October 13, 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,
if your thoughts of pumpkin are on pies, a extension
expert says, there are many ways to prepare it and
many nutritional benefits from consuming that pumpkin. Rod Bain starts

(00:20):
us off.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
You may be familiar with the term superfood. You know,
food rich and nutrients such as antioxidants, Obega three, fatty acids, etc.
That can contribute to improved health. Probably what comes to
mind is various fruits and vegetables, fish, among other foods.
But with this being fall, perhaps a superfood you may
not consider or even know about is pumpkin.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
You're someone who really really enjoys cooking. You can buy
pumpkin when it's fresh in the fall and prepare it
easily to be frozen so that you could use it
throughout the year.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
And Carol Kanel the Alabama Cooperative Extension System ads processed
pumpkin is available year round in supermarkets and retailers. When
it comes to nutrition.

Speaker 3 (01:03):
It's really quite nutrient dense, which just means that it
packs a lot of nutrients like vitamins and minerals for
every calorie that it contributes to the diet.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Abung pumpkins many key nutrients.

Speaker 3 (01:14):
A puff of the canned pumpkin with no added salt
provides only about eighty three calories, but it's packed with
things like dietary fiber. It's a really good source of
the mineral potassium, which is an important mineral in blood
pressure regulation in muscle contractions. It's high embotomin a, which
is good for vision as well as immunity. And it
also provides minerals like iron, zinc, and magnesium, which are

(01:36):
really important in things like red blood cell production and
wound healing, and magnesium is important in muscle relaxation. In addition,
it's low in fat naturally before we add lots of
things to it. So what you find in the produce
stands fresh pumpkin as well as canned Punkin is a
low fat product, and it's also a good source of
vitamin A, which is an important vitamin for blood clotting

(01:57):
and bone health.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Now you may be thinking that's an awful lot of
pumpkin pie to eat. Oh with pumpkin spiced. Anything that
doesn't have pumpkin doesn't count. Codel reminds us pumpkin is
a versatile fruit with many ways to prepare it. Add yes,
I said fruit.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
It's actually a fruit because it grows from a flour
that has to be pollinated by pollinating insects like bees.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
So back to the various methods of cooking, preparing, and
a joying pumpkin minas adding lots of fat and sugar.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
Fresh pumpkin can be peeled and deceeded and cubed and
then roasted with other vegetables like bell peppers or mushrooms
or onions for a savory type of dish that's really
really quite good with things like pork chopps and baked
chicken and that sort of thing. If you don't have
time to cook fresh pumpkin, you can always buy the
can or the puree pumpkin, and it has many uses too.

(02:47):
You can make warm, cozy, fall type cream soups with pumpkins.
You can make pumpkin bread or muffins or beednm pumpkin
smoothie for breakfast to get the nutritional benefits of pumpkin
that way as well.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Right Bain Reporting for the US Department of Agriculture in Washington.

Speaker 4 (03:03):
D C.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Well, friends, coming up, there's some good news on the
farm labor front. That stories ahead on Aglife, Bob. When
here were some farm news today, friends, producers got some
good news on the cost of laborfront.

Speaker 5 (03:15):
Bob Larson has our report.

Speaker 6 (03:17):
Flag employers took a big sigh of relief last week
after the Department of Labor revised the methodology for determining
the H two A program's adverse effect wage rate. Northwest
Horticultural Council Senior Vice President Kate Tynan says it's great
news because tree fruit growers are spending nearly every dollar
they make on labor costs.

Speaker 7 (03:35):
We did conduct a survey last year looking at trends
and grower costs and labor returns, and we were able
to update that this year. And I can tell you
that last year, growers were actually paying eight percent more
in labor costs than they were actually receiving for the
sale of their fruit.

Speaker 6 (03:51):
But sadly, Tynan says, that was last year.

Speaker 7 (03:54):
This year, we're on track for growers to spend ninety
seven percent of that check that they get when they
sell their fruit only on labor costs, and that's before
they're paying for fuel or fertilizer or any of those
other costs that go along with growing harvesting fruit.

Speaker 6 (04:08):
Hopefully, Timan says this will prevent the loss of more farmers.

Speaker 7 (04:11):
Growers cannot stay in business and continue to do what
they do under those economic conditions, and the largest regions.
Why we've lost fifteen percent of our tree fruit farms
in Washington State just between twenty seventeen and twenty twenty two,
and we see even higher numbers in Oregon that we've lost.

