Farm Bureau Press | April 1

APRIL 1, 2022 | VOLUME 25 | ISSUE 7

Farm Bureau Press A PEEK INSIDE

INFLUENZA EMERGENCY RULE IN EFFECT FROM MARCH 23 – JULY 20 As further mitigation against confirmed cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in surrounding states, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Livestock & Poultry Commission promulgated the Arkansas Avian Influenza Emergency Rule (Emergency Rule) on March 15. The new Emergency Rule will be in effect from March 23 to July 20.

Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame Inducts 6 Members, page 2-3

Under the Emergency Rule, it is prohibited to: A. Exhibit poultry and domestic waterfowl; B. Move poultry or domestic waterfowl from or within an affected area; a. Poultry with commuter agreements or premovement avian influenza testing by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antigen capture are exempt from paragraph B. C. Sell, barter, trade, auction or give away, poultry or domestic waterfowl at fairs, swap meets, auctions, flea markets and similar events and locations within an affected area. a. Chicks and ducklings three weeks of age or less originating from a NPIPcertified flock are exempt from paragraph C.

Arkansas YF&R Announces Contest Finalists, page 2-3

An affected area is defined by the rule as a radius of 25 miles surrounding a flock with a confirmed case of HPAI. Additionally, the Emergency Rule requires all free range and backyard poultry to be confined under a roof or inside a structure to prevent contamination from infected migratory birds flying overhead or by direct exposure to wild birds.

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Find the full Avian Influenza Emergency Rule at https://bit.ly/AIrule.

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HPAI is caused by an influenza type A virus, which can infect poultry and wild birds. HPAI virus strains are extremely infectious, often fatal to chickens and can spread rapidly from flock to flock. Symptoms can include sudden increase in bird deaths with no clinical signs, lack of energy and appetite, decrease in

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A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FEDERATION

AVIAN INFLUENZA EMERGENCY RULE Continued from page 1

egg production, soft-or thin-shelled or misshapen eggs and others. More information on HPAI can be found at https://bit.ly/AvianHealth.

Poultry owners should continue to closely monitor their flocks and report any possible symptoms to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture at 501-8231746. More information on HPAI symptoms can be found at https://bit.ly/367voIB. Although there have been no reports of HPAI in Arkansas this year, there have been multiple reported cases in commercial turkey flocks, commercial broiler chicken flocks, and a backyard flocks of mixed species birds is the Mississippi Flyway and the Atlantic Flyway. Information regarding confirmed HPAI cases in the U.S. for 2022 can be found at https://bit.ly/HPAI2022.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides resources on biosecurity for poultry operations through their Defend the Flock campaign, which can be found at https://bit.ly/USDA-DTF.

ArFB SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE APRIL 17 Deadline to apply for Arkansas Farm Bureau scholarship is April 17. The $3,000 scholarships will be awarded to college juniors & seniors enrolled in an ag-related field.

Students must be an Arkansas resident, attend an Arkansas university and must have an active Farm Bureau membership, or be the child/grandchild of an active member. For more information visit the ArFB website.

ARKANSAS AGRICULTURE HALL O The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame inducted six individuals March 25 for their leadership and service to the state’s largest business sector.

The newest class represents agriculture education, the seed industry, agri-business, row-crop production, agricultural/ political advocacy, timber management and agricultural research and outreach.

The newest inductees include: • retired Cooperative Extension Service Director Rick Cartwright of Fayetteville; • long-time ag educator Joe Don Greenwood of Hermitage; • the late Russell Roy Reynolds, the director of the U.S. Forest Service Crossett Experimental Forest for 34 years; • former Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach of Manila; • Mark Waldrip of Moro, founder of Armor Seed Company; • and Andrew Wargo III of Watson, farm manager for the 15,000-acre Baxter Land Company for more than 50 years.

ARKANSAS YF&R ANNOUNCES CO The Arkansas Young Farmers & Ranchers recently announced the finalists for Excellence in Ag and Achievement Award contests.

Earlier this year, young farmers from across the state competed in the preliminary rounds of the contests. Both contests are designed to provide opportunities to recognize achievements in agriculture, business and leadership by our young farmers and ranchers.

The Achievement Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers in Arkansas who have excelled in their farming and ranching operations and exhibited outstanding leadership abilities. The award is designed for those involved full-time in production agriculture.

The top 3 finalists for the Achievement Award are: • Brittany Scott, Craighead Co. – Brittany is owner and operator of SMART Repro and Delta Livestock Diagnostics, and coowner of SMART Research Group. These businesses focus on the reproductive physiology of small ruminant animals.

Brittany has two children, Kendall and Rhett.

• Brandon and Lauren Martin, White Co. – The Martins have 6 broiler houses, 55 head of commercial cows and a small herd of registered Hereford heifers. They also custom bale over 600 bales of hay a year on 65 acres. They have two sons, Braylen and Willie.

• Brad and Tara Peacock, White Co. – The Peacocks rent 1,000

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A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FEDERATION

OF FAME INDUCTS 6 MEMBERS

(From left) Randy Veach, Mark Waldrip, Russell Roy Reynolds, Andrew Wargo III, Rick Cartright and Joe Don Greenwood.

“This class reflects a remarkable line of success that connects everyone selected for the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame,” said Butch Calhoun of Des Arc, chairman of the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame.

The new selections will bring to 176 the number of honorees in the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame, which began in 1987.

AFBF Bootcamp | Congrats to Jana Carroll (center), Monroe County, for graduating March 26 from the American Farm Bureau Women’s Communications Bootcamp. Jana was among 16 farm and ranch women leaders graduated from the program.

