September 24, 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning. I'm Dwyane Murley and you're listening to AG Live.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
US top soil Boyster coverage continues to shrink. Meteorologist Brad
Rippy with the latest USDA top Soil Boyster Condition report
for the period ending September fourteenth.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
Surplus nationally just five percent of the US agricultural land
reporting surplus top soil moisture and no change from last week.
But the very short to short rating has leaped to
forty four percent, and that is a five percentage point
from the previous week.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
With the long list of states reporting significant very short
to short top soil Boyster condition.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Ratings, we're seeing numbers now seventy percent or higher top
soil moisture very short to short across the southeastern part
of the Cornbilt.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Seven of the eleven Western states report very short to
short top soil Boyster condition ratings above fifty percent.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Across the Great Plains, that's actually one of our better regions.
But we do see the numbers creeping up in a
few areas. Last drought and parts of the interior Southeast
got some pretty lofty numbers there seventy percent or higher
top so on moisture, very short to short Illinois, Indiana,
and also in Missouri stretching into Ohio. Eighty five percent
is the number coming in this week. We do see

(01:09):
tops on moisture numbers above fifty percent very short to
short in seven of our eleven Western states. Washington State
is ninety three percent very short to short. Oregon coming
in this week at eighty one percent. Across the Great
Plains we are above fifty percent. In Montana the actual
number of sixty four percent very short to short, and
also in Texas at fifty four percent. The interior Southeast

(01:31):
got some pretty lofty numbers there as well, coming in
this week above seventy percent. In Kentucky the number there
is seventy eight percent, Arkansas seventy two percent very short
to short. Falling just short of that seventy percent threshold
is Tennessee at sixty nine percent, and a lot of
the Northeast in that same belt of dry weather. We've
got tops and moisture very short to short numbers at
or above seventy percent in a number of states Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,

(01:55):
New Hampshire, Vermont, and West Virginia. This is very brief
because we don't have a whole lot to talk out
on the topsail moisture surplus numbers, but we have just
a handful of states where the topsail moisture is above
ten percent surplus. Kind of leading the way on that
list Florida at fifteen percent and just a little below that,
we have Kansas as well as Minnesota coming in at

(02:16):
thirteen percent along with North Dakota. We see equal quantities
of the pastor and rangeland nationally rated good to excellent
and very poor to poor thirty five percent, not much
change from the previous week. We see an increasing list
of states where the very poor to poor ratings are
above the national value. Midwest where Illinois is at forty
one percent, very poor to poor Ohio thirty nine percent.

(02:38):
As you move into the mid South, we've got Kentucky
at forty six percent, Arkansas at forty three percent. The
Northeast name leads that region at fifty five percent of
the pasture is very poor to poor. Vermont not far
behind at fifty percent. We have eight of our eleven
Western states where the very poor to poor rating is
above thirty five percent. Washington State forty nine percent, Very
poor to poor Wyoming coming in this week at forty

(02:59):
eight percent, Montana forty seven percent, and Oregon at fifty percent.
Then on the flip side bill, a few states holding
on with rangeland pastor conditions greater than two thirds good
to excellent, even this late in the season. Florida seventy
six percent good to excellent, North Carolina seventy four percent,
the Upper Midwest, Wisconsin coming this week sixty eight percent
good to excellent.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
Rod Bain reporting for the US Department of Agriculture in Washington,
d C.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Senator Charles Grassley, Tammy Baldwin, and Jony Ernst are reintroducing
bipartisan legislation, the Fertilizer Research Act, that would require the
US Department of Agriculture to conduct a study on competition
and trends in the fertilizer market and their subsequent impacts
on price. Now, the Fertilizer Research Act is endorsed by

(03:45):
the National Corn Growers Association, the American Soybean Association, the
American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, and many
other organizations that support farmers. The twenty twenty five corn
crop likes to be a bumper crop. Bam Pistow, Wisconsin
Regional Manager at Beck's hybrids. So as farmers are preparing

(04:08):
for a barnbuster.

Speaker 4 (04:10):
A lot of guys are frustrated because the crop price
is not what we'd like it to be. But the
reality is there's a very good crop across the Midwest.
In fact, Wisconsin's one of the highest rated states relative
to how we've been in the past.

Speaker 5 (04:19):
We are going to have a very good crop.

Speaker 4 (04:21):
Really from Green Bay all the way down to the Platfell,
from Milwaukee all the way up to here towards Menominee.

