GFB INSURANCE WELCOMES LUCKY
Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance recently welcomed a new member to the Farm Bureau family Lucky a friendly, fluffy farm dog who loves helping people. Lucky isn’t afraid of hard work and is always ready for action.
Lucky is the smiling face and wagging tail of Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance’s new marketing campaign. You may have seen him in the new GFB Insurance commercial that debuted this past weekend on network television and digital platforms. If you haven’t seen Lucky’s commercial, you can view it at https://gfb.insure/GoodtoBeLucky
“The take away lesson from Lucky’s debut commercial is, “It’s good to be lucky, but it’s better to have Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall said. “We want people to know you can’t depend on luck for your insurance needs.”
Lucky’s most endearing quality is his fierce loyalty and dependability, so he’s perfectly suited to help Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance represent its motto, “Keeping the Promise, No Matter the Storm.”
“We’re all excited about the prospect of using Lucky to promote our brand and insurance products,” said GFB Mutual Insurance Company General Manager George Monk. “Who doesn’t love a dog? I think we have something that will make everyone affiliated with Georgia Farm Bureau proud of how we’re marketing our company.”
If you’ve been to the Georgia National Fair, you may have seen Lucky’s cutout beside his doghouse at the Georgia Farm Bureau booth in the Georgia Grown Building or even had the chance to meet Lucky when he dropped by the GFB booth Oct. 8. If you haven’t been to the fair yet, be sure to visit the GFB booth to get a GFB frisbee for your favorite dog or Lucky stickers!
The GFB booth at Sunbelt Expo will also feature Lucky, his GFB frisbees and stickers. Drop by the Georgia Agriculture Building at the main gate.
Lucky wants to meet other dogs in the Farm Bureau family so we’re holding a photo contest until Nov. 4. Share a photo of you and your dog on the go to win a basket of dog related gifts! The photo can be of your dog in a car, truck, tractor, ATV, boat anything to show how they love riding along with you on all of life’s adventures!
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To enter the photo contest:
1) Follow @GeorgiaFarmBureauInsurance on Facebook
2) Post your dog’s photo as a comment to the official contest post that is pinned to the top of the Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance Facebook page Don’t share your photo on other GFB pages that the GFB Insurance Facebook post has been shared to.
3) Friday, Nov. 4 is the deadline to share your photo to be entered in the contest.
4) The winner will be selected on Nov. 5 and notified via Facebook by Nov 11. After three attempts to contact the winner with no success, a new winner will be selected.
5) Visit https://gfb.ag/DogPhotoContest for complete details. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by or associated with Facebook.
USDA SOUTHEAST POULTRY LAB UPDATED FOR 21ST CENTURY
The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) held a dedication ceremony Oct. 4 for new buildings at its Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory (SEPRL) in East Athens adjacent to the University of Georgia. Two of three planned new buildings are operational and were open for guests to tour.
When the third building is finished, SEPRL will be a 280,000 square foot complex, making it the largest poultry research complex in the United States, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education & Economics and USDA’s Chief Scientist Dr. Chavonda Jacobs Young said.
What SEPRL does
SEPRL’s days of doing regional poultry research, as it did when it was established in 1962 to study air sacculitis in broilers, ended years ago.
Today SEPRL, which is a key part of the U.S. National Poultry Research Center, conducts research on viral poultry diseases to protect poultry flocks worldwide and the international trade of poultry that feeds so many.
SEPRL researchers developed the molecular test used globally to diagnose avian influenza (AI) and Newcastle disease. The lab tracks outbreaks and the spread of the viruses that cause AI and Newcastle, has developed vaccines for these viruses for emergency use and commercial application, and conducts research to understand how to break the transmission cycle of the viruses. SEPRL researchers also study avian reoviruses, infectious bursal disease and Marek’s disease.
“The work of this lab and team has become more and more important. In the middle of an outbreak, they’re nimble enough to research the strain of a virus affecting birds in real time while also doing long range work,” Georgia Poultry Federation President Mike Giles said. “It’s the people working in the building that make the difference. On behalf of Georgia’s poultry industry, I’d like to thank the lab researchers for their work to keep the poultry industry safe. The poultry industry appreciates the investment the USDA and Congress have made in this facility.”
Economic importance of SEPRL
The dedication ceremony highlighted the economic contribution poultry makes to Georgia’s economy and the importance of poultry research.
“The innovative and collaborative work done at this lab supports the $48.1 billion U.S. poultry continued on next page
Continued from previous page sector that helps feed America and the world,” Georgia’s U.S. 2nd Dist. Rep. Sanford Bishop said.
Georgia’s U.S. 10th Dist. Rep. Jody Hice thanked UGA and USDA researchers for working together to protect the state’s poultry sector.
“Whenever there is an infectious disease within the poultry population, it has a ripple effect worldwide, which makes the research done at this facility all the more important,” Hice said. “The partnership between UGA and USDA researchers is a partnership we will benefit from for years to come.”
Georgia is the top poultry producing state in the U.S. Three of every four counties in the state have businesses involved in poultry or egg production, according to the USDA.
