Top Headlines

The number of cattle and calves in Ohio on Jan. 1, 2012, was estimated at 1.28 million head, up 4% from last year, according to the Jan. 27 Cattle and Calves report from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Beef cows, at 300,000 head, were up 3% from last year, and milk cows, at 270,000 head, were unchanged from last year.

Ohio’s beef replacement heifers were at 55,000, the same as last year but dairy replacement heifers were down 5,000 head from last year. Other heifers, at 70,000 head, were up 7% from last year. Steers 500 pounds and over were up 8% from last year to 195,000 head. Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market, at 180,000 head increased by 6%. Bulls, at 20,000 head, declined by 5,000 head from January 1, 2011. Ohio’s calf crop, at 490,000 head, increased by 9% from last year.

All cattle and calves in the United States as of January 1, 2012 totaled 90.8 million head, 2% below the 92.7 million on January 1, 2011.… Continue reading

The number of sheep and lambs on Ohio farms on Jan. 1, 2012, totaled 126,000 head, down 2% from the 2011 estimate, according to the Jan. 27 Sheep and Goats report from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Total breeding sheep inventory at 102,000 head, was unchanged from the previous year. Ewes one year old and older were estimated at 78,000 head, down 3,000 from last year. Rams one year old and older were estimated at 6,000 head on January 1, 2012, unchanged from last year. Replacement lambs were up 3,000 to 18,000 head on January 1, 2012. The 2011 lamb crop was estimated at 100,000 head, down 4% from the previous year. Total market sheep & lambs, at 24,000 head, were down 11% from one year ago.

All sheep and lamb inventory in the United States on January 1, 2012, totaled 5.35 million head, down 2% from 2011. Breeding sheep inventory decreased to 3.98 million head on January 1, 2012, down 3% from 4.08 million head on January 1, 2011.… Continue reading

Power Show Ohio kicked off on Friday with a wide range of new agricultural, construction, and outdoor power equipment from more than 600 companies.

The show sprawls over more than 300,000 square feet in four buildings at the Ohio Expo Center: the Voinovich Center, Celeste Center, Coliseum and Bricker Building. There are also a number of additional cooking and educational seminars covering topics including farmland preservation, small engine maintenance, crop nutrient management and its effects on bodies of water, barn rehabilitation, farm safety, and more.

And, it wouldn’t be the Power Show without the National Kiddie Tractor Pull held in the Coliseum on Saturday and Sunday for children between the ages of three and eight. Here are some photo highlights from the show. Stop by and see us at the Ohio’s Country Journal/Ohio Ag Net booth in the Celeste Center.… Continue reading

Ethanol plants in the United States, which also produce the feed ingredient distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), continue to upgrade equipment to extract non-food grade corn oil during the ethanol production process.

While regular DDGS may contain 10-15 percent oil, the low-oil variety contains much less and has different characteristics and feeding values than regular DDGS.
Of the roughly 200 corn dry mills that produce ethanol, about 90 have oil extraction capabilities, and 105 plants will by this summer.

“On a production basis, about 40 percent of U.S. DDGS produced today is low-oil, and 58 percent will be low-oil by this summer,” said Randy Ives of Gavilon, LLC, and U.S. Grains Council Value-Added Advisory Team Leader.

Ives explained that low-oil DDGS has higher crude protein and higher levels of amino acids. The concentrated amino acid profile is positive for monogastric animals like poultry and swine, while dairy animals may be able to utilize more product thanks to the lower level of fat in low-oil DDGS.… Continue reading

Eligible producers with livestock, purchased or harvested feed, honey bees, or farm-raised fish losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions between January 1, 2011 and December 29, 2011, have until January 30, 2012, to submit all supporting documentation, if they have not already done so.

Adequate documentation must prove the loss occurred as a direct result of an eligible adverse weather event in the calendar year for which benefits are being requested.

Producers should contact their local FSA county offices with any questions about ELAP.… Continue reading

Those who stop by the Ohio’s Country Journal/Ohio Ag Net display at the Ohio Power Show this weekend can test out the performance of Plenish in the complimentary popcorn. The oil makes great (and healthier) popcorn and the soybeans have been performing well in Ohio fields, despite challenging growing conditions.
 The popcorn was grown at the Farm Science Review site in Madison County and provided by Farm Science Review staff.         

