June 2, 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, valley. This is aglife. My name is Bob Quinn,
with you for the next hour talking about agricultural production
here in the valley and all across the country. Well, friends,
how about keeping your lawnmower running in peak condition throughout
the summer? Consider a few tips for maintenance. Rod Bain
starts us off.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
It's that time of year where sounds of lawnmowers on
any given weekend filled the air of the neighborhood as
we try to take care of our laws. And then again,
the sound of sputtering lawmowers and need of maintenance is
never a good thing either. Marcus Gardner of Alabama Cooperative
Extension system says this could be a result of winterization meeting.

(00:42):
When winter arrives.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Guess what, we just put that lawnmower back in the
same shit or name little storage area that it came
out of. We use it when it's good, when it's
time to be used, but we don't maintain our lawnmowers
the way we should.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
So we offer some maintenance tips for your lawnmower. Say
you use a gas powered more, perhaps the most important
thing to do is stabilize.

Speaker 3 (01:02):
The fuel, allowing gas to rent your lawnmower all winter
could clock the corporator. It could cost you more than
one hundred dollars to have the parts professionally clinging, while
a gas they blast could only cost twenty dollars a lit.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Remember to change the oil and spark plugs on a
routine basis, and if you have a writing bower, make
sure you replace or charge up the battery.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
There is a required amount of votage the lawnmower needs
to operate different parts such as light sensors, blade and
the starter, and also the call used to recharge the
battery while in operation.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Servicing or replacing other parts of your gas powered more
as needed, such as belts, air and fuel filters is
also important as maintenance practices and Garner says. Perhaps a
tip we don't consider, especially with a writing lawn mower,
is proper tire pressure.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Believe it or not, proper tie pressure has a huge
effect on how level the grass is cut. Proper tie
pressure would make the difference between a good or a
bumpet route on the lawnmower. Furthermore, friish could be placed
on the engine and transmission as well as added weight
on flat tire, so it's important to keep your ties
its slay to the proper amount of pressure.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
Maybe your law mower is more new fangled, like an
electric law more or a battery operated piece of equipment.
You may think none of these tips apply to you.
Gardner says you still need to practice maintenance. For example,
whether you have a gas powered, electric or battery powered more,
remember to clear the deck of old grass clippings and
sharpen the blades for proper operation. Also to consider with

(02:30):
electric bars, there are two tons.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Of electric lawnmowers that one is coreless and the other
one is with the core. So one thing you want
to do is store in a dry area. We don't
want any water or a lot of moisture on that edge.
And after each use you can clean it off, but
wipe it down really good.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
And keep in mind most lawn mowers, regardless of model,
has movable parts, so in most cases proper lubrication is essential.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Anything is moving hastricual, so those parts that are moving.
Police belt blades have to be luccant in order to
keep those part moves.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
And check broad Bane reporting for the US Department of
Agriculture in Washington, d C.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Well Friends the Federal Milk Marketing Order has some changes
that took effect on June first. We'll talk about those ahead.
You're listening to ag Life Bob when here with Farmer
Us this morning, friends. Long awaited changes to the Federal
Milk Marketing Orders are in effect as of June first,
Chad Smith starts us off.

Speaker 4 (03:24):
After several years of USDA hearings with the dairy industry.
Changes to the Federal Milk Marketing Orders take effect over
the weekend. Danny Munch, an economist with the American Farm
Bureau Federation, says the FMMO structure is intended to protect farmers.

Speaker 5 (03:41):
The primary purpose of the federal order system is to
set minimum prices milk handlers have to pay dairy farmers
for the milk day purchase. This was really meant to
avoid any abuse and pricing negotiations with farmers. There are
eleven regions in the country with federal orders. USDA calculates
minimum prices that farmers receive in each of those. It's
intended to support payments for their milk regardless of where

(04:01):
their products end up.

Speaker 6 (04:02):
He says.

Speaker 4 (04:03):
There are several significant changes made to the orders.

Speaker 5 (04:06):
Several of the changes dairy farmers were excited to see.
Included and that will go into effect on Sunday are
the switch to the hire of Class three and Class
four price formula for the Class one fluid milk price.
Class one differentials have also been raised in most regions,
which helps offset costs of transportation and servicing fluid milk markets.
We also removed the barrel cheese from the protein formula.

Speaker 4 (04:26):
Munch says these changes were a long time coming, but
there are still some unknown factors that might have long
term impacts.