Speaker 6 (04:28):
The new AWOR calculations are now in effect, but will
impact Northwest growers until next year.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
Bob Larson reporting well, friends, weed control remains a problem
in farm fields across the entire country. Much of it
has to do with the development of resistance to the
chemistries that are now available. Aaron Hagar, an extension weed
scientists at University of Illinois, talked about herbicides and new
chemistries that may hit the market sooner rather than later.

Speaker 8 (04:54):
Pretty much, we'll see one or two new active ingredients
coming probably next year, but they'll be new to us.
But actually these are fairly old active ingredients from Europe.
Diflufinicin is one active ingredient that Bear Crop Science will
bring into the marketplace. The original concept from the company
several years ago was to bring in only as a

(05:14):
pre mixed product with one or two different active ingredients,
but apparently that decision now has been changed and it
will be straight difflu finicin. It can be fairly active
on the amaranthus complex, but again by itself, like so
many other examples that we've looked at now for close
to thirty years, there's very very few active ingredients, especially
in the pre emergency marketplace that'll take us all the

(05:36):
way from planting through the post application timing.

Speaker 5 (05:39):
He said.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
The new products will be a corn and soybean herbicide.

Speaker 8 (05:43):
It'll actually be both. Not really for sure what the
push will be the first year. It'll be kind of
a limited launch I think in twenty six, but more
full scale, I'm sure, on more broad acres and starting
in about twenty twenty seven. It will be another option
for farmers. It's not the only option that they have.
Several years ago, we start to take another look or
a fresh look at metribusan in soybean simply because that

(06:06):
is an active ingredient that allows us to exploit one
of the very few weaknesses of the resistance complex that
we see in our water hemp populations here in Illinois.

Speaker 1 (06:16):
He said, when they see resistance to the photosystem to inhibitors,
that resistance is almost always non target site or a
metabolic type of resistance.

Speaker 8 (06:27):
By that we mean the target site remains in a
sensitive formation, but yet the plant is actively able to
metabolize the herbicides before it causes any sort of detrimental effect.
So when you have metabolic triazine resistance, that would render
things like atrazine and princep ineffective. But metribusing, being an
asymmetrical triazine, still remains effective. But many people here you

(06:50):
almost have to have a little bit of gray hair
to remember how we used to use metribusan in soybean
here in Illinois back in the seventies and eighties. But
what we have found is that it can still be
one of the most effective soil residual herbicides that we
have now on multiple resistant populations. But just like every
other product, we have to make sure that we get
the application right correct based on the soil texture for

(07:13):
the individual field that we're going to be uplying.

Speaker 1 (07:15):
It to Aaron Hager, University of Illinois with us this morning,
far me. As you're listening to AG Life.

Speaker 9 (07:21):
It's another AG news update. Ethanol looking to fuel the seas,
Beef imports are climbing, and seafood markets face tariffs. More
after this at the.

Speaker 10 (07:30):
American Veterinary Medical Association Annual Convention in Denver, we caught
up with doctor Kerry Ryan, pet cloning and genetic preservation
expert with Viagin in Cedar Park, Texas.

Speaker 11 (07:40):
We've been working with dogs and cats for three years.
We're the only company in the United States that clones
dogs and the only company in the world that clones cats.
And we've also been cloning horses in livestack for about
fifteen years. So I think this will be here to stay,
and I think as we get better and better at it,
the costs will come down and people will be more
and more interested in it.

Speaker 10 (07:56):
There's more information at AVMA dot org, the.

Speaker 9 (07:59):
Internet Raational Maritime organization pushing for net zero greenhouse gas
emissions in shipping by two thousand fifty, creating new opportunities
for US ethanol and marine and aviation fuels. Eighteen billion
gallons of production capacity here in the US and record
exports last year. US infrastructure well positioned for this market.

(08:22):
USDA data shows US beef imports up six percent this year,
reaching one point eight two million metric tons. Canada remains
the top supplier, but South America, led by Brazil and
Uruguay quickly gaining ground. Pork imports in the meantime down
eleven percent as domestic supplies hold steady. World Trade Organization

(08:43):
that's where students from more than ten countries pitch solutions
to food insecurity. Winning idea focused on reducing post harvest
losses in Africa. Others proposed biofuel production and stronger trade rules.
And finally, seafood markets from remains domestic shrimp and catfish steady,
but tariffs are lifting costs on imported shrimp, crab, and

(09:06):
lobster products. Supply challenges continue in whitefish and premium species.
It's another agnews update.