Speaker 5 (04:26):
The crop looks really good.

Speaker 4 (04:27):
If there's differences, it's because the manager didn't do a
good job the crop. Overall, we had an ideal growing season.
We're gonna have the bushels, and you know what, I'd
rather just have the bushels. We can market them maybe
a little bit later, but you don't want to be
the guy that didn't have the bushels and it's a
low price. So consider the blessings we do have in
having the crop and do the best you can on
the marketing side from here on out.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
Pistols, So there's one negative this year was the onset
of southern rust, which cast a footprint from Georgia to
Arkansas and up to the Plain States, but he says
it should not be a problem in the Midwest next year.

Speaker 4 (04:59):
When you start looking at like Southern rust, that's an anomaly, okay,
So I don't even expect to see that for probably
the next ten years. It would be my guest that's
very much based on this year, hot summer nights, southern winds.
So I would not make any drastic decisions to what
I do next year based on the Southern rust this year.
But it's a good reminder that the hellsier we keep
the crop from everything else, the better it will do

(05:20):
against things like southern that come in unexpectedly.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
That's been pisto of becks hybrids. With the end of
the twenty twenty five growing season in sight, for many growers,
agronomic decisions that made now can have a big impact
on harvest. Curtis Rainbowls with BaFL says that just because
the season may be drawing to a close, that doesn't
mean disease pressures aren't done for the year, and he said,

(05:44):
just like late spring and midsummer, those pressures are best
to dress preventatively.

Speaker 6 (05:49):
So unfortunately, it's not something where you can wait until
you see the pathog and start to develop in the
field and then very easily come in and take.

Speaker 7 (05:56):
Care of it.

Speaker 6 (05:56):
So ideally they've planned ahead. But even if they planned
ahead and made an application of a premium fung site
at row closure or one two weeks after that and
it's an additional sprays is needed, it's all about being
out in those fields and Monty.

Speaker 1 (06:11):
Rainboll noted that it's critical for growers this time of
year to make sure they're not overwatering, which he said
can happen very easily because of the swings in daytime
and nighttime temperatures. Overwatering can lead to increased white and
mold pressures, especially in potatoes. He added that being in
the field would allow a grower to get in front
of any problems as soon as it develops.

Speaker 6 (06:33):
When it comes to early blight, we do need to
worry about the selecting of resistant islets. And so if
you look at what's being used in the market for
controlling early blight and brown spot, which were both alternate area,
we've been heavily reliant on group seven fungicides frack group seven.
That means they all work the same way, and dura
is one of those preck group sevens. What sets in

(06:55):
dura pro apart from the other ones that are on
the market is that second active ingredient that pro that's
short for prosol. Provosol is a group three find a
side and it is extremely effective.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
On our bite again, that is Curtis rainbowed with BASF.
With no active cases of New World screw worm reported
in the United States, the USDA is working to prevent
it spread from Central America successful farming reports the US
Secretary of Agriculture Brook Rollins outlining the Department of Agriculture's

(07:26):
plan to prevent the spread of New World screwworm to
the US and it does include a partnership with the
government of Mexico. New World screwworm is a fly that
lays eggs in the wounds of living animals, and its
larvae burrow and feed on healthy flesh, causing illness or death.
The insect usually infects livestock and is typically found in

(07:48):
South and Central America, but one case was detected in
a human this summer who had returned from travel to
El Salvador.

Speaker 8 (07:57):
It's another agnews update from Washington. Asia farmers face new
policy finance and trade developments. More after this.

Speaker 9 (08:07):
Hi, 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 the Monsando Fund, a
philanthropic arm of Bear. As a result, we expanded a
classroom where we teach families about nutrition and personal finance.

(08:27):
I encourage all farmers to enerroll for a chance to
direct a twenty five hundred dollars donation to a local nonprofit.
Visit Growcommunities dot com.

Speaker 8 (08:36):
The US House reauthorizing the Grain Standards Act through twenty
thirty and churing USDA's Inspection Service can continue enforcing crop
grading standards. Farm groups save the law of vital for
market trust and export reliability. In the meanwhile, farm stress

(08:56):
climbing again in the South. University of Arkansas economists report
one hundred and one Chapter twelve bankruptcies this past year,
nearly double the twenty twenty three levels. Arkansas Islands jumped sharply,
highlighting how rising input costs the tight margins squeeze smaller

(09:17):
farms on the input side. Global fertilizer markets reacting to
India's surprise your reattender record five point six million tons offered,
pushing prices lower worldwide, but in North America, nitrogen supplies
remain tight, with uan especially at risk from plant maintenance
and potential tariffs. Ammonia looks set for a strong fall

(09:41):
application season. Weather holds Internationally, China preparing to finalize an
upgraded trade deal with Southeast Asia known as KAFTA three
point zero. It's another agnews update.

