Farm Bureau Press | July 7

Farm Bureau Press

ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU 2023 O&L AND WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCES

The ArFB 2023 Officers & Leaders Conference will be held July 20–21 at the Hot Springs Convention Center, the theme is Navigating the Future. Registration is open online, check in will begin at 10 a.m. July 20, with a 1 p.m. general session to get the conference started. Get all the details for the conference here.

Conference sessions will include commodity division meetings, workshops, leadership training and a general session.

Day one will conclude with the first ever Farm Bureau Family Cookout on Thursday night, tickets will be available for $40.

The Women’s Leadership Conference will be held July 21-22 at the Hot Springs Convention Center, this year’s theme is Shaping the Future. The event will kick off after the Officers & Leaders Conference with programming starting at 3 p.m.

Sessions will include networking time and workshops that cover ArFB education, social media, creating videos, and how to tell your story.

The conference will wrap-up with a luncheon keynote titled “Standing Up for the Industry We Love” from Brandi Buzzard, rancher and cowgirl from southeast Kansas.

Check in will begin at noon July 21. Online registration is open.

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TO WIN AN ELECTION

Arkansas Farm Bureau to Host How to Win an Election Seminar, Page 2

Outstanding County Farm Bureau Projects Sought for AFBF Awards Program, Page 3

GOV. SANDERS APPOINTS KYLE CUNNINGHAM AS STATE FORESTER

Gov. Sanders has appointed Kyle Cunningham as the State Forester for Arkansas. The State Forester serves as the director of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division. Cunningham replaces Joe Fox, who retired at the end of June.

Cunningham has worked in several capacities at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (UADA) over the last 19 years and most recently served as an associate professor of forestry at the UADA. His work at UADA consisted of conducting research on all facets of the forestry industry, providing outreach to the public, developing successful grant programs, and developing a hardwood management education program in Arkansas. Cunningham holds a bachelor’s degree in forestry from Mississippi State University (MSU), a master’s degree in forest management from MSU, and a doctorate degree in applied science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

USDA SEEKS NOMINEES FOR THE COTTON BOARD

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks nominations of domestic cotton producers from Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas, and importers of cotton and cottoncontaining products for positions on The Cotton Board. The producers and importers will fill positions for 13 members and 13 alternates.

USDA will appoint members and alternates to serve three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2026. Certified producer organizations (CPOs) and certified importer organizations (CIOs) will hold caucuses to nominate two qualified persons for each open position in their respective industry segment.” For nominating and caucus information, including organizations seeking certification and a list of CPOs and CIOs, contact AMS Cotton Research and Promotion staff at (540) 361-2726 or by email at CottonRP@usda.gov.

ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU TO HOST HOW TO WIN AN ELECTION SEMINAR

Arkansas Farm Bureau and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas are hosting a twoday seminar on "How to Win an Election." The seminar will be held on Oct. 17-18 at the Arkansas Farm Bureau office in Little Rock.

Candidates, their spouses and campaign managers from all parties are invited to attend the seminar, which designed to equip candidates with the skills needed to run a successful campaign. With the assistance of staff members from the Democratic and Republican parties the program has helped previous attendees achieve an impressive 75 percent winning percentage.

During the seminar, attendeees will learn vital strategies such as

A r FB RICE IS NICE AND DAIRY FOODS COOKING CONTEST WINNERS

Aubreigh Scissom, 14, and Katelyn Roy, also 14, were the winners in their respective categories in the 2023 Arkansas Farm Bureau Rice Is Nice Youth Cooking Contest, June 27 at the state fairgrounds in Little Rock. Scissom’s Baked Rice Pudding recipe won the “Party Ideas” category, while Roy’s Pressure Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice earned the top spot in the “Main Dish” category.

Other finalists in the Party Ideas category were 11-year-old Kemmer Gurley, daughter of Jarrett and Allison Gurley of Brinkley, in second place, and 11-year-old Bentley Ray, son of James and Pamela Ray of Ravenden Springs, in third place.

Other finalists in the Main Dish category were 13-year-old Callie White, daughter of Jeffery and Connie White of Conway,, in second place and 14 -year-old Justin Morris Jr., son of Justin and Crystal Morris of Walnut Ridge, in third place.

The six finalists were selected from the winners of Rice is Nice contests conducted by county Farm Bureau organizations. Rice is Nice photos can be viewed and download here.

Aubreigh Scissom

Katelyn Roy

selecting a compelling campaign theme, identifying key issues, targeting voters and precincts, developing a winning campaign calendar, fundraising, engaging with special interest groups, media relations and more. To enhance the learning experience, video presentations and a computer-simulated case study for practical application is provided.

County board officers are encouraged to attend, and all seminar fees will be waived for officers who would like to participate. County members are also encouraged to attend.

For more information, contact Mark Lambert at 501-519-1209 or by email at mark.lambert@arfb.com.

Registration is online. Deadline to register is Oct. 13.

FOODS ANNOUNCED

Ten-year-old Bailey Dobbs of Prairie Grove and 14-year-old Emma Wilson of Vilonia took first place in their respective categories in the 2023 Arkansas Farm Bureau Dairy Foods Contest, June 27 at the state fairgrounds in Little Rock. Dobbs’ Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas recipe won the “Main Dishes” category, while Wilson’s Mini Chocolate Cream Pies desert earned the top spot in the “Party Ideas” category.

Other finalists in the Main Dishes category were 10-year-old Andy Ferren of Searcy in second place, 17-year-old Wapiti Mefford of Jasper in third place and 13-year-old Addie Jones of Little Rock in fourth place.

