This E85/blender pump is one of approximately 60 in Nebraska to offer the renewable fuel, ethanol. This station will offer unleaded, E10 and other mid-level ethanol blends including E85 and diesel. Trotter Service in Arcadia is a full service station. To find a list of retailers that offer E85 and other mid-level ethanol blends visit the Nebraska Ethanol Board website at www.ne-ethanol.org or check the Nebraska Corn Board website at www.nebraskacorn.org.

Over 117,000 Nebraska motorists currently own a flexible fuel vehicle which can run on any blend of ethanol and gasoline, up to E85. To confirm if a vehicle is flex fuel, drivers can check their owner’s manual, their gas cap, look for the flex fuel emblem on their vehicle or visit the website www.ne-ethanol.org/e85.

“E85 is cleaner than gas, it’s produced right here in Nebraska and more and more vehicles can use it every day,” said Todd Sneller, Nebraska Ethanol Board’s Administrator. “When flex fuel drivers fill up on E85, they’re strengthening Nebraska’s economy, making our country more energy independent and going easier on the environment,” Sneller said.

“Giving consumers a choice is also another benefit. This new blender pump will offer flex fuel vehicle owners a fuel choice based on price, performance, and availability,” said Kim Clark, Ag Program Manager with the Nebraska Corn Board.

Sign up for the Nebraska Ethanol Board’s FFV club for updates of new E85 locations and other announcements. Go to www.ne-ethanol.org/ffv to sign up now.

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Established in 1971, the Nebraska Ethanol Board assists ethanol producers with programs and strategies for marketing ethanol and related co-products. The Board supports organizations and policies that advocate the increased use of ethanol fuels and administers public information, education, and ethanol-focused research projects. The Board also assists companies and organizations in the development of ethanol production facilities in Nebraska. For more information, please visit
www.ne-ethanol.org.

The Nebraska Corn Board is a self-help program, funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest in the program at a rate of ¼ of a cent per bushel of corn sold. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education.

The Board will address regular board business. The meeting is open to the public. A copy of the agenda is available by writing the Nebraska Corn Board, PO Box 95107, Lincoln, NE 68509, or calling either 402/471-2676 or 800-NECORN1.

The Nebraska Corn Board is a self-help program, funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest in the program at a rate of ¼ of a cent per bushel of corn sold. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education.

“This is a great victory for Nebraska’s ethanol and corn industries and Nebraska’s economy as a whole,” said Tim Scheer, farmer director from St. Paul and vice chairman of the Nebraska Corn Board. “This judgment will mean that the largest fuel market in the US will continue to be open to the benefits of corn ethanol produced right here in Nebraska and the Midwest.”

The low carbon fuel standard that had been in effect since April of last year had the goal of reducing green house gas emissions from transportation fuels by 10 percent by 2020. While this was as admirable goal, it had many flaws including penalizing Midwest produced corn ethanol in favor of California ethanol. “This is what the Judge ultimately struck down in his ruling,” said Kelly Brunkhorst, director of research for the Nebraska Corn Board.

The judgment also prohibits the enforcement of the low carbon fuel standard while the litigation or possible appeal is ongoing.

With twenty-five plants operating and producing nearly 2 billion gallons of ethanol in Nebraska, California’s 15 billion gallon transportation fuel market was an important destination for Nebraska. “If we would have been shut out of that key market, it would have been devastating to Nebraska and other mid-western states,” added Brunkhorst.

The original lawsuit challenging California’s low carbon fuel standard was filed in the Eastern District Court of California by the Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Redwood County Minnesota Corn and Soybean Growers, and Penny Newman Grain against the California Air Resources Board in December of 2009. The suit was filed on the basis of conflicting with Federal law, interfering with interstate commerce and discriminating against out-of-state ethanol producers and importers.

The Nebraska Corn Board thanks the Nebraska Attorney General’s office and five other state attorney generals for filing an Amicus Brief in support of the lawsuit. “The filing of the brief, along with the collaboration from five other corn ethanol producing states, showed great support in the discrimination we saw in the standard,” concluded Scheer.

The Nebraska Corn Board is a self-help program, funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest in the program at a rate of 1/4 of a cent per bushel of corn sold. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education.

{Click image for hi-res version.} The Nebraska Corn Board’s Kelly Brunkhorst discusses U.S. corn supply and demand with representatives while in Japan as part of the U.S. Grains Council’s 2011 Corn Mission.

LINCOLN, NE – Tell your children to stay in agriculture because demand for U.S. farm products will continue. That was the overriding message members of the 2011 U.S. Grains Council’s Corn Leadership mission heard while visiting China, Japan and Vietnam earlier this month.