Speaker 12 (09:16):
Meet Blue Blue's not feeling well the prescription generic medication
Blue wonders do they really work as well as name brands? Yes,
generics and name brand medications do work the same, even
though they may look different. Generics have the same key ingredients.
FDA approval is equally rigorous for generics to make sure
they're as safe and effective as name brands, and Blue

(09:36):
even save some green, making him.

Speaker 10 (09:38):
A little less well.

Speaker 9 (09:39):
Blue.

Speaker 12 (09:40):
Talk to your doctor about generics and visit FDA dot
v slash Generic Drugs.

Speaker 9 (09:44):
American Cattle News rodeos for Working Ranch Cowboys more.

Speaker 10 (09:52):
After this at the American Veterinary Medical Association Annual Convention
in Denver, we caught up with doctor Kerry Ryan, head
cloning and genetic preservation expert with Viagin in Cedar Park, Texas.

Speaker 11 (10:04):
We've been working with dogs and cats for three years.
We're the only company in the United States that clones
dogs and the only company in the world that clones cats.
And we've also been cloning horses in livestack for about
fifteen years. So I think this will be here to stay,
and I think as we get better and better at it,
the costs will come down and people will be more
and more interested in it.

Speaker 10 (10:20):
There's more information at AVMA dot org.

Speaker 9 (10:23):
Lehman wall is with the WRCA, that's the Working Ranch
Cowboys Association.

Speaker 13 (10:30):
The people that compete with us are not professional athletes.
They are real working ranch cowboys that get up every
day and help feed the world through raising cattle. And
whenever you come down Marillo and you come to the
World Championship, we put an environment together that's really kind
of focused on what the ranching community is all about, family, faith,

(10:55):
and really taking care of your business the right way.
So we're going to compete in five events, and those
events have some semblance of what might happen on the
ranch every day in doctor and cattle or pen in
or moving cattle from place to place, maybe getting on
a ranch bronk every once in a while, a little
sarly in the morning and might try you out. So

(11:16):
we're going to buck some broncs at our event as well.
And then I tell you the one thing that our
guys would say, we don't do this on the ranch,
so would you please stop making us doing it a competition.
But it's called wild cow milking. So everybody needs the NASCAR,
you know, accident to occur, right, you're looking for that
wild moment, and that's that's one of those real fan

(11:37):
friendly activities that may not be real cowboy friendly if
you get my drift, But that's what we're about. Is
every year in November, we're going to convene in Amorillo,
Texas and bring in you know, about thirty thousand of
our closest friends and put on this great activity here.

(11:57):
We always say it's not just a rodeo. There's more
this thing.

Speaker 9 (12:01):
Lehmanwall with the WRCA Working Ranch, Cowboys Association, American Cattle News.

Speaker 5 (12:11):
This is Dairy Radio Now.

Speaker 14 (12:13):
Corey Geiger, lead dairy economist at Colebank, a member of
the Farm Credit System. Corey a new report from Colebank
says consumer demand for dairy products like cheese, butter, and
yogurt that rely on protein and butterfat content has created
some problems for processors.

Speaker 15 (12:31):
What's going on.

Speaker 16 (12:32):
The issue actually is we've been making a lot of
butterfat right now, and in fact this really became the
light in June, July, and August. Butterfat production is up
over five percent each of those months year over years.
So what's happening, especially half of our milk goes into
cheese in the United States, is our protein to fat

(12:53):
ratio is off. And now that's something we don't talk
a lot about on a dairy farm level, but when
it comes into a milk process plant, especially cheesemakers they
want a number that's at point eight or slightly higher.
So that protein is really the foundation for cheese, especially mozzarella,
and they've always had a pull cream off or butterfat

(13:14):
to make mozzarella cheese or other Italian styles. But now
even the Cheddar and Colby and pepper Jack cheesemakers either
got to separate, pull off some butterfat, or add milk
protein concentrate to the milk to raise the protein content.
So this is a new and developing story.

Speaker 14 (13:32):
I would assume it increases the production costs as well.

Speaker 16 (13:35):
It absolutely does. And either way, and if you're separating
or pulling cream off, that's going on the open markets,
so it either lands up as butter or cream cheese
or other products like that. So it's an ongoing issue
and it does cause expense.

Speaker 14 (13:52):
Yes well, and farmers have been breeding and feeding to
increase butterfat and protein. We've kind of created our own
problem in some respects.

Speaker 16 (14:01):
The markets e of the last ten years have been
saying make more butterfat. It's been a leading component in
multiple component milk checks, which is ninety percent of the
pay price across the country. So that's been the price
signal that dairy farmers have been receiving.

