Straight from the Horse's Mouth

Duane A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator, Webster County November 25, 2009 Edition I am sitting here on the day before Thanksgiving with images in my mind of turkey with all the fixings and of course, all of the other foods that are certain to grace the many tables across this great land. I hope I don’t short out my keyboard as I salivate, just thinking of what may lie ahead for my gullet. I sometimes wonder how many of us bypass the thoughts of food, family, football and friends and actually contemplate what we are really thankful for. I am certain we all will have different takes on what we are most thankful for. It may be the upbringing that makes us all unique in our own way. It may be where we live, or the people that we associate on a daily basic. It may be for material things, or perhaps for things more spiritual. It may be the lives we live, or the country in which we are blessed to live. One thing is for sure, we do have many things that make this Thanksgiving time meaningful. We all are blessed in so many ways, even if we sometimes don’t take time to think about those blessings and bounties. Please take the time to count those blessings and thank your family, friends and God for providing you what you do have. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to share my thoughts and of course information that I feel may be beneficial to producers and other interested individuals in this area. Now towards that end I have some material and some upcoming events that may be of interest to you. Oh by the way “Happy Thanksgiving?” Crop Insurance Decisions Due December 10: This year’s harvest has been a challenge for many farmers with moisture content so high that it makes harvest in some fields impossible or at least improbable. With the extended harvest this year I think that many producers may have put some normal routines on the back burner including some paperwork. There is a significant date coming up that should be recognized. The crop insurance standard policy for corn and soybeans in the Midwest states that December 10 is the end of the insurance period. Now what if you are still in the harvest mode and didn’t even think of that? The good news is that farmers who aren't finished with their harvest by the deadline can ask for an extension if they plan to file any losses. Producers who can’t get into their fields would be well-advised to contact their crop insurance agents and report a loss and if needed, request additional time to harvest in order to protect their coverage. This can be granted if and when timely notice is given to the agent, and the delay is due to an insured cause, such as wet weather or snowfall. This allows any claims to be settled based on actual harvested production rather than an appraisal in the field. If you are in that boat, please remember that if losses are going to be filed due to loss in quality, such as moldy corn in a field, a strip must be left behind in the field so an insurance agent can make an assessment. You may want to note that the contractual date cannot be extended through the Risk Management Agency. Instead, farmers should review the conditions and requirements listed on RMA’s website that must be met before the crop insurance company is allowed to authorize additional time for harvesting the crop and settlement of any claims. The standard crop insurance policies cover quality losses due to low test weight, foreign material and mold, as well as low yields and prices. However, increased drying costs and charges are not covered. The Risk Management Agency (RMA), which regulates multiple peril crop insurance policies, issued a program announcement regarding wet harvest conditions. It’s online at http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/2009/11/wetharvest.html. Mold and other Problems in Grain: I have been getting several calls concerning the quality of corn that has been harvested and especially that which is still in the field. There is special concern especially about long season or late planted corn that was hit by a killing freeze prior to black layer stage, or delayed development due to drought and/or short growing degree days. I have put together some information on some of the molds and especially the impact they may have on feeding livestock. Please feel free to contact me if you want me to send you the information or stop by the office and we can take a look at it. I would also encourage you if you have an internet connection to go to http://cropwatch.unl.edu/ , as there is some good material there as well. I did get a chance to watch the webinar that centered discussion on grain drying, mold, mycotoxins, aflatoxins, and feeding moldy grain to livestock on Market Journal and found it very useful. They did archive this show and you can access it at: http://marketjournal.unl.edu/harvest2009 Upcoming Events: We are rapidly approaching the winter programming season and you will undoubtedly find a lot of seminars, workshops, web-based and even satellite series that may be of interest to you or beneficial to your enterprises. Please look for the winter producer mailing that your local extension offices send out and watch for individual flyers, news releases and articles in your local newspapers for information on these events. As always feel free to contact our office for information on these as well as other events. Here is a couple that you may want to put on your calendar:

• December 2 – “The Pulse of the Ag & General Economy” Featuring Dr. David Kohl at the Bruning Opera House in Bruning, NE from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Go to http://fillmore.unl.edu/ for more info.
• December 14 & 21 – “Staying Competitive in an Ever Changing Beef Cattle Industry”, Satellite series at Webster County Museum Exhibit Hall at 7:00 pm. Please pre-register by December 10 at 402-746-3417.

The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/home