ANNAPOLIS - The Maryland Department of Agriculture is hosting an export training workshop on Sept. 3 for farmers and agribusinesses at its headquarters in Annapolis. The featured speaker will be Mary Beth Wesdock, marketing manager for the Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA).

All producers and agribusinesses with U.S.-produced/grown agricultural products are welcome to attend the workshop. These products include: fresh produce, high-value food products, snack foods, condiments and sauces, specialty food items, beverages, aquaculture, some wood products, hides and skins, pet foods and ornamental horticulture.

Participants will learn how to apply for matching funds to help pay for their international marketing activities. Under the Market Access Program (MAP) Branded, SUSTA has provided over $5 million to support the cost of marketing brand-name U.S. products overseas through promotional activities such as advertising, in-store demonstrations, exhibiting at trade shows, and modifying packaging and labeling to meet import requirements.

There is no fee to attend the workshop, but registration is required by Friday, August 29. For more information or a registration form, contact Theresa Brophy, MDA, at (410) 841-5770.

August 15 - At a recent meeting of the Delaware Nutrient Management Commission, officials voted to reduce the rates for transporting excess poultry litter-manure. This action was taken in response to increased grower participation in the Manure Relocation Program and a higher demand for poultry litter at alternative markets without an available funding increase for the Program.

The reduction is an overall 25% rate reduction and a three dollar cut in the cap. The rates changed from $0.16 per ton mile for the transporter to $0.12 per ton mile and the cap was reduced from $18 to $15. Program Administrator, Bill Rohrer said the rates were decreased “because the budget does not sustain the current demand and we feel that current markets for poultry litter-manure help pay for the transportation cost.” Rohrer added that the rate reduction would allow for more litter-manure to be moved for the same amount of money.

Officials say poultry litter in Delaware is regulated by the Nutrient Management Law to prevent over-application and application at the wrong time of the year. Poultry litter-manure is exported from a farm with inadequate land or high Phosphorus levels and shipped to alternative markets. The alternative markets for excess litter are distant crop fields and Perdue AgriRecycle’s fertilizer plant.

“It costs an average of $11.24 per ton to move about 93,000 tons of excess litter in 2008,” said Rohrer. “The cost was over a million dollars and we can no longer cannibalize other parts of our program to pay for relocation. The cuts will continue to assist the market and balance our budget. Program funding includes state funds, federal funds and funds from the poultry companies operating in Delaware.”
 

HEE HAW returns to television on RFD-TV

Since RFD-TV plans to air HEE HAW episodes in the order they originally aired, viewers will see the cavalcade of guests in the order in which they appeared, beginning with Country Music Hall of Famers Loretta Lynn and Charley Pride, who perform “Your Squaw is on the Warpath” and “Kaw-Liga” respectively in the premiere episode.

For more information, visit www.rfdtv.com
 

NCGA says ethanol production good for livestock producers

August 19 - When the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently came out with corn production numbers that were revised upward to a bountiful 12.3 billion bushels, two areas of corn demand also saw an increase – the amount projected for ethanol use was increased by 150 million bushels to 4.1 billion bushels, and the corn for livestock feed was boosted 100 million bushels to 5.3 billion.

Although the USDA estimates that more corn will go into livestock feed than any other use, these figures leave out another important statistic, according the National Corn Growers Association – the amount of livestock feed that will be produced from the same corn that goes into ethanol.

In fact, if the USDA projection holds true, then there will be an additional equivalent of 1 billion bushels of livestock feed derived from the corn for ethanol, in the form of distiller grains (25.3 million metric tons), corn gluten feed (2.6 million metric tons) and corn gluten meal (500,000 metric tons).

“Critics lament how much corn goes into ethanol but often ignore the co-products and calculate too high a figure,” said NCGA President Ron Litterer. “Distillers grains offer a high-protein feed for livestock and help us meet all needs.”

While the industry is evolving and becoming more efficient, each bushel of corn, Litterer notes, can produce approximately 2.8 gallons of ethanol, in one of two different ways:

* In the dry milling process, each bushel of corn produces 17.5 pounds of distillers dried grains with solubles in addition to the ethanol. A high-protein livestock feed, corn distillers grains contain all the nutrients from the incoming corn minus the starch.

