December 3, 2014
www.gfb.org
Vol. 32 No. 48
GEORGIA FARM BUREAU TO HOLD 77th ANNUAL CONVENTION Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) members will travel to Jekyll Island for the organization’s 77th annual meeting Dec. 7-9. Highlights of the convention will include speeches by Gov. Nathan Deal and Senator-elect David Perdue on Dec. 8. Convention activities begin on Dec. 7 at the Jekyll Island Convention Center with registration at 10 a.m. followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m. to honor county Farm Bureau presidents who died this year. The trade show, featuring booths from many of Georgia’s agricultural organizations and agencies, will be open from noon until 4:45 p.m. The Georgia Department of Agriculture and GFB are hosting a reception from noon to 4:45 p.m., showcasing Georgia-grown commodities and GFB’s Certified Farm Markets. The recipient of the 2014 Georgia Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Educator Award will be named at 1:30 p.m. during the Celebrating Agricultural Literacy event, which will recognize efforts by county Farm Bureaus to educate students about agriculture through the Ag in the Classroom program. The final round of the GFB Young Farmer Discussion Meet, during which contestants age 18 to 35 will discuss a current ag topic, begins at 4 p.m. The winner of the discussion meet, the GFB Young Farmer Achievement Contest and the GFB Young Farmer Excellence in Agriculture Award will be announced Sunday evening during the annual awards program that begins at 5 p.m. Awards will also be presented to counties and individuals selected as state winners for various programs completed during the past year to promote agriculture. GFB will award the organization’s highest honor, the McKemie Award, to a county in each of the organization’s three membership categories for having the best overall Farm Bureau program in its category. On Dec. 8 the general session begins at 8:30 a.m. Commodity conferences featuring speakers who will address management and policy issues for the major commodities grown in Georgia will be held at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. GFB will show “Farmland,” the documentary by Academy Award-winning Director James Moll, at 8:30 p.m. On Dec. 9 GFB voting delegates will discuss and approve policy resolutions submitted by county Farm Bureau chapters from across the state. The resolutions approved by the delegates will become the organization’s official policy and will guide its legislative efforts in 2015. Delegates will also elect the 2015 GFB Board of Directors. GFB President Zippy Duvall is running unopposed. For more information visit http://www.gfb.org/convention.
GFB News Alert page 2 of 7 LAURA PERRY JOHNSON NAMED UGA EXTENSION DIRECTOR Laura Perry Johnson will become the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES) associate dean of Extension beginning Jan. 1, 2015, according to a Nov. 24 CAES press release. “We are confident Laura will take UGA Extension in new and exciting directions,” CAES Dean Dr. Scott Angle said. “Her wealth of experience and deep understanding of the state and the needs of those we serve will be invaluable.” Perry Johnson is currently the district extension director for Southwest Georgia, where she manages faculty, staff and UGA Extension programs for 41 counties. She has been with the CAES for 25 years, serving as a graduate teaching and research assistant, laboratory technician, youth livestock specialist and district 4-H program development coordinator Laura before becoming district director in 2012. Perry Johnson has bachelor, masters and doctorate degrees in animal and Perry Johnson dairy science from CAES. She holds the rank of Senior Public Service Associate within the UGA Public Service Faculty system. “When I went to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences as a student in 1983, I had no idea where that would lead me,” Perry Johnson said. “But it’s my belief in this organization and the work we do that has kept me here. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to help continue to move the organization forward and enhance our reputation as one of the premiere Extension organizations in the nation.” Perry Johnson succeeds Dr. Beverly Sparks, who retired June 30. Assistant Dean for Extension Steve Brown has served as acting associate dean of Extension since July 1. UGA Extension is a statewide network of agriculture and natural resources, 4-H and youth development, and family and consumer sciences experts, with offices in 157 of Georgia’s 159 counties. The organization’s mission is to deliver the knowledge and discoveries from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences to the people of Georgia. NTSB RULES UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SUBJECT TO MANNED AIRCRAFT RULES On Nov. 18 the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ruled that unmanned aerial vehicles are subject to the same Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules as manned aircraft. In the case of Huerta v. Pirker, an administrative law judge ruled that the unmanned aircraft flown by Raphael Pirker on the campus of the University of Virginia was not an aircraft for purposes of federal aviation regulations. The NTSB ruling overturned that decision, finding that the language in the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 is broad enough to include unmanned aerial systems and model aircraft. In a statement the FAA said the ruling affirmed its position that unmanned aircraft systems meet the legal definition of aircraft, and that the agency may take enforcement action against anyone who operates unmanned aircraft in a careless or reckless manner. Farm Bureau supports the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial purposes including agriculture, forestry and other natural resource use. AFBF continues to have conversations with FAA about the need to allow farmers and ranchers to use UAS for their businesses. The ruling does not affect FAA’s timeline to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for small UAS by the end of the year.
