FBN April 2016 by Virginia Farm Bureau

Farm Bureau News Since

in print

APRIL 2016

VAFARMBUREAU.ORG

Spring is peak agriculture education season

1941

Farm Bureau News

Volume 75, Number 2 April 2016

Features 9

“We believe the research they do is so

Depressed market prices contribute to slight drop in ag export values

crucial to improving vehicle safety and

Virginia saw a drop in market value—but not volume—of farm and forestry exports in 2015.

Young Farmers make good showing at AFBF convention

For the first time ever, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation had finalists in all three Young Farmers & Ranchers award programs at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual convention.

saving lives.” —SAM ROOKS, VFBMIC vice president of underwriting and policy services

Facility in Virginia working to keep drivers, passengers safe

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is supported by auto insurers like Farm Bureau that want to reduce losses from vehicle crashes.

Departments 3

Save the Date

8 Viewing Virginia

Producer members will receive their next issue of Virginia Farm Bureau News in September. The magazine will be published quarterly this year.

Members — Address change? If your address or phone number has changed, or is about to change, contact your county Farm Bureau. They will update your membership and subscription information. All advertising is accepted subject to the publisher’s approval. Advertisers must assume liability for the content of their advertising. The publisher maintains the right to cancel advertising for nonpayment or reader complaints about services or products. The publisher assumes no liability for products or services advertised. Member: Virginia Press Association

EDITORIAL TEAM Greg Hicks Vice President, Communications Pam Wiley Managing Editor Kathy Dixon Staff Writer/Assistant Editor Sara Owens Staff Writer/Photographer Pat Hooten Graphic Designer Maria La Lima Graphic Designer Claire Mills Advertising

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION

Officers Wayne F. Pryor, President Scott E. Sink, Vice President

Board of Directors

Heart of the Home

Marketplace

Emily Edmondson 1 Tazewell Richard L. Sutherland 2 Grayson Evelyn H. Janney 3 Floyd Gordon R. Metz 4 Henry Russell L. Williams II 5 Rockbridge Peter A. Truban 6 Shenandoah Thomas E. Graves 7 Orange Leigh H. Pemberton 8 Hanover William F. Osl Jr. 9 Cumberland Robert J. Mills Jr. 10 Pittsylvania J. M. Jenkins Jr. 11 Lunenburg W. Ellis Walton 12 Middlesex M. L. Everett Jr. 13 Southampton David L. Hickman 14 Accomack Janice R. Burton * Halifax Grant A. Coffee ** Lunenburg

A Web address for AgrAbility Virginia in the January issue of Virginia Farm Bureau News was outdated. The current address for the AgrAbility Virginia website is agrabilityvirginia.org. PUBLICATION SCHEDULE

Postmaster: Please send changes of address to, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Farm Bureau News, P.O. Box 27552, Richmond, VA 23261-7552; fax 804-290-1096. Editorial and business offices are located at 12580 West Creek Parkway, Richmond, VA 23238. Telephone 804-290-1000, fax 804-290-1096. Email virginiafarmbureaunews@vafb.com. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For Your Benefit

UPDATE

IIHS

Virginia Farm Bureau News (USPS 017-763) (ISSN 1525-528X) is published four times a year. January, April, September, November. It is published by Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, 12580 West Creek Parkway, Richmond, VA 23238. Periodicals postage rate is paid in Richmond, VA. The annual Subscription Rate is $1.42 (included in membership dues).

ON THE COVER Junior kindergarteners at The Steward School in Henrico County petted chickens incubated by ninth-grader Gracie Goodpasture. The school is an AITC grant recipient (Photo by Kathy Dixon).

DIRECTOR

DISTRICT COUNTY

*Women’s Committee Chairman **Young Farmers Committee Chairman

Save the Date!

Young Farmers Summer Expo scheduled for July 29-31 The annual VFBF Young Farmers Summer Expo will take place July 29 through 31. The weekend will be full of tours of the Central Virginia region, from Fredericksburg to Culpeper and Orange counties. There will be informative workshops and a presentation on Farm Bureauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critical agricultural issues, along with the annual Discussion Meet semifinals and Outstanding Young Agriculturalist and Excellence in Agriculture Award finals. More information will be made available at VAFBYoungFarmers.com.

Short courses, presentations, exhibits and educational tours within the Virginia Beach region, the Chesapeake Bay region and North

Carolina also are planned. For more information, call 804-524-5626 or email NSFC2016@vsu.edu.

10,000 Number of Virginia schoolchildren who will have an opportunity to experience hands-on agricultural activities, thanks to Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom $500 mini-grants. The AITC program awarded grants to 32 schools in the 2015-2016 school year (See related article on Page 25).

Virginia Farm Bureau Federation annual convention returning to Hot Springs Mark your calendars for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention, Nov. 29 through Dec. 1 at The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs. The annual event will include policy discussion, awards presentations, informative workshops and more.

State Fair of Virginia opens Sept. 23 The State Fair of Virginia will be held Sept. 23 through Oct. 2 at The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. Information will be shared at StateFairVa.org as it becomes available.

The 7th annual National Small Farm Conference will be held Sept. 20-22 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Participants can hear small-farm success stories and learn about strategies for sustainability, enhanced income and improved quality of life.

KATHY DIXON

National Small Farm Conference to be held in Va. Beach

VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

Since

th 1941

in print

Va. Farm Bureau News marks 75th anniversary View archived issues online Through a partnership with the Library of Virginia, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation has been able to make back issues of Virginia Farm Bureau News available online as part of the Virginia Newspaper Project. Issues published in February 1941 through January 2000 are available at no cost with all images and search capability at digitalvirginianewspapers.com.

• To browse archived issues

1. Go to digitalvirgnianewspapers.com. Feb. 15, 1941, issue

Virginia Farm Bureau News, long considered the publication of record for Virginia agriculture, marked 75 years in print earlier this year. The current magazine originally was a newspaper, first published Feb. 15, 1941. Under the headline “The News Begins,” it noted on Page 2, “At a meeting of the Board of Directors in Orange, Virginia, on September 21, 1939, the board passed a resolution authorizing the officers to proceed with the publication of a state paper.” That first issue’s top headline on the front page noted that the organization had set a goal of enrolling 8,000 members in 1941. Plans were in the works, it noted, to hold the 1941 State Convention in late March at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. 4

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

2. On the right side of the screen, under “Browse the Collection,” click on the link to “Browse by title.” 3. In the alphabetical list of newspaper titles, click on Virginia Farm Bureau News. 4. Select a specific issue from the table in which they are organized by year. Right-clicking on a specific newspaper page will give you the option of creating and saving a .pdf of that page, or of viewing only the text from that page. Issues of Virginia Farm Bureau News published since January 2011 are available at issuu.com. For easy access, search for “Virginia Farm Bureau.”

Pryor elected vice president of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Virginia Farm Bureau Federation President Wayne F. Pryor was elected first vice president of the Southern Farm Bureau PRYOR Life Insurance Co. on Feb. 16. He is a longtime member of that company’s board of directors. Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co. is located in Jackson, Miss., and is owned by the Farm Bureaus in 10 states, including Virginia.

