September 29, 2022

take.five.header.2021.png

A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest state agribusiness association in the nation.

Was this email forwarded to you? Click Here to Subscribe

AAI IN ACTION

Iowa Nitrogen Initiative Seeks Participants for Rate Trials

We encourage AAI members to identify farmers, crop advisors, and variable rate applicators willing to take part in this initiative. Contact Melissa Miller, Project Director for the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative, at millerms@iastate.edu or INREC Executive Director Ben Gleason at bgleason@agribiz.org if you know someone interested in participating.

learning blocks nitrogen initiative

Using the latest advances in precision agriculture, the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative is seeking the help of farmers, crop advisers, and variable rate applicators to deploy hundreds of on-farm, scientifically robust trials every year. Data from these trials will enable Iowa State University scientists and engineers to improve nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for the benefit of productivity, profitability and environmental performance.


Nitrogen fertilizer is among the most critical inputs to crop productivity – and one of the costliest. When applied at the optimum rate, nitrogen boosts productivity and profitability while minimizing losses to the environment. However, the optimum rate is incredibly difficult to forecast and can vary by more than 100% from field-to-field and year-to-year


Participating in the nitrogen trials is easy. Farmers commit to reserving a small portion of their farm field (four to seven acres) for a personalized variable rate nitrogen prescription. All other farming decisions, including the nitrogen application for the rest of the field, remain with the farmer. A well-calibrated yield monitor and variable rate nitrogen application are required.


Farmers, crop advisers, and variable rate applicators interested in participating should contact Melissa Miller, Project Director for the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative, by emailing millerms@iastate.edu or calling 515-567-0607. Learn more at agron.iastate.edu/ini.

EPA Responds to Treated Seed Petition

From: Agricultural Retailers Association

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issued a response to a petition filed by the Center for Food Safety (CFS) with and on behalf of beekeeper, farmer, and public interest groups.


The petitioners asked the Agency to interpret or amend the treated article exemption at 40 C.F.R. §152.25(a) so that it does not cover seeds treated with systemic pesticides, and to aggressively enforce registration and labeling requirements for such treated seed.


The petition filed in April 2017 by CFS claims that EPA did not adequately assess the risks from use of seed treatment pesticides that have systemic properties and use of the seed treated by such pesticides. The petition also claims that the treated article exemption may not cover treated seed without an adequate assessment of the risks.  


Pesticides, such as fungicides, insecticides and nematicides, are applied to seeds prior to planting to protect them from diseases, insects, or other pests. EPA explains in its response that it does fully assess, as part of its review of the pesticide registered for treating seed, both the use of the treating pesticide and the treated seed and impacts to human health and the environment. These assessments take into account the fate and effect of the pesticide, including the uptake and distribution into the developing seedling and plant and the availability of the pesticide on the treated seed to all taxa.


In addition, EPA explains that the treated article exemption regulatory text appropriately covers any seed treated if it meets the two regulatory conditions. The first condition is that the treating pesticide be a FIFRA section 3 pesticide product that is registered for use as a seed treatment for the specific seed crop and the treating pesticide and treated seed are distributed, sold, and used consistent with the registered product labeling. The second condition requires that any claims made are for the protection of the seed and what the seed becomes.  


As a result, EPA does not agree with the petition claims as to the treated article exemption and thus is not granting the petition requests to either interpret or amend the regulatory text for the exemption to categorically exclude seed treated with systemic pesticides from the exemption.


However, EPA agrees with the petitioners’ concerns on clearly communicating the labeling instructions to the users of the treating pesticide and the treated seed. The Agency has been reviewing labeling instructions for pesticides registered for seed treatment use(s) in registration and registration review to ensure there are complete and appropriate instructions for the distribution, sale, and use of both the treating pesticide and the treated seed.  


In addition, EPA intends to issue an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to seek additional information on whether or to what extent pesticide-treated seed is being distributed, sold, or used in a manner inconsistent with treating pesticide labeling. EPA will consider actions appropriate to the circumstances, which might include enforcement where there is a FIFRA violation or administrative action on the treating pesticide registration, e.g., to clarify labeling or reduce use of the treating pesticide.


