AUGUST 14, 2020 • VOLUME 23 • ISSUE 16
Farm Bureau Press A PEEK INSIDE
RECIPIENTS OF FARM BUREAU SCHOLARSHIPS ANNOUNCED The Arkansas Farm Bureau Scholarship Foundation Committee has named the 13 recipients of the $3,000 Farm Bureau scholarships for the 2020-21 school year. Scholarship recipients are Arkansas residents, members of a Farm Bureau family and enrolled as juniors or seniors in pursuit of an agriculture-related degree at a state-accredited university. The scholarship recipients are: • Casey Arnold of Poplar Grove (Phillips County), Arkansas State University • Kaylee Breckling of Benton (Saline County), Southern Arkansas University • Conner Catt of Marion (Crittenden County), Arkansas State University • Samantha Clanton of Hermitage (Bradley County), Southern Arkansas University • Sara Gardner of Fayetteville (Washington County), UA-Fayetteville. • Jacob Hollaway of Griffithville (White County), Leo Sutterfield Scholarship, Arkansas State University • Chandler Knowles of Rison (Cleveland Columbia County), UA-Monticello • Macy Lamkin of Buckner (Lafayette County), Southern Arkansas University • Neely Purifoy of Louann (Ouachita County) Troy Buck Scholarship, Southern Arkansas University • Garrett Reynolds of Harrisburg (Poinsett County), UA-Monticello • Caleb Swears of Carlisle (Lonoke County), UA-Fayetteville • Kaylie Stone of Gurdon (Clark County), Southern Arkansas University • Kacey Williams of Greenbrier (Faulkner County), Arkansas Tech University The scholarships are based on financial need, academic achievement, career plans, as well as character and leadership potential. “Arkansas Farm Bureau has always been an advocate for higher education,” said Arkansas Farm Bureau President Rich Hillman of Carlisle. “The future of Arkansas agriculture is dependent on the young adults who are pursuing agricultural careers. Supporting them remains a priority for this organization.”
USDA Announces More Eligible Commodities for CFAP, page 2
2020 Arkansas Field Days Online, page 3
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USDA ANNOUNCES MORE ELIGI
Officers & Leaders | The North Logan County executive committee held a meeting at the county office on Aug. 3. After a short executive board meeting, they watched two of the Officers & Leaders videos that are on ArFB website while they also practiced social distancing and wearing of facemask. Board members in attendance included (from left) Johnny Spellins, Joe Don Koenigseder, Kyle Schluterman, Board Secretary Dana Case, President Brian Weisenfels, Vice President Bob Strobel, and Agency Manager Keith Eichenberger.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today that additional commodities are covered by the Coronavirus Food Assis Program (CFAP) in response to public comments and data. Additio the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadlin to apply for the program to September 11th, and producers with approved applications will receive their final payment. After reviewing over 1,700 responses, even more farmers and ranchers will have the opportunity for assistance to help keep operations afloat during these tough times.
“President Trump is standing with America’s farmers and ranchers ensure they get through this pandemic and continue to produce e food and fiber to feed America and the world. That is why he autho this $16 billion of direct support in the CFAP program and today w pleased to add additional commodities eligible to receive much ne assistance,” said Sec. Perdue. “CFAP is just one of the many ways US helping producers weather the impacts of the pandemic. From de payments on loans to adding flexibilities to crop insurance and rep deadlines, USDA has been leveraging many tools to help producer
USDA collected comments and supporting data for consideration additional commodities through June 22, 2020. The following add commodities are now eligible for CFAP:
• Specialty Crops – aloe leaves, bananas, batatas, bok choy, caram (star fruit), cherimoya, chervil (french parsley), citron, curry leav daikon, dates, dill, donqua (winter melon), dragon fruit (red pita endive, escarole, filberts, frisee, horseradish, kohlrabi, kumquats leeks, mamey sapote, maple sap (for maple syrup), mesculin mix, microgreens, nectarines, parsley, persimmons, plantains, pomegranates, pummelos, pumpkins, rutabagas, shallots, tang turnips/celeriac, turmeric, upland/winter cress, water cress, yau malanga, and yuca/cassava.
• Non-Specialty Crops and Livestock – liquid eggs, frozen eggs sheep. Only lambs and yearlings (sheep less than two years old) previously eligible.
• Aquaculture – catfish, crawfish, largemouth bass and carp sold as foodfish, hybrid striped bass, red drum, salmon, sturgeon, tila trout, ornamental/tropical fish, and recreational sportfish. Food Drive | In July, Lafayette County Farm Bureau sponsored a food drive and were able to collect 178 items to support the Missionary Bible Church in Stamps. The donations were presented to the church on Aug. 3. Those in attendance for the donation included, Ashley Allen, Lafayette County MSR; Linda Goodner, Lafayette County MSR and Amy McClane, Hempstead County Women’s Farm Bureau Committee Member. 2
• Nursery Crops and Flowers – nursery crops and cut flowers. Other changes to CFAP include:
• Seven commodities – onions (green), pistachios, peppermint, spearmint, walnuts and watermelons – are now eligible for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability (CARES) Act fund for sales losses. Originally, these commodities were only eligible payments on marketing adjustments.