* In the wet milling process, 13.5 pounds of gluten feed are produced from each bushel of corn used. Corn gluten feed is rich in highly digestible fiber and is processed as either dry pellets or wet feed. These feeds are widely used for dairy and beef cattle, poultry, swine and pets. This process also results in 2.6 pounds of gluten meal, a high-protein concentrate that is excellent cattle feed providing a high level of rumen bypass protein. Finally, this process also results in 1.5 pounds of corn oil from each bushel used.

“When you take into account the use of co-products, and shift a billion bushels of corn from the ethanol to the feed category, you get a better sense of where the corn is really going,” Litterer added. “Actual ethanol production – as projected by the USDA for 2008 – will consume approximately 22 percent of the total 2008-09 corn supply of 13.9 billion bushels.”
 

Pork, beef exports growing

August 18 - The outlook for U.S. livestock producers recently received a big boost from meat sales in overseas markets of both pork and beef.

June pork exports were double the volume of last year's June exports. The 192,667 metric tons valued at $451 million pushed the six month total of 2008 to 1,018,467 metric tons valued at $2.3 billion, which is 67% more than 2007 in terms of volume and 58% more in terms of value. China and Russia had the most growth as far as imports of U.S. pork but Mexico, Japan and Korea also saw an increase in imports.

"A significant rise in pork values has been led by strong prices for export items such as trimmings, hams and picnics," said Erin Daley, manager of research and analysis for the U.S. Meat Export Federation. "The rise in prices for these items indicates continued strong export demand into August."

The top export markets for U.S. beef continue to be Mexico and Canada, although rebuilding of market share in Japan continues and a major breakthrough was made with the resumption of exports to South Korea. Japan and South Korea were first and third respectively in terms of the largest markets of U.S. beef prior to the 2003 BSE case in the U.S. and the subsequent ban.

Daley said that while this year's beef exports won't be able to match the peak levels achieved earlier in this decade, the beef industry is getting close to reaching the same level of value. While beef exports exceeded $3.8 billion in 2003, she forecasts that assuming no major disruptions of trade this year's exports could total as high as $3.5 billion.

Pennsylvania forecasts apple and peach crop

Washington, Aug. 7, 2008 – The rising cost of fuel and other products helped drive U.S. farm production expenditures to a record $260 billion in 2007, according to the Farm Production Expenditures 2007 summary released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Total U.S. farm production expenditures rose 9.3 percent from 2006 and nearly 30 percent from 5 years ago.

Increasing petroleum costs meant farmers not only paid more for fuel, but also for fertilizer products, chemicals and transportation services. Indirectly, fuel prices and the growth in ethanol production also led to higher crop prices, resulting in increased cost for livestock feed.

The NASS report shows that the average production expenditures per farm increased 10 percent nationwide, from $114,186 in 2006 to $125,648 in 2007. On average, U.S. farm expenditures for fertilizer, lime and soil jumped 26 percent to $8,070; feed costs rose 22 percent to $18,412; fuel costs increased by 15 percent to $6,137; and agricultural chemicals climbed 12 percent to $4,832.

In total, U.S. producers spent $12.7 billion on fuel, including $7.71 billion for diesel, up 15 percent; $2.74 billion for gasoline, up 16 percent; $1.5 billion for LP gas, up 17 percent; and $750 million for other fuels, up 4.2 percent.

The Farm Production Expenditures summary provides the official estimates for production input costs on U.S. agricultural operations. These estimates are based on the results of the nationwide Agricultural Resource Management Survey conducted annually by NASS. The Farm Production Expenditures summary and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov.

Economists forecast pork, corn and soybean prices

August 12 - The 2008 survey of American Agricultural Economics Association members forecasts live hog prices will average $56.88 during 2009 and that hog producers will lose money, according to the University of Missouri's weekly Hog Outlook report.

