Farm Bureau Press - January 9, 2015

On Dec. 22, Arkansas Farm Bureau’s officers met in Little Rock with Governor-elect Asa Hutchinson to discuss Farm Bureau’s positions on matters that have been identified as priority issues. Attending were (left to right) Secretary-Treasurer Joe Christian of Jonesboro, Vice President Rich Hillman of Carlisle, Hutchinson and President Randy Veach of Manila.

In Farm Bureau

In Arkansas

Training conference Jan. 29 Plans have been finalized for the County Farm Bureau Presidents, Vice Presidents, Legislative and Information Chairmen Conference at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock. This will be an opportunity for people in those positions to share in a day of leadership training.

The conference, which will be held on the heels of Arkansas Farm Bureau’s winter commodity meetings Jan. 28 at the same location, will allow county leaders and committee chairmen to receive relevant information that should assist in their duties as county volunteers. It will begin at 7 a.m. with registration, followed by a joint breakfast at 7:30 a.m., which will include an address from ArFB President Randy Veach of Manila. Three break-out sessions will follow, and the conference will close with a joint luncheon.

For additional information, contact Chuck Tucker at 501-228-1246 or Autumn Wood at 501-228-1306.

Firewood ban on WMAs At its December meeting, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission permanently adopted a ban on the importation of firewood into the state’s wildlife management areas. The ban goes into effect immediately. It is hoped this action will help prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer, an exotic insect that feeds on and is likely to

Previous Farm Families of the Year posed for a photo with longtime program coordinator Andy Guffey (seated, left) at a Dec. 11 luncheon in North Little Rock. Left to right: Heath Long of Tichnor, Brian and Nan Kirksey of Amity, Andy and Shannon Gill of McGehee, Michael and Sarah Oxner of Searcy, Michael and Mary Jo Simon of Conway, and Orelan Johnson of England.

STEVE EDDINGTON photo

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kill all of Arkansas’ ash species. The permanent ban includes people camping on AGFC-owned WMAs. In related news, the Arkansas State Plant board made permanent an emergency quarantine of non-coniferous wood products and nursery stock from Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Clark, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Drew, Garland, Grant, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lincoln, Little River, Miller, Montgomery, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike,

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A Publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation

January 9, 2015 • Vol. 18, No. 1

Saline, Sevier and Union counties to prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer.

The presence of the invasive pests has been verified in six southwest Arkansas counties: Clark, Columbia, Dallas, Hot Spring, Nevada and Ouachita. They were first discovered in Michigan in 2002 and have since killed tens of millions of trees.

KEITH SUTTON photo

Due to an overwhelming demand, ArFB has added a second mobile ag experience trailer to its mobile displays. The new trailer is bigger, more user friendly and has four TV screens for use in school programs and to provide educational videos and Farm Bureau information at county fairs, festivals and other events. For more information, contact Matt Jackson at 501-228-1237.

Grand Prairie Watershed (portions of Arkansas, Lonoke, Prairie and Monroe counties); East Arkansas Enterprise Community, Inc., L’Anguille River (portions of Cross and St. Francis counties); Big Watershed (portion of Phillips County); Bayou Meto, Middle (portions of Arkansas, Lonoke, Prairie and Jefferson counties); Bayou Meto, Arkansas County (portions of Arkansas, Jefferson and Lonoke counties);

KEITH SUTTON photo

KEITH SUTTON photo

MRBI project signup deadline Jan. 16 Farmers and landowners in numerous counties in Arkansas have until Jan. 16 to submit applications to receive financial assistance to implement conservation practices through nine Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI) projects. Applicants can sign up at their local U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service field service center.

“The MRBI projects in Arkansas are being implemented working with our conservation partners to accelerate conservation treatment to improve water quality, maintain productivity and enhance wildlife habitat,” said NRCS State Conservationist Michael Sullivan.

The main focus for all projects is to improve water quality. However, in 2012, water quantity was added as a secondary concern.

The projects open for sign-up are Middle Cache River Project (portions of Craighead, Jackson, Poinsett and Woodruff counties); Lower Arkansas (portions of Jefferson, Lonoke and Pulaski counties);

More than 100 farmers from throughout southeast Arkansas attended a farm bill workshop Dec. 17 at the Men’s Club in McGehee.

