NY Corn & Soybean Growers 4.15.13

The New York Crop Grower A publication of the NY Corn & Soybean Growers Association Spring 2013, Vol. 2 No. 3

NYCSGA Planning Groundbreaking Research Adventures in Turkey What is Shredlage?

p. 3 p. 7 p. 11

Section A - Page 2 New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013 •

New York Corn and Soybean Growers Association President, Steve Van Voorhis Henrietta, 585-746-1542

Vice President, Ron Robbins Sackets Harbor, 315-382-3883

Secretary/Treasurer, Ralph Lott Seneca Falls, 315-568-9501

Board Members Roger Arliss, Pit Farm Clyde, 315-521-0488 Adam L. Craft Williamson, 315-589-2386 Todd Du Mond, Du Mond Ag, LLC Union Springs, 315-252-9191 Loren Herod, Community Bank NA Geneva, 315-781-2138 Bill Jenkins, Jenkins Farm Wyoming, 585-786-5793 Seth Pritchard, Catalpa Farm Canandaigua, 585-748-3334 Mike Stanyard, Cornell Cooperative Extension Newark, 315-331-8415 Tom Sutter, Monroe Tractor Henrietta, 585-334-3857, 585-730-1853 Jason Swede, Gary Swede Farms Pavilion, 585-243-9739 Greg Harding Canandaigua, 585-733-3396 Raymond Dean Auburn, 315-209-7183 Beth Chittenden, Dutch Hollow Farm Schodack Landing, 518-732-4633

Julia Robbins Executive Director Sackets Harbor, 315-778-1443 The New York Corn and Soybean Growers Association is a grassroots organization representing corn and soybean producers’ interests. The Association works to develop and expand markets, educate members, and enhance public policy for corn and soybean growers in the Empire State. The Association sponsors research on corn and soybean production, utilization and marketing and hosts educational programs.

President's Column

Letter from the President

By Steve Van Voorhis

T

his year's spring is showing up much differently than last year's. At this time in 2012, many of us were already planting corn, some of us with hundreds of acres already in. Of course, some of that early planted corn suffered later on from the dry, hot summer, and the later planted crops thrived with the August rains.

Another instance of, "patience is a virtue?"

Despite the cold, wet March this year, the New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association is looking forward to another year of record yields for corn and soybeans. New York continues to add acres in soybeans, with over 330,000 acres planted in 2012, and 14 million bushels harvested. With the additional bushels and higher price of soybeans, the soybean checkoff in New York continues to grow, and the NYCSGA board of directors continues to make sure your checkoff dollars are spent efficiently and effectively.

Personally, I felt that the speakers at this year's Corn & Soybean Expo were among the best yet, providing important and pertinent information to growers and their next generations about financial and risk management and succession planning.

As we listened to Dick Whitman, I'm

sure many of us could recognize a "Cowboy Joe" in our own family businesses, and Moe Russell gave us excellent information about land prices and making sure we cover our risk before expanding.

This month, NYCSGA will award checkoff funding for research and education projects. Look for descriptions of those projects in the summer newsletter issue. We will also be publishing another addition of the "Crop Chronicle" which will contain the final reports from 2012 soybean checkoff funded projects. The "Crop Chronicle" will be available at the Summer Crop Tour, August 13, 2013.

NYCSGA is also making the "freedom to operate" a priority. Many of you might have heard women farmers Nancy Robbins and Beth Chittenden on

Steve VanVoorhis

the radio talking about milk and animal welfare. We plan to continue this campaign, funded through the CommonGround program, throughout the year. In addition, CommonGround will present "Safe Plate", a program focused on starting conversations about our food with college students, at SUNY Cobleskill later this month. Finally, NYCSGA will be back at the Dutchess

County Fair in August, with an even bigger display, and a combine AND chopper.

NYCSGA continues to stay busy with many projects and initiatives, thanks to your membership and checkoff contribution. As always, if you have any questions or comments for the organization, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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Page 3 - Section A • New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013

Message from the Executive Director

Don't Believe the Groundhog!

By Julia Robbins

H

ello growers and New York Corn & Soybean members! As I write this message in late March, there is currently a couple of inches of snow on the ground. So much for an early spring! That groundhog is a liar! In the end, I suppose the additional snow, while inconvenient, is a good thing, as last year's mild winter and dry summer significantly diminished our water table. In the meantime, I'll patiently wait next to my warm fireplace for spring!