GFB News Alert page 3 of 7 GFB, UGA EXTENSION TO HOLD FARM BILL INFORMATION MEETINGS Georgia Farm Bureau and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service are providing a series of farm bill educational meetings around the state. The meetings, conducted by UGA agricultural economists Nathan Smith and Don Shurley, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA), will feature information and analysis to help farmers and landowners understand what is required and assist them in farm bill program enrollment decisions. The meeting schedule is: Dec. 12 – C.W. Pettigrew Center, Fort Valley State University, 9:30 a.m. – noon; Dec. 15 – UGA Tifton Conference Center, 9:30 a.m. – noon and Cloud Livestock Center, Bainbridge, 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Dec. 16 – Terrell County 4-H Pavilion, Dawson, 9:30 a.m. – noon and Brooks County Ag Annex, Quitman, 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Dec. 17 – Captain’s Corner Restaurant, Vidalia, 9:30 a.m. – noon and Burke County Office Park, Waynesboro, 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Dec. 18 – Clarence Brown Conference Center, Cartersville, 9:30 a.m. – noon and Jackson EMC, Hull, 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Dec. 19 – Alma Blueberry Warehouse, 9:30 a.m. – noon. Topics will include the decision timeline, how to update payment yields, how reallocation of base acres works, choosing between Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC), assigning covered commodities to generic base, the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) for cotton and decision aids available to producers. A complimentary meal is provided at the conclusion of all the meetings. Anyone planning to attend should contact their local Extension office so proper arrangements can be made for the meals. “FARMLAND” NOW AVAILABLE VIA ON-DEMAND DIGITAL PLATFORMS Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Moll’s feature length documentary, “Farmland,” is now available for rent and purchase via On Demand platforms – providing more people with the opportunity to view the film from their own homes and digital devices. “Farmland,” which features Crawford County Farm Bureau President Leighton Cooley, is available for digital download via iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Blockbuster On Demand, Sony PlayStation, Vudu.com, Xbox and YouTube. The cost to download and own the film ranges from $14.99 to $19.99 for high definition and $12.99 to $14.99 for standard definition format. Online rental will cost approximately $4.99 to $7.99 for high definition and $3.99 to $6.99 for standard definition format. “Farmland” will be available to traditional satellite and cable television subscribers via their respective Video-on-Demand or Pay-per-View platforms in December 2014. DirecTV and DISH subscribers will have access to “Farmland” through their Video-on-Demand or Pay-per-View channels beginning on December 2. The film is also being made available to companies that deliver Video-on-Demand (VOD) or Pay-per-View (PPV) content to ATT U-Verse, Verizon Fios, Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable. Viewers are encouraged to check their local VOD/PPV channels on their respective cable and satellite television providers for details. Films purchased online via download are sold for home use only and should not be used for public viewings per copyright laws.
GFB News Alert page 4 of 7 FDA RELEASES UPDATED PROPOSALS FOR FSMA RULES The FDA has released updates on its 2013 proposed rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and is accepting public comments on the supplements until Dec. 15. On Nov. 19 the Georgia Department of Agriculture hosted a listening session, giving produce farmers a chance to hear directly from FDA officials on the updated FSMA information on two of the rules – the Produce Safety Rule and the Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule. “They have definitely made improvements over the original proposed rules in 2013,” said Beth Oleson, director of food safety for the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association. “They did a good job of reading the comments from growers and others in the produce industry in making the changes, though we feel there are still some areas that need improvement.” One positive change for farmers is increased flexibility on how they can meet proposed microbial standards for agricultural water. For example, the supplemental proposed rules allow for the establishment of a sufficient interval of days between last irrigation and harvest to allow natural die-off of potentially harmful microbes. That flexibility is welcomed, Oleson said, but the frequency of water testing under the supplemental proposed rule remains a concern. “We feel like they have implemented a complicated approach that includes geometric means and statistical threshold values,” Oleson said. “It’s overly complicated and testing water sources more often will not make them safer.” The supplemental proposed rules also revised what constitutes a “food facility”, removing the requirement that a farm register as a food facility if it packs or holds raw agricultural commodities grown on another farm under different ownership. Georgia Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation are preparing comments on the updated rules. The deadline for public comments is Dec. 15. To submit a comment visit http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FDA-2011-N-0921-0973 and click the “comment now” button. COCA-COLA TO UNVEIL NEW MILK PRODUCT The Coca-Cola Company, as part of a joint venture with Select Milk Producers, plans a nationwide rollout of a new premium milk, Fairlife, this month, according to media reports. Select Milk Producers is a co-op of dairies in the Midwest and Southwest. The new product is currently available in Denver, Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Fairlife, which has 2 percent, skim and 2 percent chocolate varieties, contains 50 percent more protein and calcium and half the sugars of ordinary milk while being lactose-free, according to the brand’s website, www.fairlife.com, which indicates all this is achieved through cold filtration. Coca-Cola North America President Sandy Douglas gave details of Fairlife in mid-November at Morgan Stanley’s Global Consumer Conference, according to Business Insider. Douglas described the new product as “the premiumization of milk,” noting that it will retail at twice the price of ordinary milk.