VFBF policy book available online As of January, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Policy Book has been available on the VFBF website at VaFarmBureau.org/PolicyAction/ PolicyDevelopment.aspx. In July 2015, the federation’s board of directors recommended placing the book online to increase transparency and to encourage membership involvement in the policy development process. Current policies are the result of thorough consideration and recommendations by producer members. Each state-level VFBF policy gets its start at the county level and, over the course of a year, evolves through policy development channels intended to attain consensus among Farm Bureau producer members statewide. These policies are reassessed annually. The VFBF president, board and staff are responsible for the interpretation of federation policies. Members with questions regarding specific policies or their implementation may contact the Governmental Relations Department.

Members share views with state legislators at annual event

Extra legislative days added this year New this year was a legislative event for members of VFBF’s Young Farmers and Growing Leaders programs. The event was held Feb. 7 and 8 and included appointments with legislators and a tour of the Capitol building. “Personal outreach to our representatives is one of our most important efforts every year,” said Casey Phillips, a Montgomery County dairy producer and chairman of the Young Farmers Legislative Subcommittee. “We are a grassroots organization, and we believe it’s important for our legislators to hear not only from farmers themselves, but from the future leaders of Virginia’s largest industry.” The Young Farmers attended a House Finance Committee meeting where the committee passed a bill creating a state income tax credit for farmers who make food crop donations to a food bank. The bill received support from Virginia’s first lady, Dorothy McAuliffe, who met with the VFBF group. Participants in the Young Farmers program have been partnering with local food banks since 2010 to make fresh produce available to Virginians in need.

“For the Love of Agriculture” was the theme of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s annual Legislative Day, held Jan. 27 and 28 in Richmond. About 140 Farm Bureau volunteer leaders attended. Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore told participants that Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s 2016 budget “is the most aggressive budget package (for agriculture and forestry) in the 14-year history of the agriculture secretariat. We advocated for $13.3 million of new funding for agriculture and forestry.” One of the most important components of the budget was $2 million for the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development fund planning grants, which help facilities that add value to agricultural or forest products. At least 30 percent of those products must be Virginia-grown. Of the 30 or so projects that have received AFID grants since 2012, “we’re at about 76 percent Virginia-grown,” Haymore said. “Those contracts translate into $459 million in agricultural commodity purchases.” Members lobbied their legislators Jan. 28 about HB 1135, which would provide procurement procedures to facilitate the purchase of Virginia-grown food products by state agencies, institutions and public school divisions. Under the bill the Department of General Services would help with those purchases. Members also discussed other agriculture issues of concern, including best management practices cost-share funding and funding for soil and water conservation districts; the importance of the state’s weights and measures program; food labeling; and funding for the renovation and replacement of Virginia Tech’s poultry, swine, cattle and equine buildings.

KATHY DIXON

Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore (left), Gov. Terry McAuliffe and his wife, Dorothy, used photo booth props to show what they love about Virginia agriculture during the annual VFBF legislative reception.

Action Alerts play a huge role in legislative victories year after year. Farm Bureau staff send out Action Alerts asking producer members to voice their concerns to their legislators about specific agricultural issues. If you are a producer member and want to sign up to receive Action Alerts, contact Kelly Pruitt at kelly.pruitt@vafb.com or 804-290-1293 with your name, membership number and contact information.

VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

2016 Virginia General Assembly: Legislature yields funding for BMP and reforestation cost-shares, weights and measures inspectors “This is the first time since the Gilmore administration the industry severance tax will be fully matched by the commonwealth to provide funding for the cost-share program that provides an incentive for landowners to replant pine trees,” Moore said.

Farm Bureau volunteer leaders kept their eyes on activity at the state capitol this winter and remained engaged with their state legislators.

BY KELLY PRUITT

Virginia Farm Bureau Federation had another successful year at the Virginia General Assembly, prevailing on 51 of 56 policy issues, or 91 percent. “Our success is directly related to how active our producer membership is when it comes to answering Action Alerts and connecting with their legislators when important ag issues come up,” said Martha Moore, VFBF vice president of governmental relations. “When our farmers share their stories on how a certain ag issue affects them personally, it brings to life the implications of the issue for the legislator right before their eyes.” State budget Farm Bureau was pleased that the governor and General Assembly made a historic allocation to agricultural best management practices and cost-share 6

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

assistance, which helps farmers pay for environmental improvements to their farms. A total of $54.396 million is included for fiscal 2017 and $8.8 million for fiscal 2018 for agricultural BMP cost-sharing. Of the $54.396 million, $19.6 million will be dedicated for farmers who have signed up for funding for stream exclusion cost share practices. For technical assistance, $7.4 million was appropriated for fiscal 2017, and $1.2 million was appropriated for fiscal 2018. The legislature included an additional $345,701 for fiscal 2017 and $197,101 for fiscal 2018 to fund two additional weights and measures inspectors and replacement of some equipment; the new inspectors’ work will focus on farm scales. The state budget contained $1.8 million, or full funding, for the Reforestation of Timberland program.

Biosolids, and uninspected meat and milk Other successes of note include defeating legislation that placed unreasonable requirements on the application of biosolids on farmland, and the defeat of bills that would have allowed the sale of uninspected meat and raw milk. “These are issues that are going to pop up time and time again in the General Assembly,” Moore said. “That’s why it’s crucial for our members to remind legislators where we stand every year.” Farmer representation on soil and water conservation boards Another important piece of legislation Farm Bureau supported was a bill that will allow an exemption to the “Conflict of Interest” statutes for farmers serving on local soil and water conservation districts boards. That exemption would maintain their ability to receive cost-share funding for implementing ag BMPs. “We believe participation in the cost-share process by farmers who serve on their district boards helps them to be knowledgeable and effective advocates for that process,” Moore said. “That’s one very good reason for having farmers serving on their local boards in the first place. They are in an excellent position to encourage other farmers to participate.”

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888-213-0230 VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

Viewing Virginia

New high-value commodities include specialty soybeans, barley and wheat BY KATHY DIXON

Virginia has seen 24 percent and 26 percent drops in the number of sheep and calves killed by coyotes.

Coyote damage control program making a difference BY NORM HYDE

Virginia has seen a drop in the number of livestock animals killed by coyotes on Virginia farms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services division. Between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, the state saw a 24 percent decrease in the recorded number of sheep killed by coyotes, as well as a 26 percent drop in the number of calves taken by the predators. “This is tremendous news for our farmers, who suffer economic losses as well as disappointment whenever they find a fresh carcass from a coyote kill,” said Wilmer Stoneman, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation associate director of governmental relations. “It also shows how effective the cooperative control program can be when given enough financial resources. The budget for the Virginia Cooperative Coyote Damage Control program was expanded with up

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

to five new part-time employees, and it clearly made a difference.” The report listed 218 sheep, 60 calves and 24 goats as verified coyote kills on 191 Virginia farms in fiscal year 2015. The average number of sheep killed per farm was 3.3. The numbers might have been worse if the cooperative program hadn’t implemented preventive measures as well as actual removal of coyotes on 81 livestock farms. Wildlife Services reported 512 coyotes removed from farms with extreme predation problems. It’s been a quarter of a century since the cooperative control program began between the USDA and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The program emphasizes prevention before removal. Funding for the program totaled $390,000 in FY 2015, thanks to matching funds from state and federal governments and an additional $5,000 from the Virginia Sheep Industry Board.