The report said economists pegged live hog prices in the fourth quarter of this year at $48.36, rising to $51.61 per cwt in the first quarter 2009. They put second quarter 2009 prices at $58.46, third quarter at $60.25 and fourth quarter 2009 at $57.01.

The prices are based on assumptions that third quarter 2008 pork production will rise 7.2 percent from a year ago, with fourth quarter production up 2.4 percent. In 2009, the expectation is that first quarter production will be down 2 percent, second quarter down 2.8 percent, third quarter down 3.2 percent and fourth quarter 2009 production will be down 3.6 percent from a year earlier.

"Based on these forecasts, hog producers that cannot handle more risk should take a long hard look at what the lean hog futures contract is now offering for hedge opportunities," University economists Glenn Grimes and Ron Plain wrote in their weekly report. "If the above forecasts turn out to be what happens, and they look realistic with current information, hog producers on average will lose money through much of 2009."

Corn, soybean meal prices

In the same survey, AAEA economists forecast corn prices at Chicago Board of Trade will be $6.69 per bushel the first of December 2008, $7.04 per bushel the first of March 2009 and $7.00 per bushel the end of June 2009.

For these same dates soybean meal on the Chicago Board of Trade is expected to average $375 per ton for first of December 2008, $396 per ton for first of March 2009 and $402 per ton for the end of June 2009.

Maryland discovers West Nile Virus in early August

ANNAPOLIS - The Maryland Department of Agriculture announced on August 8 the first state detection of a West Nile virus (WNV) mosquito pool in Maryland in 2008. State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene laboratory results confirmed the presence of WNV in mosquitoes collected by Montgomery County Department of Health personnel on July 22 and July 29 in the Gaithersburg area of Montgomery County. Officials say mosquito control personnel continue to work aggressively to reduce mosquito populations across the State.

"We know that West Nile virus may be present throughout Maryland and are not surprised to find mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile virus," says Secretary of Agriculture Roger Richardson. "The confirmation of virus-positive mosquitoes serves as a reminder to all residents to continue protecting themselves against mosquito bites and to conduct backyard mosquito control activities."

The MDA mosquito control office, in cooperation with DHMH, is conducting state-wide surveillance activities to monitor mosquito populations and detect mosquito-borne viruses of public health concern.

"Mosquito control remains especially important to decrease the risk of infection with all mosquito borne diseases," said Michael Cantwell, MDA acting chief of mosquito control. "MDA is taking appropriate steps for mosquito surveillance and mosquito control activities in participating Maryland jurisdictions through the end of September."

Officials say there is neither a specific treatment nor a vaccine against WNV for humans. There are, however, effective vaccines against the virus for horses, ostriches and emus - also known as ratites. Owners are encouraged to get their animals vaccinated and boostered in a timely manner in consultation with their veterinarian.

Hay abundant compared to last year

RICHMOND—The drought conditions that plagued Virginia hay crops last year appear to be less of an issue this summer.

"The first cutting was excellent, said Spencer Neale, senior assistant director of commodities and marketing for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. "We had good weather and a decent amount of rain for the hay crop this year."

While conditions now are hotter and dryer, farmers are hoping to cut more hay in the early fall.

"Much of the state is experiencing a lack of rain and heat stress at the moment, but hopefully we can break out of that pattern soon," Neale said. "While the hay crop is better this year than last year, having a bad year means the next year is spent trying to catch up. Hay is not overly abundant, but it is in much better shape now than a year ago."

Hay is Virginia’s largest crop in terms of acres harvested. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1.24 million acres of hay were harvested in Virginia in 2006, the most recent year for which information is available.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has continued to publish its "Virginia Hay Clearing House" newsletter to assist farmers who are interested in purchasing supplemental stocks of hay. It lists sources in Virginia and surrounding states.

The newsletter is available through the VDACS Web site at www.vdacs.virginia.gov/marketnews/pdffiles/hay.pdf.

U.S. corn grabs 93 percent market share in Korea

August 8 - Tightening supplies pushing corn prices higher did not impact Korea’s commitment to purchasing high quality U.S. feed grains. Industry officials say the United States enjoys a “lion’s share” in Korea’s corn import market so far in 2008.

