May 29, 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Valley. This is iglife. My name is Bob Quinn.
With you for the next hour. We're talking about agricultural
production here in the valley and all across the country. Well, friends,
how to stretch out your meals for a week? Rod
Bain starts us off.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Oh, just trying to find some leftovers in the fridge
to make a stack.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Julie Garden Robinson of North Dakota State University Extension, What
do you mean you already use them?

Speaker 4 (00:27):
Think of your leftovers as planned overs because they allow
you to cook once and eat two or three times,
so they can save you time and money in the
long run.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Frankly, at this moment that strategy doesn't help my appetite,
But I get what you mean by planned overs. It's
another way to create your meal plans ahead of time,
like when you cook or crockpot several meals on a
weekend to freeze and use throughout the week.

Speaker 4 (00:52):
It all comes down to planning, and we certainly advise
that people should plan their meals because that gives you
a game play for your upcoming week. And with plaid overs,
this allows all of us in our homes to use
that food and not allow it to become spoiled or
stale or otherwise.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Unusable, reducing food waste. So what about some examples of
plaid overs. Guard Robinson says there are three food items
that come to mind that can be stretched over a
couple of days or more as part of a plaid
over strategy.

Speaker 4 (01:24):
For example, you could make a beef roast and enjoy
it first day, and then use the remaining meat to
make stir fry, chili or quesadia. So you're making something
different with the leftover food.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Here's another idea as a plaid over ingredient, hard boiled eggs.

Speaker 4 (01:40):
Hard cooks several eggs, make eggs salad sandwiches the first day,
and then maybe the next day or the following day,
you can serve the remaining eggs on a chef salad.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
And how about this as a pland over participate bow
tie pasta.

Speaker 4 (01:54):
Make a double batch of bow tie pasta, have it
with spaghetti sauce the first meal, refrigerate it. Next night.
Take that bow type pasta, add some mayo, chopped vegetables
and cantuna or planned over roasted chicken, and you have
a main dish pasta salad.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, you're allowed to mix and match planned over ingredients
and food items into next evening's made dish or side.
In fact, perhaps you have been creative and you inadvertently
made a planned over dish in the form of that
popular meal time offering a casse role.

Speaker 4 (02:22):
Certainly a lot of people like to make casseroles or
we call them hot dish in my area of the world,
and there's an infinite number of ways that you can
use this. It allows you to take what you have
in your fridge or in your cupboard and use them
with some basic ways to make your own cast roll,
or your own soup or some other dish.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
And since it appears that my fridge is barren of leftovers,
I should do some planning before my trip to the
store to create some meals for the week via planned overs.
I'm broad Bain, reporting for the US Department of Agriculture
in Washington, d C.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Farm US. Ahead, you are listening to Egglife Bob Quinn
here at farm News this morning, friends. Labor cost and
availability continued to be a problem for America's farmers and ranchers.
Chad Smith has more on how the adverse effect wage
rate is impacting agriculture.

Speaker 5 (03:14):
Labor challenges are among some of the most difficult issues
facing farmers and ranchers, especially for those who utilize the
H two A program. John Walt Boatwright, director of Government
Affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, explains how the
program works.

Speaker 6 (03:30):
The H two A program is the temporary and seasonal
guestworker program that many farms and ranches are increasingly relying
on for their farm labor needs. It's set by USDA's
Farm Labor Survey, which is updated annually.

Speaker 5 (03:45):
The Labor Department then uses the USDA Survey data to
calculate the adverse effect wage rate. However, recent increases in
the rate have been difficult for farmers and ranchers to sustain.

Speaker 6 (03:57):
Its outpaced inflation eight of the past ten years. It's
highly unpredictable from year to year. We've seen increases as
high as twenty three percent from one year to the next,
which is just simply and sustainable given the challenges that
we see in the predictability that farmers and ranchers need
to be able to make ends meet.

Speaker 5 (04:15):
Boat Right says that while twenty twenty six rates haven't
been calculated yet, all signs point to another increase in
the rate when labor costs are already high.

Speaker 6 (04:25):
Of farms and ranches who particularly utilize H two A,
it's right at forty percent of their input costs are
associated with labor. I think we can anticipate that a
lot of these costs are going to increase as a
direct result of that, and that's directly attributable to federal
rulemaking that has made it more onerous for small family farms,
particularly to stay afloat.

