The Ohio Soybean Association (OSA) announced the winners of the 2010 Ohio Soybean Yield and Quality Contest during the Ohio Grain Farmers Symposium in Lima. This was the first year for the statewide contest and entries surpassed expectations with more than 137 applicants.
There were six yield categories available and the quality category of the contest was based on highest percentages of oil and protein.
“We were very pleased by the response and excitement we received from Ohio farmers about the contest this year,” said Jeff Wuebker, president of OSA and Darke County soybean farmer. “We had some great yields and quality results from the entries and we hope to have even more entries next year.”
This year’s Overall State Yield Champion was Don Jackson from Preble County. Jackson recorded a yield of 81.699 with Seed Consultants 9360 variety.
The complete list of yield and quality winners is listed below:
Christmas may be just around the corner, but agriculture advocacy never takes a holiday. This just in: Forever 21, a popular clothing store for teens and 20-somethings, is now supporting the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS), the richest anti-animal agriculture organization in America. This is a call-to-action. I hope you will join me in writing to the company and letting them know how you feel.
This sign was discovered in New York by Dustin Homan, an agriculture leadership student at The Ohio State University. The photo was then posted on Facebook by his fellow classmate and Simmental breeder, Emily Brinkman. The sign reads, “With your purchase of this T-shirt, Forever 21 will make a $1.00 donation to HSUS. We and all our furry friends thank you!”
While I don’t think a boycott of the company is necessary, I do believe it’s critically important to educate this clothing store about the true agenda of HSUS, which is, of course, to abolish animal agriculture and eliminate consumers’ choice to put meat, dairy and eggs on the dinner table.… Continue reading
The Agricultural Nutrient Policy Council (ANPC), a coalition of agricultural groups, released a third party report last month conducted by LimnoTech that raises significant questions about the data used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and implement the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) rule. In a report, “Assessment of the Effects of Conservation Practices on Cultivated Cropland in the Chesapeake Bay Region,” developed by the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), very different estimates of pollutant loads to the Chesapeake Bay are reported compared to EPA’s data.
“Basically, we have two different agencies in this administration studying the same thing but yielding completely different results,” said Ashley Lyon, deputy environmental counsel for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. “USDA’s report clearly shows that farmers and ranchers have already significantly surpassed EPA targets for reductions in sediment and phosphorus.”
The LimnoTech report found many discrepancies between USDA’s report and EPA’s data.… Continue reading
Ohio Department of Development Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel has announced that 11 Ohio projects will receive $10 million in grant awards funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s State Energy Program
The funds will be used to convert feedstocks, such as municipal solid wastes, food and farm wastes, or other biomass or waste materials, to electricity, heat, fuel and/or other bio-products.
“These funds give businesses the ability to literally convert waste into economic value,” Patt-McDaniel said. “This program does more than offer businesses an opportunity to grow and prosper: it accelerates Ohio’s position as an advanced energy leader by enhancing energy efficiency.”
Proposals for the Transforming Waste to Value program were accepted beginning June 25, 2010. Projects submitted were selected through a competitive review process based on several criteria, including: a match investment of a minimum of 25% of total costs, project completion within 12 months, and direct economic impact to Ohio by creating and retaining jobs.… Continue reading
When it comes to his no-till fields, Paul Kelly Jr. take a very keen interest in what is happening “where the rubber meets the road.” Though in this case, “where the water meets the soil” is more appropriate.
For this reason, when most farmers are parking their equipment in the barn and heading indoors due to a rainstorm, Kelly has been known to head out in the elements to observe his Clinton County fields.
“I’ve spent a lot of time walking my fields in the rain and comparing them to the conventional fields of my neighbors,” Kelly said. “I have collected jars of rainwater running off our fields and the others’ tilled fields and we never have nearly the soil loss. In the jars from my fields I would get floating crop residue. In the jars from the conventionally tilled fields there would be soil. That proved to me that the practices we are using are really performing.”… Continue reading
Ohio farms are typically recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture for having higher-than-average yield numbers each year. And each year, the Ohio Corn Growers Association (OCGA) and the National Corn Growers Association reward farmers whose yields have exceeded national and state averages.
Seven Ohio farmers, listed below, were recognized by OCGA December 16 during the 2010 Ohio Grain Farmers Symposium in Lima, Ohio, as having outstanding yields:
AA Non-Irrigated
Steve and Tim Reinhard
293.891 Bushels Per Acre
Dekalb DKC62-54
Bucyrus, Ohio
AA No Till/Strip Till Non-Irrigated
Bill Putnam
285.5752 Bushels Per Acre
Dekalb DKC62-54
Conover, Ohio
No Till/Strip Till Irrigated
Jim Motycka
240.8185 Bushels Per Acre
Pioneer 33D14
Napoleon, Ohio
Ridge Till Non-Irrigated
Roger W. Wolfe
253.3243 Bushels Per Acre
Pioneer 33W84
Baltimore, Ohio
Ridge Till Irrigated
Steven L. Meienburg
236.7612 Bushels Per Acre
Dekalb DKC61-19
Malinta, Ohio
Irrigated
Les Imboden
251.6672 Bushels Per Acre
Dekalb DKC61-69
Ashville, Ohio
“These seven individuals are a prime example of how Ohio farmers can do more with less,” said John Davis, OCGA President.… Continue reading
As of today, 92% of all U.S. swine premises now have a nationally standardized premises identification number (PIN). This milestone figure, calculated by the Pork Checkoff using USDA data, represents 65,907 premises. Nearly half of these farms were registered over the last three years in conjunction with a cooperative agreement between the pork industry and USDA.
