April 10, 2013
www.gfb.org
Vol. 31 No. 15
GFB URGES REMOVAL OF SECTION FROM WATER RESOURCES BILL Maintaining that a portion of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) would hold devastating consequences for agriculture and defeat the purpose of building reservoirs, Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall wrote to Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson urging their efforts to have that section of the bill removed. The WRDA (S.601) was introduced on March 18 by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works. The committee passed it on March 20. The WRDA establishes policies and priorities for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to authorize federal water projects. The bill has generally been reauthorized every two years, though the last two WRDA bills were enacted in 2000 and 2007, creating a backlog of projects awaiting approval. The overall bill would also make changes to the environmental review process, impose new deadlines on the Corps of Engineers to reduce project backlog, establish new financing mechanisms and address a surplus in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, among other things. Duvall said GFB had serious concerns about Section 2015. Duvall pointed out in the letter that Section 2015 of the bill would in effect reinstate the injunction placed on access to water from Lake Lanier by Judge Paul Magnuson in his 2009 ruling, which was later overturned. Section 2015 calls for congressional approval for any water release amount of five percent or more of the water held in Corps of Engineers reservoirs. In the case of Lake Lanier, this would limit withdrawals to approximately 50 million gallons per day. Current withdrawals from Lake Lanier are about 115 million gallons per day. The five percent cap would result in reduced flows downstream. GFB maintains that this would prompt calls to limit the use of irrigation in one of the most heavily irrigated portions of the state. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has already stopped accepting applications for new water withdrawal permits for irrigation in parts of the Flint River Basin. “From an agricultural perspective, we believe the effect of Section 2015 would be to create additional pressure to restrict agricultural irrigation south of Atlanta,” Duvall wrote. “As you are well aware, this action would detrimentally impact the largest field crop area of our state. As agriculture suffers, so does rural Georgia.” In addition to its devastating effects on agriculture, municipalities would be forced to build reservoirs that would not be needed without the Section 2015 requirements. “The whole point of reservoirs is to store and conserve water for future use,” Duvall wrote. “To unreasonably restrict the use of that water defeats the purpose of building reservoirs.”
Leadership Alert page 2 of 8 BEEF COMMISSION REFERENDUM KEY TOPIC AT GCA CONVENTION The passage of a bill authorizing Georgia’s beef producers to vote on the formation of a state commodity commission for beef was welcome news to beef industry leaders attending the 2013 Georgia Cattlemen’s Association Annual Convention, held April 3-6 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter. The bill, SB 97, paves the way for a referendum to form a state beef checkoff to offset declining funds available from the National Beef Checkoff. “In the mid-to-late 80s the National Beef Checkoff went into effect. Since that time, the nation’s cattle herd has shrunk significantly and the funds received by Georgia Cattlemens have shrunk accordingly,” said David Gazda, who was installed as the new GCA president during the convention. “With that shrinkage of our income ... that’s obviously hampered our effectiveness and ability to put on programs and offer services to our membership.” Gazda anticipated that a referendum would take place this fall. During a meeting of the Georgia Farm Bureau Beef Commodity Committee, part of the discussion centered on the process of holding a referendum, beginning with compiling a current list of eligible producers to whom ballots would be sent. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Scott George encouraged the committee to push for passage of the referendum. “There are things we cannot do any more because we don’t have the money,” George said, noting that gaining a consensus among various national cattle stakeholder groups to raise the checkoff fee is unlikely. “If you can get your state checkoff, I encourage you to do it, because there is a huge need for it.” The convention featured a wide variety of seminars covering current information on markets, Pasture Rangeland Forage insurance, the Beef Quality Assurance program and many others. UGA Extension Livestock Economist Dr. Curt Lacy discussed factors affecting beef markets, including feed prices and the domestic and international economies. “We see some economies improving around the world and we do have that high quality beef product that a lot of countries desire. I think that’s where we’re going to really see some additional value [added] to our product,” Lacy said. LATE WINTER RAINS PROVIDE DROUGHT RELIEF Record rainfall during February eased drought conditions across most of Georgia, according to a report from UGA Climatologist Pam Knox. Rainfall across Georgia in February set a new record with a statewide average of 9.92 inches, alleviating the state’s drought conditions and recharging soil moisture just in time for the 2013 planting season. Georgia’s typical rainfall for February is about 4.5 inches, and the previous record rainfall for February was 8.73 inches, set back in 1939. Some areas in southwest Georgia received in excess of 20 inches during the month. At the end of January, 82 percent of Georgia was experiencing severe drought conditions or worse. By the end of March, there was no severe drought left in Georgia. The rain has provided a welcome reserve of soil moisture for farmers eager to start the growing season, although field work has been stymied by the wet soil conditions in many areas. Once the soil temperatures warm up and the chance of frost is past, there should be plenty of soil moisture available to allow for good germination, according to Knox.