“As a proud representative of Gainesville, the Poultry Capital of the World, I’m keenly aware of supply chain disruptions that have occurred in recent years,” Georgia’s U.S. 9th Dist. Rep. Andrew Clyde said. “Food security includes both food safety and availability. The work of this USDA lab has been critical in keeping the poultry industry running.”
Need for a new facility
When SEPRL was built in the 1960s, it was designed with multiple small buildings. Research projects were housed in separate buildings to keep experiments and researchers apart, Dr. David Suarez, SEPRL research leader for exotic & emerging avian viral diseases, explained.
“When I first started in 1995, we had at least 35 buildings,” Suarez recalled. “In the past 60 years high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) controls, building engineering and technology has improved so much we can now consolidate all our research buildings into three large buildings. It’s amazing to be given the opportunity to work in a facility of this caliber. The design of the new buildings is more employee friendly and makes it easier to collaborate with our colleagues.”
Thanks to the new facility, Suarez’s team, which researches exotic and emerging diseases like avian flu and Newcastle, has consolidated from three small buildings to one of the new ones. The endemic poultry viral team, led by Dr. John Dunn, that studies reoviruses, infectious bursal disease and Marek’s disease is housed in the second new building.
“The existing facility already leads the world in poultry research so imagine what our scientists can do with this improved facility,” USDA Under Secretary Dr. Jacobs Young said. “We have a lot to look forward to at this new facility.”
Getting new facility a team effort
“I’d like to thank Georgia’s U.S. Congressional delegation for its strong, strong support. This would not have happened without their securing funding and seeking support from their Congressional colleagues,” SEPRL Director Dr. David Swayne said.
Swayne said the pre design of the new complex dates to 2005 with SEPRL securing federal funding in 2015 and 2016 that allowed the lab to break ground in 2017.
“I was here for the groundbreaking ceremony held for this facility in November 2017, so it’s wonderful to be back here today to see the first two of the three buildings that will make up the lab completed,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black said. “It’s very important to recognize our federal partners who made this lab possible.”
Rep. Bishop recalled working on the initial efforts to modernize SEPRL that date back to the mid 2000s when initial design plans began.
“Poultry appropriations have always been important to me,” Bishop said. “As chairman of the -continued on next page
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House Appropriations Subcommittee for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food & Drug Administration and Related Agencies, I’m glad to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make sure USDA Agricultural Research Service labs get the funding they need.”
Dr. Jacobs Young, who has been part of the USDA effort to update the SEPRL facility since talks began, said, “I think of the process of building this facility like a relay race. There are many of us here today who have worked to get this facility built for years.”
GA NATIONAL FAIR OPENS WITH GLOBAL EXPOSURE, HONOR FOR BLACK
The 2022 Georgia National Fair opened on Oct. 6 with all its normal activities rides, livestock shows, exhibits galore, and with agriculture the state’s largest economic sector putting its best foot forward Georgia Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general farm organization, has a significant presence at the fair, sponsoring the event’s slate of concerts and covering the prizes for the livestock show grand champions.
New in 2022, the organization dispatched the inaugural team of eight GFB Ambassadors to mingle with fairgoers and talk up the benefits of membership. Through the fair’s first weekend, the ambassadors, who are all college students, had recruited 59 new members.
The Georgia National Fair continues through Oct. 16.
During opening ceremonies at Reaves Arena, Georgia’s agricultural community honored Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, who finishes his third term at the end of the year. Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority member Emily Watson paid tribute to Black, whose career has included stops at Georgia Farm Bureau and the Georgia Agribusiness Council.
During Black’s tenure as ag commissioner, the Georgia National Fair has welcomed the Georgia Grown Building, where the state’s key agricultural stakeholders maintain a presence, and the Georgia Grown Baby Barn, located in the building, give fairgoers a firsthand encounter with cattle and hogs giving birth.
“You don’t miss that there are hundreds of thousands, millions of people that walk through these gates every year, and we have a small opportunity, a window of time, to show them what Georgia agriculture is all about and why it is important,” Watson said, before presenting Black a plaque commemorating his 12 years as agriculture commissioner and his long career in agricultural advocacy long before that.
Gov. Brian Kemp also praised Black for his lifelong commitment to the state’s farmers.
“He has put his heart and soul not only into the fair board and this facility but in our entire state. To Lydia and his family, we’re just so grateful for their service and how hard they’ve worked on behalf of all Georgians,” Kemp said.
Kemp touted the fair as a showcase for Georgia agriculture and the state’s youth who participate in 4 H and FFA programs.
“This is certainly, to me, the backbone of our country and the backbone of the state of Georgia when you think about agriculture and who’s putting food on Americans’ and Georgia’s tables every day. I want to thank you for supporting that,” Kemp said.
Even as he nears the end of his time as agriculture commissioner, Black continued his advocacy, continued on next page
Continued from previous page leading Georgia’s Consul Corps on a tour of the fair, with an informative stop at the Baby Barn. The group included representatives from the Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, India, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
“It’s really amazing, and I think it shows a connection that my country, Nigeria, has with the state of Georgia,” said Consul General Amina Smaila of Nigeria. “Agriculture is No. 1 in the state of Georgia. It’s also No. 1 in Nigeria. I think there are a lot of ways we can collaborate to make things better and to strengthen the bilateral relationship we have between the United States of America and Nigeria.”
