Environmental Resource Management

Equipment Malfunction Causes Manure Spill in Ohio, Sparks Vital Lessons for Farmers

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 20:09:47 GMT

A farming equipment malfunction is the cause of a manure spill that turned a creek red in Wyandot County, Ohio, reports the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA).

According to Glen Arnold, field specialist and manure nutrient management systems professor at Ohio State University Extension, a part broke on the irrigation system that allowed the manure to flow into nearby Carey Creek, also known as Poverty Run. An alarm system should have indicated a problem did not work properly. Ohio EPA reports that the red color stemmed from a discharge of liquid manure that was pulled from an anaerobic manure lagoon on a nearby hog farm.

“As soon as it was discovered, the farmers shut the manure source off and took steps to pump the manure-contaminated water back out of the creek,” Arnold explains. “This time of the year in Ohio, we are at a minimum flow time. We haven’t had much rain, so the creeks wouldn’t have much water to carry manure downstream.”

An example of equipment being positioned to remove manure from a ditch.

(Glen Arnold)

This means the manure-contaminated water wouldn’t travel very far, he says.

Carey Creek is not a drinking water source, Ohio EPA reports. It flows into Tymochtee Creek then the Sandusky River.

Fortunately, no impacts to wildlife have been reported, Ohio EPA says. Cleanup is underway by a contractor hired by the farm. The farm is working closely with Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, and the Local Soil and Water District. Ohio EPA will continue to oversee cleanup until the issue is resolved.

Why Did the Water Turn Red?
Reports said the creek turned a light red to a pink color. Although this may seem odd to most people, for those who understand anerobic lagoons, this is anything but weird.

“That would be pretty standard for a manure lagoon,” Arnold says. “In lagoon situations, you’re hoping the bacteria will break down the solids that are in that manure pond or lagoon. You don’t generally pump it all the way out, you basically pump liquids off the top on a regular basis. Because of the bacteria that are working together to make that lagoon work as it should, the liquids generally have a red tint.”

For the most part, liquids are being pumped off the top of the manure pond or lagoon, he explains.

“It’s low-nutrient water – most of the high nutrients are down in the bottom,” Arnold says. “In that situation, that red tint that was in the manure pond then gets transferred into the creek. It’s not more toxic or more dangerous in any way, but that was the color of the original liquid manure.”

Ohio EPA reports this red tinted color is caused by purple sulfur bacteria commonly found in anaerobic manure lagoons. This color means the lagoon is working properly.

How Should You Handle a Manure Spill?
If a spill occurs, Arnold says the first thing producers should do is contact the local authorities. In Ohio, it’s generally the Soil and Water Conservation Service District, but some larger permitted farms can call the Ohio Department of Agriculture directly.

“Malfunctions happen,” Arnold points out. “Anytime a problem like this occurs, quick action is the best way to go. Get the situation mitigated as quickly as possible. Get the source stopped, get the creek or river dammed up, contain the spill, and then we can pump it back out.”

A manure tanker sucking up liquid manure from a emergency sump hole dug in a corn field.

(Glen Arnold)

He says it’s important to remember that you can’t rely 100% on technology at all times.

“You have to put eyes on the manure application process,” Arnold says. “You have to put eyes on the field tile. You’ve got to put eyes on surface ditches and be sure they’re not allowing the manure to escape from a field. It’s important producers give thought to their first line of defense and second line of defense to prevent these things from happening.”

After everything has been done to pump the water out, Arnold says the next step is to mitigate or improve the quality of the water through aerification.

“Aerification is where we shoot the water up in the air to let ammonia get out of the water, and to add oxygen to the water,” he says. “We can put bubblers in the water to bubble air into it to improve the water quality or add some additional water from a source like a fire truck or water tanker to get fresh water into the creek or ditch.”

He says this is important because manure contains ammonia, and ammonia will bind with the oxygen in the water, making it unavailable for fish, crawdads and other aquatic life.

“It’s always difficult once a manure spill has occurred to think clearly and follow a plan,” he says. “I would encourage producers to think through the steps they would take if a spill occurred. Who would you need to contact? Do you have their cell phones handy? What equipment would you need to get your hands on?”

Respect Authorities When a Manure Spill Occurs
It probably goes without saying, but it’s important to cooperate with the authorities when a spill occurs, Arnold adds.

“The agency people have a job to do,” he says. “I know how it feels – you are partly embarrassed because you’re the center of attention, and farmers rarely want to be the center of attention. You’re partly mad at the equipment that broke, or the unexpected clay tile that allowed the manure off the field that you didn’t know about in advance, or the fact that the neighbors are going to be watching you now.”

Manure being sucked from a ditch after a spill.

(Glen Arnold)

If you’ve got a solid track record and are upfront about what happened, the authorities will generally work with you to resolve it, Arnold says.

“But if someone shows a bad attitude or has a history of repeated manure escapes or spills, that’s a very different situation. The best thing you can do is demonstrate that you’re taking responsibility and making every effort to do the right thing.”

Tips for Smooth Manure Application
The old adage that ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ is true, especially when it comes to manure management.

“We don’t want to make mistakes when handling manure,” he says.

Although manure is an organic product that breaks down rapidly and does not last long in the environment, having a manure spill is disruptive, troublesome and costly.

Remember to look closely at fields this time of year before you apply manure, Arnold says.

A temporary dam built in a corn field to stop swine from manure escaping after an equipment pumping failure.

(Glen Arnold)

“Because of our clay content in our soil, we’re going to have a lot of cracks,” he says. “We use tillage to disrupt those preferential flows, the worm holes, the cracks in the soil, crawdad holes, and those types of things.”

He also urges producers to understand the tile structure in the field where manure is being applied. Check the weather forecast before applying manure, and of course, apply manure at the proper rate.

“Farmers live as close to their hog buildings as anyone in the community,” Arnold says. “The same groundwater and surface water that their families drink is the water we all depend on. Pork producers want to do right because they hope their children and grandchildren will remain on the land and be part of the farm’s future. Protecting water is not only about farming responsibly — it’s about safeguarding our own families and neighbors.”

Cheryl Day, Ohio Pork Council executive vice president, says producers are already doing a responsible job managing nutrients, but no one can afford complacency.

“Every decision we make on manure handling and application matters,” Day says. “One mistake can set back the progress our industry has made and risk both water quality and community trust. Stewardship isn’t optional — it’s our responsibility, and it must remain our highest priority.”

No one plans for a spill, but planning for the unexpected makes all the difference. Farmers who know their tile maps, watch the forecast, and have response plans ready are protecting more than their farms — they’re protecting their communities.

Trump Return Likely to Slow, Not Stop, U.S. Clean-energy Boom

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:10:45 GMT

Donald Trump’s return to the White House will refocus the nation’s energy policy onto maximizing oil and gas production and away from fighting climate change, but the Republican win in Tuesday’s presidential election is unlikely to dramatically slow the U.S. renewable energy boom.

Investor fears of a reversal under Trump sent clean-energy stocks down sharply on Wednesday. The MAC Global Solar Energy index was down 10% in midday trade, while shares of top renewable project developer and owner NextEra Energy slid 6.2%.

A Biden-era law providing a decade of lucrative subsidies for new solar, wind and other clean-energy projects would be near-impossible to repeal, however, thanks to support from Republican states, while other levers available to the next president would only have marginal impact, analysts say.

“I don’t think a Trump president can slow the transition,” said Ed Hirs, energy fellow at the University of Houston. “This is well under way.”

Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are the fastest-growing segments on the power grid, according to the Department of Energy, driven by federal tax credits, state renewable-energy mandates, and technology advancements that have lowered their costs.

President Joe Biden in 2022 signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act guaranteeing billions of dollars of solar and wind subsidies for another decade as part of his broader effort to decarbonize the power sector by 2035 to fight climate change.

Before the election, Trump slammed the IRA as being too expensive and promised to rescind all unspent funds allocated by the law - a threat that, if accomplished, could pour cold water over the U.S. clean energy boom. But dismantling the IRA would require lawmakers, including those whose states have benefited from IRA-related investments such as solar-panel factories, wind farms and other projects, to vote to repeal it.

“The jobs and the economic benefits have been so heavy in red states, it’s hard to see an administration come in that says, ‘we don’t like this,’” said Carl Fleming, a partner at law firm McDermott Will & Emery, who advised the Biden White House on renewable energy policy.

Many of Trump’s allies also benefit from the IRA through their investments in clean-energy technologies, Reuters has previously reported.

Fleming said Trump could, however, slow things down around the margins by hindering federal agencies that deliver IRA grants and loans, or by reducing federal leasing for things such as offshore wind.

“You could see a new administration come in and they can very quickly begin to cut budgets or restrict budgets or restrict the freedom of agencies to do certain things that are tied to funding,” he said. “But I think that’s a smaller subset of the larger renewables market that’s really relying on those, so I don’t think it would have a shocking effect.”

The Biden administration has rushed to ensure it spends the majority of available grant funding under the IRA before a new president arrives, Reuters has previously reported.

One way Trump could slow the transition is through executive action by changing public lands leasing, analysts said. The Biden administration had sought to expand lease auctions for offshore wind in federal waters, along with solar and wind on land.

“I think you would see more preference given to fossil-fuel extraction on public lands and waters,” said Tony Dutzik, associate director and senior policy analyst at Frontier Group, a non-profit sustainability think-tank.

That could have an outsized impact on the offshore-wind industry, which aims to site projects in federal waters. Most onshore solar and wind projects are located on private property, as is the vast majority of oil and gas drilling. Trump has said he intends to end the offshore-wind industry “on day one,” arguing it is too expensive and poses a threat to whales and seabirds, a dramatic policy reversal after his first administration supported offshore-wind development.

