A discovery by researchers at the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs, Calif. offers hope that a possible new rice variety may someday give growers better control of weeds in the aquatic system.

Kent McKenzie, director and plant breeder with the Rice Experiment Station (RES), says the idea came about in the greenhouse when studies of the popular M206 variety showed signs of resistance to Oxyfluorfen, an herbicide with other agricultural applications, but one not labeled for use in rice.

Weed control in California rice is a challenge for growers.

“It’s huge and it’s expensive,” McKenzie says.

Earlier this year, a granular mixture of benzobicyclon and halosulfuron, the active ingredient components of a Gowan Company product called Butte, was registered for use in California rice. What excited growers at the time is Butte provides a new mode of action (Butte is an HPPD-inhibitor) previously not offered in California rice systems.

According to McKenzie, researchers studying Oxyfluorfen (a PPO-inhibitor) in the greenhouse discovered M206 rice plants – a common variety among California growers – were not damaged by the herbicide. Additional tests and conventional breeding procedures from early populations of resistant rice found nine plants that did not die when exposed to Oxyfluorfen.

“So at that point we got a little excited and thought maybe we have something that is resistant to this herbicide,” he said.

From there McKenzie said researchers began looking at different kinds of weeds common to California rice systems that could be controlled by Oxyfluorfen and if it can work in the field.

“The advantage of this is we found it in M206 which is our most widely-grown variety,” he said. “From the plant breeding end this is very desirable because we shouldn’t have to fix a lot of things.”

Also desirable, and unlike other technologies that allow herbicides to be applied over the top of resistant crops, is this process does not involve genetic engineering.

“This isn’t going to fly in rice,” he said. “The technology is there but the markets haven’t accepted it.”

Instead, genetic studies show that the trait causing the herbicide resistance is inherited as a single recessive gene through common, long-standing breeding practices.

Though not a variety at this point, McKenzie says the Oxyfluorfen-resistant rice has been given the name “ROXY,” and is now patent-pending. Discussions are also under way to find a company willing to serve as the registrant for a product that could be labeled for California rice.

The search for a new mode of action to control rice weeds is critical as these weeds are developing resistance to currently labeled herbicides.

“It looks promising,” McKenzie says. “We still don’t know how long it will be before we have this, but people keep asking me and I just tell them ‘I’ll have the variety by the time you have the label’.”

(Commentary)

Rotating commercial crops of organically-grown strawberries with broccoli helps dispel a lethal wilt disease that turns berries to mush.

To some extent a few other vegetable crops rotated with the berries have had a similar effect.  Strawberry growers who produce organic  crops without agricultural chemicals, notably pre-plant soil fumigation, seem convinced that crop rotation is worth the loss of their strawberry income every fourth year or so.

It’s all part of a study conducted by the University of California Cooperative Extension Service (UCCE). It has taken four years to develop data that positively credits the crop rotation process for holding the pervasive wilt disease at bay. Broccoli is minimally affected by wilt, sometimes not at all.

A full report on the project is part of the July-August issue of ARE Update, the bi-monthly newsletter of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department of the University of California. The article was prepared by four agricultural scientists who conducted the research.

The authors include Aleksandr Michuda, a Ph.D. candidate; Rachael Goodhue, UC Davis professor and Agricultural and Resource Economics Department chair; UC associate researcher Joji Muramoto; and professor Carol Sherman, Environmental Studies Department at UC Santa Cruz.

The study was conducted on a plot of ground at UC Santa Cruz maintained as an organic host property for 40 years. The researchers were mindful that organic strawberries are a very high-value crop and that rotating with other crops can significantly reduce net revenues.

UCCE cost-return studies indicate that revenues for organic strawberries in their fourth year average $61,000 per acre, contrasted to returns for organically grown broccoli of $10,000 per acre.  Replacing such a high-value crop to obtain control of wilt becomes an economic issue for growers.

One of the illustrative charts included in the article indicates that rotating strawberries with broccoli every fourth year allows returns near average prices, even slightly above in a case or two. But rotating every two years cuts revenues sharply to less than half the average in some cases.

Broccoli was the most persistent wilt resistant crop rotated with the strawberries, but lettuce and a few other moderately wilt resistant crops were used as well. Whatever crop a strawberry grower chooses they are left with the responsibility of guessing what the value of the alternate crop will be at the time the market is ready for it.

Also among the considerations a grower must make are seed costs, revisions of the irrigation system, shaping and cultivating beds, and harvest costs which accounted for the majority of expenses with all crops tested.

The authors of the report conclude that crop rotation in organic production systems can be commercially viable although more time is needed to evaluate how rotations affect the incidence of disease over multiple repetitions.

This was a long term and somewhat complicated research project. When the UC and other entities consider undertaking projects of this kind they know their outcome will be something of a gamble. Growers in California can be grateful that institutions exist that are willing to take the chance.

Corn seed selection time has grown more complicated over the past decade. And while the proliferation of biotech traits is part of the issue, the selection challenge is also made possible through the work of dedicated plant breeders.

"Plant breeders continue to work with different plant characteristics to optimize performance across soils, management styles and growing conditions" says Gary Prescher, product development agronomist, Syngenta Seeds. On a walk-through of a Syngenta development facility near Stanton, Minn., Prescher shared insight on breeding trends that start with the foundational genetics of the plant, which are key for top productivity.

He notes that plant breeders are working on root development, leaf types, ear types and other base traits that, when combined with on-farm management, can produce the results specific farms need. For example, a livestock producer raising corn for grain or silage, having little time for crop management, has a different hybrid need than a cash-grain producer, who can take the time needed to tend to the crop.

TWO TYPES, TWO RESULTS: There are two types of "flex" ears here. The wider-girth ear on the right will tip back less under stress and is known as a "semi-flex" or "girth" ear. The flex ear on the left is more sensitive to condition changes and is called a "semi-flex length-type" of corn; it can produce a bigger kernel.

In the selection process, the first step is determining your corn management style. From there, you'll find a range of choices from plant breeders. Then layer in the crop trait packages that work for your operation. You may be selecting different maturity ranges to match your own harvest plan. Or you want to push up populations on the farm, but don't have time to manage that intensely. There are hybrid-specific plant and ear types that meet those different needs.

Prescher shared a few thoughts on the issue along with imagery (seen in this story) to show what he means.

DETERMINANT EARS: The ear on the left is from a plot planted at 20,000 population, the one on the right from a plot planted at 40,000 population. There's little difference in the ears. Each has about 500 to 600 kernels, and both are durable producers regardless of conditions.

Determinant ear types
Some hybrids have a determinant ear type. This is a limited flexing ear that looks the same whether you plant it at 20,000 population or 40,000 population. "The determinant ear is going to produce 500 to 600 kernels per cob, no matter the range seeding rates. " Prescher says. This will not always be a top yielder, but consider it a strong defensive utility player on the farm.

Hybrids with determinant, or fixed-ear, type will throw the same size ear with variable fertility levels and practices, and across maturities. Its consistency is what many producers like, especially those that don't have the time to hand-tend (or manage the crop throughout the growing season) that corn crop every week during the growing season.

The racehorse
The full-flexing ear provides the highest yield potential in the bag for seed companies. This is the hybrid that responds to changing conditions and management levels— both good and bad. But it's also an ear that can have up to 1,000 kernels at pollination time.

