In the Market
shown a willingness to disrupt the patterns of past behavior and look for new models, and we’re willing to entertain next steps forward.”
The exchange added that all initial margin rates are 110 percent of these levels. These changes took affect Wednesday.
As of December 8, 2017
Lower antibiotic use in U.S.
Canada begin efforts for trade with China
Ag trade surplus down
The U.S. exported $13.15 billion worth of agriculture goods in October, while it imported $10.436 billion worth of such products, resulting in an ag trade surplus of $2.714 billion for the month, according to the Economic Research Service’s (ERS) ag trade update released yesterday. To kick off fiscal year (FY) 2018, the trade balance is down $2.075 billion from the start of FY 2017. China’s bean imports up
China imported an impressive 8.68 MMT of soybeans in November, according to preliminary customs data. This represented a 48-percent surge from October and an 11 percent gain from year-ago levels as backlogged shipments from the U.S. finally arrived. So far this year, China has imported 85.99 MMT of soybeans, an 11.07 MMT (14.8 percent) increase yearago and already eclipsing 2016’s total import figure. Crushers are enjoying strong profit margins and China’s efforts to replace small farms with massive facilities with industrial feed needs is keeping feed needs high. Demand for the Lunar New Year holiday is expected to keep China’s bean imports strong in December, with analysts calling for shipments of 9 MMT. Canada/U.S. trade deal possible
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would consider oneon-one talks with the U.S. on trade if negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) falter. “We will always look at different opportunities,” Trudeau said in response to a question about a two-way U.S. trade deal at the Fortune Global Forum in China. “We’re ready for anything, when things come forward. The new administration has
U.S. sales and distribution of antibiotics used in food-producing animals fell 10 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to a report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released yesterday. Food and consumer health groups report this was the first drop since FDA started collecting the data in 2009. Much of this decline was driven by changes in consumer preferences that translated to efforts by food companies like McDonald’s and Tyson Foods to reduce antibiotic use. This came before new FDA rules limiting the use of antibiotics important to human medicine absent a veterinary prescription took effect. FAO reports slight dip in food prices
Global food prices dipped around 0.5 percent in November from the month prior, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation’s Food Price Index that came in at 175.8 points. This was up 4 points (2.3 percent) from year-ago levels. FAO explains that “a sharp rise in sugar and vegetable oil quotations was largely offset by a fall in dairy values while international prices of cereals and meat products remained relatively muted.” FAO’s global cereal production forecast now stands at an all-time high of 2.627 billion MT for 2017, up 16.8 MMT from year-ago, thanks to a sharp hike of 13.4 MMT this month. The increase was mostly driven by higher corn crop numbers from the U.S., though FAO also raised its global wheat production estimate to 754.8 MMT. CME lowers maintenance margins
CME Group lowered its maintenance margin for corn, soybeans and wheat as follows: • Corn: Down $100 to $650 per contract. • Soybeans: Down $250 to $1,650 per contract. • Wheat: Down $150 to $950 per contract.
“While in Beijing, Premier Li and I had discussions on a range of issues, from growing trade and investment, to combating climate change, to the importance of free expression,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement released by the Canadian government. “I look forward to continuing discussions towards a comprehensive trade agreement, which will open up greater opportunities for people on both sides of the Pacific.” The proposed free trade agreement was one of the main topics when Trudeau met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday in Beijing. However, no official statement was made regarding the beginning of talks about a new trade agreement. A Canada-China trade agreement would take years to unfold – the ChinaAustralia Free Trade agreement came into force only after a decade of talks. Arkansas Farmer elected Secretary of USB
Jim Carroll, a soybean farmer from Brinkley, was elected secretary of the United Soybean Board (USB). The soy checkoff, which works to maximize profit opportunities for U.S. soybean farmers through national investments, continues focusing on the areas of meal, oil and sustainability to increase farmer profit opportunitie
CONTACT • Matt King 501-228-1297, matt.king@arfb.com.