When December comes around, I usually wonder how I will ever get through another long winter! But, this year's winter did seem to go fast, despite its hanging on, thanks to lots of traveling on behalf of NYCSGA, as well as for LEAD NY. In February, I was very lucky to travel to Turkey with my classmates from LEAD NY. This edition of the newsletter contains a day-by-day account of this once-in-alifetime trip! In late February, several NYCSGA directors, growers from New York, and I attended the annual Commodity Classic in Kissimmee, FL. When we weren't getting lost trying to navigate the heavy traffic and confusing intersections of the greater Disney area, we had the opportunity to attend

informational sessions on topics ranging from sustainability to managing personalities on your family farm. NYCSGA directors also represented New York in the National Corn Growers Association and American Soybean Association delegate sessions. It was great to see so many growers from New York at the Classic, and I hope to see you more of you at next year's Classic in San Antonio!

I have also been spending quite a bit of time focusing on the issue of farmers' "freedom to operate". New York Corn & Soybean began participating in the CommonGround initiative this year, with NYCSGA director Beth Chittenden heading up this program. Beth keeps me on my toes with lots of projects aimed at starting conversations with consumers about food and farming.

Finally, spring also means that I have to return to moonlighting at my family's business, Old McDonald's Farm. I often spend my weekends taking admissions at the agri-tourism business, and in my free time, helping my mom with the farm's communications, advertising and social media. Be sure to like us on Facebook

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NYCSGA Planning Ground-Breaking Precision Ag Research Initiative

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he New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association was recently awarded funding through the New York Farm Viability Institute to identify best cropping practices

through analyzing precision farming data. NYCSGA has identified several strategically located farms to participate in the trial, which will initially run through January 2015.

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NYCSGA is in the process of identifying a professional statistician who will conduct 5 individual field trials each on corn and soybean farms in New York State, servicing more than 25,000 acres.

The field trials, under the design direction of Ochs Consulting, will focus on yield response to varied population and fertilizer, varietal response to soil type, nutrient utilization under varying soil, climatic, and farm

NYCSGA A4

Section A - Page 4 New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013 •

Breaking Big Apple Misconceptions about Farming

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e live in a time where most people are both miles and generations away from the farm. This gap created the need for programs such as CommonGround to help people separated from farms understand how their food is raised.

Ninety farm women across sixteen states participate in the program by attending events such as the recent 2013 Health & Nutrition Editor Showcase held in February in the heart of New York City's Times Square. The showcase provided a great opportunity for CommonGround volunteers Danell Kalcevic (wheat and beef cattle farmer from Bennett, Colo.) and Beth Chittenden (dairy farmer from Schodack Landing, N.Y.) to share how food is raised on their own farms.

foster conversation among women - on farms and in cities - about where our food comes from. The United Soybean Board (USB) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) developed CommonGround to give farm women the opportunity to engage with consumers through the use of a wide range of activities. USB and NCGA provide support and a platform for the volunteers to tell their stories.

Beth Chittenden holds up a Beecher’s cheese product

Beth and Danell spoke with influential media such as: All You, Cosmopolitan, Epicurious, Food Network, LuckyGirl MEDIA, SHAPE and more about topics including hormones and

T Beth and Danell with the owner of Beecher’s

antibiotics in milk products to biotechnology.

Both editors and freelancers alike were excited to learn that Beth was a local New York dairy farmer, which gave Beth countless opportunities to share that milk from her farm, located just over two hours from New York City, is driven in daily to Beecher's Handmade Cheese, a Flat Iron District restaurant that makes cheese fresh on location. This story prompted many questions about the safety of milk from cows that are treated with antibiotics, opening the door for Beth to dispel such concerns in light of tight regulations regarding withdrawal periods for the farmer to follow.

Women farmers Beth Chittenden, NY and Danell Kalcevic, CO

NYCSGA Seeking Candidates for USB Board Director Position he New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association is seeking candidates for nomination to the United Soybean Board board of directors. Any soybean producer within New York state that owns or shares the ownership and risk of loss of soybeans can be considered for nomination.

The board position is a three-year term and includes three week-long board meetings throughout the year in addition to other committee meetings. Interested candidates must be able to commit to the full three year term.

Please contact Julia Robbins, Executive Director of the New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association by COB, Thursday, April 18 if you are interested in being nominated to the United Soybean Board board of directors. Julia can be reached at juliacrobbins@gmail.com or 315-583-5296.

About CommonGround CommonGround is a grass-roots movement to

NYCSGA from A3 resource conditions. The statistician will then collect and analyze precision data from geographically diverse farms to discern best production practices for those farms and similar New York State farms.

The overall long-term goal of this initiative is to show New York State corn and soybean farms that implementing precision ag can help achieve greater farm productivity given specific farm resources. Another goal of this project is to establish a long-term employment position for one or more precision ag statisticians supported by New

York State farms, advisors, and industry groups as an expert resource for farms to turn to for help in analyzing precision farm information.