GFB News Alert page 5 of 7 LANDSCAPING GREEN TEAM UPDATE Dec. 4 Houston Co. Extension Office 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Perry This workshop is geared for landscape professionals and those who hold pesticide applicator licenses. Workshop topics to be covered include “Turfgrass Weed Identification” with Patrick McCullough, “From Reviled to Revitalized Landscape without Breaking the Bank!” with Bodie Pennisi, “Planning Your Insect Pest Management Calendar for Spring” with Kris Braman, “Weed control in the Landscape” with Mark Czarnota, and “Pruning of Ornamentals” with Bob Westerfield. The registration fee is $45 per person, which covers all instructional materials, break refreshments, and lunch. You may register with a credit card online at http://t.uga.edu/154 or you may call 770-228-7214 or email bhorne@uga.edu to receive a registration form to register with a check. For more information contact the Houston County Extension Office at 478-987-2028. CALHOUN PERFORMANCE TESTED BULL SALE Dec. 5 NW Ga. Research & Education Center Calhoun Sale begins at 12:30 p.m. For more information contact Jason Duggin at 706-624-1403 or jduggin@uga.edu or Phil Worley at 706-624-1398 or pworley@uga.edu. GEORGIA PEANUT COMMISSION NOMINATION MEETINGS Dec. 15 District 3 - Emanuel County Farm Bureau 11 a.m. Swainsboro Dec. 16 District 1 – Miller County Extension 10 a.m. Colquitt These nomination meetings to fill two positions on the Georgia Peanut Commission Board of Directors will be conducted by Georgia Farm Bureau. The terms expire Dec. 31 for the incumbents in these two positions. Each nominee must produce peanuts and live within the district for which he is nominated. Tim Burch of Baker County is the incumbent in District 1. Counties in District 1 include: Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell and Seminole. Joe Boddiford of Screven County is the incumbent in District 3. Counties in District 3 include: Appling, Bacon, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Montgomery, Pierce, Richmond, Screven, Tattnall, Toombs, Treutlen, Washington and Wayne. Any producer living in the district may be nominated or make nominations at the meeting. Incumbents are eligible for renomination. If more than one person is nominated, an election will be conducted by mail ballot. If only one person qualifies for the position, no election is required, and the nominated person automatically becomes a member of the commission board. Commission members serve terms of three years. 2015 GFB DISTRICT II YOUNG FARMER STEER AND HEIFER SHOW Jan. 17, 2015 White County Agri-Science Center Cleveland This one-day show features cash prizes and plaques, as well as a $250 scholarship for the 12thgrade showmanship winner. Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 22, 2014. Entry fee is $20 per animal for Georgia Farm Bureau members and $30 per animal for non-members. Show is open to junior beef cattle exhibitors from Union, Towns, Rabun, Lumpkin, White, Habersham, Hall, Banks, Stephens, Franklin, Jackson, Madison and Elbert counties. For more information contact Will Cabe at 706-988-0018 or willcabe@yahoo.com, Matthew London at 706-969-9284 or mlondon9284@gmail.com, or Clay Talton at 706-988-0153 or cstalton@gfb.org.