"The flex ear is one of my top yielders in contests," Prescher explains. "But it also needs attention, or to be highly managed through the growing season." He explains that this type of corn hybrid responds to in-season fungicide, micronutrient and nitrogen applications, and provides top yields when all the weather and agronomic factors line up.

RACEHORSES NEED ATTENTION: These ears show different responses to population. Each ear has up to 1,000 kernels, but they also require the most management. The ear on the right was under more stress through the growing season.

The flex-ear type of hybrid, with its higher kernel count, opens the door to high-yield results if it matches your management style. And for many producers, using precision ag tools and in-season crop scouting, it pushes yields higher on some of their acres.

Semideterminant types
Corn breeders are constantly busy looking at ways they can enhance productivity in new ways. One area is the semi-flex ear. This is a kind of in-between choice for hybrid selection, where the ear usually has about 700 to 800 kernels and will respond to variable-rate seeding and in-season fertility approaches. However, it is a more "durable" hybrid if conditions change in-season.

There are two types of "semi-flex" ears. The first is focused on length and is a longer ear, with 16 or fewer rows that can also produce a bigger kernel. This version tends to tip back some if conditions go south later in the season, but has been is a solid performer across the industry.

The second, and one called "semi-flex girth," is a fatter ear, with 18 or more rows and a deeper kernel. It, too, is a 700- to 800-kernel ear in the semi-flex line. This girthier ear type adds genetic diversity to a grower's portfolio and may perform more consistently under changing conditions.

Every seed company has a range of choices; the key is knowing your management style and conditions, and working with your seed sales person to match your needs. Rest assured, there's an ear type that's best-suited for your growing approach and conditions. Then consider what trait packages you can layer in, and added seed treatments and other choices to help preserve that yield investment.

Farmers are learning that aerial imagery, no matter how collected, can be helpful for in-season decision-making. That's a key with today's modern precision ag movement: in-season actions to boost current year results. But capturing imagery can be a challenge, whether by drone, satellite or airplane. That challenge may have been answered.

Farmers Edge, a farm management technology company, has signed a sole distributorship agreement with Planet, a company that is changing how satellite imagery is being captured. "We have 190 satellites in orbit now, and in the past year we've put up 136. We're able to image the entire earth on a daily basis," says Andrew Pylypchuk, account executive, Planet.

He explained that the big change is the way Planet designs and builds a satellite. No longer do satellites need to be single purpose behemoths, launched by NASA. Instead, the company is using off-the-shelf components to create bread-loaf-sized information-gatherers to create a constellation of imaging systems in the sky.

Farmers Edge will be the sole distributor of the imagery product to other users, but the firm has also incorporated the imagery into its FarmCommand management platform. "From the time we started the company, we have focused on satellite imagery to make management zones," says Wade Barnes, president and CEO, Farmers Edge.

Yet that early work wasn't without its frustrations, as image providers were unable to deliver reliably on promises, Barnes says. Planet provides daily images that farmers can view in FarmCommand. "And even if it isn't a great image every day, getting good images three or four days a week is often enough," Barnes adds.

Farmers Edge has been showing farmers the imagery platform in test. "In our work with farmers demonstrating the imagery, they comment that 'This is addicting,' and they can do what they've never been able to do," Barnes adds. He points to early instances where agronomists on the ground were able to spot and identify early cutworm damage in wheat very early, which allowed for faster treatment.

Bring satellite imagery back
The concept of satellite imagery for ag management isn't new, but the rise of drones, and innovators with airplane-captured imagery, have brought renewed interest in all things aerial. Yet Barnes admits that agronomists have walked away from satellite imagery in the past, due to unmet promises. "A lot of agronomists and consultants are done with satellites, and they do not see it as a tool," Barnes says. "And they're concerned about using drones to capture images, too. It can be expensive."

Daily satellite imagery — at the 3-meter level — may change that. Barnes explains that there are so many images that farmers can't possibly check on all fields every day. "We're working on a way to alert farmers in our system to changes in their fields as captured by the images," he says.

That "visual analysis" is planned for 2018. It would essentially use the FarmCommand platform to provide an alert to a farmer if there's a sign of distress in a satellite image from one capture to the next. Farmers, or their agronomists, could then review the images to determine if there's a problem that needs addressing.

A dashboard of images
During a demonstration of the Farmers Edge platform, which works to pull in data from a range of sources, Farm Progress got a look at a system that gives a farmer quick access to critical information all season long. In addition, the company has a nitrogen use model to help manage crop fertility all season.

The platform gathers information from satellites, but also from in-machine ISOBUS connectors that use telemetry to broadcast information to the FarmCommand system. There are also on-farm weather stations to capture local information as well.

The result is a dashboard where a farmer can manage the farm — from phone, tablet or desktop — all season long. From growth stages for crops by field to weather impact on returns, the system is pulling a lot of information into a single place. The added depth of daily satellite imagery just adds to what the company plans to offer.

A key feature is the growth-stage model, which Richard Marsh, product manager, explains is expanding. "We will have growth-stage models for 10 crops in 2018," he says. "We based crop staging models on where the crop is grown and the seeding date."

The system, using weather data, planting date and growing degree days, can allow farmers to check on field progress across the farm. The growth models take into account specific hybrid or variety information — provided by the farmer, Marsh explains.

Going into 2018, knowing specific details of fertility use, crop progress, and pest infestation gets easier as crop management platforms evolve. Farmers Edge kicks it up a notch with enhanced daily aerial imagery. Learn more about their system at farmersedge.ca.

As Congress considers tax reform, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R – Texas) says the single biggest win for production agriculture would be the elimination of the death tax.

“We have farming families and folks all over this country who are land rich and cash poor and death should not be a taxable event,” Conaway said in a conference call Oct. 25 with farm reporters.

“I’m hopeful that the death tax will go away in its entirety and we can free up families from having to partner with the federal government every time the patriarch or matriarch dies. We want to hand that property down to their rightful heirs. The federal government is not, in my view, a rightful heir to the hard work of a lifetime,” Conaway said.

In addition lowering taxes and making the tax code more simplified is also important for farmers, while immediate deductions for business expenses that other businesses and corporations would also have access to, is important to farmers as well, Conaway said.

RATE OF RETURN

In the meantime, the latest report from the General Accounting Office on crop insurance notes that the expected rate of return to crop insurance companies is too high compared with market conditions. GAO says reducing the rate of return could save the federal crop insurance program hundreds of millions of dollars a year. The agency recommends that Congress consider directing USDA to adjust the expected rate of return.

Conaway said there needs to be a better feel for what GAO decides is their rate of return computation and compare that with the rate of return computation of the insurance companies.

“We ought to be able to get that worked out so you are comparing the right expenses and the right revenue to get that number,” Conaway said. “But bottom line, if this were so lucrative, instead of having consolidations, you’d be having new people coming in saying we want a piece of that market because it is more lucrative than any other place out there.”

FARM BILL

Conway said most of those who represent production agriculture are keenly interested in getting a farm bill done. However, he emphasized that all 435 members of Congress have a keen interest in good, solid production agriculture policy.

