Farm Bureau Press | September 10

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 | VOLUME 24 | ISSUE 18

Farm Bureau Press A PEEK INSIDE

ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU CONNECTIVITY SUMMIT

Arkansas Farm Bureau hosted the Arkansas Connectivity Summit on Sept.

8 in Hot Springs. The event focused on developing plans to improve highspeed broadband connectivity and cellular connectivity in Arkansas. Gov. Asa Hutchinson, government and community leaders, industry stakeholders and others, including keynote speaker Commissioner Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission, were in attendance.

The event included sessions on the history of broadband connectivity in the state, best practices from other states, mobile phone connectivity challenges, and technology and competition issues.

Arkansas Farm Bureau's President’s Leadership Council Nominations, page 2

An official joint legislative committee meeting was also held on site.

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A) Gov. Asa Hutchinson; B) Lindsey Holman, Holman Consulting; C) FCC Commissioner Brenden Carr; D) Dr. Joseph Sanford, UAMS Institute for Digital Health and Innovation; E) Steven Porch, chief legal counsel, Arkansas Dept. Of Commerce; F) Amber Gregory, Arkansas State Library.

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Website Connects Arkansas Schools to Local Farmers, Farmto-School Program, page 2-3

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ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU'S PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP COUNCIL NOMINATIONS Nominations are now being accepting for the sixth class of President’s Leadership Council (PLC). This class is open to members age 25-45 who stand out from their peers and have a desire to strengthen their leadership skills. The class will be limited to 20 individuals, with all costs, including travel, covered

by Arkansas Farm Bureau (ArFB). The training sessions will include three two-day sessions in 2022 scheduled for Feb. 18-19, May 20-21, and Aug. 19-20.

County Farm Bureaus are urged to help identify members who would be interested in participating.

ArFB offers many leadership training opportunities for its members, one of these being the PLC. Since its inception in 2012, more than 100 individuals have participated, many who are now serving in leadership positions at the county and state level, including three state board members.

Applications, as well as a participation agreement, are available on the Farm Bureau intranet, under Organization and Member Programs. They are also available on the Leader Portal. Applications should be completed and emailed to PLC@arfb.com no later than Nov. 1.

For more infomration, please contact Jennifer Craig at jennifer.craig@arfb.com or 501-228-1269.

ArFB PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND GOVER HIRES YATES, PROMOTES ROJAS

Arkansas Farm Bureau recently announced the hiring of Jarrod Yates to director of public affairs and government relations and the promotion of Catrinia Rojas to coordinator of policy development and legislative research.

Yates will lead the national affairs efforts on behalf of the state’s largest agricultural advocacy organization. He will lobby the state’s Congressional delegation and assist in executing the political and legislative strategies defined by the roughly 190,000-member organization.

An Arkansas native, Yates was born in Fayetteville, though raised in Prescott (Nevada County), which Jarrod Yates he considers his hometown. Yates and his family have farmed most of his life. He currently has a cattle operation together with his father and brother in Nevada County and they were previously involved in the poultry business.

A former chief of staff for Congressman Mike Ross, Yates, 40, has spent the past seven years helping lead governmental relations at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the state’s largest health

WEBSITE CONNECTS ARKANSAS SCHOOLS TO LOCAL FARMERS, F

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture has launched a multi-platform website that partners Arkansas Farm to School, arfarmtoschool.org, with Arkansas Grown, arkansasgrown.org, the first website of its kind that connects farm to school to a state’s local food branding programs.

“Agriculture impacts every citizen in every community throughout our state,” said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward. “This new website offers unique opportunities for producers, schools, and other institutions to connect with each other and form partnerships that have positive, long-lasting impacts on our communities and state.”

Ouachita Co. | Ouachita Electric Cooperative of Camden and Ouachita County Farm Bureau jointly hosted a legislative breakfast on Aug. 28. State Sen. Charles Beckham (standing) attended the event along with about 30 other guests. Sen. Beckham updated attendees on the 2021 General Assembly Session, potential redistricting in Arkansas based on the 2021 census and other matters.

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The website offers many features, including interactive maps of school gardens, local procurement activities, farms, and producers across the state.

Farmers and producers can search to find contact information for school districts that buy local food. Alternatively, schools can find contact information for farmers and producers when searching the site for sources to buy local food. The website enables schools and farms to create profiles and customize

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RNMENT RELATIONS S insurance provider.

Yates spent four years as Ross’s chief of staff, simultaneously managing five offices and staff in Washington, D.C. and in the Fourth Congressional District.

Yates has a daughter who is a sophomore at the University of Arkansas and son who is a freshman at Little Rock Catholic High.

Rojas will help guide the organization’s policy development process and assist the lobbying staff with research needs on legislative, regulatory and agricultural topics. She will also coordinate the use of technology tools and services to enable more effective communication with public officials.

Honored | Keith Sutton, ArFB's PR department, was recently inducted into the "Legends of the Outdoors" National Hall of Fame. The program recognizes those outdoor sportsmen and sportswomen who, through hard work and devotion to the outdoors, in both hunting and fishing, have played "an integral part in setting the standards and guidelines for the rest of the outdoor world to follow."

She has been with the organization for the past 10 years, providing administrative support for the Public Catrinia Rojas Affairs and Government Relations, and has been involved in Farm Bureau’s member-defined policy development process.

