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A drone shot of the irrigated uniform variety wheat trial near Bushland gives a perspective on the differences in hard red winter wheat varieties, including those bred by Texas A&M AgriLife. (Texas A&M AgriLife drone photo by Shannon Baker)A drone shot of the irrigated uniform variety wheat trial near Bushland gives a perspective on the differences in hard red winter wheat varieties, including those bred by Texas A&M AgriLife. (Texas A&M AgriLife drone photo by Shannon Baker)

Mar 24

TSTA Weekly Update, 03/24/2022
 
Weekly Update from the Texas Seed Trade Association
 
Member News
Registration is officially open for ASTA’s new Leadership Summit, June 25-29 in Indianapolis! Make plans now to send your team to a professional development, advocacy and training opportunity that will benefit your company and your industry for years to come.
For more information, including the latest schedule of events, visit the conference webpage.
 
In an effort to update and maintain our membership records we request you take a few moments and fill out the very brief info request at the following link.
 
 
The link is secure and the information will be used internally by the Texas Seed Trade Association and never shared without your permission. This request is on behalf of your association's board of directors and officers and we greatly appreciate your cooperation. Thank you!
 
3/24/2022 - If you have not updated your information please take a moment and do so now. We appreciate it! We continue to update this database and need your input!
 
If you have not paid your share of land rent, and other services, for the winter growouts please reimburse the association at your earliest convenience. Thank you! Should you need us to reissue an invoice please let us know.
 
 
News Bits
 
Imagine fetching a price of $1 million for a Grand Champion Steer! That was the record sale price that a 16-year-old Texas girl received for her steer named "Vanilla Ice" during Saturday's Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
 
The historic purchase was made by Don D. Jordan who was past chairman and president of the organization that runs the event.
 
The steer was shown by 16-year-old Aven Horn of Anson, Texas. She will receive $75,000 of the $1 million paid for the steer. The rest of the proceeds will go toward agricultural scholarship programs funded by the rodeo.
 
The previous record for the purchase of the Grand Champion Steer was $625,000, was set back in 2019.
 
Deere & Co. shares jumped to a record high on Tuesday, making it the best performing industrial stock this year, as investors bet on a surge in demand with the war in Ukraine creating a need for more agricultural production.
 
The farm-equipment maker's stock rose as much as 3.3% to $436.28, and is on pace to close at an all-time high for a fourth straight session. The sharp rally in the shares since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly a month ago has led to a 25% gain this year, making Deere the top gainer in the 72-member S&P 500 Industrials Index.
 
AgriPulse reports: Ukraine is doing its best to keep its farms operational, but the Russian invasion is making that difficult, a Ukrainian representative has told the World Trade Organization's Agriculture Committee.
 
The Russian military is making it even harder by targeting Ukrainian farm equipment and machinery, the Ukrainian representative said. Geneva trade officials recounted Ukrainian's discussions with the committee this week.
 
According to them, Ukrainian officials said "its farmers are doing their best not to miss the growing season while putting their lives at risk. However, should the current circumstances not improve, Ukraine would be forced to restrict exports to ensure national food security."
 
You should also know: The House on Thursday voted 424-8 to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, allowing President Biden to raise tariffs on Russian goods. The bill also requires the U.S. Trade Representative to push for the suspension of Russian involvement in the WTO.
 
French president Emmanuel Macron on Europe’s pro-organic, anti-biotechnology sustainable food strategy: ‘It was based on a pre-Ukraine war world and should be reviewed’
Financial Times
 
Brussels (The European Union) agreed two years ago to reform its farm practices as part of a drive to eliminate net carbon emissions by 2050. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seen a drop in grain and fertiliser exports from those countries and raised concerns over food security.
 
The bloc’s agriculture ministers meet on [March 28] to discuss both short-term measures to alleviate the risk of shortages and price rises and possible changes to its Farm to Fork sustainable food strategy.
 
French president Emmanuel Macron said the sustainable food strategy was “based on a pre-Ukraine war world” and should be reviewed. The plans would lead to a 13 per cent drop in food production, he said on [March 18]. Macron needs the votes of the country’s powerful farming lobby in elections next month but similar concerns are being raised in other member states such as Spain and Italy.
 
Pekka Pesonen, secretary-general of Copa-Cogeca, said the best way to reduce carbon emissions was to increase productivity. He wants new technologies permitted that would allow gene editing to improve the output of animals and plants.
 
“Roughly speaking, two-thirds of the productivity improvements will come from better genetic material, our crops and livestock.”
 
