National Farmers Union has submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency on the Notice of Data Availability Concerning Renewable Fuels Produced from Grain Sorghum under the Renewable Fuel Standard Program. NFU President Roger Johnson says U.S. farmers can have a tremendous positive impact on the environment by producing advanced biofuel from grain sorghum. He notes EPA’s analysis indicates utilizing different process energy technology options reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas impacts of ethanol produced from grain sorghum by 53-percent compared to the petroleum baseline. Based on NFU’s review of the Notice of Data Availability – Johnson says NFU supports EPA’s findings that grain sorghum qualifies as an advanced biofuel.

The Humane Society of the United States has plans to sue six pork production companies citing unreported releases of hazardous pollutant ammonia. The group’s news release references gestation crates multiple times. HSUS says the operations located throughout Iowa, North Carolina and Oklahoma were identified after months of research. Utilizing an equation available on the Environmental Protection Agency and National Pork Producers Council websites to estimate the amount of ammonia release from each of the facilities served with a notice of intent to sue – HSUS contends these 51 facilities are emitting above the legal threshold. But National Pork Board Director of Environmental Programs Allan Stokes says the equation was meant as an aide for livestock producers – not a regulatory tool or absolute determinant of whether an operation exceeds regulatory reporting thresholds. The equation also fails to account for ammonia mitigation techniques that might be in place on a farm. Further – Stokes says the EPA has not adopted final Emission Estimating Methods for swine operations.

According to HSUS – the letters of intent to sue are being filed in accordance with the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. The group argues the facilities in question have failed to adequately report their emissions as required by the law. NPPC says it is worth noting that HSUS is not alleging environmental harm – but paperwork violations. The group says the HSUS action is another scare tactic to get NPPC to back off its opposition to the HSUS Egg Bill and the HSUS campaign against family farmers who use individual sow housing. In addition to not telling the truth about how hog farmers raise and care for their animals – NPPC says HSUS now is lying about hog farmers’ stewardship of the environment – which is exemplary.

HSUS cites the following pork production companies: Christensen Farms & Feedlots, Iowa Select Farms, The Maschhoffs, Seaboard Corp., The Hanor Company of Wisconsin and Austin “Jack” Decoster (Decoster Enterprises, Iowa Quality Farms and Galt Real Estate).

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has announced a package of program improvements to deliver faster and more flexible disaster assistance to farmers and ranchers. Vilsack said a final rule that simplifies the process for Secretarial disaster designations will result in a 40-percent reduction in processing time for most counties affected by disasters. A reduced interest rate for emergency loans effectively lowers the current rate from 3.75-percent to 2.25-percent. Finally – Vilsack said the annual rental payment on Conservation Reserve Program lands qualified for emergency haying and grazing will be reduced from 25-percent to 10-percent in 2012 as a result of the seriousness of the drought. Vilsack noted that Agriculture remains a bright spot in the nation’s economy. He said it’s increasingly important that USDA has the tools to act quickly and deliver assistance when farmers and ranchers need it most. He says the improvements announced Wednesday tell American producers that USDA stands with them and their communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt their livelihood.

The amended final rule for Secretarial disaster designations nearly automatically qualifies a disaster county once it is categorized by the U.S. Drought Monitor as a severe drought for eight consecutive weeks during the growing season; streamlines the designation process; and removes the requirement that a request be initiated by a state governor or Indian tribal council. The criteria currently used for triggering a disaster designation will still apply.

After several hours of debate – the House Agriculture Committee approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act. The vote was 35 to 11. Chairman Frank Lucas says committee passage marked an important step forward in the development of the next farm bill. He says the legislation is balanced, reform-minded, fiscally responsible and underscores a commitment to production agriculture and rural America. According to Lucas – the bill achieves real savings and improves program efficiency. Ranking Member Collin Peterson notes the current farm bill expires September 30th and there are only 13 legislative days before the August recess. He says the House leadership needs to bring the farm bill to the floor for a vote – not jeopardize the health of rural economies. Peterson says the nation’s farmers and ranchers need the certainty of a new five year farm bill – and they need it before the existing bill ends.

As the committee opened consideration of the measure Wednesday – Chairman Lucas said as a farmer and rancher he knows how risky it is to make a living as a farmer. He noted checking the weather multiple times each day because a dream crop can turn into a disaster at a moment’s notice. That’s why he said the goal of the FARRM Act was to give producers choices to better manage risk – whether through improved crop insurance products, a new revenue program or a price protection mechanism. Lucas said farm bill programs should not guarantee that the good times are the best – but that the bad times are manageable.

According to Lucas – the FARRM Act provides deficit reduction and reform. It’s tough – but fair. He said the measure is a culmination of years of work – including comprehensive audit hearings, field hearings in the countryside and a hearing series in the nation’s capital with agricultural leaders. Lucas said the information gathered from those hearings led the committee to consideration of policy that works for all regions and all crops and increases program efficiency, integrity and accountability.

Ranking Member Collin Peterson has stressed the importance of completing the 2012 Farm Bill and sending it to the President before the 2008 bill expires at the end of September several times – including at the start of the committee meeting Wednesday. Then he told members they can’t wait for the lame duck – and added that an extension of current farm policy potentially creates more problems than it solves.

On the bill’s merits – Peterson said he was pleased to see a commodity title that will work for all parts of the country, continued support for the no-cost sugar program and his Dairy Security Act that would reform current dairy programs. But Peterson has concerns with proposed changes to nutrition programs. He said there are better, more responsible ways to improve and reform federal nutrition programs. Still – Peterson said the bottom line was the legislation needed to move – and he understood the cuts were needed in order to get the farm bill through Committee and through the House floor.

Rural electric cooperatives and utilities in 15 states will receive loan guarantees to make improvements to generation and transmission facilities and implement smart grid technologies. In making the announcement Wednesday – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said maintaining and upgrading rural electric systems creates jobs and supports economic development. He added that the loans would have a lasting impact on the rural landscape for generations to come.

USDA Rural Development moves closer to Secretary Vilsack’s goal of funding more than 250-million dollars for smart grid technologies with this announcement. Support for more than 10-million dollars in smart grid technologies is included. In total – 287-million dollars in loan guarantees were announced. The funding – provided by Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service – helps electric utilities upgrade, expand, maintain and replace rural America’s electric infrastructure.

Those corn growers that have seen severe damage to their fields as a result of the heat and lack of rain may want to salvage the damaged corn for livestock feed. An Extension Educator at the University of Illinois is reminding these producers to do so carefully – as there could be high nitrate levels in the forage. U of I Extension’s Robert Bellm says nitrate levels will be highest in fields that received high nitrogen fertilizer or manure applications – and in plants that are severely stunted and did not form an ear. One way to reduce the potential for nitrate toxicity – he says – is harvesting or grazing only the upper two thirds of the plant.

Bellm advises testing drought-damaged corn that is going to be green-chopped and fed prior to harvest. Hay made from drought-damaged corn and silage made from high-nitrate forages should be tested prior to feeding. Bellm notes safe feeding levels vary from state to state and are usually given as a range.

Areas that are lucky enough to get some rain need to keep one other point in mind. There is a rapid uptake of nitrate by the plants immediately after rainfall. As a result – harvesting drought-damaged forage should be delayed at least five days following a rain event. This allows the plants to metabolize the nitrate and reduce the nitrate concentrations within the plant.