“The reason for that is the American consumer enjoys the safest, most abundant and affordable food and fiber supply of any developed nation in the world. Every time an American goes to the grocery store or goes to a restaurant they get a deal. And what American doesn’t like getting a deal?” Conaway said.

The House Agriculture Committee Chairman said it is part of his job to create a groundswell of support for production agriculture and stress the need for farm legislation as farmers have seen a 50 percent drop in net income over the past four years, the worse since the Great Depression.

“The backdrop for who needs the help is clearly there. My job, my colleagues’ job, is to help the American people understand that good production agriculture policy is important to every single one of us— or at least those of us who like to eat every day,” Conaway said.

By Kurt Lawton

Scratch that.. We now have a sixth reason to attend this year's Ag Data Conference. The conference will now offer CEU credits during nine sessions of the conference. 

The CEU credits will be offered for Certified Crop Advisors, The Ag Data Conference will offer approved CEU credits during nine sessions. See our website’s Program page for details https://theagdataconference.com/program/ 

Right about the time turkey leftovers have run their course, it’s time to grab some farmer buddies, or a trusted farm advisor, and head to eastern Iowa. Why? Because Corn+Soybean Digest and Farm Futures brands have built a great 1.5-day lineup of data and technology sessions around our theme: “Practical data and technology for profitable decisions.” All presentations and farmer/advisor panels are designed to give you actionable take-home tips, as well as encouragement, to help make your ag data and precision technology pay.

So, what are the top 5 reasons to attend our second annual Ag Data Conference – held Wednesday, Nov. 29 and Thursday Nov. 30 at the Marriott Conference Center in Coralville, Iowa (next to Iowa City)?

1.      Our sessions are filled with real “boots on the ground” data-passionate advisors and farmers ready to share their successful experience and knowledge to help you sort through your data and technology challenges to achieve greater efficiency and profit.

2.      Like Thanksgiving’s food lineup, we deliver a bountiful variety of sessions – from topics like building a digital farm strategy and judging different farm software to tools that cut unprofitable acres, a look at 2018 technology and beyond, how field research can drive profitable decisions, learning real value in soil health, optimizing variable-rate inputs, and much more.

3.      Use cool phone-based technology during sessions to ask anonymous questions and gain audience insight into data and technology use. 

4.      Learn from in-depth conversations and hands-on experience with the latest technology in our new Tech Zone and trade show.

5.      Hobnob with our farm broadcaster celebrity Max Armstrong (of This Week in AgriBusiness TV fame) and other farmers during our popular Beer & Bull Session – where you get more chances to get those burning questions answered by all our speakers.  

To view our great bounty of passionate presenters, check out the full schedule here: https://theagdataconference.com/program/schedule/.

There’s still time to register, so don’t delay. The Ag Data Conference will prove once again that this is an annual investment that pays dividends all year. Call your buddies and then you can all register here: https://theagdataconference.com/registration/

Come join the fun, and reap a great bountiful harvest of knowledge.

Quick look at sessions and speakers (see website for details):

- Build a Digital Strategy for Your Farm - John Fulton, Ohio State

- Practical data for profitable decisions: How many unique businesses do you have within each individual field and how can you manage them? David Muth, AgSolver/EFC Systems

- A Look at 2018 Climate Corp Technology – John Jansen, North American Commercial Lead, The Climate Corporation

- The Flaw of Averages – Tom McGraw, Founder of Midwest Independent Soil Samplers

- Our Farm's Journey to Make Better Decisions Using Data -- Iowa farmer and data guru Scott Henry

- How Data Drives Efficient Input Use and Profits – Dan Frieberg, founder of Premier Crop Systems and Corn+Soybean Digest Data Decisions columnist

- Your Most Valuable Tool May Be Your Data – Shannon Gomes, Certified Crop Adviser and Certified Professional Soil Scientist, Cedar Basin Crop Consulting

- Inside Look at 2018 Precision Technology AND How to Add Drone Tech Value to Your Farm -- Chad Colby, founder of Colby AgTech and general manager of an Illinois Case IH dealership

- Practical Implications of Soil Health – Agren founder Tom Buman and Iowa farmer/data consultant Mitchell Hora

- AND 9 more great breakout topic sessions, plus cool Tech Zone experience.

https://theagdataconference.com/program/schedule/

There were so many doctors on the speaker’s panel it looked and sounded like a medical convention. And in a sense, it was as the subject matter dealt with the health of an industry – ‘The Future of Arizona Agriculture: 10 Years and Beyond.’

Discussing challenges and opportunities to emerging niches and technology innovations, the 12 panelists had PhD’s in their areas of specialty at the conference sponsored by the University of Arizona College of Agriculture & Life Sciences.

Less irrigated acreage

Water plays a major roll as addressed by agricultural meteorologist Dr. Paul Brown who noted the state’s water supply fluctuated a lot, but ranged somewhere around 7 million acre feet with agriculture still the dominant user at about 70-plus percent. 

“There looks to be about a 30 percent reduction in irrigated acreage largely caused by the retirement of land and the abandonment of agricultural acreage,” he said.

Brown lauded the greater Yuma area for its irrigation efficiency on a district-wide basis.

“Land leveling, using sprinklers instead of flooding, press wheels to accelerate surface irrigation, high flow turnouts, and shorter irrigation runs have all led to improvement in irrigation efficiency,” Brown said.

Dr. Bonnie Colby cited Smart Fallowing, a three-year pilot program of a temporary reduction in consumptive agricultural water use begun in 2014, as showing promise. Water (up to an estimated 60,000 acre feet of Colorado River water) could be saved through forbearance with farmers receiving funding (a base rate of $750 per acre) to participate while fields are fallowed.

NAFTA 1.1 trillion value

The North American Free Trade Agreement and Arizona’s agricultural trade status presented a bit of a problem for Dr. Satheesh Aradhyula since so much is still up in the air about the trade pact between U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

Noting that regional trade between the countries, including Arizona exports, had tripled to $1.1 trillion in 2016, he said, “With a few speed bumps here and there, most everything has been on cruise control, but after four rounds of renegotiation talks everything is still at an impasse.”

Saudi Arabia

The panel closed out with a discussion on agricultural trade with a Saudi Arabia perspective presented by Dr. Turki Al Rasheed who sounded more like a social scientist, decrying the nearly millions of dollars invested to buy weapons - suggesting those dollars should be used for “sustainable development goals to eliminate poverty and hunger and cooperation is the way forward.”

Noting that Saudi Arabia had decided to stop growing its own forage, the country had invested $47.5 million to purchase nearly 10,000 acres of farmland in Vicksburg, Ariz.

“We have uplifted the entire town and raised the bar for all farmers. We import 70 percent of our forage and if you want your alfalfa to be exported to Saudi it has to be first class.”

Spirited discussion

A spirited question and answer session included these comments and concerns:

1 – The return of nut growers in Cochise County is putting former cotton ground, idle for 30-40 years, back into production. County growers expect to have an active management area soon since the orchard growth rate may not be sustainable without regulation.

2 - Farmers in Pinal County are reluctant to install drip irrigation on land with short leases.

3 - Water availability and price is a major concern with farmers worried about if-and-when the Central Arizona Project system might go short, plus what future water source would replace it, and at what price. When water gets too expensive, that’s the driving point for a business to go out of business or relocate to another area.

