10 U.S. soybean farmers to visit domestic, international soy markets
ST. LOUIS (June 9, 2015) - Farmer-leaders of the United Soybean Board (USB) recently selected 10 U.S. soybean farmers to learn more about the soy checkoff and see where their soybeans go beyond the elevator through USB's See for Yourself program.

"The See for Yourself program is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," says Keith Tapp, a soybean farmer from Sebree, Kentucky, and chair of USB's Audit and Evaluation Committee, which sponsors See for Yourself. "Participants are able to ask questions and give feedback to me and other farmer-leaders directly, while seeing the results of their checkoff investment firsthand."

This year, the following farmers get the chance to see how the checkoff helps increase demand for their soybeans:

• Nathan Brown from Hillsboro, Ohio
• Jennifer Campbell from Franklin, Indiana
• Rick Dickerson from Laurel, Delaware
• Caleb Frey from Morganza, Louisiana
• Adam Guetter from Wabasso, Minnesota
• April Hemmes from Hampton, Iowa
• Tina Holst from Chilton, Wisconsin
• Justin Knobel from Elysburg, Pennsylvania
• Carl Philips from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
• Antron Williams from Rowesville, South Carolina

The See for Yourself program gives participants a firsthand look at how and where their soybeans are being used both domestically and internationally. It also offers farmer-participants an opportunity to evaluate specific, checkoff-funded research and promotional activities. The program will be held July 30-August 7 in St. Louis, China and Vietnam.

This will be See for Yourself's first visit to Vietnam. The third-largest aquaculture-producing country in the world, Vietnam offers a unique look at animal agriculture's needs for high-quality soybean meal. With the cost of fishmeal-based feeds rising, soybean meal is a more affordable and more sustainable protein option for aquaculture feed. In 2014, Vietnam imported more than 350,000 metric tons of U.S. soybean meal, or the meal from over 16.3 million bushels of U.S. soybeans, most of which was used to feed fish.

Other stops during the program will highlight the checkoff's work in production research, transportation, biodiesel, high oleic and more.

The 70 farmer-directors of USB oversee the investments of the soy checkoff to maximize profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds to increase the value of U.S. soybean meal and oil, to ensure U.S. soybean farmers and their customers have the freedom and infrastructure to operate, and to meet the needs of U.S. soy's customers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

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By Isaac Orr

Nearly 10 years have passed since the federal government imposed a national mandate requiring gasoline be blended with ethanol. At that time, President George W. Bush claimed the United States was addicted to oil and that biofuels, especially ethanol produced from corn, offered an important way to bring down gasoline prices while weaning the nation off of foreign sources of oil and supporting economic development in rural America.

As a farm kid about to graduate from high school in rural Wisconsin at the time, ethanol sounded like a good idea to me. A decade later, it's clear the program will never achieve those results, and Congress should end the mandate.

The ethanol mandate, more commonly known as the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), is developed and administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the same regulatory body that wants to regulate farm dust and classify small wetlands, temporary runoff streams, and ditches near farm fields as navigable "Waters of the United States" to increase its regulatory control. Like other government decrees, the ethanol mandate imposes onerous regulations on property owners and increases costs for consumers. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the ethanol mandate will increase fuel costs for drivers by 4 to 9 percent in 2017.

In addition to increasing costs, RFS hasn't made energy independence a realistic option. Most of the farmers I know are very independent people, prioritizing hard work and self-reliance, which is why using ethanol to replace foreign oil appealed to many of us. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), however, the United States consumes about 19 million barrels of petroleum products per day, including gasoline, diesel fuel, and biofuels. In all of 2014, the United States used about 340 million barrels of biofuels, meaning these fuels provided the equivalent of about 18 days of the nation's supply.

While providing only about 5 percent of the fuel we use, ethanol eats up about 40 percent of the nation's corn crop. Even if the United States doubled the amount of ethanol used for fuel, which it can't do because most cars are not designed to handle fuel with more than 10 percent ethanol, America would still only replace the equivalent of about one month of oil, and it would consume 80 percent of the corn crop at current production rates.

Proponents of ethanol championed it as a way of reducing our use of foreign oil, but the ethanol mandate makes little sense now that hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, has nearly doubled oil production in the United States, making us the largest oil producer in the world. Fracking has done significantly more to increase America's energy security, without mandates, than we could ever hope to achieve through use of ethanol.

The federal government has tried subsidizing and mandating ethanol, but it still can't compete with other sources of fuel in terms of price and quantity. It's clear ethanol was just another case of the government picking winners and losers, and as with Solyndra, the failed solar power company that cost U.S. taxpayers more than half a billion dollars before going belly-up, the government backed a very expensive loser.

