Sept. 12, 2018
www.gfb.org
Vol. 36 No. 18
BABY BARN DUE DATE APPROACHES AT GEORGIA NATIONAL FAIR What’s new at the 2018 Georgia National Fair? Newborns! The Georgia Grown Baby Barn, a live birthing center and nursery for farm animals, will open its doors for the first time during the fair’s Oct. 4-14 run in Perry. Other highlights include livestock shows, Midway rides, entertainment and fair food. The Georgia Department of Agriculture - in collaboration with the Georgia National Fair Board, the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association and Georgia's animal industry partners – is offering the Baby Barn exhibit to make consumers more familiar with Georgia's animal agriculture sector by showcasing live births of cattle. The 10,800-square-foot facility was built as an annex to the existing Georgia Grown Building at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter. Spectators in the Baby Barn will have the opportunity to see 11 dairy calves born, one birth for each day of the fair. Newborn piglets will also be on display. Certified veterinarians will be available throughout the duration of the fair to provide care for the animals. Fairgoers can download the new Georgia National Fair app to receive notifications regarding upcoming births. The smartphone application will be used to alert fairgoers that the birth is imminent and encourage visitors to make their way to the Georgia Grown Building if they wish to be present at the time of birth and suggest names for the newborns. Georgia Farm Bureau is a premier sponsor for the Georgia National Fair livestock shows, where students will show more than 5,500 animals and compete for cash prizes, cowboy-style belt -continued on next page
GFB News Alert page 2 of 9 Continued from previous page buckles and more. GFB will also have an exhibit in the Georgia Grown Building to present information about all the organization’s activities. The Georgia National Fair, sponsored in part by Georgia Farm Bureau, offers a wide array of entertainment options. These include two signature concerts on Oct. 6 and Oct. 13. The “I Love the 90s” tour, featuring Salt N Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Young MC and Ton Loc, takes the Reaves Arena stage on Oct. 6. The Southern Uprising tour featuring Travis Tritt, Charlie Daniels and The Outlaws, is set for Oct. 13. Tickets for these shows are $40 each and include admission to the fair. Regular fair admission is $10 per person, $8 for seniors age 60 and older. Children ages 10 and under get in free. Season passes are $65 and two-day passes are $16. Regular admission gives fairgoers access to at least 25 choices of entertainment each day of the fair, including live music, magic acts, wildlife encounters and many more. For more information about the Georgia National Fair, or to purchase tickets online, visit www.georgianationalfair.com. EXPIRATION DATE LOOMS AS FARM BILL DISCUSSIONS CONTINUE With the 2014 farm bill set to expire on Sept. 30, the Farm Bill Conference Committee negotiations appear snagged on work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients included in the House version of the bill. “We urge Congress to push the bill to the finish line,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Gerald Long said. “Georgia’s farmers, like those in other parts of the country, have struggled with depressed commodity prices, increasing costs for farm inputs and trade disruptions. All of that makes passage of the farm bill critical in farm country. Our farmers need the regulatory certainty that an uninterrupted farm bill safety net can provide.” According to the USDA, net farm income in 2018 would be $65.7 billion—the third-lowest level over the past decade. Farm debt is forecast for a record high of $407 billion in 2018. According to published reports, House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota) said the discussions center on how waivers to the work requirements would be administered. Both Peterson and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) have indicated publicly that passage of the new farm bill is unlikely before the current one expires. Even if the Conference Committee approves the bill before Sept. 30 votes in the House and Senate are unlikely to take place before then. If the 2014 farm bill is allowed to expire without a replacement, many programs under the 2014 farm bill will continue for a period of months, however, without the passage of a new farm bill, farmers needing operating loans for the 2019 crop year could be left in limbo without knowing what risk management tools are available under the next farm bill.