Tickets for the Georgia National Fair are: Adults (ages 11 and up), $15; seniors (ages 60 and up): $10; children (ages 10 and under): free with a paying adult. Season passes are $95 each. Two day passes are $25 each. Ride armbands, which are available on site only, are $25 each for Oct. 6 7 and Oct. 10 14 and $30 each for Oct. 16. For more ticket information and to purchase online, visit www.georgianationalfair.com/p/tickets.
All incoming fair traffic will be stopped nightly at 9 p.m. After 5 p.m. each day, any youth 17 and under will be required to have a legal guardian present for entry.
The fair is instituting a new clear bag policy. All bags brought into the fairgrounds should be clear and 12x6x12 or smaller. Exceptions will be made for diaper bags as well as bags holding carry in items for infants or medical reasons. Bags wallet sized and smaller are not required to be clear. All bags are subject to inspection.
SUNBELT EXPO USHERS IN A NEW ERA OF AGRICULTURE
The Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition will celebrate its 44th anniversary show Oct. 18 20.
More than 1,200 exhibitors will display and demonstrate products and welcome thousands of visitors to the 100 acre show site. Crowned as North America’s Premier Farm Show and the largest Farm Show in America with field demonstrations, the Sunbelt Ag Expo brings together all segments of agribusiness including farmers, educators, policymakers, ag enthusiasts and families.
Georgia Farm Bureau 8th District Director Scotty Raines, the Georgia Farmer of the Year, will vie for the Swisher Sweets Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year. Raines, a diversified row crop farmer from Turner County, and farmers of the year from nine other states will be introduced during the Willie B. Withers Luncheon on Oct. 18.
All attending the show will see the latest innovation and technology that the agriculture industry has to offer.
Georgia Farm Bureau sponsors the Advocacy in Action contest for high school and college students with a particular interest in ag policy, law, and communication. Teams of advocates will have the chance to present information in a lobbyist/policy maker setting to improve their advocacy skills.
Education is the key component of Sunbelt Expo with more than 300 seminars and demonstrations offered over the 3 day event. These seminars and demonstrations are taught in exhibit areas for beef, dairy, poultry, forestry, pond management, equine and cattle management. Farmers and ranchers attending gain beneficial knowledge on the latest in cutting edge techniques from industry leaders and university specialists. The Expo works with 21 different education sponsors to host a strong seminar and demo schedule. These education sponsors include major -continued on next page
Continued from previous page universities and colleges with six of these having permanent exhibit buildings on site.
The Expo will feature Youth Educational Challenges sponsored by Country Financial for 6th 12th graders as a competitive and fun opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge in five different content areas. Additionally, an Ag Mechanics contest sponsored by Farm Credit Associations of Georgia will be offered for students.
The Sustainable Living Area focuses on topics for the specialty gardener. Flint River Fresh, created by the Flint River Soil & Water Conservation District and run by Fredando Jackson, “Farmer Fredo,” will organize the display that attracts hobby gardeners and enthusiasts alike. A bounty of information on gardening tips, tools, healthy recipes, and more will be offered in the Georgia Metals Pavilion and in the demonstration garden.
Sunbelt’s 600 acre research farm field demonstrations are annual crowd pleasers. These demos showcase harvesting and tillage equipment for peanuts, corn, soybeans and hay. In addition, hay demos will include all facets of hay harvesting from cutting to baling and will provide visitors the opportunity to see 80 different types of hay harvesting equipment run in a true farm setting.
Expo is honored to have Arkansas as the 2022 Spotlight State. Agriculture has been Arkansas’ largest industry since it gained statehood in 1836.
Chevrolet, a ten year partner of Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition, will feature the Chevy Truck Tour with multiple consumer engagement stations and on site product staff.
The Expo always features an array of aromatic compliments of the delicious food sold within the grounds during the show.
In addition, many demonstration areas, including the Georgia Ag Building, the aquaponics display, the backyard garden, the Georgia Peanut Commission building and the Georgia Grown Marketplace within the Family Living Building, host segments throughout the day with chefs and food enthusiasts alike. Be sure to stop by for a sample of some scrumptious treats.
There’s never a dull moment during the 3 day show and attendees will find there is something for the entire family. There is a daily rolling Antique Tractor Parade, the American Grand Finals Stock Dog Trials (the largest field of competition in recent Expo history), and even a Cow Milking Contest. Add in rural lifestyle fun, truck, tractor and ATV test drives, and the venue is perfect for rural enthusiasts.
“The Sunbelt Expo is an unbelievable showcase of rural living blanketed with agriculture’s newest ideas and technologies,” said Sunbelt Executive Director Chip Blalock. “It's three days of fun, education and dreaming about agriculture’s future as we team together to feed, clothe and house a growing population around the world.”