The two year budget for this project is approximately $160,000, which includes $75,000 already pledged from the New York Farm Viability Institute, $50,000 over two years from the New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association and in-kind consulting services from Ochs Consulting. The NYCSGA research committee is in the process of identifying other funding sources, such as industry

partners and Cornell University. The budget will cover the salary and travel of a professional statistician (preferably with a master's degree), communication activities related to the study, soil data collection, and lab analysis services.

NYCSGA is excited about this groundbreaking research initiative, as New York soils are among some of the most varied glacial sediment soils in the country. Accurate findings from an initiative such as this could reap huge benefits for corn and soybean growers across the country.

M

aintaining and expanding animal agriculture in the U.S. and supporting its long-term competitiveness are of critical importance to soybean farmers. Here are five reasons why: 5. Demand for U.S. soybeans depends on the animal agriculture sector.

Animal agriculture was the top customer of U.S soybean meal in 2011, consuming more than 30 million tons, or the meal from 1.27 billion bushels of U.S. soybeans. More to the point, chickens, pigs and other animals consume about 98 percent of the soybean meal produced by U.S. soybean farmers, so supporting farmers who raise animals is important to the soybean farmer's bottom line. To that end, U.S. soybean farmers have funded projects to ensure soybean meal continues to be a reliable, affordable and high-quality feed source for livestock and poultry producers.

4. Animal agriculture is a vital economic engine.

According to a study prepared for the soy checkoff, the total economic impact of animal agriculture in 2011 was $333 billion. The effect on household earnings was $58 billion. And the industry is responsible for almost 1.7 million jobs. In this case, numbers tell a very descriptive story. Animal agriculture pulls its weight.

3. Higher consumer food prices are not good for anyone.

A checkoff-funded study released earlier this year found new regulations on the U.S. animal agriculture sector could drive up food prices for consumers. The study shows consumers could be forced to pay as much as $16.8 billion more every year for meat, milk and eggs if regulations caused animal ag input costs to rise by just 25 percent. These regulations could also reduce the value of U.S. exports by $1.1 billion and cause 9,000 Americans to lose their jobs.

2. Meat tastes good.

A growing number of people around the world are eating more meat today than in the past. As the global population and individual incomes continue to rise, so, too, does demand for meat, which translates into more demand for U.S. soy meal to use in animal feed.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for every dollar an individual in a developing country earns, nearly 40 cents goes to diet improvements, which often means eating more meat. This increased meat demand isn't going away - make sure you reap some of the rewards.

1. Livestock producers are ... farmers.

The hard-working folks who raise pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys and fish are your customers and most reliable business partners. In some cases, animal farmers are also your friends and neighbors. They are fellow farmers.

The New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association is proud to be a member of the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition (NYAAC), an organization that seeks to re-connect the public's understanding of and appreciation for animal agriculture through media engagement, consumer education and by fostering cooperation through industry stakeholders. NYCSGA has two

representatives on the NYAAC Board of Directors: Executive Director Julia Robbins and Beth Chittenden, a dairy and crop farmer from Columbia County. NYCSGA supports NYAAC's mission with a $12,500 annual sponsorship, made possible through the soybean checkoff.

For more information on the New York Animal Ag Coalition, visit www.farmskeepnygreen.com.

Members of Soy Value Chain Identify Game Changers for Industry Future CONNECTIONS attendees pinpoint strategies that will positively impact U.S. farmers

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fter a day and a half of discussion, U.S. soybean farmers and other representatives of the U.S. soy industry, agreed that continuing to promote the benefits of biotechnology, maximizing the content of soy meal and oil, rapidly adopting high oleic soybean varieties and preserving the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) are top priorities to lead the industry into the future.

"The soy checkoff's priority is to continue to create opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers, as well as their customers, to succeed," says United Soybean Board (USB) Chairman Jim Stillman, a soybean farmer from Emmetsburg, Iowa.

Stillman helped lead the CONNECTIONS conference, which in December brought representatives of the U.S. soy industry together to discuss the top issues and opportunities facing U.S. soybean farmers.

"To do this, we must challenge ourselves as farmers, and all soy

industry representatives, to stay ahead of changing global demands," Stillman says. "The game changers and strategies identified at CONNECTIONS play a major role in ensuring we meet this goal."

Nearly 400 CONNECTIONS attendees, including New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association directors Ralph Lott and Todd DuMond and Executive Director Julia Robbins, participated in sessions related to the checkoff's four strategic objectives and ranked the strategies most likely to positively impact U.S. soybean farmers.

The soy checkoff will join others in the industry in using the identified priorities to inform their direction in the future. Top priorities for each of USB's strategic objectives

included.