“Discussions with the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office in Guangzhou, China, led us to the conclusion that strong demand for a number of U.S. farm products will continue,” said Kelly Brunkhorst, director of research for the Nebraska Corn Board and a member of the Corn Mission.

“In addition, the general consultant went on to describe United States agriculture trade opportunities with China as ‘immense,’” he said. “Such opportunities for trade provide a great outlook for U.S. farmers.”

During the 10-day mission to Southeast Asia, the group visited the southern China city of Guangzhou. Located in the Pearl River Basin on the South China Sea, Guangzhou is the largest feed manufacturing center in China. With a population estimated at nearly 15 million and average income of $16,800, its rapidly growing middle class consumes the most meat protein in China.

{Click image for hi-res version.} Those on the U.S.Grains Council's 2011 Corn Mission to Japan, China and Vietnam learn about China's rapidly expanding pork production while visiting the Guangzhou Lizhi Agricltural Co., swine operation.

“China is very sensitive to food security issues and stability is job one for the government,” said Jorge Sanchez, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Trade Office in Guangzhou. “The government wants to keep farmland producing food and China has the ‘invisible boot’ that pushes farmers to produce, but the government also knows there never will be nearly enough land to meet demand and I don’t see yields growing or more farmers going into production.”

In the past, China supplied corn to other Southeast Asian countries but that changed in 2010 when the country became a net corn importer. For the coming marketing year, China is expected to import nearly 3 million metric tons of U.S. corn, making it the fastest growing, and second largest, U.S. corn customer. Sanchez said Chinese corn imports could grow to between 4 million and 10 million metric tons annually. However, policy and infrastructure issues pose potential threats to this business.

For example, inconsistent biotechnology policy and a lack of asynchronous approval for new U.S. biotech events is a potential issue U.S. corn growers are watching in China. Sanchez stressed the importance of relationship building on the issue to avert cargo rejections. His office is working through social media in China to proactively build consumer confidence in biotechnology.

Those on the mission also spent time in Japan and Vietnam, assessing corn markets first hand and meeting with grain buyers, end users and government officials.

While in Japan, the team met with officials at the Kushiro Port in Hokkaido. Port officials detailed plans to expand the port’s capacity to accommodate larger vessels. Kushiro is the largest port facility in the heart of Japan’s major dairy producing area.

“This construction ensures Japan will be able to take advantage of larger ships that will be able to move through the Panama Canal, which is being expanded,” Brunkhorst said. “It shows that our foreign buyers are investing in grain handling infrastructure, and the importance of infrastructure in general.”

Brunkhorst said those they met with in Vietnam made it clear the country is working to be more self-sufficient in terms of meat protein. “They are expanding their livestock operations as a result,” he said, “and that provides opportunities for feed grains and related co-products.”

Photos and videotaped interviews with mission members are posted on the U.S. Grains Council Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usgc.

The Nebraska Corn Board is a self-help program, funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest in the program at a rate of 1/4 of a cent per bushel of corn sold. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education.

(Click the image to download a hi-res version.) Shown here is the U.S. Meat Export Federation officer team for 2011-12. They are (from left) secretary/treasurer Leann Saunders, president of IMI Global, Inc., of Castle Rock, Colo.; chair-elect Steve Isaf, president of Interra International, Atlanta, Ga.; vice-chair Mark Jagels, a farmer-director of the Nebraska Corn Board from Davenport, Neb., and chair Danita Rodibaugh, a pork producer from Rensselaer, Ind.

LINCOLN, NEB – Nebraska Corn Board member Mark Jagels, a farmer from Davenport, was elected vice-chair of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) at the organization’s recent annual conference in Tucson, Ariz. Jagels served as USMEF secretary/treasurer over the previous year.

“I had a great experience over this past year as an officer for USMEF and am looking forward to continuing to serve,” said Jagels, a fourth generation farmer who lives on the home place that was originally homesteaded in 1885.

“USMEF strives to open markets around the world and increase sales of U.S. pork and beef in those markets,” Jagels said. “Its work is important to the success of Nebraska beef and pork producers, as every pound of meat exported adds value to cattle and hogs. That, in turn, helps ensure good demand for Nebraska corn and distillers grains to be fed to those livestock.”

According to USMEF estimates, so far this year the export value of beef equates to more than $200 per head of each steer and heifer processed. For pork, the export value is $55 for each hog processed.

