Georgia Farm Bureau's Leadership Alert - March 12, 2014

March 12, 2014

www.gfb.org

Vol. 32 No. 10

USDA BEGINS FARM BILL IMPLEMENTATION On Feb. 28, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack discussed the implementation timeline for the 2014 farm bill during the Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Texas. According to a summary from the American Farm Bureau Federation, Vilsack indicated the following: • USDA has prioritized signup for the Livestock Indemnity Program and the Livestock Forage Program. Signup should begin by April 15.

• Export promotion programs will be restored in mid-April.

• Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications are being accepted and farmers can expect notification around June 1, with obligations beginning sometime in late July or early August.

• USDA is accepting applications under the Wetland Reserve Easement program and expects to begin accepting applications for the Ag Land Easement Program around May 1. Notification of acceptance will occur in July and hopefully obligations begin to flow in late summer.

• Trade promotion programs will now include biofuel production promotion. USDA will begin targeting those efforts on the markets in India, Japan and China.

• USDA is taking applications under Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Management Assistance Programs. By about May 17, USDA will notify producers whether or not their EQIP or MAP applications have been accepted and those obligations begin June 1.

• The application period for sign-up for the Agriculture Conservation Easement Program should be about May 1.

• The guaranteed loan term limits for FSA loans will be eliminated this spring or summer.

• During the summer and fall, producers will be able to update production history. USDA hopes to publicize the final program and the regulations for both Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) this fall. After that occurs, farmers will be allowed to update yields and bases by the end of 2014 and early 2015.

• Sometime this fall, USDA will release regulations on commodity programs so that producers can make decisions by the end of this year or early 2015.

• The Stacked Income Protection Program (STAX) for cotton will be available for 2015 crops.

For STAX, USDA believes that almost all cotton production nationwide will be covered in 2015 crop year. This summer, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) will provide information about counties that will be covered. Until that time, cotton transition payments will be made.

• The Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) maps should be available by the summer of 2015.

Leadership Alert page 2 of 8 BURGAMY, TALTON JOIN GFB FEDERATION STAFF Kenny Burgamy has joined the “Georgia Farm Monitor” and Clay Talton has been named the Georgia Farm Bureau District 2 field representative.

Burgamy joins Ray D’Alessio as co-anchor of the Georgia Farm Monitor and will also work as a reporter for the weekly half-hour TV program. Burgamy brings more than 30 years of broadcast media experience, most recently as morning and midday anchor at WMAZ in Macon. He and his wife Dawn live in Macon and have one daughter, Morgan.

“We are very excited to welcome Kenny to our Talton Burgamy department and look forward to him joining Ray on the set of the Farm Monitor,” said GFB Publications/Information Director Andy Lucas.

Talton is scheduled to begin with GFB on March 24 after working with the UGA Cooperative Extension Service since 2007, most recently as the Elbert County Extension Coordinator. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science from UGA and has served on the GFB Young Farmer Committee. In December he was recognized with the 2013 GFB Young Farmer Excellence in Agriculture Award. Clay and his wife Brittany live in Madison County with their daughter Lola and son Cohen.

“We are excited to have Clay join our Field Services Department and the 2nd Disrict Leadership Team,” said GFB President Zippy Duvall. “He brings a wealth of ag knowledge and experience, and we know he’ll serve our 2nd District members well.”

SAVANNAH HARBOR EXPANSION PROJECT LEFT OUT OF OBAMA BUDGET On March 6 all 16 members of the Georgia congressional delegation sent a letter to Sylvia Burwell, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), expressing disappointment in OMB for its failure to support the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP), which was left out of the Obama administration’s FB 2015 budget.

Funding SHEP would allow the Savannah Harbor to be deepened, making it capable of accommodating the larger ships that will be coming through the Panama Canal after that facility’s expansion is completed.

SHEP is the state’s number one economic development project, and has bipartisan support from Georgia’s local, state and federal leaders. The president previously included SHEP in his 2012 “We Can’t Wait” initiative, in which he specifically pledged to expedite SHEP and four other port projects. Vice President Biden visited the port in Savannah last year and pledged the administration’s support of the project.

According to the letter, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 (Omnibus spending bill) signed into law by the president on Jan. 17 gave clear direction to the administration to begin construction on SHEP and to request the necessary funding.