Bernstein Research said Trump is likely to enact a moratorium on new offshore-wind lease sales. Meanwhile, U.S. fossil-fuel production is likely to look much the same under Trump, experts said. The U.S. has already become the world’s largest oil and gas producer, under the watch of Biden, thanks to a drilling boom in fields such as the Permian Basin under Texas and New Mexico.

The production boom started under former President Barack Obama and has continued through the Trump and Biden presidencies. Even so, Trump’s campaign has sought to claim credit, saying his efforts to slash regulatory red tape during his 2017-2021 term paved the way, and arguing he could further expand U.S. fossil-fuel production in a second term by rolling back Biden’s climate initiatives.

“Presidents can make a lot of noise about plans for U.S. oil and gas, but ultimately it’s individuals and companies responding to prices of a global commodity that make the decisions on when to drill,” said Jesse Jones, head of North American upstream at Energy Aspects.

Dan Eberhart, Trump donor and CEO of oilfield-services company Canary, LLC, said he supports Trump’s encouragement of increased oil-and-gas drilling, saying it could further lower energy prices for businesses and consumers.

He added he would also welcome a move by Trump to once again withdraw the United States from international climate cooperation, like he did in his first term, arguing other big greenhouse-gas emitters were not doing enough.

“The Paris accord was aspirational and meaningless if China and India don’t participate,” he said, referring to a landmark U.N. deal in 2015 to limit global warming.

Denmark Will Be First to Impose Carbon Dioxide Tax on Livestock Emissions

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 18:40:06 GMT

Major pork and dairy exporter Denmark plans to introduce a tax on livestock carbon dioxide emissions from 2030. This would make Denmark the first to initiate a CO2 tax on agriculture. Reuters reports the government said it hopes to inspire others to follow.

The tax, first proposed in February by government-commissioned experts, is supposed to help Denmark reach a legally binding 2030 target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 70% from 1990 levels, the article said.

Late on Monday, the government reached a compromise with farmers, industry, labor unions and environmental groups on policy linked to farming, the country’s largest source of CO2 emissions.

Reuters reports that Taxation Minister Jeppe Bruus of the centre-left Social Democrats said, “We will be the first country in the world to introduce a real CO2 tax on agriculture. Other countries will be inspired by this.”

Political experts expect a bill to pass following the broad-based consensus, but it is still subject to approval by parliament.

The deal proposes a tax on farmers of 300 Danish crowns ($43.16) per metric ton of CO2 in 2030, increasing to 750 crowns by 2035.

In return, farmers will be entitled to an income tax deduction of 60%, meaning the actual cost per metric ton will start at 120 crowns and increase to 300 crowns by 2035, Reuters reports. Subsidies will be made available to support adjustments in farm operations.

Danish farmers had expressed concerns that the climate goals could force them to lower production and cut jobs, but Reuters said the farmers said the compromise makes it possible to maintain their business.

Earlier this month, New Zealand dismissed plans to introduce a similar tax after facing pushback from farmers.

What To Know From The Biden Administration's New Carbon Policy Statement

Thu, 30 May 2024 19:03:45 GMT

At the end of May, the Biden Administration published the Joint Policy Statement and Principles on Voluntary Carbon Markets . Farm CPA Paul Neiffer joined the AgriTalk podcast to break down the details of this 12-page document and what the ag industry needs to know.

According to Neiffer, part of the publication’s purpose is to steer companies toward more reliable methods of using carbon.

“You have these large, publicly traded companies that have been greenwashing. They’ve been trying to help the climate, so they go out and buy these credits that really aren’t very valid,” he says. “They’re trying to state the goals for these companies should not be to buy these carbon credits. Their goal really should be to fix their own carbon footprint in their own company and in their supply chain.”

Overall, he says the publication isn’t quite a policy, but more of a statement encouraging companies to clean up their supply chains.

When it comes to farmers, Neiffer believes the ag industry should begin focusing more on 45z tax credits and carbon intensity scores rather than carbon credits.

“It seems to be implying if you’ve already done a great job of reducing your carbon footprint, you’re not going to get a payment because you can’t really reduce your carbon footprint any further,” he says. “Whereas if you’re a farmer that maybe hasn’t done a great job [of reducing your carbon footprint], we’ll give you a payment because we can see in that case where we can reduce your footprint.”

For those who still intend to purchase carbon credits, the second half of the policy statement made an effort to create standards for program participation and make sure there is transparency, identification and documentation.

“They want to make sure it’s legit if you’re buying this carbon credit that you’re actually removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” Neiffer says.

To hear more from Neiffer, listen to this episode of AgriTalk.

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How To Align Environmental Metrics With Your Asset Management In Farmland

Mon, 20 May 2024 16:40:18 GMT

There’s no fast-forward button in farming to see how your investments pay off. But a recent time lapse playback by Iowa farmer Reid Weiland visually told the year-by-year story of how investing in a field yielded environmental and financial rewards.

“Things happen slow,” he says. “It’s the nature of farming one year to the next, and so it can take a decade for our story to develop.”

In the example above and video below, Weiland and his team identified low yielding areas and addressed fertility; they rebuilt and completed the main waterway in the field and added a second where needed; and they cleared an old building site. Piece by piece, season by season, their investments came to fruition.

Weiland Farms grows millet, corn and non-GMO, food-grade soybeans. Reid Weiland is managing partner/CEO and has been for the past 10 years since his father semi-retired.

The Case To Develop A Field Pedigree

With his leadership, Weiland and the team have developed an approach to manage their farmland (owned and leased) for environmental, productivity, and long-term financial payback. He says the need for this approach escalates as farm land has increased in market value.

“Think about where we’re spending $10,000 to $15,000 an acre today, and you don’t typically know what the fertility is,” he says. “You don’t know what the production history of it is. You don’t know any conservation or regenerative pieces that have gone through it. And we’re spending a million bucks for a tract, and we know very little about it.”

This highlights the opportunity of investing in regenerative practices that build up the land’s quality and performance but also emphasizes the risk of not doing so.

“Imagine because of macro economics, farmland doubled. It’s $30,000 an acre. Well, now we’re spending $2 million. How much more valuable is it to have what I would call a pedigree — a production pedigree, a regenerative pedigree?”

Weiland says such a land pedigree would have 10 years of cropping history with documentation of inputs applied by date and quantity.

“That could easily be worth $1,000 an acre for a $30,000 an acre farm, right?” he says.

Boost Land Value and Stewardship
Weiland Farms has made it a mindset to consider how they are investing back in their land with a two-prong goal: minimize environmental impact while boosting its value. Here are four goals the Iowa farm is focused on: Prevent soil erosion: methods include transitioning to minimal-till or no-till in highly erodible areas as well as installing grassed areas. Manage water quality: for example, explore opportunities for incentive funding to install filter systems that remove nitrates from water. Improve waterways: neglected waterways don’t do their intended job and can cause larger erosion issues. Invest in sustainable farming methods: think about how soil health improves long-term productivity.

Boost Land Value and Stewardship

Weiland Farms has made it a mindset to consider how they are investing back in their land with a two-prong goal: minimize environmental impact while boosting its value.

Here are four goals the Iowa farm is focused on:

Prevent soil erosion: methods include transitioning to minimal-till or no-till in highly erodible areas as well as installing grassed areas.
Manage water quality: for example, explore opportunities for incentive funding to install filter systems that remove nitrates from water.
Improve waterways: neglected waterways don’t do their intended job and can cause larger erosion issues.
Invest in sustainable farming methods: think about how soil health improves long-term productivity.

What Makes Farmland Different

From an investment management standpoint, Weiland says agriculture has fallen into a decades-long malaise with a culture that doesn’t encourage regularly informed management. Said another way, farmland is a unique asset because it doesn’t depreciate or require hands-on management from the owner if an operator is in place.

“If you were to correlate a farmland investment to an investment in an apartment building, they are similar but very different. An apartment building needs to be managed almost daily, the roof may need to be replaced, etc.,” he says. “Just like an apartment building, farmland is a solid asset base that you’re generating a return on. But you may have a landowner who hasn’t talked to a tenant in a couple of years. Who owns something worth a million dollars and doesn’t receive a regular report on it from the person managing it? It sounds ridiculous but some landowners can get lulled into complacency without realizing it.”

Physical Investments

Weiland says the approach is a combination of agronomic practices and physical improvements. A current tool they are using is controlled drainage structures.

“It’s estimated that 20% to 50% of water leaving the farm is leaving the farm unnecessarily; that means we are shipping 20% to 50% more water down the Mississippi River than we really need to,” he says. “In addition, these systems help us get in the field and plant when we need to. So, we are holding water, which we know contains nitrates, when we can and still are able to manage the soil moisture for field work.”

Weiland Farms’ first controlled drainage structure was installed this past year, and there are more installations in the works.

“It’ll take us multiple years to learn about this management tool and how it pays back, but we see the benefits already,” he says.

With multiple metrics, progress is tracked as it’s realized.

—Kristin Leigh Lore, Manager of Climate-Smart Content, Trust In Food, contributed reporting to this story.

From Wild Pigs to Property Rights, Journalist Chris Bennett Goes Unscripted

Mon, 20 May 2024 13:37:30 GMT

Few writers covering the ag industry and rural America today can tell a story quite like Chris Bennett, a senior writer for AgWeb and Farm Journal magazine. From Ponzi schemes to “antler madness,” pig motels to suing the feds, Bennett has a nose for news you won’t find anywhere else in the media world that most of us tap into every day.