GFB News Alert page 3 of 9 HEY GFB MEMBERS! YOU’RE INVITED TO MEMBER APPRECIATION DAY! Mark your calendars for the Georgia Farm Bureau Member Appreciation Day, Oct. 20 at the Georgia Aquarium. GFB members can purchase tickets for $24.95, a savings of $15 off regular general admission to the aquarium! They may also purchase prepaid discounted parking and food vouchers via the web link below. Member Appreciation Day lasts from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. “The strength of our organization has always been our members, and we are constantly looking for ways to increase the value of their membership,” said Georgia Farm Bureau President Gerald Long. “We’re excited to offer them this opportunity to see one of the state’s top attractions. The Georgia Aquarium is truly a one-of-a-kind experience, and we look forward to seeing our members there.” The Georgia Aquarium is North America’s largest aquarium and features more animals than any other aquarium in more than 10 million gallons of water. The facility recently broke ground on an expansion, for a new gallery featuring sharks. For more information about GFB Member Appreciation Day, visit https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/convention/georgia-farm-bureau-day GEORGIA PORTS AUTHORITY ANNOUNCES RAIL EXPANSION On Sept. 17, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) approved a $92 million expansion of the Mason Mega Rail Terminal at the Port of Savannah. According to a GPA press release, the project will double the Port of Savannah’s annual rail capacity to 1 million containers and deliver the largest on-terminal rail facility in North America by 2020. The GPA moved 375,833 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers (TEUs) in August, an 8 percent increase over August 2017. In addition, the GPA handled 86,200 intermodal TEUs, a 33 percent jump. “A strengthening economy and a greater reliance on GPA in major inland markets is driving growth at the Port of Savannah,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. “We expect this trend to continue as more customers take advantage of Garden City Terminal’s central location and efficient terminal operations.” For example, in August alone, rail cargo to and from Atlanta grew by 34 percent, while Nashville saw an increase of 72 percent. The work approved by the GPA includes 124,000 feet of new track, 88 automated switches and rail control devices, as well as the rail and power infrastructure to support the operation of railmounted gantry cranes. The added rail capacity will better accommodate 10,000-foot long unit trains on Garden City Terminal. These more cost-effective trains will provide faster, more frequent service over greater distances.
GFB News Alert page 4 of 9 UGA TO HOST FORUM ON RURAL STRESS The challenges facing rural America today are diverse, and the answers to rural issues won’t come from a single expert or institution. That’s why the University of Georgia is convening its first forum on rural stress, bringing together experts from across the nation to discuss the underlying causes of the challenges facing rural Americans — economic stagnation, opioid dependence, population migration, increasing suicide rates — and help build an interdisciplinary framework for finding solutions. “Rural Stress: Promising Practices and Future Directions” will be held in Atlanta Dec. 10-11 at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta-Airport. Interested stakeholders, local officials, business leaders and academic researchers studying rural issues are welcome to attend. Faculty of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, and the UGA School of Social Work are hosting the forum. The hope is to leverage the existing organizational and outreach structure of land-grant universities and the Cooperative Extension System to find solutions. “The role of land-grant institutions has always been to connect the needs of people with the research-based resources that come from our universities,” said Sam Pardue, dean and director of the CAES. “Since before the Great Depression and the farm crisis of the 1980s — when rural communities were in trouble — land-grant universities and the Cooperative Extension System have worked hand in hand with local officials and local families to improve the communities’ prospects. That’s what we’re doing here.” In order to develop collaborative solutions, experts in mental and physical public health, rural development, economic development, and substance abuse prevention from more than a dozen states will present and participate in roundtable discussions. “The stresses faced by rural communities are complex and multifaceted — financial strain, lack of access to health and behavioral healthcare, social isolation, the opioid epidemic,” said Anna Scheyett, dean and director of the UGA School of Social Work. “We need an interdisciplinary approach if we are going to provide them with the support they need to face these challenges. Having the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences come together with the School of Social Work and other social sciences, in the context of a land-grant university, to tackle these issues has the potential for meaningful impact in rural communities.” Each school or college involved in the forum has experience working in rural development, and that history will better enable them to make the connections that could lead to solutions. “Families are at the core of helping address the complexity of the stresses communities are facing,” said Linda Kirk Fox, dean of the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “The multidisciplinary approaches we apply in our Family and Consumer Sciences Extension program have been an integral part of Extension work at the local level for more than 100 years working with farm, rural and urban families.” To see the forum agenda, go to www.ruralstress.uga.edu.
