Farm Bureau Press for August 23

AUGUST 23, 2019 • VOLUME 22 • ISSUE 17

Farm Bureau Press A PEEK INSIDE

ARFB LAUNCHES EXTENDED ARKANSAS AGCAST Arkansas Farm Bureau has launched an expanded, weekly Arkansas AgCast. The new format includes multiple guests and discussions, lengthening each episode to 30-45 minutes each.

Watch for new episodes of the AgCast each Thursday on iTunes and on arfb.com.

NATIONAL RICE MONTH SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST

Williams Named Director of Women’s Leadership Program & Farm Bureau Foundation, page 2.

Do you know a high school senior looking for scholarship opportunities, Think Rice! September is National Rice Month (NRM) and USA Rice is hosting a Scholarship video contest.

High school students graduating from Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, or Texas, are encouraged to submit a three-minute video that creates awareness and promotes U.S.-grown rice, September National Rice Month, and the importance of rice to your state.

Entries will be judged on creativity, quality, popularity, and effectiveness in promoting U.S.-grown rice. Sample topics include: rice production, nutrition, sustainability, marketing/promotion, etc.

Three scholarship prizes, sponsored by Corteva Agriscience, totaling $8,500 will be awarded. The grand-prize winner will receive a $4,000 scholarship and a trip with a chaperone this December to the awards ceremony at the 2019 USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little Rock. The second-place winner will receive a $3,000 scholarship, and third-place $1,500.

Entries are due by Oct. 31. For more information on who is eligible and how to enter, plus tips on making a great video, visit the NRM scholarship webpage, http://bit.ly/ThinkRiceScholarship.

2019 Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest, page 3.

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WILLIAMS NAMED DIRECTOR OF WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM & FARM BUREAU FOUNDATION Amanda Williams has been named Director of the Women’s Leadership Program & Farm Bureau Foundation for the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation. Williams has been with Arkansas Farm Bureau for eight years, serving for six years as Safety Coordinator and for the past two years as Education & Foundation Coordinator.

In her expanded role, Williams will primarily be responsible for planning and budgeting for the state Women’s Leadership Committee and working with county Women’s Leadership committees to assist with various activities. She will also develop and implement training activities to educate members and grow participation.

Williams will maintain her responsibility for coordinating the daily activities of the Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fundraising arm dedicated to supporting agriculture education, research, disaster relief and potential litigation.

Washington County Cook-Out | Approximately 80 were in attendance at the Washington County Farm Bureau’s annual Scholarship Cook-Out held June 27 at the Fayetteville office.

Shown with President Allen Moore (left) are eight of the 15 20192020 scholarship winners. Washington County has provided 15 $1,000 scholarships each year since 2012.

Van Buren County Farm Family | Van Buren County Farm Bureau recognized Alan & Angela Mahan of Rabbit Ridge Farms as the 2019 County & North Central District Farm Family at the annual meeting on Aug. 19 in Clinton.

The state Women’s Leadership Committee and county Women’s committees are critical to Arkansas Farm Bureau’s efforts to promote agriculture. Williams will work within Farm Bureau to build the committee and program while also overseeing its annual conference.

She will work with other organizations and the American Farm Bureau Federation to further enhance the program, and with volunteers and committees to motivate them and instill a desire to improve their county programs.

Williams is a 2005 graduate of Arkansas State University, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in ag business. She lives in Vilonia with her husband and son.

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Washington County Fair | Washington County agents cooked lunch for the fair exhibitors and workers at the Washington County Fair on Aug. 20. About 200 people were served. Pictured are (L to R) Rusty Walker, agent; Vince Massanelli, agency manager; Trae Autrey, agent, and Chris Billings, agent.

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2019 ARKANSAS GROWN SCHOOL GARDEN OF THE YEAR CONTEST School entries are being accepted for the sixth annual Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture (ADA) and Farm Credit. Applicants may be any Arkansas school, grades pre-K through 12, that had a school garden open during the 2018-2019 school year, or any schools planning to start a garden in the 2019-2020 school year.

Franklin County Farm Family | The 2019 Franklin County Farm Family of the Year, Michael and Kasey Post, were recognized at the Franklin County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting that was held on Aug. 5 at the Charleston First Baptist Church. Pictured are (L to R) Jesse Taylor, Franklin County Extension Agent, Staff Chair; Richard Armstrong, Franklin County Farm Bureau President; Michael, Amelia, A. J., and Kasey Post.

The deadline for submission is Aug. 30. Online entry forms and program requirements are available at www.agriculture.arkansas.gov/aad-programs. All applicants except those applying for the school garden start up category will be required to provide photos or video documentation of garden activities and progress. Schools eligible to apply include non-traditional educational facilities such as juvenile detention centers and residential childcare institutions.

Farm Credit is generously providing funding for winners in the following award categories: Best School Garden Start-Up Proposal – $500 Best Nutrition Education Based Garden – $500 Best Community Collaboration Garden – $500 Best Environmental Education Focused Garden – $500 Overall Winning Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year – $1,000 “School gardens bring agriculture, our state’s largest industry, to life for Arkansas students,” says Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward. “We are pleased to see this program enter a sixth year of successfully helping support and start school garden initiatives in counties across Arkansas. We appreciate the sponsorship provided by Farm Credit that makes this important program possible.”

