Farm Bureau Press - July 20, 2012

In Farm Bureau ...

County Activities of Excellence American Farm Bureau Federation’s County Activities of Excellence (CAE) Awards are designed to celebrate and recognize unique volunteer-driven programming at the local level.

AFBF wants to recognize and share successful county Farm Bureau programs and activities to help generate even more activity at the county level. With a focus on the priority issues of the organization, the program categorizes activities into the following areas: Education and Ag Promotion, Member Services, Public Relations and Information, Leadership Development and Policy Implementation.

Up to 25 county Farm Bureaus from across the nation will be selected to present a display of their winning activity during the AFBF Annual Meeting Tradeshow Jan. 13-14, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn.

® Pope Co. FB President Gary Rowlands (left) and Phil Sims, staff chair for Pope County’s Cooperative Extension Service, examine what’s left of Rowlands’ Bermuda-grass pasture on his ranch near Hector July 11. The area has experienced exceptional drought. Sims says the root system of the Bermuda grass here has likely been destroyed due to lack of soil moisture, and Rowlands will need to plant new grass before it can be productive again.

Counties selected will receive $2,250 toward expenses incurred to participate in the CAE program at the annual meeting. Enter your county’s outstanding program and you may be selected to highlight your successful activity to FB members from around the country.

The awards will be judged based on the following county membership groups: up to 1,000 members; Rep. Rick Crawford (center) visited with (l to r) Jeffery Hall, Arkansas Farm Bureau’s associate director of national affairs; ArFB summer interns Mollie Dykes and Carly Calico; and ArFB President Randy Veach during the American Farm Bureau Council of Presidents meeting held in Washington, D.C. July 9-13.

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www.arfb.com

1,001-3,000 members; 3001-5,000 members and 5,001+ members.

County Farm Bureau applications must be received by the state Farm Bureau office no later than Aug. 31.

Applications can be downloaded at www.fb.org/programs/countyx and e-mailed to Arkansas’ coordinator Jody Urquhart at jody.urquhart@ arfb.com. Electronic applications are required; no handwritten

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A Publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation

July 20, 2012 • Vol. 15, No. 13

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Meet astronaut Kelly Retired astronaut Mark Kelly will deliver the keynote address at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2013 Annual Meeting, Jan. 13-16, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. More than 5,000 Farm Bureau members from across the nation are expected to gather in Nashville for the 94th annual meeting to hear from distinguished leaders and participate in a grassroots policy-setting process that will guide AFBF through 2013.

Kelly is one of America’s most experienced pilots and has logged more than 6,000 flight hours aboard more than 50 different aircraft. His experience includes 375 aircraft carrier landings, 39 combat missions, more than 50 days in space and serving as commander of the Space Shuttle Endeavor’s final mission.

Kelly is married to Gabrielle Giffords, the former member of Congress who survived an assassination attempt in January 2011.

“We are excited to have Mark Kelly as our keynote speaker,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “His outstanding leadership, dedication to teamwork and courage under pressure are truly inspirational.”

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applications will be accepted.

Announcement of winners will be made no later than Oct. 15.

Elizabeth Moseley, daughter of Terry and Kay Moseley of Traskwood, received a Saline Co. FB scholarship presented by county President Tim King. Elizabeth attended Harmony Grove High School in Haskell and will use the scholarship to attend UofA in Fayetteville where she will major in poultry science/pre-veterinary medicine. consumer-oriented website from the American Farm Bureau Federation, recently went live. The site, accessible from the home page of AFBF’s fb.org, features The Dish and Foodie News Blog, with posts about today’s food trends; farmer profiles from around the country; links to blogs written by farmers, ranchers and others involved in agriculture; excerpts from AFBF’s “Food and Farm Facts” publication about stretching your grocery dollars and how farmers and ranchers care for their animals; and a link to My

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Today’s Agriculture website Today’s Agriculture, the new

More than 400 farmers and ranchers packed Arkansas Tech’s Doc Bryan Auditorium for a drought-management meeting July 10. Attendees heard presentations on forage management during drought, tax implications of selling your cow herd and dealing with insect pests during drought.

During their graduation ceremony June 15, students attending Hot Springs’ MASH Camp and their director, Lana Lambert (left), presented a plaque to Garland Co. FB President Tommy Sorrells (center) to thank Farm Bureau for supporting the camp.

