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A Publication of Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation
October 19, 2018 • Vol. 21, No. 20
American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall and ArFB President Randy Veach pose Oct. 8 with members of the local FFA chapters after the Woodruff County Farm Bureau annual meeting. Roughly 200 turned out to hear Duvall speak about the importance of Farm Bureau. Duvall said “Farm Bureau is where a Georgia farmer worries about a California farmer, and a California farmer worries about a New York farmer, and a New York farmer worries about an Arkansas farmer. And at the end of the day, we find common ground so that we can speak with one voice, helping each other.”
In Farm Bureau AFBF, state Farm Bureaus call for flexible livestock hauling rules To better address livestock haulers’ unique needs, the American Farm Bureau Federation and several state Farm Bureaus are urging the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to be flexible in implementing a split sleeper berth program. The groups are also asking the agency to put in place rules that encourage drivers to avoid fatigue by allowing short rests that do not count toward a driver’s end-of-day rest period. Current rules require livestock haulers to rest for 10 consecutive hours once they reach the maximum on-duty drive time of
11 hours. In comments to DOT and FMCSA, the Farm Bureaus explained in detail why the current hours of service framework is incompatible with livestock hauling. For one, the trailer environment has the greatest effect on animal welfare during transport. Animals that don’t get adequate airflow, a common problem when the trailer is stopped, can suffer weight loss, lameness and even death, either in transit or upon arrival at the feed yard. “The key to safely hauling live animals, especially in times of great heat and humidity, is to stop as infrequently as possible and to keep the trailer moving to provide ventilation,” the groups wrote. Haulers also can’t simply unload their animals for 10 consecutive hours. Even if there was a place to put the livestock,
doing so would raise a whole host of biosecurity concerns. In addition, the acts of loading and unloading are reportedly more stressful than transport itself. “Animals that are unloaded, ‘rested,’ and then re-loaded will not have rested at all,” the groups warned. To meet the needs of both drivers and animals, the Farm Bureaus support allowing livestock haulers to break up their rest period via a split sleeper berth program. However, such a program won’t work for livestock haulers if it is too rigid in practice and if the rest periods are too long. “Weather, type and age of livestock, and other environmental factors all play a role in determining when and how haulers move their livestock, which is why flexibility is so important,” the
The 2017 Arkansas Farm Family of the Year, Luke and Deedee Alston, represented Arkansas at the 29th Swisher-Sweets Southeastern Farmer of the Year Luncheon Oct. 16 in Moultrie, Ga. Luke and Deedee are pictured with their two sons, Ryan and Drey. Month, joining nationwide efforts to connect schools, early care and educational sites, and other organizations with farms to bring local, healthy food to children. “School gardens create valuable teaching experiences because they incorporate hands-on activities with lessons in food production and proper nutrition, and the overall importance of agriculture. I commend the efforts of educators and partners engaged in making our communities healthier through student-led food initiatives like school gardens,” said Hutchinson. More than 42,500 schools have joined the Farm to School movement across the U.S., engaging approximately 23.6 million students each year, including 192 schools and nearly 95,000 students in Arkansas Find additionalresources for Farm to School activities and support at:
In Arkansas
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October is Farm to School Month Gov. Asa Hutchinson proclaimed October as Arkansas Farm to School
U.S. Represenatives Bruce Westerman (left photo, middle) and Rick Crawford (right photo, left) received Arkansas Farm Bureau’s “Friend of Farm Bureau” given at the end of each Congress to those nominated by Arkansas Farm Bureau and approved by the American Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors. Voting records on key legislative issues important to agriculture are considered in the nomination. Rep. Westerman was presented the award by ArFB state board members Bruce Jackson (left) and Caleb Plyler. ArFB Treasurer Joe Christian awarded Rep. Crawford.
www.arkansasfarmtoschool.org. • Ways to participate in Farm to School Month in Arkansas include: Schools: Plan a school garden through your FFA or 4H Club. Farm to School grants are available through a partnership between the Arkansas Agriculture Department and Farm Credit. Find out more at www.agriculture.arkansas.gov/aadgrants. • Schools: Create a Farm to School salad bar, using local products • Teachers: Organize a farm tour or trip to the local farmers’ market. • Teachers: Connect garden-based, hands-on learning activities to curriculum. • Families: Take the kids to your local farmers market or harvest festival. • Families: Cook with seasonal products, and involve the entire family in meal preparation. • Farmers: Connect with your local schools, and offer to provide farm visits or classroom presentations. • Farmers: Connect with a local teacher to provide photos and stories to students about your farming operation. The Arkansas Farm to School Month Proclamation is supported by a group of Farm to School state and private partners, including: the Access to Healthy Foods Research Group at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention, Arkansas Department of Education Child Nutrition Unit, University Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, Arkansas Minority Health Commission, Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas MarketMaker, Healthy Active Arkansas,
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organizations said. Rather than a mandatory 10hour stop, or a requirement that drivers split their 10-hour break into two five-hour periods or a six-hour period and a fourhour period, the groups recommended that drivers be permitted to stop for multiple periods of two or three hours. This way they would be able to evaluate humidity and temperature and determine if a stop is tolerable for the animals they are hauling, which will allow them to rest to avoid traffic or other roadway hazards. In conjunction with a split sleeper berth program, the groups are encouraging FMCSA to consider incentivizing shorter “nap breaks” for drivers, as short naps of 20-30 minutes can help improve mood, alertness and performance, according to the National Sleep Foundation. These naps should not count toward a driver’s rest time. “The current regulatory structure encourages drivers to push through tired moments or spells of fatigue because, if they stop to rest, even for a short and refreshing nap, their on-duty clocks are still running,” the organizations said. Drivers would be incentivized to take these rests if they were allowed to go off-duty during the time they are resting, they further explained.