Leadership Alert page 3 of 8 PECAN CROP INSURANCE PROGRAM CHANGES FOR 2014 The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) has made changes to the pecan crop insurance program beginning in 2014. Dr. Jeanne Lindsey with the USDA-RMA Valdosta office reviewed the changes during the Georgia Pecan Growers Association Annual Meeting held March 27 at the Georgia Agricenter in Perry. Changes to the Pecan Revenue Crop Provisions include: allowing growers to insure orchards on noncontiguous land as optional units; replacing the minimum age requirement used to determine an orchard’s insurability with a minimum production requirement; changing the maximum base period for calculating the Approved Average Revenue from 10 to six years and removing the penalty for sequentially thinning orchards. “If you have one orchard in one part of the county and another orchard in another part separated by land you do not own or rent, you may have those as two separate units whereas before you had to combine them,” Lindsey said. To insure noncontiguous orchards as optional units, producers must have separate production records for the orchards for at least the prior two years, Lindsey said. Many producers started keeping separate production records on noncontiguous orchards last year in anticipation that the RMA would make this change, she said. Lindsey added that all crop insurance programs have an increased premium, which is usually 10 percent, for optional units. Another change is orchards must no longer be 12 years old to be insurable. The new provision allows orchards to be insured once there is a minimum of 600 pounds production per acre in one of the previous four years. “This will be a benefit for young orchards or high density orchards that reach 600 pounds an acre prior to twelve years and will curb some abuse we’ve seen in the program where you’ve had very old orchards that didn’t produce anything insured,” Lindsey said. The base period of years previously used to calculate the Approved Average Revenue is decreasing from a maximum of 10 to six years. “Your data base next year will include at the most 2008 through 2013 production history,” Lindsey explained. Policyholders beginning a two-year coverage cycle in 2013 should note the changes modify the two-year coverage module to allow the 2013-year to be treated as a one-year policy. This will allow all producers to begin a new two-year coverage module for the 2014 crop year under the new terms of the revised insurance program. All policies will automatically renew for the 2014 crop year unless the policyholder provides written notification that they want to cancel coverage by the Jan. 31, 2014, cancellation date. VIDALIA ONION SHIPPING DATE SET FOR APRIL 15 The Georgia Department of Agriculture has announced that the official shipping date for the 2013 Vidalia Onion Marketing Season is April 15. The shipping date is based on the recommendation of the Vidalia Onion Advisory Panel. After a 2012 crop that suffered from historically high temperatures resulting in smaller sizes and other problems that significantly reduced marketable yield, Georgia’s Vidalia onion growers plan to harvest more than 12,000 acres of Vidalia onions in 2013.