Customer Focus Participants prioritized preserving the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) and promoting biodiesel and Bioheat. The promotion of biotechnology and the increased focus on improving U.S. soy's advantages were also identified as priorities.

Meal Participants identified top priorities to be maximizing the content of meal and oil in soybeans through integration of research, breeding and processing.

Emphasis was also put on developing a transparent system that rewards farmers for higher quality and supporting U.S. soy meal products to boost animal use of soy meal.

Oil Participants prioritized protecting and growing the RFS2 as well as strengthening it as a price driver

for soy oil to make soy meal more costcompetitive for animal farmers as top priorities. Additional priorities included rapid adoption of high-oleic soybean varieties and improving soy composition and yield.

Freedom to Operate Priorities to ensure farmers' freedom to operate included engaging consumers, food companies and farmers in conversations to educate about today's agriculture.

This includes partnering with organizations such as U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and CommonGround on checkoff-funded projects when educating consumers on the topic of biotechnology.

Farmers also identified the need to increase funding for transportation improvements as a top priority.

Page 5 - Section A • New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013

Five Reasons to Support Animal Ag

Section A - Page 6 New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013 •

Proper Disposal of Treated Seed Prevents Export Disruptions Written by Lisa Pine, US Soybean Export Council

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s the planting season ends, growers are reminded that pesticide treated seeds in grain shipments must the prevented. Because many countries that import U.S. soy have very strict rules forbidding the presence of any treated seed in commodity soybean shipments arriving at its ports, U.S. laws governing what must be done by farmers for proper and legal disposition of treated seeds remaining on farm after the planting season is over must be followed.

Because U.S. farmer compliance is critical

to avoid disruption of U.S. soybean exports to overseas markets, disposal recommendations were included in the "Treated Seed Disposal" section of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship website of the Center for Integrated Pest Management: The best way to dispose of a small quantity of leftover seed that has been treated with a pesticide is to plant it in fallow or other non-cropped areas of the farm.

Other possible options include:

Sample from U.S. Shipment shows six red-colored soybeans mixed in (USSEC China photo)

1. Disposal in an approved municipal landfill (only permitted in some states; plus permits may be required).

2. Use as a fuel source

for electrical power plants or cement kilns.

3. High temperature incineration by a waste management facility.

4. Fermentation in an alcohol-producing process at an ethanol plant (but then the ethanol plant's resultant mash or distillers grains must not be used as feed).

However, the farmer must first contact the specific facility to determine if it can accept pesticidetreated seed. For disposal of large quantities of leftover treated seed, the farmer must contact the pesticide manufacturer if the farmer needs more information. If the seed treatment was applied by the seed company, the farmer should contact the seed company.

More information is available at http://pesticidestewardship.org/ disposal/Pages/treatedseeddisposal.aspx.

NYCSGA Seeking Applicants for ASA Marketing & Production College and ASA Leadership College

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he New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association is seeking applicants who are interested in attending either the American Soybean Association Marketing & Production College or the American Soybean Association Leadership College.

soybean leaders an opportunity to sharpen their organizational and management skills to help growers be more successful in leadership roles. The Leadership College is tentatively scheduled for January 7-9, 2014, location to be determined.

The ASA Soybean Marketing & Production College will be held this summer, July 29-30, 2013 in Minneapolis, MN. The Marketing and Production College will feature keynote presentations from some of the top agriculture experts in marketing and production and attendees will have the ability to choose from four intensive, hands-on training breakout sessions where growers will dig deep down on the following breakout session topics: • Global sustainability requirements to meet world soybean demand - The Soy Sustainability Protocol • Weed and Herbicide Resistance Management/Best Management Practices - Presented

by Bayer CropScience • Utilizing Precision Agriculture to maximize yields-Presented by AGCO Corporation • IP production and marketing systems sponsor to be determined.

Any New York state soybean grower interested

The ASA Leadership College provides current state and national grower leaders and future

in attending either program should contact NYCSGA Executive Director Julia Robbins by Friday, May 31,at juliacrobbins@gmail.com or 315-583-5296. Include a short description of your farm and why you want to attend the program. Travel expenses (air, hotel, transportation) will be paid by NYCSGA and/or ASA.

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By Julia Robbins

F

rom February 212, NYCSGA board members Tom Sutter and Beth Chittenden, and I traveled to Turkey as part of our LEAD New York study trip.

The trip was an experience in cultural diversity, how to step outside one's comfort zone, and the agricultural differences between America and the Middle East.

