Farm Bureau Press - October 31, 2014

In Farm Bureau Ag tour opportunity Arkansas Farm Bureau is organizing an ag tour to Brazil in February. On this eight-day trip, producers will have the opportunity to visit farming operations and meet local producers. The tours will start at farms and ports in southern Brazil, then move to Mato Grosso state in west-central Brazil.

The trip is open to all Farm Bureau members. The cost is $4,737 per person, which includes airfare and other transportation, double occupancy and some meals.

For more information, contact Matt King at 501-519-4297.

Games on tablets All 19 “My American Farm” games offered by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture can now be played online using any type of tablet, including all versions of Apple iPad. Thanks to a generous technology enhancement grant by DuPont Pioneer, each game was updated to enable online game-play on all tablets. Users can now simply visit

Dr. Merritt Holman of Lonoke is a crop researcher, cotton consultant and president of Arkansas Crop Technologies. For several years, he also has been growing pumpkins and gourds on 35 acres near England. He recently posed with this wagonload of freshly picked fruits being delivered for a fundraising event at a local church. According to the most recent agricultural census, in 2012, there were 29 Arkansas pumpkin farms covering a total of 426 acres. www.myamericanfarm.org through a PC, Mac or tablet and play all games with ease.

My American Farm is an educational game platform launched in 2011 to engage pre-K through fifth-grade learners in agriculture. Today the free site offers 19 agriculturally themed games and more than 100 free educator resources such as lesson plans, activity sheets and comics.

Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach of Manila was special guest speaker before a packed house at North Logan Co. FB’s annual meeting Oct. 7. The county get-together, held at the Round House in Subiaco, featured delicious homecooked food prepared by members of the county Women’s Committee.

Several hundred Farm Bureau members attended.

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www.arfb.com

In Arkansas Ag Hall of Fame needs nominations The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame is seeking nominations from the public for its class of 2014. The nomination deadline is Nov. 14.

The Hall of Fame recognizes Arkansans

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A Publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation

October 31, 2014 • Vol. 17, No. 21

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who are or have contributed significantly to the state’s largest industry, while spotlighting their contributions to the state’s economic development. Since its first class was selected in 1987, 142 men and women have been inducted.

Chairman Cal McCastlain says anyone can nominate a person believed worthy for the honor. “The history of Arkansas agriculture is filled with great men and women,” he said. “The role of the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame is to honor the worthy individuals who made a profound impact on Arkansas agriculture.”

The Farm Bureau Center in Little Rock houses the Agriculture Hall of Fame, which is sponsored by the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and Arkansas Farm Bureau.

Additional information and online nomination forms are available at www. arkansasaghalloffame.org. Forms can also be requested by calling MaLeta Stephens at 501-228-1470.

The induction ceremony for the next class will be March 6 in Little Rock.

At its annual meeting Oct. 14 in Russellville, Pope Co. FB recognized Randy and Laura Clark of Pottsville as the county’s 2014 Farm Family of the Year. (Left to right): Laura Clark; Randy Clark (holding granddaughter Alexis); Phil Sims, Pope Co. staff chair with the UA Division of Agriculture; daughter Ashlynn; daughter-in-law Nina and son Nathan.

Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture. There is no cost to attend, and the daytime meetings include lunch.

“The new farm bill is so different, so complex, producers need this specialized training to ensure a smooth transition into the 2015 growing season,” said UA professor of economics Robert Coats.

“This is an opportunity to gain insight and a greater understanding of available program options including the Agricultural Risk Coverage, Price Loss Coverage and Supplemental Coverage Option programs

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Farm bill workshops In November, Arkansas crop producers will have several opportunities to get up to speed on the 2014 farm bill and its anticipated effects on their operations.

Workshops are being offered jointly by the Farm Service Agency and the University of

At the county’s annual meeting Oct. 20, Washington Co. FB YF&R members collected member food donations for the Cooperative Emergency Outreach Program. (L to r) Curtis Moore, President Scott Davis, Cambron Harrison, Kipton Moore, Cindy Moore, Allen Moore, Grant Keenen, Heather Keenen, Kristy Weaver, Michael Weaver, Levi Weaver and Stuart Baber.

Boone Co. FB board members Gary Watkins (right) and James Widner taught PTO and equipment safety at the Progressive Agriculture Boone County Safety Days event in Harrison Oct. 21-22. More than 350 fourth-graders from six Boone County schools attended the event, where they also learned about electrical, fire, bicycle, ATV, animal and chemical safety.