Complete inductee bios and photos from the event can be found here.

ONTEST FINALISTS acres on which they grow soybeans, rice and corn. Brad also helps manage a 2,000-acre family row-crop farm with his father. The Peacocks have one son, Silas.

Excellence in Ag recognizes the accomplishments of contestants that derive the majority of their income from efforts other than agriculture but are involved in farming.

The top 3 finalists for Excellence in Ag are: • Sara Beth Johnson, Lonoke Co. – Sara Beth is a content and social media specialist for Filament Ag, an agricultural marketing company. She and her husband own and operate Flying Pig Cattle Co., where they have a commercial cow-calf herd, a goat herd and registered Miniature Herefords.

• Reed and Sara Kelley, Faulkner Co. – The Kelleys have a commercial cow-calf operation in Conway, where Reed is an agricultural instructor at Conway High School. Sara works at UAMS as a labor and delivery nurse.

• Matthew and Chole Martin, White Co. – Matthew is a diesel mechanic and Chloe is a teacher at Concord Public Schools.

Together they own and operate Ridge Raised Farms, where they raise cattle. They have three children, Raelynn, Ryleigh and Liam.

Congratulations to these three for being named the finalists in the Excellence in Ag contest. Award winners will be named during the YF&R Conference on July 22 in Rogers.

Congressional Visit | Rep. Rick Crawford joined Farm Bureau members in Independence County March 22 to discuss input costs, avian influenza and other challenges to poultry farmers. In addition to chatting with poultry producers, Crawford met with members in Jackson County about challenges and opportunities for row-crop farmers.

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MARKET NEWS as of March 30, 2022 Contact Brandy Carroll 501-228-1268 brandy.carroll@arfb.com Wheat Russia’s attack on Ukraine has sent the markets into turmoil. Ukraine and Russia combined accounted for 29% of the world’s wheat exports.

Since mid-February, Chicago wheat futures moved to new all-time highs.

The July contract charted a huge bearish move earlier this month, but the market has plateaued, and prices are now moving mostly sideways. The July high of $12.78¼ will be tough resistance and looks like a long-term top, but prices have bounced off support above $10. In addition to the war, drought in the Plains has been supportive as traders worry about yield potential. Global stocks will continue to tighten, and that is providing price support for the time being.

Corn Ukraine exported 14% of the world’s corn last year. If farmers in Ukraine aren’t able to plant their crop because of the Russian invasion, it will have a lasting impact on the world markets. No one knows how much corn remains in storage — some could have been destroyed or spoiled. Of course, we also don’t know the state of the livestock industry there, and what demand is there at this point. The market was limit-down for a period of time on Tuesday as Russia announced it would pull back from their attack on Kyiv, but closed near the middle of the day’s trading range. Futures in Brazil continue to trend downward as their crop looks to be in good condition, and that has added some 4

pressure to U.S. futures as well.

On Thursday of this week, USDA will release its quarterly grain stocks report and their prospective plantings report, which is the first crop estimate based on farmer surveys. Trading could continue to be volatile for the rest of the week.

December has support at $6.29 and resistance at the contract high of $6.80½.

Soybeans Soybeans continue to trend higher, partially on the coattails of corn and wheat. Soy oil futures have been a driving force in this market as well, as soy oil is in demand for renewable diesel. Thursday’s grain stocks report and prospective plantings reports will be particularly important in the soy complex. Analysts expect soybean acres to increase in many states, and Arkansas could see increased acres as input prices for rice make soybeans look more attractive this year. The November high of $15.55 looks like a significant top. Support near $14.25 is holding for the time being.

Rice Rice, as a staple food of people around the world, is finding support from concerns about global food security. There are also big questions about the potential size of the U.S. crop this year. Input costs are extremely high, and from a profitability standpoint, it will be tough for rice to win acres from other crops. We will know a bit more on Thursday, when USDA releases its prospective plantings report — the first report of the planting season to be based upon farmer surveys.

However, since the time of the surveys, Mid-South weather has not been particularly favorable to planting rice, and acres could end up even smaller than what is reflected in Thursday’s report. Technically, oldcrop May has support at $15.50, and looks to be headed for a retest of that support. New-crop September is still

A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FEDERATION

trending higher, but the spike high of $16.30 on Friday could be tough resistance to overcome.

Cotton Cotton futures continue to trend higher, supported by strong exports and technical momentum. May set a new 11-year high on a frontmonth basis last Friday. At current price levels, cotton is extremely competitive as farmers make planting decisions. Thursday’s prospective plantings report will give us an indication of just how many acres will move into cotton. A drought in West Texas could lead to smaller plantings or higher abandonment in that region, potentially offsetting increasing acreage in other parts of the country.

Hogs Hog futures have been volatile over the past couple of weeks. After repeatedly testing resistance at the $100 level, April Futures gained more than $7 last week, before gapping lower this Tuesday as the rally has maybe run its course. The quarterly Hogs and Pigs report is due this Thursday and is not expected to show much herd expansion. Poor packer margins, however, are a negative factor.

Cattle USDA reported large February feedlot placements in last Friday’s Cattle on Feed report. Placements came in at 109.3% of a year ago and at the high end of trade expectations.

The March 1 feedlot inventory of 100.8% was below the average of pre-report estimates, however, as February marketings were pegged at 104.9% of the previous year. June futures are trending higher after charting a major bottom on March 4.

That low of $130.97½ is now support.

EDITOR Ashley Wallace ashley.wallace@arfb.com