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South Dakota Cattlemen prepare for the year ahead at annual convention

WATERTOWN, S.D. — Cattle producers and livestock industry leaders came together in Watertown, South Dakota, for the 75^th annual cattlemen’s convention Nov. 28-29.

Preparing for the upcoming year was the main focus of this year’s cattlemen’s convention.

Eric Jennings stands in his pasture in Spearfish, South Dakota.

“The primary purpose of our annual convention is to develop the policy that our staff and leadership will follow for the next year. We are a very grassroots based organization, so the members have an opportunity to come here, form the policy during our policy committee meetings on the first day, then we will have an overnight to just kind of digest that policy they form before approving it at our annual meeting on the second night,” said Eric Jennings, President of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association.

Some topics discussed include the beef checkoff,

eminent domain with the carbon pipeline

and MRNA vaccines.

“With the changing attitude in Washington, D.C., you know there’s been some attacks on the beef checkoff, so we want to make sure that our policy is firm so we can handle whatever avenue they might come from to make sure we are on that page,” Jennings said.

cattlemens two .jpg — The convention was a mix of both policy meetings and trade show conversations.

Having a state-wide meeting helps bring everyone together to discuss their issues.

“It just gives producers an opportunity to bring their ideas in and you know these are issues that they have seen in their part of the country that maybe I haven’t seen in western South Dakota,” said Jennings. “I’m nowhere close to the carbon pipeline, so it’s not an issue for me. So I need to hear from other people that do have those issues. They often have a solution also, so when you come with an issue and a solution, it’s pretty easy to put policy together — and as leadership then we have something to follow.”

Bridging the gap between consumers and producers was also an issue on the minds of attendees.

“Right now, it’s environmental attacks, you know, how are we projecting our message to the consumer that we are taking care of the environment, that we are sequestering carbon, that we are utilizing new technology to create a better product that is more whole and safer,” Jennings said.

There was also a trade show where visitors could speak with different companies and organizations like

AgSpire.

“Our goal is to work with public and private entities that are looking to make positive land use changes … We put that network together with agricultural producers starting with the upper Midwest, but now moving across the U.S.,” said Ryan Eichler, Director of Producer Programs for AgSpire.

“It’s great to walk around and hear the new products that are available for us,” Jennings said.

AgSpire was able to talk with producers at the event about how their company would be able to connect them with conservation programs for their farming and ranching operations.

“Today what producers are finding for the highest incentives for are cover crop adoption that they can enter into a grazing management plan, inner or overseeding to increase the diversity of pastures that they may be grazing as well,” Eicher said. “All of those things are done to meet the goals for the program as far as carbon sequestration, but then they also increase the resiliency of the farm and ranch by enhancing grazing opportunities or increasing feed production.”

Between the meetings and trade shows, this conference helps provide those working in the somewhat secluded job of ranching a chance to get together and socialize all while planning for the future of the cattle industry.

“I really enjoy coming to the convention. There’s people here that I see once a year at best, so it’s great to come and catch up, to see how their year has been,” Jennings said.

By
Ariana Schumacher

Ariana is a reporter for Agweek based out of South Dakota. She graduated from South Dakota State University in 2022 with a double major in Agricultural Communications and Journalism, with a minor in Animal Science. She is currently a graduate student at SDSU, working towards her Masters of Mass Communications degree. She enjoys reporting on all things agriculture and sharing the stories that matter to both the producers and the consumers.

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Fly-in flower farm brings the ag and aviation community together

AG Week

Hundreds of people came to this week’s U-Pick flower event at Fleurish Flower Farm in Elk Point, South Dakota. However, they didn’t all drive there, some visitors arrived from the sky.

Several planes lined the runway during the event on Sunday, Aug. 27.

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Western Wisconsin shares its stake in the next farm bill

AG Week

LA CROSSE, Wisc. — Testimony came from America’s dairyland and the world’s largest cranberry growing region as work on the next farm bill reaches its final stages.