GFB News Alert page 6 of 7 2014 GATE CARDS EXPIRE DEC. 31 The Georgia Agriculture Tax Exemption (GATE) program is an agricultural sales tax exemption certificate issued by the Georgia Department of Agriculture that identifies the card holder as an ag producer qualified for the tax exemption. All 2014 GATE cards expire Dec. 31. To renew your card visit http://forms.agr.georgia.gov/gate/ or call 1-855-FARM-TAX (855-327-6829) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday. There is a $20 fee for online applications and a $25 fee for applications made via mail or phone. Many county Farm Bureau offices will assist their members with online signups or renewals. The GATE card should only be used to purchase items that qualify under the program for the production of ag commodities. INAUGURAL ABAC YOUNG FARMERS STEER AND HEIFER SHOW Jan. 23 & 24 Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter Perry This show, organized by the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Farm Bureau chapter, is open to all 4-H and FFA members in Georgia in grades 4-12. Georgia show rules apply. Entry fees are $35 per exhibitor and entry forms must be postmarked by Jan. 3, 2015. Late entries will be accepted with a $10 late fee. For more information contact Charlsy Anesetti at 770-4906391 or canessett@stallions.abac.edu or Johnathan Barrett at 706-499-3456 or j24barrett@gmail.com. AG SAFETY GROUP OFFERING GRANTS Jan. 7, 2015 Deadline to apply The Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America (ASHCA) is offering grants of up to $10,000 in order to foster new champions of agricultural safety and health. Information regarding eligibility, priorities, application instructions and frequently asked questions is available at www.ashca.org. The purpose of the ASHCA Safety Grants Program is to provide financial support to promote evidence-based safety/health strategies addressing farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers. SOUTHEAST REGIONAL FRUIT & VEGETABLE CONFERENCE Jan. 8-11, 2015 International Trade and Convention Center Savannah This annual conference features nine crop-specific workshops plus workshops on roadside markets, business operations and food safety. New for 2015 are the Southeast Farm Market Bus Tour on Jan. 8, the National Vegetable Grafting Symposium and the always-popular trade show with more than 200 exhibitors. For more information or to register, visit http://www.seregionalconference.com. GEORGIA PEANUT FARM SHOW & CONFERENCE Jan. 15, 2015 UGA Tifton Conference Center 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Tifton This annual event features 100 exhibits, nearly $40,000 in door prizes, a free farmer lunch and educational sessions, including pesticide applicator certification classes. For more information contact the Georgia Peanut Commission at 229-386-3470 or info@gapeanuts.com, or visit the GPC website at www.gapeanuts.com. BOLL WEEVIL ERADICATION FOUNDATION ANNUAL MEETING Jan. 15 Holiday Inn Express (1502 Sam Nunn Blvd.) Perry Meeting begins at 1 p.m. and will provide a program update for 2015. Call 1-800-269-9926 to
RSVP or for more information. GFB News Alert page 7 of 7 2015 AG FORECAST MEETINGS Jan. 14 Brenau Georgia Mountains Center Gainesville Jan. 15 Clarence Brown Conference Center Cartersville Jan. 16 Cloud Livestock Facility Bainbridge Jan. 21 Toombs County Agricenter Lyons Jan. 22 UGA Conference Center Tifton Jan. 23 Georgia Farm Bureau Macon This series, supported by an endowment from Georgia Farm Bureau with additional support from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, focuses on how technology is being used to solve problems for the ag industry along with the 2015 economic outlook for agricultural commodities. Check-in for all of the meetings except Tifton begins at 9 a.m. with seminars starting at 10 a.m. followed by lunch at 11:30 a.m. Check-in for the Tifton event starts at 7 a.m., breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m., followed by the seminar from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Cost is $30 per person or $200 for a table of eight. Advance registration is required. For more information or to register, visit http://www.georgiaagforecast.com, call 706-583-0347 or email carlam@uga.edu. GCC ANNUAL MEETING & UGA COTTON PRODUCTION WORKSHOP Jan. 28, 2014 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center 8 a.m. Tifton Featured speakers for the Georgia Cotton Commission Annual Meeting are Mark Messura, Senior Vice President for Global Marketing, Cotton Incorporated; John Maguire, Senior Vice President of the National Cotton Council, and a representative for Southern Cotton Growers. The UGA Cotton Production Workshop, conducted by the Research & Extension Cotton Team, provides the latest technical production strategies from the researchers whose projects were funded by the Commission using growers’ dollars. There is no charge to attend. Pre-registration is requested to help with meal plans. Register online at www.ugatiftonconference.org or call 229386-3416. For more information call 478-988-4235 or visit http://tinyurl.com/cottonmtg. OLD SOUTH FARM MUSEUM HOG KILLING DEMONSTRATION Feb. 7, 2015 Old South Farm Museum 8:30 a.m. Woodland This event will demonstrate how farmers once slaughtered hogs on their farms for their families and the many products made from hogs. Program includes a meat-cutting class and demonstrations on making various products from pork including sausage, Brunswick stew, meat skins and lye soap. Classes run from 8:30 a.m. into the afternoon. Breakfast and lunch will be sold at the museum. The fee to observe and receive free sausage is $12 per person. The fee is $35 to participate in the workshop demonstrations with hands-on experience and receive pork products. Feb. 2 is the deadline to pre-register. For more information or to register, contact Paul Bulloch at 706-975-9136 or visit www.oldsouthfarm.com to print the registration form to be mailed with payment to Bulloch.