+2.0 BU./A. ADVANTAGE vs. industry Roundup Ready 2 Xtend ® varieties in 12,588 head-to-head comparisons. *
November 15, 2019
www.agrinews-pubs.com
*Beck’s Roundup Ready 2 Xtend varieties versus Pioneer, Asgrow, and Syngenta Roundup Ready 2 Xtend varieties. Includes data from farmer plots, Beck’s research, and third-party data. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® is a trademark of the Bayer Group.
Push for USMCA passage
Farmer outlook brighter
U.S., Mexico leaders discuss need for ratification
Optimism on trade, economy improves By Erica Quinlan
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
By Erica Quinlan
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
MEXICO CITY — Trade partners in Mexico are anxiously waiting for the U.S. Congress to ratify the United States-MexicoCanada Agreement. Secretar y of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently visited Mexico as part of an agricultural trade mission, where trade was discussed by leaders of both countries. “Certainly, the USMCA came up,” Perdue said. “Mexico, as we are, is anxious to have that ratified. They’ve already done their work, and they’re anxious for us to complete our task here. “They still seem to be very pleased with the provisions of USMCA. They don’t expect any major changes there, and I don’t think Ambassador (Robert) Lighthizer does, as well. He feels the issues he’s been negotiating with on the Democratic side are attainable and can be done.” Perdue would like to see progress sooner than later. “I think the later it goes, the longer it becomes entangled in politics that would not be helpful to the agreement,” he said. “We certainly don’t want to forfeit (USMCA) on the altar of politics.” Mexico is the second-largest export market of agricultural products from the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Over the last decade, U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico grew 48% from $12.9 billion to $19.1 billion in 2018.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Students volunteer at Stuckey Farm Orchard in Sheridan, Indiana, as part of the National FFA Convention Days of Service. Volunteers collected apples that were packaged and distributed to local food pantries.
DAYS OF SERVICE FFA students log 7,680 volunteer hours By Erica Quinlan
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
INDIANAPOLIS — This year, more than 2,500 FFA members volunteered as part of the National Days of Service. In total, 7,680 hours were spent serving the community.
Students volunteered at 17 locations in the Indianapolis area, including Gleaners Food Bank and Indiana State Fairgrounds. “These young people each provided three hours of service over the three-day event,” said Kristy Meyer, spokesperson at FFA.
CAMERON MATTHEWS: DIVERSIFIED HORTICULTURE By Ashley Langreck
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
By the numbers
$19 billion: U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico in 2018. No. 2: Mexico is second among U.S. agricultural export markets. 23%: U.S. exports to Mexico grew 23% from 2008 to 2018. SOURCE: FAS GLOBAL AGRICULTURAL TRADE SYSTEM
Matthews
SEE SECTION B
INDIANAPOLIS — During the 92nd National FFA Convention, Indiana FFA member Cameron Matthews received a distinguished honor when he was named the 2019 National FFA Diversified Horticulture – Entrepreneurship/ Placement proficiency winner. Matthews is a member of the Shenandoah FFA Chapter, which is advised by Tammie Gadberry, Emily Burris and Steve Hickey. Matthews, who currently is attending Purdue University, an-
By Ashley Langreck
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
Drying grain is a challenge this season A3 Group works to connect veterans and farming A4 Timm
INDIANAPOLIS —Mary Timm of the North Putnam FFA Chapter won the Agricultural Proficiency Award in Small Animal Production and Care – Entrepreneurship/ Placement at the 92nd National FFA Convention. Timm is a college student at Marian University with a busy class schedule. One of her FFA advisers, Janna Oxford, answered questions about Timm’s proficiency program and the hard work she has put in over the years.
Antiques C4
From The Fields A8
Auction Calendar B1
Health C3
Calendar B8
Livestock B4
Business C7
Opinion C6
Classifieds C1
Weather A6
By Ashley Langreck
Vol. 42 No. 7
CONTACT AGRINEWS: 800-426-9438
Can you tell us a little bit about your proficiency and some of the responsibilities you have had? My proficiency began when I was between my eighth grade and freshman years of schooling. It all started with 200 mums, which didn’t quite go so well, but me being as stubborn as I am, set out to learn and find a way to turn a bad situation into a positive one. See MATTHEWS, Page A5
How much time, effort and work did Timm put into her proficiency during her time as an FFA member? Mary started raising sugar gliders in middle school and countless hours have been put into this. She has since grown her operation to be the largest sugar glider operation in Indiana and has customers drive all the way from New York to purchase from her. She currently has over 60 sugar gliders and sells roughly around 40 sugar gliders a year.
Snethen
INDIANAPOLIS — The title of the 2019 National FFA Swine Production – Placement proficiency winner was awarded to Indiana FFA member Cade Snethen during the 92nd National FFA Convention. Snethen is a member of the Benton Central FFA Chapter, which is advised by Amanda Mullins. For his Supervised Agricultural Experience, Snethen spent his time as an FFA member helping raise and take care of swine at a local confinement feeding operation.
See OUTLOOK, Page A2
Ag Economy Barometer July 2019
153
Aug. 2019
124
Sept. 2019
121
Oct. 2019
136 Source: Purdue/CME Group
Trade relief on the way Perdue announces second round of MFP payments By Tom C. Doran
AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
Can you tell us a little bit about your proficiency and some of the responsibilities you have had? For the last four years, my SAE has consisted of me being the barn manager for CAVE County Pork, a wean-to-finish swine operation that is located outside of Otterbein.
WASHINGTON — A second round of Market Facilitation Program payments is expected to be rolled out in a few weeks. “We’ll be getting it ready hopefully by the end of this month or early December,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Nov. 8. This second of what could be three separate tranches of aid totaling $16 billion are aimed at compensating farmers for losses due to the U.S.-China trade war. The final payment is pending any resolution in the trade war. Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert Jr. said the organization had sent a letter to Perdue urging that the second tranche of MFP payments be sent as soon as possible. “As Illinois farmers continue to wrap up harvest 2019, we find ourselves in choppy, uncertain financial waters. The first round of MFP improved farmer cash flow and this second tranche gives hope for farmers facing additional challenges as the next year of depressed prices, expensive inputs and household expenses approach,” Guebert said.
See SNETHEN, Page A5
See RELIEF, Page A2
See TIMM, Page A5
CADE SNETHEN: SWINE PRODUCTION AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS
Farms For Sale C1
swered questions about his proficiency and what it was like to win a National FFA Proficiency title.
MARY TIMM: SMALL ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND CARE
INSIDE
AgriTrucker B3
Erica Quinlan can be reached at 800-426-9438, ext. 193, or equinlan@agrinews-pubs.com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Quinlan.
FFA members from Indiana win Agricultural Proficiency Awards
See USMCA, Page A2
Start a new Thanksgiving tradition C3
“The estimated economic impact of this event to the host sites is over $190,000.”
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University, CME Group Ag Economy Barometer improved 15 points to a reading of 136 in October, indicating more optimism among farmers. “The improvement in the barometer was driven by increases in both of the barometer’s sub-indices, the Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Future Expectations,” explained Jim Mintert, director of the Center for Commercial Agriculture at Purdue. Farmers were more favorable about making large investments on their farms, Mintert said. Farmers also were more optimistic about farmland prices. “When we asked about their expectations for far mland prices 12 months ahead, 16% of them said they expect to see higher prices over the next year, compared to 11% last month,” Mintert said. “When we asked them to look ahead five years, 53% of the respondents in our survey said they expected to see higher farmland values five years from now, compared to 49% a month earlier.”
Snethen, a student at Texas Tech University, answered questions about winning the National FFA proficiency and what the future holds for him.