In Farm Bureau
M*A*S*H signups underway Applications are now available to high school students for the summer 2015 M*A*S*H camps. These camps will be located at 34 mostly rural medical facilities throughout Arkansas. Three new host facilities have been added this year: Dallas County Medical Center in Fordyce, Drew Memorial Hospital in Monticello and ASU Mountain Home. The two-week M*A*S*H camps are designed to expose rising high-school juniors and seniors to healthcare-related vocations. Most of the camps are conducted at rural medical centers in hopes of attracting local students. “The M*A*S*H program gives students an inside look at various medical professions and is designed to spark students’ interest in the medical field,” said Jennifer Victory, rural health specialist for Arkansas Farm Bureau. “A large number of the camps are held at rural medical centers and attract campers from a rural background. The idea is that future medical
LeighAnn Bullington (left), a family and consumer science specialist with the Cooperative Extension Service, and Girl Scout camp director Sheryl Roberts (right) presented a popular workshop on short cuts in preparing meals at Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Statewide Women’s Conference. More than 130 attended the conference in Little Rock March 6-7 despite severe winter weather that made travel difficult over much of the state. students from a rural background are more likely to return to their roots.” Applications are available through school guidance counselors or by contacting the M*A*S*H director in your area. For a complete list of camp locations and directors, visit www.arfb.com and refer to the M*A*S*H camps news release posted under “What’s New?” County Farm Bureau organizations and the Arkansas Medical Mentor Partnership sponsor students so they may attend the On Feb. 12 in Russellville, Laura Clark (right), a member of the Pope Co. FB Women’s Committee, presented a check for $50 to Jannie Condley, executive director of the River Valley Shelter for Battered Women and Children. The Women’s Committee made the donation to help the shelter provide free emergency shelter, food and clothing to victims of domestic violence.
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camps at no cost. The Partnership includes the University of Arkansas for Medical Science’s Regional Centers, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Arkansas Farm Bureau, Baptist Health and the Arkansas Health Department’s Office of Oral Health. Additional information on this years M*A*S*H programs can be obtained by contacting Amber Marshall with UAMS, (501) 686-6188, or Jennifer Victory of Arkansas Farm Bureau, (501) 228-1269.
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A Publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
March 13, 2015 • Vol. 18, No. 5
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Dairy Ambassador Program Arkansas is looking for a 2015 dairy ambassador to represent the industry at events around the state throughout the coming year. Final judging for the Arkansas Dairy Ambassador Program will be June 12 in Bentonville. Students ages 14 to 19 who are enrolled in 4-H or FFA and living in Arkansas may enter. This includes homeschooled students. For an entry application and program criteria, contact your local county Farm Bureau office or your local county Cooperative Extension Service office. The forms can also be found on the Arkansas Farm Bureau website, www.arfb.com. Click on “Get Involved,” then “Contests & Promotions.” Entries must be received in the state Farm Bureau office by May 29.
Justin Calhoun (left) of Star City took first place in the 2015 Collegiate Farm Bureau Discussion Meet held recently at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. The competition is modeled after the state Young Farmers & Ranchers contest sponsored by Arkansas Farm Bureau, with participants discussing current ag issues in a committee meeting format.
FBs help feed America The farm and ranch families of Farm Bureau raised more than $1.2 million and donated a record of nearly 42 million pounds of food to assist hungry Americans as part of Farm Bureau’s “Harvest for All” program in partnership with Feeding America. Combined, the monetary and food donations also reached a record level of the equivalent of more than 46 million meals. Now in its 13th year, Harvest for All is
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spearheaded by members of Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program, but Farm Bureau members of all ages from across the nation contribute to the effort. In all, 23 state Farm Bureaus and the American Farm Bureau Federation heeded the call to action. The joint effort between Farm Bureau and Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, is a national community action program
As a participant in the first American Farm Bureau Advocacy Conference in Washington D.C. Feb. 22-26, Washington Co. FB member Cassie Davis (left) of Prairie Grove had the opportunity to meet Sen. Tom Cotton and other legislators on Capitol Hill. Davis recently was chosen to be a member of AFB’s national Grassroots Outreach Team, or Go Team.
