DECEMBER 8, 2023 | VOLUME 26 | ISSUE 24
Farm Bureau Press A PEEK INSIDE
ARKANSAS FARM BUREAU SELECTS LEADERS, SETS POLICY Dan Wright, a poultry producer from Waldron, was elected Dec. 1 as Arkansas Farm Bureau’s president, becoming the 12th person to serve in that role in the organization’s 89-year history. Mike Freeze of Little Rock will continue as vice president for the agriculture advocacy organization. Both were elected during Farm Bureau’s state convention at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Voting delegates also re-elected seven board members to two-year terms. They are Sherry Felts, Joiner; Bob Shofner, Centerton; Jon Carroll, Moro; Joe Thrash, Houston; Terry Laster, Strong; Chase Groves, Garland City; and Jack Evans of Lonoke. Board action later resulted in the election of Terry Dabbs of Stuttgart as secretary/treasurer. Wright, 63, was selected for his first term as president. He has served 9 years on the organization’s state board, including the past four years as secretary/ treasurer. Wright is a poultry and hay producer. He and his wife, Belinda, have two grown children, Dustin and Megan, and six grandchildren. Continued on page 2
2023 ArFB 88th Annual Convention Recap: Page 2 • Michael Lee Earns ArFB Leadership Award Page 3 ArFB Honors Women Leaders Page 4 Searcy High School Teacher Named ArFB Outstanding 2023 Ag Educator Page 5 • YF&R Discussion Meet • Searcy Named Top Farm Bureau County
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GET THE LINKS Scan the QR code to access direct links referenced in each article. Dan Wright
Mike Freeze
Terry Dabbs
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ArFB SELECTS LEADERS
Continued from page 1
“I’m humbled and honored by the trust our membership has placed in me to lead our organization into our next era of advocacy, outreach and education for agriculture and rural communities,” said Wright. “Now, more than ever, is it crucial for our leaders and neighbors to understand the work and commitment our farmers and ranchers have in feeding each and every household in America and much of the world.” “I’m thankful for the support my wife has shown during the last several months as we’ve worked to earn this responsibility today. Without her by my side, my time as a leader of this organization would simply not be possible.” Freeze, 71, begins his fifth term as vice president. He operates the Keo Fish Farm, the largest hybrid striped bass hatchery in the world. He is a past chairman of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. He and his wife Betty have two grown daughters, Rachael and Kelly.
“I’m thankful to the membership for the confidence they continue to have in me,” Freeze said. “I look forward to working with our newly elected president and our board members to focus on the important, but hard work ahead of Farm Bureau.” A row crop farmer, Dabbs has served on the ArFB Board of Directors since 2004. He grows rice, soybeans, wheat, oats and corn. He and his wife, Lori, have one son, four daughters and 10 grandchildren. Voting delegates also addressed a range of state and federal policy issues, including a change in its longheld policy and will allow the creation of a candidatefocused Political Action Committee. The delegate body also passed policy in opposition to redesignation of the Buffalo National River and surrounding lands, adopted policy on beginning farmer tax credits, tax exemptions for 4H and FFA projects, agricultural education for K-12, funding for county and state fairs, and continuation of tax exemptions for agricultural input items.
CONWAY'S LEE EARNS ArFB 2023 LEADERSHIP AWARD Michael Lee of Conway is the 2023 recipient of the Stanley E. Reed Leadership Award from the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation. Lee accepted the award Nov. 30 during the organization’s 89th annual conference at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Arkansas Farm Bureau President Rich Hillman and Charlene Reed, widow of ArFB’s late president, presented the award. Lee serves as vice president of the Faulkner County Farm Bureau board and is a past member of the state Arkansas Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. In addition, Lee has served as president of the Faulkner County Cattleman’s Association and currently serves as an area vice president on the state board.
