In Farm Bureau AFBF election resources American Farm Bureau Federation’s Election16.fb.org website offers rural voters resources and information on the upcoming November elections. The website provides an informative look at everything from the campaign for president to local issues. It features an option to select a state, then personalizes voting information for users. Cody Lyon, director of advocacy and political affairs at AFBF, says the website gives rural voters all the information they need to make an informed decision in November. Operation Peanut Butter The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture and the National Peanut Board, along with state peanut producer and industry organizations, have launched a new My American Farm game geared for students in grades 3-5. Playing the game online allows students to follow peanuts from the field to the peanut butter on their
“We can’t have a meeting in northwest Arkansas without calling the Hogs!” After saying that during the opening session of the 2016 Officers and Leaders Conference, Arkansas Farm Bureau Vice President Rich Hillman (second from right) called (left to right) ArFB President Randy Veach, UA Chancellor Dr. Joseph Steinmetz and UA’s Dr. Mark Cochran to the stage to lead the crowd in a “Wooo, Pig, Sooie!” The insert in this issue features additional conference highlights. sandwiches. “While playing Operation Peanut Butter, students will have the chance to not only learn about the production of peanut butter, but also the value that peanut butter has as an ideal food to feed the hungry because of its protein content and long shelf life,” said Julie Tesch, executive director of
On July 5, Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach (left) of Manila visited with Roby Brock, host of the “Talk Business and Politics” television show on KATV Channel 7, during a taping of the show in Little Rock. Veach talked about today’s farm economy, catfish imports and trade opportunities with Cuba.
KEITH SUTTON photo
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the foundation. “Along with the game, we’ve also created a lesson plan that will allow students to dive deeper into the role peanuts play in the nitrogen cycle.” The Operation Peanut Butter game, lesson plan and activity sheet, along with other agricultural-based learning resources, are available at www.myamericanfarm.org.
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A Publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
July 29, 2016 • Vol. 19, No. 15
Students awarded scholarships Eight Arkansas students have been
An Air Evac helicopter and crew made an appearance at the Crawford Co. FB office June 6 when the county hosted the Van Buren Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours program. ArFB’s Northwest District Director Steve Hignight spoke to 45 chamber guests and members about ArFB’s ValuePlus program, which provides a discount for Air Evac memberships.
Amanda Philyaw Perez, a community development specialist with UA’s Division of Agriculture, spoke July 6 during the first of five “food meetups” held at the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub in North Little Rock. The meet-ups are part of an effort to connect producers, purchasers and food market developers with each other to strengthen local food markets across Arkansas.
awarded a total of $12,000 in college scholarships from America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. The program raises awareness of the diverse career opportunities in the agriculture industry and provides scholarships to support students’ post high school education in ag-related fields of study. Farmers play a vital role by promoting the opportunity to local students and endorsing their applications. Kyle Covington of Jonesboro, a 2016 Grow Ag Leaders scholarship recipient, exemplifies the quality of students who are selected for Grow Ag Leaders scholarships. “Kyle owns his own business,” said Ronda Watt of Jonesboro High School. “He is
self-motivated and determined. This will aid him in furthering his education and becoming a contributing member of society.” Other winners from Arkansas include Clay Leder of Arkansas County, Jesse Williams of Clay County, Jenna Martin of Cross County, Clayton Parker of Lonoke County, Blaire Wildy of Mississippi County, Bairek Bush of Poinsett County and Amelia Chapman of White County. Grow Ag Leaders scholarships, administered by the National FFA Organization, are available to high school seniors and college students pursuing degrees in ag-related fields in 1,326 eligible counties across 40 states. To be considered, each applicant is required to receive endorsements from at least three local farmers. Both FFA members and non-FFA members are eligible to apply. With support from the Monsanto Fund, more than $1.1 million in scholarships have been awarded to students since Grow Ag Leaders began in 2014. For more information, visit www.GrowAgLeaders.com.