At a special meeting held recently in Van Buren, Crawford County Judge John Hall (center) signed a proclamation declaring it Farm Bureau Week in the county. Crawford Co. FB President Tim Neidecker (left), membership chairman Dr. David Ford (right) and other board members were on hand for the signing and to discuss membership promotion activities in the county.
“Profit Through Conservation” was the theme of the Arkansas Grazing Lands Conference held Feb. 27 at Lake Point Conference Center in Russellville. More than 100 ranchers from throughout the state attended the event, which featured several out-of-state ranchers as guest speakers. Topics covered include grazing, soil health and monitoring animal performance. through which farmers and ranchers can help ensure every American enjoys the bounty of food they produce.
In Arkansas $5 million for ag center The Tyson Family and Tyson Foods, Inc. have made a substantial gift toward creating a first-of-its-kind agricultural research center in Arkansas – one of the most consequential gifts to advance water quality and sustainability research in the state’s history. A $5 million gift from Tyson to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will significantly finance the new $16.3 million Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences, with construction scheduled to begin later this year on the division’s property in northern Fayetteville off of Highway 112 South (Garland Avenue). The 60,000 square-foot building will feature high-tech agriculture research laboratories that will advance plant and animal sustainability, along with water quality research. “This gift and this facility will advance Arkansas Agriculture into the distant future and help our state compete in the very competitive global world of agriculture research for many generations to come,” said Mark Cochran, the division’s vice president for agriculture. “To have an iconic name like Don Tyson attached to it demonstrates
Water summit April 1 The Water Summit, a conference on managing drinking water for animal production, is set for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 1 at Northwest Arkansas Community College’s Shewmaker Business Development Center in Bentonville. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and its Center of Excellence for Poultry Science are sponsoring the event. “The goal of the summit is to help dispel the myths that exist about water quality and treatment options,” said Susan Watkins, a poultry extension specialist who will speak at the conference. Other speakers will include Daniel Venne, a veterinarian with Couvoir Scott Itée of Quebec; Brad Dolphine of Beaver Lake Water Treatment, Mary Foy of Proxyclean, Stacy Cunningham of Aquatech, Dane Marsden of Blue Earth Labs, Steve Sullivan of Stenner Pump, Mueez Ahmad of Neogen; Ross Thoreson of BVS and Sonja Ingmanson of Silver Bullet. Registration for the conference is $40 per person. Online registration is available at http://forms.uaex.edu/registrations/ watersummit.asp. For more information, contact Watkins at swatkin@uark.edu or 479-575-7118.
Elsewhere “Farmland” now at Walmart Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Moll’s feature-length documentary, “Farmland” is now available on DVD at Walmart and Walmart.com. The availability of the documentary at retail locations across the country and online provides another opportunity for viewers to experience the film, which offers a firsthand glimpse inside the world of farming by showcasing the lives of six young farmers and ranchers in their twenties. The documentary is also now available to rent on DVD from Netflix and to purchase on Amazon, with continued availability for rent and purchase via digital download on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Blockbuster On-Demand, Sony PlayStation, Vudu.com, Xbox and YouTube.
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what a significant facility this will become. It’s an outstanding legacy of an amazing family and company, and this is by far one of the most historic days in the state’s history of agriculture research.”
On March 6, at its 27th annual induction luncheon in Little Rock, the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame honored five individuals whose leadership and service have brought distinction to the state’s largest industry: (left to right) Jim Baker of Conway, James Bibler of Russellville, Alice Nix of Ash Flat (accepting for her late husband, Billie Nix), Dennis Oakley of El Paso (accepting for his late father Bruce Oakley of El Paso) and John Ed Regenold of Blytheville.