Speaker 5 (04:44):
Stay tuned to the Market Intel page at FB dot
org for more information. Chad Smith, Washington.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
Well Friends. Congress was supposed to write an updated farm
bill back in twenty twenty three, but that didn't happen
two one year extensions later. Agricultural groups can tind need
to push for new legislation as farmers operate under a
twenty eighteen version. Steve Etka, policy director for the Midwest
Dairy Coalition, talks about their main message to Congress.

Speaker 7 (05:11):
We're kind of waiting to see what unfolds. There are
main messages that the safety net for dairy needs to
be updated. We have a really important and useful program
called the Dairy Margin Coverage Program. We are not asking
for that program to have any wholesale changes, but we
are wanting Congress to recognize that things have changed on
the farm since twenty eighteen.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
The twenty eighteen Farm Bill is badly outdated given the
change in US.

Speaker 7 (05:36):
Dairy production, average herd size increased in some of the
structures of that program need to be updated to reflect
those changes, and we're hoping that, whether it's through reconciliation
or a full scale farm bill, that those provisions can
be included and become law.

Speaker 1 (05:51):
There are ramifications of doing a farm bill piecemeal through
the reconciliation process.

Speaker 7 (05:56):
There are I should back up and say there's a
lot of concern about what's been put on the table
in terms of cuts to food and agriculture programs through
this reconciliation process. I think the bulk of the cuts
that the AD Committee has been tasked to come up
with will fall largely on nutrition programs. And the farm
bill coalition that has existed for decades of combining folks

(06:18):
in Congress the care about nutrition assistance programs with those
that care about farmer assistance programs. That coalition has been
really key to getting a farm bill passed. So we
don't want to see that coalition divided.

Speaker 1 (06:32):
It's challenging to try to get a farm bill through
the reconciliation process.

Speaker 7 (06:36):
There are rules that govern what can be put in
a budget reconciliation bill. It has to be and this
is getting way into the weeds, but it has to
be directly relevant to the budget. And so there are
some things that are more policy like that are just
policy changes but don't have a budgetary impact, that are
not allowed to move through that process. And so that's

(06:56):
the challenge of doing a full farm bill through the
reconciliation process.

Speaker 1 (07:00):
Us Steve Etke Midwest Dairy Coalition Well Friends USDA's Cattle
on Feed report showed on feed numbers, placements and marketings
were all down two to three percent this past month.
US cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market
for feedlots with a capacity of one thousand or more
head totaled eleven point four million head on May first April.

(07:21):
Placements in feed lots total one point six million head,
three percent below last year. Net placements one point five
to six million. April's fed cattle marketings total one point
eighty three, three percent below twenty twenty four. Brief look
at the cattle on feed report. This morning farm news.
You're listening to ag Life.

Speaker 8 (07:41):
It's another ag news update. Budget Committee doing work to
extend the tax cuts, not an easy lift. More after this.

Speaker 9 (07:52):
Hi.

Speaker 10 (07:52):
I'm Debbie Childress, director of the Grayson County Alliance, a
food pantry in rural Kentucky. Thanks to a local farmer,
we recently received a twenty five hundred dollar donation from
America's farmers Grow Communities sponsored by the mon Santo Fund,
a philanthropic arm of Beyor. As a result, we expanded
a classroom where we teach families about nutrition and personal finance.
I encourage all farmers to enroll for a chance to

(08:14):
direct a twenty five hundred dollars donation to a local nonprofit.
Visit Growcommunities dot com.

Speaker 8 (08:20):
TeX's representative Chip Roy is a member of the House
Budget Committee.

Speaker 11 (08:25):
And I'm not going to sit here and say that
everything is honkey dory when this is the budget Committee.
This is the budget committee. We are supposed to do
something to actually result in balance budgets, but we're not
doing it. Only in Washington are we expected to bet
on the comm that in five years then everything will work.
Then we will solve the problem. We have got to

(08:47):
change the direction.

Speaker 12 (08:47):
Of this town.

Speaker 11 (08:48):
It's my colleague the other side of the aisle. Yes,
that means touching Medicaid. It went from four hundred billion
to twenty nineteen to six hundred billion this year. It'll
be over a trillion in the twenty thirties. We are
making promises that we cannot keep. We do need to
reform it. We need to stop giving seven times as
much money to the able body over the vulnerable. Why
are we sticking it to the vulnerable population, that disabled

(09:08):
and the sick to give money to single, able bodied
mail adults. We shouldn't do that. We should reform it.
But guess what That message needs to be delivered to
my colleagues on this side of the aisle two. We
are writing checks we cannot cash and our children are
going to pay the price. So I am a no
on this bill unless serious reforms are made today, tomorrow Sunday.

