August 11, 2010
www.gfb.org
Vol. 28 No. 32
GFB HOSTS WATER TOUR FOR EPD DIRECTOR ALLEN BARNES Georgia Farm Bureau hosted an agricultural water tour Aug. 4–5 for Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Allen Barnes to let Barnes see firsthand how Georgia farmers utilize water and the steps they are taking to conserve water and improve water quality by minimizing manure, chemical and soil runoff. The tour visited the Bleckley County farms of Mike Lucas and Kevin and Chuck Williams, Glen Lee and Donald Chase in Macon County, Zach Thaggard in Lee County, David Holton in Baker and Mitchell counties, Lanair Worsham in Mitchell County and Monrovia Nurseries in Grady County. “Director Barnes asked us if we could help him better understand agriculture’s use of water, and so we gladly organized this tour,” GFB President Zippy Duvall said. “We appreciate Director Barnes wanting to visit farmers to see how they use water and talk to them about water issues.” During the stop at the Lucas farm, Mike explained to Barnes that he uses the Irrigator Pro program, developed by the National Peanut Research Lab in Dawson, to determine when he needs to irrigate his crops and how much water he needs to apply based on factors such as the soil type of his fields, soil temperatures and rain received. “If I can get another bale [of cotton] by irrigating I’d rather bank on irrigated yields rather than dryland,” Lucas explained. “It costs about $12 an acre to put out an inch of water, so I don’t just randomly decide to irrigate.” Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Conservationist Danny Bennett and Bleckley County farmers Kevin and Chuck Williams told Barnes the benefits of farmers having ponds to capture rainwater and runoff from surrounding watersheds. Donald Chase explained how he relies on water he pumps out of the Flint River to irrigate almost 300 acres of peanuts. Chase said he installed drop nozzles on his irrigation pivots so he could distribute the irrigation water more efficiently on his fields. David Holton described the variable rate irrigation system he uses, which allows him to water different zones of his fields varying amounts depending on the topography and soil composition of the zone. Mitchell County pecan producers Lanair Worsham Sr. and his son, Lanair Jr., showed Barnes the drip irrigation system they use to water their pecan orchards and the water sensors that turn off the system once the needed amount of water is applied. At Monrovia Nurseries in Grady County, Jerry Lee and Stewart Chandler discussed how they reuse water collected in a holding pond to irrigate their plants. “Agriculture is the largest industry in the state of Georgia and there are challenges dealing with water,” Barnes said. “The best way to get information is to get out and talk with the farmers who are using it every day and hear about what they are doing.”
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BIOENERGY PRESENTS OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES The fifth annual Southeast Bioenergy Conference, held Aug. 3-5 at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, covered a range of topics including new sources of energy, new ways to use energy more efficiently and how the energy industry is affected by public policy. First United Ethanol CEO Murray Campbell said that the benefits of using ethanol as fuel are undeniable and, given world population-growth projections over the next 10 years, the economic incentives to produce it will be substantial. Dr. Marilyn Brown, a professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy, said public policy in the nation and in the South will have to be adjusted for renewable fuels to become competitive with fossil fuels. She suggested more widespread renewable electricity standards, extending production tax credits beyond 2012, putting a price on carbon dioxide emissions, sales tax exemptions for biomass (which is already in place in Georgia) and accelerated research and development. The event’s breakout sessions featured presentations on a variety of energy crops that could be grown in the Southeast. Dean Tiessen of New Energy Farms talked about how his 37-acre greenhouse operation outside Toronto reduced its annual energy costs from more than $3.3 million (Canadian) to under $1 million by switching to electricity generated through biofuels, then turned that concept into New Energy Farms, which contracts with growers to produce miscanthus for conversion to bioenergy. Tiessen started the company in 2005 and expects its energy production to exceed its tomato production next year. The company has a partnership with Lewis Taylor Farms in Tift County. Arborgen Director of Product Development Dr. Michael Cunningham discussed his company’s development of trees grown for the purpose of providing bioenergy feedstock. LINCOLN, CHAMBLISS PROPOSE FIFRA CLARIFICATION A bill introduced by Senate Ag Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) would negate the need for more permits when a pesticide is used in accordance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The bill, S. 3735, addresses the 6th U.S. Circuit Court’s ruling on National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The court ruled that some pesticide applications are now considered discharges under the Clean Water Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of finalizing its draft permit that covers applications for aquatic weeds and algae, aquatic animals, forest canopy and mosquitoes. Pesticide discharge permits will be required when the court’s ruling goes into effect on April 9, 2011. House Ag Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) introduced a companion bill this week. “Once again the EPA has overreached its authority, causing serious consequences for our agriculture sector,” said Sen. Chambliss. “By refusing to defend current law and its own reasonable regulations, the EPA is unfortunately in the position to place unnecessary, burdensome and duplicative permit requirements on producers, mosquito control districts and states. Our legislation would simply prevent the EPA from imposing an erroneous regulation that does absolutely nothing to further protect or enhance the environment.”