“This achievement means that pork producers and the pork industry realize that premises identification is instrumental in helping to take the health of our herds into the 21st century and to protect our industry from long-term negative consequences of a foreign animal disease,” said Gene Nemechek, a swine veterinarian from Springdale, Ark., and president of the National Pork Board. “The nationally standardized PIN is the cornerstone for more rapid and accurate traceability, which supports a faster response to animal-health events from the farm level on up. It has already proven to be useful in states assisting pork producers in a weather disaster.… Continue reading
The American Soybean Association’s (ASA) World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) representatives participated today in the final preparations of a shipment of soy flour to Afghanistan. The 3,525 50-pound bags of soy flour shipped from the Port of Virginia will deliver the benefits of high-protein soy to 5,000 women and their families in Afghanistan.
ASA and state soybean leaders from Virginia, North Carolina and Illinois joined USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Associate Administrator Janet Nuzum at ARREFF Terminals in Portsmouth, Va. for loading of the soy flour. They then went to the Port of Virginia where the five containers were shipped. USDA purchased the soy flour as part of its cooperative agreement with ASA under the USDA Food for Progress Program. Cargill’s Cedar Rapids, Iowa facility produced the soy flour, which readily increases the protein content of traditional naan breads as well as makes soymilk and other foods.… Continue reading
Using no-till and corn-soybean rotation practices in farm fields can significantly reduce field emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide, according to a Purdue University study.
Tony Vyn, a professor of agronomy, found that no-till reduces nitrous oxide emissions by 57% over chisel tilling, which mixes crop residue into surface soil, and 40% over moldboard tilling, which completely inverts soil as well as the majority of surface residue. Chisel plowing is the most widely used form of tilling before planting corn in Indiana, he said.
“There was a dramatic reduction simply because of the no-till,” said Vyn, whose findings were published in the Soil Science Society of America Journal. “We think the soil disturbance and residue placement impacts of chisel plowing and moldboard plowing modify the soil physical and microbial environments such that more nitrous oxide is created and released.”
During early season nitrogen fertilizer applications on corn, no-till may actually reduce nitrous oxide emissions from other forms of nitrogen present in, or resulting from, that fertilizer.… Continue reading
In the just-released agriculture equipment “business outlook” survey of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM):
• Agricultural machinery manufacturers predict overall business in the United States to close out 2010 with 2.4% growth, then gain 3.7% in 2011 and 2.4% in 2012, followed by 2013 growth of 3.0%.
• Canadian business overall is expected to be 4.1% higher in 2010 than the previous year, but then flatten out, down 0.5% in 2011, up 1.0% in 2012 and up 1.5% in 2013.
• Industry business to the rest of the world is expected to increase the most through 2013 — up 2.8% in 2010, followed by 7.6% growth in 2011 and gains of 6.9% in 2012 and 5.9% in 2013.
For 2-wheel-drive tractors, the most growth through 2013 is predicted for machines with 40 to 100 horsepower (hp), in both the United States and Canada. For 4-wheel-drive tractors, strongest growth is seen for 2010 with double-digit sales increases — up 18.8% in the United States and up 14.8% for Canada.… Continue reading
A Syngenta agronomist blogger wrote a great holiday poem for the Syngenta Seeds blog, Dirt on Seeds, that I really enjoyed and thought we would pass on to you as well. Somehow he created a holiday poem that ties in the delivery of seed. Here is the link:http://thedirtonseeds.com/2010/12/a-mid-winter%E2%80%99s-tale/ It is worth a read.… Continue reading
Dale provided Drew with a Dale Biodesiel shirt and posed for a picture along with Ohio Ag Net’s Heather Hetterick and Matt Reese of Ohio’s Country Journal.
Dale provided Drew with a Dale Biodesiel shirt and posed for a picture along with Ohio Ag Net’s Heather Hetterick and Matt Reese of Ohio’s Country Journal.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Dave White announced the release of an enhanced and expanded online tool developed in collaboration with Colorado State University (CSU) that helps producers estimate carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions associated with a variety of on-farm management practices.
“This is a user-friendly tool that any conservation-minded landowner can employ to evaluate their greenhouse gas emissions,” White said. “Once producers have a better sense of their carbon footprint, they can choose to make changes within their operations that will enhance the environment for their families as well as their local communities.”