High-tech cattle

After addressing challenges and opportunities in Arizona’s agricultural future over the next decade and beyond, speakers outlined their takes on technological innovations and emerging niche markets.

Dr. Dan Faulkner discussed the largest segment of Arizona agriculture, the cattle industry, and efforts to ensure its future.

“Tech innovations are expected to more than double by 2025,” Faulkner said, “including virtual fencing sensor collars, wearable technology to track cattle and monitor health status, temperature, and nutrition levels.” 

Emerging crops

Emerging crops were the focus of Dr. Joel Cuello who discussed alfalfa hay, hemp, and microgreens. He called irrigated alfalfa production an emerging sector, and asked about the possibility of creating an alfalfa hay agriculture hub in Arizona.

He said industrial hemp, a highly-water efficient crop around for about 10,000 years, is another possibility since many products can be produced. On microgreens, he said, “We don’t have a lot of arable land or an excess of water here so microgreen farming is promising, grown vertically indoors.”

Dr. Ed Martin addressed the correlation of water to food in the $23 billion Arizona agribusiness economy. Martin said water use must be even more efficient, referring to surface and flood systems as 75-85 percent efficient especially in small plot basins; sprinklers at 85 percent efficiency; and drip irrigation at 90-95 percent efficiency.

Dr. Craig Rasmussen supported on the need for better healthy soil data. He called the traditional soil survey a thing of the past. Everything now is National Resource Conservation Service web-based data so the grower can stand in the field and pull up estimated soil properties.

Automation and robots

Dr. Mark Siemens was the most futuristic discussing automation and robots. In a series of videos describing new or prototype machinery, he said, “There’s a big push by industry to develop smart machines that can basically do what a human does and ultimately take care of plants on an individual plant-by-plant basis. It’s precision farming taken to a new level.”

Siemens outlined the future of field work including:

1 - Autonomous multi-tasking tractors working around the clock to eliminate human operator fatigue.

2-  24-hour-a-day mobile agricultural robots planting an entire field with off-site monitoring, then returning to a main unit for recharging and seed refill.

3 – A see and spray unit using cameras, computers, and artificial intelligence to spray herbicides only on weeds, plus the fertilization of individual plants using algorhythms similar to facial recognition. 

“A field of automated technologies and a tsunami of new data are now available.”

Missouri farmers wanting to use the low-volatility dicamba formulation in BASF’s Engenia will need to pay attention to the calendar, as the Missouri Department of Agriculture issued a special local need label for the product restricting use.

“We want to do things differently to prevent a repeat of 2017,” Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Chris Chinn said in an earlier interview regarding the status of the 24c Special Local Need label.

In October, the U.S. EPA issued additional clarification to Engenia, FeXapan and XtendiMax dicamba labels to tighten application procedures. EPA established the three herbicides as restricted-use products (RUP). The move came after states like Missouri saw their numbers of dicamba-related complaints top 300.

“I think it is important for farmers and ranchers to remember that we are only on a two-year temp registration from EPA on this new dicamba formulation,” Chinn said. “So the EPA is watching. 2018 is year 2; it is important now more than ever to follow labels,” adding that how agriculture and agricultural business responds will determine the fate of this new technology.

Application timing
The 24c Special Local Need label halts applications on June 1 in the state’s southeast region, which includes the Bootheel counties of Dunklin, Pemiscot, New Madrid, Stoddard, Scott, Mississippi, Butler, Ripley, Bollinger and Cape Girardeau.

All other areas of Missouri will need to cease spraying July 15.

Also, the product cannot be applied before 7:30 a.m. or after 5:30 p.m.

The restrictions were determined based upon feedback Chinn and her department received from stakeholders and analysis of alleged crop injury complaints filed during the 2017 growing season.

“Through countless conversations and meetings, we were able to reach a compromise — one that is proactive and provides certainty for farmers as they make their decisions for 2018,” Chinn said. The process included input from growers, researchers, industry partners, and farm and commodity organizations.

But not just anyone can apply the product.

Certified applicators only
According to the special local need label, Engenia will only be sold and used by certified applicators. Those certified applicators must complete mandatory dicamba training provided by the University of Missouri Extension. Rob Kallenbach, University of Missouri assistant dean, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension, said those training programs are in the works. He said the university is collecting materials and developing dates for winter training sessions. Kallenbach said there is likely to be an online component to the training. In order to purchase Engenia, applicators must present training verification to the retailer, pesticide dealer or distributor.

“Education is key,” Chinn said. “We need to have everyone applying these products in the correct manner as stated on the label.”

Before heading to the field, certified applicators must complete an online form prior to each application.

“Our intent in issuing the special local need label is to protect this technology for the future,” Chinn said. “We thoroughly reviewed the new label restrictions agreed upon by EPA and the registrants, and as much research data as possible, to come to this decision that I believe will protect the product and the producers.”

The tools of biotechnology have been used in crop development for more than three decades. And while transgenic crops may have gotten the public's attention in the beginning, plant breeders saw other benefits — including marker-assisted breeding. But the latest tool that will allow plant breeders to reach new crop production is gene editing, and Syngenta is incorporating that new tech into its development programs.

Recently, the company announced it has signed a nonexclusive intellectual property license with the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University to use a key tool for gene editing – CRISPR-Cas9. But Michiel van Lookeren Campagne, head of global seeds research at Syngenta, says that the company has been using gene editing techniques since 2010.

"It may sound strange, but the technology to edit has been around — but it has also been very expensive," van Lookeren Campagne says. "With CRISPR-Cas9, the tech has become much easier, faster and less expensive. The tool has made gene editing accessible for everybody."

He explained that before CRISPR-Cas9 came along, a single genome edit might cost $1 million, but with the new tool it can be done for as little as $20,000 per edit.

"And this is a very precise and predictable tool for plant breeders," van Lookeren Campagne says.

Genome editing is different from what many think of for crop biotech. In more "traditional" biotech, biologists work to insert genetic material into a plant's genome, often from other sources such as soil bacteria. With gene editing, a breeder can very precisely go into a plant genome and cut out unneeded DNA, or make small edits to resident plant genes to build crop productivity.

Advancing plant breeding
"We've used genetic modification and marker technology as a tool; genome editing is just a new tool in our tool kit," van Lookeren Campagne says. "It allows us to do things like we used to do with traditional breeding, only much faster and more efficiently."

For example, traditionally, if a breeder wanted a desirable trait in a plant, that meant cross-breeding plants to bring the new trait into an elite crop. However, getting desirable traits often means bringing along some extra "baggage"— green snap for corn, or susceptibility to lodging — that will have to be bred back out. That boosts the number of breeding iterations, and lengthens the development time.

"That cross comes with extra DNA around the key trait you were looking for, and breeders work hard to break that linkage. With genome editing you can just delete that stuff away, and clean it up," van Lookeren Campagne says. "[Genome editing] will drive the gain in yield. Right now it's about 1% per year in corn, but I think editing will accelerate that."

This is high-level work on the DNA of the plant, but as van Lookeren Campagne says, this is nothing more than a traditional breeder does — but it's faster. Regulators are also looking at genome editing in the same way — as long as it’s a final product that could be achieved by more traditional methods, regulators aren't going to require extra steps to bring the product to market.

