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New Farm Bill Obstacles Part 3
As Congress struggles to pass a new farm bill, the upcoming election could pose another obstacle. Nebraska Extension Ag Policy Specialist Brad Lubben explains that bipartisan support and addressing individual state statutes will be key to passing a new bill.
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[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Nebraska Extension Almanac.
Any future progress for the passage of a new farm bill will most certainly need bipartisan support.
On past almanac programs, Nebraska extension ag policy specialist Brad Lubin has talked about other obstacles that the legislators will have to figure out before getting a bill finished.
On today's show, he points out that the upcoming election will possibly present more issues for the Senate to consider.
[Brad Lubben, Nebraska Extension Ag Policy Specialist]
You know, the the Senate version that came out of committee includes this one-year delay in shifting some of the snap cost estates based on error rates in those states. What Senate Democrats on the committee were arguing about or arguing for at the time was an amendment that would have made that a two year delay.
Is it really just debating about one year versus two years?
It's possible that a two year away would be enough on the Senate 4 to get more support to get the bill across the finish line.
Mind you, all this is happening right now, likely after the election.
We can talk about the pathway to maybe a bipartisan coalition that puts a Senate farm bill across the finish line in the Lameduck session of Congress, and then conferences with the House.
We also have to acknowledge that the election results will have a major impact on, maybe, the interest and willingness and motivation to try and get a build done now, relative to pushing it off yet again, and debating anew in the new Congress.
[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Other important policy issues will have to be discussed by the Senate in order for the bill to get finished.
Brad points out that specific state statutes often come up in debates about federal rules and guidelines.
[Brad Lubben, Nebraska Extension Ag Policy Expert Dude]
One of them is this writer to try and pre-empt state statutes.
If state statutes, in this case, in California, dictate not just how livestock are raised in California, but dictate how all food animal products that are consumed in California are raised, wherever that is, including Nebraska, that is either a state welfare and food safety regulation that is allowable, or it looks like a state restriction on trade, which arguably violates the interstate commerce clause.
Well, the case was taken to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to deny California's right to implement Prop 12, which requires not just production, but also all consumption, all food products sold in California to meet those standards.
Well, absent a ruling that the state law violates the U.S. Constitution, then they're looking for a federal law to preempt state law.
And the House did include language that would do that, the Senate bill does not.
Even if the Senate bill moves forward without it, that's going to be one of the sticky questions that gets debated in conference committee.
It's a challenging question.
Some of agriculture, many agricultural producers have already sort of adopted to those stricter California standards, and so they've invested in the production systems that would qualify.
They perhaps are already serving or capitalizing on those new market opportunities to provide that product to California.
But there, but it also looks like a substantial burden on U.S. Production, food animal production in general, if everything needs to adopt to these higher standards, even though not all of it is being sold to California.
So it's a challenge, and it's a putical challenge as to how we deal with it in the end.
[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Our discussion on the work being done to pass a new farm bill continues on a future almanac program where Brad talks about the status of commodity programs.
For Nebraska Extension Almanac, I'm Brad Mills.
Nebraska Extension Almanac is a production of IE&R Media and Nebraska Extension.
For more information on how your university is serving Nebraskans, go to extension.unl.edu.
New Farm Bill Obstacles Part 4
As we wrap up our look at Congress’s struggles to pass a new farm bill, Extension Ag Policy Specialist Brad Lubben discusses commodity program decisions on today’s Almanac.
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[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Nebraska Extension Almanac.
On past almanac programs, extension ag policy specialist Brad Lubin has been focusing on the struggles Congress has had as they try to get a new farm bill passed.
Brad has looked at issues such as bipartisan support, the upcoming election, and snap benefits.
As we conclude our series on this topic, Brad takes a look at the status of commodity programs and what producers should be paying attention to as the Senate continues to try to get a new bill passed.
[Brad Lubben, Nebraska Extension Ag Policy Specialist]
Commanding programs sign up is certainly part of farm bill implementation.
And even as we're talking about trying to get a farm bill done, we're also talking about implementation, because we're implementing what was passed last year in the budget bill.
So when the budget bill included reauthorization for commodity programs through 2031, it immediately adjusted the safety net rules for the 2025 program crop year, which was already in place, and it made those changes for 26 and beyond as well.
For producers that were enrolled in the 25 program crop, before the budget bill even passed, they will start getting payments in a couple weeks here, in early October, based on how that arc and PLC program participation and payment rates ended up under the 25 crop.
At the moment, as of early or mid September here, we have also opened up enrollment on the 26 program crop year.