The Sunbelt Ag Expo is open Oct. 18 20. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 18 and 19 and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 20. Admission at the gate is $10 per person per day. Advanced and discount tickets can be purchased online thru Oct. 14. The show site is four miles southeast of Moultrie on Georgia Hwy 133. For more information, visit www.sunbeltexpo.com
US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES FINAL H-2A RULE
On Oct. 6, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule to amend H 2A temporary labor certification regulations to protect agricultural workers better, and to update the H 2A application and temporary labor certification process. The final rule, which goes into effect Nov. 14, was published in the Federal Register on Oct. 12The H 2A program allows employers to address temporary labor needs by employing foreign agricultural workers when there are not sufficient workers who are able, willing, qualified, and available, and when doing so will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of workers similarly employed in the U.S.
After the department proposed changes to the H 2A program’s regulations in July 2019, employers, employer associations, agents, business advocacy groups, state agencies, federal and state elected officials, worker advocates, labor unions, public policy and academic organizations, farmworkers and others submitted tens of thousands of comments.
According to the DOL, the new rule includes the following elements:
• Changes safety and health protections for workers housed in rental or public accommodations;
• Streamlines and updates bond requirements for labor contractors to better hold them accountable and clarifies joint employer status for employers and associations;
• Clarifies the housing certification process to allow state and local authorities to conduct housing inspections;
• Establishes explicit authority to debar attorneys and agents for their misconduct, independent of an employer’s violations;
• Makes electronic filing mandatory for most applications to improve employers’ processing efficiency;
• Modernizes the procedures for determining the prevailing wage to allow state workforce agencies to produce more prevailing wage findings.
The changes in the final rule will also support the enforcement capabilities of the department’s Wage and Hour Division to address H 2A program fraud and abuse that undermines workers’ rights and hurts law abiding employers.
Throughout the U.S., Wage and Hour Division violations of H 2A regulations and recovery of back wages have increased significantly over the past five years. In 2021, the Wage and Hour Division found H 2A violations in 358 cases and collected more than $5.8 million in back wages for more than 7,000 workers.
For more information about H 2A rules and other worker protections enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact its toll free helpline at 866 4US WAGE (866 487 9243). Calls can be answered in more than 200 languages.
Download the agency’s new Timesheet App, now available for android devices, to ensure hours and pay are accurate.
USDA INVESTS $2.8 BILLION IN AMERICA’S CLIMATE-SMART FARMERS
On Sept. 14, the USDA announced it is spending up to $2.8 billion in 70 selected projects under the first pool of the Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities (PCSC) funding opportunity, with projects from the second funding pool to be announced later this year. The USDA anticipates spending more than $3 billion in pilot programs that will create market opportunities for American commodities produced using climate smart production practices.
These initial projects will expand markets for climate smart commodities, leverage the greenhouse gas benefits of climate smart commodity production and provide direct, meaningful benefits to production agriculture, including for small and underserved producers. Applicants submitted more than 450 project proposals in this first funding pool, and the strength of the projects identified led USDA to increase its investment in this opportunity from the initial $1 billion Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced earlier this year.
Projects involving Georgia crops or organizations that were awarded funding under the PCSC program:
• A vibrant future: Pilot projects for climate smart fruit and vegetable production, marketing, and valuation of ecosystem services. This project will incentivize growers of specialty crops to adopt climate smart production in order to establish a consumer driven, climate smart market for fruits and vegetables grown using climate smart practices. Major commodities include berries, grapes, fruits and vegetables.
• ADM and Partners’ Climate-Smart Solutions: This project will utilize incentive payments to thousands of producers across 15 state to adopt and implement climate smart agriculture (CSA). Part of the project will include engagement of Archer Daniels Midland’s (ADM) 5,000 underserved producers to promote CSA opportunities, resulting in significant greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and removals. Major commodities include corn, soybeans, wheat, peanuts, sorghum, flax, hemp, canola, edible beans and pulse crops.
• Building Soil, Building Equity: Accelerating a Regenerative Farming Movement in Appalachia and the Southeast. This project seeks to build climate smart markets and sequester carbon over thousands of acres of Appalachian and rural southeastern land through strategic recruitment from networks of producers. The project will use education, outreach, technical assistance and incentivizing producers to adopt CSA. Major commodities include fruit and vegetables, row crops and beef.
• Climate Beneficial Fiber: Building New, Accessible, and Equitable Market Opportunities for Climate Smart Cotton and Wool. This project will expand the existing Climate Beneficial fiber program: a system for sequestering carbon, regenerating soil health and resilience, improving social equity, and bolstering America's ability to produce fiber. A newly created, open source, carbon farm planning and verification platform will streamline climate smart agriculture planning and verification for producers, verifiers, and supply chain stakeholders. Major commodities include sheep and cotton.
• U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program: This project, led by the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, will build markets for climate smart cotton and provide technical and financial assistance to over 1,000 U.S. cotton farmers, including underserved cotton producers, to advance adoption of climate smart practices on more than 1 million acres, producing millions of bales of Climate Smart Cotton over five years, and demonstrating major carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) reductions and -continued on next page
Continued from previous page millions of dollars of economic benefits to farmers. Major commodity is cotton.