Speaker 17 (14:16):
But we do have some.

Speaker 16 (14:17):
Tools in the toolbox that we can work through nutritionally
on butterfat and send a little bit less to dairy processors.

Speaker 14 (14:24):
Well, and that'll save on the feed bill a little
bit as well. I would assume, yes, it would all right.

Speaker 18 (14:28):
Thank you, Corey.

Speaker 14 (14:29):
Corey Geiger, lead dairy economist at co Bank, a member
of the Farm Credit System.

Speaker 19 (14:36):
Another simple miracle moment with Hank and Laura.

Speaker 20 (14:39):
Being positive is easier said than done. Many people get
stuck in a way of thinking that things in life
are bad. The more we choose positive thoughts, the easier
it will be to deal with negative situations.

Speaker 11 (14:50):
This week, take each day to write down three things
you are thankful for.

Speaker 5 (14:54):
Being positive is a choice.

Speaker 1 (14:56):
What will you choose today?

Speaker 2 (14:58):
That's Hank Wagner and Laura author of the book Simple
Miracles for More Go to Become Better Leaders dot com.

Speaker 5 (15:05):
This is Dairy Radio Now.

Speaker 2 (15:08):
There is growing awareness of the threat new World screw
worb composed to our nation's livestock, particularly beef cattle, as
is evasive pass once decades removed away from our country,
travels closer to the US Mexican border.

Speaker 21 (15:21):
This one's particularly problematic because the maggot will infest living
tissues and consumes those on a living animal. It'll get into,
say the umbilicus of a newborn calf, onto a cut,
onto say a de horning wound. Those types of things
are some of the primary places that we might see this,
and it will kind of continue to make those wounds

(15:43):
worse and continue to eat tissue if it's left untreated.

Speaker 2 (15:46):
Agriculture Deputy Undersecretary for Market Tigue of Regulatory Programs Laurence
Stubb says only those who dealt with NWS at the
height of our country several decades ago might know what
to look out for or understand the potential lib packs.
Hence the importance of education and vigilance of what to
watch regarding a possible New World screw worm case.

Speaker 21 (16:08):
Especially for those who are living around the border, which
would be more of a high risk area. Any animal
that's going to have more proximity to wildlife or livestock,
or an animal course that is livestock is going to
be at higher risk.

Speaker 2 (16:21):
The EDWS baggot is shaped like a screw and screws
out as it consumes tissue, but the Deputy Undersecretary says
there is another way this past can potentially be detected.

Speaker 21 (16:31):
Screwworm also has reportedly a very particular smell. I've actually
been around it and seen it in real life myself,
and it does have a very sort of particularly noxious smell.
So any kind of foul smelling wounds, of course, you
would want to check out for any number of reasons,
but look at those for any signs of bases.

Speaker 8 (16:48):
That's USDA Radio's Rod Ban reporting and I'm Bill Baker
Dairy Radio.

Speaker 19 (16:52):
Now a third generation almond farmer, tells the story about
leaving the farm to go to college and then working
at CDFA and then returning to the farm the farm almonds.
I'm Patrick Cavanaugh with a California Trina Report part of
the vastag Information Network.

Speaker 1 (17:11):
John A.

Speaker 19 (17:12):
Lee Donn with Henderson Farms is now farming her own
almonds and helping out with the Huller Sheller on the operation.

Speaker 22 (17:19):
After graduating high school, I went to cal Police and
LUSABISBOT and I majored in agricultural business. But my first
job right out of college was as a policy analyst
at the California Department of Stood and agriculture in Sacramento.

Speaker 19 (17:32):
And that was a big job. Following graduation, I was.

Speaker 22 (17:36):
Working on for the Secretary of Agriculture for California, working
on issues ranging from water and nutrition to the federal
Farm Bill and energy and the rural community.

Speaker 2 (17:47):
So I got to work on.

Speaker 22 (17:48):
A lot of policy issues there. But about four years
into it, I really missed production agriculture, which I had
grown up in. My family had been doing it since
I was born, and I missed it. And I wanted
to own my own piece of property and manage and
my own pizza property. So I left the Sacramento and
a return to my family's farming operation. I helped to

(18:10):
manage our wholer sheller for about seven harvests and worked
here at Henderson Farms and ended up buying my own
piece of ground and planting mammons.

Speaker 23 (18:19):
Farm Work is tough and so it's staying safe on
the road every year. Accidents happen when tractors and traffic
share the same space, whether you're behind the wheel of
a tractor or a car.

