Friday, January 21, 2022
CapitalPress.com 7
U.S. farm
exports reach
record highs
“China is the big elephant
in the room,” Whitley said.
Such political prob-
ATLANTA — Exports lems can have a devastat-
of U.S. farm products are ing impact on trade, as seen
setting records, and more during the recent trade dis-
opportunities are on the pute with China, he said.
horizon, according to a top Exports fell to a low of
federal trade offi cial.
roughly $11 billion due to
The nation’s agriculture retaliatory tariff s before a
industry exported up
trade deal was struck
to $180 billion worth
in 2020.
of goods last year,
“That shows the
eclipsing the previ-
negative power of
ous record of $154
tariff s,”
Whitley
billion, said Dan
said.
Whitley, administra-
The phase one
tor of the USDA’s
trade agreement that
Foreign Agricultural Dan Whitley revived farm exports
Service.
to China shows how
“Exports are on fi re,” eff ectively American farm-
he said Jan. 9 at the Amer- ers can outperform competi-
ican Farm Bureau Federa- tors when given a level play-
tion’s annual convention in ing fi eld, he said.
Atlanta, Ga. “This is a phe-
China is still imposing
nomenal number.”
non-tariff trade barriers that
The farm industry has have prevented U.S. farm
set “records across the exports from reaching their
board,” with exports of at full potential, Whitley said.
least seven commodities ris- These issues are currently
ing to unprecedented levels, being negotiated as the
Whitley said. “We’ve never 2-year phase one deal winds
seen this much grain leav- down.
ing the U.S. for foreign mar-
“They didn’t do every-
kets in the history of U.S. thing we thought they should
agriculture.”
do,” he said.
Revived shipments of
Apart from China, the
farm products to China have U.S. has other opportunities
been a big part of the agri- to expand farm exports, he
culture industry’s success, said.
he said. The country is again
The population of Viet-
the top destination for U.S. nam, Thailand, Malaysia,
farm goods, buying up to Indonesia and the Philip-
$36 billion of agricultural pines is collectively 588 mil-
products last year.
lion people, Whitley said.
“You can’t ignore a popu- The southeast Asian region’s
lation of 1.7 billion people,” economy and middle class
Whitley said.
are growing fast.
However, U.S. relations
“Those fi ve are an amaz-
with China are strained by ing opportunity for U.S.
such issues as intellectual agriculture going forward,”
property theft, human rights he said. “We’re talking
abuses, restricted freedoms about amazing buying and
in Hong Kong and tensions purchasing potential. This is
over Taiwan’s sovereignty, something to be very inter-
he said.
ested in as it develops.”
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
Farmer plans small-scale ‘micro dairy’
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
A small dairy planned
near Glenns Ferry targets
a gap in the south-central
Idaho market caused by the
closure of two operations in
2021.
Wild Spaces Farm
owner Wilder Jones, an
organic producer, is using
a $75,000 no-interest loan
from the Impact Idaho Fund
on a milking barn, process-
ing parlor, equipment, addi-
tional animals and certifi ca-
tion. Raw milk, to be sold
in reusable glass containers,
is expected to be available
this spring.
He and the fund’s staff
started working on the
dairy’s fi nancial framework
last summer.
“I am looking forward
to continuing the ongo-
ing friendship and work-
ing relationship with this
group of people who share
my ideology,” Jones said in
a release. “As I launch the
dairy, it is incredibly valu-
able to be part of a team and
not feel like I have to go it
alone.”
He told Capital Press that
his 160-acre farm includes
alfalfa hay, some feeder
corn in rotation, 45 young
peach trees and part of his
father’s cow-calf operation.
The so-called “micro
dairy” is “brand new and
intentionally small,” Jones
said. It now consists of a
bull and fi ve cows; the fi rst
calf is expected to be born
next month. Milking has
not yet started.
“Cattle are exceptional
in their ability to convert
sunlight and grass into fat
and protein,” he said. “We
are looking forward to hav-
ing a project that is entirely
unique.”
Jones will use regenera-
tive practices in running the
dairy. He may have up to
10 milking cows in the next
several years, but the idea is
to keep the dairy small.