If advocates of family farms want to be taken seriously when we object to government mandates, such as expanding the powers of EPA over puddles or proposed U.S. Department of Labor rules to limit the types of work kids can do on their uncle's farm, we have to advocate ending existing mandates that don't make sense, even if they appear to benefit agriculture in the short term. Both farmers and the nation will be better off if we end the ethanol mandate.

Isaac Orr (iorr@heartland.org) is a research fellow for energy and environmental policy at The Heartland Institute.

DES MOINES, IA (06/03/2015)(readMedia)-- The Big Boar, Big Ram and Super Bull competitions at the Iowa State Fair are always a favorite, but 'Nothing Compares' to the bigger stakes in 2015. All Big Animal Contests have significantly increased premium prizes for the 2015 competitions

The Big Ram competition takes place on August 13 at noon in the Sheep Barn, while the Big Boar contest takes place at 1 p.m. the same day in the Swine barn. The lucky owners of the heaviest animals in each competition will take home a record $1,000 prize, up from $350 in 2014. Second place in each competition will also receive $500.

The Super Bull contest will be judged at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 13 in the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion sponsored by Prairie Meadows with the heaviest bull bringing home a record $1,750, up from $750 in 2014. Second and third place winners will also receive $650 and $400 prizes, respectively. Plus, an additional $1,000 will be paid to any Super Bull exhibitor who can break the 3,404 pound record set in 2009.

Big Animal Contest Entries are due August 1 and must be submitted by mail. Entrants are limited to one animal per exhibitor. For questions about the contests, contact the Iowa State Fair Competitive Events Department at 515-262-3111, ext. 207 or visit http://www.iowastatefair.org/competition/categories/.

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Frequently ranked as one of the top events in the country, the Iowa State Fair is the single largest event in the state of Iowa and one of the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial expositions in the country. Annually attracting more than a million people from all over the world, the Iowa State Fair located at East 30th and East University, just 10 minutes from downtown Des Moines is Iowa's greatest celebration with a salute to the best in agriculture, industry, entertainment and achievement. "Nothing Compares" to the 2015 Iowa State Fair, August 13-23, 2015. For more information, visit www.iowastatefair.org.

(DES MOINES) - Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad today announced that he is extending the State of Disaster Emergency in response to the avian flu outbreak until July 1, 2015. The governor's original disaster declaration was set to expire Sunday, May 31, 2015. The proclamation can be read here.

 

As of Thursday, May 28, 2015, Iowa had 68 cases of the disease in the state. The disease is affecting birds in 18 counties. The counties affected at this time are: Buena Vista, Sac, Osceola, Sioux, O'Brien, Kossuth, Clay, Pocahontas, Cherokee, Madison, Wright, Palo Alto, Lyon, Plymouth, Calhoun, Adair, Webster and Hamilton. 

The proclamation of disaster emergency can be read below and does the following:

1.      Activates the disaster response and recovery aspect of the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department's (HSEMD) Iowa Emergency Response Plan.

2.      Authorizes the use and deployment of all available state resources, supplies, equipment, and materials as are deemed reasonably necessary by the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) and Iowa HSEMD in order to do the following:

A.      Track and monitor instances of confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza  throughout the state of Iowa and the country,

B.      Establish importation restrictions and prohibitions in respect to animals suspected of suffering from this disease,

C.      Rapidly detect any presumptive or confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza within Iowa's borders,

D.     Contain the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza within our state through depopulation, disinfections, and disposal of livestock carcasses,

E.      Engage in detection activities, contact tracking, and other investigatory work to stop the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza within our state, and

F.       Eliminate the disease in those disaster counties where it has been found and lessen the risk of this disease spreading to our state as a whole.

3.      Temporarily authorizes the Iowa HSEMD, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), other state agencies, and local law enforcement agencies and private contractors employed by the same to remove and/or dispose of live animals and animal carcasses on publicly or privately owned land when those live animals and/or carcasses threaten public health or safety.

4.      Authorizes the Iowa HSEMD, the Iowa DOT, the Iowa DPS, the Iowa DNR, IDPH, other state agencies, and local law enforcement agencies to implement stop movement and stop loading restrictions and other control zone measures as are reasonably deemed necessary, including establishing buffer zones, checkpoints, and cleaning and disinfecting operations at checkpoints and borders surrounding any quarantine areas established by the IDALS or at any other location in the state of Iowa, in order to stop the spread of this contagious disease.

5.      Authorizes state agencies to assist the IDALS in disinfection, depopulation, and livestock carcass disposal efforts.

6.      Temporarily waives restrictions to allow for the timely and efficient disposal of poultry carcasses.

7.      Temporarily suspends the regulatory provisions pertaining to hours of service for commercial vehicle drivers hauling poultry carcasses infected with or exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza or while hauling loads otherwise related to the response to this disaster during its duration, subject to certain conditions outlined in the disaster proclamation.