A crowd of over 200 people filled the Radisson Center Ballroom in La Crosse on Aug. 16. Hearing from farmers and advocates were U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who sits on the House Committee on Agriculture, and

committee chairman Rep. Glenn Thompson,

along with Sen. Ron Johnson.

Van Orden, who represents much of western Wisconsin, is the first Wisconsinite in the House of Representatives to serve on the Ag Committee in almost a decade.

“I’m an all-of-the-above guy when it comes to agriculture,” Van Orden said giving nods to the state’s conventional farmers, cranberry producers as well as the nation’s largest organic cooperative. “There’s a lot of people in Oregon, California and Massachusetts that think they invented

Organic Valley,

but they didn’t, and it’s right in the heart of our district and we’re so proud of it.”

Thompson said the listening session was one of nearly 70 he’s been to in 32 states over the last two and a half years.

“Reoccurring themes are the importance of protecting crop insurance; that’s very consistent everywhere I go, and our effort is not just to protect you, but trying to strengthen it as well,” Thompson said of the common feedback he gets, along with issues of inflation.

At least once at each listening session, he learns something new and credits the range of producers and advocates wiling to share their story and how it could be impacted through the farm bill.

“Between the listening sessions, the hearings, the portals that we had for the public and for members — we undoubtedly have had more input for this farm bill than any time in the past,” Thompson said.

Lax crowd.jpg — Some of the crowd at a farm bill listening session in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Aug. 16, 2023.

Getting a new farm bill passed by the end of the year remains a top priority for the current Congress, Thompson said on Aug. 16. He described the process as getting “really close” to the finish line.

“I think we could be in a position before the end of August that we could have language in the House,” Thompson said.

Under that timeline a draft bill should be expected by Labor Day for legislators to work through along with several other bills set to expire at the end of the year.

Dairyland dwindling

Julie Keown-Bomar, executive director of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, said farmers in the Wisconsin are experiencing $14 and under per hundredweight. Many of them are looking for relief through the next farm bill.

“We used to have over 70,000 dairy farms in the state of Wisconsin and we’re at 6,000, and still losing more,” Keown-Bomar said. “Many dairy farmers that we work with are calling for major dairy reform, almost as we had in the last farm bill, and instead of focusing so much on demand to begin to look at mechanisms to control and manage growth.”

Bombay cow.jpg — A cow at Bombay Dairy Farm on June 27, 2023 in Kenyon, Minnesota.

Keown-Bomar asked Thompson and Van Orden what plans they had to “tweak the supply of milk” in the next farm bill in order to give dairy farmers a fair price. Thompson said in terms of supply management, there were none.

“We’ve always been very reluctant to get into supply management,” Thompson said. “Dictating what people can grow, and produce and provide — I know there’s some interested in that, but there’s an awful lot of folks that don’t want to be told by government, what they’re allowed to do.”

Milk back in schools

Where Thompson said the dairy industry could expect a win was inside cafeterias of U.S. public schools. He’s the lead sponsor of a bill that revises requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the USDA. A bill passed by Congress in 2010 changed nutritional standards for school lunches, and policies implemented by the USDA in 2012 banned whole and 2% white milk, as well as 1% and 2% flavored milk.

The only milk options for students were flavored skim, white skim or white 1% until 2017 when standards began to get rolled back. With the dairy industry facing a long decline in milk sales, Thompson said the concern was that milk types offered in schools drove kids away from drinking it altogether.

“We lost an entire generation of milk drinkers when we started to serve them chalk water,” Thompson said. “Think about the juniors and seniors back in 2010, and they now have kids of their own.”

Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023 would override the USDA guidelines and restore the ability of schools in the program to serve whole and 2% milk. Research Thompson cited from the last decade shows the bill — aimed at curbing childhood obesity — did the opposite.

“They looked at the BMI before (the bill), and they looked at the BMI for the 10 years following it, and kids got bigger,” he said, alluding to students choosing “high sugary substitutes” instead of milk.