Farmers looking to grow high-value commodities learned about three options at the 2016 Virginia Grains & Soybean Annual Conference—high oleic soybeans, barley for malt and bread wheat. The event was held Feb. 16 in Williamsburg. In 2002, 50 percent of America’s soy oil was hydrogenated, said Kim Phillips, a DuPont Pioneer representative. During the hydrogenation process, a type of fat called trans-fat is created. In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandated the labeling of products containing trans-fats. Because of that mandate, Phillips said, the soy oil market was reduced by more than 20 percent, and 12 million acres of soybean production was lost. “As soybean acreage and demand decreased, other crops started filling the void,” she said. In 2015, the FDA declared hydrogenated oils unsafe and gave food manufacturers three years to remove all trans-fats from production. That put another 4 million acres of soybeans at risk, Phillips said. To stop the market share loss, Pioneer created high oleic soybeans through biotechnology. Seed scientists were able to suppress a gene to stop the conversion to trans-fats during the process of making soy oil. The resulting product is a healthy, mono-unsaturated oil, Phillips explained. “It’s the reinvention of soybean oil.” | HIGH-VALUE cont'd on p. 24 »

Across America

Virginia’s 2015 agricultural exports valued at $3.19 billion

Virginia’s top 10 agricultiural export markets in 2015

($ million)

China $694 Canada $291 Switzerland $204

Farm and forestry exports from Virginia in 2015 were valued at $3.19 billion, 4.7 percent less than in 2014. Gov. Terry McAuliffe noted on March 7 that the decrease “is in (market) value, not in volume” and noted that the value of ag exports to Virginia’s top trading partners increased last year. McAuliffe spoke at the opening luncheon of the eighth annual Governor’s Conference on Agricultural Trade, announcing that Virginia has strengthened its position as the secondlargest exporter of agricultural goods on the East Coast and narrowed the gap between the commonwealth and firstranked Georgia. Virginia agricultural exports reached an all-time high of $3.35 billion in 2014, the fourth consecutive year in which those exports set a record. Nationwide, ag exports were affected last year by depressed commodity prices; decreased shipments to certain regions due to prohibitive shipping costs; new trade bans; and various geopolitical challenges. The governor told conference participants that he and his staff took part in 13 trade missions last year. “Ninety-five percent of the world’s customers live outside of America. So you have to go where the customers are.” In spite of a challenging global marketplace, “Virginia continues to be a leader in promoting agricultural exports, which have grown in value by 42 percent since 2010 when we launched a strategic initiative to increase shipments of these products,” said Todd Haymore, secretary of agriculture and forestry.

Speakers highlighted agreements that could boost agriculture and forestry exports and animal health issues that can hinder them. Ambassador Darci Vetter, chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, outlined benefits of U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP is an agreement among the U.S. and Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Its implementation has been a goal of the Obama administration. Vetter said the TPP will foster “unprecedented access to the region that will support two-thirds of the world’s middle class by 2030.” TPP participation, she said, will afford U.S. exporters “trade liberalization for every agricultural product, without exception.” For example, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Vietnam would eliminate duties on 93 percent of all ag tariff lines, and 70 percent of those tariff lines would be eliminated immediately. Dr. John Clifford, deputy administrator and chief veterinary officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, told conference participants that trade interruptions related to animal health issues can be lasting ones. In 2003, he reminded them, officials confirmed a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a cow of Canadian origin that was in the United States. It resulted in numerous bans on U.S. beef, and “we are still, today, trying to gain some of those markets back,” Clifford said.

Mexico $179 Japan $175 United Kingdom

$134

Morocco $103 Republic of Korea

$94

Taiwan $90 Indonesia $70

Top Virginia farm and forestry exports in 2015

($ million)

Soybeans $586 Pork $506 Wood $280 Soy meal

$268

Leaf tobacco

$257

Processed food & beverages $176 Wood fuel $147 Poultry $129 Soy oil

$122

Wheat $88 Animal feed

$78

Corn $58 Raw peanuts

$41

Seafood $37 Coffee $31 Brans, sharps

$30

Cotton $26

VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

RECORD NUMBER OF YOUNG FARMERS GET HELPFUL INFORMATION AT EXPO

Participants in the Young Farmers Winter Expo saw how Gregory Lumber Co. in Pittsylvania County turns trees into lumber products.

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

ARTICLE AND PHOTO BY KATHY DIXON

ustin Gulasky is a Virginia Tech senior, works on his parents’ King William County small grains farm and was a first-time attendee at the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Winter Expo. The event was held Feb. 26-28 at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in Pittsylvania County. Gulasky said he hoped to glean information that could help him expand his family’s farm so that he could farm full-time and eventually pass the farm on to his children. He attended the New Business Development workshop, which was led by Will and Becky Roberts, beef cattle farmers who started their own livestock equipment business a year ago. That was just one of many workshops presented at the annual event to help young farmers expand their businesses, start new businesses or learn about agricultural issues. Expo participants also toured an agricultural research facility, a dairy, a lumber company, a tobacco processing facility and a bioenergy start-up plant. “Growing Agriculture’s Future” is the VFBF Young Farmers slogan, and the conference tied into that theme. Attendance was the largest in Winter Expo history, with more than 200 young farmers registered. Attendees included state FFA officers, Collegiate Young Farmers, former Young Farmers and future Young Farmers.

New operations start with business plan In the new business development workshop, attendees learned that every great idea begins with a problem. The Robertses’ problem was that they couldn’t find highquality, durable, custom-fit gates. So they decided to make their own. Sta-Bull Livestock Equipment started with a business plan, and the Robertses got help from Farm Credit’s AgBiz Planner, an online business plan writing program. Becky Roberts counseled attendees to “know your competition, know your product and find out what makes you different.”

Feed directive will affect livestock producers Dr. Bruce Bowman, Harrisonburg field veterinarian for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Veterinary Services, told attendees that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new feed directive is “going to change the way you do business.” Starting Jan. 1, 2017, livestock producers can no longer buy feed containing antibiotics over the counter. And they won’t be able to use feed containing antibiotics without a Veterinary Feed Directive, which is a form filled out by a

veterinarian authorizing the use of medicated feed. The FDA feed directive is intended to limit the use of medically important antimicrobial drugs in foodproducing animals. “Public perception leads legislators to make decisions that are not based on facts or science,” Bowman said. “Veterinarians didn’t originate this idea.”

Be honest with loan officers Attendees also learned about ag financing from two Farm Credit of the Virginias loan officers, who encouraged them to be honest with their loan officers and not try to borrow too much. “You need up-to-date, accurate records to make the best decisions,” said Steven Bowman. “Do a SWOT analysis: analyze your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.” He encouraged attendees to have an action plan for their farm and to be prepared for bad times. He also said having a good accountant is advisable. “Having a tax preparer who’s familiar with Schedule F— that’s priceless,” he said.