(09:29):
We're having conversations as we speak, but something needs to
change or you're not going to get my support.

Speaker 8 (09:34):
It's another AGEWS update. Here's farmer and businessman James Wood.

Speaker 13 (09:39):
We farm about thirty five hundred acres. There's pipelines everywhere.
The contractor working on my property did not have the
lines located before he began work, and if resulted on
a track on a natural gays pipeline. Fortunately no one
was hurt, but it could have been much worse. Never
assumed the location or depth of underground lines. Always call
eight one one or visit click before you Dig dot

(10:00):
com before you start work a message from the pipeline
operators for ag safety campaign.

Speaker 8 (10:06):
American Cattle News record high prices for cattle and beef.
More after this.

Speaker 14 (10:16):
Hi.

Speaker 10 (10:16):
I'm Debbie Childress, director of the Grayson County Alliance, a
food pantry in rural Kentucky. Thanks to a local farmer,
we recently received a twenty five hundred dollars donation from
America's Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by them on Santo Fund,
a philanthropic arm of Bear. As a result, we expanded
a classroom where we teach families about nutrition and personal finance.
I encourage all farmers to enroll for a chance to

(10:38):
direct a twenty five hundred dollars donation to a local nonprofit.
Visit Grow Communities dot com.

Speaker 8 (10:44):
Doctor Daryl Peel, Oklahoma State livestock Economist, I'll.

Speaker 15 (10:48):
Tell you what, These gattle markets continue to be extremely strong,
both feeder and fedgattle markets. Now, there was a lot
of volatility this last week in the future side, so
some of the feeder markets were a little bit flat
depending on the weight group, but by and large we
continue to see these markets move higher. Fed gattle markets
continue to move higher. They're running on a cash basis

(11:08):
this last week generally in the range of two eighteen
to two twenty or so in the South and up
to two twenty four to two twenty six in the North,
I think, and these markets are not showing much seasonal pattern,
so it appears that there's an underlying trend. Fed gatle
markets often would be falling back a little bit through
the middle of the year at this time of the year.
The lightweight CAF markets often peak in the first quarter

(11:30):
and come down through the middle of the year. Neither
one of those has really happened this year, so that
suggests that the trend in the market is offsetting the
seasonal tendencies. You know, box beef has over the last
two or three weeks has rebuilt to higher levels. It's
kind of holding a steady in that three forty eight
to three point fifty range for choice box beef. You know,

(11:50):
if you look at wholesale cuts over the last month
or so, the seasonal pattern for buying for grilling season
has been very strong. Much of that buy takes place
in April into maybe very early May, and so it's
all in place now for a Memorial Day. But we
saw very strong seasonal movements and several of the state
items that are popular for grillings, those strip lines, top sirline,

(12:12):
those kinds of things as well as you know, with
cow slaughter down as much as it is this year,
on top of decreases the last two years, the lean
trimmings market, which is a major driver for the ground
beef market, is extremely high, as at the record levels
at this point in time.

Speaker 8 (12:27):
American Cattle News.

Speaker 1 (12:31):
This is Dairy Radio.

Speaker 16 (12:32):
Now.

Speaker 12 (12:33):
I'm John Clark, travelan countryside for Feverrick's USA. Right now,
I'm with a very special guest, Roger Tyson with Corteva.
Tell us a little bit about these plenish soybeans.

Speaker 17 (12:43):
Yeah, so we're here today talking with nutritionists and farmers
and others about plenish high legs soybeans. And so when
we came into the market with those almost thirteen years ago.
The original route to market was to come through processors
and develop this into an oil product, a downstream oil
product for food companies, where that you had zero trans fat,

(13:04):
lower saturated fat, and higher levels of mono unsaturated fat,
which is the good fat that you want to have
in your diet. And so that was the initial reason
for bringing the product into the marketplace.

Speaker 12 (13:14):
So it's a healthy product, but it also works for
dairy farmers as well.

Speaker 17 (13:17):
It is a healthy product, and yes, it's working for
dairy farmers, and that's what was being discussed here today.
And we're seeing dairy farms now using this as part
of their ration into their herds, and in some cases
they're replacing some are all of some of their other
fat products that they're using.

Speaker 12 (13:34):
One of the interesting things that came up in your
presentation is that for folks making seed, it takes a
while to forecast that as a challenge sometimes.

