In Farm Bureau “How to Win an Election” Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas have joined to sponsor “How to Win an Election,” a campaign-management training seminar scheduled for Oct. 21-22 at the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/AIA office (1200 W. Capitol Ave.) in Little Rock. Attendees will learn how to select a campaign theme and issues, identify voters, target precincts and special interest groups, develop a calendar to win and more. Budget preparation, fundraising, using a finance committee, the role of the campaign manager, working with news media and other topics will be discussed. Candidates, their spouses and campaign managers are all urged to attend. The seminar is open to any candidate regardless of party affiliation who is interested in learning how to run a successful campaign and in becoming a winner. Space is limited, so early registration is suggested. The deadline for registration is Oct. 16. Additional information and
Congressman French Hill (right) of Little Rock donned protective clothing so he could get a close look at honeybees during an Aug. 11 visit to Bemis Honey Bee Farm and Supplies, with ownet Jeremy Bemis. Hill and his staff, with assistance from Arkansas Farm Bureau staff members, visited several Pulaski County farms that day to discuss key farming issues. a reservation form are available at www. arfb.com/legislation-regulations/electioninformation/htwe.aspx. For additional information, contact Jeff Pitchford at jeff. pitchford@arfb.com or 501-228-1625. Hillman appointed to board Arkansas Farm Bureau Vice President Rich Hillman of Carlisle has been named to The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute’s board of directors by University of Arkansas System President Dr. Donald Bobbitt. Latriece Watkins, enterprise work stream leader at Wal-Mart, also was appointed. Hillman is serving his seventh term U.S. Sen. John Boozman (right) kicked off his fifth Arkansas Agriculture tour on Aug. 18 at Joe Thrash’s farm in Perry County. Thrash, an Arkansas Farm Bureau board member from Toad Suck, showed Sen. Boozman some of his soybean crop, as well as areas of his farm affected by spring flooding.
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as vice president of Arkansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest agricultural advocacy organization. A sixthgeneration farmer, he raises rice, soybeans and wheat in Lonoke Hillman County. “On behalf of the UA System, we welcome these extremely accomplished new members to the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute team and value the expertise and experience they will bring to the table,”
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A Publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
August 28, 2015 • Vol. 18, No. 16
In Arkansas Bowling named Miss Arkansas Rice Lynnsey Bowling of McCrory (Woodruff County) was named 2015-16 Miss Arkansas Rice on Aug. 22 at the Brinkley Convention Center. Bowling attends McCrory High School and is the daughter of Roger and Carrie Bowling. Emma Williams of Searcy (White County) was first runner-up, and second runner-up was Benton Harvey Bowling of Marianna (Lee County). Other county winners participating in the state finals were Delia Barrett of DeWitt (Arkansas
District 20 State Senator Blake Johnson of Corning (left) and District 56 State Representative Joe Jett of Success (right) congratulate the Clay County Farm Family of the Year, the Potts-Hemann family, at Clay Co. FB’s annual meeting Aug. 20 in Piggott. Johnson presented the family with a special legislative certificate in recognition of the honor.
On June 18, at a special dinner in Mayflower, Faulkner Co. FB President Chris Schaefers (middle) presented plaques to retired board members Bob Williams (left) and Carroll Thrash in honor of their many years of service to Farm Bureau and Arkansas agriculture. More than 60 members attended the award presentation and board meeting.
County), Callie Wells of Lake Village (Chicot County), Ragen Caroline Hodges of Jonesboro (Craighead County), Madi Driver of Newport (Jackson County), Tristan Bennett of Carlisle (Lonoke County), Destiny Swindle of Cotton Plant (Monroe County), Sara Elizabeth Toll of Hazen (Prairie County) and Haven McElhanon of Forrest City (St. Francis County). The goal of the Miss Arkansas Rice program is to encourage interest in rice promotion and to publicize the importance of the Arkansas rice industry to the state’s economy. Contestants were judged on their promotion activities and knowledge of the rice industry. They also cooked a
rice dish at the competition on which they were judged. Bowling’s recipe was “Reuben Rice Dip.” The Arkansas Rice Council sponsors the annual contest in cooperation with Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
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Bobbitt said. “The Institute is a unique entity within the UA System, and thanks to the hard work of its staff and board, it continues to be an integral piece to our overall mission of serving Arkansas and beyond.” Hillman said he has long been an admirer of Winthrop Rockefeller and the legacy he and his family have left for the state of Arkansas, particularly in the area of farming. “The Rockefeller family, from the governor to this generation, has had such a positive impact on agriculture in the state of Arkansas,” he said. “To have some role in furthering that impact is an honor for me.”