Award winners share success secrets Chris Van Vlack, Sam and Ashley Gardner and Mindy McCroskey—Young Farmers who captured national honors at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention earlier this year—shared their secrets to success. The Gardners, who were AFBF Achievement Award runners-up, said Young Farmers expos and the VFBF Annual Convention are opportunities to network and learn. They said the Achievement Award application process is not easy but it helped them reflect on their Bedford County farm operation and make improvements. They were contest participants for three years before winning at the state level. “The Achievement Award competition is a great tool to learn about your operation, even if you don’t win,” Sam Gardner said. Van Vlack, who competed in the Discussion Meet six times before winning at the state level and going on to become the national winner, agreed. “The value of these competitions is the process,” he said. “Discussion Meet is supposed to make you a better Farm Bureau member, because you analyze a question and work to find solutions with a group of people. It definitely helped me with public speaking.” McCroskey, who was an AFBF Excellence in Agriculture Award runner-up, said applying for the program helped her reflect on past accomplishments and set goals for the future. “The prizes are great, but nothing tops the experience you get,” she said.

VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

SPRING CONFERENCE

The event started out with carnival games. But soon after, participants got down to serious business in workshops on GMOs, farm and food safety, school gardens, farm-to-school initiatives, expanding leadership opportunities within Farm Bureau and using aerial images from drones to boost crop yields. The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Spring Conference, held March 11-13 in Richmond, drew about 270 participants. The event was open to any Farm Bureau member with an interest in learning about and promoting agriculture. In her presentation on farm safety, Dr. Amy Johnson of Bedford County noted that the average age of U.S. and Virginia farmers—late 50s—presents some specific safety challenges. Many older farmers, she noted, have conditions like heart disease, hypertension or diabetes that can degrade vision, hearing and fine motor skills, “which increases the risk of injuries.” The nurse practitioner and former paramedic has been involved in emergency care at large and small hospitals and is a certified provider for the nonprofit organization AgriSafe. As a family practitioner for Centra Medical group, she said, “I have a lot of farmers. I have a lot of loggers. I have a lot of truckers” for patients. Johnson reminded conference participants about the myriad conditions on a farm that can cause or aggravate an injury or other health problem. And she reminded them that basic safety equipment can help 12

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

PHOTOS BY NORM HYDE

SPRING CONFERENCE SHARED SERIOUS INFORMATION IN FUN SETTING

Spring Conference participants attended workshops on farm-to-school initiatives, drones, GMOs and expanding leadership opportunities within Farm Bureau, among other topics.

prevent one—respirators, hearing and eye protection, protective clothing, sturdy footwear and a plan to stay well-hydrated. In a presentation titled “GMOs – Get the Real Dirt,” Lindsay Reames addressed numerous misconceptions about genetically modified organisms and encouraged participants to familiarize themselves with the facts. Reames is a VFBF assistant director of governmental relations. Consumers have lots of questions about foods with GMO ingredients, she said. “And that’s a good, healthy

curiosity.” But all of the answers they are being offered are not science-based. “I think it’s up to agriculture and up to us to try to explain it a little better.” Many people, she noted, don’t realize that there are GMO versions of only nine commercial crops available in the U.S.: alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, papayas, potatoes, soybeans, sugar beets and summer squash—or that it takes, on average, 13 years and $130 million for a GMO product to reach the market. And some consumers are convinced they should avoid GMO

SPRING CONFERENCE

foods but are not quite sure why, or what “GMO” even stands for. The website gmoanswers. com is a good SAYLOR source of information, Reames said. And farmers’ conversations with consumers can only help dispel some of the GMO misunderstandings. “You have to find a way to respectfully engage with them,” she said, “and realize that there are some people who you are not going to reach.” Sherry Saylor, women’s leadership chairman for the American Farm Bureau Federation, delivered a keynote address titled “Lead Where You Stand.” Like Reames, she emphasized the value of civil and simple conversations about modern agriculture. In addition to farming with her husband in Arizona, Saylor has worked as a school counselor for 30 years. She described a colleague of 20 years whose political leanings are polar opposites of her own. Still, she said, “he is one of my very best friends. He’s loyal, he’s decent and if I need some money to buy a kid a pair of shoes, he’s the first one to pull the $20 out of his pocket.” Their views on many things differ, she said, but after years of conversations, he saves articles about agriculture that catch his attention, and he asks her opinions. “I would encourage you to make friends with people who don’t always agree with you about everything,” Saylor said.

SHEETS

Individuals and county women’s committees honored with awards Farm Woman of the Year Sue Ann Sheets, Augusta County Virginia Farm Bureau Ambassador Brittany Bowman, Shenandoah County Virginia Farm Bureau Lady Leader – Proudly Promoting Agriculture Donna Musick, Washington County

MUSICK

Outstanding Women’s Activity Award state and Southwest District winner Smyth County Women’s Committee Capital District winner Powhatan County Women’s Committee Central District winner Spotsylvania County Women’s Committee Eastern District winner Middlesex County Women’s Committee Midwest District winner Floyd County Women’s Committee Northern District winner Prince William-Fairfax County Women’s Committee Southeast District winner Greensville County Women’s Committee Southside District winner Pittsylvania County Women’s Committee Valley District winner Rockingham County Women’s Committee Innovation Award for an original and creative event to promote agriculture Pittsylvania County Women’s Committee

BOWMAN

Farm Bureau women raise funds for Agriculture in the Classroom Virginia’s Agriculture in the Classroom program received nearly $28,000 in contributions and other support during the Spring Conference. County Farm Bureau women’s committees donated $22,947, an opening-night carnival raised $2,230 and a silent auction raised $2,478. “County Farm Bureau women’s committees are, hands down, the most enthusiastic and dedicated supporters of AITC” said Kelly Pious, executive director of the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. “Their efforts make it possible for us to offer resources to hundreds of Virginia educators and reach thousands of children every year.”

VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention

Transition a key theme at 2016

NORM HYDE

BY NORM HYDE

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

he election of a new president and vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation was a major part of the organization’s 98th annual convention, held Jan. 9-12 in Orlando, Fla. AFBF delegates also addressed hotbutton national issues with policies that do the following: • oppose government attempts to sway public opinion on regulatory rules open for public comment; • support the Trans Pacific Partnership and other fair and open world trade deals; • reaffirm support for the use of genetically modified plant varieties and other innovative technologies: • call for a voluntary and uniform labeling system for products designated as genetically-modified organisms; and • denounce mandatory labeling of food products containing GMOs at the local, state or federal level. Regarding risk management issues, AFBF supports the following: • adding cottonseed to the list of oilseed crops eligible for farm programs; • voluntary risk management products for poultry growers to help recoup losses from disease outbreaks; and • continued support for emergency assistance to livestock and tree crop producers not currently covered under federal crop insurance programs. Farm Bureau continues to support protecting proprietary data collected from farmers during high-tech farm practices, as well as fair compensation to farmers who choose to sell their data to third parties, including other farmers. The organization continues to strongly support biofuels and the Renewable Fuel Standard. Convention participants streamed into the justopened trade show.

