June 1, 2011
www.gfb.org
Vol. 29 No. 22
BUDGET REDUCTIONS FORCE CAES TO CUT 18 POSITIONS, SELL FARM In the latest round of downsizing due to the ongoing state budget crisis, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is terminating18 employees and putting a 522-acre research farm on the market. All 18 of the positions eliminated were staff, according to CAES Dean Dr. Scott Angle, who said he was not allowed to lay off faculty. Most of the positions cut were technical positions on farms and about one-third were administrative, secretarial support positions. Angle said three of the 18 employees will remain employed by having their salaries funded by contracts or grants. The college is closing its peach research facility at Byron, Ga., and pecan pest management, horticulture research and plant pathology programs in Tifton. Other staff layoffs are on the Griffin and Athens campuses. Angle said the college administration worked hard during the past three budget cycles to avoid laying off employees, but the latest cut to the college’s budget, set to go into effect for the new fiscal year beginning July 1, required layoffs. “The second half of the story is we’ve lost about 340 of our faculty and staff over the last couple of years through natural attrition and incentives to retire. Overall, we’re looking at 355 individuals that were around a couple of years ago that are not around today,” Angle said. The college is also accepting sealed bids on its 522-acre Plant Sciences Farm in Watkinsville, Ga., where variety testing and development research has been conducted on cotton and grain production specifically for north Georgia. “We need that research to be done up in that part of the state because it’s location testing. We’re going to move some of it to the horticulture farm, which is just a few miles away. We’re going to move some of it to a farm we have in Eatonton, which is about 25 miles away,” Angle said. Bids will be accepted for the Plant Sciences Farm until June 27. “If we don’t get any bids that we consider to be adequate, then we’ll stop the process and it won’t be sold. We’ll either continue to use it as we are or rent it out to someone.” The CAES previously accepted bids on its Redbud Farm in north Georgia but ended up leasing it rather than selling it, Angle said, and a parcel of about 100 acres that the CAES owns in Griffin is under negotiation. “We have downsized in a way that I think will allow us to continue with areas where we’re strong, but frankly, we’ve had to give up a few things,” Angle said. “We’re going to have to look at the next couple of years to try to enhance our budget not to where we used to be but try to get some of it back to continue to try to do some things that are pretty important to the state.”
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DEAL ORDERS LABOR STUDY, SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS ARIZ. LAW Amid complaints that Georgia’s new immigration law, House Bill 87, is prompting fears among migrant workers that they will be harassed and causing a shortage in available farm labor, Gov. Nathan Deal sent a letter to Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black last week asking for a survey of farmers to determine the extent the law is affecting their harvest operations. “Many farmers have raised concerns about the availability of an adequate, stable workforce for Georgia’s production agricultural industry,” Deal wrote. “With this assessment, I hope to have a clearer picture of the availability of a reliable workforce for our farmers.” To participate in the survey, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GeorgiaLabor. The law takes effect on July 1. Deal asked Black to conduct the survey and report the findings by June 10. Also last week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman called for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level. “I met farmers and ranchers all over this country who worry about the broken immigration system. They’re unable to find the necessary number of farm workers and sometimes they struggle to verify their work authorization papers, all the while wondering if they’ll get enough help for the next harvest,” Vilsack said. Meanwhile, on May 26 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Arizona’s immigration law, including a provision in the Arizona law mandating the use of E-Verify by employers to ascertain workers’ eligibility to work in the U.S. The Georgia law requires businesses with more than 10 full-time employees on January 1 each year to sign a sworn affidavit attesting to E-Verify use in order to legally obtain a business license. FORESTS SUSTAIN WIDESPREAD DAMAGE FROM DISASTERS Natural disasters this spring destroyed timber on more than a quarter of a million acres of privately owned land and caused more than $100 million in damage to timber on that land, according to the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC). The tornadoes of April 27 and 28 destroyed 161,208 acres of forest land in 34 counties, destroying more than $68 million worth of timber. The GFC has requested nearly $15 million in funding from the Farm Service Agency Emergency Forest Restoration Program to aid landowners in reforestation efforts on affected land. The estimated restoration cost for the tornado damage to timber is nearly $85 million. A total of 7,801 fires have been documented by the GFC in fiscal year 2011, 34 percent more than the five-year average. Those fires have burned a total of 88,834 acres, 73 percent more than the five-year average. Combined, the fires and tornadoes wiped out 250,042 acres of timber across the state, or more than 390 square miles, the largest recorded single-year timber loss from natural disasters in state history, according to a report by The Associated Press. Visit http://www.gatrees.org/ForestManagement/PostFireTimberAssessment.cfm for information from the Georgia Forestry Commission on managing trees damaged by fire. Information from the U.S. Forest Service on assessing storm damage can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/foresthealth/pubs/storm_damage/contents.html.