Proposed drone rules The Federal Aviation Administration’s recent proposal on the commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems, commonly known as drones, are a good start to a long-overdue discussion on the use of the technology, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Farmers and ranchers are optimistic the final rules will allow them to use drones as part of the precision agriculture systems that have helped them grow more while protecting natural resources. “Unmanned aircraft systems could be an incredible tool for farmers and ranchers, who can use them to scout their fields and ensure they’re using inputs like fertilizer and water only on the areas that need treatment,” explained AFBF technology specialist R.J. Karney. “Farmers will adopt this technology as yet another way to live up to their promise of continuous improvement in food production.” The draft rules would require unmanned aircraft operators an unmanned aircraft system operator certificate, stay away from bystanders and fly only during the day. They limit flying speed to 100 miles per hour and the altitude to 500 feet above ground level. In addition, the aircraft can be no more than 55 pounds and it must remain within the visual line of sight
of the operator. Farm Bureau continues to review the rule and will submit comments before the public comment period closes on April 24. CSP deadline extended Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Jason Weller says the U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering a renewal option through March 31 for eligible agricultural producers and forest landowners with expiring Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts. These producers must be willing to adopt additional conservation activities aimed at helping them achieve higher levels of conservation on their farms, forests and ranches. “CSP producers are established conservation leaders who work hard at enhancing natural resources on private lands,” Weller said. “By extending the deadline for general sign-up applications, we are ensuring that landowners will be able to take advantage of a program that will enroll up to 7.7 million acres this year.” USDA announced last month that it will make available $100 million this year through the CSP in 2015. To learn more about CSP contract renewals, visit your local NRCS office. Editor Keith Sutton
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In the Market as of March 11, 2015
Little market direction in U.S. Dept. of Agriculture report The March 10 USDA report made few changes that surprised traders, and prices continued to move lower following the report. Below are a few highlights from the report: Corn: Corn used for ethanol was reduced by 50 million bushels, while exports and feed demand increased by 50 million bushels for a net reduction of ending stocks by 50 million bushels to 1.777 billion bushels. Changes to the global balance sheet included a 1.5 MMT decline in production, and 4.36 MMT decline in stocks due to increases in global demand. Soybeans: There were no changes to the U.S. balance sheet and only marginal changes in the global balance sheet. The USDA did not increase South America production, nor did they increase Chinese imports as some estimates had indicated. Rice: The 2014-15 all rice export forecast was raised 1 million cwt to 104 million. Long-grain exports are forecast at 72 million, up 1 million from last month based on larger expected exports to markets in the Western Hemisphere. The combined medium-and short-grain export projection is unchanged at 32 million. All rice ending stocks are projected at 40.9 million cwt, down 1 million from a month ago — all in long-grain rice. Cotton: U.S. cotton supply-and-demand estimates are unchanged this month and, with only marginal reductions in world cotton production and consumption, global stocks are forecast to rise to more than 110 million bales. Argentina could see more strikes This week, Argentine farmers began
what is supposed to be a halt in sales of crops for three days. But if the government doesn’t respond to the action this week, one farm group leader signaled more actions are coming. “If we don’t get answers, bigger protests are very probably on the way. The nature of the actions we take will depend on what the government says in response to us,” Ruben Ferrero, president of the Rural Federations of Argentina told Reuters in an interview. The action this week is not expected to impact markets as export locations are said to have plenty of grains on hand. But, as was seen with the trucker strike in Brazil, if any action becomes protracted in Argentina, it could prompt a market response. Record harvest forecast for Brazil Brazil will likely harvest a record 199.6 MMT of grains (including soybeans) this year, says the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE). That’s 3.5 percent above last year but roughly 0.9 percent below its original forecast released last month. IBGE cited