Temple Grandin, Lowell Cattlett, Excitement Draws Farmers to New Location

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - Dec. 5, 2012 -- A diverse crowd of farmers, community and business leaders filled the newly-remodeled Vet's Auditorium this week to discuss animal welfare, water quality, changing markets and future trends at the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) 94^th Annual Meeting held this week in Des Moines.

IFBF President Craig Hill told members that "Iowa farmers met many challenges in 2012 and thanks to their innovation, were able to overcome drought and market risks."  The future-forward direction of the grassroots organization and Iowa's diverse farmers also brought several key leaders to the Annual Meeting.  Governor Terry Branstad spoke to farmers about the fiscal cliff, regulations, and the newly-unveiled Iowa Nutrient Strategy Plan, which the Governor fully supports.

An in-depth discussion forum on the 2012 Nutrient Management Strategy drew capacity crowds at the IFBF meeting.  Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) Dean Lemke and Iowa State University (ISU) scientist Matt Helmers led the discussion and answered many questions from farmers.   The water quality plan provided several scenarios for conservation measures that would impact nutrient run-off in Iowa, and farther down the Gulf.

Secretary Northey said a science-based voluntary approach to conservation works best with all farmers.   "I do believe now is the time for farmers to find these practices that work in our own operation, to figure out how we each can do a better job; this is voluntary,  science-based, but it does not work if we don't put them on our farms.  We want to tell the story that we are making progress. It's a better alternative than one size fits all regulation that limits choices," said Northey.  Farmers were encouraged to familiarize themselves with the water quality plan and participate in the online public comment period by going to: www.nutrientstrategy.iastate.edu.

The 94^th Annual Farm Bureau meeting also crew capacity crowds to hear keynote speakers Temple Grandin and Lowell Cattlett.  Grandin, one of the nation's most-renown animal welfare and livestock handling facility designer, talked about the changing face of farming and consumer expectations of animal welfare.  Her lively, off-the-cuff talk encouraged farmers to travel and 'see how the world sees you' when it comes to animal handling practices on the farm.  She says today's farmers have 'made great strides' in how they care for their animals compared to the 70's and 80's when she first started working with farmers and slaughterhouses.

Economic 'futurist' Lowell Cattlett also energized the Farm Bureau crowd by talking about innovation in technology and health care, and how farmers are ideally positioned to 'blow the doors off' of expectations because of their knack for finding better ways to raise animals, grow crops or feed the world.  He says one day, farmers may be using specially-equipped cell phones to analyze cattle and crop health.

The IFBF meeting brought education opportunities for farmers, celebrated innovation and also covered the business of the day, including leadership elections. For more information about IFBF's 94th Annual Meeting, including a detailed list of award winners, photos and IFBF President Craig Hill's Annual Meeting address, visit www.iowafarmbureau.com.

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About Iowa Farm Bureau

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the People, Progress and Pride of Iowa.  More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve farm and rural prosperity.  For more information about Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit the newsroom at www.iowafarmbureau.com.

The overall quality of the 2012 U.S. corn crop is high and improves upon last year's very good marks across a range of test factors, according to the U.S. Grains Council's Corn Harvest Quality Report 2012/13. Total U.S. corn production fell in 2012 due to the worst drought in decades, but despite the drought, this year's crop showed a year-over-year improvement in average text weight, protein levels, and density, as well as lower moisture and BCFM than the 2011 crop. The full report is now available at www.grains.org.

This is the second year for the Council's Harvest Report. The Harvest Report assess the quality of the U.S. crop as it is delivered from farms to local elevators, the first step in entering international marketing channels.  It will be followed in April 2013 by the second annual Corn Export Cargo Quality Report, which assess quality at the point of export.

The Council produces the reports so global importers will have access to reliable and comparable data from year to year, with samples being gathered and tested using transparent and consistent methods. "With an increasingly competitive global market, the availability of accurate information is in the long-term best interest of U.S. farmers, exporters and international buyers," said Erick Erickson, USGC director of global strategies. "We received a tremendously positive response to the inaugural reports from international buyers, so certainly there is a need for this type of information."

For the harvest quality report, samples of U.S. corn were gathered from 12 states that combined are the source for 99 percent of U.S. corn exports. Tests conducted on the samples cover grading factors like test weight, physical factors such as stress cracks and other items such as moisture, protein starch, oil and mycotoxins.

"The samples tested demonstrate that this year's U.S. corn crop, while smaller due to the drought, is of outstanding quality overall," Erickson said.

Data indicates the average test weight for the 2012/13 crop was 58.8 pounds per bushel, an increase over 2011 and more than 2 pounds per bushel above the grade limit for No. 1 U.S. corn. At the same time, broken corn and foreign material (BCFM) was lower, as were the number of damaged kernels. Moisture, at 15.3 percent, was also lower than last year.

"Protein numbers were generally higher, starch was marginally lower and oil content was unchanged," Erickson said.

The frequency of stress cracks, which indicate the relative susceptibility of kernels to break up during handling, are up marginally (from 3 percent last year to 4 percent this year), which could be an indicator that the crop will be more susceptible to breakage during handling, information that may turn up in the Corn Export Cargo Quality Report in the spring.

Erickson noted that the Council's Corn Harvest Quality Report 2012/13 only assesses the quality of the current U.S. corn harvest as it enters merchandising channels, as quality can be affected by further handling, blending, storage conditions and other downstream factors.

The full report is available at the U.S. Grains Council website, www.grains.org, and from the Council's international offices.

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The U.S. Grains Council is a private, non-profit partnership of farmers and agribusinesses committed to building and expanding international markets for U.S. barley, corn, grain sorghum and their products. The Council is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has nine international offices that oversee programs in more than 50 countries. Financial support from our private industry members, including state checkoffs, agribusinesses, state entities and others, triggers federal matching funds from the USDA resulting in a combined program value of more than $28.3 million.

The U.S. Grains Council does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation or marital/family status. Persons with disabilities, who require alternative means for communication of program information, should contact the U.S. Grains Council