Producers attending World Pork Expo June 8th through the 10th in Des Moines will have the opportunity to attend Producers Opportunity for Revenue and Knowledge Academy – also known as PORK Academy. PORK Academy is a series of seminars designed to educate pork producers about challenges facing the industry today in a way that will help them in their operations. The seminars cover various topics including nutrition labeling, carbon footprint, finance, herd health and market outlooks. For more information about PORK Academy – producers can call Sharlotte Peterson at 515-223-2600 – or visit the Pork Checkoff’s website at www.pork.org.

Speaking on a National Biodiesel Board panel – Dr. Stephen Kaffka of the University of California – Davis Department of Plant Sciences said it’s time to start thinking of agriculture as multi-functional. According to Kaffka – biofuel feedstocks or residue use should be considered from a cropping system’s perspective and not just as a separate enterprise. He said in sound agricultural systems – crops used for fuels need not compete with crops used for food.

Participating on the same panel was Keith Kline of the Center for Bioenergy Sustainability at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Kline said worldwide – bioenergy done correctly can be part of the solution to address food insecurity and poverty. He added that biofuels can also help diversify and expand production and markets – thereby reducing commodity price volatility while creating opportunities for value-added processing and employment.

Don Scott – National Biodiesel Board Director of Sustainability – said biodiesel has multiple positive impacts on the food supply. For instance – biodiesel uses only the oil portion of the soybean – not the protein. By increasing yield without increasing crop acres – he said we are growing more fuel and food from the same land.

The White House issued a directive on Tuesday ordering the federal government to move toward alternative-fuel vehicles. The National Biodiesel Board applauded the move – pointing out biodiesel’s position as an advanced biofuel that reduces emissions significantly, can be used in current vehicles and is widely available. Gary Haer – Chairman of the National Biodiesel Board – says there is room for continued growth of biodiesel in the federal fleet as biodiesel is perfectly suited for this program.

Biodiesel’s production, distribution and use will support more than 30-thousand U.S. jobs and replace nearly one-billion gallons of petroleum diesel this year. Each year – the government uses more than 66-million gallons of diesel fuel and 6.5-million gallons of biodiesel – but Haer says using biodiesel to power the entire federal diesel fleet is within reach and an achievable objective for the current Administration.

Countries around the world have seen record gas prices this past month. To alleviate the reliance on crude oil – the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance is calling on those gathered at the G8 Summit and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s annual International Transport Forum to adopt the International Energy Agency’s Technology Roadmap. The strategies in the roadmap include seeing biofuels account for more than one-quarter of the world’s transport fuels by 2050.

Bliss Baker – GRFA Spokesperson – says the alliance has long advocated that biofuels are the best way for the world to reduce its reliance on crude oil. The roadmap contains several findings that will improve energy security, reduce CO2 emissions in transport and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Two economists actually found the presence of ethanol in the U.S. kept gas prices 89-cents lower per gallon last year than they would have been otherwise. Baker says it’s imperative that the G8 and OECD recognize the vital role biofuels can play in solving some of the world’s energy security problems.

Leaders in both the House and Senate are expected to move forward with votes designed to fail in the near future. In fact – the plan of Senate Democrats to defeat the House Republican budget plan came Wednesday night – and the plan succeeded. Senators voted to reject the House budget in a 40 to 57 vote. House Republicans intend to hold a stand-alone debt ceiling vote with the purpose of killing it. Both sides hope to maximize their leverage in the bipartisan talks Vice President Joe Biden is leading. Those discussions continued Tuesday – and negotiators said progress was made. Biden even predicted the group could agree to more than a trillion dollars in deficit reduction as a down payment and discuss triggers for reaching a four-trillion dollar goal pretty quickly.

The big hiccup is in the area of revenue. Biden says revenues have to be part of the deal – while GOP leaders say tax increases or any revenue raisers that look like tax hikes cannot be part of a final agreement.

Three organizations are urging the support of the Government Litigation Savings Act – legislation introduced on Wednesday with the purpose of bringing accountability and transparency to the Equal Access to Justice Act. The EAJA allows plaintiffs to get expenses back from the federal government when they win a case against the government. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Bill Donald says well-funded environmental activists have abused the EAJA to advance their agenda to ultimately end grazing and other multiple-use activities on federal lands. According to Public Lands Council President John Falen – the proposed legislation will shed light onto abuses of environmental activists and reform the EAJA.

The measure wouldn’t allow organizations to file for EAJA funds if they have a net worth of more than seven-million dollars. It would also require filers show a direct and personal monetary interest in the action to be eligible for payments – and cap attorney fees those organizations claim are owed. Margaret Hinson – President of the American Sheep Industry – says livestock producers take their obligation to responsibly use and manage natural resources seriously – but EAJA payments aren’t encouraging wise resource use. Instead – she says they are encouraging destructive behavior on the parts of powerful special interest groups.

One day after joining with several ag organizations to urge passage of the Colombia, Panama and South Korea free trade agreements – National Corn Growers Association First Vice President Garry Niemeyer testified before the Senate Finance Committee on the importance of the deal with Panama. He noted that Panama is one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America. U.S. corn exports to the country have decreased by 20-percent since they reached their peak in 2008. He says the U.S. share of that market will continue to plummet if the U.S. fails to capture the opportunities in the Panama Trade Promotion Agreement.

In this week’s Missouri Beef Checkoff Chat, Missouri Beef Industry Council Executive Director John Kleiboeker talks about how the state’s beef cattle producers are working with other agricultural organizations to help the recovery effort in Joplin.

The Missouri Soybean organizations were pleased to donate $1,000 to support the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s donation drive for the Food Bank of Central Missouri.  In a 24-hour period, the Missouri Department of Agriculture collected more than $19,000 in donations for individuals affected by recent disasters in the southern portion of the state.

“Our hearts and prayers certainly go out to all of those affected by the tornadoes and severe storms in Joplin and to those trying to get back on their feet following flooding throughout the southern portion of our state,” said Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler.  “The response to these events is just one example of the power of Missourians helping Missourians in times of crisis.  This is certainly a case when the worst of Mother Nature brings out the best of human nature.”

The Missouri Soybean organizations in conjunction with The Department of Agriculture and Missouri Farmers Care are dedicated to the relief efforts in the Joplin area.  In the past few days several agriculture groups have organized fundraising events and volunteer opportunities to provide additional support for our fellow Missourians.

“In disasters like this it is hard to know what to do, but as Missouri farmers we can play a small part in assisting fellow Missourians when they are in need,” said Dale R. Ludwig, executive director/CEO of the Missouri Soybean Association.