Leadership Alert page 4 of 8 BROAD RIVER BEEF CATTLE & FORAGE FIELD DAY April 17 Moore Cattle Company 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Washington, Ga. This free event, sponsored by 2 Rivers Resource Conservation & Development, the NRCS, FSA, UGA Cooperative Extension, Wilkes County chapter of Georgia Young Farmers and the Central Savannah River RC&D, will begin with registration at 9 a.m. Topics to be covered are utilizing winter annuals, soil health benefits of managed grazing, fly control for beef cattle and low stress handling of cattle. Lunch will be provided. To register, contact Wilkes County Cooperative Extension at 706-678-2332. MOUNTAIN BEEF CATTLE FIELD DAY April 18 Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center Blairsville Georgia cattle farmers will gain useful research-based information at this free event, which is sponsored by AgGeorgia Farm Credit, Pasture Management Systems and Resaca Sun Feeds. The field day runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes lunch and refreshments, Topics include pasture ecology, soil and fertilizer management, beef cattle efficiency, weed control in pastures and hay field and fly control. For more information, call 706-745-2655. NRCS ACCEPTING AWEP APPLICATIONS THROUGH APRIL 19 Approximately $1.2 million in financial assistance has been approved for the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) in the Lower Flint River Basin project. Local NRCS offices will be taking applications through April 19. This project will improve water efficiency by deploying advanced irrigation management practices across 27 counties in Southwest Georgia. Funded practices include low pressure drop nozzle irrigation retrofits with end gun shut-offs, remote soil moisture monitoring, sod based rotation and variable rate irrigation. Everyone receiving assistance through AWEP must meet Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) eligibility requirements. For more information about specific AWEP projects visit: http://www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov, or visit the nearest USDA Service Center. WARBINGTON FARMS STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL April 20 – May 18 Warbington Farms Cumming This series of fun-filled farm weekends features live music, inflatables, hayrides, a petting zoo and of course, those wonderful strawberries! Saturday hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday hours are 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Weekend admission is $8 for children and $5 for adults. For more information, visit http://www.warbingtonfarms.com or call 770-380-2920. NOMINATE A FARM MOM TO WIN $10,000 Nominations are being accepted for the 2013 America’s Farmers Mom of the Year Contest until 11:59 p.m. on April 23. To nominate a farm mom for the award, visit http://www.americasfarmers.com/farmmom/nominate. Complete rules and nomination instructions are available at http://www.americasfarmers.com/farmmom/rules.aspx. Nominations may also be submitted by mail to Osborn & Barr, Attn: America’s Farm Mom of the Year, 914 Spruce Street, St. Louis, MO 63102. Five regional winners will be selected and by a panel of judges from American Agri-Women and Monsanto. Online voting will determine the national winner, which will be announced on Mother’s Day, May 12. Each regional winner will win a $5,000 prize, and the national winner will get another $5,000.
Leadership Alert page 5 of 8 GEORGIA HERD SALE April 23 Tifton Bull Evaluation Center 12:30 p.m. Irwinville For more information contact Dr. Lawton Stewart at 706-542-1852 or lawtons@uga.edu or Patsie T. Cannon at 229-386-3683 or ptcannon@uga.edu 2013 GEORGIA FFA CONVENTION April 25-27 Macon Centreplex Macon th The 85 Georgia FFA Convention features a keynote address from motivational speaker Rick Rigsby, a concert by The Farm and addresses by National FFA Secretary Kalie Hall and Small Town Big Deal host Rodney Miller. Through a partnership between Alltech and RFD-TV, video feeds of the general sessions will be available online. to laptops, desktops, mobile phones and tablet computers. It will be available live or on-demand at www.ihigh.com/gaffa or at www.MYRURALTV.com. For more information about the Convention or the live broadcast, contact the Georgia FFA Association at gaffa@uga.edu or visit georgiaffa.org. 14TH ANNUAL PANHANDLE MULE DAY April 27 Panhandle Mule Farm 9 a.m. Reynolds The heritage of breaking land comes alive at this annual event that provides fun for the whole family. Mule Day features antique engines, tractors and implements on display, mule-drawn plowing and live entertainment. For more information call Steve Montgomery at 478-837-1044. 2013 YOUNG HARRIS/UGA BEEKEEPING INSTITUTE May 9-11 Young Harris College 8 a.m. each day Young Harris This event, one of the most comprehensive beekeeping educational events in the Southeast, offers classes for beekeepers at all levels of experience and the annual honey show. May 9 is dedicated training and certification exams for journeymen and master beekeeper qualifications, as well as the Welsh honey judge training, the first licensing program for honey judges in North America. May 10 and 11 provide training and certification, including individual and colony biology, low-tech beekeeping, occupational safety and much more. Registration fees for 18 and older is $110 for one day and $175 for two days. For ages 11-18, fees are $50 for one day and $80 for two days. Participants are urged to preregister by April 30. On-site registration is allowed on a space-available basis, but classes generally fill up quickly. For more information, visit http://www.ent.uga.edu/bees/young-harris/index.html or contact Tabitha Davidson at tabithakristine@gmail.com or 770-329-9449. GEORGIA CENTENNIAL FARM NOMINATION DEADLINE IS MAY 1 The Georgia Centennial Farm Program, which recognizes to historic farms and encourages their preservation is accepting nominations for farms to be honored during the Georgia National Fair in October. Each nominee farm must be a working farm with a minimum of 10 acres of the original purchase actively involved in agricultural production and must generate at least $1,000 in annual farm-generated income. In addition, farms must have been continuously farmed by members of the same family for at least 100 years. For more information, contact Steven Moffson, Chair of the Georgia Centennial Farm Committee, at 404-651-5906 or at steven.moffson@dnr.state.ga.us. The postmark deadline for applications is May 1 of each year. Applications are available online at www.georgiacentennialfarms.org.