But gene editing isn't a panacea, because some efforts are more complicated. Take yield, for example. Under its Good Growth Plan, Syngenta has set a goal to improve productivity of crops 20% by 2020. This goal will measure progress using all traits and technologies available to Syngenta, and gene editing will help. Yet, improving yield at a trait level is a challenge.

"We don't know what the common components of yield or drought tolerance are," van Lookeren Campagne says. "We need to better understand the precise biology of yield common in germplasm."

Essentially, the next challenge is about gaining biological knowledge, which is advancing rapidly. For example, it's technically possible to edit a crop genome to become tolerant to a specific herbicide, but more needs to be known. Van Lookeren Campagne makes an interesting observation on that score: "If you think about it, weeds that were killed by a herbicide also get resistance to that herbicide," he says. "That was through natural evolution using genes in the plant; you could mimic that through gene editing to create herbicide tolerance."

The Norman Borlaug Lifetime Achievement Award has been presented to Farm Press Senior Content Director Ron Smith by the Texas Plant Protection Association (TPPA) at its annual conference at Bryan, Texas.

The award is the association’s most prestigious, says Dr. Ron Lacewell, TPPA member and Texas A&M AgriLife assistant vice chancellor for federal relations at College Station. “The awards committee identified Ron for the 2017 Borlaug award based on his strong long-term contribution to agriculture. He is a major supporter of TPPA and participates in the annual meetings. The payoff to Ron and to the association was his awareness at our meetings of major opportunities or challenges related to agriculture and developing articles on those topics for Southwest Farm Press.”

The award is named for Dr. Norman Borlaug, the agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called “Father of the Green Revolution,” “Agriculture’s Greatest Spokesperson,” and “The Man Who Saved a Billion Lives.” Borlaug completed his career as a member of the Texas A&M University staff, serving as a distinguished professor of international agriculture.

Smith says he cherishes the 10 minutes he had with Borlaug at his 95th birthday celebration, just prior to his passing in Dallas, Texas. “Dr. Borlaug is probably as close as anybody I’ve ever known to being a true hero, and to have my name associated with his is beyond imagination.”

For 39 years, Smith has been covering agriculture throughout the U.S. on behalf of Farm Press, beginning in 1978 as associate editor of Southeast Farm Press, a position he held until 1989 when he became editor of Southern Turf Management, then a Farm Press Publication. In 1999, he became editor of Southwest Farm Press, writing about agriculture and the people of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico for the past 18 years. In November 2017, Smith was promoted to senior content director for all four Farm Press publications. He has been an active TPPA member since 2007, also earning the association’s Ag Communication Award in 2013, for outstanding communications for Texas agriculture and TPPA.

 FOOTPRINTS IN TEXAS

“Ron’s character and trustworthiness allow many farmers and ranchers to open the gate and allow him to ask tough questions about issues affecting U.S. agricultural producers,” says Blair Fannin TPPA member and media relations and public affairs staffer for Texas A&M AgriLife Communications. “This kind information is hard to come by in today’s media landscape, as many major national media outlets have scant coverage of farm and ranch news. Ron has demonstrated, through more than 30 years of reporting for Farm Press, that he is an information source of distinction for the U.S. farmer.”

TPPA founder and Board Chairman Ray Smith says “Ron has done more, from a media standpoint, for Texas agriculture than anybody I’ve ever met. He is a guy who’s going to be very hard to follow because his footprint is all over Texas. He not only just covered large topics, he also covered the smaller subjects: small farmers, large farmers, different interests all over Texas, from the Rio Grande Valley to Amarillo to Beaumont, and he is very deserving of this award.”

The theme of the two-day conference was, “Weathering Uncertainties in Texas Agriculture through Science, Technology, and Policy.” More than 300 people attended the sessions, led by about 50 agricultural industry, Texas AgriLife Extension, and Texas AgriLife Research professionals.

See TPPA photo gallery, TPPA hosts annual conference, awards Ron Smith its most prestigious award  http://bit.ly/2BKPeVE

 OTHER AWARDS

For the 15th year, the TPPA also honored other outstanding members who have made a special contribution to the association, the conference, to their profession, and to Texas agriculture. “This is a special time to acknowledge the folks who have been contributing to TPPA,” Lacewell said. Among the awards were:

• Graduate Student Award: Brady Author, Ralls, Texas, who works with Dr. Gaylon Morgan, Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

• PhD Award: Dr. John Gordy, Fort Bend County Extension agent, who works with Dr. Michael Brewer, Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

• Industry Award, Tony Driver, Syngenta.

• Ray Smith Leadership Award, Dr. Travis Miller, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Dr. Ron Lacewell, Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

• Industry Award, Tony Driver, TPPA secretary, Syngenta.

• Consultant Award, Ronnie Phillips.

•Academic/Agency Award, Dr. Betsy Pierson, association past president and associate professor of horticultural sciences at Texas A&M. 

More than 40 posters were on display in the poster competition, 23 from PhD students, and 13 in the Masters section. Six posters were from industry, staff, a county agent, and a visiting scholar from Brazil.

Winners in the Masters category were:

• Sadie Church, Texas A&M University, first place, winning $150 for her poster, Monitoring Nitrogen Status in grain Sorghum under Contrasting Fertilizer Management.

• Zane Jenkins, West Texas A&M University, second place, winner of $100 for Effects of Planting Date and Hybrid on Infestation Level of Sugarcane Aphids and Drought Tolerance in Dryland Grain Sorghum.

• Aislinn Walton, West Texas A&M University, third place, $75 prize, for Quantification of Water and Nutrient Use by Invasive Weed Species in Limited Irrigated Corn Production Systems to Optimize Water Use Efficiencies and Economic Returns.

See TPPA poster contest offers unique opportunity to ag students. http://bit.ly/2ADhdqU

Winners in the PhD category were:

• Pramod Pokhrel, Texas A&M University, first place, for Agronomic Performance of Newly Developed Lignocellulosic Bioenergy Crops in Texas.

• Seth Abugo, Texas A&M University, second place, for Assessing the Impact of Flooding on Germination and Growth of Rice Weeds.

• M. Bhandari, Texas A&M University, third place for Assessing Wheat Foliar Disease Severity Using Ground- and Aerial-based Remote Sensing Systems.

Pam Marrone is energetic, innovative and frustrated. She’s the founder and background force for Marrone Bio Innovations, a Davis, Calif., firm that has been a trendsetter in a growing area of technology: biologicals.

And why is Marrone frustrated? Because environmentalists and regulators start talking about banning a traditional crop protection product, but never consider ways to bring alternatives to work on the issues, she says. For example, there’s talk of banning chlorpyrifos in crops. This is a potent, and long-used, insecticide. Yet MBI has a bio-based product that has been shown in trials to outperform the older chemistry in a wide range of trials. Why not go bio?

“What’s never done is a discussion of weaning out of a product,” Marrone tells Farm Progress. “Biologicals could be a help, but it’s on no one’s radar. This is a potential for a paradigm shift.”