Speaker 10 (18:28):
Here's what you need to remember.

Speaker 23 (18:30):
Tractors move slower, be patient, don't pass on hills or curves.
Farmers make sure your slow moving vehicles, signs and lights
are visible and everyone's sailor. Especially on rural roads, one
moment of caution can save a life. Let's work together
to keep our roads and our farms safe. This message
was brought to you by the AG Information Network.

Speaker 18 (18:48):
For the last forty years, the EG 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 fertile.
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

(19:11):
of reporting, the AGG Information Network trusted and transparent journalism
for generations.

Speaker 19 (19:17):
With the AG Information Network, I'm Patrick Kavanaugh.

Speaker 15 (19:20):
Congress has had a lot on its place as fall
after many lawmakers spent time in their district's meeting with
constituents during the August recess. At a recent meeting with
the media, US Representative Dan Newhouse was out he thought
farmers had a lot of challenges in front of them
right now.

Speaker 24 (19:36):
I think you get the award for the understatement of
the Year there is a lot of farmers right now,
a lot of challenges and a dearth of right spots.
Farmers are a bazillion bunch, no doubt, but there's so
many challenges that it's very difficult to overcome.

Speaker 15 (19:51):
Bottom line at new House says, there needs to be
a balance.

Speaker 24 (19:55):
I'm a farmer too, as you know, and we're facing
this exact same things at home on my farm with
my son and his wife. Are trying to keep things together,
and it's very difficult. The high cost of literally everything
and the prices we're receiving for the products reproduced are
not just not keeping up.

Speaker 15 (20:11):
So addressing these challenge shows new House sales must be
a priority.

Speaker 24 (20:16):
That's why some of the things like trade issues are
so important, particularly to our region, you know, Pacific Northwest.
We depend on those international markets in a big way,
so we've got to get these trade deals done as
soon as possible.

Speaker 15 (20:28):
As a farmer himself, new House understands the problems and
takes them seriously.

Speaker 24 (20:33):
I carry that with me back here to Washington, Ney
to make sure my colleagues understand the dire nature that
agriculture is facing, the situation they're facing right now, and
that things that we do here absolutely have an impact
on producers, not just in Central Washington but around the country,
and we have to be very very careful about what
we do here and avoid negative impacts.

Speaker 15 (20:54):
New how those, these are very challenging times we're experiencing
and we'll need to work together to get through them.
Farm bankruptc these are sorry in year over year. That's
according to the latest data from the US Courts. Mike
Davis has more.

Speaker 25 (21:10):
Joe Piper, attorney with AG in Business Legal Strategies in Iowa,
says the numbers are alarming.

Speaker 17 (21:17):
The Ministry of Office of the United States Courts points
out in the first six months of twenty twenty five,
one hundred and eighty one Chapter twelve bankruptcies were filed nationwide.
That's up fifty seven percent from what it was in
twenty twenty four. That's more filings than we had in
either twenty twenty two or twenty twenty three.

Speaker 25 (21:39):
Piper says the blame for the rise lies in President
Trump's tariff war and the resulting loss of bag markets.

Speaker 17 (21:46):
Now China is buying soybeans from Argentina. It's been buying
soybeans from Brazil. Once you lose a market like that,
the chances of getting it back are really slim because
we're no longer viewed as a reliable supplier because of
the trade things that are going on.

Speaker 25 (22:04):
Not only the financial loss, but Piper says the emotional
strain on farmers is immense. He notes the story of
one of his clients.

Speaker 17 (22:13):
He's scared. He's afraid of all it's going to be
like to tell his wife about it. He's embarrassed because
he's brought in family on both sides to help keep
the operation running. So he's scared. He's afraid of what
are going to be people going to think? Am I the
failure that lost the family.

Speaker 25 (22:31):
Fond Piper says, it's fish or cut bait time for
a lot of farmers, and he recommends that they talk
to an experienced bankruptcy attorney and a tax advisor. I'm
Mike Davis.

Speaker 15 (22:44):
The Cattleman's Bee Board conducts a study every five years
analy is in the return on investment for the country's
beef producers. Greg Haynes, a CEO of the Cattleman's Bee Board.

Speaker 26 (22:55):
Well, also see what does it do for the economy
as a whole gets created Almost fifty thousand jobs a year,
additional jobs just by having these checkout programs and impact
to the GDP. But also for consumers. I think what
we've seen is a lot of this research has come
out and we gauge, you know, consumer sentiment. What are
the hot buttons, what are they looking for? You know,
is quality good? What do they like and not like?

