In Farm Bureau Veach to testify

Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach will testify Sept. 9 in front of the House Committee on Natural Resources in Washington, D.C. Rep. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro requested Veach’s participation.

The committee is considering six proposals designed to control overreach of federal agencies charged with implement-ing the Endangered Species Act. Veach’s testimony will deal specifically with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed critical habitat designations. He will note the designations threaten to encumber agriculture, construction and municipal projects with excessive regulation.

Crawford’s bill, HR 4319, the “Common Sense in Species Protection Act of 2014,” will be among the proposals considered during the hearing.

“From our viewpoint, the endangered species is the American farmer, and the federal government needs to exercise some common sense with this issue,” said Veach. “I intend to make that point very clearly in

my comments to the committee.”

Baker to be honored by FFARodney Baker of Little Rock, the

executive vice president of Arkansas Farm Bureau, was recently selected to receive the Honorary American FFA Degree. This award is given to those who advance agricultural education and FFA through outstanding personal commitment.

The National FFA Organization works to enhance the lives of youth through agricultural education. Without the efforts

of highly dedicated individuals, thousands of young people would not be able to achieve success that, in turn, contributes directly to the overall well-being of the nation.

The Honorary American FFA Degree is an opportunity to recognize those who have gone beyond valuable daily contributions to make an

September 5, 2014 • Vol. 17, No. 17A

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The ArFB President’s Leader-ship Council gathered for a group photo in front of the state capitol Aug. 22 as part of the group’s session on govern-ment and the political process. Members of the class include (left to right) Richard Sims, Little Rock; Michael Brooks, Benton; Jay Boeckmann, Wynne; Andre Peer, Lexa; Brad Henley, Star City; Kami Marsh, Conway; Lorie Hen-ley, Star City; Caleb Plyler, Hope; Bryan McDuffie, Monticello; Rob-bie Bevis, Scott; Jeremy Bulling-ton, McCrory; Seth Summerside, Fayetteville; Kay Casey, Malvern; Bryan Swinney, Rison; and Car-lee Helms, Arkadelphia.

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UA Extension Service water and nutrient management

specialist Mike Daniels (left) and Steve Stevens of Desha

County check water flow through Stevens’ polytube ir-rigation system. Stevens has

been using the PHAUCET software program, which

helps conserve water and save on energy costs when

irrigating his crops.

Baker

extraordinary long-term differ-ence in the lives

of students, inspiring confidence in a new generation of agriculturists. Members of FFA’s board of directors approved Baker’s nomination.

Baker will receive the award at the 2014 National FFA Convention and Expo Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Louisville, Kentucky.

In ArkansasCalhoun applauds USDA extension

Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Butch Calhoun applauded a Sept. 5 an-nouncement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will grant an extension of time for Arkansas farmers affected by the cur-rent Turner Grain situation in Brinkley.

Secretary Calhoun said, “I appreciate Sec. Vilsack’s prompt and positive response to my request for an additional extension for producers with marketing authoriza-tions to Turner Grain Merchandising. This additional 60 days, combined with the 30 days already provided, should be helpful to these affected producers. I will continue to work with Secretary Vilsack and our con-gressional delegation as producers work through this unfortunate situation.”

Last week, Secretary Calhoun and U.S. Representatives from Arkansas requested an additional extension of time for pro-

ducers delivering their Commodity Credit Corporation grain under a CCC-681-1, Marketing Authorization, to Turner Grain. In addition, Calhoun also asked that USDA make low-interest emergency loans available to affected producers.

Turner Grain of Brinkley recently defaulted on payments and contracts to area farmers, leaving some producers faced with economic uncertainty. Reports from producers and various media outlets esti-

mate losses as high as $50 million.

Disaster assistance The U.S. Department of Agriculture

says producers who have suffered eligible disaster-related losses should act to secure assistance by Sept. 30, as congressionally mandated payment reductions will take place for producers who don’t act before that date. Livestock producers who have experienced grazing losses since Oct. 2011 and may be eligible for benefits but have not yet contacted their local Farm Service Agency office should do so as soon as pos-sible.

The Budget Control Act passed by Congress in 2011 requires USDA to imple-ment reductions of 7.3 percent to the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) in the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. However, producers seeking LFP support who have scheduled appointments with their local FSA office before Oct. 1, even if the appointment occurs after Oct.1, will not see reductions in the amount of disas-ter relief they receive.