“I’ve had great success with Plenish high oleic soybeans,” said John Motter, director, United Soybean Board and chair of the Ohio Soybean Council. “During this year’s harvest my Plenish soybeans yielded higher than my overall farm average at 55 bushels an acre, and agronomic performance was outstanding.”

Pioneer launched the high oleic soybean trait in its industry-leading lineup of Pioneer brand Y Series soybean varieties, with key defensive and agronomic traits such as soybean cyst nematode resistance, phytophthora and sudden death syndrome tolerance, and excellent field emergence and harvest standability.… Continue reading

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service continues to review its agricultural estimates program to ensure the agency provides the most accurate, timely and useful data, while also remaining within the agency budget. As a result, NASS will make the following changes to its in-season reporting for this year:

Vegetables – Reduce to  one in-season report

Apple – Forecast in October only (Eliminate March preliminary summary and August report)

Apricot – Forecast in July only (Eliminate June report)

Cherry Production – Publish in June only (Eliminate forecast in June Crop Production)

Grape – Forecast in August only (Eliminate July and October reports)

Peach – Forecast in August only (Eliminate May, June and July reports)

Pear – Forecast in August only (Eliminate June report)

Pecan – Forecast in October only (Eliminate December report)

Banana Revisions in May – Eliminate

Guavas in May – Eliminate

Olives in August – Eliminate

Papaya Revisions in May – Eliminate

Prune Forecast and Revisions in June – Eliminate

Prunes and Plums Forecast in August – Eliminate

The current changes affect the 2012 growing season.… Continue reading

First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled new standards for school meals that will result in healthier meals for kids across the nation. The new meal requirements will raise standards for the first time in more than fifteen years and improve the health and nutrition of nearly 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs every school day. The healthier meal requirements are a key component of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was championed by the First Lady as part of her Let’s Move! campaign and signed into law by President Obama.

“As parents, we try to prepare decent meals, limit how much junk food our kids eat, and ensure they have a reasonably balanced diet,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “And when we’re putting in all that effort the last thing we want is for our hard work to be undone each day in the school cafeteria.… Continue reading

Aligning with the future of agricultural practices in Minnesota, the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, an organization committed to providing scientific and technical assistance to Minnesota industries and entrepreneurs, is conducting a 15-month study testing the ability of crop residues to clean up water drained from agricultural lands. At a recent ceremony at the Minnesota Capitol, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson signed a memorandum, agreeing to the development of a new state program for farmers designed to increase the voluntary adoption of conservation practices that protect local rivers, streams and other waters by reducing fertilizer run-off and soil erosion.

AURI’s study is focused on bioreactors, also known as biofilters, which have historically been made from wood chips or straw. The high cost of these products encouraged AURI to research other available materials producers could use. AURI is evaluating and comparing the effectiveness of agricultural residues versus wood in bioreactors, offering a potential use for agricultural byproducts such as corn stover and wheat and barley straw.… Continue reading

Ohio food producers looking to sell through different marketing channels are invited to attend a MarketReady training program, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 at the Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT) office, 5555 Airport Hwy., Ste. 100, Toledo, Ohio 43615-7320.

The day-long workshop teaches what is required to sell to grocers, restaurants, consumers and other wholesale buyers. Plus local producers, wholesalers and buyers will participate on a panel to provide specific insight on requirements for purchasing product.

The workshop will run from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The cost is $75 per person and $25 for each additional person from the same business, which includes materials, lunch and morning refreshments.

“MarketReady workshops and resources guide producers through the decisions needed for entering various direct marketing channels,” said Rebecca Singer, vice president and director of agricultural programs, CIFT. “Participants leave knowing what is required for packaging, pricing, delivering, regulations, insurance and marketing of their products for each type of buyer.”… Continue reading

By Matt Reese

The Directors’ Agricultural Nutrients and Water Quality Working Group met earlier this week at the Ohio Department of Agriculture to finalize their extensive findings on how agriculture is contributing to water quality problems and how this can be controlled. The group was assembled to aggregate all of the available information on the problem, organize it and present it to the directors of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency, who will then make recommendations to the governor.

