Lonnie Richardson of Mountain View was recognized as the longeststanding Stone County Farm Bureau member at their annual meeting on Monday, Oct. 2. Mr. Richardson is 100 and checks his cows daily, according to SCFB agency manager Shane McElroy.
In Farm Bureau
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President’s Leadership Council Arkansas Farm Bureau has enhanced the leadership capacity for 60 young members with the first three classes of the President’s Leadership Council (PLC), reacting to members’ requests to look continuously for ways to improve the relevance of Arkansas Farm Bureau into the future. Now, ArFB is again offering the opportunity for young people to expand their leadership capacity by accepting nominations for the fourth class of the PLC. This class is open to men and women ages 25-45 who stand out from their peers and have a deep desire to strengthen their leadership skills. The class size will be limited to 20 individuals. All costs, including travel, covered by Arkansas Farm Bureau. The training sessions will include three two-day sessions scheduled for 2018. The first session will be in February. “We urge county Farm Bureaus to help identify individuals who might be
interested in participating,” said ArFB President Randy Veach. “Please consider individuals outside of our current connections and include agribusiness, academia, production agriculture and other allied organizations. Those who are accepted into the program will strengthen their knowledge of Farm Bureau and network with tomorrow’s leaders.” Applications are available on the Farm
Bureau intranet, under Organization and Member Programs (click on President’s Leadership Council). The application should be completed and emailed to catrinia.rojas@arfb.com no later than Nov. 17. Convention registration now open Online registration is now open for American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2018
U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford was a guest speaker Oct. 6 at the first Veterans 4 Ag Summit at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. The Summit attracted about 50 military veterans and agriculture industry representatives with the purpose of educating veterans about resources available to help them start a farm or ranch operation and connect them with industry officials.
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A Publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
October 13, 2017 • Vol. 20, No. 20
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Annual Convention & IDEA Trade Show slated for Jan. 5-10 in Nashville, Tenn. Attendees will be able to join impactful policy discussions and participate in educational workshops to expand their leadership skills and business acumen. Guests will also celebrate the accomplishments of leaders in agriculture, witness powerful keynote speakers in the general sessions and can explore the IDEAg Trade Show floor network, shop featured products, learn about innovative technologies and enjoy TED-style talks on the Cultivation Center stage. Iconic entertainer Reba McEntire will join AFBF President Zippy Duvall during the closing general session of the convention on Jan. 8 for a Q&A keynote touching on her rural roots, family, career and, of course, country music. For more information, visit the convention website at www.fb.org/events/afbf-annualconvention.
The Brent and Glenda Rozeboom Family of Valley Springs was recognized Sept. 20 as Marion County’s Farm Family of the Year by County President Monty Davenport (left) and State Representative Jack Fortner (right) at the Marion County FB Annual meeting at the fairgrounds. The Rozeboom’s raise dairy cows, calves, heifers, goats, 4-H pullets, and hens. said Boozman. “I am pleased to support these investments which will improve water infrastructure control measures to ease the threat of flooding to Arkansas’s rich farmland.” “Our abundant water resources can often be a real challenge for the 1st District,” Crawford said. “From meetings with the producers to conservation districts to local municipalities, for years my office has been working hard on the Departee Creek project in particular. It’s a relief to know that these projects will finally receive the critical investments that the communities need to properly manage their flood risk.” Departee Creek Watershed Improvement
In Arkansas
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Flood prevention funding U.S. Senator John Boozman and Congressman Rick Crawford, members of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees, have announced that the Departee Creek Watershed Improvement District and Big Slough are recipients of U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to reduce the risk of flooding. “Floods put a significant strain on Arkansas’ communities and severely impact agricultural producers in our state,”
Laurie Richardson of Scott County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee spoke to elementary students at the Scott County Fair about the Black Widow spider.
The Dwight Wells Family were recognized as the Drew County Homestead Family of the Year at the Drew County FB Annual meeting at the fairgrounds on Monday, Oct. 9.
District will receive $5.7 million from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to create water control structures and conservation easements to reduce the risk of flooding. Big Slough will receive a $1.9 million grant from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to reduce floodwater damage and prevent sediment loading in Big Slough Drainage Ditch and its major tributaries. Rutledge receives appointment Jeff Rutledge of Newport has been appointed as Northern Region Director for AgHeritage Farm Credit Services, according to Dwain Morris, AgHeritage FCS Board Chairman. Rutledge farms corn, rice, and soybeans on 935 acres owned and 2,700 acres partially owned with family, for a total of 4,200 acres. He serves as chair of Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Rice Division and is on the Arkansas Ag Council Board, Arkansas Rice Council Board, Arkansas Rice Federation Board, USA Rice Federation Board, USA Rice Council Board, Jackson County Farm Bureau Board, Newport School Board, Newport Levee Board, and Arkansas Waterways Commission. Rutledge has a Bachelor of Science in Plant Science from Arkansas State University and a Master of Science degree in Agronomy from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He is also a
deacon and Bible class teacher at Holden Avenue Church of Christ.
