Farm, conservation, forestry and rural development groups came together to urge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring the Senate Ag Committee-approved farm bill to the floor for consideration as quickly as possible. The letter says stakeholders need to know the details of the programs that will be in effect in 2013 as soon as possible. It also states that timely action will enhance prospects for completing a new measure this year rather than requiring an extension of current program authorities. The letter points out that this is one pieces of legislation that all Americans – urban and rural – depend on.

More than 100 groups – including the American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union – signed onto the letter sent late Friday. Not included were key cotton, rice, peanut and anti-hunger groups who have complained the bill does not meet their needs.

A new tool with will help producers decide whether to keep their current stand or replant when crops have been impacted by weather, pests or other issues. Pioneer Hi-Bred is offering a replant calculator on Mobile Pioneer dot com. It takes into account the original date for planting, original stand target and resulting plant population and the possible replanting date. Growers are then asked to consider their own likely replanting seed and input costs. The calculator will provide estimates associated with the current stand and replant stand.

The calculator is based on a long-standing chart developed by Dr. Emerson Nafziger of the University of Illinois. It illustrates the effects of planting date and plant population on grain yield for the central Corn Belt. It also accounts for the current shift to higher populations as suggested by Pioneer research and data.

The replant calculator is part of a suite of tools available on pioneer dot com (www.pioneer.com) and Mobile Pioneer dot com. A Planting Rate Estimator and Plantability Tool is available to help growers make additional planting decisions about which population to target and how to set the planter for the Pioneer brand product and actual seed they have received. Additional tools are available as the crop grows through the season – including a Growing Degree Unit Calculator, PrecipEstimator, Growth Stage Estimator, Corn Yield Estimator and more.

Dr. Kathy Simmons has taken the reins as Chief Veterinarian for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Simmons practiced veterinary medicine for 27 years, spent one year as a policy fellow on Capitol Hill for the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Veterinary Medical Association and has an active role managing her family’s farm. At NCBA – Simmons will focus on animal care and health regulatory issues domestically and internationally. She says her new role will allow her to bring together her practical veterinary and policy experiences with her vast knowledge of the U.S. beef cattle industry.

Simmons says cattlemen and women must have the ability to work with their veterinarians to implement science-based, comprehensive herd health plans and provide the utmost care for their animals. She says regulations and policies that affect animal health shouldn’t stifle that ability. Simmons intends to use her experience to ensure cattle producers have all the cattle health resources and tools they need. She will also maintain an active role on her family’s farm.

BASF has announced the full EPA registration of Priaxor™ fungicide and Merivon® fungicide. Both combine the active ingredient from existing products with a new active ingredient in the carboxamide family – Xenium. Priaxor is expected to provide unprecedented disease protection and post-infection disease control from some of the toughest fungal diseases in soybeans. It’s also labeled for use in potatoes and tomatoes. Merivon will do the same for several pome and stone fruit crops – including apples, cherries and peaches.

Three years of in-field research has shown Priaxor delivers consistent yield improvements in soybeans through superior disease control and Plant Health benefits. It also controls some of the toughest diseases threatening potatoes – including early blight and black dot – and tomatoes – including powdery mildew and black mold. BASF says Priaxor has also shown effective disease control in corn against Northern and Southern corn leaf blight, gray leaf spot and common rust.

An analysis of the EPA’s decision to allow blends of 15-percent ethanol in gasoline commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute reportedly shows that an estimated half of all gas station equipment is not compatible with the renewable fuel. That’s according to API Downstream Group Director Bob Greco – who says that results in serious safety and environmental problems for consumers. But American Coalition for Ethanol Senior Vice President Ron Lamberty says most pump and tank equipment has been tested using at least 15-percent ethanol for decades. He cites Underwriters Laboratories listings for petroleum equipment that require they pass dozens of tests using fuel that contains 15-percen ethanol. Lamberty says his biggest infrastructure problem with E15 isn’t the compatibility of tanks and lines – but that the API-member oil company that supplies his Sioux Falls station won’t let him sell it.

While Greco claims the EPA has failed to adequately answer the many challenges surrounding E15 – Lamberty notes the agency spent three years testing E15 before approving the fuel for public sale. In fact – the Renewable Fuels Association says E15 is the most exhaustively tested fuel approved by EPA. The group says federal testing was done over more than six-million miles – the equivalent of taking 12 round trips to the moon.