Jagels farms with his dad, raising corn and soybeans, feeding cattle and running a cow/calf operation. Before being elected an officer last year, Jagels served as a member of the USMEF executive committee representing feed grains, and has co-chaired USMEF’s Feed Grains & Oilseed Committee.

“Mark took his personal interest in expanding U.S. beef and pork exports and looked to be the Nebraska Corn Board’s representative with USMEF several years ago. He’s done an excellent job representing Nebraska producers and producers across the country,” said Don Hutchens, executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board. “A year ago, he became the first Nebraska Corn Board member to serve as an officer on USMEF’s board in 24 years, and we’re glad he has taken on a new role this year.”

The Nebraska Corn Board so strongly believes in USMEF’s mission that it has supported the organization with corn checkoff dollars since USMEF was founded in 1979.

“Nebraska farmers recognized early on the importance of meat exports to the success of the livestock industry and how that impacts the demand for feed corn and the feed ingredient distillers grains,” Jagels said. “When you consider that 95 percent of the world’s population lives outside the United States, and the fact that U.S. producers are so skilled in what they do, it makes sense to look to other countries and grow markets. It’s how we’ll be successful long-term.”

Other officers elected to the USMEF board include Danita Rodibaugh, a pork producer from Rensselaer, Ind., who was chosen as chair; Steve Isaf, president of Interra International, Atlanta, Ga., who was chosen as chair-elect, and Leann Saunders, president of IMI Global, Inc., of Castle Rock, Colo., who was chosen as secretary-treasurer.

The Nebraska Corn Board is a self-help program, funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest in the program at a rate of 1/4 of a cent per bushel of corn sold. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education.

According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office, harvest is nearly complete. Corn harvest was at 87 percent complete, which is one week behind last year’s 93 percent complete but fifteen days ahead of the 66 average. Harvest is mostly completed in the eastern half of the state but only halfway completed in the western part of the state.

Precipitation in the form of rain and snow did slow field operations over the last week but strong winds aided in drying field conditions. Producers that have finished harvest are now in the fields doing fall field work, which includes tillage and applying anhydrous ammonia. Soil temperatures ranged from the low 40’s in the panhandle to the upper 40’s in the eastern part of the state.

Temperatures for the week averaged 2 degrees below normal for most of the state but fell to 5 degrees below normal in the Panhandle. High temperatures reached the mid 70’s and lows dipped into the low teens in the western half of the state. Precipitation for the week was in both form of snow and rain. Snow fell in the western part of the state but very little accumulation was reported. Rain fell in the south and southeast part of the state on Thursday with less than one inch of rainfall being recorded.

The following photographs below were taken by the Howells/Clarkson FFA Chapter, representing district four. We would like to thank all of the FFA Chapters that participated in this year’s Crop Progress Report. You can see more crop progress photos on our online photo album.

Ag Facts:
• Ethanol that is made from corn burns cleaner in automobiles and also doesn’t pollute water resources.
• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is the same type of sweetener as regular sugar but instead comes from corn.
• Corn producers produce an average of 9,000 pounds of corn per acre in the U.S.

The initiative, which wrapped up this year, allowed an advisory committee to work with university researchers to more quickly identify research projects that would benefit cattle producers. The Nebraska Corn Board then provided funding for the projects. This reduced the lag time between research projects and doubled the amount of research conducted during the initiative.

“We were very pleased with how everything came together, as it allowed the corn checkoff to fund key research and more quickly advance the understanding of feeding distillers grains to cattle,” said Kelly Brunkhorst, director of research for the Nebraska Corn Board. “While this initiative has ended, the Nebraska Corn Board continues to fund research and further expand our knowledge and understanding of feeding distillers grains to cattle. We believe distillers grains, which are produced by ethanol plants, give Nebraska cattle producers a tremendous advantage in the marketplace, so the more we know the better.”

Some of the key results for feedlot cattle include:

• Drying distillers grains increases production cost, greenhouse gas emissions and does not have as positive an impact on cattle performance compared to using wet distillers grains. Modified distillers grains, meanwhile, is intermediate to wet and dry distillers grains. Understanding this has huge implications for Nebraska as Nebraska cattle producers can utilize wet distillers grains due to the proximity of corn, cattle and ethanol plants. “The research provided excellent results on comparing these types of distillers grains,” said Galen Erickson, a beef feedlot specialist with the University of Nebraska.