(23:15):
And that helps drive the industry and a lot of
the research. When the programs were coming out, we knew
that beef quality wasn't as high, and this has led
the industry to really shift directions, improve the genetics, improve
how we feed the animals, and now when you eat
beef pretty much every time, you're going to have a
really good, you know, eating experience. And so I think
just the fact that it's improved the product for the consumers,

(23:37):
we've listened to what they want. You know, we're seeing
that demand even with high beef prices right now.

Speaker 15 (23:42):
He sells the study combats misinformation about US beef.

Speaker 26 (23:46):
Consumers continue to pay that because they realize, like, beef
is super healthy for us, it's nutritious, it tastes great,
it's really not bad for the environment. Because there's a
lot of misinformation that beef's causing you all the global warming,
but the research we've shown actually beef has positive impacts.
So getting all this kind of information out there, I
think is good for the consumers to know as well,
so they can eat beef and be confident that this

(24:08):
is good for me and the environment.

Speaker 27 (24:09):
It's time for California add today on the AG Information Network,
I am Hayley ship Well. Big news out of California's
dairy worlds. The California Milk Advisory Board, working alongside Venture Fuel,
has now announced the fourteen companies that have been chosen
for this year's Real California Milk Accelerator and Incubator programs.

(24:31):
Now and it's seventh year. The program has grown into
two tracks, the Accelerator for more established brands and an
incubator for those just getting started, all focused on pushing
dairy innovation forward. According to the California Milk Advisory Board,
these companies are using real dairy to meet today's consumer
demand for high protein, clean labels, sustainability, and of course,

(24:53):
indulgent flavor. You'll see everything from farm de scoop ice cream,
int protein rich milks to collagen and probiotic yogurts. As
cmab CEO Bob Carroll put it, this year's cohort represents
exactly what today's consumers are looking for, products that deliver wellness, indulgence,
and sustainability. The program wraps up in December with a

(25:14):
pitch event in Napa or Top finalists will compete for
marketing support and a one hundred thousand dollars grand price.
It's all part of California's ongoing effort to keep dairy
innovation strong and profitable. To learn more about the fourteen
companies selected, head on over to aginfo dot net.

Speaker 18 (25:33):
You've probably been told that to reach a millennial farmer
you have to go digital hmmm, Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn,
and online publication or maybe a podcast hmm, but which one?

Speaker 14 (25:47):
Oh?

Speaker 18 (25:47):
And how receptive is this age group to your sales
pitch during non work social time. Maybe the best place
to reach a farmer with a farming solution message is
when they are well, quite frankly farming. You know, it's
easy for us to find them during the day, as
most farmers are behind the wheel of a pickup truck
or farm equipment with the radio on, listening to this

(26:10):
station for the BAG Information Network of the West News.
If you'd like to deliver information about your terrific product
or service, give us a call and we'll connect you
directly with our community of loyal farmer listeners. Reach real
farmers right here, right now as they listen to what
is important to their farm operation. They trust us, They'll
trust you.

Speaker 27 (26:30):
On the AAG Information Network.

Speaker 10 (26:31):
I am Hayley Ship.

Speaker 1 (26:33):
Bob, when you were some farmer news today, friends, producers
got some good news on the cost of laborfront.

Speaker 5 (26:38):
Bob Larson has our report.

Speaker 6 (26:40):
Flag employers took a big sigh of relief last week
after the Department of Labor revised the methodology for determining
the H two A program's adverse effect wage rate. Northwest
Horticultural Council Senior Vice President Kate Tynan says it's great
news because tree fruit growers are spending nearly every dollar
they make on labor costs.

Speaker 7 (26:58):
We did conduct it a survey last year looking at
trends in grower costs and labor returns, and we were
able to update that this year. And I can tell
you that last year growers were actually paying eight percent
more in labor costs than they were actually receiving for
the sale of.

Speaker 6 (27:14):
Their fruit, but sadly, Titan says that was last year.

Speaker 7 (27:17):
This year, we're on track for growers to spend ninety
seven percent of that check that they get when they
sell their fruit only on labor costs, and that's before
they're paying for fuel or fertilizer or any of those
other costs that go along with growing harvesting fruit.

Speaker 6 (27:31):
Hopefully, Timan says this will prevent the loss of more farmers.

Speaker 7 (27:34):
Growers cannot stay in business and continue to do what
they do under those economic conditions, and that's the largest
reason why we've lost fifteen percent of our tree fruit
farms in Washington State just between twenty seventeen and twenty
twenty two, and we see even higher numbers in Oregon
that we've lost.