The Stanley E. Reed Leadership Award was established in 2011 to honor the memory of the man who was president of Arkansas Farm Bureau from 2003-2008. It is awarded to an active member, 36 to 45 years of age, for outstanding leadership within their county Farm Bureau and community. The award is intended to honor a county leader who has demonstrated the leadership qualities that were evident in Stanley Reed’s life and will help lead Farm Bureau into the future.
Lee is a cattle farmer and operates Flying C Ranch, a successful farm-tofork beef business east of Conway. He and his wife Lauren also have a pecan orchard where they sell directly to the public with the help of Stanley Reed Award | (From left) Newly elected ArFB President Dan Wright, Vice President Mike Freeze, the Lee Family, Charlene Reed, Haley Davis and outgoing ArFB their three daughters. President Rich Hillman presented Michael Lee (center) with the Stanley Reed Award.
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ArFB HONORS WOMEN LEADERS The Women’s Leadership Committee from Lee County is the Outstanding County Women’s Program award winner for 2023. The group was recognized Nov. 30 during Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 89th Annual Conference at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Committee chair Kerry Stiles accepted the award for Lee County. Each year, Arkansas Farm Bureau honors the county Women’s Leadership Committee that exhibits exemplary support of its county organization, activities and goals. These committees are a vital part of the county Farm Bureau organizations as they plan and implement programs and activities that are an important part of Farm Bureau’s mission. They conduct community-based activities and programs involving Ag in the Classroom, farm tours, commodity promotion, safety, health, agricultural policy and more. Throughout the year, members of the Lee County committee visited local schools to teach students about agriculture, recycled more than 750 pairs of blue jeans, provided car seats and bags for foster children in their county, supported food backpack programs in school districts across the community and so much more.
2023 Diamond Award | (From left) ArFB Vice President Mike Freeze, Women's Leadership State Vice Chair Nita Cooper, Women's Leadership State Chair Kerry Stiles and outgoing ArFB President Rich Hillman presented Helen Williams (center) with the Diamond Award.
Helen Williams of Independence County Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee received the Arkansas Farm Bureau Women’s Diamond Award, which honors a county Farm Bureau leader whose volunteer efforts are above and beyond the norm. Williams has been volunteering for Farm Bureau for nearly three decades, supporting food programs in her community and volunteering to read agriculture books in local schools. She was previously a Women’s Leadership Voting Delegate and, in her spare time, volunteers for the Volunteer Christian Builders organization alongside her husband.
2023 Outstanding Committee | (From left) ArFB Vice President Mike Freeze, Women's Leadership State Vice Chair Nita Cooper and outgoing ArFB President Rich Hillman presented Women's Leadership State Chair Kerry Stiles with the Outstanding Committee Award.
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SEARCY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER NAMED ArFB 2023 OUTSTANDING AG EDUCATOR Arkansas Farm Bureau recognized Addison Safley of Searcy High School in White County as its Outstanding Ag Educator. Hampton High School’s Zach Hammack earned the Outstanding New Ag Educator Award and Harrison High School grabbed the top spot as the Outstanding Ag Education Program. All were recognized Nov. 29 at Farm Bureau’s 89th Annual Convention at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. The Outstanding Ag Educator award recognizes a high school agriculture education instructor for efforts in teaching young people about agriculture, leadership and involvement in the National FFA Organization. “I’m blessed to lead an agriculture program and FFA chapter with students who are dedicated to our industry and our community,” Safley said. “I feel fortunate to play just a small role in teaching these students and helping them remain invested in the future of our state’s agriculture industry.”
Ag Teach of the Year | Addison Safley (left) of Searcy was recognized as Ag Teacher of the Year by Matt Jackson, ArFB director of education.