Speaker 10 (09:55):
Here's farmer and businessman James Wood.

Speaker 11 (09:57):
We've 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 it resulted on
a strike on a natural gas popular. Fortunately no one
was hurt, but it could have been much worse.

Speaker 10 (10:13):
Never assumed the location or depth of underground lines. Always
call eight one one or visit clickbefore you dig dot
com before you start work. A message from the pipeline
operators for AGG Safety campaign.

Speaker 8 (10:24):
American Cattle News. We start getting to these levels of
prices the irrigants then more after this.

Speaker 9 (10:35):
Hi, 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
Americans Farmers Grow Communities sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, a
philanthropic arm of Bear. As a result, we expanded a
classroom where we teach families about nutrition and personal finance.

(10:55):
I encourage all farmers to enroll for a chance to
direct a twenty five hundred dollars donation to a local nonprofit.
Visit Growth Communities dot com.

Speaker 8 (11:04):
Doctor daryl'peel is an Oklahoma state livestock marketing economists. As
when we start looking at where markets are right now,
and as the industry this is uncharted territory, we've.

Speaker 12 (11:18):
Never seen anything like any of what we're seeing now.
Obviously price levels for cattle, for beef across the board,
or at levels that nobody really would have anticipated even
just a few months ago, probably let alone you know,
historically anything like this. So we've continued to move into
completely unprecedented territory with these markets. Probably one of the

(11:40):
biggest questions I've been getting for quite a few months,
but especially here lately, you know, producers understandably are concerned
about when does this market top out, what does the
backside of this thing look like? And that's natural, particularly
when you remember what happened in about ten years ago.
The last time we had record high prices, the lasted
a couple of years and then we went back down

(12:02):
pretty sharply.

Speaker 13 (12:03):
This time it looks different.

Speaker 4 (12:05):
You know.

Speaker 12 (12:05):
The conditions that will put a top in this market
really come after we start saving hepper's and starting to.

Speaker 8 (12:11):
Rebuild the herd.

Speaker 5 (12:13):
Again.

Speaker 12 (12:14):
If you look at the last cattle cycle previous to
this one, it was about a year to a year
and a half after Heffer retention started when we put
the high prices in. We don't have any evidence yet
really that we've even started Heffer retention. So that tells
me that the high prices are not in twenty twenty five.
They may not even be in twenty twenty six, And

(12:34):
so we're still going to grind higher.

Speaker 5 (12:36):
Probably we won't.

Speaker 12 (12:37):
Move as higher as fast as we have. We may
slow down that pace of increase, but I think we're
going to grind higher here, you know, certainly through twenty
twenty six.

Speaker 8 (12:47):
Doctor Darryl Peel American Cattle News.

Speaker 5 (12:53):
This is Dairy Radio Now.

Speaker 14 (13:00):
John Clark traveling in the country side for Feedwick's USA
at the New York Animal ag Coalition Birthing Center and
the Mobile Dairy Experience. I have a very special guest,
Joel Rielman, who is chair of NAYAK. Tell us a
little bit about your farming operation.

Speaker 15 (13:13):
Myself and my partners, we operate six separate dairy farms. Collectively,
we all milk right around sixty one hundred cows in total,
and all in all we have to work right around
ten thousand acres to feederck House.

Speaker 14 (13:24):
And yet you are chair of NAYAK.

Speaker 15 (13:27):
An absolute thrill of privilege to do this. We have
to wear a lot of hats, you know, in our business,
but I'm very thankful to wear this hat for NAYA.
If you spend some time at the fairs, it doesn't
be your county fair, community a state fair. You'll see
a ton of people that are involved in the dairy industry,
whether it's production, agriculture or agribusiness, that give their time
to help promote and educate what we do, the nutritional

(13:48):
goodness of milk.

Speaker 14 (13:49):
How do you recruit, motivate, and retain great people We're.