Leadership Alert page 6 of 8 FILING FOR WOMEN, HISPANIC FARMERS EXTENDED TO MAY 1 The filing period has been extended to May 1 for women or Hispanic farmers alleging discrimination by the USDA in loan application or loan servicing processes between 1981 and 2000. The voluntary claims process, which is offered as an alternative to litigation, will make available at least $1.33 billion for cash awards and tax relief payments, plus up to $160 million in farm debt relief to eligible claimants. There are no filing fees to participate. For more information call 1-888-508-4429 or visit https://www.farmerclaims.gov. SMALL RUMINANT PARASITE CONTROL CONFERENCE May 20-22 Pettigrew Center , Fort Valley State University Fort Valley This “train the trainer” symposium for parasite management will educate stakeholders in the small ruminant industry on the most up-to-date methods and recommendations for parasite control. Training and certification will also be provided in integrated parasite management in small ruminants, including sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas and others. Full registration is $250 per person until May 1 and $300 after May 1. Registration for one day of the conference is $125 until May 1 and $150 after May 1. For more information or to register, visit http://www.fvsu.edu/acsrpc_registration. MONROE COUNTY HERD SALE May 4 Sleepy Creek Farm 12:30 p.m. Forsyth This sale will feature 75 bred heifers. Data available on the heifers includes A.I. breeding and sire EPD’s, pelvic area, frame score, disposition score, weight per day of age and average daily gain. All heifers will sell confirmed safe in calf to calving ease Angus bulls. For more information contact the Monroe County Extension office by phone at 478-994-7014 or by email at uge2207@uga.edu. Information about the sale may also be found online at http://www.caes.uga.edu/extension/monroe/HERDProgram/herd.html GEORGIA OLIVE PRODUCERS ANNUAL MEETING AND CONFERENCE May 10 The Threatte Center 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Lakeland This meeting will provide a wide range of informations to growers, potential new growers, researchers, developers support industries and government agencies working in the expansion of the olive oil industry in Georgia and the Southeastern U.S. Kimberly Holding of the American Olive Oil Producers Associaion will give the keynote address, and legislative updates will be provided by Paul Miller of the Australian Olive Association and Jason Shaw of Georgia Olive farms. Registration is $50 for members and $100 for non-members. For more information contact Vicki Hughes at 229-300-9931 or georgiaolivegrowers@gmail.com. To register, visit http://georgiaolivegrowers.com/?page_id=428. ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION SCHOOL May 20-22 Calhoun Stockyards Calhoun This comprehensive three-day course includes 14 hours of classroom instruction and 10 hours of lab work with cattle, offering students the opportunity to learn artificial insemination techniques and herd management under skilled supervision. Sessions run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration is $350 for adults and $300 for college and high school students. Discounts are available for multiple members of the same family. The program is limited to 15 students. Registration and fees are due by May 10. For information contact Allen Southard at 678-6172945 or Chris Franklin at 706-263-2008 or chris@feonow.com.