Karen Brown (left) and Gabby Mell of McCrory received certificates of appreciation from Woodruff Co. FB Oct. 7 at the organization’s annual meeting in Patterson. County board member Janice Marsh, chair of ArFB’s State Women’s Committee, made the presentation. Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Butch Calhoun was keynote speaker. More than 100 attended. enacted by the 2014 farm bill and into the new web-based farm bill decision tools.”

The workshops are being conducted by Tony Franco, FSA’s chief of farm programs; Anita Wilson, agricultural program specialist with FSA; Coats and other FSA and Division of Agriculture specialists. The workshops are scheduled as follows: • Nov. 3, 8:30 a.m.-noon. Lonoke, Arkansas Rural Water Association.

Contacts: Jeff Welch, jwelch@uaex. edu, 501-676-3124; Sherry West, sherry.west@ar.usda.gov • Nov. 5, 9 a.m.-noon. Newport, ASU-Newport. Contacts: Jim Barnes, 870-523-8986 x105; Sarah Metzger, smetzger@uaex.edu, 870-523-7450.

• Nov. 6, 9 a.m.- noon. Pocahontas, Black River Technical College, Development Center Auditorium.

Contact: Mike Andrews, mandrews@ uaex.edu, 870-892-4504 • Nov. 7, 9 a.m.-noon. Paragould Community Center. Contacts: Allen Davis, ardavis@uaex.edu, 870-236-6921; Dave Freeze, dfreeze@uaex.edu, 870-236-6921 • Nov. 10, 6 p.m. West Memphis, Mid-South Community College.

Contact: Russell Parker, rparker@uaex.edu, 870-739-3239 • Nov. 18, 9 a.m.-noon. Marianna, Lon Mann Cotton Research Station.

Contacts: Shawn Payne, spayne@uaex.edu; 870-338-8027; Robert Goodson, rgoodson@uaex.edu, 870-338-8027;

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Calhoun to retire The Arkansas Agriculture Department has announced the retirement of Butch Calhoun as Arkansas’ Secretary of Agriculture, effective Dec. 31. In his letter to Gov. Mike Beebe, Calhoun said, “It has been an honor and privilege serving in your administration for the past eight years as the Director of Rural Services and the Secretary of Agriculture. I have enjoyed these jobs very much but feel it is time for me to spend time focusing on some other things in my life.

I am proud of the work being done at the Arkansas Agriculture Department and feel

ArFB President Randy Veach posed in front of the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, during a recent trade mission with the American Farm Bureau Trade Advisory Committee. The group was there to discuss increasing trade through comprehensive agreements that would reduce government-imposed barriers to agricultural trade.

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Stan Baker, swbaker@uaex.edu, 870-295-7720; Van Banks, vbanks@ uaex.edu, 870-747-3397 • Nov. 19, 8:30 a.m.-noon. Stuttgart, Rice Research and Extension Center.

Contacts: Chuck Capps, ccapps@ uaex.edu, 870-946-3231; Grant Beckwith, gbeckwith@uaex. edu, 870-673-2661 • Nov. 20, 9 a.m.- noon. Morrilton, Conway County Fairgrounds Multi-Purpose Building. Contact: Kevin VanPelt, kvanpelt@uaex.edu, 501-354-9618 At its annual meeting in Roe Oct. 9, Monroe Co. FB recognized all its board members who have served 20 years or more. Those in attendance were (left to right) Albert Grizzle (longest serving with 48 years), Dennis Geisler, J.T. Davis, Jon Carroll, Kirby Meachum, Roger Wilkison (represented by wife Leann), Jim Carroll, Bob Kemmer and Michael Richardson. it is accomplishing its mission of supporting and advocating for all segments of Arkansas’ agricultural industry.”

Calhoun was appointed Secretary of Agriculture in June 2012. “Agriculture is the largest and one of the most diverse industries in Arkansas,” he said, “and I’ve enjoyed working with the many industry partners during my time with the department. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and on my farm in Prairie County next year.”

Grandin headlines conference Temple Grandin, an animal scientist whose life story was profiled in an HBO movie, will be the featured speaker at the Four States Cattle Conference Dec. 10 at the Four States Fairgrounds in Texarkana.

Grandin teaches courses on livestock behavior and facility design at Colorado State University. She also consults with the livestock industry on facility design, livestock handling and animal welfare. She was listed as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2010 and is the author of two books on animals that were on The New York Times best-seller list.

Other conference activities will include breakout sessions on heifer selection and development, managing winter annual pastures for stocker cattle and weed management in southern pastures. There also will be a trade show, a heifer selection demonstration and a processing and branding demonstration.

Registration for the conference is $30.

For more information, contact Jerry Clemons at 870-246-2281 or jclemons@uaex.edu.