On the second episode of Unscripted , a new podcast hosted by AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths and U.S. Farm Report’s Tyne Morgan, Bennett provides a behind-the-scenes look at how he finds such amazing stories and how he tells them so well.

“Crazy draws crazy, I guess,” he says, then adds that some of his stories take years to complete. “It’s a blessing to work on all of these farm stories at one time.” With an office full of fat folders, he remains patient during his investigations, allowing stories to develop at their own pace.

Case in point: Bennett recently drew plenty of readers to his story about new research that revealed more human beings are killed every year by wild pigs than by sharks . On Unscripted, he says that researcher John J. Mayer “hollered at me a long while back” about a study he was doing on the subject. Bennett asked Mayer to let him know when the study was released to the public. He then combined a report about the study with the story of a Texas woman who was mauled to death by wild pigs in 2019.

But for a story to catch his interest, it doesn’t have to pit Hogzilla against Jaws. It’s more a matter of deciding what will interest his readers and how best to investigate — and ultimately tell — the tale. “I have to approach these stories with the mindset of a 10-year-old,” he says. “You have to approach a story with wonder and with humility.” He also says listening deeply to the people he interviews is critical to the process.

As accomplished storytellers themselves, Morgan and Griffiths share their own beliefs about the art and craft. “You can find something interesting when talking to almost anybody,” Griffiths says. “But you can’t go in with a preconceived notion. You have to be willing to hear what they say.” Morgan agrees, adding, “It’s about allowing them to tell the story and not getting in the way of it.”

Telling powerful stories about farm country is a highly specialized skill, and hearing how it’s done from three of the industry’s best is time well spent. Click here to watch the full episode .

For more articles from Chris Bennett ( cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:

Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told

American Gothic: Farm Couple Nailed In Massive $9M Crop Insurance Fraud

Priceless Pistol Found After Decades Lost in Farmhouse Attic

Cottonmouth Farmer: The Insane Tale of a Buck-Wild Scheme to Corner the Snake Venom Market

Tractorcade: How an Epic Convoy and Legendary Farmer Army Shook Washington, D.C.

Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved After 40 Years

While America Slept, China Stole the Farm

Farmland Values Are Holding Up, But There Are Hints of a Reset At a New Level

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 23:48:17 GMT

Eye-popping land sales continue to take the farmland market by storm. From the $34,800 per acre land sale in Missouri that smashed records last fall, to farmland in Sioux County, Iowa, selling for more than $22,000 per acre to start the year, it’s proof the strength in the farmland market hasn’t fizzled out yet.

“The key point, without a doubt, is resiliency,” says Paul Schadegg, senior vice president of Real Estate at Farmers National Company (FNC).

A new report from the company shows even with declining commodity prices and elevated interest rates, land values are higher than expected.

“We really haven’t seen any decreases to speak of, and there are still some really strong sales out there in the country,” Schadegg says.

“It is just remarkable how stable these market conditions have been,” says Jim Rothermich, vice president of agricultural appraisals for Iowa Appraisal. “Based on my auction data, farmland values are down 1% from 2022 to 2023, and I think it’s amazing we’re seeing it hold up that well.”

Farmers in the Driver’s Seat
The farmland market in Iowa remains the strongest, but both Rothermich and Schadegg say there are other states with impressive sales.

“Illinois and Indiana have picked up a little steam — a lot of the sales are in the $20,000-plus range,” Schadegg says.

While resilient farmland prices were the theme in 2023, Rothermich recently uncovered one change in the market.

“One thing I have noticed is the number of price reductions on the listings of these companies. I haven’t seen that before,” Rothermich says. “It’s a sign the market is being affected by high interest rates.”

He’s also seen an uptick in no sales in auction, yet farmers are still in the driver’s seat in most farmland sales.

“Over the past several years, when this land market really took off, the primary pool of buyers have been operating farmers, and they continue to be the most successful buyer of land,” Schadegg says.

A Potential Reset
Now the question is: Just how much of a correction could the farmland market see in 2024?

“If we look at the past 25 years, we’ve seen some run-up in land values, and then it resets at a new normal,” Schadegg says. “I think over the next 12 to 24 months, we’re probably going to see land values reset at a new level.”

“The last time we had a run-up was in 2013/14 when values went down 20% to 25%. It just doesn’t seem like it’s going to do that this time,” Rothermich says, who instead thinks the farmland market could be setting up for a correction in the single digits.

Mike Walsten of Pro Farmer’s LandOwner newsletter says the best-case scenario for 2024 is for prices to hold steady for better-quality ground.

“The more likely case, in my opinion, is a 5% decrease,” Walsten says. “I look for continued weakness going into 2025 to 2027, if things do not change radically. Values could correct 10% to 15% eventually. If energy prices go crazy again, a 20% decline is likely, but I don’t see prices correcting any more than that because I don’t see a rush of panic farm sales hitting the market and overwhelming demand.”

Walsten says farmers, in general, have manageable leverage in their recent purchases, and lenders aren’t willing to let farmers get overleveraged on land buys, which will constrain the number of farms that are moving to the market and help keep supply and demand in balance.

Iowa Study: Soil Conservation Practices On The Rise

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 20:02:40 GMT

Beginning in the 2017 growing season, The Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council (INREC) has worked over the past six years with Iowa State University and local ag retailers to study the progress of conservation practices used on the state’s crop acres.

The survey uses records from ag retailers to measure the use of cover crops, nutrient management and conservation tillage and no-till by Iowa growers. When comparing their latest data from the 2022 growing season with 2017’s records, researchers found a significant increase in the adoption of these practices – most notably in the number of cover crop acres planted.

“Iowa cover crop planting has skyrocketed to a record 3.8 million acres over the first decade of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, and that clearly demonstrates that Iowa farmers and landowners are taking on the challenge of improving Iowa’s water quality by accelerating this important conservation work,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “With the help of ag retailers and other conservation professionals, as well as both public and private sector partners, programs, and incentives, I know our farmers and landowners will continue to push these statewide cover crop numbers ever higher.”

In 2022, Iowa growers planted 3.8 million acres of cover crops – which is 16.6% of all corn and soy acreage. This is compared to 1.6 million acres of cover crops in 2017, or 6.9% of acres. Rye accounted for 81.2% of the cover crops planted over the past 6 years.

The survey also looks at nutrient management practices such as timing, rate, source and placement. It found 45% of nitrogen applications have occurred in the spring before planting, followed by fall-only applications at 20%.

As for phosphorus applications, there has been a notable increase in growers applying the nutrient only when the soil is at or below optimum levels for it – increasing from 74.3% of applications in 2017 to 95.4% in 2022.

The number of no-till acres in the state has remained relatively steady throughout the duration of INREC’s survey, averaging 35.8% of fields. It does, however, account for more overall corn and soy acres in the state than conventional tillage and conservation tillage practices.

INREC is currently preparing for its seventh year of the survey, which will be conducted this winter, and the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics & Methodology has randomly selected 150 ag retail locations to participate.

To review the data from each of the six current surveys, click here .

Top 10 States with the Largest Wild Pig Populations

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 17:21:31 GMT

Wild hog populations are continuing to spread and move north in the U.S. As one of the most destructive invasive animal species in the U.S., the significant increase in the wild hog population is of great concern to many. According to the USDA, wild hogs cause approximately $2.5 billion in agricultural damages each year.

It’s no wonder why the numbers are spiraling out of control. The species’ strength and rapid reproductive rate have led to exponential population growth: each litter of pigs averages around five offspring but can reach as many as 12, and wild sows average two litters per year.

Because wild hogs do not have substantial predators outside of humans and can live in a variety of climates, there is little to stop their continued spread, reports Captain Experiences in an analysis of the USDA and University of Georgia data.

As a whole, the southern states bring in the overwhelming majority of feral hog reports. Most states in the South have experienced hog sightings in at least 90% of their counties, the report says. The wild pig’s range has expanded more westward and northward over time, and states like California, Hawaii, Michigan and Pennsylvania now have fairly large feral hog populations as well.

The University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health has been tracking feral hog sightings with their Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS).

How is Your State’s Wild Pig Population?

^{Source: EDDMapS. 2023. Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System. The University of Georgia - Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Available online at http://www.eddmaps.org/; last accessed November 10, 2023.}

A recent report highlights the number of feral hog reports throughout the country. The number of counties affected by wild hogs has nearly tripled since the early 1980s, from 550 in 1982 to 1,496 in 2023. Here’s a list of the top 10 states with the highest population of wild hogs.

1. Texas with 2,425 feral hog reports

2. Georgia with 1,377 feral hog reports

3. Florida with 1,193 feral hog reports

4. Mississippi with 731 feral hog reports

5. Oklahoma with 665 feral hog reports

6. Arkansas with 657 feral hog reports

7. North Carolina with 655 feral hog reports

8. Louisiana with 613 feral hog reports

9. Alabama with 590 feral hog reports

10. California with 563 feral hog reports

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

A Sport Utility Vehicle for Disease: Wild Pigs Wreak Havoc

Is Missouri’s Feral Hog Population on the Decline?

Feral Swine Eradication Program Should Be Permanent, Senators Urge

Destructive, Formidable, Invasive: How is the U.S. Managing the Feral Hog Population?

Feral Swine Test Positive for Pseudorabies at Colorado Farm

5 Things I Learned About Hog Farming from Aerial Surveillance

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:35:31 GMT

Recently, an environmental group sent out a press release about taking a group of people (mostly interns) on an aerial surveillance of Eastern North Carolina to “document and expose” animal feeding operations. So I was curious to see what you can see from the sky. Luckily, I happened to know a Duplin County pig farmer who has a pilot’s license. He quickly offered to take me up in the sky when I told him what I wanted to see.