Speakers included Anita Wilson (pictured here), an agricultural program specialist with the Farm Service Agency; Tony Franco, FSA’s chief of farm programs; and specialists with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

At the Farm Family of the Year luncheon, ArFB’s Andy Guffey (second from right) was recognized for 10 years of service as FFY program coordinator. Making the presentation were (l to r) Amy Lyman with AgHeritage Farm Credit Services and previous FFY winners Brian Kirksey and Heath Long. Guffey will expand his focus on ArFB’s ag education and outreach efforts.

Tyronza River Watershed (portions of Mississippi and Poinsett counties); and Wapanocca Lake Watershed (portion of Crittenden County).

Additional information about the MRBI projects, area maps and conservation practices, are available at www.ar.nrcs.usda.gov.

AGLC conference The Arkansas Grazing Lands Coalition will hold its annual conference from 9 a.m.

– 5 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Lake Point Conference Center in Russellville. Attendees will learn from fellow producers how to graze more and feed less hay. Speakers will include Greg Judy, a Missouri rancher and consultant, and several south-central and southeastern producers.

Registration, which includes lunch, is $40 if paid by Feb. 23. For more information, phone 501-682-2915 or visit www. argrazinglandscoalition.org.

Farm to School grants The Healthy Hunger‐Free Kids Act of 2010 authorized and funded the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a Farm to School Program to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm-to-school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. 2015 grantees

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Farm bill 2014’s top ag story The sweeping changes and challenges wrought by the 2014 farm bill made it the

At a gala Jan. 6 at historic Trapnell Hall in Little Rock, hundreds of friends, family and co-workers gathered to congratulate Bobby Cheatwood (second from right) who recently retired after serving as Pulaski Co. FB agency manager since 1983. Board member John Philpot (left), county president Pam Bredlow and Cheatwood’s wife Charla (right) helped with the festivities.

KEITH SUTTON photo

include an Arkansas school and hospital.

Lawrence County School District was awarded a $100,000 grant for a Farm to School Initiative that will allow the three school districts (Lawrence County, Hoxie and Sloan‐Hendrix) to develop local/regional food procurement, school gardening and integrated curriculum modules that were central to the vision developed in their three‐year farm-to-school plan.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute received a $49,918 grant that will allow it to conduct multiple regional summits in the spring and summer of 2015.

Attendees will include local farmers, child nutrition staff, city administrators, health professionals, education professionals and community members. The objectives are to train child nutrition staff in knowledge and skills to procure and prepare local foods in schools; to educate farmers about the Arkansas Market Maker program, school food safety requirements and how to conduct business with schools; and to create new connections between community partners who support farm-to-school and child nutrition staff who need help finding farmers, planning events and building a program around local procurement efforts.

For more information, visit www.fns. usda.gov/farmtoschool.

New reports show Arkansas farmers harvested 165,000 acres of grain sorghum in 2014, up about 40,000 acres from last year. “Many producers are looking to expand acreage in 2015,” said Jason Kelley, UA extension wheat and feed grains agronomist. “With prices equal to or greater than corn and with input costs significantly lower than corn, grain sorghum is a good fit.” choice for the year’s top Arkansas agriculture story in a poll of editors and those who work in the industry.

“This farm bill represents the most significant policy change for Arkansas row-crop agriculture in over a generation,” said Steve Halbrook, head of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness for UA’s Division of Agriculture. “The elimination of direct payments and the move to crop insurance as the foundation risk management tool is a major change for Arkansas agriculture.”

Other top stories included Turner Grain Merchandising of Brinkley filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the presence of C&H Hog Farm on a tributary of the Buffalo River, Arkansas moving to the nation’s number two spot in turkey production and the year’s collapse in commodity prices.

UA releases new soybean The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture has released its first soybean variety that features Roundup Ready technology. Division soybean breeder Pengyin Chen said the new variety, called UA 5414RR, offers the weed control advantages of Roundup Ready soybeans without the added cost of technology fees. He said growers could also save seed from each harvest for planting the

following year.

UA 5414RR is broadly adapted for growing conditions throughout Arkansas.

Chen said the Division of Agriculture’s Foundation Seed Program at Stuttgart has about 2,000 bags of the seed available now for seed dealers and growers. For more information, call 870-673-2661.

Elsewhere Corn yield world record set Farmer Randy Dowdy of Valdosta, Ga., has set the world record for corn yield with an average of 503 bushels per acre using DeKalb corn seed genetics. He achieved the record as part of the 2014 National Corn Growers Association’s 50th Annual National Corn Yield Contest.