“The 4Rs are a good starting point for messaging and provide a great resource for farmers to turn to,” said Karen Chapman, who represented the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in the Working Group. “EDF believes that adaptive management programs are key to putting the 4Rs into action. These are programs where farmers and their advisors gather data using tools like cornstalk nitrogen tests, strip trials for N and P, aerial imagery, management data and yield data to figure out what is going on for a given season with the crop and the crop’s estimated nutrient uptake.… Continue reading

Carl DeWitt of the University of Wisconsin, an expert on sustainability and land stewardship and a leading Christian environmentalist, will speak five times in Wooster and Columbus later this week, Jan. 26-28.

DeWitt is a professor with Wisconsin’ Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies the author of Earthwise: A Biblical Response of Environmental Issues.

“I have a lot of heroes, but Cal DeWitt is high on the list,” author Bill McKibben (The End of Nature). “Before anyone else, (DeWitt) was at work building the religious environmental movement in this country, and he has never wavered — the fact that evangelical leaders from across the theological spectrum last year signed a statement of concern about climate change owes more to his leadership than anyone else’s.”

Two of DeWitt’s talks will be co-presented with David Kline, an Amish organic farmer in north-central Ohio’s Holmes County.

All the talks are free and open to the public.… Continue reading

According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ monthly Ag Tractor and Combine Report, the sales of all tractors in the United States for December 2011 were up 11% compared to the same month last year. For the year 2011, a total of 168,324 tractors were sold, which compares to 165,072 sold through December 2010.

For the month, two-wheel-drive under 40-horsepower tractor sales were up 11% from last year, and 40 to under 100 HP tractor sales were up 14%. Sales of two-wheel-drive 100+ HP were up 13% from last year, and four-wheel-drive tractors were down 15% for the month.

For the year 2011, two-wheel drive smaller tractors (under 40 HP) were up 0.8% from last year, while 40 to under 100 HP were up 4%. Sales of two-wheel drive 100+ HP were up 2%, while four-wheel-drive tractors were up 4% for the year.… Continue reading

The Ohio AgriBusiness Association (OABA) and the Ohio Soybean Association (OSA) have joined forces to offer a one-of-a-kind event series: the Ohio Weed Resistance Workshops. The workshop program will be presented at three events across the state on, February 28, February 29 and March 1, 2012 and is being offered at no cost to participants.

“OABA is happy we could join with the Ohio Soybean Association and, along with the support of all of our sponsors, put on these workshops,” said Christopher Henney, OABA President and CEO. “This is a great opportunity for both farmers and custom applicators who have dealt with herbicide resistance in the past and farmers who might be experiencing it for the first time get up to speed on the current state of weed resistance in Ohio and get insight into future projections, as well as learn about how best to manage it and how to utilize latest technologies that can help.”… Continue reading

An Ohio judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Muslim inmate who sued the prison system last year for serving pork, a food forbidden by his faith. In an order filed last week, U.S. District Court Michael H. Watson dismissed the case after hearing from the involved attorneys that the matter has been settled.

“Details of the settlement announced Wednesday weren’t released. The inmate’s lawyer would not comment,” said Dick Isler, executive director of the Ohio Pork Producers Council. “JoEllen Smith, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said no policy changes have been made regarding food preparation. Both sides anticipated making the settlement final in about 45 days.”

The suit was filed last fall by Abdul-Hamead Awkal because the prison didn’t offer him halal food options, noting that the system offered Jewish prisoners kosher items. Ohio’s prison system responded by removing pork.… Continue reading

Deteriorating condition of the U.S. lock and dam system puts the competiveness of U.S. soybean farmers at risk according to a study funded by the United Soybean Board’s (USB’s) and the soybean checkoff’s Global Opportunities (GO) program. Entitled “America’s Locks & Dams: A Ticking Time Bomb for Agriculture,” the in-depth examination coordinated by the Soy Transportation Coalition (STC) found American farmers and consumers “…will suffer severe economic distress” if catastrophic U.S. lock or dam failures take place.