The Impact Idaho Fund
is a project of the Sun Val-
“CATTLE ARE EXCEPTIONAL IN THEIR ABILITY
TO CONVERT SUNLIGHT AND GRASS INTO FAT
AND PROTEIN. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO
HAVING A PROJECT THAT IS ENTIRELY UNIQUE.”
— Wilder Jones, Wild Spaces Farm owner, shown above on his land near Glenns Ferry, Idaho
Impact Idaho Fund photos
Wild Spaces Farm near Glenns Ferry, Idaho.
ley Institute for Resilience.
The institute in December
received a second major
gift from the Heinz Family
Foundation.
Amy Mattias, the insti-
tute’s program director,
said in the release that the
Wild Spaces “will fi ll a
much-needed gap in our
regional food system and
be a demonstration of a
regenerative and profi t-
able model for small-scale
dairy farming in southern
Idaho.”
Two small dairies in
southern Idaho, Old Almo
Creamery and Picabo Des-
ert Farm, closed last year,
the institute said.
Mattias said Wild Spaces
is its third project for the
Impact Idaho Fund, which
seeks to grow. It provides
capital and entrepreneurial
support services.
Shipping delays prove costly
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Port congestion and ship-
ping delays made dairy
exports extremely challeng-
ing in 2021, and one indus-
try insider anticipates those
challenges will continue in
2022.
Leprino Foods is heav-
ily reliant on port infra-
structure, capacity and sup-
ply-chain integration across
the port-export system,
and those dynamics didn’t
change in 2021, said Mark
Benson, chief procure-
ment offi cer and vice pres-
ident of government aff airs
and global responsibility at
Leprino.
“What did change was
the overall capacity, the reli-
ability and the consistency
of port operations, of carrier
and container capacity and
really the overall velocity of
the localized supply chain in
and around the port, partic-
ularly out of California,” he
said during the latest “Dairy
Download” podcast.
More than 99% of Lep-
rino’s ocean shipments
in 2021 were canceled or
rebooked at least once —
and in some cases more
than 10 times. Each time
that happened, the “rework
loop” was generally two to
three weeks in duration and
came with added costs and
fees, he said.
More than 100 shipments
were canceled or rebooked
17 times, with customers
experiencing a fi ve-month
delay for products they’re
depending on, he said.
“On the cost side, it’s
been a big challenge,” he
said.
One freight bill that
would generally be $5,000
to $5,500 reached $20,000.
Leprino experienced more
than $25 million in added
costs in that area in 2021 and
expects the same in 2022, he
said.
Leprino and other dairy
exporters have been active
in exploring diff erent and
alternative ports with some
progress. But in some cases,
that just moved the problem,
he said.
Some are of the opinion
the port issue will ultimately
equalize or resolve itself, he
said.
“We’re not observing
that, and we don’t share that
view. In fact, there were
folks who were making that
point six months ago,” he
said.
In addition to utilizing
alternative ports, Leprino
has doubled down on estab-
lishing prepositioned inven-
tory and logistics hubs in
the international markets it
serves. It’s also added labor,
team members and addi-
tional reporting capability
for every step of the booking
and fulfi llment process and
routing of a shipment on the
water and into its intended
market, he said.
Apply less, expect more?
It’s time for a crop nutrition plan that gets more return from every drop.
Get custom-calibrated formulas and complete agronomic support for the
nutrients you need and the quality potatoes you want. Every step of the way,
AgroLiquid has precisely what it takes to help you succeed like never before.
Find an AgroLiquid dealer near you.
ApplyLessExpectMore.com
FLAT CARS- THE BETTER BRIDGE
• Lower Cost • Custom Lengths up to 90'
• Certified Engineering Services Available
• Steel Construction
Contractor
License # 71943
P.O Box 365 • 101 Industrial Way, Lebanon, OR 97355
Office: 541-451-1275
Email: info@rfc-nw.com
www.rfc-nw.com
S235801-1
Pro-Germinator®, Sure-K® and Kalibrate® are registered
trademarks and LiberateCa is a trademark of AgroLiquid.
© 2021 AgroLiquid. All Rights Reserved.
S272668-1