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DISEASE-RESISTANT LIVESTOCK THE AIM OF UGA, USDA RESEARCHERS Using a $1.6 million gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, researchers from the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) and the United States Department of Agriculture are working to develop technology to breed chickens that are resistant to Newcastle virus. According to a story on the CAES website, Georgia Research Alliance eminent scholar and Animal and Dairy Professor Steve Stice and Assistant Professor Franklin West, along with USDA Poultry Research Laboratory researcher Claudio Alfonso, are using a process called cellular adaptive resistance. The process uses stem cells to create disease resistance in animals. A similar process was developed by Stice and West last year to produce pigs from pluripotent stem cells, which can develop into any type of cell. Newcastle virus, an avian disease to which domestic poultry are particularly susceptible, kills a fourth of the chickens each year in sub-Saharan Africa, where chicken is a major source of income and protein for many farm families. The disease sometimes wipes out entire flocks of birds. Stice hopes the process will produce chickens naturally resistant to Newcastle and other diseases, reducing their mortality rate and their need for veterinary care, to which farmers in many developing countries have limited or no access. The study began in fall 2010 and Stice anticipates it will take at least three years to select and breed the initial chickens before the technology is moved to Africa for further testing prior to release. WTO PANEL RULES AGAINST U.S. COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN REQUIREMENTS In a recent preliminary ruling, a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute panel agreed with Canada and Mexico in a case over U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) rules for meats and perishable commodities. The use of COOL for beef, pork and lamb was first enacted under the 2002 farm bill. Requirements for fish and shellfish were added in 2005 and the program was expanded in the 2008 farm bill to include fresh nuts, fruits and vegetables. Those requirements went into effect in 2009, and both Canada and Mexico filed complaints in December 2009. The U.S. has maintained that the concepts of COOL have been in practice by other countries since before the WTO was formed. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service is responsible for administration and enforcement of COOL. Canada and Mexico argued that the COOL requirements resulted in imported cattle and pork being treated less favorably in the U.S. than cattle and pork produced domestically, constituting a technical barrier to trade. They further argued that the U.S. COOL requirements act as a protectionist barrier and unfairly distort competition between imports and domestic cattle and pork, resulting in lower prices for cattle and pork produced in their countries. The panel is expected to issue its final ruling this summer. After it is made public, the U.S. will have 60 days to appeal.
Leadership Alert page 4 of 7 PRAYER SERVICE FOR FAVORABLE AGRICULTURAL WEATHER JUNE 2 GFB Home Office Auditorium Macon In light of the tornadoes, wildfires and drought conditions Georgia farmers have experienced this spring, Georgia Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall & Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black will hold a prayer service for favorable weather conditions for Georgia’s farmers beginning at 12:30 p.m. June 2 at the GFB home office in Macon (1620 Bass Road I-75 Exit 172). As of May 31, counties south of and including Harris, Talbot, Upson, Monroe, Jones, Baldwin, Washington, Glascock, Jefferson and Burke are now classified as being in extreme drought. Fifteen counties north of this region are classified as being in severe drought; 18 Georgia counties are classified as being in moderate drought conditions and the rest of Georgia is classified as abnormally dry. Everyone is invited to attend. For more information contact Jon Huffmaster at 478-474-0679, ext. 5284. DEADLINE TO ENTER GFB PHOTO CONTEST EXTENDED TO JUNE 3 The deadline to enter this year's photo contest has been extended due to technical difficulties some members experienced while trying to submit their photos during the Memorial Day Weekend! You now have until this Friday, June 3 to get those fantastic photos submitted. Your photo could be the big winner! The Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee is accepting entries for its 2011 Picture Agriculture in Georgia Contest. The contest is open to any Georgia Farm Bureau member who receives no income from photography. There are three categories: GFB members, GFB Young Farmers (farmers between the age of 18-35), and GFB staff/family (state or county). All photos must highlight Georgia agriculture and must have been taken in 2010 or 2011.Visit http://www.gfb.org/programs/yf/photo_contest.html for contest rules and eligibility. GEORGIA BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL June 3-4 Goldwasser Park Alma Enjoy sporting tournaments, a theater production, arts and crafts, a 5K run/walk, pie-eating contest, blueberry cooking contest and more! You can also buy fresh blueberries and blueberry plants all weekend. For more info, call 912-632-5859. 