www.arfb.com
ArFB 83rd Convention Recap Veach continues as ArFB leader Randy Veach and Rich Hillman will continue as president and vice president, respectively, of Arkansas Farm Bureau following their re-election Dec. 1. Delegates also elected seven other board members and filled a vacant board seat during the final day of the organization’s 83rd annual convention at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Veach, of Manila, begins his 10th term as president. He is Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 10th president since its creation in 1935. Veach and his wife, Thelma, farm in and around the community of Lost Cane near Manila. He is a third-generation farmer. “It is a great honor to have this organization’s trust and continue serving our state’s diverse agricultural interests,” Veach said. “Farm Bureau’s role, during the past 83 years and well into the future, is to ensure that agriculture is relevant, to advocate on behalf of agriculture and remain a key component of our state’s economic and political landscape. We must continue to have the best interest of our farmers and ranchers in mind.” Hillman is from Carlisle and will begin his 10th term as vice president. He is a
Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach of Manila addressed members and leaders Nov. 30 at ArFB’s 83rd Annual Convention in Little Rock. Veach spoke about the conference theme, Leading Across Generations, encouraging our farmers and ranchers of different generations to work together to make an impact in agriculture. sixth-generation farmer. His main crops are rice, soybeans and wheat. He and his wife, Tina, have two grown children, Collin and Caroline. “I look forward to serving with President Veach, the state board and all of the membership of Arkansas Farm Bureau. I want to continue working for those committed to agriculture throughout the state and am always humbled by the trust placed in me by this great organization,” Hillman said. Board action later resulted in the reelection of Joe Christian of Jonesboro as Secretary/Treasurer. Christian is a rowcrop farmer who grows rice and soybeans. Brad Doyle of Weiner (left) receives the Stanley E. Reed Leadership Award at Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 83rd Annual Convention in Little Rock on Nov. 29. Also pictured presenting the award are (left to right) Charlene Reed, Stanley Reed’s widow, Farm Bureau President Randy Veach and Farm Bureau Vice President Rich Hillman.
He and his wife, Leah, have two children, Alex and Grayson. The voting delegates re-elected six board members to new two-year terms. They include: Sherry Felts, Joiner; Jon Carroll, Moro; Gene Pharr, Lincoln; Bruce Jackson, Lockesburg; Joe Thrash, Houston; and Mike Freeze, Little Rock. Newly elected board members included Terry Laster of Strong; and delegates in District 3 had to fill the one-year unexpired board term of the late Leo Sutterfield. Jeremy Miller of Huntsville was selected to fill the final year of that term. Voting delegates also addressed a wide range of federal and state policy
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A Publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
December 8, 2017 • Vol. 20, No. 23
Doyle says telling the farming story and needing to be heard led him to seek leadership opportunities. “I want to connect with people and tell them what we do. We need to go after our young farmers and ranchers to be leaders and tell their stories.” Doyle has been a member of Poinsett County Farm Bureau since 2010. He’s a graduate of the Arkansas Farm Bureau President’s Leadership Council and also serves on committees with the American Soybean Association. The couple have a 20-year-old son, Cody, who also works on the farm. Arkansas Farm Bureau created the award in 2011 in honor of Stanley Reed, who was president of Arkansas Farm Bureau from 2003-2008. He died in an automobile accident in July 2011.
Poinsett Co. FB president earns Stanly Reed Leadership Award Brad Doyle was the 2017 recipient of the Stanley E. Reed Leadership Award. Doyle accepted the award from Farm Bureau President Randy Veach and Charlene Reed, Stanley’s widow. The award was presented during the organization’s 83rd annual conference at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Doyle, 44, is a seed and soybean farmer who runs Eagle Seed Co. with his wife, Joyce, a Ph.D. soybean breeder and researcher. The Reed award goes to an active Farm Bureau member, 36 to 45 years old, for outstanding leadership within their county Farm Bureau and community. Doyle is presently president of Poinsett County Farm Bureau. “Wow! Very unexpected,” Doyle said about winning the award. “I didn’t see this coming. I’m very honored.”
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White is top Farm Bureau county White County was the state’s top county Farm Bureau organization for 2017. Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach and Vice President Rich Hillman presented the President’s Award to county president Michael Oxner at the organization’s 83rd annual convention at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. “I was surprised,” Oxner said. “Our county worked hard, but this is not something you expect to win. But I’ve got to say that our Women’s Committee pulled us through. They made sure to document every thing we did and made sure all of the necessary forms were completed.”
Washington Co. FB’s Women’s Committee has won its tenth consecutive Outstanding County Women’s Program award. Chairwoman Mary Smith (center) accepted the award from ArFB Vice President Rich Hillman (left) and President Randy Veach at the ArFB convention in Little Rock.
Cindy Rucker (right) of Garland Co. FB Women’s Committee received the ArFB Women’s Diamond Award Nov. 30 at the Women’s Leadership Luncheon. The award was created to honor a county Farm Bureau leader whose volunteer efforts are above and beyond the norm. Her passions are 4-H and promoting youth ag activities.