GFB News Alert page 5 of 9 USDA DETAILS TRADE DAMAGE ESTIMATE CALCULATIONS On Sept. 4, the USDA began administering payments to farmers under the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), part of a potential $12 billion relief package for farmers affected by retaliatory tariffs in the United States’ trade disputes with Canada, China, the European Union, Mexico and Turkey. While the federal government assistance is welcomed, growers of some commodities have been critical of the payment rates, suggesting that the payments won’t provide meaningful relief as they struggle with an extended period of low commodity prices and other economic stressors. On Sept. 13, the USDA published details of how the trade disruption damage estimates were calculated. The USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist published the USDA Trade Methodology report to explain how it developed an estimate of gross trade damage for commodities with assessed retaliatory tariffs. According to the report, the USDA used the same approach often used in adjudicating World Trade Organization trade dispute cases. The trade damage was determined by subtracting a commodity’s value with the tariff from its value without the tariff. The trade damage estimates were also used to determine the value of commodities to be purchased under the Food Purchase and Distribution Program, another portion of the trade mitigation package. The MFP payment rates are: corn ($0.01/bushel), cotton ($0.06/pound), dairy (milk, $0.12/cwt), pork ($8/head), sorghum ($0.86/bushel), soybeans ($1.65/bushel), and wheat ($0.14/bushel). To read the complete report, visit https://gfb.ag/USDAtradecalcs. SHEP INCLUDED IN FUNDING BILL SIGNED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP On Sept. 21, President Donald Trump signed H.R. 5895, an appropriations act providing funding for energy and water, the legislative branch, military construction and veterans affairs. Under the bill, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works Program receives $6.84 billion, including $49 million for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) with the possibility of additional funding to help keep the project on track. SHEP involves deepening Savannah Harbor and extending its shipping channel farther into the Atlantic Ocean, allowing the port to accommodate larger ships traveling to and coming from the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal. The larger ships are expected to reduce costs of transportation of agricultural commodities to foreign trade markets. The deepening of the entrance channel to Savannah Harbor to 49 feet and extending it an additional seven miles is 60 percent complete according to the 2017 Georgia Ports Authority annual report. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that every dollar spent on SHEP construction will return $7.30 in economic benefits.
GFB News Alert page 6 of 9 U.S., SOUTH KOREA SIGN UPDATED TRADE AGREEMENT On Sept. 24, the United States and South Korea signed an updated U.S. – Korea Free Trade Agreement, primarily addressing automobiles, steel and currency practices. The agreement updates provisions of the 2012 KORUS trade deal. While the agreement did not specifically address agricultural trade, U.S. ag groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), praised the deal for maintaining relations with a strong agricultural trading partner. In 2017, South Korea was the U.S.’ sixth-largest ag export market, purchasing $6.9 billion worth of U.S. agricultural goods. “Renewal of our trade deal with South Korea is much-needed good news and help for our farmers and ranchers as the agricultural economy struggles,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in a prepared statement. “Securing export markets for our products is critical, and we encourage the (Trump) administration to continue to push for conclusion of other trade agreements.” According to the office of the United States Trade Representative, the U.S.’ overall trade deficit with South Korea was $9.8 billion in 2017, and without agricultural trade it would have been worse. The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported a $5.8 billion ag trade surplus. U.S. beef producers have enjoyed increased trade with South Korea in recent years after the 2012 agreement reduced tariffs on U./S. beef, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said the updated agreement will allow continued growth in beef exports to South Korea. “KORUS is a prime example of how