Speaker 5 (04:34):
This was a need of the industry to say that
the Federal Milk Marketer system has been outdated. These formulas
need to be updated in order to reflect more accurate
market conditions. With all these trade disruptions supply disruptions going
on as well, the total impact might be stunted or
sort of covered by some of these bigger market movers.

Speaker 4 (04:50):
Learn more by searching FMMO at fb dot org. Chad Smith, Washington.

Speaker 1 (04:56):
Well Friends. Imagine fencing cattle into a certain location with
using any kind of physical fencing. Virtual fencing is a
technology that's coming along. Doctor Ryan Ruter, a professor of
Animal and Food science at Oklahoma State University, talks about
the technology.

Speaker 7 (05:12):
And essentially it works to digitally contain your cattle where
you want them, rather than physically containing them with a
physical fence. So works pretty similar to how virtual fence
works containing pets containing their dog in the yard. With
a lot of those systems, you bury a wire around
the perimeter and the collar interacts with the radio signals
from that wire. And that's not the way that virtual
fence works for cattle production. It's based all on GPS.

(05:35):
So we put a collar on the cows or sheep
or goats, and that collar has a GPS chip in
it and so it communicates with the satellites and knows
where it is. With software, you draw on the computer
on a map where you want the animals to stay,
and that collar works to contain the animals in the
area that you've defined on the map, solely based on GPS,
so you don't need any wire, any physical infrastructure in

(05:57):
the pasture at all. So it's pretty interesting new technology.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
Owners have to train their animals on virtual fencing, and
farmers will have to do the same with their animals.

Speaker 7 (06:05):
It is pretty effective once you get animals trained. There
are a few animals that we found that always want
to challenge the fence. So you can imagine how there's
always those animals in a group. Sometimes we need to
cull an animal or two that won't train to our fence,
but most animals do pretty well adapting to it and
being compliant with the fence.

Speaker 1 (06:24):
Using virtual fencing can require adopting a new mindset.

Speaker 7 (06:27):
There's a little bit of a difference in mindset to
think about when you're using virtual fence. With a physical fence,
it's kind of a hard black and white line and
animals are either in the pasture or they've broken through
and are out of the pasture. With virtual fence, we
don't recommend it for perimeter fence yet, we're only really
recommending it for interior pasture divisions and grazing management, those
things like that, And you have to be willing to

(06:49):
tolerate that. It's shades of gray and so some animals
are going to be over the boundary slightly some of
the time.

Speaker 1 (06:56):
What are the benefits of virtual fencing.

Speaker 7 (06:58):
One of the big benefits is in area is where
you need to build. You're going to need to replace
or build physical fence depending on the geography and the topography.
The terrain that you're having to build that fence in
the physical fence just has gotten really really expensive in
terms of materials and labor to put in pasture division fences,
and in some cases virtual fence is cheaper than putting

(07:21):
in physical fence in those really challenging terrains.

Speaker 1 (07:25):
Doctor Ryan Ruter, Oklahoma State University with US Farm US.
This morning, you're listening to Aglife.

Speaker 8 (07:32):
It's another AT news update sweeping tariffs? Are they breaking
the law? More after this.

Speaker 9 (07:41):
Here's farmer and landowner John Prufe.

Speaker 10 (07:44):
We purchased the land about three years ago and there
was an old farmstead on there with trees. We're going
to clear the lands we could farm through it. We
thought we knew where the pipe was, so we didn't
call to get it located. To work on our property
led to the damage of a light crude pipeline. Fortunately
no one was hurt, but it could have been much worse.

Speaker 11 (08:00):
Never assumed the location or depth of underground lines.

Speaker 8 (08:02):
Always call eight one to one or visit clickbefore youdig
dot com before you start work.

Speaker 9 (08:07):
A message from the pipeline operators for egg safety campaign.

Speaker 8 (08:10):
Earlier this month from Switzerland US trade representative Jamison Greer.

Speaker 12 (08:16):
I want to echo the Secretary's of marks respect to
the Swiss government. They've been so welcome and they've posted
this and everything has gone off lawlessly and we appreciate that.
And again to the Chinese negotiators. Vice Premier Leopo, Vice
Minister Lee Chengong, and Vice Minister Leamen work very diligently,
and these are very tough negotiators. A couple of them
I know from before and have had pass interactions with them.

(08:39):
And this was, as a secretary pointed out, a very
constructed two days. It's important to understand how quickly we
were able to come to agreement, which reflects that perhaps
the differences were not so large as maybe thought. That
being said, there was a lot of groundwork that went
into these two days. Just remember why we're here in
the first place, in the United States as a at

(09:00):
one point two tillion dollars trade deficit.