UPDATE ON ACTIVIES OF STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN RESPONSE TO AVIAN INFLUENZA

Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS)

• Quarantining all infected sites
• Subject to facilities implementing nationally approved biosecurity measures, the Dept. permits the movement of materials such as feed and other supplies on and off of infected sites
• Leading efforts to monitor poultry within a 10-kilometer circle of each infected site
• Coordinating state communication efforts on the disease
• Working with federal and state officials to ensure the humane depopulation and disposal of all birds from infected sites
• Encouraging residents in counties with affected sites that have poultry to contact the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at BirdFlu@IowaAgriculture.gov or 515-725-1122

Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department (HSEMD)

• Coordinating partial activation of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) with several state agencies, including the Iowa Departments of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Public Health, Natural Resources, Transportation, Public Safety, and the Iowa National Guard. USDA, Iowa Turkey Federation, and Iowa Poultry Association are also present at the SEOC.
• Providing resource support coordination as requested.
• Regularly providing information for situational awareness with county emergency management coordinators.
• Providing support for IDALS communications activities.

Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) - in conjunction with local public health officials

• Sharing CDC recommendations on the use of personal protective equipment by persons working directly with sick chickens and carcasses.
• Following up with workers who had direct contact with sick birds without the use of personal protective equipment.
• Providing sound risk information, making sure the public understands that the virus presents no food safety concern or risk to the general public.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

• DNR Air Quality has issued two variances for portable incinerators.  The DNR has also issued a variance for a thermal treatment unit.
• The DNR's primary concern is that disposal methods protect surface water, groundwater and air quality and does not result in further spreading of the AI virus
• Investigating the feasibility and the potential benefits and problems associated with various disposal options including landfilling, composting, incinerating, and burying.
• Looking at potential criteria for emergency air permits if needed for the incineration process.
• Working with contacts at several landfills to determine the ability of those operations to take dead poultry as well as being able to wash and disinfect transport vehicles on site.
• Investigating and maintaining contact with wastewater treatment facilities on the ability to accept and adequately treat leachate  produced by any landfill for the AI virus that may take dead poultry.
• Developed solid waste acceptance criteria for landfills willing to accept AI infected poultry.
• Contacted numerous potential sources of wood chips that can be used for composting. The wood chips would be used as part of the composting process.  The DNR has issued several variances to facilities to expand wood chipping capacity.
• Preparing maps of infected facilities that show quarantine boundaries and to determine the proximity of other poultry operations and neighbors.
• Investigating the geology involved with operations to determine the optimum potential locations for burial if needed.
• Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct sampling of waterfowl for AI.

Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS)

• Communicated to the Disaster Behavioral Health Response Team (DBHRT) that volunteers were needed to assist with damage assessment surveying in the northwest region.  Three DBHRT members did volunteer to assist.
• The Division of Mental Health and Disability Services (MHDS) is responding to requests from Buena Vista and Kossuth counties for mental health support; a plan is being structured in collaboration with businesses in Buena Vista and Kossuth counties.
• MHDS is in communication with Iowa Concern staff who are taking calls from people with concerns relating to the Avian flu.  If calls are received from people who need additional support, contact will be made to MHDS and a plan will be put in place utilizing either local resources or DBHRT support.

Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT)

• Water hauling to assist with USDA operations continues.
• Districts have applied dust control to gravel shoulders along Highway 3 in Wright County.
• Provided a routing contact number and establish approved routes for IDALS permitted loads of carcasses up to 90,000 lbs.
• Assisting the Poultry Association by providing routing to help carriers hauling healthy poultry products to and through the state so they can avoid the infected areas.
• Created static signs for counties to install notifying haulers of poultry and poultry products of emergency restrictions placed on movements of such materials on select roads. Signs currently have been installed in Dallas, Emmet, and Palo Alto Counties.

Iowa National Guard

• Supporting mission for IDALS incident command post.

Background Information

The United States has the strongest Avian Influenza (AI) surveillance program in the world.  As part of the existing USDA avian influenza response plans, Federal and State partners as well as industry are responding quickly and decisively to these outbreaks by following these five basic steps: 1) Quarantine - restricting movement of poultry and poultry-moving equipment into and out of the control area; 2) Eradicate - humanely euthanizing the affected flock(s); 3) Monitor region - testing wild and domestic birds in a broad area around the quarantine area; 4)  Disinfect - kills the virus in the affected flock locations; and 5) Test - confirm that poultry farms in the area are free of the virus.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health are working directly with poultry workers at the affected facility to ensure proper precautions are being taken.

These virus strains can travel in wild birds without those birds appearing sick. People should avoid contact with sick/dead poultry or wildlife. If contact occurs, wash your hands with soap and water and change clothing before having any contact with healthy domestic poultry and birds.

All bird owners, whether commercial producers or backyard flock owners, should continue to practice good biosecurity, prevent contact between their birds and wild birds, and report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to state/federal officials, either through their state veterinarian at 515-281-5321 or through USDA's toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593.