February 11, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

• CSU Corn Performance Trial Results Available
• Reduced Ethanol Demand Drives Corn Ending Stocks Lower
• Holding the Line Against Mexico’s Decree: NCGA’s Capitol Hill Briefing
• Retail Promotions Raise Awareness of U.S. Pork in Central America
• UNL Conducting Cutworm Survey
• NRCS in CO Announces NEW Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easement (ACEP-ALE) Application Signup Cut-off Date
• History Colorado’s Centennial Farms & Ranches Application Now Open

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at the High Plains No-Till Conference! It was great to talk to producers.

CSU Corn Performance Trial Results Available

The Colorado State University Crops Testing Program has the corn-hybrid performance trial results posted online for corn producers to access and use to make planting decisions for 2023. The full fall 2022 single-location results tables are available on our corn page here at www.csucrops.com/corn. 

Producers looking to increase yield and decrease risk will want to plant the best possible corn hybrids for top yields next summer. Corn farmers will have first-hand information on current and new hybrids, their resistance to drought and tolerance to pests/diseases.

Reduced Ethanol Demand Drives Corn Ending Stocks Lower

Projected corn ethanol use for the 2022/23 marketing year declined by 25 million bushels from last month, according to this week’s UDSA World Agriculture Supply & Demand Estimates report. As the only change on the supply or demand side of the corn balance sheet, it resulted in a corresponding increase of 25 million bushels in projected corn ending stocks for the current marketing year.

Despite a return to the post-COVID normal in 2022, fuel ethanol produced using corn trailed the years leading up to the 2020 COVID disruptions. From 2017 to 2019, the average annual fuel ethanol production was 15.9 billion gallons, calculated using data from the U.S Energy Information Administration (EIA). After dropping to 13.9 billion gallons in 2020 and recovering to 15.0 billion gallons in 2021, production in 2022 was 15.4 billion gallons. This is 88% of the 17.4 billion gallon per year total of U.S. ethanol production capacity.

Read more...

Holding the Line Against Mexico’s Decree: NCGA’s Capitol Hill Briefing

A major disruption to the market for U.S. corn is set to take effect in one year, as a decree by Mexico’s President would ban the import of GMO corn effective January 31, 2024.

Historically, Mexico is the number one market for U.S. corn, and so it should surprise no one that the NCGA has been active in pushing back, with strong support from the Biden administration in Washington.

NCGA is urging the administration to hold the line and file a dispute settlement under the USMCA to hold Mexico accountable to their obligations under that trade agreement.

Read more...

Retail Promotions Raise Awareness of U.S. Pork in Central America

To capitalize on the Central American region’s passion for the FIFA World Cup, USMEF implemented a soccer-themed promotion with several supermarket chains to grow consumer awareness of U.S. pork’s availability in the retail sector.

USMEF partnered with 22 outlets of supermarket chains Walmart, Supermercado La Torre, Super Fresh, Automercado and Riba Smith in month-long promotions in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama. Those who purchased U.S. pork during the promotion earned a spin at a prize wheel that included soccer bags, backpacks, soccer balls and anti-stress balls.

Read more...

UNL Conducting Cutworm Survey

The University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center Entomology lab is conducting a survey about producer needs/perceptions/practices regarding the control of the Western bean cutworm in dry bean and/or corn.  

Your answers to their survey will help direct future extension and research efforts. 

Participants may be entered to win one of twenty $100 Amazon gift cards.  (only one response per operation, please).

Take the Survey 

NRCS in CO Announces NEW Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easement (ACEP-ALE) Application Signup Cut-off Date

Colorado Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist, Clint Evans, announced the 2023 application cut-off dates for eligible entities to participate in the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easement (ACEP-ALE) in Colorado. There is one signup offered for complete and eligible applications to compete for available funding. Application packages are due on Friday, February 17, 2023, by 4:00 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST) for funding.  Ranking pools offered for parcel applications are General, Grasslands of Special Significance (GSS), GSS Gunnison Sage Grouse, GSS Greater Sage Grouse, and General Urban Agriculture.

For more information about ACEP-ALE, please contact Laura Trimboli at 970-403-6379 or laura.trimboli@usda.gov. You can also visit your local NRCS at your nearest USDA Service Center or visit the Colorado NRCS ACEP website.

History Colorado’s Centennial Farms & Ranches Application Now Open

The 2023 applications for Colorado's Centennial Farms & Ranches program have been opened. Centennial Farms & Ranches program, a joint initiative of History Colorado and the Colorado Department of Agriculture, honors the contributions of the state’s ranching and farming families who have withstood the pressures of growth, changes in farming methods, drought, and economic conditions to preserve important pieces of our state's commercial and cultural history.

In 2022, the Centennial Farms & Ranches program was expanded to recognize four categories of honorees associated with the agricultural history of the State of Colorado:

• Centennial Farms or Ranches – farms or ranches that have belonged to the same family for at least 100 years, and are currently working farms or ranches
• Centennial Families – families with agricultural experience in Colorado that spans 100 or more years (eg. 1923-present), not necessarily as landowners
• Centennial Farmers or Ranchers – individuals 100 years of age or older who have spent a majority of their life in agricultural pursuits within the State of Colorado, even if they were not landowners
• Centennial AgriBusiness – organizations or businesses that have been in operation for 100 or more years and primarily serve the agricultural community in Colorado (examples: seed companies, farm implement manufacturers, Farm Bureaus, etc.)

The expansion of the Centennial Farms and Ranches program allows for a more equitable celebration of the diverse farming and ranching families who sustain the Centennial State. Broadening this program provides a chance to celebrate the contribution and accomplishments of Coloradans who did not historically have the opportunity to own property–whether for economic, political, or discriminatory reasons.

To earn recognition within the Centennial Farms and Ranches Programs, applicants must submit an application and provide verification of eligibility. A complete list of eligibility requirements can be found in the 2023 Centennial Farms & Ranches Application.

Awardees will be honored for their perseverance and resilience through the changing times at the Colorado State Fair, held every August in Pueblo, CO.

The deadline for applications is May 1, 2023. To apply or learn more, please visit h-co.org/CentennialFarms or call (303) 866-3392.

UPCOMING DEADLINES

• ACEP-ALE - February 17, 2023
• Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) Programs – March 15, 2023

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 18-24

• National FFA Week

February 23

• Colorado Ag Forum
• Colorado Ag Hall of Fame Banquet