Editor's Note: Things are developing quickly in Europe relative to accepting gene editing techniques for plant and animal breeding. For France to openly discuss reviewing bans on the technology was unimaginable only months ago. This week the House of Lords approved the use of gene editing, following the approval of the House of Commons several weeks ago so England will shortly be utilizing the techniques with the possibility of actual commercialization of the results. The Swiss Parliament has approved use of the techniques and they are gaining widespread acceptance in Africa. It seems the world is waking up to the possibilities and better sense, and a sense of the science, seems to be gaining ground.
 
The European Union (EU) agricultural sector currently operates under a policy commonly referred to as Farm2Fork, which incentivizes organic agriculture and prohibits use of gene edited or GMO crops. It is important to note, and remember, not a single agronomist or farmer was consulted when this policy was adopted by the EU. As fantastic as that sounds it is a fact.
 
Texas A&M AgriLife-bred wheat varieties top Texas producer choices - Federally conducted wheat survey shows TAM 114 leads planted wheat acreage
Texas AgriLife release:
 
The Texas A&M AgriLife wheat breeding team once again leads in the development of the varieties producers select to plant across Texas, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA-NASS, survey.
 
A drone shot of the irrigated uniform variety wheat trial near Bushland gives a perspective on the differences in hard red winter wheat varieties, including those bred by Texas A&M AgriLife. (Texas A&M AgriLife drone photo by Shannon Baker)
 
TAM 114 remains at the top of the hard red winter wheat varieties, closely followed by TAM 204, according to the Texas Wheat Varieties report released recently. These two varieties led plantings in the Northern High Plains and Southern High Plains, the major wheat-producing regions of the state. TAMsoft 700 topped the survey for soft red winter varieties planted in the Blacklands and Cross Timbers regions.
 
“The Texas Wheat Team, comprised of outstanding breeders, agronomists, plant pathologists and entomologists, continues to provide the best wheat varieties available to growers in Texas and beyond,” said Larry Redmon, Ph.D., associate department head and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program leader in Texas A&M’s Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. 
 
According to the USDA-NASS report, in 2020, the state planted an estimate of 4.9 million acres of wheat. For 2022, the preliminary estimate is 5.6 million acres.
“The results of the survey clearly show the success of the TAM wheat breeding program and offer insight into the varieties that are performing best for Texas farmers,” said Rodney Mosier, executive vice president of Texas Wheat Producers Board and Association, a funding partner of Texas A&M AgriLife’s wheat breeding program.
 
“Farmers support the wheat breeding program through the Texas Wheat Producers Board checkoff every year, and it is encouraging to see that investment paying off as TAM varieties perform well in the field and increase in popularity,” Mosier said.
 
2022 Wheat Variety Survey results
 
The 2022 Wheat Variety Survey, conducted from December through January, asked producers to report wheat acres planted and to be planted, by variety, for the 2022 crop year. AgriLife Extension funded the survey.
 
Those figures were compared to 2020 since there was no report generated for 2021, according to the USDA-NASS.
 
“We are excited to see these figures from NASS,” said Jackie Rudd, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research wheat breeder, Amarillo. “Our research aims to create varieties with improved insect and disease resistance, excellence in milling and baking qualities, and improved adaptability and forage performance. This report indicates that the producers believe in the TAM genetics we have developed.”
 
TAM 114 accounted for 5.6% of the 2022 wheat planted acres, and TAM 204 moved up three spots from the 2020 crop year, ranking second and accounting for 5.1% of acres planted for 2022. Both of these varieties were released in 2014.
 
TAM 114 was bred for the Texas High Plains, as well as western Kansas and eastern Colorado, and also performs well in most other areas of Texas. It is good in dual-purpose grazing and seed systems, tolerating heavy grazing pressure and still maintaining its grain yield and excellent bread quality.
 
TAM 204 is a beardless wheat bred for the Texas High Plains, Oklahoma and southern Kansas. It is an excellent heavy grazing and graze-out wheat with resistance to wheat streak mosaic virus, wheat curl mite, greenbug and Hessian fly.
 
TAM 112, released in 2005, moved down to the fourth-place spot at 2.4% planted. TAM 111, a release from 2003, and TAM 112, released in 2005, which ranked as the top two planted wheat varieties for nearly a decade, are still popular at third, 2.7%, and fourth, 2.4%.
 
TAM 105, one of the oldest varieties in the survey, released in 1979, moved up from ninth to seventh place, with 1.6% of the acreage. Finally, TAM 113, released in 2010, gained one position at 1% of the acreage, to round out the top 10 varieties in 2022.
 
Other varieties and their positions were: Gallagher, with 1.9% of the acreage, dropped three spots from 2020 to fifth; SY Razor moved into the sixth slot and contributed to 1.8% of the acreage; Winterhawk tied with TAM 105 at seventh place at 1.6% of the acreage; and Smith’s Gold accounted for 1.2% of the 2022 acreage and placed ninth.
 