“Monsanto would like to congratulate Randy Dowdy on setting this new world yield record for corn,” said Dr. Robert Fraley, chief technology officer for Monsanto, which owns DeKalb. “This accomplishment puts a spotlight on the important role that farmers all around the world play in society, and it showcases the valuable role that agriculture advancements can play in helping farmers achieve optimum and consistent corn performance so they can get the most from their land, wherever they are.”

Editor Keith Sutton

keith.sutton@arfb.com

In the Market As of Jan. 6, 2015 Oil prices fall to lowest level since 2009 At the time of this writing, oil prices were below $50 per barrel.

Since June 2014, oil prices have fallen from $106 a barrel to around $48 per barrel, a 54-percent decline in prices.

These price could fall even lower in coming weeks as OPEC voted to hold production at 30 million barrels per day and countries like the United States and Russia continue to increase production. Currently there is an overproduction of about 1.4 million barrels of oil per day, and this is causing a buildup in global oil reserves, which should keep downward pressure for the near to medium term.

The Energy Information Administration forecast oil prices of around $75 in 2015. If this forecast holds, we could see prices reach a bottom similar to what they did in 2008 and bounce higher.

In December 2008, prices reached a low of $33.87 per barrel and then bounced back to trade between $70 and $80 within six months of the bottom. Prices held this trading range for more than year with a few exceptions. The bottom line is producers should watch this market very closely over the next few months as it will offer some excellent opportunities to forward contract fuel for 2015.

India poised to challenge WTO ruling on imports of U.S. chicken India is expected this month to file an appeal with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the body’s ruling against India’s limits on imports of poultry from the United States. The WTO ruled the India lim-

its on U.S. poultry were “unscientific,” even as India has maintained and still maintains they are an effort to protect the poultry industry in India. “We are filing an appeal very soon to the appellate body,” an official in India’s commerce department told the Economic Times.

Canada not backing down on COOL Canada could start seeking permission to impose retaliatory action against the U.S. this summer if no changes are made to the U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) program, Canadian ag minister Gerry Ritz told The Canadian Press, “The clock is ticking, and the American administration knows it.” He expects there will be a WTO ruling by the middle of 2015 and, should the U.S. lose its appeal, Canada will push ahead to seek retaliation. “We are being told that sometime late spring or early summer we will have a pretty good direction as to where that is going to go,” Ritz said. “We will start lobbying very hard at the WTO to initiate the retaliatory process.” Further, Ritz warned Canada could expand the list of products it targets if it thinks it needs to apply pressure on a specific state or U.S. lawmaker.

Russia introduces export duty on wheat Just before the first of the year, Russia’s prime minister signed a resolution that imposed a 15-percent export duty on wheat, plus 7.5 euros per metric ton. The duty will amount to at least 35 euros per ton in order to “stabilize the situation on the internal grain market.” The duty is effective Feb. 1 through the end of the 2014-15 marketing year on June 30. Analysts say the rate is not prohibitive, allowing for some exports. The delay in implementation of this duty allows Russia to fulfill most of their sales already on the books. The industry wanted this delayed until April. This

was likely a compromise with industry that should allow for continued wheat exports out of Russia.

FSA to provide RMA yield data to producers for yield updates USDA’s Farm Service Agency will provide certified yield data from the Risk Management Agency to producers to use in deciding whether to update their farm program payment yields. The agency notes the yield data “belongs to the producer, and only the producer associated with the crop insurance records will be provided this service.” Landowners, however, are the ones who make the determination on whether to update their yields or to reallocate bases, so this announcement by FSA may not address the ability of landowners in a cash-rent situation to obtain the yield data if they are unable to get it from their renter. The deadline for the base and yield decisions is Feb. 27. Producers have until March 31 to make a one-time election of either Agricultural Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage for the 2014-2018 crop years.

South Korea imposes high rice import tariff South Korea enacted a 513-percent tariff on rice imports at the start the of new year, the highest allowed by the World Trade Organization. Under its WTO membership, South Korea is required to import 408,700 metric tons of rice at a 5-percent tariff.

Anything above that level is now taxed 513 percent. The U.S. share of the Korea Minimum Market Access requirement is around 50,000 tons.

CONTACT • Matt King 501-228-1297, matt.king@arfb.com.