UofA professor Andrew Sharpley (left) received the $10,000 Distinguished Agriscience Scientist Award from the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and AFBF July 10 in Washington, D.C. ArFB President Randy Veach (center) and Dr. Rick Roeder, associate director of the Ark. Agricultural Experiment Station, were there to congratulate him.

American Farm, the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s educational website with games and activities about agriculture.

The new website also includes a link to the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance’s Food Dialogues website, where consumers can learn about their food and join a conversation about modern agricultural practices.

In Arkansas ...

Disaster declared in 69 counties On July 10, Gov. Mike Beebe expanded the state’s formal request to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for a Secretarial Disaster Designation to cover all 75 Arkansas counties. Persistently dry conditions have caused 88 percent of the state to be in a severe drought and 36 percent in extreme drought. On July 12, the USDA issued a fasttrack disaster map that includes 69 Arkansas counties and much of the southern United States.

Farm operators in the designated areas who meet requirements are eligible for low-interest, emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency, with eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to cover part of their

Elsewhere ...

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Favorite Farmers Markets contest Farmers market shoppers throughout the nation now can vote for their favorite farmers markets at www.votemyfarmersmarket.org as part of the American Farmland Trust’s fourth annual America’s Favorite Farmers Markets contest.

The contest helps promote the role farmers markets play in keeping family farmers on the land.

“Shopping at farmers’ markets is one my favorite parts of summer,” said American Farmland Trust President Jon Scholl. “In addition

Retired Newton Co. FB board member Gerald Norton (right) recently received a plaque from county Vice President Larry Davis in recognition of his years of dedicated service to Farm Bureau.

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actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the emergency loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Emergency Conservation Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA service centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures. Additional information is available at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

Van Buren Co. Judge Roger Hooper attended the local Farm Bureau board meeting July 12 to discuss issues affecting local farmers and ranchers. In attendance (l to r) were board member and justice of the peace Richard Collins; board member and Shirley FFA teacher Stephen Matthews; Judge Hooper; Van Buren Co. FB Vice President Andy Andregg and President Leon Wilson. to the freshest local foods, farmers markets offer a great way for consumers to get to know the farmers who grow their food.”

This year’s contest has been expanded to include all 7,175 markets listed in the USDA’s National Farmers Market Directory.

People can vote for as many participating farmers markets as they choose, but can only vote for each market once. Voting runs through midnight Sept. 3, when one small, one medium, one mid-size and one large market will win the title of “America’s Favorite Farmers Market” for 2012. The winning markets will be featured in the media and will be honored at local celebrations organized by American Farmland Trust.

In addition, farmers can submit an essay to win the Farmers Market Inspiration Award. The $1,000 prize will be awarded to a farmer showing the greatest dedication to his/ her market by the Farmers Market Coalition in partnership with Growing for Market magazine and American Farmland Trust.

USFRA seeks ag ambassadors The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance is looking for the “Faces of Farming and Ranching” to help put a real face on agriculture and shine a light on the heart, personalities and values that are behind today’s food.

USFRA wants to find exemplary farmers and ranchers who are proud of what they do, eager to share their stories of continuous improvement

with others and who are actively involved today in sharing those stories.

Winners will have opportunities to share their knowledge and experiences with a national audience. In addition, they will receive a $10,000 stipend to limit the burden of time away from the farm (no more than 30 days over the course of 2013); a $5,000 charitable donation to give to a charity of their choice; and professional media/speaker training to help them effectively tell their story to any audience. Entries will be accepted through Sept. 8. Visit www.FoodDialogues.com for more information and details on how to apply.

Nominations for Rice Awards Nominations are now open for the 2012 Rice Awards. Rice Farming magazine, USA Rice Federation and Horizon Ag sponsor the awards, which honor rice producers and rice industry leaders for their innovation, leadership, management, marketing strategies and involvement in the U.S. rice industry. The Rice Awards categories include Rice Farmer of the Year, Rice Industry award and Rice Lifetime Achievement award.