So here’s what I learned from my flight with Chad:

1. It’s awesome out here. From the air – even on a day with low cloud cover – you really get a sense for the beauty of Eastern North Carolina. To hear the opposition talk, people in Eastern North Carolina are living in a giant cesspool. (I know this isn’t true. I’ve driven all over ENC and visited dozens of pig farms. But I’ve heard how extremists describe living near hog farms in the courtroom, in public hearings, documentaries and in media interviews. They don’t paint a pretty picture.) From the air, you really get a sense of how clean and beautiful this area is. Many a pig farmer has told me that they live in God’s country. From the air, I can see why they feel this way. Flying over neighborhoods, you can tell that folks enjoy their backyards. Pools, trampolines, four wheelers, patio furniture and other evidence of outdoor activities are everywhere.

2. You don’t fly far in Eastern North Carolina without coming across long barns. Some of them are pig farms, but a lot of them house poultry. When viewing from the air, hog houses are much shorter, and they are always adjacent to a lagoon. The grain bins are on the end of the building and there’s a loading ramp. Poultry barns are long are often clustered in groups of eight or 10. The grain bins are in the center of the barns and the ends of the building have rollup doors. No matter the type of farm, from the air, you can tell that they are well maintained and clean.

3. The majority of hog farms are isolated and tucked away. This helps maintain biosecurity, and tree buffers are industry best practices. They aren’t hiding. They were just built on property out of the way. In many cases, you can see where neighborhoods are built up right to the tree buffer. Interestingly, there are rules against siting a hog farm and lagoon within a certain distance from a home, but there are no rules to prevent a residence from being built within that same buffer. The majority of hog farms are relatively small. Yes, we have some large farms, but they are the exception, not the rule. Most of them are just a few small hog houses on a small lagoon and they dot the landscape.

4. Hog farms aren’t the only ones who use lagoons and/or a spray field system. We saw municipal waste treatment facilities and manufacturing facilities that also used this technology. And yes, it is a technology that utilizes bacteria to break down waste either through aerobic or anaerobic means. It is a treatment type recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency. It’s not outdated, as some argue. It creates a valuable nutrient that can be used on crops.

5. For all the fuel and carbon footprint of their flights in their fight against CAFOs, the environmentalists must be disappointed when they fly. I daresay that they do more environmental damage than what they find. Which goes back to the fact that if you trace the money backing these groups, they aren’t really environmental groups, but anti-animal agriculture groups with a vegan agenda that are using the environment to attack the meat industry.

Editor’s Note: Jen Kendrick serves as the director of communications and outreach for the North Carolina Pork Council.

How to Talk to Team Members About Poor Performance

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:53:29 GMT

Every team has one. That employee who is not contributing his or her fair share. The rest of the team knows this person is a poor performer. You can try to sweep the employee’s bad behavior under the rug, but that only makes it acceptable.

As the boss, you must coach this employee to be an all-star — or show them the door. Here’s a step-by-step process to help guide you through these tough conversations.

1. State the behavior and outcomes. You owe it to the employee be honest and let them know what the conversation is about, says Bob Grace, a leadership and organizational development consultant with The Leadership Effect in St. Louis, Mo. You don’t want them to feel threatened, but you must be direct. Stick to the facts.

2. Allow for reaction. This is the most commonly skipped step, Grace explains. “We don’t give people much time to react,” he says. “You have had time to move from emotion to reason, but the other person has not had time to react.”

After you state the poor behavior, stop for a little bit of silence. Grace suggests asking: What do you think? What is your reaction to this?

3. Agree on ownership of the problem. “The first time someone shows me that they don’t know how to do something, that is reflective of the leader,” says Dave Mitchell, founder of Walla Walla, Wash.-based consulting firm The Leadership Difference. “So that’s my fault. The second time is our fault, as they share some accountability. If there is a skill the employee doesn’t have, he or she needs to tell me.”

The third time, it is the employee’s fault, Mitchell says. “If you have that model, you don’t fire people—they fire themselves,” he says.

4. Discuss new outcomes and behaviors. Clearly state what a better outcome would look like and what behaviors could close the gap between what you need as a boss and how the employee is performing, Grace says.

5. Select a course of action. Outline the plan to better performance. Include a timeline and milestones, Grace says.

6. Express confidence change can be made. “Your goal as a leader is to make sure your team has high levels of self-efficacy,” Mitchell says.

Self-efficacy is having confidence in your own ability to achieve results. “Basically, it’s the feeling that I’ve got this,” Mitchell says.

Train and encourage your team and let them know it’s OK to make mistakes.

7. Follow-up on the plan with the employee. This step is critical, Grace says. Put the follow-up meetings on your calendar and keep your own copy of action steps and timelines.

8. Celebrate and recognize progress. Once an employee is on the right track, look for opportunities acknowledge it, Grace says. “Say thank you and tell them they are doing a good job.”

Read More

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6 Leadership Tactics to Employ

How To Terminate An Employee

Technology Is… Considering A CTO

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Is now the time to expand your tech expertise?

As you look at your farm’s capital expenditures, how many are related to technology? Think broadly. The numbers probably climb pretty fast.

“An important part of our business is to try new things,” says Brian Watkins, Ohio farmer and CEO of CropZilla, a farm software provider. “Even if you’re not an early adopter, you still have to have an intentional innovation strategy.”

Your farm’s strategy should span management information, agronomic technology and equipment technology, Watkins says. To make sure your farm is ahead of the pack (or at least in the race) you need someone to own this part of the business.

A Strategic Move

A recent Farm Journal technology survey shows 68% of farmers say they don’t see their farm needing a chief technology officer or similar positions in the future. Yet, 58% of those same farmers say their data collection practices are adequate for now but probably not good enough for tomorrow.

Don’t be intimidated by the title of chief technology officer, Watkins encourages. The job label isn’t important. Your goal is to have someone on the team at least spending part of their time evaluating technology options, determining what to buy into and chucking out products or services that are not a fit.

“The point is you don’t want to let other people lead you around in terms of technology,” he says.

Assess your technology needs to determine if you should have an in-house expertise or if you should hire an external person, suggests John Fulton, precision agriculture specialist for Ohio State University Extension.

“You need someone who at least spends time keeping up with the technology,” Fulton says. “This can include attending conferences, talking to neighbors, reviewing information online and reading articles — this person is responsible for the farm’s digital strategy.”

Fill the Need

Look around your family and team, suggests Peter Gredig, an Ontario grain farmer and technology developer with mobile app development company AgNitrion. Is there a child, sibling or new employee who geeks out on technology, is internet savvy or is a gamer?

“There are a lot of diamonds in the rough on farms,” he says. “We are hiring young people who may not be ag savvy, so we are teaching them the ag stuff. But we’re not letting them teach us what they know on the tech side.”

Technology will continue to change how you farm — make sure you’re ready to capitalize on it.

“I always say a successful tech strategy has nothing to do with what tech you’re using; it has to do with diligences and know what’s available and if it fits on your farm,” Gredig says.

What Does a CTO Do?

The responsibilities of a chief technology officer (CTO) can vary depending on the type of farm operation. Peter Gredig, an Ontario grain farmer and technology developer, says the job description can include the following tasks:

Develop a technology strategy aligned with the company’s business goals.
Discover and implement new technologies that create a competitive advantage.
Help staff use the technology profitably by cutting costs, boosting productivity or improving efficiency.
Ensure proper use and efficiency creation of new and existing technologies.
Make adjustments based on feedback from staff and clients to improve the use of technology.
Communicate the technology strategy to partners and investors.

Technology is… different for every farmer. Find resources on how to make smart technology investments.

Rural Bankers Rank Top Three Challenges

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 19:57:37 GMT

The rural economy keeps chugging along, according to the Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index . For the ninth straight month, the RMI has stayed above growth neutral.

For August 2021, the RMI fell slightly to a healthy 65.3 from July’s 65.6. The index ranges between 0 and 100, with a reading of 50 representing growth neutral.

Around one-third of bank CEOs reported that their local economy expanded between July and August.

“Solid grain prices, the Federal Reserve’s record-low interest rates, and growing exports have underpinned the Rural Mainstreet Economy,” says Ernie Goss, who chairs Creighton’s Heider College of Business and leads the RMI. “USDA data show that 2021 year-to-date agriculture exports are more than 25% above that for the same period in 2020. This has been a prime factor supporting the Rural Mainstreet economy.”

Bank CEOs were asked: What is the biggest economic challenge for agriculturally dependent community banks for next 12 months?

Here are the top three results:

41%: Low loan demand
28%: Low interest rates
16%: Drought

For an 11th straight month, the farmland price index advanced significantly above growth neutral. The August reading expanded to 76.6 from July’s 71. This is the first time since 2012-2013 that Creighton’s survey has recorded 11 straight months of farmland prices above growth neutral.

The August farm equipment-sales index declined to 64.7 from 67.2 in July. Readings over the last several months represent the strongest consistent growth since 2012.

Almost one third of bankers support immediately beginning the reduction (taper) of Federal Reserve buying of U.S. Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities. Another 25% say the Federal Reserve should begin the reduction or taper in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The confidence index, which reflects bank CEO expectations for the economy six months out, decreased for a third straight month to 59.7 from July’s 65.6.

“Rising COVID-19 infections, the turmoil in Afghanistan, and negative views of current infrastructure bills before Congress damaged the economic outlook of bank CEOs,” Goss says. “Only 9.4% of bankers support passage of the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill currently winding through Congress.”

Three of four bankers encourage Congress to reject the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill due to its unnecessary spending.