Hammack earned the top New Ag Educator Award for his work at Hampton High School. “Teaching is not my first career, but I’m grateful for this chapter of my life, career opening and for this opportunity,” Hammack said. “To work with these students, in the community that I grew up in, is beyond all that I believed possible. I’m incredibly fortunate to work with them and honored for this recognition.” Harrison High School was recognized for its ag education program, led by advisers Skip Emmett, Alex Hale and Megan Morris. The Harrison FFA program has grown from 28 members to 216 in just three school years. The work to build a complete program has included career and leadership development, livestock showing, classroom education and the Supervised Agricultural Experience projects that take classroom learning to in-field experience. “Not only are we working to create meaningful classroom experiences, but we’re striving to meet other areas of focus the students have in order to build a complete and successful program. We couldn’t do any of this without our administration, who have been crucial in supporting our work to transform Harrison FFA into what it is today,” said Megan Morris, Harrison FFA adviser. 4
New Ag Teach of the Year | Zach Hammack (left) of Hampton was recognized as New Ag Teacher of the Year by Matt Jackson, ArFB director of education.
Ag Education Program | Harrison High School was recognized for its ag education program by Matt Jackson, ArFB director of education.
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PERRY COUNTY COMPETITOR DISCUSSION MEET WINNER Nicole Erbach of Casa (Perry County) won the Young Farmers & Ranchers Discussion Meet at the Arkansas Farm Bureau 89th Annual Convention on Nov. 30 in Little Rock. Erbach will now compete in January at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Salt Lake City. The discussion meet allows young farm leaders to demonstrate problem-solving and verbal presentation skills while discussing their views on agriculture issues. There were 14 competitors in the discussion meet. Erbach won $7,000 courtesy of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co. “The YF&R Discussion Meet is an example of the thoughtsharing, advocacy and solution work that happens within the Farm Bureau organization each and every day,” said Erbach, “As a first-generation farmer, it’s an honor to be selected to represent young farmers and ranchers in Arkansas on a national scale. I look forward to focusing on the important issues facing our industry as I prepare for the competition in January.” Erbach and her husband Blake raise cattle in Perry County. She also works off the farm as a product manager for Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). She is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, with degrees in geology and political science.
2023 Discussion Meet Winner | Nicole Erbach (center) was recognized as the 2023 YF&R Discussion Meet winner by (from left) ArFB Vice President Mike Freeze, Young Farmer & Rancher State Vice Chairs Brad and Tara Peacock, Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company's Frank Blossman and outgoing ArFB President Rich Hillman.
SEARCY NAMED TOP FARM BUREAU COUNTY Searcy County Farm Bureau was announced as the 2023 Arkansas Farm Bureau President’s Award at the organization’s State Convention in Little Rock. This is the top award in the LEAD awards program in which Farm Bureau recognizes counties all over the state for their hard work in promoting agriculture and educating the public on the importance farmers and ranchers play in everyday life. Counties must meet certain criteria to be eligible to apply for this prestigious award. After meeting the criteria that has been set forth a county must answer a single question that stems from the President’s annual address at the State Convention. This year’s question was “What are you doing to make it matter in your community?” Counties were judged on three different areas including planning, implementation and results. They are asked to write an answer/ short essay to answer the question and are also encouraged to support the question with pictures, social media posts and even videos to document and highlight their activities pertaining to the question that is posed each year. Hot Spring and Cross County Farm Bureau’s were the runners up this year. All three counties were strong contenders and had excellent programs. All counties are encouraged to strive for this top award and work toward the goal of being one of the top programs in the state. These awards are meant to recognize and encourage counties but also to use as a program of work for the year to fulfill the overall mission of Farm Bureau in being the state’s leading voice for agriculture.
2023 President's Award | ArFB Vice President Mike Freeze (left) and outgoing ArFB President Rich Hillman (right) presented Searcy County Farm Bureau President Randy Clark with the President's Award.
