August 13, 2014
www.gfb.org
Vol. 32 No. 32
GA. REPRESENTATIVES & USDA OFFICIAL VISIT WITH FARMERS With Congress on break for its August recess, Rep. John Barrow (D-Dist. 12) and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Dist. 3) met with farmers in their districts during separate events on Aug. 8 to discuss ag issues. USDA Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden joined Barrow on Friday in meeting with farmers in Vidalia, Dublin and Waynesboro to discuss implementation of the new farm bill. During a roundtable meeting at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Barrow said he hosted the meetings because, “We’re at a critical phase of the life cycle of this farm bill. There are a lot of programs that have to be implemented using regulations that haven’t been finalized yet. It’s very important while the USDA is developing the regulations to get farmer input. I wanted to hear concerns from folks in our district.” Harden, a native of Mitchell County, told the farmers attending the Dublin event that row crop producers will have to make their own decisions as to which farm bill program they choose to participate in – Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC). “In the past you could bring your information to the local Farm Service Agency office and get help in choosing the programs, but that’s no longer the case. You know your business better than anyone else, and you are going to have to decide what’s going to work best for you.” Harden said the USDA began mailing acreage history and crop yield reports to landowners and principal farm operators Aug. 1. All reports are expected to be delivered by Aug. 14. Landowners or principal operators who don’t receive a report should contact their local USDA service center. On Friday morning, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland visited Southern Belle Farm in McDonough, the farm of Henry County Farm Bureau (HCFB) Young Farmer Chairman Jake Carter and his dad, HCFB 1st Vice President Jimmy Carter, for a listening session attended by Henry and Fayette County Farm Bureau members. Westmoreland and the farmers discussed immigration reform and the U.S. EPA’s proposed rule to expand its regulatory authority over all water. Jake, who also chairs the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee, thanked Westmoreland for signing onto HR 5078, a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would prohibit finalization of the proposed rule. Visit www.gfb.org/ditchtherule to learn more. Westmoreland said, “I want to be able to share with the people of my district and the people of this country how important farming is to us. The young farmers coming up … this stuff is in their blood. They want to do it. They want to feed America, and we have to allow them that opportunity.”
Leadership Alert page 2 of 7 COTTON TRANSITION SIGNUP BEGINS, USDA ISSUING ACREAGE HISTORY Farmers can enroll in the Cotton Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) through Oct. 7. The program, created by the 2014 farm bill, provides interim payments to cotton producers during the 2014 crop year until the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) is available. Details on the plan are expected to be released soon. CTAP applications approved before Oct. 1 are subject to automatic reductions of 7.2 percent for the 2014 crop year under the Budget Control Act of 2011. Applications approved after Oct. 1 will be reduced the required 7.3 percent for the 2015 crop year. For more information about CTAP, visit a local FSA office or go online to http://www.fsa.usda.gov. The USDA announced on Aug. 1 that farmers should start receiving notices updating them on their current base acres, yields and 2009-2012 planting history. The written updates are an important part of preparing producers for the new safety net programs established by the 2014 farm bill. Verifying the accuracy of data on a farm’s acreage history is an important step for producers enrolling in the upcoming Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. Later this summer, farmers and ranchers will have an opportunity to update their crop yield information and reallocate base acres. By mid-winter, all producers on a farm will be required to make a one-time, unanimous and irrevocable choice between price protection and county revenue protection or individual revenue protection for the 2014-2018 crop years. Producers can expect to sign contracts for ARC or PLC for the 2014 and 2015 crop years in early 2015. The National Center for Peanut Competitiveness has launched a preliminary base acreage and payment yields decision calculator designed to provide farmers information on how the farm bill will work for their operations. The calculator can be downloaded at http://www.gapeanuts.com, where instructions for the calculator’s use can also be found. For more information about these and other farm bill programs, visit http://www.usda.gov/farmbill. RUSSIA BANS IMPORTS OF SOME U.S. AG PRODUCTS On Aug. 6 Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree banning and/or limiting imports of agricultural products for one year from all countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia for its actions in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The Russian ban covers all imports of meat, fish, milk products, fruit and vegetables from the U.S., the European Union, Australia, Canada and Norway. According to the USDA, the U.S. shipped $1.3 billion of ag products to Russia in 2013, and of this amount about 55 percent are products now restricted. Russia was the 20th-largest market for U.S. ag product exports in 2013, accounting for less than one percent of total U.S. ag exports. Poultry products have been the single largest ag commodity exported by the U.S. to Russia in recent years. Last year, the U.S. shipped $310 million worth of poultry meat and products to Russia, accounting for nearly six percent of all U.S. poultry exports as the fourth-largest market for U.S. poultry, according to the USDA. Peanuts are not included in the list of banned items. The U.S. exported about $21 million of peanuts to Russia in 2013 according to the USDA.