Speaker 11 (09:02):
So the President.

Speaker 12 (09:03):
Declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs. And we're confident
that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will
help us to resolve work towards resolving that national emergency.

Speaker 8 (09:13):
But a federal trade court on Wednesday blocked the Administration
from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under the Emergency Powers Law.
It's another Agnews update.

Speaker 13 (09:27):
If this were just any door, and this were just
any ignition connected to just any transmission in just any vehicle,
then perhaps it would be okay to buy it from
just anyone. But this is not just any car. It's
a certified pre own Mercedes Benz. Every detail has been
inspected and road tested by highly skilled Mercedes Benz technicians,

(09:47):
and it's all backed by an unlimited mileage warranty for
up to five years, which makes the decision of where
to buy one simple if you authorize mer sads Benz deal.

Speaker 8 (09:56):
American Cattle News, a nineteen fifty six movie called John
told the story of cattle versus oil. What's it today?
More after this.

Speaker 4 (10:05):
When you look at me, you might see a person
with Parkinson's disease.

Speaker 14 (10:10):
But if you look closer, you'll see a warrior mom,
an endurance.

Speaker 9 (10:14):
Athlete, someone with a lot of fights.

Speaker 10 (10:16):
Every nine minutes, someone is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Speaker 15 (10:20):
And every one of them can turn to the American
Parkinson Disease Association.

Speaker 9 (10:24):
Look closer. My spirit is shapable.

Speaker 11 (10:28):
Visit AP da Parkinson dot org to learn more and
show your support today.

Speaker 8 (10:34):
Brian McLaughlin is an attorney and a rancher in Midland Texas.
The Permian Basin.

Speaker 16 (10:40):
The Permian Basins large. I mean, that's just a geographic
carry out in West Texas, you know, I would say,
you know west off I thirty five, which almost bisects
the state from west of Austin, west of Dallas and
Fort Worth just south of the Panhandle, but from El pasoeast,
it's it covers a big area. And you're right, the
ranching and only gas industry have gone hand in hand
for a long time. They're kind of one in the saying.
These were the big vacant lands of Texas. And back

(11:01):
in the early days of Texas, Texas was a land
rich state and gave away its lands to railroads and
if they would survey the lands, but then they sold
and became ranches. It was profitable to run ranching in
the cattles back in the baking cattle drives back in
the eighteen eighties, late later part of the eighteen hundreds
and early nineteen hundreds. Then the fencing came along and
the ranches became more established than in the twenties, the

(11:23):
oil field hit in West Texas, out in Reagan County.
The Santa Rina.

Speaker 4 (11:26):
Number one in the University of Texas owns a.

Speaker 16 (11:28):
Lot of lands in West Texas. That's partially two million acres.
That's what forms the Permanent University Fund, which supplies a
lot of money for the University of Texas and Texas
A and M systems. Ranching and oil and gas interurgy'd
gone hand in hand for a long time.

Speaker 8 (11:41):
Tonty an easy place to raise livestock.

Speaker 16 (11:44):
Well, we have had some very serious droughts the past decades.
You know the Twain Desert, which begins as the big
ben out in southwest part of Texas. It's getting larger.
The desert is not getting smaller, but we've had some
tough times. Lack of rainfall past several years is really devastating.
Has where we've had some terrible fires. Our place got
white down in twenty eleven by devastating fire. In this
past year, we had some horrible fires up in the Pantannel,

(12:05):
and that takes a lot of land out of production
and there's no grass there to grow the cattle. Can't
raise cattle on it and can't put them in the market,
So we are at historic lows in the cattle numbers
which has caused the increase in the price.

Speaker 8 (12:17):
American Cattle News.

Speaker 17 (12:21):
This is Dairy Radio now.

Speaker 18 (12:27):
Helkie Monday, Lucas Fees senior dairy analysts with Rabble Bank
in Chicago. Lucas US dairy prices remained strong as exports
of cheese and butter are keeping stocks manageable. The unknown
is demand ahead and the Trump on again, off again tariffs.
What is rabble Banks view on all this?