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Arkansas Grown junior membership The Arkansas Agriculture Department announced the addition of a Junior membership to Arkansas Grown, AAD’s marketing and branding program that connects local food producers with consumers. The Arkansas Grown Junior membership program will be a partnership with Arkansas FFA and 4-H, and representatives from Arkansas FFA and 4-H joined Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward at the announcement. The Arkansas Grown Junior membership will be available to FFA and 4-Hmembers in Arkansas and will offerthree separate program benefits: certification, an annual conference and a project based contest. The certification will ensure that students are knowledgeable in all facets of Arkansas agriculture and are prepared and capable of entering the Arkansas agriculture industry as a competent and well-rounded agriculturalist. “Arkansas FFA and 4-H programs have been great partners for the Arkansas Agriculture Department and have done a great job in preparing the next generation to take over leadership roles in our industry,” said Secretary ofAgriculture Wes Ward. “Expanding our partnership to the Arkansas Grown Junior program is another example of providing our youth with training and tools for future success.” The program will be in conjunction with other industry partnersto better connect Arkansas youth with the agriculture industry. “Arkansas 4-H is excited to partner with
Benton Co. FB’s Women’s Leadership Committee member Amber Bowen (right) presents $200 to Michele Scholtes, director of the Pea Ridge Elementary “Bright Futures,” which helps deter child hunger.
Sydney Standridge and her Grand Champion Steer participated in the Sale of Champions Oct. 19 at the Arkansas State Fair. Her steer was on of several animals purchased by Arkansas Farm Bureau. Sydney is from Van Buren County and is a member of the Clinton FFA. the Arkansas Agriculture Department’s Arkansas Grown program to offer our members yet another benefit beyond our current programming opportunities,” said Angie Freel, Interim Associate Department Head for Arkansas 4-H. “Everyone wins in this situation,and we think young entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to gain a customer base and learn from others by utilizing this system. Agriculture is an important component to the 4-H program, and this will only strengthen our educational efforts.” Membership is county andchapter based,and advisors must receive training through the Arkansas Grown program before granted the ability to certify students. To learn more about training opportunities, contact Brooke Clanton at brooke.clanton@agriculture.arkansas.gov. “In agricultural education, our contribution to the industry is human capital,” said Chris Bacchus, State Advisor for Arkansas FFA. “We’re excited about this project because the training our students will receive through Arkansas Grown Junior will assure they are career bound and job ready and better connected to the industrywhen they leave our program.” Since 2012, the Arkansas Grown, Arkansas Made, and Homegrown by Heroes marketing programs provide branding and promotional benefits for members and offer a vital connection between Arkansas producers, makers and consumers. For more information about Arkansas Agriculture Department marketing programs, see www.arkansasgrown.org.
Elsewhere Throw out water rule A 2015 rule that expands the federal government’s control over private land nationwide should be vacated in its entirety, attorneys argued in papers filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. AFBF and a broad coalition of business groups, along with the state of Texas and others, are suing to do away with the 2015 “Waters of the United States” rule issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers. Plaintiffs say the rule is illegal for a host of reasons, including that it disregards statutory and Supreme Court requirements that federally regulated “waters” be at least closely connected to “navigable” waterbodies. The illegal 2015 rule instead regulates “vast tracts of the United States, including millions of miles of man-made ditches and municipal stormwater systems, dry desert washes and arroyos in the arid west, and virtually all of the water-rich Southeast.” The current filings in Texas mark the third time a federal district court has been asked to strike the 2015 rule. Federal courts in North Dakota and Georgia are also currently considering similar claims by dozens of states and business organizations. The rule has been temporarily blocked in dozens of states pending the outcome of the litigation.
Editor Maddison Stewart
maddison.stewart@arfb.com
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and the Arkansas Agriculture Department.