Leadership Alert page 3 of 7 RESEARCHERS DEVELOP EBOLA DRUG FROM TOBACCO California company Mapp Biopharmaceuticals Inc. has developed an experimental drug, ZMapp, to treat patients stricken with Ebola, according to published reports. ZMapp has been used to treat Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, two Ebola patients at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta who contracted the disease while working as missionaries in Liberia. Brantly and Writebol are the first human patients to whom the drug has been administered, and both have shown improvement according to news reports. “This is another benefit of tobacco and demonstrates one of the multitude of products tobacco plants can be engineered to produce,” UGA Extension Tobacco Agronomist Dr. J. Michael Moore wrote in his Extension blog. “Many of these products may be helpful in solving health related issues faced by people all over the world. This gives quite a different perception of the possible end products of plants tobacco growers work with every day.” According to an article published by Bloomberg News, the tobacco plant production system was developed because it is a method that can produce antibodies rapidly in the event of an emergency. To produce therapeutic proteins inside a tobacco plant, genes for the desired antibodies are fused to genes for a natural tobacco virus. The tobacco plants are then infected with the new, artificial virus, which results in the production of antibodies inside the tobacco plant. The tobacco plant is ground up, and the antibody is extracted, a process that takes a matter of weeks. Mapp Biopharmaceuticals received permission to test ZMapp on animals in January. A company fact sheet about the drug emphasizes that the decision to use ZMapp on a human patient would be made by the treating physician under FDA guidelines. Kentucky BioProcessing LLC, a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. manufactures the treatment for Mapp from tobacco plants. ZMapp is one of several drugs for Ebola treatment currently in testing. USDA PUBLISHES FINAL RULE FOR POULTRY PROCESSORS The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a critical step forward in making chicken and turkey products safer for Americans to eat in a July 31 announcement. Poultry companies will have to meet new requirements to control Salmonella and Campylobacter under the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS), an updated science-based inspection system that reorganizes positions of food safety inspectors throughout poultry facilities. FSIS will now require that all poultry companies take measures to prevent Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination rather than addressing contamination after it occurs. Poultry facilities will be required to perform their own microbiological testing at two points in their production process to show they are controlling Salmonella and Campylobacter in addition to continued FSIS testing. FSIS is also introducing the optional NPIS, in which poultry companies must sort their own product for quality defects before presenting it to FSIS inspectors. This system allows FSIS inspectors to focus less on routine quality assurance tasks that have little relationship to preventing pathogens and instead focus more on strategies that are proven to strengthen food safety. The proposal was first published on January 27, 2012. In addition to food safety concerns, it includes rules aimed at addressing worker safety in poultry processing facilities. To view the final rule visit http://www.fsis.usda.gov/poultryinspection.
