In Farm Bureau Southeastern Farmer of the Year The Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year judges visited Wildy Family Farms, the reigning Arkansas Farm Family of the Year, Aug. 3 as part of a multi-state judging tour. While in Arkansas, the judges visited with David Wildy and his family as part of the process to determine who will be the winner of the Southeastern Farmer of the Year award. The judges visited 10 states and their respective state winners over the course of six days. This year’s winners represented the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The overall winner will be announced Oct. 18 at the Sunbelt Ag Expo farm show in Moultrie, Ga. President’s Leadership Council The third and final session of the 2016 Arkansas Farm Bureau President’s Leadership Council convened in Fayetteville Aug. 5 and 6. The President’s
Members of the President’s Leadership Council listen to Stacy Hadrick as she shares some tips and tricks for effective communication when telling their agriculture stories. Stacy and her husband Troy raise cattle in South Dakota and travel the country speaking to agricultural groups about agricultural advocacy. Leadership Council is comprised of 20 individuals from across the state, all who have a tie to agriculture in some capacity. Beginning Friday morning, Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach addressed the group and encouraged them to share their passion for agriculture. Other speakers for the two-day session included guests from Tyson Foods, Inc., U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, Julie Borlaug of the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M University shares personal stories about growing up with her grandfather, Norman Borlaug. She spoke to the members of ArFB’s President’s Leadership Council Aug. 6 about the importance of biotechnology in the fight against world hunger and international poverty.
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Advocates for Ag, the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Walmart and KARK channel 4 in Little Rock. Participants learned about effective communication, the importance of sharing their agriculture story and tips to address consumer concerns. The topics covered in the workshop built upon each other, eventually providing participants with
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A Publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
August 12, 2016 • Vol. 19, No. 16
Windham to leave CES After 28 years with the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Director Tony Windham is leaving for a position in the private sector. Windham’s last day with extension will be Aug. 31. Windham began his service in extension in 1988 as an extension economist in Little Rock. In 2005, he transitioned into the position of assistant director of Community and Economic Development. In 2006, he oversaw both Community and Economic Development and Agriculture and Natural Resources before being appointed interim director of the organization in 2009. Windham was then named associate vice president for agriculture and director in 2010. Mark Cochran, vice presidentagriculture and head of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, has appointed Rick Cartwright to serve as interim director. Cartwright had been associate director-agriculture and natural resources. “Dr. Cartwright’s lifetime of experience in agriculture and the Cooperative Extension Service make him ideal to take this leadership role,” said Cochran.
Warren Carter, executive vice president of Arkansas Farm Bureau, addressed a group of 40 agricultural agents at the National Association of County Agricultural Agents annual meeting July 27 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Mr. Carter discussed the beneficial partnership found between Extension and Farm Bureau.
John and Jan Parrish of Franklin County were recognized by the Franklin County Farm Bureau at the county’s annual meeting Aug. 1 at the Family Life Center of First Baptist Church in Charleston. President Duane Hill, right, presented the Parrish family with the Farm Family of the Year plaque. The Parrish family raises Red Angus cattle.
The Grapes of Arkansas Workshop and Field Day will be held September 15 at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Fruit Research Station in Clarksville. The event will begin at 2 p.m. and conclude at 6:30 p.m. with a vineyard tour of the station’s grape breeding program. The agenda includes a variety of academic and professional speakers, including guests from the University of Arkansas, Paulk Vineyards in Georgia and the University of Florida. Registration is due Sept. 8 and costs $10 for members of the Arkansas Association of Grape Growers or $20 for non-members. Online registration and
payment is available at http://food-science. uark.edu/ or http://horticulture.uark.edu. For more information or to register by regular mail, contact Renee Threlfall, Institute of Food Science and Engineering, University of Arkansas, 2650 N. Young Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72704, 479-575-4677 or rthrelf@uark.edu.
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Grapes of Arkansas
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In Arkansas
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the opportunity to practice their communication skills through a mock interview oncamera.