On February 3, after 24 hours of traveling, 30 bleary-eyed Americans arrived in Antalya. After quickly

freshening up at our hotel and hearing the Islam call to prayer for the first time, we immediately began touring Antalya's "Old Town", taking in some of the ancient architecture that still exists today as well as the beautiful views of the Mediterranean Sea. That night, the CEO of Alara Orchards (the biggest orchard in Turkeythink Tropicana in the US) spoke to us about his very successful business.

We also got to sample fresh

pomegranate juice.

The next day, we toured the Antalya terminal market (similar to Hunt's Point in New York City), a greenhouse operation specializing in landscaping trees, flowers and plants, and toured the

into the mountains to visit Atasancak Dairy, a progressive dairy farm milking over 5,000 cows.

Much of the farm's practices were based on US technologies, and many of the farm's animals were imported from the United States. "Dairy The ancient Ottoman Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet)

Tom Sutter, Beth Chittenden & Julia in front of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

orchard of two young Turkish brothers, who were both educated here in the US. Julia with her host mom and daughter, Yasmin and Fulya

On day four, our group traveled up

Day" continued with a stop at the Aynes milk processing plant.

At this location, the company specialized in producing ultra-pasteurized milk, especially for school children.

During "Dairy Day" we learned that consuming milk as a drink is not a regular practice in Turkey, but the government just recently adopted milk into its school nutrition programs.

Day five took us up to Heiropolis, an

ancient Roman city overlooking the village of Pamukkale.

Heiropolis is also located on a mountainside covered in white mineral deposits. This "cascade" is the only one of it's kind in the world. The rest of the day included a visit

the day at our hotel in Kusadasi, located on the Aegean Sea. On the sixth day of our trip, we all woke up pretty anxious. This was the day we went to our home stays!

Many of us were nervous if the host families would speak

Suzy Hayes and Julia at the ancient city of Heiropolis

to a nut processing facility, a fresh fig processing facility (one of my favorite visits), and (finally!) a winery. We ended

Mountains over the dairy farm in Denizli

English, what kind of house they lived in, if they would have modern plumbing (ie. toilets), etc. But first, we visited the ancient city of Ephesus. From there, we went to an olive oil processing facility and then an olive grove, located in the village where we would be spending the night. As the sun started to get low, we met up with our host families.

Adventures B3

Page 7 - Section A • New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013

Adventures in Turkey

Section A - Page 8 New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013 •

Q&A with Director Greg Harding

W

hat do you do every day in your job?

I am the seedsman for SeedFirst LLC, Channel brand corn, soybean and alfalfa dealer. I work with growers to find ways to increase yields on their farms.

This includes seed, but quite often involves anything from weed and insect control to planter and harvesting advice.

What is your favorite part of being a seed dealer?

I get excited about the seed and trait business, and I love high production ag. I enjoy discovering why corn or bean hybrids perform differently from farm to farm and field to field.

Working with many different farm and business models is also interesting.

What is your secret to success?

From small one person farms to large multi-generational operations, farmers deal with people and products they trust. I try to work with growers to get the best yield for each grower and make it easy to do business with me.

How can farmers combat the vocal minority who are speaking out against bio-tech?

Greg Harding

I think a consistent message about maximizing food production while minimizing inputs is key. The message

that supporters of biotech are scientists such as Norman Borlaug, Nobel prize winner, vs the emotional, non -

scientific position of anti-biotech can be discussed with many consumers.

Why did you want to

get involved with the NY Corn & Soybean Growers Associations as a director?

I think this is the best board in New York

agriculture. Having a seed industry person on the board helps to round out our group

Q&A B6

A

ttendance records continue to be broken at Commodity Classic. This year, record attendance totaled 6,214, including a record number of 3,324 corn, soybean, wheat and sorghum growers. There were also 1,078 first-time non-exhibitor

Julia with a new friend at the opening reception of the 2013 Commodity Classic

attendees, another record set. New York sent over a dozen growers, including both state corn and soybean yield contest winners, several NYCSGA directors, and the NYCSGA executive director. With the meeting being held in Kissimmee, home to Disney World, many of the New York attendees' families made the trip as well.

Bill and Dorine Jenkins celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary at the Classic! Congratulations!

Julia testing out a new tractor for her family’s farm

"By the growth of attendance at Commodity Classic, it's clear that farmers are seeing the advantage of coming to this great show," said Classic Co-Chair Bob Worth. "The quality

NYCSGA at the NCGA banquet:

Growers B6 Bill & Dorine Jenkins, Steve Van Voorhies, Ron Robbins & Adam Craft

Page 1 - Section B • New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013

Growers Break Records Again at 2013 Commodity Classic

Section B - Page 2 New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013 •

NY Corn & Soybean Growers Winter Expo focuses on Farm Financial and Succession Planning

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he New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association (NYCSGA) hosted its annual winter Corn & Soybean Expo in January, and this year's event was the organization's most successful yet, with over 250 attendees and a new, second half day session.