Speaker 17 (13:42):
Yeah, I'm glad you caught that, because it is it's
really a two year lead way. So today we're making
plans to grow seed this summer that we can't sell
to a farmer until next summer twenty twenty six crop year,
which then you really won't have the output of that,
whether it be for oil or for a feed product
until late twenty twenty six, first half of twenty twenty seven.
So there is a process there to make sure that

(14:04):
the message from the marketplace, you know, this is signaled
to us so that we grow enough seed to make
sure that farmers have the acres that can supply these
downstream markets.

Speaker 12 (14:13):
And Roger, there are things out of your control that
really affect these oil markets that really ripple through our marketplace.

Speaker 17 (14:19):
Yeah, I mean, it's a commodity product offering, right, and
so whether it be substitutable oils that compete against us
on the oil side, whether that be corn oil or
canola oil or sunflower oil, there are factors that are
happening globally, disruptions and supply chains that certainly impact not
just on the oil side, but certainly could impact the
product offering on the feed side as well.

Speaker 12 (14:41):
This is a North American market that you're working on.
This is a North American market.

Speaker 3 (14:45):
Today.

Speaker 17 (14:45):
We only sell High Lakes soybeans in the US. This
product was developed you know here for the US we
don't have you know, genetic except right now we're working
with to fit any other parts of the world. So
it's it's really a different diferentiated advantage offering for the
US soybean grower that they don't have to compete with

(15:05):
other soybean growers around the world.

Speaker 12 (15:07):
Right now, that's amazing. You know, when we talk about
that oil market and we talk about the ho beans,
you're bullsh on where it's going to go in the
dairy markets.

Speaker 17 (15:16):
Yeah, I think in both downstream markets, whether it be
the oil market or the dairy market, we're just beginning
to scratch the surface of what this could be. You know,
you think of the US and lactating cows. There's nine
million lactating cows roughly in the US. It takes roughly
an acre per cow if you fed this as part
of their fat ration, So you know you're talking. You know,

(15:38):
if you fed every cow this this high lake soybeans
would be you know, seven million of the US soybeing hacers, right,
you know, as far as you know top level, Can.

Speaker 12 (15:47):
We can we service all those cows?

Speaker 17 (15:49):
I don't know, but it's a great opportunity for the
US dairy farmer and for the US soybean farmer.

Speaker 12 (15:56):
Absolutely, and it's great for food and for feed.

Speaker 17 (15:59):
It it's great for both and that's important for identity
preserved crops. They are generally a smaller product offering, and
when you can have multiple downstream uses for those, it
allows companies like ours to expand our research and invest
more dollars in those when they become bigger piles, so
to speak, in our offering. And so as we grow

(16:20):
both of these downstream markets, it's going to allow us
a lot more freedom. It's going to allow us to
be a much more reliable supplier to the marketplace as
far as seed and hopefully great success for both downstream markets.

Speaker 12 (16:31):
Roger Tyson with Corteva, thank you for being with us today.

Speaker 2 (16:33):
All right, thank you.

Speaker 12 (16:35):
I'm John Clark, traveling in the countryside for feedwork to.

Speaker 18 (16:37):
USA with Clarifly Larva side. You get more than just
a fly control product. You get more support, more expertise,
and more control to prevent the emergence of nuisance flies
from the manure of treated cattle by as much as
ninety six percent. It is perfectly blended in your mineral
supplement to become a part of what you are already
doing feeding your cattle, get control of flies with a
comprehensive program built around Clarifly Larva side and star Bar products.

(17:01):
To learn more about Clarifly Larva Side, contact your local
feed dealer or visit centralflycontrol dot com.

Speaker 19 (17:07):
Join us tomorrow for our feed Forum Friday with Doctor
Mike cutcheons and for archive programs, head to dairyradio dot com.

Speaker 20 (17:17):
Nitrogen applications on a recycled a'm an orchard, you may
have to go earlier than you would on a conventional orchard.
I'm Patrick Kavanaugh with a California tree Nut Report, part
of the AG Information Network. May Clumber is a UCA
and R farm advisor and Fresno County focused on tree nuts.

Speaker 21 (17:35):
We think that with these recycled orchards, since there's all
of that carbon in the ground that's limited the available nitrogen,
that it might be good to actually get an application
on earlier. So depending on when you planted, you know,
if you planted during winter January February, maybe you would
want to get a first application on early March or
something like that.