The State of Georgia has allocated $256 million in state funds to be used for the state’s share of construction costs for SHEP. Deal said in a March 4 statement that the state would move forward on its own with the deepening project.

According to a report in the Savannah Morning News, the White House indicated that dredging operations cannot start on SHEP until passage of the Water Resources Development Act, which contains language to update spending caps on SHEP. The bill is in conference committee to work out differences between House and Senate versions.

Leadership Alert page 3 of 8 GEORGIA NAMES NEW COUNSEL IN FLORIDA LAWSUIT – Gov. Nathan Deal and Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens announced on March 5 that the state of Georgia has hired Atlanta law firm Kazmarek Mowrey Cloud Laseter LLP to represent it in ongoing water litigation.

The firm will replace Bruce Brown, Todd Silliman and John Allen, the trio of attorneys who withdrew after 15 years as the state’s legal counsel in the ongoing dispute with Florida and Alabama over access to water resources.

Brown, of the Bruce P. Brown Law firm, and Silliman and Allen of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, cited the longevity of the disputes and demands placed on their law practices in announcing their withdrawal. Their work on the water disputes included nine cases in federal trial courts, eight cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals and three petitions or opposition to petitions before the Supreme Court.

In a related development the Supreme Court has sought input from U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli before allowing Florida to move forward with its water-related lawsuit against Georgia.

Florida filed the suit before the Supreme Court in October, attempting to blame Georgia overconsumption of water from the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers for environmental issues on the Apalachicola Bay that threaten the bay’s oyster industry.

UGA STUDENT TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS ABOUT EXTENSION IMPACT University of Georgia student Tess Hammock testified at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on March 4 on behalf of the seven million 4-H’ers in America.

The hearing, held before the subcommittee on horticulture, research, biotechnology and foreign agriculture chaired by Rep. Austin Scott (RGa.), recognized the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Smith-Lever Act, which established the Cooperative Extension Service.

Hammock, from Monroe County, is an agricultural communications major in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

She is a youth trustee on the National 4-H Council. She told the subcommittee that the Cooperative Extension was one of the most innovative educational ideas ever and that is has helped shape her life.

“As a young woman growing up in Georgia, I had access to a lifechanging experience called 4-H—the youth development program of Hammock Cooperative Extension, the largest and one of the most effective youth programs in America,” she said. “For more than 100 years, 4-H has stood behind the idea that young people are the single greatest resource we have to create a better world.”

There are more than 20 million 4-H alumni in the U.S. today.

The panel agreed human nutrition, hunger and technology will be the grand challenges of the future and will be where Cooperative Extension can have the greatest impact.

“Agriculture touches every person on the planet every day,” Hammock said. “One in seven people in the world goes to bed hungry every night. Food production must double by 2050 to meet the demands of our world’s population growth. No one knows where the food, water or energy will come from. But we do know that the farmer who will feed the world in 2050 is 13 years old today. This is just one example of why an investment in young people is the most important investment you can make.”

Leadership Alert page 4 of 8 GA. DAIRY MANAGERS SERIES: IMPROVING COW CARE AND HANDLING March 13 Burke Co. Extension Office 10 a.m.

Waynesboro March 13 Trinity United Methodist Church 7 p.m.

Clermont March 14 Pennington Church Annex 10 a.m.

Madison This bilingual series, sponsored by Zoetis and GA Milk Producers, will help dairymen and employees improve cow-handling techniques, such as identifying flight zones, herding instincts and avoiding injury. It will also cover calving assistance and the steps needed to evaluate a potentially sick cow. Meetings are open to dairymen, managers, and employees - free of charge and will be held from 10 a.m. until noon, ending with lunch (except for Clermont). Please preregister for meal purposes by calling 706-310-0020.

SMALL FARMING: WHERE TO BEGIN March 14 Central Georgia Technical College 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Milledgeville This workshop is presented by the UGA Cooperative Extension offices in Bibb, Bleckley, Houston, Laurens, Peach, Putnam, Taylor and Twiggs counties. It will cover recordkeeping, funding and resources, marketing, grazing systems, poultry, organics, vegetables, beekeeping and pecans. Registration is $40, which includes lunch. For more information call 706-485-4151.