Speaker 6 (27:51):
The new a WOR calculations are now in effect, but
will impact Northwest growers until next year.

Speaker 1 (27:56):
Bob Larson reporting, Well, friends, there's a team reviewing the
market investments in Korea. As we hear in this US
Beat Export Federation report.

Speaker 28 (28:07):
A team of twenty one producers representing pork, beef, corn,
and soybeans traveled to Korea last week to see how
the US Meat Export Federation is investing in the leading
market for US beef and the number three market for
US pork muscle cuts. Calvin's Beef board chair Ryan Morehouse
says he expects beef demand in Korea to continue to grow.

Speaker 29 (28:24):
If you look at a graph on the amount of
beef that Korea has taken American beef, it's kind of
straight up for the last what ten years, I think,
and so I think the growth is there. They like
our product, they like.

Speaker 5 (28:34):
American products in general.

Speaker 29 (28:36):
It's very competitive market, but it's also a market that
they eat a ton of protein, and I think they'll
continue to eat more and more protein with the population
that they have.

Speaker 28 (28:44):
For La Pork producer Josh Mashoff, the consumer switched from
rice to a protein based diet was evident.

Speaker 20 (28:49):
I see a ton of growth here. The amount of
meat obviously that's displayed in the cases here and the
supermarket is one thing. But walking around here for a
couple of days and just seeing the number of restaurants
that are advertising pork and meat, it's really important. Being
it's the third largest export market for US on the
porch side, but Koreans individually are choosing to eat less

(29:09):
of a starchy staple and more protein. I think they're
eating more currently than what the US domestic consumer is
at about sixty pounds annually, and there's rapid opportunity for
more growth in that the Koreans want more protein in
their diet.

Speaker 28 (29:23):
For Eddie Park of Highland Foods, the leading importer of
US beef and pork, it was important to meat directly
with US producers for Highland Foods.

Speaker 4 (29:31):
US is a very important country where we want to
import all the proteins. We want to source more effectively,
so we want to go all the way to the farms,
all the way and understanding the US and also bringing
in more product. And the source the origin of US
is very important to us because the flavor, the taste
is very fond to the Koreans. So we want to

(29:51):
expand our business and portfolio from the US.

Speaker 28 (29:55):
For the US Mean Export Federation, I'm John Harrith.

Speaker 1 (29:58):
With Halloween coming up at the end of the on,
thoughts turned to buying a perfect pumpkin. Do you happen
to know what state produces and processes more pumpkins than
anyone else? Nathan Johanning, a commercial ag educator University of
Illinois Extension has that answer.

Speaker 30 (30:14):
Now, Illinois leads that not only within Jack o' lannon,
but also within the realm of processing pumpkins. Actually the
majority of the processing pumpkins. If you get to say,
a can of pumpkin for your favorite pie, bread, whatever,
it is probably Illinois growns now. I think as far
as actual different varieties of pumpkins, especially when we get
into the small stuff and then all the different colors
and things, there's probably well over two hundred different varieties

(30:37):
of pumpkins. And that's just a very loose estimate. I
haven't taken account, but there are a lot more varieties
in what the average person may realize.

Speaker 1 (30:44):
He talks about what makes Illinois a top pumpkin producing state.

Speaker 30 (30:49):
There's multiple factors.

Speaker 5 (30:50):
I think.

Speaker 30 (30:50):
One on the processing side. A lot of that is
driven by where the processing facilities are, so that there's
some in the Puria area, northern Illinois, north central Illinois,
there some areas of processing so they try to source.
Obviously pumpkins fairly close to that due to freight and
shipping constraints. However, overall, the reason this area was kind
of developed into pumpkin production and many other Midwest states.

(31:14):
Is that we have fairly ideal conditions.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
Nathan Johanning, University of Illinois. This morning, farm US, you're
listening to ag Life.