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issues including positions on the Arkansas Agriculture Department retaining its present structure and the appointment of a director for the Livestock and Poultry Commission; more options to eradicate feral hogs; and the State Plant Board’s position on dicamba. Also discussed were mineral rights; highway maintenance and transportation of farm products; higher priority for funding the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture; and proposals for new federal immigration and regulatory reforms.
Hannah Gray (middle) of Paragould, an ag teacher at Green County Tech won the Young Farmers & Ranchers Discussion Meet at the ArFB 83rd Annual Convention, Nov. 30 in Little Rock. Vice President Rich Hillman (left) and President Randy Veach (right) recognized Gray at the ArFB 83rd convention. The prize was $7,000 cash and a trip to the American Farm Bureau Convention in January. Counties competing for the President’s Award must earn a Gold Star in each of 10 categories and be a top scorer in their respective membership category. The 10 Gold Star categories are membership acquisition, organization, public relations, commodity services, governmental affairs, women’s activities, Young Farmers & Ranchers activities, member services, safety and youth. The other finalists for the President’s Award included Cross, Stone, Garland and Baxter counties. The Membership Retention Award went to Cleveland County. The award goes to the county with the highest membership retention percentage in the state. Cleveland County had a retention rate of 95.53 percent. County Farm Bureau President Bryan Swinney and agency manager Terry Sipes received the award from Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach. Jones wins outstanding teacher award Arkansas Farm Bureau recognized Brandy Jones as the state’s Ag in the Classroom Outstanding Teacher Award. McCrory High School teacher Robert Hurford earned the Outstanding Ag Educator Award. Bradley High School’s Ryan Blackwell earned the Outstanding New Ag Educator Award, and Mountain Home High School grabbed the top spot as the Outstanding Ag Education Program. All were recognized at Farm Bureau’s 83rd Annual Convention at the
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Brandy Jones (middle) of McCrory was recognized Nov. 30 as the state’s Outstanding Ag Educator for her efforts in teaching young people about agriculture and leadership, and encouraging their involvement in FFA. Jones is a fifth-grade social studies and writing teacher. As part of their unit on agriculture, her students use Farm Bureau materials to research the farm products they choose to produce and are then challenged to build their own virtual farms.
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Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Jones is a fifth-grade social studies and writing teacher. As part of their unit on agriculture, her students use Farm Bureau materials to research the farm products they choose to produce and are then challenged to build their own virtual farms. The students have to write about their farm products and develop presentations and small books to describe the farm to their classmates. The Outstanding Ag Educator Award recognizes a high school agriculture education instructor for efforts in teaching young people about agriculture, leadership and involvement in FFA. The McCrory High School program includes 121 students in ag education and FFA. “I have attempted to inspire students to develop their agriculture career skills in the classroom by developing lessons tailored to meet the needs of mostly economically disadvantaged students in the Arkansas Delta,” Hurford explained. Blackwell earned to top New Ag Educator Award for his work at Bradley High School where he has 112 students involved. Blackwell says “motivating students that had no desire to gain any type of education to go on and obtain something” is his most satisfying success in the classroom.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson addressed ArFB members and leaders at the Nov. 29 opening session of ArFB’s 83rd Annual Convention in Little Rock, stressing the importance of agriculture to the state’s economy and outlining his administration’s efforts in support of Arkansas farmers and ranchers. Mountain Home High School was recognized for its powerhouse ag education program that has 600 student participants. The program teachers include Josh Baker, Jacquie Albright, Brandon Lewis, Owen Carpenter and Richard Grissum. All five instructors are Mountain Home High School graduates. Three have earned Masters degrees and two have attained National Board Certification in Career Technical Education. The students have responded well to the challenging program the teachers have developed. YF&R honored at convention Hannah Gray of Paragould, an ag teacher at Green County Tech, won the Young Farmers & Ranchers Discussion Meet at the Arkansas Farm Bureau 83rd Annual Convention, in Little Rock. The subject matter discussed among the four finalists was international agricultural trade. Gray will now compete in January at the American Farm Bureau Federation conference in Nashville. Her husband, Cody, was a previous winner of the YF&R Discussion Meet. He, too, competed at the national AFBF conference, which was also in Nashville that year. My nerves can finally settle now,” Gray said. “It’s good to be able to promote agriculture. I want to go on and still be a positive voice for agriculture. It’s a huge part of economic growth in Arkansas. That mainly has to do with exports of agriculture products.” This was Gray’s second year competing in the discussion meet. The event provides a forum for young farm leaders to
demonstrate their verbal and problemsolving presentation skills while they discuss their views on issues affecting agriculture. There were 15 competitors in the discussion meet. Gray, 33, won $7,000 courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co. She and her husband run a small cow/calf operation. Earlier this year, Austin and Amber Kennon of Mountain View won the 2017 YF&R Excellence in Agriculture Award. The award recognizes young farmers involved in agriculture who get the majority of income off the farm. Farm Bureau honored them last July at its annual Officers & Leaders convention in Hot Springs. Also honored were the 2017 YF&R Achievement Award winners Chris and Breanne Damron of Jonesboro, who operate a row-crop farm. All winners also earned expense-paid trips in January to the American Farm Bureau Federation national conference in Nashville where they’ll compete for national awards.