USDA/1890 NATIONAL SCHOLARS PROGAM March 14 Scholarship Application Deadline The USDA/1890 National Scholars Program is a partnership between of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the nineteen 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant Universities, which include Fort Valley State University in Georgia. The USDA/1890 National Scholars Program is implemented under the USDA Fellow Experience Program (FEP). The program awards scholarships to students attending one of the 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant Universities, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or related academic disciplines. For complete guidelines or to download the scholarship application, visit http://www.outreach.usda.gov/education/1890/index.htm.

UGA CAES ACCEPTING HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS The UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Alumni Association invites you to make nominations for induction to the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to recognize individuals making unusual and extraordinary contributions to agriculture and agribusiness industries in Georgia. Hall of Fame nominations must be postmarked by March 15. For more information or to make nominations for these awards, visit http://www.caes.uga.edu/alumni/fame/nominate.html.

PECANS IN SCIENCE EXPERIMENT CONTEST March 16 Deadline for entries Jointly sponsored by the Georgia Pecan Commission and the Georgia Pecan Growers Association, this contest gives students in grades 7-12 the chance to win $500 and spend a day with UGA pecan researcher Dr. Ronald Pegg. To enter, students must submit an experiment, investigation and/or invention, which highlights Georgia Pecans. The contest is open to public, private and homeschooled students throughout Georgia. For contest rules and entry instructions, visit http://www.georgiapecans.org/component/content/article/116. For more information contact Cheryl Miller at 813 251-4242 (ext. 222) or cmiller@atthetablepr.com.

Leadership Alert page 5 of 8 GEORGIA FARM BUREAU FARM BILL INFORMATION MEETING March 24 Georgia Farm Bureau office 9:30 a.m. - noon Macon UGA experts will present information about commodity programs in the 2014 farm bill. For more information contact the GFB Legislative Department at 478-474-8411, ext. 5283.

GRAZING AND FORAGE FIELD DAY March 25 Gully Branch Farm, 376 Butts Rd. Cochran This free event is presented by the Georgia Grazing Lands Conservation Coalition in partnership with the Central Georgia Soil and Wter Conservation District, the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission, the NRCS, the UGA Cooperative Extension Service, the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association, Georgia Association of Conservation District Supervisors and Pine Country RC&D Council. It will feature presentations on alfalfa interseeded into Bermudagrass, silvopasture and native warm season grasses, cattle working facility setup and multispecies grazing with cattle and sheep. There is also a bus tour, after which supper will be served. Sign-in begins at 2:30 p.m. Seating is limited to the first 60 people who pre-register by March 18. To register, call Paula Dillard at 478-445-5766 or send an email to pdillard@gaswcc.org.

NATIONAL COTTON COUNCIL FARM BILL INFO MEETINGS March 19 Bulloch County Ag Center 3 p.m.

Statesboro March 20 Baxley Church of God 9 a.m.

Baxley March 20 UGA Tifton Campus Conf. Center 3 p.m.

Tifton March 21 Lions Club 9 a.m.

Donalsonville March 21 Main Street Theater 2 p.m.

Dawson The National Cotton Council has scheduled these meetings to provide producers, cotton industry firms and agribusinesses with information on the provisions of the new farm bill. For more information contact the Georgia Cotton Commission at 478-988-4235.

FORESTRY & LAND MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP March 26 Sumter County Agricultural Center 9 a.m.

Americus This workshop, presented by the Lower Chattahoochee River Soil & Water Conservation District, features presentations on forestry best management practices, wildlife habitat, a farm bill update, forage and grazing, water issues and available NRCS programs. Please register by March 21 by calling 229-995-6001 or sending an email to lwyant@gaswcc.org.

CHEROKEE COUNTY AGRICULTURE EXPO March 28 Woodstock Recreation Center 4-7 p.m.

Woodstock To celebrate National & Georgia Agriculture Awareness Month, numerous Cherokee County organizations, including Cherokee County Farm Bureau, are hosting this free event open to the public. More than 20 exhibitors will display locally grown food, plants, animals and hand-crafted products. Refreshments will be served, and there will be a petting zoo for children. Reservations for booth space will be accepted until March 21. Farmers, gardeners, garden clubs, beekeepers, horticulture nurseries and other businesses related to agriculture are welcome to exhibit. Contact Shirley Pahl at 770-479-1481, ext. 0 or sfpahl@gfb.org to reserve an exhibit space or for more information about the event. Anyone planning to attend the event is asked to contact Pahl so enough food is prepared for attendees.

