Seed

USDA Aims to Boost Fair Competition and Lower Food Prices, Targeting Seed and Meat Industries

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 15:08:35 GMT

USDA announced several initiatives to promote fair competition in American agriculture and reduce food prices for consumers Tuesday morning, in line with President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American economy.

Seed competition framework. USDA introduced a three-part strategy to enhance seed system diversity, competition, and resilience:
• Improving patent-related disclosure for seeds to clarify research opportunities.
• Providing guidance to USDA researchers on using protected germplasm.
• Encouraging the sharing of federally funded germplasm for research and plant breeding.

Meat Retail Industry Report

USDA published an interim report assessing competitive conditions in the meat retail industry, focusing on beef markets as a case study. The report identifies:
• Increasing market concentration among top packers, distributors, and retailers.
• Concerns from farmers and small to midsize processors about problematic practices by intermediaries.

Cattle Price Discovery Initiative

USDA announced steps to enhance price discovery and fairness in cattle markets through an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR). This initiative aims to:
• Improve the base prices in fed cattle purchasing agreements.
• Address concerns about the negative effects of Alternative Marketing Agreements (AMAs) on the spot market.

Impact and Next Steps

These actions are part of the Biden/Harris administration’s efforts to:
• Open new markets for farmers
• Provide more competitive choices
• Lower food costs for consumers
• Support small businesses and family farms

USDA said it will continue its investigative study, including through subpoenas, and seek public input on potential next steps to ensure fair competition in the agricultural sector. Additionally, in the upcoming months, USDA will issue an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) seeking public input around how best to address practices used in meat merchandising that may violate the Packers and Stockyards Act.

Striking a Balance with Cover Crops and Grazing

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 07:44:49 GMT

On his west-central Missouri farm, Kyle Grumke and his father Ross employ cover crops on every one of their 550 owned acres. It’s a practice Ross scoffed at in the beginning but five years in he sees the pay-off in better soil health and an additional feed source for the family’s cattle.

Caught somewhere in the middle of conventional and organic farming, the family started using no-till 10 years ago. They plant an eight-species mix of cover crops after wheat and cereal rye following corn and soybeans. Kyle says the benefits he sees more than pay for the $25-or-so investment on each acre.

“Livestock is where we really net back the cost,” he says. “In addition, if we can keep nutrients out of watersheds and in our soil and prevent algal blooms that keeps the government from telling me to what to do.”

For example, last year he grazed 38 cattle on a 17 acre patch during mid-summer when quality hay is scarcer. Kyle said the average cost per day was 80 cents per head, about the same as that of hay, but the forage quality on his cover crop acres far exceeded available hay quality.

“If you’re going to graze covers, strip graze them,” Kyle adds. “Cows eat the ‘ice cream’ first and leave the ‘vegetables’ until the end, resulting in uneven feeding across the field.”

When picking cover crop blends to feed out you want to make sure you find something with high energy, adequate protein and mineral rich. In addition look for palatability and diversity, according to Audrey Stever, with the Missouri Soil and Water Conservation Department. She notes the following:

Energy values in cover crops for grazing:
- Annuals provide more than perennials
- Legumes more than grasses
- Warm and cool season grasses show no statistical difference
Protein content of cover crops for grazing:
- Annuals have more than perennials
- Legumes more than grasses
- Cool season grasses have more than warm season grasses

“Grazing is most effective when plants are 6” to 15” and you shouldn’t graze cover shorter than 4”,” she adds.

Be realistic if you try cover crops, Kyle notes. It’s a lot of trial and error and Mother Nature will try to throw curve balls—be prepared to react and adapt quickly.

“The No. 1 failure I’ve seen is when producers are interested in cover crops and just jump in without knowing what they want to accomplish,” says Paul Jasa, University of Nebraska Extension engineer. Common goals are to build soil health, prevent erosion, provide weed control or add grazing opportunities on new acres.

Note, with livestock grazing there is much to consider. Grasses are desirable because they grow faster, but legumes provide more nutrients. Also consider water and nutrient availability and what using cover crops mean for your cash crop. All in all, do your research before establishing and grazing cover crops.

“University of Missouri research says, and I’ve seen it on my farm, cows on cover crop fields when used responsibly won’t hurt yield,” Kyle says. It’s a practice he plans to continue to use, and expand on his farm.