Speaker 20 (17:51):
And we asked Clumber why you'd want to go a
little earlier on the nitrogen applications on a recycled.

Speaker 21 (17:56):
Orchard well, because the carbon and nitrogen ratio is so high.
So when you chip up an entire old orchard that
was mature, you might be putting on somewhere about forty
five ton per acre of biomass, may be even more,
and half of that is going to be carbons, and
the nitrogen relative to the carbon might be only a
couple hundred pounds, maybe to three hundred pounds.

Speaker 20 (18:17):
Which causes a big imbalance of the nitrogen carbon ratio
in the soil.

Speaker 21 (18:21):
Because the microbes that are going to break down and
decompose those woodships, they mostly need carbon, but they need
a little bit of nitrogen too, and so they're going
to take whatever nitrogen is available and immobilize it and
make it unavailable to tree roots for uppit, and so
you don't have that type of condition and a conventionally
planted orchard.

Speaker 22 (18:40):
For the last forty years, the Egg 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 AGG Information Network,
reaching coast to coast, deep roots and farming. In decades

(19:03):
of reporting, the AG Information Network trusted and transparent journalism
for generations.

Speaker 23 (19:09):
It's been popping up in orchards and vineyards all over.
Any origin theories.

Speaker 24 (19:13):
Callers, Oh hey, yeah, it's Seva fungicide from BASF, a
category leader in disease control.

Speaker 23 (19:19):
How do you explain these healthy crops.

Speaker 24 (19:21):
Well, longer lasting residual. Plus it's built for current regulatory
standards and prepare for what's to come, which improves crop
marketing flexibility.

Speaker 23 (19:28):
So a fungicide that is out of this world.

Speaker 25 (19:31):
I knew it.

Speaker 12 (19:32):
Sebia fungicide from BASF.

Speaker 25 (19:34):
For is it always reading callow.

Speaker 20 (19:37):
Libressions with the AG Information Network. I'm Patrick Cavanaugh, you're
listening to AG Life. I'm Dwayne Merley. The United States
exported a record two point six billion dollars worth of
pork to Mexico in twenty twenty four, and Mexican demand
for US pork has continued to expand in twenty twenty five,
growing by eleven percent in the first quarter. Bring in

(20:00):
the US Lead Expert Federation Mexico Director Toronto Rodriguez pork
consumption has grown more than fifty percent over the last
fifteen years. Us MEF works to continue building that demand
by developing new products for convenience stores and food service.

Speaker 9 (20:16):
And that's due to several reasons. Number one is the
confidence that people have on the product. Number two is
the amount of exposure that people are seeing the products nowadays.
And remember when we start the free trad agreement in
mid nineties, pork it was perceived just as an ingredient

(20:37):
to do further process. Nowadays we're seeing not only in
the retail sector. We see them in the food service,
We see it in the high end restaurants. We see
it also in the convenience stores. So the matter and
the fact that you are able to see pork in
all the different channels is easier for us to keep

(20:59):
expanding the consumption per Caprica.

Speaker 16 (21:01):
The growth and pork demand, however, has attracted new competition
in the market, with the eligible suppliers having the zero
duty access and this makes preserving the duty free status
of US pork all the more important.

Speaker 9 (21:15):
More than fifty percent of the total amount is important pork,
So the need on pork coming from international markets is
very important for Mexico and we have over eighty five
percent of the market share, So that means that the
relationship between Mexico and the Interstates in regarding pork is very,

(21:36):
very important. So at the end of the day, what
we want is how can we keep the markets open.
We don't want to have any retaliation or anything like that,
because at the end of the day, nobody wins and
everything loses wealth and value, and that is where we're
trying to keep open as much as possible.

Speaker 16 (21:53):
Again matters US Meat Export Federation at Mexico Director Toronto Rodriguez.
The Farm Workforce Modernization Act has made a return appearance
in Congress. Bob Larsen has more well.

Speaker 3 (22:07):
Last week, US Representative Dan new House was part of
a bipartisan group that reintroduced the Farm Workforce Modernization Act
to reform the H two AVISA program. The Sunnyside Republican says,
given our current labor challenges in agriculture, it just makes sense.

Speaker 26 (22:22):
It's not rocket science what we're trying to do. Basically,
we want people to be able to come into our
country legally work and farms in this case, in this
legislation where we absolutely need them, and then when the
work is done and they want to go back home,
they can do that legally as well without fear of
not being able to come back.

Speaker 3 (22:41):
And the system currently in place, new House says just
isn't doing enough.