She earned a bachelor of business administration degree in management from UA-Little Rock.

FARM-TO-SCHOOL PROGRAM

listings to include information on the local products they buy or sell respectively.

“When students grow, eat, and learn about local food, we see the triple win of farm to school in action: the health of Arkansas children improves, local farmers are supported, and communities join together,” said Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program Coordinator Sarah Lane.

“This website offers a space for us to learn, share, and connect around the collective goal that all schools in Arkansas have the opportunity to participate in farm to school.”

“We have seen a significant increase in shopping online for local food, especially during the pandemic. The new online resource is user-friendly and enables our farmers and producers to showcase their products and tell their stories with photographs and videos,” said Karen Reynolds, Arkansas Grown and Arkansas Made Program Manager.

“Partnering with Arkansas Farm to School streamlines the process for institutions to procure locally grown and produced food.”

Green Co. Farm Bureau | Greene Co. Farm Bureau held its annual meeting Aug. 17. More than 75 members attended the BBQ dinner. At the event, Greene Co. Farm Bureau Board President Justin Blackburn recognized the Greene County Farm Family of the Year, the Carlos Eason Family; Greene County Farm Bureau scholarship recipients Parker Lentz and Payton Smith (bottom photos); former Board President Terry Don Norwood (top photo); and elected officials from local, district, and state government who were present. Rep. Jimmy Gazaway gave a legislative update on agricultural policy currently being discussed at the state and national level and keynote speaker Dr. Timothy Burcham, Director of Arkansas’ Northeast Rice Research Center, spoke about the progress made in the construction of the new facility.

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MARKET NEWS as of September 7, 2021 Contact Brandy Carroll 501-228-1268 brandy.carroll@arfb.com

Signup for CFAP 2 for Contract Producers and Specialty Crop Growers now open The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is updating the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) for contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry and producers of specialty crops and other salesbased commodities. Contract producers of broilers, pullets, layers, poultry eggs, turkeys, hogs, and pigs may be eligible for assistance.

CFAP 2, which assists producers who faced market disruptions in 2020 due to COVID-19, is part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Signup is open now through Oct. 12 for all eligible producers to apply for or modify applications for CFAP 2.

Cattle Cattle futures are looking toppy after surging to new highs in reaction to the bullish August Cattle on Feed report. The market reversed course and retraced those gains quickly. October set a new contract high of $132.85, which could prove to be tough resistance on a rebound. The next level of support is near $124, with additional support at $120. The December contract looks headed for a retest of support at $130 in short-order.

Futures are no longer trading at a premium to cash, so that could limit additional downside. Cash prices could find some support as retailers restock shelves after Labor 4

Day. Tightening cattle supplies will also support prices. BSE has been discovered in Brazil, and China has banned beef imports from that country, which could also support U.S. beef prices.

Hogs October hogs have been trading in a mostly sideways pattern in recent days, but the market remains in a longer-term down trend. A close above resistance at $91 would open the possibility of a retest of resistance at $94. Support begins at $86. Hog supplies are increasing, but we could see some strength this week due to the shortened holiday schedule and demand as retailers restock after Labor Day. Cotton December cotton futures have backed away from their recent contract high of 96.71 cents and are consolidating between support at 92 cents and resistance at 95 cents.

70% of the U.S. crop is rated goodexcellent condition by the USDA. These are the highest crop ratings for this week in over 15 years. The cooler summer has the crop lagging in maturity, though. That was potentially good news for farmers in the path of Hurricane Ida, where the lack of open bolls could minimize damage. Weekly export sales were disappointing at only 105,200 bales for 2021-22 delivery and 23,800 bales for 2022-23 delivery. However, stronger crude oil and a weaker dollar have been supportive.

Rice Harvest pressure is having an impact on rice futures as harvest kicks off throughout the MidSouth. Nationwide, the crop is 19% harvested, in Arkansas, farmers have 6% of the crop in the bins.

November futures have so far found support between $13.20 and $13.30, but additional support

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will be found at $13 if that fails to hold. In the latest rankings, 77% of the crop left to harvest was rated good to excellent, but that doesn’t include damage done by Hurricane Ida. Exports were uninspiring last week at a net 49,500 metric tons, down significantly from recent weeks. Shipments were only 38,600 metric tons.

Soybeans Soybean futures remain under pressure as harvest approaches.

56% of the crop is in good to excellent condition. The forecast calls for a drier pattern for the next two weeks across much of the Midwest and Delta. That will be welcomed, especially in the Delta in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Soybean oil prices continue to be supportive, while meal is trading at contractlow levels. Weekly export sales were supportive at 80.9 million bushels.

Technically, the November contract continues to trend lower, but could find support around $12.40.

Corn Corn futures remain under pressure with December moving to a nearly two-month low, and looking like a retest of support at $5 is likely in the short term. The longer-term downside target for bears could be the April chart gap between $4.77½ and $4.80¾. Expectations for USDA to raise its U.S. crop estimate and increasing harvest pressure are impacting the market. Uncertainty about when barge traffic will be able to resume on the Mississippi river is also a factor, most especially for basis levels, but also for futures prices.

EDITOR Ashley Wallace ashley.wallace@arfb.com