operations would be struggling financially if it were not for USDA’s Market Facilitation Program and the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

By Matthew Wilde
Progressive Farmer Crops Editor
and
Chris Clayton
DTN Ag Policy Editor

Madrid, Iowa (DTN) — The Ihle family have been playing an unnerving game of hide-and-seek this harvest.

Tin, wood 2x4s with nails, mailboxes, a traffic cone and what seemed like half the town of Madrid, Iowa, was deposited in one of Brian and Mike Ihle’s soybeans fields just east of town by the Aug. 10 derecho. Unfortunately, the brothers’ Case-IH combine found hidden debris all too often despite their best efforts to find it first.

Cody Ihle, Brian’s son, and his first cousin, Ben Gilbert, looked for troublesome trash as they shuttled soybeans from the combine, operated by Mike, to a semi. They would stop and collect small pieces from rows or throw it off to the side. For bigger storm scrap, the tandem would alert an employee in a Bobcat skid steer with a grapple bucket to remove it.

OMAHA (DTN) — EPA failed to reallocate biofuel gallons lost to small-refinery exemptions in the 2019 Renewable Fuel Standard volumes, an attorney for Growth Energy argued in an ongoing lawsuit before a federal appeals court on Friday. The attorney asked the court to provide direction to EPA on the issue.

Growth Energy filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Feb. 4, 2019. Between 2016 and 2018, EPA granted 85 exemptions, totaling about 4 billion gallons in lost biofuels demand.

Growth Energy Counsel David Lehn asked the three-judge panel on Friday to direct EPA to reallocate the gallons from exemptions granted in 2018.

The agency granted 31 small-refinery exemptions in 2018, totaling about 1.4 billion gallons in biofuels demand.

“I just wanted to be clear that, should the court agree with us, that EPA did need to adjust the standards to account for the exemptions, that it’s imperative that the court direct EPA to actually do that on remand,” he said during arguments.

OMAHA (DTN) — EPA on Tuesday released its draft risk assessment of the insecticide chlorpyrifos, finding dietary risks in adults and children, as well as to professional handlers of the chemical.

The agency’s draft assessment also identifies potential adverse effects in mammals, birds, fish, and terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates.

EPA said it will open a 60-day public comment period on the risk assessment when it issues a proposed interim decision in October. That decision is expected to outline potential risk management options for the insecticide.

In addition to considering public comment, EPA said in a news release that it will also consider input and recommendations from a September scientific advisory panel once the panel’s report is released in December.

Corteva announced in February that it was phasing out production of chlorpyrifos. The company cited falling demand for the product in the United States as the primary reason for the decision, but the chemical also has faced criticism and litigation over its health risks for decades.

OMAHA (DTN) — As fall harvest begins, using proper safety equipment and knowing how to operate farm machinery safely can go a long way to prevent equipment accidents. Not following these rules, however, can lead to severe injuries or even death for operators.

Sept. 20-26, 2020, is National Farm Safety and Health Week with the theme this year being “Every Farmer Counts.” AgriSafe Network (https://www.agrisafe.org/…) is hosting nine free webinars during the week, including one titled “Planting Seeds of Tractor and Machinery Safety.”

MANY OPERATING DANGERS

Aaron Yoder, associate professor of environmental, agricultural and occupational health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha, talked about some of the dangers with operating tractors and machinery. He also talked about ways to improve safety during the hour-long webinar.

Yoder said those who operate tractors face many different hazards, including overturns, entanglements and falls. Mechanical hazards, such as shear points, and being crushed, cut or burnt also exist.