Speaker 15 (13:53):
Very much a proponent of promoting from within. If we
start with a base that's solid, we can work with
those folks and we can train them and provide that
the right kind of leadership. They will grow when they
will develop. You know, herdsman, field crew and farm managers.
You know a lot of them are are developed right
from the groundwork up, so they are ingrained to our

(14:13):
culture and our systems.

Speaker 5 (14:14):
You know, that's really how we promote ourselves.

Speaker 15 (14:17):
And we do go outside the box a little bit
when we have to, and I think we've been able
to brand our farms and I think that does attract
some young talent that does a lot of times comes
to us years ago. You learn about taking care of
the cow, then you learn about taking care of the land,
and take about the nutrients that our cows provide us.
Those that are in the business now are the ones
that have really honed in on human resource. You know,

(14:38):
probably the human resource is our number one asset.

Speaker 14 (14:41):
Shifting back to what I call your legacy here the
Birthing Center. You've been working at the Birthing Center for
several years. You've been there today. What are some of
the fun questions that you get when people talk to
you at the birthing.

Speaker 15 (14:50):
Center, well, it's you know, you get a lot of
the same questions, John, But but probably one of the
questions that you get asked just once in a while
is you'll get asked, you know, why are.

Speaker 5 (15:00):
You a farmer?

Speaker 15 (15:01):
You know, why do you do what you do? You've
just described all the work you have to do. It's
a lot of work, and it's you know, why do
you do this? You know, ultimately it's you know, when
you see the birth of a calf. You know, I've
seen thousands of calves born and that will never ever
get old. The beginning of life, whether it's with a
calf or it's springtime, those activities, you know, for me
and many that are in this industry, it just is very,

(15:24):
very fulfilling.

Speaker 5 (15:24):
And if you're born with that gene, you just can't
get rid of it.

Speaker 14 (15:27):
Joe, I'm fortunate because I can see the smile on
your face. But people listening to this are going to
hear your smile, They're going to hear your passion about
what you do on a daily basis.

Speaker 15 (15:35):
My drive, you know, if there's projects to do, if
you're really passionate about something, you never work a day
in your life.

Speaker 14 (15:42):
Tell us a little bit about this birthing center. It's
got to be a lot of fun to watch the
miracle of life, but also see the awe on people's
faces as people who have never seen this before.

Speaker 16 (15:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 15 (15:51):
Absolutely, And most of the people that come through the
exhibit are very many generations removed now, could be three
four in somewhere's uppards of five generations removed from anybody
in their family that had a dairy farm. So the
importance of education at this point this is people come
to the to the exhibit for education. You can come
here and see it real life, and you actually get
to talk to farmers and you get to know the

(16:13):
real story and why we the practices that we do,
and you can understand, you know, why the practices that
we perform in our farms how it makes such a
nutritious product for the consumer.

Speaker 14 (16:23):
So that's the message you want them to leave with. Sure,
it's fun for them to see the birth of the calf,
but it's a bigger message than that, isn't it.

Speaker 15 (16:29):
Absolutely, It's about relationships, you know, the relationship between farmer
and consumer. Again, you know there's you know, billions of
consumers out there and those specific touch points that we
can achieve here at the Birthing Center. You know, people
don't forget it, and people come back year after year.
But still you know, over two hudred thousand people go
through this exhibit every year and you just you know,

(16:50):
you see so many new faces and.

Speaker 14 (16:52):
Two hundred thousand lives you're touching every year that you're
making impact on it.

Speaker 15 (16:56):
And that's that's the biggest thing about it. You know,
over ten years, over too million people. I mean, that's uh,
you know the impact this has had. So you know,
the idea that was farred from from Jessica Zim years ago.
You're just to start this and what has grown into
and now in the leadership with Eileen, it just it
builds it. It has bridged the gap between you know,
the producer and the consumer.

Speaker 5 (17:15):
And you know, and this will continue to go.

Speaker 15 (17:17):
I mean, when you do this every year and so
many new faces come and you talk to them, you
know that you're making a difference, and you know that
the word has spread that people want to come and
see this, So that makes it a lot of fun.

Speaker 14 (17:27):
Jessica certainly did leave a big legacy here, so Joe Reilman,
Chair of New York Animal I Coalition, Thanks for being
with us today.

Speaker 5 (17:34):
Absolutely, John, anytime.

Speaker 14 (17:35):
I'm John Clark, traveling the countryside for feedword to USA.