AFBF convention

NORM HYDE

New AFBF president previously led Georgia Farm Bureau

Chris Van Vlack (second from left) of Loudoun County won the national YF&R Discussion Meet. Mindy McCroskey (left) of Washington County was an Excellence in Agriculture Award runner-up, and Ashley and Sam Gardner of Bedford County were Achievement Award runners-up.

Loudoun farmer captures Discussion Meet title; other Va. producers receive national honors For the first time ever Virginia had finalists in all three Young Farmer & Rancher competitions at the AFBF convention. Chris Van Vlack of Loudoun County took home top honors in the Discussion Meet competition at the 97th annual national Farm Bureau event. Mindy McCroskey of Washington County was a runner-up for the Excellence in Agriculture Award, and Sam and Ashley Gardner of Bedford County were runners-up for the Achievement Award. The Discussion Meet simulates a committee meeting in which active discussion and participation are expected. Participants are evaluated on their ability to exchange ideas and information on a predetermined topic. Van Vlack began competing in the Discussion Meet on the state level seven years ago and was a state finalist in six of those years. As national winner he was awarded his choice of a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado or a 2016 GMC Sierra courtesy of Chevrolet, plus free

registration to the YF&R Leadership Conference in February. Van Vlack is a custom hay producer and an urban/agriculture conservationist for the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District. “I owe so much to everyone who’s helped me along the way,” he said. “Everyone on the state Young Farmers Committee, county board members and many others have offered me tips on how to construct my statements. In the end we in Farm Bureau are here to solve these problems, and everyone … has given me a piece that contributed to the total discussion.” The Gardners, who raise dairy heifers, were awarded a Case IH Farmall 50A tractor courtesy of Case IH, along with $3,000 and Stihl Inc. merchandise courtesy of Stihl. McCroskey, a cattle farmer and vocational agriculture instructor, was awarded a Case IH Farmall 50A tractor courtesy of Case IH, as well as $3,000 and merchandise from Stihl.

Newly elected American Farm Bureau Federation President Vincent “Zippy” Duvall is a poultry, cattle and hay producer from Greene County, Ga., and served as president of the Georgia Farm Bureau for nine years. He served on the AFBF board of directors in the 1980s as chairman of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. AFBF Vice President Scott VanderWal is a third-generation family farmer from Volga, S.D., and has been president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau since 2004. VanderWal and his wife raise corn and soybeans and do custom cattle feeding and some custom harvesting. They served on the AFBF YF&R Committee from 1992 to 1994. Duvall succeeds Bob Stallman of Texas, who was elected AFBF president in 2000. VanderWal succeeds outgoing AFBF Vice President Barry Bushue of Oregon.

Retiring AFBF President Bob Stallman (left) handed over the gavel to successor Vincent “Zippy” Duvall of Georgia.

VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

NORM HYDE

American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention

VFBF board member Emily Edmondson (left) of Tazewell County talked with children’s author Shennen Bersani about Bersani’s book.

‘This has been so cool!’

Va. producer among those who met with children’s authors BY NORM HYDE

Twelve children’s book authors visited Florida cattle ranches and met with farmers from across the country as part of the first On the Farm Author Experience, sponsored by the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture and the Beef Checkoff Program. The event was held during the AFBF annual convention in Orlando. Authors met ranch families, learned about cattle production practices and chatted with other farmers over lunch. One of the participants was Emily Edmondson of Tazewell County, a cattle producer who serves on the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation board of directors. She shared photos and video from her farm with author and illustrator Shennen Bersani of Boston. “What I produce with my son on our 1,400 acres is grass,” Edmondson explained. “And I turn it into beef— which is great, because there’s not much market for grass. “We are stewards of the land, and we have a responsibility to leave it in good shape.” Stewardship was just one of the topics of conversation at the lunch 16

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

table. Bersani expressed a keen interest in how farmers and ranchers care for their livestock and how raising a family is usually a major part of the farm lifestyle. She also expressed enthusiasm for accurately portraying farm operations. “How can I help you tell your story?” she asked Edmondson. Edmondson was joined at the lunch by James Strickland, a Florida Farm Bureau Federation and National Cattlemen’s Association member. He and his wife own and run one of the largest cattle ranches in southwest Florida. He also serves on the board of the Archibald Biological Station, which studies ways to protect Florida’s fragile ecosystem and reduce the impact of cattle on the land. “I want to be able to say I take care of my land, and here are the studies that we’ve put our own money into to do a better job,” Strickland said. “This has been so cool!” Bersani said at the luncheon. “What I’m taking home from this is the passion and commitment that farmers have, and that they are `green.’ They are environmentalists creating something for their grandchildren.”

VFBF Assistant Director of Rural Development Chris Cook was among panelists who spoke about applying for grants.

Navigating the federal grant maze takes time and reflection Deciding whether—and when—to apply for a federal grant for a farm or agribusiness venture requires significant foresight and self-analysis, according to grant-writing and rural entrepreneurship experts who spoke at the AFBF convention’s IDEAg Trade Show. Sometimes the effort is worth it; sometimes it may not be, they advised. A value-added support team in Iowa is made up of agribusiness experts from Iowa State University, state government and other agencies. The group meets once a month to review confidential start-up proposals. “It’s kind of like Shark Tank, but friendlier,” joked team member Denny Harding, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s bio-economy manager. “Our purpose is to help (entrepreneurs) discover their weaknesses and some of their opportunities. It really does seem to help a lot of these companies that want to get started. And sometimes you can do just as much by saying, ‘Hey, this needs a lot of work, and here’s what you can work on.’” James Matson, owner of grantwriting firm Matson Consulting LLC, advised, “Look at where you’re going first. Focus on that goal, and see what gives you the best bang for your buck.

Transparency is critical for farmers in information age Farmers no longer have any choice whether to share information about their farming practices with the public. It’s now an expected practice, said Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity. “We can trace this change in social attitudes right back to 1968,” Arnot told AFBF convention participants at a workshop that shared CFI research results on public opinions about farmers. “Prior to the Vietnam War, the military could essentially shape the story going home,” he said. “Television news changed the social conversation completely about the war. … Today the military actually embeds correspondents in fighting units to help get a positive message out about their actions.” Much the same thing has happened in relation to food, he continued. “Digital communications and social media now control the conversation about our food supply,” meaning farmers, food manufacturers and even the government can no longer simply state that food is safe or assert what should be the best

dietary practices. The American farmer continues to have one of the highest public approval ratings of all job categories, Arnot said. But the public is highly skeptical about the food industry. “We need to close that trust gap through increased transparency,” he said. “Today, the public no longer accepts authority through traditional respect. It is `granted’ by relationships.” Publicly sharing how farmers raise crops and livestock will do more than just polish producers’ images, Arnot added. Recent food safety scares and negative videos on social media have shown that the tipping point in public opinion often comes after a single event. “When public trust is violated, it always results in increased regulatory costs,” he said. “So farmers and agriculture in general have a collective interest in keeping the public trust.” Rebuilding public trust in modern agriculture methods also calls for an attitude change, Arnot said. “Historically we have relied on science to bolster our positions, believing that the data will ultimately build trust with consumers,” he said. “But the Internet and modern communications have built an infinite number of `tribes,’ people with special interests.” Shared values or confidence in someone’s practices and reputation are three to five times more important than facts in building trust,” Arnot said. “So any efforts to `educate’ the public are not likely to be successful. We have to engage them instead.” That means speaking with consumers and neighbors. It means publicly sharing farm operations on social media. And it means being willing to have a discussion with consumers about the hows and whys of specific practices. Farmers have to acknowledge that there’s skepticism and offer to help consumers sort out all the information available to them, Arnot explained. “The more transparent you are, the more the public and your neighbors will trust you.”

