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September 21, 2021
Magnetic
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Good morning.

Harvest is underway around parts of the country, so it’s timely to highlight mid-September’s National Farm Safety and Health Week. Fun fact: President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated this yearly awareness campaign 77 years ago.

From rural road safety to mental health to grain handling safeguards, take some time and review best practices so all farming communities have a safe 2021 harvest.

Tuesday's News:

  • Armyworm Attack
  • Potty Training the Herd
  • Got [Fair] Milk [Prices]?

CROPS

Arm(yworm)ed and Dangerous
Armyworm
Natthawut / Getty Images
As if producers were looking to fight yet another challenge this growing season… a battle-tested pest has arrived.

Fall armyworm moths hopped on a cold jet stream and rode out of the South, landing in northern states like Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio, and leaving a path of destruction behind them.

The worm: Fall armyworms are a subtropical pest, usually hangin’ out in southern states and overwintering where there’s little hard freezing. The worm is actually a caterpillar that grows in stages, reaching maturity as a moth that can lay up to 100 eggs in a single mass.

They can eat over 300 different types of plants, though northern growers are seeing pests primarily in forage fields, eating everything except the weeds.

The insects are difficult to scout, hanging on to plants at odd angles and spooking easily, dropping to the ground. And only certain insecticides kill them in early and late phasesβ€”not counting common insecticide resistance.

The destruction: Growers are reporting entire fields of alfalfa eaten clean off in a matter of daysβ€”or even hours. One grower estimated destruction to an alfalfa field totaled a loss of $6,000, as nothing but sticks were left behind. Northern growers’ armyworm learning curve and lack of insecticide availability are exacerbating the issue.

Where this goes: Cold fall weather and the eventual coming of a northern winter should kill them off. There is some risk that another egg-laying cycle, producing additional hungry larvae, will occur in September. But with any luck, they’ll stay where they belong next year.

Quick Hits

β†’ Deep pockets for pork protection. Lawmakers are urging Congressional leadership to include $75M in the next appropriations bill to fund protections needed to keep African swine fever out of the U.S.

β†’ Cattle producers got beef… with the 35-year-old β€œBeef. It’s What’s for Dinner” slogan. Many believe it’s not doing enough to promote American beef against imports or position the product well against plant-based alternatives.

β†’ Barge-busting costs. More than two weeks after Hurricane Ida’s arrival, barge freight costs continue to spike, as terminals are under repair and power issues plague the region.

β†’ Tractor-making tension. An informational picket went down at John Deere’s Moline headquarters last week, as employees under the United Auto Workers voiced concerns over changes presented in ongoing contract negotiations.

β†’ NestlΓ© eyes the future. The global food giant plans to invest $1.29B over the next five years to accelerate regenerative ag production practices across its global food supply chain.

β†’ Gassed out. Several of the United Kingdom’s largest meat processors are warning they will need to halt production due to countrywide carbon dioxide shortages, since the gas is used to stun animals before slaughter.

β†’ On a methane mission. The U.S. and European Union launched a global pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030.

LIVESTOCK

Post-Bathroom Break Routine...
Cow Potty
GIPHY
After 15 days of intense training at an indoor lab in Dummerstorf, Germany, 11 out of 16 Holstein calves hit a milestone that stormed the global news cycle and made every Holstein proud.

They learned how to potty (No. 1 only) in the β€œMooLoo,” a small, astroturf-covered latrine. New Zealand researchers from the University of Auckland were able to collect, treat, and neutralize the urine.

Carrot/stick method: The calves were rewarded with a slurp of sweet molasses when they used the β€œtoilet” and were discouraged from doing their business outside the little green pen with a splash of water.

And they peed a lot. A single cow can produce about eight gallons of urine a day. Globally, their frequent urination produces 55-110 gallons of methane daily.

Putting the Pee in Pollution: Urine contains nitrogen, which can turn into nitrate, airborne nitrous oxide, and ammonia when mixed with soil and feces.

Nitrous oxide is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide and has a long shelf life. The gas comprises 7% of all U.S. greenhouse gases, according to the EPA. In New Zealand, it’s 12%.

To deal with their β€œnitrogen crisis,” officeholders in the Netherlands have proposed reducing livestock numbers by 30%. But what if they could toilet train their cattle instead?Β Β 

What's ahead: Finding out if potty training calves can be scalable in real life. And you better believe they’re gonna try this with No. 2.

Commodity Corner
Commodity Corner
Grains: The stock market took down all grains with it yesterday. Eyes are glued to harvest progress in the meantime.

Livestock: Market pressure seemed to ding livestock, too.

*As of Market Close [9/20/21]
Just for Fun
We went down a rabbit hole (pun intended) with a recent list from Growing Produce on carrot varieties.

Can you spot the fake? Which variety below is not an actual carrot type?

  • Volcano
  • Orange Blaze
  • Cactus Bloom
  • Deep Purple


Answer on the scroll.
Magnetic's Must-See Stuff

Freebies for all. Did you see that you can now post jobs for free on the Magnetic Ag Job Board? Go post your full-time roles and internships today!

Female farmer callout. Nominations are open for the Executive Women in Agriculture Trailblazer Awardβ€”honoring ag advocacy, farm innovation, and community leadership.

DAIRY

Got [fair] milk [prices]?
Milk Prices
Akaratw Images
Dairy pricing is ready to (finally) enter the 21st century.

The industry is making the news again, this time as ag economists and dairy producers call upon Congress to update the long-standing Federal Milk Marketing Orders.

When the orders were created in the 1930s, most milk was sold as fluid milk for beverage consumption. However, dairy consumption today isn’t all milk, as consumers have a larger appetite for cheese, butter, and other dairy products.

The FMMO β€œpromised dairy producers that if their milk is as good as their neighbors’, they will be paid the same price,” said Christina Zuiderveen, managing partner of Black Soil Dairy, LLC.

In her September 15th speech to a Senate subcommittee for reforming the milk-pricing system, Zuiderveen said this sentiment hasn’t held true, as sales of fluid milk have declined. And while she and her family have personally benefited from the current rules, as they sold milk for cheese production in 2020, Zuiderveen is an advocate for fair prices.

Soundbite: β€œGood intentions to create a system with uniform prices has resulted in a distorted system that is now coming unglued, to the detriment of dairy families whose income dependsβ€”at least in partβ€”on the value of a blend of fluid milk, milk powder, and butter,” Zuiderveen said.

The impact is real. Current dairy prices don’t make up for rising inputs for dairy farmers. And the number of dairy farms has decreased 55% between 2003 and 2020.

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Answer

No 'Cactus Bloom' carrots to be found.
Written by: Savanna Barksdale, Travis Martin
Editor: Ashley Scoby


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