Speaker 17 (17:46):
PCAs that work in the tree nut industry. Well, you
might have an advocate with Anthony Dunnell. I'm Patrick Cavanaugh
with the California tree Nut Report, part of the vast
Agg Information Network. Anthony Dundo owns Russian Donal Consulting. He
helps pest control advisors. He comments on the need to
get to a problem earlier than later.

Speaker 18 (18:09):
I get called out a lot of times after the
patient's died and been buried for months, and there are
critical things that I can go gather critical bits of
information by going out looking at that field and find
entire tracks and looking at what's going on in the
neighborhood to see what was the closer that I can
get to that timeline. The more information I can gather

(18:30):
that's helpful for that right and if I don't have
that opportunity, then my chances of helping somebody protect themselves
goes way down.

Speaker 17 (18:38):
That's Anthony Duddell with Russia and Duddle Consulting. As he
stresses investigating earlier than later, and more news. The rise
of robotics and nut orchards isn't about futuristic machines taken
over the farm. It's about building practical tools that help
growers work smarter, not harder. From fruit tracking and canopy

(19:00):
management to leaf level sensing, these systems show how far
technology has come and how close it is to being
ready for everyday use, and technology is moving fast in
that area.

Speaker 16 (19:12):
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 AGG Information Network,

(19:32):
reaching coast to coast, deep roots and farming. In decades
of reporting, the AGG Information Network trusted and transparent journalism
for generations. 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 their pickup truck or farm
equipment with the radio on listening to this station for

(19:55):
the AG Information Network of the West News. So reach
real farmer right here, right now as they listen to
what's important 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 with the AG Information Network.
I'm Patrick Cavanaugh.

Speaker 2 (20:14):
The announcement from the Trump administrations Make America Healthy Again Commission.

Speaker 3 (20:19):
We have one hundred and twenty eight recommendations.

Speaker 2 (20:22):
A strategy of initiatives addressing chronic disease and children and
improve nutrition for Americans, according to Commission Chair and Health
and Human Services Secretary Robert F.

Speaker 10 (20:33):
Kennedy Junior.

Speaker 2 (20:34):
The strategy, according to Agriculture Secretary Brook Rawlins, features a
prominent role for our nation's farmers and ranchers.

Speaker 7 (20:42):
I am encouraged by the roadmap that this report presents.
It shows where opportunities exist to improve technology, research, and outcomes.
America's farmers and ranchers dedicate their lives to the noble
cause of feeding our country and the world, and in
doing so have created aid the safest, most affordable, and

(21:02):
most abundant food supply in the world.

Speaker 2 (21:05):
Additionally, USDA is proposing various efforts for better nutrition in
the context of agricultural production. One example is improved soil
health tools that crop growers can utilize.

Speaker 7 (21:20):
Also, USDA's upcoming Regenerative Pilot program is built to address
on farm resource concerns while also providing farmers with usable
outcomes based conservation plans. Additionally, we will leverage existing funding
from research agencies to produce applied science informing farmer decision
making on regenerative agriculture.

Speaker 2 (21:42):
Meanwhile, work is ongoing between AHHS and USDA in creating
updated national dietary recommendations for the next five years.

Speaker 7 (21:53):
We'll continue to actively work with Secretary Kennedy and crafting
the dietary guidelines, which will be out very soon. Federal
nutrition advice must be sound, simple and clear. These guidelines
will prioritize whole, healthy, and nutritious foods such as whole fat,
fairy fruits, vegetables, and meats, and suggests limiting highly processed

(22:15):
foods and those high in sugar.

Speaker 2 (22:17):
Additional initiatives within the strategies five pillars with agricultural connection
further research into precision agriculture methods and innovations, and stream winding,
certification and approval processes in realms such as organic agriculture
and various farm inputs. Outdoor recreationistic tourists to our nation's

(22:39):
forest may have noticed some improvements to infrastructure if they
have visited over the past five years. That, according to
Betty Jewett of the US Forest Service, reflects the Great
American Outdoors Act of twenty twenty.

Speaker 19 (22:53):
Forest Service and four departments of the Interior Agencies. And
so that is all the parks, the restrooms, the picnic tables,
the rows, the boat ramps, the facilities, the things like
that that people really do enjoy on the National Forest
anywhere from hunting, fishing, recreating, mountain biking, all those kinds

(23:14):
of things that people enjoy on the National Forest.