Leadership Alert page 6 of 8 6th ANNUAL PEANUT PROUD FESTIVAL March 22 Downtown Square Blakely Come “Celebrate Everything Peanut” during the daylong festival that begins at 8 a.m. with a 5K & Fun Run, followed by a parade at 10 a.m. More than 100 vendors will sell merchandise, and samples of fried peanuts and grilled PB&J sandwiches will be available. Free entertainment will perform during the day including Nashville recording artist Mark Wills. March 21. For more information please call Marcie Justice at 229-724-7322 or visit http://www.peanutproudfestival.com or the Peanut Proud Facebook page.

SOUTHWEST GEORGIA BEEKEEPERS BEE SCHOOL March 29 Parks at Chehaw 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Albany This workshop, sponsored by the Southwest Georgia Beekeepers Club and the Dougherty County Extension office, will cover the art of beekeeping, hive equipment, honey production and how to manage a hive for pollination. The $30 registration fee includes the course, take home materials, lunch and a club membership. Register online at http://www.sowegabeekeepers.org .

For more information about the club or the bee school, call 229-336-5952 or send an email info@sowegabeekeepers.org.

AMERICA’S FARMERS MOM OF YEAR CONTEST ACCEPTING ENTRIES Nominations are being accepted for the 2014 America’s Farmers Mom of the Year Contest until 11:59 p.m.

March 31.

To nominate someone for the award, visit http://www.americasfarmers.com and select the Farm Mom icon. Submit an essay of 300 words or less that explains how the nominated farm mom contributes to her family, farm, community and agriculture. Complete rules and nomination instructions are available at the aforementioned website. Nominations using the form printed from the website may be submitted by mail to, Paradowski, Attn: Sue Dillon, America’s Farmers Mom of the Year, 349 Marshall Ave. Ste. 200, St. Louis, MO 63119. Mailed entries must be postmarked by March 31 and received by April 2.

Each regional winner receives $5,000, and the national winner gets another $5,000.

2014 GEORGIA AGRITOURISM ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE March 31 - April 1 The Classic Center Athens Hosted by the Georgia Agritourism Association in Partnership with Chick-fil-A, the conference opens with a tour of Northeast Georgia farms on March 31. April 1 sessions include agritourism operators sharing their experiences with Conservation Use Value Assessment (CUVA), food service and food products on and from the farm and marketing strategies. For more details or to register visit http://tinyurl.com/me5wdhl or call the Georgia Agritourism Association at 706-845-9085.

USB’S A SOYBEAN’S JOURNEY: SEE FOR YOURSELF PROGRAM The United Soybean Board (USB) invites soybean farmers to participate in this program, which provides farmers with the chance to learn about and evaluate specific investment areas of the soy checkoff. All U.S. soybean farmers over the age of 18 can apply now for the seventh annual See for Yourself program.

To apply, visit the USB website, http://www.UnitedSoybean.org/SeeforYourself, through April 4. A group of 10 U.S. soybean farmers will first travel to St. Louis to witness firsthand the operations of the checkoff and visit local sites related to domestic uses for soybeans. The program is scheduled to take place Aug. 15-22 and USB will cover all related rooming, meal and travel expenses.

Leadership Alert page 7 of 8 AMERICA’S FARMERS GROW RURAL EDUCATION FUND April 6 Nomination deadline April 21 School application deadline Monsanto is accepting nominations from farmers in 33 Georgia counties for grants of up to $25,000 from Monsanto’s America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education Fund. Eligible counties are Appling, Baker, Berrien, Bleckley, Brooks, Bulloch, Burke, Calhoun, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crisp, Decatur, Dooly, Early, Grady, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Lee, Macon, Miller, Mitchell, Screven, Seminole, Sumter, Tattnall, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Wilcox and Worth. Visit http://www.growruraleducation.com and click the “Farmers Nominate Now” button or call 1877-267-3332 to submit a nomination.

SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM April 18 Deadline to apply The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) is pleased to announce the competitive solicitation process to award the 2014 Specialty Crop Block Grant. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds projects that “enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.”