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RUSSIA HALTS EXPORTS OF GRAIN; U.S. POULTRY EXPORTS ON HOLD In response to drought conditions and an anticipated drop in grain yields, Russia is implementing a suspension of its grain exports from Aug. 15 to Dec. 31. While some fear this could cause a spike in grain prices, American Farm Bureau Federation Economist John Anderson thinks it could mean more exports from the U.S., which has its largest stockpile of wheat in more than 20 years. Russia’s temporary ban covers exports of wheat, rye, corn, wheat flour and flour made from wheat and rye. Russia’s grain production is forecast at 70-75 million metric tons in 2010, down from 97 million metric tons in 2009. Meanwhile, Russian officials say there are unspecified technical issues with last month’s poultry trade agreement between that country and the U.S. According to a report on meatingplace.com, Russia is considering additional poultry plant inspections, which could delay the resumption of U.S. poultry exports to Russia. Nearly 70 U.S. poultry processing plants had acquired Russian approval as exporters under an agreement reached last month. Russia in January stopped accepting poultry subjected to chlorine rinses as a means of pathogen reduction. The U.S. and Russia finalized an agreement for alternate treatments in mid-July, and U.S. processors began using the new treatments and preparing to make poultry shipments to Russia. USDA AWARDS MULTIPLE GRANTS TO GEORGIA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has directed funding to multiple parties in Georgia for the installation of rural broadband networks, improvement of water infrastructure and research centered on markets for locally produced beef. Chattooga County in northwest Georgia received a $2.8 million loan under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and a $2.2 million ARRA grant to be used for improvements to its water system. Almost $13 million in ARRA grants were awarded to Blue Ridge Telephone Company, Windsteam Georgia Communications LLC and Windstream Standard LLC to install rural broadband projects in 30 Georgia counties, making broadband service available to more than 33,000 homes and businesses. The counties to receive broadband are: Baldwin, Banks, Berrien, Brooks, Chattooga, Colquitt, Dawson, Dodge, Dooly, Fannin, Gilmer, Habersham, Irwin, Jones, Lumpkin, Macon, Meriwether, Pickens, Rabun, Schley, Stephens, Talbot, Telfair, Thomas, Towns, Turner, Union, Wheeler, White and Whitfield. The University of Georgia was awarded $63,275 to study consumers’ willingness to pay for various product attributes in locally produced beef. The research would assist retailers and foodservice operators in estimating consumer price points while allowing producers to make more informed decisions about production strategies. The USDA also recently announced plans to purchase $23 million worth of peach products and mixed fruit to be served in its nutrition assistance programs. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the fruit purchases would also help peach and mixed-fruit producers in a time of depressed market conditions. Interested suppliers should contact the USDA’s commodity procurement branch at 202-720-4517.
Leadership Alert page 4 of 4 UPCOMING EVENTS
UGA SOUTHEAST RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER FIELD DAY August 18 UGA Southeast Research and Education Center Midville Event will highlight UGA field crop variety tests for corn, soybean and peanuts, trials to test peanut fungicides and control cotton stinkbugs and biofuel projects. Event starts at 9 a.m. followed by a provided lunch at 12:30 p.m. Call 706-542-1060 for more information. USDA ANIMAL DISEASE TRACEABILITY MEETING Aug. 20 Doubletree Hotel Atlanta Airport 3400 Norman Berry Dr. Atlanta USDA is hosting public meetings to discuss animal disease traceability. Public meetings will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, with registration beginning at 7 a.m. Contact traceability@aphis.usda.gov for more information. COTTON, PEANUTS AND SOYBEAN FIELD DAY August 26 Southwest Georgia Research and Educational Center Plains Event begins at 8:30 am. Lunch will be provided. Call 229-824-4375 for more information. CROP INSURANCE LISTENING SESSION Aug. 27 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Auditorium Tifton Sen. Saxby Chambliss has invited USDA Risk Management Agency Administrator Bill Murphy to meet with farmers to discuss their crop insurance concerns. The listening session is scheduled from 1-3 p.m. The UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center is located at 15 RDC Road (I-75, exit 64). For more information about the meetings, contact Sen. Chambliss’ Moultrie office at 229985-2112. PROGRESSIVE AGRICULTURE SAFETY DAY Aug. 28 Habersham County Fairgrounds Clarkesville This event, which lasts from 8 a.m. to 5p.m., is open to children ages 5 – 13 and utilizes interactive activities to teach kids about farm and rural safety. Topics include snake and wildlife safety, ATV safety, chemical safety, meth awareness, and tractor/PTO safety. Children ages 9 and under must be supervised by an adult. For information or to register please contact the Habersham County Farm Bureau at 706-776-6739 or jhcanup@gfb.org. FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY TASTE OF AG FIELD DAY Sept. 2 Agricultural Technology Conference Center Fort Valley Visitors at this free event, which begins with on-site registration at 8:15 a.m., can taste some of the university’s food products and experience outdoor agricultural demonstrations. To register, e-mail Emma J. Willis at willise@fvsu.edu or call 478-825-6268 or 6296. PESTICIDE USE, SAFETY AND HANDLING TRAINING Sept. 2 Dougherty County Cooperative Extension Office Albany Participants can earn five hours of commercial pesticide credit in multiple categories. Course begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. Cost is $40. For more information, visit www.ugaextension.com/Houston or contact Karen Atkins at 478-987-2028 or atkinsk@uga.edu. UGA COTTON AND PEANUT FIELD DAY Sept. 8 Coastal Plain Experiment Station Tifton Event begins at 8:30 a.m. and includes a sponsored lunch. Call 229-386-3328 for more information.