• A rumen degradable sulfur concept was established and better explains hydrogen sulfide production, which can cause the polio observed with high sulfur diets from distillers grains feeding. “Based on metabolism work on sulfur funded through the research initiative, we have degradabilities for different distillers grains, and hydrogen sulfide production in different feedlot diets containing distillers,” said Erickson. “Likewise, we have recommendations on polio incidence as dietary sulfur and rumen degradable sulfur increase in feedlot diets.”

Some of the key results for cattle on forage include:

• The energy value of distillers grains in forage based-diets was relatively unknown and a major need by the industry. “Thanks to research conducted through the initiative, this is now known and is well established,” said Aaron Stalker, a beef range specialist with the university. The comparison was also made to other major energy supplements in forage diets, such as corn.

• Research also found that replacing nitrogen fertilizer by supplementing distillers grains to grazing cattle will have major implications and has been effective in intensely grazed pastures. “Plus, supplemented cattle have greater removal of nitrogen, from supplement compared to fertilizer, and perform better,” Terry Klopfenstein, professor of animal science added.

While many important strides were made over the last three years, the Nebraska Corn Board recognizes that additional research needs remain when it comes to distillers grains.

“Ethanol production technology continues to advance,” Brunkhorst said.

For example, some ethanol plants are extracting corn oil for other uses and that changes the distillers grains. “We need to understand that and devote resources to additional research,” Brunkhorst said, “but we have limitations simply because our budget is limited by what is available via the corn checkoff, which is the lowest of all leading corn states.”

The Nebraska Corn Board is a self-help program, funded and managed by Nebraska corn farmers. Producers invest in the program at a rate of 1/4 of a cent per bushel of corn sold. Nebraska corn checkoff funds are invested in programs of market development, research and education.

NCB Offers Corn Harvest Ride-a-Longs to Senators To better understand today’s modern technology and efficiency, the Nebraska Corn Board offered State Senators an opportunity to ride along in a combine with a local producer. During the ride-a-longs, Senators where able to gain insight into this year’s corn crop, how producers are harvesting more with fewer inputs, and discuss the value of the corn industry to the economy of Nebraska.

NCB Ribeye or Buckeye Promotes Corn-Fed Beef Prior to the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Ohio State football game, the Nebraska Corn Board served up bites of ribeye to promote Nebraska’s corn-fed beef industry. The promotion also provided the opportunity to bring continued awareness of Nebraska’s Sustaining Innovation campaign highlighting Nebraska’s corn farmers and their ability to produce more with less. The promotion was also sponsored by Cargill and Skeeter Barnes.

NCB Attends Meeting on E15 The Nebraska Corn Board, represented by Kim Clark, ag program manager, attended a recent meeting on E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol. E15 was approved by EPA for vehicles 2001 and newer. The meeting discussed the upcoming roll out of E15 and the various Federal requirements that are being addressed. Regular meetings will be held in the future to assist states in understanding state requirements and making available E15 to consumers.

Kernels of Truth…

• Nebraska’s 2011 corn production has an estimated farm gate value of over $9 billion.
• Read harvest updates via the Nebraska Corn Board’s Crop Progress at www.nebraskacorn.org.

According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office, corn harvest has reached the half way point. Freezing temperatures in many areas across the state ended the growing season and promoted the dry down of crops that still need to be harvested. In certain locations, field work has begun on harvested fields.

Temperatures for the last week averaged seven degrees below normal resulting in the first hard freeze of the year. Temperatures reached into the 70’s and lows were reported in the lower 20’s. Very little rain fell throughout the past week resulting in accumulations less than a quarter of an inch in many locations.

The state’s corn conditions rated 78 percent good to excellent, near 75 percent good to excellent last week. Irrigated corn conditions rated 78 percent good to excellent and dryland corn rated 74. A majority of the corn has reached maturity, with rating of 97 percent, which is below last year’s average but ahead of the 94 average for most years. Corn harvest was at 49 percent, well behind 71 percent completed last year but ahead of the 39 average for most years.

The following photographs were taken by Nebraska FFA Chapters, each representing the eight districts of the Nebraska Corn Board. They show the crop progress in each area and illustrate the differences in progress across Nebraska. See more photos on our online photo album.

Ag Facts:
• An average ear of corn has 800 kernels in 16 rows.
• Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota account for 50 percent of the corn grown in the U.S.
• The U.S. farmer today feeds 155 people.

 

Curt Friesen, from Henderson, NE, discusses how technology has changed over the years. He mentioned that his father used to harvest corn with horses and now uses GPS and state-of-the-art equipment. Curt said he has seen an immense improvement in technology in the last 30 years and wonders what the next 30 years hold!

You can watch this video by either clicking below, or by going to our Youtube channel!