Wayne Springer is Tired of Paying $300 for Traited Corn Seed

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 20:11:15 GMT

Wayne Springer is tired of paying $300 for a bag of traited corn seed. Unafraid to change horses in midstream, the 60-year-old producer is transitioning from a row crop farm to a ranching operation.

Springer farms in south-central South Dakota on slightly elevated land perched just above the Nebraska border. The Gregory County producer is throwing in the towel on input costs and dancing to a tune he says is dictated by the profit line. After over 40 years at the helm, Springer is pushing his operation toward open-pollinating corn and direct-to-consumer beef .

Five miles as the crow flies from the Missouri River, against of backdrop of rolling hills, buttes and bluffs seemingly pulled straight from the film reel of Dances With Wolves, Springer and wife, DenaMarie, and brother, Terry, grow corn, soybeans, alfalfa and sudangrass across 1,200 acres of farmland and pasture. “Normal, regular farming just doesn’t cover my input costs. We’re not scared to try something new and that’s what we have to do,” Springer says.

Springer’s frustration isn’t with technology or hybrid improvements. In a summer of historic drought in the Dakotas, he says corn hung on during blistering months that once would have roasted the same fields. And soybeans ? Just a decade back, soybeans were a rarity in Springer’s farming area, yet now they are standard in every rotation. “The genetic changes have been incredible and they’re proven by the way corn and soybeans bounced back this year,” he acknowledges.

Despite the technological muscle of new hybrids and varieties, Springer says market realities are all the more powerful. “At $3 corn where is the profit? At $4 corn where is the profit?” he asks.

With 100 head of stock cows and 1,200 acres of land, Springer’s holdings made for a sizeable operation when he was a child. No more. “We all know the trend in agriculture is to get larger and larger. Reality says I have to supplement with outside income because a small farm doesn’t necessarily pay for itself,” he says.

Starting in 2018, Springer plans to replace substantial traited corn acreage with forage crops, roll the dice on 30 acres of open-pollinating corn, and potentially begin cutting seed costs. Ultimately, he intends to market cattle directly to consumers. In the rural surroundings of Gregory County, Springer says few people will pay a high premium for organic beef, but he’s aiming to fill the “in between” gap. “There’s so much meat coming into the country from all over the world right now, and nobody is sure where it’s coming from. People want born, bred, and raised in U.S. by our health standards. We can provide farm fresh meat between high-priced organic and the unknowns at the grocery store.”

It will be heavy-lifting to establish clientele. Despite Sioux Falls located three hours east and Rapid City four hours west, Springer knows he must look to the scattered urban crowd in a state with only 850,000 people. “People want beef without steroids or growth hormones, and they want cattle raised on open-pollinating corn that’s packed with nutrition,” Springer adds. “We want to utilize more of our on-farm products to feed our cattle out and minimize our deficits as far as what we put in.”

Terry, left, and Wayne grow corn, soybeans, alfalfa and sudangrass across 1,200 acres of farmland and pasture.

© Lura Roti, South Dakota Farmers Union

Terry, 65, says direct-to-consumer beef is a great opportunity brought on by the harsh realities of grain production on a small farm: “For us, less row crops means big savings on seed and chemical sprays. Even in years with good luck and great weather, the profit margin has gotten tight.”

Springer wishes he had begun the transition a decade ago, but he isn’t intimidated by the prospect and has always sought opportunity in side-stream income. A decade back, watching television on a below-zero winter night, he saw an advertisement for a corn-burning stove. With bins of corn only a stone’s throw away, Springer realized he was sitting on fuel. His 1,900 sq. ft. house is now heated by a single corn stove (125. bu per year) and he is a dealer with Dakota Corn Stove Company: “Every farmer in the country should consider a corn stove because you can heat some houses literally for a few dollars per day.”

In a converted farrowing shed, DenaMarie works her own side-stream angle, reworking old barn wood and farming implements into crosses and a wide variety of hand-made crafts. “She loves it, brings in some extra dollars and makes people very happy,” Springer says.

Springer is a man of hope and despite a tough market, he relishes every day in agriculture, and insists Providence is responsible for his farming success. “I’ll always do what I have to do, but this is my life. I’m so fortunate because I’m here on this farm by the blessing of God. I’ve been across this great country and seen true beauty, but farming here is especially beautiful to me.”

Springer admits change on a farming operation is unusual at his age, but he’s ready and filled with expectation. “I’d tell any farmer: Don’t be afraid to give anything a shot because you’re only here once,” he adds. “We are blessed to have options in this country. Just living here is proof I’ve already won the lottery.”