Speaker 26 (22:45):
Other countries have figured this out. We have to some extent,
but it's a Umberson difficult process for people to use,
and it's expensive, and it doesn't cover all of agriculture.
So we're trying to make some needed changes to the program.

Speaker 3 (22:59):
Fortunately, he knew How says, the word has been getting
out to lawmakers.

Speaker 26 (23:03):
Farmers in other states are expressing their concerns and their
urgency to their members of Congress. So people are hearing
about the high cost of agriculture. Labor wages and keep
going up and up, and the availability of workers keeps
going the other direction.

Speaker 3 (23:18):
New How says this legislation is necessary and he's committed
to working with his colleagues to enact long term, durable
reforms to our agg guest worker programs.

Speaker 16 (23:27):
America's farmers and ranchers A way to overdue updated farm bill.
Andrew Harker, principal of the Wrestle Group, talks about some
of the things farmers want included in a new bill.

Speaker 14 (23:38):
I think that there has been a lot of push
on increasing reference prices in Title I, making some modifications
to crop insurance, and you know, as we think about
what we're growers asking for. As the farm build process
has been moving these last couple of years, one of
the biggest items that was requested was increasing funding for

(23:59):
MAP and FMD, the market access program in the Foreign
Market Development.

Speaker 16 (24:02):
Reference prices are also top of mind.

Speaker 14 (24:05):
Outside of that, increasing reference prices seem to be the
next grower request and then shoring up some of the
crop insurance provisions. Those seem to be the biggest items
that have resen to the top as far as asks
from the industry, and as the farm bell's been rewritten again.

Speaker 16 (24:21):
That's Andrew Harker of the Russell Group. You've been listening
to AG life. Thanks for being with us today. I'm
Dwayne Merley.

Speaker 27 (24:29):
It's time for California add today on the AGATE Information Network.
I am Hailey's ship. The Presidential Commission to Make America
Healthy Again has released a new report identifying major contributors
to childhood chronic disease, issued just ninety eight days after
President Trump signed an executive order establishing the Commission, the

(24:50):
report site's poor diet, environmental toxins, limited physical activity, chronic stress,
and over medicalization. In response to the National Cotton Council
with the ma Erica voiced disappointment defending the safety and
importance of crop protection tools. Cotton producers have made significant
strides in conscientious pesticide usage, said NCC chairman and cotton

(25:13):
producer Patrick Johnson, adding that crop protection tools such as
glyphosate are vital for the continued sustainability of family farms
here in the US. On the reports mention of microplastics,
Johnson added, cotton growers produce a natural fiber that is
a healthy alternative to synthetic microfibers such as polyanster. It

(25:33):
is unfortunate that the Commission focused more on products that
are known to be safe, rather than on hazards such
as microplastics shed from synthetic clothing that our children breathe.
He urged that sound science guide future policy and that
cotton producers have a seat at the table.

Speaker 22 (25:48):
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

(26:09):
mean the most to you online at aginfo dot net.
The egg Information Network trusted and transparent journalism lasting for
the next generation.

Speaker 25 (26:17):
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 biopharma tools.
It's about how they work together to eliminate guesswork and

(26:41):
solve specific problems. Learn how at mdashpowerdashdairy dot com.

Speaker 27 (26:46):
This is Caelifornia ag Today on the agg Information Network.
Find more agricultural news at egginfo dot net.

Speaker 1 (26:53):
Bob Quen here at farm News This Morning, Friends. Labor
cost and availability continue to be a problem for America's
farm farmers and ranchers. Chad Smith has more on how
the adverse effect wage rate is impacting agriculture.

Speaker 5 (27:06):
Labor challenges are among some of the most difficult issues
facing farmers and ranchers, especially for those who utilize the
H two A program. John Walt Boatwright, director of government
Affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, explains how the
program works.

Speaker 6 (27:23):
The H two A program is the temporary and seasonal
guest worker program that many farms and ranches are increasingly
relying on for their farm labor needs. It's set by
USDA's Farm Labor Survey, which is updated annually.

Speaker 5 (27:38):
The Labor Department then uses the USDA Survey data to
calculate the adverse effect wage rate. However, recent increases in
the rate have been difficult for farmers and ranchers to sustain.

Speaker 6 (27:49):
Its outpaced inflation eight of the past ten years. It's
highly unpredictable from year to year. We've seen increases as
high as twenty three percent from one year to the next,
which is it's just simply and sustainable given the challenges
that we see in the predictability that farmers and ranchers
need to be able to make ends meet.

