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MAY 19, 2023

TOGETHER WITH:

Good morning.

Upcycling and waste reduction have been popular buzzwords for a while. But this is an even sweeter take on those concepts.

In Pennsylvania, cows have been eating upcycled Hershey candy waste for 10+ years. Apparently when Hershey manufactures its candy products, they're left with extra bits of chocolate, nuts, and even licorice. 

So dairy cows get to enjoy grazing on those pieces. Living the dream.

Stories:

• A Fungus (or Two) Among Us: Summertime Disease Pressure
• The Birden of the Bird Flu
• myAnIML Helps Feedlots Find the Future

AGRONOMY

Iowa Farmer Today / University of Missouri Extension

June is creeping up on us, and farmers across the Corn Belt already have many acres of corn and soybeans in the ground.

But if navigating a typically challenging planting season wasn’t enough, dealing with the growing-season "fun" now begins: pests, adverse weather, and… oh yeah… diseases.

Summertime watch list: The crops may be planted, but farmers never catch a break. And according to the experts, producers should be prepared to spend the growing season with a real fun guy.

The Double Feature—Tar Spot and White Mold: First showing up as small, dark, raised spots on leaves, tar spot loves cool, wet weather and can ravage a corn field if not kept in check. 

So, what should you do to stay on guard? 

"Pay close attention to [the] weather, particularly during… that milk to dough stage, R2 (and) R3."

That’s Jason Gibson with Corteva Agriscience, and he notes that similar weather conditions can make soybeans "pretty prone" to white mold, which first shows up as white lesions on the nodes of soybean plant stems.

That doesn’t sound good. But what can farmers do to mitigate these problems?

Experts agree that more research is needed to better understand tar spot control, but according to Ryan Gentle of Wyffels Hybrids (and other rockstar agronomists like him), fungicides with "double and triple modes of action" and/or multiple applications are a sure bet. According to Ryan, "you don’t want to skimp."

Bottom line: Want to grab the bull fungi by the horns and show them who’s boss? Take this advice from Doug Jones with Corteva Agriscience: "Know, watch, and look."

→ Clean cash. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, there will be $11B in grants and loans for clean energy projects across rural America.

→ Meat on the move. A new bill would make interstate meat sales easier, which would help smaller producers and butchers.  

→ Rain, rain, go away. China’s rice production has gone down 8% in the last 20 years, and new research shows that extreme rainfall in the country has had a worse impact on yields than extreme heat. 

→ Heading in the right direction. The House passed a bill to require the FCC to make a plan for improving satellite technology to support precision ag, which uses GPS satellites to help farmers monitor their fields. 

→ Spraying down south. An autonomous sprayer from AgTech company GUSS is being tested in Brazil, with plans for John Deere to help distribute the equipment throughout the country.

→ Golden forecast. Strong production in Brazil, the U.S., and Argentina has meant an uptick in global corn production and could reach record levels.

LIVESTOCK

GIPHY

The bird flu is back. Well, it never really went away, and according to American Farm Bureau Federation, it’s not expected to fly away anytime soon.

Beaking records: The 2022-23 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is the largest foreign animal disease outbreak in U.S. history.

The virus hit the U.S. and Europe hard, and it is now in Brazil—the world’s largest chicken exporter. This week, the country detected the virus in wild birds and is monitoring sensitive areas with drones while doubling down on biosecurity measures in production facilities.

Not bokking down: USDA researchers are waiting on results of four vaccine trials for poultry. The downsides to the trials: time and trade implications. Experts say it would be a minimum of 18-24 months to produce a viable vaccine.

As far as trade, many overseas markets would not accept vaccinated poultry products.

Condor concern: Not only does HPAI impact birds used for meat and egg production, but it also affects endangered breeds.

USDA is taking emergency action to protect endangered California condors after 21 died from HPAI since March (there are only 541 condors on the planet). Emu-nization trials are underway in North American vultures to test for adverse effects before they’re given to the condors.

No flocking way: HPAI is rare in humans, but not impossible. Two poultry workers in England have tested positive after being in contact with infected birds on the same farm, although there may be some nuance to the positive results.

The employees didn’t suffer symptoms and have since tested negative. But this shows how fowl the bird flu is.

Question. If crows carry the bird flu and transmit it, would it be attempted murder?

SPONSORED BY GRAIN MARKET INSIDER

You wouldn’t seed your fields or monitor plant conditions in the dark if you can help it. So why make marketing decisions in the dark?

Grain Market Insider’s 3x/day texts and emails are here to bring to light the latest market recommendations, daily commentary, weather info, and more. We believe this will help corn, soybean, and wheat farmers like you make the best decisions for their operation.

No more wondering or hesitation. Just clear, unbiased information and facts to make market trends clearer and decision-making easier.

Grain Market Insider is here to give you the info you need to feel confident in the marketing decisions you make. No more shots in the dark.

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Disclaimer: Grain Market Insider is a service of Stewart-Peterson Inc., a publishing company. Futures and options trading involve significant risk of loss and may not be suitable for everyone. Therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your financial condition.

We bet you didn't know that today is "Plant Something Day." Take a wild guess—when do you think the first major commercial nursery was created in the U.S.? 

1. 1700
2. 1737
3. 1825
4. 1874

Answer at the bottom of the email.

AGTECH

ands456 from Getty Images Signature

The future may not look quite like what the Jetsons predicted yet, but feedlots are certainly upping their tech game. AgTech startup myAnIML combines predictive health technology, facial recognition, and AI to make feedlots healthy and provide cost savings.

That’s a lot of tech: myAnIML strategically uses a variety of tech platforms to provide regular health updates for feedlot cattle. Mounted cameras take photos of each cow’s muzzle throughout the day.

The images are processed by AI, looking for any signs of health changes, which are then sent to the rancher. Geolocation via a Bluetooth ear tag connected to an app allows for fast identification and treatment of the sick animal.

But why? According to myAnIML, the cattle industry loses $200B annually on treatments and lost revenue from sick animals. Bovine Respiratory Disease alone costs U.S. feedlots up to $900M in treatment costs each year.

The ability to identify and treat sick cattle earlier could reduce both treatment costs and lost productivity.

Background: As he was founding myAnIML in 2021, creator Shekhar Gupta quickly realized that the muzzle is a strong indicator of many health issues in cattle. Monitoring it specifically could put ranchers days ahead on treatment.

Fast forward to 2023, and myAnIML is commercially available and undergoing pilot projects across the U.S.

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B. 1737. Prince Nursery was founded in 1737 in New York and operated until almost 1865. We hope you can get outside and plant something today!

Written & Edited by Kevin Cross, Sheridan Wimmer, Jen Hill, Amelia VanLandegen, and Ashley Scoby

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