BIOLOGICALS INNOVATOR: Pam Marrone, Marrone Bio Innovations, says biologicals can meet a wide range of crop protection challenges. (Photo courtesy of Marrone Bio Innovations)

What she’s suggesting is that if a product is deemed to have an environmental impact, instead of starting with an outright ban, regulators should consider a more integrated pest management approach. “They can come up with an approach that uses biologicals in combination with the traditional product to reduce the number of sprays of the [older] chemical over time — say, a three-year period,” she says.

That approach helps growers maintain their confidence they’re getting control as they become familiar with the new bio-based product. “You eventually get to a replacement, but the process isn’t immediate,” Marrone says.

And she’s confident that there’s a biological solution for every one of those problems. From controlling diseases in crops to taking out problem weeds, biologicals can do the job.

The chlorpyrifos-replacing biological from Marrone is Venerate. “It’s actually an insect growth regulator with a new mode of action,” she explains. “We discovered it, and it’s a bacteria — actually a dead bacteria and a cocktail of compounds from that bacteria.”

That bug-killing cocktail keeps insect pests from developing. Once on the back of a lygus bug, thrip or other pest, that insect just stops developing. The product is sprayed like a traditional chemical, and Marrone says it’s equaled or beat out chlorpyrifos in trials around the globe — from alfalfa to onions, bananas to coffee.

Biologicals and the future
With Venerate, the bacteria are dead, which means there’s no concern about keeping it alive to do its job in the field. That’s often a concern about biologicals: coming up with formulations that keep the living pest control product working.

“Stability is a concern. We have to make sure that our products will be effective,” she explains. “You look at the stability of the natural chemistry, and we have to work for those that are stable enough for at least a three-year shelf life.”

As for that “step-down” approach from traditional chemistry to biologicals, Marrone is concerned that this new-tech approach isn’t part of the regulatory conversation — yet. “We’re seeing the same thing with every problematic chemical. Something is to be eventually banned, but there is a more measured way to do it that’s also beneficial to farmers,” she says.

But are there shortcomings to using biologicals? There is sometimes a perception of weaker efficacy; it’s not if they work, though, it’s how to make them work. You have to understand their mode of action to properly use them in integrated programs. “We’ve found many biologicals, and we know there are so many microbes out there that we can find a solution for anything if we screen enough. We have a first-generation herbicide in development now.”

That product is a novel bacteria that can actually move in the plant systemically — though it is not as mobile as a product like glyphosate. Marrone says the product kills Palmer amaranth, redroot pigweed, lambsquarters and some grasses.

One benefit of the biological approach is that products can be brought to market more quickly. That means that the first version of a biological can go to market, while a more powerful second version is in development and can be available a couple of seasons later.

Along the way the biological formulator — such as MBI — works on product cost and efficacy to keep upping the ante against the target pest. “I think herbicides are the next wave of biologicals as well,” she says. “We’re one of the only companies that has a product. It’s very technically challenging. There have been no new herbicides and no new modes of action. We’ve discovered three so far.”

And there’s more. Stargus is a new biofungicide coming to market in 2018. For now it’s coming to specialty crops, but row crops are in the product’s future. Along with antifungal compounds that stop spore germination, the microbe populates on the plant root hairs, leaves and other surfaces, preventing establishment of fungal and bacterial pathogens. Marrone says it’s effective against Fusarium, Sclerotinia, Botrytis, Rhizoctonia and sclerotium. While only in specialty crops to start, she sees potential for white mold prevention in soybeans and other row crops, too.

The world of biological crop controls is opening up, and more discoveries are on the way. The next step is to get regulators to see the value of phasing in new approaches in combination with traditional crop protection products to help farmers, rather than simply take tools away.

If you want to know more, visit marronebioinnovations.com.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture issued a Special Local Need label for two remaining new dicamba formulations — Fexapan and Xtendimax — in 2018, calling once again for mandatory certified applicator training and cutoff dates.

Last month, the department released its special use label for BASF’s Engenia. These two new labels came after conversations with Monsanto and DuPont. Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn says the three entities were able to reach a compromise that was “proactive and provides certainty for farmers as they make their decision for 2018.” All three labels contain the same restrictions.

Here are the requirements:

• Restricted-use pesticide. These products are for sale to and use ONLY by certified applicators. Non-certified applicators are prohibited from applying this product.

• Training. Prior to the purchase and/or use of the product, certified applicators must complete mandatory dicamba training provided by the University of Missouri Extension, which will be available soon. Training verification must be presented to the retail establishment, pesticide dealer or distributor.

• Dicamba Notice of Application form. Certified applicators must complete an online Dicamba Notice of Application form daily, prior to each application. The blank Dicamba Notice of Application form can be found at agriculture.mo.gov/dicamba/notice.

• Application timing. The product cannot be applied before 7:30 a.m. or after 5:30 p.m.

• Cutoff date. Use of Fexapan, Xtendimax and Engenia in dicamba-tolerant soybeans and dicamba-tolerant cotton is prohibited after June 1, 2018, in the southeast Missouri counties of Dunklin, Pemiscot, New Madrid, Stoddard, Scott, Mississippi, Butler, Ripley, Bollinger and Cape Girardeau. In all other counties, use of these products with dicamba-tolerant soybeans and dicamba-tolerant cotton is prohibited after July 15, 2018.

Applicator needs
To obtain a certified private applicator license, individuals must complete certified private applicator training provided by the University of Missouri Extension. Training programs are offered throughout the year; individuals should contact their local county Extension office.

If you are a pesticide applicator engaged in the business of applying pesticides for hire in exchange for a fee or other compensation, you must obtain a certified commercial applicator license through the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

For more, visit agriculture.mo.gov/dicamba.

By Duane Dailey

New forage research gives reason to not graze toxic fescue grass too short. The bottom 2 inches of infected grass holds highest levels of the alkaloid, causing problems for grazing livestock.

The findings guide ways to manage fescue’s toxic impact, says Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist.

The message for herd owners: Don’t allow cows to grub fescue pastures into the ground.

Sarah Kenyon is reporting her study findings in a Ph.D. dissertation accepted at the University of Missouri this year. The results will be published in Crop Science, a scientific journal.

Research reveals problems
Kenyon, an MU Extension agronomist at West Plains, Mo., took grass samples twice per growing season for three years. The first was in April, prior to boot stage (seed set); the second was in October, prior to frost.

Previous research showed the plants are most toxic after seed set. She found that the most toxic portion is the bottom 2 inches. At seed set, the plant is toxic — just not as toxic or edible.

Her findings are new, Roberts says. This will be a great help in pasture grazing management.

For her study, Kenyon tested fescue owned by Tom Roberts of Alton, Mo., a cow-calf producer. Roberts’ fescue is grazed and cut for hay.

In her studies, Kenyon cut fescue tillers into 2-inch segments from root crown to top. Each layer was analyzed separately by Nick Hill of Agrinostics Ltd., a lab in Watkinsville, Ga.

Farmers, over the years, have developed ways to prevent poisoning. They learned that seed heads and stems were high in toxin. Grazing before seed set or clipping heads reduced toxicosis.

Now, farmers will know not to graze down to the root crown, Kenyon says. Leaving a 3-inch stubble reduces problems.

“This research can be used immediately by Missouri farmers,” Roberts says. “It will be taught at MU grazing schools.”