The week of July 11, three judges traveled more than 1,200 miles to visit with the eight district finalists for the 70th Annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program. The Smith family of Rose Bud in White County (left to right: Chris, Jalyn and Nesha) is among those vying for top honors. The winner will be announced at a Dec. 8 luncheon in North Little Rock.
Southern Pea Field Day You can call them cowpeas or field peas if you want, but here in Arkansas that staple of local hospitality and fine dining is called the Southern pea They come in many colors and shapes — black-eyed peas and black peas with white eyes, cream peas, crowder peas, calicos and the finger-staining purple hull peas — and they’ll all be on display
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HANAN SOUTHARD photo
HANAN SOUTHARD photo
Rice Expo The 2016 Rice Expo will be held Aug. 10 at the Grand Prairie Center in Stuttgart. There will plenty be of fun for families, and opportunities to learn something new. There are three stops on this year’s field tours. Shuttles to the tour will leave the Grand Prairie Center at 8:15 a.m., 8:45 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. Stop 1 will feature an Arkansas rice breeding update with Xueyan Sha and Ehsan Shakiba. At Stop 2, weed scientists Jason Norsworthy and Tom Barber will discuss weed resistance management in rice and soybeans. Chris Henry, water management engineer, and Mike Hamilton, extension irrigation educator, will discuss rice irrigation water management at Stop 3. Several seminars will be held inside the Grand Prairie Center, with discussions about drones on the farm, new technology for in-bin rice drying and storage, and factors affecting rice milling yields. A walk-in plant disease clinic will be available to help farmers and gardeners diagnose problem plants. There will be plenty of booths with products and services on display. Additional information can be found at http://uaex.edu/rice-expo/.
STEVE HIGNIGHT photo
In Arkansas
On July 15, students attending M*A*S*H camp at UAMS Northwest in Fayetteville visited the UAMS campus in Little Rock where they participated in hands-on learning exercises and were given an insider’s look at various medical professions. This M*A*S*H group was one of the state’s largest, with 25 high-school juniors and seniors from 12 school districts.
School Garden of the Year The Arkansas Agriculture Department says entries for the third annual Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year contest will be accepted until Sept. 9. Applicants can be any Arkansas school, grades pre-K
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Aug. 17 during the Southern Pea Field Day at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Vegetable Research Station at Kibler. Station director Dennis Motes said the field day will focus on the Division of Agriculture’s pea-breeding program. Vegetable breeder Dr. Ainong Shi will discuss his work on germplasm development and variety improvement. Other division researchers will describe ongoing research in Southern pea cultivation, pest control and fertility management, Motes said. The field day will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. Motes, horticulture department head Wayne Mackay and the featured scientists will give presentations beginning at 9 a.m. Field tours showcasing new breeding lines and genetics research will follow the indoor presentations. Lunch will be served after the field tours. The event is free, but pre-registration is requested by Aug. 10. RSVP to Christina Lawrence at 479-474-0475 or by email at cml015@uark.edu The station is located near Kibler on Thornhill Street, off State Highway 162, about 6.5 miles south of Alma.
Agency manager Mickey Parish cooked hot dogs while board member Chad Mooney and agent Kya Rhoda served food at Van Buren Co. FB’s Member Appreciation Day held June 24. The event allowed Women’s Committee members and member service representatives to visit with guests and explain the benefits of a Farm Bureau membership. through 12, that had a school garden open during the 2015-16 school year. Applicants must provide documentation through photos or video of the garden’s uses and existence. Farm Credit is providing funding for the following award categories: Best Nutrition Education Based Garden ($500), Best Community Collaboration Garden ($500), Best Environmental Education Focused Garden ($500) and Overall Winning Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Award ($1,500). An application form and additional information can be found at http://aad.arkansas.gov.
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Elsewhere
ArFB President Randy Veach was joined July 7 by a sizable audience in Harrison while participating in the Policy Development Kickoff meeting at the Boone County Farm Bureau office. A total of 339 Farm Bureau leaders and staff participated in the meeting, which was distributed to 14 different cities via ArFB’s video conference network.