Sharp County Fair | Sharp County fair attendees visited the ag trailer and milking cow. (Top photo) Ken Billiot, Sharp County president, presenting one of five winners, Sherri Groves, a weather radio.

“As a farmer-owned cooperative, we are excited to continue our support of teachers and projects that engage Arkansas students in food production and agricultural sustainability. Through these partnerships, we can ensure that the valuable role of Arkansas agriculture remains top-of-mind for the next generation,” said AgHeritage Farm Credit Services President & CEO Greg Cole, spoke on behalf of the Farm Credit cooperatives of Arkansas.

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MARKET NEWS as of August 21, 2019 Contact Brandy Carroll 501-228-1268 brandy.carroll@arfb.com

Corn Corn production was projected to be 13.9 billion bushels, down 4% from 2018, but higher than many were expecting. Acres planted were pegged at 90 million, and acres harvested for grain were pegged at 82 million acres, down 2% from the previous report. An expected yield of 169.5 bushels per acre offset the decrease in acres. Both numbers are higher than many private estimates, and FSA reported certified acres of only 85.8 million acres of corn planted, suggesting the harvested acres estimate may still be a bit high.

Also suggesting a possible revision, USDA also says that 11.2 million acres were reported as prevented planted.

The crop is very late, so it will likely be the November crop report before we get a real handle on the size of the crop. The market also took a hit from news that EPA granted 31 hardship waivers from the Renewable Fuel Standard. The news sent corn and ethanol futures crashing down.

December has support at the May low of $3.63 ¾.

Soybeans NASS is reporting planted soybean acres of 76.7 million acres. That is down from 80 million in the previous report, and the trade was expecting to see a small increase. Total production is pegged at 3.68 billion bushels, with harvested acres pegged at 75.9 million and an expected yield of 48.5 bushels per acre. FSA reported certified acres of 74 million acres and prevented planted acres of 4.35 million acres. The market reaction here has been muted thanks 4

to renewed concern about the trade war with China and stock market weakness. November will have resistance at this week’s high of $8.96 ¾, and support at the recent low of $8.54 ½.

Rice Rice futures continue to be under pressure from ample supplies. Crop conditions declined a bit week to week, but 68% of the crop is rated good to excellent. That is down from 70% a week ago and 73% a year ago. The latest supply/demand report lowered beginning stocks and production for 2019/2020, resulting in an ending stocks estimate of 47.2 million cwt. While that is down from 50.6 million cwt in 2018/2019, it is still significantly higher than 2017/2018 carryout of 29.4 million cwt. Many believe the production estimate will be cut further as the NASS acreage estimate of 2.711 million acres is significantly higher that FSA certified acreage of 2.4876 million. November has support around $11.10. USDA estimates that the average on-farm price for the market year will be $12.20 for all rice, and $11.00 for long grain.

Cattle Cattle futures collapsed last week in reaction to a fire at Tyson’s Holcomb, Kan., beef plant. The plant processed roughly 6,000 head a day, which accounts for 25% of Kansas’ production and more than 5% of production nationwide. The front five contracts were limit down two days in a row, even with the $4.50 expanded limit on Tuesday, as sellers panicked. The market has stabilized somewhat, but October is struggling to hold above $100. That is the lowest level of trading on the weekly continuation chart since October 2016. October has support at last week’s low of $97.77 ½. December is currently holding above support at $103.25. Futures are now technically oversold, but until the market gets a feel for the full impact the fire will have on beef production, the upside will likely be limited. The cash trade is running about $5-$7 lower than

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the previous week. Wholesale beef values, however, have seen big gains as production will be cut right before the Labor Day holidays, when demand is usually solid as consumers celebrate the holiday weekend. This could encourage other producers to ramp up production, as packer margins are soaring as cattle prices struggle to find support and beef values continue to increase.

Dairy In the August Supply/Demand report, USDA reduced the estimate for milk production in both 2019 and 2020. The reduction is due to expectations for a smaller herd and slower growth in milk per cow.

2019 production is now pegged at 217.9 billion pounds, down 3 million pounds from the July estimate. 2020 production is now estimated at 221.4 billion pounds, down 4 million pounds from July. The Class III milk price average for 2019 is projected to be $16.30 per cwt, up 25 cents from the July report, while the 2020 price forecast was reduced 10 cents per hundred to $16.55 in the latest report.

Hogs October hogs are building support at the low of $61.50, however, the upside is expected to be limited for the time being. Seasonal increases in hog supplies are pressuring the cash market. Production numbers are up over year-ago totals, and that increase is resulting in lower wholesale prices. The market did get a boost last week on news that China bought 10,200 metric tons of U.S. pork, but as the trade war continues to escalate, China’s stateowned companies are not expected to continue to purchase U.S. ag products of any kind.

EDITOR Ashley Wallace ashley.wallace@arfb.com