Speaker 15 (12:47):
Last week we had a lot of information to piece
together both on that supply and demand side. As you
mentioned Lee two weeks ago, right before the holiday weekend,
we got that cold storage report that showed us the
cheese and butter stocks are still at quite manageable levels.
Cheese stocks have been below prior year levels for several
months now, and butter showing a smaller than anticipated increase

(13:11):
in April, largely I think due to both really strong
exports in recent months and that late easter. We did
see a bullish price response in cheese and butter last
week in response to that cold storage report. But at
Raval Research, we would caution that there is some cloudiness
on the horizon as the tariff and trade policy continues

(13:33):
to evolve. The good news, of course, so far, we've
seen limited escalation with Mexico. Product continues to flow freely there.
The US has some of the cheapest butter in the world,
which is positive for those exports, and we've seen a
reprieve in the relationship with China. But anything is possible
on the horizon. The US China tariff freeze, i should say,

(13:55):
is only for ninety days, so we could see further
escalation there. At the end of the day, Lots of
volatility continued to be expected on the trade and tariff front,
which could cloud exports moving forward.

Speaker 18 (14:07):
What do you see as the biggest concern in worst
case scenario best case scenario.

Speaker 15 (14:12):
I think worst case continues to be any escalation with
trade with Mexico, but I think it is in the
best interest of both countries to make sure that we
do not see that escalate due to the food that
flows both way across that US Mexican border. I think
any further escalation with China there's a lot of downside
there for our way protein permeate and lactose exports.

Speaker 18 (14:35):
And what do you see ahead in milk prices. How
high will the Class three price get to?

Speaker 15 (14:39):
I think again, we saw some bullishness last week. Very
welcome for dairy farmers, especially who are still probably profitable
due to lower feed costs this year. I don't see
a significantly much more upside in cheese and that Class
three market due to higher cheese supplies expected in the
coming weeks. But thankfully cheese exports have remained strong at

(14:59):
least the first quarter of this year, which has been
supportive to those prices.

Speaker 18 (15:03):
Thank you Loukas Lucas Fees senior dairy analysts with Robbelbank
in Chicago.

Speaker 17 (15:09):
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(15:32):
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Speaker 19 (15:38):
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Speaker 20 (15:53):
Here's dairy farmer Hank Wagner and his daughter Laura with
another simple miracle moment.

Speaker 21 (15:58):
Our grandson Jackson used to always ask Grandpa, what can
we do that as fun? That is a wonderful thing
because having fun is a foundational thing for childhood learning.
Our lives tend to get busier as we get older,
but having fun is just as important for adults.

Speaker 22 (16:12):
So what is fun? That is a hard question to
answer because every person may have a different idea of
what is fun. The great part about that is that
there is virtually no limit to the options.

Speaker 21 (16:23):
Consider making a list of what some fun things might
look like to you. Ask your spouse to also make
a list of fun ideas, and why not include the
rest of the family in this fun filled task?

Speaker 22 (16:33):
Is it okay to have fun at work? People are
attracted to fun and are eager to work with people
and businesses who know how to incorporate having fun in
appropriate ways. Life is short. Being intentional about adding some
fun can bring miracles to your life.

Speaker 20 (16:46):
That's Tank Wagner and Laura Rod's, author of the book
Simple Miracles for More Go to Becomebetter Leaders dot com.
Join us tomorrow on our PDP Producer Tuesday with Ben
Buckner Darian Grain, analyst with Egg Resource on our Producer Tuesday.
I'm Bill Baker, Dairy Radio Now.

Speaker 23 (17:08):
And agronomis for a major farming operation overseeing thousands of
acres of pistachios. Wrote his own job description when he
wanted to leave that farm with the American Pistachio Growers Association.
I'm Patrick Cavanaugh with a California tree nutt Report, part
of the vast ag Information Network. We're talking about Joe Coelo.

(17:30):
He's the director of Sustainability and member outreach for APG.

Speaker 24 (17:35):
Look, I'm ready to move out of where I am,
where I was the director of agronomy for eleven years.
I look at a lot of acreage farmed, a lot
of organic tons of R and D.

Speaker 23 (17:45):
Haven't any contacted APG.

Speaker 24 (17:48):
Well, I'd like you to consider taking the need for
action around what's coming out of the sustainability committee and
also your lack of a grower outreach, and marry those
two things together and you should hire me.

Speaker 12 (18:00):
To do it.

Speaker 24 (18:00):
I'd be the perfect one to do it. And long
story short is that let me write my own job
description And next thing you know I was hired is
just about a year ago. So as a result and
marrying those two things and knowing what I want as
a grower out of an association, I go visit with growers.
I assess their pain points, which especially the first thing

(18:22):
water that's and that's a kind of a tough one sometimes,
but I have ways to save water in terms of
like GSA, you know, maneuvering and nuances and things like that.

Speaker 11 (18:32):
It's been popping up in orchards and vineyards all over
any origin theories.