Elsewhere New ag and food law group Understanding how food and agriculture laws affect food, fiber and energy production is the mission of a new federally funded four-university partnership that makes up the Agricultural and Food Law Consortium.

Part of UA’s National Agricultural Law Center (NALC) in Fayetteville, the coalition will expand the reach of ag and food law information to producers, state and federal policymakers, attorneys, Cooperative Extension Service professionals and others. Partners include the National Sea Grant Law Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law, the Agricultural Law Resource Reference Center at Penn State and the Agricultural and Resource Law Program at Ohio State University. The unit’s work is supported by a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library.

“This is a first-of-its kind partnership in the United States and a natural expansion of our longstanding formal partnership with the USDA National Agricultural Library,” said Harrison Pittman, NALC director.

One of the consortium’s first project areas will be a webinar series covering issues such as state laws on GMO labeling, food safety and shale energy. The consortium also launched an online survey that will help define its long-term research and information agenda. Additional information, including a link to the survey, can be found at www. nationalaglawcenter.org/consortium.

Editor Keith Sutton

keith.sutton@arfb.com

In the Market As of Oct. 30, 2014: Weather and transportation support grain and soybean prices Wet weather across much of the U.S. has delayed corn and soybean harvests.

The latest USDA report shows corn harvest at just 46 percent complete, compared to the five-year average of 65 percent complete. Soybeans are only 70 percent complete, compared to a five-year average of 76 percent.

(Cotton and rice harvests are running ahead of their five-year averages.)

These delays in harvest have traders concerned about how this record crop will be moved from the field to the market. Adding additional support are delays in the rail industry that have caused a bottleneck of grains and oilseeds in the Midwest. This is positive for growers in the South, as basis levels at the river remain strong for soybeans and sorghum. While these prices have near-term fundamental support, technical signals will soon begin to pressure prices, and as conditions improve and this record crop is realized, prices are likely to move sharply lower.

Stalemate continues on TPP A meeting between Japan’s economic revitalization minister and the U.S. trade representative ahead of the final day of talks in the latest Trans-Pacific Partnership meeting failed to resolve lingering differences between the two.

Japan still refuses to remove tariffs on five agriculture categories, among other issues. Japan’s chief negotiator says progress has been made since last month, but agreement is not yet in sight.

China to strengthen import/export controls for grains China’s vice premier said last week that the country will “strengthen

import and export controls for grains while severely cracking down on irregularities like smuggling” in an effort to stabilize its domestic market. Oversupply is creating problems for China, as record stockpiles with harvest underway are causing storage troubles.

Plus China’s stockpiling program has inflated domestic prices, making overseas supplies more attractive to the feed mills. Corn in China is roughly 2.6 times that of the U.S., and analysts estimate the country had around 100 MMT of corn stocks leading up to this year’s harvest. Over the past year, the country has rejected shipments of U.S. corn containing a GMO strain not approved for import, which is yet another example of the nation’s efforts to prop up its domestic market.

Higher bean plantings in Argentina this year Farmers in Argentina will likely plant 50.1 million acres of soybeans this year, which would be up 500,000 acres from the previous season, according to the nation’s ag ministry.

The ministry expects corn plantings of 13.6 million acres, which is a slight reduction from its previous estimate.

Meanwhile, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange says it expects soybean plantings of 20.6 million acres for 2014-15.

Significant rain expected for Mato Grosso Brazil’s main soybean-producing state of Mato Grosso has begun to see some rain, and more is forecast.

Weather forecasters are predicting up to 4 inches of rain by the end of next week. This should renew soybean planting efforts. Some replanting may be needed for beans seeded before the recent dry spell.

Big drop in Russian grain crops likely in 2015 Russia’s 2015 grain crop may fall up to 14 percent from this year’s near-record levels due to depleted soil moisture reserves after a hot and dry

summer, according to SovEcon. The agriculture consultancy says dry soils have already led to weak development of winter grains. It expects a 2015 grain crop below 90 MMT, with next year’s winter wheat harvest expected to come in below 50 MMT. SovEcon estimates the 2014 grain crop at 105 MMT and the wheat crop at 59 MMT. Beef stocks strengthen Frozen beef stocks at the end of September came in heavier than anticipated, raising some concern about demand, though this comes at a time when retailers typically begin to rebuild stocks.

Tight beef supplies continue Last Friday’s Cattle on Feed Report came in about as expected and reminded that supplies are tight. September placements were the second lowest on record since the report began in 1996. Futures remain at a discount to last week’s record-high cash cattle trade, but whether $170 cash prices are sustainable will depend on showlist numbers. Packers have been dealing with negative margins for some time and they may resist raising bids this week in an effort to improve them, especially if the pullback in the beef market continues.

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