The tool, officially known as COMET-VR 2.0, is housed on the CSU Web site at http://www.comet2.colostate.edu/. Similar to the first version, COMET-VR, Version 2.0 is easy-to-use and connected to state-of-the-art models that help farmers and ranchers evaluate on-farm greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration options. The online tool estimates carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reductions associated with the implementation of conservation practices for cropland, pasture, rangeland, orchards and agroforestry.… Continue reading
The American Soybean Association (ASA) applauds Senate passage of the “Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010,” and urges prompt House passage of the legislation. The Senate bill makes the biodiesel tax incentive retroactive for 2010, and extends it through 2011.
“ASA thanks the Senate for passing this legislation, which is crucial to the economic viability of the U.S. biodiesel industry,” said ASA President Alan Kemper, a soybean farmer from Lafayette, Ind. “Biodiesel is a major market for U.S. soybean oil, and has been a key factor in supporting domestic soybean prices in recent years.”
The bill, which now moves on to the House for a possible vote later this week, provides for an expedited process for U.S. biodiesel producers to claim retroactive 2010 credits. In 2009, the U.S. biodiesel industry produced 545 million gallons of biodiesel. Based on August and September production levels, 2010 production is expected to be 345 million gallons, a decline of over 35 percent from the previous year.… Continue reading
As you break out your new 2011 calendar and begin to add important dates, be sure to mark March 18-20 for the Ohio Beef Expo to be held at the Ohio Expositions Center in Columbus, Ohio. Plans for the 2011 Expo are well underway and this year’s event is shaping up to be one of the best ever with breed sales, shows and one of the Midwest’s largest and most competitive junior shows.
The Expo will once again include a three-day industry trade show. Last year’s trade show which encompassed over 22,000 square feet of indoor space was a full house. If you are interested in promoting your cattle industry related product with a display in the 2011 event, contact Jamie King at (614) 873-6736 as soon as possible. The early deadline to reserve space in the trade show is January 3.
Consignments are now being accepted for the Angus, Chianina, Hereford, Limousin, Maine-Anjou, Shorthorn and Simmental sales.… Continue reading
The United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff prepare to head into the new year with a new executive committee, led by newly elected USB Chairman Marc Curtis, a checkoff farmer-leader from Leland, Miss. Curtis, along with the other 68 volunteer farmer-directors, will begin reviewing priority issues established by representatives of the entire U.S. soybean industry at the recent CONNECTIONS meeting. These issues will be considered in the long-range planning process of the board.
Curtis has been a checkoff farmer-leader since 2005, serving as USB vice chairman, treasurer, chair of the USB Global Opportunities Program and member of the Production Research program, among other positions.
“I’m honored to have been selected by my fellow soybean farmers to serve as USB chairman,” says Curtis. “And I look forward to cooperating with the rest of the industry to continue the work of the checkoff especially to increase U.S. soy exports.”
Ohioans can start planning visits to all of their favorite fairs across the state. The Ohio Department of Agriculture today released the official dates for the 2011 fair season, which includes Ohio’s 94 county and independent fairs and the Ohio State Fair.
Wasteful Humane Society of the United States Earns a Spot on Charity Watchdogs’ “Naughty” Lists New Report Concludes 50 Cents of Every Dollar Donated to HSUS is Swallowed Up by “Overhead” Expenses
Washington, DC – Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) pointed to the 2010 “Watchdog Report” from Animal People News, which determined the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) spends 50 cents of every donated dollar on continued fundraising and additional overhead costs. HSUS has a holiday fundraising goal of $1.2 million, of which a staggering $600,000 will likely go to raise more money, pay lobbyists, and fund HSUS’s $11 million pension plan. HSUS’s skewed spending priorities leave countless shelters without funds in today’s tough economy. Animal People News, the well-regarded newspaper of the animal rights movement, studied HSUS’s 2009 federal income tax return and determined that 50% of HSUS costs were “overhead,” not 29% as HSUS claims. … Continue reading
Wasteful Humane Society of the United States Earns a Spot on Charity Watchdogs’ “Naughty” Lists New Report Concludes 50 Cents of Every Dollar Donated to HSUS is Swallowed Up by “Overhead” Expenses
Washington, DC – Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) pointed to the 2010 “Watchdog Report” from Animal People News, which determined the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) spends 50 cents of every donated dollar on continued fundraising and additional overhead costs. HSUS has a holiday fundraising goal of $1.2 million, of which a staggering $600,000 will likely go to raise more money, pay lobbyists, and fund HSUS’s $11 million pension plan. HSUS’s skewed spending priorities leave countless shelters without funds in today’s tough economy. Animal People News, the well-regarded newspaper of the animal rights movement, studied HSUS’s 2009 federal income tax return and determined that 50% of HSUS costs were “overhead,” not 29% as HSUS claims. … Continue reading
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