On Aug. 13, members of Washington Co. FB met at the county office and worked in groups to determine resolutions for consideration at their annual meeting Oct. 19 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Fayetteville. Members divided into poultry, beef, environmental, local affairs and state affairs for policy development.
Dr. Gus Lorenz (right), a UA professor of entomology, and Dr. Jeremy Ross, a soybean specialist with the Cooperative Extension Service, were among several researchers who discussed ongoing crop research at the Aug. 11 Field Day held at Pine Tree Research Station near Colt. More than 50 area farmers attended the event.
Record crop yields predicted Just as combines begin to scratch the surface of the 2015 harvest, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service has projected record high yields for Arkansas soybeans, sorghum, corn and cotton. Soybeans were projected to yield 53 bushels per acre, which would be a new state average record, up three bushels from last year. Arkansas growers planted 3.2 million acres of soybeans, down 1.2 percent from the previous year. A 53-bushelan-acre yield would tie Arkansas with Illinois, second only to Nebraska’s projected 56 bushels per acre. Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the 53-bushel-per-acre forecast took him by surprise. “We had record yields the last two years, but July and August 2015 were much, much hotter and drier than they were the last two years and that’s affecting yields,” he said. “And a large percentage of acreage in the northern part of the state was planted extremely late — a lot later than the last two years. That’s two strikes against us for high yields.”
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Feral hog workshop To address feral hog problems, the Cooperative Extension Service, Arkansas Forest Resources Center and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will be hosting a feral hog workshop Sept. 19 at the Pine Tree Research Station in Colt (St. Francis County). There is no cost to attend,
Skyler Hooper (center) of Russellville, 17, a senior at Pottsville High School, won the Arkansas State Fish Art contest for grades 10-12 for her rendition of a longear sunfish. The award was presented Aug. 22 at the FLW Cup bass championship in Hot Springs. Skyler is seen here with her parents, Chris and Andrea Hooper. Chris is a Farm Bureau Insurance adjuster.
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Ross said he was “predicting in the midto upper-40s for the state yield. I just don’t see us hitting 53 bushels an acre.” NASS is projecting a record Arkansas corn yield at 195 bushels per acre from 470,000 harvested acres, well up from last year’s 187 bushels per acre. The 195 bushels would make Arkansas second only to Washington State’s projected 220 bushels per acre. Arkansas’ cotton crop was projected to yield 1,226 pounds of lint per acre, up 81 pounds from last year, and a record. However, cotton acreage was projected to be down 95,000 acres from last year, to 235,000 acres. “If realized this would be the lowest harvested acres on record in the state,” according to the NASS report. Arkansas’ sorghum yield is projected at a record 105 bushels an acre on 480,000 harvested acres. If realized, Arkansas would have the nation’s second highest state average yield to Illinois’ projected 109 bushels per acre. That compares with last year’s 97 bushels per acre over 165,000 harvested acres. Rice production was forecast down from 112 million hundredweight last year to 105 million this year.
Sebastian Co. FB held a legislative appreciation dinner Aug. 18 in Ft. Smith to recognize local politicians for their support of agriculture. County president Cody Jones (left) and ArFB state board member Dan Wright (right) posed for this photo with the honorees: (left to right) Sen. Terry Rice, Rep. Justin Boyd, Rep. Mathew Pitsch and Rep. Marcus Richmond. but guests are asked to confirm their attendance through the county extension office so they can make lunch plans. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by a program on the natural history and biology of feral hogs; a discussion of feral hog hunting and trapping regulations; a workshop on controlling feral hogs; a trapping demonstration and a feral hog damage field tour. New soybean app The Soybean Advisor app, launched last month by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, provides farmers on-the-go access to soybean production guidelines, ranging from lime application rates to control strategies for diseases and pests. “Important information related to soybean production in Arkansas has been put in one place,” said Dharmendra Saraswat, associate professor of geospatial technology at UA. “As the name suggests, its role is to be an advisor. If a producer wants to find some symptoms on crop nutrient deficiency, then they can be easily looked up.” The app features reference images for a wide variety of nutrient deficiency symptoms, as well as pests and diseases. Users don’t need a Wi-Fi connection to access the information once the app is installed on a smartphone or tablet. Soybean Advisor is currently available only for use on
devices using Android version 4.0.3 and later. Download it on Google Play.
