USDA’s Handling of GT Alfalfa is Bigger Than Roundup®: The Future of R-I-B and Other Seed Technologies Are Threatened
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), for the first time in history, is considering placing limits on where, when and how glyphosate-tolerant (GT) alfalfa can be planted. At first glance, once might dismiss this by saying, “Roundup Ready Alfalfa would only be planted on a small number of acres. It’s not that big of a deal.”
It is a big deal, however, when you consider the precedent this would set for other biotechnology-derived crops. In 2009, there were 158 million acres of biotech crops planted in the United States, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications.
For 25 years, the United States regulatory system for biotechnology has been the world leader based on a consistent, science-based decision-making process. We must act now to ensure the regulatory status of GT-alfalfa does not threaten the U.S.’ status as a world leader in agriculture.
Science, not politics, should be the driving factor in the USDA’s handling of GT-alfalfa. Perhaps the Wall Street Journal, in a Review and Outlook piece published Dec. 27, 2010, stated it best when it printed:
“While it may not be one of the major biotech crops, alfalfa is a regulatory test that could open the gate for similarly politically driven negotiations on non-organic crops from sugar beets to soybeans. If nonscience criteria are introduced as considerations for allowing the sale of biotech crops, the effect would be disastrous for the USDA’s regulatory reputation.We hope Secretary Vilsack makes his decision based on science, not politics.”
A few weeks ago, I talked about what I would include on my list for New Year’s Resolutions if I were a full-time farmer wanting to raise 300-bushel corn. This week I want share what tops my list for “increasing bushels per acre” specifically for soybeans.
Following are keys to achieving higher yields in soybeans:
Variety Selection: In my opinion, this is THE most important factor to achieving higher soybean yields. Farmers need to manage a number of stress factors: disease, insects, Soybean Cyst Nematodes, etc. Fortunately, many of these stress factors can be managed through careful variety selection. I include insects because even the Soybean Aphid can now be managed with Aphid-Resistant soybean cultivars. In the past, too many decisions have been based on cost per bag and the size of the seed in the bag. Those two factors won’t add a single bushel to your overall yield. Getting to know your local Latham Sales Representative coupled with the Latham Seed-2-Soil program will help farmers determine the best varieties to place in their fields giving them the best possible chance to achieve high yield goals.
Early planting: Soybeans are a light-sensitive crop, so yields are strongly influenced by the amount of solar radiation the crop receives throughout the growing season. It stands to reason that the earlier-planted crop will have more potential for yield since it will have greater access to sunlight. However, there are risks associated with early planting. Farmers must be careful to protect early-planted soybeans from seedling diseases and insects. We recommend the use of seed treatments containing either a fungicide or a fungicide-insecticide combination. Our SoyShield™ brand seed treatments are an excellent choice to help with this.
Weed Management: Soybeans are very sensitive to early season competition from grass and broadleaf weeds. Using a weed control program that includes a pre-emergence herbicide and a post-applied product will reduce the stress from weed pressure and allow for early canopy closure. An early complete canopy is important to intercept as much sunlight as possible throughout the growing season.
Narrow Row Spacing: Again, getting back to the theory that enhanced yields are tied directly to the amount of light that can be intercepted by the soybean crop, then narrow row spacings will help greatly in closing the canopy and allowing for increased light interception. I strongly recommend that farmers take a look at row spacings in the 15 – 20 inch range. Over many years of field observations, this seems to be the range that affords the greatest amount of yield potential while also mitigating risks associated with drilled soybeans in the 7 – 10 inch range.
Soil Fertility: When striving for higher yields, soybean farmers need to ensure they have the available soil nutrients to achieve those yields or else all their careful planning and cultural practices will be for naught. Again, the Latham Seed-2-Soil program is invaluable in helping farmers achieve these goals. Soil sampling, field mapping and nutrient recommendations are just three of the many benefits members of this exclusive club can take advantage of.
Soybean Cyst Nematode:SCN is the number one pest of soybean fields in the United States. You really can’t even begin to think about raising 80 bu/A or even 60 bu/A soybeans until you know exactly where your SCN populations are in each field. Nematodes tend to cause the most damage in drier years where soil moisture is lacking and plants are already under severe stress. We haven’t had one of these years lately, and my fear is that many farmers will forget about managing their fields for SCN. Here again, soil sampling and careful variety selection are critical.