Leadership Alert page 7 of 8 USDA TO ACCEPT CRP APPLICATIONS MAY 20 – JUNE 14 The USDA will conduct a four-week general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), beginning May 20 and ending on June 14. CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and enhance wildlife habitat. Contracts on 3.3 million acres of CRP are set to expire on Sept. 30. Producers with expiring contracts or producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP. Producers that are accepted in the sign-up can receive cost-share assistance to plant long-term, resource-conserving covers and receive an annual rental payment for the length of the contract (10-15 years). Producers also are encouraged to look into CRP's other enrollment opportunities offered on a continuous, non-competitive, sign-up basis and that often provide additional financial assistance. Continuous sign-up dates will be announced at a later date. For more information on CRP and other FSA programs, visit a local FSA service center or http://www.fsa.usda.gov. CALHOUN BEEF CATTLE REPRODUCTIVE MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP May 28 UGA NW GA Research & Education Center Calhoun Workshop begins at 6 p.m. in the livestock pavilion of the Northwest Georgia Research and Education Center. For more information contact Phil Worley at 706-624-1398 or by emailing pworley@uga.edu. GA HEIFER EVALUATION & REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT (HERD) SALE May 29 UGA NW GA Research & Education Center Calhoun Sale begins at 12:30 p.m. in the livestock pavilion of the Northwest Georgia Research and Education Center. For more information contact Phil Worley at 706-624-1398 or by emailing pworley@uga.edu. PROPERTY TAX & TAX APPEAL WORKSHOPS May 30 Gainesville First Baptist Church 8:15 a.m. - 1:45 a.m. Gainesville June 4 UGA Campus Conference Center 8:15 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. Tifton These workshops will provide Georgia’s forestry community with knowledge about the tax process and tax appeal process. These seminars will address a summary of issues associated with with property taxation of timberland in Georgia, potential solutions, and real life case studies on how to approach appeals. For more information on the workshop location, speakers and agenda, call GFA at 478-992-8110, email info@gfagrow.org or visit www.gfagrow.org/ taxworkshops PROPERTY TAX & TAX APPEAL WORKSHOPS May 30 Gainesville First Baptist Church 8:15 a.m. - 1:45 a.m. Gainesville June 4 UGA Campus Conference Center 8:15 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. Tifton These workshops will provide Georgia’s forestry community with knowledge about the property tax process and tax appeal process. These seminars will address a summary of issues associated with property taxation of timberland in Georgia, potential solutions, and real life case studies on how to approach appeals.. Cost for attendance is $65 per attendee and $35 for the second person in the same family. A $10 late fee will be assessed on all registrations received after May 15. Each workshop is limited to the first 150 registrants. For more information on the workshop location, speakers and agenda, call the Georgia Forestry Association at 478-992-8110, email info@gfagrow.org or visit www.gfagrow.org/ taxworkshops
Leadership Alert page 8 of 8 MAY 31 IS DEADLINE TO ENTER YF DISCUSSION MEET May 31 is the deadline to enter the 2013 GFB Young Farmer Discussion Meet. The state discussion meet winner will receive an Arctic Cat 500 ATV and an expense-paid trip to the 2014 AFBF Convention in San Antonio, Texas, to compete for national honors. The AFBF winner will receive a 2014 Chevrolet or GMC pickup truck. Visit your local Farm Bureau office for more details about the contest. The preliminary rounds of the 2013 GFB YF Discussion Meet will be held during the GFB Young Farmer Leadership Conference on Jekyll Island July 12-14. The four finalists will compete for the state title at the GFB Convention Dec. 8. 2013 GFB YOUNG FARMER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE July 11-14 Jekyll Island Convention Center Jekyll Island This family-friendly event will provide educational, networking and social opportunities for young farmers. The preliminary rounds of the 2013 Young Farmer Discussion Meet, in which contestants compete for a variety of great prizes, will be held during the conference, which also features breakout sessions on a variety of topics. Registration deadline is May 31. For more information, contact GFB Young Farmer Coordinator Jed Evans at 478-474-0679, ext. 5230 or jcevans@gfb.org.