We did not do enrollment early this spring, when we ordinarily would have.
The ordinary cycle would be that you'd have enrollment decisions before spring planting season really started, but with the changes rules and with some of the detail that had to be done, we didn't get that enrollment started early this spring.
Instead, we also dealt with adding additional base acres.
That was something that was also authorized in the budget bill, to add up to 30 million additional base acres across the country, not to change the base acres that producers already have, but to add additional base acres for those producers that had been planting more than what was in their base.
And that sign up is now officially done, and we know what those acres are.
So now we're ready for program enrollment.
Enrollment started here in mid September for the 2026 program, crop year, and runs through mid December, for the moment at least.
Producers have a decision to make about arc or PLC.
For the 25 crop, since they didn't have a decision, didn't make a decision until the rules had, or after the rules had changed, they're simply going to get the higher of arc or PLC.
Simple calculation, no decision necessary, for 2026, we're back to, You have to make a decision.
But by this point in the year, we also know a little bit about what we think the crop looks like.
We don't have official statistics of yield.
We have some idea of where we think prices are headed, although we are clearly early in the marketing year.
So we still have a lot of price and yield uncertainty, but we know a little bit more than we would have known back in the spring.
Producers have to consider those things now to make some decisions about whether arc or PLC looks like a stronger safety net.
They will start the enrollment process for 2027 as well.
Here a little bit later this fall, with expectations to run that through mid March of 27, like the normal deadline would be.
Producers will have to make that 27 decision before they get into the planting season and begin to think about what actual pricing yield expectations might be.
[Brad Mills, Program Hosed]
This series of programs, focusing on the progress of a new farm bill, was taken from a recent farmcast podcast produced by UNL Center for Ag Profitability.
To read a detailed article, or to listen to the entire interview, go to cap.unl.edu or download from Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
For Nebraska Extension Almanac.
I'm Brad Mills.
Nebraska Extension Almanac is a production of IANR Media and Nebraska Extension.
For more information on how your university is serving Nebraskans, go to extension.unl.edu.
Feedlot Mud Management
On today’s Almanac, Extension Educator Connor Biehler discusses the challenges of feedlot mud management. He explains that cleaner facilities and proper mud management can improve efficiency, lower costs, and support better cattle performance.
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[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Nebraska Extension Almanac.
There are a wide variety of issues when it comes to a profitable cattle operation.
Obviously, feed costs, prices, and cattle health are at the top of the list.
Extension educator Connor Beeler says, poor pen conditions can greatly affect feed efficiency and increased labor costs due to maintenance problems.
On today's program, he focuses on managing muddy conditions and how facility improvements can greatly affect cattle performance and feed issues.
[Connor Biehler, Nebraska Extension Educator]
If you would ask me back in, you know, May, if we were going to be fighting mud around this time of year, I don't think I would have expected it, and we've considered this reign a blessing, but it's kind of gotten to a point where pen conditions are looking pretty sloppy on this side of the state, and, you know, everybody starts to think about feed costs and animal health and other different factors that, that go into um, performance and gains on cattle.
But one thing that can really deduct these gains is mud.
So, uh, I wrote this article just as a way to to be a little proactive, um, on what we're seeing, you know, it looks like the La Nino, El Nino pattern that we're headed into.
It could be a wet fall and winter.
And so I just wanted to get people thinking about mud.
And I think that, you know, you can't wait for the mud to be there.
You gotta be proactive instead of reactive and take care of things on the front end.
That way.
If you do have events like we're currently dealing with in eastern Nebraska, they're easier to deal with if you're set up for it.
[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Connor says proper drainage and mound maintenance are good places to start with mud management.
[Connor Biehler, Nebraska Extension Educator]
I think the 1st thing you want to look at is drainage.
You know, that's what's going to lead to the most mud accumulation is poor drainage.
And that's going to reduce cattle comfort and then performance.
And then the next thing, uh, is you want to make sure that you maintain good mounds and just keep those mounds shaped up well and filled in.
I mean, you know, pay attention to when they might need maintenance if they're starting to flatten or, or maybe they have water around the base or, you know, uh, some of these guys that are putting in roller compacted concrete, if, if that starts to leech, you really got to start doing maintenance on those mounds.
In a dirt lot pin or what I call an open lot pin, you're going to want those to be a little taller around 5 foot or so and have about 25 square foot per head of mound space.
On those roller compacted concrete or concrete pins.
You can get away with a little bit shorter.
I would probably recommend keeping about the same area if you have the capabilities to do that.
Also, you know, over time, cattle are going to be crawling on them and weather like this, you know, at 1st you're going to kind of start seeing their huff prints sticking in a little bit more.