In the soft red winter wheat area, Amir Ibrahim, Ph.D., AgriLife Research wheat breeder in Bryan-College Station, said TAMsoft 700 was co-released jointly in 2009 by Texas A&M AgriLife and the University of Georgia. It targets excellent grain yield under heavy Hessian fly infestation conditions in north-central and eastern Texas.
 
TAM varieties
 
Rudd leads the Amarillo-Vernon Center of Excellence, which targets the High Plains and Rolling Plains. The primary breeding objectives aim to resist drought, wheat curl mite, wheat streak mosaic virus and greenbug. 
 
Ibrahim leads the College Station Center of Excellence targeting Central Texas, South Texas and the Blacklands, with primary breeding objectives directed toward heat stress, leaf rust, stripe rust, stem rust, and Hessian fly resistance.
 
The two centers collaborate closely, so most varieties and breeding lines combine the strengths of both, leading to better varieties with a wider adaptation than either could develop working alone.
 
TAM 114 and TAM 204, both released in 2014, have complementary traits, Rudd said. TAM 114 offers excellent grain yield and quality and very good grazing, while TAM 204 has excellent grazing characteristics and very good grain yields, Rudd said.
 
“TAM 115 and TAM 205 are the new guys,” he said. “It is good to see them getting started, and I expect them to move up in rank rapidly.”
 
TAM 115 and TAM 205 were both released in 2019. TAM 115 is a dual-purpose variety bred for the Texas High Plains and offers both excellent drought tolerance and bread-making qualities. TAM 205 is another dual-purpose variety bred for the Texas High Plains and Rolling Plains. It provides good fall forage production, as well as maintains an excellent bread-making quality.
 
EU ANNOUNCES PROGRAM TO INCREASE CROP PLANTINGS, FARM GROUPS URGE USDA TO OPEN UP CRP GROUND
AgriPulse reports:
 
With the war in Ukraine dragging on, farmers in the European Union are going to be allowed to plant crops on conservation acreage this spring, and there is new pressure on the Biden administration to do the same.
 
On Wednesday, the European Commission announced a series of measures to aid the ag sector, including about $550 million in direct payments "to directly support farmers most affected by higher input costs and the closure of export markets." The commission also will allow farmers to plant crops on fallow conservation acreage without taking a cut in what are called "greening payments."
 
In the U.S., the American Farm Bureau Federation has joined grain and oilseed processors in urging USDA to allow cropping of Conservation Reserve Program acreage that is classified as prime farmland or is less environmentally sensitive. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has so far resisted that idea.
 
EU justification: "Russia's war against Ukraine has created a multitude of problems including in relation to global food security," European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis said. "When it comes to food, now is the time for Europe to show its solidarity: to help Ukraine, its people and farmers, as well as vulnerable food-importing countries around the world that face surging prices and potential shortages."
 
The commission said it has proposed an EU Emergency Support Program of about $360 million Ukraine "to help alleviate the suffering of Ukrainians caused by the Russian invasion."
 
USDA: FARMERS' SHARE OF THE FOOD DOLLAR ROSE ONE CENT IN 2020, LARGEST INCREASE IN NEARLY A DECADE
USDA Release:
 
On average, U.S. farmers received 16.0 cents for farm commodity sales from each consumer dollar spent on domestically produced food in 2020, up from a revised 15.0 cents in 2019. Known as the farm share, the one-cent rise is the largest increase in nearly a decade.
 
The marketing share, on the other hand, goes to food-supply-chain industries that move domestically produced food from farms to points of purchase, including costs related to packaging, transporting, processing, and selling to consumers at grocery stores and eating-out places. In the first year of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, households redirected a substantial amount of their eating-out dollars, or food-away-from-home (FAFH) spending, toward food-at-home (FAH) markets such as grocery stores.
 
Generally, farmers receive a smaller share from eating-out dollars because a larger portion is spent on preparing and serving meals at restaurants, cafeterias, and other food-service establishments. Historically, the farm share for FAH has averaged 24.3 cents, whereas the farm share for FAFH has averaged below six cents. Although farmers received a smaller share of retail dollars from food-at-home markets in 2020, they received a greater share of the overall food dollar because consumers made more purchases in FAH markets, where farmers receive a higher retail share than from FAFH markets.
 
This gives the unusual result of total farm share rising more than both FAH and FAFH farm shares. The USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) uses input-output analysis to calculate the farm and marketing shares from a typical food dollar, including food purchased at grocery stores and at eating-out establishments.
 
The data for this chart can be found in ERS's Food Dollar Series data product, updated March 17, 2022.
 
 
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The articles, views, and opinions expressed in the Weekly Update do not necessarily reflect the policies of the Texas Seed Trade Association or the opinions of its members.
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