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• Correcting payment rates for onions (green), pistachios, peppermint, spearmint, walnuts, and watermelons. Additional details can be found in the Federal Register in the Notice of Funding Availability and Final Rule Correction and at www.farmers.gov/ cfap. Producers Who Have Applied: To ensure availability of funding, producers with approved applications initially received 80 percent of their payments. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will automatically issue the remaining 20 percent of the calculated payment to eligible producers. Going forward, producers who apply for CFAP will receive 100 percent of their total payment, not to exceed the payment limit, when their applications are approved. Applying for CFAP: Producers, especially those who have not worked with FSA previously, are recommended to call 877-508-8364 to begin the application process. An FSA staff member can help producers start their application during the phone call. On farmers.gov/cfap, producers can: • Download the AD-3114 application form and manually complete the form to submit to their local USDA Service Center by mail, electronically or by hand delivery to their local office or office drop box. • Complete the application form using the CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator. This Excel workbook allows customers to input information specific to their operation to determine estimated payments and populate the application form, which can be printed, then signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center. • If producers have login credentials known as eAuthentication, they can use the online CFAP Application Portal to certify eligible commodities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center. All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can be downloaded from farmers.gov/cfap. For existing FSA customers, these documents are likely already on file. All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
2020 ARKANSAS FIELD DAYS ONLINE The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture field days are moving to an online format this year, giving Arkansas farmers a chance to interact with UAEX specialists while staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The online field days will begin at 6 p.m. with short messages from Division of Ag administration and leadership from each commodity board. Our scientists will then share updates on their research projects in short, pre-recorded segments. Participants can ask their questions during the live Q&A session. These field days give farmers and other Arkansans a chance to hear directly from Division of Ag scientists about research and extension programs that are important to them. They can have their questions answered during the live Q&A. And the Division of Ag wants to hear from you about how we can help you meet the challenges you face.
The 2020 Field Day Schedule Includes: • Rice on Aug. 20 • Corn on Sept. 3 • Soybean on Sept. 17 • Cotton on Oct. 1 Registration is free and open until the event starts via Zoom. If you can’t make it to the live event, the videos will be posted on our website after the broadcast. For more information, and to register for the events, visit https://bit. ly/2020FieldDays.
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MARKET NEWS as of August 13, 2020 Contact Brandy Carroll 501-228-1268 brandy.carroll@arfb.com
Livestock, Poultry, and Dairy In the August Supply/Demand report, USDA lowered the forecast for total meat production from the July report. Projected decreases in pork production more than offset higher beef and poultry production. A faster pace in beef slaughter is responsible for higher beef production totals. Lighter carcass weights and a slower pace of slaughter in the third quarter are responsible for the decline in the pork production forecast. The egg production forecast was also increased. For both 2020 and 2021, beef imports were raised, while the export forecast was decreased. The 2020 broiler export forecast was reduced on slower demand from a number of U.S. trading partners. Despite a smaller dairy herd, the milk production forecast for 2020 was raised from last month on higher milk-per-cow projections. The all milk price forecast was lowered to $17.95 per cwt. The all milk price forecast for 2021 was unchanged at $17.05 per cwt. Rice The August reports didn’t hold big changes for rice. The rice production estimate was down slightly from the previous forecast due to a decrease in the expected yield. The expected yield is now forecast at 7.600 pounds per acre, down 89 lbs from the previous estimate, but up from last year’s yield of 7,471 lbs/acre. Imports for 2019-20 are expected to set a 4
record or 36.7 million cwt, mostly from Asian countries. Projected ending stocks for 2020-21 were raised to 44.3 million cwt, 44% higher than ending stocks for 2019-20. Projected world ending stocks for 2020-21 are projected to set a record at 185.2 million tons. The average all rice season-average price is unchanged from the previous report, and pegged at $12.70, down from $13.10 in 2019-20. In Arkansas, FSA certified rice acres came in at 1,399,697, with another 362,729 acres reported as prevented planted. Technically, September and November charted bullish reversals on Wednesday. The first level of resistance for a rebound starts at $11.90.
farmers to set a new soybean yield record of 53.3 bushels per acre. The current record was set in 2016 at 52 bushels per acre. That total would push the crop above 4.4 billion bushels, which is 24% bigger than the 2019 crop. The supply/demand report showed a 5 million bushel increase in the crush, and reduced ending stocks an equal amount. The total supply for 2020 is now projected to be 5 billion bushels, which would be the largest on record. The net result of the report was a decrease of 15 cents in the average on-farm price from $8.50 to $8.35. Technically, chart action looks positive, but November might have a tough time with resistance at $9.
Corn In what appears to be a case of “sell the rumor, buy the fact,” corn futures charted a bullish reversal on Wednesday despite USDA reports that paint a bearish picture. December retested the new contract low of $3.20 and bounced off that level, signaling that is potentially the bottom for now. However, it looks unlikely the market will be able to overcome resistance at the chart gap between $3.42 and $3.43 ¾ any time soon. That’s because USDA is projecting U.S. average yields to set a record of 181.8 bushels per acre, and total production to also set a record of 15.3 billion bushels, up 12% from 2019. Harvested acres are forecast at 84 million acres, unchanged from the June forecast. In the supply/demand report, USDA did increase total corn usage by 8.2% over the current marketing year, but the increase in production is forecast to outpace the increase in usage. As a result, USDA lowered the expected season average on-farm price by 25 cents to $3.10.
Cotton The cotton market has been making a slow and steady recovery since the pandemic decimated demand for cotton. However, futures charted a bearish key reversal in reaction to the August reports. USDA now projects a record setting yield of 938 pounds per acre. That’s up from 823 lbs/acre in 2019. The current record yield is 904.7 lbs/acre. If realized, this will push production above 18 million bales, down 9% from 2019. The supply/demand report lowered the domestic use of cotton by 300,000 bales to a record low of 2.7 million bales, which pushed 2019 ending stocks up to 7.2 million bales, despite an increase of 200,000 bales in exports. The resulting carryout means the cotton supply for 20/21 is projected to be 25.28 million bales, the largest domestic cotton supply since 2007. The average on-farm price is projected at 59 cents per pound, unchanged from the July report.
Soybeans Soybeans also charted a bullish reversal in reaction to the August reports. USDA now expects U.S.
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EDITOR Ashley Wallace ashley.wallace@arfb.com