Speaker 2 (23:16):
Add over that time period.

Speaker 19 (23:18):
We have completed four hundred and forty two projects, and
that is of all the long overdue maintenance of infrastructure
of the outdoor recreation. Once we've completed all the projects,
we'll completed one point one billion dollars of maintenance backlock.

Speaker 2 (23:33):
Yet, what do some of these projects look like on
the ground level. Jewett starts with the Martin Lake Cabin
reconstruction project in Alaska.

Speaker 19 (23:41):
Martin Lake Cabin provides access to some of the best
salmon and trout fishing. This is a long hunting season
for bears and deer. Wildlife viewing is also one of
the most popular activities, and visitors flocked to the cabin
to enjoy the abundance of mountain goats, deer, moose, bear
in the area.

Speaker 2 (23:59):
Opportunities bist with the cabin in disrepair prior to reconstruction
work completed this summer.

Speaker 19 (24:05):
Meanwhile, the Forest Service repaired the White Rock Mountain Recreation
Area entrance road on the Ozark Saint Francis National Forest,
and this area provides access to several hiking trails, including
the renowned long distance Ozark Highlands Trail.

Speaker 2 (24:21):
Creating greater access to the recreation area. Stone cabins built
in the nineteen thirties. A third example is found in
Montana's Custer Gallatin National Forest.

Speaker 19 (24:33):
The Forest Service worked with partners to improve the Yellowstone
short Line rail Trail, which is a nine mile section
of the larger Greater Yellowstone Trail. The project resurfaced about
a ten foot wide rail trail with asphalt to improve
the public with a bike path that could be used
by all ages and skill levels. The partners contributed one

(24:54):
point three five million dollars to this project, on top
of the two points eight five million dollars that the
for service received from the legacy restoration firm Rodbain.

Speaker 2 (25:06):
Reporting for the US Department of Agriculture in Washington, d C.

Speaker 20 (25:10):
It's time for California ag Today on the AG Information Network,
I am Hailey's ship. A special plastic mat combined with
disinfectants can service the first line of defense against plant
diseases in nurseries where young plants are especially vulnerable. Such
as simple measure could prevent millions of dollars in losses

(25:31):
and it was just one of the practical solutions highlighted
at the twenty twenty five Nursery Conference hosted by the
University of California Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The
event featured greenhouse tours, research presentations, and one on one consultations.
This conference allows us to share the results of our
research with the industry and listen directly to growers' needs.

(25:56):
Said you see in our horticulture advisor Jerry Spinelli. From
irrogation efficiency to recycling protocols, you see A and R
specialists worked to turn research into actionable strategies as plants
pathology advisor Anna Maria Pastrana put it, our goal is
to communicate science in plane language focused on the real

(26:16):
problems farmers face today. California's horticulture industry generated two point
six billion dollars in twenty nineteen. In San Diego County,
horticultural production tops one point two billion dollars annually, making
it one of these states leading agricultural sectors.

Speaker 21 (26:34):
Farm Work is tough, and so is staying safe on
a road.

Speaker 22 (26:36):
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 21 (26:43):
Here's what you need to remember.

Speaker 22 (26:45):
Tractors move slower, be patient, don't pass on hills or curves. Farmers,
make sure you're slow moving vehicles. Signs and lights are visible,
and everyone's sailor, especially on rural roads.

Speaker 21 (26:56):
One moment a.

Speaker 22 (26:56):
Caution can save a life. Let's work together to keep
our roads and our firm stage. This message was brought
to you by the ag Information Network.

Speaker 16 (27:04):
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

(27:25):
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.

Speaker 20 (27:32):
You with California AGG today on the AG Information Network,
I am Hailey's ship.

Speaker 1 (27:38):
With corn and soybeans often overproduced, farmers looking for alternative
crops for diversification might find that sorghum is worth a look.
Tracys Zinc, chair of the Nebraska Storregum Producers Association, says
storgum offers several benefits.

Speaker 23 (27:55):
Now, the diversification, it just has to happen on our fields,
partly because we are getting so much weed resistance and
we aren't.

Speaker 5 (28:03):
We have too much corn.

Speaker 23 (28:04):
If you look at the kerry and everything, we're going
to have too much. You still want to have a
crop that can be used both for grain as well
as for cattle feed and well as for grazing, and
sorghum fits all that. Plus it lets us put a
new rotation of chemicals in so that we get some
less of the weed resistant build up going.