Specialty crops are defined as: fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, Christmas trees, turfgrass/sod, nursery and greenhouse crops, including floriculture. For a listing of all eligible crops visit www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/scbgp. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will make grant funding available, with Georgia’s share being approximately $1.2 million. Please refer to the links available on the GDA grants webpage located at www.agr.georgia.gov/grants.aspx for the grant application, guidelines, and additional information. For additional questions please contact Jeanne Maxwell at Jeanne.Maxwell@agr.georgia.gov or 404-657-1584.

GEORGIA CATTLEWOMEN’S ASSOCIATION REGION II MEETING April 25-27 Forrest Hills Mountain Resort & Conference Center Dahlonega The Georgia Cattlewomen's Association invites you to three days of fun, fellowship and educational opportunities! There will be social media training, leadership development, ANCW business and updates, as well as lots of fun like a Winery/Farm Tour and trail walking. The registration form can be found at http://www.gabeef.org/gcwa/index.html. For more information contact Melissa Miller at millerm@uga.edu or 813-928-2437.

IFYE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR EXCHANGE PROGRAM Young adults age 19 and over are encouraged to apply for the 2014 International Farm Youth Exchange (IFYE) Program. Individuals who have developed leadership skills in programs such as Young Farmers & Ranchers, 4-H, FFA or similar organizations, as well as those with a background in various agriculture-related fields and consumer sciences are particularly well suited for a primarily rural living experience. Successful applicants will participate in various young adult programs abroad such as Young Farmers, Rural Youth, etc. Participating countries in 2014 may include Austria, Botswana, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Scotland, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Wales. Additional countries may be added. For further information, please contact Alan Lambert, National IFYE Program Director, at 605-366-6107 or by email at alanelambert@gmail.com. Completed applications are due by April 15. Visit the IFYE website at www.ifyeusa.org/ to learn more about the program and obtain an application.

Leadership Alert page 8 of 8 MULTICULTURAL SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE April 17 Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Perry The Upper Ocmulgee River RC&D Council, Inc., in partnership with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, will host a conference for multicultural farmers and producers.

Registration fee is $20 per person, which covers the cost of lunch and conference materials.

Topics include muscadine wine production, building a diverse urban farm enterprise, growing farm profits, pecan and peanut production and many more. For updates on speakers, classes, agenda and to register, visit http://tinyurl.com/mecjba8. For more information contact the Upper Ocmulgee River RC&D Council, Inc. at 678-376-9518 or USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Lawrenceville Service Office at 770-963-9288.

GA. HEIFER EVALUATION AND REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT (HERD) SALE April 22 Tifton Bull Evaluation Center Irwinville Sale begins at 12:30 p.m. For information contact Dr. Jacob Segers at 229-386-3214 or jacobs@uga.edu or Patsie T. Cannon at 229-386-3683 or ptcannon@uga.edu.

GEORGIA FORESTRY FOUNDATION ARTWORK AND SLOGAN CONTESTS April 30 Deadline for entries Georgia students in grades 5 through 12 are invited to participate in a contest to express the value of Georgia’s sustainable working forests through submission of a creative artwork and slogan.

There are two levels of competition: fifth through eighth and ninth through 12th grades, with one winner from each level. Each winning entry will be awarded a prize valued up to $35,000, which includes a $15,000 cash award to the school, $2,500 cash award and forestry camp scholarship to the student, Project Learning Tree environmental professional development for up to 20 teachers and an invitation to attend the Georgia Teacher Conservation Workshop for two teachers from the winning schools, a field trip for students in the grade level of each winning student, and materials featuring the winning artwork and slogan. For more information on the contest including submission guidelines, entry form, terms and conditions and other resources for schools visit http://www.forestry4Rfuture.org or call 478-992-8110.

GEORGIA CENTENNIAL FARM NOMINATION DEADLINE IS MAY 1 The Georgia Centennial Farm Program, which recognizes historic farms and encourages their preservation, is accepting nominations. To qualify, farms must: be a working farm with a minimum of 10 acres actively involved in ag production, generate at least $1,000 in annual farm income and include 10 acres of the original farm purchase. Farms must have been continuously farmed for at least 100 years. The Centennial Farm Program has recognized 451 Georgia farms since 1993. Visit http://www.georgiacentennialfarms.org to download an application or contact Charlie Miller, Centennial Farm Awards Committee chairman at 404-651-5287 or by email at Charlie.miller@dnr.state.ga.usApplications must be postmarked by May 1. Selected farms will be honored during the Georgia National Fair in October.