Toxic situation
The toxic alkaloid, an ergovaline, is found in Kentucky 31 fescue, the most-used grass in Missouri pastures. For years, farmers knew of problems caused by toxicosis. The most serious symptom shows up in winter as fescue foot. The toxin constricts blood flow to cattle extremities. Ears, tails and feet can freeze. Tails can fall off.

The toxin comes from an endophyte fungus inside the plant. Endophyte, the scientific term, means “inside the plant.” It took years for scientists to find the tiny fungus growing between plant cells.

Fescue foot often causes lost hooves. That prevents cows from walking and grazing. Results are fatal.

Other losses can be serious but obscure. Cows abort or fail to breed, which cuts the calf crop. Calves raised on fescue gain slowly. Mama cows grazing toxic fescue give less milk.

Another symptom is brown hair that won’t shed in summer. Cattle suffering heat stress stand in ponds to cool, rather than graze.

In horses, the toxin causes foal death at birth.

The best way to solve toxicosis is to kill the toxic grass and reseed a novel-endophyte fescue. Plant breeders have introduced a naturally occurring nontoxic fungus into new varieties. Novel endophytes protect the plants but aren’t toxic.

Dailey is a retired MU Extension professor. He writes from his home in Columbia, Mo.

For the third week in a row, more than half of the U.S. is enveloped in drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday morning.

Nationwide, 54.69% of the country is categorized anywhere between D0 (abnormally dry) and D3 (extreme drought). That’s a hair below the past two weeks, which came in at 56.74% and 54.91%, respectively.

However, drought’s pervasiveness across the U.S. is significantly higher than it has been for the rest of 2017. The amount of the country suffering drought a month ago, for example, was 42.66%. Three months ago, it was 36.93%. And six months ago, it was 21.60%.

In fact, the last time more than 50% of the U.S. saw drought conditions was about a year ago, when 50.81% was categorized as such back on December 27, 2016.

Fortunately, about half (51%) of this drought is categorized as the least severe – abnormally dry. But the remainder is categorized between D1 (moderate drought) and D3 (severe drought).

Several areas can expect to see longer-term (6 months or more) impacts to hydrology and other areas, according to NOAA meteorologist David Miskus, who prepared the latest reports. These areas include most of southeastern Iowa, as well as a large portion of the western Dakotas and Montana, and much of the Southwest.

DRY ALL OVER: The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows the extent of dry weather across the country.

Drought conditions are dispersed unevenly throughout the country. The Midwest region is only 29.82% affected by D0-D3 drought, for example – mostly confined to Missouri, Iowa and southern Illinois. The High Plains region, in contrast, is currently 80.61% covered in D0-D3 drought. The South and Southeast regions are approximately two-thirds affected, meantime.

Some regions may not expect large changes for the time being, Miskus says.

“[The upper Midwest and High Plains], with frigid temperatures, a non-growing season, frozen soils, and a climatological dry time of year, conditions should remain locked in place,” he notes.

Looking ahead, the next 5 days could prove to be drier than normal for much of the country, Miskus says.

“The greatest precipitation [is] expected in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies, offshore and along the Gulf and southern Atlantic Coasts, and in the typical snow belt locations of the Great Lakes,” he says. “Little or no precipitation is favored elsewhere.”

Expect continued frigid weather in the Midwest and Plains through at least early January, Miskus adds.

“Arctic air should be entrenched east of the Rockies, while unseasonably mild weather envelops the West,” he says.

By Millie Munshi

The longest winning streak in two decades propelled cotton to 2017’s biggest increase among crop commodities, and hedge funds are ready for more gains in 2018.

Of the nine components tracked by the Bloomberg Agriculture Subindex, only cotton and wheat contracts posted gains last year. The fiber lead the way with an 11 percent advance as demand grew for U.S. exports. Prices capped 2017 with 10 straight weekly gains, the best streak since 1998.

Cotton was also one of the few crops that hedge funds got more positive on during the course of the year. Money managers held a net-long position, or the difference between bets on a price increase and wagers on a decline, of 102,402 futures and options as of Dec. 26, according to U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data released Friday. That’s up from 76,052 at the end of 2016.

Cotton’s stellar performance came as crop woes in Pakistan and India, two of the world’s biggest growers, raised prospects for American shipments. In the 2017-2018 season, commitments for U.S. cotton exports are running 29 percent higher than a year earlier, government data show.

The investors also added to their bullish outlook in soybean meal in 2017, the CFTC show. By contrast, the funds lowered their net-long holdings in soybean oil, while turning bearish on coffee, sugar and soybeans during the year.

Cotton’s gains are especially notable in a year that was dismal for most other crops amid large global gluts. Combined wagers on benchmark corn, wheat and soybean contracts reached a net-short position of 421,450 contracts as of Dec. 26, the CFTC figures show. That’s the most-bearish ever in data that starts in 2006.

While both varieties of winter wheat posted gains in 2017, they were pretty small, coming in at less than 5 percent. The other members of the Bloomberg Agriculture Subindex -- corn, soybeans, soybean meal, soybean oil, sugar and coffee -- finished the year with losses. The gauge reached a record low in December, data going back to 1991 show.

To contact the reporter on this story: Millie Munshi in Denver at mmunshi@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Simon Casey at scasey4@bloomberg.net Millie Munshi, Patrick McKiernan

No one expects a repeat of the disastrous drought of 2011, even with much of the nation stuck in a dry spell that’s persisted for several months. “But it is a concern, a big concern,” says AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dale Mohler, State College, Pa.

Mohler says dry conditions are expected to persist across the “southern third of the country,” into spring, with little chance of significant improvement after that. “Most of the South is dry, with some areas drier than others. We are in a weak La Nina, the biggest factor affecting the drought for the next two to three months, through early spring.”

He says some areas of the South may get some snow or rain over the next three months, “but precipitation will be below normal.” Even with occasional snowfall or rain events, the South is expected to see a “net loss,” in moisture. “We could see a little more moisture in places but not enough to make a difference. We don’t see much change in the next three months.”

Many areas in the South have been without appreciable precipitation for 60 days or longer.

“Spring and summer could be a little more interesting as La Nina dies off,” Mohler says. “But will conditions change enough to bring in more moisture across the South?”

He says air mass storms may help the Mid-South and Southeast, but are less likely in the Southwest. “The chances of getting meaningful moisture in the Southwest are not good.”

He says members of the AccuWeather team say spring may bring some moisture, but question whether it will be enough to make a difference in soil profiles. “We’re just not sure yet; we may know more in another month.”

Limited Precipitation

Mohler says limited precipitation may not be enough to substantially improve conditions for “summer crops that need a lot of moisture, like cotton and soybeans. Wheat also will need moisture. Southwest producers had good field moisture to establish the crop, but will need more when it comes out of dormancy in late winter.

“We think La Nina will be ending, but we don’t know the residual effects, or whether it will be replaced by a more friendly weather pattern.”

Mohler says drought — and rainfall — tend to persist. “When it’s not raining, it’s like an invisible dome prevents precipitation. We get feedback from moisture in the ground.  It evaporates and puts moisture back in the atmosphere. We just need that first one or two rainfalls to break through.”

Continuous drought has the opposite effect. “And with no moisture, the soil may add as much as 5 degrees to soil temperature. Then the downward spiral begins. We still have a lot of uncertainty.”