A nomination form is available at www.ricefarming.com. For additional information, contact Carroll Smith, Rice Farming Magazine, 901-767-4020, Ext. 202 Editor Keith Sutton

keith.sutton@arfb.com

In the Market As of July 17, 2012:  The SOYBEAN uptrend has

resumed after a brief respite. The USDA lowered projected yield 3.4 bushels per acre, but that’s old news just days later as drought and high temperatures reclaim the market’s attention. After reducing projected production to just over 3 billion bushels, USDA lowered use by 150 million bushels, which in turn dropped projected ending stocks to 130 million bushels.

Market reaction was dramatic, with a quick move higher turning into a quicker sell-off and resulting in a key reversal. Typically, a key reversal marks a major top or bottom. In this case, it was suspect because of ongoing weather, and, in three market sessions, there were new highs. While the key reversal was negated by this move, it must be recognized as a warning sign the market could top at any time. November has a gap objective of $17.25, which was left intact when the pullback left the July 4 gap open.  CORN is approaching record highs, with December in position to move to a gap objective around $8.55. USDA lowered yield by 12 percent, cutting 20 bushels off the June number and putting projected production under 13 billion bushels. Use was trimmed more than 1 billion bushels and ending stocks by 700 million bushels. Less than a week later, those numbers are history as the crop continues deteriorating.

This week’s crop progress report trimmed 9 percent from the good to excellent category, with only 4 percent of the crop rated excellent and 26 percent good.

Thirty-eight percent is rated poor to very poor.

WHEAT has ridden the market higher with beans, corn 

and an improving supply demand situation. Reduced competition from the Black Sea area allowed USDA to bump projected exports up by 50 million bushels to 1.2 billion bushels. This trimmed projected ending stocks for the U.S. to a very tight 664 million bushels, boosting the average farm price projection to $6.20 to $7.40 per bushel. September futures are testing resistance just under $9.00 but have a gap objective of $9.57.

July 2013 is consolidating near $8.50. A close above $8.50 would signal better pricing opportunities for the 2013 crop.  RICE. USDA made several adjustments in rice numbers in last week’s report. Adjustments in 2011-12 use left beginning stocks 5 million cwt. larger. An increase in planted and harvested acres boosted 2012 production by 8 million cwt. The additional rice was largely accounted for in a 4 million cwt. increase in domestic use and a 5 million cwt. increase in projected exports. Stocks rose to 29 million cwt., with 17.1 million cwt. being long grain. On the world side, India’s production was cut 2.5 mmt., while Thailand’s stocks are expected to rise 2.75 mmt. Rice futures have followed grains, dipping after the report then recovering to post the highest level in two months this week. September futures have resistance at $16.20 and November at $16.42.  COTTON numbers were little changed in the July report.

Projected exports rose 300,000 bales on indications world production would be slightly lower this year. China has met its goal of 30 million bales in stocks with the current projection of 31.8 million bales. The U.S. crop has some problems, with much of Texas experiencing extreme drought. About 30 percent of that crop will go unharvested according to recent projections. The U.S. crop should be 17 million bales or slightly lower. Futures remain in a 10 cents trading range with

support at 65 cents and resistance at 75 cents. A close to either side of this range would suggest further movement in the direction of the breakout.  CATTLE futures are under significant pressure. The sell-off in feeder cattle has been swift and severe. Fifty-four percent of U.S. pastures are now rated poor to very poor. However, corn prices approaching the $8 level and plunging beef product values have pushed packer margins well into the red and are limiting demand for replacement cattle in feedlots. August feeders look to be heading for a retest of summer 2011 support at $131. August live cattle are trading in a downwardtrending channel with support near $114 and resistance near $120.  HOG futures have fallen below recent trading channels, and charts look extremely bearish.

Farmers are liquidating breeding herds, fearing they won’t be able to afford feeding them this fall/ winter. Sows are being marketed as soon as they reach slaughter weight. The corn crop in the Midwest is in abysmal shape, and soaring prices have cut deeply into prospects of profit for hog farmers.

At the same time, meat demand is suffering from heat and economic uncertainty, forcing packer margins into negative territory.

The recent recovery in the October contract was short-lived, and further weakness is likely.

Contact •Gene Martin (501) 228-1330, gene.martin@arfb.com.

•Brandy Carroll (501) 228-1268, brandy.carroll@arfb.com.

•Bruce Tencleve (501) 228-1856, bruce.tencleve@arfb.com.

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