D.J. Williams (center) rounded out the line-up of speakers Aug. 6 at the third and final meeting of the 2016 ArFB President’s Leadership Council. Williams, a former Razorback and current TV personality, spoke about his experience transitioning from a shy child to full-time communicator.
M*A*S*H Camp students from West Memphis toured the University of Arkansas for Medical Science facilities in Little Rock July 28. During the tour, the students got to meet with a variety of departments and colleges within UAMS to learn more about careers in the medical field.
USA Rice Brian King, a rice merchant for Erwin Keith, Inc., has been elected as the chairman for USA Rice. King’s two-year post started on Aug. 1. He succeeds Dow Brantley, an Arkansas rice farmer who served as chairman from 2014 to 2016. “Brian is going to make a great chairman,” Brantley said. “He is well versed in U.S. rice industry issues having served on the board of the USA Rice Merchants’ Association and as current chair of the USA Rice Western Hemisphere Subcommittee.” New executive director of ANRC Gov. Asa Hutchinson has announced Bruce Holland will replace Randy Young as the executive director of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission. Young retired July 29. Holland will be transitioning into the role after serving as the executive director of the Arkansas Livestock & Poultry Commission since Jan. 2015. “Bruce’s professional background, along with his past experience in the Arkansas legislature, makes him an ideal fit as the
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new director of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission,” said Hutchinson. “I am confident that Bruce will do an excellent job leading the efforts of the ANRC, striving to protect the natural wealth of our state.” Before serving as executive director of the Arkansas Livestock & Poultry commission, Holland served four years as a state senator for seven counties in western Arkansas. During his time in the Senate, he was appointed Assistant President Pro Tempore and served as chairman of the Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee. Holland has served as chairman for the Farm Service Agency County Committee for Crawford, Scott and Sebastian counties and as president of the Sebastian County Farm Bureau.
Elsewhere
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USDA extension grants On Aug. 2, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced 19 grants totaling $36.5 million for research and extension to support American farmers growing specialty crops. The grants are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Specialty crops grown by American
Kristi Weaver of Washington County practices her impromptu interview skills with KARK’s D.J. Williams during the third session of the President’s Leadership Council. Weaver used her interview to discuss the challenges the dairy industry, especially in Arkansas, faces in today’s economy.
Members of the Miller County Farm Bureau volunteered their time July 7 to assist with the annual Miller County 4-H Fishing Derby at Dieffenbacher Lake in Texarkana. They gave out t-shirts, baited hooks, repaired fishing rods and helped serve lunch alongside volunteers from the University of Arkansas and Master Gardeners. More than 100 4-H kids caught fish during the derby. farmers to be supported by these grants include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. USDA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative creates and distributes science-based tools to address the needs of certain crops. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, will receive one of 19 grants totaling $50,000 in funds to be dedicated to projects that address research and extension needs for the state. Farmland prices drop The average value of farmland in the U.S. has dropped for the second time in almost 30 years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that farmland in the continental U.S. declined $10 an acre, the first drop since 2009, totaling $3,010 an acre in a report released Aug. 5. Brent Gloy, an agricultural economist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, anticipates the decline to continue. “It’s going to be soft for another year, at least,” said Gloy. “We haven’t worked through the magnitude of the drop in commodity prices.” Pasture land remained constant at
$1,330 per acre while cropland values decreased by $40 per acre to $4,090 per acre. Arkansas experienced no change in its average farmland value of $3,050 per acre. Levee safety The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in July announcing that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have made minimal progress in instigating levee-safety-related activities as mandated by the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014. Six activities were required to be implemented by FEMA and the Corps, with only the national levee inventory currently showing any progress towards completion. Agency officials cited resource constraints as the primary reason for their lack of progress. There are an estimated 100,000 miles of levees in the U.S., all of which provide protection for citizens against flooding. For more information, the report can be downloaded here: http://mwlaw.com/ webfiles/Levee%20 Safety.pdf. Editor Keith Sutton
