JULY 16, 2021 | VOLUME 24 | ISSUE 14
Farm Bureau Press A PEEK INSIDE
ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU HIRES MCCLURE AS EVENTS DIRECTOR
Arkansas Farm Bureau has hired Jeff McClure of Little Rock as events director for the 190,000-member organization. In this role, McClure will handle much of the planning and preparation for various events, including Farm Bureau’s Annual Convention and mid-summer Officers and Leaders Conference. Much of his time will be spent developing relationships with customers, members and vendors and providing necessary customer service to these groups and Farm Bureau leaders.
McClure has extensive sales management and hospitality experience. Most recently, he worked as Director of Sales for the 288-room DoubleTree by Hilton in Little Rock.
USDA Invests $55.2 million in Grants To Expand Access in Meat and Poultry Inspection Operations, page 2
Jeff McClure
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ARKANSAS AGRICULTURE HALL OF FAME TICKETS AVAILABLE The induction ceremony for Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame Class XXXIV will be at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 20 at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock. This year’s honorees are: • Dr. Rick Cartwright of Fayetteville
• Mark Waldrip of Moro
• Joe Don Greenwood of Hermitage
• Andrew Wargo III of Watson
• The late Russell Reynolds of Crossett
• Randy Veach of Manila
Tickets may be purchased by visiting https://bit.ly/2021AgHallOfFameTickets. Ticket purchases made by Aug. 6 will have priority seating. If you have any questions, please contact Cindra Jones in the Public Relations Department at 501-228-1609.
Arkansas Division of Agriculture to Host In-person and Online Field Days, page 3
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ArFB HIRES EVENTS DIRECTOR Continued from page 1
Prior to that, he was the Director of Group Sales and Business Travel for the Little Rock Marriott and oversaw the sales and marketing efforts of four other prominent downtown Little Rock hotels. After graduating from Catholic High School in Little Rock, McClure studied business at the University of Arkansas. He has served as a board member for the Arkansas Rice Depot and the Arkansas National Guard Youth Foundation and was also a member of Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXVII and an Honorary Commander at the Little Rock Air Force Base. In 2014, Arkansas Business named him one of its 40 Under 40 honorees, a reader-nominated group of intriguing business and political leaders under 40 years old who merit recognition.
ArFB TO HOST CONNECTIVITY SU Arkansas Farm Bureau will host the Arkansas Connectivity Summit on Sept. 8 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. The event will focus on developing plans to improve highspeed, broadband connectivity and cellular connectivity in Arkansas and will feature government and community leaders, industry stakeholders and others, including keynote speaker, Commissioner Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Event sponsors include the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas, the Association of Arkansas Counties, Arkansas Municipal League and the Arkansas Hospital Association. The Summit will include sessions on the history of broadband connectivity in the state, best practices from other states, mobile phone connectivity challenges, and technology and competition issues. There will also be official legislative
USDA INVESTS $55.2 MILLION IN G ACCESS IN MEAT AND POULTRY
BAXTER COUNTY YF&R AG STUDENT OF THE MONTH PROGRAM
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced $55.2 million in competitive grant funding available through the new Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant (MPIRG) program. The new program is funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
In February, the Baxter County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and YF&R Committee established the Baxter County Ag Student of the Month program. Cotter, Mountain Home and Norfork make up the county school districts. In the stated school order, each month an Agriculture Advisor nominates one student for this honor.
“We are building capacity and increasing economic opportunity for small and midsized meat and poultry processors and producers across the country.” Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “Through MPIRG, meat and poultry slaughter and processing facilities can cover the costs for necessary improvements to achieve a Federal Grant of Inspection under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act, or to operate under a state’s Cooperative Interstate Shipment program.”
The nominee must be an active member of their respective FFA Chapter. The committee has also partnered with Orscheln Farm & Home in Mountain Home to sponsor a gift card ($50 value); splitting the value 50/50 between the county board and Orscheln. The board and committee plan to continue recognizing Baxter County’s finest agriculture students throughout 2021.
USDA encourages grant applications that focus on improving meat and poultry slaughter and processing capacity and efficiency; developing new and expanding existing markets; increasing capacity and better meeting consumer and producer demand; maintaining strong inspection and food safety standards; obtaining a larger commercial presence; and increasing access to slaughter or processing facilities for smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, socially disadvantaged producers, and veteran producers. Eligible meat and poultry slaughter and processing facilities include commercial businesses, cooperatives, and tribal enterprises. MPIRG’s Planning for a Federal Grant of Inspection (PFGI)
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UMMIT committee meetings on site. “Connectivity – both broadband and cellular – is one of the most important issues Arkansas is facing and how we address the challenge will impact the future of the state’s rural communities and economic development as a whole,” said Stanley Hill, Arkansas Farm Bureau vice president of public affairs and government relations. “We are excited to bring government and industry leaders together to discuss the future of connectivity in Arkansas and develop plans that will ensure all Arkansans have the access they need for businesses, schools and daily life.” For more information or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities contact Philip Powell, assistant director of local affairs and rural development, at 501-366-0110 or philip.powell@arfb.com.
ARKANSAS DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE TO HOST IN-PERSON AND ONLINE FIELD DAYS The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will present a series of online and inperson field days this summer that will display key research and extension programs. The series will kick off with a Cotton Sustainability Field Day in July. Planning is in progress for three in-person field days, including: • July 30 — Cotton sustainability field day held at Judd Hill Foundation Farm near Trumann • Aug. 6 — Rice field day at the Rice Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart • Aug. 12 — Rice College at the Pine Tree Research Station near Colt
GRANTS TO EXPAND INSPECTION OPERATIONS project is for processing facilities currently in operation and are working toward federal inspection. Applicants can be located anywhere in the states and territories. Whereas, MPIRG’s Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) Compliance project is only for processing facilities located in states with a Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) CIS program. These states currently include Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin. Applicants must be working toward CIS program compliance requirements to operate a state-inspected facility or make a good faith effort toward doing so.