This year's meeting, titled "Succeeding at Succession", focused on financial and risk management and family farm succession planning. The keynote speakers were Moe Russell, a farm financial and risk management

Soybean yield contest winners

consultant and hog farmer from Iowa, and Dick Wittman, a farm succession planning expert and beef/ crop farmer from Idaho.

"What really struck me about me about the presentations that both Dick & Moe made was that many of our farms are multi-million dollar businesses, yet they are run by family, with all the personalities and dynamics that come with families, and without CFOs, Boards of Directors, CEOs, etc. It became apparent to me that in order for us to succeed as our farms continue to grow, we have to start looking at our farms as businesses with multimillion dollar assets and balance sheets," Julia Robbins, Executive Director for NYCSGA said.

Much of Moe's remarks focused on making the right financial decisions for a farm business, making sure to eliminate risk and "bullet-proof your balance sheet." Moe showed attendees creative ways that they can collaborate with extended family and neighbors and still run a successful, profitable business. In his second day presentation, which was more of an unstructured Q&A among participants, Moe talked a lot about

Corn yield contest winners

land prices and being patient when purchasing land, rather than jumping at properties every time something comes up for sale. He also said that what a farm pays their landlord for renting farm land is not always as important as having a good relationship with that person. Sometimes trust and cooperation are more important to a landlord than the check.

Dick Wittman's presentation centered on

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Page 3 - Section B • New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013

What is Shredlage?

By Tom Sutter, Monroe Tractor

“S

hred what?" was my response a little over a year ago when I first heard the term. A dairy farmer that had been at World Dairy Expo and heard about this new concept in processing corn silage and wanted to know if I knew anything about it. At the time, I couldn't even say it, let alone tell him about it.

Boy how times change. Now shredlage is quickly becoming a household name, at least to a dairy farmer. So what is it?

Shredlage is a method of processing corn silage. In addition to crushing the kernel, it is a longer cut corn, measuring around 26mm theoretical length of cut, with

the stalk ripped length wise into planks and strings.

This allows for the improved effective fiber, better packing in a bunk and a greater exposure to the inner cells of the plant for increased microbial activity.

Why are dairy farmers interested in it? It all comes down to cow health input costs in feed. Due to the longer length of cut and the way the stalk is split open, one can increase physically affective fiber while increasing fiber digestibility.

This leads to the elimination of straw, alfalfa hay, etc. in the ration and adding more digestible shredlage, essentially increasing ones utilization of corn silage which is a lower cost ingredient.

Shredlage still processes kernels despite the longer length of cut. This is important because farmers still want the cows to digest the kernels and without good processing, kernels will pass right through the cow.

Sorting is also not an issue due the breaking up of the famous "cigarette butts" or "silver dollars" that many times go hand in hand with a longer length of cut.

Another reason dairy farmers are interested in shredlage is because of a small bump in production according to some initial studies done at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The study looked at normal processed corn silage and when compared to shred-

lage, the shredlage feed cows produced about 2lbs per cow more per day.

Shredlage processors are produced by Scherer Design Engineering, LLC out of Tea, SD. They currently build processors that fit into Claas forage harvesters, and are working on units to go into John Deere

and New Holland foragers they hope in the next two to three

years. For additional information, visit www.shredlage.com .

Adventures from A7 My roommate, Suzy Hayes, and I were pleasantly surprised to find that our hosts lived in a very lovely house, with hardwood floors, modern plumbing (phew- no squatter toilet here!), and a nice warm woodstove.

However, our host family did not speak any English, and with no cell service, we could not take advantage of Google translator on Suzy's phone. We had to rely on charades and the old-fashioned Turkish/English dictionary.

Despite the language barrier, we had a lot of fun with our family and their five-year old girl, Fulya, who took Suzy and I to school in a game of cards. (We have no idea what card game it was). The home stay was a good learning experience in facing one's fears, making it through an awkward situation, as well as finding the common bond between people, despite not being able to communicate very well. We learned that our hosts made wine, and Suzy owns Miles Wine Cellars on Seneca Lake!

The day after our home stay, we visited a large goat dairy farm and cheese processing facility, owned by a well-educated woman who had no previous farming background.

She too went to school in the US. From there

we visited Ege University in Izmir, which is Turkey's largest agricultural college.