NORM HYDE

The grant isn’t the goal. The goal is to improve your business and gain money. “You’re often looking at a multi-year process, and you can expect some failures along the way.” Matson added that applying for a grant also involves considering whatever strings are attached to the money. Many times producers come to realize that their time would be better spent growing their business in other ways, he said. “We use grant programs as just one tool to help rural businesses grow,” said Chris Cook, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation assistant director of rural development. “When working through the process of applying for a grant, applicants are learning a lot about their business, especially if one part of the application is a formal feasibility study. “We often think the process is far more important than the grant.”

Convention participants, including many Virginians, watched the final Discussion Meet round and cheered Chris Van Vlack’s win.

Va. Farm Bureau wins Awards of Excellence Virginia Farm Bureau Federation was recognized at the AFBF convention for winning six out of a possible six Awards of Excellence for work in 2015. The awards recognized outstanding achievements in six program areas: • education and outreach; • leadership development; • member services; • membership initiatives; • policy development and implementation; and • public relations and communications.

VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR

Working to drivers and 18

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF IIHS

HIGHWAY SAFETY

help keep roadways safe

ucked away off the back roads of Greene County is an institute and research center that works to help save lives. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Ruckersville is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses—deaths, injuries and property damage—from crashes on the nation’s roads. The IIHS and its sister organization, the Highway Loss Data Institute, are wholly supported by a long list of auto insurers and insurance associations— including the Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. “The Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. is a proud supporter of IIHS,” said Sam Rooks, VFBMIC vice president of underwriting and policy services. “Farm Bureau and all of the other insurance companies who support IIHS do so because we believe the research they do is so crucial to improving vehicle safety and saving lives.” The IIHS was founded in 1959 by three major insurance associations representing 80 percent of the U.S. auto insurance market, to support highway safety efforts by others. A decade later, it was reinvented as an independent research organization, shifting from a focus on crash prevention to using a modern, scientific approach to identify options for reducing crash losses.

Tests help manufacturers make safer cars The IIHS Vehicle Research Center is a state-of-the-art facility where the institute performs crash tests that The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety facility includes a 22,000-square-foot crash hall and 15 acres of outdoor track for testing vehicles. VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

“We believe the research they do is so crucial to improving vehicle safety and saving lives.”

The IIHS conducts 50 to 70 vehicle crash tests annually at the Ruckersville facility. Test dummies (below) help researchers address safety concerns for passengers of all ages.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF IIHS

Sam Rooks, VFBMIC vice president of underwriting and policy services crash tests each year. The crash hall also is used to evaluate new technologies such as adaptive headlights and rearview camera systems. Testing labs at the facility include one for measuring roof strength and one for testing children’s booster seats. The facility also features 15 acres of outdoor track for testing vehicles. In September 2015, the original 1,000-foot track was expanded to allow space for high-speed maneuvers, and a new 300-by-700-foot track with a 115-foot-high steel and fabric roof was built. The new track allows staff to perform tests year-round in any type of weather.

SARA OWENS

Safety of vehicles improves year after year

Crash tests include side-impact crashes (left) and those in which the front of a vehicle overlaps another vehicle or an object (left lower). The IIHS reports vehicles tend to earn better safety ratings today than they did two decades ago.

encourage manufacturers to make safer vehicles and help consumers make safe choices. Vehicles are rated for safety based on performance in several tests, with the best performers carrying a “Top Safety Pick+” or “Top Safety Pick” designation. The 22,000-square-foot crash hall has three runways to accommodate front- and side-impact tests and for replicating crashes into another vehicle or a fixed object. It features 750,000 watts of lighting to allow for high-quality photography of 50 to 70 20

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

According to the IIHS, in 1995 roughly half of the vehicles tested earned marginal or poor ratings, and more were rated poor than good. Today nearly all vehicles tested earn good ratings for protection in a moderate overlap frontal crash. In 2003, when the IIHS began performing side-impact tests, not many vehicles earned top ratings, yet most receive good ratings today. Rear and rollover ratings also have improved. In 2012 the IIHS began performing the small overlap front test. It is designed to replicate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object. The institute began rating vehicles for front crash prevention in 2013. A new type of technology, front crash prevention can warn of an impending frontal collision or initiate autonomous braking; it’s part of a growing category of crash avoidance features that can take vehicle safety to new levels.

For Your Benefit

Making travel plans?

Save on lodging costs with Wyndham benefit Your Farm Bureau membership gives you access to two programs offering significant savings at thousands of hotels in North America Advance reservations are required, and blackout dates may apply. The Wyndham Hotel Group discount program covers stays in over 7,200 Baymont Inn & Suites, Days Inn, Hawthorn Suites, Howard Johnson, Knights Inn, Microtel, Planet Hollywood, Ramada, Super 8 Motel, Travelodge, Wingate by Wyndham and Wyndham Hotels locations. The discounted rate of up to 20 percent less than the “Best Available Rate” publicly available online is subject to availability at participating locations. Simply call 877-670-7088 to make your reservation, and give your Virginia Farm Bureau ID number—available from your county Farm Bureau. Then be prepared to share your current Farm Bureau member card when you check in.

Enjoy greater Grainger savings with enhanced benefit program Virginia Farm Bureau and Grainger have announced an updated agreement that allows Farm Bureau members in Virginia to enjoy more money-saving opportunities. Members can take advantage of substantial discounts from Grainger, the world’s largest industrial supplier, which also sells products for home and office use. Save on brand-name hand and power tools from manufacturers like DeWalt and Stanley, safety items and select farm-duty motors. Additionally, members receive free standard ground shipping on all standard Grainger products purchased instore, online at grainger.com and by phone. Same-day shipping is available for most in-stock items. To use your Farm Bureau discount, you’ll need your Farm Bureau membership number, which is on your membership card, and the Virginia Farm Bureau Grainger discount code, available from your county Farm Bureau. Your Farm Bureau discount can be applied to an existing Grainger account, so you automatically save every time you buy. All Farm Bureau members in Virginia are eligible for Grainger benefits when they register as Farm Bureau members at grainger.com or at a local Grainger store. Discounts cannot be applied to past purchases.