Speaker 25 (18:36):
Caolars, Oh hey, yeah, it's a fungicide from BASF, a
category leader in disease control.

Speaker 11 (18:42):
How do you explain these healthy crops well.

Speaker 25 (18:44):
Longer lasting residual. Plus it's built for current regulatory standards
and prepared for what's to come, which improves crop marketing flexibility.

Speaker 11 (18:51):
So a fungicide that is out of this world. I
knew it. Seva funge aside from BASF of cour is
it always reading by.

Speaker 6 (19:00):
For the last forty years, the AGG Information Network has
been the source of news for farmers and ranchers. Yet
we have never seen such an assault on farming and
our food supply as we do today, from fuel to fertilizer.
Farmers are facing unprecedented economic challenges. This is why agriculture
news that farmers receive comes from the AG Information Network,
reaching coast to coast, deep roots and farming. In decades

(19:23):
of reporting, the AGG Information Network trusted in transparent journalism
for generations.

Speaker 23 (19:29):
With the AG Information Network, I'm Patrick Kavanaugh.

Speaker 26 (19:33):
There were six hundred and thirty seven thousand workers hired
directly by farm operators on the nation's farms and ranches
during the week of April sixth to the twelve. Now
that's going to be out three percent compared to the
April twenty twenty four reference week. And then workers hired
directly by farm operators numbered five hundred and twelve fells
and during the week of January twelfth to the eighteenth,

(19:55):
and that's going to be out three percent compared to
the year AGO's reference week. Farm operators paid their hired
workers and average gross wage of nineteen dollars and fifty
two cents per hour during the April twenty twenty five
reference week. That's going to be up three percent compared
to a year ago. Field workers received an average of
eighteen dollars and fifty eight cents per hour. That's going

(20:17):
to be up two percent, and then livestock workers earned
eighteen dollars and fifteen cents per hour. That's going to
be up four percent. The field and livestock worker combined
gross wage rate came at an eighteen dollars and forty
three cents per hour, and that was up three percent
compared to the twenty twenty four reference week. Hired laborers
worked an average of forty point eight hours during the

(20:39):
April twenty twenty five reference week, and that's going to
be up slightly compared to the hours worked a year ago.
Farm operators paid their hired workers and average gross wage
rate of nineteen dollars and eighty cents per hour during
the January twenty twenty five reference week. That's going to
be up two percent compared to a year ago. Field
workers received an average of eight eighteen dollars and seventy

(21:01):
cents per hour. That's going to be up one percent,
while livestock workers earned eighteen dollars and fifteen cents per hour.
That is up four percent compared to a year ago.
The field of livestock worker combined at gross wage rate
was eighteen dollars and forty six cents per hour, and
that was up two percent compared to the January twenty
twenty four reference week. Hired laborers worked an average of

(21:24):
forty hours during the January reference week, and that's going
to be up three percent compared to the hour's work
during the same period one year ago. China is one
of the world's biggest suppliers of fertilizer. Josh Linnville, vice
president of fertilizer for Stone ACKs, says China has pulled
back in recent years on the amount of exports, preferring

(21:45):
to keep more on hand for domestic use.

Speaker 27 (21:48):
Every time we see updated operating rates in China, they
remain extremely high, which means that productice getting produced in country,
and that really brings a question of what are they
doing with all of it? Where's the oldest product going?
Can't hold five plus million tons and just create the storage.
I personally believe in that. Listen, this is China we
don't ever know. It's always educated guesses, if we can
even call them that. But when I look at China,

(22:10):
we have seen where the government has kind of started
to telephone people.

Speaker 28 (22:13):
Listen.

Speaker 27 (22:13):
We need to be less reliable on the world. We
need to produce our own food. Well, how do you
ramp up yields? Will you fertilize more?

Speaker 29 (22:18):
So?

Speaker 27 (22:19):
I think just an increase of domestic man could soak
up a lot of that product that they would normally export.
We have been hearing where storage is mere record hized
or at or above record hize. That has led to
some speculation that we will see some exports be allowed
here fairly shortly.

Speaker 26 (22:33):
He says. Even if China eventually ships out access fertilizer
that they can't store, that means the world's biggest export
will likely be missing for at least half of twenty
twenty five. So what should farmers be thinking about for
this fall in next year's applications?

Speaker 27 (22:48):
So, from a farmer's perspective, you are spending far more
of your bushel's corn to pay for that depth. This
is the market's way of trying to kill demand, and
so not to say this improves in the year's come.
I hope that it does, understaying hopeful this all corrects
itself and we'll get back to some decent values. But
there needs to be some hard decisions, and I think
one of those things that you need to have an
idea of what do I truly need to raise next

(23:09):
to year.

