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May 29, 2014 Volume 18 Issue 11
A Tale of Two Farmers
Check out our Agstuff Classifieds Pages 16-19
Sandhills Ranch Expo . . . . . . 6-8 Tractor Pull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Rodeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Weather ..............................2
Country Living
One grows genetically modified crops, the other commits to organic Scott Kincaid works in his shop in early spring on his NE Nebraska farm. Photo by Haley Herzog Jourdyn Kaarre For Scott Kinkaid and Tim Nissen, the arguments over genetically modified food hit close to home. Kinkaid grows soybeans and corn on a 1,380-acre tract about 12 miles outside of Hartington in northeast Nebraska. The crops sprout each year on a parcel that surrounds the farmhouse his family has lived in for three generations. He, like the vast majority of farmers in Nebraska, plants seeds for the crops that are genetically modified. But Nissen has taken a different route. He raises alfalfa, corn, soybeans, oats, sunflowers and cover crops on a 350-acre plot of certified organic soil about 20 miles to the
Tom Nissen raises organic crops on his family farm in northeast Nebraska. Photo by Haley Herzog northeast. Perhaps fitting for someone who goes his own way, Nissen’s land sits off the two-lane Outlaw Trail. Kinkaid, 55, and Nissen, 38, who know and speak highly of each other, have deep roots in their land. They watched their fathers and grandfathers till and harvest in Cedar County. Over the years, Nissen’s onceskeptical father approved of his son’s move to make the family farm organic while Kinkaid showed his father the benefits of switching to the no-till practices that genetic modification makes possible. All the while, the whole portrait of Nebraska agriculture changed.
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Debates about genetically modified organisms sprang up around the globe, people fearing for human, food and environmental safety. Big seed companies such as DuPont and Monsanto churned out research and seeds. Farmers began planting insect-resistant corn and herbicideresistant soybeans, products created when scientists modify a plant’s DNA to include desirable traits like insect and herbicide resistance. People voiced their concerns about tampering with Mother Nature. But these farmers, living just miles apart, think there is enough room in the farm belt for both kinds of agriculture. They each say they just Continued on page 3
House Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Recipes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Lighter Side Lee Pitts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Markets Grain/Livestock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Government Report Government Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Ag Management USDA Conservation Effort to Also Draw Private Funds . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Livestock News Heartland Cattleman . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Production News Corn Ear Rows Set Early . . . . . . . . . 8
Schedule of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
MARKET GLANCE Livestock and Products, Weekly Average
Crops, Daily Spot Prices Year Ago 4 Wks Ago 5/16/14
Nebraska Slaughter Steer 35-65% Choice, Live Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.96 Nebraska Feeder Steers, Med. & Large Frame, 550-600# . . . . . . . . . . . .163.68 Med & Large Frame, 750-800 # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137.96 Choice Boxed Beef, 600-750# Carcass . . . . . . . . . .207.49 Western Corn Belt Base Hog Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89.13 Feeder Pigs, National Direct, 50#, FOB . . . . . . . . . . . .* Pork Carcass Cutout, 185#, 51-52% Lean . . . . . . . .91.27 Slaughter Lambs, Ch. & Pr.,Heavy, SD Dir. . . . . . . . .115.00 Nat. Carcass Lamb Cutout, FOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282.65
146.00
147.00
220.06 183.87 224.27 116.24 * 120.60 134.00 369.64
245.80 186.84 225.34 109.64 * 112.15 136.00 369.40
Wheat, No. 1, H.W. Imperial, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.90 Corn, No. 2, Yellow, Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.98 Soybeans, No. 1 Yellow Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15.14 Grain Sorg. No. 2 Yellow, Dorchester, cwt . . . . . . . . .12.11 Oats, No. 2, Heavy Minneapolis, MN, bu. . . . . . . . . . .3.95
6.69 4.64 14.79 7.98 4.48
6.98 4.62 14.65 8.02 3.87
Hay (per ton) Alfalfa, Lrg. Sq. Bales Good to Prem., NE Neb. . . . . . . .* Alfalfa, Lrg. Rounds, Good, Platte Valley, . . . . . . . . .227.50 Grass Hay, Lrg. Rounds, Premium, Neb., . . . . . . . . . . .* Dried Distillers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226.00 Wet Distillers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92.50 * No market.
200.00 160.00 115.00 120.00 107.50 105.00 235.00 206.00 68.00 67.50
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