According to Byong Ryol Min, U.S. Grains Council Director in Korea, the U.S. has supplied Korea with 4.7 million metric tons (185 million bushels) which translated into 93 percent of the nation’s total imports. This is compared to a 52 percent share during the same period in 2007.

“The increase in corn imports is mainly attributed to the substantial decrease in feed wheat imports,” said Min. Korea imported only 9,000 tons of feed wheat in the first half of this year compared with 486,000 tons in the same period last year.

“Another win for U.S. farmers is the fact that the Korean Corn Processing Industry Association (KCPIA) imported 89 percent of its total requirement from the United States - far above 9.2 percent in 2007. The local corn processing industry started buying biotech corn for food use early this year,” Min said, citing KCPIA’s purchase of 697,000 metric tons (27.4 million bushels) of genetically enhanced corn in the first two months of 2008.

U.S. Grains Council President and CEO Ken Hobbie said Korea is a vital market for U.S. producers and expressed the Council’s commitment to sustaining the strong relationship established through years of market development initiatives there. “The Council will continue building and maintaining relationships with Korea’s livestock, poultry, feed and food industries. We have not and will not relax our commitment in Korea to implementing programs that educate and assist end-users, biotechnology regulators and such.”

Mediation services offered to Maryland farmers

Annapolis - Farmers and others in the agricultural community who may be embroiled in nagging disputes with family members, neighbors, government agencies, or even lenders can get a fresh start by trying mediation through the Maryland Agricultural Conflict Resolution Service (Maryland ACReS). Maryland ACReS is a quick, confidential, no- or low-cost service offered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) and is available to Marylanders to help resolve agricultural related disputes before they end up in court.

"There are no winners in agriculture when a disagreement goes to court," said Agriculture Secretary Roger Richardson. The time and cost associated with lawsuits and litigation strain everyone's resources and often result in outcomes that satisfy no one. We hope farm operators and their non-farm/off-farm neighbors will try our mediation service before a situation becomes unbearable or goes to court."

MDA has provided U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified mediation services for nine years, through a program previously called Farm Sense, which is now known as Maryland ACReS. Mediation is a voluntary, confidential process in which a neutral third party (the mediator) assists farmers, agricultural lenders, agencies, families and citizens to resolve disputes in a non-adversarial setting outside the traditional legal and regulatory process. Mediation is based on the voluntary cooperation and participation of all the involved parties. Working through the process, there is no finding of right or wrong and the mediator has no power to impose a solution. Maryland ACReS has a roster of more than 20 skilled mediators trained to serve as non-adversarial, neutral, third parties to help resolve disputes. An initial consultation with program staff and initial mediation session is free of charge. If additional mediations sessions are needed, costs are shared by the parties, with full or partial waivers of fees based on income.

For more information about Maryland ACReS or to request mediation services, log on to www.marylandacrs.org or contact Eddie Johnson at 410-841-5778

Small grain acreage increases across Pennsylvania

July 12 - Based on the July 1, 2008 forecast for yield and production, the Keystone state’s farmers expect to produce more oats, barley, and winter wheat this year, according to the Pennsylvania office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Winter wheat acres  to be harvested for grain in Pennsylvania are expected to total 185,000, up 30,000 acres from last year. The July 1, 2008 winter wheat yield is forecast at 58.0 bushels per acre, which is unchanged from both the June 1 projected yield and last year’s final yield. The resulting winter wheat production of 10,730 million bushels will be up 19 percent from last year’s production of 8.99 million bushels.

Barley acreage for grain at 55,000 is up 13,000 acres from 2007. Barley yield is expected to be 74.0 bushels per acre this year for an expected production of 4.07 million bushels. This production is up 33 percent from last year’s production of 3.07 million bushels.

Oat acreage for grain, at 80,000, is unchanged from last year’s harvested acres. The July 1, 2008 oat yield is forecast at 63 bushels per acre, 7 bushels per acre above the final yield of 2007. If realized, the resulting oat production of 5.04 million bushels will be up 13 percent from last year.