Crop Rotation: Many will argue this comment, but in my opinion, the corn-soybean crop rotation is still the most profitable practice for farmers over time. The long-term benefits of this rotation far outweigh the short-term successes of corn-on-corn or even beans-on-beans.
Scouting: Scouting your fields at least once a week is crucial. There will be times during the year when once a week isn’t often enough, and you might find yourself scouting fields every other day! Our Latham Seed-2-Soil experts can help in this aspect by giving advice on scouting techniques and procedures.
Inoculants: If soybeans haven’t been grown in a field for 4 or 5 years or if the soil is sandy, then inoculating the soybean seed should be seriously considered. Most fields in the Upper Midwest won’t require inoculants if they have been part of a corn-soybean rotation. Here again, scouting your fields and digging up plants to assure proper nodulation is crucial for achieving top-end yields.
Cold, winter days like those we’ve been experiencing lately make me especially thankful that I no longer have to trek across Iowa State University’s campus to attend class like I did last winter! It was on one of those bitterly cold days, when we were frozen after walking across campus all day, that my roommate made this recipe for taco soup. Being the classic college students that we were, our grocery supply was stretched over multiple weeks. Fortunately, we were both Ag students and our families made sure we had home-grown meat in the freezer and home-made salsa in the pantry. Ajá! We had everything needed to mix up Taco Soup – what a perfect way to warm up!
My roomie, Chelsea Ewen, actually concocted the original recipe when she was trying to come up with a prize-winning entry for a soup cook-off in her hometown. I’d say this one was a winner!
Now that I’m married, I make this recipe for my husband and he absolutely loves it. He works hard and has the appetite to match it, so it’s nice that it makes a big batch. This soup freezes well, so you can save the leftovers for another day if you don’t have someone around like my husband to make sure you don’t have leftovers!
Taco Soup can be made with any type of meat, but we’re beef producers ourselves and always make it with our home-grown beef. I love that it is so easy to make but also leaves room for interpretation as to what ingredients would make the “perfect taco” soup for you. Plus, it’s just so easy to make. You throw all the ingredients together in the crock pot in the morning and enjoy a hearty bowl of soup at the day’s end.
As chairman of the Corn & Sorghum Committee, we’re excited to say that this year’s convention was a huge success, setting the record for attendance, as well as for exhibitors. There were 116 exhibitors ranging from bag and treatment suppliers to robot manufacturers to software companies. In addition to the Seed Expo, the convention featured three days of educational sessions covering a multitude of topics from breeding for biofuels to plant composition and trait development.
Refuge-in-a-bag (RIB) products were a hot topic. Both farmers and seed companies alike are excited about new RIB products. As with anything brand new, however, there are still a lot of issues that must be dealt with behind the scenes. Fortunately, the seed industry works together better than most industries. We’ll work together to find the best ways to put RIB products into the bag and get the seed into the field.
The conference reinforced that the future of the seed industry is very promising, as it will play a vital role in helping feed a growing world population. Biotechnology must be used to help keep up with the growing demand, and there is a tremendous amount of new biotech traits that continue to hit the market every year. Because there are so many new products on the market, it’s our job as an independent seed company to help find those that offer the highest value for our customers.
Overall, CSS 2010 was a huge success. It’s a great honor to serve as chairman of the Corn & Sorghum Division and to sit on the board of directors of the American Seed Trade Association.
Click here to read about the conference in ASTA News.
ROUNDUP® READY ALFALFA COULD SET PRECEDENT FOR MAJOR CROPS, LIKE SOYBEANS
While most Americans were preoccupied with holiday preparations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Dec. 16, 2010, released its final environmental impact statement (EIS) outlining potential environmental effects of deregulating alfalfa that is resistant to glyphosate, a.k.a. Roundup® herbicide.
An editorial on Dec. 27, 2010, by the Wall Street Journal, stated:
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has invited activists and biotech critics to shape the agency’s regulatory decision on a biotech product. If the precedent stands, it could permanently politicize a system that is supposed to be based on science.
Sec. Vilsack is proposing to deregulate Roundup Ready alfalfa with “conditions” that include a mandatory minimum planting distance, so organic fields of alfalfa wouldn’t be contaminated. Approximately 20% of U.S. alfalfa acres would fall into the “no plant zones,” according to Idaho-based Forage Genetics.
Other critics have suggested that traditional farmers should accept liability for any contamination of organic crops. Just imagine the impact this could have on major biotech crops like soybeans! About 90% of U.S. soybean acres are planted to Roundup Ready varieties.
