May 30, 2024

A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest state agribusiness association in the nation.

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The Preserve On Rathbun Lake

Despite nearly 30 tornadoes, a derecho, and portions of the state reporting at least 350% of normal rainfall, corn planting and emergence continued across Iowa, said USDA in the latest Crop Progress report published May 28.

Despite just 2.3 days suitable for fieldwork in the seven-day period ending May 26, Iowa corn farmers planted 10% of this year’s corn crop. USDA says 88% of the 2024 corn crop is in the ground. That’s behind both the five-year average of 92% and last year at this time when 97% of Iowa corn had been planted.

The state reached an important benchmark as more than half the corn crop has emerged. USDA says 66% of Iowa corn had emerged the week ending May 26. That’s up from 47% the week prior. However, that’s behind the five-year average of 70% and last year at this time when 79% of Iowa corn had emerged.

The latest USDA Crop Progress report rated Iowa corn 1% very poor, 4% poor, 22% fair, 54% good, and 19% excellent. This is the first week of the season corn condition ratings were published.

Multiple rounds of thunderstorms brought torrential rainfall, damaging winds, hail, and destructive tornadoes to the state on May 20 and 21.

The statewide storm system included an EF4 tornado with peak wind speeds of 175 mph to 185 mph. Over its 44-mile path, the twister destroyed countless homes and businesses, injured 35 people, and killed five.

[...] Read Full Story

Additional Reading: IDALS Crop and Climate Report

Consuming raw cow’s milk that contains H5N1 avian influenza virus poses an infection risk, but a laboratory process that simulates high-temperature pasteurization reduces the virus in infected milk by more than 99.99%. That’s according to a team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists, who reported their findings May 24 in a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The group, which also included researchers from Texas A&M University, found that mice that consumed untreated milk infected with H5N1 subsequently became ill with influenza and that small amounts of virus persist in untreated milk for weeks when kept at standard refrigeration temperatures. The research took place as the H5N1 avian influenza virus continued its spread from birds into mammals, with infections reported in dairy herds across the United States this spring.

Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a professor in the UW–Madison Department of Pathobiological Sciences, and Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, led the work. The researchers tested two methods of heat inactivation on four H5N1-positive milk samples taken from infected cows in New Mexico and Kansas. Both methods were intended to simulate common pasteurization techniques, though the equipment and exact processes the researchers used differed from standard industry practices.

In the first, they heated infected raw milk to 145.4 F for a minimum of five minutes and up to 30 minutes. This method reduced the virus levels more than 99.999%.

The second method involved heating raw milk to 161.6 F for up to 30 seconds. This method inactivated more than 99.99% of the virus within the samples, though it did not completely inactivate the virus.

[...] Read Full Story

Warning of the potential harm to agriculture and food systems, the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) urged the Canadian Industrial Relations Board to take action to head off a railroad strike or lockout in comments submitted to the board May 21.

As negotiations between the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and the Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) railroads continue, the board has requested comments regarding the impacts of lost rail service on the movements of food throughout Canada. 

The union, which represents thousands of Canadian railway employees, voted on May 1 to authorize a strike as early as May 22. Contracts covering locomotive engineers, conductors and yard workers at CN and CPKC expired on Dec. 31, 2023, and the union is renegotiating a third agreement covering CPKC rail traffic controllers.

Shutdowns or slowdowns of rail-dependent facilities would result “in harmful consequences for Canada’s agricultural producers and industry as well as domestic and global food security,” the NGFA said. 

The NGFA represents grain, feed, processing, exporting and other grain-related companies that operate facilities handling US grains and oilseeds. The NGFA noted that many of its member companies rely on rail services that transit to and via Canada. A strike or lockout “would lead to ripple effects across the entire industry.”

For example, the livestock industry depends on rail to deliver corn and other feed grains, and biofuels operations, flour mills and agricultural export facilities require uninterrupted rail service. 



[...] Read Full Story

Dr. Asaf Tzachor, Founder of the Aviram Sustainability and Climate Program at Reichman University, along with researchers from the US, UK, Kenya, Nigeria, and Colombia, scrutinized the reliability of the information and professional advice provided by the popular chatbot ChatGPT (versions 3.5 and 4.0) to farmers in Africa. The researchers identified inaccuracies that could lead to agricultural missteps and crop losses.

In their article for Nature Food, they caution against the unmediated use of generative AI models in agriculture, fearing that farmers might implement flawed recommendations that could trigger food crises. Instead, the researchers recommend a more optimal development process for AI models in agriculture that includes thorough monitoring and testing before these models are widely implemented.

Shortly after the launch of ChatGPT in early 2023, Dr. Tzachor convened an international team of researchers from agricultural research centers in Nigeria, Kenya, Colombia, France, England, and the United States. They observed that farmers in developing countries had started consulting the artificial intelligence model for professional advice on agronomy and botany.

These farmers, hailing from small to medium-sized farms across equatorial Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America, have access to the Internet and the OpenAI user interface. The research team sought to assess whether the innovative chatbot could supplant, or even substitute agricultural extension agents who train and consult farmers.

[...] Read Full Story

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