On day eight, we traveled via plane to Istanbul. Upon arriving in Instanbul we had a tour of the Hagia Sophia, a former Greek Orthodox church which is now a museum, the underground Basillica Cistern and the Grand Bizarre. The Bizarre was more intense than Carousel Mall on December 23rd! That night we had dinner on our own, so a small group of us went to a belly dancing show at a night club frequented by young Turkish people.

Day nine was on our own, and anyone who knows me can guess what I did most of the day... shopping of course! I learned the art of bartering and got some good deals on real silk scarves for my sisters, and earrings for my mom.

Day 10 - the last day of our trip, we toured Migros (the Turkish Wegmans), and had the opportunity to meet and talk with the Migros Chairman, which was quite an honor. Migros also generously hosted us for lunch. From there we went to Deniz Bank and learned about the institution's agricultural lending program, and had speakers from the US

Consulate in Instanbul.

On the morning of Tuesday, February 12, we got up very early and began the long journey across the Atlantic Ocean, back to the United States. While the trip to Turkey was a once in a lifetime experience and full of many valuable experiences, there's no place like home!

Other notable observations of the Turkish culture: • Turkey is a relatively poor country.

Therefore, they don't eat a lot of beef or fish (more expensive). Chicken and lamb is much more likely to be found on the dinner table.

• Landscaping is definitely not a priority! If there's an empty piece of land, it will either have grazing animals on it or concrete.

• The larger animal operations are pretty rare in Turkey. Most "farms" consist of a couple goats and chickens in the backyard.

• Islam does not dominate the Turkish culture, unlike other Middle Eastern cultures.

Turkey is much more westernized. We didn't see people stopping to pray following a call to prayer. Most women did not have their heads covered (unless in a mosque). Alcohol was easy to find.

Section B - Page 4 New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013 •

Biodiesel Mandate A Win-Win for the Economy and Environment

By Julia Robbins

W

hen it comes to the food vs. fuel debate, there tends to be a lot of polarization and confusion. But when it comes to using soy oil for fuel, there should be nothing to be confused about.

Soy oil is produced from crushing the soybean and extracting the oil. The soybean meal produced in the crushing process is used for animal feed, and the oil can be used in a variety of ways: from hand lotion to protein bars, from chewing gum to soy milk, from vegetable oil to biodiesel. Speaking of vegetable oil: did you know that vegetable oil is simply soy oil?

But with the declining consumption of vegetable oil thanks to consumers' heightened awareness of trans fats, the soy industry needs a new market for its soy oil.

Biodiesel is that new market.

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from domestic plant oils and animal fats.

Biodiesel can be blended with petroleum diesel or heating oil to displace foreign fossil fuel, which causes global warming. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implements the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires all biodiesel sold in the U.S. to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) by at least 50 percent compared to conventional diesel fuel. Most biodiesel exceeds that

requirement by reducing GHGs in excess of 80 percent.

Biodiesel is often cheaper than

petroleum diesel, which means that blending it into the fuel supply can reduce the cost per

gallon of finished fuel. In addition to its considerable environmental and economic benefits,

biodiesel is a domestically produced fuel that helps reduce our dependence on

foreign oil.

Using biodiesel in a blend of heating oil is

Biodiesel B7

Country Folks has partnered with the New York State Corn and Soybean Growers Association to publish the summer edition of the Association's newsletter, The NY Crop Grower. This will be a special insert to the JULY 15th edition of Country Folks East and West.

It will also be mailed to all of the members of the association and to prospective members. This will also be taken to Empire Farm Days in Seneca Falls in August.

THE DEADLINE TO ADVERTISE IN THIS ISSUE IS JUNE 28TH If you sell harvesting equipment, grain drying equipment, grain storage, seed or provide custom harvesting you need to be in this issue!

To place an ad or to inquire about advertising opportunities in this or future issues please contact your Country Folks sales rep or Jan Andrews at jandrews@leepub.com or 1-800-218-5586 ext 110 The New York Corn and Soybean Association provides all editorial and photos for this publication.

Page 5 - Section B • New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013

Section B - Page 6

Q&A from A8

New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013 •

of growers and ag industry representatives. New York State is close to major population areas and I believe we need to continue to educate and promote today's agricultural practices to consumers.

Activities/ memberships/other boards that you participate in/ serve on?

I just rejoined the NYS Agri-Business Association. I had served on their board 10 years ago.

What are some of the challenges and opportunities in today's agri-business?

Recruiting new qualified people into agriculture has always been and will continue to be a priority. As equipment, seed, fertility, geospatial data all continue to merge and evolve, our technicians and

salespeople need to become consultants to our producers.

What are you looking forward to this spring planting season?

It is 29 degrees on the first day of spring, so warmth is the main thing! I am really hoping for a "normal" growing season.