Those of us in ag states have been somewhat protected from the financial blow that has hit America. However, bad policy could turn our industry into a destructive tailspin. That’s why it’s imperative for agricultural groups to make their voices heard now as a final decision is expected as soon as Jan. 23.
Starting last Friday, ag industry professionals from around the world gathered in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center for the 2011 Ag Connect Expo. The expo provides a world-class international forum for agriculture industry professionals – bringing together the latest in equipment, technology and ideas.
This year, over 380 exhibitors will be present ranging from Trigger and Bullet, in celebration of Roy Roger’s 100th birthday, to Cabela’s. (Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have my photo with Roy Rogers and Trigger!) In addition to the exhibits, this year the expo is featuring more educational and networking events. The education breakout sessions provide content covering ways to increase productivity, business management tips and sustainability practices.
Attendees also have the option to attend a free session in the Innovations Theater, sponsored by Successful Farming. One session I would have loved to hear was “Telling Agriculture’s Story: The Role of Media in Agriculture Advocacy” presented by Jeff Caldwell of Successful Farming and others.
For more information about the 2011 Ag Connect Expo, click here. To stay up to date with expo happenings, visit Jeff Caldwell’s Ag Connect blog, here. And if you’re at the show, let us know what’s going on by using the official Ag Connect hashtag on Twitter, #AgConnect, with all your tweets.
Reaching Consumers through Recipes: Debbie Lyons-Blythe, Mother, Blogger, Agvocate
Amazing.
It’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of Debbie Lyons-Blythe. She’s the mother of 5, an advocate for agriculture, blogger, and central Kansas cattle rancher. But that didn’t happen overnight.
Debbie Lyons-Blythe, Mother, Blogger, Agvocate
Growing up, Debbie’s mom ran their family’s Angus ranch while her dad worked in town. That tradition lives on: Debbie takes care of 500 cattle daily while her husband works in town but helps her in the evening or on weekends.
Debbie and her husband are the proud parents of 2 girls and 3 boys, who lend a hand on the ranch when they can: Meghan, 19; Allie, 17; Trent, 16; and identical twins, Tyler and Eric, age 15.
“I can’t say enough how blessed we are,” Debbie said. “Our kids are hard workers, and they love working on the ranch. They just finished building 2 miles of fence. But as we put it, they’re not building our fence – they’re building their fence.”
Helping ensure a future in agriculture for her children is one important reason why Debbie became involved in the agvocacy movement. She writes content on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts to help educate consumers about modern agriculture and how their food makes it from the farm to the table.
Debbie said while she loves connecting with others in agriculture through social media, her main goal is to connect with those who are buying groceries. She wants to educate them about their food choices, helping bridge the gap between the knowledge we often take for granted in rural America and the average consumers’ experiences.
“That’s where recipes blossomed into my blog,” Debbie said. In conjunction with the educational agriculture messages she shares on her blog, Debbie also posts recipes to help encourage consumer choices at the grocery store. She said she tries not to miss an opportunity where she can remind readers that being a part of modern agriculture requires constant attention and effort.
“I look at Facebook like it’s my job,” she said. “I don’t just post on Facebook that my children’s Christmas program is tonight. I say, ‘Gotta get the cows fed and bedding down before we go to the Christmas program tonight,’ to remind people that farming is a 24/7 job. I remind them that I can’t go anywhere, do anything, unless my cows are taken care of first.”
Debbie said being an agvocate doesn’t have to take an exorbitant amount of time or equipment.
“I think you can incorporate social media into everything you’re already doing in a day,” she said.
Debbie’s social media involvement started with drafting blog posts and sharing photos from her phone, and now, it’s become a regular part of her day. In the winter, when she comes inside to warm up with a cup of coffee, she brings it over to the computer and drafts a blog post. In the summer, when she’s bailing hay, she grabs her phone and Tweets to shares photos with her followers.
We couldn’t be more thankful that individuals like Debbie who are helping educate consumers about modern agriculture. A big thank you to Debbie for taking time from her (incredibly) busy schedule and for sharing this wonderful Beef Enchilada Soup Recipe with us. It’s easy to see why it’s one of her readers’ favorites! Visit Debbie’s blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts today!
Just when you thought the holidays were over, there’s yet another cause for celebration… National Bean Day on January 6! Since our company has a 64-year tradition of producing only the highest quality soybeans, we can’t let this one go unnoticed.