This RMI, which started in 2005, represents an early snapshot of the economy of rural agricultural and energy-dependent portions of the nation. It focuses on 200 rural communities with an average population of 1,300.

Here's 3 Things to Know About Purchasing Farmland Now

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 13:39:38 GMT

Paul Schadegg, senior vice president of real estate operations at Farmers National Company (FNC), joined AgriTalk host Chip Flory. During the conversation, they discussed agricultural real estate demand, impact of interest rates on farmland market, and the outlook for values the second half of 2023. Here are three takeaways from their conversation:

1. Today, people are buying land throughout the year rather than during a more set, traditional time frame.
“We used to say we sell land from October to March and during the rest of the year, there’s not much that happens,” Schadegg says. “But now what we’re seeing is more non-typical buyers, and they’re not afraid to buy land in the spring or summer – during the growing season – where typically that just used to not happen.

“Those guys are not afraid to go in and negotiate payback of inputs, or take a lease halfway through a year, or something like that. It doesn’t necessarily mean that a farmer isn’t going to bid on that land. Because if it comes up for sale, and it’s in his wheelhouse, you know, they’re definitely going to be there.”

In some cases the non-typical buyer is an investor, Schadegg says, but those individuals make up only 20% of land buyers. Eighty percent of ag land buyers are still farmers.

2. Thanks to technology (and the pandemic), you can buy land from your truck or tractor.
Today, farmers can plant corn and buy land at the same time, all while sitting in the comfort of their tractor. That fact is one of the practices the COVID pandemic helped create.

“When the pandemic hit, we started to have parking lot auctions, and we had to scramble to get an online platform set up,” Schadegg

says. “In today’s world that’s simply expected, and it has nothing to do with the pandemic anymore. It has to do with convenience.”

He adds that some people like to buy farms online, because they don’t want to stand or sit in a room with their neighbors as they bid on a piece of property.

“Some people just like the anonymity of buying online,” he adds.

Schadegg says there are still scenarios when a live auction makes the most sense to utilize, and the company employs a group of auctioneers for that purpose.

3. There’s still momentum in land sales, but it’s beginning to show signs of slowing.
Schadegg says Farmers National Company President Clayton Becker looks at the current scenario through a lens of what he calls profit and pressure.

On the profit side: “We’re not seeing that value increase like we were a year ago, but we are definitely still seeing some good stable values,” he says. “For high-quality land, we’re still seeing some great competition which sometimes drives that above-market value.”

From a pressure standpoint, FNC is starting to see less cash being used to purchase land and “a little more lending” happening across the country.

“I’ve said this before, but when we talk about any hiccup in the commodity markets that would have a pretty direct effect on land values. So, you know, we had a little bit of a scare here recently when we saw markets come down, but I think as long as we can maintain some of those levels, (land) does still look like a good opportunity.

Get the full details on the AgriTalk discussion with Schadegg here:

3 Things to Know About Purchasing Farmland Now

Thu, 25 May 2023 14:38:18 GMT

Paul Schadegg, senior vice president of real estate operations at Farmers National Company (FNC), joined AgriTalk host Chip Flory on Wednesday. During the conversation, they discussed agricultural real estate demand, impact of interest rates on farmland market, and the outlook for values the second half of 2023. Here are three takeaways from their conversation:

1. Today, people are buying land throughout the year rather than during a more set, traditional time frame.
“We used to say we sell land from October to March and during the rest of the year, there’s not much that happens,” Schadegg says. “But now what we’re seeing is more non-typical buyers, and they’re not afraid to buy land in the spring or summer – during the growing season – where typically that just used to not happen.

“Those guys are not afraid to go in and negotiate payback of inputs, or take a lease halfway through a year, or something like that. It doesn’t necessarily mean that a farmer isn’t going to bid on that land. Because if it comes up for sale, and it’s in his wheelhouse, you know, they’re definitely going to be there.”

In some cases the non-typical buyer is an investor, Schadegg says, but those individuals make up only 20% of land buyers. Eighty percent of ag land buyers are still farmers.

2. Thanks to technology (and the pandemic), you can buy land from your truck or tractor.
Today, farmers can plant corn and buy land at the same time, all while sitting in the comfort of their tractor. That fact is one of the practices the COVID pandemic helped create.

“When the pandemic hit, we started to have parking lot auctions, and we had to scramble to get an online platform set up,” Schadegg

says. “In today’s world that’s simply expected, and it has nothing to do with the pandemic anymore. It has to do with convenience.”

He adds that some people like to buy farms online, because they don’t want to stand or sit in a room with their neighbors as they bid on a piece of property.

“Some people just like the anonymity of buying online,” he adds.

Schadegg says there are still scenarios when a live auction makes the most sense to utilize, and the company employs a group of auctioneers for that purpose.

3. There’s still momentum in land sales, but it’s beginning to show signs of slowing.
Schadegg says Farmers National Company President Clayton Becker looks at the current scenario through a lens of what he calls profit and pressure.

On the profit side: “We’re not seeing that value increase like we were a year ago, but we are definitely still seeing some good stable values,” he says. “For high-quality land, we’re still seeing some great competition which sometimes drives that above-market value.”

From a pressure standpoint, FNC is starting to see less cash being used to purchase land and “a little more lending” happening across the country.

“I’ve said this before, but when we talk about any hiccup in the commodity markets that would have a pretty direct effect on land values. So, you know, we had a little bit of a scare here recently when we saw markets come down, but I think as long as we can maintain some of those levels, (land) does still look like a good opportunity.

Get the full details on the AgriTalk discussion with Schadegg here:

Have You Looked into NRCS Program Funding? New Opportunities Available in the Reconciliation Package

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 18:44:12 GMT

USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) was allotted $19.5 billion in new conservation funding when the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed by President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

The NRCS says the funds will be used to prioritize “broader efforts” that address fertilizer availability and cost issues for American producers brought on by COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“USDA is responding to the needs of U.S. producers and consumers by adding program flexibilities, expanding options and assistance, and investing in nutrient management strategies to help farmers address local resource concerns and global food security while also improving their bottom line,” says Tom Vilsack, USDA secretary.

According to the press release , USDA will address these challenges through:

1. Initiative Groundwork

Conservation is threaded into the IRA to deliver $20 billion in assistance to four oversubscribed conservation programs:

• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) - $8.45 billion
• Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) - $4.95 billion
• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) - $3.25 billion
• Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) - $1.4 billion

The USDA press release says an expedited application process, including targeted outreach to historically underserved producers, will be used to rank and meet on-farm needs.

2. Economic Benefits

USDA estimates 89 million acres of cropland exceed the nitrogen loss threshold. To mitigate these losses, NRCS staff will be tasked with developing nutrient management plans. Producers will then use these plans to “adequately supply soils and plants with necessary nutrients” and minimize nutrient transport, according to the press release.

With new nutrient management plans in place, the agency forecasts a $30 per acre savings for producers, with a net savings of $2.6 billion.

3. Tech Service Providers

Training, outreach and education in new and existing programs, and incentive payments, require manpower. NCRS says IRA funds will be funneled to Technical Service Providers (TSP) to assist producers in the program application and implementation processes.

This TSP funding might sound familiar, as the USDA tapped Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds earlier this year to cover program costs associated with TSP.

To read NRCS’s nutrient management planning information, visit their site .

More on ag policy:
$740 Billion Inflation Reduction Act Passed the House and Senate
$80 Billion in IRS Funding Will Not be Used to Audit Middle Class Americans
IRA 2022 - What It Means For Farmers

Smithfield Foods Prepares for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution to U.S. Employees

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:56:53 GMT

Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork processor, said on Wednesday it has medical capabilities at U.S. facilities and is actively preparing for COVID-19 vaccine distribution to employees.

Meatpacking workers were among the groups hit hardest by the new coronavirus last year, as U.S. slaughterhouses became hot spots for outbreaks in the spring, helping spread the virus around rural America.

More Americans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday than at any time since the pandemic began, as the historic public vaccination effort lagged.

Smithfield, owned by China’s WH Group, declined to provide details of its vaccination plans and said they vary from state to state. The company said all of its employees will be eligible to receive vaccines.

A day earlier, the governor of the U.S. state of Nebraska said undocumented immigrants who work in meat plants would likely not get vaccinated due to immigration status.

The Washington-based Migration Policy Institute estimates that 10% of meatpacking workers nationwide are unauthorized immigrants. Smithfield said it does not employ undocumented immigrants.

The company last month offered to help U.S. health officials distribute COVID-19 vaccines and store them in ultra-cold freezers that are in high demand to support the public vaccination campaign.

The U.S. Labor Department and a state workplace safety regulator in California separately cited Smithfield last year for failing to protect employees from COVID-19 and other violations during the pandemic. The company has contested the findings.

Smithfield and other meatpackers also came under fire last year as U.S. pork exports to China soared while U.S. processors warned of domestic meat shortages due to COVID-19 outbreaks at slaughterhouses.

(Reporting by Tom Polansek Editing by Chris Reese and Nick Zieminski)

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Worker Absenteeism in Packing Plants is No Surprise

Food Prices Will Rise if Labor Shortage Isn't Addressed

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:10 GMT

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) urged Congress on Sept. 9 to include in a budget reconciliation bill language to expand the existing H-2A visa to year-round agricultural workers.

With a scheduled vote in the U.S. House set for Sept. 13, NPPC is calling on congressional lawmakers to open the current H-2A temporary and seasonal worker visa program to year-round labor, without a limit on the annual number of visas, NPPC said in a release. They also want to see legal status for agricultural workers already in the U.S.