Caterpillar Inc. expands member benefit Caterpillar Inc. has expanded the reach of its Virginia Farm Bureau Member Benefit Program. Farm Bureau members in Virginia can now save up to $2,500 thanks to the addition of hydraulic excavators and a medium track-type tractor to the program. The $2,500 savings applies to the Cat 336F and 349F excavators and the Cat D6T tractor. In addition, Farm Bureau members will now receive a $250 credit on work tool attachments purchased with a new Caterpillar machine. Visit FBAdvantage.com/Deals/Cat for a list of all applicable Cat machines and to obtain a membership verification certificate to present to your dealer at the time of purchase or lease quote. Your discount can be combined with any current retail discounts, promotions, rebates or offers available through Caterpillar or Cat dealers, with the exception of other membership purchase incentives. Discounts cannot be applied to past purchases. Find a Cat dealer near you at cat.com.

Save $500 on purchase or lease of selected GM vehicles Farm Bureau members in Virginia can receive a $500 incentive toward the purchase or lease of qualifying Chevrolet, GMC or Buick vehicles at participating dealerships. The Farm Bureau GM $500 Vehicle Discount Program is available for members who are at least 18 and have been Farm Bureau members for at least 30 days. The offer can be combined with most other incentives. To use this member benefit, visit FBAdvantage.com/Deals/GM, enter your membership number and ZIP code, and print out a Farm Bureau Membership Verification Certificate to take to your GM dealership. Members without Internet access can get assistance in acquiring a certificate from their county Farm Bureau offices. The $500 incentive must be processed at the time of delivery; GM will not accept certificates on vehicles that already have been delivered.

Members eligible for discounts on Polaris vehicles Farm Bureau members in Virginia are eligible for a manufacturer’s incentive discount of $200 to $300 on specific utility and sport vehicles and all-terrain vehicles from participating Polaris dealers. Members should negotiate their best deals with their preferred Polaris dealers and then present a membership verification certificate prior to delivery to apply the manufacturer’s incentive discount to the final sale price. Visit FBAdvantage.com/Deals/ Polaris, and enter your membership number and ZIP code to create and print a Farm Bureau membership verification certificate to take to your participating Polaris dealership. VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

Short-term health insurance policies offer coverage in times of transition For individuals who lose their health insurance coverage outside of the annual open enrollment period or without a qualifying event, a shortterm health insurance plan can be a good option. Short-term health insurance plans help bridge gaps in coverage for individuals and families in times of transition. The plans give individuals the flexibility to drop the coverage at any time without penalty and to apply for another term of coverage with certain restrictions. The plans are based on a family’s or individual’s needs and can be in effect for one to 11 months with a range of available deductible amounts. “These policies are likely a good choice for applicants who need coverage without a qualifying event, who are

between jobs or are waiting for a new employer’s coverage to become effective,” said Brett Denton, vice president of Virginia Farm Bureau’s Health Care Consultants and Experient Health. The plans also can be helpful to people who: • are coming off a parent’s insurance plan; • were recently discharged from the military; • missed open enrollment and do not have a qualifying event; • are waiting for Medicare; • need a temporary alternative to COBRA insurance; or • have lost coverage following a divorce. Denton noted that short-term health insurance plans do not meet the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act minimum essential benefits. “This means you could have a penalty for having a plan that doesn’t meet the law requirement and have a tax burden at the end of the year.” Short-term plans also are not designed to cover everything and typically will not cover routine office visits, maternity, mental health or preventive care. They also will not cover preexisting conditions. “If you’re healthy and just need temporary coverage until another plan kicks in, or you missed the last open enrollment and just need coverage for the rest of the year, this may be a good option,” Denton said. “And often, plans will kick in the next day.” For more information about shortterm health insurance plans, contact your county Farm Bureau office.

Questions about health insurance?

We have answers! Call your county Farm Bureau for help understanding the new health care laws. HealthInsuranceVA.com 22

VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. trades as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia, and its service area is all of Virginia except for the City of Fairfax, the Town of Vienna, and the area east of State Route 123. Independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

SMV emblems, other safety measures can be life-savers on rural roads Farm equipment is often wider than rural roadways. It’s tough and powerful—but not very speedy. That’s one reason, with planting season gearing up, farmers need to have slow-moving vehicle emblems in place on equipment that they move on public roads. State law requires that all farm tractors and self-propelled farm machinery that typically travels slower than 25 mph display the triangular red-and-orange emblem on the rear of the vehicle when being driven on a public roadway. The closure time between a car traveling 60 mph and a farm vehicle traveling 10 mph is only a few seconds. So making farm equipment easy to spot goes a long way. Stafford County producer Glenn Dye has a cow-calf operation and grows corn, soybeans and wheat near the city of Fredericksburg. His equipment always has an SMV emblem, along with flashing lights. He uses an escort vehicle when he is traveling with wider equipment, and the escort vehicle also has flashing lights and signage. “The driver also carries a bright orange flag to hold out the window to slow people down before they get to me behind him,” he said. As the region’s population has grown, Dye said, so have the challenges of moving equipment safely on the roads. “Traffic is turning to back roads to avoid traffic jams on the main highways,” he said. “Many people in the area are so far removed from the farm that they don’t understand how large and how slow the equipment travels.” Dye said he moves equipment on public roads as little as possible. “Farms and fields in our area are smaller and broken up by housing developments that were at one time farms. I farm multiple properties. I do try to avoid the morning rush when folks are headed to work, and the late afternoon when they are headed home. I don’t want them behind me anymore than they want to be behind me.”

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month Eight out of 10 traffic crashes in Virginia are related to a distracted driving incident. April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month in Virginia and a good time to remember that when you are behind the wheel, driving should be your No. 1 priority—not talking on the phone or texting, eating or any other activity that diverts your attention from the road. Virginia Farm Bureau has partnered with Drive Smart Virginia to bring awareness to the issue of distracted driving. For more information, visit drivesmartva.org.

MINIMIZE YOUR RISKS According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 94 percent of crashes nationwide are caused by driver error. Minimize your risks by following these tips: • Avoid eating and drinking while driving. • Set your GPS, radio or iPod before you start driving. • Turn off your phone, or put it out of reach if necessary. • Secure your pets, as they can be a major distraction. • Use your passengers: If you need to make a phone call, change the music or get directions, ask your passengers for help! • Buckle up! Your seat belt is your best defense against a distracted driver.

Proud to be a founder The two colors on slow-moving vehicle emblems serve to alert drivers during the day and at night.

Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. is a founding member of Drive Smart Virginia!

VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

« HIGH-VALUE cont'd from p. 8 The seed is called Plenish High Oleic Soy, and the oil from that new soybean breed contains no trans-fats and has 20 percent less fat than traditional soy oil. It is being used in all 20 of Nestle’s Coffee-mate creamers. Other manufacturers want to make the switch and need farmers to grow high oleic soybeans, Phillips said. She encouraged conference attendees to grow the high oleic beans. “You can earn a higher income per acre because processors are offering a premium per bushel.” Another specialty product, hard red winter wheat, is used in bread making. HRW is grown predominantly west of the Mississippi River even though 58 percent of the U.S. population is east of the Mississippi, and 360 million bushels of HRW are used in the East, said Paul Davis, general manager of Virginia Identity Preserved Grains. “That’s a lot of wheat flour to travel this way,” he said. Mennel Milling in Roanoke is producing 4 million pounds of flour daily and uses a lot of HRW wheat in its production, Davis said. The mills wants 12,000 acres of Virginia-grown HRW wheat to blend with Kansas wheat in order to meet production demands.