Rice Outlook Conference The USA Rice Outlook Conference, the largest North American gathering for the rice industry, will be held Dec. 10-12 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. The annual meeting is expected to attract more than 1,000 growers, millers, merchants, researchers and representatives of allied businesses from the six major rice-producing states. It features an expanded trade show devoted to ricerelated farm equipment, technology, products and services, and will include market outlooks, research reports and keynote speakers like Mark McKinnon, one of the most successful political and media advisors in the modern era and creator of Showtime’s documentary series on the 2016 election “The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth.” For more on the conference, including registration materials and information on exhibiting, visit www.usarice.com/outlookconference/overview. Cooperative agreement for bobwhites The National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) and the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) have finalized an agreement that paves the way for a closer working relationship on behalf of bobwhite and grassland songbird restoration. The
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Elsewhere
Team members of Arkansas Farm Bureau in Little Rock participated in Farm Bureau Pink Out Day on Oct. 10 to support those affected by breast cancer. Pink Out Day benefits the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure. action came at a meeting of the NBCI Management Board during the annual conference of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. NBCI is the coordinated effort by 25 state wildlife management agencies (including the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission) and a number of conservation groups and research institutions to restore bobwhite populations on a landscape scale, while FSA administers the largest private lands conservation program in the nation, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). “NBCI will never achieve our vision of landscape-scale restoration of wild bobwhites without inclusion of private ‘working’ lands,” said NBCI Director Don McKenzie. “FSA administers the largest private lands conservation effort in the country, so having a mechanism
that recognizes each other’s strengths and finds ways to pair those strengths to benefit bobwhites … as well as grassland songbirds and pollinators … can be a significant advance for all those species.” The new agreement establishes a formal mechanism by which the two entities can cooperate and broadly outlines potential endeavors, including the identification and development of cooperative projects, providing biological technical assistance as needed, assisting FSA in delivering CRP when involving native grass restoration, helping evaluate potential success of CRP initiatives that may involve native grass restoration, promoting CRP and other FSA conservation programs and initiatives and associated practices targeting native grass restoration.
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arfb.com Facebook: ArkansasFarmBureau Twitter: @arfb Instagram: @arfb1935 Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/arfarmbureau Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge was the guest speaker Oct. 10 at the Woodruff County annual meeting at Patterson. A crowd of about 100 members heard her discuss efforts to overturn overreaching federal regulations, including the proposed Waters of the U.S. rule. Editor Keith Sutton
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In the Market As of Oct. 12, 2017 China’s corn deficit China’s ag ministry now estimates its corn supply deficit for 2017-18 will be 4.31 MMT, a dramatic increase from the 890,000 MT it predicted last month. The country lowered its corn crop estimate by 2.38 MMT to 210.1 MMT, explaining that plantings were lower than anticipated due to reduced government support. The ministry also raised its consumption estimate by 1.05 MMT to 215.62 MMT. But China plans to meet the supply shortfall with its reserves rather than imports. Canada firm on dairy policies There has been no give in Canada’s position regarding the country’s dairy policies. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met this week with members of the House Ways and Means Committee, and he noted the importance of maintaining Canada’s production and trade policies. A U.S. proposal to reduce Canadian tariffs on U.S. dairy may be offered during the fourth round of talks this week. Dow to offer new E3 soybeans Dow AgroSciences says it will launch a genetically engineered soybean seed known as Enlist E3 in the U.S. next year with tight controls, as the seed is barred by major importers, including Europe and China. Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has an arrangement with Dow to oversee the handling of the harvests to make sure they are not shipped to either region. Farmers who opt to plant E3 seed must agree to deliver their harvests to four ADM facilities at set times. Dow is frustrated with lengthy approval processes overseas. It submitted the E3 soybeans for clearance in Europe
in 2012 and in China in 2013. And since it can take as much as 10 years and up to $150 million to develop such products, time is of the essence when it comes to getting such products to market. Japanese beef import changes At its second round of economic talks with the U.S. on Oct. 16, Japan plans to propose changes to its safeguard mechanism on frozen U.S. beef imports, according to two government sources cited by Reuters. Specifically, Japan plans to propose shortening review periods on beef imports from quarterly to every 10 days and allowing importers to voluntarily lower import volumes to stop the tariffs from automatically kicking in. But the sources are uncertain whether the U.S. will go along with the proposal. Currently, Japan automatically hikes tariffs on countries it does not have economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with if quarterly imports of specific beef products from all nations or those without EPAs rise more than 17 percent from the previous years. This mechanism was triggered earlier this year, boosting taxes on frozen beef imports from the U.S. and others without EPAs. Perdue wants food stamp restrictions The distribution of food stamps to Americans who are able to work came under criticism by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, speaking at the Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum on Oct. 10. Perdue said relying on food stamps has become a “lifestyle” for some ablebodied adults. “We want the people who need the help to get it,” he said, adding that the benefit shouldn’t be “the whole enchilada” of a family’s food security. He suggested that enrollment in the program would fall if individuals who are able to work are restricted from using it. The topic will continue as the new farm bill unfolds.
The Trump administration has called for cuts to food stamp disbursements. China cotton imports China’s National Development and Reform Commission has set a cotton import quota at 894,000 MT for 2018, reports its industry website cncotton.com. This would be steady with 2017 levels. USDA suspends CRP signup Approval of new offers made under the continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup has again been temporarily suspended until sometime later in fiscal 2018, which began Oct. 1, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the processing of pending offers made before Sept. 30 is currently underway. USDA said the current enrollment in CRP is around 23.5 million acres, just 500,000 acres below the 24-millionacre cap imposed via the 2014 Farm Bill. Corn to cotton in Brazil Brazil will likely produce a 7.73 million-bale cotton crop in 2017-18, estimates an ag attaché in the country. This would be a 10-percent increase from the year prior and tops USDA’s official crop estimate of 7.50 MMT. The post details that cotton harvested area is likely to climb around 15 percent from last year as higher cotton prices have encouraged farmers to shift some safrinha corn acres to cotton.
CONTACT • Matt King 501-228-1297, matt.king@arfb.com.