Cranberry land

Jim Bible comes from a Wisconsin family who’s grown cranberries for Ocean Spray since 1981. His father, Tom Bible, bought an 18-acre marsh without any prior farming experience. Jim joined his dad after college to help run the operation which grew to 32 acres before they sold it to become the State of Wisconsin’s Cranberry Research Station. The family started another cranberry marsh in 1992, Brockway Cranberry Inc., that is still going.

Jim Bible’s family in Wisconsin have been growing cranberries for Ocean Spray since 1981 when Jim’s father, Tom Bible, purchased an 18-acre marsh without any prior farming experience. The family’s original farm is now the State of Wisconsin’s Cranberry Research Station while they operate an 86-acre cranberry marsh, Brockway Cranberry Inc.

“The cranberry is one of three native fruits to North America, and Wisconsin produces more cranberries than anywhere else in the world,” Bible said.

Bible asked whether the committee intends to pursue continuation of financial support through the USDA for the Cranberry Research Station, which Thompson said was “absolutely” their intention, as well as other research centers that promote the “science, technology and innovation” within U.S. agriculture.

“Wisconsin does such a great job of cranberry research, and looking at all those different bugs, pests and the factors with weather, to make sure that we’ve got a sufficient supply of cranberries that are healthy,” Thompson said. “That is an area for me, that I would like to see a better investment in overall, not just maintaining our research centers, like the one that you have here, but doing a better job of investing in research.”

Van Orden assured Bible that an increase of $500,000 in funding for the

Cranberry Research Station

was included in the 2024 ag appropriations bill.

“From my experience in the past couple of days, my theme for Wisconsin, is you come for the cheese curds, and you stay for the cranberries,” Thompson said.

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Let’s Dig In: What Do You Want Modern Farmer to Investigate?

Community, Food & Drink, Food & Lifestyle, Modern Farmer

Did you know that that piece of salmon you’re eating probably came from Norway—or Chile? Are avocados going the way of the dodo? How come most “wasabi” isn’t actually wasabi?

Though your grocery list may look straightforward, the global food system is complex. The Modern Farmer team is here to turn your questions about the food on your plate into reporting that helps you—and your fellow eaters—understand where your food comes from.

Along the way, we’ll meet the people who actually plant, fertilize, harvest, raise, slaughter, brew, ferment, pack and process the ingredients that go into your meals, and dig into stories that get the people who eat (aka everyone) a little bit closer to the people who produce.

Take a look in your fridge, pantry and shopping cart. Do you really know what goes into getting that food from … wherever it comes from … to you?

We envision turning this into a series, but we need your help to get started. Don’t be shy: Add a question or suggest a topic you’d like Modern Farmer to investigate using this form. We’ll get in touch if we look into your question.

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Author: Modern Farmer

Indiana Mesonet holds meeting to educate and form advisory board

Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Dozens of weather and climate experts came together on July 18 to support the Purdue Mesonet, a statewide network of weather observation stations managed by the Indiana State Climate Office, which delivers climate data, tools, data visualizations and resources to enhance Indiana’s prosperity and decision-support needs. Aiming to educate potential stakeholders and partners, the Purdue Mesonet rallied support around the need for an advisory board to guide the network through its growth.

With a long-term goal of expanding the existing 13-site network into at least one station per each of Indiana’s 92 counties, meteorologists from the National Weather Service and surrounding states’ Mesonets presented their cases on ways the network impacts daily life for residents across the state, as well as residents just on the other side of Indiana’s state borders.

Beth Hall, Indiana state climatologist, said the need for higher-quality, unbiased data collection will allow for better efforts in monitoring conditions, which will allow for better services to areas such as agriculture, construction, health and wellness, and urban planning.

“We need good data to do good research,” Hall said. “What we see in other states with broad Mesonet operations is they can convert their data into, for example, pest and disease models. So, for the Purdue Mesonet, that audience may be specialty crop growers utilizing those tools that are instructing what and how they spray their crops, or even when they should be thinking about planting or harvesting. We could create better tools if we have a higher-quality, spatially dense network across every county.”

Meeting attendees worked to brainstorm avenues of financial support from state government and key stakeholders.