USDA encourages producers to reg-ister, request an appointment or begin an LFP application with their county FSA office before Oct. 1 to lock in the cur-rent zero-percent sequestration rate. The FSA provides online registration at www.fsa.usda.gov/disaster-register that enables farmers and ranchers to put their names on an electronic list before the deadline to avoid disaster assistance reductions. This

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Scott Co. FB held its policy develop-ment meeting Aug. 14 in Waldron. Twenty-seven attended, including local farmers and ranchers, County Judge James Forbes and Rep. Terry Rice. President Dan Wright said, “We look forward to this meeting every year. It gives us a chance to bring in people outside our county Farm Bureau to discuss issues pertinent to our area.”

A highlight of Van Buren Co. FB’s annual meeting Aug. 26 in Clinton was recognition of the county’s Farm Family of the Year. (Left to right, adults): Jason and Amy Burroughs, Donna and Don Pennington and Brian Pennington. (Left to right, children): Cole Pennington, Bentley Burroughs, Carson Pennington, Laci Burroughs and Caleb Pennington.

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Michael Schwartz (left), dean of the UALR Bowen School of Law, was among the judges of this month’s Battle of the Watermelons, pitting fruit from Hope and Cave City in an attempt to settle the ongoing debate over Arkansas’ favorite watermelon. The event was put on by the school’s Agriculture and Food Law Club, which was represented by President Cody Bassham (right).

Several students received scholar-ships from the Arkansas Livestock Show Association at the organiza-tion’s annual meeting in Little Rock Aug. 8. Among them were Kaylee Casey (center) of Magnet Cove who received a $2,500 Witt Stephens Scholarship presented by Deb Crow (left), the fair’s competitive exhibits director, and association chairman Ned Ray Purtle.

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is an alternative to visiting or contacting the county office. Producers who already contacted the county office and have an appointment scheduled need do nothing more

Muscadine field day The latest on breeding, producing,

growing and shipping muscadines will be featured during a workshop and field day Sept. 11 at UA’s Fruit Research Station. The event will run from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will include several speakers. Activities also include a display of muscadine culti-vars and selections grown at the station, a catered dinner and a tour of the vineyard by John Clark, professor of horticulture, focusing on the muscadine breeding program.

The registration fee is $25. An online registration form is available at http://bit.ly/1tfupL9. The Fruit Research Station is located at 1749 State Highway 818 north of Clarksville

ElsewhereEntrepreneurship Challenge

Innovation and entrepreneurship are two words more likely to be associated with Silicon Valley than rural America. But they describe many small businesses in rural communities across the country, according to Dr. Lisa Benson, American Farm Bureau Federation’s director of rural

development.“Rural business owners have a unique

comparative advantage to urban businesses with access to affordable land, passionate employees and a customer base that relies on their products,” says Benson. “It’s every-thing a successful business needs to have.”

The Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge is a competition that can give rural busi-ness owners a jump-start. The challenge is a competition for both startup businesses and existing businesses wishing to imple-ment an innovative expansion. Not only will finalists have the chance to compete for up to $30,000, but the top four will be provided a year’s worth of business advice and feedback from leading entrepreneurial experts.

“There has been a trend of young people leaving rural communities because they feel like there is nothing there for them,” says Benson. “We want to showcase rural business owners who are activat-ing economic development in their small towns, drawing people in to create jobs and providing local products and services.”

Following the application and interview rounds, finalists will pitch their business plans in front of a team of expert judges and a live audience at the 96th American Farm Bureau Annual Convention, Jan. 11-14 in San Diego. A grand prize winner will receive $30,000 and the title of Ameri-can Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneur of the Year. Three runners-up will receive $15,000 to implement their ideas. Even the live audience has a chance to vote for their favorite finalists through a social media

app. The finalists with the most votes will receive the People’s Choice Award and $10,000. The grand prize and finalist awards will be announced on stage at the final session.

The online application is open through Sept. 15. Learn more about the challenge and apply at StrongRuralAmerica.com.

Rice Month materials availableSeptember is National Rice Month.

With that in mind, the USA Rice Fed-eration online store (http://nepm.info/usarice/) has stocked up on premium items for use in promoting U.S-grown rice. This year USA Rice is making use of the slogan “Reach for Rice” on T-shirts, foldaway shopper totes, aprons, magnetic shopping lists and more.

“We’re always working to promote U.S.-grown rice,” said Fred Zaunbrecher, a Louisiana rice farmer and chairman of USA Rice’s Domestic Promotion Commit-tee. “But National Rice Month provides a great opportunity to jump-start activities. Purchasing this branded merchandise and giving it to customers, sending it to your children’s schools, handing an item to people in your community or proudly using items yourself helps keep U.S.-grown rice top of mind.”