Leadership Alert page 4 of 7 USDA EXTENDS ELAP DEADLINE U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Juan M. Garcia announced today that the enrollment deadline for the 2012 and 2013 Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) has been extended to Aug. 15. Originally, program sign-up was scheduled to end Aug. 1. The new deadline gives livestock, honeybee, and farm-raised fish producers who experienced losses because of disease, adverse weather, wildfires or colony collapse disorder between Oct. 1, 2011 and Sept. 30, 2013, an additional two weeks to enroll in ELAP. Producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA service center or visit FSA’s website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov for additional information regarding ELAP. GFB TAKING NOMINATIONS FOR 2015 COMMODITY COMMITTEES Georgia Farm Bureau is now accepting nominations of its members to serve on its commodity advisory committees for 2015. There are 20 committees, members of which are appointed by the GFB president with the approval of the GFB Board of Directors. For 2015, GFB is adding a new committee on direct marketing/agritourism. The feed grain and soybean committees are being combined into one committee. Nominations must be submitted and received no later than Aug. 18. For more information contact your county Farm Bureau office or the GFB Commodities Marketing Department at 1-800-342-1196. AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, AG LABOR AND YOUR FARM Aug. 19 Colquitt County Extension 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Moultrie Aug. 19 Crisp County Extension 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Cordele Aug. 20 Vidalia Onion Research Center 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Lyons Ag labor and benefits specialists from Fisher & Phillips, LLP will give an overview of the Affordable Care Act. The seminars will cover the regulations for farms, including the play or pay mandate, IRS definition of seasonal vs. full-time workers, and regulations for large and small employers. Speakers will also cover H-2A, legislation dealing with migrant and seasonal workers and wage and hour issues. Registration is free for members of the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association and $30 for non-members. For more information, contact Beth Oleson by email at boleson@asginfo.net or by phone at 706-845-8200. CAFO RULE INFORMATION SESSIONS Aug. 20 UGA Livestock Arena 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Athens Aug. 28 UGA Tifton Campus Center 10:30 a.m. – noon Tifton These meetings, conducted by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, will cover information about Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) permits under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System and Land Application Systems. Attendees will receive one free continuing education credit. For more information, email cafo@agr.georgia.gov. MOM’S DAY ON THE RANCH Aug. 20 Callaway Cattle Company Hogansville This fun and informative event, funded by the National Beef Checkoff, is designed to give nonag Georgia moms a chance for an up-close look at a modern beef cattle farm to see how beef gets from pasture to plate in a safe, sustainable and delicious way. If you know of a suburban mom looking to learn more about how farmers raise the food her family eats, this would be an ideal event for her. Visit http://www.momsdayonthefarm.com to learn more.
Leadership Alert page 5 of 7 ALTERNATIVE FOREST ENTERPRISES August 20-21 Flinchum’s Phoenix Athens A combination of classroom presentations will provide participants the opportunity to develop new knowledge and basic skills associated with non-timber products management, forest farming and silvopasture techniques for Georgia. July 30 is the deadline to register. For more information call 706-583-0566. NORTHWEST GEORGIA MASTER CATTLEMEN’S PROGRAM Sept. 8 – Oct. 27 Carroll County Ag Center Carrollton This eight-week course will meet on Mondays from 6:30 pm. to 8:30 p.m. Each week’s class focuses on a single aspect of beef cattle production, including nutrition, forages, reproduction, herd health, economics and marketing, Beef Quality Assurance, the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association, livestock facilities sire selection and record keeping. Participants who attend six of the eight classes will receive a certificate of completion and a UGA Master Cattlemen’s cap. Registration is $60 per person and includes a dinner on the final night. Advance registration deadline is Aug. 25. For more information contact Jason Duggin at 706-624-1403 or jduggin@uga.edu or Paula Burke at 770-836-8546 or pjburke@uga.edu. AFBF COUNTY ACTIVITIES OF EXCELLENCE AWARDS Sept. 5 Deadline to apply Applications are available for county Farm Bureaus to enter the 2015 County Activities of Excellence Awards program. The CAE showcases up to 24 of the top county Farm Bureau programs in the nation. Counties will display their winning activities at the AFBF Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show, Jan. 9-11, 2015, in San Diego, Calif. In addition, county Farm Bureaus will also receive up to four free registrations to the convection (housing not included) and a $2,250 stipend to apply toward the cost of travel and exhibition. Learn more online at http://www.fb.org/index.php?action=events.cae. CONSERVATION EASEMENTS FOR FOREST LANDOWNERS Sept. 9-10 Rome-Floyd County ECO Education Center Rome The purpose of this course is to provide a working knowledge of conservation easements as a land-use control. It provides guidance on drafting conservation easement agreements to achieve landowner goals for their property. Land Trusts discuss their philosophy of land use protection and what they can offer landowners. This course offers a comprehensive overview of legal, appraisal, base line information, tax incentives, and other inputs needed for a successful conservation easement agreement. Sept. 5 is the deadline to register. For more information call 706-583-0566 or visit http://conted.warnell.uga.edu/courses/conseaserome. ‘CHICKEN SCRATCH’ PHOTO EXHIBIT Through Sept. 6 Georgia Museum of Agriculture Tifton The Gallery at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will showcase Fitzgerald’s wild chicken population with this new photography exhibit, “Chicken Scratch”, from Atlanta photographer Nicole Walker. The “Chicken Scratch” exhibit and is dedicated to the beauty, legacy, and companionship of these magnificent plumed gifts of Mother Nature. This exhibit is presented by Fitzgerald resident Sue Rochfort who is a TV host, teacher, author, cook, and antiques appraiser. For more information on Chicken Scratch, please contact GMA curator Polly Huff at phuff@abac.edu.