More than half of the structures that are part of the U.S. inland waterway system for river barge shipping exceed their 50-year usable lifespan, according to the soybean checkoff-funded report. More than one-third surpass 70 years of age, a concern because major rehabilitation is usually necessary to expand the typical lifespan from 50 to 75 years, according to the study.

“The GO committee invested in this study to calculate the impact of the worsening condition of the lock and dam system and what the impact would be on the rail and highway system if those locks failed,” said Laura Foell, soybean farmer from Schaller, Iowa, and chair of the GO committee.… Continue reading

A recent Yahoo article suggested five degrees, three of them agriculturally related, are useless.

This has set off an online firestorm on the topic. The Facebook page,  I Studied Agriculture and I Have a Job has even been created in response.

We’ve gathered some other responses from across that web that include:

• Yahoo’s ‘College Majors That Are Useless’…Really?, on the Huffington Post by Allen Levin, Dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota

• Yahoo Thinks Yohttps://ocj.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=6679&action=edit&message=10ur Degree is Worthless

• University of Georgia Dean of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences speaks out at, Flawed list can steer students in the wrong direction.

• Is a Degree in Agriculture Useless?, by Flying T Ranch blog.

• Agriculture-Useless College Degree Part 2, by Agriculture Proud blog

• Family Farm Friday #67: Listen Here Yahoo, by Figuring out the Plot blog

• Video Response from Tucker Cool

• Introduction and Response to Yahoo on Agriculture in College Video response 

• Agriculture-Universal and Extremely Useful Degrees, from Pillar Environmental

• Ag degree useless?

Ohio legislators are proposing to expand the Agricultural Linked Deposit program, or Ag-LINK, which offers farm operators an interest-rate reduction on loans and lines of credit through the Ohio treasurer’s office. House Bill 415, along with its companion, Senate Bill 281, would increase the amount the state treasury sets aside each

year for the program from $125 million to $165 million. It also would increase the amount applicants can receive, from $100,000 to $150,000.

The interest-rate reductions help farmers invest in seeds, feed, fertilizer, fuel and other operating expenses. Since its inception in 1985, Ag-LINK has loaned about $2.8 billion to more than 40,000 Ohio farmers.

Last year, more than 800 farmers in 67 counties took advantage of the program. The bills’ sponsors, Rep. Robert

Sprague, R-Findlay, Rep. Brian Hill, R-Zanesville, and Sen. Bill Beagle, R-Tipp City, said they hope a bigger investment in Ohio agricultural businesses will create more jobs and boost the economy.… Continue reading

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law that bans the processing of all non-ambulatory animals, including hogs. NPPC hailed the ruling.

The California Legislature approved the law in 2008 after a video was released by animal activists, showing non-ambulatory, or “downed,” cows at a California beef packing plant being dragged and prodded to enter the processing line. The statute prohibited the buying, selling, or receiving of non-ambulatory animals, the processing, butchering or selling of meat or products from non-ambulatory animals for human consumption and the holding of non-ambulatory animals without taking immediate action to humanely euthanize them.

The National Meat Association (NMA) challenged the law, and a federal district court judge in California blocked it. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco in 2010 overturned the lower court ruling. NMA appealed the case to the Supreme Court, arguing that the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) pre-empts the California law.… Continue reading

Soy can be found in many products we might use every day.  The United Soybean Board (USB) and the soybean checkoff want more fairgoers to see the wide variety of soy-based products put to good use this year.

The national soy checkoff plans to deliver this message though its Green Ribbon Fairs reimbursement program, aimed at encouraging fairs across the country to promote and use soy-based products.

Through the annual program, now in its second year, town, county, state and regional fairs compete to be reimbursed for using and promoting soy-based products on their fairgrounds year-round, as well as during the fairs. Soy-based products that could be used include paints, insulation, ink, biodiesel, hand sanitizers, cleaning and maintenance products, dust suppressants and more.

“Partnering with other groups helps us to tell a new audience about the sustainability of soy products,” says Geno Lowe, a soybean farmer from Hebron, Md., and USB farmer-director.… Continue reading