Let’s enjoy this day and have a little fun with it. Why not start by sending the above image greeting to all your friends and family? I’m sure they’ll get a good laugh out of it and just maybe they’ll join you
for a bowl full of beans. 😉 All you have to do is simply right-click on the image and then select “Email picture.”
You can’t truly celebrate National Bean Day without eating any beans, so here are some recipes I was recently given for Black & Tan Soybean Chili and Cuban Black Bean Soup, courtesy of Iowa’s SoyFoods Council. (Don’t get tripped up by the ingredients because cans of black and tan soybeans are available at Hy-Vee food stores.) Both recipes actually give us another reason to celebrate as January is National Soup Month.
“Soybeans are a simple way to add protein and fiber to your diet,” says Linda Funk, executive director of the SoyFoods Council. “Soy protein is so healthy for you. It’s low in fat and has no cholesterol, so try adding it to some of your favorite recipes!”
What’s your favorite way to enjoy soybeans?
Cuban Black Bean Soup
Yields 6
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
¼ cup diced green pepper
¼ cup diced celery
1 cup diced smoked ham
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15-oz.) cans black soybeans, not drained
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 pinches dried oregano
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In large saucepan over medium high heat, heat oil.
Add ham, onion, green pepper and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are almost tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook another minute.
Add all remaining ingredients.
Heat to boiling, then reduce to a simmer and cook 45 minutes. (If soup gets too thick, add more water or broth as needed.) If desired, add 1 to 2 pounds of browned ground beef or ground turkey when adding soybeans to chili mixture.
“Lose weight” once again topped the list of New Year’s resolutions made for 2011. While most Americans resolve to decrease their pant size, today we’re going to talk about ways we can increase your bottom… line, that is!
If I were a full-time farmer making New Year’s Resolutions for 2011, I’d list “increase bushels per acre” at the top of my list. Then I would resolve to:
1. Make better use of applied nitrogen fertilizers. Those serious about averaging 300 bu/A corn will need to change the way they apply nitrogen. They will need to manage their nutrients, probably split-applying nitrogen to achieve better utilization. There are many variables that go into the process for writing a variable rate nitrogen recommendation, but it all starts with the soil. That’s why Latham’s hallmark Seed2Soil® program is worth a second look for 2011.
2. Choose corn hybrids and soybean varieties that are right for my specific farming situation. Seed decisions shouldn’t be based strictly on price or “coffee-shop talk.” What works for your neighbor might not work for you. That’s why, at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, we take pride in working with our customers to help them choose hybrids and select soybeans that will maximize yields and increase profitability.
3. Embrace learning. Use the long, winter months to learn about new products, management techniques, equipment options, etc. Attend University Extension-sponsored training sessions and surf the Internet for new ideas and solutions. Not only is it a good way to make use of “down time” until spring arrives, but it might also help you fight cabin fever!
4. Focus more on marketing. More time is often spent trying to save a buck or two when purchasing seed rather than figuring out yield potential and value at harvest. For example, a unit of Roundup Ready 2 Soybeans from Latham cost $5 more than the RR1 varieties last year. Even a three-bushel increase netted (conservatively) $30 per acre more. Some of our customers saw a 15-bushel yield advantage from RR2 v. RR1. With $150 more revenue per acre, it doesn’t take long to justify the added $5 per unit in seed cost. That’s why it’s important to set market-based goals rather than focusing merely on seed input costs.
5. Determine the cost/benefit ratio. Take a closer look at the cost/benefit ratio from changing or improving just two things in your farming operation. Improvements could come in the way of equipment, management practices, information sources and herbicide programs. Maximizing ROI from the seed technologies planted in each field, as well as nutrient programs and production practices, is a benefit of the second tier of Latham’s Seed2Soil program, powered by SciMax.
The meetings are day-long sessions designed to give producers all the latest information to help make profitable decisions for the upcoming growing season. Each meeting features a general session on topics of interest to all producers in the particular area that the meeting is being held as well as a wide variety of topics, including: crops, pests, soil fertility and farm management. This year’s keynote presentation focuses on understanding Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in soybeans and SDS management options.
In addition, each location offers the opportunity for attendees to recertify their IDALS Private Pesticide Applicator’s license. Each meeting is also approved for continuing education credits.
For the 2011 Crop Advantage schedule and to register online, visit www.cropadvantage.org.