U.S. producers benefit from trade agreements that reduce tariffs and implement science-based standards. Less than a decade ago, U.S. beef exports to South Korea were severely limited by a 40 percent tariff and a host of non-tariff trade barriers. KORUS tore down those barriers, helping turn South Korea into a leading destination for U.S. beef. In fact, exports to South Korea accounted for over $1 billion annually over the last two years,” NCBA President Kevin Kester said. “We know that a modernized KORUS agreement will allow U.S. producers to continue focusing on what we do best: Providing safe, high-quality beef for Korean families to enjoy.” COTTON, CORN, SOYBEAN PRODUCTION EXPECTED TO INCREASE Georgia’s cotton, corn and soybean crops are expected to increase significantly in 2018 over 2017, according to the September Crop Production Report from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Georgia cotton growers are forecast to produce 2.8 million bales in 2018, up 575,000 bales (26 percent) over 2017, when they produced 2.23 million bales. Georgia soybean growers are expected to produce 7.6 million bushels in 2018, up 1.3 million bushels from 2017, which would be a 21 percent increase. Likewise, Georgia corn growers are forecast to produce 51.85 million bushels of corn in 2018, up 8.7 million from 2017, which would represent a 20 percent increase. The state’s peanut growers, who made a significant reduction in acreage in 2018, are forecast to produce 2.95 billion pounds in 2018, down from 3.6 billion pounds in 2017, a decline of 18 percent. Smaller yield is expected to result in a 14 percent decline in Georgia tobacco production, from 26.25 million pounds in 2017 to 22.5 million pounds in 2018. Dwindling yield also contributed to a decline in Georgia’s projected onion production, from 3.8 million hundredweight in 2017 to 2.8 million hundredweight in 2018, a decrease of 27 percent.
GFB News Alert page 7 of 9 DAIRY REVENUE PROTECTION WEBINAR Sept. 28 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. online A webinar on the new Dairy Revenue Protection program, hosted by American Farm Bureau Insurance Services and American Farm Bureau Federation, will feature AFBF Chief Economist John Newton. Participate in the webinar to learn how the program works and is likely to be quoted, in addition to the history behind its development and an overview of current dairy markets. The webinar is open to all but will be of particular interest to insurance agents, dairy farmers and commodity group members/staff. Advance registration for this free webinar is recommended. Go to https://gfb.ag/DRPwebinar to register. Visit www.DairyRP.com for the latest information on the Dairy RP program. CROP INSURANCE FOR GEORGIA GRAIN PRODUCERS Georgia farmers who produce barley, canola, oats and wheat have until Sept. 30 to apply for crop insurance coverage or make changes to their existing coverage under the 2014 farm bill.Coverage is available for barley in Crisp, Jefferson, Pike, and Walton counties. Coverage is available for canola in Bartow, Calhoun, Chattooga, Cherokee, Floyd, Franklin, Gordon, Hart, Murray, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties. Coverage is also available for oats and wheat in select counties. Growers are encouraged to visit their crop insurance agent soon to learn specific details for the 2019 crop year. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers by visiting the RMA agent locator at www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agent.html. Growers can use the RMA cost estimator at bit.ly/rmacost to get a premium amount estimate of their insurance needs online. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at www.rma.usda.gov. SCORE MOULTRIE/USDA AG MENTOR WORKSHOPS Oct. 2 Colquitt County Ag Center 6 p.m. RSVP by Sept. 28 Moultrie Nov. 13 Colquitt County Ag Center 6 p.m. RSVP by Nov. 9 Moultrie SCORE Moultrie and USDA are teaming up to host a series of workshops for people interested in starting a farm or agribusiness. The Oct. 2 workshop will feature Kim Jones, owner/operator of Florida-Georgia Citrus, who will share the opportunities and realities of operating a citrus farm, and Mike Evans, with the Georgia Department of Agriculture, who will discuss rules and regulations for citrus growers and nurseries. The Nov. 13 workshop will feature Sam Watson of Chill C Farms and David Hopkins of Hopkins Farms in Cairo, who will discuss rules and regulations vegetable growers face, especially for small farm-to-table producers.