“The U.S. pork industry is highly dependent on foreign-born workers, but current visa programs don’t provide access to enough workers to meet our labor needs on farms and in packing plants,” Jen Sorenson, NPPC president, said in a release. “We need a dedicated, year-round workforce.”

The severe labor shortage in the pork industry started before the pandemic, but has been amplified since. The tight labor market prompted the pork sector to rely on foreign-born workers, NPPC said.

“If the labor shortage is not addressed, it could lead to farms and plants shutting down, causing serious financial harm to the communities in which they operate,” Sorenson said in a release. “Pork production would become constrained, leading to higher food prices for consumers and the United States becoming an unreliable trading partner.”

Legislation approved earlier this year by the House would expand the H-2A program to year-round workers but cap the number of visas that can be issued each year.

Juan Marroquin of LB Pork in Fairmont, Minn., said, “It’s important for the sake of our animals and farmers that we can get a reliable foreign workforce.” Listen to more of his story below.

For more information on the labor issue, click here .

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Five Facts About the Ag Labor Shortage

Pork Industry Pleas for More Access to Foreign-Born Workers

Ag Leaders Urge Labor Reform in Historic Hearing of Judiciary Committee

C-Suite: Focus On Collaboration, Not Credit

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:05 GMT

Mark Lyons became CEO of Alltech in 2018. He succeeded his father and company founder, Pearse. In a partnership announced in mid-June, Helm Agro will provide marketing, distribution and technical support for Alltech Crop Science’s biological products.

What is your business philosophy?

A big part of our philosophy revolves around entrepreneurialism and making sure culture remains strong throughout the business. As companies grow bigger, they become more bureaucratic and slow down in terms of decision-making. We want to have an empowered, entrepreneurial front line. The other word that comes to mind is collaboration. The world has become too connected for one company to say it is going to do it on its own.

How has the business changed over the years?

When I joined officially in 2001, we were going through a major push to broaden and add more technological capabilities. We were building our own production facilities, and I was involved in establishing a fermentation facility in Mexico, assisting with a large acquisition in Serbia and building a new yeast facility in Brazil.

Our growth cycle has allowed us to get closer to the end user and speed up innovation. In one regard, it’s the same family company, but we now have 5,000 people involved. That requires a certain discipline and determination on the part of management to keep our ethos in place.

What is your personal leadership style?

What was most important to my father was Alltech and its people would make a difference in our customers’ lives and in the communities in which our people live and work. We want our people to be empowered to make a difference, and we want to look back on the impact and see it was something we did together—focused on collaboration, not credit.

What will the business look like in 20 years?

Alltech will continue to focus on the fundamentals. Our science is the core of the business. Our team is so focused on curiosity and thinking about things in different ways that if we have an idea from outside, we can adapt it and make it part of our system. I also see us getting involved in some new areas, such as human life science, which could expand our ability to improve quality of life and create new avenues of growth. I also think there are many ag technologies that Alltech could partner with in the future. It doesn’t necessarily mean we have to own 100% of those businesses, but we’re offering a way to connect different parts of the industry.

Business as Usual

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:54:57 GMT

By Bonnie Johnson, AgCareers.com

The critical nature of the agricultural industry has required that many agricultural employers continue business operations as normal. As part of AgCareers.com’s annual Agribusiness HR Review survey of ag employers across the United States, in 2021, AgCareers.com added questions to assess employers’ COVID-19 response and plans.

Of the U.S. ag employers surveyed in the AgCareers.com Agribusiness HR Review, 90% were operating as usual. AgCareers.com also asked about the likelihood of mandatory employee vaccinations. Nearly 90% reported they do not plan to require staff to be vaccinated, just over 1% plan to require vaccinations and 10% were unsure.

Over half of companies noted that they had enhanced benefits or wellness offerings considering the pandemic. The most common enhancement was work from home or flexible schedules. Wellness benefits, including mental health and fitness, were also notable enhancements.

COVID-19 changed the way we work and interact with one another, both personally and professionally. Work-from-home became necessary for some employers, or employee types, to continue business operations. As employers look forward to a post-COVID-19 state, almost half indicated they will allow some or all employees to work from home. Sixty percent of employers currently have some employees working from home. Due to the critical nature of on-site farming and ag production operations, 36% of employers said none of their employees are eligible to work-from-home.

Source: AgCareers.com

This article features results from the special COVID section of the HR Review; the full report includes annual information on salary reviews, employee attrition, workforce trends, professional development, bonuses, recruitment, and employer branding. Download a free copy of the full AgCareers.com 2021-2022 U.S. Agribusiness HR Review report at agcareers.com/reports.cfm .

Read More:

The Pandemic Shift: Mental Wellness at Work

Hire for Attitude

H-2B Visas Increased Again to Fight U.S. Labor Shortage

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:54:16 GMT

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) will make an additional 35,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas available for the second half of fiscal year 2022. These visas will be set aside for U.S. employers seeking to employ additional workers on or after April 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2022, DHS reports.

“Informed by current demand in the labor market, today we are announcing the availability of an additional 35,000 H-2B visas that will help to support American businesses and expand legal pathways for workers seeking to come to the United States,” DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a release. “Recognizing the importance of strong worker protections, we will apply greater scrutiny to those employers who have a record of violating obligations to their workers and the H-2B program.”

The supplemental H-2B visa allocation consists of 23,500 visas available to returning workers, who received an H-2B visa or were otherwise granted H-2B status, during one of the last three fiscal years, DHS said. The remaining 11,500 visas, which are exempt from the returning worker requirement, are reserved for workers from Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

“A provision in the recently approved omnibus spending bill states that previous H-2B visa holders who receive one of the additional visas won’t count against the overall H-2B cap,” the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) wrote in Capital Update. “In January, the administration allowed an additional 20,000 foreign workers into the country under the H-2B visa program for the period Oct. 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. Employers requesting H-2B visas must attest to the U.S. Department of Labor that they will offer a wage that equals or exceeds the higher of a region’s prevailing wage, applicable federal minimum wage or the state or local minimum wage.”

The H-2B program permits employers to hire noncitizens to perform temporary nonagricultural labor or services in the U.S. The employment must be for a limited period of time, such as a one-time occurrence, seasonal or intermittent need. DHS says that employers seeking to hire H-2B workers must take a series of steps to test the U.S. labor market. They must provide DOL certification explaining that there are not enough U.S. workers who are able, willing, qualified and available to do the temporary work for which they seek a prospective foreign worker, and that employing the H-2B workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers. 

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Dollar Power Continues to Decrease: What Does That Mean for Pig Farmers?

Mosquito-Borne Virus “Is a Nightmare” For Australian Pig Farmers

The Ukraine-Russian War: Rampant Inflation Puts Serious Squeeze on Disposable Income

Barn Chore Fines: A New Approach to Raising Kids on the Farm

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:54:16 GMT

We may want to pretend that our children happily head out to the barn every morning or cheerfully take on their sibling’s chores when they have a late practice...but we all know that chores are chores. As much as our children may enjoy being out in the barn working with their animals, there are going to be some days where it’s hard not to groan about it a little.

And let’s be honest, I don’t start singing with joy when it’s time to throw in another load of laundry.

Maybe that’s why I couldn’t help but get excited when I read about Tina Lust’s brilliant approach with “Barn Chore Fines.” I really think she’s on to something, so I wanted to find out a little more about what led to her motivational method for good behavior in the barn.

A “Menu” for Trouble

Lust says she came up with the idea of barn chore fines this spring when she started to get a little frustrated by her son’s “teenage attitude.”

“My sweet youngest child was exhibiting some eye rolls, loud sighs, asking why when he already knew the answer, unnecessary explanations by me when I was already exhausted, etc.,” Lust says. “I thought, what can I do to positively motivate him more?”

What started as a bit of a joke – a white board with fines being listed for certain behaviors followed by a subsequent charge – actually worked.

“It’s like a menu, but for when you are in trouble,” she laughs. “Eye rolls? That would be $5, please. Loud sighing? $5. Finding an empty chicken waterer? Certainly, a serious offense. I mean our ‘ladies’ have names and provide breakfast, you know...that’s $50.”

Although it was all tongue-in-cheek, she was amazed by the immediate change in attitude.

“I placed the white board ‘menu’ on a bale of straw, then pointed to it when I saw a subsequent behavior being acted out. It was met with some silence, then an end to the undesirable behaviors,” Lust says. “He knew Mom meant business!”

Chores Instill Valuable Life Lessons

Lust is quick to point out that her two sons are fantastic kids. Her oldest recently completed his associate’s degree in agriculture and her youngest, an 8th grader, is involved with his breeding poultry and market hog projects.

“They are great students, well-mannered around others and work hard,” she says. “Our youngest has a poultry breeding project that’s a year-round venture of breeding, incubating, hatching and growing the birds to adulthood. It does get long, boring and grinding at times. We try to instill a good work ethic and attitude that will carry them through life.”

It’s tough to be the youngest and now solely responsible for the livestock projects, she adds. Her oldest son is now working full-time with her husband who grain farms corn and soybeans with his cousin and nephew. Meanwhile, Lust operates a seed business, Lust Seed Sales.

“Whether our youngest chooses to remain with livestock as he gets older remains to be seen,” she says. “But having a love of agriculture, knowing how to treat others, learning to care for and be a good steward to animals, having good sportsmanship in the show ring, making new friends, and being willing to help others are the true goals.”

Maybe someday he will instill his own “Barn Chore Fines” with his own kids, Lust says.

“In the meantime, I am going to relish working together because I know all too soon, this will all pass so quickly,” she says.

What Do You Think?

One of my favorite things to do is spend time with our family working together in the barn. The workload is easier when we do it together and the conversations are always interesting. Lust is right that it goes by too fast so making those memories count is important.

