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July 7, 2006
Study: Pesticides reduce reliance on oil, labor
Pesticide use significantly
reduces U.S. agriculture's reliance on foreign oil and use of migrant labor,
according to an updated CropLife Foundation (CLF) study.
For weed control in 2005, herbicides saved farmers 337 million gallons of diesel fuel that would have been needed for mechanical tillage. An additional 7 million migrant workers would also have been needed to pull weeds, the study says.
Other positives about herbicide use included 356 billion pounds of soil saved from erosion as the result of less soil planting preparation and reduced mechanical weed control, as well as an estimated 20 percent increase in crop yield (296 billion pounds of additional food and fiber for the year) from reduced weed competition.
"If farmers relied on tillage rather than herbicides, they would have to make twice as many trips through each field, and every tillage trip requires four times the fuel of a herbicide application," said Nathan Reigner, co-author of the CLF study.
• CropLife executive summary pdf:
http://www.croplifefoundation.org/Documents/Pesticide%20Benefits/Herbi
cides/2005%20Update/2005%20Update%20Executive.pdf
Source: AFBF: Executive
Newswatch; June 15, 2006
Burning corn for fuel;
and it's not ethanol!
Until now, you only found corn being burned directly for fuel in small stoves in individual households.
This week, however, the Indiana Department of Corrections announced it will switch all four state prisons to heating systems that burn corn...1.6 million bushels per year.
Source: Doane's Agricultural Report; Vol. 69, No. 23-1; June 9, 2006
Joint venture pushes switchgrass for ethanol
Ceres, Inc. and The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. have combined efforts for the development and commercialization of new, advanced biomass crops for fuel ethanol production.
Their switchgrass varieties are yielding up to 35 percent more than common varieties and thrive in soils and climates incapable of supporting traditional food crops.
Source: Doane's Agricultural Report; Vol. 69, No. 23-1; June 9, 2006
Brazil moves to calm farmer unrest
Brazil's government announced that some of the debts faced by farmers will automatically be extended for four years.
Farmers in Brazil had been blocking soybean shipments to bring attention to their deteriorating economic conditions. The new government programs fell short of what farmers wanted, but did put an end to the widespread protests. More government help for farmers in Brazil is possible over the next few months to avoid a big drop in planted soybean acreage this fall.
Source: Doane's Agricultural Report; Vol. 69, No. 22-1; June 2, 2006
Court gives new life to Creekstone lawsuit
A U.S. District Court judge has set a schedule that allows Creekstone Farms to file a motion for a summary judgment in its case against USDA for refusing to allow the company to test all cattle slaughtered for BSE (Mad Cow Disease). USDA will have until September 15 to respond to the motion.
This accelerated timeline had been requested by Creekstone. Over the past two years, USDA has repeatedly denied Creekstone's request to test all cattle in an effort to keep their beef export business with Japan. USDA has refused, claiming that the government has the legal authority to control access to the use of the test kits.
Source: Doane's Agricultural Report; Vol. 69, No. 22-1; June 2, 2006
Predators costly to
farmers and ranchers
Cattle and calf losses from predator animals totaled 190,000 head or $92.7 million in value to farmers and ranchers during 2005, according to the Agriculture Department's National Agriculture Statistics Service. Coyotes and dogs accounted for the majority of losses.
Cattle producers used the following methods to control predators: guard animals, 38 percent; exclusion fencing, 34 percent; frequent checking, 21.8 percent; and culling, 19.6 percent.
Source: AFBF: Executive Newswatch; May 19, 2006
New college major: 'Renewable Energy'
Illinois State University is proposing the nation's first degree program in renewable energy to meet the increasing demand for workers in this field. It will train future specialists in wind and solar energy as well as production of liquid and solid fuels from biomass. They hope to finalize the curriculum by the fall of 2007.
Source: Doane's Agricultural Report; Vol. 69, No. 22-1; June 2, 2006
Prospects shaky for discounted crop insurance
The House killed funding for the discounted crop insurance program for 2007 and 2008, but the battle isn't over. Crop1, the only company approved by USDA to offer discounted premiums, is trying to get the Senate to include funds for the program when it takes up the agriculture appropriations bill this summer. Nonetheless, prospects for continuing the
program appear shaky at best.
Source: Doane's Agricultural Report; Vol. 69, No. 22-1; June 2, 2006
Wanted: Large animal vets!
Research just completed by Kansas State University projects that unless more young people choose food-animal veterinary medicine as a career, demand will outstrip supply by 4 to 5 percent per year until 2016.
Source: Doane's Agricultural Report; Vol. 69, No. 22-1; June 2, 2006
New biofuel to complement ethanol
Biobutanol, a new biofuel that can be made from a variety of crops including corn, wheat, sugar beets, sugar cane and sorghum, will be introduced to the marketplace through a joint venture of BP and DuPont. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of DuPont, will play a role in the venture, which will develop, produce and market a next generation of biofuels with the goal of helping meet increasing global demand for renewable transport fuels.
BP and DuPont researchers have been working together since 2003 to develop advanced biofuels with properties that can help overcome the limitations of existing biofuels. Biobutanol is produced using a fermentation process very similar to that of ethanol.
The new biofuel is intended to complement and improve on ethanol, rather than compete with it, according to Pioneer's CEO Dean Oestreich, who described the new initiative as "good news for agriculture and for society as a whole." An initial roll-out of biobutanol is planned for 2007 in the United Kingdom.
Source: AFBF: Executive Newswatch, June 20, 2006
Organic milk sales increase
U.S. organic milk sales jumped to $1.075 billion in 2005. That's a 25 percent increase over 2004, according to the Organic Trade Association.
Source: AFBF: Executive Newswatch, June 20, 2006