Online field days presented during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 proved popular, Slaton said, so the division will present three online field days this year: • Aug. 12 — Turfgrass field day • Oct. 7 — Rice and soybean field day • Oct. 28 — Corn and cotton field day The Cotton Sustainability Field Day on July 30 will be a program of the Northeast Research and Extension Center held at the Judd Hill Farm near Truman. The program is still being developed, but will include field tours showing:
Applications must be submitted electronically through www. grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Aug. 2.
• Soil and water conservation research
AMS offers webinars for applicants to help walk them through the Request for Application. Additionally, grants management specialists are standing by to answer any questions and emails during regular business hours. For more information about grant eligibility and program requirements, visit www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/mpirg or email mpirg@usda.gov.
• Field-scale soil health demonstrations
• Soil fertility research Discussions presented under a tent just before lunch will include: • Update on the Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton Program • Update on the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol • Better Cotton Initiative 2030 Targets • Sourcing Trends: Brands Want to Know More The 2021 field day schedule is available at https:// aaes.uada.edu/events. Additional event details will be added as they become available. A PUBLICATION OF THE ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
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MARKET NEWS as of July 14, 2021 Contact Brandy Carroll 501-228-1268 brandy.carroll@arfb.com
Livestock and Poultry In the July Supply/Demand report, the forecast for 2021 red meat and poultry production was lowered from last month. The beef forecast was unchanged, but pork, broiler, and turkey forecasts were lowered. The egg production forecast was also lowered on recent production and flock data. For 2022, the red meat and poultry production forecast was lowered, mostly due to lower pork production. In the quarterly Hogs and Pigs report, USDA indicated producers expect to farrow fewer sows in the second half of 2021 which, coupled with slower forecast growth in pigs per litter, will tighten supplies of market-ready hogs in 2022 relative to last month. USDA will release the Cattle report next week, which will provide an indication of the mid-year inventory and producer intentions for heifer retention. Broiler, turkey, and egg forecasts were unchanged from last month. Beef import forecasts for 2021 and 2022 were unchanged and the export forecasts were increased for both years on firm demand from Asia. Broiler exports for 2021 were raised, but the 2022 forecast was unchanged. Cattle price forecasts for 2021 were raised on the strength of recent prices, while no change was made for the 2022 price. The 2021 hog price forecast is reduced on current price weakness, but the price forecast for 2022 was unchanged as tighter supplies are expected to help support 4
prices. The broiler price forecast for 2021 was raised, but the 2022 price forecast was unchanged. Turkey prices forecasts for both years were raised on improving demand, while egg price forecasts were lowered thanks to current price weakness. Dairy The milk production forecast for 2021 was lowered from last month. Slower growth in milk per cow is expected and more than offsets higher forecast cow numbers. However, the 2022 milk production forecast is raised from last month on higher cow numbers. USDA’s Cattle report, to be released next week, will provide a mid-year estimate of the dairy cow inventory and producer intentions regarding retention of heifers for dairy cow replacement. For 2021, cheese, butter, nonfat dry milk, and whey prices forecasts were lowered on relatively high stocks and weaker than expected demand. Asa result, Class III and Class IV prices were lowered. The 2021 all milk forecast was lowered to $18.30 per cwt. For 2022, price forecasts for cheese and butter were lowered on larger expected stocks and higher production. Class III and Class IV price forecasts were reduced, and the 2022 all milk price forecast was lowered to $18.50 per cwt. Rice September rice futures are building support at $12.75, and closed above $13 on Tuesday, potentially indicating the market is ready to stabilize after recent volatility. There is longerterm support at $12.50. On further strength, the market will likely find some resistance between $13.40 and $13.60. In the June 30 acreage report, Arkansas rice acreage was pegged at 1.241 million acres, down 15% from a year ago. Of that total, 1.120 million acres are long grain, while the remaining 121,000 acres are medium and short grain. The crop is faring well despite flood damage, with 68% rated good to excellent this week.
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Cotton December cotton futures are trending higher but are again bumping against resistance at 88.89 cents. The market has found solid support at 84 cents, and prices could work in a more sideways pattern within that range for the time being. If the market can break out of that trading channel, a retest of the contract high of 89.28 would be in play. USDA says 56% of the U.S. crop is rated good to excellent. That is an improvement over last week. Weather in west Texas has been much more favorable than last year, with only 9% of the crop rated poor/very poor, compared with 26% in 2020. Corn December corn futures appear to be stabilizing for now, with the market finding support above $5. Renewed supply concerns have been supportive as tight old-crop supplies and weather uncertainty have resulted in some buying interest. Trading volume is relatively light, though, as we wait to learn more about the yield potential of the crop. Carryover strength from crude oil futures has also been supportive. USDA says 65% of the crop is in good to excellent condition, a 1% improvement since last week. Soybeans Soybean futures are attempting to recover from recent losses. November will have tough resistance at the chart gap between $13.82 ½ and $13.73¼. Support can be found in the $12.40 area. Forecasts for hot weather in the western Midwest and Plains have been supportive, but if the rains forecast for the Dakotas materialize, the market could again see selling pressure. USDA says 59% of the crop is in good to excellent condition, unchanged from last week.
EDITOR Ashley Wallace ashley.wallace@arfb.com