So, what motivates your kids to work hard in the barn? How do you instill important life lessons through livestock projects and chores? Share your ideas with us at jshike@farmjournal.com.

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Unpopular County Fair Opinion

City Boy and Vet School Reject: How an Unlikely Path Proved Successful for Scott Dee

Never Surrender: Scott Dee Goes To Battle To Protect U.S. Swine Herd

Roy Poage: The Grandfather of Modern Swine Production

WOTUS Roundtable Reveals New Rule Pushes Definition 'Back to Square One', says NCBA

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 20:39:48 GMT

EPA turned a page on its Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) summer calendar today, as the agency finished its six of 10 scheduled roundtables .

The fifth roundtable, held last week with the Kansas Livestock Association, revealed murky waters in the WOTUS definition, according to Mary Thomas Hart, environmental council at National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

“If we’ve learned anything, it’s that there are a lot of varied opinions on what should be considered water of the U.S.,” Hart told Chip Flory, AgriTalk host.

This murky water stems from an issue in ephemeral features, which Hart describes as features that only carry water after a precipitation event like a hard rain or snowmelt.

Hart says the ag community pleaded with the Obama administration to provide clarity and regulatory certainty in the definition of WOTUS, which resulted in Obama “regulating everything.”

According to Hart, the shift in regulations caused an expansion of the Clean Water Act authority, which was later removed through the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection rule. At that point, the ephemeral features were no longer ruled by federal jurisdiction.

This push and pull of ephemeral jurisdiction will continue with the Biden administration, according to Hart.

“Instead of making it clear that ephemeral features are not regulated or saying that all features are jurisdictional, the features are going to be subject to a case-by-case determination,” she says. “This gets us back to square one as far as a real lack of regulatory certainty for agricultural producers.”

House Ag Republicans Respond

On Monday, various Congressmen issued a letter to President Biden addressing many issues in ag, including the desired reversal of the Biden administration’s WOTUS changes that have “plunged producers into a regulatory red tape nightmare.”

The letter states the administration’s WOTUS rule creates “enormous” uncertainty for farmers, ranchers and landowners due to the “vague” definition of federal waterways and what is considered navigable, which the Republicans say has resulted in “land grabs by the government.”

The Navigable Waters Protection Rule was the answer to WOTUS uncertainty, according to the Congressmen. They ask the Biden administration to reverse its WOTUS position to “allow the overall objective of the Clean Water Act to be realized: to restore and maintain the integrity of the nation’s navigable waters.”

More on WOTUS:

WOTUS Roundtable Reveals Potential Runoff Management Flaws in the Midwest

Zippy Duvall: Labor is Biggest Limiting Factor for American Agriculture

We Must Do Something Different, Alltech CEO Says

Tue, 24 May 2022 20:05:03 GMT

“Reducing is not enough; we must do something different,” urged Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, during the Alltech ONE Conference on May 23. ONE welcomed nearly 2,000 international delegates to downtown Lexington, with an additional 5,000 participating virtually.

“Our belief is that agriculture has the greatest potential to positively influence the future of our planet, to provide nutrition for all and to help rural communities thrive and replenish our planet’s resources,” Lyons said.

Lyons was joined by Heather White, author, founder and CEO of “OneGreenThing,” who brought two decades of environmental advocacy work and national nonprofit leadership to life with her book, “One Green Thing: Discover Your Hidden Power to Help Save the Planet.” She offered three steps to make climate action a joyful daily practice.

1. Think beyond your age and listen.
2. Find your unique role.
3. Apply the daily practice of sustainability.

Nikki Putnam Badding, registered dietitian nutritionist and managing director of Acutia, later spoke about the crucial importance of making nutrition accessible to all.

“The impact of malnutrition is far-reaching,” Putnam Badding said. “So, is it enough to just feed the world? Do we instead need to focus on providing nutrition for all, thereby changing the dialogue from food security to nutrition security?”

Vaughn Holder, Alltech ruminant research group director, then shared his perspective on how animal agriculture can be part of the solution to improving sustainability.

“We sit at the interface between the main carbon capturing industry in the world and the main food production industry in the world,” he said. “Those things are tied closely together and unavoidable. We sit in a unique position to be doing something about the carbon argument. It really is important that we do not talk about compromising one for the other — because we have to do both.”

Learn more about ONE here.

Read More:

Labor Shortage or a Housing Shortage? Companies Aim to Fix One with the Other

Who Actually Won the U.S., China Trade War?

Here Comes the Sun: 5 Easy Steps to Avoid Skin Cancer

Fri, 13 May 2022 13:26:52 GMT

Skin cancer is the single most common cancer in the U.S. In 2022, the American Cancer Society estimates:

About 99,780 new melanomas will be diagnosed.
About 7,650 people are expected to die of melanoma.

Farmers, livestock producers and others in the agriculture industry are part of core skin cancer statistics related to outdoor work, consistently ranking highest in overall sun exposure.

Even though farmers are at a higher risk of facing skin cancer during their lives, they are unlikely to take prevention steps. During a free skin cancer screening during 2011 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, nearly 200 farmers were surveyed on the topic. Results included:

Only 23% of farmers reporting sunscreen use always or frequently when out in the sun for 15 minutes or more.
Common barriers to sun protection included discomfort with wearing long pants and long shirts, forgetfulness with sunscreen use and inconvenience with wearing wide-brimmed hats.

See Until It Happened To Me to read Steve Cornett’s personal account of skin cancer treatment.

5 Prevention Steps

The National Center for Farmer Health suggests farmers take these five sun protection steps:

Slip on a long sleeve shirt and/or pants.
Slop on SPF 50+ sunscreen.
Slap on a broad-brim hat.
Slide on sunglasses.
Seek shade.

Don’t Fall Victim to Common Myths

Common beliefs about skin cancer are fraught with inaccuracies. The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery debunks common skin cancer myths:

Myth: People who tan easily and rarely burn will not get cancer. False. There is no such thing as a healthy suntan. Evidence shows tanning greatly increases your risk of developing skin cancer.
Myth: Young people don’t have to worry about skin cancer. False. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer in young adults, ages 25 to 29.
Myth: You don’t need to wear sunscreen on a cloudy day. False. Even under cloud cover, it is possible for the sun to harm your skin and eyes and cause long-term damage.
Myth: Dark-skinned men and women are not at risk for sun damage and skin cancer. False. Though naturally dark people have a much lower risk of skin cancer than fair-toned people, this does not make them immune to skin cancer.

Look for Trouble Signs

Because the success of skin cancer treatment relies on early detection, seeing and understanding the signs of malignant skin lesions are crucial. The Center for Disease Control’s ‘ABCs’ for identifying melanoma can help:

A-Asymmetry: Does the spot or mole have an irregular shape? Are there multiple portions that appear different?
B-Borders: Does it have uneven, irregular or jagged edges?
C-Color: Is the color uneven or varying?
D-Diameter: Is it larger than a pea? Has it grown?
E-Evolving: Has it changed in shape, size or color? Has it become sensitive or started to bleed?

Why Mental Health Matters on the Farm

Wed, 11 May 2022 20:10:31 GMT

A little bit better is a little bit better, said Ted Matthews, director of Minnesota Rural Mental Health, an outreach program that supports farmers and the extreme pressures they face.

When it comes to mental health, Matthews told AgriTalk’s Chip Flory on Tuesday, “People think you’ve got to hit the home run, or it doesn’t count. That’s so untrue. If I feel better, I’m building towards something that was better than what I had. So why wouldn’t anyone want to do that?”

There seems to be a growing willingness in agriculture to participate in the conversation about mental health, Flory said.

Matthews attributes this to people beginning to look at mental health not as a disease, but as mental health.

“People are focusing on being healthier,” Matthews said. “Like anything else, if you take care of yourself early, you won’t have to worry about taking care of yourself later. It truly is a lifetime commitment to feel better about yourself. If you feel better about yourself, you’ll be able to deal with other people a lot better, and life will be a much more pleasant experience.”

Does Talk Result in Action?

It’s not just talk, Matthews said. More people are reaching out to Minnesota Rural Mental Health earlier during challenging situations. Instead of calling because there’s a crisis, more people are calling when they’re having difficulty with one situation or another.

Matthews said seeking advice or guidance means you’re trying to find a solution – that’s a positive step forward. The most important part is to be honest about how you are feeling in that moment.

“Is talking to someone helping you?” Matthews asked. “For example, clergy can be a great resource, and clergy can be a bad resource. It just depends - just like talking to your spouse, your friends, your neighbors. Remember we are all different and if those things help you, that’s great.”

He said his concern is when people avoid talking to someone because they think it’s easier to just handle on their own.

“Why not give it a shot? Why not talk to a professional if you’re feeling there’s still a lot of anxiety around a situation?” he asked. “You don’t have to see somebody for 50 sessions. Sometimes one will work, sometimes just a few.”

What Holds People Back?

When it comes to anxiety specifically, Matthews said some people can handle 150 things, while some people can handle three.

“We’re all different,” Matthews said. “In farming, there’s always anxiety. When is there not?”

Because of this, he said it’s especially important for farmers to understand what they can and can’t handle, and what they need to do to take care of themselves.

“For some people, that means they have to deal with [the source of anxiety] right away. For other people, they can handle things for a lot longer,” Matthews said. “We’re wired differently. Taking care of ourselves can have a lot of different ways of going.”

What Can You Expect in Counseling?

Flory said he was talking to a farmer who opened up that it made him anxious to reach out to a professional. He asked Matthews to explain what people can expect when they talk to a counselor.