Farmers Market Week U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has signed a proclamation declaring Aug. 7-13 National Farmers Market Week. Throughout the week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will celebrate thousands of our nation’s farmers markets, the farmers and ranchers who make them possible and the communities that host them. “Farmers markets are an important part of strong local and regional food systems that connect farmers with new customers and grow rural economies,” said Vilsack. “In many areas, they are also expanding access to fresh, healthy food for people of
all income levels. National Farmers Market Week recognizes the growth of these markets and their role in supporting both urban and rural communities.” For more information, visit www.farmersmarketcoalition.org. Apply for leadership program The Rice Foundation is accepting applications for the 2017 Rice Leadership Development Program. Rice producers or industry-related professionals between the ages of 25 and 45 are eligible to apply for the program. The deadline is Oct. 1. The Rice Leadership Development Program provides a comprehensive understanding of the rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication skills. During a two-year period, class members attend four one-week sessions designed to strengthen leadership skills. Five rice producers and two industryrelated professionals are chosen by a committee of agribusiness leaders. The committee evaluates the applications of all candidates, reviews letters of recommendation, and conducts personal interviews with the finalists. Interviews will be at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Memphis in December. Additional information, including an application form, can be found at www.usarice.com. Editor Keith Sutton
keith.sutton@arfb.com
In the Market As of July 26, 2016 Warm, wet outlook The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast for July 31-Aug. 4 calls for above-normal temperatures across the entire Corn Belt. Above-normal rainfall is forecast for all of the Corn Belt except Nebraska and the western two-thirds of Kansas, which are expected to see normal to below-normal precipitation during the period. The only change in the NWS 8- to 14-day forecast for Aug. 2-8 is a shrinking of the above-normal precipitation area, although the entire region is expected to see normal to above-normal rainfall during the period. Trump: Pull U.S. from WTO In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, Donald Trump threatened to pull the U.S. out of the World Trade Organization if its membership interfered with his plan to impose penalties on firms that move American production offshore. In the past, the Republican presidential nominee has criticized NAFTA, attacked the Trans-Pacific Partnership and threatened to impose massive tariffs on Chinese imports. Brexit may aid faster advances Syngenta’s chief executive officer pointed to Brexit as a boost for the United Kingdom’s crop regulations, saying he sees the referendum vote to leave the European Union as an “opportunity for the UK in agriculture.” Erik Fyrwald, Syngenta’s CEO, told the Financial Times that after Brexit, the UK would implement science-based rules and would help companies more quickly implement new technology. “Increasingly, the EU regulatory process is becoming politicized,” he said. Post-Brexit, the UK would establish its own system, Fyrwald said. “Based on everything I have heard, they will make it science based and therefore will
have the opportunity to consider maybe more rapidly new technologies that can enhance the competitiveness of UK farmers.” Reports: 1 friendly, 1 negative Last Friday’s Cattle on Feed Report was slightly friendly compared to the average pre-report estimates. End-ofJune beef stocks in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cold Storage Report were negative compared to expectations. Given the conflicting data in the monthly updates, much of traders’ focus is likely to remain on beef demand, which is a concern given rising supplies. Brazil to ease land ownership laws Brazil’s government plans to ease restrictions on foreign ownership of farmland as part of a package of measures to boost the country’s struggling economy. In 2010, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva introduced restrictions on the foreign ownership of agricultural land. Easing of the land ownership laws is expected to trigger a wave of investment in Brazilian farmland, especially from investment funds. Biotech trait approvals The European Union announced July 22 the approval of three biotech soy traits for import and processing. The three stacked events are: Monsanto’s Xtend (dicamba x glyphosate MON87708 x MON89788), Monsanto’s Vistive Gold (high oleic x glyphosate MON87705 x MON89788), and Bayer CropScience’s Balance GT (glyphosate x HPPD inhibitor FG72). Europe is one of the largest customers of U.S. soybean farmers with more than 165 million bushels of soybeans in exports already this year. This should help open markets to growers of Xtend soybeans, which had seen all the major exporters (ADM, Bungee and Cargill) release statements saying they would not accept Xtend soybeans because of a lack of EU approval. China hasn’t met WTO terms U.S. and European Union trade of-