62nd ANNUAL GEORGIA WATERMELON DAYS FESTIVAL June 3-25 Various locations Cordele/Crisp County Events take place throughout June beginning June 3. The main day of the festival is June 25 with events including a parade, arts and crafts show, antique tractor display, contests, entertainment, free watermelon slices and more. Visit http://www.cordelecrispga.com or call 229-273-1668 for more information and a schedule of festival events. PUTNAM COUNTY DAIRY FESTIVAL June 4 Downtown Eatonton Events run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include a parade at 10 a.m., live entertainment all day, arts and crafts booths, vendor food and more. For more information call 706-485-5322. 12th ANNUAL NORTH AMERICAN AGROFORESTRY CONFERENCE Jun. 4 - Jun. 9 Georgia Center, UGA Campus Athens This conference will focus on sustainable rural land management and the integration of trees with crop and/or livestock production. Dennis Garrity, director general of the World Agroforestry Centre, and Kathleen Merrigan, deputy secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, will be featured speakers. Registration is $375. Visit http://hosting.caes.uga.edu/2011NAAC/index.html for more information or to register. GEORGIA PEACH FESTIVAL June 4-11 Various locations Byron and Fort Valley This week-long festival offers concerts, theatre shows, the 3rd Annual Paul Reehling Memorial Poker Run, Peach County Historical Society’s Famous Chicken Salad Luncheon free sampling of the World's Largest Peach Cobbler and much more! For more information, visit http://www.gapeachfestival.com.
Leadership Alert page 5 of 7 PEANUT BOARD EXPORT SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM SEMINAR June 7 National Peanut Board Office Atlanta This pilot program will provide marketing support for small farmer-owned businesses and small agribusinesses in hopes of increasing exports of U.S.-grown peanuts. Pre-registration is requested and space limited. To register, contact Jessica Dawson at jldawson@nationalpeanutboard.org or 678-4245759. GFB AG IN THE CLASSROOM WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS June 13-15 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Tifton This three-day workshop will show teachers how to use agriculture as a tool to teach social studies, science, math and language arts. This professional learning unit (PLU) course is targeted to teachers in grades K-8, is matched to state standards, is interdisciplinary and places particular focus on Georgia. Teachers will learn how to teach their students where their food comes from and about natural resources using hands-on lessons and activities. REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS JUNE 10. The class includes a field trip to learn about Georgia agriculture and a variety of classroom resources for teachers to use. Georgia Agriculture in the Classroom Coordinator Donna Rocker is the lead instructor for the class. The course sessions begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. each day. Registration cost is $35 and includes lunch each day and a field trip to area farms/agribusinesses. Participants are responsible for making their own hotel accommodations. For more information, visit http://www.gfb.org/programs/aic/PLUCourses.htm. To register, contact Rocker via email at dhrocker@gfb.org or by phone at 478-474-0679 (ext. 5365). GEORGIA-FLORIDA TOBACCO TOUR June 13-15 Waresboro, Ga. - Lake City, Fla. The tour will visit Georgia and Florida tobacco farms to view on-farm research of tobacco varieties, insect control, tomato spotted wilt virus and more. To register for the tour visit http://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fieldcrops/tobacco/tours/index.html. Additional details of the schedule and driving directions will be added to the website the week before the tour. For more information please contact Dr. J. Michael Moore at 229-392-6424 or via email at jmmoore@uga.edu. UGA COTTON SCOUT SCHOOLS June 13 UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Tifton June 21 Southeast Research & Education Center Midville These programs offer basic information on cotton insects and scouting procedures and will serve as a review for experienced scouts and producers and as an introduction to cotton insect monitoring for new scouts. Both schools run from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. For more information about the Tifton school call Debbie Rutland at 229-386-3424. Contact Peyton Sapp at 706-554-2119 for more information about the school in Midville. UGA AGRIBUSINESS CONFERENCE Jun. 14 Chicopee Building UGA Campus Athens This workshop provides networking opportunities among successful business owners, private-sector entities and financial institutions, and will include presentations from chefs, restaurateurs and farmers with successful agritourism businesses. UGA experts, as well as representatives from other state and local institutions, will talk about marketing, business plans, financial forecasting, trends, business models, loans, grants and more. Participants will leave with game plans, ideas, business leads, contracts and resources to increase profitability. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Sessions start at 9 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. Registration is $65 per person and includes a buffet lunch, breaks, informational materials, parking and contact lists of all participants and exhibitors. Register online at www.georgiamicrobiz.com or call Julia Menefield at 706-208-0048.