Leadership Alert page 6 of 7 GEORGIA GROWN FARMERS SHOWCASE Sept. 6 Moultrie Farmers Market 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Moultrie This family-friendly event features numerous vendors from around the state, with a wide variety of products from Georgia farms. For more information about the Georgia Grown program, visit http://www.georgiagrown.com. GRAZING BEHAVIOR SEMINARS Sept. 8 UGA Livestock Instructional Arena 6 – 8 p.m. Athens Sept. 11 Tift County Extension Office 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tifton Sept. 12 Carroll Extension Office 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Carrollton This series of seminars, led by Utah State Professor Emeritus Dr. Fred Provenza, will address eating habits of grazing animals, whether they can be trained to consume specific forage species and much more. Registration is $10. For more information or to register, contact Cathy Felton a 706-310-3464 or feltonc@uga.edu or Dr. Dennis Hancock at dhancock@uga.edu. GA. DEPT. OF AG REHABILITATED HORSE AUCTION Sept. 13 Mansfield Impound Barn, 2834 Marben Farm Rd., Mansfield At this time, 12 horses are scheduled to be auctioned. The horses may be inspected beginning at 10 a.m. The sale will start at approximately 11 a.m. For more information, visit the Georgia Department of Agriculture website (www.agr.georgia.gov) or contact the department’s Equine Health Office at 404-656-3713. If you can provide a good home for Patrick, Sara, Slendie, Gertrude, Spunk, Agnes, Sugar, Ellie, Lucy, Buddy, June or Maggie, please come to the auction! 2014 GEORGIA PEANUT TOUR Sept. 16-18 Bulloch, Burke, Screven and Toombs counties This tour brings the latest information on peanuts while giving a firsthand view of industry infrastructure from production and handling to processing and utilization. Visit http://www.gapeanuts.com to register and view the tour schedule. For more information contact Hannah Jones at Hannah@gapeanuts.com or call 229-386-3470. CURT PATE STOCKMANSHIP & STEWARDSHIP SEMINAR Sept. 23 Calhoun Stockyard, 2270 Rome Rd. SW 1 p.m. Calhoun All cattle producers and anyone who handles or processes cattle are invited to attend this free seminar conducted by renowned stockman and Montana rancher Curt Pate. The seminar will cover topics including gathering cattle from pasture, working cattle in corrals and alleys, sorting and processing techniques, strategies for receiving cattle, low-stress loading procedures and proper use of equipment to assure low-stress handling. Attendance counts towards Beef Quality Assurance recertification or certification. For more information contact Jason Duggin at 706728-4354. 2014 TRI-STATE PEANUT DISEASE TOUR Sept. 23-25 Georgia, Florida and Alabama The tour begins on Sept. 23 with a tour of the plots at the University of Florida’s Citra Research Center. Stops on Sept. 24 are at the UGA Tifton Campus, including the Lang-Rigdon Farm and the Black Shank Farm. Sept. 25 stops are at Auburn University’s Wiregrass Experiment Station in Headland, Ala. Contact Albert Culbreath at 229-326-7683 or spotwilt@uga.edu for more information.
Leadership Alert page 7 of 7 FSA OFFERING DIRECT FARM OWNERSHIP LOANS Sept. 30 Deadline to apply Georgia farmers and ranchers still may apply for low interest 2014 loans available through FSA’s direct farm ownership program. Eligible producers can borrow up to $300,000 in direct farm ownership loans to buy or enlarge a farm, construct new farm buildings or improve structures, pay closing costs, or promote soil and water conservation and protection. The interest rate on select loans can be as low as 1.5 percent with up to 40 years to repay. For more information about the program and other loans administered by FSA, visit any FSA county office or http://www.fsa.usda.gov.