“This meeting proved we have great partnerships around the state and outside of Indiana,” Hall said. “We are looking forward to growing these partnerships and our network in the near future.”

To learn more about the Purdue Mesonet and ways to get involved, go to ag.purdue.edu/indiana-state-climate/purdue-mesonet/.

Writer/Media contact: Jillian Ellison, ellison1@purdue.edu

Source: Beth Hall, hall556@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: 765-494-8415;

Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page

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Sustainability a part of cotton farming’s playbook for decades | AGDAILY

AG Daily

While engaging in one of America’s favorite pastimes — shopping, of course — recently, I came across an interesting sales tag on an item of clothing from Kohl’s: “Supports more sustainable cotton farming.”

I looked it up when I got home, and it turns out it really has very little to do with cotton farms. But I know that so-called “sustainable” cotton is trendy. I’ve noticed some brands now source only organic threads, and others make claims about eco-friendly production methods.

kohls-tag-sustainable-cotton-farming — Image by Amanda Zaluckyj

But does this kind of label actually do any good?

Here’s the thing: Cotton farmers have been implementing sustainable practices for decades now. As with other sectors of agriculture, the cotton industry has embraced science, technology, and innovation — and that’s had incredible results.

Over 20 years ago, cotton growers embraced genetically modified varieties of cotton. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before … But seriously, cotton’s incredible story of sustainability starts here. Scientists used advanced breeding techniques to develop crops that can combat pest pressures while reducing pesticide use. Just as with GMO corn, Bt cotton incorporates a gene that makes it naturally resistant to certain insects.

At the same time, the cotton industry has widely adopted integrated pest management techniques. As Cotton Incorporated describes it, “Growers carefully select the right pesticide for the right pests on the right crop, apply them only when and where necessary, and in the appropriate rates as suggested by the pesticide label.”

Practically speaking, these practices include crop rotation, natural predators, and careful monitoring. Ultimately, the decision to use pesticides weighs the potential pest damage, the pesticide’s efficacy, and the potential for pesticide resistance.

Yantis Farms — Image courtesy of Agriculture Aerial LLC

Together these practices were part of a larger trend in U.S. agriculture, which saw a decrease of insecticide use by 66 percent between 1994 and 2019. Over the same time, cotton yields have increased. There’s no question these changes are worthy of praise.

But pesticide use isn’t the only place where cotton growers have improved their production practices. Farmers have embraced innovative irrigation techniques to minimize water usage and increase efficiency. Drip irrigation systems and precision farming deliver water directly to the plants’ root zones and reduce wastage. Moreover, farmers employ sophisticated monitoring systems to accurately determine crop water requirements.

The results of these efforts are astounding. U.S. cotton growers have reduced water use by 79 percent of the past 35 years. Remember, that’s happened at the same time that per-acre yields have increased. (Water conservation, by the way, is something Kohl’s has as a goal on its sustainability page, so this should be just the kind of production approach the company would want to gravitate toward.)

As with other sectors of agriculture, farmers know that healthy soils are the foundation of environmentally friendly production. Cotton producers have adopted conservation tillage and cover cropping methods to promote soil health and minimize erosion. Conservation tillage involves reducing soil disturbance during planting, preserving its structure and organic matter content. Additionally, cover cropping entails planting crops between cotton growing seasons to prevent soil erosion, enhance nutrient cycling, and suppress weeds.

And if all that wasn’t enough, many growers engage in various initiatives and certification programs. One example is the Cotton Trust Protocol, a data-driven program that helps cotton farmers measure and verify their sustainability practices. The program provides a framework for farmers to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable farming through metrics such as water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil health.

By implementing sustainable farming practices, reducing pesticide usage, conserving water, and promoting soil health, the cotton industry produces cotton in an environmentally responsible manner. In other words, modern cotton production is highly sustainable. We don’t need to seek a fancy label to feel good about the cotton products we buy.

Amanda Zaluckyj blogs under the name The Farmer’s Daughter USA. Her goal is to promote farmers and tackle the misinformation swirling around the U.S. food industry.