Leadership Alert page 6 of 7 CHEROKEE COUNTY FARM BUREAU SAFETY DAY CAMP June 15 Lazy D Farm 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Ball Ground This free camp, which is open to anyone regardless of county of residence, includes lunch, t-shirt & gift bag. Topics include ATV safety, animal safety, electricity safety, tractor safety, nutrition, fire safety, gun safety, water safety, bike safety and severe weather. REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS THURSDAY JUNE 2, 2011 OR UNTIL CAMP IS FULL. To register call Cherokee County Farm Bureau at 770479-1481 Ext. 0 or the Cherokee County Extension Office at 770-479-0418. DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR USDA RENEWABLE ENERGY LOANS JUNE 15 $70 million in loan guarantees and grants to install renewable energy systems is available nationwide. through the USDA Rural Development’s Renewable Energy for America program. Funds may be used to purchase and install renewable energy systems, to make energy efficiency improvements, and to complete feasibility studies. The maximum grant for renewable energy systems is 25 percent of eligible project costs, not to exceed $500,000. Energy efficiency improvement projects are eligible for up to 25 percent of eligible project costs, not to exceed $250,000. The maximum loan guarantee is 75 percent of eligible project costs, not to exceed $25 million. Combination loan guarantees and grants are also available. Feasibility studies now also qualify for grants. New for 2011 is the addition of blender pumps as an eligible purpose. These pumps can deliver a variety of ethanol blended gasoline ranging from 11% to 85%. Convenience stores and other fuel dispensers can apply for funding this year to help in the installation of the pumps and tanks at their place of business. Complete program details are available at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/Energy.html. Applications received after June 15 will be considered in 2012. Applications can be sent to Craig Scroggs, USDA Rural Development, 111 E. Spring St. Monroe, GA 30655 or Al Burns, USDA Rural Development, 2406 N. Tift Ave., Suite 103, Tifton, GA 31794. Program coordinators can be reached for more information as follows: Craig Scroggs at 404-229-5720 or craig.scroggs@ga.usda.gov; Al Burns at 229-220-5067 or al.burns@ga.usda.gov. CORN SILAGE & FORAGE FIELD DAY June 16 UGA Tifton Campus Tifton Registration for this workshop, hosted by the University of Georgia and University of Florida, begins at 7:30 a.m. with the program starting at 8 a.m. Attendees will have the chance to tour variety test plots and hear university specialists discuss improving nitrogen fertilizer use, weed control in corn and forage sorghum, forage preservation, ways to use byproducts to supplement forages for beef cattle and dairy cattle, reducing feeding losses of hay and processing baleage and hay f or use in TMR. For more information visit http://bit.ly/lXnW2o contact Dr. John K. Bernard at 229-391-6856 or jbernard@uga.edu. PESTICIDE USE, SAFETY & HANDLING TRAINING CLASS June 21 Houston Co. Cooperative. Ext. Office Perry Earn five hours of commercial pesticide credit in multiple categories (Categories 21,22,23,24,25,26,27, 31,32,35,36,37,38,39, or 41). Class runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Class costs $40 and includes materials. Lunch is on your own. To register contact Karen Atkins at 478-987-2028 or via email at atkinsk@uga.edu or find a registration form online at http://www.ugaextension.com/houston (under News & Events). To receive information about future recertification classes, please email Karen Atkins at atkinsk@uga.edu. GA PORK PRODUCERS CONGRESS & PORK ACT DELEGATE ELECTION June 22 Georgia Farm Bureau Home Office Macon Annual meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. Representatives of the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences will give an update on swine research at Double Bridges Farm. A National Pork Board representative will give an update on the national and international outlook for the swine industry. Melony Wilson and Dr. John Worley will conduct a producer certification course on waste management during the morning session that will provide two hours of continuing education credit. At 2 p.m. Georgia pork producers will elect delegate candidates to represent Georgia at the 2012 National Pork Producers Delegate Body. To be eligible as a delegate candidate or to participate in the election, producers must be 18 or older and should bring a sales receipt proving that hogs were sold in their name and the checkoff was paid. For information, contact the Georgia Pork Producers Association at 229-336-7760.