A large crowd discussed highway challenges facing farmers Oct. 18 at the Tuckerman City Hall. U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, State Highway Commissioner Alec Farmer, Sen. John Boozman’s office, Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s office, the Arkansas Agriculture Department, state Rep. Michael John Gray, Jackson County Judge Jeff Phillips and Arkansas Highway Police Chief Jay Thompson were among those in attendance.
In the Market Cotton
Hurricane Michael delivered a devastating blow to the Georgia cotton crop. Georgia is the number two producer of cotton in the U.S. following Texas, and farmers there had 1.42 million acres of cotton planted this year. USDA says 20 percent of that cotton was harvested when Michael came ashore. Farmers were reporting 2 1/2 to 3 bale-per-acre yields before the storm. Early estimates have losses pegged at approximately 1 million bales, which represents approximately onethird of Georgia’s expected harvest. The market reaction has been muted, however, with initial gains tempered by an uncertain demand situation. Buying interest has waned anytime December challenged resistance at 79 cents. In the October supply/demand report, USDA lowered the export projection by 200,000 bales to 15.5 million. Weekly export sales were extremely disappointing at 32,700 bales for 18/19 delivery and 24,200 for 19/20 delivery. China was the dominant buyer. USDA also lowered their average on-farm price estimate to a range of 69 cents to 77 cents.
Rice
Rice futures continue to chop along mostly sideways. The harvest is approaching completion, especially in the south, with 88 percent of the crop in the bins nationwide as of October 14. Arkansas farmers had 92 percent of the crop harvested on the same date, 2 percent ahead of the five-year average. Dryer weather late this week should enable farmers here to wrap up harvest in short order. Disappointing export sales continue to pressure the market. Last week’s shipments totaled only 24,800 metric tons, and shipments weren’t much better at 26,700 metric tons. In the October production and supply/ demand reports, the 2018/19 crop was reduced by 700,000 cwt to 218.8 million cwt. That was due to decreased yields forecast for Texas and California. Of the reduction, 500,000 cwt were long grain, with the remaining 200,000 cwt
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As of October 19, 2018
medium and short grain. Ending stocks were lowered a corresponding amount, as no other changes were recorded. The average on-farm price projection remains $11.20-$12.20 per cwt. November futures are chopping along mostly sideways, with resistance around $11 continuing to curtail buying interest.
Soybeans
The soybean harvest had stalled thanks to wet conditions throughout many of the soybean-producing states across the country. Farmers only harvested 3 percent of the crop last week, bringing the total to 38 percent harvested. That is down 9 percentage points from 2017 and 15 percentage points below the five-year average. The next two weeks are expected to bring dryer conditions to much of the corn belt, and that should allow producers there to get back in the field. The wet conditions have, however, caused significant damage to the crop that remains in the field, and deep discounts are being reported. The market has absorbed the larger-than-expected stocks report that adjusted the beginning stocks estimate higher by 43 million bushels, and the October crop report actually cut the production estimate by 3 million bushels, lessening the blow somewhat. The average on-farm price was unchanged from the previous report at $7.35-$9.85. November futures rallied early in the week, but have run into resistance above $8.90. The market does have nearby support at $8.47. A look at the November 2019 contract shows that long-term resistance has been broken and the contract is technically trending higher.
Corn
The October crop report showed a lower expected yield for corn, with farmers now expected to harvest 180.7 bushels per acre.
While the corn harvest slowed to a crawl thanks to weather last week, with only 5 percent harvest the week ending October 14, farmers remain ahead of last year’s pace (27 percent harvested) and the five-year average (35 percent harvested) with 39 percent of the crop in the bin. Export news is supportive for corn, with commitments up over 50 percent from the year ago total, and the stocks-to-use ratio lowered to 11.5 percent. USDA is still projecting an average on-farm price of $3.00-$4.00 per bushel. The December futures contract has tough resistance between $3.80 and $3.85. With the fundamental picture looking more favorable to corn over soybeans, it will be important to watch planting intentions for 2019, as farmers consider shifting acres from soybeans to corn.
Livestock
Hog futures appear to have charted a seasonal top. Increases in hog supplies and demand concerns sparked a selloff which has accelerated as technical support has been broken. February could be headed to fill the gap left during the August rally between $57.07 and $56.57. The next two quarters are expected to see production totals ahead of last year, and with Chinese tariffs on U.S. pork continuing, there are doubts about the market being able to absorb the additional production. Cattle futures have also been under pressure lately. The selling was sparked by future’s wide premium to cash prices. December live cattle have key support just below $116, and a move below that level would spark additional selling. Strong exports remain supportive, but concerns about domestic demand amid stock market weakness will limit any upside.
CONTACT Brandy Carroll, 501-228-1268 brandy.carroll@arfb.com.