Find someone you’re comfortable talking to, Matthews advised. If you’re not comfortable with one professional, don’t stop trying until you find someone you connect with.

“Understand all you’re doing [in counseling] is identifying things,” he added. “You get to decide whether that’s helpful or not. If it’s not helpful, then what other directions can you go? If it is helpful, then how do you get more of it?”

Most importantly, don’t categorize counseling before you even start, Matthews said. You have nothing to lose from trying it.

For more information, contact farmcounseling.org .

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, raising awareness about mental illness and related issues in the U.S., and helping reduce the stigma so many experience.

Read More:

Break the Stigma: It Starts With You and Me

By Her Own Hand: A Farm Girl’s Miraculous Journey from Death to Hope

Breaking Taboo: Parent’s Worst Nightmare, Child’s Near-Fatal Decision

Mental Health Adversity Allowed Wisconsin Dairy Couple to Learn the Value of “Best Yes”

More Resources on Mental Health Wellness:

Pay Attention to Warning Signs of Stress

Toxic Grit: Is Our Greatest Strength Our Greatest Weakness on the Farm?

Stress: Action is Key

Farmers, Ranchers Have Ways to Manage Stress

Suicide Prevention: Your Worth Isn’t Measured By The Markets

Don’t Let Social Distancing Lead to Social Isolation

Connect With Farmers In-Person On Mental Health

Simple, Daily Habits to Help Manage Stress

Pay Attention to Warning Signs of Stress

When Your Trampoline Breaks: Avoid Isolation

7 Steps to Reduce Farm and Financial Stress

How and Why to Laugh, Even When it’s Hard

Watch for Signs of Suicidal Risk on Your Farm

Renewable Fuel's Big Week on The Hill

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:32:45 GMT

U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) kicked off a busy week of public hearings on Monday, with Biden administration officials, like Pete Buttigieg, looking at steps to hitch the disrupted railway system back together.

Railroads in the U.S. typically transport more than 370,000 carloads of ethanol per year, according to the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). Currently, the STB shows average railcar dwell time for ethanol this week is at 61.4 hours, nearly doubling the same weeks average in 2021 at 37.1 hours.

Linking Ethanol to Gas Pumps

With EPA suspending the E15 summer ban and the Biden administration dedicating $100 million to ethanol availability at pumps across the nation, refiners will likely see a spike in demand that might be stretched if there aren’t enough railcars moving ethanol.

Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the RFA, spoke to the renewable sector’s reliance on “efficient and timely” rail service by submitting written testimony to be addressed during the hearing.

“The rail traffic congestion issue and subsequent decision to meter traffic is leading to major disruptions for our members and is impacting their ability to maintain production and deliver vitally important fuel ethanol to the market,” he says.

Labor shortages and inefficient use of railways have frequently mumbled through microphones at the STB hearing, according to Jared Mullendore, RFA director of government affairs. He says much of the proposed action in the hearings have centered around privately owned rail cars.

“We’re focused on getting these privately owned cars moving at a pace we used to see because this slow trend is impacting our producers and our membership,” he says. “We’re still getting the product where it needs to be, but the inefficiency is causing our producers to slowdown or even shutdown completely.”

According to Cooper, more than 70% of ethanol produced in the U.S. is transported by rail across the lower 48 states, along with Canada and Mexico. As United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai visits Canada this week to discuss USMCA, we will likely hear more on rail situation across borders.

EPA Looks to Crank-Up the Volume

EPA Administrator Michael Regan shared a similar ethanol conversation with AgriTalk Host Chip Flory earlier this week.

Regan’s agency previously proposed to deny all pending Small Refinery Exemption (SRE) requests under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). While he believes the denial will come through, Regan says his agency is weighing all options.

“We need to be on course to grow biofuels in this country,” says Regan. “When we look at these exemptions, it’s our opinion—along with the courts—that these exemptions have not been done appropriately in the past, and we look forward to making the right calls as we move forward.”

In early April, EPA decided the fate of the 2018 SREs under the RFS by moving to deny 36 of the pending waivers. The agency then offered relief to 31 waivers previously granted by allowing the facilities to meet their 2018 obligations without purchasing credits to show compliance with the law due to “extenuating circumstances.”

Future SRE relief opportunities were put to rest when Regan shared his agency’s outlook with Flory.

“The alternative path for compliance that was awarded to the first batch of SREs was done because these mistakes were made so far in the past,” says Regan. “The market has moved forward; the conditions on the ground have shifted. Moving forward, those compliance alternatives are not a guarantee.”

Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs) obligations for coming years will be finalized by the EPA on June 3rd. Regan says the RVOs his team has planned will revamp the RFS program, offering biofuels a “sound footing” to play the role Congress intends for it to play.

“2020 was a cleanup year. 2022 will be one of the most aggressive RVO years that we have seen,” he says. “From 2023 and beyond, we want to build on that by showing how biofuels will be a part of the solution for climate change, and in lowering the price at the pump.”

Renewable Fuel Takes Flight

Jim Wiesemeyer, ProFarmer policy analyst, says renewables should be gearing up for a big break in the sustainable aviation fuel sector.

“Letters are starting to come out, urging the sustainable aviation fuel credit,” Wiesemeyer shared 19-minutes into the podcast. “Lobbyists are gearing up for an eventual vote and I really see it coming in the form of a down payment in a green new deal.”

Jordan Fife, BioUrja Group trading president, told Flory the pipeline that is renewable diesel can handle sustainable aviation fuel credits.

Flory agrees with Fife and Wiesemeyer, saying Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is “gaining good momentum” in the sustainable aviation fuel sector.

Read more on ethanol:

> E15 Summer Ban Suspended, USDA Commits $700M To Biofuels Producers

> EPA Moves to Deny 36 Small Refinery Exemptions, Extends Olive Branch

FBI Puts Ag on Alert: Ransomware Attack Potentially Timed to Critical Seasons

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 20:40:53 GMT

Farmers and ag cooperative employees need to be on high alert this spring. That’s according to the FBI , which is predicting cyber criminals might attack the industry during planting and harvesting seasons.

Why? Cyber criminals believe their prey could be more vulnerable and willing to pay off the extortion.

Since 2021, FBI reports multiple agricultural cooperatives have been impacted by a variety of ransomware variants:

In March 2022, a multi-state grain company suffered a Lockbit 2.0 ransomware attack. In addition to grain processing, the company provides seed, fertilizer, and logistics services, which are critical during the spring planting season.
In February 2022, a company providing feed milling and other agricultural services reported two instances in which an unauthorized actor gained access to some of its systems and may have attempted to initiate a ransomware attack. The attempts were detected and stopped before encryption occurred.
Between Sept. 15 and Oct. 6, 2021, six grain cooperatives experienced ransomware attacks. A variety of ransomware variants were used, including Conti, BlackMatter, Suncrypt, Sodinokibi, and BlackByte. Some targeted entities had to completely halt production while others lost administrative functions.
In July 2021, a business management software company found malicious activity on its network, which was later identified as HelloKitty/Five Hands ransomware. The threat actor demanded a $30 million ransom. The ransomware attack on the company led to secondary ransomware infections on a number of its clients, which included several agricultural cooperatives.

These attacks resulted in service issues, production disruptions and loss of access to administrative functions.

In a public advisory , federal officials say a major disruption of grain production would impact the entire food chain.

What You Can Do

The FBI is asking those in agriculture to take defensive measures against the potential threat. Those steps include:

Regularly back up data, air gap and passwords. Make backup copies offline. Ensure copies of critical data are not accessible for modification or deletion from the system where the data resides.
Implement a recovery plan that includes maintaining and retaining multiple copies of sensitive or proprietary data and servers in a physically separate, segmented, secure location (i.e., hard drive, storage device, the cloud).
Identify critical functions and develop an operations plan if systems go offline. Think about ways to operate manually if it becomes necessary.
Implement network segmentation.
Install updates/patch operating systems, software and firmware as soon as they are released.
Use multifactor authentication where possible.
Use strong passwords and regularly change passwords to network systems and accounts, implementing the shortest acceptable timeframe for password changes. Avoid reusing passwords for multiple accounts and use strong pass phrases where possible.
Require administrator credentials to install software.
Audit user accounts with administrative or elevated privileges and configure access controls with least privilege in mind.
Install and regularly update anti-virus and anti-malware software on all hosts.
Only use secure networks and avoid using public Wi-Fi networks. Consider installing and using a virtual private network (VPN).
Consider adding an email banner to messages coming from outside your organizations.
Disable hyperlinks in received emails.
Focus on cyber security awareness and training. Regularly provide users with training on information security principles and techniques as well as overall emerging cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities (i.e. ransomware and phishing scams).

Tools and Resources

Tips for Protecting Yourself Against Ransomware Attacks

For additional resources related to the prevention and mitigation of ransomware, visit Stopransomware.gov

CISA’s Ransomware Readiness Assessment (RRA) is a no-cost self-assessment based on a tiered set of practices to help organizations better assess how well they are equipped to defend and recover from a ransomware incident.

CISA offers a range of no-cost cyber hygiene services to help critical infrastructure organizations assess, identify, and reduce their exposure to threats, including ransomware. By requesting these services, organizations of any size could find ways to reduce their risk and mitigate attack vectors.

Watch our report on AgDay TV:

Read More

Popular Online Farm Equipment and Land Auction Service Sites Crippled by Ransomware Attack

John Phipps: Is a Possible Cyberwarfare Attack Looming for Your Farm? Why Tractors May Be Next

John Phipps: Is North Korea the New Breeding Ground for Cyber Warfare?

Cyber Threats Are A Real Threat To Modern Agriculture’s Expanding Digital Infrastructure