Leadership Alert page 7 of 7 SUNBELT AG EXPO FIELD DAY July 7 Spence Field Moultrie See crop progress and new research tests on field plots for multiple crops. Trimble Navigation, a leader in GPS technology and precision agriculture, will demonstrate their latest technology, “Connected Farm”, a new system of software and communication services that takes farm management efficiency to the next level by combining precision farming information collected in the field with data management software and cell phone technology. The Flint River Basin Partnership will showcase two emerging irrigation water management technologies: remote soil moisture monitoring and variable rate irrigation. Visitors will get the chance to preview Expo’s first organic demonstration plot. The two acre plot will feature an acre of peanuts and an acre of pearl millet with a rye cover crop over the winter. New Holland will preview its new T8 Series tractor, designed to be more fuel-efficient. Shuttles to the field start at 8:30 a.m. followed by a free lunch at 12:15 a.m. and door prizes. Register before 8:15 a.m. for a chance to win a $100 early bird cash prize. Call 229-985-1968 or visit www.sunbeltexpo.com for more information. GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ASSISTS IN LOCATING FARM WORKERS The Georgia Department of Labor (DOL) is offering assistance to growers with job announcements and referral assistance. Growers can post job orders by contacting their nearest DOL career center. The career centers are listed at http://www.dol.state.ga.us/find_career_centers.htm. Ask for an employer marketing representative for help with posting job orders. Job orders can also be placed by visiting http://www.dol.state.ga.us/em/recruit_new_employees.htm or by calling 1-877-JOBS-4GA (877-5627442). PFIZER SOUTHEAST STORM RELIEF PROGRAM Pfizer Animal Health is helping veterinarians and livestock owners in the Southeast assess and treat livestock impacted by the April storms and tornadoes, including reimbursement vouchers for consulting fees and access to long-acting antibiotics at no cost to vets. This program will be in place for the next 90 days. Interested vets should call 1-800-366-5288. PEANUT PROUD SENDING PEANUT BUTTER TO TORNADO VICTIMS Peanut Proud is collecting donations to send peanut butter and bottled water to church shelters and feeding distribution centers in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi for victims of the recent tornadoes. Contributions to this project may be sent to: Peanut Proud Inc, P.O. Box 446, Blakely, GA 39823. Checks should be made payable to Peanut Proud., Inc., and allocated for Project Giving Back. For information please contact Lea Jean Manry at 229-723-2802 or lmanry@birdsong-peanuts.com or Chuck Hancock, 229-723-2815 or chancock@birdsongpeanuts.com. GA CONGRESSIONAL REAPPORTIONMENT INFO AVAILABLE A Joint House and Senate Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee webpage is now available on the General Assembly website. Log on to www.legis.ga.gov, then click on the Joint Reapportionment Committee webpage link. The webpage contains contact information for committee members, the hearing schedule and locations, videos of past hearings, press releases and a location to submit public comments. BASF ANNOUNCES FARM PLAN FINANCING & HEADLINE SAVINGS BASF is teaming up with Farm Plan™ to provide growers another way to save on their purchases for 2011. Under the 2011 program, growers can finance a purchase of two or more BASF crop protection products through Farm Plan with zero percent interest and no payments for 180 days. To take advantage of this offer, growers must make a purchase using their Farm Plan account by July 15. For more details, growers should contact their authorized BASF retailer, or visit See full terms and conditions of the Farm Plan offer at https://www.farmplan.com Growers who use Headline® fungicide may qualify to save $50 per gallon on purchases through BASF authorized retailers made by Aug. 15.