Speaker 1 (28:24):
She says she's even started realizing additional uses for the
personal commodity.

Speaker 23 (28:29):
It's starting to be recognized where I can stretch my
summer follow outwards, dryer an extra year, because sorghum can
handle drier conditions. But they're starting to realize, hey, that's
pretty good caffee too, and so we're starting to see
it progress onto more of the viable acres, better producing acres,
and that's where we need it to be, so we

(28:49):
can get a little bit more of a consistent number.

Speaker 5 (28:52):
Of bushels again.

Speaker 1 (28:54):
Mattas tracy zinc share of the Nebraska Storgum Producers Association,
and she says sorgum provides good canopy right out of
the gate, suppressing weed pressure.

Speaker 2 (29:05):
The announcement from the Trump administrations Make America Healthy Again Commission.

Speaker 3 (29:10):
We have one hundred and twenty eight recommendations.

Speaker 2 (29:12):
A strategy of initiatives addressing chronic disease and children and
improved nutrition for Americans, according to Commission Chair and Health
and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior. The strategy,
according to Agriculture Secretary Brook rawlins features a prominent role
for our nation's farmers and ranchers.

Speaker 7 (29:33):
I am encouraged by the roadmap that this report presents.
It shows where opportunities exist to improve technology, research and outcomes.
America's farmers and ranchers dedicate their lives to the noble
cause of feeding our country and the world, and in
doing so have created the safest, most affordable, and most

(29:53):
abundant food supply in the world.

Speaker 2 (29:56):
Additionally, USDA is proposing various efforts for better nutrition in
the context of agricultural production. One example is improved soil
health tools that crop growers can utilize.

Speaker 7 (30:11):
Also, USDA's upcoming Regenerative Pilot program is built to address
on farm resource concerns while also providing farmers with usable
outcomes based conservation plans. Additionally, we will leverage existing funding
from research agencies to produce applied science informing farmer decision
making on regenerative agriculture.

Speaker 2 (30:33):
Meanwhile, work is ongoing between AHHS and USDA in creating
updated national dietary recommendations for the next five years.

Speaker 7 (30:44):
We'll continue to actively work with Secretary Kennedy and crafting
the dietary guidelines which will be out very soon. Federal
nutrition advice must be sound, simple and clear. These guidelines
will prioritize whole, healthy, and nutritious foods such as old fat,
fairy fruits, vegetables, and meats, and suggests limiting highly processed

(31:06):
foods and those high in sugar.

Speaker 2 (31:08):
Additional initiatives within the strategy's five pillars with agricultural connection
further research into precision agriculture methods and innovations, and streamlinding,
certification and approval processes in realms such as organic agriculture
and various farm inputs. Rod Bane reporting for the US

(31:29):
Department of Agriculture in Washington, d C.

Speaker 13 (31:35):
From the AGG Information Network. This is your agribusiness update
will the US, Canada, and Mexico have begun consultations ahead
of next year's review of the USMCA trade agreement. Mexican
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard says an evaluation of the trade
packs results will take place between now and the end
of the year. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says they
will hold industry consultations. The US Trade Representative's Office estimates

(31:58):
the USMCA comp there nearly two trillion dollars in US
goods and services. The Trump administration is drawing up plans
to use tariff revenue DO fund a program to support
US farmers. The report follows pressure from farm groups after
China stopped purchases of US soybeans in their Tit for
tat trade dispute, and as tariffs have pushed the costs
up for fertilizer, machinery and other imported goods, agriculture has

(32:22):
emerged as a major point of contention between China and
the US. The value of San Luis Obispo County, California's
agricultural industry has gone down by more than eighty five
million dollars since twenty twenty three, according to the County
Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures twenty twenty four crop report.
In twenty twenty four, official SADY total crop value for
San Luis Obispo County was one billion, fifteen million, eight

(32:45):
hundred and seventy one thousand dollars, in nearly eight percent
decrease from twenty twenty three. However, the twenty twenty four
statistics marked the fourth consecutive year that the crop value
has exceeded one billion dollars.

Speaker 21 (32:56):
Farm work is tough, and so is staying safe on road.

Speaker 22 (32:59):
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 21 (33:06):
Here's what you need to remember.

Speaker 22 (33:08):
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 rule roads.

Speaker 21 (33:18):
One moment a.