That doesn't concern me, but when it gets to the point where you can kind of see where their feet are dragging, that's definitely a good time to reshape those mounds and put in more betting.
[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Connor points out that mud problem steals energy from cattle, and that the actual depth of the mud can start to affect performance.
[Connor Biehler, Nebraska Extension Guy Who Knows His Mud]
I think it's important to realize, you know, mud isn't just a nuisance.
It changes their requirements and they're having to expend more energy to actually walk through this mud, so more of what they're eating is actually going towards maintenance and that's just decreasing their efficiency.
You know, every inch of mud is stealing energy that could go to gain.
I think one important thing to talk about is depth of mud about one to 4 inches, you know, it's not ideal, but you're not going to see much for performance last.
You're going to start to see more of that around 4 to 8 inches, but once it gets more than 8 inches, you know, that's where your significant losses are coming.
It doesn't have to be up to their bellies, which, unfortunately, I've seen.
You know, that's gonna cost them to have to expend a lot of energy.
[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Today's program is a portion of an interview taken from a recent beef watch podcast offered by Nebraska Extension to read a detailed article or listen to the entire interview, go to beef.unl.edu or download from Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
For Nebraska Extension Almanac, I'm Brad Mills.
Nebraska Extension Almanac is a production of IE&R Media and Nebraska Extension.
For more information on how your university is serving Nebraskans, go to extension.unl.edu.
Marketing Calves with Blemishes
If your calves have blemishes, they could be a problem at the sale barn. Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Educator Randy Saner explains how you can still profit from calves that may not look like the others.
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[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Nebraska Extension Almanac.
A calf that has some issues with blemishes like color differences doesn't have to be a problem at the sale barn.
Extension beef systems educator Randy Sayner says there are ways to retain value from calves that have blemishes.
[Randy Sayner, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Educator]
Well, the big thing is, you know, if they have cropped ears, frozen ears, they're usually sorted off and sold separate, um, color differences, like, let's say you have a red one and a bunch of blacks, a lot of times they'll cut them off.
Um, and then, if um, one's really small or something doesn't fit, those, those are the kinds are going to cut off, they're going to sell them by themselves.
The problem with selling them by themselves is it really reduces your price you get.
And so anything that's not uniformed, that's not the right color, that has any kind of bobtail or ears, usually are cut off and sold separate for about half the price.
So, so, one thing, one thing to do would be to, you know, finish them out, um, and sell the, the meat to some, to a friend or family, if, if you know, some, if you know somebody that you can do that with, um, another thing they might, like if they're smaller calves, they might background in and get a bigger, um, but the problem is, if you don't have a bunch to fit them on, or a larger number to fit them on, singles always sell for less, and so, we want to avoid that if we can.
So it's almost better to sell them in the beef.
Um, be because they're going to still taste good, right?
It's just because they're not.
They don't match the other calves.
And so, um, it's just one thing you can look at at, at maybe increasing the price, and if, if they're too small, and you got a bunch of smaller ones that they're going to cut off.
You grow them up and sell them the stalkers, um, and that may be a very profitable thing as prices go up.
So, so they're gonna need some kind of bunks, self feeders, a pin that they can keep them in, one that has available water.
It'd be nice if it has shade, um, but um, they, they can handle the heat, but sometimes when it gets really hot, that can be a problem.
Especially in the eastern part of Nebraska, we have high humidity.
Um, so, so, Shay would, would be beneficial too.
They have to have a place to store the feed because, you know, if you're a rancher doing this, A lot of times we don't have a lot of feed storage on, on site, and then, um, pins that, that, that cattle can get through out of the nud in the wintertime, especially if you're going to save them this fall and feed them, um, that can be an issue too.
And then the ability to mix, feed or buy, a mixed ration, and you're probably gonna need a hay feeder, or you'd be able to make some kind of hay in with that ration, just because, um, they need some fiber, and if you try to just see grain alone, you can get in some problems with, uh, uh, health of the stomach and so forth, and so, um, I would, they can become acidotic, those kind of things, uh, in the room, in which. Which can cause them to go off feed, so you want to have some hay available to them one way or another, either mix it in or separate.
And then probably from a health standpoint, wanna make sure you've been vaccinated, get to get the vaccinations in for overeating and some of those diseases that we see in in in feed yards.
Um so that would be another consideration.
Well, you can, you can actually sell it in, in the beef or you, you can actually sell the calf live to someone and they can go to a custom plant and then they pay for the processing and so forth and in a lot of cases, you know, you're gonna, you put weight on that calf, if you can do it efficiently enough, you can make money on that.