ficials criticized China for what they said was its failure to fulfill and adhere to the terms of its 2001 agreement to join the World Trade Organization. China joined the WTO on Dec. 11, 2001. While it implemented certain reforms to reduce the state’s role in the economy, the pace has slowed and backtracked, according to statements delivered during China’s biennial trade policy review in Geneva. The U.S. and EU also criticized China’s interventions in its domestic steel and aluminum industries and what they described as its poor protection of intellectual property rights, discriminatory information technology policies and its use of export quotas and export duties on an array of raw materials and agricultural subsidies. The Obama administration is reportedly gathering information on China’s domestic supports for corn, wheat and rice and apparently wants to file a WTO trade dispute case late this year, contacts previously said. The EU also called on China to submit its outstanding WTO notifications, particularly on domestic support for farm goods, “without further delay.” U.S., India meet on poultry trade U.S. and India trade officials met last week to try and avoid U.S. sanctions against India relative to poultry trade issues. Sources say India objected to a U.S. trade retaliation request during a July 19 World Trade Organization meeting. The U.S. asked the dispute settlement body, following a 2015 WTO dispute victory, to allow $450 million in annual retaliatory trade measures against India until New Delhi complied with the WTO ruling. The two countries agreed previously that India would modify its trade restrictions on U.S. poultry imports by June 19, but the U.S. said India had not brought its measures into conformity with WTO rules.
CONTACT • Matt King 501-228-1297, matt.king@arfb.com.
2016 O&L CONFERENCE
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rkansas Farm Bureau’s 68th annual Officers and Leaders Conference drew almost 500 members to the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale July 18-19. The theme was “Healthy Agriculture, Strong America.” Highlights included comments from Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach of Manila and a discussion of water quality research at C&H Hog Farm by Dr. Andrew Sharpley with the University of Arkansas’ Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. Workshops at the conference covered topics such as state ballot issues, demonstrations on agricultural technology, the state’s plan to deal with chronic wasting disease, federal programs for livestock producers, a review of commodity markets and a discussion on land-use practices. • photos by Keith Sutton •
The room was packed when Brad Carner, chief of the wildlife management division at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, gave an update on the agency’s response plan for chronic wasting disease in deer and elk.
Above: ArFB President Randy Veach gave his president’s address, which focused on the O&L theme of “Healthy Agriculture, Strong America.” Above right: Arkansas Tech University student Lindsey Triplett sang the national anthem during the opening ceremony. Right: UA economics professor Dr. Robert Coats provided information on the current state of commodity markets and discussed the 2016 harvest outlook. Right: Dr. Joseph Steinmetz, new chancellor at the University of Arkansas, gave an update on the university and explained his vision for UA moving forward. Bottom right: Newton Co. FB President Jack Boles, a retired extension agent, led a workshop on Conflict Resolution and Management in Rural Arkansas.
Above: Representatives from Greene Co. FB posed for a photo with Arkansas FFA secretary Foster Thompson, who is a Green County Tech graduate.
Far left: Jason Davis, an application technologist with UA’s Crop, Soil and Environmental Science, demonstrated better sprayer applications through better equipment setup. Left: Roddric Bell, regional director at USDA-RMA, presented a workshop on current crop insurance programs, with emphasis on programs for livestock producers.
2016
O&L CONFERENC E Left: When Miss America had to cancel her appearance due to travel issues, Dr. Andrew Sharpley with UA’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences stepped in and gave a presentation on his team’s water quality research at C&H Hog Farm near Mt. Judea.
Left: Clean Line Energy director John Kuba discussed Clean Line’s 720-mile transmission line project in an effort to engage with farmers and ranchers about minimizing the project’s impacts on agriculture.
Above: Huck Plyler (right), son of Caleb and Briana Plyler of Hope, assisted ArFB intern Grant Wilson during the kickoff of ArFB’s “I Farm, I Vote” initiative at the conference. (Briana Plyler photo)