With strong support from rice pro-ducers and millers, National Rice Month has grown into a well-known promotion educating consumers about the benefits of U.S.-grown rice and boosting U.S. rice sales nationwide. Editor

Keith Suttonkeith.sutton@arfb.com

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ArFB staff members Jody Urquhart (left), Stanley Hill (second from left) and Andy Guffey (background) had the opportunity to visit with officials from Kpando, Ghana who recently visited Jacksonville as part of the Sister City Exchange program. The Ghanaian delegation expressed interest in learning to improve rice and poultry production in the African nation.

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Forrest City High School boys bas-ketball coach Dwight Lofton was the guest speaker at the St. Francis Co. FB annual meeting at East Arkansas Community College Aug. 21. Forrest City won the Class 5A state cham-pionship in April. More than 100 members attended, enjoyed a catfish dinner and also received an update on agricultural issues from ArFB President Randy Veach.

In the MarketAs of Sept. 3, 2014

Still no bankruptcy filing from Turner Grain

There has been little official news about the Turner Grain situ-ation since Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach’s recent letter. However, we have seen a number of counties consider resolutions related to the issue. The obvious issue related to this situation is that Arkansas has no regulations governing the broker-ing of grain in the state. Most states surrounding Arkansas have laws in place to license and audit cash grain merchandisers. Additionally, many states have implemented financial requirements that are designed to limit a merchandiser’s exposure in the market. Some states have even gone as far as to set up an indemnity pro-gram that would help cover producer losses in the event of a grain dealer bankruptcy. The funds for an indem-nity program are collected similar to a check-off as commodities are assessed a per unit fee.

Ozark Mountain Poultry expand-ing non-GMO poultry production

Ozark Mountain Poultry is ex-panding production of non-GMO chicken this year and is still looking for additional non-GMO soybeans. The company is supplying a niche market that is demanding chicken be fed a non-GMO diet. The company is already producing a chicken fed a strict vegetarian diet, as soybean oil is substituted in the ration in place of animal fats. This is a growing market for the company, which they expect will continue growing. Ozark Moun-tain Poultry is already contracting non-GMO corn and soybeans from Arkansas producers and is looking to double consumption of these grains

in 2015-16. Producers can begin con-tracting these products for next year at any time.

FC Stone raises corn, soybean crop estimates

Brokerage firm FC Stone pegged its U.S. corn crop estimate at 14.595 billion bushels on a national aver-age yield of 174.1 bushels per acre this month, up from last month’s estimate of 14.455 billion bushels on an average yield of 172.4 bushels per acre. The firm raised its soybean crop estimate to 4.0 billion bushels on a national average yield of 47.6 bushels per acre, compared to last month’s estimate of 3.865 billion bushels on an average yield of 46.0 bushels per acre.

First cellulosic-ethanol plant opened in Iowa this week

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and His Majesty Willem-Alexander, the king of the Netherlands, attended the grand opening of the first commer-cial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in the United States. The Emmetsburg, Iowa, plant will use leftover corn stalks and other field waste to make the next generation of renewable fuel.

South Korea lifts zero tolerance for zilpaterol in beef

South Korea has lifted its strict ban on the use of the feed additive zilpaterol in beef. A South Korean food ministry official says the country will accept beef imports with 1 part per billion (ppb) of zilpaterol in beef muscle cuts, 5 ppb in beef liver and 10 ppb in beef kidney.

Cattle prices weaken in recent weeks

The fed cattle market is experienc-ing more than just a brief sell-off. From the high of around $160 in late July, the October Live Cattle contract has lost around $15. That equates to a loss in potential value of almost $200 per head on a 1,300-pound steer. The immediate catalyst for the decline in

cattle futures, which subsequently put pressure on the cash market, was the Russian ban on the import of most U.S. agricultural products, includ-ing all of the major meat species. The direct impact on the market from the Russian action should not amount to much as Russia is not the customer it used to be for U.S. meat.

New grain marketing service, www.grainster.com

Grainster is a new way to market your grain. “At its core, the idea behind grainster.com has always been to connect the farmer to the world, to de-velop a more efficient trading system. Grainster is a new grain listing service to help farmers market their grain … It’s a win-win solution, connecting end users to producers. It’s user friendly, transparent, with no hidden fees or costs,” says the company.

REAP grants coming this fallThe USDA Rural Development

Office offers a 25-percent cost share grant for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The program is expected to have more than $1 million available for energy efficiency upgrades this year. Farm Bureau members have been very successful in getting grants, with more than $2 million awarded to our members during the last few years. This program will cover any type of energy upgrade to a farming operation or rural business. The up-grades include but are not limited to poultry house upgrades, irrigation or grain bin upgrades, HVAC upgrades or coolers in rural businesses.

CONTACT• Matt King 501-228-1297, matt.king@arfb.com.