Speaker 5 (28:07):
Boat Right says that while twenty twenty six rates haven't
been calculated yet, all signs point to another increase in
the rate. When labor costs are already high.

Speaker 6 (28:17):
Of farms and ranches who particularly utilize H two A,
it's right at forty percent of their input costs are
associated with labor. I think we can anticipate that a
lot of these costs are going to increase as a
direct result of that, and that's directly attributable to federal
rulemaking that has made it more onerous for small family farms,
particularly to stay afloat.

Speaker 5 (28:36):
Stay tuned to the Market Intel page at FB dot
org for more information. Chad Smith, Washington.

Speaker 1 (28:44):
US Agriculture is still waiting for an updated farm bill
after the twenty eighteen bill was extended twice. Pieces of
a new farm bill are moving through the budget reconciliation process,
while it's not the whole farm bill. Ag Secretary Brook
Rollins is glad to see at least some progress.

Speaker 28 (29:00):
That Senator Chairman John Boseman and Chairman GT. Thompson on
the House side, Boseman on the Centate side, alongside our
White House, and I'm so grateful to many of my
counterparts in the White House that have made the pieces
of the farm bill that we believe are so important
for a thriving farm economy. The fact that we haven't
had a farm bill, the fact that the last administration

(29:22):
didn't get one done when they were supposed to, has
been devastating to a lot of our farmers, specifically with
regards to reference prices, etc. So we are.

Speaker 1 (29:30):
Encouraged despite the progress. It's not a given that this
will get through the Senate.

Speaker 28 (29:35):
You never know. This is true sausage making. But the
President's vision, I think is reflected in the fact that
some of those key parts of the farm bill are
within this reconciliation process. Now we'll get to the very end,
we'll see if it does it. We'll just move on
to the farm bill, and the President's committed to seeing
that through with our farmers, and I think we'll get
a good result.

Speaker 1 (29:53):
AG Secretary Brooke Rawlins talking farm Bill with us well friends.
One of the few bright spots in production agriculture right
now now is livestock, with beef herd contraction and high
demand combining to keep farm gate received study for cattle ranchers,
But how long will it last? Mike Davis reports. One
analyst continues to see the bright outlook for producers.

Speaker 19 (30:14):
Lant Zimmerman is a senior beef analyst with Robobank and
says he does see a change in production moving forward.

Speaker 29 (30:21):
We've brought a lot of profitability back to farms and ranches,
and now what you're going to see is fewer of
those mature cows on farms and ranches being sent off
to the beef production side of the production equation, and
instead they're going to be asked to be productive herd
contributors to newborn calves that will contribute to beef production

(30:42):
going forward. The challenge is is they have those calves
if they're a heifer calf, there's an increasing likelihood that
heifer calf's going to stay on the ranch going forward
to facilitate new herd growth.

Speaker 19 (30:53):
That being said, Zimmerman predicts price supports to remain in
place through the end of the decade.

Speaker 29 (30:59):
We make that transition to twenty twenty nine, and through
the rest of the decade and into the early twenty thirties,
beef production and domestic cattle slaughter is going to increase
as that heard rebuilds. It's going to keep a very
steady support level under these ground beef prices going forward
as we continue to realize tighter cattle supply going forward.

Speaker 19 (31:20):
Added to that he continues to see strong demand on
the consumer side.

Speaker 29 (31:24):
And I'm here to tell you as we look at
early twenty twenty five, all indications are demand's going to
continue to set a new near term record highs looking
like the best demand we've seen since nineteen eighty six
at the moment, and a lot of that's due to
the fact that even though the consumer pricing is going up,
and even though the consumer's increasingly stressed, buying beef at

(31:46):
retail is still a relatively cheap lifestyle upgrade that the
consumer can make.

Speaker 1 (31:51):
I'm Mike Davis farm US this morning. You're listening to
WAG Life.

Speaker 3 (31:57):
From the Egg Information Network. This is your aggribi business update.
California agg advocates made the case in Sacramento this month
that federal trade policy should prioritize certainty and predictability to
benefit farmers and ag exporters. At the hearing, California Farm
Bureau's Matthew viol said countries are looking at US as
not as reliable a trade partner as we used to be.