Elsewhere September Rice Month promo items This year is the 25th anniversary of National Rice Month, a promotion educating consumers about the benefits of U.S.grown rice and boosting U.S. rice sales nationwide. USA Rice is debuting several new promotional items to commemorate the occasion. These include T-shirts, sunglasses holders, koozies, aprons, colored pencils, measuring cups, shopping totes and more. All of the Rice Month items will feature either the 25th National Rice Month Anniversary logo or the Think Rice logo, which was recently unveiled as the new face of USA Rice consumer marketing initiatives. “These promotional items serve as a great platform to promote U.S.-grown rice during National Rice Month,” said Katie Maher, USA Rice’s manager of domestic promotion. “This branded merchandise generates public awareness for the rice industry and keeps rice on people’s minds, and hopefully, on their plates.” To order Rice Month promotional items, visit http://usarice.storebloxcs.com/ cl/National-RiceMonth-PromotionalItems/3631. Editor Keith Sutton
keith.sutton@arfb.com
In the Market As of Aug. 26, 2015 Food safety advocate sues APHIS The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is being sued by the Center for Food Safety for withholding information on genetically engineered crops. The lawsuit claims the regulator has routinely failed to respond as required to requests for records related to concerns with GMO crops, violating the Freedom of Information Act and unlawfully withholding information for more than 13 years. The lawsuit also accused APHIS of failing to respond as required to inquiries about its handling of experimental genetically engineered wheat that was found growing uncontrolled in an Oregon field in 2013. Chinese imports remain strong Commodities have plunged in response to fears about Chinese demand in the face of its slowing economy, but customs data for July shows such concerns may be overstated. China increased its buys of at least 21 commodities by more than 20 percent last month compared to year-ago. This included crude oil (up 29.3 percent), ethanol (up 268,594 percent), wheat (up 158 percent), barley (up 67.9 percent), corn (up 1,184 percent) and soyoil (up 25.8 percent). Global markets plunge The move was led by a free fall in China Aug. 24, where the main Shanghai index was down 8.5 percent, which erased all of its gains so far this year. This led to lower oil prices as a barrel of the U.S. benchmark crude was down 4 percent to $38.76. Anything China-related, like soybeans, fell sharply also. Aggressive forward purchases by Asian grain buyers The steep drop in grain prices has
prompted Asian grain buyers to lock in forward purchases all the way into June 2016, according to Reuters. Normally, most buyers make purchases just a few months in advance, so these aggressive bookings are telling that buyers do not believe prices will get much cheaper than they are currently. Besides the slump in prices, weaker currencies also are making some region’s supplies, such as those from Russia and Brazil, more competitive. On the other hand, traders say Chinese demand for soybeans has slowed the past few weeks. USDA releases cattle reports Last week, the USDA released both the Cattle on Feed report and the Cold Storage report. Frozen beef stocks at the end of July were lighter than expected, while the monthly inventory update came in about as expected. Of note, cattle placements notched a record low for July as unprofitable margins slowed the flow of cattle to feedyards. Report coming on possible USDA trade policy reorganization A research institute is due to complete a study this fall examining how and whether USDA should reorganize its trade-related offices under a new undersecretary of trade position. USDA failed to meet a legally mandated deadline to do so last summer. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack reportedly does not favor the examination or any major changes. July RIN production rises Generation of renewable identification numbers (RINs) in July rose to 1.28 billion, according to Environmental Protection Agency, up slightly from 1.27 billion in June. Biomass-based diesel RINs rose to 294.3 million compared to 270.8 million in June. Japan’s use of corn in feed rations down in June Japan’s use of corn in animal feed slipped to 45.4 percent in June, down 0.1 percentage points from the month prior and 1.2 points below year-ago levels, according to data from the country’s ag ministry. Its use of wheat in feed rations held steady with the month prior at 1.5 percent, which
compares to 2.0 percent in June 2014. Its use of sorghum ticked up 0.2 points from May to 3.8 percent, while barley usage held steady at 3.4 percent. Chinese cotton production could drop The China Cotton Association has trimmed its 2015-16 cotton crop projection by 360,000 MT to 5.5 MMT. This represents a 15-percent decline from China’s 6.5 MMT 2014-15 cotton crop, according to association data. The drop is not expected to be significant enough for China to ease its restrictions on imports, however, as the country is still sitting on hefty reserve stocks. Chinese farmers are expected to reduce cotton acreage by 24 percent in the coming season, as lower government support in some regions has sent producers to other crops. Brazilian ship lineup to top year-ago The lineup of ships at Brazilian ports is up notably from year-ago, reflecting strong export demand for corn and soybeans. Data from the shipping agent Williams show 80 ships are arriving to load 4.78 MMT of soybeans at local ports, and 82 ships are slated to arrive to load 4.53 MMT of corn, versus lineups of 57 ships for soybeans and 40 ships for corn last year at this point. The country’s record-large crop and the 23-percent depreciation of its currency against the U.S. dollar has made Brazilian supplies very competitive.
CONTACT • Matt King 501-228-1297, matt.king@arfb.com.