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In the Market As of August 10, 2016
Board discusses dicamba The Arkansas State Plant Board (SPB) may restrict use of dicamda because estimates show more than 250,000 acres of soybeans have been damaged by dicamba drift this year. A committee voted to recommend to the full board that the two most volatile dicamba formulations (acid and DME salt) be banned in Arkansas, with an exception for use on pasture and grassland at least 1 mile away from susceptible crops. The DGA salt formulations of dicamba are recommended to be banned from May 1-Sept. 15, with the same exemption for pasture and grassland. Monsanto’s M1691, Roundup Xtend with VaporGrip and XtendiMax are all included in this category and would therefore be banned during the growing season. If a label is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, BASF’s new dicamba formulation, Engenia, will be the only product legally available to spray over the top of Xtend cotton and beans in Arkansas. Additionally, the SPB changed its earlier recommendation on the penalty at the urging of several state legislators. The board’s new recommendation is to ask the General Assembly to increase the maximum civil penalty the SPB can impose from $1,000 to $25,000, with the higher amount reserved for egregious violations (to be defined as someone who knowingly and willingly violated the law). Once approved by the General Assembly, each division of the SPB would consider adding the additional penalty category to their individual matrix. Each addition would require a public comment period and hearing before approval. Brazil may clear GMO corn Brazil’s ag ministry is seeking
approval of U.S. GMO corn imports as the country’s livestock and poultry producers struggle with tight supplies and rising domestic prices. According to a U.S. ag attaché report, Brazil’s National Biosafety Technical Commission will meet Sept. 1 to address the potential approval of U.S. GMO corn imports. The attaché report says, “If they [NBTC] approve the measure (there is a lot of political pressure to do so), [it] would leave a window of imports from the United States from September to November.”
The fifth-largest buyer of U.S. wheat said it will continue testing incoming U.S. wheat and reject loads containing any GMO wheat.
China pushes GMO soybeans The latest five-year science and technology plan from China outlines plans for the country to approve the commercialization of GMO soybean production for food and feed use by 2020. The plan also calls for the commercialization of GMO corn production. While GMO soybean production will face stiff opposition, China is seeking to increase soybean output and encourage more crop rotations with corn.
Bayer checking Monsanto finances German-based Bayer could raise its $55 billion takeover offer for Monsanto after a review of Monsanto’s financial accounts. Bayer has signed confidentiality agreements to conduct due diligence on Monsanto, a process that is expected to last a few more weeks. No final decision on whether to raise the offer has yet been made. In July, Monsanto rejected Bayer’s improved $125-a-share offer, describing it as “financially inadequate” and leaving the German firm to decide whether to raise its bid a second time. Reports have surfaced that Monsanto may be willing to come to the table for $130 per share.
Chinese soybean imports up China imported 7.76 MMT of soybeans in July, up 2.6 percent from June, but 18.3 percent below July 2015 imports. From January through July, China imported 46.32 MMT of soybeans, up 3.8 percent from year-ago. Chinese soybean imports are expected to slow in the months ahead as port stocks are high and crush margins are declining. Quarantined wheat tests negative No GMO presence was detected in wheat quarantined on a Washington State farm where unapproved biotech plants were recently discovered, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Aug. 5. Officials say the quarantined wheat will be allowed to enter the commercial marketplace. South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it has not found any GMO wheat in tests on imported wheat and flour from Washington State after receiving testing supplies Aug. 1.
Ryan: TPP “doesn’t have the votes” House Speaker Paul Ryan, speaking on Wisconsin Public Radio, said, “As long as we don’t have the votes, I don’t see any point in bringing up the [Trans-Pacific Partnership] agreement only to defeat it.” He said he does not see how the Obama administration “will ever get the votes for it.”
Global food prices decline The Food and Agriculture Organization’s food price index slipped 0.8 percent in July to 161.9 points, which was also 1.4 percent below the July 2015 level. The July decline halted five consecutive months of higher global food prices. July declines in the price of cereal grains and vegetable oils more than offset increased prices for meat, dairy and sugar.
CONTACT • Matt King 501-228-1297, matt.king@arfb.com.