Speaker 26 (23:09):
Scrop Glennville says China may not be holding that much
fertilizer off the world mark, it's because of US taros.

Speaker 27 (23:16):
I think it's more domestic policy. A lot of folks
who have been trying to tie this back to the
Trump administration's kind of economic war on China parties like that.
But again, the fal state flows and you look at it,
those export flows start to slow significantly into early twenty
twenty two when global prices fight the last time. And
so this is a situation bit to place. This is
a domestic Chinese political strategy again to keep tons at

(23:37):
home prices low. Now to your point, I believe part
of it is an effort to ramp up production of
foods in their own areas so they have to be
reliant on western countries like the US. Part of it
could be that production rates are down. A false state
if you look into the social market. There's been a
lot of supply and price issues there which may be
making it kind of an economical And the third something
that a lot of people kind of swin at you

(23:58):
when you talk about battery manu fact, the current adopted
manufacturing for batteries off state base and so you know
that China is obviously a major player in that field.
We could be seeing a lot of thoughts they being
pulled away from agonomical uses of pulled away from export
and being placed into that industry again.

Speaker 26 (24:15):
That is Josh Linnville, vice president a fertilizer for stone X.

Speaker 30 (24:21):
It's time for California ad today on the AG Information Network.
I am Haley's ship. Almonds here in the state of
California are entering into the whole split crop stage on
the grower anxiety list. That means q up, naval orange
worm and whole rot. Greg selna product manager with Helena Egger, enterprises.

Speaker 28 (24:41):
The naval orange worm. Once that hall opens, has an
enterway into the nut itself.

Speaker 30 (24:47):
Greg told me that this is when troubadour a worm
specific control and utilize PK, a full year nutrient system
that boosts plant performance.

Speaker 15 (24:56):
Enter the chat.

Speaker 28 (24:57):
We utilize PK will increase photosynthesis and chlorfill production by
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Speaker 30 (25:18):
And we can all use a little less stress now.
The latest numbers from the USDA's National Egg Statistics Service
are predicting that the twenty twenty five almond harvest is
going to be three percent larger than what the state
saw in twenty twenty four. If you want to chat
more about relevant product, you can find a Helena rep
near you at Helena agri dot com.

Speaker 6 (25:37):
For over forty years, the Egg Information Network has been
providing news and information for the most important industry in
the world, agriculture. The Egg Information Network gives you worldwide
updates from local producers to regional organizations, from major crops
like wheat and corn, to animal agriculture to specially crops
like apples, almonds, and cherries. We report on stories that

(25:58):
mean the most to you on line at aginfo dot net.
The Egg Information Network trusted and transparent journalism lasting for
the next generation.

Speaker 9 (26:06):
On a dairy, decisions are never made in a vacuum,
your products, technologies, protocols. They're all connected, or at least
they should be. Introducing Empower Dairy from Mirk Animal Health,
the only full solution portfolio in the dairy industry. Empower
is more than just powerful identification, monitoring and biopharmatols. It's

(26:27):
about how they work together to eliminate guesswork and solve
specific problems. Learn how at mdshpowerdashdairy dot com.

Speaker 30 (26:35):
This is California AGG today on the AG Information Network.
I am Hailey Ship. For more agnews, check us out
online at aginfo dot net.

Speaker 1 (26:45):
Bob when you're with farm us this morning, friends. Long
awaited changes to the Federal Milk Marketing Orders are in
effect as of June first, Chad Smith starts us off.

Speaker 4 (26:54):
After several years of USDA hearings with the dairy industry.
Changes to the Federal Milk Mart Marketing Orders take effect
over the weekend. Danny Munch, an economist with the American
Farm Bureau Federation, says the FMMO structure is intended to
protect farmers.

Speaker 5 (27:10):
The primary purpose of the federal order system is top
set minimum prices. Milk handlers have to pay dairy farmers
for the milk day purchase. This was really meant to
avoid any abuse and pricing negotiations with farmers. There is
eleven regions in the country with federal orders. USDA calculates
minimum prices that farmers receive in each of those. It's
intended to support fair payments for their milk regardless of

(27:31):
where their products end up.

Speaker 6 (27:32):
He says.

Speaker 4 (27:32):
There are several significant changes made to the orders.

Speaker 5 (27:36):
Several of the changes dairy farmers were excited to see
included and that will go into effect on Sunday are
the switch to the hire of Class three and Class
four price formula for the Class one fluid milk price.
Class one differentials have also been raised in most regions,
which helps offset costs and transportation and servicing fluid milk markets.
We also removed the barrel cheese from the protein formula.

