A recent survey shows that U.S. pig farmers are complying with the new federal rules regarding antibiotic use in their animals. The November survey done by the National Pork Board showed that 95 percent of farmers were ready for full compliance well before the January first deadline. Jan Archer, Pork Board President, says, “The pork industry has worked toward the deadline for two years. Pig farmers are committed to making the necessary changes regarding antibiotic use, with many discontinuing antibiotic use for growth promotion years ago.” One of the biggest keys to the rule changes is antibiotics that are medically important to humans could no longer be used for growth promotion. A big challenge for the industry is ensuring that producers in remote locations have an established relationship with a veterinarian. One of the new ideas to help out with that is an online veterinarian locator at Pork Dot Org Forward Slash Antibiotics. “Complying with the new rules is critical to maintaining consumer trust in the high quality and safety of pork produced in the U.S.,” Archer says.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Monday a wild duck shot in Montana was carrying the H5N2 strain of avian influenza. That’s fueling calls to scrap a USDA proposal to allow organic poultry more access to the outside. Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today report says the sick bird was harvested for surveillance purposes. Farmers are concerned the sick bird might be the forerunner to another avian influenza outbreak like the one that decimated American poultry flocks in 2014 and 2015. The USDA said in a statement that it hasn’t found any illness in domestic flocks. The USA Chief Veterinarian said the duck “appears to have suffered from one of the strains that caused the previous outbreak. It’s a powerful reminder that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is still out there in wild birds, so producers need to be vigilant about biosecurity to protect domestic poultry.” Large organic egg producers point to that as the main reason for the USDA’s National Organic Program to scrap its efforts to require organic poultry to have access to the outdoors. The large producers say the risk of avian influenza is “precisely the reason we’ve opposed USDA’s misguided efforts to force organic hens to be exposed to the outdoors.”

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Public Lands Council support the introduction of the Improved National Monument Designation Process Act. The bill is sponsored by Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, along with 25 co-sponsors. The bill would require congressional and state approval to designate a new monument. “Executive branch abuse of the Antiquities Act has moved it far beyond its original intent, with devastating effects on local economies,” says NCBA President Tracy Brunner. “It’s unacceptable for any President to have this much unilateral authority over land-management decisions. Impacted local communities and the American people deserve a seat at the table as well.” Under the 1906 Antiquities Act, any President has the power to establish a national monument without the approval of Congress, state and local governments or even people who live in impacted communities. President Obama has taken full advantage of this executive power, using the Act more than any other president and locking up millions of acres in the process.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture filed a motion in court this week to dismiss the Humane Society’s lawsuit against the agency over the National Pork Producers Council selling the “Pork, the Other White Meat” trademarks to the National Pork Board. NPPC sold the trademarks to Pork Board for $35 million dollars, financed over 20 years, making the annual payment $3 million. In 2012, The Humane Society of the U.S., a lone Iowa farmer, and the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement filed a suit against USDA, saying the trademarks were overvalued and wanting the sale rescinded. During settlement talks with HSUS, USDA conducted a valuation on the trademarks, saying their current worth is between $113 and $132 million. In the recent filing, USDA says the lawsuit lacks merit, is barred by the statute of limitations, that the plaintiffs didn’t show standing necessary to file the lawsuit, and didn’t show they were harmed by the sale.

Republicans in the House of Representatives have tried for six years to advance a bill requiring Congressional approval for any new administrative rule projected to cost the economy more than $100 million annually. That same legislation failed three times in the Senate. Indiana Republican Todd Young is the newest Senate member to get behind the idea. He authored a bill as a member of the House before winning a Senate seat in the recent election. Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today says the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act passed the House last week on a 237-187 vote. One amendment to the bill would require agencies to repeal existing rules to offset any expected costs of new rules. Another amendment would peg the $100 million impact number to inflation. Senator Rand Paul joined 23 other Senators in introducing a similar bill in the Senate, but Democrats are expected to block the bill there.

The U.S. has come to an agreement that should allow it to begin exporting eggs to South Korea for the first time ever. Negotiations took place as the Asian country is struggling with the worst outbreak of avian influenza in history. A Fox News article says egg demand is expected to pick up ahead of the country’s upcoming Lunar New Year holiday season, so negotiations have accelerated as a result. Jim Sumner, President of the U.S.A. Poultry and Egg Export Council says the two countries have agreed on health statements. The talks began after South Korea lifted its ban on U.S. imports of shell eggs after an avian influenza outbreak in America during 2015. More than 30 million birds have been culled after the recent outbreak, which began in November, and most are egg-laying hens. The U.S. Department of Agriculture sent an email to members of the egg industry, saying it had “completed discussions regarding shell-egg exports to South Korea.” It’s good news for American producers who are coping with an oversupply of eggs that is driving down prices.

Soybean acres are predicted to rise as corn and wheat prices continue to struggle. Richard Brock of Brock and Associates in Chicago is predicting that planted acres will rise from 83 million this year to 87 million in 2017. That much of an increase would come with much more carryover. An Ag Web Dot Com article says the carryover stocks currently are 480 million bushels and Brock says that number could rise to 800 million bushels. He’s predicting that the biggest market movement next year will be soybeans heading lower. Brock’s forecast includes cash soybeans in Iowa around $6 a bushel and he calls this his “optimistic forecast.” Brock feels there are still opportunities ahead for producers, saying, “An opportunity is not necessarily just the market going up, but knowing which direction they’re going to go in and then taking advantage of that marketing.” He says it’ll be important to forward sell, aggressively price, and hedge your production and the producer who does that will have a big advantage over his neighbor who does nothing.

Syngenta agronomists are calling last year’s most noxious weed, Palmer Amaranth, the number one weed to watch for in 2017. It’s continuing to spread north into new states and shows resistance to multiple herbicide modes of action. Palmer Amaranth has earned the title of top weed as it’s reduced soybean yields up to 79 percent and corn yields 91 percent. Palmer Amaranth was found in Minnesota for the first time last fall, coming a year after the first sighting in South Dakota. States are now confirming the spread of Palmer Amaranth that is resistant to multiple herbicides. Last October, the University of Missouri identified an infestation that was resistant to glyphosate and PPO inhibitors. The more producers apply a particular mode of action, the quicker Palmer Amaranth not only becomes resistant but spreads those resistant genes to other locations. Things producers can do to help slow the spread include regular mowing of ditches, waterways, and field borders. They should also meticulously clean machinery like combines. To delay or prevent growth in fields, producers need a program that integrates a portfolio of herbicides together with complementary practices like crop rotation.