Mohler says La Nina will affect weather from the Carolinas, into the Mid-South, the Southwest and across the Sunbelt to California. The further east we go, the better the chance of receiving moisture out of the gulf,” Mohler says.  

“This is not likely to be another year like 2011, but this drought is a big concern.”

The Beltwide Cotton Conferences, held this year in San Antonio, always offer cotton folk an opportunity to catch up on the latest in industry technology, cutting-edge research and economic outlooks. It’s also a good place to renew old friendships and to make a few new ones. This year was no exception. The two-day event featured marketing outlooks, updates on dicamba use and regulations, insect management and suggestions on how to grow cotton more efficiently. Here are a few photos from the 2018 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. See you next year.

Bales of cotton ginned in Arizona as of Jan. 1 were unchanged from a year ago, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Bales of all cotton ginned in Arizona totaled 289,300. Of this, 268,850 were Upland varieties and 20,500 Pima varieties.

By comparison, California ginned 638,550 running bales in the same period, an increase of 6 percent over the previous year. That broke down to 188,150 running bales of Upland and 450,400 running bales of Pima.

United States

By Jan. 1, cotton gins throughout the United States had processed 16.15 million running bales, a 16.5 percent increase in production from the previous year. Of that, 15.65 million running bales were Upland and 500,000 running bales were extra-long staple Pima varieties. California and Arizona account for over 94 percent of the Pima ginned in the West, which by the end of 2017 was up nearly 16 percent, according to NASS. New Mexico and Texas also grow ELS varieties.

For a full copy of the Cotton Ginnings report visit www.nass.usda.gov.

Winter in California Rice country is hardly slow, even though farmers might be taking a break.

For photographers and bird watchers it’s an excellent time to view millions of birds taking a break from their commute along the Pacific Flyway. Rice fields flooded to enhance decomposition of stubble make excellent habitat for wildlife.

California grows about five billion pounds of rice annually across 550,000 acres of farmland. Much of this production is in the Sacramento Valley between Chico and Sacramento. Rice is also grown in small pockets in the northern San Joaquin Valley. Much of the state’s rice is medium grain varieties, with the balance in short grain and specialty varieties shipped direct to market.

According to the California Rice Commission, rice fields provide food and a resting place for nearly 230 wildlife species, including internationally recognized shorebird habitat and nearly 60 percent of the food for the seven to 10 million ducks and geese that migrate the Pacific Flyway each winter.

The American Feed Industry Assn. (AFIA) and Feedstuffs are proud to announce four category winners of the 2017 Feed Facility of the Year (FFOY) program.

Congratulations go out to ADM Animal Nutrition of Cordele, Ga., as the winner of the commercial dry livestock feed plant category; Sanderson Farms of Collins, Miss., as the winner of the integrator category; Westway Feed Products of Dimmit, Texas, as the winner of the liquid feed plant category for the second consecutive year; and Animix LLC of Juneau, Wis., as the winner of the premix manufacturing plant category.

“Each of these facilities has shown it is deserving of being at the top of its respective category in the 2017 Feed Facility of the Year program,” said Gary Huddleston, AFIA’s director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs. “After months of reviewing applications and touring facilities to determine these winners, AFIA is thrilled to announce them, and we look forward to naming the overall winner later this month at the International Production & Processing Expo.”

Formerly the Feed Mill of the Year award, AFIA and Feedstuffs modified the program in 2016, and it is now recognized as a first-class benchmarking program for the animal food industry. Representing each of the several types of feed manufacturing facilities within AFIA’s membership, the improved format compares and recognizes top-performing facilities in four categories: commercial dry livestock, integrator, liquid feed and premix. From those, the FFOY award is selected.

The overall FFOY winner will be announced Jan. 31 during AFIA’s Feed Production Education Program, which will be held as part of IPPE, happening in Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 30-Feb. 1. 

Over the course of this week watch for full profiles on each in Feedstuffs Daily, or check them out now on the Feedstuffs.com.  

ADM Animal Nutrition – Commercial Dry Livestock Feed Category Winner

ADM Animal Nutrition manufactures around 40,000 tons of feed annually, mostly for equine and beef cattle, but also for poultry, swine, dairy cattle, deer, gamebirds, rabbits and more. Safety is a top priority at the facility, with meetings held each morning and at each shift change to remind employees of the importance of good safety practices. The facility also focuses on quality—all ingredients are weighed and analyzed upon arrival, and the plant will turn away ingredients that do not meet its standards.

“Cheap in, cheap out,” said plant manager Johnny Childers. “We’ll be out of an ingredient before we will settle for bad quality.”

Read more and view our online photo gallery of the ADM plant in Cordele, Ga.

Sanderson Farms – Integrator Category Winner

Sanderson Farms’ Collins facility produces more than 400,000 tons of poultry feed each year. As one of Sanderson Farms’ eight feed mills, the facility processes 455 acres-worth of corn each day. It also serves as the grain delivery point for the company’s Laurel, Mississippi, facility.

Sanderson Farms focuses on boosting employee engagement and promoting morale through daily conversations about safety and providing employees with personal attention. Facility personnel are encouraged to offer suggestions for improvement while reviewing and implementing changes.

Feed mill manager William “Bill” Bray said Sanderson Farms reviews a variety of metrics daily, weekly, quarterly and annually to maximize efficiency and maintain or increase performance. These metrics include inbound ingredient specifications, ingredient moisture, mixer analysis on specified ingredients, weekly tons of feed produced, labor costs, feed conversion rates, utility usage and performance, and delivery costs. 

Read more and view our online photo gallery of the Sanderson Farms feed facility in Collins, Miss.

Westway Feed Products – Liquid Feed Category Winner

Westway Feed Products supplies liquid feed solutions globally, providing customers with resources, services, technical support and a collaborative culture to understand and meet their needs. The Dimmitt facility produces an average 94,000 tons annually and in 2017, saw a 30 percent growth in tonnage over its previous fiscal year. Plant manager Phil Thomas is committed to making the Dimmitt plant one of Westway’s best. With a team of only four, the plant has a robust safety program, including monthly trainings and safety meetings.

“We have accomplished a lot in the past few years, including significant capital improvements, cost per ton advantages, greater employee engagement and an overall production increase. This team just knows how to get it done,” Thomas said.

Read more and view our online photo gallery of Westway Feed Product's facility in Dimmitt, Texas

Animix LLC – Premix Category Winner

Animix LLC is a manufacturer of vitamin and mineral premixes and supplements oriented to customer production and marketing. With 4,240 tons produced annually, Animix focuses on biosecurity, safety and technology. The company has strict quality control standards and trains all employees to be Qualified Individuals upon hire. The company also has a committee of six individuals who meet monthly to discuss safety and walk the facility to look for safety concerns and improvements.

“Animix is known by its customers as a responsive and reliable supplier of high-quality products,” said Janusz Sowinski, president and owner of Animix.

Read more and view our online photo gallery of the Animix facility

AFIA and Feedstuffs have conducted the FFOY, and its predecessor program, since 1985, recognizing 70 total companies for outstanding performance in animal food manufacturing. More information on the FFOY program, as well as a list of past winners, can be found on AFIA’s website.