Speaker 4 (27:56):
Munch says these changes were a long time coming, but
there are still some unknown factors that might have long
term impacts.

Speaker 5 (28:03):
This was a need of the industry to say that
the Federal mark marketer system has been outdated. These formulas
need to be updated in order to reflect more accurate
market conditions. With all these trade disruptions, supply disruptions going.

Speaker 8 (28:13):
On as well.

Speaker 5 (28:14):
The total impacts might be stunted or sort of covered
by some of these bigger market movers.

Speaker 4 (28:19):
Learn more by searching FMMO at fb dot org. Chad Smith,
Washington Friends.

Speaker 1 (28:26):
May was Mental health Month. Let's remember our friends and
loved ones in the ag industry. The Washington State Policy
Centers Director of Agriculture Pam Lewison says, anyone who's struggling
with any kind of mental health stressor should take that
first step and call the helpline.

Speaker 29 (28:42):
That said, because my area of focus is in agriculture,
I like to take this particular month to focus a
lot on agriculture and the unique stressors.

Speaker 1 (28:53):
In ag Agriculture, Lewison says, has a higher suicide rate
than most.

Speaker 29 (28:58):
One in four farmers are slated to take their life
on a regular basis in agriculture, making it one of
the riskiest jobs you can have in the United States.

Speaker 1 (29:10):
Lewison says, the expenses to farm have gotten worse.

Speaker 29 (29:14):
It's a lot more offensive to operate a farm here
when you look at things like fuel costs, labor costs,
and input costs, and then you have sort of a
myriad of other compounding issues, and.

Speaker 1 (29:26):
Some of those issues include bankruptcy.

Speaker 29 (29:28):
The post most recently that on our website deals particularly
with bankruptcies. Bankruptcies and agriculture year over year in the
West have increased fifty four percent.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
Lewison says it's time for state and federal legislators to
develop greater empathy for our nation's food producers. Retirement is
something that's usually celebrated with parties and congratulations, but in
farming doesn't quite work that way. There are a few
reasons for this, but the main one is the question
of identity. If you're not then who are you? That

(30:01):
question typically delays farm transitions and succession planning. Wesley Tucker,
a farm transition specialist University of Missouri Extension Service, says
losing their quote farmer identity can be tough.

Speaker 14 (30:14):
I would just describe it as the farmer is their identity.
That's how they identify as a farmer, and so it
is very difficult for a farmer to what we consider
retire because they lose their identity with that. And so
it's very very common for farmers to hold on to
very strongly the control of the operation as well as
the ownership of the operation until they die because they

(30:36):
want to farm until they die.

Speaker 1 (30:37):
Essentially, he said, the older family member is still a farmer,
just in a different role.

Speaker 14 (30:42):
I work a lot on helping them understand that they
are still a farmer. They are still vitally important. They're
actually probably more important in the role of a coach
or a mentor to the next generation than they are
whenever they are calling all the shots. So as we
work through a plan for farm succession, we talk about
those changing roles. How the younger generation takes on a
little bit larger role in a little bit larger role

(31:04):
over time, and the older generation still has a very
vital role and their identity is still secure as a farmer,
but their role is changing, and so they transition to
more supporting the next generation and helping them be successful
rather than focusing on their own success.

Speaker 1 (31:17):
Tucker talks about it when the transition needs to take place.

Speaker 14 (31:21):
I like to say that farm succession starts when you
give your kids their very first set of chores. How
do you give them that set of chores? Do you
tell them exactly what they have to do? And do
you micromanage them and complain when they don't do it
the way you would do it, or do you tell
them what you expect them to accomplish, give them a
little bit of guidance, and then set them loose to
figure out and problem solve how to do it on

(31:41):
their own. So it really is what we call a
gradual process. Right from the time your kids are very
young to the time that they are sixty or seventy themselves,
the roles are changing. I don't know that I could
say it's at exactly forty or fifty or sixty year
and I don't know that I could say, because it's
going to be a little bit different for every family.

Speaker 1 (31:57):
Wesley Tucker, University of Missouri Extension with US Farm use,
you're listening.