GFB News Alert page 8 of 9 GEORGIA BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION FALL MEETING Sept. 27-29 Forsyth Conference Center at Lanier Technical College Cumming Featured speakers are Maryann Frazier from the Penn State Center for Pollinator Research and Florida Department of Agriculture Apiary Inspection Assistant Chief Jerry Hayes. The meeting includes GBA Fall Honey Show. Full registration is $95. One-day registration fee is $60. For more information or to register visit http://www.gabeekeeping.com/. BOVINE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION TRAINING Oct. 27-29 NE GA Livestock Pens, 1200 Winterville Rd. 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Athens The ABS Global Artificial Insemination Management School offers students the opportunity to learn AI techniques and herd management under skilled supervision. The curriculum includes: anatomy and reproduction; reproduction and fertility; heat detection; nutrition; principles of genetics and sire selection; herd management success; proper semen placement; and insemination practice. Also, synchronization of beef cattle and planned breeding of dairy heifers will be introduced. This is a comprehensive course consisting of 24 hours of instruction: 14 hours in the classroom and 10 hours in lab working with cattle. Registration is $475, which covers the cost of supplies and practice cows used at the school. This program is limited to 15 students and registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Deadline to submit registration forms and fees is Oct. 1. For information on how to register, contact James Umphrey at james.umphrey@genusplc.com or Allen Southard at 678/617-2945. BRANTLEY COUNTY FOREST LANDOWNERS TOUR & MEETING Oct. 16 Brantley County Middle School, 3:30 p.m. Nahunta Tour stops include the Southern Ionics Forest and mineral mining sites. Topics covered will include site prep methods, endangered species management, forest soils and many more. Registration is limited to the first 75 people. For more information, contact Shanda Thompson at 912-427-2502 Ext 3 or Shanda.thompson@ga.usda.gov. THE DAIRY ALLIANCE COMMUNITY & COWS EVENTS Oct. 11 Ga. National Fairgrounds Beef & Dairy Arena 6:30 p.m. Perry Oct. 24 Farmview Market 6:30 p.m. Madison The Dairy Alliance invites all local farmers and their families to a meal and discussion forum designed to address concerns and get farmers’ feedback. Prizes will be given away and Dairy Alliance staff will be introduced. Contact Mekenzie Panhans at mpanhans@thedairyalliance.com or 404-210-4504. Please RSVP at https://gfb.ag/commUNITYnCows.
GFB News Alert page 9 of 9 PEANUT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CLASS XI Oct. 15 application deadline Applications are now being accepted for Class XI of the Peanut Leadership Academy. To be eligible for participation, candidates must derive their primary livelihood from farming and currently produce peanuts, make a commitment to the program and agree to attend all sessions except in times of illness or a family emergency, be between the ages of 22 and 45 and provide a completed application. Five sessions take place throughout the 18-month class and require approximately 20 days of travel. Each class also has one leadership session in Washington, D.C., where participants have an opportunity to visit with members of Congress on issues affecting the peanut industry. To download a copy of the upcoming class application, visit www.southernpeanutfarmers.org. Applications must be postmarked by Oct. 15 for consideration. The first session will begin in December 2018. MONROE FARMERS MARKET Saturdays until October 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Court Street, Downtown Monroe This market, sponsored in part by Walton County Farm Bureau, will feature fresh produce and goods from local farmers, work from local artisans and family friendly activities. For more information visit www.monroedowntownfarmersmarket.com. 2018 AGRICULTURAL LABOR RELATIONS FORUM Nov. 13-14 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Tifton Growers, shippers, processors and other agricultural professionals will get the latest updates on labor relations matters, with advice from industry experts on how to comply with new labor laws. Registration is $175. Online registration is available until Nov. 12 at https://gfb.ag/18aglaborforumreg. For more information contact Abby DeGennaro at adegennaro@asginfo.net or 706-845-8200.