Speaker 6 (31:23):
From the Egg Information Network. I'm Bob Larson, and this
is your agribusiness update. California farmers and ranchers have suffered
some of the worst impacts of the increasing wildfires in California,
losing crops to fire and smoke and plan power outages.
Pacific Gas and Electric Stave Canny spoke with ag Alert
about the efforts to mitigate wildfire risks, improve electric reliability,

(31:44):
and reduce costs. Kenny says PGE has made recent improvements
to be more targeted with planned shutoffs and to bury
more of their power lines underground. Mexico's AGG Ministry says
another case of New World screwworm was reported in Nuevo Leone,
which borders Reuter says the infected calf came from southern
Mexico and was intercepted just south of Monterey. None of

(32:06):
the other eighty four animals in the shipment were found
to be infected with the flesh eating parasite. The outbreak
has prompted the US government to keep its border mostly
closed to Mexican cattle imports. The US is bracing for
a record grain harvest totally twenty one and a half
billion bushels of corn, soybeans, and grain sordum this fall,
but this comes during a period of heightened uncertainty surrounding

(32:27):
the US trade relationship with China. Meanwhile, grain storage and
transportation logistics are more complicated than usual. According to CoBank's
Knowledge Exchange, grain storage will be extraordinarily tight this fall,
with grain merchandisers charging higher fees due to limited capacity.

Speaker 18 (32:42):
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

(33:03):
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. For the last forty years, the
AG 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.

(33:26):
This is why agriculture news that farmers receive comes from
the AGG Information Network, reaching coast to coast, deep roots
and farming. In decades of reporting, the AGG Information Network
trusted and transparent journalism for generations.

Speaker 6 (33:39):
Public bidding is open for the Richie Brothers Los Angeles
Sale event October twenty third and twenty fourth. This fully
unreserved auction features trucks, trailers, heavy equipment and more. Register
for free at orbauction dot com.

Speaker 1 (33:51):
Bob Quin back to wrap up ag LIE for today
friends will good news for cattle producers who want to
tighten their calving window and get more dollars at the
same time. Chad Smith wraps us up.

Speaker 31 (34:02):
New data shows the value of a more uniform calf
crop and there is a solution that doesn't require an
extra trip through the shoot. Doctor Jacques Fusalae, cattle technical
services veterinarian with Merk Animal Health, talks about the use
of Proust glandin at bull turnout and the impact he
can have on your herd.

Speaker 32 (34:21):
Yeah, so using crost the glenden like estro mate at
the time of bull turnout is a good way to
synchronize the cow herd to get more cows bread earlier
in the breeding season. Therefore you have more calves born
earlier in the calvin season. There's a lot of research
that shows calves born earlier in the calvin season bring
more money. If you have more of a uniform herd

(34:44):
a group of calves to sale, it brings more money.
The biggest benefit is going to be getting cows bred earlier,
calves born earlier in the calving season, so that you
have a more profitable group of calves at the end.

Speaker 31 (34:55):
Doctor Fusala talks about a recommendation for producers looking for
tighter ca having windows.

Speaker 32 (35:00):
The best thing to do, like we've said, is to
get cow's bread earlier in that breeding season, and there
are several different synchronization programs out there. We found studies
out of Nebraska that shows that if you just give
a simple prostaglandin such as estrum, five days after bull turnout,
you'll increase the number of cow's bread in the first
twenty one days of that breeding season. That helps to

(35:22):
tighten up the cab window. It also allows you to
shorten breeding season because more cols are bread at the
beginning of the breeding season, so it takes less time for.

Speaker 3 (35:31):
The word to get bread.

Speaker 31 (35:32):
There are multiple benefits to heat synchronizing cow herds.

Speaker 32 (35:36):
You'll end up with more calves born in that first
twenty one day period, and that's a really important point
because those calves are going to be heavier. There's evidence
also that shows heifer's born in that first twenty one
day of the calving season have more stayability in the herd.
It also, in a way puts a little less demand
on the bull battery because they don't have to stay
out as long. Because it's a shortened breeding season, it

(35:57):
allows you to take a little bit of pressure off
the bullbat consolidate labor, more stability in the herd, and
more profitability from the calves.

Speaker 31 (36:04):
Heat synchronizing offers multiple economic benefits.

Speaker 32 (36:08):
Having more calves born early in that cabin season helps
give those calves heavier weights at sale time, and it
also increases the value you able to add per head.
The studies that we've been involved with shows about a
twenty five dollars per head advantage to have a uniform
calf crop. Synchronizing these cows can have a substantial impact
on time management and when cows calve in a shorter interval,

(36:29):
that allows you to consolidate labor so it helps balance
the workload, helps make it easier to monitor cows for
issues or calving difficulties. It's a more predictable and concentrated
calving windows so you can manage labor forces more efficiently
and potentially lower labor costs.

Speaker 31 (36:44):
To learn more about synchronizing cows and using estrumate, producers
can visit mahcattle dot com. Chad Smith reporting

Speaker 1 (36:54):
With that Friends, out of time for today, thanks for
joining us back tomorrow morning with another edition, A Bag
Life