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MARKET NEWS as of December 6, 2023 Contact Brandy Carroll
brandy.carroll@arfb.com
Tyler Oxner
tyler.oxner@arfb.com
Corn Friday's WASDE reports are raising expectations for increased fundamental price support in the markets. Recent gains are linked to a robust wheat market and sustained momentum in soybeans. Traders are closely monitoring Brazilian forecasts for potential heat stress, given its status as the world's largest corn and soybean exporter. Late market strength is also fueled by rumors of China canceling up to 10 cargoes of corn purchased from Brazil, leading to speculation that demand might shift to the U.S., especially with prices below South Africa's until at least February or March 2024. The CEO of ALC Agricola, the largest publicly traded farming company in Brazil, anticipates a 7.5% decline in its second crop corn acres due to soybean planting delays, which could favorably impact U.S. prices. Soybeans Market optimism is driving upward movement in anticipation of potential downgrades to Brazil's 2023/24 soybean crop in Thursday’s CONAB production forecast and Friday's WASDE report from the USDA. Despite scattered rains in dryer Brazilian regions, they seem sufficient for crop needs over the next week to 10 days. AgRural estimates a rise in Brazil's soybean crop planting to 85%, up from 74% last week but down from 91% a year ago. While it's expected that the U.S. soybean ending stocks will remain largely unchanged in Friday's report, there might be a shift from exports to crush, supporting the renewable diesel expansion.
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Wheat The USDA's Tuesday report highlighted another substantial daily flash sale of soft red winter wheat to China, propelling the U.S. wheat market upward. In the last two weeks alone, China has secured orders for 27.5 million bushels of U.S. soft red winter wheat, slated for shipment within the next six months. This surge has driven the nearby March 2024 Chicago soft red winter wheat futures contracts to a three-month high as of Wednesday morning, marking a significant turnaround from wheat prices hitting a three-year low just over a week ago. Despite U.S. wheat exports being on track for their smallest recorded volume since the pre-Soviet Grain Robbery in 1971/72, the recent increase in Chinese purchases may counterbalance the trend, especially considering the substantial net short positions taken by money managers on U.S. wheat contracts amidst Black Sea supply dominance in the global balance sheet. Rice Following a peak on Nov. 24, nearby rice prices have experienced a downward trend. Traders are currently evaluating the potential for heightened supply from Indonesia, a significant rice producer. It's worth noting that while Indonesia may contribute to increased availability, concerns arise from the anticipation of reduced production in the first quarter for two key players in the global rice market — India, the world's largest rice exporter, and Thailand, the second-largest supplier. Both countries are expected to witness a decline in production during their off-season crops, adding complexity to the dynamics influencing rice prices. Cotton The March cotton contract recently dipped below last week's consolidation, marking its lowest point since Nov. 10. Concerns arise that without an improvement in the demand outlook, it might regress to the November low. Additionally,
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worries linger regarding the potential revision of higher U.S. 2023/24 production in Friday's supply-demand report, mirroring adjustments made in November. Compounding the challenges, the December Dollar Index surged to its highest level since Nov. 23 on Tuesday, a factor perceived as unfavorable for U.S. cotton exports. The trade anticipates minimal changes in this month's USDA Crop Production and supply/demand reports. Livestock and Poultry Livestock futures have experienced varied performances, with lean hog futures anticipated to face pressure from technically driven selling and ongoing seasonal weakness in cash hog prices, given the abundance of hog supplies. Persistently low Chinese hog prices further contribute to the negative market sentiment. In response to industry oversupply, Smithfield Foods announced on Tuesday the termination of grower contracts with 26 hog farms in Utah, underscoring the challenges faced by the world's largest pork processor. Amid an excess of chicken and tightening cattle supplies due to drought, U.S. meat companies grapple with complex market dynamics. However, there's potential early support for live cattle and feeder cattle futures driven by technical followthrough. Beef prices were recently hit after the USDA raised production estimates roughly 2% from the last estimates due to higher cattle on feed numbers this fall. According to global production updates from Rabobank, poultry and aquaculture are the only two species groups expected to witness production growth in 2024, albeit at a slower pace than in 2023. The analysis also forecasts a continued decline in beef production, while pork production is anticipated to contract modestly.
EDITOR Ashley Wallace ashley.wallace@arfb.com