To see more highlights from convention, visit bit.ly/fbleading
Editor Maddison Stewart
maddison.stewart@arfb.com
The 70th
ARKANSAS FARM FAMILY OF THE YEAR LUNCHEON
Alstons named Arkansas Farm Family of the Year
Luke and Deedee Alston of Mena (Polk County) are the 2017 Arkansas Farm Family of the Year. The honor was announced today at the annual luncheon honoring the county and district Farm Families of the Year. The Alstons have two sons, Ryan and Drey. As Arkansas’ Farm Family of the Year, the Alstons will compete in the 2018 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year program. A winner will be named from among 10 southeastern state winners next October in Moultrie, Ga. “Unbelievable. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want it or think that possibly we had worked hard enough to earn such a title,” Luke said. “I was born to do this. Few people I know get to wake up every morning and spend all day long working at something they love. Since I left corporate America I haven’t had a job. This is not a job for me. It’s my way of life.” The Alstons have a diverse farm known as “Holly Springs Homestead.” In addition to Angus cattle and an eight-house broiler chicken operation, the farm also includes a large variety of fruit and vegetables. Strawberries, sweet corn, blackberries, pumpkins,
muscadines, honeybees, cut flowers, tomatoes, okra, peppers and more are grown as part of the Alston’s agritourism enterprise. Luke also offers a commercial hay and haylage service where he mows, rakes, bales, wraps and stacks hay for neighbors. “We congratulate Luke and Deedee Alston on being named the 2017 Arkansas Farm Family of the Year,” said Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach. “Luke and Deedee left successful off-farm careers to develop their farm and Holly Springs Homestead has become a successful, family-friendly agritourism business in just a few short years. This honor is testament to their faith and determination to make their farm a destination for many.” The Alstons are active in Polk County Farm Bureau and Luke serves as vice president of the Polk County Cattlemen’s Association and is a member of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association board. The Farm Family of the Year program, now in its 70th year, is the longest-running farm family recognition program of its type in the United States. It begins with selection of the top farm family in each county. Then, eight district Farm Families of the Year are selected. The competition
is judged on production, efficiency and management of farm operations, family life and rural/community leadership and values. “These families work tirelessly to ensure we have the food and fiber we rely on daily and they are more than deserving of our praise and recognition,” said Maddison Stewart, coordinator of the Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program. “Our selection process, which is made possible by our outstanding program sponsors and partners, is extremely thorough from the county to the state level. At the end of the process each year, we’re confident our judges have selected the right family to represent Arkansas Agriculture.” Arkansas Farm Bureau, the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, AgHeritage Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit of Western Arkansas, and Farm Credit Midsouth are sponsors of the program. Additional program support is provided by the Arkansas Agriculture Department; Arkansas Department of Career Education; the Arkansas Press Association, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture; and USDA’s Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Rural Development.
Congratulations to all 2017 district and county farm families!
Brandon and Jessica Chapman of Scott (Pulaski County), East Central District.
Cedar Corner Farm of Stuttgart (North Arkansas County), Southeast District.
Chris and Heather Tharp of Floral (Independence County), North Central District.
Rocking CK Farms of Garland (Miller County), Southwest District.
Will and Sidney Bailey of DeQueen (Sevier County), West Central District.
Gittlein Farms of Maysville (Benton County), Northwest District.
Eddie and Annette Wray of Trumann (Poinsett County), Northeast District.
photos by NELSON CHENAULT