The Climate Smart Cotton Program is a collaborative effort with Cotton Incorporated and the NCC's export promotion arm, Cotton Council International; the Soil Health Institute; the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund; Alabama A&M University; North Carolina A&T University; Texas A&M University’s AgriLife Research; and Agricenter International in Memphis. The NCC also is grateful for Target’s support of the project through cost share funding.
• Connected Ag Climate-Smart Commodities Pilot Project: This project will expand climate smart markets for many agricultural commodities and provide direct payments, technical assistance, and data management strategies to producers of row crops, beef, dairy, pork, and other commodities to adopt climate smart practices and strategies. Major commodities include corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, potatoes, beef, dairy, pork, small ruminants and specialty crops.
• Elevated Foods Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities: This project will implement climate smart production practices, activities, and systems on a large scale across cropland planted to fruits and vegetables, with a particular focus on fresh fruit and vegetable crops. Partners propose to implement practices on hundreds of thousands of acres planted to fruit and vegetables in key growing regions across the United States, and extend the producer reach to urban farmers in Orange County, California, and the Navajo Nation, to meet the needs of small and historically underserved producers. Major commodities include apples, grapes, fruits and vegetables.
• Engaging Family Forests to Improve Climate-Smart Commodities (EFFICACI): This project will address the relationship between family forest owners, the forest products industry, and broader climate goals across the eastern US. The goal is to build a region wide CSC forest program that leverages the field tested Family Forest Carbon Program, an engaged and trusted landowner network, and advanced digital forestry tools to engage traditional and underserved partners and advance the production and marketing of CSC forest products. Major commodities include timber and forest products.
• Expanding Agroforestry Production & Markets: This project will build climate smart markets and increase capital investments in tree planting that will increase the supply of agroforestry commodities utilizing a network of leaders in forestry. Working directly with manufacturers and retailers to connect potential buyers with producers (including underserved producers). Major commodities include nuts, berries, beef, fruit trees and forest products.
• Low Carbon Beef USDA Pilot Program: A Fully Integrated Lifecycle Approach to Reduce GHG Emissions from Beef Cattle at Commercial Scale. This project will help to implement climate smart methods in beef production, reducing GHG emissions and generating carbon credit revenue for producers. Major Commodities include beef and grass.
• Producer Led Collaborative Effort to Fundamentally Transition the U.S. Beef Supply Chain to Carbon Neutral: This eight state project will amplify production of climate smart beef by expanding market drivers, grassroots support networks, and early adopter mentors and providing technical assistance for the adoption of Climate smart grazing practices to substantially reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration. The project will also support farmers in protecting their land through permanent easements to help ensure that the soil health and climate benefits from those practices continue far into the future. Major commodity -continued on next page
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• Quantifying the Potential to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Increase Carbon Sequestration by Growing and Marketing Climate-Smart Commodities in the Southern Piedmont: Aimed at the southern piedmont vegetable farming community, this proposal will utilize a interdisciplinary system approach including farmer adoption, understanding economic/social barriers, market/consumer buy in, utilizing technology and easing burden on farmers. The results of the project will build climate smart markets, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, increases carbon sequestration, increase farmer economic opportunities and adoption of climate smart agriculture. Major commodity is vegetables.
• Strengthening Grassroots Leadership & Capacity to Scale Climate-Smart Production Systems and Facilitate Historically Underserved Producers' Access to Markets: This project will work through its network of 3,000 conservation districts throughout the nation to grow and advance grassroots efforts to ensure producers and local communities are prepared to meet the demand and have access to climate smart commodity markets. Major Commodities include corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, rice and livestock.
• The Climate-Smart Agriculture Innovative Finance Initiative: This project, covering more than 30 states, will use innovative finance mechanisms to accelerate climate smart practice uptake by farmers, leveraging private sector demand to strengthen markets for climate smart commodities. Partners will provide technical assistance and additional financial incentives to a diverse array of producers across a range of commodities, tying climate smart practices to commodity purchases and creating a scalable model for private sector investment. Major commodities include corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts, wheat, potatoes, barley, sorghum, alfalfa, peanuts, rice, sugarbeets and livestock.
• The Grass is Greener on the Other Side: Developing Climate Smart Beef and Bison Commodities. This project will create market opportunities for beef and bison producers who utilize climate smart agriculture grazing & land management practices. The project will guide & educate producers on climate smart practices most suited for their operations, manage large scale climate smart data that will be used by producers to improve decision making, and directly impact market demand for climate smart beef/bison commodity markets. Major commodities include beef and bison.
• The Growing GRASS & Climate-Smart Value-Added U.S. Commodity Markets Project (Growing GRASS Project): This multi year project will pilot, test and evaluate how the GRASS supply chain can be optimized for value and climate performance from farm and ranch to markets, starting with the greenhouse gas benefits of grazing systems. Major commodity is beef.
