The 2008 farm bill was extended through Sept. 30, 2013, for most programs that were in place for the 2012 crop year. This means producers have the option to enroll in the Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment (DCP) program or the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program this spring.

South Dakota alfalfa producers have two new varieties to consider this growing season. SalinityMax Alfalfa is a salt tolerant variety developed to thrive in saline soils and PasturePlus Alfalfa is a grazing tolerant variety, developed to thrive in pasture mixes, says Justin Fruechte, Millborn Seeds forage and cover crop specialist.

The new “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” consumer advertising campaign is premiering this month, bringing the recognizable tagline to older Millennials and Gen-Xers. The new campaign, funded by the beef checkoff, will feature sizzling beef recipes, juicy details about essential nutrients, and the voice of one of Hollywood’s most promising new talents.

Called VRPETERS (Vehicle Rollover Prevention Education Training Emergency Reporting System), the app is a simple download to a smart phone or tablet. The app uses the sensors and GPS capability built into these mobile devices to detect a rollover, and then send an automatic emergency email and phone message with accident location coordinates.

“The Ogallala Aquifer covers over 80 percent of Nebraska and is a huge water source for agriculture. A lot of our state’s infrastructure relies on agriculture, which makes the aquifer and conservation of it even more important,” Curtis Scheele, NRCS water management specialist, said.

Corn ethanol demand has also hit a wall. Over the past decade, diverting grains from food and feed to fuel has increased feed prices for livestock producers, Taheripour said, but the ethanol industry in the U.S. has now reached the Renewable Fuel Standard mandated level.

Fertilizer continued on its nearly six-month-old path of extremely steady prices, according to retailers tracked by DTN for the third week of April 2013. But the explosion at a Texas fertilizer outlet is renewing safety concerns about the storage of certain fertilizer products.

An interesting new ant has been found near Smith Harvester’s at Champion. It is the western Thatch ant (WTA). Last week, phone calls came into the University of Nebraska- Lincoln Chase County Extension office about several mounds along a tree line and red ants.

The importance of the U.S.-Japanese economic relationship, particularly as it relates to U.S. agriculture and red meat exports, was highlighted by U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Philip Seng in an address before a packed media audience in Tokyo on April 19.

The grassroots organization CommonGround recently released the results of their “Gate-to-Plate” survey. The online survey looked at the buying motivations of over 1,000 moms of school-aged children at the grocery store.