JUNE 28, 2019 • VOLUME 22 • ISSUE 13
Farm Bureau Press A PEEK INSIDE
ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FEDERATION HOSTS 2019 NATIONAL AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM CONFERENCE More than 500 educators from across the nation recently gathered in Little Rock to attend the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization’s (NAITCO) 2019 National Conference called ‘AgVenture in the Natural State.’ NAITCO and the Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Agriculture in the Classroom program held three days of workshops showing kindergarten through 12thgrade teachers how to use agriculture to teach core subjects. Conference participants also attended traveling workshops of nearby agribusinesses and research facilities and heard from keynote speakers such as Temple Grandin, world renowned animal behaviorist and autism spokesperson, and Dr. Marty Matlock, executive director of the University of Arkansas Resiliency Center and Professor of Ecological Engineering in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department.
Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach receives four-year reappointment from the United States Department of Agriculture, page 2.
ArFB Arkansas’ Ag in the Classroom Outstanding Teacher of the Year Celia Wortham was recognized alongside other award and scholarship recipients at the conference.
National Ag in the Classroom Conference | Instructors enjoy food and fellowship with a round of bingo before hearing from keynote speaker, Temple Grandin.
Just announced! The District Farm Families for the 72nd annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program have been selected. See who the winning family is in your district, page 3.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
ARFB PRESIDENT REAPPOINTED TO TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
ARFB FOUNDATION HOSTS 2ND ANNUAL TRAP SHOOT The Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation hosted its 2nd Annual Trap Shoot on June 14 at the Arkansas Game & Fish Foundation Shooting Sports Complex in Jacksonville, Ar. For 2019, the ArFB Foundation Trap Shoot | Hadyen Curtis of the Cross teamed up with County Farm Bureau team was the event’s The Arkansas 4-H top shooter Foundation. Half of the net proceeds from the shoot directly benefited the Arkansas 4-H Foundation. Eighteen teams registered for the event in both youth and adult divisions. Prizes were awarded for first through third place in both divisions, as well as an overall top shooter. You can view more photos from the event at bit.ly/ARFBTrapShoot2019.
Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach was reappointed to a four-year term as a private-sector member to the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade.
In conjunction with the 2019 ArFB Foundation Trap Shoot, the Foundation hosted a Fill A Ford Food Drive. Participants of the event were asked to donate non-perishable food items. Those items were then donated to the Jacksonville Care Channel to help those in need.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue and United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced the appointment of committee members on June 11. The Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees offer technical advice and information about specific commodities and products, and president Veach is currently serving on the Committee for Trade in Tobacco, Cotton, and Peanuts. The appointees will serve until June 15, 2023, and the committees will be supplemented by additional appointments over the next four years. Congress established the advisory committee system in 1974 to ensure that U.S. agricultural trade policy objectives reflect U.S. public- and private-sector commercial and economic interests. USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative jointly manage the committees. 2
Food Drive | Ashlyn Ward of Russellville, State 4-H Ambassador and National 4-H Shooting Sports Ambassador and Ethan Jacobs of Dover, State 4-H Ambassador presented the donation.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
2019 DISTRICT FARM FAMILY OF THE YEAR WINNERS ANNOUNCED The eight district winners in the 72nd Annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program have been selected, representing the diversity of Arkansas agriculture, the state’s largest industry. The district winners will now be judged to determine a state winner to be announced Dec. 6 at the Farm Family of the Year luncheon at the Wyndham Hotel in North Little Rock. “The contributions made by our state’s farm families are beyond measure,” said Randy Veach, president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau. “It is almost impossible to fully understand the impact our family farms have on the economy, our rural communities and to the character of our great state.”
THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY OUR STATE’S FARM FAMILIES ARE BEYOND MEASURE The Farm Family of the Year program begins each year with selection of the top farm families in each county and culminates with the selection of the state Farm Family of the Year who will then go on to represent Arkansas at the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year competition in Georgia. Arkansas has had two Southeastern Farmers of the Year, Brian Kirksey of Clark County in 2008 and David Wildy of Wildy Family Farms of Mississippi County in 2016. All winners are judged on their farm production, efficiency, management, family life and rural/community leadership.
2019 District Farm Families of the Year • I.F. Anderson Farms Inc. of Lonoke (Lonoke County) in the East Central District. • Rabbit Ridge Farms of Bee Branch (Van Buren County) in the North Central District. • Young’s Generation Three Partnership Farms of Tuckerman (Jackson County) in the Northeast District. • Gene and Ruby Davidson of Kingston (Newton County) in the Northwest District. • Dewayne and Debra Goldmon of Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) in the Southeast District. • Allen and Barbara Primm of Hampton (Calhoun County) in the Southwest District. • Jerry and Kathy DuVall of Hattieville (Conway County) in the Western District. • The Greene Family of Umpire (Howard County) in the West Central District.