Um, the other other thing is no, you know, knowing people that might like some home raised beef.
You can, you know, you can say, I know what cow it came out of, you know, and this is a tag number.
This was when it was born.
Those are all values people are looking for.
They want to know where their food comes from.
So that's a way to market it to those people and and maybe make it a little higher price.
[Brad Mills, Program Host]
Today's program was a portion taken from a recent farm cast podcast offered by UNL Center for Ag Profitability.
To hear the entire interview, go to cap.unl.edu, or download from Apple Podcasts.
For Nebraska Extension Almanac.
I'm Brad Mills.
Nebraska Extension Almanac is a production of IANR Media and Nebraska Extension.
For more information on how your university is serving Nebraskans, go to extension.unl.edu.
The Nebraska LEAD Program
Want to make a lasting impact on Nebraska’s agricultural industry? Nebraska LEAD program director Kurtis Harms encourages you to explore the LEAD program to strengthen your leadership skills and gain valuable international experience.
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[Mike Straub, Program Host]
Nebraska extension almanac.
Through an immersive two year experience, Nebraska lead fellows participate in seminars, in state and national study travel, and a transformative international study seminar, all designed to strengthen leadership capacity, expand perspectives, and prepare participants to address the complex challenges facing agriculture and rural America.
Nebraska lead program director, kurtis Harms, was on site at Husker Harvest days this year to encourage those interested to apply for the lead program, network with alumni, and talk about leadership opportunities.
[Kurtis Harms, Nebraska LEAD Program Director]
The Nebraska League program always likes to be at Husker Harbor stays because it's a fantastic opportunity for us to engage with potential candidates.
That would be great fellows for the Nebraska League program.
But it's also a really fun time for me to interact with our alumni that are across the state.
We've got over 1,200 alumni over the last 45 plus years, and so it's always great to interact and engage with them.
We are always looking for those individuals that are really passionate about making a difference in their communities, in agriculture, within the state of Nebraska.
We're looking for those individuals between roughly the ages of 24, 25 to 55, Those people that are passionate about agriculture that are passionate about Nebraska, that want to make a difference in some sort of leadership role, because our whole purpose is to prepare and motivate men and women in agriculture for more effective leadership.
Probably the biggest concern that we get from our candidates or potential candidates is that we are a time commitment.
It is a two year program, roughly 18 months from start to finish, but that payout is truly tremendous.
You know, you're able to experience agriculture, policy.
The things that shape our industry at the local, state, national, and even international levels, you get to a great network of like minded individuals that challenge you.
You're able to learn from farmers and leaders from all facets of agriculture to really refine you and develop you and make you into a more effective leader in the future.
Well, we recently just kicked off Nebraska League Class 45, that took place right here after Husker Harvest days.
And one change for this class.
They'll experience this the very first time, is a new partnership we've had with the Nebraska National Guard.
And this is a new partnership, where they will be going to the base near Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Nebraska, interacting with our military leaders, to understand military leadership.
You know, there's a lot of, of, of development of leaders within the military, and we're gonna learn from a lot of those individuals that do a lot of that training.
It's also a great way for our fellows to better learn and understand and appreciate what the Nebraska National Guard does for Nebraska agriculture.
You know, we look at things like flood control, wildfire control.
All of those types of things that maybe sometimes we take for granted.
We have a better understanding of those systems, but also as leaders, how we can act quickly and adapt to change.
I think that's a really big part of this development session that we have with the Nebraska National Guard.
And I'm really excited for Nebraska League plus 45 to be the inaugural class to experience this training.
We always start a new cohort.
We've got two cohorts that are going on at the same time, but we always do start those in the fall.
And so the next cohort, we'll start in September of 2027, which seems like it's a long way off.
But if you're interested or even curious about applying for the Nebraska League program.
Now is truly a great time to start investigating the program.
You know, understanding what the time commitments are, talking it over with family, coworkers, friends, you know, to make sure that you have the support system needed to embark upon this two-year leadership development journey, have a better understanding of what's all involved with the program.
Individuals with a passion for agriculture, leadership, and shaping the future of Nebraska are encouraged to apply for the Nebraska lead program's 45th cohort.
For more information about the Nebraska lead program, including eligibility requirements and program details, visit lead.unl.edu.
[Mike Straub, Program Host]
For Nebraska Extension Almanac, I'm Mike Straub.
Nebraska Extension Almanac is a production of IANR media and Nebraska Extension.
For more information on how your university is serving Nebraskans, go to extension.unl.edu.