Speaker 22 (33:19):
Caution can save a life. Let's work together to keep
our roads and are firm safe. This message was brought
to you by the agg Information Network.

Speaker 16 (33:27):
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

(33:48):
mean the most to you online at aginfo dot net.
The Egg Information Network trusted and transparent journalism lasting for
the next generation.

Speaker 13 (33:56):
From the Egg Information Network, I'm Bob Larson with today's
agribusiness updates.

Speaker 2 (34:03):
And appropriate time annually for National Farm Safety and Health Week.

Speaker 24 (34:07):
We always have it the third full week in September
bring the top of mind not only to the farmers,
but also to the motor and public, making people think
about putting safety first as we start to get into
the fall harvest season.

Speaker 2 (34:19):
Dad Needed of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety
is among the many farm safety experts and advocates who
promote farm safety not just what is agriculture's busiest time
of year, but all year round. Whether the focus is
on equipment safety and awareness or rural mental health.

Speaker 25 (34:37):
Is there something about the social support, the family connectedness,
shared norms. Some of these things may be stronger in
farm families. We need to find that out. And if
we can find that out, these elements in this connectedness
might be influencing things like less mood disorders, less depression.

Speaker 1 (34:51):
I'm Rod Bay.

Speaker 2 (34:52):
Scott Heiberger of the National far Medicine Center joins us
as we take a look at farm safety from various
perspects fives in this edition of Agriculture USA. Harvest Time
is about the period that National Farms Safety and Health
Week is held every year.

Speaker 24 (35:10):
FDR signed the first Proclamation for National Farm Safety and
Health Week way back in nineteen forty four.

Speaker 2 (35:16):
Making it the longest running education campaign via a US
presidential proclamation. According to Dad Eden of the National Education
Center for Agricultural Safety, this.

Speaker 24 (35:26):
Year's theme is safety First, Avoid the Worst.

Speaker 2 (35:29):
This year's campaign runs the week of September twenty first
through twenty seventh, right at the middle of harvest time,
when farm equipment at motorist more likely meet rural roadways.

Speaker 24 (35:39):
Left turns on farmsteads is something that we need to
talk about. Ig equipment will be making turns into farmsteads.
Modern public, you have to obey the law and you
can only pass farming were not in passing zones. You
can't pass it in no passing zones. But we see
a lot of collisions that occur between the motoring public
and the farming community when the tractors and the combines
are turning left into farmsteads about the same time time

(36:00):
that the more in public is time to pass. So
there needs to be that awareness out there and to
share the road.

Speaker 2 (36:05):
At Rural drivers, especially those operating farm machinery on roadways,
should keep in mind if their area includes nine one
one signs for emergency notification.

Speaker 24 (36:15):
Have a notebook in every vehicle that might go from
farmstead to farmstead, because farmers are now renting more property
than ever before, that would have that nine one one sign.
So if you have an emergency that you can get
that nine one one sign and be able to give
them that nine one one number right away, which is
going to tellel the dispatcher, what fire department, what ambulance,
what law enforcement agency to be able to respond.

Speaker 2 (36:36):
Yet, the National Farm Safety and Health Weak CABPAID covers
a diverse range of topics beyond roadway safety, as available
via webinars from the National Education Center for Ag Safety
and the Agrasafe network at this web address www dot
edecasag dot org.

Speaker 24 (36:55):
Monday it's equipment and Rural roadway safety. There are two webinars.
Tuesday is health and Wellness, the mental and the emotional
side of things, taking a look at family health and wellness.
Wednesday deals with generations of farming, so dealing with the
young kids all the way up through dealing with grandma
and Grandpa who are still on the farm and still
want to help. Thursday is confined spaces in hags or

(37:18):
grain bends and manure pits, and then Friday is UTVATV
greatest new tool to come out really since the skidsteer
on the farms, but it has some safety hazards to
go along with it.

Speaker 2 (37:29):
Rural mental health remains a significant topic in the farm
safety realm, although as advocates for awareness such as Terry
Moore of the American Fire Bureau Federation notes.

Speaker 21 (37:38):
There is a lot to be encouraged.

Speaker 2 (37:40):
About, especially when it comes to reducing stigmas that may
prevent a producer or rule resident from seeking help. Add
several collaborators in the farm and rural space joining forces
to offer resources to address mental health concerns.

Speaker 1 (37:55):
You've been listening to AG life. Thanks for being with
us today.