Finally, as part of the ANPRM, EPA will also explore the option of issuing a rule pursuant to FIFRA section 3(a) to regulate pesticide-treated seed to ensure distribution, sale and use of the treated seed is consistent with treating pesticide and treated seed labeling. 


To read EPA’s full response to the petition visit EPA-HQ-OPP-2018-0805 at www.regulations.gov.  


ARA Action: ARA co-signed letters to the EPA opposing this petition on Sept. 21 and in March of 2019, claiming there is no benefit to be gained by imposing duplicative layers of regulation on already-regulated products. 


AAI Out & About 

Meetings and events attended by AAI


Iowa Nitrogen Initiative Annual Meeting

Attended by: AAI CEO Bill Northey and INREC Executive Director Ben Gleason


ASSOCIATION CALENDAR

October 1

AAI 2023 Dues Year Begins

Notices and invoice will be sent via USPS

Watch your mail for more information

WATCH THE AGRIBUSINESS REPORT

agribuisness_report_banner_500px.png
harvest with elyssa mcfarland_2017.jpg

Click a Headline - Watch the Report







Watch Any Time or View the Archives:

AGRIBIZ.ORG/Report


AROUND THE INDUSTRY

(FREE) Hazard Communication & Chemical Hazards Training


Iowa State University and OSHA are offering FREE information and training to prepare employees, supervisors, and owners of manufacturing and construction companies for OSHA requirements, suggestions, and strategies for worker protection from Chemical Hazards in the workplace.


The program will offer attendees the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and learn about Hazard Communication and Chemical Hazards, as well as keep up to date on information as OSHA gives updates. 


Training sessions are offered virtually or on-site. Instructors are Professors of Occupational Safety. 


Facilitators will be happy to provide a complementary 1-hour safety review for facilities hosting an on-site training session.


Information on each session, dates, and registration links can be found on the course website link here: http://sh.ae.iastate.edu

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NEWS

Suicide rates are higher among farmers. Some Midwest states are teaching communities how to help

Source: Iowa Public Radio

Bright patches of yellow and pink flowers line the walkway in Doug Fuller’s backyard in Cambridge, Iowa.


But, just one year ago, the same garden was bare. Fuller was in the middle of a year long battle with severe depression and suicidal thoughts.


“Hopelessness is probably the biggest thing you think of,” he said of his depression. “When this goes on for month after month after month, you just feel like ‘Is this ever gonna improve?’”


This experience – of farmers grappling with suicide – is devastatingly common. Farmers and ranchers are nearly two times more likely to die by suicide in the U.S., compared to other occupations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 


Last year, the U.S Department of Agriculture awarded grants totaling $2.5 million to states across the country to expand mental health resources to farmers. Some Midwestern states took the money as an opportunity to distribute resources not only to farmers, but also to the lenders, the suppliers and community members they interact with on a daily basis.


Farmers face a lot of factors out of their control — from the weather to commodity prices to the ever-changing state of global markets. Michael Rosmann, a southwest Iowa psychologist who specializes in helping farmers, said the uncertainty of it all can lead to a lot of stress.


[...] Read Full Story

Color Variation Could Cause Soybean Grading Issues for Export

Source: Progressive Farmer

Soybean growers who anticipate being paid for delivering U.S. No. 1 yellow soybeans to the elevator may be in for a surprise this harvest season as a known seed coat color variation associated with Enlist E3 soybeans could cause grading issues.


The occurrence of off-color Enlist beans has been acknowledged since the technology was first introduced in 2019. However, its rapid adoption has created a situation where larger volumes of soybeans entering the grain stream have failed to meet No. 1 grade requirements due to soybeans of other colors (SBOC), causing headaches for grain buyers and exporters.


According to a quick reference guide available on the Corteva Agriscience website, the color variation in some Enlist soybean varieties appears as a light brown band connecting ends of the hilum and/or as light brown shadows on each side of the hilum. It is the result of a localized accumulation of a complex of isoflavone and iron, two naturally occurring compounds found in soybean hulls. The guide also states that the nutritional, oil and meal composition of the soybeans is unaffected.