severe drought in southeastern Brazil for the reduction in its crop estimate. Specifically, IBGE forecasts soybean production at 95.5 MMT (up 9.8 percent from last year). It says corn production will likely be down 4.2 percent from a year ago. While harvest is forecast to be another record, infrastructure continues to be an issue. Last week, the number of ships waiting to load soybeans in Brazilian ports rose to 82. The recent trucker strike slowed movement of beans. William Januzzi, a manager at a major shipping agency at the port of Santos, Brazil says there are not enough grains at the port to maintain a normal pace of loading. He also notes this is “normal for this time of the year.” Debt limit timeline Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew urged Congress last week to raise the debt limit as soon as possible, saying the department would begin using extraor-
dinary measures on March 13 to stave off default. The debt limit will reset on March 16 after the current suspension ends. The Congressional Budget Office has said the Treasury Department would likely exhaust its “extraordinary measures” to stave off the need for new borrowing authority by October or November. Ag attache forecasts record Chinese soybean imports The USDA’s ag attaché in China estimates the country will import 73 MMT of soybeans in 2014-15 and 77.5 MMT of soybeans in 2015-16, both of which would be records. In the March 10 USDA report, the official forecast remained unchanged at 74 MMT. The post also forecasts China’s soybean production will likely decline to 11.7 MMT in 2015-16 because “soybeans are the only major agricultural crop in which China is dependent on imports for the lion’s share of its supply.” FSIS considers new meat labeling USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is considering using a single crucial endpoint temperature on safe-handling instructions for animal protein products. The current guidelines, which have been in place since 1994, simply say “cook thoroughly.” FSIS would now recommend just three internal temperatures: 165 degrees F for poultry, 160 degrees F for ground red meat and 145 degrees F and hold for three minutes for whole-muscle red meat. FSIS is preparing to begin consumer testing changes to these labels.
CONTACT • Matt King 501-228-1297, matt.king@arfb.com.
2015 County Presidents’ Tour
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ore than 80 Arkansas Farm Bureau leaders from across the state visited the nation’s capital March 2-5 to meet with members of the state’s congressional delegation and discuss issues of importance to Arkansas agriculture. While there, the group also met with representatives from the Dept. of Agriculture, American Farm Bureau Federation and various commodity organizations. • photos by Steve Eddington, Mollie Dykes, and Bryan Pistole •
Baxter Co. FB President Elliott Golmon and his wife Roberta enjoyed a view of the Space Shuttle Discovery during a tour of the National Air and Space Museum.
Above, Rep. Steve Womack (second from left) met with Farm Bureau leaders and staff in his office in the Longworth House Office Building. At top right, U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (right) and John Boozman addressed the delegation at a breakfast in the Holiday Inn Capitol Hotel. At right, Rep. Bruce Westerman (right) visited with Garland Co. FB President Tommy Sorrells and Women’s Committee chair Sara Loe during an evening reception. At right, Lesley Hill (center), legislative aide to Rep. French Hill, welcomed ArFB board members Terry Dabbs, Jon Carroll, Tom Jones and Mike Freeze to D.C. Lesley is the daughter of ArFB’s Stanley Hill.
Above, Winter weather delayed travel for many in the party, though it made for a beautiful shot of the Washington Monument, viewed from the Capitol Mall. Farm Bureau Press Insert — Vol. 18, No. 5
At right, Dale Moore, executive director of public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, updated members on issues of importance to farmers and ranchers being addressed by AFBF.
At left, Mark Rose, director of financial assistance in the Programs Division of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, addressed the group during a visit to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
COUNTY PRESIDENTS’ TOUR TO D.C.
Above, Arkansas Farm Bureau leaders made several stops at USDA, here visiting with Bob Macke, deputy administrator with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. At left, ArFB Vice President Rich Hillman (right) of Carlisle had the opportunity to talk with Rep. Rick Crawford during a reception with the House delegation.
Above, The Lincoln Memorial was one of the stops on a “D.C. Monuments by Moonlight” tour enjoyed by many Farm Bureau members.
Above, Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach (right) of Manila discussed Farm Bureau priorities with Rep. French Hill during a Congressional reception Tuesday evening. Farm Bureau Press Insert — Vol. 18, No. 5