• TRACT Program: Traceable Reforestation for America’s Carbon and Timber. This project addresses the need to expand and recover the nation’s forest estate to balance the demand for wood products with the increasing need for forests to serve as carbon reservoirs. The project will deploy funding, planning, and implementation of reforestation and afforestation activities in lands deforested by wildfire in the Western U.S. and degraded agricultural lands in the Southern U.S. Every acre planted & the volume of forest products generated will have a quantified and verified continued on next page
Continued from previous page climate benefit in metric tons of CO2e. Major commodities include timber and forest products
• Tyson Foods, Inc. Climate-Smart Commodities Project: This project will expand climate smart markets and increase carbon sequestration and reduce emissions in the production of beef and row crops for livestock feed. Small and underserved producers will receive technical assistance and incentive payments to increase their capacity to reduce emissions and adopt climate smart practices. Major Commodities include beef, poultry, pork and corn.
Visit www.usda.gov/climate solutions/climate smart commodities for more information about the PCSC program.
GEORGIA LURES KEY AG ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
Plans for a broth manufacturing plant in Whitfield County and a large scale greenhouse in Bibb County, both of which will contribute to Georgia’s agricultural economy, were recently announced along with a company in Jasper County that will produce horticulture growth medium and a meat processing plant in Morgan County.
Essentia Protein Solutions is announcing plans to build a new broth manufacturing plant near Dalton. The plant will process USDA inspected, refrigerated raw material to produce food grade stocks, broths, and fats. The new plant will increase Essentia’s capacity and capabilities for value added, protein ingredients for human food and nutrition markets.
The Iowa based company said the project, planned for a 20 acre site, is expected to create 80 new jobs for the area. Essentia chose Dalton for its new manufacturing site after a thorough review of potential sites across the Southeast U.S.
Meanwhile, BrightFarms LLC received approval from the Macon Bibb Planning and Zoning Commission on Sept. 26 to build a 1.5 million square foot hydroponic greenhouse complex near Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Bibb County. The project will generate approximately 300 jobs, according to media reports.
BrightFarms, which was purchased by Atlanta based Cox Enterprises in August, says it delivers produce to grocery stores as soon as 24 hours after harvest.
The company plans to have two greenhouses up and running in 2024 and two more by 2029.
On Sept. 15, Gov. Brian Kemp announced that global agriscience technology manufacturer Profile Products plans to locate a plant in Jasper County, creating 80 new jobs.
The new plant will produce wood based erosion control technologies and horticulture growth mediums. The first phase of the facility development is expected to be complete and operational this month and will represent only the company’s initial $35 million investment in Georgia. Additional development of the facility will occur over the following 36 months.
On Oct. 4, the Morgan County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved two measures paving the way for a proposed meat processing plant to open in the county. The facility will offer slaughter services for beef initially, but will eventually expand to offer processing for pork, lamb and goat meat in the future, according to the Morgan County Citizen.
The plant would create as many as 15 jobs and would be certified by the USDA, with USDA inspectors on site.
HURRICANE IAN RAVAGES FLORIDA AGRICULTURE
For farmers and ranchers in South Georgia, the scenes coming out of Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian are all too familiar. Water everywhere. Trees down. Buildings demolished. Lives taken, uprooted and devastated.
According to Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF), farmers and ranchers are facing widespread destruction of crops, buildings, fencing and other property loss due to substantial wind and water damage.
In areas of the citrus belt, significant fruit fell from trees. Not only has there been loss of human life, but livestock and dairy farms have been devastated by the storm. Even before the storm, Florida citrus production was expected to be down from the previous year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The state’s orange production was forecast at 28 million boxes, down from 41.05 million boxes in the 2021 22 crop year, which would be a 32% decline. Florida grapefruit production was forecast at 2 million boxes, down 40% from the 21 22 crop of 3.33 million boxes. Tangerine production in Florida was forecast at 700,000 boxes, down from 750,000 boxes in 21 22.
Masses of honeybee colonies, submerged in water, are in distress. Bee pollination is critical to the livelihood of Florida’s crops.
Farmers and ranchers throughout the region are repairing greenhouses, structures, irrigation systems and other machinery and equipment.
Farmers as far north as St. Augustine are facing flooded vegetable fields. It will take days or weeks to assess the damage of Hurricane Ian. Many farm families are still cutting their way through downed trees and power lines and battling flooded roads and blown out culverts to evaluate the damage.
The University of Florida is conducting an assessment survey to quantify the farm losses. Florida Farm Bureau has created a hurricane relief fund that will assist Florida farmers and ranchers affected by Hurricane Ian.
The Hurricane Ian Relief Fund for Agriculture will provide support for farm families statewide who have experienced a Hurricane Ian inflicted agricultural loss. All donations will be tax deductible.
Donors can make checks payable to: Florida Farm Bureau Women’s Fund
Memo: Hurricane Ian Relief Fund for Agriculture P.O. Box 147030 Gainesville, FL 32614
Online donations to the Hurricane Relief Fund can be made here. For more information, contact ianfund@ffbf.org
RAILROAD UNIONS IN PROCESS OF RATIFYING DEAL THAT AVERTED STRIKE
Railway unions reached a tentative agreement with Class I freight railroad companies the night of Sept. 17 to prevent a nationwide strike set to begin the next day. Now the 12 unions that collectively represent the 115,000 railway employees involved are in the process of deciding if they will ratify the agreement that would give workers a 24% pay increase for the period 2020 2024 with a 14.1% wage increase effective immediately and five annual $1,000 lump sum payments.