(32:17):
The hearing focused on the consequences of President Trump's tariff
policies on California industries, including agriculture and the ninety day
US China tariff pause. The US and Vietnam have began
their second round of trade negotiations. The Vietnamese government is
working to establish a new trade agreement that will help
it abate a possible forty six percent tariff that is

(32:38):
paused until July, a move that could destabilized its export
oriented growth model. Vietnam, a crucial regional manufacturing hub for
many Western firms, reported a trade surplus of over one
hundred and twenty three billion dollars with the US in
twenty twenty four, and the USDA's May Livestock, Dairy, and
Poultry Outlook calls for tighter anticipated supplies of beef cattle

(32:59):
after the US banned cattle imports from Mexico. Tighter supplies
will reduce s beef production in twenty twenty six to
twenty five point one four pounds. Wholesale dairy and milk
prices or revised upwards, with the all milk price forecast
increased to twenty one dollars and sixty cents per hundredweight.

Speaker 23 (33:17):
It's been popping up in orchards and vineyards all over
any origin.

Speaker 12 (33:21):
Theories callers oh hey, Yeah.

Speaker 24 (33:22):
It's Seva fungicide from BASF, a category leader in disease control.

Speaker 23 (33:26):
How do you explain these healthy crops well.

Speaker 24 (33:29):
Longer lasting residual Plus, it's built for current regulatory standards
and prepared for what's to come, which improves crop marketing flexibility.

Speaker 23 (33:36):
So a fungicide that is out of this world. I
knew it, Seva fungicide from BASF for is it always reading?
Holy Bress.

Speaker 22 (33:45):
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 AAG
Information work of the West News. So reach real farmers
right here, right now as they listen to what's important

(34:06):
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 25 (34:14):
From THEAG Information Network, I'm Bob Larson with today's agribusiness update.

Speaker 1 (34:18):
Bob went back to wrap up BAGLFE for today friends. Well,
the nineteen eighty five Farm Bill contained perhaps one of
USDA's most popular conservation programs and offering, marking forty years.
This year, Rod Bain wraps us up.

Speaker 2 (34:32):
Twenty twenty five marks the fortieth anniversary of what many
consider the Agriculture Department's flagship conservation program. The person perhaps
most connected to the creation of the Conservation Reserve Program
in nineteen eighty five, former Agriculture Secretary Job Block. He
shared some of his thoughts on CRP a decade ago

(34:52):
during the program's thirtieth anniversary. The Reagan administration cabinet member recalls.

Speaker 30 (34:57):
In order to have farm program support, you have to
take out ten or fifteen percent of your ground, and
some of us really good ground. So my idea wealth,
if we're going to set something aside, let's do something
that can protect the soil and get some of this
fragile land out of production.

Speaker 2 (35:11):
So, after some debate, Secretary Block managed to include CRP
as part of the nineteen eighty five Farm Bill. Considering
how the program has grown in scope at wide ranging
support over four decades, what might think CRP is perhaps
John Block's legacy as Secretary of Agriculture. He says, though
it's just one example of what he tried to do

(35:31):
while in office.

Speaker 30 (35:32):
I considered my legacy is working hard to reform farm programs,
and that was part of the reform, but we also
got rid of setting this land aside the good land.

Speaker 2 (35:41):
And some of that approach comes from Block's experience as
a farmer, several decades of experience where he operated his
Illinois farm and enrolled his farmland into CRP.

Speaker 30 (35:50):
We've had CRP land on our farms, and a lot
of our farms are not erosied, but we have got
some fields. It might be pretty flat for the most part,
but then there's river or streamed out at the bottom
and it's rough down in there. Instead of trying to
farm that, which would get a lot of erosion, but
put it in CRP.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
The fact that CRP has grown into more than just
a soil conservation tool over its forty years is well
in job Blocks words.

Speaker 30 (36:16):
It's blossomed in the more than I ever really anticipated.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
In part because of its growing popularity with outdoor recreationalists,
from outdoor sports participants to those hiking longstream banks protected
by CRP land. There is the variety of cover crops
planted on CRP land, some with potential as energy feedstock,
much of it part of wildlife habitat.

Speaker 30 (36:36):
There's insistence that you've got to have the right kind
of crops or foliage growing there, and grass and leagoomes
so that all of the butterflies and bugs and everything
you'll have a habitat. It just turned in the more
than I have imagine.

Speaker 2 (36:49):
Rod Bain, reporting for the US Department of Agriculture in Washington,
d C.

Speaker 1 (36:54):
With that, friends, out of time for today, thanks for
joining us back tomorrow morning with another edition of Baglife.