Other finalists in the Party Ideas category were 15-year-old Evan Wagner of Casa in second place and 14-year-old Aubrey Ottens of Sheridan in third place.

The seven finalists were selected from dairy foods contests conducted by 40 county Farm Bureau organizations. This is the 66th year for Arkansas Farm Bureau to conduct the contest. Dairy Contents photos can be viewed and download here.

OUTSTANDING COUNTY FARM BUREAU PROJECTS SOUGHT FOR AFBF AWARDS PROGRAM

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is currently accepting applications for the County Activities of Excellence (CAE) program. Up to 24 innovative county Farm Bureau activities from across the nation will be selected to display at the 2024 AFBF Convention and Trade Show. Multiple county Farm Bureaus working together to plan and carry out an activity may submit a joint CAE application. The deadline for counties to submit applications online for state CAE coordinator review is Sept. 1 at 4 p.m.; coordinators will forward approved applications to AFBF.

Additional information, including rules for submission and the application link, are available at www.fb.org/CAE. Each county Farm Bureau that wishes to apply must create a unique login. State CAE coordinators will be provided with a separate username and password to access the online system to approve applications submitted from their respective county Farm Bureaus. Winners will be announced the first week of October. Individual county and multicounty CAE winning entries will receive four complimentary registrations and a $2,250 cash award to be used toward travel and display costs to attend the 2024 AFBF Convention and Trade Show, Jan. 20-22, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bailey Dobbs

Emma Wilson

MARKET NEWS

as of July 5, 2023

Contact Brandy Carroll brandy.carroll@arfb.com

Tyler Oxner tyler.oxner@arfb.com

Rice

The June 30 planted acreage report was a little bit bearish for rice. Total U.S. acreage was pegged at 2.687 million acres, up 104,000 from the 2.583 million acres reported in the March planting intentions report. Arkansas plantings were up 10,000 acres from March intentions of 1.301 million acres to 1.311 million. The biggest increase was in California, which added 74,000 acres to their planting intentions for a total of 478,000 acre. Export demand remains disappointing, adding to the negative undertone. September futures have broken out of the recent uptrend but have found support at last week’s low of $14.69. There is additional support at $14.30. Resistance begins at $15.86.

Soybeans

New crop soybeans have moved higher after a rough previous week. Volatility in both directions in the past few weeks comes from traders attempting to balance the latest weather trends against an unexpected set of USDA acreage data. USDA showed much lowerthan-expected acres in their most recent report. The 2023 planted area is now estimated at 83.5 million acres, down 5 percent. According to the USDA, planted acreage is down or unchanged in 21 of the 29 estimating States. Soybean conditions also dropped a point, with 50% of the crop being rated Good/Excellent for the U.S. and is the lowest since 2012. Arkansas

soybean conditions are currently at 58% Good/Excellent with only 11% being Poor/Very Poor.

Corn

New crop corn has steadily moved lower in the recent weeks as prices continue to look for new supply and demand signals. The most recent USDA acreage report brought more bearish news after reporting planted acreage is up 6% from 2022. It is estimated that this year there is 94.1 million acres planted, which is up 5.52 million acres from last year. According to the USDA this represents the third highest planted acreage in the United States since 1944. Compared with last year, planted acreage is expected to be up or unchanged in 43 of the 48 estimating States. Arkansas corn condition fell 5% from the previous week now reporting 72% of the crop is in Good/Excellent condition. However, the U.S. rating shifted slightly higher with 51% of the crop now rated in good-to-excellent condition. It should be noted that this is the lowest rating since 2012.

Cotton

New crop cotton has been in a volatile state since December of 2022, being range-bound between 77 cents and 85 cents. This could lead to a breakout or a breakdown if the price moves above the resistance or below the support. The recent acreage report showed all cotton planted for 2023 is down 19 percent from last year, estimated at 11.1 million acres. Upland area is estimated to be down 19% while American Pima is estimated to be down 40% from the previous year. The nation’s cotton crop is rated 48% Good/Excellent compared to the previous 49%.

Wheat

Wheat prices have taken a hit in recent weeks as global supplies have

increased. This could change as the Black Sea shipping deal is up for expiration on July 18. Winter wheat ratings have shifted slightly last week, with the conditions moving up or down a point for all ratings. Wheat harvest continues to move forward with 37% of the crop being harvested across the U.S., while Arkansas is wrapping up with 93% harvested.

Hogs

Nearby hog futures continue to trend higher. Seasonal strength wholesale pork prices have carried over into cash and futures prices. Wholesale pork prices do usually make a top in mid-July, so that strength could be short-lived at this point. For now, though, packer margins are solidly in the black. Shrinking U.S. frozen pork stocks is also supportive. USDA reported that stocks dropped by 7.3% during May. Deferred contracts aren’t faring as well as the nearby contracts, having charted a bearish key reversal and falling below uptrending support. This could be a signal that a significant top has been put in for the October and December contracts.

Cattle

Live cattle charts are looking bullish, nearby futures have turned higher and are in position to challenge the early June reversal high. For August, that’s $178.10, and for October, $180.17 ½. More deferred contracts have already moved to new contract highs, suggesting a new leg-up. The USDA Cattle on Feed report was slightly bearish for nearby months, but projections for U.S. cattle supplies to tighten in 2024 provided support for those deferred contracts.

EDITOR

Ashley Wallace ashley.wallace@arfb.com