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VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

Davis encouraged Virginia farmers to try one of the three HRW varieties available: Vision 50, Vision 45 and Steyers 5210HR. Dr. Carl Griffey, W.G. Wysor professor of plant breeding at Virginia Tech, suggested that farmers should grow barley for malting as well. The U.S. has seen significant growth in the number of craft breweries, “and craft brewing’s economic impact in 2012 was more than $34 billion nationally,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

Big data can make a big difference on farms BY KATHY DIXON

A recent study of precision agriculture showed that unused data equaled $8.1 billion in unrealized revenue for farmers. “That’s big data to me,” said David Swain, manager of precision agriculture technology for Southern States Cooperative Inc. “Why did we leave that money in the field?” he asked participants in the Virginia Grains & Soybean Annual Conference on Feb. 16. Swain was part of a panel that discussed big data’s impact on farming’s future. Other panelists were Matthew Fleet and Marcus McDonald, integrated solutions employees from James River Equipment. Fleet and McDonald said they manage about 500 pieces of farm machinery that all collect data. “It doesn’t cost you anything extra to use the data systems on your equipment, and with the results, the sky’s the limit,” McDonald said. The information collected by farm equipment used for precision agriculture determines, among other things, how combines are running, what inputs are being added to crop fields and a farm’s production yields. “Every time you turn the key in your equipment, you’re accumulating data,” Fleet said. While a wealth of information is being collected, he said the decision tools are lagging behind. Decision tools are programs that help farmers decipher and analyze data that’s been gathered. “That’s the next frontier in big data,” Fleet said. Swain said that, even without decision tools, farmers need precision ag to help balance all the unknown variables of farming such as weather and soil conditions. Farmers are familiar with seed, fertilizer and other chemical inputs and how they affect their operations. “But there are 155 other things that affect crop production,” Swain said. “The data farmers gather will help determine those other factors and help them find solutions.” Asked where the biggest payoff occurs, Swain said the most beneficial feature is being able to determine what areas of a field need inputs and what areas do not.

AITC mini-grants help schools fund ag education programs Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom awarded seven $500 mini-grants for projects this spring. In the current school year, a total of 32 grants have been awarded, providing opportunities for more than 10,000 children to experience hands-on agricultural activities. Grants help fund programs that teach students about agriculture in a school or at a special event. The grant program is ongoing, and details and an application are available at AgInTheClass.org.

Recipient schools • Caroline County – Bowling Green Elementary School • Chesterfield County – Grange Hall Elementary School • Cumberland County Middle School • Harrisonburg – Spotswood Elementary School • Lynchburg – Liberty Christian Academy • Stafford County 4-H

her agricultural emphasis, and she created her school’s Opportunity Ag Program, which has included incubating eggs and raising calves. A teacher for 20 years, Musick represents the Virginia AITC program as a facilitator at teacher conferences in her region and at the National AITC Conference. She lives on a beef cattle farm with her husband, Tom, and two nieces and is an active member of the Washington County Farm Bureau. As Virginia AITC’s Teacher of the Year she will receive a scholarship to attend the 2016 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in June in Phoenix, Ariz., and a stipend for her classroom. Agriculture in the Classroom is a national program that promotes greater understanding of agriculture through education. Virginia’s AITC program is administered by the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, a nonprofit organization that receives financial and administrative support from Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.

• Virginia Beach – Green Run Elementary School

Washington County educator named Teacher of the Year Donna Musick of Washington County has been named Virginia’s Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year. The award recognizes efforts by a teacher to incorporate agriculture into his or her core curriculum. MUSICK “Donna teaches agriculture-related topics in lessons as often as possible and believes in a hands-on learning environment,” said Tammy Maxey, AITC senior education program coordinator. “She involves community members to help educate her students on agriculture. In addition to her work in the classroom, she also incorporates agriculture into her school and community.” Musick teaches math and science to sixth-graders at Damascus Middle School. She has created an agriculture dictionary and organizes special agriculture-themed days like “Ag-citing Fridays” in her classroom. Her students explore life cycles, economics and career and project planning through

SAVE up to $2,000 on Cat® Wheel Loaders, Skid Steers, Backhoes, Excavators and more Virginia Farm Bureau members save up to $2,000 when buying or leasing a qualifying Cat® Backhoe Loader, Wheel Loader, Mini Hydraulic Excavator, Multi Terrain Loader, Skid Steer Loader, Compact Track Loader, Telehandler or Small Dozer. The discount can be combined with any current retail discounts, promotions, rebates or offers available through Caterpillar or its dealers, with the exception of other membership purchase incentives (excluding the NCBA membership incentive). Visit to fbadvantage.com/cat to print your Membership Verification Certificate. Must present certificate at time of purchase or lease quote to receive the discount.

VaFarmBureau.org / APRIL 2016

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VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

Moles or voles destroying your lawn? There’s help!

f you’ve recently discovered tunnels and uprooted plants in your home landscape, you might have a mole or vole problem. “Usually when there is a lot of disruption in the lawn, the experience is usually with moles,” said Dr. Jim Parkhurst, wildlife biologist in Virginia Tech’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. “Usually voles are not a primary concern, as their presence is not easily detected nor immediately obvious to the average homeowner.” And as it turns out, the more meticulous homeowners become with their lawns, the more attractive the property becomes to moles.

Moles

Many associate moles with problematic lawn conditions such as larvae or grubs from common lawn pests or noxious insects that moles enjoy eating. But those organisms are only part of a mole’s typical diet, Parkhurst said. “Earthworms and night-crawlers actually comprise a large part of the diet and are especially sought-out by moles. Worms and crawlers are valuable for good soil health, so we want to encourage their presence, yet at the same time, we are ramping up their attractiveness (to moles) in the process.” Eliminating grubs and larvae alone will not eliminate moles if ample alternative foods also are present. And using extremely harsh broad-spectrum chemicals to deal with moles can eliminate many insects and organisms—like earthworms and night-crawlers.

Voles

Voles, like moles, live underground, but they are herbivores; they feed on the inner layer of bark and roots of woody plants and the bulbs and tubers of daffodils, hostas, irises and tulips. Although voles can be removed with traps, the process is time-consuming and rarely keeps ahead of the animals’ reproductive output.

A well-designed toxicant application program often is needed to address more serious vole situations. Home gardeners who want to try trapping can place peanut butter-baited mouse traps in or adjacent to vole holes, but the traps should be covered with inverted and weighted 5-gallon buckets to avoid trapping other animals. Moles also can be trapped, but Parkhurst said trapping is a temporary solution because it treats only a symptom, rather than the cause of the problem.

materials. For small landscaped areas—such as seedbeds and small gardens—perimeter barriers constructed of sheet metal or hardware cloth may be effective. Instructions for creating a barrier, and other mole information, is available at pubs.ext. vt.edu/420/420-201/420-201.html.