We have had 2 years with extremes in both heat and moisture. It would be great to see what our farmers can do without crop stress.

Hometown: Canandaigua NY (20 years). I grew up in Brookville PA. Education: Penn State University, BS. Agricultural Science Family: Spouse Lynn.

Children: Kristy, Sam and Ben. Two in college next year.

Hobbies: Bow hunting, running, bird hunting with a good dog, enjoying good local beer.

Growers from B1 of the trade show and all of the educational opportunities makes attendees happy to come back year after year, and invite their neighbors and friends."

This year's show also experienced the highest number of exhibitors. The 1,010-booth trade show was sold out with a waiting list of interested parties ready to take advantage of cancelations.

New York growers enjoyed attending the trade show, finding time for networking and meeting up with old friends, and attending sessions on issues ranging from sustainability to manag-

ing relationships on family farms.

Before a standing-room-only house, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made his fourth straight appearance before General Session attendees. As sequester became a reality in Washington, Vilsack encouraged farmers to continue pushing Congress for a five-year farm bill and reach out to strategic partners that rely on farming for the health of their industry.

"We are fewer and fewer folks living in rural America, and fewer and fewer people who call themselves farmers," said Vilsack. "We've got to figure out ways in which to enlarge our political relevance."

The 2014 Commodity Classic will be held Feb. 27 to March 1 in San Antonio, Texas.

Commodity Classic is presented annually by the National Corn Growers Association, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers and National Sorghum Producers. The event offers a wide range of learning and networking opportunities for growers in the areas of production, policy, marketing, management and stewardship-as well as showcasing the latest in equipment, technology and innovation.

NY Corn from B2 family dynamics and ways to deal with multiple personalities and conflicts that come with running a family business. He gave the example of "Cowboy Joe", a son who blew up at his parents during a business meeting, yet still remained working at the farm. Dick showed to this family and to

"Cowboy Joe" that if he had blown up like that in a corporate setting, he would have been fired.

Therefore, families running farms together have to be able to separate the family relationships from the business relationships in order to be successful. And everyone involved all

need to respect each other.

"One of our main goals of this year's meeting was for farm owners and managers to bring their younger generations to this meeting, so that everyone can try to get on the same page when it comes to fi-

nancial and succession planning. I think we accomplished that goal," Robbins said.

When asked what the most valuable part of the meeting was, an attendee commented on his evaluation form, "the chance to bring family together to listen to experts as

we start to think about succession."

"The meeting gave the family much to digest," commented Kim Stokoe, a farmer from Monroe County.

"Financial and succession planning is such a crucial issue with today's growing farm operations.”

“I'm not sure how, with such an important topic and knowledgeable speakers, we're going to top this meeting next year. But we welcome suggestions from our growers on future topics and ways to improve the meeting," Robbins added.

an important step in combating climate change. The New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association (NYCSGA) and the heating oil industry support a statewide requirement of 2 percent biodiesel in

every gallon of heating oil. The use of biodiesel blends leads to a reduction of unburned hydrocarbon emissions; reduction of carbon monoxide emissions; and reduced particulate matter

emissions. In the context of the hundreds of millions of gallons of fuel used in New York each year, even a modest blend of biodiesel yields significant health and environmental

benefits. In a display of enthusiastic support for biodiesel, environmental groups including the League of Conservation Voters, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Environmental

Advocates; and oil industry groups including the Empire State Petroleum Association and New York Oil Heating Association have joined NYCSGA in expressing their support for the pro-

posal.

It is also important to note that the increased use of biodiesel will have a very positive impact on New York agriculture and our state's crop farmers.

New York farmers produced a record soybean crop in 2012, topping 14 million bushels, with record acres planted and yields per acre. The bulk of that crop will be exported to Southeast Asia, which has proven to be a valuable market for New York's grain farmers. One can only imagine the multiple ways our agriculture industry could benefit if we had a crushing facility right here in New York, providing soy oil for biodiesel production and soy meal to our livestock producers.

New York City is already enjoying the benefits of a 2% biodiesel mandate with heating fuel (BioHeat®), and is considering expanding that mandate to 5%.

Moreover, New York state already has incentives in place for consumers of BioHeat®, offering a tax credit of 1 cent off per gallon, per each percent of biodiesel. When it comes to benefitting all of our citizens both upstate and down, biodiesel is a true win-win proposition. NYCSGA believes that A.2129/S.1184, which would require that all heating oil sold in New York state contain 2% biodiesel, would help the New York environment, economy, and farming community, and we look forward to working with the state legislature on this important effort.

Page 7 - Section B • New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013

Biodiesel from B4

Section B - Page 8 New York Corn and Soybean Association • Spring 2013 •

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