Speaker 31 (32:01):
To AAG life, but the AGU Information Network this is
your agribusiness. Update to the Consumer Price Index data for
April shows a welcome moderation in overall inflation, cooling to
its slowest annual rate since twenty twenty one, Despite that
many families continue to feel the pinch at the grocery
store and dining out. In April, consumer prices rose point

(32:23):
two percent from the previous month, slowing the annual inflation
rate of two point four percent to two point three
The data was surprising, as many expected trade disputes and
tariffs to push prices higher. A new survey commissioned by
Crop Life America reveals a strong trust in American farmers
and public recognition of the benefits pesticides provide in making
food more affordable and accessible. The poll shows two thirds

(32:46):
of Americans approve of the job farmers are doing. An
overwhelming majority agree that when farmers use tools like pesticides
to control weeds, crop disease, and pests, it leads to
greater food choices and lower costs for families. Egg Secretary
Brook Rawlins and Interior Secretary Doug Bergram assigned a joint
memo on wildfire preparedness, ensuring the departments will work closely

(33:07):
during fire season. USDA will work with President's Cabinet and
trusted state, local, and tribal partners to ensure the nation's
firefighting system remains coordinated and focused on fighting wildfires quickly
and effectively. Rowlin says they will work in lock step
alongside our federal partners to effectively combat wildfires.

Speaker 11 (33:25):
It's been popping up in orchards and vineyards all over
any origin.

Speaker 25 (33:29):
Dearies callers, oh hey, Yeah, it's Seva fungicide from BASF,
a category leader in disease control.

Speaker 11 (33:35):
How do you explain these healthy crops.

Speaker 25 (33:37):
Well, longer lasting residual Plus, it's built for current regulatory
standards and prepared for what's to come, which improves crop
marketing flexibility.

Speaker 11 (33:44):
So a fungicide that is out of this world, I
knew it, Seva fungicide from BASF. Is it always reading holypressions?

Speaker 6 (33:54):
The best place to reach a farmer with a farming
solution message is when they're well farming. It's easy to
find them during the day as most farmers are behind
the wheel of the pickup truck or farm equipment with
the radio on, listening to this station for the AG
Information Network of the West News. So reach real farmers
right here, right now as they listen to what's important

(34:14):
to their farm operation. Give us a call and we'll
connect you with our local farming community. They trust us,
so they'll trust you.

Speaker 9 (34:22):
From the AAG Information Network, I'm Bob Larson with today's
agribusiness update.

Speaker 1 (34:27):
Bob quinback to wrap up AGLI for today friends. The
may Rural Main Street Index fell below the growth neutral
reading of fifty for the nineteenth time in the past
twenty months. The ten state region covered by the index
came in at forty four during May. It's up from
forty in April. Though the index ranges between zero and
one hundred, with fifty representing growth neutral. According to the

(34:50):
Bank CEOs. In our survey, the economic outlook for the
twenty twenty five farm income remains weak. That is from
Ernie Goss of Creighton University, who conducts the sur well.
Friends of the Natural Resources Conservation Service recently celebrated ninety
years of protecting soil health and serving farmers, but as
Mike Davis reports, they're not resting on their laurels.

Speaker 32 (35:13):
Aubrey Bettencourt is the NRCS chief and says connecting with
farmers is something they talk about a lot.

Speaker 33 (35:19):
We've got to meet our farmers where they are and
more importantly, meet them where they're going. We are at
such a critical moment in agriculture, I think where this
is a make or break for our society in terms
of the investment we make in the two percent of
the population that feeds, clothes and fuels the other ninety
eight percent.

Speaker 32 (35:38):
Bettancourt has challenged her colleagues to think about how NRCS
can meet the needs of farmers in twenty twenty five
while staying true to its principles.

Speaker 33 (35:47):
One on one technical assistance is still a core value
of what NRCS does and continues to do, as well
as the financial assistance that comes with that, you know,
investing in certain practices. Farmers can make these investments on
farm again to increase their productivity while conserving the resources
that they need to do that, as well as supporting

(36:10):
other conservation priorities that we have across the landscape.

Speaker 32 (36:13):
She says, Science based conservation is the basis for all
they do.

Speaker 33 (36:18):
We still have a wonderful science center and division within NRCS,
and I think that's going to become an even bigger
part of what we're doing, not just the basics of
snowtel and soil sciences and soil health, which is our
core mission and really our heart is the soil, but
also looking forward as we deal with digital farming and automation,

(36:40):
what are the technologies that our farmers are going to
need and we need to help them get from pilot
to scale. We need to get these things affordable and
on the landscape so that they can continue to do
what they do best.

Speaker 11 (36:52):
I'm Mike Davis.

Speaker 1 (36:53):
With that, friends are out of time for today, Thanks
for joining us back tomorrow morning with another edition of
Bag Life