As of Oct. 12, five of the 12 railroad unions had ratified the agreement Transportation Communications International Union, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, Railroad Electrical Workers Branch of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and American Train Dispatchers Association.
On Oct. 10, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) members voted against ratifying the September agreement. The BMWED, which represents track workers, said the reason it rejected the September agreement was because the agreement does not address a lack of paid time off, particularly sick time, and working conditions. The BMWED has agreed to delay striking until five days after Congress reconvenes in November. Congress is expected to reconvene Nov. 14.
The other seven unions have set dates for their members to vote on the proposed agreement between Oct. 13 (National Conference of Firemen & Oilers) and no later than Nov. 20(IAM). The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen will vote by Oct. 26; International Brotherhood of Boilermakers by Nov. 11; Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen and Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation Transportation Division, both by Nov. 17. All 12 railway unions must ratify their contracts to prevent a nationwide strike.
According to the National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC), which represents all the unions, the wage increases in the tentative new agreement are the most substantial in decades with average rail worker wages reaching about $110,000 per year by the end of the agreement. When health care, retirement, and other benefits are considered, the value of rail employees’ total compensation package would average about $160,000 per year, the NRLC reports on its website.
A portion of the wage increases and lump sum payments are retroactive. On average employees would receive $11,000 in immediate payouts, according to the NRLC.
If the tentative agreement between the railway unions and companies is not ratified by the unions, the NRLC reports that the parties have agreed to maintain the status quo for a period of time pending further discussions and assessment of next steps so that a failed ratification does not present risk of an immediate service disruption.
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE NOW ACCESSIBLE AT 988
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has a new name & number. It’s now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It can be reached by calling or texting 988 or chatting on 988lifeline.org. 988 serves as a universal entry point so that no matter where you live in the U.S., you can easily access 24/7 emotional support. You don’t have to be suicidal to reach out. 988 trained crisis counselors can help you through whatever mental health challenges you are experiencing. SAMHSA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Communications Commission & other suicide prevention and mental health partners worked together to create 988 and its expanded services. #988Lifeline
USDA CONSERVATION PRACTICES SURVEY
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will continue collecting responses to the Conservation Practice Adoption Motivations Survey over the coming weeks. Survey recipients may respond securely online at www.agcounts.usda.gov, by phone or mail. A representative for NASS may call producers to set up an interview to assist in the completion of the questionnaire. In late May, NASS mailed the survey to nearly 2,700 farmers and ranchers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. A joint project between NASS and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), this survey is aimed at better understanding conservation practice adoption and the role of technical and financial assistance. The data will be used to guide the implementation of NRCS programs in the future. There are two versions of the survey this year one requesting information on crop conservation practices and one for confined livestock conservation practices. Data from both versions of the survey will be available later this fall on NASS’s website at www.nass.usda.gov. All information reported by individuals will be kept confidential, as required by federal law. For assistance with the survey, producers can call the NASS Southern Region Field Office at (800) 253 4419.
FOREST LANDOWNER CARBON WORKSHOP
Oct. 14 Mary Kahrs Warnell Forest Education Center 8:30 a.m. 4 p.m. Guyton This workshop is aimed at developing understanding of forest carbon markets, determining the economics of forest carbon payments, identifying emerging opportunities and providing feedback on socially acceptable forest management practices for increasing carbon stored on forestland. Registration is $15 per person and the deadline to register is Sept. 30. Visit https://bit.ly/3QnpYez to register.
2023 AFBF WHITE-REINHARDT GRANTS
Oct. 15 deadline to apply
The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is accepting applications for White Reinhardt scholarships and community/classroom grants through Oct. 15. White Reinhardt scholarships to the 2023 National Ag in the Classroom Conference are for full time educators and/or volunteers that actively participate in classroom ag literacy programs or events. This scholarship provides travel expense funds for educators to attend the national conference and use the information gained to expand their outreach to students regarding food, fiber and fuel. New for 2023, White Reinhardt scholarships are for $1,500 plus registration costs. Learn more and apply here. White Reinhardt grants fund projects that will increase agricultural literacy. County and state Farm Bureaus may apply for $1,000 grants for education programs for grades K 12 to initiate new ag literacy programs or expand existing programs. Learn more and apply here. Recent recipients of these grants include Banks County Farm Bureau (BCFB) and the Georgia Agriculture Experience (GAE) mobile classroom. BCFB will use its grant to add a vertical garden to the pollinator garden it sponsors at a local school and to buy cooking equipment for the teacher so students can prepare the food they grow. The GAE mobile classroom will use its grant to add a sensory based learning station for students with special learning needs.
SUNBELT AG EXPO
Oct. 18-20 Spence Field Moultrie
Billed as “North America’s Premier Farm Show,” this annual event has more than 1,200 exhibitors showcasing the latest in farming technology. Whether you are a large acreage production farmer or a weekend lifestyle farmer the Expo is an event you don’t want to miss! For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.sunbeltexpo.com. Stop by the Georgia Agriculture Building at the main gate to visit with Georgia Farm Bureau!