In an email to DTN, Corteva spokesperson Kris Allen wrote that despite many years of studying Enlist E3 soybeans at multiple research and production sites, expression of the color variation has not been consistent enough to predict when or where it may be seen. That inability makes it difficult to know what to expect as the 2022 soybean crop is harvested.


[...] Read Full Story

Legislators make noise on foreign-owned farmland

Source: Feedstuffs

According to USDA, at the beginning of 2021 foreign investors held a stake in approximately 37.6 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, which is drawing new attention from members of Congress. “This trend is expected to increase over the next few years, raising concerns about the negative potential implications it will have on domestic food production and national food security,” according to a recent letter from House legislators.


A total of 50 House Republicans sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd, U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack raising concerns over the recent acquisition of farmland near a U.S. military installation by a Chinese-based manufacturer with close links to the Chinese Communist Party.


The letter comes after a recent land acquisition near Grand Forks, North Dakota, by the Fufeng Group, a Chinese-based manufacturer with close links to the CCP. The area houses the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which is a military installation incredibly important for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. The move raises concerns about the CCP’s ability to conduct espionage operations on U.S. military installations and jeopardize U.S. strategic interests, the legislators state.


“At a time when the United States is engaged in great power competition with China, we must utilize every tool at our disposal to protect and defend the integrity of our military and national security, maintain military dominance, and maximize our global military readiness,” the lawmakers wrote.


[...] Read Full Story

USDA announces $500M in grants to boost American fertilizer

Source: AgDaily

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that $500 million in grants will be available to increase the availability of American-made fertilizer production. This action comes in response to a need for spurred competition to combat price hikes on U.S. farmers caused by the war in Ukraine.


Grants will be used to support independent, innovative, and sustainable American fertilizer production to supply American farmers. Funds also will expand the manufacturing and processing of fertilizer and nutrient alternatives in the U.S. and its territories.


“The U.S. has one of the strongest and most competitive fertilizer industries in the world, being one of only three nations that have at least 20 unique companies producing fertilizer products,” said Corey Rosenbusch, president and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute. “The U.S. fertilizer industry consists of large international corporations, small regional producers, and everything in between. They all play a critical role in supplying farmers with the nutrients required to grow the food that feeds the world. While a nitrogen plant can cost between $2 billion and $4 billion to construct, anything that helps strengthen domestic fertilizer production is a win for the industry, growers, and consumers.”


The program will support fertilizer production that is:

  • Independent, and outside the orbit of dominant fertilizer suppliers. Because the program’s goal is to increase competition, market share restrictions apply.
  • Made in America. Products must be produced by companies operating in the U.S. or its territories, to create good-paying jobs at home, and reduce the reliance on potentially unstable, inconsistent foreign supplies.
  • Innovative. Techniques will improve fertilizer production methods and efficient-use technologies to jumpstart the next generation of fertilizers and nutrient alternatives.
  • Sustainable. Ideally, products will reduce the greenhouse gas impact of transportation, production and use through renewable energy sources, feedstocks and formulations, incentivizing greater precision in fertilizer use.
  • Farmer-focused. Like other Commodity Credit Corporation investments, a driving factor is providing support and opportunities for U.S. agricultural commodity producers.


[...] Read Full Story

Be Engaged. Be Informed

harvest with elyssa mcfarland_2017.jpg

THE AGRIBUSINESS REPORT

Follow host David Geiger on Twitter:

@geigerreports


Watch daily broadcast live:

KCRG-TV Cedar Rapids

WHO-TV Des Moines

KYOU-TV Ottumwa


Watch online any time:

https://agribiz.org/report

AAI Final Logo.jpg

JOIN A COMMITTEE

Committee Sign Up Form


BECOME A MEMBER

Membership Information


FOLLOW US ONLINE

Twitter

@AgribusinessIA

Facebook

@AgribusinessIA

Agribusiness Association of Iowa | Agribiz.org

Facebook  Twitter  Email

NOTE: If you unsubscribe below you will no longer receive ANY emails from AAI, including important member specific information and notices. To unsubscribe from just this type of email (i.e. newsletter or event marketing), select Update Profile below.