USDA Announces Feral Swine Erradication and Control Pilot Program The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its offering $75 million in funding for the eradication and control of feral swine through the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP). This is a joint effort between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Applications must be submitted through grants.gov by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Aug. 19, 2019. Visit bit.ly/USDAFeralSwine to read USDA’s full release and learn more. A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
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MARKETNEWS as of June 28, 2019 Contact Brandy Carroll 501-228-1268 brandy.carroll@arfb.com Row Crops The USDA June Acreage Report was released June 28, and provides some insight into the result of the unfavorable planting conditions seen across much of the country as farmers tried to get the crop in the ground. Corn In the March prospective plantings report, USDA estimated farmers intended to plant 92.8 million acres, up 3.66 million acres from 2018. However, USDA now estimates corn planted for all purposes is 91.7 million acres. That is still up 3% from last year, and well above the 86.7 million acres the trade was expecting. The total area harvested for grain is estimated at 83.6 million acres, up 2% from last year. The weather will also likely have an impact on the yield potential of the crop, but that won’t be fully realized until harvest. The report says that Arkansas farmers have planted 810,000 acres of corn. The quarterly stocks report provided a little positive energy, coming in at 5.202 billion bushels and below both the average trade guess and last year’s total. The initial reaction to the reports was bearish, as traders were expecting a much larger cut to acreage. December will have support at $4.25 and then at the chart gap between $4.20 and $4.22 ½. Soybeans Soybean acreage, on the other hand, came in at only 80 million acres. That is down from planting intentions of 4
84.6 million acres and an average trade estimate of 84.4 million acres. That is 10% fewer acres than were planted in 2018, and the smallest U.S. crop since 2013. Arkansas farmers are estimated to plant 3 million acres of soybeans this year, down from 3.28 million in 2018. USDA pegged June 1 soybean stocks at 1.790 billion bushels, below the average trade estimate of 1.86 billion and below the 2018 total of 1.21 billion bushels. The market has rallied in reaction to the report, but will have resistance at the recent high of $9.48. Rice USDA also estimated a smaller rice crop than in 2018, and down from what farmers reportedly intended to plant in the March Prospective Plantings report. The total U.S. acreage is now estimated to be 2.756 million acres, with 2.711 million expected to be harvested. That is down from the 2.87 million acres reported in March and down from 2.946 million in 2018. In Arkansas, USDA says farmers have planted 1.301 million acres, 100,000 acres less than the planting intentions of 1.401 million acres, and significantly lower than the 1.441 million acres planted in in 2018. The market reacted negatively to the report, as traders were expecting a bigger cut to acreage. The recent low of $11.33 ½ will be the main level of support above key support at $11 for September. Cotton Cotton acreage is estimated to be 13.72 million acres, down 3% from last year and down slightly from planting intentions of 13.78 million acres. Arkansas farmers are estimated to have planted 580,000 acres of cotton, up from 485,000 in 2018, and equal to the initial planting intentions reported in March. Technically, December is chopping
A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
along mostly sideways just above support in the form of a doublebottom at 64.70 cents. Livestock Cattle futures are finally showing signs of bottoming. Feeders led the way, higher on Wednesday, with nearby August closing up the daily limit. Live cattle prices were also strong, but stopped short of settling limit up. This move comes after setting new contract lows across the complex on Monday. The market was caught off guard by the June Cattle on Feed report, which showed the total on feed inventory of 11.7 million head, up 1.6% from a year earlier and above most industry estimates. Placements were down 3% from the previous year, but analysts were expecting a bigger cut. August live cattle will have support at the contract low of $101.97 ½, and the first level of resistance will be the recent high of $107.17 ½. August feeders will have support at the contract low of $130.95, and the first level of resistance at $141.07 ½. Hog futures continue to see weakness. China has halted all meat imports from Canada due to an investigation into counterfeit health certificates and evidence of banned feed additives in a shipment of pork. The full effect of African Swine Fever on Chinese pork production is still not known, but the market has now erased the gains that were charted in reaction to the discovery of the disease there. Uncertainty regarding access to the Chinese market continues to loom over the market. October could potentially retest the February low of $66.17 ½.
EDITOR Ashley Wallace ashley.wallace@arfb.com