GEORGIA AGRIBUSINESS COUNCIL HARVEST CELEBRATION
Nov. 18 The Classic Center Athens The cut-off date to be listed in the Harvest Celebration program as a ticket purchaser or a table sponsor is Oct. 21. The evening unites leaders from every agriculture sector and corner of the state in a festive salute to the industry. On November 18, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the Live Auction, Silent Auction and Field of Dreams raffle, and listen to entertainment provided by The Swingin’ Medallions at the event’s new location, The Classic Center in Athens, GA! To register, visit https://www.ga agribusiness.org/Events.aspx, call the GAC office at 706 336 6830 or send an email to Maggie Wooten at mwooten@ga agribusiness.org.
GFB 2022 HAY CONTEST
Oct. 31 deadline to enter Georgia Farm Bureau is calling all members who grow any variety of Bermudagrass hay to enter its annual hay contest. Hay entered in the 2022 GFB Quality Hay Contest will be tested at the UGA Feed & Environmental Water Lab using the Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) Test, which provides an analysis of the nutritional value of the hay. Winners will be determined by the RFQ analysis and announced in December at the GFB Convention. Prizes will be presented to the top five producers. Entry forms outlining complete contest rules may be picked up at your county Farm Bureau office or downloaded from the GFB website www.gfb.ag/HayContest. There is a $20 fee for each entry to cover the cost of the lab test. Producers may enter more than one sample. Checks should be made payable to Georgia Farm Bureau. Contest participants will receive a detailed copy of their hay analysis and may choose to have a free listing in the ’22/’23 online GFB Hay Directory. Producers must be a GFB member to enter the contest or list hay for sale in the hay directory. The deadline to enter contest is Oct. 31. The cost to list hay in the directory alone is $10 and may be submitted at any time.
2022 GEORGIA AGRICULTURAL LABOR RELATIONS FORUM
Nov. 9-10 Georgia Museum of Agriculture Tifton
This event, hosted by the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association and sponsored in part by Georgia Farm Bureau, is suited for all owners, operators, office managers, personnel managers and service providers for the produce, nursery, landscape, dairy and cotton sectors, as well as any other agricultural professional dealing with agricultural labor relations. The Georgia Museum of Agriculture is located at 1392 Whiddon Mill Rd , Tifton, GA 31793. Contact Chris Butts, cbutts@asginfo.net or visit www.GeorgiaAgLaborForum.com for more information.
GEORGIA FOUNDATION FOR AGRICULTURE ONLINE AUCTION
Nov. 28 Dec. 7, 2022
Sign up at https://gfb.ag/2022auction by Nov. 26 to receive auction alerts. Bids will be accepted Nov 28 Dec. 7 Get a jump start on your Christmas shopping while supporting the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture. This year’s auction will feature great items such as: football tickets, tech gadgets, home décor, food items, family activities & much more. GFA is a 501(c3) nonprofit registered charity. Donations are tax deductible. All auction proceeds will benefit the Georgia Foundation of Agriculture programs including: Georgia Ag Experience mobile ag classroom; scholarships for students pursuing ag careers; ag teacher workshops; mental health research for farmers and more. For more information, contact Lily Baucom at lrbaucom@gfb.org or 478.405.3461.
UGA PILOT PROGRAM OFFERS FREE TELE-COUNSELING
The past few years have been challenging. Sometimes it's hard to recognize the physical effects of stress and how it affects our lives. Talking to someone about your stress can help. The UGA Tattnall County Extension office is partnering with the UGA School of Social Work on a pilot program to offer farmers and members of the agricultural community access to up to six free online counseling sessions with a licensed counselor. Participants do not have to farm or live in Tattnall County to participate but should be farmers or members of a farming family. Call 706 510 6930, email gatelehealth@uga.edu for more information or visit https://gfb.ag/ugapilotaddressstress to complete a questionnaire to begin the enrollment process. Anyone who doesn’t meet the requirements for the grant funding will be provided appropriate counseling referrals. Symptoms of chronic stress include irritability, lack of focus, change in appetite, sleepiness or insomnia, aches/pains, headaches, emotional withdrawal, low energy, anxiety, increased alcohol/substance use. This work is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network Southern Region [grant no. 2020 70028 32730 / project ascension no 1023989] and the Georgia Farmer Healthy Mindset [grant no. 13395431/2021 09304/ project ascension no 2021 70035575], from the US Department of Agriculture, National Institute on of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by counselors during the sessions should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.
GFB HAY DIRECTORY
GFB is accepting listings for its online hay directory. Farm Bureau members with hay for sale or who offer custom harvesting or custom sprigging services are invited to list their hay and/or services in the GFB Quality Hay Directory published on the GFB website. Hay for sale or services can be listed or removed from the directory throughout the year. To be included in GFB’s online hay directory, complete a submission form by visiting your county Farm Bureau office or online at www.gfb.ag/hay. Please include a $10 check made payable to Georgia Farm Bureau for each listing of hay, custom harvesting or custom sprigging. Multiple listings are allowed. Listings can be updated in the directory throughout the year as hay inventories change. Hay producers who entered the 2021 GFB Quality Hay Contest receive a free listing in the online GFB Hay Directory.